ricklev

At Bang Chak in Bangkok, the peripheral color test involved putting your chin in a machine and identifying red or green dots randomly projected peripherally. If I remember correctly I had to call out the colors. It may also have included yellow.

Yes, actually I upgraded my 2 year license issued in Bangkok to a 5 year license in Chiang Mai and then renewed that in Bangkok, as during covid they were not using the peripheral vision color blind test machine.

You can use any office to renew your license so it might be worth checking which offices will give you a 5 year license with a DTV visa. Bangkok does this absurd peripheral color blind test I could not pass. Chiang Mai just wanted me to recognize red, green and yellow circles. No problem. That is where I go now even though I live in Bangkok. I have an old style work permit with my address on it and they used my Bangkok address. No residency certificate required.

I am curious if anyone has any experiences with purchasing and using Ozempic or other semaglutides as injections or tablets. Just generally interested in your experiences... Are cheaper generic forms from India available anywhere in Bangkok? I am wondering if a short trip to India would pay for itself. No idea really...

I clean my toilet with pride. Best 60 baht I ever spent on Lazada. No offense intended.

I am sure they know that not providing reminders increases the number of 2000 baht fines.

In that case, we are basically in agreement and this old left-wing liberal nut and you can walk peacefully together into the sunset. 🙂

Excellent!!! That is exactly the reason I don't eat chicken, pork or beef. I actually have no problem with the quick death of the animal, it is the long suffering life of factory farmed animals I don't want to participate in. I have never lectured anyone about it. What to eat is a personal decision and we all make ethical compromises.

I think that obnoxious vegan lecturing you and demanding you change what you eat lives mostly in your brain. I would bet real money you have never actually had a conversation like that.

Well, the math is a little beyond me, but if I put off paying for Part B from 65 to 85 because I have remained in Thailand I would have saved around $50,000. That will pay for a lot of months (depending on the Part B premium in the future, I guess) even at three times the Part B monthly premium. Don't forget, there is no urgency about getting Part B. I can get it immediately on returning to the USA, if need be. I am fairly certain if I get a serious illness leading to drastically reduced quality of life at 85 it will be suicide for me, but who knows when push comes to shove. However, I am not averse to being told I am wrong and foolish.

Let's agree on the need to have secure borders and the deportation of illegal immigrants and agree to disagree on the need to dehumanize and degrade them.

Thanks. I fully understand the difference. I am balancing the Part B savings of $10,000 versus the penalty cost over five years and into the future. It would be quite useful to know exactly when I will die, but there is only one way to know that for sure. 🙂 The 10 percent increase per year penalty stops when you finally do enroll in Part B, right?

Worthless scum! (Oh! Wow! That does feel good. I get it now. Never mind!)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/28/colombia-migrants-trump-petro/ BOGOTÁ, Colombia — President Donald Trump threatened to punish Colombia with tariffs, a travel ban and other sanctions to compel it to accept deportation flights carrying “Illegal Criminals.” But Colombian officials said there were no criminals among the two planeloads of migrants the U.S. government sent over Tuesday. Among the more than 200 deportees were two pregnant women and more than 20 children, Colombian officials said after the flights landed.

My closest 7-11 sells Budweiser brewed under license in Vietnam for 56 baht for a tall can and I am here to say that that watery less than great but drinkable on a hot day American beer is better than any beer brewed in Thailand.

What if they are not though. What if they are fighting tooth and nail to protect the poor and middle class while a small fringe on the left is over the top on some things. Why would some media and politicians emphasize the weirdness so you believe it to be a major problem? I get that it is hard to see it that way!

Yes, everything you mentioned is a problem, but consider the possibility that all that hate and anger is just designed to distract you while the things that created and sustained a middle class in the USA are taken away along with the social safety net and more and more of the wealth of the country is transferred into the hands of relatively few people at the top.

Great question!

I have never read a single specific example of any crime the Colombians committed or any shenanigans allowing them to stay in the US while waiting for a court case. But I am happy to be educated. Could you please provide an example.

If I wait 5 years I will also have saved $10,000 dollars in the five years. However, I might live to 100 making those savings negligible compared to the increased rate. 🙂 Google tells me I don't have to wait for the open enrollment period to add Part B if I return to the USA after living abroad. There is a 2 month special enrollment period but I don't know if that is true. You can enroll in Medicare Part B while living overseas if you are 65 or older and qualify for Medicare. You can enroll at a U.S. embassy or consulate in your country. When can you enroll? During your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP): You can enroll during your IEP, which is a specific period of time. During the General Enrollment Period (GEP): You can enroll during the GEP, which runs from January 1 through March 31 each year. During your Special Enrollment Period (SEP): You can enroll during your SEP, which begins when you return to the U.S. and lasts for up to two months.

Grab is now accepting my Bangkok Bank MasterCard debit card.

So many comments about them being criminals and scum and not a single post that provides any information of what they've done other than enter illegally. I agree, illegal immigrants should be deported, but not dehumanized. I need a little more than just Donald Trump's word that they are rapists and criminals. But that's just me I guess.

Are they really criminals? What did they do that makes them "worthless"? I am genuinely curious and could not find any information about that online.

This works! I have a PM2.5 meter and I know. It doesn't reduce it to 2 ppm as my air purifier does but it does get down to 10 ppm from 80 ppm in an hour or so. You have to follow the directions it comes with. However, I do have an old fashioned giant floor type split unit mounted on my ceiling so a lot of air is passing through.

"Worthless" Shame on you!