coops

Just registered on the Mor Phrom App - had tried months ago and not successful, but this time worked just fine.

Entered my 13 digit ID - mobile number and got the OTP code and voila.

My first AZ shot was in the system.

5 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

QR code?   Do you mean the reference number?  There's no QR code on my emailed confirmation from the hospital, just a ref number.

Maybe a reference number for these registrations - the booking i had also has a QR code on it - my booking was not from this 'new' one for expats... I have the Thai Pink ID card, and Social Security number so a friend's daughter who works at Medpark got me booked a while ago in the Thai bookings.

On 7/9/2021 at 12:56 PM, kynikoi said:

The best is the lasik eye clinic not Rutin. Forget the name but I'm sure someone will come along with it shortly. Not cheap.

 

120k??? Forget

That'll be TRSC, in the U Chu Liang (HSBC) building 

http://www.lasikthai.com/?lang_id=2

They (as do some others) also offer Relex Smile laser correction as well as the usual Lasik and PRK.

3 hours ago, Susco said:

 

I don't get involved with anything that has no intrinsic value, and which price is determined by what one or another influencer tweets on any given day

Fiat currency (your US dollars, Pounds Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc etc ect) also has NO intrinsic value.

They do have the backing of their respective Governments - which is of little comfort to those in Zimbabwe, or Turkey.... (and notoriously Germans in the past https://keripeardon.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/wheelbarrows-of-money-and-the-weimar-republic/)

This is a good little book to help give some understanding of ' money', Crypto assets and blockchains
https://www.amazon.com/Basics-Bitcoins-Blockchains-Introduction-Cryptocurrencies-ebook/dp/B07BWK82DC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bitcoin+lewis&qid=1620964681&sr=8-1

1 hour ago, moose7117 said:

it is odd that in Australia you can buy a Suzuki swift with a 1.4 litre engine that puts out 103 KW (138 HP) for @655000 baht. yet here you don't even have that option.

 but if you really want a sporty hatchback , look here.

 

https://www.toyota.com.au/gr-yaris/range

 

It’s not odd at all.

Maybe head over to the Singapore car forum and entertain them with the shocking news their cars are available cheaper elsewhere... and what’s this permit you need to buy to purchase a car on top.  Kerrist.

Alternative is a tiny portable manual option - got one similar to this :-

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/new-stainless-steel-manual-nose-trimmer-for-shaving-nose-ear-hair-trimmer-shaver-face-care-for-men-washable-device-i1973340569-s6305802312.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.13.48661edazmiZnX&search=1

I'd recommend a visit to Doctor Vision, near The Mall Bang Kapi

http://doctorvision.net

Scleral multifocal contact lenses may be an option for Presbyopia and dry eye issues...

Dr Bird there is an Optometrist, and I'm extremely happy with what I've ended up with...

The full but condensed story is

• I was short sighted when younger - glasses.
• then tried hard (RGP) contact lenses, as my elder sisters were happy with them. Could NOT get comfortable with them at all, tried for two weeks but never got past the feeling of grit in the eye... so
• Soft contact lenses - in those days monthly disposable I think... evetually went to daily disposable when they came out and even tried the constant/overnight wearable ones... which were fabulous for a while before my eyes decided they didn't like that at all and couldn't wear soft contact lenses for more than a couple of hours at most after that
• the horror of having to go back to glasses,  meant as soon as i could i got PRK laser surgery... this was before the flap Lasik version (over 25 years ago). Had to do one eye and then wait 6 months before the second... and a week of recovery was unpleasant, but still a great and wonderful thing. (Also corrected a lot of the astigmatism I had as well as the myopia).
• Many years later... Presbyopia started - this is NOT 'long sight' (hyperopia). You can have perfect 20/20 vision when younger and once in your 40s to 50s start getting presbyopia, where you can still focus on distant objects but struggle to read newspapers etc and find your arms aren't long enough ????
• @sigh@ thought as I was now older, glasses would be ok... and modern progressive lenses are very good indeed (get an extra pair of 'office specific' ones for computer and office work with wide screen monitors also... massive help)
• Fed up with sweat, steaming up, rain etc etc all the usual , so went to Doctor Vision - went there as they were the only place that did hybrid contact lenses with a soft skirt and hard centre lens "Synergeyes".
• Huzzah - after examination etc he suggested Scleral contact lenses instead. These are large hard  (rigid gas permeable) lenses... and I pointed out I could not use the smaller corneal RGP hard lenses, but he was right. Oddly, the larger diameter means the edge sits under your eyelid and so is very quickly ass comfortable as a soft lens... maybe MORE comfortable if prone to dry eye - the scleral lens does not touch the cornea, it  sits on the white of the eyes (the sclera) and has a saline filled gap between lens and cornea... so you get the rigid lens precise correction and cure of astigmatism.
• Scleral - don't move around on your eye and due to the edge sitting under the eyelid they won't pop out ('fall out') like the small ones can, and due to their stability they also are available for presbyopia...
• 'Monovision' is the term for correcting one eye for distance vision (so correct it to '20/20') and the other eye is deliberately corrected to be short sighted... It's an older and common method... and i tried it - but the issue is intermediate vision is not so good- i.e. around computer screen distance....
• I instead have multifocal scleral lenses - much superior, and comfortable for reading to intermediate to sports and distance, working etc. Obviously ridiculously tiny lettering as found on medicine bottles is another thing, but I've been delighted with the lenses. Dr Bird designed them to be left eye more distance and right more reading (as I'm left eye dominant) but due to their multifocal design they blend in with intermediate vision too - far superior to monovision.

Sorry about the long post... but hope it makes clear I've had 'some' experience in this area ????

and note  - he  (and other eye specialists) do NOT normally recommend eye lens replacement except when necessary due to cataracts... in which case then multifocal eye lens replacement may be an option, but even now they are not as reliable from what i've gathered on eye lens replascements ( a couple of family members have recently had double cataract surgery and have 'regular' lenses so corrected for distance and then just need 'readers'... which are a lot easier and cheaper then the best progressive lenses)

ANA is great.

On 10/15/2020 at 3:54 PM, onebir said:

With the (possibly not v good) ground coffee I can get round here, aeropress coffee (with the metal filter disk) always tastes better than french press.

If you’re in Bangkok, you can get 12x 250gm packs of coffee beans for 1530 baht delivered to your home = 127.5 bht per pack, for good quality beans from Bluekoff - they have different roast levels available. The A5 is an Espresso roast or for the strong morning coffee i prefer from a Moccamaster brewer...

https://www.bluekoff.com

here’s a review of their A4/A5 blend

https://www.coffeereview.com/review/bluekoff-single-origin-thai-espresso-blend-a4a5-2/

It makes a huge difference to grind from beans - can always get a hand grinder before buying an electric one.

Looked at that 3008 before.... nice, but you're getting old stock engine/transmission.

Uk etc the 1.6 turbo is more powerful and 8 speed auto

https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/peugeot/3008

Shame really.

BMW. 

Remember the "BMW previously charged customers an annual fee for Apple Carplay integration, before a backlash from customers forced it to give it away at no extra cost – as other car makers do (including the likes of SsangYong)"...

Well, it seems they can't fix the stupid in the company. It isn't April Fools day...

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/technology/bmw-offer-heated-seats-cruise-control-netflix-style-subscription/

"BMW IS exploring the idea of subscription-based vehicle options such as heated seats, cruise control and sports suspension."

The Car Play is great, as is the radar cruise control which makes it worth using.

You can convert the Apple Carplay to wireless too, if you like - got an adaptor which also has a USB outlet so can fit a Qi charger pad to go with it.

This adaptor - works with Mazda (3)...

https://carplay2air.com

I finally stopped bothering with Espresso, and ordered a Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One (can use #2 filter) - ordered from the UK so it's 240v. They do the usual larger drip machines and are very well reviewed - not "American office coffee" ???? 

I've happily used an Aeropress at work with a hand grinder, but the automatic Technivorm dripper is easy to use and clean - just a monthly Dezcal descale or so.

https://technivorm.com/products/single-cup/

Even if your Thai ISP can provide 200mpbs, you won't get that from any international connection - there's not anywhere near enough bandwidth into Thailand itself from the rest of the world... so it's not much use, unless you need 200+ for your local Thai website needs?

Note that speedtest above is to a LOCAL server... change it to somewhere International and then decide whether it's worth paying extra for... 75-100 is fine.

https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/1 Broadband-Infrastructure-in-the-ASEAN-9-Region.pdf

International bandwidth per capita :-

Thailand 6 Kbps (yes, that's K bps )

Singapore 258 Kbps

Malaysia 15 Kbps, and the rest all below Thailand.. so it could be a lot worse. ????

7 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Nice to drive but very small rear door opening and luggage space !!

 

Get the Mazda 3 sedan instead... decent sized boot.

Memory drivers seat, radar cruise control, Apple Carplay, and the carplay/Infotainment screen controls are very good - buttons and a dial not touchscreen - with 'proper' buttons for air con control too.

The Apple Carplay is wired - but have made it wireless with a CPLay2Air adaptor. This has a USB outlet so can plug in a Qi charge pad, so wireless Carplay and wireless charger is easy enough to do.

https://carplay2air.com

and a Qi charger like this one which fits nicely in the centre console below dashboard

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GZZX37F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you're in Bangkok there are many options - and no doubt also many in Chiang Mai area.

I use BlueKoff

https://www.bluekoff.com

They do various roasts - but for Espresso I'd stick with the A5, and still use it for strong drip coffee for a Cafe Au Lait style morning brew.

We order it by the dozen packs for some discount and free delivery - sellotape over the bag vent hole and store in the freezer. Don't open when cold - always take out and let come to room temp for at least a night so there's no condensation when opened.

24 minutes ago, transam said:

Soooooooooooooooooo, has anyone reading this got a 10 year driving license, go check.......? ????

My bad - got the BE years confused - it is 6 years (5+ the extra). didn't need any medical cert Oct last year - anyone renewed since then?

2 hours ago, transam said:

10 year...?

Yes.

think it goes.... 2 year initially, then a 5 year renewal, then you get 10 year renewals from then on.

BONUS tip - it renews on your birthday which is handy to remember... BUT most importantly, renew it a FEW days AFTER your birthday (you get a few grace days.. weeks?) because then you get your 10 yeards (or 5 etc) plus +/-362 days or whatever ????  

so wait a day or two after that birth date and you get an extra year (minus the couple of days). 

4 hours ago, fredob43 said:

What part of NOW YOU DO did you not understand???

Well, it seems you need that medical form for a TWO year temporary license as per this

https://www.dlt.go.th/en/renew-license/

BUt for a 5 year... or on the other hand  I renewed my license for another 10 years last October (2019) and didn't need any medical form  - and can't see any info/link for those with the a NON temporary license looking to renew... so the usual muddied and incomplete story, then. ????

"If you were in search of a scientifically minded, steadying presence to guide the country through the potential fallout of the coronavirus, you could not do much worse than Vice-President Mike Pence"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/28/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-ted-cruz-coronavirus

"

“As you are speaking as the oracle of science, tell us, what exactly is a Y chromosome?” Cruz responded on Twitter. “And at what age of gestation does science tell us that an unborn child feels physical pain?”

He may have picked the wrong opponent – Ocasio-Cortez, it transpires, holds an award for microbiology from MIT.....

Touting her scientific background bona fides, and jabbing at Cruz, who, like Pence, gives primacy to his religious beliefs over science, she suggested delivered an acerbic put-down.

“I’m surprised you’re asking about chromosomes given that you don’t believe in evolution,” she said."

On 10/15/2019 at 9:14 AM, giddyup said:

I believe it's made by Daewoo.

Nope.

If it was Korean made it might be a better thing nowadays than being an American Chevrolet.... but it isn't.

It's even worse than being a Chevrolet.

It's Chinese.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/1705120/2019-chevrolet-captiva-first-drive-review

"

Thailand’s opening-model some 20 years back was a seven-seat MPV, merely a rebadged Opel Zafira from GM’s sold European subsidiary. Then there’s the Colorado (and its Trailblazer SUV cousin) which shared a skeleton with the D-Max (and MU-X SUV) from Japan’s commercial vehicle specialist Isuzu.

The American bow-tie brand also had its days with passenger cars like the Optra, Sonic and Cruze coming from GM Daewoo, a Korean operation that has already gone bankrupt.

In fact, the car-based Captiva SUV was also developed at GM Daewoo. So where will the pending second-generation Captiva come from? No problem, as GM is now being really open, so to speak, about its 20-year-plus relationship with Chinese maker SAIC.

So yes, the new Captiva has been nourished at the SGMW (SAIC-GM-Wuling) joint venture as a cousin to the Baojun 530 and Wuling Almaz. And because the Almaz is built at GM’s new subsidiary in Indonesia, Chevrolet Sales Thailand has found it fitting to import the Captiva from our Asean member nation via no import duty."