coops

2 hours ago, yellowboat said:

A nice neighborhood bar that had an Irish name on Soi Ekkemai  closed for "renovations"  then reopened as the Ekkemai Beer house I Believe.  The prices are okay, the service is good, and there is a nice mix of expats and locals.   

 

I also really like Check Inn 99 of the same reasons.  It is on Sukhimvit 33 on left 100 meters up. 

 

Still like Titanium too.

Before you try Ekkaai Beer house, you could try something a bit more different - and it's opposite, on t'other side of the street in the Park Lane place, Orihara Shoten.

https://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/bangkok-bar-club/orihara-shoten

There's a Yakitori restaurant right next door too, if you want - and plenty of food choice in the bar too... but mian draw is a huge selection of excellent sake - a line of fridges full to choose from, as well as Highball whisky soda if you prefer etc.

they were having a 'buffet' offer as well, which was god value....

Yup, thanks

It is amusingly crazy that even with a Thai bank account at Krungsri with PromptPay enabled/authorised, it is still not an option for a non Thai individual.

Hey ho.... not that big a deal as there's a Krungthai bank at Town in Town very close to me, and it'll be ready for next year.

On 3/22/2019 at 9:49 AM, YT3k72Em said:

Check the other threads on this topic.  You wont get a cheque, you will get a letter which you have to take to Krung Thai Bank.

Correct - the form/letter just got to my home with the barcode... 

this thread

post #3

"I have just been through this process (last week) and it was surprisingly easy.

I went to my local Krungthai bank, gave them my tax refund letter, passport & work permit and about 10 minutes later they issued me with a ‘PromtCard & PIN.

No new bank account needed & I have never had a Krungthai account.

The money was in the ‘PromtCard’ account and I was able to draw it straight away.

I did leave some of the refund in the account to keep the ‘PromtCard’ open for next year’s refund.

One important detail about the ‘PromtCard’, it can only be used in a Krungthai ATM."

14 hours ago, John Sutherland said:

It looks to me more like you want an assurance policy not insurance. You get nothing back from insurance policies in general unless something happens. Assurance will pay at the end if you are still alive. I have one running the payout will cover my son's uni fees. (UK prices budgeted for)

As above - of course, 'assurance' and 'insurance' might not always be clearly defined...even in English never mind in translation.

To put it another way...

It's a CULTURAL difference and misunderstanding.

My wife has some Thai 'Life Insurance' and it baffled me when she said how it 'pays out' also (after some years when still alive)... as opposed to MY understanding and expectation of 'Life Insurance' - where there's only a payout to your beneficiaries on your death.

So the OP here, when he asks for 'Life Insurance' is expecting my type of product... which has NO investment side to it for my possible benefit, but is purely a payout on death. And so... on hearing that the total term premiums amount to more than the death payout, he is naturally bamboozled... and then goes in to knee jerk "I'm just a Farang ATM then am i?" mode.

Thai Life insurance has an investment component to it, which, as you say, pays out also at end of term if you are still alive... so really, not the same thing at all.

Go to Prudential's Thai site and you'll find

"Investment Plan

A new alternative way to make an investment for an opportunity to get higher returns; a combination of protection and investment opportunities under one life insurance policy."

And i'd wager that's the 'usual' Thai 'Life Insurance' product - one that combines investment and death protection.

I'm due a refund - and no, although I setup Prompt Pay for it, it is not apparently going to be paid that way... i'm told a cheque is on the way (!) - will find out once i get off this oil rig and back home.

I'll update then - we had an accountant do my and the wifey's taxes this time, she did it online seemed fairly painless (if you have the relevant numbers/paperwork from your eomployers as I had), so am now registered online for next year.

9 hours ago, myshem said:

Is this shopping mall totally dead ? so out of any tourist destination ? Who is going there when Ratchada malls are so close ? Is the owner an idiot ? ????

 No idea how busy or not it is... I've never been there, and I live maybe 10 minutes away ????

I see it on my drive out to Don Muang for work and always wonder "who's going there?".... I mean stuck over by Rama IX where it is, when I can much easier drive and park at Fortune/Central Rama 9, and then Central Rama 9 and Fortune are on the MRT - so who would bother with this ShowDC?

Bipolar's post about Malaysian investors makes some sense... can't  imagine any of the Thai Mall operators setting up where ShowDC is ????

50 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Yes, twice, on different pages, try reading it's website then maybe you'd understand, nothing to do with the pot meeting the kettle.  And I am not trying to get investment money out of people, SD is.

Oxx was referring to your mixing up the possessive "its" with the contraction "it's".

 http://its-not-its.info

Mind you, it's still not as widespread as the current rash of the greengrocer's apostrophe...

32 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

The Singha and formaldehyde story is a myth which has been around for ages and has been debunked many times.  Formaldehyde can be found in most beers in minute quantities. The WHO says the amounts are well below the acceptable levels. The chemical is also found naturally in fruits, vegetables plus certain meats and seafoods. 

 

I’m not a big drinker these days, did all that in my younger days. Although I do partake in the odd beer now and again and Beer Lao is certainly a nice beer in my opinion. 

 and Singha lager does not use rice in its brewing either.

Not that using rice necessarily means it's rubbish like Budweiser, where it's used as a cheap barley   substitute.

Just finally found the Est.33 Kopper at the local 7-Eleven, good stuff (Also on draught at the EST33 bars in Bangkok),  Hitachino Red Rice Beer is also excellent. 

and also a fan of the Dark Beer Lao - and can't say i've heard much negative about Beer Lao, either... quite the opposite.

Bumrungrad also does NOT allow its doctors to give prescriptions for outside purchase of medications. This is a relatively new decision - my Doctor showed me the memo.

I will now see this Doctor at another hospital, where he is allowed to issue prescriptions.

More expensive long tem is Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) which is one pill a day and no worries about dosage ( or how many green vegetables you're eating amongst other complications with warfarin)... Short term though like you may need it'll save all the testing and dosage hassles so may not work out hugely more expensive while doing its job immediately with less hassle. (i use it after a dvt years ago, and working offshore it makes testing and dosage levels irrelevant).

Either way, you'd obviously need to see a good heart specialist anyway either here or in Japan to sort it all out... it's shocking and disturbing that any surgeon ( heart ot otherwise, and of any age...) should be dispensing warfarin without proper follow up and checks on your required dosage levels for any reason, let alon after heart surgery. Ridiculous.

ps as i think mentioned above you - if i had gone down the warfarin route, after initial dosage and in hospital checks, the doctor explained that test strips and a testing meter are available so you monitor at home and save the hassle of further hospital checks beyond perhaps 6 monthly for precscription refill etc anyway.

The heart specilaist i was recommended/use was Dr Pradap at Bangkok General - he's heading for retirement next year.

Just received my Krungsri credit card. Needed work permit, last 6 months payslips etc etc.

Have had a bank account with SCB since 1999... but they wouldn't give me a credit card. As soon as my local pay goes in to my Krungsri account, i'll be closing the scb account.

Opening an investment account with Krungsri for LTF funds was also very easy.

On 10/26/2018 at 4:46 AM, coops said:

this guy seems to recommend them for LTF investment - read down to the LTF section where he is very positive on how they were to deal with...

https://www.thailandstarterkit.com/money/thailand-money-matters/

 

I'm going to be opening an account with them, and then also invest in some LTF and hopefully get a Thai credit card at last.... as Paypal's tiny little brains explode at the concept of someone living in a different country as to where their credit card issuing bank is based (which is frustrating) ????

Just an update....

Invested in some LTF funds, no problem.

And just received my KCC Platinum Visa card today.

Activated it just now, online - no problem.

Chose an ATM code online - no problem.

Added it to my KMA app on my phone - again no issues.

Updated my Paypal account... and finally have a functioning credit card that the simples at Paypal can comprehend and allow.

As soon as I confirm my first local Thai paycheck paid into Krungsri, I'll be ditching SCB (first opened in 1999, but even with all that time and work permit and etc etc was refused a credit card).

Actually, the red on this new Camry is quite a good shade of red.... and the 'Phantom Brown' is also rather good.

Good Bridgestone Turanza tyres and not stupidly low profile... but the alloys themselves are very drab - and the demo guy (at All Star golf range a couple of weeks ago) didn't seem to indicate there were any options for better looking rims from Toyota themselves on ordering (easy enough to find better elsewhere after delivery but a hassle).

Best ones that you might actually want to sit/lie on are at Muji.

Go to the main branch at Centralworld.

https://youtu.be/TMw4kIJJLDs

Good sofas too - and you can always get different covers from www.comfort-works.com

2 hours ago, uwe_rayong said:

 

 

If you use Paypal the seller gets your Paypal email address with each payment and I would consider the Paypal registered email address as an important one.

So if you buy an item via ebay with a "junk address" or guest login and pay via Paypal, your Paypal registered address is also submitted to the buyer. 

 

If you use your credit card frequently your credit card company has a nice buyer profile of what and where you like to buy your stuff.
Same as those Customer Cards from Big C, Tesco etc.

 

Credit card companies sale those data to online advertisers for good money.

So don't use your private email for those purposes.

Paypal doesn't have my 'good' email address, nor does any of my credit card issuers... or even my UK Bank. Any spam, if there is, goes to my junk excite email address. Why would you willingly hand over your good/clean email address to these people if you know they sell your address on etc etc? Don't, and then enjoy a spam free POP3/IMAP email account. (If I was a Paypal seller etc or very heavy user and absolutely needed an email to my laptop email then I'd setup a separate one for them to keep the spam away).

1 hour ago, direction BANGKOK said:

I appreciate your post, and can see the value in credit card transactions.

 

I am the opposite, for many reasons. 

 

3) There are also many privacy issues with credit card usage, and it is going to get worse. Ads being flung at you based on purchase history etc.

 

What privacy issues?

Your credit card doesn't include any email or other personal details to the shop.

I have occasionally had a shop ask me for my email address or even my phone number - I refuse or make one up if the cashier gets all worked up...

Online the same common sense applies about email - you should have at least two email addresses. One for people you trust and want to receive emails from, and another junk account precisely for online shopping, registering on online forums etc etc... and 'social media' if you must.

this guy seems to recommend them for LTF investment - read down to the LTF section where he is very positive on how they were to deal with...

https://www.thailandstarterkit.com/money/thailand-money-matters/

I'm going to be opening an account with them, and then also invest in some LTF and hopefully get a Thai credit card at last.... as Paypal's tiny little brains explode at the concept of someone living in a different country as to where their credit card issuing bank is based (which is frustrating) ????

This the youtube clip for you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWLKECTNy_Q

Asus software is pretty good really, but first:

Are you clicking on the Network folder first in File Explorer and then the ip address?

Or might require to specify the port - which will be specified in the Asus setup... so in file explorer then enter something like

yourrouteripaddress:yourportnumberon Asus such as:-

192.168.2.1:2021    (where 2021 is the port number) 

I'm not at home where my own Asus router lives, but I'll be checking a couple of youtube Asus specific clips in a moment... well, might be a while as gulf of thailand oil rig internet is not too speedy...

"For basic sharing there is a number of options, FTP, NFS, SAMBA and Media Server. None of these are really what I want, as all I want to do is to be able to read and write files from my LOCAL network PC's to this drive" - Wrong... these (FTP, NFS or Samba) are precisely what you do want and need, but not 'media server'.

These are the network protocols from which you'll choose one flavour/varietry to send/receive files between a computer and the router and hard disk.

This should point you in the right direction even if it isn't Asus specific...

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/share-usb-drive-wi-fi-router/

It seems Windows 10 file explorer can do ftp ok - so that's probably the best option. 

before you start, best to also check your Asus router admin page and ensure the firmware is up to date.

Also page here about what format drives are ok - mind you, it's from 2009 (!) so should be even wider compatibility now

http://event.asus.com/2009/networks/disksupport/

There is Sonos available in Bangkok - but maybe not the latest soundbar probably... the older sonos ones didn't suppport dts amongst other bizarre decisions... and the new one still uses the opticla out from the tv rasther than taking hdmi in and then one hdmi out of soundbar to the tv.

Bower & Wilkins Panorama 2 is nice, pricey, they're in Gaysorn.

Not Roaccutane - but Retin-A creams are available over the counter in Thailand, both 0.025 or 0.05% strengths.

https://treato.com/Accutane,Retin+A/?a=s

Just beware, do NOT put on in the morning as it doesn't go well with sunlight ?  

Nightime on dry skin.

Not an unknown problem...

I have to get a yearly medical for offshore work - which is a good thing - but part of it is a dental checkup. All this is at Samitivej Hospital.

The dentist told me although i 'passed' he recommended a couple of fillings...

But since I'd just had a clean and checkup 2 weeks previously at my regular dentist at another hospital without any issues ... I declined the offer.

Best soundbar option for surround and Atmos is the top of the line Yamaha jobby  YSP5600 - be more than 60k but is very, very well reviewed...

https://www.whathifi.com/yamaha/ysp-5600/review

or the cheaper YSP-2700

https://th.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/sound_bar/ysp-2700/index.html

scroll down and there's a link to their dealers - I'd guess Paragon may stock them...

Ssssh..the first rule about usenet is not to talk about usenet.... ;-)

I stick with Sickrage as it has built in subtitle download - 'tis marvellous really.

Not too sure about 'The Saint' ... but definitely worth seeking out a copy of 'The Prisoner', the 1967 (!) Uk version obviously... not the US remake

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061287/?ref_=nv_sr_2