JensenZ

4 hours ago, AreYouGerman said:

 

You are correct! Unusual for you! For the earth it's not unusual.

 Most places in Thailand are recording the hottest temperatures since recording began. I've been here since 2006, in Pattaya, and there is no doubt this year is the hottest. My room temperature in a shaded room reaches 32C and never goes below 30C. Right now, at midnight, the recorded outdoor temp is 30C.

It's best to keep the windows shut during the day and open them at night to prevent hotter air from blowing in during the day.

Today the max in Bangkok is predicted to reach 38C, which is pretty damn hot, even for Bangkok.

22 minutes ago, lkn said:

Right, easily solved by just getting rid of the coins, i.e. paying by phone.

 

Again, easily solved by having a wallet/payment app on your phone.

 

I don’t mind that some prefer paying with cash and carry around physical cash for “just incase” or going to ATMs, etc., but why do you have to insist that cash is easier than paying with your phone? It most certainly is not, that is just silly.

I insisted on nothing of the sort. You were insisting that carrying any cash is an inconvenience, which is nonsense. Many places won't accept phone or card payments. Market stalls, street stalls, small restaurants - the list is long. The people who insist on paying small amounts by phone hold up the queues in many stores. So many times I'm held up in a queue waiting for you to fiddle around on your phone.

5 hours ago, lkn said:

Not OP, but yes, coins are definitely annoying!

 

In a hot country like Thailand I generally wear thin trousers and a buttoned shirt, so limited pocket space where several coins add noticeable weight to the trousers, and when you also carry a caseless phone, you have to take notice not to put the phone in the pocket with your coins, as your phone may get scratched.

 

Furthermore, after having counted how many coins I have, e.g. if I want to buy something, I need to wash my hands before touching food again.

 

And of course there is just the nuisance of always making sure you have enough cash with you. When you go out, you don’t always plan for taking a taxi because it was raining, eating dinner at some restaurant because it got late, buying something in a store you hadn’t seen before, entering a museum, or what have you.

 

It really boggles the mind that “cash is king” people can’t see it is much more convenient not having to carry around bills and coins all the time, not having to make a budget each time you leave your home, not having to forego a snack because you didn’t bring enough cash with you, etc.

 

I am 100% cashless in Thailand (PromptPay + TrueWallet for 7-Eleven), and my home country (ApplePay), it is only when visiting countries that are still not entirely cashless (Japan and Taiwan comes to mind), that I am reminded of the hassle dealing with cash. I can tell you countless stories about issues we had wrt. cash on our travels, and of course also the annoying problem of not having too much excess cash when you leave the country — likewise, I can tell you just how big of a joy it was in e.g. Switzerland where we didn’t see a single Swiss franc on our entire trip: The pay toilet accepted ApplePay, all public transport, the vendor selling handwoven baskets at the market, etc.

 

Not just is this more convenient, but you also get a full record of everything you have bought, and nobody is shortchanging you.

You certainly have some major problems that are easily solved. 

Carry the coins in the other pocket. If that's a problem, put them in the tip box.

I do all my major shopping by card at malls but always keep some cash for things you cannot buy with cards, which are many. I'm amazed people find this so inconvenient. 7-Eleven is a piece of cake - if it's raining and you don't have any cash, there's an ATM at nearly every 7-Eleven.

3 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

I don't like Japanese software or online catalogs.  The Japanese don't think straight.  This is why they are unable to develop software with a logical machine to human interface.  They are LOSERS when it comes to software design.

 

So, after much time trying to find a few designs of these chairs, online, and the pricing...

I was redirected all over the place.

 

I do not like this company for that reason....

 

All I could find is a headrest, after a 20-minute search, which is priced in Singapore dollars.

Just a headrest.

 

 

And....

9 weeks delivery!!!!

 

The Japanese are WAY OUT OF TOUCH when it comes to marketing what they make.

It has always been this way.

 

Japan is still an island.

People are still very insular.

 

 

You certainly do enjoy waffling on about nothing.

I don't care about Japanese software design. I sat in one of those chairs at a Holiday Inn in Bangkok for a couple of days and it was so comfortable that I bought one. At that time they were available on Lazada for about 7000 baht for a basic model.

My website link is a Thailand-based website. Even if you don't look, others might be interested.

You said you were going to relocate to Japan. When is that likely to happen?

14 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

So, a few months ago I bought this office chair which is both padded and made in China.

 

The material is PU.

 

The problem, as best as I can determine, is that there is relatively less padding in the center of the seat, and the biggest offender is that there seems to be some sort of hard padded ridge at the front of the seat.

 

This raised ridge, which is also padded, cause diminished blood flow passing through the circulatory system at the bottom of both thighs.

 

And, this restricted or diminished blood flow has led to edema in both feet.  True, the swelling is reduced after a few hours.

However, repeated swelling can stretch the blood vessels so that they will probably lose their elasticity, after many days, months perhaps.

 

This is why I would like to nip this in the bud.

 

a.  I do not want to discard the chair, it being new.

b.  Anyway to make this chair very comfortable and ergonomically healthy with minor modifications?

 

Also, how do other more expensive chairs circumvent this potential problem though better design?

 

When I was younger, much younger, maybe four decades ago, I would buy real leather chairs that were extremely comfortable.

 

Now, chair manufacturers seem to be creating tools of torture fit for the use of a medieval Catholic tribunal, or maybe....

A chair designed using a copy of one of Edgar Poe's stories.

 

I will not be able to continue using this chair until I find a good solution.

 

What modifications might work?

 

Regards,

Gamma

 

 

2 solutions:

1. Cut your losses and dump that Chinese piece of crap.

2. Buy one of these: https://kokuyo.co.th/

Best I've ever sat in. If you can't afford one, revert to a normal kitchen type of chair. I sit for long hours at my desk and had to dump my office chair for the same problem - losing circulation in the feet. A normal flat chair might be a bit less comfortable on your butt, but it's better for your back and your legs if you sit for long periods.

2b. Get more exercise to improve the blood circulation in your legs. Getting up for a short walk at least twice an hour helps too.

Office Chair Catalogue (from page 28 in pdf)

On 5/1/2024 at 5:13 AM, scubascuba3 said:

One of the things i like is not getting more change and coins

Are you serious? Having some coins in your pocket distresses you? A lot of things seem to stress you out. Are you OK?

Here's a tip. Keep the coins in your pocket and spend them the next time you shop. 7Eleven staff are more than happy to take them off your hands. If you learn this simple method you can keep the coins in your pocket to an absolute minimum.

7 hours ago, Highlandman said:

What is the benefit of truemoney? I don't see one.

 

For me it's cash or when necessary, credit or debit cards only. I don't use anything else. 

7-Eleven doesn't accept even local debit cards - only credit cards. There's an ATM outside most 7-Elevens. What's the problem with keeping a bit of cash in your pocket? I use debit cards everywhere else. Even the Big C Mini and mini Tesco stores accept debit cards.

9 hours ago, connda said:

First - Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Thailand or in left-lane countries, those on the "Left" in an unmarked intersection have the right-of-way.   

In Australia, you give way to all vehicles approaching from the right.

On 4/22/2024 at 11:51 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

What are the traffic rules on that intersection? 

It's an uncontrolled intersection, so the rule here is to proceed slowly and keep your eyes open for oncoming vehicles. It's a courtesy system which the foreigner does not understand. It's also good to proceed more carefully if you're on a bike and heed to bigger vehicles. I would say the foreigner thought that he had absolute right of way.

Also, offering "sorry" to the damaged party is the wrong thing to do. Insurance policies normally stipulate in the fine print never to admit liability in any accident. If they find out you did, they can refuse your claim. It was right for the car driver to leave it up to the insurance company to sort it out.

12 minutes ago, rexpotter said:

Add in, most folks are running with very short fuses. For me, the pool is too hot, and I can only get a short walk in early before I start sweating like a pig. Consider, a few weeks ago here we had a short pretty good rain. It cooled it down from 40c to 26c very quickly. Now back to unbearable, every dam day.

In Pattaya last night, the lowest the temperature got, by about 5:00 was 29C. It was 30C most of the night. I walk late at night when the temperatures are at their lowest, but my clothes are drenched walking in that heat at about 6 km/h. Fortunately, I have a home gym where I can train in comfort.

6 hours ago, statman78 said:

We installed solar panels 13 months ago.  I’ve been tracking our power usage and comparing it to our usage to the time before we installed the system.  Based on this info our savings will pay for the system in a little over 6 years.  The warranty on the electronics is 10 years and the panels for 20 years.  The company comes annually to check the system and clean the panels.  Well worth the investment.

Sure, if you have some spare cash to pay for 6 years of electricity upfront, it might make sense if you don't think you'll be moving anywhere in 6 years, like returning to your home country. A lot can happen in 6 years and most figures I've seen talk about 8 years or more to recoup the costs.

I would not care for an investment that took over 6 years to see a return.

26 minutes ago, thesetat said:

Mine was doubled than it normally is. Turning on air mid day when the worst heat comes. Almost 7000 this month. 

My March and April bills were nearly identical. It's the air conditioners working harder that ramps up bills. My hours of usage haven't changed. Setting them 1 or 2C higher when it's hotter outside is not a bad idea. It's comfortable enough and cuts back on power usage.

For Pattaya residents - the sun is directly overhead today (April 24) at 12:21, so it's theoretically the hottest day of the year. For Bangkok, it's on April 26. It happens again on August 19 in Pattaya and August 16 in Bangkok.

On 4/20/2024 at 5:44 AM, quake said:

 

So what would you do, if falang or Thai in this circumstance,  soaks you with water. laugh it off, or  go back and start a fight.

 

I think anyone who thinks they can control the waves over Songkran is an idiot.

 

I don't understand your question. Did something I wrote lead you to conclude I am an idiot?

After nearly 20 years here, I can tell you exactly what I do at Songkran. I stay out of it. I didn't receive a single drop of water this year.

I can tell you what I did when I returned from shopping at Foodland one night after 22:00 on a side street, trying to avoid water. That was probably about 10 years ago. A Thai person dumped a bucket of ice water on me after I asked him not to. I got off my motorcycle - grabbed the offending Thai person by the head and dunked him in his tank of ice water. He didn't enjoy the experience and wanted to fight. He was about half my size, so I returned to my bike and took off. He expected me to enjoy a bucket of ice water, but he couldn't see the joy of being dunked in his own water.

Another time I was standing in traffic and a Thai menace pumped me directly in the face with a high-pressure gun. I grabbed his gun and took off with it.

Do you get the point now? I stay at home to avoid getting into fights with idiots. The water is only one of the problems during Songkran.

16 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If you PEA bills are that low, it wouldn't cost you ฿600k for a system.

OP is estimated up 50kWh a day, 1500kWh a month = ฿7500 PEA bill

฿600k / ฿7500 = 80 months = 6.66 yrs ROI 👍

 

If 40kWh a day = 8.33 yrs ROI

 

For 20 ROI, your PEA bill is only ฿2500 a month (<530kWh)

Yes, of course. I realized my error after I'd posted when it was too late to edit. I was waiting for someone to correct me. Thanks for the revised figures.

On 4/16/2024 at 3:30 PM, quake said:

 

A Falang that goes around punching people over water,  during the Songkran festival in Thailand is a moron.

How's your Moronosphere holding up today.

You need to add some context. The member punched someone for throwing water at him when he asked him not to. I don't know about you, but if I'm "playing Songkran" as I have in the past, and someone asks me not to throw water, I don't. 

On the main Songkran day of course anyone who wants to stay dry should not be out, but there are many days leading up to the main day when people would prefer to stay dry as they might want to go shopping at a mall or eat at a restaurant.

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

so glad it's over. After enough years of declining interest I now hate it on a spiritual level. I'm going to leave the country next year for 3 days and make that my Songkran tradition.

As much as I dislike Songkran, leaving the country to avoid it is a bit extreme. I just stay at home as I do most of the year. I only need to go shopping, and during the event, late at night, plenty of shops are open for my basic grocery needs. I didn't see a single water gun or bucket of water this year. The only change in my routine this year was not shopping at Big C Extra.

On 4/15/2024 at 4:08 AM, Tiber said:

Thais?OK,...its the brainless ex pats that are the problem

This is nonsense. Although I don't go near the high-density beer bars areas during Songkran, it's Thai people that have caused me the most grief over the years. It's an excuse for Thai people with a chip on their shoulders to have a go at foreigners.

Here are 3 examples that are probably quite familiar:

1. High-pressure water guns aimed directly at my face and/or ears when sitting on my bike waiting for the lights to change.

2. Huge buckets of ice water after 10 pm on side streets when trying to avoid water and carrying shopping.

3. Asking politely not to be splashed and getting drenched.

They only really have fun when they find dry people who don't want to be wet, and in particular, foreigners. There's no fun wetting people who are already wet and out to play.

Assuming the cost is 600k with installation, that's equivalent to 20 years' PEA charges at my current usage, not considering rising electricity prices in the next 20 years. I'd be curious about how long these panels and batteries will last, and the ongoing maintenance costs of such a system.

19 hours ago, hotchilli said:

For Thailand that is working.

More than working... Bangkok with a metro population of over 11 million, 13 road fatalities in 5 days. That's minuscule.

On 3/11/2024 at 11:12 AM, n00dle said:

Showing the middle finger is free speech, is it not?

Many years ago in my early days in Thailand, I used the middle finger (in Pattaya) to show my feelings about being deliberately cut off. The offending Thai drove on the wrong side of the road for nearly a kilometer to catch up with me. The risk he took to himself and other road users to catch up with me on my motorcycle was incredibly shocking. He caught up and stopped his car in the middle of an intersection. I was lucky enough to slip by him and disappear. 

I've never used it again, in nearly 20 years here. That was the first and last time.

I think the foreigner was lucky to meet a rather mild-mannered lady in this incident. It might have ended up badly for him had he met an aggressive Thai woman in Pattaya. I've seen the venom of some of them... and in most cases, there would have been some Thai guys (motorcycle taxi drivers, for example) coming to help. He deserved a thorough flogging.

5 hours ago, Hummin said:

On trt so I do 3 months check ups. 

 

I also drink at least 4 l or more water everyday. Creatine at 3g pr day have been proven safe btw for more than 5 months, but of course in combination with other supplemets that can take a toll on your kidneys, you have to do your blood work regularly 

The problem is with the kidney function test using creatinine blood levels as the indicator for kidney health. They use it because it's quick and cheap. If you're muscular, and taking creatine, you will have higher creatinine levels.

If you're using a lot of creatine, you should consider more advanced kidney function testing.

Testing Kidney Function

1 hour ago, connda said:

Creatine needs to be cycled.  Can't remember the exact proportions but I'm sure it's on the Internet.

There is no need to cycle it if you're taking 3 - 5g per day.

On 4/12/2024 at 2:06 PM, watthong said:

 

"It's about convenience...." and more. In Asia food courts are regarded as something of an institution though most of the time privately owned. I always considered them as the equivalent of a village square for us urban-dwellers. A place to "people watch" your own community. You can pretty much tell how well or how badly they are doing by observing a slice of their daily lives.

 

For rootless foreigners who have no respect or awareness of social customs to barge in and complaint about how the locals live, what they eat/how they spend money, how long "old people enjoying free air-conditioning for the price of one coffee," etc. such behavior is simply uncouth, uncalled for and uneducated. 

Well said! Thank you!