JensenZ

5 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

"she plays with her phone all the time."

 

Maybe she's just chatting with her "brother."

My wife is on her phone all day too - doesn't concern me at all. The OP should have had a good look around while he was in Thailand - EVERYONE is on their phones all day long.

When I want to discuss something with my wife, I do insist she puts it down - not an easy task at all LOL

4 hours ago, QuantumQuandry said:

That is the current western model but every relationship is different and has different dynamics.

 

Relationships don't need to all conform to the modern western "men and women are exactly the same and have the same roles and responsibilities" paradigm, imo.

 

That said, there does need to be respect going both ways.

It's an archaic attitude no matter how you want to spin it. What you're suggesting is that the husband and wife are not equals. The OP certainly doesn't think his wife is his equal, and he demands compliance to his wishes.

18 hours ago, Jingthing said:

So back to the question:

Do you think (most) financially struggling western retirees are stupid for not retiring abroad?

There's no question in my mind - I believe they are stupid to attempt to retire abroad. It's better off running out of cash in your home country than in Thailand.

Please note that my answer is based on the assumption that the home country is Australia or New Zealand. There's a good enough social network (if sought) to at least have a place to stay, food to eat, and medical assistance.

I can't comment on the situation in the US or Europe. Jingthing probably thinks we all come from the US.

4 hours ago, Pistachio said:

She doesn't have a system in things she brings up the children without rules she would like to give them a tablet which I have forbidden her to do

This comment indicates to me you have control issues. "I have forbidden", you say. This is quite an archaic attitude as these days marriage partners are considered to be equal partners. You need to negotiate, not rule.

I think you're expecting your Thai wife to adapt to your lifestyle in Europe, and she feels out of place. Europe is most definitely not one place, but many countries, with many different customs and attitudes. What language is she not learning?

Have you considered for a moment that you might be hard work to live with as you want everything done your way and you're not willing to compromise? I might be feeling sorry for your wife.

2 hours ago, Des1 said:

My thoughts on this are not about trade, but rather the dark road we are going down with the rise of authoritarian regimes. We are a species of warring tribes, history cannot be denied and we are long overdue for another global conflict and we are moving in that direction. Thailand may try to take the position of neutrality. They held on to that idea while capitulating to the Japanese in our previous world war, or they may decide to hitch their wagon to Russia and China. No one is fooled by that. As I said, it’s about choosing sides when deciding what sort of world we want to live in. China has no friends in Asia, aside from Russia and North Korea. That speaks volumes. Actions have consequences. Just my opinion.

I disagree. Thailand has been a military dictatorship for most of the last 10 years yet the rest of the world turned a blind eye, other than a few feeble comments here and there. Thailand is unimportant on the world stage, so staying neutral in this conflict will be of no consequence at all. They'll fly under the radar like they always have.

33 minutes ago, Des1 said:

It does hurt Thailand, in many ways.It's very much about choosing sides and Thailand's actions will not go unnoticed.

Would you be able to give just one or two examples of how it actually hurts Thailand? 

10 hours ago, TimF said:

You get it certified in your home country and also stamped by the Thai embassy there. Then translate it and present at the ministry of foreign affairs in bangkok

Obviously, there is no Thai Embassy "there" in this case. I would suggest going to the Immigration office and asking them what would be acceptable to prove the authenticity of the marriage certificate. A certification by an appropriate government office in the home country might be acceptable. Possibly even an affidavit from a lawyer in the home country could suffice.

On 10/18/2023 at 3:54 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

The iPhone X, 11, and SE (V2) are all supported by Apple iOS 17 so should be supported by all transfer software so choosing a iPhone 12 is unnecessary from a support POV if your only use is as an iPod 

 

My old phones and iPods are all supported by the transfer SW I use. That Apple isn’t supporting them anymore is irrelevant as they continuing to function happily.
 

But if you really want a newer model then you have just found out exactly why Apple can charge the prices they do as the phones hold their value unlike Android ones.

Just for comparative purposes - @ AppleTradin my iPhone13 Pro (256) is worth 14,500 baht. That is the top value offered for this phone in perfect condition.

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Well you need to  quote your sources. Especially when excess deaths from 2021-2022 are  being correlated to vaccinations and not to Covid.  

There's no need to quote sources as this is an informal discussion and the information is very easy to find online. If you believe vaccinations are good for you, that's your choice. You're lucky you had a choice as many didn't and lost their jobs if they didn't want to be vaccinated.

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

Walking isn't one way. Plan better, maybe use 2nd or 3rd road. Remember motorbikes usually ignore 1 ways so there will be taxi bikes

You have to realize a large percentage of traffic is tourists who would not know how to plan their routes to any specific location on Buakhao. The people who plan their routes will certainly travel further to get to their destinations, adding to traffic density, and the tourists will be running loops to find their destinations.

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's a good idea, needs to be one way, obviously need to fine tune the detail.

 

Soi Honey also 1 way

Dongtan beach 1 way, probably loads more

It's the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard of. You would have a lot of traffic traveling a lot of extra distance, looping around to get to their destinations. That means more traffic on 2nd and 3rd roads, and Pattaya South and Central roads which are already parking lots for much of the day.

18 hours ago, novacova said:

Then you should well know, don’t complain about the food that is served to you in Thailand, because it’s considered an insult. Adapt with politeness or buzz off 😃

Not true at all. I find it's easy enough to complain about something not right at all the restaurants I visit, and get a "sorry sir" response with no hard feelings or loss of face. The problem is with the management and how they train their staff.

Talking about breakfast buffets (I prefer my eggs runny), I complimented the egg chef at a hotel buffet just last week on how well she made the omelets and I scoffed down at least 6 of her perfectly fried eggs. There might be a few things to whinge about in Thailand, but in general, I find restaurant staff are pretty good in my experience. Occasionally you get a bad egg, but it's not the norm.

If you find the staff disagreeable at a restaurant, it's time to find another place to eat.

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You mean the TM30?.....

Yes silly added requirement.

No, I mean everything. Previously you just hand in your passport and 10 minutes later 90-day reporting is done. Now you have to fill out the TM47 and provide all the photocopies.

I don't know when this started, but 90-day reporting just become a lot more complicated.

17 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

This has got to be a wind up.

It's supposed to make you feel safe.

1 hour ago, sniggie said:

This morning's chuckle over coffee. The police doing their actual job for once! 

If the police just started cracking down on crime, what were they doing before October 17?

On 10/16/2023 at 7:18 AM, CHdiver said:

Well, in my Condo there is no lucky floor 13, instead a 12a. Not the first time I see them skipping Nr. 13 here. 

From a marketing point of view it might make sense. If they want to sell condos to foreigners, floor 13 might not be popular. I'm not superstitious at all, but I wouldn't buy a condo on Floor 13 as it would make selling it more difficult. At best I'd have to give a discount. It would be more difficult to find tenants if you wanted to rent it out.

Floor 13 is commonly skipped at hotels around the world. Floor 14 becomes the new Floor 13 LOL.

15 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

In Pattaya - NEVER!????

The drunk foreigners are minor problem compared to all the drunk Thais driving/riding at night.

12 hours ago, grain said:

I give them a very wide berth, if I'm not with my Thai wife I'll move well away from LBs when I'm walking around Pattaya.

You don't have move away, just politely decline, or totally ignore and say nothing. They really aren't a problem unless you decide to insult them, which is most likely the case in this incident. Ladyboys don't spontaneously attack people for no reason.