thaiclan

It is not that he cannot afford it at all.

If anyone cannot afford what is considered the best education for their kids in whatever coutry they exist in, then naturally they go for the best they can afford.

It was his tune of comment that we waste our money, we dump kids at high priced schools, we do not do any research or assessment as to the qualityu of the school, then we run off to play golf and leave the nannies and maids to do all the work of taking care of our kids.

It is also that he thinks that a thai public school could do just as good a job.

Did you read the beginning of Woohoo's post about "please don't jump down my throat"?

Unless you suffer from Aspergers or something similar (in which case sorry, I totally understand), it is plain to see the spirit in which Woohoo was asking for advice and NOT condemning or generalising other parents behaviour. Give him a break..remember if you can't say something nice..........

Thanks for taking the time to post the links. Much appreciated.

I will still get her spayed as there are so many street dogs around us. My property has a lot of land and although there is a wall around the perimeter..where there is a will there is a way!

After reading the last article though I will get her spayed sooner rather than later.

Thanks again

Yes 4 days is way too long. If the kids are older than 10 then they would be pushed to enjoy 1 full day.

I know Jetstar fly from Singapore to HK but not sure about Bkk.

The Disney hotel is wonderful as you can have breakfast with the characters (have to book first). However it is 5 star and thus expenisive but if you could stay just one night I'd recommend it.

If you have older (taller) children you should visit Ocean Park which has far better (scarier) rides, plus its nice to see the pandas.

Also take a note of the weather. We arrived over New Year to just 12 degrees dropping to 8 overnight. What a shock for us in our sandals and summer clothes!

Hi, I have a Beagle pup (age 6months nearly) and I would like to hear from someone in regards to the best age to get her spayed. Any considered advice?? Thanks.

Does anyone know of any good bush walking trails in and around Thailand?

Prefer something within a days drive of Bangkok

Any advice would be great

Thank you

Try Kanchanaburi National Parks http://www.kanchanaburi-info.com/en/adv.html

Babys full of wind , for some reason Thai woman dont wind there babys or dont wind them properly .

No ghost , shes not laughing shes full of wind .

JB

Hear hear, my wife can't or won't wind our baby boy, it's my job. She has never ever mentioned superstitions or birth marks or any of that other rubbish and when it came to naming our baby she told me that in Thai culture it's up to the father to name the babies, which was music to my ears, we named our son Vincenzo.

A young baby (under 12 weeks) that makes the giggly laughing noise is probably dealing with trapped wind. However you are lucky to have a baby with a pleasant disposition to be able to handle it so well as many babies would just cry to deal with their discomfort.

If she is being bottle fed then the wind is even more likely as it is easier to "suck air" whilst in the early stages.

I'd definitely video it though as it will be a real treasure to watch and re-live those giggly laughs as she gets older.

You could take the flights but ensure they are fully transferable. Then sell on ebay/other forum etc. At least you'll get some $ in your pocket

that pump thing [forget name] bit like a bike but has no seat and you go up and down with your leg pressure..

Elliptical trainer, or sometimes called a cross trainer.

I am 60. My (sole) exercise routine is about an hour on the treadmill (expending around 300-400 calories) about 4-5 times a week. It occurs to me that this exercise largely neglects my upper body. Is a punchbag a good, simple and cheap item to get this upper body exercise? If so, where does one buy one and what's the approximate cost?

Another way to spice up your treadmill workout is instead of running at the same rate try 1 minute sprinting (as fast as you can handle), then 2 minutes regular running. If you can do this on the maximum incline all the better

Remember it takes alot more fuel to start the engine than to carry the car forwards for an hour.

Also if you look at the body of along distance runner you will see that although lean they are still a little "flabby" (not always but mostyl), then take a look at the sprinters body types - lean and muscular.

I guarantee you won't be able to do 1 hour of this interval training very easily, but 20 to 30 mins should be ample to get a higher fitness level and develop some more muscle.

I am 60. My (sole) exercise routine is about an hour on the treadmill (expending around 300-400 calories) about 4-5 times a week. It occurs to me that this exercise largely neglects my upper body. Is a punchbag a good, simple and cheap item to get this upper body exercise? If so, where does one buy one and what's the approximate cost?

Another way to spice up your treadmill workout is instead of running at the same rate try 1 minute sprinting (as fast as you can handle), then 2 minutes regular running. If you can do this on the maximum incline all the better

Remember it takes alot more fuel to start the engine than to carry the car forwards for an hour.

Also if you look at the body of along distance runner you will see that although lean they are still a little "flabby" (not always but mostyl), then take a look at the sprinters body types - lean and muscular.

I guarantee you won't be able to do 1 hour of this interval training very easily, but 20 to 30 mins should be ample to get a higher fitness level and develop some more muscle.

I am 60. My (sole) exercise routine is about an hour on the treadmill (expending around 300-400 calories) about 4-5 times a week. It occurs to me that this exercise largely neglects my upper body. Is a punchbag a good, simple and cheap item to get this upper body exercise? If so, where does one buy one and what's the approximate cost?

Yes, a punching bag is very good.

Also, dumbbels can give you are complete upper body (and lower body work out). You can really work you legs with dubbells.

Dumbbels are better than nautilis machines. Way better.

You only have to buy dumbbells once, they are small and easy to store, and you can use them in your own home.

Yes, you would get far more benefits from doing a 20 min dumbell workout than 1 hour on the treadmill. Also at 60 it is VITAL that you incorporate some resistance training into your regime. You need to try and maintain the bone mass you have, its all in decline after 50!

20 mins would give you enough time to do an effective lower body workout. You could then do the following day on your upper body. The beauty of using free weights (dumbells) is that there are literally hundreds of different exercises so you will never get bored or plateau. You don't have to "bulk up" if thats not your goal, but as a cardio, body scuplting, bone mass maintaining, fat loss route free weights are far superior to the treadmill your running on.

How do I do that? I have ripped music before (with Windows Media player) but never software...

I use Nero and same as for music choose "copy CD" option. Any irreparable flaws will soon come to light.

And the CRAP they have the nerve to call "ADSL" continues! EVERY SINGLE DAY, at some point or another, my speed drops BELOW 200 kbps!!

It is frustrating beyond words to be in my situation. I can NOT get a TT&T connection at my location, because their LOUSY FLICKING equipment has transmit range of 3- 5 kms, and I'm 7 kms away from the nearest transmitter!

So I go with CAT, at an OUTRAGEOUS FLICKING PRICE of 2700 baht/month, and I get THIS!!

It REALLY SUCKS to live in a 3rd World country that's a WANNABEE modern country!!

Welcome to Thailand

I actually moved home mid contract because of the ADSL failure (paid for 4 months but no consistent service). My new home despite TOT assurances also seems to have unresolvable problems...only 1 month so far since I purchased, no connection as yet but assure me they are dealing with hit.hahahahahha we'll see!

I have 2 PC CD games that have both stopped working for no reason, one is an original another is a 'local' copy:

Original - Far Cry - Had this game for several years, pulled it out a few weeks ago and re-installed it. Installation went ok but when I put disc 1 back in to run the game it kept giving an error message saying to 'insert disc 1'

Local copy - Championship Manager 01/02 - Same again, had this game for years played it loads, tried to install it again 6 months ago. Installed ok, but when I run the game and I try to start a new profile it says 'Not enough hard drive space to start anew game' this is when I have around 20 Gig free!! Ok so I just tried it the other day on my NEW laptop...same again!

How can this happend? Has some kind of bug been burnt/written onto the disk somehow??

Have you tried ripping the CD onto your PC and then burning onto a new one? I do that with DVD's alot when they magically stop working.

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

You're right! I heard it today in the news. Price is about US$800. Apple is banking that those who purchase this laptop will also purchase music and rent movies via iTunes. When I first came across your post earlier this month, I thought anyone would have to silly to buy this laptop. Time will tell if the product is a flop or whether it will be a smash hit similar to the iPod.

The machine goes on sale in two weeks and costs from $1,799 in the US (£1,199 in the UK) and comes with either an 80 Gigabyte hard disc drive as standard or 64 Gigabyte solid state drive for an added $999. No CD or DVD vriver and only 1.93cm thick! Can't wait to get one

Check out the BBC link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7188849.stm

I thought that you weren't allowed to post your passport to obtain a non-imm visa? Surely the Thai authoirties can tell that you never entered the country in which the visa was issued?...

Posting a passport to obtain a visa is perfectly legal and happens all the time..

You simply cannot be within Thailand when you apply.

Thanks for your post. I was begining to feel it was just me and the tumbleweed blowing across this camp!

Let me know if you think this is an option. I have two British passports. The company i work for has an office in Singapore. I send one of my passports to our Singapore office, and have them send the passport to the uk consulate. The UK consulate would then return my passport to Singapore, and in turn my office would send me my passport to my home in Thailand.

You NEED an exit Thailand stamp.

I saw someone ask a question not related to this (I didnt want to hijack their thread and change the subject) so I copied what they said here. I want to know how this person is so young, not employed, and has been able to stay in Thailand as long as he has.

Here is what he said:

"I've been living in Thailand now for about 8 months. I'm a 35 year old Australian without a Thai partner or Thai Children and I obviously don't qualify for the 'Retirement' visa. I'm also not currently working."

ok well Im 26, single, American and I just want to stay in Thailand for 8 months to a year like this gentleman has. I too am also unemployed and I have money saved up to live on. I just want to vacation there for that long. How?

Are you in the US now? If so there should be no reason why you can't apply and receive a 1 year multiple entry non O visa from the Thia embassy or consulate there.

im wondering if these international school are the only one offering English teaching medium in Thailand. Because, back in Singapore, you dont need international school for ur kids to enter Oxford or MIT, the free Singapore education in an English medium is enough to enter these ivy league schools. You dont need to pay these rediculous fees. Is there something like schools in Thailand esp in CHiangmai who uses English as Thai medium? I dont dare to ask my Thai wife now (, we still doesnt have kids)and aside from that, because shes even teaching Microbiology at a university in CHiangmai in pure Thai, I cant imagine...A friend who finished his Bachelors and MAsters both in UK is now teaching in Thailand in Thai medium..(he cant go anywhere, Thai govt paid for him)....so he need to teach Thai probably forever untill he can repaid Thaksin, forget about his acquired Brit accent

Yes foreigners can enrol their kids into the state schools but most wouldn't want to! They are a world apart in respect to the methods they use. Singapore (and most Eastern countries) are still based on rote learning despite using the English language. The pressure is on from an early age to achieve, achieve and achieve (in a capitalistic, economic turnover of worker bees sense), and although exam marks are attained at what cost......?

Thanks for all your replies so far, especially PB [and thanks for letting me double post as i thought it would be good to hear 'both sides'].

The overwhelming concensus is to spend more time with my son and i will. problem is that i'm not into sports and being 60, not as much energy/patience. My thoughts were to start taking him to hardware stores with me. His after school activities mostly consist of playing computer games....shoot um up kind and I'd like to wean him off them a little. his friends are mostly boys with no sexual orientation yet at 10 yrs?

Again, i would still love him no matter what his sexual orientation will be, but can i save him some problems later in life if i can set him straight?

Makes me wonder if gays could 'do it all over again'....would they choose gay? or is there a choice??

I don,t think theres anything you can do to "straigthen out" a gay person. Aside of course from making it so shameful and unacceptable that the poor kid chooses to hide rather than be honest with his feelings.

My sister is/was gay (she then had a sex change so not sure what that makes her in the gay/straight dept) and from an early age she was into "boy" stuff. My mother insisted her blonde hair was kept long and she wore dresses and I think that just confused the issue for her as she grew. Whats expected of you and what you truly are can entwine to the point where you think you WANT what is expected of you....

Avoid that happening by spending time with him and letting him know he is loveable, awesome and brilliant just the way he is. Why not ask him what he would like to do for some social bonding time? What about fishing, board games or some kind of craft?...

Well done for seeking advise and support though

I did say SOME people, not everybody. I wasn't judging every parent of every child at an international school, so please don't take it so personally. I just disagree whole heartedly, with the people on this thread (most of them it would seem) that are implying, if you aren't wealthy, you can write you child's entire future off already. There's a chance, when the time comes, I won't be able to afford a top of the range international school, but I can guarantee you, one way or another my child's education WILL NOT suffer. It's very easy to sit there and preach when you have the finances, but some people have to make do in other ways. I can assure you jackndanny there are no sour grapes on my part. I wish decent people all the luck in the world, the richer you are the happier I'll be for you, and I wasn't suggesting there's anything wrong with having maids or nannies, if you're still being an attentive parent, but please don't tell me there isn't wealthy people out there who pass the buck of raising there children simply because they can afford to.

Intention of the parent is everything, and here you are online trying to get the best advise or information you can. Thats the exact intention that will help your child no matter what school you choose. Ignore the negative posts as their intention is obviously different to yours (not towards their children but towards helping ALL TYPES of fellow parents).

You are not alone. I had to think very hard about schools as my daughter has been enrolled in 3 of the top schools in Pattaya and none of them were adequate for her needs (she tested gifted at 3yrs). When she was 4 I enrolled her into Satit for 1 year but only for a 3 day week (a customised request). On our days together I would homeschool and give her the challenges she needed, but on her school days she could play and socialise and be part of someone else's routine. So compromise is always possible and should always be an option when dealing with kids. I found the international schools very frustrating at their failures to incorporate a Gifted child, and this policy runs throughout the school. Granted Satit too doesn't have a Gifted program but for socialisation and extra curricula skills it was a better choice for a gifted kid.

My daughter is 6 now and I now home school full time. We both love it. I purchase the UK curriculum online and everything gets sent to me including assessment sheets.

Its not always a question of money why people do not choose the international schools. And your brilliant child will be brilliant regardless of the $ you spend on the education.

I rented a home in Pattaya just off 3rd road (opp xzyte) and called TOT to install ADSL (there was already a phone line). The short story is after 4 months (paying bills throughout) I never received a whole day of ADSL. I had several visits each time they claimed a new and creative problem.

I trade futures online so after 4 months I just quit the house and rented a new one.

In my new home (further up Sukhumvit just passed BPH) I have requested ADSL 2 months ago. I still have no ADSL! I visit the office, I telephone nearly everyday. Now they are saying there is a "big wiring problem", I now hold out little hope and will have to move again! TT&T are not in the area, and True can only take over the line if and when TOT sort out their side.

I did post this info in another thread asking for any advice to deal with TOT. They just look at me blankly when I enter the office and tell me "oh yes someone will come out to you"..... very frustrating, and very very expensive! Anyone got any ideas???

I take it all back... it seems, from my secret sources, that the best thing is to buy your towels abroad and cart them into Thailand

if that were the case I would have saved a small fortune in shipping costs to the UK last year.

Mr Towel. Chatuchak market, Soi 9 I think, opposite the bank atms anyway. Supplies a lot of the good hotels. The quality is superb and as far as the sheets are concerned, beware, once slept upon you'll never want to sleep on anything else, very high quality and thread count. 21000B on shipping back to UK last year, friends that had tried ours begged us to ship them back. Even with shipping still works out a lot cheaper than the very few high end stores these can be bought in. IMHO one of the great buys in LOS. If you spend about a third of your life in bed might as well do it comfortably.

The sheets I bought from the place on Pattaya South Rd are 280 thread count. What is Mr. Towel's thread count for sheets?...

I'm kind of lucky though in that I've really focused on nutrition and anti aging practices like meditation and get mistaken for someone much younger ( one of the reasons I'm pursuing the Public Health Nutrition program. I think I will look up an orphanage or such in the Issan area - I know a few people up there.

Steve

As well as helping the orphans how about peddling your anti-aging techniques to some of the farang in LOS. From viewing experience many could benefit from adopting your meditation, CRON or antioxidant expertise.....

Any possibility of getting above in Dubai? Failing that KL or Singapore? Reason would have to be visiting family.

Visit Singapore and post your passport (courier only) to the UK consulate and obtain that way. I know Lopburi is against it, but its legal and I have done so twice and all my contacts now do this also.