tutsiwarrior

bleach is simply highly concentrated chlorine? It's all Cl2...kills a lot of fungus...

for those that are interested, I called the IRS to find that they never received my return for tax year 2001 hence the confusion. However, keep the thread goin' as there's some useful information here...

Thailand is not Christian??? Do you mean to say that I am living in a heathen country??? Maybe I'll forgoe the border run alltogether and stay under the covers until Santa comes with my presents. When I am imprisoned for overstay I shall rattle my tin cup against the prison bars and scream 'You can't do this to me yew screws...Santa and Rudolph won't have it!!!'

(Cut to tutsi on the run in cambo...braying hounds in the background and slavering heinous foemen...)

Whatever happened to the Baker's dozen?

I remember having oysters with my sister in Toronto and showing my complete lack of 'couth' by

ordering another dozen straight after....it is just not done, however nice they are

oh, I like oysters too much...with the briney taste and the slimy texture and with someone you love you want to rip off their clothes and etc...

not too good for a falang with high expectations and proper intentions in a high falutin' restaurant in BKK...

(pant, pant...oh look now, what mess in front of the keyboard...)

I had durian ice cream once up by the Punchak Pass outside of Jakarta...quite nice it was. Outside the restaurant there was a guy selling the fruit out the back of his pick up. People would pull up, buy a durian and take it inside the restaurant for them to prepare. They did a good business...

by the reception of some hotels in Jakarta there were signs 'No Durian Allowed'...the kerosene smell usedta stink up the place...

yeah...a great post. One's emotional trauma at the sudden, violent death of a loved one is hard to understand by others even within a familiar cultural milieu much less that of a falang within a thai environment.

Please receive my condolences.

I need to do a border run on or about Christmas day...my passport stamp says until 26 December for my multi - entry non - imm 'O'. All operations per normal at Aranyapatet during this time or should I go earlier? Also, any tips or advice...it's been over three years since my last trip.

cheers...tutsi

just wondering, if you hook up with someone of lower economic status/class than you does the imbalance always prevent a real relationship from developing? ie. will that difference in experience/opportunities always be an issue between the opposite sides? or will relationships like that always fall into a prostitute/patron thing... this is an honest question. of course most people would see it from the outside as being the latter, but are there really successful love relationships between people who have nothing (like a lot of thailand) and people who have plenty, where the one with plenty doesn't resent the one without and vice versa?

calm down girlx...think about the premise when you got involved...was it love?...business?...money? In my case it was a business arrangement...you look after my needs and I'll look after yours and your familiy's...has worked out pretty well so far...my wife is not in love with me in the romantic sense but I've held up my part of the agreement pretty well for which I can tell she is grateful.

I was not in love in the romantic sense with my wife when we entered into our agreement...she just seemed to be an honest and hardworking girl (sexy and all that) that would honor her commitments/obligations. We sleep together now after 7 years as a comfortable old couple and what we presently have is not unlike what a lot of old couples have, whatever the initial premise was...

socio/economic status don't mean much when you're talking about a falang/asian relationship in a SE asian milieu...you need to have the perception to see if your needs are being met...which becomes apparent pretty quickly...

good luck and happy Christmas...

I can just hear tutsiwarrior now as he greets the guests arriving at his party...."We have canopees in the carport, disrespecful behavior in the bedrooms, and waterpolo on the terrace!"

Chownah

look out clownnah...the wife is gonna bring in the monks from the local wat to bless the new shop house and if you don't cool it I'm gonna have to tell them that there is a falang that is evil and wishes ill intentions on the magnificent new terrace...they may then have to do sumpin' that may damage your karma...

mods, shut this thread down before clownnah does any more damage to his wicked soul...

Blah Chon is extremely tasty in my opinion. Try bbq a fish of around 3 kg, it tastes very similar to plaice. Delicate flavour, great with a spicy dipping sauce.

Thanks for the compliment about my taste and flavour Womble, but please note the spelling!

That Tutsi fella hasn't got a flippin' clue about his fish or chips!

yo' mama...me old fish...

As a PS to my original post - I had a quick scan of the David Beckham autobiography - what a load of <deleted>!

I particularly enjoyed the part when he thought Posh would be a verbal match for Fergie

how can one justify an autobiography when one is less than 40 years old?...an absurdity...

all new plumbing systems should be thoroughly flushed before putting into service to eliminate construction debris that accumulates. I'd say fill up your storage tank a few times and open all taps until you find that the water flows clearly. The crud that you describe should not be in the water supply. Take a sawed off clear plastic bottle to check the flushing discharge for clarity.

clear as mud?...also have a look inside the storage tank, if there was a supply pipe to the tank that wasn't flushed all the upsteam construction debris would still be there...

happy flushing...

My wife usually pays, I dont often bother carrying cash.

yeah...me sum too, I give the wife the dosh and she pays out whatever the expense...she sorta likes being in control that way...'DARLING? I need some Sang Som and smokes...DARLING? I need some Sprite and nam keng...DARLING? the man with the electricy bill is here, take care of it will ya?...'

oh, the life ob tutsiwarrior...reclining on his new, magnificent rear terrace...

can we say...that if the IRS has started charging interest on a perceived deficiency that an 'assessment' has already been made? If the assessment was made in 2002 why have I not yet received the statutory notice of deficiency?

Did you move and not send IRS a change of address? The process of assessing additional tax and sending notices is completely computerized. IRS computers work on a 5-week cycle and each cycle the computer sends the next scheduled notice, including the notice of deficiency.

If, at a later date, you give them a new address, only subsequent notices go to that address. IRS assemes, and this is in the law, that you received all previous notices. Also, the IRS is not required to send notices of deficiency in all cases. Only when they make a substantive change to the income and deductions claimed on a return is a notice required. If they make a corrections to the math or tax computations because you made a mistake, there is no need to send a notice of deficiency.

I did change addresses end of 2002 but did not notify IRS...one presumes that one does not live in a Big Brother/IRS environment. I presume that the IRS attempted to notify me of my 2001 tax year discrepancy but it got lost. However they had notification of my new address with my next tax return. I don't understand why they did not attempt to send other notification of this discrepancy with this information until now 4 years later.

The IRS is a racket designed to garner as much dosh from the unsuspecting public as they can to finance an outrageous government budget deficit and murderous military adventures in foreign lands. We work, pay our taxes and go home...why are we expected to know the details of tax law to get on with our lives?

Being a permanent expat with all my assets overseas I'm not worrying but I am willing to service a discrepancy if it truly exists but the burden of proof is on me with all the associated effort and bullshit...nobody likes to be bullyed...

Lily Tomlin in the US had a sketch about being an operative with 'the phone company' and always signed off by saying with a shit eatin' grin 'we're the phone company and we can do what we want'...what was she truly talking about?

are we havin' a bad day clownnah?...if my pal, the 'ol Nobel Laureate Ernie heard you callin' him a poseur he would box yer ears...

Sid?, nah... no good for the terrace...he'd disturb the neighbors...

I'm having/had a great day!!! Absolutely!!! Well, your laureate Ernie might TRY to box my ears but then my gutter scum Mr. V might just intercede with some projectile.........vomit of course.

Chownah

there shall be no disreputable behavior on my new magnificent terrace...

yeah, but the problem is localised to a 3 x 3m area of the 3 x 10 total area

The same analysis applies to the smaller area...meaning that the concrete will be about 2.4 times heavier than your estimated flood. Sounds like you've decided on either the do nothing option or the gutter option. I usually advise people to keep their minds out of the gutter but in your case I'll make an exception....so....why don't you forget inviting those poseur people you're considering and go immediately to the gutter level ........like Sid Vicious and friends.

Chownah

are we havin' a bad day clownnah?...if my pal, the 'ol Nobel Laureate Ernie heard you callin' him a poseur he would box yer ears...

Sid?, nah... no good for the terrace...he'd disturb the neighbors...

Concerning your question about layering the concrete to improve drainage....I'm assuming by "layering" you mean to put another layer of concrete on top of the existing floor to give it more slope.

General rule of thumb for engineering is that 2% slope is good for these types of drainage situations. This means that with a 3m wide terrace that is flat to start with you will have 6 cm of concrete/mortar at the thick edge and 0 cm (zero cm) thickness at the thin edge. Usually you don't go to zero cm but we'll assume this best case scenerio. This means that the average depth of the concret overlay is 3 cm which is the same thickness of water that you were using in your estimate for the depth of the pool during a downpour. Since concrete is roughly 2.4 times as heavy as water then clearly the concrete will give you 2.4 times the weight of the water so it is obviously not a good solution if you are trying to minimize the load on the terrace floor.

Chownah

yeah, but the problem is localised to a 3 x 3m area of the 3 x 10 total area plus the builder has finished the concrete and another layer would be a big mess. Most of the accumulation comes from the roof so some guttering might do the trick plus bullying whomever is around to sluice off the water after a deluge. I'll put up a sign DO YOU LIKE YOUR TERRACE??? BE CAREFUL THAT THE RAINWATER DOES NOT DESTROY IT sort of like the public garden signs that the drunken protagonist in Malcolm Lawry's Under the Volcano would hallucinate about in delirium tremens...

a nice touch, tutsi's drunken literary terrace...maybe I'll invite Gertrude Stein, Ernie Hems and some of the other pals from the salon over for iced tea...

Sure, a gutter will help but the real problem is the contractor that does not know that water runs downhill, or the person that approved and paid for the work.

yeah...and shit floats to the top...the area where the problem is was not designed for proper drainage, it got away from me...when we extended the terrace across all three houses I made sure that the drainage was suitable and this was demonstrated with the rainstorm.

not to worry...I'll get one of the family retainers to push the accumulation out the drain holes in the wall when the time comes...or one of the nieces...

tutsiwarrior hungover and vicious... 'grab that broom, goddamit...sweep that fuggin' water out dem fuggin' holes, goddamit...DO IT NOW or I'll paddle yer ass goddamit...'...'but uncle tutsi, it's 3 am and I have school tomorrow', JUST DO AS I TELL YA, goddamit...

whadda demon...rainwater problems and family drama...

I'd say get two new for the front (check the alignment) and switch the existing front to the rear if they have reasonable tread. Shitcan the rear tires if they are worn as you describe, pronto. Worn tires are the cause of many bad accidents...

can we say...that if the IRS has started charging interest on a perceived deficiency that an 'assessment' has already been made? If the assessment was made in 2002 why have I not yet received the statutory notice of deficiency?

'oh, how unlucky can a poor boy be?...seems like everywhere I go the IRS is followin' me...' (cut to wailing blues guitar/blues harp solo...)

We will be in the UK for Xmas, and it is going to be extra special. This is the first Xmas with our little lad also got my mum and dad and my sister and her other half coming, so should be a good day i reckon

The only way it could be better was if someone else volunteered to cook, instead of leaving it to me. Its just a shame burger king isn't open on Xmas day

just order it from sainsburys, waitrose or from M&S...happy Christmas to one and all...

every day is Christmas for tutsiwarrior...vodka, meatloaf sammich and a cuddle with the kids...why ask for anything more?

yeah, I get the idea...last night's rain was moderate and not the usual deluge you get during the rainy season where in a badly drained area the accumulation could add a load of over 1000kg to the structure (using your same volume calculation) very quickly...

So this is equivalent to about 20 adults on your terrace.....would you feel insecure with that many people on your terrace? What was the maximum depth you used in your calculations?

Chownah

the terrace is trapezoidal but roughly 3 x 10m and using a 2 - 3 cm rainwater depth results in a volume that would give roughly 1000kgs undrained rainwater load...but I ain't running a partyhouse here and would never expect 20 adults at one time...undrained rainwater is the hazard. As I explained the existing two shop houses' support for the terrace is dodgy...I'm not sure that the kitchen columns we ever piled as the roof was the only anticipated load. But that area drained OK from last night's observation.

We shall see when the rains come next year...on the terrace sipping my vodka and then a horrible creaking sound then 'geronimooooh'...

...gives you an erection for two days! And makes you run like the wind!! Tibet.

Sounds cheaper than Viagra.

Clarification: Is the "running" part directly because of the first symptom, or an indirect cause of the first symptom?

more to the point...'running' as in feets, do yer stuff or as in forever miserable on the throne in the toilet?

The guttering needs to be big enough to handle the water flow developed and it needs to be sloped so that the water runs off fast enough. The structure needs to be strong enough to hold the weight of the gutter system WHEN IT IS FULL OF WATER TO THE BRIM because it is entirely likely that at some point in the future it will plug up and it WILL fill up to the brim. It sounds like your situation is a typical one so the local expertise is hopefully adequate to handle the situation....but you never know when someone claims to know how to do it and really they don't.

You say you are worried that the weight of the standing water will overload the structure....how deep does it get at its worst? If you know the surface area of the standing water and its maximum depth then you can calculate the weight....like this theoretic scenerio: If a 2 metre by 4 metre terrace floor has a 5 cm maximum depth of water then you convert all the measurements in to the same units first (either cm or metres) and then multiply them together...I'll use cm.....200 x 400 x 5 = 400,000. What does this weigh?......well, one cubic cm of water weights one gram so you have 400,000 grams which is 400 kg.

400 kg is the weight of about 8 adult people....if 8 people were on this theoretic terrace would the owner worry that it would collapse? If this theoretic terrace was flooded with 5 cm of water it is unlikly that there would be anyone out there on it so it is unlikly that you would have both the weight of 8 people AND the weight of the water.....etc.

I hope you get the idea...

Chownah

yeah, I get the idea...last night's rain was moderate and not the usual deluge you get during the rainy season where in a badly drained area the accumulation could add a load of over 1000kg to the structure (using your same volume calculation) very quickly...

however, I think that my concern regarding last night's example is premature...the area where we had the accumulation was in the new shophouse area that is better designed to take the load. The area for the two existing shophouses drained nicely and that was where I had the worry. The terrace there was built over the two kitchens the columns for which previously only supported the roof...now we got steel, concrete slabs and finishing concrete on the existing support structure which probably overloads it already...

however, I will look into a gutter along the roofline above the terrace...can't cost too much to build...

thanks for your advice, folks!