Paulaew

Thanks very much for the kind words.

Before you jump into the Chromebook, you should have a reasonable understanding of how it works. It has very limited local storage and is designed to work with cloud-based applications and assumes an internet connection. If you're planning to use it while backpacking, it might not be the solution you need. The operating system on the Chromebook (Chrome OS) is Linux-based and there is a version of the highly useful Calibre e-book management application for Linux that will run on Chromebooks. You'll find information for installing Calibre on Chrome OS here: https://chromeunboxed.com/how-to-installing-calibre-e-book-manager-on-a-chromebook/ Audacity will not really run well on Chromebook for various technical reasons, but there are some alternatives that might work for you. Here is more information: https://audacityguide.com/audacity-for-chromebook Hope this helps. Paul Laew

My son became interested in drawing and painting at a fairly young age, but by the time he was 11 he begged me to buy him a digital tablet so he could put his artwork on his YouTube channel. After researching products, I bought him the Wacom Intuos tablet which sells for well under 3,000 baht in Thailand. It's a high quality product with excellent pressure sensitivity. It came with a trial version of Corel Painter Essentials that runs on Windows 10. He was happy with the software so I purchased a license for him when the trial expired. It took my son some time to get accustomed to drawing on the tablet while looking at the screen, but he got the hang of it. You can see some of the drawings he's done with it on his website: https://www.maxspencernash.com

They seem to have done a miserable job of enforcing the law in the 7 years since they seized power. But now they've found an angle that makes the job attractive -- seizing the assets of the drug dealers. Of course all those assets will be duly accounted for ... Paul Laew

I see the point, but I was just disappointed that the thread wasn't about Led Zeppelin. Paul Laew

Why do your own research when Alex Jones and Steve Bannon can do it for you? Paul Laew

This is more or less how the argument went with my wife (I added "more educated" for good measure). I didn't give in, but as multiple posters to this thread have argued, I was probably in the wrong. Thanks for your support, appreciated. Paul Laew

Looks like somebody got it. ???? Paul Laew

I would hazard a guess that you don't have a Thai spouse and luuk kreung children. In fact, "rich foreigner husband" has a well-defined role in the Thai "feudal" system. It's probably been that way since westerners first came to live in Thailand in the 16th century. As far as the dirty white Buddha clothes are concerned, that's not a faux pas on my list (yet). But I've heard that they are expected if you're doing time in the temple as a layperson, even if it's not a Buddha day. Paul Laew

I missed a 90 day report date by two weeks in September of this year, just from pure forgetfulness (first time in more than 15 years). I just went to my local immigration office and handed the officer my passport as if nothing was amiss. He just printed out the new slip and sent me on my way, no fine. Naturally I didn't mention it further. I suspect there might be some leniency because of Covid. Maybe he was just a nice guy, but normally an officer wouldn't risk being reprimanded by his superior for failing to collect a fine. By the way, this was outside of Bangkok, not at Chaeng Wattana. Paul Laew

The quote I got on a Thai generic pregabalin was Toprelin 150 mg 2,015 Baht/box of 56 tablets. I'm assuming the other Thai generics are about the same. The equivalent Sandoz was a bit cheaper at 1,960 baht for 150 mg x 56. The quote was from a well known online drugstore in Bangkok. Paul Laew

Well, it's been under consideration on more than one occasion. Let's just say that my failure to wai to her boss was the least of my transgressions, and leave it at that. ???? Paul Laew

Thanks very much for getting an opinion from your wife. I do agree that it would have been gracious for this lady to wai me when she entered my house. But I made the mistake of not wai'ing her when I didn't get the wai I expected. So I wasn't gracious either. So that's on me. My wife is still married to me. But I was in the doghouse for a while. Paul Laew

You're right. But I can tell you that I got some collateral damage from it afterwards. Paul Laew

I don't think Thai's expect farang to understand the nuances of wai's that distinguish degrees of respect. But I can't imagine not wai'ing a monk I meet at a temple, especially the abbot. But I can understand that he had the equanimity not to show his response to the offense. Paul Laew

It's true, my wife is a wai magnet. I just get the leftover wai's. Paul Laew

Well, I didn't want to say that. But, yeah. Paul Laew

Point taken. Guilty as charged. Paul Laew

Excellent advice. When I didn't receive a wai I was expecting, I should have wai'd immediately. And the department head really should have done the same if she were a gracious person. We were both pig-headed and defending our status. The result was a wai stand-off. Funny in retrospect but quite awkward at the time. Paul Laew

I think this is probably the best advice I've received. It was probably just amour propre on my part that I didn't wai her first -- I tend to have a (deservedly) low opinion of Thai government school bureaucrats. But I also agree with Dante99 that my wife and her boss should have cut me some slack over this ... Paul Laew

Well, in my defense, I didn't know that my wife expected my to wai this person first. That was something I found out after. Farang who wai everyone in sight are actually objects of ridicule by Thai people. My wife would have been even more upset if she saw me wai the garbage man, just because of how it would reflect on her. (Yes, I have to live with this). Paul Laew

Very good advice, I think. Experience is the thing you get right after you needed it. I may be a bit spoiled in the wai context. Where I live -- both in Bangkok and upcountry -- I've found that Thai people are very nice about showing respect to me, often unnecessarily. And I've always been quick to wai elders, which is often appreciated. The case I described in the my original post was the first time I'd encountered a wai stand-off. I guess, when in doubt, wai. But not children.

I know this can seem a trivial topic, but it's actually quite important to my wife, since she felt my actions reflected poorly on her. If you have a Thai spouse and are here long term, you may find it necessary to live in Thai society. I know some farang enjoy thumbing their noses at Thai norms that seem quaint or outdated or even ridiculous. And it is undoubtedly true that respect is often required when it is not deserved. But I make an effort to go along with the conventions while maintaining my integrity (not always easy). My original question could be put this way -- when it comes to wai priority, does position trump age, education and wealth? Andre0720 suggested in his post that it does. Not that a department head in a Thai government school is such an exalted position ... Paul Laew

No, it was an awkward moment -- she was waiting for a wai from me that was not forthcoming. I was expecting a wai from her. It was more or less a breakdown of wai expectations. What followed was a delayed and sort of fumbled co-wai. Neither she nor my wife looked happy about it. Paul Laew

My wife is a teacher in a government school here. One day her department head visited our house on some school business. We said hello, she contracted some school business with my wife, and then she left. Afterwards my wife complained that I did not wai her department head first. I replied that she should have wai'd me first, since I am older, better educated (I'm fairly certain) and, undoubtedly, richer (not that this should matter, but it does seem to matter a good deal here). My wife said, I was wrong -- because this woman was her boss, I was required to wai first. Am I mistaken, or is there a law of inherited subservience here that I'm not aware of? Should I have been the wai-er or the wai-ee? Paul Laew