NanLaew

I am upgrading the lighting in the master bedroom that has a total of 8 of those old-fashioned dimmable GU5.3 12 V incandescent downlights, each with a heat-generating 60W transformer inline. I am looking to replace them with dimmable LED downlights, about 3.5 W to 5 W so they fit the same sized holes in the ceiling (9 cm o.d and a 7 cm hole). I got ahead of myself and purchased some new LED dimmer switches (to replace the incandescent dimmer switches) and LED downlights but didn't know that the LED lights need to be dimmable and the ones I bought aren't! No worries, they can be used in the new annex. So, looking around for dimmable LED's and the local market seems a bit sparse. Lazada seems to have some, with most coming from China. If anyone has done this already, what did you buy? Something like this (from the UK) would be nice. I can always replace the socket bases to GU10 on the current BEC fittings.

No, it's for members of the extended family. Mrs NL has suggested that once they fly the coop, then they could be rented out, but I don't see that happening in my lifetime. Any ideas on RCB and/or RCBO for the 'wet' appliances? I am also going to run the wiring in half-inch white pvc conduit with surface-mounted switch and socket boxes, same as I did with my shed. Semi-industrial looking, but I have a feeling that the 'electrician' I will be watching over has loads of VAF building wire (no VAF-G!) and hundreds of those wall staples of yore.

Bump. The annex now has four rooms, each with its own ensuite and is going to have its own power line/meter and the Thai style house will be moved onto that line, just finalising things with the light company. The main house will be standalone. So, back to internal wiring for the annex. With 4 air-conditioned rooms, each with en-suite bathrooms. Initially I was thinking a 14-breaker CU with four 16 A breakers for air conditioners, four 16 A RCBO/breakers for hot-water shower units, four 10 A breaker for room lighting and four 16 A breaker for the room wall sockets. That makes each room 'standalone' for power. I used Schneider Square D CU and breakers for my shed, so will go the same way with the annex. I was also looking at the Schneider Square D CU that has 8+4 and believe with an RCD protecting the 4 slots on the right, this may be an option for having better protection for the shower units? But with only 8 breakers on the left side, that reduces my capacity for individual (4-each) aircon, lights and wall outlet power. What's the safest, no-overkill (unfortunate pun) method for these hot water shower units? On a bus bar of four hanging off the RCD in the 8+4 CU? Or in the original 16-slot CU with individual RCBO's?

You've really got a hard-on for Sharples.

It's somewhere on Jomtien, too lazy to Google it as well.

As an adjunct, some airlines only open up online seat assignment much nearer the actual flying date. Keep in mind that all seat assignments can be changed by the boarding staff and cabin crew upon boarding in order to meet operational expediency, safety, security or whatever other excuse they offer for their incompetence.

because it isn't that popular But it seems that NONE of Pattaya's fish and chip offerings are popular with you.

Correct. But, as alluded to by @OneMoreFarang on page 1, between 15 and 18 there's a law that allows the parent's or the individuals, to pursue charges, regardless of consent given. "In Thailand, sexual encounters with a minor under the age of 18 may be classed as a compoundable offence, even if this was with a person over 15 and with their explicit consent. To clarify (I hope!), what this means is that a young person having sex with another person aged 15, 16, or 17 may be prosecuted for this “compoundable offence” if one participant (normally the girl), or their parent, were to file charges against the other side when they later decided they regretted what they had done. In effect, this makes the unfettered Thai age of consent to sex to be 18 years of age." https://www.lannaist.ac.th/keeping-our-teenage-children-safe/ Since the OP's mate has an 18 year-old admirer, all this and most of the previous two pages is mostly wasted bandwidth.

Another empirical Thai study brought to you by the letters b and s.

Yes! Isn't it great? It's the Thai way of making sure the knowitall farang squatters have something to gurn about.

Yup, @bob smith is doing just fine.

Yes, and that's why... Sorted.

That's good advice Bob. But make sure you've cleared things with your probation officer first.

As @SABloke has already pointed out, I think somewhere in their excitement, they got the numbers arse-about-tit, and it's an 11.2 m baht Maybach needing about 1 m baht's worth of repairs. Who gives a toss?

Just fired up the calculator to check, but I was 49 when I met my wife. She had just turned 19 at the time. Not sure about being different, but she's been my incredibly smart, stunningly beautiful and amazingly young looking wife for almost 18 years already. During that time, I have "converted" her into a mother of two lovely lads. Winning!

Did you select a class of ticket that permits advance seat selection? Airlines will nickel and dime customers with varying options these days. Even an airline's frequent flier can miss the changes being made. I've never flown EVA, but it's possible that they lumped the seat selection option into the first-step of fare selection, like several European airlines do? KLM used to have the seat selection after you had progressed most of the booking, but nowadays, it's either allowed or disallowed in the initial drop-down list under each coach fare type. If you miss that when you select the fare, the seat selection option will be skipped.

I am aware that it is possible for Thai immigration to transfer permission to stay stamps from an old passport to a new one. However, my friend has a slightly different issue. The UK passport that hosts his current stay through 22 June (enabled by a Non-O) is badly damaged. The biometric data chip won't be readable when he presents it to immigration on departure or arrival at his destination. He does have another valid but not new UK passport. He is wondering if immigration will transfer the remaining +6 weeks permission to stay to this other used passport so that departure scans here and arrival scans at the destination will be OK. The biodata page and stamps in the damaged passport are all undamaged, just the 'machine-readable' functionality is gone. He says he plans on replacing the damaged passport when he visits the UK this summer. Can the stamp be moved by his local immigration office, or is that done by airport immigration on departure from BKK? I guess the other (easier?) option would be to apply for a replacement for the damaged one at VFS in Bangkok while he's still here, but that may depend on their turnaround time? I think four weeks is the best I have seen from a few months back. Thanks in advance.

The myth of American soldiers is thus propagated. The Germans and Swedes predated the GI's in Pattaya. Sure, good point But gambling and alcoholism was endemic and as significant a factor in the rural communities then as it is now. You can't farm the land when you've already lost it, are drunk or both.

Which nationality "passport renewal form"?

Deportation!!!

Strange? Why? I have both my wife's teenage nieces living with us. It's bloody awful and certainly not what some may think it's cracked up to be.

With Hamad recently pipping Changi to Skytrax's global #1 spot, this Einstein moment brought to you by @DFPhuket

A far, far higher entity than you or I has ordained that no, he does not need to wear an orange jumpsuit. Sucks to be us, eh? He never left.

Yes, it's hot. And what's more, your car needs valeting.

Do the UK police check every visa request?