NanLaew

RIP Joe. Hugely infallible and always unflustered, you've certainly earned these plaudits. An undeniable vacancy exists but I beleive there's already one or two members who look like good apprentices.

I made an error with my passport expiration date on my K-ETA application that resulted in it being issued but with a short validity and not the default 2-years. I was able to cancel the approved short-dated one as part of new application process with the correct information. This was approved but I had to pay the application fee again. When you say 'he wants to remain in Korea', this suggests he's currently there (and unemployed) or otherwise has been there for a least 2-years already, an assumption based on the K-ETA validity rules. There was a very recent news article about how both the Thai and Korean government departments that handle these things are reviewing their procedures to eliminate the 'little ghost' problem and channel migrant workers via the legitimate employment channels. Both parties claim this is to stop workers being abused by illegal Thai and Korean 'employment agencies'. Maybe the wife's lad has come up against this and the refusal is related to his previous work entitlement and how it was procured? As you stated, a Thai applicant needs to supply 'working details' so maybe whoever he's listing as an employer in his K-ETA is black-listed already?

Party pooper. (not my party)

.....and tanks on the streets. The show must go on. Are some of our collective still upset that Prayuth's coup is historically the most successful and peaceful one in theoir history with absolutely no need to roll out the tanks or men in green? Everyone knew and mostly agreed that Yingluck's administration was a terminal sh1tshow. Even Yingluck and her acoloytes new this so it was almost inevitable that she would exeunt (be exeunted) the same way as her father. There's no indication of any festering inter regiment or army class rivalry that suggests that the current military management fancy a tilt at sitting in the big chair either. It's going to be like a typical family night out at the movies where some get it, some don't and lot's of popcorn ends up being uneaten.

Hell and snowball's come to mind.

They won't gain a majority but it won't really matter as one or both of the mooted 'new coalition' parties will be banged up for vote buying, found guilty and dissolved with many of their leading lights either fleeing the country or being banned from politics. Probably both. So, getting back on topic, will it be Prayuth or Prawit? Or maybe we'll see a 'rotational' seat where one starts as PM and the other DPM. Then they'll simply slide back and forth between these posts at regular intervals same as Putin and Medvedev did for years.

Could also depend of what the foundation of the relationship is built on. If there's a dependency on the wife/marriage to enable their long stay, one wouldn't want to needlessly rock the boat. If the foreigner has also burned all those bridges back home or otherwise had all familai ties expire, then putting up with "other people's crap" may mandate a far higher threshold of tolerance.

If you say so.

Same for me when I was living and working in northern Brazil where hardly anyone spoke any English. On a break from work, I did an immersive Brazilian Portuguese class at the University of Houston over 4 weekends and then went back to work. It made for an amazing and fulfilling experience that kept me away from Thailand for over twelve years. On a subsequent Houston visit, I enquired about the next level language classes. The Brazilian-born teacher chatted with me for only a couple of minutes before saying I would be wasting my money as my immersive experience in Brazil had put me at a level far above what her UH classes delivered. She did offer that if I had time, I could assist with some of her classes. Back on topic, it's very hard to find a decent Portuguese speaker in Isaan so I muddle through with my broad Scottish brogue and a bit of arm waving but I have found that mastering how to point with your lips is essential.

@snoop1130 was always a bit rubbish at geography.

I can tell you've never visited a rural Thai massage parlour (yet).

Stress monkey. But this guy really needs to get a clue. A friend of mine passed some sage advice many years ago and that was when out drinking and the wife calls, you must ALWAYS answer or, if you see you've missed her call, call back as soon as possible. They genuinely do worry but it's so easy to reasure them . I've found that by being seen as a good responsible and caring husband or partner, you're pretty good for the odd, stress-free all-nighter.

They rushed? Why? Was it's life in danger? Sheesh...

After running a few premium services on trial a few years back, I settled on PureVPN as they manage to keep the pipes to BBC iPlayer open. I use it on laptop and smartphone in some remote locations (via satellite) and it reliably connects with usable throughput. Their GUI used to be a bit cheesy but they've smartened that up recently.

Over the years, I've seen a few Thai-assembled vehicle VIN's that fail when being checked on the online VIN decoders.

So your all-enabling biometrics will be safely and securely siloed away on Google's servers just like they are on Meta's?

The simple passcode or PIN is more robust when it's on one device. Beyond a joint account arrangement, do you have two or more credit cards on the same account? Probably not but if you do it's very unlikely that both cards are being held together in the same safe and secure place. So why have two phones with the 'key' to the vault? Laziness? All this hue and cry about the banks trying to making your accounts more secure. This despite the average customer's attitude that their account security is primarily the bank's responsibility, not theirs.

Thai style plea bargaining? Gives the ex-husband the opportunity to collude with his ex-wife on their allibis.

Good news for those with 3 to 5 hours between arrival on a domestic flight and check-in for their freedom flight opening. Last time I used the Miracle Lounge at the west end of the 'feeding' level between Arr and Dep. I think the charge was 500 baht for maximum 3 hours and there was nothing more than a comfy seat, wifi and water on offer but with a severe shortage of seating while in transit land-side, it was worth it.

What brand name? It's a Hyundai for goodness sakes, not an Aston Martin.

You assume much.

You chose to compare a large %age increase with a cash number. I simply chose to make the cash-with-cash comparison to take your growth "OMG! Thailand's crap under Prayuth!" conjecture out of the narrative. I worked in Vietnam regularly, say 4-5 months of the year between 2005 to 2018, while living in Thailand. Excluding a lot of the northern part of the country, Vietnam's catch-up has been very real and a lot faster than Thailand's which I started visiting in 1978 and living in from 1980.

In my sleepy little moobahn, there's a middle-aged lady who doesn't live anywhere near us who drives up our soi in the early evening to feed the few soi dogs. They all know the sound of her motor and are all waiting... including our four, well-fed, vaccinated and cared for mongrels if the gate's left open, which it usually is. I hate them all with a passion. They're actually the wife's dogs so I'm allowed to say that.

In case it hasn't been suggested before, you really and truly need to get yourself a blog. I'm not saying there are fewer turds in the blogosphere but they tend not to interrupt one's stream-of-consciousness naratives.

Chris's Place on the west ring road just north of the Kut Chap traffic lights (Honda Big Wing). (Udon Thani)