David006

Came across these chillies grown in Fiji lately.

By the way, a farmer who specializes in growing them says they can grow up to 18" long!

Sort of brings a tear to your eyes, doesn't it?

Is there any special preparation required to make those chilis kosher?

:cheesy: :cheesy: Looks like they already been to see the Rabi....

oops hope your joking? This IS TV

Its amazing to me the amount of misinformation here. For example, "its a hole in the ground with some rudimentary piping and parts from China." This is probably the single biggest mistake made when building a pool - underestimating the complexity. Its all fine and good until: (we have seen this all)

1. Lack of planning - heavy machinery damages surrounding area

2. Excavation results in water flooding or high water table content - now what?

3. Design drawings do not correspond with survey results

4. Failure to do bore test, flying blind regarding sink piling

5. CPAC concrete mixture innappropriate; no vehicle access; drying too fast;

6. Piping laid under the pool rather than in the floor; failure to pressure test piping

7. Surge tank on the wrong side of the pool (we just fixed this weeks ago on a site).

8. Water stops ommitted - oops!

9. Walls forms have slipped resulting in wall deformation

10. Floor topping not adhering; lack of scrabbling

11. Spatter dash not used on walls; plaster not firmly adhering

12. Tile set out not correct, un professional looking tile installation (looks like a child did it)

13. Lights and j-boxes incorrectly installed, or wired wrongly

14. Overflow gutter wrong size, wrong height and or failure to slope

15. Piping to equipment room installed wrongly opening up possibility of breaking

etc., etc, the point is, many things can go wrong if the contractor is not experienced.

a lot of FUD101 factor selling there ..fear, uncertainty and doubt !..trust Pool Doctor must offer one hel_l of a Would not a lot of what you have listed apply to any construction project eg. a house?

Not sure that justifies the rather inflated margins on a tiled "concrete box" in the ground though...

There's a knife and kitchen utensil shop in the Rimping Airport at Chiang Mai complex, I bought a cheap bread knife there.

I cook for myself and just sharpen my knives as I go. I had a large set of Trident knives back in the day but they now live with an ex wife who rarely bothers to cook.

lol...yes I have about ten high quality knives and Japanese chopper things..bought in Singapore/Canada....and what does the wife use?

Kiwi brand from the market 25 baht for small ones...sharpens them by stroking on side of stone morter ..well anyway the bowl bit of morter and pessle which is which???lol

Try dock walking at the marinas..some of the yahties even go sailing sometimes lol.

....talk to a few skippers and state your need ...sure someone would take you out and show you the ropes for a case of beer or atleast something a good deal less than 10000 baht! Nothing better most yahties like than showing how much they know...just like TV members lol

Also if you don't already...read read and read "learn to sail" books...you can practice knots, navigation etc at home for free!

Hellman's is the best selling Mayo in USA bar none the rest are cheap Imputations....

Now i was told buy a long time Thai\Asian cook\resident that....

Best Foods & Hellman's are one in the same.....so on that fact alone i buy Hellmans....

All Kraft products Exept there Boxed Macaroni and cheese are second rate in USA...

kojai caap...

Amazin' the things you find out on TV!!

Went to BF web site and they say that Helman's is sold mainly in eastern US and BF in the west..

Always use BF in Thailand and did in Canada and OZ..never tried Kraft as the ex would never buy it..can't remember why..

Bought BF in Tesco two days ago ...think it was about 150 baht? Certainly not 200...

And scorpions! I saw one headed to our shoe rack the other night. Big and very black.

Wifey got bitten on little finger by scorpion last night..under the f..g pillow ( I had been using it outside on wicker lounger..so probably should have stung me!)..Nothing one can do it seems for the intense pain from the likes of wasps , ants and scorpions. I have been stung so many times on the farm by scorpions and wasps etc.last month twice in one day one on each hand!.....f... it hurts!!

....best "cure" is a large glass of Thai rum and good swear. Once put my hand in my reef runner type shoes I use for climbing ladders etc..to remove a leaf ?..NOT f..g family of scorpions..mum got me...wear youre glasses stupid..lol

the little pale orange bastards are the worst....problem is they "freeze" and wait for you..lol

Many stores will sell you a two burner stove.

I would not worry too much about the brand, there is not much to go wrong.

Some of the bigger burners have double rings for better control when using

a large wok.

A hole in the wall and the cylinder outside the house, or on the balcony is safest.

Lots of choice for counter top free standing units out there mom and pop stores and homepros

We used a Camar Tech glass flush drop in unit 3 burner...easy to clean and seems reliable and no more expensive than counter top...bought in a Homepro or like? Memory cells..lol.

DO pipe to gas cylinders outside.( get two and rotate.saves eating cold food ..lol)..use the heavy duty rubber/orange? pipe NOT the clear plastic...and double hose clip each end for security.

Good idea to have overall housing sealed with "drain" to outside (propane is heavier than air). Check all connections with soapy water every time you change bottles.

There that's my preaching for today...

Looks like there is a business opportunity for competitive Ebay....totally unregulated "banking"....?? geesh...scary

http://www.paypalwarning.com/

Certainly strange ....but horrifying

Morning of December 26 2004

from about 4 hundred meters out in Patong bay looking shoreward watching Patong "disappear"

Morning of Dec 28th 2004

Khoalak ...just sand and concrete where the beautiful resorts once existed..... body bags everywhere...heart wrenching!

After living with my first wife for 30 years (not Thai) and finding out she never loved me, but thought I could give her a good life, and then claimed anything and everything in order to get a better pay-off, I have come to the conclusion.

Love is a fleeting fantasy you might find for a short time.

But you really need to protect you money and property from your emotions

Money and property last forever, if handled correctly.

Do I love my new, much younger wife, you bet.

Am I faithful to her, yes.

What does she think of me?

Only a fool predicts other people's feelings towards them with certainly.

What I have noticed about men who lost/are about to lose large amounts of money to a woman, is they all state their woman is different. I confess I made this mistake with my former wife. Somebody said,

"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"

although I prefer

"if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got"

okay so all women ( and men) like money or what it buys and yes some or all are influenced by the buck in their choice of partner.

..but at the end of the day if the latter is the main raison d'etre the its not impossible for the partnership to fail...

...I believe love ( not necessarily the romantic kind) is initially low on the radar...more gratification of mutual miscellaneous needs, infatuation,addiction,security, mutual interest ....it all "figures in" I suppose..

One can never know if the other party's' version of their love is the same as yours....

....nice quotes very true methinks...

The only problem is, they're both full of Australians. If heading out that way, it'd have to be NZ for me... amazing country, cool people, nice chicks, laid-back, not too many flies...

lol...lots of Kiwis in FN Queensland too..and Japanese, POMEs, Thais etc.....oh and flies, snakes, crocs, ...fewer sharks now the crocs ate 'em....

....chicks?? ... got me there...seen lots of old boilers..

Agree NZ is amazing..bit too "cool" for me now...by Thai standards ...the sheep of course are still attractive...

That is what I like about thaivisa... there are always a few discussions where you learn something new. I'm a bit of a history buff, and this topic has been a good one. Who knows how anyone might react in a time of stress. If someone does NOT have the strength or power to resist a superior force then other measures have to be taken. You are forced to make decisions you would rather not make... just to survive.

Also a history bufff....apart from what Thailand did or did not do in WW2...

an interesting read is Eagle Against the Sun..(US Japanese Pacific war account) ...really scary how naive and egotistical the western powers were...

"For example, the current monthly Bt500-per-person welfare for senior citizens is not enough to cover the cost of living, but if we raised the allowance to Bt1,000, then we would have to use another Bt40-50 billion in state funds.

How many Thais know about this?? .... anyone know anyone that gets it??....

Okay belay that...wifey say her mum gets it..anyone over 60..

....Sounds about the same amount as my Brit OAP would be...

...I just emailed Oz embassy BKK and they sent me back the forms and an info sheet by return..easy..

No problem...

Back to paradise for me.

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia!

seconded...but a touch further north...Cairns..

I have also found the the Ford dealer network very good as well, one of the main reasons I choose it was because a friend told me the Ford dealer in Phuket was very good, but I have Ford dealers all other Thailand very helpful, more than be said for some other makes.

I have a Y2K Mazda 2500 2wd ( essentially the same as the ford) which I have used and abused ....I bought it at 11kkm in Phuket and now has 140kkm. Very happy..

Things I have fixed:

- Replaced Window switch module drivers side (4000baht from ford dealer)

- New front disc ( never heard the telltale so got all scored up beyond skimming) about 800baht installed.

- New plastic/nylon rear shock bushes ..supplied installed free when I bought some tyres

- New tailgate handle ...plastic one snapped at lever inside when I forced it after loaded with sand ..metal one now ..2800 baht

- Still need to replace flexible air filter hose as it keeps splitting and I have run out of duct tape..

- New float switch in fuel tank.the float had fallen off ( I wonder if bio-diesel melted the glue or something)...think the new one was aftermarket product.. installed a Nissan dealer...2400baht? a lot of work !

- New battery..

that's about it really...I too wish I could afford a new one either Ford Wildtrack or Mazda BT50 4WD!

If you can't find anyone in phuket then these guys make seals for most fridges and post them out.

The replacement process is actually (generally) quite easy - all you need is a screwdriver

www.doorseal.com.au

Cheers mate, will give them a go.

Its a long time ago and can't remember exact location but remember it's on the left on the way out of Phuket town to maybe Chalong.??

They have everything for air con and refrigeration...gas,seals pumps etc.. bought seals for my boat freezer there recommended by marina operator...maybe you could inquire as to exact location at one of the marine stores??

So, if there is or were a god that created everything, where did that god come from and if  he\she\it took only one week to create the earth why the rush job?...could have taken more time over it, made earth a bit bigger and Germany a bit smaller or something.......

:cheesy: :cheesy:

Seriously though...some good info at Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence_of_God#The_problem_of_the_supernaturalg m

My main question has always been...where is this deity when kids are starving and millions of believers are being abused and murdered in his/her name..?? Come on mate falling down on the job methinks..

So, if there is or were a god that created everything, where did that god come from and if  he\she\it took only one week to create the earth why the rush job?...could have taken more time over it, made earth a bit bigger and Germany a bit smaller or something.......

:cheesy: :cheesy:

Impressive house ideas and plans for some beauties...

Nice o know everybody has/had all the same dam issues with builders..don't think its just Thailand though.

Here are a few things that may be of interest or good for a laugh ..from when we built our very simple modest about (13 meters by 8 meters under the roof)house on the side of our mountain on our farm.

..first off we had to move the house site as the cut out dug out of the hillside for the original decided to migrate downhill in the wet during excavation of the pole footings...lucky the builders were "no show" every time it rained...The ground under the topsoil was compact clay and sandstone ... so made a beautiful 'slide" for any loose stuff.

- well then we changed the whole design of the house from a "book" version to my fag packet version which I gave to a design engineer to draw up plans on CAD, I then put in my overbuild paranoia specs.... we moved the site across the hill a hundred meters and decided not to cut any land just sink 2x2x2 meter pole/footings holes. I had the builders install a concrete retaining wall immediately behind and abutting the house..footings for the wall were also 2x2x2 joined to each other with a base 1m x 250ml holding the rebar up-rite frame. All footing "pads" were about a foot thick with qty 12 15 meter high vertical rebars in the box section..attached to the rebar frame inside the footing.

- my fag packet original plans were for just a 1 bed pole home but after I saw how massive and high the construction was I decided to utilize the underside to add laundry/ bathroom and another bedroom with a large open tiled area for future whatever. ( at present a great workshop/junk magnet area with a view)

Apart from what seemed the thousands of bags of cement and and sand /rock I purchased and hauled we had 17 half full concrete mixer trucks for the house footings poles and frames/floors etc...had to hand to those drivers getting up a steep hill of yet to be concreted road...bloody amazing. Had a couple of small delivery trucks run away backwards and run into the rubber trees on the way up! Never saw 'em again...so had to haul everything myself in my little 2WD pick up.

- upper floor was planked with concrete planks across 300x100 concrete beams before overlaying with rebar mesh and more bloody concrete...

...I see this is going on a bit so will write more later maybe about steps, plumbing, electrics, ceilings,tiles,doors, windows etc...if anyone is still awake..lol...time for a beer.

cheers

Has anyone adopted their Thai wifes kids???

Can anyone tell me the process and implications? Would prefer PMs...

thanks

david

...they obviously had some of 'em in custody before...!

Yes he was the greatest,all he at to do was walk on stage and without saying a word everyone would burst out laughing.

True story

A liverpool taxi driver friend of mine picked him up at the airport to take him to a hotel.

He was the taxi drivers idol as well and was really pleased he picked him up.

On arriving at the hotel Tommy got out the cab and paid the fare just as the cabbie was about to pull away

Tommy called him back and put something in the cabbies top pocket saying "you have a little drink on me cabbie".

The cabbie could not wait to get around the corner and check what Tommy had give him.

The cabbie put his hand in his top pocket and pulled out a TEA BAG

Great post guys..can't beat the oldies hugh...Spike Milligan is another favorite

My best mate years ago was always doing the wavy hand in front of the face ...."just like that" "just like that" a Tommy Cooper trade mark ...

thanks

I am not sure about the labour side of things ..assume they have not changed much for the actual labourers, maybe the margins for the manager hae though.

As far as materials ...the wife tells me steel has gone up a lot in the past couple of years and so has cement ( used to be about 130baht a bag)..bricks maybe a couple of baht more per..although super bricks seem to have come down with more acceptance.

As another poster said , source your materials and trucks full of concrete yourself and just pay construction costs..a BIG headache but if you have the time you'll save the money. If you have any practical skills do some of the simpler final fit out yourself....ie hanging kitchen cupboards adding light fittings etc...obviously everything helps to reduce costs.

Oh and a reminder that "temporary power" is charged at double ampere hour rating than a permanent meter!!