Equatorial

I am surprised. I looked into a similar service with a different provider, https://www.texashomebase.io/ . Their FAQ states (https://www.texashomebase.io/faqs) : You cannot use a CMRA (Commercial Mail Receiving Agent) as a "physical address" for bank accounts because of the Patriot Act. You can use our address as the "mailing address" but would need to use a friend or family member's address for the "physical" requirement.

I have a question for Brits who grew up drinking Tetley and/or Typhoo. I strongly prefer Twinnings over Tetley or Typhoo. To me it just tastes much better. What is your personal preference? And, equally interesting to me, what is the general perception of these three brands (in terms of quality) in Britain?

I see many multiple offerings of Twinnings English Breakfast on Shoppee, both loose and tea bags...

I am trying to get my Kor Ror 22 for my marriage-based Non O. I have the original marriage certificate (from California) from 2010. The local Ampur insists that my wife submit a certified certificate along with the translation. I check the US Embassy web site, and it states that they don't certify state documents, and they don't certify affidavits any longer. What is it exactly that I need, and what is the procedure to get it. (If this has been answered, please point me to the right post; I searched but didn't find the answer...)

That was not my experience. Granted, I only worked at one school, an elite high school in Bangkok. There was not a single teacher there that would fit the description in the above post. Of the total of ~25 teachers in my department, the average teacher was solid, and there were a number of truly outstanding educators.

Hi @DaveJZ, I've had the same problem recently. I shopped around and found out that Eva Air (a Taiwanese-based airline) allows 5 additional suitcases per traveller, at ~$200 per suitcase. You have an allowance of 2 free suitcases per person, plus additional 5 at cost. For two travellers it gives you a total of 14 suitcases, for additional $2,000. I used extra strong boxes from Home Depot, with dimensions within the limits set by the airline. At BKK customs they just asked what's in the suitcases; we told them we're moving the household from the U.S. to Thailand, and they just waved us through. We went to the Post Office at the airport, on the Arrivals level, and shipped them overnight to our final destination in Isaan for ~THB4,000, i.e. ~$130. Advantages: your stuff arrives with you; no customs or duty fees; the transport cost ~$2,150 grand total, as opposed to ~$5,000 for the least expensive option I found with a shipping company.

Non-fiction: Harry Frankfurt - On Bull<deleted> - A contemporary philosopher analyzes the difference between bull<deleted> and lie. Bull<deleted> is definitely more insidious. Fiction: Joseph Heller - God Knows - a novel about a bitter old men reflecting on his life.

Agreed. I just reread his novel Kafka on the Shore which remains my favorite of his books.

Contradictio in adjecto.

Oh, that's simple! Some people want to exercise without damaging their health with harmful levels of pollution. Same reason some of us don't smoke. Shouldn't be that hard to comprehend!

Precisely. With my 90-day Non O, I tried 4 different banks, each came up with different BS requirements and refused to open an account. Finally I got a letter from the IO stating that I needed an account, and I managed to get an account opened at SCB. It took them 4 hours and 45 minutes to open the account. Bureaucracy compounded by attitudes further compounded by incompetence. Kinda typical.

Thanks @atpeace for the helpful suggestions and links. I am shopping for a treadmill as well and this is a great starting point.

I second that (the ease of making much better breakfast at home) and wonder about why people would bother with the crappy 100 Baht food. The one place in Pattaya that used to have really good breakfast was Pig and Whistle on Soi 7. Sadly, that place has been closed for a while now... Regardless, thanks for bringing back memories, @ChuckInBangkok, been to many of those places for a quick drink or a cup of coffee...

https://bigthink.com/the-present/yuri-bezmenov/

I'd like to know as well if 401(k) income counts against the $80k requirement. I think in should, given that most 401(k)'s can be converted into an annuity which definitely would count as passive income.

I was going to speculate that it's a civil rather than criminal offense, but it may actually be a indeed a criminal offense. N.B. the word prosecution. Not worth the risk. The alcoholic beverages and cigarettes exempted from duty are listed as follows: No more than 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco or 250g of all types combined No more than 1 litre of alcoholic beverage The excess quantities of cigarettes, tobacco or alcoholic beverages must be dropped in the box provided by Customs, otherwise prosecution will be carried out. Source: https://www.customs.go.th/list_strc_simple_neted.php?ini_content=individual_160503_03_160905_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_01_160421_01

Ah, Tapatio sauce...

I applied first week of February this year with the target of starting the SS pension in March. I was notified that the process was finalized by the end of February. My pension started with the March payment on time.

What is the difference between a classifier and a partitive? I always thought of the the Thai classifiers as what you describe as English partitives. Two boxes of cereal. Three loaves of bread. Four flocks of seagulls. Etc. In fact, that parallel helped me learn to use the Thai classifiers...

Hi @Tod Daniels - based on your post I am in a similar stage with Thai language as you were when you wrote this post in 2011. I agree with the quoted sentiment, and I have looked into learning the class and tone rules. However, I found it incredibly tedious and ineffective. I spent hours trying to internalize those rules and I felt I was getting nowhere. The consonant classes alone would probably be manageable, but when you add the tone marks that modify the tones in what appears to be a completely chaotic manner, it seems like an insurmountable task to remember all that! Schoolchildren in Thai schools go through years of reciting the tables with all of the combinations of the tones, so it makes sense that it becomes second nature to them. So, here is my question (to everyone, not just Tod Daniels) - what approach and method do you recommend to master the consonant classes, tones, and tone marks?

A similar philosophy is nicely captured in an outstanding book The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi. https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Be-Disliked-Phenomenon-Happiness/dp/1501197274

I understand that this is the requirement. I am curious, what are the option in case the balance drops below either the 800k during the 5 months or below 400k during the remaining 7 months. Let's say someone has had several extensions but for the current extension there was a brief (or even not so brief) period of time when the balance dropped. Are there options other than leaving Thailand and starting all over?

And yet, and yet... never happened to you doesn't mean it never happens. TIT.

I doubt that Thailand has any rules against it. However, entering with the Aussie passport she would (most likely) be subject to the rules as a foreigner, e.g. visa (on arrival or otherwise), limited length of stay, etc. The thread below may also be of interest... m

I would never make such an assumption!