transam

OP, your thoughts come with old age. Get a grip man before it's toooooo late.

If only they took a bit more care and used spirit levels!

I think that's a bit harsh. I've often seen them using spirit levels....

... to knock nails in.

I live in Pattaya. My bubble is a large 1. I spend my time eating my wifes' amazing food, socializing with her large family, and going to bars (weekends only). I keep my sanity by having UBC full package and fast speed internet. I tend not to interact with Thais, coz I would loose my marbles, tho in no way am I having a pop at Thais. I love Thailand and Buddhism. My bubble is my Nirvana.

I've mostly given up on local community events because of my Thai language impairment and let the wife represent me and have limited my shopping to one day a week to stock up on essentials.

I am mostly happy at home......

Are there others out there in 'the falang bubble'??? and are you happy??

A lot of old folk become virtual hermits.

Not to do with Thailand, to do with you getting old.

It's called 'Elderly Withdrawal'

http://health.howstu...ent-theory1.htm

According to Cumming and Henry's model, the major shift in interaction between seniors and society begins once older people fully recognize the brevity of their remaining life spans.

Personally I prefer they only speak Thai

I cannot speak one word of Thai

It means they ask no questions

They take passport, stamp it and I am off

Can only imagine the delays of they try to

ask questions in a foreign language

"pardon, what, pardon, again please ... slowly"

No thanks

You cannot speak "one word of Thai" WOW, hope you are only a short stay visitor. Ever heard of RESPECT ?

Where are you from. ?

I'm reading the OP two ways.....one is the OP is fed up with the BS of daily life and the other is the OP is worried that he is in danger of isolating himself to his detriment.

OP.......you are the author of your own misfortune the more you withdraw the more incapable you will become of interacting with the outside world. You have created your own vicious circle.

If you think it's bad now just wait three years, you will become a social cripple.

Get out of the house every day and go play golf, cycle like vf does, take photos, have lunch with the locals,

Just go mingle with the World, then retire to your castle, close the door and enjoy your bubble.

It's your castle.......not your gilded cage.

You may have it right Blether...it's a fine line between being socially isolated and socially crippled and I try to be aware of this.

I let my dutiful Thai wife do all the social requirements and even going to the local shop for ice and she seems to enjoy doing it. I don't like to do it because of the local [friendly] drunks always wanting to engage me in a friendly manner [buying me a drink at noon]. She likes going to the store to catch up on the local gossip etc. Sometimes having a Thai wife can contribute to your isolation, for better and worse.

I find it both frustrating and challenging just going to the local hardware shop for a piece of plumbing....depending on my mood, but I have developed my own sign language that can mostly get me what I am seeking.

One of the main excuses for staying at home in my castle or guilded cage is that driving has become such a challenge, as you can have so many near death experiences once you get on the road.

Your medical insurance should cover your kids.

Never touch the stuff. I don't need constipation anyway.

No need for those new fangled things like spirit levels, water tubes order of the day.........really, my house was built on this method and every wall etc is true.....you should have the window frame removed, then cemented to the correct size for the frame....yes the paint is another thing, have they never heard of dust sheets...or at least newspaper.....still a little vim and elbow grease can remedy this on most ocassions, happy moving in!

Ford ranger wildtrak 2.2 auto on a long run not in stop start traffic does 33.83 MPG without a load in the back and 32MPG loaded

In Thailand we pay gas and diesel per liter.

is Gas petrol ? or LPG ?

if the km per lt was converted to MPG is that UK gallon or USA gallon as there different, so yes is confusing

Don't care how we call it, as long as we all know we're talking about the same. And with MPG unfortunately that is not the case, plus we're in Thailand where liters and kilometers are the standard.

All this ''Thai Degree'' talk is a nonsense.

Car Buyer UK on the New Ford Ranger

• CONS:
  
• High running costs
  
• Disappointing cabin
  
• Hard to park
  

This isn't the UK. I wouldn't drive a pickup in UK, but wouldn't consider anything else here.

Agreed but the UK Ford Ranger is built in Thailand..

Are any UK car magazines favourable to any pickup trucks? I think I'd respect an Australian or US review over one from the UK (I'm a Brit). I remember watching a Top Gear program & they had a GM pickup truck, US style, not Thai. Big engine, loads of power. They drag raced it - awesome. Then Clarkson was critical of it being on a ladder frame!! What was he expecting from a pickup truck?

TG chose a slightly modified Vigo to go to the Pole.

Changing the trans fluid will do absolutely nothing to solve a transmission noise. What should have been done (perhaps they did) is drop the trans sump, look for crap in the bottom, take off the internal fluid filter and inspect it for a particular type of debris.

Cos it's not all about the money.......it's all about looking after the poor and vulnerable, and giving opportunities to people......

Hence free care for the elderly, no prescription charges, and free University education among many others.

The idea of English kids being charged fees to enter Universities is mental........a 100 years of progressive politics washed down the pan.

Access to Uni shouldn't be dependent on Mummy and Daddy being able to pay the fees, it should be on ability. The idea of the elderly infirm losing all their savings and home to pay for geriatric care is cruel.

The idea of the sick being charged money for medicine in our country is repulsive.

So without getting into a long debate about the different social priorities, just take those three examples of how we put people and fairness first and ask yourself, who's got it right?

I cannot write here how l would fix stuff but am sure many can read my thoughts, BUT, how can Scotland do what the UK cannot ?. Remembering that the financial stuff now includes Scotland and all it's out of the way places.

WD 40.

Yes, true, but you also forget, that many thai women that are attracted to foreigners, are also a certain type of thai girl, it is not the general thai girl.

Usually they are more demanding, and less shy. Think about in your own home country, there are some places where people with a lot of money usually hang around. All girls in your country would not be interested in hanging out in these places, some girls are though constantly hanging around these rich people.

I am not saying that thai girls who dates foreigners are hookers, I am just saying that those girls are not the average girl.

I don't know, the wealthy Chinese-Thai girls I come across are hard as nails on the inside.

There's also a major city/country split here as well.

Just reinforcing my own preferences - poor upcountry inexperienced traditional family no exposure to westerners.

There are several sites where you can download comic books from the internet if you don't mind reading them on your computer.

My wife always gets her piercings done at the markets... Soi Boukou or Theprasit. Nose, belly, ear.

God 'elp us. OP, if your in LOS then GET OUT THERE. If your not, there are other sites to fore fill your needs.

Get out where,exactly?

My old Beamer had similar issues, no noise in Park and Neutral, whirring noise in Drive (but only when stationary) which decreased when rolling slowly. Turned out to be the torque converter after a lot of faffing about by the man.

I hope the Toyota service centre knows what a torque converter is

You are not confident? Perhaps if I point at the general area of the vehicle where it should be located?

You lot can forget about interest rates 30 years ago. We are now. What happens if Scotland is alone IS the major factor.

You might see horrendous increases in taxes etc, because you are alone.

Just my thoughts.

Not because we're alone, but because we're daft socialists with a poor grip of economics in thrall to a demagogic megalomaniac

You lot can forget about interest rates 30 years ago. We are now. What happens if Scotland is alone IS the major factor.

You might see horrendous increases in taxes etc, because you are alone.

Just my thoughts.

Not because we're alone, but because we're daft socialists with a poor grip of economics in thrall to a demagogic megalomaniac

Speaking about 'hand cranked cars', I well remember the days when cars had a 'starting handle'. Used to be a useful accessory.

You lot can forget about interest rates 30 years ago. We are now. What happens if Scotland is alone IS the major factor.

You might see horrendous increases in taxes etc, because you are alone.

Just my thoughts.

My old Beamer had similar issues, no noise in Park and Neutral, whirring noise in Drive (but only when stationary) which decreased when rolling slowly. Turned out to be the torque converter after a lot of faffing about by the man.

I hope the Toyota service centre knows what a torque converter is

Could be a few things that only a guy on the spot can listen for. I had a similar thing (not my Toyota), turned out to be thrust bearing in the torque converter.