bamboozled

My pans def leave much to be desired, this is true. As far as third-world stoves (burners, really), this is actually supposed to be a step up from just the plain burner, which is of course a flame from gas much as the flame on a sub-zero. Well, more or less. Anyhow, what is the point of these infrared burners? Ya, it's hotter and......? If one has to put all these added gizmos/spacers/etc...what am I gaining over a regular burner?

I'm thinking a spacer would be better than the clay swiss cheese ring. Doesn't that block too much heat?

I ended up buying an infrared gas burner a while back and have never been satisfied with it...it gets too hot! It is an Otto model. When you turn it on it forms a glowing circle of heat in two radii, large and small. The large is so hot it burns everything but water and stir fry. The small circle is also super hot...just a smaller size. It makes cooking on it very difficult. Impossible to simmer anything. I feel like I might be missing something about it's usage. Perhaps my gas valve is not adjusted properly or...?

Anybody have luck with these thing?

Cool resource, shapeways, thank you. Neversure...where? where? where?

Good ideas. Yes, you tube is your friend! I will take a look and see about making a mold. In my head, I'm thinking I need to make a replica in wax over which to put the clay. I know that is one method but that leaves me to fabricate a copy in wax, probably not easy for a beginner like myself. Well, as was noted I'll check you tube. Fiberglass resin might be a great material.

Spoonman, I was just thinking this morning, and not for the first time, that many things are indeed more expensive in Thailand than back in Farangland. My friends and family still think it must be costing me $5 a day to live like a king and that my rent must be $60 a month.

It doesn't have to be super transparent. It just needs to glow so one knows the high beams are on. It could also be made of glass. Not sure if that makes things easier or harder. Don't they make doo hikeys in Thailand? Who makes all the resin Buddhas we see in the tourist shops? Only China makes doo hikeys these days? I almost feel it could be carved out of some soft plastic/resin that is then heated to firm it up. It's not a very complicated design. I will do some more research....

Thanks all...

Doo-hikey is just a catch-all term describing something small of little value, when lacking the appropriate name. It says in my post actually what it is: a high-beam indicator for car head lights. The pics are of an old used one that has some scratches and glue on it.

I'm looking to fabricate a little plastic piece; it's about 2 cm in length/less than an inch. This would be more than a one-off. Perhaps 100 of them or maybe more, depending on the price. It has to be somewhat transparent as it's a high-beam indicator so light must pass through it. It seems like a perfect item for 3D printing though I have never even seen a 3D printer or its product so this is just my fantasy.

At any rate, I don't care how it's made. It just needs the right price and the right quality. If anyone has experience making or having made little plastic doo-hikeys please let me know.

And forgive me if I've misspelled "doo-hikey"....!

Cheers, Bam....

I just flew Korean Air to the east coast USA and would def recommend it (got back a week ago). I paid close to 2 grand but that was at the end of Oct. Prices have gone down. I bought it on Kayak... I didn't have a lot of time to look around. Next time I will check the office at the airport, too. Actually, can the KA office arrange a flight to cities they don't fly directly? I don't think so but someone correct me if I'm wrong. Sites like Kayak or Expedia, etc...can, however.

Hi folks,

I started perusing old threads to try and find the answer to my question but it's a long search. So, to the point: do any of the local places sell freshly roasted decaf beans? Hillkof does NOT, which was my suppler in the past. I'm trying to keep the jitters down.

...tanks!

Yes, thanks Mario. It looks like a lawyer will have to be consulted. It would be nice to avoid the whole pre-nup if it is unnecessary.

Thanks folks. I figured the US part of the equation would prove the difficult part. I suppose one must consult a lawyer in the state where the will was made. However, is the state of residence of the couple the state that determines which laws are followed or is it the state where the will of the deceased was drawn? Wow, so many variables...

US man marries Thai woman in Thailand. US man's parents die and leave an inheritance to the man. Who has rights to this inheritance, in Thailand, in the case of divorce? Who has rights to this inheritance, in US, in the case of divorce?

As I understand it, in Thai law, pre-marriage assets/debts remain in the hands of the individual and post marriage assets/debts are held in common. Does an inheritance to an individual become common property since the couple is married or does the fact that the inheritance was bequeathed to the specific individual and not the couple keep it as separate property? I pose the identical question in regard to US law...

Surely this must be a common situation for married couples. Perhaps a pre-nup is necessary to keep property separate in regard to a future inheritance.

Mall magician...no, I hadn't found anything up until Stigvinck's advise.

thanks a bundle, stigvinck. I won't be able to check it out until next month but I will report back on what I find. Cheers.

Any tips on where to have something printed on that flexible magnet material? I've heard you can buy it in an office supply store and print it yourself but I'm looking for something that will last and that will be die cut. The magnet needs to be strong enough that it will never fall off the metal it is stuck to and the inks need to be UV resistant. Anyone have experience with this?

Cheers, Bamboozled

I wasn't sure how to figure that one hour break. I think it is supposed to be 8 hours of "work" and in that 8 hours, one of those hours is a break. So 9 hours is still 1 hour of OT. Am I wrong? Anyhow, he doesn't get an hour break. He gets enough time to eat something and then back to the grind. True, it's not always busy and true many employees do suck.

Perhaps these labor laws are geared more toward "white" collar jobs such as in an office or a bank. These workers are probably more educated and knowledgable about the laws and bring more value to the table. I suppose hotel jobs are easier to get and thus easier to lose and the whole thing is precarious for both sides. I will tell him to just sit tight and take what they offer for the time being. He is happy to be working anyhow so I will just screw things up!

Cheers....

It's such a two-way street. Yes, the employers don't want to pay for crappy staff and the employees don't want to work for crappy pay. Who will be the first to break that chain? It gets me a little flustered how workers are taken advantage of here. And of course a lot of the workers really suck!

So you both are saying he could speak up but with consequences....?

In Chiang Mai, a friend just started working at a hotel as a cashier (and sometimes has to fill in at reception) 5 or 6 working days ago. He is supposed to work Monday thru Friday from 8 to 17. For the first two weeks, he will be paid between 250 and 300 baht, according to the personnel manager. Why this is not a specific amount I surmise in a negative light: that 300 baht was floated in the conversation as enticement but the final pay will of course be 250 (with the other 50 baht going to....). Anyhow, he has already worked one 15 hour shift, due to lack of employees, at I assume the normal rate (not OT). He was asked to work today from 7 to 23 and was told he would get an extra 200 baht for the extra hours. He was happy to work and earn extra money, I might add. But me being a farang, I got my panties all in a bunch and figure I know better and should mess things up (ha!).

I have looked up the Thai labor laws and read that anything over 8 hours in a day is OT at time and a half. Does this mean that every day he works 9 hours he should be paid 1 hour of OT? And today, anything over 8 hours, should he receive OT at time and a half?

It then occurred to me that today is also a national holiday. Thai labor says employees are paid at 2 times the normal rate for normal working hours on national holidays and that OT on national holidays is paid at 3 times the normal rate.

From what I read on line, these appear to be the rules. In practice, however, do employers generally play by the rules? Can my friend ask for 1.5 OT after 8 hours, double time for 8 hours on nat. holiday, and triple OT for nat. holiday such as today?

Thank you, Bamboozled

I'm liking the bleach idea.

I asked some Thai folks they said they were ghosts...................... Really, I've asked one and she has never seen them before. And I can flush many times but they come right back. And they are crawling out of the drain in the floor, as well. I've cleaned the bathroom with toxic chemicals but that doesn't deter them either. They must have colonized the pipes or something. Tasty on a sandwich, perhaps?

...these seems to live in water unlike a garden worm....

In the garden is just lovely. In the bathroom crawling up the walls can be disconcerting. But then again, oh well, I suppose they're not doing any harm. Of course, I haven't touched one, that I know of. They could be poisonous but so far so good.

Thin (like spaghetti), pinkish-red worms, from an inch to three inches in length. The first time I saw them I had been away for awhile and came back and found coiled up balls of them in two of the toilets. I would flush them away and they would come back but less in mass. Now they are a constant in one toilet or coming up from the drain. They will crawl out of one of those two places and across the floor and up the wall. Eventually they die and dry up. They seem to be particularly active the past couple days perhaps due to the rain. Anyone know what they are and how to get rid of them? They're starting to rub me the wrong way.

Cheers...

What would be the difference if it is in a Paypal Thailand account or Paypal US account? One still has to send/accept it either in dollar or baht so at some point you have to accept the exchange rate either of Paypal or of your Thai bank when you withdraw it. And I have not done my research on this matter. I currently withdraw to my Thai bank from a US Paypal account and I get such and such an exchange rate which always seems a little low. But I don't know if it is Kasikorn deciding the rate or Paypal. Anyone know?

Cheers....

You need to go to the Wongwienyai area in BKK. You can take the skytrain there. Go to Charoenrat Road which is full of leather shops and on the sois off of that road there are many punch shops (cutting leather, PCV, paper, etc...using the die you are talking about). What you want, if I understand correctly, is called a "block" in Thailand. They use the english word "block" so if you ask in the leather shops and say you want to make a "block" they will be able to direct you to the proper place.