smileplur

There's no need to pay for a VPN. There's an extension for Google Chrome and Firefox called 'Hola Unblocker'. Simply install that, and it'll solve your problems.

For what it's worth, Hola works fine for Netflix most of the time. It had a tendency to slow down playback with buffering some of the time. That's normal in Thailand with internet speeds being what they are. Personally, I am not a fan of watching the majority of the media I consume via a computer screen. That would drive me absolutely nuts. In addition, I like to use my computer and multitask if a movie is on. I don't know how it works with other media boxes, but the Roku box doesn't allow you to make internal changes to its settings. As such, changes must be made at the router level. The advantage of this is that any device that connects to the internet through my home router will benefit from the service. So, I can watch Netflix on my TV (via Roku), my iPhone, my iPad, or my computer without doing anything at all. Additionally, any guests at my home don't need to go through any additional steps to bypass geo-restrictions put in place by some sites.

In short, the add-on is a good one if you are only going to use your computer for your media consumption. If you intend to use the internet for all of your media consumption, you might want to consider a paid service. There are many to choose from. The age old saying that you get what you pay for holds true in this case. That is a certainty. It is worth paying the money to ensure you have a good VPN (or DNS). Most of them have some sort of a free trial. Like I said, unblock-us has a free trial for a week. There is no need to input any credit card or payment information. Just sign up and give it a shot for a week. You really have nothing to lose. If you do decide to go ahead with it, I would suggest making the changes at the router level.

Good luck!

Being American, I have maintained bank accounts with debit cards in the USA. I have also maintained several credit card accounts. I seldom use any of those accounts, as I have been gone for about 8 years now. A long time ago, when I was still a tourist in Thailand, several expat friends of mine told me how important it would be to maintain these accounts should I ever move abroad. It's important not to burn any bridges for many more important reasons than things like Netflix. Nonetheless, I still have my accounts and can use them for Netflix, etc. In my case, a family member has Netflix. One account can have four users. She simply added me to her existing account, so we share it. We can watch separate programs simultaneously without any conflict. It works out very well. Although I have the cards back "home", paying the bills can be a bit tricky from here. I really try not to use them if at all possible. Now, I have two Thai credit cards (unsecured) that I can use for most internet type transactions, so it has become much less of an issue. So, that's one way to do it.

None of that is going to help you if you aren't from the US (or UK or any other country where you want such a service). The other issue that comes up for me is the Roku Box. This also requires a US Credit Card and billing address. It's very important that you set it up correctly the first time you set up the account. If you make a mistake with the address and have conflicts, you will need to start a new account with an email that hasn't been associated with them before. It isn't difficult to do, but if you make a mistake, you need to use another email address. Thankfully, I have several. I had to go through the process three times before I got it right because I was anxious to get my content quickly and hadn't done my homework properly.

As for the Credit Card and Address. Unblock-us. com has some very detailed guides to assist you when you are setting it all up. They are very, very detailed and user friendly. Their customer service is fantastic. If you have a question, you can bet someone else had the question as well at some point in time. This information is all presented in their FAQ. They are very fast at responding to technical questions, both during the free trial and afterwards.

The internet is filled with all kinds of tips and tricks to get around these geo-restrictions. The prepaid card mentioned above is a good way to go. You can buy them on the internet and never even see the physical card. There are also ways to play around with and manipulate the zip code you use for the account to "trick" the system. I didn't have to do this because of my situation described above, but there are some details about it on the unblock-us website and elsewhere on the internet.

For what it's worth, I decided to use unblock-us because of their professionalism, great guides, and lightning fast replies to my questions.

Good Luck!

I transferred my extension of stay (non-O ) from my old passport to my new one at Chaeng Wattana. It was an all day affair. There were 3 people there to do it. Two women were working one desk. They had to do everything by hand. Their computers were of no help. They wrote down details I several books. They wrote all of the details from my previous visas and extensions of stay into 2 pages of my new passport. This was all done by hand at a snail's pace while the two women sat there and gossipedd. It was really annoying, especially when my son got fussy. I think it took about 6 hours. It was free if I recall correctly.

I use unblock-us and stream using a Roku 3. I have no issues. They have a free trial, so check it out for a week and see if it works for you. It's great for me. I said goodbye to TrueVisions very quickly after Roku was up and running. It's a heck of a lot cheaper as well!

I agree with the quietman.It seems that they a sort of restructure almost everything right now. How long will it be approved by the TCT? is the most important question.

I'm glad that I'd just received my third waiver and it gives me some time to wait if maybe some local universities are doing weekend courses. ( Or online)

Rajabhat Ubon Ratchathani offer a Master's in English, which is not even accredited by Khurusapha, while such an online course by a university from the Philippines is?

I've tried Rajabhat Sisaket, but they do not have a PHD holder to do such a course. The last that dies is hope. -

Hey! Do you mind if I ask where you got the third waiver? Who did you deal with? I'm being told I need to be enrolled in Masters of Education to get my third. I've read many reports of others getting their third waiver without a problem. There are even a few reports of people getting their fourth. They want me to enroll, but not study, with some university in the Ph. It's all a bit dodgy if you ask me!

Who wants you to?

The school I work for in bangkok says it will be required next year to get another waiver (my third). I will visit Krusapa myself with my wife, as I ink something isnt quite right. I'm reading a lot of conflicting reports. I've seen the statement in Thai on Krusapa's website that states I should get a third waiver. I printed it and showed it to my HR department. They claim to have emailed Krusapa who responded by saying nothing has changed and anyone who wants a third waiver must be enrolled in a Ma-ED type of program. A post-grad diploma isn't enough.

I agree with the quietman.It seems that they a sort of restructure almost everything right now. How long will it be approved by the TCT? is the most important question.

I'm glad that I'd just received my third waiver and it gives me some time to wait if maybe some local universities are doing weekend courses. ( Or online)

Rajabhat Ubon Ratchathani offer a Master's in English, which is not even accredited by Khurusapha, while such an online course by a university from the Philippines is?

I've tried Rajabhat Sisaket, but they do not have a PHD holder to do such a course. The last that dies is hope. -

Hey! Do you mind if I ask where you got the third waiver? Who did you deal with? I'm being told I need to be enrolled in Masters of Education to get my third. I've read many reports of others getting their third waiver without a problem. There are even a few reports of people getting their fourth. They want me to enroll, but not study, with some university in the Ph. It's all a bit dodgy if you ask me!

I agree with the quietman.It seems that they a sort of restructure almost everything right now. How long will it be approved by the TCT? is the most important question.

I'm glad that I'd just received my third waiver and it gives me some time to wait if maybe some local universities are doing weekend courses. ( Or online)

Rajabhat Ubon Ratchathani offer a Master's in English, which is not even accredited by Khurusapha, while such an online course by a university from the Philippines is?

I've tried Rajabhat Sisaket, but they do not have a PHD holder to do such a course. The last that dies is hope. -

Hey! Do you mind if I ask where you got the third waiver? Who did you deal with? I'm being told I need to be enrolled in Masters of Education to get my third. I've read many reports of others getting their third waiver without a problem. There are even a few reports of people getting their fourth. They want me to enroll, but not study, with some university in the Ph. It's all a bit dodgy if you ask me!

Sole Mio ~ Thong Lor .... Best ever ....

Just a technicality, but orthodontists usually do alignment work, not dentists. I had braces. They were put on when I was 14. I had them for 3 years. I wore a retainer after that for 6 months or so. I adjusted a slight gap. The primary reason was my overbite.

I don't think ikea has anything like that. That's going to be difficult to find. I know you could have it made cheaply in Bangkok, but I'm afraid that doesn't help you! I have never see none for sale anywhere in Thailand that looks like that design.

There isn't much information available about post paid plans on CAT's site.  I am looking here: http://www.mybycat.com/index.php?lang=en

 

Does anyone have a link that provides more information about the plans available? 

For anyone who may be interested, CAT have a good range of post-paid and pre-paid plans at competitive rates. They even have specials for existing broadband customers. It should be quite a pleasant experience at the CAT office on Pattaya Klang. You'll be treated like a person rather than a number or nuisance, as is usually the case in Dtac, True and AIS offices. They are also never busy there and have a very pleasant, good English speaker at the front counter.

 

If you switch over to post-paid, for a small fee you can keep your existing number.

 

 

As my post indicates, I wasn't aware that CAT had become a major player in the mobile market.  Thanks for the information.  If this is accurate, it would seem that there are now 4 major players in the game which is always a good thing.  Increased competition should have an impact on lowering prices in most economies.  This being Thailand, it seems that the rules of supply and demand have an extra variable thrown into the mix where such logical thinking and approaches to a market's function, mobile telecommunications in this instance, don't always apply in a traditional sense.  Nonetheless, I will take a look at the offerings on the table from CAT, despite being a happy customer with AIS.  It's good to know what's out there.  Thanks again.

AIS and 1-2-Call are not quite "same same"! 1-2-Call is a product offered by AIS for prepaid mobile connectivity. AIS has many products, as I said in my post, I'm a very satisfied AIS customer. I have been with them for a number of years. I started with "orange" as it was known back then (now Trur Move), but I found out very quickly that their coverage was really poor. Back then, I couldn't get a signal when traveling all too often. My girlfriend at the time always seemed to have a connection with her AIS 1-2-Call SIM. This was particularly true in Issan. As a result, I switched providers.

Over the years, these three have built their networks substantially. I've never had the need to justify trying DTac's services; however, I have tried True's services a few times over the years when I was still a prepaid customer. Although their network has grown considerably over the years, I've experienced better performance regarding signal strength in most cases with AIS. As a result, I've always turned back to AIS.

It wily be advantageous for me to switch to True Move because I use other a True products, but the financial incentive isn't strong enough for me to sacrifice better signal strength in the places I travel to.

What bad experiences have you had wit 1-2-Call that would cause you to dismiss AIS as a viable option?

As for the OP, I feel that Dtac should not force their service upon you like they have done. Is it possible for you to get a post-paid account? This would eliminate your problem entirely. Ultimately, it might also help you keep a few more coins in your purse depending in your usage and needs.

I'm signing up to see the replies, as I need one too. The peoplenive used previously have proven worthless!

No scam but it happened to me too. I didn't have enough for the next 30-day period so DTAC started taking baht by the daily handfull. But it was my fault. You can bet I heed the last day notice from DTAC and refill. Frankly, I think other providers are worse, especially the one starting with the numeral. 

Is there a new mobile phone company out there that I'm not aware of? Which one begins with a numeral? The three big ones are: AIS, True Move, and DTac. Personally, I use AIS ansd am very, very happy with their service. I'm on a post-paid plan which makes a world of difference for me in ter,s of pricing, connectivity, and incentives to stay. On a two year contract, the final four months were free which was a nice break after 899/month for my iPhone. After those four months,they rolled me into a new package and I changed my billing to go directly n my credit card. Suddenly, my bill went from 899/month to 529 somehow. I'm not going to mess around with it now, but it worked out great for me!

Turn off the Data option on your phone. All the phone companies do the same not just DTAC.

 
I personally think DTAC is one of the best phone companies in Thailand.

I guess it isn't too difficult to be "one" of the best when there are only three real options!

I'm sure you have a photograph of yourself somewhere where you are dressed in business attire (facebook, buried deep in subfolders on your hard drive, etc.).  Find it.  Then open it and crop it down to the size you need.  Paste it on your word document.  I don't know if there is a business or photo shop that takes pictures for the purpose of a CV.  I've never seen it offered.  I suppose you would just go to the same place you would go for passport pictures. 

I'd like to see a few more reports like this. I have every intention of heading down to Krusapa in person in the next week or two to discuss matters with them first hand. There are a lot of us here with a lot on the line. Families aren't exactly free to support, so paying for a worthless degree doesn't seem like the smartest option. I'm still working on my exit strategy which I may or may not employ depending on the outcome of my visit ....

Motorbike taxi once told me it was a 400 baht fine to drive on a walkway/sidewalk. So I doubt it's legal.

 

A motorbike taxi once told me that lao khao tastes good.  Motorbike taxis say a lot of things.  They usually aren't the most intelligent people around.  While I don't have a specific link to the relevant verbiage, my understanding is that it depends on traffic conditions on the main road. If the main road is clear, then you obviously would have no need to drive on the sidewalk without trying to locate an address nearby.  That is out of order.  However, if traffic is at a standstill and the sidewalk remains the only viable option to proceed forward, it is okay.  Why else would they go to the trouble of putting speed bumps on sidewalks?
 

Yes, I did it a few months back for my car.  I did it a bit over a year ago for motorbike.  Both at Bang Chak.

 

1.  Yes, I needed a Medical Certificate.

 

2. I didn't need to watch that stupid video again.  Thankfully, I only had to watch it once.  I was alone the first time, and I turned it off.  I didn't make it to the end.  They didn't notice.  I was prepared to say the machine malfunctioned if questioned!  I never want to see it again.  I did have to go into the little room and take all of the four eyesight tests.  I don't mind any of them.  However, the color is a bit off for the peripheral vision one.  Red looks orange to me on one of the machines.  It is perfectly clear on the other.

 

3. No, they will take your photograph themselves.  Despite what you see on many Thai licenses, it is okay to smile!  I asked and was encouraged to do so!

 

4. Yes, that does it.  Don't forget the copies too.  Otherwise, you will be walking over to the photocopier and getting them done for your passport and work permit.

 

5. I got there at 8:30 and left at 3:00 last time.  However, they had some malfunction with the numbering system and the queue which turned the place into chaos.  Payment was made and they threw the money into a cardboard box.  If they didn't have change, they asked anyone standing around to help.  I have never seen anything like that level of disorganization.  Then, when leaving ... They hunted me down and told me I had forgotten my license.  They made two of them.  Unfortunately, I was a bit confused and produced my new license.  I did attempt to pay her for the duplicate, but she wasn't having any parts of it and destroyed the additional copy!  

 

NOTE:  Regarding shorts ... It is perfectly fine to wear shorts.  You will see many Thais wearing shorts.  Just make sure they hit the knees or go below them.

I am sorry for the OP.  I am glad you had the chance to have your rant.  It is perfectly legal and fine to do so in times of severe traffic.  If pedestrians are in my path, I give them the right-of-way.  I slow down.  Occasionally, you get the idiot who strolls along in front of a long line of motorbikes and blocks traffic.  Then, it's time to sound the horn.  In reality, do you think anyone likes to drive on the sidewalk?  The streets are pretty bad with potholes and all kinds of nonsense that can kill you.  The sidewalks are worse.  The bricks that make those sidewalks aren't ever properly secure.  You can hit one and cause it to go flying.  Sometimes that has already happened, leaving it sideways in front of you to damage your tire.  Maybe several of them have already been knocked out creating a massive pothole that we must navigate around.  It's an artform to get back onto the main road when and if traffic begins to move without getting turned into a pancake by a bus!  The pedestrians are the least of my concerns because I respect their right to walk on the sidewalk.  Again, I slow down.  I wait for them to move.  Occasionally, I even smile at them!  The only people who seem to get annoyed or pissed off are foreigners.  Have you ever seen the speed bumps on the sidewalk?  Why did they put them there?  Are they for pedestrians to slow down?

 

LoL!  Happy walking! 

 

Seriously, where there's one rat there's many, time to get the rat man in to deal with the beasties.

 

 

I certainly second this.  Do you even know the rat you trapped is the same one you saw?  No, you don't.  There is never just one rat!!!  That's a fact you can take directly to the bank.  You have a rat problem on your hands, but you aren't aware of the magnitude of it.  They will appear again.  Don't be shocked by it.  There are many, many threads on this forum (and many others) about how you can deal with this situation.  Hopefully, the problem isn't out of control yet.  Try some of the solutions you find when you search.  You should try to get rid of them as quickly as you can.  Living in an apartment building, this is probably an impossible task because they aren't just in your place. 

 

As for disease and health, you don't have anything to worry about.  I live in a townhouse.  So, my living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the ground level.  Rats ... Yes, they are here.  I can get rid of them for a while, but they always return.  I don't worry about them nearly as much as I do some of the other things I have seen at my house.  I probably fear the Reticulated Python the most.  I'm not too fond of the family of tookay geckos that live in the car park in front of my house.  The noise doesn't bother me.  The fact that they can jump and bite me with a grip that won't let go until submerged in water and unable to breathe ... yeah, that bothers me.  Did I mention the Python?  The other snakes also scare the hell out of me, but I don't know what they are called.  The snakes eat the rats.  The geckos attract the snakes.  I'm witnessing the entire ecosystem of the open field I live next to invade my home.  It's not fun.  Don't worry about the rat!
 

I sent you a PM with some information and my email address.  I am looking forward to hearing from you soon regarding this position. 

No, rent doesn't change depending on the season for typical residential units.  These fluctuations associated with high season and low season are aimed only a tourists.  They aren't directed towards people who live here.  You have quite a good deal for that part of town; although, you didn't say exactly where and how big it is.  I'd imagine it is a very small studio.  Nonetheless, that's still a great deal.  I have lived in a variety of places.  I haven't ever heard of rent increasing for this reason.  I wouldn't worry about it.  Rather, I would come at from the angle of how long you intend to stay.  If you intend to stay longer than that amount of time, work with that.  Lock in the rate for however long you intend to stay.  It isn't common to have such short rental agreements.  A year is standard, but you can get 6 months or less.  This will usually affect your rent in the form of an increase based on a shorter-term rental agreement.  Your situation is unique.