CaptainSplod

On 9/22/2017 at 10:23 AM, Nomad97 said:

I am using the H96 pro plus with 3gb ram and 32gb flash rom. Over heating not a problem. Now available with 64gb rom for 2600 baht from Lazada. Andoid 7.1.2. Has micro slot too. Excellent value for the money.

 

 

 

Yeah? Could you supply a link for that one - I can't seem to find it on Lazada (but then again their search function ain't the best, is it...)

Thanks

A couple of alternatives (maybe).

1. Find someone with an "acceptable" credit card.

2. If you ever visit Chiang Mai, then there's a Braun "shaver booth" at Robinson's, Airport Plaza (on the 5th? floor). Sells other brands, too, I think.   The Thai Braun rep (wears a Braun shirt) is very helpful - and he may "privately" order/import your spare parts, if they're not available thru the normal channels. I've done that and had to pay about 200B over the normal price - no big deal. Takes a while (month or two) for the order to arrive. You need to have a Thai along, as his English is restricted. It's maybe worth buying a couple of sets at a time, as each set is supposed to last a couple of years, or so.

3. Change to another model/brand. Philips shavers eat my face up, so I'm happy to stay with Braun - if possible.

Been looking for spare parts, too .......don't know what Braun are thinking, selling items but not making provision for necessary spare parts, outside of Europe. The last time I bought a Braun shaver (Series 3, too), I bought 2 extra F & C sets at the same time, after having been 'burned' by a lack of spare parts on a previous occasion. Their shavers are really excellent, but their after-service often stinks.

Anyway, look here for your foil & cutter

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20170918231305&SearchText=Braun+31S+foil+and+cutter+

Cheers

^My memories are exactly the same, BB. Brucie was always the gentleman and one of THE real entertainment professionals. Thanks, Brucie, for lightening up our lives for so long!

Goodonya!

Yes, WorG - streams are not streaming very well and movies and not moving much. I noticed the slowing down around the beginning of July - no real problems for the last 8-9 months before that. Asked for a TOT techie to come out and look. He came a couple of days later and did some measuring. I was told and shown that CNN on youtube wasn't buffering - how nice. I don't watch CNN. He reckoned he'd check out the system and get back to us. Since then we haven't seen or heard anything from the techie, maybe he'll suddenly pop up again, maybe not.

I've since then done speedtests to London, USA, Singapore and other places, just as an interest to see what's what. Most US and European speedtests have really lousy results - sometimes just 1 or 2 Mbs DL. We have 50/20 Mbs fiber optic, too. Singapore & HK have much better results, but I somehow doubt many of the streams that I use originate from those places.

I will certainly add that domestic speedtests are mostly excellent, around the 50/20 that we've signed up for.

I suppose (guessing, really) that TOT just don't have the capacity to provide decent access to/from some countries, with streaming possibilities for any real length of time. On some days we get good streaming access with limited buffering - on other days it's totally impossible to watch anything at all. Friday evening, when the BIG MAN talks, streaming anything whatsoever is a no-no. About 5 minutes after he's stopped talking the streams are pretty much buffer free - at least that what the wife reckons.

Our contract with TOT finishes in couple of months - if things don't improve, then we'll definitely be looking around for a different provider.  Erm.....any recommendations, anybody?

Hi, advise please!

We're thinking of buying a house and there is apparently nothing wrong with the chanote (copy)
that we've seen. It's "clean" and there are no debts listed.

However, can I be sure that there aren't any house-related debts or hidden debts (not mentioned by the owner) that could result in the house being taken from us at a later date.

Examples could perhaps be banks or credit (card) companies that may want the seller to sign papers, using the house as collateral.

I'm guessing that any personal debts would follow the seller, but not affect the status of the house.

I don't know if ALL house-related debts are required to be specified on the chanote, or not.

At this point I don't think there are any problems, but it would be nice to be sure about things.

Thanks

Apologies if this is not in the correct forum.

So it looks like there's still nothing around in CM, then?

Would rather buy in Thailand, thanks...

There are apparently some okay-ish models around at prices from $99(?) and up.

Look at these

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/noteslate-13-inch-tablet-set-to-ship-this-summer-99/21612

http://www.yarvik.com/en/product/tablets/xenta/TAB13-201/

http://liliputing.com/2013/04/kocaso-introduces-gx1400-android-tablet-with-13-3-inch-display.html

but none unfortunately available in Thailand (I think!).

Good (rainy) morning!

I'll be going to CM in the very near future (Immigration Office) and I'm looking for a TABLET that's more than 11 inches, if there are any to be found. It doesn't have to be an expensive machine at all - I'll only be using it to show PDF files, so it doesn't need a lot of fancy specs or apps - just as long as the tablet is considered to be a "stable" product.

Obviously, the computer area at Airport Plaza would be nice to visit. I was there a few months back, though they didn't have any large tablets then, which strikes me as being strange (yes, I know TIT) - as large tablets (produced in Asia) are readily available in various European countries. I don't see any here in Thailand - and haven't been able to find a big one for sale on the internet, either. That said, I can well imagine that the Thai language sites have large tablets......

If anyone knows where a non-expensive, but reliable, large tablet is available in CM then please do let me know!

Thanks

.........and at Sarawittaya School to 602 from 502.

Well, then - Sarawittaya School's the obvious place to look, seeing as the number of places there has apparently increased.....

Kindergarten......

We're having very good "success" in teaching ABC and numbers 1-30 (expanding further over time)

- PLUS

1. Body parts.

2. Colours/colors

3. Animal recognition

4. Word (3-letter) recognition and spelling.

5. The full- and half hours on the clock.

...... might be something of interest here for you.

Cheers

Splod

30 - 40% pretty good, huh? That's an average of 3 to 4 correct answers out of 10 - and not a lot in my book, I'm afraid. 50% and above is what I'm aiming at - although I'm informed that the school results at the previous O-NET exam (in 2012) were on average between 24 - 30%, so things are perhaps looking up, after all. Anyway, we'll just have to wait and see how things go this time around.

Yes, there are quite a lot of unusual words in the tests - words that I think the students have seen once or twice and then understandably just forgotten again. A few words they've never learned - "nationality" was the most recent one. Not one student knew what it was. Too, "what does your father do?" - confused most, as they didn't know that it was the same as " what work does your father do?".

As for Rosetta Stone - a pm is on its way.

Fortunately, I'm not involved with the actual O-NET exams, so I won't be attending this weekend.

Cheers

Splod

Once again, many thanks for the Word/PDFs, especially the O-NET ones.

I've spent the last weeks photocopying extracts from the Word/PDFs and trying them out on Prathom 4, 5 and 6 kids each week. The results at first were perhaps pretty horrifying, as most P6s scored only around 30-40%, P5s scored between 20-30% and p4s scored 10-30%. Some scored even less - and only 2 students scored 80% from a couple of tests.

These are/were tests for P6 O-NET, so nobody was expecting P5 and P4 kids to score anything much.

Still, things appeared to improve as the weeks went by - and the kids actually enjoyed doing the tests - and even more so the discussion afterwards about each test question. Generally speaking, most have learned a lot about the occasional "strange" question or "unheard-of" English quotations in the tests.

The Thai English teacher was very skeptical at first, wanting me to immediately discontinue the tests. I invited her to participate in the second test (and the following tests) and she was pleasantly surprised at the way the students were so eager to do and to discuss the tests.

This week sees the last of the tests, as the O-NET exam is scheduled to be taken during the weekend.

However, I've now included a new set of tests to be done during the next school year - approximately one every 4 weeks, or so. I'm hoping that the students' scores will improve in the future.

Couldn't have done it all without your support - thanks.

Cheers

Splod

Yes, I have had similar experiences....

I don't mind the occasional "late" finish of a class, as there may be a reason that I'm not aware of. However, repeated lateness is a pain and not something I can accept. Neither is it a polite way for any teacher to work.

For the repeat offender(s), my reaction is to stand inside the classroom door after a nominal, say - 5 minutes, and rustle papers, cough, even smile and wave to students and such - and of course smile when the teacher finally passes me on the way out. After doing this very few times there's no longer a problem - and the class is finished - or nearly so - every time I arrive.

Cheers

Splod

Thanks for the CA test - very interesting to read - and wonder which grade (if any) it'd possibly be suitable for, here in Thailand?

Cheers

Splod

Originally 3rd, but when I asked again a few days later, it was suddenly 2nd. It's mostly necessary to ask (several times), as nobody seems to want to bother to inform you at all....

Cheers

Splod

...and only Monday(31st) and Tuesday(1st) off from school this Xmas period.....

Maybe I, too, am one of the lucky ones.....

I've often read about drunken or disorderly teachers being everywhere, but I've never personally met any of them - and if they exist in your area, then please keep them there!

ALL of the teachers that I've met have been quite clean, sober and well-mannered - and mostly very hard working people, too. Yes, some admit to drinking alcohol, but only on their days off. I've yet to see any sitting outside 7-11 or Mom & Pop stores with beers or whiskey, as seems to be the norm in many places - at least according to what is posted on the forums. Oh, and I've lived both in Bangkok and Pattaya, where you'd perhaps expect the majority of 'sinners' to be.

I don't doubt that there are 'unfortunate' teachers around, but I sometimes wonder if the amount has been somewhat blown out of proportion?

Anyway, Happy New Year to all...

Cheers

Splod

@Somtamnication

Haven't yet had the opportunity to inquire at the school - and even then I'm not that sure I'd get a reasonable answer. For some reason schools often like to 'surprise' their unsuspecting teachers a day or two before any tests actually take place. Perhaps information doesn't flow very freely from the the top down to "the masses" - who knows?....

Anyway, thanks for the heads up

Cheers

Splod

@Somchaismith

Just looked at your link - thanks and some nice stuff.

Others should be aware that you need to register as a member of the site to download the listed file. However, the site looks interesting, so I've now registered......

True, the grammar in the file is rather advanced (perhaps too much so for Prathoms), but maybe I can edit it to make reading and understanding appear easier.

Whatever - I'm always interested in ANY suitable English exam tests, especially for P1 - P6. There is absolutely nothing available in this area......

Appreciate the links and files in this thread - thanks, guys, most helpful.

Cheers

Splod

A quick thanks to Sirchai for the 2 files. Much appreciated and they will certainly be put to good use.

I'm planning on making several sets of "cut & paste" pages to try out on P6 and other classes during the course of the coming months.

Thanks

Splod

@Sirchai

Really? That sound very interesting, indeed!

Well, I'll certainly put my name down for a copy - PM sent to you, as well!

Many thanks for your kind offer

Splod

Yes, please do continue to keep a low profile, CC, for it would be a shame if your place was closed down. It can sometimes be frustrating to want to help others, only to have officialdom prevent such help - even when there are absolutely no other alternatives in the area. It would be a definite plus if officials chose to try and "assist" and "guide" in a positive fashion to set up such a business as your own. Farmers, for example, get help via courses and seminars to improve their farming - and I'm sure other occupational areas get positive help from officials.

Teaching, of one sort or another, that differs from government- and perhaps private schools seems mostly to get a negative view from government officials - even though education is one of the most important areas in a person's lifespan.

Many areas away from the big(ger) towns just don't have people remotely qualified to teach. Kids (and adults) don't get much of a chance to improve their education one bit. I'm always happy to see a "school" open up (language school or "extra curriculum" school), as hopefully it'll lead to some improvement in education for the students that are able to attend.

Cheers

Splod

^ Shame about the school not really kicking off. But, yes - often the parents seem to want to influence the teaching - and quite out of proportion, too. I can imagine that parents' "suggestions" are welcome to a certain degree, though it must be slightly frustrating to hear of the excessive demands. 50 baht an hour doesn't seem too much for looking after - and teaching - a child.

@ cornishcarlos

Many thanks for your very informative replies, very impressed by your setup! It really sounds like a nice place you have - and 7 rai ought to be enough to keep the kids busy for a long time.

My wife and I are thinking along the same lines as yourself - and have been for quite some time. However, we haven't yet found any suitable areas - and as far as we're concerned, there's no acute hurry to get anything started. We'd rather wait until we see the ideal place before thinking seriously about starting such a venture. Too, there's always the business of acquiring a license, if that's at all necessary - and to being as 'legitimate' as possible. One problem (for us) is, that there appears to be so many rules and regs, that we're not sure if it's really worth all the bother - if the end result is, that you're only teaching a (relatively) small amount of kids.

I've also been informed, that avoiding the term of "School" or "Language Center" - and the like, in such a business venture - makes things easier. Mind you, I can't get any explanation as to exactly what "things" might be easier.....

Cheers

Splod

Sounds really good - but be careful or you'll be working all day and every day before you know it!

Best of luck to you and your wife!

Cheers

Splod

Yes, good luck with the adventure - it sounds like something of a success already!

Are you out in the sticks or in a reasonably (or bigger) sized town?

Too, it would be interesting to hear if you only teach in the evenings or in the weekend (or both).

Cheers

Splod