Sanpatong

Anyway, not related, but as I pretty much have the sick-puppy-audience gathered here today, I just got back from SripingMuang Road, "the dodgy strip" where P'Lek from Enjoy Place fame (MoonMuang Soi 2) Opened a karaoke-shack, and it ROCKED. Loads of veterans of the tourist-scene there, as this is low season, and it just works.. cheap drinks, Lao songs, drunks Thai guys doing wheelies on their bikes and crashing JUST short of my truck.. It's the closest thing Chiang Mai has to Soi Bua Khao.. wuz fun.

something along these lines sir ?

Excellent!! Yeah, pretty much.

On your way to pick up the uniform, stop in at the veterinarian's, because you are one sick puppy.

LOL!! I was SURE you was gonna say "stop at the veterinarians to get her spayed." Because indeed I tend to shed maids when they get knocked up.

And.. Thanks..!

Keep 'em coming. And.. if someone knows the answer to the question then that'd be good, too.

We got a new maid and she's 17 & cute but no fashion sense (baggy T-shirt & shorts) so I'm thinking it would be pleasing to the eye to go to the next level in the maid-regalia department.

I'm thinking some feaux-Frech/Japanese classical maid's uniform, in black or blue with apron and evertyhing.

I'm not the world's most avid shopper so I hope someone can tell me if this is available in Chiang Mai or that I have to go to to Neramit and see if he can hit the sweet spot between sleaze and style.

I think the time is right for Mr. Thaksin to really step things up a level and expose the current thugs in the ruling junta more.

Must also remember to factor in that the cost of repairs, maintenance and parts is far cheaper than in the UK. This might explain the high resell values

Indeed it does. And this is the exact answer to the OP's question.

The VALUE is actually higher, because maintenance is cheap, and risk of having a de-facto write-off when something goes wrong is nil. In the UK for a car 7-8 years old, if certain things break, the repair is higher than the value of the vehicle.

I posted earlier about my Isuzu just having done 100,000 kms. It looks and drives like the day we drove it out of the showroom. (Better actually and it performs the exact same functions, reliably.

It cost about 640,000 baht new I think. (4x4 model with everything on it).

Why would I sell it for 50% less than this, now after 6 years? I wouldn't even sell it for less than 500,000... Why should I? It'd be like throwing money away for no reason.

The clutch had a slightly audible squeek when pressing the pedal, which I mentioned when taking it in for the 100,000 service. They opened the whole thing up, checked the clutch, replaced a part costing a couple hundred baht.. Labour costs: <deleted> all. Try the same in the UK....

So there's your answer.

Yeah, I don't think they actually kill bats but sort of coerce them to leave.

It's important because out bats can't fly straight if their life depended on it, so they hit wires and shit in the roof structure, making noise.

Then there's the bat droppings, which is not the loveliest substance on the planet.

What a disaster is that place.

It's actually surprising the ruling junta haven't pulled the plug, since it's clearly a Thaksin thing that's very clearly failing like a slow motion train wreck.

But as far as a sound attitude to sales, I can recommend Goodspeed compter; they're in all the malls. I'd pick their Pantip branch.

Also, you may not like all of the above with regards to the current preferred model of selling computers, but do consider that these days they cost not too much shade over 20K baht. In the old days, like, 5 years ago, they were a lot more expensive. At current prices, there's *NO* service other than basic warranty.

Final tip: Ask to see and check out the actual unit you're buying BEFORE you're buying. Check the screen with eagle-eyes, looking for dead pixels and always-on pixels. To do this you need to check out the screen while showing completely black, and completely white (or some other color). Dead or always-on pixels are mostly NOT covered by warranty, because manufacturers are crooks. (Unless there's more than 'x' of them, or more than 'y' close together or some other BS.)

What are the best places in Chiang Mai to buy a computer/notebook, especially concerning after-sales service ?

I can answer that.

It doesn't matter!

*NOBODY * (either brand or store) provides after-sales service.

* ALL * provide warranty, which is defined as: things physically breaking. Then they ship the thing to $&@#$&* Bangladesh or Singapore, swap the part that broke, and ship it back.

* ANYTHING ELSE * going wrong (i.e. software & windows, mostly) and you can call the call center and they will say "Pop in your restore disc and restart" which will nuke everything and bring the machine back in the state you bought it in.

So that's as far as stores and manufacturers are concerned.

Anything else you'll have to arrange from some third party services company or person.

Ok I just checked. We just did the yearly thing, whereby they open up all the brass plugs in the floor and around the house and insert their chemicals. This costs 5000 baht/year, though we of course already have the insertion points. They also did some stuff under the roof against bats which cost 850 baht.

World Pest Service

k. Aroon

081 - 568 9314 / 053 128 284-6

Generally the guy seems to know what he's talking about.

..and do you have anything WITHOUT spam?

LOL.. We just had the house done today. I believe these people are okay, and they can't be expensive because the Mrs hired them.

I'll go find contact details this evening.

> We stopped catching rats because no one wanted to drown them, and we couldn't

> think of another - more humane - way to do it.

Way #1: Let the maid whack them.

Way #2: Get some cats, get some local uncles, get some whisky and let them bet on which rat survives longest.

Way #3: Anything that involves fireworks. Be creative

Way #4: Feed them something you bought from Nang Nual.

Way #5: Put them in a box, take to post office and put some stamps on, and mail them to the Maxnet call center.

I mean, come ON!

MONTY PYTHON PARTY AT PIPS!!!!

You dust off the ol' player, I bring some wine, Medish brings Swedish Pizza and I think we're off to something quite enjoyable.

(Then, all we need is someone to drive past Rim Ping to bring the spam. )

MONTY PYTHON PARTY AT PIPS!!!!

You dust off the ol' player, I bring some wine, Medish brings Swedish Pizza and I think we're off to something quite enjoyable.

Picture?

Typical bunch of black & brown mongrels I guess?

My mum in law needs some more dogs for her farms.

Hehehe... Ozzies will face 4 more years of agony from the Poms..

Opposite of the moat, on the right side of The House.

BUGGER!!!! That's EXACTLY where I park for Tuskers gettogethers...!! MUST you give away my special secret parking spot?!

Maybe you can give away my Loi Kroh Area spot as well eh..!

Ok, I resisted this 'free' point earlier, but...

> But I beg to disagree about freedom. Dutch people probably enjoy more freedom than Americans.

They're all unfree. In Holland you can't shoot guns or go offroading or build a goddamned shed in your own goddamned garden without a license. In the USA you can't buy a beer at 7-eleven and enjoy it in the park on a sunny day. I mean, seriously, what that <deleted>?!

Thailand's free. That's why I's here. It's also a military/absolute M. run feudal anarchy, but a very free one.

Can anyone tell me where the best place is to watch the rugby tomorrow evening....

France?

Anyway, for a good place with kids generally I can recommend the Queen Victoria Inn.. The owner has a 1-2 year old, and the place is kept spotlessly clean..

I'm not really into Rugby but I've spent enough time with Ozzies and Pommies to know this one is kind of a biggie. So if anyone has suggestions, I might just make my way over.

Come on, she has a job just like you. I'm in a similar position myself. Normally the maid cooks, but last week we were in-between-maids for 3 days (worst days of my LIFE!) so we reverted back to pre-civilization.. err, pre-maid life, where I just call home to ask if she got some food already or that I should pick something up or that either one of us will cook something...

Actually the problem isn't so much cooking as it is communication.. (from both sides).

We now have a new super-cute 17 year old maid, who however can't cook much at the moment.. it is *NOT* worth it!

Anyway, in short, your wife should manage house-hold staff who should take care of cooking, and/or communicating to you that you should step by Mad Dogs on the way home for some pizza.

TT&T Maxnet is complerely atrocious, and their helpdesk are retarded liars.

I have spent the last 2 New Year's Eve's at The Riverside Restaurant.

Probably the BEST New Year's Eve's I have ever had, and the fireworks at midnight are spectacular.

They won't take bookings, but if you wanna sit by the river you need to get there about 4pm, a bit early but certainly worth it.

Sit in a restaurant on new years eve for eight hours!

Pfft.

Send the maid plus some of her friends to keep you a table. Send her at 4pm, she can have some nice fried rice and a Pepsi for a New Year treat and then later on you and your party merge into her table for the prime spot. Then the maid returns home and spends the rest of the evening with her fingers inserted into the dog's ears.

[From: "Strategic Projection of Household Staff Assets", by Szun Tzu Sanpatong]

Man I love this Escher-esque thing they did with reality & perspective. Who needs booze getting dizzy in that room eh!

Looks stunning on the picture.

BTW, did everyone notice that the apartmenty looking building on the Canal Road is in fact a Best Western Hotel! Has a web url but it's just a placeholder site saying it will open next month. (November).

Exciting times!!