jfchandler

Mauiguy, good advice for everyone here. Had two questions for you...

1. You mentioned NacLong...I've never heard of that. What exactly is it, and where do you get it?

2. I've been seeing a sinus doc at Burumgrad. But if you've had good experience with a sinus doc you'd recommend, please pass that along.

Thanks very much, John.

1. Limit use of decongestants-they only temporarilly address symptoms. Meds like actifed/sudafed tend to dry out mucous which eventually buildup. The mucous buildup can be problematic if you continually use decongestants.

2. I use a simple penicillin called ampicillin which you can get at the pharmacists when I have a sinus infection. If that doesn't work, then I will use something stronger like curam, which is a fortified amoxcillin.

3. Saline rinse with sodium bicarbonate. If you can get the sinus rinse kit from NeilMed, it probably works the best. Soda water (not soda) contains sodium bicarbonate as well, which can help clear up sinuses. Try it, it works!

4. Have used NacLong, which breaks down the mucous buildup albeit slowly. However, in a few days, it does clear up sinuses.

5. Hot baths, vaporizers, saunas, etc. all work but tend to be short term fixes.

Good luck! I had sinusitis for almost a year before I got long term relief. Good information and doctors who know how to address these problems are hard to find. If one doc doesn't work, by all means, change doctors!!!

P.S. If you get really desperate, PM me and I can share a few packets of sinus rinse with you. You will have to purchase some type of squeeze bottle to apply the sinus rinse.

Interesting case... As an American, I have several credit/debit cards that are specifically mentioned in the settlement provisions (such as Visa-branded BofA), but have NEVER received any notice/communication about this (from the various banks or the claims folks), until reading here on the TV forum. Yet I too have had tons of foreign transactions on my various U.S. cards during the past five years since I began coming to Thailand. I'm not that hard to find, if anyone wanted to try. I still have current open accounts with all the various applicable cards... What's up with that???

Also, it seems the settlement applies to two different kinds of transactions on covered cards:

1) those like I had with BofA ATMs, where at some point the bank actually started charging separate, noticed fees with every ATM withdrawal. It used to drive me crazy that every time I withdrew BofA money in Thailand, I'd get three listings in my BofA bank statement -- the amount withdrawn in baht cash converted to U.S. $, the flat BofA transaction fee and the BofA % foreign currency transaction fee. Needless to say, don't do that anymore...

2) But even more insidious, in my view, are all the various credit card transactions that all of us have done through the years where they simply have done a conversion on the Thai located purchase that shows on your statement in U.S. $. But the card holder has no clue of what exchange rate was used or what fees were figured into calculating that result. So you'd have no idea of the details of the transaction.

For readers here, if you look at the claims web site, it's clear that this settlement applies to foreign transactions, both in ATM withdrawals and credit card purchases. And it appears to pretty much cover all the major U.S. based cards, because the settlement includes Visa, MC and Diner's Club branded cards that are part of the Plus, Cirrus, etc networks. That's a HUGE card base.

I LOVE Thailand!!!! hehehehehe (I really do...)

On Christmas Eve on my BKK street, a big falang owned pub was busily serving everything (beer, mixed drinks, wine, etc) all night long -- but only inside. They couldn't /wouldn't serve outside on their patio until after midnight.

The local Thai street/lady bar nearby likewise was openly serving all night.

Directly across the street, the local 7-11 had their alcohol coolers closed all night with big signs in Thai.

OK..so...I was confused before... But now...I understand about this perfectly well!!!!

Glad no one tried to buy my vote with inducements of liquor!!!

Thanks very much to everyone for the advice and suggestions... I'll look further into Fortune Town, and some of the other tips passed along here.

So far, using my own Technics 110 AC turntable from the U.S., hooked up to a step down transformer that lowers the 220 current here, I get good sound and pitch for the music. The main problem is indeed the hum coming from either the turntable or the electric plug-in converter box that feeds the signal at an appropriate level for line-in input.

I've heard/read a bit before about switching the orientation of the electrical plug. I'll try that next to try to knock out the hum. But all this stuff (Core Duo laptop, analog turntable, converter box, & USB soundcard (since the laptop itself only has mic and headphone jacks)) is sitting atop my little used dining table/much used desk.

If anyone can offer specific suggestions of how to go about properly grounding all this stuff, it also might also help solve the problem. Unlike my desktop, the laptop doesn't have any external metal screws appropriate for attaching grounding wires. I'm not sure what else nearby I might attach them to.

Thanks, John.

If you've got a 110v one, why not just get a step down transformer?

OP has hum problems using a Tx, he may also have 50/60Hz speed problems if the turntable has a synchronous motor.

Federal Hotel has a good location on Soi 11, and a small pool... But the hotel is pretty old/worn and for the same price you can do much better in the same area. Plus, that part of Soi 11 is undergoing piping construction right now, so traffic and noise are a mess.

For the same money, you can do much better at the Swiss Park nearby on Soi 11, the Royal Asia Lodge opposite on Soi 8, or the Majestic Suites on Suk Road between Sois 4 and 6. Swiss Park includes buffet breakfast, Royal Asia is less expensive but has no breakfast, and the Majestic includes a single dish cafe breakfast, but is much closer to the whole Nana area (for better or worse, depending on your tastes).

Any help in solving this problem is much appreciated.

I've got about 100 vinyl record albums that I want to convert to mp3s and/or CDs here in BKK, now that I have the leisure time to do so, both before the records get any older and so I don't have to keep lugging the big heavy box of them around with me.

I brought my 110 AC home turntable with me from the U.S. (along with a 220 AC power transformer). But whenever I've set it up and tried recording into my computer, I get a bad audio HUM coming thru the system. (And I never had that problem before when I did the same process in the states).

So, this has me looking for a 220 AC record turntable somewhere in BKK. But every electronics store I go to, the kids look at me with blank stares when I talk about records and turntables. (I don't think they know what a record is!!!)

Thus, anyone have any suggestion on where to find a 220 AC turntable here in BKK, so I can avoid the power conversion and electric hum in the record recording process.

Thanks, John.

Cabbages and Condoms on Suk Soi 12 is very nice, in that the food and service are good, prices reasonable, and they have an outdoor garden seating area with twinkly lights at night (a ladies thing... ). The large selection of condoms on display also could make for an interesting dinner conversation opener.

Crepes and Co. also is nearby, another date friendly, romantic ambiance choice, with the crepes offerings available both as dinner choices and sweet ones for desert.

Around Silom, a nice lunch or early dinner choice is the Jim Thompson-affiliated Saladaeng Café, 120/1 Saladaeng Soi 1.

As previously suggested, late drinks at either of the two tall building-top choices -- Vertigo atop the Banyan Tree Hotel on South Sathorn Rd. or Sirocco atop the State Tower on Silom Rd., are sure to impress. But unless you want to drop a fortune, stick to drinks there and have dinner elsewhere. Even with that, prepare for drinks to run 300 to 400 baht per glass.

Both of these visa run services out of BKK have good reputations and reviews from users, myself included.

http://www.thaivisarun.com/map.htm

http://www.thaivisaservice.com/

Regarding dig cam purchasing locations, many of us, myself included, have to travel back to our home countries periodically for visa and/or family/holiday obligations.

Given the clearly wide pricing difference between U.S. "best price" retail options and those available here in LOS for consumer digital cameras, it only makes sense to wait a bit to make such purchases when one is back home.

If, on the other hand, I was in a situation where I was NEVER traveling back home, the price difference between shipping U.S. purchases to Thailand vs. buying here would narrow the gap quite a bit -- though not close it entirely based on my price checking. Combined with warranty issues, that might make a more compelling argument for purchasing here.

But, since I'm due to the airport next week for a Christmas flight out to the U.S., I'd be crazy and money foolish to go camera shopping here... now.... That's the clear, unarguable bottom line.

Buy in the U.S.for sure from a price standpoint...

When I was shopping Canons lately, the prices I found in stores and online in the U.S. for new camera models (not used or reconditioned) were about one-third less than the prices for the same models found at Tesco, Fortune Town, etc...

Actually, I was pretty amazed to find that. Office Depot right now is running an online special for the SD1000 Elph for $150, but they seem to be out of stock right now.

I had also been looking at the Canon A570 IS, which also was running about $150 best price in the U.S., but amazingly more like $225 or more here.

Clearly, one exception to the general cost of living dynamic for Thailand.

The only downside, I wondered about, is warranty coverage for a product bought in the U.S. might be problematic here... I'm not sure. Maybe others can advise: Will the Canon dealer shops here honor warranty service on U.S. purchased Canon products???

It was LMG Pacific Healthcare....

But just to be clear, in the application documents, like others mentioned above, they ASKED about all kinds of things going back either many years or my whole life, depending on the question.

But in issuing the policy, I believe they only excluded things that I'd undergone actual treatment or doctor's visits for in the past two years.

Other than the sinus stuff, I didn't have much in my medical history. So there wasn't much else for them to chew on...

When I shopped for and eventually took out a Thai health insurance policy earlier this year through a broker in BKK, they told me to expect a two-year exclusion period for any pre-existing conditions.

That is, even though I might have had treatment for something in the more distant past, the exclusions I'd expect to be included in my Thai policy would be related to things I'd actually had treatment of any kind for in the prior two years.

I'd had sinus surgery during that two year prior period. So all sinus things were excluded. In talking with my broker about this, she advised that if I went two years more under the Thai policy with no doctor visits or treatment relating to sinus that I probably could get that exclusion dropped in future renewals.

Regarding dogs and the ultrasonic units, blessedly, the dogs are pretty quiet in my neighborhood EXCEPT....

...when the daily vegetable sales pickup truck guy makes his rounds, blasting his announcement on the truck's loudspeaker system. Even when the truck's blocks away, the local dogs all begin howling/whining and it doesn't cease until the guy (and his loupspeakers) have left the scene.

Just a small bit about this guy facing MILITARY prosecution back in the U.S. and his prospects for the death penalty.

Just this week, in news coverage of the U.S. serviceman now on trial for leading the gang rape of an Iraqi teenager, it was pointed out that military court martials rarely issue death penalty sentences, even though they are possible.

"But Gary Solis, a law professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., remains baffled that prosecuting the Mahmoudiya slayings has lingered when so many other crimes in Iraq have come to a close.

(pghs omitted)

"The death sentence is a dead letter in the military," Solis said. "If tried in the military, Green probably would not be sentenced to death. And if sentenced to death, it's questionable the sentence would ever be carried out."

Likewise, while U.S. civilian courts can and do sometimes issue death sentences, executions in Calif., for example, have been on hold of late because of legal challenges to the state's method of lethal injection. The same issue, alleged cruel and unusual punishment in the injections, has been limiting executions in some other states, and prompted some states to suspend death sentences altogether. See below... from yesterday...

Executions down in United States

Published: Dec. 19, 2007 at 10:33 AM

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Recent figures indicate the number of death sentences carried out in the United States declined to lows not seen for at least 10 years.

The Death Penalty Information Center, based in Washington, said 42 death sentences were carried out in 2007, down 57 percent from 1998, CNN reported.

Experts suggested the number of executions will continue to fall following several developments in state and federal law.

The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled argument for Jan. 7 in a case looking into whether the three-drug cocktail used in lethal injections in 36 of the 37 states using the practice constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Several states, awaiting that decision, imposed a moratorium on carrying out executions.

New Jersey became the first state in more than four decades to ban capital punishment when Gov. John Corzine signed legislation Monday outlawing it.

Texas leads the nation in the number of executions, with 26 death sentences carried out this year. Southern states carried out 86 percent of the U.S. executions in 2007.

Two tidbits to add..

1. I have a Thai lady friend who used to work at an Internet cafe on Silom road, where she'd expand her salary by helping translate e-mails from single Thai ladies prone to visiting bars into decent English or a few other languages she knew.

She told me a story, which I loved, about one girl who used to sit in the cafe all day, sending the same e-mail messages to a legion of guys all over the world, and the same with MSN messages, phone calls and such. From what I gathered, it was quite a thriving business for "romance." This lady was a one woman corporation!!!!

2. Another lady I know works near a place like the aforementioned Sabai land, and one of the staff at that place was trying to talk her into leaving her current job for the more "personal" approach of the other shop. Promise was, easy to make 100,000 baht per month by making the falang happy.

I guess I must be in the wrong line of work!!!!!

Just checking... how did a poll on the screening practices of U.S. airport security folks for males returning from Thailand get into a debate over the merits of torturing prisoners??? Sounds like it's time for some folks to take this to a new post, if they want to carry on in that direction.

I have to go back home to the U.S. for Christmas next week, and have been thinking what I might say if asked why I've been saying so long in Thailand, instead of working in the U.S. (which I did for many years before).

I think my simple answer will be, "Gee, if you had a choice between relaxing in Thailand vs. doing the 9-5 office grind in the U.S. every day, which would you choose???"

I was shopping for a new dig cam lately, and started with no prior opinions as to brand. After looking at everything everywhere, Canon and Sony emerged at the top tiers, but Canon emerged on top when I finished weighing all the factors... some mentioned by prior posters such as the memory format. The Sonys I was looking at also got knocked for having small button controls that weren't the easiest to use, while the Canons I was looking at (570 IS and others) got uniformly great reviews from both the tech sites and from users themselves. Canon gets the edge.

Hey DFSBrit... tell your friend... I know this lady!!!

Hehehehehe... Seriously, I remember hearing the same exact story from a lady a year ago in Suk Soi 33. She was a real cutie... But not for 300,000 in debt from a supposed hi-end clothing shop that went bust.

If your friend is smart, he'll be glad to be far away from her in the UK. If he's REALLY stupid, he'll start paying off her "debt". I hope he's not THAT stupid!!!!

Hmmm... I'm not sure being tied up in chains was exactly the "happy" ending this elephant had on his mind!

But, I have heard there is a club down Suk Soi 33 way that does cater to folks (and elephants???) who are into the chains thing!!!!

Might be the start of a whole new tourism sideline for Pattaya..... I'd pass on the tranquilizers...though....

This is a really good Pattaya tourism story. With a happy ending.

Are you suggesting that ONLY ladies might be interested in fish baked in salt at Zanotti's??????

I HOPE NOT!!!!! Real men eat fish all the time!!!! Hehehehehe...

Thanks for the suggestion. It was already on my radar.... --John.

Next you have to try the fish baked in salt at Zanotti's, Saladaeng Soi 1 (the same owner as Limoncello). More details in my post here in the Ladies Forum! http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=153353

Likewise, I always swim with my contacts, though they are hard lenses... rigid gas permeable. Just try to limit having my eyes open under water.... Never have any problem.

But, I'm guessing (though you didn't say) that you use soft lenses... And I'm not sure how salt and/or chlorinated water affects those.

--John.

Also tried Limoncello today for lunch for the first time, based on a lot of good reviews here and elsewhere.

The restaurant (sort of cafe style) was nice and the food was good, and reasonably priced. As has been reported elsewhere, the tiramisu for desert is very good and authentic, a real pleasure to eat.

Re the pizza, everyone has their own and different tastes. While ours was good, it came out of the kitchen a bit too much on the soft side in terms of the crust and toppings. The center of the crust would really fall/droop when you hold a piece, and the toppings would fall off loose.

My preference is for a bit crisper, firmer crust and having the meat and vegetable toppings baked a bit crisper so they're not soggy....and held together more with melted cheese.

Based on the overall impression, I actually like the restaurant and pizza/food across the road at Via Vai near the entrance to Soi 8 a bit better. The pizza there is great and very tasty, more in the style I mention above. Some of their pasta dishes also are to die for.

And, the dining room at Via Vai is much more spacious and refined, vs. Limoncello being more casual ambiance. But I'm certainly willing to give Limoncello another try with their pizza... maybe they pulled ours a bit quickly from the oven today. And the rest of their menu likewise deserves exploring.

--John

I see other posters in a different thread reported that drinking went on as normal on Friday night in Patpong without any effort to disguise. Others said drinks also were to be had in Soi Cowboy.

I wasn't in either of those places, so can't vouch for the accuracy of those reports. The three places we tried to have drinks with dinner around Sukhumvit were all DRY.

Outside BKK it seemed to be a mixed bag. Others reported Walking Street in Pattaya was dead with virtually all the bars and a go gos closed. But some said restaurants in/around Pattaya were serving with meals.

And upcountry, posts reported a very mixed bag, with a lot talking about drinks easily available. That's something that likely could have been expected, since the reach and influence of government edicts is likely to be more heavily felt in BKK than far away.

The whole purpose of my original post was to try to share info on just where things around here might be normal. I'm a rare drinker myself. But as I said, we had a special occasion (birthday) and wanted to celebrate.

Next time, I'll tell my friend to make sure her birthday doesn't fall on the wrong day!!!!

--John.

jfchandler, seems to me you are wet.........

Behind the ears at least, wot the phk ya expect, drinks for farangs but not

Thais?

If summun has not a stash of booze to use for the duration, shows that they would not have the nous to vote.

Gald I am home.......PMPL.

Gee ZPete... are you always so RUDE so early in the morning???

Maybe you prefer to sit at home and drink. But some of us like to go out on occasion.

Last night happened to be the birthday party for a Thai lady friend, and she wanted to go to a pub, one that has a full blown restaurant operation inside. We fully expected maybe to not have drinks... We DIDN"T expect the entire place to be closed.

Do ya think maybe other folks who have dinner plans during the next two weekends might want to have some idea about such things?

And, in my years in Thailand, everytime there's been a rule or scheme like this in the past, there have always been those places that seemed to be able to quietly fly under the radar... But this time????

Curiously, yesteray, at Foodland on Soi 5, they were announcing over the loudspeaker that they'd have no liquor sales after MIDNIGHT. But the local bars and pubs seemed to take 6 pm Friday as their cutoff point.

--John.

What's the scouting report from out and around????

Went to Hanrahan's on Soi 4 hoping to at least have dinner on Friday night, but found they were closed altogether. Then terrace of Landmark Hotel was empty. Then found Huntsman Pub in hotel's basement at least open for food...but DRY with notice signs promimently posted...

So much for what a prior posters had suggested that major hotels might be exempt from this deal....

--John.