billd766

Firefox. I rarely use IE and just didn't think about it, sorry.

I have heard that babies brought up exposed to two languages simultaneously will be a little slower than other babies starting to speak, but when they do start, like the Dr. said, they will be speaking in both languages very naturally. I know a lot of mixed marriage couples that both speak to baby in their own language, this apparently helps the baby figure out what is what in each language. (Is that last sentence coherent?)

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How about three languages..... my daughter is 2 1/2, my wife is originally from Buriram (Khmer) we now live in Chiangmai (Thai) and naturally my American English.

When visiting Grandma & Grandpa she speaks Khmer, when out and around Chiangmai its Thai and when talking to me English.

The amazing thing is up to around 24 months it was just individual words ...... now she is stringing the words together and making sentences.

For fun, we put on a Karake VCD and she sings in either Thai or English IF she likes the song......

Enjoy it....... these are the great times with the kids.

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Our son is 14 onths old and he can say the usual Mae, Paw words etc but he will also be tri lingual as my wife talks to him in Thai and English, I talk in English and some mangled Thai, the rest of the family use eithernThai or English and the people who work for us use Thai and Muser (hilltribe). He seems to listen and understand a lot of it but I find that I use the words NO or Mai Dai a lot as he is into everything he can at the moment. Sometimes when he doesn't get his own way he just sits and howls the place down, just like me at times I suppose.

Up to last week he really wasn't walking on his own but now he either walks or grabs somebodies hand and drags them around.

I am 61 and he is my 2nd child (the first is 27) and some of the things I find harder to do are getting back up off my knees but I do find I have more patience than I did before and being a little deaf in one ear when he cries I just turn that ear towards him, much quieter.

We have a 2001 Ford Ranger 4 door 4x4 with 115,000 km on the clock. It is comfortable , certainly more so than the Toyota Corrola which I have been a passenger in for x000s of km.

It came with Michelin tyres and they still have another 10,000 or so km to go except for the front offside which was replaced due to a steering joint that went faulty and was replaced under warranty. The spare was replaced as the original was stolen (no lock but I have one now). Just as a matter of interest when you order a spare wheel that is what you get, no tyre just a spare wheel.

If we have enough money my wife wants to replace it with a Ford Everest or something similar and keep the pickup for another few years.

This was the first new vehicle I have ever bought (ignore company cars) and even though my nearest service agent is 125 km away in Nakhon Sawan I would probably buy another Ford.

My biggest problem has been the remote locking car alarm system NOT made by Fords as it has a 1 year warranty and we are on the 3rd one so far. they seem to have a life of 15 to 18 months before they die and the dealer says "Sorry it is out of warranty and you need a new one".

Would I buy another Ford 4 door 4x4? Yes unless 'er indoors Really wants an Everest.

Hi rainman

I went on the net last night and I have got 2 websites for you to check on. The first one is the official web site but I couldn't get it to give me the full information on the support visa but that is probably my end and not theirs.

The other link is from the Sutlet group of lawyers down on Sukhumvit 36 I think between Sukhumvit and Rama 4. They confirm that it is either or a combination of both.

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/

http://www.sutletgroup.com/visas.asp

I hope that this helps.

It took me 5 hours to get onto the TV today using GPRS and I will be bitching at AIS tomorrow.

Glad to see that it finally happened and turned out so well for you both.

Congratulations and my best wishes.

Whats to fear?

I just got back from talking to Immigration in Soi Suan Phlu and they stated that they quote..."think" both 400k in the bank account and an income of 40k+ per month is required to get the non-imm O marriage visa. Did they just confuse something or....?! Because i thought it was either of them.

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The ladies who usually sit at desk 20 and 21 (for european non business) will give you an A5 form with everything they require printed in both Thai and English and that should explain it.

I think I have one somewhere and if I have I will scan it and send it to you.

Your previous post did not say which embassy you would use but basically if you take your bank statements and a letter from your company it will probably be OK.

I hope that this helps you.

I believe it can NOT be a combination of both.

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Trust me on this one rainman. It is either 400,000 in the bank and no income, or around 40,000 a month income, OR a combination.

The only thing to beware of on the income side is that the exchange rate that Immigration use is less than the current daily exchange rates. The probably set the rate every 6 months or 1 year for the coming period.

Also if you are going the income route make sure that you go to your embassy and get a letter from them confirming the amount.

The British embassy charged 1300 baht last year and 1780 baht I think this year.

Edited for spelling.

A new laptop and I think it spells in Azerbaijani or Urdu every so often.

When I die hopefully not for about 20 years as I want to see my son grow up, my wife has the house, land, car etc plus the bank accounts.

I have 2 pensions running now which she will get 50% of each and in 4+ years I will be getting the UK married state pension. When I die she will get 60% of that as well. Our immediate family will be OK and I think her family will be OK as well as there is plenty of room for them all here if they are happy enough to be on the land.

On the other hand my ex-wife gets only her state pension and nowt from me, but she did have the house which she sold last year for 250% more than we paid plus her mothers house when she dies.

I really cannot understand why you guys are bitching so much.

I would be more than happy to pay 5,000 baht and get a line in 2 or 3 days.

I live waaaayyy out in the country and I have been waiting over 2 YEARS and I still don't have a line.

Put hairs on your chest....

Thai Wines to go......

The company that makes this wine also produce a black galangal wine to which they attribute extradorinary properties

http://www.phisith.com/index.htm

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I found the only thing that black galangal did for me was to make me sleep especially after a bottle, but I did sleep well and no hangover in the morning.

i just read this on a website but wasn't sure if its true:

Persons married to a Thai national must have at least THB. 400,000 in a Thai bank account OR be receiving at least THB. 29,000 per month ( presumably from  offshore sources or as income working, with a work permit of course.

from what i read everywhere else i was thinking its 400k in a bank account, period. but it seems if you have monthly offshore income that counts as well? 

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Hi Rainman

I went to Suan Phlu 2 weeks ago and this time I had more than the required 400,000 baht in the bank. However last year I did not but I have 2 UK pensions (which I pay tax on) and got a letter from each of them stating the gross amounts. I took them to the British embassy for the letter and took them to Suan Phlu with the rest of the paperwork and it was OK and no translations needed.

Please note that I went to Suan Phlu in Bangkok which is about 400km from my place and I find that they are friendly and helpful and very efficient with the new system. I actually went twice as I had forgotten a couple of documents plus my wife who was in the hospital looking after our son. They gave me a 2 week extension before she had to be there.

In other immigration centres I have no knowledge of their ways of doing things but I do know Bangkok fairly well now.

Hope this is of use to you.

There are now six wineries in Thailand making European style wine. The only one I've tried, more than once, is Chateau de Loei. I've even visited the winery a couple of times. Their chenin blanc is OK but I haven't cared for any of the reds they've produced yet.

Has anyone found a good red wine made in Thailand? PB Khao Yai certainly talks a good game (from their website, with fractured english):

PB Valley Khao Yai Reserve Red Wine

PB Valley Khao Yai Reserve 2000 Red Wine is made from Shiraz (90%) and Tempranillo (10%) grapes, and matured in oak barrels more than two years. The wine has an intense palate with rich scents of oak overlaid by faint highlights of coffee, chocolate and fruits. Its taste is smooth but yet strong with alcohol content of 13.5%. Since the climate of year 2000 is good for vineyard, grapes can be ripened well making wine’s after taste last long. The wine is perfect accompaniment with red meat dishes. To meet the greatest taste of the wine, it is recommended to be served at 15-18 °C.

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sabaijai

I have been going to some OTOP shops on the way up from Nakhaon Sawan on the way home to near the Mae Wong national park and there seem to be a fair number of wines around.

I tried a bottle of Mae Ping Nakiang 2003 last week at 350 baht which was nice and I have a bottle of Krachaidam at 290 baht from Saikhao Garden in Loei that I think will go nicely with my traditional Sunday lunch, sausage, bacon, egg and fried bread.

I am the only falang for miles around so any roast dinner would be a waste unless I freeze it as none of the family would eat it.

Newin unveils taxi plan to solve Bangkok’s traffic woes

BANGKOK: -- PM’s Office Minister Newin Chidchobb has come up with a new idea to solve the capital’s traffic problem: having government offices, hotels and shopping malls give free-of-charge parking space for taxis to pick up customers.

--The Nation 2005-09-15

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The only and the best idea to increase the Gasoline price to Baht 50. Because after the Oil price is increased the commuters are increased in the MRTA and BTS. Also government should shoot those who singly drive a Mercedes (or similar vehicles which drinks most of the fuel) during peak hours. I choose public bus always; I have never seen them very full during peak hours too. Does Thai's have some ego traveling in a public bus?

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Raising the fuel price is a fine idea if it is ONLY applied in Bangkok. However as 80% of the people of Thailand DO NOT live in Bangkok why should they have to pay more from their lesser salary to support Bangkok?.

Do as Singapore does. Ban single user cars in the centre and decide where you want the extent to be. Have an honest police force and enforce the traffic laws. Ban parents from transporting a single child to school. Ban all on road parking. Scrap all government vehicles over 2000cc and replace them with diesel, gas or electric ones. Stop all the government ministers travelling alone in one cars with 10 police escorts.

Good dream but it will cost too many votes and upset too many rich people.

Well my access seems to have come back again.

Thanks to all of you who sent emails and especially Nickelastic as I cleared all the cookies, history etc and it seems to work now.

I have no idea if this post will get through or not.

how are you for food and water ?

sounds like the last words of some besieged colonel in a colonial outpost as he and his gallant band await the arrival of troops to rescue them from marauding savages.

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My wife went to the market for food this morning and it is pissing down with rain so food and water will be OK for a while.

However I am suffering from TVseriousinteruptis.

I hope it is not fatal!!

Can somebody please help me.

I can log into Thai visa but I have been unable to read anything since 09 September.

I am using Firefox as my default browser but it is the same with IE6.

I have no idea if this post will get through or not.

I can reach any other web pages that I want so it is not my GPRS connection or browser.

What is the problem?

You may have to email me so that I will know if it is OK or not.

I try to read Thai visa 3 times a day.

Hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllppppppppppppppppppppp

I went to Suan Phlu yesterday morning to renew my Thai wife support visa.

In the 2 months since I last went to get a re-entry visa the whole downstairs has changed.

Before room 101 was down at the back and a little bit scruffy, yesterday it took up most of the downstairs area in front of where it used to be.

Now you go to the information desk and tell them what you want, they give you an number and you wait your turn. The payment for a new visa is done in room 101 and the whole process seems to run a bit faster and it is much nicer.

As my 13 month old son was in hospital I could not bring my wife as she was staying with him so I was given a 2 week extension to give us enough time to be there.

The staff are as friendly as I have always found them to be and the biggest problem there is car parking as usual. However if you try after lunch there is a fair chance that you can get a parking space though I use a taxi and the Skytrain myself as it is easier and the cost is not high.

Do you know what is better than a first time dad being nearly 50?

Being a second time dad at 60.

I am.

You don't forget the basic skills but you have go go back a long way in time and your memory to find the right songs to soothe the baby and help him sleep.

You also have more time and patience and you can relax a bit as you know that some of the things that panicked you the last time are easier to understand this time around.

I was 60 and my wife was 38 when Tiw came along, a big surprise to both of us, but then my dad was 55 and my mum 40 when I came along.

Tiw is the best and most precious present that my wife could ever give to me and I could not have imagined anything like this happening in my life in Thailand.

the 3 of us

himself on a good day

We have 5 or 6 or 7 dogs here up country. The number varies on how many puppies the bitch has, 4 last time but we gave 3 away, and how many get killed by the stupid bas****s who drive too fast and just dont look.

Most of the time they are OK but there is one guy with his pick up that comes around at about 6 am and the dogs sing (howl) to him for about 5 minutes. I don't know why him but they don't howl at anyone else and I am too lazy to get up and turn the hose on them.

I just bought an Acer 4152 NLCI and I upgraded my Ram FROM 512MB TO 2 Gb and it cost me 13,000 baht.

I have been so busy since yesterday I haven't even turned it on yet.

It is good enough for me or it will be by the weekend.

quote firefoxx

BTW, according to Acer's brochure, there's a promotion going on. Buy any notebook, and get a 2-month free subscription to True's ADSL. Also, you can buy an extended warranty (3 years... from 1 year standard) for 2,990 baht.

I didn't realise that so I will get that done asap. Thanks

My wife had some land up in the central region 50 km from Khampaeng Phet near a national park.

We live 6 km outside of the village, not many neighbours, fresh air, cheap to live, no bars and not many expats either though I see a few in the village now and again.

Peaceful, yes, boring, not really you just have to change your lifestyle and learn to relax.

Love it here?

Absolutely.

But LITTLE WHITE BULL???

was that Tommy Steele?

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Yes it was

and now I've got it.

Many of the respondents seem to be living in relatively low value properties in Nakon Nowhere (no offence) and would not want to live there without their wife. However, if you are paying a lot of money for a house in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, etc. then I'd go the company route no matter how much you trust the misses. You can always sell the house from the company to the misses later if you feel like it. Most lawyers and almost all real estate agents will advise the company route as they have personally witnessed the large number of foreigners who have lost everything when property is in the name of the Thai wife/Thai husband.

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Well I suppose 2 1/2 M baht is relatively low value compared to Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya etc but where I live waay out in the sticks I feel that I have a much better standard of living than in a city. I have fresh air, no traffic jams except for the 2 minute jam on market days. When I go to the village people talk to me and smile a lot and are genuinely friendly, nobody rips me off and I pay the same as Thais do.

Are you serious when you say that you would trust lawyers and real estate agents rather than your wife?

They are in a business to make money and when they have made it they don't care about you any more.

I was married in the UK and when I got a divorce it cost me much more than it ever will in Thailand should my Thai wife ever divorce me.

I trust my wife with all that we own which is more than I would ever do with a stranger such as a lawyer or real estate agent.

What is the main difference between a shark and a lawyer?

Lawyers eat sharks but sharks rarely eat one of their own kind.

My Norton System works has just about expired so I have installed Avast to replace it.

My problem is that I cannot uninstall NSW as my add/remove programs does not show it and when I put the CD back in I could not find uninstall.

Does antone have any ideas?