TallGuyJohninBKK

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

The 10-prick test was B1850 total. They also had a blood test that has to be sent out to a lab so takes several days and costs B5000. The Doc said he didn't think I needed that, but I tried to see if he thought it might identify some food allergies that might also be a factor. Well, his English wasn't very good...and he countered that if I suspected I was allergic to some food to just try not eating it for a while. In the end I decided to at least wait to do the blood test. But now you're the second person who's told me they had a much more extensive skin prick test. I was actually imagining many more than 10 samples myself. Well, at least I got the HDM confirmed. But I actually would like to know about things like nuts, wheat, soy.... Like I think you said a few days ago, our bodies are like a bucket...if, say, it's being stressed by food allergies, then adding something like HDM dust can push it over the top....

Well, they certainly tested for the BIGGIES when it comes to household/environmental allergens --  dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, pollen, etc. But you might try to ask them if they can do the same skin prick testing for food allergens.

I had the blood allergy test done at Phyathai II a while back for both environmental and food allergens, and the price was similar to the 5000b you mentioned above. I'm not sure of the value of the results however. The Phyathai blood test results said I have a highest allergy to cat dander, a medium allergy to dust mites and not much else.  Whereas the skin tests I had done previously in L.A., showed a much larger range of allergy reactions including to soy and gluten, which clearly manifest here with physical symptoms if I consume too much of either.

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

I took an antihistamine just 2 times around 10 days ago when it was running watery, which helped a lot. Not running watery now, but still very sensitive to dust, smoke, exhaust. Wasn't sure if antihistamines would reduce that or not. Guess now that the allergy test is done I could take one and see. Maybe tonight.

 

The typical pill OTC anti-histamines like Zyrazine or Telfast are meant to be taken once or twice a day, depending on your symptoms.

Their effect doesn't last any longer than that. But also, there's no harm or bounce back effect from taking them for as long as needed.

Unlike most of the nasal sprays.

36 minutes ago, superal said:

I check all items when delivered c.o.d. which is the buying method that I always use but I differ from you on the t.v. Why would you not buy a t.v. from Lazada ? I did and it was a 50" which I unpacked and checked the condition and contents before paying . Lazada were cheaper by 2000 baht than the nearest online dealer or shop .

Because I don't trust Lazada enough, having read lots of Lazada customer service horror story posts by members here over the years, to order anything of significant value from them.

I did some shopping for Amazon prime day, and thus got two packages into my Shipito account. So here's real-world examples of their shipping rates for their Airmail Economy and how that compares to the USPS and private courier services they offer. As you can see, their Airmail Economy service (up to 4 lbs) is far and away the most economical.

The first was a .50 pound envelope that's charged at their half pound rate, US to Thailand:

The second was a .70 pound envelope that's charged at their 1 pound rate, US to Thailand:

As I mentioned above, in both cases, their Airmail Economy rate to Thailand is working out to about $12+ per pound of actual shipment weight.  I added delivery insurance for both packages, and that added extra $3 per package.

1 hour ago, MickTurator said:

Much the same as buying in BigC, you can't check it properly in the store.
 

I think that depends on the item you're buying. Often when buying electrical appliances in Big C, either my wife or even sometimes the store clerks themselves will open the box, take out the item and plug it in just to show/assure that it's working properly. And then put it back into the box and reseal it.

18 hours ago, smo said:

In your experience, do you usually open the box and check anything broken before you hand over the cash? Or you trust they are reliable in handling the merchandise and not worth the bother to check before payment. 

 

With Lazada, I ALWAYS open the box right there in front of the delivery driver, and check to make sure..

a. the correct item(s) are inside, and

b. they're undamaged and look to be of proper quality.

 Never yet had any problem with doing so re the drivers. However, I'm also only ever ordering small, easy to open items from them. I'm not standing there and unboxing a 60-inch television, for example. Because, I probably wouldn't order such an item from Lazada.

thanks for the helpful and useful info posted above.

BTW, have you tried taking any of the standard OTC anti-histamines to help block/reduce your allergic symptoms while you work on the underlying causes???

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It's kind of interesting. When I had my big round of skin allergy tests in the U.S., by comparison, they actually had separate vials of the different allergens in solution, and then took small needles, and injected a tiny bit of each solution just under the skin in rows similar to what you show above. By the end of the session, my arms inside and out looked like I was someone's pin cushion.

But in addition to the standard household allergens they tested you for above, my allergist also at the same time did a full panel of food allergen skin pricks.  If you have sensitivity to various household things, you may also have sensitivity to food elements as well. Allergies to things like wheat, soy, dairy, citrus, nuts, etc can be pretty common, especially among those with susceptability to allergic responses.

To my surprise, I tested with pretty strong allergies to both wheat and soy. And to this day, if I eat too much of the concentrated soy bean pastes common at Korean restaurants or even regular tofu, I usually get rashes on certain areas of my skin within 24 hours or so that usually go away in about another 24 hours. But the food stuff doesn't seem to bother my sinuses... Who knows....

Anyone recall the last time any Immigration police officer was prosecuted or even dismissed from civil service for accepting bribes?

Even the guys who supposedly/allegedly facilitated the Erawan terrorist bombers entry into and out of the country for good sized payments were never formally prosecuted, AFAIK/AFAIR.

It would seem as though Thailand has somehow created a new and different meaning for the English word "transparency."

Quote

 

The purchase would be done in a government-to-government deal, according to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. “The deal will be done transparently,” he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

 

Documents and details on the Cabinet’s approval were not revealed as they were marked confidential, a usual practice when the government considers procurement of military hardware.

 

On 6/3/2017 at 7:25 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

 

 

Just to follow up on this product, I've now ordered and used a couple rounds of the Tesco Hot Chilli Sauce mentioned above (haven't tried or used the Mild variety), and I must say, it provides the foundation for a pretty good tasting chili.

The ingredients list says it contains some beans, but I didn't really find or taste any on my first go-round. So along with one bottle of the Tesco sauce, I added a 15 oz can of S&W chili beans with the sauce drained out (a product that's widely available here), along with a pound of ground steak and a couple of onions diced into larger pieces, and then garlic powder, cumin powder, my own chili powder, etc to taste.

Really comes out quite good. I was cooking the same kind of recipe before using the Mutti brand pureed tomato sauce sold here in jars and cartons, and it kept coming out with too much of a strong and acidic tomato flavor, whereas the Tesco sauce comes out with a much smoother and milder flavor that fits better with the dish.

On 7/6/2017 at 8:23 PM, clokwise said:

 

On my most recent boxset I paid $8.98 for shipping. The parcel was 10Kgs. I have no idea whether i-parcel is used for other items at Amazon as I only use Amazon to buy CD boxsets, as most other stuff I want they won't ship to Thailand.

I had an opportunity today to check about Amazon's current pricing for sending from the U.S. to Thailand (BKK), and here's what I got. (There was no mention of anything about "I-Parcel").

Amazon for Prime Day was having a sale on Adobe Photoshop software for $49.99. It's a single CD package with the product info section saying it has a 3.5 oz shipping weight.

When I changed the shipping address to my BKK address, Amazon added the following extra shipping costs:

--$14.83 for Amazon Global expedited shipping and handling, plus

--$14.74 Import Fees Deposit (which can be partially refunded later, if the package doesn't get charged that much duty)

AMAZON TOTAL: $29.57 maximum (and the possibility to be less, but no less than $14.83)

When I was looking at the Amazon checkout page on my PC for that, it didn't tell me what courier service would be handling the package depending on which of the two available shipping options I would choose (expedited or priority courier). Their lower priced standard shipping was not offered/available.

Nor could I clearly tell exactly how Amazon came to the $14.83 shipping and handling figure for their middle-level expedited shipping option, based on their own chart below of global shipping charges to Asian countries, unless it was their flat $13.99 per shipment charge for CDs and DVDs, along with some tax added on???

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202053180

In comparison, with Shipito Economy Airmail, the international shipping charge for that weight package, including all Shipito's charges, is likely to be around $8-$9 ($6+ for a half pound package, plus their $2 mailout fee). The domestic U.S. shipping from Amazon to me would be free under their Prime program.

4 hours ago, aright said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to find Thai Import Custom Duty Charges by category eg clothes, machine tools, jewellery etc........web site or book .    Thanks

This would be a start:

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

But good luck using it. I've tried before, and found it difficult to match up their categories with the things I was planning to import.

31 minutes ago, Tracyb said:

I find that the Filtrete cloth removes more particulate matter than the air-con filters themselves.  I feel more comfortable because my allergies don't act up when I use the filters and there is less dust settling on furniture, shelves, etc.

 

Thanks, that's interesting...

In our main bedroom where we have the air con, we never open the windows. And run the air con all thru the night every day. And yet, every week, we still get a pretty good coating of dust on the table/furniture tops, etc etc...  So I'll give the added filters a try.

9 hours ago, KIWIBATCH said:

no "twerking" becomes an automatic refund to the customers 

Quote

Lamyai could only perform for an hour and her performance was tired and uninteresting, he said.

So apparently now the club wants to sue her because she wasn't twerking enough!!!!

Prayuted if you do. Sued if you don't.

Obviously, they have very high standards in Pattaya for their Thai "volunteer cops."  Psych profile, background checks, etc. etc.

All to ensure that only law-abiding, mentally sound murderers are able to do their two baht for Thai society.

12 hours ago, Tracyb said:

I've been using this method for several years now and have not experienced any problems.  Hope this helps.  Let me know.

 

Thanks for clarifying that. I also remove and wash out the built-in filters on our bedroom aircon about  every two weeks. At that point, they've got a pretty good coating of dust and whatever on the front surface.

I wonder, how much more effective the Filtrete cloth is going to be when laid on top  vs. the built-in filters alone?  Do you notice any discernable difference in the room?

53 minutes ago, Langsuan Man said:

Shipito has a warehouse in Oregon, which  can be used to save sales tax

It comes down to the value of the package you're shipping.

In Shipito's case, they actually charge higher shipping rates for their Oregon location vs their main California location, at least for Economy Airmail and some other shipping methods, AFAIR. So, for a lowish value item which is most of what I ship, the savings on the sales tax is more that offset by their higher shipping rates.

That may operate differently if you have a higher value item/items. But I generally avoid those in order to avoid issues with Thai Customs on the receiving end.

17 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

My guess is that none of the four will do more than 18 months in jail.

The ex Muay Thai guy who stabbed a Russian tourist in 2015 and was convicted, and just this week was arrested again for threatening to kill a Brit shop owner, apparently was back out on the streets in that much time or possibly less, depending on when exactly he was convicted.

How long before Somkiat is back patrolling the streets of Pattaya on his "volunteer cop" status?

13 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

punchless speak; but it does reveal how police officers think

In other words, usually, you only have to warn publicly people against doing something -- if the person issuing the warning thinks the others are likely to do the inappropriate thing.

Of course, who else would know the habits of his local officers and subordinates better than the chief himself, who sits at the head of this auspicious organization.

I'm no expert re implant dentistry. But I've always heard dental folks in Thailand talk about the Straumann SLA variety as being one of the best (and more expensive ones). But I have no idea about that brand's presence or not in the U.S.

And still can't write a clear, understandable business communication letter to their EN customers worth a d***.

I can't quite tell if they ran a Thai letter thru Google Translate and sent out that text, or had some Thai staff English language program graduate who learned just enough English words to be dangerous do the translation.

On 5/1/2017 at 7:59 PM, Pib said:

TrueVisions seems to have got in a "self flagellation" by dropping channels, such as the HBO channels, while also raising prices.   

 

 

You got it wrong, Pib...

They're not flagellating themselves. They're flagellating YOU (if you still have TrueVisions) and the other remaining TrueVisions customers.  I guess some folks enjoy being the whipping boy of others.

2 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Anyone know how to put this information about there being two levels of cleaning in Thai? I have a hunch that my AC is still putting out air that's polluted by something. It kind of makes sense that there could be some bad junk still in the back of the unit. 

A year or so ago I had to have them come service it because it was dripping water down the wall. The second time they came to try and fix it they discovered the water drainage pipe that goes to the drain on my veranda was plugged. (They did finally manage to fix that.) I now wonder if that water didn't somehow get into the wall behind the unit and create mold. Or something. 

Thus far the lady in the office of my building has been great every time I've requested the maintenance guys come clean/fix my AC. (And, there's been no charge. In my last building it was ฿500 a pop.) If I'm to ask them yet again for a more thorough job this time, I'd like to be able to print something in Thai that explains the rationale for such a request.

I can't help directly with your question, because my Thai wife does all the talking with our regular air con guy, who basically speaks no English. But one of the things I regularly ask him to do, with the regular cleanings, is to use a spray on the air con surfaces that will kill mold/bacteria, etc. Once my wife got that idea across to the air con guy, he seemed to carry in his repertoire some kind of liquid spray that he thinks will fit that purpose. What is it and does it really help, unfortunately, I have no idea. Such is life here dealing with tradesmen.

In the past few months, with a now 5 or so year old air con unit in our master bedroom, I had a very similar problem. We'd be sleeping at night, and all of a sudden, dribbles of water would suddenly start and then stop after a few seconds falling from the air con unit above our heads down onto our heads and pillows on the bed. It got to be kind of a nightly occurrence after we went to bed and turned on the air con unit above the head of our bed.

At first, I also thought it was a plugged or obstructed drain line. The air con guy wanted to do his so-called full service. But before going that route, I had him do a regular service and specifically flush the drain line, which in fact stopped the nightime leakage. But then in later weeks, the air con began like spraying tiny drops of liquid out onto our bed at night. So at that point, I broke down and called him back for the 2000b full service. And, fortunately, in the wake of that, haven't had any further problems with our master bedroom air con.