sysardman

The US just put into effect the same thing September 8.

The cost of visas for Thailand seems to haven risen steadily every year too - greedy governments!!!!

Maybe she has a job in one of the beer bars at Santitham Plaza.

Lots of female students serving beer until 1am every day.

Thanks again for taking time to reply, quite a mixed bag of answers too. The beer-bar job could explain the late nights but still leaves the early mornings in question. My main concern is that she may be doing all these hours due to peer pressure. I know she mentioned in the first few days that they had the 'newbies' cleaning classrooms and toilets which I think is not unreasonable for learning a bit of humility. I would just like to know how long these strange rituals last and when normal hours are resumed. She has now been attending CMU for nearly a month and has not had a day off (7 days a week - 16 hours+ a day), in my view that is a sure route to 'burn-out'. If it is due to peer pressure then what are the consequences of saying no! will she become an outcast from 'the team'?, would her grades suffer? I should mention that I am not her natural father so I'm fearful of too much dabbling and direct confrontation but I still feel some anxiety until she returns safely each night.

If she's a freshman, she will be expected to spend hours each day at 'cheering' activities... i.e. student initiation ceremonies. Most of these are comparatively harmless, and I've never seen any publicity which suggests that dangerous kinds of hazing go on at CMU.

I work at CMU and as mentioned above if she is a freshman there are a lot of activities going on. Saw a couple hundred passing by my office today wearing white & purple and hear the 'cheering' activities also. This will end soon enough and her hours should be back to normal. Though a bit uncertain about why that late at night.

I also do a couple of days per week at CMU and the new students are always doing something and have wondered when they will study, but leaving the other night at 1930 hours, the newbies were still out and about doing many activities.

Is is like team building exercises?? and why do they were those signs around their necks??

Many thanks for all replies, the mother did try to explain somethings about the freshman ceremonies but a lot was lost in translation. Having been to university in the UK where the hours are loosely based around the 9am-4pm norm, I just find it hard to grasp the concept of spending 16 hours a day cheering and team building etc. I think I will have to be patient and see if the hours do settle down into a more acceptable routine.

My Thai girlfriend's daughter just started at CMU and I'm concerned about the long hours she is having to attend. She starts at 6am and doesn't arrive home until well after 10pm, one night during the curfew she was kept there till 1am!!!. I've tried finding out the reason but not being fluent in Thai I am left confused by their explanations. I know the daughter is not the rebellious, hang out with bad types sort of girl and my only concern is her safety. Does anybody have an insight into what goes on at CMU and is there a legitimate reason for being there for 16 hours plus. Grateful if anybody can shed any light and put my mind at ease, being farang I didn't want to start having to stir things up with the staff without having some idea of what happens at Thai universities.

<br />I cannot but laugh at people who have so little lifes experience that they think they can send their passport to someone to have it renewed for them....Basic knowledge friend, do some more world travelling and learning. "Going to send my passport to my parents to renew it for them." Where were you educated??<br />

I think he was educated in a lot better place than you were mate - so where's the problem???

He can fill out the application form on the internet (which I have done before). They will send the completed application to his parents, they forward that to him to sign and return with passport, they send it to Passport Office and then send it back to him when processed. The only main problem is the time taken for all this which is not ideal if you are travelling around. He will also have to use recorded/signed for deliveries which adds to the expense, but my point is that it is possible and still works out cheaper than having it done in Bangkok.

The security guard fell asleep. How typical

He could have been Hipponotised

<br />Excellent posts 12drinkmore,and totally correct.<br />I would like to add that if the proper training had been recieved,an out of air situation would never occur ! (unless equipment failure)which is very rare).<br />If you are starting a dive with 250/300 bar in your bottle,you should be heading to the surface with 70/100 bar still left in the bottle at the end of the dive.<br />golden rule..plan your dive..dive your plan.<br />When I did my training years ago,we spent a day in a flooded dry dock(20 metres deep) practising "out of air ascents" 1 breath of air from bottom to top,2 safety divers right next to us in training,it took more than 1 go to get the feel of it.<br />I did run out of air once before whilst doing a deco stop at 10m,fortunatlely I didnt get bent.<br />Safe diving everyone <img src="style_emoticons/default/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /><br /><br />Froggs<br /><br /><br /><br />

You will find that the standard fill pressure for recreational diving is 200 bar (3500 psi) and the recommended return to surface pressure is 50 bar (unless you are diving beyond 30 metres). I just wanted to point this out because having tanks filled to 250/300 bar can introduce safety issues, returning to the surface on 70/100 bar is just very conservative.

<br />Where is the imm. office in Phuket? Need to get an extension for a tourist visa. Any issues about this there?<br />

Immigration office at the bottom end of Phuket Road (Nr Phuket Bay). Best idea is visit a tourist information office and get the free tourist map as it is marked on there (if you do not know your way around Phuket).

<br />I am having intermittent problems with Paypal and ebay. I can access most of ebay ok, but sometimes cannot get to certain screens (eg send a message to support)<br />In paypal i get the login screen up, but then the connection freezes and eventually times out. Maxnet indy connection, same problem on all 3 computers in the house.<br />Have noticed that when it hangs up TCPView shows quite a few connections from the browser to mx-ll-58.147.1-171.tttmaxnet.com:http which is a ttt server. Don't know why i should have connections to it. Nothing else running, happens in IE, Oper and firefox, so not broweser related.<br /><br />Anyone any iideas? <br /><br />

Hi I had the same thing, I think PayPal servers get really busy, you might find certain times of the day you can get through. I tried early mornings and worked OK

<br />Hi<br /><br />For some reason my laptop will not pick up any wireless networks in Range.<br /><br />I do know a setting has been changed on my laptop my a friend, but he cannot remember what he changed ( basically he was trying to get my bluetooth to work )<br /><br />Any advise how to get my wireless working again?<br /><br />Tx<br />

Hi this is just a thought as you do not describe exactly what is happening but if you can get access to an internet machine, try downloading network stumbler (I think it is at www.netstumbler.com). This will tell you if your wireless device is recognised and what APs it can see and their signal strength. If your wireless device is not working go to Control Panel - System - Hardware - Device Manager - Network Adapters, can you see your network card, if not try re-installing drivers. If your card is there and is not working try right clicking on adapter and choose uninstall from menu then reboot and Windows (assuming you are using Windows) will go through the 'found new hardware' routine and you can re-install your drivers. Hope that helps

<br />HI<br />Try this one<br /><a href="http://www.islandtechnology.com/" target="_blank">http://www.islandtechnology.com/</a><br /><br />

Hi thanks for reply but I couldn't possibly use them after checking their website and seeing that they actively support ageism, all their job vacancies specify 25-35 years old (illegal in UK - immoral anywhere else).

Hi folks, anyone recommend some software stores in Phuket, so far haven't found any like they have in Tuk.com Pattaya

^I would say we've been hired to help the students, and it's best to teach in a way that helps the students.

If the students plan to take formal grammar tests for university entrance, El Kango is probably right to eliminate extra, exceptional concepts that will simply confuse them (and probably reduce test scores). For advanced students, wider ranging things are better.

I doubt that El K ever comes into class and starts a lesson "....would like a coffee" is INCORRECT!

Most likely he simply never uses the phrase in that level of class.

I would find it odd and possibly incompetent if a teacher of lower-level students were spending a lot of time on such unhelpful minutiae.

Thanks Steven (or is it Stephen?)

I never once said that I teach the phrase in question as being incorrect English. I simply don't wish to complicate the already very complicated matters for EFL students. Therefore, I do not teach idiomatic phrases. I'd sooner see my students get the "basics" VERY correct before they launch headlong into the variations of English across the globe.

I'd just like to say that the expression 'Would you like a coffee' is used by millions of British people every day and I would bet that while I am writing this somebody is saying it now. I say it every day myself, the cup is implied in the sentence as I assume my guest is not expecting the coffee in a bucket or some other container. Whether it fits in with EFL I don't know but rest assured if you go to the UK and ask for 'a coffee' you will get a 'cup of coffee'.

as we're discussing prepositions could an American tell me if this is correct:

I like sucking on a fag when it's between my lips and in my mouth. Would you Americans do the same?

A fag in UK is a prefects "Gophor Boy".

Ya wanna suck on him? .........PMPL

The term fag as a "Gopher Boy" died out with Charles Dickens, I can assure you that the term fag is a common term for a cigarette in the UK.

Hi, can anybody tell me if I still have to do border runs on a 12 month non-immigrant 'o' visa or can I have my passport stamped at the immigration office. I am living in Phuket. Many thanks for any replies.

Hi, I'm sorry if I'm going over old ground but my passport is rapidly filling with Cambodia visa stickers and stamps (2 pages every visa run). Are there any other nearby countries that just stamp you in and out on the same page??? I am based in Pattaya but will be moving down to Phuket.