WinnieTheKhwai

This topic most likely violates the defamation rule that we all signed up to. OP includes pretty accurate information to identify the persons involved.

Sorry to dig up this topic, but I got something to add. Garbled Thai characters in MP3 tags happen on other systems as well, not just Windows XP. It's quite common when you obtain mp3's from some (web based) sources that you get a proper file name, but when playing in your MP3 player the artist for example shows up as "¤ÃÔʵԹèÒ ÍÒ¡ÕÅèÒÃ" (I.e. regular Latin high-ascii characters because the mp3 tags don't use the right unicode character encoding).

This is a Python script that fixes this: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tag2utf/ The script does need a mild tweak to use Thai instead of the default Cyrillic. This page explains that very well: http://lj4newbies.blogspot.com/2007/07/con...to-unicode.html (For Linux / Ubuntu, but there's enough information in there to make it a useful starting to find (Google for) a Windows equivalent.

After fixing your files they then show up in proper Thai unicode, so "¤ÃÔʵԹèÒ ÍÒ¡ÕÅèÒÃ" then becomes "คริสติน่า อากีล่าร์"

Heh.. lived in that area for years and never knew it was there... Sounds like a genuine explorer's opportunity!!

150 baht!! Sure he's gay, but that's just par for the course for a hair dresser. The bigger issue is that 150 baht is about double of what it should cost!

150 baht.. that's like a 150 baht beer.. 50 baht noodles.. 60 baht diesel.. 30 baht can of coke.. 10 baht Mama noodles.. a 1.5 million Honda Jazz.. I'm seeing double!!!

The 'Asian' squat keeps the soles of the feet flat on the ground. Non-Asians, (including myself), squat with my heels raised off the floor. If I force my foot flat on the floor, then I fall over backwards because my center of gravity doesn't allow this.

Just shift your center of gravity a bit (move upper torso towards knees). Personally, squatting with my heels raised off the floor I can't do for more than a couple seconds and need to constantly work on keeping balance. Proper style (a.k.a. Asian Style) is much more stable, and much more comfortable.

500K for a Rai is hard (impossible) to find inside the outer ring or along major roads a couple kms outside it. When you get closer towards the surrounding districtds (but not actually inside those of course) you do indeed drop to 300-500K or lower.

The amount of land is a key factor by the way. A smaller plot tends to cost relatively more per sq. wah than when there's 10 rai of the stuff. Unfortunatley it's far too often the case that the land price per rai / sq. wah is cheap, but you're looking at 5-50 rai.

Other factors are:

- accessibility from major roads (or any roads )

- irrigation availability for farming

- incline / flat , etc.

- legal status / papers etc. Chanote or NS3 being best, but it gets murkier below that.

Combine all of the above and you'll realize why the answer to the original question isn't any single number of baht.

Does anyone actually read through that?

No, it'd be a GREAT location!

Yes I like discount. Makes me feel special, and even allows me to add a tip sometimes. But even more than a discount card I appreciate bars that throw a free drink or two my way. I really appreciate that.

Or, with more money. How's the pound doing?

While we're at Pattaya songs, here is a very catchy one. And clean, no less.

http://www.4shared.com/file/38252490/15703...attaya.html?s=1

Okay.. as long as we're writing spec-lists to Santa, let me add "a six figure monthly pay check and huge tits". Any color is fine.

Education visa is super easy to apply for when you study anything. So don't let that weigh into your decision to do it just for the visa! I could sign up for a Yoga course and get a Non Imm education visa!

I am not sure that this is accurate. Study must be at a school recognized by the Ministry of Education if one hopes to get an extension of stay (to the best of my knowledge)

I've done it before. Keep in mind that a non-imm education ('O', for 'Other') doesn't give you super powers.. It's just a 3 month visa that can't easily be extended though you could scrape together an additional month.

It'd almost be worth buying a PM-10 measuring station just to shut up the wackjobs and conspiracists.

agreed,

Racism was the wrong word. I stand corrected.

Racism is not even in the Thai Dictionary

http://translate.google.com/#en|th|racist

Education visa is super easy to apply for when you study anything. So don't let that weigh into your decision to do it just for the visa! I could sign up for a Yoga course and get a Non Imm education visa!

I like tall girls. Don't care about the color though.

On the first point, I think he may be referring to Kad Muang Mai (Talad Muang Mai), the wholesale market on the river, near the US consulate.

I think it's a good place, and cheap, but that area is really hard to park a car.. so for all intends and purposes, any casual market (talad nat) around the outskirts have equally cheap prices. Often it's up country / hilltribe folk coming to selll produce at these markets that are schedule a couple times a week in various places.

The one I visit a lot is walking distance from the gated community where I live, which, as almost any gated community, is a bit 'artificialish' and has lots of foreigners renting there, but the fun thing is that when you walk to that market you instantly teleport into 'The Real Thailand' , with people smiling and elbowing each other to note the big Farang coming to shop.. It's brilliant. And between us, I think that also sums up why Chiang Mai is the place: you have the Western amenities and conveniences, but at the core the genuine local hospitality just surrounds you.

Yeah, they're very similar. Here's a Sabre. Wonder who copied who

They both copied the basic design of a German Jet fightr that was designed around the time WW2 ended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Ta_183

So.. How many fine-dodgers would it take before the police do actually take your keys and demand the fine to be processed right away??? By not paying you're essentially telling them you want to be treated like people in Pattaya. Is that truly the way you want to go for yourself and everyone else?

Go pay the fine!

Had to laugh at calling Huay Nam Rin 'a big tourist village'.

Agreed with RealThaiDeal and others.. Though when it comes to mayo, the Best Food brand is actually the decent one with the least amount of sugar. (though perhaps they make multiple varieties). And it's one of the most expensive. The cheaper brands all are a lot sweeter. Read the label and check for the percentage of sugar in it, you'll notice that the Best Foods mayo has the least sugar in it, and actually tastes like proper mayo.

(You'd have to read Thai to do this.. Sugar is น้ำตาล )

Maybe some Thai might like to inform someone important of the political (dis)advantage of a TV company only broadcasting anti-government propaganda????

You can't be seriously advocating a government clamp-down on the right to free speech? It's in the constitution, even in the current botched one the military & friends cooked up last time round.

And besides, they show ASTV as well. Sounds like fair and balanced programming to me.

That said, I just looked through the channel list and it's pretty dire isn't it.. As much as I dislike Truevisions, it's not like there's any kind of alternative. Especially if you like your live sports... Premier League.. Formula 1.. I could live without all the series and movies, those are easily ...purchased... online.

The readings are completely fine. I think the poster you quote (Larry) is best advised to seek medical attention to check on respiratory complaints.

I basically hand it all over to the Mrs, and keep my own allowance for personal expenses (most of them beer related. )

She's much better with money than I am.. (She actually cares enough about the stuff to keep track, organize & plan.

You're lucky Winnie. I have seen little evidence that money "planning" existed here from those I've been around. Many Thais spend money like kids. As long as there is money in the mobile and a beer and a cigarette covered, not much more matters.

Yes. I think that's because most Thais (%-wise out of the entire population) have known nothing but living hand-to-mouth, never having to 'worry' about what to do with extras, savings, investments, planning for bigger expenses in the future, etc. It's changing fast though, as the middle class gets bigger.

Same here, she is so tight fisted with money it is really pathetic. When I was in the states I gave her total control of the money. Now in Thailand I keep 20K for pocket money and she gets the rest (around 80K). I retain some money because Thailand is a cash based country and I have to spend a lot of money on fuel costs, and I was really getting tired of having to as "momy" for some more of my money!

Oh, asking for more doesn't bother me. Inevitably I end up using some of my allowance on family stuff, or as 'unexpected' expenses, so when I'm out then I just ask for more. It's annoying sometimes because she tracks every single baht in Excel, whereas I don't really remember what I spent it on other than that it's no longer there in my wallet.