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On 7/21/2016 at 0:40 AM, smokie36 said:

Hanoi....yes I cheated...beat me with a feather duster.

Why oh why  can someone tell me please  why  people posting replies/comments like this? ? is this sign of senility/dementia setting in? so that I'd know when I start making comments like this it's time for me to check into an assisted-living facility.....

For those who haven't been to Hanoi - or VN for that matter - generously speaking it's one tenth the size of HCM City, and the latter had yet to open its first 7-11 the last time I went there in 2013. Good news is that that would happen in the next couple of years, I sincerely hope so, for its own good.

[According to the local press TUOI TRE NEWS :

The very first 7‑Eleven store will be inaugurated in Vietnam between April 2017 and April 2018 as the world’s largest convenience retailer handed over the control of the franchising activities to a local entity on Wednesday.]

Big C and Tesco/Lotus had already shown up there but with a marked reduction in scale and operation, ie one single branch each. The malls? The Diamond Plaza the premier mall in HCMC, again circa 2013, is a joke compared to the antiquated "The Mall" in my BKK working class neighborhood.

This is not a put down, just stating a fact to contrast with the inane comment aforementioned.

Then, you have to make up your own little language note book and write down the sound of the spoken words you hear spoken in Thai language and write down the "sound" of the word or words in a manner such that later on you can read the word and be saying it correctly with the rising or falling tone and other little Thai language nuances that will trip you up if you do not say it clearly or precisely as there are many Thai words that have to be said correctly or the Thai people will be confused by your incorrect spoken word and your foreigner accent that confuses them all the more.

Not making like I am an expert by any means but 90 Percent of the Foreigners that I have met, over the 28 years here, that went to Thai language lessons basically wanted to give up on learning the language and or struggled a whole lot learning the language while the language lesson were too much, all at once and learned from the Thai language books in that manner.

Cheers

Excellent if not Best advice so far (this thread shoud be moved to the thai langguage forum for more appropriate context. Complaining about your language teacher is different from complaining about your neighbor, dentist, boss, etc.)

Anyway back to the subject at hand. Yes, the Sound. A few examples:

In English we have only b and p. Thai has many variations including b(h)- and p(h)-.

ch, sh and to a certain extent j in thai are a jambalaya mixture of all c,s and h/j. That's why the Thais can not pronounce "check": let me check always comes out as let me shake.

and the deadliest of all sounds are their combined vowels (2 or 3 or more god help us.) Just to be able to hear and distinguish "tired" from "butter" is already a monumental task to me, let alone pronounce them. Right next down the list are the final consonants the vowels often are wedded to. Try to hear the difference when it's a final n or a final ng.

Then there are the 5 deadly sins, I mean tones (with or without the sound-shifting tone markers).

This is where if you have an operatic singing background that would help tremendously,

I'm at the stage of making my little encyclopedic notebook of sounds. Actually the local folks are warming up to me when I say something they understand, tada, conversation is possible! The trick is you got to speak first and make sure they listen (as opposed to ignoring your farang face.) Warning: they are real lousy at trying to guess what you mean if you mix up your sound (which you do 95 percent of the time.)

The next big problem is that now they think I'm one of them immediately let forth a barrage of words mostly still foreign to me. All I can do is smile and do a mixture of nodding and shaking my head at the same time. God forbid if I utter a word of English, then BANG!!! that's the sound of the language barrier slamming down and I just got kicked out of the fortress...

Regarding language schools, either you've got a terrific private tutor that is worth every thousand baht you spent or signup for the language boot camp which is the chulalongkorn uni thai language program that make sure you live and breathe thai to really expect any progress. For those who don't have the budget for the former or the stamina for the latter there's really only one choice: your neighborhood soi!

(For some it means Soi Cowboy unfortunately )

part memory/part dream state... sounds like Phayao w/some REM influences...

And thanks all for your weighing in - that was great fun!

Interesting. I did not know that US embassies/consulates would forward mail to Manila. I originally sent my application back to Baltimore -- where it's been lost for almost six months now -- because I didn't feel too comfortable relying on the Philippine mail system. Though I've since sent mail to Manila and it's arrived on schedule.

They don't mail it. They forward by email or fax.

Got the first call from Manila after faxing it to the embassy in about 10 days.

Form Pib posted is almost identical to the one I filled out.

The only thing I got by mail (sent at a Philippine post office) from Manila was a written confirmation of what was discussed in the interview. There was small error in my mailing address that I corrected by an email to Manila.

In my case I did not get anything written post-interview from Manila. I guess things have changed during the 4 years interim...Matter of fact, I sent an email inquiry this week and got a reply this morning that my application has been "receipted" by SSA Baltimore on the date that it was supposed to be. I am now wondering about when and if I will get a claim number as my application now is a bona fide claim albeit "pending." That number is required when you want to check the status of your claim on ssa website.

I decided to call Manila again since my call via DTAC was not that clear...so I added some international credit to my home U.S. phone number I have here in Bangkok (a VOIP type number) and called again...much cleared this time.

Talked to a different rep this time. In fact I got a rep who based on an email from them a few months ago when I asked a few questions would be "my case worker" based on my social security number. Anyway, she said I could apply both ways but really I should pick just one.

Initially she was ready to schedule my telephone phone interview (she thought I was ready to apply for benefits today) and I can submit the forms directly to them over the coming days. She also said I did not have to submit the forms back through the U.S. Embassy Bangkok; instead, I could email them direct to the SSO in the U.S. Embassy Manila.

I declined setting up the interview as it's still a little too early based on when I want to start the benefits. I will submit the forms in early September and probably even give them a call a few days later to confirm that got the forms and schedule an interview although I'm sure they would get the forms and call me to schedule the interview.

Yes, as of now, I've decided I will go the Manila route to signup since they are easy to contact and they sure seem nice when talking them on the phone.

Make sure you do it within the 3 months window prior to your birthday. As mentioned in OP, I sent mine in a bit early (4 months prior) and thus ensued the correspondence about reminding SSA Manila on the day my 3 months window begun. Also like I said my interview was conducted rather abruptly, without any prior notice and at 8:01 in the morning! The time between them receiving my application to the time I got called for interview was 10 days more or less. btw I sent my application to Manila via regular Thai post WITH tracking and it was equally expedient. I remember it was 95 baht instead of 650 via EMS. Hope this helps.

It's been quite a while, a couple of months I think. I should have bookmarked the page, but it was late at night, usually the time my right brain gone to sleep and the left brain taking over.

If no one could suggest of another lakeside setup, then I guess I just have to focus on Phayao and make the most of it. I don't see any other lake of any considerable size in that part of the country.

btw, villagefarang - love your pics of dams and reservoirs.

In a small town in Northern Thailand, there's a lake with a string of hotels bordering one side of the lake (the other side is another town supposedly equally pittoresque).The lakefront promenade is the main draw of the region, one review even described it as having a western vibe - which makes me think of a mini version of Lake Leman or Como.

There is one hotel that commands the best view of the lake. One single price for all the rooms however, so if you're lucky there will be a front room (looking out to the lake) available, if not they will put you in one of the rooms in the back, where you'll spend your entire stay seething with envy against those lucky ones staying in the front rooms. Advanced booking is therefore highly recommended.

I was surfing on booking.com looking around from Chiang Rai to Phrae - and I was too sleepy to make note of this particular hotel when I stumbled upon it. I looked high and low again tonight but simply couldn't re-discover it.

Does anyone has a clue? I looked hard in Phayao (which has a lake) but I didn't find it there.

If you have a pending claim, I suppose you'll have a claim number. I had a pending application not a claim, so I called the number for non-claim inquiries. Answered by a live person on the second ring, unlike the main number where you listen to an interminable recording, then get put in a half-hour queue.before you can speak to anyone (who will then do her best to find a reason to tell you she can't help you).

Now 3 months down the road I just called the non-claim number 410-965-2356, after several rings got an automated female voice responder citing all the options (what your last 2 digits etc.) but finally for the non-claim calls it asked to leave your call back number and someone will get back to you in 1 to 2 business days thereoff. I called past midnight bkk time so maybe the live person is out to lunch (I don't know where 410 area code is in the states?)

The various cinemas at Siam Paragon are probably a good bet but, frankly, Star Trek Beyond is a disappointment (and I'm normally a fan).

Yeah, I was looking around for the best seat in the house and then I listened to my favorite film week review of the week and heard one critic said she got bored during the action scenes (simply they jam in too many action scenes to fill in the hole where a plot shoud be).

[Which reminds me a bit of dialogue in a Norman Mailer adaptation movie which I forgot the title]

(Isabella Rossellini playing the) Wife: "Sex with you is boring nowadays..."

Husband: "But I made you come five times last night!"

Wife: "And none of them was good."

There you go. Oh well I think I go back to the top floor of the mall if I want to watch this Star Trek, but I don't think so.

I'll save the best seat for the next Fury Road.

Thanks for all the tips and links guys, really appreciated it

"Many Thai Muslims from the restive South often visit Songkhla Zoo each year during the Islamic holiday, to spend time with their loved ones." Not terribly well worded. Infers their loved ones are in the zoo. Proof reading articles before submitting can fix these errors.

The wording also reminds me of a wonderful little known book about syntax construction (of the English language). Full of little gems such as

"- the national flag is then slowly hoisted to the top of the flagpole, along with (their domestic equivalent of) Kate Perry singing the national anthem..."

Too bad I can't remember the name of the book, probably out of print eons ago.

I usually go see movies (not that often, but when big ones come out) at my local mall's top floor.

However the new Star Trek being 2.5 hrs long I think I better find something more plush and treat myself to a wonderful viewing. I'm going to see it solo so no need to get love-seating, also my vision (senior wearing glasses) is limited to 2D and regular (non-Imax) screen. Basically I just want some posh movie palace experience for this movie which has a very good action director (Justin Lin of the Fast and Furious kind) at the helm; plus Simon Pegg, my fave british guy beside being in the movie, also has a hand in shaping the script (I think he's making himself indispensable to the franchise - good career move!)

So what's your recommendation? Thank you much in advance and wish you all a nice day.

"Autumn Leaves" - Mission Hospital grounds, BKK, July 2016.

Lumia 1020

ps - Hey Cabra, thanks for the laughters!!! - ("And we'll remember...the way we were.")

Ideas about this? I like the colours and detail in the HDR image, but it is a pity the early morning low-flying clouds have been made more transparent losing some of their mood ?

Clouds, you gain some and you lose some...You've got to decide which one is more relevant to the mood of the pic.

We sometimes tend to forget. Our imagination is also a very powerful tool...I myself don't want to see every single details and tend to treat negative space with deep reverence.

As you can see, I don't use HDR on my photos;

I don't have the logiciel for that; and to be honest I prefer natural photos than HDR ones ;

with too many effects it's not a photo; sometimes something like a oil painting or I don't know exactly but nor a photo .

And often the shadows are too black .

Unfortunately in our current situation it’s pretty clear that the judge(s) have shown a tendency to favor works that have been heavily processed. If there’s any doubt, take a survey of past winning entries. Individual bias regrettably has been allowed to set a trend for the competition. So let’s brace ourselves for more entries pics of divine statues ( standing or sitting) and floating barges sillouhetting darkly against sunrise/sunset. All under a psychedelic sky.

The OP does have a point. The winning photos, while all stunning and easily appreciated, all have one trait in common; they are all "extreme HDR's". HDR's do create dramatic landscapes, sunsets, and night time shots. Portrait, macro, black and white and other forms of photography cannot compete in the "WOW" factor for which HDR's are known. If the final judge favors the HDR look over other forms of photography, you know will win even before the judging begins.

Same thing could be said for the "likes" if one looks closely.

That's why I don't quite trust them "likes" in the age of HDR's.

(but I do "likes" your post Utley)

Thank you TerryLH and ubonjoe for the re-assurance. So my letter should come anyday now, it's been 3weeks already. Anyway I guess I won't to miss my flight in September, hurray!!!

My birthday is mid September. My first direct deposit happened November 3.

May I ask what month did you get the interview and how long afterwards receive the confirmation letter?

I applied online in July and got the telephone interview in July. I don't remember when I got the letter. But everything happened very fast.

The letter was just to verify what I already had been told on the telephone and required no response..

There was no mention of anything happening through Manila. But there was a mention of Birmingham, AL.

Thank you Issanman very much for the info, that's what I needed to know.

I guess this question should be directed to the two mods of this forum, samuijimmy and Ron19 (please correct me

if I'm wrong.)

A bit of preamble here: I am a long time "genuine contributing Thai Visa Member", however, I only recently set

foot in this forum by wandering a bit "too far south" and discovered to my delight the competition aforementioned. I promptly entered my first pic this month, and excitedly was chomping at the bit to prep my second entry...

For inspiration I browsed the past winner pics, and to my, for lack of a better word, "dismay" noticed that the

winning pics, though well-deserved, are kind of more or less of the same "mold" or shall we say, sport the same "look" even though by different participants. My jaws kind of dropped: How could that be...? Then I stumbled upon the not-so-small "small prints" in the winner announcements indicating that "Over the weekend Laurie McMurtrie CEO of Bizpaye International looked at all the photos and... picked out two winners."

Before going any further I want to be cleared that this post is not a criticism of any kind directing at anyone. My point is, with all due respect to the Bizpaye International CEO (someone whom I do not know), this method of judging reminds me of a children tale somewhere I have read (a long time ago of course) in which a palace held a competition to hire a new royal chef, and they all ended up producing different versions of the same dish, which after diligent research and speculation was aimed to please the palate of one single person, ie the king/queen, whatever. This dawned on me when I found myself going through my modest "portfolio" thinking, "hmmm, lessee if I have anything that looks like last month's - or the month before last - winners. It's got to be this and that..."

No, I can't. I just can't. If this is a math competition, then yes one person can do the judging alone, with or without the help of a calculator, by tallying up the most points of each contestant and ranking the scores. But we are dealing with "Photography and the Arts" here - or some of us would like to think as such - and to peg the merits of the entries pool to just one individual arbiter of taste really is like cookie cuttering the "Arts" in question to death. I would like to suggest a hors-de-competition alternative where we can submit our personal best without having this thought hovering over our head "Now, I really want that 10k baht room at the picturesque Palm Grove Resort in Pattaya." But seriously, where there are a panel of (two to three - a la thumb-up thumb-down "Sickel and Ebert" of time past) judges to deflect the INDIVIDUAL biases.

I know, this is wishful thinking of my part and I can kind of already guess what your response is gonna be. But

maybe I'm not alone in feeling this way...Nevertheless someone's got to say it so I'm gonna step onto the box and open my mouth first.

Respectfully,

My birthday is mid September. My first direct deposit happened November 3.

May I ask what month did you get the interview and how long afterwards receive the confirmation letter?

Last month I posted a report regarding my SSA application interview which was carried out by the kind staff of the SSA-Manila office.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/926336-fresh-report-ssa-benefits-application-interview-with-ssa-manila/?p=10929900

As she was wrapping up the interview, the officer told me that I would receive a confirmation letter from SSA-US in 3 to 4 months hence - basically anytime between the time of the interview mid June and my 62nd birthday this October.

Will it require any response/verification on my part as it will be sent to my address here in Thailand? I forgot to ask. I am planning a trip back to the states this summer and fervently hope mine would come much sooner than the time estimate so that I'll have it in my hot hands before I take off for the trip. I already bought the plane ticket to go mid September (it was a super-low fare therefore non changeable deal) so this is gonna be a calculated risk!

I figure if I haven't received the confirmation letter by then, I would sit out the trip and wait. But that would mean my favorite state-bound jumbo double-decked Airbus 800 would take off without me, bummer!

Is it crucial that I would need to have the letter in my possession just in case nothing happens in November (when the first deposit is supposed to occur) ? Would like to hear from those who have gone down this road before...It would help me a lot!

Thank you in advance and wish you a nice day

Thanks folks - sorry about my belated response - for the very useful info (SSA link and all). As it turns out, what the SSA lady told me was appropriate, mainly that my first deposit will occur beginning November. What she and I seemed to disagree on was that which month would that deposit be coming from. In practical terms, it doesn't matter. I would get my first SSA payment on schedule whether it would be for either month. And that's what counts.

Again thanks for weighing in.

"Only Clouds (know how I feel)" - Leaving Ko Phiphi, June 2016.

Lumia 1020, P/S with flash off.

A question here about completing the TM8.doc application for a re-entry permit regards departure and return dates.

I will be going to LadPrao Immigration Center to make the application for a single re-entry permit.

Is LadPrao Immig Center now handling the re-entry permit application as well? That's 'new' news to me

I was there just last week for my 90 day report and did not see any eye-catching sign as such

A re-entry permit cannot be applied for at Lad Prao unless you are migrant worker. It seems that was missed when the post was done.

The only place you can apply in Bangkok is at Chaeng Wattana immigration. You can do an appointment online for a re-entry permit there. See: https://extranet.immigration.go.th/qrepsonline/online/queue/REPSAction.do?cmd=term

Either airport is the other option in Bangkok.

Thanks ubonjoe for the clarification. I still fantasize about the short "golden" days when Ladprao Immig handled everything! and the officers there were so overwhelmed they did not have an ounce of energy left to harass or torment us...

A question here about completing the TM8.doc application for a re-entry permit regards departure and return dates.

I will be going to LadPrao Immigration Center to make the application for a single re-entry permit.

Is LadPrao Immig Center now handling the re-entry permit application as well? That's 'new' news to me

I was there just last week for my 90 day report and did not see any eye-catching sign as such

Caveat: this is of interest only to US expats in the vincinity of retirement age.

My 62nd birthday will come mid October this year. 've been living in BKK since 2014. At the end of last month (May) after much research mostly on thaivisa I sent by registered mail my prelimary Social Security application questionnaire to SSA - Manila. Tracking the post I knew that my mail had arrived in Manila the following week. At this time I left town for a 2-week vacation - celebratory inauguration of the beginning of the end (ie. retirement:-). Not bringing the tracking number with me I was unable to ascertain that my package had been signed and delivered to the Manila office while I was island hopping and doing the hula. However I checked my email every day, expecting to hear from SSA Manila any time now...

Well... nothing. Or rather, not until the last day on the island that I finally got an email from a (I should say "my") SSA rep from that office. He informed me that my form had arrived, however he wouldn't be able to input it in the system until mid July, it has to be exactly 3 months prior to my 62nd birthday that the system ("computer") would accept my data. So my responsibility was to reply to his email on this exact date, only then could he start working on my application. Best regards, etc. Very proper and polite. All well and good.

However, the next day, back on terra firma ie. BKK, at 8:01 am, my phone rang. It was a lady officer at the SSA Manila office asking me whether she could conduct an interview with me regarding my SSA application. Pleasantly "shocked" I told her about the email I received the day before from her colleague. She said yes, she was helping him out by doing the interview on his behalf. I consented to be interviewed. She proceeded to go down the list, with a few questions here ("is your exwife still alive?" "Is ---- your bank? Saving account? etc) and there: regarding some spots in my work history that wasn't clear which I was able to explain satisfactorily. She gave a recap my work history in time (how many years) and in total earning (which comes at a shock, too much and too little at the same time). She also gave an estimate of much my benefits would be per month (I had to draw this info out from her.)

Finally she informed me that in 3 or 4 months (the amount of time left leading to my 62nd birthday) I will receive a letter of confirmation from SSA-US with the exact figure and the first deposit to my bank account would happen at the beginning of November of this year. This is interesting. I asked why not October but November? She said that you only get the benefits starting with the first month during which you are 62 for the FULL month. I said that I had read elsewhere (read my lips - "thaivisa") that applicants normally start receiving the benefits the month in which they reach the age of 62. She explained that only if you are born on the first few days of that month, otherwise you won't be full 62 until the following month.And that's the written laws, you can read it on the SSA website.

Who am I to disagree with the US laws, right? so I didn't voice any objection. Regarding the original email from my case worker, she said I would only need to contact him if I have any further questions. So that was it. I was surprised at both the suddenness of the interview (I thought that they would make an appointment with you first) and the abruptness of the procedure (no copying, notarizing of documents that I had expected they would require.) Nevertheless, I am still wondering whether I should inform my original case worker, the one that sent me the email, that my interview has been concluded by his lady colleague? Just in case.

Thank you ubonjoe and Pib for the helpful info and the link. I really appreciated it!