dekestone

You might start with BEC tero. They are probably the biggest concert promoters in Bangkok.  http://www.bectero.com/index.php?lang=en

Good luck.

I've bought Marine bands in Music Collection. They're located in several different shopping malls: Central Lad Prao, Paragon, Esplanade, etc.

http://www.music.co.th/  

The guitar store in Coco walk near the Rachathewi BTS station has four or five rooms you can rent. They're equipped with guitars, amps, bass and drums and you can rent keys for extra. The gear is pretty beat up tho. I suggest you bring your own guitar. The amps are fine for practicing. I think it's about 200 - 250 baht an hour.

Did my 90 day report at Big C Lad Phrao today and it was much different than the last time I was there in Feb. Last time I got there around 10:15, got queue no. 8 and was out of there by 10:40.

Today I arrived at about the same time but got no. 281! Turns out window A for 'others' (non ASEAN) was closed and everyone had to get processed at windows B 7-9. Also, the LCD screens were not showing the queue numbers; instead the guy at the door would, every twenty minutes or so, call people up in groups of ten. Actually they were very efficient considering the situation. I was one of the last people to get through before they shut down for lunch, around 12:15.

Just wondering if this is a one off or a change in policy. Has anyone else been there recently and experienced this?

It's still more convenient for me than going to Chaeng Wattana, but if this is the new normal I will definitely arrive much earlier.

This is excellent! What's his name? How did he know the national anthem? 

Guess I spoke too soon. As of today Soi Ari looks the same but they've cleared out all the stalls under the BTS station on Phaholyothin.

No change in Ari at all, or the market on Soi Ari 1or even across Phaholyothin from the BTS station to the the old Villa near Soi 8. I agree, the stalls are convenient and not too intrusive like the mess on Sukhumvit or Siam Square. 

You can go to the one stop center a few days before your termination date shown on a letter from your employer. They will post date the cancellation of your extension to that date. Then you have time to do your extension based upon retirement prior to that date.

Thanks ubonjoe. That'll work fine.

I am working in Bangkok, will resign on June 30th and plan to retire in Thailand after that. I was told by immigration that I must cancel my work permit before applying for an extension based on retirement (all my other documents were in order, including a letter from my employer stating I was finishing work on 30 JUne).). I currently am on Non B extension.

Will cancelling my WP automatically cancel my extension as well? I'm told I have to cancel my WP at Chamchuri Sq. Does this mean I would have to cancel it in the morning and then make my way to CW on the same day to apply for the retirement extension? Has anybody actually done this?

Some say you can get 7 days grace period. Others say, no, you have to apply for a 7-day extension. If so, can that be done at Chamchuri? And can I apply for an extension based on retirement during those 7 days?

Any first-hand accounts of people who have done this in Bangkok would be most useful. (I will definitely post my experience when it is all over.)

Thanks Thaidream. I'll be applying first time for a retirement 'visa' next month and this helps a lot.

Proof of Address was house registration and wife's ID card as she the owner. Could also use a rental agreement or some items with your name on it that was mailed to that address- electric/water bill.

Thanks for the report. Glad to hear it went smooth. What did you provide as proof of address last time?

What's the latest on when the northern bus station is moving out of Bang Sue? I've got a good view of the whole construction area from my office tower and they seem to be making good progress with several new rail lines going in different directions, but right smack in the middle of everything is that bus station. Seems like they're going to have to move it soon or have to delay some work.

Was Kate Winslet in it? Sounds like "Little Children".

yes it was kate winslet

"Little Children" for sure. Well worth seeing (not a chick flick). The children in the title turn out to be most of the adults in this 'perfect' little suburb.

Look familiar? (Little Children)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwJyKpopqoA

Was Kate Winslet in it? Sounds like "Little Children".

The rinks in Thailand are so tiny you will get dizzy going in circles. They also aren't cold enough and the ice is slushy. Fall down and you are sure to get your clothes wet. Not the same experience as back home. Still fun for the kids, though.

Not sure about outside of Bangkok but the rinks at Imperial World Bang Na and Central Rama 9 are full size. (They regularly have hockey games at Rama 9.) The ice is not resurfaced as much as it should be but it certainly isn't slushy at either of those places.

BMA has announced today that finally S4 on the Silom line and N6 on the Sukhumvit line will be built in 2016. S4 first then N6.

These two stations were always planned to be built around 10 years after the line first opened.

Good news! These were listed as 'Future stations' on the very first maps of the BTS, and I was beginning to think they'd never get built. On the original map N6 looks like it'll be at the end of my soi so it'll save me the ten minute walk to Ari. (But reduce business for the tuk-tuk and moto guys at Ari.)

Ohh Gosh,

I just get all pins and needles when The Nation covers who gets invites and who gets snubbed for the 4th of july bash! It's such a glittering extravaganza, full of hi so folks, and rubbing elbows with Very Important People..

Sadly I stopped attending when they upped the 10 B beers but hey, I always had fun.

This is the party hosted by the US embassy, not the American Chamber of Commerce ID4 picnic.

One of the most god awful songs in the recorded annals of human history. So much so that it's earned its way into my personal arsenal of subtle cues to my colleagues. When one sends a proposal or suggestion that is cheesy or just unspeakingly bad I reply with this link -- and then they know.

Absolutely! What always got me was the guitar solo. He plays it once, then plays it a second time exactly note for note. Did he think we didn't hear it the first time?

Once the season starts Fox Sports on True Vision will show a game nearly every morning. Problem is they're almost always Yankee games. If you're not a Yankee fan you're better off with mlb.com.

possibly the best thread in the entire history of mankind.

sorry i don't have anything to add as the places i know have already gotten their due (been to saxophone anyone? ). just a thanks for this thread, it's a keeper.

ummm one question i suppose - and I'm definitely reluctant to ask it - anyone aware of any jazz places with open mic nights where audience members may have a few moments of glory? (i play percussion).

You could sit in at the Sunday jazz jam at Check Inn 99. Every Sunday between 2:30 and 6:00. It's an open jam and everyone's welcome.

We should also add Wolff's on soi 11 (next to Apoteka) to the list. Live music 3 or 4 nights a week, some of the same musicians who used to play at the now defunct Niu's on Silom, i.e., Jerry Byrd and Dan Phillips.

I grew up in Chicago in the 60s and was a huge White Sox fan, unlike most of my friends who were Cub fans. Loved Minnie and also Luis Aparicio.

Is it possible to buy a hand held 35mm slide viewer anywhere in Bangkok? I just need something cheap and basic so I can go through my hundreds of slides and select which ones I'll have scanned.