recom273

i agree, after the first year everything is a formality. Especially if you can afford to keep the 400K in the bank. There was a post in out local Khon Kaen fb group yesterday, the whole application took 37 mins from the time he walked in the door. I guess a lot depends upon the local office. I have done so many now, the IO doesn’t ask questions and I sit in silence. It’s just a formality, I don’t begrudge the morning and previous afternoon, it’s just 8 hours out of the year.

But the thing was, I stopped, just like I would have done in the UK, both parties stop and sort out the problem. The police were already there controlling the traffic at the junction so I had no choice to involve them. I don’t know how 3 ambulances got to the site so quickly, then two or three bikes of family. I tried to pull the policeman to one side and say, look this isn’t a problem, just tell them to leave but they thought I was trying to pay my way out. The police would not control the situation, even when the sons were in my face shouting at me. The situation escalated so quickly and the family started demanding money. The bike was old, and all scratched up, I probably caused a scratched bar end and broken mirror. In the end I presented all my documents, the policeman had my license in his pocket along with the woman’s ID. I then noticed there was no tax disc on the bike, I asked to see the woman’s license and mandatory insurance, suddenly everyone looked at the ground. I had 500B in my pocket, I offered it for a new mirror and the polceman advised her to take it and everyone go there own way. Im Just saying, you learn through experience and I would consider bolting if I was ever to be involved in another accident, not because of irresponsibly but for personal safety.

I had an accident once (whilst riding a bike) would probably go as far to say I caused it, but the other bike wasn’t paying attention to the road, it’s probably something that happens to you a hundred times a day and you just avoid it, but this woman dropped her bike. The police were on the scene within seconds, I put my hands up and said, I will make things right - the woman’s family turned up and started needlessly shouting and pointing and getting in my face, the police did nothing but to try and extort cash from me on behalf of the woman, three ambulances showed up for a tiny cut. Things got so out of control and I worried for my safety. After the experience I made a decision that should anything happen like this in the future, I perhaps wouldn’t behave like I would in the UK, that I wouldn't immediately stop and admit liability but would possibly assess the situation and maybe flee. I’m not trying to be the guy that says “I wouldn’t stop at an accident” but the whole thing was a mess, it really demonstrated how things can go wrong here within a short time.

I clicked this because I have seen some interesting items on Temu and a little confused about shipping, etc. so not just jumping upon your post. I ordered one item from Decathalon online, which I returned and exchanged for a different size. There was some issue because i needed to complete a Google form or something, the guy who called a couple of times and sorted out my mess was amazing, quite honestly the best customer helpline experience I have had in Thailand. When I first spoke to the guy I didn’t believe he was Thai because of his accent and his sensible manner. I don’t have cause to buy from Decathalon, but I’m surprised by your comment.

What channel would they be on? .. tbh, the whole system is redundant, tv shows used to air on certain days on a weekly basis, nowadays they are all released to the cloud on the same day (mostly) if those channels are free then they you can just watch them in your web browser, if you want to keep a copy in your computer hdd, I can tell you how.

Oh yeah, that doesn’t stop for the first two series. Series 3 is quite different, more of a plot away from the sex scenes.

Currently watching S03 of Industry I remember that is wasn’t given the best reviews, but I binged on the first two series.

Can that run on windows 95?

If you go to vk.com - it’s a Russian Facebook, you can find lots of resources, like pirated / scanned text books along with teachers books and audio. If you search “esl” there will be groups with material - piracy is rife on the site as there is no enforcement in Russia. It’s all well and good suggesting sites that have worksheets, etc. but they often lack content and pitched a little low. If it’s young adults I liked BBC / Pearson speakout - i like a bit of continuity that a structured textbook brings - a well planned course builds upon acquired knowledge. I have cringed at many textbooks given to me in Thailand but I think the book I mentioned, which is available on vk, is pretty relevant and not too difficult for the students. If you want other resources I just googled “bbc esl” and there were lots of online resources.

Yes, sorry autocorrect. Yes, I often get pairs in the garden at times of the year. officially the rarest bird to be seen in the UK, I was told.

@faraday that’s a shame, it looked good and got some good reviews. I binged on a Swedish mini series, evil (6 episodes over two nights) - from Walter Presents at the weekend. It made an interesting change, quite tense at times. https://entertainment-focus.com/2024/06/24/walter-presents-is-bringing-evil-to-c4-streaming-in-august/

@Foxx I think the tree shrew looks like a contender - probably not a moonrat. @KhunLA Having seen otters before, when I looked up, it was the first thing I thought of, but there is something missing in the way it moved, otters have a similar way to ferrets, polecats, etc. in that they flex. @Gottfrid it could be, what is the picture of? It could also be a form of civet or mongoose, there is an Asian mongoose, but it looks rare. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions, they all look possible contenders, I guess we will never know. I find it really exciting to live here, there is always something, like a nice sized python crossing the road, a hoopee, which I love to see, or the white squirrels I see every day.

I was sitting in the garden this morning and saw a large rodent run and pause in front of me. I didn’t have a phone with me but I will try and describe what I saw, maybe a nature expert can help. I live in a village about 20km outside Khon Kaen. The animal 100% was not a rat, it had an elongated body, it also had a thicker and darker tail than a rat. From the glimpse I had, it had more of a vole or shrew like snout. It didn’t move like a rat. The legs were longer than a rat. The coat was the colour of a UK wild rabbit or a coypu, not a solid colour like you would see on a stoat or weasel, the body wasn’t long enough to be either of those and it didn’t move in the “slinky” way that a stoat or Weasel would. I had a brief Google, rodents of Thailand, came back with a possibility - a crab eating mongoose? I have never seen a mongoose other than on TV, but I would say it looks like the closest to what I saw this morning. Does anyone have any ideas? (And it wasn’t a squirrel either)

I have passed on the first hand report from the poster above to my friend who is had the issues.

Then delete the post. I have passed on the answer from a person who used the office two days prior without an issue. We know everything is possible in Thailand, maybe a misunderstanding on the part of the IO, maybe laziness as the IO told a person under the age of 50 to get a retirement visa, and offered a service to achieve it.

Yes, it might have been the equivalent of 1000B per month, which I hear is quite reasonable - the thing is he’s got the dough in the bank, it’s a total stitch-up. @Rob Browder Yeah, mad isn’t it? maybe he left it too late in the afternoon. The IO didn’t even read the application to understand that the guy wasn’t even 50, his wife didn’t tell him about the offer of the service until on the way home. I’m not too sure what he can do, I don’t think he would go back and square up to the IO and insist. Prolly just go back with the statement, which I believe has to be ordered in advance, idk.

OK - will pass on the info. Thanks. @DrJack54 honestly, not a misunderstanding. He’s been had over by HH in the past, when he moved from the Deep South, they refused to do the extension on a visa that had already been extended at another office and he had a choice of leaving the country to get another visa or drop some coin. @mokwit Exactly - the IO refused his non-o based on marriage application due to not having a 12 month statement and suggested a special retirement visa, no funds needed. So basically the IO probably didn’t read the application, just tossed it back and suggested the retirement, even tho the guy isn’t 50. The guy doesn’t really participate in forums, he’s straight up, him and his wife aren’t too aware of procedure, no cause to lie to me on a casual conversation.

News from a good friend today, he went in to extend his Non-O 12m - I think his 3 or 4th in HH. After driving up from Bang Saphan, he was told he needed to produce a 12 month statement - he only had 6 months, idk why, I only need to produce two. Whilst he packed up his documents, the IO suggested to his wife, that for a sum it’s possible to get a retirement visa - it may have been suggested that there would be no paperwork, just a stamp. Strange really, my buddy isn’t 50 yet. Has anyone else had a similar experience at that office? ets- he is on a extension based upon marriage.

Idk - have you looked at spuds uploads on tpb, he often caps shows from the Australian channel, SBS. i had it kicking around on a HDD for a while. I watched another Dutch / Belgian series Red Light recently, that shared the same actors as micro mafia Currently enjoying the first season of The Mosquito Coast, from Apple TV.

So you made definite statement upon something that you know nothing about .. I have worked for them since the first months of the company. Since China introduced the policy on after school / online classes they have been trying to get into different countries with little or no success. There is no threat to English teachers as you stated, I’m unsure what the threat would even be. Chinese parents are fanatical about learning, some have bought big lesson packages and push their kids to study 2-3 times a week, for years. I have had some students for more than five years now. The combination of school and online classes really works, some kids develop great accents, and they can express themselves well. I have had a few Thai kids book classes and the experience is very different, the parents will chop and change teachers and time slots, the parents make no effort to communicate, the kids will often get up and wander off to get something to show the teacher, their focus is often very limited. They come for a short time buying a small lesson packages. So, imho, no there is no threat to traditional teaching in Thailand by a Chinese online company. Maybe Thai parents don’t have the budget to spend, but more that the concept of online learning isn’t taken seriously here. There is an “editorial” in the paper that cannot be linked, if you want to read more about the company.

How do you figure this? Palfish have had an office here for 2-3 years, they advertise on Facebook and have an insignificant number of Thai students - the parents are happy to send their kids to Philippino teachers who get paid 80B per hour.

Sorry, just woke up, meant pre-exposure. Thanks for the other post regarding prices, so you share the opinion that to avoid expensive treatment after a bite, then a pre exposure is a good measure? The usual forum answer is, no need, just get a jab if infected. When I taught in Hat Yai, a guy got bitten whilst riding a bike and the cost was reasonable. When the guy got bitten on Samui, he seemed to be paying a lot, a newly arrived teacher, no insurance, no money, no backup, I had to bail him out.

You never know where you will get bitten, the vaccine is not necessary, however, I worked with some guys who got bitten whilst riding a bike. One, a new arrival to the country, was on Samui and he too got rinsed at a private hospital, as you have pointed out.

Plenty of designs if you have a 3D printer. Yes, you are probably correct, I have been researching and some DIY ones are 5mm mdf, some plywood. I dont think I would hang my whole workshop on one, just light stuff - the alternative tile system I picked up was plastic, held to the wall with 4 screws. I could see it bowing out under pressure. There is a metal tile but had square holes and if I was to cover 3m it would be costly. https://www.printables.com/model/676187-plywood-pegboard Here is a home made one, with his collection of peg designs.

@wimpy I dont know why I didn’t think of this before .. Make my own, draw up a grid, there is an American standard for the spacing, there are even downloadable jigs for the holes. A nice piece of mdf can be found and I’m away.