sambai

I have carried out a further test and proved that another TOT user has this issue too. As you can see from this log, the router's link went down at 16:24:24 on 20th May, and then again at 16:24:32 on 21st May...

5/20/2010 16:24:24> SNMP TRAP 2: link down

5/20/2010 16:24:28> ppp_ready: ch:80507c8c, iface:80454a9c

5/20/2010 16:24:28> SNMP TRAP 3: link up

5/20/2010 16:24:28> Accept() fail

5/20/2010 16:24:28> Accept() fail

5/21/2010 16:24:32> SNMP TRAP 2: link down

5/21/2010 16:24:37> ppp_ready: ch:80507c8c, iface:80454a9c

5/21/2010 16:24:37> SNMP TRAP 3: link up

5/21/2010 16:24:37> Accept() fail

5/21/2010 16:24:37> Accept() fail

I have just been reading technical information about leases on IP addresses, at this page...

http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_DHCPLease...llocationRe.htm

... it says "Renewal: After a certain portion of the lease time has expired, the client will attempt to contact the server that initially granted the lease, to renew the lease so it can keep using its IP address."

So clearly, when a lease expires, it is usual practice to keep the IP address. Not so with TOT, it seems.

Check for settings in your modem and/or router that deal with "client lease" time which determines how long the same IP is maintained before another one is selected. But even with a 1 hour, 24 hour, or longer "lease" time setting you shouldn't lose your connection while a new IP address is being provided.

Well, you're correct in referring to the client lease time, in that it is a DHCP matter, but my router (routers) are not responsible for setting that parameter. Yes, I do have it set to "always on" - I am certain it is TOT causing this to happen.

Let me explain slightly better, because you mention about a possible problem with a computer. Basically this is a problem with the ADSL which happens when I have no computers connected at all - just the router powered on. I sometimes leave the router for many days when I am not at home, with no other equipment connected.

When I subsequently return back home and look at my router's logs, it will have renewed its lease and got a new IP at exactly the same time every day (almost to the second). What is happening is that TOT drops the line when the lease expires instead of keeping it up. I know that in networking terms, when a DHCP lease expires, it is not normal to issue a new IP address. Instead the same IP address is renewed and the lease extended for the next period. That I believe is the norm, certainly the way my own systems have operated.

I ran my Netgear DG834 router in UK before moving to this country - I kept the same IP address for weeks on end. I've got the same router here and it works ok. I also use a TOT-provided router, made my Billion. I have in the past few days started using their free router, just to see if this is better. The settings are very straightforward - there's very little to get wrong. I do however get the same sympton (lease expires every day and disconnects) in the same way irrespective of which router I use.

I believe this happens with everyone's domestic TOT connection, though I do not know if other ISPs do this and my feeling is that they do it because they do not want anyone to have the same IP address for a long period. This would be too useful, wouldn't it! ;-)

Out of interest, can you confirm if your connection changes IP address every 24 hours? Thanks for your help.

I am with TOT and every day at precisely the same time, I lose my Internet connection while it gets a new IP address.

This is an annoying problem because it can interrupt something I'm doing (Internet banking, VOIP telephone call, downloading a large file).

I believe from speaking with a friend on "True" Internet that he has the same problem, but I am not certain without looking at it.

Conversely, my friend's Internet connection with Eclipse Internet in UK has been up for a whole month (in fact it very rarely ever goes down). I know because I'm looking at his router's page now. It has been on the same PPP connection for 30 days.

Why does Thai Internet have to close the connection and get a new IP address every 24 hours? If I re-start my router for example at 23:00 hrs, it will lose it's IP address and get a new one at 23:00 hrs the following day. Why?

Here is my log...

5/21/2010 9:3:45> SNMP TRAP 2: link down

5/21/2010 9:3:47> ppp_ready: ch:8047d950, iface:803cc500

5/21/2010 9:3:47> SNMP TRAP 3: link up

5/21/2010 9:3:47> Accept() fail

5/21/2010 9:3:47> Accept() fail

Is there a way of stopping this from happening? I presume it's some senseless reason, right? Why does Thai Internet give us the very least we need, without anything that might be the slightest bit useful to us, such as a fixed IP address. Am I being unreasonable in expecting this?

Does anyone know where I can buy original CDs, either in Bangkok or close by? I don't want to buy street copies, and I know the vendors on Silom Road sometimes have country, but rather a proper selection of contemporary American Country.

Thanks.

These people are from a village and are expecting you to pay them over and above your ability. This shows what they think of you. You're a money source unfortunately, as nice as they might treat you.

Normal middle-class respectable Thai families will display the Sinsot at the ceremony but it will be returned to you and your wife afterwards. It's just for show.

If these village people expect otherwise, then they're scroungers who want a foreigner's money and don't care how they get it.

My advice is don't associate with the village and keep your distance from the family. The village ceremony is an old and uncivilised practice, and in modern terms you're both married already.

These people are preying on your naivety to this situation. This includes your girlfriend because she knows full well that with children already, she doesn’t deserve any Sinsot. The situation here, which you might not be familiar with my friend, is that a girl who has been with another guy before, or worse still has children already, isn’t desirable to anyone in good Thai society.

Thai men will not want to be in a relationship with a woman who’s been married previously (or as in the case of these Isaan folk, just living together).

I had the biggest lesson about Thailand myself after I met a middle-class Bangkok girl who’s from a good family and I’ve learnt more from her and the way Thai society operates, than anything before. Before that I was completely naive about these poor folk in Thailand. They are interested in money only but decent Thai men won’t touch them. That’s why they latch onto foreigners – foreigners don’t care about the girls’ pasts.

I’m sorry for you with your situation, because you love the girl etc. etc. My advice is to keep the relationship going if you want to but don’t marry. The mother sounds like she’s completely ungrateful and very low-class. A visitor to her home should be treated with respect and what you describe is quite frankly an indication that she does not want her daughter to be involved with a foreigner. However, money is paramount in these people’s eyes, irrespective of how they came by it. Therefore, she’s interested solely in your money and nothing else.

If the family want their daughter to be happy and secure, they won’t ask for a Sinsod, given that she has children already.

The situation where a Sinsot is applicable is as follows. A good family bring up their daughter and take care of her. She stays at home with the family and does not get into casual relationships. She does not sleep with any man. When the time comes that a man shows interest in her, marriage is discussed and a Sinsot is agreed.

In your situation, the girl has ruined her chances of securing a Sinsot by having a casual relationship with someone. There is also no guarantee that this girl has finished the relationship with the man. If he’s Thai, he could be living in their village and they have not ended their relationship. This is another thing that the Isaan people do on a regular basis. They are quite happy to have long-distance relationships and for the years to pass by with them being away from each other. During this time they experience casual relationships whilst still regarding themselves as being a couple. This is what they do. I have talked with many of them and I can promise you, it’s totally normal for them. They do not have the same morals as middle-class Thai families. They have other more pressing problems, like surviving.

I hope you see sense my friend and get someone good that you deserve.

I think the OP just wants to get this off his chest, and I can understand that. Thailand is frustrating sometimes and there are lots of things to annoy. I have thought about leaving from time to time, but everywhere has significant downsides. On the whole Thailand is ok for most foreign residents.

Thailand is after all a third-world country and it's still developing. Perhaps we forget that and expect it to function the same as other more sophisticated regions of the globe. It has been developing for a hundred or more years, and it's still a long way behind the developed world. Essentially therefore, the phrase developing country is somewhat of a kind excuse for Thailand.

The Thai people are great most all of the time. I haven't seem racism but just the frustrating aspect that their world encompasses Thailand and little more than that. Their education system lets them down, and it shows. Their language holds them back. Their mentality is not like that of the Western region we're used to. The Thai language and the culture are factors in keeping their "world" very narrow. Their politics are corrupt and probably always will be - the Thai way of not showing anger probably goes some way to prevent the country from righting its wrongs.

I hope the OP has a better time wherever he's going. Personally I think Thailand *was* better about five years ago and then it began to go downhill. It has risked being an embarrassment to the developed parts of the world that regarded it as making progress from its third-world status. Hopefully this will change soon though.

Yes, I have seen a Doctor at Samitivej Sukhumvit, Soi 49. His name is Dr. Cherdpong. You can book an appointment with him on 02-711-8307.

I have simply had hard skin removed, but both times I visited, he explained about using insoles. He's very good apart from trying to sell me the insoles!

Can someone help please with details of how to obtain L-Arginine, often used by bodybuilders but also used as a dietary supplement for medical reasons. It is normally supplied through herbalists and body-builders' suppliers but in Thailand I have found their range to be very limited indeed.

I am also looking for Saw Palmetto, again it just brings "blank" looks, though it is a popular herb supplied elsewhere.

The pharmacy shops I've tried haven't heard of either of these two items! I have also asked a doctor at Samitivej and he said to go to the health shops. This proved to be unsuccessful too.

and I am getting an email from a limousine company and I can only think that Thailand Elite gave out my email to them, so they are no averse to releasing our contact details??

I too have been receiving unwanted spam from Limousine Thailand. My e-mail address is not usually given out - almost entirely Internet banking and Thailand Elite.

I would recommend DTAC. There are some great pay-as-you go deals with them - one is called "1516" and the calls start at 15 satang per minute. DTAC also have a number you can call to access a Thai language translation service. The number is *1021

As the previous poster suggests, 7-Eleven is a good place. Just ask for a DTAC-SIM. Say "DTAC SIM mee arai krab" and they'll hopefully show you the ones they've got.

The DTAC shops in the big shopping centres will help you far more however.

To be honest I do think that a high number of Permanent Residents did join the club.

Can you confirm please, Abrak, if you're saying that you have the offical PR status (Permanent Residency status) with an 'alien book', or just simply that you have been staying in Thailand permanently.

This would help to clarify the situation for me here.

I too have checked the terms and conditions from 2007 and it states...

"Any Member who resides in Thailand for more than 90 days continuously will have their visa endorsed and extended by the local immigration office at a fee of Bt1,900 per extension. The member is thus not required to leave Thailand."

In addition to this, there was marketing information provided, of which I remember the words, but do not have the promotional document in front of me at the moment... "effectively never needing to leave Thailand".

Of course, this is all typical Thai nonsense. The situation is that it is reported in Bangkok Post that some members have violated the terms and conditions. But clearly if those terms and conditions exist (which they certainly appear otherwise), then they are TPC's terms and conditions - not the Immigration department's. So if they violate TPC's terms and conditions, why do TPC state that it's possible to remain in Thailand?

Furthermore, why do TPC allow us to book a visit to the Immigration Department in Bangkok, if by so doing, we are violating the terms.

Well, the answer is simple - Thais don't usually consider things clearly and logically. It's just normal for this country I'm afraid. It sounds as if the inquiry yesterday has revealed that some members remain in Thailand all the time and that they didn't get their facts right - that this isn't allowed under the terms of the card.

I'm sure the facts will come out in the end, and probably nothing will change at all. But in the mean time, Thai Elite members would certainly do well to cooperate together and ensure that we are properly represented.

The more I think about this saga, the more ridiculous Thailand becomes to me. They set up a scheme and promote the visa advantages and the ability to remain in the country. Then the scheme falls down and they say you shoudn't have done that. Only in Thailand eh?

I'm looking for something to rent on a 6-month basis near Phra Athit Road, in the area I believe is called Banglumphu. It is close to Thammasat University, where I want to be. All I've seen is Banglumphoo Place, but it is slightly more basic than I'm looking for. I also need a car parking space.

My budget is around 12,000 to 15,000/month. Any help would be appreciated.

I also totally disagree with another poster's suggestion to give her money...she will take this as a sign that she can be bought and may resent it. Money in the form of meaningful gifts is far more appropriate.

Good luck!

I really really appreciate your reply. I know it's not money she's after. She is the sort of girl who is really particular about manners and appearance.

I accept that I've made a stupid mistake in going to the office. Sadly I seem to have blown my chances. I have now written her a letter and I am planning to have it delivered to her desk tomorrow. Hopefully I might be able to rescue the relationship although I'm worried I might be comitting yet another faux pas by doing so. Do you think this is a good idea?

Thanks again Fore Man.

Does anyone else on in this forum have experience of dating "normal" Thai girls? I have spent the past couple of weeks wining and dining some of them but it's not been too successful. I am 41 years old, still look reasonably young, but I'm beginning to think I'm too old for them.

I don't know quite what happened but a couple of weeks ago I suddenly had several 'dates' to go out with - maybe I was just in the right place at the right time. However, none of them have turned out to have much in the way of warmth or compassion. Contrast this with my previous Isaan girl - there is no comparison.

The best one was a girl I met at the bank. She comes from a fairly rich, educated family and speaks fluent English. She is not in the slightest bit "Thai" in her outlook. She has lived and studied abroad.

I have been dating her for a week and we've had tremendous fun. We went to Sirocco restaurant at the top of State Tower. We had lots of nice days together. Last week she was talking of introducing me to her family. She started speaking about the future and including me in it.

But today she's had a go at me for spelling her name incorrectly in my text messages (I write Thai but this was in English, so my mistake I guess). Yesterday I took some fruit to her office as a romantic gesture. She really didn't like me coming to the office. Now she's suddenly stopped replying to me.

Is this par for the course with normal Thai girls with slightly older foreigners like me? Are they simply not interested? Admittedly this girl is not conventional Thai. She doesn't go to the temple and she doesn't like the "Thai institution". She is 26 years old and slightly old-fashioned in outlook.

Any advice as to how to 'win her' back would be appreciated!!! Feeling pretty sh**ty about it at the moment. I can't understand why my two misdemeanours are so bad.