Andreas84

Does anyone know of a good place in CM to learn/enhance skills in music composition? I am specifically thinking about learning to compose using modern computer software, such as midi programming in cubase, reason or whatever. It does not have to be a course, but in example private lessons with a teacher who is decent in English, have good musical understanding and is also up to date with this kind of computer software. It could be composition of “filmatic” and orchestral music, as well as more modern, groove-oriented music. I have some background in composition already, so I want to learn more about the use of various software, as well as enhancing my understanding of musical theory, rather than something for complete beginners.

Does anyone know if there are courses in creative writing in Chiang Mai? It could be anything from short workshops to courses of long duration. Or groups where people meet a few times a month or so, to give feedback on each others written material (essays, short stories, poetry etc). Maybe there are associations or meetings for (english-speaking) writers in Chiang Mai?

Anything related to this, also in other parts of Thailand, would be interesting for me to know about. I am specifically interested in courses etc related to writing, which are really emphazising true creativity and exploration, rather than a kind of conventional, "conformist" university course :-)

Hi all,

Thanks for useful advice! 

It seems that for me, the best option to begin with is to get a one year Non-O with multi entry. I live in Norway, so Hull could be an option. Could anyone list all the places in Europe where this kind of Visa can be obtained, and the relevant websites? Could someone explain the procedure a little more in detail?

As for getting married and thus obtaining an Non Immigrant type O, one year visa, my girlfriend was hesitant about that. As that would be visible in all public records and thus difficult for her to “hide it” from her family, who would not understand it. Otherwise, that seems to be a good option. I could easily place 40 000 baht in a bankaccount, and I understand that this could suffice. But what are the other requirements to be met, for that kind of visa? I could not really find sufficient information about this on thaivisa.com …

I was also considering a press visa, on the basis that I write for some Norwegian magazines (more or less on a freelance basis). The editor of the magazine which I am writing for the most, could possibly write a letter documenting that I write for them. But from the description on thaivisa.com , it seems it is quite hard to obtain this kind of visa and that they require far more than what I could present.

Hi,

I am planning to stay in Thailand for a period of about 2-7 years. I will not have paid work there, but live off savings. I am 25 years old. I have a girlfriend there, whom I could marry and thus obtain an NON-immigrant visa type O. What kind of visa would be the most appropriate in this situation?

And in general, for people who are staying in Thailand for several years, without working or being retired or fitting into any other category, what kind of visa is appropriate? Is it realistic to stay in Thailand for several years, under these circumstances? I guess there is a limit to how many tourist visas one could have in a row?

Any suggestions and sharing of experiences is highly appreciated!

So, beeing married to a Thai National is itself not good enough reason to get Permanent Residency?

Hi there!, not that I've got it myself, but there is a bit more to it than that! You can read the requirements for yourself at www.immigration.go.th.

For your current situation, as far as you outlined it in your original post, you simply;

1) find a condo you want to buy

2) approach the owner/developer/sales office and possibly enlist the services of a Thai laywer to help with the purchase which will involve documenting the transfer into Thailand of all the money to buy the condo.

3) as long as the whole condo devlopment (all the units) isn't more than 49% foreign-owned, the condo will be under soley your ownership - no residency required.

4) there are no regulations regarding sales of condos, or remitting the funds outside of Thailand, just simple SWIFT transfers - Bangkok Bank is quite good. Whether or not buying and selling a condo is an investment over the four-year time frame that you stipulated is another matter. Depending on where and when you buy and when you sell, this may be a lengthy process, and difficulties may lead to you enlisting the help of an agent, who will charge a commission. There are other far more liquid investments with better returns, as you probably know.

Thanks for informative reply! Yeah, sure it can be a lengthy process of selling and buying a Condo, and it might not even be called an investment in such a short timescale. But my intention was not to buy a condo as an investment, bu to buy the condo for myself to live in it, and thus save money compared with the alternative of renting a condo for a few years..

But if I am not going to have any paid work in Thailand during those few years, is it possible to live there for that much time, more or less continuously, and what kind of visa would be recommended? I might get a NON-immigrant visa type O (Have a girlfriend there whom I could marry to make it easier, and her income should meet the requirement of 40.000 baht a month, whereas I will not have a regular income)

Where did you get the idea you need PR to buy a condo? Permanent residency is not a requirement for most condos. Are you talking about a visa extension?

Heh, good question. I am not talking about a visa extension. Under Residence permit, here on Thaivisa, it said that "A permanent resident can have his/her name included on a house registration document." I think that is where I got this idea from.

So, beeing married to a Thai National is itself not good enough reason to get Permanent Residency?

I am sure these matters have been discussed here many times, but I’d like to post anyway, in case anyone should have some feedback related specifically to my situation:

I am a 25 year old Norwegian citizen, considering to stay in Chiang Mai for at least a few years (arriving sometime next summer), and to buy myself a home there, most likely a condo. I would say I will at least stay there two or three years, but also probably more than five years in a row.

I then realized that to buy real estate, I believe I would need to have a permanent residency, and in order to get that I would perhaps need three consecutive years of approved one year NON-immigrant visas. Right?

I am not looking for work in Thailand, but will do some work for magazines etc in Norway (but it will not give me a basis for a press visa). I figured out that the most relevant category of non-immigrant visa, would be an “O”, meaning I am married to a Thai citizen. I have a girlfriend in Chiang Mai, which is the most important reason for me to get back there, so I guess we could marry if that would make the practicalities easier. (as the other categories do not really fit, as I am not looking for work there, etc) I guess that should I want to buy a condo, before having a permanent residency, the condo could be bought in my girlfriend’s name. I am also uncertain if it is ok to invest in real estate, own it for a few years, then sell it and take the money out of the country, again. Or if there are regulations regarding this….

Any feedback is highly appreciated

Hi,

I bought lots of clothes and books here, so I have to send the clothes and books I brought with me to Thailand back to Norway by mail. If I list the content as “personal belongings – used” it should arrive safely without problems from the Norwegian customs. It will literally be used clothes so I do not know how interested it will be for the customs anyway, heh. However, any Norwegians here who has experience with this?

Is the thai postal service reliable? A guy from Finland said I should not send stuff with any company, as the official thai postal service is much cheaper and still reliable. Any input on that? Do things usually arrive safely? I understand that packages sent from Thailand can not be tracked from Norway. But it can perhaps be tracked from Thailand? Is it significant in this respect whether or not I send the stuff as registered letter? 

Any experience/input about sending by boat vs by plane? I know that if I send a letter as registered letter, it will be delivered and have to be signed, but will this for sure also happen with “big” (5-15 kgs) shipments?

Great if someone has input on these things, or what would be the easiest/best way for me to send my personal belongings. 

Hi,

thanks a lot! I tried to PM you, but got the message "The error returned was:

You cannot send another PM until 2009-08-07 13:28:28"

So, maybe you can PM me? Or I'll try again laterer :-)

Thanks!

Does someone know where to find a good interpreter in Chiang Mai? Should not be too expensive. I would need this if I will record music with some Thai musicians who do not speak English very well. In that case the interpreter would perhaps even need to be present in the recording studio.

I am looking for one (or more) guitarplayers in Chiang Mai, to record a few instrumental songs which I have composed. The songs are kind of “folk”-sounding, based on acoustic (or half-acoustic) guitar, on occasion mixed with electric guitar with clean sound/”jazz” sound. Most of the songs are about 1-2 minutes long. Some features only one guitar, others have three guitars together in certain parts. The technical difficulty of the material is moderate, sometimes leaning towards advanced.

The person(s) recording the material should be able to learn the songs by listening to midi-files of the material in combination with reading the tablature/notation.

I will not pay a lot, but will pay decent by Thai standards. With thai musicians, language COULD become a problem.

Does anyone know someone who could be interested in this? Or perhaps I could contact a music school and find a good guitar teacher, i.e? Any input on good music schools, with teachers who generally speak some amount of English?

I am looking for a lawyer in Chiang Mai who has (at least some) familiarity with the music industry, copyrights, the use of session musicians etc. I will record some music with session musicians in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Poland, and I want to make contracts and ensure my rights to all recorded material. I would like to discuss potential loopholes with a lawyer. It is of course important that the lawyer can speak and write very good English. I also believe I might use this lawyer after leaving the country, and thus communicate by email and phone.

I do not know the price range for this kind of lawyer, but it should not be too expensive. To begin with I will not discuss very complicated matter with this lawyer.

Can anyone recommend a lawyer directly, or a company (in Chiang Mai or Bangkok) who might be able to help me? Great if someone can give recommendations based on personal experience!

I wish to improve my Myspace artist profile, with a good layout and some graphics. Therefore I would like to get in contact with a good Thai webdesigner/graphic designer. (preferably in Chiang Mai, possibly in Bangkok) He (or she) should speak quite good English, and I do not plan to spend more than 3-4 000 baht on this job, as it is not a lot of work involved. If the person is talented and reliable, I might use the person later for a website etc. In that case the person should be familiar with Joomla! Etc…. Does anyone know a person or company I might contact? I know that many companies are quite expensive, with almost western prices!

I am looking for a lawyer in Bangkok who has (at least some) familiarity with the music industry, copyrights, the use of session musicians etc. I will record some music with session musicians in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Poland, and I want to make contracts and ensure my rights to all recorded material. I would like to discuss potential loopholes with a lawyer. It is of course important that the lawyer can speak and write very good English. I also believe I might use this lawyer after leaving the country, and thus communicate by email and phone.

I do not know the price range for this kind of lawyer, but it should not be too expensive. To begin with I will not discuss very complicated matter with this lawyer.

Can anyone recommend a lawyer directly, or a company (in Bangkok or Chiang Mai) who might be able to help me? Great if someone can give recommendations based on personal experience!

I wish to improve my Myspace artist profile, with a good layout and some graphics. Therefore I would like to get in contact with a good Thai webdesigner/graphic designer. (preferably in Bangkok or Chiang Mai) He (or she) should speak quite good English, and I do not plan to spend more than 3-4 000 baht on this job, as it is not a lot of work involved. If the person is talented and reliable, I might use the person later for a website etc. In that case the person should be familiar with Joomla! Etc…. Does anyone know a person or company I might contact? I know that many companies are quite expensive, with almost western prices!

I am going to Laos 2000 tomorrow(21. of June), with the VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani. I was thinking to go back already at the night of the 23th. But that day they only have a normal bus. I would have to wait one more day to get the VIP. So I wonder if anyone know if the normal bus is OK, or whether it is better to wait for the next day. If there is really a claustrophobic feel to the bus, hot like a sauna etc, it is perhaps better to wait. Has anyone tried it? And in either case, do you know if I should buy tickets for the return in advance, or should it not be a problem to buy it just before departure?

And can anyone recommend a good place to stay in Vientiane?

Also, if I understand correctly - from Udon Thani I take a tuk-tuk to the other bus station, and from there a bus to the border. From the border I take a new bus to Vien Tiane. And it should be easy, right?

Highly appreciated if someone can answer this! (Before I leave :-)

You have to contact Punna Development. For address and telephone numbers, look at "More about the apartment".

Ok, thanks!

Look qt this. The owner is a friend.

http://jef1947.over-blog.com/categorie-10701373.html

Looks very good! More expenisve than what I had in mind, but I am interested in having a look.

What is your budget for rent?

I had in mind somewhere around 15 000. At least not more than 20 000 monthly.

I forgot to mention that especially the bathroom and kitchen should be of a western standard.

I am looking for an apartment/condo for myself in Chiang Mai. I am a 24 year old man from Norway. Will stay in Chiang Mai about three months. I am looking for an apartment in a somewhat quiet area, preferably with a good view and with some nature surrounding it - in example close to a park. Fresh air is also great! Yet not TOO far from the city, either. But I am somewhat flexible in that respect. The apartment needs to be more or less fully furnished.

As I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, I need a good working desk and a comfortable chair. I also need a good kitchen, as I like to make food. The apartment needs to be somewhat beautiful - not just looking like everything was done randomly. And the bathroom should not give a claustrophobic feeling. I do not care so much about bathtubs, and rather prefer a good shower (preferably one which does not leave the whole bathroomfloor wet) - or a good combination of shower and bathtub.

The bed should also be comfortable, so that I get good sleep. The size of the apartment should be somewhere around 60-110 m2. One bedroom is sufficient for me, but preferably with a large bed. 

It is also preferable that there is a good gym either in the building complex itself, or in the nearby area. But it is no absolute necessity.

If you think you have something that would interest me, please let me know. Or perhaps someone knows where I can find this kind of apartment? Any good websites, companies etc? Most of the websites I came across does not list much. But I understand that Hillside 4, Riverfront, the Nimmanhaemin area and Huay Kaew Road are among the better areas? Any input on this?

Any feedback appreciated :-)

I am a composer from Norway, currently staying in Thailand. I am looking for technically skilled metal musicians to record some of my songs (probably 5-10 songs). I will of course pay for the work. I am primarily looking for guitarist(s) and bassist. All the music is written in the program Guitar Pro, so I can send tabs and midi-files, or they can learn the music by using the program.

Location for the recording is not decided, but the recording studio has to be decent. I am flexible in moving if I find the right people.

Any input on where to find musicians is highly appreciated.

See my myspace www.myspace.com/aubertmetal 

- the songs "a foretaste of sanity" and "extreme gothenburg" gives a good indication of the technical skill which is needed.

If this sounds interesting, or if you know someone who might be up for it, please contact me, preferably through myspace.

Andreas

I heard that www.wildrosesauna.com is a good place, also in terms of meeting interesting people. Have not yet been there myself, though. They offer yogaclasses and other things too.

Does anyone know a good place in Bangkok to do a checkup for Sexually Transmitted Diseases? They should be able to do an extensive checkup, and speak good english.

Anyone has experience with doing this?