pwm

I was not aware of the change to the RRV conditions, so thanks very much @dbrenn and @KamnanTfor drawing my attention to that information!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation, although my wife's initial partner visa (with its 5 year travel/return entitlement) lasts until 2018, so I have not yet had to go through the RRV process. Annoying and frustrating that they've reduced this to 1 year, but having been warned, I guess I'll be doing that every year after 2018 until we return to Australia permanently. Possibly even enough of a change to make me consider returning sooner than I had planned, in order for her to gain citizenship and finally be done with this nonsense...

There's never been a rule requiring you to live in Australia for 2 years to get a partner visa. Perhaps you're confused about the process for that visa to transition from provisional to permanent status (which is about 2 years, but does not require you to reside in the country)?

In fact, apart from the need to visit the country to activate the visa within the first year after it being granted, there's no hard requirement to live in Australia at all. After 5 years of being a partner visa being granted (and every 5 years after that), your spouse would however need to apply for a resident return visa if she has not obtained citizenship and wishes to leave and return to Australia.

So in short, yes - you can and probably should apply for a partner visa; it'll cost more and take longer, but once done it's largely hassle free for the type of visits you've described.

I drove from Bangkok to Sangkha (1, 2, 24) on Wednesday last week, and apart from a bit of a puddle on 24 in Buriram, there were absolutely no flood problems. After that, I drove back and forth from Muang Surin and Sangkha on 2077 several times, and made a trip to the Chong Chom market (2077, 24, 2283 and 214) and back on Saturday. No problem with flooding anywhere, although bits of 2283 are pretty potholed as usual. On the trip back from Sangkha to Bangkok on Sunday, there was still a puddle in Buriram, but it was no longer covering the road - dry all the way.

While I can't speak for the other end of 214, or for 224, I suspect your girlfriend has the same exaggerated view of the extent of flooding in Korat/Buriram/Surin as the Thai TV news; you'll be fine.

ADD: Is there anywhere where one can purchase Beer Lao in Surin...in bulk?

To the absolute best of my knowledge, no, and I've tried pretty hard.

I've just been through this, trying to buy a quantity of Beer Lao (both tamada and dark) anywhere in Thailand, for my recent wedding in rural Surin (see the other thread). A visit to the "official" distributor in Nong Khai revealed that he doesn't sell it retail any more, and suggested we try one of the bars in Khao San Road. While in Nong Khai, we schlepped across the border and managed to get back with a pack (24 cans, not bottles, unfortunately) per person, making a bit of a mockery of the 1l customs rule. Price we got in Laos was 500THB/pack (duty free).

A trip to the place in Khao San Road (forget the name) revealed that they wanted 90THB per small bottle, so I decided against that. I've seen it for sale at 46THB/small bottle in Tops in Bangkok, but they had limited quantities, and were less than interested in ordering more. Checked many Makro stores in various parts of the country, but always came up blank.

The only other place I've found it recently was at a great new Laos-style restaurant in Bangkok on Ratchapruek Road near the intersection with Boromratchachonnani Road, and they were willing to sell it for 60THB/small bottle, but again, didn't have quantities on hand. They were prepared to add our order to their own for their next delivery, but the timing didn't work for us and we didn't pursue it.

I'm in the same boat as many others here - I love the beer, and would be very happy to find a reliable supplier.

I know that I can be a cynic, but I'm happy that I kept my cynicism confined to the news article on this one. Though I stand by my statment of potentially looking miserable doing a jig down the street in 35 degree heat....I hate dancing.

And your comments were entirely accurate, which is why I didn't bother responding. It was quite hot (although the foreigners were largely Aussies and can handle it), and given the precise time of arrival at the house, and large number of people (not to mention two elephants) in the kan mak procession, they had to stop several times and sweat it out, while attempting to appear happy about it! Encouraging them to dance was about as much as I was able to do - forcing them to put on a smile at the same time might have provoked a rebellion.

In any case, after an hour dancing in the sun, they all felt much better when they were able to negotiate an exchange of refreshing beverages for their banana/sugar cane and a shady spot once at the house.

Fortunately, the hot dancing part was all over and done with fairly early, with the rest of the celebration and party going on under shade or indoors.

1) Many foreigners in Thailand are actually deranged (some like to put on a dog and pony show for the locals).

You think celebrating a wedding is a "dog and pony show for the locals"? I suspect you're nearly alone with that idea (although maybe not in the weird world of TV), and from the sound of it, your wife/partner doesn't agree with you either.

2) She looks much prettier in that photo, your hair needs to be changed though!

Is it fair to interpret this comment as "I apologise for doubting that you are the groom referred to in this thread"? Otherwise, I'm not interested in your opinions of my wife's (or my) appearance. You've expressed enough opinions on this thread alone to ensure they're given sufficient weighting in my mind.

But then, if it is the gentlemen in question, have to extend some kudos for having some <deleted> to coming around and participating within this [expected] harsh and cynical inter-exchange.

It does not take <deleted> to post on a web forum to anonymous armchair heroes, just patience. Similarly, it takes no courage and little to no aptitude whatsoever to post cynical fantasies or outlandish conspiracy theories in the first place.

Why does the happy event of a wedding bring out such fear & loathing on this web forum? [don't answer that]

Uhmm,seems that the computer business is aging their employees quickly as the groom was 5 years younger only a year ago.

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3334952

Also din't know that microsoft was a Canadian company.

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__2625139

PWM,which bridge was that you were living under?

If you'd been paying attention, you'd have noticed that I've already commented on the many factual errors in the published articles, specifically mentioning the ages of myself and my wife! Similarly, if you'd bothered to read the thread, you'd have noticed that others have also confirmed there's no significant Microsoft presence in Phuket, which should have led you to the conclusion that perhaps that part of the reporting was also inaccurate. I'm surprised it's taken so long for someone such as yourself to discover that I do not in fact work for Microsoft at all, as the evidence was readily available, but it's also quite likely that others detected the fact and didn't automatically develop their own conspiracy theories.

I have no idea if you're being deliberately dense, or just didn't bother to read before writing, but your assumption that I'd respond to a thread such as this if it wasn't my own wedding being described is deranged.

In the interests of shutting up those who doubt that I am the person described in the press, I've attached a photo of a proof of my wedding invitation. I'm sure those of you desperate enough can dream up a way in which I might have faked or obtained such a thing, but I'm fairly confident such irrational theories don't pass Occham's razor, and I won't be responding to them.

I won't be holding my breath waiting for the contrition.

1) If we all thought the same woman was attractive, 1 would be busy, the others would be lonely.

2) Compared her favourably to an elephant, so a back-handed compliment.

No further comments on the insufficient expression of matrimonial bliss (in your opinion)? In any case, I accept your contorted apology for insulting my wife.

4) Most Thai women under the age of 45 have 'moved forward', and are faily happy with PDAs.

I disagree with you regarding Thai women and PDAs. As in any society, there are forces at work in Thailand that evolve and weaken traditional taboos, however there are many who retain their respect for their family and cultural ties and traditions, and do not simply become different people because they are exposed to alternatives. I, for one, cherish the modesty and demureness of the Thai women I know, all of whom are uncomfortable with anything more than holding hands in public (and for all the Thai couples I know, even that is too much).

(learn Thai and you will understand more about the culture both past and present, and increase your chances of a successful marriage)

Given you didn't notice that it plainly says I'm Australian in the linked article, I think you should probably take your own advice on learning Thai before you make incorrect assumptions about my language skills. It's actually quite interesting that your previous comments on this thread include those of your own wife/partner, apparently expressing a positive view of my function, while yours are almost exclusively critical or negative. Perhaps you're not the right person to be providing marriage guidance?

To be completely serious.

Considering the amount of money you spent on her 'big day', she didn't look all that happy.

Personally, I would have been disappointed.

In prior comments, you've stated that you think my wife is unattractive, compared her to an elephant, somehow decided I'm American, and expressed with confidence that Thai women are comfortable with public displays of affection. Given that you have no idea how much money was spent on our "big day", and that this would have no bearing on the happiness of anyone with some substance, I'm quite comfortable dismissing your opinion of her degree of happiness based upon a 3.5 minute video of a day-long event.

I think that people who believe that money should buy happiness are often disappointed.

If you think that giving large sums of money to the wife's family will "prove your ties" to the Thai authorities - you're living in cloud cuckoo land....

I don't blame you though for deciding its better not to sully yourself by 'putting the record straight' .

I think you need to adjust your spectacles - there are two subjects being discussed: the accuracy of the article, and the question of whether sinsot was returned to the groom. I've explained why I won't be answering the latter, and correcting the various factual errors in the article would not sully me in any way, but similarly confers no benefit. I am presently content with the amount of information about my private life which has become public, and have no desire to refine it to the point where it may become useful to someone with malicious intent.

Contrary to your own view, participating in civil and social customs and activities is appreciated in most cultures, and Thailand is no different in that respect. People who have some appreciation for the way in which "networking" (to use the Western expression) operates in Thailand can easily grasp that a wedding is an ideal venue for enriching ones' circle of contacts. Without trying to big-note myself, I'm more than satisfied with the outcome of my function in that respect.

So....what became of the 10 mil?

That's a question I won't be answering. Given that the whole purpose of sinsot these days is the gain in face for the bride's family, it'd be rather counter-productive (not to mention tactless) to discuss it afterwards, wouldn't you agree? Let's just say that whether it was given back or not wouldn't have a material impact on my own affairs, and it's nobody else's business.

So this is your chance to put the record straight on the errors in the article.

I have no reason nor desire to put the record straight, but I can say that it is highly inaccurate. Despite that, I'm quite happy with it as a harmless and happy story that I can keep for posterity. Who knows, it might even come in handy one day if I need to "prove my ties" to the community or anything similar.

I've been trying to decide if it was worth responding to the mostly cynical and negative opinion posted here, and came to the conclusion that the entertainment value is probably sufficient to do so. Yes, I am the groom in the related news stories (the fact they were made public wasn't expected or desired, although having a front-page newspaper story as a memento is nice).

A word of advice: don't believe everything you read in the newspaper (or on the Internet). Those of you who are intelligent enough to figure out there's no Microsoft development office in Phuket are probably also smart enough to take the rest of the "facts" in the published story with a huge dose of salt - even our respective ages aren't reported accurately!

As for the rest of you who have alternated between criticism of my wife's age, appearance, their assessment of my family's joy at our celebration, and cynical assumptions regarding money and the cultural tradition of sinsot; I think you're probably revealing more about yourselves than you imagine - certainly you're far less qualified to judge my own situation than I am.

I'm very happy to have finally married this wonderful woman, and been able to celebrate in fine style with both families in an elaborate traditional style. For those of you who care about such things, doing this in rural Thailand has cost far less than it would in Australia (or most developed countries), and provided my friends and family with a very special occasion to remember. For the cynics who seem to dominate the TV forums, think what you like - I'm glad I don't live in your world.

PS: I must confess I don't understand the OP's title - perhaps it's a colloquialism I'm not familiar with?

Blasphemy is a victimless crime

It shouldn't be a crime at all; God is a bit above and beyond human insults (and apparently above your grubby imaginings).

I agree it shouldn't be a crime. Not sure why you found it necessary to resort to a personal attack? Your belief in a supernatural being doesn't make it true.

Ghosts, Karma and other supernatural "things" are common in Thailand. (Up to this very day.)

This procedure does not stop at the banking (business) level but goes much higher.

This happens in the year 2011. But: Eighter one accepts this as a farang and finds a certain humor in it, or he lives in the wrong country. TIT !

It does in the rest of the world too, just the supernatural things are usually referred to as God, Jesus, Allah, etc., and then for some reason people think they're less supernatural...

Blasphemy is a victimless crime

Linux is GPLed, is it?, still not sure what this means for commercial software development on Linux and linking against system libraries. Didn't find any info on that, but I guess it can be done because there are closed-source applications available on Linux - just wonder why it's not a problem...

For what it's worth, the main reason why this is "not a problem" is because libraries are often licensed under the LGPL (Lesser GPL, previously known as the Library GPL). Basically, provided the closed source application is linking against libraries licensed with the LGPL (or other licenses which permit equivalent terms), the library's license does not "infect" the new software.

You're quite right that if it were not for this alternative licensing arrangement, closed source software would be just about impossible to develop or distribute for a platform employing the GPL (given that such fundamental elements such as the standard C library or equivalent are near-as-dammit mandatory for most software).

Interestingly, the usual suspects continue to strive to make all software free (as in freedom). My personal view is that this ideology is flawed for much the same reasons as its economic predecessor, and that if it were not for the good grace of multiple private and public institutions subsidising the effort, it would have less of a purchase than it does today. That's not to say that it does not have a place - it clearly does, however by the same token, I strongly believe other licensing models should and will persist.

Regards,

Pat.

For what it's worth, the village technique I've observed is to put the live fish in a plastic bucket, then throw in a couple of handfuls of salt, quickly put the lid on the bucket and "swirl" around a bit until they stop moving. This definitely kills them within seconds without "deforming" the fish in any way (meaning they still look good if they're going to be barbequeued or steamed whole), but I'm not so sure about the level of suffering experienced by the victim...

Very nice !

I like the details... Soffits, nice roof work,cupola, foundation work & more.... Nice

I am guessing with the cupola you have high/open beam style ceilings?

Would love to see a floor plan if you have one handy.

Thanks for the compliments. The details did work out nicely - mostly my fiance's ideas (typical, the woman's touch - my input was mostly about things like roof structure welding, electrical and plumbing ). I'm surprised you could make out the soffits from that picture!

Not open beam, just regular suspended ceilings, but they're quite high; I was determined to ensure I wouldn't feel at risk of decapitation from ceiling fans, the way I would with a regular village ceiling height (for the places that actually have ceilings), and it also really helps with keeping things cool. The ceilings are also not uniformly "flat"; each room has an elongated octagonal raised section within its ceiling area.

In hindsight, the appearance of the void through to the cupola just doesn't do it for me. I'd considered reworking it into something more pleasing, but stopped because I feared the extra complexity might stretch my builder's capability. Having said all that, the natural light from above creates a very pleasing effect inside and definitely eliminates the need to use any artificial lights during the daytime or afternoon in the main living area, so I guess I'm happy overall.

Sorry, don't have a floorplan handy, the drawings etc. are all upcountry. My gal found the original conceptual drawing in a book of such things from a regular book shop in Bangkok. The builder's draftsmen produced the construction drawings based on that plus our own modifications. Will grab a copy and post when I remember.

Thanks for getting us back to house pictures. Will you be living there too?

Only when I go to visit (few days every couple of months), although one of the bedrooms is nominally for myself and my fiance. The place is in Surin (about 30km North from Sangkha) and I live in Bangkok.

The construction went very well, I have to say - I would have recommended the builder to others, but unfortunately he succumbed to liver disease just before Songkran and passed away . Given the Thai propensity to superstition about such things, we're "lucky" my better half and her family had told him to stop work prior. Apparently, if he'd died while actually working on the job, it could have attached some bad juju to the building and nobody would have been able to live in it...

Anyway, it's a basic mostly Thai-style design, with just a couple of changes submitted by yours truly (high ceilings, in particular), but I'm pretty pleased with the result, as are the future in-laws. The fact that it's remained tolerably cool inside through April without aircon is a bonus.

Regards,

Pat.

My fiance's parents new house. Wall/gate still being completed, then plenty of landscaping to do, but the house itself is now liveable.

3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, open living room and kitchen (western style).

Basic idea is the house is for privacy and strictly close family only. Current house (shack) for Thai-style cooking and general hanging around is behind.

Regards,

Pat.

good news on import however, i talked to a very nice, helpful girl in Thai customs and now know how to use their web site.

the code for solar cells is 8541.40 so look it up as in the pic below and select ASEAN as the origin and you will see it is exempted from import duty. still have to pay VAT and handling fees but that should come to less than 30% i think

Didn't go and look at the web site myself, but China is not part of ASEAN.

Regards,

Pat.

Naam, the link is both here http://kilk.com/pond/

i am quite impressed by his planning as well as the execution of the work! however i detected some unexplainable "discrepancies":

-liner for pond and filter 65 sqf? judging from the picture the surface area is ~350 sqf and taking the different levels into consideration i estimate a minimum of 500 sqf liner material, filter not included.

FWIW, he gives the pond liner dimensions as 30' x 34' (1020sqf). I think you're looking at his materials list, and I think the .65 figure he quotes there must be $0.65/sqf (which works out somewhere close, anyway).

Of course, I could just be making an ass out of you and me, as they say...

--

Regards,

Pat.

You know what? Maybe it's the red wine speaking, but I'm feeling a little homesick right now. I'm 37 and miss some farang conversation. Any lonely farang fellas stay in spitting distance of German Tawandaeng?

In the code, there is this snippet (note, that the content after the semi-colon is a comment made by the programmer to remind him of what this line of code does.)

‘yrloc=[1400,findgen(19)*5.+1904]

‘valadj=[0.,0.,0.,0.,0.,-0.1,-0.25,-0.3,0.,-0.1,0.3,0.8,1.2,1.7,2.5,2.6,2.6,2.6,2.6,2.6]*0.75 ; fudge factor

The programmer, by his own admission, has included a "fudge factor" to deliberately distort the data to fit his pre-arranged agenda.

There's plenty more of this stuff, proving that an important gang of international scientists, in cahoots with parts of the political establishment, has been inventing, bending, distorting, manipulating, hiding, blocking, and destroying scientific data for the sake of advancing a narrow, extremist political viewpoint.

And anybody who bothered to do even a 5 second Google for the reference above would also discover that the "fudge factor" is not used by the code (the part which actually might apply the variable is not active). Who's distorting the truth to advance a viewpoint here? It's also interesting to note that despite the wrongs of the individuals at the CRU, their results are aligned studies produced by other, completely unaffiliated bodies.

The underlying point here is that science is all about doubt and the refinement of understanding. Those requesting "facts" should return to their bibles - science will never provide you with the guarantees you require.

Whilst I wouldn't normally be bothered to post, there's a hope deep within me that nobody actually takes anything written on a random-access forum like this too seriously, and certainly not without doing further independent investigation. Like with the ongoing promotion of the "Global Warming Swindle" video on TV - ten minutes reading on Wikipedia and other sites would uncover the fact that this notoriously biased production has been discredited to the satisfaction of most thinking people.

It's a sad truth that the "democratisation" of the media brought on partly by the rise of the internet really does encourage people to reduce their exposure to contrary points of view and cling to herds of like-minded individuals. I wish it were different and that people used the medium to engage in logical, rational debate and promote consensus, rather than promulgate more and more extremist views...

Enough from me,

Pat.

Who will be the first to be able to translate this into laymen terms? Could you explain this to a Thai (now it is Thai related)?

"Two individuals proceeded towards the apex of a natural geologic protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was unspecified. One member of the team precipitously descended, sustaining severe damage to the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure; Subsequently the second member of the team performed a self rotational translation oriented in the same direction taken by the first team member."

In plain English what does this translate to?

Obviously, Jack and Jill...