josephbloggs

I thought you had an aversion to "Chinese junk"?

That's a service you pay for. If you didn't pay for Apple Care that would not have happened, you'd have been asked to fork out 10k+ for a new screen. You can also buy extended warranties that cover accidental damage with Samsung and other brands. I'm not an Apple hater, I have an iPhone and a Macbook, but posting as though Apple did that out of the goodness of their heart is ridiculous. Having said that I'm not an Apple lover either - love the MBP, don't love my iPhone 14 Pro Max. And they are extremely greedy as a company. BTW the screen stopped working on my Macbook Pro recently. I had purchased Apple Care + (well, my company did) so it was still under coverage. Guess what? It's only going to cost me 3,500 baht to fix it. But wait, I had paid 9,000 baht for Apple Care +, so shouldn't they fix it for free? Nope. Without Apple Care it would have cost 10k for a screen replacement, but because I paid 9k for Apple Care it's "only" going to cost me 3,500 baht. Yeah, great customer focus, great company, who else gives service like that?

I agree with you. I am a Macbook Pro M1 user and I love it (not bought any non-Mac computer for 12 years at least). But I went from Samsung to Apple and bought an iPhone 14 pro max a few months ago. It has been very underwhelming, if I had the choice again I would go Samsung S23 ultra without a doubt. The best thing about it is the battery - it lasts for ages, and it charges very quickly. But operationally? Meh.

I speak 12 languages but I have forgotten most of them.

"She added that she almost fell when the moving walkway suddenly stopped with a jerk." HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!!!

How is that different to any of these? https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/26016683

Woo hoo, another warrior!! Just what we needed as sadly Frits seems to have disappeared - probably busy practising his ninja moves.

I wasn't a Samsung fanboy. I bought one, liked it, and went from S6 to S9 and kept that for a few years. Didn't slag off Apple, didn't try to convert anyone, just liked it for what it was. When the time came for a new phone I looked around, my Apple friends told me the 14 had come a long way, I thought going for a full Apple ecosystem would work for me as I use Macbooks. On spec alone it was a decent decision. Just after living with it for a few months now I find certain things lacking or annoying, and that is the stuff you can't evaluate until you use it for a while. It doesn't make it a bad phone, it just makes it annoying. So please take your childish comments and go elsewhere, I wasn't insulting to anyone, just shared my experience, but it seems it has hit a nerve with you and your iPhone love. Up to you - hey the 15 has a USB-C port!!

After my iPhone 4 I moved to Android and it was an immediate step up. My Samsung S6 (I think) had a better camera, more features, and was just smarter. Anyway after a few iterations this year it was time to upgrade and I went back to Apple with an iPhone 14 ProMax and have had it a few months now. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but I regret not going for an S23 Ultra. The iPhone user experience is just not as good, so many things are inferior to Android - small things, yes, but they add up. If I had the decision again I would go back to Samsung. I am not an Apple hater - I have been using Macbook Airs and Pros for years and couldn't imagine using any other kind of laptop. But the iPhone? Meh. I honestly can't understand fanboys, if I need a new phone I'll evaluate what is on the market and make a decision. I can't imagine automatically going for a brand just because..........because it's that brand, it's not a smart way to shop. And shouting about a USB-C port?? Wow.

Much further than the existing lounge as you would have to walk back from concourse G, walk half way down the length of concourse D then get the train to concourse S (the new one). I am assuming Emirates have built a lounge in the new concourse if that's where they will be flying from - I couldn't see them subjecting their premium passengers to such a long walk.

Yes indeed. Luckily I didn't consider it, just walked straight out and literally across the road to the Subaru dealer.

Off topic, but many years ago I wanted to buy a Subaru Impreza WRX or a Mitsubishi EVO VII. The Subaru I could buy officially but no STi version through official channels. A well known importer on Petchaburi offered the full bore EVO VII from Japan for a similar price, but disassembled into parts and reassembled. They only offered a one week warranty. So even if their rebuild was sloppy you were screwed. I bought the Subaru.

The OP hasn't posted since the first page. Was it just a troll post? Or is he embarrassed after reading the replies? Or maybe he's busy shouting at clouds...

I just bit the bullet, bent over, pulled down my pants, and booked Bangkok Airways. As it's only a four day visit I decided it was worth it to get the extra beach time. But I did look in to all the suggestions, so thanks, I would definitely do the AirAsia thing in future if I have more time, and definitely definitely if I am flying with the family as it would make a big difference. Cheers.

Welcome to Asean Now where the stinginess, entitlement, and utter misery of members never ceases to amaze.

They could at least have shown a picture of the new thing rather than a photo of the existing terminal building (concourse C).

Yeah, unfortunately this has come up at short notice. Nok Air do a flight -> bus -> Lomprayah catamaran return for 2,600 baht. Tempting. But I don't want to regret it if the journey drags on and just wished I'd paid the extra to fly direct. Anyone tried the Nok air thing?

Were you there? No, you weren't. You are giving him the benefit of the doubt, I am giving the same to the staff. Remember you are dealing with a person who thinks it is appropriate to try to take some cheap bin bags back the following day to exchange for snacks. He also used the word "insisted" when it looked like it wasn't going his way. If I am to believe him that all Hell let loose with people swearing and shouting at him in Thai then I simply don't believe that happened without him shouting and escalating it first. There is no way in a million years that 7-Eleven staff would shout and swear like otherwise. You can believe what you like, neither of us were there, I think my scenario is far more likely based on my experience of living here for nearly 30 years.

Yeah, no idea why anyone would think that. Everyone should be able to return tiny items when they later decide they don't want them. Bin bags, crisps, a bottle of water, ice cubes, just go back the next day and shout at them in English until they relent - perfectly normal and not cheap at all.

Bangkok Airways wanting nearly 11k THB for a quick trip later this month. I feel a bit sick paying that, so what are the current alternatives? I don't mind a slightly longer journey but definitely won't consider a bus or train from Bangkok. Any good all inclusive Surat Thani + ferry options?

Nice, looks good, and clever two stage cooking idea! Also nicely round, unlike mine.

Yeah, and they are big permanent things - the small one is 40kg! The beauty of the Ooni is it is only 10kg so easy to put away and bring out as and when you need it. Haven't found anything similar here yet. Yeah, they look shonky.

It just shows how many posters here post simply based on headlines rather than reading / looking at the information in the post or article. Kind of embarrassed for some of the replies.

I didn't include that bit because it sounded like nonsense. Which newscasters? You watch Thai news, speak fluent Thai and they preface the news by saying that? More nonsense. Unfortunately I do have to endure Thai TV news sometimes, I do speak Thai, I have never heard them say that, Surely it can't be hard to find a link to support that claim if even newscasters are saying it randomly? Must be lots of evidence to support it.

So come on, let's have some pizza posts. Today was a pizza day for six people. First up was the dough. Warm water mixed with yeast (370ml-ish water, 1 and a bit teaspoons of instant yeast), 600-620g of 0.0 flour, salt, a glug of olive oil, then good old fashioned hand kneading for ten minutes or so. Place in a bowl, light coating of olive oil to prevent sticking, cover and leave for a couple of hours. (Although measuring out the initial flour you inevitably find yourself adding more if it feels too sticky.) Tomato sauce: over a low heat, add olive oil, a few cloves of smashed garlic and fresh basil, and cook for a few minutes. Then add tinned tomatoes (two tins today) and slowly over a very low heat let it cook down over an hour or so, adding salt and pepper. It should end up as a nice slightly thick mush. It then goes in the blender with some more fresh basil leaves for a few pulses. Fire up the Ooni, get the wood pellets burning until you have a good 450 C heat (about 15 minutes), then off you go. Get your pizza on the peel and throw it in. You need to turn it every 15 seconds or it will burn, and after about a minute or so you're done. After all pizzas are done, leave the Ooni to burn out, empty a little tray of ash and put it away until next time. Once you get going it is a bit frantic as you need to get one in the oven, a minute later it is done, get the next one in, so a bit of a production line. As such I only took a picture of the last one - spicy chorizo, green capsicum, onion, buffalo mozarella, yellow cayenne chili pepper. Delicious but poor presentation (but didn't matter as I was eating it). I haven't mastered the art of getting them nice and round as I don't use a rolling pin but try and shape by hand. Needs more work and more practice. Over to you guys for pizza recipes, tips etc.