josephbloggs

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Although my desktop is a mac M2 studio, my laptop is a macbook pro M1, and I use an ipad, I gave up the iphone. I consider it inferior on so many levels, to either the Samsung S22ultra, or the S23ultra. The iphone has become a fashion accessory, and a status symbol. Not necessarily the best phone out there.

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.

12 hours ago, khunpeer said:

there are many countries who's language not many can speak, so they need to speak other languages. in my school we learned 4 languages already and I learned 2 on top of that, so that makes the total to 6!

because I live here many many years, don't go abroad asmuch as before so some languages get a bit rusty! ????

of course here it's a miracle when someone speaks other languages than Thai, but to me that's very normal!

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

On 9/7/2023 at 8:05 PM, Maejo Man said:

6 inches of un reinforced concrete....What could possibly go wrong?

How is that different to any of these?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/26016683

8 hours ago, whereyougo said:

The mother would follow the dead beat son out the door in my world. I once saw a farang grab a tuk Tuk driver by the hair and beat the <deleted> out of him and the 5 motor bike taxi heroes sitting opposite didnt even stand up., it's mostly a myth that is repeated on forums untill farangs get terrified 

Point being stand your ground and never let anyone bully you at any cost! 

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

1 hour ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

Yet after about 10 years of being a Samsung fanboy, you decided to buy an iPhone 14 ProMax, and regretted it within a few months.

 

That wasn’t a very sagacious piece of evaluation, or a smart way to shop was it ?

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!!

56 minutes ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

I have been an iPhone user since the iPhone 4; personally, I think they are best phones on the market by some distance, but it is only opinion which is of course subjective.

 

I upgraded last year from a 12 to a 14 pro, which is a fantastic device. However, I do think that the upgrading has slowed considerably since the X, and given how good the camera is on my 14, I am happy to sit it out for another year or two and wait for a more substantial reason to upgrade.   

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.

5 hours ago, worrab said:

So if Emirates are going to use this new "concourse", is that going to be further from the Emirates Lounge or closer?

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.

10 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

You had a lucky escape.

 

The reason they are disassembled into parts and brought into Thailand in separate containers is to reduce the tax to parts only (something like 20%).  The difficulty comes in registering the new assembled vehicle.

 

Not only would you have had no warranty, you would have had a car where the import taxes had not been correctly paid, probably registered illegally with an accomplice in DLT.

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

54 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Buying through the "grey" channel is always risky, not least with servicing, warranty and parts availability.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Tesla won't even service grey imports and for sure they won't honour any warranty claim (how could they when they haven't serviced it from new).

 

Everyone who bought a Tesla 3/Y before Tesla opened here is going to lose big bucks.

 

I am surprised people continue to buy expensive cars like Porsche's through the grey channel when there is an authorised distributor here.  There is a huge risk they haven't paid the correct taxes and you could lose the car.

 

I remember the transporter in Esan with all the supercars that went up in smoke and nobody would claim them because the scam was buying or stealing them in the UK, disassembling them, shipping them in separate containers, importing them in parts, assembling them, installing LPG, registering them and then removing the LPG.

 

 

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...

4 hours ago, khunPer said:

Air Asia, they got a package including ferry/bus and air from Surat Thani to Bangkok and vice versa.

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.

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

56 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Book early....I'm flying with them BKK - Samui next month, price is 2160 baht. Booked a few months ago.

 

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?

4 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Were you there? No, so you can't assume he was shouting. Act the part of an adult and give the man the benefit of the doubt. Read what he wrote and comprehend it. Don't pick it apart and assume. If you aren't sure, don't comment. The girl walked away saying okay, obviously she understood what he said, as many teenagers know some English here, much more than adults do. Insisting they do something which is reasonable isn't wrong. Complaining is how things are fixed, from a 7-11 return to the UN negotiating over policies and laws.

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.

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?

15 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Here's the last one I made.  Dough not much different than my bread recipe, except olive oil, and 1 ferment/proof over night in frig, instead of 2 on table top, right after mixing.  Then next day, lube up hand to work the dough since a bit sticky.  

 

No wood oven, so bottom gets cooked on gas hob, with cast iron griddle, then in the oven 230C w/fans, under top element.  Tom. sauce, cheeses and homemade sausage (since already cooked, under the cheese).

 

2 step cooking, faster & easier for me to control even cooking.

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

21 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

The oven and the pizzas look great.

 

I just had a quick google to see if anything similar is available here ...

https://pizzaoventhailand.com/garden-pizza-oven.htm

Look like good quality, but eye-watering prices.

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.

Quote

A few on Lazada ...

https://www.lazada.co.th/tag/pizza-ovens/

Most look pretty shoddy, but priced accordingly.

Yeah, they look shonky.

6 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

@Confuscious has confused a few members.

 

My brain hurts after reading some of the replies..

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.

35 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

When you reply, you have to post the whole thing, or others might take it out of context. I said, the newscasters have said they aren't counting the deaths after leaving the scene. Then I posted that link for the other man who replied to my topic, for his benefit. That was two different things I posted that aren't related to each other besides both being about Thailand traffic deaths.

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.

On 8/31/2023 at 4:18 PM, KhunLA said:

bump

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.