bangkokburning

Samsung S4 8gb of bloatware and a bunch of insanely stupid gimmicks.

There are loads of reasons to hate on Apple. I was early 90s Apple fanboy, complete 180 so it comes from both the heart and the head. Mainly, I do not like the way Apple decided to deal with DRM. I do not like all the rules Apple forces you into - but hey, think differently (morons hahaha).

But there is do much to hate about overpriced hardware running closed end software in a closed environment.

Steve Jobs is a douche and not a genius. Apple made all sorts of bad mistakes. Jobs made even more...remember Next?

Jobs made the MP3 player better, he made the smart phone better. Apple copies as much or more than any of its competitors.

Made serious business mistakes lately and stock is reflecting that.

Even if you are completely dumbstruck, get your resume out to a bunch of headhunters.

As for work, you can start with all the airlines in Bangkok, Kuala Lampur, Singapore and HKG.

Then there are the shipping ports of SIN and HKG which use all sorts of technology.

What about MENA? OIL!!

Youve already blown a year teaching. Do that agsin and you will be unemployable. At least if you came to Thailamd you could have daid it was to get back to your roots.

You are on thin ice imo knowing the US labor market. Get back to US and someone light a fire under your ass son.

I also miss Haas avocado and my wife loves these as well. Quite crazy about avocado. I buy them.in Top when they must be sold or tot. Pick them.up for anywhere from 3-5 for 100b. Not seen them in bulk for awhile nor have I seen the Asian avos at all.

Funny, she eats them as fruit out of the skin. I use salt, black pepper, olive oil and vinegar. She doesnt dislike it this way, just prefes plain. Dometimes Ill make a salad with tomato, onion and olive as well. Sometimes Ham, cheese and avo melt. But that is a lot if trouble, I can just order Thai.

Fair enough. I am simply bewildered that with your degree you cannot find work in Engineering. Surely areospace must encompass mechanical, electrical, chemical, fluid dynamics and even civil Engineering. I cannot think of a better degree for employment today than what you are holding.

You could simply enter teaching maths and sciences in the USs best zipcodes for 60k and a great package

I'm a bit surprised that dishes with beef or cheese made the list.

I thought the majority of Thais shunned beef and cheese.

Interesting.

My wife LOVES cheese.

Spinich with cheese a favorite (usually a "cheesy" sort of sauce here). Closest thing I can find in.US was Stouffers Spinich and white stuff on the top.

Wife seems to like almost any sort of quality cooking. Anything out of a can (camping) more dicey prospect.

Odd, my wife likes none of that, especially PotatoEs and bready pancakes with syrup.

Wont rank as best in BKK but Santa Fe Steakhouse in Esplanade. Far better than Sizzler and about b400 I recall. Veggie and potsto I recall. Service, fast but not polite. More an eating stop than a real a real resty.

Not R Cris but hey, people dpend that at McDs.

This is absurd, a man with a high science engineering degree, a Thai pp.holder (or potentially) needs farang help.to find any sort of job - bar teaching.

3 posts, Im calling troll on this one.

Engineers making 80k to start in western countries.

Your training and education will.be worthless if you come here AND if you are not properly employed in a year or two.

Good luck!

City Home is at the bottom of soi10. The photos are far more appealing than the reality. Seems to house a number of Africans as well. It is a huge complex, not very well maintained.

Robinsons mall is now closed. What they will do with it and when imposdible to say.

The area behind BigC is kinda sketchy, lots of girls living there from the massage venues. Streets are tight and builfings not very appealing.

Pracharat Bampen has lots of options. You will find a few options at 7k sure. Even a condo or two. Traffic is horrible though, footpaths down thestreet but its tight and a grind.

Some farang live on Soi 10 although I've no love for the soi.

I know this large area very well, I've searched it for a few years living here. I know all the flats from Suthisan to PraRam 9.

I can think of half dozen places that should work for you. A dozen more youd want to look at.No idea price, availability, rent to farang.

Our place is the best value in the area I think. Past few years more farang have found it.

I'll take you for walkabout or gather the prices and photos for you for a bottle of Scotch. PM me for more.

I was talking to my wife and saying my sister in law should start cleaning places and doing odd jobs. She's about 35 and never glomed onto a proper job. She has a good disposition and the whole family honest and good natured.

I could set her up.with a simple web page and pass the info in various ways on the interwebs.

If I can ask, what would this group look for in hiring a stranger, if they would at all. Once she had a few places, Im sure word of mouth could help her immensely - but until them, will be a hard go.

I'd think she'd need roughly 150b for transport per day, depending on the location of the domicile. Id recommend her charge about 350 (puts 300 in pocket and pays lunch)? Once a month, twice a month, once or twice a week??

Im sure she would be ok with laundry, she does it on the side already. She is a great cook, has cooked "professionally" for large corporation sending box meals for staff. You would have to teach her to cook western.

SoSpeaks Thai only

She wouldnt need any proper work arrangements. No need to gift her out on anything Id think. Severence just some token of five hundred baht to tell.her its over, thanks. If you are not happy with the job, nothing required, phone call before she comes. Done.

If anyone could give me some pointers, it would be great. She really needs work. In Bangkok and lives close to MRT.

Thanks for any help or insight what your needs are.

Hah! Never thought of it, something more dull witted - they have a service center in Fortune.

Genius!

Thx for that Meatboy, my wife wanted to chg her name but Ibargued agsinst it for time being so this looks like yet another plus for not doing so.

Thanks Kurnell, Ill sort it out and drink it myself - or maybe with the Customs guy when that day arrives.

Ive bought a Nexi4 in US, will pick it up in Oct. Great things about these devices is they upgrade first and automatically.

Wife bought one here cause she couldnt wait. I was not happy! Its a nice phone.

I just inherited her Gio which Ive modded out to perfection.

I may sell the nexus 4 when I get it - Im worried it will be huge in my pocket. Never thought about that.

Suprised at interest in Win phone. I loathe Nokia, running Symbian was a fraud and a disaster. Will not forgive them.

Every time I see people on.some big iPad I think <deleted> you carrying that around for! How wrong Jobs was about 7" tablet.

We are running an old Gio, Nex4, Nex7, laptop, netbook - ipods touch, classic.

Thanks. Nothing definitive, we as a group are all over the board.

Hah, I forgot about this thread. I love you guys for keeping it alive.

Amorn— no have, that was who I asked at Fortune.

Cant use the tablet due to wifi config (thru apt)

Thanks for tip around Taksin.

Appreciate everyone's input

Furniture (70-100+yrs), China set, misc china, crystal and glassware. Old clocks, two rugs...

Some friends within past two years sold off their parents home furnishings, after their passing, both said they could not get much for the stuff. Estate dealers total bandits and eBay useless. I really enjoy antiques and have all my life. My wife seems to as well. I'm sure they stuff ciuld fetch some good money here in 40yrs when Im dead and she's winding her life down as well.

We could at the time, ship in her name under her ten yr visa.

Nothing electric - USA.

BTW how does Customs verify youve even been out of the country (or long enough)?

Thx

I am just generally interested how the purchase of a condo csn be considered not even an investment but simply a worthwhile purchase for home ownership.

Right now, most condos are priced into the stupidsphere. Prices are not matched to rents, even in the same buildings. Of course renting and buying are very different on many levels but on one they are identical - a roof over ones head.

Add to this all the issues of condo ownership.

Its a personal question about ROI, Ive got no stake in the game, point to make or axe to grind.

My take away (from Jeans post) is....in this market, you can find a cheap property (not an expensive property) in which the numbers work. You must be ever vigilant and constantly searching. These flats might not meet any farang standard (!) But are bought to rent to Thais.

Thailand is stuck. The baht isn't important on a global scale. It's important in Thailand only.

The Thai government is running big deficits and borrowing. They also have grand plans to borrow for infrastructure including that high speed rail system.

Thailand's credit rating sucks (BBB-) and they have to pay a higher interest rate to attract bond buyers. They are also trying hard to attract investment money while they make it almost impossible to do biz in Thailand. So if they lower interest rates they won't be able to sell their bonds. If they don't the baht will stay high and hurt exports and therefore the economy.

Already right now they know their income is dropping from (tax income on) a slowing economy, mostly exports including the total loss of rice sales. They will need to borrow even more money.

As bangkokburning said, "Your move, Thailand." (I'm not implying that he agrees with me on anything, but I agree with him on that statement.)

Pretty much agree with your general analysis. Thailand is meaningless on world stage. Both the baht and the SET are never shown in data graphs ehen discussing world finance or even regional Asian finance. We attach importance to Thailand because we live here. We also see a vibrant economy, especially important while much of the world is in a quite a dilemma.

Certain sectors doing well and will continue. Others are pretty maxxed out.

What is interesting is that the bank is looking to lower the rate which implies it is less concerned with bubblrs than it is with strong baht and lagging exports. Poor export showing in export driven economy is a death knell and Thailand should have woken up to yhis long, long ago. GDP has fallen 20% from 6+ to 5% - a stunning fail.

25 basis points isnt going to do dick. It shows what a bind they are in.

So we will.see bubbles in many areas. Especially condos. Cheap money + falling commodities prices as world is in recession.

Maybe inflation when the world is in.deflation.I note price increases on many items as of late.

As for the bonds, they are junk - literally by definition. Only serious investors are Japanese to infrastructure and their economy is due to implode any day now.

The beaches in tbr NPs here are lovely and kept clean. Farther offshore the better.

I never reveal my guesthouses

But I never ever reveal my favorite beaches

60km offshore or dont bother

What about favorite books your've read and etc?

No problem. Just guesthouses and camping spots. Perhaps secret methods of border hopping or transport options. If it means I might lose out, I don't share it.

Essentially things that will become a poorer experience, cost me more or put me in a position of being "sol".

I share a lot of information most people would never run across. Many retirees and expats not so much suited to take advantage by their laziness, prejudice, etc...

I don't need share everything with complete strangers, people I will never even meet let alone friend.

Okay, out on a limb here...

I miss a good Corsicana Fruitcake about once a year. (No more than once a year, though- then back in the freezer to be forgotten for a decade or two.)

Anyone else from SoCal missing Charo Chicken (with extra butter)?

I love corned beef hash with eggs for breakfast, but it has to be home made. The stuff in a can is only good for emergencies and camping.

5 Guys Burgers? Over rated, over-cooked, and way over priced. Fuddruckers is best, In and Out is great for fast food and Whataburger serves burgers for breakfast,(though their breakfast burritos are great, too).

My 84yo mother makes absolutely awesome fruitcake. The cakes are loaded with fruit and brandy, aged for one year. The recipe is verifiable minimum of 150 years old. Even my Thai wife thinks pretty awesome and they are obviously very different taste for Thais.

My aunt is even more awesome baker than my mother.

Yeah, Charo Chicken was pretty good but I never was eating more the real deal in Long Beach.

Cambodian + Mexican

The beaches in tbr NPs here are lovely and kept clean. Farther offshore the better.

I never reveal my guesthouses

But I never ever reveal my favorite beaches

60km offshore or dont bother

Philippines, virgin beaches with clear water as much as you want. It's more then 7,000 islands of which less then half inhabited, so imagine...

Not really,Philippines is one trick pony. A few nice beaches, a lot of very crappy beaches and a whole lot of desperate and dangerous rabble.

As a Kaliforian, real Mexican is about it. I love Thai food.

Seafood (MidAtlantic fish and cold water lobster, blue crabs)

Steaks

Good cheese

Italian meats

Berries from my fathers garden

Fruit off my fathers trees

Onions and garlic that are old and strong on purchase.

Nectarines.

My mothers and aunts desserts

Cheap bourbon and wines - great quality

Mai ow chuu rote

They will put it in anyway, can't help themselves, its a complete compulsive habit.