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Over the last couple of months first my Kasikorn and then Bangkok Bank ATM card were getting rejected from some ATM machines with the message they could not read the chip. It was strange as the same machine that would reject one card would read the other bank's card. I just figured it was due to the typical Thai lack of maintenance on anything and that the ATM chip reader was getting flaky. Today I had occasion to stop in at a Bangkok Bank branch office for another banking matter, so while there mentioned the problem with the reading of my ATM card's chip. Without another word she took my card, pulled out of a drawer a big eraser and proceeded to clean the chip with the eraser. After the cleaning the card worked fine. I never really looked closely at the chip embedded in the card. I just figured the chip used RFID technology, which doesn't require physical contact with the chip to read its contents. Looking more closely now I can see there are obvious contact points the reader needs to touch in order to read the chip's contents. Over time they either get oxidized or gunked up, which an eraser can quickly clean off. Hope this helps others with the same problem.

If you are a 'risk' then you should be responsible for your own health, not risk the majority of the country's population suffering instead by locking down. Job losses, illnesses not being treated or diagnosed, mental suffering of those worried about losing their business etc.. Shield the vulnerable and let a sense of normal life return before we are on our knees as a country.

No more Happy Agogo or Sushi bar.......... ''Carousel Bar'' still there just needs a new owner.......

there will come a moment when it will be a buyers market. Here in Bali, about 75% of the places (bars, pubs, restaurant, souvenir shops) are closed. Make that 90% in Kuta, the "nightlife area" But of the places still open, none is offering discounts and they manage to survive with the (few) expats plus some locals on the weekends. The owner of the resort I live in, told me she is not interested in local (Indo) tourist as they will try to get 50% discount and there is no way she will accept that. Surprising thing is that I see many closed places being renovated, and new one build. Of course labour is very cheap now, so for somebody who has cash available it is a perfect time to buy, renovate or build and then just wait. Anyway, renewing my yearly visa this month and if one day it get really bad here, plenty enough countries in the world as I always say. Only problem now is not a great time to explore them..... It's a pity my kids won't be able to come over for Xmas, but we'll live with that. Very happy we bailed out of HKG at the right time, that's for sure. Sure miss a bit the Wanchai livestyle, but regulary in life you have to know when to change course. Enjoy while it last, then move on. And NEVER regret the "previous" place. There is always a next one. Same for women / girls.

But can he do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke....

having been on yt tonight and searched I have to say I am amazed art some of the stuff on there from soi 6. stunned even, seriously, there is some fat drunk slagging off the girls, another stabbing himself, its seriously sick. far worse than this latest craze for saddos to buy drinks online. to see what i mean , check this guys page out, i dont know who he is but its insane. or maybe its just me ??? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCHhCjvJR-ynOWoexgWrzvw/videos thats a link to his list of videos, they are totally bizarre

Despite how the girls USE TO scoff at 1,000.....With careful shopping 1,000 can buy a respectable bag full of groceries....

No simply give them the opportunity to self isolate, up to them to make the decision they are adults living in a free country.

Simple grub, a poor photo and a beans touching egg faux pas, but it went down a treat.

What ? You still sending money to Secrets ? 😁

out there on the Myanmar border near Fang...

Top 10 Bars doing well just now ........ I quite like this bloke ..... Stoke Cit fan .... I know it annoys one or two BMs on here when I mention football teams but it is as important as blood group / allergies / medications to those of us who care. I've never been to the Assienda but he comes across really well to me like him ........... he interviewed Bryan Flowers the other day in the greatest cure for Insomnia since Rohypnol. I'm sure young Master Tomas Dee and Herr Khun Egg know him I've never met him unusually......

snowy egret

Bit concerned that your view is that 100% of the people on the planet are weirdos. 0% normal seems low lol

When are we going to safeguard the old and those with "underlying" health issues and let the rest of us get on with it. It seems as if a lot of us will get it and not know, some will get a bit ill, some will be hospitalized and a very small percentage will not make it. I'll take my chance same as I do with flu, cancer, crossing the road etc.

Willet

A few snaps from around town, late afternoon, early evening........''Tree Town''..... Sundowners on Beach Rd.....

It would be nice to think that people will be "responsible" and take precautions to help keep their families and neighbors disease free. From what I have seen in my community --one of the lowest Covid infection & death rates in the US -- quite a few of them cannot. Also, IMO this "protect the vulnerable argument" is weak. There are many example of health care workers, LE & first respondents contracting the disease (and dying). As a society we are all in this together and if we fail to shut the bastard down we all will eventually suffer. Some countries have succeeded in shutting down Covid to a manageable or "zero" level -- e.g., New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam -- their methods should be followed in other places to keep infections low.

Typical Thai...me me me....Sorry if that upsets some members..across the footpath.... Another white elephant........ This was meant to be at ground zero years ago....... Seawall is still holed....... A quick sunset before I depart on my evening rounds......

South end of Walking Street........ Soho Square..wasn't that going to be the ''in place''......... No lobsters in the tanks these days....... If you're an early bird......

He didn't have to specify, she did it for him. Tequila! Tequila! Watergate lol only in Pattaya.

Yesterday...went for a little hike with my daughter at "Land's End"

Tern

Reheated spag bol for last nights dinner and ham and cheese omelette for breakfast today.

I posted a picture because of the shite weather while I was stuck in ASQ mate nothing more.

Looking back from the pier.

Just the opposite I think .... I was down in Thong Lo and Ekamai last week ( BKK ) .. went to a couple clubs and these places were just "packed" with beautiful gals ... there were huge lines to get into these clubs that went down the Soi ( plus it was pissing rain ) and the prices I was quoted was 1,000 all night from just about every gal I talked to .... There are a lot of gals not working now .... restaurant workers, shopping mall workers, hotel workers, etc. ... seems like almost everyone has been "hit" here due to the Wuhan virus .... and the pain isn't going to go away any time soon. Went to Pridi the next night and the same ... gals everywhere ... same prices I was quoted 1K all night .... And none of these gals was your average gal from the likes of Nana or Soi Cowboy ...

Flowers has released a YouTube video on watergate. Christ on a bike, talk about a storm in a teacup, or should I say shot glass. The best thing is flowers saying that the guy who bought the shots didn't specify it had to be an alcoholic drink. 🤣

An update to the bus situation as I've been back in Chiang Rai the last few days, but the Greenbus now leaves from Bus Terminal 1 in the centre and the booking office there is open. They moved back on 6th October.

For me, and for many other guys, its the requirement for CV19 cover that will stop my return. Any type of travel insurance is almost impossible for 75+ Until they relax this requirement, older travellers will be barred from returning. For years now the Thai insurance industry has been pushing for compulsory travel insurance and it looks like they have a foot in the door!

Try clearing the cache. In Chrome I found the easiest way to do this is use CTRL Shift I which toggles developer mode. Then Right Click on the refresh icon in the upper left and select Empty Cache and Hard Reload.

If you ever go to Gibraltar do visit the Trafalgar cemetary. We discovered it by accident and found it to be a fine resting place for some of those sailors that served and died doing their duty.

At least my doctor can write a note, got signed off today for a month and then ironically got a call from the receptionist to say I am booked in for physio on the 02 November for my dodgy knee. Have been having a few problems with liquid on my knee, probably a side affect of playing too much football when younger but it flared up after doing a lovely walk to some waterfalls. Really bloody painful and after 10 days without going down the doc thinks I need physio. Good job there is a great woman in the house to take care of me. The little one has also started bringing me my tea so looking up.

At least put a sailor in the pic.... But anyway, remember...... https://www.quora.com/Which-country-has-won-the-most-wars https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_France So I think, I'll serve meself a whisky now ..... And wait a few weeks, we didn't add the Brexit battle to the count yet ! 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🍻🍻🍻🍻

They pay more for a double act ............ I'm trying to persuade Larry but he's gone AWOL. Got a great story for him from yesterday in Bradford. Mr Mohammed etc fucking chickens while his wife was banging the dog filming it all and other stuff ...he got 3 years behind bars. Not sure what the chickens got ........ times are sure tough Mr Smooth ....

Don't give up ya day job mate. 😂

The area on Pattaya Klang where paddy Bar was........looking towards the Klang..... Looks like Buzz bars called it a day.... A quick look halfway down Soi 7..... Soi Buakhao every day market... And opposite.......

Vegetable Yellow Curry , with brown rice

Whizz around today..late.... Fun for some this weekend......A food festival so I'm led to believe.....

By the R-Con bend Soi Buakhao......

Beach Rd...at 18.00 hrs..... Soi Buakhao.....

A couple of weeks ago on a Friday morning, I discovered a large lump in the back of my throat. Hadn’t felt anything wrong there before,(maybe because of the high doses of morphine I take daily) but I filled in an online E-Consult with my GP surgery, giving details as requested. Later that day, I got a call from my GP asking me to come in within the hour and he’d see me. So open wide and say Aah and he said “ I don’t like the look of that, plus you have another one further down behind your tongue”. Gulp😟 He then said “I’m going to fast track you too the cancer clinic” and he duly filled in the online referral form to a specialist ENT cancer unit in a hospital in Poole. The following Monday morning at 8.30 am, I got a call on my mobile from a ENT Consultant Oncologist in my Local County Hospital, asking for details. Details duly given, he then said “can you be here at 10.30 am and I’ll take a look. So off I went, (quietly shitting myself) for the appointment. Open wide and say Aah again. “I don’t like the look of those lumps” he said. I said I’d heard that before. ☹️ Out came his Moblie phone and he took a photo of what was lurking back there. “I’m going to email the pictures to another Consultant Oncologist friend of mine in London and knowing him, he’ll get right back to me, in the meantime I’m sending you for a full body MRI Scan, because I don’t like the look of those lumps. There’s that short, ass puckering statement again. “Stop saying that” said I. Off to the imaging dept and had an MRI with contrast, then told to go back to see the consultant in an hour, when the report will be ready on the MRI images. I’d had a full MRI Scan a few months earlier for observations on “Nodules” in my lungs, so they were comparing the two scans for any new growths in my lungs or neck, looking for signs of a primary cancer.😰 Only difference in the 2 scans was the 2 bleeding black/red lumps in my throat. Whilst I was sat with the consultant, his oncologist friend in London phoned and said he “felt the lumps were old, burst, Retaining Cysts” (blocked saliva glands) and the MRI would probably show no invasion of deep tissue, which the scan results later confirmed. So, I went from shitting bricks, to happy as a pig in 💩 instead. 🤗 Just to be sure, a couple of biopsies were taken from the lumps for confirmation of the diagnosis and I was told I would have the results by phone in a couple of days. True to his word, the consultant phoned me 4 days later to confirm the lumps weren’t cancerous, but that it was best I had seen him, just in case, because he “didn’t like the look of them”. f**k off. 😉 So, despite the chaos of Covid in hospitals and many people having cancer and other treatments cancelled, it only took a few days from first seeing my Gp to having all the diagnostic tests and being given a full diagnoses, using the fast track system. I don’t think I could have had this done any quicker, even if I’d gone private. Thank heavens for the NHS and all those that work for it. 🤗👍

Great Blue Heron

Arrive in hot steamy Bangkok and put on a plastic suit...not. Probably there to set up a scam call center.

I remember discussing this car with you in Pattaya, and gated shifter or not I am still green with envy - I am a lifelong Ferrari fan but the only time I have ever been in or driven one was in Las Vegas on a race track where I rented an F430 for a few laps - I would kill for a ride or drive in a classic model from the '60s but with the "collectors" (better term "speculators") driving their values sky-high that wish gets more remote as time goes by - one of the prices I've paid for living in a remote area during my lifetime.