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I am in Bangkok I've got a Lenovo ThinkPad 3rd generation it only had 4 gig of RAM and it would freeze up run pretty slow from time to time I would just put up with it. But I decided since I'm here I'll go to Fortune mall and see if I can get an 8 gig stick of DDR3 memory. I know it's New Years here in Thailand but I figured some of the places would be open in fortune and I was right but there were a lot closed in any event the best price I could find on a new 8 gig stick was 1200 baht. So I kept wandering around Came Upon a shop where guys were dismantling some laptops all they had was ddr4 memory which was no good to me. I kept strolling around. In walking back I passed their Booth again and the guy called me over he has pulled a 8 gig stick out of an old laptop that he was dismantling. He said if I was willing to gamble he'd let me have it for 200. As is no guarantee no warranty. I pulled the four gig stick out put 8gig in the computer recognized it right away I ran the windows diagnostic memory test And it came back with no errors or flaws winner winner. Some days chicken salad some days chicken shit it was chicken salad today 🙂

FLB Bar - The first bar I visited in Pattaya on my very first trip and the first bar I returned to for the next three years trips. So many happy memories and so many friends made. Who remembers the Dance Competitions?😄 Living Dolls - Walked in on the first night of a new trip having not been back for exactly six months. Service girl escorts me to a table, leans over and says "Joy not working tonight - would you like me to phone her?" Not only did she remember me but she remembered I had b/fined Joy on my last night six months before. Steve, the Manager, was the only person I have ever known who could fall asleep standing up and not spill his pint! Catz - Owned by Robert & Robin who were often my golfing buddies. So many happy mamories including "Miss Tesco." 🤣 Secrets - From October 2006 until Ben lost the plot my local, my workplace and many of the happiest times of my life. Customers became friends who returned each year and we all had a great time. What a shame! Le Pub - The ideal venue to start your evening out in Pattaya. Phil deserves to prosper in these difficult times. The Roadhouse (Angeles City) - Made my first trip to AC on my own and at Ben's suggestion visited the Roadhouse on my first night as there was a connection with Secrets. I was made so welcome on that first night by their owner and always tried to visit again on subsequent trips to AC. Gheko's - ( Angeles) - There are only two things worth doing in AC and that is drink in bars and f@@k pussy. Nothing wrong with that then. For the early riser Gheko's is one of the places you could do both as it opens at 12 noon and was usually packed by 12.30. However if it looks young it usually is and Gheko's had more than its fair share of young looking pussy. Hence you had to be very wary of whom you were buying lady drinks for as Gheko's was loaded with "Cherry girls." Hence the experienced AC visitor would preface "would you like a drink?" with "Your not a Cherry girl are you?' Nevertheless, the veteran AC visitor would know that the term "Cherry girl" could have various definitions other than all parts being out of bounds. 😄 Street 136 - (Phnom Penh) - Always stayed in the Riverside Hotel which is notable for the fact it is not by the riverside and that opposite it is a number of bars whose names escape me but were rammed full of pussy. Had some absolutely great times with the usual suspects up and down street 136 usually ending in an alcoholic blur and sometimes finding in the morning I had made a new friend.

Round 3 in the air chance lounge

Round 4. Yes, I'm being a pig, but the flight departs at 0010hrs, and I intend to sleep...

Round 1 at the aìr France lounge

Round 2 in the air chance lounge

A wee breaky to start the day 😊

Went to Borough Market a few years ago

It is. I've had to hit the Cointreau...

New to the forum. I have lived in Pattaya for six years and have been visiting since 2007. I am interesting in learning from other posters information and will provide anything of interest myself.

Ribs,duck & a lovely Chilean Chardonnay.Plus a lot of chili.Superb!

Not everyone's cup of tea but I spent many a year drinking at Cheers bar in Soi Pattayaland 2. Met a lot of good people there and in its heyday one of the best spots in Pattaya for viewing all different types of people that lived in or visited the town.

THANK YOU units arrived yesterday, I chose hatari. bedroom went from over a hundred, 111 i think, to 5 by the time we went to bed and we slept very well. second unit switched on on today but will need a third as the living room is double it workable area. but at that price thats ok

LOL ! Holy Cow ! I'd do it once. I'd take you and boydeste if you could pry your wallets out. lol You know it's proper to take care of your guests.

Butcher's sausages cooked to perfection with veg and beans.

If I'm not misinterpreting what you intended to write, you are out of date with your UK info. A bank transfer within the UK is almost instantaneous.

Only one memory slot in this laptop so I removed the four and upgraded to 8 I'll never need more than that because the difference is pretty amazing I'm happy with it I used this as a traveling device anyway not a everyday machine

What, you can't use it as a drying rack for your laundry, as seems to happen with so many of these home machines?

It's not bad. Disaster has struck, though.... its traditional that I hit the Baileys before a flight, but there isn't any!!

Fixed it for ya!

Taxi for painter.... 😞

I'll take this as a signal I should play the lottery this week. Wordle 298 1/6 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

There will always be a warm welcome for you at Kenilworth Road 😉

He'd get time with us in the Championship next season....

I am game for that mate, but you do realise, if you take us along then we are your guests!

Thanks @Yessongs 👍I’ll take it easy now, as this could take 9 months to heal. 😟 I’ve been prescribed morphine tablets and Oramorph morphine liquid for 20+ years by my GP and hospital pain clinic, for lower back problems and I’m also allowed to take 4000mg of Paracetamol every 24 hours, but I try to limit it to 3000mg when I can. MST is a slow release morphine tablet (5mg & 10mg) and I tend to take up to 40-50mg daily when things are bad and a bit of Oramorph for breakthrough pain when needed. Things could be worse and it doesn’t really stop me doing most things, as long as I don’t do anything that puts pressure onto my spine. 😉

Hi to everyone, I am planning a trip to Thailand and I have registered to the forum to read some info and also to contribute myself when I have something useful to share about my future first person experiences.

Look at what happened back in '97. These trends are cyclical. Almost a certainty something similar will happen again. The question is when ? Gold prices are near record highs. But even so, it may be a good idea to have some (for liquidity). Like I have said on other threads recently. IT IS CRITICAL TO DIVERSIFY YOUR ASSESTS, HAVE NUMEROUS OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR ACESSING CASH (LIQUIDTY). Realize that with the corrupt banking systems/laws, vulnerability of the internet and banking transfer systems, war and pandemic - things can get bad, much worse than they appear to be at the moment. Not only with Thai banks but everywhere. For those who are vulnerable or thinking of making a purchase of Thai property, do so carefully. Good idea (if you are thinking of buying something) to position yourself properly (with your home currency) so that if a serious default or currency devaluation occurs you can take advantage of it. As unfortunate as a currency collapse would be, there are those who can benefit from it (if they play their cards right). Currencies can also crash and then bounce back. Don't get caught in that trap either like a lot of those guys who sold everything back in the late 90's. Then a few years later got burned in paradise. Use common sense, don't overeact based on emotion. Stay calm, stay diversified.... DON'T PANIC.

Secrets. Livingstones Bangkok Soi 33 back in the day Maggies Bar Beijing Rockhouse. Soi LK Butterfly Bar Soi 6 Matrix Brawn Angeles King Kong Soi 6 Lovely Corner Pattaya Beach Road Babydolls when Ricky and Miserable Old Paul were in there Number 10 has to be Le Pub I guess .....

Action at a closed Family Mart on Arunotai. Could be signs of a comeback?

Spent most of the afternoon dismantling a cross trainer machine. It's a gym quality bit of kit that I no longer use and is taking up space in my spare bedroom. Unfortunately the magnet and weights are so dam heavy, I dare not try to carry the base unit down the stairs. So I have to either strip it out further or wait until I can get a couple of mates to help me lift it. No walk today as resting the legs, so it's time to chill out in front of the TV.

I forgot my favourite bar up in Korat,the Monkey Bar pre Covid was a very welcome breath of fresh air up there & it's recently re-opened so I'm hoping it hasn't changed. Pool,darts,some really good Thai bands,good food and some beautiful waitresses which are nice girls so if any of you go up there keep your hands off or you'll probably be thrown out😂. @Pumpuynarak Have you been there recently?

Benzema got the winner again. Pure class. Gutted Chelsea.🤣

Great game last night Real Madrid vs Chelsea,the visitors had the chances to win it but in reality lost it at home in the first leg.

A fire starts inside a chemical plant and the alarm goes out to fire brigades for miles around. After several crews have been fighting the fire for s short while, the chemical company CEO approaches the fire chief and said, "All of our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved! I will give $100,000 to the engine company that brings them out safely!" The crews try, but no one can get through to the vault. Then suddenly, another fire truck, filled with a volunteer fire brigade of men over 60, comes roaring down the road and drives straight into the middle of the fire and stops right next to vault. The other men watch unbelieving as the old timers hop off of their rig and heroically extinguish the fire, saving the secret formulas in the vault, while the other crews put out the fire from the outside. When it is all over, the CEO walks over and writes a cheque for $100,000 reward to the volunteer crew. "What do you guys plan to do with the money?" the CEO asks. The crew boss looks him right in the eye and answers, "Well, the first thing we're going to do is fix the bloody brakes on that truck."

I hope some people like the 'size' of my post too - and will also respond with some thoughts and ideas on the matter. Agree with some of what you said Tommy, but disagree with some of it too. Sure the issues of a crisis are different than the GFC, but the reasons for a potential collapse are basically the same - massively over-valued book assets that have been over-leveraged for other business activities. I dont know a lot about what happened in the late 90s that caused the collapse in Thailand and then across SEAsia and the subsequent float of the Baht, but I see the same types of 'manipulation' of the numbers that probably/inevitably caused that collapse. And for almost 20 years I have seen very little evidence that the Thai culture learns a lot from their past - in fact my observations are that the Thai society repeats their mistakes from the past and does not change much at all. There are many good things about that I like, but when it comes to financial matters it is not a good thing. That reason for the banks not being allowed to sell off at too cheap a value, as you correctly pointed out, is also why they have so much massively over-valued assets on their books - and it has been growing every year for almost 2 decades. The 'true value' of a bank's asset is what it would get on the current and near-future market - and the regulated formulae used by the banks in the west ensure they dont hold asset values that would collapse if/when they were a forced sale - as in an industry collapse. The formulae used by the Thai banks and supported by the Thai Govt banking rules and regulations, means they are massively over-valued in a collapse. A bit here and there is not an issue, but 30 million Somchais, 20 million Promchais, and a million Hisochais, and there is a very serious potential problem. I hear you about the insurance companies playing hard ball and that sounds correct, but my main issue is that there is very little media attention on this matter, that would be front line news in the west for weeks - and even less political attention and coverage. Banks in Thailand (and many companies and people) get away with so many things in Thailand because of the fear of being sued for defamation, whether true or not. Banks are the biggest single benefactor of that reality in Thailand, because one of them is owned by you know who. They are immune to local discontent and complaints about their practices - and with over 20 years of massive lending freedoms. Thailand's Public debt to GDP ratio has increased from about 40 percent to a predicted 69% in less than 2 years, and meanwhile the Personal debt to GDP ratio has increased from about 60% to 90% in the same period. Sure, a lot of that is because of the economic collapse and subsequent GDP reduction, but Thailand has grown in both ratios far more than the vast majority of other industrialised countries. Good point you made that it is very likely that the Thai banks will not be allowed to fail as such, for the reasons you outlined. But the necessary support provided will only occur when the collapse starts, and as you rightly said, if they dont act quickly enough then there will be anarchy. I agree that although a collapse could happen, the banks will be supported and 'held up' - but the subsequent collapse of the Baht is not something they can stop - they can only reduce the severity and the speed of the collapse. Plus the subsequent tightening of the banking regulations would occur because the global liquidity market is not going to allow the same banking practices to again result in the same end result. Therefore liquidity in Thailand will slow (maybe collapse), and without the support of a very large financial benefactor (CCP? IMF?) banking loans will slow inside Thailand and that will tighten things across the whole economy. After every 'economic bubble' there is always a collapse. Thailand has been economically booming for quite some time - but things have been slowing across all industries (except tourism) since 2015. Neighboring countries like Vietnam and Cambodia have been competing with Thailand for a while now and are starting the make inroads. The Baht has been too high for almost 8 years and that has not helped the economic situation of a country so dependent on exports and tourism. The smarter economies know who to ease the pressure slowly to avoid the 'burst' - in fact they start to tighten monetary policy when the financial situation dictates. I see no evidence that the current or previous Thai Govts have recognised that economic reality - in fact the current Govt is borrowing even more money than before - the massive reserves Thailand had some years ago are disappearing fast. The Junta cabinet on Tuesday approved new borrowing of 1,410 Billion Baht in the current fiscal year to September. And when I see things like the Junta imposing new taxes on the on-line sales transactions (and Paypal leaving), and now a new proposed financial tax on share tradings, the portends tell me they are desperately seeking money to hold things up. The problem with that 'kicking the financial can down the road' is that it only makes the inevitable collapse bigger.

Some days a second cup of coffe is needed before starting. Daily Quordle 79 🟥🟥 9️⃣8️⃣ quordle.com ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

100k a day seems like alot, but TIT, so no surprise with their estimates. Any idea as far as overall hospitalizations how Thailand is doing? Wifey says it is still pretty high...not good. Here is USA, we are at an all time low as far as hospitalizations........have a gal pal at the gym, who tells me the same. She is a Nurse in the ICU and they currently have only 2 patients as of last Sunday at her place. Neither on Ventilator, just treatments.

I've had the same experience, and I think it is because the money is being sent to Visa or Mastercard.

@tommy dee Yup.. No names, no pack drill !!

Excellent post young Thomas ........ nail hit on head,

Wetherspoons Bracknell

Took a ride out to the H Cafe in Oxford earlier. Get a lot of bikes on Sunday or when it's warmer. Nice RC8 and a couple of Z900RS's there though.