Things you thought would annoy you, but didn't!

[forcebwithu]

Don't imagine there will be many posts in this topic as most times when you think you're going to be annoyed, you're not disappointed. Especially in Thailand.

Anywho, today was an exception. I went to the True store in Big C extra to activate my new mobile data sim card and expected to be annoyed by a long wait and countless pieces of paper to sign.

I was pleasantly surprised when after I was given my queue number I was immediately directed to an open window. Adding to my surprise was less than five minutes later the lady handed my phone back with the activated sim card working just fine. No papers to sign, just a picture of my passport and one of me was all that was needed.

Left the store very much not annoyed.

[SteveBC]

There was a number of occasions in my holiday years, and a few too after coming here to live, that i would be out on the prowl looking for some night time entertainment.

I would be sitting in a bar somewhere and a lady would catch my eye, but they look very new / farm fresh and after trying to strike up a conversation you realise that it's pointless as they speak less English then my very limited Thai. BUT there is just something that attracts you to this girl, trying hard to ignore the feeling that it will likely be a waste of time once we are back in the room. Then you do the dirty deed and pay the BF and after another beer or three head back home with the chosen lady.

Cue the drumroll, the shy, coy and seemingly very innocent girl turns into a demon of utter filth, what a result and a most pleasant surprise  !!!!

 

On the opposite side, i have also BF'd a number of girls who have been the center of attraction when in the bar, putting themselves about and doing thing which any decent young lady should never do in public. But when you take them home they want to shower alone and then after insisting the lights are turned off get into the bed wrapped tightly in a towel.

 

I far prefer the shy ladies........

[Glasseye]

2 hours ago, SteveBC said:

There was a number of occasions in my holiday years, and a few too after coming here to live, that i would be out on the prowl looking for some night time entertainment.

I would be sitting in a bar somewhere and a lady would catch my eye, but they look very new / farm fresh and after trying to strike up a conversation you realise that it's pointless as they speak less English then my very limited Thai. BUT there is just something that attracts you to this girl, trying hard to ignore the feeling that it will likely be a waste of time once we are back in the room. Then you do the dirty deed and pay the BF and after another beer or three head back home with the chosen lady.

Cue the drumroll, the shy, coy and seemingly very innocent girl turns into a demon of utter filth, what a result and a most pleasant surprise  !!!!

 

On the opposite side, i have also BF'd a number of girls who have been the center of attraction when in the bar, putting themselves about and doing thing which any decent young lady should never do in public. But when you take them home they want to shower alone and then after insisting the lights are turned off get into the bed wrapped tightly in a towel.

 

I far prefer the shy ladies........

Great post this one.

 

I encountered this situation a few months back. She could not speak a word of English, yet I was incredibly intrigued. After a few drinks I opted not to bring her back, I thought to myself at the time that it was just not worth the trouble. I can still see the disappointment on her face when I told her I was leaving without her. 

I hope she is still around the next time I return. 

[SteveBC]

30 minutes ago, Glasseye said:

Great post this one.

 

I encountered this situation a few months back. She could not speak a word of English, yet I was incredibly intrigued. After a few drinks I opted not to bring her back, I thought to myself at the time that it was just not worth the trouble. I can still see the disappointment on her face when I told her I was leaving without her. 

I hope she is still around the next time I return. 

Well if you do meet the lady again, and assuming she is not too battle hardened since you first met her, give her a go mate and you may well be very surprised !!!

When they are very demure your expectations are low.

When they are the life and soul of the bar your expectations are very high.

It does not always pan out like that, and for me i find that a huge part of the attraction of the whole scene.....

[Glasseye]

1 hour ago, SteveBC said:

Well if you do meet the lady again, and assuming she is not too battle hardened since you first met her, give her a go mate and you may well be very surprised !!!

When they are very demure your expectations are low.

When they are the life and soul of the bar your expectations are very high.

It does not always pan out like that, and for me i find that a huge part of the attraction of the whole scene.....

It's all a balancing act, hit and miss, part of the game, etc. etc.....

I'm just thankful for having the opportunity to experience all of the up's and down's. 

It all began decades ago when I could have easily chickened out following some of the bruises that I encountered in the early stages. Fortunately I wasn't afraid to get back up on that horse and trot on down the road. 

Haven't yet regretted following the "path". The older I get the more I am sure of it. When I look at the likely outcome of what the alternatives would have offered I cringe.

 

 

[forcebwithu]

I'm quite pleased and pleasantly surprised that Salomon has approved my warranty claim on a pair of running shoes.

I've owned many pairs of their Speedcross trail running shoes over the years. Overall they hold up very well and usually it's the tread that wears out before anything else on the shoe. However a pair I bought from the official Salomon store on Lazada started showing early signs of wear within the first couple of months of use. I strongly suspect they're a counterfeit copy and expected Salomon to kick back the warranty claim for that reason, but surprise surprise they didn't and I now have a $140 USD store credit to buy a new pair.

Pretty obvious in the pictures below which one is the dodgy pair.

[boydeste]

37 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

I'm quite pleased and pleasantly surprised that Salomon has approved my warranty claim on a pair of running shoes.

I've owned many pairs of their Speedcross trail running shoes over the years. Overall they hold up very well and usually it's the tread that wears out before anything else on the shoe. However a pair I bought from the official Salomon store on Lazada started showing early signs of wear within the first couple of months of use. I strongly suspect they're a counterfeit copy and expected Salomon to kick back the warranty claim for that reason, but surprise surprise they didn't and I now have a $140 USD store credit to buy a new pair.

Pretty obvious in the pictures below which one is the dodgy pair.

That's a good result. 

[forcebwithu]

4 minutes ago, boydeste said:

That's a good result. 

Salomon is a great company that stands behind their product. In 2019 they issued a $130 store credit when all I did was write to point out the vamp material developed small tears from normal use and suggested they reinforce the material.

[Jambo]

8 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Salomon is a great company that stands behind their product. In 2019 they issued a $130 store credit when all I did was write to point out the vamp material developed small tears from normal use and suggested they reinforce the material.

When I quite literally became addicted to running 3 - 5 miles maybe on average four times per week, running shoes did not exist, or maybe were not obviously available to somebody like me.

So I wore the same "trainers" as anyone else might wear socially at the weekend. I also did virtually all my running on paved streets.

I didn't get hooked on "jogging" until I was in my 30's with my objective simply to keep fit after I had retired from playing football. The obsession ended after a couple of years when I went for a run one morning and returned with a really bad pain in my right knee. I had "crushed" a cartilage and the Specialist told me it was the type of injury he would have expected to see after a car crash. It took me over 18 months to cease limping after the operation.

If only I had known then that you need to wear the correct shoes for running to give support and limit the impact effect of running on hard surfaces. Maybe if I had I would not be waiting now for a hip and possibly knee replacement operations.

 

[forcebwithu]

29 minutes ago, Jambo said:

When I quite literally became addicted to running 3 - 5 miles maybe on average four times per week, running shoes did not exist, or maybe were not obviously available to somebody like me.

So I wore the same "trainers" as anyone else might wear socially at the weekend. I also did virtually all my running on paved streets.

I didn't get hooked on "jogging" until I was in my 30's with my objective simply to keep fit after I had retired from playing football. The obsession ended after a couple of years when I went for a run one morning and returned with a really bad pain in my right knee. I had "crushed" a cartilage and the Specialist told me it was the type of injury he would have expected to see after a car crash. It took me over 18 months to cease limping after the operation.

If only I had known then that you need to wear the correct shoes for running to give support and limit the impact effect of running on hard surfaces. Maybe if I had I would not be waiting now for a hip and possibly knee replacement operations.

Reading the first couple of sentences in your post, knee injury immediately came to mind. So wasn't surprised to hear the knee problems you encountered years later. Running on hard pavement is hard on the joints. It's for that reason I don't run on hard pavement and stick to trail running.

As an aside, some years ago I started having pain in the hip from running. A friend suggested I might benefit from custom orthotics. Went to Podiatry Thailand and had the foot Dr. check me out. Ended up biting the bullet and reached deep into my wallet to pay 5,000B for a pair of custom orthotics. Turns out it was money well spent. First run I did with the orthotics the pain in my hip was gone. I manage to squeeze out about two years of use on a pair, so the cost per year is low and well worth it.

https://www.podiatry-thailand.com/#xl_xr_page_index

[forcebwithu]

I had a pleasant surprise this morning.

I've been exchanging emails with Jabra support over the last week about my hearing aids no longer holding a charge. It started off with the question if the non-replaceable batteries are covered by the 3 year warranty, of which I'm 2 1/2 years into. They responded with a series of diagnostic steps with the end result they will replace both the hearing aids and charging case at no charge.

I was surprised by that as there is a clause in the warranty that excludes wear and tear, which after 2 1/2 years I was expecting they would cite for the battery charging issue. Best case scenario I was hoping for is they would replace the hearing aids for a fee. So I was quite surprised and pleased that they would replace the $2,000 USD hearing aids for free.

Only sticking point is they don't do international shipping, so there will be that expense.

[Glasseye]

6 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

I had a pleasant surprise this morning.

I've been exchanging emails with Jabra support over the last week about my hearing aids no longer holding a charge. It started off with the question if the non-replaceable batteries are covered by the 3 year warranty, of which I'm 2 1/2 years into. They responded with a series of diagnostic steps with the end result they will replace both the hearing aids and charging case at no charge.

I was surprised by that as there is a clause in the warranty that excludes wear and tear, which after 2 1/2 years I was expecting they would cite for the battery charging issue. Best case scenario I was hoping for is they would replace the hearing aids for a fee. So I was quite surprised and pleased that they would replace the $2,000 USD hearing aids for free.

Only sticking point is they don't do international shipping, so there will be that expense.

 

I am sure that is a huge relief.

I know that humidity can wreck havoc with hearing aids.

[Smiler]

Had the monks in this morning for the 3rd blessing thingy on the house.

All day yesterday Mrs smiler and crew were cooking - continued this morning at 4 am. I was expecting an all day drinking festival of Chang, Loakoaw and raids on my Beer Lao stash. 

Here we are though 3 hours later and everyone has gone home - result 😃. Likely to get messy this evening though but that’s not a problem in fact I am quite looking forward to an Isaan knees up. The village has been unusually quiet since I got back.