leemo

Normally, when somebody emigrates they have a familiarity with their destination. Being unaware of specific legalities or protocols is one thing, but if you need to ask for hotel recomendations...best of luck. leemo

Must be way off the screen here because I never take small $ bills and never had a problem; any moneychanger, bar, hotel or restaurant will gladly swap your new $100 for any combo of denominations. Also, do carry some reil; not a lot, $10-20 with refills as required should give you enough and also control of payment for incidentals. Try the Flamingo hotel, around corner from Walkabout and almost opposite Shanghai. It's a new place, partner/manager is Kim, spent some years owning a restaurant in the US, sold out and returned home to family, fame and fortune. You'll be well looked after at $16/night incl breakfast, with pleasant roof garden for an evening of relaxation, and free transfer to/from airport, so book ahead and save $7+return. I stayed there 10 days on my last visit, and was so pleased with courtesy and diligence that I gave all at reception, kitchen, housekeeping and bar $5 a piece. gl leemo

Thanks for your help and PMs. As I mentioned to the PMers, the guy came this morning, spent 3 hrs installing XP and other software, tweaking, chatting etc at 500/hr + time/travel expenses, removed the TV card that was causing a problem and will be back tomorrow to either fit or replace it...total cost 2000-2500...then, went shopping and within minutes bumped into a nerd friend whom I thought was in Cambodia, and who offered to come right away, but too late in line with the story of my life...then, 2 PMs with great sounding recommendations that I'll keep for the next time this expensive piece of junk gets cranky. Thanks again, system working fine, send more money! leemo mykl: Good idea, but TiT so best to get it sorted and on with life on the hard shoulder. Funny thing though, when I asked for a copy of the bootleg/modified XP that formats and installs automatically with no interruptions, and other bits, the guy said his boss doesn't allow the workers to share their bootleg software...seems it's ok to install pirated software on machines they sell, but not to distribute the evidence as it allows customers to reinstall without charge after an uninstall or format. Hmmm...

Tx, will keep you updated and yes, looks like it's gonna be messy...

I bought a bells and whistles puter last month; all going well till the hookey copy of Norton Internet Security the vendor had installed decided to disable itself. I hadn't installed, reconfigured or otherwise did anytihng that might have caused the disable, so it might be that it logged on for a live-update, realised it was hookey and became cranky. Tried all sorts of things, and then to uninstall/reinstall NIS...then, too late discovered Norton has a habit of not uninstalling properly, as clarified by their website that has a special uninstall tool that even they confess is not guaranteed to work, and with an incomplete uninstall the damn thing refused to reinstall. Long story...one thing led to another, with one thing leading to another, and I decided to save what was needed from C: drive and reformat...only, the shop did not give me a copy of the hookey XP they had installed...a friend gave me his legit copy, but the format did not run properly and somewhere there was 7gb nissing on the formatted C: drive. Then reinstalled XP and the software, but now its all running v slow indeed, with internet connection and service bouncing between 10-30% reliability and speed. Shop says they're not responsible for anything the software does, which I guess is fair enough, and want up to 3k depending on how long their reformat/reinstall takes. Any nerds willing/able to do the honours or suggest what to do, apart from tossing this expensive piece of junk through the shop window live on Pattaya Mail, since they consistently advertise the business' goods and services as the best in Pty? leemo

Hi, this is becoming a joke considering LoS is supposed to be 'with it'. Same problem but with updated dismay, though my previous quest did meet with a heap of helpful info, and I'm still dependent on my monthly 300-bt AsiaAccess pack. ToT: Hopeless. Cat: No can do VT2A. True: Can, can't, then can maybe...nobody seems to know, though it sounds positive, considering. Only problem is it's very expensive indeed - possibly due to monopoly if they can come across. TT&T: On my last return from UK the lobby gals at VT2A collared me to say that yes, TT&T has finally sent them promo bumf concerning a new allocation. So off I go with every bit of paper they might need, only, TT&T appear to know nothing about that. Seems they can accommodate VT2B, but not VT2A, but they hope/expect to be able to do so 'maybe this year'. Is there anyone in VT2A actually endowed with a higher speed than 56? leemo

I dropped in for a chat at the Carrefour office...tx for tip and also Jinet's #, will try again tomorrow with a different angle. leemo

It's no bother to install a second line for the convenience of a decent connection, but TT&T told me they cannot service VT2 with ADSL even if I had a TT&T phone line. Your post suggets they do in fact service VT2 - but with a line shortage - which sets off an entirely different ball game since at least I could go onto their waiting list, subject of course to having a high speed service once their line is installed. Thanks, I'll check that out. Do you have a contact number for Jinet? I think you're right about ToT. As the equivalent of BT, they think they're the bee's knees and can give their customers a secondrate service. And as with BT, they'll pay for it over the long term, once the effects come through of the competition exploiting this weakness. Many thanks. leemo

Opt for the beach side if you have the choice. Aside from the view you can then install satellite, which for some ungodly reason is not available to us in the other half. Nope, we're stuck with Sophon cable, much like crunching on taketan outside the Pig & Whistle. leemo

Great - so you're not the bastard. Welcome. leemo

Sorry in advance, I tried to locate my earlier thread on the subject and only managed to get as far as here. I previously asked for help/advice/guidance to an unlimited reliable high speed net access for home use. There were several replies, and I checked out some of them (losing the rest, see above), though none were suitable mainly due to providers not servicing View Talay 2. Update: ToT, my telco, offer a high speed service though not for Jomtien. They have been asking me to call again each 2-4 months since March, and the latest, yesterday, prised a promise that they 'might' cover parts of Jomtien in February, though not necessarily VT2. TT&T cannot service VT2, even if I bought a line from them, and apparently have no plans to extend cover until late next year. Loxinfo guided me to Watana in Pattaya Tai, but they can't help short of an 18,000 baht + monthlies satellite connection, and even so they finally conceded no guarantee on reliablity or performance. Through PEC, I found my way to Liberty Computers who are plugging Kat Telecom that do cover not only Jomtien but also VT2 (gasp!), with one line devoted to a maximum of 10 users. Unfortunately the last tenth part of their last available line was taken up by some bastard on my floor last Tuesday, and they don't expect to have any more lines until April, at best. The bumf I got from AsiaNet looks ridiculously expensive (10000/15000/20000 pcm + startup + extras for 128/64 256/128 and 512/256 respectively). They also advise that their ADSL only works on a TT&T line. 1 - Can anyone help? 2 - Is it only me, or a general corporate mallaise/disinterest in Pattaya? leemo

I was weened on Hienekens all round at the next oasis + softies for caddies if ball fails to reach the red dots, or if it goes missing from the tee box. Cost me a fortune but now I usually overcome that particular form of pressure. What really pisses me off is having a 150 yard wide fairway directly in front of me, and missing. Still, there's always the occasional master shot that will always draw the novice back for more punishment, eh? - the sound of connecting with the sweet spot, not looking up, following through, and watching the ball rise, drop and roll precisely how and where you intended. leemo

You mean pitching, surely.

Many thanks...am off to UK in a few days for 2-4 weeks but will drop in to Sugarshack upon return. All best. leemo

Thanks for your replies. Since I was advised to score a max 9 I generally play on to 9 even on a par 4, and then pick up, often against my partners' encouragement that as we're not playing competitive I should hack away to completion. Also, my understanding of one of the reasons for scoring a 9 max is that this makes it more difficult for dishonourable persons to artificially increase their handicaps, and thereby gain an unfair advantage in tourneys. Another important factor is of course to speed the game up. Btw, I know it can throw a low handicapper off his game when playing with someone who's hidden from view over most of the course, so does anyone happen to know if there's a high handicappers' club/bar in Pty? leemo

I play off a 36 handicap, which I have made on few memorable occasions since I started playing some 18 months ago, though I enjoy the outings regardless of score. Concerning the Stableford thread, my interpretation of Stableford (I get 2 shots per hole) is the easier of the two I was introduced to early on...I get two shots per hole, with a net par (e.g. 6 on a par 4) earning 2 Stableford points, and thereafter plus or minus one Stableford point per stroke. My query in no way affects Stableford, but I hope someone can clarify. In the early days I often hit double figures on a hole (as many as 16!!). Thankfully this is rare nowadays, but it does still occur when I have a lousy caddy or there are leaves on the fairway. Now, I keep fairly detailed records of every round played, and although 16 strokes equates to zero Stableford points on a hole and is no worse in this respect than a 9, it does affect my overall score. Early on I mostly struggled against unfair conditions (water, trees, sand) to go around in 130+ (143 my worst to date), though to be fair this was before I discovered what a driver is. About a year ago I was told (by a tourney organiser) that double figures should never be entered onto a scorecard, and that at 9 strokes I can either pick up my ball or play on for the fun since the hole should be scored at 9 either way. I am sure this does not apply in tournaments, but just for the record is it an accepted protocol in noncompetitive play, or might it be regarded as cheating? Thanks in advance for clarification. leemo

Cyber: yeah, most people use IE becuase it is allready there when you install windows. but once you get used to firefox (or opera as well) - you most likely won't go back Sounds good enough for a run; will get onto the case right away. where in thailand are you? Pattaya? if so - do you have a tt&t line or tot line? Pattaya, with a ToT line. I believe they're pushing a decent web package, but last time I asked it was not available for numbers beginning with 2. Come to think of it this was more than 4 months ago and the guy did say it should be available for 2s within 3-6 months, so will pop in to see them later this week. Side note: The manager did give me a '1222' access number (same as AsiaAccess) with username "U89$0y)9" and password "j4**9c+p". Apparently this account is for general use by all ToT customers, ok for general browsing but sometimes it runs so sssloooww on downloads that I only use it in emergencies. Charges are: First 2 hours free, then 3 bt / hr. leemo

I logged into AsiaAccess site (via Loxinfo) to check the usage on my 30-day pack, and according to the results that username/password does exist though it is as yet unused, which indicates it is at least a genuine pack. I have now sent them an email, and hopefully the matter will be resolved, but I really must get around to organising a stable, permanent, and hopefully faster unlimited service. Many tx for your help. leemo PS: btw, tried to download (with DAP) firefox from that url, but seems it is an html file...no problem though, picked it up (an older version) from download.com. Will give it a fair run purely on your rec, but I've been using IE for so long now that it's become habit.

I've been using the Loxinfo 300 hr pack, which I find quite reliable. BUT I generally use the AsiaAccess 30+5 day pack, which allows unlimited access. Only problem is I haven't been able to connect with the last one I bought 3 or 4 days ago (username/password error each time), which is why I've been accessing with Loxinfo these past days. Confused yet? So, if AsiaAccess is the same as AsiaNet (with the caching problem), that explains why it hasn't been connecting. Will try a general clearout and see if that does the trick. Many thanks. leemo

I've been logged out perhaps a dozen times since first logging on today, about two hours ago. I have not installed anything or in any way changed my sys or net configs since my previous session. Any clues? leemo

Thanks t_t Not sure what happened to my earlier response to you but it's probably parked up somewhere in the ether... My system is configured to reject all cookies, which I can disable temporarily, but do you happen to know how I can get it to accept a cookie that's already been rejected, or if I can add the cookie manually? Hope so, else will just have to keep logging in. leemo

Slight problem...under the old system I was on auto log in without having to type in name/password...now I have to do so each time (and yes I have checked the right box on the login page ). All best leemo

Yep, a first-timer friend of mine also invested $1100 in a stone ring from World Gems, and another $1000 at Honest Gems (or something like that). Needless to say I was horrified when he returned and showed me the rings, filled with pride at having clobbered the vendors down from $2500 and $2000 respectively. His gf, whom he met at his first bar and stayed with throughout (and on subsequent visits, which is another story in itself), also gestured to me that she thought his bargaining prowess was a bit off centre seeing as he was targetting a lemon. Anyway, he asked me how much I thought their resale value might be in Blighty, and though I don't have a clue about gems I suggested something in the region of £2-500 for the pair - if he was lucky. Sure enough, about a month later he took them for appraisal back home. Yes, the gems were real, well polished and presented but very poor quality and certainly not worth anything near what he paid for them. The gold was not tested but appeared real, though probably not 21ct as claimed. Overall, he was told to expect not more than $3-400 for the pair if he sold them. My own experience, on my first visit to this wonderful land where they smile when they see a sucker, was also at World or Honest Gems, Beach Road, 8000 bt for a sapphire ring that turned out to be virtually worthless. Otoh, another friend covers his carnal expenses with gems purchased both in Los and Myanmar...difference is, that's his hobby business, which the vendor soon gets to recognise, and he is therefore unlikely to be ripped off. QED, if you don't understand what you're buying don't buy it.

I know two internet shops (1 in soi hok) with girlie hotmail accounts and password taped by the cashier's desk - - - yes both passwords are 123456...probably too difficult to remember without a prompt. One ex had a problem with her 123456 but as her name was Neung I changed it to 111111. Seems us farangs are indispensable for the more complex problems.

big wind take top from house fall on sister now sick hopital and bank come want take everytink and need money pleasebecos you jai dee mak.