forcebwithu

New Plaza is getting what looks like an electric upgrade.

Update of the water level at Huai Chak Nok Reservoir Since there's no water on this end of the reservoir to float Krathongs, they made a pond.

Now that rainy season is all but over, thought it would be interesting to compare the water level in Mabprachan Reservoir to what it was on this day one year ago. The photo update below has photos taken this morning followed by the photo from last year taken from the same point. While the water level at the overflow outlet is only slightly lower than last year, you'll see in the other photos just how much lower the water level is across the reservoir compared to last year.

Progress at the Nirun Market A first for markets around here, a retractable roof

Probably because they want you to use the link to see the price comparison page. That way you can make an informed decision on how the price compares to other VPN services.

From the sound of last night's rain I though the beach would have been eroded as bad as after last Tuesday's storm. I was surprised to see that wasn't the case. Makes me wonder now if last Tuesday no one was around to turn the pumps on. Only erosion I saw was at the north end. Soi 2 had only a bit of standing water Soi 6, no damage Same at Pattaya Klang

Yes, behind Central Marina. Probably should have used the full name to avoid confusion. And I agree, always very hot in there. Like an oven on sunny days.

The Everything Store behind Central has a shiny new front.

Felt the same on my bike ride today, thus why I decided to look up how bad the AQI was.

It's getting to be that time of year again.

Some pics of the repositioning of the pile driver on the construction site opposite Soi 15 on Buakhao Think this contraption is for driving support casings into the ground The Nirun market now has a roof

I was wrong, not a Xmas tree at T-21, but a Gift Fest tree...

Of course there are, but it would be more relevant to this discussion if they were used on credit card chips.

As @midlifecrisis posted, not all contacts are gold.

Both cards are about two years old. I keep them in a separate pocket within my wallet. I suspect it's just a case of oxidation on the contacts. Used to have the same problem with circuit boards in desktop computers. Same trick of pulling them and using an eraser on the contacts resolved quite a few memory, HD, or screen issues.

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.

The other day I missed seeing this Xmas tree going up. Balloon chaser alert. Staff party this afternoon at King's Club. Looks like your first drink is on the house. Be forewarned, since it's a staff party they expect the customers to strut around naked for the entertainment of the staff.

New electric control box is now installed. The King's sign is getting much needed maintenance work. And to paraphrase an old saying, a wet and dreary day in Pattaya sure beats a good day in the office

Slowly the new market by Nirun is taking shape. Soi X Zyte market Across from Soi 15 on Buakhao they're digging holes for the support piles.

When I saw this had to do a quick memory check to remind myself what month it is. Hard to believe they're putting up the Xmas tree when we're still a couple of weeks away from Halloween.

Looks like they're building a new base for the electric junction box and running a new, buried line to it.

I think you'll find the more recent builds have less sq meters of living area than older builds. If it were me, I'd be looking at best price/sq m, and then comparing amenities and condition of the rental to make my final selection.

Over at Mabprachan Reservoir water levels are still down as well. There's is a bit of water feeding into north end of the reservoir. Can just barely make out the stream amongst the heavy growth of weeds in this pic. This is the source of that water. Mabprachan Park is off to the right.

Only one month left to the rainy season and water levels are still looking bleak for this time of year. From this morning, the current condition of Huai Chak Nok Reservoir.

Last week ordered a Lulae V9 e-bike from Lazada for my lady to use for running errands around Pattaya. Cost with promo discounts was 8,571B. Shipping was quick, arrived two days after placing the order. Some assembly was required. Needed to attach the handle bar assembly, basket, front brake cable, and rear fender bracket. There's also a set of handle bar mirrors that need to be attached, but the mounting brackets included with the bike had holes that were too small for the mirror support arms. Sent a message to the vendor about the problem and 10 minutes later had a reply they'll ship replacement parts. So plus marks to the vendor for dealing with the problem very quickly. One negative though, no assembly instructions were provided, but it was easy enough to figure out what needed to go where. After assembling the bike I took it out for a test ride. While the motor is on the small size, 350W, it had enough power to move my 85kg up the small incline on our soi at 25kph, and down the incline at 30kph. With my lady riding and me pillion, it still had adequate power to move us along at a comfortable speed. The battery capacity is 48V 12A and cruising range is advertised at 65km. While I won't be giving up my mtn and road bikes just yet, for my lady to use for running errands, the Lulae e-bike is a good choice.