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  1. #701
    . Neverna's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    My bladdy saucepan is so small that the bottom of the spaghetti had gone soggy while the top was still dry.


    Mendip, here's a top tip from Nev the spaghetti chef: break the spaghetti in half before you put it in the pan.

  2. #702
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    Try to stay positive Mendip. I’m sure it’s hard to be away from home.
    I haven’t done anything this year but work and sit at home. My only trips out are to walk the dog.
    On the upside we’re still making money and that’s ok. This will be our first year not returning to Thailand in 15 years those trips are what usually gets me through early winter and working 60 days in a row.
    Let’s hope next year will be different.

  3. #703
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    And I've found a decent cider... yes it's Swedish and not like a proper Thatchers of course, but not bad for the continent...
    You also display a new winebox, Gato Negro, which is mentioned among the best 2020 red wine boxes and it got 3 + out of 5 in a test.

    Gosa Monastrell 2019, SEK 219:-, got 4 +. "A popular wine that goes perfectly with hamburger or grilled meat."
    Surely can be drank without condiments or with the whistling ones.
    (I fried a couple of English breakfast sausages this morning and they whistled like a steam train without being ready inside..)

  4. #704
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I could initiate the travel to Thailand from there, but I have to be realistic...

    I'm not heading back to Thailand for an indefinite stay, my lifestyle depends on regular rotations... 4 week or 6 week usually. Even at the best case, if I arrived back before Christmas I'd still be looking at leaving again by Feb for work... that is just not sustainable. Maybe at a cost of 5k Sterling (which is hopeful maybe?) per trip back to Thailand and spending most of my time off in quarantine! Not to mention the reason I'm leaving in the first place is to make money, and then to spend that money to get home again is a nonsense! This Covid has started to make e rethink my entire life style and how feasible it is... what will the new normal be, or will it all be back to 'normal this time next year?

    I take my hat off to yourself and Thai Dhupp for going through this entry palaver... but for me is it really realistic if I'm wanting to leave again 2 or 3 months later...?
    Mendy, would you think of forgetting about Thailand for perhaps 5 years and look at getting the kid, wife and gardener back to the UK as a base for the next few years.

    Over a few years it would probably cost the same as you getting in and out of Thailand twice a year. Would be great for the kid educationally and culturally, and would have you back easily between your working rotations.

  5. #705
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    Not a bad idea lu, but the gardener and wife....

  6. #706
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    They got me here because of my experience with this contract, yet every time I suggest something to help, they say, 'but we do it like this.
    To do a specific job, on a short term basis. You will have a useful alternate opinion but they have their plan. Why they choose to stick to it is above your level. They may discus your suggestions at other meetings. Do your normal best and there may be a second opportunity later to return with a wider scope of responsibility. Your suggestions may have been recently incorporated into their unpdated "we do it like this" manual.

    As baldrick suggests accept your employers view and bank the wage.

    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    you just need to either shut up or accept their attitude - either way , just take the money
    Look around at alternative roles. It's what short term contractors do every day, it's what you've been doing for a long time. I doubt it's the first time your valuable advice has been ignored.

    As for your next place of living. You, like I, have two families who love your visits. Both survive when you have been either working in xxx or living with the other family. With video, email, text ... and sending the unexpected parcel, it is far easier than in the past.

    Take care and leave your current post with a good reputation. It's always best to have a string of contented former employers to offer as references.
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  7. #707
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    You're stuck between a rock and hard place Mendip.

    Cannot suggest anything that has not been mentioned already apart from finding a 3rd country that you and the family like (and can both enter) and hanker down there for a year or so.

    Good luck pal.

  8. #708
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    ... as they say the longest journey starts with the first step.
    千里之行,始於足下 from the Daode Jing, attributed to Laozi. It has been around for about 2,600 years so it is probably useful advice. The original 千里之行 (1,000 li journey) would only have been about 350 modern miles, which is still a fair distance to walk and in those times could have been quite a dangerous undertaking. It is just one foot in front of the other and don't be dispirited if you occasionally hit a wall and have to back up a bit. You will get there, or here, eventually.
    Everyone here is willing you on.

  9. #709
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    you just need to either shut up or accept their attitude - either way , just take the money
    Yes... I need to learn this. I've always freelanced but usually at places I'm established and known... this is different. But all said and done, if they knew what they were doing I wouldn't have had 10 weeks work out of them so far, so I should shut up and be thankful...

    Today it's headphones on and radio Bristol all day... and I'll keep quiet.

    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    Mendip, here's a top tip from Nev the spaghetti chef: break the spaghetti in half before you put it in the pan.
    Is there no end to your wisdom Nev? I was going down the 'bigger pan' route as I threw that one in the bin last night... I was further pissed off when half of the spaghetti burnt to the bottom. I'll probably get it out of the bin tonight and wash it... it's probably lying in the wrong bin anyway... Sweden has a bewildering array of bins from which to choose.

    Quote Originally Posted by naptownmike View Post
    Let’s hope next year will be different.
    Amen to that. I was just feeling sorry for myself last night... it's been way too much work in one sitting and is getting to me. A worse case of course would have been if this hadn't have come up. Then I'd be back in Korat with my daughter and dogs (and wife and gardener) but gradually running out of money. This is the better option of course.

    Quote Originally Posted by lom View Post
    You also display a new winebox, Gato Negro, which is mentioned among the best 2020 red wine boxes and it got 3 + out of 5 in a test.

    Gosa Monastrell 2019, SEK 219:-, got 4 +. "A popular wine that goes perfectly with hamburger or grilled meat."
    Observant as always Lom. Well I can confirm that the Gato Negro went well with my 'carbonara' shall we call it. Next week a Gosa Monastrell it is then... good price as well. I hope that goes well with a whistling lasagne as they have become a staple of mine. I keep meaning to try the whistling chicken masala but they sprinkle sultanas on the rice and that ruins it for me.


    Quote Originally Posted by Edmond View Post
    Mendy, would you think of forgetting about Thailand for perhaps 5 years and look at getting the kid, wife and gardener back to the UK as a base for the next few years.

    Over a few years it would probably cost the same as you getting in and out of Thailand twice a year. Would be great for the kid educationally and culturally, and would have you back easily between your working rotations.
    That has crossed my mind... a big upheaval that would make my life a lot easier. The wife would refuse outright I'm sure, and I'd have no way of looking after my daughter with working away so much. To carry it out would certainly force a few issues which are currently lying dormant, if you see what I mean.

    But in all honesty, despite my criticism of Korat I do quite enjoy my secluded life style there during normal times. I find the balance of working away in the west about 5 months a year, regular days out in Bangkok and then quiet family time in Korat suits me quite well... and while it ain't cheap to live in Thailand as most know, the thought of getting back in to the UK tax system is most unappealing... the tax would far outweigh the savings I would make by having education and health laid on by the state.

    Quote Originally Posted by Chittychangchang View Post
    Not a bad idea lu, but the gardener and wife....
    The gardener would stay to take care of my dogs... aah, the wife can stay as well!

    By the way, what are you doing for Christmas lunch Chitty?

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    I doubt it's the first time your valuable advice has been ignored.

    Take care and leave your current post with a good reputation. It's always best to have a string of contented former employers to offer as references.
    It's most certainly not! The wife ignores me consistently!

    Leaving with a good reputation is utmost as despite being pissed off with it now, I'll be OK a week or two after leaving and I may well be glad of this lot again next year. The Swedes are much happier to fly people across borders than the Norwegians are during Covid times.

    It does seem to be one thing after another in the oil industry. I'd just got through the 2015 downturn when the West African work died a death, returned to working in Norway, got the day rate built up and the tax sorted, and then bladdy Covid has set it back again. But... I know I should be grateful to be earning anything just now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogon View Post
    Cannot suggest anything that has not been mentioned already apart from finding a 3rd country that you and the family like (and can both enter) and hanker down there for a year or so.

    Good luck pal.
    Thanks Bogon.

    Yes... lots of things are going through my mind... but all said and done if I do end up away from home for six months or so it's not a great deal in the scheme of things. And maybe staying with my mum for a month or two over the winter is the right thing to do. I know that she's been suffering from loneliness with this lock down and isolation this year.

    I was just feeling sorry for myself last night... I'm still feeling sorry for meself but with a stonking headache this morning to take my mind off other things. I shouldn't have mixed that Gato Negro with cider and Aberlour.
    Last edited by Mendip; 07-10-2020 at 12:48 PM.

  10. #710
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    Everyone here is willing you on.
    I see that... and it does help very much.

    Thanks to everyone!

    And there's still a small bottle of Chang with your name on when I do eventually return for a drink in Bangkok.

    Maybe some others will join us?

  11. #711
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I was going down the 'bigger pan' route as I threw that one in the bin last night.
    That is the real solution. One should never break the spaghetti in half. A proper pasta pot will do the trick.

  12. #712
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    ^The sentiments of someone who's never cooked away from home for a time.

  13. #713
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    if they knew what they were doing I wouldn't have had 10 weeks work out of them so far, so I should shut up and be thankful...
    yes - I had a boss who would tell me all the time - " if they knew what they were doing , we wouldn't have a job "

  14. #714
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    shouldn't have mixed that Gato Negro with cider and Aberlour.
    Try Speckled Hen and Chardonnay , I feel your pain.

    Xmas dinner??

    I dont think further than next week at the moment, having said that, you're more than welcome at Chez Chitty if you're in the vicinity.

  15. #715
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    ^ Great, I'm assuming it's BYO? And that's food, not alcohol!


    I had a much better day today... was even asked a few questions and my opinion on a few things... which totally ruined my concentration on the Radio Bristol morning phone-in.

    I've accepted I won't be getting back any time soon, and so to get down and earn all I can while being trapped away from home. Hopefully between work (if more comes up) I'll be spending some much overdue time with me mum, and so long as she lays off me weight and alcohol intake we should get long fine! I'll also catch up with a couple of old mates... it'll be weird without my daughter tagging along but that's just how it is... I may as well make the most of it.

    With my new found optimism I almost feel guilty for calling these guys at work 'muppets', which wasn't probably fair, although these Swedes are a strange lot... (sorry Lom) ... but are of course very nice people.

    Today I was telling this girl in the office my evening routine... I get back to my bedsit around 6pm... kick off me shoes and jeans, swap my summer short sleeve shirt for a comfy old T-shirt, pour a big slug of whisky and then close my weary eyes and sit back in my chair feeling it burn all the way down, all the while thinking I'm one day closer... but quite to what I don't know these days.

    She found it bizarre that I would get back at six, be half pissed by seven and in bed by eight... she said stuff like, 'why don't you go for a walk, go cycling, or (get this...) hire a scooter and go around town'! Go figure...

    To be fair though she doesn't work 11 hour days 7 days a week... a contractor's life is very different.

    Damn pretty she is too... whatever made you leave Sweden Lom?

  16. #716
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    Great, I'm assuming it's BYO? And that's food, not alcohol!
    No cider here and Brussel sprouts frozen pizza is the main.

  17. #717
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chittychangchang View Post
    Always a good for seeing things from a different perspective.
    You could always fly back to Blighty then do the repatriation waiting there.
    Cheaper and more chances of a sooner flight.
    Don't reckon there will be a second full lockdown here, just continuing restrictions .
    While there might be more repatriation flights out of the UK there are also more people wanting to be on one.
    Unless the Thai embassy has chnaged its system over the last few weeks they were not creating a waiting list of those wanting a flight.
    You had to wait until the flights were announced and then go for it.
    To my knowledge they have been 3 repatriation flights out of London each month. They have been booked up very quickly.
    As with most locations Thais get first priority. business class is the usual option for non-Thais.

    It might be a good idea to check with the UK Embassy by mail/phone before heading back to the UK to see what their process is. I believe that each embassy has its own wrinkles added to the basic concept

  18. #718
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    ^
    Further to the above post. The following has been announced by THAI. While these flights are for departure from Bangkok I am pretty certain that they they will form the repatriation flights to Bangkok from the listed destinations during October

    BANGKOK, 1 October 2020: Thai Airways International will operate 15 flights to five destinations this October mainly to accommodate Thais requiring repatriation.
    The 15 flights will cover five destinations; London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Taipei and Hong Kong,
    THAI executive vice president, commercial, Wiwat Piyawiroj, said these flights would be operated for European, Hong Kong, and Taipei expatriates and those passengers, travelling for education, business, or repatriation.
    Flight details
    Flight TG916 Bangkok-London on 4, 11, and 18 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 1250 and arrive in London at 1910 (local time). A flight on 25 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 1320 and arrive in London at 1935 (local time).
    Flight TG950 Bangkok-Copenhagen on 4, 11, 18 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 0650 and arrive in Copenhagen at 1305 (local time). Another flight is scheduled for 25 October 2020 departing from Bangkok at 0650 and arriving in Copenhagen at 1235 hours (local time)
    Flight TG960 Bangkok-Stockholm on 14 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 0705 and arrive in Stockholm at 1310 hours (local time).
    Flight TG638 Bangkok-Hong Kong on 21 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 1355 hours and arrive in Hong Kong at 1740 hours (local time), and on 28 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 1400 and arrive in Hong Kong at 1745 (local time)
    Flight TG 632 Bangkok-Taipei on 8, 16, 23 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 0825 and arrive in Taipei at 1305 (local time), and on 30 October 2020 will depart from Bangkok at 0815 hours and Taipei at 1245 hours (local time)
    On these routes, THAI sells only one-way tickets. Passengers can use existing tickets and ROP award tickets on these special flights, but terms and conditions apply. Reservations can be made at https://www.thaiairways.com/th_TH/bo...l_flights.page, THAI Sales Offices, and THAI Contact Center at tel 0-2356-1111 from 0800-2000.

  19. #719
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    Damn pretty she is too... whatever made you leave Sweden Lom?
    The Thai temples Mendip, the temples.

  20. #720
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    ^lol. I'm sure the temples must have been very enlightening.

    @mendip - hang in there & good luck in your future plans. Request: can you get a can of surstromming & sample it? Do it with the windows open, though. Cheers!

  21. #721
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    she said stuff like, 'why don't you go for a walk, go cycling, or (get this...) hire a scooter and go around town'!


    Damn pretty she is too...
    Sounds like you're knocking on an open door there, Mr. Mendip.
    I trust you told her that her suggestion was excellent and you'd love to go with someone to show you around, especially some small restaurants because these Swedish menus are too difficult for me alone and I don't really know what local dishes are good.
    You could be enjoying the sights and probably enjoying some dinner à deux. Always good to have a little distaff company.

  22. #722
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Happy As Larry View Post
    While there might be more repatriation flights out of the UK there are also more people wanting to be on one.
    Unless the Thai embassy has chnaged its system over the last few weeks they were not creating a waiting list of those wanting a flight.
    Here is a list of airlines with permission to fly entitled people back to Thailand. Issued by the Thai Embassy Bern Switzerland. One suspects the same airlines can collect qualified passengers in the UK.

    The ME airlines will be more complicated due to the transit countries own required virus test paperwork, the European airlines are presumably non-stop.

    รายชื่อสายการบินกึ่งพาณิชย์นำผู้ที่ได้รับอนุญ าต เดินทางเข้าประเทศไทย

    *********************

    List of semi-commercial flights transporting entitled passengers entering Thailand

     Emirates (DBX-BKK: starts from 1 September 2020)

     Etihad (AUH-BKK: starts from 5 October 2020)

     Qatar (DOH-BKK: starts from 1 October 2020)

     Austrian Airlines (VIE-BKK: starts from 15 October 2020)

     SWISS (ZRH-BKK: starts from 15 October 2020)

     Lufthansa (FRA-BKK: starts from 15 October 2020)

     KLM (AMS-BKK: start date to be confirmed)

     Air France (CDG-BKK: start date to be confirmed)

     THAI Airways (routes and start date to be confirmed)

     Singapore Airlines (SIN-BKK: starts from 16 October 2020)

     EVA Air (TPE-BKK: starts from 25 October 2020)

     Cathay Pacific (HKG-BKK: starts from 7 October 2020)

    As of 5 OCT 2020

    https://thaiembassy.ch/files_upload/editor_upload/VISA/1601929591_5-oct-2020list-semi-commercial-flights.pdf


    If one can survive the quarantine in Thailand.
    Last edited by OhOh; 08-10-2020 at 10:22 AM.

  23. #723
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    Always good to have a little distaff company.
    Her relationship with the company management may be worth clarification. Not to allow any black marks being added on his personal file. The country lasses in the UK would be less risky.

  24. #724
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    Sounds like you're knocking on an open door there, Mr. Mendip.
    I trust you told her that her suggestion was excellent and you'd love to go with someone to show you around, especially some small restaurants because these Swedish menus are too difficult for me alone and I don't really know what local dishes are good.
    You could be enjoying the sights and probably enjoying some dinner à deux. Always good to have a little distaff company.
    Exactly, how much more obvious does she have to be?

  25. #725
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    ^ Maybe I've been a bit slow here?

    One thing I have noticed here is that even the older girls who have caught my attention... are still at least 20 years younger than I. This particular girl is nearer 30 years younger...

    I though these countries had this thing called 'age appropriateness'?

    And everyone is friendly in Sweden... they just seem like nice people. In fact, if it wasn't for the climate, the expense and the food I could quite happily stay here. Obviously it's no good if 'Temples' is your main interest.

    I don't want to get the wrong reputation in this office just because some innocent girl suggested that I take a walk in the evening instead of enjoying a hit of malt. (but I will keep an open mind)

    But anyway, yesterday I found a way to relieve myself of a different source of stress that's been effecting me for the last two weeks.

    Every day, morning and evening, when I've had my shower the bladdy shower head has kept slipping down the railing.

    As HW would say, yesterday 'I did something about it' and had my first two-handed shower in a fortnight.


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