rexall

And the joke is that originally--at least as I understood it--the 800K was to live on. If you have to keep it in the bank, you are not living on it. If you are not living on it, then how are you supporting yourself? You are not allowed to work. Of course, implicit in my argument is that it doesn't makes sense, and making sense is just not important here, it is just not an issue one way or the other.

It sounds like you (Canadians) may continue to use the affidavit method as before. I hope that is correct, for your sake. It would be fascinating to know why the Canadians are still choosing to issue the affidavits. HOWEVER, to the extent that you can, I would have a back-up plan because after throwing a hand grenade into the box and shaking everything up, who the hell knows what the hell Imm will ask you for next extension.

There is no "why." There doesn't have to be a "why." Things like consistence are only important if you are applying Western logic.

What country, drifter? Off topic, but Panama looks really sweet. Quite developed. Beautiful. Tropical. Not Third World prices, but affordable. The Spanish Language is more accessible than Thai. Only requires $1,000 in pension income for retirement visa. Even less if you buy (yes, "buy") a house.

"Wishy-washy" is a cultural phenomenon. It is deliberate, whether it is done consciously or unconsciously. Vague, wish-washy, ambiguous, circular are all means of exercising power and maintaining "face." That way, nothing is really a "mistake." No one can be held accountable. Pesky falang are kept feeling perpetually insecure and off-balance.

There is no "purpose." It is just double-talk. My reading is that if you could get an embassy letter, it could still be used in place of bank deposits. But since you can't get an embassy letter anymore, you have to provide bank deposits.

That's a hoot! The very youngest of those retirees fro 1998, assuming they are still alive, would be age 71!

Sorry, this is a myth, and old wives tale. Certainly people LIKE to let off steam, and in their opinion, they "need" to. Sure, I guess some people do get nasty when they can't do what they want to do. But that doesn't mean that it is "therapeutic" in the way people think it is. There are much better ways of dealing with stress, anxiety, frustration, boredom or whatever than "acting out," behaving in reckless and dangerous ways, and misusing or over-using intoxicants.

I think Thais, like everyone else, are afraid of dying. However, some rationalize reckless, dangerous behavior with a kind of perverse, fatalistic interpretation of Buddhism which says something like: "If it is my day to die, I am going to die, and there is nothing I can do about it. But if is not my day to die, I can do whatever I want!" Of course, that does not account account for the people that you might kill while having reckless, sanook mak-mak . . . but then, then being responsible and accountable and adult would spoil the sanook, wouldn't it? Sigh!

Nothing is "wrong" with Singapore, but they ain't got no sanook! What would this world come to without nanook, sanook, sanook, mak-mak????

People are not teapots. They do not need to "let off steam."