Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Has anyone ever done commercials while in Bangkok? I know there are a few companies that use farang and non farang; just wondering what I should watch out for if I send in a headshot and get picked.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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Has anyone ever done commercials while in Bangkok? I know there are a few companies that use farang and non farang; just wondering what I should watch out for if I send in a headshot and get picked.

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I have done 6 commercials in Bangkok. I am half Japanese/American though so I fit into the half-asian "look" that is popular in some advertisements. In the last year and a half I did TV commercials for Honda, True, Sony, Mama Noodles, Swensens, and Thairung (Thai Izuzu). I had an agent that handled both Thai and Farang model/actors, but mostly Thai girls. It was funny seeing myself on TV eating noodles! Interestingly enough, my "girlfriend" in the noodle commercial was a model from the czech republic.

If you get picked for a commercial, you will probably go to a "fitting" to take some pics and try on wardrobe and make up the day before. If you get an agent, he/she will call you when casting auditions are open and you can go to various studios and do your thing. I never spoke any thai. Payment usually takes about 1-2 months though. TV Commercials for me were about 50,000 baht/day 80-100k if they do print ads too. The agency will take 25-35%.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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A good [censored] breakfast. Don't get me wrong, you can get scambled eggs and toast everyday, but I want a goddamn sasuage biscuit or gravy biscuits or a bagel with cream cheese that doesn't taste like ass.

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What if you know how to cook, can you get your western meals that way?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Damn thats pretty good money if you can get a few gigs a month.

I wisH i was in the mama soup comercial.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

well obviously if you can cook you can make whatever the [censored] you want

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Comon guys, this thread should be at 50 pages by now. Ask some questions.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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well obviously if you can cook you can make whatever the [censored] you want

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Not if you can't get good ingredients.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

YOu can buy almost anything.

Especially in bkk, there are food stores that import everything you have back home.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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Comon guys, this thread should be at 50 pages by now. Ask some questions.

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Ever had a medical condition serious enough to warrant a hospital stay? Do you have health insurance? If so, how much do you pay?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

No I have not had a medical issue. I also dont have insurace. Im will be getting some kind of coverage over the next few months though,

THe hospitals are pretty good here so I dont worry.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Are rats and/or cockroaches an issue at all in houses or apartment buildings?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

The only place I have seen rats in Thailand is when I was walking down soi nana in bkk.

I have seen cockroaches in dirty ass houses before as well. Not really a problem though cause ive never seen them in my place.

Geckos are everywhere, inside your house as well, and they eat all the bugs and [censored] that might wander in. They are great

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Does anyone have pics of their house/apartment?

I hear numbers thrown around a lot, but it would be cool to see exactly how 2+2ers are living, and have a more concrete idea of what's possible for X amount of money.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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2. It was mentioned earlier drugs such as paxil are common, do you need a prescription from a local or are they otc? Does this include adderall or other amphetamines?


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You don't need a prescription. Not sure of the law but it is very common to just buy them and not be asked for one.

There are many things you cannot get, any kind of amphetamine is one.

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Could I bring my prescription from the US to a doctor there to get amphetamines? Are they completely illegal? How risky would it be to bring my current refill into the country?

From my searching, it seems Phuket and Koh Sumai are the two main islands, is this right? How would you compare the two, beaches, expenses, nightlife, etc? What other islands would you consider for an extended stay? Internet access appears to be the major downside, but a lot of the hotels/rentals advertise they have wifi, it's just not that reliable?

Are there many bars that are just 'bars' or pubs and not populated by working girls? I saw mention there is a club scene but didn't see any talk of regular bars. What about places to watch football on the weekends?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Is there anyway to get DirecTV or something to watch NFL games?

How hard is it to get a job doing commercials? That's some pretty good money. I'm not half-asian or anything but I'm a good looking guy.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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Is there anyway to get DirecTV or something to watch NFL games?

How hard is it to get a job doing commercials? That's some pretty good money. I'm not half-asian or anything but I'm a good looking guy.

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I had some friends that were using slingbox to get all kinds of channels. Unfortunately that is all I know about the subject. They said they were watching any channels they wanted with it. I think they had someone in the states working together with them. I just download whatever I can't see on tv here. High Stakes Poker, WSOP shows, The Colbert Report etc.

I was "discovered" when I was looking for apartments here. There was a model agency in the lobby of the building and they guy came out and asked me if I wanted to take some pics and could I drive a car in a commercial etc. I said, let me check my schedule [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] haha.. I never did any acting or anything like that in my life, but after a while you just do what the director tells you. It was interesting to say the least. Sometimes waiting around doing casting sucked, but at least there were always cute thai girls around casting for other parts or ads.

I have heard there is an agency here that works mostly with foreigners as they are often needed as extras and in Thai shows where they want to pretend they are on location in another country. (put a bunch of white people in the background and call it London) A friend told me it was on soi nana actually. I never checked it out because I had plenty of auditions to go to thru my agent and he had been good to me.

You might have to go to a bunch of auditions and see how it goes. It's hard to say what they are looking for. The Honda ad I did was with a American dude from texas. He was 22, good enough looking guy but not like runway model style or anything. They pick the "model" types for hip heineken ads and stuff like that. (big pay for big brands like that). If you want my agency info PM me.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

can do commercials if you are halfie, otherwise its gotta be alot harder.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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Does anyone have pics of their house/apartment?

I hear numbers thrown around a lot, but it would be cool to see exactly how 2+2ers are living, and have a more concrete idea of what's possible for X amount of money.

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First I stayed at this hotel. I have stayed there every year I visited in the past too.

Grand President Topaz Suite, Bangkok: Oct 2004 it was $750/monthly rate (prices may vary depending on season)

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6...0337imgwi7.jpg

The Hotel is on Sukumvit Soi 11
http://img467.imageshack.us/img467/6...0338imgfn3.jpg

After that I moved into a studio apt. ($450/month)
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/6...0367imgff2.jpg

View from 8th floor

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4...0369imgar2.jpg

It's not as ballin as Degen's pad I'm sure, but it works for me and my budget. It is very centrally located and has gym, sauna, pool etc.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Wow, awesome place. Little bigger than my brother's place in Manhattan, and he pays...well... many times what you pay.

Can you get high-end electronics really cheap in Thailand? Like how much would a $2000 (at BestBuy) plasma TV cost?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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How early do I have to get to Hat Rin to lock down a room for the full moon party? I gotta do a visa run tomorrow but I think I'll head to Koh Samui the next day and then Hat Rin. I'll be straight if I get there 3 days early right?

I'm worried I'll still be sick and have to wait another day to travel.

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Don't stay at Hat Rin. Every beach on the island AND Samui run boats all night (Take at your own risk. I was too drunk to care [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] )

Anyhow Hat Rin fills up three days prior and becomes a garbage and broken glass filled [censored] hole after the party. Plus, hope you like people effing on your bungalow patio. Yikes.

I stayed at Broken Bottle beach on the north side. It was full two days prior to the party. If you want a decent place try to arrive three days or more ahead of time. Have fun. I enjoyed myself but doubt I would do it again.

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What??? I would recommend staying on had rin or somewhere where you can walk to had rin. The partying the week before the full moon party is [censored] awesome too. Though, I'm not sure if 3 days is enough time in advance.

Did anyone else constantly find themselves at chicken corner in the middle of the night?

damn, this thread makes me miss thailand/SE asia even more.

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

is that a serviced apartment? if so, you can get a big discount if you rent a regular place and sign 6mo lease.

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

I used to make American breakfast once in a while. You can get everything but good bread. But it will cost you the equivalent of 5 plates of fried rice.

KJS

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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I stayed at Broken Bottle beach

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Hi Oct,

How was that? I've heard some great things but still haven't made it over there. How long did it take to get to Hat Rin? Can you get bungalows in the sand right on the beach? Any bars or anything over there?

Thanks!

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It was gorgeous, if overfilled. While I enjoyed my stay, I think I would have preferred going at another time. There were good food options. Getting there was a baht bus from the ferry dock or a longtail. The roads were all washed out, it was 6am and places were filling up (this was four days prior to the party) Instead of waiting for the roads to improve like everyone else we (people I met on the hellish night ferry) 'risked' it and got the longtail, which was a bit pricey.

I do NOT remember where I stayed. It was nice, decent electricity coverage. A bit more than other places I stayed in Thailand and they had the Net. I stayed next to a French couple in their late 30s with a 10 year old daughter. I saw them swimming naked at Haad Rin during the party [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]


Anyhow, on the way out I took the bahtbus and it was a terrible ride (by western standards. my next leg of the trip was Cambodia and the roads on Phangan were silk in comparison. i think there is an actual asphalt road now, but check on that...)

Overall, the bottle beach was nice (one of the nicest on the island,i think), but not worth the cost for arriving early. I also like activities during down time; all I remember was hiking to the next beach over and lots of drinking.

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Any good tailor recommendations? Mostly looking for replica items or stuff off of pictures, none of this "forty dresses in twenty four hours" business.

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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The one caveat to that is that some don't like black ppl

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So if your black the chances of [censored] beautiful thai girls goes down significantly? Or is it something else?
For example a Black guy goes to thailand with lots of money to blow, he'll still have a great time right?

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

Ok dude, so i'm arriving around Nov 10. And i'll be backpacking for a month (unless I find some awesome place). You recommend staying first night at that backpackers mecca place then just go out and do whatever?

I think a FAQ would be nice at this stage, on a website, in your blog or anywhere (it's going to be a PITA to do though).

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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Does anyone have pics of their house/apartment?

I hear numbers thrown around a lot, but it would be cool to see exactly how 2+2ers are living, and have a more concrete idea of what's possible for X amount of money.

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I have pictures, but don't know how to post them. If someone sends me an email address, I can send it to them.

Also, I have servants quarters in my house if any of you are looking to rent a room. LOL

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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One thing I'm surprised is that no one has mentioned the fact that farang can't own property.

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So if you lived there you have to rent? That does sound like a bummer. Whats the point of an investor visa (or whatever that was called)?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4489/1000053na7.jpg


Also, as a brag, I'm including a picture of my puppy, Panang.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9475/1000040sh7.jpg

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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One thing I'm surprised is that no one has mentioned the fact that farang can't own property.

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So if you lived there you have to rent? That does sound like a bummer. Whats the point of an investor visa (or whatever that was called)?

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I guess its been pointed out that there are ways around it. For example, our house is in my wifes name.

Post deleted by Mat Sklansky
 

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

There are farang in prison. My friend was penpals with one, in addition to going to one every once in a while just to visit people and try to give them a lift. All were in for drug crimes that I heard him talk about.

KJS

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

How do they view Persians?

Re: Ask Degen Anything About Living In Thailand
 

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One thing I'm surprised is that no one has mentioned the fact that farang can't own property.

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So if you lived there you have to rent? That does sound like a bummer. Whats the point of an investor visa (or whatever that was called)?

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I guess its been pointed out that there are ways around it. For example, our house is in my wifes name.

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that isnt a way around it.