A hearty brekkie to start the day 
Ham n' cheese on toast , scrambled eggs , baked beans and Tongkat Ali coffee to wash it down
Ham n' cheese on toast , scrambled eggs , baked beans and Tongkat Ali coffee to wash it down
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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
- Start date
A hearty brekkie to start the day
Ham n' cheese on toast , scrambled eggs , baked beans and Tongkat Ali coffee to wash it down
Very unhealthy.
Like all skools that raise the flag at 7.30 am
A hearty brekkie to start the day
Ham n' cheese on toast , scrambled eggs , baked beans and Tongkat Ali coffee to wash it down
substantial spread for breakfast, but there's too much variety and diversity of designs on the chinaware. :p
Thailand's losing some shine in auto industry?
Thailand risks losing No.1 spot
Bangkok Post Published: 20/08/2014 at 06:00 AM
Thailand's automotive industry faces a challenge from Indonesia to its status as the biggest car market in Southeast Asia.
According to the Asean Automotive Federation, last year Thailand was the regional leader in every aspect of the industry: production, domestic sales and exports. It produced 2.46 million vehicles, while Indonesia turned out 1.2 million.
"Indonesia is expected to become Thailand's arch rival once the Asean Economic Community is integrated in late 2015," said Ong-arj Pongkijworasin, chairman of the automotive industry club of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
"Indonesia's government has a roadmap to produce 4.18 million vehicles by 2025."
Mr Ong-arj was speaking yesterday at a seminar hosted by the Thai Automotive Journalists Association at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre.
Car production in Asean's five manufacturing countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam — amounted to 4.43 million vehicles last year, up by 5% from 4.23 million in 2012.
Car sales in Asean totalled 3.54 million, a rise of 2% from 3.47 million in 2012. Thailand sold 1.33 million vehicles last year, down 7%, while Indonesia sold 1.22 million, up 10%.
"Indonesia has been trying to develop its vehicles in a similar way to Thailand, be they eco-cars, which are called low-cost green cars, multipurpose vehicles, sport-utility vehicles, small sedans, trucks or hybrid vehicles," Mr Ong-arj said.
"More importantly, several multipurpose vehicles in the Thai market are also imported from Indonesia." According to Mr Ong-arj, Indonesia is expected to produce 1.61 million vehicles by 2015 and 2.60 million by 2016.
However, Indonesia has cut its production forecast this year to 1.3 million vehicles from 1.4 million due to slowing demand in the country.
"The automotive industry of Indonesia has had a compound average annual growth rate of 15% since 2010, while Thailand has had only 10%," said Mr Ong-arj.
At present, Thailand has 18 car makers with a maximum production capacity of 2.85 million vehicles, while it has a supply chain of auto parts makers of more than 2,300.
Last month, the FTI cut its 2014 forecast for Thailand's automotive output from 2.4 million vehicles to 2.2 million. It also cut its estimate of domestic sales to 1 million from 1.2 million, while exports stand firm at 1.2 million vehicles.
It forecasts pickup truck sales will contribute 55-58% of domestic sales against 44.2% in 2013, while passenger cars are expected to drop to about 40% from 47.4%last year. The passenger car market has normalised after demand was absorbed by the former government's first-time car buyer scheme.
The FTI is today due to announce car sales and production figures for July
Thailand risks losing No.1 spot
Bangkok Post Published: 20/08/2014 at 06:00 AM
Thailand's automotive industry faces a challenge from Indonesia to its status as the biggest car market in Southeast Asia.
According to the Asean Automotive Federation, last year Thailand was the regional leader in every aspect of the industry: production, domestic sales and exports. It produced 2.46 million vehicles, while Indonesia turned out 1.2 million.
"Indonesia is expected to become Thailand's arch rival once the Asean Economic Community is integrated in late 2015," said Ong-arj Pongkijworasin, chairman of the automotive industry club of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
"Indonesia's government has a roadmap to produce 4.18 million vehicles by 2025."
Mr Ong-arj was speaking yesterday at a seminar hosted by the Thai Automotive Journalists Association at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre.
Car production in Asean's five manufacturing countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam — amounted to 4.43 million vehicles last year, up by 5% from 4.23 million in 2012.
Car sales in Asean totalled 3.54 million, a rise of 2% from 3.47 million in 2012. Thailand sold 1.33 million vehicles last year, down 7%, while Indonesia sold 1.22 million, up 10%.
"Indonesia has been trying to develop its vehicles in a similar way to Thailand, be they eco-cars, which are called low-cost green cars, multipurpose vehicles, sport-utility vehicles, small sedans, trucks or hybrid vehicles," Mr Ong-arj said.
"More importantly, several multipurpose vehicles in the Thai market are also imported from Indonesia." According to Mr Ong-arj, Indonesia is expected to produce 1.61 million vehicles by 2015 and 2.60 million by 2016.
However, Indonesia has cut its production forecast this year to 1.3 million vehicles from 1.4 million due to slowing demand in the country.
"The automotive industry of Indonesia has had a compound average annual growth rate of 15% since 2010, while Thailand has had only 10%," said Mr Ong-arj.
At present, Thailand has 18 car makers with a maximum production capacity of 2.85 million vehicles, while it has a supply chain of auto parts makers of more than 2,300.
Last month, the FTI cut its 2014 forecast for Thailand's automotive output from 2.4 million vehicles to 2.2 million. It also cut its estimate of domestic sales to 1 million from 1.2 million, while exports stand firm at 1.2 million vehicles.
It forecasts pickup truck sales will contribute 55-58% of domestic sales against 44.2% in 2013, while passenger cars are expected to drop to about 40% from 47.4%last year. The passenger car market has normalised after demand was absorbed by the former government's first-time car buyer scheme.
The FTI is today due to announce car sales and production figures for July
No squeal, never mind challenge... just straight through passing of budget in new legislative setup :p And latest on new PM (no prizes for guessing who)
NLA waves through budget
Military members stay mum during debate
Bangkok Post Published: 19/08/2014
The National Legislative Assembly passed the 2015 budget bill Monday — its first big task since being formed — without a single dissenting vote.
NCPO chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha had never spoken to parliament before Monday, when he took the seat normally assigned to the prime minister, addressed the NLA like he had been doing it for years and watched while his budget bill passed by unanimous vote.
If National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Prayuth Chan-ocha wanted a rubber stamp parliament, the NLA delivered handsomely Monday, passing the bill after a four hour debate in which not a single military member of the NLA stood to question the contents or make any contribution.
Earlier, Gen Prayuth, who is also army chief, spent about 30 minutes explaining details of the legislation before the assembly passed the bill at its first reading.
The NLA voted 183:0 in favour of the bill, with three abstentions from the NLA president and two deputies. A 50-member panel will scrutinise it over the coming weeks. Seventeen NLA members took part in the debate, all civilians. No military members stood to take part in the debate, even though they make up more than half of the 197 members.
The sight of Gen Prayuth wearing a neat black suit and addressing parliament in the same manner as a prime minister is unusual.
The giant image of Gen Prayuth dominates parliament as the president, two vice-presidents and members of the National Legislative Assembly listen to Monday's budget speech. Gen Prayuth sat in the prime minister's chair while ministerial permanent secretaries sat in chairs normally occupied by cabinet ministers during the meeting.
When he explained the budget spending, Gen Prayuth spoke in a direct, no-nonsense way typical of a soldier. The NLA convened for the first time yesterday after the appointments of its president and his deputies had been endorsed by His Majesty the King.
The budget bill worth 2.57 trillion baht was the most urgent legislative item and the first bill to be considered by the assembly.
Gen Prayuth said the budget bill allows slight deficit spending at 9.7% or 250 billion baht, with revenue estimated at 2.32 trillion baht. The spending was likely to stimulate the economy by 6.3% with an inflation rate estimated at 2.3%.
The budget had been created to maintain fiscal discipline and avoid creating excessive public debt which could hurt the economy, he said.
Gen Prayuth said investment spending will focus mainly on projects that are ready for procurement in the first quarter of the 2015 fiscal year which begins on Oct 1.
He said the budget bill was modelled on the principle of His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy. Efforts will be made to curb public debt, maintain financial discipline and solve problems relating to uneven distribution of budget spending.
Gen Prayuth said state agencies would have to report disbursements and spending every three months so the public can see an overall picture of progress.
During his budget remarks, Gen Prayuth showed flashes of humour, delighting his audience.
"Forgive me if I speak too loud. I was advised to keep cool. But I'm still excited. I also had a stomach-ache this morning," Gen Prayuth said.
Under the bill, the Education Ministry gets the biggest chunk of spending, more than 498 billion baht.
Gen Prayuth, as chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has called for education reform as part of his plans to reshape the country. More than 372 billion baht has been allocated to central budget funds while the Interior Ministry gets more than 341 billion baht.
Defence spending, which typically increases in Thailand after a coup, grows to 193.06 billion baht, up 5.3% from last year's allocation while the Finance Ministry gets about 186 billion baht.
The army chief said the economy has grown between 1.5% and 2.5%, which reflects the NCPO's effort to turn it around.
"In 2015, the railway system will be improved to reduce logistic costs, especially 11 dual-track routes including the Hat Yai-Padang Besar electric rail system. Since Malaysia has committed to the rail system, ours will need to be compatible with it," he said. "We have approved a long-term strategy and no borrowing has been made. Whether it is a one-metre or standard gauge [1.43m] track will be discussed further," he said.
The NCPO will also push for fairer land ownership since large areas of land in the country have not been developed. More laws will be proposed to the NLA to encourage landlords to rent out land to farmers.
"I assure you taxpayers' money will be spent efficiently and transparently," the general said.
Wrapping up his remarks on the budget, Prayuth asked:" Any questions or disagreement?'' Nobody stood up to make any comment.
"Don't worry who will be prime minister or cabinet members. Whoever they are, we can control them and ensure they can work,'' Gen Prayuth said.
"Thank you for giving us useful advice and we will act on it. I'm pleased to be here and I hope I won't be here again,'' Gen Prayuth told the assembly.
NLA waves through budget
Military members stay mum during debate
Bangkok Post Published: 19/08/2014
The National Legislative Assembly passed the 2015 budget bill Monday — its first big task since being formed — without a single dissenting vote.
NCPO chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha had never spoken to parliament before Monday, when he took the seat normally assigned to the prime minister, addressed the NLA like he had been doing it for years and watched while his budget bill passed by unanimous vote.
If National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Prayuth Chan-ocha wanted a rubber stamp parliament, the NLA delivered handsomely Monday, passing the bill after a four hour debate in which not a single military member of the NLA stood to question the contents or make any contribution.
Earlier, Gen Prayuth, who is also army chief, spent about 30 minutes explaining details of the legislation before the assembly passed the bill at its first reading.
The NLA voted 183:0 in favour of the bill, with three abstentions from the NLA president and two deputies. A 50-member panel will scrutinise it over the coming weeks. Seventeen NLA members took part in the debate, all civilians. No military members stood to take part in the debate, even though they make up more than half of the 197 members.
The sight of Gen Prayuth wearing a neat black suit and addressing parliament in the same manner as a prime minister is unusual.
The giant image of Gen Prayuth dominates parliament as the president, two vice-presidents and members of the National Legislative Assembly listen to Monday's budget speech. Gen Prayuth sat in the prime minister's chair while ministerial permanent secretaries sat in chairs normally occupied by cabinet ministers during the meeting.
When he explained the budget spending, Gen Prayuth spoke in a direct, no-nonsense way typical of a soldier. The NLA convened for the first time yesterday after the appointments of its president and his deputies had been endorsed by His Majesty the King.
The budget bill worth 2.57 trillion baht was the most urgent legislative item and the first bill to be considered by the assembly.
Gen Prayuth said the budget bill allows slight deficit spending at 9.7% or 250 billion baht, with revenue estimated at 2.32 trillion baht. The spending was likely to stimulate the economy by 6.3% with an inflation rate estimated at 2.3%.
The budget had been created to maintain fiscal discipline and avoid creating excessive public debt which could hurt the economy, he said.
Gen Prayuth said investment spending will focus mainly on projects that are ready for procurement in the first quarter of the 2015 fiscal year which begins on Oct 1.
He said the budget bill was modelled on the principle of His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy. Efforts will be made to curb public debt, maintain financial discipline and solve problems relating to uneven distribution of budget spending.
Gen Prayuth said state agencies would have to report disbursements and spending every three months so the public can see an overall picture of progress.
During his budget remarks, Gen Prayuth showed flashes of humour, delighting his audience.
"Forgive me if I speak too loud. I was advised to keep cool. But I'm still excited. I also had a stomach-ache this morning," Gen Prayuth said.
Under the bill, the Education Ministry gets the biggest chunk of spending, more than 498 billion baht.
Gen Prayuth, as chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has called for education reform as part of his plans to reshape the country. More than 372 billion baht has been allocated to central budget funds while the Interior Ministry gets more than 341 billion baht.
Defence spending, which typically increases in Thailand after a coup, grows to 193.06 billion baht, up 5.3% from last year's allocation while the Finance Ministry gets about 186 billion baht.
The army chief said the economy has grown between 1.5% and 2.5%, which reflects the NCPO's effort to turn it around.
"In 2015, the railway system will be improved to reduce logistic costs, especially 11 dual-track routes including the Hat Yai-Padang Besar electric rail system. Since Malaysia has committed to the rail system, ours will need to be compatible with it," he said. "We have approved a long-term strategy and no borrowing has been made. Whether it is a one-metre or standard gauge [1.43m] track will be discussed further," he said.
The NCPO will also push for fairer land ownership since large areas of land in the country have not been developed. More laws will be proposed to the NLA to encourage landlords to rent out land to farmers.
"I assure you taxpayers' money will be spent efficiently and transparently," the general said.
Wrapping up his remarks on the budget, Prayuth asked:" Any questions or disagreement?'' Nobody stood up to make any comment.
"Don't worry who will be prime minister or cabinet members. Whoever they are, we can control them and ensure they can work,'' Gen Prayuth said.
"Thank you for giving us useful advice and we will act on it. I'm pleased to be here and I hope I won't be here again,'' Gen Prayuth told the assembly.
If you are ever in Tangarang just next to Jakarta please go to this great restaurant Saung Serpong, sorry no branch anywhere just this restaurant.
[video=youtube;ucfodqwRIt0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucfodqwRIt0[/video]
There are two main ethnic people in Java, Javanese and Sundanese. I was told that both hated each other and intermarriage between them is shunned. This is a Sundanese restaurant.
The word Saung in Sundanese language is house as in rumah. Serpong is an area or district of Tengerang.
This is Saung
Saung
Restaurants have salad corner this is sambal corner
Most popular sambal - sambal terasi (terasi is our balacan)
and sambal ijo
For the rest of the sambal please watch the above video
Nasi liwet (rice cooked witih herbs and spices and coconut - this is much better than nasi lemak)
Stir fried pumpking leaves with sambal
Stir fired kangkong with terasi (Singapore style will be kangkong sambal balacan but in Indonesia its more often kangkong with balacan only and no sambal, this restaurant's kangkong balacan is very well balanced where you get a good taste of balacan bot overwhelming, nicely balanced)
[video=youtube;ucfodqwRIt0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucfodqwRIt0[/video]
There are two main ethnic people in Java, Javanese and Sundanese. I was told that both hated each other and intermarriage between them is shunned. This is a Sundanese restaurant.
The word Saung in Sundanese language is house as in rumah. Serpong is an area or district of Tengerang.
This is Saung
Saung
Restaurants have salad corner this is sambal corner
Most popular sambal - sambal terasi (terasi is our balacan)
and sambal ijo
For the rest of the sambal please watch the above video
Nasi liwet (rice cooked witih herbs and spices and coconut - this is much better than nasi lemak)
Stir fried pumpking leaves with sambal
Stir fired kangkong with terasi (Singapore style will be kangkong sambal balacan but in Indonesia its more often kangkong with balacan only and no sambal, this restaurant's kangkong balacan is very well balanced where you get a good taste of balacan bot overwhelming, nicely balanced)
Ampal (beef cooked and prepared this way)
Satay Ayam - sauce is great with finely grounded peanut and sweet kechap (I still prefer if the peanut sauce is crunchy)
Ayam goreng kremas
Scallop lada hitam (scallop black pepper)
Udang telur asin (prawn cooked in salted eggs)
Gorame pesmol (gurame or tilapia cooked in Indonesian herb, this is not a curry) Fantastic sauce well balanced with herb and coconut.
This meal costs only $48. If you take away the Luwak coffee then the total cost is only $39
http://saungserpong.com/index.php
Satay Ayam - sauce is great with finely grounded peanut and sweet kechap (I still prefer if the peanut sauce is crunchy)
Ayam goreng kremas
Scallop lada hitam (scallop black pepper)
Udang telur asin (prawn cooked in salted eggs)
Gorame pesmol (gurame or tilapia cooked in Indonesian herb, this is not a curry) Fantastic sauce well balanced with herb and coconut.
This meal costs only $48. If you take away the Luwak coffee then the total cost is only $39
http://saungserpong.com/index.php
It's just nuts that the rupiah is so weak compared to the sgd that the sum looks like it is some huge amount. Remember that african country that had to issue billion dollar notes to buy some eggs.
Btw how much does say a macdonalds meal cost in indonesia? In sg it's around 6 or 7 bucks so it's around 60k rupiah upwards if it actually costs 60k rupiah.
How much does an average indonesian earn.
Separate subject. Enough about food for the moment.
I've been told that http://www.ais.co.th/ has a prepaid unlimited 3G data that last 7 days which is perfect for short stays to the country. Is this coverage nationwide or regional? Please advise.
Hello Leongsam I have no knowledge of this so I had to call Khun Nadia the AIS personal assistant assigned to me, no worries I could call them anywhere toll free due to my high usage. Khun Nadia told me that the coverage is nationwide for the 3G unlimited 7 days which costs 249 baht.
Khun Nadia told me to take note that all 7 days packages are limited to 1G of data for 3G speed and then it drop down to 2G speed. If you wish to have additional space for use under 3G speed please consider the 30 days package. She also advise me to tell you to find out more at the Suvarnabhumbi Airport AIS counter as there are many different 7 days packages as well as 30 days packages and you could find one that will suit you.
Sawasdee krup.
Stopped by a fantastic Nasi Uduk stall by the roadside this afternoon for lunch in central Jakarta
[video=youtube;b6lRC2RS2fc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lRC2RS2fc[/video]
The items we selected including prawns, beef, chicken, tahu, tempeh
The nasi uduk
The peanut sauce
Salad
[video=youtube;b6lRC2RS2fc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lRC2RS2fc[/video]
The items we selected including prawns, beef, chicken, tahu, tempeh
The nasi uduk
The peanut sauce
Salad
Yes, 30 days for thb450 package gives more mileage (unlimited I think). Nationwide, but for some remote places can drop to dinasaur age of Edge. The differential is inconsequential, without limiting options.
I normal order by the bottle for whiskey and brandy because each sitting is normally half bottle when I'm alone so its more worth it.
I am very new to whiskey. It all started only recently as in like 3 months ago when a specialist (artritis) whom I was seeing for acute gout asked me if I drink I said yes wine and brandy, she told me its good that I don't drink beer because its the worst drink to cause gout followed by brandy and wine. She advised me that if I must drink whisky is the only alcohol drink that does not cause gout. I told her that I tried but hated it as it caused me to have migraine. She asked me what whisky I tried I told her Black, Chivas, Jack she told me to forget about these and try single malt. I got some advise from some forumers here and that was how I began, no gout no migraine and I'm totally sold to single malt now. Love it.
Wow, you are able to drink one-half of a 750ml bottle of scotch whisky at one meal.
I also believe that by ordering a bottle is cheaper than drinking 300 ml buying a shot of whisky at a time.
I also believe that by ordering a bottle is cheaper than drinking 300 ml buying a shot of whisky at a time.
A good Pinot on a warm afternoon is all I ask for. Sam may agree with me this is one of those good ones coming out of Marlborough, Bladen a single vineyard pinot noir is well rounded not too complex to the palate, enjoy the flavor and fragrant the moment it flows ever slowly into you.
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