Day C9: Brain Training
Today's brain training beside the swimming pool would involve trying to decipher the app for paying my electricity bills online. This involved both linguistics and math skills.
My neighbor had suggested the 'PEA Smart Plus' app. It wasn't available on the Google Play store in my area, goodness knows why not, so I was able to sideload the .apk file and install that way.
Once the app was installed, I needed to enter all the details for my condo address. This was all in Thai of course. But thanks to the bike rides, I could memorize 'buri' from all the signs on the kilometer posts. 'Buri' is one of the most common suffixes for towns in Thailand. That made me decipher Chonburi province on the app. I also had to read Bang Lamung District but that was the only one with the squiggly symbol in the middle so I selected it. Finally, Nong Prue subdistrict was the next logical choice which matched what I saw on my bills.
Next was going through the old piles of electricity bills from the mailbox and trying to figure out key details such as invoice numbers and when they disconnected the meter. This would be key since the app itself has a feature where you can apply for meter re-installation online rather than making another bicycle trip to the office.
The only problem was I didn't know when the last bill was paid. That was the next bit of brain training. I saw a date of December 2563, added 3 years for covid, and came to the conclusion this year must be 2566. Then I figured out if you subtract 543, that's how you convert between Thai and western years. And voila, 2566 - 543 = 2023
It would be easier just to memorize this year is 2566. With that done, I enjoyed a delicious breakfast and coffee and finished updating my budget beside the swimming pool.
I then created a sinking fund and siphoned off some unused budget from the other categories (accomodation, food, etc..) into that fund. This freed up a substantial amount of money to get things started.
Next I set out a detailed plan for how to tackle the damage in the condo one thing at a time next week. Besides the cleaning, it would be necessary to hire a painter and repaint the walls, also replace the entire shower unit, replace the blinds, replace the curtains, not to mention mold removal in the all the cupboards. The TV would also need to be replaced along with buying a new soft mattress.
This condo will soon be dumped anyway, it is only for a few more years I can tolerate the mismanagement. Just please don't have guests go pilfering the stuff I replaced or stay in the condo illegally, that's all I ask.
With all that done I felt satisfied, jumped in the pool for a swim, then got on the bus to Bangkok. The easiest thing to do was simply put the folding bike in a bag and head back.
Research was done on the bus to show that it is possible to open a bank account with just a 30 day tourist stamp in the passport. The website claimed that, "A rejection from a single branch doesn't mean you're ineligible for a bank account. It just means you need to find a different branch. Some are more lenient than others. The best place to try is in a tourist area."
So then what, Khaosan Road banking?
Next thing I messaged the owners of the Sananwan and told them what happened. They vetoed my plan to invest money into the condo and just said let the new buyer handle all that.
One thing I still hadn't gotten around to was Ukraine donations, but with the budget all reset and my online banking apps working again, there wasn't time to stall anymore. I simply picked the biggest charity that President Zelensky himself endorsed, and threw down a large sum of money. Why make it complicated, just do it.
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