Shipping Restrictions (Bangkok)

Hi all,

I'll be moving to Bangkok this summer & am concerned about the restrictions I've gotten from my school regarding shipping:

No CDs, tapes or paintings, even if they are used
No medicines/drugs, vitamins and other nutritional supplements
No sporting equipment
One used electrical appliance except computers is allowed
All other items, including used computers will be subject to a duty of approximately 40% of the new value

These seem ridiculously tight! I live in China & have a very nice, very large CD collection - what am I supposed to do with all of that? And why can't I bring my paintings? I don't want to simply get rid of all my beloved things! And medicines are hard to find & expensive to replace! Not to mention all my electronics! In Protected content , how can anyone survive with just ONE electronic appliance?!

Does the customs office really check foreigners' shipments for all these things? Does anyone have any advice/ stories to share?

Thanks,
Stefanie