BradinAsia

What happens if you are a tourist but owning a condo and wnat to live in your own accomodation?

Or maybe you could buy a condo in Singapore, in K.L., in Tokyo, in Amsterdam and every other country

you intend to pass through -- you could save a lot on hotel bills, right?

As usual....the excuse will be misunderstood or mis-informed.

<deleted by poster>

It's Thailand's answer to stopping school kids buying alcohol when they are supposed to be at school. Of course there is no similar ban on tobacco sales for some reason.

What is grossly more aggravating is when you are half way through a meal and are told - sorry it's past 2pm and you are sitting there with your wife trying to enjoy a leisurely lunch and having consumed one drink already.

Then lots if things don't make much sense in Thailand so it's sort of par for the course really

Lots of things don't make sense in a lot of countries. When I lived in San Antonio, Texas you couldn't buy a drink

in a bar but you could go to the next county and buy whiskey by the bottle at the state-run liquor store.

So you had lots of drunk drivers -- people drinking straight whiskey out of a bottle while driving. And this law

was the result of pressure brought to bear by so-called "fundamentalist" Christian groups. Go figure.

Maybe I'm missing something here.

The police investigators say that the DNA of all 12 suspects does not match the sperm found in the

murdered lady's body. That assumes that the murderer raped the murdered lady. What if the sperm

came from the murdered man?

If the sperm in the lady's body came from the murdered man, then releasing all 12 suspects seems

to me like a huge cluster &lt;deleted&gt; (no pun intended).

Also, they mentioned finding a used condom. Would a murderer take the time to use a condom?

What's wrong with this picture?

To the OP -- it's certainly not easy to give you any helpful advice. From what you've told us, it's fairly

obvious that your circumstances are very real and daunting for you. My ideas may not help at all, but

over the last 7 years since I retired I have had brief periods when I felt very much like you describe.

Of course, everyone is different, but some of the solutions I've found may give you some useful ideas.

The term libido comes to mind. An elusive term which is sometimes described as the center of male

enthusiasm. Some men take Andriol Testocaps to boost their libido, which is often used to mean their

sex drive, but actual a boosted libido significantly affects other male drives, such as enthusiasm, energy

and desire to accomplish something useful.

You might ask your doctor about Andriol Testocaps, which is not a drug but doses of testosterone, a

naturally occurring hormone in all mammals.

I have True Vision cable TV, but I watch TV very little. Other than a few science/nature/educational type

programs, for me most of the programming is a huge waste of time, provides absolutely no "satisfaction

in accomplishment" and adds very little to my quality of life in retirement.

I started out making long lists of things I wanted (or needed) to accomplish; here are some examples --

(1) write an adventure novel based on my own experiences

(2) reorganize my bookshelves

(3) reply to a stupid letter from the IRS

(4) Set up a filing system for all my important papers

(5) Tidy, sort and file all my accumulated papers

(6) Write letters (snail mail) to old buddies who lack email addresses

(7) Write to XYZ Bank about their recent very poor customer service

(8) Sort, tidy and file papers

(9) Prepare materials to study Thai, Japanese and Ilonggo with my wife

(10) Research performance & price of SUV tires (Nitto, Ohtsu, Sumitomo, etc)

Then I started dividing my "Items to Accomplish List" into short-term and long term. Then at least once or

twice a week, I update my list, add some new items and delete those that are completed.

The end result is, I have no time to get bored. I'm always doing something. If I get tired of a project bcoz

it is taking to long, I simple choose another. I'm the owner of my list and since the content is totally at my

discretion, I control all my own activities and pastimes in my daily life. Of course, when making my list I do

confer with my wife about what she wants accomplished and any scheduling issues.

For me, it's important to be in charge of my own life -- I don't want to have doctors or drugs in control of

my life like millions of my fellow countrymen. Being in control of my own life give me the satisfaction of

taking charge of my own happiness and my own future.

I simply do the things that satisfy me. And my main reward is satisfaction in accomplishment.

Hope this helps... even a little.

I am surprised to hear you relieve boredom by doing things I would consider boring. Of course, that only goes to show the differences between peoples.

I agree with you about the differences between people.

You may consider writing a novel or studying languages boring, but for me watching football, baseball or basketball is super boring.

Or watching fishing or golf on TV -- for me, about as exciting as watching grass grow... but to each his own.

Most amazing is to see adults who spend huge amounts of time doing things like computer games or sitting in a bar drinking beer

everyday. I ask myself -- If I did this my whole life, would I die any smarter than when I was born? If the answer is no, I purposely

avoid those kinds of activities. But some folks seem to be happy with that.

A lot of my fellow Americans can't speak anything but English, and even in English cannot write a grammatically correct sentence.

Nor can they find London on a map, but if they're satisfied with that level of mental acuity, why should we bad-mouth them?... LOL.

well, research, writing and studying are two of the things I do; but the filing, replying to stupid letters and poor service, reorganizing bookshelves, tidying and sorting papers (twice), writing snail mail, etc., I find boring. My files/books are digital, I phone dinosaurs, and I circumvent stupidity. I can pass the time through research and writing, and even watching sports. However, I need to get out to avoid boredom.

Looks like you have a good plan...

However, you would play hail trying to circumvent the stupidity of the Internal Revenue Service. And you can't call dinosaurs if

all you have is their snail mail addresses. Also, if you get too far behind in your filing sooner or later you're sure to find yourself

deep kimchee when you can't find an important document you need.

I'd say your plan still has a few loop-holes.

I sympathise with you. I am 61 and have similar feelings. I have no hobbies and only one real friend in Thailand. I go to lots of parties and the local farang bar and get hammered several times a week....and this is no answer. My g/f is very understanding, but she is 15 years younger than me and really would like to do more things, but I never seem to have the energy and am tired all the time.

I have tried all sorts of stuff to revive some energy but nothing seems to work....I'm just hoping for an early death.

I got a good laugh out of this. I'm still wondering if you are serious or not.

About 30 yrs ago, I went thru my first divorce. The process of giving all my worldly possession to

a woman I had come to loathe was bad enough, but then for the first time in my life I had to face

being all alone. Coming home to three motorcycles parked in my garage could not over-ride the

the dreariness of an empty house.

I soon discovered that hanging out in bar was the wrong solution. I decided I had to do something

constructive. I bought a motocross bike and started competing in the local amateur MX races every

Sunday. In my spare time I started restoring an old Honda CL450 with the gorgeous DOHC engine.

Then I met a cute Chinese girl who wanted me to tutor her in English. Then I realized how good it

was that I had spent 5 years studying Chinese instead of watching football on TV.

Ended up that she wanted to learn a lot more than English and I had to keep my energy level up.

Sure beats waiting to die... LOL.

To the OP -- it's certainly not easy to give you any helpful advice. From what you've told us, it's fairly

obvious that your circumstances are very real and daunting for you. My ideas may not help at all, but

over the last 7 years since I retired I have had brief periods when I felt very much like you describe.

Of course, everyone is different, but some of the solutions I've found may give you some useful ideas.

The term libido comes to mind. An elusive term which is sometimes described as the center of male

enthusiasm. Some men take Andriol Testocaps to boost their libido, which is often used to mean their

sex drive, but actual a boosted libido significantly affects other male drives, such as enthusiasm, energy

and desire to accomplish something useful.

You might ask your doctor about Andriol Testocaps, which is not a drug but doses of testosterone, a

naturally occurring hormone in all mammals.

I have True Vision cable TV, but I watch TV very little. Other than a few science/nature/educational type

programs, for me most of the programming is a huge waste of time, provides absolutely no "satisfaction

in accomplishment" and adds very little to my quality of life in retirement.

I started out making long lists of things I wanted (or needed) to accomplish; here are some examples --

(1) write an adventure novel based on my own experiences

(2) reorganize my bookshelves

(3) reply to a stupid letter from the IRS

(4) Set up a filing system for all my important papers

(5) Tidy, sort and file all my accumulated papers

(6) Write letters (snail mail) to old buddies who lack email addresses

(7) Write to XYZ Bank about their recent very poor customer service

(8) Sort, tidy and file papers

(9) Prepare materials to study Thai, Japanese and Ilonggo with my wife

(10) Research performance & price of SUV tires (Nitto, Ohtsu, Sumitomo, etc)

Then I started dividing my "Items to Accomplish List" into short-term and long term. Then at least once or

twice a week, I update my list, add some new items and delete those that are completed.

The end result is, I have no time to get bored. I'm always doing something. If I get tired of a project bcoz

it is taking to long, I simple choose another. I'm the owner of my list and since the content is totally at my

discretion, I control all my own activities and pastimes in my daily life. Of course, when making my list I do

confer with my wife about what she wants accomplished and any scheduling issues.

For me, it's important to be in charge of my own life -- I don't want to have doctors or drugs in control of

my life like millions of my fellow countrymen. Being in control of my own life give me the satisfaction of

taking charge of my own happiness and my own future.

I simply do the things that satisfy me. And my main reward is satisfaction in accomplishment.

Hope this helps... even a little.

I am surprised to hear you relieve boredom by doing things I would consider boring. Of course, that only goes to show the differences between peoples.

I agree with you about the differences between people.

You may consider writing a novel or studying languages boring, but for me watching football, baseball or basketball is super boring.

Or watching fishing or golf on TV -- for me, about as exciting as watching grass grow... but to each his own.

Most amazing is to see adults who spend huge amounts of time doing things like computer games or sitting in a bar drinking beer

everyday. I ask myself -- If I did this my whole life, would I die any smarter than when I was born? If the answer is no, I purposely

avoid those kinds of activities. But some folks seem to be happy with that.

A lot of my fellow Americans can't speak anything but English, and even in English cannot write a grammatically correct sentence.

Nor can they find London on a map, but if they're satisfied with that level of mental acuity, why should we bad-mouth them?... LOL.

I'm retired and living in Chiang Mai.

One reason we decided to retire here is the excellent medical care we get at McCormick Hospital. The quality of care is much better

than we got in the Philippines or Japan. At McCormick the medical care is provided by professionals who take the time to treat you

like a human, which is better than my experience in the U.S.

I have a GEHA health plan which covers me here for all major medical issues. If you don't have your own medical insurance coverage

when you come here you're very likely "out of business" as in many other countries including the U.S.

If you are over 60, you can buy health insurance here, I recently checked -- the cost increases with your age -- for over 60 the cost is

astronomically high -- if I remember correctly it was about $1,000 per month.

Bottom line is -- if you don't have a health insurance plan you will need to be moderately wealthy and be to ready to self-cover all your

expenses for major medical. Seems to me a rather daunting prospect and probably a game-stopper for most folks.

Just curious, BradinAsia.

Does McCormick bill your GEHA plan directly, or are you required (as I have been, using the same plan at Sriphat, Rajavej and Maharaj...) to pay all incurred expenses out of pocket? I've never had any problem being reimbursed by GEHA for claims filed for services rendered in Thailand, but the process is cumbersome, and could potentially be an issue if the bill was totaled in the millions of baht.

Landtrout, I've never had a major medical situation yet in Chiang Mai, only outpatient. If I had a major medical issue like "in the millions of baht"

I think they would agree to bill GEHA directly. I probably should ask.

My experience getting reimbursed by GEHA has been very simple and quick. When I submit a bill from the doctor it must include 5 things --

(1) the doctor's name, (2) his medical specialty, (3) description of the procedure, (4) the date he performed the procedure, and (5) the charge.

I had eye surgery (lens implant) a few years ago in the Philippines. I just sent the bill to GEHA and they reimbursed me promptly with no hassle.

I'm retired and living in Chiang Mai.

One reason we decided to retire here is the excellent medical care we get at McCormick Hospital. The quality of care is much better

than we got in the Philippines or Japan. At McCormick the medical care is provided by professionals who take the time to treat you

like a human, which is better than my experience in the U.S.

I have a GEHA health plan which covers me here for all major medical issues. If you don't have your own medical insurance coverage

when you come here you're very likely "out of business" as in many other countries including the U.S.

If you are over 60, you can buy health insurance here, I recently checked -- the cost increases with your age -- for over 60 the cost is

astronomically high -- if I remember correctly it was about $1,000 per month.

Bottom line is -- if you don't have a health insurance plan you will need to be moderately wealthy and be to ready to self-cover all your

expenses for major medical. Seems to me a rather daunting prospect and probably a game-stopper for most folks.

44 year old 'girl' ?

Maybe the "44" is a typo. Her photo looks closer to 24.

I would imagine by the time they marry, their past is behind them and is of no consequence.

Maybe the past is behind, but realistically speaking, people are a product of their past.

If you marry a girl of ill-repute can you reasonably expect she will be a model mother and faithful wife. The

experiences of thousands of men who've made that mistake suggests that if she used to make a living by

being bar-fined by numerous dodgy punters -- if you marry her it's highly likely that she'll continue on with

that behavior in some form, like boning all the guys in the neighborhood while you're away at work.

Ahhhhhhh, that's so sweet......they wanted to provide for their kids.

Bet you they haven't got any kids.

Anyway, it's the farangs fault for producing so many gangster movies that have an adverse effect on these innocent Thais.

"...gangster movies that have an adverse effect on these innocent Thais."

Is this some kind of sick Greek joke?

Maybe a strong case for all us Brits living in LOS to seek ED visas for learning the Thai language and passing the appropriate Ministry of Education test, so that we can then converse fluently with local staff in their native language at With-It Tower (aka the Trendy Building) at passport renewal time, and also at the Embassy!

Very few people who study Thai for one year will be able to speak Thai fluently. Very few. Almost zero I would say.

If you are a diligent student -- One year to get going with basic everyday conversation.

Two years to make yourself functional in most situations.

Minimum of 4-5 years to approach what could be called fluency.

This is based on my experience in studying 10 Asian languages over the last 50 years.

how the reporters get names so wrong.

The Japanese guy's name was very likely Yamamoto, Japanese have no name like Pamawoto.

I married my wife cause I loved her - not her family.

My old grandpa always said:

Marry for money, you get money

Marry for a farm, you get a farm

Marry for intelligence, you get intelligence

But... marry for love and you get an eye opener.

I think marrying for love is the biggest mistake people can ever make.

It's one of the main reasons sl many marriages fail.

Just my 2 baht worth...

So marry cause you hate her?

Sorry but Grandpas old saying don't make much sense.

If you make a list of all the qualities you want in a woman, then look for a woman who best measures

up to those qualities, you will come to love her because of the excellent kind of person she is.

If you choose a woman based on some emotional whim, such as love, over time you will likely curse the

day you met her because once you get to know her you find that she comes up short in most areas.

Grandpa had great wisdom. Your idea is the stuff of juvenile romance novels.

I married my wife cause I loved her - not her family.

My old grandpa always said:

Marry for money, you get money

Marry for a farm, you get a farm

Marry for intelligence, you get intelligence

But... marry for love and you get an eye opener.

I think marrying for love is the biggest mistake people can ever make.

It's one of the main reasons sl many marriages fail.

Just my 2 baht worth...

He deserves to go to prison.

These are the people that they give Thailand a bad name abroad.

Saying that, Thais are not sooooooooo innocent...........

Since the perpetrator is a Brit just how could he give Thai people a bad reputation?

I know that you were joking, but for those who want to know, it's actually about 136000 THB or 4250 USD or 3230 EUR or 2580 GBP at today's rate.

According to OANDA online currency converter it's nearer 117,000 THB.

Seems that YOU have to check it again (with the correct amounts, preferably)!

http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

35Mkip.jpg

Hmmm... you're right.

Sorry, I was thinking of the 30 million kip.

Senility strikes again.

35 million kip? That's about $6.75 at today's rate isn't it?

I know that you were joking, but for those who want to know, it's actually about 136000 THB or 4250 USD or 3230 EUR or 2580 GBP at today's rate.

According to OANDA online currency converter it's nearer 117,000 THB.

Seems that YOU have to check it again (with the correct amounts, preferably)!

http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

35Mkip.jpg

35 million kip? That's about $6.75 at today's rate isn't it?

I know that you were joking, but for those who want to know, it's actually about 136000 THB or 4250 USD or 3230 EUR or 2580 GBP at today's rate.

According to OANDA online currency converter it's nearer 117,000 THB.

Pssst! Laos... I don't think you are using that term correctly.

What term, pssst?

They didn't notice any other lude behavior there? That's odd

Lude? That lost me for a few seconds. You meant "lewd," no doubt.