xylophone

OOPS.......I wrongly posted this on the TV thread, so here it is on the correct one! I watched a new adventure movie last night called "Uncharted" and as it had Mark Wahlberg in it, I was looking forward to it............but it turned out to be a lot of CGI lightweight nonsense, along the lines of "Indiana Jones" but nowhere near the quality. The night before I downloaded, "Spotlight" (again) and as luck would have it, I managed to get an extremely good quality version of it, and thoroughly enjoyed it yet again! And just last night I was perusing the BBC iPlayer for something to watch and came across the movie, "Official Secrets" starring Keira Knightley and Ralf Fiennes, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and what surprised me was how corrupt both the US and UK governments were in sanctioning the war against Iraq using fake Intel (WOMD anybody) which resulted in around 200,000 civilians being killed needlessly. A good film and well worth a watch.....the ending takes a turn!!!!

He was particularly good in the movie called, "The Bridge of Spies" which also starred Tom Hanks, and he played a good role in, "Dunkirk", and he is also a Shakespearean actor, and if you've never seen the TV series, "Wolf Hall", then you are in for a treat.

I watched a new adventure movie last night called "Uncharted" and as it had Mark Wahlberg in it, I was looking forward to it............but it turned out to be a lot of CGI lightweight nonsense, along the lines of "Indiana Jones" but nowhere near the quality. The night before I downloaded, "Spotlight" (again) and as luck would have it, I managed to get an extremely good quality version of it, and thoroughly enjoyed it yet again!

I wonder what's going to happen to the three people in charge of this hotel, Prab, Prap and Parp? A smack on the wrist with a wet bar receipt, perhaps? ????

I just love my curries, and the ones I used to get as a takeaway in the UK are hard to beat!! video-1644058002.mp4

I didn't see the game, but I was surprised to see that Phil Jones started, yet he came off before half-time I think, so to get back on the football track, does anybody know if he was injured or if he was just so "rusty" as to be not fit for purpose, so to speak. For his own good, and for the good of MU, he would have to be one who would be let go I would imagine.

I see that you are taking a bit of "flak" with regards to your comment about accents, however I have to agree that listening to someone who is a "Scouser", "Geordie" or a "Cockney" all of whom can have "grating" accents, can be extremely difficult and I, like you, can barely make out anything they are saying. Which begs the question why a reputable company would use such folk for their outbound calling program, unless of course they are not reputable and are looking for just about anyone who is prepared to give telemarketing a shot. I've had a a few since I've been here, all of them selling "investments", however when I tell them that I was an Independent Financial Planner and then Chief Manager Investments for a major bank, they back off. Unfortunately I don't think that my old Nokia flip phone is able to block unwanted numbers??

Thank you Charlie, you are a legend! Will get onto those tonight!

Funny you should mention that CharlieH, because on my local network here in Patong, I could only get BBC World News on analogue, and the picture wasn't brilliant, so when I was offered the free 3BB GigaTV box as part of my Wi-Fi package (well free for two years at least) I decided to try it and was able to get the BBC World News on digital and the picture is brilliant. Although most of the other programs are Thai, there are a few movie channels, which I will shortly be exploring – – very pleased indeed!

Two items of interest here, one regarding Covid and Bangla, and the other regarding big after hours parties. When entering Bangla Road, at the "checkpoint" one's temperature is measured and if the person isn't wearing a mask, then they are made to put one on; HOWEVER, once on Bangla Road, the majority of punters don't wear the mask, so the chance of catching/spreading Covid is somewhat enhanced, and this also applies to the bar staff. In fact a couple of months ago, feedback from a few bar owners and others "in the know" was that they were finding it hard to fully staff their establishments because many of the girls had Covid, however some of the girls with milder cases were still working irrespective of being contagious!! Not a good look, and the bar owners were not always in the know about this. Based on what I know, I would suggest that Covid is far more widespread in the Patong nightlife scene than has been reported! The other newsworthy item is about the after hours parties being held at a certain resort in Patong, to which the local BIB turned a blind eye, which of course had nothing to do with the majority owner of the resort or his previous association with the law here, or heaven forbid, any brown envelopes changing hands! It was absolutely no secret as just about everybody in the entertainment business here knew all about it and often recommended a visit if one wanted a drink after the "curfew" came into being. So what does the above tell one about Patong? Well, nothing that we didn't already know, in as much as money is the key driver and will encourage sick girls to work and possibly spread a contagious disease (via airborne transmission, just to get the record straight) and money and power will buy a lot of "turning a blind eye" activities, and it will be interesting to see the result of this latest investigation into the Patong BIB activities........unless of course, more blindness occurs! On my last visit to Bangla, I said it was "heaving", so despite all of the downside potential, Patong is working hard to regain something of its previous lustre, even amongst curfews, viruses and "after hours" shenanigans! And for the record, I won't be out and about in Bangla for a while because I have got Covid and am self isolating and testing at home!! C'est la vie!

I can answer your questions because I am at this moment in time suffering from Covid, having tested positive on Friday 15th April. A couple of days before I actually tested positive I had been feeling a bit "rough" with headaches and a bit of a stuffy nose, but I thought it was my sinuses playing up again due to the poor air quality here. Am now 3 days into it, and feeling very achy, especially backache, along with a slight headache, lack of energy and no appetite, but with no raised temperature or fever to speak of. Had a bit of a sore throat, with a few spasms of sneezing and coughing, but nothing lasting. I am 75 years old this year and relatively fit, however am suffering from what has been called a "neurogenic bladder", so have to use a catheter on a daily basis (which is an absolute pain/nuisance). I had two AstraZeneca jabs in September and October last year, with a follow-up Moderna jab a couple of months or so later. I did start on paracetamol for a couple of days, but have now changed to Arcoxia, mainly because I was starting to feel joint pain, probably from my football days, but it was becoming quite painful, and Arcoxia works for me in this regard. By all accounts, I should be over the worst within the next few days and hopefully virus free by the end of this week, but will self test a few times to establish that. Pleased that I had the vaccinations, because I would hate to think what this thing would be like without them, especially for someone my age.

Hi TP, Yes I am very aware of the problems you have had after your TURP and feel very sorry for you for what you have gone through as a result of the operation. You mentioned the scar tissue, and I believe that's what caused my problem with urine retention a few years after the original TURP, and why I had to have a bladder neck incision operation, which also caused problems because of water retention, which I'm pretty sure has led to the current situation whereby I cannot empty my bladder – – so a catalogue of medical problems ever since the original TURP. As I have said on this thread on a number of occasions, surgery like the TURP should be a last resort, especially with all of the other procedures/options available now, and I would move heaven and earth to be able to have access to those procedures if I were in a position of needing them now. Sure, there would be many people out there who have had a successful TURP, but why have what is considered "major" surgery, with all its risks, when other non-invasive/less invasive procedures are now in play. I do hope you are finding some relief TP, and I send you my best wishes.

Possibly a case of mistaken identity............they were miners on their way home from the coal mine!!!

I watched an absolute gem of a little movie last night, called, "The Siege of Jadotville" and it was about an incident in the Belgian Congo, where a battalion of soldiers from Northern Ireland were fighting on behalf of the UN, against Belgian mercenaries backed by the Belgian government and large mining companies. The movie was expertly done, with great acting and battle scenes, and the only actor I recognised was Mark Strong, although every other actor in the movie was excellent. The movie also included the part where Dag Hammarskjöld was travelling to the Congo to try and broker some sort of peace – – won't tell you the rest, but what I will tell you is this movie is well worth seeking out. Available on: 1337x.to

This should put a few folks minds at rest, because it appears that just about every vaccination carries an extremely low risk of myocarditis, and this makes no difference whether it is an mRNA vaccination or otherwise........ Not only were rates of myopericarditis following COVID vaccination extremely low, but they were comparable to non-COVID vaccines, a systematic review and meta-analysis found. In an analysis of 11 studies with over 400 million vaccine doses, there was no significant difference in incidence of myopericarditis after COVID vaccines versus non-COVID vaccines. And compared with COVID vaccinations, there was no significant difference in incidence of myopericarditis after influenza vaccinations (1.3 per million doses, P=0.43), they wrote in Lancet Respiratory Medicine. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/98160?xid=nl_covidupdate_2022-04

Maybe I am just as confused as the script, but as you have watched the movie, and without trying to give too much away, I saw the leading lady, on the aeroplane, with two children, and one being taken away, when she was at the "headquarters" at the same time?? Or so it seemed??

This "tradition" may well have declined over the years, however I still feel very sorry for quite a few women I know here, who are constantly being asked for money by their parents, and they simply don't have that money to send to the parents. They are also struggling to survive in a "Covid-hit" economy and they just don't have the money to spare, and borrowing from the moneylenders, with the huge interest being charged, is a trap into which many fall and regret. The poverty here is alarming and the gap between the have and the have-nots is getting steadily wider IMO.

Totally confusing script IMO and I still have no idea what unfolded in the last 15 minutes. An absolute mess of a movie finale. Such a shame--so much promise.

I have come back to that point LLF, mainly because I went out last night to catch up with a couple of friends and to have dinner at the Blue Beach Café and Bar (or is it, "Restaurant and Bar"?) and as before it was good/enjoyable, and although not packed, had a fair smattering of customers which is good to see as it is an extremely good restaurant and bar with unmatched views. After eating and a couple of drinks, three of us decided to wander up Bangla to catch up with a girl that two of us knew from way back, who was just back in town. That was pleasant enough, but the noise levels in both Bangla and the Sois was almost unbearable, and it reminded me of the point about losing it sparkle, because I really don't want to go out and get my eardrums blasted and be unable to hear what the friends whom I am with, are saying. I now truly appreciate what it meant to be able to go to the pubs back in NZ and the UK, where light-hearted banter and laughs, gossip and local news, along with other tittle tattle, meant that the evening passed very pleasantly indeed. Although I only go to Bangla once a week, in the main, I may well scale that back, because it isn't enjoyable any more, and only going to the Blue Beach café/restaurant and perhaps singing a few songs in Red Hot, are potential draw cards. Bangla was absolutely heaving last night, and it had been for a few previous nights apparently, although possibly not on consecutive nights. I was surprised to learn that live sex shows were available in one "nightclub" where the "viewer" had to pay about 450 baht for a beer, and a friend of mine who had visited this particular place said it was bordering on the pathetic/disgusting. Moving away from Bangla and having a quick look round Patong, there are signs of life, "it's life Jim, but not as we know it" – – to quote "Bones", and I say this because people seem to be doing the same old things that their predecessors did, as did their predecessors, and all to no avail because their little business endeavours have failed time and time again. A perfect example would be the south end of Nanai, about 200 m north of the new roundabout, where there was a small restaurant/bar (Belgian I think) which opened about a year or so ago, and which has now disappeared, and in its place there is a large rectangular shaped "building" which has sprung from this restaurant and a shop which was adjoining it, and it is, believe it or not, "A Massage Parlour". I say "believe it or not" because just 10 m north of that is another massage parlour, so in a small stretch of road where nothing else does business, there are two large massage parlours, almost side by side?? From what I could see, this latest one is a joint endeavour between an old farang and a younger Thai woman – – who'd have thunk it!! I could have put them in touch with a couple of sisters I know here, both of whom run massage parlours, and both of whom would like to sell them because they're not making any money. Four recently opened bars in Nanai have very few to zero customers on a daily basis, and one of the larger ones has just closed, and if one does want to delve back into the Bangla scene, then it will be noticed that at least 50% of the bars in Soi Sea Dragon have very few to no customers, and Soi Freedom doesn't fare much better. So it seems as though the stories I was told when I first came here in 2004 have repeated themselves over and over again, and continue to do so – – farangs opening bars with Thai girls, losing money, closing bars; farangs opening small businesses with Thai girls, losing money closing said businesses – – and the beat goes on, so the song said. For what it's worth, I still lament the closing of my favourite Italian restaurant, "Salute", mainly because it was somewhere to sit and have good food with no noise so that one could hear conversations, also if I had a special bottle of red wine (my passion) I could bring it along to the restaurant provided I let the owner's wife have at least a quarter of the bottle, which was no problem, and I wouldn't have minded paying corkage, but they wouldn't accept it! Change is constant, and for me the constant loud noise in Bangla and its surrounding Sois means that I will change my modus operandi.

Article from the New York Times and Medscape but for the numbnuts out there this still won't be enough, and their "confirmation bias" will take over:- Largest Ivermectin Trial Fails to Show Benefit in COVID Outpatients. Early use of ivermectin in COVID-19 patients at high-risk for severe disease failed to lower the risk of hospitalization or prolonged emergency department (ED) observation, a large randomized trial showed. There were no significant differences in viral clearance at day 7 between groups, nor were there differences in risk of hospitalization for any cause, time to hospitalization, and number of days in the hospital. Rayner's group noted there was also no significant difference in time to clinical recovery, risk of death, or days with mechanical ventilation. Anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, which has surged in popularity as an alternative treatment for Covid-19 despite a lack of strong research to back it up, showed no sign of alleviating the disease, according to results of a large clinical trial published Wednesday. The study, which compared more than 1,300 people infected with the coronavirus in Brazil who received either ivermectin or a placebo, effectively ruled out the drug as a treatment for Covid-19, the study's authors said. "There's really no sign of any benefit," said Dr. David Boulware, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota. DrJIM • 11 hours ago Having actually read the "positive" trials cited in RFK Jr's book, and seeing how ridiculously flawed these trials were, it is not surprising that this trial and so many more show no benefit. It is equally non-surprising that so many non-critical thinkers will ignore evidence that conflicts with their belief system.

I don't know that I have really ever been in love, more being infatuated or attracted to a girl/woman, and when that wore off, I would move on. As a teen I had plenty of girlfriends as I was a well-known local footballer and I attended lots of parties and had lots of great times, and along with that would come the occasional girlfriend, until another one came along. The thought of ever being "tied to one person" was abhorrent to me, and experiencing the rows, arguments and infidelities of my "so-called" parents convinced me that I didn't want to be in a relationship. I wanted to be free to do my own thing, never having to explain to anybody where I was going or why I was doing something; I wanted to be free and a single man, and way back when in the UK (the swinging sixties and beyond) there was never a shortage of short time/part time girlfriends, and love never really entered into it, as there were many available one night stands. I did live with a lovely lady here for about five or six years, and although I thought she was a lovely woman, I always felt a little trapped, and even just being in a relationship gave me that feeling, and perhaps she sensed that because we parted company 11 or 12 years ago (amicably) and I've been very happy living in my own ever since, as I was for the majority of my life.

I bought a new Suzuki Swift top of the range model 10 years ago and thought it was a brilliant car then, and still do now, 10 years later. Never really had any problems with it apart from the aircon heat exchanger leaking, which was quickly changed, and the Suzuki service centre/agent here in Phuket has been great. Mind you, I've only done 38,000 km in it over those years with just a couple of long runs up to Hua Hin, again, with no problems. It has the CVT transmission and I have had no problems with that either, and if I am going downhill, I can change down into L and that has a braking effect, so I can go easy on the brakes. In fact I am so enamoured with it, when the time comes to change it, I could well buy another Suzuki Swift or similar Suzuki model, but as it's only done 38,000 km, it will probably see me out anyway before it needs changing. I tried the Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota Vios, Nissan Almera, Nissan March, Honda Brio and the Mazda 2, but settled on the Suzuki because quite simply it handled the best of the bunch (IMO), was very roomy, despite its "small" size, and was a cut above all of the others – – in fact if I carry on like this I will probably end up marrying it!!????

I found a movie called, "The Outfit", starring Mark Rylance (whom I think is great) and although I initially thought it would be something about prohibition gangsters, it turned out to be not the case, but it was set in Chicago in the nineteen fifties. Slow movie with a lot of talking and a bit of action, but intriguing all the same, and Mark Rylance is always worth watching IMO.

And take the stray cats as well.....

I watched it as I was in the Uk when this was unfolding, but IMO this doco "glossed over" whether or not his two sons benefitted from any of the millions that went missing??