Stevemercer

I would have thought filling a large area with pebbles will look and feel like a desert on hot days. They'll soon get dusty and need daily washing down. If an angry mob ever has it in for you, they will have an endless supply of stones to chuck at your house!.

Thailand's muted response to this incident is strange to me. If a Mexican gunboat fired on an American fishing vessel, or an Indonesian gunboat on an Australian vessel, those western countries would react aggressively and there would be a diplomatic stand-off at the very least. However, the Thai/Myanmar incident has attracted little dometic media and doesn't seem to be a big deal to the Thai government. Maybe human rights really are less valued in Asian diplomacy with any tough talking done behind the scenes. Or maybe western powers over-react when similar incidents occur?

I don't think your experiences are all that unusual. All you can do is learn from your experiences and, hopefully, find somewhere that works for you. I tried teaching at a public high school, but gave it in after a few months. I could not really control the kids and got anxious. The other Thai teachers did try to help me out a bit by reducing my classes and sometimes sitting in. I guess they could see I was trying. You are certainly right about presentation being key. I turned up on my first day in a suit and tie, and never stopped smiling. The headmaster thought I must be good and always seemed to favour me over the other farang teachers even though they carried more of the load and were more experienced.

Reminds me of early scenes in The Beach, then Trainspotting. Good video.

Putin started the escalation by adding foreign (North Koreans) into the fray. The West responded by allowing missile strikes into western Russia. This is a good strategy by the West. Putin will be hoping Trump intervenes when he becomes president in 2 months. Putin can't escalate the conflict further without the risk of putting Trump offside. From Trump's perspective, his negotiating hand has been strengthened for when he does become president. He has more to trade if he really wants to end the war. Onviously the only possible negotiated solution is for Russia to keep all the territory it has annexed and for Ukraine to join NATO. There is no other 'security gaurantees' Russia can offer as it has already broken so many previous agreements. In regard to the North Korean troops, I hope Ukraine opens a huge propaganda campaign aimed at those troops using Internet, letter drops and every other means. The messages, in Korean, will tell the soldiers if they give up to Ukaranian troops they will be kept safe, never returned to North Korea and will be resettled in South Korea. A chance fora new life! In any case, just the threat of desertions would stop Russia/North Korea from deploying North Korean troops on the front line.

I'm currently trying to get a CRN (Customer Reference Number) so I can access Centrelink through MyGov. It's taken me a week to complete the necessary 'MyID' identifications to qualify for the that application, so I can generate a 'linking code' to access Centrelink. It seems a difficult and cumbersome process requiring MyGov to be open on the computer and MyID open on a mobile phone so they can 'talk to each other' and generate the necessary link codes. I finally had some success and was directed to an online form to fill out some extra information apparently needed by Centrelink. I completed the form and was just about to click 'submit' when I got a message saying I had 'timed out' and was locked out of 'MyID' for 24 hours.... If you can find an expert who can fix things for you with Centrelink, they are worth every penny

I have one of those electric unicycles. Closest thing to flying without leaving the ground. But what about all the other unregistered and unlicensed electric scooters, bikes, trikes, golf carts and mobility carts you see on the road. Are they ok?

I think they are trialling them at the international airport departures during 0ff-peak times.

Obviously you have been in the relationship a long time and, for better or worse, you are now like family. It''s easy to say you should cut your losses, but it is hard to give up or abandon your family. You can't help, but think you will doom everyone to a shortand sad life of misery. I think you are doing the right thing in weaning your partner and yourself off co-dependency. You have also realised your financial limitations and have no choice,but to live within your means even if this means you can't financially help your family as much. So you are doing the right thing, but where does this leave you? Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years time? Do you have supportive family in America? If yes, that is a real life-line. If you do break the co-dependency in Thailand is there anything left for you in this country? Maybe you need a plan to extract yourself, and move to America, within a set timeframe. If 1 year or 2 years is reasonable, set this as your deadline when you will move.Try to set concrete goals and steps to reduce the co-dependency during this time. But set your mind to the fact that you will settle all your affairs in Thailand and move when the set timeframe is up (regardless of resolution of the co-dependency situation and the mental state of your ex-partner/son).

I used the facial recognition gates to catch my plane to Australia last week. It worked fine. But it was a bit un-nerving to see the vast rooms of empty border control lines. I wonder where all the immigration staff will be redeployed?

I think the OP is probably correct, but there is one common element. Most Thai women crave certainty in a relationship, as represented by marriage or clear signs of life-long commitment. If this doesn't eventuate then the relationship can shift and you become more like a trusted Uncle or Brother. She has established a little bit of distance in case a better opportunity arises, but she will still call on you when she needs someone to talk to or help with a problem (including boyfriend problems). I know some women like this. You won't hear from them when things are going well, but if they have a problem with their boyfriend then they will get in contact to talk things through and get your advice. I think Thai people love to talk things through and, once you are in the inner circle, you are a beloved Uncle (sometimes with sex privileges) until you/they drift away and have a new confidante.

To be fair, that lady has posted quite a few videos criticising Phillipino women and giving advice to western men on how to avoid relationship pitfalls with these women. Basically it seems to boil down to making clear who is the boss and not indulging your gf in her tricks and manipulations..

Yes, America is no longer the land of freedom, liberty and opportunities. Anyone who values these principles should think about migrating to China or Russia where they will be feted and welcomed.

Sorry, 50k per year, locked in at price for the next 5 years.

Yes, it is much the same for me, but you can register at other specialist government hospitals if you need. I'm registered at the local town hospital, 2 public hospitals in Mahasarakham and 2 in Khon Kaen. Yes, the wait times can be long, but if you get referred to a specialist you can normally get an appointment to see them within a week. If you have regular apointments, you can usually suss out the best time to turn up. For example, I have a regular, 3 monthly appointment for the eye doctor. She normally see over 100 patients and most Thais turn up early. I usually turn up abut 3:00 pm, when most people have gone and don't have to wait long. Yes, meds are free through the public hospital system. I currently have three different bottles of eye drops per month (you get 3 months worth at a time at the hospital pharmacy). The subsidised cost in Australia is equivalent to 2,500 Baht per month for the medications, plus about 5,000 Baht co-payment for the doctor visit every 3 months. Here it is all free. I also have private insurance in Thailand, but I recently turned 65. The premium doubled from 25,000 per year to 50,000 Baht. I'm yet to use that insurance, but will keep paying the premium as long as I can afford it.