Stevemercer

I agree with other posters that younger Thai ladies can sometimes seem emotionally immature. They are like teenagers - sometimes moody, distracted, distant, bored, volatile.

Think of your girlfriend as a teenager and respond accordingly. She will have many good qualities, but will sometimes be non-communicative and hard to read. She may feel a little guilty about the relationship (e.g. she could not tell her Mum or Dad) which makes her run hot and cold.

Is she comfortable holding your hand in public when you do go outside or cross the street? If no, she may not be entirely comfortable in the relationship and a bit self-concious or embarressed.

I live near Mahasarakham and rainfall has been well below average (about 75% of average). September is normally the wettest month so maybe we can make it up. 

My ponds are at about 50%. Last year they were 75% at end August.

Papaya grow fast. You'll have plenty of fruit after 12 months. But they are fragile and need a lotof water. They need calcium and seem to grow best next to concrete.

You want to get shade trees in as quickly as possible. Look around for popular natives (e.g. that grow naturally around the area). They will typically be hardy, fast growing, cheap at local nurseries  and only need watering for the first year or so. Start planting around the fenceline and access/walking paths.

Weeds and pest species thrive best in sunlight. They don't tend to grow in shade. You won't have much grass or other ground plants once you re-establish the shade.

19 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

i seem to be stuck in the middle..any suggestions???  ????

I can only suggest building up a loose circle of friends/acquantainces within 30 minutes or so from where you live. Tinder is good to build up a social network. With 6 - 12 acquantainces on chatting terms, there should be social opportunities develping .

Avoid the obvious 'independents' and younger people (<35). Pick only those you find attractive or intriguing. Be fussy. Just be patient and opportunities will present themselves over time. You might chat with someone for months before something happens. Maybe you will never meet or there is no spark when you do. I think it's really just a numbers game and always being friendly and generous in small ways.

I tend to agree with the OP. You very rarely come across a Thai lady with sexual hang-ups. They are all pretty confident they can please their man/men and, while typically passive, are pretty keen participants.

I'm aged 64, married 3 years. To be honest I wouldn't do it again. If my current marriage to a Thai lady ended, I wouldn't date another Thai lady. I'd return to my home country.

I've seen too many old, cynical bachelors chasing the ladies and don't want to become one (although I think I might be rather good at it). Plus I can't be bothered going through all that meeting the parents/relatives, dramas etc. etc. etc. involved with another Thai girlfriend.

How easy is it to set fire to a more modern Thai house built of bricks, mortar, steel rafters, concrete piles/base and metal roof - no wood?

Yes, lithium batteries contain a high energy load and any fire will likely destroy the vehicle, anyone still in it, and anything next to it. Luckily the fire usually takes a few minutes to reach catostrophic levels and anyone not injured should have time to leave the vehicle.

A study in the UK looked at deaths associated with EV versus petrol/gas cars. This showed incineration was more likely in a petrol/gas car compared to an EV.

So, yes, the risk is there, but is less than a petrol/gas car. A diesel car is probably safest if someone is worried about being incinerated if their car catches fire.

I used to fly radio-controlled planes. On high fire risk days, you couldn't fly lithium battery powered planes becasue of the risk of fire from a crash away in the thick grasslands. You could still fly nitro/petrol powered planes because the risk of fire in the event of a crash was negligible.

When I retired, there were a few things I wanted to do:

• Live in a tropical climate
• Design my own house
• Have a bit of land to keep me busy
• Rehabilitate said land to try and attract a bit of nature
• Have fish ponds with a variety of species (not obtainable in Australia)
• Have tortoises and other exotic pets (not available in Australia).

Thailand was affordable and has kept me busy doing the above. We live on about 1 hectare on the edge of town which has everything needed for day to day living. The nearest city (with airport) is Khon Kaen, about 45 km away for everything else.

I've lived here nearly 10 years now. I can see the time when property maintenance will get difficult for my age. I always said we would stay 10 years and then decide whether to stay in Thailand or move back to Australia (if affordable). The time for that decision is coming and I'm still not sure.

Luckily my Thai wife is an Australian and Thai citizen which makes things a bit easier.

Yeah, I think I am a minimalist. I always say: 'When in doubt throw it out'.

When I retired, and moved to Thailand, my possessions totalled one suitcase weighing 18 kg (mostly books). I've recently got a Kindle so I don't need the books.

When I next move I'll sell or give everything away, and start anew.

I guess I believe in moving through phases in life. Once you move to the next phase, you start anew on a new adventure, and don't need all the old baggage associated with the previous phase.

Yes, use nuclear power stations to desalinate sea water (producing fresh water which is needed by most countries), generate electricity and produce hydrogen through hydrolysis. Waste heat and steam can also be used for heating and supply to industry.

Four useful streams from the one power plant without generating carbon dioxide.

This is a straight forward question with a simple answer.

Your landlord is trying it on. Forfeit your deposit, move on, and forget about the matter. Put it down to experience.

You can freely leave and re-eneter Thailand anytime so long as you meet your visa conditions.

Wow! There are a lot of cynics out there. If ASEANNOW is a true representative of western opinion, North Korea must be a true haven we should all move to,

There's nothing wrong with being bored. As long as you have something to look forward to tomorrow.

Being 'legally; married would no doubt assist in getting a visa (and eventual residency in America). However, once in America, immigration laws recognise de-facto relationships, including same sex (unlike Thailand).

So yes, it would be best to go to one of the recommended agencies to work out the best options for your partner. Once in the US, it will be pretty easy to find a pathway for your partner to stay.

I would recommend, while still in Thailand, collecting as much proof as posible to demonstrate you have lived together for so long. This might include joint bank accounts, household books, joint travel etc. Even if in Thai, you can get it legalised and translated. It will be much easier to do this while still in Thailand.

My wife once stole 200,000 Baht from my fixed term account (out of 400,000 I had there for my marriage extension. I think she hoped to replace it before the extension was due.

She took my fixed term bank book, passport and my forged signature on a withdrawal slip to the bank and convinced the staff I had authorised the transaction. She took it out in 4 lots of 50,000 Baht (at different branches). She tore out the page on the bankbook showing the transactions and new balance.

I checked my term deposit about 4 months before it was due and was astounded to find I was 200,000 Baht short. The bank staff managed to track down the original paperwork for the transaction done at that branch and it was obvious from some of the signatures that my wife was behind it.

Anyway, I managed to replace the money 2 months prior to the extension, although I took an unexpected financial hit. 

So if your wife or partner is determined they will always find a way to relieve you of your money. It's our job as husbands to try and safeguard our finances for our shared future. Sometimes it seems like the job of the wife is to spend as much money as soon as possible.

We had a leak and I went on the roof to fix with sealant. Next thing I knew I was in an ICU hospital bed.

I fell through the roof for 3 metres until I hit the ceiling, broke through that and fell another 3 m onto the granite floor.

I was lucky - no broken bones or permanent injuries that I am aware of. The accident insurance on my SCB ATM card paid most of the hospital bill.

The funeral will cost 100,000 - 200,000 Baht depending upon how many relatives and friends etc, the deceased has.

As others have said, the organisers will get 50 - 100% back from donations. If you want to make a contribution, it would be much appreciated. You could offer something like 15,000 Baht up-front, or make a very generous envelope donation of 4,000 Baht at the cremation (give to the widow after the cremation ceremony and when you are walking away from the coffin after the flower giving - the widow and her close family will be waiting nearby discretely for farewells and these more personal envelopes).

Still hard t beat this golden oldie

About 50% of 7/11 shops sell them, but the stocking is hit and miss, and they go quickly. I get a couple a few times a week. If my regular 7/11 has run out, I go to the next 7/11.

16 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

No worries!

 

Bard has this solution for you, but you will need to check the attached PDF file to get Bard's answer.

 

(You see, I have already promised myself that I will....NEVER...post any AI garbage on TV.  Still, I will attach Bard's reply for you, to this comment.)

 

((The commenter posted, as he himself stated, a "Worthless Contribution", and so, now, he gets a Worthless Solution from Bard.))

 

 

 

 

TV FRIEND CocoCola Problem.pdf 27.98 kB · 1 download

Thanks very much for your help.

Here is my worthless contribution. I have nothing at all to add about ancient keyboards and will put up with whatever I am given.

I am forced to use a laptop for various reasons and the in situ keyboard is no attraction. The fingers slip off the keys producing unique command combinations that have weird outcomes for the computer. For example, I am happily typing away on this message, look up at the screen, and find the text box has disappeared and somehow I am watching a Queen video (and not a very good one at that).

Last week I spilt Coca Cola all over my laptop and thought it was a goner. The next day it started normally, but the keyboard and mouse did not work. We live in a small town and I took it to the sole computer shop not expecting much. To my surprise, they called my wife back that afternoon to say the laptop was working fine - they had replaced the in situ keyboard. The new keyboard is obviously the same size/configuration as the old one, except the keys are more slippy. There must be hundreds of different laptops and keyboard configurations hence my surprise they happened to have one in stock for my machine. The shop charged 650 Baht.

The boss lady must know that your girlfriend has a farang boyfriend? It sounds to me that she is just squeezing you (knowing that you will pay for your girlfriend's absences). She (the boss) is taking advantage of you (in my opinion) and is no friend of yours.

If you don't pay for the absences, your girlfriend certainly can't/won't and will have to find another massage shop to work. Maybe that would be for the best.

I'm assuming you know and trust your girlfriend well so that she and the boss are not in cahoots.