Lacessit

I don't worry about being called a farang, it's probably less derogatory than being called gweiloh ( Chinese ) or gaijin ( Japanese )

I enjoy the thought my continuing existence and pension entitlement annoys the hell out of politicians, who would much prefer I departed gracefully a couple of months after qualifying. Of course, they would never admit that.

I take supplements myself, Vitamins B12 and E, milk thistle, saw palmetto, zinc and magnesium. Although I probably don't need the magnesium if I have a snack of almonds. I compare pharmaceuticals and herbals on the basis of time and money. The pharmaceutical industry is well known for fudging results of clinical trials to get their products on the market, and most medications are less than 80 years old. OTOH, herbals have been tried and tested for centuries. Some work, some don't. It depends on individual physiology, and the placebo effect.

A bit low, but nothing to worry about. Mine is 74, which I blame on doctors who kept on prescribing anti-inflammatories for my osteo-arthritis for many years. It was as low as 56 about 3 years ago, thanks to their malpractice.

IIRC they charge a higher spread for small amounts, more than 100 in Euros or dollars it will be the standard rate. Away from the banks, the rates one gets are quite competitive. I sometimes wonder why the banks bother to have their rates on display, only a complete newbie would use them.

Cash, precious metals, and peer-to-peer. I have some cash in a share trading account, waiting for BHP to go back below $40. Or silver to go back below $30. I don't draw on the peer-to-peer monthly, I reinvest and take out money about once a year to supplement my OAP.

In 2017, there was a Royal Commission in Australia into banks, financial institutions and financial advisers. The findings were quite damning. I am not sure fund managers and financial advisers are the same beast, the lines seem to be blurred in Oz. Back in the eighties, I engaged a firm called Financial Wisdom, actually a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank. The representative recommended four stocks. Two stayed static, one rose by 20%, and the fourth tanked by 70%. I had mentioned to him a stock which I had been following for some time in retail food, I thought it was seriously undervalued. He was dismissive. Three months later, it doubled in price. After liquidating my holdings, I developed a rather jaundiced view of the industry. The fourth company declared bankruptcy about 2 years later. Not the same as a fund with a spread of 500 companies, but I think you get my drift.

Sakol or Superrich.

The Focus is a bigger version of the Fiesta. Ford in Thailand has a reputation for throwing its customers under a bus, and the brand didn't get the soubriquet Fix Or Repair Daily by chance.

Your post reminds me of a response by a fund manager, when he was asked if he lay awake worrying about the investments he made on behalf of his clients. He said " Why should I lose any sleep? It's not my money." I don't know what it is like elsewhere, IME fund managers in Australia are mainly concerned with their commissions/fees, and the kickbacks they get by steering clients towards investments they are pally with. They don't give a flying <deleted> about their customers.

Not sure what you mean, rather ambiguous. Schadenfreude is not my thing.

Statistically illiterate as well, in your case. I am financially literate enough to last owe anyone any money in 1974.

I suppose I got lucky, when I deposited the 800K for my retirement visa, it was 29.5.

Quite right, peer-reviewed research is a bridge much too far for many pundits. Unless you mean I am too old to benefit from such an approach, which is correct too. I can't recall you saying what your own age is. "he's got something" is a bit too vague for me, and a statistical sample of one does not impress me either. I did ask you previously whether you had checked your eGFR, I don't know how you can say you have no negative side effects without that information. And how do you know you are not quietly developing hyperinsulinemia, which the metformin is masking?

23.8, as usual fluctuating between that number and 24.2. Your prediction was it would not see 23.7 again, about six weeks ago. Do let me know when you cease reacting to single data points. People who understand statistics look at trends and outliers.

There are any number of gurus in their forties and fifties claiming to have found the elixir of life. AFAIK not a lot in their seventies and eighties. Dr. Sinclair has proved anti-aging effects of a couple of organic compounds in yeasts and mice. That is a far cry from humans, allow me to observe we are somewhat more complex organisms. When Dr. Sinclair can produce peer-reviewed research that proves taking pharmaceuticals prolongs life in a statistically significant population of humans when compared to a control group, I might take notice. Until then, I refuse to be a lab rat. What you don't seem to understand is the side effects of almost all medications are more pronounced in the elderly.

What was your analysis tool in predicting the AUD was going down the toilet, or was that gut feeling as well?

Apropos of that, this photo settles a long-standing question.

The only sport I want to watch is tennis.

Perish the thought.

I'd agree with that, with one stipulation. Any toy boy has to use condoms, oral sex included. Don't need an STD at my age.

Just choose a light color to create a sense of space, don't overthink it. Light greens, orange and yellow are restful. I remember my son buying a unit which had dark blue walls, I don't know how anyone could have lived there without becoming suicidal.

All the women I have known possessed breasts, a clitoris and a G-spot, although admittedly it took me many years to understand how they could be manipulated to orgasm, no stiff todger necessary. Women do not buy vibrators for ornamental purposes.

I got one 90 day online rejected, applied again two days later, approved. Smooth sailing otherwise. OS is Linux MX, IMO the operating system should not be relevant.

This is the ultimate cheese shop, Owl. Located in St. Andrews, Scotland. The floor of the shop consists of a trellis, with water flowing underneath to keep the cheeses moist. Stepping into the shop, I got high on the smell alone.