Lacessit

No doubt different people view the ignore function in different ways. I just use it to expunge people I no longer want to communicate with, for the reasons I have explained.

I ignore people for two reasons, either they make personal attacks and nasty insinuations, or they are impervious to facts and logic. I don't waste time giving reprieves, IMO leopards don't change their spots. I think I am more lenient than Trapper John, in the immortal exchange from M*A*S*H: Major Frank Burns: " I don't understand why people take an instant dislike to me." Trapper John: " It saves time, Frank." I could be on some ignore lists myself, not that I would know or care.

I have never been to the Philippines, so I can only compare on the basis of the comments of others. Poor food, medical care and gun crime don't make it sound particularly attractive, although I would like to see the same immigration rules in Thailand. Not that it will happen. On the Australian election, I am hopeful the new government will jettison the lies, spin, blame-shifting and name-calling that was the hallmark of the last three years. Yet another example of a Christian being anything but, and IIRC one of Australia's most successful Prime Ministers was an agnostic. There are good signs already on authenticity,

I know exactly what you meant, and it's the reason you are on ignore now. Goodbye.

My my, a Trump apologist. Do you put your money where your mouth is, and donate to his campaign fund as well?

IMO one of the things that made him such a good actor was his ability to mix menace with a jovial expression. RIP.

I consider myself lucky too, and so does my GF. I don't understand why you would choose to make judgments about people and their living arrangements when you have never met them. You may be happy with your life. However, the crack you made about picking up a bar girl on Friday for the weekend indicates a nasty streak to me.

Squeaky clean? How many bankruptcies so far? How many lawyers have walked away from defending him? You obviously don't understand how legal defenses for very "rich" people work, employ platoons of lawyers, bury the prosecutors in dumpster loads of documents, divert campaign funds to pay the lawyers. That's why it takes so long. Perhaps you have forgotten how Trump, during his presidency, played golf on his own properties, then billed the American taxpayer for the Secret Service detailed to protect him, at the height of the pandemic. Comparisons with Nero are obvious. Trump is as crooked as a dog's hind leg, anyone with a grain of sense knows that. A guy who prides himself publicly in dudding contractors who have worked on his properties.

If you were to ask him the question, he would probably say yes. Trump is a cunning sociopath who found out appealing to the basest instincts of Americans paid off handsomely in terms of donations and votes, there is no reason for him to change what is successful. The irony is, most of the demographic he gets donations and votes from don't realize they are not his supporters, but his victims.

While I applaud the generosity of the OP, IMO it is unrealistic to raise expectations, and then dash them. The woman was conditioned to seeing 20 or 40 baht, 10 baht was a disappointment. IMO that would apply anywhere in the world.

LOL, he actually said that? I know a few teachers that would happily use them on nuisance pupils.

If you can live in a village 24/7 with loud music, roosters crowing at 2 am, dogs barking, cats fighting etc. without any form of recreation apart from a computer screen, then you are either dedicated or desensitized. Back in the day, I am quite sure no bar girl would have cooked my meals, done my washing, cut my toenails. Or come to the condo to clean it once a week. Or pray to Buddha every night for a long life for me. So your comparison, while somewhat rancid, is way off the mark. Any other fatuous observations?

So are prostitution and gambling, AFAIK that has not prevented either.

I hear them talking in Thai. There's one bird that says "Por Lao" ( Enough already) . The big lizards at night are not as polite, they call out "<deleted> you".

I think it is pretty well known Trump is in Putin's pocket, I wasn't aware Cruz was cut from the same cloth. Just imagine what would have happened if Trump had got a second term, he'd probably be cheering Putin on in Ukraine, and refusing any support for the Ukrainians and NATO. What a narrow escape the world has had.

Whatever works, exactly. When I was living in Chiang Mai, and my GF was in her village, she would stay with me for a week, we would be apart for a week. When I went back to Australia, it would be a month. If needed, either of us are a 30 minutes drive away. I've been in a couple of long-term relationships where we were together 24/7, both ended disastrously. I actually think being apart at intervals refreshes the relationship.

Does miss the point if you take away the guns from the good guys and the bad guys, leaving them only in the hands of law enforcement and criminals, there is a statistically significant reduction in the number of gun-related homicides and suicides. That's the way it has panned out in civilized countries, where gun ownership is a privilege, not a right.

I'm not sure what's dysfunctional about both of us having preferences for where we live. She likes gardening at the house, playing cards with the neighbors. I like swimming at the condo pool, and being close to a golf course where I am a member. It's always entertaining to find yet another poster who enjoys jumping to conclusions about other people on the flimsiest fact base, thanks for stopping by.

I have repeatedly noticed Thais seem to be unable to live without noise. Whether I am in a coffee shop, massage shop, or Big C, there is always music or a TV blaring somewhere. In Big C, there's is an unending stream of announcements over the PA. Not many motorbikes are quiet, the objective seems to be being as noisy as possible. If I am in my car with my GF, she gets uncomfortable if I am silent for more than 10 minutes. She is quite capable of having the TV on, having a conversation on the phone with a friend, and asking me what I want for dinner contemporaneously. It goes beyond multi-tasking. Neighbors all around us have dogs barking, roosters crowing, and music blaring. Is there such a thing as contemplative Thai music, a la Moonlight Sonata? It's the same with solitude, Thais can't seem to handle being alone for any length of time. While I don't know about Thai men, IME Thai women are never more comfortable than when they are in a group, and never more uncomfortable than when alone. My GF will invite her sister-in-law to sleep with her when I am away. Her grand-daughter shares a room at college with another girl, they share a bed and a cat sleeps there as well. I am very comfortable with being quiet and alone. What about you, and what are your experiences with your Thai significant other?

It’s been a year like no other. The oil price went negative, airlines were grounded, some forever. A single meat market in Wuhan, specializing in exotic meats for conspicuous consumption by wealthy Chinese, generated a virus which spread like wildfire. Countries went into lockdown, some stringently, some half-heartedly. The results are there for everyone to see. Millions became employed overnight. Some countries responded with support, others opted for benign neglect. Vaccines were developed at unprecedented speed. A would-be tyrant was rejected at the polls. Most if not all of us will say goodbye and good riddance to 2020. I’m in Thailand by choice and some good luck. Two weeks later in February, and I would still be locked down in Australia, contemplating slashing my wrists. A much more enjoyable life for me here. Having said that, there are some things I miss about my home country. I miss the wind. In Thailand, it seems the wind can’t get much above a gentle zephyr. I would rug up with about four layers of clothing in winter, go down to Gunnamatta beach with an offshore wind of 50-60 km/hr, and watch 10 metre waves pound the coast. Nature at its most primeval. I miss the wineries that dot the Mornington Peninsula, where one could have a light lunch and a couple of glasses of the local product, which most of the time was very good. Apart from Thai wine quality, I don’t believe Thais know what a cellar door is, or what it’s for. I miss my 2004 Mitsubishi Magna AWD sedan, IMO one of the most underrated vehicles ever produced. Balanced like a cat on dirt roads and wet bitumen. About a third the new car price of a comparable Mercedes. My son has it now, still plugging along with 300,000 km on the odometer. I miss the golf competitions I used to play. Par, foursomes, match play, Canadian foursomes. Here, it’s just stroke and Stableford. Boring. I miss the camaraderie of the Wednesday Boys. 15 – 20 of us, some real characters and nicknames. The Poet, The Farmer, The Whippet, Pistol Pete, Triple Treat. Best net score got a two-dollar coin from every other player, with an appropriate obeisance. Some really acid sledging during play, one of the best at my expense. A day when I was spraying my tee shots all over the course, but making pars because I’m holing putts from everywhere on the greens. Our group gets to the seventeenth tee, par 3, and I’m fretting about club selection, is it a 6 or 7 iron? One of my mates says “ Why don’t you tee off with your putter? It’s the only club you’ve hit straight all day”. I miss a Gippsland eye fillet steak, medium, with a Warby Ranges Shiraz. Followed by a King Island blue brie on water crackers. I miss grilled flake and chips,with a pickled onion on the side. Flake is also known as shark to non-Australians, very sweet fish, and filling. All the best to everyone on TV over Christmas, and may 2021 be better. What do you miss?