Lacessit

I can talk to my son any time I want by DUO or ZOOM in Australia. I haven't been back to Australia during COVID, can't be bothered with the hoops to jump through at either end. Apart from the price of gasoline, I can't say there has been any increase in my cost of living, which would be a lot more in Australia and a lot of other countries. Lay that squarely on the Russian doorstep.

Perhaps you have not noticed. The Indians I have known, to a man, were as tight as a duck's bum.

I don't pretend to be an expert. Having said that, if you are going to spend 4000 baht - half a month's accommodation in my Chiang Rai condo - for just one night in a hotel, I think it's fair to say you have more money than sense.

500 - 600 baht/night hotels are my style, no need for fancy trimmings. If I want a really good breakfast in Chiang Mai, there are several places I used to know that would be happy to cook me scrambled eggs and good coffee for 200 - 300 baht. In out of the way places such as Nan, Loei and Mae Hong Son, my technique was to stay at a cheap hotel, then go to the most expensive hotel in town and pay for their buffet breakfast. Can't remember getting refused by anyone.

To Rittenhouse, his guns are more important than the children murdered at Sandy Hook and Uvalde. Says a lot about his values. Is it too much to hope he won't breed? Sadly, many Americans glamorize guns. Other nations have grown up.

How do you know Taiwan is unprepared, do you sit in on the planning meetings of their military? As the Ukrainian war has shown, modern shoulder-fired missiles are leveling the playing field. Russia has a superior air force to Ukraine, not doing them much good, is it? China's biggest food import is soybeans, guess where that comes from? Hint: from China's biggest customer. Silicon Valley outsources the manufacture of high-end semiconductors to Taiwan, there is nothing to say the US could not bring that capacity back home. My mistake, Poroshenko is an oligarch, which led me to think he is cut from the same cloth as the Russians.

It seems Americans are entirely focused on domestic issues. Trump trashed trust with just about every democracy in the world during his presidency. Everything he did on the world stage was failure writ large. Biden has restored a lot of trust in America in other countries, it's difficult to imagine Trump would have backed Ukraine while kissing Putin's backside. Perhaps that's not important to Americans, it certainly is to the rest of the world's free nations.

Sounds like you know what you are doing in the kitchen.

It's a lot less difficult to defend Biden, he is a decent man. Trump is an entirely different matter. As you appear to have 20:20 hindsight on all US problems, I'll leave it at that.

I see, one of the biggest producers of baby formula in America has a lethal contamination issue due to a fault in the manufacturing process, and Biden is to blame for that. I suppose he's to blame for Uvalde too. Do you have any idea how ridiculous your post is?

Six of them? How many did you eat in one sitting?

Caustic is a term used to describe alkaline substances. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid. I'd agree putting acid into a stomach that may already be excessively acidic is not the best of ideas. IME, Thai doctors are prone to throwing pills at every ailment, which is why I always check side effects on the internet for anything they prescribe. IMO, they are also negligent in not working up a full medical history as a guide to treatment. I only know one doctor here who has bothered.

An ultrasound is worth doing, as well as the endoscopy. About 4 years ago, I had severe chest pain. Turned out I had bile duct sludge which was preventing my gall bladder from delivering bile to the stomach , to assist in digesting fats. The OP may want to look at his diet, there may be foods triggering the pain.

Have a couple of squat toilets in the village if you are interested.

As my bum does not have eyes in it, as long as what I sit on is smooth it doesn't care.

What ads? Perhaps you need to update your OS to include ad blockers.

I guess occupying a bar stool in Pattaya, loaning out money there, would give different results and perspective.

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?