swissie

This post sails under ????

The world has a new "old geezer" = ME! The more my capabilities (below the belt) decrease, the more interesting I find "the opposite sex". I was told, that by looking at passing by females, I start to salivate profusely and uttering animal like grunting noises. Of course, there are the magic tablets. Normal dosage does little for me. Bold as I am, I double the dosage. With the result that I see pink elephants dancing on the ceiling and convincing me that Elvis Presley is working at my 7/11. What to do? A great philosopfer (I think it was Donald Trump) once said: " The worst about old age is, that the memories of your youth are still with you". = RATS !

The OP will find it hard to find a Private Thai Health Insurer to take him on at his age. (Or at a ruinous monthly premium). Of course, can "self insure". = Have at least 5 mio Bht on the side.

In my early Pattaya days I talked to my fellow barstool wizards a lot. But I developped misanthropic tendencies as a result. I quit and turned into a "dog-whisperer". Anyway, why would I need to talk to anyone, as long as I have "ASEAN NOW"? Here I find the climax of western intellect, wisdom and knowledge. All the posters here represent an amalgamation of all the cultural wisdom "the west" has accumulated over 300 years. LONG LIVE THE POSTERS ON "ASEAN NOW". Forget the rest of the world. ---------------------- Of course, one can also be selective. Example: If not liking the company, just pay up and leave. Excuses for a hasty retreat are plentiful. The most popular is: "My Thai Wife is expecting me and if I am not on time she beats me up again".

Concerning your dad. In what time frame did this happen? Are you sure he qualifies as a "boomer"? In what country? Surely it coulden't be Ireland, as the "great potato famine" happened much earlier.

Quite the opposite: The Farangs you describe are rather "looking up" to their Thai girls. For better or for worse.

Compared to a Thai child born into a Isaan farmers family, none of us Farangs had a hard life. Not so long ago, the Isaan was a poverty stricken waistland. Living from hand to mouth the rule. Little schooling for the boys, even less for the girls. Then came the time when the girls could make a lot of money in Pattaya, while their better educated brothers still were pumping gas or slaving on a construction site in Bangkok. Inevitably, a select group of Farang moral Apostels came along, looking down on those "Pattaya girls". Doubtful, if those moral Apostels have ever experienced true poverty.

Why would I block my best friend? We divorced for "technical reasons". Besides, it's her money at stake, not mine. I would hate to see her money dissappear in some bottomless pit in Thailand.

I volunteer. As a clearly non native english speaker, I must automatically be a "bottom feeder" here. Suits me, love it. Although I might try to re-enter here as John Wayne or Winston Churchill at some point in the future. Boosting my popularity dramatically.

Rumor has it, that occasionally brown envelopes are in short supply. Never mind. In Europe we do the same. now using crypto currency.

Let's just suppose: Only a handful of select people know your e-mail adress. You do not participate in any other "social-media" forum, except this one. But, every time after logging in here, the next day you get a message in your e-mail inbox from some Thai Lady by way of "tinder". Not even for "browsing" purposes have you ever been on "tinder". Given the above description, are you possibly starting to wonder by wich internet pathway the "Tinder-Ladies" have gained access to your e-mail adress ??? A humble question only.

Actually, my post adresses the unwritten Thai law, that family members MUST support other family members. My "Ex" is from the old school. = By not supporting family members brings automatically "bad Karma". I realise that in a country where there is practically no Social-Security System in place, internal family support is the only Social Security System available. It's a 2 sided sword: It can do a lot of good, but it can also put entire families in dire straits. I have seen it happen both ways. If the latter happens, it was always due to unrealistic expectations. Failures are usually explained in 2 ways: - We have not done enough "merit" at the temple or some "ghosts" were sabotaging the whole thing from the very beginning. TIT.

Now THAT makes sense. I will suggest it to her.

When I used to live in the sticks, I went thru the "Business-Plan" thing with quite a number of Thais. Too many numbers and figures only confused them and gave them a headache. Their "Business-Plan" remained the same: If somebody makes money with something, it must automatically be worth getting into it as well. - Case in point: I recommended to my neighboring pig farmers to increase the size of their operation when prices are low and everybody is getting out and reverse procedure when prices are high and everybody wants to get back in. Only 1 taker, he did increasingly well. His success was attributed to his obvious good connections to some well meaning ghosts.

One of my step-daughters suffers from a serious illness: "Start-Up" fever. She works for a Thai Bank, selling various additional Insurance to account holders. Making about 30K/month. She keeps pestering my "ex" to finance her a "start-up". The usual suspects: Nail salon, hair salon, a take away featuring only french fries and croissants, a condo in Pattaya to rent out etc etc etc. I keep telling them, that one only sees the few successful start- up's, nobody talks about the majority that never got off the ground. I am holding against it and always recommend "you qualify for a decent government job and live happily ever after". I am just afraid that after my demise, my "ex" will cave in an fork over the money. Her likely ending up on welfare as a result. Foreseeing this, I have already ordered a large coffin for myself. So I can easily turn over in my grave.

I hope the son gives him a good thrashing.

Has he done similar investments in women before or is this "a first"?

Recent rally fuelled by hopes that "a soft landing" will take place. Globally. Recent data show that this may not happen. To "kock-out" a persistent inflation it takes at least "a mild" recession. The central banks know this. There is room on the downside, but not much. If the "downside" gets too heavy, the central banks will open the monetary floodgates once more.

Have 17 different Thai Bank Accounts. And keep your (main) liquid assests in your home country.

I am quite sure that "long-term Farangs" have nothing much to worry about. Not so for "newcomers".............

Let's face it: Long overdue. Increse will come. But for long term residents some "grandfathering" rule will be granted to long term residents. Otherwise this will easily turn into an "international diplomatic incident", making headlines all over the world. But: New residents will have to pay more for the right to stay long-term in Thailand. Just a matter of time.

My youth in Europe was "dull". But I always suspected there must be some "men's paradise" somewhere. EUREKA ! Some 20 years ago I found it. In Pattaya.

The only thing that can be said with certainty at this point is: One is subjected to the war propaganda from both sides. Those "news" can not be veryfied independently. So whatever one wants to believe, it's "take your pick". (Serious news agencies point that out). Not surprisingly, westen news sources are biased in favour of the Ukraine. Western "war correspondants" prefer to report 200 km's away from the frontline and taking their clues from Ukrainian Facebook posters. I remain: The longer this war goes on, the more the odds are stacked against the Ukraine.

There are a few other countries where one can "stash their plunder": The state of Delaware in the US, the British Channel Islands, the Cayman Islands, Panama etc etc. The list is not complete. Mythologie Switzerland: Today, if I want to deposit 10'000 CHF on my Swiss bank account in cash, my bank wants to know exactly where the money came from. Wire transfers are also monitored. If I wanted to "hide" money, my choice would certainly not be Switzerland these days.

What about the majority of wars that were won by the party that had more weapons and personnel?