ChrisP24

Riding a rented scooter through a roundabout for the first time (coming from a country that drives on the right-hand side of the road).

I tried software many, many years ago and found it too tedious, it was Andrew Tobias' Manage Your Money back in the 1990s. Excel is much more flexible, you can lay out your own spreadsheets in the way that best aligns with how you mentally view your finances. And then later I migrated to Libre Office, which as Lacessit states is a free office suite that includes a spreadsheet that's functionally equivalent (and cross-compatible with) Excel. It also includes counterparts to the other MS Office software. It works fine with Windows.

I've learned in my travels that with regard to how safe/unsafe an area is, a good indicator is whether the locals are comfortable bringing their own families/children and especially if the parents are letting their children run around having fun with other kids (vs. being clutched tightly by watchful parents just passing through on their way to someplace safer). One of the first things I noticed about the Jomtien night market area was that even around 9:00 p.m., there were many families with kids playing and running around on that little stage with the live music. Also many families and apparent Thai (and Korean) tourists taking selfies at the Angry Birds park over on the beach, and Thai families relaxing all along the beachfront. To me that area seemed family-friendly with many families out enjoying it even after dark.

Are you OK with English subtitles? There are quite a few modern Thai horror and even a few drama movies and mini-series that I've enjoyed.

This is even more confusing than when my Filipina wife tries to explain to me exactly how some of the third and fourth cousins are related to her (some of whom have more than one link).

I quite enjoyed Bangkok Heightz at the top of the Continent Hotel a few years ago. It wasn't loud, the food was excellent, and it had a great view of city lights looking down along Sukhumvit.

Maybe find a young person (niece, nephew etc.) to liquidate the items online for a generous commission? Gets the stuff gone, teaches entrepreneurship, and you get some baht as a bonus.

Good on you for wearing helmet! Best wishes for a full recovery.

It's funny, but I sometimes have the same though about my own countrymen here in my country, that I don't particularly like being around them. I like my own space, but when I do chat with people it's more interesting to me if their life experience has been different from mine. And I wonder how well or poorly I would have done had I been born in their environment. It's also interesting to me how their environment has shaped their view of the world.

If you tried but instead used Spanish sardines preserved in the stuff together with a sliver of carrot, pickle and chili added to each tin, I think you'd survive longer (and better). I personally could live for a very long time on the Portuguese sardine version of that, mixed with rice, although I imagine the nutritional profile is missing some things, the effects of which would become apparent by a month or two.

One with a good Hoover could be a bonus.

They (we) still do. Back to original topic, ummm.... Thailand Awesome. I've made four scouting trips now, the most recent one staying 2 1/2 weeks in Jomtien. It was surprising in that I had time to actually get bored - - to me it did not feel like a place that I could ever become more than a visitor. I should have broken up the trip into segments instead of staying in just one place. And actually I think that's how I'll travel Thailand going forward, keeping an open itinerary in order to unravel its awesomeness. Best spots thus far have been Chiang Mai and Phuket, with emphasis on Kathu and the areas both north and south of Patong. I can tell that learning the Thai language would be a "must". After trying a two-week course I think I could learn it, but it would take a couple of years of concerted effort.

Yes, they were interesting at the time. But I wouldn't want to go back and do them again now for more than a day or two. Except for the army, that one I'd be OK doing a full deployment if it were for something important.

Too early to tell, the differences in experiences/opportunities don't truly manifest until the child reaches their 20s and early adulthood. It's also very specific to so many factors such as location, culture, family situation, socioeconomic status, etc. etc. etc. I'm in the late stages of raising one boy and one girl, and I've taken great care over the years to give the girl messages to the effect of her being able to do anything and become anything she wants, in an effort to counter any message to the contrary she might be receiving through other channels. Both kids are doing alright. I'm a male so that has been my life experience and inevitable bias, but from observation I'd say that in general, globally, both genders have it better now than at any prior point in human history.

You could check to see if the realtor is still licensed, and if so complain to whatever board licenses him. Or just find review sites for whatever business he's doing now and post complaints with links to the article.

If it were a viable case then a good attorney would take it on contingency, charging between 25% and 40% of the eventual recovery. But after so much time I doubt there is a case, or an attorney who will take it. A quick google search indicates that the statute of limitations (SOL) in Florida is 4 years. I am not an attorney, however if the SOL can be overcome, my understanding is that a judgment for damages stemming from fraud cannot be discharged in bankruptcy so a judgment against the realtor could be pursued. But scumbags who are no longer worried about their reputations can be so very good at evading these. Your friend can save their stress by not expecting anything to move quickly, not expect and money at all (and if any comes it'll be an unexpected event). But getting the judgment and having the attorney record it will show up in a background check of the perpetrator. And eventually if the perp ever sells or refinances real estate in their name, they may have to deal with the judgment first, although after all this time your friend will be last in line after anyone else who has a judgment. But I think that ship has long ago sailed. The time to act was within the SOL period. Sadly, it might be best for your friend's emotional health to just move on.

Hope is not a plan.

Best to block her, cease responding to anything, and move on. Nothing good can come of maintaining contact with a bad, unstable person who keeps threatening you. Once she figures out that she isn't going to get anything out of you, she will move on too, and has nothing to gain by filing false reports. Odds are good that you are not the only one she is trying this with.

I've always strongly disliked the smell, and stayed away from it. That is until I took a cooking class and learned how to make tom kha gai using all fresh ingredients, and learned how 3-4 dashes of fish sauce make such a beautiful addition to the layers of flavor in the soup. That is ALL I use it for though, but for that alone it's worth stocking a small bottle.

I was in the legal industry also for a lot of years, and can tell you that legal transcription services are in high demand, all the more so as law firms trend toward working remotely or even becoming virtual law firms.

Editing/proofing/transcribing for the legal industry is in high demand and is really not all that technical, it just requires clear and precise writing. It's not like the medical field with a bunch of eight-syllable words.

I would think that with your background (corroborated by the obvious writing skill in your posts) you may be able to find remote work doing editing, proofreading or transcription. I don't know any specific ones but a google search shows tons of listings from legitimate employment sites such as indeed.com, and zip recruiter. I see eScribers in the search also. You might try a similar search using your VPN to set your IP address to a U.S. location. Of course there will be some scam listings even on legit job sites, but I'd wager that some will pan out, and you can try out several to see which ones are legit and which ones work best for you. The good news is that it sounds like you don't need a lot of extra money, and a legit gig doing this sort of work requires a native English speaker/writer and an educated one at that, so ought to pay at western-level hourly contract rates. So this type of remote work may be a good fit. Good luck to you.

Parable of the two villages A man who was traveling came upon a farmer working in his field and asked him what the people in the next village were like. The farmer asked "What were the people like in the last village you visited?" The man responded "They were kind, friendly, generous, great people." "You'll find the people in the next village are the same," said the farmer. Another man who was traveling to the same village came up to the same farmer somewhat later and asked him what the people in the next village were like. Again the farmer asked "What were the people like in the last village you visited?" The second man responded, "They were rude, unfriendly, dishonest people." "You'll find the people in the next village are the same," said the farmer.

Self-assessed at 5% probability...... But in fairness I imagine that is due to willingness to engage rather than lack of compelling topics to engage in. When I travel I usually am not there to engage or make friends, but rather to experience a place, on my own terms and at my own pace, as I enjoy solo travel. But on occasion I've met people who I hit it off with and have had some good conversation.

Sounds like you worked hard enough and long enough to where you didn't have to be a person of extreme thrift. I as well have (almost) always lived within my means, and am at a point where if I don't do anything stupid, can live very well for the remainder of my years. I'm exploring Thailand as place to maybe do that part time.