JensenZ

I suppose that I've lived in Thailand since 2006 points to the fact that I have no interest in living in the Philippines again or even having a relationship with a Filipino. I have visited Dumaguette a number of times in the past and never liked it or understood the attraction for it, other than there being a university there, I suppose. I went there on scuba diving trips. If I had to find a place to resettle there, the choice would be difficult, but at least I would need to be somewhere central in a big city. I've lived in provinces (Cavite, Leyte) and wouldn't want to do that again.

It hasn't changed since "way back then". Wealthy clans still run the show in the deep provinces. Everyone is on the take - police, lawyers, judges, mayors. The central federal government has little penetration or control when you leave the big cities. Summary executions are common all over the country. Some provinces are worse than others, but provinces like Samar, or the far North of Luzon can be particularly brutal.

I don't know - it was you who brought up the virgin topic. I do live in a different world. I'm in my 60s and don't spend time on Messenger chatting to girls... in fact, I just divorced a Filipino last year after 13 years of marriage and 20 years together. My time of dating young girls is long past. Most Filipinos are Christian, but by birth and tradition more than faith, so corrupting them wouldn't be difficult. Back about 20 - 25 years ago, in bars, the virgins would wear tags to indicate they couldn't/wouldn't go out on bar fines, but apparently, it was a scam and most were fake virgins looking for big payments.

There was no Facebook when I first visited the Philippines in the 90s (when I was in my 30s) and it wasn't in existence when I left. All my relationships with Filipinos were in the flesh as I lived full-time there for many years. I'm certain that most girls at age 18 are not virgins despite them being fundamental Christians or another religion. I am also certain that most of what you learn about them in Facebook Messenger is nonsense.

Without getting too far off-topic. They use a hell of a lot more makeup in Thailand, so I firmly disagree there. Most of the pretty girls are not looking for old expats. You'll find plenty of skinny girls in the provinces, but it's because they don't eat enough. As soon as a foreigner gets their hands on them, they blow up like balloons. The Filipino men prefer larger girls, as it's a sign of wealth. Good luck landing a virgin. They might say they are, but they are sexually active from a very young age. "Virgin" usually means "untouched by foreigner".

That depends on who is eating it. Filipinos prefer their food over Thai food. It also should be noted that their food varies a lot from island to island. I prefer Thai food overall, but that doesn't make it better. Most of the time I eat Western food. The advantage in Thailand is they do Western cuisines better here.

Apart from the fact that Japan was an advanced nation before the war, they were given a lot more assistance to rebuild. The US occupied Japan until 1952, whereas The Philippines was granted independence in 1946 and left to their own devices. US Occupation assistance to Japan after WW2 "Total U.S. assistance to Japan for 1946-1952 was roughly $15.2 billion in 2005 dollars, of which 77% was grants and 23% was loans. Most of these funds were provided through GARIOA grants. Japan repaid $490 million of the total postwar assistance. Of the $2.2 billion in total aid, an estimated $655 million, or almost a third, went to categories that would mostly contribute directly to economic recovery (industrial materials, including machinery and raw goods; petroleum and products; and transportation, vehicles, and equipment). Most of the rest went for agricultural equipment, foodstuffs, and food supplies with smaller amounts spent on medical and sanitary supplies, education, and clothing." By contrast, the Philippines received a small fraction of that. Their GDP was reduced to 30% of prewar and they experienced the worst inflation in their history.

The comparison is not even close, Japan was an advanced empire at the time, and the Philippines was a group of disconnected islands. I thought you were interested in a comparison between Thailand and the Philippines. As I suggested, to draw a more valid comparison, compare the Philippines vs Indonesia.

Despite your personal feelings about Filipino English, it's easier to understand for most people than many dialects throughout the world, including from the English language's original source in the UK. The purpose of all languages is communication and Filipino English does the job. They are sought after in call centres worldwide because they are easy to understand.

Manila was trashed by the Japanese in 1945... with their scorched earth policy. The Japanese trashed the whole of the Philippines throughout the war. There was no such problem in Thailand which kowtowed to the Japanese throughout the war. It might have been a long time ago, but it made a huge difference to the development of these two nations. Thailand is one contiguous landmass. Transportation and integration of the population is easy. The Philippines is a group of islands, each with unique languages and cultures, that the Spanish decided to call the Philippines. It's a difficult country to integrate. If you want to make comparisons, compare with Indonesia.

And in Pattaya, most of those people who own cars also own motorcycles. All my neighbours own both and use their motorcycles more often than their cars. It's worth noting that petrol is now roughly the price of milk.

I concur, absolutely. The extensive overuse of adverbs and adjectives is ridiculously redundant and extremely annoying in a rather feeble attempt to turn this extremely, very dull and boring non-event into an epic, fantastic saga that we might possibly care something about. The solution is simple: post armed security guards at the entrance of all of Thailand's Pattaya eateries.

They would be advised to consider how much this YouTuber will trash Thailand if he leaves voluntarily after their warning/threat A young guy his age will hardly spend the rest of his life in Thailand. You can find videos trashing every country on Earth.

Most places in Thailand are recording the hottest temperatures since recording began. I've been here since 2006, in Pattaya, and there is no doubt this year is the hottest. My room temperature in a shaded room reaches 32C and never goes below 30C. Right now, at midnight, the recorded outdoor temp is 30C. It's best to keep the windows shut during the day and open them at night to prevent hotter air from blowing in during the day. Today the max in Bangkok is predicted to reach 38C, which is pretty damn hot, even for Bangkok.

I insisted on nothing of the sort. You were insisting that carrying any cash is an inconvenience, which is nonsense. Many places won't accept phone or card payments. Market stalls, street stalls, small restaurants - the list is long. The people who insist on paying small amounts by phone hold up the queues in many stores. So many times I'm held up in a queue waiting for you to fiddle around on your phone.

You certainly have some major problems that are easily solved. Carry the coins in the other pocket. If that's a problem, put them in the tip box. I do all my major shopping by card at malls but always keep some cash for things you cannot buy with cards, which are many. I'm amazed people find this so inconvenient. 7-Eleven is a piece of cake - if it's raining and you don't have any cash, there's an ATM at nearly every 7-Eleven.

You certainly do enjoy waffling on about nothing. I don't care about Japanese software design. I sat in one of those chairs at a Holiday Inn in Bangkok for a couple of days and it was so comfortable that I bought one. At that time they were available on Lazada for about 7000 baht for a basic model. My website link is a Thailand-based website. Even if you don't look, others might be interested. You said you were going to relocate to Japan. When is that likely to happen?

2 solutions: 1. Cut your losses and dump that Chinese piece of crap. 2. Buy one of these: https://kokuyo.co.th/ Best I've ever sat in. If you can't afford one, revert to a normal kitchen type of chair. I sit for long hours at my desk and had to dump my office chair for the same problem - losing circulation in the feet. A normal flat chair might be a bit less comfortable on your butt, but it's better for your back and your legs if you sit for long periods. 2b. Get more exercise to improve the blood circulation in your legs. Getting up for a short walk at least twice an hour helps too. Office Chair Catalogue (from page 28 in pdf)

Are you serious? Having some coins in your pocket distresses you? A lot of things seem to stress you out. Are you OK? Here's a tip. Keep the coins in your pocket and spend them the next time you shop. 7Eleven staff are more than happy to take them off your hands. If you learn this simple method you can keep the coins in your pocket to an absolute minimum.

7-Eleven doesn't accept even local debit cards - only credit cards. There's an ATM outside most 7-Elevens. What's the problem with keeping a bit of cash in your pocket? I use debit cards everywhere else. Even the Big C Mini and mini Tesco stores accept debit cards.

In Australia, you give way to all vehicles approaching from the right.

It's an uncontrolled intersection, so the rule here is to proceed slowly and keep your eyes open for oncoming vehicles. It's a courtesy system which the foreigner does not understand. It's also good to proceed more carefully if you're on a bike and heed to bigger vehicles. I would say the foreigner thought that he had absolute right of way. Also, offering "sorry" to the damaged party is the wrong thing to do. Insurance policies normally stipulate in the fine print never to admit liability in any accident. If they find out you did, they can refuse your claim. It was right for the car driver to leave it up to the insurance company to sort it out.

In Pattaya last night, the lowest the temperature got, by about 5:00 was 29C. It was 30C most of the night. I walk late at night when the temperatures are at their lowest, but my clothes are drenched walking in that heat at about 6 km/h. Fortunately, I have a home gym where I can train in comfort.

Sure, if you have some spare cash to pay for 6 years of electricity upfront, it might make sense if you don't think you'll be moving anywhere in 6 years, like returning to your home country. A lot can happen in 6 years and most figures I've seen talk about 8 years or more to recoup the costs. I would not care for an investment that took over 6 years to see a return.

My March and April bills were nearly identical. It's the air conditioners working harder that ramps up bills. My hours of usage haven't changed. Setting them 1 or 2C higher when it's hotter outside is not a bad idea. It's comfortable enough and cuts back on power usage. For Pattaya residents - the sun is directly overhead today (April 24) at 12:21, so it's theoretically the hottest day of the year. For Bangkok, it's on April 26. It happens again on August 19 in Pattaya and August 16 in Bangkok.