GammaGlobulin

Jingthing.... Just a question... Do you know anyone who has been in bed with a Martian? Not sure, but thought you had known of one, or two.

OK. Thank you. I have tried in the past... And, I will try again. (Thank you for your reply.)

So, after 33 years, other than this topic, what is your most profound thought about your experience, so far? You came to Thailand in 1989. And, I first came to Thailand in 1971, although I wish I had come earlier. I would have preferred to come to Thailand in 1961, for sure.... Maybe, if I had done so, then I would be far more fluent than I am now. Here is a profound thought for you: During the past several decades, probably beginning around 1970, the culture here, just as the culture in other Asian lands, has been evermore diluted by gradually increasing tourism, but even more by television and other types of media. Even in 1971, there was still an extensive amount of western influence in Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, etc., etc., etc. So here is a profound question for you: Just how far back would you need to travel, in time, in order to find an unadulterated, pure, culture? The answer is, of course, there is no such thing as an unadulterated culture. You just need to choose your time and place. As for me, I might like to choose Hong Kong and HK Disneyland. Hong Kong Disneyland is my idea of an ideal Asia. Any more profound thoughts, my friend?

In other words: If one were to buy one can of peaches, at Bt.50 per can, one day, And then, if one decided to buy 100 cans of peaches, the next day, Wouldn't one expect a price discount on the second day? However, so far, I have not found this to be true. Therefore, is there any way to get a good quantity discount for peaches, in Thailand, if one is just an individual buyer, and not a company? In the past, I have tried to contact the importers/wholesalers directly. I even once contacted the distributor for Coca-Cola, back in 2013, and tried to order directly 15 cases to store in my house. However, even though they finally delivered directly to my home, yet they never gave me even one baht discount less than the normal retail price. Why?

Dear Friends, Ever since the virus hit us, March 2020, I had, and still have, been wanting to buy canned vegetables, including canned black beans, and canned tomatoes, canned green peas, and maybe even canned artichoke hearts. In my home country, placing an order for such things would have been easy. However, here in Thailand, ordering directly from the wholesaler seems difficult. And, from my experience, the same is true of the situation in Japan, meaning ordering like this in Japan is no different than here in Thailand. The common man is unable to order directly from the wholesaler or importer. One must buy from a retailer, and the retailer often does not have either the necessary selection nor the quantity required. Maybe I am wrong? No. I am not wrong. Here is what I would like to buy, in bulk, for example, and just an example: Also, I would like to buy 30 cans of black beans, something that I have not yet found in Thailand, so far, but which are ubiquitous in Mexico. ===== So, my only question is.... Is there a "one-stop" shop here in Thailand where one can easily order these canned goods? And, will the same shop provide a very decent price? I mean a decent price for a fairly substantial order...let's say a minimum order of 250 cans of various canned goods? I expect a discounted price for a high quantity order. I have no doubt that others, just like me, are wondering the same thing: Where to find a good source of canned goods. If we found this good source, then would we not become repeat buyers, for years? I am not a prepper. I just want to find a good source of canned goods. I know that someone in the Farang Pub knows the answer to this question. Thank you. Globule

Not sure about your specific questions. However, if you are 70 years of age, then Thailand is a good choice for you. Best of luck, friend.

My Dear Friends (if I may be so presumptuous as to continue to call you friends): Zelda Fitzgerald, in her “Eulogy on the Flapper”, 1922, wrote: 'The Flapper awoke from her lethargy of sub-deb-ism, bobbed her hair, put on her choicest pair of earrings and a great deal of audacity and rouge and went into the battle. She flirted because it was fun to flirt and wore a one-piece bathing suit because she had a good figure, she covered her face with powder and paint because she didn't need it and she refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring. She was conscious that the things she did were the things she had always wanted to do. Mothers disapproved of their sons taking the Flapper to dances, to teas, to swim and most of all to heart. She had mostly masculine friends, but youth does not need friends - it needs only crowds...' Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald were a well-known couple well before I was even born. And yet, during recent years in Thailand, I have pondered this utterance of refusal to be bored, this quote which never seems to go away. Therefore, just a question: a. What did Zelda mean by this short quote in the context of what she had been writing. b. What might this mean for us, those who are either young or old. c. Can one be a flapper, someone flaunting convention, even today? These days, does it not seem that most of those we meet or hear about in the news or on social media are people, just like us, who are attempting to escape reality? Is it true that we have already lost touch with reality? How much longer can we live in this fantasy world, a virtual world we have created which is not connected to reality, and still expect to survive, for long? Sorry for this two-part question: Social media, as well as the mainstream media, has become boring. Most of what we see/read on the Internet is already conventional, and nothing we see on TicKok is new. In fact, this media has become a distraction from reality, one which is used to lessen our anxiety and fear of our reality. I have recently been toying with the theory that the reason most of us have retreated into complete fantasy is due to our refusal, or inability, to face real and impending existential threats, threats which we clearly understand, if not consciously, then at least at the subconscious level. Therefore, the utter inanity of social media and mainstream media which seems to precoccuply us, 24/7, and which distracts us, is no more than a result of mass denial. And, obviously, we are all complicit in furthering this denial, just as some people whistle past the graveyard. Of course, in psychoanalytic theory, the purpose of ego defense mechanisms are to protect the mind/self/ego from anxiety or social sanctions or to provide a refuge from a situation with which one cannot cope. However, in our collective case, concerning the future of humanity, defense mechanisms become pathological only when their persistent use leads to maladaptive behavior such that the physical or mental health of the collective community (humanity) is adversely affected. And so, is not our preoccupation with TikTok, etc., just a symptom of our fear and realization that we are individually impotent and powerless to change the path we are on, a path to our destruction, at a time within our own lifetimes? In Conclusion: I have some great advice for myself. This is to stop worrying, and to latch onto some girl, no matter what her age, a woman like Zelda….some flapper who is super smart and loves some fun. I think it is never too late for a 70-year-old virgin to find a caring female who shares my take on the world. I know she exists, somewhere in Thailand. There is no chance of my finding a girl of 28, but, still OK if she is half my age, plus 7. I might even find a woman who loves to read. If I could, then I would sit with her in our sitting room, each of us in our own wing chairs, re-reading all the books we had read when we were young, maybe with a cat, or two. We could have a few Thai myna birds, as well, the smartest of birds. Most of humanity, these days, understandably, seems to be escaping into the virtual world of fantasy, and so why should not I? Kissinger, aka Dr. Strangelove, at age 98, is still just as much the fool he always was, talking about winnable nuclear war. Guys like he are proof that humanity is what we know it to be. Therefore, maybe I will just sit with my new-found female friend, in wing chairs, before a fire, on a cool evening, reading the same novels and fiction I read before, back in 1960, when global warming was just beginning to glimmer on the horizon. Again, my regards, And, best regards, Globule

Hmmm.... Schopenhauer... Is he not the guy with a thing for mirrors? Philosophy is something for younger men, and I am not one.

Beautiful. Obviously, you, and people like you, are part of the solution.

As you say so poignantly and heartbreakingly: Love is Pain. When one loves, there is either loss of love, or the fear and dread of loss of the object of one's love. If you can stand it, then fine. As for me, I cannot stand it. Maybe, in the past, I have loved too well. Better to be alone, in my opinion.

Chico Roll at Tiffany's....

Apparently: The Chiko Roll is an Australian savory snack invented by Frank McEncroe, inspired by the Chinese spring roll and first sold in 1951 as the "Chicken Roll" despite not actually containing chicken.[1] The snack was designed to be easily eaten on the move without a plate or cutlery. A Chiko Roll's filling is primarily cabbage and barley, as well as carrot, green beans, beef, beef tallow, wheat cereal, celery and onion.[2] The filling is partially pulped and enclosed in a thick egg and flour pastry tube, designed to survive handling at football matches. The roll is typically deep-fried in vegetable oil. At the peak of its popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, 40 million Chiko Rolls were sold annually in Australia. The product has been described as an Australian cultural icon.

Randy took a huge hit, on this one. Very unfortunate, since, ... I think this hit him hard, which may have caused him to write less interesting music in following years, which he might have written, to the betterment of his dedicated listeners.

Dear Friends, What would you say to a breakfast like this: Green Figs Yogurt Coffee This is the James Bond breakfast, from the film, From Russia With Love, or maybe Goldfinger. Where would one get green figs, this time of morning, anyway? Having just watched this film, all things Bond seem good for me. Figs are grown around the world, but not all green figs taste the same. Also, even the Bible mentions the fig leaf. Personally, I would prefer a Kaffir lime leaf to a fig leaf, any day. And, who would not prefer to be hung like a Kaffir lime, compared to a lemon??? I love Thai food. If it were not for the food, Thai food, then I might be tempted to leave for Italy, the third best cuisine, after Chinese cuisine. Anyway, gazing upon the Kaffir lime fruit, in all its glory, on the vine, I wish you a fine breakfast. If you are now downing your breakfast, at some hotel or motel, then ask your waitress for a slice of the lime.... And, you will thank me for this suggestion. Regards, Glob Note: Anytime I have a choice between a lemon and a Kaffir lime, or the leaves of this plant, I pay more for the Kaffir lime.

"I'm clearly Jewish, and I almost cried" What?

Just Marking my Territory. True Love...

Except: In my case... As you know, I tell it like it is, face to face. This is why I have so few friends, maybe. (But, same as you, I have no trouble with dogs. I love dogs. I once had a huge Rottweiler in Taiwan. Just one bark of this gargantuan dog could almost knock down buildings. He was a pussycat. However, he was so large that he was hard to handle. He had a will of his own.) I am talking LOVE, here. Love of canines for their unquestioning love of humans. Some say that humans are superior to canines. And others say that the wolf is superior to humans. In my opinion, Jack Nicholson already settled this issue.

Interesting: You seem to say that we are, ever increasingly, as time goes by, living in a fake world. NICE observation, My Friend! You are so correct. Yes, as time goes by, we become ever-more removed from reality. If this is true, then, no love lost, on my part.

You see? Blues is all about loss, angst, and so much more that we would not wish to think about... Mostly lost love.

Speaking of Slazenger Golf Balls: Either a Slazenger 1, or a 7.... This is why Bond always gets the girl, and always finds love, so effortlessly.

And, you forgot to mention, Pussy Galore.

Damn Right, I've Got the Blues.... Blues is mostly about angst and loss, maybe. Loss of love, etc.

Dear Friends, My fellows, or, those who might be looking for love,.... as are we not all looking for it, here and there? Money can't buy us love. We cannot find love standing on a chair, leaving the hat on. However, in my opinion, finding love in Russia might be easier. Personally, I prefer Asian women, and always have. Yet, a woman like Tilly Masterson, she is to die for. Some might like to see their lover painted in gold. This is no way to treat such a beautiful woman. I would say that Tilly Masterson is one of the most beautiful babes I have ever seen in my life. I first saw her on the big screen in 1964, when I was barely past puberty. Nothing can buy love. Women on chairs is no more than mildly titillating for me, these days, having seen too much in my life. Yet, a real woman, a woman from Russia, with love, is a dream we dreamed and one we will never forget. The question is, will we ever find love in this life? Real love? Money truly cannot buy it. Love happens in the brain, and nobody ever understands it. I am so happy to be celibate. Yet, I feel such nostalgia for the good old days. My guess is that most people never find love, true love. Is love just something that poets write about? Love can be exceedingly boring, once one finds it. It is only in the not-having that love is interesting. Regards, Glob

Have you ever asked them if they passed The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test? Stay clear of hippies, and pseudo-hippies, is my advice. Hippies and backpackers are not the same, but only look the same, after 50 years. Still, neither are to my liking. At least, Timothy Leary had a degree, a PhD, which he thought to be 6, but turned out to be 9. FURTHER, My Friends. Stream of Consciousness is not my thing. Kesey wrote one good book, and maybe more, but, unlikely. In the background, you can see SUNOCO. What is that? The Sun Oil Company. Even Hippies need petroleum products. The hippie lifestyle, as it was, back then, was full of hypocrisy and free love. As a celibate and also as an honest person, I am against both.

I am not a complete expert on hippies. When Hendrix was alive, I was always aspiring to be a white-collar conservative, flashing down the street, with an academic degree, but completely unlike that other PhD, Timothy Leary. Never was I a hippie, baby. I always loved the Main Line upper crust, toed the line, and envied homes like you might find in Gladwyne, PA., those of my friends. Never was I a hippie, man.