GammaGlobulin

26 minutes ago, timendres said:

I am sure many appreciate your desire to preserve your distance... ????

Yes, I understand your irony.

 

However, what I actually meant to say, although I unfortunately did not say it well enough, is that......

 

aa.  I LIKE the writers on this forum, absolutely.

 

bb.  If I were to meet them in REAL LIFE, then I might be disappointed in that they might not seem, in real life, just as good as they are in virtual life.

 

cc. The same goes for writers like Truman Capote, for example.  No one can write such a riveting book, such as In Cold Blood, like Truman.  Yet, in real life...

 

 

dd.  Do you see what I mean?

 

ee.  This is why I always avoid looking at any photos of the authors I like and revere  And, this is why I prefer to just read many good authors on this forum, and imagine that they are, in real life, just as handsome as their great writing, and their great humor.

 

I am sure that you feel the same.  Do you not?

 

I mean, it is sort of like going on a Blind Date after meeting someone online on Chiang Mai Tinder, I would think.

 

What do you think?

Here is how I look at it.

 

There are many authors I love, and you have your own authors you love.

 

But I prefer to preserve my distance from the authors I love, simply because I wish to hold them on a high pedestal, and not actually see them for the dregs they might actually be, without hiding behind their genius for writing.

 

============

This same thing holds for great music, as it does for great writing.

Take Beethoven, for example….

 

“The personality, deafness, and bad health of Ludwig van Beethoven”….

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/096777200201000108?journalCode=jmba

 

 

This is why I love to read the posts on this forum, which are often immensely entertaining. And yet, I will never meet you in real life.

Can we please just enjoy reading the posts of the very best posters, without actually needing to hook up?

 

I bet that we can continue to get along together, online, without any more than this casual contact, which continues to remain so satisfyingly unencumbered.

 

I have never heard of anyone on this forum actually meeting up in REAL LIFE.

And, such a thing, for sure, I would find shocking.

 

I believe that life online is a better life.

And, surely, a simpler and more wholesome life.

 

Further, during this season of the virus, our monastic life is the best life we can lead, for now.

The Olympics is a detestable carryover from many years gone by, when Greeks greased themselves with olive oil and wrestled to the death.

 

If all Olympiads would remove their clothes, and compete, then the Olympic games would be worth watching.

 

Until then....Ho Hummmm....

 

Exercise...  Good

Olympics... Bad

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

My country wasn't there. 

 

Why do they let England cheat by adding Scotland?

 

Why do Scotland put up with it?

England should not add Scotland?

The only way to live harmoniously with one's partner is to have a very large house, and remain celibate.

And, one should have many servants in the house.

 

The problem with most marriages is that two people try to live in a middle-class shack, which causes them to get on each other's nerves, as they rub up, and bump up, against each other.

 

And so, if you wish to live a happy life, and you plan to live harmoniously with your spouse, of any gender, then living in a shack must be avoided.

 

 

 

 

 

The virus just wants to survive and propagate.

This is the basic strategy and "purpose" of life, even though a virus might not necessarily be considered to be a living organism.

The purpose of life is to pass on genetic material, and to adapt by changing in the most advantageous way in order to survive.

 

The virus is no better nor any worse than any other part of life, even though the virus is more like a particle than anything else.

 

We need more effective vaccines here, and it really does not matter how we get them, and we should not be thinking about saving face.

 

We just need them for our children, and for us, and for the economy.

 

Unfortunately, if we had been much more proactive, 15 years ago, about preparing ourselves for the pandemic which we knew was coming, then things would be far easier for us, now.

 

Let's just now TRIPLE our efforts, and donate, DONATE, money and vaccines....WORLD WIDE.

 

We must hang together, and conquer through collective action, or we shall surely hang collectively, as well as economically.

 

 

11 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Morons! Who in their right mind is travelling around as tourists in Thailand during a widespread pandemic.

 

Seems to me like they have greatly overestimated the benefits of yoga. Looks like it alters the brain function in a very negative and embarrassing way.

MORONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11 hours ago, Thailand said:

And the girl in the denim shorts.

BIG BUM!

Big Buttocks.

Tiny Brain.

11 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Sadly, those arrogant idiots make all foreigners look bad. ????

Are they tourists?

 

Why do we need tourists like this?

Why do we even need tourists, at all?

15 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Nobody dies too soon, everyone dies on time. 

Better to die on time, than to not die, ever.

Women are less bored because a woman's work is never done.

 

This is why I prefer women, as friends and people I can really talk to.

 

I also have male friends who are NOT boring, but these guys are old and famous university professors, emeritus types.

 

I never talk to the mailman, because, the mailman is just too full of gossip.

 

The secret to reducing boredom is to become maniacal about any given academic topic, and then write a 400 page unpublishable document about it.

 

Another strategy might be to check yourself into a hospital and ask to be put into a medically induced coma for a year.  When you awake, you will feel as right as rain, and never be bored again.

 

BEST STRATEGY: Donate time to others, during every waking moment. Impossible to get bored doing this.

Me.

 

I died too soon, here, before I was able to really hit my stride.

 

Others, more important than I who died too soon?

Others, who I might give my life for, if I could trade my life in order that they might live longer?

 

I would NEED to mention Richard Smalley of Buckyball fame, a Nobel Laureate who was kind to everybody, and humble.

 

There are others who are more worthy to be alive, than I.

I might say that I wish they were alive in my place, and that I had been hit by a bus, rather than to see them die.

 

64 carbons in just one molecule, Man.

 

It can't get any better than this!

 

 

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Corn is <deleted>

I cannot argue with you, in good conscience.

Why would one wish to rain on someone else's parade?

 

Personally, I detest the Olympics.

 

I almost fell off a ski lift in Nagano during a blizzard.

 

Still, live and let live.

The resources being spent on Olympic games are good for some people.

 

The Olympics are the same as the Nobel Prize awards, in that I do not appreciate either, and both are stupid, if only from my own biased thinking.

 

I don't like medals, maybe.

 

And, I do not like biased judges, biased according to political persuasions.

 

Let the world have the Nobel and the Olympic ceremonies, and carrying of torches. It would be undemocratic to deny children of their fun.

 

For us adults in the room, these trappings are, hopefully, not necessary in order to lead a self-actualized existence, hurting no one, and as true individualists, and, need I mention, introversion is the true power driving our tired world forward.

Find someone like Spartacus.

My best advice.

Someone who is successful at putting down rebellions, and one who is thick-skinned without appearing to be thickheaded.

 

Somebody with honor.

A man or woman who always strives to do the right thing.

 

 Above all, someone who has no shortcomings, in every good respect...

 

58 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Corn

Correct.

We are all children of corn, these days.

Most beef we eat is corn-fed beef.

Carbonated beverages are sweetened with corn.

McDonald's franchises could not exist without corn.

Governmental agricultural subsidies promote the overproduction of corn.

Genetically modified corn is not unhealthy.

Our very collective existence depends on corn monocultures.

Corn syrup is not healthy, however.

The teaching of the quality of "resilience" to our next generation of young people is a quality that may help them to live better lives during the next few decades to come.

 

Perhaps, these years we are now enjoying which are not typical, presents us with an excellent opportunity to instruct our next generation in the important skills which might help children to become more resilient. Just a thought, for which making one's own mayonnaise might be somewhat of a metaphor.

 

My Dear Friends,

 

Soon, the Cold Season will be upon us. How Thailand’s Three Seasons do seem to race by, as we thankfully age.

 

“Autumn is the perfect time to get out and gather acorns, especially after a wet year. This is an old and traditional wild food recipe, but feel free to enjoy with cream and sugar.”

During the First World War, when shopping was less convenient, and when coffee beans were less plentiful, many people, and some countries, resorted to drinking Acorn Coffee, instead of Peaberry Beans from Tanzania.

 

If you have a supply of acorns in your Moo Baan, then here is the suggested recipe I found for excellent ersatz coffee:

1.     Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the acorns. Boil for 15 minutes until they turn a dark brown colour. Remove from the heat and peel the acorns then cut in half. Spread the acorns out on a baking tray and place in a warm spot for 2 days to dry out.

2.     When dried, grind the acorns in a coffee grinder until coarse then pop under the grill for 5 to 6 minutes making sure they do not burn. Remove from the heat.

3.     To drink, mix 1 teaspoon into a cup of boiling water. Allow to steep for a minute or two then strain into a clean cup and serve as you would coffee.

 

Fortunately, Thailand produces coffee in the mountains up north. And, in Thailand, down south, I have not seen many acorns falling from the local trees. Therefore, coffee made with real coffee beans is something that we can continue to look forward to, thankfully.

 

However, these days, I just feel less excited and rarely inclined to get out of the house and make the trek to the shopping mall to buy things that I might be able to substitute for, myself, using creative thinking.

For example, sometimes I like real mayonnaise even though I do not like to pay so much for it, and often cannot even find it for sale here. Maybe I will now begin making my own mayonnaise in the comfort of my house, especially for safety’s sake.

 

I found an excellent Mayo recipe last week which I will not post here.

 

If you are like me, I have no doubt that you are beginning to think of ways to become less reliant on unbridled consumerism to so unthinkingly meet many of your daily needs.  And, you are beginning to shift your focus in order to become more self-sufficient, and happier as a result of your shifted focus.

 

Of course, we cannot make our own light bulbs, or catch our own tuna if we live in the hills, and not by the sea. Still, I have always, in years gone by, imagined a day like today, or these days, when I could become less tied to the shopping mall.  This is a very good thing for me, and maybe also for you.

 

Shopping has always been stressful for me, simply because I dislike being suddenly faced with so many conflicting choices, beginning the moment I enter a superstore. In fact, the marketing-people-that-be intend the shopping experience to be stressful. When we shoppers are keyed up, then we buy more.  Shopping is a science, obviously, and too full of choices to ever be really pleasurable for me.

We are Human Beings here just reacting to the onslaught of what keeps coming our way. We share common experiences and feelings. I am sure that you feel as I in most cases, even though I rarely read about your sharing of your honest feelings.

 

For sure, recently, I have become far more appreciative of my friends whom I have known for years in Thailand, and for the chance to now communicate with them via the internet, even though still too seldom now, face to face.

 

I am speaking of what seems to be a major paradigm shift that I am presently enjoying, and one that might just be long lasting, let us hope.

 

Routine trips to the mall for frivolous shopping and entertainment has become just too suspenseful for me. I am better off finding more productive ways to spend my time, such as producing my own mayonnaise, and other luxuries.

 

Rice and flour are not luxuries, and I must continue to shop, or order for delivery.

 

Exercise is an absolute necessity, but I need no gym or fancy equipment. I have concrete steps outside to climb up and down. Or, I have thought about just using two plastic pails, filled with rocks, and a bamboo pole.

I can still maintain my friendships using video conferencing, and I have found that, now that I am more conscientious about maintaining friendships, I seem to have more friends.

 

I have all of the books that I could wish for, and more than I will be able to read in my lifetime.

 

And so, what I really need is just resilience and perseverance, and the will to make my own mayonnaise.

 

Doubtless, things these days are the same for you. You have easily adjusted to this new paradigm shift, and you are accommodating and remediating and feeling, somewhat oddly, happier.  I hope that this is the case, at least.

 

Regards,

Globulin

 

Note:  Let us never underestimate the quality of resilience and ingenuity. Let’s teach resilience to the next generation, as well.

 

Remediation of cracks in the system is a never-ending part of being alive today in our Modern World.

 

Note2:  Thank you to the men and women who continue to work, and continue to keep services humming along well.  And, thank you to the two girls who just carried two very heavy 20-liter water bottles from their truck into my kitchen. Great people! I am grateful!

 

Stay hydrated, Folks!

Proper hydration reduces stress and promotes good health.

Drink what you like…..but…..

H2O is suggested.

 

Note3:  I have never seen a squirrel in Thailand drink real coffee. Acorn Coffee might be good for squirrels.  Coffee is made from a berry. I have heard of purple berries, but I never found out what they might be.

 

Remember, the best is yet to come, which always proves to be the case. Be patient, and you shall see…  Regards, Globulin

 

 

12 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Which C word is that?

The C word that most readers like.

Somebody mentioned tigers in a post, posted above.

 

Why?

 

Why did this post not mention, instead, for example, the Bald Eagle?

 

Nothing but pandering.

Good for pandas.

Not for sentient animals, like us, I would think.

10 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Well a lot of people that went over to Thethaiger forum would disagree with AseanNow being the best. The reason why not cannot even be mentioned, which kind of proves their point.

Yes.

I know.

Let them go.

They will be sorry in the end.

Believe me.

 

Why?

Other so-called pretenders do not have good moderators.

And, despite what you might think, good moderators are key to the success of a forum.

Together with history, tradition, and BRAND LOYALTY.

 

No Tiger can trump this forum.

Believe me.

 

Tigers are a dying breed.

Just ask 350.org, or anyone.

Tigers will go the same way as the polar bears, when the ice melts in the arctic.

 

It is TRADITION and history that counts.

Trust me.

 

Tigers will be "NUMBER TWO", forever.

 

Who can tolerate PANDERING for long,

Except, maybe Pandas?

11 minutes ago, Gillyflower said:

Anyone who has the courage to read all that, deserves a medal.

No, sir.

Anyone who can stand to write it, deserves the medal.

 

All I hear, these days, from people on ASEAN NOW, is...

 

"We are sick and tired of the blasted infinite postings about the C word."

 

Somebody asked Somebody to write more about Something with less about the C topic.

 

So, I just threw my hat into this ring.

 

And then, Someone accused me of being less than sincere in my posting, here.

 

All that I can tell you is that EVERY word written in the original topic is not insincere.

 

Everybody dislikes phonies.

Everybody loves Salinger.

 

Am I right?

 

 

2 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Smells to me as a tongue in cheek post..  Nuff said...

Completely untrue.

Please do not be cynical.

My Dear Friends and Compatriots:

 

No matter what nationality you might have been before you truly ARRIVED here, we are all fellows in the brotherhood/sisterhood of our love of ASEAN NOW. Surely, you cannot logically imagine otherwise. Because, otherwise, you would not be here.  Therefore, you must love being here, as do I.

Why?

 

Because….

 

The “ASEAN NOW” forum is just…. BETTER than the rest.  We have all tried the rest and learned the hard way that these other lesser forums do NOT pass the acid test. They can never measure up, even as hard as they might try.  These sites, in hindsight for some of us, are just too pitiful for words. Just looking back at them, after briefly trying them, and finding them sorely wanting,….. We often wonder why we might have once or twice strayed away.

 

I expect only GOOD and POSITIVE comments from all of you describing the many valid ways and reasons ASEAN is superior.  We want to let others know just why ASEAN NOW is better than the rest. (Please, no need to argue otherwise, because, if you do not believe like me, then you would NOT be here.)

 

ASEAN NOW is not a new friend, but surely it is an “old friend” in the Asian sense of this expression. In Asia, there is no higher complement to give to another than to call this friend an “old friend”.

 

IF anyone here might have some penchant for commenting on any topic as important as this one, then please let them do so, now, here, or forever let them hold their peace. And, may their comments be positive and motivating and fruitful, leading to having more good members joining us in this forum.

 

In addition, I just wish to know the many ways in which this premier forum has helped you in your everyday lives in Thailand, some of which days were mundane, but most both beautiful and exciting. And, I want to know how this forum has helped you to deal with the ongoing alienation and social isolation that we, now, ALL must confront in our present lives, day by day, as we focus on some future world with fewer viruses, maybe a decade hence from now.

 

Let me just list the ways I love thee,….my ASEAN NOW:

 

aa.  I LOVE the very hardworking moderators of any good forum. Moderating a forum is a thankless job, in my opinion.  Yet, without good moderation, any forum is totally useless.

Here, in this forum, there are always writers who believe they are studs and thoroughbred racing horses. They think they need no moderation. They are very much mistaken, because, sometimes these thoroughbred stallions jump the paddock and run wild, trampling over the spectators, as it were. Moderators are so crucial in order that everyone may participate and enjoy this sport.

bb.  Without good moderators, the people who are skilled in doing their job well, then any forum will surely fail, and nobody will be happy. This is the truest word I have ever spoken, and you know it, even though you might not, sometimes, like this obvious necessary constraint.

cc. ASEAN NOW has great moderators working on this forum in order to keep the forum readable, and make this forum of some common value to everyone. There is no doubt about it.  And without these good moderators, then I would not be posting this message here.  Think about it.  Without good moderators, our postings would be useless garbage mixed in with other garbage, not even worthy of a NYC dumpster destined to be dumped outside of New York.

dd. Posting on ASEAN, if we post well, then we gain a good sense of fraternity, and for free. Posting costs nothing on ASEAN. Have you ever considered THIS? Have you ever paid a Bt. to post here?

ee.  ASEAN is always very HELPLFUL.  Whom (who) among us has not been significantly helped, probably often, by this forum, and in a REAL way?  Some forums provide only virtual help because…these forums do not CARE like ASEAN cares.  Am I right?  Darn right, I am right, and you all know it, too.

ff. I have noticed that there are many witty, intelligent, experienced-in-life, and, ultimately caring people, posting on ASEAN, need I say, people who come here from all parts of the world. I enjoy reading and learning a few things from people like these.  I have learned a bit, for sure. The lesson is free, and I am grateful.

gg. This pandemic, this scourge upon us now, has reminded me that forums as peerless as this, forums where we can enjoy a bit of comradery and banter, might be the best recipe for what is needed to keep us sane, even while we enjoy our respective experiences of isolation. Sanity, these days, seems to be in short supply. And so, if I can get sanity from ASEAN, while staying off the Thorazine, then I will take it, and be thankful for it.

There are many, MANY additional good and true things I would happily say here about ASEAN. But I do not wish to use up too much space, and hog too much time.

Still, I should state that I feel that I have an emotionally vested interest in contributing to ASEAN because I love this forum, as I know we all do.

 

You guys….   I know that you guys who remain here must truly love this forum. I know that you guys feel just as emotionally invested in this forum as do I, and with so many more good reasons than I can mention.

 

I am asking about how this forum might have helped each one of us during both hard times and good times, in sickness and in health, in so many meaningful ways, ways which we sometimes tend to forget.

 

Please never forget, this good forum has never failed us, and this site has remained constant, and this forum has consistently provided us with spiritual improvement, not to mention a caring helping hand whenever we might need it. Also, this forum has kept us informed about things we need to know. Often, reading ASEAN, we learn something new and valuable.

It is true that I LOVE tradition.

 

And, it is true that I LOVE this forum.

I never joke about things which are important to me.

 

One Further Note, if I may:

 

EVERYBODY loves tradition, and this also applies to people who have joined our ASEAN Forum.

 

So, here is a tune for you about TRADITION, which I like…..

 

 

 

 

Zero Mostel is amazing.

 

And, we can sort of surmise that the good times will return

.

If you don’t like Zero Mostel, then no problem.  Just, do not tell me that you do not like ASEAN NOW, now.

 

We must all pull together, through the process of amusing and distracting one another from the C word, lest we pull in opposite directions, and pull apart, thereby fracturing our common comradery, which might lead to less bonhomie for us all, as well as easily causing us to endure avoidable cases of temporary depression.

 

Goodwill among the men and women of our group, I say, should be fostered by caring for one another, as if we were one.

 

Everyone of us is just a Fiddler on the Roof, in this forum.

 

Among us, one can be sure, there is another Mark Twain or Two. And I know of at least one, far from here, yet also not too far.

 

Please NOTE: Attempting to post this measly submission, my Internet service was temporarily cut off,  four times.  Therefore, please forgive the resultant disjointedness. Doing one’s best, of course, yet not nearly up to snuff.

 

And, it is best to just put this nonproductive whining aside, and, alternatively think of greener pastures, and fiddling, when the power gets cut.

 

Can we now please just appreciate this amazing tune which reminds us of our youth….and the Tradition behind this new forum, ASEAN, which is a tradition that I dearly hope will never be lost….

My gracious thanks for any kind consideration, undue,

Regards,

GG

 

 

 

FINAL NOTE:  Although the internet service in this small  semi rural area in which I reside was just interrupted FOUR TIMES in one evening…. Still, I must not, and can NOT, in good conscience, complain.  Because…..  I think of the workers who willingly work without any protection, and without being vaccinated.  I think of the worry they must be feeling, even though they do not overtly express too many of these fretful concerns.

Any consumers, or users of utilities, who complain about things relating to shortages or outages, these days, must be those who are completely out of touch with reality, and…heartless.

 

Just think of the workers, the guys who go to work each day, and then, … who in their right mind would complain?

I wonder.

 

My hat is off to those who man the supply chains, during these uncertain times.

Somehow, we need to get these people vaccinated, and they need to be first in line….First, and before me!

Thank you and regards,

Gamma

 

PS: Give my two doses of the two American shipments of the Pfizer vaccine to the Thai guys who work hard to keep our infrastructure, and the basic services, running, and the food-supply chain humming, because these are the guys who actually need this vaccine more than I.

 

If America wanted me to have a vaccine, then they would have sent it to me in a bottle, dropped in the ocean, COD.

 

This is why I am proud to be an American.

Same as Randy Newman.

 

No American Marine is ever left behind. Marines are a brotherhood. This is true. Every American knows this.

 

I am, unfortunately, not a US Marine, but just a submariner.  (If I could have been a US Marine, and good enough…then that would have been splendid.)

 

My only recourse, now, these days, as a true American, in order to show my patriotism, is to forego any potential offer of doses of Pfizer here in Thailand, in order that someone on the front lines might have such potential dose.

 

This might be a moot point, naturally, because I never expected to get a Pfizer dose, anyway.

 

Also, I think that there is just about as much chance of my being offered a dose of the Pfizer vaccine, directly from America, or an American Consular office, as there is the chance of my getting a dose of the clap.

I am not worried about either.

 

Celibacy is my game.

 

Looking Good, Louis.
Feeling Good, Todd.

 

 

Eddie Murphy is a true American original.

Love Eddie.

Love Twain.

 

And so, I am, these days, just waiting for the return of Halley’s comet, I guess.

 

When will it pass by, next? Sooner the better, maybe.

 

Until then, I will not mention the “C word” in the pages of this good forum.

 

Love you all, my friends.

And, this ain't no joke.