GammaGlobulin

You have made a very good point, I believe. I have heard some stories concerning others who may not have come to Asia for the right reasons. Maybe, the question you need to ask yourself, before you come here and retire, or you come here to set down roots, is this: Do you love Asia enough to live and die here, and have your ashes scattered here in some local river or pond, not to mention the Khwae Yai River, แม่น้ำแควใหญ่? If you are willing to have your bones scattered here, then please come to this place, and love it. Please Note: I am totally OK, when I die, to leave my remains to enrich the local soil. Either that, or, as I have said before: Donate one's body to science, which is not easily done, if one is a farang, so we have been told.

In reply to this topic, just to post one interesting encounter: About 52 years ago, I still recall the occasion, at age 18, when our ship anchored in Singapore. At the time, being an Ordinary Seaman, I was living in the crew quarters, which was divided, three men to a small rooms. Arriving in Singapore, we immediately had many locals climbing up onto the deck, using ladders from their small boats which had flocked to the side of our ship. Some were selling beer, as well as Johnny Walker Red and Black. At that time, Johnny Walker was what everyone preferred. Also, just as we anchored, there were women who scampered precariously up ladders to the deck of the ship from far below, women who wished to welcome us to Singapore. Strangely, one of these aunties seemed overly anxious to welcome me to Singapore. She was about age 35 or 40, but very lithe. She entered my foc's'le, and we locked the door, barring my two roommates from entering. They were not happy and stood outside, waiting, and pacing. I was just about completely virginal, at the time. This lithe woman was old enough to be my mother, but she was really nice and laughed a lot. I think it is strange that I should recall her, even now, after 50 years. Still, as it has turned out, she has become one of the loves of my life, a woman that I have never forgotten. I just wish I might see her again, in Singapore, or Malaysia, more likely. Of course, by now, she would be about 90 and toothless. Such a nice memory that I have been able to carry with me during so many years of my life. I am very grateful to this woman for climbing up the side of my ship when I was no more than a very young boy who knew not much.

OK. The only thing that I was trying to say is that I grew up in a decent neighborhood, with neighbors in Gladwyne, PA. Like this... These were my neighbors. BUT, it was very boring. This is just a small house, compared to where I grew up. Very boring, for sure. (What? Me joking? No!) Living on the Main Line, in Pennsylvania, was super comfortable. Also, it was stultifying, and nerve-racking. I lived on the Main Line for about 20 years, until I had had enough of it. And then, I left for Asia. This was the best decision of my life. There is NO village there, and no community, only houses, and people there live a meaningless existence unless they sometimes go to the city to have their car stolen, or to attend classes at the university. It does not matter how comfortable one's environment might be if one is living in a place with so much social distance that one never engages meaningfully with another human being. It might look nice to you, but it is not. Here in Thailand, I can talk to anyone I like. Also, here in Thailand, the people who know me always smile at me, and they always greet me in the kindest way. I will never leave Thailand.

Would you not concede that "culture" might be a factor in choosing a place to live? After all, we all know places which are more scenic and more upscale than anything Thailand has to offer. Yet, in my opinion, culture is crucial, and i would be bored living in these places which might be far more comfortable, and far more high-end; and I can name a few, easily, where I grew up, and places which I also miss.

My Dear Friends, Some of you may have reached this epiphany early in your stay in Thailand, as did I, years ago. And, others of you may have gradually come to the realization that Thailand is the only sane place to live, after consideration of alternative inferior options among the many countries in our world. As you realize, and for very good reason, there are very few Thai people who wish to leave this blessed land. Some do,...yes. However, after seeing what is outside Thailand, most yearn to return to this blessed land. I think it is difficult to say, in so many words, the reasons why we so deeply love Thailand. And maybe, many of these reasons cannot so easily be expressed in words, perhaps it is more of a feeling. After all, some authors have written books about the simple feelings we feel. Even I, in all my vaunted verbosity, am unable to describe, with any accuracy, my love for this place. I guess you just gotta experience it for yourself, longterm, in order to understand what I feel. So, is this a serious post? Yes...Absolutely, it is. What could be more serious than this? I have lived in a few places, and I have traveled to a few more places in this world. And, compared to every other place where I have lived or traveled to, there is no place that measures up, even by half, to this place, Thailand. It may be hard to quantify or explain, understandably, for people who have not first lived in many countries, elsewhere. You really need to live in many countries before coming to Thailand, in order to appreciate this land. Well, this is really all that I wanted to say. Except, I just hope that I can stay here long enough to be carried out of my digs in a pine box, and then set on fire, with a few old “old friends” enjoying the heat of the flames. But, really, why should I care about what might be? Here I am, NOW, in Thailand. Should I not, more fruitfully, focus on my blessed time, NOW, instead of thinking about my funeral pyre, or what might occur in the near future? Honestly speaking: I have been so very blessed to come to Thailand. This country, this land, is the best place I have ever known. Well, sorry, I think I might have just forgotten the original question of the topic. However, I am just saying that, if you want to live happily in Thailand, then maybe: You must possess a genuine, abiding, and longstanding love of Asia You must also have an affinity for, and love of, the culture of Asia, and the culture of Thailand This is not about farang visiting coffee shops, such as old farang men congregating to talk like hens over a cuppa, completely isolated from the culture around them, something which I often see…. My apologies to you, the reader, since I could certainly have expressed this feeling far more succinctly. Maybe I am saying that, if you, the farang, have not lived in Asia for about 40 years, then you might not grasp just how great it is… how great it is to be here. We know from reading comments on TV that there are many here who have been in Asia longer than I. However, most of these are now lying under tomestones, one might imagine, or they are fretting over the writing of their wills and beneficiaries. When all is said and done, my friends, and when we compare the many countries we have visited, then….there is only one country we love most. I am not saying that the country you love most is Thailand. I am just saying that Thailand is the country I love most, after many years, and for so many varied and valid reasons. Best regards, Globule Note: Throughout my life, I have never been either a tourist or a backpacker, nor a packrat. Note2: I first came to Thailand in 1971. And now, the year is 2022. What is that...51 years? Note3: Knowing what I know now, I should never have left Thailand, 50 years ago. This is how much I love Thailand. Each to their own, of course. For sure, there is no other country I love more than Thailand. This is the way I see the world, comparatively, I guess.

Yes. I recall one. Her name was Constance Reid. She married Sir Clifford Chatterley, a handsome man, one who was paralyzed from the waist down due to a war injury. During the time I was a gamekeeper at the great house, this upper-class woman took advantage of me, a lowly working class person. Constance would often take advantage of me, for example asking me to pick flowers and decorate her with said flowers in the strangest of places. I have always been working-class. Thusly, I was at a disadvantage, as a gamekeeper, when Constance had her way with me. All that I recall of my affair with her was that she kept me busy picking flowers to replant in her garden. Some of the flowers lived, and some did not. In the end, looking back, my experience with Constance now seems so anti-climactic.

My Dear Friends, As, no doubt, have you, I have been thinking, during recent years, especially during these lockdown years, just how much room for behavior modification there might be, when we consider Human Behavior, and the possibility of altering our behavior enough to avoid catastrophic destruction. For example, do we really act, in our daily lives, out of free will? Or, are our actions almost completely prescribed by our primordial limbic system which sits deep below our cerebral cortex? This simple question might prognosticate our future, and even our very existence. What I am speaking about here is the difference between attending Chula as opposed to attending Soi Cowboy. As you know, this is what the Soi Cowboy limbic brain looks like: And, as you know, this is what the Chula cerebral cortex looks like, full of logic and also co-ed hormones, no doubt: Last night I had a dream. In my dream, I dreamt of two futures. One future was the farang Pattaya future. And the other was an inclusive future in which the Human Race, through learning and logic, might endure for another 10,000 years. I awoke from my dream even more disturbed than I have ever been in my life. I had seen two paths for Mankind. And yet, I awoke before seeing the future. Will Mankind seek the Pattaya way? Or, will the Human Race choose the Chula way, full of logic and science? Here, we are talking about the Apollonian versus the Dionysian, of course. And, my question is: Which will win in the end, and will this define our bright future or our demise? We are now at the crossroads, some say. If this is so, then which path will we choose, being like the mice we are in this rather complicated maze of our own creation? Can we somehow separate our hedonistic selves from our logical selves, in time to prevent calamity within the next few decades? Or, will we continue to stimulate ourselves, as we have always done, through ever more conspicuous conspicuous-consumption? Not only do I dream these dreams, I also often think these thoughts during my waking hours. What about you? Is there even an answer to solving this question of our immutably limbic-directed behavior, a circumstance which we, in fact, share with most other living organisms? How can we change that which is so integral to our very nature? To my way of thinking, something so basic to our very being cannot be changed. Is this true? Or, not? My Fellows, We must wait and see. (And, there are some here on the Farang Pub who are definitely young enough to live long enough to finally know the answer to this question. This topic’s question will be answered definitively within the next 30 years. Or, maybe you can answer this question now.) For sure, I love you guys. Enjoy your days, while they last. Very best to you.

What about worm castings? Have you seen any videos of how worms form castings? There is still so much to learn about in this world, if one has a decent drive of curiosity. In the end, we all must simply forge ahead, and do or die. We must persist, even if death is the result of the right things we choose to do, just because, for example, we are willing to die for democracy and free speech. By the way, free speech is the foundation upon which all other good things flow. Without free speech, men become nothing more than worms. Take care, my friend, And, keep on cycling. (Alas, judging from what I read in the Guardian, the NYT, and other rags, free speech is becoming threatened, seemingly. May it not be so.)

Yes. Maybe another JT poll would be useful. Also, where would we be without forgings of steel parts for first-class bicycles made in Taiwan, anyway? Maybe JT could do a poll on this, as well.....

My advice, since you asked, might be, first and foremost, remain celibate if you want to be free of pain. Love is pain. Also, I love women, and would not choose to be without them. Feel free to interact with women. However, always be respectful in your dealings with with women, and the same is solid advice for dealing with men. In addition, do your best to seek out women who are educated. This is the best place to start when seeking any sort of relationship. I could go on, of course, but nobody here likes it when I do. Take care. Happy hunting.

Space is infinite. Therefore, one must consider, if space is infinite, then does wasted space have any true meaning in this universe. The above geometry our universe determines the future. For example, is the geometry of the universe flat, or hyperbolic. Still, one can imagine that we will never run out of bits and bytes, even if we occasionally seem to waste them. Most importantly, drivel is never a waste of time. This is the first Law of Human Dynamics. Without drivel, social interaction would cease, and we might revert to being chimps or lemurs, maybe. Drivel is good, therefore.

Thank you. Today, as you say, only four words in the topic's title. Just be careful what you wish for: Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

Or, it might be like Andre Previn and Ravi Shankar, for that matter, in London.

But then, it would just be a cover.

I miss Jack Bruce from Lanarkshire. Dearly. What about you? He sang his heart out for the betterment of Mankind. Still, we must go on... Hold your head up.

Hold your head UP! (Someday, this band will get a better sound system. And then, they will be dynamite.)

Dear Friends, Please take a moment to think of William James and his bear. We feel fear because we run. We feel pleasure because we smile, especially in LOS. We feel angst because we hang our heads. “William James’s laboratory research on sensation and perception was conducted in the first half of his career. His belief in the connection between mind and body led him to develop what has become known as the James-Lange Theory of emotion, which posits that human experience of emotion arises from physiological changes in response to external events. Inspired by evolutionary theory, James’s theoretical perspective on psychology came to be known as functionalism, which sought causal relationships between internal states and external behaviors.” Of course, we know that James said of Psychology: “This is no science; it is only the hope of science”. Yes, sadly, much of Psychology is not science, as anyone would know, if one has been shrunk, which I have been, many times, to no avail. Yet, there is hope, great hope, for Experimental Psychology, which is one of the interesting things I studied, among many interesting things, at various schools scattered about in China, America, and Canada, though I never studied in Scotland, like some. You know, there are fears and then there are “fears”, irrational fears which still can do some harm, if we let them. For example, I have a very specific phobia of being forced to watch the Annie Hall film, Woody Allen’s 1977 flick. My phobia involves being tied to a chair, with my eyelids held open by metal clasps, and being forced to watch Annie Hall, over and over, as if I were in A Clockwork Orange scene. Such a true horror show. There is really so much to fear these days, in this modern world of ours, besides bears. Maybe this is why they once called our age the Age of Anxiety. But why should Auden, or human isolation, get you down. Maybe, in the end, guys like Musk will see us through, though very doubtful. And, when guys like Musk are not enough, then what better place to be, other than Thailand? No matter what happens in this world, IMHO, the best place to be is Thailand. Just turn off your internet, and CHILL…. Turn off your internet, lie back, and read a book, some book by Melville, such as Billy Budd, for example. Get back to nature. Lie in a hammock, with a book you like, such as A Passage to India, under a palm tree, with coconuts above you, and Thai myna birds beside you. Is this not the essence of paradise? What I mean is, my friends….. Here we are in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, surrounded by friendly natives, and such a magnificent culture. What could go wrong? What could BE wrong? Well, the ONLY thing that could go wrong, my friends, might be in one’s mind, if one is not careful.. Don’t let your mind play tricks on you and fool you, as William James of Harvard cautioned. Don’t run, unless you wish to be afraid. And, smile if you want to be happy. And........ And......... Just lie back, and unwind. Regards, Glob

I prefer farm girls (Thailand farm girls), truly. I am being serious, now. To articulate and qualify further: I prefer women who are honest, humorous, intelligent, and, especially, unprepossessing. Any woman over the age of 38, when I first got to know her, I would not consider. The best women are about 23, and still at university, specifically those who have yet to confront reality. Also, I like women who have already born one child, and know a thing or two about life. Most importantly, I respect kindness. Kindness is something money cannot buy. Kindness is next to godliness. Shrewishness is hell. A shrew is always a shrew, and can never be tamed, by the way.

Why do I share so many personal details about my wife? Because, maybe global warming has helped me to put things in perspective. I am still looking for a photo of my wife. I have one photo saved on Google Drive.....somewhere. My wife was more beautiful, even, than Wang Mengyun. My wife's family surname was Wang, too. And, my wife's hair was even more plentiful than that of Wang Mengyun. My wife seemed not normal, too. She never ate bats, my wife. My wife ate a normal diet, and she was tall, about 178 cm. She was well proportioned, and not as fine-boned as some Thai women. She was a stunner. She was a beauty! Of course, some women are just too crazy to live with, and there inevitably comes a time when you gotta call it quits. Either your wife begins eating bats, or maybe something else takes over, something you just cannot handle. This is what happened to me. She was a stunner. She was super smart. And, she suffered slightly from schizophrenia. I would rather live with a woman who ate bats than live with psychosis.

Very good point which I had tried to make: What is responsible for the Evolutionary adaptation. Was it climate, for example. As someone else stated: Genes can be expressed or inhibited due to environmental variables. However, in the case of tallness, there is also a genetic predisposition to tallness. Then, there is the question of, for example, under what environmental conditions do these genes for tallness become more fully expressed. This is NOT a job for anthropologists, solely. More, this is a job for geneticists using tools now available.

Before I upload a photo of what my wife looked like, let me tell you that my wife was even more beautiful than Soong Mei Ling. Far more beautiful, in my estimation, was she. My wife was more playful, as well. My wife was younger. My wife's hair was plentiful, and extended down to her waste. My wife was extremely beautiful, as all who met her would attest. My wife was born in JiangXi (Jiangxi), and grew up in Hong Kong, in a wealthy family, before attending university in America. Her brother was a PhD post grad at U of P. This is how I met her. She was extremely fine-boned. These days, I have no idea where she might be. Now that Hong Kong is in such a state, I am sure she is not there. My wife was always a rabid anti-communist, although her brother, the PhD, was more tolerant of various political persuasions. Anyway, in my next comment, I will upload a photo of what she looked like, years ago when we were in NYC, and when life was less uncertain, before the days of impending global warming and the melting of the Arctic's summer ice cover. Those were such comparatively carefree days. I hope that I can find the photo.

Here is an example of a Thai woman who is finely boned, and rather stunning, too. Truly beautiful, although not perfect. There is no perfection in our natural world. There is only approximation of perfection. Or, alternatively, everything is perfect, and it is only our perception which is too distorted to allow us to grasp the perfection of what we see around us. (In my opinion, I think that the photographer goofed in this photo. The photographers 'angle' caused the nose of this model to be distorted. No doubt, this model is much more perfect in real life than the image which was captured here...IMHO.) In my next comment, I will upload a photo of my wife. My wife was even more beautiful and perfect than this model. Yes... I once had a wife. Or, should I say, she once had me.