GammaGlobulin

Pulp fiction is still better than no fiction, at all. Thank you for your output. Read on the john if you must, but read.

You just can't find this stuff in the Metaverse. Humans and Animals are just so unpredictable. But, without books, then how would you even know?

If we can only read books, girl, there is a better place for me and you.

I grew up in a household in which television sets were completely banned. This resulted in having far more time for reading, introspection, and reflection about almost anything. We were permitted to listen to the radio, even to listen to guys like Thelonius Monk, such a felon of jazz. The problem with Social Media is that it dumbs down society, as a whole. When I spend time watching social media, I get this sick feeling in my gut. But then, when I read beautiful sentences written by Philip Roth, I realize that he is a true maniac, and my time reading him has not been ill spent. We have only a finite amount of time here. My time with guys like Roth has been well spent. It doesn't matter if you might prefer reading about dialectical materialism or stories about the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It only matters that, somehow, we will find a way to forsake Fkrbergerger's zombie vision for our New World, and, somehow get back to the garden of books, introspection, and thinking. *Books are the key to a better life, for you and me.

If this is the case, pardon the pun, then you are truly blessed in your very good fortune. I envy you. Norwegian wood.

Certainly, the climate here is not conducive to the preservation of leather-bound books.

My Dear Friends, Do you find that the more years you spend in Thailand, the less you are able to read books? If this is true, then why is this? Or, is it just that the past few years you have spent in Thailand also seems to have coincided with the rise of Social Media and the expectations you now may have of the arrival of the much vaunted Metaverse? Here in Thailand, I have never seen a couple of wing chairs facing the fireplace. And, in my home country, one of the things we prized most was a living room with wing chairs, a roaring fireplace, and plenty of books, not to mention a cup of tea or hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night. Curling up with a book seemed so sublime when I was growing up. Yet, all I see here, mostly, is roosters crowing, other barnyard noises, airplanes buzzing me from overhead, as well as even a few worse distractions. Why have I given up on reading when reading once seemed to be my true delight? No doubt, I am not the only one who sometimes considers this important question. And, as well, truly the only reason I am here in Asia, in the first place, was just due to my reading of books when I was young. Are there those on this forum who still read books? How are you able to find a quiet place in order to enjoy your passion for books? I cannot be the only person here who once enjoy the experience of reading, and lost it. If only I had a place to read, then I would never ask for anything more, maybe. It's so difficult to read about the Hound of the Baskervilles in a place like Thailand, I think. Somehow, one must get back to what one loves to do, no matter how far one may have strayed from it, during intervening years. But, how? The more we read, the less we will be tempted to enter the Black Hole of the Metaverse, which is a good thing, in itself. What is the best path back to the freedom of books? Best regards, GammaG.

Big Time When Trumps says BIG TIME, I find this slightly grating upon my nerves.

I had a few cherry tarts in Singapore. When I was 19 yo, and they 38. Mostly these tarts were full of pits.

You mean the girls of Cherry Hill, New Jersey? Everybody knows about those girls. What's more to tell?

Not strange. You are not hurting others. Therefore, you should not be castigated for exercising your right to make a personal choice.

OK, fine. I object to your willingness to generalize, onto the whole, specific traits for any given large group of anyone or anything. Surely, even you must know something about the normal curve, not to mention the power curve. And, even you must surely agree that there is more disparity between individuals in a given culture or country than there exist differences between cultures and countries. By the way, have you ever considered how much intelligence and backbreaking work is required to produce the best tasting jasmine rice in the world? Or, for that matter, have you ever wondered why Harvard undergrads are dumber than the average jungle dweller living in PNG?

If you own the mattress, then feel free to to do what you like with it, or on it, including water sports if you are so inclined. However, if you are a guest at a hotel, or guesthouse, then you should consult with the owner before altering the state of anything in the room which you have rented. Might I also add that if you are into water sports in the bedroom, then it's best to keep the plastic mattress cover in place. Just a word of advice from someone who has never had a yellow shower.

Did you mention sheep? Sounds to me like you are spouting sheep thought, or, as some say, sheeple thought. The only cure for sheep thought is sheep dip, with total immersion. Get baptized, my son, in sheep dip. Sheep dip is the surest way to cure you of your absolutist illusions.

If you continue drilling holes, someday, you might get into trouble, like what happened to Deepwater Horizon. Anyway, some day, your drill is going to wear out, and then, will you have anything left, but dry holes?

I believe that the poster of this topic has not a clue concerning the meaning of the term, 'cultural assimilation'. A minority culture does not assimilate WITH the majority group. Instead, the minority group is assimilated by the majority group, and takes on the values, behaviors and beliefs of the majority group. We as foreigners are not a single minority group, by the way. Anyway, most first-generation foreigners are not assimilated into the majority group, in any given country. And, even in the second generation, there is no true assimilation. Of course, in rare instances, you might see a guy from a foreign country who is only partially assimilated into his new country, like Great Britain, and yet this guy is still able to become a PM, although this is very rare.

When I say that I am often hungry on a Sunday, I do not mean that I am lacking calories, protein or vitamins. I just mean that I am hungry in some indefinable way. I can only describe my ill-defined hunger as similar to what you might feel if you were floating above an infinitely long smorgasbord of the tastiest delights, having found not even one worth the tasting. I don't mean to imply by this that I find Sundays and roast beef depressing, much. It's just that I am hungry for something more than I see on the buffet. Sometimes I feel that, the more I have, the less the having of what I have seems completely worth having. Recently, I have been tracking the super-yacht, Nord. The Nord is still out at sea, maybe, and such a great mystery. . What a magnificent vessel. If I were the owner of the Nord, I would no longer be hungry. I would sail around the world, forever. I'd catch bluefin tuna and eat mostly sashimi for the rest of my life. Could anyone, under such circumstances, ever feel hungry, again?

Yes, I am not a believer, also, either. But, do you actually believe that Lazada can deliver this?: Or, this? Normally, I would not torture myself by posting photos of food when I am so hungry. However, sometimes on Sundays, it's seen as being righteous to become a glutton for punishment. And, it's only through denial of one's corporeal desires that one attains true madness. I really doubt that anyone here in Thailand can offer up an offering such as either one of these two sandwiches. And no good brunch should be without both. Thai food is the equal of anything you can find anywhere in this world. Yet, sometimes, after many decades, one's mouth drools for the unhealthy food of the USA. Still, and I can tell you that, just a few days in the USA, and you would feel completely satiated, and even stuffed to the gills with American food. It is really only Asian food that I cannot do without. American food, in my opinion, can get stuffed.

You know, these days, when I look at all the people eating beautifully presented scrumptious brunches in Hong Kong, I cannot help but recall one of my favorite Hollywood films, The World of Suzie Wong. Those were the good old days, when nobody cared that much about food presentation. https://youtu.be/gGZLWKXWO4U I always have Sherry Flip at home.

Munch on this brunch, for example: HK Peninsula used to be the best. Now, maybe nothing more than a franchise. Still, OK.

Tradition! Tradition!! No matter how hot the weather, yet there is always tradition. Still, a Sunday roast over here is slightly different from a Sunday roast back in the home country. Does anyone, any longer, have any longing for such a roast beef, as it was served before? Probably not. Because, things change. Now, there is a new way to serve the same old meat.

Respectfully, I would gladly watch today's hamburger being cooked on Tuesday, rather than in real time, if it meant that I must pay for today's hamburger today. Jingthing, have you ever heard of Ham Radio? Using Ham Radio, you can, at least, listen, play by play, blow by blow. VPN used to be an option, but maybe there are now some ways of blocking users of VPNs from watching real-time coverage of sports events. Just thinking out loud, with no disrespect for anyone's obsessions, I really cannot imagine any event that might be so important to me that I would feel so compelled to watch it in real time. Here is some framework of thought that might help you: Pretend that you are on planet Neptune. And then think of the signal delay due to the speed of light. Thailand is no different. Or, please recall the good old days here in Asia, before the Fax machine became commonplace. How much immediacy do we really require to become, finally, satisfied? Don't you think that the divide between West and East has served you well, so far? Therefore, we must take the good, and be extremely grateful for it, a separate peace. Peace in Thailand is worth any number of professional sports games. Games are for children, unless they are war games. Someday, there may be a Hot War in your neighborhood. And when this happens, you will be able to to see it up close, VPN or no VPN.... So much more real than professional sports. So much more satisfying, too.

This is, actually, one of the most useful posts on Thaivisa that I have ever read. I don't know the answer. Basically, this seems to be an Asian thing. I make no judgment. On the positive side, having the mattress completely encased in plastic is certainly more hygienic. However, this boon in augmented hygiene comes at the cost of poorer sleep. Personally, I would never tear-off the plastic covering of a mattress at any hotel or guesthouse. This would be considered destruction of property. Instead, what I would do would be to carry my own foam mattress which I would place on top of the plastic-coated mattress, and then sleep like a baby. Some of the foam toppers which I am referring to are quite expensive. Yet, they are worth it in the comfort they provide. I don't know where to buy one of these premium toppers here. But, if you can find one, then this might be a very good solution. At any rate, Don't let the bedbugs bite.

Dear Friends, I have been here for a long time. I mean a long time, not just one or two decades. I have seen the Sunday-Brunch attire change over the years. And, I have witnessed many guys having Sunday Brunches, or just meeting together at a coffee shop for a casual discussion about nothing particular. Most of the guys I have overheard in coffee shops seem to gab like hens. These are the same guys who maintain that women are the ones who behave more henlike. But, actually, it is the men who seem to gab more than the ladies. Men tend to repeat themselves, over and over. Maybe, the reason that men find women-gabbing, during any given Sunday Brunch, more objectionable is just because women tend to gab using a higher tenor of voice. What is your idea of the perfect place for a Sunday Brunch in Thailand? Does your Sunday-Brunch Place measure up? Or, do you not even care? Do you enjoy a Sunday Brunch in a place where the majority of participants are wearing cargo shorts? Or, is your taste more inclined toward enjoying your Sunday Brunch with likeminded people? People of some class? Do you take notes on what you have discussed during your Sunday Brunch? Are you using your time wisely during your Sunday Brunch, or just ... FRITTERing it away? After over two years of frittering by yourself, even more than Roth ever imagined in his great book, Portnoy's Complaint, now you finally have another to fritter with. Just hope you have found a great restaurant, some place by the sea, for thee than thou. Real life is never like it is in the Movies. There is Hollywood, Bollywood, Chinawood, and Thaiwood. Nothing is ever as it seems. However, maybe for just a few hours over Sunday Brunch, life gets tolerable. Sunday Brunch is a Church. Regards, GammaG Note: Eat your fill on Sundays, if only to help you stomach your Mondays.

Hey, Man! How much do you know about microwave background radiation from the BIG Bang? Or, in this life, have you ever experienced a big bang like this.... As you have explained, recently, you are a genius. And so, have you ever considered finding some way of concentrating the background microwave radiation of the universe for the purpose of cooking a chicken in your new kitchen? Not so difficult for a genius, maybe...