GammaGlobulin

IMHO,,, Anyplace where this is not is a good place for me. Each to his own.

NO! I am no American. Call me a Keck, any morning. Because, I eat just one jar of this, in the mornings, to keep me fit. For breakfast, this is the worst Keck you ever might taste. I will never buy it again. Terrible flavor, but what would you expect from ....where? Try it.

Not a good breakfast. Not a good lunch. Not a good tea. Not a good supper. And not fit for humans. This is the most disgusting feast I have ever seen. If this were a movable feast, then I would move it to the bin. Here is a movable feast:

Are you joking? Any place in Thailand is good IF there are no worms like there are in America. Also, no movies in Thailand, for idiots, which is a good thing, too.

Who is Hans Schleger?

How much do you know about Glenfiddich? The history.

ABC

Seriously. Nobody ever asked me if I am in Thailand. I thought you knew that I am Chinese. This is not something that I was intentionally hiding.

Having never been to Thailand, are there any hidden dangers involved with being a Gik? Why are Giks called Giks? Can one become a Gik if one is unmarried? Where on this forum can one post one's willingness to become a Gik? Do most Giks eventually fall in love?

Or, you can call me Longfellow..

Speaking figuratively, only. Very few of us here speak in literal terms. For example, when is the last time you had a real NYC pizza pie? Never. Instead, what you get is a Mythical NYC Pizza pie. And then, through Blind Faith, you declare it genuine. Blind faith is powerful. Water to wine. Thai pizza to NYC pizza. Lead to gold. Anything is possible if one has enough blind faith.

I am shocked that you, of all people, did not immediately grasp the literary connection between Wolfe's novels I mentioned, and this Topic. What is the connection, then? Well, in Wolfe's novel, he was writing about his youth, something far away, and never to be recaptured, presumably. And then, you got this guy, Bob, who is tilting at windmills, trying to regain his youth and virility, in some misbegotten attempt to suck the youth out of young women, sort of like a vampire. Wolfe, as even you might agree, is one of our greatest authors. Bob Smith, is one of our worst authors on the Forum. There are many other connections I could draw, linking Bob to Wolfe, none flattering to both authors. Why more people don't read Wolfe, can you explain this to me? Maybe because of coal? Or, maybe because guys don't like truckers? I know that you don't know what I'm talking about. Right? I'm taking about old age. After all, is this not the underlying current in most topics we read, here? One guy, in a recent post, actually removed his teeth, photographed his dentures, and then uploaded the image to the forum. Honestly speaking, I can empathize with the guys here who are almost too old to walk, yet wish to have just one more fling with a young thing. Yet, guys who give in to this desire inevitably remind me of Woody Allen. Many of Woody Allen's films are full of angst about death, fear of aging, and the lack of meaning in life. I just feel sorry for Woody Allen He wasted his entire life chasing very young girls in Manhattan. If only Woody Allen had come to Pattaya, instead.

IMHO, not all fruits are juicy. Longyan, for one. Personally, I once preferred sucking on lychee nuts from China. Many years ago, in HK, peasants from China would carry heavy loads of lychee nuts across the border, on bamboo poles. They would ride the train from the border into villages near Kowloon. I would gladly trade today's Internet for just one more taste of those wormridden lychee nuts from China. Unfortunately, one can never go home, again. Look Homeward, Angel!

Forbidden Fruit is always the juiciest. Now? Do you finally get the connection??

HARDly.

The ironwood tree. Short and stout. As you say.

Please FORGIVE me, BUT, after first reading this Topic a few hours ago.... I knew I knew a song which this Topic triggered in my mind. Somehow, I was not able to recall this song, until just now, although this Topic had continued to haunt me until I clicked on Katy Perry. And, there is no doubt that others on this Thread are trying to recall this same song, while posting on this Topic, without knowing exactly why. This is the song that goes with this Topic. Most people might agree, after careful consideration., that Cherry Chopsticks is the best. Please think about it, and then you will agree....no doubt. Please forgive.

Is your wood of hickory? Or, is it spruce? Do you have any pinus palustris on your wood? If so, then your wood must be of the genus, Picea.

If you wish to be a real man, then eat the fruit, and use the leaves to cover your loins. This is not a joke. Magroot is far tastier than lemons.

Just another case of Delusions of Lily. I hope you crash and burn. Put a poster on your wall. You will do better. You will FEEL better, too.

If I had more money, significantly more, the first thing I would do would be to contact Elon Musk. My dream, since age 9, has always been to be the first man on Mars. In addition, I have always been intrigued with the concept of The One-way Ticket option. Just going to Mars is not expensive. It is in the return from Mars where costs become astronomical, not to mention the logistical difficulties. One of the greatest achievements I have witnessed, to date, is seeing American rovers on the Red Planet. These days, with inflation, floods, heat waves, and TikTok, if I had more money, then I would very seriously consider being the first man on Mars. The one-way travel time might be about 9 months. After that, with food and water rationing, I could live another two years, maybe more. After two years, then planet Earth might send me more supplies. Or, not. If I had more money, then that's what I'd do. Some guys work so hard for a few minutes of fame. But, if I had more money, and if I landed on Mars, I would be more famous, even, than Bowie. Of course, a trip to Mars, like this, might be lonely. Still, with 7 billion people paying attention to me, heading out to Mars, I would not be lonely for long. Being the first man on Mars would be so far better than to be an idiot climbing Mt. Everest, just another of the group climbing for the umpteenth time, only to be frozen, for decades, somewhere below the peak. And, for what? Some might wonder, why go to Mars. For that matter, why go to the Moon? In fact, knowing what we do about life, then why do anything, at all?

Regarding Tats on Women, For the short-term relationship, mind you, ... I far prefer the Illustrated Woman over the Illustrated Man. I mean, why wouldn't you? Can you imagine a better date on TINDER than to hook up with a woman, with a spear, looking like Queequeg? Sure, most of us go out on dates thinking of nothing but harpooning someone. And then, it turns out, that you get harpooned, yourself, by a tall handsome woman, some female reminiscent of Queequeg? What could be finer? All Aboard! All aboard, the Pequod! Let's all use our harpoons! And, let's all date women on TINDER who are not what we had originally anticipated. We can date them. But, would we marry them?

Yes, your key observation is that social change, here, has been constrained more than in some other countries and cultures. Rampant unbridled change is always stressful, and not always beneficial. In terms of Biology, and adaptation of any organism, and as Darwin might tell you, rapid change always leads to extinction. You made your choice. You were lucky. This is called survival of the fittest. May you live long enough to procreate just one more time, because you obviously have the superior intelligence to choose Thailand. Hopefully, you will find just one more opportunity to pass along your good genes to the next generation. Just think about it... Of all the billions of humans on Earth, you were one of the very few, prescient enough, to choose Thailand to ride out the troubled times ahead. Thankfully, as well, judging by recent rains, not to mention scientific prognostications for the next two decades, it's very unlikely that we shall lack for water. And, if we have water, then we will have rice, too. Relatively low, and stable, population density means that here we are living in the land of plenty. Truly we are blessed! Is it any surprise to you that this land is the Land of Smiles? However, be wary, because there will always be some foreign flies who will inevitably seek to undermine our happiness here through naysaying and negativity. Thailand is probably the closest thing you will ever find to Heaven on Earth. Yet, Heaven is not for everybody.

Totally agree with your interpretation....sometimes...

I agree with you that Thailand is the best place to be, and I have already tried a few places and cultures. Strangely enough, although one sometimes becomes frustrated with life, as is only natural, I have never become frustrated with life in Thailand. I always, in my demented mind, compare the many places I have been, with my life in Thailand. And, by comparison, life in Thailand always comes out Way Ahead. My comparison is totally unrelated to money or material things. If I had to leave Thailand before I were ready, then I think I should surely die. As to the question of dementia, dementia is just another state of mind. Here in Asia, dementia often goes undiagnosed. Therefore, speaking just for myself, I would prefer to enjoy my dementia, undiagnosed in Thailand, rather than to be diagnosed in the West, and imprisoned in some industrial-based nursing home. If there ever comes a day, God forbid, when, due to dementia, I cannot find my way home, then I just hope I will die alone in the jungle, like Thompson, or in a rice field, sort of like an Inuit grandmother with no teeth... Alone on a slab of ice, just floating and bobbing in the waves, waiting to be eaten by the Polar Bear. If there ever comes a day when I can't find my way home... then...