GammaGlobulin

Dear Folks, Early this morning, I was sitting outside my abode with my black-butterfly friends sipping iced green Chinese tea, lazily enjoying this new El-Nino weather and the Hawaiian-like Sky above Chiang Mai, marveling at all that vast blue clarity above me broken only by the puffy cirrocumulous drifting past so slowly, and so high, up there. I was at peace. And then, not far away, I could hear the sound of somebody yanking, and yanking, and yanking on the pull-cord of one of those weed wackers. I had hoped beyond hope that the weed wacker had died, but no. Alas, all that yanking bore fruit and the entire neighborhood was soon filled with the horrendous din we have all come to know and endure. Some weed wackers are loud, and others are louder, and still others are way off the decibel chart. This morning’s wacker was extremely loud, and I began to wonder what country might have the loudest wackers on Earth. I also considered the question of how to make a wacker almost silent while whacking. I am no engineer, but I am sure a quieter whack is fully achievable. What about making a wacker powered by electricity which is cordless and can rely on a power source that is lightweight and portable? Plutonium-238 has been used in some of the spacecraft we send up into space to power electric generators. Also, hydrogen is used to power small generators and even cell phones, and all you get is water vapor or water on your desk. And even propane can be used in forklift trucks, which are as silent as can be. Of course, I could go on for pages and pages sharing my suggestions and thoughts, except I would rather hear yours. Thank you, Folks! This is Gamblin Goblin…. Signing off…. For now…. (Thank you.) Please Note: This morning, I searched on Google for the loudest wacker on Earth. I first searched in the Deep South of the USA, because I know those red-necks down there love ANYTHING that makes a LOT of NOISE. Those American Red-necks below in places like Tennessee and Alabama are a scream a minute. Here is just one example (and, yes, I DO love these guys!): Too much NOISY WHACKING going on here....Driving me crazy… In Addition and a Word of Advice, Too: Anytime I feel this craziness coming upon me, due to all the loud whacking, I don my AUDIO TECHNICA headphones and listen to Steven Tyler’s great song….CRAZY… Wow, his daughter is just so beautiful and nice. After I don my AUDIO TECHNICAs and begin listening to this amazing tune at full blast, I stop thinking so much about the wackers, and more about the whacking, instead. Such a solace, both these headphones and this wonderful tune, which is my favorite weedwacker music…. Yes, Folks, “wacker” is the NOUN form, and “whacking” is the VERB! PROTECT YOUR EARS!, all you whackers out there!

One is never too old to learn LaTeX (for fun), and one also need not be a touch typist to do so. LaTeX can easily produce BEAUTIFUL copy, printer-ready. LaTeX is a very complex and versatile piece of software. One can either download LaTeX for Windows and Linux, or LaTeX is available in a browser version, I am told. You really ought to try using LaTeX next time you become bored, rather than doing a crossword puzzle. One can even use LaTeX while having a pedicure. So, as you say, Lacessit,..you may never have heard of LaTeX until my recent post, however this does not mean that you cannot still reap some enjoyment from learning a smattering of LaTeX, both between and during pedicures. I wish we could use LaTeX here, for chemical formulae, etc, but I don't know how.

Following the principle that one should try to never put off until tomorrow what one can do today, I will attach a sampling of two more MOJO_Chinese resources....from the great BOYA series that is used for instruction inside China, and which are not easily found outside China. I did a high-resolution scan of all of the Boya stuff when I was last in ChengDu, about a decade ago. These resources are copy-left, and available in China for just the printing cost. So...no problem. I will first post two MOJO books for you. In China, at the better language schools, like SiChuan University, instruction begins with character-learning, which is the way it should be. I do not have too many elementary books because I was trying to prepare for HSK_LEVEL_SIX exam. Level Six is the highest level exam offered in China for foreigners, and also for ethnic minorities in western China, for example. I would really like to post more, somewhere, if I knew where, and providing I can still find the high-quality book scans I did long ago, but which still (hopefully) remain on one of my several Google Drive accounts (I have over 15 TBytes in the sky up there on Google Drive). So...here are two...ONLY for reference purposes to demonstrate what kinds of learning materials are used inside China. By the way: The HSK Level Six Chinese language exam is....HARD, Baby!!! (And, as I mentioned, it is only through HARD WORK that we can regain and preserve our MOJO...for sure! Boya Chinese Elementary Starter I.pdf boyahanyu gao1.pdf BOYA-INTER-CHINESE-TWO.pdf BOYA-ADVAN-ONE.pdf

I used to teach a few uni students first year Mandarin, 1-to-1, and for free. Teaching helps protect one from getting rusty due to non-use of Chinese when outside of China and living in Thailand. But now, I have the chance to use Chinese spoken/written almost daily through working with Chinese students in China via the Great Internet using a VPN to pass through the Great Firewall. Teaching is the only way I know to help me stay fluent... And to preserve both my MOJO and my essence. Sellers was the greatest Mandrake of all time! I will definitely upload some Boya stuff in another comment....someday soon. YOU KNOW: Due to the inevitable existential thoughts that we sometimes have as a result of what is happening in our world, these days, just try to gain a bit of solace through listening to the following classic song, which is, after all about losing one's MOJO, and everything else:

OK...Man! Here is what I promised you. You will truly ENJOY these great resources...but I have PLENTY more, even all the BOYA resources. Truly wish you good luck (ChokDi) with your Chinese language learning. I love the Chinese language, both the logograms, and the fact that I can read oracle bones when I visit a museum. Someday, soon, maybe I will upload some BOYA stuff for you.... I love languages, and who does not.... CHINESE characters MOJO BK_ONE.pdf CHINESE pinyinANDcharacter MOJO BK_TWO.pdf CHINESE characterworkbook MOJO BK_THREE.pdf

Did you say corrosion of plumbing fixtures is related to the onion content of the hard water? Anyway, yours happens to be a very informative comment that will be of interest to many here. Here at my place, taps are falling off the pipes, left and right. Also, the taps freeze up, almost in no time, and then begin to leak. The housekeeper here is convinced that we have a Plumbing Ghost and actually began religious rituals for a time. I know something about salt-spray testing....due to the fact that I worked with gold-plating factories in Taiwan. (The gold plating workers in the factories in Taiwan, years ago, cared nothing about wading around in acid baths, all the livelong day, with zero protection from inhaled fumes. I sometimes wonder how long they lived.)

OK. Let me think a bit. I will upload some books for you... If I have time....

Try to keep in mind that THIS Topic seems to be about getting MOJO back. Therefore, according to Covey, the ONLY way is through causing a major PARADIGM SHIFT in one's life. For me, the best paradigm shift in my life happened when I went from being completely lazy and lying in bed everyday with my girlfriend to... Kicking her out and directing 100-percent of my energies towards the learning of passa Thai. This is NOT a JOKE, Mandrake! Anytime anyone engages in sustained hard work, MOJO returns almost immediately. Learning passa Thai, beginning at age 61, was not easy. It's hard to read Thai script. Also, passa Thai has nothing in common with either English or with Chinese. Therefore, I felt like I was up the proverbial creek without my paddle, at first. But then, I buckled down and bit the bullet, and began walking tall. Hard work and abstinence is key to one's rejuvenation, Mandrake. Women, on the other hand, Mandrake, can suck out your precious bodily fluids. Please remember that. Protect and conserve your bodily essence.

After awhile....yes. However, it's best to learn the vocabulary first. You know, words like "personality", "behavioral problem", "paradigm shift", etc. PARADIGM SHIFT! (ปรับเปลี่ยนกระบวนทัศน์)...make sure you memorize this term in Thai before listening. Covey loves to talk about things like paradigm shift, etc., etc., etc. Great book.

If you are feeling Mojo-less, here is what to do: Listen to this entire book (Ep.1 through Ep.3) in passa Thai, over and over again....until....your listening-comprehension improves to the point where you understand every word. This has worked for me. I downloaded the three episodes (maybe about SIX HOURS of total listening pleasure) to my NOTE4, and then played this over and over again, while walking in the hills of Chiang Mai. (I still continue to listen to all episodes when I feel in the least bit lonely.) ((I also uploaded the entire audio files to my Google DRIVE, just in case this wonderful resource gets deleted from UTUBE. I suggest that you do the same.)) There is nothing better, really, to double your Mojo. By the way: This is an EXCELLENT translation of the Covey book, and it's free, as you can see, on UTUBE. Have Fun! Improve your mind! Become more effective and more resilient in your life.

Let's not worry about it. It's just an hypothesis of mine, long held. As such it requires testing in order to validate it. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the financial resources to do so. Concerning traditional and simplified Chinese characters, and reading speed: This is my second hypothesis that since the traditional characters are more complex compared to simplified characters, then traditional characters are much more easy to discriminate, i.e., there are more visual cues to quickly help the reader discriminate one traditional character from another traditional character. And that, since this is true, reading speed increases due to this effect. Again, I do not have the financial resources nor the time to run a trial to verify this. The lousy Commies never took this factor into account when they simplified the characters in order to increase literacy rate in China. They should have tested their hypothesis, which I believe is erroneous, before putting the world through this crazy experiment of Chinese-character simplification. If you have the money, I would be happy to work with you on such a project to prove the Commies WRONG!

In hierarchical order: a. Thailand Monster Centipede (I hate them in the bathroom, alive. But, they are good to eat.) b. roosters c. barking dogs (the Husky dog is the worst, because I hate whiners) d. scorpions in my underwear after leaving it on the floor e. GuestHouse managers who are Old Toms (worse than the Monster Centipede, or uglier anyway)

Here is the problem with trying to make peanut butter in a blender...another example from YT:

This is the basic problem with either a blender or a food processor when making peanut butter. The desired consistency is just not there....

Does anybody remember JACK LALANNE? When we were young, around aged 16, we would be rolling on the floor anytime LaLanne came on TV. However, whatever he was doing seemed to have paid off...

I just have the Electrolux 800 watt blender with the "food processor" attachment, and the attachment is extremely small, probably suitable for a few cloves of garlic, and that is about it. The Chinese food processor might work, but it doesn't work great.

So then...what is the MOST important exercise as we age? FALL PREVENTION exercises. For older guys here, falling is a risk that can have dire consequences, either by breaking a hip, or worse. Here are some exercises worth trying in order to help you maintain balance:

I actually was looking through ALIBABA, and I saw this same machine. This machine is way above my price range. USD100 to USD120 would be OK, and I have seen a few machines in that range. I think the pricing on ALIBABA is quite a bit lower, in fact.

I began Chinese classes at PENN in 1974 where, at that time, 繁體字／繁体字, traditional characters were being taught to the intensive Mandarin students, primarily. Also, at that time, 簡體字／简体字, simplified characters were just being introduced to the Chinese language program, but exams were still given based on understanding of traditional characters. In Taiwan, of course, all instruction at ShiFan Daxue language center was conducted using traditional characters. Then, much later, I attended Sichuan Daxue language center in ChengDu, where I began reading simplified character Chinese text. I hate simplified characters because they are more difficult to discriminate, and not much more difficult to write. So, traditional characters are still better, but then, what would you expect from Commies that care nothing about the scientific method, and ONLY care about ideology. I now use exclusively simplified because this is what I use on a daily basis...

Arnold is now 74. He looks GREAT.... Just do what he does....as seen here:

Yes, and of course I understood your meaning. However, you were entirely correct that I DO need to buy a reliable machine. It's either get a decent machine and make great peanut butter myself, or just do without. I will never buy the stuff in jars sold here. I even actually purchased some locally made peanut butter a few months ago, and it turned out to be HALF peanuts and HALF soybeans! I have been going without peanut butter for about a decade. I bake my own bread with a fantastic machine I purchased from China which can bake 1.5 kilogram loafs, easy as pie. I am SURE I can find a good machine to make peanut butter from a supplier in China. I will continue to search. China has a ton of various kitchen equipment on offer at great prices. Grinding machines, or mills, are used to make paste for use in preparation of various kinds of noodle dishes, like MaJiangMian, or ZhaJiangMian, etc. Did I just write the word "loafs"? Obviously I can bake loafs better than I can spell "loaves". The miracle of the five Loafs and two Fishes?

If I had a true GF, I am quite sure that I would never refer to her love for me in such vulgar terms. However, each to his own, and more power to you... So,... SHINE ON!, Bro..... And, enjoy your regular pedicures

I'm quite sure they're all dead by now.

Even better: Start from scratch....to make peanut butter.

This machine would probably last me a lifetime. If this machine is made in China, I have friends in China. I might be able to get this machine at a deep discount, or... Maybe request a free sample, even. I love the fact that this machine requires no power source, and I am sure it's quiet in operation. If this is not made in China, then I can probably find a knockoff in China of similar quality. The color is attractive.