FolkGuitar

Just imagine trying to get several different countries to agree to conspire and fool the rest of the world that the US landed on the moon... The US wasn't the only one watching this event. Astronomers from all over the world were watching! Did they all conspire just to fool you?

Imagine how many millions would be lost every year to the cosmetic industry if people were just comfortable in their own skin. If you look like what you aren't (think of what 'she' looks like when she's just waking up... no makeup... and then the amazing transformation!) If you smell like what you aren't (actually, the pheromones our bodies produce 'should' be enough to get a mate. If not, you're not mating material according to Mother Nature.) Perhaps the reason one has to pay to get laid is that girls really don't like the smell of all those chemicals. Most body odor comes from bacteria breeding in your sweat. One or two showers a day with 'real' soap, (not the chemical concoctions most body washes contain,) eliminates that and there won't be any offensive smell.

Will this mean that anyone vocally protesting US policy may be labeled as 'supporting terrorist activities' and can be jailed or deported? Whatever happened to Free Speech? Or will only 'Free WeAgree' Speech be permitted?

A cry in the wilderness... "I am significant!

I find it hard to imagine people even using air conditioners at this time of the year! We normally just leave the windows open. But I guess I've been here too long, as I opted for a couple of electric heaters for the bathrooms!

I've been using Harry's Razor blades for a few years now. Well... not too many of them. I only shave my neck, and do so every other day, but a Harry's blade, with a few licks on a strop, lasts me 2-3 months... without the oil. (stropping removed the oxidation.) Smooth as a baby's bum, with zero razor drag. It's the stropping that makes it work so well and last so long! (As soon as there is any drag, I change cartridges.)

It's not a matter of 'better or worse,' it's a case of who carries what! All of the shopping platforms aim at different target markets; Lazada carries much greater variety of food items than Shopee, which does carry quite a lot when compared with Temu, that carries very little. But Shopee seems to carry better quality electronics than Lazada (just my impression) while Temu's electronics are not something I would bother with. But at the same time, for small household items, craft items, etc., Temu is best and doesn't charge for shipping each individual item bought! All the shopping platforms have both good and dodgy items for sale. It's imperative to carefully read ALL of what is written in the item's description so you don't wind up buying a 'picture' of the item you wanted instead of the item itself. (Don't ask me how I know about this one...) At any given time, I usually await delivery of 1-2 orders every week. It feels a lot like Las Vegas. Sometimes I come out winning. Sometimes I just have to laugh it off.

People actually spend money buying electric shavers that make them look as if they haven't shaved in two days! That just looks unshaven. Makes no sense to me. I stopped shaving the day I got out of the Military. I've worn a beard for over 55 years, and don't give a rat's ass if someone else likes or dislikes it. I keep it trimmed 12mm short and neat... because that's how I like it.

It's just a computer glitch. If you refresh the page a few times, the 'Out of Stock' message disappears and the price shows up. This does NOT seem to be the case for many grocery items from Italy, which have been out of stock in all the supermarkets for the past 6 months!

What is the difference between salt from a pharmacy and salt from a supermarket? NaCl will be NaCl regardless of the vendor. I suspect buying salt from a pharmacy will be drastically more expensive and no different in chemical structure.

I haven't laughed so hard in ages. Thank you.

... yet no more police on the roads where it really matters. Does the government think that people believe them when they say they are 'working to reduce road fatalities?' 'Good Intentions' are not the solution. Proper policing of the roads is.

So busy with this plan and that, tell the people, spread the word, putting up posters, setting up tables for 'safety checks,' having meetings, even handing out helmets... ... everything except putting more mobile police on the roads.

We chose Chiang Mai as our home. We have no need or desire to leave it every year because of repeated occurrences. Problems can be solved. Our solution to the yearly pollution... and its worked well for us for the past 25 years without any feeling that we need to leave... - Two small Hitachi air purifiers, 1000B each for the house keep the numbers in single digits inside. No need for us to hermetically seal the house to achieve that. - N95 masks when we go outside. - PMA To date, living through the smoke for the past 25 years, we just don't find it that big a deal! Sorry. I know that will upset some people.

Once the holiday is over, where do all those cops who were manning the roadblocks go? You never see them on the streets, only at the roadblocks. They must have some tasks to keep them busy, other than stopping bad drivers. We occasionally see a few high-ranking police making a photo-op tour of walking streets, but that's about it. Maybe one or two making rounds of guesthouses to check names and data of the last night's check-in. Where are they and what are they doing the rest of the day? We never see them!

I don't really believe age to be the important factor. I believe it should be physical and mental abilities. I've seen 50yr olds who were 'dottering old men,' stumbling on smooth pavement, and 85yr olds still out there playing, dancing, and living life to the fullest, looking as if they are in their 60s. No... it's not about age. It's about the body and mind.

I've noticed that many people 'start' to be old simply because they reached a certain number of years. "Now that I'm XY years old I'm going to give up all my fun, and spend my days in an easy chair with a beer dreaming about the past." Certainly, physical health plays an increasingly important role in what we can and can not do as we age, but to give up living because we reach a certain age that someone else thought should be the end is foolish! As Richard Bach said so well in his book; "Defend your limitations, and sure enough, you own them!"

Since I stopped paying attention to World News and US politics, my life has been soooo much more relaxed! At my age and in my location (here in Thailand,) the daily mass shootings in the US, rocket attacks by Hammas, changes of local laws in San Franciso, etc., etc., have very little effect on my life so why get upset about it? There is nothing I can do to change the facts that a little girl in Podunk, Iowa was hit by an 18-wheeler, or an angry ex-employee shot up a pizza place in Milwaukee and killed 7 people! Not even the rocket attacks on Israel have an impact on my daily life, nor does President Musk's influence on government. So why waste energy being upset about it? If I were younger and figured to live another 25 years I might feel differently... but I'm not. I know all this crap goes on. I know it's not stopping simply because I'm no longer reading or hearing about it several times a day. I just no longer wallow in it. Life is so much more serene.

No changes... The big bikes are a bit more to handle at walking speeds, but once moving, no problems. In town, which is where most of our riding takes place, I use a 125cc Honda and my wife rides a 110 Yamaha. For weekend and longer touring, we ride two-up on a Honda 750

Life is good in my old age! My goal is to be still riding motorcycles at 85. I'm 78 now and ride every day, but I do feel the difference in mental agility and reaction time. I'm still active in my sports 3-4 times a week but can see the writing on the wall. My health took a big hit two years ago, and my body still feels it. Because of that, I no longer feel 'young.' I've lived a life rich enough for 5 men. If I die tomorrow there will be none who can say I haven't lived. That said, I do NOT intend to put up with any long-drawn-out lingering slow deaths. My father got sick at 65, bedridden by 70, but hung on for another 12 years draining money and life energy from my mother trying to care for him. I've already made my plans for a quick and easy departure when needed. I don't want to put my wife and son through what my mother and so many others have had to deal with. For that matter, I don't want to deal with what so many others have had to deal with... When it's time, it's time.

It's a step in the right direction, but a few cops on the road every day of the week might actually show some real positive results. Other than around the biggest Thai cities, when have you ever seen a cop writing out a ticket for a moving violation? Unsafe vehicle operation? Overloaded vehicle? Underaged drivers? But let's check to see that the buses are OK...

What's the point? Winning an argument in AN is equal to sitting at the cool kid's table in a mental hospital! Hell, STARTING one is even more foolish!

We live on a very low (compared to most ex-pats here) retirement fixed income. But it's still a lot more than the staff in my building make each month working. We give the cleaning staff and security staff a Christmas envelope with a 500 baht note each. I wish I could give them more as they really do make my life in this building much easier, but I can't afford it. The security staff stay awake and are very helpful, often running to open elevator doors for us if our arms are full! The cleaning staff are always right there when you need them, and unobtrusive when you don't! Although American, I don't believe in the American style of tipping everywhere I go. But I do eat in the same restaurants every week and so leave the staff a small tip. Most are married with young kids and need the money more than I need another cup of tea.

Defend your limitations, and sure enough, you own them. Certainly... but that doesn't mean it's going to make you happy.

If your contentment and satisfaction with life are based on anything other than yourself you're in for constant and repeated problems.