caulfield2

2 minutes ago, GanDoonToonPet said:

I'm in China and received the first dose of the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine last week. It's not on the approved list either but somehow the Sinovac vaccine is, even though both are not yet approved by the WHO.

What is BIBP?

On my vaccine "receipt" for the second dosage April 23rd, it refers to it as "VERO."

I know that Sinovac has two different vaccines as well, so not sure if Thailand is approving one or both.

According to the article (quoted below), China was only at 65 million vaccinated out of 1.4 billion (one dose+) as of two weeks ago.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN -- China has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, one that was developed by the head of its Center for Disease Control, adding a fifth shot to its arsenal.

Gao <deleted>, the head of China's CDC, led the development of a protein subunit vaccine that was approved by regulators last week for emergency use, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Microbiology said in a statement Monday.

It is the fifth coronavirus vaccine approved in China and the fourth to be given emergency use approval. Three of those given emergency approval have since been approved for general use. All were developed by Chinese companies.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/china-approves-another-covid-19-vaccine-for-emergency-use-1.5348960

They weren't thinking very clearly if they want to encourage tourism from China and Russia, that's for sure.

They have included only two of the five (authorized inside of China vaccines.)

Which means that at least 50% of the population here receiving Sinopharm VERO, CanSinoBio or the new one authorized by the Chinese CDC would be out of luck.

When you go to the clinic or hospital in China, there are currently long lines that are being announced within just 24-48 hours and you have no control over which vaccine/s you receive.

It would be ridiculous to go out and get another vaccination JUST for Thailand when the Sinopharm one is around 79% effectiveness (50% is the bottom of acceptable range), which is arguably better than the results from the two Coronavac vaccines that Thailand supposedly is approving.

One would think that SOMEONE in Thailand is actually looking at the situation in China more closely or carefully than an English/Economics teacher in an international high school in Wuhan.

Especially if the stated goals are an increase (at least beginning in October, when China celebrates its National Week holidays) Chinese and Russian tourism.

The car show girls and promo girls are a completely different issue...some or most are Instagram models and more interested in attention/followers than they are in hooking up with anyone.

Of course, they eventually end up settling down with someone, usually in their late 20's or early 30's...no later than 33-37.

The odds of hooking up with those girls, no better than 5-10% unless you are "young and hansum and free-spending" and woo her with gifts, persistently.

The best odds are meeting a girl in this line of work who's getting older and already has a child but the father is completely out of the picture.

Then you have the "drink girls" and the odds are quite a bit higher of success here, but that's only if the girl herself is paid to drink with the customers, lets her guard down and leaves the safety of her "group/friends/co-workers."   In reality, the girls working in the clubs/bars/KTV's are all in some ways theoretically available, even if they have a boyfriend/husband...but ONLY for the right situation that they choose.  Of course, that takes an investment of time/energy/money in "courting" them and spending weeks or months getting to know you better before they'll trust going outside of their environment.  It probably means you need to tolerate 2-3 occasions where you pay for her friends (lunch/dinner/going out to a club, which is actually in some ways more fun depending on the communication level) and then eventually after all that you are rewarded for your time and patience.

It's more about the game/chase than actually being happy with someone for the long-term, obviously.

In the end, from my two years in Thailand (Bangsaen/Chonburi), I was much happier the year I spent with just one g/f (Chulalongkorn doctor, met through English training center where I worked part-time).

The girls I pursued the hardest always had so many other guys interested, so many more expenses (cosmetics, plastic surgery, vacations, vehicle payments, family responsibilities) that it just got tiresome negotiating through all of that...knowing that the "bigger better deal" guy ALWAYS was out there somewhere trying to take her away.  It's not about insecurity, it's about finding a comfort level with someone  you know wants to be with you for any other reason than money (common interests and ambitions, higher education, etc.)   Of course, a lot of those girls from difficult backgrounds have undergone so much psychological abuse and trauma in their teens or twenties that it's also impossible for them to give up the partying, dancing, sleep when you're dead lifestyle until it's too late.   As someone else mentioned, the prettier the girls, the more reliant on their beauty and the attention/sponsorship of men, the harder the eventual fall when they can no longer maintain the gaze of the men who have moved on for younger versions.

4 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

It can be the opposite as well.

 

Many of the guys that I`ve had known who were obsessed with their wives or girlfriends, cling onto them at all costs even when their partners treat these guys like crap, have been only children. I think it`s called, the mother complex, spoilt and always supported meaning; tied to the apron strings of their mothers. If they do find female partners later on, in their eyes these women become kind of substitute mothers. I know of some guys, westerners, that can`t function without their wives.

 

My thoughts on this, is that even if married, no one has the right to claim someone else as their personal possession, and I think this is the problem with marriage, sign on a certificate that is a contract that imposes a couple are tied to each other for the remainder of their lives (for better or for worse) and if one partner falls out of love, tough, they are stuck with it. It is also very difficult in boyfriend/girlfriend relationships for one partner to understand that the other partner may not have as strong emotional feelings in the relationship and in some cases just can`t accept that. This means that when relationships break down there are always going to be the winners and the losers.

 

A very difficult and complex situation when dealing with high emotional traumas.

 

 

Not necessarily.

If you're an only child, you learn how to become independent, make your own decisions, be your own companion, how to entertain yourself...you don't NEED to have a significant other, even if you THINK that you might WANT it.

For those without much dating experience, socially awkward/inept...who latch on for dear life to the first girl that gives them the time of day, sure, I can see that.

For many of us, we fall in love with the IDEA of someone...but the reality of "being married to a ___________ model" doesn't live up to the advance billing and we grow tired and realize if we can't make someone happy (or happy enough), then it's better for both sides to let someone else try (or maybe no one can make them happy...or they're not happy with themselves and are looking for happiness from a relationship?)

I went through that period of jealousy for about one year when I married my first wife, then a second year of mismatched schedules and "roommates passing in the night"...just let it go and decided there are lots of other fish in the sea and moved to a new job in Colombia.   Sometimes it takes rebuilding your self-esteem and making yourself a happier, more attractive, more confident person to be with.  It's not about being James Bond or reading The Game and memorizing how to "neg" hot chicks in bars or "controlling every relationship/"in it to win it," etc.   It's just about taking an honest appraisal of yourself, your physical appearance/fitness, your job/salary...and being able to find a "reasonable compromise" where you're not a 5 shooting for a 9 or 10...but where you're a 6.5 or 7 or 7.5 aiming for an 8 or 8.5, haha.

At any rate, that jealousy thing does no good...threatening someone if they don't come home or make friends at work who they enjoy going out with...some guys won't let their wives or g/f work or have any interaction with other members of their own culture (doesn't matter what country)....that's going to end up in the same result as the master who keeps the bird in a cage and expects it to loyally fly back when the cage door is finally opened.  This is exacerbated when there are significant age differences....generation gap of 15+ years, those Harold and Natt "compensated/sponsored" relationships when the guy gets confused as being a grandfather out with his grand-daughter.  Some guys MIGHT look at you with jealousy, but there are just as many who are disgusted or turned off.  You can use your intuition to know if you really, truly belong or "fit" with someone or not....regardless of age differences.  Trust your gut, but always caveat emptor.

Well, in order to understand these situations, you'd have to watch the show.

And that only features the 30% of the material that's the most "controversial," as we don't see the times when couples are getting along or there's smooth sailing.

In that sense, it's just like any reality show.  But, at the very least, you can get a general sense of which couples will make it and which ones won't and be 75% accurate in your predictions.

7 minutes ago, biplanebluey said:

TMZ Headline ???????

Haha, a second career possibility, or doing movie reviews.

In all seriousness, David is one of those guys who has "big dreams" but doesn't or hasn't put in the hard work to achieve them...but he can talk a really good game.  Like many who have gone through divorces and personal scandals (related to his political career), and then a dramatic weight loss, he's trying to "reinvent" himself by finding a younger wife and discovering the fountain of youth.

In that sense, he's no different than lots of men.

The major difference is he doesn't have the patience to actually establish a career/security/stability before going through this process.  He's just hoping to wing an "extended vacation" relying on his friend and any limited revenues derived from the tv show.

However, he doesn't strike me as one of those guys who's fixated on having a 16-18 year old "daughter" type that he can control again after already raising a family and reaching his 50's or even 60's.  Those are the scariest situations to me.

2 hours ago, kalidescopemind said:

I think if Annie can stand the cold winters she will be ok.   David has had a stroke already before he was 48 so he doesn't appear to have a long life ahead of him.   Annie is wise to go to college, and she will be able to get a job, and find a new husband when the time comes.    I didn't think she would like the freezing weather, but with Thai TV on YouTube and free calls home on FB, its easier for the girl to live in godforsaken climates.

 

Kentucky winters aren't THAT brutal...the harder part is the social/cultural disorientation, food, etc.   Dislocation from the Thai community.   When/if he passes away, the odds of her getting property or any significant monetary payout are next to nothing unless he has generously insured himself, violating the "be worth more alive than dead" axiom.  They have no money, so he would basically have to take out student loans for her (depending on his credit history and ability to be accepted as a co-signer, it would probably have to be his friend as guarantor again)...she can get an employment authorization relatively quickly, but what's she going to be able to do for more than $8-12/hour?  Waitress in a Thai or upscale restaurant, I guess...but then David would have to deal with his jealousy/control issues to handle that.

3 minutes ago, 55Jay said:

Sure.  How long do you give the two in the OP before the inevitable TMZ headline report?

As long as it takes to get her green card...maybe fake domestic abuse allegations against David or his best friend for an earlier exit?  She knows he’s an alcoholic, has anger/control issues, limited funds and a limited future.  She’s not attracted to him because all of his negatives are already out on the table.  The last point, she’s not even in the top 30-40% in terms of attractive Thai women in that age range.

11 minutes ago, atyclb said:

anyone else find that most thai girls get boring very fast regardless of education level?

If we removed cheap/er sex and men were required to be with someone no more than 5-7 years younger (national law) or couldn’t marry someone younger than 35, what would happen to Thailand?  Or men older than 40 couldn’t ever stay on any type of visa longer than 3 months?

They would all go to the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc., yes?

1 hour ago, 55Jay said:

If she shags you like a rabbit before and after you go out with the lads, my guess is she doesn't feel "secure" at all.  At best she's protecting her investment.  At worst, a closet psycho with low self-esteem who might blow up in your face one of these days.  Hopefully not near a high condo balcony.    Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing you at all, sounds great, at least for the short-term.

Does it work the other way?   Is she allowed to go out alone or with friends (male or female)?   If you didn’t support her well enough, how quickly would she be gone?  If there’s no potential marriage or children, how long before both of you start looking for mutual exits?  There’s always great sex the first three months, or at least first year...but eventually the chemical attraction fades and the whole process of finding someone new begins.

I would like to see how many professional couples (where the wife is earning, let’s say, 100k+ baht per month) that have age differences of more than 10-15 years there.

By professional, I mean the Thai woman is a doctor, lawyer, CPA, engineer, tech/IT, dentist/orthodontist, etc.

Basically, men who are less than billionaires can have all the trophy wives they can’t get in the Western world.  It’s clearly a trade of comfort/security for beauty/youth/companionship.  That’s all fine and good, as long as that doesn’t get confused for true love, whatever that means.  Men have to be realistic (especially over 50) that their 20-35 year old might hit the road when their wife or gf meets someone richer, younger or more attractive, or all 3.

Likewise, all women are aware that many men (see Trump or Steve Wynn) will leave them high and dry for a younger version when they turn 35, 40, 45...so there’s an equal amount of risk on both sides.  The only way to really know is if you were broke or had huge financial difficulties (not talking about a lifestyle dip of 10-25%, more like 50-75% less money), would she still stay with you, and for how long?

Then there’s the eye test.  Do they look happy/compatible together?  Or like father/daughter, or, even worse, grandfather/granddaughter?  Of course, that’s another thing that’s more acceptable in Asian culture than in Europe or America.

3 minutes ago, Dumbfounded said:

The lady on the run is a long time yabba/ice addict. Her Italian husband (village ceremony) only visited for 2-3 weeks per quarter spending most of his time in Italy and she is usually running around Pattaya with some Russians when he was not here. The body was discovered approx 4km from the lady's house. I know this as we have a house in the same soi as she in Lamrang, where my in-laws live. I have met the lady on several occasions with her previous Russian boyfriend who paid for her house to be built before he was kicked out. Her Thai husband left her a long time ago and she has 2 kids (6&13) being looked after by the GPs. My wife went to school with her and they are still friends (sort of, in that we would stop and talk for 5 mins when we see her) but you can see something in her eyes that's not quite right and the locals know to keep a safe distance. She slashed the French mans face not long ago after he tried to force his way into her house. Just thought I'd throw in some background info as not a lot has been posted by the media

It's not uncommon for domestic violence to factor into these situations....sure, money might be at the root....but there are a lot of people with psychological issues who don't know how to resolve conflict in a mature way and tend to resort to violence.  That's why it's always another good rule to spend as much time as possible with her best friends and family to get a good sense of what kind of person she is.  You can often judge a person by the company they keep, although nothing is 100% obviously.

It's not too hard to meet doctors that went to Chula...they're often interested in at least the possibility of going to work abroad, so that's ONE reason they're intrigued by being with a foreigner, besides the fact that Western men can handle the jealousy (not being #1 priority when you're married to your career) and not being able to control someone a lot better than the average Asian guy.  Of course, there are exceptions.

It must have been a decade ago, my salary was like 26,000 at a public university and my g/f was earning at least 100,000 combined from her public hospital work and private side gig.   She also had her own car.  That was a nice feeling after a year of songtaews, tuk tuks, motorcycle taxis, etc.

You can always try this trick.

If you're on a first or second date, take her into a clothing store (in Colombia, it was Studio F) like Gap or maybe Zara or H&M, and see what she attempts to get you to buy for her.  A simple t-shirt?  Nothing? Something more expensive, like shoes or a handbag?

Of course, as someone mentioned, that's still not going to catch the "long con" girls.

Having been married twice with 10-15 year age differences, I'd say it makes a lot more difference if the girl is closer to 20 and has yet to really experience the world, have a job, make new friends...if I had it to do over, I would never have married a (Russian) model at that age, because almost nobody's really ready at that point, especially to give up their travel, ambitions and be a full-time mother.   Our biggest problem was that she started having a schedule (going to university full-time, working as a hostess/server in a high end restaurant 20-25 hours per week and most of the weekend when I was free)...she started collecting a pile of business cards 5 inches thick from all the men who hit on her despite a wedding ring, and then she started going clubbing and hanging out after work most of the time because she'd never had that type of freedom back home with her stepfather.   That was my fault, because we got engaged within just one week after spending 3-4 months speaking on the phone everyday for at least a couple of hours.  Still not the same as real life, when you travel/spend/buy things, it's very rare you see the normal problems that couples encounter when they get bored or fall into a routine.

I think the age difference isn't quite so bad when it's like 45 or 30, but that all depends on your lifestyle...either raising a family together (or with grandparent/s) or deciding not to do that so you can both pursue your ambitions.

Of course, the biggest challenge is figuring out a way to be "fair" about money...and being generous without buying someone but not being a Cheap Charlie at the same time, or deliberately testing everyone you date because you're paranoid someone won't or can't like you for yourself.

Oh, as far as I understand it, they receive just $1,500 per show (X12) for appearing, so after you subtract taxes, it's not going to be enough to survive on for more than 3-4 months, even in Kentucky.  When they were spending time of vacation in Los Angeles, his best friend was basically paying for everything for them until the friend's wife kicked them out of LA and forced them to end the subsidized vacation early.  Have the sense the friend just enjoyed being on tv (and coming across as  "good guy") and possibly thought the airtime would be good advertising for his business enterprise in Thailand.

He used his best friend's financial guarantee/co-signer in order to meet the income requirement...as he didn't have a job when he brought her back to the US.

Essentially, it's a guarantee that she won't receive any Federal government support/welfare no matter what happens to their relationship, as long as she's in the US.   So if she's not working and they get divorced, his friend assumes responsibility for her financial welfare should David be unable to pay support.

Needless to say, the best friend's wife wasn't too happy to learn of that financial arrangement.

She has to stay for at least 2 years with him in the United States in order to qualify for citizenship/green card.

I can guarantee that he's not going to be teaching English.  Actually, his best friend had a "second business" set up related to Thailand "Love" Adventures and this David guy was running it, but it probably was more of a "hobby" than a real legitimate money-making enterprise with economy of scale.

Well, yeah...you would think the general feeling would be that she is the one that's actually worse off.  If you know anything about the show or relationship, he's been sponging off his best friend for years, is an alcoholic, in overall bad health and relying on the charity of his friend for a place to stay (in a firehouse's living quarters)...plus, she's in the middle of the countryside with no connection to Thai culture in the USA.

I think the point about quality is right on.

I've lived in China (3 cities) for almost 8 years now...and also in Thailand, Phils, South Korea and Indonesia.

There are lower quality Chinese as well as foreigners in the cheaper countries...but the Chinese are much more noticeable because of their group behaviors, especially the newly "wealthy/upper middle class" and those who came predominantly from the countryside.

Those are the spitting, not honoring lines, terrible driving, pooping/peeing kids, shouting/speaking loudly, pushing, elevator/subway attacking ones, MOSTLY.

If you go to Maldives, Singapore, Bali (more expensive flights), Jeju Island, Hainan, Philippines, the behavior and quality of tourist improves exponentially.  You get more experienced travelers who won't fight belligerently for over an hour with tour guides over a $1 national park surcharge in India.

The biggest question is how to maximize that revenue...because 75-80% of that money is staying in Chinese or Chinese-Thai hands, just like in the Philippines (think SM Malls, real estate, movie theatres, etc.).

How do you prevent other nationalities from having their trips adversely affected while still preserving that new connection with your Asian tour groups?  There are certainly a lot of positives, such as the focus to more retail/consumerism and restaurants, and away from prostitution/drugs.  That said, it's hard to make all of the people happy, and you risk offending one group while bending over backwards for the other.

Definitely a tough problem to solve...in a way that maximizes revenues and leads to return trips in the future.

You sound like a man who is well informed on the silicone & US porn business.

Personally, I do not like silicone in the least.

I met a gal in Pattaya once w/rubber tits that had me fooled quite well. Said it cost her 40,000 baht.

She was fun enough for me to overlook the rubber tits though.

I agree w/ you in that she's getting to be a bit long in the tooth for her chosen profession.

Well, my first wife was a Russian model, and we had this argument (about breast implants, that was the only thing she was really insecure about...and wanted to be enhanced for bikini/lingerie modeling) a number of times.

I've lived/worked in Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and China, not to mention the plastic surgery capital of the world, Colombia, so that's where most of my knowledge comes from.

In the end, there are MANY beautiful girls in all those countries, not to mention Russia/Ukraine/Eastern Europe.  The problem's not finding one...it's finding one that you're actually compatible with, and finding one who is not completely self-centered.   That's hard to pull off, since beautiful women the world over are so used to being spoiled and not developing their intellectual side that they don't realize it until it's too late and they're in Nong Nat's position.  Mid 30's, no stable income to rely on again, not really the mothering type but what do you do as a woman if you're not interested in having a child or a "regular" job?  More importantly, for a man, do you want to have a child or children with a woman who may or may not be "reformed," and may or may not be intellectually suitable...especially if you believe strongly that genetics are important for future intelligence/IQ/EQ, etc.

Granted, most of just enjoy (past tense for me, married to a highly-educated Chinese woman with a cool 2 year old son) meeting people without thinking so seriously about future commitments/marriage/children, etc.  Heck, half the board is scared of even the mention of the word marriage, haha.   At any rate, the reason this situation has gotten so much attention is the "train wreck" aspect of it, where you just wondered (and hoped) if Harold was coming out of the experienced hurt/devastated or he completely had his eyes wide open from the very beginning and was waiting for the other shoe to drop.   That's the story everyone wants to know....not so much about Nong Nat.   In reality, my first wife was very hard-working (she came to the US when she was barely 21) and realized after 2-3 months the consequences of credit card usage and having a nice new sports car.  She worked from that point on for everything she wanted, and when we finally and amicably divorced (complicated green card situation since I was no longer living with her in the US after the first two years), we each kept our own debts as well as positive financial balances.   So not everyone suffers financially in this situation, although I'm sure Harold must have spent at least $25-50,000 or so in the last couple of years, maybe more with that reported sinsod.  But certainly not financially debilitated in any way.  It's not like he built a house for her or bought a mansion, had he done so, she wouldn't be talking about getting back "into the business."

Is all the sarcasm really necessary in that article?

Surely the writer never had a single romantic failure.  It's basically gloating.

Everyone knew the success rate going in was 2-3% at best, however you define it.   The fact of the matter is that both benefitted in their own way, and Thaivisa forum as well.

How do we know his family didn't pressure him to give her up...she wasn't cheating...or a simple cost/benefit analysis told him the financial investment wasn't worth it?   Let's not forget she's nearing her mid 30's and can only remain relevant for another 3-5 years.   Harold still has his money, presumably, but does Nat have anything to offer the world beyond the physical?

Almost every time the chase/pursuit of a "model" type is far better than the reality of living with her and dealing with her needs (self-esteem and material) on a daily basis.

It was revealed that modeling and advertising companies, magazines and television programs have been offering her six-digit sums for modeling work since the accusation made media headlines.^[5] She eventually had to pay a fine, received a suspended 6-month sentence, and probation for a year. Harsh punishment was nonexistent due to her popularity and lack of public outcry concerning the matter.^[6]

^wikipedia