Isolation Madness.

[cyril sneer]

37 minutes ago, madmen said:

I can go to any restaurant or pub and to the amazing beaches without even wearing a mask. Oh that's right I'm on the gold coast Australia. 

Have been watching closely for an opening to go back to Thailand but with the quarantine and restrictions in place its a no go country. I imagine other expats OS would feel the same 

everything was open as normal for maybe a year until 2 weeks ago

 

what's the appeal of thailand if so great over there? 

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

everything was open as normal for maybe a year until 2 weeks ago

 

what's the appeal of thailand if so great over there? 

For me the appeal of Thailand was always the lack of people telling me how to live my life, plus pretty girls that didn't despise me for looking, AND the absence of PC that is ruining life in western countries.

Good pavements here, but they don't make up for the drawbacks.

[Surelynot]

38 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I've only once felt so uncomfortable by the nutter that decided to sit beside me in a bar that I've had to pay up and leg it when he went to the loo. I did probably save myself from a bit of aggro though. Some are out to cause trouble though, unfortunately.

Smart move.....no point in taking any risks.

[Paul DS]

Apart from suggestions made, keep yourself busy....why not do some home maintainance, paint some rooms, make some home repairs, clean up etc? Volunteer somewhere?

[StevieAus]

49 minutes ago, madmen said:

I can go to any restaurant or pub and to the amazing beaches without even wearing a mask. Oh that's right I'm on the gold coast Australia. 

Have been watching closely for an opening to go back to Thailand but with the quarantine and restrictions in place its a no go country. I imagine other expats OS would feel the same 

It’s easier to get in or out of Thailand than Australia and you don’t need permission from the Government to leave and don’t need to be a citizen or permanent resident to enter, there is quarantine in Australia, $3000.00 last time I looked.

Fortunately we don’t have the equivalent of State Governments particularly like where you live, closing borders at the drop of a hat and stranding people, or did you miss that as well ?

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, Paul DS said:

Apart from suggestions made, keep yourself busy....why not do some home maintainance, paint some rooms, make some home repairs, clean up etc? Volunteer somewhere?

Volunteering is a problem in LOS, as one needs a work permit to do it.

[ASEAN NOW Golf]

Now is the perfect time to write your biography...It may not be a best seller but it would be interesting if you let family and friends into your crazy world on this planet. Researching is fun and you can even publish it on Amazon too.

[PGSan]

7 hours ago, Poet said:

I find it necessary to increase the playback speed quite a bit.

What a terrible distortion of the speakers intent! 

[NanLaew]

56 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

Have you never heard of having friends around for a dinner party or drinks? ( Not sure how you can call Thai bars Pubs)

The two women who massage me come to my house (on separate occasions) 

Cannot help you with the beach doesn’t interest me.

 

What's the point of having any controls if you can have people over for drinks? What criteria does the BiB use when a 'dinner party' is raided after a curtain twitchy neighbor gets upset? Same for out-call massage. Unless they are disrobing in the lobby and having a shower on arrival, I think a hand-job is safer.

 

PS: I know. They don't come over for THAT sort of massage.

[BTB1977]

Spend 5 to 6 hours out with friends riding south of Hua Hin . Grab a coffee, some lunch and a few beers. Don't see the sense of self isolation if you don't have to.  The great out doors is much safer than locking yourself up with thousands of other people.  

[WineOh]

19 minutes ago, BTB1977 said:

 The great out doors is much safer than locking yourself up with thousands of other people.  

not much going on out there though, is there?

[scorecard]

9 hours ago, WineOh said:

I like to dine out a lot with friends.

Cant do that anymore.

I like to go to the beach a lot 

Cant do that now.

I like to go for a massage.

Cant do that now.

I like to go for a pint in the pub. Can't do that now.

 

All I have is my books and my beer..

 

Life for me is anything but normal right now ???? 

 

That's a lot of 'I's.

[sitti]

Lately I found myself spending quite some time each day playing online games, which I hadn't played nowhere near as much before covid. 

[WineOh]

7 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

That's a lot of 'I's.

You keeping score, scorecard? ????

[digger70]

9 hours ago, WineOh said:

I like to dine out a lot with friends.

Cant do that anymore.

I like to go to the beach a lot 

Cant do that now.

I like to go for a massage.

Cant do that now.

I like to go for a pint in the pub. Can't do that now.

 

All I have is my books and my beer..

 

Life for me is anything but normal right now ???? 

Get a Hobby or something to do then you don't worry about anything.  

Nothing has changed around our place When we go shopping Put a mask on at the shop and Bingo.

 got lots to do at home around the place and garden so Happy Days.  ????

[connda]

What "isolation" is that?  Mrs. Connda and myself pretty much live exactly how we've been living for the last 10 years.  Putter around the rural Thai home with occasional outing for groceries and a take-away pizza. 

Mrs Connda likes her house, and I enjoy my retirement solitude in rural Thailand where I can hike and bike without being bothered by anyone.  What's changed.  Gotta wear a face-napkin?  <laughs>  By myself in the forested jungles alone?  Of course.  There's a cop behind every tree, honest injun', I've seen them there waiting to fine me.  <snorts, laughs, giggles>.

But I pity the extroverts who live to be social and prefer urbane over the countryside.  Thank God I'm not one of those.  I'm happy with the company of the wife and our wonderful menagerie of pets and occasional visits with the kids. 

This ain't a problem at all.  If this drags on indefinitely, the Hi-Sos and upper-crust elites, government officials and BIB, power-mad bureaucrats and politicians, and bubbly social Expats will lose their marbles while we enjoy the quiet and solitude of New Normal. 
Hey?  And the forests are green and the air is clear for this time in the year.  What's not to love?  It's peaceful.  ????

 
Let's keep it this way and see who cracks first?  <laughs> It ain't gonna be either Mrs. or Mr. Connda.  We like the slow-lane of life!

[CharlieH]

4 minutes ago, connda said:

What "isolation" is that?  Mrs. Connda and myself pretty much live exactly how we've been living for the last 10 years.  Putter around the rural Thai home with occasional outing for groceries and a take-away pizza. 

Mrs Connda likes her house, and I enjoy my retirement solitude in rural Thailand where I can hike and bike without being bothered by anyone.  What's changed.  Gotta wear a face-napkin?  <laughs>  By myself in the forested jungles alone?  Of course.  There's a cop behind every tree, honest injun', I've seen them there waiting to fine me.  <snorts, laughs, giggles>.

But I pity the extroverts who live to be social and prefer urbane over the countryside.  Thank God I'm not one of those.  I'm happy with the company of the wife and our wonderful menagerie of pets and occasional visits with the kids. 

This ain't a problem at all.  If this drags on indefinitely, the Hi-Sos and upper-crust elites, government officials and BIB, power-mad bureaucrats and politicians, and bubbly social Expats will lose their marbles while we enjoy the quiet and solitude of New Normal. 
Hey?  And the forests are green and the air is clear for this time in the year.  What's not to love?  It's peaceful.  ????

 
Let's keep it this way and see who cracks first?  <laughs> It ain't gonna be either Mrs. or Mr. Connda.  We like the slow-lane of life!

Very similar to us, except the hiking ????

[connda]

9 hours ago, WineOh said:

I'm currently over half way into William L. Shirer's 'The Rise & Fall of The Third Reich.'

When you finish with that try Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game.  Historical hi-jinx in the Himalayas that reads like a good novel.  Ahhh, the historical games of elite power-brokers in the pursuit of empire and national interests. 

I may have to wade into Shirer's 'The Rise & Fall of The Third Reich' as it seems that the push towards totalitarianism has a bit of a historical rhyme to it.  I've studies a bit of history of the 1920s thought 1945 in Europe, but getting into the nitty-gritty of the Nazi rise to power might be illustrative of what's soon to come.  Plus I love to read and study, especially history.  It's an excellent time to read! 

[connda]

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

My family have already all had COVID.

After the Hack & Cough-a-thon that spread through the village and tambon last summer (Rainy Season) I'm pretty sure most of the locals around here have already had a SARS-Cov-2 infection as the average sore throat, runny nose, and racking cough lasted anywhere from 10 days to a month or more.  The hospital refused to test.  "Bpen wat!  No need to test. Go home."  Anyway, hanging out at home is better than hanging out in a Covid Concentration Camp.  And out here in rural nowhereville.  Some people wear masks; some don't.  It just makes the wary feel -- "safe."  <laughs>  It doesn't make me feel safe as even with a N99 tightened down and smashed against my face you can still feel the airflow where the mask doesn't make good contract. <Sucks in a breath - a biilion or so viruses could enter at ease should there be a viral source handy.  Cloth masks?  A feel-good prop at best.  Fabric isn't going to stop a micron-sized virus.  But people can believe what they wish.  The rest of us adapt.

Edited April 30, 2021 by connda

[BritManToo]

9 hours ago, Neeranam said:

I work a lot more and save a lot too. I'll be having the holiday of a lifetime when this finishes.

..... if it finishes.

[connda]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Watching the news on tv makes me angry with or without corona. One has to wonder if that is their intent, when they tell one about bad things happening all over the world but never never never about anything positive or good.

Stop watching the news.  Read scientific literature and periodicals if you really want to understand what's going on, although it does help to have a background in STEM.  And entertain both sides of the debate.  There are seriously conflicting scientific view in this debate, as well as conflicts of interests.  We're in a time where immanent scientific minds are censored.  The one-sidedness takes on almost religious overtones.  Unless you can read scientific studies you're simply left believing whatever your TV spits out at you. 
So - with all this semi-lockdown time on your hands, wade into some scientific research.  Learn the basics of the statistics used in experimental analysis.  You just need to be able to interpret results.  Beats TV any day of the week and you end up better informed if not slightly enlightened.

[unblocktheplanet]

At least you're not alone--all of us are dying in house arrest. Some of us are lucky to have partners; some start to hate them!

 

Do some exercise. Yoga, meditation. Get yourself a hobby. I torrent a lot but I keep viewing to evening hours.

 

We rode out the first lockdown just fine. Then only had six weeks 'out there' before Samut Sakhon. Second go felt kind of rough for the first few weeks. But we've drifted into a state of acceptance.

 

Our small garden helps. We, and it, love the rains.

 

Chin up, Brother. We're all there with you.

[WineOh]

1 minute ago, connda said:

Stop watching the news.  Read scientific literature and periodicals if you really want to understand what's going on, although it does help to have a background in STEM.  And entertain both sides of the debate.  There are seriously conflicting scientific view in this debate, as well as conflicts of interests.  We're in a time where immanent scientific minds are censored.  The one-sidedness takes on almost religious overtones.  Unless you can read scientific studies you're simply left believing whatever your TV spits out at you. 
So - with all this semi-lockdown time on your hands, wade into some scientific research.  Learn the basics of the statistics used in experimental analysis.  You just need to be able to interpret results.  Beats TV any day of the week and you end up better informed if not slightly enlightened.

have you read Cosmos, connda?

[BritManToo]

Just now, connda said:

Read scientific literature and periodicals if you really want to understand what's going on, although it does help to have a background in STEM. 

I have a firm rule never to read or watch anything informative.

My life has become 'fantasy only' since I moved to Thailand.

[ThailandRyan]

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

..... if it finishes.

or doesn't finish you off first like the comedian Kom.  

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, connda said:

What "isolation" is that?  Mrs. Connda and myself pretty much live exactly how we've been living for the last 10 years.  Putter around the rural Thai home with occasional outing for groceries and a take-away pizza. 

Mrs Connda likes her house, and I enjoy my retirement solitude in rural Thailand where I can hike and bike without being bothered by anyone.  What's changed.  Gotta wear a face-napkin?  <laughs>  By myself in the forested jungles alone?  Of course.  There's a cop behind every tree, honest injun', I've seen them there waiting to fine me.  <snorts, laughs, giggles>.

But I pity the extroverts who live to be social and prefer urbane over the countryside.  Thank God I'm not one of those.  I'm happy with the company of the wife and our wonderful menagerie of pets and occasional visits with the kids. 

This ain't a problem at all.  If this drags on indefinitely, the Hi-Sos and upper-crust elites, government officials and BIB, power-mad bureaucrats and politicians, and bubbly social Expats will lose their marbles while we enjoy the quiet and solitude of New Normal. 
Hey?  And the forests are green and the air is clear for this time in the year.  What's not to love?  It's peaceful.  ????

 
Let's keep it this way and see who cracks first?  <laughs> It ain't gonna be either Mrs. or Mr. Connda.  We like the slow-lane of life!

We're pretty much the same way, only not as country-fied....We can walk & bike about..... Oldest daughter is home from uni & her and #2 stay occupied...My wife is happy in her garden....

We've never been clubbers....A bit more cooking at home by all of us....

Luckily, for me, it's baseball season & I can wake up follow my team live + any others for 3-4 hours....That goes to October....

 

Everything we need is convenient with minimal contact....If we need, there's a Big C a quick & easy 10 minute drive away....

Our pickiness in selecting our location - rural, but with easy access to almost all services with minimal traffic impedance is really working out nicely.....

The handy veggie/bakery/pastries guy coming by every morning is doing a booming business....

[connda]

36 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

..... if it finishes.

Don't plan on it.  The power-junkies have tasted the sweet nectar of unfettered power and they're not going to willingly give that up.  Plus there is a trillion USD in potential revenue to be made by painting a dooms-days narrative for the terminally fearful. Hegelian dialectics in action: problem - reaction - solution.  "And for a price, we have The Solution." <test, test, test; jab, jab, jab> Cha-ching!  Thailand is the quintessential example of power-plays and wealth redistribution in the vaccine merry-go-round that is currently playing out in Bangkok's halls of rarefied air.
Chriminy.  Most people I know in the US were germaphobes and clean-freaks before 2020.  Now the majority of the population are mysophobic hypochondriacs. 
Then Americans can't understand why they all develop a case of the dibbling sh**s whenever they enter a third-world or developing country.  They have sub-optimal immune systems from avoiding contact with pathogens and as well as a life-time of scrubbing themselves down with anti-bacterial soap.  Five or ten years of these current pathogen avoidance exercises and most people won't have functional immune systems any longer.  I pity the kids - truly.  Their physical and mental health are being tossed out the window right alone with their futures.  I'm glad all my young charges are now grown adults.  I only worry about my granddaughter's future. 
Me?  I may be deliberately solitary (which has absolutely zero to do with Covid - I just like my privacy), but I still grub around in the dirt and with my pets and enjoy eating "unsanitary" street food which is fine by me.  Well, when the "unsanitary" street food places open again that is.  <laughs>  Can't wait to get a nice plate of Kaow Man Gai or Pat Pak Ruam when this silliness decides to take a momentary break.  But I expect we'll be beat with this New Normal for a few years to come.  Strap in and enjoy the ride.  Learn to adapt ppls. ????  It ain't over until it's over.

Edited April 30, 2021 by connda

[Mayhem11]

There is no such thing as isolation madness. There is madness in bleating about it. Suck it up. Things will change.

[Nemises]

11 hours ago, Poet said:

increasing the speed to 1.5x. After a few weeks, when your brain adapts to consuming books this way, they should try 2x, which is roughly the speed at which most people read.

I listen to audiobooks for 90 minutes every morning while swimming. It

Can you please share the make and model number of the waterproof device that enables increasing the playback speed?

[CharlieH]

Some tangential wanderings have been removed.