5 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

tangential wanderings

I like that one, Charlie ????

Since I happily live alone for the past 5 years or so, having seen off wife #3, my lifestyle has changed little since Covid reared it's head.  Right now in Laos, there is a lockdown, after an outbreak of the virus (brought over from Thailand by illegals crossing the Mekong!).  So I'm currently missing out on my favourite French cafe for breakfast and salad lunch.

 

I've worked from home for the pass 3-4 years, teaching science online.  So again, no changes there.

 

My main hobby is ham radio, mainly for the technical challenges.  So that's another activity that I do from home.

 

So really little has changed.  I'm hoping that this Covid business will all be done by 2025, because that's when I get my pension and can spend more time visiting remote regions of Laos and Myanmar on my motorbike.

 

I'm happy, but I do feel for those of you who are away from family and loved ones, or even those who want to get away from family (MIL!), but are locked in with them.  I can imagine how some suffer from stress, mental health issues etc, when 'forced' to endure staying at home when that isn't your usual lifestyle.

4 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Since I happily live alone for the past 5 years or so, having seen off wife #3, my lifestyle has changed little since Covid reared it's head.  Right now in Laos, there is a lockdown, after an outbreak of the virus (brought over from Thailand by illegals crossing the Mekong!).  So I'm currently missing out on my favourite French cafe for breakfast and salad lunch.

 

I've worked from home for the pass 3-4 years, teaching science online.  So again, no changes there.

 

My main hobby is ham radio, mainly for the technical challenges.  So that's another activity that I do from home.

 

So really little has changed.  I'm hoping that this Covid business will all be done by 2025, because that's when I get my pension and can spend more time visiting remote regions of Laos and Myanmar on my motorbike.

 

I'm happy, but I do feel for those of you who are away from family and loved ones, or even those who want to get away from family (MIL!), but are locked in with them.  I can imagine how some suffer from stress, mental health issues etc, when 'forced' to endure staying at home when that isn't your usual lifestyle.

Thanks for your reply, Simon

Great to hear you are teaching Science, my favorite subject!

 

I hope that you are happy in Laos ????

12 hours ago, KannikaP said:

So does the Virus stop at the gates?

Yeah Bill Gates. 

13 hours ago, WineOh said:

how is everyone holding up during, what is effectively, another national lockdown?

Comment every opening post in Thaivisa forums, and you'll never get bored...????

 

13 hours ago, WineOh said:

How do you lot cope with keeping the isolation madness at bay? 

Just living my normal life apart from dancing around in the vibrant nightlife – which therefore leaves time to catch up with other important things on the to-do-list – and cut a few restaurant visits (we anyway often cook better gourmet dishes at home, so not a huge loss)...????

 

Edit: I'm already some 10 percent up in corona-weight...????

Is putting on a chicken costume, and then doing silly dances in front of a full length mirror, a sign of lunacy? I am asking for friend.????

3 minutes ago, rcuthbert said:

Is putting on a chicken costume, and then doing silly dances in front of a full length mirror, a sign of lunacy? I am asking for friend.????

Is that @Lacessit? ????

3 minutes ago, WineOh said:

Is that @Lacessit? ????

Clucked if I know.

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

..... if it finishes.

I just read that Hong Kong is investing a lot of money for a major expansion of its airport and it plans to have it ready by 2024 I believe. Which suggests to me that they expect flying to go back to pre-pandemic levels by then. 

 

General point to all:

Please take it easy with personal attacks on forum members. I've seen people quit forums because they were being attacked. It's a shame to lose people's contributions. 

 

3 hours ago, Nemises said:

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

Ah, good point.

I actually run the audio files through a free, Open Source Software application called Audacity that is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Years ago, I set up an automated process that filters the original audiobook files in a few ways:

1. Truncates any silences of more than a few seconds - you often get unnecessarily long gaps between chapters

2. Speeds up the playback 2x

3. Reduces the tempo, so that the voice sounds normal despite being fast (eliminating the "Mickey Mouse" effect).

4. Outputs the result as MP3 files, so that they can be played on any cheap player designed for swimming.

I followed the instructions of other people online who had already experimented with the best settings. I set this up once and, thereafter, simply grab the original audiobook files, throw them onto the application and leave it to churn out the new MP3 files, which I then transfer to the device via USB. It is worth investing an afternoon into figuring out this stuff if you plan to swim regularly.

To listen to audiobooks on my iPhone, I simply stream the original audiobook files (M4B or MP3) from my Plex server via the Prologue app, which has built-in speed controls. Great app, makes it easy to keep track of the books you are currently reading while providing immediate access to the latest audiobooks that appear on your Plex server.

 

15 hours ago, WineOh said:

how is everyone holding up during, what is effectively, another national lockdown?

 

We have been through it before and survived.  We'll survive again.  

22 hours ago, WineOh said:

How do you lot cope with keeping the isolation madness at bay

Isolation.... what isolation?

All day you are free to go outside and do what you want.... get a grip man !

13 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Isolation.... what isolation?

All day you are free to go outside and do what you want.... get a grip man !

Drama Queen

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

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.

In the province where I live you can have ten guests unlike a restaurant you know who they are, the masseur is only taking selected clients and unfortunately doesn’t provide the service you mention

Foreign language study (not necessarily Thai), coupled with U-tube travel videos, exploring cities on Google Maps, and delving into a foreign country's history, music, cinema, food, etc., can provide wonderful stimulation and a sense of escape. I am  convinced that virtual tourism is the wave of the future, irrespective of Covid-19.

 

Something for the whingers to enjoy:

 

 

38 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Foreign language study (not necessarily Thai), coupled with U-tube travel videos, exploring cities on Google Maps, and delving into a foreign country's history, music, cinema, food, etc., can provide wonderful stimulation and a sense of escape. I am  convinced that virtual tourism is the wave of the future, irrespective of Covid-19.

 

I like Documentaries and Real Crime stories on YT, Good job we still have football I follow a couple of fan channels 

Plenty of podcast to keep up with

On 5/1/2021 at 12:50 AM, connda said:

Stop watching the news. 

One should always know what the enemy is doing, no matter how angry it makes one.

I'm talking about the "enemy" among us.