Comments Posted By Brian
Displaying 601 To 630 Of 1,055 Comments
Lot of activity in your subdivision. Seems like there was a whole lot of nothing happening for a while. Are you tied to your current place for another year or are you looking? Maybe one of the new places is a rental?
Unfortunately, you definitely won’t have the same variety of walks in Pattaya that you currently have outside your doorstep. Air quality shouldn’t be too bad in Pats.
» Posted By Brian On 09/June/2023 @ 2:56 am
Just an FYI, but the two best hospitals in Pattaya area are probably Bangkok Hospital – Pattaya and Pattaya International. Both are private, have English speaking doctors, etc. Also have heard good things about Jomtien Hospital, but that has opened relatively recently, so I dont know much about it.
(I had a guy working for me who was in a taxi accident in Pattaya, window broke and he got glass in his eye. He first went to one of the local hospitals. Basically, they did nothing for him. Moved him to Bangkok Hospital and got much better (albeit more expensive) care, but worth it.)
Have a good trip. Looking forward to your thoughts on Pattaya this time around.
» Posted By Brian On 08/June/2023 @ 5:52 am
Also, never did see an email from you regarding your Pattaya trip. Modern technology.
In any case, I am in Ireland for a couple of weeks on business/holiday, then to the States and not back to Thailand until end of June. Sorry it won’t work out this time.
(I am not very familiar with Pattaya, but if you have any questions, I may be able to find some folks that could help.)
» Posted By Brian On 06/June/2023 @ 12:12 am
Hope the lungs clear up. As Kevin said, it may be some sort of respiratory infection. That seems to be the sickness de jour this summer.
» Posted By Brian On 06/June/2023 @ 12:06 am
Interesting walk. Did not know much about the history of Subic Bay, so your post piqued my interest. Thought this comment I found was interesting:
“On November 24, 2022, a day before the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Navy’s departure, Rolen C. Paulino, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said that he would be “very surprised” if Subic Bay does not return to service as a U.S. military facility through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement,”
Did you see any signs of US military presence during your walk?
» Posted By Brian On 02/June/2023 @ 5:30 am
I will check my email. I am not on messenger. Don’t do Facebook. Lol.
LINE and WhatsApp I do have
» Posted By Brian On 27/May/2023 @ 1:44 am
John, if you don’t mind, let me know the dates you will be in Pattaya. Currently in BKK and spend a lot of time here for work, mainly in BKK but sometimes in Map Ta Phut, which is relatively close to Pattaya. If our schedules match, maybe we can get together for a beer or G&T.
» Posted By Brian On 25/May/2023 @ 6:03 am
John, I don’t know if I understand your response to the change left you for your drinks. If I understand correctly, you weren’t happy that they left you 50 pesos in 5 peso coins. So out of spite, you left them all the coins?? Lol
» Posted By Brian On 22/May/2023 @ 7:15 am
Looks like Jennifer is pregnant again?
Maybe instead of cookies, you should be handing out birth control on your walks.
» Posted By Brian On 17/May/2023 @ 12:03 am
Hmm John, I have a different take. Someone refusing to take money is IMO not a bad thing. I dont think it is rude at all that she refused money from you. I would be flattered that she was happy enough to spend time with me, even if it seems definitely in the “friend zone”, and wanted nothing in return. :shrug
» Posted By Brian On 15/May/2023 @ 1:08 am
John,
I know you usually respond to comments, so maybe you didn’t see the one I left a week or so ago regarding your “donations”. (BTW, no offense taken if you did see and didn’t respond). In any case, you mentioned above that you had another donation request, so am reposting my earlier comment.
Here is my suggestion:
Find a legitimate local or semi local charity organization, though I realize that in and of itself may be difficult. I am thinking of something like the Salvation Army that has been vetted and spends the vast majority of its donations on its goals. Total up the amount you spend on your various individuals. Cut those people off, and donate that amount on a monthly basis to said charity. Get some business cards printed up with the charity’s contact info, mission statement, etc. When someone comes to you with their hand out, you hand out one of the business cards, explain to them your donation strategy and direct them to contact the charity. That way, you are still making a difference, and after a month or two, it should eliminate the pestering.
» Posted By Brian On 10/May/2023 @ 7:30 pm
Running a beer is tough. (Well, running any bar is tough). Those type of bars seem to be pretty interchangeable, and it is quite hard to distinguish one from another. If there was a winning formula, then it would be copied.
I know you briefly flirted with the thought. What would you do to make such a bar successful? Something that would appeal not just to your tastes but what would a bar need to do to make it the most popular place in town? And why isn’t it being done?
» Posted By Brian On 09/May/2023 @ 6:57 pm
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Here is my suggestion:
Find a legitimate local or semi local charity organization, though I realize that in and of itself may be difficult. I am thinking of something like the Salvation Army that has been vetted and spends the vast majority of its donations on its goals. Total up the amount you spend on your various individuals. Cut those people off, and donate that amount on a monthly basis to said charity. Get some business cards printed up with the charity’s contact info, mission statement, etc. When someone comes to you with their hand out, you hand out one of the business cards, explain to them your donation strategy and direct them to contact the charity. That way, you are still making a difference, and after a month or two, it should eliminate the pestering.
» Posted By Brian On 04/May/2023 @ 11:15 am
John, does your area get a lot of foreign tourists as opposed to residents like yourself?
I can kind of understand the attitude of the bargirls if 80% of the foreigners they saw were tourists. In their mind, “hey, this person will be gone tomorrow and replaced with someone else, so no need to be overly nice. There will always be another one.”
But, if the ratio is reversed and the majority of the foreigners are residents, then they really are oblivious to what their job entails.
» Posted By Brian On 03/May/2023 @ 7:29 pm
John, what was your transgression that resulted in you sitting on ice?
» Posted By Brian On 03/May/2023 @ 7:21 pm
Sorry to hear about Alan. Reinforces the importance of having affairs in order and having loved ones taken care of (if that is what a person desires).
I have heard stories over and over here in Thailand about expats that pass away and his partner (invariably a Thai lady) is left out in the cold because they were never officially married, he had made no arrangements for her in case of his demise, etc etc.
I realize that many times, the retired expat is living on a pension that was acquired prior to meeting (or even marrying) his partner, and that pension ends with his death, but other times, it is just a lack of planning.
» Posted By Brian On 27/April/2023 @ 11:41 am
Makes sense. I was thinking more like “Why don’t they start at 0800?” LOL
» Posted By Brian On 27/April/2023 @ 11:33 am
Just wondering why you start the hash during the hottest part of the day? I am guessing it is because people don’t want to start drinking too early?
» Posted By Brian On 26/April/2023 @ 4:53 pm
On your satellite view of the trail, where is the fence that may potentially block your trail?
What is the purpose of those plastic bottles on the fence posts? Keep birds from roosting there?
» Posted By Brian On 22/April/2023 @ 4:05 pm
John, regardless of the (sometimes negative) comments (mine included) on your love life, ultimately, you have to please yourself, and it seems as though you are approaching something like happiness (or at least acceptance), which is not a bad thing.
» Posted By Brian On 21/April/2023 @ 9:34 pm
Sad. Driving is crazy in third world countries, and being on a motorcycle adds another level to that.
Sympathies to his wife (and family).
» Posted By Brian On 20/April/2023 @ 2:35 am
A chance encounter on Memory Lane
Wow!! What a small world! Crazy how things like that happen.
Go with the flow and see where the river takes you.
» Posted By Brian On 18/April/2023 @ 12:06 am
A very melancholic picture of your (ex) wife, your friend and her son.
I guess time continues to remain undefeated in the game of life.
Good luck with the chili cook off.
» Posted By Brian On 16/April/2023 @ 11:43 am
Looks like a great hike, and considering the number of participants, the lack of negative comments should make you feel good.
On a completely different note, I thought that maybe you and @Kevin would be interesting in this.
https://mymodernmet.com/seoul-ring-hubless-ferris-wheel/?utm_placement=newsletter
“South Korea has announced that it will be building the world’s largest hubless Ferris wheel (180 m/590 ft in diameter). The futuristic structure is called Seoul Ring, and it’s set to go up in Haneul Park.
» Posted By Brian On 12/April/2023 @ 12:19 am
Great pictures of the hike and the “slice of life” pics of the neighborhood and its denizens.
Happy Easter John.
» Posted By Brian On 09/April/2023 @ 2:16 am
Dont know if evenings problems were related to alcohol, but the first step in solving a problem is actually realizing that there is a problem.
Hopefully, there is no lasting “damage”, either from a friend standpoint or otherwise.
» Posted By Brian On 05/April/2023 @ 4:06 am
Like sands through an hourglass…
As usual, Kevin speaks truth.
“You keep coming back to that word “player,” chewing on it as if it were an unpleasant foreign object in your mouth, so I’m guessing it’s a label you don’t really like. This seems to be how you’re perceived though…”
I also get the impression that is not how you like to see yourself, but in the blog post above, you mention Nerissa, Mary, Joy, MJ, and Jen. Any i missed. LOL Plus how many FB “friends” do you have that are associated with the bars?
Just following the situation from your blog posts, it is pretty easy to see how others perceive you as a player. If you were doing the same thing in Manila, and could be relatively anonymous, might be different. But you’re not. A lot of perceptions have at least a nugget of truth in them.
Dont want to beat a dead horse, but if you were interested in a lady, and saw her snuggling up with different guys in different bars, having guys stop by her house for a “massage”, out for dinner with different guys, etc. etc., would you think that she was good relationship material? Or, would you think she was the female equivalent of a player.
To rephrase Kevin again. There is a dichotomy going on in your brain. Your thoughts/dreams are saying one thing, and your actions are the opposite. Bring them in alignment, either by changing your thoughts or your actions.
As the song goes, you are definitely “Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places”. You are NOT going to be able to find a non-transactional relationship in the bars of Barretto. FULL STOP.
I think you know this, but you keep trying to prove yourself wrong, and it is just not going to work. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 03/April/2023 @ 4:10 am
Wow. Quite the gruesome crash. From the pics (didn’t watch the video), I would have thought that the Jeepney driver would have had the worst of it.
I was surprised when I first started going to Korea that it has quite a high road death per capita. Fortunately, when I drove there, it was mainly in the rural areas, so maybe a bit safer.
EDIT: Looked up the stats and it appears that maybe Korea is not too bad. :shrug
» Posted By Brian On 01/April/2023 @ 1:44 am
Re: Food “use by”. Read an interesting article that basically said, dont pay attention to the “use by” or “sell by” dates on food. They tested food before, during and after the date listed ad the conclusion was to go by the taste; if it tastes okay and is not moldy, it is okay to eat. Surprising the number of people who throw away perfectly good food because it is past the “sell by” date. Medicine is a different story however.
FWIW, never have had a problem in accessing the blog. :shrug
» Posted By Brian On 30/March/2023 @ 12:05 pm
An SOB kicked my ass last night
«« Back To Stats PageOuch!! At some point, I think you need to make decision on alcohol in general. I am far from a teetotaler, but damn, seems like you are having way too many mornings of not remembering the night before. There will come an evening where Mary, or the trike driver, or your helper, or whoever is not around when something happens.
Maybe it is due to the gin, but definitely seems like a change of some sort is in order.
On the other hand, like the saying goes: “No great story ever started with someone having a bowl of salad!!” :shrug
» Posted By Brian On 26/March/2023 @ 1:31 am