Comments Posted By Brian
Displaying 631 To 660 Of 1,084 Comments
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
Ouch!! 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
I think my memory must be as bad as yours! LOL I thought I had read (or at least inferred) that Mary was making cookies for you to hand out, so was surprised to see prepackaged goodies. I re-read that post and saw that she has a side business selling snacks/cookies.
There is usually a tendency to look at the past with rose colored glasses. The past was probably never as good as we think and the present is probably not as bad as we think.
» Posted By Brian On 21/March/2023 @ 12:40 am
As usual, Kevin speak truth.
The feedback you got your Filipino lady friend is in line with what I thought the girls there think of you. You may think it is all in good fun, but they see someone who is a “butterfly” in the relationship game.
As Kevin said, your thoughts and actions are not in alignment. Either move your thoughts towards your actions or move your actions towards your thoughts.
» Posted By Brian On 18/March/2023 @ 12:21 am
Re: Nerissa
Random thoughts that somewhat tie in to her giving you the cold shoulder. I may have said this previously in response to an earlier post of yours, but there definitely is a double standard with the number of girls a guy is with vs. the number of guys a girl is with and thoughts thereof.Although you probably don’t see yourself this way, I bet that most of the girls you come in contact with in your little burg see you as a player. One girl one night, a different one the next week, etc. As you mentioned, in a small town, everyone knows your business. With that type of reputation, most/all ladies will hesitate to get to know you on anything other than a superficial level.
If the shoe is on the other foot, what would you thoughts be of some girl who was with (or went home with) a different guy every couple of weeks. Would you see her as someone to get to know on a deeper level? Doubtful, right?
In the “Life of John” book, I am rooting for you in this latest relationship chapter, but I fear that this is not the concluding chapter, but just another page turner until the next chapter begins.
» Posted By Brian On 14/March/2023 @ 10:01 am
Are you going to attempt the annual Easter mountain walk in a couple of weeks?
» Posted By Brian On 11/March/2023 @ 1:09 pm
LOL I was going to say the exact same thing that Kevin did about the noodle dish. Pick a country in SE Asia, and they have a very similar dish, with only the name being different.
Probably wouldn’t matter, but I wonder what the law in the Philippines says about beach access. Even if it were technically legal to be able to access the beach, does not seem like a battle to fight.
» Posted By Brian On 10/March/2023 @ 1:08 am
«« Back To Stats PageNachos and salsa with a side of tuna salad. LOL Interesting combo. But, as you indicated, you had to go with what was on hand.
Hope Scotts ankle holds up okay.
» Posted By Brian On 07/March/2023 @ 1:20 am