Comments Posted By Brian
Displaying 721 To 750 Of 1,055 Comments
Has your old place in Alta Vista ever been rented (or sold)?
» Posted By Brian On 12/July/2022 @ 1:32 am
John, I can understand your dilemma. I tend to drink mixed drinks at the same rate as drinking beer. So a 12 oz mixed drink takes me just as long to finish as a 12 oz beer, though it probably has 300% of the alcohol. So yeah, that is a problem.
You could try alternating one mixed drink, one XXX (XXX = water, flavored water, etc) or ask them to make 1/2 shot drinks, :shrug
I am sure you will find what works best for you.
» Posted By Brian On 04/July/2022 @ 10:49 am
Yeah, you brought up a good point. I have BCBS, and I looked at my policy. Same as yours – “while overseas, you MAY be required to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed, etc” Fortunately, no lifetime cap on expenses, but the initial payment is something to think about making sure I dont end up sitting in some hospital hallway. Fortunately, I believe I have that covered, but something to confirm.
Mike’s situation is an unfortunate reminder to make sure you plan for the unexpected.
» Posted By Brian On 05/July/2022 @ 3:40 am
I hope Mike recovers soon. But, I am assuming he does not have insurance? I am assuming you do? Occasionally, I hear about an expat in Thailand who has been injured/fallen sick/etc and there is a request for help. I feel bad for these guys, and while I would like to think I am invincible, I also am smart enough to know I am not, and having proper medical insurance as a backstop is a requirement for me.
I have trouble understanding why someone would set up life in a developing country (or any country for that matter) and be one accident/sickness away from having to ask for funds to stay alive. From a picture you posted earlier, appears that he has a family, which makes me shake my head even more.
RE: hospitals – Night and day difference in quality of care etc in a private vs. public hospital in a place like the Philippines. Again, all the more reason for insurance.
» Posted By Brian On 04/July/2022 @ 10:40 am
Yeah, I would be pretty pissed (no pun intended) if I was following a trail, and it required me to wade through something like that. Doesn’t make sense.
Seeing you ended up at Treasure Island – any of the floating restaurants back in business?
» Posted By Brian On 29/June/2022 @ 11:10 pm
Some pretty astute comments above. Yes, it does seem like you are looking for a deeper connection that you are currently finding in the bars.
BUT, that being the case, why do you continually try and find that connection among the ladies in the bars. Not going to happen. Layman’s definition of insanity and all that.
I am going to repeat something I said before:
You are looking for a unicorn. Your checklist
Age: 20’s
Body: Playboy quality
Sexual knowledge: co-wrote the Kama Sutra
Education level: University grad or above
Language level: Fluent in English
Fitness level: above average
Interest in Hiking: critical
Alcohol tolerance: can match me drink for drink, or at least allow me to drink as many as I want
Tolerance of me: Allow me to do what I want, knowing that I will be going home with her at the end of evening
World view: Worldly
Conversation topics: Broad and far reaching
etc.Does a woman like that exist? Yeah, there may be one or two out there in the world, but I am pretty damn sure that neither of them are working in one of the bars in Barretto.
Priorities. What are your priorities? Sounds kind of lame, but the engineer in me says to make a spreadsheet, listing what you want in a companion and how high that particular priority ranks. Find out what is really important. You are not going to check all of the above boxes by looking where you are looking.
Step 1
Increase your desired age range by 20 years. If acceptable, go to step 3. If not, go to Step 2Step 2
Be a “sugar daddy” and get the girl friend experience that way. Go on a Manila dating website, be brutally honest with what you are looking for.“Older white male looking for live in companionship. Someone interested in hiking, Netflix, cuddling, dinners out, etc. Must be between 20-30 years old. Physically fit, attractive, no kids, fluent in English. Willing to move to Baretto. Monthly stipend available to the lady I accept.”
I would think you would get a lot of replies. 95% of them may be crap, but you should still have a few to choose from. This can work. I have met guys in Thailand in this type of relationship for a number of years. Seems to work for both of them. You just have to be upfront with expectations/requirements.
Problem solved.
STOP HEREStep 3
I am sure that there are a lot of single or (more probably) divorced woman who are in their 40’s looking at their future and don’t like what if may hold for them as a single lady.Go to that same Manila dating website and set up a profile like the following
“White male interested in meeting an educated, well spoken Fillipina. My interests include hiking, Netflix, cuddling, dinners out, in depth conversations etc. Must be between 40-50 years old. Physically fit, attractive, no kids. I am located in Baretto and the right woman should be willing to visit/live here. Lets make some memories!”
Again, I think you will get a number of replies. You are going to have to separate the wheat from the chaff, but it can be done.
Problem Solved
STOP HEREWhat are your priorities?
» Posted By Brian On 27/June/2022 @ 8:01 pm
Yeah, I don’t get the “tossing trash wherever” thing that is going on there.
Have to change the whole culture I guess. But, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step……
(BTW, waitress on the right in your Outback pic is a cutie. At least from that pic)
» Posted By Brian On 25/June/2022 @ 1:13 pm
I assume those canals are pretty pungent?
» Posted By Brian On 23/June/2022 @ 5:39 pm
I agree with Kevin on the calming effects of holy sites. I am not religious at all, but do like to visit various houses of worship – definitely a peaceful feeling when I go off hours.
Completely different topic – are any of the floating restaurants/bars still around?
Lastly – positive thoughts to your fellow expat Mike. I always try and walk against traffic in Bangkok, but all it takes I some idiot going to wrong way or something like that. Definitely have to be a defensive walker.
» Posted By Brian On 23/June/2022 @ 5:35 pm
Beautiful pics. Nice area you are in.
» Posted By Brian On 22/June/2022 @ 1:59 pm
I do agree with you both regarding Facebook. I do have an account, but have not been there in years. But realistically, it is their sandbox. And as such, they make the rules on who gets to play and what they can play with. I don’t think that you guys moderate comments on your respective blogs, but if someone started posted stuff you deemed offensive/inappropriate/etc, you probably would block it or edit.
(Again, I am not in favor of what Facebook does. At this point and considering how big they are, they function almost as a public utility rather than as a private sandbox.). But having moderated a forum for a VERY short time, I know what a pain in the ass it is to be a moderator. Make one person happy, piss off someone else, and vice versa. It is a no-win situation. Of course at this point, Facebook is doing it all be algorithms. Would be interesting “see” the coding behind what caused your post to be banned.
I agree with Kevin. Don’t use it, or if you do, use it as it was originally intended. A way to learn about what is happening in others lives, and sharing what is happening in yours.
» Posted By Brian On 21/June/2022 @ 4:50 pm
Good luck with whatever choice you make with the vaccine. Other than a third arm growing out of my shoulder, I have not had any issues. LOL. (Actually, and I may have mentioned this before, but I have friend whose daughter is a post doc at U of Southern Cal. She has said that one of the common misconceptions is that the vaccine technologies and vaccines themselves were rushed. At least at USC (and probably other universities) they have been researching COVID and researching and testing vaccines for COVID for at least 15 – 20 years.) Anyways, I know passions are high on both sides of this issue so probably not a rabbit hole to go down.
Re: Hashmobile. Yeah, like you guys said, seems like a lot of your group is not rationally thinking. Kind of like someone who buys at $250K motorhome because it will save money on hotel rooms!!!! Ummmm, do the math. How often is the Hashmobile used? Is it used for other purposes? Looking at it from the outside, seems it would just make a lot more sense to hire a jeepney (or other vehicle) when you needed it.
» Posted By Brian On 17/June/2022 @ 11:44 am
I was tired of darts yesterday…
Do you still play CIV? I recently got a discounted CIV VI (I think because they have later versions out there) and just started to play. Wow – a steep learning curve. First time I have played the franchise. Looks like fun, but could be a major time suck to learn the ins and outs of the game.
» Posted By Brian On 12/June/2022 @ 9:12 am
And yes, I noticed after submitting the comment that “your” should be “you’re”, but there is no edit function for us commenters.
» Posted By Brian On 09/June/2022 @ 11:16 am
I enjoy vacation planning – even if all of the trips dont come to fruition.
Assuming your actually thinking of going somewhere, any lists (see what I did there LOL) of places you would like to go?
» Posted By Brian On 09/June/2022 @ 11:15 am
Yeah, suicide sucks. A permanent solution to what is usually a temporary problem. RIP
» Posted By Brian On 23/May/2022 @ 7:07 am
Looks like a very cool hike. As you sometimes do, I was expecting you to link to a song at the end – in this case, the Randy Travis song – Three Wooden Crosses. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 22/May/2022 @ 7:53 am
Agree with Kevin. I am pretty good about exercising regularly, but take breaks when the mind or body says so.
Helps to keeps things fresh such that it remains something that you WANT to do, rather than feeling it is something you HAVE to do.
» Posted By Brian On 16/May/2022 @ 1:09 am
Good post and pretty much captures my thoughts on political discourse on the internet.
The main problem I see with the slicing and dicing of the news on the internet is that eventually you only see what you believe in. With targeted ads and algorithms that update links based on what you have previously looked at, over time a person is sent further and further away from the middle.
And when your (generic your) sources continually feed you information that leans “far” left or “far” right, it makes it harder and harder to understand the other side and have a civil conversation with them.
Oh well, time to go back discussing the benefits of alcohol and size of a woman’s breasts. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 16/May/2022 @ 1:04 am
Agree with Kevin. From your previous interactions, it seems like the logistics of scheduling medical visits is somewhat of a pain, the actual visits are not too bad and quite cheap.
However, you cant put a price on your health, so better to get a checkup sooner rather than later.
» Posted By Brian On 14/May/2022 @ 12:20 am
Maybe you should start buying low sugar “biscuits” to hand out. LOL
Read an interesting article once on how prior to widespread use of refined sugar, tooth decay was not much of a problem. For example, finding the skull of a cave man showed teeth worn down from use, but not much decay. Same with some of the Amazonian tribes that have not had any contact with the “modern”world.
» Posted By Brian On 10/May/2022 @ 12:42 am
Great pics as always John. It does look hot.
Having said that, i am not sure that I would wear a black shirt to go hiking on a day like that. More power to them if it doesn’t bother them. :hot
» Posted By Brian On 07/May/2022 @ 11:51 pm
Yeah, seems like the ability to think in the long term (or even at least the medium term) is sorely lacking in a lot of the girls you meet. Dont know if it is a sign of immaturity, upbringing, culture, or probably a bit of all of the above.
» Posted By Brian On 07/May/2022 @ 1:59 am
My 2 pesos worth of advice is to let Lyn know early on that you are not interested in raising/dealing with a kid. Not fair to her to give her some hope that this relationship may lead somewhere when you know from the beginning it is not going to happen.
» Posted By Brian On 02/May/2022 @ 12:06 am
Tough trail!!! I enjoy hiking a lot, but going through stuff like that is just no fun!!
» Posted By Brian On 01/May/2022 @ 7:44 am
Seems like you are living a 100K/year lifestyle on about half that. Good on ya!
» Posted By Brian On 29/April/2022 @ 1:58 am
You live quite well, and really do not want for anything. Which is a good thing. I get the impression that you do not “budget” per se, but if you feel comfortable sharing, what would you estimate is your average monthly expenses? 5K?
Re: ATM – do they have “check your balance” button on those? That may have given you some idea of if the ATM gods took away your money, or if it was just “ghosts in the machine”.
» Posted By Brian On 27/April/2022 @ 10:57 pm
Is your pension indexed to inflation (or at least the CPI)? I thought that a lot of government pensions were CPI indexed, unlike those few remaining private company pensions?
I am certainly no fan of Biden, but then again, certainly no fan of Trump either. LOL. But, the foundation for inflation was set during the Trump administration. Yes, Biden has not helped matters at all and his administration will take the hit for it, but the train had already left the station by the time he became president.
Look at inflation. There are three major causes (no particular order):
supply and product disruptions from Covid
large fiscal spending, especially ~5Trillion for Covid relief with 5 major bills enacted
Fed printing money like crazy over the years, especially since March of 2020 (something like 80% of all dollars in existence were created since March of 2020
People can assign various weightings to the above categories, or might argue there’s another that should be elevated among these three. Note all three are bigger than just the Biden presidency. Most of #2 was enacted before he was in office, as for number 3, none of the current Board of Governors are Biden appointees, and Covid obviously predates him.
If you want to see a scary chart, look at the link below put out by the St. Louis Fed
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WM1NS
Anyway, I am a firm believe that economically, any President gets too much credit when things are going well, and too much blame when things are going poorly. There are so many things globally (and even domestically) that affect the economy and are relatively unmoved by the President.
» Posted By Brian On 21/April/2022 @ 2:09 am
Good job John. A worthy goal to climb Easter mountain every year.
» Posted By Brian On 20/April/2022 @ 9:37 am
«« Back To Stats PageBefore I read your note, just from the pic, I thought you were having a piece of pie with your roast. So it appears that the texture and taste matched the picture.
Good luck on your climb tomorrow
» Posted By Brian On 17/April/2022 @ 11:56 pm