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Corresponding with Bangkok Guy over the last several months has given me a little insight into how hard Covid is making life for poor Thais (Bangkok Guy is straightforward about his economic status as he is about everything “I am very poor person”). Back in April I noticed a ring on his wedding finger. “You marry lady! How many children you have!” “Nooo” he replies, rolling his eyes at such a silly suggestion. Falang can be so silly. “No? Then you marry hot muscle boy from Jupiter!” Bangkok Guy likes the buff Jupiter guys. “Nooo”, this time with head down slightly bashfully as for some reason his attraction to Jupiter muscle studs is secret. Then, looking at me bright with mischief, “You give me”. “I?” “Yes, give me dragon but risky, people steal, so get ring”. Last trip I gave him the money to buy a fat gold dragon charm on a red cord bracelet. The serious business of comparison Shopping had run us out of time to buy one before the shops shut, so I gave him the cash. I had not seen him wearing it. Now all is explained, sort of. Bangkok Guy is not one to make things up, so if he says risky then it is risky. Possibly economic stress is leading to desperate acts in the poorer parts of Bangkok he inhabits. He is not a fantasist, so I doubt he just went and bought a ring in a haze of self-delusion. However, as a safer way to carry gold, a ring is a nice rationalization for a little bit of wish-fulfillment. “Ok” I smile. He beams. I have acknowledged the ring as from me, even though he knows it does not signify that the full requirements of his fantasy are met. Then for a week I can’t contact him on Line. I email. He does not have his iphone anymore, but email is ok. I don’t ask for an explanation and don’t offer to buy an iphone and so we correspond by email, which is not as good as seeing him. In May, panic. Fully fledged. It is the famous time-payment tractor again. His market has been closed so he does not have the money for his contribution. His mother also does not have her contribution. If the payment is missed they will lose the tractor and it is the final payment. His desperation is real. He has been contributing to paying this thing off for about 7 years. When I met him he was a student and I suspect dancing was his way to earn the money to contribute to the tractor. In the past he has shown me financial documents, so I don’t think the tractor is a more sophisticated version of ‘buffalo me die’. Although, with the documents, it could be a very sophisticated version. I ask what the balance due is. Much less than I expected. I send the cash. His emotion is something I have not seen from him before. He is a calm, cheerful, balanced guy. “You save my life” along with a photo of the paid bill. By late June I am getting tired of not seeing him, so I ask if he would like an iphone. “Thanks you. I want but it’s not necessary because expensive”. How to interpret that? He is careful with money, but I don’t think that is the answer. Maybe he wants the money but not an iphone? Maybe an iphone is at risk of being stolen? My guess is that the money would be appreciated but an iphone is at risk of being stolen and is also just not a need when other needs are more pressing. I have a trip booked early in the New Year and had intended to surprise him with the cash to buy his great aunt’s plot of land. I decide he probably needs it now and send it to him out of the blue, explaining what it is for. Bangkok Guy’s thanks are effusive. He is off to the Provinces. There is a great sense of relief. My guess is that he wanted to get the heck out of Bangkok but felt obliged to stay to try to scrape up some additional income to contribute to the family. I don’t think he will use the cash to buy the land for himself. My guess is that it will be used to contribute to the family, enabling him to get out of Bangkok and return home while retaining face. He is also fulfilling his part of our deal and praying for the success of my business “I wish your business better and better”. Remind me to ask my accountant about expensing Bangkok Guy as Head of Celestial Outreach. So now I have a very happy Bangkok Guy who apparently has my ring.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Bangkok Guy. What impressed me is that you give him the benefit of the doubt. You show him that you trust him and trust can turn what some may think of as a transaction into a relationship. Seeing him, talking with him obviously brings you joy. You can purchase pleasure but you can't buy joy. If we resort to applying litmus tests out of fear of being hoodwinked, we're going to miss out on a lot of what makes all the difference in our lives. They years are passing all too quickly for me now. But with that compression of time I've come to know what I want to value in the time I have in front of me. Wishing you luck until you and Bangkok Guy reunite.

Alan has displaced Tony in my podium. He just left and I am too tired to write more than this line, but I can share a few pics. I am proud because my photography skills are improving.

My Friendship from the same production company and same actors is good too

As a perceptive article in yesterday's Guardian points out, it is customary to look at the good that men do when they pass from this earth. Talking of the death of Rumsfeld, President Bush praised his "steady service as a wartime Secretary of Defence - a duty he carried out with strength, skill and honour." Even the USA's main serious newspapers had reasonably decent comments on his life. In the case of Rumsfled, though, surely Mark Anthony's words in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar are far more likely to be accurate: "the evil that men do lives after them." As the Guardian article points out: "He destroyed the public trust, the integrity of the presidency, and left America’s reputation far weaker than when he came. "How did he do all that in the fevered five years between the 9/11 attacks of 2001 and his resignation in 2006? "We could start with his disastrous decision to turn away from the hunt from Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan to pursue Saddam Hussein in Iraq: one of the most baffling, harebrained and ultimately bloody choices in the history of American national security. "We now know that Rumsfeld was contemplating this bizarre plan within days, if not hours, of the attacks. He pursued an illegal aggressive war with no link to al-Qaida but with all the dogged skills he had learned from a career inside Washington, concocting a case for war that destroyed international trust and the integrity of anyone who touched it . . . "We are still living with the catastrophic consequences of Rumsfeld and his gang [Cheney etc.]. There’s a direct line from the Iraq invasion to Syria’s civil war, along with the immense suffering of millions of civilians, and the political strain and instability caused by so many refugees to this day. "It’s not as if this chain of events was unimaginable at the time. "Rumsfeld himself was just about smart enough to flick at the lid of the Pandora’s box he was about to detonate. In one of his classically cryptic memos to his inner circle of warmongers in late 2001, Rumsfeld casually raised an eyebrow over the chaos he was unleashing on the world. “'We ought to think through what are the bad things that could happen, and what are the good things that can happen that we need to be ready for in both respects. Please give me a list of each,' he wrote. 'Thanks.' "Rumsfeld might have been talking about Afghanistan, where Kabul was about to fall and Bin Laden was ready to run for the mountains at Tora Bora. Or he might have been talking about Iraq, where Rumsfeld was already planning his war. Either way, he botched them both by failing to give a damn about the messy business of rebuilding nations after war . . . "It was this mixture of extreme arrogance and incompetence, along with a cavalier disregard for human suffering and integrity, that was the hallmark of Rumsfeld’s short and bloody reign. His policy chief, Doug Feith, bragged about how going to Baghdad was just a milestone on the road to Tehran. "But when Iraq fell apart, their hawkish allies in the White House turned on Rumsfeld’s team for failing to have any kind of credible plan to run a country ravaged by decades of sanctions, airstrikes and corrupt government . . . "Rumsfeld’s victories were illusions. His defeats will outlive him. And his much-vaunted courage was a smokescreen for lies, crimes and deaths. If he was an exemplary public servant, we need to reimagine what public service actually means." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/01/donald-rumsfeld-defense-secretary-lies-crime-death

For some strange reason, why am I thinking of "The best laid plans of mice and men" ?

No motivation for the hospital, but if the vaccine supply is limited, and general queue by gov is uncertain, booking as early as u can is the only way to go.

Very good for you TotallyOz, if only Pattaya could provide access to any vaccine for expats, particularly for those of us over 60 with underlying conditions, but that appears to be a fading fantasy as the Moderna vaccine most of us have registered for at various hospitals has decreased in number from the projected 10 million doses to 5 million and now 3.9 million maybe arriving at some point in October or thereafter. Sigh.

I received the vaccine Astra Z yesterday. I registered through the link above Intervac. It was done in a very organized way and they were taking groups of 60 or so in at a time. First a check of the passport, then a check of documents, then blood pressure and health screening, and then the shot. After that, they held me for 30 min and gave me my next appointment 2.5 months from now. All in all, a very easy experience. I was quite surprised to see so many young foreigners there. I'd say the majority of those in my section were under 35 and from every country imaginable. I was lucky to get the appointment as the site was working back then and friends have tried the same thing but can't log in at all.

NightTime is really good too. Oak is a very natural actor

again my suspicion is confirmed

Some very arty shots there!

Thank you for this sad tale; I find the adjective very appropriate, because my sympathy is not conditional on the fate not being self-inflicted. Otherwise, soldiers who had half their bodies blown off by an IED could be laughed at as idiots, because who else would let themselves be transported to a country where they have to walk or drive over IEDs? Those who are professionally involved in wealth managegement are of course at an advantage in financial planning. MBTI TJ types like to plan extensively, and the more anxious and fussy someone is, the more likely they are to be put off by the adventure of juggling two countries. Should we always do only what seems reasonable? I can imagine that people who don’t come from a European welfare state find it easier to plan, because they are used to being more or less responsible for everything themselves. Are we not dealing with two brilliant welfare states that lovingly care for their renegade sons once they have managed to return? Well, one cannot expect more than a modest standard of living. Citizens of EU states can try to find a more attractive member state that offers more. I’m sure that is the best solution for most people. I find it highly invigorating to spend two months during the European winter in a megacity in Thailand. Not because I have a preference for tropical heat or like to sit around on the beach, but because I immerse myself in a completely different world when it gets gloomy at home. If I have an extra month, I go to another country, because after two months my Thailand needs are covered for now. Nevertheless, homesickness always sets in the day before the return flight, but homesickness for Thailand! When you talk to the people who are sitting at the departure gate, strangely silent, and who will soon have to go back to work in a European office, you realise how many others feel the same way – they would gladly do without the return flight and everything that follows. Having said that, I should add that I have repeated this routine often enough and am now interested in less tourist-crowded countries. Yes, decades ago Thailand must have been fantastic. I guess 3 x 2 months Thailand would be too much for me, 2 x 2 months might be ideal if the weather was reasonably bearable in the extra two months. Of course, with a stay of only about a month, three visits make sense – three most pleasant breaks during the year! On the other hand, permanent residence has the advantage of relationship continuity and better opportunities to get to know country and language. Some people are not particularly flexible either and can hardly imagine living in a completely different society to which they would necessarily have to adapt somewhat at least. Like the depressed acquaintance whose depression has the simple reason that the best years of his life with his twink are over; he has enough money but not enough adaptability to settle down in a country with more accessible twinks.

given the inclusion of the Thai subtitles I figured they were speaking some Northern dialect. I believe the production company is based in CM and most of their films and shows seem to be set up there. I think Oak (the Country Boy "Keptawan") is in pretty much every one of their productions and Mon ("Nabdao") is in most of them. They have a lot of chemistry together. I watched those other films I linked above yesterday. And I found the subtitled version of My Bromance 2 on dailymotion so I plan to watch that. I'm a little obsessed with this little production house now. I even sent them a PayPal donation

I believe its free.

An episode of south park about this very topic sums up nicely your confusion although its more on transwomen. (season 9 episode 1). I also watched one interviews about 3 singaporeans, 1 is a lesbian transwomen, second is a transmen, and last is a binary. I feel your confusion too and am still learning about this whole gender identity and pronouns hehe.

I would keep trying that site. It had issues with privacy and poor coding but they are supposed to be working on it. I'd keep check back daily. It says 12-3 it is open. But, the day I booked, it was 4:30. I was able to get on back a few weeks ago but no slots available. I just kept checking OFTEN.

Yes all in Thai -- there is a Thai/Eng button that does absolutely nothing.

I got this too. I went to the site and all in Thai. I thought odd as the email was in both Thai and English.

With a larger population than Thailand, Vietnam is still doing much better with a 7 day average of 438 cases. It has still recorded just 17,052 cases in total but the spike is slightly upwards. Last month the government announced plans to test everyone in Ho Chi Minh where most of the recent cases seem to have been located. The country remains closed and quarantine is required for arrivals. Vietnam Airlines has opened up a few international routes for certain groups of travellers. I agree with TMax that there is a better chance of the country opening up sooner than most others. Taiwan's daily number peaked at around 550 on May 19 and has quickly dropped to around 50. If only the island can get access to more vaccine it could open up before the end of the year. But obtaining enough vaccines seems its largest problem.

I think i read cambodia is also gunning for opening their country to vaccinated tourists soon.

Singapore is doing quite well with vaccination. So I think they will be first to really open

United has a brand new, 1st-ever, nonstop from DC to Athens and there are specials of $600 RT in peak. Also there's plenty of rewards seats for 30K or 33K miles and even some 66K miles Polaris Business seats (usually 160K). The Europe red-eye over is the one Business class indulgence I use sometmes. Better to sleep in a flat bed on the plane than lose the 1st day there sleeping.