iendo

Even in JC I have gotten fake Bacardi.

True, but a clear difference is that Obama's message was unity and Trump is only dividing. Everything he does is clearly transactional and he is being seen as a threat to world peace. Then let's add his interest in Canada, Panama and Greenland. In Norway, the committee members have been openly critical or skeptical of Trump’s policies and rhetoric. And also, Trump has put sanctions on judges of the ICC on multiple occasions. And the list is of course much longer. To compare him with Obama is a bit much. The only thing the world is hoping for now is that we get through the next 3 years. Lastly, the nominations closed on January 31st. With that in mind, his changes are near 0%.

But boys and girls, there is hope in the form of VR. ChatGPT: So in 10 years might not be Starship Enterprice holodeck realistic, but in 20 to 30 years that might well be reality. So hang on to those memories, you might need them in the future.

A little update: I didn't like the contact I had with the insurance directly and went with a broker. Their last message was: I just weight in at 153kg so must lose 8 kilos in the next 7 weeks. 75% premium loading is acceptable and another reason to get down even more. So for those who are in the same boat, now you know what BMI to aim for if you are over.

the Phra Phuttha Yodfa Bridge, but it will be busy.

If you like this: I pushed my arrival to Thailand with a week because I don't want to miss the firework show in Pattaya. it's on November 28 – November 29. https://www.tourismthailand.org/Events-and-Festivals/pattaya-international-fireworks-festival-2025 The most important tip to enjoy the show as intended is to find a sections where you can here the music. The show is choreographed around music, i didn't know this at first and the first show I had no sound. The second show I was in section with sound and the experience was so much better. This will probably mean that establishments like hotels etc might give you a good view, but not the best experience. Not to hijack the thread!

This was last year.

I agree! But I also acknowledge that my $50 flight back from Ho Chi Minh City will now be 20% more expensive. One of the great things about living in Thailand that it is a great hub from which to make short trips to neighbouring countries. Not even that long ago there were crazy deals to fly with Airasia and such. Now, if you see a $5 or $10 promotion, you best believe there is an extra $50 of surcharges on top, each way. So from that perspective it is a pity.

Funny things is that he said they changed rooms (upgrade) because the room was too small. The room they changed too was already small, i cannot image how small normal rooms are.

6 weeks is nice! I'm on a plane the 22nd of November from Amsterdam. I might run into you in Bangkok then. I suggest you wear a red rose in your lapel at all times.

Yeah? He had already seen the video which shows the new location? Well thanks for letting me know. I do feel silly now.

I had forgotten about Bolt. I just checked my last months in Pattaya and have used bolt almost daily. Grab I only used for food.

Tja, the thing is that I misunderstood the article too. Well, the context. I thought this was after he was reported missing, even if that didn't fit with his age. So my pun might be a bit cold, no matter how depraved his urges are.

I guess we all love a happy ending. Some are not to particular from whom they get it. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13186893/American-student-18-Virginia-arrested-Thailand-sexually-assaulting-pregnant-horse.html

Telephone bar moved: 6:52 into the video.

2013 must have been borderline then. What else was open in Sunnee that you remember?

I'd suggest you download the Grab app for taxies. It's the same as Uber in other countries.

Thank you! You’re right that there can be many contributing factors. I’m not using finasteride now. I did try Proscar briefly in the late 90s as a cheaper substitute for Propecia, but stopped quickly because it really affected my libido, like you said. As weight goes up, self-esteem goes down, and not enjoying the things you used to enjoy only makes mood worse. Finding proper mental health support in Germany is another challenge altogether. I agree with what you said and will follow up on this once I’m in Thailand. The German GP and Krankenkasse system just doesn’t work for me. I’d rather handle it privately and pay out of pocket in Thailand, where you can see a specialist within days, sometimes even hours. To give you an idea of my experience here: earlier this year I went to the hospital with multiple symptoms. What scared me most was vomiting black fluid. The nurse made it clear she thought I shouldn’t even be in the emergency room. Only after the labs came back did they realize I had caught Norovirus.. I ended up in an isolated hospital room. That episode pretty much sums up how I feel in the German system. I never feel welcome or really heard by doctors here.

I never heard of the Raya, but on my first trip to Bangkok ill give it a try. Seems like the perfect location.

@vinapu You might as well jump straight into Gemini since Google answers come from the AI now a days. In that case you can have more like a back and forth instead of information flowing one way. @Matthew285 Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your progress. I realize I could have been clearer when I used the word “Keto.” You are absolutely right that Keto is not the way to go long-term. I tried it myself, and once I was in ketosis I hadn’t felt that good in years. This was before Covid. The first few days were rough with the keto flu, but after that I had so much energy. I could run up stairs easily, many of my body pains disappeared, and even hunger seemed to vanish. I combined it with intermittent fasting and sometimes only ate once a day. But with Keto there is no flexibility. No cheating eventually led to keto fatigue, and that is where I lost the battle. I never reached the point where the high fat intake caused problems, but I can see how that risk is very real. What I meant with Keto in this case was more about carb intake. I usually stay below 50 grams of carbs a day, but because I do not want to slip into ketosis, I need to keep my carbs up a little so I stay in the low carb range. That’s why I still eat fruit, protein bread, and at least once a week I have what feels like a “cheat meal” with rice or potatoes. Believe it or not, I even have Ozempic in my fridge. I tried it three times at the beginning of the year, but it wasn’t the right time for me. With any of these medications you still need the right mindset, and mine was all over the place then. I stopped, but I kept the unopened supply, which will still last a long time. In a way, I feel like I now have what Ozempic would give me naturally: I am not constantly thinking about food and often need to remind myself to eat. It is a good thing to know that I still have something like Ozempic as backup. But If I can prevent using it, I will. The first time I stepped on the scale was in September, but I know the loss in those first two months must have been big. I started weighing at 160, so even now I am still seeing good weekly losses. Unfortunately, I didn’t weigh myself in July. I am also very aware there will be a plateau at some point. For me, weight is not the only measure. I look at how I feel and what I can do: bending down, putting on shoes, washing myself, small things that are becoming easier. I had moments where I weighed myself and saw a little gain. It made me feel down for a moment, but I was able to remind myself of all the wins. It really is one step back but two forward. One more thing on your comment: For as far I know, Tadalafil does not affect libido. It helps with erections, but not with drive. @Moses I think if you lose a lot of weight in a very short time your face looks thinner no matter which medication you use, no? congratulations to you too!

Firstly, very good point because I uploaded the wrong screenshot and added the correct one here. I had no idea what I was doing with the testosterone. That is why I called it a clown move. I’d did nothing for me either. The thing is you need these tests. It could be many things that affect ones libido. After consulting a few AI's, they all suggested that package together with: ChatGPT: Libido isn’t just about how high your testosterone is. It’s also about the ratio of testosterone to estradiol. Too little or too much estradiol can both cause sexual problems. 📉 Too high estradiol (for example from obesity, alcohol, or testosterone therapy converting into estrogen via aromatase): can cause low libido, erectile issues, gynecomastia (breast growth), mood swings, and fatigue. 📉 Too low estradiol (sometimes from overuse of aromatase inhibitors or naturally low production): can also lower libido, cause joint pain, bone issues, and reduce sexual satisfaction. 🧪 That’s why estradiol is tested along with testosterone, SHBG, LH, and prolactin — together they give a picture of hormonal balance affecting sex drive. My story was pretty dire, and I can be open about that. Over the past two years I had almost given up. I was exhausted and stopped caring, which led to a huge weight gain of around 40 kilos on top of already being 130+. Each time I lost weight I gained back even more, and the first six months of this year were a living hell. I felt like a prisoner in my own body. It became a vicious cycle: moving hurt, so I moved less, which led to more weight gain, which made movement even harder. In July something shifted. A random chat with Gemini gave me the same kind of breakthrough I once had with smoking. I had tried to quit smoking dozens of times and always failed, until I read Allen Carr’s book. Within minutes of starting that book, I knew I would never smoke again. That conversation with Gemini gave me the same certainty about food: I don’t need junk anymore. I don’t have to buy chocolate, candy, or sugary soft drinks. So I switched to low carb and mostly keto meals. I’m not aiming to be on a keto diet because it is to strict and I enjoy fruit like bananas and apples, and occasionally rice. Still, I know I was over 170 kilos at my heaviest, and today I am down to 154.2, after 155.9 just six days ago. I also stopped drinking completely. A few months without alcohol will only help. Stress reduction is my other focus, with gentle walks and basic exercises. That’s all I can realistically do for now, but it’s already paying off. I have another seven weeks before my blood test, which will show me if there are any chemical imbalances at play. The best part is that none of this feels like it depends on willpower. I’m simply not interested in alcohol or snacks anymore. These past months have given me back a freedom I thought I had lost forever. I can do so many things again that were impossible not long ago, and the progress feels like it’s snowballing in the right direction. Unless something drastic like a major illness happens, I won’t ever let it get this far again. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to document my journey toward better health, and just as importantly, getting my libido back where it should be. It might be interesting to learn what (if anything) worked for me.

That makes a lot of sense and is exactly what I would do if my body allowed it. These days I need a couple of days to recover from long overnight trips. I used to look at it as if I was working. An 11-hour flight each way is 22 hours total. By not paying the extra 1,100 for business, I was basically making about 50 an hour sitting in the back. Sadly I am not able to gaslight myself into that anymore.

I'm not sure if I made this suggestion before but hows about you write a long and thorough trip report? 😇

Has anything changed the way you are flying nowadays compared to how you used to? Before Covid, flying was nicely priced and it was never hard to find business class trips from Europe to Asia/Latin America. During COVID the deals got even better. €1200/1300 hundred from Amsterdam to Medellín and Amsterdam to Bangkok €1400/1500. Well, that has clearly changed and a descend business class seat will set you back €2k or more. I have paid more than that in exceptional cases but normally it's just hard to justify. On my last flight from Bangkok to Amsterdam, I went with Etihad and had a 12 hour long layover in Abu Dhabi. I had a room booked in the Premiere hotel just outside the airport for €60. For me, this is the perfect solution for when you have a long flight, especially overnight. 6 hours per leg is the max I want to sit economy class. Take-off, food service, watch a movie/do some reading, food service again and seat back in the upright position for landing. This time I fly with Etihad again from Amsterdam but instead of a 1.5 hour layover, I have selected a 7 hour layover so I can make use of the AU Hotel which is airside and has rooms for max 6 hours. I was lucky with the price €92 Obviously the trip takes longer, but that only matters if you are strapped for time. Then instead of arriving in the afternoon, I’ll arrive around midnight. These are trade-offs that I happily make, knowing that when I arrive, I'll be fresh and paid a fraction of a price compared to a business class ticket. The days that I let trips like these assault my body are over. My most extreme flight was about seven years ago, when I traveled from Mexico City to Bangkok. The itinerary went from Mexico City to Cancún, then Cancún to Paris Orly. From there I took a bus to Charles de Gaulle, continued on to Moscow, and finally from Moscow to Bangkok.

Yes, it is very impressive. Those picture remind that I have been everywhere but that I have seen very little.