jimmie50

I am exhausted just reading about your adventures! So much fun in such a short period of time.

15M and 27M share the same website as well as the same therapists. https://www.mmassagebkk.com

I imagine the Myanmar military receives a substantial kickback from these crime syndicates as a major source of funding and wouldn't want to do anything that would impact the flow of much needed cash. Sorry for all of the people who have been taken advantage of by these scams. They definitely target older people. One of the reasons why I don't do social media, never answer calls that do not come from someone on my contact list, and never respond to texts or emails from people who are not on my friends or family lists. If the call is important, they will leave a voice mail. I can then look up the contact number myself and call them back directly. I simply 'delete and report' any text or email, and never click on any links in messages. You can never be too safe these days.

Haven't heard much about him in recent years. Curious to know more about who he follows and his posts?!? Several years ago it seems like he was everywhere, but not so much these days.

Personally, it is my belief that we have become too easily offended and are overly sensitive to words as well as ideas. In many ways I think it has the opposite effect and limits dialogue. Why do we always feel the rest of the world must conform to western ideas? I agree whole heartedly with @daydreamer...let Thailand be Thailand.

My oldest nephew is 30 and married, the younger one is 29. I often find myself referring to them as 'the kids' when talking about them to family and friends.

OMG! And I just read in a post on here about someone who gave out four of these garlands in one night at a club!!! That could certainly get expensive in a hurry. Think I would rather tip the individual to join me for a drink, then pay the off fee and tip the young man directly (see...I didn't use the word 'boy'...lol) than to present the garlands. How many 1000 notes are on one garland?

Had to think about this one for a bit. I always referred to my students as boys and girls. However, they were at a function level of 7 or 8 years old, so that was appropriate for them and something they could easily understand. In working with the general student population, I would always say 'ladies' or 'gentlemen'. I never referred to them as girls or boys, even though they had not yet turned 18. I am guilty of using the word boys when referring to myself and a group of friends getting together, even now, and we are all well into our golden years. On here, I have probably referred to the young men who work in the massage shops as boys without giving it too much thought. To be honest, I can't recall. It certainly is not a term I would use in conversation with them directly. I think it all comes down to the context in which it is used. As @PeterRS said, I think most people on here are sensible enough to understand the context and would be quick to correct any of us using the term to specifically refer to young men under the age of 18.

I am fair-skinned and can sunburn very easily. I have always gone for a very high factor number when purchasing sun screen...at least 50, but usually more like 70. However, that isn't to say I have not been somewhat skeptical of those numbers. Most things like that I tend to only believe their claims partially. After all, it is a business and the ultimate goal is to increase profits. Truth in advertising is very low for most products like that. Look at all of the anti-aging creams and weight loss pills that have been peddled to the consumer over many years. I started losing my hair when I was 17, and by the time I was 30...pretty much bald. Yeah, it's genetic. Runs in my family. I always either wear a hat if I am going to be out in the sun, or load up on the sun screen. Never have been one to just lay out and get a tan.

Agreed. It is appalling. And I don't understand the lack of backbone and unwillingness of Republican elected officials to stand up to him. It just blows my mind.

Article 3 of the Constitution established life tenure for Supreme Court Justices. Founding fathers, and specifically Alexander Hamilton, felt this was important to ensure judicial independence from the political branches of government. The fact that the justices are nominated by a politician (president) and approved by another group of politicians (senators) seems to have escaped their thinking completely?!? It simply boggles the mind. In fact, it has had the opposite effect. While other democracies around the world have opted to adopt tenure rules that actually connect the courts to the political process in a more regulated and predictable way, the US system entrenched within the constitution allows one party to lock in a politically one-sided Supreme Court that favors their views and interests. Had the founders of this country been more thoughtful and careful in establishing the court system, they would have realized that regular and predictable turnover of justices increases the likelihood that political change in both the legislative and executive branches would also be reflected in Supreme Court appointments and then would prevent what we have now...a long-lasting, systemically biased court. This is the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in now, not just with their interpretation of the second amendment, but the broader question now before us of executive branch over-reaching. My fear is that our system of checks and balances the founding fathers established is almost broken to a point of no return.

The process for adding, repealing or changing an Amendment is outlined in Article V of the Constitution, and basically requires at least 2/3 of both Houses of Congress to agree on the change, which must then be ratified (approved) by no less than 3/4 of all the states. The Twenty-First Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment banning alcohol manufacturing and sales, was ratified on December 5, 1933. This decision to repeal a constitutional amendment was unprecedented and the only time it has happened. Unfortunately, politics in the US has become so partisan it no longer is what is best for the country as a whole, but the only thing that matters to today's politicians is party ideology. I dare say the founding fathers would be shocked and disappointed to see what has happened over time. I don't believe what we have today truly represents the vision they had for the US.

Are you ever able to off the waiters? Curious to know in case I do decide to visit one of the clubs next month. Where do you get these 'garlands' that are given to the boys? Is that very common?

I will be staying there during the first week of my upcoming trip. Hope that 'special' is still available when I am there. lol.

Thanks for the update. Will be there in approximately five weeks and plan to visit this shop. Is it difficult to locate? Near BTS?

Like many of you, it is so difficult to pick just one. Probably the most memorable was a young man I met at a Starbucks in Taipei. I had taken a one year sabbatical from teaching and was living in Taiwan during that time. I was teaching English at a private school, as well as studying Mandarin at a local university. The Starbucks was near the campus and I would usually hang out there for a period of time several days each week. We made eye contact one day, then started a casual conversation. Before you know it, we were back at my apartment and it was some of the best sex I have ever experienced. After that, we would get together at least once a week for some play time during my stay. Remember that time fondly.

I look at the second amendment with an eye to history. When the US was established and the second amendment written, the world was a very different place. I don't believe the founding fathers could ever had predicted or remotely considered how guns or society as a whole would change over time. They could not have anticipated all of the technological advances. 250 years ago the founding fathers were in the midst of a war for independence and much of that fight was done by local militias. We had no developed and organized military as we do today. Militias, for the most part, are things of the past. Much of the land was undeveloped and a vast wilderness, most of which was still to be explored. People survived more off the land and needed guns for hunting as well as some form of protection. Law and order certainly wasn't as developed as it is today. Times and circumstances change. I do not believe in a literal interpretation of the constitution. It is an important document, yes, but it needs to relate to contemporary times. I personally have never owned, nor would I own any type of firearm. My father enjoyed hunting and fishing, so he owned a hunting rifle. I would go fishing with him, but always refused to go hunting. I had no desire to participate. Once my father passed away, his hunting rifle was disposed of to local law enforcement. I am definitely a proponent of gun control. It is frustrating that politicians only pay 'lip service' to the issue, and only briefly when there is some type of shooting incident that makes national news. I simply do not understand the need for people to possess multiple guns, assault rifles, or other weapons that have the ability to cause massive destruction. What has happened to our world?!?

Perhaps because of my age, but I never have understood what the fascination or draw is for burning man. Not something that appeals to me, nor do I think it would have when I was younger.

Haven't received a LINE update from GBeat since August 5, but this morning received two messages with a new name...STAR Massage. Not sure if it is a name change or ownership change. That seems to happen a lot in Thailand. Anyone else notice this? When this happens, do the therapists remain the same or they change as well?

Sorry if I sound like a broken record. I have mentioned before in other posts that I am a retired educator. I worked in a high school setting with special education students. While they were high school age, their function level was usually that of a 7 or 8 year old. All of my students received special services: behavior specialists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, etc. Something that we stressed with the students was the importance of our body language when interacting with other people. This was not only learning about how to read the body language of others, but also our own body language. Text messages are great for quick and easy communication, but they just don’t work for longer, in-depth conversations. You do not get to see the other persons physical behavior, expressions and mannerisms, nor they yours. You cannot really comprehend the tone of the text message. In face to face conversations, we are constantly giving off and receiving nonverbal cues…gestures we make, posture, tone of voice, eye contact…these all send important messages which are impossible to convey via text. Often times, it isn’t our words but our body language that speaks the loudest during a conversation. That simply isn’t possible via text. Even when we are silent, our body language is still communicating for us. When we text, silence is interpreted as being disinterested or ghosting, which may not be the case at all. The way we look, move, react, etc. all tell the person we are talking with whether or not we care, we are being truthful, how well we are listening. I have noticed when we try to engage in serious conversations via text, more often than not it generates tension, mistrust and confusion because it lacks these very important visual cues. Over the years, the speech therapists created a short, simple checklist for my students to help them better understand the importance of body language in communication: Eye contact – Is the person making eye contact? Facial expression – What is their face showing? Tone of voice – Does the person’s voice project interest? Posture – Is their body relaxed or tense? Timing – Is there an easy flow of information back and forth? From my perspective, these things are impossible to ascertain in a text message. While not necessarily easy to do via a phone conversation, it is possible to pick up on some cues via phone call; whereas almost impossible to pick up on any of the nonverbal cues via text with any accuracy. That is why I primarily use text for short, simple messages, i.e. at the supermarket, do you need anything?; what time is dinner?; let’s meet at Starbucks for coffee; etc.

I, too, have worked with a number of people from India over the years and never experienced any unpleasant body odor. However, even though I taught in a high school setting, my field was special education and my students were the moderate to severe population. Occasionally I would need to do a series of lessons on the importance of personal hygiene...especially changing clothes every day including underwear and taking a daily shower. My nose would always let me know when it was time for that series of lessons.

I would be happy to provide him with transport...directly back to my place! LOL. 😍

I couldn't agree more with this statement. As a retired educator from a high school setting, it always amazed me that the students would sit across from each other during brunch and lunch while texting each other rather than have a simple, verbal conversation face to face. lol. And we wonder why the younger generation has a difficult time communication?!?

Yes, please do share your experiences. Would love to hear since I will be visiting Chiang Mai in late October/early November.

I have heard that crows are afraid of owls. You might try putting a fake (plastic, wood, etc.) owl on the balcony and see if that will scare them away. I also recall growing up my grandfather would put shiny aluminum pie pans on strings in the garden to scare the crows away. It was a combination of the shiny material and the noise that the crows did not like.