fedssocr

even Emirates has subpar 2-3-2 business class on their 777s. I'd take 1-2-1 options on DL,AA, or even UA over that

There are some gay cruises out there but they tend to be circuit party type things. Not all of them but that's the reputation. Cruises these days are generally much more casual than they used to be. Lots of gay couples on mainstream cruises - they all have YouTube channels

I just watched Thirteen Lives (the Ron Howard film on Amazon Prime). It was better than I was expecting and gives a lot of credit to the many local volunteers, but focuses squarely on the rescue divers, which is fair enough I suppose. They had to build some quite elaborate sets, that's for sure. I haven't had a chance to see The Rescue yet because it's on Disney+ and I don't have a subscription to that one. But I feel like as the definitive documentary it's probably better.

I thought the general consensus was that all of those priceless historical artifacts were ultimately saved by CKS. If they'd remained behind in China how many would have survived Mao?

seems odd that a guy who worked in private equity feels the need to keep doing all of this work

This forum has gotten too quiet. We need Min to get back to his travels for our entertainment! 😘

will the powers that be allow him to keep doing all of this? Reformers usually have a pretty big target on their backs

I was just going to suggest seatguru. Of course it can't tell you where the passengers of size will be located, but it can help you see which seats are least desirable. I am not a big person by any means, but once you fly up front it's nearly impossible to go back to sitting in economy. Most of my business and first class trips have been booked with miles so they weren't super expensive. But I have paid for business class. When your trip is 20 hours plus to the other side of the world having some comfort is important to me. There's no way I could sleep sitting in an economy seat. Even in a lie flat business seat it's not especially easy for me. But it's way less stress on my body and mind. Plus the lounge access is a nice thing, particularly when the lounge has showers and decent food. It's nice to freshen up mid-trip. And shorter check-in lines, etc.

A view from Taiwan https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/03/china-us-taiwan-nancy-pelosi-visit

I think a face cradle attachment is the best if available.

Slot Machine also did well with the theme song on the KP soundtrack. There's an English version and a Thai version. I may have to make some time for this series. You're right about the skincare products. Dunk is all over the place with his many endoresements.

I guess I never considered Asia Miles - never used that program. Thanks for that tip. I had about 100K AA and had to buy the difference to have enough for this ticket. I have a lot of Amex points and have spent most of my Citi points. I have a big stash of Avianca miles that I bought a while ago. Unfortunately they don't seem to have many available award seats these days. I'm hoping that will improve once things get more back to normal.

AA's routing rules are annoying. My recently booked IAD-DOH-BKK itinerary on QR was reservable on the AA website, but was not bookable without calling them to complete the transaction. It was pretty straightforward though. Since the booking was already in the system the AAgent just had to complete the process so it was a short call. Since it's two award it cost me 110K miles.

I believe there may be an obligation under US law for the US to help defend Taiwan. At some point it seems like the world will need to recognize the reality that Taiwan is already an independent country. Ultimately Taiwan is a country of 25 million people. In the face a PRC with a billion plus people it will be very difficult for them to defend themselves even with American weapons systems. The PRC is a big country with many big problems looming on the horizon. The economic problems invading Taiwan would create certainly won't help with those problems. Even if they did invade and managed to takeover the country they'd have to deal with a population that doesn't want them there. Crushing Hong Kong was one thing, crushing Taiwan will be a much bigger job. And to what end? To have a destroyed island under CCP rule might be quite a pyrrhic victory.

Those are some really good points about who the stories focus on, but they're not documentaries, they're soap operas. So they reflect the same sorts of people as most soap operas do. Most of the more mainstream programs also seem to be relatively chaste, frankly. Everyone gets excited if the characters share a kiss. Shows that are more steamy seem to be a little more difficult to come by. I wonder if all of those pretty GMM actors would be up for more sexy scenes? Would all of those female viewers be interested in more erotic scenes? Or is it just us old gays who want that? 🙂 Many of the stories get a little same-y too and we could use some more creativity. I follow a few of those actors on social media. They seem to do quite a few shopping mall appearances and some of them are spokesmodels for various brands. And some fancy themselves as singers. It's very teen idol/Tiger Beat. I guess too much sex might hurt their personal brands.

I wonder if language barrier issues could be part of that difference?

How many times has the CCP said the US is "playing with fire"? And what have they ever done about it? I follow a couple of Western guys on YT who lived in China and traveled very extensively there for over a decade. They're fluent in Mandarin. They were essentially forced to leave when Xi started his anti-Westerner campaigns. They are of the opinion that China's threats should be acknowledged but that giving in to their threats would be a bad idea. https://www.youtube.com/c/laowhy86 https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVPodcasts

I was thinking more of the drama that would be inevitable as they jockey to be first in line for your money

There are many Polynesian folks in the Philippines. A good friend of mine who came from the Philippines at a young age is a big Polynesian guy. Of course there are many people with more Spanish ancestry as well. But for sure American style fast food isn't good for anyone. The proliferation of those restaurants hasn't been good for Thailand either.

That's interesting. I never really noticed that the direction of travel made much difference. But I do usually find that the jetlag on returning home seems a bit worse, so maybe there's something to that as I usually go TPAC both ways. On the way over I typically arrive late in the evening so I can go straight to bed and wake up the next day on local time.

I have friends who look after my plants and take care of the mail.

I'd probably have to hire a good security detail. Unless you can find a way to stay anonymous I would imagine it's not as fun as we might imagine since everyone will be coming at you with a sob story and their hands out. Some states allow anonymity but others do not. Probably need to set up some sort of holding company and a charitable foundation. A giant house also requires a lot of upkeep. An entourage of hotties sounds fun... and exhausting.

https://www.facebook.com/newtwilightmanclub

I think PeterRS covered it well. I really like Singapore but it is the most humid place I have ever spent time. Great for your skin though! I find the people there to be extremely attractive. It's been a melting pot for a long time so there is a nice mix of people. They're quite body-conscious and the young men are required to do national service so they're pretty fit. From an eye candy perspective it's great. But can be a little frustrating. It's more expensive than other places in SE Asia but I always found plenty to do that wasn't so expensive. For such a developed place there are nice parks. I want to explore more of the island some time as there is a good bit of nature there. The public transport network is quite extensive and ever-growing so it's easy to get around.

It's also easy to get to the Grand Palace/Rattanakosin area by MRT now, but the river boats are nice too. They recently added electric boats to get up and down the river as well