Things

Today's song is: ... The Band et al

I have expressed my thoughts about things before, but time in the village is often spent on reflection so here I pontificate on things again.

Things can be classified as necessary, nice-to-have, make-you-smile, and perhaps things-that-define-you.

No one will argue that the first category, necessary is justified. For me, that includes air conditioning, a comfortable bed to sleep on, and sufficient technology to enable me to communicate on a global scale and get my work done. That is about it for my necessary category. 

The nice-to-have category would include my Oakley clothes, gym bag, and expensive tri-focal, sun adjusting glasses to protect my eyes. I may even consider putting the glasses into the necessary category. Ditto for access to a decent fitness facility. You can always make do in your residence, but I consider a tread mill a necessity given the polluted air on Bangkok streets.

Things-that-make-you-smile is a category where art would fit in, if I owned any art. For bar girls, the top of the line iPhone or Samsung is also in this category but I suppose they could also be relegated to the things-that-define-you category. For me, certain motorcycles classify as things-that-make-me-smile. Alas, cars no longer fill that function.

Now for the last and problematic category. Things-that-define-you.  If you find you own a lot of these types of things, consider what would be left if you were to lose them due to illness or accident that would take away your source of income. Divorce can also rapidly deplete these things. A downtown in the economy can likewise do so.  I also think Saint Peter at the gate would discount any items in this category as superfluous. I think about Gucci hand bags and Maserati/Ferrari sports cars.

It begs the question, if not things, then what. I would suggest relationships can easily replace things. Whether it be another person, a child, or an animal, relationships are necessary and should always fall into the make-you-smile category and if they do not, consider jettisoning the relationship.

In my daily life I find myself focusing on relationships more and more. If Peter is indeed the gate keeper, then I think he would ask, 'What memories do you leave behind in those relationships you built throughout your life?'. It would be a good yard stick to judge one's life.

You must remember, you can't take those things with you into the next life (if there is one). Even Buddhists believe the only thing they take with them into their next life is the good karma they have earned along the way in their previous life.

Karma, and an understanding of what is important in life.

Now, if I can just get those Buddhist monks in the village to stop chanting over their PA system at dawn and waking me up :-)

TTYL

Concrete

Today's song is: Juke Box Hero .. Foreigner  .. old fart edition 2010

The concrete truck was scheduled to arrive this morning and indeed it showed up at 9:30 am. The cost of the concrete including delivery was 4,800 baht or about $180. I have no doubt that in Canada it would have been 4 or 5 times that amount.  The Thais doing the spreading are Mother, son, and wife. They also did the roofing with the help of a brother and brother's friend. Doing business in Thailand is often a family affair and who you know. So far, I am pleased with the work and price.

Lots of pics:

Truck arrives on time

Husband, wife (blue), and mother

Mother and son start to spread

Boss

Wife

Clean up

I asked Thavorn where the Father was in this family and Thavorn says he disappeared about 15 years ago and has not been heard from since. Not that unusual :-)

TTYL

MLC

Today's song is: Jump  .. Van Halen

MLC is a TLA (3 letter acronym) for mid life crisis. Traditionally mid life was considered to be 35 - 55 but it now seems to have been pushed upwards to 45 - 65 as we live a little longer.  The typical MLC can take many forms. Here is my friend Billy:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37101625

Not a pic of the real Billy, but very similar. Billy is very conservative and this was a safe MLC for Billy and most MLCs require you to be foot loose and fancy free (unattached, at least initially). Sometimes that means their starter marriage comes to an end as people change.

Many men will go for a trophy wife in their MLC. However, that assumes a certain level of prosperity. If you do not plan well you may end up as this comedian states

"My wife got the house, the car, the kids. I got the guilt and a four-man tent," he says. "The tragedy is, I don't know four men that like camping."  .. or visiting Thailand :-)

If that is the case then I might suggest Thailand is a more affordable MLC for many men.  These pics reflect how some men in Thailand are spending their MLC:

If you drop into the Beer Garden on Sukhumvit 7 in Bangkok at any time of day you will see a similar cast of characters. It is truly an interesting place to sit, sip a beer and watch. What is more interesting is to actually talk to the girls and get to know them. Once they realize you are truly interested in talking rather than boom boom, they really open up. I find the girls' view of the guys very entertaining.

As I have often mentioned, one day I hope to write a book. I already have a large collection of people to draw on, from punters, to bar girls, to mamasans, to bar owners, to GF's, past and present, plus a few lifers such as myself.

TTYL

Lucky .. no rain!

Today's song is: Don't Fear the Reaper  .. Blue Oyster Cult

I managed to find a bottle of Peter Vella's Smooth Red wine in Wichian Buri at 259 baht or just under $9 Canadian. I am just finishing it off with a slice of bread and peanut butter that I discovered at the Tesco Express in Wichian Buri. Life does not get much better although both my sister's would disagree with my wine choices and sandwich spread  :-)

We got lucky with the rain that was forecast as it passed us by. Just as well as the house contents would have got soaked as half the house was without a roof for 2 days. The roofing was supposed to arrive today but appears to be late. Not to worry, not a cloud in the sky.

Here are some more construction pics:

A word to you farangs out there with a Thai GF. When she says she needs money to replace the roof on her house back in the village, she is probably not shittin you :-) but it is best to go and watch the process to make sure!

On another note, I carry life insurance with Sun Life back in Canada to make sure Jaidan and Thavorn are looked after if I get thrown under the bus. My rate for the last 5 years was $160 a month and they just informed me that my next 5 years would be at $580. Nothing like a 300% rate increase to ruin your day. Sun Life is an old style insurance company with suits selling the policies and the company paying dividends to its share holders.

I looked on the net and many companies are significantly cheaper including BMO (Bank of Montreal) and CAA (Canadian Automobile Association). They can sell cheaper for a variety of reasons, number 1 being they are leaner and sell on the net. I will let you know who I decide to go with, but I need to wait until the weekend is over.

TTYL

Storm on the Way

Today's song is: Sunshine of Your Love  .. Cream  .. Past and Present

The work on the outdoor kitchen is proceeding, albeit slowly. We decided to replace a portion of the interior roofing which was leaking and was frankly, unsightly to look at. There is a major storm system arriving that will affect northern Thailand with flooding predicted. The middle provinces such as Phetchabun are expecting heavy rain as well. It will be interesting to see what happens with the construction. I have warned Thavorn of the impending rain to arrive later tomorrow afternoon.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1064988/tropical-storm-brings-flood-warning-for-north-northeast

Some pics:

The roof slowly being removed before wooden rafters are replaced with steel and new sheet metal roofing. The metal rafters are constructed on the spot out of beams that are cut and welded together. The interesting thing is how they level the posts in the top 2 pics. They do not used a level. They use a string with a weight attached . Seems to work okay, but I believe a level would be faster, but time sis not an important factor in Thai lives.

Speaking of time and speed, it is interesting to see the difference between Thais and farangs. Your typical Thai person never walks quickly. It is more of a saunter and they are seldom in a hurry. However, put them on a motorbike or car and suddenly they feel the need to speed and get where they are going in a hurry. I am not sure why they change as soon as they get in a vehicle.

I am spending my time learning some new programming techniques. I had a good run today and don't mind the heat, but the mosquitoes are really bad in the morning and evening so I hang out on the Internet in my man cave at those times.

I chat with a few bar girls using LINE and they tell me that most of the bars in Bangkok are not too busy at this time. It is after all, the low season in Thailand for tourism, and the high season does not happen until the Fall when the weather turns cooler (less hot would be a fairer description) and far less humid.

I have my wing-man Shaun coming to visit in October and my business partner, wife and friends in early February. Thavorn and I will also be celebrating our birthdays in the 3rd week in September at the Marriott Beach Club Resort in Phuket.

TTYL

Yogurt

Today's song is: Cream's version of Crossroads ...

It is very busy around the village house today as we are busy constructing a Thai outdoor kitchen between the house and the wash/toilet hut. We are putting some of the money we saved on rent, by spending 4 months in the village, towards upgrading the village house. Here are some pics as they get ready to make a concrete slab and install the vertical posts to hold the new roof.  The concrete is all mixed by hand and wood is cut by hand saws.

I will add pics as the construction proceeds. It is cool in the village today, only 28 degrees.

Jaidan likes yogurt and at 2 is able to feed it to himself. One of the construction workers brought his wife and 3 and a half year old boy along with him as his wife knows Thavorn. Here are some pics of Jaidan teaching the older boy how to eat yogurt. It is interesting that, having just turned 2, Jaidan towers over the Thai boy who is almost twice as old.

I have 2 more weeks to spend in the village and watching the construction proceed will make it a little more entertaining for me. My calf muscle is just about healed so I can start running again tomorrow.  Walking or running, the Thai villagers think the farang is crazy to be doing that rather than drinking Thai whisky or sleeping in the hammock.  Thai not go moon :-)

TTYL

Apple Source Solved

Today's song is: Crossroads  .. Crow, Clapton, Mayer

I ate another delicious apple this morning and this time I read the little sticker affixed to the apple. It appears that these apples came all the way from Washington State USA and sell here in the middle of rural Thailand for 15 baht or about 50 cents each where I would usually pay more for a fresh delicious apple in Canada. Go figure!

Here are a couple of pics where my morning run occurs.

Thavorn, Jaidan and I went into Wichian Buri to open a Thai bank account for myself at the bank with which Thavorn deals. I had checked online and it seemed pretty forward and all I would need is my passport, with my retirement visa and perhaps m address in Thailand. I took along my condo lease just in case, as well as an affidavit from teh Canadian embassy listing my income. As, in all thins Thai, (much like buying a truck) it was not easy and the manager I eventually coerced into talking to me wanted everything under the sun, including a police check from Canada less than 3 months old. Now, I have a police check but it is a couple of years old.

We traveled back to the village and I researched many farang sites and found that there is no rhyme or reason to whether or not you will get a bank account opened and what you will be required to submit as supporting documents. I was correct in needing my passport and my retirement visa as well as my current address but they often practice CYA to the extreme and ask for more. The forums suggested just hopping from bank to bank and sometimes branch to branch until you get someone who is fluent enough in English to understand what you want and need to submit.

That is what I will do when I get back to Bangkok. So much for things being easier to do in the village.

On another frustration I tried logging into the Canada Revenue Agency website to find out what my tax installment payments were for the Fall and was asked where my first vacation outside the country was. Duh, you think I could remember? I know which state it was but I also knew it was the US, so I tried usa, United States, and USA and 3 strikes I am locked out and please call their e-Help Desk form 7:30 am to 9 pm which is not all that helpful in Thailand and BTW, please have your 2016 tax return handy in answer your skill testing question.  I guess they are not all that keen on getting their money.

At last count I had over 112 logins and passwords and now I also have to keep track of all the security questions as well :-(

It just goes to show that every country has its little frustrations.

TTYL