Stickman

17 hours ago, cavanami said:

Christchurch is all that bad? My Dutch friend had his daughter in an educational exchange program and she lived there a few years. I've never been there.
Care to explain in 20 words or less about your negativity?

Asking for a friend 555

Generally speaking in New Zealand, the further south you get, the friendlier the people are - and Christchurch is a long way south of Wellington (where I was born), Auckland (where I grew up . consider my hometown) and Napier (where I currently live), all of which are in the North Island. But Christchurch is a bit of an anomaly. It feels very provincial even though (by NZ standards) it's a big city. I find the people of Christchurch have a chip on their shoulder about people from Auckland and from the North Island generally, and many are anti non-white. This is not paranoia - a good friend from Christchurch who lived in Thailand for many years often tells me of the feelings of many in Christchurch which are anti-Maoris and anti-Asians. Ok, not everyone in Christchurch is like that of course and I am sure you will find non-white immigrants there who love it and feel welcome, but it is much less cosmopolitan than say Auckland and there is a feeling of anti-outsiders there.

I visited Christchurch for the first time in 1996 on business and made the mistake of saying I was from Auckland....big mistake. The anti-Aucklander sentiment was strong. I don't care for that sort of crap and hence I don't care for Christchurch.

13 hours ago, cavanami said:

Stick, did you go? just curious...

...and Vinny came off as a little strange but thanks for the boots on the ground imput!

No, I didn't go. I am not a fan of Christchurch at all and it's a city I'll be quite happy not to visit again.

12 hours ago, cavanami said:

He is an "interesting" person. He was one of the few journalists that went to Christchurch to interview and report on the shootings.

Errr, one of "the few" journalists that went to Chch? This was the biggest news event in the world at the time and pretty much every journalist in New Zealand who could get on a plane was there within hours of it happening!!

4 hours ago, panadolsandwich said:

If I were you, I'd be more worried about all the US billionaires that openly brag about  buying up New Zealand land and settling there when the US finally explodes.  NZ should tell them to fuck off and go and fix their own country.  They are the migrants you should fear.  Not the refugees who will literally be subject to genocide if they return to their homeland.  And btw are  just as smart as you and I.

I'm not in the least worried about these US billionaires. They are spending a lot of money and most will probably never relocate permanently. Like I say, migration is good if it done right - the most basic example is attracting people who have the skills to make up for where there is a shortfall locally. If there are a few American billionaires amongst them, I say "Welcome!"

2 hours ago, Coss said:

"Vinny Eastwood is one of the best known independent journalists in New Zealand. His coverage of the Christchurch shooting earned him international acclaim and an alarming number of visits from the Police. "

ahem - bull shit.

Never heard of him, another attention whore.

Ditto that. Who is this guy?!

20 hours ago, Nasiadai said:

One reason for this peculiar defeatist mood in our country is perhaps the demographic situation: too many old people and too few young people.

I'm pro Immigration BUT with the proviso that migration is managed. You want the right sort of people coming to your country. Opening the border up to all and sundry as seems to be happening in parts of the world seems like a recipe for disaster....and I guess that is one of the reasons why Germany has a few issues. Of course, Western countries need to acknowledge that birth rates are low and if they don't encourage migration then they face a similar situation to Japan, population-wise...and all of the economic issues that a stagnant or falling population brings with it.

15 hours ago, panadolsandwich said:

There is a lot to go over here.  Migration has made Australia a world power.  We currently have the 29th highest GDP per person in the world.  We are positioned nicely in Asia as a very powerful force.  At an Indonesian cabinet meeting the PM exclaimed that if Australia decided to they could drop a half tonne bomb on this very desk. 

Ever so minor correction made. Citation: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html

2 hours ago, Nasiadai said:

Sorry, maybe off-topic. But not for me.

Today was a very hot summer day. Temperatures well above 30 degrees. I was at the beach of the Baltic Sea in Eckernförde, lay in my beach chair
and had many hours time to think about our country.  --- It doesn't look good. The future is getting darker and darker.

The politics, the government including the opposition parties in the German Bundestag continue intensively to destroy our country.
1. a badly managed energy turnaround. We have electricity prices that are nearly twice as high as in other European countries.
2. the almost systematic destruction of the German car industry. This is a key industry for our country.
3. the continued unconditional adherence to the failed Euro.
4. an immigration of 250,000 to 300,000 Muslims into the German social systems every year.
5. the dismantling of school education through questionable pedagogical experiments. Lowering of the standard.
6. the infrastructure such as roads, bridges, Autobahnen, public buildings such as schools, etc. are becoming increasingly dilapidated.
7. Technologically we lose the connection to the digitization.
and much more .....

The voter, the sovereign of this country, does not defend himself. On the contrary, 80% of German voters continue to vote what I call
the "old-party cartel" Christian Democrats-Social Democrats-Greens-Lefts.
The only party that could fundamentally change something is the AfD;  Alternative für Deutschland, Alternative for Germany.
In 85% of the mass media, this party is hostiled and condemned as if it was the devil.
Only 15% of Germans elect this party. That is not enough.

My sad conclusion:
Germany destroys itself, it abolishes itself. The voters want it that way.
I despair of so much stupidity and ignorance.
Germany's relegation from the first league is unstoppable.
Culturally, scientifically-technically, economically and thus also politically.
The German sovereign wants it that way!

My courage to live is destroyed.

Many developed countries have governments that have moved strongly to the left....and many of the problems you outline are the consequences of that happening. I don't know much about the government in Germany but I gather it is somewhat left-leaning.

I heard that it's closed and there are banners hanging on the exterior saying space for rent.

6 hours ago, baa99 said:

When did Asia Books close? I visited the store last Dec.

The original branch near sois 17 and 19 closed at the start of this month.

This 6-minute video doing the rounds has been viewed by millions and shows what happens when a Thai woman doesn't pay the taxi fare and is followed by the cab driver who curses her and records it all. Speakers of Thai will have a chuckle at this this, I know I sure did!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=493521561051758

Property prices in New Zealand are way too high for sure, and I think so many of the problems in life here in Kiwiland come back to the fact that most house buyers are going to be in debt from the day they buy through to retirement. The sad thing is that whatever happens, there are going to be people severely hurting. If prices plateau or keep going up, young people are stuffed. If prices drop a small amount, anyone who bought in recent years will have issues. If prices drop a lot, there will be major economic ramifications. Things just went way too far, didn't they?

23 hours ago, Coss said:

yes, many sad house owners, soon. Ectually, I've been watching the 'fringe' little stories for some time and I remember distinctly, seeing a bit on a Sydney couple whose, ordinary house at auction, instead of fetching 1.7million as their flossed up, pride and joy, passed in at 900K.

Auckland house prices are up 120% since 2009. If there is a retreat of even 25% - which seems VERY unlikely - most will still be so far ahead it's not funny. Prices in Auckland might retreat 15% from their highs, then they will plateau and then they're going back up, albeit not as fast as they did the last time.

The real worry is for those renting. As more properties go on the market, rental numbers will reduce and the price of renting is going to go up, especially in Auckland. I'd hate to be a renter in Auckland over the coming few years.

8 hours ago, Mekong said:

iMHO it was a lot worse 20-25 years ago but since data was not being kept back then no way to make a comparison. I am not coughing my guts up or struggling for breath, in fact the Air Quality Index is lower now I am home in Bangkok for a few days than it has been where I work / live in Vietnam, and I suppose packing in smoking after 40 years also helps a little.

When I returned home after my first trip to Thailand in the late '90s of which just 2.5 days were spent in Bangkok at the end of the trip, colleagues thought I had taken up smoking for I was coughing so much, a cough that lasted for a couple of weeks.

And when I visited Hanoi for the only time in early 2012, I returned to Bangkok with a cough that lingered on and off and which I did not manage to shake for some months.

I do worry a little about the smog in Bangkok these days which is largely due to what's being said in the news, but as you rightly point out, the lack of date and the inability to know whether it really is worse now or not is a major frustration.

14 hours ago, Flashermac said:

The way things are going, Bangkok will soon be unlivable. I'm on the very edge of the city, in a quiet area with tree lined streets. But how long before the pollution reaches here too?

Very interesting comment indeed. I have to admit since leaving Bangkok to return to New Zealand I do miss the place a lot and am always looking forward to my next trip back to Bangkok. I also often think whether at some point I might move back to Bangkok. When I return to Bangkok I really enjoy it for about the first 5 days as I catch up with old friends, visit old friends, eat in favourite eateries etc, but then the pollution, the crowds on the trains and hot+sticky weather get to me. There are always people moving on from Bangkok (although I bet they're replaced by newcomers to the city in much greater numbers) but I do wonder if at some people the number of people living becomes a tide because, as you say, Bangkok could at some point become unlivable.

Completely disagree with pretty much everything in this post.

Speaking Thai to a high level impresses Thais. It shows respect for Thailand and Thai people that you have made the effort to speak their language where most foreigners barely reach taxi Thai level. The only people who have not liked the fact that I speak Thai well are those who wished to lie to me or cheat me.

Government officials are especially impressed when you speak Thai, or at least that has been my experience.

Speaking Thai to a high level opens doors and wins people over very quickly. And if you can crack jokes in Thai and understand the language to a level where the person talking to you can speak naturally without the need to grade their language, they will, in most cases, by mighty impressed.

Nothing allows you to understand Thai people and Thai culture like speaking the language to a high level.

There is an argument that speaking Thai well gives you an insight in to the local culture you might not like but I'd disagree with that and suggest that you're finding that, perhaps it's time to change your friendship group / social circles.

11 hours ago, buffalo_bill said:

Having said that, still there are enough falangs around pulling their luggage which needs further investigation. We shall report.

Brits trying to save money before Brexit sends the Pound plunging further in value?

11 hours ago, Coss said:

You're still young, you'd be perfect.

Most people wouldn't like my politics.  I'm firmly in the David Seymour camp.  Personal responsibility and personal freedom is what I believe in and ACT is the only party in NZ with that philosophy and they less than 1% of the vote.

9 hours ago, Coss said:

Wot we need is more young-ish people, not olden fucks...

Yeah, people short of life experience is just what we need.....NOT!

15 hours ago, buffalo_bill said:

Could any NZ expert on this board please study Mr Stick´s comment on the NZ press in his latest Weekly and either confirm his findings or declare him tingtong.

Maybe it's both....the findings are correct AND tingtong at the same time? :)

I always enjoy visiting the Nongkhai / Vientiane area....nice people, relaxed atmosphere and wonderful setting.

From Udon Airport, there are minivans that wait until they have enough passengers and then go straight to Nongkhai and they can drop you at a hotel or at the border.  The journey is not more than an hour from memory and it was something like 100 or 150 baht.

I don't know what the story is with taxis crossing the border as I have never done that myself.  Immigration overland entering Laos can be slow if you need to get a visa there....the wait can be 30 - 45 minutes - which is not really that long, but the waiting area is about as basic as it gets and is outdoor - so if raining or very hot, it's not that pleasant.  That said, I have not crossed in a couple of years so things might have changed.

I hope this helps....

6 hours ago, cavanami said:

Ozark series has started....

4 episodes in to Ozark season 2 and really enjoying it!

But not as much as I enjoyed the Jack Ryan series....watched it over a few nights - really good for a TV series and better than a lot of cinema-release movies.

10 hours ago, Mekong said:

I don’t know and will never claim to know, I am not a Financial Analyst (in this case analyst means one who speaks out of their arse), but what I do know is the fact that my long term planning has always been based on the. 25 THB / USD rate which it has been historically.

I think referring to that 25 baht to the dollar is really not so relevant now.  That's a long time ago - and just how long was it at that level?  For a long time, yes, but we're going back 21 years to refer to that level, basically a generation ago.  Showing your age (and time in / association with Thailand), Mr Mekhong!

10 hours ago, Mekong said:

i would rather be a pessimist who can dine on Steak in 25 years time than an optimist dining on Som Tam daily

Gotta agree with this....the baht bounces around so much that I am of the same mindset and always expect to get less baht for my dollars.

On 8/27/2018 at 7:15 PM, Flashermac said:

I wish they'd stop effing around with it. The baht is definitely overvalued.

May I ask you why you think the baht is over-valued?  I too wish it would be a bit weaker because I would benefit from a cheaper baht when I visit Thailand, but at the same time I don't think it is over-valued at all - and I would not be surprised to see it increase in value by another 10% or so over the next 24 months and settle at a level a bit stronger than 30 baht to the dollar, perhaps around 29.5 or so.