torrenova

I have someone as pi as far as I used to piss people remembering it. Sad photographic and retentive memory. No wife wants you to remember what she argued 15 years ago.

I thought admitting you'd been around long enough to know the Federal would mean a Logan's Run type of exit. When I started with you guys (and those) on the old boards, I was so much of a newcomer, if not innocent (impossible back then !) but here we are with no newcomers and a South Korea definition of population decline. If I had a spare billion, I'd bring us all together for a month in the JW (my home).

In Europe, it is easy. I can pick a top end German brand, a mid range German brand, a Japanese brand or some esoteric or challenger brand but in Thailand, my £60k SUV suddenly costs £150k+++ and versions are limited. Only interested in new, pick up in Bangkok or Pattaya. No Chinese crap.

A move back to Bangkok is on the cards next year and I'm starting my homework on just where I want to be. Aside from distance from a BTS/MRT station, I am not sure where I want to be but a decent area with enough going on locally is probably a good barometer. Not interested in living in P4P ghetto. Where would you live ?

The UK is fucked. Half decent house outside Londonistan is £1m to £1.5m and upwards. Less in the north but no-one really wants to live up there. Schools are screwed, my daughter's school fees would be £40k a year now and that is from taxed income, so about £75k before taxes. Two kids ? £150k a year. Madness. The Labour government has broken the economy and we can hardly borrow any more money at sensible interest rates. A devaluation would be the 1970s equivalent. Thailand is nowhere as cheap as it was but nowhere is. The killer is the FX rates which means a night of horizontal jogging with a gogo dancer is now 500% to 750% of what it cost 20 years ago in GBP terms. 5* hotels in LOS are still relative bargain in some places but Bangkok has gone daft asking £250+ a day in places that were £100+ just "yesterday". Even my once favoured retirement hotel, the Avani, now wants Bt130k a month, which when you add in the other living expenses of a poolside lifestyle, would means a £50k bill for the hotel and onside drink and food alone. That seems quite high and up from the £30/35k I thought it might be.

I have a day or a decade until whatever retirement will mean for me but my nearest guess is that I will have to split up my business or bring in an equity partner as it cannot be sold as it is due to complexity and size, too big and also too small. Mentally, I am through with it and aged 56, I know I probably only have 10 or so good summers left plus a few more years of declining interest before old age sweeps me up. I just can't get off the merry-go-round just yet.

I knew when I wrote it that it had to be you ! Can I send a taxi to pick you up for a moderately inconsequential lunch near the JW ?

Always thought there was more chance of repopulating the world through 2 for 1 than 1 for 1.

I'd have killed them all, all their families, every friend, every acquaintance and given them the same reason the muslims would do to us. KS you deserved better but you gave us free speech. Thank you.

MPOX = Covidbollocks = bullshit = scam

Quite possibly. We thought you were dead long ago. Missed you !

Yep, same disease that gives up 100 YouTube arsewipes arguing that you can easily live in Thailand on 50k a month.

Perennial argument for 3+ decades I can recall. Younger folk today are basically fuckwits. No house, no pension, all on credit cards, cannot save, etc. There MUST have been a greater temptation to hugely overpay when we were getting 70/80/90+ to £1 but we didn't, respectful of where that £1 came from. It is all fucked now, just some places less fucked than others.

So just send one of the younger generation as a puppet then. North Korea et al

Never had much time for homos telling others to understand or do what they want to do. Much prefer a couple of naturally large breasted bisexual ladies and myself personally.