GOING HOME

[tommy dee]

as you may know I am now in the UK, with my mother's funerl this friday and then some time sorting things out.  maybe its me, but I feel lik I am in a foreign country.  

 

Of course I know my way around, but many roads have changed.  but attitudes, people seem to have round shoulders and complain all the time about life.  the weather maybe doent help but its tough for positive people to deal with for sure.

I am staying in my mother's house,, which seemed to bother some but not me, and have a lot to do as am scanning a ton of photos to share PLUS working on the radio from here, but outside.. daunting.

 

anyone else find the same?

[Yesitisdakid]

Yep when I went back to the States I thought I would fit right in as if I had never left but I never felt 100% comfortable. I did when I got off the plane in Bangkok and realized this is actually my home now.

[joker]

I've been here for 15 years, I never plan on returning for any significant amount of time.

I went back for a week about 10 years ago and the place was shit.

As I'm only about 50 I've spent quite a chunk of my adult life living here - when you think about it that's been half of my adult life since I was 20, before that I don't really count it as I was too young to do much except go to school / get my first jobs, etc.

Sorry to hear about your Mothers death, that's going to be hard at most ages I would think.

[Zambo]

3 hours ago, Yesitisdakid said:

Yep when I went back to the States I thought I would fit right in as if I had never left but I never felt 100% comfortable. I did when I got off the plane in Bangkok and realized this is actually my home now.

Good post. Although i wasn't planning on it Singapore feels like my home now and not so sure about a later move to thailand

[Glasseye]

Everything changes. And you are going through a big one.

 

You will be fine. Absord as much of it as you can.

[Butch]

The UK has changed exponentially in recent years, and not for the better. I'll be very careful @tommy dee not to get into political stuff on your topic mate, and start blaming the govt etc.

A lot has been since Covid, we have local councils who now spend a chunk of their budget on empty offices and paying self entitled individuals to work from home, right through to Teachers adding their own left wing agendas to school curriculum and poisoning the minds of the impressionable kids in their care. Add to this a politicised and overstrtetched Police force, no longer Policing by consent but policing by current trends and in many cases instead of applying the Law, allowing their own personal feelings and beliefs to cloud their judgement. We have the rise of endemic anti semitism , again, going unpunished when deliberate offences are done in front of serving police officers.

There are housing shortages, massive pressure on the NHS, lack of places in schools for children, the burden of social care, a skewed and easily exploited benefit system by the usual suspects, crumbling infrastructure and urban decay.

We also have Town centres taken over by money laundering operations such as Turkish Barbers, Candy Shops, Mobile phone repair shops and Nail Salons. Try finding a local Butcher, Habadashery, Hardware store or Bakery in any UK town Centre, and good luck with that.

theft and shoplifting are no longer considered important by the Police, whereas something said which causes emotional pain to another is dealt with via a public order offence.

we have Indians demanding reparations, we're always being told to be ashamed of our colonial past (oddly, always by those who have settled in the UK from said colonies and are happy to drain the UK and avail of its free public services) and having national pride is now deemed to be a"racist viewpoint" - all while conveniently forgetting that Great Britain was actually pivotal in ridding the World of a fascist regime in 1945.

It is , indeed, a bit of a shithole in some places.

 

 

[richy65]

32 minutes ago, Butch said:

The UK has changed exponentially in recent years, and not for the better. I'll be very careful @tommy dee not to get into political stuff on your topic mate, and start blaming the govt etc.

A lot has been since Covid, we have local councils who now spend a chunk of their budget on empty offices and paying self entitled individuals to work from home, right through to Teachers adding their own left wing agendas to school curriculum and poisoning the minds of the impressionable kids in their care. Add to this a politicised and overstrtetched Police force, no longer Policing by consent but policing by current trends and in many cases instead of applying the Law, allowing their own personal feelings and beliefs to cloud their judgement. We have the rise of endemic anti semitism , again, going unpunished when deliberate offences are done in front of serving police officers.

There are housing shortages, massive pressure on the NHS, lack of places in schools for children, the burden of social care, a skewed and easily exploited benefit system by the usual suspects, crumbling infrastructure and urban decay.

We also have Town centres taken over by money laundering operations such as Turkish Barbers, Candy Shops, Mobile phone repair shops and Nail Salons. Try finding a local Butcher, Habadashery, Hardware store or Bakery in any UK town Centre, and good luck with that.

theft and shoplifting are no longer considered important by the Police, whereas something said which causes emotional pain to another is dealt with via a public order offence.

we have Indians demanding reparations, we're always being told to be ashamed of our colonial past (oddly, always by those who have settled in the UK from said colonies and are happy to drain the UK and avail of its free public services) and having national pride is now deemed to be a"racist viewpoint" - all while conveniently forgetting that Great Britain was actually pivotal in ridding the World of a fascist regime in 1945.

It is , indeed, a bit of a shithole in some places.

 

 

Couldn’t agree more with all of this and I think it will only get worse. I just want to keep working hard towards my retirement which will hopefully be spent in Thailand.

[Horizondave]

1 hour ago, Butch said:

The UK has changed exponentially in recent years, and not for the better. I'll be very careful @tommy dee not to get into political stuff on your topic mate, and start blaming the govt etc.

A lot has been since Covid, we have local councils who now spend a chunk of their budget on empty offices and paying self entitled individuals to work from home, right through to Teachers adding their own left wing agendas to school curriculum and poisoning the minds of the impressionable kids in their care. Add to this a politicised and overstrtetched Police force, no longer Policing by consent but policing by current trends and in many cases instead of applying the Law, allowing their own personal feelings and beliefs to cloud their judgement. We have the rise of endemic anti semitism , again, going unpunished when deliberate offences are done in front of serving police officers.

There are housing shortages, massive pressure on the NHS, lack of places in schools for children, the burden of social care, a skewed and easily exploited benefit system by the usual suspects, crumbling infrastructure and urban decay.

We also have Town centres taken over by money laundering operations such as Turkish Barbers, Candy Shops, Mobile phone repair shops and Nail Salons. Try finding a local Butcher, Habadashery, Hardware store or Bakery in any UK town Centre, and good luck with that.

theft and shoplifting are no longer considered important by the Police, whereas something said which causes emotional pain to another is dealt with via a public order offence.

we have Indians demanding reparations, we're always being told to be ashamed of our colonial past (oddly, always by those who have settled in the UK from said colonies and are happy to drain the UK and avail of its free public services) and having national pride is now deemed to be a"racist viewpoint" - all while conveniently forgetting that Great Britain was actually pivotal in ridding the World of a fascist regime in 1945.

It is , indeed, a bit of a shithole in some places.

 

 

It is because of all of the reasons above that I wish I was living again in Thailand.  Only reason to be in UK is for my daughter's education, but even that is starting to concern me and the wife, not sure the curriculum is everything I thought it was going to be.

Add to that the debacle that is NHS dentistry; only today my wife has received a letter telling her that her dental care is changing. It seems the dentist who last treated her is going private and contacting all her previous patients. Can't believe she is being told she is off the NHS list but trying to get through to them to find out what it is all about is almost impossible.

If only the lotto ticket would come up, I would be out of here. In Thailand, I felt comfortable, I felt it was my home. In the UK, I feel more of an outsider and I can't see it getting any better.

[Bazle]

1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

It is because of all of the reasons above that I wish I was living again in Thailand.  Only reason to be in UK is for my daughter's education, but even that is starting to concern me and the wife, not sure the curriculum is everything I thought it was going to be.

Add to that the debacle that is NHS dentistry; only today my wife has received a letter telling her that her dental care is changing. It seems the dentist who last treated her is going private and contacting all her previous patients. Can't believe she is being told she is off the NHS list but trying to get through to them to find out what it is all about is almost impossible.

If only the lotto ticket would come up, I would be out of here. In Thailand, I felt comfortable, I felt it was my home. In the UK, I feel more of an outsider and I can't see it getting any better.

I empathise with what you say, but consider the air pollution situation before jumping back to Thailand. It could trump all the plus points.

[Phantom51red]

1 hour ago, Bazle said:

I empathise with what you say, but consider the air pollution situation before jumping back to Thailand. It could trump all the plus points.

Considered....Thailand wins 🙂,if it wasn't for silly (some) apps and scaremongering no one would care or even know.

Jeez they were talking about air quality being bad in hua hin a few months back on the fb page,I'm sitting on the beach thinking go ask where ye can find a pair of pink floral curtains instead.  

[Phantom51red]

3 hours ago, Horizondave said:

It is because of all of the reasons above that I wish I was living again in Thailand.  Only reason to be in UK is for my daughter's education, but even that is starting to concern me and the wife, not sure the curriculum is everything I thought it was going to be.

Add to that the debacle that is NHS dentistry; only today my wife has received a letter telling her that her dental care is changing. It seems the dentist who last treated her is going private and contacting all her previous patients. Can't believe she is being told she is off the NHS list but trying to get through to them to find out what it is all about is almost impossible.

If only the lotto ticket would come up, I would be out of here. In Thailand, I felt comfortable, I felt it was my home. In the UK, I feel more of an outsider and I can't see it getting any better.

I couldn't get appointment with my dentist now if I tried,private rip ye off,luckily was working in Belfast so off to school of dentistry I went where eager students lined up to pull my bad tooth out,for free🙂

[Phantom51red]

5 hours ago, Butch said:

The UK has changed exponentially in recent years, and not for the better. I'll be very careful @tommy dee not to get into political stuff on your topic mate, and start blaming the govt etc.

A lot has been since Covid, we have local councils who now spend a chunk of their budget on empty offices and paying self entitled individuals to work from home, right through to Teachers adding their own left wing agendas to school curriculum and poisoning the minds of the impressionable kids in their care. Add to this a politicised and overstrtetched Police force, no longer Policing by consent but policing by current trends and in many cases instead of applying the Law, allowing their own personal feelings and beliefs to cloud their judgement. We have the rise of endemic anti semitism , again, going unpunished when deliberate offences are done in front of serving police officers.

There are housing shortages, massive pressure on the NHS, lack of places in schools for children, the burden of social care, a skewed and easily exploited benefit system by the usual suspects, crumbling infrastructure and urban decay.

We also have Town centres taken over by money laundering operations such as Turkish Barbers, Candy Shops, Mobile phone repair shops and Nail Salons. Try finding a local Butcher, Habadashery, Hardware store or Bakery in any UK town Centre, and good luck with that.

theft and shoplifting are no longer considered important by the Police, whereas something said which causes emotional pain to another is dealt with via a public order offence.

we have Indians demanding reparations, we're always being told to be ashamed of our colonial past (oddly, always by those who have settled in the UK from said colonies and are happy to drain the UK and avail of its free public services) and having national pride is now deemed to be a"racist viewpoint" - all while conveniently forgetting that Great Britain was actually pivotal in ridding the World of a fascist regime in 1945.

It is , indeed, a bit of a shithole in some places.

 

 

Fs glad I live in Scotland 😅😅😅

[Bazle]

21 minutes ago, Phantom51red said:

.....,if it wasn't for silly (some) apps and scaremongering no one would care or even know.

Take a look at the pictures of Pattaya posted just on this forum and it's hard not to know about the air pollution, assuming you don't have defective vision.

[Phantom51red]

2 hours ago, Bazle said:

Take a look at the pictures of Pattaya posted just on this forum and it's hard not to know about the air pollution, assuming you don't have defective vision.

Yea some days good some days bad,in fact i started to hate driving in pattaya my last few years there mostly due to breathing n the shite tour buses spewed out,but it s not reason enough to decide against moving,apparently its just as bad in certain UK areas the government will tell us,with their  emission zones ect ect.

 

[Butch]

4 hours ago, Bazle said:

I empathise with what you say, but consider the air pollution situation before jumping back to Thailand. It could trump all the plus points.

Easily remedied by staying indoors with a half decent Air purifier.

 

[Bazle]

5 minutes ago, Butch said:

Easily remedied by staying indoors with a half decent Air purifier.

Then what is the point of being in Thailand? 

[Horizondave]

6 hours ago, Bazle said:

I empathise with what you say, but consider the air pollution situation before jumping back to Thailand. It could trump all the plus points.

That would be a minor negative compared to the benefits of the humidity, the warmer air etc. I suffer from psoriasis and dry skin. The weather is very conducive to my better health, I was told long ago as a teenager that living in a warmer climate was good for me.

My choice of Hua Hin would also be a better option than perhaps Bangkok, Chiang Mai etc., never seen air pollution in Hua Hin as a problem. 

[Lemondropkid]

1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

My choice of Hua Hin would also be a better option than perhaps Bangkok, Chiang Mai etc., never seen air pollution in Hua Hin as a problem. 

The air quality in recent weeks in HH has been pretty poor. Smog like haze in the air, I've been limiting the time spent outdoors some days.

Very unscientific of me but everytime there's a bad day in HH, I'll have a look at the readings for Krabi or Phukhet, and there are always better- every single time. Maybe somewhere on the Adanman Coast would be a better place to live long term?

Back on the central theme I'm  still much preferring things to the current UK winter  but Baz does make a good point about pollution being a negative.

 

 

Edited January 31 by Lemondropkid

[Phantom51red]

45 minutes ago, Lemondropkid said:

The air quality in recent weeks in HH has been pretty poor. Smog like haze in the air, I've been limiting the time spent outdoors 

 

 

I'd never even consider it,but then again I like smelling emonia caused by bats droppings in caves 😄

Maybe it's a combination of hot weather over the ocean aswell,up in hin lek fai viewpoints its easy to see this haze ....then it clears as the day goes on.

On hot days in hua hin😜, particulate matter is more likely to stay in the air longer and cause reduced visibility

Edited January 31 by Phantom51red

[Lemondropkid]

7 minutes ago, Phantom51red said:

I'd never even consider it,but then again I like smelling emonia caused by bats droppings in caves 😄

Maybe it's a combination of hot weather over the ocean aswell,up in hin lek fai viewpoints its easy to see this haze ....then it clears as the day goes on.

On hot days in hua hin😜, particulate matter is more likely to stay in the air longer and cause reduced visibility

I don't profess to have any understanding of how it happens. Given how that becomes politicised my interest switches off. totally.

There's been a couple of days in recent weeks here where the air has had that stink I remember from spending too long in Pattaya

[Phantom51red]

1 minute ago, Lemondropkid said:

I don't profess to have any understanding of how it happens. Given how that becomes politicised my interest switches off. totally.

There's been a couple of days in recent weeks here where the air has had that stink I remember from spending too long in Pattaya

Me neither,hmm the stink you wouldn't be spending to much time down in bintibht and walking street would you🙂

[lazarus]

What Are the Health Effects of Particle Pollution?

There is no safe threshold to breathe in fine particles. A recent review of all available scientific evidence to date clearly shows that particle pollution is associated with increased mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and lung cancer.

. . .

Particle Pollution

https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/what-makes-air-unhealthy/particle-pollution

[Yessongs]

Ok so since no one has talked about life in USA...let me weigh in. Has there been changes there? Of course, some for the better, some for the worse, just like Thailand. Like most Americans, I am disgusted about the illegal immigration going on, high housing prices, the rise in overall crime, traffic etc. Don't get me wrong, I like Thailand as a general rule, but...I am not going to bash Calif. I have always been able to filter the "noise" coming from the Political side of things. I have always said and still tell people when they ask me, at the end of the day, I am still American and will always love my country. 

I still like Calif alot quite frankly, still have my home there, my Daughter is in Texas and my Son in Calif and for that reason alone, I will always want to be in USA at some point. 

I have also told many people when they ask me about Thailand, that quite frankly Thailand absolutely has some things America will never have, on the flip side, America has things Thailand will NEVER have...for me the weather in Calif is second to none year around. I hate the air pollution here like everyone else, and the dreadful humidity takes a toll on me too. Yes Thailand is cheaper to live, but I don't think that in my opinion, that makes it necessarily better. 

I certainly miss "sports" back home, I can no longer go to San Jose Giants Baseball games, no longer go see my old "alma mater" San Jose State play Football, can not see The San Jose Sharks play Hockey or go see The Golden State Warriors play Basketball anymore either. Wifey loves sports too, seeing it live, is so much better then on TV. These are just some of the things I miss from back home. 

At the end of the day, we all have choices we have to make that works for us.....

[Glasseye]

13 hours ago, richy65 said:

Couldn’t agree more with all of this and I think it will only get worse. I just want to keep working hard towards my retirement which will hopefully be spent in Thailand.

 

retirement

 

Always should be main focus (that and you health, physical and mental). Never lose sight of it nor allow yourself to be distracted from it. IMO it is the primary spource of future contentment. 

I retired at 51. Life is still full of many challenges following, but the best decision I have ever made. 14 years later there are still many Up's and Down's. But if not for the fact that I am retired life would likely be complete misery.

[Glasseye]

12 minutes ago, Yessongs said:

Ok so since no one has talked about life in USA...let me weigh in. Has there been changes there? Of course, some for the better, some for the worse, just like Thailand. Like most Americans, I am disgusted about the illegal immigration going on, high housing prices, the rise in overall crime, traffic etc. Don't get me wrong, I like Thailand as a general rule, but...I am not going to bash Calif. I have always been able to filter the "noise" coming from the Political side of things. I have always said and still tell people when they ask me, at the end of the day, I am still American and will always love my country. 

I still like Calif alot quite frankly, still have my home there, my Daughter is in Texas and my Son in Calif and for that reason alone, I will always want to be in USA at some point. 

I have also told many people when they ask me about Thailand, that quite frankly Thailand absolutely has some things America will never have, on the flip side, America has things Thailand will NEVER have...for me the weather in Calif is second to none year around. I hate the air pollution here like everyone else, and the dreadful humidity takes a toll on me too. Yes Thailand is cheaper to live, but I don't think that in my opinion, that makes it necessarily better. 

I certainly miss "sports" back home, I can no longer go to San Jose Giants Baseball games, no longer go see my old "alma mater" San Jose State play Football, can not see The San Jose Sharks play Hockey or go see The Golden State Warriors play Basketball anymore either. Wifey loves sports too, seeing it live, is so much better then on TV. These are just some of the things I miss from back home. 

At the end of the day, we all have choices we have to make that works for us.....

 

Nicely said Yes. I understand what you are saying about the U.S.

Although I will always love the greatness of it and the memories (especially the childhood ones), there are many things I cannot just let go of (like the bombings, of Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao. Or the ridiculous incredibly wasteful invasionon of Iraq (incredibly stupid, wasteful and cost thousands of lives to be destroyed). I cannot and wil not ever be able to forgive that.

Nothing can balance these things out in my mind. 

The lack of correcting screwed up things like failure to regulate the tech industry is beyond belief.

Not going to get into politics, but it is a significant part of reality whether someone chooses to recognize this or just stick their heads in the sand.

No disrepect meant whatsoever. But, that is how I see it, and ain't nothing is going to change it.