Happiest days of your life?

[joe552]

So when were the happiest days of your life? Maybe it's right now. Or you might even expect they are still ahead of you (perhaps planning a retirement in Thailand).

Up to now, mine were the time I lived in BC, Canada. Worked at a boarding school, had good friends who were into theatre and working with young people.

Second, would be the time I spent on a kibbutz in Israel, with lots of international friends.

Third, my time serving with the UN in Lebanon in '78 for 6 months.

Don't accuse me of always looking back. I had that on another thread. Either join the discussion, or ignore it.

[bobsaigon2]

I have referenced Lao Tzu who suggested that the way to achieve peace of mind was to not dwell on the past, not anticipate the future, but simply focus on living the present as well as possible. In general I think it's good advice. I find it depressing to contemplate all the less than successful relationships in my life. But yes, there were good days that can be, should be savored. My list would include:

-- Working in Ethiopia as a Peace Corps Volunteer
-- Teaching at a Thai university
-- The successes I had as an immigration consultant for Vietnamese immigrants

[joe552]

Thanks bob. The Peace Corps always fascinated me. Can you tell us a bit about how it worked?

[bobsaigon2]

I guess I was inspired by John Kennedy's words (Ask what you can do for your country, not what your country can do for you), so in 1963 I sent in an application to the Peace Corps. There was a bit of background info needed and some sort of testing to see if one could handle learning a foreign language, which I couldn't but that was not a problem. The FBI showed up in my neighborhood to do a clearance. A couple of months were spent at UCLA: History and language of Ethiopia, physical training, which I did my best to avoid, and then we were off to Africa. These days most of the training is done in-country which probably makes more sense.

Assigned to a secondary school In Addis Ababa to teach English. Today's Volunteers in Ethiopia don't teach, mainly in the health care and community development fields. We were given a small salary and rent assistance, but did not have access to the US Embassy food shops. Learned to eat Ethiopian food frequently and I still miss it. Peace Corps doctors provided health care. At the time, foreign teachers were still a bit of a novelty and Ethiopians were generally accepting and hospitable. Students were appreciative of my efforts, I had quite a few social events with them. It was a very good two years.

I felt unwell while travelling back to the US and found out I had contracted hepatitis, which meant a week in hospital but the fees were waived because I was a returned Volunteer.

[joe552]

Thanks bob, sounds like an interesting time. I remember when I was in Lebanon, and met a UN staffer while on a break in Israel, and I thought "that's a life I want". Didn't happen, but who knows.

I'm sure your experience in Africa changed you as a person (how could it not) and you made a difference in peoples's lives. Salute you, sir.

[latintopxxx]

R U about to kick the bucket??? some of your topics R a bit of a worry

[scottish-guy]

If he starts posting that he's tidied up the house, put all his affairs in order, and has bought some new rope, then we'll call the paramedics.

But, on topic, I'm hoping the "happiest days of my life" are still to come!

[a447]

The happiest days of my life were those days spent living and working in Japan. Hands down. No contest.

And if I ever feel a bit down, I make a short trip to Japan and that provides me with an instant cure. A couple of days is enough, and I'm back to my old self.

[joe552]

Was it work that took you to Japan in the first place, a447?

[a447]

It was my father's job. He was transferred to Tokyo.

[joe552]

How old were you when you first went there?

[cdnmatt]

I think I'm currently living the happiest days of my life right now. The only time comparable would be when my farang husband and myself were together, and living in a small town in the Rocky Mountains. That was an amazing life, but I could quite easily argue that my current life is even better than that.

I guess we're still quite poor, but I'm not too worried about that. I've been both rich and poor multiple times over in this life. I know I have a strong mind, and know full well what I'm capable of, and now have the love and ambition again to actually make it happen, so not too worried about finances.

I have this absolutely amazing husband, who I love more than life itself, because he has this heart that just won't stop. Granted, he's not the most intelligent guy in the world, but when it comes to love, compassion, and empathy, you're not going to find better than him in this life. And as far as I can gather, for some unknown reason, he loves me quite a bit too. I know, I know... he's a crazy shithead for loving me like he does, but for some reason he does.

Then as crazy as this sounds, it looks like we're going to adopt a coule boys in the near future, ages 8 and 10. Leo came into my room a few days ago asking if I want a couple "servants" when we move to Vientiane to help me with being blind. I guess he has a 45yo aunt who peopped out a couple too many kids, and constantly pleads with Leo to take them to Thailand to find them work, because she's simply unable to take care of them. Naturally, my initial reaction was, "Leo, we can barely take care of ourselves, and you want to take in a couple kids? What the fuck is wrong with you?!?!"

Then I thought about it, and it's really not that crazy of an idea. I can be rich if I want to be rich, and I know that because I've done it multiple times. And this family probably lives off $50/month, so they're as poor as poor gets. If the mother isn't able to take care of them to the point she wants to give them away, then I can't possibly see how Leo and myself would do bad by them. They will have a nice home, their own bedroom, lots of clothes and good food every day, lots of love, we'll place them into a proper international school in Vientiane, and so on.

I'm totally over the moon with the prospect of becoming a father. Being able to go to sleep every night knowing that I'm giving two boys a strong life and future would make me so happy, you have no idea. The prospect of this scares the shit out of me, but in a good way, and in a way that I'll ensure not to fuck it up. Leo and myself have about as strong and deep of a relationship as human relationships get, so as long as we stick together, I'm sure we can give these kids a good life. Leo would be an amazing father, because he has a heart that just doesn't stop. Hell, he managed to bring me back from the living dead, and that was definitely no easy feat.

Plus I also have this new found ambition that I haven't felt for a VERY long time. I'm beyond excited about the technology that is going to be coming out, and can't wait to be a part of it (and hopefully get really rich in the process, haha). For one of many examples, within the next 2 or 3 years, expect the checkout lines at your local stores to just totally disappear, including the self-serve checkout lines. You will be able just to walk into your local Tesco, take whatever you want, and walk out without any checkout at all. Assuming your membership card is in your wallet, your credit card will just get automatically charged for whatever you took out of the store. That type of technology currently exists, and just now has become cheap enough to put it into widespread implementation. Unfortunately, it probably won't be me doing the implementation, which sucks, because quite obviously there's a hell of a lot of money to be made there. Nonetheless, that type of thing is coming, and probably sooner than you think.

But yeah, even though I'm stuck being blind which obviously sucks, I can honestly sit here and say I'm probably happier than I've ever been. It's a good feeling.

[joe552]

Matt I currently use that system in my local supermarket, but technically I think it's call shoplifting.

As for you adopting 2 kids - I'm speechless. I really do hope you're making this up.

[arsenal]

CDMatt. Do not under any circumstances bring children into this story that you post on this gay Thailand message board. If you do I'll infract three of your posts and that's you gone for a week along with your posts.

[bobsaigon2]

Of course it

[bobsaigon2]

The other sections of my post were apparently deleted. No explanation or comment provided.

[a447]

How old were you when you first went there?

I was thirteen and just starting junior high.

[a447]

Bob, did you use any apostrophes, or foreign accents over vowels? If so, that's usually the end of your post.

It happened to newalaan2 recently.

I now type mine up in Note (I use an iPad) then copy and paste. If it disappears I don't have to re-type it.

[bobsaigon2]

Thanks, a447. I have removed all of the apostrophes and now repost:

Of course it is fiction, as the KK Tales have always been, but they amuse us, so why not play along, especially with this great new plot twist.

Adopting two boys 8 and 10 yrs old --- does this sound crazy? Absolutely.

First off, you will need to discuss with your 23 yr old partner, who is now undergoing delayed pubescence, how to raise children, based on your extensive parenting expertise. And remind him that ninety per cent of the burden of raising these children will fall to him since you are blind and not fluent in their language.

You are no doubt aware that Pasaa Lao and Thai are not quite the same, so to avoid misunderstandings you will have to put in some time learning the differences, and make sure the kids watch a lot of Thai TV so they will be able to meet you half way in the language exchange.

And do not forget to add the kids to your no doubt very generous life insurance policy. You will outlive your dogs but you need to think about the future of the boys. You do have such an insurance policy, do you not?

A proper international school in Vientiane? Right. First they will have to upgrade their no doubt meager academic preparation, be taught quite a bit of English and learn how to interact with all the affluent farang children at the school.

The school fees-- Figure on about 20K USD per year per child. I do not know if they accept bitcoin.

Bon Voyage. Hope they like chicken cordon bleu.

[scottish-guy]

Perhaps one of our esteemed moderators would point to the apparent rule that prohibits "any mention of children"

[arsenal]

There are a few issues with the software Bob. On any long post I copy before posting. Not ideal but the best at the moment.

[cdnmatt]

Matt I currently use that system in my local supermarket, but technically I think it's call shoplifting.

Go ahead and be sarcastic, but I'm telling you, it's coming. Just watch over the next few years, and you will notice bar codes disappearing, and being replaced with ink based nanocomposites. This technology is already widespread throughout warehouses in the world, but just recently has become cheap enough to implement on a local store level. Once done, there will just be a scanner installed in the door, so when you leave the store, it will automatically read the membership card in your wallet, plus every item in your bag / cart, and charge your credit card the necessary amount. Trust me, it's coming.

There's also loads of other really cool shit coming out too, and I can't wait to be a part of it.



As for you adopting 2 kids - I'm speechless. I really do hope you're making this up.

Apparently, I'm now allowed to talk about that. Fuck you, arsenal. I'm hardly thinking about sex when it comes to the kids, and if they do end up under our care, quite obviously I'm not going to allow any of the cretins from this board anywhere close to them, so it's a bit of a moot issue.

Jesus christ, just because I happen to be gay doesn't mean I want to fuck kids. What the hell is wrong with you? If I want sex, I'll go get Leo. That's what I have a husband for. Get your mind out of the gutter.

[joe552]

I have to agree with Matt's point (whatever I think about his idea of adopting). Surely the guidelines refer to discussing children in a sexual context, which is clearly not what Matt is thinking about. I'm sure there are members of the board who are fathers - should they not be allowed to talk about their children?

[scottish-guy]

Perhaps one of our esteemed moderators would point to the apparent rule that prohibits "any mention of children"


Since 4 hours have passed I'll take that as a NO then?


So I'll assume the comment was just another example of things being made up as they go along

[joe552]

Matt, about you adopting those children (assuming you were actually serious) if their mother is in financial trouble, would it not make more sense to financially support her on an ongoing basis, and leave the children where they belong?

[bobsaigon2]

Matt, about you adopting those children (assuming you were actually serious) if their mother is in financial trouble, would it not make more sense to financially support her on an ongoing basis, and leave the children where they belong?

Good point, Joe. Although being adopted would give them a much more pleasant life materially, it might also be an emotionally upsetting situation when a farang attempts to introduce them to an international life involving schooling, eating and thinking that may be to them totally exotic, even bizarre. But it is a toss up. They might just embrace all the new aspects of life that Matt introduces to them and they may flourish. I am sure we all hope that posting guidelines will permit Matt to give us all the details about raising two Lao youngsters.

If the kids did stay with mom, then I am sure Matt would put in place some kind of long term disbursement procedure so that his help would continue until they are self-supporting.

[arsenal]

CDMatt. Why do you want to bring this into the story? What is to be gained? Can't you think up any adult characters to move the tale along?

[joe552]

I'd certainly like to hear more of Matt's thinking on this. Yes, he could possibly provide a better life materially, but moving 2 children away from their family to live with a blind farang would surely traumatise them?

[bobsaigon2]

CDMatt. Why do you want to bring this into the story? What is to be gained? Can't you think up any adult characters to move the tale along?


Maybe Matt could introduce a couple of 18-19 year old cousins of Leo into the narrative. He helps them finish high school, get some training or some further education and at the same time shares with them an international perspective on life, trying to motivate them to expand their horizons, realize their full potential, and maybe doing some on the job training in his restaurant. If the story line remains with very young kids, I am afraid some of our board members, such as myself, will expire before the conclusion of the adopted kids segment of the KK Tales.

[joe552]

But bob, it's only a couple of months until they move to Laos, via that night boat on the Mekong. Stick with it, it'll be worth it.

[cdnmatt]

I'd certainly like to hear more of Matt's thinking on this. Yes, he could possibly provide a better life materially, but moving 2 children away from their family to live with a blind farang would surely traumatise them?


No, I'm actually being serious, and I'm not lieing. This is simply my life. Leo is back in Laos right now, and this morning I e-mailed him, asking him to go talk to the mother again, because if she's serious and is unable to take care of the kids, then we're serious too. Don't worry, I fully understand this is a full-time 10 year commitment we're looking it, and more.

I'm sorry, but there's about an 80% chance we're going to take those kids, because without question, they're better off with us. Quite obviously, the mother knows and trusts Leo enough to put her kids in his hands. I've thought this through and through, and you have to realize, these kids have absolutely no future if they stay in that village. If they stay there, they will be stuck in dire poverty for the rest of their natural lives. Whereas with us, they get a fighting shot at a good future in this modern world of ours.

Right now, they have a 5 person family, and all sleep in a one bedroom chack. They don't even had beds, let alone bedrooms. They probably barely have any clotes, are underweight and malnourished, probably dirty with shit like tapeworm, don't really get much love or attention or love from their parents, and getting a horrible education from some public school in the village, and so on.

Leo and myself could turn all that around 100% for them. They would have a nice home with proper bedrooms and beds, we'd get them some posters of whatever they like they can hang up on their walls, the kitchen and cupboards would be full of food they could raid anytime they want, we'd get them into a proper international school with an Australian cirriculum, they would recieve all the love, attention and care they need, we'd have a nice house with a large yard to play sports in (and if I have my way, a swimming pool too), etc.

Without question, Leo and myself would make amazing parents. I've met more than enough totally worthless, pirce of shit sperm donors who call themselves fathers in my life, to know that we couldn't possibly do any worse. Again, Leo and myself have a relationship that's about as strong and deep as human relationships get, so I'm not worried about that. He;s stuck with me every day since I went blind, and trust, that wasn't easy. My dad has showed up twice now in Khon Kaen unannounced, trying to bring me back to Canada, but I flat out refused both times, because I was simply unwilling to leave my husband. Leo's dad was recently hospitalized, and the family expected Leo to stay in the village to take care of his father. However, he decided differently, and pissed off the whole family by coming back to Khon Kaen to take care of his blind husband, and without question, that must have been a very difficult decision for him to make.

For another example, Leo and myself never actually argue, eh? So the kids won't have to constantly listen to parents who yell and scream at each other, which I'm sure many of us had to experience, including myself. Sure, we have our problems and differences, but when a problem arises, we always just sit down as rational adults, and talk about it in an open, honest and civil mannger, and come up with a solution that works for both of us. Both of us intrinsically understand that neither of us can do this life alone, but if we stick together, then we can make a very strong life, so we work together on everything.

And lots of other things. For example, looks like there's about a 90% chance I'm landing a very lucrative contract with a firm in Taiwan. Assuming that does go through, I'll be required to fly to Taiwan to train their software developers, which I've done before a couple times in Canada, so have experience with it. Assuming that contract goes through, and the timing is right, I'm going to want to take the kids with us. Simply because experiencing new countriries and cultures is without question the best education you can get in this life. Same goes for when Leo and myself go to Canada and visit my family -- those kids are coming, and can check out Canada too.

Without us, and if they stay in the village with their mother, they have no hope for the future. With us, at least the get a fighting shot. Leo and myself obviously won't be the best parents this world offers, and we're going to make our fair share of mistakes. Nonetheless, we can give these kids a far better shot at a good future than they would otherwise get, so more than likely, we're going to take them. Remains to be seen, but there's a good chance that's going to happen.





I fully understand the gravity of the situation, but I'm certain Leo and myself would be good parents.

[joe552]

Matt, so what happens when you get to the border, and are detained for overstaying your visa?

This fantasy is already beyond ridiculous.

[cdnmatt]

Matt, so what happens when you get to the border, and are detained for overstaying your visa?

This fantasy is already beyond ridiculous.


Worst case scenario, I get jailed for a few days, before being brought before a judge and black listed for 10 years. That's absolutely worst case scenario though, and I don't even expect that to happen.

Government officials are about as corrupt as corrupt can be in this part of the world, so I don't think it will be a problem to find a senior immigration official who wants a quick say $6000 pay day in order to get me over the border without getting black listed.

Don't worry, that's my problem, not yours.

[scottish-guy]

While you're at it, could you find me a corrupt official in the Visa Dept of the British Embassy in BKK - I've spent 7yrs trying to do things legally and now I'm pissed off.

Cheers

:p

[bobsaigon2]

Post #31 obviously transmitted to us through the courtesy of some sort of Cloud on planet Neptune or some other alternate reality / alternate universe location. That next to last paragraph is as far from reality as one can get. But hey, it's all in good fun. :clapping:

[joe552]

My big fear about this is not that Matt may be a troll, just making stuff up on the fly, but that's he's a real person, and actually plans to do as he says. Chilling.

[dinagam]

cdnmatt,
Have you tried using Braille?
Your spelling is atrocious.

[cdnmatt]

cdnmatt,
Have you tried using Braille?
Your spelling is atrocious.


Really, that's what your going to pick on me over? Don't worry, my spelling is just fine. I type quickly on this board, hence the typos. Obviously, I'm a lot more careful when it comes to my work.

If you really want to see someone who types like absolute garbage, then just listen to one of latin's posts via screen reader. Every three words you have to listen to, "dot dot dot dot". It's beyond annoying.

[bobsaigon2]

My big fear about this is not that Matt may be a troll, just making stuff up on the fly, but that's he's a real person, and actually plans to do as he says. Chilling.

That is a chilling thought. We have viewed the several years of KK Tales with amusement, wonderment, but if there is a real Matt who plans to follow through with these absurd notions, then we need to get in touch with the Lao equivalent of the Department of Children's Protective Services, if such exists. And although Leo is no longer a child, if Matt is real, maybe Leo needs some protection as well. But I think we can rest easy and proffer our thanks to Matt's creator for years of entertainment.

[arsenal]

COMMANDER DUDE MATT.
This is Control. You wrote.
"If you really want to see someone who types like absolute garbage, then just listen to one of latin's posts via screen reader. Every three words you have to listen to, "dot dot dot dot". It's beyond annoying."

Please be aware that Latin is 'one of us.' He is sending you coded messages in Morse code. Please decipher the messages and get on with your mission. We have spent a lot of money setting up this op and we cannot afford for it to fail because you're too busy bickering.

-.- .. -.-. -.- stop .- .-. ... . stop -.-. .... .. .-.. .-.. .. stop

[cdnmatt]

Ok, fine, it's all made up. Fake news!

Threaten to call the cops on me, what the fuck? Quit being such a Westerner.

[bobsaigon2]

"Such a Westerner" ? Matt, we're talking about what kind of decisions a rational person would make or not make. This rationality is not country-specific, but universal. Some of us have lived in and/or visited Asia for a long time (45 years in my case), so any reactions to your posts are accompanied by a sufficient understanding of Asian cultures.

[cdnmatt]

"Such a Westerner" ? Matt, we're talking about what kind of decisions a rational person would make or not make. This rationality is not country-specific, but universal. Some of us have lived in and/or visited Asia for a long time (45 years in my case), so any reactions to your posts are accompanied by a sufficient understanding of Asian cultures.


Well, I've lived here for 8 years myself, so I'm quite confident I'm well versed in Asian culture myself. How do you think I made a relationship between Leo and myself work out so well? I was only able to do that because I have a very good understanding and grasp of Asian society. hence I was able to see things from his perspective.

Again, the mother doesn't even want these kids, because she's unable to take care of them. And she quite obviously knows and trusts Leo enough to put the kids into his care, so that says something. She has no idea of who I am. She just knows I'm a white guy who works on the internet, and is capable of making good money.

I'm sorry, but we're taking them. If they stay in the village with their mother, they have absolutely no shot at a good future. If they stay with us though, then they get a good shot at a good future. They can decide to be whatever they want, and Leo and myself will be 100% behind them. They can be engineers, doctors, scientists, muscians, or whatever they want. We'll be here to support them.

On top of that, I'm perfect age to be a father. I'm 36, so I'm young enough to keep up with them, but old enough to be a mature and responsible parent. Then again, I'm 100% trusting of Leo, and certain he would make as amazing father. Obviously, he would be the mother role, and do a good amount of the heavy lifting when it comes to taking care of the kids on a day-to-day basis. I'd do my best, but for the most part, would basically just be the father role who's responsible for ensuring money keeps showing up in the bank account to provide us with a good life.

[cdnmatt]

Oh, and for the "quit being such a Westerner" comment, I simply meant that people in Western socities tend to criticize and drag down people for no real reason. Whereas in Asian socities, people tend to have much more of a community spirit, uplift each other, and due to that make a stronger community as a whole.

Us Westerners seem to have forgotten those values over the last few decades. That's why I'm still living here. It's a better society than Western society offers.

[bobsaigon2]

For both of the last two posts: ROFLMAO. :D

[a447]

Perhaps you could fast forward the story to the part where, at the age of 18 and much to your chagrin, they decide to head down to Pattaya and try their luck.

Just leave out everything in between.

[cdnmatt]

Perhaps you could fast forward the story to the part where, at the age of 18 and much to your chagrin, they decide to head down to Pattaya and try their luck.

Just leave out everything in between.


Yeah, like fuck.

If anything, my kids will be busy curing your cancer. Dick.

[joe552]

Matt, you are so up your own hole (to use a Dublin expression) it's beyond words.

What happens if you arrive at the border, are detained for overstaying your visa, and deported back to Canada? Leo will still care for these kids?

[arsenal]

Joe asked.
"What happens if you arrive at the border, are detained for overstaying your visa?"

We can but hope.

[scottish-guy]

Putting aside whether any of this dramatic saga is genuine or not ... it strikes me that Matt is in danger of only seeing positive outcomes to it and ignoring the (more likely) negatives.

These kids are already 8 and 10 and living in squalor and poverty, right? I also get the impression (may be wrong) that Matt has never or rarely met them.

Point is, he is already envisioning them educated to Degree level and being expert doctors, scientists, engineers or musicians.

I don't want to pee in his coffee kettle - but whilst that may be remotely possible, at age10 especially there are already a lot of hard to change and ingrained behaviours, so it's far more likely that they won't end up being any of those things.

Then what, Matt - because I'm getting the distinct impression that you'd be doing this for you rather than these boys.

[a447]

I'm getting the distinct impression that you'd be doing this for you rather than these boys.

I'm getting the distinct impression he'd be doing this for us, his bemused audience.