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31  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: July 27, 2021, 06:50:16 AM
If you could only eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?


After much dithering between Fry-ups, steak pudding and chips, Sunday roast etc I decided I had to do the sensible thing and have this.




https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-create-the-healthiest-meal-ever-2012-6?r=US&IR=T

ok now let's assume every meal is of the same nutrional value. What are you choosing and what is your favourite non-British meal?
32  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: July 27, 2021, 06:48:36 AM


Hi Tom.

Some very random questions from me this morning, just cause.

What's your favourite breed of dog? Do you currently have a dog?

If you could only eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?

Single favourite poker memory? Do you still play at all these days or plan to play again post-covid?

One technology you'd like improved and one you want banished from the world.



Random questions my arse. I will try to keep the answers brief but I can't promise anything.


What's your favourite breed of dog?



This is a tough one, I don't know yet if I will be able to arrive at a definitive answer.

Let me start by ruling out all the ones that have been ruined by having to conform to the the Kennel Club breed standard. So a few off the top of my head are Bulldog, Dachshund, Pug, Shar Pei, Chow-Chow & Great Dane.



Before I go any further let me just say a word in praise of the humble mongrel. I'm not talking about a cross-bred or hybrid here but the true, mongrel dam, mongrel sire, mongrel grandparents Heinz 57 mongrel. These have been some of the best dogs I've ever known.

Mongrels have loads of advantages. They have a huge gene-pool to draw from and so very rarely suffer from inherited deformity or frailty. When it comes to vitality and intelegence they are virtually always in the top few %

The big draw back with a mongrel is that you are taking a chance if you get one as a puppy because yo have no idea what he will turn out like or what his strong instincts will be, i.e guarding, hunting, retrieving, herding etc, and you don't know what his body shape or coat will be like.

If you want a mongrel try to get one that is old enough to show it's shape and character but young enough to be still unspoiled by bad experiences..




Several breeds have been my favourite at different stages of my life. Well, I say breeds, but mine have often been more types than breeds, Greyhounds crossed with Whippets to make them a bit smaller, a dash of Collie to make them a bit smarter, a pinch of Saluki to give them staying power.

I had one such lurcher called Branch, he wasn't the fastest hare coursing dog or the most fearless lamper but he was a great all-rounder and could 'hunt kill and carry' as the old trope goes. He was also a wonderful companion dog and a sensible, reliable guard. Anyone could walk up to our trailers and he wouldn't bat an eyelid, but woe betide them if they came sneaking, shouting, or under cover of darkness.




Patterdales are ferocious ratting terriers but they are too hard and headstrong to handle without some Lakeland or Jack Russel in the mix.

My best hunting terrier was a tiny broken-coated Patterdale x Lakeland x Lakeland bitch called Millie.
I called her one morning and she didn't come, I looked in her bed, (a shallow depression that she habitually dug behind the wheel of the trailer) and to my everlasting shame found her nursing three newborn puppies. I didn't even know she was pregnant.

When the pups were 6 weeks old (It has to be 8 weeks these days) I gave them away to people who I knew would love them even if they turned out like their unknown father rather than my beautiful bitch.

"I'll look ater it, even ifn it grows into a dhino-sor."

As it turned out they grew into beautiful dogs, a very similar stamp to Millie but an inch or two taller.




Gun-dogs are, for me at least, an easy decision. There are plenty of breeds to choose from, Golden retrievers, Curly-coated retrievers, Flat-coats, Springers, Cockers, Clumbers, the list is vast but Labradors (Working strain) are the ones for me.

So far I have been lucky enough to have two 'Once-in-a-lifetime' dogs and one of them was a yellow Labrador called Ben. I could fill a book with stories about him but this is not the time. I can't think of him without feeling happy and sad. It was my great privilege have him. He was my constant companion, he celebrated with me when I was happy, comforted me when I was sad, and loved me unconditionally.

RIP Ben.


Anyway, I feel like I'm digressing too much and dodging the question. You asked me to pick a breed and so I will.

If I had to choose a pedigree dog breed for the life I live today I would choose a miniature Poodle. (Au natural, not silly Poodle haircut). Miniature Poodles are not the tiny ones (Toy Poodle) and not the big ones (Standard Poodle) Miniatures stand about 15" at the shoulder, which IMO is an ideal size for a general purpose companion type dog.

Miniature Poodles are intelligent, energetic, easy to train and they don't shed hair.

My second choice would be a Cocker Spaniel. Good size, nose orientated, tractable, placid, fun loving, water loving, sycophantic and totally loyal.




Which brings me to your second question.

Do you currently have a dog?


Yes. I have a Miniature Poodle crossed with a Cocker Spaniel.



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Thanks! Great post.

I have a Central Asian shepherd. He's a giant and a great house guardian. He doesnt take any shit but loves playing with smaller dogs. I have to introduce him very carefully with other dogs and keep him away from dogs that are alphas.

I also have a thai mix terrier. He's way smarter than I ever expected him to be.

I have a Cane Corso and he's my favourite. It feels really bad to say that. In the same vein that you shouldnt have a favourite child, having a favourite dog leaves me feeling a bit guilty but hes just incredible. Because 2 of my dogs are so huge, she has grown up without any fear or hesitation when dogs are near her or approach which means I've had to be extra vigilant here with street dogs etc. The first time I ever took her with me while I took my dogs to a Dog play park, my Cane Corso just followed her around the entire time while she played, ran etc. He kept a meter away from her at all times and without being aggresisve or even barking, he just cut off other dogs paths to her. It was quite fantastic. I didn't expect it to be so perfect. He absolutely dotes on me and just wants to be by my side alllllll the time. As i write this, I'm pretty sure I've written the same post somewhere in blonde before so apologies! Think it's a breed I will have for life now.
33  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: July 23, 2021, 03:08:00 AM
Hi Tom.

Some very random questions from me this morning, just cause.

What's your favourite breed of dog? Do you currently have a dog?

If you could only eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?

Single favourite poker memory? Do you still play at all these days or plan to play again post-covid?

One technology you'd like improved and one you want banished from the world.

tyty
34  Community Forums / The Lounge / Re: Blonde will make you STRONG on: June 02, 2021, 12:25:34 PM
lol they're all geared up.

Still incredible to be doing it at that level at 55
35  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 15, 2021, 07:20:19 AM

Cos,

Am abso loving this, keep it coming please.

Ask questions, that's the easiest way to get me writing about anything you might want to know about.
36  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 15, 2021, 07:18:58 AM
Standout memories of Bangkok.

A bloke on the pavement with and ancient treadle sewing machine measured me for a suit in the morning and it was ready in the afternoon. Cost the equivalent of a shirt back home.

These memories are fantastic and I really love the photos, especially the one of the woman holding your arm. Did she eventually let go?

There are still a lot of suit shops, but now run mostly by Indians who have a lot more hustle in them. It's all about the art of negotiation with them but can still get a good quality suit and all the trimmings for a very reasonable price. I think a lot of people blindly just say yes because it's cheap relative to where they are from but there's a lot of scope to negotiate them down to what they might charge a local.



A bullock cart and a Ferrari side by side at the traffic lights.


I think I read somewhere recently that the wealth gap in Thailand was the biggest in the world and it's summed up by what you just said. It feels like 99% of the population live month by month, week by week and day by day, but the top 1% control everything and are so rich. It's something I want to avoid really talking about on the forum but we can have a good chat about this in person as I have been so lucky to get to meet and play poker with many of this 1%.

Seeing a ferrari or sports car of that type here is even more impressive because there's a 200% luxury tax on luxury vehicles.


Street dogs.


With Thailand being around 70% Buddhist and even higher in the areas that most foreigners might find themselves (as a lot of the Muslim areas are in in more troubled Southern regions) that life is sacred and thus, as well as struggling with resources, most vets will not Euthanise dogs. There are now some organisations like the Soi Dog Foundation but there are just so many street dogs to tackle the problem.

Thailand in general is a dog loving country though, with the former King who I would say was the most loved Monarch in the world always pictured with many different dogs.


A procession of burly marines taking turns to try their luck in the ring with a tiny Thai boxer, getting their ass whipped and their mates howling with laughter.

When me and Amatay first arrived in Phuket, our landlord was an English guy with a Thai wife. I remember him saying, if you get in an argument with a Thai guy, walk away. Don't think you're bigger or stronger and be brave. While you were at school playing football and hockey, he was probably learning how to fight. Fortunately, I have never had any sort of problem here. People have always been friendly and welcoming and it also takes much much more to push a Thai person to their limit before they resort to violence in general. In nightlife areas I have seen a few foreigners deservedly get smacked by a little dude though. Your average security/doorman is about half the size of what you'd see in Europe.



A scantily clad waitress seeing me looking at her caesarean scar and explaining politely, "Baby come through, my hole too small".


I really love how matter of fact Thais are with all things related to physical appearance, explained perfectly in your little story. In other places, many of these things need to be dealt with so delicately. You may have felt rude or awkward that she noticed what you were looking at but she wouldn't have minded at all.

I remember being at a bar with some friends a few months in to my Thailand trip and talking with a few thai girls. One of them said, 'This is my friend, we call her 'PumPui', it's mean Fat'. I didnt know what to say at all. I immediately felt terrible for the girl. She looked and me and said 'I like eat too much' in such a proud happy way, with a huge smile on her face. Her friends weren't calling her it in a negative way, they just talk so frankly about things related to physical appearance which is such a healthy way to approach it. I gained a lot of weight after I first started to go to Macau and when I came back to Phuket I used to really laugh when Thais that I knew, not even friends but like local barber, or the staff at restaurants I would frequent would say things like 'Oh Cos what happen, you so fat now!?'. I actually love it and it creates an environment where things like Anorexia and eating disorders are far less than elsewhere. That said, there is also an incredible obsession with cosmetic beauty and plastic surgery and such proceedures.


The uproar I caused by trapping some baht under my shoe and thereby insulting the King by putting my foot on a picture of his head.


The King and Monarchy must be respected at all times. I remember being told off by my girlfriend for putting some cash in my shoes while I changed boots to play football. I didn't realise but it's why you never really see Thai's sitting showing the soles of their feet as it is seen as disrespectul. No woman will ever touch the top of a man's head either. Something also considered incredibly rude.

Lese Majeste laws are incredibly serious and saying anything negative about the royal family can land you with a lifetime jail sentence.

There is a National anthem played at 6am and 6pm on tv stations and bus terminals/shopping centres/skytrain stations and people will stand still and silent whilst it is played. Before movies too, the King's anthem is played and everyone within the theatre will stand.

When the last King sadly passed away, there was a whole year of mourning. I remember a few people that I know wearing only black clothing for the entire year.

Even amongst Thai friends where they would welcome my opinion, I prefer not to talk about anything political etc here. I think it's just a bad idea for a foreigner.
37  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 14, 2021, 08:01:18 PM
Perfect. Just the sort of thing I wanted.

Food- I don't mind rough if it's clean. I used to eat in a cafe where the punters were all either scrap metal men or steel workers, you had to wipe your feet before you came out but the food was fabulous.

Chiang Mai sounds great, but I couldn't do the bad air months.

This is all hypothetical BTW but I enjoy having a plan B.

It's going to be a huge shock if you haven't been to Asia before but if you stick it out, you're guaranteed to love it in no time. Would definitely do a holiday here first anyway just to get an idea.

When me and Simon first came out here, he'd been before which was comforting and helped a lot.

Some things it took me much longer to get used to. For example the famous 'ass hose' which I now miss when I leave yet the notion of touching one during my first 6 months felt a bit disgusting.




I have been to Bangkok but it's over 30 years ago and I was part of a big group staying in a good hotel (I went for the Asian Open snooker)

I'm used to things being different. We didn't have running water or electricity until I was 23. That said, I don't want to even contemplate an ass hose.

rofl, trust me, just absolutely trust me dont knock it til youve tried it. It's just a more comfortable and clean way of washing our aris!

Do you have any pics of that trip? I had no idea you'd ever been. Any memories that stand out?
38  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 14, 2021, 07:59:33 PM
Tell us about your wife/partner, how did you meet, when did you know she was the one?

How old are the kids?

How does your visa/citizenship or whatever work these days and do your kids have dual nationality?

My wife is very shy. We met at a restaurant she worked at and I liked her because she played hard to get! Every time I tried to make eye contact she'd look away or went near to strike up some conversation or awful chat up line that I had in my head she found away to move away. I eventually got my friend's Thai girlfriend to approach her for me and she said she thought I was a playboy. Lol what a terrible read. I wish i was and felt pretty happy that she thought that but she had seen me with another girl and assumed incorrectly that it was my girlfriend. We went for food a few times and just very quickly started spending all our time together. I think at first neither of us thought it would really work because her parents were very suspicious of my job which i had never wanted to lie about and also because it was just not clear how long I'd be able to stay in Thailand. When we met I still wasn't doing very well at poker either.

My daughter is 3 and a half and my son is 10 months old. They both have Thai Nationality I recently applied for their British ones so they should very shortly have their British ones too.

I used to be on various different tourist visas but last year finally splurged on a '5-year Thai Elite Visa' where you simply pay for a 5/10 or 20 year visa. It was the best option imo because it's no hassle and with the kids in the picture I didn't want to keep leaving to do visa runs.
39  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 14, 2021, 07:48:32 PM
Great write up Cos. I love hearing about your life in Thailand. I remember you going and thinking well done you trying a new life and culture. I've really missed my month in Asia because of covid.

I've been to Chiang Mai 3 times and absolutely love it. More layed back, delicious food and super friendly.

I know you're a big Thai fan. How many times have you visited?

Could you ever see yourself retiring here?

What do you dislike about it, if anything? Favourite place you visited? Worst?

Favourite thai food/foods that you'd never had in the UK.
40  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 14, 2021, 07:25:08 PM
Perfect. Just the sort of thing I wanted.

Food- I don't mind rough if it's clean. I used to eat in a cafe where the punters were all either scrap metal men or steel workers, you had to wipe your feet before you came out but the food was fabulous.

Chiang Mai sounds great, but I couldn't do the bad air months.

This is all hypothetical BTW but I enjoy having a plan B.

It's going to be a huge shock if you haven't been to Asia before but if you stick it out, you're guaranteed to love it in no time. Would definitely do a holiday here first anyway just to get an idea.

When me and Simon first came out here, he'd been before which was comforting and helped a lot.

Some things it took me much longer to get used to. For example the famous 'ass hose' which I now miss when I leave yet the notion of touching one during my first 6 months felt a bit disgusting.

41  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 14, 2021, 06:03:08 PM
Thanks again for indulging me Cos.

So do you have a real job now, do you still play poker for a living or are you retired? I know you talked about it in your last post but I'm not sure if you have a job type job or if poker is your job.

Do you own or rent?

How much would you say it would cost to live out there for a reasonably frugal old couple like me and Mrs Red?

No worries at all. A lot to get through so I'll answer a few questions per post.

I still play but I don't play every day and I definitely dont 'grind' anymore. When I moved to Macau I just couldn't believe how good it was and I played almost every hour of the day 7 days a week. I did that in 2-4 month stints for about 4 years. Now I just play some good games. I enjoy the social aspect and the bantering and laughs as much as I do the poker. I do a few other bits and pieces too but definitely put my main energy and focus into poker and will continue to do so until and if I find something I enjoy more.

Our main house is rented and current rent is around $6,500 a month! A bit more than I wanted to spend but just wanted the first few years with the kids to be extra special and so I rented a beautiful newly built house with a huge pool and nice garden for the kids and dogs to enjoy. If there was a time to splash out a bit more than is sensible for a few years, I've chosen the best time for it having moved in here 6 months before all this Covid nonsense started and we are now reaping the benefits of the pool etc to keep us from going mad during this lockdown. My daughter's nursery also backs directly onto our house so I walk her through the private road for residents to school in the morning and when they have outdoor play, me and my wife can watch her from our bedroom window. That is amazing. She absolutely melts my heart and has me round her little finger already. If I can hear playing outside I always watch her with my wife because no-one wants to be the creepy guy watching kids at a nursery play on their own.

I am at the final stages of building a holiday house in my wife's home city which is a few hours north of Bangkok. That's been a fun and interesting project. I nearly got disenchanted with it straight away as we hired an architect to draw up some plans and after giving them our budget they came back with plans that would have cost almost double but we went our own way, hired a local contractor that my wife has known since she was a kid and are so far very pleased. It's been about a year now and we are a few months away from having finished everything which is cool. If I'm honest, it's the wife's dream not mine. I'd have rather built or bought a villa in Phuket but this is significantly cheaper and a good practice run. I also wanted to do this for her after what she has done for me and we are both very family oriented people and since we visit her parents often, it would be nice to have a place of our own to stay at.

If you're frugal you can live very well here and very cheaply indeed. To give you a slightly better answer, I'd need to know how important certain things are to you. I assume you would not want to be in a big built up city like Bangkok. I could also be sooooo off the mark with this but do I recall that you're picky with food? Locally produced Thai food is not only delicious but it's already extremely inexpensive as opposed to western food. In general things that only foreigners consume are very expensive: eg, wine, cigars, beef. However things that the thais consume more commonly: beer, cigarettes would be comparatively much cheaper than in the Uk.

If primary objective is to be frugal I'd say living in one of the really Thai Thai places might be enjoyable - one of the more developed Northern Isaan provinces like Khon Kaen or Udon Thani. Isaan is rural Northern Thailand and cost of living is very cheap but not yet very Westernised.

If you want Island life, somewhere like Phuket, Krabi or Samui would be more your kind of thing. Not completely inexpensive but not as expensive as Bangkok. You'd be able to get a taste of Thai life whilst simultaneously able to meet and interact with plenty of expats too. Again cost of living varies depending on some things like whether you want a pool or not. Me and Amatay used to share a lovely 3 bedroom villa that cost 35,000 baht between the two of us and it was very nice. (My house in Bangkok by comparison is 200,000 baht per month without bills). Our old Phuket house had a shared pool but if you didn't want/need a pool then you could half that rental amount and find something more than adequate. You do need to drive though in these places as taxis are more expensive. In Bkk metered taxis and public transport make it cheap and convenient to get around. A car definitely isn't needed here.

Chiang Mai doesnt have the beach but it does have lots of our door space and is known generally as the friendliest part of Thailand. I have only visited once but really enjoyed it and the calm vibe. It was also considerably less expensive than Phuket. If I had to guess at where you'd like most in Thailand if I had to pick a place for you to live I'd probably put my money on Chiang Mai. It actually gets cool in the evening and at some times of the year can be cold at night unlike any other part. The biggest drawback of ChiangMai however is that for 1-2 months per year they have a crop burning season and during that time the air gets bad. It's obviously not very nice but also a good time to travel.

So if I had to guess, the first option would cost $400-600 per person a month to live comfortably. Phuket/Islands would be maybe $800-1000 per person and Chiang Mai $600-800.
42  Community Forums / Betting Tips and Sport Discussion / Re: Different kind of staking on: May 14, 2021, 02:13:49 PM


Mental health and gambling addicitons are no joke and I think this debacle will probably bother him in the back of his mind. I think it may help him feel right if he ever squared everyone off. I would donate the money to a mental health charity if he ever did.

Anyway I wish him well, hope he's turned his life in a positive direction and doing well.


You're one of lifes good eggs Cos. This post reflects well on you.

Thanks mate, very kind words. Don't get me wrong, I find it hard to have respect for someone who doesn't pay back once they are in a position to do because everyone makes mistakes in life, but correcting them or apologising for them is a big part of what makes someone earn respect with me. Honouring a debt is not just part of being a good gambler but being a good person. However, I've no idea of what Boldie has been advised to do in a professional sense and less idea of the path his life has taken him on since this so I bear zero ill will and I hope he has stopped gambling and is doing better, that's all.

There are many people I got into it with in the past that are good people and it's whatever. There are some scum of the earth, beyond help type gamblers like Riverdave who I honestly hope remain as close to broke as possible, forever.

43  Community Forums / Betting Tips and Sport Discussion / Re: Different kind of staking on: May 14, 2021, 02:08:34 PM
I can't be bothered to look through the thread to see if I had invested or not but seem to recall that I had.

Boldie had a bit of an ego, but so what? Half the forum did at one point or another, myself absolutely included. He was always nice to me in every thread or interaction, prior and post this debacle. I butted heads with loads of people that I wouldn't of I'd just fkn grown up a little bit quicker.

Mental health and gambling addicitons are no joke and I think this debacle will probably bother him in the back of his mind. I think it may help him feel right if he ever squared everyone off. I would donate the money to a mental health charity if he ever did.

Anyway I wish him well, hope he's turned his life in a positive direction and doing well.

We can safely say that's a lock.

Agreed it's really bad. I've suffered it in a comparatively minor way myself with respect to casinos. Luckily I was always just about financially okay otherwise who knows what may have happened mentally. It took a couple of years to straighten myself out after my biggest spew years (not just gambling....) but there was always an income chipping away at the debts so it never got on top of me.

Thankfully I now find UK casinos boring and just treat the odd Vegas trip as something completely different. It doesn't even feel like gambling, just really good fun.

I know that if I go to a UK casino though it only takes a few spins of roulette and before long I could be in for upwards of £1000 having had no enjoyment whatsoever. Even if I win I won't receive any enjoyment so what's the point?

I could very easily have taken a completely different path so I really do sympathise with people who've gone down the true gambling addiction path. Very sad Sad




I dusted through my entire savings at Uni and the first few years of my job I pissed away so much money doing these things and in these places. While it took me to 0 a few times I never let it get me into debt. I'm glad I learnt my lesson then and eventually just stopped the nonsense completely.

And like you say, it really isn't even fun. You lose more than you win and winning feels much less good than losing feels totally shit, so the whole thing is just pointless and a waste of time.

Being real, UK casinos just don't contain a very nice element of people either and imo don't provide a particularly enjoyable environment to gamble in but they also don't need to and i dont blame them.
44  Community Forums / The Lounge / Re: A thread about Zeus. Mainly started for people remotely interested in Zeus.... on: May 14, 2021, 01:57:38 PM

I remember being shit scared the first time I saw Ronnie.

Have a Cane Corso now who sounds very similar to Zeus. Huge and mean looking but just an absolute sweetheart of a hound.

I’ve really loved this journey and learning experience with bigger breed dogs.

Did you think you would get another dog once Ronnie passed away?

He was a bit of a beast though was big Ron. Such a loving boy with those he knew but also incredibly unpredictable with strangers. Perfect 99% of the time but as you come across more than 100 people on your daily walk there's no choice but to watch him like a hawk 100% of the time. I have to admit I was constantly on edge if we were in public and there were a lot of people around, not so much as he got to 7+ years old but even then you can never forget the odd time he showed what he was capable of in his early days.

Zeus is so much easier around people as he's just a softy. This doesn't mean he's better than Ronnie, just different. There were elements of Ronnie that were far better than Zeus, his recall and lead walking for example were amazing. I have to admit though it's lovely being able to go to the pub with him and have a couple of steady pints with the lads.

I had a dog break for about a year and a half after Ronnie died but I always knew I'd get another. For a while the freedom was nice, being able to do anything without first considering how it affected the dog was great and also going to the gym at whatever time suited my was good. I was also in the process of doing up a house which being dog free made much easier.

If Zeus hadn't come along I'd probably have been getting one around now anyway. I wasn't sure what to get and to be honest it probably wouldn't be a Rottie. My mum really didn't want me getting a big dog as she's quite weary of them so me going for a German Shepherd or Rottie wasn't going down too well.

She was horrified when she knew I was getting Zeus but then after she met him a few times she absolutely loves him and even plays fetch with him in the garden Smiley

Have you had your Cane Corso from a pup?


Yeah I remember coming over to yours after one DTD festival and I was really keen to go and pet him but at the same time a little bit nervous and if youre a bit nervous around a dog that's not always a people lover I thought it best to stay away. Absolutely magnificent boy he was though.

Yeah I had all mine from pups. It's really so bad to have a favourite but the Cane Corso is just amazing. He is so protective and loving with my kids and he also just wants to be by my side all the time.

Sorta wants to rip other male dogs to pieces though so i have to be super careful on walks.

I'll get back to you in a couple of years on this one if that's okay?


No need to rush. A decade or so is fine too. xD

Sorry bud, just getting into Blonde again and was looking through the last threads I'd posted in before I went absent. Anyway hope all's well and Zeus doing great.
45  Poker Forums / Diaries and Blogs / Re: Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary on: May 14, 2021, 01:55:08 PM
Wow Cos, thanks for the great reply, it gave me a lot of answers and made me want to ask a load more questions if that's OK. You only need answer the ones you are comfortable with.

It's so invigorating to hear from someone who has lived/is living a life less ordinary. Kudos to you. You are now on the list of people I'm going to buy dinner for. (Behind Celtic & Nirvana of course)

X

No worries. I just read back the reply, littered with errors because my lazy ass didn't read back through it before posting.

Fire away with questions no problem at all. I'd love to do a dinner when I return, providing neither Celtic or Nirvana are present of course. Maybe we could take Tikay to a restaurant. I'd love to take him and make him uncomfortable.

I missed a few details in my post. One of the things I love about Thailand is how safe it is. I can't think of many countries that are considered third world countries like Thailand is that are as safe as here. I was mugged at knifepoint in the Uk when I was around 13 years old. It impacted me for a few years after that and I've always held personal and home security as one of the most important things. I'm willing to sacrifice a lot to know that my kids, wife and then myself are living in a safe environment. My parents are lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of South London and they have been burged twice in the last 4 years. I also remember being burgled just over 20 years ago at our old house and how violated it made me feel. Even though I wasn't in any personal danger, the thought of some complete asshole going through your private space, touching your personal belongings is just horrible. I don't want to tempt fate and not saying that these things don't happen in Thailand but they are relatively incredibly rare and that provides me with a really nice piece of mind that I'd worry about a lot if I moved back to the UK.

There is also a willingness to be close to my family who are all amazing and I know I'm very lucky in this sense but that's almost the only thing I miss about the UK - friends and family. I bear a sense of guilt about my parents, who imo gave me the perfect upbringing are so far from me. I want them to be in my every day life and now more importantly also for their sake, the lives of their first two grandchildren. They have not met my son yet and it's been 2 years since they were with my daughter. 2 years at that age is missing such a golden time and I know that's difficult for them, especially my softie of a mum. We call and message every single day and I pepper them with photos and videos but nothing can replace personal contact. My dad has always been so strong but this is the first year that he has had some health problems and it has reminded me that he isn't getting any younger. I'd find it very difficult to not be in the same country if they were in a position where really they needed someone to care for them a bit more and I don't want this to just fall on my sister to do. I think a lot about this. What a headache.

Another reason against moving back to the UK is my job. As someone who struggled for a few years in poker just getting by, not really knowing if i was going to make it or not I closed a LOT of doors on my future by choosing poker for a living. I wouldn't change it though. I used to be so in love with the game and even now, while I'm not a crazily obsessed by it like I was in my 20's, I still very much enjoy playing. I quietly worked to a position where I can now retire but I feel like I'm treated by the banks and government the same way as a drug dealer is. On the one hand I understand it but it's incredibly infuriating. Sir please prove where your money has come from. HOW?! I bought a shop in the UK at auction a few years ago and didn't need any mortgage or loan for it but the solicitor still wouldn't accept my funds as we couldn't show where it has all come from. How the hell am I supposed to prove it when I played live poker in Macau for 4 years. I'm so law abiding too. Never taken a drug. I even tell taxi's to slow down if they're going near the speed limit. So that's definitely a big black mark against me moving back to the UK. HSBC closed my account and didn't give me any reason either. About 4 years ago I went and bought my first Rolex on Bond street and had to call the bank to ask for permission to give me a 30 minute window in which I would be able to make a larger purchase from my debit card. Thanks for the permission to spend my own money. I guess it's part of the reason I support Crypto but also remain more financially free in Asia.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. I'm happy to answer any questions. Do fire away and thanks Teeks for pointing me in the direction


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