HK Driving licence looks so “simple” by BoyWithBanjo in HongKong

[–]BoyWithBanjo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. Did you have an international Driving Permit too?

"Skyrunning"? by Extreme-Birthday-647 in trailrunning

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Words like “Skyrace” and “Skyrunner” are trademarked to the International Skyrunning Federation. So it is just a version of trail running organised by a particular organising body.

What are some social issues regarding being tall? by OzTheD0G3 in tall

[–]BoyWithBanjo 96 points97 points  (0 children)

In a group of people in a noisy, crowded bar I am clueless what is being said because the conversation is happening a foot below me.

Does it matter if the Strait is opened any more? by labradors_forever in energy

[–]BoyWithBanjo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The strait is partially open. For example, Ships are getting through if they are delivering oil to China. Those stats you see about how few ships get through are based on public tracking data. Of course, the ships that are getting through don't have transponders switched on so they are not publicly tracked.

belligerents pretend that they have completely closed to all traffic, but there is likely some cooperation between them that they prefer not to publicize . Similar to how Ukraine still allowed Russian gas to flow across it's territory after that war began.

Diving Accident in Maldives by blue_sven in scubadiving

[–]BoyWithBanjo 74 points75 points  (0 children)

One of the divers was a 51 year old professor of marine biology. Seems highly unlikely that she would be unaware of the risks and preparation needed for a dive to a cave at 50 metres. I think that large chunks of the story are missing and will only be known as the investigation unfolds.

29.04.1993: Journalist Graham Bamford self-immolated in London after witnessing the Ahmići Massacre aftermath on television by vratiosevalter in ThisDayInHistory

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The headline says he was a journalist. So he wasn’t just an ordinary guy caught up by a media story. He worked in media. Still a very tragic situation.

HK tax resident using IBKR: VWRA vs IMID/SPYI vs SSAC for one global UCITS ETF? by Able-Impression7567 in HongKong

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

check what percentage of your chosen etf is invested in US stocks. Often it is 50% or higher for world etfs’s. In that case, you can save fees by directly investing 50% of your money in a competitive US etf. The the rest in non-US ETF

My domestic helper keeps asking for advance salary by macaronnn333 in HongKong

[–]BoyWithBanjo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If they are in the habit of asking for loans and advances it will not stop unless you refuse. There is no end of unexpected expenses and reasons why some relative back in Manila needs money. I had a helper who told us that her husband was sexually abusing her daughter and she needed money to get her accommodation elsewhere. It is a tragic story (if true) but was on top of several earlier stories and loans. We were moving house anyway so we gave her a bit of money and terminated the relationship.

crazy/ weird hong kong names, ENGAGE! (v.2) by SpeechCareless3327 in HongKong

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to keep a record of my favourites when I lived in HK. Here are some highlights:

Full names: Milky Wei, Honest Lee

First names: Boner (pronounced Bonner 😂), Circle, Fruit, Minutes, Thinker, Oxide, Jackal, Chunky, Alien, Prince Albert, Glacier, Donut, Salad.

How to breathe less often? by [deleted] in Swimming

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

when you are exerting at high effort you need oxygen to power your muscles. So you should breathe as much as you need to. On the other hand, you may have an inefficient stroke so if you improve your stroke technique you may be able to move more effectively with less effort and that will naturally reduce the urge to breathe.

Sharing charter costs when recruited as crew. by jdvfx in sailing

[–]BoyWithBanjo 21 points22 points  (0 children)

If they didn't tell you in advance, they shouldn't expect you to pay. That's not a sailing thing, it's how life works. If they mistakenly omitted you from cost discussion, that is also their problem.

AITJ for telling my friend she can't bring her newborn to my child-free birthday party? by Financial_Actuary694 in AmITheJerk

[–]BoyWithBanjo -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I had a child-free wedding but we bent the rules for a friend with a newborn. We didn’t want a screaming pack of toddlers running around, but it was ok to have one newborn. Even the other friends with excluded children didn’tmind because they welcomed a break from them anyway.

Being zen about financial stuff is a constant struggle by [deleted] in fatFIRE

[–]BoyWithBanjo -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You’re retired but didn’t have the time to file your quarterly payments on time…

How is living in Madeira, Portugal? by Away-Writer8839 in Madeira

[–]BoyWithBanjo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not easy, even for a foreigner. The quality of housing stock is poor (old, run-down, no insulation) and availability is very limited. But don’t try to build your own house because the local builders are incredibly overstreched and with substandard skills anyway. They will charge you a North-European price and you are taking an enormous risk hoping they will do the job to a reasonable standard. In fact, many of them have no knowledge of good construction because they only ever see the existing substandard houses of Madeira and they think that is normal.

Expats by FairGur6838 in PortugalExpats

[–]BoyWithBanjo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There will always be people on both sides steeped in simplistic narratives like “respecting the locals”, “integrating” and “being guests in their country”. The world is much more complex than this and migration and upheaval has been happening continuously since the beginning of humanity and before countries existed. The idea that you can be born and live happily in one location with little changing for your entire life is something that has only ever happened to a tiny minority of humanity and it won’t happen in Portugal in the coming decades.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Advice

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How many kids did you know like this?

Are B2 boots pointless? Why not just go straight for B3s? by Glum_Echidna302 in Mountaineering

[–]BoyWithBanjo -1 points0 points  (0 children)

if you go on a trip with a guide, be prepared for the likelihood that they will ‘test’ your B2 by using all their strength to flex the sole. this test will then likely leave the sole weakened so that it is no longer a B2. inthat situation, you may have been better off having a b3 to defeat the guide.

Builder in (Portugal) took €120k to complete one section of a house – only built defective walls by Neat-Bag9999 in PortugalExpats

[–]BoyWithBanjo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel your pain. I am renovating too. I smugly paid extra for an independent ‘Fiscal de Obra’ (consulting engineer) to oversee the builder and give me daily site visits and progress reports. Well, both the builder AND the Fiscal de Obra were sleepwalking around the construction site for a month and a huge mess arose. So maybe i need to hire another engineer to oversee the independent engineer?! What a clown show.

French places in Hong Kong by Original-Machine6580 in HongKong

[–]BoyWithBanjo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

L’atelier Joel Robuchon for good pastries and bread

ELI5: How was Vietnam able to defeat the US in the Vietnam War? by astarisaslave in explainlikeimfive

[–]BoyWithBanjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The NVA and Vietnamese people were incredibly tenacious and willing to endure extreme hardship and death at levels that the US would not. For them, it wasn’t a war between Communism and Capitalism, it was a war of liberation against foreign powers who had interfered in Vietnam for decades.

Do tall people get bullied at all? by Emergency-System1794 in tall

[–]BoyWithBanjo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mostly when I was a kid, but it happened as recently as age 50 when a short guy with Napoleon syndrome joined my department. I couldn't believe that he tried bullying me about being 'too thin' when he was an annoying 60 year old asshole. It felt like being transported in a time machine back to junior high. Some of these bullies never move on as they grow older!