BSR

Just for some context: Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008 yet the Manhattan real estate market didn’t hit bottom until March 2012, a full 3y6m later. Getting sellers to reduce their price is kinda like pulling teeth, except molars are less stubborn. Some sellers won’t have a choice. With crushing increases in HOAs, homeowners, property taxes, not to mention wrecking-ball special assessments, some owners will be forced to sell at the market price, not their starry-eyed optimist price. But the sellers who aren’t facing imminent financial pressure will maintain a death grip on their way-too-high listing price, because that’s human nature. Trying to convince them that the peak prices of Spring 2022 are ancient history is like trying to convince Norma Desmond that there’s no comeback in store. In other words, yes, there will be/already is a crash. But that doesn’t mean that listing prices drop all at once, far from it.

I wonder how many of the photos sent are nudes? It’s gotta be north of 80%, LOL.

Do they come with the ankle cuffs to complete the look?

Tim Guevara I was going to tip him 20%, 3,000p. Once I saw on his face that he wasn’t particularly happy about it (certainly wasn’t mad either), I asked him how much he was hoping for. After much arm-twisting, he admitted he expected 3,000p but was hoping for 6,000p, prolly ‘cuz he saw me as a rich (ha!) foreigner. I ended up tipping him 5,000p. Fee + tip = 20,000p or ~$345, a heckuva bargain for a 5-hour session. Since I’m staying at my aunt’s condo, I had to get a hotel room. Another tick in Manila’s pro column is that I got a nice 4* hotel in his neighborhood (he can’t host) for just $48. No Priceline or anything, just the regular price on the hotel website. Straight, new to the biz (started 2 months ago), definitely a diamond in the rough. He’s very up-front with his limits, so you’ll be able to make an informed decision. He’s shy, even in his native tongue. He understands English very well because he’s watched a lot of American movies & TV but he struggles a bit speaking it. Don’t worry, his English is more than good enough to work out arrangements, just don’t expect a chatty boyfriend experience. He thanked me as soon as he got home and texted me the next day. If I had more time in Manila, I would definitely see him again.

OK, so I just got back from my first hire in Manila. First, Manila as a travel destination. @Marc in Calif is correct, it’s kind of a shithole. It’s ugly & congested, hot & humid, the exhaust fumes will make your lungs beg for mercy, and gawd help you if you’re ever stuck in rush-hour traffic. For a city so rich in history, there’s not that much to see or do. Those are (some of) the cons. But hey, there’s good and bad in everything, and Manila does have its pros, sparse as they may be. If you have an adventurous palate, Filipino cuisine is pretty good, and the home-cooking joints are really inexpensive. The people here are simply fantastic: impeccably polite, friendly, and bend-over-backwards helpful. Yes, traffic sucks, but for the best thrill ride outside of a Six Flags roller coaster, ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi. If you’re going somewhere by yourself, get a ride thru Move It, a ride share app but just for motorcycles and scooters. I took one today because I was leaving during rush hour. The advantage of these 2-wheel taxis is that they can scoot up to the front at every intersection whereas cars might need 2 or even 3 green lights to get thru the most congested intersections. Mind you, it’s not for the faint of heart because the driver will weave in between cars, often thru spaces that look impossibly narrow. But once you stop soiling yourself, it’s actually hella fun. Now for the fun part … here’s the little I learned after my first hire: Rentmen Philippines — rentmen.ph — is the site I used. I have no idea if it’s the best site for our hobby, but it certainly has a sh*t-ton of listings, more than 300. Of the dozen rentguys I contacted, only 1 listed his sexual orientation as gay, 1 as bisexual, 1 as “ask me.” The other 9 listed themselves as straight, and I doubt it was just the small sample size. I’m guessing gay4pay is rampant on the site and in the country. For some, a straight provider is a nonstarter. Even if you’re open to hiring gay4pay, make sure to get nitty-gritty about the provider’s limitations because he’ll likely have plenty. The good thing is the straight providers I interacted with were all quite forthcoming and specific about their limits. I did have a bit of a communication issue with my guy tonight. I was very specific about kissing, tongues and the whole 9 yards, which he said he was OK with. I ended the text exchange with “as long as I can do plenty of kissing and rimming, I’ll be happy.” As it so turns out, he had no idea what rimming was and later confessed he was too embarrassed to ask. I had gotten a bit spoiled in the few days I had been here because Filipinos who deal with the public speak anywhere from very good to perfect English. My guy, not so much. Nonetheless, I had fun. He was beautiful, looked just like his pictures, and did try to please despite his limits. I wouldn’t be quite so forgiving if I were paying US rates (how much is a 5-hr date in cities like NYC? eek!), but hey, at ~$260 (15,000 pesos) for 5 hours, no way am I going full raging Karen. Some guys cited a rate of 20,000p (~$347), 1 said 25,000p (~$431), and the 1 gay provider quoted me 30,000p (~$520). Yes, they expect you to tip. I just flat out asked him how much he was hoping for because I had no idea and because I’m sure expectations vary widely. I like longer sessions but simply can’t afford the going rate in the US. Rentboys for a fraction the price is a gigantic check mark in Manila’s pro column.

If you’re throwing out the extremely serious charge of killing people, or causing deaths, I think it is irresponsible to do so without hard evidence. My old shitty health insurance denied surgery that I desperately needed (but not life-dependent), so I have no great love for health insurance companies or their CEOs who callously deny medical care. Hate the greedy bastards all you want but back it up with stone cold numbers.

Gotta admit, this cracked me up — in the immortal wisdom of Bart Simpson, “It’s funny because it’s true.” Nonetheless, I think this guy is sexy AF. I’ll be out of the country for the next 10 months, but damn, I really hope he’s still around when I get back.

Thanks, I read bonaerense once and assumed the two terms were synonymous. While I’m still considering enrolling in a BA language school, I have some doubts about Laboratorio. Granted, you certainly can’t believe everything you read in Internet reviews, but you shouldn’t completely dismiss them either. The Google reviews for Laboratorio are a bit mixed. While most were quite positive, there were enough bad ones to cause concern. A few of the bad reviews sounded like whiners who are always unhappy, but some sounded like legitimate beefs. The rep from the school didn’t deny the complaints, just thanked the reviewer for the feedback and promised to take the comments into consideration. Hmmm …

Far more people choke to death while eating than die of shark attacks, but nobody thinks twice about munching a big bucket of popcorn (lots of little kids choke on popcorn for some reason) whereas the (very slim) possibility of a shark bite at least enters if not weighs heavily on beachgoers’ minds, especially after a recent news story. Like you said, much of the disproportionate fear stems from the spectacular-ness of a plane crash or a shark attack vs. the mundane-ness of driving a car or gobbling popcorn. While it’s not rational to fear flying more than traveling by car, it is human.

The Madrid language school I enrolled in offers a fairly large team on staff whose primary job is to help students: from how to buy a monthly metro pass to how to open a local bank account, plus stuff like the best flamenco show in town or what to expect at your first bullfight. In other words, a concierge service for students. Since I didn't see anything like that on the Laboratorio website, I don’t expect the amenity. But if you feel comfortable enough to ask a staff member for advice, prolly doesn’t hurt to ask. If I do end up enrolling in Laboratorio, I’ll give you the latest scoop.

Question for the moderators: is it possible to get an “eyes popping out your head” emoticon?

No, I shan’t be asking them to book me a pedicure, LOL. I was thinking more stuff like tips from locals (whether staff or bonaerenses also studying at the center) on their fave restaurants, cafes, and most important any “hidden jewels,” things worth seeing & doing but not necessarily found in YouTube videos or Google searches. Funny, I’m chatty as hell in Spanish and feel so comfortable striking up conversation with just about anyone but nowhere nearly as outgoing in English. I’ve gotten so much helpful advice from latinos here in Las Vegas just by striking up conversation in Spanish. Maybe they’re a bit tickled that an Asian-American speaks their language, maybe they’re just naturally super-helpful. A guy I struck up convo with in the gym’s hot tub talked my ear off for an hour on everything a visitor needs to know about his hometown DF and how to make a fortune in crypto. I don’t expect such outpourings of wisdom in BA, but I’m sure I’ll learn a lot by chatting people up. Also, I hope to learn a lot by asking my fellow foreigners at the school. Even someone who’s been in BA just a month will know so much more than just-arrived me. If you ask someone “what’s the best & worst thing you spent money on since you got here?”, they’re usually quite eager to share their experiences. Being a student at a language school gives me a connection to other people that I won’t have with just the Internet all by myself in an AirBnB.

Thanks for the great advice, I will seriously consider it. Even though my Spanish is already at C1 (according to the AIL Madrid placement test) and I am taking an intensive (20hrs/wk) 13-week course in Madrid, I am tempted to enroll for 3 reasons: 1) no matter your level in a 2nd language, there’s always so much more to learn, 2) I want to get my C2 DELE in the fall (back in Madrid) and I’ve heard that C1->C2 is a helluva leap, and 3) I will be in BA for the first time with no clue and no contacts. As much as you can learn from the Internet, advice from people whose full-time job is dealing with and helping foreign students is worth its weight in gold. Not sure if I’ll feel comfortable asking the staff for tips & tricks how to navigate SoyTuyo.com, but I’m sure they’ll be very helpful with other matters. Yes, the tuition is very reasonable, less than half the cost of my course in Madrid. Oh good, that means a bigger SoyTuyo budget!

https://x.com/burbanksteve1/status/1887703658420445190?s=12

I haven’t stayed in a Fontainebleau room but as a LV local, I have been hanging out at the ‘Bleau more than any other casino/hotel lately. Something about the vibe I just love. Since it opened just over a year ago, everything is still real spiffy. Hardly the only reason to go, but the red velvet cake at their 24hr café will make your eyes roll into the back of your head. They’re offering a 30% discount for rewards members, and you can sign up for their rewards club online.

If @totallybot wants to be able to walk to a number of shows, that knocks out the Strat, Circus Circus, and the Rio. The Rio looks close to the Strip, but it’s actually more than a mile to the intersection of Flamingo & Las Vegas Boulevard. Luxor’s location isn’t bad (free shuttle to Mandalay & Excalibur, which puts you at the intersection of Tropicana & LVB). The Linq has the best location of the ones mentioned.