jsn102

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

I very much prefer to have relaxed, slow-paced, good buddy-type meets...hang out, chat, kick back.....so I really like to know a real first name as part of that (better than saying, "hey, would you like a beer, CutAndHungCock?")......provider meets have ranged from real-name disclosure during pre-meet planning to a first-time provider showing me their health card (real name) when I asked about their bareback history to a polite "no" to my inquiry after a third meet.....

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

Hello can anyone recommend good top escorts in London, preferably Sober non drug/chem uses?
thanks

This is a GREAT reply. 
Lots of good info for those who don't know or want to know more.

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

Chinese is a challenge for sure, but it really depends on what you want to learn.

Speaking: Certainly a challenge because of the tones (ways of pronouncing the same sound - Mandarin has 4, Cantonese has, I think, 7 or maybe more); but the grammar and syntax are exceptionally straightforward (no conjugations, tenses, etc.)
Reading: Fine if you have a good visual memory to recognize characters (there isn't an alphabet except for pinyin - the intermediary language between Chinese and English)
Writing: Evil. Just... really tough

So, yes, I used to be conversationally fluent in spoken Mandarin, but that was several summer courses then ten years living in Beijing. And I was still only somewhat functional (everyone gives foreigners a lot of leeway in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary). Two years after leaving, I'd lost most of  it.

If you want to learn some phrases to better get on with someone, that is eminently doable. But keep in mind that, without a huge amount of effort, it's hard to get beyond "Oh, he's speaking some Chinese! How cute!" Not that that's a bad thing!

I'll shut up now...

I met with Massnow.
The shirtless pics in his rentmasseur profile are reasonably accurate. He's hairier and has more of a muscular, rugby-build, with no sign of an 8-pack. Handsome, mixed-race guy from Brazil. Very friendly, conversational, good English. The pictures in his ad showing a massage session are not him, because he is free of tats.
As John Galt reported, the massage moved quickly to sensual. The massage itself was more Swedish with a little deep-tissue here and there. For my tastes, there was too little actual massage before it move to sensual and then to erotic. Maybe it was because what I had communicated to him in advance about what I was looking for in a session.
The session delivered everything I asked for, done mostly well and with passion. But it felt like an express meal service. I like longish sessions, with a slow build-up. This was not. After I left, I realized that my 2-hour session was only 1-hour, and that I had paid for 2 hours. I thought that the time had flown by and didn't think to look at the time until I was out on the street in the throngs in Chinatown.
Would I repeat? No. London has so many other choices. My London fav remains MasseurBrazil, who is currently traveling.

Shameless self promotion here....but ThicckyNiccky is well.....THICCK. I have never met a guy with more girth than myself. All natural. No enhancements. I last for extra long sessions and I leave you feeling fuller than you can imagine. If your curious, message me on rent men 😈
https://media.invisioncic.com/k323430/monthly_2025_05/SmartSelect_20210501-041451_Chrome.jpg.cb37ce17efe91db65f8ee0e33b7dad01.jpg
 
https://media.invisioncic.com/k323430/monthly_2025_05/SmartSelect_20220502-104801_Telegram.jpg.1fb6f3816773dec5bc6688bac2fce338.jpg
 
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There is one thing that I don't like about the search feature for sure. It defaults to search just "this topic" when you are in a thread or if you're in "the deli" for instance but not in a thread and hit search it'll just search that specific forum. I wish it always defaulted to search "Everywhere".  It's easy to think there isn't a thread about something if you forget to change it to "Everywhere".

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Mine seem to be aware. I get asked ‘can I see you when you’re fresh?’.  I’m like a baguette at the bakery, best in the morning whilst still warm. 

It’s tipping … I reckon it has another 8 pages to go. 

Thank you @Jamie21 for making these important points. We have lots of overhead indeed. Tens of thousands per year, and if you travel any significant amount, additional tens of thousands per year on top of our fixed overhead costs at home. We work many more hours a week than the time when clients are actually on the table. Often well over a traditional 40 hr week. Yes, it’s flexible and on our own terms, but still we work just as long and hard as many other professions.
We have no workplace protections, few rights, all the responsibilities and costs of being our own employer with none of the benefits. No 401(k) match, no life insurance, disability insurance, nada. We pay additional taxes to be our own employer by the way. I argue some of our biggest benefits are total flexibility over our schedule, how much we work, control over who we see and how much we charge.
We can’t do physically intensive work as late into our career as someone working an office job. Our bodies wear down. We age. And if you’re an escort, there’s a prime window in your 20s and 30s to capitalize on and lots of men drop off in their 40s and 50s, either voluntarily or because they lack the volume of business they had in their younger years. Most don’t keep doing this work into their 60s or 70s like people in many other professions do. We have to capitalize on a higher income over a shorter career cycle and invest, and for many of us, keep working in other fields as we get older to supplement.
Consider it front loading earlier in your career vs making a bit lower income over a longer but more sustainable time period and pace. Oh and costs rise over time, so whatever we make today buys less in the future. This is where a good investment strategy pays off, or at least preserves the buying power of that money over time.
Health insurance in the US is big cost. I have a plan with my partner through our farm business. It’s not at all cheap, but the upside is we get to choose plans through a broker that fit our specific needs. Not just a single or few plan choices through an employer that doesn’t really cover what we need. Consider that as a significant part of your compensation through a traditional employer.
Don’t forget taxes. We pay them. Digital payment processors like Venmo, Stripe, Square, and others send us 1099s. We have to pay taxes on those at a minimum, and a lot of us report all of our cash as well. If nothing else to prove income so we can qualify for loans and rent apartments.
On the surface, it may seem to some of you like a path to easy street, but it’s not. We have many costs and fewer material benefits, almost no protections or safety net, and many demands on us to perform exceptionally well, look young and fit, provide a high quality environment and deliver “extras” for clients expecting them.
@BeefyDude the numbers you quote most of us are only making a fraction of those, especially if you count all the expenses. We take high levels of risk, and we should be at least modestly rewarded, if not well rewarded for taking those risks that most other people are unable or unwilling to take.
Some of us are charging at or below market rates to stay competitive, yet are providing a higher level of service in terms of massage quality, going over time, taking care with our facilities, equipment, and supplies, and indulging clients with extras. Tipping is one way to display your appreciation, to say “I value you, and I value your service”, to acknowledge that what your provider is offering is at least as valuable to you as what he is charging. If you don’t feel that the value of his service to you exceeds what he is charging for it, than by all means pay his rate, don’t tip, and move on. You’re not obligated. We want our clients to be satisfied and keep coming back.
Some of you really appreciate the work but can’t afford to tip. That’s ok. Pay his rate. That’s all you are responsible for paying. Show your appreciation with loyalty, verbal affirmation, and respect. Also, non monetary forms of appreciation go as far, if not further than tipping: write a review, refer a friend, spread the word online, talk him up in your circles. Arguably these are all more valuable than anything you could tip. Your masseur will appreciate you, and you will feel good about coming back to see him. Not everything is as plain as “How much did this client tip?”
So when your man is on point, providing a high level of service, professionalism, and value, you tip. Because that’s what you do, at least in American culture. You want to reward him for treating you well by treating him well. And when you can’t tip, support his business in other ways.
You don’t tip in the context of independently practicing masseurs to make up the difference between an underpaid person and a living wage. For example, spa employee making only 30-40% of the fee, or a restaurant server making minimum wage and relying on tips to make (close to) a living wage. These are not at all the same situation. You tip because you want to show your appreciation, and to motivate your masseur to continue to provide you a high level of attention and service.
All you are responsible for is his rate. So what if you don’t tip? I doubt your masseur will deliver crappy service the next time. If he’s professional, he will deliver good service. If you tip, he will be motivated to go above and beyond. If you’re happy with the status quo and meeting expectations, don’t tip. If you want above and beyond, pay above and beyond in the form of a tip.

Lots of common misunderstandings here. 3 clients a day 6 days a week is quite some going…. not really sustainable. 
Also, for each client actually booked there’s around 4 who take up time with enquiries that don’t go anywhere. That needs to be factored in.
Then there’s the cost of facilities (whether you rent space or use your home which still has a cost), advertising, regular training, travel costs etc. It’s definitely not zero overhead. Plus taxes of course plus cost of benefits that one has to buy which you’d often get via an employer. 
There’s no way I get 100% profit off what I charge. And I’d invite anyone who thinks they can get rich quick to try the job for a few months and see how they get on. I assume they’ll be happy to make themselves available at all sorts of times, often at short notice, be ok with possibly not earning anything next week, dealing with time wasters and clients who treat them like dirt, sort out their own insurance, pension etc. 😉
 

 
 
 

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)

Maybe it's because I'm British too, but I always find @Jamie21 to be both hilarious AND insightful...

(And one day I will manage to get round to seeing him...)