"2024 Year-End Summary"

I have been lying around for nearly a year, and now I am very lazy, so I have delayed writing my year-end summary for 2024 until now.

A lot has changed this year, but basically, it has nothing to do with work, and I haven't really thought about work; I have just been lazy and unmotivated.

The goal for 2025 should be to make work-related matters occupy about 30% of my time, which will correspondingly reduce the time spent being idle.

Life

Let's talk about life-related matters first. I moved to Thailand to live around the end of April this year, which is also my first time living abroad for an extended period, not just a short trip. The reason for April is that my house in Shenzhen expired at the end of February, and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of moving out in just two months, so I delayed considering relocation until February.

Due to changes in visa policies in Thailand in the first half of the year, I couldn't directly convert my visa-free entry into a student visa. I had to apply for a tourist visa and then waited a long time during the application process, officially receiving it only in April. In the two months in between, I traveled around Shanghai, Chengdu, Kunming, and Dali. I stayed in Dali for about a week, and my feelings about it were similar to those I had about Chiang Mai; I don't particularly like this pastoral lifestyle.

Language

After arriving in April, I started the hassle of enrolling in classes, mainly taking English courses. I have never scored above 30 in English exams since childhood and dropped out of school early. The school's assessment standard suggests that I could reach IELTS level in about a year (but only if I study seriously). So far, it seems to be a reasonable expectation.

However, I haven't studied very diligently. It has been seven months, but I haven't reached my expected goals, which is my own issue. Currently, I can manage basic listening and speaking for some communication, but deeper conversations are quite challenging. If I were to talk to a native speaker, I might only understand about 30% of what they say. Ultimately, it's due to my insufficient vocabulary; I don't understand many words.

Additionally, there are differences between British and American pronunciations, as well as issues with connected speech and elision. The teachers at the school are generally good; you can basically understand what they say. However, communicating with foreigners outside can still be somewhat difficult.

Talking to Thais in English is much less stressful because everyone is on the same level and doesn't use advanced vocabulary. The only problem is that Thai has a lot of loanwords, so they often mix languages. Sometimes, I find it hard to understand, similar to hearing a Hong Kong person speaking English and using the word "Size," but pronouncing it as "塞史."

Then there's the visa situation. Many people might do extensive research on various visa types, their pros and cons, etc. I tend to be quite lazy and didn't do any.

However, I later found that my current visa is very inconvenient. First, I have to go to the immigration office to renew it every two months, which basically wastes a whole day each time, and the office is quite far away. Secondly, it is not a long-term visa but a short-term one, so I cannot open a bank account or access services exclusive to long-term visa holders.

Moreover, there are restrictions on leaving the country. During the first eight months of the visa, I have to regularly submit documents to the school, so I cannot leave the country for more than seven working days during the visa period (it seems only Chinese people have such restrictions). This makes it very inconvenient if I want to return to my home country.

So, many times, I simply don't go out and prefer to stay at home. Additionally, I need to report to the school in advance when going out, and I have to apply for a re-entry permit at the airport (all visa holders need to do this when leaving, but long-term visa holders can apply for multiple entries, so they don't have to do it every time). Every time I think about how troublesome it is, the idea of leaving completely disappears.

After living here for a while, I realized that just knowing English can lead to many disadvantages. On one hand, not everyone speaks English; on the other hand, if you know Thai, the other person might not take advantage of you (because they know you have lived in Thailand for a long time). This sparked my desire to learn Thai, so I enrolled in a Thai language course, starting in December. I have been learning for two months now, but I feel like I can't digest it well, so I might pause next month and review instead.

The difficulty of learning a new language (I have been exposed to English since childhood) is that your vocabulary is insufficient to handle daily life, so you often experience language anxiety, such as mispronouncing words or lacking vocabulary, not knowing how to express yourself. Then everyone starts speaking English or using translation software to communicate.

Around June, I had a friend bring my three cats from Shenzhen. It took about two months and cost over 10,000 yuan. The airfare for the cats was much more expensive than for people. I had considered using an agency, but they quoted 13,000 yuan for one cat, which I really couldn't afford. After researching, I found that aside from the hassle, there wasn't anything particularly difficult about it.

Travel

Now, let's talk about travel-related matters. Basically, you need to get used to riding motorcycles in Thailand. First, motorcycles are cheap, and second, there is no traffic jam. If you don't consider riding a motorcycle, you should be prepared to get stuck in traffic. Thailand is basically congested all day long; it might not be jammed in the early morning, but I think most tourists wouldn't consider being out at that time.

Basically, when a taxi driver sees you are a foreigner, taking a longer route is the norm, not using the meter is the norm, and only accepting cash is the norm. In Thailand, you can use a bank app to scan and pay, similar to WeChat or Alipay. However, when drivers see you are a foreigner, they generally only accept cash, and they often give you less change, even if you have a Thai person with you. The Thai person can only apologize for you encountering such situations (imagine you and a friend trying to hail a taxi, and the taxi only accepts cash from foreigners and then doesn't give the correct change). However, even so, if they don't take a longer route and use the meter, you can get a price that is half of what you would normally pay.

Additionally, let's talk about the ride-hailing apps Bolt and Grab, which are similar to Didi. Bolt has more cars, but the drivers' qualifications are not as good. I have encountered a Bolt driver who got into a battle with someone after scraping their car halfway through the ride, and I have also met a driver who asked me for 500 baht because it was his daughter's birthday and he had no money. However, Bolt's prices are generally about 30% cheaper than Grab.

The only issue with Grab is that it can be expensive; sometimes, the flat rate for a taxi can be cheaper than Grab. Additionally, because it is a prepaid service, some drivers will ask if you want to take the highway, and I have seen instances where they charge you 130 baht for a 50 baht highway fee. Overall, if it's nighttime, Grab feels safer than regular taxis.

Other

Overall, Bangkok's nightlife is very vibrant. For example, local bars might cost around 100 yuan per person for a night, while nightclubs can be over 300 yuan, and high-end places can be over 500 yuan. Of course, if you drink a lot, it can add up, but it is still much cheaper than domestic prices.

Most people going to nightclubs will know some basic English, but in local bars and high-end nightclubs, most people don't speak English. Even if they don't, there's no need to worry; everyone loves using translation software.

If you want to go to some special places (you know what I mean), they are very easy to find, and there are many introductions on YouTube, so I won't elaborate here.

Also, substances are legal here, so you can often smell it on the streets or elsewhere; the smell is very unpleasant, which I personally dislike. Many places offer balloons, like some bars on Khao San Road. In any case, it's very easy to fall into bad habits here, so I remind you to try to avoid these things.

You can find various cuisines from different countries here, and they are quite authentic, although most locals consider them quite expensive. However, compared to the prices in first-tier cities in China, it's actually not bad.

As long as you choose a restaurant with a decent environment, the average cost is generally within 100-200 baht per person. For over 500 baht, you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat A5 Wagyu, and for 800 baht, there are plenty of examples of Michelin-starred omakase. Of course, there are even more expensive options, but those are beyond the spending capacity of ordinary people. Overall, you can enjoy much better food here for the same amount of money you would spend in China.

Accommodation is similar; you can find quite nice places for the same price as in China, and many apartments come with pools and gyms. However, I feel that gyms here are more expensive than those in China, though I'm not sure why.

The personal trainer I found here charges over 300 baht per session and is much more professional than the ones I found in China. In China, for over 300 baht, you can only find trainers at the level of training classes for certification, who have no experience. This is especially risky for someone like me with back issues, as it can easily lead to re-injury, and they don't have much experience in dealing with such cases, aside from constantly pushing you to buy more sessions.

My trainer here is a British guy. When I got injured during squats due to distraction, he immediately provided emergency treatment and adjusted the training for the following sessions.

Safety

I believe this is a concern for many people. The reports about safety risks that everyone sees have always existed, so those who are worried can completely disregard traveling to Thailand.

This situation is similar to the recent airplane accidents; they have always been there, but they have recently come into the public eye due to certain events. It depends on an individual's risk tolerance. For example, if you think flying is unsafe, you can choose not to fly, or avoid flying on Boeing planes, or not take the problematic 737. In simpler terms, staying within your village is the safest; if you leave the village, don't go abroad; if you go abroad, avoid Southeast Asia; and if you go to Southeast Asia, don't visit countries like Thailand that have had incidents.

Then there’s the need to understand how to avoid scams in daily life. The first step is to ensure that your phone, aside from contacts, is not disturbed throughout the day; any unknown calls should not get through. This alone can prevent 80% of scams. You must believe that if something is truly important, there will always be a way for someone to reach you, such as your parents or siblings contacting you. Many people mention delivery services, ride-hailing apps, etc. Both delivery and ride-hailing services have online network calls; you can simply call them yourself. Deliveries usually have designated pick-up points or can be left at your doorstep, and calling the delivery service is not that difficult.

In any case, living in both China and Bangkok, not receiving unknown calls has posed no inconvenience in my life. When taking a taxi, you can see the license plate; if you’re unsure, just take a photo and send it to the other party through an app, which generally resolves any issues. Additionally, avoid engaging with overly friendly people who speak Chinese. There’s a saying in Cantonese: “No good deed goes unpunished; either they are deceitful or a thief.” Chinese people are taught from a young age not to talk to strangers, so most Chinese are not overly familiar with others. It’s best to hang out with friends you’ve known for a long time.

Avoid sitting in a car for too long together; for instance, meet in places within the city or in familiar areas, and go there on your own. Frequently check Google Maps for driving routes; even if you’re going somewhere far, just pull out your phone and call Grab, leaving the worries to others.

Having said all this, I can only say that completely eliminating scams requires addressing recent public opinion events, which I strongly support.

However, where will these industries shift after being eliminated? Currently, I see that Thai news reports several cases of scam teams being busted almost every week, and with the subsequent legalization of casinos, there’s no doubt that safety issues will become increasingly serious. But it’s important to remember that Thailand is a country supported by tourism, so the outcomes of upper-level games have many possibilities, and there are numerous actions that can be taken, such as shortening visa-free durations and increasing border investments, etc.

Similarly, with student visas, Koreans can come and go freely, while there are various restrictions for Chinese citizens, such as certain types of long-term visas that do not allow Chinese to apply for various services that should be available. These are the results of previous generations cutting down trees while the later generations suffer the consequences.

So why do I consider living in Bangkok? Because I’m poor; I can spend the same amount of money more efficiently, but correspondingly, I’m willing to take on these risks. If it’s just ordinary tourism, there are only a few cities to visit, so just don’t go out.

Investment

The greatest lesson humanity has learned is not to learn from past mistakes; past errors keep being repeated. In a stable and short-term market, there are many strategies during rational times. I looked at my investments in 2023 and various methodologies.

However, if nothing unexpected happens, there will definitely be surprises. This year, while in Dali, I learned about collateralized lending with a friend, which involves mortgaging assets on an exchange to borrow some funds for profit. But then a black swan event occurred, and in one night, there was a 30% drop. Fearing liquidation, I sold some at a low point to repay the loan, and later calculated that my returns were only about 30% of the losses. Since then, my confidence has been shattered.

This year, I haven’t been working, so there’s no option for monthly fixed investments, and after moving here, I’ve had various expenses for purchasing items since I only brought two suitcases. Unfortunately, most of the assets I sold were at their lowest points to cover living expenses. Eating Chinese food here is relatively expensive, but I still occasionally indulge in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, so my monthly food expenses are actually higher than in China.

However, this year has been relatively lucky; a project I’ve been working on for four years finally yielded results. If I sell now, I could make three times the profit, but I ended up selling at a low point, which is enough to sustain my life in Thailand for a while. Comparing the positions I held if I had held onto them versus my current positions, along with what I’ve already sold and converted into living expenses, I’ve lost about 20%. Of course, if I hadn’t sold during a bull market, I would have seen decent returns, but these are all matters of fate. I ended up fully invested and faced three instances of halving my assets, just as I mentioned in 2023, continuing to lose money.

Every now and then, I see hot topics and jump in, losing some painful funds. This year, I haven’t spent much time on investments; I’ve completely given up on managing them, as most of my time has been spent on fitness and learning languages, along with some drinking. Of course, I need to start investing time in this area in 2025. So this year, I haven’t gained any profound insights; I’ll be grateful if I can avoid making the same mistakes again.

2025

In 2024, I plan to take it easy for a year. I initially thought I could reach an IELTS score of 6.0 in English, but I haven’t met that expectation, so in 2025, I won’t be able to take it easy anymore and will need to invest more time in this area.

As for fitness, I haven’t reached the level of having abs; although my overall physical condition has improved, with bench presses and squats reaching 60 kg, my belly hasn’t gone down, and I still enjoy eating and drinking without doing cardio.

It seems that my goals for 2025 are just slight modifications to those of 2024: still aiming to take the IELTS, work on my abs, and avoid losing money.

If nothing unexpected happens, I should continue living in Bangkok this year. If investment returns are good, I might consider moving to Singapore or returning to Shanghai, depending on my financial situation.

Another plan for this year is to work on projects or find a job, mainly because I don’t want to be idle. Otherwise, I’d end up drinking a few days a week, which would negatively affect my health and mental state.

Additionally, I post less on social media mainly because I use Instagram more often, where I share most of my updates. Posting about Thailand on social media can easily attract negative attention; many people are now wary of Thailand, which affects their mood.

This is the fourth year I’ve started writing year-end summaries. Now, I view many things as being destined to happen when the time is right, and what is not meant to be should not be forced.