Previous entries
The God Illusion
Going Home
2022
A Change of Direction
Dogs and Pandemics
The Forgotten tenors
Nine Things I will Miss about Thailand
Circles
Just Do It
Ayr on a Shoestring
Oh Lonesome Me
Tipping Point
Movie Reviews
Putting Pen to Paper
A Year to Remember
A Year to Forget
10 Reasons I Cannot Go Home
China Girl
The State of Play
Veggies
Mind Your Language
New Horizons
Injustice
Honeymoon
Taxes and Death
Also-rans
Stinkhorns
Grey is the Colour
Beating Myself Up
Nothing More to Say
Better Late than Never
Staying Put
Musical Chairs
Wanderlust
A Dog's Life
A Sabbatical
A Welcome Diversion
A Guide to Business Ethics
Remembering the Austin Allegro
Our Lords and Masters
In Transit - Part 2
In Transit - Part 1
Nagging Doubts
While Bangkok Burns
An Evening to Remember
Thai Business Malpractice
The New and the Old
Christmas Lights
Groundhog Day
Singapura
Possessions
Adventure is Out There
Education
Grabbing it While You Can
A Few Ups and Many Downs
Limbo
Pack Up Your Old Kit Bag
Salmon
Bananas
Religion
Football
Grateful
Yummy
Ate Two Caesar
Swine Pie
The Thai Rollercoaster
Stuck in the Middle
There's no Regrets
Profit and Loss
Running on Empty
Getting it out Your System
National Mistrust
Bring in the Old, Out with the New
Humility
I am Reviewing, My Situation...
Wat Phrabhat Nam Poo
Today I will Mostly be Eating...
Mortality
The Thai Experience
Wat Khaowong
Reality Bites
Wat Simalais
Amazing Thailand
He Must have a Big Wand
Right Place, Wrong Time
Carousel
Tin
And it does go on
Mangos
Bring Him Home
Resurgence
Protege
Listening to my Reader.
Archives
Diary Archive 18.
Diary Archive 17.
Diary Archive 16.
Diary Archive 15.
Diary Archive 14.
Diary Archive 13.
Diary Archive 12.
Diary Archive 11.
Diary Archive 10.
Diary Archive 9.
Diary Archive 8.
Diary Archive 7.
Diary Archive 6.
Diary Archive 5.
Diary Archive 4.
Diary Archive 3.
Diary Archive 2.
Diary Archive 1.
|
2022
The last year has been horrible. Not just for me (us) obviously, but for many people.
It is now 2 years and 2 months since I last saw Ploy and the dogs. We had planned for me to visit over Christmas and New Year, but money was tight, and we were waiting for a decent sum of money to be paid by a China customer. They kept delaying and delaying, but finally we received the money and were able to pay our bills. But too late to plan anything, and in any case they had asked for some changes to the design. Thailand has just reintroduced their quarantine requirement.
Ploy and I have decided to wait a little longer. This money has allowed us to pay all our bills and still have something left in the bank. We had a large corporation tax bill to pay which took a big chunk out of our resources (which means we must have been making money, although where that money went is anyone’s guess). Ploy’s business is going great guns and she has just taken on another member of staff, but she knows from when her cook was ill for a few days, customers are a fickle lot, and it took her while to build up the trade again. So we aim for Ploy’s birthday in March.
From my own point of view, almost this entire year has been spent on two China customers. One we finally lost patience with and told them where they could put their order, but of course it didn’t end there. We lost a huge amount of money on that but at least it is all finished now - officially as we have signed an end of contract agreement. The other one was the late paying customer – they first indicated they would order in March this year – we received the final payment in December, and they are still requesting changes.
So, a change of plans for 2022.
- The products that we currently sell to customers, such as the China companies, will be removed from sale. Instead we will design a completely new range of products for sale (based on what we sell to the Chinese). Much lower priced, but hopefully much higher quantity so we spread our risk on non/late-payments.
- Send money to Ploy throughout the year so we can buy some land in Thailand, and eventually have our own house built.
- Abandon plans to do our own manufacturing and remain a design house, with manufacturing sub-contracted. This will allow me to spend more time in Thailand if I set up an office there.
- Keep going with my math’s degree. Into my second year and enjoying it when I can spend proper time on it instead of always being behind and having to rush the exams.
- Get those books finished. Tom Cruise and Other Animals is almost finished and The Forgotten Tenors is 60% finished. The other six books should follow. Again, it is just making time for it.
- Tidy up my house a little more. I only rent, but I really like the house and it was bare when I moved in, over a year ago. I started painting it, but then run out of enthusiasm, mostly because of circumstances at work. I must finish it and buy an few more things to make it feel even more like home.
- The one good thing from 2021 was I sold my Mercedes car before it bankrupted me. Instead I bought a 23 year old Honda Prelude, a later model to one I used to have which I bought new and did 330,000 miles in with barely a misfire. This Prelude looks as reliable, so I want to invest a little money at it to ensure it does keep going.
- And this is the big thing. Managing my time better. Because of [1] and [3], once in place, I should have much more time to do other things ([4] and [5]). I’ve been unwell for some of this year, nothing major, and it is surely just missing Ploy and the stress of the business.
- And lastly, spend a bit more time on this website. The readership has been dropping steadily over the last few years – hardly surprisingly as I haven't posted anything for ten months: it would be good to get back up to the million hits in one year I once achieved.
|