How is your daily routine as expat looks like?

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I've always made the best of what I have, and that hasn't changed. What has changed is that I no longer have a future that could be different from what I have now. Before there was always hope that next day would be better, more adventures to come. Now it's just hope that next day won't be worse, and adventures are no more.

Don't get me wrong; I relish the glories of sunsets, appreciate being warm, enjoy movies, love chatting with friends, relish gardening and making things that will outlive me. It's just that it's obviously only filling in time. 

Which brings me back to my original comment that a family is what makes it worth while when the adventures and world travel is in the past.

Couple of days ago a good friend some years younger than I had a stroke in front of me. That certainly made me think about what my own future holds for me.

Totally agree, once you're past 60 very little ahead, except chronic illness and death.

If I was 50, I'd probably buy a rural home in France, no point now, not long enough left.

5 years back my best pal died of cancer, aged 50, last month my best pal died of AIDs, aged 59, not even worth making new friends, they don't last long enough for the effort.

Edited July 24, 2019 by BritManToo

[thaibeachlovers]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Totally agree, once you're past 60 very little ahead, except chronic illness and death.

If I was 50, I'd probably buy a rural home in France, no point now, not long enough left.

5 years back my best pal died of cancer, aged 50, last month my best pal died of AIDs, aged 59, not even worth making new friends, they don't last long enough for the effort.

I didn't get married till 60, and that is an adventure in itself, so a bit older before the fire awaits.

If I was 50 again, I'd be saving to afford to stay in a little cabin on top of Than Sadet hill. Nicest beach I ever stayed at in LOS and one of the very few places in the world I had an affinity with. Mellifont Abbey in Ireland was another, but can't live there after they closed the hostel.

[GarryP]

33 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Totally agree, once you're past 60 very little ahead, except chronic illness and death.

If I was 50, I'd probably buy a rural home in France, no point now, not long enough left.

5 years back my best pal died of cancer, aged 50, last month my best pal died of AIDs, aged 59, not even worth making new friends, they don't last long enough for the effort.

You should come with a warning. "Making friends with me is dangerous to your health."

[Nemises]

....once you're past 60 very little ahead, except chronic illness and death.

 

 

“Very little ahead past 60” !?!?! - glad you think so [emoji4]

 

 

[amykat]

On 7/23/2019 at 10:32 AM, DAN0 said:

so presumably, that's the long time you've been there that made you 'believe' in love again..

 

unfortunately (or fortunately) according to current neuroscience research using fmri, eeg, pet scans etc, as well as advancements in biology research in humans as well as animals experiments, we now know that 'love' is just oxytocin chemicals getting released in order to make you want to reproduce and so on.. simply evolutionary survival instincts... nothing more nothing less ???? ????  

 

i guess it's the most scientific post every been posted in tvf but yeah even tvf is advancing for the worse ????  

Dano this last comment was quite rude, I would say almost everyone here is probably aware of this information.  Farangs are much better educated and better aware of information that your average Thai person.  I know you are that Thai woman doing research on Thai/Farang relationships for your graduate program.  (It actually was a double entendre insult by suggesting that giving us this highly technical information would break our brains and make our forum worse ...I would be shocked except that I know why you think that.)

 

[DAN0]

17 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

It's called Briffault's Law...

Briffault’s law maintains that “the female, not the male, determines all the conditions of the animal family. Where the female can derive no benefit from association with the male, no such association takes place.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/machiavellians-gulling-the-rubes/201610/briffaults-law-women-rule

 

 

 

Back to the OP, I do think this is one of the most important questions that you need to ask yourself when planning your retirement...

 

1st time I retired, I was 40,  went from working 12+ hour days 6-7 days a week to nothing to do (was living in UK at that time) so was climbing the walls & went back to work after 3 months (though for myself, working 8-10 hour days, 5 days a week)

 

2nd time I was 48, been living in Singapore for 6 years & seriously bit by the travel bug so traveled around Australasia for 15 months until a mate asked me to help out on a project for a couple of years, I realized I'd spent a lot more money than I'd planned, missed Singapore & he was a good mate so back I go. 

 

3rd time (Next Jan, I'll be 53) will hopefully be a charm, I've budgeted enough to do a reasonable amount of travel but not sure yet whether I'll do an extensive trip to somewhere like LATAM before settling down or continue with my Condo in Bangkok & do shorter trips from there.

 

Other than travel, I love to walk, Books/Music/TV/Movie,  IT Geek and hobbies where I can learn something new (current one is lockpicking) plus lots of beer drinking & chasing women ???? 

 

 

 

Good luck to everybody planning their retirement, & thanks to the OP for starting this thread... the "Am I Ready for Retirement" is probably the 2nd most important question you need to ask yourself after "Can I Afford to Retire"

 

 

 

MTV

 

great share and a very honest comment! some people here tried to make fun of this thread, although people like you, who have actually experienced living abroad, and changing one's life from one edge to another, can relate and understand exactly why i've wrote this thread.. as you've mentioned at your "1st try", i've also experienced hardship trying to retire abroad before... that's why i've thought sharing-discussing it with like minded people can contribute us all, by sharing experiences with each other, as in the end we all have similar perception (at least partially).. ????

Edited July 24, 2019 by DAN0

[DAN0]

15 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Everything we are and feel is a result of chemical changes being made in the brain.

Must be disappointing for those that believe we have self determination, as our genes dictate what we are.

exactly.. people try to be logical and just destroy themselves by causing self-harm, depression etc as they resists their natural-biological instincts.. accepting we're all just chemical living organism, just like any other living being out there, we can finally behave naturally again and feel content by simply engaging in one of the indefinite ways our instincts desire (just as kids, animals proof).. ????

Edited July 24, 2019 by DAN0

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎7‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 5:39 PM, Nemises said:

 

“Very little ahead past 60” !?!?! - glad you think so

 

 

You didn't put Jane Asher on that list. Looks better than any of those you did.

[Nemises]

^ Sure. Whatever you reckon boss.

[Mitkof Island]

On 7/15/2019 at 5:58 PM, BritManToo said:

Slowly but steadily drinking myself to death while sitting in front of the Tv.

Not long to go now (thank god).

Sadly sounds like the majority who move here.

[EVENKEEL]

53 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

Sadly sounds like the majority who move here.

Get a life, the brit was just having a laugh.

[rvaviator]

You know it is something I have been doing for 35 years ...I love it [emoji3]
 
When I was younger I competed in Time Trials, Hill Climbs etc & also did Triathlon
 
But now that I'm older I just enjoy riding for the beauty of cycling
That it also keeps me in good health & as part of the package I have always watched my diet as better foods give better energy are
all a side benefits
 
You see things while cycling you do not see while speeding along in a car.
You smell things etc etc
A form of meditation for me also because I ride alone
 
While in Thailand I experience incredible climbs in the North that rival anything I have ridden before
 
So many reasons really [emoji6]
 
 

If you are not run over and killed then cycling is one of the best form of staying healthy me thinks ... No shock loading on the knees - you constantly need to be alert for what is going on around you to stay safe - keeps blood pressure down and your cardiovascular system in top form - doing 200 to 300 km per week - average speed about 20 to 25 kph.... yep cycling can be very addictive once you get into it .....


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[rvaviator]

A hard lesson I have learned is that if one does not have family, one has no reason to hang around. Whatever I do is just for myself- no one else cares, and it's all a bit pointless. When I die, everything I care about will be burnt/ dumped or sold to strangers.
I find myself in God's waiting room.
Different when young as there's always the hope that eventually one will meet the right person and that will give life meaning in old age, but when one picks the wrong one and it's too late to start again what does one do then?

Is it ever to late as long as there is wind in the sails ?


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, rvaviator said:

Is it ever to late as long as there is wind in the sails ?


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Just because you are still breathing doesn't necessarily give you motivation. So yes, there is such a thing as too late.

[luk AJ]

Instead of trying to fill up time after retirement, I decided not to retire and keep working in my company. By doing so, I keep contact with people and keep my brain active. I realise there will come a time that this is not possible anymore but I count this to be well beyond the age of 65.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[JimmyJ]

On 7/15/2019 at 7:38 PM, geronimo said:

I am normally at home all day, with the 2 dogs, my office, and a beautiful garden.

 

Here is an account of a day I experienced a while ago ......

 

Ever woke up in the morning and though to yourself “It’s gonna be a great day?”

 

Well, I did the other day, and here’s how my day went …..

 

I actually awoke an hour later than normal, but my good old body clock was right on time, and ready for the morning dump. Bathroom isn’t free, not to worry, I’ll busy myself with some cleaning. 20 minutes later and I am ready to burst. Turns out my son is in the bathroom and he’s wearing my Bluetooth headphones while he sits and ponders life.

 

By this time I’m doing a unique Irish jig, and my dog has an expression on his face that I haven’t seen before, and just as I was contemplating digging a hole in the garden, son emerges from the bathroom. Aaaah Heaven!!!

 

I emerge from the bathroom a kilo lighter and in much better spirits, only to find my dentures are not in the glass by the bed. My search soon revealed a crushed set of teeth, probably thanks to the dog, who must’ve thought it was a new toy.

 

Oh well, who needs teeth anyway, they’re very overrated, and I refused to let such a minor thing get me down, and I even forgave my dog, who had a guilty look on his face telling me he chomped on my chompers.

 

Time to walk the dogs, and we get ready for the usual routine; I slide the front gate open and they tear off like a couple of possessed greyhounds, only this morning there happened to be a vendor riding past on her pushbike. Not sure what she was selling, I think I saw some cakes flying through the air as my boy crashed into her, sending the poor woman and my dog flying through the air. She got up and after a quick limb check, she smiled and began to clear up the debris. The dogs mistakenly thought she was a dog catcher and both disappeared as fast as their legs would carry them, and after helping her to retrieve all her stuff, she mounted her bike, and when I asked if she wanted financial compensation, she smiled and told me she would never ask a man with no teeth for money.

 

I’ve been awake for just over an hour and already had more drama that would normally occur in a week, and if I thought that was the end of it, I was to be sorely mistaken.

 

When I arrived at the piece of waste ground where my dogs do their business, I find the girl rolling in doggie poop, while the boy is nowhere to be seen. A yelp and a scream soon alerted me to his whereabouts, in a neighbour’s garden chasing her cat!

 

The cat was fine, they always are, but in his efforts to catch the feline, my Labrador had destroyed her collection of garden gnomes. After some serious groveling and apologies, I managed to coax Chokky out of her garden, and we went to finish our little walk. Time to return home and despite my attempts to get ahead, the girl, Lucky, goes straight into the living room and rolls around on the sofa, spreading the poo in every direction.

 

I duly drag the dog outside and showered her 4 times, then cleaned up the mess in the lounge (as best I could), then turned on the TV to see a “no-signal” message. By this time, I’m starting to think that the gods have conspired against me, and after checking that it wasn’t Friday the 13^th, I decide to take a long shower.

 

I like to really lather myself up when showering, and just as I finished doing that, the water stops running abruptly, leaving me looking like a snowman. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to remove soap without water, but take it from me, it cannot be done, and after using 5 towels, I was finally dry, and smelling sweet I might add.

 

My latent positivity told me that I was having a whole year’s bad fortune in one go, and I reasoned that this little series of misfortunes was not going to get me down.

 

Any thoughts I might have had that this was going to be a great day were shattered when I dropped a jar of coffee on the kitchen floor, and the dogs thought this was a new game and began to roll around in the brown mess I’d created. I used the 5 soap covered towels the clean up the mess, which turned out to be a great way to make the coffee bubble, while turning the floor into an ice rink!

 

I decided to treat myself to a glass of fresh orange juice, and to my surprise, the fridge light didn’t come on when I opened the door, probably due to the fact that someone had unplugged it. At this point, I thought about going back to bed and starting again, after all, it could never be as bad as this, could it?

 

I did have a brainwave, which consisted of me sitting in a chair and not touching anything for the rest of the day, but in the end I decided to continue my day like nothing happened.

 

The TV remote was nowhere to be seen, and while searching for it, I found a few pieces of my dentures, damning evidence indeed, as they were right where my dog sleeps. I thought about booting up my computer, but decided against it, fearing the dreaded blue screen, or worse, no power, and besides, the world can wait, at least until my life calms down.

 

I began to search for the car keys, not expecting to find them, so it was no surprise that my search yielded nothing but more bits of my teeth.

 

At this point, my other half gets up and wants to know why the bathroom has been coated in soap, and remarked on the brown mess in the kitchen, I simply smiled and said it was “one of those days”.

 

The afternoon …….

 

The car keys magically turned up, so I decided to risk a trip out on the roads ……

I mean, what could go wrong?

 

I knew the old girl was low on fuel and to my amazement the engine cut out just as I rolled into the LPG station, how perfect was that? Except the pump station was closed!

 

I duly waited an hour and sure enough the pump attendants arrived, so I told the girl to fill her up, which she did. I then realised I left my wallet at home!

 

Being a regular customer and fluent in Thai allowed me to drive away on the promise of returning later to pay my bill, which I did, of course.

 

The ATM

These hole in the wall cash dispensers don’t normally mess with me. I normally get exactly what I want and have never had an issue, in fact, I tell everyone I know, next birthday, I’d like an ATM if possible.

Armed with my wallet, I proceeded to do a little shopping in my local 7-11 and when confronted with the checkout, I naturally chose the till with only one person in front of me. Sod’s law was at work here, as the elderly woman in front of me produced a fistful of utility bills. It matters not which line I get in, I always seem to get the one with a heap of bills.

 

Finally on my way home, I reasoned with myself that this is all in my head, and that in fact, it was purely down to coincidence that my day was one catastrophe after another, when I suddenly realised that I had a rear tyre problem. Turned out that my brand new tyre just happened to make contact with a nail, and was now hissing like an angry King Cobra!.

 

 

I'm well-versed with changing a wheel on the car and get to work, only stopping when I couldn't find the jack! Turned out my son used it to jack up the back wheel of his Yamaha R3, to lubricate the chain. I actually laughed out loud at this point, looking up at the sky and shaking my head. God knows why I did that, I mean I am not a believer of any religion, and there's certainly not an old bearded man looking down on me, yet I do know that my own consciousness can affect physical outcomes, however, I think nothing but good thoughts, so that can't be the reason for having a lifetime's worth of bad luck in a single day.

 

 

 

Son brings jack, wheel gets changed and I arrive at home, wondering what catastrophes have occurred in the short time I'd been away, but, to my surprise, all is well. Dogs laying on the porch, and everything was where I left it.

 

 

It is now close to evening, yet it feels like a whole week has passed since I awoke that morning.

 

Time for some work, so I set up my laptop and boot her up on the porch, which doubles as my office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For you and anyone else to think about when having a bad day - This is a bad day:

 

Waterloo:

 

 

There's a longer (2 paragraphs) account of his day here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Cavendish_Ponsonby

 

For those who aren't going to read it - The man who used him as a human shield while firing over his body chatted with him meanwhile.

Some other things happened to him as well during that day - not good things.

Edited July 28, 2019 by JimmyJ

[JimmyJ]

On 7/16/2019 at 8:26 AM, tomazbodner said:

No wonder any dummy could be a secret agent now. In the era of Facebook and ThaiVisa, there's no more sneaking into someone's house and installing microphones and cameras, monitoring them around the clock, sending people to gather intelligence... Now you just read Facebook timeline and post questions on ThaiVisa and you have all information that took spy agencies months to collect

 

""Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented," Assange said in the interview, which was videotaped and published on the site. "Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. intelligence."

 

https://www.cnet.com/news/assange-facebook-is-an-appalling-spy-machine/

[marcusarelus]

6 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

 

""Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented," Assange said in the interview, which was videotaped and published on the site. "Here we have the world's most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. intelligence."

 

https://www.cnet.com/news/assange-facebook-is-an-appalling-spy-machine/

Did you watch the new movie, "The Hack" which details how that British company in conjunction with Facebook stole the election for Trump and fixed the Brexit vote?  Them Brits are sneaky - gotta watch em.  

Edited July 28, 2019 by marcusarelus

[Nemises]

If you are not run over and killed then cycling is one of the best form of staying healthy me thinks ... No shock loading on the knees - you constantly need to be alert for what is going on around you to stay safe - keeps blood pressure down and your cardiovascular system in top form - doing 200 to 300 km per week - average speed about 20 to 25 kph.... yep cycling can be very addictive once you get into it .....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

Cycling for fitness in a non-tropical, “civilised” country? Maybe.

 

Cycling on the oppressively hot, lawlessness streets of Thailand? OMG. Please!

 

I’ll stick to swimming laps....and an (air conditioned) gym for maintaining my fitness in Thailand thanks.

 

Good luck on those Thai roads.

 

 

 

[geronimo]

14 hours ago, Nemises said:

 

Cycling for fitness in a non-tropical, “civilised” country? Maybe.

 

Cycling on the oppressively hot, lawlessness streets of Thailand? OMG. Please!

 

I’ll stick to swimming laps....and an (air conditioned) gym for maintaining my fitness in Thailand thanks.

 

Good luck on those Thai roads.

 

 

 

Some of us like a little excitement in our lives .......

[bkk6060]

Sex

Golf

Gym

Eat

Watch sports hang out with friends

 

Yes, it is called a great retirement.

[villagefarang]

On 7/28/2019 at 5:07 PM, Nemises said:

 

Cycling for fitness in a non-tropical, “civilised” country? Maybe.

 

Cycling on the oppressively hot, lawlessness streets of Thailand? OMG. Please!

 

I’ll stick to swimming laps....and an (air conditioned) gym for maintaining my fitness in Thailand thanks.

 

Good luck on those Thai roads.

 

 

 

Roads where I live are not all that bad.

 

 

 

 

[villagefarang]

During the winter months there is some great mountain hiking to be enjoyed.

 

[Nemises]

Roads where I live are not all that bad.
 

 

 

 

Roads look great. But how safe, law-abiding, sober, non-drug affected and properly licensed are those who drive upon them?

[villagefarang]

12 minutes ago, Nemises said:

Roads look great. But how safe, law-abiding, sober, non-drug affected and properly licensed are those who drive upon them?

I have never had a problem but then again I don't depend upon others for my own safety.  I figure that is my responsibility.

[Nemises]

I have never had a problem but then again I don't depend upon others for my own safety.  I figure that is my responsibility.

As a cyclist, your safety is entirely in the hands of others who you share the road with, regardless of how responsible you are or how much care you take.
The last time I looked, Thailand still has the world’s deadliest road toll.
Good luck sharing the world’s deadliest roads - on a cycle.

[villagefarang]

Numbers alone don't tell the whole story.  You have to look at who is dying, why, and what kind of vehicles are involved.  I don't fall into a high risk category.

[JimmyJ]

On 7/16/2019 at 7:35 PM, Captain 776 said:

Not enough hours in the day.

Between Beekeeping, Baking, daily activities.........busy allllllll day

 

You baked 6 different kinds of bread for yourself?

They look great. Where did you get the recipes?

[DAN0]

On 7/28/2019 at 10:27 AM, luk AJ said:

Instead of trying to fill up time after retirement, I decided not to retire and keep working in my company. By doing so, I keep contact with people and keep my brain active. I realise there will come a time that this is not possible anymore but I count this to be well beyond the age of 65.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

what's your motivation to keep working 

[NCC1701A]

i never take my eyes off the rain radar. look! see? there it is!