12 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

I doubt that you’re happy because You spend way to much time here on  this forum trying to brainwashing us.

Not nearly as much time as those that try to resist the brainwashing though.

11 hours ago, Antonymous said:

I grew up and was educated in England and landed a great job at an early age, moving rapidly up the corporate ladder. I had a fat salary, bought my own house in a fashionable part of London and had a gorgeous GF. If you had asked this question then, I would have told you that I was as happy as could be.

 

I discovered and moved to Thailand and realized that there had been something missing from my life. You see, for me the key to happiness is being able to spend your life in your own way. My life in England was a success by any measure, but at the same time I was weighed down by obligations of my professional career, and the ever present pressures of social and family expectations.

 

In Thailand I found freedom and that meant more to me than the trappings of western society. I ‘gave it all up’ to pursue another life. I bought a house in a lovely part of the country and have a gorgeous wife. And I’m as happy as could be.

Phew! Thank goodness for that. Before that second-last sentence, I had a sinking feeling that you were about to reveal that now you can happily wear a frock in public and have people call you Jennifer.

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Phew! Thank goodness for that. Before that second-last sentence, I had a sinking feeling that you were about to reveal that now you can happily wear a frock in public and have people call you Jennifer.

"Jennifer" may well have a gorgeous wife and wear a frock, variety is a good thing ???? 

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Phew! Thank goodness for that. Before that second-last sentence, I had a sinking feeling that you were about to reveal that now you can happily wear a frock in public and have people call you Jennifer.

And what would be wrong if he did ? live n let live, each to their own choices.

So 20% or so are less than “happy enough” . Doesn’t line up with all the whining I see on Thai Visa... or am I reading it wrong ? 

23 hours ago, simon43 said:

I had Lasik surgery yonks ago - I don't need glasses, rose-tinted or otherwise.

 

Note that I said that I was about 85% happy in Thailand.  My main gripe was concerning the interference of officials into my private life, (eg TM30 reporting).  I had a Thai Elite visa because that seemed to minimise their intrusive questions at immigration.

 

Now that I'm living in Laos, I have to do no 90 day reports, no TM30, no provision of bank balance documents, no photos of my lodgings, wife, clothes, house number, map etc.  So I can get on with my private life and that's why my happiness level has increased.

 

But no country is perfect of course.  However, from previous experience of living and working in Laos, most things that make me feel happy work OK for me here.

Well said, nice to see things have worked out for you, luang probang is a beautiful town, once the jewel of Asia. Been there many times. Laos is probably the most scenic country in SEA, have travelled from the south to the Vietnam border. Loved it

13 minutes ago, Jaxxper said:

So 20% or so are less than “happy enough” . Doesn’t line up with all the whining I see on Thai Visa... or am I reading it wrong ? 

Empty vessels make the most noise.

I'm very happy. 

I have an increasingly large circle of friends and business connections in Bangkok, and life gets better the more social and business opportunities you have.

The city has improved massively in the 10+ years I've lived here and continues to modernise nicely.  My neighbourhood is growing, they finally built a mall (albeit a small one) within a 10 min walk of my condo and it looks like they might be building one even closer (just across Sukhumvit from my condo), but I'll have to wait another year or so to find out for sure.  

59 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

"Jennifer" may well have a gorgeous wife and wear a frock, variety is a good thing ???? 

And did I remotely suggest anything otherwise?

 

56 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

And what would be wrong if he did ? live n let live, each to their own choices.

I guess the sense of humor gets a long lie in bed on a Sunday?

2 minutes ago, seancbk said:

I'm very happy. 

I have an increasingly large circle of friends and business connections in Bangkok, and life gets better the more social and business opportunities you have.

The city has improved massively in the 10+ years I've lived here and continues to modernise nicely.  My neighbourhood is growing, they finally built a mall (albeit a small one) within a 10 min walk of my condo and it looks like they might be building one even closer (just across Sukhumvit from my condo), but I'll have to wait another year or so to find out for sure.  

It always surprises me what makes different people happy. Living anywhere in Bangkok, with an increasing number of people to communicate with, having business dealings here, visiting malls; all my idea of hell. To me, life gets better the less social and business dealings you have, but that's me. Good job we are not all the same. 

 

I have what I need and like what I have, am healthy for my age and still walk and get around on a bicycle.

Use public transpo, find local companionship, and have no worries financially so far.

 

Yes, consider myself happy, yet always learning and yearning to have new and different happy experiences.

 

Am retired, so no plans to find and marry a "beautiful" wife, build a house up country, have more kids, buy a car etc.  Been there done that, cannot afford and not my goal.

 

On 8/24/2019 at 9:41 AM, kellersphuket said:

Happiness is a fleeting state of mind IMO.

 

There are a lot of fake happy's out there. people that think they are happy when really they arent because they are too weak to face reality.

 

BTW, at this moment right now I am happy. Just had my coffee, things could be worse!!!!

" There are a lot of fake happy's out there. people that think they are happy when really they arent because they are too weak to face reality."

 

Jaysus.

So now you wont accept a possible  'happy verdict' because you conclude that a big percentage are 'fake happy' ?? Tell me , is their also a percentage of BMs that are 'fake sad ' ?

And theres BMs who are too weak to face the reality that they arent actually happy at all ?

Amazing ... I always thought that those who put on a brave face , those who smiled in the face of adversity , were the tougher people.

On 8/24/2019 at 8:53 AM, Peterw42 said:

There appears to be a group of posters who wont be happy until they are convinced everyone is unhappy and leaving.

 

It begs the question, if you were so unhappy and left, why are you hanging around in a Thailand forum?

 

 

Spot on - there's actually a medical term for self-loathing people who NEED to project their negativity and unhappiness on other people but for the life of me can't remember it (apart from being a miserable <deleted> !!)

 

This sums it up nicely

 

The major problem is people think you can come to sunny Thailand where there (use to be) cheap beer, attractive girls and wall to wall sunshine and their problems will all go away. When they find their problems have followed them here, they then complain its all <deleted> like its Thailands fault !

 

 

11 hours ago, Jaxxper said:

So 20% or so are less than “happy enough” . Doesn’t line up with all the whining I see on Thai Visa... or am I reading it wrong ? 

The happier ones have a life,

 

The unhappy ones  have Thai Visa

 

Misery is optional but catches if you get too close for too long

“Pleasure is the only thing one should live for, nothing ages like happiness.” - Oscar Wilde.

 

 

Reading this board, it hard to believe that most people here are 'happy enough', TVF  is possibly the meanest place on internet.

I doubt man is programmed to be happy, we always want something we don't have, always searching for something new always quickly forgetting all the good we already have, only realizing things weren't so bad when it is gone. 

13 minutes ago, whitemouse said:

h“Pleasure is the only thing one should live for, nothing ages like happiness.” - Oscar Wilde.

 

 

Reading this board, it hard to believe that most people here are 'happy enough', TVF  is possibly the meanest place on internet.

I doubt man is programmed to be happy, we always want something we don't have, always searching for something new always quickly forgetting all the good we already have, only realizing things weren't so bad when it is gone. 

when you finely find out, you do not need all of that, and do not need to fill your bucket anymore, you can rest and have a cup of coffe in the mornin and find yourselves in a good place. After years of chasing my dreams, fullfied quite a few of them, and was still hungry for more, but managed to slow down, live a simple life, money in the bank, and still alive with good health, it was an eyeopener for me. Cant talk for others, but seems like some think that is a failure, and can not be happy. Whatever your state of mind is, thats the truth. You live every day, but die only once. 

On 8/24/2019 at 5:47 AM, jvs said:

Happiness as most people define it is overated,nobody can be (un)happy all of the time.

We have no reason to bitch at all!!!We do,but look around you and see how well off we are.

An awful lot of people do not have the time or the pc to post on a forum on a Saturday morning.

Everything is relative.

Try to be satisfied,it is a lot easier .

Have a nice day.

 

Exactly! Being content is the best we can aim for. Sure, there are moments of happiness, but these moment do not last, they simply  can't, we are not built that way, there is not enough supply of serotonin and dopamine in order to sustain constant state of happiness. 

On 8/24/2019 at 10:29 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Buy your young woman a new uniform for every night. Then you can pretend you didn't do it all before.

A Hello Kitty one? 

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

when you finely find out, you do not need all of that, and do not need to fill your bucket anymore, you can rest and have a cup of coffe in the mornin and find yourselves in a good place. After years of chasing my dreams, fullfied quite a few of them, and was still hungry for more, but managed to slow down, live a simple life, money in the bank, and still alive with good healt, it was an eyeopener for me. Cant talk for others, but seems like some think that is a failure, and can not be happy. Whatever your state of mind is, thats the truth. You live every day, but die only once. 

 

Very much agreed, recipe for happiness, or more precisely contentment  'small things', cup of coffee in the morning, finding pleasure in watching sun rise, listening to favorite music, but mainly fully realizing, and not forgetting that life can been much, much worse.

Interesting thread ????

 

I'd say that I am generally content with myself and with my life situation right now. I am not seeking happiness but a continuous state of contentment enriched with moments of joy... whatever this might be.. a coffee in the morning, watching an early sunrise, listening to my favorite music, reading a book, having a relaxing Thai massage or having a nice evening with dinner and drinks with friends.

 

Is there room for self-improvement? Absolutely!

Would I be happier if I were in a relationship instead of being single? Probably!

 

But overall life is good. I look after myself, do lots of sports, eat healthy and have only limited amount of alcohol. I surround myself with people who help me to grow personally and who have a good impact on me. I have given up on social media and deleted Facebook months ago. I do not tinder or use any other social media platform (LinkedIn being the exception). I realized that that actually makes me happier because I actually go out and communicate with people and make real friends... it works for me ????

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 9:44 PM, whitemouse said:

 

Very much agreed, recipe for happiness, or more precisely contentment  'small things', cup of coffee in the morning, finding pleasure in watching sun rise, listening to favorite music, but mainly fully realizing, and not forgetting that life can been much, much worse.

funny... I used exactly the same reasons as you but I actually did not read your comment before. ????

Is there anyone really happy? I doubt it. Some will be happy at certain times like at the moment of a happy ending, but all the time? I think not.

Have I been happy- yes, when I got that entry stamp each visit to LOS and my GF was waiting for me, but balanced by knowing I'd be leaving again.

I was happy when I got married, but balanced by getting divorced.

Etc.

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Is there anyone really happy? I doubt it. Some will be happy at certain times like at the moment of a happy ending, but all the time? I think not.

Although that short feeling of elation , can soon turn to feelings of annoyance ., when you realise that that 200 Baht massage is now going to cost 1000 Baht