The last 60 years

[GammaGlobulin]

Let's return to 1962.

 

How has life treated you during the past 60 years?

 

Are you better off now than you were six decades ago?

 

What has happened during the past 60 years that you can still clearly recall, percentage-wise?

 

Most of us can still fondly recall the Cuban Missile Crisis. But what other pivotal experiences and personal events caused your life to change for the better or worse, some of which must have caused you to end up here?

 

I don’t recall that, in 1962, I had planned to be in Thailand at this present moment.  Although, soon after 1962, I began reading books about Asia.  And, even before 1962, I had been interested in the pictures published in the National Geographic Magazine. National Geographic was considered rather hot during those years.

 

Maybe it was those ‘National Geographic Magazine” photos of village life which changed my life for the better, and drew me to Asia.

 

Life is just a series of episodes where one goes up and down.

 

Sometimes, the best times in life are lived when one is going up and down, and up and down.

 

Seriously though, as youngsters, some of us would never have believed that we might have been born in one country, only to spend most of our lives on another continent.

 

It must have been The National Geographic Magazine.

 

Regards,

GammaG

[nikmar]

53 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Seriously though, as youngsters, some of us would never have believed that we might have been born in one country, only to spend most of our lives on another continent.

no one can predict the course of their life. I met up with my old boss from the UK a week ago, he does some work over here now. We had dinner, a few drinks and a decent conversation. 

 

"Did you ever think, all those years ago, that we would be sat in Bangkok having drinks and a chat over a spread of traditional Thai food", he asked.

 

never in a million, yet, there we were, like old friends.

 

I only came to Thailand to travel for a bit. That was in 2005. I definately gave no thought to meeting, marrying and having kids here. I met my wife after a week, a year later, she was pregnant. funny how things turn out.

[Lacessit]

In 1962, I was working as a trainee chemist. In a laboratory, not as a pill-pusher. School four nights a week towards a tertiary degree.

 

It depends on what metric is used, I am way better off financially now. Healthwise, obviously not.

 

My most vivid recollection is of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It showed the world how morally bankrupt totalitarian regimes are. As they are still demonstrating.

 

I was very naive in 1962; however, I did have an itch to travel. I can still remember an argument I had with one of my fellow trainees. He was a good Catholic, who only wanted to marry his equally Catholic girl friend so they could abandon chastity and settle down in a Melbourne suburb, where they could have a large family and live for the rest of their lives, while he barracked for his local football team every Saturday afternoon. When I remarked that was a circumscribed way of life, he said I was a fool for wanting to travel.

 

He was a pretty bright and driven guy, who probably would have done well ascending the corporate ladder. If he is still alive, it would be interesting to compare notes with him.

[Patong2]

 

GammaGlobulin

Was it an issue of National Geographic on Cambodia and the Khmer temples?

 

The topless Khmer lady was stunning and I have loved topless ladies ever since.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Patong2

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

By 1962 I had already moved from the country and continent where I was born.

[Sparktrader]

I wasnt alive til the 1970s

[GammaGlobulin]

16 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

In 1962, I was working as a trainee chemist. In a laboratory, not as a pill-pusher. School four nights a week towards a tertiary degree.

 

It depends on what metric is used, I am way better off financially now. Healthwise, obviously not.

 

My most vivid recollection is of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It showed the world how morally bankrupt totalitarian regimes are. As they are still demonstrating.

 

I was very naive in 1962; however, I did have an itch to travel. I can still remember an argument I had with one of my fellow trainees. He was a good Catholic, who only wanted to marry his equally Catholic girl friend so they could abandon chastity and settle down in a Melbourne suburb, where they could have a large family and live for the rest of their lives, while he barracked for his local football team every Saturday afternoon. When I remarked that was a circumscribed way of life, he said I was a fool for wanting to travel.

 

He was a pretty bright and driven guy, who probably would have done well ascending the corporate ladder. If he is still alive, it would be interesting to compare notes with him.

Not surprising that you should mention the Berlin Wall event, because most of us vividly recall images of people tearing apart the wall with sledge hammers and even bare hands.

 

You also mention your naïveté during your youth in 1962.  And you mention an itch. Can you still recall the theatre where you first viewed The Seven Year Itch?

 

You mention something about a "good" Catholic.  Why are Catholics always referred to as "good" Catholics?  Nobody ever says: I once had a good friend.  He was a bad Catholic.  Nobody ever says this.

 

I once had a Chemistry prof surnamed Fletcher.  He was a great teacher.  Unfortunately, he was overly concerned about his net worth.  And consequently, he wasted a few years hoping for a Nobel.  If he were alive today, he would be about 100, and much happier without the Nobel.

 

Concerning your circumcised friend on the football team who called you a fool: As you must admit, even you have called him a pretty bright guy.

 

The Seven Year Itch is a movie to die for.

Watch it one more time before you die.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

42 minutes ago, Patong2 said:

 

GammaGlobulin

Was it an issue of National Geographic on Cambodia and the Khmer temples?

 

The topless Khmer lady was stunning and I have loved topless ladies ever since.

I do not recall the volume and issue number after so many years.

 

However, those were the days before digital photography, and the flesh tones were superior to anything available today.

 

She was stunning, though.

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Not surprising that you should mention the Berlin Wall event, because most of us vividly recall images of people tearing apart the wall with sledge hammers and even bare hands.

 

You also mention your naïveté during your youth in 1962.  And you mention an itch. Can you still recall the theatre where you first viewed The Seven Year Itch?

 

You mention something about a "good" Catholic.  Why are Catholics always referred to as "good" Catholics?  Nobody ever says: I once had a good friend.  He was a bad Catholic.  Nobody ever says this.

 

I once had a Chemistry prof surnamed Fletcher.  He was a great teacher.  Unfortunately, he was overly concerned about his net worth.  And consequently, he wasted a few years hoping for a Nobel.  If he were alive today, he would be about 100, and much happier without the Nobel.

 

Concerning your circumcised friend on the football team who called you a fool: As you must admit, even you have called him a pretty bright guy.

 

The Seven Year Itch is a movie to die for.

Watch it one more time before you die.

 

 

Alas, my Seven Year Itch came at 28 and 16 years respectively, when I was still wedded to the concepts of duty and responsibility. No more, I have had enough of people lying to me.

 

Obviously, a "good" believer in any form of religion can be a thoroughly reprehensible person. One only has to look at Putin, who wears the Russian Orthodox version like a cheap suit.

 

When I said my fellow trainee was a pretty bright guy, I meant in terms of his knowledge of how to kiss management butt.

 

I suggest you tread carefully in any future responses to my posts. It's your thread, that does not give you a license to be insulting.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Alas, my Seven Year Itch came at 28 and 16 years respectively, when I was still wedded to the concepts of duty and responsibility. No more, I have had enough of people lying to me.

 

Obviously, a "good" believer in any form of religion can be a thoroughly reprehensible person. One only has to look at Putin, who wears the Russian Orthodox version like a cheap suit.

 

When I said my fellow trainee was a pretty bright guy, I meant in terms of his knowledge of how to kiss management butt.

 

I suggest you tread carefully in any future responses to my posts. It's your thread, that does not give you a license to be insulting.

 

 

Acknowledged, and understood.

No more humor, henceforth.

 

Humor and irony is a very strange thing, one must admit.

 

When some Aussies sometime say that Americans have no sense of irony, then it is usually said from a one-way-street perspective.

 

Americans have no sense of irony, and of course this is true.

Everybody knows this.

Especially the Aussies.

 

Humor is cultural by its very nature.

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

If I had to pick the best year of my life it'd be 1962.

No real responsibilities, other than being in class at appointed time,

A full life with many fun activities.

Didn't need money.

Knew nothing about world affairs or anything outside my little environment.

No girls.

 

[Rimmer]

An abusive troll flame has been removed

[BritManToo]

21 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

What has happened during the past 60 years that you can still clearly recall, percentage-wise?

I can remember standing up in my cot and shaking the bars to be allowed out.

(It was blue and in a room at the back of the house overlooking railway tracks).

 

That's more than 60 years back in the 1950s

[LaosLover]

Born in '53. New York in the 70's was broken, stinky and chaotic, but you could go see Tito Puente in the park, The Talking Heads at CBBG's, Sun Ra in a loft, and Gloria Gaynor at Paradise Garage and still have change from a $20 bill.

[OneMoreFarang]

12 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

New York in the 70's was broken, stinky and chaotic

It seems it didn't change much

 

[ivor bigun]

i was working as a trainee buyer in a dept store ,then i went to London  got a bed sit  ,my landlady was an actress , from then on life was a blast .mixed with pop stars actors and up until now its been great ,i still have a great wife and family ,now ime not to well ,but i can still get about  .so lets hope i have a few more years.

[LaosLover]

On the other hand, trash-wise, I never had to buy a stick of furniture till I was 35+.

 

One time, I found pretty nice oriental carpets in the trash outside a nice apartment building on Park Avenue. I took as many as I could lift and hailed a cab.

 

Not until I moved to Kyoto were the trash-pickings ever again so sweet. There, they'd leave out a DVD player for the taking, with the remote sanitized and wrapped in plastic. They called furniture trash day Gaijin Christmas.

Edited October 29, 2022 by LaosLover

[swissie]

For most of caucasian males, the last 60 years were financially "good". If born in the "right countries", that is. No generation had it this good before, even "little people" participating. Lo and behold, until recently, even world poverty/hunger on the retreat.

Yet, a multitude of indicators imply that a reversal of this fortunate trend is in the making. Therefore, I look back with gratitude over the last 60 years.

Personally, I recall 2 phases of unrestricted carefree living. Between 1965 to 1973. I already had a little money in my pocket during a time when a cultural talent explosion took place. Just thinking of the avalanche of (pop) music that moved the world during this time still makes my heart soar like an eagle.

Then again between 1997 and 2005 a second phase of carefree living for me. This took place in Thailand. But that's another story.

 
Overall, our generation should be happier than we are. But perhaps there is a something like a "happiness-saturation-level", dulling our senses when it comes to count our blessings.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/28/2022 at 8:33 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

You mention something about a "good" Catholic.  Why are Catholics always referred to as "good" Catholics?  Nobody ever says: I once had a good friend.  He was a bad Catholic.  Nobody ever says this.

When referring to religious people as "good" it only, IMO, refers to them following the religion, not as to their character. Referring to a "bad" catholic might mean they use contraception etc, but doesn't mean they are a bad person.

[thaibeachlovers]

9 hours ago, swissie said:

Overall, our generation should be happier than we are. But perhaps there is a something like a "happiness-saturation-level", dulling our senses when it comes to count our blessings.

 

In my experience, most don't think much about the greater world, unless it's causing a problem for them, so the little things become big things in their minds, ergo problems with such as accommodation or antisocial people overshadow the reasons we should be happy.

 

I was very fortunate to be born when I was, and live in an underpopulated country where I could do any job I wanted without any qualifications needed. I know that, but it's hard to be happy for that reason when the world I live in is ( IMO ) in the end times and gone barking.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, LaosLover said:

Not until I moved to Kyoto were the trash-pickings ever again so sweet. There, they'd leave out a DVD player for the taking, with the remote sanitized and wrapped in plastic. They called furniture trash day Gaijin Christmas.

LOL. Reminds me of when I was in Antarctica. The Americans were only a 1/2 hour walk away and their rubbish tip was referred to as the Kiwi PX.

I never encountered such outright waste of still good stuff as when there.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/28/2022 at 6:44 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Are you better off now than you were six decades ago?

Depends how you define better off. Given I was not yet working, I had no money back then, so I was a penniless parasite living off my father.

Was I happier then? I don't think so, but I didn't think about such things. Life is something that happened to me, not something I made.

[LaosLover]

9 hours ago, swissie said:

Overall, our generation should be happier than we are. 

 

-Partic those lucky people writing in from cheapskate paradise where they enjoy all the positive aspects of the place, none of the negative, and can also have their pick of nearby, slightly lesser cheapskate paradises if their latte isn't quite hot enough.

 

I'm looking to move into a Nimman, Chiang Mai nice building this week. It's like Miami without a beach for a fifth the money. When I lived in Mexico City, I was a bit impaired by not speaking Spanish. In Nimman, no Thai, no problem (will start Thai lessons soon in spite of this).

 

After years of reading ThaiVisa moaning and finally moving here, the only explanation for such a reality disconnect I can think of is that day drinking really fries the brain. 

[zyphodb]

I was busily being born in 1962.

 My earliest real memory is being at a village school fate, where they kept playing the UK winner of that year's Eurovision song contest which was Puppet on a string by Sandy Shore,

   lots has happened since...

[GammaGlobulin]

On 10/29/2022 at 5:23 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

If I had to pick the best year of my life it'd be 1962.

No real responsibilities, other than being in class at appointed time,

A full life with many fun activities.

Didn't need money.

Knew nothing about world affairs or anything outside my little environment.

No girls.

 

No girls! 

 

Yeah, Man! 

 

All-boys prep schools and all-boys boarding schools: Best and simplest times of my life. 

 

Now you know why I choose celibacy today. 

[GammaGlobulin]

On 10/29/2022 at 10:40 AM, BritManToo said:

I can remember standing up in my cot and shaking the bars to be allowed out.

(It was blue and in a room at the back of the house overlooking railway tracks).

 

That's more than 60 years back in the 1950s

Which side of the tracks was it? 

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

No girls! 

 

Yeah, Man! 

 

All-boys prep schools and all-boys boarding schools: Best and simplest times of my life. 

 

Now you know why I choose celibacy today. 

Indeed. The boarding school I went to has now gone co ed, to the detriment of the boys, IMO. Reading the magazine that is sent to ex pupils, it's all about the girls and sod all about the boys.

I was lucky, I guess, to be old enough that such woke thinking was not an issue when I went to school, and we only had one female teacher, so plenty of male role models.

 

As to celibacy, LOL, though I was somewhat in awe of girls till I went nursing and discovered that they ain't any better than boys, except in the female mind.

[GammaGlobulin]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

Indeed. The boarding school I went to has now gone co ed, to the detriment of the boys, IMO. Reading the magazine that is sent to ex pupils, it's all about the girls and sod all about the boys.

I was lucky, I guess, to be old enough that such woke thinking was not an issue when I went to school, and we only had one female teacher, so plenty of male role models.

 

As to celibacy, LOL, though I was somewhat in awe of girls till I went nursing and discovered that they ain't any better than boys, except in the female mind.

Yes!

 

You are so right about the good and great boys schools going co-ed.

 

YOU ARE SO RIGHT.

 

Really sad that this option has been lost, because, from my perspective, it is possible to get a better education in an all-boys school.

 

After all...just look how I turned out!

 

Anyway, I really shared your views about this.

 

Tks.