Have You Won the Game of Life?

[BritManToo]

6 hours ago, save the frogs said:

I forgot to mention.

It's precisely because things didnt work out so well that I became a full-time online troll.

It's the damn truth. 

 

Nothing worked out like I planned, but everything worked out well.

I have won the game of life ........... So far!

[CCesar]

Grown up in the western world, I'd say life is what you make it, since we have choices in our society/system.  Having lived and travelled in many different countries, I decided to live in a tropical, warmer climate/country, I could financially afford with my Pension, because the rainy, grey and cold days I found depressing at times, plus people living in a  warmer climate certainly seemed to be happier in general. Thailand just happened along the way, but is not my favored place, just looked like financially the best option at the time in my case. Would I recommend to move here permanently as a pensioner, depends on what you are looking for, financial situation, health, and life experience, since it can burn a lot of your energy dealing with an unfamiliar culture,  especially if you consider yourself a civilized, disciplined individual, because discipline is pretty much non existing. As we get older priorities change of course, and our tolerance is limited according to our energy level. Conclusion: If I could financially afford to live in a western country like US, Australia, or the Mediterranean I certainly would. As an European the Mediterranean might a good solution, since it provides a similar culture, with similar education, decent, affordable, EU health cover,  and a environment where I am understood, because of our western education and values, feel protected by the law and not by my financial status, at least to a certain extend. It is basically a never-ending list of reasons, but I am still living in Thailand, where I have to ignore certain things like disrespect, discrimination, double pricing, common knowledge, common sense, common courtesy and so on, in order to lead a somewhat happy life, according to my personal circumstances. All of that is of course ONLY MY personal opinion and my life experience on our planet. Think really hard and deep before deciding to move permanently, because a long term visits might change your mind, and be a better solution to start with!

[CCesar]

On 11/30/2024 at 10:01 AM, Presnock said:

without a doubt, YES!!! I just had my 78th trip around the sun.  I spent more than 3 years in a war zone getting shot at, rocketed, chased by bad guy planes, etc, lived and worked around the world, even being shot in that career with co-workers killed when I should have been with them but opted to play golf, had a really successful career enabling me to retire with a comfortable pension which if I am married when I die, my wife will continue to receive a healthy pension throughout her life too, blessed with two wives (1st died of cancer), had 2 wonderful and brilliant daughters, one with each wife, retired in Thailand 20+ years ago and still loving it as a paradise compared to the countries I worked, including Europe, Asia, Central America and Africa.  I never was assigned at any place that had a "real" winter and I know I hate COLD weather and especially SNOW.  I eat healthy IAW the "food" books by Dr. William Li, lift weights several times a week, on days I don't lift weights, I do an hour of core exercises, and every day instead of the daily 5-10 mile run each day that I did until 65, I now do at least 6 kms every evening.  My BP remains in the healthy 30-year old, I have not even had a headache in over 25 years.  In my entire life, I have never had to be treated that would have required me to file for my insurance coverage.  To me life is great still at 78 for sure, not aches or pains upon getting out of bed each morning.  hope the best for all!

 

[CCesar]

Good for you, sounds all great, and I suppose I should be happy for you, but we all know that life has its own way, and you certainly like to compliment yourself, in order to get your attention, but if that works for you, it is all good I guess. Enjoy life!

 

[Presnock]

2 minutes ago, CCesar said:

Good for you, sounds all great, and I suppose I should be happy for you, but we all know that life has its own way, and you certainly like to compliment yourself, in order to get your attention, but if that works for you, it is all good I guess. Enjoy life!

 

guess you would rather just see someone write "Yes I won"  I had a lot of choices during my life.  At war I lost friends even in my civilian career lost friends and could easily have been there too at the wrong time.  That is what life to me means - making the right choices at each particular opportunity.  That is what America means to me - opportunities.

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Nothing worked out like I planned, but everything worked out well.

I have won the game of life ........... So far!

You seem to be doing well for yourself from all your comments I've read. 

 

Keep it up mate 👍

 

[mikebike]

YES! 100%

[In Full Agreement]

On 11/30/2024 at 6:36 AM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

My advice is to move to Thailand when you're in your twenties or thirties. Then it isn't necessary to try to think that you're forty-five.

 

 

 

How does  one do that in light of visa requirements and income restrictions?

 

 

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

40 minutes ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

 

 

How does  one do that in light of visa requirements and income restrictions?

 

 

 

 

Non-immigrant B visa is available for those who wish to work here. Salary level required isn't very high. 

 

One can also start one's own company. This is what some of the most successful expats have done.

 

I know many who have either worked here or had their own companies, and some who have done both. A few came here in their twenties, many in their thirties and others older. I was in my  mid-thirties when I came to work here. In my seventies now.

 

[RSD1]

1 hour ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

 

 

How does  one do that in light of visa requirements and income restrictions?

 

 

 

Men can easily move to Thailand in their early 20s, marry a Thai girl, and obtain a one year marriage/family visa and not even be required to work. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/6/2024 at 6:51 AM, mdr224 said:

Its boring. We cant all be winners

Same here. Every day was interesting in LOS. Here the only way I know time is passing is when I have to go and pay a doctor to let me have my pills that would be over the counter in LOS.

 

So boring I don't even know what day of the week it is unless I look at my phone.

 

Here, only rich guys get to have fun.

 

I learned the meaning of God's waiting room in the west.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 11/30/2024 at 12:36 PM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Won the game of life? Not yet. Still playing and I hope I have a few years left.

 

My advice is to move to Thailand when you're in your twenties or thirties. Then it isn't necessary to try to think that you're forty-five.

That would mean I missed out on so much that made my life memorable. It may be a shock to hear it, but there is more to life than bonking beautiful women every day.

[DrJack54]

Trolling post removed 

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 11/30/2024 at 12:42 AM, JK-Trilly said:

Have You Won the Game of Life?

Did it change your life for the better—happiness

We are all different, this guy is so happy that he found his toasted cheese sandwich. 

 

Looks like he's won the game of life. 😂

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It may be a shock to hear it, but there is more to life than bonking beautiful women every day.

Yes, and that’s true of life in Thailand as well.

[Prubangboy]

I live how I want. No money worries, my bio age is a decade younger than my chrono-age. 

 

I'm currently in India, bound for Sri Lanka with one large suitcase. It has all of my possessions in it: 5 changes of clothes, a memory foam pillow, a backroller, good headphones, an iPad.

 

I'll book a nice condo in a day when I get back to Bangkok. I am free.

 

Quoting Saint Willie (Nelson):

 

The road's been rough and rocky, but I've finally got my feet back on the ground

 

And after taking several readings, I'm surprised to find my mind's still fairly sound.

[RSD1]

2 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

I'm currently in India, bound for Sri Lanka

Sounds like only the finest sh*t holes for you. 😂 

[RSD1]

8 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

We are all different, this guy is so happy that he found his toasted cheese sandwich. 

 

Looks like he's won the game of life. 😂

 

The key to those 7-Eleven Toasties is that you have to remove them from the plastic bag and tear open the paper sleeve as soon as they hand it to you, otherwise it turns soggy from the heat and the moisture being trapped in the bag. Once they turn wet and soggy, they're no longer edible, but so many people end up eating them that way because they don't know how to avoid the disastrous outcome.

 

Having said that, though, I much rather eat a soggy cheese sandwich than be forced to have a go with that misses of his who isn't winning any beauty contests. 

 

[Prubangboy]

8 minutes ago, RSD1 said:

Sounds like only the finest sh*t holes for you. 😂 

Can't really fault this take.

 

No meal I've had measures up to the Indian options on Soi 11. The towns are all mobile phone stores selling mobile phones to each other. The traffic is horrendous. Lovely people, but no sanuk. Sri Lanka is apparently Indian-Laos. Both places are def one and done's.

 

I'm on a couple of Intrepid tours. A bit lefty in that you peek into the ladies carpet co-operative or have tea with a Jain family. They do a pretty good job of ferrying me around. Using public transport would be hard here. I flew 4 times; my luggage went missing twice. Hotels are indistinguishable from each other. The Taj Mahal was derangedly crowded. Goa is a dirty dump.

 

But I have in fact won the game of life if I can decide on a whim to book into a month of tours, and then be chill when they're a little bit of a letdown.

 

Booked 2 weeks in Mongolia with Intrepid for June. Every other day is 7 hours on a bus through yurt-land. Fly direct from BKK, 6 hours. Ulan Bator is rated as the worst town in Asia, but I booked The Shangri-La next to a high end mall.

 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

43 minutes ago, RSD1 said:

The key to those 7-Eleven Toasties is that you have to remove them from the plastic bag and tear open the paper sleeve as soon as they hand it to you, otherwise it turns soggy from the heat and the moisture being trapped in the bag. Once they turn wet and soggy, they're no longer edible, but so many people end up eating them that way because they don't know how to avoid the disastrous outcome.

 

Having said that, though, I much rather eat a soggy cheese sandwich than be forced to have a go with that misses of his who isn't winning any beauty contests. 

 

Agree but the guy is happy because he has his soggy toasty and happy wife 🤔

 

Anyway, it's good to see jolly people. 😂

 

 

[RSD1]

23 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Can't really fault this take.

 

No meal I've had measures up to the Indian options on Soi 11. The towns are all mobile phone stores selling mobile phones to each other. The traffic is horrendous. Lovely people, but no sanuk. Sri Lanka is apparently Indian-Laos. Both places are def one and done's.

 

I'm on a couple of Intrepid tours. A bit lefty in that you peek into the ladies carpet co-operative or have tea with a Jain family. They do a pretty good job of ferrying me around. Using public transport would be hard here. I flew 4 times; my luggage went missing twice. Hotels are indistinguishable from each other. The Taj Mahal was derangedly crowded. Goa is a dirty dump.

 

But I have in fact won the game of life if I can decide on a whim to book into a month of tours, and then be chill when they're a little bit of a letdown.

 

Booked 2 weeks in Mongolia with Intrepid for June. Every other day is 7 hours on a bus through yurt-land. Fly direct from BKK, 6 hours. Ulan Bator is rated as the worst town in Asia, but I booked The Shangri-La next to a high end mall.

 

 

Sounds like you're on a proper sh*t hole tour. None of those stops sound particularly enticing to me. I think the beauty of winning the game of life is being able to avoid those kinds of places once you have a bit more cash to travel in more comfort. All the stops you mentioned are on my "no visit" list. I'm perfectly happy to die and say I never went to any of those places. These days, when I travel for two weeks or a month to somewhere, I only choose places with temperate climates, good food, easy transport access, and comfortable accommodations. This rules out a lot of parts of Southeast Asia, central Asia, northern Asia and Asia, in general, except for the first world Asian countries.
 

Personally, I think bucket lists are overrated unless they are well thought out and you really know what you're setting yourself up for. Checking off a box, just for the sake of checking off the box, IMHO is often overrated in hindsight. But sounds like you're having a good time, so I'm glad you're enjoying yourself anyway. 

[RSD1]

Just now, SAFETY FIRST said:

Agree but the guy is happy because he has his soggy toasty and happy wife 😂

 

 

Maybe it's because he has a soggy wifey and a happy toasty. 😂

[Prubangboy]

8 minutes ago, RSD1 said:

Sounds like you're on a proper sh*t hole tour. None of those stops sound particularly enticing to me. 

Really, why go anywhere, ever?

 

India has some grand historic sites, impressive nature, a world class cuisine.

 

It's like going to Europe, only dirtier. It def killed my desire to visit the various Stan-countries, including the Paka-one. Similarly, I went to Norway and then the rest of Scandinavia and Iceland felt redundant to visit.

 

Turkey is about the best of the lot between here and Europe. Oman could be 5 good days due to the extreme landscape. Ethiopia was properly weird, but too much work.

 

Like $150 a day all in, on the Intrepid tour. So, Thailand prices, just a bit less user-friendly. 

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

We are all different, this guy is so happy that he found his toasted cheese sandwich. 

 

Looks like he's won the game of life. 😂

 

Damn, now I want a toasted cheese sandwich.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, RSD1 said:

Maybe it's because he has a soggy wifey and a happy toasty. 😂

If I had a soggy wife that made me toasties I'd be as happy as a sandboy in a very big box of sand.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, RSD1 said:

Sounds like you're on a proper sh*t hole tour. None of those stops sound particularly enticing to me. I think the beauty of winning the game of life is being able to avoid those kinds of places once you have a bit more cash to travel in more comfort. All the stops you mentioned are on my "no visit" list. I'm perfectly happy to die and say I never went to any of those places. These days, when I travel for two weeks or a month to somewhere, I only choose places with temperate climates, good food, easy transport access, and comfortable accommodations. This rules out a lot of parts of Southeast Asia, central Asia, northern Asia and Asia, in general, except for the first world Asian countries.
 

Personally, I think bucket lists are overrated unless they are well thought out and you really know what you're setting yourself up for. Checking off a box, just for the sake of checking off the box, IMHO is often overrated in hindsight. But sounds like you're having a good time, so I'm glad you're enjoying yourself anyway. 

I used to have a bucket list for traveling. I was going to do the truck tour of Africa, ride a camel to Petra, scuba dive in the Red Sea ( forget the name of the place, but it's famous for scuba diving ), take the trans Siberian train, and the Gan, travel by cargo ship, and shock horror go on a cruise. Then, I discovered Thailand and it all went away. I was lucky that I went to Egypt and went inside the pyramid before I discovered Thailand. Photo is of the sunset behind the great pyramid with the Sphinx in front of it.

The other photo is the reason I gave the bucket list the boot. Who wouldn't for scenery like that? No regrets.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, RSD1 said:

All the stops you mentioned are on my "no visit" list.

My only no visit country is the USA. It's good to be able to say that I succeeded in at least one ambition.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Yes, and that’s true of life in Thailand as well.

In Thailand one can explore the wonders of the country while also bonking a beautiful woman every night. Not many countries can do that in, like no others at all.

I miss Thailand.

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

In Thailand one can explore the wonders of the country while also bonking a beautiful woman every night. Not many countries can do that in, like no others at all.

I miss Thailand.

Nah, same in Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

[henryford1958]

On 12/6/2024 at 9:47 PM, RSD1 said:

Men can easily move to Thailand in their early 20s, marry a Thai girl, and obtain a one year marriage/family visa and not even be required to work. 

 

So is the Thai girl going to support them for the next 60 years? You would need millions of $$$ for that amount of time.