22 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Gets better every year.

Genuinely curious, what’s the secret?

5 hours ago, Hummin said:

Anyway, you asked about depression up north, and yes, depression is a problem in the winter, but for most people who are active and manage to keep an positive mindset do okay. After all we are the masters of our own mind to a certain degree. Another important factor is to keep your vitamin D levels above 75 nmol/L and for some that can be really hard without decent diet and also supplements. I used to take 5000iu every day during the winter while living up there after a year, since my levels dropped below 50nmol/l and I did struggle a bit for awhile, but figured it out, and hard work do help to keep your mind healthy and sane. 

Surely winters in Chiang Mai are not that bad?

4 minutes ago, falangUK said:

Genuinely curious, what’s the secret?

Growing old and appreciate life while you can doing what you want to do

Mostly miserable 🤣 especially if I’m stuck in one place for more than a month.
I arrive at a 10, but as things get repetitive it drops to a 1, 0, or even negative, and then I move on.
I can manage up to 3 months in LOS, about 1 month in Malaysia, and up to 6 months in Indonesia if I’m traveling. If I’m stuck somewhere like Bali, it’s 2 weeks to 30 days max.

5 hours ago, jvs said:

Is light therapy a big thing there in the winter?

 

Light therapy is huge if you have SAD. I rely on amber glasses, they’re more practical and portable. Gloomy skies bring me down.

10 hours ago, Kinnock said:

the Missus is wonderful for 3 weeks out of every month.

She sounds like mine, what's the reason?

9 minutes ago, falangUK said:

Mostly miserable 🤣 especially if I’m stuck in one place for more than a month.
I arrive at a 10, but as things get repetitive it drops to a 1, 0, or even negative, and then I move on.
I can manage up to 3 months in LOS, about 1 month in Malaysia, and up to 6 months in Indonesia if I’m traveling. If I’m stuck somewhere like Bali, it’s 2 weeks to 30 days max.

I had the same feeling, because I didn’t have to anything and was economical secured, at least how it is for now and started to get bored, even I thought I would manage to wake up in the morning, coffee, sunset, exercise, read, educate myself, and live healthy, but, ……….. 

 

well I know now, I need to work to be happy, and not any work, but that’s how it is. 

4 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I had the same feeling, because I didn’t have to anything and was economical secured, at least how it is for now and started to get bored, even I thought I would manage to wake up in the morning, coffee, sunset, exercise, read, educate myself, and live healthy, but, ……….. 

 

well I know now, I need to work to be happy, and not any work, but that’s how it is. 

Thanks, you just made me realise it’s the same pattern for me with work. I love tech and always will; it’s a hobby. Work was fun at first, but it went stale with politics and endless meetings, which I hate. After not working or rather working really hard to make myself unemployable (this was after several PhDs, etc.) I’m bored now that I want to work again lol.

 

 

21 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Too deep mate, keep it simple.

I'm definitely a big 10. 

 

Arrived in Thailand in my 30's, working offshore Songkhla.

Traveled, studied, worked over 40 countries.

I have 5 children, one more on the way, baby due next month.

Middle aged fit and healthy. 

 

What's not a 10? 

 

 

What happened to the other girl you had?

21 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Too deep mate, keep it simple.

I'm definitely a big 10. 

 

Arrived in Thailand in my 30's, working offshore Songkhla.

Traveled, studied, worked over 40 countries.

I have 5 children, one more on the way, baby due next month.

Middle aged fit and healthy. 

 

What's not a 10? 

 

 

+1

A nutty Thai women can soon bring you down,there’s lots about teetering on the edge of insanity

10 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

More realistic. Internet is full of bs artists.

Well, I could knock off a point or two, if you want to hear me cry about my body no longer as flexible, as when I was in my 30s & 40s.  Was raised ... gentlemen, don't complain about ones health.

 

Living in TH at 45, retired 6 months later at 46.  Been here 25 yrs, as of yesterday, I think.  Hard to cry about that.

 

You did asked, 'Do you enjoy life?' and my flexibility or lack of, isn't really interfering with my enjoyment, as we get O&A quite often, and even sitting in the for hours at a time, isn't an issue.   So that's an easy 'yes' and always have enjoyed life.

 

Got everything I need or want, great wife & kid.   Both set for life, financially, and we have more money than we need, and that's a nice place to be.  Unless we spend it frivolously.  I literally save 2X more money a month, than we spend.  That's pretty cool, though only because we are all bought in.

 

Blessed with not having any sudden loss of life of loved ones, as all dying of old age.  3 divorces, and were mutually agreed upon, amazingly, so no issues there.  Nothing to complain about. 

 

That's a 9 in my book.  And yea, I know how blessed a life that has been.

21 hours ago, Hummin said:

Working Offshore at Songkla, cant imagine compared to Norwegian sector

I have never worked Norway, offshore. 

 

I have been to Kongsberg a few times for training. 

Nice country Norway. 

49 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

What happened to the other girl you had?

Which one I've had a few since departuring from the mother of my children here in Thailand. 

 

Back in 2022 I met a lovely woman from Ubon, we were together for a couple of years, sadly she passed away last year, only 27yo, I still miss her so much 😞

 

I made comment on page 2 regarding my recent relationship. 

 

10 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Back in 2022 I met a lovely woman from Ubon, we were together for a couple of years, sadly she passed away last year, only 27yo, I still miss her so much

 

That;s sad. how did she pass away so young? 

1 minute ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I have never worked Norway, offshore. 

 

I have been to Kongsberg a few times for training. 

Nice country Norway. 

I got as far north as Halmstad Sweden, prior to winter though, snow on the ground, and nice skiing, but far for harsh.

 

Farthest south has been Betong TH, so pretty boring, no real extreme weather encounters.  Unless you consider getting chased out of FL by hurricanes.

15 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

That;s sad. how did she pass away so young? 

She had a heart problem, her heart wasn't strong enough to pump enough blood.  😔

 

1 hour ago, falangUK said:

Surely winters in Chiang Mai are not that bad?

Some gets depressed på the hazy winters in Chiang Mai, but not so much northern lights there 

28 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Well, I could knock off a point or two, if you want to hear me cry about my body no longer as flexible, as when I was in my 30s & 40s.  Was raised ... gentlemen, don't complain about ones health.

 

Living in TH at 45, retired 6 months later at 46.  Been here 25 yrs, as of yesterday, I think.  Hard to cry about that.

 

You did asked, 'Do you enjoy life?' and my flexibility or lack of, isn't really interfering with my enjoyment, as we get O&A quite often, and even sitting in the for hours at a time, isn't an issue.   So that's an easy 'yes' and always have enjoyed life.

 

Got everything I need or want, great wife & kid.   Both set for life, financially, and we have more money than we need, and that's a nice place to be.  Unless we spend it frivolously.  I literally save 2X more money a month, than we spend.  That's pretty cool, though only because we are all bought in.

 

Blessed with not having any sudden loss of life of loved ones, as all dying of old age.  3 divorces, and were mutually agreed upon, amazingly, so no issues there.  Nothing to complain about. 

 

That's a 9 in my book.  And yea, I know how blessed a life that has been.

It's all in our minds, and acceptance is one of the most powerful and valuable words together with humble

29 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I have never worked Norway, offshore. 

 

I have been to Kongsberg a few times for training. 

Nice country Norway. 

Kongsberg is a nice cozy little town, 

1 hour ago, falangUK said:

Surely winters in Chiang Mai are not that bad?

Best time of year, cool nights, great motorbike riding, 10 out of 10.

10 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Kongsberg is a nice cozy little town, 

Norway has a lot going for it, nice country and nice people.

 

I have many Norwegian friends, I worked for Seadrill for a few years and and Borr drilling for a while. 

 

1 hour ago, falangUK said:

Thanks, you just made me realise it’s the same pattern for me with work. I love tech and always will; it’s a hobby. Work was fun at first, but it went stale with politics and endless meetings, which I hate. After not working or rather working really hard to make myself unemployable (this was after several PhDs, etc.) I’m bored now that I want to work again lol.

 

 

Several PhD's?

Nonsense.

I got married to a Thai lady 25 years ago, everything went smoothly for many years but not now. After being pestered to buy her an android phone she's hardly spoken me since as she's absolutely addicted to it. I'm not the type that likes to be pampered but I expect to get a reply when I ask her a simple question. She snarled at me one day, what have I ever done for her. I replied I gave her a life. I'm not that type of person so I take it to heart the way I'm totally ignored. I don't even sleep with her as she can crank up her phone at 3 am in the morning.

15 minutes ago, Mason45 said:

I got married to a Thai lady 25 years ago, everything went smoothly for many years but not now. After being pestered to buy her an android phone she's hardly spoken me since as she's absolutely addicted to it. I'm not the type that likes to be pampered but I expect to get a reply when I ask her a simple question. She snarled at me one day, what have I ever done for her. I replied I gave her a life. I'm not that type of person so I take it to heart the way I'm totally ignored. I don't even sleep with her as she can crank up her phone at 3 am in the morning.

Year, mine too. Bloody phone.

Then again I'm always on my Kindle, so I guess she can make the same claim against me.

 

And our 13yo, after school straight to his room to play on his phone. It's an effort to get him to come down and eat 

Temper your expections and entitlement and you'll be fine, as those who don't end up disappointed, or worse.

A good quote from a song is "Don't waste your time on jealously as sometimes you're ahead and sometimes you're behind... but the race is long and only with yourself."

Life goes through ups and downs... so it varies from a 5-10 depending on what stage of your life you are in. But if ultimately you get to an 8 or more in later life, then okay, sweet.

"Never buy stuff you don't want, with money you don't have, to impress people you don't like." 

11 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Year, mine too. Bloody phone.

 

The phone isn't the problem.

When people live together for many years, it can get stale. 

It's hard to keep the relationship fresh for many years and people either get bored of each other or start taking each other for granted. 

 

Why is there something rather than nothing? All my conscious life I’ve tried to answer this question and failed. After all — everything will eventually be consumed by nothingness. What’s the point of anything that will end in nothing? Our existence can feel like a cruel joke. If we had never been born, nothing would have changed. 0/10

On 9/14/2025 at 8:14 PM, BritManToo said:

I've done everything, now just waiting to die.

Not that it's an unpleasant wait, just a bit pointless.

 

So 5/10

whats wrong with you. do you have a serious illness?