From day 1, we are thrown into a "harsh world". Parential protection comes to an end. After that, it's basically "competition". Competing on the job, competing for the symphaty of women, competing for "social standing" overall. Competing to amass a commodity called "money".

Most of us would call it: "Well, this is life". No escape, until "the grim reaper" rings the doorbell.

- So, during this short time on earth, what was your single "eureka" moment? Or, what was your single "devastating event" in your life so far?

Speak freely. This is an annonymous forum and I trust that the AN administrators will not sell such private comments to the tabloid press. 😊

The last time I spilled my guts luckily it all ended up in the toilet. Never quite figured out which food item caused it. Can't say I'd ever want to go through that again.

I prefer to remember the best of everything. I think I was about 10 or 11 years old. It was the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, bases loaded. We were down by 2 runs. I was at bat with two strikes, and the rules made it impossible to get walked, so it was either hit or strike out. The sun had gone down and it was getting dark so I could no longer see so well. I was the team pitcher and not known for my batting. On the next pitch I knocked it over the fence, out of the park, a grand slam. We won the game and the playoffs and advanced my team to the finals. It was a moment. After that I just knew…

best thing in my life was the first 10 years in thailand and my gf there,

worst thing was i injured my back at work and doctors still deny it

1 hour ago, BilllyGOAT said:

I prefer to remember the best of everything. I think I was about 10 or 11 years old. It was the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, bases loaded. We were down by 2 runs. I was at bat with two strikes, and the rules made it impossible to get walked, so it was either hit or strike out. The sun had gone down and it was getting dark so I could no longer see so well. I was the team pitcher and not known for my batting. On the next pitch I knocked it over the fence, out of the park, a grand slam. We won the game and the playoffs and advanced my team to the finals. It was a moment. After that I just knew…

"After that I just knew".....you say.

Tell us more about "After that".

After you @swissie

1 hour ago, mordothailand said:

best thing in my life was the first 10 years in thailand and my gf there,

worst thing was i injured my back at work and doctors still deny it

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

After you @swissie

I will oblige.Spilling my guts, to encourage others to spill their guts as well.

First visit to Pattaya in 1995. I was amazed that all Thai Females loved me. As opposed to European women. I was sure that this is the promessed "garden of Eden" for males that don't look like Robert Redfort. Paradise on earth, far away from Europe and the "biblical concept", reighning the concept of male and female "interactions" with the help of the catholic church.

It was sexual paradise on earth. Especially as Thai females found nothing wrong with sexual inter course with Farangs as long as their activities bought the family in Isaan a new TV.

Standart procedures, nobody found anything wrong with it. A rare "win win" situation, benefitting everybody. I enjoyed this constellation massively as well as the Thai females.

I believe that such a strong "win-win" situation will not re-occur ever again.

Long gone. These days, Thai females without "education", will offer their services on the internet, at prices that equal prices in "western countries". An affordable paradise lost for males that do not look like Robert Redford in his haydays.. The "window of opportunity" for non Robert Redfort's diden't last long.

PS: I am still married to my Thai wife. 23 years. But we agree, that the "good times" we had, easily are in conquest of the "bad times" we had.

In the end, it's called "life"

4 minutes ago, swissie said:

I will oblige.Spilling my guts, to encourage others to spill their guts as well.

First visit to Pattaya in 1995. I was amazed that all Thai Females loved me. As opposed to European women. I was sure that this is the promessed "garden of Eden" for males that don't look like Robert Redfort. Paradise on earth, far away from Europe and the "biblical concept", reighning the concept of male and female "interactions" with the help of the catholic church.

It was sexual paradise on earth. Especially as Thai females found nothing wrong with sexual inter course with Farangs as long as their activities bought the family in Isaan a new TV.

Standart procedures, nobody found anything wrong with it. A rare "win win" situation, benefitting everybody. I enjoyed this constellation massively as well as the Thai females.

I believe that such a strong "win-win" situation will not re-occur ever again.

Long gone. These days, Thai females without "education", will offer their services on the internet, at prices that equal prices in "western countries". An affordable paradise lost for males that do not look like Robert Redford in his haydays.. The "window of opportunity" for non Robert Redfort's diden't last long.

PS: I am still married to my Thai wife. 23 years. But we agree, that the "good times" we had, easily are in conquest of the "bad times" we had.

In the end, it's called "life"

i do miss the next morning, post other stuff, ritual of sweeping out the sand from the wooden bungalow and terrace.................Not seen one with a maigward in hand in a long time.!!

7 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

i do miss the next morning, post other stuff, ritual of sweeping out the sand from the wooden bungalow and terrace.................Not seen one with a maigward in hand in a long time.!!

In other words: You were not present during the "heydays" of Pattaya.

2 minutes ago, swissie said:

In other words: You were not present during the "heydays" of Pattaya.

Not sure when those days are purported to be..................do tell..............!

1 hour ago, swissie said:

I will oblige.Spilling my guts, to encourage others to spill their guts as well.

First visit to Pattaya in 1995. I was amazed that all Thai Females loved me. As opposed to European women. I was sure that this is the promessed "garden of Eden" for males that don't look like Robert Redfort. Paradise on earth, far away from Europe and the "biblical concept", reighning the concept of male and female "interactions" with the help of the catholic church.

It was sexual paradise on earth. Especially as Thai females found nothing wrong with sexual inter course with Farangs as long as their activities bought the family in Isaan a new TV.

Standart procedures, nobody found anything wrong with it. A rare "win win" situation, benefitting everybody. I enjoyed this constellation massively as well as the Thai females.

I believe that such a strong "win-win" situation will not re-occur ever again.

Long gone. These days, Thai females without "education", will offer their services on the internet, at prices that equal prices in "western countries". An affordable paradise lost for males that do not look like Robert Redford in his haydays.. The "window of opportunity" for non Robert Redfort's diden't last long.

PS: I am still married to my Thai wife. 23 years. But we agree, that the "good times" we had, easily are in conquest of the "bad times" we had.

In the end, it's called "life"

Oh, good, another topic about mongering in the 90s masquerading as something deeper. Carry on...

4 hours ago, swissie said:

, during this short time on earth, what was your single "eureka" moment?

This thread will bring out all the SAS, Green Beret, Commando superheroes I meet in soi Buakhao bars.

Looking forward to all the creative writing from these guys 😂

Edited May 10May 10 by SAFETY FIRST

54 minutes ago, Gary The Git said:

Oh, good, another topic about mongering in the 90s masquerading as something deeper. Carry on...

Nowt wrong with reminiscing and bending the truth a tad.........................

On 5/11/2026 at 2:31 AM, Off Piste said:

Nowt wrong with reminiscing and bending the truth a tad.........................

Except to those amongst us with real tales to tell and are not recognised as genuine...

My eureka moment came on August 5, 1988 at the end of an 11-year stint of living and working in the Philippines. By day I was hobnobbing with the rich and famous in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia and making millions of dollars, but by night I was carousing with all the bar girls in the red-light districts of Manila, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I became an alcoholic and drug addict and wound up being swindled out of all of my assets by some shrewd business associates. I was so broke that I could hardly feed myself. For years I had been listening to Christian evangelists by way of TV who had delivered a clear presentation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I had always snarled and rejected the idea of “coming to Jesus” because I wasn’t prepared to give up my sin. In a final moment of despair and on the threshold of committing suicide, I cried out to God to “save me”, and the Lord accepted me and totally revolutionized my life and made me the man that I am today….. clean, sober, forgiven and on my way to Heaven when the Lord calls me to come home. The Lord has replaced all that the devil stole from me, and by His Word, he has given me wisdom and knowledge that is beyond human understanding. I am no longer overtaken by the pitfalls of life. God has given me a family that loves and respects me, and he has restored my reputation and dignity.  What more could a man hope for?

I presume that the tabloid press is mainly interested in famous folks, so no need to worry here...😄

So, either we are all different, or I've been extremely lucky. I don't seem to have those "devastating event" in my life, so far. For me, it was basically not "competition".

As rock musician in the happy hippie era I didn't compete for "symphaty of women", they competed about me, and sometimes more than one won my sympathy...😎

Later, I was not into "competing on the job", I just did my work with a positive company spirit and little extra effort without chasing advancement and title. It paid off. I was working in airline-planning, and could more or less do as I wanted — I could plan my own flextime work-hours and route checks with stops – and got paid Okay for it...👍

After my work for the airline – they kept me on paylist as advisor for another four years – I became self employed as partner in music business, later taking it all over. I never competed in "overall social standing", but I noticed some colleagues in the music industry did, and sometimes they fell deep when their company, or the one they worked for, closed. Of course, there was ups and down as small business owner, but I kept surviving by not "competing to amass a commodity called money" — money actually came by itself at the end, under the prerequisite: When is enough, enough...☺️

And "the end" of business and "enough" of money was for me, when I was 56 years old. It was — if not my single, then my best — "eureka", when I decided for self paid early retirement and moved to a "paradise island" with lots of partying in the southern part of Land-of-Smiles, almost 21 years ago. So far, I haven't regretted it — a bit like reliving the "happy hippie era" in smartphone-age, also the attraction by women...🫣 – I'll just keep dancing and partying as long as I can...🥳

On 5/11/2026 at 12:02 AM, swissie said:

I will oblige.Spilling my guts, to encourage others to spill their guts as well.

First visit to Pattaya in 1995. I was amazed that all Thai Females loved me. As opposed to European women. I was sure that this is the promessed "garden of Eden" for males that don't look like Robert Redfort. Paradise on earth, far away from Europe and the "biblical concept", reighning the concept of male and female "interactions" with the help of the catholic church.

It was sexual paradise on earth. Especially as Thai females found nothing wrong with sexual inter course with Farangs as long as their activities bought the family in Isaan a new TV.

Standart procedures, nobody found anything wrong with it. A rare "win win" situation, benefitting everybody. I enjoyed this constellation massively as well as the Thai females.

I believe that such a strong "win-win" situation will not re-occur ever again.

Long gone. These days, Thai females without "education", will offer their services on the internet, at prices that equal prices in "western countries". An affordable paradise lost for males that do not look like Robert Redford in his haydays.. The "window of opportunity" for non Robert Redfort's diden't last long.

PS: I am still married to my Thai wife. 23 years. But we agree, that the "good times" we had, easily are in conquest of the "bad times" we had.

In the end, it's called "life"

Some of us were very fortunate to experience the "good old days" here. It was a very wild ride. Never to be repeated. Everything has changed. This world is not improving on any level, or by any metric.

My heart goes out to the young ones, witnessing the decline. And they don't even know better.

4 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

My eureka moment came on August 5, 1988 at the end of an 11-year stint of living and working in the Philippines. By day I was hobnobbing with the rich and famous in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia and making millions of dollars, but by night I was carousing with all the bar girls in the red-light districts of Manila, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I became an alcoholic and drug addict and wound up being swindled out of all of my assets by some shrewd business associates. I was so broke that I could hardly feed myself. For years I had been listening to Christian evangelists by way of TV who had delivered a clear presentation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I had always snarled and rejected the idea of “coming to Jesus” because I wasn’t prepared to give up my sin. In a final moment of despair and on the threshold of committing suicide, I cried out to God to “save me”, and the Lord accepted me and totally revolutionized my life and made me the man that I am today….. clean, sober, forgiven and on my way to Heaven when the Lord calls me to come home. The Lord has replaced all that the devil stole from me, and by His Word, he has given me wisdom and knowledge that is beyond human understanding. I am no longer overtaken by the pitfalls of life. God has given me a family that loves and respects me, and he has restored my reputation and dignity.  What more could a man hope for?

So what work was this?

24 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

So what work was this?

Rockyroad, I was in the commercial real estate business out of Houston, TX and had my own real estate firm with a branch office in Manila. From that branch I sold office buildings, apartment buildings and tracts of commercially zoned land located within Houston to foreign investors throughout SE Asia and other parts of the world. Business was booming back in the days of the early 80's when Houston was the fasting growing city in the US and "big oil" was in its heyday. Another eureka day was when I presented the Sultan of Brunei with a $120 million project. I didn't close that deal, but it was a real milestone for me to pitch the richest man in the world at the time. All of that was a whole lifetime ago, and now I am totally content to sit in my recliner and watch the grass grow in front of my comfortable home in Thailand. Who would've thought!

2 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

Rockyroad, I was in the commercial real estate business out of Houston, TX and had my own real estate firm with a branch office in Manila. From that branch I sold office buildings, apartment buildings and tracts of commercially zoned land located within Houston to foreign investors throughout SE Asia and other parts of the world. Business was booming back in the days of the early 80's when Houston was the fasting growing city in the US and "big oil" was in its heyday. Another eureka day was when I presented the Sultan of Brunei with a $120 million project. I didn't close that deal, but it was a real milestone for me to pitch the richest man in the world at the time. All of that was a whole lifetime ago, and now I am totally content to sit in my recliner and watch the grass grow in front of my comfortable home in Thailand. Who would've thought!

Thanks for sharing. Wise words.

I got fired from the bank because I could not reconcile the big report.

When I got home, the phone rang. It was the headhunter who placed me there and who would not be getting paid because I did not last the three full months necessary.

Might I consider being a headhunter? As I famously said, “ I am still wearing my blue suit. I’ll come right over”.

I asked if I might be given a chance to replace myself and called my old boss who had fired me about an hour earlier.

He had no objections. I placed a more competent friend and warned him about reconciling the big stupid report.

The next year, my income went up tenfold. And I eventually placed my boss who had fired me in a new position. But he didn’t last, and I didn’t get paid.

I retired at 42, ten years later. It’s been 31 years since I sat at a desk and did a job.

Not that anyone is gagging to see me come back and fail at it again.

1 hour ago, fittobethaied said:

Rockyroad, I was in the commercial real estate business out of Houston, TX and had my own real estate firm with a branch office in Manila. From that branch I sold office buildings, apartment buildings and tracts of commercially zoned land located within Houston to foreign investors throughout SE Asia and other parts of the world. Business was booming back in the days of the early 80's when Houston was the fasting growing city in the US and "big oil" was in its heyday. Another eureka day was when I presented the Sultan of Brunei with a $120 million project. I didn't close that deal, but it was a real milestone for me to pitch the richest man in the world at the time. All of that was a whole lifetime ago, and now I am totally content to sit in my recliner and watch the grass grow in front of my comfortable home in Thailand. Who would've thought!

I am interested to know how you knew that the Lord had accepted you. What sign did he give. Did you consider other religions? Are you still following the alledged teachings of that so called Messiah?

3 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

I am interested to know how you knew that the Lord had accepted you. What sign did he give. Did you consider other religions? Are you still following the alledged teachings of that so called Messiah?

I do not believe you.

15 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

I am interested to know how you knew that the Lord had accepted you. What sign did he give. Did you consider other religions? Are you still following the alledged teachings of that so called Messiah?

Thanks for the question, wil iam! I am certain that God has accepted me because I met the conditions set forth in the Word of God. I surrendered my life to His Lordship and received Jesus Christ and His message of forgiveness and redemption. I "changed my mind" and let go of all of the former beliefs and doubts that I had regarding God and His Son, Jesus, and I exercised my faith to believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that He is God, and that through His death, burial and resurrection, he made a way for me to be reconciled to the Father and have eternal life with Him in Heaven. The evidence of my conversion was the sudden power that consumed me when the Holy Spirit took up residence in my heart. The Word of God says that when God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts, that is our guarantee of salvation and the proof that we have experienced the "new birth" which is a spiritual birth. God holds me firmly in His hand, and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

How could I possibly consider other religions after Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through Me". That is solidly exclusive, and now I am certain that there are not many ways to the Father, so I chose the one and only pathway to Him.

And yes, I still follow God's principles for daily living, and I still have a hunger for His Word after nearly 38 years. As I read his Word daily, I am being conformed to the very image and character of Jesus Christ. I have been saved and forgiven of my sins, I am being saved daily as He teaches me new things about my heart and gives me the power to change my corrupt human behavior, and the time will come when I will be saved up in Glory when He calls me Home.

7 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

My eureka moment came on August 5, 1988 at the end of an 11-year stint of living and working in the Philippines. By day I was hobnobbing with the rich and famous in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia and making millions of dollars, but by night I was carousing with all the bar girls in the red-light districts of Manila, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I became an alcoholic and drug addict and wound up being swindled out of all of my assets by some shrewd business associates. I was so broke that I could hardly feed myself. For years I had been listening to Christian evangelists by way of TV who had delivered a clear presentation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I had always snarled and rejected the idea of “coming to Jesus” because I wasn’t prepared to give up my sin. In a final moment of despair and on the threshold of committing suicide, I cried out to God to “save me”, and the Lord accepted me and totally revolutionized my life and made me the man that I am today….. clean, sober, forgiven and on my way to Heaven when the Lord calls me to come home. The Lord has replaced all that the devil stole from me, and by His Word, he has given me wisdom and knowledge that is beyond human understanding. I am no longer overtaken by the pitfalls of life. God has given me a family that loves and respects me, and he has restored my reputation and dignity.  What more could a man hope for?

Sanity?

43 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

Thanks for the question, wil iam! I am certain that God has accepted me because I met the conditions set forth in the Word of God. I surrendered my life to His Lordship and received Jesus Christ and His message of forgiveness and redemption. I "changed my mind" and let go of all of the former beliefs and doubts that I had regarding God and His Son, Jesus, and I exercised my faith to believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that He is God, and that through His death, burial and resurrection, he made a way for me to be reconciled to the Father and have eternal life with Him in Heaven. The evidence of my conversion was the sudden power that consumed me when the Holy Spirit took up residence in my heart. The Word of God says that when God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts, that is our guarantee of salvation and the proof that we have experienced the "new birth" which is a spiritual birth. God holds me firmly in His hand, and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

How could I possibly consider other religions after Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through Me". That is solidly exclusive, and now I am certain that there are not many ways to the Father, so I chose the one and only pathway to Him.

And yes, I still follow God's principles for daily living, and I still have a hunger for His Word after nearly 38 years. As I read his Word daily, I am being conformed to the very image and character of Jesus Christ. I have been saved and forgiven of my sins, I am being saved daily as He teaches me new things about my heart and gives me the power to change my corrupt human behavior, and the time will come when I will be saved up in Glory when He calls me Home.

You have to be American.

13 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

My eureka moment came on August 5, 1988 at the end of an 11-year stint of living and working in the Philippines. By day I was hobnobbing with the rich and famous in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia and making millions of dollars, but by night I was carousing with all the bar girls in the red-light districts of Manila, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I became an alcoholic and drug addict and wound up being swindled out of all of my assets by some shrewd business associates. I was so broke that I could hardly feed myself. For years I had been listening to Christian evangelists by way of TV who had delivered a clear presentation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I had always snarled and rejected the idea of “coming to Jesus” because I wasn’t prepared to give up my sin. In a final moment of despair and on the threshold of committing suicide, I cried out to God to “save me”, and the Lord accepted me and totally revolutionized my life and made me the man that I am today….. clean, sober, forgiven and on my way to Heaven when the Lord calls me to come home. The Lord has replaced all that the devil stole from me, and by His Word, he has given me wisdom and knowledge that is beyond human understanding. I am no longer overtaken by the pitfalls of life. God has given me a family that loves and respects me, and he has restored my reputation and dignity.  What more could a man hope for?

I am an atheist.

But still I find the concept of a God" fascinating. A God that has created us, therefore knowing that we will "screw-up" constantly. Forcing us to constantly repent as to not to fall out of favor with God. We can shed resposability as everything "is in the hands of God" anyway.

The ultimate "kicker": "If you don't believe in me, you will not go to heaven, you will go to hell". Who want's to go to hell? The most effective "mental pressure tool" ever invented.

It is beyond me, why some political parties have not adapted this concept "Vote for us and go to heaven, otherwise you go to hell".

But I will say this: Folks having lost their way "in the storm of life" (drug addicts for example), those that have seen "the christian light" have a better chance to re-calibrate their lives, as the run of the mill "rehab-clinics".

= Faith can move mountains. (Or re-wire the human brain).

6 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Thanks for the question, wil iam! I am certain that God has accepted me because I met the conditions set forth in the Word of God. I surrendered my life to His Lordship and received Jesus Christ and His message of forgiveness and redemption. I "changed my mind" and let go of all of the former beliefs and doubts that I had regarding God and His Son, Jesus, and I exercised my faith to believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that He is God, and that through His death, burial and resurrection, he made a way for me to be reconciled to the Father and have eternal life with Him in Heaven. The evidence of my conversion was the sudden power that consumed me when the Holy Spirit took up residence in my heart. The Word of God says that when God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts, that is our guarantee of salvation and the proof that we have experienced the "new birth" which is a spiritual birth. God holds me firmly in His hand, and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

How could I possibly consider other religions after Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through Me". That is solidly exclusive, and now I am certain that there are not many ways to the Father, so I chose the one and only pathway to Him.

And yes, I still follow God's principles for daily living, and I still have a hunger for His Word after nearly 38 years. As I read his Word daily, I am being conformed to the very image and character of Jesus Christ. I have been saved and forgiven of my sins, I am being saved daily as He teaches me new things about my heart and gives me the power to change my corrupt human behavior, and the time will come when I will be saved up in Glory when He calls me Home.

You go by "Fit To Be Thaied". I believe you can not be fully "Thaied" unless you convert to Buddhism.

35 minutes ago, swissie said:

I am an atheist.

But still I find the concept of a God" fascinating. A God that has created us, therefore knowing that we will "screw-up" constantly. Forcing us to constantly repent as to not to fall out of favor with God. We can shed resposability as everything "is in the hands of God" anyway.

The ultimate "kicker": "If you don't believe in me, you will not go to heaven, you will go to hell". Who want's to go to hell? The most effective "mental pressure tool" ever invented.

It is beyond me, why some political parties have not adapted this concept "Vote for us and go to heaven, otherwise you go to hell".

But I will say this: Folks having lost their way "in the storm of life" (drug addicts for example), those that have seen "the christian light" have a better chance to re-calibrate their lives, as the run of the mill "rehab-clinics".

= Faith can move mountains. (Or re-wire the human brain).

It certainly can re-wire the human brain and cause countless wars as have been seen over the centuries, they do not cause all of them but they cause the longest wars.

I fall asleep whenever someone starts talking about the book of fables and how finding god saved them, but I never get tired of this, especially when Pete Hegseth recites it as gospel:

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.