Living A Life That Is "good Enough"

[BLUEEYEDTHAI]

My cup runneth over,sorry.

[hawthorne]

Well unfortunately if you did not feel trapped you would have a different opinion I am sure. All things would be the same but you would laugh at the idosynchrosis of Thailand.

Hang in there my friend. There are many things in Thailand to enjoy. Being a man and living in Thailand you could be in a much worse place. My god live your high school and college dream. Once you leave you will realize what you did not take advantage of the first night you are lonely.

Bieng a new member I see lots of complaints to the naked eye. But in reality they are funny stories that are shared amongst internet friends.

Hope the best for you and anyone else out there that finds life a little tough or unfair.

[cobra]

Well don't sugar coat it, tell us how you really feel,

Seriously, a little perspective, you've heard it before, if you have your health you have it all.

Bad internet, bad water, bad neighbors, .... take a visit to a burn ward in any hospital, tell any patient there your problems and see if they would switch places with you, or a final stage cancer patient, the blind, ...

It's easy to loose track of the big picture when small, relentless annoyances wear you down.

Don't sweat the small stuff, you have your health, some money and options, it could be worse, and, oh I'm sorry our time is up, I think we've had a break thru, lets continue exploring this next session.

[samuibeachcomber]

this an interesting topic "is it good enough".....i think it is.Why do we come here,apart from the ladies,the weather and the lower cost of living? they were the reasons i came,but since being here 4 years now,ive learnt to chill out,relax,not worry and to accept in thailand things are done differently to the west,and to enjoy the differences.All the things bothering the OP he can change,it is in his power.Being amongst thais i began to realise and still see how uptight farangs are,and they have n't changed at all.maybe take a look at buddhism for a start and see life from a different perspective would help,a change is as good as a rest.

[rainman]

Life is never "good enough". When you have everything, you always find something to improve. When you lose that, you'll know what you had but it won't be "good enough" again. Sort of a "can't win" situation.

[craigt3365]

I hear ya, you definitely have some valid points. Sure, it would be nice to live on 7 mile beach in Grand Cayman (one of the most amazing beaches I have ever seen). Or somewhere on the Italian Riviera. Maybe have a beach house on Seychelles. But, we don't have the money for that. Life here is cheap. You can have a higher standard of life here than you can in most other countries...for sure better than in all Western countries. Where else can you have a full time maid or gardener for 8000B a month? Eat right on the beach, have great seafood, drink a beer, and watch the sun set for less than a Big Mac and fries back home (oh, and be served by some great looking waitress)? Sit in a pool pretty much year round and enjoy the good weather? And have PLENTY of entertainment that is a reasonable cost...ok, except for the ever increasing prices of lady drinks...heck, any drinks for that matter.

But, it does get old dealing with crappy products, poor workmanship, lousy TV!!! Oh well, head outside, meet a mate, and have a cheap beer. Like others have said, it ain't that bad here. I recommend upgrading some stuff. Get a satellite TV. Don't eat at places with plastic stools (I do, but rarely). Get a better repairman (plenty of folks here can recommend some really good ones). Find a new house! I love the new house we are moving into. It was way cheaper than anything I could afford like it back in the US. Way cheaper. But still a very nice villa.

If you have water problems, we have a few folks on this forum that may be able to help...sure, it will cost you, but if it makes your life better, do it! PM me if you want his contact info...

Craig

[a2396]

My life in LOS is considerably better than what I would have back home in USA. There - social life = ZERO. Maybe, I would get lucky & could take out Grandma's garbage or clean her garage. Sex ? Forget it. My residence is equal or better to what I might have back home. As for being ripped off? For big purchase items, always have a Thia do the negotiating and stay out of sight. For small things such as food etc, I have rarely been overcharged. The greedy ladies are the # 1 hazard and require considerable tenacity and careful scrutiny, by the Farang, to avoid becoming a victim.

[Samuian]

I agree with the OP.

To live here as a "Farang" you have to be willing to settle for less when it comes to many things.

Well there are people who blame the frozen walkway for the broken hip..... as there are people who always

look to blame something or someone for the assumed misfortunes they experience, grow some balls and DIY!

Get a life - sorry guys, each and everypenis entirely responible for him/herself - none else!

[carmine]

You can change most of what you say if you want to.

The glass is empty! This nation is plagued with farang so what's the use?

I went to the same restaurant I've been going to for the past four years, on and off, including the last three nights and tonight.

I sit outside alone so I can watch the passing traffic and learn more about the Thai mentality at high speed, with a small beer Singha and a Marlboro while my order is being cooked, and there's the usual bloke and his wife with their elephant pass by as they do every night, and a van full of tourists pull up after a long drive from somewhere that I guess tourists come from, and they all disembark the van after a long run and a couple of blokes get out and walk off to watch the elephant from a vantage point alongside the restaurant where I'm doing the right thing and sitting outside alone so I can enjoy a smoke before I eat the meal I bloody-well pay for.

Next thing you know, some farang turns up in the street outside the restaurant with his offspring and a female whom we won't speak anymore about, and walks up to the restaurant complaining loudly about the cigarette smokers by the elephant, two of whom are just got off a tour minivan and standing in the street, and one of whom is me waiting for my meal at the restaurant. He referred to us as <deleted> just for that.

There are too many farang wanke_rs in Thailand. I know one way to help solve this problem, and will find that life that's "good enough" in some civilised country without so many barbarian farang to get mixed up with. Time to close the doors Thailand. You've been too kind. Thanks but no thanks. It's not what it was, and we are the cause of it. Apologies on behalf of farang.

Ramblings of a half wit or positive mental attitude?

[carmine]

There are plenty of places in the world, like say Singapore or Switzerland, where everything works pretty well most of the time. But then you'll pay for it in the cost of living. If Pattaya was clean, safe, efficient and polite it wouldn't be Pattaya any more. This is a place to live if you enjoy watching life's rich tapestry, if you don't mind being just one of many kinds of foreigner who pass through.

It certainly has its faults but if the roof leaks, the net is on the blink, the TV sucks and the water stinks that's the time to mutter "Mai pen rai". Personally I divide my time between here and the idyllic rural province of Isaan, and I find that Pattaya looks a whole lot better when you've been away for a while and come back.

Amen.

Nicely written and thank you for the reality check I much need tonight.

Yes it wasand without the unecessary slagging off of foreigners

[gmac]

I've lived in Thailand for 9 years......my life is GOOD......that's ENOUGH for me!

[Davidusaf99]

People who are going to be happy, will be happy where ever they are, people who are going to be unhappy, the same holds true. Change your perspective.

[LuckyLew]

Who cares if they talk behind your back?

The glass is half full

Why?

Your are falang, they all dream to go to your country

You probably have more money then them

You have a house - they live 6 to a one room condo

Their minimum wage per month is your daily take

You have a computer at home, they sit in internet cafes

They take the baht bus, do you?

Talk behind their backs, I do

If you hold the door open and they do not say "thanks"

Say "you are welcome you miserable ungrateful b@$stard"

Or better yet, stand in door way until door is almost closed

then step out of way and watch door close on them. You

should see their miserable look when look back at you in puzzlement

Helps me get by

My life is great ... I do nto have to shovel snow anymore

[Jingthing]

You can find yourself in disgusting living situations in any country. I know in my life there have been times I have had to settle for very unpleasant situations (including housing not fit for habitation) in the USA due to limited money. As soon as I had money I bought myself out of what wasn't good enough to tolerate. If I could afford it, I would not tolerate living with a smell that makes me sick. If you can't fix it, move, spend the money. If you don't have the money to change the really awful things, again, what does that have to do with Thailand?

That said, almost all people have to make all kinds of compromises in life, again, in any country. Is that good enough? It is for most people.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Jingthing

[ozzieovaseas]

this an interesting topic "is it good enough".....i think it is.Why do we come here,apart from the ladies,the weather and the lower cost of living? they were the reasons i came,but since being here 4 years now,ive learnt to chill out,relax,not worry and to accept in thailand things are done differently to the west,and to enjoy the differences.All the things bothering the OP he can change,it is in his power.Being amongst thais i began to realise and still see how uptight farangs are,and they have n't changed at all.maybe take a look at buddhism for a start and see life from a different perspective would help,a change is as good as a rest.

Right on beachcomber. I always like to see your bright and cheery positive posts...they sure do cheer a fella up, especially when a fella is stuck in good old Oz for a few months.

Its funny, when in LOS its easy to have a little whinge and join the "thais treat us so bad" brigade, im definately an offender occasionally but spending time back home will soon have you seeing many day to day occurances that put a poor taste in your mouth..

constantly seeing sellf obsessed narcissists arguing and obsessing over the most trivial of things is the biggest thing that turns me off when here

Edited January 20, 2010 by ozzieovaseas

[canuckamuck]

I just paid 1200 Baht for a new house sign hand carved wood. They actually did a pretty good job and was quite amazed that the simple transaction went without its usual pallavas..

As we farangs can't do much here and there are eyes all over the place watching wherever you live, I asked a local "handy man" to put up our new sign. After he had finished and wanted paying I had a look at the sign and he had used screws that were much to big and had come through the wood and out the front so you could see the end of the screws looking at the sign.

I started to loose my cool then my partner gave me the look of "calm down ive told you enough times about that" so i paid him and I suppose I should of thought that's "good enough".

Well actually no it <deleted> ain't good enough so i did it myself and you can stick your WP where the sun don't shine!

It has been my experience that those with do-it-yourself skills are much happier than those at the mercy of the dreaded Thai handyman.

Thailand is a land of micro-managing, you have to keep an eye on everything. Eventually you lose the will to fight it - then everything becomes good enough.

[ballpoint]

Life is what you make of it. I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years, some of it in Songkhla, some in Bangkok, the majority in a village in Buri Ram. My roof doesn't leak, my water doesn't smell, I wouldn't eat anywhere a sewer was blowing foul smelling air onto my table. I have never paid double for anything, and although I have been ripped off occasionally, it was never a significant amount, and I have been ripped off far worse in so called civilised western countries. I have a few close expat friends, all been here almost as long as me or longer, all married to Thais, all happy to be living here. I also have a few very good Thai friends. I speak read and write Thai, and speak the local Khmer dialect, and can honestly say I have never once in over 20 years been told to get out, or that I shouldn't be here, other than by an American bar owner in Khorat many years ago when I walked into his bar wearing a Ho Chi Minh tee shirt. Most of what I hear spoken about me by those who don't know I can understand them is rather flattering. I know a group of sad whingers will think I'm making this up, but I swear it is true, not that I really care what you think. I'm not saying there's nothing to complain about here, there definitely is, but in my opinion, the good far outweighs the bad. If you're happy with good enough then good enough is great. If you're not happy with good enough, then I can assure you, you can do better here.

Edited January 20, 2010 by ballpoint

[craigt3365]

Well put, ballpoint! Well put....

[ilyushin]

I suggest that you now make a list of the things that are good about living in Thailand and try to balance them out.

Hope it all works out for you.

[moe666]

Why did the OP come to Thailand in the first place, what was screwed up about back home that brouht him out here.

As they say this place is so screwed up if only I could leave,then they leave and the next place is screwed up as well. What they don't realize it's them that is screwed up.

It has been 3 years since I have been in Thailand, I will arrive on the 3rd of Feb. and I am looking forward to the first rip off and double charge because I know I an in a place were there is life. I cannot wait to go to a Issan night club and drink some whiskey with friends. I can't wait to walk off that airplane and have the 85 degrees and 90 percent humidity hit me in the face. If you don't feel alive in Thailand you are already dead.

[OxfordWill]

I think you have to accept not that your life is good enough but that your skills and ability to handle life is only good enough.

[kikoman]

It is only ,good enough because you make bad choices, Smelly water, buy a water purification system as I did took care of the problem. Because for me it was not good enough. You eat at a restaurant with your table set over a sewer,with roaches running up your leg. Why did you chose thar restaurant to eat at, I would have picked another place to eat,as the one you described, is not good enough for me.

Your roof leaks, why did you not buy silicone, and hire a person to fix it ,the minimum wage in this country is under 200 baht a day.

There are solutions to your problems, but you chose not to use them.

Then you would have nothing to complaint about.

You seem to settle for less then the best.

I love my life in Thailand, its a life far beyond what I had expected when I came here for a months vacation, 10 years ago and never left.

Look at you glass again and it is half full!

Cheers:

[Travel2003]

Tokay, i thought by your postings on here that you were alright and on track!! Dont let <deleted>%kwits on here grind you down.

Some of us have a lot of bad days and some dont, you are complaining about a leaky roof - when last did it rain??

Your internet works half the time, change provider!!

If your water is no good - drill your own well, not expensive!

Come on Tokay, get a grip young man, what you are describing is pre menstrual tension!!!

Get over it!!

Don't want to be negative Lenny but to answer your questions to Tokay:

It rained only 5 days ago and also 2 days before that.

Change internet provider doesn't mean his internet gonna work since they are all crap.

Drilling a well not expensive?I just had one drilled a few months ago,price 95.000 Baht and couldn't find a cheaper one and I it is illegal in most locations.

95.000 Baht?

Spelling error, right?

Did you mean 9500 baht?

[Penefattore]

Your internet works half the time, change provider!!

so it will work fourth the time

[samuibeachcomber]

this an interesting topic "is it good enough".....i think it is.Why do we come here,apart from the ladies,the weather and the lower cost of living? they were the reasons i came,but since being here 4 years now,ive learnt to chill out,relax,not worry and to accept in thailand things are done differently to the west,and to enjoy the differences.All the things bothering the OP he can change,it is in his power.Being amongst thais i began to realise and still see how uptight farangs are,and they have n't changed at all.maybe take a look at buddhism for a start and see life from a different perspective would help,a change is as good as a rest.

Right on beachcomber. I always like to see your bright and cheery positive posts...they sure do cheer a fella up, especially when a fella is stuck in good old Oz for a few months.

Its funny, when in LOS its easy to have a little whinge and join the "thais treat us so bad" brigade, im definately an offender occasionally but spending time back home will soon have you seeing many day to day occurances that put a poor taste in your mouth..

constantly seeing sellf obsessed narcissists arguing and obsessing over the most trivial of things is the biggest thing that turns me off when here

yeah me to.You know when i go back to OZ to see family i look forward to it,but after a few days i realise how regulated and regimented the society feels compared to thailand,and just long to get back home to samui.The other thing i notice is how obsessed everyone is about interest rates,mortgages,cost of living gasoline prices etc etc.It feels very good to be away from all that.Sounds like you are looking forward to getting back here as well.

[samuibeachcomber]

this an interesting topic "is it good enough".....i think it is.Why do we come here,apart from the ladies,the weather and the lower cost of living? they were the reasons i came,but since being here 4 years now,ive learnt to chill out,relax,not worry and to accept in thailand things are done differently to the west,and to enjoy the differences.All the things bothering the OP he can change,it is in his power.Being amongst thais i began to realise and still see how uptight farangs are,and they have n't changed at all.maybe take a look at buddhism for a start and see life from a different perspective would help,a change is as good as a rest.

Right on beachcomber. I always like to see your bright and cheery positive posts...they sure do cheer a fella up, especially when a fella is stuck in good old Oz for a few months.

Its funny, when in LOS its easy to have a little whinge and join the "thais treat us so bad" brigade, im definately an offender occasionally but spending time back home will soon have you seeing many day to day occurances that put a poor taste in your mouth..

constantly seeing sellf obsessed narcissists arguing and obsessing over the most trivial of things is the biggest thing that turns me off when here

yeah me to.You know when i go back to OZ to see family i look forward to it,but after a few days i realise how regulated and regimented the society feels compared to thailand,and just long to get back home to samui.The other thing i notice is how obsessed everyone is about interest rates,mortgages,cost of living gasoline prices etc etc.It feels very good to be away from all that.Sounds like you are looking forward to getting back here as well.

[IanForbes]

Good post, Tokay, I have to agree with you on most of what you've written. I have similar thoughts from time to time, but with me the good outweighs the bad. I get frustrated from time to time, but I do back home in Canada as well. And, when I try to compare things around the world I come to the conclusion there are FAR worse places to live.

However, I only stay in a hotel when I'm in Thailand and find that it is all I need. I can't sit on more than one chair at a time or sleep in more than one bed. I only need to eat a couple times a day to keep my energy level up and I can supplement the in between times with fruit and the occasional snack. For me it is just as easy to eat a 40 baht meal in a Thai cafe as it is to cook something for myself.

I have come to realize that good friends are all you really need in life, and all the possessions are just "stuff". My big home in Canada is all paid for, but to me it's just my childrens inheritance when I'm gone. It's just a place to store all my toys: truck, camper, boats, books, cameras, guns, fishing tackle and paintings. The toys are just "things' to make my life more interesting and if I lost them all tomorrow I could always buy more. My small pension is adequate to enjoy a full life if I watch my budget.

Ian

[samuibeachcomber]

yep thats all you need,somewhere to lay your head,enough money for food and clothing,good friends,and a positive outlook on life,everything else is a hindrance.

[Richb2004v2]

I'm with the OP. I get more and more frustrated with this place all the time. I don't plan on staying too much longer if I can help it.

[StreetCowboy]

Half full / Half empty

Use a smaller glass

Fit your expectations to the size of the measure that you pour yourself.

If you try and top the glass up every time that its half-empty, you'll be steaming drunk in no time. The only way you'll actually keep a full glass is if you're happy with what you've got, and you think you've had enough...

SC

(reason for edit: analogy development)

Edited January 20, 2010 by StreetCowboy