On 9/24/2026 at 10:18 AM, mauRICE said:

They're so big on health and fitness in Australia and, barring legitimate health and mobility issues, there's really no excuse not to get on it.

Never thought I’d agree with @mauRICE on anything but I am 100% behind this statement. Australia has incredible natural coastline, city parks, great walking spots and superb fresh air (especially right now) unlike the heat humidity and polluted smog of South east Asia. It baffles me that some people just choose to stay at home and watch TV.

On 9/24/2026 at 1:29 AM, a-447 said:

And I think I might join a gym. Although I'm quite fit and have no trouble walking all day when I'm on holiday somewhere, as you get older I've been told you need to do certain exercises for muscle strength. So I might give it a go.

Again agreeing with @mauRICE (what a novelty!) strength training is essential at any age and even more in retirement so you can pick up your own suitcase. The Philippines has excellent affordable gyms and hot personal trainers so there are plenty of incentives.

I’ve had a few unavoidable health issues (a bad lung infection caused by air borne bacteria picked up in India) and minor accidents that have gotten in the way of keeping fit, my plan for the last quarter of 2026 is to work back up to peak health.

It's been an eventful year. My mom passed away back in February. But the estate is all settled now so I am planning trips for next year. I'll be back in BKK for the first time in 3 or 4 years at the beginning of February before I travel on to Seoul for a couple of concerts. That will be quite a climate contrast. I'm also booking some cruises for the next couple of years. I'm sure I will pack some other things in too

1 hour ago, hank75 said:

my plan for the last quarter of 2026 is to work back up to peak health.

I attended a lecture on health in our older years.

The lecturer spoke about the importance of eating lots of protein.

I asked him if I could get that from protein shakes or powder and he told me just to eat steak - and lots of it.

I haven't eaten steak in years, not because I don't like it, but because I gave up cooking at home years ago.

But since he told me that, I went out and bought a new frypan and have been eating a piece of fillet steak every night for over a month now.

I had forgotten how delicious it is - well done and eaten with worstershire sauce!

Now I know why my Pattaya guy always ordered steak whenever we went to his favourite restaurant - the Japanese restaurant Fuji at Central Mall. I'd forgotten how good it is.

Japan is famous for its ridiculously priced 'wagyu' steak, but considering it's so fatty - the A5 grade is basically 60% or more fat, I don't think there's much protein in it.

As for us Aussies being into health and fitness, that's not particularly true at all. It's mainly the young who go to gyms to work out, but lots of gyms end up going bankrupt. They open and close all the time.

There is a fantastic tennis complex near where I live but it's essentially deserted. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns into a housing development.

Everyone here is attached to their iPads and phones. It's big problem with school kids. Programs to encourage them to exercise appear to be failing.

36 minutes ago, a-447 said:

I asked him if I could get that from protein shakes or powder and he told me just to eat steak - and lots of it.

This guy needs a rap over the knuckles. You can get sufficient protein from chicken breast, eggs, fish or tofu combined with protein powder. It’s not just steak. Try to buy organic meat if you can. Eating too much steak can have its downsides especially if you’re frying it in oil everyday!

Try and mix things up, eggs in the morning, grilled chicken breast or fish later on. Vary these with your steak days. Fish oil is good for you as well.

46 minutes ago, a-447 said:

Japan is famous for its ridiculously priced 'wagyu' steak, but considering it's so fatty - the A5 grade is basically 60% or more fat, I don't think there's much protein in it.

I can’t eat wagyu, the fat in it is so rich it makes me feel sick. Waiters always think I’m a tightwad when I refuse to order the wagyu in restaurants. I buy galbi or beef short rib cuts from Asian supermarkets and air fry it. It’s fat enough to cook in its own oil and doesn’t get too dry, but not as nauseatingly marbled as wagyu.

I found Bangkok gyms to be far more expensive than chain gyms in Australia and New Zealand. But that didn't stop me from going to Muscle Factory gym in On Nut. Better deals can be found in Pattaya.

Yes, personal trainers can certainly be useful to recommend exercises and to observe your technique. But don't be like some clients in my gym who spend more time chatting with the trainer rather than working out.

3 hours ago, hank75 said:

This guy needs a rap over the knuckles. You can get sufficient protein from chicken breast, eggs, fish or tofu combined with protein powder. It’s not just steak. Try to buy organic meat if you can. Eating too much steak can have its downsides especially if you’re frying it in oil everyday!

Try and mix things up, eggs in the morning, grilled chicken breast or fish later on. Vary these with your steak days. Fish oil is good for you as well.

I can’t eat wagyu, the fat in it is so rich it makes me feel sick. Waiters always think I’m a tightwad when I refuse to order the wagyu in restaurants. I buy galbi or beef short rib cuts from Asian supermarkets and air fry it. It’s fat enough to cook in its own oil and doesn’t get too dry, but not as nauseatingly marbled as wagyu.

I agree, i thought it was generally accepted, except by Kennedy, that a lot of red meat is harmful.

3 months to go ..to 2027

And yes when you get to my age .life is a countdown

We had a work colleague die last week found him in the staff toilets 65yo had been working a lot of overtime worked 12'hour shifts the last few days , heart attack in the toilet , was planning to travel when he retired at 67

Dead on the toilet seat

His job is being advertised, next week he will be forgotten

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

Dead on the toilet seat

I hope he got to flush before he went.

40 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

I hope he got to flush before he went.

Lol ...I hope so

Silly old cunt ... apparently was chasing overtime continually

8 hours ago, Kiwi306 said:

But don't be like some clients in my gym who spend more time chatting with the trainer rather than working out.

any excuse to get away from home , wife and screaming kids is worth the trouble

6 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

Silly old cunt ... apparently was chasing overtime continually

about dead say either good thing or noting , at least for a while after death ( not that what you say doesn't have merit ).

51 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

Lol ...I hope so

Silly old cunt ... apparently was chasing overtime continually

He probably had comorbidities made worse by the lack of rest.

3 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Lol ...I hope so

Silly old cunt ... apparently was chasing overtime continually

Is that not a heartless and unpleasant remark, whatever personality you are using

2 hours ago, mauRICE said:

He probably had comorbidities made worse by the lack of rest.

He probably also had relatives who would be upset by those remarks.

12 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

I agree, i thought it was generally accepted, except by Kennedy, that a lot of red meat is harmful.

I like this; more tempered.

People work long hours for all sorts of reasons … commitment, ambition, recognition, even unpaid professional work, pro bono. Assuming someone was simply “chasing overtime” is both cynical and, quite possibly, just bullshit. Flush that.

4 hours ago, mauRICE said:

I hope he got to flush before he went.

Nothing quite like a death to give a commentator the opportunity to demonstrate the limits of his wit.

3 hours ago, mauRICE said:

He probably had comorbidities made worse by the lack of rest.

Better … course correction noted. I was worried there for a minute.

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

any excuse to get away from home , wife and screaming kids is worth the trouble

Frankly, I think you may have reversed the gender-specific escape hatch. 🧘‍♀️

41 minutes ago, NormandyCoast said:

Nothing quite like a death to give a commentator the opportunity to demonstrate the limits of his wit.

Wit?

3 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Is that not a heartless and unpleasant remark, whatever personality you are using

To you and I perhaps but that could be the way Olddaddy and his colleagues speak in their world. 🤷 Broadly speaking, the farang I've met in Thailand are very different from the ones with whom I went to school and in my own social and professional circles and they can be quite fun in small doses.

On 9/25/2026 at 1:02 PM, bkkmfj2648 said:

But, after 4 years of living here - there is this constant gnawing feeling that won't leave me in peace. Each time there is a negative event that happens in my life here it returns in full force - hence this becomes the fuel that makes me want to see if the grass would be any greener in the other pond(s).

See one of my previous posts in this thread. Finding inner peace is important otherwise you'll just keep running - in circles. A change of environment may only help for a while if there are still unresolved issues deep down.

On 9/25/2026 at 1:02 PM, bkkmfj2648 said:

...they organize social events, hiking trips, game events, sightseeing,...

You forget one very important activity - CHURCH. You'll be in one of the most Christian/Catholic countries in the world. The good news is that you won't have any problems kneeling at the altar having had all that practice in Pattaya...

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Ah-men.

Live your life ..........who knows how long you have ?

I'm already planning my next trip , probably be March or April 2027

I would love to travel Australia but so expensive

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

I would love to travel Australia but so expensive

selling some of your gold faucets can help to finance such a trip

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

I would love to travel Australia but so expensive

It's also expensive if you are looking for some 'fun'.

I had a look at Rentmen yesterday after seeing it mentioned in a post by Keithambrose.

I've already got my fun organised so I wasn't interested in finding anyone.

Prices were up to $700 (16,000 baht!) for short time with hotties like my guys here.

At that price you could get a return flight to Bangkok from Perth on a low cost carrier like Batik Air.

Depending on what you're looking for, you may be better off staying where you are!