Jewish Mickey, a mate of mine from Birmingham, once told me that when you get to a certain age, you're like the captain of a leaky ship. You patch one hole up and another one appears. I've thought about that quite a bit over the years, especially now I'm in my sixties - and I think Mickey was on to something. The trouble is, living in Thailand, you soon realise that private hospitals are businesses. You go in with a niggling problem that's bothered you on and off for years and there's a fair chance you'll be offered a scan, some tests and a follow-up appointment. Kerching! Maybe it's all necessary. Maybe it isn't. But who's really in a position to know? And if you start investigating every little thing that goes wrong with you, where does it end? There's always another ache, another niggle, another bit of the machinery that isn't working quite as well as it used to. I'm not suggesting you ignore anything serious. That would be stupid. But I'm also not convinced that spending your retirement going backwards and forwards to hospitals, chasing every possible medical problem, is necessarily the answer. At some point, you have to accept that you're getting older. Things wear out. Some things you can fix, others you learn to live with. My concern is that the healthcare business, particularly the private sector, has a financial incentive to keep investigating and treating. That doesn't make doctors dishonest, but it does mean you should ask questions rather than automatically agreeing to everything suggested. Personally, I'd rather spend my time enjoying life in Thailand than sitting in hospital waiting rooms unless there's a good reason to be there. Patch the holes that need patching, keep an eye on the others, and get on with your life. As Mickey might have said, there's not much point spending a fortune repairing the ship if you never get to enjoy the voyage.

Clever😆

⚽️ Sunday night's results in T2 (Gameweek 8) Chantaburi 0 Chiang Mai United 0 (Att: 927) Chantaburi's lowest crowd of the season saw their team hobble to an uninspiring goalless draw against Chiang Mai United. Chiang Mai were the better team until they lost arguably their best two players on the stroke of half time - Warawut Noisri was sent off for a second yellow card, and striker Wellington Smith left the field with a worrying shoulder injury. Chantaburi failed to make their one-man advantage count in the second period and a point apiece means both teams stay in mid-table. Kanchanaburi Power 6 Chainat Hornbill 3 (Att: 5,259) It's not often you see a team surrender a three goal lead and then win it back again, but that's exactly what happened in this nine-goal spectacle at the Kleeb Bua Stadium. Kanchanaburi went 3-0 up within the first 25 minutes, but Mubarak Ahmed's swivel and shot on 40 minutes gave Chainat a glimmer of hope. The Hornbills completed a sensational comeback with early second half goals from Jompon and Mubarak. However, credit to Kanchanaburi, who scored three times in a frenetic final twenty minutes. Both clubs should end the gameweek in the top six. Nakhon Ratchisima 2 Pattaya United 0 (Att: 1,469) Nakhon Ratchisima made it three wins on the spin, but left things late against struggling Pattaya United. The Swatcats went ahead with a penalty from Samuel Gomes in the 90th minute, and midfielder Phatiphan put some gloss on the scoreline in injury time. That was Pattaya's first defeat on the road - and they remain just above the relegation zone. Khon Kaen United 4 Muang Loei 2 (Att: 4,962) Khon Kaen stayed top of the table after victory at home to Muang Loei. A delicious curling shot from Ronnayod and a low strike from Jetsada gave Khon Kaen a comfortable half-time lead, and it was pretty much game over when the pink-haired Veerapong guided in a third on 53 minutes. Muang Loei gave the home side a fright by pulling a couple of goals back, but there was to be no incredible comeback in this one. Top marks though to both clubs for a very entertaining game. That's five games without a win for Muang Loei - and their dramatic slide down the table continues. Note that the Monday night fixture between Muangthong United and Police Tero will conclude the gameweek.

If you think the idea of an ice cream with a potato chip coating sounds weird... just wait until you try it.

Does this serve my life - or does it demand I serve it? Japan's quiet revolution: When buying nothing becomes everything. Fascinating stuff. youtube.com/watch?v=Gg4BON5x…

In the space of a few years, Tun and I did Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and Vienna. All we wanted to do was to tick off as many big European cities as possible. Now there's nowhere we'd rather go less. Expensive long haul flights Civil unrest Expensive hotel rooms Tourist traps Scam artists We've got so much we want to see in Asia. Europe fell off the list years ago.

You've got a great way of presenting things - and keeping topics interesting.

What a strange experience sitting among the PT Satun fans last night at Kasetsart with @rscnx . There must have been 250-300 of them in that away end but it was like a library. It was like they were all watching a movie rather than a football match. They had no flags, no drums, no megaphones, nothing. No passion either. As Rob said - a complete contrast to the home atmosphere that you see the fans create. Mind you, Kasetsart's stadium would dampen anyone's spirits in all honesty.

⚽️ Saturday's results in T2 (gameweek 8) Kasetsart 1 PT Satun 3 (Att: 559) Kasetsart stay bottom of the table on goal difference after a poor performance at home to PT Satun. The away side went in at half time with a two-nil lead from a Jesse Inia own goal and a long range pearler from Caio Silva. But it should've been four or five-nil, such was PT Satun's dominance. However, PT Satun made hard work of the second period, and when Jesse Inia pulled a goal back for Kasetsart, you wondered if perhaps an undeserved point was on the cards for the Emerald Nagas - but a solo goal from Akrom Mahmood in the closing minutes meant the points went down south. Songkhla 1 Phrae United 1 (Att: 712) Songkhla failed to get out of the bottom three and the pressure must still be on coach Arnon Bandasak, after they were held to a draw at home to Phrae United. Phrae went ahead just before half time thanks to a bizarre own goal - but Songkhla salvaged a point in the 80th minute from a Phuchakhen header. Songkhla have just one win in eight matches. Nongbua Pichaya 3 Mahasarakham 0 (Att: 1.234) A comfortable home win for the Gamecocks and Mahasarakham remain the only team in T2 without a win to their name. Nongbua defender Apisit opened the scoring on 37 minutes with a superb free kick. Lucas Lima extended the lead from the penalty spot, before Jakkrawut Songma added a late third. Nongbua Pichaya have now played four, won four at home. Uttaradit 2 Nakhon Pathom 0 (Att: 1,847) Uttaradit got back to winning ways and moved up to second in the table with an excellent 2-0 victory over Nakhon Pathom. Chanayut Srisawat - who wears the shirt name 'FrenchFries' - put the home side ahead after quarter of an hour. Werick's worldy of a strike in the 83rd minute sealed the deal. Uttaradit are unbeaten at home in five matches, but three of those five have been draws.

The CMIB Thai football podcast reporting from Kasetsart v PT Satun.

Today, Rob and I will be at the T2 clash between bottom of the table Kasetsart FC and 5th place PT Satun.

Stallone on Stick to Football. Incredible to see Sly as a guest, but he had no idea who Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Gary Neville, etc were and I'm guessing he has little interest in football. So all you're left with is the starry-eyed hosts asking him about Rocky movies, his art collection, Hollywood, etc and interesting though the stories are - I've heard them dozens of times before. This is why the interview with Johnny Marr was so awesome. He's a guitar legend, was a member of The Smiths... and is a fanatical football fan. So he could switch from music to footy effortlessly.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately everything is booked.

The highlight of Celebrity Traitors for me so far has been James Blunt's terrible clothes. #UKTV

"You're going travelling again for two weeks?! You've just got back from England" my gym trainer said this morning. "The problem Phil is that you're getting older and weeks with no exercise is not good. It takes longer to recover" "England was a trip to see family. Next week is me cramming in another holiday in what years I have left. Sometimes life just gets in the way. What can I do? Fitness is important I know but I won't let it get in the way of experiences" We keep having this conversation. It's exhausting. He just doesn't get it.

Brave tweet. And sure enough...

Unai Emery's now in the mix. Interesting. theguardian.com/football/202…

According to my research, China has strict regulations governing power banks, particularly on domestic flights and when departing China on international flights. Power banks must meet the relevant requirements, including carrying the CCC (China Compulsory Certification) mark. If yours doesn’t have it, there’s a decent risk it could be confiscated at a security checkpoint. It’s something travellers to China need to be aware of. There are plenty of CCC power banks on Lazada and suchlike. The Remax brand is the one that Thais recommend most on travel forums. I picked one up for around 400 Baht.

The Alipay app is a lifesaver in China, especially when it comes to eating out. You can wander into the most Chinese-looking neighbourhoods, find the most run-down little mom-and-pop joints, and if there's a menu QR code on the table, you're sorted. Scan it, translate the menu, order your food. Not a word needs to be exchanged. It works brilliantly, and you'll eat cheaply and well.