I agree Sydney (even it being the most exciting city in Australia) and in general Australia, can be pretty boring at night. There's practically no night life! Malaysia definitely has more things to keep you busy with at night compared to Sydney.

I studied and stayed in Sydney for 4 years and I can only survive through because I had sports, uni friends who stayed nearby, and studies to keep me busy.

I believe even if [email=Garysydney]Garysydney[/email] has friends, i think you meet them prob once a week or so, and at your age don't think you all can do much exciting activities right haha.

You are definitely spot on!

In Sydney at night, there is only pub life or casino. I don't drink and i don't gamble so life here is only watching tv at night. I sleep quite early (9.30pm) and usually get up around 6am and Coles/Wollies don't open till 7am.

I love the 'pasar pagi' in KL - they open so early!! When i go back to KL, i would take a morning walk at 7am (when it starts getting bright) and walk up Jalan Ara in Bangsar and all the way to Lucky Garden and have breakfast at the kopitiam. This is what i love doing in KL. There is so much food choices and it is so cheap (after converting to Aussie dollars). There is also a pasar pagi in Lucky Garden where i can buy fruits. The shops in KL close so late and you can walk around till 10pm at night - this is the type of life i miss after living in Sydney for so long!!

Since when truly FI has to be very busy? You have a source for this?

I have to do nothing, be a lazy bum at home and I earn substantially. So how do you categorize me?

Wrong. Please see bolded text above.

You are definitely spot on!

In Sydney at night, there is only pub life or casino. I don't drink and i don't gamble so life here is only watching tv at night. I sleep quite early (9.30pm) and usually get up around 6am and Coles/Wollies don't open till 7am.

I love the 'pasar pagi' in KL - they open so early!! When i go back to KL, i would take a morning walk at 7am (when it starts getting bright) and walk up Jalan Ara in Bangsar and all the way to Lucky Garden and have breakfast at the kopitiam. This is what i love doing in KL. There is so much food choices and it is so cheap (after converting to Aussie dollars). There is also a pasar pagi in Lucky Garden where i can buy fruits. The shops in KL close so late and you can walk around till 10pm at night - this is the type of life i miss after living in Sydney for so long!!

Actually both my wife and I prefer to live in Msia. I haven't gone back yet because the preservation age (when you can start accessing your super) for those born in 1962 is 57 which is next year. Both my wife and myself are born in 1962 so both of us can start drawing out our super next year. I would probably try living in KL next year and if we don't like it, we can always come back to Sydney. I have about 40+ weeks of long service leave (which can be taken on half pay to reduce the tax) so i plan to start taking my long service leave around July next year.

I can take close to 2 years (on half pay) of leave before i decide whether i want to return to my job. My wife loves KL (as all her relatives are in KL and she has no relatives in Sydney) and she will probably 'force' me to stay on even if i don't quite like it in KL  . Even on half pay, i will still be getting about rm10k/mth which i calculate should be quite sufficient for both of us. I can draw down a little on my super if that is not enough. My wife also has rental from her 2 apartments in MK which will give her about rm6k/mth net. I suspect we probably won't need to draw on our super until i retire officially after i have exhausted all my leave and long service leave.

We can afford to spend 6mths every year in each country but i find life a lot more interesting in KL esp after retirement (and we have no children). Sydney can be very boring (even though we have plenty of friends here after having lived here for so long) in old age. You see a lot of lonely old people here.

Well looks like someone has not heard of passive income 

Just enjoy your remaining years in Malaysia lah.

Since both you and your wife also prefer to stay in Malaysia, straight away apply MM2H and come back lah. Why wait? You have spent so many years in Sydney and spending more years there is just meaningless if your heart is not there. If you have sufficient retirement income, you can afford to forgo the benefits of PR. Seriously, unless you have kidney or other existing diseases , the most you ever need is 100k in any kind of diseases. Anything more than that, you are better off being dead. Plus, many people live long lives without even going to clinic. Just enjoy your remaining years in Malaysia lah. You have more than enough, especially when you do not have kids . Want so much for what?

Haha bro, you are definitely young and in a hurry 

At our age, everything is toned down. Not so hot blooded. Final decision can always wait. Gary has already thought of everything for a few years, and will still be thinking until the last minutes ! 

But eventually one day you will be like us....

Bro... He still healthy n below Aus official retirement age. Still many years ahead. Lol

Oh ok, ha ha, agree that uncle Gary is likely to postpone until he cannot postpone, and that is being prudent. What I mean is... application for MM2H can begin right away without jeopardising PR ship. Meanwhile, still can think about it..

Now that you mentioned it, you know its bad when some of my weekly activities that I look forward to is shopping at Woolies 

But nevertheless I still kind of like the Sydney lifestyle - beach, sun, laidback lifestyle, though you don't get as great food there. I think spending half/half between the two countries would be a good choice.

my only worry about FI/RE is that my kids may not have a good role model at home.

How do I get the kids to learn to work hard to be successful, if everyday they see their parents laze around at home with no career?

Yes - the beaches are beautiful. My place is very close to Clovelly and Coogee beach. I love the sunshine but my wife doesn't like going out in the sun so we don't go out in the sun much. I live in Wentworth Street which is just next to Centennial Park and i walk in Centennial Park quite a fair bit. My wife wants to keep her fair skin so she doesn't like going out in the sun.

Life in Sydney is good if you want a quiet and peaceful environment to live in. For me Sydney is a little too quiet but what i don't really like is the cold winter. A lot of my Aussie friends move north to Surfers Paradise to retire.

By the way, has it been a long time since you finished your studies in Sydney? I used to mix a lot with the Chung Ling Old Boys Club in UNSW (playing badminton) but that was in 1983-1985.

Chinese food in Sydney is not that great. We go to Masuya Japanese, Din Tai Fung (World Sq), Galleries (Bathurst St) and Ho Jiak (opp Paddy's Market) very regularly but the food in KL is way,way better than Sydney.

Ah its been quite a number of years but I still reminisce about lifestyle back in Sydney, there's pros and cons. However I do expect my working lifestyle to be very different from my time back then, I would even say 9-5 and then nothing to do at night.
Nice food you mentioned, but yeah I don't think they are that great, best is probably DTF (and they cost a bomb) DTF malaysia much better (more suited to our tastebuds) but any random Chinese restaurant can match the ones in Sydney. For my malaysian fix, I normally went to Mamak (and around Chatswood) and I also heard a few Msian restaurants opened up around town. Ayam Goreng 99 is also one my fav (but its far for me - I went to Macq U , Macq Park)

Regardless, nothing beats Msia, nowadays we have so many varieties besides the "traditional" Msia food - that you just cant get anywher else.

Since both you and your wife also prefer to stay in Malaysia, straight away apply MM2H and come back lah. Why wait? You have spent so many years in Sydney and spending more years there is just meaningless if your heart is not there. If you have sufficient retirement income, you can afford to forgo the benefits of PR. Seriously, unless you have kidney or other existing diseases , the most you ever need is 100k in any kind of diseases. Anything more than that, you are better off being dead. Plus, many people live long lives without even going to clinic. Just enjoy your remaining years in Malaysia lah. You have more than enough, especially when you do not have kids . Want so much for what?

Actually, humans are always greedy. When you have 1 mil, you think having 2 mil is better. When you have 2 mil, you think 3 mil is better. We are never satisfied with what we have. That is why a lot of rich people think they need more because they don't think they have enough (even though they are very rich in the eyes of their friends/relatives).

My wife keeps telling me that we have quite a significant amount but somehow, that 'greed' is always around and keeps popping up saying 'You don't have enough!!'

Ayam Goreng 99 in Kingsford? That one is always full!!

Agree.... Its all relative I suppose. 5 years ago I'd be very happy to be where I am today. But today my goals are so much bigger and so far away