I wouldn't say expertise yet, but writing for me. Screenplays, novels, and plays. Eventually, I plan to make a living off of it.   

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perhaps things have died down in recent years a little bit, but in my early teens i was very proficient at wanking

Is that your way of saying this thread is one big circle jerk?

And you've been teaching snot-nosed kids their ABCs for how long? That's like opening a crate with a scalpel (which is exactly what Wittgenstein's sister said of his stint teaching kids in some remote Austrian village).

I  planned to go overseas for one year as a vacay, then extended it to two years to hit Thailand and New Zealand, and, well, life here really agreed with me.

As my late father used to often say: "The most important thing is to have a good day." People tell you to do it in a formal, insincere trite way but my dad seriously asked me often at night: Did you have a good day? If I said yes, he would say: "Good."

I keep having those good days. For example, I taught for two hours today and it was a pleasure. I now have the weekend to travel to one of the few places I have yet to visit on the east coast (somehow I've never been to Ulsan).

Have a good weekend! (Seriously, do it. However your week has gone to date, give yourself that. Talk to you on the flip side. :)

One more thing...

In high school, I was the top male (technically top 2 but ALWAYS one girl and one boy are awarded) in English in a graduating class of 155. But in Honors Math I was below average. The TOP math student was "David", of Chinese heritage and his parents had a local greenery (sold plants, trees, shrubs, etc) and he became a computer entrepreneur and earned his first million dollars by age 22. The 2nd or 3rd top student (depends on which test or teacher you ask) was "Chris", of Danish heritage, and he dropped out of uni and went to California and was a lifeguard and half decent surfer, last I ran into him he was 28 and still surfing and working part time as a surfing instructor.

Who seemed happier? Chris clearly. Though David made his family proud.

My life has been somewhere in the middle. :)

Money isn't everything! The top kids in my high-school ended up dropping out of university when they became average in university.

The kids that studied trades earn generally more now and have a great life.

Then there were the dreamers me included. We chased hobbies and the unexpected. I have a great life travelled around the world and worked in multiple countries. My friends who were dreamers have the same experiences.

Sure I could make more money but why? Working all day to earn more is not as good as earning less and enjoying life.

My hobbies are travelling and exploring which have both been put on pause until this current situation is over.

The kids that studied trades earn generally more now and have a great life.

Two lazy students who always goofed off in class, acted like yahoos and were called dumb went on to ideal situations.

One, "Wade", joined the military after high school (soldiers have A LOT of down time, slacking and joking with mates), won a national award for heroism when he was a rescue technician on a coast guard helicopter. Wade retired at age 44 after 25 years with a big pension, four kids and a ton of hobbies.

The other, "Randy", went to a 2-year technical institute after high school and parlayed his c+ studies into a forester/park management program graduation and ended up a shift worker in the mining industry, working in remote sites but buying the sweetest real estate in our home town.

There are so many successful paths for so many students, even the lazy, dumb ones. I try to remember that when teaching a difficult student. They might become a Wade or Randy instead of an angry taxi driver.

WRT combat capabilities, I can probably still freehand draw and label a map of the ME and N. Africa, but I'd be a bit fuzzy on the locations of the various military Bases and Ports, and I certainly can't remember the exact models and quantities of aircraft and ships used by each country (I assume that's all changed since 2006 anyway).

I hear ya on that. I used to be able to prattle off figures and stats on a host of military-related matters from WWII and the Desert Storm-era. Now it's turning to mush.

Oh. One more quick story about a guy who went into the trades. They aren't all ideal.

My engineer practical-minded dad didn't appreciate my three years of grad school in Philosophy when the son of a guy he knew (i forget his name) went into the trades, became a machinist cutting metal, a union job with lots of overtime pay. His hobby was equally dull and monotonous: filling out contest forms! He had won a sports car, a boat, tons of other stuff and at least one grand prize of $100,000. My dad said: "Look at him. He is doing well." I said no way could i do such a boring job with such a boring hobby and he was a 30+ year old man still living at home! (I was visiting my dad on holidays when this conversation took place). ... ... Flash forward 6 years and i hear that guy my dad was talking about committed suicide. "See?!" is all i said with a smirk when my dad told me. He nodded.

What a wonderful person you are. Korea definitely deserves you.

At age 67 I am still quite a mean cyclist. I have cycled most of my life and before I left SA for Asia I was into competitive road racing in summer and mountain biking in winter, despite being hit by a huge truck whilst out training. I ended up three months on crutches and a friend of mine said the only way to recover was to get back on your bike. He then presented me with a beautiful hand built Italian bike and I got onto that and was soon back in the groove.

I completed 9 Cape Argus Cycle tours (biggest timed race in the world over about 109 Km) and did numerous other races every weekend.

Since coming to Asia, I haven't competed in races but always still ride. Most weekends I do two rides of 30 and 40 Km and use my indoor trainer during the week.

I have 6 weeks off now and can't go home, thanks CCP, so I will explore Taiwan on my bike as much as possible.

Not sure if this is expertise, but I am a fair cyclist.