Bubbles and Beans – 13th December 2022

Comfort is the refuge of the petty man
Trudging along without a plan
Distracted by familiar patterns seen
You’re a human doing not a human being

Can you find within your space?
A place without a human trace?
Quiet the symbols and the words
Talk to the rocks and the birds

6th Mar 2024 – Submitted to Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Labels


The concept of greatness entails being noble, wanting to be by oneself, being able to be different, standing alone and having to live independently.

Nietzsche

Today I’m feeling:
Ok, mellow enough
Today I’m grateful for:
Nong Nam and Nong Aoi for testing my patience today. I asked them to do something in class and they refused so I asked them to leave, to which they immediately complied. It was a little comical but it was good that they just left. Better for everyone.
The best thing about today was:
I got home early again and went off for a bike ride with Bruno and we actually ended up at the place we intended for once. When we got there there was a big building and a sign for the area: ‘Non-Hunting Area’. It was the end of the road and we were kind of interested to walk up the mountain a bit behind the building. It seemed we disturbed the people ‘working’ there as the five or six dogs they had came running and barking. I have no idea what these people do there and I’m pretty sure we woke most of them up!
After a few minutes, the dogs settled down and we talked with ‘the boss’ for a bit, who suggested coming in the morning time when it’s more pretty. The dogs started sniffing and licking around us and had now become very curious and friendly. They were well-kept and beautiful.
It was a quick and nice ride all-in-all, through the valley and to the edge of the mountain. Another little part of the area explored.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Last night I slept very poorly though it was mostly a case of being uncomfortable and tossing and turning through the night the result of which had me expecting to feel very tired today. To try to ward this off though I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and told myself I was feeling good and I would feel good all day. I knew I had two classes and planned to go for a ride in the afternoon, which I could have easily blown off if I wanted to rest but somehow today I felt a little more motivated and wanted to try to overcome this recent lethargy.
Something I learned today?
I learned from Bruno what a tapioca tree looks like and that under each tree can be a great number of large tubers from which a few different things can be made. When I was little my mum used to make tapioca pudding for me and for some reason as Bruno was talking about these tubers I was imagining them to be full of tapioca pearls which simply fell out of it. I realised my stupidity once I saw a picture of a cut tuber though! Duh! Apparently, they are easy to grow and of course, as soon as we rode around a bit we saw them everywhere.

I took this picture because I had had enough of two of my students who were rude and disrespectful to me in class (see above) so I told them to get out. I was upset with them but I wasn’t in a bad mood and I laughed even more when another student (Jet) handed this drawing to me.

Twatter – 7th November 2022

Smash them in the shitter
Fry their dicks in batter
Friends of Gary Glitter
Fuck ’em, they don’t matter
Freedom, guns and fuck yous
The new intellectual debate
Pretending to be news
In the amphitheatres of late


You must always respect those who struggle, even if they are defeated.

from Burmese Moons by Sophie Ansel

Today I’m feeling:
Happy
Today I’m grateful for:
Trying to engage some of the ‘bad’ girls in my class and able to draw them into enjoying finding solutions or seeing how to think about something in a different way.
The best thing about today was:
Catching up on some things during the three-and-a-half-hour break between classes. Each day of the week has a different schedule that I can utilise in different ways. Mondays will be catch-up days.
Daily thought
Do you rule over yourself?
I try. But there are some things that I don’t wish to give up that just to feel that I do rule over myself. For instance, I take a mix of sertraline, tramadol and kratom which keeps me very well-balanced and in a good state of mind. I understand that it would be preferable to be able to maintain that balance without these things but I’m happy to let them rule over me for now.
What are three things you couldn’t live without?
How to answer this? Air, food, water? Or, really there’s nothing that I couldn’t live without? I enjoy the things I have in my life but if I didn’t have them I could still live. So, I guess I could think of the question like this – what are three things you prefer not to live without. Maybe that’s easy too. Amy, books, music. If I could have four then I would add cats.

I took this picture because on our bike ride on Saturday Bruno and I ended up in Doi Hua Mae Kham and rode around this developing village with freshly laid concrete. The format of the panorama doesn’t show quite how steep the road is or how spectacular the views were (unless you zoom in a little).

The Fog – 5th November 2022

Unable to touch, seems so far away
The lighthouse smashed relentless
The turmoil of storms on display
This fiery cloud is scentless
Securely wrapped in a blanket
Resisting the push and pull
With enlightenment to thank it
Let no self-deception rule

inspired by a Robert Greene piece


Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.

Neil Postman

Today I’m feeling:
Settled and satisfied.
Today I’m grateful for:
Bruno suggesting we ride to Doi Mae Kham which is a place I’d been thinking to go to since 2 years ago. On the map it’s easy to see that is on a piece of land that sticks out into Burma so kinda encourages investigation. In the end though it wasn’t spectacular but a pleasant enough long ride to fill the day.
The best thing about today was:
Finding Kim and Cap hiding next to each in boxes in the walk in. There haven’t been too many fireworks tonight but I think they’ll be hiding in there a lot this coming week.
How do you feel about cold weather?
Cold or hot weather, so long as I can get out of it it’s great. Cold weather in Thailand is relative and it feels great.

I took this picture because the neighbours had a burn off at dusk. It was pretty spectacular. Thankfully the wind was blowing the smoke away from the house.

Words Of No Inspiration – 16th August 2022

Not very inspired today
Not sure what to say
And I’ve got no choice
I have to do it anyway

Waiting to rejoin the flow
Got to get up and go
I have to get it done
It’s the truth, I know


Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets…Aim for the starrs. Keep grinning…Argue with the world.

Salman Rushdie

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to Nut and Bruno for dropping my cake, bread and breadsticks to me yesterday. I have more food than I can eat at home now!

Fatman report

Turn It Around – 26th July 2022

Struggling flowers reaching up high
Searching for light in the grey sky
Meekly accepting and no question why
Quiet as a mouse skittering away
Always saying something yet nothing to say
Hard to get and refusing to play
A uniform mask and a poker face
Friendless in this friendly place
Self-excluded from any competitive race
One day to shine, to rise up high
Their blinding light will pierce the sky
Leaving everyone else to wonder why


A tragedy, when a mature mind and a romantic heart are in the same body.

Nizar Qabbani

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the little plants Bruno gave me to see if I can use them to grow a border along our path.

Next Life – 25th July 2022

Always thinking about the next life
As if that will be the roses you expect
Forget the work, turn down the effort
It’s an internal rejection that you accept


There are moments when one has to choose between living one’s own life, fully, entirely, or dragging out some false, shallow degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands.

Oscar Wilde

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to have a nice early dinner of special food at Amy’s parents, joined by Takky, Nut and Bruno. It was a pleasant evening with lots of chat.

The Decline of Western Civilisation Pt II – 26th June 2022

It’s difficult to care about the west
Always declaring itself as best
Fighting its war against the beast
Maintaining control across the east
Patience one day will gain reward
No longer counting whose goals were scored
A better way will come to be
A time that most of us wish to see


Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you.

from Welcome to Night Vale

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to get some gardening advice for Bruno when he came to visit today.


The Week That Was – 16th September 1979

Like A Virgin Vampire – 4th June 2022

I’ve got the curtains closed
Attended all the black masses
Found myself an evil woman
Been to the midnight classes
So happy my heart is dark
So happy to feel so sad
A life I love to hate
A good life lived so bad
Angels run toward the light
Crucifixes made of wood
A silver bullet for my girl
I couldn’t love her, even if I could

16th May 2024 – Submitted to FOWC with Fandango — Silver


There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.

Herman Melville

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful that Bruno was too hungover to come by this morning as it was already too hot by 7 a.m. to walk. The low temperature at the moment is 24 degrees. Hooray for electricity and aircon.


You do it once and you don’t like it and you do it twice and then you’re insulted – 20th November 2019

Out Of Reach – 20th April 2022

These people left holes all over the world
Because they didn’t follow their heart
Saw a life far beyond their reach
So they never even bothered to start


…mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

Woody Allen

Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful to Nut and Brunotoday, for supplying me with more bagels and a small tree for the garden plus some ideas for other plants too.


The Week That Was – 3rd June 1979