“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – Andre Gide
Shared with dVerse Tuesday Poetics
Paraphrased a lot from a passage by Narayan Kaudinya on the Road to Nara blog and shared with dVerse Quadrille #216
Shared with No Theme Thursday picture prompt and also to dVerse’s MTB prompt about negation (which this poem sort of fits)
Dreams fuelled the fire
Sacrifices made to inspire
Hard work satisfies desire
A ladder to heaven
Ascending to the stars
Dreams fuelled the fire
No stone remains unturned
Sacrifices made to inspire
A lesson always learned
Hard work satisfies desire
Reward is duly earned
Shared with dVerse’s Quadrille challenge – lift
Today I’m feeling:
My new Sleep app alarm didn’t work as expected this morning, so I woke up a few minutes later with my normal alarm and ran behind schedule a little but I forced myself to exercise and I’m glad that I did. I always feel much better after exercise and have to remember that as encouragement.
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
The two packs of rice crackers that I bought on Monday and ran out of time to eat and were still in my bag today, just when I needed to snack to keep me going.
The best thing about today was:
Doing some one-on-two interviews with my grade 12s really tested them and quite a few students surprised me with their abilities and with their ideas. It was really nice to experience.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Kru Tongjai seemed to be in a bad mood today and was annoyed that I was using the small teachers’ room to interview students and encourage them to speak in a safe, quiet environment. She told me that I shouldn’t be there and that I should figure out somewhere else to do it.
Champ had already said that it was ok for me to use the room and later said that he thought it was great that I was doing what I was doing to help the students.
Just another day of confusing messages from the staff around me. Never mind.
I seem to end many of these entries with ‘never mind’. Perhaps that’s good.
Something I learned today?
Teacher David is thinking that it is time to move on for him soon. He’s paranoid that he’s being watched closely by other teachers. I don’t see it myself but he has made me more wary of what might be going on.
Shared with dVerse – MTB: New and Old in a Palinode and walking away from a friendship.
Today I’m feeling:
Ok again. My throat seems a little clearer but I’m still croaky. Otherwise, I slept well, though only 7 hours.
It’s a cold, sunny Sunday and I will pick up Amy and Baew and we’ll go to In Am’s Kitchen for brunch.
It doesn’t look that special but getting into some sourdough after not having had it for a long while was great. There is a new bread shop that opened in the city too but sadly it was closed today.
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Baew and Mee for bringing Amy home this evening, as she decided to stay on and continue drinking and eating today!
Every day is a holiday for my little Amy!
The best thing about today was:
Listening to lots of music, though only brief listens to new bands that I wanted to check out. One day I have to stop this endless search for new music – there is so much good music being made. I need to enjoy what I already have! Same goes for comics too (and books!)
I’m also halfway through finishing the Barber Dead interview for Suspect Device and enjoyed listening to their EP again. Already good to begin with; it has really got its hooks into me.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I haven’t been motivated to play guitar for a few days now and it is mostly due to the time factor, as I enjoy other things instead.
Something I learned today?
Don’t buy coffee at In Am’s kitchen. Whilst the food was great and reasonably priced, I’m fussy when it comes to coffee.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I’ve been chatting with Baipad through TikTok where we seem to be sending each other videos of cute animals. I feel a little as if she is my part-time daughter.
The following poems were inspired by the Outcast and Other Words anthology which I came across sometime in 2024. I decided to take all the prompts from that anthology and see what I could come up with myself.
17th Sep 2025 – Shared with dVerse – reflections
Inspired by Dennis Bovell
Inspired by a young friend of a friend who was suddenly killed by a drunk driver
Title taken from and poem inspired by The Stoa Letter email
*https://tinyhearts.uk/2024/09/16/mowing/
Today I’m feeling:
Fairly good. I got up early and out for coffee whilst also doing some reading and writing.
Amy turned up more … morning with a carrot cake that she made as a gift. Whilst there, she talked with Baew, who had stayed at Noy’s house last night and had already started drinking again!
I dropped Amy there so she could drink and talk more with her friends, picking her up again in the early evening.
During that time, I mostly just read, starting the Suspect Device book and the first story in the Marvel reading order. The first of thousands of Marvel comics! I also enjoyed Jodorowsky’s The Incal, too.
Early to bed tonight, with reading, as I head to the hospital at 7 am.
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Some quiet time at home, just me and a book.
The best thing about today was:
Writing a new poem that I was happy with. I haven’t been writing quite as much recently but seem to be able to click back into it easily enough.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
One of our cats peed on the sofa last night and whiffs from it sometimes took my breath away as I was reading. Bleurgh! I’ll have to sort it out tomorrow, taking off the covers and washing them, spraying loads of deodoriser too.
Something I learned today?
Miyor, Nudee and Satang posted a story of them drinking beer last night. Naughty! I wrote to Miyor but just laughed about it.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I wished Anchan a better year ahead.
Inspired by this post at Spinning Visions
8th Jan 2026 – Shared with Esther Chilton’s writing prompt #98 – snow
21st Jan 2026 – Shared with dVerse Poetics – snow
Today I’m feeling:
Good and rested, though I did have to rush to the toilet just before sleeping as all the food I ate today decided it required a quick exit. My stomach is still feeling a little off this morning.
Last night it started raining, which was a bit of a surprise, though now that the rainy season is over, any rain is appreciated. It’s also cooler during the day, almost pleasant weather!
(Later) As the rain settled to a steady drizzle, the air stayed chilly and I spent a fair few hours just lying in bed under the doona and reading.
By bedtime, stepping out of the shower felt unbearably cold and I chuckled to myself as it was only last week when I was wondering when it was finally going to cool down. Be careful what you wish for.
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
The old guy fruit seller who always offers me a plastic bag, which I refuse. Today he asked me if I was cold, as I was only wearing shorts and a T-shirt and to be honest, I was cold. He grabbed my arm and told me that I am strong.
The best thing about today was:
Lots of reading, especially enjoying the Aussie comic Platinum Grit.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I bought a pack of fruit at the market and dropped it around to Baipad along with 40 baht, matching what she saved herself last week.
She was sitting on the salon bench playing an online game on her phone and couldn’t drag herself away from it. I dropped the fruit on her lap and stuffed the 40 baht down the back of her shirt and she didn’t even blink.
Ah well. Kids these days!
Something I learned today?
TikTok is like crack! Even I’m sucked in now that the suggestions are tuned to what I want to see. The theory of this is disturbing, but oddly, I’m finding that the information provided is far more useful than anywhere else, like YouTube or Instagram.
Shared with dVerse Quadrille #214 – bang
Today I’m feeling:
Ok but a little bit old man-weekendy. Having nothing in particular planned for today, beyond reading and playing guitar, without any externally imposed anxiety, means a deep unwinding which may fall into lethargy. A lethargy that doesn’t always make me happy.
At the same time, I realise that I also need to recover my energies.
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
A new ice cream shop in the city that makes some nice homemade flavours, along with some cakes. I had Banoffee Pie ice cream with a piece of lemon tart and they were both delicious.
The best thing about today was:
Getting half price sushi buffet at Oshinei today. Typically, we ate too much, trying to get all the value that we could out of the deal.
We are both stuffed with just the one meal today!
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
We went to the new Bath and Body Works that has opened for the first time in Chiang Rai. It was a smaller shop and a little underwhelming and it felt like everything was expensive just because we were in Chiang Rai.
Usually, when we visit this shop, it is in Chiang Mai or Bangkok and we have an expectation of overspending here!
Something I learned today?
We will get a week off for the New Year holiday this year. Nice!
Aing called us today and told us that she broke up with Now (which wasn’t that big of a surprise to be honest) but she also said that she has found another guy at her workplace (not in the same team though) and she looked super, super happy again.
Shared with dVerse Poetics: “Despite and Still“
Today I’m feeling:
Great, despite getting up a couple of times in the night, the second time with forty minutes before my alarm was due to go off. I contemplated just getting up but managed to get back into a light sleep before the alarm roused me again.
Day 2 of BetterMe exercise was tough as it was concentrating on arms, so involved different types of push-ups, which my weakling little arms and dodgy shoulder still struggle with.
At school, I wandered around talking with students at the different stalls for Japan Day and everyone was in a good mood. I particularly enjoyed watching my students submit the tasks that I assigned them instead of having a class. I got them counting to ten, taking cosplay photos and singing songs. Some students surprised me, though not the lazy ones who didn’t bother to submit anything.
Health:
Physical: 8
Mental: 8
Today I’m grateful for:
Free time. With no classes today, I spent a lot of time wandering around school and sitting in the cafe.
Eventually, I had had enough and decided to come home early with the idea of telling the school that I forgot to sign out when I left today.
Because of all the free time, I got to prepare a lot of my photocopies for my visa application, clear up the backlog of poetry to read and get back to the garage as they didn’t plug the reversing camera back in yesterday.
The best thing about today was:
Feeling on top of things in general. Not one thing stands out in particular today.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
My lazy students bothered me a little bit today but only in that they made me work harder chasing them up throughout the day and evening.
Personally, their laziness is their choice and doesn’t actually affect me.
Something I learned today?
I am delighted to see that Nong Praew is super happy in her new school. I hope she does well there, where she seems to have some friends.
Shared with dVerse MTB: An Etheree Tree and inspired my explorations in my youth where I would often walk our dog or just go exploring for fun. Sometimes, with my first girlfriend and hidden deep within the dark confines of the forest, we would lay down on the soft pine needle bed.
Queen’s Copse is a pine forest and King’s Copse is an oak forest.
There are not many pictures from this area and the one above doesn’t really show just how dark it was inside, just a few feet away from the track. No light was getting in there.
Today I’m feeling:
Good after a nice sleep. I woke up before my alarm again and, surprisingly, was feeling hungry. I ate a lot for dinner last night, a slab of lasagna plus a bowl of salad, which contained four eggs. I also woke up with guitar songs in my head and look forward to playing today.
After lunch (more lasagna), I napped again (it seems I can no longer fight it) and then enjoyed some time reading in the hammock.
I say I enjoyed it, that was the book, but the constant irritation of flies and the humidity soon had me back indoors and into aircon, where, ironically, Amy was so cold that she got herself a blanket.
Where’s our winter?
Health:
Physical: 7
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Amy’s lasagna has kept me fed for another day. One more piece left.
The best thing about today was:
Feeling inspired to set up Ableton Live on my computer again and to dust off the keyboard. I fiddled around a little bit with it to try and familiarise myself again.
I’m not sure that I will be inspired enough to keep going with it yet, though.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I talked a little more with Anchan, trying to convince her to open up more with her friends and to talk more with the teachers and counsellor at school.
I fixed some more of our sliding window mossie protecter handles today.
1994ever 