To transcend the ordinary And master what it means To live – this spiritual journey Is it all that it seems?
Rising high above the mundane Seek a life-fulfilling To give – and not to have to explain A reason to be willing
Submitted to an AllPoetry contest about Jonathan Livingston Seagull – a book which I’m not familiar with (yet) and had to look up online.
Today I’m feeling:
Not too bad, though I struggled to wake up after a bit of a disrupted sleep just from my body being a little uncomfortable in whatever position I was lying.
At about 11.30 pm last night, I was just drifting off with some wild lucid dreams when a weird feeling came over me and I woke up to a slight shaking in the room and Amy gave a little yelp. A 4.2 earthquake centred somewhere in Myanmar coming to say hello. It was very strange as it disrupted that crucial time of approaching deeper sleep. I soon got back to it but, quite appropriately, I felt a little shaken.
School is a bit more subdued today, as there was a lot of rain last night that has dampened everyone’s enthusiasm for the Open House. But still the show must go on.
I enjoyed talking and playing with my students again but will probably slip off again at around midday.
Health:
Physical: 7 Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Being able to come home before midday again. In many ways, and I think I’ve written this before, I don’t enjoy being at school if I’m not actually in the classroom with the students and knowing what I’m supposed to be doing.
The best thing about today was:
My interactions with students around the school again, especially with Nong Fah and Jet and their group of friends (which now often includes Anchan, too, I’m happy to say).
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I had a CBD gummy in the afternoon hoping it would inspire me to push through lethargy but ultimately my Friday feeling wouldn’t shake and I napped for an hour before heading to my room where I got fully involved in figuring out how to combine digital comics into single files to read (and subsequently didn’t spend much time playing guitar as was my original intention).
When I came back inside, I found Amy dancing away as she happily told me she had a THC gummy and was dancing as she was washing up. Suitably inspired, I had one too but it just made me lazy and led me to overthinking to the point of annoyance and we both ended up in bed by 9 pm, though I did manage to read some comics whilst struggling to remember what exactly was going on in them.
I didn’t end up doing any writing here or watching any videos that I thought I might enjoy and ultimately came to the conclusion that I don’t really enjoy the effects of THC these days. Perhaps this is connected with the dose and I can try less next time. Otherwise, I think it’s time to just switch to the more suitable effects of the CBD, which may be so subtle that it’s not even worth taking.
How to make something happen, how To meet what’s left for me head-on It’s a long road travelled upon So what dreams of the future now?
I ran so fast to get ahead After all the rushing around I’ve found my feet stuck to the ground How to make something happen, how
Can I learn from my past mistakes Blindly followed the loudest voices Crossroads offer too many choices So what dreams of the future now?
How to make something happen, how To reconcile the debris of all that’s gone? So what dreams of the future now?
A reflection on getting older and wondering what might be next. I’m reasonably happy with my life and feel a little lack of ambition. This could be the folly of comfort but I’m tired too. Shared with dVerse Poetry Form: Villonnet and Poets and Storytellers United – dreams and also for a course at AllPoetry.com 17th Dec 2024 – Published at Edge of Humanity
Today I’m feeling:
A little better again this morning. It was good to see more kids around school and I’ve managed to get out a little bit for a coffee kick start.
I sent a message to Kru Mai at around 10 am to see what was going on and was told that I could find 2/7 and help them out with cleaning.
So I went back to school but it was an hour and a half before I found them and they were just sitting and waiting in the canteen.
I helped out a little here and there as I was walking around but it was very disorganised and chaotic, though some of the motivated kids were doing a lot of work.
I found Jet and asked her what her class was supposed to be doing in the afternoon and her reply (as was everyone’s) was just ‘cleaning’. Whatever that might entail. She said she will probably ‘jump’, meaning skipping out of school and I laughed and said ‘same!’
Health:
Physical: 7 Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Having options for other coffee shops now that House won’t be available for a while.
I tried Hobby this morning but the coffee is not to my taste, really and also expensive at 70 baht.
In the afternoon, I went to 22 Grams, where at least I know the coffee is great but that is also 70 baht too.
Maybe I will try a couple of other places this week just to see what else is out there.
The best thing about today was:
Getting into a real flow again this afternoon whilst at 22 Grams. I caught up on a lot of reading and a bit of writing and also worked out some other ideas for publishing poetry on Instagram and Substack.
I ended up spending almost 4 hours there and was in a good mood, so I thought to drop back by school on the way home just to check in with what was going on.
However, literally as I crossed the road to my car a huge storm rained down and traffic slowed as rain flooded the roads, possibly as most of the drainage was still blocked from mud.
I decided to skip school, though it took me a fair while to get back home as the rain pelted down all the way.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I’d thought that I would pick some things up from Makro on the way home too but the rain put the kibosh on that.
Not to worry, if the rest of the week goes like today, there should still be opportunity to do a little shop one afternoon.
Something I learned today?
I learned a little bit about setting up Substack to publish and then also started investigating the Buy Me A Coffee app, though I struggled to figure out how to add the widget or embed it on my pages so far.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I ended up giving Film my copy of Childhood’s End today. I hope he can enjoy it and get something out of it.
Praewa took this picture because she wanted to take photos of me helping to clean, which was a good idea just in case I got asked if I had helped at all!
Average. My recent symptoms are sitting there in the background and now I’m just feeling tired. Phlegm seems to be coming off my chest a little easier now but my lack of energy is begging me to rest or sleep more.
(Evening) During the day I was doing ok but by my last class, I was completely spent and I was glad to get everyone out 30 minutes early.
I’m in bed at 7 pm and will read for a while but I’m not sure how long I will be able to keep my eyes open.
Health:
Physical: 6 Mental: 6
Today I’m grateful for:
(Being able to fall asleep before having time to write here!)
The best thing about today was:
Helping Jet and everyone else with their play this afternoon. It was really fun and the kids appreciated my directing them more than their Thai teacher.
I could see that they were frustrated because they knew there were parts in the play that didn’t make sense but they couldn’t say anything to the teacher about it.
I will try to help them a little more again tomorrow.
I took this picture yesterday because this is the first blue sky for a while, coinciding with our garden being freshly taken care of.
*Sometimes I feel like I’m living with a stranger I’m talking to myself The branches hang down to the stream A tilt to somewhere else That I don’t know
Words are gathered and turned to stone Scratch and blow to see old bones I don’t know why
We keep it tethered, our world unfeathered We’re out of step, so don’t forget To keep your ear to the ground
Returning home to meet the stranger She’s talking to herself From scratch, she bakes such lovely cakes But words are somewhere else That I don’t know
We tilt until the room is feathered Or blow until the stone is gathered I don’t know why
I can see her avalanches turn into sharpened branches To break her bones, so don’t forget To keep your head to the ground
*Lifted from Three’s Swann Street as are the rhymes and rhythms. Submitted to No Theme Thursday (the two pictures) and The Sunday Whirl Wordle #669. This poem partially reflects on the time with my second wife, Kyoko and how, eventually, our cultural backgrounds couldn’t be overcome.
Today I’m feeling:
Not quite right. Slept early again and woke up a little later, skipping exercise.
I want to go to the hospital to get checked out and contemplating whether to do it this afternoon or in the morning.
Health:
Physical: 5 Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
Being able to leave at lunchtime and come home for a nap and a restful evening.
I decided that I would go to the hospital tomorrow and take a day off but then Amy said I should use the health insurance coverage that I get through work, which means going to the hospital in the city. Then Jet messaged me for help with her accent for her play.
So I guess I’ll clock in in the morning and then see what they say at the hospital and decide then whether to go to school. I’d like to help Jet and I only have an afternoon class, so I could do it if I don’t feel too bad.
The best thing about today was:
Getting to my first class and finding that only half would be there as the others had to attend a meeting. It made for a much more intimate class with only twelve students and was very enjoyable.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
That half my class was missing today made me wonder how to proceed but I figured the best way was to teach the same lesson to the other half next week and let today’s students have free time, which they weren’t going to complain about.
As I was walking to my second class Iphone told me that their morning meeting was about events next week and that the school was closed! Huh!? Another student, Jee, confirmed it too.
When Kru Tang went by my class a little later, I asked her and she said that she had only just heard about it from another student as well!
I’m used to this by now. Anyway, Monday to Thursday, we are supposed to be teaching online but we all know that that isn’t going to happen!
Great for getting up a few minutes earlier, working out and beating the traffic to work. This morning, all the kids were in happy, playful moods, so it was a good start to the day.
Mondays are pretty easy for me, even with 5 hours in class, so I felt relaxed even though I had to rush some coffees and didn’t get much writing done.
Today I’m grateful for:
The students who have been dragged into performing a play this year. Most of them are my students, either currently or in the past. I was teaching next door to where they were practising, and they pulled me in to help them with some pronunciation practice. I felt grateful that they knew that they could come to me for help.
Even though I’m already busy, I offered to help them when I had some spare time.
The best thing about today was:
My grade 8 student Manow, who for parts of last semester was shy and wary of me, had her 14th birthday today and as I called her up to the board to do the last piece of work for the class, I announced (though everyone knew) that it was her birthday and we all proceeded to sing Happy Birthday for her.
She then shared out her cake, which she had been carrying around all day and as there were only ten minutes left for the class, it quickly got devoured.
She has warmed up to me a little more now that she realises that I am there to help her with learning. She’s not great at English, but I give her encouragement for her effort.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
When I got home, I was happy to see that the gardeners had been and things were looking tidier again (until you look closely anyway). I was appreciative that they had left alone the part of the garden I cordoned off and asked Amy to remind them to leave, too.
But then, Amy told me to go and look out in the drive, and there were the sad remains of two of our best ghost cactuses. Sigh.
Amy asked me to pay the gardener, which has left me well short of cash this month. I asked her to send pictures of our ravaged cactuses and to ask them to take more care.
Something I learned today?
Sydney Swans beat Geelong yesterday, and I was able to at least watch the 15-minute mini-match, though things weren’t looking good as we went six goals down and didn’t get our first into deep into the second quarter. Things came together after that, though, and things are looking positive for the future this season.
It’s kind of annoying that this season, when we are doing so well, is the first season I haven’t been able to watch the full matches. I’m still not going to fork out a week’s wages for a subscription, though.
Review your acts, Good and bad.
I took Baipad a piece of Amy’s carrot cake this morning.
When I showed this picture to Jet, she said she suddenly felt hungry for fried chicken!
Egged out, we must survive Enthusiastic push to thrive Finally, no one gets out alive That’s the way we all go
Early birds catch the worms The voice inside us turns In turn, the worm learns That that’s the way we all go
One day, in a different way Here tomorrow, gone today Even the early bird will say That’s the way we all go
Paraphrased and plagiarised (in the nicest possible way) from various majestic Cardiacs songs. Submitted to Ovi Poetry Challenge 47
Today I’m feeling:
Good again though that 6 am alarm was tough. It had to be done though. My leg workout was too much, supposed to be 3 x 64 reps of lunges but I could only manage 40 by which time my skinny thigh muscles wanted to explode. But 40 is better than none.
Today I’m grateful for:
Matt, who kindly donated me some magic mushroom capsules as he tried them but didn’t enjoy the experience.
The best thing about today was:
Enjoying a whole day out of home even though I could’ve just gone to school, signed in and come home again. I had planned to do this anyway but it was made even more desirable because when I was leaving this morning Auntie Sue told me that the electricity would be off today as they are moving the lines to the new poles. Great – no reason to come home early.
After signing in I spent the morning reading and writing at House whilst enjoying three coffees and even getting another lesson done for the classes on Presentations.
After that, I dropped by Central to buy a gift for Funfai as it is her birthday today and she told me she would be playing tennis at 4 pm. I got her a notebook, pencil case and pen. I also got the same for Anchan.
For the afternoon I went to see Matt as planned and we talked for a couple of hours catching up on each other’s lives. He also showed me his guitar setup and pedals, all of which sound fantastic but not within my price range or even within my time limitations for being feasible.
I left at around 4 pm to head to the tennis courts though I could see in the distance very dark clouds and the wind started picking up dramatically. Baipad messaged me that it was storming in our village as, after cancelling bike riding yesterday due to a storm, we had rearranged for today at 5 pm.
I got to the tennis courts and there weren’t many people around and the wind was already making it difficult for those there. No sign of Funfai so I messaged her and she told me that her lesson had been cancelled. Ah well, no worries. I used the opportunity to go and clock out of school which I haven’t bothered to do so far this week.
As I drove back home it started to rain though nothing storm-like. It had already blown through by the looks of things. I figured Baipad wouldn’t want to ride and a wet road would have made it more difficult for her too, so I thought I’d drop by and see if I could chat with her a little more in-depth.
As I passed by our soi it was still blocked with electricity people running around so I assumed the power was still off at home too. Amy also called and said that she couldn’t get home earlier when she tried as the road was blocked then too.
So I hung out at Baipad’s for an hour and did get her to open up a little more and whilst not confronting any of her issues, started to get her to think about them a bit more.
She feels comfortable to talk with me though she still lacks the maturity to know how to express herself. I can report though that she is not happy with herself and does want to change, she just doesn’t know how and I can feel that her mum doesn’t know how to teach or show her either. Her mum obviously has her own struggles.
Anyway, I’ll try my best to support, motivate and teach her some skills that can bring up her confidence. It’s all valuable reminders for me too.
I came home around 6 pm and it has been raining most of the time since, 3 hours now, with a comfortable temperature again, which I, and most probably everyone, is grateful for.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I got my new teaching schedule today. It has changed a little bit from what I was expecting, with me being given 24 hours instead of the 22 that the other teachers get. I’m not going to complain though.
I like being in the classroom, with the kids so another couple of hours is fine and it might also encourage me to stay each day and sign out like they want me to!
After arriving home I found that our internet wasn’t working, probably due to the work going on with the poles in our soi. I hope that our provider knows about this work, but I can also easily imagine that they don’t. At least I can still hotspot and connect with my phone tonight and we’ll be out most of the day tomorrow.
Something I learned today?
Both Jet and Praewa sent me messages today because they got their study schedules and they were upset that I won’t be teaching them this year.
Did you do something difficult or challenging today?
Any of the minor challenges that I’ve mentioned above didn’t feel that difficult at all (except the lunges) and my state of mind was good enough to accept everything as it came.
I took this picture of the Utopia FB post and sent it to Noey. She wanted to know where I was because she hadn’t seen me today. I should be there on Sunday though.
What kind of artist were you when you were young?
When I was about 5 or 6 I always got told off for drawing castles instead of writing. I tried to compromise by writing something that allowed me to also draw a castle!
In my teens, I got deep into punk iconology, cut-up style and sloganeering. I made many posters like this, including a huge one that I submitted for an art assignment. I also painted a picture of a faceless punk in a three-piece suit, crucified on a cross.
My forays into the artistic world ended up more around words but also into producing booklets, fanzines and posters. I don’t have the creative drive anymore to do this, perhaps hampered by a lack of time due to other endeavours such as writing.
Did you paint, colour with crayons, build things with blocks?
Painting and colouring yes but I had an aversion to building things. Other kids had Meccano but I could never figure out what to make with it. Similarly, with Lego, it seemed like too much effort to make a shitty version of a house or something like that. My imagination didn’t run in that direction.
What kind of creative acts did you enjoy?
When the punk ideology hit, the ‘anyone can do it’ attitude, I wanted desperately to be the singer in a band and so set about writing lyrics. This was from about aged 11.
A little later this also turned into writing brief poetic thoughts of which I was constantly churning out.
I always enjoyed doing that though somewhere along the way in my 20s, I stopped writing those until I started again in 2020 when I remembered how much I enjoyed it and got back to doing it again.
When did you write your first poem?
I guess it would have been in 1984 when I was 15 or 16 though I probably had some before that, written for an English class. The earliest things that I held onto were from 1984.
What was it about?
Poems from that time were about petty thoughts and trivialities of a schoolboy’s life. It turned serious though as depression sunk in and the future looked bleak. Back then though I could write about any little thing that sparked my interest. It was fun.
How did you come to poetry?
As described above, through writing lyrics. I still consider what I write mostly as being lyrics rather than poetry.
A bit more awake this morning after struggling to get up. I really wanted to sleep more. I noticed that my stomach has lost a little more excess flab so I’m happy about that. Keep going.
Today I’m grateful for:
The receptionist at the dental clinic who happily changed my dental appointment from next week to mid-February because, and I told her this, I don’t have any money to pay until I paid again. We both talked in a mixture of English and Thai and could understand each other clearly and I wai’d her my thanks as I left.
The best thing about today was:
…well, it seems strange to call this the best thing but it is certainly something that stands out.
For my last grade 7 class of the day, I asked the kids to log in to the Quiz on their phones. Aomsin, who was sitting right in front of me in the front row, said she couldn’t because she had no battery. I explained to her in English that I told the class many times that for my class they must always have enough battery and good internet access.
Aomsin’s English is not that good yet though and whilst she could tell that I was being serious she clearly did not understand the details. This was Friday afternoon, the last hours of the day and I was feeling laid back and playful. The other kids could sense that. I told her that I take away 5 points in the system if they are not prepared. I was smiling and had no intention to do that but wanted her to know that she should always be prepared.
Anyway, I translated into Thai for her so she could understand and she nodded and looked down at her phone. Gunn, sitting next to her, looked at me, looked at her and then looked at me again. Aomsin then started talking in Thai, sounding like complaining-explaining and looked back up to me, with a slightly pleading face and then I saw a tear fall down each of her cheeks.
I couldn’t believe it. I wiped away each tear and said ‘Hey, come on, it’s not that serious.’ Again, she didn’t quite get it. I comforted her and told her in Thai that I was only playing with her.
Gunn cracked up laughing at her but I wanted her to feel better. Then she started really balling her eyes out but also laughing at the same time. Laughing and crying at herself and her friends. It was like she really wanted to feel an emotion deeply but also realised how absurd it was. She was smiling and laughing but couldn’t stop herself from crying.
Other kids started paying attention and couldn’t understand why everyone looked happy and smiling but Aomsin was crying. Gunn quickly offered a solution with his charger (why didn’t she just ask him to borrow it in the first place!) and even that couldn’t settle her down. Gunn talked some more to her and I went and attended a couple of other students before coming back after a few minutes.
She had settled herself by this time but when I asked her to do the quiz she said she couldn’t yet. I got down on my knees and wai’d her my apologies many times over and both she and Gunn cracked up laughing again.
I guess it’s a good lesson for me that not everyone gets the vibe or feeling of the class and whilst I can be quite strict about what I want I’m not so often angry about anything. I can sense Aomsin is sensitive, not just in my class but in general and I should be aware of that and make sure that she understands when something is playful or serious. I could be wrong but I don’t think she was really upset with what happened and maybe there were other things going on for her and she was having a bad day and this just tipped her over the edge.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
After picking up my coffee and making sure to be back in school for first class I was wondering why the building was so quiet. No kids! What’s going on? You can read more below. How did I handle it? By taking the free time opportunity to write here.
Something I learned today?
This morning my first class was delayed as there was something going on. As I was in the classroom ready to teach I decided to go and find out what it was all about. It was about the upcoming election for a student to the school board.
I walked around and ended up talking with Jet and asked her who she would vote for and why. I then asked if she would want to run for election when she was in grade 11 and she said ‘Why would I want to do that!?’
Ok, I said, who do you think in your class would be suitable and she thought Anchan. She said Anchan is a little older than the rest of the class and can control them quite well. I wasn’t too surprised at this as I could see last year that she had some leadership qualities if she chose to go in that direction. It was interesting to hear this from another student though.
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I sent Anchan a positive message based on what Jet had said above, to show my support and pride in her. I told her to keep going. (Just as I told myself this morning – keep going!)
25 THINGS ABOUT LIFE I WISH I HAD KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO – 6. Keep a Journal. No, keeping a journal is not for children. It helps you to become a better thinker and writer. “I don’t want to be a writer” you might think. Well, how many emails and texts do you send a day? Everybody is a writer.
Journaling has only become a habit since moving to Thailand and somewhat inspired by starting 1994ever to document my year in 1994. Because I have ended up with fewer external things to do I have had more time to develop this habit and it doesn’t feel like a chore like when I was a teenager trying to keep up a diary. As the idea states you become a better thinker and that is what I want to be. Yesterday’s idea was about strengthening the body through exercise, today is about strengthening the brain through journaling.
I took this picture because we had to cut our three big trees down as the roots would fuck up the buildings. It looks so strange and we’re a little sad because they were big healthy trees that gave a lot of shade.
Who are we gonna stick it to When we can’t stick it to the man? We’d rather choose not to be happy Because we know that’s what we can
When the world is contented Where can we direct our rage? There’s got to be something to fight Some violence in which to engage
We’re not searching for paradise Because anger is all we’ve known We’re the contrarian outlaws Of the world in which we’ve grown
Today I’m feeling:
A little better than yesterday. My sore throat has abated somewhat though I feel a little blocked in the nose. I struggled through the third abs exercise for the week but can feel it having some positive effect on posture and general health.
Today I’m grateful for:
No longer being in the UK. I watched a video today of someone interviewing people around Glastonbury and despite some ‘characters’ there they mostly seemed paranoid or depressed. And this was whilst they were commenting how much better than the rest of the country Glastonbury was.
The best thing about today was:
Updating some 1994 entries with STE Bulletin writing which brought back some interesting memories or more preciously, reminded me of things which I had since forgotten.
I was glad of the phone functionality to be able to scan and convert text through the camera as it saved me a ton of time though still filled up most of my four-hour break.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Two of my annoying students pushed me too far this morning though I didn’t get particularly angry with them. I did carry through my threat to take points off them in the SchoolBright system though. One of them was particularly upset when they found out I wasn’t joking but I have had enough of their continual disrespect and disruptions in the class.
Something I learned today?
I came across an advert for a Netflix series of the Three Body Problem. I can imagine that it may be a travesty compared to the books and the trailer looked interesting but not quite right. Checking a little more though I found that there had been a Chinese TV series made that actually followed the books well. Chinese TV series can also seem a little ’not quite right’ too though.
I then found that the first two episodes are free to watch online so I’ll check those out and see if it’s worth searching for the rest.
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I tipped the pineapple seller 10 baht which shocked her. She was very grateful and gave me a big smile.
I comforted Nicha who was crying this morning though she wouldn’t say why. Thankfully, she was happy and dancing by the end of the day.
I took this picture because when I showed Jet the picture that Ploy drew of me she instantly said ‘That’s not you. Wait, I’ll draw you.’ A couple of minutes later she presented me with this!
Why is the way the way it is? Blue corner white, red corner black The fighting cocks duke it out With their Gods at their back
All the knowledge the child digests Unquestioned and never put to test Makes the world the way it is And unlikely to ever be at rest
Today I’m feeling:
Lazy and a little uninspired. Last night Amy went to stay at her mum’s and it was cold enough to enjoy a whisky and I ended up finishing off what was left of the two bottles here. I didn’t feel too drunk but also didn’t feel great this morning either. The pleasure wasn’t worth it.
Today I’m grateful for:
The TV and Xbox for keeping my sore brain busy today.
The best thing about today was:
Lard Na for brunch. Healthy and delicious and got rid of my minor hangover.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Last night I went to bed at about 11 and noticed a missed call from Amy. As she had told me that she was staying at her mum’s house I figured she was just calling to say good night so I didn’t call back.
At some point during the night she called again but it was all a bit of a blur though I could remember something about helping her today at 8 am because she had been pulled over at a checkpoint. I immediately got back to sleep and my usual 6 am alarm annoyingly woke me up. Then I noticed Amy in her bed and she said, one more hour, to which I agreed. Even though I was confused at what she was doing here I easily slept again until 7 and the reset alarm.
We both hazily got up without talking much and eventually headed to the police station in the city.
Apparently Amy was out with friends last night and then went to meet Aun at Tawandang and as she was leaving there at around 2am she got pulled over at a police checkpoint and breathalysed. In typical Thai style, they told her that she should check the local websites before driving so that she can avoid checkpoints! And after they told her to come to the station in the morning they just let her drive off again!
Anyway, at the station she signed some papers and was told to come back again at 10 to go to court. As we didn’t know how long all this was going to take, she dropped me back home first.
Something I learned today?
In the court Amy accepted a 5000 baht fine and has to do some kind of community service, also reporting back to an office somewhere three times and if she’s found to have done anything else wrong she could face 7 days in jail!
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
Taking Amy into the city in the morning, though I’m not sure why I was needed except I was happy to provide moral support.
Fah took this picture yesterday with Jet on the left and Mai on the right. I like these kids and their group of friends (Lin, Noah, Gina, Guitar and Poom). No new pictures today.
Great. Last day before five days off. Pushed through arm and chest exercises this morning that really tested my endurance. My muscles ache and feel good.
Happy to be at school amongst all the happy kids, though many have skipped today after all the excitement of sports day yesterday.
I left pretty quickly to sit and catch up with coffee. Enjoying being here but also want to get back to the party atmosphere. Everything is easy.
Today I’m grateful for:
The lady who served me in the 7/11 this morning. It’s a job, someone has to do it and she did her job. Thank you.
The best thing about today was:
Everything. It’s been a really nice day.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
Yesterday I appropriated Fah’s phone whilst she was in the stands and I wandered off taking multiple random photos just to fill up her phone. I gave it back after ten minutes or so and she shook her head at all the pictures now on her phone.
So today, to let her get me back I unlocked my phone and gave it to her whilst I was playing volleyball with her friends. I got it back about 15 minutes later and forgot about it until I got home.
I’ve just spent the last 30 minutes scrolling through 100s of photos, deleting half, considering the rest and wondering what to do with them all. There are some nice shots in there, though many were just of Fah, Jet and Mai messing around pulling faces and not many of me and the ones of me make me look old, which I am (but don’t want to be!).
Phone cameras are so good these days that it’s easy to zoom in and see every line, wrinkle or sag on the skin!
Something I learned today?
Australia is wider than the moon, with a diameter from east to west of almost 4000km! But this is only when considering diameter and not land area. If you flattened the moon out it would actually be wider.
Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10
I spent 100 baht (of my last 700 baht in the bank) on some wafer snacks for my students’ Christmas party today. I personally handed them out to everyone and wished them a Merry Christmas.
After getting home I let Amy take a nap and took myself off to my room so that she wasn’t disturbed.
As I was walking around the school I caught up with Baipad, Jan and Apple twice and Baipad was sleeping both times. The second time I dragged her up for a walk and sat down elsewhere to talk with her one-on-one.
She’s a sweet introverted kid who is resisting the responsibilities of growing up. I gave her words of encouragement and sent her back to her friends, and probably more sleep.
How did my relationships change this year?
My relationships this year have been 90% with my students and 10% with anyone else. My relationship with my students evolves over the course of the year.
The kids I taught at the beginning of the year I don’t teach so often now and we have all relaxed into a happy friendly environment in classes.
With the new students I got in May we have all gotten to know each other to varying degrees in that time. These are the relationships I value highly these days.
My relationship with Amy changed slightly again this year as she returned to Chiang Rai from Australia.
In most ways, we are back to what we were before she left. We and our relationship with each other is very familiar. It’s not boring but sometimes predictable. That is somewhat of a comfort for me at this stage in my life.
I think it is also for Amy but she still has the energy to consider going off and doing things and perhaps still looking to the future. It’s not contentious for either of us, just a matter of fact of the different stages of our lives.
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