My Compass – 11th October 2024

Uncertainty filled
Troublesome future begins
The big questions unanswered

Yet you bring to me
A much-needed light to shine
My compass, my map and guide

Shared with Tanka Tuesday (life change) and Moonwashed Weekly Prompt (where I’ve taken Eugi’s words and added to them).

Mondo poems are often very brief collaborative affairs (usually written by two poets) that present a question. (The question needs to be open-ended and poignant and should be a test of the answerer’s wit). The answer is written in the style of trying to glean meaning from nature. My poem doesn’t quite fit this requirement but let’s use our imagination.

Mondos can be as short as a one-liner or as long as two 5-7-7 syllable stanzas.

The first stanza presents the question; the second stanza gives the answer. We usually write this form in the spirit of Zen, responsive through meditation and observation of natural surroundings.


Today I’m feeling:

Reasonably ok, though I woke up early again and struggled to get more good sleep before my alarm went off.

The morning passed quickly with more reading and writing and, shock horror, even some lesson planning – though it was more thinking and organising than writing any new lessons.

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

The ladies in the financial office who helped me to provide them with the documents that they had requested. Through broken English, broken Thai, phone translation and gesture, we managed to get everything sorted.

The best thing about today was:

Making it out into my room but not long enough to play guitar, which was my initial intention for going there! I ended up sorting out the Hellboy comics reading order in my files, which took a fair amount of work and it was dark by the time I finished and time to eat.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

I got a message last night from Anchan saying that she checked into the hospital again last night, as she has a fever and was worried that she would go into shock. I offered to bring her food or whatever she wanted but she said that she wasn’t allowed visitors.

Something I learned today?

The Internet Archive is currently the target of hackers and it would be a travesty if the data held there were lost. Some people have compared it with the Library of Alexandria.

I took this picture because Garfield was in the in-tray when I went to visit the financial department. Earlier I had seen him sitting comfortably on a ledge with a one-storey drop on the other side!

The Tree Bows To The Water – 30th April 2023

Today is a party, tomorrow is a wake
That’s the way we all go, make no mistake
We’ll raise a fist to the big blue sky
And give a significance as to why
Some of us will bend and some of us will break


Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good today though a little subdued due to it being a cloudy day. What is it about blue skies that make us feel happy?

Today I’m grateful for:

These Mentos soda mix candies that I chew on each evening for the last week. I love the mouthwatering fizz they give me. Can’t stop my sweet tooth.

The best thing about today was:

Eating a big juicy mango that I bought at the local market yesterday. It was so big that I got tired of eating it. I managed to eat it all though. I have another stashed away for tomorrow. They were just 38 baht for both.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

Talking with Hayden again today and he was still down and depressed. I encouraged him as much as I could but worried a little about him. I texted with Bronwyn and hopefully, we can both guide him to getting past it again. Hayden is a sensitive person. Whatever the reason for his feelings and actions I have to try and help him.

Something I learned today?

I found out that the Internet Archive is being sued for copyright infringement. It looks like they violated some laws around books being copied and loaned digitally. I think they are in the wrong but at the same time, I don’t want their business to get affected as there are so many more worthwhile parts of their online presence such as the web archive and legitimate historic music and fanzine files.

What were the highlights of this past month?

There have only been lowlights this month, unfortunately. I look forward to having highlights again one day.

I miss you little Kim. I gave you all my love and affection and you gave me the same. Thank you.

Sensational Shoes – 16th May 2021

These shoes are half a size too small
My toes ache from being squashed
I thought they’d stretch with time
But it seems that it’s just money lost

So I’m gonna give you away
Make you a charitable donation
Maybe you’ll be someone else’s
Sartorial fashion sensation

29th May 2024 – Submitted to dVerse – fashion


Gratitude Journal

I am so happy and grateful for the web archives available online. They help me put together bits and pieces of my past and remind me of all the good work I did. Sometimes I look at those things and I can’t believe I did them. It makes me feel proud of my achievements even if they are minor in the scheme of things.