Having "Me" Time

For some things in life you only discover a love, a passion for it later on in life. I suppose it's better late than never as the old saying goes.   With this blog, I rediscovered my love of writing and with teaching I discovered my love of teaching. Nothing gives more satisfaction than the sight of someone's eyes sparkle in delight and understanding when something previously unknown is finally understood.   I had been teaching younger kids and have recently moved onto teaching older students getting ready for college entrance exams.  You may wonder what is so good about teaching?  You keep saying what you know to students again and again?  For me it's more than that. It's fun and exhilirating.  Teaching for me is not just about going to a classroom and lecturing so that students can jot down notes and memorize.  Teaching is understanding and realizing the potential in each student.  Teaching involves understan...

I can hardly believe the year is almost over already.  In just a few days it will be December and along comes with it Christmas, parties and New Years...Today I write about a quote that has been stuck in my head for weeks and believe it or not, it comes from Kung Fu Panda 2. (I know it's an animation, but I have to say I think the creators did a lovely job of not only graphics, but the plot and content is also quite thought provoking. ) "It does not matter what your past is, but what you will do with your future." Master Shifu said something like this (I don't remember the exact wording) to Panda when teaching him about "inner peace."  Despite Panda's success as a Dragon warrior Master Shifu says one needs to achieve "Inner Peace." Inner peace is essential for without it, in the face of danger one can lose one's grounding and fall flat on one's face.   Inner peace stablizes us and lets us stand ready for whatever happens next, ...

It's Thanksgiving weekend and with it comes turkey, stuffing, cranberry and pumpkin pie.  Yes, I miss Thanksgiving in the US.  Here in Thailand, it's just not the same.  We don't get the "feeling" of Thanksgiving and families reuniting, or the felling that the weekend kickstarts the festive season and Christmas mad shopping with Black Friday.  This week of Thanksgiving is also a week when two good friends of mine were born many years ago and so I want to also take the opportunity to say "Thank you" to you my friends.  Tonight, in particular I want to write about a lovely friend who was born on the 21st.  You know who you are WD :)  Yes, we've known each other since primary school days in Bangkok when we still had to dress in uniforms with white shirts and a turquoise blue skirts.  That's how I remember you dear friend.  In uniform.  We were all in uniform and together we'd be there walking a...

Have you ever had one of those moments when you want something, know you have it somewhere, just saw it the other day, but now that you need it, you can't find it? It's just not there?  I'm having one of those moments now.  It makes me wonder, if suddenly it is going to pop up out of the blue when I least expect it?  That is usually what happens to me. Days later, "Poof! Here it is! It was right before me all along, but it was hidden by something."  Now I wonder why it is not there when I first wanted it to be.  Why can't life be a little simpler? Maybe it's because we have to learn to really "see" things from another perspective before what we are looking for comes to us. Before we realize it was there all along. Sometimes, oftentimes, people spend their lives looking for love, happiness and peace.  They want a happier life, a more fulfilling life.  Some will go through extremes, move countries, build a business empire, maybe even climb mo...

Sometimes your inner voice tells you not to do something, but you do it anyway.   Then later you end up thinking to yourself "Damn, why didn't I listen to my inner voice?"   This happened to me exactly this past Monday. Here's a funny story. This past weekend, Alex and I have been discussing when best it would be to bring my Baby back home.   Yes, my little White Baby Jazz (if you are wondering, it's my car :))   has been in safekeeping for roughly a month now away from the flood, away from the water that could cause it to choke, suffocate and eventually die.   It has only just reached it's second birthday.   Too young to die.   Monitoring water levels, canal drainage, potential flooding estimates, we decided that by this week, I should be able to take my Baby out for a spin. It should be safe enough as the chance of her drowning in water seems quite minimal.   She's restless and needs to get out of her little rectangle high up on the 7th floor....

Where there are people, there you find politics.  Yes, the needs and wants of people differ and how to govern them all is indeed a difficult task.  In good times, things are easy.  Everyone is happy and the people are too busy being happy or going out their own business.  In times of crisis, you really see the true inner side of human nature.   Will the crisis reveal the "innately selfish" side of human behaviour as mentioned by Hobbes or will it reveal a good, compassionate, loving and caring side of human behaviour? What do you think? This crisis that Thailand is undergoing has revealed both.  On one side, you find people, friends and organizations arranging groups, flood relief missions and volunteering their time to help those in need.  Yes, you see people helping each other, helping elders, helping children, helping dogs and cats.  Every living thing deserves a chance to live and survive.  It's wond...

Let's forget floods tonight and talk about cooking.  If you are a cook, and cook meat, then you are bound to have heard this, "Seal in the juices by searing meats before you cook."  For the non-cook, what does this mean?  It means basically to fry or expose the outer layer of meat to high temperatures before baking, or continuing to cook it.  My family does it, and so do my aunts.  I thought it made sense.  You cook the outer layer first, so that the raw juice would not be able to come out.  It's like one of those know-hows that gets passed down from generation to generation.  Lifehacker says this is not so.  Here's why. The article says that this was first proposed in the 19th century by a German chemist called Justus von Liebig who said that applying very high temperatures to meat would create a "sealed" layer of cooked meat through which liquid the inside meat would not be able to escape. (Wow, I didn't realize this would go back so long...

Parts of Bangkok has been flooded for over three weeks. If you're lucky, and in the minority then you are still dry.  This, however, depends largely on the power of the pumps.  Yes, inner Bangkok is dry for the moment because the water pumps are working full time to keep the water level at bay.  Lets hope the pumps do not break down.  Anyways, I've been asked by some readers as to where they can volunteer their help and their time to doing something for the flood victims?  A lot of you may already be helping, but here is a short compilation for those who have just arrived in town or just want to help. 1. Thai Red Cross : http://www.redcross.or.th/   Here you can donate your money, goods, time and even your blood to help flood victims.  You can even donate online.  It's located on Henri Dunant Road not too far from Siam and I think the nearest MRT (underground station) is Lumpini. (Please check)  They are open from early morning un...

In life, in dealing with problems and losses we go through five stages of emotions:   denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance .  Most commonly we experience this from heartbreak, losing a loved one, going through a crisis, business problems, etc..  The list is endless.. We humans have a lot of problems and we deal with them through our emotions. Sometimes we do not acknowledge that these are our emotions.  Yes, we feel hurt, feel sad, feel angry, feel serious, feel resentment.  We try to act "civilized" and push these emotions aside.  We ignore them. After all, we are all grown ups and grown ups do not succumb to their emotions.  It's dangerous.  Psychologists mention that it is not good to ignore these emotions for it can cause "emotional indigestion." It can cause us to be tense, stressed and ready for a fight. Our heart beats faster and our natural instinct sets in.  We want to survive. We are ready fo...

Life goes on sitting and waiting for the flood. Lets talk about eggs today. A basic food staple that can give you energy during hard times are boiled eggs.  You can survive on rice and boiled eggs (as long as you do not get bored of it).  However, those with high cholesterol levels are often afraid of eating eggs for fear that it will push cholesterol levels up high. Some avoid it like it was some sort of disease. According to Alannah Dibona, eggs are not unhealthy and not a food that needs to be avoided like the plague.  Cholesterol comes from certain saturated fat and trans fat.  Eggs have very little saturated fat (1.5 grams of fat for a large egg) and no trans fat.  That means Yeah! I can eat more eggs. Eggs, in fact are quite healthy and have 13 naturally occuring vitamins and minerals.  Yes, you read it correctly, eggs are good for you.  You might ask, "Even the yolks that are supposed to have lots  of cholesterol?" ...

Yes, inner Bangkok will be flooded soon.  I say this because I believe I live in "inner" Bangkok.  I am not far from the BTS skytrain and lifestyle shopping areas.  Now, the "water" is a few kilometers away from my house.  My local supermarket where I go for monthly supplies without having to use the main road is starting to flood. It's taken so long to arrive.  I've been waiting for over two weeks. I have to admit I am not as excited as I thought I'd be. (Maybe when I actually see the water, I will start to be excited.) Now, I just want it to flood and go away as soon as possible.  Whatever will be, will be.  Tonight, let's therefore talk about Myth 6 that say that high sodium foods taste salty, and that one should avoid salty snacks. According to Andy Belatti, a nutritionist, apparently new research indicate that low-sodium diets may not necessarily be better for your heart, but they do reduce high blood pres...

I've been back for a few days now from my evacuation. I missed home too much and needed to get some things done at work.  Now that I'm back, I once again feel the psychological stress and intensity with which this flooding is affecting Bangkok citizens.  It's like a race against time.  A race against the impending flood.  A race against water that seeps in through every crack and nook. Humans race to be the winner in this losing battle.  Everyone is applying new ways of protection against the flood.  The shops on my road and businesses were busy reinforcing their protection.  As time goes by, the form of flood protection changes and evolves with experience.  Everyone is building a bunker or living in one (like I am).  I've been observing the flood protection over the past month and it seems to evolve over time.  Here is a list of how bunkers have evolved over the past month in Bangkok. First, sandbags....

It's Friday and what a flooded one it is in Bangkok.  Yes, I am back in town to recieve the flood and it is somewhat stressing me out. It inches closer every hour.  I'm sure it is stressful for many others also so tonight let's change topic and instead continue on with our myths.  Myth 5: Drink 8 glasses of water a day.  Clean water, not the ones that come with Bangkok floods. I have to admit this is a myth that I also believe in and one that is seen everywhere.  It is a myth if you believe it is a miracle cure all that will cure illnesses and give you wonderful health.  If, however, you see it as a recommendation on how to keep yourself hydrated then it is fine. According to nuitritionist Alannah DiBona, we don't really need 8 glasses.  This was an easy way to tell people to avoid sugary sodas and other drinks.  She says that one should take one's body weight in ounces of water and divide it in half. Th...

I'm ready to go home.  I miss my home.  I miss my life and yes, I have to admit, I do miss going to work as well.  I miss the certainty of it all.  I like adventures, but this flooding is not an adventure I like nor enjoy.   I suppose this is what people feel like in wars where they are forced to evacuate their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.  Almost four hundred people have already died. Some die from tripping and drowning, others from electrocution, or some from health problems.  I suspect too that all this stress from watching flood related news in order to find out if our house will be flooded or not is causing significant psychological distress.   Now all I want is to get flooded and get it over with. Dear water, just flood and begone. This flood has also reinforced something I've thought about before and that is to just live your life before it's too late.  You never know when you are going to...