Friday, October 31

Seven Flowers, Seven Life Lessons

About 500 kilometres and almost six hours of travelling, I finally reached my destination with a sore back and an empty stomach. Though reeling from a bad cough, it wasn't a big deal when I saw the beauty that surrounded me. Taking some shots of several flowers within the vicinity made me see life as something to be grateful for, so I dedicate each flower I encountered to write this positive post.



Fuchsia

The flowers remind me of grace, as in simple elegance, of refinement. I am no longer a young lad and I wanted to grow in grace. I wanted to be better in my speech, in my dealings, in my friendship, and in my own personal viewpoints. 




Rose

The flower reminds me of amicability. Rising above, it gives a certain scent to the air that invites insects such as the bee to meander in its presence. I wanted to seek peace and be in a place where I can live in solemnity yet still be visible to friends so they can come for a visit. 




Cape Honeysuckle

The flowers remind me of exuberance, of blood and how it runs into our system to make us energized, to make us alive. I still wanted to find things that will give me the sparks, the thrills, the challenges but also acknowledging less stress and constraint. Maybe, a walk with God will suffice my need.




Mexican Aster

The flower reminds me of simplicity, not only in its beauty, but also of its existence. Don off the material wealth that eats up our being. Shun things that ruins our behaviour and attitude towards a meaningful existence. Life should be led with simplicity, not frivolities.




Dayflower (maybe?)

The flowers remind me of choices, either good or bad. We made bad choices but we get to put them on the right track with some help. Be it our words, our actions, or our decisions, we make choices because of our free will. Hopefully, we get to make better choices because we are enlightened, not pressured.




Madagascar Periwinkle

The flowers remind me of direction, of symmetry as the undulating lines of the petals flow from one direction to the next. That life is a series of ups and downs, of circles and ripples, of motion and change. And within our own movement, we charge others with our actions. I want to be a mover, maybe a shaker, so that I can be a contributor to the society.




Angel's Trumpet

The flower remind me of awakening, of tolling bells that keep reminding us that we should be grateful. Complaining is easier and a part of us but mere complaints with no actions to change is simply a lost in this game called life. Let the bells be constantly heard,  to wake us up from deep slumber and to mark a new beginning of our chosen path. 



And now I leave you one bunch of flowers to say your piece. 



Have a great weekend, my friends!

Friday, October 24

The Older Me

During my high school and then going on to university days, friendship for me had been a constant battle. Recognizing myself as a nerdy person, I am a home-school-home kind of person. I wasn't a social creature and wasn't invited in any social gatherings. Mind you, I even cry when my parents asked me to go with them to see my aunts and cousins. 

So for me, receiving small notes and cards from people I care for had been a big thing. It means that I have some friends who remembers me. Proofs are three filed and hand made folders showcasing cards from my family members, classmates, and friends. They are all in a box stored somewhere. They are my life long memories.

I remembered fondly when my high school buddies asked to see my compilations and they were all teasing each other and trying to see if there had been a card sent to me from each one of them. They were constantly intriguing each other if we 'are' friends or not. 

The Troll's Hat is part of Oxford Reading Series for older aged children. It is an easy read and nothing sort of spectacular when it comes to plot or illustrations. However, it is a good exercise for intermediate readers. And while my student was reading the pages, I ended up in tears when I read the next page.


I know the feeling because it came some points in my life when I was needing friendship but I do not have any. I heard that I wasn't invited to a friend's gathering because I was told to be boring. I wasn't invited to a school's trip because they thought I will spy on them. I wasn't invited to a bowling game when everyone in the room were personally asked. Recently, my colleagues in school had lunch somewhere without inviting me to join them.

I felt bad but I went ahead and gave myself a much needed rest. A rest from being with people that deserves none of my friendship. The older me is sensitive but I am becoming callous and this is what I am striving for. I shouldn't be affected by these blatant negativities because I can enjoy my own company.

So you won't be able to see grand number of people in my postings as to show the activities I indulged into. No group photos, no eat outs and picnics, no large scale celebrations. I basks in solitude, in traveling to many places alone, and in finding my spot as a person. But I am still in gratitude to those who stood by me and to those who gives me shout outs once in a while. 

Jonathan looked happier than the Troll.
"I do not need cards and presents when I know 
I have a few people close to mine and their hearts," he said.

Thursday, October 23

Getting to Know You 7

This is just between me and my student who is now in Year 3. 


Me: We will now be exploring riddles. I have some examples here and you need to guess the answers.

Student: Fine!

Me: I am sneaky. I am orange and black. I have stripes. I can run very fast. I am a _____.

Student: Orange and black? BIRD!

Me: No!, it has stripes!

Student: ZEBRA!

Me: No! It can run very fast!

Student: CHEETAH!

Me: NEVER MIND!

________________________________________


Me: Let's try this. I am white. I am served cold. I go well with cereal. I come from an animal. I am ______.

Student: ZEBRA!

Me: It comes from an animal.

Student: MOTHER ZEBRA!

Me: It goes well with cereal!

Student: What is CEREAL?

Me: HAY BUHAY! (trying to be calm)

_________________________________________


Me: Last one. I am sometimes called grand. I have keys on me. I have black and white. I make pretty music. I am a _____.

Student: DOOR!

Me: Good, doors have keys but it is black and white.

Student: ZEBRA!

Me: Why is everything ZEBRA! It makes pretty music!

Student: PEOPLE!

Me: Panginoon ko, patawarin niyo po ako! (mumbling)


credits: a-z-animals.com


Monday, October 20

Ratchaburi, Second Time Around

I was at the Scenery Vintage Farm in Ratchaburi exactly last year and it was so much fun I decided to go back. Since I had the opportunity to be away again from the city, I made it a point to plan a second visit to this amazing place and it was worth it.

There were a lot of additions to the somewhat laid back atmosphere of last year. Interested with all things pretty and creative, it became a much better place to look for quirky things. I was summing up in my brain all the creativity I saw during my short stay. Indulge!

A fairly sturdier version of a horse
compared to the one I met in my last post.

Pumpkins, pumpkins, ready for Halloween!

If only facades can be this good....
handsomely constructed.

Do not feed the sheep with veggies.
Oh my gulay!

I used this teacup to share tea with some bloggers last year.
Now it's growing flowers.

Whatever you do, wash afterwards.
Remember that this is a sheep farm.
It's awesome to be clean and smelling pretty.

No theft can ever happen.
Bolted to the wall.

Choo! Choo!
Hop on everyone, time for a ride.

The fountain of...
I find this symbolic, in a weird kind of way.

Sheepishly tired.
It had been a long day for selfies and groupies.

Meet my new friends, Potty and Earth!

Fill 'em up!

If there are some places that I will go back over and over again, this is it. The Scenery Vintage Farm reminds me of the old days. It is also a reminder of what I really long for in the future. Something far away from the city and its nosies, this is a dream.

Friday, October 3

And There's No Stopping Jonathan

After all those summer trips, I embarked on another short sojourn and this time in the provinces of Chantaburi, Sra Kaeo and Nakhon Nayok. Although the weather was cloudy at that time, I proceeded to a resort on a weekday, a Monday to be exact, and guess what, nobody's there. I was able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the violent waters, the howling wind, and the bed weather. I was scared at first but once I lay my head on a pillow, I'm off to slumber.






Part of the resort, deserted and weather beaten.

The next day, I went to the border of Thailand and Cambodia to scout things at the market. There were a lot of people as the area was a trading place for goods between the two countries. The items were basically the same as the one found in Thai markets. I was just baffled as I cannot guess who among the people are Thais or Cambodians but it wasn't important. The best thing was being able to visit this important location after travelling hundreds of kilometres in one day. 









River Resort and Spa
Afterwards, I was at the province of Sra Kaeo enjoying the resort where I stayed. It was painted in pink but interspersed with artworks all over the facilities. It is a small boutique hotel but looked elegant from inside and outside. I enjoyed my stay what with the rain that romanticized the evening for me. I mean, I cannot go anywhere. I was stuck in bed with my iPad. 





Pool shaped like the number 9

A place for a picnic

Never say never and off I visited Sirika Waterfalls the next day in Nakhon Nayok. Located in Sarika sub-district, the nine-tier waterfall plunges down a cliff onto a forested hillside, and has large pools at each tier. However, it wasn't a day or the season for bathing or for a swim as the water was in its strongest. The weather makes it impossible for people to enjoy the cold waters. One can enjoy feeding the hundreds and thousands of large fish though.








Cascading fresh mountain water for your eyes only.

Connecting bridge

Alongkorn Chedi Pagoda
(The Alongkorn Chedi is made of laterite and was built in 1876 to commemorate the visit
of King Rama V and Queen Sunantha Kumareerat.)

Pranang Rue Lom Pyramid
(contains some of the ashes of Queen Sunanta Kumareerat
who drowned in the Chaopraya River in a boating accident.)

Care to swim?

Or ride a horsie?
Giddiyup! Off to another trip!
Bye!