As I Read, I Learn, I Treasure

Since it was a very quiet evening sitting at the terrace where only the lights of a few houses can be seen, I made some reflections that of my blog and of the people who visited, stayed, and left.

I had been writing for more than seven years now, with an extensive range of topics from personal experiences to teachings, as well as my hobbies of gardening and painting. It also includes my travels around Thailand and to other parts of the world. I started with no readers at all and had for a number of years three people I exchanged comments with: Poi, Jasper, and Lucas.  Of the three, only Poi became a friend of mine where I also witnessed how he evolved as a writer and how he stopped because of personal reasons.

It was only last year when I pique my curiosity and visited other blogs and become braver in cyberspace. I learned how to surf other blogs and ended making comments to some chosen few. It was in the summer of July when I decided to meet the people behind those blogs. I went out of my way to meet six incredible people: Senyor, Ms. Balut, Ambot, Asiong, Jessica, and Cher Kat. It was one of the highlights for myself as a blogger. Meeting six people in ten days from five different places completed my summer holiday in the Philippines. 

From thereon, I came upon other blogs through theirs and stumbled upon more interesting individuals: Fiel, Rix, Josh, Sep, Mark, Jeison, Jay,  Arvin, Kristine, Joy, Mar, MeCoy, Pao, Tripster, Ric, Lili, Simon, Winzton, Jep, Ron, Rajiv, Oliver, Anne, Jobo, Ishmael, Mots, Aian, and others.  And of these list of people, only a handful continued to write their stories. I witnessed as they left their passion for other pursuits and made their blog homes unattended. I did miss some of them because of their spontaneity and all I can do is to wait for their return. 

After 654 entries and 3443 comments, my life as a blogger had changed for the better. I learned how to be open minded, how to be more creative, how to read between the lines, how to effectively communicate, how to listen by reading, and mostly, how to appreciate the visitors' efforts giving some minutes of their lives to read my postings.

I made friends and acquaintances. Though a handful stayed and most left, I remain humble because of their presence and their visits. I continue to write for my expressions, my narratives, my experiences, my stories, and my passions.

I am thankful to those who visited, read, and left words in my postings. May you continue to give sunshine as I learn from all your writings. 

The names in bold print are those I had met personally. All different individuals with equal talents in writing. I miss most of them and I do miss their postings. 

Art Blast from the Past 1

Ink and Watercolour Studies, Aged 15

As I wanted to preserve the artworks I made when I was much younger, I am making a compilation in here so I can revisit my work as an artist. Maybe this will inspire me to draw more and paint anew. The painted animals were based from a Chinese book and the Chinese seal was a gift from a Taiwanese friend bearing my real name.

Let me jazz up the paintings with some current captions.

Come to papa!

Brrr! Ang lamig talaga, pati kili kili ko nanigas.

Ano ba yan, pagod na ako kakatilaok,
kailan ba bibili ng alarm clock itong si farmer?

Hindi na ako sasakay sa elepante at baka mahulog ako ulit.
Ikaw ba? Sasakay ka? 

Pre, pahiram naman pang-ahit mo.

Hindi naman kita kakainin, puro ka tinik!

Enjoy your day!

Starting Life Anew, Loy Krathong 2014

November full moon (fuzzy shot)

It was a bit cloudy when I looked up at the sky. The clouds were scattered making the full moon almost invisible to be seen and admired.

Every year, I take the opportunity to celebrate a beloved festivity in Thailand called Loy Krathong. It is simply a way of giving thanks to the Goddess of the Water. It is also a belief that this special day is a fitting occasion to offer our prayers and appreciation to all the blessings we received. It is also well-accepted that the day means a new beginning as we celebrate this auspicious day of making merit.

Floating krathongs for gratitude.

I floated a 'krathong' along the man- made pool at our local temple. A 'krathong' is simply a cut banana trunk decorated with incense sticks, flowers, a candle, and triangle shaped banana leaves. It is floated on the river or lake to make merit, by letting our old self (bad vibes, unfortunate circumstances, vice and habits) be wash away by the water while asking for blessings, more of a renewal of oneself.

Offering coins to specific days of the week deities. 

Ringing the bells to summon the good spirits for guidance and luck.

Chinese Buddha representing good luck and wealth.

Monkey God Hanuman representing devotion of the heart and learning.

As faith is personal, I respect those who believe in any spiritual being whether it is from Buddhism, Hinduism, or Christianity. What matters most is the action of goodness, generosity, understanding and love we must muster and show amongst each other. Have a great weekend everyone!

Worth the Visit, Wat Pha Sorn Kaew

A must see when one visits Petchabun is this ginormous house of worship called Wat Pha Sorn Kaew. The name means 'temple on a high glass cliff". According to reviews, this place is surely one of the best, if not the best temple in Thailand. With its great architecture and design, this stands out among the rest I have seen so far.

Walking up through the pathway in a mountainous environment, I was still far from the real thing when I spotted this and zoomed in my camera. First word that came to my mouth was, "Astounding!"

The Main Hall

The facade of the main hall is simply incredible to see. The temple is very distinctive and beautiful. The place is relatively unknown to most people and inaccessible because of the lack of infrastructure and public transportation. As of now, it can be reached by private cars and tour vans.

Roof tops of  surrounding buildings.

All imposing!

Top of the main pagoda

Tiles and pottery pieces

The temple was like a huge mosaic artwork decorated with broken pieces of ceramic dishes of brilliant colours and pottery items. Unlike the typical temples of red and gold colours, the design stands out for its eccentricity yet harmonious with traditional Thai and architectural representations found elsewhere. 

5 Sitting Buddha Statues

But the highlight of the entire visit was to see the vast scenic view from atop the main pagoda. It was very windy and no selfies can be made because my hair kept on flying but the mere fact I stood there in awe, and in amazement simply defines what men can accomplish through will power and faith. 

A feast to behold, spectacular!

Wat Pha Sorn Kaew is a sacred religious site and my faith to both men and God became stronger with this blessed visit. Have a great day!

Paradise Found in Khao Kho, Petchabun

It was a week off for a much needed respite from school so I took a road trip and travelled almost six hours to a place called Khao Kho. Khao Kho is a district of Petchabun Province, northern Thailand. It is called the Switzerland of Thailand. Let the photographs speak for themselves.

This is the view from the bridge before reaching Khao Kho.

Fancy the garden of a cafe.

Seems odd to have a desert theme in a cool, pleasant weather .

The view from the place where I stayed.

The view from the restaurant where I partook delicious Thai food.

And the coming of the fog that enveloped the scenic mountain.
Awesome!

The view from another part of the house when I woke up at 5:45 in the morning.

Welcoming the very few visitors who travel that far.

Perfect landscaping!

Enjoy the bounty of the ground and the mountains.

I am one fortunate soul.
Enjoy life and be happy!