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Lani

Hello, lovelies! It’s another month of participating in Su’s “The Changing Seasons” photo challenge. Head over to her blog for the details.

October. It was as if the hounds of hell were chasing me down. A sampling:

I got a new computer. I got rid of Windows 10 (I was scared), and put Ubuntu on instead (was going to switch my old computer to Ubuntu anyway).
I edited (again) my Amazon + Kindle book. And increased the price so that I make more than 23 cents.
I uploaded my ebook on Gumroad.
I stopped offering my audiobook for free. Creatives, I fear, are very bad at marketing themselves, and believing what they produce is of value. I don’t know what our problem is, but I’ve decided, whether or not anyone cares, that I’m worth more. ($5!)
I changed my blog theme, and updated my feature images, and then I did the same thing on my teaching blog.

Now, you might be wondering, why were you working so hard? Well, a few things fell into place. Work was slow, so “personal projects on the back burner” finally got attention. Secondly, I’m trying to be better about how I use my time. Or perhaps, I’ve found my direction. Or maybe burnout is an inevitability.

So if I was to come up with a theme for the month, it would be trying new things. And one of the new places that we explored was Khao Laem Ya National Park.

Khao Laem Ya looking at Rayong Resort — You can drive up to this part of the park. That’s Rayong Resort in the distance. I’d like to stay there one day.

Khao Laem Ya path — The wooden path was better in some places than others.

Khao Laem Ya ocean view — We really enjoyed our hike, but it was a very hot day.

looking at Koh Samet — That’s Samet Island (a popular tourist destination) in the distance.

top of Khao Laem — This is the top of the mountain (sort of) as there looks to be another peak with an observatory. For another cooler day…

Khao Laem Ya view — It was still a wonderful view and a nice afternoon.

How was your October?

20 responses to “The Changing Seasons – October”

Sarah

01/11

Beautiful landscapes! And yay for pricing up! Too many people sell themselves or rather their work too cheap. I’ve often noticed with selling artwork that the less you ask for the less ‘good’ you become in the eye of potential buyers. Weird, right?

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1. Lani
  
  02/11
  
  Ugh. Selling stuff – why can’t I just be independently wealthy? I’ve heard it all – give things away for free, don’t give things away for free, price high, sell low, blah, blah, blah.
  
  I think at the end of the day, it depends on the person/artist. In other words, are they famous? Do they have a large audience? Who is their audience? etc.
  
  Thanks, Sarah!
  
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  1. Sarah
    
    02/11
    
    I think you’re right – if you have the right name aka are famous already, you can do and sell anything you like and get away with it. Hey, they even throw designer clothes at you for free to wear them!! 😀 There’s definitely something wrong with our system. 😉
    
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  2. Lani
    
    04/11
    
    I know. Groan. But we have to keep trying, right?
    
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  3. Sarah
    
    04/11
    
    Yep! 😉
    
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Awonderfulsheep

02/11

Good job on getting all that personal work housework done! I explored your blog a little more and I really like how it really is a repository of your life. I especially LOVED the audio essay section. And the travel section. Meandering through your blog was really inspiring and got me excited for how my own will grow was the years add up! And yes. All the blood sweat and tears that went into your work– you should price for it!

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1. Lani
  
  02/11
  
  THANK YOU. You’re very sweet to look around and specifically say what you liked.
  
  I’d love to make the time for more audios again. I always get positive feedback from those who prefer to listen. It needs to find its way back on to the TO DO list.
  
  Cheers again, xxoo
  
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Amy

02/11

Love your changing season. Looks like you had a lot done, wonderful! I need to work on my to do list. These photos are beautiful. Thank your for the tour. 😊

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1. Lani
  
  04/11
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Amy.
  
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Joanne Sisco

04/11

I agree. Why do we tend to undervalue ourselves?!! Good for you to take corrective action!
I am all about trying new things and it makes me smile when I discover someone else who does too 🙂

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The Changing Seasons, October 2019 | Zimmerbitch

07/11

[…] Lani at Life, the Universe and Lani […]

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Marta

07/11

You were so productive! I have many personal projects that I haven’t managed to do yet… even though work has been really slow lately. Let’s see: making a photo album with my son’s first year pics, making bread, making homemade play dough, making a busy board…

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1. Lani
  
  08/11
  
  Well, you did make a big trip back to Spain. I think you can let yourself off the hook 😉 Perhaps the holidays will be a quiet time to catch up?
  
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  1. Marta
    
    08/11
    
    What holidays? (Insert facepalm emoji here). My next holidays are not due until Chinese New Year…
    
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  2. Lani
    
    08/11
    
    What no Christmas in China?! Madness, I say, madness.
    
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Behind the Story

08/11

Your photos of Khao Laem Ya National Park are beautiful–all those shades of blue in the sea and sky. I like your trying-new-things theme.

October was a beautiful month here. The trees are still turning. We started out with lots of yellow leaves. Now there’s more bright red and orange. My youngest daughter flew over from MD for the weekend, and we visited the Chihuly Glass Museum Tacoma and had dumplings at Din Tai Fung (the currently popular Taiwanese dumpling restaurant).

I haven’t been doing any marketing for at least the last year. Can you still market a book that’s been out for 5 years?

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1. Lani
  
  08/11
  
  I think you can market a book that’s 100 years old if you’d like 😛
  
  I haven’t done any marketing unless you count the blog. But I’m pleased that I finally got all that off my plate.
  
  Sounds like you had a lovely October. Here’s to an even better November. Thanks, Nicki!
  
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Reflections of an Untidy Mind

08/11

Wow, you are very organised, Lani. Organisation and I don’t go together. You should definitely make more than 23 cents on your book! Goodness, working for nothing is slavery, right?
I loved your photos, especially the lovely red flowers in the foreground and the wharf in the background. Beautiful.

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PurplePumpernickel

09/11

Thank you for sharing your October, Lani. Sounds like another crazy busy one for you! You sure can cope with a great of change – RESPECT! Congratulations on the work done on your book!

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1. Lani
  
  10/11
  
  Thanks!
  
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I’m Lani

Welcome to Life, the Universe, and Lani. I’ve been blogging about my experiences living abroad since 2009.

At this point, this site serves as an archive as I’m mostly active at No Girl is an Island 👉https://lanivcox.substack.com/ 🏝️where I have been both newslettering and continuing to craft personal essays on finding freedom in the fringes.

Thanks for stopping by, have a look around, and hope to see you over at No Girl is an Island.