Changing Seasons – May 2020
And a very green building to you… [Rayong, 2020]

Hello! I’m back for another monthly photo recap hosted by Su (find out the details if you’d like to join here). For my birthday month, I decided to do something a little different. Please share yours too!


My biggest wins:

// getting published for my funny essay “Jumpsuits, not just for air-raids anymore!” on Drunk Monkeys

// combining two strengths (or passions) into one idea (something I’m working on and excited about)

//pushing myself to journal more in the mornings (from one to three pages)


Malls like to recreate outdoor markets inside and sometimes you can look down and capture some interesting lines.

Lessons learned:

//finally accepting that I’m not from this planet (I kid, and yet…)

// instead of resisting the roller coaster, leaning into it (but still screaming from time to time)

// checking in with my intuition more often (winning lotto number please?)

//instead of keeping my email tab opened all day, closing it in the afternoon (a simple action that has relieved low-level stress)


ROYGBIV or red green blue 😛

Favorite memories of the month:

// lying on the bed in the middle of the day with my BF and looking out at the sky from our apt window

// spending more phone time with my mom, laughing, commiserating, connecting

//every night I’m safe and sound, enjoying a good book


I watched this couple on the tuk-tuk drive from lottery ticket seller to seller in hopes of finding the numbers (or tingly sensation?) he was looking for.

Out exploring by the bus station on a very cloudy but HOT day.

Shoes left behind with a story to tell.

Old water tower and friends.

What were your biggest wins, lessons learned, and/or favorite moments of May?

43 responses to “Changing Seasons – May 2020”

  1. alizabethworley Avatar

    I love your pictures, and the happy moments. Congratulations on publishing in Drunk Monkeys! I’m off to bed, but I look forward to reading it tomorrow! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Thanks 🙂 I appreciate (both) reads. [Funnily when I read your comment “drunk happy moments” all blended together – hahaha.]

      Like

      1. alizabethworley Avatar

        I loved your essay! You have such a wry, playful tone, and then you have that moment where you see the prisoner, still in shackles. It made me conscious of the ways I dehumanize without thinking when I see someone wearing a jumpsuit. Thank you for sharing.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Lani Avatar

        Awww shucks. Thanks for reading it. The prisoner tho… OMG. All those chains and shackles, overkill!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Happy Panda Avatar

    Happy Belated birthday and congratulations on publishing in Drunk Monkeys. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Thank you, thank you 🙂

      Like

  3. jeremyjames Avatar

    This month….picked up a guitar I’ve been trying to find for about a year.
    And realising how much I enjoy audiobooks! Remember ‘Circe’? Well now I’m into Homer’s Odyssey….expected something pretty stuffy but it’s not at all. Love it!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. jeremyjames Avatar

      Enjoyed your published piece – well done.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Lani Avatar

        Awww! Thanks for heading over there and reading it, means a lot.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Lani Avatar

      Awesome! I can only imagine what joy you must have felt at finding that guitar. And audiobooks, love them for long road trips.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. jeremyjames Avatar

        They depend a lot on the narrator for me. Some of them are unlistenable others magnificent! The guy reading the odyssey is brilliant

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Lani Avatar

        That’s very true. A bad narrator will kill the book. Esp if the narrator is not the author and I’ve come to love the author’s voice!

        Like

      3. jeremyjames Avatar

        Neil Gaiman tends to narrate all his books which is a treat. Listened to Norse Mythology the other week.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Lani Avatar

        I remember reading that on the plane. Remember planes?

        Like

      5. jeremyjames Avatar

        Hmmm let me see….
        Wonder when people will start travelling abroad for holiday again. It’s not really looking close. Pity, as I had a Japan trip all lined up!

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Lani Avatar

        I know it SUCKS!

        Like

      7. jeremyjames Avatar

        Big time!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Audra Edmonson Avatar

    Love love love this! And I don’t think I’ve mentioned it but your new site looks super slick and awesome. Loving the vibe (also highkey super excited for that double passion project you mention!)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      I love you. Thanks so much. Honestly, I just found myself down the rabbit hole of bullet journaling and I liked the monthly recaps they like to do. Yes, this week I’ll share it in the newsletter! xo

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Rebecca Moon Ruark Avatar

    Love your essay–and congrats on the publication! It’s hysterical. While I’d never wear a jumpsuit myself, I love rapper Missy Elliott in a jumpsuit–probably bedazzled. We’re already at the end of May? Ack. Better start doing something worthwhile. Happy birthday month–hope you celebrated each and every day!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Yes, I love an astronaut in uniform 😉 and rock stars that pull off the seemingly impossible. Thanks for reading, by the way. It was fun to connect the dots and do some research on the topic.

      THANK YOUUUU! XO

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Rebecca Moon Ruark Avatar

        Super fun–and funny–essay. Keep ’em coming. (Do you ever submit to McSweeney’s Internet Tendency? A fellow blogger I know, Ross Murray, often gets his funny stuff up there.)

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Lani Avatar

        I have but I don’t think I’m hip enough yet 😛 I notice they also have a tendency to gravitate towards political humor which I try to avoid. Thanks for reading, Rebecca!

        Liked by 1 person

  6. 2summers Avatar

    Love the pictures. Thanks for the reminder that May wasn’t all horrible 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Trust me, I had to remind myself. May was not my best month with some sucker punches thrown in, so it was good to do a recap that reminded me that nice things happened. Thanks, Heather 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Su Leslie Avatar

    A belated Happy Birthday!
    Congratulations on having your essay published, and now I’m excited to hear about your new project.
    I love your gallery of images; you have a really good eye for the small things that make urban life so interesting.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Lani Avatar

      I wish I lived in a more natural environment. Sometimes it’s hard to see other people’s beautiful photos of nature, but I moved here for the work not the concrete. That being said, thank you. I’m trying!

      And thanks for the good wishes, hugs!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Su Leslie Avatar

        There was a time when I barely noticed “nature” — I was totally into urban living. Now I understand how important it is to connect with the natural world in some way and I am so encouraged by all the initiatives around the world to bring small natural areas into city streets. Are there any parks or community gardens near you?

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Lani Avatar

        No! There’s a park on the other side of a major freeway which is challenging to get to (and more importantly back home). Since we don’t live in a tourist town or have a car, it’s hard to get around, it’s assumed everyone has their own transportation.

        However, we love our apts and have plants and fish on our balconies and inside as well. When the pool was open it felt like we were on vacation 🙂

        The beach is nearby but it’s a functional one with fish drying and it’s not pretty. When we walked on the beach further out of town, we picked up over 10 large fishing hooks that had washed up. As a “Hawaiian”, I was shocked by this I tell you!

        When we moved here over a year ago, we knew that our existence would be mainly an indoor one. But we also know that our next move will have to involve being close to nature again, it’s one of those things we knew was important but didn’t realize how vital it was until now.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Su Leslie Avatar

        Your appartments sound great; and much safer than trying to get to the park or beach!!

        Liked by 1 person

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

    Liked by 1 person

  9. artyplantsman Avatar

    I love seeing these photos from your part of the world!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Oh! Thanks! I wish I could travel and show more sides, but I’ll take the compliment 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Sarah Avatar

    First: Belated Happy Birthday, Lani! 😄🎂🎉💕 Second: might we both origin from the same planet perhaps?? 😂
    It’s so interesting to look at your pics and imagine living there, even though it’s an urban landscape it’s so different from mine! Stay safe and wishing you a lovely June! ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Lani Avatar

      😀 Perhaps!

      I’m particularly feeling it with all the insanity going around the world. We’ll have to compare notes some day 😛

      Thanks for your kind words, Sarah! You too, xo

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Bespoke Traveler Avatar

    I love your header photos for this, they’re so lovely and summer-y. I don’t know if I’ve learned my lesson for May yet, but I’m trying to sit with the waiting…with being okay moving one foot in front of the other without knowing what the results will be of my labor…

    Hope you’re finding ways to keep sound and healthy in your apartment. And congrats on getting published!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Thank you. Yes, I feel the same way – that wanting to move forward and being content to wait. Mostly I want to get back in the gym and swim but we’re having to wait for some strange reason.

      Take care and thanks again! xo

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Natalie Avatar

    Hi Lani, I’m visiting from Su’s The Changing Seasons link up. It’s interesting to see your gallery of images and got a glimpse of life in Thailand during this pandemic time. I visited Thailand many years ago and enjoyed the trip very much. I’m in Canada and it’s spring season here, heading into summer.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Heya! I wish I was one of those braver types when it comes to photographing people because it’s still weird to see so many in masks. We have 99% compliance which is crazy because our cases remain low, but this is when it’s nice to be in a more collective culture.

      Thanks for visiting. I’ll check your blog out! 🙂

      Like

  13. Reflections of an Untidy Mind Avatar

    Happy birthday month, Lani. It must have been nice to have a bit more freedom this month. I enjoyed seeing your photos. They look very exotic to me. Might be a lot of concrete but it is colourful concrete. 🙂

    Loved your essay too. Those jumpsuits are bad news. I know from personal experience coming from that era when they were once a fashion statement. You have to get undressed to go to the toilet! Speaking of which, that was a very funny part of your essay.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lani Avatar

      Thank you, you’re too kind! I’ve been in Thailand too long so it’s good to hear from others and to be part of a challenge that forces me to look at my environment through different eyes.

      And thanks so much for reading my essay. It means a lot. Glad you liked it too 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Reflections of an Untidy Mind Avatar

        You’re welcome, Lani. The pleasure was all mine. I like a bit of irreverence in writing, so I thoroughly enjoyed your piece.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Lani Avatar

        😀

        Liked by 1 person

Comments create conversations. Let’s talk.

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.