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 replies on “Changing Seasons – May 2020”

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

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      1. 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.

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  3. 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!

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      2. 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!

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      5. 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!

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  4. 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!)

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    1. 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

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  5. 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!

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    1. 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

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      1. 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.)

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      2. 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!

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    1. 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 🙂

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  7. 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.

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    1. 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!

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      1. 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?

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      2. 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.

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  8. Pingback: The Changing Seasons, May 2020 | Zimmerbitch

  10. 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! ❤

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    1. 😀 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

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  11. 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!

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    1. 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

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  12. 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.

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    1. 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! 🙂

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  13. 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.

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    1. 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 🙂

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