observations, humor, nonsense
I’ve been greatly inspired with not enough time to write, so I’m depressed, moody and a little resentful. Good stuff. Last weekend I sort of attended the Asia Pacific Writers conference in Bangkok. JP and I were “too poor” to attend the real event, so I made a compromise and paid for a 2 hour…
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Hello everybody. I have a big announcement. Iām letting go of my other blog, Tell-Thai Heart and integrating here at Life, the Universe and Lani.
Read MoreShould you blog about one subject so your audience knows where to put you on the reader shelf? Or should you blog about your interests, however varied they might be?
Read MoreRejection can be a beautiful thing.
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After we watched an episode of The Twilight Zone, my friend turned to me and said, āTelevision used to be quite smart. What happened?ā
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When my friend Sandra offered poetry classes, I was eager to join because: a) Sheās a wonderful poet, b) Iāve been enamored with poetry since high school and c) I knew it would be good for me.
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I recently read a post called, What Baking Taught Me about Writing and the analogy was quite sweet and satisfying until I got to the last bite: Learn to Please Your Audience. What?
Read MoreIām thankful I grew up in a household where reading took place. My mom didnāt read bedtime stories to Larry and me though. We didnāt grow up with a house filled with childrenās picture books or visit the library together or anything like that. Any picture book we acquired was from my grandma who gave…
Read MoreI started to write when I was about 14 years old. And it started with that audacious moment, when I put down a book I was reading and said to myself, āI can do this. I can write a book.ā
Read More4/17/07 Why I Write To avoid therapy To create my own reality To dream big dreams To emote, laugh, cry To self reflect Because I believe in the powers of words To express what Iāve learned Because I canāt draw *** Why do you write?
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I wonder if memoirs are like crying babies, unless it’s yours, you don’t want to hear it… Ever since I decided I want to be a big recognized writer, I have stumbled upon the misfortune that falls upon memoirs. Iāve learned that memoirists are by far the greatest types of writers at conferences trying to…
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The day I stopped wanting to be Thai happened in the winter of 2012. I just wanted to go to Sukhothai. I just wanted to go to Sukhothai. I just wanted to go to Sukhothai.
Read MoreI didnāt want to ask for man-help because I couldnāt figure out how to put the ink cartridge in my new printer. But that was just the beginning of a day of little disasters, and by disasters I mean doing nothing right, and basically feeling like a stupid fool.
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When I first heard Lady Gagaās Hair, I thought it was brilliant because women strongly identify with their hair. All you have to do is watch any Americaās Next Top Model makeover episode and youāll see terribly attractive ingĆ©nues weeping for pityās sake over their cherished locks being cut.
Read MoreIt’s the end of the year (again) so you know what that means! Well, I don’t know what it means for you but for me it is a time of introspection. I go back and read my journals and see where I was at and what I was doing when the new year started.
Read MoreExpat bloggers: self indulgent or service-oriented people? It has come to my attention recently that some folks see writing as an act of self-indulgence. I am feeding myself chocolate. Yes. I am now rubbing the chocolate all over my body and it is melting because of my body heat. Yes. I am recording myself and…
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Celebrating diversity similarities Post TEDxDoiSuthep, my friends and I were discussing the overused bumper sticker of a phrase: Celebrate Diversity. And then it was brought up, Why don’t we celebrate similarities? Afterall, the news already does a nausating job of pointing out cultural differences and all the valid reasons why we have wars and conflicts.…
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Can you be friends with an ex?
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I am half Thai, lĆ“ok krĆŖung, ąø„ąø¹ąøąøąø£ąø¶ą¹ąø and I suspect there are many of us half-breeds running around. It’s a noncount noun thing. To the western mind this term is considered almost insulting, to the other half it’s considered insulting, almost. To my mind, it’s a curious splinter dividing my dance card with identity.
Read Moreromeo & pippin
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It seems appropriate to follow my first Wordless Wednesday post with the important influences of my life. I had originally shelved this post, thinking of archiving it in my scribbles folder but now I think the time is right to post it. Two of my fellow Thailand bloggers wrote about books that have influenced them…
Read MoreItās the sound of motorbike engines.Broken glass, barbed wire fences and roosterville roosterstinkling wind chimes and jackhammer constructionsItās the canvas where the straight line is free to roam.a whiff of colorful without being overwhelming or too powerfulthe smell of love, sex, tourists and something bad rotting in the heatItās resistance, resilience and relaxed.A tonal Technicolor…
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Why do white guys like Asian women?
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Being back in Thailand means a lot of things. It means Iām eating amazing food again and seeing my friends that I missed when I was in Ecuador, and now missing my friends who are in Ecuador. It means putting Spanish on the shelf and taking down pasa Thai, dusting it off and playing with…
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First of all, be thankful you have a heart because your ex certainly hasnāt… Secondly, do something youāll really regret like cut off all of your hair, beg him to have you back, or write on your FB wall: My exās new girlfriend reads my blog. Is that weird or what? Or on his wall:…
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I used to hate the way I looked. Ug. If I was a guy, Iād be in bliss since there are so many beautiful women in Thailand. Thankfully, I read something a long time ago that comforts me. Itās from Marianne Williamson, āThereās room for all of us to be beautiful.ā A Return to Love…
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As an Asian woman Iām pretty much expected to be a good cook, kind of like how Asian men are suppose to be a mathematical geek or Bruce Lee. I loathe the stereotype and relish it at the same time. The kitchen was my motherās domain. And while I should have followed, could have followed,…
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I listen and watch expats, fellow friends describe how they feel ā the phases they are going through and I think, āI wonder if Iāll ever feel that way.ā Sometimes I think, āHow sad, Iāll never go through that.ā And then I go through it and realize Iām not that special and I was wrong.
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The flavor of gratitude tastes stronger here. And I savor every bite of kindness. At first I thought when you pull yourself out of your passport country and decide to live abroad that youād experience life differently. I couldnāt imagine how you wouldnāt. But then I realized, it doesnāt matter where you put people or…
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I was living at an adventure camp in Colorado where for a few years the owners experimented with raising farm animals. A counselor was on dinner duty and I tagged along. We fed the pigs with the kitchen slop and now were entering the shadowy cage of the chicken coop. Like a coward I followed…
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Men can be stupid in many ways, but this, I believe, is the most stupid.
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