Porthole

42nd week of the Year 180. First week of the Year 2567/2024.

Groan (exercise) = Exor. (observations) = obsv. (s***,shave,shower) = ss&s. (read something) = read. (comment blogs/newsfeed/notebook) = bogs. (BoyLove series on-line) = ytBL. (Thai TV BL series on GMMTV25) = tv25. (write poetry or prose) = PorP. (take a daily walk) = walk. (buy something) = shop. (take a photo) = foto. (video) = วิดีโอ. (speak Thai/Lao) = pôod. (learn Thai) Thai. (go-into-the-water) = pool. (dirty clothes) = wash. (cook something) = cook. (tidy up) = mess. (travel) = trip. (noon) = เที่ยง. (talking to ex-pats/travelers/strangers in European) = chat. (Thai teaching book) = book. (hand written journal) = jour. (contests) = test. (water) = agua. (market) = ตลาด. (WdC weekly goals challenge) = week. (National Blog Post Month) NBPM.


7 januar 7 มกราคม

exor. 400/300/300/300 = 1300. Forgot phone. Finished before 11:30.
obsv. little boy on bike with white flowers; school boy in black and black glasses on a bench with his devie; new orchid buds; big yellow machine racket; children.
test. "Bell entry"  
เที่ยง. 81 degrees. AQ41 (fair).
cook. Pork with garlic and red-onions.
Xin8. "Flight of the poet"  I like even numbers... just saying. Will need an edit but... not bad.
blog. "We travel our own journey. And writers? We write about it."  Another even number. 2 is my favorite.
bogs. Tracker/Liz/Jeff.
walk. Nong Bua.
chat. John.
tv25. "Cooking Crush"
test. Quills: Cloven, Normality, While you were snoring.

I received a couple of achievement badges for posting daily. I know... it's a bad habit.

To Tracker: "Honey Bun!

"Ode to a Honey Bun"

I love your form,
your lusciousness that never finds fault with me.
I'd love you for...

Any ode to a honey bun will not last past three lines. Maybe not as long as it takes to warm it up.

I ate a pork and cucumber sandwich today... because I had a craving for cucumbers and I needed to use up the pork.

My coffee would go good with a honey bun... just saying."

To Steven: "I'll never win a popularity contest. "Porthole"  keeps track of my goals. "L'aura del Campo"  houses some of my poetry. "Enga mellom fjella"  my prose. I decided to do this to help me keep track; but, frankly, no one cares! "Hoarfrosts from Hell"  [GC] covers my angst and I'm trying to do daily entries to let off steam. Although I write about others, for others, and even call out 'others'... my experiences, my stories, my poetry, my life matter only to a few. And I have had to come to terms with that. But, as Mike noted, opening up about my life has allowed others to see not only me, but themselves."

Slow: 1 mindful eating. 2 long walks. 3 tech-free evenings. 4 quality consumption. 5 growing your own food. 6 slow travel. 7 nature baths. 20-5-3 rule. 8 chasing? skills. 9 playing. 10 reading. 11 starting a ritual. 12 daydreaming. 12 "Slow Living" Strategies That Will Increase Your Longevity, by Tanner Garrity.

6 januar 6 มกราคม

blog. "What is rotten"  "It's going on midnight (23:24)" 
exor. 400/300/300/500 = 1500. 79 degrees. AQ42. 10:50-11:24.
obsv. tiny butterflies; woman cradling baby; swallows; coos; melodic birdsong; hive gone; boy on yellow plastic slide drumming; quiet trimming; red (bruise-color) orchid roots.
เที่ยง. 84 degrees. AQ 41.
ss&s.
QotD.
Xin8.
week. Didn't make my goals.
PorP. "Caught in my eye" 
Bogs. Whirls/NormaJean/Phyllis.
walk. Nong Bua.
ตลาด. 2 potato, 1 pieces chicken, 1 cucumber... roti.
tv25. "Cherry Magic" with subtitles?

To Joey: "Joey says" Happy 2025 I see X a lot (I won't join), and find TikTok amusing and sometimes educational as it informs me as to how people think and respond. I call people out on TikTok... a lot. "Ignorance, Thy Name is Human."

MSN usually highlights the Legacy Media, as you put it. But... only in English. And it mostly ignores Al Jazeera, Le Monde, Deutche Welle. My cellphone knows I'm in Thailand so I get news from East, Southeast, South Asia and Australia, especially if it involves tourism or money as both are highly valued and commented upon in Thailand.

Personally, I post real (non-AI) pictures and try to explain local life on the ground. I'm not a tourist agent. So... you're more likely to hear about the downside of traveling from me. That said, people are landing in jail and being threatened and deported for posting reality or sharing their opinion. This has happened in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong...

As for your comment about consensus. I concur. Lack of communication and the unwillingness of folks with opinions to admit that they have NO experience... (and could be wrong) leads to folks talking past each other about things they know little to nothing about."

To SM: "It's been an okay week.

I 'caved' and plans for where I go next remain to be done. I'm mired in quicksand. However, I did start sorting through clothes and have some ready to be packed, some set aside to be ready for when I come back, and others to be offered to Pan, gifted or discarded. I received disturbing news about where I live in Montana (will I be forced to move) but friends that live there haven't indicated that there's a problem yet.

I'm confident that if I tackle my 'leaving' chores every day for a week I won't be overwhelmed."

Pan came and went while I was outside. He left KFC for me. I miss him.

5 januar 5 มกราคม

exor. 500/300/500/500 = 1800. 11:03-11:44. 77 degrees. AQ39 (fair). Took it slow.
obsv. bird 'cluck', white-wax hive, green-grey lichen B1 courtyard, blue sky, barely a breeze, light reflection and shadow.
เที่ยง. 81 degrees. AQ39 (fair)
ss&s. soft-scrubbed my toes.
PorP. "There comes a hardening..." 
Xin8.
trip. Started setting aside clothes for my next trip.
walk. Picked up coffee.
chat. with Jean François (from Montpellier) at Surada in English and French.
tv25. "Last Twilight" on 25 and "Pitbabe" on channel 31.

lookmaxxing...
musclemaxxing...
smellmaxxing...
softmaxxing...

"Instead of teaching people to accept themselves, looksmaxxers and softlooksmaxxers rank each other based on harsh and arbitrary standards, teaching each other never to be satisfied by their natural appearances. To make matters worse, studies by mental health experts suggest that, compared to women, men are less likely to seek therapy or treatments for issues pertaining to their self-image or low self-esteem.

Jawlines, canthal tilts, and eye shapes: it's a never-ending pursuit, a mew-athon race to the bottom."

https://www.businessinsider.com/looksmaxxing-softmaxxing-mewing-self-improvement...

How about:

bookmaxxing, wordmaxxing, rhymemaxxing... workmaxxing. Where maxxing means "to the max" or "obsessed with"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/you-don-t-need-everything-you-want/ar-...

4 januar 4 มกราคม

bogs. Nikola/Brian/Staine
obsv. chill breeze; mackeral sky, pale half moon; voltage warnings, silent wires; birds; two more bee hives.
exor. 300/300/300/500 = 1400. 09:33-10:01. 70~73 degrees. AQ 38 (fair)
One goal is to do 1500 in 30 minutes. That takes focus and a decent pace. Some days I'm too tired, too distraught (yesterday), too unfocused (frequent) or interrupted. There are days that just getting out of bed is a victory. I do better in Thailand but I still struggle. Side-note: managed to fall out of bed today.
ss&s.
เที่ยง. 81 degrees. AQ37 (fair).
wash. Pan washed and hung clothes. I monitor them...
blog. "Move my butt?" 
walk.
rose. 2: pink and "orange-peachy-pink English" Also orchids for merit.
ตลาด. ขนมปัง,กุหลาบ,บุญ. chicken filet.
agua. 5 or 6 liters.
QotD.

To Bobbie: "I left because the door was open, said the cat. But why, replied the shaking human." (But why didn't you close it? But it's scary out there! How can you be so brave?)

3 januar 3 มกราคม

bogs. Crab/Sandy/Charity/Nikola/TJ/Neva/Carolyn.
exor. 300/300/300/300 = 1200. 10:39-11:24. 77~84 degrees. Didn't feel well, felt chilled. Very slow.
obsv. sound of ylang-ylang (a.k.a. plumeria; it's name is musical imho); chill; strong breeze; heat of the glint off a window in A2; lost in thoughts; shaking and shooken.
เที่ยง. 84 degrees. AQ38 (fair).
ss&s.
agua. 5 liters.
walk.
blog. "As green fades to grey" 
QotD. Not loving living alone.

To Crab: "I wrote poetry because... that's what spewed forth. I got better at it with time. I wrote a journal. I blogged. Both of those activities are old fashioned now. I wrote some flash fiction, vignettes, short stories, and chapters. Short suits me. I never marketed nor monetized my writing.

My Muse still works but snoozes more than before. I feel like I'm in my final chapter and fading."

To Nikola: "I've visited with a couple from Slovenia the past three days. They have a French Press they bought in New Zealand. I could get one here... but I don't really need one. I use an electric kettle and instant 3in1 packets. A frappuccino at Starbucks costs 140 baht; a latte at Amazon 70. My packets cost about 4 baht each. Coffee can be cheap or expensive. I prefer cheap. To provide perspective: average daily base-salary is 300-400 baht.

I'm careful around dogs here and cats are careful around strangers. I do get to pet one occasionally though. No pets are allowed in the condos. "

To TJ: "Blogville used to be a communal place, kinda like a pub in Cork. Alack... it's old-fashioned and fallen out of favor to drive-by coffee kiosks and fancy cookie-cutter sit-down-and-hide-behind-your-ipad frappuccino-fueled fortresses (different city = same-same).

We have plenty of monkeys in Thailand. They aren't allowed inside.

Wordsmitty ✍️ is one of the few WDC members who comment on blogs. I'd say 50% of my blog comments are his. If he lived in Ireland I'd exclaim, "He seems to visit every pub in town."

—

Milk and Cookies — Fan Fiction

Critter Luv

2 januar 2 มกราคม

exor. 400/300/300/300 = 1300. 09:57-10:23. 75 degrees. AQ40 (fair)
obsv. big dark squirrel, leaf-scurry,
blog. "Re: Monkey business #3"   "Re: Monkey business #4"   "Paradise has pitfalls "  "Pout" 
bogs. Carol/Annette/Tracker
เที่ยง. 86 degrees. AQ fair.
ss&s.
chat. P'Nan. Gay called. Sat with Venus and Boris.
walk.

"Let's be Fruity!" 

"You are a fun-loving, playful person. You can be a bit of a flirt at times, though your heart is true and you genuinely care about others."

"January 1-5. Emotional survival."   Very simple. Survive emotionally.

I need to take a deep breath and stand my ground. But first... I need to decide what ground I'm standing on.
Beyond that. Keep up daily routines and decide whether I will visit a friend this week or next.
Make plans to leave. This entails booking flights, uncluttering and beginning packing. More decisions.

I'd rather curl up and sleep after a restless night.

To Tracker: "Twenty-twenty-four... I have the expectation that I will travel more. But, although I can dream, I have no concrete plans yet. 2022 was a disappointment and scary. 2023 was settling into a place that didn't nurture parts of me that were thirsty.

I have no writing goals. I'll set those at New Year's 181 on the Spring Equinox. But... I'll probably write most every day. I'll probably blog most every day. They've become 'bad habits'."

To Annette: "glass bottles of grown up water

I made a list of January contests so I'll be reminded. Lots of decisions to make as I may be moving out temporarily or permanently. And who knows what awaits me in Montana.

Pan put a dark-brown wig on me and colored my moustache and eyebrows. I looked ghastly.

I had seen the fireworks here at midnight ICT and by noon ICT when they were uncorking those glass bottles of grown up water in NYC... I had finished two entries for WDC contests. The 12 hour difference has to be negotiated; I won this time."

1 januar 1 มกราคม

PorP. Finished and posted before deadline WDC time: "The Origins of the House of Huffyndor"  "A Tale of Glass " 
exor. 300/300/300/300 = 1200. 11:14-11:42. 81 degrees. AQ 41 (fair)
obsv. sight and sound of a basketball; busy birds and bees.
New minimum is 1200. New range 1200-1800 with a daily objective of 1500 in 30 minutes.
ss&s.
เที่ยง. 84 degrees. AQ fair. Blue skies.
agua. 5 liters.
ตลาด. pork, croissants.
walk. Nong Bua. Saw Venus and Boris.
bogs. Dispirit/Robert/Petra.
blog. "Unhappiness part .." 

JANUARY CONTESTS:

"StAG Firebox - Closed for judging!"  picture prompt "There are no medals for the silent heroes working the metal."
"The LGBT Writing Contest - Open!"  resolution/ink/regret
"The Bard's Hall Contest"  internal thoughts "I could have been in somewhere warm / Thailand..."
"Senior Center Forum"  Old or new. Navy or bright-blue. Faux or true.
"Tales Shown, Not Told Discussion Forum"  Choose one of three. Enter by Jan 22. Over 1000 words.
"Kit's Higher Ratings Contest"  Old or new. 18+ GC XGC
"Dear Me: Official WDC Contest"  2024... what can I say to myself?
"Invalid Item"  not this month?
"First and Second Chance Poetry Contest" 
"Hook of the Book"  Ice castles. We struggled to reach the spires of Freedom. I was trapped in traffic in a suburb of shards out on the lake.
"Share Your Faith"  Nature or Nurture.
"Roots & Wings Contest"  Verna Irene

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