Safe to cross I can hit a pickleball at a motorbike. If it drives onto a pickle ball court, then it is playing pickleball. In the mirror I can see them coming. If they don’t slow down, then neither do I. Pickleball! If you want to play pickleball with me, then come out and play. Q. Do you know how to play pickleball? Do you play it? Tell me something that you are good at.Q. Speeding on a motorbike is…
Jealous of attention My coworker got a haircut, and everyone at work was excited and made a lot of noise. But nobody noticed when I got a haircut last week. It was a beautiful event when the trees shed their leaves. I was excited. Maybe there should have been a lot of noise and a big party with cake and everything. Q. When did you last get a haircut? Did you receive any compliments? Did you like the haircut?Q. Tell…
I was going to do homework today, but instead I went for a long walk. It was worth it. It was worth it because I needed a break. I’ve been thinking about work a lot, and I needed to just put it out of my mind for a while. The long walk felt good. The weather was just lightly raining all day long. I listened to podcasts on my headphones as I was walking. Putting off work was worth it…
The word ‘blank’ comes from the old French word ‘blanc’, which means white. The following examples give a sense of how the word is used. A blank stare is a facial expression which shows no thought or emotion. “The patient does not respond to anything. He only stares blankly at the wall. His mind is somewhere else.” A blank slate is a fresh start, a new beginning. “The criminal wants to leave his past behind. He completed his prison term…
Cheese and warmth I’m happy to be in Vietnam, and I almost don’t miss anything at all about the USA. But there are just a couple things which I miss a little bit. I miss cheese. Sometimes I feel hungry but don’t want to eat rice. I just think about biting a big piece of cheese. It’s hard to feel satisfied without it. I also miss the cold, I think. Not that I like being cold, but I remember things…
Urban environments can be loud. Living in such a loud environment is challenging for many. I’ll give you a couple tips on how to cope with urban noise. First, find quiet spaces. Even though you are in the city, you can find some places which are quiet. This may be in your home, or outside at a big park or empty cafe. Second, use headphones. Headphones give you some control over what you are listening to, even while out in…
I studied agriculture in college, but I didn’t follow a career in that field. Instead I became an itinerant teacher. But I don’t think that I wasted my degree. Even if I never grow any rice or keep any bees (which I hope I do), it would still be worth it to have studied agriculture. I’m enjoying taking photos of rice paddies, probably because I know a little about plants and soil and stuff. They say ‘the more you learn,…
Topic: change of environmentThesis: I can adjust to a new environment In the countryside in Cambodia it is a very different environment than what I am used to. On my first night I was in a bad mood because I was tired from travel and in a strange place. My second day here has been much better. Cambodia has a very hot and humid climate. At first it was hard to get used to feeling sweaty all the time. I…
You may believe that people in ancient times had a more “real” life. But whether life was more real now or in the past depends on how you look at it. In the past, people didn’t have as much access to information. Most knowledge wasn’t written down. People didn’t know as much about important things like medicine and geography. Life expectancy was shorter in the past. There was more disease and less medical knowledge. Also, people often went hungry if…
Wearing sandals indoors is a cultural practice in Vietnam. There are several reasons behind this tradition. People remove their shoes before entering a home to keep the living space clean. Wearing sandals that are only for indoor use helps to prevent dirt and other contaminants from coming in from outside. People also like sandals for their comfort and practicality. They are easy to slip on and off. They also help keep your feet cool on a hot day. These are…