THE NEW NORMAL, ONE YEAR LATER

“The corona virus is here to stay,” said the Professor Ooi Eng Eong in the recent zoom webinar on “Covid-19 Vaccinations and Coping with Anxiety” organized by the Singapore Global Network. This was an expected but unwelcomed statement, a reality that most of us find it hard to swallow. In any case, life since the […]

The joys of Chiang Mai

The year 2020 which ushered in the horrific Covid-19 pandemic has been a traumatic one for all of us. Having been cooped up in Bangkok for the last eight months, I was getting itchy feet and ready to travel. The invitation from the Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA) to visit Chiang Mai in November […]

Out of Thailand in to Africa

Jambo, jambo,” the deep and gentle voice of the security guard breaks the dead silence of the night. “This is your morning call.” “Jambo”, meaning “hello” in Swahili, was the first word we heard as a greeting from our wake-up caller. He was our  mobile alarm clock since there were no telephones in our tented […]

Koh Tao 6 Jansom

Koh Tao – close encounter of the aquatic kind

Of all the beautiful beaches in Thailand, the ones in Koh Tao or Turtle Island are, by far, our all-time favourite. Located in the Gulf of Thailand east of Surat Thani, this 21 square kilometre island has many attractive beaches that visitors can never get enough of. It is a popular place for scuba divers […]

brahm

Happiness through meditation

Meditation is not for everyone. If you like it, embrace it. If you don’t, let it go. Like many things in life, I got into meditation by chance through an invitation of a dear friend. Her family was a great supporter of the venerable Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahm and he was coming to Bangkok to give a Dhamma talk. […]

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Taiwan

Where to go when in Taiwan

Taiwan, here we come Although Taiwan is only a little over three hours by plane from Bangkok, not too many people living here in Thailand think of it as an enticing holiday destination. But after spending five days there recently, we can happily conclude that Taiwan certainly is a place worth visiting. One fine November […]