-original-

April 1, 2026

It is 7:30 am and I have been sitting at my computer about 30 minutes, sipping my two cups of hot cocoa and watching Youtube along. My student told me at the end of February that she would come back in April. I texted her last night if she would come today the 1st or Monday the 6th. Well, while I am waiting for her to present I will tell you about my pets in Thailand.  I was not a pet person but my heart was wanting to raise animals of my own.

My memory went back to a very first picture that I have seen in my head. I was in Sukhothai province, Thailand lived with my step mother. My dad worked as a driver of a big consumable products company. He did not live at home for some period. My sister and I stayed with our step mother most of the time. She was a children nurse that time and we lived in the hospital accommodation. I was at the age less than 15. The first pet I am talking about was the bunny.  I do not remember how we got them. A couple of bunny and later only one left and NONE. I remembered that someone taught me to hold the bunnies' ears. They might not mine pets but my step mother's roommates, not sure. Anyway, the picture was the bunny dead with vegetable in the mouth. I heard adults talked that the vegetables ware not washing properly to clean the poison. 

In fact, I had experienced with animals, my grandfather's pets before moved to Sukhothai. My grandfather raised a white dove, a couple of gray dove , chickens, chicks and a white goose. They were very tame because he trained them well. He set the chicken coop in the back of the place. We lived in the small unit where was my grandmother workplace provided. There were a long permanent apartment when compare to the looks of the building in the USA. The wooden two stories apartment for each family. I liked to watch the chicks sleeping and their heads dripping again and again. That was funny.  However, I did not like to stay closed to mother and adult chickens because they always attacking  me. My grandfather let me grabbed the eggs in their coop, that time was scary because I must kept an eyes on the adult chickens. My grandfather always sprayed water at his doves and talked to them. Their sounds were loud and happy. My grandfather too them out of the cage that they were holding on the pole and never flew away. Also, his goose but I was scared of the goose because I got attack once by accident. I made the goose frighten not by intention.

Then, I did not remember the location house we stayed. That time my grandparents raised many colorful birds(นกหงส์หยก Budgerigar? )  in a big cage. They were beautiful.

Jump to Bangkok, I was in a middle school. One day, my sister and I came home and saw two dogs, one was bigger with long hair than the other. My grandfather got them for us. We picked our own dog. I pick the bigger and named him "Beke" which came from the popular football player on TV that time. I did not know the player but I heard his name too often. Haha. My sister picked the tiny with flat skin, without fluffy hair and called him " Jonn" (จ้อน). We do not know their breed. I remembered the fun and enjoying time with the dogs. Many years past, one day the skin dog was very sick and he was waiting for my sister to come home from school. My grandfather told us, "Jonn" was waiting for my sister. Yes, when my sister hold him not so long, he passed away in her hands. We buried him under the tree in the yard. We stayed in the rental house for several years before I moved to live with mom. 

FYI: My parents are divorced since we were young.

I had a change to visit my grandfather there when I grew up and my dog was very huge and old. Many years later, I heard about someone poisoning him because he was too big and his bark was too loud that bothered someone.

I lived with mom and attended a college there. I studied three years before attending Ramkhamheang University.  I saw friends raise fishes and I wanted to have some then I got ปลาหางนกยูง from Jatujak, the famous weekend market in Bangkok. I also got a nice garden decoration water bowl. It was shaping as a stump with a heron figure standing on it. I set that bowl on the 2nd floor in the back balcony at home and pouring my fish in it. I bought many of fish and enjoyed watching at them. Their tails were fluffy while swimming and their color were attractive. Eventually, on the hot sunny day I came back from school and found my fish were floating. They were dead because of the heat. I touched the water in the bowl. OMG! it was hot. That was my disaster crime. I told my friends and everyone about this even and they were laughing at me and sorry for the fish. I did not thought about the heat outside. I did not have experiences about raising fish. I moved out of my mother's house and lived on my own when I worked. I took that water bowl with me and put water in it without fish. Later, I gave it to my dad when they purchased a townhouse and set up a tiny garden in the front. They got the same kind of fish I had and put in it. The atmosphere was right then the fish lived happily there.

My last fish before I moved to the USA, the golden fish and the black vacuum fish not sure what its kind. One of my friend's boyfriends helped me with setting up the aquarium and oxygen in my apartment. Yes, I wanted to raise golden fish and learned how to for a while before decided to get them. I accidentally met my old friend who we worked together in once company years ago. She lived nearby and I visited her place. Her boyfriend stayed with her and he had a nice golden fish aquarium. That was my idea came from. I was excited on the day we were in the market, yes the same market where I got my first fish and boiled them. My friend and her boyfriend helped me looked and chose the suitable aquarium in my small apartment and all equipment needed also the healthy golden fish. 

Everything looks good at my apartment, he told me how much food to feed, how often to change water but for a short while the fish was dead one by one. I was sad but did not give up. I got new golden fish and tried one more time. That was before I moved. I had only two left, if I was not wrong and I saw my nieces raised the fish in a huge pot. There were lotus in the pot too. They did not have an oxygen system at all only natural.  I was getting that lotus once when I gave my heron bowl to dad and set the lotus in it before my dad got the fish.

I decided to give my last two golden fish to my nieces to take care of.

Those are my experiences about pets and next chapter I will tell you about the experiences with pets in the USA.

-copilot version / cut of many information-

History of My Pets in Thailand

April 1, 2026

It is 7:30 a.m., and I’ve been sitting at my computer for about half an hour, sipping my two cups of hot cocoa and watching YouTube. My student told me back in February that she would return in April, so last night I texted her to ask whether she would come today, the 1st, or on Monday the 6th. While I wait for her to show up, I want to tell you about the pets I had in Thailand.

I was never really a “pet person,” but my heart always wanted to raise animals of my own.

The First Memory — Sukhothai

My earliest picture of having pets goes back to when I lived in Sukhothai with my stepmother. My dad worked as a driver for a large consumer goods company, so he was away from home for long periods. My sister and I stayed with our stepmother in the hospital accommodation where she worked as a children’s nurse. I was younger than fifteen.

The first pets I remember were rabbits. I don’t remember how we got them — maybe they belonged to my stepmother’s roommates — but we had a pair of bunnies. Later, only one was left, and then none. I still remember someone teaching me to hold the rabbits by their ears. One day, I saw a bunny lying still with a piece of vegetable in its mouth. The adults said the vegetables hadn’t been washed properly and still had poison on them.

That image stayed with me.

Before Sukhothai — My Grandfather’s Animals

Before moving to Sukhothai, I had already been around animals because my grandfather raised many pets: a white dove, a pair of gray doves, chickens, chicks, and a white goose. They were all very tame because he trained them well.

We lived in a small wooden two‑story apartment provided by my grandmother’s workplace. Behind the building, my grandfather built a chicken coop. I loved watching the chicks fall asleep, their tiny heads dropping again and again — it was so funny. But I didn’t like being near the adult chickens because they always tried to attack me. When my grandfather asked me to collect eggs, I had to keep my eyes on the mother hens the whole time.

My grandfather loved his doves. He sprayed water on them, talked to them, and let them out of their cage. They would sit on the pole and never fly away. The goose was also trained, but I was scared of it because it attacked me once when I accidentally frightened it.

Later, my grandparents also raised many colorful budgerigars (นกหงส์หยก) in a big cage. They were beautiful.

Bangkok — Our First Dogs

Jump to my middle school years in Bangkok. One day, my sister and I came home and found two dogs waiting for us. My grandfather had gotten them for us.

We each chose one. I picked the bigger dog with long hair and named him Beke, after a famous football player whose name I kept hearing on TV. My sister chose the smaller dog with short, flat fur and named him Jonn (จ้อน). We never knew their breeds, but we loved them.

We had many fun years with them. Then one day, Jonn became very sick. My grandfather told us he was waiting for my sister to come home from school. When she finally held him, he passed away in her arms. We buried him under a tree in the yard.

We lived in that rental house for several years before I moved to live with my mom. (For context: my parents divorced when we were young.)

I visited my grandfather again when I was older, and Beke had grown huge. Later, I heard someone had poisoned him because his bark was too loud. That news broke my heart.

College Years — My Fish Adventures

When I lived with my mom during college, I saw friends raising fish and wanted to try. I bought guppies (ปลาหางนกยูง) from Jatujak Weekend Market and a beautiful garden-style water bowl shaped like a tree stump with a heron figure.

I placed the bowl on the second-floor balcony and filled it with fish. Their colorful tails were so pretty. But one hot day, I came home from school and found all the fish floating. The water was boiling hot under the sun. That was my “fish disaster,” and everyone laughed when I told the story — but they also felt sorry for the fish.

Later, when I moved out to live on my own, I took the bowl with me but kept only water in it. Eventually, I gave it to my dad when he bought a townhouse. He set up a tiny garden and put fish in the bowl again. The environment was right, and the fish lived happily.

My Last Fish Before Moving to the USA

Before I moved to the U.S., I raised goldfish and a black “vacuum” fish (I’m not sure of the English name). My friend’s boyfriend helped me set up an aquarium with oxygen and taught me how to feed and care for them.

At first, the fish kept dying one by one. I was sad but didn’t give up. I bought new goldfish and tried again. Eventually, I had two left. My nieces were raising fish in a big pot with lotus plants — no oxygen system, just natural water. I decided to give my last two goldfish to them before I left Thailand.

These were my pet experiences in Thailand. In the next chapter, I’ll tell you about my pets in the USA.

-copilot version / bring back information-

History of My Pets in Thailand

April 1, 2026

It is 7:30 a.m., and I’ve been sitting at my computer for about thirty minutes, sipping my two cups of hot cocoa and watching YouTube. My student told me at the end of February that she would come back in April, so last night I texted her to ask whether she would come today, the 1st, or on Monday the 6th. While I wait for her to show up, I want to tell you about my pets in Thailand.

I was not a pet person, but my heart always wanted to raise animals of my own.

Sukhothai — The First Bunny

My memory goes back to the first picture I can see in my head. I was living in Sukhothai province with my stepmother. My dad worked as a driver for a big consumable products company, so he didn’t live at home for long periods. My sister and I stayed with our stepmother most of the time in the hospital accommodation where she worked as a children’s nurse. I was younger than fifteen.

The first pet I remember was a bunny. Actually, a pair of bunnies — though I don’t remember how we got them. Maybe they were ours, maybe they belonged to my stepmother’s roommates. Someone taught me to hold the bunnies by their ears. Later, only one bunny was left, and then none.

The picture I still remember is the bunny lying dead with a piece of vegetable in its mouth. I heard the adults say the vegetables hadn’t been washed properly and still had poison on them.

That memory never left me.

Before Sukhothai — My Grandfather’s Pets

Before moving to Sukhothai, I had already experienced animals because my grandfather raised many pets: a white dove, a pair of gray doves, chickens, chicks, and a white goose. They were very tame because he trained them well.

We lived in a small unit provided by my grandmother’s workplace — a long wooden two‑story building with many rooms connected in a row, what we call ห้องแถว in Thai. It wasn’t really an apartment, but it looked a little like one when compared to buildings in the USA. At that time, I didn’t know anything about buildings in the USA. Behind the building, my grandfather set up a chicken coop.

I loved watching the chicks sleep, their tiny heads dropping again and again. It was so funny. But I didn’t like staying close to the mother hens or adult chickens because they always attacked me. When my grandfather let me grab the eggs from the coop, I had to keep my eyes on the adult chickens the whole time.

My grandfather always sprayed water on his doves and talked to them. Their sounds were loud and happy. He would take them out of the cage, let them sit on the pole, and they never flew away. The goose was also trained, but I was scared of it because it attacked me once when I accidentally frightened it.

Later, when we moved to another place, my grandparents raised many colorful budgerigars (นกหงส์หยก) in a big cage. They were beautiful.

Bangkok — Beke and Jonn

When I was in middle school in Bangkok, my sister and I came home one day and saw two dogs waiting for us. My grandfather had gotten them for us.

We each picked our own dog. I chose the bigger one with long hair and named him Beke, after a popular football player on TV at that time. I didn’t know the player, but I heard his name so often. My sister picked the tiny dog with flat skin and no fluffy hair and named him Jonn (จ้อน). We never knew their breed, but we loved them.

We had many fun years with them. Then one day, Jonn became very sick. My grandfather told us he was waiting for my sister to come home from school. When she held him, he passed away in her arms. We buried him under the tree in the yard.

We stayed in that rental house for several years before I moved to live with my mom. (For your information: my parents divorced when we were young.)

I visited my grandfather again when I grew up, and Beke had become huge and old. Many years later, I heard someone had poisoned him because he was too big and his bark was too loud.

College Years — The Fish Disaster (American Crime Scene Edition)

When I lived with my mom and attended college, I saw friends raising fish and wanted to have some too. I went to Jatujak Weekend Market in Bangkok and bought ปลาหางนกยูง (guppies) and a beautiful garden decoration water bowl shaped like a tree stump with a heron standing on it.

I set the bowl on the second-floor back balcony and poured my fish into it. I bought many fish and enjoyed watching them. Their tails were fluffy when they swam, and their colors were attractive.

Then came the disaster.

One hot sunny day, I came back from school and found all my fish floating. They were dead because of the heat. I touched the water in the bowl — OMG! It was hot.

If this were an American TV crime show, the scene would look like this:

• Victims: All my guppies

• Cause of death: Extreme heat

• Weapon: The sun

• Crime scene: My heron water bowl

• Prime suspect: Me

• Motive: Ignorance and zero fish‑raising experience

I told my friends and everyone about this event. They laughed at me and also felt sorry for the fish. I didn’t think about the heat outside. I had no experience raising fish.

Later, when I moved out of my mother’s house and lived on my own, I took the heron bowl with me and put only water in it. Eventually, I gave it to my dad when he bought a townhouse and set up a tiny garden in the front. I also gave him the lotus I had been growing, and he placed it in the bowl before adding fish. The atmosphere was right, and the fish lived happily there.

My Last Fish Before Moving to the USA

Before I moved to the USA, I raised goldfish and a black “vacuum” fish (I’m not sure what kind it was). One of my friend’s boyfriends helped me set up the aquarium and oxygen system in my apartment.

The idea came from an old friend I accidentally met. We used to work together years ago. She lived nearby, and when I visited her, I saw her boyfriend’s beautiful goldfish aquarium. That inspired me.

So one day, we went to Jatujak Market — the same market where I bought my first fish and boiled them. I was excited, walking around and choosing the aquarium, the equipment, and the healthy goldfish. I felt like a kid choosing toys.

Everything looked good in my apartment. He taught me how much food to feed and how often to change the water. But after a short while, the fish died one by one. I was sad but didn’t give up. I got new goldfish and tried again.

Before I moved, I had only two left. My nieces were raising fish in a huge pot with lotus plants — no oxygen system, only natural water. I decided to give my last two goldfish to them to take care of.

These are my experiences with pets in Thailand. In the next chapter, I will tell you about my experiences with pets in the USA.

Where did snakes come from?

 Original

 It is 10:21a on Sunday. I made two cups of cocoa as usual and brought them to my computer's room.  I started to make only one cup of cocoa and must dump the rest of hot water to the sink because my new electric hot water minimum level always for two cups. Later, I changed how I made my cocoa. Instead of two spoons of cocoa in a cup to two cups add one spoon of cocoa each. I used all hot water.

My dream last night was created from my thought about how clean of the. house. As the cleaning lady and I like to keep my house clean and tiny as much as I can. NO, I am not a perfectionist but I am allergic to dust and my grandmother trained me well to keep all things neatly and in their places. The dream started from, I was looking all my bathrooms and checking for the curb board if dusty. On Saturday night, I was doing this in real, Haha. Everything in real was satisfied, nothing dirty or dusty. Let's continue in the dream. Our house is a two stories with unfinished basement and I keep the basement clean as it. After checking the bathrooms then I saw myself outside the house. The house happened to have a high up lifted above the ground as same as a traditional Thai style. OMG! what was that in my head to create it, Haha. The first picture was a real style American house base on the ground and when I saw outside the house was transforming.

There were many plastic bags and paper covered the whole cement floor under the house and obviously saw a couple big grey-black snakes among the trash. Their heads appeared out of the bags and the bodies covered under the trash. I stood in distance and started to think about how to clean this area without snakes bit me. Then, I kept walking to the .... I did not see in my dreams but the scene changed to the back yard and a bit dull atmosphere, no sun light as same as the previous scene. It was behind the back wooden deck exactly we have one in real. The green grass was tall as my ankle level and I stopped walking further when I saw a very HUGE snake and a smaller. The HUGE one was black. Its size was bigger than my tight and the smaller one pattern like a python. Its size was as same as my hands. There were a group of people walking past by me out of nowhere. Haha. Were they my neighbors? I could feel, NO, they were not but they were people came for hiking, exercising as in the park. 

I knew myself and I could feel my brain thought along my dream but I did not want to change. I asked the first man in the group who walked near me, if they would walk past those snakes. I thought his answer was YES and he said, " We will walk carefully and pass those snakes fine." Then....I woke up. Haha

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I thought about Thai fortune when people dream about snake embrace means that person would meet the love, partner for marry. My dream was not like that then I looked in Thai fortune teller what will it says about my dream. The information said could be negative and positive. It concerns with life problems, financial conflicts, pressure and stress about facing the difficulty situation. Also, the snake is the iconic to treat, develop the culture in some communities. The snake is also a symbol of intention to self improvement or learning from the past experiences. The article NOTED, "Be careful of the dream define about snakes as it may just the thought under the subconscious. The suggestion from the article was doing self-exploration and understand self-feeling and adjusting the opinion, attitude of the situation and  focusing more of self- healthcare, both body and mind.

I enjoy reading and learning varies information but am not believing in the fortune. I am in the scientist side with the evidence and proof. I do not dream often. It may happen once a year, or two because I normally have not think or worry about anything when my head hits the pillow. I meditate by praying a short buddhist pray but never finished because I fall asleep. The secret of praying is focusing and emptying mind then easily to fall asleep. My husband has a sleeping problem and I told him to do as I have been doing. He has been trying and not successful yet but he keeps doing it. We wish, one day he will fall asleep easily. 

Do you have a sleeping problem? What would you do besides taking a sleeping pill?

AI version

It was 10:21 a.m. on Sunday. I made two cups of cocoa, as usual, and brought them into my computer room. At first, I tried making only one cup, but my new electric kettle has a minimum water level—always enough for two cups. So every time I made just one, I had to dump the extra hot water into the sink, which felt wasteful. Later, I changed my method: instead of two spoons of cocoa in one cup, I put one spoon into each cup and used all the hot water.

Last night’s dream came from my thoughts about keeping the house clean. As a former cleaning lady—and someone who likes her home tidy—I try to keep things neat, not perfect. I’m not a perfectionist, but I am allergic to dust, and my grandmother trained me well to keep everything in its place.

The dream began with me checking all the bathrooms, looking with my eyes to see whether the baseboards were dusty. On Saturday night, I actually did this in real life, haha. Everything was clean and satisfying. But in the dream, after checking the bathrooms, I suddenly found myself outside the house.

Our real house is two stories with an unfinished basement, and I keep that basement clean too. But in the dream, the house had transformed into a Thai‑style house lifted high above the ground. OMG—what was my brain doing, haha. One moment it was a normal American house, and the next it was raised up like that.

Under the house, the cement floor was covered with plastic bags and paper. Among the trash, I saw two large grey‑black snakes. Their heads poked out of the bags while their bodies hid underneath. I stood at a distance, trying to figure out how to clean the area without getting bitten.

Then the scene shifted. I didn’t see myself walking, but suddenly I was in the backyard. The atmosphere was dull, no sunlight—just like the previous scene. It looked exactly like our real wooden deck, but the grass was tall, up to my ankles. I stopped walking when I saw a HUGE black snake and a smaller one. The big one was thicker than my thigh. The smaller one had python-like patterns and was about the size of my hands.

Out of nowhere, a group of people walked past me—haha. Were they my neighbors? No, I could feel they weren’t. They were more like hikers passing through a park.

I asked the first man in the group whether they planned to walk past the snakes. I expected him to say yes, and he did: “We’ll walk carefully and pass them just fine.” Then…I woke up. Haha.

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Afterthoughts

In Thai fortune-telling, dreaming of a snake wrapping around you means you’ll meet your soulmate. My dream was nothing like that, so I looked up what it might mean. The interpretations were mixed—some negative, some positive. They mentioned life problems, financial pressure, or stress from difficult situations. They also said snakes can symbolize cultural beliefs, transformation, or self‑improvement.

The article warned not to take snake dreams too literally because they often come from subconscious thoughts. The suggestion was to explore your feelings, adjust your perspective, and focus on caring for your body and mind.

I enjoy reading different interpretations, but I don’t believe in fortune-telling. I’m on the science side—evidence and proof. I rarely dream anyway. Maybe once a year. When my head hits the pillow, I usually fall asleep right away. I meditate by praying a short Buddhist prayer, but I never finish it because I fall asleep. The secret is focusing and emptying the mind.

My husband has trouble sleeping. I told him to try what I do. He’s been trying, not successful yet, but he keeps going. We hope one day he’ll fall asleep easily.

Do you ever have trouble sleeping? What do you do besides taking a sleeping pill?

The Frog Adventures — Chapter One

 My Original

It is a small pond far away from the town. There is an army of frogs from nowhere setting a village around it. I call the village, "Gob-nai-gala" in Thai. In English, Gob= frog, nai=in, gala=coconut shell. The frogs in all sides never crossed to another side. Each frog own one coconut shell. Among them, there is a young male frog named "Choke" . He lays in his DIY hammock under his coconut shell everyday and sing the songs happily. He is different from most frog because he created his own way to enjoy himself which lift the coconut shell half way from the ground while the others stay inside, under the shells. The other shells only ajar enough to get-in and go-out.

Every frog stays in its space, its own GALA and only leave from the shell when searching for food. They will jump into the pond and head back directly to their own shells"homes". None goes out of the directly or stop at other shells. Also Choke, he does the same as everyone else.

One day after he fetched for food and fill his stomach enough for the day then he comes back to his hammock. He is lying on it and thinking, " I want to know, what do other frogs store inside their shells? What do their shell look like? Do they comfortable like mine?" Immediately, he is jumping off the hammock and walking to other frogs's shells in the same side. He knocks on each shells to call the owner and politely requests to get inside. He spent time until visited all in the same side of his space. He found out, none of the other shells look like his. The only darkness is all the other frogs have in their shells and ugly mold on top of the shells both inside and outside. None can compare to his shell. His space and the open shell with a DIY hammock are fantastic. The air flows through, bright and free of mold. However, he is still curious to know about the inside shells of the frogs in the other sides of the pond. If they will be different. Eventually, he prepares and collapses his hammock, flip his coconut shell up. He ties the hammock inside the shells and drags the whole into the pond.

to be continue...

AI (copilot) version

Far away from town, there is a small, quiet pond. Around this pond lives an army of frogs who appeared from nowhere and built a tiny village. I call this village “Gob‑nai‑gala.” In Thai:

• gob = frog

• nai = in

• gala = coconut shell

Each frog owns one coconut shell, and none of them ever crosses to another side of the pond. Every frog stays in its own shell, its own gala, and only leaves when searching for food. They jump into the pond, find what they need, and return straight home. No one stops at another frog’s shell. Even Choke, a young male frog, follows this rule.

But Choke is different.

Every day, he lies in his DIY hammock under his coconut shell and sings happily. While other frogs keep their shells barely open — just enough to get in and out — Choke lifts his shell halfway off the ground. His space is bright, airy, and free of mold. The others live in darkness, their shells covered with ugly mold inside and out.

One day, after he fetched his food and filled his stomach for the day, Choke returned to his hammock. As he lay there, he wondered:

“What do other frogs keep inside their shells? What do their homes look like? Are they comfortable like mine?”

Without waiting another moment, he jumped off his hammock and walked to the nearby shells on his side of the pond. He knocked politely on each one, asking to come inside. He visited every frog on his side and discovered that none of their shells looked like his. All were dark, cramped, and moldy. None could compare to his bright, open space with a handmade hammock.

Still, Choke remained curious. What about the frogs on the other sides of the pond? Would their shells be different?

Eventually, he made up his mind. He packed up his hammock, flipped his coconut shell upright, tied the hammock inside, and began dragging the whole thing toward the pond.

To be continued…