A must to share, a must to see #พิษสวาทเดอะมิวสิคัล

Not so often that I wish I could have time to write right away! The feeling came to me after I saw the Musical, 'พิษสวาทเดอะมิวสิคัล', literally meaning toxic from love.

I'm a musical fan and this one is a bit more special to see that the cast includes my former student (Thanongsak Supasup) back from my Trimitr days ka. We talked on the phone to learn more about how he decided to join in (jumped out of his sabai box) since he has been a TV/movie star all along. He's assigned to sing one piece and was telling me he has tried hard to stay in tune (being humble dee mak loei ka). His appreciation of being a part of the performance and the sharing about backstage and all preparations made me very much look forward to seeing it....and it's in fact beyond any word to describe my feelings ka.

Wish to share the following ka:

• The audience was told at the beginning that Musicals are two-way communication so we could feel free to react and play along as part of the show ka.....work mak to let us know before hand so I participated fully (till my youngest sister said my loud cheering troubled her ears loei ka 5555!
• The musical offers a good mix of fear and fun to capture our attention throughout. Noticing little details they managed on stage too. It runs for over 2 hours and for me, time flew by far too fast ka.
• The story is wisely crafted for us to follow what the lead actor (ตู่ ภพธร my fave!) has been facing back from the Ayutthaya period till present.
• The singing abilities of the lead performers as well as the songwriters, and the orchestra are all very impressive and I was teary several times from listening to the pieces (somehow by the lead actor!). No need to say anything about the lead actress as she was understudy as 'ทับทิม' Tabtim in the Musical, 'The King and I' in London recently. 

Even I can't really express my feelings well, I'd like to share my lessons learned.

Firstly, talent has to go along with determination and commitment of the full team to become successful.

Secondly, understanding lyrics and the story well inspires me to think of a few things ka. By the way, they do have English translation but knowing Thai is the best jing jing!

  

               - It's impossible not to have 'bad and corrupt people, yet, it's hopeful we have those who are ready to fight for our country.' 

              -The gratitude expressed to our homeland is to have the purpose to fight for our country especially in times of need, even it could mean, 'one's huge sacrifice'.

              - Looking at the big picture to include other perspectives is essential to avoid misunderstanding while enhancing a healthier relationship.

Thirdly, I feel so proud of our Thai people's talent and passion to give a real delightful and professional musical. It's their labor of love as well. 

Lastly, having active participation of the audience really boosted the cast further to perform even better while increasing their inner joy in offering it ka. My student told me that the performers enjoyed the energy sent from the audience so much that it turned out to be the very best show ka.

Thumbs up to Khun Boy Takonkiet, the productor, and all in the team ka!

For those who wish to see it, it'll be on until July 23 ka.

Happy me to share it to you all ka! I can now go off to do other things ka.

Skooldio student's learned lessons

 Hello everyone!

Finally, after having been tied up with several things, I could have some time exploring my free gift from Skooldio at the ‘Mission to the Moon Forum’.

It’s on, ’30-Day AI Boost: Unlocking Productivity and Happiness’, which sounds very interesting as an introduction ka.

The course is broken into smaller parts which require around 3-7  minutes every day. The topics offered are physical and mental health, strengthening relationships, work efficiency, creativity, and self improvement. All with some good ways to use ChatGPT ka. Love it that most if not all the sections, include names of books/articles related to the topics for us if we want to research further ka.

The narrator from AI-generated is natural dee ka. When pronouncing English words, it’s a bit more like Thais to stress at the final syllables and doesn’t sound like broken English ka.

What I’ve learned:

-   Ways to use of ChatGPT with examples of Prompts, e.g. ‘Generate a personalized morning fitness routine based on my fitness level, time availability, and specific goals’ followed by specific info about us and what we need to know; 'Give me affirmations for self-confidence' or 'Prompt me to reflect on a recent act of kindness that made me feel grateful', etc.

 

We are reminded to check Google further to know about some facts and even some YouTube clips that may not exist ka.

-  For mental health, it could be helpful for today's kids who seek safe and no-judgement zones using AI. We could get some affirmations like 'I am strong and resilient, and I have the inner resources to overcome any obstacle.' or 'I have a positive mindset that empowers me to overcome challenges and achieve my goals.' 

It sounds like being self-hypnotized somehow ka:))!

Yet, it seems to me that even asking about our own feelings, we can simply ask ChatGPT and then get some questions and choices for us to pick.....similar to having multiple choices ka. 

Feel we'll eventually lose our own selves and thoughts without any urge to use some personal efforts to capture our own feelings and learn about them first.

- Advice on how to practice some 'how-to' like active listening, empathy, how to navigate difficult conversations or resolve conflicts. It offers some role play sets of conversation ka.

On the whole, it’s amazing and worrying ka!

Amazing because this beginner plans to pursue other courses ka! Afraid to belong to 'Useless Class' as identified by Yuval Harari ka.

AND worrying because ChatGPT's capabilities grow much higher and faster with more and more humans depending on it, we'll lose the real human qualities of empathy, sacrifice, humility, and others.

Worried too?

Thoughts from former UA CEO

Dear all, Monday has come to us far too fast even when I feel I have the luxury of time na ka. 

For this week, I’d like to share what I’ve listened from my favorite podcast program, ‘How Leaders Lead by David Novak’, June 8, 2023, interviewing Oscar Munoz, former Chairman & CEO of United Airlines ka. 

Since I’ve registered as a member of ‘Weekly Leadership Plan’, life is even easier ka. Besides listening to the interview, we can get email with a key takeaway ka. 

Several things left on my mind and others from the key takeaway are:

1.   ‘Heart’ --- seems more and more books and discussions from the West mention repeatedly about it….how we need to care for people’s emotions and hearts!

 

I recall too that this CEO Munoz said some people may have much harder personal/family life. So, he wanted to make sure that the workplace has become a pleasant place for them ka. Sounds so good to soothe their feelings and to boost energy for engagement and productivity na ka.

In the key takeaway, it reads, ‘If you want to create buy-in, don’t simply focus on the strength of your ideas and strategies. Connect with the hearts of the people you lead by listening and building trust.’

2. When asking one word other people would use to describe him, he said, ‘human’. I liked it right away, showing how caring as well as vulnerable he could be…authentic dee ka.

3.  David Novak proposed three practical steps to connect with people’s hearts: slowing down to make space to connect with one’s team(s), sharing stories/anecdotes to reach a deeper emotional level; and involving others in key decisions.

4. Never too late to do the right thing! Leaders have to admit they’ve made mistakes and owned them ka! So admirable even at the time he was admitting a big mistake from ‘overbooking’, it was seen as something he shouldn’t have said. Only later the same situation became what people regarded as ‘proper to be done!’

I feel that it seems that westerners are getting to be more Asians in some good ways. What about us Asians ka?

Warm regards,

My forever energizers

 Happy Monday kaaa!

The past week happened to be one of the busiest these days. Yet, it concluded well with a reception for recent Fulbright alums and current grantees at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After quite a few years, my hope was a success....no floods, no Covid, no emergencies, hindering me from attending it ka. 

It was so 'good to heart' ....ดีต่อใจ 5555! Memories flowed back to the time when I was still with Fulbright to manage such a meaningful event to feel the pride with the grantees and their parents/supervisors. 

It was even better to meet with a good number of our alums....boasting nidnueng that I believe I know them all ka. Having seen them grow well in their careers and personal lives couldn't make it happier ka. More importantly, they were invited because of their kind spirit of helping Fulbright in numerous ways. 

• To pre-screen applications, reading essays and rating them....sure took up a long time to get them done completely ka
• To serve on our interview panels, selecting the best and brightest who have good hearts and are willing to lead across cultures
• To share their experiences with new grantees
• To be involved in other special functions throughout the year

It isn't just what they help that makes me feel great ka. The wonders of them are always seen and felt. For example, one flew from Hatyai to share his experience with new grantees (without letting Fulbright know, meaning he was on leave and paid his way just for one session!) Another was when a Fulbright staff mentioned, '...., I'd like to ask for help.' She didn't even finish her first sentence to get a response 'yes' without questions asked ka. She told me that this spirit has been one important reason she continues to work with Fulbright Thailand ka.

If anyone asks me to identify only one thing that I like Fulbright most. I'd answer without hesitation that it's this event to see the first step of sending our grantees out and await their successful paths of cross-cultural learning ka. All through the process, we'd follow them at a distance as needed, and wait for them to return to be alums we're always proud of ka....definitely not  only about their academic achievement but about their humility and empathy for a warmer and more caring Fulbright circle and beyond.

They're my 'forever energizers', keeping me alert and active for days and weeks to come ka. 

Cheers to all my energizers, near and far ka....luv luv luv kaa

Third anniversary of Podcast

 Hello all. It's been a busy week and I just got back from giving a session in Krabi ka.

I simply wish to share with joy that the podcast Learn Plern Plern is already 3 years old ka. I couldn't believe how time flies while feeling thankful to my little team who has been helping without any complaints to listen to all the episodes before posting and to design the page plus upload it for our every Tuesday show ka. In addition, we have selected quotes from ep 1 on to share more with our readers who may prefer reading over listening ka.

We had one special 3rd year anniversary celebration the past Tuesday and I was happy to learn that Ajarn Tangkwa (Dr. Pimyupa Praphan), our Fulbright alum and podcast regular, found the sharing valuable to energize her especially in her down moments. She called our guest speakers 'unsung heroes' because they are all smart people who have been doing great things in their work, and aren't so known by many others. I feel  encouraged to keep going ka.

Arm (Jettawat Pravat) said that he was impressed with the consistency of the show as I didn't miss even one Tuesday ka:))! The program also offers various contents and thoughts, basically about life from different and interesting perspectives. It was funny he said listeners could be curious to see what theme I would offer and how the stories would go ka.

After some reflections, I know I myself am the one getting a lot out of this collective effort from learning far out of my field to planning and sharpening my moderating skill ka.

Have agreed to sail into the 4th year doing a bit shorter version with me telling some stories from what I read, listen to, or sessions I conduct similar to what I share here in this egroup ka. It'll give me something new to try ka.

Cheers.