4th Podcast Anniversary and Legacy

Hello everyone! Hope your Monday has started nicely ka.

Late last week, I had a zoom session with my two volunteers as moderators to ask me about the podcast Learn Plern Plern and me as the show will celebrate its 4th anniversary next month and we'll be going into the 5th year ka. Here are what I found ka:

1. Even after I reflected on the questions asked, I realized how much more to reflect and to learn about me. The session also surprised me a little to see myself smiling throughout. It could mean that having this podcast, despite some added work and worries (and my own little complaints:))! about what and how to present each episode, I still am quite happy with it ka...hope I can do it till the 5th anniversary in June next year. My kid sister said I love to talk with people 5555! True? Yes but ..... na ka.

2. Ajarn Nok from Thaksin University, one moderator, saying that the podcast is a great legacy of mine! This wasn't what I thought about before and it has become my subject today ka. I've come up with these questions ka:

- In your view, does each of us need to leave something as legacy after we pass? Why?

- Do you think having left something as 'legacy' could create a stronger drive to become more contributive? 

- Have you thought about your 'legacy' before? What do you think would be yours?

For me, I still do what I think I can without much link with 'legacy' but having heard about it made me feel that at least, I'm doing some little things that could be useful for some ka.

3. Arm, PhD candidate at the King's College, London, my second moderator was stressing that my memories about studies abroad in the past along with other experiences could interest younger gens as they no longer see anything like that. He's at least 40 years younger ka. Do you think it'll be interesting mai ka?

4. Several key lessons from sailing into the 5th year of the podcast and I wish to go for 4D's ka: 

- Decision is crucial before getting started to do something for years.

- Discipline is required to make sure the project is delivered as planned. 

- Diligence comes into the picture to keep going even when time is tight and ideas are drying out. This is applicable to this particular egroup too ka....I don't really know why but I feel so very committed to writing every week....if there isn't any interesting story to share, I'd strive to do it the following week ka.

- Dream means 2 things ka -- dream as imagination to come up with content that should be in some way unique and useful, and dream team to help with everything from technical to content and presentations. I can't thank all, my little production team, guest speakers, and listeners ka.

In fact, I'd like to add the 5th D, which is 'dying for feedback and suggestions' as very few have sent in their views and ideas ka.

Any thoughts or suggestions from this message mai ka?

Porntip

Leadership and Passion at #NARIT

Hello All. Hope you had a very nice long weekend though quite a few of us here are full retirees na ka....go chill and slow as usual.

Last week, I went to NARIT (National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, a Public Organization since 2009) in Chiang Mai to discuss with them what best to offer to16 Americans who are high school teachers under Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad visiting us in July-August. I've been asked to help as a resource person of this Fulbright Seminar.

One full day spent at NARIT taught me a lot as I felt like crawling out of my sabai box to digest loads of new and definitely amazing information and insight, especially from Dr. Saran Poshyachinda, Executive Director. He said several key points: information about astronomy is universally shared, NARIT is a top-down agency with a passionate young workforce, and it's attracted world experts and agencies to collaborate. 

Its vision is, 'To be a world-renowned organization in Astronomy, Technology, and Innovation'.

The following are what I got from this visit ka:

- The vision works well with some evidence seen along the way, e.g. world known astronomers are eager to work with this organization during active and retirement days, global awards, action-oriented collaboration, passionate young gen stay on to experiment, etc.

- Leadership is key to success as senior leaders use the top-up approach to align the policies to all levels while designing the organization to have shorter layers of authority. Here, I see clearly the leaders' role as the link between the workforce and the world.

- Leaders act like doctors, making rounds very often  to learn how things have progressed with advice and help as needed.

- Capacity building is given regardless of age and authority for maximum relevant learning responsive to the assigned tasks and beyond. This could be regarded as 'opportunity packages' available to young passionate teams to pursue their common dreams and goals ka.

- Passion is at the core of NARIT's culture. I gather that it has been used as one recruitment criterion. It's been able to get younger ones with strong passion  in astronomy and  space-related technology. What is very crucial is opportunities that are always open for them to do related research that answer real-life problems identified, increasing learning and leading to innovation. 

- Igniting, enhancing, and sustaining passion begins from much younger age through its inspiring outreach activities. Love it to include disabled kids particularly the blind! Extremely challenging and they can do it successfully through sound and senses.

- This is an organization that can be a showcase of being local, glocal, and global, striving to bring the best of local expertise and wisdom to the region and the world. Its collaboration is far beyond thinking of visits and MOU signings but some concrete projects partners have mutual interest and objectives.

These days, I've heard westerners talk more about being glocal when the term was coined over 2 decades ago. I guess that it could be because local contexts and wisdom have been increasingly recognized globally na ka.

I left the place, feeling proud and more hopeful for our weakening Thailand ka.

#Peaceful Death (3)

Hello all! I don't let you get away ka, coming to say hi with the last email message about the second story from my Peaceful Death participation kaaa.

We learned about 'Tonglen' (ทองเลน) technique, which is  a meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism.The process is for us to be focused to give and send positive energy to the other while taking into oneself the worries or sickness to 'recycle' before sending pure energy back and continue doing so for 10 minutes. 

I tried healing my friend's ankle using it and surprisingly, she said she felt some electrical waves from my hand to her ankle ka. I then was highly mindful when doing it ka.

We went as volunteers to Nakornpathom hospital to visit patients ka. My friend and I chose to visit a stroke patient. Since the patient couldn't talk and basically slept all day, my friend talked with her son and I to her daughter ka. 

I tried using Tonglen on her to notice how she held my hand so tightly. I also observed that she breathed faster. Her daughter said she suffers from asthma but after a while, she started breathing normally. She opened her eyes much longer than the previous days and responded quite well. I think the process we learned worked even I couldn't say how much it was ka. I did it on her daughter and told her to take extra care of herself so she could offer her care to her mom ka.

Lessons learned from us and from other experiences are:

- Tonglen works with the giver's high mindfulness and pure intention ka. It could at least give the caregivers some encouragement and hope for what's best for the patients ka.

- Family bond is touching. The son is in another province but ready to be responsible for their mom's rehabilitation as they'll move her to a center very close to where he's staying. The daughter was crying feeling she could only visit her mom on weekends when she could see her mom every day in Nakornpathom ka.

- A brief volunteers' visit could boost the spirit of patients' relatives in time of need. It'd be good for us to do it when we can ka.

- Be prepared for our own selves and our loved ones to suffer/pass at any time with some unexpected conditions or sickness. Several cases were shocking and some of us visited during their very final hour ka. 

Have to admit that I dared not choose to be at ICU or Accident/ Emergency Department ka. 

The visit has changed my total perspective of how one visit should be and how we should approach patients as visitors ka.

I now have my completed สมุดเบาใจ, plan to keep up my daily meditation and practice ทองเลน. Hopefully, I'll be more prepared for the uncertain future of life.

Stay healthy and prepared na ka.