Aging and Growth

 I'm reading a book entitled, 'Art Therapy and Creative Aging' by Raquel Chapin Stephenson ka.....surprised to see what I am into mai ka? In fact, I was talking with my niece who's studying for her master's in Art Therapy, she mentioned that this book has some storytelling sections and I love to read it loei ka.

I have two more chapters to go but wish to share with you some learning ka:

- Art Therapy is quite a new area that has yet to develop theories gathered from experiences and experiments.

Guess that is one of the reasons why storytelling plays a key role here too ka.

- Love it when it regards aging as growth, not just as physical decline...this will make many elderly feel more encouraged to live a dignified and happy life.

Hard to lead a life as an elderly but as a part of real life, learning how is a good way to keep a better life.

- The author stresses that we should value elders' qualities like wisdom, creativity, and problem-solving to say the least. 

I think if all generations optimize them, we sure will see more fine initiatives and successes with shared pride na ka.

- Some cases mentioned several who are above 90 and frail, suffering from some physical issues like blindness and weak mobility as well as mental problems like stress, dementia. Art therapy helped them focus and feel motivated to create more with increased meanings to go on ka.

The frail situations are what we need to expect and get as ready as we can!

- To know how best to use art therapy, it seems to work when art therapists know more about the persons' history, their physical limitations, and creative selves to help form a sense of community and interactions.

I'm learning to prepare for my older self's readiness kaa!

Singapore Leadership

Hello all. These days, Singapore continues to amaze me with its strategic thinking and actions. I watched an interview with Gan Kim Yong, Deputy PM, who sat with 3 younger interviewers, answering everything from his own personal life and work. Quite fun loei ka.

Here are my key takeaways:

1. Being authentic to express feelings genuinely makes it so pleasant for the interview to get started and continue smoothly (both with fun and essence).

DPM was asked how he was approached to take up this position, He said that PM Lawrence Wong said he would call him some time. DPM was kind of nervous so he went into his email communication and listed down what went wrong to be ready for the call. The PM was asking him about the position and it was unexpected. He called his wife to ask her and got the same unexpected sound. The question was obvious about the culture and family relationship na ka.

I went back to learn more about his profile and saw that he's been through important positions especially Health Minister during COVID time ka.

Looking back at our country, my questions relate to politicians' competence and comfort to be interviewed in a less formal setting.

2. Keep things simple and communicate well!

DPM stressed the importance of communication to enable the public to understand and cooperate. He said sometimes, Singapore tends to have complicated plans and it's tough to send the messages across. It won't be perfect but they will accept the mistakes.

During the COVID time, it was very stressful and it was best to do it upfront with honest and transparent information sharing. He added that the current tariff issue has distanced the world from rule-based to have a new norm for SG to go forward.

If we only focus on our COVID challenges, we sure did real well and there could be so many lessons learned to capture for future management. I also thought of late Governor handling the หมูป่า rescue. Yet, for the tariff, I feel the public has been left to be more in the dark.

3. Confidence in strong fundamentals helps ease challenges.

When he was asked to give one most challenging incident he could think of right away. He shared a story when hackers attacked one hospital when things had to go manual before imposing it on all hospitals in the country. He was under deep stress and called the hospital about how to handle it if it went manual to learn that the director assured him she was ready. He then got the approval from the PM to take action. It went quite ok and he appreciated the people involved for their readiness and the assurance given to him, leading him to take the risk successfully.

What could be expected in our Thai context ka?

4. Space technology means more than going to space!

Some people could be doubtful why a very small country like Singapore invests a lot on space technology. He shares that the main objectives are to go after its technologies and learn about its supply chains in the space sector as well as to observe the earth for climate change issues and prediction of possible natural disasters.

I thought of some earlier communication about our efforts to go to the moon. Needed to emphasize on some concrete and impactful benefits na ka.

Any thoughts after reading this mai ka? How I wish we had such a highly capable leader and team administration ka!

Mother and Son Relationship

 Hope you all  had a happy Songkran ka!

I haven't shared with you that much about the 'Learn Plern Plern' podcast ka. This June, we can celebrate the 5th anniversary laew ka....time flies jing jing.

But what I'd like to mention is about this month's episodes ka. Since it's the Songkran month, the theme for the whole month is about 'relationships' ka.

This month has 5 Tuesdays so we started from the daughter-father from the daughter's impression, the wife-husband from the wife's perspective, the mother-son from both sharings, friendship from the Fulbright circle from a junior friend, and relationship with self to end the month. 

I'd like to talk about this week's episode ka. It's about Ajarn Nantana/Noi (previously AUN/ MFU senior leader) and Plai, her son who's a lawyer. Several things that I asked turned out to be so touching ka.

First, I asked them to rate their relationship from 1-10, 10 being highest. Mom gave 8, saying that she wished she could have done more as she was a working woman and wished she could have had more time to spend with her son. Plai rated 7, reasoning that he's already married and has his own place so he feels he hasn't done much for Mom and 7 gives him room to do more ka.

Second, on what best story they could remember the other. Amazingly, both thought of the same time and location, yet different stories ka. Plai said he feels so thankful to his mom for bringing him (7 years old) and his kid sister to Scotland when Mom studied for her doctorate. Basically, she took care of them alone as dad had to work back in Thailand. The experience then has enhanced his own perspective and skills in his life ka.

Mom recalled that she suffered from severe back pain and had to stay still most of the time. LIttle Plai at 8 took care of his little sister and prepared things for her before they went off to school, and again helped out after school which made Mom feel so touched. Plai was saying that he didn't think of anything much then as it was something he thought he should do, that was all....really natural of him lae ka.

Third, when Ajarn Noi had to be hospitalized in the Philippines during her official mission a few years ago. Being a working woman, she managed things by herself and her colleagues. After several days, she called Plai to let him know her condition and Plai flew there to help out. This incident gave both some thinking ka. Ajarn Noi was very proud of her son, knowing that she could depend on him in times of trouble. Plai was saying that he was worried about his Mom and was glad she called. Otherwise, he would have been upset, not being told or able to help when needed. 

They agreed that communication from the heart was essential for healthy relationships.

Lastly, I couldn't be happier to know that they both learned a bit more about the other from this little reflection. Both even appreciated each other more ka.

It's one episode that brought me smiles for days ka....narak mak mak  kaaa! In case you wish to listen, here's the link ka: https://soundcloud.com/p-kanjananiyot/learn-plern-plern_ep-254

Me and Copilot on Obama's Speech

 Hi everyone! On Sunday, I got a link from our egroup friend, Gao, about a speech delivered by Obama on April 4. That led me to read and think of sharing loei ka.

I read this article na ka: Big crowd cheers Barack Obama at Hamilton College: 'Values worth fighting for' by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch, April 5, 2025 (updated version).

Feeling closer to Mr. Copilot in my notebook, I cut and pasted part of the news I liked and asked it to capture key points for me. Here's what is done ka:

- Reflection and Values: Obama reflected on his presidency, emphasizing the importance of standing up for values, perseverance, and the impact of hard work.

- American Democracy: He highlighted the foundational principles of democracy—rule of law, separation of powers, and freedoms like worship and press—while expressing concern over their erosion due to inequality, unresponsive governance, and attacks on the free press.

- Inclusion and Diversity: Obama underscored the worth of all individuals, regardless of race, gender, or beliefs, and advocated for inclusion and cooperation as values worth fighting for.

- Communication and Listening: He shared his journey from being a dry speaker to a storyteller, emphasizing listening as a vital skill for understanding diverse perspectives and fostering collaboration.

- Challenges of Modern Connectivity: Obama critiqued the divisive nature of online communities, where echo chambers and anonymity can lead to harmful interactions.

- Call to Action: He urged individuals to address these challenges, emphasizing that shared values and cooperation lead to personal fulfillment and collective progress.

I think it was inspiring and brought people more hope too ka.

The very long article turned out to be quite satisfactory from my selected version ka. How do you like it ka, meaning both essence and Copilot's performance?

About the speech, I think it was inspiring and brought people more hope too ka....wish we could be hopeful with our country and its management na ka...so depressing!