A Slow Start To 2021

Unfortunately, I haven't been as attentive as I wanted to be on my blog. You might think that for someone who has very little social-media usage, I would have a lot of time leftover to tend to my blog. However, the little time I spend with social media has made me spend less time online in general. When I moved to Hatyai about four years ago, I had made a decision to stop using Facebook. And I still feel good about that decision. Right now, my challenge is to stay connected as an artist. Nearly all of the current wave of dance music producers easily subscribe to social media, as that's where most everyone's attention is focused. It's an easy decision to jump on that train. 

For me, that train has left long ago and I've been preoccupied with wondering about other ways to stay connected online. This blog is one way, though I've noticed I get much more clicks anytime I share a link on my old Facebook account. That's pretty obvious but it's still not enough incentive for me to jump back on the social media frenzy. To be honest, I'm happier without it. 

Currently in Hatyai, there are no lockdown measures in place. People are told to stay home and not go out as much as possible but no strict rules are in place. Masks need to be worn in public places of course. Covid cases are lower than ever. There were two new cases in the province at the beginning of the year. I haven't heard of new cases since then. I spend a lot of my time at home with Ying. I haven't seen a lot of my friends in months. 

A four year old student of mine drew this picture of me.

Synchronicity - an alignment of 8s.

I've been busy making music and various other projects that go along with that. The various side projects need no announcement as I will reveal them on the blog as they are finished. Making music takes up most of my free time. A few days ago, I was told that one of my students' dropped his course. In other words, he didn't sign up for a new one. That frees up my Monday and Tuesday evenings. I'm not worried about the reduction of income. Oppositely, I feel good about the opportunity to use that extra time towards my music as well.

As for Couchsurfing, I still have my status set to Not Accepting Guests. This is also a precautionary measure against the pandemic. I don't think I would have been receiving many requests anyway with the  national borders closed. Parts of the country are in lockdown. And the global community doesn't seem to be showing a lot of signs of improvement these days. As a Couchsurfing Ambassador, I attend the monthly meetings online with other Ambassadors. Actually, there's a meeting tonight. 

The car being towed in this picture is a Renault. It may be the first Renault I've ever seen in Thailand. Renault was the brand of our first car in Turkey. It was a white Renault Spring. 

I found some instruments at a second-hand market.

The first picture taken this year.

I took this photo today as I was interested in the street art on the wall. However, I think I captured the attention of the men sitting around and having tea as well. I pointed out to Ying that one of the guys looks a bit frustrated with me taking a photo. Ying pointed out that another guy is smiling as he took the opportunity to pose.