End of April Updates

It's the last day of April and there are significant updates worth writing about. The updates include Ying's current location, the development of the house in Rattapoom, and new covid restrictions. Let's start with Ying. She has decided to enter a temple for a few days. She'll be participating in round-the-clock meditations and worship that normally takes place in any given temple. This isn't something unusual for Thais to do. I've had friends who told me they'd be entering a temple for a few days as well. This doesn't include the necessary monkhood all men in Thailand have to go through either. All nuns in Thai temples have shaved heads. Shaving your head isn't necessary for people temporarily joining a temple. However, Ying wanted to be fully immersed in her faith. And plus, to me she looks just as lovely with a shaved head.

She didn't say when she'd be back. I think she's just going with the feel. I'm alright with being home alone. I'm feeling productive and spending a little bit of time with self-reflection. I'm happy to be where I am. I remember what it was like to be living alone. The food I make and the food Ying makes are two completely different stories. Ying makes traditional Thai food following their original recipes. I just put a few ingredients on the pan and spice it up. Earlier I made purple carrot tofu. It turned out quite tasty and it'll be my evening meal as well. 

The following pictures illustrate the developments going on at the new house in Rattapoom. The wood is really coming together. Ying was there earlier in the week and she took these photos. Actually, she deserves credit for taking all of the photos on this page. I've been isolated at home and doing my best to enjoy it. Keeping busy with what's most important to me and watching a documentary series on Dr. Dre also helps. Last year, I wrote an article about how to overcome boredom in self-isolation. A lot of the things I mention in this post about being in the present moment are still very relevant at this time - even more relevant with the third and final update.

 

The ceiling planks weren't yet in place on my last visit to the house. 

The insides have also been planked up.

There was an official government announcement today. They extended the lockdown of educational institutions until the end of May. Apparently, a curfew is also in place. The new curfew prohibits anyone from leaving their homes between 9pm to 4am. This is the second update on the curfew since my last post about entering a lockdown. Between that post and this one, there was another slight adjustment made to the curfew. I'm happy with these restrictions as it means the spread of the virus will most likely be slowed down. 

For now, I'm hoping for the best. I have two young students whom I'm teaching online. Hopefully, nobody will be left without basic essentials throughout the lockdown. I haven't left the house in days and it's a good thing there are enough eggs and tofu to last me another couple of days. When the eggs do hit the fan, I'll go out and buy some more. Until then, I'm staying home with my mind on my music and my music on my mind. Still.

The updated staircase graces the face of the house.

A closer look at the staircase. It's not yet complete. It still needs the upper platform to connect the steps to the deck. I'm not really sure if it'll have railings. We'll see.