Soap Box #5: A Homage To All Those Beautiful Souls From My Past, Present & Future

A Living Eulogy

*Please note: I plan to share an audio version of this particular post soon, which will include some Easter Eggs and extra info. However, I am yet to perfect a good version, as I've been coping with a rather nasty cold lately (no, not the Coof, just in case you might be wondering, although it is somewhat morbidly fascinating to watch others' reactions when I cough or sneeze in public, admittedly, mea culpa. They visibly look at though they are about to run and dive for cover, lol). I have also invested in a pretty decent mike (as in microphone, not our Mike, Rose, lol!) from my wonderful friends at Dalat Laptop, so, hopefully this will improve the sound quality of a recording. I would really like to get it just right - that is my inner-nerd and perfectionist revealed – right off-the-bat, no less!

Just two other minor disclaimers before we officially get started: I have *Squirrel* Syndrome, yup, it's a thing. For those of you who may not be familiar with this particular reference, it basically means I tend to get distracted with my original train of thought, to follow a loosely-related different tack. Having said this, in as far as possible, I always try to steer back on track. It's just how my brain works. For more info on *squirrels*, follow this link to Soap Box #4: A Collection Of My Favourite Music & Music Videos.

This, brings me to the next point and last relatively minor disclaimer: you may encounter obscure references and seemingly nonsensical sentences, this is to be expected and has been anticipated by your author, c'est moi. I would, however, (insert one of Mr. Nigel Norman's infamous Pregnant Pauses) highly recommend you familiarize yourself with this particular reference, namely, *squirrel*, as it is frequently used throughout my writing.

Yes, of course, you as your beautiful, unique self, may, in fact, not follow my exact train of thought or get certain references, like *squirrel!* from time to time. That's OK, in as far as possible, I have tried to add URL links (the fonts which are in blue, Gran) to save you from the inevitable Googling, or in my case, DuckDuckGo-ing, that may result. Yup, Teacher Di: guilty as charged. Just, pretty please, make sure you come back to finish reading this article, OK?

I will, however, gladly help guide people, to gain a better understanding, should they require clarification – there's absolutely no shame in being humble enough to say we don't understand a concept, reference or idea. Why do you think Google is the top ranking and most visited website ever and has held this position for 10+ years? We all want to know dumb shit (sorry, Mom Wendy) sometimes, and we are, collectively, perhaps, too lazy, apathetic or embarrassed to ask our elders or those in the know. Shout out to the Boomers out there, said tongue-in-cheek, "Like, soooo last year: the phrase 'Boomers'. Tsssk", eye roll, hair flip followed by a swift heel swirl. I say the following with absolutely no facetious, nasty or sarcastic undertones nor ill-intentions, whatsoever: I value ye old folk of yonder, year. Some of you may smell a tad peculiar from time to time, but putting that aside, most of you definitely and undeniably, have much value to offer us, precocious and often arrogant, younger generations. I'll hearken back to my Grab-a-Granny/-Grandad project in a later post – I'll update this post when and if it has been thought through thoroughly (how's that for a tongue-twister, eh?) and ready for publication. Pin this for now, Mom, if you're reading this, and should your memory be better than mine, please remind me!

However, I digress *squirrel*... Right, so getting back to what I was initially saying regarding the audio recording – I hope you, dear reader, will take a couple minutes of your time to read this written version. This written version has proven itself to be a true labour of love, and has taken several drafts to complete (with a little help, encouragement and support from my beloved friends, shout out to them below), and to perfect (the verb, not the adjective, stress on the second syllable, lol – Teacher Di hardly ever switches off). Even though I know few things in life can be perfect (the adjective, not the verb, stress on the first syllable, lol).

Life is filled with wonder, and there are many things that exhibit perfection – flowers, puppies, nature in general, for example, but I digress... *squirrel* brain... To the non-Grammar Nerds, don't worry, I will try to limit my 'inner Grammar Nerd to the former remarks, as well as my *squirreling* from this paragraph onward, I promise!

Quick aside: call it genes, force of habit, plain snobbishness, or what-have-you, I just feel a compulsion to fix incorrect grandma (hahaha, silly word play – many Americans pronounce grammar the same way as grandma. "How's your grammar?" "She's fine, thanks." Couldn't resist adding this – Robert?! Just teasing, and duh, no, not of the strip sort, lol! Should you be reading this, Thanh: I say this completely tongue-in-cheek, oh gawd, poor choice of phrase. (Seriously, Robert, mind out of the gutter, mate!) *Sigh*, I can just see the wave coming, so... Yeah, yeah, OK, mate, bring on the barrage of puns and witty quips, if you do so wish, I know your trolling mind is practically itching to do so, prove me wrong lol...

Er... To pretty much everyone else who may read this, meet my ex-boss/ex-'work hubby', Robert, who has subsequently become a good mate, and is an avid grower of Shiitake, Oyster and other exotic and fascinating varietals of mushrooms. Based here in the heart of the Vietnamese highlands, in the beautiful city of Dalat, Vietnam, L'Vien Farm is a family-run business and all their mushrooms are farm-grown, as opposed to mass factory-produced.

If you do so wish, feel free to send any inquiries Robert and Thanh's way. I can honestly plug this, because they were my bosses for 5+ years, and have always been amazing, both professionally and personally. Plus, who can't but love the magic and wonder of fungi? Find their Facebook page here.

Oi! You owe me a beer for this gratis plug, and advertising, Robert, mate, lol!

A massive South African sigh of 'eish'. Now, just hang on just South African 'moment' (which could be virtually anything from 'now', 'just now' or 'now now - all time references that basically mean the same thing - depending on the speaker and their mood, but can generally be described as, "OK, I'll get round to it when I get round to it, now please stop bothering me," essentially. Synonyms may include: 'shortly', 'soon', 'later'. Bottom line: 'now now' does not exactly mean 'right now' but more accurately means 'soonish'. 'Just now' does not refer to something that has just happened, but translates to 'later'. 'Now' means 'now', however it could be anything that could be from the exact moment it was said, but it could extend be a couple of weeks or months later. However, these expressions can be used interchangeably. Moral of the story: if you hear us use any of these time references, make sure you set a definite deadline, but be prepared to accept that some of us may not necessarily adhere to it, lol.

Get it? If not, don't worry, most of us Saffers don't either, lol. Back to the eish – I was born there (SA), so this certainly isn't cultural re-appropriation, good grief, why do I even feel the need to say this? Oh, ja... I certainly don't want that on my case (referring to all the über-PC Thought Police). No, I unapologetically take a stand – saying, wearing and doing stuff from other cultures that are not necessarily 'in you lane', is and are not culturally-insensitive (*depending on context, and intention, of course).

Our dear matriarch and my personal super-hero Mom had wise words to share when I used to get annoyed with my little sister copying me when we were wee ones: "Imitation in the sincerest form of flattery." Mom Wendy, I'll email a copy of this post to you. Bless, she's on FB, but forgot her password, and still sends messages via her phone without predictive text. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love, respect and adore this Boomer, but, seriously, c'mon! BTW, familia, I will be dedicating a separate post to you awesome people at a later stage, for I deemed it necessary to dedicate a post purely to you.

Now, the whole blackface thing... yeah... the jury is still out on that one, but truth-be-told, I'm leaning more towards the side of seeing it as social tone-deafness, at best. It's not ALL oppressive - racist, patriarchal or LBGTQ-xyz-phobic - folks, despite what some of you and yours might to have been led to believe *Bubble*Pop*. It's certainly not because I am insensitive or blind to these points of view, one would have to have been living under a rock not to have had this hurled at you all the damn time, and quite frankly I am sick of it, and I stand by my words.

Feel free to point out any grammar and/or spelling errors you may encounter along the way whilst reading my ramblings. So, if at any time, you feel I've misspelt or used incorrect grammatical structures, feel free to bring my attention to it... I welcome constructive criticism... plus – I dare you! I've proofread this particular piece so many times, I could practically gauge my eyes out with a blunt, rusty knife.

The following gallery, perhaps 'schadenfreude'??

Right, so on with it, and getting to the chief purpose of this blog:

One of many deeply personal life goals of mine is to sing praises and give credit where credit is due, to as many people as I can, while they are still alive, and to let them know how much they are truly valued. This has recently become far clearer to me over the past few months and has inspired me to actually pen some of these thoughts of mine, in what aims to be an enjoyable, coherent, and articulate read. (Quick aside: I am still in two minds about that Oxford Comma, lol... What do you think? Just in case my non-ESL teachers and fellow non-Grammar Nerds don't know what I'm referring to, see example to the above-left).

Sharing my writing publicly, is to me, venturing out into uncharted territory, so to speak, as I have rarely shared these inner-most thoughts so publicly before, but have been told I have a way with words and language, and it would be a shame not to share. However, you be the judge.

Minor disclaimer: if you're 'triggered' or easily 'offended', you'd probably be better off reading something else. You have the agency and power of making this decision. It's not that I hate criticism, I absolutely welcome constructive criticism. It's just that I have little time for petty crap and trolling, both of which, pretty much help to destroy my view of humanity's future, at times, So, either engage me in meaningful, thoughtful discourse and debate, or, well, basically piss off and go read something else. Do (no, not my dear Khoa, whom I've apparently, relentlessly been nagging to upgrade our slugglish Internet connection. Sorry, my brother Do, I know I agreed to only nagging every three days, but I couldn't resist putting it in writing :) ... Do (as in the auxiliary and irregular verb) keep in mind, I was the so-called chairman on my high school debating society and adore a good debate, lol, in truth: we were terrible. I did, however, attend Toast Masters, and, without sounding too self-congratulatory, would like to think kicked ass!

This piece of writing is intended for the adults in the room, and if you can't behave in a meaningful and contributive manner, you may not and have not earned the right to sit at this table and have no place here.

These inner murmurs, in part, have been inspired by one of my oldest, and dearest friends, Mel, a person who has played an instrumental role in, amongst many other things, helped save me from falling too far into my occasional left-leaning/bleeding-heart tendencies, or falling into abysses of darkness, and who has, inadvertently or not, helped centre me. Purely with her sheer strength of spirit, occasionally coupled with her lack of willing to placate and tolerate my occasional BS, paired with a healthy dose of pragmatism, and always seasoned with love, compassion and honesty. Should a Zombie Apocalypse ever become a reality, she is certainly the kind of person I want on my team!

Jesting aside, she’s the closest thing I’ve had to a fourth sister, and even though it is said that blood is thicker than water, it’s the water that is essential for life to continue, and dare I venture to say, inshallah (إِنْشَاءَٱللَّٰهُ‎, Arabic for ‘God willing’), ultimately to thrive.

To the all the other Sexy Salmon, you know who you are ;) - Van & Tanya, -where's our Ogg? – *squi...* yeah, yeah, you get the gist, I certainly don't intend to exclude you wonderful souls in the mix, particularly as of late. It would be remiss of me not to give you two a shout out, as well! You ladies are amazing, truly – we do, however miss our Andy, if and when he cares to joins us? The alive one, of the Burns varietal, not the much beloved and missed Ceronio!

Latest update: he has dared to join us, yay! And is officially now part of our Sexy Salmon Telegram group aka, my oldest nearest and dearest mates for 25+ years :)

It makes my day so much brighter when I hear from all of yous! Plus, I would, without hesitation, most definitely want you on my anti-Zombie Apocalypse team, no doubt! I love you guys with all my heart, and my life would certainly not be and feel as textured and full without you in it. Phew, OK, put the mush aside, Di, FFS... but hey, this is, after all, a Living Eulogy to all my loves, so I can cry, and laugh, and celebrate peeps... Occasionally I dis them (ja, those Radical Honesty demons creep out from time-to-time), but, no, this is intended to mainly celebrate them! These awesome treasures I've had the privilege and honour of encountering over the years, that is to say, not 'dem nasties'...

So, without too much fanfare and further ado, it is with great joy and pride that I’ve been inspired to launch a Living Eulogy anthology – inspired by all those beautiful souls from my past, present and future. It most definitely ought not to be viewed as some or other morbid fantasy from the darkest recesses of my mind, nor is it a fixation with death and dying. Quite to the contrary. It is an acknowledgement and a celebration these 'teachers' (i.e family, friends and actual teachers) of mine – who've played both big and small roles in my life. It's dedicated to those who’ve brought joy and sorrow to my life in equal measure. Through carefully thought-out prose woven carefully through the, sometimes chaotic, landscape of my mind, I pay homage to you all.

I guess some of the inspiration for writing this, stems from someone who certainly brought about more pain and sorrow, than joy and beauty. The latter, of which, in retrospect and after some deep, soul-searching and gut-wrenching examination and introspection, were finally understood and appreciated for the gift and teacher they were. "Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional - Haruki Murakami", right? If I may be so bold, I'd like to alter this quote slightly and say suffering is a choice, not just a mere option. Sure, the words 'choice' and 'option' are indeed synonyms, but choice just reads better, to my mind. I'll pin the former comment as yet another potential post for another time, perhaps.

It's a tad telling, and perhaps testament to this particular afore-mentioned individual's character, that I was the only one of my sisters who agreed to read and write an actual eulogy for him, and my sisters are among the least vindictive and the most gentle-mannered people I know. So, in lieu of my relentless pursuit for authenticity (Radical Honesty), I paraphrased a quotation attributed to Woody Allen (even though I think he's a super-creep, I do love this quotation - see below). Plus, said person I am speaking about would have had a chuckle or two at my choice of quotations, had he been present and alive to do so, but alas, it 'twas his funeral and his eulogy.

In writing this eulogy, I tried my mightiest to show diplomacy, while still trying to find a middle-ground of being real, but also, and out of respect and love for my mother and brother, had to remove all the references to alcohol. Those of you who are are super-near and dear to me, will totally get why. Sure, of course I gave credit where I thought credit was due in the eulogy I shared at his funeral. He wasn't the devil incarnate, he was really just a sad, lost soul, a man trapped in a 10 year old eternal state, and I only wish him everything of the best, wherever he may be right now, and I have forgiven him.

And to him: sorry for one of the biggest retorts and insults I've ever uttered to anyone in my life, so many years ago... "The best part of you ran down your mother's leg." Eish, I have no idea where that, er... came... from... Forgive the dreadful pun... Should you be offended by this word play and innuendo, piss off and go read something else, nobody is forcing you to read this! Sorry, I am just so sick and tired of the constant barrage of folks 'taking offence' to literally everything and anything. Can the adults in the room please stand up? Forgive the mini-rant. Here be the Woody Allen quote, as promised:

I would, however, like to give a massive shout out to the many male figures in my life who have been wonderful role models, including our Andy Ceronio, Uncles Alan, Chris, Roben, plus many others, in big ways and small!

These thoughts are also inspired, in part, by the third anniversary of the passing of a very special and unique soul, Matthew, our Raven, who thought he was doing everyone a solid by auto-removing himself from this earthly realm, way too early. Yeah, I won’t lie; I was initially so pissed at him deciding to kill himself, but soon realized that he was probably in such a dark and broken place that he chose agency over the one thing he had complete autonomy over; his own life, and well, ultimately, his own death.

One positive thing his death brought about was that he drew some of us together again, folks I haven’t heard from in a while and had been out of touch with for several years, started popping out of the woodwork and all of a sudden reappeared and in my life. He gave us a reason to congregate, albeit to collectively mourn his passing. Our Raven would have loved to know that he was the main reason we reconvened and started communicating with one another again, just like the good old days back in my living room at my house in Obs. So, big love to this group of very special souls, it has been so amazing to hear from you all again: DB, PM, FN, NH, CH, TS, MJ, TR, ALS, CDB, my apologies if I have neglected to mention any one, and guys, remember to send me a DM regarding contributions to a monthly podcast.

Authoring this 'figurative lobotomy' is also my attempt to make lemonade and to keep focused, productive and constructive, during what could be collectively viewed as particularly trying times, to say the very least. It’s my attempt to express myself as honestly and creatively as I can and not to become a bottom-feeding ‘schloemf’ (I don’t even know if that’s a word, but it just sounds cool…. ‘schloemf’ (n.) /ʃl'ʊmf/ = a sluggish, knuckle-dragging Neanderthal-esk entity of sorts… I would imagine… lol!)

With regard to the cartoon above, and to preempt retaliation from any potential trolls who want to take me to task on my current stance on the 'global warming' vs. 'climate change' vs. 'climate change/global warming denial' debate; I'll throw a bone, nay, two bones for you to masticate on, should you do so wish: viz Bone #1: viewing it purely from a language perspective alone, why the re-branding...? Yes, language has power! Bone #2: Have you investigated who benefits monetarily and who gains more power and influence, should this all of this, be, in fact, caused by us (the actual scientific term escapes me, for now). Follow the money, baby... money talks and bullshit walks. Yet again, putting a pin on this hot button topic, for now :)

This writing is also in relentless pursuit of not succumbing to the resounding negativity and feelings of self-loathing and self-doubt, and to remain true to some of the tenants that speak to the core of my very being, and, as naїve as it may seem, these voices still gently whisper this reminder:

“Leave the world a better, brighter place than you were born into.”

No, this is most definitely not virtue-signaling, I have very little patience and tolerance for such hypocrisy. Perhaps this writing could be deemed a slight vanity project, if the adage:

“Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are,”

turns out to be true. Basically, in letting you know how awesome, yet hopelessly flawed you are, I am, by virtue, just as incredible and broken.

Maybe writing this an inadvertent by-product of lockdowns – being forced to peer into the abyss, whilst occasionally dancing with faeries, holding up a proverbial mirror to the soul. A mirror which verbalizes some of the thoughts that have relentlessly been treading water for the past few years, whilst simultaneously dancing in the attic of my mind. I've been compelled to actually pen them down and turn them into a body of work. In the hope of bringing solace and asylum to those who care enough to take the time and effort to actually read and digest these words, as opposed to bow to the allure and instant gratification, as frequently dangled in front of us as tasty, juicy, sexy morsels, as offered by our click-bait society. To these folks, I salute and commend you!

So, in the spirit of wearing my heart on my sleeve, I share these thoughts, which once were strictly restricted to residing in the darkest recesses of my mind, occasionally making it to a journal entry, or two or three, but rarely shared publicly, or only with a limited few. It’s also perhaps a preamble to a long-term project of mine, a book, The Aesthetic Hideousness of the Onion (working title, what do you think? Aye or nay? I’ll explain the choice of this title in a different Soap Box soon, so that you can perhaps gain better insight into the inner workings of this nugget and hopefully see that it’s not complete gibberish, lol…).

I may be figuratively stretching my mind muscles, flexing my verbal acumen, and showcasing my abilities as a writer; testing the waters, as such. Am I a good writer, or pretty crap? Guess that’s all pretty subjective, isn’t it? Yes, it’s also written as a physical embodiment, a stubborn defiance and refusal, to surrender to the dark underbelly of self-pity, and perhaps just the nudge I need to head in the right direction – in lieu of achieving some semblance of peace and self-actualization.

In using the love I have for language and words, and the admiration I have for their ability to conjure up worlds once only relegated to the realms of imagination, and breathe life into them – a sort of verbal alchemy, of sorts. Writing is something that brings me much joy and catharsis.

In addition to this, maybe writing and sharing these words is a result of physically being muzzled and masked, forced into mandatory silence. This article is the love-child and result of only being able to remain silent for so only long – silence tends to have a very limited shelf life and is a limited hangout, in my world . If I remain quiet for much longer, I might implode! It’s my mini-rebellion, a middle finger raised in defiance of this oppression.

These mutterings also draw inspiration from a vast array of, sometimes, unexpected and unpredictable, influences. From the people who, and things which, have crossed my path, some in more profound ways than others, I draw my inspiration. From that gorgeous wildflower in all its inspiring and inexplicable beauty and glory, to the ever watchful and enduring crescent moon peering down on us mere mortals below, to that tiny little Vietnamese woman I cross paths with on virtually a daily basis en-route to getting my caffeine ‘fix’. The way her crumpled little face shows sheer determination and strength of spirit, encourages me to mirror the same steely resolve. She serves as a tangible beacon of light, and sobering reminder of mankind's ability to overcome and live through, what I would imagine to be, unspeakable strife, given Vietnam's fascinating, yet harrowing history. A topic I'll delve into further in a future post, as I feel the world has much to learn from the Vietnamese people. This will be my love letter to these incredible souls. TBC.

This article may be a result of being at a stage in my life where I don’t have an overwhelming and all-consuming desire to please anyone. These are not engulfing feelings, swimming in a sea of apathy. I do care, (granted, to a fault, sometimes) to an extent, about what people think, but ultimately, it’s me whom I want to please the most. And no, that is not intended to sound ego-saturated and arrogant, quite the opposite. We can only truly be good and loving towards others, if we are kind and good toward ourselves first. I’ve come to the life-changing and liberating realization that the only thing we truly have complete autonomy over, is ourselves.

This realization has helped me through some particularly trying times, including mourning the death of said friend, Matthew. It has inspired me to strive to be the best possible version of myself at any given moment. I’m not by any stretch of the imagination claiming to be the expert. A resounding "Hell no!" – I’m virtually 99% certain that I’ve yet another 40+ years of learning and ‘unlearning’ to get under my belt, assuming I live to be an octogenarian, lol!

In part, guided by those spirits who’ve come before my existence, those who’ve walked alongside me, as well as those who are to come after I shuffle off this mortal coil, this is my love letter to you. I am because of who you are, you were and who you will potentially be (and those still yet to come to be, too), kinda in the spirit of ubuntu. I give you my word that I will always endeavour to try and remain as present as I possibly can, occasionally drawing from the past, borrowing from the future, to give you the best possible version of myself there is to offer, even, if, at times, it turns out to be my ‘worst best’, just to be all oxymoronic (internal chuckle). Yeah, it’s damn near impossible and unrealistic to always be upbeat and positive, never mind how exhausting and, well, quite frankly, inauthentic and plastic.

Some people create breathtakingly beautiful art, music, dance, at the risk of sounding a tad corny, I have frequently been moved to tears, overwhelmed by the sheer glory and mastery exhibited, sans words. I’ve elected to use words as my medium, peppered with the odd happy dance here and there and the occasional spontaneous karaoke outbursts. These outbursts are strictly limited to me as the sole audience member. I do not have a good singing voice, and would hate to inflict my inner ally cat on anyone in fear of irreversibly damaging eardrums, nay! This is not intended to sound all self-deprecating, know your strengths, I say, and singing just ain’t one of mine…

Quick side line: this video cracks me up (it's only 01:30' long) – just watch the facial expressions of the crew members to see why I say this – priceless!

Armed with a pen, pencil, and two notebooks, and zillions of thoughts yet to be thunk, I strive to fulfill a deep desire not to allow my brain to atrophy from what could be viewed as a forced hiatus (and an interesting exercise in viewing people's en-mass servitude), which could result in a rather mundane sedentary existence. Herein, I express my sincere gratitude and pay humble homage to all the sources of inspiration in my life. My hope is that love, as in real love, not the mushy sappy kind, real love - aka:

agape ἀγάπη: universal, divine, altruistic, patient, charitable and authentic love

– conquers fear. I plan to write an article on all the different kinds of love, according to the Ancient Greeks, watch this space! TBC… To all my teachers (yes, if you're reading this, this means you) that have been, those who currently are, and those who are yet to come, I raise my glass to you!

Right, now that I’m fully ‘caffeinated’, it’s time I put this day to optimal use and make the best with what I’ve got – MacGyver (the 1980's one, not the remake!) -Ninja style, and with finesse. No, I will not become one of those batty cat ladies, whose cat ends up making a meal of one’s corpse, a fate predicted by my ex-boss… lol. I will hone my writing skills and harness them to achieve a greater good. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it… hopefully it’s not brimful of tired, dry, old cliché’s and mundane platitudes. Now, it’s time for me the carpe the crap out of this diem! Much universal love, peace and light, Di out.

Oh, just a quick shout out to my fellow word and language Ninja Eric, my awesome co-editor and co-founder at La Voix, Parel Vallei High School's student newspaper back in 1997 (yikes, where does the time go??!) – thanks for being my second pair of eyes, mate! You’re a mench!

Yeah, they asked us to co-edit, after I was 'bust' distributing a rogue newspaper (The Screaming Times), which I felt better addressed issues that were of interest to us as teenagers, as I felt the current school newspaper, well, basically sucked. Hence, the birth of La Voix, which was school-sanctioned, but we were given a lot of free reign, shout out to the fabulous Mrs. Pat Pienaar, my inspirational high school English teacher.

PS. If you like what you’ve read here, and wish to receive a personal Living Eulogy, specifically written about you, be sure to DM me. I’d be more than happy to write one for you if I am in the right (forgive the pun, write, hahaha) frame of mind and in the right space. However, if I am not, please do not take exception to this, it’s nothing personal. I simply refuse to force myself to write and be a dancing monkey, lol.

Please remember to consider supporting me on BMC… Buy Me a Coffee – for as little as $5 :) Vietnam going on its third week on lockdown, means that the schools, universities and language centres are all closed, due to government mandate, so basically, that means no work = no pay for me, which is why I've had to resort to pulling my resources and skills together, and making alternative plans to be productive, which are to include a podcast in the near future, in which I hope to include many of yous in the mix, if you do so wish to be involved.

And to end of on a light note, check this out if you haven't seen it before – The Selective Attention Test:

Did you see it? Makes one wonder how many things we miss seeing because we're too fixated on other things, doesn't it...? Hence the overriding theme of my said podcast: speaking about things that many people frequently miss.

OK, so if you have you have read this far, thank you for your time to do so, it is appreciated more than you might know! I shall wish you a final adieu, but more like I hope to see you soon, either in person, or through other means. And if you are my friend, know that you are loved and valued, immensely! I tend to only add people as friends when I have seen a light shining in them, no matter how long or short a time we may have crossed paths. Take care xxD