Tonight I can write

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write, for example, 'The night is starry
and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.'

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is starry and she is not with me.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. As she was before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

Pablo Neruda

translated by W.S. Merwin
recited by Andy Garcia from "Il Postino Original Soundtrack"

พระคุณครู

ใครคือครูครูคือใครในวันนี้
ใช่อยู่ที่ปริญญามหาศาล
ใช่อยู่ที่เรียกว่าครูอาจารย์
ใช่อยู่นานสอนนานในโรงเรียน

ครูคือผู้ชี้นำทางความคิด
ให้รู้ถูกรู้ผิดคิดอ่านเขียน
ให้รู้ทุกข์รู้ยากรู้พากเพียร
ให้รู้เปลี่ยนแปลงสู้รู้สร้างงาน

ครูคือผู้ยกระดับวิญญาณมนุษย์
ให้สูงสุดกว่าสัตว์เดรัจฉาน
ครูคือผู้สั่งสมอุดมการณ์
ปณิธานเพื่อมวลชนใช่ตนเอง

ครูจึงเป็นนักสร้างผู้ใหญ่ยิ่ง
สร้างคนจริง สร้างคนกล้า สร้างคนเก่ง
สร้างคนให้เป็นตัวของตัวเอง
ขอมอบเพลงนี้มาบูชาครู

โดย เนาวรัตน์ พงษ์ไพบูลย์

ขอระลึกพระคุณครูเนื่องในวันครูแห่งชาติ
คุณครูโรงเรียนสวนบัว
คุณครูโรงเรียนสตรีวิทยา
Teachers at Roxbury High School
อาจารย์คณะนิเทศศาสตร์และคณะอื่นๆ จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย
Faculty at Kellogg School of Management
ปะป๊า หม่าม้า คุณครูสองคนแรกและผู้สนับสนุนทุกการศึกษา
เจ้นุช สอนท่องสูตรคูณตั้งแต่ก่อนเข้าอนุบาล
เฮียบอย เตือนสติตอนอ่านหนังสือเอนทรานซ์
ขอบคุณทุกคุณครูค่ะ

Love, life, and something in between

Khunnais,

Probably because it's new year. Probably because I just had a hair cut. Probably because yesterday I watched Hanamizuki. Probably because I went to see a fortune teller recently. Whatever the reason is.. I was thinking about this on my way home from work, and I wanted to capture it.

It's January 2011, which means I'm getting a year older. And I asked myself how I feel. And I told myself that I feel good, no scratch that, I feel great. And I'm single, super single actually. Super single means that you are single and you are not on the progress of not being one. So I wondered why. Aren't I supposed to be worried about my status in life, about finding the right one, about getting married, about settling down, about not wasting time being single? I wondered why I feel great despite all that.

And then I countered myself, why not? Why can't I feel great just because I'm not in a relationship, and on the way to marriage? I'm not saying that I don't want to be in one, and that I don't want love, or a boyfriend, or a husband. I just don't rush it, when I say "it", I mean "life". I'm just not worried when I happen to be in the idle phase in this segment of life. I just take life as it comes to me. Today, other segments seem to occupy more time for me. So be it. Love will come, and go, and come again, and will eventually stay (for a while at least), and will eventually go. There is no point anticipating, or worrying, or feeling guilty.

I was fighting back and forth with myself whether to write this. Because it might appear like I'm being defensive, or sour grape. Whatever it may appear. I wanted to write this so that one day when I'm lost in the waves of others' thoughts, when people are putting thoughts into my head that somehow my life is incomplete, wasted, and not fulfilled just because of the status I choose to be in, I can come back and read what I think & write today.

I also want to remind me when I re-read this. That I'm not anti love. I had loved. I'd lost it, and found it again. And that I love being in love, and I also love being alone. I still cherish love so much so that I will surely embrace it when it comes around. I'm therefore not anti marriage. I'm ready for both. When they are ready for me. But in the mean time, I'm not gonna waste time being unhappy.

Live high. Live mighty. Live righteously.

i carry your heart with me

To mama

i carry your heart with me
i carry it in my heart
i am never without it
anywhere i go you go,my dear;
and whatever is done by only me
is your doing,my darling

i fear no fate
for you are my fate,my sweet
i want no world
for beautiful you are my world, my true
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
here is the root of the root
and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky
of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope
or mind can hide
and this is the wonder
that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart
i carry it in my heart

E.E. Cummings

My favorite poem discovered by watching this beautiful movie called In Her Shoes. Here's the clip of that scene:
Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

I don't want a lot for Christmas...

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There's just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is...

...You

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There's just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking

There upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy

With a toy on Christmas day

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you...

...You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas

I don't even wish for snow

I'm just gonna keep on waiting

Underneath the mistletoe

I won't make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won't even stay awake to

Hear those magic reindeers click

'Cause I just want you here tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do

Baby all I want for Christmas is you...

...Ooh baby

All the lights are shining

So brightly everywhere

And the sound of children's

Laughter fills the air

And everyone is singing

I hear those sleigh bells ringing

Santa won't you bring me the one I really need

Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas

This is all I'm asking for

I just want to see my baby

Standing right outside my door

Oh I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

Baby all I want for Christmas is...

...You

Khunnai loves this app: MoreBeaute

There was a generation X. There was a generation Y. Now it is a generation app.

As Khunnai mentioned in the old blog when I started to become an iKhunnai, I have embodied the philosophy of "there's an app for that". So once in a while, I share my love with the fellow Khunnais that, yes, there's an app for 'that'.

A lot of people have asked me which app I use for photo editing. I use several. And there are lots. And you don't really need sophisticated photo editing skills, but you do need some skills.

Then now, there's an app for those who has no editing skills whatsoever. All you need to do is to choose the photo, then, viola, your photo will be retouched, brightened, smoothened almost like done by a pro.

And it's free!

me before & after, just a single click!

There's another neat program called MoreNoel by the same developer. Check it out. After all, we live in a generation app. So keep on apping, Khunnais!

http://www.more-thing.com/morestuff_morebeaute.php

Khunnai likes to dine: Vino di Zanotti in Khao Yai

Dear Khunnais,

I've been trying to avoid having Italian food since I left Italy. Not that I'm not fond of the food. Quite contrary, actually. But it's because I know myself. I know I'd be super critical and comparing everything to my eating experience in Italy.

I also knew that one day it'd hit me...that my life in Italy is finally over. I knew that one day I'd really miss my life there. That day came precisely 3 weeks after I left Italy, and the day I had Italian food the first time since I left...

It was Vino di Zanotti in Khao Yai. My friends wanted to dine there, mainly coz of the location. It's situation against the backdrop of Khao Yai hillside, sunflower garden and the nature green. At night, there's a 3-piece jazz band playing light jazz music. Somehow, they convinced me, and I went with them.

What did I think about the place? Like I said, at first, I was super critical, couldn't help it. I was expecting what I expected in Italy, change of plate from antipasti to primi piatti, all primi to come at the same time, etc. And I was not enjoying the moments. There and then, I started to miss my life in Italy. I started to realize that all the "Italiano" I experienced day in - day out has gone, no more, nothing, full stop.

Eventually I started to see the point of being there, which was to enjoy the time with my friends. Good that my friends are all old friends so they can bear with me being me. And even thou I behaved really annoyingly, they let me be. Well, after seeing the point, I started to enjoy Vino and all that it had to offer. Which is quite spectacular. At night, they lit up the hillside with fire and lanterns. In early December, the temperature was about 20, perfect weather to be honest. It was father's day so we enjoyed the fireworks.

We lingered there from 5 to 9 something, staying true to Italian style of slow food. Some of the dishes were actually really good (and overall it was good). Before I left, I got to speak to two Italians, Roberto, who is the manager of Vino, and Gianmaria, who Roberto introduced me as the main chef of Zanotti in Bangkok. So I learned that they are from Torino, Piemonte. And I shared with them how I love truffles (which is also from Piemonte). So they invited me to have truffle dinner at Zanotti. Maybe I should give it a try and let you guys know how that one goes.

So, yes, I miss you, Italy, a lot. For the time being, I can only catch a glimpse of you, blended nicely in my homeland. And to my surprise, I quite like the taste of it.

VINO di Zanotti
264 Moo 4, Thanarat Road
Moo Si, Pakchong
Nakorn Ratchasima 30130

RSV: +66 8 8022 9884-5
Tel & Fax: +66 4 429-7576

GPS: N 14° 32’27.12
E 101° 24’11.14