Fasting month came. Alhamdulillah. I started reading the Quran for the first 3 to 4 days of the month. Then after that, I stopped. I honestly was trying to find the energy to terawih or recite the quran or even go to the gym. But this time round, I am just so lazy and so sleepy. I can feel myself going blank a few times a day in the office. I am disappointed in myself that I am just doing the bare minimum and every day going to work feels like a chore to me.
07.03.2026 - We had our annual family iftar session. Now that my aunt and uncle have shifted to the house next door, we have the whole corridor to ourselves just like back in our childhood. It feels very nostalgic to see that the next generation were able to enjoy and do what we did during our childhood. Sadly, I wasn't feeling that well on that day and I didn't get to try most of the food and I also did not pack the dhal cooked by my aunt, which I was craving for.
12.03.2026 - Just broke fast with Aidah, Haikal, Nazron and Netty. As usual, Aidah always wants to go for buffet. This time round we went for hotpot buffet, it was just okay, nothing wow. But for $45 per pax, it is actually quite worth it. Then we went over to their house and just catch up on life. One thing that actually resonates with me was when Aidah said that "you only meet us 4 times a year.", which in a weird way was a nice gesture for me. She knows that I get overstimulated and annoyed when I meet people too often. I was honestly surprised that she actually remembered after all these years. That was nice.
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I have started writing fan fiction stories back, not a full 10,000 words story but rather just outlines. Simple 500 - 1,000 words outlining the plot and the direction of the stories, breaking them into episodes. That's my focus now or rather obsession. I got inspired to write BL/GL fan fiction stories based off GMMTV couples. During the GMMTV 2026 showcase, they officially introduced 34 BL couples, 8 GL couples and 2 Bromance couples. My thoughts - GMMTV is becoming too greedy but I shall give them a chance and wait it out. I need to see how all these couples would play out. I am excited for most of them.
Anyway, because of this, I got inspired. I have written 16 plots. I have published 5 of the plots on AO3. The remaining 9 plots still needs to be clean up. I have block off my calendar dates so that I can published the stories on schedule. I am trying my best to come up with a variety of genres while still trying to keep it as "Thai" as possible. I am a Singaporean and trying to write a Thai fan fiction with shallow knowledge of the Thai culture is hard. Truth be told, I am actually surprised that I can churn out plots for all 44 couples. I am pleased with it. I am pleased that I am writing again.
On a random side note - I am going to spam GMMTV on twitter, pushing for them to produce a special photo-book or a limited edition magazine with all 34 BL couples and 2 Bromance couples on the cover page - something very VOGUE magazine style. I mean it has been 10 years since GMMTV released their first BL back in 2016. It will be nice of them to celebrate 10 years worth of BL shows from them.
The annoying thing is that I can already envision the whole magazine. The cover page will open up into 3 pages with all the guys in white t-shirt and black pants, barefoot, with the GMMTV blue backdrop, and pillows, blankets and stools all around in a relaxed environment. Inside the magazine, all the couples will be given an equal number of pictures - individual shots and 2 couples shots - with all of them wearing outfits from local Thai designers (promote local brands). A few questions posed to all of them - serious and playful questions.
The last few pages will be group shots of all of them mixed together, no restrictions. Then followed by pictures/posters of all the BL series that GMMTV had produced, along with the ongoing and upcoming series. Obviously, there has to be 2 versions - one in Thai for the local fans and one in English for the international fans. It will sell out.
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I had my annual exchange with my COO, instead of my CFO. So this exchange is more of a salary negotiation, which is something new to me. Back when I started this job, I asked for a higher salary but we came to the agreement to start me at a lower rate then six months later, they will match my asking price. Then last year, I had my first talk with my CFO and as it was my first time, I was confused by the whole situation.
I mean after working for the government for almost 7 years, the concept of salary negotiation was basically non-existent. So when it happened last year, my CFO offered me an 8% increment with no bonus. I was more impressed by the 8% since in government, it was only 2-3% increment annually but the bonuses are a different story. I basically just accepted it instead of bargaining.
And this time round, I already had a target in mind, which was a 12% monthly increment with no bonus. However, what I got instead was a 2% increment with a bonus and after calculating, it was basically a 12% increment of my annual salary. Technically it's the same - it's just that instead of getting it monthly, I'm getting a lump sum. Alhamdulillah, I'm grateful for it.
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In Shaa' Allah, everything will be fine.
"And Allah is the best of planners."
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