The Stranger looks back at some of his major milestones in Thailand

Hello everyone! Friends in Thailand have mostly switched into their holiday mode, because tomorrow is Songkran! A festival that has a similar significance as our Lunar New Year. For foreigners, it is more popularly known as the Water Festival (泼水节), where everyone will strut to the streets with their bazooka-esque supersoakers and engage in epic waterfights for 3 full days. This is a special experience for me, because though I have been here for 4 calendar years, it is my very FIRST Songkran! I need to thank little Noah for this, as if he was not so small and fragile, I might have left Thailand for a getaway already, since this is the only long holiday we have here in Thailand every year.

I still remember someone asking me, "So what have you achieved during your time in Thailand?" during her visit last month and I was unexpectedly dumbfounded. I do not know whether it was because I felt that my achievements were so obvious that they do not need elaboration, or was it because I was suddenly reminded that what I had done so far is actually not a big deal. During this special time, while my warehouse team is busy taking stock of our goods, I would like to also do a stock-take of my few little milestones/events that happened here in Thailand that made my time here so very special.

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Came to Bangkok alone to open a branch for my main office. It was a really really difficult time man, with the language and cultural barriers. The struggles to hire suitable people, the manual labour moving goods box by box in and out of the shophouse, the late nights in the office, the loneliness, the wandering across a good half of Thailand looking for customers etc.... I really did not know how I managed to survive that period. But oh well, hopefully that's all in the past now.

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Stumbled through the state of emergency, one which involved protesters spilling their own blood around, and culminating in a military crackdown and the sacrifice of a few popular shopping buildings downtown.

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Dipped my hands into streetside vending, making and selling floral floats during the annual Loy Krathong, fully experiencing how locals make a living with nothing much more than a portable table and a pair of skilful hands.

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Witnessed an interesting general election that might have already changed the political landscape of Thailand forever.

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Towards the end of my time at the little shophouse where TES began its operations, I was extremely excited as I opened my doors to my beloved brothers from secondary school. It would be a great pity if they missed this milestone of my life, but they didn't.

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We moved!! From a little shophouse, to a relatively big warehouse. This was probably the very first time I felt genuinely proud of what I managed to achieve in my young career.

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After 2 years, finally moved into a place where I can call my own. It felt good, really good.

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But the challenges will not stop coming. I had to guide my company through the most catastrophic floods Thailand has experienced in the last 50 years. It was a taxing, tumultuous time, but because of God's endless grace, we pulled through largely unscathed.

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This is by a fair mile, the most satisfying milestone that happened here in Bangkok. To have my dear little Noah born safely in Thailand, and to live every single day looking forward to going home to my wife and son. What more can a man ask for?

So happy holidays everyone. Stay safe, don't drive if you over-indulge in alcohol, and remember to ziploc all your valuables before you go out!