7 — A Different Pace for a Few Hours.
From a café in Pattaya to the rise of Chinese EVs, a few notes on small shifts in work, tools, and everyday life.
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🇹🇭 Moments with Me
Lately, I’ve been working mostly from home, and I actually like it—being able to stay close to my family.
Still, every now and then, it feels good to change the environment a bit.
So these days, I’ll head out to a café once a week or so, usually just for a couple of hours.
Most of the time, I walk to places nearby.
But last week, I headed toward Pattaya Beach, taking a couple of songthaews along the way.
It’s a shared pickup-style taxi that’s widely used around Pattaya.
It’s not anything unusual—just somewhere I can get to pretty easily at this point.
Even so, the day tends to feel a little different.
The café I went to is called "OUR SHOT," located right next to Central Festival Pattaya ☕️
It’s a busy area, but the café itself felt surprisingly calm.
Large windows, open space, and just enough distance from the street.
As expected, I noticed quite a few tourists there—mostly Western visitors.
It’s one of those places where you can sit for a while without feeling rushed, which makes it easy to get into a different kind of focus.
Working by the open window felt especially nice.
Nothing special—just a different pace for a few hours.
If you’re curious, you can explore tours and activities in Pattaya: here (GetYourGuide)
✍️ What’s Happening
I came across this post about the Bangkok International Motor Show, and the rankings were hard to ignore.
At the top sits BYD, followed by Toyota—and then a cluster of Chinese EV brands 🚗
Looking at the list, it’s not just about sales numbers anymore.
It feels like something more structural is shifting.
What stands out most is the momentum behind EVs—especially from Chinese manufacturers.
BYD at number one, along with brands like Deepal, Geely, and Chery all ranking high.
A few years ago, this lineup would have looked very different.
What stands out most is the momentum behind EVs—especially from Chinese manufacturers.
BYD at number one, along with brands like Deepal, Geely, and Chery all ranking high.
A few years ago, this lineup would have looked very different.
At the same time, it’s worth remembering that these numbers come from bookings—and are ultimately self-reported by each brand.
So it’s not entirely clear how much reflects actual demand, and how much reflects how the story is being presented.
Still, taken together, it does feel like the balance is moving.
Not in a dramatic way, but enough to notice.
💻 Work & Projects
Last week, I recorded my first YouTube video.
Not in a studio, and not a vlog.
It was a simple format—walking through a Keynote presentation, without showing my face.
Explaining things clearly, even in that setup, turned out to be harder than I expected.
Especially speaking alone, to a camera—or really, just a screen.
There’s a certain kind of distance there that still feels a bit unfamiliar.
I guess it’s something that comes down to practice.
Some people seem naturally comfortable with it, which I find a bit impressive.
For now, I’ll just keep working on it, one step at a time.
⚡️ Bitcoin Notes of the Week
I’ve started committing to a new Bitcoin-related project.
It’s something I’ll be involved in through the rest of the year.
I can’t share much about it just yet, but it feels like it could turn into something fairly significant.
More to come soon!
🤖 AI Notes of the Week
I’ve finally started using voice input.
I’d heard good things about it for a while, but I always felt a bit hesitant—talking to my computer out loud didn’t quite feel natural.
Maybe it’s also because I grew up typing.
That habit is hard to let go of.
But after actually trying it, it feels surprisingly different.
It might even be a bit of a shift—at least for me 💡
Especially when paired with tools like ChatGPT or Codex, the workflow becomes much smoother.
Instead of typing out instructions, just saying them out loud saves a noticeable amount of time.
That part really stood out.
The tool I’ve been using is called Aqua Voice.
It’s a voice input service that transcribes what you say in real time, and cleans it up along the way.
Even when I pause, hesitate, or stumble over words, it adjusts things just enough to keep the flow usable.
You speak, press enter, and it’s ready.
It didn’t take long before I decided to go with the paid version.
It’s one of those things that felt a bit unnecessary at first, but now that I’ve tried it, it’s hard to go back.
🤔 Closing Thoughts
Lately, the three of us—my daughter, my wife, and I—have been going to the movies more often.
Something that made me quietly happy is that my daughter has started asking to watch them in English.
I’m sure there are still plenty of words and sentences she doesn’t fully understand.
But not long ago, she would always choose Thai—her first language—without hesitation.
So this feels like a small change.
As a father, it’s something I really appreciate.
Kids change faster than you expect.
By the way, tickets are a bit cheaper on Wednesdays, so if you’re thinking of going, that might be a good day to try 🤭
Past posts here: ARCHIVES
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