Running Up That Hill

For me, it is sitting in a meeting room at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), presenting the parade route to Governor Chadchart and his team. We were explaining how the opening parade would work—cycling, kayaking, all of it. (laughs)

Chadchart cycling. That image came up immediately. It felt like everything we did was building up to that moment. For me, that was the climax of the whole project.

“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush. Especially the part about ‘making a deal with God’.” (Both laugh)

We were actually doing that. The opening event was outdoors, it kept raining in the weeks before, and the parade route passed a lot of temples. Every time we went to test the bike route or check the site, we would wai (ไหว้) and quietly ask for things to go okay. Not perfect, just okay.

I like to joke that we were like Cristina and Meredith from Grey’s Anatomy. (Both laugh)

You do not always have clearly separated roles, but you have to be completely in sync. Anything could happen at any time.

Honestly, if Toon had not been there, this project would not have worked for me. Everything was already hard—timing, budget, coordination—and if we were not aligned and moving fast, it would have fallen apart.

It would have been kind of crippled. (laughs) Like a body missing arms or legs. Not that one person was the brain and the other was the body, but because everything had to work together.

We did not really need to spell things out for each other. We were both across all the conversations, all the group chats. If one of us dropped off, the other could step in immediately. That overlap was really important.

A lot of it was around the events we organized, from the press conference, to the content creator workshop, to the opening and closing ceremonies. We helped choose venues, design the agenda, and decide how things would run. We didn’t have the final say, but our ideas still shaped how the events came together.

For me, venue selection stands out. There were options that looked good on paper but would not have worked in reality. We spent a lot of time recalibrating what was realistic, and those choices changed how the events ultimately came together.

The logistics were demanding, coordinating multiple stakeholders, managing tight timelines, and making sure everything aligned.

The pressure of making it all come together. It required constant energy just to keep things moving forward, and that kind of sustained push takes a toll.

The closing day. (laughs) And especially after the opening parade.

That opening parade was one of the hardest parts. When it was done, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

It made me very aware of how much energy it takes when a team has to keep pushing just to make things work. That pressure stays with you.

There were small moments though, that reminded me why we did it at all. I went to an event called Gaeng Som Helps Fight Climate Change. I went because it was nearby and I wanted to eat gaeng som. (laughs) It didn’t change how I live, but it planted a small seed of curiosity. Like, okay, I’m interested in climate this year, and if I’m interested next year, I can follow these partners and see what I can do.

For me, it showed that impact work is not just about ideas or intentions. How people work together, like whether there is clarity, respect, and support, really shapes what is possible.

…takes real commitment from the people involved, especially partners and stakeholders, not just symbolic participation.

…starts with curiosity. Wanting to understand the issue first, and then choosing to act, even in small ways.