At the tender age of only 31, he has stood in the role of parent/caregiver of nearly a decade to the pair’s adoptive son Phet, displaying a maturity that belies his years. Aim’s favourite saying, “It’s only crazy until you do it.”, applies equally well to so many facets of his young life. Aim and Tiffany’s current “baby”, their 1-year-old business, The Weekend Playground, has had a very successful start. Targeted at children from around 3 to 10 years of age, it organises and runs theme-based activities on a Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon that children can participate in, often involving their parents as well.  While it is fun and upbeat, the activities are designed to be healthy and educational as well, with Saturday’s program also including an English-language lesson. The couple has an arrangement with the school where they teach to use its venue and facilities, so The Weekend Playground is well-resourced and carefully programmed to meet the needs of its young participants.  It is a unique opportunity for young local inhabitants to have great fun in a carefully curated learning environment.

Aim was always a sporty kid. He was born in Bangkok but soon moved to Petchaburi.  His dad’s side of the family were rice farmers and Aim spent around 2 years on the farm as a young child before moving back to Bangkok where he lived with his mother and two aunts.  The middle son of three, with a male cousin a constant companion as well, Aim was always looking for new adventures and new physical challenges.  His favourite childhood memory is of travel with the extended family, three cars full of people, food and equipment, headed towards a camping adventure at the mountain house of one of his uncles.

If you can think of a sport, it is likely that young Aim gave it a go for a while, but his deepest interest was in football. Indeed, he was so talented on the football field that he attended some development camps, and his parents were approached with an offer which could have seen him on the path to becoming a football professional.  Looking back at that time now, with the wisdom of maturity, Aim appreciates that his parents made the sage decision to turn down the offer on his behalf, encouraging him instead to pursue his education and obtain a job with a secure income. Yet, there is always some wistfulness in the “might-have-beens”.  Aim has always had goals, which he views without limitations.  For him, everything is possible, you just have to want it enough to work hard enough to achieve it. Later in this article, Aim’s golfing endeavours will prove this very point.

Aim’s involvement with Hua Hin began almost 20 years ago when his uncle bought a parcel of land to build a block of apartments.  This was the start of the family habit of spending each weekend and all the long holidays in Hua Hin.  Aim didn’t start to live here full-time until during the Covid era, when lockdown saw him flee the confines of Bangkok so he could get more outdoor time.  Since he was teaching remotely at the time, where he was located was less relevant.  Aim recalls that with both he and Tiffany teaching remotely in their 2-bedroom apartment in Bangkok, him leading physical education lessons, his jumping and movement created all sorts of challenges for her trying to run a more sedate classroom.  Hua Hin provided the space for him to teach remotely, from outdoors.

Aim comes from a family which contains many teachers, so it is unsurprising that he chose to engage in tertiary studies which eventually led him back to the school environment . Even while still at school, Aim had taken on student leadership roles such as volunteering to organise sports days and being the leader of a sporting House. Yet, much as Aim would have liked to focus purely on his sporting interests, even then there was a practical side to him.  Aim’s first paid job was with one of Thailand’s ubiquitous 7- Eleven.

Aim feels his family always believed in him. He felt no pressure from them, as they let him pursue university on his own terms. Aim undertook a 4-year Bachelor of Sports Science degree at Mahidol University in Bangkok, working as a swimming instructor and a sports referee to help with extra funds.  The living person Aim most admires is his aunt, his mother’s eldest sister, who has made considerable financial sacrifice throughout her life to ensure the ongoing education of family members.  Aim acknowledges that without her encouragement and financial support, he would never have been able to achieve his career goals. Upon the completion of his undergraduate degree, Aim embarked immediately on a Masters’ degree in Social Science and Health, and luckily was able to obtain a part-time position as a field researcher with his professor/ mentor. During this further 3 years of study, Aim was successful in obtaining a scholarship to the Philippines for 7 months.  His superior English today he credits as resulting from his wholehearted immersion in an English-speaking community, even actively avoiding Thai comrades to ensure he obtained the best language experience he could possibly have. Upon his return to Thailand, Aim completed his thesis, graduated and took a teaching position in a school in Bangkok.

As an eager and earnest new teacher, Aim was keen to broaden his skill set and volunteered to take on many roles in his school.  He now sees this reluctance to say a firm “No” as possibly a weakness, as it allowed others to take advantage of his good nature.  He was disheartened when after 6 years of exemplary service, his contract was not renewed, without reason.  However, Aim is not the type to allow a setback to stop him for a moment longer than the time needed to peruse his options. In life, when one door closes, you look for the one that has just opened for you. This flexibility of thinking, along with his desire to understand people and things, “from their root”, in a non-judgemental way, are among Aim’s greatest strengths. He is proud of his decision to move to Hua Hin, to prioritise his family, at the expense of a more financially lucrative teaching position he could have had in Bangkok. Achieving the correct work/life balance is crucial to Aim’s general well-being, and that is exactly what he finds himself able to obtain here in Hua Hin.  He can switch off after work, he has the smallest of commutes, life is safe, convenient and affordable. That doesn’t mean, however, that financial freedom within the next 10 years or so, along with the obligatory travel, isn’t high on this man’s bucket list.  This is where the success of The Weekend Playground will play a big role. As well as the regular Wednesday and Saturday sessions, The Weekend Playground can offer customised birthday party programs, taking the weight of organising and running children’s activities from grateful parents.

Starting a new business has meant a rather steep learning curve for both Aim and his wife, with a greater load of administrative tasks to be completed as well as needing to developing a strong social media presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Line through content creation.  Aim has had to master video editing, a task which is now becoming almost second nature, thank goodness.

Aim revels in time spent with his son, enjoying shared passions such as Play Station games. Being able to play with Phet has the additional benefit of being able to keep him safe in the digital world by monitoring his internet usage while helping Phet become a savvy user of all that technology can offer. Along with playing sports, this is how Aim loves spending his down-time, while maintaining his health. He feels that, right now, in his 30s, he is in the prime of his life. Although he has an overall optimistic view of what the future will hold, Aim is also a realist.  He feels he has been caught unaware in the past, and wants to avoid a similar situation in the future.  To this end, he will endeavour to have a Plan B, ready for the worst-case scenario. This is in line with his need to always be there for his family. Aim believes that an empathetic ear is the main thing, and that you don’t have to find the solutions to the problems of others, rather, listening to them as they find their own path is key to helping them find happiness.

Now, back to that golfing anecdote.  Aim is always willing to take on a challenge, and enjoys proving others wrong.  Golf is no exception. Aim only took up golf at the age of 29, a mere 2 years ago.  It was one of the few sports he had not tried as a child, principally because he could not afford it, even the green fees, let alone the tuition most people need to become at all proficient on the course.  Almost as a dare, a friend told Aim he didn’t believe Aim could get to point of being able to achieve a par round, and so, the game was on.  Aim admits to almost becoming addicted to golf, but cringes to remember what he actually wore on the course the first time he played. Aim has always been a sporting high-achiever, but golf has its own set of expectations and mores, of which Aim was ignorant.  Unable to afford coaching, he admits to timing his sessions on the driving range to coincide with the lessons of children so he could covertly pick up valuable tips to improve his game. Aim also brought his understanding of human physiology and the science of movement into play to work on his golf stance and swing.  Aim only plays the odd social round of golf now, if invited by friends.  He would actually prefer spending his money on an activity with his family.  He has nothing further to prove to either himself, or his friend, the instigator of the challenge, as he has already achieved a very near par round, with nothing but YouTube as his guide.  Aim’s “can do” attitude is inspirational: he is a man who can always be relied upon to meet his goal and keep his promises.