Tuesday blues..........

I feel blue all over...so cold and distant.......

It's been a .....

sleepy day.....keep on dozing off the screen. Its probably that I have been sleeping late everyday. ...from watching the HK dramas after 10 on cable. 2 dramas running back to back with no commercials..jialat. I am not a true blue drama watcher...but once I ahve watch the first espisode and if it is cool, I have to chase every series till the end. Am I a perfectionist? maybe ...I just hate to have unfinished business left around..

TGIF! 1 more week to CNY and I can enjoy the holidays... eat bakgua, loverolls..all the sweet stuffs. I'll need to execise more so that I can maintain my weight after CNY.

time to doze off again....zzZZZZ

I miss Sunny days....

My nose was bloody red from incessant rubbing and sneezing .... all thanks to the weather here. Its so chilly! It rain and rain and rain non-stop...kns. And my nose is ultra sensitive to weather change esp when i just got back from sunny Bangkok. My bin was full of wet "wantons" ...awesome. My friend recommend taking Vitamin C..I tried and seems to work. I shall take orange juice everyday.

Finally its friday..whew...weekends coming...hopefully it doesn't rain as I will be doing my pedicure in JB tomorrow...else I will just sleep till afternoon...my toe nails badly need some makeover after much walking and shopping in bbk. Heard there's a new shopping mall in JB..maybe take a look and see if there's any sales going on..haha...

So many things going on in my mind now..decisions to be made..haiz..why can't life be more simpler?

BBK Withdrawal

I woke up with a yawn today at 7am ...still have the urge to sleep some more ..its finally thursday...1 more day to the weekends. Its the 3rd day since I was back from bangkok. I still have the withdrawal symptoms. At this time in khao San, I would be still cuddling under the blanket and snoring away in dreamland even though the sun has risen. The cockerel would crow. Everything feels rustic and laid back. ....no hurry to brush your teeth and get ready to catch the morning bus.. I wonder when I would get over this....1 week, a month?

God I miss the place!

After thoughts from Bangkok

I felt I had more to talk about this trip esp my thoughts and directions in life ... after writing so much about my daily itenaries. It bores ppl sometimes...

This has been a great trip for me..the best of all my trips to bbk to be exact. This is my 4th trip within 2 years. the first few has always been a rush ..3 days at the most. It always rushing to shop, eat and party away in clubs and no time to chill and think about life. This time, I stayed for 6 days and in a guest house right in khao San. Very laid back but it suits me.. theres plenty of cheap side cafes to chill and ppl watch. I ahd the time to observe the life of the local thais.

Singaporeans are a pampered bunch , I am no exception..we want comfort and are often arrogant when we are overseas....sonetimes insensitive to others feelings. We have the tendencies to talk big ..might be due to our country achievement..everything must be number 1. I seen some thais who are unhappy about us..esp the way we bargain over prices..shows how uncouth we can be. We can be over-demanding in service too.

After a few trips, I have grown accustom to the way how thai ppl operates... they are pretty much friendly ppl in general...courteous and lead a simple lifestyle. Things there are already cheap compared to Sing and if I can get further discounts of 30 - 40% , i 'll be happy. No point wasting breath in hardcore bargaining down to the minimal as I find it very tiring and mental boggling. I am for a good time not here to haggle over prices. These ppl had to make some profits too.

In between my shopping trips, I had time to sit down and chill, pondering over certain issues which I faced at this point of my life. I like the local thai life..its much laid back, simple...the environment is a hybrid of new and old culture. Ppl still live in villages/shop houses. like the 70s.
Going to work in modern buildings and malls....see the clash? Its cool after a hard days work, you can return to a home where the feeling is not concrete. You are facing 4 walls and your neighbours are just a call away. My friend gary talked about his wife home in a village whereby if you just shout , ppl all over will hear ya..no need to make a phone call. There's no KTV or night entertainment. the village will come alive at night if someone is cooking a feast. Your neightbours will just drop by and gather at your house to eat. Very warm feeling..no walls bet ppl. if you happen to have a drink outside your house, neighbours will come around with tehir beer bottles and chat thru' out the night. That's the Kampung spirit. and integrity. Sadly, in sing , we lost that. ...its a cold feeling and it eats my spirit away.

The thais in general are easily satisfied.. as long they can earn a living and have enough to provide the basic necessities for the family, they are happy. ..at least that's how i see it where I stay. Every time I visit bbk, I see familiar faces doing the same stuffs.. the satay man still selling his delicious chicken , beef and pork satays, same lady peddling accesorries by the street, old man selling books on his push carts is still there... some are doing a roaring business and I ask tehm why won't they open up a shop? Common ans will be they are just happy to get thru their lives. No ambitions to make it big as overheads are high. That's what i like about them... simple and true. of course there are exceptions, I find that local thai chinese are more ambitious and business like... fair enough..guess tis has been our traits for thousands of years..

I can picture myself, working in bbk, settling down with a cute thai wife..the gals on the streets there are quite fair skin and docile looking. The japs and koreans will have a tough competition. Their feature are in general pleasing to the eyes. Most important of all, they are caring and sensitive to man 's feeling. I am a bit chauvanistic here but which guy don't. The thai gals put man b4 them... and the local thai guys are a bit disappointing..in general, gary says they are more lazy and tend to bum around compared to the gals. The gals can work from morning till night without a complain.

I know of a few foreigners who left everything back home and came settle down in Thailand. They took the risk, and some did quite well. Some got enough to live by. But I see the happy faces I know they have found true happiness. They got wife and kids too. I wonder if I have the courage to do so...probably not now..a few years down the road when I am more mellow and financially stable...

When I came back to Sing, I don't feel really happy..its like I don't belong to here...is this normal? People always says the moon in foreign land is always seems rounder. We tend to compare to our own country when we travel..its unfair but we judge..I am still searching for my identity. Hopefully 2006 is a good year to start with...

Memoirs of Bangkok trip.. 5 - 9th Jan 2006

Hi all, here's my daily gory trip details , you might find it useful if you are planning a trip to bbk..

5th Jan 2006 (Thursday)

I woke up about 9am ... after washing up, I felt some inspiration and took a dump. God...it was great! emptying my stomach of yesterday 's food...I am ready to fill up my stomach with sinful food again. Ken was still snoring away when I was done. I woke him up and went down to the gals room to check on them. Sophie was drying her hair when she opened the door. Irene was up too.... they had a late night too from watching robo cop on the TV..haha.

It was almost 10 when we walk out from our hotel " Mango Logoon place" They had a green label high up on the lamp post. can't miss it from a distance. Its a neat place to live in ...though its nothing compare to a hotel but its got a decent bed, private bathrooms with hot showers and cable TV. I love MTV! Room charges is 800 babt per night. ..that's about S$33 ....affordable.

We had breakfast at one of the street cafes ..... very beach like and cool.. Had a American breakfast that cost only 70bt...S$3? 2 eggs with bread + bacon + sasages+ coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice...fuck! You can't get that in Singapore with S$3!!!! I'll boycott Mac donalds from now... Our itenary begins with a Buddha visit at Erawan Shrine opp World Trade Center...Its a not a temple to start with....Its just a fence up area with the 4 face Budhha statue. However, it attracted lots of ppl and tourist cos its in town area. We went in and paid our dues to the buddha..there's side traditional dancing too. Shortly after we went to Pratunum flea market to shop...Ken and I got a few Tees at 150bt each down from 180...that's $6 each...good material and design..definitely cheaper than Sing. The gals had a better time ..they got accesorries in bulk...earrings, necklaces...We sort of split up in the midst....rather than stay in group. Its always
good advice to travel in small and even numbers....guy can look out for gal ..of course the guy must like shopping else it would be a mental torture....

It was almost 4 when we finish and we took a cab to MBK center and took a quick bite at one of the sushi restaurant. We order too much but wtf..its so cheap there..we just wanna pamper ourselves...spend like a king here cos its suicidal to do it in Sing!!! After the sushi, we split out to shop..its impossible to cover the malls together ..we had an idea what to look for anyway. I went to Siam Discovery center and check out the life style concept stores for bags and stuffs...got a jacket and a frday shirt in "Concept" one of the trendy shops opp Siam Center... Its was almost 6 when we had to cut it for the day..The taxi was long and Irene suggest we both take the Tut Tut since i've never taken b4...but they charge 200 bt ..too fucking ex..a cab would cost only 100 at most... Please don't get fleech by Tut Tut drivers if it cost > 100 bt for all. We are not like the stupid farangs (ang mos)

upon reaching the hotel, its almost 8 . We met up with Gary at Khao San and chill out in one of the pubs. Heinkken cost 70bt ...$3!!!! dirt cheap.. Just for intro, Gary performed in one of our events back in Sing. He was working with 2 other angmos back then. Howver they fell out over in business....sad story..apparently gary was cheated of money by them. Anyway, Gary just got married with a local thai and his baby is due soon. He got a few business in contracting and seems to be doing ok. We felt happy for him....hopefully the next teh trip we can see his kid.

Sophie they all went for foot massage...I wasn't keen and decided to dine with GAry...we talk about life, love and business in bbk. I ask gary how he feels marrying a gal that's 2x younger than him...(he was about 40ish going to 50) Would he feel secure foresaking everything in Australia and working alone in foreign land. He wasn't returning back to Aust since he's sold everything there..leaving behind his relatives and all. He said there's nothing much he love about Aust...but here, he finds opportunites and the girls here are much docile and gentle.

He only knew his current wife for about 6 months ...maybe a bit more after ditching his ex of 1 year (apparently, she left him for others when he was down and out in business...bitch!)
he got to know her wife thru his friends...wasn't intentionally courting her at first...but after a few meetings...they like each other..the gal had no working exp, and was living in a village ...like those we lived in the 60s.. her parents like gary even though he 's a farang. She 's not the kind of SPG gals we seen on the streets...throwing themselves on the farangs cos they have the cash. He's also not a womaniser. He told me most of the gals on the sleasy streets would "turn bad" once they had working exp. Mostly are out to fleech for money...hardly can find a decent gal here. He got a word of advice for me in love relationships....do not get desperate..let nature takes its course and when the right gal come by go for it.... I respect that. I mean look at him ...he's 40ish....sometimes...its the timing.

We went back to hotel about 12 + ...played heart attack drop we drop...


6th Jan , Friday
Sophie and me went out for the day. Irene choose to stay in hotel cos' b4 the trip, she lost her wallet (about $800 for this trip....felt sad for her) She's almost dried up after the 1st day....now waiting for money to be wired over. Ken is waiting for Angela and Tobby 's arrival at the hotel.
Our first stop was the alleys opp Siam center..We went in "shop in a closet" ..a very famous concept store selling hippie clothes and accersories. Its a 2 storey shop and besides clothes, they serve coffee and cakes in a cosy corner. The stuffs they sell is not cheap...not the usual kind of stuffs we will wear in singapore..except for the rich and design conscious..but we like the raw concept they have...defintely worth a peek! They also have a corner doing Manicure and Pedicure...the owner have spent an effort in utilising every niche of space...

At night, we went to eat seafood at Chinatown with Angela and Tobby. We ordered big prawns, chicken wings ...tom yam...etc...its a feast...fabulous and heap..600bt in all...that's about $25....each one pay 100bt. After that, we went to suan lum while A & T went back to hotel as they haven't check in.. It was nearly 10 when we reach Suan Lum...some stores are closing. They only open at 5 and close at 12 but its as good as Chatuchat ..smaller and easier to walk thru. They had diff zones to explore...almost impossible to cover for the night. Sophie, ken and irene left b4 11...I stayed behind as I want to shop more. By the time, I came back, its already 1 am.... they are still awake surprising and told me they got conned 200 bt for the cab fees. The driver agreed on 150 bt but charge them 200 halfway...they are already in the highway and doesn't want further trouble ( with 2 gals around, anything could happen) Shit luck... I was luckier ...I paid 100 bt alone.

We discussed abt the itenary tomorrow and went back to our rooms abt 2+

7th Jan Saturday

I decided to go free and easy alone ....shopping for personal stuffs.. They had a diff direction to head. I went to search for Propaganda in MBK...a new concept store my friend talk about. She wanted a few eyeballs ...I had a hard time looking for it as it was hiding in one the corridors ...opp
Apple shop. I bought a few quirky stuffs...Mr P keychain and phone straps...very kinky. there's one phone strap when we got a call or sending a message, the dick will flash red...haha..

It was about 4 when I had early dinner at Lee's place...been wanting to shop at Suan lum again later at 6. They serve eastern and western cusine...sort of fusion. I order their local "Cha kui, tiao" , Popiah and coconut. i could clearly see their Mrt station outside. theirs is a double deck. facing Paragon...thenew grand shopping mall with underground seaworld...like the one we had at sentosa...its facinating they could have it built right in the middle of town!.. but I did not have the time to visit it..swear i will go there next time..

I reach suan lum around 6+ and toured the entire area 2x...I really admire myself. Some stall owners can recognise me...and there's these shop which i bargain twice..the sales gal give me a sian look..hheehee...Bought a retro cushion, gifts for my colleagues and pair of pumas. I haven'y found my bags yet:(

Stayed till 11+ watching live show at beer garden...wah liao..the dancers so damn chio! skin so fair and smooth.. I just love the way they talk ...like singing! I wnt back to hotel half dead about 12. What a day! I swear i 've walked 10 km.

8th JAn Sunday
We woke up about 9 +, had breakfast at Wild Orchard villa. the menu was slightly ex but service was good. Comparable to hotel standards. I love their eggs well done... W e took a cab to Bombay market...after being told that its a wholesaler market where it will be cheaper compared to chatuchat and suan lum. Its a freaking 7 storey building where they sold mostly on clothes... senseless shopping again I though but surprisingly, we didn 't buy much. We went to China town for another wholesaler market for accesssories.

While waiting for A & T to come back from thier tour at Kanchananburi, we decided to have a good massage at the renowned Pin Klao Massage center. It was located in a building ..with grand reception. We heard quite many upper class ppl frequent the center. Rumour says if you never vsited Pin klao , you have not tried the real thai massage. We did a aromatherapy and foot reflexology at cost of 1100 bt ....about $45 sing for 3 hours ! Dirt cheap!!!

I wasn't a person who can just lie down and sleep thru the whole massage. I laugh most the time and couldn't sit still....embarrasing..the lady massages giggle at me...heheh..I scared itchiness wat can I do? After 1.5 hours of torture, i thought I could at last relax during the aroma session...but it was hell of a exp. It was my frist time and maybe the last??? I thought there 's something to wear underneath for the massage but I was to be stripped naked...only to be wrapped with a towel.

The massage begins with each leg starting with the toes , with blended oils..I swear the lady saw my butt and balls as the sheet was pulled all the way to my waist...I was feeling helpless, exposed & vulnerable. I was giggling away and luckily I was lying face down so she can't see my expressions. Its a common fact that guys get a hard-on during the session due to the gentle strokes. I didn't else I would kill myself..so fucking embarrasing...shit .. am I abnormal? Anyway, It was quite and experience though...my friends slept throughout ..really Tamade...

It was about 6 when we finished ... we took a cab back to khao san to meet up with A T. They just went for the Kanchananburi trip...something about watching the tigers....anyway I've been there twice during NS..seen all ..done all..nothing special but I've heard 2 weeks ago, one of the cubs bite of the nipple of a jap tourists. That teaches the ladies us one thing...always wear a bra outside....u never know when u get your nipples bitten off...be it a animal or human....:P

We had our dinner at Beer Garden ...just next to Suan Lum night bazaar. I think the owner did a fantastic job by setting up a open air food mall next to shopping bazaar...after all, people do get tired after shopping and will need to dine for dinner. The bazaar operating hours fits the bill nicely. No wonder the food stalls is doing a roaring business..and there's live stage performance to attract the crowd. There's at least 100 tables and the front ones will always be seen with giant beer barrels..its cheap to order in barrels..we had 6 of us....and order 2 barrels. We had a great time feasting. We got satays, pat thais, chickens ...and we can't finish all!

We split up and went back to hotel ....We were high and Ken was puking along the streets...he had 7 glasses..I had 2 ..but that's my limits...Its a miracle that we can arrive safely back in our rooms. the gals went to shop for clothes. I manage to bath and we are both lying on the bed wheb the gals crept in(we didn't lock our doors..) they jumped at Ken ..tickling him ..doing all sorts of stuffs to wake him up...he was faking sleep as he surprise them by getting them at their own games...they are a noisy bunch...I swear we woke up the chickens downstairs with our laughter. I was attacked soon after..they pinch my nipples ...squeezed my butts...we just forget about ourselves and indulge in the fun...for fuck sake ..its the last night and we know the fun will be over sooner than we knew. We played harder than we ever have....I was feeling a pinge of sadness after it ended. we had so much fun that night...

time was 3 am when we finally slept.


9th Jan , Blue Monday

We slept till 10 + , Sophie and ken went to collect their tailor made clothes...Irene and me was bsuy packing away our stuffs. I wish I brought a bigger suitcase. I had 2 handcarry bags . The suitcase was fucking heavy...Imagine carrying abt 20kgs of stuff down from 5th to ground floor.... We check out at about 11am and book a van to the airport at 3pm..our flight was at 650 but we thought that the traffic might delay so its better to arrive early. Ken and co went to khao san streets to walk around while I checked out the Cds stalls near our hotel. I bought a 5 at 100 bt each....and I rested at Sawasdee for coffee chill and wrote my journals.

We reach the airport at 4 pm..even though we boarded the van at 330...the driver was picking up other passegers too along the way... sophie and I had excess baggage and paid extras...we expected that anyway. Mine weigh 18kg and hers is about 20kg. I meet Vivien and her friends at the airport too.. they had the same flight as us..poor gal. she was sick on her 2nd day of arrival and had to rest in hotel for 1 day... but she seems having all the fun though.

We reach Sing at 11 ..flight was delayed. We came back ..sad cos we got to face work again.
This has been a great trip for me..6 days 5 nights is just nice for all the shopping and sight seeing. I am planning the next one in either June or next Jan.

Whew..its such a long entry...thanks for the patience if you are reading it.
Bangkok, Bangkok..I sure miss you!

Bangkok post

Its been my 4 th day in bbk...done quite a bit of shopping here but its never enough. Its always spend spend and spend. ..and u get a kick out of it. Its always a irony that i never get to spent that much in Singapore...its atrocious...sinful I should say. But its therapeutic in a sense...I wish I could stay here longer and indulge in the idlic life here.

Cos the place iam staying now is kinda of for backpackers...on a budget...so the ppl we seen here are mostly angmos..ragged ppl who doesn't fell into the rich tourist / taitai category. Its very easy to struck up a conversation with them. its a international ceespool..germans, french, british...americans...japs..watever.ppl from all sorts of back ground fun to share their traveeling exp.

I made great friends with the local tailor though...made some ahirts and pants at pretty cheap price...At Singapore, the price can only but you a shirt at most...

Ok...gtg go will blog more when i got back...time almost up...40babt for 1 hour of surfing..cheap..
Ciao