Bangkok Fever

My Bangkok Madness started when I arrived on a Sunday - 21 September 2008, together with my 2 closest friends. After reuniting with Chris in Bangkok, we headed our way in exploring of what Bangkok had to offer us. We couldn't wait to set our sail on this foreign land and feel the Amazing Thailand experience.

Our first stop, Chatuchak Market - the famous week-end market that practically has the best finds you could possibly think of. And I was challenged. So was my ability to bargain.

It was known to be a tourist destination. So haggling was just a norm everyone just needed to follow. There were stalls where my charms worked magic to getting a few baht savings, to reserve for more beautiful items to purchase in the future. But majority of them, I was rather inefficient. I could not work wonders and haggle anymore as the stall owners said those were already discounted and fixed prices. Thanks to my impulsive friends, I could not work a way to lower down the prices a bit. The excitement showed obviously on their faces, the I-will-buy-even-without-the-discount-face.

There were items that I could not resist to buy myself. So instead of putting up false pretenses, I ended up as a hungry wolf. No discounts, no qualms. Just the power of buying. For some so-so ones, no discount, no buy for me. I got a few good stuff for myself. And OH YEAH, I was so proud!



And if you thought we forgot to snap a photo at Chatuchak Market, guess again. We are photo addicts. We don't forget. We just snap, snap and pose, just like professional models. Yep, models. At most times, good ole runway and print ad models. But in trashy days, more like jail prisoners at some isolated country for mug shots. But this one, we look so happy. But not glammed up. Nevertheless, can't complain. Bangkok, baby!



We never got to finish loitering around that big market. I think we were not even close to covering the quarter of the place's land area. My friends were starving and scared to eat street food. Three against one is really against democracy and clearly, the odds were against me. So we went to our next destination - SIAM PARAGON - BANGKOK!

Siam Paragon is the large version of Singapore's own Paragon Mall. It is super world class that even movie houses have VIP screenings that can charge as high as 700 Baht per movie. And that's less than SGD30. FOR a movie. And it did not come with a DVD version after watching it. Besides, they don't serve buffet inside. So it was not worth it.



We decided to dine and eat our heart out after walking the long stretched of stalls at Chatuchak Market. Binge eating was a must as we had more places to go that day. So we did. We ate traditional Thai food at a mall. (Talk traditional alright, haha.) It was the safest and the most logical option for my friends. So I went with them. It was a hearty meal for both my stomach and my eyes. Bangkok was a place for tourists. I mean, you look to your right, you see a tourist. You look to your left, you see the same. It's practically a tourist invasion. It was neat. I was already recharged and ready to go for war exploration. But before that, who wants coffee? :)
Starbucks has become a lifestyle in all parts of the world. Revving up the day with a dose of caffeine has gotten more and more popular. And Bangkok was no stranger to this. And so were we. We idled around at Starbucks, in Bangkok to rest for a bit and enjoy Bangkok air. After dosing up, we went and looked for Siam Ocean World.



After a few inquiries, we were able to pinpoint the place. It was marketed as the biggest ocean world, I was just not sure if it was in Asia or the world. I have had my hopes up. I expected a better Ocean World than the one I saw in Hong Kong and Sentosa, Singapore.

Well, let's just say it was not the best I had seen so far. In all justice to the place, there were some WOW moments and there were also BOO-HOO moments. But it was quite an experience with friends though. All we did was to enjoy and savour the moment spent together and appreciate the things to see. So it called for a lot of picture! picture! Picture, picture, picture meant fun, fun, fun!






Ocean world offered a lot of interesting things to do. And as tourists, we did everything. From viewing the aquariums to riding on a galssboat to watching their very own 4D animation. You name it, we captured and got everything under our sleeves. There was not a single thing we missed in Siam Ocean world. Not one. For that 1000 Baht we paid for, it was all worth the trip.We went around Siam Paragon after that Siam Ocean world experience for ocular satisfaction. We walked around a lot and jumped from one mall to the other. We even managed to watch a movie in between. I didn't know if it was coincidence or not but we chanced upon Nicholas Cage's movie - Bangkok Dangerous. From then on I knew that we were up for more eureka moments in Thailand - both in Bangkok and Pattaya.

The tuk-tuk ride was the highlight of the night. We could not get a cab to bring us back to the hotel and this guy could not help but overhear our bargaining to cab drivers. The drivers wanted to rip and charge us for 100 to 150 baht. And this counter offered for 80 baht. We decided to say yes and experience the adrenaline rush for this ride. All for experience guys! :)

And do you remember the ad of Pierce Brosnan for Visa that was shot in Thailand? Yes, it was that fast and furious. No street rules, no speed limits. Just the tuk tuk driver in his own bubble and us at the back holding on to our dear lives.
We arrived at the hotel in one piece but at the end of it all, we needed to have a photo taken, of us of course. Thanks to the driver's shaky hands, our photo looked like a poster of a Thai horror movie.

My Thailand Primer

Going to Thailand, I did not expect much. With all that was going on politically, I expected the worst. Bad news spread so fast. Even friends have their say on this and strongly urged us NOT to go. But I did otherwise. We decided to go, with travel insurance of course.

The trip turned out to be the best time of my life so far. The best trip ever. An adventure a guy my age would only dream about.

My trip started with a lot of jittery feelings. Mixed with excitement, as usual, I never got to sleep the night before the actual trip. I even spent my night before attending a surprise party for a friend. I did not drink as I was afraid of the hang over and be held at the airport for being tipsy, or has anyone been held for it? (I thought so.)

Hours before the trip, I was awake. And the time came that I, together with my closest friends needed to go to the airport. It was finally materializing. It was happening already. It was that first step and there was no turning back. We took a cab on the way to the airport. And we were excited. We were ecstatic.



Let's fast forward a bit. We arrived at the airport. We checked in and went around Changi Airport as we were there two hours before our flight - the usual practice. Unfortunately, majority of the shops were closed. So there was nothing much to see or go elsewhere. So we went to an open restaurant - O'brien's to satisfy our stomachs and kill the time. After a few chit chats, a couple of mini bites of the sandwich that we ordered, we finally went to board the aircraft. It was Jet Star, our offical carrier to Bangkok.

It was my first Jet Star experience. And it was rather a mundane but not a ghastly experience. And I was so sleepy that I endured the synthetic leather seat. It did not matter to me at all. But the employees' uniform was very unflattering. It became the issue to me more so than the actual flight experience. It was just a short trip. I was asleep almost the entire time. Good thing I did not end up dreaming about the steward's/stewardess's uniforms. Otherwise, it would have been chaotic and mind bugging. I was asleep on the way to Bangkok.

And an hour and a half plus later, hello Bangkok! Sa-wat-dee krap!

Thailand's airport - Suvarnabhumi Airport was impressive. Considering that it was not air conditioned, it was pretty cold. Thanks to this high tech method of cooling the place with pipes to ventilate it, it was not stuffy. Thailand has exceeded my expectations. It is a city of destination for me. It is a must see country.

And there started my adventure.



Next stop, my Thailand Itinerary.

Thailand Interlude

I have been planning to write about the Thailand Trip I had together with my closest friends and it has been delayed and delayed as I had to update the photos we had taken, upload and share the files to all four for us. Writing captions to each one was a tedious but rewarding task. But did I say energy sucking task as well? Hehe.

And for the love of God, I had to update my friendster account, too. Updating it is as important as updating my multiply account. Facebook just comes as second priority. That explains the less pictures and less activity to my account. I wonder what happened to my virtual pet -Snowball. Does she still know me? Or has she found another master?

Anyways, I will be writing about my Thailand trip really soon. As I write from experience, I hope to justify Thailand as amazing as it did to us. I hope to satisfy myself above all else. It helps me stroke and build my ego more.

I am still a guy. I need my ego stroked every once in a while. Pathetic. Haha.

Here is a photo that proves how much I love myself. This is just me at the beach. Nothing fancy. But I like it, I look so fierce and effortless. Ahem!

Amazing Thailand!

Despite of friends telling us NOT to go to Bangkok, Thailand due to some political feud and riot, we (we to include Marky, Chris, Charo and Me) still decided to stick to our plan and push through it.

Yes, my three friends and I considered postponing our trip. But as days passed by, the bad publicity just stuck its highest down to its rock bottom. We heard news from left to right saying that everyone was frantic and rallies just happen here and there. There were also news a couple of days after that showing that the political situation had stabilized. That was our go signal. We could not postpone it.

There were cautionary warnings from various embassies of different countries, but nothing grave to be worried about for us. We would not go there to make a stand for our political beliefs, we would go there to shop and see the country. In other words, we were tourists, not protesters.

After all, we paid for it. And we could not refund the money back. The best we could do was pray hard and hope for the best. And oh yes, get travel insurance, too in case something unexpected happens. In case you're wondering, we really did get travel insurance. Better be safe than sorry. Let's just say we had our reservations. But we still pushed thru.

So we did. Going to Thailand has been the best decision I have made so far in my life! Had I decided to postpone the trip, I would have missed the once in a lifetime experience in immersing myself to Thailand's culture. I would wave regretted feeling the Thais' warm welcome, the Sa-wat-dee greetings, the genuine smiles, the adventure and the heart felt experience as a whole.

This whole trip became an eye-opener for me. The trip has made me realize that I can do lots of things with faith, friends and believe in myself.

I so disagree that Bangkok is a dangerous place to go. It's not even close to that word. Shoppers consider this place as paradise. Some as a pilgrimage for faith-driven people. But above all else, Thailand, not only Bangkok, is a place of fun and a country of the free.

Thailand after all means "freedom land". No limits, no boundaries. Just imagination.

Just amazingly Thailand!

Thank you Naruto!

I went home yesterday at around 2 am in the morning. On my way home in the cab at the back seat, my legs were just numb and unmoved. My brain cells were dead. My brain neurons were on a strike. I was just mum the entire time with a seat belt wrapped around me.

I was practically a zombie. And the uncle (cab driver) just could not endure the silence the entire time. He liked to small talk even to a dead fish. And I did reply back, for a few times as he was very warm and polite. After a few phrases and sentences, I think he noticed that I was very, very, very tired. So he respected my space.

I came home twenty minutes after with a $20 bucks damage right out of my own pocket. I alighted a block away from our flat. I made a mistake. I asked Uncle to turn the wrong way and I didn't want to explain anymore. So I just walked a few meters from there to our flat, then got in the lift, took out my keys and went in.

I just washed my face quickly, cleaned it with my toner and put on my night cream. I was so tired. I was decided to lie on the bed and close my eyes but then again, it got me.

The new Naruto Manga was set to release that day. So even how tired I was, I managed to exploit my brain cells to do this one favor for the day. I needed to know what happened to Naruto and Sasuke. I wanted to know if Naruto was able to master the Sage Art - Senjutsu. I could not wait to know if Sasuke was able to sustain his Amaterasu and will go on in his plans to destroy his own village - Konoha.

So I took out my laptop, turned on the wi-fi and went to this website - www.starkana.com - the site that has the newest releases for Manga, and of course for Naruto, I ended up reading the scanned copies online for a few minutes. I just didn't like the feeling of hanging by that moment, especially for this Manga.

I ended up sleeping tight after reading my weekly dose of Naruto Manga. Even for a bit, no matter how tired I was, I managed to put a smile on my face. I was satisfied. I was happy. And for some reason, I felt somehow that I rid off some exhaustion that I had felt the entire day.

Thanks to Naruto I was on the high. I slept heavenly.

Thank you Naruto!

MUTANT

I spent practically the whole day yesterday at work. It was exhausting. I needed to put everything in place and endorse my tasks as I will be on leave for three days (Yes! Only for three days). And the overtime wasn't paid, mind you. It was done for the betterment of the company, not my own pocket.

Seventeen hours of staring at your computer screen is not fun if you're working. At I could not believe I was doing it. Me? And what's pissing me off was that I got thru it without browsing my friendster or facebook sites to get me thru the grueling hours of my day.

Geez, I am changing. I am becoming a corporate slave. Damn, I am becoming a mutant. I think next time I will get an award. A plaque of appreciation. A merit. Ahm, can I request for a bonus instead?

STRESS-ing on having that Filipino Power!

Today marks my I am-so-drowning-with-work and I was so close to quitting. Thanks to this former colleague that made my life miserable. This guy I am talking about, we used to work together in this campaign. He had a few slip ups and the bosses decided to boot him out as he was no good after all. He was more of a liability than a mere asset.

I thought we won't be able to work with him anymore, until today. Today is my lucky, lucky day. A case re-surfaced due to his carelessness. And it was not a minor case. It kind of blew out of proportions because he carelessly put an entry on a different line item. In short, line 1 entry should have had the details of this customer but instead, he put it right below it. So, it just screwed it up.

I ended up cleaning his shit the entire day, doing the liaison here and there. Sending emails one after another. I resorted to taking up the case in my own hands to handle what was mishandled. Everything seemed to have been fixed already. I just need to monitor and make sure that this solution is carried out flawlessly.

I don't know why I did it. It's definitely not because of love. I think the main thing is he's Filipino, too. Deep inside me, no matter how irritating he is to me, it all boils down to helping him out. I didn't want to be the hero, I just wanted the case closed. Not because I wanted him to realize how dumb he was, which is the truth but hey, he just needs to do his job well and take it seriously. He just knows how to brag, but he sure has nothing to brag about.

I just hope he learns a valuable lesson over this. I hope he takes this opportunity to improve himself more and take it all in for the better.

After all, he's Filipino. He's one of us. I hope he prides himself of this fact.

Stunned!

I was so tired last night that I planned to sleep early and call it a night. But guess what, I ended up sleeping at 2am+ in the morning.

Thanks to this blogging eureka for me. I already know how to put pictures in my entries! And just like a child discovering the world, I could not get enough of it. Whether to re-organize or delete and add back more photos, I just could not satisfy my curiosity. The wonders of technology. The wonders of discovery.

I honestly do not know why I did not discover this sooner when in fact, it was just right there together with all the symbols perfectly organized in line. Well, you'll never know when you'll get your blonde moment.

In my case, it's my curly, dyed hair moment.

(The photo has NO definite relation to this entry. I just think we all look good in this shot. Let me correct myself. We always look good. Even this weird guy as our background looks human, what an evolution. All because of us.)

Mama Mia! - An Inspiring Movie

I was planning to go to the gym today but I then decided not to push through with my plan anymore. It's Monday-Drown-Me-Day today for sure and I would not have the time and the strength to go work out and sweat my sweet ass off. And it was a good decision as a colleague of mine offered me 2 free tickets to watch Mama Mia! at 7.20pm at Golden Village, Marina Square. I immediately asked a friend (Holly) to watch the movie with me even though she had seen it already. She said it was good.

She was right. Her saying that it was good is an under rating. Mama Mia! is the best movie I have seen so far for this month. It is something that I would consider a worth movie to watch. Meryl Streep is indeed so fun to look at. Her ability to transform and play the part just shows off her experience as an actress. And Pierce Brosnan? Well, you just try to imagine James Bond singing. Yep, singing seriously. And please, do not stand and leave immediately. Wait for the credits to run and the last sequence would be the icing on the cake for Mr. Bond. And I am not going to spoil the movie for you. So you better continue reading.

The movie as whole is a masterpiece. The message it conveys just touches the core of your being with humor. The movie knows how to condition you to feel a certain emotion, a distinct hmf that pushes you to laugh with the actors and actresses, to cry with them and to lament with them. It gives you that sense of fulfillment, that conviction to love, to live, to hope and rekindle the moment.

This movie is definitely made for everyone to enjoy. And do not worry guys, I have seen a couple of men who had watched the movie with us. Straight guys, mind you. So, in case your girlfriends ask you to watch, spare me the shenanigans and watch with them. But please, no ... (dot, dot, dot)

You'll know what I mean when you watch the movie.

P.S.

I am not the movie's publicist. I am not paid to write good review about it.

Agent PeePee, you suck!

Today was the date we had to renew the rental for our flat. And funny it was the same exact person who got half of our deposit to the flat previously that we liked but decided to not push thru because of complications. Let's just call him Peepee, a twenty-something agent who seems to be good at deceiving people.

He went to the house together with the Auntie with the SPA (Special Power Of Attorney) to fix the paperwork needed for the renewal. And yeah, to get THE money from us as the supposed 'agent's fee' for supposedly 'helping us for looking' for this flat. (Get it?) For the existing flat. We are paying him to renew. Without doing anything. With getting his ass sweat. Just like that.

Well I understand that it's how the market goes. But having this experience with him for his work ethics isn't just worth giving him additional $900 more from us, and another $900 from the owner. It's a pity we are giving this scum easy money without working hard for it. This guy doesn't deserve a single penny. But he's clever. For some reason I feel that we were dealing with the hustler.

The entire time they were discussing about the rent and procedure, I was just looking at this chubby, egoistic and money-addict agent PeePee. Figuring out how he sleeps at night with his eyes shut. Or how he endures to collect money from this shitty business.

He ended up $1800+ richer when he walked out our flat. We had given him the money, yes, but has he gotten our respect and confidence in him? I don't think so. Never. Or not until he figures out how to earn and deal with people decently.

Celebrating Independence, Singapura Style!

Many words just kept coming in my head randomly when I was thinking of writing this blog two days ago. But I could not seem to gel them together to even write a phrase to complete one sentence. But heck, I was impatient and decided to pend and do it later. So I am writing this today.

As cliche as it sounds, time really goes so fast. It's the flash times ten. Just imagine getting your crush's armpit hair after a few good old months of stalking. If it's possible. Maybe it is if you're room mates. Ahem... By now, I think I have conveyed the point across. *winks, winks*

Looking back two years ago, a lot has changed me for the better. All in its own pace. Some had happened drastically while a few had happened painstakingly slow.

Who could forget that day where we had to go for our medical check up after touchdown. Oh yes, this was after that sleepless night before leaving the Philippines with our loved ones. After that early flight, touching down and checking-in after at a cheap but decent backpacker hostel. And did I say brisk walking around Raffles Place to finally head straight to the clinic for some standard test? Yep, we all passed. After a few grueling hours of tension, fright and worrying of the results. We did fairly.

Let's just say that I was up for some challenge upon stepping foot on this small island. I thought I had experienced the worst, only to discover that it was just that ant bite that happens to you in one humid afternoon. An eye-opener for a more one-of-a-kind (referring to the collected one-of-a-kind experiences) learning and enriching experiences.

How I could forget the frugal moments I had on the first few days of living in Singapore. Those days where my fellow colleagues and I would sit down in our hostel room, take out our pen and paper to tally our daily expenses (converting everything in Philippine peso). Also taking into consideration the budget we tried to allot for the house we need to find the soonest as the bill at the hostel are accumulating.

God is good. He helped us (me and the 6 others) find a house. A house good enough to shelter and start our lives together - as housemates. It was in that house that I learned to share a room with a stranger (a close friend now) and share the house along with six of the girls (also close friends). That house was the witness of our pack's rites of passage - the humble beginnings. Our click. The start of that genuine friendship - the adventures and misadventures we all had. The activities we did. The endless bus rides that became enjoyable road trips. The midnight to early morning movie showings, the eating escapades, the coffee sessions, the nights of clean partying and the wasted few nights due to spur of the moment drinking. And not to mention our out of the country trips together.

Singapore had seen me in my worst, too. It saw me fell in love and eventually get heartbroken that led to serious weeping over a love interest who obviously was naive enough not to notice. It took me more than 6 months to get over the feeling. Thanks to a few instances of crying at our balcony at past midnight, a couple of bus rides alone with "Someday" by Nina playing in my Ipod and a couple of time spent at the church praying for guidance and detachment of the feelings from my personal self. And I would say all those counter-measures prevented me from getting insane. I was getting there. And I was that close to snapping and giving in. But I guess, I am one hell of a fighter. And it were my firsts - being in love and being heartbroken.

This country had taught me to be strong-er - emotionally and physically. It taught me to stand stall. Live on my own for a while. Be comfortable with my own skin. Discover and appreciate myself better. Singapore gave me the opportunity to define independence in my life, incorporate in my lifestyle the best practices I gained through experience and change me for the better. Become a better friend, a better son and a better spirit.

Imagine how this small land can change a person at greater scales. The experience - both good and bad translates to a better me - transcending my expectations not only for myself but to all the people around me. This is how this country shapes you so you can celebrate independence, Singapore style.

Life as I know it.

Before going to sleep, I re-read what I wrote last night and damn, I am so screwed. I promised to write all things possible in here, especially the good ones. So here I am in my room with my lights off, squeezing my brains out to produce an article worth reading. But who cares, this is for me. And I don't owe anybody anything. This is my turf, my space and my writing therapy.

Well, nothing extra-ordinary today, except for a write-up at some office bulletin from a colleague that said, "doing ordinary things extraordinary well". I also don't know if this line has some parallelism to this entire context but I said it anyway. Besides, I write what I want. So you read and understand how you want this to be interpreted.

In life, you do things the way you want things executed. Some may not like your lifestyle but it's you who chooses it for yourself. It's just a matter of choice. You may go out in boots one day because you feel like it or dress up a ninja master the next day. People may find you weird or a fuckin' lunatic but who cares. At the end of the day, it is you who will answer to yourself whether you had fun or whether you bored yourself to death.

I guess my point is, we all make our decisions. Of course, you consider your family's say about things. Your friends may help guide you to the right direction. Your significant other might also be a factor. But sticking to a decision is something that you do yourself. Whether you choose to grieve or be happy, ecstatic or just plain boring, it will always be you. Yourself, Your ass on the line.

The choices do not choose you. You choose the choices. You call the shots.
You stand by them.
You may make wrong choices but you learn from them. You outgrow the stupid phase. You overcome the blues. You become stronger.

It may not always be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow every after life experience. But you sure get a consolation in taking that path yourself. It may even be worth more than that.

I AM BACK

I would say my English needs a lot of polishing now that it has not been used to write articles for a while. Let's just say writers need some time to park their pens and recharge to say the least. WeIl, if I consider myself a writer that is. I would more or less say that I am but ready for sharing my life experiences if my precious time permits. *winks, winks*

I have been told by a friend, (Marky, ahem) that all I write about are stories and articles that directly relate to angst of my life and how I see the world in a different light. I already explained to him that I find it easy to write about them and the fact that I see them entertaining just adds to the spice of the world fill with irony.

I better start writing soon and make it a habit to writing at least one entry a day. I have read somewhere that brain cells diminish their capacity to function when they aren't used often. And it's not a pretty good way to appreciate what God has given me, I think.

So let this be my way of saying - I AM BAA-AHHCCK! This time, I am up for that challenge to motivate myself and give myself a chance to grow and become more mature.

Hopefully.