Bangkok Pilgrimage

Bangkok may be a shopping haven to most of the tourists visiting the country. Little do a few know that this country is a home as well for pilgrimage. Predominantly Buddhist, Bangkok has more than 30,000+ temples, seen and distributed throughout the city.

Our second day itinerary was dedicated in frequenting the best, not to mention the most visited temples and religious sites not only for tourists but for locals as well. It was a must to engage ourselves in this cultural immersion. We had to partake and involve ourselves in experiencing this one of a kind trip, this adventure.



So in preparation for this so-called pilgrimage, we had to stuff a lot of carbs so we could walk, trek, run, climb or do whatever physical activity needed to keep up with our itinerary.

The first thing in my mind was stuffing up. In a more formal term - gluttony. Please do not be mistaken, the food on my plate was just a primer on what they offered. I went for breakfast themes. This my friends was what American breakfast was all about. I did a couple of trips back to the buffet table to try some other food offerings there. My photo was just the first of my 3 rounds, hihi.

Breakfast was just plain yummy. A lot of choices from breads to cereals to porridges to rice to main courses. You name it. They got it. They had a lot to choose from, except for ice cream. Who would want ice cream in the morning? Who in the world would ask for an ice cream early in the morning? Even children know better. Chris and Chars, can you even imagine? Haha.

After the sumptuous meal and four bulging stomachs, we still managed to have a good photo taken. The oh-so-good-food needs a perfect complement - a photo for keepsake. So after eating, we could not resist the Bangkok charm. There was nothing better than the Bangkok breeze touching your face after a sinful breakfast. Pure Bangkok air from a 43rd floor balcony of what once considered the tallest building in Thailand - Baiyoke Suites. It was almost orgasmic. But then again, I can only imagine.

After a few snapshots and a heavy breakfast, we started our trip for the day. The trip to the Chao Phraya River. The river that keeps Thailand on the map for trade. Our Tour Guide - Mr. Bank was saying that the river was very clean though the water was murky. The reason behind it was that water comes straight from the mountains down to Thailand. So there was no time for the water to clear.

We had the chance to get in a boat and journey the long stretch of the river. We had seen variety of temples on our way to Wat Arun - Temple of Dawn. The temples were really lavish structures. Very well built and the details were just unbelievable. Bangkok is indeed one darn place to visit. Those temple structures I only saw in books were in front of me. Real ones. My eyes were feasting and twinkling. I was just gazing at them, in plain awe.



The trip was reinforced with so much eureka moments when we got to Temple of Dawn - Wat Arun. This is a photo of me doing the traditional Thai pose. Can you see the designs of the temple? I did mimic the pose. And boy I was so awkward. But who cares. I still look fierce. Period. No objections.


After each of our solo photos taken, we of course would not dare to leave the place without our group photo. Sharing this experience with friends just doubled the "unforgetfulness" of this experience. It maybe hot climbing the stairs and moving around the premises. But no matter how scorching hot the sun was, for some reason, it became tolerable. Getting a tan from going around Wat Arun was something anybody could NOT do everyday, except if you were working there.




After the sunbathing at the temple task at Wat Arun, we needed to stuff ourselves again. We took our lunch at a local restaurant and ate our stomachs out. We still had to go to the famous "Four-Face Buddha" destination to conclude our Bangkok Pilgrimage. We heard from our Tour Guide that it was the place to go for well-wishers and people who needed some divine help from Buddha.

We all offered flowers and incenses to the Four Face Buddha. We all had our open mind to try and respect their faith. We all did what we were instructed to do. We did what we were told. We followed the instructions in praying and asking for our wishes to be granted.

It was a solemn experience. It gave me the added kick I needed to assure myself and prove to myself that I needed it. It gave me that other aura for respect for other religion and the knack in blending with others without prejudice.

After visiting the place, we all felt revitalized. We left the place with so much respect and tranquility.



Bangkok is just simply amazing.

Lookie! Lookie!

I bought something a bit expensive last week. And now that I have thought about it, it wasn't much of an impulse. It was an investment for me to look good at the upcoming event from work.

Behold, my suit.



For the record, this is not as expensive as CK or Hugo Boss suits. This is mediocre to say the least. But the fit. Oh yes, the fit is worth a million dollars. It was that fit that made me buy it. The cut of the sleeves, the hem lines and the details.

This is way better than orgasm.

The day that I bought was the time my libido went off the meter - 1. for being expensive and 2. for feeling that it was made for me.

I'll take a good snap shot when I am in it. I don't want to spoil the fun and post it here this soon.

Yes, I am a spoilsport at times. :)

No more be delicious, Hello Happy!

Well, since I had started a Metrosexual talk, let me go ahead and share with you my little secret. I had gone ahead and purchased a new scent for myself. Not because I did not want my DKNY scent anymore. I recently bought a new bottle of perfume because I missed my original scent. The one that I used before DKNY.

I miss my old scent back. That tinge of citrus mixed with that light and refreshing scent, not too strong, but strong enough to make an impression. I miss the happy days. My Clinique Happy for Men scent.



I so miss it. But I don't think I miss the price. It's more expensive than the DKNY perfume now. Hmm, but I guess it's worth it. It's better than the putrid smells of the slaughterhouses. Or the smell of sweat after running without taking a bath and going straight to work. Much much better. Way better.

P.S.

The Metro's (name of the department store) tag line is so nice and suave. Are you a serial shopper? I must admit it's a good one from them.

My New Me

My last Friday night was spent thinking of my own shopping list. It actually hit me when I looked at my open cabinet and my toiletries. It was just then that I came to realize that I only had a few vain essentials. Yep, a few to put on my face and things that I use for hygienic purposes.

Well, I am happy to announce that little by little, somehow, I am beginning to fit all the pieces together. The entire ensemble is not complete though. I must say that my baby steps progress are quite remarkable - from nothing to a few must haves that can be recommended to friends. My hunt for hygiene essentials is on!


I am not getting any younger. No matter how much denial face and the "I-am-so-young-face" I make every time I look myself in the mirror, that pesky gravity just justifies that everything is meant to age. That said, it made me think on how I can delay the aging process. I am 25 years old already. And I read from some magazine that this age is the birth of wrinkles! Damn, I am only beginning to explore my life and they would say that mean thing to me. I barely even exercised my right to get laid!

So having this said, I need to counter skin-aging. So I went to this Body Shop outlet in Toa Payoh, Singapore to look around. Funny enough, they have all different and new range of products. This was the second time that I got confused since my sexuality question mark! Haha.

From head to toe, they all have it. All new, all packaged nicely and with all different scents. Good thing there was a sales assistant to explain everything that I touched. Guys, spare me the question. I do frequent shops like this, but I didn't just have the interest to buy them before as I thought these were just fabricated by cosmetic companies to rob from ignorant, self-centered and egoistic people like Jennifer Lopez.

Bull Shit. I think I will be part of that ignorant population that patronizes skin products. Yeah, somehow and for some reason I need it. I can't have my skin taken for granted. It was just now that I need more than that Vitamin E Eye Cream that I bought from them a month and a half ago. I need to moisturize, too. A healthy skin is a moisturized skin. And get a lotion to revitalize that glow in me. Gees, how pathetic. I am talking about a glowing skin now. (winks, winks)

So I ended up being ripped, $50+ less than my credit limit for buying the Vitamin E Moisturizer and the lotion. Good thing I liked the effects of Body Shop's Vitamin E Eye Cream I am willing to try the entire line of Vitamin E products they have. Well, not maybe entirely now but soon. If I find the effects really working, I will start recommending them. And who knows, I might be their spokesperson or their Ambassador just like Halle Berry to Revlon and Christina Aguilera for MAC. (hihihi)


So to BODY SHOP, please contact me. I need a sponsor. I need supplies. Email or drop me a message. Or something.

CODE : MOLE MEETING

Today had just been plain depressing. From the moment I stepped foot on our dear office, everything just felt wrong. I guess there are just days when the world just falls on you. Sometimes you catch it with your head - a total clash, and there are just days that you seem to make do with the situation.

I don't know why I was feeling down today. I never got the chance to momentarily ponder on it and have some quiet time with myself. I only noticed the four gigantic pimples growing on my face fast. They have their own heartbeats. I was so scared I might give birth to four kids soon! But other than that, everything just became one big, gray of blur surrounding my bubble.

Sighs.

I have not felt the acne presence for quite a while now. Maybe it's just because of stress at work that these babies of mine just keep on waking up from under my pores. I so don't want them. I can't wait to ripe them up and squeeze them in between my thumbs so they can burst out and heal quickly, hahaha. I know, it's a no-no. Just wishful thinking.

On to my story. I logged off from work 30 minutes past my working hours. I waited for Elijah (known to his friends as Fifi) to finish his whatevers. I accompanied him to the clinic downstairs to have his mouth sore checked, which according to the doctor was an ulcer. Whew. Singaporean doctors sure know how to alarm and frighten the hell out of their patients. Even though we had our second thoughts, Elijah got his prescription, went to the toilet and started applying the topical lotion for the inside of his mouth.

Miraculously, it worked. It made his mouth numb, including his tongue. But we still continued to chit chat while waiting for Ching downstairs so we could have dinner together. They knew I was depressed.

After a few siew mais (steamed minced pork wrapped in wanton wrapper) and bochi (a Chinese food difficult to describe - a soft fried thingy, fried with sesame seeds and filling inside), Ching our "disabled" friend met us. After 10 light years.

We were undecided at first where to go for dinner. Since Fifi could not take Japanese food, we ended up with the oh so famous fast food we could find - Burger King. It was always fun to unwind with friends. Talk non-sense, gossip and laugh the heart out over french fries and burgers. We ate everything we ordered. It was decent but not heavenly alright. But with friends, ordinary food becomes sumptuous feast for the Gods. You always appreciate the company and the effort.

We spent a few hours sitting over our empty trays and left overs sharing funny experiences, work related stuff but stress-free and all the yada-yadas. Prince also joined us after a few hours. We just saw him walking around the area. He joined the fun and the silly antics. Three was a crowd. But four was a riot. I had a blast. I even forgot my depression.

Thanks to my friends they got me through this day happy.

This photo is extra special. It's very rare to see four friends sharing the camera lens together, with our moles complementing each other's faces.

One tag line to say for this photo - Look at our moles!

What constellation sign do we remind you of? Hihi.

Modelesque Pose

Well by now you should know that my friends and I support one another. And being friends with these retards (haha), we all have a way to de-stress in dire moments we need to do so.

We are photo addicts. We always take photos if and when necessary. Which is all the time. Remember the story of Marky's suit and how he wanted it badly? We managed to take a photo of him before trying it. Well, it turned out he was not the only one who had a picture in the fitting room jungle. The reason why he didn't have a photo with the suit on was because AJ and I were pre-occupied taking photos of our solo selves.

Yes, with all the boxes and with the hullabaloos, she managed to take a good artsy-farsty snap of myself. And boy, she was very proud it. And I am, too. Not only for her beautiful shot but also about the oh-so-wonderful subject. Ahem. Me.

Given the environment and the place we were in, which was a public place, mind you, she managed to take a good shot. With all the trash clothes stacked and some trash as background, she still managed to get them to complement me. And good thing this guy mannequin was at the background, too my reflection looked so flawless. The arched back. The legs. The arms.

Very modelesque. And yes, I am narcissistic. I so love myself. Get over it.

Saturday Shopping Bonding - Marcky's Suit Story

Life in Singapore has always been this "flash"-paced. You wake up, go to work, work your ass off (do some overtime work WITHOUT pay), go home, eat, watch TV, surf, go to bed and sleep. Then the cycle just goes on again, not necessarily in that order, but more or less the same without fail. So if you have the opportunity to bond with friends, you take advantage.

I take advantage. Always work and no play makes Eric a dull boy.

I spent my Saturday afternoon after my half day work with AJ (she's a girl) and Marcky. It was AJ's first week-end off and she wanted to spend time with us, models (hehe) as it was a while when we last had our serious bonding moment. The others had work and the rest had prior engagements. So the three of us ended up together.

We met at HDB Hub, Toa Payoh and from there we went straight ahead to Orchard Road - Tangs Mall after a series of nagging calls from Marcky. (Peace!). We met him at Tangs and he was eyeing on a suit already. He wanted us to see it before anything else. He needed an affirmation before splurging on it.

It was a nice tailored suit. The coat fitted well, except for the sides. Let's just say it was a bit small for his built. So there we were, giving our "whatyouthinks" and honest opinions. And somehow, we persuaded him to at least try and look for something else. Something better. True enough, he listened.

We went to a G2000 store at Wisma to go look for something else. It was a challenge as we never knew where the store was. Can you believe it? So after a few rounds and some luck, we found it. Only to disappoint us. The suits were not on sale. And worse, they were more expensive. A coat could already buy an entire ensemble. So somewhat decided, Marcky finally bit the bullet. He would buy it even the countless reminders of me saying that it was a bit tight.

It was two against one. AJ and Marcky justified the reason for buying it. So even if I was totally disagreeing, they both wanted it. In the end, he bought it. After three trips to Tangs. We did accompany him for the last time in the fitting room and waited for a bit while trying both pieces - the coat and the pants. And here he was before the actual fitting. See below. Can you tell how in love he was with the suit. That nice suit was fitted in a not so nice fitting room, with all the boxes on the sides and next to the couch.



Oh well, Marcky said he will go ahead and diet. So the fit is perfect when he wears them. Well, friends support one another.

So to Marcky, aja!

Team Building was so fun I want to do it again!

I was looking at our photos during our team building last Saturday and boy, it was so fun to look at.

Photos of me are always the best to look at of course, and the second best would be those photos taken with your co-workers - happy and stress-free.

I actually wanted to write and talk about it but I was just dead busy, even now doing a LOT of stuff - all work related. So plain boring. I better not start. I might not know I am dead if I continue with the knitty-gritty.

It was such a rare experience to come up with a get together with almost all members of the team. We were almost complete. And you know in the office, you will always have your own clique - to share stories with, leave the office premises together with a whole lot gossips to confirm, get on the train together and part ways at the designated alighting stations. But those were set aside and this was just really all about us. Working and doing activities as one big happy family.

This was so fun. This was the first time that we all got together. We spent the dinner over the BBQ pit while waiting for the food to cook . Did a game for the sake of fun and laughter. Did some wacky and outrageous things. No drama. Just plain laughters and stories.

Here is the best photo of the almost complete team that night - us. Aren't we just darlings?

I am so proud of my team. They all are just different colors of the rainbow - all mixed into one to create that beauty we see every after the rain.

Gees, this team building was so fun I can't wait for another one to happen! I am so looking forward to it.

Stress Therapy

There is nothing better in this small country of Singapore than de-stress together with friends while walking in a nice and fancy mall, full of saliva-drooling retail shops with mouth-watering window displays to entice bystanders after working hours. And yes, I am so ashamed to say that I am but a victim of this fortunate (or unfortunate) scenario - forced to buy something from an irresistible shop. (Like I did NOT like it, hahaha)

Window shopping with friends just shrugs that negative energy off your shoulders. It gives you that freedom to stop, look, stare and eventually buy for things that at times you don't even need at that moment. But it makes you feel good, so refreshed that you just could not stop going from one shop after another, window shopping at first to the point of purchasing at the very end of the mall tour (artistas?).

I spent my after-work-evening with two of my friends - Jaja and Nhinya. I asked them to come with me at Harbour Front to pay homage to that great mall I missed for a few weeks already - Vivo City.

And Viva Vivo City! I was able to visit my ever favorite retail shop that offers nice office attire outfits - Domanchi. This shop at Vivo City was small, but it was easier to find than the one at City Hall. So I went together with my two girlfriends to check the goods. I ended up fitting 3 long sleeved shirts, buying one that I could not resist. It was totally a good buy. It was looking for me.

It was sad and lonely on that shelf, nobody notices it and was happy to see me. The long-sleeved shirt was teary-eyed when it was brought to the cashier counter. I was already decided to buy it. Own it. It was put in a nice box and up til the very minute it got wrapped and put inside the paper bag, it was saying its sincerest thank you. I was touched. This long sleeved shirt I will call Jack Black. Simple. But it rocks. I took a photo of it just so I can share the beauty of this simple piece of clothing.

Nice isn't it? I should be stopping now. I think you guys are freaked out. I am talking about a shirt. And I gave it a name. How sick is that.

Sighs. Heck. It's my blog. I make my own rules.

I am so HOT...

Today is nothing more than an ordinary day. If you consider packing your office stuff in a box because somebody is to take over your current station, yes, it's rather ordinary. And what spiced this so called transfer up was that I had no permanent station to call mine again, yet. I think the more colloquial and appropriate term is "a hot seater".

Yes folks. I am hot-seating. I am so damn in demand everybody wants me. I wish. This is not a vulgar term. This is not even an inch closer to that. This just sounds sexy but this spells tedious. Imagine yourself setting up everyday or every other day in one station and move on to the next. Gees, if this was a sex trip, it must have been exciting. Promiscuity is a lot more fun than this.

I spent almost an hour stacking up my things in a box. Ooops, sorry. Two and a half boxes, giving priorities to photocopies and personal belongings on top of the never ending papers stacked in them, originally used to fly cans of milk with melamine from China. Kidding.

Good thing I still have the humor to crack myself up with this unfortunate incident. I just hope I get a semi-permanent station so I would not have to shift everyday. Otherwise, it's always hello stranger to me.

I so not deserve this. I am worse than a kitten led astray by an unwanted master. Blindfolded. Out in a cold winter night.

Of course I can only imagine. Singapore doesn't have winter season. I would have to pray for climactic abnormalities and a lot of La Nina for this to happen. And besides, I don't want to be a kitten.

If you know what I mean.

The Heart for Blogging

I don't know if others feel it, too but for some weird reason, at times when I write about an article or just plain blah-blahs, I sort of feel that somebody writes with me. Or in a more definite description, I go in a state of trance. A surreal feeling but a good one.

Do I creep you out now?

Well, I just have this feeling. I figured I'd share. I was trying to read my past blogs in between writing and messaging friends because I got burnt out after finishing this one long blog for my Bangkok trip. Ironically enough, the blogs that I had written a few years back was so good that I could not help but admire myself. True story.

Damn, I was that good huh. That good I could not even remember what I wrote. More of disbelief. Oh, well, I better stop. I think I was just too engrossed that thoughts just came fluidly, got translated into sentences till they turned into paragraphs. One whole blog.

I figured it was part of the learning curve. That phase where learning just becomes as normal as breathing. As my heart beats, my blog continues. There may be burnt out moments, those heartburns.

But just like the heart, it beats with a rhythm, a pace. A pace that defines and distinguishes me.

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!