mundane info

much better to have a tall non-fat cappuccino (sp?) than to have a tall non-fat no whip cafe mocha. even if ur cap has one pump of flavored syrup.

cap > latte > mocha

chocolate hazelnut biscotti= vanilla almond biscotti
damage: 110 c

Bangkok - Day 8

Tams flew in with Kel last night, and since she had never been to Thailand before, we had to take her to Chatuchak weekend market. After 3 hours of shopping in the heat we were wilting and ready to die.

Near one of the MRT stops by Chatu there's a cool store called Only Sugar where all the products are beige, chocolate and rose pink. the people running the place are dressed in chocolate/pink fisherman pants that Gica and Tam just had to have. it was also nice coz the 'main man' designer was in the thick of things helping out and running the place. these kinds of more personable stores are the places to go to. things usually cost more, but they're also so much better. that was the case as well later in the afternoon at MBK when i bought leather flipflops from the actual boss of the store. she was playing semi-fashion consultant.

the only other thing i took home today was a mood lamp, a bit of a cliche purchase, but am happy with it. decided to spend the night in, w/c is good coz have been going out a bit lately with other foreign friends in BKK. Tams and Kel will be visiting Angkor the next few days.

Bangkok - Day 4

I've been here long enough that when I step out of the bathroom, a distinct Thai smell wafts out. This is due to Chow-wee our Thai housekeeper who prepares all the food that this household eats. She comes in twice or thrice a week to prepare salads, curries and fried rice. In between her visits, we reheat meals in the microwave, never having to touch pot or pan. This frees up more time for us to consider, which DVD to watch or if it's no longer too hot to go swimming in the pool upstairs. There are enough good books to read lying around the apartment, too.

This idyllic existence only has a shelf-life of 48 hours before any restlessness comes up. I will have to decide what to do with the month I have in Bangkok.

Culture shock came early this visit. My only real peeve with Thai people is how difficult it can be to communicate with them on occasion. Ironically, it can be easier to communicate with a Thai person that speak little-to-no English than those who do speak some English. With the former, one can get along nicely with gestures, drawings, and simple words. On the other hand the latter will insist on speaking full, complex sentences, oblivious to how their accents interfere with the words they are enunciating. It's especially irritating if they feel that your incomprehension is supposedly your own fault. While in the middle of Rama IV avenue looking for an apartment building, I found recourse with some Thai people working in a video store who gave me good directions with hand gestures and a smile. The surly tone of a so-called English speaking tour guide were unhelpful.

[sarc] How opressive of me to speak in such a tone. [/sarc]. Well, I'm only oppressing surly Thai tour guides who think they are comprehensible.