Having "Me" Time

July has come and vanished before my eyes as if it were a firefly.  It's my birthday month and now I am officially another year older.  (Hopefully a little wiser. )  Birthdays are one of those days you can't wait for to arrive when you are a child, get a little anxious when it gets to a turning point, (like when you turn 30 or move up another notch), yet there remains a certain childish feeling of happiness one cannot quite put into words.  Though it dissipates over time, hints of it remain in the system as if it were a glowing glittering firefly that never dies. Birthdays for me have always been one of those days to celebrate with friends and families.   Three decades on they still are but of course things have evolved. No more days of hot potato games, blowing out candles (that actually reflect your actual birthday), or  playing hide and seek.  Now it's dinners and lunches in restaurants surrounded by those who matter ...

The past weekend has been one full of tragedies.  All over the world, there were nothing  but news of deaths and sadness. In Thailand, a third helicopter crashed while on a mission to remove the bodies from two previously fallen helicopter missions.  The first fell due to bad weather.  It is presumed that the second one also fell to bad weather while attempting rescue the first.  The third helicopter fell from engine failure.  Lives were lost.  9 in total.  What a tragedy.  My prayers are with them.  A Chinese high speed train crashes. Then Amy Winehouse dies.  Worst yet, a lone man shooting spree occurs in one of the world's most peaceful nations.  Norway. This is the home to the Nobel Peace Prize and has a crime rate so low that policemen remain unarmed.  Most probably have only fired arms in training.  News of the shooting made my heart and soul drop. Literally.  I have to say that it is ...

The world has gone bananas.  Bombings, shootings and phone hacking scandals are what dominate the headlines.  Everywhere I go, those are what people are reading about.  The world has indeed gone bananas.  If you can't already guess by now, I thought today I'd write about how good it is to actually go "bananas."  No, don't take me literally and go crazy,  what I want to say is eat bananas. The past few weeks, I've returned to my healthy snack routine at the office which involves daily does of fresh bananas.  I bring along two each morning.  One for my mid morning snack and one for the mid afternoon snack.  Some days if I anticipate long hours, I bring an extra banana.   They are great especially if you are looking for a healthy alternative to chips, fried chicken or the grilled pork skewers that set up shop outside the office building. Bananas are rich in fiber and so they keep you filling full.  If you n...

If you missed me the past few days, I have to admit I've been feeling a bit "under the weather."   I suppose it's a good phrase to use at this time of year when the weather in Bangkok is just plain bothersome.   It's extremely hot in the mornings and then in the afternoons, it'll rain cats and dogs out of nowhere.   Anyways, still a bit "under the weather" but determined not to let it stop me from doing what I love today (blogging of course!)  I thought I'd write a bit about "intention versus actions." This is something that took me awhile to understand and now that I do, I think it makes great sense. Thank you Alex.  Here's an example I think many of you can relate to.  It's something that's happened to me year in, year out. (Thank goodness I've gotten it over with..)   Every year I'd make the same resolution and somehow as the year passed it'd fade away quietly.   It goes like this. I want to lose weig...

If you are like me, somedays the discipline just goes on holiday and it takes awhile to get it back.  You start on a series of eating out with friends, then more and more reunions come your way, and before you know it, you keep wanting to eat more.    For the ladies out there, here's a tip on how to make sure you don't eat too much:  Wear Pants.  Wear Jeans.  or Wear Skirts with waists that do not expand. I'm a big fan of skirts and dresses and I love the ones without any waists.  They just flow over and then you tie it up with a little belt or a bow to finish the look.  They're comfortable, they're convenient and they are perfect for Bangkok's hot weather.  However, they can be quite dangerous if you eat out a lot when your discipline has gone on holiday.  You don't feel your stomach expanding and you can keep on eating till your heart's content.  As long as the mind isn't full, there is more room to grow (your stomach ...

Since it's the long weekend in Bangkok, I thought I'd share with you a funny story (or not) to liven things up.  This is a true story yet it is one that makes me smile everything I think about it. It happened just the other evening.  Around my house there are lots of birds, and every evening they fly around searching for food to feed their young ones.  They'd fly around chirping and chirping to no end.  It's wonderful to be surrounded by nature.   As I came home one night and walked pass a room, I thought to myself, "oh the birds are really having a round today!  They are chirping really loudly." I didn't think much about it, and went into my own room minding my own business.  I went down to dinner and then came upstairs. Again I hear the sound of chirping birds, but it's now dark outside and I start to wonder why the birds haven't yet returned to their nests.     I walk around the room and realize that ...

The other day whilst having lunch with my colleagues we discussed the issue of food stalls and their evolution from "hit" food stalls to one with hardly any customers.   What causes this sudden change?  The food is still equally tasty, but how come there are no longer any long lines where the food runs out? Before I continue, let me give you a little background note.  My company canteen has a number of revolving food stalls that come various days.  For example, the famous rice with chicken topping comes on Mondays whilst the tastiest pork noodles come on Fridays.  Selected famous food stalls take turns coming to sell at our canteen along with our regular stalls.  These special stalls are always a hit and long lines form waiting to get a taste of the famous chicken rice, the pork noodles or the pad thai.  One day per week seems like it isn't enough. The chicken rice stall decides to come twice a week. The famous chicken rice now comes on...

This past weekend, my friends and I went to try out a new restaurant.  Thanks to one of my dearest friends, who always seeks out wonderful new places, we get to try out new restaurants and eateries which aren't located in hotels and department stores.  Those are left for the days when you need a safe option.   This weekend we went to a Restaurant and Winebar on Sukhumvit  Soi 33 called "The Horse Says Mooo0." It's a strange name that really catches your attention and has everyone asking "What is the name again?" the first time they hear it.  That was certainly my reaction.  It is also a name that once you've heard it and been, it's hard to forget.  I definitely won't be forgetting it anytime soon (which I suppose is what the owners must want.) We went there for brunch, but they are also serve wine and beer and have live music along so the atmosphere must be quite different.  It seems to be ...

This year I'm celebrating friendships and today is one of those special days for it is the Birthday of my lovely friend Dao.  Yes, we love her and we've known each other since the days when flourescent Body Shop T-shirts were in fashion together with the the L.A. Gear shoes.  Those were "must haves."  Those were the days of high bangs and oversized tees.  Now all that seems long gone, but our friendship remains and has evolved together with us. Our interests change, but still some things never change. I remember hanging out together at our school by the Church in the white and teal uniforms.  Eating lunch at the canteen and playing around with the drinks, hiding from the "Kapi" behind our textbooks and walking around Central Chidlom after school.   You were always happy and ready with a comment with everything from the heart. Then there was the time we went to your house.  I remember it like yesterday.  We had a great time playing aroun...

Thinking about how technology has evolved over the years and how I've witnessed these changes makes me sometimes realize I'm not that young anymore.   I grew up in a world of Commodore 64 and 386 computers.  Now I live in a time of iPads, wireless internet and harddisks the size of name cards. I start to feel like a slave to technology. Everything is computerized and stored. Even my entering and leaving the office building is accounted for. Computers back then were rare, we wrote school essays by hand.  It wasn't until high school did computers start coming into schools, and then it was a computer lab for everyone to share.  Games were played on Atari and my Commodore 64 was then top of the line.  Monitors displayed black and green.  Color excited us, and then it only offered a nice blue screen. Printers were dot matrix.  This was already wonderful.  I loved it already then.  I had my extra joystick and information was stored on 5...

It's been a few days since this writer last wrote and already I can feel the fingers and mind get a little rusty.  The words don't flow quite as easily and the fingers have a little hesitation.  Or perhaps its my headaches that are slowing things down.  Whatever it is, there's no excuse.  If you want to practice something or face a daunting task, I suggest do start doing it little by little. For example, if you want to practice writing.  Keeping a blog is wonderful.  It lets you write a little each day.  Little by little each day you get to practice writing.  If you don't want to publish, keep a little journal. Practice your handwriting.  My handwriting is awful now.  I type faster than I write. If you want to lose weight and you have a two digit goal like 10kgs, the task can seem very daunting.  Where do you start? Where to begin? Some people give up just thinking about it and revert back to eating.  It seems too di...

As the title says, Elections Elections.  Yes, this weekend is Election weekend in Thailand.  Tomorrow,  Sunday, 3rd July 2011,  millions of people will be going out to vote for Thailand's next government.   For a country the size of France with a population of roughly 65million people, this is no small event.  For a country that has gone through political conflicts, protests, demonstrations that even resulted in bloodshed and lives loss, this is a major event.  It's a turning point in Thai history whatever the outcome. I have to say that eversince the elections were announced a little fear popped up inside me and would not disappear.  I fear violence, I fear politcal chaos, I fear the conflict will persist.  I fear the defeated party will (whoever that will be) will not accept the results.  I fear more protests will occur, I fear more lives will be lost. I fear our country, Thailand, will move backwards rather than forw...

If you are a lover of dogs and need to get a rest from politics, then you would most probably love going to the Thailand Dog Show that is being held at Bangkok's Impact Muang Thong Thani this weekend.  It was my first time going to the dog show and I have to say I really enjoyed it.  I just wished the event was a little bigger with more dogs for me to rub and scratch and play with. It's a Bank Holiday today so I was fortunate to be able to go before the weekend crowd.    Before you even enter, you can smell pet food and a distinctly doggie aroma coming out of the hall.  It's not stinky, but you know there are pets inside.  That was enough to make me smile thinking of all the cute cuddly puppies inside.  There's something about dogs that just make your heart smile. What do they have there?  Everything you could possibly need for your dog.  All the pet food companies set up booths there so you can go buy pet food, pet toys, pet clo...