Having "Me" Time

When packing for my two week trip to Singapore I am always at a dilemma as to what to bring. I want to travel light so that I'd have space to bring my shopping and gifts back yet there are also a few essentials I think I should bring.  The list gets longer the older I'm getting.  For the first time now, I am actually now including running shoes and running clothes into my "list."  They are needed because I know that for two weeks I'd be doing a lot of eating and sitting.  Trips like these are always a danger to the waistliine.  And so, this trip I brought along all my running gear.  On Tuesday, I woke up early and got myself down to the gym by 7am.  I have to say I expected it to be empty.  We're in a hotel I thought.  Who would work out so early? Most people would be gettting ready to eat breakfast or go out to their meetings.  This was still my still chubby inner me at work. To my surprise, the little hotel gym was packed....

This evening I went to dinner at the Rio Grill Brazillian Restaurant at this unremarkable hotel that I am sure not many people in Bangkok have been to.  Its at the Asia Hotel which is walking distance to the main shopping district of Siam Paragon and Siam Centre.   I walked in and felt as if I had gone back to another time.  The hotel reminded me of times when big lobbies and large reception areas were the signs of a good hotel.  There were some art nouveau type decorations and stained glass signs.  It has a certain charm to it which I cannot describe.  It is so clean it doesn't have any of the "smell" that usually accompanies old buildings and is so clean and simple.  I suppose I like the simplicity of it all.  It isn't trying to be anything it isn't.  It simply is a hotel that was opened a in another era, when Bangkok didn't have sky trains or subways, when shopping malls didn't exist.   I ate at this Rio Grill Brazilian Restaurant which reminded me of t...