Having "Me" Time

This afternoon, Alex and I visited iTube for the first time.  We've just recently discovered this hidden secret, just recently opened, in the heart of the city and I have to say it is indeed a cool concept and one that I is appealing to dog lovers.  It's a place where you can imagine spending your Sunday afternoon chilling away in the comfort of a 1960's style house with coffee, cakes and a saline pool where dogs get centre stage.    It's not just a coffee shop, it's a place where dogs can swim and have fun.  Here, dogs can feel at home and run around as if they were the masters of the place. Upon first driving into Soi Promit, just off Sukhumvit 39, you are surrounded by a number of houses until you reach an apartment building.  Turn left and iTube is to your left.  It's hard to miss this 1960's house in its unique blue colour.  I love the large parking space and the lush garden that greets you up...

The last day of the week has arrived and is almost ending for people in Asia.  On the other side of the world, Europe is still midway through and the US is just awakening.  It's snowing hard in Europe and the US.  People are waking up to a winter wonderland and trudging through the snow to get to work.  Roads are blocked.  It's a nightmare for those who have business to attend to, but for children snow is fun.  Snow is about snowball fights and snow angels.  Snow is when we get to put on those ear muffs and fluffy coats.  I like snow.  It reminds me of the little pleasures and especially of a little incident involving my dog Dyzio and the 'snow'.  It happened when we were living in Warsaw, Poland and Dyzio was but a small puppy almost a year old.  He was an Aquarius, born in January when it was cold outside but of course he had been kept indoors being about the size of my palm.  He was my baby and I o...

Six years ago on this very day my true love died.  Dyzio od Abruchy.  He was a miniature dacshund, rusty brown in colour with a fluffy tail and eyes that made you melt.  Born in Poland and raised in five different countries, Dyzio was a well-traveled dog who was loved by all who knew him.  He traveled on the plane. First class with a ticket and private box.  He was indeed a lucky dog.  He was my baby. He spoke not Polish his birth country, nor English, but spoke Thai.  He understood when I told him to go fetch his toy upstairs and bring it down to play with me.  He understood when we told him to keep quiet. I got Dyzio in Poland where I had been living with my parents at that time.  It was 1993 and the Solidarity movement in Poland had just won their first elections in a Communisty country.  For the first time, Poland was moving towards a free market economy.  Everything was changing, and it changed fast. I...

At my usual driving range, there is a black dog that walks around greeting all the regulars. He sniffs your golf bag and if he recognizes the smell, starts wagging his tail. He's the driving range's Public Relations Officer. Some dogs are just good. He's one of them. I usually don't play with strange dogs I don't know in case it's aggressive and decides to taste a bit of my blood. This black dog is different. I call him the "black one." After a few visits there, he made a friendly approach. He walked right up to me with a big grin and a wagging tail. Not demanding anything, he just sat by my chair and at one point decided to just lie down next to my matt looking out towards the green driving range as I hit a few balls. He must be a happy dog. All day he has people coming around and greeting him. Not a bark nor a growl has been heard. (Not whilst I was there anyways) This evening I watched him walk from one matt to the other. Golfers would temporarily...

Back in Bangkok now I already miss the cool breeze that flows through the trees and the sounds of nature. Nevertheless I had a marvelous time today on the way back. We stopped at Chokchai Farm which opened its gates to visitors over ten years ago, but for some reason I had never thought of stopping by. I stopped to get some ice cream, but that was about it. At first impression, when I think of a farm visit pictures of cows roaming about in pastures fill my head. We would probably just have to walk around looking at the cows, perhaps get to touch them a little, and take pictures. It's hot in Thailand, so when I think of something outdoors I tend to just want to do everything in winter. Farm visits weren't exactly a priority. The Chokchai Farm tour surpassed my expectations by far. We started out the tour with a video background of the farm, telling us how it evolved from the seventies, through the oil crisis, survived the Asian Crisis of 1997 before becoming what it is today. A...