Having "Me" Time

I love it when friends take me to off the beaten track eateries. Little treasures that just make you wonder what other secrets lay hidden waiting to be discovered. This latest discovery came quite unexpected for it was a chance meeting and we took the opportunity to go grab a bite to eat. In search of somewhere not too far from Silom, Narathiwat and the Rama IV area my friend navigated me to this little japanese eatery called “Sendai Ramen Mokkori Silom.” Don’t ask me what the name means. I only know “Ramen” and “Silom”(road name.) It’s one of those eateries you find in the least expected places. It’s at the base of an old-fashioned condominium at Narathiwat Soi 1. It seems to have been around for quite some time and probably well-known to those who go to that area, but for me it was an area I hardly go to and a street I’ve never driven into. What’s surprising is that walking out of the condominium parking (you can get your parking ticket validated at the eatery) you do not...

And so my week long vacation in Japan has ended and what a better end to the vacation than going to a live piano performance by Yundi, the 2000 Chopin Competition Winner, at Bangkok's Cultural Centre which happens to be built with a grant by the Japanese in celebration of our King's 60th Birthday.  All's well that ends well they say.  I was fortunate to have gotten complimentary tickets from a dear friend of mine who is a regular at these events and always manages to magically have free tickets.  Lucky for me :)  Thank you again! You know who you are :D  And so a day after my arrival from Japan and a night before returning to work, I went to listen to Chopin at a cultural centre built with a grant from the Japanese.   The Japanese whom are also known to love Chopin. Chopin who was born in a country with which I grew up.  How strange it is when you think about all these linkages. The world is indeed a strange place.  Ev...

For the first time this year, today Bangkok citizens felt the first cool breeze of the upcoming winter season.  Last year we barely had a day of cool weather, this year seems promising.  Since early morning, the sun was out but instead of being hot and humid, it was wonderfully cool averaging around 25 degrees celsius.  Oh how I love this weather.  The entire city feels like it is airconditioned.  This cool air of autumn is one of my favorite times during the years and always makes me happy.  It reminds me of the beautiful autumn colours, hiking in the Shenandoah Mountains last year, or in the Austrian countryside.  It's always so relaxing and pleasurable after the summer rush and energy.  Then Thanksgiving arrives and the festivities begin.  Of course it also reminds me of  my recent trip to Japan when all the shops started putting everything up for Autumn and it made me think about what were my impres...

What is a holiday if you don't allow yourself to enjoy a little bit of eating? Japan is heaven for Japanese food lovers like me, so you have to eat and enjoy yourself while you're there.  What I always tell myself is this:  eat whatever you want, beware of portion size, and know the consequences.  As long as you are willing to admit the consequences from too much eating, then go ahead and enjoy yourself.  I did, and one of my favorite finds during this trip was at the Tsukiji Fish Market. As any food lover, I wanted to bare witness to the fish auctions that take place at the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world: Tsukiji Fish Market.  I wanted to see tuna, salmon, sea urchins, eel and all sorts of food being auctioned away, but this time I have to admit I couldn't wake up.  It was too early.  It would require me waking up at around 4am in the morning and getting myself out to the fish market by around 6am to make the f...

In less than two day's time I'll be on my annual block leave and wondering around the land of the Samurais.  I've been planning this trip for years and for some reason or the other never made it.  I've made plans before with friends, bought the guidebook and even had an itinerary. Then something comes up and 'phoof' it's off and gone. This time though the trip is set in stone with tickets issued and an itinerary prepared.   It'll be by first time in Japan and I'm excited.  I have always loved the Japanese maple tree, the landscape, I die for japanese food, I crave to visit the zen temples and discover some peace, I admire the japanese sense of order and am enthralled by the strangeness of Murakami novels.  There is so much that is yet to be discovered in Japan.   I grew up with a wonderful Japanese friend, and I can't wait to see her once again. It's been many many years.  Much too many. Yet despite all thi...

It's the weekend, the time when we get to rest our tired souls after a long and hectic work week. What best to write about than good places to eat? Oh the little joys we get from eating and sleeping. I love Japanese food, so a lot of my eating choices tend to be Japanese, with my latest discovery being the restaurant called "Kuu." Although "Kuu" means a moon goddess in Finnish, in Japanese it translates to " to eat," and what can be a more appropriate name for a restaurant where your main purpose is to eat? The restaurant is decorated in a modern style of grey and dark brown. Very hip. It easily feels like you are sitting in an expensive modern style restaurant, yet the pricing is reasonable. It costs the same as other Japanese chain restaurants, yet I find the ambiance and food of higher quality. The tables aren't too closely placed so you have your space without having to worry about being too close to your neighbour. The service is friendly an...

I feel like having some Tonkatsu and Japanese Curry. The thought has been going through my mind for a couple of hours now and I can't seem to get it out of my head. However, it will just have to wait for the weekend. I've been enjoying myself a bit too much lately. Last weekend, after two months of postponed reunions, I finally managed to meet up with my friends from primary-middle school. It was wonderful to meet everyone again after so long. No matter what, no matter how long, it is always the same feeling of friendship when we meet up. I can imagine this going on until we are old and wrinkled. Anyways, my friends took me to try out this new chain of restaurants serving Japanese Tonkatsu and Curry called CocoIchibanya from Japan. It's delicious. The experience itself was unique and personalized. Instead of just ordering something from the menu, at CocoIchibanya you can actually customize the food! For example, they have standard dishes of Pork Tonkatsu, Chick...