Having "Me" Time

Parts of Bangkok has been flooded for over three weeks. If you're lucky, and in the minority then you are still dry.  This, however, depends largely on the power of the pumps.  Yes, inner Bangkok is dry for the moment because the water pumps are working full time to keep the water level at bay.  Lets hope the pumps do not break down.  Anyways, I've been asked by some readers as to where they can volunteer their help and their time to doing something for the flood victims?  A lot of you may already be helping, but here is a short compilation for those who have just arrived in town or just want to help. 1. Thai Red Cross : http://www.redcross.or.th/   Here you can donate your money, goods, time and even your blood to help flood victims.  You can even donate online.  It's located on Henri Dunant Road not too far from Siam and I think the nearest MRT (underground station) is Lumpini. (Please check)  They are open from early morning un...

I've been back for a few days now from my evacuation. I missed home too much and needed to get some things done at work.  Now that I'm back, I once again feel the psychological stress and intensity with which this flooding is affecting Bangkok citizens.  It's like a race against time.  A race against the impending flood.  A race against water that seeps in through every crack and nook. Humans race to be the winner in this losing battle.  Everyone is applying new ways of protection against the flood.  The shops on my road and businesses were busy reinforcing their protection.  As time goes by, the form of flood protection changes and evolves with experience.  Everyone is building a bunker or living in one (like I am).  I've been observing the flood protection over the past month and it seems to evolve over time.  Here is a list of how bunkers have evolved over the past month in Bangkok. First, sandbags....

It's Friday and what a flooded one it is in Bangkok.  Yes, I am back in town to recieve the flood and it is somewhat stressing me out. It inches closer every hour.  I'm sure it is stressful for many others also so tonight let's change topic and instead continue on with our myths.  Myth 5: Drink 8 glasses of water a day.  Clean water, not the ones that come with Bangkok floods. I have to admit this is a myth that I also believe in and one that is seen everywhere.  It is a myth if you believe it is a miracle cure all that will cure illnesses and give you wonderful health.  If, however, you see it as a recommendation on how to keep yourself hydrated then it is fine. According to nuitritionist Alannah DiBona, we don't really need 8 glasses.  This was an easy way to tell people to avoid sugary sodas and other drinks.  She says that one should take one's body weight in ounces of water and divide it in half. Th...

It's my second day after evacuation and I feel somewhat lost in limbo.  I do not know what lies ahead.  I miss my home and I miss normal day life.  Forced evacuations are no fun even if you get to go out of town. Your mind is always wondering about what next.  What happens next?  No answer.  Now the dilemma is deciding when would be the appropriate time to go back?  If I go back too early, I may have to end up evacuating again.  If I wait, I do not know how long the wait will have to be. Will it be one week, two weeks or more? I need to go back to go on with my life.  Now nothing can be planned and there is no timeframe. I realize now how important it is to have certain basic certainty in one's life.  A safe home, clean tap water, electricity and a safe environment in which to live.  Most importantly though is to be surrounded by family and loved ones.  What good is having all the world's goods...

An eerie silence has befallen Bangkok once again.  It's as if the whole city is holding it's breath.  Breathe too loudly and you just might trip over.  Last time this happened was last year during the political unrest.  Only this time,  the eerie silence is spread much further out.  Not only inner Bangkok but now the suburbs too are subject to this eerie silence. Cars are not wanted now.  They are all parked on bridges, expressways, parking lots and anywhere that is above ground level.  It's too expensive to just let them drown in water.  With car taxes over two hundred percent, most cannot afford to lose the only car they have.  I cannot.  I'm still paying the monthly installments.  Even the taxi companies are saving their cars and few now roam the streets.  It's difficult to go anywhere.  Walking becomes the mode of transport. While walking, I sometimes wonder if I am living in a deserted town lik...

For over a week, Bangkok has been in a state of panic.  Everyone is packing up their houses, sealing doors and windows with silicone, buying sand from other provinces, finding ways to block their pipes and other points of weakness where water may enter.  Plastic bags large enough to seal entire cars are in hot demand and sold out in a matter of hours.  Plastic gallons for filling up both tap water and drinking water are snatched up like this season's "must haves."  In supermarkets, many shelves are empty.  Only imported mineral water remains and bread are out of stock.  Eggs vanish the minute they are restocked.  Now in order to ensure fairness, supplies have to be limited. Two packs per household. We stock up on water and drinking water, yet I wonder if we will really stay once the water arrives. The biggest problem seems to be getting elders to evacuate.  We love our homes, but we must also cherish our lives.  Being isolated in an island ...

For once I do not want to hear the sound of raindrops on my window pane.  Rather than relax and remind me of childhood days, it now makes me restless, fearing the flood situation will worsen.  The flood situation in Thailand is not getting any better and in fact seems to be worsening day by day.  Over three hundred lives have been lost, industrial parks inundated, and hundreds of thousands of people misplaced.  Homes are rendered inhabitable and roads unusable.  The outskirts of Bangkok are flooding and each morning, Bangkokians awaken to hear more news of ever closer floods. Nature is strong and powerful.  It will be hard to withstand her.  I personally believe Bangkok will inundated.  It's just a matter of time.  We have a massive body of water towards the north of Bangkok heading out to sea and only a miracle can part the water into two to save Bangkok.  We need Moses to do that. Sandbags and man m...

Tonight many Bangkokians are afraid of the flood.  Every night it has been raining. Panic is somewhat in the air and in the supermarkets many shelves of water and instand noodles are empty.  (I think it's also because the warehouses are flooded and food cannot be brought in to restock.)  Outside my main road, the banks and other businesses have walls of sand.  Some smaller mom and pop stores have had cement barriers created.  This is the sentiment now in Bangkok.   I, myself, am skeptical that it will flood to such an extent that I will be camped out, but still I could not help myself stocking buying a little water and canned food just in case.  ( Hey, it's better safe than never!) My choice of canned food?  Baked Beans. Yes, after looking at the shelves, I decided that it would be perhaps the most practical and simplest food to have in times of safety. It's also what I eat regularly so I don't have to worry about it expiring be...

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...

It's been a busy few days for this writer but fear not, she has not forgotten Having "Me" Time.  It's  has become a part of her life that can no longer be separated, for no matter how much there is to do, you must take time out to enjoy it a little, experience the moment, remember the little things in life.  One such way of course is to reunite with friends, chit chat, catch up on each others lives and all this while enjoying good food and good atmosphere. (Girls always like the nice ambiance)  Last weekend, I had the opportunity to explore this cafe and restaurant called " Buttercup ." The name itself is so adorable it brings me back to my childhood days when you still ran around on the grass and got your hands dirty with dirt and flowers.    We'd play with buttercups (yes the real flowers) and put them under our chin to see if its beautiful shade of yellow would reflect onto our chin.  If it did, it was supposed to mean that your wis...

The other day I finally got to try out this dessert place called " After You " that has been the talk of the town for awhile now.  I just couldn't find the justification to wait in the long line that snakes around the front of its many stores.  The line was always so long and I was always in a rush to go somewhere.  After listening to my friends rave about it's delicious desserts over dinner, we finally decided to go there afterwards and I'm glad I did.  Their desserts are great for those who love chocolate and carbohydrates. I went to their newly opened store at Siam Paragon Ground Floor.  Like all of its other stores at La Villa , J-Avenue, there was a long line of people waiting outside the shop.  The owner must be so proud that their hard work pays off.  We make a reservation for a table of four and surprisingly they say the wait should be less than 20 minutes.  I look at the groups of people wh...

This past week, one event after another, the world seems in turmoil in Asia.  Japan is still suffering from the Tsunami and nuclear disaster and now Thailand has its own problems.  Last week, torrential rain caused mudslides, high waves and flooded many parts of the south.    Everything was disrupted.  It wasn't just the usual flooding that usually accompanies the rain.  This time it rained so hard that water gushed down from the mountains with such a force that it tore down houses and buried villages in mud.   Villages and families have been left homeless and there are still many missing.  Houses were flooded to the second level and people were left waiting on the roof for help.    The navy had to send down large ships to help people evacuate but even then the waves seemed too deadly to pass.  Not all could be evacuated.  Helicopters too transported people to areas of safety.   Homes and vi...