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....

I'm ready to go home.  I miss my home.  I miss my life and yes, I have to admit, I do miss going to work as well.  I miss the certainty of it all.  I like adventures, but this flooding is not an adventure I like nor enjoy.   I suppose this is what people feel like in wars where they are forced to evacuate their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.  Almost four hundred people have already died. Some die from tripping and drowning, others from electrocution, or some from health problems.  I suspect too that all this stress from watching flood related news in order to find out if our house will be flooded or not is causing significant psychological distress.   Now all I want is to get flooded and get it over with. Dear water, just flood and begone. This flood has also reinforced something I've thought about before and that is to just live your life before it's too late.  You never know when you are going to...

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 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...

It's raining cats and dogs again tonight.  The street in front of my house is flooded. It's nothing compared to elsewhere in the country where houses are flooded up to the second story.  Residents have no where left to sleep but on the roof.   Workers were stranded in a factory after flash floods closed their exit.  Villagers trying to help others themselves drown.  Dogs and cats are eaten by crocodiles.  With no bathrooms, the waters are starting to stink and rot. Those were the headline news this morning.  It is depressing to wake up to such news. 237 people are now dead. 3 are missing. 28 provinces hit by floods. Somehow the thought of deforestation jumps to mind.  Environmental factors have never been much of an issue in Thailand.  It has always been an issue to a few group of select people.  Others looked on and went on with their life. The environmentalists protested on. In a d...

As one of my readers (who is also a good friend) commented the other day, I seem to be in a good mood. Yes I am.  It's a good day, not because I was efficient and got many things done, but because I have received and heard interesting stories from my readers.  It is always a pleasure to hear comments or recieve emails.  It's one of a writer's little joys in life.  Tonight I write about an email I recieved from a reader ("S") earlier this week with regard to where one should look to purchase a condominum in Bangkok.    Although this is not directly my field, I will try my best to help her. :) Of course the condominum one ultimately ends up purchasing,  depends upon your lifestyle, your needs and your budget.  It also depends on what purpose you are buying the condominium for.  Are you buying it for yourself?  Are you buying it for rental? or are you buying it for speculation in the hopes that the real estate...

I love Japanese food. I can eat it everyday and still not get bored with it.  Tonight I feel like having some Japanese Oban Yaki (which are Japanese pancakes with some fillings) so to curve my craving,  I will tell you instead about it.  It's incredibly delicious and satisfying.  It's comfort food that beats all the other comfort foods. (For me anyways) I've never had this pancake anywhere else other than at the Isetan Store at Central World in Bangkok so I cannot tell you if it's the best one, but even then I find it scrumptious.  I can feel my eyes sparkle and already my mouth curving into a grin just thinking about this pancake hot off the stove with gooey fillings.  I like the one with the hot chocolate filling, but the creamy custard or the red bean are also just as good.   The chocolate is hot and gooey to the right consistency, not too sweet nor too bitter.  I can imagine myself biting into the warm hot choco...

Yesterday I got sucked into a world of figuring out which phone package was best for my lifestyle and internet usage and found myself drowing in all its information content.   There are three main mobile companies in Thailand (DTAC, AIS, TRUE)  and only one of them at the moment has 3G.  The other two are working on it.  I happen to be using DTAC which doesn't have 3G yet and at the moment is suffering from a lot of technical problems. Now I'm a loyal customer of over ten years, but sometimes things may need to change.  I'm not sure if you've had the same experience as me but lately, its been getting harder for people to contact me from lack of signal and other technicalities.  I'd be there sitting with the phone in front of me, then a message pops up showing a missed call.  A few minutes later, the actual will come through with a rather disgruntled voice asking me how come it's so hard to get through. Was I using the internet?  If I...

Sunday night is here and finally this writer gets to continue on with her blog.  The fast few days have just been hectic, tiring and not enough "me" time.   There have been some comments that I haven't been reviewing enough restaurants so tonight I want to share with you a Mexican restaurant that just makes you feel like you are in the Americas. It certainly does remind me of college days when we'd go to Happy Hour after hours or after late study sessions at night to munch on quesadillas and nachos.  Since moving back, I've been only to a few places that serve good quesadillas, nachos and other mexican foods.  La Monita is one of the better ones. The first time I went to La Monita was about a year ago when it was just newly opened.  Near to the Ploenchit BTS station it is only a few minutes walk to the row of shop houses neighboring Mahatun Plaza where the restaurant is open.  I went with a long time friend of mine and together we ate several ...

On the day you go to visit Bang Pa-In the summer palace, you can also opt to go to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya were there are beautiful ancient temples at almost every turn.  I had been to the ancient capital in my younger days when my Thai Professor took me on a trip to learn about our culture.  I'm grateful for all she has taught me and the time she has spent.  Last time I went to Bang Pa-In I wanted to visit the temples in Ayutthaya too but since I spent too much time in Bang Pa-In absorbing its beauty I made it to only one temple, but what a magnificent and beautiful temple it is:  Wat Yai Chaimongkhon This temple predates Ayutthaya and was initially a monastry constructed by King U-Thong in the buddhist era of 1900 (B.E.) for monks who had been ordained in Ceylon.  This temple witnessed the fight between the then Kingdom of Siam and Burma over power and territory.  It was a matter or who would be King and who would reign over t...

In my previous post I took you to a little coffee shop that overlooks the river and has a majestic view of the Temple of Dawn.  If you aren't too tired after the walk around the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, I suggest you make one more stop before you journey back to rest.  If it's too hot and you have more days, come back another day to visit the Temple of Dawn.  It is indeed beautiful and one that should not be missed. I wrote about my visit to the Temple of Dawn earlier last year, so check it out if you are interested :)  ( http://havingmetime.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/the-temple-of-dawn/ )  It is a beautiful site indeed. What I didn't mention last year though was this little restaurant right opposite the Temple of Dawn called "The Deck"(which a friend kindly mentioned yesterday :) Thank you.  It is located not too far from Vivi the Coffee Place and it too is part of a boutique hotel called Arun Residence ( http://www...

This morning was the first public day for Bangkok's International Gift and Bangkok International Houseware Fair (BIG and BIH).  If you don't know what it is, it is a trade fair organized by Thailand's Department of Export Promotion.  It's held twice a year, once in April and another in October.  At each event,  those wishing to see what products Thailand has to offer can attend the event and talk to vendors.  The last two days, usually a Saturday and Sunday, are days for the public to shop their heart out.    It becomes a mad shopping rush that makes you wonder if everything was being handed out free. The event starts at 10.00am and knowing that there'd be a million people there, I decided to go early.  I get somewhat crowd dizzy.  I arrived at around 9.30am and to my surprise the parking lot was already filling up quite fast.  I was even more surprised when I went upstairs to the lobby and saw the amount of ...

Yesterday, I went to the Red Cross Fair for the first time.  My office is located not far from where the fair is held, and after more than a decade of being stuck in its traffic and wondering why they have to close down roads for it, I finally decided to actually go in and see for myself what they have inside.  In previous years I had contributed to the fair by donating my clothing and other goods to sell, as well as buying raffle tickets, but I had not ventured into the actual fair.   The hordes of people always seemed so overwhelming to me.  It still does. The Red Cross fair is one gargantuan affair in Bangkok.  Temporary stalls are built along the roads surrounding the Parliament building and spread all over the gardens that surround it.   Stalls from all public sector offices ranging from the post office to the local district office have things for sale and other goodies for which to try one's luck.  The army, navy, and airforce a...

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...

I enjoy eating food cooked in almost every style.  I love italian food, japanese food, french food, italian food, indian food, and yes even british food.  (There's something about mushy peas as well as fish and chips)....The list is endless, but tonight I want to talk about middle eastern food and a great place to have it at Beirut Restaurant . Beirut Restaurant is a Lebanese restaurant and apparently has quite a few branches.  I went to the one at Ploenchit Tower (accessible by BTS station Ploenchit) with some good friends who like to explore. The restaurant and the food turned out much better than we expected.  So good that since then we have all been back again together as well as with others. So what do they serve?  As Lebanon borders on Syria and Israel, the food you get there is the classic range of blended beans, eggplants and other kinds of dips.  My favorite is the Hummus made of blended chickpeas and olive olive oil, Babaghanouj wh...

Tonight I decided to study my map of Bangkok.  I know it sounds funny since I've lived in this city for years, but I have to confess that I usually only go to the areas I am used to.  I know how to get to places and what directions to go, but there are certain areas in Old Bangkok and across the river that still are a mystery to me.  It becomes like another world.  A criss cross of roads that run in random directions.  They are not all thoughtfully planned out in blocks like in the US.  Old towns have their uniqueness. I learn more than I thought I would from my study of the map.  I learn that the oldest road in Bangkok "Charoen Krung" actually runs adjacent to the river and curves along with it.   I also learn that the wholesale markets of Sampeng and Paohurat (Little India) which exists actually have canals probably dating from ancient days running straight from the main Chaophraya river uptowards the wholesale market area. ...

I like libraries.  Ever since I was young, it would be somewhere we went to each weekend, and thus started my love of books.  At home we have so many books, we could start our own library.  However, nowadays I seem to read a lot fewer books compared to my younger days.  My reading is usually done on the internet or on my iPhone.  I should really go back to books... Anyways, if you read a lot of books and don't want to have to buy them all, in Bangkok we have the Neilson Hays Library which has been around since 1869. Wow. 142 years. 142 years is a long time to have a building still standing in Bangkok.  As most of our houses were built of wood, many buildings have been lost to fire and flooding.  Neilson Hays Library , built of brick, still remains. I've driven past this library on Surawong road more times than I can remember, and every time I tell myself I have to go in and check it out.  I finally did.  Now I can cross it off my ...

Sunday is our day.  On Sundays (when we have time) we like to go explore Bangkok, there is so much to see, so much that is yet to be discovered in this City of Angels.  Today, we started our journey on Bangkok's oldest road: Charoen Krung Road.  Built in 1861, this road runs through the major sites of Old Bangkok and still retains the charm of old Bangkok.  Our main destination though was the Muslim Restaurant near to Charoen Krung Soi 42 and by the intersection of Silom Road and Charoen Krung Road. Now I've been on this road many times before, but usually it was on a car passing by on my way to the hotels that sit along the Chaophraya River.  Walking, however, gives you a whole different perspective on things.  You get to see and explore what previously you would have missed.  Going carless, you get the freedom of walking wherever you so desire and ending up in unexpected places.   A little Bangkok adventure.  We love it. And s...