Having "Me" Time

This past Saturday, while waiting for an appointment, I had the opportunity to try out a little coffee shop that stood in a quiet part of Soi Aree 1, Paholyothin Road. Those who live around there probably already know about this place, but it was new discovery for me. Wawee Coffee. Wawee coffee at Soi Aree 1 has a quaint little atmosphere to it. It is housed in an old-styled house that is at least 20 years old, and renovated to accomodate the coffee drinkers. Brick walls, alternated with wood and funky chandeliers make the place warm and inviting. It feels like home away from home. Unlike some places which are so small you can hardly sit, at Wawee coffee there were more than enough tables, chairs and sofas for you to find a comfortable little spot from which to escape from the world. The wonderful thing about this place is that there are different kinds of seating for you to choose depending upon your mood or preference. There is the gazebo on the porch, the table on the patio, the sof...

This afternoon, I went to check out the sales that the City of Bangkok had organized at Thonglor Soi 10 to help merchants from Siam square affected by recent events. It was a large shopping event, though on a smaller scale than the one at Silom Road. I got off the skytrain at Thonglor and walked to the free shuttle bus stop. People gathered around the stop, waiting for the little red buses to come. In the meanwhile, zillions of motorcycle taxis rushed in and out sending off those who couldn't be bothered to wait. It was crowded and hectic. When the little red bus arrived, everyone rushed in and filled it up to its full capacity. There was no space left unfilled. The bus was like a little red sardine can filled with sardines all packed up close together. The bus zig-zagged in and out amongst the small streets of Thonglor, passing a beautiful Chinese styled home, the Embassy of Kenya, a delicious fondue restaurant called Andaman, before finally arriving at the site of the sale. There...

It's a long weekend here in Bangkok and one filled with so many activities. The largest department store, Siam Paragon, reopened and the Silom Street Market was organized to help merchants who had been affected by recent events. Life was finally back to normal in the city of angels. I couldn't just stay in and miss out on all the fun, so I went out to have some fun. My first stop was the Silom Street Market. The roads through the main business district today was closed to traffic and turned instead into a massive walking street. I got off the skytrain and was amazed at the number of people who came out in droves. There were over a thousand stalls and over a thousand visitors. Everywhere I turned there were people. Black heads wobbled left and right. Stalls were so busy selling, some couldn't sell their goods fast enough. Everything you could possibly want was at Silom today. There were clothes of all styles and sizes, shoes, jewelry, house decorations, and of...

May 2010 has gone by so fast this year I can hardly believe it. Time seems to be flying by faster and faster the older you grow, and there never seems to be enough time to do everything I want. Soon I'll be sixty and retired, or not, and soon I will have past the best years of my life. What are the best years of your life? Most often people would say its the teenage years, or your twenties. When you're a teenager, you discuss about what you want to do, what you want to be when you grow up. In the twenties, fresh from college and full of energy, you devote yourself to work, work and more work. When you reach the thirties, it seems to hit you like an unwanted bump on the road. For me, the thirties was more like an awakening. It has been a time of reflection, and for rediscovering what is it you want in life. A time to re-balance. Goals and dreams previously set out and never reached had to be re-evaluated. Its either do it now, or don't do it. Dreams sometimes ...

I was having fruits tonight when popped in a funny and true story. The story is about "How I eat durians." Durians are large, thorn-covered and have a very distinctive odour. If you've never eaten durian or don't like it, the smell will resemble somewhat that of a rotten egg mixed with rotten cheese . However if you love eating durian, which I do, it smells just wonderfully delicious. (As long as it isn't in an air-conditioned room.) It is undoubtedly a one of a kind fruit and has been appropriately named "The King of Fruits." You just have to try it at least once in your life. I wonder who was the first human brave enough to eat this? Anyways, the funny thing about durians is that I grew up eating them always with a knife, spoon, and fork. The creamy texture which somewhat resembles a fatty cheese like Mont D'Or , or that of a custard was always eaten scooped up on the spoon. It was a dessert fruit, so naturally we used the dessert utensils...

Too much politics can give one a headache, so tonight my topic will be completely different. My topic tonight is: Rain. (And no, its not about the Korean star called "Rain." I really mean the rain as in raindrops) As it has been raining cats and dogs regularly for the past few days, tonight is no exception. As I sit here at my desk, I can hear the soft tapping of the rain as it hits the window pane. The tapping raindrops are intermittently disrupted by sounds of the blowing wind, and then the soft tap evolves into a gentle gush of wind. I love all this: I love hearing the soft tapping of the rain, feeling the coolness that it brings, smelling the freshness in the air, and the momentary silence as people halt their activities. It makes me nostalgic. For me, rain has always been associated with good memories. I spent a good part of my childhood life in Belgium where it rained for 10 months out of a year and the sky was a permanent shade of grey. It rained when I fir...

Four days after the burning of Bangkok, citizens got up on their feet and resumed life. Schools and offices reopened and traffic filled the streets. Shops overflowed with customers and queues snaked around the post office. Everyone wanted to get out and get things done. In the office, conversation wavered between work and politics. News and rumours were exchanged. Why were only some buildings targeted? Why not some others? Emotions still ran high. Expressions of anger abound as colleagues wondered "How could they do this to our city? How could they burn down what we hold dear? Did you hear the central bank was also a target? Who are these hooligans to consider themselves above the law? They should be punished. " The reds, however, do not understand why others didn't see it their way. How do you know that more didn't die? Do you truly believe the news you hear? Are you sure its not being censored? How did you know it was the reds that burned the buildin...