Terminal Boredom or Strange Sanity

Sometimes, having too many vacations is bad....

5-sec intro pose of the world-famous "Mobit-Mobit Dance", plus the finale jump


Dead tired (emote mode)... Imagine all that clapping, stamping and jumping.

and good.... I bought plants at Chatuchak! It was my first time to go there on "plant day" (Thursdays). The whole market was filled with plants and trees, it was like walking into paradise. Well, exagge. But it felt nice.

And the food. Healthy food (champorado at tuyo, on a rainy afternoon, da best... and kiwi juice on a separate occasion, of course).

My Humble Abode

I've been meaning to write something about my apartment for some time now. As mentioned before, I love home aesthetics. I spend most of my savings on home furnishings, books, cds or dvds, unlike a typical woman who would usually splurge on clothes, shoes and makeup (hmmm, I do spend a bit on shoes sometimes).

I have been living in this apartment for almost 3 years now. I have adapted several Thai themes into my interiors: silk covers, hand-woven lamps, incense and scented candles -- most of the things I bought from the weekend market or the night bazaar, and some hand-me-downs from my sisters. Usually, I check out the sample room setups in the mall, then find, if not the exact, the nearest match of the things I like for a much cheaper price. Smart buy, eh?

The balcony is my most favorite part. Dismissing the fact that my former neighbor just jumped over hers a year ago (bless her soul), I spend some time at night playing the guitar while watching the stretch of city lights along Sukhumvit Road, or tending my young plants.

I never really thought I'd be spending most of my time at home, being such a palaboy myself, when usually people my age are out partying. Maybe I just feel most comfortable in my own territory.

Ignored No More

After experimenting with dinner (made omelet, thai style), I noticed my guitar in the corner of my bedroom, covered with fine dust, obviously neglected for a very long time. So I thought maybe tonight would be perfect, since it was also pouring outside.

To create the perfect ambience, I turned on the lamps, burned sandal wood incense, squatted on the carpet surrounded by huge pillows, then played my old repertoire -- Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Jason Mraz and Sixpence -- and some new songs by Corinne Bailey Rae and Kotaro Oshio (*slight*... still working on the chords).

It reminded me of my college days, and times at home with my family, just making music, not a care in the world. Soothingly therapeutic.

I think I should be doing it more often.

Home Away From Home

I have been living in Thailand for almost four years now, and not once did I feel the urge to flee. I feel blessed to treat every single day as a new one. How could you not see things so positively when the minute you walk out of your apartment, you are greeted and surrounded by smiles and kindness? No rude drunken men on the streets, cars honking endlessly, or snatchers on the loose. Neighbors, who I do not normally talk to (due to my lack of Thai-speaking skills), never fail to greet me with a smile when we pass by each other on the street. I have left my personal stuff a couple of times in many places, and never was anything stolen. People even try to return them, including the simplest things that you could easily throw away. It’s amazing how people carrying bundles of cash, out in the open, manage to stay in line at a money deposit machine, unthreatened. Vendors and other shop owners, big and small, could even leave their stores unattended. Respect for others, in general, is strictly observed. Some people even express their sincerest apologies when you’re actually the one at fault, like in a near-car-hit scenario. Normally, the driver would shout curses at you for being so stupid, right?

There are so many other reasons why I love living in Thailand. Rent and food are cheap. Any expatriate working here can afford their basic necessities plus a bit of luxury – that is if one chooses to settle on a budget that allows saving, otherwise, one can surely lead an extravagant lifestyle. It is also situated in a very strategic location that makes traveling to other countries much easier and more affordable. Their rural areas are highly-prioritized and maintained by the monarchy, and the government, that locals and foreigners tend to go there for the holidays, instead of going some place else.

Of course there are always flaws, but why spoil the image when more than enough good points already stand out?

Rainy Days and Fridays

… Always make me dreamy, and homesick…. Here are some of the things I truly miss:

1. up-to-date music
2. pagkaing pinoy – sinigang, sisig, tokwa’t baboy, dinuguan at lengua na luto ni papa, baked mac ni mama, palabok, isaw sa UP, Lapid’s chicharong bulaklak, shawarma at burger sa Magsaysay
3. karaoke at billiards
4. roadtrips with papa
5. jamming at soundtrip with my bro
6. pinoy bands at UP Fair
7. 100-channel cable tv
8. kulagbaw, cancersticks, yeahzzz at org friends
9. movie marathon sa sinehan
10. my first guitar

Item #2 has taken the most space. Can I be any more obvious? :D

OC-Talk

I love Sundays. I get to wake up in the morning without any qualms (and I'm no morning person *wink wink*), do my laundry, clean the apartment, prepare a decent meal, and exercise for 2 hours! The idea just puts me in a good mood right away.

Remembering Summer

Just thought this was worth posting.

Homecoming is always something to look forward to. And each time, your family and friends just seem to pick up where you left off. Which, in turn, makes it much harder when it's time to leave again. There really is no place like home....

*senti music*

A Very Long Weekend

One of the best things in Thailand is that it has numerous holidays in a year. We just had a 5-day vacation recently, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the King's Accession to the Throne. But I'm not gonna talk about that.

What can one do for 5 work-free, stress-free, no-waking-up-early- in-the-morning days? I bet you have more than enough in your mind, especially when you're working 24/7 (even on Christmas, jeez that sucks...) and the only rest you get is the 4-5-hour sleep you spend on your bed. Well, prepare for a mouth-watering experience.

Before the 1st official day of the holidays even starts, go out the night before and get wasted! Isn't it lovely to go home, really drunk or just tired, after listening to good jazz the whole night, and not worrying about the next day? You sleep till noon, have brunch while watching a good-enough-to-snooze-off movie. If you do doze off, fine. Otherwise, you can head for the shower, put on some freshly-ironed clothes and go to the mall or the park. It's also important that you have splurge money at times like these. You can either do some shopping, try a newly-opened resto, pick a book, cd or dvd, or just grab some items in the grocery. There are always bookstores where you can just hang out, with comfy seats and coffee. You can even update yourself with the latest showbiz buzz. So how is Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt doing now?

It's also nice to have used books shops around. With all that time you have, you could even stay there the whole day, and nobody would bother you. There's this lovely store I go to, called Dasa's, along Sukhumvit Road. It's somewhere between Emporium and Phil Embassy. Anyway, it's a little two-story shop, with all the good books. And they serve coffee, tea and brownies! I bought two books to last for the rest of my holiday, which was really perfect timing, because it rained almost everyday. So i just laid there in bed, soft music playing in the background, with the sound of rain hitting the glass doors. Anyway, if you're the outdoor-type, you can always catch a cab or ride the subway and go somewhere.

Now, who wouldn't want a holiday like that? Totally relaxing, peaceful. Hmm... I was too relaxed actually, that I found it sooo hard to wake up early again for work. Oh what the heck, I had a good time! :D