on supermarkets

When you step into any supermarket in Bangkok, there will always be a cooked food section -- kind of like a fastfood minus a counter, or a carinderia minus the flies. Apparently, Thais aren't slaves of their kitchens. Unlike Filipino families who have busy kitchens, Thais will prefer buying cooked meals rather than going thru the whole process of preparing it.

One luxury that I have gotten used to is buying fruits that have been peeled, cored, and cut in serving pieces. In Thailand, you need not worry about peeling and slicing apples, pears, watermelon, cantaloupe, dragon fruit, and grapefruit -- you buy them in little plastic containers, complete with the salt & sugar seasoning and fork. Now who wouldn't want that?!

Tesco Lotus offers free cleaning and cooking when you buy seafood -- yes, free cooking! You have fish weighed, then you give it to the person there and tell him what to do. As in anything in Thailand, giving instructions is a bit of a hit and miss thing -- just hope that the person in the counter understands what you want. I tried having the fish I bought steamed and after a few exchanges with the fish guy, he gave me a fish that was cleaned. (Ha! Why am I not surprised. LOL.)

SONA 2004

Once again, De Quiros has put, quite plainly, the very real situation of the Philippines. Here's a snippet of Conrado De Quiros' take on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation address: 
 

"That is the plight of Filipinos today. Government's answer to our hopelessness is bread and circus. Government's answer to our despair is to trot out the Angelo de la Cruzes of this world for their entertainment value. We are the victims of hype, manipulation, deception. That hype is saying forget the last three and half years, forget GMA lied and cheated her way back to Malacañang, things will be better. That manipulation is saying that though we have been driven to our knees by bureaucratic corruption and recklessness, we can always stand up and stride forth confidently. That deception is saying that when we manage to keep our heads screwed to our necks by dint of luck or pluck, by dint of heaven or hell, we owe that to our President and beloved leader on the banks of the Pasig River.


Angelo de la Cruz is the perfect embodiment of the way things are. He is the state of the people. He is the state of the nation."

Why Thailand needs copywriters.
Posted by Hello

new template

I got bored with the pink template and decided to change it into a hopefully calmer, saner one -- but inevitably lost all the extras I added like the Flickr thingamagig. Ack!
 
*Bangs her head against the glass table.*

taking the bangkok subway

I tried the MRTA Subway for the first time since it opened 2 weeks ago. It's still on its opening run so the flat rate to any station is only 10 Baht. Unlike the BTS system that uses a card, the Subway uses a plastic coin that you only tap on the gate sensor. The only danger there being you can easily lose it since it only weighs as much as a bingo chip.

I got on the Lad Prao station, followed the people in front of me, and voila! -- I was in front of the platform. It's a bit of a walk down, 3 escalators to be exact, plus a few meters of walking. The tunnels remind me of the Ayala pedestrian underpass back in Manila. The station itself is still pretty bare, with only a few signs in Thai that I assume say coming soon (or something to that effect). It's not as bright and chirpy as the BTS stations though -- but maybe it's because people aren't used to taking the Subway yet. The announcement at every stop is way better than the BTS, at least the (I assume) recorded reminder of "please mind the gap between the train and platform" is said with an understandable accent. 

It took me 20 minutes from Lad Prao to the Queen Sirikit Convention Center. Not bad at all -- if I took a cab it would have taken me an hour or more with all the traffic that Bangkok seems to have an abundance of. Here's to hoping taking the Subway is the closest and fastest connection I'll have to Sukhumvit!   
 
Check out BangkokBob's link for more specific Subway info.  

all. that. jazz.

Now that the glitzy dust has settled, there is only one thing to say about the Philippines as we, once again, find ourselves in the limelight of terrorist affairs -- we really never learn. Conrado De Quiros summarizes the Arroyo pullout of Philippine troups in Iraq (and the fanfare that went with it) as such:

I have no problem with our enthusing over the safe return of one of our own and even throwing a fiesta in his honor. But I have a problem with our not understanding what has happened, or chalking it up as the product of prayer or the handiwork of brilliant negotiators. 
 

Not everything that ends well is well. Not without understanding it, not without heeding its lessons. The euphoria that comes from it is merely the kind felt by someone plummeting from the top floor, thinking before he hits the cement, "So far, so good."

After Edsa episodes, OFWs coming home in freight boxes, and Erap -- we still fail to understand the lessons behind important events that shape or color our national history. Underneath all the exterior fanfare of Dela Cruz's safe homecoming, we have yet to realize its full impact to our economy, and our pride as Filipinos. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the bravado that President Arroyo has shown -- what is sad is how the local media treats events such as this like telenovelas that Filipinos are so fond of. Sometimes the drama -- of Dela Cruz's kids waiting for their father to come home, or of Filipino troops triumphantly returning to their families -- sugarcoats the bittersweet reality that maybe after a few weeks or months, a lot of Filipinos may not have food on their tables once again because of the skyrocketing exchange between the US dollar and the Philippine peso, or the soaring rate of unemployment. Call me pessimistic, but that is usually the case when something big and colorful happens to the Philippines. It is sad that the media seems to have too much time and space in their hands, and just like the seemingly empty news articles about Ruffa Guttierez-Bektas' luxurious life wherever the hell she is, or Kris Aquino's endless cavorting with complicated men, we fail to grasp reality amidst the glittery trimmings.    
  
 

a little bit of venting

I hate it when people walk around here thinking they're the greatest gurus of creativity when in reality, their definition of what is creative is actually cliche. Sheesh, this place has really sucked out a great chunk of my sanity (not to mention belief in myself). Good thing my sentence is finally over. I can't wait to work with people with above-average IQ again. 'Nuf said.

*Back to acting invisible and indifferent at work.*

bangkok cheat sheet

Bangkok is indeed a hub for travellers. In all my 2 years here, I've been asked by visiting friends for endless lists of restaurants, what to buy, directions, must-sees.. and the list goes on and on. Here are a few lists I've compiled thru the years:

HOTELS FOR TRAVELLERS ON A BUDGET:
Trinity Silom Hotel (Chongnonsi BTS Station)
Narai Hotel (near Silom Soi 18)
Omni Tower (near Nana BTS Station)
Twin Towers Hotel (Pathumwan area, Siam BTS Station)
Swiss Lodge (Convent Rd. corner Sala Daeng)
President Park (Sukhumvit Soi 24)
Four Wings (Sukhumvit Soi 22)

NICE DATE AMBIENCE:
Mahanaga (Sukhumvit Soi 29) -- Thai fusion cuisine
Tiramisu (Sathorn) -- Italian, nice ambience
Calderazzo -- Italian, mostly businessmen clientele
Angelini's (Shangri-la Hotel) -- Italian, nice ambience; not too expensive considering it's in Shangri-la
The Oriental (Thai restaurant across the river) -- Thai with ambience (view is the Chao Praya River). A bit expensive, but worth it.
Vertigo, Banyan Tree -- if only for the view, not for those with a fear of heights
Sirocco (Silom area) -- if only for the view, not for those with a fear of heights

FOR THOSE ON A SHOPPING SPREE:
Mah Boon Krong or MBK -- BTS Station: National Stadium; 7-floor mecca of bargain clothes, fake watches, bags, tamarind
Central Chitlom
Chatuchak Weekend Market -- anything and everything, from silk pillowcases to funky clothing
Suan Lum Night Bazaar -- the night market version of Chatuchak
Emporium Mall -- if you're sick and tired of tiangge-type shopping and want an upscale mall
Silom Village @ Silom Road

MUST-EATS:
Somboon -- good seafood in Soi Surawong
Ana's Cafe -- Toffee Banofee and other thai food at Sala Daeng Soi 2 or Nana
Crepes & Co -- pancakes and crepes at Sukhumvit Soi 12
Home Garden Spa
Home Kitchen -- Langsuan Road beside Thang Long Vietnamese Resto

NIGHTLIFE:
Bed Supper Club @ Sukhumvit Soi 11
Q-Bar -- Sukhumvit Soi 13
Riva’s, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
Soi Patpong – girl bars galore

BUY-THIS-OR-BE-SORRY-WHEN-YOU-GET-BACK-TO-MANILA:
Mango wood stuff in Chatuchak
Wacoal in all shapes and sizes
Naturalizer sandals
Nautica
Yonex rackets
Funky bags, shoes, and accessories

what's wrong with you????

Here's an interesting bit from an article that explains it rather well: Advice for Expatriates on Working with Thais.

In Thai companies, staff are not encouraged to think for themselves. The bureaucratic system of company management has no place for individual thinkers. Following the company line is far more prevalent. Therefore, do not be surprised at the look of blank discomfort and the deafening sound of silence if you pointedly ask a Thai colleague, "What do you think?".

I've had countless meetings where you can hear a pin drop or a chair creaking because literally no one wants to speak. It almost feels like a waste of time holding meetings with some people here, especially those who think that voicing out opinions to elders (a.k.a. The Powers That Be) is disrespectful. Meetings here are often constituted by one person talking/giving a lecture, attendants nodding their heads in agreement (but really thinking otherwise), and dead silence -- it's almost Gattaca-meets-AI-creepy.

Ugh. 5 more months til my prison... er work term is officially over.

flickr

Found flickr, a site for everyday photo sharing. If you have a flickr account, add me to your list!

You can check out more random Bangkok pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starfish820

Enjoy!