Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Does this restaurant serve Thai food?

So it was back to the grind this week, things at the MOHP (manufacturer of household products) are super busy because of a financial forecast and a month end coming together into a perfect storm of early mornings and late nights. The nice thing about being busy is our management usally feeds us lunch when they know we're working this hard. Unfortunately food is not chosen from the most healthy places. I usually blow the diet during the day at lunch and then feel guilty about anything I eat the rest of the day. I've spent too much time at the office to even get near the gym, so I'll have to get some exercise this weekend. On monday I have a presentation to give about my work project that won't die. I've been working on a budgeting project for 3 months, and its become an excel file thats bigger than 10MB. Its been a great experience for me though, gotten me a ton of visibility in the company and makes my boss say nice things about me all the time. I've learned a ton of fun excel stuff and already find that I'm not hiding from array formulas like I used to. I'm still going through Thai food withdrawl, I ate it 3 meals a day and suddenly eat none. This weekend I'm attempting to finish the closet so we can get some closure on the floor project. I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself with the floor and my work project finished.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Bangkok Day 4


On Tuesday we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves. We grabbed a leisurely American breakfast at the hotel. We decided we'd try to go the the Thai museum in the morning, but got there only to discover that it was closed on Monday and Tuesday. Someone outside the museum recommended we go see the Standing Buddha, the sitting Buddha and the golden mount. All three I'd read about, so they seemed like a good substitute. The man alleged the standing Buddha was 40 meters away, but it was a lot more like a mile, I'm glad we had decided to tuk tuk it over there. After that we went to the golden mount, which required a lot of stair climbing, but the payoff was great views of the city. We went back to the mall area to do a little more shopping and to squeeze in a final fitting. We had dinner at a restaurant called cabbages and condoms. All proceeds from the restaurant go to promoting A.I.D.S awareness in Thailand. So we did something good for the community and ate an absolutely delicious meal. We noticed that they had a lounge with free Internet, so we thought we'd go check on the flight. Our six a.m. flight was cancelled. Not good, I needed to be in the office on Wednesday. We looked at buying me a ticket, but $600 or more seemed like a bit much just to get back to Tokyo. We decided not to sleep so we could crash the airport the minute it opened, and try to get on a few other airlines we knew had seats. After much nervous waiting we got on a Thai airlines flight in the farthest back seat you can get. Their seat spacing is awesome and their food in coach is actually edible. We got to Tokyo and W had to take our bags through customs, so I ran ahead to try to catch the first flight back to SFO, it was going to be close on getting first or business, but when an eplus seat came up I had to take it to get home. I slept for the majority of time on both flights.
My final impressions of Bangkok:
  • A lot of stray dogs and cats
  • Horribly bad air
  • Incredibly congested roads
  • Possibly the worlds greatest cuisine
  • Truly impressive historical buildings
  • Incredibly nice and friendly people
  • Did I mention how good the food is?
  • When can I go back? Theres still plenty of Thailand I haven't seen!

Bangkok Day 3


On Monday morning it was Sunday afternoon back in the states, so we got up in time to catch the end of the Indy-New England game. It decided to rain, and when it rains in Thailand it does not mess around. We crammed into a cab to check out a couple of the Buddhist temples or Wats that bangkok is famous for. It was here we had our first experience with a cabbie who didn't want to run the meter. Fortunately the Concierge had told us about what the fare should be, so we were not willing to negotiate. As we arrived at the grand palace and Wat Pra Kaeow it was pouring. Some Thai boys chased down our cab and sold us a few umbrellas for way more than we should have paid for them. We sought shelter in a nearby restaurant and had a great lunch topped by a really big bowl of ice creams in tropical flavors. Once it stopped raining we ventured into the grand palace to see the Wat and the emerald Buddha. Pants are required since it was a holy site, and they made scotty put on a pair of loaner pants. It was even steamier than usual because of the rain, and I spent the first ten minutes trying to clear the condensation from my camera lenses. We checked out the emerald bhudda, then wandered over to Wat Pho to check out the reclining Buddha. I had seen pictures of it in a National Geographic as a kid and always wanted to go see it and there I was standing in front of it. Its always great to cross things off your lifetime list. We had been hot for long enough and headed back through insane traffic in a cab ride even scarier than our loaded down trip from the airport. We had to go back to the tailor shop for a fitting, so afterwards Dave and I grabbed a beer, and we let W and Scotty go get massages. A quick shower and then we were headed for a nice restaurant for W's birthday. We decided to go someplace we'd seen in a book that was across the river, so we took a train and then a boat to get across the river. We get all the way to the restaurant only to find out they require pants for men (as opposed to shorts) and both Scotty and Dave took a comfortable approach in shorts, so we had to try something else. By the time we were back across the river it was after ten and we were hungry, cranky and not real sure where we were going to eat. We got off at the major transfer station in Siam and decided to look around, but everything was closed. A nice man took pity on us and recommended a seafood place that he knew was open til midnight. He was an English teacher, and he even got us a cheap tuk tuk fare to the restaurant. The seafood was a little pricey, but we were so hungry at that point we would have eaten the fried crickets at a roadside stand. Our meal was actually very good, and ended up being worth the hassle and price. We went home to crash and try to figure out what to do on Tuesday.

Bangkok Day 2


We woke up pretty early Sunday morning, so we hustled out to the weekend market. We took our first ride on BTS which we often called by any 3 letter acronym that popped into our brain. There was a stop right near our hotel and one right at the weekend market. We were fortunate to wake up early, since it was only in the mid 80's by the time we got to the market and the real crowds had yet to arrive. We shopped and looked for a good place to eat. In a back corner of the market we found a great restaurant and sat down and ate pad thai for the first of many times for the weekend. We shopped until we were too hot and tired to go any farther. While eating we saw a really cool condiment set that we went back to get and the lady at the shop gave me a thumbs up on my Thai pronunciation. By the time we left the market was super crowded and steamy hot. We were glad to leave but wished that it was open more than weekends so we could come back and try all the great looking food. We went back to the hotel to get cool and change and then it was off to a mall and a tailor. After the tailors we took our first tuk tuk ride, a three wheeled taxi that you have to negotiate a fare and then hold on for dear life. The cool air of the open tuk tuk is refreshing, but smog filled. Plus, everyone in Thailand drives however they feel like. We had dinner at a restaurant that both Scotty and I had read about in the guidebooks, a place in Patpong called the Mango Tree. Patpong is the red light district, so the cast of characters we passed on the way to the restaurant was interesting. The restaurant was a nice place, but the food wasn't even as good as we'd had earlier at a place called Yum Saap in the mall. We then wandered through Patpong for a bit checking out a lot of the bootleg goods and advertisements for shows I will not print here. Nearly exhausted we went back to the hotel and crashed. This picture of the weekend market doesn't do much to convey the sights sounds and smells of the market.

Bangkok Day one



I'm finally back on the ground and settled in a little bit, so let me tell you a little about my trip to Bangkok. I had lots to do on the Thursday before we left, including staying up late to watch my Thursday shows. I snuck in for a couple of hours of work and then met W so we could rush off to the airport. We met up with our traveling friends Dave and Scotty and off we went. The first flight looked pretty full, and at first it appeared only Dave would get on. at the last possible second one more first class seat opened up so I jumped on too. Someone really wanted to sit next to her friend and offered me her window seat which I prefer anyway. The flight was pretty quiet, I watched Pirates 2 which I liked, and Little miss sunshine, but was disappointed by how not funny it was. Dave and I Went to a really cool bar in Tokyo where it suddenly occurred to me I hadn't even attempted to learn any Japanese for the trip. After a couple of big Sapporo's We knew W and Scotty should be arriving. We met them and went to catch the Nari ta-Bangkok flight. We only managed to get eplus seats, but for 7 hours we thought it would be livable. It was a looooong flight, and we arrived in Bangkok around Midnight. We took what was officially the craziest taxi ride ever. Thai taxi's are not built well enough for 4 large Americans and their luggage, and the tail end of the car was noticeably dragging. I thought for sure we would blow out a tire and spin of the road or have the back of the car catch on fire. Neither happened, and after a little searching we found the Chateau De Bangkok. Check out the bathroom!

Monday, January 22, 2007

My first ever international post

Just a quick post to say I'm alive and well in Bangkok, Thailand. Many more details to come when I return, but if I spend too much time in front of the computer I'll lose valuable tourism time. Expect lots of pics on or after Wednesday!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Sunset in San Leandro


One of my favorite things about getting a visit from Calvin is I have a good excuse to visit our local dog park, In addition to being on the water, its on the final approach to Oakland Airport. My plan was to get some pictures of Calvin romping around, but he was fairly subdued. So I snapped a few shots of the sunset and a planes landing. I'm still learning best use of the Sunset mode, but this seemed like my best effort. I finally broke down and got a new template for the blog, it was time for a new look. I'm thinking about a new title too, since my life is far more stable than I imagined it would be when I started this thing. I'm spending the rest of tonight and tomorrow cramming for my Thai test this week. I'm going to try not to overwhelm the blog with pictures, but no promises.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Introducing an Old Friend and a New Toy



This Weekend I'm joined by my old friend Calvin, who despite his age still enjoys a game of fetch up and down our hallway. He doesn't run much anymore, although with a chill in the air this morning he looked as spritely as ever. He's holding on to his new friend Bird Brain, a toy we picked up at Ikea for $2! The picture itself is taken with my new Kodak z612 camera. I fell in love with it online a few months ago, and finally talked W. Into buying it for my Birthday/Anniversary/Christmas gift. I haven't given up on my trusty Kodak CX7430, It has taken some great pictures for me, but its performance in low light, and only 3X zoom were starting to limit what I wanted to do creatively. I'm still ticked off about how bad some of my pictures from inside the Sydney Opera House were. My new camera has a 12X optical zoom and image stabilization, so I don't have to be frustrated by how far away I am from things like I was on my trip to the San Diego Zoo. I was being patient and waiting until the camera went on sale, but suddenly deciding to run off to Bangkok next week meant I had to rush my purchase a little. My Thai Lessons are going well, I've learned some key words and picked up a little phrase book so that I can navigate and try not to stick out like a super tourist. Although my bad American accent and over sized new camera are going to be difficult to hide. I'll at least skip the Bermuda shorts and black socks. I got awesome career news this week. I had fallen into the trap of the forced rating system at work, which was supposed to delay my first promotion until September, but the career management committee met this week and determined that in the case of people who received a low rating in during their first year, their mid year rating would be used to determine if they were eligible for promotion. That means some time next month when my mid year rating is done, I'll be ready to move!

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The Big Roommate blowup

A friend of a friend of W's was looking for a short term place to stay, and we had a room that wasn't being used, so we volunteered. It represented some easy cash for our bottom line, and could possibly even pay off our floor early. For a few months it was weird but great, she studied and worked all the time, was never here, and cleaned up after herself. It wasn't perfect, her boyfriend stayed here to much and lately she'd been slow on the rent. So January second rolls around and we still haven't seen any money. I ask her and she announces she's moving out possibly on the tenth. She apparently wasn't going to tell us and just leave without paying. W let her know she should fork over January's rent now or pack up, and when I got home today, she had done just that. No "thank you", No F**** you, no nothing, just keys left on the dresser in an empty room. Easy come easy go I guess.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Resolving to take better care of myself, and my blog

I have resolved for 2007 to take better care of myself. It should be a resolution that is easy to keep and is its own reward. I'll eat better, exercise more, nurture my relationships, and feed my creative side, which means that I'm back to the blog. I won't announce it to anyone, but if you happen to surf by, then I'm happy to have you here. Its been over a year since I took the time to post, So I won't endeavor to catch you up in one post but I can at least summarize 2006 in bullet points.
  • Started new job that underpaid me for how much I worked and in the long run underappreciated my efforts. I'm officially on the market again now that I've passed the 1 year mark
  • Continued to trudge along at a second job where I usually spend more than I make
  • Spent a week in Sydney Austrailia--If its not on your list of places to visit, it should be if its not at or near the top, move it up. It is sooooo worth it
  • Visited Florida twice
  • Visited San Diego for my birthday
  • Turned 30 ugh!
  • Installed a laminate floor over 85% of our Condo
  • Started to Learn how to speak Thai, I'll be visiting there soon
That's the major stuff, I can assure you there was more than my share of laughs, and less than my share of pain mixed in there.