Day One: Continue -: Covent Garden, Oxford Street and Regent Street

While I was on my way to the B&B, I called Grace to catch up and inadvertently made a plan to meet her in about an hour :p

Needless to say, I was running a bit late by the time I finally found the B&B. I hurriedly put away my luggage, shower, change clothes and hurried out the door. I think I arrived at the rendezvous point, near Holborn subway station, at about 11:20am London time. We met at a coffee shop called 'Eat' where I made my first purchase in London, a bottle of frizzle lemonade :d

Then they walked me around quite a bit. First to Covent Garden, then Oxford Street and Regent Street.










We also stop by Fortnam & Mason, a fancy small department store. With stunning window display and decor (At least in the candy & sweet section).



Then we also stop at a big toy department store. Grace and her hubby suggested it because of the top floor. Of which they sold merchandise from fantasy movies, like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Narnia.









It was a pretty long walk, and I started to get lightheaded from lack of sleep while in the plane. So around 15:00 I excused myself and go back to the B&B.

Once I got back I spend a bit of time on the B&B's computer, Mac in this case, and go take a nap so I can go out in the evening.

The night out was not quite fruitful for me... I eventually come back home around 22:00 and finally collapse on the bed. The sleep came easy due to the exhaustion and chilliness of the weather.

Day One: Bangkok -> Doha -> London

The flight went quite smoothly with little hitch. I got some sleep on the plane but surely it wasn't enough.

I use Qatar airways this time as it is the cheapest one. I am surprised that there are TV screen at the back of each seats. You can choose to watch a wide range of shows, movies, and TV shows. It was quite a nice surprise. I gets to see The Spiderwick Chronicle :P Though in the picture below I was watching Friends.

The food was also surprisingly good. It was a fish menu with carrot and string bean. The dessert was cheesecake as well :dd It was so good that I ask for another set :d.

While I was in Doha for transit, I use the bathroom there and found another surprise. They have the washing hose, just like in Thailand, but they use warm water!!. Although this made me very happy, the overall hygiene needs quite an improvement... Most of the toilets were wet on the floor. I solve the problem by went into disabilities toilet :P Apart from the bigger size it was cleaner and certainly smell better.

From Doha to London, the plane seems to be a bit smaller and certainly seems, older model than the first. The TV screen is smaller and the bathroom position seems awkward. The meal was not as good as the first one but still edible. I got to chat up a bit with the man sitting next to me who looks Caucasian/Arab mix but said he's from Kenya. There was 30 minutes delay before the plane take off... While we were on the plane no less.

Once we landed, the line at immigration was crazily long. I think I was queued up for 20 minutes. But once I was up at the counter there was no problem. The line was so long that when I arrive at the luggage claim, mine was already on the belt. I spotted it right away as it has unique pattern and colour, my mom had chose them :)

I had to ask for directions a few times before to get to the subway station. Finally, I got to the station entrance and queue up to buy oyster card. There was a man behind me in the queue whom I asked a bit about the card and subway system. I did not think he is British but he speak good English. He turned out to be the chatty type, which I did not really mind. Since he is kinda sexy, see picture below :P

I also think I saw Mary J. Blidge. Though I am not sure, I manage to secretly take a photo of her with my phone so it was not be very clear.

I had changed the train twice, as my new friend pointed out. It was more direct and possibly take less time. It still took me about one hour twenty minutes to get to the station near my B&B.

And then it took me quite a long while to find my B&B because I am not familiar with the house number system here... But with the help of several locales, I finally found it.

Prologue: The London Trip

I arrived safely in London, although the flight was rather long, the food was good.

Since I have taken quite a number of photos already and I wants to really enjoy myself here. I will spend a bit of time to do draft each day and will only publish it when I uploaded photos to accompany the post.

The weather here is quite nice , but the fierce wind made me glad that I bring the jacket.

Now I am quite lightheaded from the lack of sleep. So I will go to bed soon.

The Eve of My Travel

My London trip will start tomorrow. Now the child in me said just forget the whole thing and stay home. I think the problem is that I will be on my own and not part of tour group. At this moment, I felt like my heart is in my throat.

Hopefully the nervousness will melt away once I am on the plane. I really needs to get used to this. After all I do wants to do more traveling later on.

Flying out tomorrow, the B&B will have a computer so I might do some blogging while there.

And I will try to take lots of photos.

Grave Mistake: Should Have Been More Careful

I went to see Hellboy II: The Golden Army today and I made a grave mistake. I was so hung up on which theater to watch it in that i forgot to ask whether it is dub or soundtrack. Imagine my surprise when the movie starts... It was a freakin' Dubbed!!!

Since it already paid for, the movie is about to start, I was kind froze up and do not know what else to do... Needless to say I am not happy with myself nor with what happen.

The movie was fun nonetheless. Now I am trying to seek out the English soundtrack one... Which is harder than I expected. But hopefully it will be done before my trip.

I already exchange some money, planning on taking some cards as well. I am excited, nervous and anxious. Being the type that do not particularly likes to go out, it is not that easy for me to make a trip. But I am determine and motivated.

My London trip will begin this Friday :O

Anxious Feeling Toward the Trip

As the departure day approached, I started to feel quite anxious about the trip.

First off, the currency exchange rate make me feel infuriated. The Baht is getting weaker by days and closing in on 68 Baht per pound... Make me badly regret that I did n't exchange my money back in April when it still around 63 Baht. I blame the government on this...

I guess what I am most anxious about is the uncertainty. Since I will be travelling on my own for the first time ever. No family, no tour guide, and no definite plans. I know somebody are into that style of travelling but I think I am not one of those people :p

I Need to start packing this weekend... Hopefully that will workout Ok. Upon checking the weather forecast I think I should pack my umbrella as well...

Musics From So You Think You Can Dance

I became a fan of the show... Something I am a bit reluctant to admit but here it is... I even download the fourth season from the net the day it release :p

Here are two of the songs that were used by the contestants. I love the song so I managed to upload it to youtube to share with other people :)

This one is No Man by Nina Storey

And Hurt So Bad by Kina

Now I am moving into final phase of the trip preparation... So to speak... Have to start packing soon and get some money exchanged and packing and note down phone numbers from my emails and... Agghh... this get my head reeling...

Busy & Lazy

It's been a while since my last post... My reason is that I have been both busy and lazy :P

Busy: I was quite busy at work last week, so the three days weekends was a nice change of pace. I have also been preoccupied with the new DS game 'Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2' The game play is quite addictive and I have been playing almost non-stop since the day it was released. Although I like some of the new system, I miss many of the old discarded ones. Anyway, I did not stay home all day on during the three days though. I had done a highschool reunion, a lunch date, and shopping trip, respectively each day.

And it was not all relatively relaxing as I thought... Since I was banging away on my DS, playing my way through FFTA2 game. I even slept quite late because of it too :p

I also felt like I should went and see some movie... It's been so long since I was in a cinema that I forgot what was the last movie I saw! Hellboy 2 will be in theater next week... I think I will catch it on Monday after next, just before my London trip :D.

Lazy: I was really preoccupied by that game that I have little interest in other things. Except food, regular TV shows, and comic books.

Something strange also been going on for quite a while now... I cannot open anything from blogspot host, without using proxy server. I wondered if it just some mishap with connection or the government try to blocked out some blogs... The strange thing is that I can still open blogger host, as I can make this post, so this is quite perplexing

Buying Sneakers and Repairing My Work Shoes

I spent about 15 minutes investigating the sneakers I wants to buy. It was a good thing because the one that I want, with the color that I want, is not available in my size. I, however, found another cool looking one with higher flooring and a bit sturdier looks but it string tied sneakers and not the velcro type that I would prefer. I do not wants to fiddling aroudn with shoestrings but it seems that I do not have a choice.

I wants a black color pair, but the one I wants only available in brown and light brown, and too big in size or too small. I sort of made up my mind, about 90% already, and I will make the purchase after work. Then I will take my work shoes to the brand's store for repair right away.

Camera Got. Next, sneakers and Perhaps A Backpack

I finally bought new digital camera. I finally settle on Panasonix Lumix FX-33. After narrowed down to two choices between this one and Ricoh Caplio R7. I tried them both at ComMart fair today. Ricoh R7 have really really loud zooming mechanism, it was quite loud that even though I read reviews about this before hands it still surprised me.

I will go to JJ market this Sunday to looks at some sneakers and perhaps a bigger backpack. Although I have seen those that I am quite like already but I have not been to JJ market for quite a long time now.

My Second Camera

Tomorrow I will go to ComMart fair and browse and, may, purchase my second digital camera. I have narrowed down to two choices, between Panasonic Lumix FX-33 and Ricoh Calio R7. Hope to be able to test them both myself tomorrow at the fair. And I must not forget to buy the universal adapter for the extension so I can charge my electronics (DS Lite and mobile phone) while in London.

Today I had paid my ticket and got my confirmation. I have also found the sneakers I wants to buy but I will wait till I check out JJ market this Sunday before making the purchase.

It is nice to have an activities filled time.

A Couple of Disheartening Moments

Today I tried calling MusicMan and Mr. American mobile phone, using my office line. Since I figured that both of them seems to avoid not answering my calls and Voila! They both answer and then hastily say they are busy/in the meeting and please call later or I will call you back (consecutively).

I will try calling Mr. American again before I leave work tonight. If he still would not talked to me, I will hornoured his request to severe the tied with him. Which would not make much differences in my life since he did an disappearing act on me for the last 3-4 years. As much fun as it seems for me to keep beating myself over trying to keep old friends, I think it's times to adopt a new attitude and just cut away the quiet party.

Another Flight Change

After another call to my travel agent, I found a more suitable flight but it add another night to my plan. This seems to stress me more than it should... As of now, I still have not arrange loding for that one additional night.

CA, who is now in London, will not be around for me to crash at his place. My fag hag, aka Grace, still have no response to my contact attempts. My last contact is a rather long shot, so by tomorrow I will have to e-mail my B&B and book one more night...

I will go shop for digital camera this Friday, shoe shopping in JJ market on Sunday and then go to the travel agent office and pay for my ticket on Monday. I think I am getting dizzy from all the things I have to pay in this short amount of time.

Visa: Got, Now the rest...

I got my UK visa :D Now I can go, but I have no real travel plan yet :pp

I had booked my plane ticket, reserve B&B, and notify my London contacts but I have not set where I will see exactly yet... People in my office recommend a few places, like walking along the Thames rivers, the British Museum, and London Eye. The thing is... I am more interested in... gay places and *activities* :p

Now that I can go, I need to buy new camera... As my mom took mine to replaces hers. I also need sneakers, since I do not own one. But the price of *Air* sneakers are quite expensive... Maybe I will just settle for some loafers instead...

I still need to decide on which camera to buy... Luckily there will be another ComMart fair next week. I can check them out soon.

I am both happy yet apprehensive about this trip. It will be my first trip on my own and I do not know what to expect. But I know I should do this, I really really should.

Visa Application, Calorie Mate, and Additional Info on Last Post

I had a restless night. I guess it's the nerve that I usually have on the eve of travel of important day. I woke up at the alarm but groggy as hell...

Anyhoo... The application went through without a hitch. Now I am waiting for the results. While I was in the waiting area, a saleslady handed me a pamphlet. Turns out it's a pamphlet to sell UK's prepaid SIM card, oyster card, and travel insurance. If I get my visa I think it would be good to buy those right away.

After finish with the submitting my application, I was thinking about going to Isetan, a Japanese department store near by to look for Calorie Mate. However, it was too early, and the dept. store did not open yet. So I eventually take a bus to the 'Japanese Avenue'.

It was quite easy to find but not as many shop a I imagine, but I did found what I was looking for :D I went into the UFC supermarket and ask a few staff about this. They were extremely helpful. They only have small pack, 2 pieces box, for 88 baht. I bought one for trial. I think I will try one tonight or perhaps I will take it to show at the office tomorrow before trying one.

There is also a bakery shop nearby, I went inside and saw a piece of roll cake that has banana pieces inside and as topping. It looks real good and just 50 baht too :dd. I bought one before I left the area and went into Emporium and ate it there :d

I forgot to blog about the interesting songs they play at the restaurant. It sounds very much like a lounge style music, like Sinatra and such, but the songs themselves are of Beastie Boys, Nine Inches Nails, and Radioheads!! It start feel odd when the song, done in lounge style, with the lyrics chorusing 'Baby got Back, and I like them'. It finally dawn on me, and a few other people at the table who are all English literate, when the chorus 'f*ck me like an animal' ringing through the speaker. It is really strange I tell ya... I also just found a website about the album. Click here if you are interested.

Office Party Night and Wonderful

Tonight is the night of the office party to welcome new teacher and say good bye to the leaving one. The food was quite good and a lot people turn up including the new teacher and the one that is leaving :)

Anyhow, I leave the party rather early as I have my visa application to go tomorrow morning *fingers cross*

I also found this clip that I am very fond of. I first hear this song from one of the audition in the 4th cycle of "So You Think You Can Dance". I remember the voice, it was Annie Lennox, and after a bit of search I found the song. Even better, I found her Acoustic Live version as well.

However, the original video post have very low audio. So I download and put it through conversion to make it louder, the easy way :P

Here it is :)



I am really admire her singing voice. I find that she is one of the few musician whom I like their live performance than the studio release version.

Price of Food Up, Satisfaction Down

The latest food price rise is started to affect me... At least three of the eateries place I venture raise their price by five to ten baht... And I am not happy.

I wondered if things will get back to the great before or not. I hope so but I doubt it... People will just tough it out and before long it will became a norm... **sigh**

At least I finish the required assessment form yesterday, what a relieve!!

Now I have to hit the bed soon because I will have to be up at 6:30 for work...

I will also went to submit my visa application on Monday... I hope I can get it without much fuss...

Also... There is a new teacher in my office, he is Uber cute. And there will be a welcoming party for him as well as farewell party for the leaving one. I must say I am quite looking forward to that as well

The Closer Affairs

I had became a fan of the TV series 'The Closer'. After watching a few episode of the first season I was hooked!

Although I must say that Kyra Sedgwick character's accent is very southern and perhaps can get on your nerve, her acting (the accent included) make the character seems real and believable. The chief was sharp and cunning at times and can also bequite clumsy and bumbly acted as well. Not the mention neurotic, still worried about what her parents' opinion of her, and not to mention an ex-CIA to boot!!

Her team is also a collective group of police with different specialties in addition to their ages, ranks, and even race. Which allow the show to play with the interactions between the team members, their contribution and facets.

Just like any good shows, the writing is very good, each episode was quite fresh in their story and context.

I will certainly watch it till the end :)

Moving On To Another Topic

It seems that none of my fans (little as they are) are in London... So I guess I will moved on to another topic...

I recently read some more infos on Final Fantasy Tactic A2, due to be release late June, and I got the urge to play it right away :P Since it is not release yet, my thought went to the GBA version that I still have not finish since a few years ago. I was at the point where I need to finish several more missions and then I will clear the game but I do not have the items required for those missions.

After reading up on the mission requirement and such, it still take me a few more days and frustrating moments to tricker the mission availabilities. Once that's done the rest is a breeze. Especially after adding level cheat code :P

It was enough to sate my hunger for the game for the time being, but it still be almost a month away from the release. The new season of House would also help :)

I am also struggling to complete my self assessment form required by the office. I am drawing blank on what I should write about... I think I will ask to see this form from one of my colleague...

Materializing the London Plan

I am planning to visit London, for the first times. This will be my first trip on my own as well!

I am finalizing the details of where I will stay and the plant ticket. I am, however, only have the general ideas of what to do and where to visit. I admit I am not a 'culteral tourist', rather I am the... usual gay tourist :p A Single gay tourist :p

Anyhoo, I am still planning to the visit the usual tourist traps. Like Covent Garden, Harrod, and perhaps Sherlock Holmes club. And then a few gay places.

Anybody could recommend places to visit? :)

My Fear Had Come True

It happen just as I feared... Now my weekends are Sunday & Monday. I do not like it but there is other choice... I guess it iwll be like this until next year. At least I can still take day off when I wants to, albeit, one week notice is required. This will also be the second times when I have to work 6 days straight because of the shift. Next times it would be better... Hopefully

I am still planning my visit to London. Although I still have to look out for hotel or B&B. I am tempted to just buy a tour trip and go. But I still do wants a freedom to let loose and see the people :p

The Great Shower

Today was a rather unbelievable day in Bangkok.

It was raining since morning, then stop, then rain again, and then stop, and rain again. So today I choose to buy my lunch from the wanton noodle stand near my office. I do not think I will do so again tomorrow... I might just brace the rain and went out to eat.

A few of my regular eating place, the noodle stand included, had raise their price. It kind hard to stomach this when you actually felt the pinch of the situation. The news today even stated that it hits the *regular folk* quite hard, judging by the pawn shop business. And if I remembered correctly, the news said that the pawn shop business went up to 600 mils now in comparison to 100 mils last year. That just sounds rather depressing.

It is the beginning of the new terms in my office, thus, my Sat-Sun weekends also comes to an end. The boss wants to put me on Sun-Mon weekend instead. I do not think I can object this times around... Especially when the new coordinator will has Thu-Fri off.

General Rants

There is not real news to post about so I guess I will just post a rather generic rants of late.

The weather is now back to the old pattern, blazing hot if it is not raining. I guess it will be this way for a few months, before we will be hit with rainy season.

The harddrive that I recently bought, merely almost a week ago, now reduced in price by 100 baht... I know I should not take this personally but it still sucks.

I recently got started to play Jump! Ultimate Stars on my DS, after I found the one with partial English translation. It is oddly satisfying to be able to control your favorite manga characters and have them beat each other up. The annoying parts are the winning conditions. Some are rather hard to achieve and that will determine whether you can unlock certain characters or not.

I still have not made any progress regarding my trip to London. I just wants to know my new weekends before sending request to get my paper from the office. I am still have no idea where to book for hotels and such... I still have not research all the... 'decadent' activities I can have fun with... I should really began doing those things now... July is approaching, Fast!

Out with 200, In with 750 and Delayed Devotion

I finally made the purchase I have been itching to made. I bought 750Gb Hitachi S-ATA II harddisk. The day was certainly long, a lot longer than I would preferred for sure.

I began the day by taking an a/c bus to Zear rangsit, to claim my mouse. The right button was working half the times, and I thought there was something wrong with the computer at first. After wasting sometime at the claiming process, as the person in charge was out to lunch (I was there around 13:00). It was 14:00 by the time I left.

Then I took two buses to the shop that have the harddisk I want. It took me quite some time to actually reach the place. It was located in a village/resident area. I realize that they must do wholesales as well as there were about 10 or more customers waiting to get their orders.

When I finally got home, I began open my computer case. I began by brushing out the dust, and then began switching things. That when I realize that I do not have spare S-ATA II cable. Luckily, though, that an IT accessories shop near by have it. I began the data transferring around 18:00. However, I finally go to bed at 7:00. That's right seven effing AM in the morning. It was freezing up when I choose a lot of files to copy away. I ended up having to copying only a few GB at a time to help ease the problem. Finally, when I have had enough I select the last 21GB or so to copy and go to bed.

Then my office call, around 9:00... To ask if the cable TV, which have problem with late payment and results in signal disconnection, will still show the local TV. I said I don't think so...

I finally woke up, by myself around 11:30, about an hour ahead of my alarm clock. It was rather hellish...

On the brighter note, I found a new favorite song. 'Delayed Devotion' by the up and coming welsh singer Duffy. I was watching 'Tonight's Show with Jay Leno' and Duffy was the musical guest, performing her current single 'Mercy' The way she sang it, it reminded me of the older generation soul singers. She also rocks at singing live too :D I recommend you search on youtube for her live performance ;)

Some Decent Sleep

I finally manage to get at least 8 hours of sleep last night. It would have been a bit longer if my office has not called but I am glad I got that much sleep after being sleep deprived over this and this.

My XP is pretty much done. I am still deciding whether I will use WindowBlinds or not. It looks nice and all but Vistual Style is also ok without any load to the memory.

I am looking forward to this weekend. It will be 3-day holidays, including a national holiday on Monday. I will have the time to buy the new harddisk, transfer data and install it. Then finish cleaning out my room. Pretty much a quiet weekend I suppose.

A New Day's Dawn

I finally finish re-install XP. The rest is to re-install the required softwares, make a few tweaks, and setup some defense mechanisms.

It was a tiresome process... I went to bed around 4am last night which is not nearly enough for me now. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, reminding me that I give myself high blood pressure by being sleep deprived.

At least it is mostly done, I can watch TV and sleep before midnight tonight, Hopefully.

My Doomed XP

My windows is now inflicted with vicious trojan or virus... Something that the anti-virus and anti-spyware software did not detect...

I tried several things but none works.

So I guess my only option left is reinstall XP... Good thing I still have my XP CD.

Tonight I will do the installation... Not something I look forward to but at this point I have no other choice.

I suppose this is the high time to do some clean up to inaugurate my soon to buy harddisk. This weekend will be the high time to buy for sure.

Feeding The Demon

It finally finish. It took me four days to perfect the conversion. Finally 'Charles Pierce's Legendary Ladies of The Silver Screen' is ready for the Demon.

If you are interested, please click here.

And a message for Torn, I think this movie would be great for the advance adult class :) If you teach one ;)

Arrived Package and Another Short Circuit

The DVD I bid from eBay finally arrive today :DDD I just finish watching it and well... It still Very funny but I still have trouble getting all the references. Some I still know but some just seems too old. It was recorded of the 1982 show anyway...

It will be ready for Demon soon...

Today I brought my DS charger to the office, just in case I need it. And when I need it, it short circuit... For the third times... Luckily, I am scheduled for training in Siam Square office, it will not be long for me to go to Silom from there. **Sigh** At least they are nice enough with the warranty that I can trade it in without any cost.

Although I am contemplating an alternative...

The World Ends With You

Here is a brand new Action-RPG DS game review that I currently play (although it was not so new for Japan... it's been first release by Square-Enix a while ago in Japanese language)

Our main protagonist, Neku, find hihmself in the middle of Shibuya district when he was attacked by strange creatures. Then a young girl grab him and ask him to make a pact so they can fight off the creatures. Although he still daze by the situation, he accept the girl's request and began to fight off the attacking parties. Afterward, Neku realize that he has no recollection of his past, other than his name. He is more of a loner and tend to shut other people off, saying they are dragging him down.

The girl, Shiki, then informed Neku that they are in a 'Reaper's Game'. The objective is to survive for a week or face being erase of existance. A mission will issue each day, the players must complete the objection or face erasion.

This game is very unique in that you actually fight in both screens on DS. You control the upper screen with either D-pad or buttons and the touch screen with stylus. It was quite overwhelming at first but you will get used to it after a while. There is also an auto setting to let the upper screen fight automatically as well (or manual mode if you can Really multitask ;P). Neku fight with a variety of pins. Each pin represent a psych, each with a different way to stroke or touch the screen with stylus to execute. There are a total of 304 pins to collect and each pin has cool design as well :) Click here to download the pins images.

The soundtrack of the game are J-Pop style and modern music, which set it apart from the usual orchestra music found in most RPG game.

It is a really good game, with surprising story and characters growth. The fight sequence are fun and fractic. There are many things to collect and 'New Game +' mode to replay the game with all your stat and inventory intact, which added the the replayabilities.

If you have DS, this is certainly a game to have :)

Trio Songstresses

I just got around to watch 'The Triplets of Bellville' recently, and I must say I am quite enjoying it.

It is certainly different from the usual American and Japanese animations that usually on TV or in theater.

Each character looks almost caricature with their bodies exaggerated to emphasize the characters' characteristic. There was almost no dialogues, to the point where it only happen at the beginning of the movie and at the end. The story, however, manage to move along without a single dialogue which is quite an achievement.

Overall I like it, even though it ended rather abruptly. The car chase scene is very entertaining to watch while the dinner scene with the triplets is quite... disturbing :p

Summer Cleaning

Today my mom call me real early questioning me about my plan to move the bookshelf to the outer area and the plan to move the washer and dryer to where my younger brother room used to be.

I was not in a cheerful mood to discuss that at 7:45 in the morning, not after I was only woke up at about 6am from uncomfortable sensation after drinking a drink that my younger brother brought me. Afterward I woke up with a strange itchiness on my left knee, when I woke up again around noon I notice angry red patch on my arms, left knee, and the back on my neck. I am not sure if this is sunburn or not... Since I am pretty sure I was not out in the sun that long plus the red patch also happen in the area under my upper arms too. Anyway I already make an appointment with the doctor tomorrow... Although now it felt like a sunburn... Tomorrow I will know for sure.

With the help and instruction of my mom and a helping of hands of a maintenance guy, we manage to sort the comics books I no longer wants to keep, move out the bookcase and closet, cleaning the room, change the curtain in my room, install a shower curtain, take out the trash, etc.

It took us whole afternoon to finish, my legs felt like jelly and I felt tired as hell. At least I won the auction of the DVD I have been longed to have :D. Although my plan for tomorrow would have to change a bit, it would be ok... I was planning to go to have Buffet tomorrow but with doctor appointment and follow up on the clean up. I guess I will just go the day after tomorrow instead and perhaps go buy the new HDD on Sat.

Resurrection of The Demon

I had just found out, just now actually, that Demonoid site has been revived and now up and running.

I am so happy I have to make this little post for it :D I guess it just a great news in time for Songkran ;D

Another Heating Post

Last night I had a revelation that Summer is finally here, for real, when I take a shower before going to bed around midnight without turning on the hot water.

Good thing though that after the shower, a breeze blew into my room and make it a bit nicer to turn in and fall asleep. The heat starting to became a bit relenting, the office is real quiet before Songkran, and I have literally nothing to do...

I tried to curb my habit of sneaking a bit of DS time while at my desk but it is hard to do so when I have no work.

I am looking forward for my Songkran holiday... I will be off for 5 straight days :D

From Phoenix to Apollo

After finishing two of the Phoenix Wright series and starting on the third one, I tried the fourth game as a change of pace and continue to see it through. I finish it just last night :p

This game take place 7 years after the third game finish. Instead of playing as Phoenix Wright, we played as Apollo Justice. At the beginning of the first chapter Apollo is a rookie attorney defending a client. The client is non others than Pheonix Wright who also have a daughter, a gifted magician name Trucy!! Who was disbarred and became a pianist as a front for being a mster poker player. During the first chapter, as it turns out, Apollo's boss was the murderer of the case!.

You will meet few of the old casts from the previous games who are all grown with new sprite, sans one quirky character :p,.

There are four cases in total in this game. The first one is also involved with the fourth one and the fourth one tied up all the circumstances involved with how Wright got disbarred seven years ago, how Trucy became his daughter, and how the murder in the fourth case involved with the murderer in the first case. The fourth case is probably the best case of the series, with all the twists and turns and complexity of a good crime novel. It is all unfolded to shows how each events links together which results in the downfall of Phoenix Wright and his scheme to find the truth and turns againts the plotter/murderer. As it turns out, the motive of the murders stem from pettiness of the murderer that started by that seven years ago case.

The game, however, is not without flaws. In my opinion, it still suffers the same slow texts, linearity, and tricky trigger events that make me stuck unless I read walkthrough. There was, literally, no back story on Apollo at all. No friends, families, or backgrounds mentions. Except for a little mention, in passing, from another character.

Overall it was an enjoyable experinece. While, the gameplay is nothing new, the story is very strong and since this is a story driven game it compensate for other weakpoints.

Hold It, Take That, Objection

The title meant that I am reviewing another DS game that I had just finish today, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, in case most people were wondering :P

Despite its, in my opinion, weak beginning/tutorial chapter, the game real episode began a real intriguing court drama and story soon after the prologue finish.

You will play as a novice defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, on his first case ever under the guidance of your ample-chested boss, Mia Fey. The first case involved Wright's long time friend, Larry Butz, who got arrested in a murder case. The goal of the game is to get the client acquitted and get the verdict of 'Not Guilty'. The court system will sure looks unfamiliar to many people who are used to see the American Court Drama TV shows as it is based on Japanese system. The game even up the stakes by having game played in the near future where the court system has been revamped to finish within three days!

Anyway, after the rather bland prologue case, the first chapter began with a bang. The boss, Mia Fey, was murdered and her little sister got arrested for it!! During the course of this chapter you will learn, from the sister, Maya Fey, who dressed somewhat like a Miko that the women side of Fey family are gifted as spirit medium. Then during the course of the remaining chapter, Mia will came back and give guidance through Maya who, although in training, invoked the spirit of Mia when she became distressed.

The game soon weaving the tales of corruption, evidence forgeries, and murders by the prosecutors and police no less. Each chapters played out in 4-5 hours, I guess it could be less if the texts are faster to display. The text should be *pressable*, like when pressing one button the text came in full instantly.

In the end, the stories that unfold are very intriguing tales of lies, deception and redemption. It is a fun endeavor that I eventually play till 4:00am last night... Which is not good, it was a work night after all. But it sure was Fun :D

Seething Heat

Summer is here... In all its glory and strong blinding sunlight...

It is a bit late for Summer, considering it is already almost April. I must admit I do not miss it that much now that it arrived. I made a mistake of wearing black t-shirt yesterday, my body and arms felt like they were licked by heat. All this does not make it fun to sleep at night, though it is the best time for shower. I know I have mention this in the past but the notion still valid.

I am looking forward to next week... Which I will get Monday off due to substitute holiday. And then it will be Songkran :D Since I have not been to my decadent spot lately I will go during Songkran for their special event. Not to mention the plan to go to Japanese buffet after a day or two from the said event. Plus my plan to buy another harddisk.

On another note, I have been trying to eat healthy-er lately. With bananas adding to my protein shake breakfast (Hopefully they will last the week now that I put them in the fridge), and the latest discovery that my local supermarket sell grapes with rose apple package for the price of 45-49 baht that will last me two days. Gotta remember that when I felt bored with the food courts.

Reclaiming Memories

Last night I began playing a DS game called 'Another Code: Two Memories' an Adventure game on DS platform, I ended up finishing the game in one go...

It is a story of a young girl, Ashley, who went to an island to meet her father whom she thought was dead 11 years ago. While on the island, she encounter a ghost of a young boy who call himself D. D told Ashley that he have no memories of his life and want her to help him reclaim his memories. Ashley who is also looking for her father agreed to help him out and thus the adventure began.

Another Code is probably the only game that I have played on DS so far that utilize ALL the functionalities of the handheld console to the fullest. From using the basic touch screen function and microphone to actually close the lid to mimic stamping and have the screens reflects on one another to see the hidden message.

Although the game is fairly short, it was adequate in telling the story and tied all the loose end.

For me the game ended nicely, although a few loose end still unanswered, it still an enjoyable experience. It worth my time to play and finish it. I would highly recommend it :)

Get Out Your Dancing Shoes

The third cycle of 'So You Think You Can Dance' began showing in the local cable for about 4 weeks now and I have follow every episode so far... *face in hands in shame*

Anyhoo... Last night, was the first performance show of the top 20s. My reaction when I saw it was that 'Boy they really pushing the performance this times' All the routines have trick moves and big endings.

I am looking forward to seeing more of the show. With little space left I will not 'acquired' the show to watch it.

On another note, summer seems to finally arrive here, not that I complain... It felt real nice to shower now. But it is more troubling come sleep time...

1 Became 1+4 and A Clima356

I did went to the ComMart fair and I am glad I did because, as I found out when I arrive at Queen Sirikit Center, that Adidas also have a sale event there as well.

After bought and ate chicken+bolognas sauce spaghetti, I began my round to scout the items. I found all the products I was looking for but end up buying only Kingston Micro SD 4GB. I did not buy the harddisk because the price seems to be dropping recently. I think I could wait until April to buy it. I also found Wi-Fi USB thingie that will broadcast the Wi-Fi. I am tempted to buy it so I can play my DS Lite online. The one I found, which seems to be the only non-Nintendo brand that have this, cost almost half the price of the Nintendo one, at 850 baht. It still pricey for me... So I will wait until the next ComMart to see if I really want to buy it. For the Micro SD, I actually walk all over the building looking for Sandisk brand to compare. As it turns out, Sandisk is more expensive and is lesser class than Kingston one. And I only pay 850 baht instead of the 890 baht listing price :D.

After the tech shop is done, I went to see the Adidas sales. I found one T-Shirt I really like but it was S size which a little tight for me. The sales staff are not very helpful. But yours truly was persistence, keep digging the tray and eventually found 3 more S size and each in M and L :DD I buy the M size though :)

Another Shopping Coming Up

There will be another ComMart Fair soon, this weekend in fact. And I am itching to buy another 500GB harddisk, since I almost filled up my current one :p

Another reason is that one of my old harddisk began having bad sector. Although it shown only on 'Harddisk Sentinel' software, it began to spead from 3 bad sectors to having 3 more weak sectors. The price is also quite alluring. I recently check the local pricing websites and found that the price has drop to about 3,500 baht, Western Digital brand.

I wondered if they will sell this at ComMart or not... If not then I will probably have to go to Pantip...

Stranger Than Fiction

I have seen the trailer and teaser of this movie, 'Stranger Than Fiction', for several times on HBO. The premise is rather unusual, the story of an IRS man who heard a woman voice narrating his life which also narrated that he will face imminent death. The *strange* part is that both the man and the narrator are real. The man, Harold Crink (Will Farrel), is a real person and the narrator is a British novelist Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) .

It was quite a good movie to say the least. Quite thought-provoking and entertaining. There are some funny moments and sad moments. Will Farrel did a great job playing Harold Crink, showing his vulnerable and sensitive side. Emma Thompson was perfect depress, suicidal novelist.

I highly recommended it :) It would be a good evening movie to watch with your love ones. Or by yourself... if you are single like me :ppp **Sigh**

My Newly Acquired Activities

After I sign up for my own account at DeviantART.com recently, I decided to also upload some of my *work* to the site. It is an art community website afterall.

So if you are interested, please check them out :) At http://kefrayba.deviantart.com/

Right now my *gallery* is pretty low in traffic... Also feel free to pass it around if you please :)

Minor Update: Weather

Following a chat with a friend of mine who is currently in HK with his bf and was in BKK for the weekend. It is March, which is summer time here, and yet the weather did not get very hot.

Instead we had rain yesterday and it was fairly cold in this morning. Not that I mind but it feels... Out of place. I wondered if this is the effect of Global Warming. I have watch Penn & Teller show Bullshit!. In one episode, claim that Global Warming is not as big of an issue as it claim to be. But I think most people would not deny that the weather pattern seems to be out of order lately.

I have been enjoying my new purchase :) I have figured out of how to use cheat code :P So I am enjoying it more right now. it is pleasant surprise to find that I do enjoy a charming game 'Professor Layton and The Curious Village'. I would highly recommend this good puzzle/mystery game to anyone.

Here Comes the Crimson/Black

I did it... I finally jump into the deep end, pry open my coffer and buy myself a NDS Lite. In Crimson/Black color no less.

The I was planning to buy it from was closed yesterday. Since I was in the mood to shop, I decided to go to another shop near by.

I ended up buying just the basic package with 1Gb MicroSD memory card and a headphone. Since they ran out of airfoam bag and the casing. I guess I will have to go again later to buy those. I wants to put the DS in my bag.

So far I have been playing several games on it and it was fun :D Especially Eco Creatures: Save the Forest Game ;)

So Close

It is so close... I could feel it creep up on me, like a hunter prowling toward the prey. The prey, me, is fully aware of the hunter and plotting the course to ward it off a while longer. Yet, I know it is almost inevitable. I am close to succumb to the temptation and the take the plunge, jump the gun, and yield to the desire...

I am barely able to resist buying a DS Lite...

Over the Rooftop Came a Hidden Blade

I have been playing Assassin's Creed for a few days and I must say... It is FUN to play. Despite it's keep crashing randomly for some reason...

The graphic is beautiful plain and simple. The whole town is your playground and you can climb up the roof, splinting and jumping between buildings, climbing the tower and taking a 'Leap of Faith' into the stack or cart of hay below. All of these activities were presented with fast pace and large map to roam in. It is strangely gratifying when your character jump on top of a guard and impale him with the hidden blade. I particularly like the 'View Point' where you have to climb on top of particular tower or guard post to overlook the area. The scene of the character perching on the ledge like eagle overlooking the city is gorgeous, as well as the 'Leap of Faith' to come back down :) It should be applauded that it take rather short load time for the size of the map.

Now the cons, while it is believable that there will be beggars in the city. It is not fun to have them keep cutting in front of you while you try to go about your business, especially when you about to stab someone in the neck. While the horse riding is quite easy to maneuver, it is rather boring when you have to make the horse 'Walk' to avoid alert all the guards. I still have not been able to find how to turn on the subtitle, which lead me to believe there is none. Plus you cannot skip *Any* cutscene, no matter which button you press. There is also no manual save function, only an obscured automatic one which give you no clue as to when it happen. This annoy me quite a lot when combine with the random crash which lead me to keep slaying the target again with no time saving to skip the cutscene.

All in all, it is a fun game to play, and I am looking forward to finishing it soon.

Deviant Deviation

After years of lurking on http://www.deviantart.com, I finally notice that they offer free subscription. So I finally make my own account :D http://kefrayba.deviantart.com

I will update it with photos from my trips. I am still have to think of what will I featured as my DeviantID though...

The Heat Came Back

Last night I find myself restless in my bed, feeling hotter than usual. I can felt a definite shift in the weather. Thinking back it did make sense, February is almost over and March is marching ahead.

My thin blanket now became three pieces and I only have a thick one and a quilt on my bed. I didn't fall asleep until after 2AM, which is bad because I have to work early on Sunday...

So now... After a Madea Goes to Jail again I will go to bed a bit early.

Back into the Galaxtic Fight

I recently acquired a new Space-Theme RTS game 'Sins of a Solar Empire'. My experience of playing this game has been quite unsettling so far.

The gameplay reminded me a lot of the old classic 'Master of Orion' with quite a number of differences of cause. Basically both are the same kind of game. You start out on your own planet, then began to amass a fleet and colonized empty or occupied planets. Then continue doing so until you concured the entire map.

I first try this game out at 'Normal' level and I was soon being outnumbered, especially by the pirate group who will raid your colonies every 10 minutes or so on a countdown. The pace of this game, while slow in not quite accurate though quite close, is being drag out... In comparison to MoO, Sin take quite a lot longer to finish the map, even in the small size map with 12-14 stars to take.

I restart a new map last night with 'Easy researcher' AI opponent... and I progress along nicely. I had put in about 4 hours or so for this small map with 14 stars and I managed to colonize 6-7 stars so far.

Graphically the game is beautiful. Although, just like most RTS game, you will not zoom in that close that often to take in beauty. As for battle, Sins requires little to no tactic to win the battle, only numbers and varieties of the fleets. I guess the game focuz is different than Homeworld, this game even exclude the Z axis.

Overall it is an enjoyable experience. It will sooth my game withdrawal nicely and help quell the urge to buy DS Lite. However, the game will be quite time consuming to finish each map and that will not be good for my sleep time :p.

Comedic Game Review

Recently, I have became a fan of Zero Punctuation: An animated Game Review video by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw the maker of a famous indie adventure game '5 Days a Stranger'

I came across his review video while browsing on Kotaku.com. I have to stop myself from laughting out loud since I was in my office at the time :p

The reviews are very funny and cleverly pierce through the flaw and boring part of the game, peppered with harsh language and funny visual que.

Eventhough most of you readers are probably not a gamer, it might worth a looksie :)

Madea Goes to Jail

I watch the entire play of the clip in my previous post and I Like it!

It was very entertaining play and like all play it was musical. These black people sure can sing :) Especially the lead actress (the protagonist not the antagonist) .

Madea is a great character, even more frightening when Tyler Perry, who play Madea, is a 6' 5" big black man under the fat suit and the wig (Watch the clip below ;))

The Oprah show that recently aired on my cable shows the episode of 'Why Did I Get Married' in conjunction with Perry's appearance. During the show it was said that Perry have the sell his house and move to a new place because the fans know where it is due to the fact that it was use in 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman'. Since I have not watch that movie, I figured that it must be a normal house. However, I recently saw the 'Making of...' of the said movie and found out that it was a Big F*cking house. I guess he did pretty good with all his plays and movies :P His hard works sure paid off.

Life Lesson from Madea

I was browsing for random stuff on Youtube a few days ago and I came across this clip of Madea from the play 'Madea Goes to Jail'. In this particular clip Madea's advice to her nephew is very deep and insightful. The sort of thing that Kitjar needs to instill in his mind to overcome his grieve.

I first saw Madea in 'Madea's Family Reunion' and I like the character quite a lot. It's like Big Mama with no censer in her thoughts and behaviors :P

A Long Day Yesterday But A Good Day :)

Yesterday was quite fun. I met a new friend and made a new friend (hopefully) And here is more detail.

I had chat with a guy on gay.com a while back, he said he will come to BKK for the first times and I offer myself to show him around :)

I show up at his hotel and I was surprise that he is on a stocky chubby side... The photo he send, only face shot, was cleverly done in in half face that you couldn't really tell :p Although I thought about having a hanky panky with him, that idea quickly faded and the tour begins.

I first show him MBK mall, where we had lunch and he done a bit of shopping. Then we walked out and we walked through Siam Square. With me narrating a bit if history of the area. And then we walked into Siam Paragon. I quickly walked him to the supermarket area. I figured it will be more interesting for him, since he cook and a vegetarian. We sample a few things and I encourage him to buy instant noodles :P

Afterward, upon his leads, we walked all the way to Central World. But since we already been to two malls I walked him into Narayana Phan instead. Narayana Phan is an old three stories malls selling traditional Thai products. In a way I guess it can be called a tourist trap but the place looks rather old and out of fashion...

Then I walked him to the famous Erawan Shrine. He taken a few photos and after thinking of which place to show him next, we boarded a taxi to Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Silom road.

This temple is quite popular among Thais, regardless of their religions, who visit the temple to receive blessings and pay respects. The temple itself is construct in Madurai Gopuram style, albeit a lot smaller, but still as colorful and beautiful.

During the tour he mentioned his shopping list that include local stamps for his grandma who collect stamps. I remembered that the Central Post Office is not far from where we were so I suggest we go there next and Was I Wrong :pp

It was a really long walk, so long that we could take a cap. But we finally got there and he got his stamps for grandma :)

Then we walk back toward Silom Road. On the way we stop at a stamp collection shop to see if he might buy something else or not. And then we stop at a rock shop, where they sell different types of rocks and precious stones. My eye caught on a whitish color ring among the stone. I picked it up and feel it in my hand. I realize right away that the ring is Agate ring, just like the ones I used to have and still manage to keep the last one. The shop owner said it is 20 baht so I wear it and pay for it right away.

Then we went back to his hotel and hang out. Later on I make a new friend :) He is from Belgium and he is in BKK often so I hope to see him again soon :)

On Route to DS Town

I am on the verge of making a DS Lite purchase... But I am still manage to keep my wallet shut, because of codename 'Cobalt Blue'

It is Soo.... tempting...

From what I read online, this will only sold in US. I am sure it will be sell in BKK as well although I am not sure of the price just yet. Again... it looks sooooooo Tempting.

Problem SOLVED

I finally pinpointed and solve the problem I been having with my Memory Stick :DD But not before I spend another 950 baht to trade the copied MS to a real one from SanDisk T^T

I have recalled the last files I add to the last MS the night the problem start. I did not want to believe it caused the problem but it is... I delete the file from MS and now it work like a charm!

I could not believe that the music file, which I made myself by ripping it from a video file, would cause me so much time and money.

Darn!

The Vengeful Strawberry Period

The weather is getting a bit cool recently, which is nice, but many places began their Valentine's Day promotion early and it sting me at my soul...

I am still single... Lately it began to look like it is by choice, which is not. Although I have some hope, since the smoking ban has been announce. I would considered going out to night gay places again.

But back to the main subject... This is well before February and yet they began to roll out strawberry products... Darn...

Anyhow... one of my younger brother's friend has stop by and he own PSP. He actually own four, when I ask him about it :P His PSP have 4Gb Memory Stick, a real one at that. I tried it with my phone and it seems to work fine eventhough it just have 500s Mb left. So I guess that's my solution... I will have to cough up more money to get the real deal. **Sigh**

The Longest Yesterday

There is an IT review yesterday and it became a rather long day for me.

When I glance at the guy's name from the email and I thought he must be a white guy but as it turns out he is a Filipino. The guy was quite plesant. He was inquisitive, as to expected from a reviewer. I was afraid of making myself look bad in his eye... But hopefully I came out alright. He knows a lot, as to expected from the regional help desk staff. He offers a lot of suggestions and solutions regarding the computer problem at the office. I felt worn out by the end of the day. And I do not think I would find the sympathetic ears in the office and many of the CR staff usually stay after closing time :P

I slept quite soundly last night and by the time the alarm went off I did not felt like getting up at all... The weather is a bit cool and so perfect for sleeping. But I have things to do...

Today I went back to the shop to replace the Memory Stick again. The shop owner is soooo nice and replace the MS for me again. Right now I am transferring the files to the MS via the USB cable and I have a good feeling about this MS. Right now the files are transferring with countdown time. I think it would work this times... I hope...

An Upsetting Update

The new Memory Stick is busted, AGAIN!! However, I am certain that the real perpetrator is the card reader all along.

Because I have been using the newly claimed MS since afternoon and it working just fine. The problem only shows after I load my stuffs with the card reader...

Now I would have to wait until later in the week to claim it again... I wouldn't dare going again tomorrow... ***Sigh***

Claim and reclaim

I went out early today to claim my Memory Stick and it went smoothly.

Although I arrive earlier than I should, as the shop open at 10:00, I have to kill sometime walking around the area. But once the shop is opened the owner had check the MS and replace it without any animosity. He also added that if it break again, I can come back to claim it again as well.

Since the shop also sell handheld consoles, I have to ask for the price. For DS, with full options and ready to play the ROMs, it cost 7,100 baht. I am still tempted but not as sorely :p

I am also get back to work ontime as well ;)

On another note, I had reclaim my old waistline :D. I am now able to use the last two notch on my belt, as well as buttoned my old jeans again :D.

Cell Phone Woe

Or rather, to be more precise, a Memory Stick woe.

On Late Friday night, I finally got around to load new image into my phone (on to the memory stick) and update some of the songs. I use the easy method of removin the MS and stick it into the card reader on my computer. After I am done, I put it back in to the phone. That is when my phone turn wonky.

The phone began to act funny, as the screen blink white twice and the phone try to conenct to the network again. I finally take it to Sony Service shop yesterday. After convincing the staff that the problem must comes from the phone memory not the MS, I reluctantly agreed to have the phone reset and redo the firmware. Which means I will lost all the settings, games, and any info I kept on the phone.

After two hours, I got my phone back. It freeze after I put in the MS... The problem seems to undisputely caused by the Memory Stick... As this is proven after I put in my old MS and the phone works fine.

So this means I paid 350 baht service charge to learn this, plus I lost all of my info and setting on the phone. Hopefully I can have it replace at the shop I bought it from... Although I vaguely remembered that the shopowner have said that it can be replace only on certain conditions... I hope that the sight of my phone freeze can persuade him.

The Unusual Morning in Bangkok

This morning, when I walked out of the house, something unusual is happen in Bangkok.

This is the shopping mall near by where I live. It was 8:20 AM. I never saw fog this dense in Bangkok before, Ever. And I live in Bangkok all my life!

The fog was so dense you can barely see the structure far away.

This is my office building, although my office is only on the second floor and not seen in the photo.

This is about the opposite from my office. It used to be a theme park, probably the first one in the country. Now it became... I think a go-cart racing track.

This last one is from with in the office, as I wants to show the last remaining structure from the theme park. I guess you say it's an imitation from Disney's symbolized castle. Now it stand as the last building from the theme park.

The weather, to my surprise, was not cold at all but rather refreshing. I do smell moisture in the air with a hint of smoke somehow... Maybe it just in my head...

The only other times I experience fog like this (although admittedly a lot denser) was when I was in Japan! Please, see the right side for my Japan trip posts :)

The New Night Life Order

A guy on my regular webboard has post a news about the new regulation that will start taking affect next month. The new laws will prohibit smoking in pubs, bars, discos, and weekend market!!

Starting from February 17, anybody who caught smoking in pubs, bars, discos, and the weekend market will be fined for 2,000 baht. If those places allow smoking, they will be fined for 20,000 baht as well.

To boil it down, now you cannot smoke in the enclosed area with A/C installed. As for weekend market it belongs to the market and fresh market category and thus included in the smoking ban area.

I LOVE this new extended ban!!. Now I can go to the night places without being suffocated by the smoke. I cannot wait for this new rule to take affects!

That DS Nagging Feeling

I have been having this urge for quite sometime... The urge to take the plunge and buy myself a Nintendo DS.

There are so many games that I wants to play on DS, and perhaps many mores that I will like but never heard of. I have been longing to play the Nintendogs, Final Fantasy III remake, the upcoming Final Fantasy IV, Animal Crossing, and perhaps many more. The main obstacle, or rather my only sane reasoning that stop me from making the actual purchase, is the fact that I am now commute to work by walking only.

I knew that I would probably be on my computer or watching TV more than playing on the DS. It will not help killing the time during my commute, as I only walk for about 10-15 minutes). And I do not thing it will looks proper if I play it at work :pp

I am still Soooo Tempting though. Especially when there is no proper DS emulator available, even now...

An Enjoyable Meal

I had a great time last night with my friends at Kuroda.

With his time suggestion, I did had time to shower and change before went out to the restaurant. When I arrive at the meeting point, I call him and found out that they were at MajorCineplex near by to escape the pollutoin from the road.

We finally meet and walked to Kuroda. Although I have reserve the table for us, we still have to wait for a while for our table.

Tonight we did not order anything out of ordinary. I do not wants to order any rice or noodle dishes, fearing that it will filled me too quick. So apart from Salmon Sashimi and deep fried squid tentacle, we ended up ordering the same the foods as the last times.

The conversation were almost constant, we talked about our cities, families, travels, etc. I even cop a feel on my friend's leg and crotch a bit too :pp

When we leave I even catch a ride with my friends back to their hotel since it will be cheaper for me to go home via subway.

I even still a bit full from the food this morning :P

Passing the first weekend of the New Year

The first weekend has passed, without much fanfare.

My new friend had asked me to join him at a disco in Ramkamheng area called iCK. I do not really know where exactly that is but I call had called bus route information hotline, 184 (very useful to remember), for bus route suggestion earlier and I got the bus numbers. When it's time to go, 21:00 already, the buses became scarce. I took one to The Mall, Bang kapi and wait for the second bus. To make the long story short, I got a bit lost and have to take taxi.

The entrance fee was quite cheap, only 20 baht, but no drink coupon. It was typical disco, with mindless fast tempo music, people smoking and so on. And the water cost 25 baht per bottle :p The music change to Hip-Hop style around 23:20 which is nicer but not still not quite what I like. I finally left around 23:35, after having enough of the cigarette smoke.

After waiting for the bus that I could ride to come by, I finally settle for taxi to go back home...

My Aussie friend (the one I mention in my new year post) had sent me SMS saying that he wants to try the Japanese restaurant I told him about, Kuroda, this Sunday. I can't wait to see him again. Eventhough it will be just a dinner date due to time constraint it still nice. My only complain is that I will go after my long day at work.

Oh well... better than nothing I guess.

The Second Chill, again

It getting rather chilly here this morning. Quite chilly in fact, that I have to use another bathroom this morning because mine is quite breezy.

I mention this to my colleague, and one of them mention that the the cold front came down from China and it will stay for weeks. She said it make the north and the northeastern region of Thailand really cold. It was so cold that she have to buy jacket there.

It is nice to sleep in this weather. I find that I feel more rested in cold weather. It was cold for about two weeks before New Year. I am interested to see how long this cold will stay.

The Year in Reflection

Last year was a real turning point in my life... Thanks to my boss' decision to end my contract, now I have got a day job with another reputable establishment with generous amount of annual leave days. Not to mention a nice amount of severance pay. Although it began in a not so good terms, it ended really really well.

I had a Very Very good time on New Year's Eve, of which I do not wants to blog about in great details as I want to maintain some notion of my innocent here :P I also ran into my friend from Australia, the same one whom I ran into a couple of years ago at the same place mentioned too :P I finally get into his pant this times :P

It was, again, a Very Very Good New Year's Eve for me. Couple with the long weekend from my job and etc., it make me feel lucky to be alive. Which is a refreshing feeling after a tiring feeling compare to the same time last year.

I hope next New Year's Eve will be comparable to this one :)

New friends were made

I had achieved something I hardly achieve on gay.com which is to made new friends. But I had done it ;)

The first guy is an Australia born Greeks. He is quite a conversationist and I am glad that I will finally have someone to talk to :) He is, however, not quite adept in computer. So I offer my services to him, including being a photographer and computer buying adviser ;) Although he mentioned that he would buy digital camera before contemplating on buying notebook. He is also quite addicted to SMS :p Something I never quite gotten into... We will meet again soon as we schedule for his photo shoot :)

The second guy is a high school Math teacher from US, who about to made his first trip to BKK. I had given him a few important tips regarding the local taxis and how to get to weekend market. I hope we will have time to meet :)

Right now I am looking forward to the New Year's Eve as I will be at one of the best place to hang out with other gay people :)

Can't Hardly Wait!!

The Red Hot Day

Today was not quite a fun day for me for several reasons.

I planned to go in early for my second tetanus shot, so whatever happen will comes to pass come New Year's Eve. It was a bit late than I expected since I wants to finish the package shipping for a friend.

I finally reach the hospital and got the shot. It seems to hurt more than the first one which, in retrospect, it could be because I had a stitches wound on my forehead :p

I saw the discount outlet store called 'Dress Smart' on the bus going to the hospital. I had bought some stuff from that store which I like so I walked to it after I finish at the hospital (thanks to my insurance card I do not have to pay anything). I ended up buying three t-shirts :P All of which I will be wearing soon.

I eventually walk to MajorCineplex. I was slightly hungry, even though I must have ate a couple of hours earlier. After walking around for a while deciding on which restaurant to eat, I finally choose Yaoi, to have hot plate tonkutsu with miso sauce :) However, about half way through my meal, I heard an announcement from the mall. I did not heard it quite clearly from where I was sitting but I notice that the crowd looks slightly alarmed. After a few more announcement I heard it more clearly that there was a fire on the first floor and we should evacuate. I quickly tried to stuff down the rest of my food and give my money to the waitress to pay for my meal. Eventually I have to put the last two pieces of tokutsu on paper napkin and leave the building :P

I took the nearest exits, which is on the side of the building. When I came out I saw pillar of black smoke coming from the front side of the building, with small red/orange colour of fire. I did not really see what happen as I wants to go home. So I cross the road on the crossover and notice that the firetruck still spraying the second floor on another side of the building.

The traffic on my road gonna be hell tonight.

Food Reflection

How did I began the second day of my long holiday? Well it began when I woke up around 7:45 in the morning.

I felt restless, as the weather became the usual hot lately, so I decided to get up. I took a leak and began surfing the net. Around 8:05 my mom called, asking me whether today is really my day off. I said yes and she said her back pain still not getting better and that she would like me to accompanied her to do errands in the morning. Like a good son that I am, perhaps I should stress that because I am a good *gay* son, I agreed to go with her (if I am not gay, perhaps I would already be married and moved out already).

Anyhow, the errands finished around 11:30, thus I decided to check out the midnight sales at Central World (it used to be called World Trade Center), an upscale shopping mall in BKK near Oriental Hotel.

The first thing I notice once I got near the building is the sign about Japanese food sampling on the 5th floor. Right then and there, I forgot about the midnight sales and head straight to that floor :P The area was smaller than I thought but it was packed with goodies. Few of the booths' presentation reminded me of the small market in front of the garden in Osaka castle in Japan. They have a lot of seafoods products as well as some instant noodles, rice, gyoza, and okonomiyaki. The best part is that most of the booths offer sample :P I graze around the area trying this and that. Then I came to a station which sell scallop stir fried with butter. I tried the sample and I just LOVE it. They use *real* scallop, with tendon muscle and all, and there were virtually no fishy smell either. After some serious contemplation, I finally caved and pay 85 baht for the small package :dd. It was very good, although pretty soon I wish I would have some rice with it too :P

After the scallops, I began walking around the supermarket area on the 7th floor looking at different restaurants. I began to think about the different kind of foods that I like. Although I generally like Japanese and Italian foods, I came to realize that if I would have to choose one type of food to eat everyday, I would really prefer Japanese food. Maybe because I am Asian as I find that Italian can be too oily and plain for me. Unlike Japanese food, which can be tasty without too much condiments. Or maybe it just because I like their soyu sauce :P I will definitely go back for that and this times I will think about where can I find good rice to eat with the scallops :d

The Last of Office Christmas Party

It finally happen last night, at a near by restaurant/pub. It seems fortunate that we postponed it to last night because it was their five years anniversary and they have complimentary foods (Yeah for me) and boozes (Yeah for the teachers :P).

Some of the foods were quite alright, although I think they were less generous with the rice in the bowl. I wants to leave around 22:30 but was met with some light-hearted taunt from the manager whether he should call my mom to tell her I am being out late :p But I was finally able to leave around midnight. It was a nice time except for the smokings and the bad seat that seems to cause me back ache. The maid is also there, I don't mind her being there, but she basically complaining to me how the guards are not helpful and a bunch of lazy asses type. She also told me to be more assertive to them, to basically act more like a boss toward them. I guess she made some valid point, after all I do have the authorities to order them around.

Anyhow I am looking forward to my long holiday :D Eventhough it will not be as long as Torn's five weeks off but it still be a long eleven days off, starting today :D Officially anyway... because my line-manager had made an appointment to talk to me today at 2pm. Plus the new access point still need to be configured and the tech from the supplier still working on it for the pass couple of days. Hopefully it will works today... So I will not have to go again tomorrow...

Delayed Christmas Parties report

I was planning to do a post about my Three Christmas parties. But the last parties we were going to have has to be postponed till Wednesday. Due to the pre-election on the weekend, which forbid the selling of alchohol products. The Thais staff have no objection to that but the teachers want to drink :p, hence the postponement. So I will just post about my Two Christmas parties I had attended so far :)

The first one was organized by the staff, with raffle, prize and game. I ended up going alone since all Thais staff other than me find the location too far for them. It was quite nice, a chance to meet people from other branches and make connections. The food were rather so so... Plain to taste and not quite meaty. The prize were quite numeral but I didn't won any :p Just my typical luck...

The second party, held at British embassy, I was a bit more excited to attend this one. Apart from the fact that it held inside the embassy, it is also a chance to somewhat shown my face to the embassy staff and make myself acquaintance. For the grand plan, of visiting London next year :p The food were better, as they came from the embassy kitchen. There were also turkey, potatoes, gravy and salad apart from Thai foods. I tried the turkey, most part of it was quite dry and rather... tasteless... If it's not for the butter and the gravy, I would not go for second plate :P The potatoes were charred on one side and it taste nice, even though they were a bit cold from being left outside for sometime. I also have a chance to taste the mince pie and the fruitcake (which I believe have alcohol in it).

Overall, I would say that the food at the embassy is better... Although I enjoy both parties and I am looking forward to the third one, which will be the one organize by our branch.

Broken Promises

Today I have a bit of recollection of how I have grown to learn not to emotionally invested in people's promises.

When I began meeting people from Internet, I was still quite naive about people, about Men in particular. In time, I learned that when men said they are going to call, it just a saying in general (or in my case, Typing) not a promise or the foretold of action to be made in the future. They also tend to disregard other people's (namely me) convenient, plans, and feeling when they are on vacation (perhaps rightly so).

I used to get upset when this happen but not so much anymore. I have learned not to thing that men meant what they said, especially on the net. Quite a few do keep their words and I still kept them as friend.

Along the way I learn to not expect much from men. Now I can lean back and let things either happen or not. I guess people never realize that other people's time is as important as theirs.

I am wondering though... How will I behave in a relationship (if and when it happen)? Will I hold him accountable for his every words and action? Or will I stay like this and let things slide... I guess time will tell.

Hopefully the real test will not be far ahead.

Progess on my head and The Truth Reader

My wound has closed and seems to heal up nicely. I apply the scar care gel that my doctor had prescribed a few times a day in addition I also use Vitamin E oil as well.

Although I was the doctor mention that the stitches did not look beautiful enough it seems to be healing nicely.

I went to see The Golden Compass recently. It was quite a good movie eventhough it was a bit on the short side. The story was interesting enough. The main protagonist was establish, soon after the movie beings, that she has silver tongue and a good head on her shoulder. I have read that some catholic figures were protesting against the movie, since the villain portrayed in the book.

As quoted from Wiki 'Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, were diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots"'

What I find interesting about this, is that the protesters' behavior seems to goes along with what the villain in the movie, as those who would try do anything to stop people from thinking for themselves in order to maintain their power. At least the movie is able to show that people should not just blindly trusted the authorities despite how it diluted the anti-religion idea from the book. I guess money is everything :p

The visual were nice to look at but not on the 'spectacular' scale as Lord of the Rings. I would put it as on the same level as Narnia. Pretty but nothing epic (I guess Lord of the Rings really set the bar real high).

Also the weather in Bangkok started to warm up again. I guess I will go back to wear tank top to bed again.

Pleonchit Fair

I was excited about going to Pleonchit Fair this year since I lost track of it a few years back and completely forgot about it. My main reason is to get my hands on some fish and chips :P

I arrived there via a shuttle boat from the pier near Sapantaksin BTS station. Once I arrived at the school where the fair is, I paid for my ticket and began searching for the F&C. However, this year they have meat pie and mash, baked potatoes with cheese, and other foods instead. No fish and chips though :((. I settled for some nice looking Duit Thani buffet but it just only eatable.

My main attraction became thsis grand sales by Boots. When I arrived they were selling good stuff in 2 for 100 baht, 3 for 100 baht and 5 for 100 baht price. After an hour or so it became 3 for 200 baht and eventually 5 for 100 baht.

I think I ended up spending 800 baht in total there buying facial creams, lotions and soaps :pp I was able to score some nice day and night cream as well.

I also spend a bit of money on chocolate fountain fruit dip as seen below. The chocolate was quite delicious :dd