I believe overpriced food on New Year's Eve is just too overrated. So I decided to have 2010 premature countdown one day before. We went to ZENSE Restaurant & Bar on level 17 of Zen World. The food was so so, the view was so so. I guess it matter most by who you're spending the time with, not the where and the when.
For my colleague's wedding today, I decided that giving money in an envelop is just too plain and boring. Instead, I put coins with the same amount that I would put in the envelop in piggy-bank and give it as a gift. I hope she approach with the old fashion and break it with hammer or something. It is much more fun than open the lid at the bottom and yank out the coins.
My dear friend is open up a Seafood place, Larn-Ta-Lay. The restaurant is small, locates around Sanambin Nam intersection area. My gang went there for support today (a bit hoping for on-the-house food ^__^). If you are looking for fresh flavorsome seafood with reasonable price, be sure to stop by.
Love Lock is very popular in Japan, China, as well as Korea. Couples put a lock on the fence, throw away the key, and wish they will never separate. Such a creative and romantic tradition that I always want to try.
Feel like I am getting old now and I think it is time that I should take care of my health as well as my body a little more. Skin care products in Korea are amazingly cheap (cheaper than in my country). I got a few hand creams and this Tomato Brightening Mask from Tony Moly. Let see if I can find time and courage to use it.
The new Esplanade Rattanathibeth had just open. Me and my gang leave no time for hesitation to go check it out. The place was more similar to Major Cineplex rather than its brother on Ratchadapisek Road. I got to try the new Ice Skating place on the top floor too. I was very rusty because it's been a while for me. It was fun, nonetheless.
Every good thing must come to an end. On upcoming Dec 14th, every Baskin Robin Store in Thailand will be close for good. I’ve been buying couple of quarts from them every week for the last three month or so. Currently there is only one branch left, which is at Central World as seen in the picture.
I was told that this beverage is very popular in Korea and that it’s a must to try. There are many brands in the market but Banana Milk in the picture was very well known in the area and easiest to find. Quite tasty but I feel that it is nothing more than sweet milk with a scent of banana, hence the name.
Isn't that cute? I didn't think I would see Thai omlet with such variety. It taste so so but the look got me at 'Hello'. This dish is from Krua Upsorn Restaurant.
I decided to treat myself with a little accessory on this Korea trip. Bottega Veneta is one of my dream wishlist due to its classic & allegiance design and the price tag that could blind you.
Vacation plan this year was to visit sparkling Korea. I finally get to wear those winter jackets that lay in my closet for ages 'cause the weather was 3 degree Celsius. The plan was simple, try the food, do the shopping, and visit their attractions. It was lucky for me that it was close to Christmas time so we starting to see some beautiful Christmas decoration everywhere.
I must say that the food was really good. I was never really fond of Korea food until I tasted the authentic.
Part of our outdoor activities for team building is for everyone to participate in the paintball game. This is not the first time for me, nor that I am good at it. I get to shoot a lot of my opponent as well as my own team members :p It was fun as always but paintball game gave me sore leg every time. I will not happy to see any stairs for a week.
Me and my colleague just got back from a one night team building session in Pattaya. 11 of us had a lot of fun with all the indoor and outdoor activities, including Paint Ball game. Good accommodation at Best Western resort and a lot of seafood. At the end, this trip served its purpose well. I think our team relation was very improved and I'm more confident working with all of them.
If you ask what is my favorite pasta is, I would have to say Sicilian Pesto Pasto, fusilli, cold serve. The look may not be as nice but the taste is noteworthy. I haven't had one of this for a long time. Not that it was difficult to find Pesto sauce in Bangkok but a good one may be. The one in the picture was from Food Cellar at Central Lad-Prao.
Nothing special about COMMART this year. As crowded as usual. And I didn't get to buy anything as usual. Although the event put idea of a new Netbook on me. We'll see.
Beer Garden Festival Begin!! The one by Heineken on the 18th floor of Central World building got this really cool beer tower that can light up. Not the most amazing thing in the world but it's nice to see such creativity.
PLAY T-Shirt was in a few months ago. Now it is old news but I'm still happy to have one. Look nicer than I imagine.
I went to Nonthaburi City hall for Loy Kratong festival the same as last year (and the year before). It was so windy this year that my Kratong's candle got blown out immediately as soon as I start floating it. It was very difficult to light up "Khomloy" too. Not as many people as last year but the place was still crowded. I had a lot of fun with the fireworks though.
Instead of 2009 Halloween party, we went celebrating my parent 50th wedding anniversary with classy dinner at Methavalai Sorndeang Restaurant. The place is locating around Democracy Monument with its great view as background. If you are happen to be around 50 years of age and up, you will love the atmosphere and the food of this place. Sadly I’m not.
My brother bought some candy from his vacation to Burma for me. One is the new Ferrero Rondnoir from the famous Ferrero Chocolates. It is similar to the “Rocher” model but with chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Don’t want to open it now because the package is so nice.
A little Saturday night adventure hunting for Kebab was fun. Kebab is a Turk/Russian famous dish made from roasted chicken or beef, look a lot like Burrito. We heard there’re a few Kebab restaurants around Nana area where I have never been to. After a long walk and exciting exploration, we eventually find what we looking for and get to taste it. Turns out it is actually pretty good. Despite the difficulty of getting to the restaurant, I will definitely going to visit it again someday.
I have severe dry, flaky skin for as long as I can remember. Probably because of too much air-condition and hot shower. Most lotion, even the lightest one, would annoy me with the sticky feeling it leave on. I recommend anyone with the same problem to try the "Soothing Pear Body Gel" from Skinfood. It's not really a lotion but it can certainly help with my dry skin problem. The thing I love the most is that it leave on no stickiness but rather a cool sensation on my skin. Not a fan of the brand but loves the product!!
I'm so happy. The new book from Dan Brown finally released. I made a reservation at Kinokuniya book store since last month. I got hooked to his novel since the famous Angels & Demons and Da Vinci Code. There're so many books waiting in line to be read on my shelves at the moment but all will have to wait for the new "Lost Symbol". I hope the US jacket I ordered is nicer than the UK one :P
Pud-thai restaurant was our last stop after I got some souvenir for my family and friend. The dish was okay, I suppose. But I'm not sure if it really worth that 8 hours drive total.
Bought my dad a present for his upcoming BD on Sept 5th, TD85 from TWZ. Not much in term of features but, then again, my dad wouldn't care to use any of them anyway. What he always talks about is a cell-phone that can watch TV. It is the same model that one of my college is using and he guaranteed the performance. I really hope he likes it.
I spent a little too much this month (with the new watch and all) so I will have to cut down on my ice-cream T_T Anyway, I bought a new tote bag from Mulberry. The Mulberry Roxanne Antique Leather A4 Tote is huge. The leather is very nice and lightweight. Got it at a good deal too. The question is what do I fill this giant bag with??
I'm not a big fan of orange shirt but couldn't resist how it goes so well with my new watch. Isn't that nice? or should I do something about my fashion sense?! Now I have too much Lacoste polo shirt with almost every color except white. Come to think of it, white is nice. May be I should get that too.
Ta..Da.. My new watch, the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 45.5mm. I would love to bore everyone to tears with its Co-axial Escapement movement or Helium Release valve or its 48 hrs power reserve but I suppose this is not a watch review blog. Just look at how gorgeous it is. The bright orange bezel is not at all girly as I afraid due to the overall remarkable size of the watch and its masculine bracelet. Many would recognize the model as James Bond's watch in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace (the black bezel one) but I'm not really a double-0 fan. This Omega will add a splash of color to my collection, along with those more conservative pieces.
Couldn't hold on any longer!! I finally got a new puppy for the whole family to enjoy (although everybody said the family thing was just an excuse). I name him Mocca, a 2 months old Shih-tzu (again) bought just in front of the building where I work. I always feel that having pet making my family feel warmer. Plus look how adorable he is ^__^
As much as I want one for my own, my mom's 32" CRT TV is too old and behaving naughtier everyday. Well, Mother's day is just around the corner and I think a new LCD TV would make a great surprise present.
I usually go for only 3 flavors when it comes to ice-cream, Orange Sorbet, Lime Sorbet, and Strawberry Sorbet. Basically, those that contain less milk as I feel they are a bit too rich for me. Just only recently that I came across a new ice-cream flavor at Baskin Robbin, Petra mixed Pecan, and suddenly became my new favorite. It started with eating at BK31 more often to buying take-away 1 quart a week. Now it is 2 quarts a day!! I hope my addition fade soon before I go broke.
Found an interesting book at Kinokuniya book store the other day, title "THE HANDBOOK OF STYLE: A Man's Guide to Looking Good" by Esquire. Well, Esquire is one of the magazines I enjoy reading every now and then so I decided to give this book a try. The handbook babbles on from clothing to accessories to wardrobe. Such a one-stop grooming guide. Frankly, I wasn't going to follow the boot going to follow the book to its every letter. Nonethelesss, it was nice to see how the Western world are doing in term of style.
Most watch collector appoint a "beater" to be in their collection. Beater is a watch that is less expensive and get select when expecting more action that can results in scratch and dent. While the rest of our collections are either too pricy or too rare to drag in the mud, beater is something we won't feel too sorry even if we have to throw it away.
Of all the food around the world, I love Japanese cuisine the most. They have a way of neatly bringing out the raw taste of the ingredient. Of all the Japanese food, I like curry rice the most. They are somewhat different from original Indian curry, Malasian curry, or Thai curry. From above statements, you can conclude that curry is my favorite food, period.
For some reason, I had to format my computer and iPod during my long vacation. It's a pain having to re-install everything since I have as many applications and add-ons as one can possibly imagine. I ran across an interesting game in the iTunes store and decided to give it a try. Turns out Fieldrunners(paid app) was very addictive. Simple, fun, and thoughtful are words I choose to describe this game. Give it a try if you happen to love strategic game as much as I do ^^
After her debut album, Abe Mao had just released her new single which feature in Calpis water CM in Japan. "I wanna see you" is light, lively, and sweet. Sure didn't take long before it became one of my favorite JPop song and is now my new ringtone. Here's how it goes.
I've been assigned to give lecture a lot in the past month. Just last weekend, I had to fly back and forth between Bangkok, Chiang Mai(North), and Khon Kaen(North East), for a nation wide training program. No matter how many time, I guess I will never get used to public speaking. No wonder why they rank in people's number one fear.
It is rainy season in Thailand now and I suppose it's time to retire my old umbrella, which has been faithfully served me for so many years. What I look for the most in a travel size umbrella is not about weight or durability but rather just the automatic open/close function. I found that to be very useful especially when get in and out of car. Totes usually did a good job on this. Although, sadly, the brand is not available in my country (at least not that I know of). Samsonite umbrella is one of the very few I can find that fits the need. The company is very well known for its durable and trustworthy luggage but gears may be a different story. I had a Samsonite umbrella that broke down on me during a big storm back in L.A. Well, I guess it's not fair to judge under such extreme weather so I decided to give it another try. I have to admit that this one looks a bit girly but you gotta love the wooden-style handle. Let's wait & see how well this one do on the field.
Deposit product was very well received this year as usual despite current economy (very bad) and interest rate offer (very low). Then again, people just don't care much about this sort of thing in such event. All they care are just freebies and banks are generous enough to give it to them with out any "real" condition. Well, just another 2 tired and boring days for me.
Hate to admit it but I have a little too many bags for a guy. Probably introduce the rest of my collection later on, but now let me show-off one of my favorites. This Dolce & Gabbana messenger bag is quite modish. The leather strip in the middle gives the luxurious sense while the rest are plain-woven cotton which makes the bag more casual. Saw it in a GM Magazine and had to run to the shop the next day. The only complain would be the lack of interior pockets it should have.
I recently received a postcard from Starbucks, offering free coffee+food of my choice with no condition as a birthday complimentary. Now this is good CRM not often see in Thailand. Most companies rather go for cross-sell and you just have to pray they don't use your speical day as an excuse. Little things like this can really capture customer loyalty.
Meet an old friend, playing old video games. We both agreed that 8-bit machine can create as fun game, if not more, than those complicate machine with dazzling graphic we have today. Or may be we're too old to enjoy game that take days to learn how to play.
Having dinner outside is not my family custom. Although, we just went for Japanese/Korean style BBQ at YUU restaurant by Ari sky train station. Personally, I'm not really fond of such self-cook type restaurant. What's the point of paying someone to watch you cook yourself! Plus, for BBQ, you have to be very patient as it takes time before each slide of meat is ready. That also requires you to be able to tell when the meat is ready (which I can't) and closely monitoring it (which I'm too lazy to). Bottom line is that too much effort has to be made by yourself and they charge you the service fee?! Good food at YUU though.
Men don't really have a lot of accessories like women so we should definitely pay attention to those few we do use. I have number of watches myself but Rolex Explorer 1 (114270) most often find its way on my wrist. The timepiece was very popular by its elegant yet simple and classic design. Ex1 has a good history too. Something about Everest expedition but what do I care as long as the watch is accurate and looks good on me.
Not everyday that you see tanks running around on the street. There's one near my house too, which is really cool and disturbing at the same time. The bloody riot by "red shirt" protesters in Bangkok between Songran festival period is about to come to an end (for now?!).
