What a nutter!

Despite having 3 cats of our own, both me and Silver Bullet have found great pleasure and laughing ourselves crazy when we discovered this absolute nutter. This cat must really be Youtube's favourite cat! You gotta watch it to understand what I mean. This Fold will have you in stitches in no time!



Here's another one that got us laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt, our eyes teary and our voices cracked from choking on our own saliva! I'm so jealous that Maru's owner is getting immense pleasure from his Scottish Fold!

Sneezes in symphony

It does appear as if the flu and cold bouts are just about looming. Both Silver Bullet and me have been sneezing on & off in the last week or so, attributing it to allergies.

Today, I left the office slightly earlier as I battled an annoying case of blocked nose along with a sneezing marathon since lunch. Apparently, Silver Bullet experienced the same thing too and decided to schumacher home. I had to chuckle the moment I opened the door when I saw a red-faced, miserable looking husband lying helplessly on the couch. Together, we are such a sorry sight, as I add my shite-faced, teary-eyed and nasal me to the equation. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would have been so proud of us.

Sympathy sneezes, perhaps? Although I'm not quite sure from whom to who. We pretty much spent the entire evening on the couch nursing our own blocked noses and "enjoying" the series of symphonic non-stop sneezes, orchestrated almost in perfect harmony!

Yes To a 4-day work week!

Weekends are just too short! Where did all the time go...tsk tsk tsk.

Whoever created the 7-day week eons ago had it all wrong. Why can't it be an 8-day week with 3 days of weekend. Why must it be 5-day or 5-half day work week? Why can't it officially be 4-day work week plus another 4 days of weekend in an 8-day week? Why didn't anyone rise up to protest on this at a global level? Why can't it be anything but an official 3 or 4 days work week ?

Whoever created the 5-day work week is a moron! This bugger apparently doesn't have the foresight to see that workload has multiplied a thousand times since the Romans. This workload is only gonna get bigger and more complicated, and soon enough, there ain't gonna be enough humans to do them coz they will all be dead from working their asses off.

Let's rise to the challenge oh all corporate slaves. There's more to life than dedicating your life to a 5-day a week for 10 hours a day. There's more to life than having to work over the weekend just because some morons decided to activate the slaves. There's more to life if only weekends are longer. Remember that longer weekends are not harmful. It is everyone's birth-right.

Me and my wishful thinking. Sigh...if only! I guess there's no harm dreaming either...

Impunctuality

Everyone knows about "rubber timing" here, mainly because of traffic issues. Granted, they can be quite bad and everyone use that as an excuse really comfortably. W.I.T.H.O.U.T R.E.M.O.R.S.E.

It happens all the time for almost every appointments and I for one, don't particularly condone impunctuality. I can let it slide with a 15-20 minutes lateness. Anytime later, I'll be fuming mad. If you expect to be late, for god's sakes, buffer your bloody time! And if you are really going to be late for the appointment you set earlier, for the love of God, call and inform accordingly! That's the least you can do. Have a little courtesy and not let others wait for you.

While I cut a little bit of slack with impunctuality amongst friends, I can't say the same when this happens in a professional environment. Not when they seem to deliberately waste time at the expense of other people. Nothing pissed me off more when the following happens:

1. My team and I were only informed of the meeting happening 3 days earlier from a partner who needed our help to pull them through with The Client
2. We have to pull in an all-nighter to get THE required presentation done for the meeting at such short notice while juggling tons of other work.
3. Partner team changed their mind about the content of the presentation the day before the meeting happens and so, we have to scramble to make the adjustments so it appears as "integrated" team work
4. When we got to the client's place at the stipulated meeting time, we were told that the meeting will be postponed half an hour later because the Big Bosses got held up
5. Half hour of waiting turned to one half hour before the first Big Boss turned up to a room of 15 people
6. Big Boss disrupts every single sentence the presenter presented and nit-picked content to death
7. Almost 45 minutes later, the other Big Boss turned up with an extremely grumpy face
8. The presenting team had to re-hash what was presented before again to bring the other Big Boss up to speed
9. The other Big Boss did another round of #6 after the presentation ended, with less than positive comments and vague comments for action plans
10. Partner team suggested to close the meeting after the comments as they had to rush off for another meeting. Mr Clients refused, stating that this meeting has to finish, the other has to wait. No one refute, although no one actually wanted to stay on.

By then, the meeting had over-ran by more than 3 hours! We have been at the place since 2.50 pm and it was almost 8pm on a Friday evening before we got out of the meeting room! It was simply ridiculous. Just because these big fucks cannot manage their time, it doesn't mean that they ought to impose their bad time management on other people. To me, this is sheer rudeness. What makes it even worse is that the culprits are not Thais who are generally known for their rubber time, but bloody Farangs! Foreigners who probably bear the brunt of scorns from their organization if they are late for even 5 minutes back at where they are from! I was literally fuming away and I was quite upset to hear that The Clients from this very organization (at every level too!) are known to be late all the time. As such, this is nothing unusual for the team. Frankly, I was appalled! How could they let that happen A.L.L T.H.E T.I.M.E? Of course, since I'm new to the team, I can't quite say anything as I don't even know the clients. It was my first meeting with them and already, I'm not liking what I saw.

I do, with all my heart and soul, find the entire situation appalling and completely unacceptable.It becomes more absurd especially if it is the very behaviour of the so-called Big Fucks. Where is the respect for people? Being perpetually late is just simply rude, unprofessional and unethical even. Don't they realize that punctuality is a synonym for professionalism and respect, and that it is the very heart of integrity in action?

Food Issues

So many restaurants and nothing to eat! How sad is that? And this is at Central World Plaza, apparently the biggest shopping mall in Bangkok. It is even reputed to be one of the largest shopping complex in Asia at one point in time. [and probably still is]

500+ stores in there, with a dedicated floor of nothing but only 100 Japanese and Chinese restaurants, 60 Korean corners, 100 Thai food places, 20 other junk food chain and a few other miscellaneous restaurants. How amazing right? Still, NOTHING to eat. Well...nothing for us to eat anyways. Or rather, nothing that we'd like to really have for dinner from all the "more of the same" style of food available there. We are pretty much Thai-food out and somehow, the type of food available there doesn't quite wet our appetite. Having spent quite a long and arduous day in a crappy meeting on a Friday evening that ran way over time, all I could think of was to stuff my face as soon as I got out of the meeting room. And all I really asked for was a really good and hearty meal over a date with my husband to celebrate the end of the working week!

Times like that, I really wish for Auntie Bird Nest's sambal stingray, chilli crab with fried mantao bun at my backyard. Top that up with beef and chicken satay from the corner Makcik's stall, with additional side order of chicken murtabaks and Mee Kuah. Garnish that with a dash of loopy, bottomless-pit friends for company and chat senselessly the entire night away over more food, teh-tariks, milo dinasaurs and teh-chinnos...

Devoid of all that, we settled for Indian food instead. Somehow, Indian food will always give us an intense satisfaction and for us, it is almost always the type of food to fall back on should everything else fails. We then parked our asses at Maharaja King, which I'm likened to believe to be the only Indian restaurant around. We ended up with 5 dishes: Chicken Masala with Omelet, Chick Pea Dhal (or something like that), Delhi Chicken Curry (I think), Indian Fried Rice, an Indian style dim sum (more like samosas), some rotis and I specifically ordered the puffed-up bread which I forgot the name. All in all...so so only. Prices are also a bit steep for the quality.

It is a torture to be devoid of authentic Singapore food...I am, after all a full-blooded Singaporean. One of the main reasons why I cook so much at home and don't rely too much on outside food. I want, I want, I want my food!

Funny Conversation

Another day in the office and MSN-ing Silver Bullet for a quick chat:

Me: I thought you are leaving soon?

Silver Bullet: Yeah, was about to, but still had a bit of a problem with one of the printers. (Silver Bullet paused for a bit here before sending me the next message)

Silver Bullet: Think they've gone home for the day, so will I.

Me: The printer went home??
(at this stage, I fleetingly wondered and shamelessly confess that I saw a humanized printer in my head! Hey, it has been a long day after a brutal, skull-numbing meeting with the client...)

Silver Bullet: Huh?

Silver Bullet: No, the people using the computer to which the printer is attached went home .So can wait till tomorrow

Me: oh isee!! haa hahah!!

I had to laugh so hard after reading his reply. Silly me! I have my "bimbo moments"...

Honda: Cool Stuff

The concept is similar to that of a slow-mo pinball machine and I've seen one ep on Mythbuster (Discovery Channel) when Adam & Jaime kept repeating the experiment over and over again to create that perfect domino effect from random things.

I could only imagine that it must have been quite a feat create this all from scratch. Very creative of the folks working on Honda's ad campaign. Although I highly doubt that it this very ad would actually trigger my intention to purchase the brand.

From the Inbox

Life would be so, so boring if there ain't any humour to leave you in stitches. Here's another one of those bo liao humour that made me laugh so hard I teared. It made me look kinda silly too...a seow charbo chuckling loudly to herself, while the others around her seemed to be hard at work and I had inevitably broke their concentration.

Courtesy of Vicvanvinkle on records from the Mental Institute. True or not, I don't have a clue!

Record I
Patient A: "So how... this book not bad yah?"
Patient B: "Yah agree, excellent! Astounding work. No nonsense, sharp and concise to the point. But there's a major flaw in this piece of art – too many character names to remember!!!"
Nurse: "Hey! Can the two of you put the telephone book back to the original place?"

Record II
A doctor asked a patient: "If I were to cut one of your ears off, what will happen to you?"
Patient: "Then I will not be able to hear..."
Doctor: "Hmm…that's normal...so if I were to cut your other ear off, what will happen then?"
Patient: "I will not be able to see..."
The doctor became nervous and asked: "Why would you not see then???"
Patient: "Because my spectacles will fall off..."

Record III
IMH has an old lady who wears black, carries a black umbrella and squats at the entrance to the IMH everyday without fail, rain or shine.
The doctor wanted to administer treatment for her but decided to understand her behavior first.
So, the doctor also wears black and carries a black umbrella; squatted besides her everyday. The days go by...the two of them squatted side-by-side w/o a single exchange of word. After one solid month, the old lady finally broke the silence and asked the doctor: "Err...Excuse me! Are you also a mushroom?"

Record IV
A nurse saw a patient writing a letter. She got curious and went to take a peek. But the patient didn't wanna let her see.
Nurse (unable to contain her curiosity): "Who are you writing to?"
Patient: "I'm writing a letter to myself..."
Her curiosity grew and she thought to herself (Why would someone write a letter to himself?)
So she asked again: "So...what's written inside?"
Patient (got impatient): "You crazy ah? I haven't received the letter, how would I know??"

Record V
Two patients escape from the IMH. They climbed up a tree and one of them fell from the tree and started rolling on the ground.
After a while, the patient below shouted to the one on top: "Hey! How come you are not coming down yet?"
The patient on top replied: "No. no...I can't...I'm not ripe yet"

Record VI
One truck driver was doing his usual delivery to IMH.
He discovered a flat tyre when he was about to go home. He jacked up the truck and took the flat tyre down. When he was about to fix the spare tyre, he accidentally dropped all the bolts into the drain. As he can't fish the bolts out, he started to panic.
One patient happened to walk past and asked the driver what happened.
The driver thought to himself, since there's nothing much he can do; he told the patient the whole incident.
The patient laughed at him & said "can't even fix such a simple problem...no wonder you are destined to be a truck driver..."
Here’s what you can do, take one bolt each from the other 3 tyres and fix it onto this tyre. Then drive to the nearest workshop and replace the missing ones, easy as that"
The driver was very impressed and asked "You're so smart but why do are you here at the IMH?"
Patient replied: "Hello, I stay here because I'm crazy not STUPID!"

My favourites are III, IV, V.

Lottery

This book surprised me, in a way that it is being written in really simple sentences. The style is refreshing, given that it is written from the first person viewpoint, Perry, who has an IQ of 76. The story, heart-warming. It is quite appropriate for the Observer to describe the book as "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time with more than a touch of Forest Gump". The former is also a great book.

My favourite quote from the book is this:
"It's not a mistake to rethink. Rethink means you get to change your mind. You are never wrong if you change your mind"

So simplistic, yet so loaded. Loaded, if I were to put that very sentence in the context of what I face at work everyday. I'll be damn if that's the official excuse from all my clients. They are, after all, responsible for all the sometimes unnecessary changes required "by yesterday", and as a consequence will make the entire team burn the midnight oil. Makes me wanna slap them (the clients in question) purple!

HDR Series: Pranburi

Shots from Silver Bullet's perspective taken with his DSLR from our last weekend getaway.

Dosa King

Paper Masala Dosa and Chilli Dosa (or tosay/thosai) for dinner @ Dosa King located at Sukhumvit Soi 11. The Paper Masala Dosa was probably about a metre long that took up half the space of the table. Both are really yummy.

The only gripe for me is that it's a 100% pure vegetarian restaurant. That means, I had to scour the street for some real meat right after dinner or my dinner will not feel complete. What can I say, I'm a full-blooded carnivore! :)

Pecsi

When and if ever you are in Argentina, be sure to ask for Pecsi instead of Pepsi from now on. Pepsi recently took on a localized approach by responding to the tendencies of local Argentine accent to say "Pecsi" rather than Pepsi. A very bold and daring move by Pepsi, believed to be the first name change adopted by the brand. That's definitely one way for a brand to be really accommodating. Not convinced? Read here and here. (although I'm not too sure how long these links are going to be active)

Judging from how Pepsi is usually pronounced in Thailand, I believe it might work here too! Maybe more of a "Pecsee" with a low tone of the "see" (I think!). Wonder how they would localize some of the other international brand names here in Thailand? Let's see...

1. Lolek (Rolex)

2. Kaylock (Kellogg's)

3. Lado (Rado)

4. Benk (BenQ)

5. Setarbug (Starbucks)

6. Yahkoot (Yakult)

7. Vaitame-elk (Vitamilk)

8. Googen (Google)

9. Tesco Lotun (Tesco Lotus)

10. Fomot (Foremost)

Ten brands are all I can think of at the moment and of course, knowing my sense of hearing, or the lack of it, sometimes (only sometimes ah!), I could have also heard things wrongly too. Obviously there's an element of exaggeration, because if every advertisers follow the whims of consumers' pronunciation in Thailand, it would be disastrously bizarre. But, nah beh! still funny can! Can you think of other disastrously mispronounced brand names?

$23,148,855,308,184,500

That's 23 quadrillion US dollars charged to a card for buying a pack of cigarettes! Wonder if the cigarettes are laced with one of the world's most expensive illegal drugs for it to have costed so much. Another thought also comes to mind: Who could have thought that one could get such a high credit limit for a personal card and approved by bank with one swipe! What a terrifying error made by the bank. It could easily be the works of a bank I know, but because it isn't, I'll cut THAT Cxxibank some slack.

Details of the story here.

Pets fly coach, not cargo

Pet Airways is the first pet only airline where owners are not allowed. The maiden flight took off on July 14, 2009 between New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. Airfares start at USD149 each way. Currently, it seems to be available only in the US of A. Not sure if the price has a child and adult fare category...

Definitely a cool concept as clever marketeers carve a niche for pet owners who are willing to go more than extra miles for their pets , despite the economic downturn. The fact that pets are treated as living things and not "cargo" is a huge appeal, especially to a pet owner like me. For the benefit of all pets and pet owners worldwide, I hope this works out good!

Being ugly ain't such a bad thing...

Out of the blue, Silver Bullet turned to me and asked point-blank, "Am I ugly?"

It was without rhyme or reason (or so I thought) and literally, went, "huh?!" ; along with a where did that come from look. Of course, my answer was no after which, he enlightened me with the findings of this article.

It is an interesting research, although a bit boh liao. After reading it, I can't help but wonder how they select their "ugly"sample sizes. I mean, based on what basis are the men defined as "ugly" in this research? At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ugly or not, I'm sure they give it all that they've got.

Boh Liao = Hokkien for "nothing better to do". Dangerously idle

Not funny, ok!

There is something very wrong with humans today. Aunty Antsy forwarded this article to me ranting away that these are pets, not clowns! Honestly, I'm with her 100%.



To me, this is animal abuse! Why oh why do some homosapiens think their pooches are cuter like this? And why in gods name do these people dye their pets' fur in rainbow colours? This is nothing, but an act of abomination. Cruelty to animals. I classify the act of dressing up pets with those so-called cutesy looking clothes and other nonsensical accessories under the same category. especially so if they dress up their pets in a country where the weather is just too hot!Damn these pet-owners to hell. That's sheer animal abuse.

Ancient Japanese Proverb

Here's another one from Vicvanvinkle:

Suddenly she's making me feel all loopy and impish... ;D

From the Inbox

Courtesy of Vicvanvinkle on the story of Qantas Airline, apparently the only major airline that has never had an accident so far.

The story goes that after every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded by maintenance engineers (marked with an S).

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Some thing loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last.................

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

I don't quite know what the abbreviated words are, really, but some, if not most of the solutions are too darn funny! What a way to end a day in the office! Thanks Vic!

Organic Shovel

Not that we didn't try to relieve her of her of her discomfort, but the moment we took the cone off, she starting nibbling her bandage away. Her wound is still fresh and it's probably not a good idea to aggravate it.

Watch Fudge still trying to get used to the cone around her head, shovelling her head everywhere she goes. She created quite a stir with her antics. It sounded quite mean, though, but this had turned out to be rather hilarious....

Disclaimer: No animals are harmed during the production of this video.

All doped-up!

The deed is done. Fudge is finally spayed after several delayed attempts due to a few unforeseen inconveniences; one of which, Fudge being a little unwell from a minor infection.

Of the three cats, Fudge always has the sorriest sight when she isn't well. She was all doped-up when we picked her up last evening after spending a night at the vet. She was also visibly uncomfortable with the cone around her head and was extremely quiet throughout the ride home.

The moment she got home, Donut was the first to fuss about her as Andy looked on, more out of curiosity than concern I think, before leaving Fudge to her own sorry state. It was, however, quite heart-warming to see Donut kept vigil over her throughout the night. What a pair! He is never too far away from her. She squeaks and he responds. She walks and he follows. She tumbles over, he sits up almost immediately, while both Silver Bullet and me cackle our guts out. Sounds mean, I know...but seeing her tumble over can be quite a comical sight!

Her sorry state of being, coupled with small squeaks rather than her usual loud meows and her omnipresent dopey eyes are enough to make my heart and knees crumble. At the same time, I can't help but laugh at her current clutzyness.It makes me forget for a while that she can be quite the terror. Hopefully, she'll be calmer after this.

Scamming in BKK Airport again

Another scary report to wrap up this week with yet another alleged "shoplifter" from Bangkok's Airport. What is wrong with this frigging country?!

News like this makes me really scared. I easily could be one of those shoppers who, after making my purchase, will usually not bother to check my receipts. Simply because, I have every intention to pay for all my purchases when I bring them to the cashier counter. As far as I'm concerned, it is not my prerogative to check if the cashier has done her job to scan all the products which I intend to buy. Guess, I have to be very careful now and make sure that I check my receipts to my purchases before leaving any premises. The outcome is not funny and I do urge you to do the same if you intend to shop in Bangkok's Duty-Free zone or any other places in Thailand for that matter.

King Power tried to "explained" itself with this video here . Apparently that clearly proved that the couple from the previous case are guilty of shoplifting. I think it's horseshit. You decide.

Delightful Khun Pon

Looks like Khun Pon is at it again. This time, she has taken the initiative to add on new plants into 2 of our empty pots in the balcony. For the longest time, the pots on the extreme left and extreme right on this picture have been bald as Silver Bullet contemplates on a new plant strategy. A few days ago, however, Silver Bullet noticed that the two pots are now filled-up with really healthy looking greens! We could only guess that it could be the deed of our house-helper, Khun Pon. Our suspicions were duly confirmed when we saw her today and she has asked us about the plants. She does seem genuinely happy that we are happy! It was, indeed, a pleasant surprise.

It is generally hard to come by an honest, reliable and amicable house-helper. We are blessed by someone like Khun Pon who has no qualms of going the extra mile, without us asking her to. She has a knack of leaving us pleasant surprises each time she comes by to clean up the apartment, despite the fact that she actually exclusively works full-time for another family on a separate floor. What a really sweet lady! She's a gem and a keeper.

Privacy tips on FB

Facebook users should find this article useful. It is advisable to take advantage of the privacy option, especially if you are an active user on Facebook.

Jemput-Jemput Bawang

For a lack of a better word, I'll translate this to be Onion Fritter or Deep-fried Battered Mashed-up Onions. Simply because, these little flat looking "balls" are made out of nothing but yellow onions and chillies coarsely blended before mixing in the flour and salt (to taste) and deep-fried for a few minutes. I have also added sprigs of chopped-up spring onions into the dough before frying. Eat it with chilli sauce and you'll find it to be rather addictive.

In Kim's words, this is another culinary hurdle surmounted! Bawang and me are definitely friends nowadays.

False Impression

The sucker in me was gullible enough to be enticed by the "Best Archer novel for some years" print on the book. That was enough a reason for me to decide if I should buy it. After all, it's Jeffrey Archer and his books are almost always rivetingly superb. It took me a couple of days to mull over what I have read to decide if I like this book. The answer is: not quite entirely. Don't get me wrong, it is still a good book and Jeffrey Archer's style is definitely stamped all over it. However, it just didn't capture me like the way "Not a Penny More, Not A Penny Less" and "Kane & Abel" did. Those two books are just awesome...like Discovery Channel's version of "The World is Awesome" awesome...but I digress.

False Impression seems a little light-weight in plot as compared to the two I've mentioned above. I also think the other reason I don't quite like it, is perhaps, I'm just a little bias with that little prose on Sept 11. In my opinion, that's another case of OTT with way too much coverage that just goes on and on and on.

This book doesn't really rate too high on my list, but I'm still gonna read his other books when I get my hands on them. Time for another trip to the nearest bookstore soon. :D

Such is life...

It took them almost a week to reply to my complain, but Citibank finally replied a few days ago stating that they will make "an exception" to reimburse the already paid 50 bucks late surcharge to me. Good for them, I'd say since I'm about ready to lose my patience with them and they, for now, managed to stall me from moving my business away from them. One way to definitely shut me up for a while.

Honestly, I don't like to make a fuss about things in general. I don't like to deal with too much hassle, but I've come to realize that you won't lose anything if you DO make a fuss. In fact, sometimes, there are more to be gained. C'est la vie.

New Playground

Walked in to the office this morning and was greeted by something that appeared rather out of place. Me being being and about 2 metres away from my desk, I immediately muttered to myself, "WTF and what the hell is that thing doing right at the centre of my desk?!" Despite the fact that I was one of the first in, I still have not woken up yet. That means, everything takes a while to register as my senses are all a little out of sync.

I had to guffaw out loud when I realized what it actually is and understood better after seeing the accompanying note. This so-called "playground" is a send-off gift from my former team members as I relocated to a different location within the same office building to head-up a new team yesterday.

The messages that came with it are pretty endearing. In truth, I am happy to be moving out of my previous team for new challenges. But this gesture of theirs took me by surprise, given that I always thought they never really liked me for pushing them too hard and kicking their asses most of the time; hoping that they'll wisen up and realize that in life, nothing will ever comes so easy.

A very pleasant surprise from a bunch of me-first-attitudinous-Gen-Yers. I am, indeed, enlightened and humbled.

More from @Pranburi

More random shots from last weekend at Pranburi:

Entrance of the resort

Nicely cocooned and tucked in bed, away from pesky insects

Guestbook in the villa specifying what "Aleenta" means...

Scenery as we drove out of Pranburi into Hua Hin towards Bangkok

Lovin' It!

Bad food can be so good sometimes as I caved in to my lunch cravings after an hour at the gym to this:



The accompanying Chocolate Custard Pie to the fillet are definitely not the healthiest lunch option here, but I justify it with the fact that I exercise to eat. ;D

Starbucks Product Recall

Starbucks is recalling its Barista Blade Grinder due to safety concerns of the product. Like a good model citizen, Starbucks is encouraging residents in Thailand to stop using the product and contact the stores or Starbucks Customer Service for a refund. Apparently the grinder can fail to turn off or can turn on unexpectedly.

If you have this product on hand, better return it soonest. You wouldn't want the coffee bean spirits to mess around with your grinder now, would you.

Be VERY afraid

Thailand is getting quite a rap for corruption and things like this can happen to innocent people like you and me. When in Thailand, keep you wits about you. Getting jailed in Thailand for things you do or didn't do is appearing to be quite common of late as scam artists thrive like toxic mushrooms. This is really, really scary as no one has any control to whatever happens at a Thai Police Station. This is regardless of whether you are innocent or not.

Read more about the scam here.

Shiny, happy people are we...

Truth be told, Aleenta Resort does feel like it's a "world away". The occasional promotional packages available does make it more affordable and definitely worth it. The place is really quiet and tranquil.

We can't tell you anything about the food in this resort though. Simply because we didn't bother with the food here due to its exorbitant prices at an average of 350 baht per dish. To us, that' s just too much money to pay for a single dish of Thai food and, more often than not, you really can get good Thai food at one-tenth of the quoted restaurant prices. Unless you are prepared to spend more than 2,000 baht on every meal each time, then you should give the restaurant a miss. We ended up walking out of the resort to feed our stomach for lunch and dinner at a nearby local seafood place, just about 200 metres away from the resort. It was a really good local place where prices are definitely more than reasonable. The food was so good that even for a non-seafood eater like Silver Bullet, we ended up going to the same place for 2 nights straight as Silver Bullet could not get enough of the Deep Fried Seabass with Chilli. In fact, Silver Bullet insisted we go back to that restaurant as he loved the seabass. Very unlike Silver Bullet, but hey! that's a testament to how good and fresh the seafood was. There were also a lot of Thais congregating there. The rule of the thumb is: If you see a lot of Thais congregating in a local seafood place, it usually means that they serve good food.

All in all, a very rejuvenating trip and we definitely are the shiny, happy people once again. :)

"Testing-water" at the resort's public pool overlooking the Gulf of Thailand:

Moon watching and being completely immobile after a hearty dinner: