Sawadee Wan Pi Mai

(Lots more of my rambling crap. You might want to skip over it and just take a quick peek at the pics instead.)


I spent New Year's Eve this year with new friends, old friends, soulmate-like friends, close friends, and once-distant-but-now-reunited-once-again friends, and laughed until my cheeks ached and belly burned. Nothing extraordinarily groundbreaking happened, but it was still a smashing close to a surprisingly incredible year.


On Tuesday night I had trouble sleeping. This isn't very unusual actually, seeing as how my sleeping patterns have been so bizarre this year (going to bed at 3 or 4 AM and waking up at 8 AM on nights when there isn't even the need to cram for an exam study, work on presentations or reports, etc). At around 3 AM, as I was forwarding some funny SMS messages to friends, Beer called me. I haven't known her for very long yet (she's Siri's friend), but I can already tell that she's such an awesome person. What I like most about her is that she's so easy-going, laid back, and so very pen kun eng. I guess another great thing about 2003 is that I had the opportunity to meet so many different people from an amazing array of backgrounds who have all influenced and impressed me in one way or another.


~*~

On Wednesday morning, my dad suggested he drop me off at Siri's place since the roads around her area of town were going to be jam-packed all day and all night with festivities and celebration (plus, the parking fee at Siri's place is sky-high). Since I was going to be spending the night, I sleepily dumped all my things into a paper bag (forgetting my toothbrush in the process) and slumped into the car feeling rather groggy and tired from the past two weeks of constant activity. However, when I got to Siri's, all lingering grogginess immediately disappeared because Siri is such an amazing person. This is going to sound so cliche and corny even, but Siri's like this big burst of bright (and very warm) sunshine. She has this quiet and almost subdued sense of optimism, and is one of the most giving and altruistic people I know. It's almost impossible to be in a foul mood when you're around her because she always tries to see the good in every situation without coming across as unrealistic or overtly idealistic. I feel so incredibly blessed to have her as a friend.


I took my customary tour of her living room and stood observing the numerous paintings she has decorating her walls as she shuffled around the house getting ready for the day. She filled me in on the latest goss about someone we know as she flew into the bathroom, her bedroom, and kitchen. We painted our toenails a shimmery, light pink color. It was fun. I practically drooled over the very elaborate, very ornate refrigerator magnets she'd gotten from one of her trips to New Orleans. They were porcelain masks embellished with glitter, sequins, color, and sparkly ribbons, and upon seeing my almost child-like reaction towards them, she immediately plucked one off the refrigerator door and, despite my protests, placed it in my hand. Here, it's yours, she said. You love it, and so you should have it.

See what I mean about Siri being such a warm and giving person?


View of the city from Siri's place.

~*~

Caro called, and so we decided on a meeting place. We went downstairs, climbed into a taxi and headed for Siam Square. Along the way, I noticed flashing signs warning drivers of the roads that were going to be closed off that night: Rajdamri, Rajdamnoen, etc. Traffic was going to be mad and chaotic that night, but at least the skytrain was going to be open until the wee hours of the morning.


Siri and I went ahead and ordered some Bah-mee kiew haang at this great place called Hong Kong Noodles at Soi 10. The bah-mee noodles are made to perfection, and so you can probably imagine the great amount of slurping that was in progress when Caroline arrived. A short while later, Patrick arrived from his morning cricket game over at the Polo Club on Wireless Rd. I gave him the Sarah Brightman and Celtic mix CDs I'd (shh, shh) burned for him the night before. He'd asked me once about some of Sarah Brightman's material, and so I thought he'd enjoy it (he did, but it rather paled in comparison to the laugh-your-ass off Triumph the Insult Comic Dog video clips he'd burned for me a few days before).


We left HK Noodles and Siri started raving about the mango smoothies at this one place near Bonanza. Along the way, I, uh, got distracted by the new "Searching For Jay Chou" CD/VCD at Valentine's. I felt compelled to buy it, and so I did. We finally got the mango smoothie from Coffee King, and tried to decide on what to do for the rest of the day: Watch a movie? Nah, can't get any talking done that way. Do some shopping? Can't, wallet's still recuperating. Immerse ourselves in culture and act like a tourist for the day? Oooh, okay.


So we had to decide on where to go. Cross out the Grand Palace (with our sleeveless shirts, we weren't dressed appropriately enough and would therefore be denied entry), cross out Vimanmek Mansion (it was closed for the day), cross out Wung Pak Kad (the cabbage palace?), well then what about Pipitipun Haang Chaht (The National Museum)? Oooh, okay.


~*~

We were going to take the bus (Poh-Oh 8) to the Tah Prajun area, but then Paddy mentioned that he'd never ridden on a bus before in Thailand. This evoked a loud cry of "Man, you're such a khun noo" (but we're just teasing you Paddy, you know that ), and even though he said he was a-ok with taking the bus, we ended up taking a taxi. Mr. Taxi Driver turned out to be a lunatic. Yes indeedy, he liked stomping on the accelerator only to stomp on the brakes a mere second later, thus sending me, Siri, and Caro slamming into the seats before us. He gave us some advice: Make sure you don't speak English when you get the museum or they'll charge you the same fee as 'em farangs! Yes sir, ka, ka, we know, we know, but thank you for reminding us ka.


Poor Paddy had to endure Mr. Taxi Driver the Lunatic Motorist's constant drivel.


Mmmm. Coffee King's mango smoothie (and Siri's thumb).

~*~

I love the Tah Prajun area (where Thammasat, Siri's uni, and The National Museum are located). It has an old, Asian/Western-fused colonial feel to it, and a lot of the buildings and structures around that area remind me of the French-influenced architecture in Vietnam. Lots of cream, yellows, and subdued colors. Very pretty indeed.


When Mr. Taxi Driver the Lunatic Motorist finally dropped us off at The National Museum, we left Siri at the front sala so that her tell-tale American-accented Thai wouldn't give the ticket guy a reason to overcharge us for the entrance fee. Those guys are such money swindlers! On the front window of the ticket booth is a sign in Thai that says "Entrance Fee: 20 baht", and right below it, in English, another sign catered for tourists and foreigners that says "Entrance Fee: 40 baht". Despite our native-sounding Thai, the stinkin' ticket guy still tried to charge me and Caro 40 baht (You sure you're Thai? You sure don't look Thai.).


We first went to Phra Thum Nak Daang, which I believe means "The Red House" in the old-tongue version of Thai (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). The really cool thing about Phra Thum Nak Daang is that not a single nail was used in making and constructing it. Caro and I agreed that that that was easily believable, seeing as how Asians are so adept and proficient when it comes to mathematics-related things (all Asians except us, of course). Inside, we saw an incredibly ornate and lavishly decorated bed, a spittoon, and some delicate sculptures and tid-bits.


Siri, Caro, and Paddy removing their shoes before entering Phra Thum Nak Daang.


Me, Paddy, and Caro at one of the salas nearby Phra Thum Nak Daang.

We then headed to a few more buildings. I'm sorry, but with all the chattering and talking we did, I lost track of the names of the various buildings we went to.


Beautiful gold-plated doors of one of the larger buildings located at the museum.
Inside was an array of eye-dazzling shadow puppets, thrones that would've put past English kings to shame, oodles of gold-carved figurines and sculptures, and even a fashion gallery.
(Thais sure knew how to use their jewels back then.)

We learned an awful lot from Paddy that day. We learned from him that oysters are an aphrodisiac; that he has a mixed ancestry of Thai, Chinese, Spanish, and Indonesian blood (he's basically a scrambled egg); that one of his most prized possessions is his little toy boat, the SS Paddy Chew (how cute is that?); and that one of his friends actually pulled a Buckingham Palace guard's nose hair once while trying to break his stony composure (it didn't work).


Somewhere in between the Ayutthaya and Sukhothai galleries, we all flopped down onto a couple of benches and ended up talking until closing time at 4 PM. We girls gave Paddy a little test that consisted of stupid questions, like: How would you describe your perfect date? We were all very satisfied with his answers, and let's just say he passed with flying colors.


Paddy and I nicknamed this lil fella, Goldilocks.
Despite his mean demeanor, he has cute Goldilocks-like curls at the back of his head. (left)
Siri, Caro, and Paddy in one of the courtyards. (right)

~*~

We left the museum and dodged some buzzing tuk-tuks, hippy-looking backpackers, jabbering European tourists and walked to the other side of Thammasat in search of more food (we eat an awful lot, my friends and I). P'Karn then called and said that he'd join us, and so we stood around and waited for him to pick us up. As we waited, this guy came up to us and started to wai us rather profusely. Much befuddlement ensued, and so we decided to slip away and walk a little further down the road and wait for P'Karn there.


The guy followed us.


Despite our slight worry, we thought we'd be okay if we just ignored him. After all, we had a manly ol' stud like Paddy with us, hehe. The guy started mumbling something to us, but we couldn't quite make out what he was trying to say. After repeating it about a dozen times, we then realized that he was asking for money. Ohhh, he's not a psycho lunatic, but just homeless and short on cash. We were about to whip out our wallets and give him some money, but then he started to get frighteningly close to us. As he continued waiing us, the tips of his fingers brushed against my back, and that was when we noticed that the skin on his arms were demarcated with the crusty remains of some sort of disease and that he had needle marks decorating his arms. If we were to take out our wallets, would he rob us? Or even if he didn't rob us and we gave him some money, would he just use it to buy more drugs? Sort of frozen and not sure of what to do next, he must've thought we couldn't understand him, and so he moved on to the next unsuspecting person. Having lived in Bangkok for so long, poverty is nothing new to me. Still, every time I come across a homeless person or beggar, I realize all over again just how very fortunate I am and how some people's unfortunate lives seem to be filled with nothing more than road blocks and dead ends.


~*~

P'Karn couldn't find a place to park, and so we decided to take a tuk-tuk to the other side of Thammasat to meet up with him.


Lalala. Waiting for a vacant tuk-tuk.

We finally found one and squeezed, crammed, and squished so that the four of us could fit in. Paddy, Siri, and Caro sat with their backs against the seat, and I sat with half my butt on the seat and the other half just sort of floating and hovering in mid-air. This wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't chosen a tuk-tuk with a driver who was just as mad of a motorist as Mr. Taxi Driver the Lunatic Motorist! Mr. Tuk-Tuk Driver loved to swerve, speed, and make neck-breakingly sharp turns - turns that nearly tipped the tuk-tuk over and sent Paddy flying out into the streets. Since I was practically sitting on the floor, I too nearly went sliding out of the tuk-tuk and into the streets, but Caro the lifesaver grabbed me at one point and pulled me back in. Ahhh, good BKK fun.


Siri and Caro. (Wheeee!) (left)
Mr. Tuk-Tuk the Crazy Motorist awaits his next victim.

With rather shaky knees (and as Paddy said, "shaky crowned jewels"), we piled into P'Karn's car and headed to this place called Nai Dee.


Despite the watery smile, Paddy was overjoyed to have his crowned jewels intact after the terrifying tuk-tuk ride. (left)
Ever the knowledgeable and well-rounded person, here's Paddy reading Newsweek.
Hmmm, he seems to be deep in thought. (right)

P'Karn had food poisoning because of some seafood he'd had the night before at some place by his house. Poor guy couldn't really enjoy the meal that much and looked dead tired. I really hope he feels better soon.


Nai Dee has GREAT grub. The sauce that goes with their Pla Luak was wonderfully spicy and impeccably done, and I was really tempted to steal a bite of Paddy's Bah Mee Tom Yum Koong. If any of you ever have a chance, make sure you try out the food there. The Thai iced tea alone is reason enough to go there.


(Gee, I just realized that practically every single one of my entries mentions food at least once. I can't help it - BKK just has so much good food. )


Caro, me, and Siri: Full and happy.

~*~

P'Karn dropped us off in front of Siri's place at Grand Diamond, and we parted ways with her momentarily since she was going to head for the airport to pick up her boyfriend who was flying in from Singapore. Caro, Paddy, and I walked to WTC where the music from the various beer gardens was meshing together into this complex tapestry of loud, get-on-your-feet, dance, rock, and pop music. People were already arriving and the excitement was swiftly building - it was going to be a great night.


Hindu-inspired Buddhist shrine of the Hindu god Ganesha in front of WTC.
He has an elephant head and four arms.
Even though I'm not Hindu or Buddhist, it's still one of my favorite shrines in Bangkok.

We decided to head to the bookstore, and along the way, we came across a store that sold some super cool Japanese products. Patrick seemed particularly interested in the calendars.


Gee, twelve months, twelve girls, and none of them were to his liking.


Oh wait, looks like he's finally found one.
(btw, that's Ayumi Hamasaki, in case you were wondering.)

We spent ages in Kinokuniya Books. We found a mondo huge book on love destiny, and so we wasted time giggling over each other's so-called fate. While Caro's was just plain funny, the weird thing about mine was that it was actually kind of accurate. Anyway, Paddy found a huge collection of explicitly detailed and visually graphic books with titles like "Love Positions" and "How to Make Him Sizzle". We were more interested in the comical book titles than in the actual book content itself.


I got four books, and as I was paying at the cashier, Alan rang me up and said that he was downstairs in the Kloster beer garden. Woohoo! The last time I saw Alan was years ago, and so it was great to finally see him again! Gosh, it was just like old times again... he's still the funniest, friendliest dude ever. Pete and Paul were there too, and turns out Paul transferred from San Francisco and is now at Mahidol while Pete's currently studying over in Australia. Seeing him again was great; it was hard to believe that I used to play Tetris over the phone with him and Alan back in 7th grade, haha. Man, time sure does fly.


~*~

Rajdamri was closed off, and so people were literally everywhere. It was rather bizarre seeing so many people roaming that particular street, especially since it's usually so chaotic and always filled with busses, motorcyclists, and stubborn traffic.


Crowd beginning to form along Rajdamri Avenue.

We headed to Le Meridien President Hotel and picked up the sketch that we were going to give to Siri as a (belated) birthday present. The artist did a wonderful job.




Crowd outside Le Meridien President Hotel. (left)
Quaint candle shop with sweet-smelling candles. (right)

~*~

As we waited for the sketch, Kang called me up and said that he was at the Central Chidlom BTS station, and so I told him we'd meet him at the Starbucks at Central Chidlom. What would have normally taken about 5 minutes instead took us a solid 20.


We found Kang, ordered our Mango frappucinos, Caramel Frappucinos, and Iced Mochas (with whipped cream), and found a table. Kang is SO funny, and he had me and Caro laughing non-stop the entire time. As if Jai and I hadn't given him a hard enough time already, he had to endure more teasing from me and Caro about his hermit crab (Nong Dang). He also told us about his cat (Oreo) and the chicken-like noises he made (live sound effects and all, courtesy of Kang) before throwing up during the plane ride from Connecticut to Thailand. This led to me and Caro telling Kang and Paddy about this one psycho guy in the news who raped a chicken a few weeks back, and they both turned positively green (they really looked ready to hurl).


Kang's kinda goofy and he's lots of fun to hang out with. Time literally flew, and before we knew it, it was already nearing 11 PM. Siri called and suggested we haul ass and get to her place ASAP before the firework display started.


Kang and me. (left)
Paddy, Caro, and Siri's (belated) birthday present. (right)

~*~

I got to talk to Kang a bit more as we walked from Central Chidlom to Siri's place. Topics were as random as the things you find during a weekend stroll through Jatujak Market. I told him about my friend's brother who unknowingly went out on a date with a transvestite, only to discover the truth later on when it was a little too late and when they were, uh, rather naked. Kang looked terrified after I'd told him that story, and I think the gay guy who brushed up against him as we walked towards WTC didn't help much either, hehe. He also told me about his various businesses and plans for the future. He has so many ideas and so much motivation, I bet he's going to become really successful someday - chok dee na, Kang. If you ever open up your own self-defense school (amongst your other future businesses), don't forget that you promised me free lessons!


The walk back to Siri's was practically suicidal. The roads were completely packed and it was like being stuck in human traffic. There were literally seas of people, and there was so much shoving and pushing going on. I was kind of worried that tiny little Caro was going to get trampled on in the process (she had to keep coming up for air, haha). Kang reminded me to watch my bag since there were so many pickpockets that night. Everything was cer-ray-zeee. It was pure and utter chaos, but everyone was loving it.


A few hours later and Rajdamri was completely brimming with people.
Tons of people were waving small Thai flags, and despite the pushing and shoving, you could really tell that everyone was having the time of their lives.

Along the way, we spotted a vendor selling fried grasshoppers, beetles, and other indiscernible insects. Kang asked me if I wanted some. Ewwww. Grasshoppers are meant to make pleasant noises during cool summer nights, not to be eaten! He assured me that they were aroy dee, but I still politely declined. I prefer to get my daily doses of protein the old-fashioned way (hamburgers from Mickey D's).


~*~

Nearly an hour later, we finally reached Siri's place at around 11:40 (normally, it only takes about 20 minutes). The place was packed with a bunch of Kit's friends. There were some in the kitchen (which was emitting heavenly scents), and even a few more out on the balconies. Man, you start to feel old when you see a bunch of kids (except they're no longer kids anymore) who used to be shorter than you and who are now in their first year of uni and are waaaay taller than you. They still act like high school kids, though. It was so cute; there were about 15 of them and they were all crowded in front of the TV cheering, yelping, and hooting as they madly played their video games.




Nighttime view of WTC, the new Big C, and Le Meridien President Hotel from Siri's living room balcony.

Caro and I finally got to meet Ferrik! Siri's told us so many great things about him, and so it was wonderful to finally get to meet him. He was just as she'd described him - and so much more. He was such a warm and gracious person, and Siri had this huge grin on her face all night long. Awww! I felt so happy for her.


Ferrik and Siri munching on some chicken.

We got a little carried away with all the introductions and talking, and so we didn't realize that we only had about ten more minutes to go 'til midnight. We sped out into the corridor and waited restlessly for the elevator to arrive. Five looong minutes later, it finally arrived, and the ride from the 17th to the 34th floor never seemed longer. When we got out, we scrambled out as quickly as we could and realized that we only had less than two minutes to climb an extra three flights of stairs to the top of the roof. Panting and heaving like old farts, we finally reached the top and threw open the roof doors just in time to see the first round of fireworks explode into the night sky.


The view was absolutely amazing.





WTC fireworks display.


Persistent, non-moving traffic along New Petchburi Rd.


Fireworks display over at Amari Watergate Hotel.

SMS messages started pouring in like crazy and it got increasingly difficult to get a proper signal to call out. Apparently, with everyone in the country calling and messaging their loved ones, the cell phone networks were totally jammed. Kang must've tried calling his brother, who was somewhere in the WTC crowd, at least fifty times. Caro had a little more luck and was able to call home from this one odd spot off to the edge of the roof. We very nearly whipped out some chalk to mark the spot, just in case some other peeps needed to make a call too, hehe.


Kang zee muscle-man trying to call his brother and Paddy looking out into the city.
(I think he's dreaming about his special someone. )


Betcha you wouldn't want to be stuck in that kind of traffic, huh? (left)
The tallest building in Thailand, Baiyoke Tower. (right)

We later moved up a few more floors to the helipad where Kit and all his buds were busy drinking the old year away. It was obvious they were getting very drunk very quickly, and we were a little worried one of them was going to teeter and fall off the edge of the helipad. But they assured us they were a-ok - they laughed like loons, slurred incoherently to one another, and had humungously huge smiles on their faces. We kept an eye on them - just in case.


Siri and Ferrik were lost in conversation the entire evening and were the sweetest thing ever. After the fireworks display, Kang nudged me and suggested I snap a candid photo of them.



At one point, we all heard the wail of an ambulance rising above the noise of the celebrating throng from down below. What happened next was incredible to witness from above: the crowd of people packed tight all along Rajdamri Rd. literally parted and gave way as the ambulance quickly rshed through in a manner that was very reminiscent of Moses's famous Red Sea incident.


~*~

I got to meet up briefly with Gift later, and we literally talked non-stop for twenty minutes. She had to hurry home, but we promised we'd meet up more this year. After a long talk about how awesome this year had been, Siri and I finally collapsed and passed out at a little past 4 AM while Kit and his friends hooted and cheered in the other room 'til morning.

~*~

Standing nearly 40 floors above the rest of Bangkok on New Years eve with the endless display of fireworks, the distant rumble of the cheering and partying from down below, and the sound of my friends' laughter coming at me from all directions, I finally realized just how much I love this city (sorry for any seeming corniness). Somehow, over the duration of ten years and my many complaints of "But I wanna go back to America!", Bangkok has become my home. The city gets into your blood, seeps through your system, and forces you to fall in love with its people, its smells, its quirks, the heat, the traffic, the madness - everything that makes Bangkok what it is. As I stood on the helipad and looked down on the flickering lights of the city and the warm and amiable spirit of its people, the paved sidewalks, pattern and orderliness of America suddenly seemed so starkly sterile to me. Of course, I'll always love the States, but Bangkok, with all its crazy, crazy, craziness, is my home. I suppose it always has been, but I just never really realized it in the past.


Have a wonderful year, everyone. I wish you all nothing but the best, but most of all, I wish you all happiness. Now stop reading and go party already!




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