Dieciocho

Today I turn one month older in BangCock, and so a celebratory post is called for.

On this occasion, there is definitely nothing worth celebrating for other than the friends I have in the Land of Smiles. Undoubtedly, more than any thing else, the highlight of my eighteen-month stay here is knowing such amazing, amazing people and I couldn't feel more thankful.

I've always been quite lucky at finding friends. During my four years stay in Davao for instance I met the most fiercely loyal friends I have yet to find... and you know who you are, bitches. God, these are the people whom I would give up a limb for.

I don't begin calling people "friends" just because I know them. I have to genuinely care for them and know fully well that they do so too for me. And of course the elements of trust, mutual respect, and sincerity are imperative.

There had been times in the past when I think that a certain person was a friend but later I find out that he/she had to be relegated to "people I know" instead.

I do have this habit of regularly re-classifying my relationships with people. Does any one of you do this at all? Well the main purpose really is to know which ones are worth my attention and concern, which are finite "goods" and have to be allocated wisely, di ba? Why waste it on bastards?

After all, friendships have an economic element to them. Keep the people that give you the highest return at the least possible cost. And for me, this means keeping friends with whom I can have a mutually positive and nurturing relationship.

I have a folder tabbed "True Friends 'Til the End of Fucking Time". I have to proudly note as well that I've never had any falling out with any of these people. And I doubt if it would ever happen.

There's quite a number of them gorgeous people in that said file and a few names have been added to the list during my stay in BangCock. And goodness, it's quite obvious who they are, noh, especially if you read this blog.

I could not express in words how important these people are in making my life here in BangCock very meaningful. If anything, my only wish is to be a good friend in return.

My memories in this city would always be defined mainly by them and I'm sure we have yet many memories to create. Kisses for you, bitches.

Dear Tourism Authority of Thailand...

... you owe me my salary.

After all, I'm the fiercest tour guide in Bangkok. You and I know how many Pinoy tourists I've brought around your great city.

This past two weeks alone three Pinoy friends arrived in BKK. First was Mama Rhea, a former colleague from Manille, second was Jordanne, and third is Hong Kong blogger extraordinaire Kiks of As Is.

So what do I usually do with my guests?

First, I bring them to the usual tourist places.

Like the requisite stop at the Erawan Shrine...

... and of course the tuk tuk ride.

And definitely I have to feed them with some of the gastronomic delights of Siam.

I even take pictures of them in Khao San Road...

... or let them take pictures of me.

Well, now that we are in nihilistic Bangkok, I have to teach them a few bad vices.

Like drinking...

... and smoking.

And most definitely, I teach them how to pout.

But the most important thing is... I make them laugh.

Therefore, respected people at the TAT... with all the service I've been doing, please deposit my salary to my bank account. Now. Na.

Khorp kun maak khap,

Kawadjan

Makulay ang Buhay

I sneaked into the office's store-room one Saturday morning, not exactly sure what I was looking for. Amidst the rubble of dust-covered baskets, books, bed frames, mattresses, and boxes that contain who knows what was a pile of big frames leaning on one side of the store-room.

I realized I was looking at a collection of large paintings, about a dozen of them, that nobody seems to care for.

I asked our office administrator what they were about and she said that our current conference room on the first floor used to be an art gallery of university students' paintings. When the said gallery was converted into a conference room the paintings were moved to the store-room where they had been collecting dust for roughly three years now.

Sayang di ba?

So I figured I might as well put some of them to good use. I asked my administrator if I can borrow one of them and she said that I can pretty much get any of the paintings as anyway the students have forgotten to collect them back.

On my second visit and under closer inspection, I noticed that most of the paintings look, well, amateurish. Hmmm, I should have not expected to find Van Goghs or Picassos there to begin with, right?

Also, most of the subjects are glum and morose, if not outright scary. Definitely not for my bedroom.

Finally I found one that suited my taste. It's a bright painting filled with Thai-themes - stupa, mystical figures, praying figures - and some incoherent serene faces and a naked figure at the bottom.

Again, it definitely is not a Matisse but it is all right if only to bring a freshness to my bedroom.

Some detail shots...

I hauled it to my bedroom and soon found out that it is a tad too big. With a height of nearly two meters and a width of one meter, it is in fact gargantuan for my tiny bedroom. Besides, I barely have a wall for it coz the windows occupy the entire length of the bedroom on one side - where the dying plants now also stand - and my closet and clothes rack on the other.

I decided I might as well let it lean on the wall beside my bed. So basically I wake up greeted by the painting on a daily basis. Winnar ba?

Below is a shot of the painting from the perspective of someone lying on my tiny bed.

Now, my dear two readers, can you help me give this painting a title? The gayer the better, of course.

Release the Ox

Some pictures of the Chinese New Year celebrations at Yaowarat last night.

I Covet: Gareth Pugh FW 2009

And I thought I would stop posting the shows from the men's FW 2009 collection. I'm basically tinatamad na to post... with so many mouth-watering clothes I've seen in the past few days. I'm afraid my eyes are bleeding!

But I have to make an exception for Gareth Pugh's collection. This simply made my day! Gosh, I'm so mababaw... but who isn't these days?

Génie!

A Bubbly Weekend

Saturday afternoon, ferosha Bubbles and I took a cab to Pratunam...

... and we ended up inside the vast and labyrinthine Platinum mall...

... where Bubbles tried on a few pants. But alas, none of them fit him. We all know how small the sizes are in most Thai markets, chai mai? Meanwhile, I bought three black shirts.

We moved to Central World where we found lomo cameras sold outside the mall.

We drank outside the mall, soaked in the nice, warm weather, and appreciated how the setting sun cast a beautiful glow on the surrounding buildings.

Inside the mall was a lion dance show for the Chinese New Year.

While watching the show the paparazzi caught us...

... also while Bubbles was shopping.

And more paparazzi shots while having coffee where we also met some Filipino tourists.

We went outside again for dinner while watching an international music festival. Wonderful performances!

But the paparazzi was all over the place.

So we went back inside Central World for some post-dinner coffee.

But the paparazzi was unstoppable.

We fled them by running to Lang Suan, that string of bars at the edge of Lumphini Park. We were there as well the previous evening. It had been more than a year since Bubbles and I were at Lang Suan. And we thought we needed to check out the place again.

Although the boys there are gorgeous, perhaps the hottest in any gay bar in the entire BangCock area (and there are many), the music is just bloody horrendous. Oh, don't let me explain further. The music is simply not my type. Period. So for that sole reason, we avoided going to Lang Suan for the longest time and opted for Soi 2 instead.

But fortunately last Friday we ended up in one Lang Suan bar that plays decent remixes and house music. Now why didn't we find this much earlier? And for that, I think I'm going to be a Lang Suan regular.

I also like Lang Suan coz the people are more relaxed, none of the stuck-up bitches in most Silom bars. And the Lang Suan crowd looks more... uhmmm... expensive. May breeding kumbaga.

Furthermore, the men go there with a pack of friends to go drinking and dancing, and sleaze is not part of the agenda it seems. None of the prancing and snaring that one sees in other bars in you know where. Very, very laid back indeed.

And lastly, they have way better fashion sense than in any gay area in BangCock, noh!

But the bars in Lang Suan close promptly at 2 a.m. (some even earlier). So last Saturday after Lang Suan, Bubbles and I hopped to nearby Silom. Deciding to stay away from THE bar, we instead checked out the other bars in Soi 2. Lo and behold, the we ended up bumping into the same Lang Suan crowd (more or less). Couldn't complain, dahling.

The evening (or early morning) ended with Bubbles and I hanging outside Soi 2, watching a parade of men leaving the bars/clubs. Goodness, I lost count of the many well-dressed bayots! Some of them were just perfect for a shot in a street-style blog, I swear. I was practically squealing at the magnificence of what some bayots were wearing. Oh, I'm soooo inspired!

I Covet: Allesandro Dell'Acqua, Iceberg and Marni FW 2009

For something young and relaxed.

Allesandro Dell'Acqua. Cropped pants! Sigh, I'm so into them these days. Got a couple. Some I have to fold just to make them look cropped. And the shoes, the shoes!



Iceberg. I posted these stuff from Iceberg mainly for their shoes. Those are the IT shoes for 2009, I predict. Fashionistas have been wearing them starting in 2007 but it would go to the level of the masses this year. They are tempting all right, but if I were you, avoid these shoes at all cost coz sooner they would be jologs.




Marni. Awwww... I'm in love. I would totally wear these. Skinny look, cropped pants... gosh.