Bangkok to Singapore x2

Hey folks,

Again I've neglected my poor blog, but I think that will just be a fact of life with how my time is managed here in Asia, aka I hardly have any strict downtime when I choose to lounge around on the internet. I'll have pics at the end of this post though.

So I left off last time with the JW Classic. That next week I was in Bangkok for a few days working and partying hard Monday through Wednesday before going to Singapore for a short business trip. I came back to BK for the weekend and repeated the process the next week. Everytime I would buy a bottle of liquor at duty free since the prices are ridiculously cheap. No I do not get boatloads of free liquor to take home from the office unfortunately. We can't waste product on me or the company would be out of business before long!

As I said before, Diageo's regional HQ is in Singapore and I also work closely on a project that is in the Singapore market. Singaporean Chinese in general are friendlier than the Cantonese I am accustomed to in Hong Kong. They also have a few phrases distinct phrases that they say more than other Chinese, like "lahhh".

I'm starting to really be able to tell the difference between certain accents. I've nailed the Thai accent, the Singaporean english accent, the Filipino accent (well, I've known that one for a while), and the Indonesian accent sort of.

I'm starting to get quite comfortable with the work I am doing for Diageo. That said, there is always new work that I am unfamiliar with so I'm still learning a lot every week. I haven't started those Thai lessons though since I'm always traveling. Will do soon. Many people think I am half Thai and start speaking to me in Thai right away. It's always a bit awkward when I then open my mouth in American English. In Singapore on the other hand people just think of me as a foreign white guy, maybe he is a bit Asian. Everyone and their mother speaks English there.

I'm seriously considering joining a competitive rugby team here called the Southerners. They only train once a week at a time that I could make. I met one of the lads a couple days ago and had a few drinks. I'll come out next week and see how it goes. At the very least I'll see how much in bad shape I'm in.

I saw the movie 300 last week with a Singaporean lawyer. It was so testosterone driven but for what it was, the movie was awesome.

Yesterday I went to a crocadile farm on the outskirts of Bangkok with my friend Kwan. There were also some monkeys and elephants. These croc tamers were amazing. They just walked around in shallow water in a pit with like a dozen big crocs and pulled tricks like putting their hands and heads in the crocs jaws. Pretty scary stuff. And the arena wasn't exactly Barnum and Bailey's. It was pretty decrepit and ghetto. But that is a lot of buildings in Bangkok. And a lot are very much the opposite. There are more skyscrapers here by far than in San Francisco and LA combined.

I'll put up a few pictures of the croc farm and of my partying the past couple weeks. I'll post again sometime this week when more comes to me.




Me and an elephant that I later fed with bannanas. Slobbery little thing.




Cheeky monkey tried to steal my cell phone later.





100% real, and these crocs were not drugged.



That is just too perfect. By the way this croc farm/zoo was so unregulated it was almost scary.



These guys must have been no older than 20. Balls of steel though.




My friend Kwan and I at Q Bar, Bangkok.







Kayaking in Phuket with a couple coworkers and a few Vietnamese government officials.





We went through this underwater cave for 5 mins and the ceiling was inches from our faces.




Entrance to one of our dinner events at the JW Classic in Phuket.





Some of our JW Black Label models in Phuket.





Our kayaking tour guide and I in front of James Bond rock (used in Dr. No) in Phuket.




Ernie Els, Sam Torrance, and other pro golfers serving drinks at the Johnnie Walker Bar.




The hotel for Diageo folks and golfers in Phuket (Sheraton Grand Laguna).





Some of my bosses and coworkers at a dinner in Phuket.





The guests from Vietnam (Finance Ministry).

It's been a while... Bangkok to Phuket for the JW Classic

I've been busy and lazy to update this in the last couple weeks but now on a Sunday night I've got some time. Get ready for a monster post. Thanks for having the patience to actually read the whole beast if you do. It isn't like I post often.

Where I last left off, Pat Noonan had visited me in Bangkok and I just moved into my apartment. By the way, that address is:

The Grand Regent Condominium 2-2/399
Unit No. 2/259
Soi Mahadlekluang 2
Rachadamri Road
Lumpini
Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330

You really do have to write that many pain in the ass lines.

And my mobile phone number is:

+66 81 848 4309

For those of you dialing from the US and don't know what the hell + means, just dial 011 then my number (66 81....).

I'd love to hear from anybody. So far I've been a bit dissappointed in my friends attempts to keep in touch. Only my family and Jenny have actually called me. Funny how that works, don't know what that says. I don't want to have to do all the damn work calling 50 people a month.

Anyway, Noonan ended his visit on what I think would be the high note of his 6 week trip to South East Asia. I think he enjoyed it so much he might actually seriously consider trying to find a job out here. I do hope he comes back and that other friends can come over so I can show them a great time. There are just some things that are so much better in Asia, like...

1. Very affordable living, especially for a young single person that could easily blow $50,000 living in San Francisco in a few months
2. Vast options for fun nightlife. And they drink like fish
3. Excellent food and lots of choices
4. Tons and tons of beautiful women that in general are easier to approach than in the States. No 1 in 3 of them is not a ladyboy. You just have to see for yourself
5. Being an expat already gives you bonus points. Being young and good looking at that makes you an absolute baller
6. So many different and interesting cultures
7. Free grocery delivery to your house
8. Maid to clean your place once a week for $30 a month
9. It is NEVER cold
10. Cheap and good quality medical fees

That said, there are a few things that I miss, most of them having to do with my comfort zone being untouched...

1. Not having to worry about someone you are talking to not being able to understand what you are talking about. This is very important when your taxi driver PRETENDS to know what you are talking about
2. Mexican food
3. Plenty of places to play pickup soccer, football, etc
4. Non-humid weather
5. Not having to worry when you go out whether or not some of the extra friendly girls you talk to might actually be working girls
6. Enforced traffic rules
7. Being able to hang out with old friends or family
8. Driving my own car
9. Not having to be disgusted everytime I see an old fat European or American guy with a beautiful Thai woman 20-30 years younger than him

Overall I'm still very glad I moved here and took this awesome job that I think will end up positively influencing and advancing my career for years. It was scary at first but you only live once and if my Dad could do it, so can I. What would my kids say or people I've known that would have loved an opportunity like this if I had turned it down? I don't want to live my life comfy and secure in the middle of a Detroit suburb or something like that. Some people can be perfectly happy and content in that life but it really really isn't for me. I want adventure and experience. I want to be able to either A) look back and my life and say, "shit I did it all" or B) Die tomorrow and say, "I did the best and most that I could and it's alright if I go out now"

I've grown so much as a person, had countless nights out, and met so many interesting people ranging from members of the Vietnamese Finance Ministry to Johnnie Walker Blue Label models to European Expats living in Bangkok in their mid-20s. I really don't see myself wanting to go back to the States at this point after just 1 year, but that is a long way away from now. A lot of the Diageo guys I talk to say that once I stay in this business or in Asia for 6 months and like it, I will never want to leave. I'm beginning to easily see why.

Back to what's been going on recently - Noonan took off last Tuesday and I spend a pretty calm week in Bangkok just settling in and working out of my base office. I went out a few times with some local Thai/Expat friends I made the weekend before. Nothing huge or really memorable to report here. At least nothing I can really say on this blog, haha.

This past week I have been in Phuket (the most famous island and resort destination in Thailand) for the Johnnie Walker Classic, Asia's premier international golf tournament. Tons of Diageo people from around the world came down and we have all stayed at this gorgeous resort hotel next to a lagoon and beach along with all these pro golfers like Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Adam Scott. In fact, Scott, the number 4 golfer in the world, was working out with me the other day in the gym. I'm stronger than him but he's a hell of a lot more talented, lucky dude. Then the next night he is sitting at my table during dinner next to my boss.

I'm not much of a golfer at all so I didn't play but most of my coworkers played in the Pro-Am with the famous guys. I've just been working at the business center or by the pool from my laptop. Sucks to work in a place like this but at the same time it is so sweet. All expenses are paid for too, except for personal things I might want to buy. I did get to go on a boat tour around surrounding islands yesterday for 10 hours with some guests from the Vietnamese government. We had a really good time and got to go canoeing and swimming on secluded beaches. At one point we took our canoes through an underwater pitch black cave for 5 minutes straight and we had to lie down since the rock ceiling was 6 inches from our face.

Last night after a gala dinner I drank with some Cambodian guests of Diageo and a Singaporean Indian businessman that graduated from USC about 8 years ago. Holy shit they could drink. The Indian dude must have downed 30 drinks over the course of 6 hours, I kid you not. Me and the Aussie country manager of Vietnam got trashed trying to keep up. I ended up arm wrestling him multiple times. He is left handed and an ex Aussie rules footballer so he destroyed me on that side. But on the right hand I nearly broke his arm so he says! haha good times. Of course I passed out immediately and slept in til 12. It felt so good to get a nice rest because since I started working, and considering all the times I go out during the week, I hardly ever get more than 5-7 hours sleep.

I know I need to get more pictures up on here. I will try. I realize it is quite hard to read through a huge long post without any pictures to keep your interest. At least you only have to do it once every couple weeks!

As you can tell my writing style on here is a bit ad hoc and rushed. Unfortunately I don't have time to plan it out. I spend so much time on the internet doing emails at work that I hardly surf the net anymore after I get home.

I found out a few days ago that my boss would like me to concentrate on the Singapore/Malaysia and Vietnam markets for the next few months. Sounds good to me. I liked all those places. No one in my department has any direct business in Thailand but quite a few of us live there. I think I prefer that because the Thai government is quite difficult to deal with in the alcohol industry. I love living in Bangkok so far though. It's the perfect mix of big developed city, vibrant culture, friendly locals, and cheap living. Singapore is too expensive and Vietnam is a bit too crazy and chaotic for me to live there. Malaysia seemed a bit boring. After all it is a Muslim country. It is the minority Chinese that live there that make up our biggest market.

I really want to learn basic conversational Thai so I think I will try to get a tutor starting next week. I'll let you guys know how THAT goes, heh...miss you all!