This will be another mega post, due to a 2 month hiatus from blogging thanks to a ton of trips, a lot of work, a new commitment in my life, and general laziness/substitution of other activities (ie sleep) rather than getting on the computer to write for an hour or two. Happy to be back now, it's been far too long for my sanity and I'd like to vent and reflect a bit. It helps that I took a 4 hour nap today and can't sleep...
Again I'll have a whole bunch of pics about parties I hit up with my friends in Singapore/Bangkok but I'll try not to talk too much on them, since I'm sure by now everyone knows I like a good time out.
*My party ghost haunts us at 808. How are there two of me in this photo!?!?
Let's go back to August when this post should pick up. I spend a whole two weeks straight in Singapore after my last post - pretty rare, but not as bad as one might expect. I took this chance to look for a new apartment, since my current place is a bit small and doesn't really feel like my own home. Tough luck thus far, as 1 BR and Studios in Singapore are very expensive. Hopefully within the next 2 or 3 months I can find a roommate that I know pretty well and/or the rents will drop a bit. Tell me if you hear of a damn good deal near an MRT station!
I also had a bit of time to think about my long term future...where I want to be in 2 years, 6, 15...as I've said before, in 2 years I still need to be in Asia. I need to be here until I don't want to be anymore. Abbie had some wise words the other day for me - being abroad keeps you young. I think she's right, even if that place "abroad" ends up becoming your home for a decade, or longer! In 6 years I'll hopefully have my MBA and making enough money to pay off those astronomical fees quickly. In 15...well I would hope to be married and have a couple kids popped out by then, but as far as with who, where, and how - it's too easy to tell, and a bit scary! I just want to make sure whereever I am, I have and will always satisfy my curiosities...but I also should always be curious...thus never satisfied. Such is one of the many curses and blessings of mankind I guess. I also hope to never be super "comfortable" in my skin - for fear of being bored, complacent, or unchallenged. I don't want to be Joe Schmoe the average guy down the block. I don't want to be that guy who took the red pill and stayed in the Matrix. When I was a child, I dreamed of being a pilot. My desires somewhat changed, but yanno what? I still feel like part of that dream has been realized...I'm still flying baby (literally and figuratively)!
My bimonthly forays back to Bangkok have become a regular staple of my life in Singapore to help keep me sane/happy and keep those friendships I've made in Thailand healthy. This time I brought Adam along for his first time...
*Adam pimpin' at Muse
I'm sure he bloody enjoyed it. I KNOW he did. We had a bit of a birthday bash for him at Muse, one of the top Johnnie Walker clubs in Bangkok. Must have opened 8 bottles and a can of party whoop ass. Once again it was so packed it became difficult to move but hey, it's Asia. I'm used to the damn crowds by now, hah.
*Bothering the waitress at Muse
*A little photographic present from Ally to Troy, who had to be in Samui
*I wonder if Adam is enjoying himself?
I had another meal at Kuppa, one of my favourite restaurants in town. We talked with Uma a bit about what she wanted for her wedding the next month. I thought of collaborating with folks to get her a Safari Honeymoon in Africa...would have been wild but it didn't really come to fruition hehe.
*Bangkok from Sathorn
We got to check out a Muay Thai night at Lumpini and got a good "kick" out of it, lame pun intended. That night there were quite a few young and small fighters going at it, which is pretty normal in Thai boxing but not as exciting to western fans of martial arts, since the men and blows are not as exaggerated and saturated with muscle. Still, very enjoyable and we did get to see a knockout. I had to buy a King Kong t-shit that happened to be on sale by coincidence (or they knew I was coming!) to do justice to my new additional nickname.
*Drinking some Singha's at the Red Bull F1 party on Sentosa, Singapore. This pic is a bit out of place...oh well! I couldn't sleep forever that night, and ended up drunk dialing Sua while I bounced off the walls at home. Warning - do not drink 4 cans worth of vodka Red Bull on a Thursday night - Friday will be hell.
Okay I'll take this little space here to admit it (and I should think it's pretty obvious already), in a happy and excited light, that Kae and I are together. I've heard of enough people asking other friends about it (just ask me directly you fools!) and there's nothing to hide...I'm not going to say how or when this happened, but I will say that despite living in two different cities, we are going to make this work as best we can. She's a lovely and unique young woman that I'm glad I took the time to get to know before something special clicked. This is the first time I've gotten serious with someone since I moved out to Asia and I'm completely into it, and will be jing jai nae nawn...lucky enough I do see her pretty often, judging by all the Bangkok pics that seem to dominate my blog, 5 months after I moved to Singapore.
*Sirocco. I never get tired of those lights, and the breeze in my face. They remind me that I can do and be anything I want to...
*In extreme pain with Troy, after a smacking trade-off
During the weekend of partying we made it to Flix, a little rendevouz at the spot where my last visit had been for the filming of my tiny part in Street Fighter. We crashed Bryan's apartment for the after party, without asking him! Good times.
Random: Life working versus life in school.
Sometimes I miss being in school...there were definitely benefits to that lifestyle that are almost impossible to replicate once you are in the working world...
- free time isn't crunched
- social network is different (there are young people all around you!)
- sleeping late
- working out whenever, however many times you please
- eating whatever you want and at whatever time of the day
- easier to keep up with the latest movies, tv, music, fashion
In the working world, all these things are different for most people - definitely for me. It's not all bad though...
- sure there is constant pressure/stress from work, but very little CRAMMING like in college before a big midterm or final
- you have MONEY, and FREEDOM/INDEPENDENCE (so more things you can buy, and some things money can't buy)
- sure you have less time, but you pick which battles to fight and get the most out of what time you do get (life becomes faster, and more jam-packed). If you have the energy, focus, and drive for this type of lifestyle, then it can be very exciting and enjoyable, albeit busy and tiring.
Well regardless of the fact that I miss college every so often (mostly the friendships I made), I had a great time and I'm at peace with the reality that it's not coming back, and I'm still having a great time now in a different life. I'll hit up business school not too far in the future and have another year or two to experience student life (though different from undergrad) one last time. As Dave in Singapore said, "Come to class in a t shirt and shorts, slack off, relax, and pretend to be younger than you really are for a while. It's your last chance".
*Lunch at Hou Yuu, Central World in Bangkok w/Mom and friends
My Mom came to visit me in Singapore and Bangkok for about a week. It was nice to have her around to see how I live on the other side of the world. She used to travel all the time when she was younger, so she can relate and support my burning desire to never go "home". It's always good to spend time with her these days since I never know when the next chance will be. At home she has her own issues to deal with so on vacation at least she can relax and just hang out with her son/go shopping/do whatever women like her do in South East Asia...like CLUBBING. Yeah, she went out with me and my friends in BOTH cities and proceeded to be a good sport for me by posing with bottles in her hands, despite not drinking one glass! F*&king awesome! She even danced a bit and generally had a great time. Okay, a little embarrassing, but more cool. I'm happy she (admittedly) got to see a side of her son she didn't really know, and it made her really understand why I like it out here and that she shouldn't keep asking when I'll be coming back to California. She really liked my friends, and I think they enjoyed her company. One day I'll be back Mom...maybe...but not before you visit me again! ;)
*Winning a 100 baht bet on Muay Thai from Kae
One of my trips to Bangkok, I ended up going to a Federbrau party at Route 66. Federbrau is an imported beer that Beer Chang has taken on to import, distribute, and market in Thailand. A strange choice, I must say. I guess they couldn't get their hands on a lager with more marketing potential ie Stella Artois, Hoegarrden, etc. Anyway, I'm not a big beer dude so after a couple free bottles I was on the whisky again with friends. Not good...but extremely fun! As usual, because of the concert at the venue, the place was packed in like sardines. I'm used to it...that's any good Thai club in Bangkok. I think thai's don't like a place unless it gets extremely packed, regardless of how big it is. Opening a mega club would be very tough, because unless you can draw in the 2000 people required to make it feel full, your club will be perceived as "not cool" compared to the 300 person packed hole in the wall even though you've got 800 heads in the house!
Random: One day shopping at Paragon I ended up being conned into buying some facial mask product thanks to Kae and a crafty katoey saleswo(man) that should have been in the Miss Tiffany contest, she was so believable. My skin used to be a lot worse than today, especially back in the pizza faced teenage years. Still, it could be better, so I'm willing to try something a bit more metro and high-maintenance this one time I guess. Damn oily genetics and testosterone!
*Dinner at Longtable, Bangkok
If you guys have never been to Longtable on Sukumvit Soi 16, go check it out. Excellent view, good food, chic modern atmosphere that reminded me a bit like Tokyo but without Japanese food, and prices that are a third of Sirocco's.
*Mom representing Diageo at Butter Factory, Singapore
Anytime I go out and I say I'm going to have a "chill" night, just call me out on my bullshit right there please. It's never chill if we go out. NEVER. Unless the venue absolutely calls for it...i.e. a wine bar with no loud music and a bunch of older, more mature and controlled folks sipping a drink for an hour.
*Stew and his crew at Butter Factory, Singapore. This guy loves Singapore like I love Bangkok...but slowly he will be converted...slowly.
*This is what my life looks like half of the month
I finally made it to Pratunam in Bangkok (literally means Watergate), one of the mega budget malls that seemed to elude me while I lived only half a mile away. Pretty good deals, lots of selection...best for women. Still, I managed to buy some tacky crap that could go well at a costume party, and cost next to nothing. Why not? Oh yeah, I managed to spot those super-cheesy male thongs shaped like animals (parrot, elephant, rhino, etc - you get the point of the shapes). I thought they only existed in the ladies market in Mongkok, Hong Kong, and perhaps Patpong! Guess those male-thong dealers are making commercial strides, expanding their distribution. Crafty buggers.
*Getting Troy where it counts, at Groove, Bangkok
I don't know when we started a balltap war, but it seems that every time I see Troy now, we end up hitting each other in a place no man should purposefully hit. Gotta be on my toes every time, or at least pray that he isn't heavy handed!
*the house band at Groove. I must have sang "Ji Ja" with the singer...yes, I did.
*Groove with friends from Singapore
Yanno I think I might have put on a few kilos in the past couple months. Damn, I can't believe I just said kilos - what happened to good ole American pounds!? I better up the intensity of my workouts, stop going for those damn chilli cheese fries at Superdog (Langan, why the hell did you introduce me to that heart clogger!?), and resist urges to grab after-party mee goreng at River Valley or crab noodles at Soi 38 (then pass out after being stuffed). I don't need to be some vain perfectionist anorexic but I'd like to always be as fit as I was in college...which was definitely better than today (but not hugely far off).
*Kae and my Mom at Hou Yuu, BKK
*Group photo!
*Trying to be Superman in a crowded Bangkok parking lot. Do my glasses make me look a bit like Clark Kent? No? Okay.
*Waltzing with Chris in a small RCA bar
I had another trip to Mongolia for business...it was awesome to be back in a country that I'm actually quite fond of (my second time for work). For all the photos if you are curious about what this obscure but beautiful nation looks like (the capital of Ulaanbaatar anyway), go here: http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=3201863#/album.php?aid=2309177&id=3201863
*The Parliament building in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The place feels a lot like the Wild West, as Brian Busse put it (he would know, he lived there for a year). Men are manly, they ride horses, they wrestle, they hunt using bows and arrows. They drink vodka straight...way too much of it, then get in a fight 1 on 1 with a guy for looking at his girlfriend. No weapons are used, their friends usually let them just go at it. One guy breaks his nose, and the fight is over, til the next dirty drunken look.
Endless green steppe stretches around and below rolling hills, below a blue sky that sprawls forever like in no other place on earth. This is the 15th biggest country in the world by land mass...with only 3 million folks living in it. If it wasn't so damn cold 9 months of the year, it would be an awesome place to live for many more people.
*Real Mongolian BBQ
I really like this market because it has so much potential...we've only just started marketing there and I can see it growing very very fast, given enough momentum in the right places. We started with 1 man on the ground. Now he leads a team of about 12 just a year later. Not too shabby. We're planning a big Smirnoff party next month so I'll be back soon enough. Hopefully it's the talk to the town for a few weeks, and not just because of my antics.
*The Mongolian marketing team
*Cheryl and I partying in Singapore
*St. James Powerstation
Singapore held it's first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix on September 28th. There's been so much hype about it for over a year, I had really high expectations. Johnnie Walker sponsors Team Mercedes Mclaren, so I was quite busy in the lead up to the event with various indirectly involved things. I did get to interview a bunch of cute girls for promoter positions at our F1 party, the Amber Lounge. What a tough task..haha. Okay I took it seriously, seriously! But it's a bit of a laugh to call talking to hot chicks a job. I did it after regular work hours tho...wasn't too hard to convince me, eh Adam?
*an interactive bar at St. James
I'm on the phone one day at the office and Heiki Kovaleinnen walks past me and nods. Very random. He's one of Mclaren's drivers (besides Lewis Hamilton), and is damn short! Props to F1 drivers though, apparently they are extremely well conditioned to perform at top mental and physical shape while driving around those wingless jet fighters hours on end. I had never gotten really into F1 before or understood much about it, so this first race for me was a real first detailed induction into the sport. I'll probably never take an obsession into auto mechanics but I must say F1 is actually pretty fun, especially after you've seen it on the ground, heard that screeching roar of a car driving past at hundreds of miles an hour, bursting your ear drum.
*In front of the Amber Lounge F1 party during the Singapore Grand Prix
I got to see Lewis Hamilton at a meet & greet event the day before the race. Seemed like a charming and cool dude, like his GQ cover photo's and Man of the Year award suggest. He ended up finishing 3rd, which was actually a very very good result given the two Ferrari's didn't finish the race! Really hope he pulls out with the Driver's Championship this year that he was partially robbed of last season by a mechanical failure and an evil looking Spaniard.
*Amber Lounge
To any people that sent me their web signature from Join the Pact - thank you for not being lazy. It paid off and we actually won the two grandstand tickets to the race worth a ton of money!
*Amber Lounge
Adam had worked on the Amber Lounge for a couple months now, and the 3 day party ended up being awesome. I met a very beautiful Taiwanese celeb named Dee, but still have no idea what she does. On Friday I ran into a lot of familiar fun faces and met some cool new ones, including friends from Thailand and the Philippines. On Sunday after the race I partied until the bitter end (and sunlight), but paid for it at work. Oh well...it is only once in a lifetime (probably...not).
*Meet & Greet with Lewis Hamilton and Mika Haikkonen
*The Pit Grandstand
*Lewis Hamilton speeding by
*The start of the race in Singapore
*With Nick at the Turn 1 Grandstand
After the F1, Adam bid us farewell and returned to study in England. The dude is only 20, so he'll do his time and get back out here if he luckily can (with some determination, I think it's very possible). Asia is a fantastic place for a young person to work in a big company, in most cases. It's a real eye opener full of rich cultures and ways to celebrate - hope he can see more after his sneak preview this summer.
*Crush Magazine Anniversary party at Central World. Had to support my girl's magazine, even if she got Chivas to sponsor the event!
*Panda slut herself with a perfect portrait at Hobb, RCA
What - Paul and Ticky back in Bangkok to party again? You don't sayyyy...woooo!!
*Crush Anniversary party
I finally got to take a golf lesson with Andrew at his company, Wilding Golf. They have a sick state-of-the-art virtual course and uber sensitive cameras that track your swing in multiple angles by the milisecond, so you can correct those numerous mistakes to the most minute detail (and I had many). Like I keep saying, one day I'll be good at golf, preferably when I'm no good at sports that require more intensity anymore...but it's a respectable sport that requires a lot of skill and practice, and will definitely be useful in business.
*Crush Anniversary party
Fallabella, the hiso club bar across from where I used to live on Ratchadamri Road, has become a really popular Friday night hot spot now. We ordered a ton of champagne in celebration of Uma and Korn's impending marriage the next day, and didn't give a crap about the bill (until I see my statement). Apparently the Price's daughter was there, and Knight refused to give up his table for her! Hahaha...atta boy.
*Crush Anniversary party
This trip I got to stay in a pretty cool boutique hotel called Ten Face, on the same Soi as Uma's wedding. I would stay there again, if only for the room service.
*Uma and Korn walking down the aisle
The wedding ceremony was at a Christian church, but all in Thai. I couldn't understand the words, but I knew what was being said. The structure was very similar to a western Christian wedding, and it was quite moving to see the couple so happy together on such a landmark day in their lives. It was also quite cool to see a golden Jesus Christ, a la many Buddhist figures in Thailand.
*At the altar on Ruamrudi Church
I saw the movie Eagle Eye...pretty good, pretty good. Very predictable after the midway point but still enjoyable. Watching movies about America also gets me a bit homesick. Then I remember how messed up it is thanks in large part to the Bush administration and a faltering economy, and I feel just fine being thousands of miles away for a long while. I wouldn't want to be President right now...but I'd damn well prefer Obama to take on the job.
*Uma throws the bouquet
The wedding reception had a Vegas theme, and we ended up partying Vegas style. The outfits were schnazzy, a massive buffet called out to the hungry, playboy bunny wannabes peddled free vodka and Johnnie Walker, and people danced on an overly large dance floor until everybody left.
*Pimpin'
*Friends at the wedding ceremony
*Joking around at the post-wedding lunch
Katie has got up and left to study in London for a year, at a week's notice!! I'm really happy for her though, I think she will love the break from crazy Thailand and relish the opportunity to go after something she is passionate about and can see a future in. And I suppose another year in our Motherland would bring back some good memories. Good luck with the weather tho sucker! See you soon ja.
*Last Vegas wedding party/reception
After the party, we hit up the Conrad hotel for Nikhil's after party. Homey was trashed, and having a great time on his farewell tour of Asia (back to Boston in only a week now).
*Showing my two favourite girls a few dance moves
*Everyone having a great time
*Protecting what's dear to us, after Brian started a war
The next day I had a chance to do some Go Karting, always a fun activity. I rammed Kae during one race when she wouldn't budge in front of me...felt a little guilty, but then I remembered all those times she smacked me for making rude jokes or those times she made fun of me in Thai when I couldn't understand - eat my dust!! Hehehe. Pond killed us all though, that dude has been practicing and it's paid off.
*With the bunnies, Vegas style
Got to check out a Korean based dance show called "Breakout", featuring some of the top break dancers in the world in a comedy based musical performance. These people were DAMN fit and didn't make one mistake that I could notice, the whole time. No wonder nowadays most international break dance competition winners are Korean - they go wild for this "sport" and it shows!!
After the show, Tommy, his friend Nam, Kae, and I went to a chill restaurant in Siam Square. A thai singer that had perfect singing English played all our requests, including "I will always love you" by Whitney Houston and my childhood favourite from the movie Land Before Time, "If we hold on together" by Diana Ross.
*King Kong hauling friends around the party
After work on Monday, I wanted to meet up with Kae for a quick dinner before heading off to the airport. Traffic was SO crazy on Sathorn, I was stuck in a taxi for 15 minutes and went 200m trying to get to a restaurant that was less than 1000m away. I lost my patience, paid the dude, and walked through the middle of 4 lane traffic with two suitcases until I got there. Guess I was hungry.
*Lookin' Gek with Ally
I think I need to have less facebook in my life. It's awfully addicting and amusing, and helps me to keep in touch with my friends...BUT...damn I spend a lot of total time on it out of the little free time I have outside of work. It's never to make fun comments about my photos and write 3 sentence wall notes instead of more tedious emails or costly SMS's to friends, but c'mon! I live in the real world, not in facebook. I was able to quite AIM and MSN pretty good after college (a sacrifice in my priority crunch once I started working), and I know I can take a step away from facebook to at least tone down the time. If Singapore was a bit more fun, it would help...but that shouldn't be an excuse!
I also should probably take down the alcohol consumption a bit for a while. I rarely get super wasted but I do have multiple drinks on a fun night out quite often. I don't feel much long term effects (multiple hangovers still count as short term), but I know in the long run this won't be good for my health, and I still believe I am generally quite a health conscious person. I DO want to live an active and fulfilling lifestyle no matter how old I am...so now would be a good time to embrace that old ethos of "moderation is key". Let's see how that turns out..hah. November would be a good time to not drink much at all, sandwiched between Halloween and Xmas/NYE/my birthday. I HAVE toned it down a bit since Bangkok, but not to where I'd like to be. Those Muay Thai sessions on Mondays are still way too tough, haha. But for some reason Tuesday-Thursday exercise isn't so bad, I wonder why.
Sua, Bryan, and Nikhil just spent an amazing weekend of fun down in Singapore with us. Talk more about the debauchery in my next post, which will also include Ally's upcoming birthday, Mongolia part deuce, a couple more run arounds in Bangkok, and perhaps a short island vacay...
Once again if you read this far through all the rushed typos, babbling, way-too-many drunken pics, and general random banter/reflections, congrats and thanks for listening. Take care folks!
Khun Charlie
