A day in Bangkok

I can say that if i am in Thailand most of my time will be spent at the hang out place of Siam Square. not only is it arguably the biggest shopping/eating center where trends are set and ideas bred, but it's also conveniently located close to my high school and a college campus . so each afternoon when school is over you will see swarms of kids in crisp white uniforms head towards Siam Square where they stop by to eat, shop, and flaunt their youthfulness. i too grew up here.

But after all these years of teenaged anxiety and pubescent romance, i didn't get to eat at Baan Khun Mae Restaurant until yesterday. Well, I had every reason not to since they seem to cater specifically to tourists and the food is obviously pretty Americanized. I showed up an hour late because I wasn't feeling well and had slept in. By the time i got there, they had finished nearly all the food which i didn't mind at all, since i could get all that anywhere for cheaper and most definitely better-tasting. So i ordered a plate of shrimp fried rice with garlic rice - to no one's surprise. therefore, my first-time presence at the restaurant was perfunctory and the fried rice was strictly utilitarian. but i was kind of sad still that i didn't get to eat one of their specialties:

The fried rice was 78 Baht (overpriced). And the rest of the table paid 280 Baht each (10 people). so yeah, the next time i'll come back ever again i would most likely be with non-Thai visitors who i don't want to disillusion from the "authentic thai cuisine" they glorify back home. one culture shock crisis averted.

Another thing you can do at Siam Square is karaoke which is part of every Asian pop culture. I went sing k a couple several times when i was in the US, but to be honest it was never as fun as at home. Back in the USA, some people who go sing k or are ostensibly "dragged" to go seem to treat the activity as a less serious matter; they treat it along with things like ping-pong and badminton,much less seriously than, say, tennis or sudoku. of course, i should not judge what is better but i can make no mistake about what i find more comfortable. Oh please, who doesn't want to sing to Bye Bye Bye and jump up and down like pre-SexyBack Justin Timberlake? (Trivia: lots of karaoke places in Beijing are open until 6AM and serve buffet-style food at intervals.)

Today karaoke in Bangkok is taken to the next level when bowling is incorporated. Yes, they stick a karaoke station and two bowling lanes together, successfully eliminating the now passé dilemma of "should we go bowling or k'ing?", for you can now enjoy the two choices or cater to two crowds of people who enjoy different things at the same time.


If choosing between bowling or k'ing cannot be easily settled, there is at least one thing that everyone can agree on. Thai hot pot of the chain restaurant MK seems to be everyone's favorite. As i was bidding my friends goodbye because i had been kind of ill (fever) and tired (unsatisfactory lunch) and dragging all day, one of them asked if i wanted to get dinner at MK first, to which i said yes without much hesitation if at all. I've been back for a month and yesterday was the first time, so i was stoked. My family would go every so often when i was in high school, since like i said, it's everybody's favorite. everyone has the choice of ordering whatever meat and veggie they like to boil to perfection and then drench in the restaurant's super savory dressing and then eat. some of the stuff we ordered includes: roast duck, BBQ pork, roast pig, assorted fish balls and fish cakes, assorted veggies, thinly sliced pork, shrimp, eggs, and muchhhh more. the quality is great, quantity very filling and most importantly the bill very wallet-friendly. that's how i went home with a happy stomach.



note to self

• Adobe InDesign would make a post like this a much easier, more enjoyable, and less time-consuming experience. learn it.
  
• i just realised how majorly i suck at taking photos in indoor lighting. gotta do sumth'n. below is a picture of myself from that day. sexy much?