Grad Trippin' BKK! [Day 1]

Welcome to Bangkok (a place I used to call my second home)!

 Patiently waiting for the girls to return from their 7-11 shopping trip (they were apparently shopping up a storm because of matcha pocky sticks and ridiculously cheap Tao Kae Noi seaweed - heh a classic bkk shopping trip literally starts the very minute one lands)

Took the BTS to our hostel, "Link Corner Hostel Bangkok" which is not only very conveniently located next to Ratchaprarop station (2 min walk) but also near Pratunam Market/Platinum Mall (10 min walk). (no one had any idea of the nightmare that was awaiting them - okay, I kid but their experiences were none too pleasant, I must say. Then again, I wouldn't boycott the hostel in future or warn others of it because well, you get what you pay for!)

I have no picture of my bed because.. I had no bed then. Due to some miscommunication (or not, I'm not sure - I have half a mind to sue them for misrepresentation), we got a 6-bed dorm instead of the expected 8-bed dorm and I was the unfortunate one (read: pissed, annoyed, all mixed together) who was allocated the additional bed. Which the staff conveniently forgot about until 10 pm that night. I don't know how the Airbnb booking process was like for this particular hostel but judging from my prior experience with Booking.com, a company of 7 typically books and gets the entire 8-bed dorm (with or without extra charge for the unoccupied bed) - because booking options usually only list 4, 6 and 8-bed dorms. Hence, the allocation of a 6-bed dorm came as a shock to me (cheat my money, cheat my feelings) because I already knew the extra bed was gonna suck. In all my travels combined, I've never come across an additional bed (in hostels and hotels alike) which is better than the actual beds. Tip for future bookings - be sure what you're booking for!

Started off our first meal at Greyhound Cafe (at Siam Center), a supposedly mega popular cafe that requires up to 3 days' advance booking...

I have no idea..

(Fettuccini with Shrimp and Mushroom Cream Sauce pictured)

what the hype is about..

(Greyhound Famous Fried Chicken Wings pictured)

Greyhound Cafe's decor is real pretty - love the hanging plants, vegetables in vases and the whole nature concept - but the food's nothing to rave about. The pasta was good, very decent, the wings crispy and well done but it wasn't thaaaaat amazing (that said, it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to food so..) haha. Ah, the friends totally loved the ice blended Thai iced tea (it came with a really unique crumbly texture) so I would say that's worth a try!

 Moved on to Petite Audrey (still at Siam Center) which is famous for mille crêpes; or what danielfooddiary describes as "gorgeous thai tea (pictured on right below) and milo crêpe cakes (pictured on left below)". I was suffering from a bout of indigestion (from the night before) so I had to give these pretty desserts a miss.

 Look at all the attention these lovelies are getting!

Taking selfies haha ;)

 Entertaining myself at Forever 21 (I swear the security guard was super annoyed at us lol)

SIAM PARAGON! I MEET EU AGAIN AFTER WHAT- 6-7 YEARS?!

 Straight to another dessert place after.. dessert hahah 

This time, I just had to try it, indigestion or not - after all, it was my first ever Shibuya Toast and boy, I loved it! I really don't get how it can have such a buttery/oily exterior and yet, still remain soft and fluffy on the inside (it's magic!) Pair it with a generous dollop of ice cream and lots of maple syrup and you may get a taste of what heaven feels like, in your mouth at least aha ^^ This has to be among one of the best desserts I've ever tried in my life! (going back to try the Nutella Toast the next trip!)

Then the shopping started proper (at Platinum Mall)...

This necklace is just craycrayy. It's gonna hurt the wearer so much (though at least its avant-garde design will get its wearer fashion plus points)

30 baht for a pregnancy kit... perhaps not the best place to check if a baby's indeed on its way.. ahahaha

Dinner at some random stall by the road - soggiest Thai Chicken Fried Rice I've ever had! Maybe they thought I ordered fried rice in broth... lol.

The bottle of Chang Beer that Deb downed in half an hour (salute!)

My bed, finally set up! Chose an early night (didn't work out) over clubbing at the-very-atas-Ku De Ta with the rest of the girls - though in hindsight, I should have joined them and skipped the horrible Do Not Disturb (DND) club the next night instead.

[end of Day 1]

My Sleep Log

In the Land of Smiles

Day 1: 3.30am

Day 2: 4.45am (a maddie record!)

Day 3: 2.45am

Day 4: 2.45am

Back in Singapore

Day 1: 2.15am

Day 2: 12.40am

Day 3: 12am

Day 4: 12.20am

Day 5: 12.30am

Day 6: 1am (eeks)

Goal: Roll into bed by 12 midnight (or earlier) every night!

Out of Sorts

I've been feeling unwell ever since I got back.. It hurts a lot and all I feel like doing is to lie in bed the whole day :(

Messy Thoughts

1. I realise that I can spend up to 40 minutes on Instagram, checking out drawings on random artists' pages. That is a problem, isn't it?

2. I have no issue when it comes to 'giving' but 'taking'.. I don't seem to fare particularly well there. For instance, when a friend offered to send care packages all the way from Hawaii a few weeks back, I hesitated. After thinking about how expensive it would be and the inconvenience possibly caused to the friend, I eventually declined the offer. In contrast, some friends immediately took him up on the offer and within a minute, their addresses were already in the chat group. Is that the "normal" response (or is there no one right response)? I do know that perhaps the friend didn't need any worrying on his part.. but really, are we supposed to be that thoughtless when making decisions? Then again, hah maybe thoughtlessness is the secret to getting the goodies in life? That said, the distinction between being considerate and thoughtless is quite arbitrary - for all I know, all those thoughts and concerns might have flashed through their minds in 30 seconds before their fingers started on their addresses (very unlikely, I must say).

I'm just not used to- or I would even go so far as to say that I dislike taking things/receiving help from others. Why so? Is it a fear of the feeling of dependence (or vulnerability)? Of being a liability to the other? Of the need for independence? (I'm still figuring it out myself)

3. From my Thailand trip, I've found out that I absolutely detest it when people unjustifiably tell me to "hurry up" (ie. when I fell behind because I stopped to keep my passport in my bag.. You see, the keyword here is "stopped". If I stopped, I'm obviously not moving whereas everyone else is still in motion so it's only natural that they'll then catch up with me, no?!). If I didn't see fit to hurry anyone when I was leading in front, don't you try and hurry me. "Hurry up" carries the negative connotation that one is moving far too slowly (well, at least to me) so if I'm not being a sloth, don't hurry me. And don't be surprised if I respond coldly/sarcastically (yes, I did) because hearing that annoys the 'ell out of me.

4. I like people who are responsible and can take care of themselves! <3 Oh, and considerate, thoughtful people!

5. I should wear a watch on my next trip.

6. Always look on the bright side when things screw up on an overseas trip. Since flying back home is not an option, why not make the best out of everything? (I'm proud to say I did this!)

7. I really, really, really like mango sticky rice. Hahahahaha I'm in love with it! The family never used to eat Thai desserts much on our previous trips so me encountering mango sticky rice and coconut ice cream on this trip was like.. Chang Er meeting Hou Yi again (HAHA I exaggerate but wah, damn yummy eh!) 

8. I think I'm suffering from travel fatigue. And my skin is peeling (from getting sunburnt twice) sian. Haha I'm partially to blame though (sheepish laugh) I was struggling to hold my shopping bags, a (complimentary) cup of coconut juice, a coconut bowl (for the ice cream), my phone and a brolly and since it wasn't possible to hold everything, I just gave up on the brolly and told the sun to shine all it wanted (and it didn't disappoint lol). 

9. Me wishes to do many things now but me has no stamina. (falls asleep)

10. Did I become fatter after the two trips? (anguished look) Haha I really need to lose weight!!

Bangkok

Be patient, be happy.

I'm a fighter (or maybe not)

Sometimes, I find myself feeling at a loss for words or simply not knowing what best to do when faced with a friend's personal problems (of a specific nature). I do understand what she's going through and I know how pained she must be feeling but.. apart from telling her to be strong and hang in there till the storm passes (these hateful storm clouds do hang around for a long time), I find that I can't do much more for her. Should I be giving her a big, warm hug? Assuring her that I'll always be there for her? Thinking up escape routes for her? Creating a world where she can seek refuge in? With all honesty, I would love to do so and I may be so much happier if I were capable of doing such things for others.

But I find that I can't.. For now, at least.

I've become so emotionally detached from certain things/people/events, that I can only approach certain matters from a highly objective, rational and unfeeling perspective. Do I like this? No. But can I help it? Likewise, no. The way I respond to others is undeniably influenced by my own personal circumstances and there's no way I can reverse that. Since no one was ever there for me when I was going through some of the shittiest days of my life (and 'ell, it ain't even over), the one thing I've learnt from it all is that I'm on my own in this fat-bull-crap-of-a-thing-they-call-life. If I don't suck it up and move on, the world's just going to drag me down and you know what, no way am I going to let that happen to me. Thus far, it's been a solo battle and it's always been either fight or flight (I've tried both but age has mellowed me and these days, I choose to hide instead lol) so if you ask me about love, concern and all the mushyfeely emotions (that usually come with post-conflict resolutions), naww not in my vocabulary. I can't expect everyone else to do the same thing - and I don't because I know it seldom ends pretty - but at the same time, I find it difficult to give others the sort of comfort they seek (and that makes me feel bad). It doesn't help that I can't emote well either hah.

I honestly hope that someday, these walls can be torn down.

On an unrelated note, I would really like to stress how important it is for people to not be overly quick to judge (others). It annoys me immensely when people do so, especially when they do act on those preconceived judgments, because who are we to judge them? For starters, not everyone wears their hearts on their sleeves. Additionally, I don't believe in quantifying one's pain and suffering (as I've mentioned before on numerous occasions, can't remember on this blog, another blog or in conversations) - it's all subjective so don't just hastily write off another's troubles as minor and insignificant (this isn't from personal experience but I've seen it happen to the people around me so I guess I can empathise). Those poor people should not have to be at the receiving end of such unkind and unfair treatment when life already isn't easy for them. 

The world could be a much more pleasant and beautiful place to live in, if only we had a greater capacity to love the people around us and of course, ourselves.

台灣之旅

我也好想要輕鬆愉快地和朋友們一起遊玩台灣，不過事實證明這並不是個容易辦到的一件事。你硬要把蘋果和草莓拿來相比，我也拿你沒輒 - 不過請別擅自做決定影響到別人，有公德心一點好嗎。

我不喊累，不抱怨，不代表我不累或者我很開心。我這個人啊，不善於表達自己的感覺⋯ 這是眾人所知的。想要察覺我喜歡你、討厭你、生你氣、對你失望、厭煩的不得了等感覺⋯其實沒能察覺才是「正常」的反應。因為從我的言行舉止⋯ 就是不容易看出我的情緒到底是什麼。當我說我累的時候，就算沒有表現得沒氣沒力的，我是很認真的。你累我也會累呀。我也是人，我也沒睡多少，所以不要把我的話當作是玩笑，不把它當作一回事。

我是較屬於「照顧別人，不喜歡露出自己軟弱一面」的類型，不過偶爾可以被其他人體貼照顧，有誰會不要呢？是人多會要吧⋯ （苦笑）我是不習慣輕易接受別人的幫助（因為我深信我必須做個獨立有主見的年輕人、新時代女性）但那不代表我是超人，不等於情緒可以被輕視。

嗨⋯最慘的是，這裡的食物⋯怎麼是這種程度（難吃）啊。

（大家如果能多體諒其他人，這旅途應該會快樂許多吧。）