No. 1, Coming on Top, The Best, The Most Popular - AGAIN

You know what? Never ever bother with polls and surveys. They're a complete waste of time, pure nonsense, and sheer self-indulgence. Unless of course you've landed a spot (and if especially you've snatched the top notch) in the flattering ones!

http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/cities

See Ya in Lima!

Time to say Adios! Our dear amiga Supamas (first girl on your right) is leaving the country in order to serve the country. For 4 years, she will be at the Royal Thai Embassy in Lima, Peru. We’re all so proud of her. She’s pretty. She’s smart. And oh yeah, she’s super fluent in Spanish. Her marido Wanchana, unlike most men we know, will be putting his career on hold big time so the Signora can pursue hers. Her twin Supatmes (third girl on your right) is busily finishing her PhD paper in KL so she can come back to BKK to be close to their parents. The Royal Thai Government has found the young couple a 2-bedroom apartment in downtown Lima. So, we’re officially invited to visit. This standing invitation sure thrills everyone particularly Watit (first boy on your left). Watit has “sailed a thousand ships” but that hasn’t sadly yet included South America. Theerapong (first boy on your right) is also excited because he being him could kill two birds with one stone; he can totally also swing by Buenos Aires and perform just one song so Argentina can once and for all stop crying! But back to the pressing agenda here, Signora. For your dear amigos, would it be possible to repaint the guest bedroom Shocking Pink or Screaming Lavender? Meaning would that undermine your career in any fashion or breach the Thai-Peruvian Treaty in any manner? – Bel Guardo, June 11, 2011

P.S. the dark beer cake our decadent Niram (second boy on your left) had baked for the occasion has totally upstaged each and every of those il ristorante italiano provided!!!!

Dancing Queens

Thailand has her own Queen of Pop. Her name is Christina Aguilar. No, no, not that American blonde. And, she’s not Thai either. Father’s Spanish/Filipino. Mother’s French/Vietnamese. But she was born and raised here. W/ our dance shoes on, we shook booties and belted out sappy tunes so other BITCHES and FLAMERS in the colorful audience would know who’s who and how it’s done. They sure did! – Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, June 5, 2011.

Night Out w/ Viola

Viola is a good friend of mine. She’s absolutely fabulous!! She’s a club expert. Last night was her birthday and we went to someplace near our world-famous weekend market. The venue was packed with blossoming boys in their 20s. Oh Sweet Lord, the smell of sticky rice was almost pungent. Truth be told, they’re not my cup of tea. Babysitting is the last thing on my mind. But there were some really really cute ones last night and all of them were so polite and friendly, making menopausal pensioners like us feel like we belonged. Well, almost! Now, Viola darling, I’m not sure if I said it to you or not. It was a continuous blur and my head was sort of spinning. Those boys really knew what they were doing! Anyway, Happy Birthday Darling! You’re truly inspirational. No shit! – Fake Club, June 4, 2011

What Best Friends Won't Do!

A ginormous surprise that Niram showed up at my party. I know how this one sounds to the outside world. Flabbergasted that your main chum turned up? We’re best friends alright but we didn’t do birthdays. Never. Ever. Strictly one of our thingies! W/ just one phone call though, Randy’s defaced our sacred tradition forever. Very naughty of Randy! And, Anthony! How on earth did you figure out that a good cosmopolitan is my religious drink of choice? Thanks an awful lot!

Material Me

I may be a material boy who vogues and eats attention for meals! But believe it or not. I did set my birthday as a secret (yeah, your baby's got a secret) so it wouldn’t show on anyone’s wall. My twin Nina (who’s that girl?) started the whole thing, causing a commotion that followed. To all of you who have called, sms-ed, and written on my wall, I take a bow. Your wishes touched me like a prayer. You make me feel like one lucky star, like a virgin. And, you did get me burning up and into the groove. So, let me just express myself that I’m crazy for you and hung up on you, my friends – my beautiful ex strangers. My appreciation for you just gets deeper and deeper. Let’s keep it together! I know I'll stay true blue :) – Wine Pub, Pullman Hotel, Soi Rangnam, and then Pandanus Bar, Sathorn Soi 1 – April 23, 2011.

Pro-Social Lunch

No, no, this wasn’t an Anti-Songkran lunch! This year’s rude awakening is that we’re simply too old to be part of the water fight. So, we left the splashing tumult to the emerging generation. So gone are the days when someone like Joe would show up on Kaosarn and/or Silom Road in his torso-hugging tank top. No more occasions for him to feign nonchalance when good-looking boys pointed their guns and shot their water at him. Sadly speaking! Another glaring truth is that once you’ve reached a certain age, it’s no longer so terrible to admit that you’d rather sit, eat and invariably end up debating how to make perfect desserts for your husband…….or your imaginary boyfriend. So, there we were! At Samsen sub-district - the ultimate neighborhood for old-school, high-street Thai food, if you will. And the food this place proffers is nothing short of top-notch. Yes, you can totally take our word for it! Now, with our satiated stomach, full-on sense of connectedness, unabashed exuberance, positive energy, and bloody Thai smiles, we’d like to say in unison “Happy Thai New Year, Dear Friends!” – April 14, 2011.

French Charm

Friday night glided by with us appreciating a great deal a great great French mime “Imagine-Toi”. Besides, I was touched on a grand scale. My good friend Chalanthorn had couriered me a free tix even though I had nothing to do with the French Association of Bangkok. And despite the fact that my French is atrociously basic! Manee and Joanna were there as well. So, four old (yes, old!) friends got to hang out and had a capital time inside out.

But, back to my damned French. While I’m pleased and proud of a slew of Thai friends who speak the language flawlessly, sometimes I can’t help being jealous and left behind. What have I done to let this become a bitter reality? What have I NOT done in my vibrant & energetic youth? The level of my French remains an utter humiliation in spite of an alarming number of French men I have “encountered”.

The next times I get to mingle with those monsieurs I will be sure to do other things as well. Well, you know, on top of “that”.

High-School Friend's Wedding

Went to a friend’s wedding up in a mountain 2 hrs from Bangkok. Met almost everybody from high school. Such a much-needed break from soul-corrupting whirlwinds available everywhere in the city. The long & the short of it is it is incredibly rejuvenating to touch base with where you’re from. Had a blast revisiting teenage delirium, dance moves, vernacular and whatnot. And my poor little heart skipped 10 beats or so when I laid my eyes on my old crush. Man, after all these grueling years, the golden boy’s still got it. Thank you, Babe. You did whisk me right back to 1994-1996! – Pakchong, last weekend of Feb 2011.

Fave Foto from Anti-Valentine Anecdote

You know what? There's absolutely nothing candid about this photo. Yes, Folks, we'd do anything for Facebook.

Anti-Valentine Party

Joe’d been crazy-busy this past week putting together an “Anti-Valentine Party”. Saturday evening, good friends from college turned up and occupied his favorite coffee house in all of Bangkok, “Re Café Langsuan”. Anti-Valentine? Well, another frigging Valentine’s Day was/is encroaching and Joe felt compelled to somehow defy its tedious, tacky, and tasteless gravity. He’s just sick and tired of pop culture worldwide glorifying romance just for the hell of it and, in the process, making (weak) individuals without one feel “the lack”. Sure, definitely, of course, if you have a thriving romantic relationship, good for ya. And, if you have a topsy-turvy one, don’t let it tumble. But if you don’t have any, BIG DEAL! There are so many other joys in this jovial, jaunty world for just about every Joe. And this gregarious Joe and gang (many of who are in a meaningful relationship themselves) have definitely found, and so treasure simple joy of friendship. Speaking of which, hey, here are sorts of friendship that they like. They like their friendship to be fair. They DONT like it to be frozen, frosty, frumpy, frugal, fading, fleeting or flopping. They like it unfake. They like it flaky. They like it frilly. They like it fluffy. They like it feisty. They like it funky. They like it foamy. They like it frothy. They like it fistful & fruitful. They like it fun-filled. They like it feud-free. They like it free-flowing. They like it fulfilling. They like it flawed and fierce. They like it filmed and framed. They like it FAB and FLYING. And, it is not a federal offence, they have found, if certain friendship happens to be just perfect for Facebook – Feb 12, 2011

Look at the photo, Folks. The building compound that looks like a temple is the school I went to for a bachelor's degree for 4 years, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. The concrete jungle behind it is what we call Ratchadamri area. I've been working there for most of my adult life (so far). This shot pretty much sums up my life. So, there :) (Courtesy of pktown, a member on Skyscrapercity Forum)

Joe was knocked off the floor last November, on the Loy Kratong Night to be precise, to learn that he actually had a TWIN. What has also really sweetened the deal is his “long-lost, separated-at-birth duplicate” is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed tigress from Norway. Who lives in Berlin. Nina and Joe have so much in common. Taurus, failed writers, can’t/won’t cook, eating same food over and over again, don’t/won’t read newspaper etc. Friday night, the gang had a farewell dinner for Nina and her man, Mike. They had meant to stay for just one month when arriving. But, just as they kept exploring, they found themselves having a fierce time Bangkoking. We will miss them both after tomorrow. But they will be back for sure. Even once toying with an idea of renting an apartment here and having Randy manage it!! On a side note, if everything goes as planned, by the end of this year, Joe will definitely find himself having a ferocious time Berlinning – Secret Garden & Amontre, Sathorn Rd, Feb 4, 2011.

Two Blokes from Dubai

Michael Carter is a good-looking Aussie who lives on the top floor of our building. He’s having 2 friends from Dubai, Raymond & Shawn, visiting him at the moment. Such a perfect premise for a night like last one. He had sent down an invite earlier in the week, saying the 2 blokes could use some humoring and the soiree would not glide without catered food and smooth wine. Knowing our true contribution to the ecosystem, and w/ our knees always weak to such dangling carrots, we let our heart lead. Also, Tommy & Richard are just back in town and that was how they got back in touch with everyone. Elsewhere, Nina & Mike likened Mr. Carter’s balcony to another bona-fide rooftop bar. Min & Randy enjoyed the food as they should. Victor gave beady-eyed Joe heaps of iAdvice. Quel dommage that Annette couldn’t make it! – Jan 22, 2011

Thai Dinner in Indian Temple Quarter

I took a bunch of ex-strangers out for a popular Thai restaurant in an Indian temple neighborhood. I had been there many times. With ex-boyfriends, ex-husbands, and, of course, a few forgettable flings. One thing I didn’t forget though was that the place used to be wholly good. But this time, while the food was well beyond passable, the service was well below bearable. Obviously, somebody was naïve enough to think that famed food alone should suffice. To put it kindly, the service was so atrocious that it became an attraction unto itself. And that was why, to me and team, Friday night, Jan 7, 2011, was doubly exuberant.