To boost or not to boost?

Is the multi-year Covid cycle coming to an end?

It does look more and more like it, doesn't it? 

Many European countries have opened up completely. It still boggles my mind to see stadiums full of spectators without masks every weekend, but I guess that shows how we're trending.

In Singapore and Thailand, more than ever, people I know are contracting, then recovering from Covid. At this rate, most of us will be vaccinated/boosted/Covid-recovered/all-of-the-above in the next few months, which could allow most nations to declare Covid endemic.

In the first year of the pandemic, people were dying from Covid in the hundred of thousands, I lost (mostly unvaccinated) friends and colleagues from the virus. It was impossible for me to accept a colleague passing away because he went to work. On the other hand, I had colleagues who did not know anything about vaccines and rejected them. At that time, the reason for vaccination was clear - to prevent serious life-threatening symptoms, and set an example for my colleagues to accept the concept of vaccination. We couldn't bear to lose anymore of them.

Now, we are almost two and a half years down from the start of the pandemic. The world has lost millions of lives. Covid-vaccination is no longer a foreign concept. In fact, most of us are staring down another deep blackhole - boosters.

Before you start thinking that I am anti-vaccination, let me clarify that I have just gotten my booster 2 days ago. What prompted me to write this is the fact that the decision to take the booster was one of the most difficult and unnerving ones I've made in a while.

I can list down a whole host of good reasons to get boosted:

1. I already paid for it long ago (yes, it was a warzone to secure vaccinations in Thailand, be thankful if you got yours without a fight), and it wasn't easy to get it.
   
   
2. I have to be fair to my colleagues, who have mostly gone for their boosters, even though many were anti-vaccination in the beginning.
   
   
3. I need it to be able to travel (in fact, countries like Singapore give a validity period for vaccinations, and Malaysia requires different number of quarantine days depending on how many jabs you have, etc. etc.)
   
   
4. For protection, for health, for my family.

But why am I not convinced?

I want it to be solely because of 4., but why do I feel like I did it even more because of a combination of 1-3?

I hate this feeling.

Bangkok Life Hacks: International Fund Transfer from Thailand to Singapore via Bangkok Bank Mobile Banking. Fast, Convenient, Low Fees.

I don’t think anyone expected the pandemic situation to last for years when it first broke loose around Chinese New Year in 2020, but it has. In fact, the general situation is getting from bad to worse in most countries. I bet many of you are like me, stuck in Thailand for the longest time yet without traveling home and from what I see in many forums, practical things like transferring money in Thailand back to Singapore are increasingly becoming an issue.

I believe many of us might be familiar with some usual suspects like DeeMoney who can do the job, but while they are established and can help with larger amounts, signing up for a new account requires us to physically verify our identity at an agent location (which is risky in the current climate in Thailand), and the money will reach the payee in at least 1-3 working days.

Enter Bangkok Bank, which since end April 2021, has successfully unveiled the linkage of Thailand's PromptPay and Singapore's PayNow real-time retail payment systems. This means that, if you have a Bangkok Bank account and are using their mobile app, you can do an immediate cross-border fund transfer simply with a Singapore phone number linked to the payee’s Paynow account. The daily transfer limit (also single transaction limit) is currently set as 1000SGD, and there’s a fixed transaction fee of 150THB.

If you are worried about the exchange rate, it will be based on Bangkok Bank’s real-time T/T selling rate, which you can check here.

At the time of writing, the selling rate of SGD on powerhouse Money Exchange Service Superrich is 24.55 for amounts less than 1000SGD, so it’s extremely close and competitive.

So if you want to see the full instructions, you can either refer to this page, or watch the short video below (in Thai with English captions). Just know that if you want to pay a friend in Singapore for helping you to buy something, give your parents/sibling/children their monthly allowance, or even transfer them a birthday/CNY blessing, it’s really as simple as paying for your delivery meal now.

PS. Using the same gateway, you can also transfer money from Singapore to Thailand with the same daily limits.

First Family Outing Post-Covid

Note: Post-Covid is too much to claim, but just let me use it to commemorate the moment.

3 months.

It's been that long since #theKawayiis went out for a proper dinner together. It's been cooking and deliveries ever since we celebrated the wifey's birthday at Mia mid-March.

Come to think of it, we've actually been adjusting to the new situation in pretty well. We'd often struggled to make decisions regarding the next meal, but we've never talked about a burning desire to dine out again.

Last night, after making reservations and ensuring the family could sit together at the same table, we embarked on the exciting adventure to eat out again.

1. Entering Emquartier

It was nice to walk into the mall without little infra-red thermometers shooting at our foreheads. The mall is equipped with thermal imaging cameras to enable a hassle-free experience. Once we passed that, we were given cute stickers which were our passports for the rest of the journey.

The Entrance

Thai Chana check-in QR Code 

Cute thermometer sticker indicating we were all-clear

Note on Thai Chana:
Only 1 of us was required to check-in, and Thai Chana is NOT AN APPLICATION. You do not need to download anything, but it does give away your location and I believe it's tagged to your phone number.



2. Going to the restaurant

Everything was normal except there were signs reminding us to keep a 2-step distance away from the next person on the escalator.

Signs at every escalator

3. Entering the restaurant

Wanting reliable comfort food, our choice of dinner was Roast. As expected, one of us was required to check-in via Thai Chana as well.


4. WE COULD SIT TOGETHER AT THE SAME TABLE!!!

Yes, it's true!

5. Food-ordering and dining

To minimize contact, Roast has decided to put their menu online (sorry, no more take-home newsletter-style menu). The menu has also shrunk a fair bit, though this change also gives them the freedom to make changes to it as-and-when they desire

New Online Menu

"I really miss eating in restaurants," he said.

"The bacon is so crispy!" she said.

6. Leaving

You should know the drill by now. We were required to check out via Thai Chana at both Roast and Emquartier.

Hope this step-by-step description will be of help to you as you ponder whether to bring your family out for dinner in the 'new normal'.

Time, the essence of taste and life - 时间的味道

In my journey to obtain a deeper understanding of food, something I didn't used to value kept ringing in my head - time.

Time is in everything.

In marination, fermentation, ageing, curing, brining, freezing, braising, proofing and everything else you can think of. Even thawing frozen meat/fish is best achieved slowly over a day or two in the lower warmer echelons of the fridge.

The meal is ruined if you don't wait for the ingredient to warm up to room temperature before cooking, and precious cuts of meat will be completely wasted if you don't give it time to rest after grilling/roasting.

Fruits develop the right flavour given time to ripen naturally, animals/fish too, if given the luxury to take their own time according to what nature designed for them.

A good meal, in other words, is often the taste of time. Patience is therefore, the true test of one's dedication to achieving the best.

Delicious, unforgettable beef bourguignon, courtesy of @carolparismikki.

Take this pot of beef bourguignon for example, it had been on the stove for 2 full days before I had my 10 minutes of enjoyment devouring it. If the cook or the guest did not have enough patience, the entire dinner experience would have been completely different.

Isn't life the same?

Isn't life the gentle simmer that can be more effectively-understood only after one has gathered experience and maturity through the accumulation of time?

Time is the essence of everything.

To build up a company from nothing to a reliable entity in the marketplace.

To foster a strong relationship with people.

To have sufficient practice to master a skill.

To nurture your little ones into responsible adults.

To win hearts and prove your credibility.

And of course, to cook delicious pot of beef bourguignon to make friends and family really really happy.

*********************************

在我找寻美食真谛的旅途里，通过视频，书籍，文章，跟厨师的交谈当中，有两个字一再被重复：时间。

时间有味道吗？尝得到吗？

时间彻底融入了食物的一切，从焖、炬、烤、腌制、发酵、冷冻, 都少不了对时间的掌控。连达到解冻最好的效果，都要通过在冰箱里低温长时间才能取得。耐心，也成为了烹饪最重要的品德。

A post shared by Eddie Yii (@strangerinbangkok) on Jul 16, 2018 at 8:39pm PDT

就拿这碗简简单单的台湾肉燥饭来说吧，如果不是在炉灶上足足两天，采用最好的有机猪肉 （也就是说猪只有自由活动的空间和适当的时间来自然成长），这碗饭也达不到我想要的滋味。

人生不也一样吗？难道人生不是通过长时间累积的经验跟智慧，才能好像红葡萄酒一样越老越香醇吗？

时间穿透了生命的一切、是万事欠缺的东风。

把一间公司从一无所有培养成在商场上可靠的品牌。

把孩子教育成对社会负责任的一份子。

把婚姻，朋友，家庭、各种人际关系经营好。

把一个求生技能掌握得得心应手。

让自己赢得漂亮的诚信与口碑。

这样样都急不得，不能缺少耐心与时间的酝酿。

时间有味道吗？

有。

那就要看你有没有用心去品尝了。

Stranger in Bangkok: Phase 2

Many people like to ask me, "What do you do in Bangkok?" followed by, "What company do you work for?"

I usually do not know what to say, because I know the answer will not be an interesting one. Even though I work in the agricultural industry, one that is relevant to more than half the population in Thailand, to most, it's still considered a low-profile "niche" market.

The conversation gets even more awkward when I reluctantly tell them my company name.

So there you go.

I moved permanently to Bangkok mid-2010. It took us 8 years, to start from zero, to finally move into our own premises. Consider this a major milestone in our journey, but this is one decision that came with a story of its own.

The owner of the group of companies I work for has never visited our branch in Thailand before. The only time I saw him in my first 6 years, was at my wedding, where he shook my hand and offered his blessings. Otherwise, no matter how I encouraged him to come, his reply would be, "You young people need to fight the fight."

As I go through all the paper in my office in preparation for the move, in my bid to save every piece of reusable paper or clip, I recalled all the things I did to build this up. I had to do every damn thing, cos there was just me. All the late nights. The lonely evenings I spoke with the neighborhood dog. The systems I set up to make sure I did everything necessary. The talking to passers by to help me unload thousands of boxes of goods, which had to be done regardless of weather or time. The betrayals. The helplessness. All precious precious memories, good or bad. I realized my survival instinct forced me to block out the process to focus on achieving acceptable results, resulting in me forgetting much of the journey. I wonder whether that's a good thing. Or maybe I am just getting old. #workinginthailand #strangerinbangkok

A post shared by Eddie Yii (@strangerinbangkok) on Jun 20, 2018 at 3:06am PDT

Fast forward to September 2016. A special training event organised by our principle brought me back to my head office in Bintulu, Sarawak. As usual, big boss shook my hand. This time, he spoke, "It's time to find our own place."

He had finally given me an instruction! My one and only royal edict. I sprung into action.

It took nearly 2 years, and here we are.

In our own place. Bigger, better, and more importantly, gives us a sense of belonging and a platform to propel us into greater heights. Whether that happens though, is an unknown.

What I know is, behind this sense of achievement, is the fact that we have never been tighter in cash, and never been more in debt.

Stranger in Bangkok: Phase 2, starts, now.

2017 Half-term Report: Same same but different

Gosh, it's already the end of June, I thought 2017 had just started, and I guess it's fair to say that it seems to be nearing its end!

Wow, this year has been such a whirl for me. No, don't get me wrong, my life is still the same. Same country, same company, same job, same family (duh!), same blog, same Thai Government and same economy going through the same extended lull.

It doesn't sound very exciting at all, but it is. This year is the year I decided that sitting back hoping for things to change around me to happen is no longer good enough. Change comes from within. It's simply because everything is still the same, that I can concentrate on bringing positive change to my life.

I have the same 2 beautiful kids and the ever-lovely wife, but the kids are growing. My daughter is already in a nursery and will start her first school term in August (more dates with the wife finally!). They are slipping through my fingers and Daddy's expenditure will inevitably be ramped up significantly as this happens. Time to work harder without sacrificing precious family time. More little special family occasions, staycations, trips and nicer pictures will hopefully create priceless memories for us to cherish.

Hope it's not too late for the kawayiis to wish everyone a happy Songkran Festival 2017! #songkran #songkran2017 #holidays #songkranholidays #staycation #siblinglove #asokemyfoot #thekawayiis #strangerinbangkok #daddymatters #ilovemyfamily #ootdkids #前世情人

A post shared by Eddie (@strangerinbangkok) on Apr 14, 2017 at 12:15am PDT

Work-wise, pro-active is the key word. Active diversification of our product lines and the commitment to provide the best service to our customers will hopefully mean an up-turn to our stagnating business. The poor economy is no longer going to be a convenient reason to explain a year with little or no breakthrough. Even if we can't beat the trends, we are not going down without a fight. In fact, we are in the process of finalizing a move to a brand new operating facility and creating the most exciting online marketing plan this industry has ever seen. Stay tuned.

For the 2nd year in a row, I drew the big prize in our company's annual lucky draw but gave it back immediately for someone else to win it. @kfline told me, "the universe wants to give you something but you want to reject it to bless other people." I am blessed. The moment I stepped into Thailand, I have been blessed to no end by Thais. It's not unreasonable to say that I am nothing without them. Even though my colleagues drive me crazy once in a while, I love them to bits. And yes, I will continue to take part in the annual draw though I might not bring home the top prize, because who doesn't enjoy being in a sure-win lucky draw? #annualluckydraw #luckydraw #topprize #solucky #soblessed #strangerinbangkok

A post shared by Eddie (@strangerinbangkok) on Feb 3, 2017 at 6:18am PST

Online, please be prepared folks, to see more and more of me. 2016 proved to be my least-prolific blogging year. but it's also the year that I started to see wider horizons for myself on this social media wave. I have started to create content for multiple platforms (will create a page to list them out soon) and plan to capitalise on this positive momentum. Therefore, you probably can't run away from the Stranger in Bangkok, be it here or somewhere else you least expected.

Stranger or stranger in Bangkok? Thank you @kfline for the customised T-shirt and the great TGIFather's Day! #sunday #weekend #thekawayiis #summerboy #summer #sunnyday #sunshine #youaremysunshine #fathersday #sofun #strangerinbangkok #tgif #tgifathersday #nunufirstjoy #gru #despicableme3 #minions

A post shared by Eddie (@strangerinbangkok) on Jun 18, 2017 at 6:26am PDT

So there you go, thanks for bearing with me as I felt necessary to give a simple update of my boring life. Life might be the same, but embracing and creating change is actually a mindset. Having an idea in your head is great, but ultimately it's a big fat zero if you do nothing about it. Think, create, execute.

One of my favourite recent pictures.

I firmly believe that every good action will bring about a positive effect sooner or later, so rock on guys, let's fight the fight together, and may the rest of 2017 be an even better one for you.

Parenting Poem: When Parents don't need to Parent

May Day, 1st of May

Office closed, schools not so

You ask me why? I don't know

So off to school the children go

For the 1st time in 5 years

Even when no help is here

My wife and I have half a day

To celebrate the 1st of May

What to do? Where to go?

Not too used to this, ya know

So let's start the easy way

Spend the morn eating away

Don't ask me why schools are open on May day, but it is so and it means the first couple date in Bangkok since we had children without needing to trouble anyone! Starting the date of the right way, with a hearty breakfast at our favourite bestest food court. #serimarket #paradisepark #wantons #oneton #wantonnoodles #aroimakmak #bangkokstreetfood #bestfoodcourt #foodporn #instafood #foodstagram #ingots #strangerinbangkok #ravioli #coupledate #rarerthanrare #mtime

A post shared by Eddie (@strangerinbangkok) on May 1, 2017 at 12:52am PDT

But there's still a problem, you see

Four hours more, not only three

Oh well, let's watch movie

Guardians of the Galaxy

***************spoileralert ***************

This Peter Quill

Just can't chill

Lost 2 daddies in a day for real

Though what I feel is mighty good

The high screen time of Baby Groot

What great time, passed in a flash

Like the the good ole days, starting afresh

We could eat junk

Watch a bad movie

What's most crucial, the company

How to Stay Motivated at Work: Maybe it's more than just money?

If you are reading this, may I ask you a question?

Why are you waking up before the sun rises, going to work at least 5 days a week and possibly arrive home when the sky is just as dark as the moment you woke up?

Let's face it. Most of us work primarily for the the income our work generates, so that we can give enough to our families and ourselves. But to a large extent, the things we do at work are usually not directly related to the money we bring home at the end of the month, so if work becomes simply doing enough to reach payday, it will be very hard for us to stay motivated for a long period of time.

There is no perfect job in the world, but every job has its worth and value-adding element to the society. There are people who stay motivated because they are passionate about what they do, others stay motivated because they are so good at their craft that it will be a disservice to their customers/supporters if they stop. What about you?

What I do in Thailand predominantly revolves around importing small hand-held agricultural equipment and their spare parts and distributing them throughout the country. Truth be told, I have absolutely no love for the products I sell. I do enjoy the process of building the company from scratch and putting the system in place for it to run smoothly within the relatively short period of time I have been in Thailand, but the 1 thing I have found that will always keep me going is this:People.

I appreciate my co-workers, every one of them. I would not be living a comfortable life in a foreign country if they did not commit themselves to helping me. Many of my colleagues were doing odd jobs on the streets like driving motorcycle taxis before joining me. Over the years, I have seen colleagues recover from 2 bouts of pneumonia and acute appendicitis without needing to pay a single cent, all because they can enjoy the benefits of Thailand's social security as they are working for a properly-registered company. I have also seen another colleague blossom from a bell-boy at a hotel into a successful sales manager owning 2 family cars. My colleagues motivate me, to keep going, to grow the company even more to make everyone's life better.

My customers inspire me. I came in as a foreigner holding the distribution rights to a couple of brands which were not popular here. They had no obligation to support me, but many of them did. Today, some of my customers have become much better off because of this belief and trust in me and my products. For them, I cannot stop.

Preparing lunch for toddlers at a children's home

My company's charity work motivates me. In the last 4 years, we have contributed to many charity projects, including building a road that provides improved accessibility to a poor remote village and the building of toilets and playgrounds for schools in rural Thailand. I have seen for myself how such small contributions can make big differences to the lives of people who are not as lucky as us. This drives me to work harder, so that we can do even more for them year after year.

To a job well done.

Your source of motivation might not be the same as mine, but I feel that the only way to push through the difficult times at work is to find some meaning from what you actually do everyday at work. Good luck looking for it.

Bangkok Life Hacks: Free WiFi!

If you have been living in Bangkok for a long time now, does data connectivity give you constant headaches? If so, maybe there need not be any headaches at all? Let me explain.

According to my understanding, post-paid dataplans in Thailand usually come with limited high-speed data. For example, if you signed up for a package with 3GB of high-speed data, once you reach the limit, your data will continue to run. Good news is, you will not be charged for unlimited additional data usage, bad news is, this data is no longer high-speed. You will be given access to much lower-speed data with speeds closer to 512kbps, yes, so slow you might pull your hair out waiting for something to happen.

We all want to agree with this, but come on, give me my WiFi!!

How then, do you go around the problem and survive a full month with high-speed data? Firstly, you might want to call your telco's hotline. They might have a top-up package that will give you more high-speed access at a reasonable price.

A second way is to use this life-hack and see how far it can bring you.

If you still do not know, most reasonable postpaid data plans in Thailand already come with unlimited access to WiFi hotspots all over the country. TrueMove boasts that it currently has 100,000 such hotspots country-wide! This means that once you are in the vicinity of a hotspot provided by your telco, you are just a step away from disabling your dataplan and gaining access to unlimited, stable, high-speed WiFi. These hotspots are available in most indoor spaces like community malls, cafes, shopping centres and department stores.

How then, do we access this free WiFi then? Simple, just dial a number to receive your username and password (usually permanent for your mobile number), log-in and you are good to go! Here are the detailed instructions from the 3 main telcos in Thailand:

1. AIS  
2. TrueMove 
3. dtac 
4. AIS and dtac users can use 3BB hotspots too

Remember, you can use the same method to connect your laptops and other devices as well, or even share with your friends when they are in need. Just remember that one code can only be used for one device at any time!

Need more Bangkok life hacks? Leave me a message!


Disclaimer: The information above is accurate to 19th October 2015. The Stranger in Bangkok does not take any responsibility if any of the mentioned telcos make changes to their dataplans and packages.

Raising enterprising children starts with Daddy: A Father's Day Tribute

Over my years in Thailand, I have answered countless questions and even completed some published interviews with a couple of international expat communities regarding life in Thailand as an expat. I made it a point each time to clarify that I am not an expat, before moving on to answer the questions nonetheless, in hope that my answers can make life easier for newcomers here.

I came to Thailand alone to open a branch for my company, and have spent the last 5 years building the company up from scratch. If you ask me, I operate more like an entrepreneur. I have never been the brightest, but I am a can-do sort of guy. I focus on the result, and am enterprising enough to complete tasks to an acceptable level eventually, most of the time anyway.

Having grown up in Singapore, where kids (from my generation) are trained to become excellent employees but not necessarily risk-takers, many wonder why I was so ready to take up this 'adventure', where there are too many unknowns and few perks to make it an attractive job offer. After seriously thinking through it, I feel that my upbringing made a huge contribution.

My paternal family consists mostly of self-employed men, that included my dad, 1 of my 2 uncles, and many of my aunts' husbands. Incidentally, most of my dad's friends are self-employed as well, be it business owners or just food-stall owners. Growing up, I mostly had conversations with adult men who ran their own businesses (largely aided by the countless kopitiam sessions I had with my dad in Kuching). Subconsciously, I had it ingrained in my mind that running my own business is normal, an eventual result of my career progression.

My dad, like many of the men from his generation, was hardly around when I was a little boy. My memories of him playing with me are few and far between. But even though I wish he had given me more of his weekends, taught me how to cycle and swim, I now realise that his influence in my life is still extremely great.

My Dad with his grandchildren

My dad is a businessman, entrepreneur, and a risk-taker. The company he runs now was set up as a one-man-show when he was 50. After graduating from junior college, I had a few months to spare before entering University, so I spent a good few months alone with him in Sarawak.

Being a man of few words, he did not exactly take me under his wing to coach me about running a business. Instead, he allowed me to follow him 24 hours a day, everyday. I watched how he communicated with potential business partners over some mid-afternoon coffee in coffeeshops. I watched him sign piles of paper at law firms and negotiate prices with suppliers and sub-contractors. I visited his job-sites unwillingly everyday, wondering why he made it a point to go so frequently, and even watched in anticipation as we bombed a small hill apart in order to flatten the land for a project.

Running my own company now, I fully understand the challenges a business owner faces day-in day-out, but at that time, following my dad around, everything just felt, natural. It was more like -- whatever has to be done has to be done, rather than--oh man, starting something from scratch is so tough! I guess my up-bringing is certainly one of the main reasons why I did not hesitate when this opportunity presented itself.

That's exactly how I am bringing my kids up. I involve them in everything I do. From my office to my exhibition booth, from my warehouse to my company trips. I want them to grow up observing how I make things happen, and hopefully mature into an enterprising, resourceful young people who are confident enough to take up challenges.

As Father's Day is just 2 days away, I will hereby also take the opportunity to wish my Dad a happy father's day! Thank you for all you have done for me. See you in August.

For all other fathers reading this, take this weekend to give yourself a pat on the back, but remember to give more time to your kids, because just by being there and letting them observe what you do, is a lesson more precious than what a thousand words can mean to them.

Bringing your toddler to work: To do or not to do?

The Thai New Year, more commonly known as Songkran, resulted in Noah having to spend 2 weeks away from school due to a 'short' term break. For us parents though, 2 weeks seemed pretty long for Noah to spend at home without any scheduled activities nor external help. Having a totally dependent 7-month old at home didn't help the cause much either, so I figured, since my accountant frequently brought her toddler to work, why don't I try to do the same? Maybe there will be something for Noah to look forward to my wife could concentrate on other things when we are out.

The first day was pretty much a mess for me, as he didn't let me work properly on my working terminal, assuming ownership of it and throwing massive meltdowns when I got impatient, as my team depended on my work before they could continue with theirs. However, it was mostly confined to my room so the disruption to others was still controllable. After bringing him out for lunch, he seemed to completely understand the situation and even said, "Daddy, I will type after you finish your work, ok?"

Ok la, stop blowing liao la.....

The second day was more eventful. My accountant brought her son. I initially thought this would be better as they would have companions and disturb us less, but how wrong I was. In no time, my office became a playground. Crayons, pictures, books, boxes, toys were strewn all over the floor. There was hardly any place to walk. 2 kids, hand in hand, stomped all over the office in shrieks of laughter and sometimes petty arguments, constantly bugging my accountant and myself for help. I saw colleagues who planned to look for me head back to their seats when they saw the mess in my room. I couldn't work at all. Aside of some trivial matters, I struggled to write any sentence longer than 10 words properly. It completely sucked. It's enough that I couldn't work in peace, but if it was going to affect my colleagues as well, I would have to put things to a stop.

Oh my goooooooodnessssssssssssssssssss

However, there was something else happening. The kids were genuinely happy. They became really great friends. Even though Thai is not Noah's best language, he was communicating with his slightly-older local friend beautifully. They were just kids being kids, trying to work out how to live with others and play together. The shrieks of joy were real, their laughter full of pure innocence.

But why, oh why, did everything sound so terribly irritating and noisy to me? Even though something has to be worked out in the future to ensure their presence is less disruptive, surely I must change my mentality and see some positives when I see kids enjoying friendship with each other?

By the third day, Noah was really looking forward to coming to my office. Aside of some poo clearing disaster, he was generally well-behaved, until his friend arrived and everything in Day 2 repeated itself again. However, this time I had to leave early (with him) as it was my turn to man my company's booth at a Furniture Fair.

At the booth, he was his usual self. Running around, finding paper to scribble on, trying to make conversation with the people, until he did something that completely stunned everyone. A purchaser from China was asking me about the specifications of my product when Noah pounced out of nowhere. All of a sudden, we saw him, standing as tall as he could, right smack in front of our 'customer', and asked in a serious tone...

"Do you want to buy a mattress?"

One of the ways he keeps himself busy.

I wish I had taken a video of the entire episode. He's only 2 months past his 3rd birthday, and even though he has followed me to my office and exhibitions on a handful of occasions, I had never explicitly explained what I was doing. It seems like he has already figured it all out and is eager to lend a hand. I guess that's what you call "learning on the job".

So... bringing your kid to office, to do or not to do? I personally think that 3 years old (or less) is a bit young, and a few of them in the office will possibly disrupt the working environment and affect the efficiency of everyone, but with slightly older kids and some form of control, the situation will be different. Thinking from their perspective, they will be able to absorb things that they will not have the chance to if they are completely excluded from the adult working environment. They will also understand why Daddy has to leave the house early and come back late everyday.

He now knows how to enjoy himself at exhibition booths, offices and warehouses too

Ending off with a correspondence between me and my wife when I was at my wit's end during one of those days:

Me, "So far this is more of a nanny experience than working, with my kid around. I only have 1 hour in the office this morning and I spent 20 minutes clearing poo. Now arrive at the booth need to bring him to lunch and watch him play with his bowl."

Wife, "It is a Daddy experience. Not nanny."

Words of wisdom, eh?

A Daddy experience. I'll take it.

An hour in the life of Daddy Eddie

I peeped through the small little clear circle on the otherwise totally frosted glass window of the classroom. Little Noah, just woken up not long ago, looked okay with attending the lesson and Li Li seemed up for it too. I guess it's time for me to leave and 'do my stuff'.

It's 5pm sharp, so now, what do I have to do? Ah yes, UOB and AIS to run some company errands, hopefully make an important phonecall, then it's a trip to the musical instrument shop, buy a cheap Ukelele, settle myself down in a cafe and master playing 爱琳娜 to give my sweeties a surprise when they see me again.

While waiting in line at UOB, a familiar vibration in my pockets prompts me to take another look at my phone. It's a WhatsApp message.

"Hi Eddie, your friend xxx just called asking about any news of the projects?"

Friendly fire from my supplier, pleasant but a definite addition to my stress levels for the day. The next hour would now be punctuated by message after message with him, explaining everything that's happening in Thailand.

5.34pm, UOB errands complete. It must be time to slowly walk back to the school, passing by the Ukelele shop. It must also be time to call my media company to tell them what I expect from our next meeting.

5.45pm, head a little bit groggy from the long conversation. Hmmm...... maybe I should call a potential dealer who had been stalling on our cooperation for many weeks.

6.00pm sharp. Unknowingly, I am back at the entrance of the school. I activated WhatsApp again to send my final message to my supplier. I scrolled back to have a look at our chat history. Gosh, more than 60 correspondences within the last hour.... really?

Wait a minute, wasn't I supposed to pass by AIS? Ah sh*t, so the errand accumulates and has to be done tomorrow. What about the Ukelele? I must have passed the place while on the phone and totally missed it.

I took a deep breath and walked into the school again to peer through the same tiny hole I did exactly an hour ago.

Ah..... my babies, my lovely babies. How nice to see you all again. What does my life even mean without you?

The Annual Trip to Ubon Ratchathani: Version 2013

Feeling Zen looking into the peaceful forest

In my annual agenda, a visit to Ubon Ratchathani has always been necessary. It's a very endearing province sitting by the Mekong River on the Northeastern Border of Thailand. More importantly, it is the home of my company's first official customers when we started operations nearly 5 years ago. Though it's technically a business trip, it's no longer one filled with boring academic business discussions. In fact, business is the least of our worries. It's more of an overdue get-together of old friends.

This time, my customer equipped himself with his new camera and took numerous pictures of me as he brought me around, doing many things I have never experienced before (I also got to know my first helicopter pilot friend as well as a couple of local Democrat Party elected members of Parliament). Though none of the activities were extremely exciting, it was still very heartwarming to see these precious moments captured.

I had Bak Mor for the first time, a steamed rice pancake stuffed with lots of fresh spring onion and minced pork. I am sure I will dream of having this soon.

I did this before at the Chinese Garden in Singapore, but fish feeding was a first for me in Thailand. I even had time to show off my smooth motion of bread-hurling.

My first buggy drive

My first ATV drive

My first long speedboat ride, along the majestic Mekong River, no less

Being an entrepreneur in a foreign country isn't easy, but as you can see, once in a while, it does have its perks, as a fundamentally serious business trip can be intertwined with many joyful moments.

It would have been perfect if I did not need to drink all that whisky........

Protect-A-Bed's official launch in Thailand: Sharing the game-changing decisions

After a year of intricate planning, my new venture finally had its chance to properly launch itself to the public, thanks to The Mall Group's support, at the Discount Overload warehouse sale at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani last month.

Anyone who knows me long enough would know that I am no stranger to trade shows, in fact, I can be considered an expert in them, but a day into the event, I realised that a warehouse sale in Thailand was no trade show. Visitors were 99.9% local, and were more attracted by celebrities and bargains than anything else. Launching a completely unknown brand (fyi we are selling waterproof mattress protectors) under such circumstances was not going to be straightforward.

Our initial strategy was simple. Look professional and foreign (making it clear that this is an imported product), make our booth accessible and welcoming (thus the 7-11 concept) and arm ourselves with 2 pretty PCs (product consultants) who were well-trained in the product.

The cashier was behind the booth, so we kept the back open so that customers will come in and browse after paying for other goods

The mattress protector minimart

Not helped by almost an entire day of torrential rain, our first day fell flat. There was some interest but 0 sales. Being the captain of the ship, I had to react, and over the next few days, changes were made everyday and rewards were reaped. Here's to share some of the game-changing tactics adopted that will ensure you do not make the same mistakes:

1. Close the booth up, it's a pop-up store, not a walkway

Customers can't walk through anymore

Yes, the booth needs to look open and welcoming, but it cannot be so open, especially on both sides such that it becomes a convenient walkway for customers to cut through to get from one point to another. Having uninterested traffic passing through does you no good, and is extremely distracting.


2. Communicate the concept effectively

As proper as our first design looked, customers could not link the booth to beds at first glance. This was very serious, as Thai people we already unfamiliar with the concept of mattress protectors in the first place.

My 2 pretty and hardworking PCs 

Once the mattress rolled in and the products were displayed, things started looking up, as very much less explanation was required to communicate our ideas to the customer.


3. Localise

The initial concept of looking imported worked, but to a limited extent. As important as it was to impress the public, it was even more important to attract their attention. It became obvious once it was clear that there would be no expat crowd and that most of the people came looking for huge bargains.

We quickly designed a new sign highlighting some main points in Thai, and of course about our discounts

4. Stop the crowd

This final and most important game-changer, was unfortunately, not initiated by me. Knowing our struggles, the organisers threw us a lifeline. They came to us with 2 racks which could be placed at the centre of our walkway, which ensured our products would intercept all passers-by.

The ultimate game-changer

Once the potential customer stopped, the selling could begin, and with a good product and some extremely committed sales people, there would be at least positive vibe generated from all the discussions. Our sales figures finally shot up considerably after this change completed our jigsaw of adjustments.

Though I would not consider our launch event as a rousing success, we definitely made the most of it and learnt some valuable lessons along the way. More importantly, it gave us a good feeling of the potential of our product and the motivation to move ahead and make bigger splashes in the market.

See you at our next event, most probably at Big C Rama 4 from 16-23 November 2013!

Producing a TV commercial in Thailand: Oregon. So Sharp, Saves Your Money

Over the past year, I had be fully involved in the production of my first ever TV commercial! And where better to do it in Asia than Thailand, the land full of whacky, witty, touching and viral TV commercials?

That said, we faced a difficulty. We are trying to promote chainsaw spare parts.

What?

Yes. Chainsaw spare parts, the parts you use to replace/repair those bloody rumbling machines used by psychos to hack people into pieces in the movies.

The users are limited. Censors will never allow us to showcase real tree-cutting action on public TV. So how?

Well, that's not really my problem right? The creative team of the media agency we worked with took our brief and worked wonders with it, and after half a year of hard work, I am proud to say that the final product has been on TV for a month already, and will continue to air until the end of November. It's not viral material, but for the subject matter, I believe we have done a good job. And here's a string of photos to commemorate what has to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my time thus far in Thailand.

Countless meetings to refine the final storyboard and all the other details.

Final group photo with the talented team before actual production.

Preparing the studio

Final discussions with the 'project manager' before the shoot

Spying the shoot from afar, comfortably in reach of snacks and drinks

Finally, face to face with my lumberjack, has the air of Gerard Butler, doesn't he?

Thai lines for the British model

Noah busy snacking on the couch during his studio visit

Work in progress

How can we not sneak some pictures in during the lunch break?

A family picture or 2 would be nice too

The bloody gimmick, firmly rejected by the censors.

Witty gimmick formulated by the fun-loving director

With this introduction, I think all of you can now sit back and enjoy our final product, called "LUMBERJACK".