Drastic measures for desperate times

The government has announced the sacrifice of Eastern Bangkok to drain flood waters. Though our district has not been singled out as a disaster zone, we know we are vulnerable. Imagine PAP announcing Pasir Ris as a warzone and you're living in Bedok, you should really prepare for war too.

For the first time in my life, I have to make difficult decisions. I have to save the company, save the goods, save the office and keep my pregnant wife and mom (yes she's here) safe all at the same time. This stress is tremendous, especially when the threat is a possible onslaught of natural disaster.

It did not make things easier when my staff failed to find any bricks yesterday when I finally decided to build a solid wall on my warehouse doors (effectively building a 'permanent' structure to block up the office I worked so very hard over the last 2 years to open, compromising  our business activities at the same time) to prevent possible floodwaters from engulfing everything.

Finally, they were found, but with huge holes on them! My staff told me that we had no choice and people are fighting for them, so there's more work, because we had to fill the holes up with cement ourselves.

They are really a bunch of good lads, we are lucky to have such a team fighting for the company

Never in a hundred years would I have envisioned myself having to order the erection a brick wall to block up the entrances of my company, it's an excruciating feeling

At the end of the ordeal, whether or not the brickwall would be put into actual use, I can at least tell people I was fighting in Thailand during its worst flood for 50 years. Whatever doesn't break you makes you stronger, doesn't it. Any form of hardship in Singapore would not have strengthened me against the threat of nature.

In the face of disaster, human beings are all thrown back to square one.

Whatever, popularity, wealth, power and reputation does not matter anymore. The richest and the poorest, while facing disaster, become equal all over again.

So what if you have 10 houses if you have to stay on top of the roof?

So what if you have 100 cars when they have become submarines?

So what if you have millions in the banks, when all the banks and atm machines are closed?

So what if you managed to withdraw cash just in time before the banks got engulfed by the floodwaters? When all the shops are closed, the millions in your pocket become useless pieces of paper.

When the aids arrive in helicopters, even if you have millions in your wallet, you too, will chase after the choppers scrambling for every piece of bread and bottle of drinking water like everyone else.

Everyone is the same.

With money, you might be able to make a quicker comeback than the rest after the disaster, but can you survive it in the first place?

United we stand, cooperating and helping each other through the toughest of times.

Love needs to prevail, everyone needs to stand up, be counted and help each other. This is the only way we can emerge stronger after the waters subside.

Tribute to Khaaw: How Bangkok has changed my life

Khaaw

By writing this blogpost, I want to tell everyone that myself, Li Li and Baby in Bangkok are all ok. Thank you for your concern. If anyone wants further proof of our resilience, you will soon see more information of us travelling down to Hua Hin over the weekend for some great relaxing time-off with a couple of friends. The flood situation in Bangkok is currently under control, with concerns in some areas till the end of the month. The worst flood in Thailand in 50 years has spared us for the time-being, and I am grateful everyday for it.

Enough of floods, the focus of this piece is really about the cute street dog pictured above. His actual name is Nom-Sod, which means Fresh Milk, but he himself doesn't know his real name, so let's just call him by his nickname Khaaw, which he identifies himself by.

More than a year ago, I wrote about how living in a local suburb in Bangkok has helped me overcome my 20-yr-old fear of dogs, but now (2 of the dogs mentioned in my post have sadly passed away), 2 months after moving out of the local suburb, Khaaw has absolutely deepened my love for them.

He has long fluffy hair, different from usual Thai street dogs

I have fond memories of playing with Khaaw and stroking him to sleep during the two years at my old office, especially during the many months when I was staying all alone, fighting a lone battle to establish my company in Thailand. He felt like my only companion when everything seemed stacked against me, and would always jump on me in enthusiasm to give me a reason to smile.

Since moving away 2 months ago, I had been back to visit him 4 times, and on every occasion he would be sprinting towards me from far far away before pouncing on me again and again, as if to give me all the affection he accumulated over the weeks of my absence.

Last week, I made one of those visits again, but this time I went to have coffee at a stall 50metres away, which is strictly out of Khaaw's designated zone (btw, street dogs work like professional mafia gangs, they have designated regions of influence, and trespassers would not be treated lightly). He took the risk and just sat peacefully beside me as I reminisced with the stall-owner. As expected, the dog controlling the area soon arrived and Khaaw did something to really touch my heart.

Mafia King finally arrived to chase Khaaw out of his area, they circled around, flashing canines at each other, while I was trying to coax Khaaw back to his neighbourhood

To my shock, he did the unexpected! Instead of returning to the comforts of his own village, he came up the platform where I was sitting and continued to accompany me, all the way till I left, despite the angry growlings of the Mafia King

In case any of you are rolling your eyes at this very unspectacular story of mine, take note that we are talking about a street dog here, who never had an owner nor proper training whatsoever, showing such love and loyalty to a friend who doesn't feed him (yes, aside of the odd bone, I NEVER feed him).

Khaaw stole a kiss on my cheek while we were posing for this picture. Our first kiss!

This is not the most flattering picture of me, and in normal circumstances I would never let this appear anywhere in public, but seeing the smile on Khaaw's face and the coincidental fact that I was wearing a bright white shirt as well, I think this is the best picture to show our deep friendship.

Thank you to Khaaw, and to all the dogs who are giving your hearts to the people around you. Your sweet actions prove to us that in the present society full of ignorance and hate, love always prevails.

Venice of the East Part 3: The calm before the storm

As much as I am reluctant to write this, it feels appropriate to write the 3rd instalment of my series of flood-related posts. As we speak, 3/4 of Thailand is affected by its worst flood in 50 years, with the ancient city of Ayuthaya just been rendered completely handicapped (flood waters up to 5m high in some parts). The stories we see on the news are devastating and interesting at the same time.

"... the government is are our wits' end...." not very convincing from the Chiobu PM. I am happy that you are going to decrease the corporate tax in the next 2 years (if you really do it), but come on, can you say something more inspiring? You don't have to lie, but could u just say some things to inject more hope into your people who voted for you?

In Uthai Thani, 100 crocodiles escaped from a crocodile farm, and the owners dubbed them "not fierce" as they had been raised in captivity. Now that sounds more inspiring than what you have to offer, Chiobu PM.

Commodities such as rice, instant noodles and canned food are running dry on the racks of major supermarkets, but these sales are closely followed by pet food! Kudos Thai people, you love your pets. They can always eat our food, but we can't eat theirs, so that's really thoughtful!

Flood preparation begins

Back in my company, flood preparation has officially begun. I grew up in Singapore, a country in which one single flash flood can cause the government to withstand major bombardment by the masses, so I am really not experienced in this kind of crisis management. But having visited my customer in Hat-Yai last month and witnessed remnant water marks (from last year's flood) at eye level (I am a good 6ft tall), I figure it's better to be safe than sorry, especially when our warehouse is in Bangkok's purple zone (medium danger level).

There are always opportunities in the face of disaster. This could be the first time in 50 years where sandbag-sellers could increase their prices by 20% every few hours. The price of every sandbag has increased from 30baht to 45 baht in the space of 24 hours. We were lucky we got ours at 35. We should really have purchased more, if we did, we would be rich by now selling them to our neighbours.

Little wall of sandbags

We have abandoned all business activities to work OT stacking goods as high as we can

We try to keep the lower levels as clear as possible, but there's only so much we can do, you can't fight nature, you always lose.

We can only pray and hope that when the flood waters finally wash through Bangkok, it will pass by our warehouse, bringing only the millions of rats hiding in the dungeons underground along, and cause minimal damage to what we have worked so hard to create in the last 2 years.

The tangible and intangible losses incurred by the floods are already too great to even think of, and it will leave possibly millions in this country needing to build their homes and livelihoods from scratch again. But hopefully, like we have seen again and again in other countries, disaster will bring along a newfound spirit of unity and togetherness amongst the Thai people, and the country will emerge stronger than before.

As we are doing our best to counter the forces of nature, it did not rain last night. It was the first time for as long as I can remember that there was no hint of rain for the entire evening. It is also scorchingly sunny today so far, my laundry is finally going to dry.

The calm before the storm perhaps? I certainly hope not.

Celebrating our first wedding anniversary with Mr Oreste @ La Buca restaurant

Updated 22 January 2018

7 years. That's how long it has taken for me to write an update on La Buca.

It's enough time for my wife and I to graduate from newlyweds celebrating our 1st anniversary, to proud parents of 2 beautiful kids (the elder turning 6 in 10 days' time)

La Buca though, has stayed the same. The same location on Sukhumvit Soi 1, within walking distance of Bumrungrad Hospital, the same homey atmosphere and warm no-nonsense Italian fare that is not purposely decorated for Instagram. Price has risen, but it's bound to, over a long 7 years. Note that a large 1.5L bottle of water will only set you back 90THB here and there's no additional service charge.

Ham and mushroom Fettucine, perfect for kids.

Snow fish risotto, fresh and yummy.

Oh my finally we meet again, truffle and porcini mushroom tagliatelle. Minus the foie gras, you miss some meatiness but still oh so good!

The bigger update, sadly, is that the flamboyant Mr Oreste (read more about him below), the founder, heart and soul of the restaurant is no longer there. He has sold the restaurant and retired in another province in Thailand. What a pity, because Mr Oreste and La Buca had completely fused into 1 and I could not imagine one without the other. Well, this old man deserves a rest and let's bless him though he will be sorely-missed.

After speaking to the new owner, a well-mannered Thai lady, I am pretty convinced her aim is to keep everything absolutely the same. So let's hope it happens.

**********

This is supposed to be a blogpost to commemorate our very first 911 aka wedding anniversary, but no, it's not. Because of a certain arrogant Mr Oreste from Italy, this has fatefully become a post about his restaurant nestled in Sukhumvit Soi 1 instead.

Old Mr Oreste vs young Mr Oreste

It was our first anniversary, I had to make sure it's good, thus my extensive research online for the best Italian restaurant in Bangkok. For some reason, La Buca hit all the spots, small cosy European style restaurant opened and run personally by Mr Oreste, all the way from his native Italy. I was slightly surprised when I made my booking via email:

Me: "Mr Oreste, I would like to make a booking at your restaurant for dinner on 11 September, it's our first wedding anniversary, thank you."

An unexpected reply soon came back: "Dear Eddie, 11 September, dinner ok. Enjoy 20% discount for my birthday. Ciao. Oreste."

OK, maybe my wedding anniversary isn't such a big deal, but come on man, is your birthday so much bigger a deal? Well, a discount is a discount, and since he is so full of self-admiration, even better for us, because the food will be good. La Buca wouldn't be voted one of Thailand's best restaurants by Tatler for no reason.

One of Thailand's best restaurants according to Tatler

911 was a rainy gloomy day, and it didn't help that the restaurant was further away from Ploen Chit BTS station than Mr Oreste suggested. Fortunately we managed to find it without too many problems. When we finally arrived, Mr Oreste was already waiting for us, in fact, he was the one who welcomed us at the door.

One of the most obvious things in the restaurant.

He's a typical Italian man, full of swagger, full of himself, proud of his food and all his achievements. The restaurant looked like a mini Oreste life-story museum. He has even made his birthday a reason to give a promotion (which we needed as the food wasn't cheap for Thailand standards). We followed his recommendations, which I later found out were the exact dishes which won him the hearts of Tatler's food critics.

Home-made tagliatelle with Foie Gras and truffle

Mr Oreste proclaimed this dish as the best of its kind in the world, certainly big words from a big man. Just look at the thickness of the Foie Gras, there were 2 pieces! The pasta was made to perfection and the bewitching aroma of truffle unforgettable till this day (I am not kidding). It was also the first time we ate such a generous serving of good-quality goose liver, but it ended up like having too much of a good thing. I honestly would pay the same price and be happier with more pasta, more sauce and just half the serving of Foie Gras. This is not a reason to knock this splendid dish though.

Saffron risotto with braised veal shank

The risotto was fragrant, veal shank tasty, but it paled in comparison to the pasta dish. However, Mr Oreste delivered what we expected of him -  solid, rustic, no-nonsense Italian dishes thought out with more focus on taste than presentation. The serving sizes were pretty good as well. The heaviness of the dishes soon had us calling for the dessert. Mr Oreste responded again, in his own amusing way.

"We have the La Buca cake. Best in the world." (again, best in the world?)

*kisses his fingers*

"Sponge...... Rum......"

*swirls his fingers as if caressing the chin of his mistress*

"Chocolate mousse.........." (I had a good laugh)

How could we not order it?

La Buca cake, best in the world (?)

It turned out to be good, not great. There was so much rum it was like eating solidified alcohol, not my cup of tea. Again, I understood why Mr Oreste thought so highly of it, as I can easily think of a few friends who would brand this dessert as a touch of genius.

Happy Birthday Mr Oreste, please give us a discount next year too! Any discount during Christmas or New Year? Or maybe your mom's bday, or your dad's?

It had been a good day for Li Li and myself, with the visit to Mr Oreste's cosy eatery a fitting finale to our first wedding anniversary (he even personally hailed the taxi for us before we left). I just hope during our next visit, the food will not be a showcase of richness. It's like having a good massage, only to go home to find a couple of small bruises on your back as the masseuse pressed a weeny bit too hard.

Venice of the East Part II

I remember blogging about Bangkok being the Venice of the East when I just arrived in Bangkok (in 2009) when Srinakarin Road looked more like a river and the area outside my shophouse became a lake.

Subsequently, in 2010, my customer in Hat Yai had his newly-renovated shop soaked all the way up to almost the 2nd floor. Bangkok remained largely unscathed, so I did not have any strong feelings then.

Unfortunately, floods did not spare Thailand in 2011 too, with nearly 50 out of Thailand's 76 provinces affected one way or another. This time, I happen to be on a road trip visiting key customers and witnessed the gravity of the situation with my own eyes. Countless acres of farmland were destroyed and homes made un-liveable. Villagers had to sleep in temporary stalls lining the sides of the roads while pondering how to cope with the loss of their crop. As I drove past them my heart cringed, because while I did not know what I could do to help, my brain was telling me to leave this area as soon as possible before the floods worsen.

Pictures speak louder than words, but as I took them mostly through the tinted windows of my car, they do not reflect accurately the urgency of the situation.

This entire road was flooded, we had to do a detour.

What happened to the tree trunks?

We were driving on a bridge over troubled water

Villagers finding reason to smile at the camera

Venice of the East

As I am typing this, millions of Thais are still suffering from the effects of massive flooding while I am already back in the comforts of my apartment in Bangkok. I pray that the people in Thailand can be resilient and remain positive in adversity, and that I will never be able to find a reason to write a Part III to this series of blogposts.

Stranger in Bangkok witnesses the epic battle of stag beetles

I spent my 30th hatchday in a small village 50km from Chiang Mai city called Doi Lo. In my ex-company, I grew tired of flying the world setting up booth after booth in various world-renown international trade fairs, but with a cruel twist of fate, I found myself leaving my poor wifey at home in Bangkok and spending my milestone birthday sweating my pants of setting up a stall in an annual carnival/night bazaar in rural Northern Thailand. Talk about a fall from grace!

But well, every cloud has many silver linings, and I am already used to taking positives out of everything that points against me (more so after I came to Thailand). In spite of the scorching heat in the day, when my colleagues and I gulped down cup after cup of coconut juice, and threats of heavy rain at night, I found myself increasingly immersed in the joyful atmosphere of an annual carnival in a small village.

I began observing in amusement the various assortment of dogs running around.

Cute dog, but look at the number of soft toys the game booths have to prepare every night

Wait a minute, that's not a dog, that's a cow!

I laughed at a trio of adorable 2-yr old triplets chasing each other around in front of my stall, with their young and slim mother watching closely behind.

I pretended to be shot and struggling for my life when 2 boys walked past firing their noisy toyguns at me.

I took pictures of a group of friendly schoolgirls, which they gladly obliged.

They LOVED taking pictures, their male counterparts beside them were all running away from the camera!

I watched in amazement as families of 5 came in a single scooter, and middle-aged women trotting around in their pyjamas as if they were sleep-walking.

But the day climaxed when I saw something that made me realise what I had lost (or never had) in my childhood. While I can still remember very clearly how my secondary school friends and I spent our boring time in between lessons trying to taste sweet victory stacking our erasers over one another, people in Northern Thailand are going ecstatic over epic warfare between stag beetles!

Stag beetles ready for battle

Their horn is tied onto the stick, which doesn't allow them to escape. They feed on sugar cane and rotting fruit.

From what I understand, just like stags, male stag beetles fight for mating rights. During their mating period at the end of every rainy season (which is round about now), they would detect the scent of their female comrades and start locking horns to win their bride. Capitalising on this order of nature, villagers would catch these horny males and pit them against one another on a piece of hollow log which houses a female for excitement and prize money.

Stag beetles locking horns in battle over a female that is hidden in the hollow log

I witnessed one of these epic battles myself. It's highly intriguing, as both beetles fight for their lives over love. A fallen beetle is not a beaten beetle, he can pick himself up and resume battle. The game only ends when one beetle decides to retreat and give up. No beetle deaths are incurred in this game, just a lot of lost pride and cash for the owner of the defeated bug.

This is undoubtedly one of my weirdest birthdays yet, but I kind of enjoyed it. You have to watch the video below to understand what I mean.



Ka-Nom -- where simple dough fritters steal the show

Bangkok has, to me, always been a lifestyle location. For a normal tourist, aside of relentless shopping, eating and the odd massage, there might be nothing much else to do (unless you are interested in ladyboys and grotesque Thai-girl shows). I can't really argue against that, but for me, Bangkok is a metropolitan city that bustles with freedom and creativity. As a result, designer cafes and cool chill-out spots sprout up in the oddest of places, especially along a few small streets (aka the Ekkamai and Thong Lo area) in Sukhumvit where the so-called HiSo (High- society) and expats hang out frequently.

Li Li and myself happened to be along Sukhumvit Soi 49 one day when my sit-in-a-nice-cafe-and-do-nothing mode hit me once again. I have to admit that I have had too many of these rushes of blood since I came to Bangkok, but what's not to love when we can really free our minds of any worries and just spend some nice time together? So we decided to spend our next 2 hours in a cafe called Ka-Nom (they call themselves a boutique bakery).

Another one of those nice little cafes in the middle of nowhere

The moment we stepped inside, it became obvious that their star attraction would surely be their pies and Portuguese egg-tarts, which cost a whopping 40baht each (very pricey considering my tried-and-tested ones from KFC cost only 19baht).

One needs great conviction to give one of these pies/tarts a miss, especially the egg-tarts.

Personally, what caught my eye was the little dough-frying stall right outside this self-proclaimed boutique bakery. Deep-fried dough fritters, or what the Chinese call 油条, would be the last thing I expect to see on the menu in a cafe with this ambience, but it really did seem to be one of the leading lights here.

Thai dough fritters are short, unlike the very long ones in Singapore

We were pleasantly surprised when our lunch arrived on our tables, because both pasta dishes were relatively authentic and extremely fragrant.

Li Li's Penne Alfredo with smoked salmon (160baht only), tastes wonderful

My Spaghetti Aglio Olio w/ beef (160baht)

I'd like to give special mention to my Spaghetti Aglio Olio. This dish is Italy's version of our simple stir-fried noodles (炒面）and it's traditionally a celebration of good olive oil, garlic and well-made pasta. More often than not though, restaurants in this region will end up serving an oily, bland mess of starchy over-cooked noodles. This serving however, gave me everything I wanted from a proper plate of Aglio Olio -- well-seasoned, slightly spicy, lots and lots of fragrant garlic, Al-dente spaghetti, fresh beef. Unfortunately, all's not perfect. Like most other similar eateries in Bangkok, Ka-Nom fell into the vicious cycle of trying to fusion it with Thai cuisine by unnecessarily adding in a handful of Thai basil. That said, I am sure I would get my perfect Aglio Olio next time when I remind them not to add the basil in. For the price, the serving size, ambience and taste, Ka-Nom's pasta dishes really put Singapore's alarmingly popular PastaMania to shame.

So now for the main event - dough fritters. Unlike usual dough fritters, which is slightly savoury, Ka-Nom made theirs slightly sweet to make it a perfectly sinful dessert. We are supposed to eat it with a knife and fork, dipped into their smooth and delicate custard (3 colours, but all taste the same).

5 palm-sized dough fritters for 50baht

To be honest, and I hope I am not exaggerating, I never expected myself to be impressed by dough fritters to this extent. I am not so good with words, but they managed to encrust a deliciously-sweet soft dough with a thicker-than usual crisp shell. There was hardly any oil at the bottom of our plate too. 5 fritters were too many for one sitting, so we were delighted to bring 2 home for later enjoyment (they gave us extra custard to bring home, how nice). For a nice cafe which serves decent drinks and excellent food, I salute them for successfully making overpriced egg tarts (they were predictably very good too) and the often-underappreciated dough fritters the stars of their show.

Lastly, for a shocking (??!) revelation. Our meal at Ka-Nom was preceded by both of us enduring the pain of needles to draw blood for a medical check-up. Seeing the smiles on our faces, it is clear that we both enjoyed it (this was taken BEFORE the nice food came), why not? We would gladly do anything to ensure the health of our Baby in Bangkok.