Stranger in Bangkok: It's never too late to start reading!

Time flies. I've technically been in Bangkok for 3 full years now, and it also marks the existence of this blog for almost the same period of time. I never envisaged myself becoming a lover of blogging until I got down to doing it, and it is very difficult to explain how important it is to me now.

As I frequently tell my wife, Bangkok is close to my heart because it feels like the place where my grown-up life really began. My first company (I don't own it, but at least it feels like it), my first home with my own family, my first child and in a very special way, my first and possibly final attempt to be an effective blogger.

Bangkok is as cosmopolitan as you can ever imagine

It warms my heart when friends and relatives message me to tell me that they stumbled upon my blog online and have been reading ever since, or tell me they have been following without knowing it was mine. These are all very intimate comments as I realise I have achieved what I wanted to with this blog, that is to share my exotic lifestyle with all my friends who are far from me, and in some way or another provide some useful resources in case they are visiting. This blog usually garners more than 30 reads/day (from all over the world) even when I do not have any new posts, which to me, is highly encouraging.

While I try to think of other ways to push this blog to another level, my advice to all who are visiting for the first time is: It is not too late to follow this blog, especially if my way of life in Bangkok seems strange and unique to you.

There are a few distinct categories which I split I blog into and I shall just name a few (see a full list of labels on the right hand bar) and recommend you to some of my favourite posts:

1. My Strangest Experiences in Thailand
   
   This is what this blog is all about actually, about strange things that happen to me in Thailand, that might never happen elsewhere, which leads me encourage you to read what is arguably still my very favourite post of all time here.
   
2. The simple pleasures of life
   
   One of the main reasons why I love Bangkok is because while it is a cosmopolitan city like Singapore, life can be very very simple. The sincere smiles, the hospitality, affection and happiness of local Thai people really rub on you, and you have no choice but to become less demanding, more accomodating and more easily satisfied, resulting in a happier life!
   
   Click here to see how Li Li and I enjoyed ourselves becoming street vendors making and selling biodegradable boats during Loy Krathong.
   
3. TES Power Equipment
   
   The branch office I helped my company start from scratch, and the primary reason I am here now. It has been a long and tough journey, which I feel is getting tougher by the day, but I have survived and will continue to. With my team of talents plucked from the city streets, we will prevail and I look forward to many more good years together.
   
4. Tourist? I would come here if I were you
   
   I am no longer a visitor nor a tourist, I live here now. More than ever, I would like to enjoy what the locals enjoy, go where the locals go. If you too, are interested in that, this would be an category for you to invest some time on if you are planning a trip to Bangkok some time soon
   
   My first tip, instead of spending time in sleazy sinful Pattaya, consider going to the nearby Coral Island instead!
   
5. The Stranger's Foodie Recommendations in Thailand
   
   I am a die-hard foodie, so this category means a lot to me, and it should to you too, because though Thailand IS most definitely about the Tom Yums and Som Tums, it is also a metropolis where almost every cuisine is proudly represented. I believe these posts would come in handy when you need some dining ideas here!
   
   Jok's Kitchen is a private kitchen that I have had the privilege to dine in once quite a long while back, I hope you will too if the opportunity presents itself, because of the sheer difficulty to get your butt on a seat inside that elusive little restaurant! PS. This is by far my most popular food-related post.
   
6. Baby in Bangkok
   
   Last but not least, I have to promote my son, Noah Yii! Aside of this blog, another way to follow this endearing boy's life story is to "Like" his Facebook page, which can easily be done by clicking the "Like" button on the top right hand corner on this blog.
   
   Enjoy all the cute and heart-warming moments as Li Li and I try to bring up this little boy without any help here in Bangkok!

Ok, I think my very long and exhausting self-promoting blogpost must definitely end here before you run out of patience. 

Thank you to all my readers who have graced this blog one time or another. It's been a pleasure to have you walking my journey in Bangkok with me, and do continue to do so, and please leave me messages if you have any comments or need advice regarding anything in Thailand, I promise I will reply every single one of them!

Our first ever official date night at Rossini's

There are pros and cons to raising a kid in a foreign land. One of the most apparent con is that Noah has become a compulsory accessory wherever we go. As we have no relatives here, there is absolutely no choice of leaving him somewhere and going out by ourselves, unless we have close relatives visiting or have a maid of course, though we are temporarily not considering the latter as having one would present its own set of problems.

Therefore, when my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and agreed to "jaga" Noah for one evening, I sprang into action to make sure our first ever date night after Noah's arrival would be an unforgettable one. Yes, you guessed it, being the foodie I am, I made a booking (though it was not necessary) at Rossini's, the renowned Italian restaurant at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel recently made more famous by its Executive Chef Stefano Merlo, who gloriously defeated Chef Ian Kittichai on Thailand's version of Iron Chef. Chef Ian is easily the chef I admire the most in Thailand, so naturally I would like to try out Rossini's food to experience the hype.

After examining the menu, I decided not to create a huge hole in my pocket and gave the Iron Chef menu a miss. I am also not that interested in tasting bull's testicles seared to femininely-delicate perfection. It just feels a little wrong. I will let their standard ala-carte dishes and set dinner do the talking.

Being a fine Italian restaurant, the dinner naturally started off with some bread, and it was some good warm bread, which can be re-filled at our pleasure. Not a bad way for a hungry couple to begin our date night.

As many good restaurants do these days, they serve a complimentary starter from the chef, which is a nice touch, but only if the dish is excellent. For everyone still guessing what this black mess is, it's called cuttlefish with squid ink and potato froth, and it's really quite an intricate starter. The cubes of cuttlefish flesh were so tender and fragrant I wanted to ask if I could have an additional serving of free starter, haha.

carpaccio di manzo rucola e grana ( beef carpaccio with rocket and parmesan cheese )

Taking a picture to remember my first try of raw beef

So here comes my first course, beef carpaccio! It took me so long to try raw beef because of my first visit to Paris, where I sat in a restaurant serving beef carpaccio and beef tartar buffet, with French locals around me gorging down endless servings of raw minced/sliced beef with bread. I really should not have, but I felt a little sick, especially after I saw the blood oozing out of my pan-fried duck breast when I sliced it open.

But anyway, that was ages ago, and I have now overcome my fear of raw beef with Rossini's delightfully fresh carpaccio served with my favourite rocket and some very fruity Balsamic reduction.

tagliatelle alla bolognese

My second course was a medium-sized serving of home-made tagliatelle with classic bolognaise sauce. I am a BIG lover of pasta, that's why I did not expect anything less than excellence from a fine Italian diner's. I didn't find it unforgettable, but  looking at this picture after not having it for a couple of weeks, I guess I really do miss it now.

maialino da latte arrosto con funghi ( italian roasted suckling pig with mushrooms )

Li Li before she munched into her main course

Li Li ordered the most expensive main course on the ala carte menu, and it was the one dish that pushed the dinner experience over the roof. Nothing much could go wrong if you serve an aromatic crunchy pork skin on top of thick succulent pork with the texture of gourmet ham with nice sauce and potato mash. Li Li has the knack of choosing all the right courses almost every single time, and she did it again. 

I am not going to tell you the name of my main course, because the less said of it the better. Despite its beautiful presentation, it is one of the most underwhelming dishes I have eaten in a restaurant of this stature in a while. My only comment is "I would be better off with a bigger serving of the pasta".

Classic tiramisu

Despite a brief anticlimax at the fish course, the dinner ended off with a bang. Rossini's classic tiramisu was probably the best way to complete a fine Italian dining experience, coupled with a cup of latte and some free chocolate ganache.

Finally, a date night!

Rossini's food was generally very pleasing, and the impeccable service and classy atmosphere means that we will be back again even though one of our courses was extremely disappointing. So far, no restaurant has impressed us more than Chef Herve's Le Beaulieu, but while they struggle to complete renovating their new location, we have found another great food hideout.

When will we have our next date night? Relatives and friends (with confidence to take care of Noah alone for a few hours), if you are reading this, for our sake, please plan a visit soon!

A formal (shameless) invitation to become Noah Yii's fan!

If you think that this boy is endearing and worth you watching him grow day by day, please become his fan NOW by viewing Noah Yii's page or by clicking the "Like" button on the top right hand corner of this blog!

Li Li and I have been thinking of doing this for a while. Since the birth of Noah, our facebook pages have been overpowered by him. Li Li is no longer Li Li, Eddie is no longer Eddie. At least in cyberspace, we have technically become Noahmummy and Noahdaddy. No longer are our pages filled with our own updates or pictures, we have become 2 entities separately sharing our son's pictures with everyone.

Furthermore, Noah has garnered a fair bit of support from our Bangkokian friends, so we have decided to create this fanpage for him, so that friends who still remember us, in Thailand or abroad, can have a specialised portal to see what's happening to this infectiously happy boy in every single day of his precious life.

He has taken his 1st shower, 1st injection and devoured his 1st serving of solid food, but there is still an infinite number of milestones for him to reach in due time. Please "Like" his page and support him through his 1st tooth, 1st crawl, 1st steps, 1st haircut (yes, we have not cut his hair yet), 1st word and I am sure he will bring lots of joy to your lives, no less than he has done to ours.

Do the right thing, "Like" his page so that with the success of his fanpage, Daddy and Mummy can become Eddie and Li Li in cyberspace again!

多事之秋.... Eventful Autumn just became more depressing....

*Update: My grandpa passed away peacefully at 5pm on July 19 in his home in Sibu. RIP grandpa, we will all fondly miss how you loved us unconditionally over all these years. Hope you will find eternal joy in the better place.

I have just returned to Bangkok from a whirlwind visit to Sibu, my mum's hometown in Sarawak, braving 6 flights in 3 days across 3 countries. This trip was emotionally challenging, because I did not envision myself needing to make a trip to potentially say a final goodbye to one of the dearest persons in my life - my maternal grandpa.

Maybe I had been naive for a long time now. This great man is already 97, has 8 filial children, even more grand-children and great-grandchildren, and is such a great head of the house that he is hugely respected by everyone, what more can a man ask for?

He has now lost his ability to use his legs, needs to be fed and taken care of by a full-time maid. For every meal, he painfully swallows a few sips of formula milk, hardly enough to keep his weak body functioning, and yet, he called my name when he saw me, he still smiles when spoken to, and bravely swallows every mouthful of milk, though it tastes bad and his swallowing reflex is giving up on him.

Just a few years ago, when he was already well over 90, I had a 60+ year-old uncle complaining to me that my grandpa had better skin than him. It pains me now to see him shrivelled, his wrinkled skin dry and shiny.

I held his hand as I sat beside him, surprised to see that this little man's hands were as big as mine though I stand a head taller than him, even more embarrassed to realise that it was the first time I held his hand.

I accompanied him as he slept under the rays of the setting sun, watching his face disappear into the darkness as night fell. It could well have been the last time I saw him. I kissed his forehead when I left, ironically, also for the first time.

I hope that when I eventually bring Noah back to Sarawak, he will have the privilege of sitting in great-Grandpa's embrace. I hope that I can hold his hand again, and kiss him again. But I hope even more that as he fights for his life now, he can have happiness and peace in his heart, that he feels satisfaction over what he has done over all these years, and all the love we are showering him with.

Be Strong, Grandpa, we are all supporting you!

As one beautiful life is born, another fights to see tomorrow's sunrise. I would like to accept this as part and parcel of life, but it's just so tough to let go, just so difficult to say goodbye.

The Stranger's random gibberish after an eventful month

Another month has elapsed.

A lot has happened. Too much, in fact, for me to take. There have been heart-warming moments, and even more heart-stopping ones. I even managed to squeeze a highly-effective whirlwind trip to Singapore in between.

I had thought that the most exciting part of my story in Thailand (work-wise) was the initial part, the ploughing the road alone in a foreign country with a foreign language, sweating and bleeding for the company when no one can actually see what I am doing.... but how wrong I am. Now, it feels like everyday is a battle. I have come to realise that I might be too young and naive to have taken up this job in the first place. Total commitment to the company is one thing, but being strong enough to lead the company through all sorts of unexpected twists and turns is another.

I guess for everyone in any job, there has to be a steep learning curve that we have to overcome to reach the next level, and maybe that's what they mean by experience. But does the process of building up experience always need to be devastating? Do good lessons always need to be expensive? Things have happened, for the better I guess, but they really make me feel that my time in Thailand is not as simple as it may seem, though I take heart that whenever shit happens, there will always be angels appearing out of nowhere to pull me out of the mire and lead me towards a brighter path. That is God's grace, and I am extremely grateful.

I will emerge stronger than ever, more prepared than ever for future challenges. The company is in better hands now, and this pair of hands will just become better and better, come what may.

And there will always be this cute little boy and his lovely mum waiting at home to shower me with shrieks of delight at the end of the day.

That, to me, is more than enough to keep me going.

Noah sees Hua Hin with his own eyes

Disclaimer: The post below is purely Noah's thoughts and is not an accurate representation of Eddie's true feelings, though he tends to want to agree with his son.

Hello everyone, I am so angry with Daddy, but before I say why, I would like to announce to everyone that I am more than 4 months old now, and I am big and strong! Doctor says I am 95th percentile in weight (8.0kg) and virtually 100th percentile in length (68cm), whoopee, means I am a happy king-sized baby, thanks to Mummy's ceaseless care.

I am happy king-sized Baby Noah

Back to my topic, I am so angry with Daddy because he did not blog for more than a month. In his archives, May 2012 is absolutely EMPTY. How can he even allow this? Ok ya, he told me that both my grandpas came (separately), my granduncle came, my grandma is here, his director came, his company is facing some challenges blah blah blah, I understand but I cannot accept him not even writing ONE post in May! Anyway, he has finally gotten down to writing this, so I would like to share with everyone about my first trip out of Bangkok to Hua Hin, where Daddy and Mummy had their babymoon a few months ago.

This was a very significant trip for Daddy, because after working so hard in Thailand for 2.5 years, he can finally bring his staff on their inaugural incentive trip. To make things even more special, Grandpa Yii came to join us for the holiday, so it's a big big holiday for everyone. Daddy was very proud to be able to make everyone important in his life in Thailand happy all at the same time.

Yii 3G taking picture together for the first time, at Amazon Cafe on the way to Hua Hin

For me, it was a chance to go out of Bangkok for the first time after I was born. I remember hearing and feeling the sights and sounds of Hua Hin when in Mummy's tummy, but nothing beats seeing it with my own eyes right? For Mummy though, it might not have been very fun. There was a lot of packing to do even though it was only for a night. I think we brought everything to Hua Hin, like moving house!

Poor Mummy, worrying about me all the time, at least she had time to take a picture with me at the beach restaurant.

Look! Daddy was shocked when he realised that there was no space for him to sleep! Everything was about ME!

I was well-prepared for the sun, sand and sea

But I just kept sleeping at the beach in front of Khao Takiab (Chopsticks Mountain)

Daddy said that the trip was not about our family, but about his staff, because it is what they deserved, so we just followed them as they did what they enjoyed, playing football at the beach, taking pictures with foreigners, grilling seafood at night, Daddy even went to their room to play cards with them until midnight.

The next morning, we went out to visit Plearn Wan, the nostalgic weekend market aimed to copy the ambience in the eighties when Daddy was still a baby like me (that's such a LONG time ago), before heading back to Bangkok.

Daddy's favourite picture of the trip, TES Power 万岁!

Everyone loves Noah part 1: Having fun with Daddy's colleagues in the car

Everyone loves Noah part 2: This old auntie who came to Hua Hin with her family, literally persuaded Daddy into letting her hold me. Unfortunately, I was asleep the whole time and did not even manage to have a good look at her!

Aiya, why didn't they show my face? 没礼貌

Daddy says that every year, he wants to reward his staff with incentive trips, and his dream is to let them travel overseas for the first time in their lives in the next few years. I think he will need to work very hard to make it happen, but I believe he can do it.

Meanwhile, I plan to start my career in babywear modelling, so that I can help Daddy put some bread on the table. How do I look, not bad for a first time ya?

The Baby in Bangkok's maiden journey to Paradise (Park)

Baby in Bangkok, Noah Yii gives an account of his first excursion out of his apartment that is NOT to the hospital:

I have been bored at home for the last 10 weeks. Aside of my cot, my room, the toilet for my daily shower and occasionally (now more and more) the living room, I have only gone downstairs twice for strolls, both of which I fell asleep unknowingly, and a few times to the hospital (I don't like the hospital, they stick glass things into my arse and poke me with needles).

It's the second day of Songkran, I gave my indication of obedience with a high-pitched chuckle and YES, Daddy and Mummy finally decided to be brave and brought me to Paradise Park. The journey there was very exciting, because we have not experienced the annual waterfights before. The grownups looked crazy, but the kids looked even crazier! Luckily we were safely protected from the incessant water attacks inside the car, otherwise we would surely need to go back before even arriving at the destination!

Actually, I believe I have been ready to go out long ago. What else can babies like me ask for? We don't need money, we don't have jobs, we can't talk. All we need is a simple cuddle to keep us happy, and we will sleep, poop, eat, sleep, poop and eat again, ALL of which I did at Paradise Park. I realised that Daddy is a popular man, because every shop we went into, the people inside seemed to know him and were very excited that Mummy and I came, as if they had been waiting for us for a long time. I especially enjoyed it when a little girl kept looking at me while I was pretending to sleep in that bright shop that sells a lot of bags.

Daddy says this shop is a Royal Project started by a kind  Princess to help the poor, I want to marry a kind Princess too

See, I looked so relaxed when Daddy was feeding me, I treat the mall like my own backyard

*facepalm* Of all shops they brought me to the tupperware shop, boring or not

Come on man, a picture in front of a row of yellow ATM machines? You can do better than that!

So, as you can see, my maiden leisure trip was not very exciting, but it made Daddy and Mummy quite satisfied because they ate seafood and ice cream, though I think they would have enjoyed it more if I did not  insist they feed me just as their food arrived.

It was more fun when I arrived back home, because I had a good time playing with the results of Mummy's retail therapy:

Look, I'm juggling with my new cartoon face towels!

How about posing with the cat and fish key pouch?

I wonder when I will be going out again. I am sure looking forward to it, but please, no more tupperware shops!