The Stranger in Bangkok's (likely-permanent) Facelift

Thanks to you and everyone else reading this, I have been fortunate enough to have sufficient support and motivation to keep this blogging endeavor alive for the last 5 years. In fact, this blogging journey has given me more rewards that I could have ever imagined. The love from my readers, however few there may be, the precious friendships I have made or rekindled because of this space, I treasure every bit of it.

My biggest satisfaction to date happened at the tail end of 2014, where my popular Thailand Winter Getaway Series indirectly inspired a couple of talented photographers (Terry and Ginosko from One Eye Click) and a set of lovebirds to embark on a journey deep into central Thailand (completely unknown to them otherwise) to shoot their pre-wedding pictures. I was involved in the planning, and when the beautiful pictures were published, I was literally beaming from ear to ear, elated at the positive energy this humble blog has generated.

Just one of the many stunning pictures taken. Credit: One Eye Click

Over the years, I have also made it a point to revamp the look of my blog frequently, to keep it fresh and updated, however, it also involved sticking my friends and colleagues onto the blog banner, which might not be totally appropriate. Therefore, in collaboration with One Eye Click, I did a personal shoot at my favourite night market in Thailand, and the shots have now been used to permanently grace the blog, as they have effectively captured its spirit-- the story of a stranger trying to navigate his way in his colourful surroundings that is called Bangkok.

Credits: One Eye Click

Aside of these, every picture you see on my "About Me" and "Contact Me" pages and also the banner on my Facebook Page are from the same shoot.

So thank you once again Terry and Ginosko, for making me such a satisfied blogger, and to subsequently capture the blog's spirit so well. I am certain this 'cosmetic surgery' has undoubtedly lifted the Stranger in Bangkok's image to another level. And to my readers, I hope you like what you see. As long as you want to read, I will not stop writing.

The Stranger's Ultimate Guide to Online Shopping in Thailand

If you know someone who tells you Thai malls are getting quieter by the day and are not doing well, they don't know their stuff. Yes, new malls are sprouting like wild mushrooms by the minute, and the economy isn't exactly rosy, but the truth is, much of the 'shopping crowd' has been removed by the groups running the malls themselves, through their extremely comprehensive online shopping portals.

Anyone who has read my letter for Noah for his 3rd birthday will know that he is still resisting toilet training. Couple that with the arrival of Ellie, it means that I had recently been forced to scramble around for the best deals for diapers. This exercise pointed me to the beautiful world of online shopping, be it through mall groups like Central and Robinson, supermarket giants like Big C and Tesco Lotus, or even independent online shopping portals like Venbi and Lazada.

The advantages are obvious. Better deals. Delivery to your doorstep (diapers are bloody bulky) as soon as the next day. Access to most items you can find in the malls. Creative modes of payment (payment on delivery is the mode I recommend). Delivery trucks that have built-in sorting drawers, freezers and chillers all at the same time.

A common scene in my house, how to not look for best deal?

However, things might not be as rosy as it seems. If you are tempted to start buying groceries online in Thailand, do take note of the following tips to ensure you do not get frustrated.

1. Be prepared to wait the entire day for your items.
   
   Depending on your order quantity and company you order from, delivery might or might not be free. Some even give you the luxury to select the time period in which you would like them to deliver. But trust me, it is impossible for them to give you any promises.
   
   Most will deliver on the day promised, often the working day after you place the order, but none of my orders had been delivered within the time frame I preferred. Every truck might have up to 50 locations to hit a day, so be prepared to be stuck in 1 place to wait for your items then celebrate your new-found freedom when they arrive.
   
   
2. Be prepared to speak Thai, or look for help.
   
   In your order form, you can give all sorts of instructions, to the point of giving details of the slight cracks on your door to aid in their identification of your house.
   
   But whatever the case, the driver will still DEFINITELY call you on delivery day to ask you how to get to your place, and he will DEFINITELY only know how to speak Thai.
   
   So, if you don't speak Thai, or don't physically stay near anyone who speaks Thai, or do not want to receive urgent calls from random numbers during working hours (and speak Thai), purchasing online might be a very frustrating experience for you (and the driver).
   
   
3. Delivery staff are, well, delivery staff.
   
   Even though the delivery services are well-established and pretty mature in Thailand already, mistakes still happen. There is a possibility that wrong items are sent to you by mistake. Whatever it is, there is no point complaining to the delivery staff, as their job is to drop the items, collect payment and scoot off to their next destination. So, for online shopping, be mentally prepared to pay for the wrong item first, then contact the sales office again to request for the goods exchange. This is just how it works.
   
   And this leads me to an important sub-point that you should not leave your urgent items to the hands of these online shopping portals, because anything might happen and you might just not get your item on time.
   
   
4. Scour around for the best deals, and don't forget to use the discount codes, if any!
   
   One of the best things about online shopping is that they often offer better deals than those you can get in the shops. Of course, it might need you to buy more pieces that you normally do, but they save you the hassle of carrying them home yourself.
   
   For the best deal, homework is required. Be diligent and go through a few websites, they will definitely be offering differing deals which might or might not suit you. Many will have special periodic promotion codes to give you good additional discounts, so please do not forget to use them!

I really wanted to write this post because I have learnt many lessons from my experiences with online shopping websites and I hope to highlight the things you should consider before making your first purchase.

I also want to emphasize again that even if the services are not perfect, I really do recommend online shopping in Thailand as a MORE THAN LEGIT way of getting products without leaving your house, especially if you know exactly what you want, and speak a bit of the local language.

Meanwhile, happy shopping!

The Ultimate Home-Made Valentine's Day Dish - Mediterranean Fish Soup

Valentine's Day happens to be tomorrow 

When restaurants laugh to make our pockets hollow

So what do we do to avoid this scam?

Make something great at home? 

Of course you can!

Pardon my lameness to start yet another blogpost with some poetry. Anyway, after at least 3 separate requests for the recipe to my Mediterranean Seafood Soup last night, and considering it's a perfect dish to impress your loved one (as long as he/she is not vegetarian and likes seafood), I shall rush out the cooking instructions with some of my random pictures taken under poor lighting.

No home-made stock on hand, so used some decent store-bought ones

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

• 8 large shrimp, around 500g
• 200g of boneless fish fillet, skinned and cubed (picture below, I used wild sea bass)
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1 can of chopped Italian tomato (I used chopped as they are skinless and seedless, you could use the full tomatoes as well but remember to remove the seeds if you don't want your soup to be too sour)
• 200ml of chicken stock
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic (for shrimp stock)
• 1 large handful of parsley (preferably flat-leaf, but curly ones will do too), finely chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves (optional)

Cubed fish fillet

Diced onion

Cooking Procedure:

1. Shell and devein the shrimp. If you like the heads, leave the heads on, if not, remove the heads and set aside with the shell for the shrimp stock.
2. Fry 2 cloves of garlic in a small pot till fragrant, add shrimp shells and heads, fry till the entire house smells of hae mee (prawn noodle) then pour in around 2-300ml of water to simmer into a nice shrimp stock.
3. In a separate soup pot where the whole dish will be put together, sweat the onions in some good olive oil. This will take some time on medium heat, till the onions become sweet but do not take up too much colour.
4. Deglaze the pot with a cup of white wine and wait for the alcohol to boil away.
5. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil, add bay leaves.
6. At this point add in shrimp stock and chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil again.
7. Add in fish fillet cubes.
8. Before adding in the shrimp, make sure you are well prepared with chopsticks or tongs to remove them once cooked and prepare your serving plates/bowls.
9. Once you are ready, add in the shrimp and remove them immediately onto your serving bowls once they cook through, we do not want overcooked rubbery jumbo shrimp on your Valentine's Day.
10. Finally, while the soup is still bubbling hot, stir in your parsley and season the soup to your preferred taste with salt and pepper.
11. Serve.

My Mediterranean Fish Soup

How can I sign off without leaving you with some important tips?

Number 1, this soup is exceptionally versatile. It can be cooked with any kind of seafood you prefer, so mussels, clams, squid, even crab will work beautifully. Just put in anything you can find. Just keep in mind that the most vital point is that every element needs to be extremely fresh, we don't want to take chances with anything that might spoil the whole pot of soup!

Number 2, this is a main course, not a starter. You eat this together with some nice bread or baked potato to complete a good meal. You need a lot of seafood in the soup (also to make the soup delicious). If the amount makes you feel that it might be slightly excessive, it's perfect.

Number 3, you can add some chopped fresh tomato as well, to spruce up the taste a little, but I still recommend you to use a can of tomatoes as the base, because unless we use those expensive imported tomatoes, it's unlikely the standard ones we find in our markets can provide enough flavour to the soup.

Number 4, Do not overcook the seafood!

Number 5, Enjoy!

Belated Birthday Letter for Noah's 3rd Birthday

Dear Noah

We just had your birthday gathering yesterday with a small group of neighbours, and Daddy has to apologise for nearly forgetting to put the customary yummy Foochow chicken soup on the table for you. It was really comforting to see you chomping it down during dinner though, and to know that you enjoyed your little birthday 'party'.

Our very different birthday picture this year, with 4 of us instead of 3

In view of you reaching the ripe old age of 3, Daddy has 2 precious words for you, 2 words that I hope you will hold dear to your heart and execute in the very near future.

1. Unbind

Your have been bound by diapers virtually 24 hours a day for 3 full years already. So long, that you know all different models of diapers by heart and tell me which kind you want to wear during different parts of the day.

This can be partly due to Daddy and Mummy, who want to give you time and freedom to decide when you are ready to go to the toilet by yourself. We are still standing by that decision and will continue to give you the time and space your require. BUT the amount of diapers Daddy has been pulling off the shelves now with Ellie's arrival is nothing short of insane, and honestly I have more than once attempted to wrap Ellie's tiny butt up in your ginormous undies.

SO, I hope 2015 is a good time for you to finally unbind. You will not regret the decision.

I am 3 years old from now onwards!

2. Unwind Unwhine, yes seriously, unwhine

Don't be confused. Yes, the word is not even in the Urban Dictionary, but that's what you've given me since I've become your Daddy. Unlimited bouts of creativity and inspiration, so much so that I have come up with new words that are destined for parenting blog greatness.

Ok, back to the point.

Noah, please stop whining, because whining does not get you anything, well not in my house at least, or in any house with me around. I always pray for more patience, but my patience runs out whenever you start whining, mostly without reason at all!

I promise you I will tell you, in a nice manner, to stop when you whine, but please do everyone a favour and stop!

My 2 words for you seem harsh, but I love you very much Noah, I really do. So much so that I am dedicating my blog's 200th post to you.

What a birthday means to a child, and thank you everyone for the gifts!

My day starts with sending you to school, and ends with putting you to sleep in my arms, there's nothing much left in my world if you're not in it.

So happy birthday Noah, one last time, till the clock strikes 1st of February again in 2016.

Love,
Noahdaddy aka Stranger in Bangkok

Poems by a Hands-on Dad Part 1

Poems by a Hands-on Dad

(Who's read one too many children's books)

There was one

Now there's two

Our house has become a zoo

Full of screams and pee and poo

I love it, you should too

***

Did you ever think

How on earth to catch a wink

Or go out with friends for a drink

All day long you're on the brink

Like your ship's gonna sink

And your head's turning pink

If you still can't get a link

Then you should have some kids, I think

***

"Daddy, I can hear you snore!"

I only just slept and you want more?

Sleeping has become a chore

On the bed, sofa or the floor

On the floor?

Yes! Near the toilet door

Just have a kid or four

You don't get to sleep no more

***

Inspired by Dr Seuss and his classic "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish"

[Putting Food on the Table] Like Grandpa, Like Husband

There is this theory that women tend to marry men who are like their dads. I think I married one who is like my late grandpa and I am a very lucky girl indeed. I have never mentioned this to DH even though I have had this thought since we got hitched 5 years ago.

When DH revealed that he wanted to ask me to write a post for his linky 'Putting Food on the Table', the first person I thought of was my grandma who was the masterchef of the house cooking for up to 12 people daily. Then I quickly recalled that the subject needs to be related to a male figure in my life. One person whom I hold dear to my heart is my grandpa as my grandparents were the main caregivers for me and my sister when we were kids.

Here are some of my memories of my grandpa who contributed to putting food on the table in many ways.

• Grocery Shopping
  
  Grandma wouldn't have been able to dish out those wholesome meals daily without Grandpa's efforts. Almost every morning, rain or shine, he would walk to the nearby market to buy the fresh ingredients in his immaculate short-sleeve shirt and trousers. He did this even into his late eighties before he had problems with his eyesight.
  
  Once in a while he would take the bus by himself to markets that are slightly further away. My uncle and dad would tag along to help when he needed to make purchases in bulk. Even though it was hard work, he always appeared happy and greeted us with a smile when he saw us. He did all this out of love for the extended family with no complaint.
  
  
• Tea and Afternoon Snacks
  
  I grew up drinking tea made by Grandpa. I could drink tea for breakfast, afternoon tea, supper and even in the middle of night when I wake up hungry. Grandpa always prepared the tea meticulously with heart. The cups needed to be warmed before putting in the tea bag with hot water. The balance of sugar and evaporated milk had to be just right. He even counted the number of teaspoons of evaporated milk as he added it to the tea. There were times I secretly wished Grandpa operated a coffeeshop so that I could drink all the tea and eat all the snacks I want.
  
  Aside of the morning trips to the market, he would also take a walk in the afternoon to buy food such cakes, buns and dim sum for our afternoon snacks and breakfast the next morning.
  
  
• Cooking
  
  Grandpa didn't have to get his hands dirty in the kitchen when Grandma was wielding the wok, except once. I have forgotten the actual circumstances, but Grandma was not available to prepare our lunch. So ,Grandpa took on the reins and pan-fried some pork chops that were coated with crushed soda crackers, a dish that we often had for our meals. They turned out a tad burnt and I eyed them suspicously, skeptical that it would taste as good as Grandma's version. But I was wrong. The slight burnt gave an extra boost to the taste and fragrance of the pork chops. I enjoyed my meal very much that day and yearned for more such meals whipped up by Grandpa.
  
  Despite Grandpa's lack of involvement in the kitchen, I believed he was equipped with decent culinary skills. Grandma told me before that Grandpa used to cook boiled chicken and other dishes by himself for the staff at his tailor shop on Chinese New Year's Eve. Impressive.

DH is like my grandpa in the above aspects. He buys the fresh food and groceries, and sinful snacks that contribute to my growing waistline. He makes delicious and rich Thai milk tea for me. He cooks yummy food for our meals.

However, DH and Grandpa are not only alike in the above-mentioned ways. DH is also a kind and caring man, who works hard and provides the best for his family.

I don't intend to make this post one that brings tears in remembrance of my grandpa. Instead, let's celebrate his love and the love of our closed ones!

Eddie, this is my belated Father's day* present to you.

*In Thailand, Father's day is on 5 December.

This guest post is contributed by the Stranger in Bangkok's wifey dearest.

The Thailand Winter Getaway Series 2014: Ancient City Ayuthaya

It's that time of the year again, when temperatures in Bangkok drop to unbelievable lows. Even though it's not as cold this year, it's still reasonably cool, so I shall continue my ever popular winter getaway series to give all of you more ideas while planning your trips in Thailand.

Our situation this year is very different from the last, because not only do we have a toddler, we also have a 3-month old baby in tow, so we had to be extra careful while choosing our destination. We finally chose to go to Ayuthaya, a former capital of Thailand littered with ancient temple ruins caused by decades of warfare, firstly, because it's a close 1.5 hours drive away, and more importantly because we have never been there before even though we've lived here for more than 4 years. It will also be nice to soak ourselves amongst a piece of famous Siamese history without being torched by the otherwise-scorching sun (during other times of the year).

By the pool

Dragging a baby along, we knew that we would be spending a good portion of our time in the resort, so it was important for me to choose a nice one, and our accomodation turned out to be a really great one right by the Chao Phraya River. In fact, Noah kept wanting to stay in the room and protested whenever we left.

Li Li: "Now where's my son?"

"I'm figuring out how this water thingie works."

However, it was our first time holiday-ing in Ayuthaya in nearly 5 years! We had to visit a temple right? After a discussion with the receptionist, we were eventually directed to Wat Maha That, which turned out to be the place to visit for tourists who only had time for 1 destination.

You go to Ayuthaya to see this 

Weather was on our side. It was the first cool day in Ayuthaya when we embarked on our temple visit, and by that, I mean really cool. The entire city felt like an air-conditioned room if you didn't stand directly under the sun. It certainly made the trip much more bearable, even with a toddler and baby with us. We were not in the condition to read much into the story behind Wat Maha That, but both Li Li and I were very satisfied to have taken the trouble to visit, as this piece of history and ambience is really not something that many other places in Thailand can offer.

You go to Wat Maha That to take this picture

Noah wasn't too cooperative during the temple visit

One of my absolute most favourite family pictures

Before you go "wow" after seeing this pictures and make up your mind to visit Ayuthaya, let me emphasize again that at any other time of the year, these ruins will either be soaking wet with rain our immensely hot. Especially if you have little kids who might get cranky, please be prepared, or wait till mid December to early January to visit, as it's likely to be the only window where the weather in Ayuthaya will be bearable. 

Don't say the Stranger in Bangkok did not warn you!

Daddy, where are we going next?