StreetSmart's posts with tag: money
|  |  People have been bugging me like hell DA WHOLE DAY TODAY coz it's my B-Day.
"What are you gonna do tonight to celebrate one more year of being alive~?!" they asked.
"Erm, I'm not doing anything special today," I said distractedly, busy pounding the calculator. "I think I'll wait 'til the weekend."
"THAT'S SCANDALOUS~~!!!" they all screamed. "You're not doing ANYTHING special or different to celebrate~?!"
"Well, does wearing a peridot (my birthstone) bracelet count~??" I asked.
"NO~~!!!!" they all gave me such disgusted looks I wished my B-Day was last month.
"How can you be so blasé about your own B-Day~?!" one more chimed in.
"Sigh~ just getting older means nothing," I tried to argue. "In fact, since EVERYBODY gets older sooner or later, I don't even see what's all this fuss about B-Days."
"More years = more wisdom~!!" they asserted.
"Not necessarily," I rebutted. "I know LOTS of much older people who are STILL hopeless retards."
"YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOO CYNICAL~~~!!!!!!!" they all sighed so dramatically (I swear, if I get 100 baht for everytime someone calls me cynical, I wouldn't even NEED to count my money~!!)
They protested SO HARD that I had to concede defeat just to shut 'em up. Besides, they all decided to treat me for dinner, so of coz I had to say yes (I usually don't say "NO" to free food~!!) 
So I gave up counting my money (which is MUCH MORE FUN than counting years, am tellin' ya~!!) and went out into the humid Sukhumvit night air.
Unfortunately, it was over 11 pm already, and most restaurants were closed.
"See, this is ALL YER FAULT for spending sooooo... much time obsessing about money just now~!!" one of my B-day dinner payers whined. "WHERE are we gonna eat now~?!"
Well, since I was the B-day star, I got to choose the place. The choices were, I got to admit, quite limited.
I tried to remember what I typed in for one of my photo al bums before, titled "Late Night Chow in Sukhumvit" (read it HERE) and decided to choose SANKAYA (pictured right), one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Sukhumvit 24 for some Thai food - this one stays open 'til 1 am.
(I know, I know, it's so WEIRD to go to a Japanese restaurant to eat Thai food, but I swear - this Japanese restaurant makes a really fierce somtam puu~!!).
"Why SANKAYA~?!?!" they  weren't done whining yet. "Can't you at least choose a Japanese restaurant that's NOT beside a sleazy Japanese club~?!?!"
Nevertheless, since tonight was s'posed to be MY night, they had no choice but to go along with my choice.
"You're not even gonna eat Japanese food there~!!" one very stubborn complainer tried a last-ditch attempt to change my mind.
But don't despair... I DID drink genuine HOT Japanese sake (rice wine) there to usher in one more year of my life.
So to all the wonderful peeps who greeted me on my B-Day: THANK YOU A WHOLE BUNCH~~!!!(*wipes tear from eye*)
I'm truly touched y'all remembered my B-Day~!!
Sorry I don't have any exciting pics to show ya~!!
 is September here yet~?!
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
 sukhumvit  bangkok  thailand |
| |  Blink and you'll miss it~!! The sidewalk between Sukhumvit 24 and 26 turns into an impromptu market at noon during weekdays~!!
The thing is, since the sellers are there to catch (mostly) office workers on their lunch break, they will disappear just as quickly as they come in the early afternoon~!!
The usually spacious sidewalk will get clogged during lunchtime, then around 1:30 - 2 pm everything will turn quiet again... until the next day lunchtime.
It's also a hit-n-miss affair when it comes to the products being offered here... since some sellers are there all the time (like the earrings seller) and some are just "guest sellers" (like many of those hawking clothes).
This means: if you find something that you like here, you better buy it NOW~!! Coz there's no guarantee that the same seller will show up again next time~!!
Also available: all kinds of food (fruits, breads, sausages, meatballs, ice cream, peanuts, grilled bananas), drinks, counterfeit items (like DVDs and watches - ha ha ha) and accessories (bangles, bags, sunglasses, hair decorations). One thing they have in common is that they're all CHEAP~!! Yehey~~!!!
So you see, lunchtime in Sukhumvit isn't just for lunch... there's no lack of distraction tempting you to part with your hard-earned cash~!!
Let the burnin' begin~~~~!!! WOO-HOOOOO~~~!!
"just lookin' around" ain't enuff~!!
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
sukhumvit bangkok thailand |
The TAXI's meter said "37", so I fished out 40 baht from my wallet and handed it to the driver.
"Wannii mai rap," he said (today I don't accept). He then pointed to a box standing between his seat and the front passenger seat.
 Confused, I noticed that it looked like those donation boxes I sometimes see in department stores and shops.
"Wannii pen wan mae," he said (today is Mother's Day).
(*NOTE: to those who don't know, August 12 is Thailand's Mother's Day, as it is her Majesty the Queen's birthday).
By this time I am pretty sure that my face had changed dramatically to resemble a lost khwai (buffalo - in Thailand, buffaloes are considered very stupid animals).
 "All my earnings today are for charity to celebrate Mother's Day", the TAXI driver explained. "Go ahead, drop your money inside the box."
Shocked and speechless, I dutifully dropped my 40 baht into the donation box. It sounded as if there was more cash in there.
"Chok dii (good luck)," the driver told me as I opened the TAXI door, still at a loss for words.
 "Chok dii, kha~!!" I finally said and watched the TAXI drove off, tears dangerously about to spill from the corners of my eyes (*SNIFF*).
TO EVERYBODY:
SSS ain't no wuss~~!!!streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand
 So there I was in a TAXI on a sunny day inside Sukhumvit 24.
My driver this time was a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with closely-cropped hair.
When we passed a high-end pet specialty store, the driver said to me, "Nhu, nhu... look at that dog fashion shop~!! Even dogs have better clothes than humans~!! Ha! Ha! Ha!" he guffawed, somehow finding the whole situation comical.
"Oh, I used to have a poodle before who hated wearing clothes," I told him.
"That's good, it's cheaper," he nodded. "My dog actually likes wearing clothes~!!" he laughed again. "Guess how much a dog dress costs~!!"
I was about to open my mouth and guess a price, but was beaten to the punch. "150 baht~!!!" the driver exclaimed. "150 baht~!! I can have a nice dinner already with 150 baht~!! HAHAHAHAAAA~~~!!!" he laughed heartily.
"But y'know, my family takes our dog everywhere we go," he continued, "even up North, when we go to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai~!!"
"Reeeeeeally~~??" I exclaimed.
"Yeap," he said. "Even to the Doi Suthep Temple (pictured below left). See, dogs aren't allowed to ride the cable car up to the temple, so we tell him to go up the stairs (pictured below right) and wait for us there."
 
"WOW, so smart~!!!" I commented, and the driver giggled happily (I could tell the man was a true dog-lover~!!).
"And you know what, soooo... many people really like our dog, he's popular everywhere~!!" he claimed.
"But you know what's funny?" he asked.
"What is it?" I asked back.
"My dog hates farangs~!!!! HAHAHAHAAA~~~~!!!!" he laughed uproariously. "Farangs always think he's so cute and want to play with him, but he doesn't even let them touch him~!!"
"Oh, how come~??" I asked him.
"Hmmmm... I myself don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe... farangs just smell different~~!!! BWAHAHAHAHAAAA~~~!!!!" he laughed like hell, slapping his thighs. sniff sniff
Read PART 1 of the "Conversation With A TAXI Driver" series here~!! Read PART 2 of the "Conversation With A TAXI Driver" series here~!! Read PART 3 of the "Conversation With A TAXI Driver" series here~!!
Read part 4 of the "Conversation With A TAXI Driver" series here~!!
Read part 5 of the "Conversation With A TAXI Driver" series here~!!
Read part 6 of the "Conversation With A TAXI Driver" series here~!!
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand
| Category: | Restaurants | | Cuisine: | Pub Fare | | Location: | Penny's Balcony, Thonglo ( Sukhumvit 55) |
I have seen the light and been converted.
It is now official:
SSS drinks beer~~!!!!!
 From now on, that is. And only the expensive kind. As in imported European (Belgian) kind.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a glass of wine now and then, a cocktail here and there, Japanese sake to go with my sushi or Korean soju with BBQ, and so on and so forth...
 But I just never liked beer. I can stomach Asahi or Heineken or Budweiser (Kloster was actually my so-called "favorite"), but I truly abhor the rest.
I swear, Singha beer tastes like PEE (not as if I actually TASTED pee before, but... y'know what I mean). And don't even get me started with Leo or Chang or whatever animal the beer people come up with next.
That is... until I found HOBS (House of Beers).
Situated right across J-Avenue (Thonglo 15) on the ground floor of Penny's Balcony, HOBS is actually slated to officially open next month, but a friend knows the manager/partner and paved the way for my enlightenment a bit earlier. ALLELUIAAAA~~!!!!!
HOBS is a very macho-looking place. It's got red brick wa lls, dark wood furniture, and flat screen TVs (which was showing the Euro 2008 football match of Spain vs. Sweden).
Oh, and did I mention that it's got this fierce-looking thingymajig (pictured right) on the wall which looked like some Viking's shield~??
(It turned out to be a harmless wall clock on closer inspection).
Looki ng around, I spied that the place was full of dek inter and luuk khreungs. Noting that HOBS used to be a German restaurant and a Belgian restaurant before that (when Penny's Balcony was just newly built)... I got to say that perhaps this time HOBS will prove that "third time's a charm" really is true (after all, J-Avenue across attracts young, beautiful and painfully hip individuals, who perhaps didn't want to be associated with stuffy and unfamiliar European food).
 I was pleasantly surprised to see some of my former high school classmates there~!!
I said hi to those I knew (and tried hard to remember those faces that seemed familiar...) and recognized a few from a rival international school... NO no no I SHALL NOT~!! WILL NOT~~!!! Mention ANY names~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(ISB~!! ISB~!!).
 The skeptic/cynic in me zeroed in the cocktails list and ordered a glass of Sangria (pictured left) at first (to tell you the truth, I was appalled that they didn't have Bailey's~!!).
 But sure enough... soon alcohol envy reared its ugly head and it wasn't long 'til I was quickly tasting (READ: mooching off) everybody's beer.
OK, I admit that I was first attracted to some of the unusually-shaped glasses (and beer logos~!!), but since I have the motto of tasting anything that is edible at least once... might as well...
And did I mention that HOBS has an extensive and huuuuuge selection of alcohol~~~?!?!
 
Eniweeeei, I am verrrrry pleased to introduce to you...
The newly adopted pets of SSS:
 
And my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE:
Pheuh~ *wipes forehead* Had no idea that trying new beers was such hard work... Soon we all got hungry and decided to stick to the European theme and ordered traditional fish-n-chips (well, I was mo re like out-voted... I was actually insisting that we go out to Thonglo and hunt for some muu ping and khao niow HARUMPH~!!)....
I was shocked. The fish-n-chips (pictured right) turned out to be YUMMY. Not just edible, mind you... but DELICIOUS. Like finger lickin' good (don't worry, I DID use a fork).
And I actually had to fight off everyone for every last bit of it~!!!!!
Seems like I just found myself a new
late night hang-out place on Sukhumvit~~~!!!!
HOBS is the perfect place for you if you:
1). Agree wholeheartedly with me that Singha tastes like pee.
2). Are hunting for a dek inter/luuk khreung for a possible partner/'kik'.
3). Want to drink expensive European beer without having to look at old, fat, balding farang men with their (ahem) "compensated companions".
Overall, I'd have to say that it was truly a very productive night.
I got rid of my beer phobia, met some old classmates (and found out that kids from a rival international school CAN turn out to be very nice, sophisticated and witty indeed~!!), and threw away my prejudice against dear ol' fish-n-chips~!! Next project: WORLD PEACE.
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com sukhumvit bangkok thailand
I am NOT fond of walking inside Sukhumvit 24 (for those of yo u who don't know, Sukhumvit 24 is the soi of my beloved Emporium). It's always sooo crowded, no matter what time it is (except maybe Songkran haha). It also gets flooded when it rains heavily. Worse, it's got no pavement~!! So when you're walking there, various kinds of vehicles will pass oh-sooooo-very-close to your skin you can actually feel the HEAT from them~!! (And no, the feeling is totally not the same as spa steam treatment~!!). But anyway, y'all know that I hate hot weather (and I hate WALKING in hot weather even more), as mentioned HERE. "So how would you enter Sukhumvit 24, then??" some of you might ask. The answer, my dearies, is MOTORCYCLE TAXIs. 
These guys pictured above are a heaven-sent for Sukhumvit 24. Why waste time and money in a TAXI or car when you can cut down your "traveling time" to mere minutes~??
As mentioned in my "Local Transportation" photo album (check it out ), the motorcycle taxi drivers of Sukhumvit 24 are in a  league of their own. They're true professionals who can swerve between vehicles in the blink of an eye. They’ve got their own smoooooth rotation system to make sure that passengers are quickly “matched up” with drivers. What's more, they don't overcharge (unlike the greedy chumps in the next soi - Sukhumvit 24/1, pictured right)~!! And they can bring you from the pak soi (mouth of the soi) to the end of the soi in about THREE MINUTES, I kid you not~!! (They've saved my super-late ass countless times~!!). One look at my high-maintenance hair, and some of you might scoff, "YOU take motorcycle taxis~?! You with your dresses and high heels~?! Don't make me laugh~!!!!" 
Aaaah ~ but you underestimate the SSS~!! I've been living in Sukhumvit since childhood, therefore I can now proudly call myself a LOCAL (by the way, for those who also aspire to be a Sukhumvit LOCAL, click to check out "I'm From Sukhumvit - How To Be a Local"). I now possess the elusive, special and rare Sukhumvit skills crucial for surviving on this road... and one of these vital skills is the ability to ride a motorcycle taxi gracefully while wearing a miniskirt/tight dress/high heels. Here are the directions: 1). If you're right-handed (like me), carry your bag on your left shoulder. If you’re left-handed then go the other way. 2). Approach the motorcycle from its left side and sit side saddle (I once saw a farang woman with a short sundress trying to sit with each of her leg hanging on either side of the motorcycle~!! Truly a sight to behold~!! In the end, she actually grabbed the middle hem of her sundress and swung one leg over the motorcycle~!! The perplexed expressions on the motorcycle drivers' faces were just PRECIOUS~!!). 3). Place your right foot on the passenger footrest (pictured below) and let your left foot hang a few inches off the ground.
4). Bend your left leg so that you won’t scrape your shoe – or worse, foot – on the ground (one time, I almost lost my left sandal coz the motorcycle driver turned too close to the pavement and it hit my sandal – my sandal actually FLEW away and *almost* fell into a manhole~!! I had to tell the driver to stop and limp like Cinderella on the asphalt to retrieve the said sandal). 5). With your right hand, hold on to a small hand rail that usually exists either below or beside the motorcycle seat (pictured below). If the rail isn’t there, don’t panic – just hold on to the edge of the seat). 
6). Keep your torso flexible and soft while the motorcycle is moving; this will ensure that you can keep your balance and won’t fall. Don’t try to fight the movement; just go with the flow~!! 7). More often than not, the motorcycle driver will take it upon himself to bring you fro m point A to point B using the fastest, shortest route possible (Buddha bless ‘em~!!), but this means he will swerve between moving vehicles and come within CENTIMETERS from throbbing sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Keep in mind that the driver will usually estimate the available space where the motorcycle can squeeze through using HIS OWN BODY SIZE, therefore you gotta make your body at least the same size as his, if not smaller (long-legged male farangs are the most vulnerable) *VERY IMPORTANT: keep your kneecaps tucked in and close to the motorcycle~!! Once you master the above steps, you can build up your skills and try these WHILE SITTING AT THE BACK OF A MOVING MOTORCYCLE: - let go of the rail and use your right hand to hold your hair to keep your hairstyle intact - answer your cellphone and chat - rummage through your bag (which is hanging from your shoulder) to find your purse, and then open it and count your money to pay the driver - wear a tight miniskirt plus high-heeled sandals, sit sidesaddle and reapply your lipstick while holding a mirror
(Only genuine PROs should try this last highly-sophisticated move~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ********************************* On one particular busy afternoon in Sukhumvit 24, I was (again) on the back of a moving motorcycle… when I suddenly noticed that the driver was saying something under his breath.
At first I thought he was muttering to his cellphone (using one of those hands-free thingies), but his voice was getting louder and louder. I couldn’t decipher what he was saying at first, due to all the traffic noise around me. Then he suddenly shouted (very loudly for all the world to hear), “Namman man pheng thammai mii rot yeu jang leeeeuuiii~~~!!!!” (roughly translated into, “Oil is so expensive, how come there are so many cars~~~!!!!”). 
P.S. Did anyone notice that there’s absolutely no mention of HELMETS at all~??
Vroom vroom~!! sukhumvit bangkok thailand
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