It’s my Birthday!

Yesterday, February 05 is my birthday. It was the 2nd time that I celebrated my birthday in Bangkok. I started my day thanking God for another year given to me. Surely, there were ups and downs but God has given me so much the past year and I really cannot ask for more.

I then headed to the office cos my birthday is a working day. I got Birthday greetings from a lot of colleagues. After our regular morning meeting, I was surprised with the birthday greetings from my boss and all the managers. On top of that, my boss passed me her gift (a Lacoste cap) and birthday card. While the day has passed there were many greetings from my e-mails and facebook account. At first, I did not expect there were many greetings since I’m not at home but I am just overwhelmed with the number of people who greeted me. I even got a couple more gifts and cards from other friends/colleagues through out the day.

I called home because I purposely told my mom not to call me and I’ll be the one to call them. They greeted me and wished me well for my birthday and beyond.

After office, few of my colleagues/friends treated me to a Sukiyaki buffet which is very delicious with a lot of choices. At the end, I ate a lot and enjoyed the dinner treat. I arrived home almost 10 pm and the greetings in Facebook are still coming.

I feel so blessed because of the gestures showed to me so I posted my shoutout “Thank you Lord for another year…I am so blessed. I feel like a king..just finished dinner with friends and colleagues. This day has been great! I received a lot of greetings and even gifts from well meaning friends, colleagues and loved ones. I am glad I touched their lives and now am receiving your blessings thru them. Amen.”

Tonight I am having a post Birthday celebration with my friends here in Bangkok. We’ll have dinner and may go to Khaosarn Road for few drinks and dance.

Cheers to life!

Singapore sojourn

Exactly 1 week ago, I went alone to Singapore for Holiday. It has been over 3 years that I not visited Singapore and many things has changed since I last visited though what remains constant is Singapore’s clean surroundings and lush greens all over. It is such a refreshing respite considering it is a very modern city and not a beach destination. I took the AirAsia flight. It is my first time to travel via AirAsia and I have to admit that it has been a generally pleasant and safe journey. Flight is on time, staff are friendly. No wonder it is such a big hit in Southeast Asia. I arrived in Changi Airport about 3PM Singapore Time. After the long queue at the Immigration counter, I started my “exploration” of the city as a Free and Easy Tourist. It was quite late and the first meal I took was just a bowl of Oatmeal for breakfast. At that point, my tummy is rumbling and I had a slight migraine. Since I want some adventure, I did not exit to the nearest Taxi stand for convenience. Instead, I asked where the MRT station is. The lady at the information counter gladly instructed me how to reach the other terminal where the MRT Changi Airport Station is located. MRT in Singapore is a bit more complicated than in Bangkok as there are several lines. I carefully screened the map to check where I need to drop off. My friend Gly informed me I had to drop at City Hall, transfer to the other line and drop at Dhoby Ghaut station. From there, I can walk to my hotel.

The MRT ride is a bit slower than taking the taxi cos there are many stops and since I need to transfer it took more time. However, the ride is good. I get to see more of Singapore and the normal people’s way of life as well as get a lot of savings. My fare from airport to Dhoby Ghaut is less than SGD 3.00. Had I taken the taxi, maybe it will cost me about SGD 15-20. I checked-in at Hotel Rendezvous, a nice 4-Star Hotel with a very convenient location. The reception staff was very professional and helpful. Only thing is there is no luggage porter to help you go up to your room. Fortunately, I only have a light luggage. I was given a Junior Suite which is 1 category higher than the one I booked so I’m quite seas shortened when I realized the hotel does not provide complimentary drinking water. I have travelled in many places and stayed in many hotels and it is a basic free amenity in all the hotels I stayed. Later, my friend informed me maybe because water is so expensive in Singapore the reason why they charge the bottle of water in the room.

Since it was already 5PM my tummy is really complaining like crazy. Fortunately, just across the hotel, there is a hooter called Kopitiam. I bought the Chicken Rice Meal because many people say the best Chicken Rice is in Singapore. However, after tasting I feel the chicken rice I usually buy in the streets of Bangkok are better. Or maybe because I did not try the Chicken Rice of the restaurant specializing in this food. After my very late lunch..I met my former colleagues and friend in Orchard Road and we have few bottles of beer, Chicken and Pizza, we headed to eat some desserts after dinner courtesy of Roel and Gly. I am so lucky they even game me some cheesecakes for take-away to the hotel.

Next day, Me, Mel (my long time friend since University time) and Boni my other good friend residing and working in SG went to Singapore Zoo. We were supposed to go to Sentosa but since Mel has an afternoon class (she is studying in Singapore), it is not convenient to go to Sentosa and stay there for 1 hour only considering the traffic was quite bad that day. Singapore Zoo is pretty much similar to Night Safari (which I enjoyed the last time I was in Singapore) but since it is daytime, it tend to be really hot even if the zoo has a lot of trees.

My next stop was shopping in Orchard specifically Lucky Plaza. In here, you can buy perfumes at a cheaper price (cheaper than in Manila or Bangkok I think). I was able to buy 4 bottles of perfume and my friend gave me another bottle as Birthday gift. Later on, I got another bottle from my former colleagues. How lucky can I get ayt? After dinner in my friend Boni’s house (which btw I cooked the Beef Caldereta as special request), we went to Dempsey Hill, the new watering hole in Singapore gaining popularity. Then proceeded to Esplanade, Merlion along Marina Bay and Fullerton Hotel.

Next day, I went to Sentosa Island with Mel. Pity that Resorts World Sentosa is not fully operational. Universal Studio is still not open but only the hotels in the complex. We take pictures in Hard Rock Hotel Singapore and I bought a Souvenir Shirt. Personally, I think Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya is better and the staff livelier and friendlier. The whole time we were in Hard Rock Singapore, not even 1 staff greeted us which is totally opposite Hard Rock Pattaya where you can feel the warmth and hospitality of the staff.

Since I am meeting another friend in the afternoon, I had to cut short getting around Sentosa. And it is very hot anyway so to avoid the discomfort we decided to go back. I had my Bak Kuh Teh for the 2nd time after our brief Sentosa Island trip. That night, we strolled along St. James Powerstation which is also a popular place with lots of bars and restaurants. This complex is near Vivo City, Singapore’s biggest shopping mall.

The next day, we had a short trip to Johor Bahru, the neighboring Malaysian city of Singapore. JB as it is popularly known is teeming with Singaporeans mostly going there to refuel their car or do some shopping. I tasted some Malaysian food and I can say it is good especially their local desserts. Then I was able to buy a pair of Sta. Barbara Polo and Racquet Club shoe which is half the price off. Around dinner time, I proceeded to the airport for my flight back to Bangkok which again was on time courtesy of Air Asia.
As I reached Bangkok, I felt I’m back to my 2nd home..same familiar roads, sights and sounds. However, I cannot deny that my last Singapore trip was great. Though I travel alone, I did not feel bored at all. I have many friends who took good care of me. They are very generous as they don’t mind paying for some of the bills and even sent me gifts or souvenir. But most important of all, they really spend time (some even took leave from work) just to meet me. I guess when you have dome something good, there will definitely a payback later.

Another drinking night in Bangkok with exotic food on the side…

The other night I posted my trip to Route 66 in Ratchadapisek/Rama 9 area of Bangkok which is the happening place for teenagers and young professionals. Last night, I headed back to Khaosarn Road for another partying session..seems i’m in a party mood these days, ayt? Well actually I had no plans of drinking and partying for 3 consecutive nights but I had some friends visiting Bangkok so might as well take the opportunity. Besides, I already had my mind set to go out on Saturday Night because me and my friends were supposed to have dinner to celebrate the 7th Birthday of JM, the son of my friends here but last minutely it was decided they will go to Dreamworld, a local theme park at the outskirts of Bangkok. Since it is a kid’s birthday we’re talking about, all of us agreed it is best the party will just be held there. Unfortunately, I am not available in the morning so I am unable to join them in Dreamworld.

After dinner at home last night, I decided I don’t want to just kill time in my room while my other friends are mostly outside. I called one of my friend who is in Khaosarn area and unable to join Dreamworld as well. I asked where they were and what are their plans for the night. They said they are about to have dinner so I decided I will follow them there and we can have a couple of drinks. I dressed  up and went to Khaosarn immediately after.

I met them in a small Mexican Restaurant and they are almost about to finish dinner. After dinner, 3 of them are unable to join any further activities for the night so only 3 of us are left to roam around the area. We decided to go first in Rooftop bar. It is located in the 3rd floor of a guest house and the bar played acoustic music. The singer was quite good and we thought he is a Filipino because of his singing style and his accent cannot be that of a Thai. After one round of Leo Beer and hanging out few more minutes enjoying the music and the crowd, we decided to “start” our drinking session. We decided we can just sit at some bars along the street wherein their bar area is actually the sidewalk and you are just seated in some plastic chairs. Naturally, the drink here is cheap because they don’t have to rent a big space since their bar area/sidewalk is free anyway. Most of the western people love to hangout in these type of bar and enjoy lengthy chit-chat..We ordered a bucket of strong whiskey cocktail mixed with coke. As what they advertised, the drinks are really super strong and they did not check our ID cards too even if we looked minors..LOL.

I dared my friends to eat some insects being sold on the street like in a Fear Factor challenge. Since the 2 of them are ladies, I thought they will not be up to my challenge. Apparently, one of them is brave enough to take it up (personally I think she enjoyed eating those exotic insects. LOL). We bought 20 Baht worth of insects. You can see the picture above. It is actually a mix of cricket and another one i’m not too sure if locust or something else. Some other insects being sold are silkworm, ants and scorpion. I think I will not be valiant enough to eat the scorpion in any occasion in the future. Actually in some carts, there are even more insect selections like cockroach. Mostly these insects are crispy fried and the sauce is soy-based. I’ve tried eating worms in Palawan locally known as Tamilok. It tastes like oyster. I’ve also tried fried frog legs which is super tasty and similar to chicken, so eating exotic food is not new to me.

I took my first bite, eyes closed. I think the taste is not disgusting as it seems. It is crispy with no pungent smell or bitter taste whatsoever. It is like a plain crispy skin of pork or chicken. The best part is that it is not juicy. If there are some juice oozing or there are some bitter taste in it, I will definitely vomit.

Next, we moved to one of our fave hangout in Khaosarn- Shamrock Bar. Last night the band was good and played popular songs. We really enjoyed dancing and ordered another bucket of strong cocktail. While we were dancing, we met some group of Thais who are also enjoying the night. They were super cool and danced with us and even shared some drinks as well.

It was almost 3 AM and we were drunk and wasted. I had to call my other friend to help us get out of the bar. HA HA! So disgusting of me to use a helpline right?

We walked outside and bought some hot siopao which is very tasty especially after all those drinking and dancing.

Actually, only me had to travel far to get home because my friends just had to walk few meters and their guest house is there alread. Fortunately, I was able to go back home almost 4 AM.

It was such a great g-mik night day and hope soon my gang will be complete the next time we go bar hopping so it will be more fun.

Enroute to Route 66 Bangkok

It was a Friday night..almost 12 midnight and the night is still young in urban Bangkok. My friend Mike whom I last met more than 2 years ago was in Bangkok with his aunt and cousins for their retail business got nothing to do and would want to enjoy his last night in Bangkok. The other night we went to Khaosarn Road and stayed there until 2 am so I asked him if he want to go back there because few of my friends are there as well and we can all hangout together. He said he want to visit another place so I decided we go to Ratchadapisek area in a place called RCA or Royal City Avenue. This party place is very popular to Thai teenagers and I’ve never been there before so off we go.

The place was lined up with bars and pubs teeming with young party goers. I expected it will almost be a 90% Thai crowd but was surprised that there were actually a lot of foreigners- Westerns and Asians like Japanese, Korean. I’ve read about RCA in some blogs or even in Virtualtourist.com that Slim Bar or Route 66 is a cool place. We decided to go to Route 66. I read in most website that Entrance fee is free unless there are special events. Last night, there was an entrance fee of THB 200 so I guess it was a special night. The entrance fee is consumable anyway so its just ok.

Route 66 has 3 zones, the farthest one is the Techno/Trance area, the mid section is the Thai pop area and the 3rd and largest (and arguably the most popular section) is the American Hip Hop area. We decided to go to the American Hip Hop area. The bar is a bit dark and it is quite difficult to walk your first step upon entering especially for first time visitors like us. Drinks are actually not expensive and similar to most of the bars in Bangkok. A bottle of Heineken costs about THB 140 so we left with THB 60 credit from our entrance fee. They also have a promotion for Whiskey so I noticed most of the group just buy a bottle of Whiskey and share the cost which is more effective. Since the place is really filled up to the last square feet, we have to literally wiggle and slither to get to the happening place near the DJ stage.  Finally we conquered and was dancing just in front of the DJ’s with the large speakers pounding our hearts like drums.

I searched the Bar’s official website and check out the Photo Gallery. The Hip Hop area look like this without the crowds..Cozy isn’t it?

During weekends and special events, the venue can be as crowded as this:

The hard part is that if you need to heed the call of nature, the restrooms are actually at the other end which is near the Techno area. Again you have to wrestle with the crowds in order for you to finally reach the toilet. I like the crowd in RCA better than in Khaosarn Road because in Khaosarn some bars look like those girly bar in Pattaya and seems like the ladies are actually not there to party but prey their eyes on Farang customers. In RCA, the young crowd (mostly university students or young professionals) are really there to party and everyone don’t mind being pushed or squeezed just to find a so-called dance floor which you cannot have as big as 2 square foot for yourself due to the big crowd turnout.

The ratio of male-female is about 70% female vs. 30% male which is the same in most of the common pubs in Bangkok. Mike was joking it is quite risky to dance or even meet some girls in the bar because of the fact that gays in Bangkok really looked like real women and in a dark place combined with drunkenness it will really be difficult to spot check which one is real and which one is fake. Ha ha!

Almost 2 AM we noticed that many group hurried to pay the bill and go out. We thought they just don’t want their mum and dad to scold them for not coming home as per the curfew but later we realized at 2 AM, the party stopped and everyone headed home. Traffic is one problem as all the bars are closed and the party goers have to scramble to go out of the compound in their cars. However, for foreigners like us who don’t have a car in Bangkok, the most difficult part is finding a taxi. Surely there are a lot of taxis but the drivers tend to be selective or do not want the fare to be metered so you just have to be patient in finding your own taxi. Compared to the bars in Khaosarn wherein it is easily accessible to the major road, taxis are plenty even during festive events like New Year or Songkran and never a problem finding your own easily.

Anyway, overall our trip to Route 66 was a good one. Surely, I will be going back to that place with my friends soon.

(Belated) Happy New Year!

Last December 31 New Year’s Eve, me and my friends decided to dine out to celebrate New Year instead of staying at home and preparing food which is what we’ve done for Christmas. We trooped to Siam and had a big dinner in Sizzler’s Restaurant.  After filling our tummies with good food, we headed off to Khaosan Road to wait for the coming year 2010.

Khaosan was teeming with New Year revelers, foreigners and locals alike. Many foreigners (mostly Caucasians) prefer Khaosan due to numerous bars and restaurants to choose from and because the crowd here is very lively. This is actually an understatement…Even before Midnight, there are several short commotions due to some action brought about by small fights of drunkards (mostly Westerners). We were not spared of these drunkards as well. One time (after midnight), me and a friend went to 7-11 to buy some water since it’s very hot due to the big crowd turnout in the street and probably because of dancing and celebrating too much. While we are just standing in front of 7-11, we see a lot of policemen moving forward. Less than a minute passed, they are guiding a Tall, shirtless White guy to the police station. Following them is a bloody Westerner as well. It seems that this guy was hit by a bottle in the head and blood is flowing freely down his body, his white shirt turned red.  This is the first incident we’ve witnessed. While this was happening, another thing is simultaneously happening in the bar we were staying. One drunk White guy just suddenly stormed our table and toppled our Heineken beer tower. Two of my friends who were left in our table that time was caught by surprise because it happened so fast and one tried to grab the white guy so he can pay for the damage. Unfortunately, the intruder was very fast and had escaped before he was made to pay for his “crime”. This incident spoilt our supposedly fun drinking session a bit.

It was almost 1:30 am and the night is still young. The freak accident surely did not dampen our spirits and so my group decided to hangout to another venue. We then went to Silk Bar which is not more than 50 meters away from our first spot. The ground floor was still full so we went to the 2nd floor which is a bit quieter as there are some empty tables because most of the people decided to party in the streets. This gave us a good idea to make it our own dance floor since the sounds are quite good. Our group danced like crazy. We did many dance steps- sometimes serious, sometimes funny, sometimes weird. Since you will have to pass our “dance floor” before you are able to go to the restrooms, many passersby are actually being entertained by our dance moves. One British guy even approached and danced with us because he finds us so lively and happy. This was even caught on video.

Around 3AM, some more friends joined us so we decided to move to another place near the balcony of the bar (also on the 2nd floor). This spot actually gives you a good view of the ground floor of the bar and the streets where revelers are still very much alive. Many people are still walking or dancing in the street and a lot of them are holding large beer bottles so it means many are getting drunk. Because alcohol is really not good if it gets into your brain, true enough, less than 30 minutes that we were seated in the balcony, another commotion happened…Another Western guy just went to a table in the Ground Floor of our bar and punched one guy. The group tried to help the victim so this caused their table turn upside down and a lady was even hurt. The Thai employee of the bar upon seeing the damage tried to fight and punch the guy who first attacked. Fortunately, cool heads prevailed and they tried to stop the punching before it escalates into a full-blown street war.

As for our group, we just enjoyed the night (or dawn) and finished our drinks before deciding to call it a day. We left the place and headed back home around 5:30 AM.  Overall, it was an unforgettable experience full of fun and action. I’m glad everyone in our group are easy to be with and loves to party so it made the celebration even more memorable.

With this, I am definitely looking forward to a good year. 2009 has been a good year but it could have been better. I am wishing 2010 will be perfect.

Kiko’s Kitchen is now open…

Wow, another post before 2009 comes to an end..Well, what a great way to start the New Year with the opening of Kiko’s Kitchen my 2nd blog which is basically a food blog. Lately, I’ve been trying to prepare foods I’ve never cooked before be it Pinoy recipe or even Thai foods. With the opening of Kiko’s Kitchen, I will be able to share it with you through my blog posts.

Have you seen the logo of Kiko’s Kitchen? Cool isn’t it? I’m proud to create it myself..I have not used Photoshop for such a long time and I think whatever skills I have (if there is!) is almost rusting now…so it’s about time to refresh my photoshop talent..lol.

In Kiko’s Kitchen, you will be virtually served foods I personally prepare which sometime I may be able to share with my friends for Lunch or Dinner. Moreover, suggestions are welcome as to what foods you, my good (and considerate) readers would like to see and i’ll try my very best to prepare it as soon as I can. Better yet, generosity is always welcome if someone can send ingredients to the food I’m about to cook. He he he!

The good thing about Kiko’s Kitchen is that it’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The bad side is that you are not able to taste it for real but just salivate seeing the pictures..(am I being rude here?). LOL. But seriously, if you happen to be in Bangkok, I’d be glad to offer you a serving or two.

So all you food lovers out there, please take a chance to visit Kiko’s Kitchen. Surely, I will always have a seat available for you!

Putting up the pieces together

Last night, I invited 2 of my friends to have dinner at my house cos I cooked Caldereta, a sumptuous beef recipe with thick sauce made from tomatoes and some carrots and potatoes. I bought some fried chicken as well to combine with this dish. After dinner, on a regular hang-out session, either we watch some DVD movie, eat some more, have a bit of drinking session or rent a computer altogether and play endless Facebook Apps.

Last night was different. Since I bought some puzzles in a local fair near my place, I encouraged them to help me build the puzzle pieces together. The picture is that of various Coke bottles and cans which I’ve posted here. Finally, after 3 hours of struggling to make all ends meet, we are able to create a masterpiece!

Life is like puzzle pieces. Sometimes, it is difficult to find the right match. You keep on searching where you will fit in. Be it about job, friendship, relationship or even personal satisfaction. At the end, we can find where we belong.

However, building a life is not as easy as making the puzzle. Sometimes, no matter how hard we tried to fit in, we really cannot push ourselves to be in that group, place  or situation. I just wish there is a formula that can build a good life in 3 hours time…

On a positive note, as we are looking forward to a new year in a few hours time, let us put the broken pieces together again. What we can repair let us try to fix for once. Let us leave all the bad memories of this year be left behind.

Personally, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this 2009. I’ve gained some and along the way, I lost some as well. I’m wishing I can look forward to a better year ahead.

May all of us have a blessed and bountiful New Year! Be safe while we celebrate the coming year.

God bless us all!

Facebook Resolution for New Year

In a few days (or should I say hours), we will be celebrating the New Year and bade 2009 goodbye. 2009 has been very challenging for many with lots of natural disasters, economic problems, health risks and the like. Since 2009 was also the year I got hooked up in Facebook, I will be posting my Facebook Resolution for the incoming year. No pun intended, and just enjoy reading.

Funny and apps-related resolutions:
1. I will help my Mafia win wars as often as I can and rally for help every time I participate even if the opponent is level 1 Mafia.
2. I will not expect to get hired to harvest or plow if I cannot reciprocate the job in Farm Town and I expect the same thing from my neighbors.
3. I will take good care of my close Mafia by giving them Energy packs and gifts often. But please be considerate and reciprocate the generosity..
4. I will not let my customers feel bored with my cafe for I will continuously have variety in my menu and not only 1 dish.
5. I will give excitement to the visitors of my Roller Coaster Theme Park with various rides to choose from.
6. If I steal some crops in Barn Buddy, I will replace it with Bugs and Weeds as long as the dog won’t bite me so my neighbor can have coins or chance for level up.

Real resolutions:
7. I will not overly publish activities in my wall just to gain attention. In short, I will avoid SPAMMING.
8. I will not flood my friends with numerous requests like neighbor request, group add request, hug request, cool pet request. Their interest may be different from me and vice-versa so I will be considerate.
9. I will not let Facebook control my activities or schedule especially even at night or during weekends. There will not be an incident that I worry that my crops will be gone to waste while watching a movie or dining out with friends.
10. I will not tag a picture of a friend if they will be in trouble or put on the spot.
11. I will not be engaged or hooked in some more apps. I had enough this year.
12. Lastly but probably the most difficult, I will limit my Facebook usage per day to 2 hours!

Enjoy the New Year ahead!

Book it up: John Grisham’s “The Client”

As 2009 is about to close, allow me to have another topic in my blog- that is my own book review.  I am a bookworm and despite my busy schedule, I try to read as many interesting books as I can. Since now I am hooked up with Facebook and blogging, I had to squeeze an hour or so reading a book mostly at night or should I say early morning (cos I usually sleep after midnight), before I go to bed.

For the first book I would like to share in my blog, I’ve chosen the book I just finished last night, John Grisham’s The Client.

The story is about 11 year old Mark Sway and his little brother Ricky, witnessing a suicide of a distressed lawyer, Jerome “Romey” Clifford, the legal counsel of a Mafia by the name of Barry Muldanno. You may think why the lawyer committed suicide? You see, a Senator from Louisiana by the name of Boyd Boyette had been missing and many has speculated that he was murdered though his body has not been found even after 8 months of extensive searching.

Apparently, the time Romey had a holiday is the same time that Boyette was murdered by Muldanno. Barry buried him in Romey’s garage and informed the lawyer as soon as everything is settled and the temporary grave is hard with the concrete poured in it.

This made Romey became berserk and finally made a move to kill himself. He drove all the way to Memphis, which is the place he grew up. How Mark and Ricky became involved in this story is purely coincidental. The brothers went to the woods to play. Young as he is, Mark has been secretly smoking cigarette and that day, Ricky got curious and the big brother taught him how to become an “adult”. It was almost dark and they are about to finish smoking when they heard a car approaching which is very unlikely because the place is very secluded. They hid and saw a man trying to put a hose in the car’s exhaust pipe and putting the other end inside the car so he can smell it and die soon. This bothered them. Mark attempted to remove it several times before he was caught by Romey who got irritated with Mark’s snooping.  He pulled the boy inside the car so they both can die while Ricky was still outside hiding and listening to all that’s happening in the car. Moving forward, Romey killed himself but before doing it, he told Mark a detailed story of Boyette’s murder and where his body is hidden. Mark almost died in this process but was still lucky.

The brothers run back home but the incident especially witnessing that his brother almost died made Ricky become shocked and curled himself in bed, suck his thumb and never moved or talked since then. Mark tried going back to the car just to be sure that the police will find the car and just conclude it to be a plain suicide. Unfortunately, he was caught hiding and got questioned. It soon became apparent that he was inside the car when Romey killed himself and they became suspicious that Mark knew something which he did not want to reveal.

Ricky was sent to the hospital to be observed and treated. The family had enough on that day and what made it worse is that Diane, their mom lost her job because she cannot work to be with Ricky. While all of these were happening, Mark sneaked out of the hospital and tried to find the office of a lawyer he saw in a television commercial in the hospital for fear that he needed one because he is in trouble. The lawyer cannot be reached and before he decided to move back to the hospital, Mark saw a small law office with the name, Reggie Love etched in front. He went inside and everything was history. He met Reggie and hired her with the retainer fee of 1 Dollar. Reggie’s been handling a lot of Juvenile cases and this could have been a simple case until Mark informed her of the murder of the Senator which made it a lot complicated, if not too risky.

Reggie is very compassionate and unfazed by risks only if it is for the good of her clients. She treat her kid clients as her children and even send them home to taste the good food of her mom, Momma Love. Mark was not an exception. They became closer and Mark had a special place in her heart ever since. Reggie had to admit to herself that Mark is very exceptional for his age. He is street smart and very independent. The fact that he can think of hiring a lawyer for himself is something unusual. Mark has been watching re-runs of American series in TV and his favorite is about law series.  Moreover, Mark is very tough. If Ricky has been so affected by the incident which made him shocked, Mark seemed not moved at all.

The FBI became involved and because they suspected Mark has a valuable information about the Senator’s death,  they wanted Mark to speak. They wanted the Juvenile court to subpoena Mark so he can speak under oath. They tried proposing for Mark and his family to be put in a witness protection program but he is not convinced. Apparently even under oath, Mark did not talk for fear of his and his family’s life if he spilled the beans. This put him in contempt and has been detained in the Juvenile Center. He made a stunt by acting shocked himself while confined in the “jail”. When he was about to be transferred to the same hospital his brother Ricky is staying, he made the stunt and escaped. He contacted Reggie and the two of them drive all the way to New Orleans to be sure that Romey is not lying and indeed the body of the Senator is in the garage.

The news broke that Mark had escaped and he may be with his lawyer. This made the mobster panicked and moved to retrieve the body and transfer to another place. This is the same time that Mark and Reggie tried going to Romey’s house to see for themselves the corpse. Lady luck is still on their side that night because they have escaped being seen by the gunmen while they were hiding. Moreover, they even scared the Mob when Romey’s neighbor heard some commotion and fired a gun. Later, they saw the decomposing body of the Senator. This made Mark changed his mind and agreed to be placed under witness protection.

After all the arrangements were made and the family is ready to fly to their new destination with a new persona and the like, Mark realized that they are leaving Reggie behind. Because he will have a new personality and may not be able to see Reggie again, he became totally sad with the realization that he put Reggie’s life at risk and she has to experience all of these because of him. Reggie assured him that she will be ok. She is just a plain lawyer and the mob will not be interested with her. Moreover, she said if Mark did not involved her, she will not be able to meet and know him personally.

One day in our lives we may be in a very uncompromising situation. On another end, we may meet someone who may become an instrument for a life-changing action. Whatever it is, as long as we trust the person who care for us and love us the most, then life will be better soon.

John Grisham has successfully put the readers hooked to the book and not want to drop it because the way he told the story is done very simply even for a fact that there are a lot of legal aspects injected in the storyline. What I liked about his style is that his main character in his books were always smart and cocky and know their laws..As they say, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one”…

My dream is to become a chef..reading Grisham’s book made me think I also want to be a lawyer..well, not too far-fetched as I remembered my former boss used to call me Attorney cos I always draft our contracts in the office. There were even instances when we show the draft to the lawyer, the draft was well-written and covers everything as the lawyer claimed. Enough of the braggart me..LOL.

So there…if you happened to drop by in a bookstore please consider taking “The Client” to the counter and bring home for a worthwhile reading. As for me, there are 2 other Grisham books in my shelf and a couple of Bob Ong books my friend lend me…so it will be a busy New Year for me.

Book it up guys!

Merry Christmas to all!

Yesterday, the world celebrated Christmas Day- Christiamdom’s biggest and happiest celebration of all. Filipinos traditionally celebrate it the longest, generally starting when the calendar announced the coming of the BER month (September, October, November then finally December).  Many houses starts putting decor like Christmas Tree, Lanterns and Christmas lights as early as September. Kids starts singing Christmas carols in the street when December comes. Truly, it is such a joyous season.

It is just too bad that I am unable to attend the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day mass here in Bangkok because the English mass is too limited and the timing doesn’t match. You see, I had to work on Christmas Day because it is not considered a holiday in Thailand.

Last Christmas Eve, we trooped to one of my friends’ Condo to celebrate the day and have Noche Buena with friends. We decided to do pot-luck instead of just one or two persons cooking the food. I think it is better since we are able to taste the specialty recipe of each. I decided to share Spaghetti and Beef steak. We prepared our favorite foods like Kare-Kare, Adobo, Grilled Pork, Grilled Squid, Fried Chicken, Macaroni Salad and a secret recipe of spicy squid from one of them.

We started dinner early, around 8:30 PM then we had Karaoke and sang to our heart’s content while sharing a glass of liquor.

It was a truly enjoyable night….

When the clock ticked midnight, we greeted each other Merry Christmas and exchanged gifts then continued eating, singing, drinking and chatting..the party lasted till the wee hours of the morning.

Finally, I arrived home quarter before 6AM. After 2 hours of sleep, rushed to work. What a memorable day it really was! Surely, I missed home cos this is the 2nd year I am celebrating Christmas and New Year away from them but I was able to call them early on before the network gets busy that day so it’s good enough for now.

We haven’t finalized our New Year’s Eve plans as there are many propositions. Hopefully soon we are able to decide the right venue and activity for that day.

I am sharing the pictures of our food taken during Christmas Eve. Sorry, I had to skip our own face pictures cos it will be very evident that we eat a lot! Ha ha ha! I think I am able to post our latest pictures after the holidays when the big eating is over..LOL.

A Blessed Christmas and bountiful New Year to all. May the season bring us peace, good health and contentment. Let us not forget the reason for the season..our Lord Almighty!