A week has passed since the start of work, and now I must admit that it is quite exhausting to be up 5 am and get home by midnight. Traffic is just beyond words. How can Bangkok turn a normal 20 mins trip into a 2 hours trip?! I just don’t get it.
For now… rest! for the next 7 hours before getting back to work Saturday morning!
Keep it coming!
It is amazing how a building can last hundreds of years. Well, I really don’t believe that normal buildings will last that long. What it need is the care and the life inside the building otherwise it is just an empty shell. My auntie once asked me why new empty buildings feel so old and get deteriorated so fast compared to buildings that are half a decade older but, are full of life and joy.
Architecture really isn’t “just about” the design of buildings but it is really about the design of “space” and the interaction of those “spaces with people” In Bangkok, the idea of architecture is defined by the amount of square meters you can have in an empty lot. That is why most of the buildings here are built EXACTLY to the size of the vacant lot, perhaps only a meter away from the property line for people to walk.
And when I was in Europe, the architecture there amazed me in the point that they are so well maintained both its architecture and culture. The city is lively with culture that has been there for hundreds of years. The architecture enhanced that very rich culture making it is such a great place to visit or to eventually settle down.
This picture was taken in Madrid on my very first visit to Madrid on Easter Holiday 2009. I find Europe to be a very attractive place to live just as I have always imagined.
And guess what? I am done imagining about living in Europe because I am going to live in Europe, really soon!
A castle is made to provide protection for residents
The architecture of the castle is to distinguish itself from everything else
The columns are meant to support the structure
The walls are made to prevent elements from entering
Everything is meant to separate the inside from the outside
Except the windows… which are made to “LET” in the light and “LET” the residences inside to enjoy the view outside.
The view like this tulip field right before the castle.
A gently touch that turns a cold harsh castle into a loving and welcoming one.
Got home quite late today. First day of internship as Event Management Coordinator at InterContinental Bangkok. I must have attended hundreds of events organized by hotels since I was a child. Everything seems so simple; the lighting, the table settings, the sound, the service, the flowers and the food and beverages. They are so simple that I thought it was such an easy task to do until after I organized a 400 pax for Cultural Night event at Les Roches Marbella, Spain. That was when I found out how “uneasy” it was to organized an event and how much coordination it required to have everything perfect, from the beginning to the end.
Today I found myself fully engulfed by so many amazing things that I have learned in just one day. I was amazed by the size of the conference center and rooms, at the technologies they use in each room, at the way they organized between each department. For example the Event Management Dept must confirm everything with the banquet dept, florist dept, kitchen, and audio and visual dept. It is something that we do weekly to make sure that all the customer expectations are met… and exceed the customer expectation.
Today an Event Management Coordinator, soon a Wedding planner… so good that I can organized an event for thousands of people at Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain.
That would be “wicked” !
Can you recall your dreams? Some people are able to finely detail their dreams from the beginning to the end. Some can’t recall the story line but are able to recall bits and pieces from their dream. And some just can’t recall nor remember any thing from the dream at all, hence… I didn’t dream of anything.
I am no psychologist, but I have a theory! hahah, that’s right! A theory from a guy with an Architecture and a Hospitality Management degree, about “Dreams” and why we dream?
There must have been thousands of theories out there about “why we dream” as in “how does it occur” However, what I am talking about is “why we dream” as in “how can we use that dream to our advantage”
Because we are the creator of those DREAMs, I believe that, then we must be able to control our dream to our DESIRES! Dream happen in a virtual world, unreal, not existing, nor happening… it then allow us, the dreamer, to EXPERIENCE different scenarios that are yet to happen or we would like to try. This may refer to the time that you say “aww I wish I did (dot dot dot)” or “what if (dot dot dot)” those moments are the time that we can’t redo because we can’t go back in time, unfortunately there is no “Ctrl+Z” for real life. The dream also allows us to observe ourselves of reactions we have on different scenarios in our dream.
A nightmare could be the result of us losing control of our dreams. As mentioned earlier, we are the creators of our dreams, hence we are the controllers of our dreams. If we can control our dreams, why would we make ourselves have nightmares. Instead we would make our dreams as fun, happy, glory, and joyful as possible! In our dreams… anything is possible and the worst thing is… to have woken up from a dream so sweet that you just want to keep sleeping!
I think the same can be apply to ourselves in reality. We are in control of ourselves therefore everything that happened, resulted from our previous, current, and future actions. Put simply… in our dreams, we can control our minds to dream of happy thoughts. In reality, we can control our actions to work toward those happy moments as well.
——
Dreaming that you were lost in a forest may happen once in a while, but you can control it by believing and creating a path to lead yourself out of the forest.
Hey… a dream is your movie, and you are the director, the actor, the extra, and the props. So do whatever you want with it, use your imagination!
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein.
——
As for the photo, it was taken in Madrid, at Retiro Park while we were walking, looking for a bench to sit and just relax. Couldn’t relax because we were worried about one assignment that was yet to be submitted as we needed another team member to submit it to professor along with other documents. In the end, those worries were for nothing as everything was handed in days before by the team member. Then, we just sat and relax in the woods… away from everything. It wasn’t long but it was memorable.
We were exploring Orgiva, Spain, looking for a gift shop to buy post cards. The city seems to fold itself on top of itself. I can’t even tell while I was walking on the other side of the building that there is an underground layer beneath the street level. It is amazing how bright it was below, because normally any underground I’ve experienced has been dark and gloomy. Great idea with the opening above to bring in natural light! I think it would have been better if the water fountain actually had water in it! I am wondering if it ever had any water running before? Just a sculpture instead of an actual water fountain?
Well… That’s a first!
During Easter Holiday 2009, a friend and I visited Madrid. My primary objective was to visit the Loewe store in Madrid because it is, as they told me, the very first shop that Loewe has open more than 70 years ago! It took me housr to find the store while trying not to be lost in the city. Hours had passed as I walk up and down on Gran Via Blvd only to find out that I had walked past the building many times, because they were renovating the front of the shop and I couldn’t see the sign.
I spent a lot of time at the shop being amazed by everything as it was so unreal because I would never imagine myself to have a chance to visit the store year ago when I first experience Loewe perfume. I didn’t even know before that Loewe originated in Madrid, Spain. Anyway… how could I leave the store empty handed! I spent an hour or so playing around with their perfume and fragrance until my nose could’t handle it anymore. It was fun as I had a great experience with the customer representative that is being very kind to allow me to try all of the fragrance ^_^
I left the store with a pair of fragrance… Solo Loewe and Quizás Quizás Quizás Loewe. The crazy thing was that when I got the Quizás Quizás Quizás Loewe, I had no idea who to give it to yet. But I believe that soon I will find the one to give it to. They both smell great! One for me and one for my Loewe, Matilde!
Enjoy the short video from Loewe made for Quizás Quizás Quizás (Loewe).
Next to Siam Paragon is … Siam Discovery!
Most of the shopping center’s name around here start with “Siam” and then dot dot dot! Ahh well, I don’t want to get too deep into the history of the area… all you need to know is that at “Siam” in Bangkok… is a world of shopping centers and fashion! A heaven for shoppers and shopaholics. You can find anything from 50 cents to thousands of dollars! It’s all depend on the size of your wallet 
After all… FASHION is a BELIEF!
This mall, Siam Paragon is going to be my “almost” everyday stop once I start working next week. That is because it is just 10 minutes by walking from my internship, InterContinental Bangkok, for the next 6 months and also because my work finishes during the rush hour that turns a 20 minutes drive into a 2 hour drive! My solution is… to walk to Siam Paragon’s book shop, Internet cafe, food court and fitness after work.
At the same time, I get to learn about the architecture and design of today’s trends to keep myself up to date with the world of DESIGN.
The BULL!!! it’s Everywhere!
The sign that telsl us that we were on the right direction to Madrid were these BULL signs. They are everywhere along the main road to Madrid. As a Matador alumni 2002… I can’t help to stop thinking about the time while I was a Matador. Ahh yes! I was once a Matador when I was in High School, San Gabriel High School, California. The Matador was our school mascot… so I wasn’t the actual matador in the arena. Sorry to disappoint you 
Life is amazing, who would have known that I would have the chance to visit and explore for months and months in Spain, the country best known for the Matador! Unfortunately, I didn’t watch the bull fight because I don’t think I can handle it!
I need another “I do absolutely nothing” day by a beach somewhere in the sun. It has been raining in Bangkok day after day that I haven’t seen anysunlight and am starting to feel down… just like SUPERMAN needs to recharge his “Superpower” with the SOLAR energy!
That is it for today… until I get the solar energy… then I’ll have enough energy to write more!
Today I went to Siam Paragon (again…) to follow up on my MBP repair. The technicians said that it is going to take another 7 days to repair it! Sigh. So while I was there today, I visited the California Fitness that is resided inside the mall and find out that it is part of 24 hr fitness (the USA fitness chain). Yup, I plan to be a regular at the fitness center once I start working in Bangkok. Then I remembered that I took this picture weeks ago in front of it.
I guess instead of joining the fitness center, I might as well run up and down these escalator steps to get in shape. That would sure save myself some money, especially in this economy, any savings would do!
This was taken during a walk in Orgiva, Spain.
“Believe” and “Free” are the 2 words that I feel after seeing the collage posters.
I admire the man who stand up for his believe even thought he had to stand alone.
On the other hand, I also admire the woman for being so Free!
“Truly Believing in something” and “Totally Being Free from everything”
It was pouring rain outside and as you can see, many people were standing below outside the window with umbrellas waiting for a concert to start. What concert? I had no idea. That evening, I didn’t bring an umbrella so I went to walk in the mall, Siam Paragon, and explore some parts of it. Siam Paragon is huge, unlike those malls in the States like Macys. Malls in Thailand have at least 5 floors! That was one of the biggest sources of confusion that my professors faced when I was doing my Thesis at SCI-Arc. They think that no one would ever walk in the mall any higher than the 2nd floor (because that was typically the maximum we had in the States). In order to convince them, I had to provide so many example and show them the cultural differences, so that I can move to the next stage of my design. I learned that in order to have a successful design, it is wise to know the cultural difference of each location to make the design work. The same can be applied to our lives.
First is to know who we really are (not whom other want you to be)… Secondly…there is no second. Because… YOU, yourself… will show yourself the way. ^_^
I have no idea how that related to the picture I posted today, just a random thought that came to my mind after I started to blog. But anyway, I think one day I am going to try some desserts at the restaurant. Sweet!
The picture that I took in Malaga, Spain reminded me of Frank Gehry’s work… the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The same reaction came to me NICE building, then WHAT?
As an architecture student who dedicated 5 years to architecture… I am still looking for that answer… THEN WHAT. While I am searching for the “what”, I expanded my field of vision by taking hospitality management diploma in Europe and to explore architecture and open my mind to the world!
Then WHAT? no idea yet. But when I find out… perhaps I’ll become the next Frank Gehry! Hey, there is nothing wrong to dream BIG
Something in common that I had with Frank was that… Frank Gehry wanted to be a scientist when he was a child. Well he was 14, he wanted to create water… H2O, and for his attempt… he blew up a part of his house… (watch the ted.com video to find out how did he do it. It’s funnier when he said it) As a child, I also wanted to be a scientist and always try to build thing with electrical. *I thought I am going to be the next EDISON! When I was 12, during an electrical work while I was trying to build a mechanical weight lifting machine… I electrocuted myself! The house went into a Black OUT right away! LOL! Luckily, Thanks to the circuit breaker and safety cut that prevented me from fully shocked by it… minutes later I wake up in a blur and numb. And… I gave upon the idea of being the next Edison.
Now? I just want to be ME.
Today, I will be heading out for interview for an internship in Bangkok. Wish me luck! Other news is that I will be servicing my computer with AppleCare. There fore I won’t have my computer to work with for at least 10 days! that is what they told me. 10 days without my laptop… that is going to be hard! But hey! it’s not that bad. I’ll figure something out so that I can continue blogging. Actually I already figured it out ^_^
So just before I go to the interview and have my computer service, I would like to blog this one. I took this photo the first time I visit Madrid but it was the 2nd time that I visit Madrid that I get to enjoy a meal there. As you can see the whole line of seats in front of the building, they all belong to one restaurant, Cafe de Oriente. They separate in sections according to menu. And that cause a bit of confusion when we wanted to sit at another location.
In the end we sat right at the corner right behind where the boy in the yellow shirt is standing. It was a really sunny day, so hot that I remember the camera became really hot as I left it in the sun and the table was also so hot that I couldn’t lean my arm on it! The food was great as was the mist of water. I remember how we were waiting for the mist to turn on… it was really that hot. We kept having one orange juice after another. It was really refreshing. So refreshing that it was gone just seconds after it was served!
Yup, just keep the OJ coming!!
My very first trip in Spain started during a midterm holiday / Easter holiday. The plan was to go to Origiva and then Granada. The plan changed just a night after, when my friend Simon wanted to go to Madrid instead. Hey, I am just a passenger with a camera… I am glad to go ANYWHERE and take pictures ^_^
So for this shot it was the first day of the trip after we left Marbella around 4Am to drop of our friend, Aude to the airport. I thought, perhaps we can get to Orgiva before the sunrise! That was how the race against the sunrise started.
In the end… a photo as you see below, in Orgiva collection. The sunrise in Orgiva, Spain. My very first sunrise shot… was processed with a simply request…
“I want a picture of a sunrise that brings happiness”
The New Beginning.
Just minutes before we had to leave the park, The Retiro Park in Madrid, I got the chance to take this picture. However instead of the photo, I wish we got to be in the boat just for a bit. Why? for more photos !
If I am correct, I know there are parks like this in Bangkok as well. I am going to find out where and then I will share it here and let see… which is better? In my honest opinion, I don’t think that it is where that matters… it is who you are with that makes the difference ^_^
I mean… look at the photo, they all are couples rowing the boats! … the location became insignificant.
A typical view of temples all over Thailand. Most of the temples, if not all, are located next to a river. I am not sure why they located them next to rivers. But come to think of it, I think it is because that in the old times the river was the main transportation route and that most houses are built by rivers. So each house would have a small boat to roll from one place to another, using the river as their main route. Each village will have their own temple and that every Sunday all the villagers will go to the temple to build their good merit. I think it is one of many reasons why they located a temple next to a river, just like why we have major cities next to rivers.
Another reason is because Water is “LIFE”!
*Today, marked 1 full year since I left the temple in Ayuthaya in July 13, 2008. One year has passed by, it is amazing how much I have achieved, completed, and accomplished! Flew around the world… from Bangkok back to Los Angeles, explore the west coast of USA from Tijuana, Mexico to Vancouver Canada. Then flew from Los Angeles to Malaga… studied at Les Roches Marbella, Spain! Explored SPAIN as much as I can afford to for 5 months. Then from Malaga back to Bangkok. A complete circle!
and also this year…
Found the LOVE of my LIFE!
I have learn my lesson from the previous weeks when I knew very little of the horrible traffic in Bangkok. Instead of waiting in traffic for 3 hours during rush hour, I spent it walking around at Siam Square. And in the end the photo that I like the most is this one. It was right behind my car where I park at the Siam Paragon’s parking structure. I didn’t notice this before because it was too early in the evening. However, by the time I wanted to leave, it was already dark. That was how I stumbled upon this view.
As for the Baiyoke Tower II, it is the tallest building is the one to the left of the picture with the shining light on the top! Got to find time to get up there and take some pictures!
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Some people need proof or evidence of something to proof the existence of something or someone so that they can start to believe.
Some people need reasons to believe.
Some people, don’t need proof, evidence nor reason to believe.
Because… we simply CHOOSE TO BELIEVE
More information about the Holy Grail
After an entire day of point and shoot at everything while we were walking around Madrid, we came to stop at the Madrid Cathedral. It was amazing, the interior, the quietness, the feeling, the empowering and the moment. Some were taking photos while other were praying. I did a little bit of both and noticed how everyone were point and shoot of what in front of them but while I resting. I left my camera on the ground pointing to the ceiling. So I fired away the 3 AEB shots.
That’s how it happened… a coincidence that shows the other side of life. Or was it really… just a coincidence??? Or was it destined to be???
Serendipity is beautiful !
After weeks of hearing “ahh I am going beach”, “Going to the beach now”, “the beach was nice”… and seeing photos of beaches on facebook around the world that my friends are visiting, I told myself… I am going to a beach too! Then I went online, typed “Beach, Thailand” and then found a few beaches to visit. However the closest ones are Bangsaen and Pattaya in Chonburi, which are very touristy which I am trying to avoid. So my chosen location is the province after… Rayong which is an extra hour of driving from Chonburi. There are few beaches there however, now I go to Google and start browsing the coastline of Rayong and found one big green mountain that is very isolated from the main coastline. Google image also helps in showing the image of the area. That is how I came to find… Rayong Resort!
And that is a brief story of how I found my get away spot… the next time I need to get away from the city life. The surrounding is amazing and the view is beyond my expectation!
The title may have said it all about today’s story. After a 3 hours long drive from Rayong and was lost on Bangkok’s tow-way for 30 minutes and had to pay the fee more than I should just to get back on the right Tow-way, I stop on the Rama 9 bridge… the tallest bridge in Thailand. I spotted the new bridge, aka, the Mega Bridge with the light on (normally it was off!) and had stop on the Rama 9 bridge to take a few pictures.
A few minutes later a group of security showed up with an emergency car and rescue team!!! So I was greeted by them and was questioned “what am I doing?” Apparently, there were sensors that I had activated after crossing a rail guard to take photos and due to that… it sent out the team to my location on the bridge.
“Ahh he was just taking pictures, haha” an officer said to his colleague while the other were telling me that I am not allow to park on the bridge and was kindly let go with a warning
Well, I would be worried if a sensor on the bridge were activated just minutes before midnight on the bridge. I am glad to see that the officer showed up just because it shows the security measures that we have in place at the bridge for safety pre-cautions.
About the picture… I still haven’t really learned how to take care of the “burn-out” on the very bright spot while combining in HDR, yet. Any suggestions?
The good thing was that the stairs was closed to public that day. Other wise I may have tried to climb all those flights of stairs, but I would be worried that if I were to trip and to fall down all those flights… wouldn’t be a good experience, but sure would be FUNNY! This reminded me of a temple that we have in Northern Thailand! I can’t seem to recall the name of the temple. But I believe that I will get a chance to visit the temple sometime in the near future!
Short and Brief!!! It’s a long way up but we are going to walk up there together and when we look back… we will be amazed at how we are to be able to walk that far! ^_^
Last year when I visited the water fountain at Siam Discovery – Siam Paragon, there were no doves. To my surprise today when I visited the fountain, I found these dove sculptures are being displayed in the middle of the water fountain. The water causes the wooden doves to bounce up and down, mimicking flying and playing with the water. It is a great idea! So simple, yet so playful!
After having lunch with my roommate, Miran who visited Thailand and has traveled to more places in Thailand than I ever have! I stopped by Siam Paragon because it was raining and I prefer to walk around the city rather than be stuck in traffic for hours because of the rain and rush hour. It was too bright when I arrived at Paragon, so I spent 2 hours to walk here and there waited for the night to come.
It was well worth it, the wait…!!
It took us about an hour to walk around the city centre of Orgiva, Spain to find a tapas place. This is one of the restaurant that we ran into, however, Simon didn’t seem to be satisfied with the menu, hence we didn’t get to eat there. However, I love the simplicity of the restaurant with the use of primary color to decorate the table, simple white chairs, roofing and street sign. It is amazing how they have turned an alley into outdoor dining and well greening of the area.
The potted-plant and the use of simply chair probably made the customer feel at home while dining there. It must have been a great experience for a simply dine out of an evening. Good Evening, indeed!
Hidden in plain sight! It was during a walk to Puerto Banus that I found this framing of the Sierra Blanca. Normally I would walk another way, my normal route, however this time I was walking with friends from school and that they normally walk on a different route.
There are so many possibilities in life that we often neglect due to human nature… we are creatures of HABIT, and that we tend to do things we know and feel comfortable with, hence… we can’t think outside the box *on our own*. However with a little bit help from outsider, friends and families… we are often shown the other side of life. Yet, we often don’t let other people into our lives because of our nature of habit. By letting someone into our lives, it needs courage and trust.
So, who have you let into your life recently? Where have they lead you to? Whoever it is, they are sure to be thankful for letting them into your life because it also means that you trust them. Now let us walk together to “who know where”, just keep walking – together.
Tonight… the night… that I don’t know what to type.
I just want to rest there, look at the moon, listen to the sound of the sea and be bathed by the light of the stars. And just fall asleep.
