 At work, you yearn for a holiday, to take you out of the routine, and to have a little something to look forward to. Not forgetting to spend some money, so that you have a reason to go back to the grind again... 
I digress, to say, "Yes!" I haven't blogged in a super duper long time... hehe paisei. The travel updates continue...after the last entry, i took the, ahem, effort to slow down a little, no more madness traveling as i had for six continuous months, the next trip was Oct 08 to Hawaii. The Aloha island. And then things really slowed down from there...before ramping up. Went HK with bf in Mar this year and yet again in July as we simply can't resist the "calling" Me - shop (clothes and stuff) and eat. Him - shop (toys and stuff) and eat. 19 Jul 09 was an eventful day. The HK trip deserves a blog by itself..brings a smile to my face thinking of the "thing" that happened and also the typhoon..but another time maybe, if i get around to it. Sometimes, holidays don't turned out as planned. There is such a thing as an unpleasant holiday. Sigh.  Feel so tired just thinking about it. Just came back from a mini 3D2N trip from Bkk with a gf. Things started nicely enough with the free exit row seats and the luxurious hotel. i has shudders of fear inside of me that the events that happened back in HK trip will repeat itself... told myself to be more tolerant and put things more politically correct, to list down the parameters such as timing and itinerary.. but...the old feelings of frustration still crept itself back. i do wonder if i am too fussy or is there anything wrong with me. But i do thing that my requests are not too unreasonable too. Anyway, beware as the ranting starts here. Need to get it out of my system so that i can stop going over the events. Maybe i should have been firmer and state my preferences instead of accommodating till i can't take it and then bursting out..but its quite tough to achieve that balance as if i am dealing with a customer... Anyway, 1st day of the trip went alright, had a not tasty A&W meal but well...nvm since thought the next meal will be good. Wanted to eat MK actually. We went to Siam Sq and MBK. Only got a wee bit of shopping done, somehow it was a bad recommendation. Haha. Near evening time, wanted to eat first but my fren suggested completing the lingerie shopping first. Ok lo, accommodate.. but err well, we finished shopping at 1015pm.. Took a long time with all the choosing, getting of 10%, 5% rebates, applying Bkk Tokyo discount card (can you imagine?) and finally, VAT rebate. Have no idea how but seems we took 3hours plus in all. I wasn't too keen at all the analysis of rebates (get tourist card 5% but need to pay cash, 10% rebate in voucher but also pay cash, and even buy above a certain value and get store discount card, which need you can use credit card) I took the suggestion since well.. accommodate. After being "evicted" from the building since the mal was closed, round 2 began at the open area bridge along the BTS station. I was starving and would not have mind some super quick browsing and priority given to some makan. But we browse quite a lot, due to no choice of mine.. and could't find food.. finally reach hotel at 12 midnight and ate at the 24-hr Mac there. 2 fast food meals in a day had me frustrated out. Gosh. i need my meals!! Traveling is also to savour good food..summer should know my thing with eating when hungry perfectly well... The things that are important to me.. eating, is that too much to ask? Did not manage to go to massage. But it's ok... Anyway, i wanted to digress..this trip irked or "motivated" me so much that it revived the blogging.. 2nd day, still started in fairly good mood, had a slow morning and went out of the hotel at 10plus am. Was kind of irritated when we reached Pratunam at 11am and i was ravenous and my fren actually asked if i wanted to look at Gaysorn first? It was all the branded shopping and since we are not buying any, i saw no point in checking it out. And i would have to wait till at least another 30 mins minimum before i had my first meal of the day? My patience was only sustained by an apple i had the foresight to have in the hotel room. The plan was to visit Pratunam area for Big C, Naraya at Central World and Platinum Mall. Sounds like a fairly well spread out day with lots of time right? Hmm nope it did not end that way. The first half started well enough, was waylaid to go to a men's the shirt shop before finally able to have Black Canyon. Then, just went along to browse whatever and run whatever errands..mildly affected by the reminder on spending enough in the building at Central World to claim VAT rebate..the madness started at Plat Mall. We probably started at 3 or 3plus and shopped till the shops closed at 730pm. It was madness, i started nagging a little about increasing the pace to cover more ground AND to buy whatever you like, try not to go back for things as it is a maze and you simply will have difficultly to find the store. No advice was heeded and i minded my own business... but near to closing time, my fran who had been looking for bridal gloves panicked.. doubled up to look for gloves and gloves.. ok i accommodate cos wedding stuff ma.. but... so indecisive or so trying hard to make the best value out of the baht.. a lot of comparison of price at CLOSING time.. we looked around for the 1st store that she saw the gloves but could not find as it prob had closed. the shops looked very different and hard to recognize wo the mannequins and clothes as landmarks.. found a 2nd store selling the stuff.. cant recall for sure but either still did not want to buy...kiv...circled around for the 1st store.. really think closed..bought a pair of white lace gloves. (finally) then went to the top floor.. bought 1 pair of cheap ones. tried it.. supposed to be for kids but fitted.. at this point THEN wanted to buy for her fren too.. at 55baht, can't you just buy 2 at a go or forgo it? Why so determined to get it. Mad rush to circle a few rounds to find the already closed shop. If the more expensive white pair was not bought earlier it was bought at this point after all he shops closed. Still not happy as wanted to buy the black pair at 1st store for her fren as she promised. Her lucky fren and poor bad luck me who agreed to go for the trip. Mall closed, and just good timing i managed to eat at dinner time, at MK. We planned to go for the massage and we cannot afford to be late as die die must reach Healthland by 11pm since they closed at midnight.. but after the meal, more browsing as long as they was any shopping in view... so we were late back to hotel. And did not managed to go to Healthland not anticipating the huge traffic jam. Turned back to hotel and well there is a whole string of no brand massage shops there. Should not have been so fixated on the so well praised Healthland. By this time, i have already built up my guard again that if i did not enforce the time schedule, the 3rd day will be diasterous and will end in my fren wanting to extend the time to shop and us reaching the airport only just in time to catch the flight. This was my ultimate fear - missing the plane. After the 2 experience i had in Tokyo i have learned well what MUrphy's Law means. Maybe my fren had different experiences. 3rd day, after the bfast with the hotel PR, had to run erands for the same fren.Compare price for pharmacy cream, did not buy. Bought bridal hair accessories for the fren who prob merrily mentioned and here we are, 1 willing and 1 unwilling idiots fulfilling he revery wish. Went out of hotel at about maybe 11am again.. to Chatuchuk, which went alright. But my fear always, is that i would not make it back to the BTS station as the roadside stores will always beckon to my fren and she could not resist. Or how come i am so restrained.. haha. To me we both had run out of money and no point looking so much with 600baht in pocket and 1 more place to comb. I had the time to eat a cola ice lolly even. Well at least we had lunch, some noodles in chicken broth. yummy. Some bad planning turned out in us making the diaster trip to take cab to Plat mall yet again.. the jam gave us no time in the end. I thought of asking my frent o skip the mail but kept quiet as i know she die die wanna go. Yup, in the end we were running behind schedule and i was sighing in the cab... Gave her only 20 mins to buy her gloves (again) and we separated. I did not want to follow around fulfilling the buy list.. found it occupying the whole trip...anyone hear me complaining that i have things to buy and not fulfilled yet? And yet i have to bear this crap from someone back in SG. BY time my fren wasback at the appointed time she was quite unhappy. Maybe she did not have time to buy all the things she want since it was on 2 different floors. Well too bad... or maybe she thought i was late. Actually i reach at around the stated time, at most 2 mins late if i was late.. saw that she was not here and looked around the nearby shops a bit,. so perhaps she thought, wtf she is the one who is late. Whatever. We walked to Erawan in silence, prayed and set off back to hotel on schedule and in silence. I think she was pissed after the time restraint issued at Plat... i'm tired. ON the cab back, i let out a sigh unconsciously which cued her to burst out the what is wrong? and you spoiled the whole trip. I will never forget the phrase. Of cs i asked back, "What is it that you are unhappy about?" and the journey continued in silence. Of cos we talked nicely and civilly afterwards but i dont think either forgot. We reach airport 2 hours before departure time. We were lucky as traffic was good unlike the past 2 days. I guess my fran would have been lamenting the time gone and which could be used to shop.. but this was only with retrospect. i cant;t help but think that i should have let her be and miss the flight to prove my point but that would have been hard for me to do, haha. So well, trips can be substantially unhappy occurrences too. The sour feeling in the mouth continues.. the fear sustains. The moral of the story.. travel with people you can gel with. And not all you get along well with in real life makes good traveling shopping companions. And what a long entry. | 
