Life’s too short for grainy moments or to lug a big DSLR around. For this reason, I’m seriously contemplating a camera phone. Blackberry and iphone are not out of my reach, but I can’t bear the thought of spending so much on a phone that could buy me a new pair of lens. Till I get a better camera phone, here’s some pictures taken spontaneously with my lousy 2-megapix Sony Ericsson phone.

“Meow….,” The kitty purrs contentedly as it scratches its back on the ground, luxuriating in the moment with its eyes closed.

Sounds of “oof, ooof” come out from Brownie, our favourite stray in the neighbourhood as he swallows the bak kwa without chewing. We have a soft spot for Brownie because he looks stupid with his wide-set eyes, short tail, hanging d**k which combine to give him a silly aura. We suspect he has a low dog IQ. Seriously. Some mean guy once drew blue eyebrows on his face but the effect was really hilarious.

Nowadays, we try to make it a point to save bones from our meals to give Brownie a good chew. The look of elation and gratitude as he bounces around us after a meal is priceless. Since I can’t have a dog now, I may as well content myself by making friends with the strays.

We celebrated Loy Krathong at Lumpini Park for the second year running. On this full moon night, the park was filled with people and entrepreneurial vendors with a wide array of krathong designs. This year, we opted for the flower theme and got ourselves a sunflower krathong (for me) and little lotus bud krathong (for mr;p). Note to brother: No foam was used at all. To float the krathong, banana stems were used as the krathong bases instead.

Hello, my dear friends. I’ve created another space, Seen by Xin, to pen my random musings!

For the past few months, I’ve trying to establish a more professional portfolio online, but procrastination and lethargy always kicked in before I got anywhere. Finally, it’s here. Well, it’s not exactly professional but it’s still a work in progress. Silentdroplet will remain a personal blog whereas Seen by Xin will be geared towards travel writing and photography.

Check out Seen by Xin.

The weekend before was a long weekend in Thailand, resulting in a mass exodus from Bangkok as many people headed to other provinces. With P’ Pern driving, we were supposed to reach Wang Naam Khiaow in 3 hours but the whole journey took us more than 6 hours instead. We spent close to 2 hours trying to get out of the Bangkok jams (just imagine the Woodlands causeway on a long weekend), enjoyed a smooth drive through Nakhon Nayok and Pracinburi provinces before we encountered jams on the ascent to the mountains.

I was joining a gathering of mr;p and his Khorat gang of friends in the mountains. Since cutting short his university education 10 years ago, mr;p lost touch with this group and it was only early this year that he picked up contact with them. It was quite hilarious to see all these guys in their slim, young forms in pictures from a decade ago, only to find their real selves much aged and a few rounds heavier now. As most of the guys in this picture are in the design line, they seem to keep their appearances to reaffirm that too. Long hair and tattoos are the norm, making mr;p seems like a squeaky clean guy. One of them, P’ Jok, has even sailed the seas for several years so it was very interesting talking to this cool chap about the places he visited.

The group rented a bungalow for the gathering, so we could afford to be as noisy as we wanted to be into the wee hours of the night. In fact, drinks started at 6pm and the whiskey and soda bottles were popped every few minutes. I would love to join in the merry-making but was nursing a headache instead, so I had to give these alcoholic concoctions a miss. It was weird but fun at the same time joining these big boys in their chats. I think I could only manage to catch 50% of the conversation, proving that it really takes a long time and much efforts to reach native levels for any language. It didn’t help that some of them lapsed into the local dialects at times. However, it was nice to have these guys whipped up grilled meat delights and the entire drinks session lasted till 1+am.

It was always refreshing meeting mr;p’s friends. Unlike me, who seems to move in elitist circles back home, mr;p’s friends reflect a more diverse walk of life and life directions chosen. I used to harbour thoughts of meeting a hi-so, overseas-educated Thai guy, but the humble mr;p has shown me life is beyond such appearances. I look forward to more opportunities of sharing beers and grilled beef under the stars with mr;p and friends.

During a phone conversation with a Singaporean acquaintance today, she said “I have this amazing Singaporean friend you have to meet. She speaks Thai like a native speaker, she even types and msn in Thai. She’s one of those Christians who does not believe in evolution and is very passionate about missionary work in Thailand. You will like her.”

Speechless. Just because I’m interested in sustainability issues doesn’t mean I agree with doing missionary work in rural Thai communities.

Btw, I believe in evolution.

I met a Singaporean friend C for a somtam lunch near my Silom workplace the other day. One thing quite sorely missed in Bangkok is having great conversations with fellow Singaporeans who have a quirky, non-conformist streak in them. With C, we have a lot in common – same secondary school (she’s a batch older), a Field Studies veteran, a fan of Thailand, an interest in socio-cultural issues in Southeast Asia – so it was a pleasant 1+ hour meal with her as we exchanged updated information about each other. It is always fun to talk to a friend, especially a Singaporean, who shares the same passion for Thailand.

I was quite surprised when C said to me, “I’m so happy to see you following your dreams.” I didn’t know I struck others as pursuing my dreams. Yes, in a way, I am doing what I’ve been wanting to do but I’m not exactly sure if I’m indeed following my so-called dreams. Many of us are still trying to find that right path for ourselves, and so am I, but I’d say I am happy with all my choices made so far.

However, meeting her fires up my passion to lead my life more actively, may it be pursuing a writing career more seriously or travelling more often and brushing up my knowledge of the region. I’m still toying with the idea of taking a year out to pursue a MA in Southeast Asian studies if mr;p can afford to let me live off him soon (fat chance!) or if I can get my freelance writing off the ground (higher chance). Haha.

Ever since coming to Thailand, prawns have definitely become one of my favourite (sea)food. I know the environmentalist in me shouldn’t be saying that, especially since Thailand has a history of land degradation through shrimp rearing, but it’s hard not to love biting into those succulent prawns, especially the river varieties. There’s nothing mr;p and I like more than to tuck into a meal of big, grilled shrimps top with some beers.

When mr;p’s brother, Det, suggested bringing us to a freshwater prawn farm for dinner near his place in Thoeng district, Chiang Rai, I was already wetting my lips. Despite Chiang Rai being a landlocked province, the freshwater prawn farms in Thoeng have in fact established a name for themselves.

Dinner was at a no-frills establishment which consisted of a couple of thatch roofed huts set beside the prawn rearing pond. After settling down in one of the huts, we ordered 2 kg of prawns. These prawns were fished straight out from the pond and Det’s wife proceeded to cook them over a charcoal grill. The prawns turned out to be the best we have ever had, even beating our previous favourite at Ram II.

Overall, it was a fantastic dinner. With 10 adults and huge loads of food that we couldn’t finish, the bill only came to ~1,500B! You just have to like dining in provincial Thailand sometimes – delicious food in unpretentious environment at equally down-to-earth prices.

A giant river prawn, as fresh as it can get

Squirming for life

Into the charcoal grill…

A superb meal of tom yum goong, fried succulent fish, charcoal grilled prawns and Leo beer.

It took me 3 weeks to finally sort out my pictures of Myanmar and upload them onto Facebook. There were many thoughts and feelings during the trip which I would try to pen down in this space in the coming weeks. Myanmar is an incredible country with diverse landscapes, colourful customs and friendly people, but a great pity it’s under military dictatorship. Anyone with a love for Southeast Asia should try to visit this golden land (YC, you read that? ) sometime in their lifetime. Quoting a traveler in my group who remarked, “It’s a great privilege to have visited this country.” Indeed. And I do think visiting the country will do more good than harm to its people, at least it gives the population a link with the outside world, although care must by taken by travellers to avoid the tatmadaw-linked organisations as much as possible.

My pictures of Myanmar are available on Facebook: Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan & Inle Lake.

The 4-day break in northern Thailand turned out to be a tedious trip, rather than a relaxing vacation, with a significant portion of the time spent on travelling on the road. However, I was glad to meet up with mr;p’s brother and his in-laws and got to experience life in a Thai provincial town.

And from a 350B/night room in Chiang Rai, we were elevated to a suite that cost 20x more when we were in Chiang Mai. Luxurious as they are, 5-star resorts are really not my cup of tea. I’m thankful for the chance to have experienced such extravagance (my standards, at least) for I will never pay for such frivolousness, not even for my honeymoon. I very much prefer a more intimate stay in a small, charming boutique hotel.

Despite the inconvenience, we still managed to chill out everyday in Chiang Mai. It was lips-smacking ice-cream in Note Udom’s iberry cafe on the first day and cool iced coffee in a riverside cafe overlooking the Ping River on the second. I managed to catch up with May over northern food in Tong Restaurant, salads with Noi and even looked up an old friend, Fye, at his pizza parlour. A pity, however, was the Walking Street Market that we missed. Well, that gives us one more reason to head back to Chiang Mai again soon!

Then, mr;p and I parted ways in Chiang Mai. I’m now back in Bangkok while he’s enjoying the laidback life amongst the cows and buffaloes in Udon Thani. Last I heard, he’s even planning to go fishing with his mum and the aunties tomorrow. Urgh! Even though I miss being in the village with mr;p, I’m quite happy with my few days of ’singlehood’ too. Till Sat, mr;p!

After a 3-year hiatus from northern Thailand, I am looking forward to visiting the Lanna provinces again. Despite being based in Bangkok and earning my own money now, I seem to have less opportunities to visit the north, quite unlike my university days during which I could spend up to two months bumming in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Such is life – when you gain economic independence, you lose a bit of freedom along the way.

As I have a voucher for a complimentary 2-night stay at Four Seasons Chiang Mai, and mr;p is switching to another design firm soon, we are taking this weekend out to head up north. We are opting to take a night bus to Amphur (District) Toeng near the Mekong River in Chiang Rai to visit mr;p’s brother. During his phone conversation with mr;p just now, he sounded eager to bring us around to watch traditional boat racing and visit a popular shrimp pond. I am excited to meet mr;p’s younger brother so I can see how alike/different they are and try to dig out dirty childhood secrets.

And then, we will spend the next two days leisurely in Chiang Mai – relaxing in the resort, meeting up old friends, lazy coffee sessions in indie cafes, strolling through the Sunday Walking Market (my favourite bazaar in Thailand so far) and perhaps checking out my friend’s pizza parlour.

Finally, mr;p will make a detour back home to Udon Thani while I return to Bangkok. Sigh, if only I don’t have to work… But then again, another break in the Khao Yai mountains with mr;p’s friends beckons in October. I can’t wait!

In any part of the world, I bet a local train ride will make one of the best ways to get a feel of the local rhythms. I have long heard about the Yangon circle train but didn’t expect it to be so authentic and antiquated – basically an old locomotive with wooden seats and creaky steel exterior.

Curious stares followed us once we boarded the train. It was inevitable as we were an eclectic bunch of Western and Asian travelers, all of whom looked significantly bigger than the small Burmese frames. Itinerant vendors, ranging from the betel nut sellers with red-stained teeth to the thanaka-faced ladies with big trays of sliced watermelons balanced precariously on their heads, would come and go as the train chugged along it circuitous route.

Out of the local crowd, I noticed a young Burmese schoolboy. Dressed in his white and green uniform, he stole glances at us from time to time but would turn his face away once I caught him watching. Unable to hold my curiosity any longer, I approached him and struck up a conversation. He could speak a bit of English but our guide had to act as a go-between for most parts. When I requested to see his books, I found out that he could read and write English better than he could understand it when spoken with different accents. When he reached his stop, he picked up his schoolbag and tiffin container and bade us goodbye. I promised to send our pictures taken on the train to his school, so I better do it soon!

I thought the schoolboy was traveling with his grandpa but he was actually on his own.

Getting chummy

A page from his English workbook. According to my guide, English is taught as a subject in school although not as a means of instruction. Despite so, I think the typical Burmese’s foundation in English is probably better grounded than the nearby countries.

The schoolboy with his thanaka-smeared cheeks and forehead and a tiffin container in hand.