Wine Bar 38 Ho Chi Minh

Four food posts in a row.  Why stop now.

Birthday Girl

Nuch's coworkers made her a cake.  In case your wondering - the tiger ears are because Nuch was born in the year of the Tiger.

Turkey Day At Boonchu's

This past Saturday, I stopped by Carl's house for some not-so-traditional Thanksgiving chicken and a traditional Gingerbread House.

The frosting was a bit runny.

I was slow getting a picture so one of the chickens was half eaten already.

World's Worst Gin & Tonic

I didn't identify the reason until well into 3rd glass (I thought the ice was melting too fast).  By that time it was almost drinkable.

Thanksgiving Enchiladas

 I could not get out of a trip to Malaysia this week, so I'm on my own eating chicken enchiladas for Thanksgiving dinner.  

Odd

It's probably just me, but there's something wrong with serving an odd number of chicken wings.

Guys Night Out

A rare night out with some buddies from Bangkok.

Fake Ice Cream

I usually prefer natural ice cream, but I was impressed with these two perfectly sculpted scoops of artificial ice cream.

Quicker Picker Upper

This morning, our cats attacked and killed a roll of Bounty.  To their credit - they did a good job of keeping the carnage in one place (this is how we found it), and it only took a moment to clean up.

Here they are casually primping themselves after the slaughter.

Loy Kratong 2014

Two years and I've yet to use our clubhouse pool, but it was well worth having when Nuch and I simply walked down the street to float our Kratong instead of battling the 4th of July-like traffic to get to the river.

In case you're wondering,  Loy Kratong is the Thai version of Valentine's Day.

Most couples put some coins in their kratongs, which is why the kids look forward to it. 

Potty Humor

Recently, I flew AirAsia, Southeast Asia's leading budget airline, from Malaysia back to Thailand.  It's only a two hour trip, but without any in-flight entertainment, it feels like an eternity.  Desperate to pass the time, I resorted to reading (and memorizing) the emergency exit guide, the air-sickness bag, the duty free catalog, and eventually, the in-flight magazine.  After reading it front to back, I, then, tried (and failed) to do the Sudoku puzzles.  Finally, I decided to test my wits against their list of peculiar Riddles.

Some of the riddles were pretty straight forward, and for a moment, I felt smart.

- What can you catch, but not throw?  A cold

- Why did the man throw the clock out of the window?  He wanted to see time fly

However, some of them broke the well-established General Rules of Riddles

- Why can't a T-Rex scratch its back? Because it's extinct

- What did the table say to the chair? Nothing.  Tables can't talk

And one riddle, in particular, made me question the decency of the publisher and AirAsia's management as a whole.

- What was Tigger looking for in the toilet bowl?  Pooh

Of course, I got this one right.

No Fly Zone

On my flight from KL the dude next to me went to the bathroom and came back with his pants undone. 

He slept like that until we were about to land and the flight attendant told him to buckle up.

Time And Place

It was an early flight, but putting your socks on under the wing of a 747 just before it takes off ain't right. 

Grandfather Watch

When my mom came to Thailand a few months ago, she brought some knickknacks from Florida to make our home feel more like home.  Among the little treasures, she brought my grandpa's watch.  It's about as basic as you can get when it comes to watches, but it suited by grandpa perfectly.  It was reliable, durable, economical, and it told the time.  

It was also set to beep every hour.  My grandpa is the only person I've ever known to use this feature.  I certainly never have - in fact, I've never worn a watch.  However, it's serving a special purpose now - one that I'm sure he never imagined.  

I'm not home that often and when I am, I'm either on the 3rd floor sleeping, on the 2nd floor watching TV, or downstairs talking with Nuch over dinner.  So, it's not like I hear it every hour on the hour.  But when it's quiet and I'm getting ready to go to work, doing something mundane like taking my dry-cleaning upstairs, or shutting things down before I go to bed, and my mind is in another place, I occasionally hear the little beep, telling me that it's the top of the hour and reminding me to pause for a moment and remember grandpa.

Strange Sightings

on Srinakarin Rd.  

Tipper Wants BBQ

Why America Rulz

You'll find 4 cheese pizzas on most Italian and pizza joint menus. 

At this, particular, American restaurant chain 4 cheese pizzas are for 3rd world countries.  Instead, they offer a 5 cheese pizza with pepperoni to boot.  

America - taking over the world one slice at a time.

Gone With The Wind

After weekly business trips over the last few months, I had seen almost every watchable movie Thai Air had to offer. So, I was fortunate to be on the 4 hour flight from Shanghai when I realized the 4 hour-long Gone With the Wind was one of the few remaining movies that I had not seen.

I did enjoy it, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending.  I'm okay with cliffhanger's or ambiguous endings, but that's for a 2 hour movie.  4 hours should be plenty of time to present a resolution or some kind of catharsis.  It's like the director couldn't make up his mind how to finish, and finally, decided that frankly, he didn't give a damn.

Finest Plastic

I came across the newest development in airport cutlery during a recent layover.  

The finish was so perfect that at first, I thought it was a super lightweight alloy.

Transformers

You know the business is slow when furniture companies need to use Transformers to sell sofas

These pictures were taken at last month's Shanghai Furniture Show

New Chair

I didn't need a chair, but after traversing a 3 mile maze and battling a thousand other lost souls, I couldn't walk away from IKEA empty handed.  So, I bought a chair.

So far, I've sat on it once, as it's now covered in cat fur, but at least I get my sofa back.

Spooky

Nuch and I found a new seafood restaurant near our place.  As usual, before we can start eating, Nuch must take some pictures and post them on her Facebook.

We had finished our meal and Nuch reminded me to "Like" her Facebook post.  When she checked her phone to be sure that I had "liked" her post (some couples have different ways of saying I love you), she asked in her best "I see dead people" voice - Do you notice anything?  I told her - yes, this restaurant is full of lesbians, which it was.  I figured that, unbeknownst to us, it was a secret hang out and Nuch had noticed the same thing. 

No!!  She told me to check her Facebook post.  I looked at the picture, then looked around, and a chill went down my spine.  The statue of the lady had moved and was now facing Nuch.  

I'm as skeptical as they come, but I had not noticed anyone behind our table.  We were in the back corner of this restaurant, so nobody could have walked behind us, and the staircase was used more like shelves, piled with trinkets, so nobody could have come down.  

The only other possibility is that a waiter moved the statue while Nuch and I were entranced by our smartphones and we did not notice them - but, who would believe that?

Fixed

Tipper has been on a little holiday this past week.

The veterinarian sent some pictures so Nuch and I can be sure that Tipper is enjoying herself.

In The Year 2099

The Bangkok Sky Train and Underground system will look like this.

Minnow Snacks

You're supposed to eat the whole thing - tail, fins, bones and all. They were surprisingly good, but I couldn't bring myself to finish off the heads.  Like the Mona Lisa, the eyes watch you wherever you go.

Multi-tasking

Here's my Chinese sales agent driving, talking on the phone, and reading a handheld GPS. He's also running over traffic cones and turning the wrong way down one way streets.

Forever Young

Recently on the Bangkok Sky Train, I thought this was an ad for a new horror film, but it's an ad for a Cell Centre.  However, the idea of a 60 year old woman encased in her 24 year old cells has some potential for a horror film.

Nice Shot!

Rosetta's 10 year journey to intercept and land on a comet.

Nanjing Rd Walking Street

On The Road Again

Nuch and I having lunch and taking a glamour shot before my flight to Guangzhou

Rise Of The Machines

Signs that the Terminator: Judgment Day is upon us.

Too Much Food

at Toscana Pattaya

Kebobs

Free Range

I tried to put a collar on Tipper, but she fought with it until it slipped into her mouth like a muzzle - and then, she really freaked out.  So, it's Tipper 1 - Collar 0



For the moment, Tipper is a collarless and content, free range cat.