Bangkok Stopover

Bangkok is definitely one of the top tourist hot spots in Asia. It's like a shopping Mecca especially to the tawad and on sale queens (ahem! ahem!). Once the sun sets, almost every corner and street called soi is transformed into one large market that features every imaginable items at SUUUUUUUUPPPPPER low prices.

Though we didn't get to really go around Bangkok to our hearts' content, but spending the whole day and one night there is enough to be infected with the energy of this big, bustling city. :)

The BTS is the perfect transport system if you want to go from one point of the city to another stress free from the traffic jam. It is very much like our MRT and LRT so, buying the tickets is never a problem. (Check out my "solitude on the train" photos. Poor guy at my back----wasn't able to be included in the frame! Ahaha! :)

Though we have been staying in Thailand for almost a year, we couldn't help but act very much like the true tourists that we seem to be on the photos. And how can you identify the tourist from the locals? The picture-taking-in-every-imaginable-corner-of the-place scenes, what else?

And when our poor, tired feet were screaming from nonstop walking, the very perfect respite was to grab something to eat, as in LAMON! :)

I am not a big fan of designer labels (Ahahaha! I'm just sour graping, just because I don't have the money to buy.), but when photo opportunities come to take pictures on their big insignia, even the designer label snob that I am couldn't resist to pose. And just in case my modeling poses look awkward and way out of the line, just bear in mind that I tried, I really tried. Ahahaha!

You Have Everything a Real Princess Would Envy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BESSY!

I wouldn't make this greeting sentimental because this day is supposed to be filled with everything that is HAPPY!

Never dampen your spirit with the fact that you are miles away from home. You have more than too much of good and happy memories to last with you not only for the coming months ahead but for the possible lifetime of staying away from home for most of time. And thinking about it, that's the good thing about home and old friends-----you couldn't shake them away even if you try and it's a great comfort knowing that despite all odds, you can always go back to them again and again.

You (Actually, we. Hahaha!) might be growing old but the fact is that despite the years and the experiences that we had, we are unsure about so many things in life. But if there's one thing that I'm definitely certain about, is that we will be making more happy and good memories together, definitely not now, but in the coming years.

It is such a rare gift to find people whom you can grow up and grow old with despite the distance---people who know the best and worst about you but accept you just the same. Aren't we so lucky to have found such group of people? Despite the differences, we're fitting in just perfectly.

Telling you that you're such a blessing to us would definitely be considered a cliche, but I'll say it just the same. YOU ARE A BLESSING----in a world full of superficiality and complexity, your simplicity is something that makes you rare. You are such a simple person and what makes you truly happy are simple things in life------family, friends, new adventures, new places to visit, a new movie or series to get hooked to, and even a 10-peso worth of fishballs shared over laughter and stories on a dusty city plaza.

I admire your passion over things that interest you. Once you set your mind on something, you make sure that you follow it through to the end. Your loyalty and your unwavering support are things that endear you to people who know you.

Enjoy your day Bessy!!! Smile, and eat, and share laughter and stories with the people whom you are with at the moment, and then smile again until your jaw hurts. Those are what matter most, and you perfectly know it!

You may not have a tiara on but with your loyalty, optimism, and positive views about life, you are and would always be, in every sense of the word, a PRINCESS.

When I try hard to be drab in order to mix in, that's when it gets dangerous!

Hahaha! The title sounds a GAZILLION TIMES TOO DEAD SERIOUS and MORBID! It even gives me the chills (Yeah, me and my equally frustrating overactive imagination!)! Let me make it clear instead:

Go Ahead! Live Your Life the "Mariz' Way"!

You may have doubts about your capacities, but one thing I admire about you is that you're free-spirited and that you have no doubts in speaking your mind. Yes, you might not believe me, but the world needs more free-spirited girls like us (Why do I keep on including myself? Cut it off, Au! Ahahaha!) YOU.

I may never understand the pains that you're going through nor will I even fathom the doubts that swirl around your mind, but one thing is definitely sure, you take pains in hiding them and go about and march around with enough pomp and blare and a whole lot of being on the wild side of life that makes the people around you think that you don't have fears, and doubts, and inhibitions, and questions like the rest of mere mortals like us do have. But I know better dear cousin. WE KNOW BETTER. Only the people who truly stop to examine your whole being, fragment by fragment (and still cares for you after all) and notice that flash-of-a-second sadness in the corners of your eyes which is often masked by your reverberating laughter and well-rehearsed haughtiness, can actually give you the reigns of your own life despite the possible odds.

We cannot direct your life for you, nor will I ever try to dictate you what to do. You are too proud and too too free-spirited for that. All I can ever do is be right there when you're bruised and all black or most probably go back with a triumphant smile after living the life which you decided to live. And you were not built for an ordinary and dull life that is based on norms and routine.

I know you'll get hurt in the process (And you'll hurt us many times over too.) But with your street-smarty pants and matter-of-factly views about life, all I can say is that live your life as you want it to be lived. You'll eventually learn, although most probably the hard way. But who hasn't? Be wild. Live your life as an exclamation. Live it as a proclamation that life's pains cannot shackle you. Live like you're giving justice to your most-loved, overused red lipstick---not a dull red, but that scarlet red one! ;)

An Authentic Gypsy in the Making!

Okay, I'm part of the GYPSIES group, not exactly the term for those wanderers but an acronym for our high school section (Let's not mention the batch year here, okay? hahaha!)/old friends/kumare and kumpadre in all the special events in life (And that's in binyag and all the future binyags, and all the future kasals). Imagine what would our future kids would think about us? Tsk! Tsk! Because of this, I' am already emotionally preparing myself for the BIG POSSIBILITY of my future kid asking me, "Nay, were you a part of a sorority or a fraternity WAAAAAY BACK (Yes, I'm imagining my kid emphasizing that. Hahaha!) that forced you to make a vow to forcefully link all your future kids in a whole big messy connection of weddings and christenings?" Plus, I'm already expecting a call from one of their kids asking me, "Tita, Just what exactly does GYPSIES mean? My mama/papa told me to ask you instead since they wouldn't budge even if I'm making kulit in asking them already!" Hahahaha! Imagine what the tactics would I think to avoid those scenarios! I would definitely even cringe to death!

Okay let me go back to the supposed to be topic of this post. I might already be a SUPER DIE HARD (As in! hahaha!) member of the GYPSIES group but I would like to think that personally, in the real sense of the word, I'm also a gypsy in the making.

By God's grace, here's why:

So travel it is that I'll do. My heart (Which I call as a traveler's heart. Ayeeee! hahahaha!), is exactly built for this! I'm looking forward to more stories and travel anecdotes to tell. So world, see you in short, short while! :)

Nanay, Thank You! :)

Random Message that is "Aura's Crazy Dance Step" Worthy! :)

I'm getting a bit cranky lately (PMSing again, what else? hahaha!). But I'm blaming it to the SUUUUUPPEEERR HOT Thailand summer. It's not humid hot like in Pinas, but it's dry hot that you can feel the heat penetrating up to your bones, making you think that you are being roasted alive. How can one think sanely with this kind of temperature?

But anyways, before putting the blame of my mood swings to something else aside from the SUUUUPER HOT summer (Redundant na ako!), just this morning when I was super cranky and a WHOLE LOT in my i-love-solitude drama that made me look like a sick puppy (hahaha!), I opened an unexpected message from somebody I don't even know and here's her message which warmed my heart:

I just hope I'm adding the right person. I've been reading all your writings and I've found them all interesting. Keep it up.

The moment I've read this, I again experienced the usual emotion that I'm feeling whenever I see my write-ups in print or when a random person compliments my writings (Not me ha? My writings lang talaga! hahaha!). Kinilig na naman ako to the point that I stopped myself from doing the crazy dance step which I'm doing whenever I feel that emotion. Imagine, just awhile ago I was like a sick puppy and then all of a sudden, I would perform my dance steps (Which I tell you, is really such a lame excuse to be called a dance!). What would my room mate just think about me?

But seriously, upon reading this message it made me ponder on the fact that I could never really guess just where the influence of my write-ups could end. Honestly, I cannot even call myself as a full-pledged writer without cringing inwardly. On ordinary days, I am Teacher Aura, trying to influence my impressionable teener students into becoming the person that they ought to be (Naks! One point for Teacher Au!). So, because of the demands of the teaching profession, I seldom could get the chance to write and ironically, when there are spare moments that I can use for writing, those are the times when this irritating writer's block syndrome kicks in. I may write for certain local papers or other blog sites from time to time but I believe, that doesn't qualify me as a full-pledged writer. I still have a looooooong way to go, as in a long way to go.

So moments like this are something that I always treasure and I make sure that even though I don't know these people, I really try to reach out to them and say even just a simple "thank you". It's a different thing when compliments are posted after my write-ups on different sites, those are special in themselves. But the idea of some random people, looking for you upon reading your article, and to think that I'm just an ordinary, private citizen. That's something that for me, is "kilig-worthy" and "Aura's crazy dance step worthy".

It's also a reminder for me to use the space provided for me whenever I get the chance to write and be published such that my words will not only embrace the every corners of that space but would also project optimism, positivity, and some random life lessons which could give an "aha!"  moment to readers.

So, to the people whom I don't even know but who get the chance to read some of my write-ups and somehow, can relate to the ideas and emotions that I write-----you just never know how much I'm appreciating it and how it humbles me to the level that I couldn't say and think of anything but just "wow!".

I'm so super THANKFUL to the eight members of this blog (Hahaha! See how I've told you I'm just a half-baked, assuming writer?), weeeee!!!! Actually, 7 lang ang official members/readers of this blog because if one takes a closer look, the other one is actually me. Hey, before I get some raising of eyebrows and whispers like: "Ano ba 'yan? Tangkilikin ang sariling atin?"....hahaha! Let me explain, okay? I accidentally clicked my own name upon seeing the tab "follow this blog" ( I can hear your chorus of "owwwwwws", so stop it! haha!). And since I'm not a techie wizard, I don't actually know how to remove it from the list anymore. So let it be. At least, 'pag hindi masyadong observant ang visitor sa blogsite, they would think "Wow! May eight members!". An eight is always better than a seven, okay? But actually I couldn't even brag to the fullest that this blog has an official 7 members because if I come to think of it, four of them are long-time-old-friends-turned-to-family, one is a dear friend who was once a co-teacher, and two of them are my manangs and my original mentors when it comes to writing. So if I really think about it, kami-kami lang din naman! Just not to bruise my pride (hahaha!) I would not think that maybe they were just forced to be a member when I was like SUPER palipad-hangin to them during the first few weeks of having this blog. If my nanay just knows how to manipulate and open blogsites, I'm sure I would just one day open this and see that she's one of the members. See how supportive my family and close-knit of friends are?

Seriously, I always, always thank God for this opportunity and the blessing that He gave me to be able to write. Even though there I times when I consciously block the desire and the need to write because it can be tasking and emotionally-stressful, but I always go back to it AGAIN and AGAIN.

P.S. to the people who might randomly read this blog, paki-click ng "become a member" tab. Nasa right side siya ng screen, but you still have to scroll down a little. (Sana makalusot ang pa-cool na effect! Malay ko ba sa susunod hindi na 8 na lang ang members, maging 9 na! Hahahaha! *wink*)