Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves.

It is official. now.
.
.
.
.
. we are not going to Bangkok as planned.
a state of emergency was declared in Bangkok in light of the escalating violence overnight. seems like clashes occurred between supporters of the various factions, resulting in damage,injuries and even one reported death.

so today in the midst of all my work, I somehow managed to find time to cancel my reservation at the hotel and tried in vain to call up the airline all day. but their lines were engaged all day long and the one time I did get through I was put on hold for nearly 7 minutes! I may still be on the line now if I did not hang up. subsequent attempts were futile.

in the evening I headed down personally to the airport to do the needful. I was surprised to find I was the only one there. I was expecting a mob of disgruntled and confused travellers. I guess I am the only person who booked tickets for Bangkok this week. silly me.

so the monies paid for the airfare have been put into a credit-like account which is to be utilised within 3 months from the date. which is fine by me. but we will more than likely use the credits to go to Bangkok within the month if possible anyways. there is still that 4d/3n hotel stay to redeem. be a waste if we had to forfeit. there is always the thick-skinned option of asking the hotel to extend the validity of the hotel stay voucher in light of the current political situation in Thailand. I know.. i can be misguidedly optimistic at times.

coincidentally there is this upcoming Nicolas Cage movie coming up soon called Bangkok Dangerous.
waahahaaa...how apt. unfortunately it does not feature protests, a hostile takeover of a television station or corrupt politicians. or maybe it does include the latter. what would an asian city be like in a Hollywood movie, if it did not include corrupt officials, one eyed thugs, dirty streets and all the local cast speaking Queen's english in the bad side of town?


tag line: there is only one way out
not sure what this posters does. it is just basically a poster of Nicolas Cage staring into the camera. I am sure it will help sell a lot of tickets.

I kinda like this movie poster a bit more...

tag line: one man. one bullet. one shot.
but quite honestly it looks more like a cover of a paperback novel than a poster of an upcoming movie.

or even this one:

tag line: it's all in the execution.
as John Woo inspired as can be. our brooding hero in monochrome. handling a gun not unlike how we hold our X-Box game pads. is that a slipper in his hand? not to mention the bullets-through-glass effect. although the lower third of the poster does appear to be Nicky channeling Ghost Rider like effects.

it is a Hollywood remake of the Oxide Pang (what a name!) & Danny Pang 1999 debut movie.



by all indications it will be located in Bangkok and there will be some elements of danger. don't you just hate it when a movie title just gives away the whole plot?
the plot is the usual 'A hitman pulls off a series of jobs and falls for a local woman and bonds with his errand boy' sorta story we seen a 1,000 times before. just for once I would like to see a swerve where the hero actually falls for his errand boy and bonds with a local woman. or maybe he could hit a local woman, fall for his errand boy and love his job. Now that would really be something.

we seem to be having a slew of Hollywood remakes of asian films lately.

If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

the flight details are as follows:

Depart
Singapore (SIN) to Bangkok (BKK)
Economy
Thursday, 04 Sep 2008 Flight FD 3502
Depart Singapore (SIN) at 10:55
Arrive in Bangkok (BKK) at 12:15


Return
Bangkok (BKK) to Singapore (SIN)
Economy Promo
Sunday, 07 Sep 2008 Flight FD 3503
Depart Bangkok (BKK) at 11:40
Arrive in Singapore (SIN) at 15:00

we been looking forward to this trip alot. finally we can go on holiday without it being work related or having to worry about what happens when we return to a mountain of things to be done.
alas there is a spanner in the works. there are all these protest and strikes going on in thailand at the moment. I pray things calm down enough in the next few days so that we can have a good break. if not then we are prepared to just stay in our fully paid for room for the duration of our stay. but ideally I would like to do some sightseeing and shopping in Bangkok whilst we are there.

Bangkok or Krung Thep, as the locals call it
formally known as ... *takes a deep breath*
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

try saying that real fast!

which when translated into english it means:
'The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn'

anyway this is the tentative list of places we would like to go:

- The Grand Palace

been there twice, including the last tme we were there, but Agnes has yet to visit it. would love to go there again. nice place and you can be sure there will be no crowd trouble there. the palace is just awesome.The Emerald Buddha can be a bit underwhelming, but still worth a look. The Emerald Buddha is probably the most revered religious artifact in Thailand despite appearances.

_ catch a movie
one of the more unique cinematic experiences I had. the standing up as the national anthem is being played and a video of the great Thai King is run on the screen is worth the price of admission, just to say you done it. Siam Paragon has a famous cinema. but almost every shopping centre worth its salt has a cineplex.


- Wat Arun (or Temple of the Dawn)
http://www.watarun.org/index_en.html

one of the most striking features of the city skyscape. and accessible mainly by boat. probably the most photographed image of Bangkok. the silhouette of it at dawn is awesome.

- Chatuchak weekend market
http://www.jatujakguide.com/main/index_eng.php

Chatuchak (or Jatujak; Thai: จตุจักร) weekend market in Bangkok is the largest market in Thailand, and largest of the world. Frequently called J.J., it covers over 35 acres (1.13 km²) and contains upwards of 15,000 stalls. It is estimated that the market receives between 200,000 and 300,000 visitors each day. Most stalls only open on Saturdays and Sundays. The market offers a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, foods, and live animals.
(from Wikipedia)

- MBK Center


MBK Center, also known as Mahboonkrong or Mabunkrong (Thai: มาบุญครอง), is an enormous marble shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. At eight stories high and 330 metres long, with 2,500 shops using a total selling area of 89,000 square metres, this shopping mall used to be one of the biggest malls in Asia when it was first founded in 1985. It is particularly well known for its many vendors of mobile phones and other electronics, as well as furniture stores.
source:wikipedia

but there is still so much to see and do in bangkok. we will see how things go as far as our itinerary goes.

of course the main reason we are in Bangkok is to enjoy 3 nights at the Shangri-La. a 5-star hotel which is well connected by train and boat to all the tourist places and near to the heart of the city. they also offer tour packages to the various sites of interest so it should be easy for us to sign up if needed. but doubt we will need to since we are so well connected to everywhere.
Shangri-la is also reknown for their Hi-Tea, of which we will surely partake.

shangri-la also at the riverside, serves tea between 15:00 and 18:00 in the lobby. On Sundays they have a wonderful 'High Tea Buffet' with a dazzling variety of delicious items to sample. This includes several hot dishes. There's also a brass band and a dance floor to tango and two-step the afternoon away in this ever-so-stylish and elegant hotel... The unmatched river
views provide a dramatic background to enjoy the superb atmosphere.

we will probably take the trains everywhere we need to go.

top 10 tips for tourist in Bangkok

- buy a good map!
self explanatory, but one that you should keep in mind. the emphasis being on 'good'. many a tourist has gotten lost using 'bad' maps and never seen or heard from again. we still not heard either from those who ventured out without a map or an inkling of where they were headed to.

- bargain
good deals are a plenty in the City of Angels. but a deal bargained for is even sweeter to be savoured. a discount of 10 to 40% is fair. anything more is at your own peril.

- drink lotsa water
Bangkok is one of the hottest places in Asia for a reason. all that bargaining and sightseeing can take a lot out of you. but refrain from drinking water from the tap. bottled water is recommended. but bear in mind what goes in has to come out. Bangkok is not actually reknown for its excellent sanitary facilities.

- beware of scammers
as much as the Thais are friendly and helpful, one should also beware of those who are out to make a quick buck and take you on a ride (literally!). Many a tourist has found himself penniless after an encounter with one. Most commonly encountered at tourist sites and adult bars.

- try organised tours
we all have the adventuring spirit in us.especially in exotic locales such as bangkok. we love to go off to explore and find places off the beaten track. but an organised tour is the way to go if you want to curtail all the hassle and logistics entailed in doing it yourself. this rule applies especially so to those out-of-the-city places of interest, and exploring the seedier parts of bangkok. there is strength in numbers and assurance in being with someone who knows where you are.

- Plan Ahead
as much as there is an urge to just wing it and play it on the fly, it is often advisable to plan ahead the places you want to go and how you are gonna get there. you will be surprised how much time you save if you just take a few minutes to plan.

- take the trains
there are few experiences like sitting in a tuk tuk as it winds its way around the narrow streets of bangkok, or riding pillon on a rusty motorcycle with the wind rushing through your hair as it weaves between the rush hour traffic, or the adrenaline rush of a canal boat, but the best means of transportation in Bangkok are the Skytrains and the underground train network. they get you to and from most places of interest on time (most of the time) and more importantly in one piece. best of all it is cheaper and faster than all the other modes of getting around. buy a day or week train pass and you are set to go!

- the taxi
avoid rush hour, make sure the taxi has a meter and that it is turned on(!) and check to make sure you do not leave anything behind. you will probably never see it again. traffic in bangkok is bad, especially during rush hour, so taking a taxi is not advisable not only for the time it takes, but also the cost incurred. and rogue taxi drivers are abound.

- carry a copy of your passport at all times
ideally you should carry your passport with you at all times, but the risk of losing it outweighs the pros of carrying it. you may be required to produce ID by an overzealous police officer or as a precautionary measure at tourist spots. not having any form of ID with you could result in time wasted explaining who you are to someone who speaks not an iota of english, and may even result in you spending some time exploring the inner workings of the Thai prison system, not commonly included on most travel itineraries.

- carry a printed out Hotel Card
all good hotels provide this to facilitate their guest getting to the right place. it provides a map of the hotel, contact information and other useful information such as how to get to the hotel. a hotel card has the magical ability to turn utter incomprehension into a knowing nod by its mere presence. it is one card you should not leave home without.