What a year it's been... 1 of xxx

Sheesh, I can't believe it's almost the end of 2016.

What a year it has been. There are so many things to be thankful for.

In the next few posts, I'd like to have a look back at this wonderful year before I welcome 2017.

Lord Grantham did say, "If we don't respect the past, we'll find it harder to build a future"

The year started with me staying in Bangkok for about a month. Some time last year, I started thinking about what to do moving forward. I love Singapore. I really do. What I wasn't comfortable about was having to renew my work visa every two years. So after having my application for Permanent Residency rejected for four times, I thought it was time to consider my next move.

That's how I thought about teaching. I believed it was something I could do. It is something I think I can do for a long time.

I looked for some English language teaching courses to beef up my credentials. Initially, I found a few courses in Singapore. Continuous research led me to a blog post about CELTA. I got in touch with the blogger to ask some questions. I read some more about CELTA. I was convinced that it was going to be useful.

The next step was deciding where to take it - Singapore or a neighboring country like Thailand. I could take the course in SG but it cost an arm and a leg. I decided to take it in Bangkok. I found two centers that offered the course. In May 2015, I sent my application to IH Bangkok. I did the Skype interview. I got accepted. The next few months were spent preparing for the course. I bought English language teaching books. I signed up for an online grammar course for a refresher. I prepped as much as I could for six months.

Come January this year, I felt ready for the course. It was a good one month in Bangkok. I made some good friends. It was a foretaste of living alone in a country where I don't know anyone. Above all, it was an enriching experience. I'm glad I did the course. I was also happy that I decided to indulge in books and online courses. They were most helpful.

By the time I returned to Singapore in the first week of February, I already had a plan in mind.

So fast...

Friday fiesta...

After three weeks of living in Bangkok, I finally had a proper Friday nightout.

Muchas gracias to the girls Tamara and Kristen for letting me crash their Friday fiesta. Haha!

Today was a good day...

Thank you, Lordy.

Finding a piece of "Japan" in Bankoku...

I have a little bit more time today.

First order of the day was church. Afterwards, I went to Silom to get some stuff done at Starbucks. After that, I walked around trying to look for a salon. Hmm, I decided to be a cheapo and skipped getting a haircut. Hehe! I couldn't get myself to pay $20 for a haircut when I only $12 in Singapore.

I headed back after a quick lunch. The bed was so inviting that I ended up having a nap for about an hour. In the evening, I did a bit of exploring and ended up in Phrom Phong station. Omg, that station felt like I was in Japan. Well, not the station but the mall right outside of the station.

Seriously, it felt Ginza-ish. Hehe!

I think I'll be back next weekend...

Nice cafe near the apartment...

With more free time this weekend, I found time to squeeze in a nice brunch.

There's a brunch cafe place a stone's throw away from my apartment. I'm kicking myself for visiting the cafe just now.

The cafe serves a wonderful breakfast, and most of all, it's pocket-friendly!

Waffles with strawberry preserve, omelette with toast, and a yum latte - total was about $15 only! So shiok!

Gotta love Bangkok!

Hello again, TWC...

Because I had such a good day, I went for The Wine Connection again. Lol!

While I'm here in Bangkok, I'm going to take advantage of TWC. I'm getting the same quality of food I get in SG for half the price! How awesome is that! :P

Second night this week that I masturDATED. Haha! I think I'm already used to it.

Good food plus a glass of vino.

I'm not complaining.

What a Monday...

What a Monday!

The activity I planned for today didn't go as smoothly as I hoped it would.

Hmm, the team lead of the volunteer team said it was okay. I guess I was just being too hard on myself.

When the day ended, I planned to just head home, get my laundry and have a simple dinner.

On my way to Si Lom MRT, I saw a Wine Connection at Si Lom Complex. I checked out the menu and the price was half the price in Singapore! I decided to have my usual Wine Connection order, which is bolognese. It was just as good as the one I always have in Singapore. I also had a glass of vino, just because.

Sigh, I hope the rest of the week goes better.

Bernice is in town...

Sunday was definitely the highlight of the weekend.

I didn't have much of a weekend at all as I was just cooped up in the apartment working on my activities for next week. Seriously, I didn't think I could spend an entire day working on what I thought was a simple task.

Anyway, the best thing about the weekend was seeing Bernice. She is in town for work.

Unfortunately, we couldn't hang out for long as I had to get back to the apartment. She had to get back to her hotel to prep for work.

We met up at Siam Paragon and had lunch at a Japanese rice curry place. For dessert, I had her try the mango sticky rice at the Siam Paragon Food Court, which she liked.

Nice Sunday.

Dinner with fellow OFW JC...

The highlight of the day was dinner with a fellow OFW, JC.

JC has been living in Bangkok for a few years now. Having been in the city for about 7 days, I was more than happy to see someone I've known for a few years now. Hehe.

He told me to meet him at Terminal 21. It was my first time at the mall. Haha! It was my first time to reach that station.

I've heard of the mall though. Looks okay.

JC took me to a Thai restaurant where we had a superb dinner! He was also kind enough to lend me his wifi for the mall. Yay!

It was a good Friday night.

The activity went well again...

This afternoon, I led my second activity for the group. I thought it was just as okay as the first one. My team mates thought today was better. Our volunteer manager thought there was also progress in how we led our activities today.

Hmm, to be honest, I thought I improved in some areas but I'm sure I still have a lot to improve on.

I was happy with my time management and classroom management. There were also a few magic moments during the activity. By magic moments, I mean some of the things that I planned didn't happen but quick thinking saved my a**. Haha!

We had a new girl in the group, a Palestinian girl. Yesterday, we had a Palestinian boy. He didn't show up today though.

The highlight of the day though was when one of the Japanese ladies in the group approached me after the activity and told me that she enjoyed the activity and found it interesting.

That made my heart melt. To be honest though, she is an inspiration to me.

She is already in her 70s but she is still actively engaging in the program. She could stay home and live a relaxed life but she chooses to make good use of her time. That's really inspiring!

Meanwhile, it's sweltering in Bangkok. Singapore is hot, but man, Bangkok is turning out to be hotter. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not sweaty even before the day starts. I'm not complaining though.

It's a good week.

The activity went well...

I led my first activity this afternoon and it was generally good! The volunteer manager gave good feedback (both positive and things to improve on, for which I was grateful.)

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a late night. I slept a little past midnight preparing materials for the activity this afternoon.

This morning, I was running in my head the conduct of the activity. After lunch, I was already calm and just waiting for the activity to start.

The group was an interesting one. There were Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Somali nationals in the group. It was a really small group, which made it easy to manage and run the activity.

What other people said was right! Once you get the first activity over with, it increases your confidence and encourages you to do better with the other activities.

I went home this evening with a happy smile on my face. After having my dinner, I started preparing for a second activity. However, I decided that I will not have a late night tonight.

That will be my reward for doing well this afternoon.

And so it begins...

Today was the first day of the volunteer activity.

For a first day, there were a lot of things that happened, a lot of things to take in.

I met quite a number of people from different countries and backgrounds. There is another Filipino in the group to my pleasant surprise.

By the time the activities today ended, I will admit that I was overwhelmed. Tomorrow, I will be leading the first of eight activities. Each one of us in the team is expected to do the same. I'm nervous because my team mates are all experienced in the field.

However, I had to remind myself again and again that this is not a competition with other members of the team. The only one I'm competing with is myself. Haha! In fact, two of my team mates who are also leading activities tomorrow were helpful in giving suggestions how I can lead the activity.

If I can just get over the first activity tomorrow in one piece, I know the rest of the activities will go well.

Tonight will be a very late night.

Relaxed Sunday...

Today was a relaxed day.

I didn't really have any plans except for two things - I wanted to go to Mass and I wanted to go for a hot flow class.

Last night, I did a bit of research regarding the church that I wanted to visit. Apparently, while there are many churches in Bangkok, not all have an English Mass. I found one church which seemed near to Lumphini station. However, I was sure that it was not within walking distance.

The Mass was at 830. I left the house at 730. I usually arrive at church early because I want to do my other prayers.

As it turns out (and what a nice surprise again!), the church was near! It only cost me 50 baht! And the church is beautiful! I loved how it has traces of Thai architecture references. The altar itself has the feel of a Coronation room.

The service was nice. And I wasn't surprised that the choir was most Filipino. Haha!

After the Mass, I took a cab again. I told the Uncle to bring me to Lumphini MRT. Instead, he took me to Si Lom MRT! Haha! It was great though because 1.) I now know I can jog around Lumphini Park and exit at Si Lom; 2.) I didn't have to take the MRT. I can just walk to Sala Daeng for the BTS.

I had to go back to Siam and Chitlom to check out some stuff. I didn't stay long because it was too damn hot. Hahaha!

So I headed back to the apartment and rested for a bit.

Around 330, I headed out and walked to where the gym was. I figured I'll hang at Starbucks for awhile before heading to the gym. I can do some reading while I'm there.

Class was at 6PM. I was at the gym by 5PM. The gym was spacious. It has a view of the CBD (I think) and Lumphini Park. I went for the Hot Flow class. It was in Thai! Hahaha! I should've told the instructor that I can't understand Thai but I dunno. I didn't want to be a hassle to others I guess. I managed to follow the class although I wasn't as focused because I had to keep looking at my neighbor.

Still, it was good!

It was so good that I rewarded myself with a nice dinner of pad thai. Hehe! Well, it was just my second meal for the day so I guess, it's okay. ;)

Sawadeeka, Bangkok...

The plane touched down at Suvarnabhumi Airport 5 minutes before 2PM. It arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule. However, there were other carriers that landed resulting in a massive queue at immigration.

I finally got out of the airport close to 3PM. To get to the AirBNB place, I took a cab.

The only time I have been to Bangkok was in early 2003. It was a trip with the first ex. Since it was so long ago, I don't remember a lot about Bangkok. I don't even remember which airport we landed at and how we got to the hotel. I only remember certain things. Lol!

Travel time from Suvarnabhumi to the place took almost an hour. There were some parts where we got stuck in a jam for a few minutes.

I checked in and headed out at 5PM. Hmm, the first thing I wanted to do was figure out how to get to the MRT station.

From the map, I know that Lumphini MRT was close. The cab passed through different streets and alleys though so I couldn't follow the way he took. Haha!

The staff at the AirBNB place had very limited English and could only say "Go straight." Hehe! Somehow, I found my way to Lumphini MRT. It wasn't that far at all! It took me about 12 to 15 minutes to walk. Hehe.

My objective for today was just to get MRT and BTS cards and go to Erawan Shrine. Surprisingly, I ended up accomplishing other things that I wanted to do tomorrow.

I figured out how to get to Sala Daeng. I found where Club 21 is. I had seafood green curry. And perhaps, the best of all, I went for a 60-hour foot massage for just.... $10! Friggin $10!!! I'm so happy. Lol!

On the way back to the apartment, I took a different exit from Lumphini. To my pleasant surprise, the FF branch I wanted to visit was at the building just outside of Exit 2 of the station. Wheeee!

So, today was a good day! I have nothing to complain about. Haha!

Tomorrow, I want to take it easy. I just want to go to Mass and go to the gym.

Nice Saturday and first day at BKK.