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  Saturday 3rd of November 2012 and I woke up just before 12 o'clock. I was not home until almost 3 o'clock and I turned off my alarm clock before going to bed. And it was very nice to finally get 8  hours of sleep, after a week of just a few hours sleep per night.
I started my day with a pot of tea and a fist full of chillies while I looked at the pictures from our adventure at the fight night in Lao Khwan, Kanchanaburi. I decided to go to Bangkok Art and Cultural Center at Paya Thai Road to see what kind of paintings they were having on show. I had not been there for a very long time so they must have changed the exhibition by now. I got in to a taxi and when we stopped at the red light in the Asoke/ Sukhumvit intersection I saw a big banner over Soi Cowboy. Safe Zones, I read about them in Bangkok Post a week or so ago. Just click on the link to read the article. Proofs to be interesting reading, let me quote from Bangkok Post:  After studying crime-prone locations nationwide with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, police created a list of “safety zone” areas under the jurisdictions of 353 police stations in 56 provinces.
“If tourists are victims of crime in the declared safety zones, the responsible police officers will be held accountable,” Pol Gen Wuthi said. “If the police officers cannot deal with the situation, no matter where they are, they must leave.” Well, click the LINK to read the full story in Bangkok Post. I was in the taxi wondering about the next thing they come up with. SAFETY ZONES to attract more tourists. I don't know if the kind of tourists going to Soi Cowboy appreciates to have a lot of Police Officers hanging around. Well, anyway, I reached Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre and I walked around for an hour or two looking at painting. There were 3 paintings that really impressed me and I wouldn't have minded to have these 3 paintings on my walls. I went in to a shop selling things to painters and I asked if they knew any painting school. And they didn't know, strange, a shop selling the stuff and I imagined that this was something they should  know. I mean, if you open a shop to sell oil paint, brushes and canvas you might have an interest in painting and thus know a little something about the art world.
Well, it is most likely like it is in Europe and USA now a day. You were a HI-Fi enthusiast, or the best thing you knew was bicycles or maybe you liked to play football. So you opened a Hi-Fi shop, sport shop or a bicycle shop in town. It was perfect, you asked something and the Hi Fi enthusiasm knew exactly what he was talking about. If you had any problem with you bicycle  you just went back to the shop and the owner was more than delighted to help you out because he liked his job. It was like a hobby for these people and the city centre was full of different shops.
Today it is another story. Everything is made in China and all the SUPER STORES have shops all over the world and of course, they want to buy a DVD player and they get a much better price when ordering 1 million DVD players. The guy with his one shop only has to pay a different place and he will soon have to close down. So now it is the same walking down the city centres all over the world, Bangkok, New York, Shanghai or Stockholm. OK, some places are selling child porn along the streets, but otherwise it is exactly the same stores selling exactly the same clothes and computer. OK, the chance to see  beautiful girls are a wee bit higher walking down the streets of Stockholm.
But you walk in to one of those SUPER STORES asking for a amplifier, well, forget amplifier or any Hi Fi equipment. But you ask for something for a computer at a computer shop. The MINIMUM SALARY staff looks puzzled what ever question you throw their way. - Computer!!?? I don't know And then they suggest some out dated model so they can clear the stores so they can get this year’s model on the shelves. And of course, as they are on minimum  salary they are always looking for another job. They offer 1$ 1 cent at the computer shop instead of the 1$/ h at the shoe shop so IPSI WIPSY WU they have become computer experts and starts to give advice about computers.
Well, anyway, there was a guy on the second floor and he had some paintings at disply. I asked him and he pointed to the corner. There were a few people sitting on the floor painting. He told me that he was holding classes here, for free, it was just to show up. Not exactly what I had in  mind, I wouldn't mind having paid to be in a class room or something instead of beeing at full display at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center.
I will see if I can find something on the internet, I have been meant to start painting for the last 20 years. And it is way better to spend the evening painting than to sit in a restaurant and eat.  And it is strange, I had just locked my door when leaving for Bangkok Art and Cultural Center when I started to think about a restaurant to visit. And when I was walking around Siam Square I decided to go to try the buffet at Sheraton.
I got a table and I asked for a pot of tea, they started off by impressing me. I got a huge pot of tea and milk. I went to check out what they had and I started to get disappointed. This was nothing like Marriott and I already knew that I  would not come back here again.
I don't like buffets and I only eat buffets at 2 places, Marriott and at Lax Butiken (salmon shop) in Sweden. Lax Butiken’s salmon buffet is well worth the trip to Sweden, summer time only. I remember a few years back and my friend had found a 199 Baht buffet.  - YIPPEE!! Aladdin this is amazing
I didn't want to go and he was going on and on so I had to go there. Turned out to be the most expensive cup of tea I have ever had. Well, at least in Thailand, I think. 199 Baht for a cup of tea, the food was nothing I wanted to eat. And I have never been back at any 199 Baht buffet  after this experience.
And after 20 minutes a 199 Baht buffet looks like the guests have been up dancing in the buffet so it is really nothing I want to eat. OK, I had 4 pretzels at Sheraton, they are always good. And I had some fried baby potatoes and some sateey or whatever they call this meets on small toothpicks that have been BBQed. I had a second plate with  the fried potatoes and some meat that a Cook was cutting for me. I asked for the bill and I went to check out the  desserts. Oh how I miss the sticky rice and mango table at Marriott. Well, I missed everything from Marriott.
But the custard sauce at Sheraton was excellent and I had a big bowl. I was eating my custard sauce when my bill arrived and I was almost choking to death on the custard sauce.  - 2000 Baht!!!
I had expected a bill, well, maybe 1000 Baht. Marriott is 1700 Baht and this was  a 500 Baht buffet  but take the name Sheraton in to consideration and I came up with 1000 Baht.
So I was chocked when they introduced the bill to me. 2000 Baht, that's 300 Baht more than Marriott. OK, now I have tried Sheraton and if anyone asks for advice where to go to have a nice buffet I know what to answer them. 
I left with a big burp, a destroyed a by now non existing diet and my valet 2000 Baht lighter. I walked back home where I cried myself to sleep. But tomorrow,  hmm, on Monday I will really get serious. I would have started tomorrow, but I'm going to Pattaya for dinner with my  friend. And as I don't want to risk breaking any laws I  have planned to have a meal at Goose's fish & chips in Pattaya.
To go to Pattaya without, yes, at Goose's Fish & Chips I use to ask for the fish fingers and I end the meal with a rhubarb pie with a cubic tone of custard. So it will be 2 dinners in Pattaya, and I will have to try to survive this ordeal. +++++++++++++++
Sunday 4th of November 2012 and my alarm went off at 8 thirty, normal time and as it was very  hard to fall asleep I was dead tired due to lack of sleep.
I had plenty time to update my web page about the adventure in Kanchanaburi yesterday even though  it took me an hour to get out of bed. My Teacher knocked on the door 20 minutes before 1 o'clock. We had agreed to leave at 1 o'clock so I was surprised when he and his wife showed up 20  minutes early. And I had not have had my shower as they were early and they waited for me while I had my shower. We took off at 1 o'clock and I asked where his Uncle was.
He had not answered the phone so my Teacher decided to take me to Pattaya and he and his wife  would enjoy the sea view while I was having dinner with my friends at the News in  Jomtien. My friends are going back to Sweden on the 8th of November and we will meet at News in Jomtien at 3 o'clock. So I have 2 hours to get to Jomtien and this should be enough.
We had a nice ride and my Teacher's car was way bigger than a taxi so it was a  very comfy ride. We reached Pattaya quarter to 3 and the traffic came to a full stop.
It took us almost 30 minutes to get to Jomtien from the highway in Pattaya. Pattaya, way too much cars and the traffic was at a full stop. I got out of the car quarter past 3 outside News. My Teacher  and his wife took off again and I will meet them at Central Festival in Pattaya when I'm ready at News.
My friends were waiting at News and they had a Nurse with them. A girl from the Philippines, working in Sweden was with them to help my friend's wife with my friend. He was a Journalist at The Wall Street based in Taipei and some 8 years ago he was on a train in the South of Thailand. He felt of the train, most likely in the back smoking and he is totally paralyzed after the accident and he was in coma for a very long time. I m meet him for the first time back in 1993 or something like that in Bangkok. He was in Thailand to make an interview with a Dutch guy running a factory making something for computers. They were sending a limousine to pick him up at his hotel in the morning. We had been out drinking at the evening before and I don't know why. But I was sleeping in his hotel room and I was back home 6 in  the morning sleeping across the bed. And when he was back around 8 o'clock he was knocking on the door in a hurry to catch the limousine.
I was just screaming ”TOMORROW TOMORROW” thinking that it was the maid wanting to  clean the hotel room.
The knocking didn't stop so I went up to open the door. When I saw my friend I just said “what do you want? I'M SLEEPING” and I closed the door and went back to bed. He continued to knock on the door and I was in bed screaming “I'M SLEEPING I'M SLEEPING” He was very late for the interview. Well, this is a long time ago. I meet him and his Taiwanese wife at the News and I was soon to discover that they had changed the menu from last time I was at  News. No salmon and no Pytt i panna.
I asked if they had Pytt i panna and they told me that they had a buffet. BUFFET!!?? Haven't I have had enough of buffet by now. And I'm thinking of my experience at Sheraton yesterday. I went to check out their buffet and they had mashed potatoes, meat balls and pytt i panna. So I decided to try the buffet, a big mistake. The food wasn't very good and I  wondered what have happened here since last time I was at News in Jomtien. And as I had a apple pie with custard for dessert. The brought the smallest bowl of custard I have ever seen and I asked for  more custard.
They brought yet another of the small bowl. - Are you serious? - You want more? - BRING IT ON!! She was soon coming back with a plate with 2  more bowls. OK, now I didn't want to go through the trouble to ask for more custard again and I finished the apple pie. And I was full, and I had my doubts that I would make it to Goose's Fish & Chips before returning to Bangkok.
We left News after 2 hours and I took a Song Taew back to Pattaya. I had been on the Song Taew for 5 minutes when the sky opened up and the rain started to pour down. And as it was a wee bit windy the rain blew in to the Song Taew and of course I was on the side where the rain blew in and I was soon all wet.  The rain is pouring down over 2nd Road
I expected the Song Taew to stop at South Pattaya Road but we continued up the Second Road and I could go all the way to Central Festival. Very good, no need to get off in the rain at  South Pattaya Road to change Song Taew and when we reached Central Festival the rain had turned in to a drizzle.
I called my Teacher and they were at the ground floor and I went to meet them. I was still full after the dinner at News, but we decided to go to Goose's Fish & Chips before returning to Bangkok. It is just a 3 minutes’ walk from Central Festival so the drizzle wasn't any problem. 
Entering Goose's and the first thing I notice is that the air conditions are not working, a bad sign? It looked like they have changed the menu at Goose's Fish & Chips as well. I could not find fish fingers so I had to order a cod fish fillet. 
I asked them to put very little pea mush or whatever they call it and very little chips as I was very full after News. But the air conditioning was very poor at the Goose and I asked them to turn on the AC. - It is running already The girl asked up to change table and we moved towards the door and the Waitress turned on the fans. - Why don't you turn on the AC? - Not working - Then you better get some service on the AC. You cannot have a restaurant without a working AC. Maybe a new owner because this is the first time I experience something like this at Goose's  Fish & Chips. And the fish wasn't all that good, might of course have been due to my meal at News.
I did not touch the chips and the peas and I managed to finish half of the fish. But I decided to ask for a rhubarb pie even though it would be very hard to get anything down my throat. But now I am in Pattaya and I will most likely never be back, or at least not in a very long time so I really wanted to have a rhubarb pie before going back to Bangkok. My Teacher and his pregnant wife were full and I told them to stop eating the fish. Well, they had already finished the  fish, my Teacher only left the fish breading on the plate.
- Leave some room, you must try the rhubarb pie. - No no, we can't eat any more. WE ARE FULL!!  - This one is a must
I asked for my third cup of tea when the rhubarb pie arrived and I dug in to the rhubarb pie. I managed to eat almost all of my rhubarb pie and it was not good. I'm sure it would have tasted very good if I would have been hungry. But now, it was like forcing down the rhubarb pie. Walk in - waddle out as it says on the sign outside Goose's Fish & Chips. But today it was more like Waddle in and need help to get out. Yes, we could hardly move and we decided to go for half an hour  before going to the car at Central Festival. We walked down Soi 8 and I didn't recognise the Soi. All the bars were gone, well, almost, except down at Beach Road and there were new condos along  the Soi. No music, when I was here last time it was insane,  music blasting high from all the bars.
But now it is only Russians in Pattaya and the bars were empty last time I was in Pattaya. Most of the Russians  buy their drinks at 7 Eleven and then they sit outside 7 Eleven or in the hotel lobby so the bars have to close down.
 Hmm, if my theory is right there ought to be a whole lot of new 7 Elevens around, but I didn't saw any new 7 Elevens.
We walked down to the beach and we followed the Beach Road to Central Festival and we went to the parking. We were  still feeling very bad after all the eating and it was hard to move. My Teacher had to remove his belt from his trousers.
It took us about 30 minutes to get from Sukhumvit to Jomtien and it was the same going back to Sukhumvit from Central Festival. The traffic moved very slowly and there were plenty cars on the highway to Bangkok. All Bangkokians  going back home after the weekend on the beach. But the traffic moved very quickly. My Teacher's pregnant wife was soon asleep. She had been eating snacks all the way from Bangkok to Pattaya and now she was sleeping all the way back to Bangkok.
We stopped at the service center on the way back home to buy a bottle of water for my Teachers wife. I was about to piss myself so I went to the bathroom. MAN!! It was stinking! I  told my Teacher that I would have the piss when I was back home. Darn, the stank! And there was a MC Donalds just outside and it was stinking all the way to the MC Donald.  Yeah, sure I was feeling peckish for an ice cream.
We approached a bus and there was very much lights on the bus, and that's even though we're in Thailand. A bus  covered in coloured lights are normal around here. But this bus was really flashing and the top deck was full of flashing lights and we saw people standing  up and dancing when we passed the bus.
THE DISCO BUSS! What a way to travel, well, I can imagine waking up on the disco buss after a few hours of disco. For sure a night mare with a hangover force 9,7. My Teacher dropped me at my local 7 Eleven at 9 o'clock and I went in to buy some milk before I went home to my bed after a long day. +++++++++++++++
Monday 5th of November 2012 and I had 2 boxing sessions today, Chakrit at lunch and Sophia in the afternoon. And I was surprised that I had so much vim at Sophia even though I had been doing  10 rounds at Chakrit a few hours earlier.
We did 11 rounds at Sophia, well, 10 rounds, the  11th round was more of a cool down round with easy punching and stretching.
I have decided to put tiles on the brick wall over the granite top in my kitchen. Well, I decided to do this when I came back  home from Sophia. It would look nice to have a 30 cm band with tiles around the working area, and it is easier to clean. The bricks are impossible to clean.
So I had a quick shower and a change of clothes before I left for Boonthavorn on Ratchadapisek Road. And as expected, the traffic was almost at a full stop between Asoke and Fortune Tower but as soon as we had passed Fortune Tower the traffic was surprisingly light and we were soon at Boonthavorn. It must have been 2 years ago I was here last time. Yeah, I got scared when I realised that it is two years ago that I redecorated my bathroom. Time has for sure turned very quick. Two years or not, when I walked towards the escalator to the second floor I passed a girl at a  desk doing some paper work. And she recognised me.
- Aladdin So yes, they recognised me. I stepped on the escalator and the girl grabbed the phone and she called the girls on the 2nd floor.
 - Aladdin is here
The girl was going on and on but I could not hear what she said because the escalator brought me towards the 2nd floor. But I wanted to have a picture of her talking in the phone so I took the escalator going down again. And of course, she hang up when I was half way down and there was another lady coming to the desk. She was looking at me when I came down the escalator taking pictures and she looked really puzzled when I just took the escalator back up again when I reached the ground floor. The lady told the girl that there was a guy going up and down the escalator taking pictures and the girl turned around. - Ah, it is Aladdin 
I went to the desk and I asked for tiles for my kitchen. One girl showed me some tiles and it didn't take long for me to discover some tiles that I liked. But I was in for a shock, it was 2 weeks waiting time. This was not good, I had expected then to have them in store. OK, I decided to go back home to measure the area and I would come back to order the tiles tomorrow. I'm better off having the tiles at home or there might be a risk for the tiles to be  removed from the production. I think they make the tiles for 1 or 2 years maximum and they change the design.
Like the tiles I bought for my bathroom, they are nowhere to be seen. The Contractor that did my laundry room will arrive tomorrow morning to have a look at my kitchen and I had expected them to be ready this week, or at least before I leave for India. Well, I will buy the tiles and then we can do the job whenever we find the time and I'm 100% sure to have the tiles I want to have. I took a taxi to Sukhumvit Soi 12 and I walked to Tops Market to  buy onions and apples before walking back home.
I got my water bill, 165 Baht. I always have a 170 Baht water bill. Every month the same and I had expected more this month since I bought my new LG WD-1332RDS washer and dryer combination. They say that these condenser dryers use a lot of water. But I have used 5 baht less of water since I bought the machine. I was washing almost every day with my Electrolux  and with my new LG it is enough with 3 times per 2 weeks, or once every 5 days.
But of course, there are setbacks. Washing once per day and it is very quick to hang up my shirts for drying. I only use the dryer for bed sheets and towels, my shirts would be destroyed after one time in the dryer. And if I hang up my  clothes in the evening it is dry in the morning the day after.
And it is easy to understand how much laundry I have to put up when only washing once per week. +++++++++++++++
Tuesday 6th of November 2012 and I was out of bed at 8 thirty and I was waiting for them to come to start the work with the air conditioners. Well, I had cancelled my session at Chakrit because of the air condition and they didn't show up. They will not come until tomorrow because they missed something. So I took a taxi to Boonthavorn on Ratchadapisek to order my new tiles.
And of course, the girls recognised me and we did the calculation. 108 tiles needed 54 blank and 54 with painting and I asked for 10 extra blank tiles. I remember when I was buying tiles for my bathroom. The girl was quite beautiful and I started to interview her. She was going to celebrate her birthday and as I don't remember if it was the same girl I asked her if she was born in January. (I bought my bathroom tiles in January) And it was the same girl. - How do you know
 I gave her a BS story that I made up in the moment about how people had different auroras  depending on what month they were born in. And I told her that her aurora looked like a typical January aurora.
And yes, she was very impressed and also a wee bit scared. They believe in ghost in Thailand and all the talks about auroras made her scared, but impressed. I remember Singapore and Eskibar a few years ago. There was a girl, she was 28 years and I looked  at her hands.
- You are 28 - HOW DO YOU KNOW??!!
She was impressed and my plan worked beautifully. But my plan back fired big time. She was soon back with all her friends and now they wanted me to watch their hands. And this was of course getting boring after just a few seconds. She could not find my name in the records and she asked me if we had bought the bathroom tiles in my wife's name. - I don't have any wife! - You are lying! - Do I look like someone any girl would like to get married with? - Isn't it boring to live with your boyfriend? I remember that she had a boy friend and I asked her if it wasn't boring to live with her boyfriend and she told me that it was very very boring. And she also told the other girl how boring it was. I crossed the walkover over Ratchadapisek and I walked to Suttisan where I took a taxi back home.  And I really hope they manage to get my tiles before I leave for India and my courses.
BAck home and I discovered that I had made 40,000 on my SOLAR stocks, yesterday it was around 30,000 so these stocks have really paid off. Going from losing 3 to 400,000 to almost 80,000 plus in a few days and I was in a good mood. The other stocks are a very sad story, but they will pick up soon. I was enjoying myself watching my SOLAR stocks. I have one bank stock that went up with 3 satangs but it closed on +/-0 and I'm still 10% minus. But it is way better than when I was 50% minus. Someone named Paul from a company I didn't heard the name of called me just when I was about to leave for Sophia Muay Thai Gym. I read a lot of boiler room scams in Thailand, foreigners coming her to set up boiler rooms and scam people to invest. Well, anyway, he asked me if he could introduce his company for me. They had some offshore investments and I just said no thanks and I hanged up. It might have been the real thing, but why would a serious company have to call up people to get customers. And how did he get my name? Am I on a “SUCKER” or “WANKER” list circulating in the  boiler room circles.
The American girl came to Sophia when I finished my session and she brought her lap top with the video of her last fight. I have decided to change the aircon in my bed room to an inverter and I decided to go have a look at DAIKIN Inverters. We called the company from Sophia and they will check my bed room tomorrow. But I wanted to check out prices at Siam. No taxis at Soi 23 so I walked to Asoke and I ran in to the American girl coming home from Sophia Muay Thai Gym. So we walked together to the sky train station and I took a taxi from there to  MBK Center. I had planned to walk back home from MBK Center with a stop at HomePro to check out DAIKIN.
I bought a new mobile phone at MBK Center, 999 Baht and a phone with giant buttons. No more fiddling around with the small buttons. I walked through Siam Paragon and I stopped at Central to check out the DAIKIN. My DAIKIN 28000 BTU Inverter cost 65,000 Baht and I paid 48,500 Baht. So I made a good deal with the company that they recommended at Sophia. Of course, I will have to pay 16,000 to install the Inverter. But in this is the price for moving my old AC from the kitchen to the store room, a big job. DAIKIN 18000 BTU for my bed room is 41800 Baht so it will be interesting to see what the company coming tomorrow is asking. I stopped at HomePro but they didn't have DAIKIN. I also made a stop at an Italian restaurant on my way home, spinach as a starter and salmon pasta as main course. Yet another setback for my diet. Back home and the first thing I manage to do is to block my SIM card and the PUK is not working. My PUK code must be from my original SIM card that I bought 13 or 14 years ago. And as I have lost my phone a few times I have got a few new SIM cards. But I expected the PUK to be the same. Well, I will have to go to AIS tomorrow. +++++++++++++++
Wednesday 7th of November 2012 and I was surprised when I opened my door at 10 thirty. It was my Teacher from Sophia and he asked if the air condition Technicians had arrived. He got angry  when they had not arrived and he called them. They didn't arrived until around 11 thirty  and I was not in a good mood. By the time they arrived I had already called the girl that did my laundry room to see if she could do the air conditioner.
I would have had time to go to AIS at Emporium to get my SIM  card to work again while waiting for them. They were soon up and working with the air conditioners and it  looked like these people were professionals.
I asked the Manager about my AC in the bed room. I wanted to know if he thought it was any idea to change my WideCool to an Inverter. He said that the Inverter was better because  the inverter kept a more even temperature and used  less power. But it might be a waste of money to change.
I took the opportunity to leave for Emporium when they were up and running with the job. I took a taxi to Emporium and I went to AIS and they unlocked my sim card and I went back home. I was very surprised when they called me from Boonthavorn. Well, I had a missed call and I called back without knowing who I was calling. It was the girl at Boonthavorn on Ratchadapisek. - Your tiles are ready
 - Can you send them home to me?
- Yes, we deliver in 3 days
- OK, I will come to pick them up by myself tonight
And it was almost 3 o'clock and I left for Sophia Muay Thai Gym. We did 10 rounds plus one cool   down rounds before I went back home again. I could not find my camera when I left for Boonthavorn. I looked everywhere and I wondered where I had put my camera, that I had forgot the camera at Sophia was out of the question.
I always take my camera when leaving, but I decided to go via Sophia on my way to Asoke. And I found my camera at Sophia when I arrived. The Canadian girl was back at Sophia and she was doing sit ups  in the ring while the American girl was walking around the swimming pool cooling down. She have a fight in China the 25 of November so she  needs to get fit for fight.
I will be in India the 25th or I might have gone  to China to see her fight.
When she was ready walking around the swimming pool she went up in the  ring for sit ups before we left Sophia Muay Thai Gym.
I walked to Asoke with the American and the Canadian girl and the turned left walking towards the  sky train station. I crossed Asoke and I took a taxi outside Bangkok Fight Club.
The traffic was at a full stop at Asoke but as soon as we had passed Fortune Tower we were hauling arse and we were soon at Boonthavorn on Ratchadapisek Road. I paid the taxi and I asked him to turn on the meter again and to wait for me for 15 to 20 minutes while I was going to get my tiles. I went to the second floor and I was disappointed when the beautiful girl wasn't there. But I got the receipt for my tiles and I went down on the first floor  again to pick up my tiles.
The beautiful girl was at the desk and she helped me with the tiles. - Can you wait for 30 minutes? We will get the tiles - 30 MINUTES!!!!???? No I don't think so, I'm in a hurry.
There was a coffee shop and something that looked like a Doctor's waiting room. Luckily enough I had asked the taxi driver to wait and we took off to 7 Eleven and when we were back my tiles where ready.
I was hungry and I walked to V8 when I had left the tiles at home. I had a burger and milk shake  before I walked back home.
I passed Sukhumvit Soi 19 and the Italian restaurant at the corner looked different. I went to have a closer look and it turned out that the Italian was gone and now there is an Argentinean Steak House. The El Gaucho and it looked nice. And I will for sure have a dinner there very soon, some grilled lamb chops would be very nice. I had been a few times at the Italian restaurant and it was good food. I was there some 10 years ago and I found hair in my Spaghetti Carbonara and I was about to  throw up. I didn't come back for many years. But I was back a year or two ago and it was very nice food. Especially the smoked salmon and avocado and I had been back a few times the last year.
But the Argentinean Steak House looked very interesting and I'm looking forward to my first visit, tomorrow? Hmm, I hope  I will be able to stay away from any restaurants tomorrow, but if I can't, El Gaucho it is.
I stopped at Sukhumvit Soi 23 to do my toe nails before I went back home to my bed. +++++++++++++++
Thursday 8th of November 2012 and I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I was pretty excited, will the AC workers be on time. Will they finish today? I was sure that they  would not finish today even though they have told me several times. Quite embarrassing (for them) when I, that know exactly foock all about installing AC have to tell them that they would not be ready.
And they are persistent. WE WILL FINISH TODAY!!! And I have to say NO, I know foock all about AC but in my occupation I have to put guys to work so I can estimate how long things will take. And they will not be ready today. But they are doing a good work, when they are finally arriving. My Teacher called me around 10 thirty and he asked if the worker had arrived. - No
- I will call them
- Don't bother
- No, I will call them
- Never mind, if they aren't here by now a phone call would not make them turn up any faster
- OK, I see you at 3 o'clock for our session   The owner and my Teacher sparring at Sophia Muay Thai Gym
 The owner and my Teacher sparring at Sophia Muay Thai Gym
I spent the afternoon in bed watching DVD. I had asked them to finish my store room so I could be there playing with my computer. They told me they would start the job in 10 minutes. Well, I came  back home from Sophia at 5 and they were about to go home. Not allowed to work longer than until  5 o'clock in the condo.
The AC in the kitchen was running and they will come back tomorrow to finish the wood work on the balcony. They will also repair the ceiling in the kitchen. But they had not finished my store room so I didn't allow them to leave until they were ready. The Security guard came at 5 thirty. The visitors log was apparently showing that the workers hadn't left and he came to tell me that they had to leave. - We're ready! I bought us some time and they managed to finish the store room, almost. If they had showed up in time they would have been ready and honestly, I was quite impressed by their work. So I asked them if they could do tiles. And yes, they had done tiles before and I asked if they could start tomorrow. He would see and I told him that I would give him a bottle of Black Label if they finished before Saturday. - I'm going to India next week and I need the kitchen to be ready before I'm leaving. Well, if everything turns out like I'm hoping for they will be able to do my kitchen tiles. So I  was in a good mood when I left for The El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House.
But first I had to walk to Sukhumvit Soi 6 to buy some hankies. I walked through the BTS station at Asoke towards Time Square and I meet a beautiful girl outside Time Square. She recognised me but I didn't have a clue where I have seen her before. And as I didn't feel like stopping for some cold talk I will most likely never find out. I bought 20+ handkerchiefs and with the handkerchiefs I bought a few weeks ago this is something  I can put on my list of things that “I will never have to do in my life again”
1) Buy shaving soap 2) Buy socks 3) Buy a shaving kit 4) Buy pink shoes (new item) 5) Buy hankies (new item) Of course, there are I few items I WISH I could put on my list of things that “I will never have to do in my life again”, but that's another story. I crossed Sukhumvit via Na Na sky train station and I walked to Sukhumvit Soi 19. Disappointment when I came in to El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House. Only a bar at the ground floor and the restaurant was located on the 2nd floor. Well, I took a seat in the bar and I was soon having a menu in my hand. I ordered lamb chops, potato gratin and creamed spinach.  Bread and some olive oil mix, delicious!!
  The BBQ at El Gaucho
 My lamb chops are ready
 Potato gratin, creamed spinach, lamb chops and mustard sauce
 They gave me bread and some olive oil stuff and it was very good. My lamb chops was good, but the spinach was excellent. And at The El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House you order the meat and then  you have to select side orders. Lamb chops 890 Baht++ and on top of this the side order. Turned out to be an excellent thing, I could order more spinach straight from the menu.
The spinach was some of the best spinach I ever had. The lamb chops was excellent, but no rosmary or rosemary sauce. So I had to order mustard sauce. And this sauce was very very good. The restaurant opened 2 months ago and as I told the owner “I saw the place for the first time yesterday and I decided to come here today” And of course, I gave the owner a few pointers. But he told me that they had rosemary and it was just to ask for rosemary. - I will do this next time, I said And it will for sure be a next time. 1700 Baht + 100 Baht tips,  expensive? Well, SHERATON was expensive, the 199 or 299 Baht buffet my friend brought me to was expensive. 1700 Baht at The El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House was OK for the food. Very good and I will for sure be back. If I only can finish my diet.
Well, seems like I have pretty much finished my diet, but If I could finally have any success with my diet before going back to El Gaucho. I stopped at Dairy Queen at Terminal 21 for some ice cream. I bought the biggest size of caramel & almond ice cream and I enjoyed my ice cream while walking around the ground floor at Terminal 21. I stopped at the ATM at my local 7 Eleven to get some money for the air condition guys tomorrow. And now they have some publicity stunt at 7 Eleven with huge paper people outside the shops. And every time I turn around I shit my pants thinking that it is a real person sneaking up from behind. Takes me 0,3 to realise that it is the darn paper people. +++++++++++++++
Friday 9th of November 2012 and I was out of bed at 8 thirty. I had my morning tea and chillies  while waiting for the AC guys. And the AC guys didn't arrived at 10 as they had said  yesterday and I was pretty pissed off quarter to 11. I took 2 apples and I left for Chakrit Muay Thai School.
I finished my daily ration of apples on the way to Chakrit, can't say I like apples too much, but I eat them as medicine. Same as my chillies.
I was alone when I arrived to Chakrit and I asked where the music was. I used to play my Phong Lang on my iPod back when Chakrit was at Washington Square and one of the Teachers asked for a CD. So now they play the CD every time I come for a session. We started our session after a little bit of stretching. I was on round 5 or 6 when another guy arrived.  He had been there for 5 minutes when he asked about the music.
Turned out that he was from USA and he had been living here for 5 years and he was leaving Thailand next week. The Teachers told him that it was my CD and he asked if I had put together the CD myself or if I had bought it. When I finished my session I said good bye and he asked if he could buy the CD. - You can have it for free I told my Teacher to give the CD to him when he left - IT IS MY CD!! I told him that I would give him a new CD tomorrow
No sign of the AC guys when I was back home, but the Security guy told me that they had gone for lunch. Well, foock them, I had a shower and I went to Boonthavorn to buy cement for the tiles. I will try to get my Electrician to do the tiles for me tomorrow. He is a very good Electrician and he does tiles as well so I'm full of confidence. I was late for my session at Sophia Muay Thai Gym and my Teacher got angry when he heard about the AC guys. He called the company and they will be here at 10 o'clock tomorow morning. - 1 minute late and you can foock off and we will never want to see you again. I only did 9 or 10 rounds today as I was late. The American girl arrived at 16 twenty and she needs all the training she can get before going for her fight in China end of the month. She is on  strict diet and our Teacher have forbidden her to drink coconut milk. So he was screaming when she brought out a bottle of Gatorade.
- What??!! It is a Gatorade, a sport drink - It is the same as a coke with a vitamin tablet. - Gatorade is good, she said - It is only sugar, you can as well drink coke She looked at the label and she told me it was 34% sugar in the bottle. - And the rest is water with a drop or two of blue colour, I said. She looked shocked, yeah, the sports drinks is nothing but calories. Can as well eat a snickers, and the snicker will most likely taste better as well. ENERGY = CALORIES
Well, I wasn't in a good mood, but the plans are to be ready with the work in my condo tomorrow. Put back everything in the ceiling and my Electrician will come to put up the tiles. I promised him a  1000 Baht bonus and a bottle of Black Label if he finished the work tomorrow. So maybe we will manage to complete everything tomorrow and I should be in a good  mood. But as I have more experience than I care for with redecoration my condo in Bangkok. So I will wait with the good mood until we're ready with everything.
I was off to Tops Market to buy more chillies. I had decided to give The El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House another try and this time with rosemary on the   lamb chops. But first Tops Market for chillies to keep my diet going.
I found Diet MAX at Tops Market and I took 2 big bottles and I left for The El Gaucho across Sukhumvit Soi 19. No Diet MAX at 7 Eleven but the other shops seems to have them in stock. But I heard a story about 7 Eleven and I don't  know if it is true.
I meet a guy a week or two ago. He was walking down Sukhumvit Soi 23 with a can of Diet MAX in his hand. - Where the  did you find the Diet MAX
- They are everywhere - Not at my local 7 Eleven He told me that the guy owning the 7 Eleven in Thailand had started his own cola brand BIG and is thus not selling Pepsi anymore. Well, I don't know, BIG seems to be an Mexican company. Maybe it is the new carbonated drink ER or something like that they want to sell instead. Well, I don't know what happened with  the Diet MAX at 7 Eleven, they are selling BIG and this is a drink that I won’t buy.
Well, anyway, I left Tops with my Diet MAX and chillies. And   OOPS!! What is that in my bag, 9 sausages??!!!
Well, upcoming weekend and if they finish my condo tomorrow my mood might swing to very good and I will dash off for a few beers. And then a few  sausages can come in handy on Sunday and I can stay in bed all day long watching hangover DVDs. And I won't have to meet anyone during the whole  Sunday. But it is all depending on how things turn out tomorrow.
Won't take me long to see the progress and I can dash off to 7 Eleven to buy the hangover kit, chocolate milk and the orange flavoured drinking yogurt.
Friday night and there were plenty people at The El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House and my seat in the bar was occupied by a guy eating. So I had to take another seat and I was not happy about it. I have a few restaurants where I always goes and I have had  the same seat for 20 years ++ at some of them. I asked for the lamb chops and 3 creamed spinach.
- And plenty rosemary on the lamb chops - We don't have rosemary - Yes, you have - No, we don't So I called the owner that was busy running around giving pointers to the staff. He would check the kitchen and I thought to myself “what kind of steak house haven't got rosemary in the kitchen” It took him quite some while before he returned, yes he was very busy giving pointers and screaming at the Cooks at the BBQ. It looked  like they were going to get in to a fight one time. But when he finally made it back to me he was so sorry, no rosemary in the kitchen.
Yes, I'm not going to tell you what I thought, but as the lamb chops had been excellent yesterday I stuck to my original order, lamb chops and 3 spinach. The owner looked a wee bit surprised - Lamb chops today again? - Yes, the lamb chops was the reason for me to come here I had been waiting for about 30 minutes when they told me that they were busy in the kitchen and that I had to wait. Yeah, I could see that something was going on with the owner running around  being upset. I asked them for how long and they told me 15 minutes. They told the guy next to me that he had to wait as well. I took my stuff and I left.
Then the owner came running. - Just a sec!!! I sat down again and my lamb chops came. The lamb chop was very dry and I was about to leave again. But I tried the  second lamb chops and this was excellent and I decided to stay.
My spinach came 5 minutes later. Well, if they can't handle the guests I suggest removing a few tables from the restaurant. Especially if it can save the life of people getting stressed and upset risking suffering from a heart attack. Well, seems like middle of the week days are the time to visit El Gaucho when there isn't much people around. The spinach was very good and 2 out of 3 lamb chops were excellent. I asked for my bill and the owner asked why I was in a hurry. - I just came for my dinner, no need to hang around here for several hours. - Was the food good? - Spinach was very good, 2 out of 3 lamb chops was excellent, of course, would have been even better with rosemary He told the guy behind the bar to make a not to buy rosemary. He asked what was wrong with the first lamb chop. - It was very dry - Strange, it is from the same batch, I can make a new for you - No thanks, I'm full - Come back next week and we will have rosemary I don't know if I'm in a hurry to get back, I'm sure the owner is sincere about getting the rosemary. He is very eager for the guests to enjoy their meals, of course, by the look of the restaurant it looks like a big investment. Nothing you want to go down the drain. But today it was embarrassing for The El Gaucho, but if I come back for a third time and they don't have the rosemary it is embarrassing for me  - LOOK!! HERE IS THE WANKER AGAIN LOOKING FOR ROSEMARY!!
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Saturday 10th of November 2012 and I was out of bed at 8 thirty, tired and I could use a few  extra hours of sleep just in case I will have to drink a beer or two tonight. Or the concrete  hat might come on, for sure nothing I or the people around me want to experience.
I was preparing my tea when I realised that I had Diet MAX in my fridge. And yes, I should have poured the Diet MAX down the drain. Especially since I was sneezing and my nose was running like there was no tomorrow. And yet again I can confirm that it must have something to do with the Diet MAX Never mind, I bought 20++ hankies the other day ( Hmm, and I might have to take the “Buy hankies” off my list of things that “I will never have to do in my life again” If I continue like this I will soon have blown hole in the new hankies) so I poured myself a glass of Diet MAX. And there was never any time to make my tea.
My Electrician knocked on the door. And he told me that he would start the job on Monday. There was more job than he had expected. He had to call his co-worker to help him. - 1500 Baht for the job - I give you 3000 and a bottle of Black Label if you finish today He called his co worker to come help him and he thought it would take a few hours. Then he wanted  to go speak to the condo Manager to see if it was OK to work Saturday afternoon.
- YOU ARE GOING TO DO WHAT???
- I will speak with the Manager I told him to stay well clear of the Condo Manager. - Just finish the noisy work before 12 and then I will say that we're here drinking beers  if the Security Guards are coming knocking on the door.
He left and he came back with one of the handy men working at the condo. A good move, I f we have the staff from the condo working here there will most likely not be any complain from the Security Guards and the Management. - Working?? Here? We're just enjoying the Saturday afternoon with a few beers with Aladdin. And as soon as we're ready I'm ready to take off to India and my courses. They got right on to   the work with my tiles and they were kicking arse.
And my Electrician is very good, I never used him for tiles before. But all the other work he have done for me have been good. And I'm  impressed by people doing a good job and knowing what they are doing. It is fun to talk with them and I can always learn something.
I'm not very impressed by cars or the latest mobile phone, anyone can buy a car or a mobile phone. But to do a good job is different. Must be in the genes, same with my boxing teacher at Sophia, everything he does is good and as no surprise, his Uncle was one of the 2 best drivers I have experienced in Thailand.
It is a wee bit different with the guys doing the AC, they knocked on the door at 10 thirty and if it wasn't for my urge to get ready with the condo so I could clean up I would not have opened  the door. Will they be able to finish in one and a half hour? I hope so, because they are out of here at 12 o'clock. But I don't think they will be able to finish before 12.
Well, I thought they had learnt something yesterday. And at least the Boss should have taken some action, I guess he is waiting for his money and he must wonder why they never finish the job. Well, I was about to say that this is not my problem, but it is, I want to finish the job. And believe me, they didn't look happy when they arrived, they had expected to have their Saturday off. If they had been on time they would have finished the job last Wednesday. And 10:00 Tuesday is not 12 o'clock something on Wednesday when they showed up for the first time.    Well, this is obviously how they are operating at that company. But they were making good progress  with the tiles and we had soon one more handy man from the condo to help us out.
And I when I finished recording P3 Rock from the internet I turned on some Phong Lang full blast and  they got in a very good mood. Speeding up the progress with the tiles a wee bit. Saturday and good music so I think they want to drink beer.
But as I told them, beers on me WHEN THE JOB IS READY! I was in a very good mood 
 seeing these guys at work, but I'm not sure how it will  turn out if they get tipsy before completion.
I started to prepare the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” pictures. Not of me, I really wish I could have done my own “BEFORE” and “AFTER” pictures. But this will require a few more months at Sophia Muay Thai Gym. But the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” pictures of my kitchen can be done. At least the “BEFORE” and the “AFTER” will be ready in a few hours. The AC guys left and they asked if I wanted to have the white paint to paint my ceiling. The ceiling needs a few more coatings of paint, right now it doesn’t look good. But I just wanted them out of here and I said that they could keep the paint. It is soon time to repaint the ceiling anyway. I got the bill before they left. - 17,000 Baht!!! What the
He had told me between 16 and 19,000 for the job, very expensive for 2 days job. I gave him 16,000 but he wanted 17 and I told him that I had lost a lot of time waiting for them. OK, I just wanted them to foock off out of here and I gave him 17. But he came back with 2000 when I was cleaning my balcony. - Boss said that you get special price As soon as they left I took off to my local 7 Eleven for my Hangover Kit and when I was back in  the kitchen I ripped open a San Miguel Light.
The job was done, now we only need to wait for the cement to dry and they will fill the gap between the tiles with the green gray filler that I bought with the cement at Boonthavorn. And even though the job wasn't completed it looked very nice and I was happy. And it will be much easier to keep clean. The surfaces of the bricks are impossible to clean. They guy left and they will be back in half an  hour to put the filling between the tiles.
I started to clean my apartment and it was really nice to get things back in order after 5 days with the AC guys. The guys from my Condo came back after an hour to start with the filling. My Electrician had to go to Ratchadapisek to  complete a job, but he will be back around 5 thirty. By then the handymen from the Condo will have completed the job.
I was so excited  that I opened my second San Miguel Light and 2 minutes later I opened my third San Miguel Light, how will this end?  I had Thai Hip Hop blasting high in my kitchen, but I could see that the handy men were very uncomfortable with the language so I swapped the music as a courtesy. And Skånsk Hip Hop were soon blasting high in my kitchen. FY FAN VA FETT!!
They were impressed by my new tiles and I could hear them discuss. One guy said that it was the colour that went so good with the granite top and the brick wall. But the other guy said that I had bought them because of the fruit and vegetables. - The vegetables and fruit goes in the kitchen, he said and both of them agreed. I really liked what I saw and I had been lucky when choosing the colour of the filler. The girl at Boonthavorn suggested white, but I choose a green/ gray colour and it turned out to be almost  exactly the same colour as the tiles.
When the filler is ready we need to let it dry before we can drill holes for the magnet for my kitchen knives. And when we had finished the kitchen tiles we had filled up a big bag of empty San Miguel Light cans and I was beyond the POINT OF NO RETURN. I will wake up with a hangover tomorrow, never mind, it will be a pleasure to get out to my kitchen to grab my Hangover Kit. Of course, not that I'm going to hang around my kitchen for long. Back to my bed and my hangover DVDs as quick as possible. But just to say, coming out to a nice kitchen will do a wee bit to alleviate my hangover. My old kitchen was for sure not doing anything to alleviate my hangovers.  My kitchen before
 My kitchen after
The knives are on the wall Monday afternoon
 My kitchen before
 My kitchen after
The knives are on the wall Monday afternoon
 My kitchen before
 My kitchen after
When they were finished we sat down for a few more beers while the cement was drying so we could make the holes for the magnet for the kitchen knives. The Electrician came back and the first thing  he saw was a big bag with empty San Miguel Light cans. We finished a case of San Miguel Light and I went to buy a second case at my local 7 Eleven when the clock turned 5 and they were allowed to sell beer again.
And what an opportunity to try out my new AC. 2 guys freezing and one of them was very hot and he complained. I was very comfortable and we thought that there must be something wrong with the guy feeling hot. The Electrician and one of the handy men had been here since I bought my condo and the Electrician have made most of the electrical work in my condo. He was the one that found the ground. And he was of course remembering my switches from Skåne. We had  a good laugh about all the different Contractors I have had here and the Electrician remember the guy the Manager called Mr. Samoa.
His electrical work had been a disaster and that was the time we called the Electrician the very first time. And as he impressed me I have called him several times after that. Now I can laugh about it, but back then I was in a constant bad mood. And it was embarrassing, I was ashamed. They came to tell me that the electric job was not good, actually dangerous. So they must have been wondering who the foock I was ending up with people like Mr. Samoa. Well, anyway, we tried to make the holes but the cement had not dried and we gave up the idea and I will have to  wait with the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” pictures until Monday.
To put up the tiles cost me 3000 Baht and a bottle of Whiskey. And almost 2 cases of San Miguel Light, but, hmm, I think I drank most of the beer myself.
We decided to go to Khaosan Road and the Brick Bar. I can't remember ever having a bad time at the Brick Bar so this was the place to go to. It was around 7 thirty when we left my condo and it didn't take long to reach Khaosan Road (including a stop at 7 Eleven for San Miguel Light)  San Miguel Light is the best way to bring out Charisma Man and Charisma Man had been around  since the afternoon. So now I only hope for the Obnoxious Man to stay away and  that I manage to keep the CHARM mood on for the full length of the evening. There were not much people at Brick Bar when we arrived around 8 o'clock.
Just the reason why I like to be at Brick Bar early. In an hour there will be plenty people and impossible to find a table. The Waitress  waied me, she always does it when I arrive to Brick Bar. She recognises me and by now I recognise her as well, but it took me quite some time before I recognised her. I was always wondering who she was.
We got 4 seats at the stage and we were soon having beer in front of us. There was a girl singing  in a band and it was great music. Also why I go to Brick Bar, there is always good music at the Brick Bar.
And we were almost alone while enjoying the first beer. Heineken so I drank my beer with ice and from a wine glass. No San Miguel light and they were obviously not selling Tiger beer anymore. But we had had so many San Miguel Lights during the day so it was never mind what beer we had, it tasted pretty much the same by then. It didn't take long before  Brick Bar was brimmed with people. And yet again I praised  myself for my clever idea to give the Waitress a good tip with every beer. I never had to wait long for service.
Well, there were several good bands playing, and of  course, my TAXI CD came on and we could enjoy Roffe  Ruff between the bands.
We had a very good time at the Brick Bar and I don't know what  time I was back home, but I think they closed the Brick Bar when I left.
And I went straight home, not any stops at Little Italy, at least what I can remember. But I stopped at my local 7 Eleven for a bottle of strawberry milk and some buttered toast. I have not been eating anything today, not even time for tea.
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Sunday 11th of November 2012 and I was in bed all day watching hangover DVDs. I went up to make sausages and macaroni in the afternoon. And at 10 o'clock in the evening I went to my local 7 Eleven to buy some Minute Maid and ice cream.
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Monday 12th of November 2012 and I just turned off my alarm when the alarm went off at 8 thirty and I didn't got out of bed until 10 o'clock. I had been watching DVDs until 5 o'clock in the morning. I had my tea and “TUNA & ONION SURPRISE” ® before I left to see if my Indian visa  was ready. I had tried to call them, no answer. I also tried the online service, nothing so I decided to walk down to the Glas House on Sukhumvit Soi 25. Pick up time between 2 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
I got a chock when I stepped in to pick up my passport. There were millions of people and not a lot of staff and I had to wait for almost an hour before I got my passport. So I was 30 minutes late for Sophia Muay Thai Gym. Well, I was back home at 3 o'clock and the handy man from the condo came to drill a hole for me for my kitchen knives. I started this morning and I  managed to do one hole and when I did my second hole I destroyed 3 drills before I gave up.
The handyman finished the drilling and he put new filler between the tiles where the filler had cracked during the drilling and I could leave for Sophia 20 minutes past 3. My Teacher had a bottle of honey for me when I arrived. He had brought it last week, but we forgot the bottle. So I will try the honey with my tea first thing when I'm back home. We did 10 rounds plus one cool down round. The American girl arrived when I was finished and 3 minutes later the  Thai kid came for his session as well.
The American girl went to run at Srinakharinwirot University and the young Thai boy started to skip rope on the trampoline. I walked back home and I did a pot of tea first thing to try out the new honey. It was a very good honey and I think it is homemade honey. My Teacher had bought it at some market and the honey was delivered in an empty Thai Whiskey bottle. Maybe some of the liquor remaining in the bottle improving the taste? I don't know, but it  was a good honey and I might buy my honey at the market from  now on, it is just that it is so convenient to buy groceries at Tops Market.
I had a shower when I was back home and I went to look for a taxi to take me to Siam Square. Heavy traffic and I walked to Sukhumvit to take a taxi from Time Square. But I changed my mind when I was on Sukhumvit Soi 12 and I  walked back to a Christmas decorated Tops Market. Yes, Christmas is here and it is only November. They started at the Banana Leaf  kitchen on my Soi last week with a Christmas tree. Well, anyway, I bought onion, apples and tuna before I went to El Gaucho, the Argentinean Steak House across the Soi from Robinson. I will give it a try again  to see if they had got rosemary.
And I could see that they were building a  Christmas tree at Terminal 21, well, it will be nice to leave town and the Christmas behind. Well, if I don't miss the ship, I will spend 2 weeks taking courses in India and then it is 7 to 8 days to get my new certificates and by then they might be on the way to Durban in South Africa.
Well, we will see, but I called Maersk and I wanted to leave because of the rain season, but now the rain season is over and the cool season starts. They asked me if I wanted to stay home during Christmas. - No, I'm ready to leave ASAP. At first they wanted me to Maersk Cameron, in the middle of January. But as I wanted to leave ASAP they had Britta Maersk. “Britta Maersk was recently finalized for loading of molasses and vegetable oil. It is our intention to plan your onward assignments on Britta Maersk as implementation of this voyage will be quite challenging therefore we need experienced Officers that can start up new project” So I don't know, but the plan is that I will join Britta in Indonesia or Malaysia before leaving for South Africa with a full cargo of vegetable oil.
The staff is discussing my rosemary
I got my original seat at El Gaucho, Monday night and the bar was empty. A few guest outside and I don't know how many guests there was on the second floor. I asked for lamb chops. - With rosemary? - Do you have rosemary? - We will go buy They left for Tops Market to buy rosemary and when they were back they gave the rosemary to
They sniffed in the can and the discussion continued. And I  was wondering if this was the first time they had seen rosemary. But I got the best BBQ lamb chops ever and their creamed spinach must be the best creamed spinach I  have ever had, at  least outside Skåne.
So I will most likely be back at El Gaucho soon. I was full, so I might go down from 3 to 2 spinach. Or if I skip their excellent  bread they serve when waiting for the food. But as I'm hungry when I arrive I ask for even more bread while waiting.
I walked back home and when I was back home I realise that I had forgot to buy milk. So I had to go down to my local 7 Eleven to buy milk. - DARLING!! We have Diet MAX!! - I have given up, I said Tomorrow it is Diwali and all my neighbour's doors are decorated with light and candles. So it looks very nice outside my door. And I'm lucky it wasn't Diwali last Saturday. Imagine my neighbour if I would have tramped through the decoration coming home from Khaosan Road early Sunday morning. +++++++++++++++
Tuesday 13th of November 2012 and I had a pot of tea and a “TUNA & ONION SURPRISE” ® first thing in the morning. Well, of course, I had my vitamin tablet, a baby Aspirin and a fist full  of chillies while waiting for my tea to be ready.
I called my Teacher at Sophia at 11 and we would meet at Sophia at 12 o'clock to go have a look for  new boxing gloves for me. My old gloves is beaten out of proportions, at least the left hand gloves.
I arrived to Sophia just after 12 and the Security guard told me that my Teacher was at the bank and that he would be back soon. I waited outside while looking at the students from  Srinakharinwirot. I discovered that I had forgot my memory card when I was about to take a picture. DARN! I went to see if our friend from Germany that lives at the Imperial Garden Apartments.
He was sitting at the swimming pool next to the boxing ring and I asked him if he had a memory card I could borrow. He had a card and he asked me where we were going and I told him that we were going to look for boxing gloves. He wanted  to join us and he was just going to send an important e-mail before we left.
So when my Teacher returned we were waiting outside talking to the students while he was sending his e-mail. And when he was ready we took a taxi to Klong Toey, Lotus on Rama 4. There should be a shop for boxing equipment on the Soi behind Lotus. We stopped to asked the motorcycle taxi drivers if they knew the shop and no one knew about the boxing equipment shop. After a few stops we found a guy that knew about the shop. It was not far, but we had passed the place and we got out of the taxi and we walked back to look for the shop.  They are walking on the shadow side of the road, with the traffic coming from behind
 They are walking on the shadow side of the road, with the traffic coming from behind
My Teacher and our friend from Germany walked on the shadow side of the road but I stayed on the sunny side and I had the traffic coming towards me on my side. I prefer to see the cars coming towards me. Cars  coming from behind is not a situation I want to be in. Now I can keep an eye on the traffic and I can dodge any oncoming car before they hit me.
No sign of the shop and we asked one more time and they told us to continue up the road and turn in on the second Soi we pass on the right hand side. We walked in on the Soi and no sign of any shop. But we passed a small shop and they were unloading boxing gloves from a pick up  truck. We stepped inside and we realised that this wasn't a shop for boxing equipment. They were making gloves and if you ordered 200 or 300 gloves you could have you own  label. The guy went in to a house next door and he returned with a pair of 16oz gloves for me. 750 Baht, very cheap and it looked to be a good quality.
My last pair was bought at Siam Paragon for 2400 Baht and the left hand glove can not be used anymore. The German guy had a look around and as he wanted to go have a look at the boxing shops around Lumpini Stadium. We walked to Rama 4 and we took a taxi from there and as always, the traffic was almost at a full stop on Rama 4. Our friend from Germany was hungry and I suggested Malaysia hotel, just to avoid ending up eating  on the road side. We had a look in a few shops before we walked towards the walk over bridge to cross the Rama 4 road.
We passed a restaurant, but it was closed down and we checked out a coffee shop, but no food so we ended up at Malaysia Hotel on Soi Ngam Dupli. And Malaysia hotel did not look very fresh when we approached the place by foot. I regret my choice of place to eat, but as my friends started to complain about how hungry they were we went inside to the restaurant. I ordered a banana shake and a cheese burger and my friends ordered Thai food. The food was  OK, well, there was only 6 or 7 stripes of French Fries with my burger. And I had asked for a cheese burger with fries.
- Do you want extra fries? - What? - There is fries coming with the burger - No thanks, that will be enough. And I could not help by wondering what the  Cook was thinking when he fired up the deep fryer for 7 stripes of French Fries.
OK, the bright side was that my diet wasn't suffer very much from “all” the carbonates in the potato. I was choked when I discovered that it was almost 3 o'clock, and time for our session at Sophia. We decided to skip today’s session, but when we walked back towards Rama 4 we decided to go back home for a session. Our German friend went back to Lumpini to check out the boxing shops.  Malaysia Hotel
 My Travel Agent on Soi Ngam Dupli have closed down
My Teacher and i took a taxi back to Sukhumvit Soi 23 leaving Soi Ngam Dupli behind. I have no wishes to come back again. I lived at Malaysia hotel 25 years ago and I could see that my old travel agent had closed his business. I have used him for many years. I booked tickets from him when I was in Sweden. But one day I asked him if he wasn't going to get e-mail. - E-mail? That's just a temporary fad This was back in the 90's and I never used his service again, even though it was a good service. But  e-mail and e-tickets is a wee bit more convenient than a phone call and currier service for the  ticket.
Well, this must be 15 ++ years ago by now. My Teacher and I took a taxi to my condo and we arrived at 3 thirty. He went to change clothes at Sophia and I changed clothes and I arrived to Sophia Muay Thai Gym quarter to 4. We did 9 or 10 rounds before the American girl arrived. I wore a black t-shirt for my session and my Teacher told me that i looked smaller by the day. Can't be true as I have been going to restaurants every day. The American girl told me yesterday that she had been visiting Bangkok Fight Club last Thursday.  - Was there much people?
- Only 2 I sent the Teacher at Bangkok Fight Club a message yesterday asking how much people there was at Bangkok Fight Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I was back home. 2 to 3 people, good, because after all the “you're getting smaller” bullshit I was finally mustering all the courage needed to finally step up on the scale. - MOTHERFOCCKER!!!
I have no chose but to go to Bangkok Fight Club, my diet has been a total failure. I remember that they charged 400 Baht per session if I wanted to train on a “walk in” basis. I brought 500 just in case. Turned out that it was 600 Baht and I will have to pay the remaining money on Thursday. My Teacher said that the “walk in” sessions very expensive. - Pay 2000 Baht on Thursday and you can be here for a whole month - I'm going to India on Saturday - Never mind, just sign your name every session and you have the hours when you come back  I'm paying my fee
 2 new guys at Bangkok Fight Club
 We're doing the mitts
I realised that I had missed Bangkok Fight Club and my Teacher, but Monday, Wednesday and Fridays there are just too much people so I will train on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And it was very  fun even though I could hardly walk back home. After all the squat downs my thighs were trashed and I could not move.
We did kicking and punching and I was half dead some times. We also did  the Thai Navy Exercise, nothing that I had been missing.
But I really enjoyed my session at Bangkok Fight Club and as I had to leave sideways down the stairs because of the pain in my thighs I knew that I would not be able to go to Chakrit Muay Thai School tomorrow. I will take this opportunity to renew my driving license  instead and I will hopefully be in time for my session at Sophia  Muay Thai Gym.
I could hear the fire crackers when I walked back home. Obviously the fire crackers are something that comes with the celebration of Diwali. And there was a huge group of people outside my condo setting off fire crackers when I came back home from Bangkok Fight Club. And the amount of garbage the fire crackers left behind was  unbelievable. Must be several garbage bins of crap lying around. Well, it is nice that it is not only me causing the noise around her.
And my neighbours Diwali decoration is by now almost in to my condo. But I really like to live in this MULTU CULTI society, always some celebration and it looks nice outside my door. +++++++++++++++
Wednesday 14th of November 2012 and It was very hard to get out of bed. But I forced myself out of bed because I needed to renew my Thai driving license. So I had a fist full of chillies while I was waiting for my tea to get ready. I had a shower and I left for Department of Land Transportation between Sukhumvit Soi 99 and 101 quarter past 10. I stopped to make a health test, well, I stepped in to the clinic and the girl filled up a health declaration. I paid 80 Baht and I continued to the Department of Land Transportation to renew my driving license.
They had to fill up my health declaration 2 times. I saw her filling up my form copying my passport and my name turned in to Mr. Svensk - Hmm, excuse me, Svensk is my nationality I left the clinic with my Doctor's certificate stating that I was in good health,  both physically and mentally. And they had not even asked for my name, only my passport. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to the Department of Land Transportation. Not much people.
I stepped up to counter #18 and the girl handling the documents recognised me. She has been there since my first driving license. But the girl that took my documents didn't recognise me and I asked her if I could get a 5 years driving license. She said  yes and the girl that knew me turned around saying no. She was  obviously remember when I tryed to bribe her with chocolate last year. If I apply for a non-immigrant visa I would have got a 5 years driving license after my first one year license. But I don't want to go through the hassle with the non-immigrant visa so I have to renew my license every year. Well, I take my future trips to the Department of Land Transportation as an excursion. I had to go make a copy of the Doctor's certificate stating that I was in good health, both physically and mentally. I was renewing both my car and motorcycle license so 2 copies of each  document was required. Why not have one driving license marked for what kind of vehicle you are allowed to drive?
I got my documents back. Copy of passport and my house book, Doctor's certificate and a new document, a record of the Colour Blindness Test, Reflex Test and the Depth Perception Test. And of course one record for each driving license. I took my documents and I went to do my tests. They have a room for all the tests and there was a girl that told me to sit  outside to watch an instruction video on how the different tests were done. I showed her my old driving license.
 - I know how the tests are done.
- OK, you can come straight in. And there wasn't much people and I was  done in a jiff. There was a girl behind me and she was beautiful, but I never said anything to her. Of course, I would have had made a total tit out of myself if I have had a few San Miguel Light.
I returned to counter #18 when I was ready with my tests. And I passed the room next to the test room. Full of people watching video, the way to  get a driving license in Thailand. Watch a video and answer a few questions and you're ready to drive home. But as I had a Swedish driving license I only needed a translation from the Embassy the first time I applied for a Thai driving license.
I handed the girl at counter #18 all my documents again and I got a queue number, 221 and it was 206 so there was 15 people before me. Not much and I expected to be back home in a jiff. I saw the girl from the test room again and she was waiting for her driving license and while she was waiting she was reading a book. I sneaked up on her, she had number 223 and she was reading a novel, in English. Yes, this was a girl I was impressed off.  Reading a book instead of playing with her mobile phone as all the other people did. And she got more and  more beautiful by the second.
It was my turn and I went to counter #2 and they took my pictures and I got my new driving license and I was out of there less than one and a half hour after I left my home this very morning. I must have break a record today, at least I can't remember doing it any quicker before. And if you have planned to get a driving license in Thailand I suggest that you visit Department of Land Transportation's web page. I took a taxi back home and when we passed NARZ I came up with a stupid idea. I asked the driver to stop at Pak Bakery and I would go have a pot of tea and 2 or 3 slices of cake. I got out of the taxi and I discovered that there were quite a few people at Pak Bakery. And as I didn't fancy exposing these people to my eating disturbance I decided to skip Pak Bakery. I spotted a shop selling pillows and I went inside to have a look. I'm pretty feed up with the pillow cases on my sofa by now and something fresh would be nice. I asked if they could do pillow cases for my sofa. But they could not do this and I left the place in a bad mood. But when I was back home I decided to go back and I brought my old pillow cases. If they are a wee bit different in size it is never mind, then I can buy new pillows for my sofa. Turned out that I needed to buy 3 pillows and 3 pillow cases that I could use with my old pillows  My new pillows
Way better than tea and several pieces of cake at Pak Bakery
I had a terrible session at Sophia Muay Thai Gym and I was full of pain in my thighs and I was stiff and sore in my arms and shoulders. So it was 10 rounds and we never bothered with the 11th cool down round. My 100 rounds had been slower than my normal cool down round.
I was full of pain after my session at Bangkok Fight Club yesterday. At Sophia I can take it a wee bit easy when I get tired, but at Bangkok Fight Club we do the training in a group and I can’t slow down even if I'm about to die.  - LOOK AT PORKY!!! PATHETIC!!!
So when I had taken my shower I limped away to buy some Ibuprofen before taking a taxi to Siam Square. I had planned to walk around Siam Square for a while before walking back home with a stop at El Gaucho, the Argentinean Steak House on my way home. No taxi to be found and I ended up at Time Square by foot. And no sign of Miss “Most Beautiful in the world” I bought Ibuprofen at the  drug store on the ground floor and I walked to 7 Eleven on Sukhumvit Soi 12. I bought a Minute Maid and I took 4 Ibuprofen.
I walked back to Time Square and from the across the Sukhumvit, still no sign of Miss “Most Beautiful in the world”. A quick stop at the drug store at Robinson to buy more Ibuprofen and then I was off to the El Gaucho, the Argentinean Steak House. I asked for the usual and by now they all knew me at El Gaucho, the Argentinean Steak House. - Rosemary? - Plenty! Please! I got my water and the excellent bread. And I was very hungry so my plan to skip the bread went down the drain. I even asked for more bread. They arrived with 3 creamed spinach and the Waiter told me that he didn't put in the rosemary. He brought out the jar of rosemary. - You didn't do what? And you didn't put it in what?
- In the spinach, I don't know how much you want so maybe it is better that you put on the rosemary yourself.  - In the spinach??!! The rosemary is for the lamb chops!!!!!
And as I suspected, they had not put any rosemary on the lamb chops. So they put on the rosemary when the lamb chops was ready. Not what I had expected and I was not in a very good mood. I pay 1800 Baht every time I'm having my dinner at El Gaucho and I expect them to know what rosemary  is. Disappointed, but the creamed spinach is still the best I have had outside Skåne.
I left El Gaucho and I limped back home and I stopped at my local 7 Eleven to see if they had Diet MAX. The girl told me a few days ago that they had got Diet MAX  and there might be a bottle or two remaining for me.
They had Diet MAX and when I bent over in to the fridge I saw a small “only at 7 Eleven” on a BIG bottle. The other  day I heard the story about 7 Eleven and BIG and I checked the internet, BIG is an Mexican cola and not owned by 7 Eleven. But it seems like 7 Eleven have the right to the brand BIG in Thailand.
- Hmm, seems like they know how to pick a winner.
But Diet MAX is back, and I saw Diet MAX at 7 Eleven on Sukhumvit  12 as well so, well, may the best soft drink win. I will give up drinking soft drinks anyway so I don't care.
I decided to skip my evening walk at Siam Square because of the pain in my thighs and I really hope the pain is gone tomorrow so I can have a good session at Sophia and Bangkok Fight Club. +++++++++++++++
Thursday 15th of November 2012 and I could hardly get out of bed to turn off my alarm at 8 thirty. The pain in my thighs was much worse than yesterday and I could hardly move. But I had  to get out of bed so I could make my Medical Health Certificate for my Danish certificates.
I did me health certificate at Bumrungrad Hospital last time and I decided to try out the place where I did my health certificate for my driving license yesterday. I really just wanted to stay home in bed resting my legs and last time at Bumrungrad it had been taking 2 hours  or so seeing a lot of different Doctors, or Specialist as they call them here.
Yes, I have taken my medical check up all over Europe and you go to see a General Doctor. These Medical Certificates are pretty straight forward, are you healthy or sick? Any Doctor should be able to do the check up. Hell, even I with my basic training will be able to do the check up. Should be done in half an hour by one Doctor, but here you have to see an eye specialist to check your sight. And it is the Nurse that does the examination and the Doctor is only signing the Medical Examination. So I had to run around between the different specialists. And as you see on the form below it is not any advances examination. Something most of us would be able to do by our own. Do I feel OK or not?  In Europe you see one General Doctor and he is fully competent to take you blood pressure and check your hearing. And if he discovers that you have an arsehole for an ear. Something I'm sure he haven’t seen before, then  he have to send you to a Specialist. Here everything is called Specialists and it take like forever to get my health certificate. And I need to be in bed resting my thighs.
So, yes, I decided to try out the Clinic at Sukhumvit Soi 62, close to the Department of Land Transportation in order to save some time. I had my tea and “TUNA & ONION SURPRISE” ® and I took a taxi to the clinic. What a setback that turned out to be. I saw the Doctor and he could not do any urine sample. He suggested that I went to a hospital. And I was not in a good mood. Well, I tried to talk him in to make the health certificate without any success. So I had to leave in a taxi and I ended up at Sukhumvit Hospital. I registered in the reception and we checked blood pressure, height and weight first thing. Then we went to see the eye specialist. Yes, I asked to see one Doctor only, but this wasn't possible,  specialists were required. Of course the Doctor wasn't in, she would be back at 2. So I asked if we could see someone else to start with the list of different tests to be done.
I had a guy coming to check out my armchairs and sofa to see if he could change the upholstery. Yes, I was inspired by my new pillows for the sofa. And he was going to meet me in my condo. I ran in to the guy outside my neighbour yesterday. 
He was showing fabric samples for the lady and I asked if it was for sofas. - Yes - Please, come in to me when you're ready with her. Well, anyway, I postponed our meeting every half an hour and finally I told him that I was going to call him when I left Sukhumvit Hospital. I had realised that this would take very long time.
I also called Sophia Muay Thai Gym and cancelled today's session. Well, I would have cancelled my session anyway, I could hardly walk. I got upset by the eye specialist and they told me that she was stuck in the traffic jam. I lost it, I told them that I was a foreigner and that I could plan for the traffic jam if I had a meeting. The Doctor have been living here her whole  life and she should have enough experience to plan ahead for arrival in time for her job to start.
One of the nurses decided to start the test and we did all the checks. Field of vision remained and she asked  me if I wanted to use the machine.
The machine was the only option if I wanted to check the field of vision so I had to say yes. - It will cost you 1000 Baht extra! Of course, they need money to pay for the machine and they took the opportunity to get some use of the machine when I came around the corner. - HEY! FIRE UP THE MACHINE! FINALLY HERE IS A GUY WE CAN TEST THE DARN THING ON! Well, I do the field of vision test every time I renew my medical certificate and the Doctor is usually standing behind me with a pencil. The Doctor moves the pen forward on the sides and above my head and I tell him when I can see the pencil. The test is to see if the field of vision is NORMAL and ABNORMAL. If I can't see the pencil in front of me something is wrong and they bring out the machine. But not here. Never mind, I'm not the one paying. I spent 30 minutes or something like that watching a yellow  light and I had to push a button every time I saw a white light. And of course, keeping my eye out like this and the eye got dry and my vision was blurred after a minute. And I was soon loosing the concentration and I failed the first test.
- You have to do it again - Never, use a pencil - We must use the machine - It is only a OK or Not OK test! Nothing advanced. Well, we got the test result back from the laboratory and my urine sample passed with flying colour. I told the nurses at the eye department that I wanted to see a General Doctor so we could finish the rest of the tests. There was a girl outside the Doctors room and she said hello. She was wearing something that looked like a student uniform. I asked what she did here. I thought she was her to see the Doctor,  and she was writing on a notepad. Turned out that she was a student study to become a pharmacist.
The Doctor called me and we did the remaining part of the
To check the ear with an otoscopy is something any Doctor does, but here it turned in to a huge problem. A specialist was required. And not only a Specialist, a Technician was needed for the Otoscopy. And now I was sure that I didn't know was a Otoscopy was. - A Technician to use a Otoscopy??!!
I was baffled and my bad mood turned worse. I had already spent more than 2 hours at the hospital. Back to the eye department to get the Specialist to sign my sight tests and as the specialist hadn't arrived yet I took my papers from the Nurse and I went back to the General Doctor. He could sign the simple eye examination. The pharmacist student was leaving and she moved her hands towards me to shake my hand to say good bye. Darn, I was just saying bye without  shaking her hand. And not only that, she tried to speak with me but I had already turned my back on her. - Yeah-yeah Blah-blah And I took off to the Doctor's office. 
DARN! I could have given her my number, it was a very nice girl. But I was not in a good mood storming towards the Doctors Office. And after a few meters I realised what I was doing and I turned around going to look for her. But by then she was gone and I could not find her. Impossible for the General Doctor to finish the eye section of the medical examination and he  followed me back to the eye department. Still no sign of the eye Specialist and we ended up in a discussion. And I went in to check my eye sight yet again with the Nurse.
And when the eye Specialist arrived she refused to sign my field of vision as normal due to the test result. After a lot of discussions I had to do the test again and this time the results came out OK. Now it was only the  Otoscopy remaining but as the specialist wasn't available I left Sukhumvit Hospital. I decided to go to Bumrungrad Hospital to do the Otoscopy examination.
I had the guy over to look at my sofa and then I had my afternoon tea and “TUNA & ONION SURPRISE” ® before I left for Bangkok Fight Club to pay the remaining 100 Baht from last session. But as I could not walk up the stairs I stopped at Sophia and the American girl was still at Sophia. I asked her if she could give the 100 Baht to the Teacher at Bangkok Fight Club and we walked over there together. Well, she was walking and I was limping. After Bangkok Fight Club we walked to the  sky train station together and she went home and I took a taxi to Bumrungrad for the Otoscopy examination.
I went to see a General Doctor at Bumrungrad's evening clinic and she was more than capable to do the Otoscopy examination. Took her 15 seconds but we had a discussion for 20 minutes about my medical  certificate. She could not fill up the form I had used at Sukhumvit Hospital because of the Doctors signature. - Just make a remark “For Otoscopy examination only” and sign and stamp, I suggested But nothing is simple and this was not possible and she made her own certificate and I wasn't happy when I got her certificate. Impossible to read and I went back to her. - You have to write it on the computer, not hand writing I got my certificate and I paid my bill and I returned home in a taxi  finally finished with all my documents to apply for my Danish certificates. Only 2 weeks of courses in India remaining and this is something I'm really looking forward to. And they will finish my last AC when I'm back home from India and then I'm ready to take off towards Durban and Mombasa.
+++++++++++++++
Friday 16th of November 2012 and it was hard to get out of bed to turn off my alarm at 8 thirty even though the pain in my thigh wasn't so bad today. I dropped 2 Ibuprofen as soon as I had turned off the alarm and I went back to bed. I watched the news for 20 minutes before I went to  my kitchen for a Diet MAX
A quick pot of tea and a “TUNA & ONION SURPRISE” ® before I went to Sukhumvit Soi 42 to Chareon Decor to check out fabric for my sofa and arm chairs. I was looking around the shop for more than an hour before I found a fabric that I really liked. I found many nice ones, but the one I went for was exceptional. They would order fabric from the factory in France and they will send people to take measurements of my furniture in the afternoon. The wanted to come at 3 thirty but I told them that i would be at Sophia by then, but I will be back home at 5. And they were waiting for me at 5 o'clock when I came back home from Sophia. Bad news, the fabric I wanted was not available anymore. The factory was not making it anymore. So I will have to go back tomorrow morning to have a look. Good,  I will have to stay home tonight, no beer drinking or it would have been impossible to get up in time tomorrow morning.
When they left I had a shower and I took my shopping bag and I left for Tops Market to buy some  onion and milk. Long life milk so I have milk in the fridge when I'm back home from India. And I passed The Queen Victoria, Bangkok's Great British Pub and English fayre restaurant when walking down Sukhumvit Soi 23 and I stepped inside. What a luck I had, the place was full and I could leave again. Well, wait, there is a table available and I took my seat.
I asked for a grilled cheese toast as a starter and bangers & mash. The Waiter asked if I wanted the grilles cheese toast as a starter. Obviously someone had thought them how things were to be  done. I have been here before and I think Queen Vitoria is one of the greatest restaurants in the area.
But I always hesitate to go, they always bring all the food at the same time. And I always forgot what huge portions they are serving here and it was quite embarrassing to sit alone at a table brimmed with food. And I can't blame Queen Victoria for their huge portions. I ask for a cheese and ham toast and I expect a toast, normal size. But I'm surprised every time they  bring in a super tanker with grilled cheese and ham toast.
But now I keep their huge portions in mind and I asked for the grilles cheese toast from the “SNACK” menu as a starter. And they were EXCELLENT!!! Bangers and mash, they brought me a  foocking super tanker with what must be the best Bangers and mash I have had in Bangkok.
I was on my second pot of tea and I asked for an Apple & Rhubarb crumble pie with custard as dessert when they brought the Bangers and mash. And of course: - PLEASE!!! PLENTY CUSTARD!! I have been eating fish and chips at Queen Victoria, Bangkok's Great British Pub and English fayre restaurant several times before. But I can't say that I like fish and chips. Same at Goose's Fish & Chips in Pattaya. The fish is OK, but when I found fish fingers on the menu there was nothing stopping me  from coming back.
Of course, last time in Pattaya was a setback when I couldn't find the fish fingers on the menu. Queen Victoria, Bangkok's Great British Pub and English fayre restaurant and I were waiting for my food and I read the “SNACK” menu and YES!!!! I found fish fingers with Tatar sauce!! Can't wait to come back and try out the fish fingers. I MIGHT HAVE FOUND MYSELF A NEW FAVOURITE PLACE!!!
1800 Baht every time I pass The El Gaucho, Argentinean Steak House and I will have to explain that I want the rosemary on the lamb chops and not in the creamed spinach. Don't misunderstand me, I don't mind paying 1800 Baht because it is the best spinach ever. But 1800 Baht for a meal in Bangkok is considered to be somewhere around  middle to upper end and you expect them to know what to do with the rosemary.
The bill at Queen Victoria Pub & Restaurant ended at 780 Baht and it was an excellent meal as always. Highly recommended place and I can't wait to get there again to try out the fish fingers and I might have myself a favourite. I left Queen Victoria Pub & Restaurant and I limped to Tops Market at Robinson on Sukhumvit Soi 19. They had run out of onions so I had to skip my “TUNA & ONION SURPRISE” ® tomorrow and I bought Pumpernickel and liver pate for my breakfast tomorrow morning. +++++++++++++++
Saturday 17th of November 2012 and I called Chareon Decor at 10 thirty to see if they had found any fabric that I might be interested in. I didn't want to go down to Sukhumvit Soi 42 all for nothing. Well, the girl that was in my condo yesterday evening was quite cute so, well, anyway, I called Chareon Decor.
- We have found a few different fabrics
- OK, I will be there around 11
I really hope they have something for me so they can pick up my furniture today so I can get them when I'm back from India. I was at Chareon Decor 20 minutes past 11 and they had prepared some fabrics for me. But nothing I liked. I found a fabric that I liked but now the delivery time had gone from 10 days to 3 weeks and then plus 10 days to change the upholstery. So I left, the plan was for the furniture to be ready during the first week in December.
When I was back home I tried to book an airport limousine with TOA. I tried to book a car for 6 thirty tonight and it was not easy. Same problem with AOT Limousine Service every time. No confirmation on bookings made on their web page and when I called them they told me that I could not use the e-mail function on their web page. I found another company, S.P. LIMOUSINE. They were the only one that sounded serious. But they were fully booked and they suggested that I should book 24 hours in advance. I will book them for my returning flight and if it works out well I will use their service from now on. I called another company and they would call back, well, I'm not surprised, I will have to take a taxi to the airport tonight. Well, one hour later and I was really surprised, I got a confirmation from BKK Limousines and they will pick me up at 18:30.
And I'm really looking forward to Bombay, well, Mumbai. Last time I was there it was a terrible place. So I will for sure go for dinner at Taj Mahal tomorrow night. When I was there 20 - 25  years ago I had to send out the food, not possible to eat the shit they brought to my table. So I was surprised when I heard on the news that they were shooting at the 5 star hotel Taj Mahal a few years ago.
- 5 STAR!!?? What the have they done with the hotel?
But things have obviously changed a lot in India the last 25 years, well, haven't it all over the world? But who would have thought that Mumbai/ Bombay would have turned in to FUNKY TOWN. Well, I don't believe it until I have  experienced it myself
Anyway, I'm looking forward to my Sunday dinner at Taj Mahal and I  really look forward to when I finished my course so I can explore the night life in Mumbai/ Bombay next weekend before flying to Chennai/ Madras for my last course before returning to Bangkok on the 30th of November.
I'm not looking forward to the flight, but it is about 4 and a half hour to Bombay and we will arrive  around midnight thirty local time.
Well, time to foock off out of here! I'm off to Suvarnabhumi and my flight to Bombay OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it  be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
 Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
 Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
 Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
 Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
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 คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้
 Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
 E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
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