Grab a cup today!!

Nothing beats Starbucks Coffee..!

No...really..I was never a coffee addict...in fact never a Coffee fan either..
I preferred tea always..Stuck to our desi versions of Brookbond..even carried one pack with me when travelling abroad..
Gradually, I got used to Lipton tea bags..which are not that bad either..

But Starbucks..! They changed my way of looking at coffee...
My husband, Deb is an avid fan of theirs..and a Starbucks Gold Card Customer!

I always used to wonder..What's so great hunh?!

Another reason for staying away from Coffee..was that... I believed, it gave me pimples...
I have cried my eyes out over these teenage menaces..which have unfortunately pursued me to adulthood..and they continue to pay me occasional visits..withstanding all that I keep doing to drive them away...

OK...Now coming back to where I left off...Starbucks changed my way of looking at Coffee...

I managed to exercise restraint for almost two years..before finally giving in..!

It was more of boredom actually that drove me out of office ..and pushed me to take an occasional walk down Silom Road...

Well..my Office is on Sathorn Road..and Silom is the parallel road...Since we have not much entertainment on this road..except for towering buildings..all of which are offices...I did my occasional trip to Silom..during post-lunch hours....
Saying that Silom offers ample opportunity for window shopping would be an understatement...

Sathorn, on the other hand is the unidentical twin of Silom...
They are like twin siblings.. featured in most commercial movies based on twin relationships....where one of them is reserved,suave, responsible and sophisticated...
The other..on the contrary is wild..vivaciously bold..and unabashed...

Sathorn is not a quite road, mind you...Hundreds of cars zoom past every minute..In fact there is a continuous stream of cars..people have everything else on earth..except for "TIME"!

So ..unless you want to look up the JP Morgan office..or go around the skyscraper which houses HSBC...You can easily chose Silom over Sathorn....

So..coming back to my story...
I walk down half a kilometer..down the perpendicular road which connects Silom to Sathorn..
Silom is always a buzz of activity...Cake shops..Beauty Corners...garment outlets..Cafes..pubs...
florists...Shopping malls..Spas..Massage Parlours...you have it all....
It wont be my favourite place of earth...But I enjoy walking down the streets of Silom..
You have so much activity in there...!

Starbucks is located at the start of this road...and I usually feel like drenching my throat with something..by the time I take this "not-so-long" walk...
Cappucino with low fat milk and sweetener is the ideal...
Anything else that I have there, would leave me full of guilt..on account of the no. of calories I take in....
So..I stick to what is safe...
The Cappucino...is just tooo good..!the taste is ..well..as I would describe it ..creamy smooth..(not that it has cream in it!)
It's tempting ..No doubt..and I have given into this temptation..

I'll never get hooked onto it..I know that..Am probably too health-conscious for that..!!
Regular intake of caffeine is a complete "No-No' for me...

But yes...! They did change the way I viewed coffee...
They got a non-coffee drinker to pick up that first cup....No Baristas, Cafe Coffee Day, Coffee Bean..had been able to do it!

Walking down Silom..I usually give in to another temptation of mine...Buying Cosmetic Products..

No..it's not the make-up stuff..which makes you face look like a pan-cake..But all nature therapy...natural products...

I accept..Am crazy about Body Washes..different fragrances...Aroma therapy Oils and about having my own Spa Collection..

Believe it or not I rarely use all of the stuff that I buy..They are usually gifted to my sis..Or stand tall near the Bath tub..or on the dressing table!
I use a bit of everything...And then let be...Sometimes I wonder.whether it is really the bottles that fascinate me....
But it's fragrances...different kinds..I like indulging in the most...

I wonder if I really would have explored Silom had it not been for Sathorn being so less interesting....
Probably..No..!
Cross over Silom Road..and you reach Patpong...which as most people describe..
"one of the most sleaziest" areas in the word...
"Sleazy" in terms of what? Well..:) Find that out for yourself..Do a google on Patpong..and you'll know....
No..It doesn't have mafia..neither is it unsafe..it's out in the open and it's everywhere....
The "Harmlessly sinful but Blissful place"..as one European Tourist put it...

Silom Road..Vs Big bad Brother Patpong??

Well...That's another story...Maybe I'll tell you some other day...!

Lumpini Park....

I have often taken a walk through Lumpini Park to reach home..Before I elaborate on beauty of this park..lemme give it a small introduction... !
Situated in the heart of Bangkok..This park was set up one of the kings of Thailand..It is midway between my office at Sathorn Road..and our home at Lang Suan..
Friday evenings-ideal time for me to walk back home...I don't need to hurry up..In any case, we dine out..So the only thing for me to do when I get home is take a swim..and freshen up before Deb comes in..

Coming back to the park..I always think whenever I take a walk around this green patch in the heart of Bangkok...Why don't we have more of these in India..?
"Lungs of Bangkok" is what I would call this place...The moment you are in ..you feel that it is another world in the city outside..the city that rumbles..and growls and zooms...

What is amazing about this place is the number of people you find in here..every Friday evening. Age no bar,caste no bar.... people are jogging, walking, reading...or just sitting on the benches staring at the lake..
There's so much peace..and so much tranquility...All you hear is the birds twittering..the cuckoos singing..and an occasional crow flying overhead....
Pigeons...! Most of them..around the lake...the surprise element here is the manner is which everyone..including us..the humans, blend in easily..as if part of this peaceful existence...
The pigeons don't fly off..when you walk by....They treat you very much a part of the natural surrounding.....Maybe even look upto you with respect....

The place is huge...takes me around half an hour..to cross over from one gate to the other...walking at my pace..which is not so bad:)
I do slow down occasionally...to stand by and watch..rather observe...What's so unique and difference about this place...

The other side of the Park has an open gymnasium...and Aerobic classes are held at times...
Now..we cannot do away with commercialism completely..can we?

But there are kids of all sizes...working it out...Sports people practicing...and sweating it out!

The lake is the quieter area...Often you find a couple or two boating in the middle of the lake..engaged in deep conversation...

Then there are the grandpas & grandmas as well....sitting often not-so-quietly on the park benches....watching their grand-children hop & skip in the kids' play area....

The park has it all..something for everyone...Maybe that's the reason it' s such a warm place... You come across all kinds of people here....Youngsters from college...Kids from school - sometimes still in their uniforms!

The park has it's share of vendors too..selling their ware... Spread out on the pavement...usually consisting of drinking water...colas...boiled corn salad....or fruit....

"Not bad!" I always think...People do get thirsty..and it will be quite be an effort to keep yourself away from spicy fruit salad the vendors have to offer....

The roads are flanked by pavements everywhere...and are very well-maintained..Ok..this can be said about the park as a whole..But visitors also make their contribution ..by refraining from dirtying the area...
The roads are broad enough for two SUVs to drive through parallel to each other..and it's a pleasure to see none of them inside at all!
At max you may see a couple of bicycles...with kids on them..and one or two trolleys which the vendors tow inside...
Feels great to walk on roads ..for once...without bothering about traffic...or the high speeding bikes....You have the road all to yourself...and believe me..it's a great feeling!

Maybe ...it's all these reasons why this place warms upto anyone and everyone...

Every time, I enter the first gate..I leave all my thoughts outside...

Inside, I am just the "Park person"..like everyone else....I try to blend in with the surroundings myself...Walk around..And return every smile that I come across....
Respond to the silent greetings of all around..and call upon the pigeons..to check if they remember me from last time..they always do..

No wonder...by the time I step out of the second gate..I am a much more relaxed and happier person...
couldn't have been a better way to start my weekend..!