Girls in hot Tom Yam soup

Our home in Bangkok is in the Bangna district. It is somewhere between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Chatujak or MBK. It’s Bangkok’s Shah Alam, without the landmark mosque and schools with uncreative names (e.g. Section 13 Primary School, Section 17 Vocational School etc).

On our last day in Bangkok, we took a taxi to Siam Paragon (Bangkok’s Suria KLCC without the twin towers). We were supposed to meet up with Nicolekiss but our souvenir shopping list was a yard long. Our meet was reduced to apologetic text messages; she had already left for her hotel when we got to Paragon. Sorry again Nic.

I digress.

I want to say that Thailand is by and large a conservative country. This may sound surprising for some as Bangkok is known for its sex industry and transgender activities. (Prostitution is really illegal in Thailand – but no one pays too much attention.)

Throughout our taxi ride to the city, we were bombarded with radio messages asking women to dress in appropriate attire and to avoid skimpy clothes over the Songkran festival. The Culture Ministry must have been concerned given the past incidences of inappropriate encounters and abuses over this festivity. I can see why, it was like Spring Break Wet T-shirt contest on Khao San Road on Songkran.

A popular Thai girl band, Girly Berry was engaged by the Ministry to promote this avoid-skimpy clothes campaign.

"It is not only about what to wear. It is about behavioral change. If the Girly Berry girls can change, teenagers will follow," a member of the Thai ruling party preached.

I simply knew the Ministry had made a mistake – they have asked a girl band famous for their sexy outfit to be ambassadors for this campaign! It’s almost like asking KY to be an ambassador for vegetarianism, like asking Xiaxue to promote sarees, like asking Suzette to promote cow’s milk as breast milk substitute.

In front of the National media, the girls obliged and posed in traditional Thai costumes days before Songkran.

Now take a guess what happened when they performed during a Songkran show? (Malaysian ministries are not the only ones capable of comedy of errors!)

Read this:

Girly Berry band too sexy for Anusorn - Bangkok Post

Good to be back

Wow, it is really good to be back in KL -where broadband runs like a proper broadband. Our Bangkok home internet connection wasn't running up to its full speed, I suspect it had something to do with the Songkran holidays and Thais logging in en masse. Without a good internet connection and the Photoshop/Fireworks software a blogger can feel quite naked. I couldn't even watermark my pictures! Ok, I better stop, I am beginning to sound like a nomoblophobe*- pathetic. (I reckon it won't be long before noblo(g)phobia enters the English lexicon, as in nomophobio- fear of being out of mobile phone contact, no mobile phobia!)

It was doubly good to be back because Thomas Yap had just buzzed me on Yahoo and said he would buy me a ticket to the yapthomas.com's Blogger's Movie Meet. Yay, cos I rarely say no to freebie. It is good to be Sisuahlai I tell you :).

Ok, I won't blog too much this evening, there is enough rubbish on the blogosphere as it is without me adding to it. I will write more when my mind is coherent.

Meanwhile, here are some woosy holiday snaps for you blog-voyeurs:

Songkran turns into a street (water) warfare

Becoming a little tribal when uniformed men get involved!

A more sombre and civilised form of water usage

Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal (wiki-fact) like renewing SSL's wardrobe

The stick-on pink shades only look cool when no one is looking

And Phuket was fun too...

thank you very much.

Songkran

I can tell you that it is good to be in Bangkok in April, and it is even better to be in Bangkok over their Songkran weekend (Thai New Year or popularly known as the "Water Festival"). If you are celebrating - HAPPY SONGKRAN DAY.

Pic: CHATUJAK - ENTER THIS PLACE AT YOUR OWN PERIL

Side note: I was at the special screening of Kite Runner at GSC One Utama last Friday - I was glad I went to the screening despite finishing work late and having to catch the flight to Bankok the next morning. You must watch this one, and please bring your best friend along - I can't tell you why. (I saw a guy digi-camming this movie during this screening - what was the deal, dude?)

------I wish I can blog in Thai - but I don't understand a scribble ฌฆฯฤ"ฎ็"๐๕ฯฏ๋๗๐ฤฯฏฤศฏษฤญฤษ๖๐!!!!!