Salad Days

If there's one thing that I've been eating every day and with every meal in BKK, it's this:

Som Tam!

This is my all-time fave Thai food. It's papaya salad with the right combination of sweet, savoury, sour and spicy.

I can eat this every day! (Oh wait, I already did!)

Young & Rowdy

One of the advertising experiences that I'm truly grateful for is my stint at Y&R HKG.

It was an unexpected move which ushered in a lot of firsts for me. That included my first time living abroad, first time living alone, first time managing a regional account, first time in a multi-cultural environment, among many others.

The experience was great. But what made the experience truly awesome were the friends made in HKG. Our team was composed of people from Australia, Canada, China, India, Sweden, Thailand and HKG. We were so diverse, but we gelled together and became fast friends.

Despite the fact that none of us are in Y&R HKG now, the friendship still remained. We've stayed in contact and try to see each other whenever possible.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Had the pleasure of meeting up with Prem. She was the Account Director for the personal care account which was my main account back then. We had a good 3 hours of catching up, but it felt like it wasn't enough. Before we parted ways, we talked about having a reunion with the other Y&R peeps soon.

Now that's something to look forward to.

FMM: Kazero to ten

Since we're in Thailand, today's Friday Magic Song is Thai-ish.

It's actually a song by a French duo called Kazero. Back in 1986, they had this global hit entitled "Thai Nana."

Because it's in French, people really didn't know what it meant. But it was so catchy that it gained ground and people found themselves singing it. That includes me.

That's a perfect feat for a song.

Ain't it Grand?

While the chic, modern and streamlined hotels are aesthetically eye-catching, I'm still partial to old-school hotels. Ones with big pillars, made with a mix of marble and wood. It gives off a vibe of grandeur that a modern hotel lacks.

That's why Arnoma Grand Hotel in BKK is one of my go-to hotels in Thailand.

Most people find the style old and retro, which it is. But it does it in a way that feels classic and nostalgic, which just further adds to its charm.

And the fact that it's at the centre of a number of malls - including Platinum Mall - makes it an even better choice.

Dive right in

Seeing this sleeping cat reminded me of Olympic divers.

His sleeping pose looked like he was in the middle of doing a dive. It looks like his legs were locked into his arms, and the way it's stretched is very sporty looking.

Guess this cat made sleeping a sport.

A tale of two Halloweens

As October winds down, the Halloween fever heats up.

Trick-or-treats abound, and that's actually a thrill for me since I'm a fan of making treat bags.

With 2 events - one at home and one at the office - my treat bag skills went on overdrive and was able to put together more than a hundred bags! At first, it felt like an overkill. But the fact that it was wiped out, and some people were asking for more, made me think "I should've made more."

So, here's the one at home:

And the one at the office:

It's really twice the fun!

Highlighting creativity

Seeing ads like this reaffirm my passion and love for this industry.

It's so simple, clever, and more importantly, the product is at the centre of the concept. Which is what real creativity is all about.

This is definitely one of those "I wish I made this ad myself" moments.

Oh baby!

 Look who joined us for our Sunday garage dinner?

Baby Saab is in the house!

This is cuteness overload at its cutest!

Designer insects?

My first thought that it might be a knock-off brand. But since it was in Central World, it had to be legit.

Turns out, it's just a misspelling. The name on the logo is correct, and it was the name on the directory that was wrong.

Wonder how Guy Laroche would feel if he found out that his brand was turned into a reviled insect.

Proofreader please!

FMM: Denver Ditty

During our monthly birthday celebration last Tuesday, our guest busker called us up to the stage to join us for a song. Of course, we were very reluctant. But in the spirit of good fun, we decided to just give it a shot.

The song they asked us to sing was this really old song from 1974, and is a classic folk bar song from John Denver.

"Annie's songs" is such a laid-back and easy-to-sing song. That's why even if we have no singing experience, it was fun to sing along with this ditty. Also, that was the impetus that led to making this today's Friday Magic Madness song.

The funny thing about this song is that people think the title is "You fill up my senses." After all, that's the main lyric that you hear over and over again.

This song really filled up our senses.