Sarah On Board

Just sitting, writing my grocery list the other day.  Fairly standard fare for me - some Halls cough drops, a box of forty year old laundry detergent, two tiny tea cups trimmed in gold and a pile of plastic soldier figurines.  To my dismay, I couldn't find a single outlet to cater to each of my (reasonable) needs.

But then... could it be?

It could!  Thanks to the Ratchadaphisek Market.  

This is truly a place where all your needs can be met.

Have you been searching for the perfect rearview mirror for that special someone?

Search no more!

Yearning for a suitcase full of pencil sharpeners?

Your yearning days are over.

But what if you would rather a collection of small, creepy dolls in that suitcase?

Ha!  You can't fool the Ratchadaphisek Market.  Not for a minute.

Located at the northern tip of Bangkok, this place is a bit hard to find.  But it is gloriously full of all the stuff you thought you'd never find. 

Let alone need.

I see you, Garfield.  

I honestly love this place.  It is full of junk.  Which just so happens to be my cup of tea (trimmed in gold).  Bathed in a soft glow, awash in the tunes of 1950's rockabilly, it is a surreal place full of VW camper vans and all the crap you never knew you needed.  

I truly love places like this.  Flea markets.  Antique stores. Junkyards. Everything has a story.  Granted, the story might be long over but I'll always listen.  

And I love that teenagers, no matter where they are from, will always be eager to scoop up their Che Guevera pictures for street cred.  

There are many a lesson to be learned from my sojourn to the Ratchadaphisek Market.  One is that there are others like me.  Others who like old crap.  Others who have long dragged family, friends and significant others to flea markets and put up the good fight about why they should buy this old telephone that clearly does not work anymore.  There are others like me all over the world.  

But I say that to say this...

Hilarity knows no cultural boundaries.  

Where Are They Now?

If you, like me, often find yourself harkening back to the glory days of the summer of '99 then you, like me, might also find yourself awake at night wondering about the lasting legacies of our favorite stars of yesteryear.

Worry no more.

We can effectively cross Sisqo off the list.  

Listen.  We all loved the song.
We all had a good time.
We all enjoyed Sisqo's silver hair.

But seriously, guys?

We need to move on.     


*A wat is a temple, by the way.

They Call It Puppy Love

There is someone I see almost everyday now.

I mean, it's new so we're taking it slow.

But I have a really good feeling about this one.

Sometimes I think he sees me coming and adds the tooth for effect.

He knows it kills me.

Delusions of Grandeur

A few weeks ago I was walking home from school.  Granted, I was in my "teacher clothes" but I looked just like any other blonde walking down the streets of Bangkok.  It had been a long day and I was looking forward to coming home, eating a salad and hitting the gym*.  I didn't think that I looked particularly teacher-like so I was pleasantly surprised when three school-age girls gave me a wai.

Photo: Thai Ministry of Culture

A wai is the Thai form of greeting, hands pressed together in a prayer position.  It is a sign of respect.  Teachers garner a lot of respect in Thailand and these girls obviously knew that.  I was really impressed. I thought: I love Thailand.

I walked a few more paces and then stopped and turned around.  I had a nagging feeling that I had gotten a little too excited about my place in Thai society.

I was right.

This guy was behind me.

I am an asshole.


*coming home, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette

Drawing the Line

I was walking through the BTS station last night and saw this poster for the pop group Super Junior.  Now I am a hip and savvy teacher - I know Super Junior.  Of course I know Super Junior.  I am cool and nonchalant about my knowledge of Super Junior.  Despite this, I have never actually seen a picture of Super Junior.

Until now.

And I'm a little concerned.

I just worry that they haven't quite covered all their bases.

The Stages of Life

I first noticed this advertisement getting off the BTS (skytrain).

I remember thinking it was funny because the little girl was wearing what appeared to be a colonial outfit from the 1800's.

This made me happy.  Just three gals, of different generations (and time periods), enjoying a cracker. Enjoying life.  Who can't relate?

However, upon seeing the ad a second, maybe third time, I noticed that the three girls in the picture have the same face.
They are...the same person.

Which got me to thinking.

Is this an accurate representation of the different stages of her life? Because if so - I am interested in this cracker. She started out (as you do) a fresh-faced, colonial girl who enjoys dipping her cracker in cream. Fast forward 200 years and now she's a millenial career girl - who prefers her cracker plain.

It's all happening now!  And can we really blame her for entering the next stage of her life - as a 90's suburban housewife, who has gone blonde and naturally developed freckles?

I think not!  She's having fun!  She puts jam on her cracker now!

She's earned it.


Just the average lifespan of a Thai woman and her cracker.

The Face That Launched A Thousand Blog Posts

I would like to say that my decision to start this blog was for a variety of reasons - all soul-searching and esoteric. 

But that would be a lie.

Because this is the reason I started this blog:

I saw this guy while I was riding the bus on my way home from work.  It was four thirty in the afternoon, in the midst of stop-and-go traffic on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok's busiest thoroughfare.  There I was, gazing out the window, lost in my own dreary thoughts.  And then, like a mirage, through shimmering waves of exhaust, he slowly revealed himself.

And for the first time in quite awhile, I laughed.  Out loud.  I was delighted.  To be honest, I'm not even exactly sure why.  As the bus continued to sputter down the highway,  I couldn't stop thinking about him.  Or laughing.  I loved him!  So much so that I actually decided to start a blog based around him.  Not him, per se, but rather these bizarre moments of delight found around every corner in Bangkok.

Because honestly?  It's the little things that get you through the day.

Luckily, Bangkok is full of them.