Toastmasters Meeting

A friend had invited me to check out Toastmasters. The purpose of this group is to network, practice public speaking and learn leadership skills. I have another friend who is a member of this club already, and he was often raving about the members, projects and assignments, etc... I finally gave it a try.

I met two friends at the station and it was quite hot that night. I always carry a small Japanese folding fan and showed my friend. She said: "Oh I have one of those too." and whipped out this huge paper fan! I took a photo...

o_O Holy sheep....

The meeting was held at the Goethe Institute. I was the only one who had been to this location before, so I had to give directions. ^_^ What surprised me most? All members were Thai (we 4 were the only foreigners) and the entire 2 hour session was covered in English! I was impressed. During a break, I got to speak with the President of the club, one Distinguished Speaker and another businessman.

View right:

My view left:

I was a little shocked when they asked us to get up and speak. I introduced myself and mentioned how my name is Greek for "moon". Everyone in Thailand has a nickname, as their formal name is often so difficult to pronounce; I thought sharing my nickname might be fun. It turns out there was another woman at the meeting whose name means "star", so one young guy joked: "I brought the moon and stars together!" (laugh)

It was interesting and I will attend a pot luck party next week with the members. I will likely join the club, since I used to teach classes on public speaking. It might be nice to be the speaker instead of the teacher. ^_^

Toastmasters is an international organization that promotes public speaking and leadership. All meetings are conducted in English, regardless of the country's host language. Membership fees apply, but are valid at Toastmasters Clubs around the world. Global website is HERE. In Japan, there is a club in Tokyo. Go HERE to see. In Bangkok, there are meetings daily. Go HERE for more information.

Ex Pat Home Party

When I returned from Japan, I helped a friend organize a home party. The purpose was just to meet and make new friends. We had a rule: bring at least one friend, more if possible. I brought two!

Ms. UK and my Twitter friend, Wegotogether

(we finally met face-to-face...yay!) ^_^

The party was held at my interior designer's amazing condo. About 20 women from a variety of countries attended -- US, UK, Norway, Germany, Holland and one Canadian (me!).

We munched on guacamole and tortilla chips, veggies and sparkling wine. That wine gave me a nasty headache after I got home... o_O

I met so many great ladies, all of whom who have been living overseas for 5 years or more. As someone who has lived abroad for 13 years now, it's hard to talk about my experiences with those who have never lived in another country. One woman best explained it:

"Friends back home think our lives are so glamorous. We live in this tropical country, have a big condo, with a pool and gym, and they think 'How lucky!' The truth is that we are very lonely. If you are married, you spend 90% of your time alone. Your husband is always busy working 80+ hours a week. When you want to talk about your problems, most don't understand."

Ladies from Texas & Germany:

To keep from feeling lonely, I try to surround myself with things that keep me happy. This includes good friends, a comfortable home, and conversation. I think that is the key to happiness -- no matter where you live -- great conversation.

In Japan, there is a phrase: "My Boom". This relates to something that you enjoy doing. My boom is: conversation. My favorite memories now are conversations I've had with friends over Skype, or in a cafe-- usually past midnight. Without good friends & great conversation, I think I would have given up on this suitcase life a long time ago.

So, to my friends & family who entertain me with your stories -- in Germany, Canada, Japan, and Bangkok --thank you so much!

To those who feel lonely --- host a home party! Invite friends & have fun. I will make hosting a home party my "boom". ^_^ Come and join me!

Phantom Live at the Royal Albert Hall

I belong to a meet up group on the net, whose main interest is gathering together to see interesting films. On a Friday, a small group of us met to see a rare event -- a recorded performance of The Phantom of the Opera, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this musical. The show was recorded live from the Royal Albert Hall in London.

I had seen this production live in Toronto -- twice. But, I was not prepared for the great detail shown in the film. You see everything...close ups of the actor's faces, details of their costumes, sweeping views of the hall, etc... Honestly, it was perfect.

I snuck one photo during the intermission...

This production should be seen for one reason only -- John Owen-Jones -- who played the Phantom. His voice is pitch perfect. I also felt he portrayed all the mixed emotions of the Phantom very well. I'm a very difficult person to impress, but he was...impressive! (laugh)

His homepage is HERE.

The only downside? It's quite long. My friends and I spent about 3.5 hours at the theatre, which included the 20 minute intermission. By the time I got home, it was close to 1am...o_O Oh well...lately, I am turning in a night owl. Woo woo.

Not yet sleepy in the lobby...

My Twitter friend also wrote a nice post about her experience watching this film. Her post has loads of pictures, so I recommend you visit! Please go HERE (post is titled: "7 in 7: Vibes & Fun")

The Phantom of the Opera was broadcast live in over 250 theaters in the UK on Oct.2nd. This version is that broadcast. It's available on DVD and Blu-Ray now. Highly recommended for fans!

This film was shown in the Siam Paragon theater, 300 baht (¥900 / $9) per person. BTS Siam. Website is HERE.

This film was also showing in the ultra-fancy Nokia Ultra Screens theatre. Click HERE to see! You'll be amazed at the service in Thailand! Tickets for this theatre? 1,000 baht per person (¥3,000/$30). Have I been? No!!!

Titanium Club/Ice Bar & Loi Krathong

I was lucky that this year, my usual day off work coincided with one of the biggest holidays in Thailand -- Loi Krathong. This holiday is celebrated in November, during the full moon. It is to send away one's bad luck and wish for good luck in the upcoming New Year. This year's Loi Krathong was held on November 10th.

I had to attend a meeting first, but I could see the festival going on from BTS Phrom Phong station.

Festival view:

After attending my Linguists meeting, a member invited me to visit an ice bar nearby. It was at this bar, I got to take a picture holding the elaborate Krathong offering. These are floated on the water, as one's bad luck is said to "float away". It's pretty, no?

cutenekko + Krathong:

This bar also had a pretty good live band. They played mainly rock and R&B...

The band, Unicorn:

I headed upstairs to check out the ice bar. It was like stepping into a large walk-in refrigerator. The bar was completely made of ice!

Bar:

Here, you had to do a shot of Vodka, but there were many different flavors: strawberry, mint, tutti frutti, etc. I tried strawberry but could only sip it, not down it. The bartender gave me a look like: "Hurry up! I'm cold!". It's interesting to note: this bar does not give you any warm coats or blankets. You walk in as you are. On this day, I was just wearing a small T-shirt. I was shivering!!

There is another Ice Bar in Bangkok, and I'd like to try that one too. It was interesting and yes, it did remind me of Canada! (laugh)

Titanium Club & Ice Bar is located on Sukhumvit Soi 22. BTS Asoke. No cover charge to watch the band. Ice bar costs 200 Baht (¥600 / $6) for one shot. Website is HERE.

A Friend's Pool

Yet another friend was hoping to meet me after returning from Japan -- my interior designer! She offered a great deal -- come to my swimming pool!

Her condo is the Millenium Towers off Sukhumvit. It's a 54 story building with amazing views. The pool is an infinity style pool-- meaning, the water appears to drop off the edge. It's like living at a tropical resort. See the photos!

The pool...

The building (there are 4 in this complex)

I wore a bikini on this day -- which is very rare for me. It was the second time in my life! I'm not a "bikini girl" because I don't like people staring at my body...but my friend challenged me to wear a bikini, so....*sigh*

The view from my lounge chair:

After a while, it was time to hit the pool. The only bad point? It was absolutely freezing! I think you can see my frozen popsicle body in this picture... (laugh)

Cold, but that view is amazing, eh?

I spent about 3 or 4 hours with my friend here. She told me all her backpacking stories, which were pretty incredible. She had spent 13 months traveling around Asia once!

Millenium Towers is located off of Sukhumvit Soi 16. See photos of the inside HERE. My friend said the monthly rent is above 40,000 baht (¥120,000/$1200 per month) for a 2 bedroom.

Suan Pakkad Palace Museum

Another friend called me up and wanted to meet after I had returned from Japan. She invited me to explore a park/museum with her in the city -- Suan Pakkad Palace near Phaya Thai station.

While waiting for my friend at the station, I spied something funny -- a Florida Hotel!

Florida is a looooong way from Bangkok...

The museum was a short walk from the station. For 100 Baht, we could explore inside and the gardens outside. It was pretty amazing to find such a tropical paradise in the heart of Bangkok.

Garden View 1:

Garden View 2:

Inside the garden are 4 traditional Thai houses, which visitors can explore via connected walkways. We both enjoyed this immensely and stopped to rest our feet for a bit on the sofa inside one house.

My feet:

After viewing all the artifacts inside, we decided to head over to a nearby hospital. Why? Hospitals in Thailand often have nice restaurants and cafes...this one had an S&P cafe. My friend and I enjoyed telling funny stories here. I laughed and laughed at her story of meeting a guy from Sierra Leone whose pick up line was: "Do you want to see my gun?" (laugh) You can meet many different kinds of people in Bangkok... it's never boring here. ^_^

Cute me laughing at my friend's stories....

Suan Pakkad Palace Museum is open daily from 09.00~16.00. Access: BTS Phaya Thai station, Exit 4. The museum is cross from Siam City Hotel. Entrance fee: 100 Baht. English pamphlets available. No photos are allowed inside, but photos of the garden are okay. Visitors must lock up their bags at the information desk before entering. Inside exhibits feature pottery, gems, art, and furniture. Website HERE.

お話 | Talking

I got back to Bangkok on Nov.3rd late at night. The next day, I met my hairdresser friend, who was dying to hear about my trip.

While chatting, she cut my hair and gave me a manicure. I felt refreshed! ^_^

Nails...

My hair...

The next day, her husband was free, and I like talking with him too, so the three of us got together for lunch and later, a coffee. All the shops in Bangkok had prepared their entrance ways for the flood...

Restaurant entrance:

Cafe:

The weather was beautiful in the city. The dry season has come upon us here, so it's always sunny and breezy. We sat outside a local cafe and enjoyed chatting...

My cup:

My friend's husband bought a new Blackberry 990S(?). Since they are made in Canada, I told him: "Thank you!" ^_^

I really enjoyed our conversation. My friend's husband said something that made me feel both happy and sad:

"Every time you return from Japan, your face is so 明るい (full of light); you look so happy! Yeah, you should move back soon." Awww....

I love my friends...^_^

**Special Bonus Guest**

When I arrived back on Nov.3 -- I found something interesting in my apartment: a gekko! I managed to take his picture. He's still somewhere in my house...apparently, having a gekko in your home is considered to be "lucky", so I made sure to not touch him. ^_^

Tokyo | 東京 Part 7

Travels in Tokyo continue....

This was my last full day in the city. I met my financial advisor for a coffee and business chat, then wondered: "What's next?"

I found two things that looked interesting: a book market and a music instrument area.

The first stop: Kanda Second hand books area. I had heard of this area several months before, so I was happy to finally be able to check it out. I was lucky, they were having a festival! ^_^

Street vendors selling books:

This is a mecca for lovers of rare, second hand printed books. No digital Kindle users can be found here. (laugh) This market is best if you can read Japanese -- I did not see any English or other language books.

I walked to my second location: Music instrument area. The majority of shops are electronic guitar shops. I had expected to see more wind and brass instruments, but the only classical instruments I found were violins. I did enjoy looking at some really expensive and antique classical guitars in this shop:

Dr. Sound (Sorry, no photos were allowed inside)

I walked a little further up to find several universities: Nihon and Meiji. I was really starting to enjoy the area, so I walked a little more. I found a Russian Orthodox church--Holy Resurrection Church. The Wiki page is HERE.

Outside the church (no photos were allowed inside):

This area left such an impression on me, it's at the top of my "favorites" list for places to live in Tokyo. What is the area? Ochanomizu! Please visit. It's a really vibrant area. ^_^

JR station entrance:

Kanda Second Hand book area is located near Jimbocho station. Tokyo Metro, Shinjuku/Mita/Hanzomon lines. Info HERE. Music instrument area is located a short walk from either Jimbocho or Ochanomizu stations (Tokyo Metro, Marunouchi Line). Info HERE.

Holy Resurrection Church is located in Ochanomizu. Access: Tokyo Metro to Ochanomizu station. There are signs showing the way -- walk only 2 minutes from the station. Visitors must make a donation to enter; English information packets are available. Donors will receive a candle, which they can light and place near the alter. Very nice!

Tokyo | 東京 Part 6

Adventures from the big city in Japan continue....

This day was Halloween, and I was invited to a friend's house to watch Lady Gaga's "Monster Ball Tour Live" on WOWOW (a cable TV channel in Japan). My friend made really delicious muffins:

Yum!! (The flavor was choco chip + yuzu peel)

I got the recipe too. ^_^

The house was decorated with several handmade Halloween mobiles. I was impressed; they looked really cute!

Mobile 1:

Mobile 2:

My friend also made a cute Halloween costume. I became a bunny!

Carrot please?

I really enjoyed chatting with my friend and watching Gaga's crazy fashions. This was a really fun day. ^_^

Tokyo | 東京 Part 5

More travels in the big city continue...

I met a friend for lunch. We went to a traditional Japanese restaurant in Ginza. I was so happy to eat Japanese food!

I enjoyed...

サシミ！(raw fish)

Rice, miso soup & some small dishes...

dessert No.1...

...and dessert No.2 (laugh)

After lunch, I went to visit two famous universities in Tokyo -- Keio and Waseda. These two universities are considered to be the oldest in Japan, so it's worth a visit if you enjoy history.

Keio is quite beautiful and reminded me of my uni in Canada. The buildings were very traditional...

If you know Japanese money, this guy is on the ¥10,000 bill:

His name is Fukuzawa Yukichi. He was the founder of Keio university, which officially opened as a university in 1858.

I took a bus to get to Waseda. By the time I got there it was getting dark and raining, so I couldn't get clear pictures. Using Google images, here is what it looks like during the daytime:

Famous church (Students who pass the entrance exam often take photos here)

Main Campus:

Waseda was founded by Shigenobu Okuma, a lover of science and culture, over 129 years ago.

If you are curious, you can visit my Canadian university's website HERE. My university is also quite old -- it was established in 1843. This year, it was ranked the #1 undergraduate university in Canada -- for the 15th time. Yay my school! ^_^

Waseda University's English site is HERE. Access: Tokyo Metro, Tozai line to Waseda. There is also a bus from Takadanobaba, if you are using the JR Yamanote line. Keio University is located in Minato. I forgot how I got there. (laugh) I'll check with a friend and get back to you in the comments. ^_^

Tokyo | 東京 Part 4

My trip to the city center continues...

On this day, I met a fan of my blog. The highest number of readers of my blog are from Japan, so it's nice to meet some face-to-face. The coolest part? We spoke only in Japanese! Yay!

We went to an art gallery together in Ueno park --- to see the Goya exhibit. It was really crowded inside! [>_<]

Outside the museum...

Photos are not allowed inside, but I will show you the most famous Goya painting which we viewed: "La Maja Vestida"

After this, I enjoyed a boat cruise from Asakusa to Odaiba, and back. It was fun to view Tokyo from the water...

Outside the boat. (Canadians love boats -- this is a well known fact.) ^_^

I'm surprised how many friends I have been able to make via this blog and Twitter. Technology is pretty neat, no?

The National Museum of Western Art is located in Ueno Park, Tokyo. Access: JR Ueno station, or Tokyo Metro, Ueno. The Goya exhibit was ¥1,500 / person. ($15/ 800 baht). Website HERE.

Tokyo Cruise offers many different sightseeing boats. Departs from numerous locations: Asakusa, Hamarikyu, Toyosu, Tokyo Big Sight, etc. Prices start at ¥200 ($2/ 90 baht). Website HERE.

Tokyo | 東京 Part 3

An extended tour of Japan continues...

My Twitter friend was really surprised to hear that I was going to be in Tokyo again. Luckily, she too, is very flexible when it comes to her schedule, so we were able to meet. I had a strange request: Take me to IKEA!! ^_^ I wanted to do some research to see the cost of furniture I'll need when I move back to Japan. She took to me to IKEA in Saitama prefecture.

I had a lot of fun....and I could get some good ideas for my Japanese apartment. I took pictures of my favorites....

Red sofa bed...I love this color.

A retro-fitted Japanese closet -- made into a work space. Brilliant!

This room is only 7 tatami mats -- but well designed. I loved the closet space at the back. My friend said: "Just change the bed for a sofa, and this is a great room!" I agreed. ^_^

My friend, taking a break....

My friend brought her young son, who I pushed in his stroller. I think I really confused people -- Western, blonde girl with a young Japanese boy in a stroller?? (laugh) People stared a lot. o_O

Of course we ate at the restaurant too! I had chicken curry, and a Swedish roll cake. It wasn't too bad...

I really enjoyed my time here. Moving won't be so difficult at all. ^_^

Saitama IKEA is located in La La City. (My friend and I had a big laugh over this name). I forgot the route, but I had to take 3 different trains to get there. It was quite complicated. If you really need to know, I will ask my friend and update the directions in the comments.

***Sickness Update***

I've been quite sick since Monday night. Yesterday, the only thing I could eat was: water. o_O Today I am feeling a little better. Thank you for being so patient regarding the blog posts.