Monday, September 22, 2014

Lounge Reviewes

The Skyview Lounge
First one's a charm. It set a very high standard in paid lounges and even beating Silverkris in BKK. But it is not fair to compare orange and apples because SKL is in BKK. Skyview has obviously the view, adequate type of food. An extended lounge area. Shower. Drinks. Toilet. All basic necessities ticked.

Silverkris Lounge
As i said i tried BKK since i was on Class J fare basis. I was expecting too much? To have a toilet and shower are two basic rules. An the area is so small. Food for brekkie was dumplings? Really?? Anyway even sugar was missing and i have to ask for it.

Airport Wellness Oasis
They shouldnt even be considering  this as Priority Pass member. Tiny mini satay and some sad little spicy fish for a buffet? Oh for crying out loud they dont even have a decent drinks. Only softdrinks. The only consolation was that they gave shower as complementary as opposed to what was advertised in PP website.  But since they have a promo i was able  to use their fish spa for precious 20 mins. If not for this, i would have not used their facilities.

BKK Reviewed

Flights
All went smoothly. SQ is my favourite airline and always provide topnotch service. Business class on the way back was pretty awesome. Premium lane is one of the many highlights. Gives u a bit of the special treatment once they opened the door to a secret passage to priority immigration check. Meal was really good. It was spicy but i really love it. I had Solitaire Dreams which is the best cocktail i have had. They offered champagne as expected. Twas a 2 hour flight so the service is rushed but i totally appreciate attention they give u when u request something.

Hotels
Pullman is modern style while Dusit is classic elegance.

It is hard to find out who is the clear winner but judging from service quality i give Dusit an upperhand. Though their room facilities are old and some defective. They were able to remedy it quite quick. Location is the best. The food is not good though. It was bland and not fit for five star quality. Room is pretty small and i hear people talking at the other room which is annoying. Either they speak so loud or the hotel has super thin walls.

Pullman has the best in food quality. From brekkie buffet to wine selection. They also have the best cocktail and superb burger that is open 24/7. The room was humongous and i slept really good. The location is not too good. Walking more than 20 mins to reach BTS or maybe i took wrong route. It was hard cos when it rains it pours and i was literally drench soaking wet. When its hot it was terrible too. Good thing massage places are all over this area to revive my tired feet.

Wellness
The best ever. Thai massage is affordable in comparison to Sydney which is overpriced. Sauna is not too bad. I consider Japan to be the leader. I recommend Prime Massage Centre. They are really trained. And you get value for what you pay for.

Shopping
I was suprised to see lots of brands i like here. Siam Paragon has the high-end brands. Also extend walking further down and you can get bargain clothing apparel. Thai are pretty flexible so be ready to bargain reasonably.

Food
I havent eaten in any fine dining restaurant so i am limited  to street food. I like barbeque dipped in spicy sauce, sticky rice mango with coconut milk and of course pad thai. All of which at an insanely reasonable prices.

Having said that i did enjoy Bangkok less the humidity and thunderstorms.

The quick escape

Perhaps this is the quickest international flight i've been. But for some reason i find it too long. Maybe im not into high humidity. Perhaps because i sweat a lot. the irony of them all is it was relaxing but more of temporary thing. Exhaustion took its course after.

Bangkok is not the same as before. It was more fun then. Maybe because i flew alone. Maybe its more fun travelling with friends and sharing experiences together. It might be because i've been to bangkok before that it doesnt add a new spice to this travel.

Singapore for me lost its charm. I used to love Orchard with all those shops lined up beside each other. Again my theory is because i flew solo. And it was eroded by "Central" elements.

But come to think of it. I did achieve what i wanted on this trip. Just a quick  escape from work. Also i was trying to redeem my kf points. Try my newly issued priority pass is another reason. And above all i was also doing A3 miles run. Yes  that is the truth. My goal and sole purpose is to achieve Star Alliance Gold by January 2015. TV is travel culminated my Blue Status in Aegean's Miles & Bonus.

As expected, I did blow up my budget which means tighter measure for the month ahead.  But it was all worth it. Good fun but in a different way.

I can go back and continue spreading joy to the world :)...

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Escape. Hibernate. Revive.

All I want is to achieve serene get away. No external forces to erode my being. Away from noise and complexity that has started to build up. I am longing for comfort beyond anyone's reach. My own time to discover a deeper meaning to my purpose... and now I am off to a distant place to hibernate. Wake me up when I am ready to face hurdles of another tornado.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Accepting Defeat

Over the past couple of days I was finding ways on how this will work. There are so many ways you can accept defeat but consciously facing it is the hardest one.

Today I do have to face it. And it came as a swift punch in the my pride and self-worth.

However, the pain of rejection makes you stronger. It may be bitter but it makes you yearn even more. And that is when your spirit becomes stronger. At the end of the day it is how you accept defeat that makes you a bigger person.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

32nd ...

Its like I entered a warp zone this year. And everything was celebrated in a quiet toned-down mode. I appreciate it more actually.

Gone were the times you have to celebrate with everyone present. Overflowing with gifts, cake and booze. Now is just an intimate drinks, dinner and toast. The gifts are simple yet the best one that I can ask for - my close friends here in AU.

My only wish is stability, maturity and good health.