Asian Tiger

The infamous ladyboys of Bangkok; I got to meet them in one of my trips to Thailand. A few acquaintances told me to give them a skip and so did a couple of my relatives as there is nothing to see except men in girls clothes. But, I’ve been also told about their beauty which some girls would kill to have. My mind was made up, I’m going to meet them.

So, I booked a seat for a night’s performance at Calypso Cabaret through a local travel agent in Bangkok. It costs only 850 Baht which included an international buffet dinner. Calypso performs twice daily (8:15pm and 9:45pm) at Asia Hotel. To be frank, I enjoyed the show and the ladyboys performed very well indeed although they lip-synced to the songs and tunes.

The ladyboys are very pretty indeed and their bodies are something that most men would desire. At the end of the show, you will get a chance to meet them up close and even have a photo or two with your favourite performers. I have having a time of my life and enjoying the opportunity to have my picture taken; it was all rosy until she spoke.

I am sure all of us have been to at least one official dinner function this year. I have been to several and there are those who attend these formal dinners more than once a month. I find these functions boring because it is always the same do or agenda every single time. The function always starts off with a cocktail outside the ballroom; they actually lock up the ballroom so as to force you to mingle around strangers. Then it is followed by seatings, speech, speech and more speech. The last speaker always gets a thunderous applause because everyone will be hungry by then. This is followed by food and then some award certificates giveaway, some joker who stands on stage as a stand up comedian giving a couple of laughs, lucky draw and adjourn. Sounds familiar? You bet it is!! So, how do you survive an official dinner function?

Tip #1 - Consume some alcohol. As most functions serve beer and wine, help yourself to some drinks. Somehow, alcohol help kill time and assist in mustering courage to strike a conversation with a total stranger. If you suffer from alcohol intolerance, stay away from it. The least you want to do is embarrass yourself in general public.

Tip #2 - Bring a partner. Yes, most functions can be boring. Companionship eases the atmosphere and if you are having fun, time flies. So, get hold of a partner (if the function permits you to bring them) to accompany you. If you are married, stick to bringing your wife. If you are single, create a list of possible partners.

Tip #3 - Surf the Internet. Get hold of a mobile device that is able to access the Internet. When bored, switch it on and start browsing the web, go FaceBooking or MySpacing, read some real news or simply check your emails. It may look rude to the rest on your table but heck, you are not going to see those guys anytime soon after the dinner, perhaps never, so, who cares?

Tip #4 - Forget the dessert and leave the function early. Your function is most likely to be held in a hotel and if you leave at the same time as the masses, you will find yourself queuing to pay the parking ticket and queuing to drive out of the hotel basement. An easy 30 minutes is wasted. Save yourself by leaving early and avoid that traffic.

Today, I had the opportunity or rather the time to haul my butt to The Pavillion Kuala Lumpur for lunch.  The Pavilion is the latest mall to open in central Kuala Lumpur, right smack in the middle of our shopping district, Bukit Bintang.  The atmosphere was great as there were ample space to walk about and not be in a tight squeeze as Low Yat Plaza.

Back to the story; my colleague and I went to The Pavillion for lunch and while walking over to the intended restaurant, I saw a long queue at J.Co Donuts.  I’m not sure what the hoo-haa is all about but it seems that everyone in the mall is lining up to buy them donuts.  The queue was quite long and in a zigzag shape, much like a Z alphabet.

Prices per donut is between RM2.00 and RM2.30 which is quite alright compared to Dunkin Donuts and the Big Apple something-something (sorry, I forgot the name). Well, I thought if I had my lunch and come back to J.Co’s, I’ll probably buy a dozen to try them out. Hopefully, the queue will subside by then.

Well, it was after lunch and having paid the bill, we walked to J.Co Donuts and behold, the queue was a little longer.  Dang! I thought. This donuts must be good.  I proceeded to queue and after 15 minutes and only a slight move forward, I went back to office empty handed.  Couldn’t wait much longer.

J.Co Donuts - Are they that good?  Is it worth queuing up for an hour just to savour their donuts?  Hopefully this is not a passing fad as what happened to RotiBoy.  I’ll return one day to try them donuts.