Book Review : My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a book. Not that I've stopped reading - I still read most nights before my eyes betray me. The last book I read was Vince Flynn's Protect and Defend. It was different from my usual literature, rented because KF's a fan and I gave it a shot after he'd finished with it (just to maximize rental). The book was readable. But no, I don't think I'll read anymore of his books - has too many Islamic terrorist elements in it and I had trouble keeping up with the various tribes and all their politics - so sssseriousss :P

Anyway, Tony Parsons is GREAT! He's one of my most favourite authors, I've read every single one of his books except for "Stories We Could Tell" (of which I actually own a copy but never managed to get past page 10 because it's not his usual style). I love him because he's so in touch with his emotions - such a rarity in a guy. He could be gay, I dunno, but he writes well, so I don't care.

My Favourite Wife is great because it's set in Shanghai - and involves "second wives", dirty property developers, upright lawyers, colonial imperialism, etc etc. But mostly, it is about a man who brings his wife and daughter to Shanghai for a career move. Apparently the Shanghai smog got too much for his asthmatic daughter, so the wife and kid return to London. With a sexy elegant Chinese woman as a neighbour, the guy falls, of course (isn't this so typical of Tony Parsons?). His father warns him about the potential destruction to his family, particularly to his granddaughter : "No woman is that good in bed", trying to pull his son back to the right path.

What follows is a gray line between what's right and wrong. Tony Parsons does so well because he can relate to that gray line so vividly, draw it out so clearly. Because in fact, any kid can tell you that the Shanghai lady mistress should be the one out of the picture. But Parsons makes it seem like she actually has a rightful place in there.

Of course, what makes the book good is also because he managed to paint such an accurate picture of Shanghai and life in that opportunist city as an expat.

I didn't want to return this book. I've got 3 of his books so far. Probably, in the future, I'd buy the whole collection of his books, just so I can read them whenever I want.

You should read it too. Highly recommended.

"A man with two houses loses his mind: a man with two women loses his soul."

Review : Sawasdee Sukhumvit Inn, Bangkok

In 2005

We spent 5 days in Bangkok (29-Oct-05 to 2-Nov-05), all of which we stayed at Sawasdee Sukhumvit Inn. It's really truly excellent value for money.

KF and I stayed in the Superior Double room on the 1st floor, while ML and JC stayed in the Deluxe room on the 3rd floor. It's definitely worth it to pay the extra for the Deluxe as you get a more comfortable bed, nicer drinking glasses, etc. But if you're not into the tiny details, a Superior is fine too.

Only problem I had was with the air-conditioning which turned hot in the middle of the night, so I would have to switch it off and on again. Troublesome. But otherwise, I was comfortable.

Hot shower available, although I would have to warn you that the bathroom I had in the Superior was really quite small, about 5' by 6'. The one my friends had in the Deluxe was much longer and more spacious. Note, though, that the bathroom will definitely be entirely wet after a shower.

The room had a fridge which was a great place to cool our store-bought mineral water after a day of traipsing in the hot Bangkok weather. They also had cable television : HBO, MTV, ESPN, CNN, and some others.

Breakfast came with the room and was American-style, with toast, eggs, ham and a cup of coffee/tea.

A nice touch was the little massage parlour in the lobby. The therapists there are excellent! For THB250, you get a 60-minute foot massage with a little head and shoulder massage thrown in. It's utterly wonderful to return after a day trip and flop down in the lobby to get your feet pampered.

We paid THB645 per night for the Superior, which is really a steal! The Superior has a queen-sized bed whereas the Deluxe has a king-sized bed.

The staff were quite helpful. Sometimes, they will appear to be frazzled and unsmiling. But, definitely, at all times, they assisted us with whatever we needed - be it booking a tour, or giving directions. It is no wonder that the reception people are often harried, because it appears that this place is constantly fully-booked. And I can see why.

Overall, I think this place is real value for money. It is clean, has a homely feel, is not seedy, quite quiet (no noisy cars or highways), very near to the skytrain, and near to all kinds of food. I would definitely stay here again the next time I am in Bangkok.

(this is extracted from a review I provided to Tripadvisor)

In 2008

This is the 2nd time (30-Sep-08 to 3-Oct-08) I've stayed in this inn, the 3rd time for KF (12-Jul-08). We booked 4 rooms this time - 2 deluxe and 2 superior. The deluxe rooms were very nice as usual - comfy quilts, nice beds, big windows, spacious bathrooms. The deluxe rooms were obviously more superior to the Superior rooms in every way. I'd recommend the deluxe rooms anytime! The location of the property is excellent, 3 mins walk to Thong Lo BTS station, about 5 mins walk to Ekamai BTS station (of which there's a shopping complex nearby with McD's and KFC if that's your thing). Excellent night food stalls in soi 63 across the road from the BTS. Helpful and friendly reception staff as always.

(this is extracted from a review I provided to Sawadee.com which I use whenever I need to book a hotel in Thailand because they have the best rates)

What I didn't say in the reviews

The 2nd time around, we wanted to book 4 Deluxe rooms but couldn't. So us young ones had to settle for the Superior rooms, which is the same as what I stayed in the first time I was there. Obviously, with age, (and higher spending power, more "yim chim"-ness) the room didn't seem so nice after all. It was bearably comfy, but not luxurious. The Deluxe rooms however are faultless, except that you have to climb more stairs to reach them. They've refurbished some Superior rooms (my sisters-in-law had a nice one), so if you're lucky, you might land a good Superior room. But the difference in room rates for a Superior (THB 830) and a Deluxe (THB 890) is not substantial, so I'd suggest a Deluxe anytime.

The travel desk is still there, and gosh, the hotel receptionist is still the same person! But much friendlier this time around and very helpful when we had to make bookings for massages and transportation. The only thing I truly miss is the massage service in the lobby. If the masseurs were still there, then the stay would have been perfect.

However, I'm glad this time we found soi 63 which has LOADS of great hawker food. And the nearby McD's to satisfy that Pork Burger urge.

Yes I know, this review is like super-da-long. Little bit more ah.

We've agreed that the next time we're back in Bangkok (if we do go back again for some leisure trip which we don't foresee in the near future), we'll stay elsewhere (like I said, higher spending power). But if it's a budget budget trip, definitely recommend here :)

I'm back from Bangkok. But swamped with work. I need another holiday.

Had a dreamy weekend in Cyberview Lodge. It's very nice to be whisked away from the hectic city to a completely modern (and dead-looking) town. Cyberview was very nice - full of plants and landscape. The hotel has various single and double-storey buildings scattered around its huge grounds. No high-rise hotel blocks here, all small chalets. You can drive and park in front of your room (or request for buggy service - reminiscent of our Bali holidays).

The room has solid timber flooring, clean and not dusty nor contaminated with unseen bacteria in old-looking carpets :P Nice rainshower (but no way of avoiding getting your hair wet). Big big four-poster bed with the dreamy white curtains (but the bed is just too soft and it has no quilt - not like Westin's Heavenly Bed). Great-smelling spa toiletries in ceramic bottles (so you can't steal them home). A big, rather dramatic pool. Huge room (like a big studio suite) with LCD screen at the foot of the bed, and free use of a PC in the room with internet access. The room has a kitchenette with cabinets and a rather big single-door fridge (not the small minibar kind). Big balcony (though we didn't use it). Fantastic grounds.

We only spent like 12 hours (including sleeping time) at Cyberview. But I had a good impression of the place. And I guess those who plan garden weddings there definitely found the place pretty - very tropical, very Malaysian. And very good reception counter service.

I know, this review is like so boring right. No pictures and all. My camera's really cacat these days, the flash doesn't work properly, so all my photos come out so dark. Luckily I'm not some shopaholic, or I'd have bought myself a new one a long time ago, seeing that compact cameras these days are so cheap.

Busy washing linens and cleaning up the house these days, the family's coming next week so we can all make a family trip during Raya. Luckily it's a single-storey, I really dunno how I'd be able to handle a double-storey.

Btw, Moonlight Resonance ended yesterday - and it's the bestest-ever-drama EVER! I believe the DVD sellers will be roaming town soon with the full series, so get your hands on one! Trust me, you will not regret it.

And now, I shall take a respite from TVB dramas, until the next grand production. Spend the night scouring and washing :P One week only. Then it's shopping and eating and massage haven, yippee! :)

Rustic Nirvana

For the past few days, I've been stressing away at work, even typed till 1am for 2 nights running (and reached office by 7.30am the next day to continue typing away). Brainjuice really squeezed dry. But I persevered, because I knew I was in for a treat on Saturday :)

Anyway, finally, after 3 weeks of trying, someone gave up her appointment slot and I could go in for my session, yippee! I got this promo voucher from Rustic Nirvana that gives a full treatment (tell you more about it in a bit) for only RM68. And ... wait for it ... if you bring a friend, your treatment is free! Wah. I ask you, how could I give up such a totally fantastic offer?

So, I went with a friend (only girl customers allowed at this spa, no couples even). We went to the branch in Solaris Mont Kiara. Stepped in, they gave us each a cup of warm water, told us to fill up the usual personal data form, then we sat around and waited a bit because the rooms were not yet ready as the previous customer was a bit late for her appointment and therefore dragged all the later appointments later. We were given brochures to see, and the treatments are indeed quite impressive.

So, I was led to my room - which had a shower area, a bed, a sink, a mirror with hairdryer and shelf, and a whole lot of candles and pots and pans arranged neatly on the floor around the room.

Okay, here, I'm gonna be as descriptive as I can - because I've surfed but can't seem to find anyone who's blogged or reviewed the massages in Rustic Nirvana. I shall do just that.

Scrub

The girl, Beverly, told me to change into these disposable bra and panties and showercap. She took my body weight with this machine that requires your age and height. Then, I lay face down on the bed (with that hole to put my face in), and she preceded with mixing (yah, she mixed it with some ingredients she found from the cabinet under the sink) the body scrub for me. It was a "Sea Salt Scrub" (RM200 for 30 mins) which is apparently very good for detoxification and aids in the skin's healing processes. She then rubbed it into me, really scrubbed every inch of me. Took her about half an hour to do that and I could see beads of sweat on her forehead. Then I stepped into the shower to rinse off all the scrub. Wah, my skin has never felt so clean and soft and so smooth!

Massage

Then I dried up, put on another new set of disposable stuffs, and watched her scoop some black thick liquid stuff from a claypot in the corner of the room (okay, Nat, I know you will so not like the smell, but it sure smelt nice and herbally to me). I then lied down again, and she began the Jamu Body Massage (RM350 for 45 mins). Oh, here I have to say that my voucher originally allowed me for the Chopsticks Healing Massage (RM350 for 60 mins), but my therapist said my skin felt too soft and she said I probably wouldn't be able to take the pain of the chopsticks as it was similar to "guasar". So okay, I didn't mind a more relaxing treatment that costs the same :P

I didn't fall asleep though. There was this one part after she'd massaged my tummy - she told me she was gonna "push my womb". She poked her fingers at 2 points on my lower tummy (I presume they are where my uterus is) and told me to breathe in, then she slid her 2 fingers upward towards my chest and told me to slowly breathe out. But I ended up giggling because those 2 points she was poking just felt far too sensitive. So I guess that "pushing womb" thing didn't succeed with me. But apparently, that's one of the specialities of massage in Rustic Nirvana, they cater for women's pre and postnatal needs - for slimming, women wellness, detox, womb enhancement, etc.

Wrap + Steam

Okay, next up the therapist again dug in the cupboard under the sink and mixed up a bowl of sticky black herbal stuff that smelt even stronger than the Jamu oil. This was the Jamu wrap (RM240 for 30 mins). Apparently this treatment is good for cellulite reduction, detoxification, and of course, womb wellness (I haven't heard the word "womb" so many times in a day before in my whole life). The therapist rubbed the black stuff all over me, then proceeded to Gladwrap me all over, and all over again. After that, I awkwardly tumbled onto the bed, and she put some kind of dark tent over my body, with a rice cooker pot of more hot steaming black stuff at the foot of the tent, thereby effectively "cooking" me in the tent. I was cooked in this Steamy Wonder (RM180 for 20 mins) and can you believe it, I actually fell asleep while being cooked?!

But I felt real good after that. The tent was dripping wet when she lifted it off me, and well, I was wet as well. She cut off all the Gladwrap and then I hopped in to shower again. After that, I really felt refreshed. Stepped on that weighing machine again - I'd dropped a whole kilo! I really have a water retention problem eh. Then I trooped happily out to the reception area, where I sat down for a really nice cup of ginger tea (I so love ginger tea, anyone know where I can buy them?) and listened to the salesgirl Carmen try to sell me a package.

Actually, the package they offered was quite good. But, too bad, Solaris is just too far, making a Saturday appointment for treatments is just too difficult, and I really dunno when I can find so much time in my Saturdays to actually go for these treatments. The whole thing lasted about 3 hours. Sorry I didn't take pictures. But the room was quite spartan, cement flooring with cement-like walls, but generally, a nice ambience. I particularly liked that they use local Chinese women (who I think are about my age, or even younger) as therapists.

I think it was one of my most well-spent RM34 ever, especially for something of which the retail price is RM970! Only thing is now, about 7 hours later and after my 2nd bath, I can still smell that Jamu ...