Another day in paradise... Well, maybe not paradise but certainly in the "City of Angels". No, not Los Angeles, the other one! That's right, Bangkok, Thailand. It's hard to think of anyone who hasn't heard of Bangkok. You must at least have seen it sometime in The Discovery Channel. People dream of visiting it. Some do for the wrong reasons; others because of its beauty, mystery, culture and spirituality. Here you can find almost anything. Even lost Brazilians! Ha!

Life here has a different pace. And this can come quite as a shock if you come from Singapore, New York or São Paulo and are used to the frantic rhythm those cities impose on you. Life here is more relaxed. But do not get me wrong, it’s far from being boring! There is always something to be done and you would be amazed by how alive nights can be (even though pubs and clubs usually close at 2am). Like any other big city, traffic jams are a problem. Sometimes it is so bad that you wonder if the plural form – traffic jams – is actually accurate; it would be better referred to as ‘The’ traffic jam. Just one. Huge. But adaptability is one of the characteristics of the human being and, with time, you get used to it.

The project I am working on is about to be finished. Its first phase, that is. There will be more to be done after the ‘go live’ date next week (Gee, I really hope we can indeed go live on the planned date) but I will have sometime to rest. I am planning on going on vacation, since last year I did not. I thought maybe I should go to USA for training, and then visit my son, in Texas. After that, maybe I should go to Brazil. I have been promising people I would go since June last year but it just didn’t happen.

Speaking of holidays in Brazil, yesterday I got a letter from my ex-mother-in-law. I wasn’t really sure of what to expect but I figured it would probably be the same old story: her performing her motherly role and trying to make me see J had faults but loved me oh-so-much and we just had to forgive each other and get back together. This time I was wrong (yeah, it happens sometimes).
She just wrote to wish me a happy new year. Of course all those usual canned phrases were there, like “you’re like a son to me”, “our house is yours”, “no one will ever take your place and you’re the number one son-in-law in my heart” etc etc etc. It is OK. I know she likes me; probably not as much as she says, but at least a little. The best part was a note written by Bella. Now, that was cute. You see, she’s only 5 years old, almost 6, and the note was hand written by her in that cute kid’s handwriting, no particular form and some of the letters reversed. It really made me smile. It said “Dad; I miss you. Come see me soon. Kisses. Bella”. I’m not her dad, of course, but after four years spending time together, buying her presents, clothes and being sort of a father figure, it was touching to see that. There’s always a chance it wasn’t her idea, but rather some coaching by J. If that was the case, it was a very dirty trick. But I liked it just the same! :o)