So today was one of those days where, on looking back, I felt like I didn't do anything, and yet, when I see the pictures that I took, realize that I did- in fact- get a couple of things done, after all.
Perhaps it is better defined as to whether one considers small stuff as 'things done' or only large stuff as 'things done'.
Let's just say that it was a quiet day.
A day where instead of going out to explore the neighborhood or go shopping, after breakfast, I actually stayed in the room until 3pm before heading out to Central World mall.
What's great about breakfast downstairs is that there's a lot of variety, and because one gets to have variety, one ends up eating a lot.
Which I did.
With a plate of Pad Thai, two fried eggs and cherry tomatoes.
With a plate of (more) Pad Thai- can't help it, it's a favorite of mine- some corn from the salad bar, two Siew Mais from the dim sum bar, and a stick of Moo Ping that my friend got for me.
I'd be bluffing if I said that the first plate didn't speak to me.
It did.
Fried kuay teow with egg has, after all, been one of my favorite breakfasts for a long time, and those who know me will know that it's something I've always tried to have whenever it's available, whenever I can.
Perhaps that be so that I took on a second plate of Pad Thai, but with a bit more variety and a bit more creativity, which, surprisingly I liked, as stalls that sell fried kuay teow will not have siew mais in their offerings, and stalls that have siew mais will not have fried kuay teow in their steamers and trays.
One would have thought two plates of food be enough for a breakfast meal.
But then the waffles came out.
And so did the sugared doughnuts.
So there came a third plate.
Will I say that I didn't have a good time in the room?
Nope, not at all.
I mean, it isn't every place where I get to enjoy marvellous views- even if I not know exactly what they are.
But, let me see.
I recognize these two (golden) domes but have no idea what building they are.
I recognize this tower that I like to call the Icon Tower but in all honesty I have no idea what building it really is.
The only one that I do recognize (now) is the mall that I think is called Platinum, or is it Palladium, and Novotel Hotel right next to it.
But what made this view really lovely was the park right down below the window, where even though it seemed like there weren't many people during mornings or afternoons, all the green made it a wonderful respite for concrete-ridden eyes.
Plus, from time to time, I got to see a River Taxi ply up and down that river channel alongside one length of the park from where I was, past the sheltered Walk, and across to the other side.
Trust me, it was quite breathtaking to see the long River boat make a sort of three-point turn on the channel!
Lunch today had been arranged at this Sukiyaki place in Central World, but because it was still early when I got there, decided to take a look around.
For those of us who haven't yet known it, Central World is a very large mall. Whether it hits megamall size and standards, I can't say, but it is one of the most popular malls in the city, right in the area they call Ratchaprasong.
With a mall spanning seven floors, and housing plenty of shops ranging from fashion to beauty to stationery to lifestyle and accessories, for a sole female shopper who wants many things but has to use her head, it was nearly impossible for me to walk around and not attempt to get anything.
So, yep, I turned up at the Sukiyaki place with a red plastic bag from Beautrim in hand.
(Hey, I needed liquid foundation anyway)
I liked the food here.
On the 7th floor of Central World, not too far away from SF Cinema, Kagonoya served up what one would anticipate from a place known for hotpot shabu shabu and sukiyaki.
This was a place to have staff speak to you in fluent Thai-accented English.
This was a place where the staff knew their vocabulary and their terminology and they knew all the dishes right off the back of their head.
There might not have been a rainbow of colors or a theme of zen in this place, but there were a lot of reds and blacks, and they made sure you had everything you needed before you placed your order, so there was no worry that there'd be no serviette or chopsticks or spoons.
Sauces were all already there- on the table- even as we sat down- and all you needed to pick out was whether you wanted beef or pork or chicken and which part of the beef or the pork or the chicken you wanted.
I think we went for a pork belly.
Either that we went for very thin slices of beef that I can't remember which part of the cow they are.
The last time I came here I had a shabu-shabu.
So I decided to go for a sukiyaki this time.
We also ordered a salmon sashimi, and if I'm not wrong, a chawanmushi, for no particular reason other than we felt like having one.
For some reason I don't have pictures of all the meat that we ordered- perhaps we had gotten too hungry and so started dunking the beef slices into the soup as soon as they arrived- but I liked the vegetables that came with the soup, and whilst I didn't realize it at that time, actually, seeing the vegetables slowly get cooked in your pot is an indicator that your soup's coming to a boil, and once you see the leaves sink down into the pot means you can start dunking your meat in.
What I liked was how generous they were with the portions.
I mean, the meat might have been skillfully (machine) sliced, but someone had to cut these vegetables (I assume) and there were no scraps of vegetable leaves in the pot.
Neither were the carrots tiny slices that had been left on the shelf so long they weren't sweet.
Then there were mushrooms, there were chives (I think), more mushrooms of different kinds, and leeks.
I'm also glad to say that the meat was fresh, chilled and cold.
What surprised me about this pot of sukiyaki was the soup.
I had expected it to lean towards the salty side, but no, the soup was surprisingly sweet, yet not sweet to an extent that I felt like I was having dessert of the main meal.
After this we headed out of Central World, made our way down past the street near Centara Grand, bopped into Siam Paragon, and walked all the way through towards the BTS Siam Station which we then went across, and down to a place called Nature Thai Massage where I had a 90 minute head massage.
It made me sleepy.
Like all head massages do.
So back to the room I went after, and stayed in there till the end of day, skipping a dinner main entirely, having sweet potato snacks, dried mango slices, and a bottle of chocolate protein shake instead.