7 Things to do in Thailand

A little while ago I mentioned the options we expats have when Chuseok comes around. This Chuseok (September 26th-28th) I decided to try traveling abroad! I've never traveled abroad for this holiday or for such a short amount of time before but I was positive this was going to be a marvelous adventure.

My friend Ayla and I decided to visit some mutual friends of ours in Bangkok, Thailand! Kris and Pedro were more than happy to play hosts/tour guides and started planning our visit right away.
Ayla and I planned on staying 2 nights and 2 days, which meant we had to maximize on our visit and get as much stuff done as possible! Let me give you the awesome run-down of stuff we did and things I highly recommend doing while on a short trip in Bangkok, Thailand:

- Khao San Road is well-known in Bangkok (if not worldwide) for attracting backpacking foreigners. The road is lined with bars, restaurants, food vendors, clothing vendors, outdoor massage shops, souvenir vendors, hostels, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but you get the idea. There was so much to take in, my senses were on complete overload! I think my favorite parts were having nice long chats with friends over refreshments and getting Thai foot massages while sitting in lawn chairs outside.

- Chatuchak Market is a maze of vendors with items ranging anywhere between plastic fruit to pets. The market has pretty close quarters with each of the vendors and gives you the feeling of being lost in a long colorful closet. There are also art vendors who have beautiful paintings and sculptures, so even if you don't buy anything, you can still treat the market as you would an art gallery. Word to the wise when visiting this place, if you see something you like, you either get it right there and then, or come to terms with the fact that once you leave that vendor, you will never see that same item ever again. I'm still kicking myself for not getting a purse that I took a fancy to, thinking I would find something better along the way...and I never did. 

- Get a massage! Thai massages are amazing! I've gotten used to the deep tissue Korean massages here, so getting a luxurious Thai massage was completely relaxing and exactly what I needed. I got two different types, one was a foot massage (120 Baht) I got on Khao San Road, and then another was a head/shoulder/back massage (400 Baht). Both were soothing and SO CHEAP!

- Dining by or on the river. The Chao Phraya is a large river that weaves its way through the heart of Bangkok, so it shouldn't be difficult to find a restaurant on the river front. The other option is to book a river cruise that also includes a dinner menu. My friends and I did the first option and had a magical dining experience at the Shangri-la Hotel. During the dinner, we were treated to a couple of traditional dances near our table and we could watch the river cruises float past with beautiful lights adorning them.

- The Grand Palace! This place is a MUST while you are in Bangkok. The architecture and the intricate designs on the buildings are absolutely breath-taking. If it's a sunny day you will be treated to an even more dazzling sight as the tiles on the buildings shine and glitter in the sun. The large compound doesn't just house a royal palace but also has a temple for the Emerald Buddha. Because this is such an important landmark they have a strict dress code that everyone must adhere to. Women can wear dresses that are below the knee or longer and men must wear pants, no short pants or shorts. Women can also wear pants but you must remember pants cannot be tight like skinny jeans or leggings. Everyone must have their shoulders covered, no tank tops are allowed and no shawls will suffice. Shoes must be close-toed. Even if you don't arrive with the right kind of outfit on, you can rent clothes pretty cheaply just outside the Grand Palace. 

- Visit a temple also called a "wat." Wats are everywhere in Bangkok and there are several that are very popular for tourists. The wat we chose was Wat Pho, located near the Grand Palace this wat houses the gigantic statue of the famous Reclining Buddha. They usually have the same dress code as the Grand Palace, but the admission prices are much less.

- Shopping Malls! Bangkok has no lack of shopping malls all over the city. They usually have several floors with everything from name brand stores to eclectic local brands. I was pleasantly surprised that all the brands were surprisingly affordable given the prices I'm used to seeing at the Korean malls and department stores! I definitely recommend giving it a look if no other reason then to enjoy the air conditioning while you hide from the sun.

I know there is so much more to do in Bangkok, so if you have any other recommendations feel free to leave a comment below!

Read On >>>

Free Photo Editing Online

Recently I have been browsing the internet looking for ways to edit photos for myself and for this blog and I stumbled on to a few that make editing simple and fun!

Here is a list of a few free ones I have found to be helpful:

Canva - This is a photo editing website that has a similar feel to Pinterest in the sense that you can create and share your edited photos like you would on Pinterest. Their way to make and edit content is pretty simple and straight forward. You can choose a layout that is ready made, with the fonts, colors, backgrounds and graphics all picked out for you, or you can upload your own image and do all the dirty work yourself. Just so you know, some layouts and graphics are not free, but it's easy to tell if something is free or not, so don't worry about any hidden costs. FYI: I made the graphic for this post on their site.

Pixlr - Yes, this is the same photo editing company that brought you the mobile app. They also have a desktop program you can download or if you want to keep everything simple and clean, you can launch their web apps inside your browser. The Pixlr Editor reminds me of Photoshop, mostly because of its layers and tools. The other web app you can use is the Pixlr Express which is much like a mobile app with its filters, effects, and borders.

iPiccy - If you like the idea of Pixlr, but you need it to be a little more simple, I highly suggest this editor. Again, it works inside your browser and you upload your own images and can save them when you are finished directly to your computer without having to sign in.

FotoFlexer - THEY HAVE STICKERS! Another app-style photo editor, this one is packed with fun stuff. It is set up a little like Powerpoint and is amazingly easy to navigate around and edit and add things to your photos. Like all the other editors, you can save your photos directly to your computer, animated glitters and all. That's right, I said ANIMATED GLITTERS.

Let me know if you have found some other awesome photo editors and I will add them to the list! Enjoy!

Read On >>>

Steps to Naming Characters

Next to story plotting, naming your characters has to be one of the most important, nerve-wracking, and exciting moments in creating your story. For me, I usually spend a long time considering the name of my characters as if they were my own children. I become very attached to my characters and I feel it's important to find just the right name that suits them because let's face it, the name makes the character. I'm not just talking about the meaning behind the name but also the feeling of the name. Veronique versus Violet, for example, feel as though they have two completely polar personalities. Veronique sounds as though she is sophisticated and exotic, whereas Violet sounds warm and friendly.

So, let's have a quick chat about where to find inspiration for your character names!
Baby name books are always fun places to start, your local library should have a thick shelf of them at the ready. Or if you want to check out the scores of websites devoted to names, here are just a few that I have found to be helpful:

• Nameberry
• Chinaroad (my personal favorite)
• British Baby Names

Of course, what you name your characters all depends on what kind of story you have on your hands. I like to sort out my naming rules based on where in time and space they are as follows:

Historical Fiction: research the names popular in your chosen era, you can fiddle with the spelling but that's about it.

Modern Day: consider the country and area you are putting your characters. Remember to consider the character's personal background and if you think their parent or guardian would have really named a child THAT NAME. Also, if you are having trouble thinking of surnames have a look at movie credits...seriously there are some fantastic surnames to find there.

Sci-Fi: think about what might become a trend in the future. People might be attracted to star or constellation names, pharmaceutical or chemical sounding names. One thing to remember about future names (this goes for fantasy too), if the name is too oddly stylized, your reader is probably going to start skimming the name and giving your character their own nickname.

Fantasy: think about the cultures surrounding your fantasy world. Each faction, tribe, or sect should have their own set of naming traditions. Real-world example: Most English surnames were derived from the jobs their ancestors did (Smith, Baker, Fletcher, etc). In Korean society, some parents choose to name their children with one similar character (Min Young, Shin Young, Sun Young, etc).

Speaking of Fantasy names, here is an interview with George R.R. Martin about how he chooses his names.

Now I want to know: How do you choose your character names? Let me know!

Read On >>>

World Building: Including Culture

If there is one thing that Game of Thrones has taught me, it's the pressing need for culture in one's story. I'm not just talking about fantasy or sci-fi stories, I mean in just about every genre. CULTURE IS IMPORTANT!
Culture includes (but is not limited to):

• Traditions
• Design (buildings, clothes)
• Religion
• History
• Politics
• Entertainment
• Language

A story or series that is rich in culture feels like you could actually book a trip there and immerse yourself in that society using that book as a reference guide. If you have ever read or watched Game of Thrones, you already know what I'm talking about. The characters and the places feel real, don't they? They have different styles of dress and architecture based on where they live. The religion that is dominant in each place dictates the rituals performed for marriage and death. The super long history is brought up in everyday conversations just like in the real-world. AND THE LANGUAGE! I'm a huge fan of idioms and slang terms, so phrases like "taking the black" and "craven" that have absolutely no meaning in real life but means so much in the story really rings my bell.

Another good book series that has a rich sense of culture in it is The Cat Who...series by Lilian Jackson Braun. 

This series plays out in the fictional town of Pickax in Moose County which is "400 miles north of everywhere." Based somewhat off of a real town in Michigan, she brought this fictional town to life with family feuds, local legends, superstitions, small town politics, mysteries, and even a weird drink with a funny story (squunk water).

Because of these types of book series that have such a rich sense of culture in them, the books that lack a few of the elements from above tend to feel rather one dimensional. Sure, not everyone needs to have a ridiculously long history all written and ready to quote, or have a whole dictionary or two of completely different languages (I'm looking at you LOTR). But just a suggestion of something bigger and broader outside the direct storyline or point of view we are witnessing goes a long way. 

Culture is a difficult one for me to keep track of and mention in my stories and it's something I work on constantly. Remember I said I love idioms and slang terms? I also like to work in new phrases or words in my stories like the tv show Firefly does...or did (cue sob-scene). Firefly's use of some non-toxic swear words like "Rutting" and "Gorram" are encouraging for me as a writer, especially since I don't particularly like to use real-world swear words. Now the dialog with said new swear word turns out to be less lewd and more of a creative expression! Win-win!

Also, I wanted to share some of my favorite links for helping to work through World Building and Storytelling. 
Mythcreants is a great blog for fantasy and sci-fi writers and has lots of great articles about storytelling method dos and don'ts. 
Seventh Sanctum is a site that has generators for days. Some of the generators have story ideas and prompts as well as writing challenges and plot twists! 

What are some other books/tv shows/movies that have some good or bad examples of culture? Let me know!

Read On >>>