Tae Yoon: Life from 2006-2021

last summer while i was still living in seoul, i remember this muggy august night where i was getting ready to go grab a drink alone at my favorite bar. the weather in korea last summer was absolutely miserable, and on that particular august night, i think i was just fed up with it. i was tired of wearing the same cycle of clothes and i was bored with just wearing t-shirts everyday. so as i was getting ready, i suddenly got the idea to wear out my denim jacket that night. there's nothing at all spectacular or exceptional about my levi's jacket, and even to this day i'm not sure why, but i was absolutely adamant on wearing it out. i usually don't fuss over what i wear since i only own a handful of clothing, but the thought of wearing out the jacket that night was me giving a big middle finger to mother nature and the unbearable korean summer. i remember stepping outside my place a few times to check how i'd feel wearing it out, and i thought "okay what the hell fuck this i'm going to wear it out tonight and that's final."

by the time i got to the bus stop which is a block and a half away, i was already sweating profusely but refused to take off the jacket. i waited for the bus and remember wiping the sweat from my face over and over as i attempted to roll up the sleeves as far as i possibly could. after riding the subway and trekking my glandular-problem-having-ass to the bar, my t-shirt was drenched in sweat. in fact it was disgustingly muggy out and i was so sweaty that as soon as i stepped into the air conditioned bar, i took off the jacket to dry my sweat-drenched self and never put it on again for the rest of the night.

there is a reason why i'm telling this story, and it's because of what i see on a daily basis while walking through the streets of bangkok.

while i've been told that december and january are some of the more cooler months of the year for this city, it still can be really fucking hot out (currently averages out to 90 degrees a day). however, sometimes i'll see the more fashionable girls wearing chunky sweaters and heavy blazers or trendy guys in down jackets and layer upon layer of thick clothing. sure, everyone's tolerance for heat is different and maybe they're not hot wearing all that clothing, but from what i've witnessed, some of these kids are sweating buckets and look pretty uncomfortable. it's pretty clear that what these young people are choosing to wear is completely inappropriate for the weather, but then i think back to that hot summer night last year and i feel their pain. i can't imagine wearing just a t-shirt with pants on a daily basis. if i got bored from only wearing a summer wardrobe after a few months, some of the more fashion appreciating young people of thailand must be dying of boredom---kudos to them though for trying to keep things interesting.