The past week or so has been really cold in NYC. It makes walking the city by foot pretty much impossible, and I long for warm sunny weather.

About a year ago, I got on the subway one evening to go to this bar alone where some friends were throwing a party. Last winter was pretty brutal too in terms of the cold, and I remember this day being particularly miserable as well.

As I gripped a pole and stood in the shaky subway while it pulled out of Union Square, I noticed a friend named Anna Margaret sitting nearby bundled-up in many layers and with a bag of takeout food. We knew each other from working together at a restaurant in the East Village, and I probably hadn't seen her in close to 4 years. I immediately said hi, and it was so great to catch up with her for a bit. Then I told her that if she had no plans, she should come with me to where I was going because the people at the bar throwing the party had also worked at the same restaurant as us, so we all were friends.

That's when she responded with, "Tae, I'm old and cold," and proceeded to tell me about how excited she was go to home with her dinner in hand and stay inside in the comfort of warmth. Now, Anna Margaret is not someone I consider actually old because we're the same age. But when she said that to me, I completely understood what she meant and wished her a good night.

What she said, "old and cold," has really stuck with me since. I find it popping into my head a lot more nowadays. And in this winter's current New York deep freeze, I too feel too damn "old and cold" to do the many things I once really enjoyed.

Below are some pictures from my time living in Bangkok that I never posted. They were all taken while I was on the backseat of a motorcycle-taxi (motosai), and it brings me a little warmth to think about my days in tropical weather when this was the way I traveled around town.

Words can't describe how nice it feels to take motorcycle-taxis through the busy streets of Bangkok. My favorite is when the weather is really beautiful, and I just stare up into the picture-perfect sky to see the city pass by in my peripheral vision.

Sure, sometimes they can feel pretty dangerous and like you're literally inches away from something going terribly wrong---but their speed and convenient ability to weave in and out through jam packed traffic is definitely worth it.

Here are some more pictures I took while riding them.

there have been certain days where i've had to ride a motosai (motorcycle taxi) up to seven times to get to where i need to.

i especially appreciate them when i'm not in a great mood because they never cease to brighten my day. 

 

one of my friends from nyc is traveling all throughout asia, and she just passed through bangkok for a few days. 

it felt so good to feel a bit of nyc in my home of the last year-and-a-half. as for now, it's back to a life of solitude here in bangkok.

here are some photos i recently took.

and that is not my dirty bathroom with the jjhapaghetti on the sink. a korean mom gifted me with those, but i don't have a kitchen at my place. i accepted them out of politeness and then left them at the lobby bathroom of another building i tutor in (just trying to pass on the magic). on a side note, i've been eating jjhapgehtti for almost my entire life, and i never realized it was such a bite off of the word spaghetti. i thought about how this could have happened, and i think it's because i associated it as such a korean thing, and always read the packaging in that way as well. yeah, i'm not sure how that one whizzed right by me.

on certain days, i might have to ride a motorcycle-taxi, aka motosai (previously blogged about HERE and HERE), up to seven different times to simply get around to where i need to go.

before moving to bangkok, i had never really ridden on a motorcycle before so living here and incorporating them into my daily life has completely changed my views on them. i like relying on motosais in thailand because they're fast, affordable and efficient---especially since the traffic here can be an absolute nightmare. on the downside though, riding them within the bustling city can be pretty dangerous here in bangkok and a friend of mine told me about someone she knew who died in an accident while taking one.

there's something about riding a motorcycle that can make any day better and i love the feeling of being on one when the weather is nice out. i've come to the conclusion that when i can afford it, i really want to buy some sort of motorcycle or scooter when i eventually return to nyc. i'll probably get a grandma-friendly version and use it more for practical reasons than for racing teenagers.

it's also sad though that riding on motosais is literally the only type of physical contact i have whatsoever anymore.

anyway, here's some pics i recently took with my friend's camera on a gorgeous day.