Siam State of Mind

B2S = Back to School? Books to Stationary?  You figure it out

Something I can’t figure out though is what happened to the B2S store at Central World Plaza.  I walked into the books section on the 3rd floor and was surprised to see empty shelves and significantly less English books than before.  A4 pieces of paper taped over the sections of the store as temporary signs showing you where the “History” section is now when before it used to be something else.  Then there’s a table right across from the Starbucks where all these unwanted books are just left on the table at a greatly reduced price.  Almanacs from 2007, and anything else that is outdated.

My first impression was that they did not order any new stock except best-sellers, and they were trying to get rid of older stock that they were not able to sell before.  So don’t be surprised to see some obscure book title that they ordered and decided to display all 20 unsold copies in order the line the shelves.  Needless to say, I think English literature books now cover almost all bookshelves at B2S except the magazine section.  I checked out their website at www.b2s.co.th but there was no news in there.  Oh, and it was all in Thai anyway so I wouldn’t have found what I was looking for.

Can someone please share some light on what is going on with one of the few book stores we have in Bangkok?  Are we gonna be left with Asia Books and Kinokuniya?  Does anyone remember DK Books?  Wonder if we’re going down the same path here.

Taken from the book, “Stuff Every Man Should Know” by Brett Cohen

Common Red Grape Types

• Cabernet Sauvignon:  Full-bodies wines with a toasty cedar taste
• Merlot:  Smooth wines with the flavor of plums
• Pinot Noir:  Earthy-tasting wines that evoke the flavor of cherries
• Syrah:  Intense, almost meaty flavored wines with a taste of black pepper
• Zinfandel:  Fruity, berry-flavored wines often mixed with green grapes to make rose wines

Common White Grape Types

• Chardonnay:  Popular wines with an aroma and taste of tropical fruit
• Pinot Grigio:  Crisp, refreshing, dry wines
• Riesling:  Sweeter wines with a floral aroma and an undertone of peaches
• Sauvignon Blanc:  Citrus-y and acidic wines with a grassy flavor

Ideal Temperature for serving wine:

• Red:  18 degrees Celsius
• White:  13 degrees Celsius
• Champagne:  7 degrees Celsius

GAP finally opens its doors at Central World Plaza

Highly anticipated. It look so long for GAP to finally open, that we all thought it was just another bad rumour. Just like Krispy Kreme coming to Bangkok perhaps. (Correct me if I’m wrong)  GAP is conveniently located on the ground floor of Central World Plaza in the circular area where they have the glass elevators.  Its where the old G-Star shop used to be.  Walking into a GAP store in Bangkok reminded me of shopping in college.  You always found something to buy at the GAP.  Unfortunately, I walked into the store today and I was a bit disappointed.

I remember there used to be a door greeter in every GAP store whose sole purpose was to say, “Welcome to the GAP!”  Maybe they did away with this already I am not sure.  I was not able to interact with any staff so I am not going to comment on their customer service.  I will, however, comment on the men’s clothing that was displayed.   There seems to be a lot of winter items currently in the store.  I mean, I love a nice GAP sweater or a hoodie, but where would I find the opportunity to wear winter items in Thailand.  Its the middle of March, and you should already be displaying and promoting your summer items, and maybe your winter items should already be in the back on a round rack marked  ”SALE”

Second, pricing.  Okay I checked, and the prices are very reasonable if you do your currency conversion from Baht to US Dollars.  Meaning, that they did not mark up the price that much from what they are selling them for in the States.  For example, a simple T-shirt with a pocket would cost you US$18.00 at the GAP and roughly about Baht 550 at the GAP store here.  OKay. Fair.  However, you can’t help but notice that most items I looked at were made in Cambodia or Vietnam.  So basically, I’m paying Baht 550 for something that’s made next door.  In the States I would be able to justify this and say that, “Okay, there has to be some shipping costs to get this T-shirt all the way here from Cambodia.”  But to Bangkok?  You have to ask yourself, “Is this T-shirt really worth that much?”  Comes down to the basics of Value for Money.

Lastly, I remember that GAP used to pride themselves on being a clothing store where you can purchase a pair of jeans based on waist and inseam length.  For example, you will notice that all of GAP’s jeans will have a sticker running down one pant leg that says 32 x 32 or 34 x 36.  Meaning size 32″ and inseam measures 32″ or size 34″ and inseam 36″  However, I noticed that all  inseams at the GAP were all 32″  What if a tall person wanted jeans?  The waist size varied from 28″ to 38″ (I think), but the inseam remained constant at 32″ for all sizes on display.  I hope that they have other sizes in stock!

Okay, enough ranting.  Go check it out.  Decide if you want to buy stuff.  Don’t let me persuade you to do anything.

Taken from the book Stuff Every Man Should Know by Brett Cohen

I read this book a while ago, and thought I should share some of the few things I read that I thought was quite useful. It’s an easy read, and a book that can easily be found at any leading bookstore. Pretty interesting stuff for guys (and also girls) if you ask me.

Stuff You Should Know but I Can’t Tell You

1) Birthdays and anniversaries for your spouse/girlfriend, all close family members, friends, and key co-workers.
2) How to escape your house during a fire.
3) The best bar and restaurant in your neighborhood for visiting out-of-towners
4) Your signature cocktail, so you’re never dumbfounded when called upon.
5) Your shirt size, pant size, and jacket size.
6) Your signature dish, so you’re always prepared to impress a date/ or your spouse.
7) Your favorite book, movie, and band.
8) Your spouse’s/girlfriend’s favorite book, movie, and band.
9) Your family history, so that you can tell it to your children someday.
10) What you want out of life.

Yeah, I knew 4 out of 10 of these. What really hit me, was that I really should ask my parents about our family history and family tree. I think I would like to share that with my children one day. It would be nice to know where we came from.