The photos of the babies as well as the mother are up on the SCAD website

The mother has been named Chaiya (we kept calling her the phoo-ying because she was always with babies), and her babies are Rama, Shiva and Kali.

I miss them so much. When we walk pass the parking lot where they used to live in, I feel sad not having the phoo-ying come out to greet us like she always did.

But it’s better this way. At least now they’re being taken care of by a team of people who really care, when before it was just two of us against the whole condo building, and we couldn’t even feed them everyday. Now all they need is a loving home. It would be nice for them to be able to stay together but if not then it’s fine too.

I’m gonna pay them a visit some time this week and donate some food to the center.

We finally found a temporary home for them at the Soi Cats and Dogs center.

I approached them knowing that adoption isn’t their priority as I was desperate to find home for these kittens.

As I tweeted, or blogged, before, the last batch of babies by this stray mother cat were met with untimely death, thanks to the “kindness” of the condo management, who thought these kittens were making too much mess in the garden around their pool.

I later asked someone from the condo, and they said the kittens were actually left at a nearby temple, though you can’t really be sure, considering the temple is right next to Klong Saen Sap.

But anyway, we wanted to get the mom sterilized but then she got pregnant again, and this time with these cute little babies, and we couldn’t let them get killed again.

So I asked SCAD what they could do. Turned out the kittens were eligible for their Rehoming program. Usually the center would go to a neighborhood, neuter the dogs and cats, and bring in ones that they think would be adoptable (healthy, clean, nice). They don’t encourage people to drop the animals at the center, but we were lucky as they said these kittens would find home quickly.

Now the kittens are up for adoption, as well as the mother, to our surprise. They usually release sterilized animals back into the neighborhood but the mother however charmed the staff and got herself a spot on the adoption list also.

So, if you’re planning to get yourself a cat, consider SCAD instead of a pet store. It’s free to adopt and they always make sure the animals are friendly and healthy before putting them up for adoption.

Photos of the babies and the mother cat will be posted on their website soon, and I will update this post with the links to them.

First it was an attempt to make my Windows XP void of all windows application while also mimicking the looks of Mac OSX. That was kind of a success.

Then I saw this post on Lifehacker the other day, with Jolicloud reigning the No. 1 spot on the blog’s weekly Hive Five series.

I tried a minimal, Linux netbook before on now my cousin’s Eee PC. It sucked. But I was tempted at installing Jolicloud as the interface looks very sleek, and after some Google research, rave reviews have also been given about it.

So on the day I forgot my MacBook in a friend’s car is the day I decided to try it.

The pro? It’s everything I ever hoped for for a simplified netbook OS.

The con? I spent the WHOLE day as opposed to their supposedly few minutes of no-hassle out-of-the-box installation.

I couldn’t get my Dropbox to sync. My Wireless Networks were missing. Couldn’t switch to Thai keyboard even though the language pack was installed. After a reset, my “theme” was missing for no reason. Application windows are too big for my screen (when on Windows, my 1280×600 resolution was more than plenty) and now I can’t find/click Cancel or OK buttons on some menus.

Well after a whole day of trial and error, I solved all of the above except the screen size problem.

And so far, I’m liking this Jolicloud this. Their “apps” are mostly Prism-based webapps. So don’t be fooled by Gmail, Twitter, Facebook “apps”, they’re just like a webpage, pinned to your desktop. It’s a JoliCLOUD after all, your life is supposed to be on the internet, not on the hard drive.

But the webapp is not so great for services like Instapaper or Google Reader as when you click on a link, it would appear in a separate browser app in the background, and this had me think that it was doing nothing.

But well this is a pre-beta release, which means you can’t complain. But all in all it’s a fun OS to use and is fully functioning unlike the crippled Eee PC OS which looked more like a child’s toy than a computer.

Just in case you’re new in town, and foolishly thinking that taking Bangkok’s BTS or MRT is like taking one back home. Though the trains may look like an old Shinkansen model, and the stations may look like they have been airlifted from Singapore, but the truth remains: in Thailand, things are not the way they seem.

Someone once told me, Thai people think of the BTS/MRT as a bus. A Thai bus. The one that speeds away from their stop, stops for no one, and speeds off just as fast before you fully get on. It’s also crowded, no room to be polite, you have to be selfish to get to your destination.

This bus culture is still pretty much evident on the BTS/MRT. And just in case you’re not already familiar, here’s a simple set of guidelines for surviving a Bangkok’s public commuter train.

1. Always form a neat queue when waiting for the train. But once it comes, run as fast as you can and push everyone aside so you could get yourself in front of the doors first.

2. No food or drinks on board. But packed sidewalk treats are allowed. Make sure they are as smelly as possible. Think fermented fish, garlic-laced pork barbecue, som tum, fried salted fish, and when possible, ripe durians.

3. If you’re coming down with a flu, don’t worry about carrying a napkin or handkerchief. Once you’ve sneezed, feel free to wipe your hands on the handle bars.

4. When you see that the BTS/MRT is already packed with people, by all means jump right in, especially when the warning sound starts. Just like the yellow light in traffic, the warning sound means “motherfucker go go go” and not “get ready to stop” like the rest of the world.

5. Right in front of the doors but this isn’t your stop? It’s alright to stand and act as if you’re a tree and rooted in your position. Others definitely don’t mind trying to maneuver themselves around you. Just make sure you have an extra layer of skin on your face and all will be fine.

6. See the poles? They’re not for holding. They’re for leaning and hugging, and sometimes as a practice space for your nighttime performance. Feel free to flung your arms around it like it’s your long lost friend. Better yet, lean your sweaty body against it so no one else can hold it. It’s yours to keep.

7. What’s more important? Checking your BB or holding a handle bar? Of course the BlackBerry wins. So when the BTS finally brakes, you can rightfully fall on other passengers. That’s their purpose you know, to be your cushion.

8. Girls, and I’m sure you already know, EVERYONE LOVES your perfume. So go crazy on that bottle of knock-off No. 5 from the talad you bought the other day.

9. Kids. We know those backpacks are heavy. But please don’t rest them on the floor for your convenience. We like it when that thing bumps into the backs of our heads, and you being completely oblivious to the whole thing.

10. Despite multiple staircases, and in Siam, multiple escalators available, you should be lazy and take the same one as everyone else. Because you know, an escalator takes you places faster, even if it means you have to wait in line as long as the BTS itself.

I brought my birthday present, the Hello Kitty Fuji Instax Mini, with me. I took more photos than what’s shown here but some were stolen right from my hands when the camera spotted them out. Guess that’s the effect instant cameras have on people.

Bonus: Anyone can provide home for these kitties. The last batch from this Mommy Cat were “taken care of” by the condo management. I don’t want it to happen again. Just contacted SCAD but taking in strays isn’t exactly their focus. Please pass the word around. The babies are about a month old.

This?

For me, I get this:

That’s the reaction I got when I woke up to SMS reports of the Apple Unveiling event last night, sent with a (failed) attempt to wake me up for the show by @namizon.

Well good thing I didn’t wake up. Because in her last message out of all nine SMS’s, it says: “OK this is quite disappointing. Signing off now.”

And boy it is disappointing. This is the first new Apple product I am not excited about, even before the unveiling.

I had a tablet computer before. An HP. It’s pointless. You have to carry it like a clipboard to use it, so you can only use one hand, and not two like the iPhone. And even with the attached keyboard, you’d still need to use your fingers to navigate the screen. And if you don’t want to use the dock and wanna use it as a laptop, it would have to lie flat on your lap or table. I did not enjoy the tablet.

And I’m not going to enjoy it, even if it has Apple logo on it.

It’s not even an independent device. Like a big appendage to your Macbook, since you’ll still have to sync it with the main computer to transfer iTunes files. So it’s one big iPod Touch. Just clunkier and more expensive.

And I don’t know why people are upset about it not having a camera. Do you see yourself taking a photo with that thing? Very subtle.

iDisappointment.

I recently received an email newsletter from my favorite clothing store, The Old Story, informing me of its move to the new location, as well as showing off what the owner, P’ Ying, has been working on since the closure of the old outlet.

And since she didn’t BCC her customers, I could see all the email addresses of her die-hard fans.

And the list is too damn long.

But I’m not gonna be selfish. After all, if she gets no business, I get no clothes.

Her store is one of the most unique in the whole Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Perhaps even Bangkok. She designs and makes every piece by herself, with the help of her rockstar-looking boyfriend whom you would have never guessed could sew. Especially if you know the style of fashion in focus here.

1950s-1960s Vintage.

Think Mad Men in the psychedellic colors and patterns of Pushing Daisies.

According to the person who lived the era, my mom (OK she’s not that old but still closer to the period than I was) the fashion of the items here are nothing special. Things you’d find housewives wearing back in the day, not models. But the best thing about The Old Story is that they are faux-vintage, so you don’t have to deal with the holes and the musty smells like you do with real vintage clothes ie. ones that survived 40+ years.

She makes everything: dresses, skirts, blouses and even pants. Since I discovered the store, I’ve bought six blouses and shirts, two pairs of pants, four dresses and four skirts. I wish she would make shoes too so I can rebuild the whole wardrobe.

She was located near the MRT before but now the lot is gonna get bulldozed and turned into a DoiTung outlet, she then had to move further into the market in the competitive Lopburi area.

I’m going there tomorrow to grab the best pieces before the Lopburi shoppers start taking notice of her store and stop buying their Thonglor-appropriate attires and start getting on my bandwagon.

Here’s what I need to go home with at least:

www.futureme.org

Basically you just write an email to your future self. And if you sign up for an account, you can write more emails to more people and keep track of them.

Personally I just wanna forget it and be surprised when it arrives.

I just wrote one, complaining (like it’s any news) and basically giving a brief look into my current life, like a snapshot of what it is like right now. And I just set it to send to me the morning of my 25th birthday.

I wanna know how much things will have changed. Or not at all.

OK at first I said Facebook, blogging, Tumblr, and Twitter but in the end I could only stick to one.

And I realized how much I depend on Twitter. There were so many things I wish I could tweet/retweet and then I had to stop myself.

So to satisfy my craving for the past week, here’s what I wish I could tweet.

“Damn Time Machine is awesome. Combined with my equally awesome and cute WD drive, this is heaven.”

“Never cared for Twitter Lists much until this detox.”

“RT @macTweeter Gunman iPhone app merges LazerTag with augmented reality: http://bit.ly/8HUSeK”

“Is it time to start using Microsoft Office for Mac? Does it still suck?”

“BK Magazine got their dirty hands on Miss Jay Alexander: http://bit.ly/7z6NBK”

“Been using iPhoto ‘09 face detecting features. Why do they keep asking if I’m someone else?”

“Wow the Lin Ping craze just took a creepy turn. Found this at a bakery near the office. [TwitPic]
”

“Got so bored tried to force people to Skype Video with me. Got three victims.”

“Bought a B40 Kit Kat. Comes with two packs and a free Kit Kat shaped pen!”

“So the Honeymoon+travel English edition is finally out after…9 months. With only ONE of my articles on it. Oi!”

“BKK you’re being ridiculous. Being gloomy on the last day of work does not encourage me to be at the office at all.”

“Oh hell yeah! GLEE is coming to Star World Jan 20!”

“Going Club Culture for the NYE. Expect free drinks at midnight. But then since I can’t tweet no one is gonna know about this surprise.”

OK I cheated. I’ve been jotting down those tweets and reading the updates. But it was fun being an observer for a change. I did go through a day without opening Tweetie, both on the Macbook and the iPhone, and that was my proudest moment. I didn’t feel incomplete as I thought I would. And once you’ve missed a heapload of tweets you just can’t be bothered going back reading them all like you would when you missed a few hours.

Happy New Year, by the way.

And don’t give me the excuse “I’m too old to learn,” if you’re still working in 2009, you need to keep up with the world.

I’m not asking you to crop photos for Facebook, or set up a Twitter account to link with your Flickr. These are workplace basics that you need to know to survive.

I have been to so many meetings with marketing managers, sales managers, god-knows-what managers and I can’t even count how many times their PowerPoint presentations are shown through the editing screen, not the full-screen viewer. So when they had to change a page, they had to click one from the list on the side. Then why didn’t you just make a Word document? And one just almost happened today. If I hadn’t introduced the magic of F5, it would have been very embarrassing.

I remember having a meeting with a very famous and respectable hotel chain, who came to present to us their new venture. Brought in professionally dressed team, who then instead of whipping out a laptop to connect with our projector, they rolled out a stack of four presentation boards, with taped printouts on them.

Is it just Thailand? Is it only the Thai companies and employees that refuse to go along with the world’s development? Most job postings nowadays the very least require a knowledge of Microsoft Office, and to know there are still people of some form of authority and seniority in a company who are clueless about these basics, it’s just shocking.

Maybe because most Thai bosses are treated, and expect to be treated, like gods, and the trivial tasks of learning to bold your texts are just too beneath them.

I’m glad that so far I have only been blessed with new generation bosses who see employees as teammates and not subordinates. If I had to work in a working environment like the one I had a meeting with today, I would rather live in a cave than having to grin and bare with big-haired, silk suit wearing all-knowing beings’ constant stream of “how do I make the alphabets darker?” or “please make it big big on the screen” kind of surprises.