When Khunnai goes romantic Part 2

Khunnais,

It's OK if you CHOSE to spend Halloween night alone. After all, it's just a marketing trick to urge people to spend more on unnecessary costumes, candies, and any orange-and-black things that could relate back to the loosely-based tradition of spirit originated by some smart Americans just in some recent years.

Really, all you need is just a good internet connection & a genius thing called youtube if you don't have a date or (more likely) if you don't want to. And now, without further delay, let's dive deep into the world of romance with these amazing scenes that either cause you teary eyes or make your mind drift off to the land not exists on this planet.

When Harry Met Sally
Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?

I watched this one after other Meg's series coz when it first came out, I was still too innocent to the plot that a man and a woman cannot be friends if one finds another attractive.. because the sex part always gets in the way. It's so amazing how this assumption is still being discussed even till these days, talking about the power of pop culture. Anywu, we all admit that Harry is pretty ugly, and Sally is really beautiful. This again proves the point that women go beyond the look as long as the men are funny. Watch this scene when Harry ponders around NY city on new year's eve after not knowing what to do (so he did nothing) after spending the night with Sally and waking up beside her. He walked around and suddenly the song "It Had to Be You" just came up in the middle of nowhere. Then, he said something I (and the rest of the women who watched this movie) would never forget.



Romeo + Juliet

My only love sprung from my only hate.

"O Romeo.. Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Remember when you suddenly had a profound interest in Old English and Shakespeare? I remember. I also remember how exciting I was seeing Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet for the first time. The paradox of the setting, Shakespeare's English and pop music. That's why Romeo & Juliet was the only Shakespeare I could recite till these days. And who'd forget that very first moment when Romeo's and Juliet's eyes met, thru the glass of that giant fish tank. Leonardo was flirtatious, stubborn, sweet, daring. Claire Danes was pure, innocent, awkward, genuine, sweet. They were perfect. And then they died. And that's why it was so romantic.


(Watch this link for a better quality)

Love Actually
Love actually is all around.

Cameron Crowe was the first to come up with a romantic comedy with more than 1 couple in Singles (1992). But it was Love Actually that actually made this kind of movie a sub-genre within romantic comedies. There were 8 couples with 8 different love stories. Working Title, the genius behind practically every Brit RomCom, was hoping that everyone must identify with at least one out of eight. My most favorite was of course the unfulfilled one between the new bride and the groom's best friend. Watch when he came to tell her he loves her pretending to be Christmas Carrol (click to the link). Have plenty of time? Watch the whole story of Juliet & Mark.


The Notebook
Behind every great love is a great story.

We all know Nicholas Sparks writes sentimental love stories, which some tactless people call cheesy. Us emotional Khunnais call romantic. The extra special element about the Notebook, another best selling story of Sparks, was that it was crafted into a beautiful film. Somehow, the director brought the story to life with such a strong contention that we, too, believe that it was true love. And the swans. And the white house. And the dance on the street. And Ryan Gosling. What more can I say?

Watch when Noel asked Allison to dance to his "I will Remember You".


Watch the magic of the swans.


Watch when Noel asked Allison what she's gonna do now that she has to decide between him and her finance. Watch what he thinks about them.


Almost Famous
Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.

Is it possible that we talk about romantic movies and not having any of Crowe's masterpieces. We mentioned Singles and Say Anything a little bit. But Crowe deserves a whole full movie. And I pick Almost Famous because it is the most intimate, the most tender one of all. It has that child-like quality none of the rest of his movies have. And it has that tie to rock music that reminds all of us how silly we were when we were young. How we fell for teenage heartthrob. How we thought music & rock bands were more important than food & education. How we thought real love was the only love there is. Penny Lane has suffered for us. And she deserves the whole paragraph to tribute to her innocence. Watch this scene when she realizes she was not worth more than 50 bucks and a case of beer.



That should keep you busy for some time. Until the next episode of this, if you have some time, go out and experience the real thing. Maybe your story could be even more romantic than the ones in the movies. Who knows.

When Khunnai goes romantic

Khunnais,

From time to time, you might find yourself falling trap into the ambiguous thing called love or something felt weirdly similar. And then after a while, you find yourself unconsciously (and unwillingly) falling out of it. Don't get panic. The concept of love and romance can be recreated even when you are alone. It's the year 2000, anything can be done, honey.

You might have heard of this movie genre called "romantic comedy". But since we are khunnais, we don't just watch this formulaic film of this genre, but also watch other melodrama romance films. And when khunnai goes romantic, khunnai does it in style. The following are the scenes where khunnai is struck, speechless, wants to either laugh or cry (or both at the same time). They are not in any particular order, but they are all romantic.

The Age of Innocence
In a world of tradition. In an age of innocence. They dared to break the rules.

Archer and countess Olenska and their forbidden love in the high manner society of New York in 19th century. Aside from sumptuous costumes and settings, you would be attracted by the desire to express love and longing but unable to, so great that it's gonna burst. The entire movie was based on all these desires that they have to subside. Watch the scene where Archer simply taking off the button of countess Olenska's glove and gently kissed her hand. It's almost unbearable to watch.

Watch this video @ 2:20


Four Weddings and a Funeral
He's quite engaging. She's otherwise engaged.

Back in time when Hugh Grant didn't have so many crow's feet on his face. We were introduce to him in this movie and, boy, how much we have adored him ever since. In Four Weddings, he was awkwardly charming, he was the epitome of Peter Pan syndrome. We knew the type, yet we still fall for them anyway. Watch the scene when Charles was fumblingly telling Carrie he loves her, trying to compare to David Cassidy (his hit song was "I think I love you".) Finally he kinda knew what he felt, thou slightly too late since he was just done seeing her trying her wedding dress & all. It was adorable and therefore effortlessly romantic.

Watch this video @6:25


Sleepless in Seattle
What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?

Before Kate Hudson, Katherine Heigl, Anne Hathaway, there was Meg Ryan, a queen of romantic comedy (before she decided to pursue drama and failed miserably and injected too much botox into her lips). In this movie, it was the second time she paired up with Tom Hank. We love the pair, thou, quite magically they barely were in the scenes together. And that's why we think it is so romantic. The plot plays with cheesiness so much so that it became so not cheesy and just plain romantic. Watch the scene when Sam was talking about his deceased wife. I mean... I was dump-folded. And I was 15.

Watch this clip.


Before Sunset
What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?

I love them both, Sunrise & Sunset. But Sunset is more bitter, thus more romantic :) There are tons of phrases that knock you down like getting punched in a face. There are lines like:

'Memories are wonderful things, if you don't have to deal with the past.'
'I guess when you're young, you just believe there'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times.'
'You can never replace anyone,because everyone is made of such beautiful specific details.'

Again, I love the entire movie, but romantically? OK, let's see 2 clips.

Watch @ 4:10 and watch the clip below to fully get what it feels like to be Celine



High Fidelity
A comedy about fear of commitment, hating your job, falling in love and other pop favorites.

He's done it in Say Anything, he did it again in High Fidelity. John Cusack, The ultimate guy next door. The movie, which based on the book of the same name written by Nick Hornby (who is a wonderful author), is a must for every music lover. If you the type that creates mixed tape (or mixed CD or iPod playlists, depending on the generation), if you the type that is pop culture junkie, you watch too many movies, listen to too many songs, read too many novels, then you'll probably love this movie. The movie opens with this:

'What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?'

Watch this scene when Rob proposes to Laura, but of course in Rob's way. I happen to think it's one of the most romantic proposal I've ever witnessed on big screens.


And those are only 5 movies. I still have many more in the list. Let's have episode 2 on this, khunnais. Till then, if love doesn't come knocking on your door, go rent (or download) these 5 movies and watch them over & over & over...

The One Hundred: A guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own

Almost one year later I visited bookshop at Triennale, Milan's design museum, and found another book from Nina (doesn't that sound like we're friends, eh?). This time it's:

The One Hundred: A guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia
This time a silver book, thicker in width, and deeper in content. The little black book was like an introduction to style, so this book is the perfect sequence to getting into the 'details'.

Khunnais, how often do you admire your closet? Be honest. And have you ever wondered whether you've got everything necessary? Maybe it's good to check up with this "One Hundred". It was so rewarding when you come across the ones in the list that you, too, regard of important things a girl must own and you yourself own in large quantity (in my case, A-Line Dress, Ballet Flat, Belts, Bikini, Black Opague Tights, Boyfriend cardigan, Cashmere sweater..let me stop at C). It was also enjoying to see the ones that is out of your style boundary (if you are the type of person that's already established your style). It triggers you to think that maybe you can also add that to your already large list of things to buy.

I would never thought of buying Animal Print, Aviator sunglasses, Converse, Charm bracelet, Man's white shirt, for example.

She also gives you the "how" to wear each piece, and some tips of how the craze of that piece started. So, khunnais, you will also get to learn some history of fashion, or in the bigger picture, pop culture.

Let me tell you which piece of the One Hundred triggered me to buy it. It was the piece # 40. Investment Bag. She says,

This is the bag that you can spend a few weeks' salary on and not feel guilty (or you shouldn't, anyway). It is going to last you a lifetime, will never go out of style, and will only get better with age. I always say that there are only a handful that are worth your money.

1. The Chanel 2.55
2. LV speedy
3. The Jackie O
4. The Birkin

These four bags are the staple items in every khunnai-to-be wish list. I've been dreaming of the Chanel 2.55 for about two years now, and still couldn't pull together buying a bag worth almost 2k. But I know I will buy it some day. I'm just waiting for the moment. I will have to blog about this one on its own.
The book again comes with pretty illustrations by Ruben Toledo, so it's the book you enjoy reading & looking. It also comes with links to related websites and so on. All in all a good book to refer to fashion-wise.

Oh did I tell you how delighted I was that I discovered Castaner on my own (with a little help from P' Fah, the Bangkokian style icon I know and love) and it happened to be also the chosen brand espadrilles (the ultimate summer shoe to wear with sundress) on this book. I bought 2 pairs this summer at my favorite shoe shop Luca on Via corso Vercelli.



To end the blog, I'll quote the piece # 68: Polo Shirt, which I found hilarious.

...It found its way into the urban jungle when the fashionistas began embracing all things prep and geek. Of course, to give it a fashion look, the prepster/geek uniform should not be copied too literally: it should be stepped up into an entirely new fashion level. (Note: No uniform should never be copied to literally -- everything has to be stepped up and made unique. Everything.)

I happen to have 6 classic polo shirts and unaccountable adaptations of those classics. That's all...

The Little Black Book of Style

Khunnais,

Who says khunnais do not read books? We do. Once in a while when we are free of socializing events, fashion weeks, day-long shopping adventure, weekend getaway to 10-course eating trips, etc etc. That's when we have time to sit down and read something.

And when we read, we read something worthy.

Something written by a role model of our time like Nina Garcia, a former fashion editor of Elle Magazine, and the poshest commentator from the fabulous show Project Runway.
I read two of her books so far. One is:
The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia
A book, small one, dressed in black, full of principles of how to dress in style and why that matters. This book talks about dressing up at a conceptual level. She's not saying that you have to follow every season of fashion. She's saying that how you dress defines who you are, and gives you some guidance if you want to really dress in style.

I like her writing, because it is not forceful. She is not trying to reprimand you. She just uses her experience to give you some tips, if you allow her so. And so that's exactly how you shld take this book, not as a bible, but as an easy read to reassure your sense of style. Within the book, she would quote something smart like:

What you wear is how you presents yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.

MIUCCIA PRADA

Then she adds something like..

A style icon knows
- How to edit.
- To invest in "the bones" (the classic trench, the little black dress, cashmere cardigans or turtleneck..).
- To buy with drama. If she falls in love, she takes it home.
- The utmost importance of shoes. Lots of shoes.
- The power of accessories.
- A good tailor.
- How not to be the fashion victim.
- It is not about the money.
- How to mix it up.
- How to be imperfect.

And who could argue her with that?

I stood at the book shop browsing thru it for 5 mins and I knew that this lady knows what she's talking about. Btw, the illustrations are very style-appropriate. So the book itself is also stylish, and very fun to read in toilets, in airplane, or during bad dates. I will write about her other book in the next blog. And will end with her lasting words from this book:

...you will find that style comes from adoring yourself enough to dress up for you and you alone. Because, in the end you are the only judge that really matters. Style is a matter of finding out who you are are and who you want to be in the world. I hope you choose to be fabulous, daring, fun, inspired, and yourself.

...and a quote.

If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody.

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

If you think you are a bad luck charm to the trip, think again

Sure there could be a series of unfortunate events that might point into the same direction that something (badly) unexpected always happen, when you, khunnai, are part of that activity.

It might seem like you are some kind of a bad luck charm to whatever trip or event you want to go. When you happened to buy MJ last concert tour in London and booked the flight to go to London for the weekend, MJ just happened to die two weeks before the concert. So you ended up going to London anyway seeing just O2 stadium without even the shadow of MJ. (Not to mention that you missed stupid Ryan Air flight and the lovely weekend seemed not so lovely afterward -- more on Ryan Air cautions later)

When you happened to buy a ticket to Rock concert festival just because you want to see Oasis which was supposed to be the last band performing, Noel Gallagher decided to quit Oasis 2 days before the concert. And since it was a concert festival, the other bands were still playing, and so you wouldn't get the money back. So you went anyway to see small little bands you never heard any of their music and Deep Purple (who came to replace Oasis) trying to survive playing rock concert in their 60's. And you wondered how Deep Purple and Oasis are so much in similarity.

When you bought the plane tickets, booked the hotel, booked the car, planned all the agenda (or when someone else in the trip was kind enough to do all that for you) for the weekend in Palermo, Sicily, the ever diverse part of Italy, there happened to be pouring rain that caused flood & mudslide into the region. And you had to cancel at the last minute everything you planned (or someone else in the trip was kind enough to cancel everything for you). And you walked home with the luggage you stayed up thoughtfully prepared each wardrobe one by one the night before. And you ended up blogging about the entire story.

If there are more than 3 similar stories happening to you, you think you probably have something to do with it. Oh gosh... isn't that terrible? First, MJ died. Then Oasis split up. Then there was a flood in Sicily. Were they all because of you? Shld you keep all this to yourself or tell your friends coz if they knew, they wouldn't go to any trip with you anymore.

May I say, khunnais, regardless of how likely the situation is shaped to be, it's not because of you, dear. No matter how much you would like the world to circle around you, if you're not as "hot" as the sun, the world would not do so. And I know you're gonna argue on the level of hotness you possess. You can't win over the sun. So MJ died because he had a heart condition thing. Oasis split up because of Liam and Noel (and not you!). There was flood in Sicily because there was a lot of rain.

It might be fun to use this to test the real friendship with your friends -- to see which ones still wanna go with you even though you are a bad luck charm to the trip. Thou I doubt that anyone would not want to travel with such an over-dramatic, self-absorbed, yet ever more entertaining khunnai like you!

P.S. The intention for this article was meant to lighten up, so my apology if it offends anyone. Please note that it is not done on purpose at all. And I really hope the situation in Sicily gets better very soon.

How to avoid hair fiasco when going to salon

Khunnais, we all agree that hair is not everything in life, right? There are so many other things in life that we all should pay attention to, like job, health, food, parents, boyfriend (or the lack thereof), or world peace.

But wait a minute.. as in the old saying, "hair is not everything in life, but it is a good place to start."

All things considered, every khunnai knows how disastrous things can go when the trip to your favorite salon has gone nowhere but wrong, wrong, wrong. And if you are a real khunnai, you would stay true to yourself and experiment with your hair every once in a while. It's so boring to stick to the same old hair for more than 2 years. And not every experiment turns out to be a good one. So here are some whats-not-to-do to avoid salon-gone-wrong fiasco.

Never, ever get a bang unless you are either really beautiful or really quirky
You have to be on the either end of the spectrum. Or else you're screwed. Bangs really suit edgy faces. Whenever your hairstylist takes the scissors and starts to chop your fringe, be very watchful. It doesn't matter how long you guys know each other. He can still stab you in the back, just like that. And let me warn you, hair once is gone, is gone. You'll get it back, not earlier than 2 months. And if your circle of friends enjoy sarcastic jokes, that horrendous hair bang will forever be the joke of the year, or longer.
OK, if you really want to experiment, try first when long bangs, really close to your eyes, longer than your brows. And then if you want shorter, just go from there.

If you want to curl your hair, go for BIG curls
Curls are nice, aren't they? They give you that bounciness, volume, making you look more feminine & sweet. Well... that works when they look naturally curly and that comes from when your hair stylist uses BIG rolls to curl your hair. So again... be on the watch when he brings small ones. Don't ever be afraid that you'd be rude. It's your head so you'd better have some rights not to like what he's doing.

If you mess up with the first perm, don't fix it by getting the second perm
That will just kill your hair. And it doesn't guarantee that the second one will be any better. It might seem like a silly warning. But trust me, a woman with hair salon disaster would do anything to fix it, even it sounds unbelievably ridiculous like getting a second perm. So be warned. Getting your hair permed twice in a week just makes your hair look & feel like a floor brush. And none of the expensive conditioner/ mask would fix it. You then have to wait for the new grown hair. There is this technique that you can get your tightly curls loosened. It doesn't kill your hair like a second perm, ask for that.

Think hard about coloring & highlight
Coloring & highlight can really make women look brighter, younger, more lively, etc etc. It could also easily go wrong. The simplest rule would be to go for just slightly lighter than your original color. If you have black hair, go for shades of brown, if you want to do highlight, go for lighter brown, but not blond, NEVER blond. Instead, ask for 'lowlight' instead of highlight.

I say so coz I've done so. Just for your info, I have permed my hair with small rolls and had my beautiful fringe cut so short. I hated my hair so much that I went to get the second perm and almost blond highlight, came back home and hated my hair even more. I went to another salon within a week to have them loosen my curl. My hair was in a nowhere land where no conditioner can fix. Only after one year that all my new hair has grown, and I was able to cut off all the curls, that my hair is ever healthy again. So, yes, you can listen to me, khunnais.

Two weeks after my worst hair fiasco (cute kid cannot help)

Six weeks after (still unheathy look)

4 months after: No highlights, just color, see how healthier the hair looks

Only after 1 year that the hair looks naturally curly

For big, important cut, go to familiar hair stylist, or invest, it's worth it
We all know what it means "big cuts". Sometimes we go to just get our fringe trimmed, to get your new grown hair colored, that's not "big cuts". When you go to change your hair style, and hoping to come out of the salon with a changed life, that's the big cut. For those big cuts, pls khunnais, go to the ones you know you can trust. Famous/ expensive/ busy hairstylists are famous/ expensive/ busy for a reason, a good one most of the time. Be patient. Book him properly. You don't want to 'just get it over with' for this. Oh, and for times like this, go dressed in a good dress with some makeup you'd wear regularly (if he doesn't know you well). He'd then know your sense of style and know what to do (and not to do) with your hair.

When you want to move from hair above to hair below, that's a big cut.

Oh well, after all, experiment and have fun. It's another testament to see who really loves you just as you are (and not just when you have a good hair day:)

How to strike a conversation with your foreign friends

Have you ever wonder how to make new friends in a new country where you don't have so many friends, khunnai? Or have you ever run out of what to say to your colleagues, new friends or even strangers? No you don't need to be good at sports, joining the gymm, or holding a sushi party like Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. All you need, really, is you and your tongue. OK, don't get too carried away, what I really mean is your mother-tongue language.

There must be many strange & funny differences between the language you speak and English. There is something innocent about teaching & learning languages. It's like you are inviting another person to get to know you slightly better. So, khunnai, next time when you're stuck at the bar not knowing what to say to a cute foreigner, just teach him some Thai, or Vietnamese, or Tagalog, or Bahasa, or whatever. You're always right coz he doesn't know what's right or wrong anyway.

It's cute, easy, fun, interactive, and engaging. Here are some Thai lessons you can start teaching some foreign friends:

1. ma, ma~, ma+
ma = to come; ma~ = a horse; ma+ = a dog
There are 5 levels of sound in Thai language, and so you could have upto 5 different words with the same basic sound. It becomes even funnier when you try to say that a dog comes to a horse. See this video for a proof.

2. Bangkok
The full name of Bangkok is listed in Guinness Book to be the longest name of any place. There's a Thai song for the name so that young people can memorize it. Usually your foreign friends would drop their jaws since "Phop Nopparat Ratchathanee..." You can even make some money out of it by making a bet before saying it.

3. 4 basic things in life
This one is a newfound one (#1 and #2 have been used again & again). There are so many Thai sayings. So many good ones too. But this saying is about 4 basic things in life that every human needs. They rhyme, so they are easy for foreigners to memorize. They are "Kin, Khee, Pee, Norn". Wow.. it seems less dirty in written karaoke! Well.. they mean "to eat, to take a poop, to ****, to sleep". You can guess the 3rd one. This one is really fun coz people always like something a little dirty.

That should get the balls rolling, really. Remember that us fellow khunnais don't have to try too hard on anything, but a little bit of tips never hurt anyone. But if they are still not interested, then maybe you need to find new friends.

How to pack like a Khunnai #1

As a typical Khunnai would do, having been to so many trips, you probably come up with a set of rules of how to pack in the most khunnai way.

1. Whenever possible, use wheeled luggage.
Don't ever think that you are able to carry shoulder luggage. No you can't. Not more than 15 minutes anyway. Not with all your heavy toiletries and makeup, no. Just go w/ wheeled luggage even if it's a two-day trip and people say you are exaggerating. Extra weight on shoulder doesn't worth it.

2. Throw in another shoulder bag, just in case.
What I mean is.. throw in another Longchamp le pliage traveling bag.
It's foldable so it doesn't eat up your space. And you know, khunnai, that once 2-3 days passed, your luggage is not as neat as when you pack. And, oh, you might shop a few things throughout your trip, so an extra bag is wise. A chic foldable extra bag is genius.

3. Only use traveling sets for toiletries
A true khunnai on the move is a little obsessed about traveling sets. Coz you don't want to carry all heavy bottles, do you? That doesn't mean that you have to compromise on your cleaning & beauty regime. If you live in the UK (or Thailand for that matter), go to Boots. They carry loads of traveling sets for everything. If you live in the cities where you can't easily find Boots, thank god there's Muji where there are all sorts of small bottles for everything, and they're very good quality. So you can simply put your Kerastrase conditioner in the tiny bottle. Also, now, many major brands understand this dilemma & come out with traveling sets. You can find them easiest (and cheapest) in Duty Free shops. I'm sure you can find Estee, Clinique, Lancome, Biotherm, Clarin, and so forth. Even Prada toiletries does traveling set, cheapest at Space outlet, 1 hr from Florence.

4. Maybe it's time to invest in another set of brushes
Khunnais, it's time to get a made-for-travel brush set and simply toss it when you pack. With brushes & makeup, there's one dilemma that you have to use them the morning before traveling. So you risk forgetting to pack your brushes and losing them throughout your trip. Are you sure you can afford that?
Laura Mercier does a good job putting together a traveling brush set, good quality set at good price. Khunnai, do me a favor, leave your larger-than-life brush set at home. You don't want to risk losing your lifetime investment.

5. Pack makeup sets in stead of makeup pieces.
We know you love your eye shadows & your blushes. But you don't have to bring all 40 colors of yours, in fact, you can't possibly wear them all anyway. So go for the collection ones. Pack according to seasons. For spring/summer trips, pack bright colors. For fall/winter trips, pack smokey colors. Remember thou, to pack light shimmers coz they work for all seasons. You can get nice collection sets during December. More on that later.

6. Leave leather bags at home, take a cloth (&chic) one.
We know how much you love your leather bags. They look great on photos too. But they are damn heavy. And during trips that you have to walk more than 6 hours a day, you don't want to do that to your shoulder, khunnais. It's also a great excuse to buy a new bag :) Oh, in this case, don't use Longchamp thou. Coz everybody else would. Go for something slightly less used. Umm.. Prada does a nice job for this fall collection.

That's all for today, khunnais, next time we'll talk more of how to pack clothes.

What NOT to do to end the conversation with the guy sitting opposite you in the train

I have to admit that traveling by train has some romanticism attached to it somehow. Yes it is a mass transportation, but it's not all bad. Especially Eurostar or EScity train which I'd recommend to all khunnai's out there that it shld be your one & only option should you need to travel in Europe by train during summer. Khunnai's, listen..

Don't ever think that you can tolerate regional trains. Don't pretend to be easy-going, down-to-earth, and backpacky coz you're not! Regional trains are non air-conditioned, so it is hot like hell, stuffy, smelly, dirty, loud, and slow. Did I mention smelly? And by smelly, I mean really really smelly.

So of course, when you need to choose which train to ride to go see an 'opera' in an open-air arena in Verona which is an annual opera festival that runs for 87 years, of course you'd go with a Eurostar train even though that means you'd have to ride the train alone. After all, riding the train alone is not so bad, you'd think. Maybe you'd bump into an Ethan Hawk like in Before Sunrise...

Well, khunnai's, what would you do if that actually happened? If there was a guy trying to catch your eyes until even a self-absorbed person like you could notice, and as soon as you looked up from the book you pretended to read, he started talking to you, about Verona, the opera you were about to watch, how wonderful Italy and Verona, where he came from, is, etc, etc. Let's assume you were not in the mood for Jessy search (Ethan's character in Sunrise). Thou he seemed nice and you enjoyed talking to him. You just wanted to be left alone, and not talking to a stranger for god knows how much longer. Khunnai's, listen:

Don't pretend to sleep to end the conversation with a nice guy sitting opposite to you.

...coz you might actually sleep.

And by the time you heard the train saying Verona station, you just woke up, and your conscience was not fully active. So you see that same guy getting up and out of the train, waving you a goodbye, you immediately thought that there might be 2 stations in Verona. Coz why wouldn't he tell you that that was Verona station and you shld get out with him, right? Khunnai's, I have to tell you this:

Don't pretend to sleep to turn the guy off and expect that he'd still be nice to you.

It's OK. So you thought there were 2 stations in Verona. Turned out there is only one, and you missed it. The nice guy turned out not so nice coz he didn't even try to remind you that you have to get off at Verona if you want to watch an opera in Verona. So what? So you'd get off at the next station and buy the ticket to come back to Verona. And you'd tell this story to warn other fellow khunnai's to handle the not-so-nice guy more gracefully when time like this comes.

One of the scenes from Tosca, missing-the-train fiasco was all worth it.

Shampoo without really shampooing, really?!?

Really!

It's ok to tell yourself that you just have to wake up & brush your teeth to look like this (or even to others -- if they believe you). But the truth is you have to wake up before other ppl to go thru your extremely sophisticated network of activities to look like what you look like everyday. Esp the day you have to wash your hair, which is, let's face it, pretty often.

And how do you look the days you don't wash your hair? Well... if you were born lucky with perfect hair even when you don't wash your hair for 3 days, you're one f**k**g lucky khunnai. If not, join the group.

Or not!

Listen khunnais, listen carefully,

From now on you can remain being a lazy khunnai, waking up late, not washing hair everyday and still looking oh-so-fabulous.

I discovered this product about two weeks ago at Sephora. It's a shampoo without really shampooing. How does it work? Just spray on your hair close to the scalp and it will absorb oil on your hair & scalp and build volume. So you look exactly like how you look the day you wash your hair. I bought Sephora own-brand one at around 10 euro for 150 ml, which will prob last for 3-4 weeks given I use it every other day.

And it works. I wouldn't lie to my fellow khunnais (Swear on my Prada white deerskin handbag.) Much better than the grandma's secret of using talc.

So today I browsed in Sephora website, and guess what. There's a whole new subsegment in hair products called "dry shampoo" with many formats: talc, talc + brush, spray. It even has a moisturizer! Retail price is $10 - $25, and with only niche brands. Thou I'm not surprised if mass brands like Pantene, Sunsilk, or L'Oreal would come out with one within 6 months.

So go forth to Sephora near you. Or to illegal imported product shops near you if there's no Sephora. It will give you extra half an hour of sleep 3 more days a week (or extra half an hour to party the night before!). What about the days you go up the mountain and there's no hot water? You have fine fragrance to fix your body odor. Now your hair doesn't have to compromise. And we know khunnais like us would never compromise on anything, would we?

One example from Sephora website:
http://www.sephora.com/browse/section.jhtml?categoryId=C17780

T3 Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo

What it does:
This waterless spray cleans hair without water—absorbing oil and eliminating odor while adding instant lift and volume. Available in three color tones: blonde, brunette, and auburn, Refresh blends in seamlessly with natural hair color without the powdery residue and is totally healthy for hair with its Vitamin B6 formulation. The perfected aerosol design allows a precise and even application without the mess.

What else you need to know:
Washing your hair every day increases your chances of losing your hair's precious moisture. Give thirsty strands a break and promote full, thick hair that looks and feels healthy with this volumizing dry shampoo rich in Vitamin B6. Suitable for all hair types, especially for those with fine, limp, or oily hair; it combines well with any styling tool.

Never take a train in Italy without buying a ticket

Or I may say..

Never take a train in Italy hoping to buy a ticket in the train.

You might be able to do that in other European countries, but not Italy, dear. Even when you use your broken Italian asking the conductor whether you can buy in the train and he says that you can but you have to pay extra. Do assume "extra" means 4x face value of your ticket price.

I know... some of you non-khunnais might be saying that this would never happen to you. Of course, it would not happen to ppl who arrive early to buy tickets properly, and have time to stamp the tickets (which is another important thing for you, khunnai!), buy water & snack, and magazine, and even extra time to shoot photos of the train station.

A real khunnai needs to wash & blowdry her hair and pick the right dress and match the bag with the dress and the accessories. So of course, she's gonna be late. Plus she cannot run so much because it is absolutely an unposh thing to do.

It's OK, khunnai, we understand you. Heard of 'rather be later than never'? Now it's about 'rather be later than being fined in the train in front of a lot of people'. This is especially more embarrassing and frustrating when the train is really packed and you have to pay so much to stand in the train that smells ... like anything (more on that later).

So sit back & relax. And wait for the next train. Do not run after the train. It won't stop for you. Or if it does, don't get in without a stamped ticket. The world is cruel, and even a khunnai like you cannot get away this time.

The day Khunnai Guide is born

khunnai

1 entry found
Main Entry: khun·nai
Pronunciation: \ˈkün-ˈnī\
Function: Noun
Date: Since Eve was introduced to the world

1. A female who enjoys living a life involves around comfort, luxury, and pleasure.
2. A female who thinks the world circles around her, thus her well-being is her utmost and absolute matter that cannot be compromised.
3. A state of being that cannot be altered regardless of surroundings around her, as in the old saying, "Once khunnai, always a khunnai".


We all know that an ultimate place to live a khunnai lifestyle is Bangkok, where you can go for a massage every week, where going to gym means you don't have to bring your own towel, where mass transportation is a rare adventure, where you don't have to compromise the frequency you want to eat sushi, and where you can shop every single day of your life and still not turn broke. What if your life is destined to be out of Bangkok? What if someone up there meant for you to 'go out' and 'explore'?

That's exactly what happened to me more than a year ago. And so I thought.. living in Europe doesn't mean that you have to compromise your khunnai-ness. No, rather, I should compile what is absolutely necessary for other khunnais out there who still wants to travel & live like a khunnai out of Bangkok. To be more specific, where else can be a better place than Milano, Italy and Europe, right? So read on, fellow khunnais, and remember that it is always in you, coz "once khunnai, always a khunnai".