Sony a900 & Minolta 35mm f1.4 G Test : Is it a Shop? Is its a restaurant? Is it a gallery? No...It's Happened To Be A Closet

The second you step into this...er...place, you will immediately be wondering where you are. This place definitely has it's own thing going on, but maybe you should have expected this if you had taken a look at it's name, I mean it's not everyday that so see a name like "It's Happened To Be A Closet".

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This...brand...started off as a clothing store/restaurant/hair salon (yes you read that right), all compacted into a rather small space. Even with the clothing store part on it's own this place would still have plenty of character. Selling it's own designs of weird(to me anyways but it is selling extremely well, so well in fact that the store has now got several branches) handmade outfits. Even the store layout and arrangement is somewhat unique as you can probably tell from the pictures. The store is decorated with vintage furniture and antique pieces, and the cloths themselves are...well... different, on top of that there is just so much clothing that there are hugh piles of them everywhere. 

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But it's not for the fashion that I came, I mean a yellow t-shirt is pushing at the limit of my comfort zone, so I don't think there are any outfits here that I would dare wear in public. I came because I have been told by many people that "It's Happened To Be A Closet" serves some very nice Italian food. So today I came to the original branch located in Siam Square (a shopping district where teenagers and hip people hang out) for the authentic experience. I mean I have walked passed other branches and they looked like regular restaurants, not so here. Here...well it's like you are having food serve to you in the middle of a large walk in closet.

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This place must have one powerful ventilation system. I mean with so much clothing everywhere aren't they worried about getting the smell of food and cooking on them? Oh well that's not for me to worry about. I have got more pressing matters to attend to, like eating some delicious food.

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I got to say I love good bread, and the complimentary bread here is amazing. I could  just have them as a meal by themselves.

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Fattening up for the winter here in Thailand...well that's my excuse anyway.

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I have got to say, to all those people who have been recommending this place to me, it did not disappoint. The food was great and so was the unique experience. It's not everyday that you get to eat good food in this kind of setting, well actually it's not everyday that you get to be in this kind of setting at all. So If you happen to be around Siam Square in Bangkok, I suggest you go give this place a visit, it's located in Siam Square Soi 3.

Here's their website if you need more information or directions http://itshappenedtobeacloset.wordpress.com

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Sony a900 & Minolta 35mm f1.4 G Test : People Flooding The Shops In Thailand

The sign reads "SALE", but that's not the reason why everything is sold out

Excuse the pun, but with the recent mass floodings going on throughout Thailand people have been stocking up on supplies. Currently everyone has been talking about how water from the north is heading for Bangkok and it is only a matter of time before we revert back to being "the Venice of the East". Having lived in Bangkok for the last three decades there has never been a flooding situation where people couldn't go out to get food and water, so I was laughing at these crazy people who keeps telling me to stock up for at least a month's worth of supplies. Having been to the supermarket recently however, maybe I'm the crazy one because whole shelves in the food and beverages section were just completly empty. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Contagion" I just saw. Oh well I guess we will find out.

I Wish Bangkok Had More Trees

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I have been to many cities around the world where there were plenty of trees and plants all around. For me it makes such a difference and really bring "life" to the place. It is amazing how walking around surrounded by nature can really calm you down from the busy and stressful city life.

Sony a900 & Minolta 35mm f1.4 G Test : The Dreaded Miss Focused

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You have just managed to capture an image exactly as you wanted it. Your timing was perfect, the composition spot on, the light beautiful. You are smiling with satisfaction as your are checking your image and then.......Noooooo!!! Yes it's the dreaded miss focused. For me it is one of the most annoying thing, because it is like being so close but yet so far and there is nothing you can do to fix it. 

Like the picture of the cat above, "always focus on the eyes", yeah easier said than done when you are shooting a stray cat that can't hold a pose and will run away as soon as it hears the shutter click. (In case you were wondering I miss focused on it's nose instead).

City Jams

Nope I'm not talking about some new form of music, although we do dance to it's tunes pretty much every working day. Yep...it's the dreaded rush hour traffic jams of the city, sometimes it makes me think that there must be a better way of life than this. I mean it's a universal problem that everyone seems to have come to accept that it's the way it is. Couldn't we try something new? Like maybe having slightly different working hours for everyone so that we will be on the road at different times?

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Funky Lighting

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Just saw these funky lamps in a supermarket...hmm...I wonder if they will look good in my house.

Low Light Compact Shots

In some situations trying to take your regular photographs are just almost impossible. Being in a bar with low mood lighting is one of them, especially when all you have is a compact camera (in this case I think I had a lumix). Still wanting to have something to remember my night by I tried a few different settings and a few different techniques. I think the technique that worked best was setting the flash to off, this cause the camera to set the exposure to about 5 seconds (there are no manual shutter speed and f stops settings). As I take the photograph I pan the camera across the room for about 2.5 seconds to get some nice light trails, then I hold the camera as still as I can on the subject I want for the remaining 2.5 seconds. Below is one of the resulting shots.

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And I Thought Bangkok Was Crowded

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After my trip to Japan walking around Bangkok feels like a peaceful stroll through the park. The only place I have been so far that I felt more like a sardine in a can was Hong Kong.

Sony a55 & Sony 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 Test : Humbling Sea

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It's nice in a funny way, how the sea makes you feel so small. Or maybe it's not so much that the sea makes you feel small, but that it makes you realize how large the world is, and that there is so much more to be seen (and take pictures of).

Emm...shouldn't the driver be looking at where he's going?