It's finally that time of year when Bangkokians can reference the infamous Game of Thrones tagline without irony. But while winter signifies doom and gloom in the fantasy show, it's more of a cause for celebration in our tropical land. Heck, we deserve it after roughly 11 months of wielding our umbrellas to dodge sunlight and raindrops. In the spirit of the breezy days, here are some unique elements that contribute to a very Bangkok winter:
1. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts are all dedicated to updates about the cool weather, no matter how inane. You'll see statuses about people eating soup because it's "freeeeezing", pictures of sweaters and boots that have been dug out of storage, and, of course, screenshots of the temperature clogging up your newsfeed. Let's not forget all the overused "Winter is Coming" mentions, as demonstrated by the very creative title of this article.
2. When you're not busy showing your ability to deduce weather conditions on social media, you're out documenting the holiday decorations at the many shopping malls in the city. Despite the fact that Christmas displays are basically the same every year, you will push past the crowd to get a selfie in front of the Xmas tree and wait in line to get a picture sitting in a sleigh.
3. Along with people getting into the holiday spirit, doggy clothing sales go through the roof as every miniature-pet owner tries to break the internet by posting pictures of their Pomeranian wearing a Santa hat. You also no longer feel sorry for dogs with tons of fur who seem to be panting through the rest of the year's brutal heat.
4. Even though you appreciate the festive cheer around town, you find yourself nearing a nervous breakdown when you're forced to listen to the annoying Christmas music playing on repeat in department stores. You may feel slightly guilty for wondering how the sound of children singing could drive you to insanity, make a crack about how we're a Buddhist country, but then make yourself feel better by taking advantage of all the holiday sales.
5. Luckily, you realise you can tune out the not-so merry jingles by purchasing fuzzy earmuffs, which suddenly have become the logical sales item for street vendors, along with scarves, beanies and sweaters.
6. Obviously you buy one of the plush earmuffs (bonus points if it's animal-shaped) and wear it to work to match the fuzzy bedroom slippers you keep at your desk. This is also the time of year that employees finally get a chance to don their expensive North Face jackets outside of work even though the outdoor temperature is nowhere near as cold as the office air-con.
7. And as if by magic, the weather also means that a two-second walk from the main door to the elevator no longer results in you showing up to your desk with a sweat-soaked shirt. That now only happens when you're stuck waiting for hours to find a taxi on the street.
8. But even if you can't hail a cab, the breeze boggles your brain to make you think you actually want to ride in a tuk-tuk and feel the cool smog brush against your face. So against your better judgment, you convince yourself it'll be fun to sit in the three-wheeled monstrosity since daddy never bought you a convertible.
9. No matter your mode of transportation (even that mythical thing known as "walking" becomes prevalent this time of year!), you relish in all the places you can go during this pleasant season. Beer gardens start sprouting all over the city, there are more outdoor music festivals, and even sitting at a rooftop bar finally comes with elusive wafts of air.
10. You spend your time at these places discussing how nice the weather is with your friends. The conversation sounds something like "Wow, it's actually kind of chilly", "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's kinda nippy out", and "Whoa, my armpits don't know how to respond to cool temperatures." To a lesser extent, some of you may also be saying "Grr, too bad we can't enjoy shisha with this nice weather anymore", but alas, that's a different story.
11. As you finish your 11th alcoholic beverage while getting swept up in the city's cool embrace, you realise time has just flown by. However, you're actually excited to go home and sleep with the windows down and can't wait to finally bust out your sweatpants. Ah, winter, the best time of year… until you wake up in a puddle of perspiration because it goes just as fast as it comes.