I rewrote this story a hundred times over text already so I am just getting it online but burying it in the back of my website so no one can easily track it down.
It all starts with this photo:
Well actually, starts with a night market art fair in Bangkok about a week ago. I walk though, get some Mu Ping (หมูปิ้ง) grilled pork on a stick. I debate buying just the smallest piece of durian but it was a Friday and I didn’t want to be burping that up all night while I was out with friends. So I peruse the aisles of the market, fragrant with crispy pork belly and fresh fruit juices. I spot some young adults making these great water color portraits. They were realistic, a touch of anime style maybe, but really unique. I stood there and admired this one artist for a while and was quite impressed by his skill. The artwork itself was also pretty affordable too, so win-win, right?
I learned they would be there a while so I took the artist’s info and got to thinking, my husband’s birthday was around the corner so how fun would it be to have our portrait done and have it hanging up as a surprise waiting for when we get back from our hike in Sapa, Vietnam. Perfect! I’m a genius.
So I go home, sit at my kitchen table, and start scrolling through the bowels of my virtual catalog. I get inspired by a magazine cover I had recently archived- I kinda was hoping for something that, in illustrated form, would look like this:
I wasn’t looking for a carbon copy of this magazine cover but you get the idea. Neither Kyriacos or I have the bodies of supermodels but we are both fit and we do pack a little muscle. After scouring my accounts online, I settled on my Instagram pic at the beginning of this post. Clearly it is not a mirror image to the Pride photo above but considering the style of the artist, I didn’t think I was reaching for the stars- plus I was excited to see the whimsical creativity that would reveal itself in the portrait. I message the artist and agreed to stop by a few days later.
Well, I head back to Central World today after the gym, I grab some khao man gai (วิธีทำข้าวมันไก่). It’s basically a thai style chicken over oiled rice. OMG so good. I locate the stand, hone in on the artists, I’m so excited I’m already thinking what photo I should have this artist paint next. A new muscular Instagram profile pic for sure. Maybe in a bathing suit. Yeah, bathing suit…
I reach for the framed artwork as I hand over a few bills.
I look down, smile ear to ear, I give a genuine “Kop kun mak krap,” a quick prayer hands, and then I head inside the mall where I just about die laughing.
As necrosis is about to set in from lack of oxygen to my brain, I text Kyriacos and blow the damn surprise. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer. It was too good.
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I mean I just don’t know where to go from here. I by no means would ever want the artist to think I wasn’t pleased. I just never realized that we actually look like that. I mean, this is goddamn amazing. I just don’t know.
It is also 100x times better than I can ever do, and I am genuinely thankful. As an FYI, the longer you stare at this the more it does make sense, while simultaneously making absolutely no sense at all.
In the end I wanted something colorful, jovial, creative and whimsical… and I haven’t laughed this hard in a minute.
Texting with Angela Rojas we come to the reasonable conclusion this masterpiece was affected by the same demonic possessions as:
