Filipinos and Thais look so much alike that I'm always mistaken for a Thai national myself. People would come up to me and start talking in the vernacular. My staple reply is usually "Sorry, English please" and they would go, "Oooohhhh" and walk away. Quite funny.

So here's a list of curious things I'm finding out about Thailand - its people, its language, its customs, everything. I'm keeping this evergreen too, because there's so many things to discover about this nice country.

1. In spite of Thailand being a haven for Western tourists, a vast majority of Thais cannot speak English. One colleague I know says "Thank you" to my "I'm sorry."

2. Every day has its own color. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. If you are caught using the wrong color on a given day you would be prosecuted and be trampled by an elephant at the plaza square.

3. You would think there's a parade every Monday because everyone is wearing the same shirt. Most Thais wear a yellow polo with the king's emblem on Monday in observance of the King's birthday (the King was born on a Monday). First time I took note of this phenomenon I thought t'was an office uniform.

4. Nicknames are altogether different from first names. While in most countries nicks are some shortened form of the first name, Thai nicknames are so unrelated to the first names you would find someone named Nawarat be also called Pheung.

5. Even Thais I know confirm this: many Thais say yes to shut you up or if they think it's too much a bother to say no. But they actually mean no. (Okay, so big question, when is a Yes a no, and when is a Yes a real yes?)

6. Doraemon is pretty big in Thailand. I don't know about you but Family Guy is still my kind of stuff.

7. It's "Phuket" as in you emphasize the letter H in the first syllable, and not pronouncing it like an F. Same goes for "Thailand," you have to emphasize the H. And I don't know who started this in the Philippines, but there is no such thing as a Thailander. People from Thailand are simply called Thais, okay??? Case closed.

8. Sometimes elephants roam the streets with their herder down town. Really.

9. Thais love and revere their King so much it's amazing. In the cinema they play a video of the King before every screening, and it is very moving, I must say. Long live the King!

10. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia (or porbably entire Asia) that was not conquered by any country. But you probably know this already.

11. Like in the UK and Australia, the driver's seat is on the right side of the car.

12. If you are male, you use Krub to end your sentences for politeness. If you are female, you should say Kah. Now if you are a she-male, you can probably just end your sentences with "Fabulous!" and you're all set.

13. Bangkok in Thai is "Krung Thep." It means City of Angels. I'm in LA, baby.

14. There are no fat people in Thailand. Everyone wants to be skinny. And wear skinny jeans.

15. It's true, Thais are a smiling bunch. :-)