I'm going back to Bangkok again very soon, but because my girlfriend has exams and some heavy working hours, I'm going to be alone most of the 2 weeks I'm there. I'm not usually the travelling type, especially on my own, but I'm going to have to get out there and keep myself occupied without having a Thai person to take care of everything for me

I've been out and about on my own for a couple of days before, and within an hour of leaving the door, I managed to get kidnapped by one of those "I take you to buy FIIIIINE Thai souvenir!" taxi drivers, which has rocked my confidence a little. In those days, I managed to to visit all the temples and palaces that most tourists would go to, as well as the museum.
I realise it's a bit of an open and vague question, but I wondered if anyone could recommend some things I could do in Bangkok, besides temples and palaces? Perhaps somewhere I'm likely to meet other English-speaking people? Maybe the easiest way to answer would be to tell me what you would do if you had a few days to yourself in Bangkok? I'm 25, Male, and a computer nerd if that helps

I often carry around a load of Thai studying material and my netbook, so even if there were some cool places to chill out and kill some time over a coffee, those sorts of recommendations would be cool too.
Oh, and my hotel is apparently near Paragon, if that helps.
I know there are travel guides out there that I could get stuck into, but I was just interested in having a conversation about it on this forum. Hope no one minds...
Thanks!