Delineating Des

After several weekends of non-stop out-of-town trips and sightseeings, I finally stayed put in Bangkok this weekend. I have used up my holidays for April and May, and it's time to get back to normal routine. Wet season begins. With it come things yummy: markets are abundant with fruits, and they are very cheap. Mangosteens are sold for 20 baht a kilo, gala apples 5 baht each, mangoes for 25 baht a kilo, papaya for 10 baht a kilo and Monthong durian for 40 baht a kilo. Aung San Suu Kyi was on my mind when I ate mangoes this week. It's not her predicament on the news these days; nor that framed picture resting askew on the wall, which I remember I bought in Myanmar. I am reminded of an article I read around the time before her husband died. It mentions that she likes Thai mangoes, this variety: The article also describes something I have never read anywhere else and at any time - a rare moment in which the nobel laureate burst into tears when her strictly monitored, very limi...

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger and blog named Monkey In a Suit . He explains that he ripped it off from Average Jane . But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing ! Cheers to all us thieves! 1. Name one person who made you smile today: my son 2. What were you doing at 8am this morning? it's six to seven a.m. here 3. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? sleeping 4. What is your favorite candy bar? ask me about chocolate 5. Have you ever been to a strip club? no 6. What was the last thing you had to drink? water 7. What was the last thing you ate? ripe mango 8. The last sporting event you watched? not a sports person 9. Do you go to church every Sunday? not even on Saturday, Friday, Thursday... 10. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? I tend to 11. What are you doing tomorrow? work so-so 12. What do you think of when you hear Australia? a...

There's a ritual at home that my mother imposed: family worship. It's the time when we sing hymns, read the bible, recite verses and pray. We did it morning and evening. My parents, although both christians, come from different religious backgrounds. Papa didn't attend worships 98% of the time, so it was mainly just mother, I and the pets. When I left the nest, I also left the church and worship became a thing of the past. Forgetting church and worship was easy as I'm not a fan of either. For more than a decade I was all work and party. Life rocked until divorce entered the scene. I found myself alone and resorted to the internet for company. Thank God for such a wonderful technology! I stumbled upon youtube and this: It's the very Abide With Me we used to sing at home! I clicked around and found other arrangements like Elton John's, but this is nearest to the way we sang at home, usually to close those worships. I used to memorize this, we all did. Mother'...

1. Do you mind people to show up uninvited? ~ Yes, but as long as they don't ruin whatever I'm hosting, I quickly forgive 2. Last person you talked to on the phone? ~ Patrick 3. Last person on your missed call list? ~ someone not on my call list 4. Who calls you the most? ~ nowadays, a girl friend 5. What is your favorite song about breaking up? ~ I don't have a favorite, but I like listening to The Jets's You Got it All on youtube, and I agree with a comment there that says "bad lovers are replaceable." 6. If someone sent you an unexpected gift, what would you like it to be? ~ a charming cottage in rural England, with a piano and a library in it and a Ferrari in its garage (lol) 7. Your classic rock station plays the top songs of all time. What is number one? ~ I don't have a classic rock station, but I do like listening to some from to time 8. Do you live for today or tomorrow? ~ both. I love living at the moment and I enjoy looking forward to the futur...

This morning I received a text message from my mother about Mozart. Mozart is my 6-year old toy poodle. I had to fly him home to the Philippines when my divorce became final. He's been staying with my mother who, I suspect, spoils him more than I did when he was with me in Bangkok. Mother's text message read, "Mozart caught a huge rat from the edge of the yard this morning. He wanted to munch it but I didn't let him. Now he is a cat." I replied, "Not letting him eat the rat is a good decision. After all a rat is not his diet." Back in the pre-divorce days Mozart caught a bird from our tiny garden. With his mouth bulging, he ran to me. He was very pleased with his catch. I had to tell him firmly, "Mozart, drop the bird." He obeyed and I ended up nursing the poor maya until it was ready to fly again. That earned Mozart a stern lecture about things he can play with and creatures he should leave alone. I emphasized the importance of being himself ...

The responsibility of grooming Cj usually falls on me. I love taking him to the saloon so I don't mind a hoot even without a helper in tow. My thai is terrible. What I say to the hairstylist gets addled and I have to put ex on the phone to save Cj from looking like a practice mistake. His second to the last haircut was a disaster. I either brush up my thai saloon language or find a stylist that understands at least a bit of English. I did the latter. When cut badly , Cj's hair grows like the way JK Rowling describes Harry Potter's hair. Only Cj's must be worse. It's so bushy on top sometimes I feel like grabbing my kitchen scissors and just mow off the bush. Last week I took Cj to Kidkut for his second haircut in less than two months. This time I didn't ring the ex. I was shown a catalog at reception and I told the stylist to just tame my son's hair. Tame it; as in give it a lesson! My cousins once joked that if Cj threw a bad mood, the explana- tion is sim...

Header by Samulli While looking for piano sheet music for Not a Sparrow Falleth in what is formerly known as World Trade Center Bangkok, I ended up instead in a stack of books for sale at half their original price. My eyes widened. Books are what I love to buy besides shoes. I picked one which held my interest longer than any of the rest on the pile. It is titled, You Don't Say! (see, even the name of that award I received earlier and passed on to fellow bloggers must have come from somewhere if not this book :-)) This blurb finalized my decision not to go home without the book: "The urge to quote is born in all of us. The tendency to misquote is equally innate. Some quotations get bowdlerised or corrupted as they pass by word-of-mouth. Others get vulgarised. You Don't Say!, written with a sharp wit and happy iconoclasm, contains them all." This is one of those reads that tell you what actually was or wasn't. Jonathon Green endorsed, "...unimpressed b...

Kanchanaburi is rich with World War II history. I was there a few weekends ago and visited several tourist spots. The photos I'm posting for now are those of the River Kwai. This was taken very early in the morning on the bank of the River Kwai : Floating guesthouses on the River Kwai taken from a train window . That structure in the middle is the restaurant. The upper level is usually used at night by guests who want natural air conditioning while dining. It also serves as a dance floor: The ' Bridge on the River Kwai ' (taken late in the afternoon). You may be familiar with this caption as also a title of a novel. The film of the same title is, according to the link, "deemed 'culturally, historically or aesthetically' siginifcant and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry." An old train crossing the bridge over the River Kwai : Have a great week, everyone!

Something seems unmatched with my thoughts about this blogging thing of mine lately. Among other thoughts, I thought I was boring other bloggers with my boredom until Genejosh passed me this award: I admit I am having loads of fun with blogging that sometimes I completely forget that I am bored (lol). I do thank Genejosh for this award. It is sweet of her to include me on the list. Here are blogs I think deserve this honor more than I do: WTIT the blog - They say he who laughs lasts. If you want to last or just laugh and exercise your heart, go read WTIT :-) KARELTJE en ikke !!! - Even if you're not a cat lover, you'll find Anya's blog a heart-warmer too :-) Carver's Sight or is that Site - You want to be thrilled by nature's wonders? This is the site to visit. The posts never cease to amaze me! You could have guessed by now that these blogs I mentioned are more than just interesting. They are also full of things to learn about life.

Saturday 9: Hot Fun in the Summertime 1. Is summer your favorite season? Why? ~ yes, it is when I forget work and have so much fun with people outside work 2. Do you exercise more in the summer because you wear less clothing? ~ I eat and sleep more in the summer with all the parties I go to. My form of exercise is walking with all the sightseeing I do 3. Do you enjoy tanning or are you more concerned about the dangers of basking in the sun? ~ more concerned about dangers of basking in the sun 4. You are on the beach when a waiter appears for your drink order. What do you ask for? ~ an ice-cold fruit punch 5. Do you camp in the summertime? ~ I used to. Once I was about to camp with other tourists in a national park, but the crown prince was spending the night there too, and we were asked to 'behave.' Great place, not so great timing. 6. What was your favorite summer vacation as a kid? ~ being a farm princess every summer to a grandfather who spoiled me rotten; gav...

Cj met my parents the first time on webcam. I was happy to witness the look on their faces. They were first time grandparents. It was 2004. I could not go home because I was in the middle of gradschool. The plan was that my parents were coming to Bangkok for Cj's first birthday in May the next year. I was looking forward to our meeting. Then in January 2005 my father had a massive coronary. I had to change plans. Things happened so drastically I didn't know what hit me. With my divorce raging, the pain of losing a father and the pressures of gradschool, I found myself running back home with my son. I've never appreciated my mother more than that time I had no one to turn to. I took this picture of them at Holy Garden Matutum Memorial Park months after the burial. I call this moment Cj's spiritual bonding with his grandpa . Time to pray: this is Cj's church class. I made it a point that he was introduced to the faith of his elders while in the Philippines. Under th...

Header by Samulli Suggestion: Skip lines in italics. You'll get bored reading them as much as I got bored copy-pasting them from the net. (Except for International Negotiation, the rest are from the website of my alma mater) *************************************** 1. Party schooling . That's how I described gradschool while chatting with a friend last night. She says she's jealous. I assure her she doesn't need to be. Medical school is a different story. "...the torture of preparing for exams, horrible memories of sleep debt," she said so herself. 2. But I know that when she says 'jealous,' it was in response to my tale of spiriting ourselves in high heels to the corner coffee shop in a BMW after doing routine research . "Coffee in medschool was a necessity, not pleasure," the poor doctor lamented. 3. My classmates and I didn't really learn much from that carefree chatter in one of Bangkok's classiest coffee shops. 4. Forget the bra...

If you want something 'fishy,' Thailand's Namtophliu National Park in Chantaburi is the place to be. The stream is thickly populated with catfish. I can't believe how tame they are. They sense it when people approach, they come near where they know they are going to be admired, fed, or photographed : They're not afraid of humans. No wonder my friend wants to pet them :-) ~ Crowd near the waterfall - feeding, swimming, chatting, some were just watching the activity, and I was wondering how to wade in without stepping on them because they swish through people's feet freely: ~ Friends throwing them a string beans party : ~ Delicate pink - I saw this while hiking deeper into the forest. It's growing on fissures between the rocks. Does anyone know the name of this flower? ~ A moss-covered chedi made from laterite, built to commemorate King Rama and Queen Sunantha's visit to the park in 1876. Queen Sunantha drowned when the royal boat capsized in the Chao Phr...

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Alison from the blog Hairline Fracture She claims that she snagged this from Facebook. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing ! Cheers to all us thieves! 1. What bill do you hate paying the most? Phone bill 2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner? The Dome at State Tower Bangkok 3. How many colleges did you attend? 2 4. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now? It's been raining here so the surrounding is cooler than usual otherwise I normally go around my room topless 5. First thought when the alarm went off this morning? No alarm! It's Sunday for God's sake; and if it's not, I don't use alarm clocks. Sunlight is enough. 6. Last thought before going to sleep last night? Mr. Darcy dancing with Elizabeth. Pride and Prejudice is one of my best sleepin...

About this award: "We give and get awards for having a great blog and being a good friend. What I want to award are those people whose comments have meant the world to me. It takes time to visit a blog and leave a comment ... I wanted to recognize some special bloggers whose comments have made such an impact on me. The “You Don’t Say?” Award is awarded to these special bloggers in hope that they will pass the award along to 5 of their best commenters! I blogged because I was bored. When comments started arriving, I noticed I like it. Then I found interaction with bloggers, and I like it too. Now it's obvious that comments are a major reason why I'm still blogging. I love the responses. It's nice to visit other blogs and find out what's going on in their part of the world. I enjoy the learning I get from blogging. The socialization is a delight. Genejosh passed me this Super Comments Award. Thank you, sis for your online friendship. You don't know how pleased I...

1. Who do you think is sexy? Journey's new frontman 2. When does it become love? when you know how to forgive and/or let go 3. Are you a good dancer? I have two left feet 4. What magazines do you read? Time, Reader's Digest, National Geographic and several others 5. If you could have any name, what would you call yourself? the same, Hazel 6. Have you ever ridden in a limo? If yes, when? If airport limo counts, then yes, a few times 7. What is something you really like to do? live in a quaint cottage in an English village but holiday in the tropics at least once a year 8. Last chance: Who wins Idol, Kris Allen or Adam Lambert? It's been years since I watched Idol, so I don't know 9. If you had to, what animal would you choose to be? an eagle or a dog owned by a wealthy dog-lover Read more Saturday 9'ers here .

~~Begin Copy~~ This is the easy way and the fastest way to :1. Make your Authority Technorati explode. 2. Increase your Google Page Rank. 3. Get more traffic to your blog. 4. Makes more new friends. Rules : 1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog. 2. Put your own blog name and link. 3. Tag your friends as much as you can. 1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future.4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space 5. My Family is my Life 6. The Simple Life of a Baghag 7. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 8. House Everything 9. The Creativity in Me 10. Travel and Photography 11. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 12. You Are My Sunshine 13.Song to Remember 14. Super Blog 15. Philiippine Tv Marathon 16.Simply Blue 17. Breaking the Boundaries 18. Top Five 19. A Simple Life 20. Simple Happy Life 21. Mom's Special Diary 22. The Mommy Journey 23. Mom Writes for a Cause 24. Trust.Loyalty.Bliss. 25. Delineating Des 26. You are next! ~~End Copy~~ Now, I'm passin...

1. If we had no winter, we wouldn't see the magic of spring . 2. An English castle... drab, abandoned and eerie but adorned by Nature's flowers in very distinct colors is to me a perpetual astonishment . 3. If I had my life to live over, I would dwell more on the cheery side . 4. Tuck action plans for priorities inside of four and twenty hours . 5. If you've never been thrilled by anything, you're missing something somewhere somehow . 6. To be interested in the changing seasons try witnessing them in other countries . 7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chatting with D , tomorrow my plans include Japanese brunch to precede Angels and Demons , on Sunday, I want to get ready for my son's birthday party next week!

Most of the time Cj is just his normal self, but when he goes silly, he really is silly he turns into a monkey. Here the monkey goes into hiding: Of all his bedtime friends, just look at what he's cuddling- a miniature replica of his ancestor: That's before he lost his incisors. A silly grin after his great loss: BB. Pilipinas-Monkey World contestant no. 1 in evening gown: Mommy Monkey celebrated Mother's Day last Sunday playing with comrades in Kingdom Animalia at one of Thailand's most fantastic national parks. Naturally, Baby Monkey tagged along: OMG, Mommy Monkey is so getting busted. Where are my bananas? Gotta feed Baby Monkey now... :-)

Header by Samulli HP fans are flocking to the movies for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in July. I am re-reading the book to remember some details and be more aware of what's showing (and not) in the movie. Out of the many quotes in the book that I like, amuse me or are relavant to me, here are 13 of them: 1. People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than for being right. ~ Hermione Granger on Dumbledore, p. 96 2. Why are you worrying about You-Know-Who? You should be worrying about U-No-Poo- The Constipation Sensation that's gripping the nation. ~ Sign on the Weasley Twins Joke Shop, p.116 3. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love. ~ Horace Slughorn to Malfoy and Nott, p. 186 4. We teach you not only to use magic but to control it. ~ Dumbledore to Riddle, p.273 5. Stop bossing me around . ~ Ron to Hermione, p. 293 6. The i...