Delineating Des

It's family time at TCP this week. I could not find a trailer for Impromptu 1990 on youtube, (my internet connection has been jumpy too) but I'm convinced it's one of two films I'd like to feature. Here's the overview: A true historical depiction with comedy, romance, & classical music. Nineteenth century England is the setting for this more than a love story about George Sand, an extremely independent woman writer, who often wore stylish men's clothes and took a male nom de plume in order to be published. She does not allow the mediocrity, pettiness, and hypocrisy of ordinary life to stop her from being a sincere, loving, creative, intelligent, unique, independent and strong spirited woman. A portion of the film deals with her romance with Frederick Chopin. It portrays the vicissitudes of an artist's life. Highly inspirational for women who dare to be different . (text from the same link) It's suitable for growing up or grown-up children. Here...

My first concert was a local/small town type and although I enjoyed it I guess I should feature something that co-MM participants could more likely relate with. Air Supply has been around since the 80s. Because I was crazy about them when I was a teen, I and my then bf bought front row seats when they performed in Bangkok in 2000. Changes in their looks and voices were evident but I didn't care. They sang many of my faves and that's what mattered. When the band began playing the intro to Making Love Out of Nothing at All, the audience went wild. As well-worn as the description may seem, that's how sentimental Bangkokians behaved that night. Towards the end of this hit the entire Bangkok Convention Hall rose to give them a standing ovation. After all these years I haven't gotten tired of listening to them. Once I sang along one of their many hits playing off an MP3 and a niece said, "Auntie, you know Someone Who Believes in You ? That's our high school graduati...

Rains usually go away once it's August. But September is about to end and it's still pouring. In fact as I write this the sun is only coming out. I hope it dries up the puddles that the downpour created last night. On another night last week we got more than what we needed again! a student wading his way out the campus Floods are normal in Bangkok but this was the first time my workplace was victimized like this staff going home after doing overtime blurred but I guess that's a cheerful attitude to either the guy who took this shot or to the deluge plastic toy boats would probably look cute on this surface the business office, ouch I wonder about the fate of textbooks placed on the floor Once my poodle was due for shots and there were no rides to his clinic due to the deluge. I didn't mind. It was actually fun braving 5 kilometers of water six inches up the legs, and observing the phenomenon live. At another time we (ex-hub and I) were submerged in the middle of Udoms...

Can you believe this??? Wait... I'm counting us.... wah! Eight fully-clothed grinning teenagers! All we needed were robes and a minister and we're ready for rebaptism. First glance at this photo after 19 years and I thought there were only 3 of us wearing size L shirts. We seem to have multiplied over the years. This is the same summer in 1990 I reminisced about in a previous FPF post with that Eric . Oh that's him alright; the guy holding the little girl, and that's me with my left hand on his shoulder, not knowing whether I should stay for the photo op or run back to the cottage. Now what were we laughing about? ... recall ... recall ... ok, my guess is our bathing suits. Like most of them, I didn't plan to get wet. But a few bored companions had this goal of having everyone in the water before sunset. Early on I told them I was staying put looking as gravely as I could and hoping they'd spare me. But they were planning an ambush and carried it out by pourin...

Cj's current favorites are Japanese soy sauce and a 90-minute documentary called Animals are Beautiful People. We're talking about favorites at Mommy Moments today. I'm posting Cj's favorites. And a couple of mine. Three years ago when I could still fool him to strike me a pose, this is one of those times he did it with gusto. His cousins cheered him on, "Ceej, do your pogi points." Until now I don't know what that means, but it seemed to be his favorite pose then. This has also got to be my favorite capture of his smile with his front teeth yet intact. He doesn't show any indication of giving up the bottle and this has become my source of embarrassment. But to him this is his all-time favorite, all-in-one dearest thing in the world: meal, dessert, snack, comforter, trumpet, toy, pacifier His favorite section of the mall - I avoid this place if I can because it's where I witness my poor 10-baht coins gobbled up by these rides His favorite sights...

It's an ordinary week, but things thankfully make it to the list of faves: 1. Last week . We're concluding an academic term at the Institute which means the beginning of a three-week light office work. The best part is the internet. Yes, it's allowed as long as work is done. 2. Orchids in bloom adorn Bldg 2 in distinctly bright colors. They hang reasonably proud and they're so beautiful it's a joy to walk past them everyday. They give off cheer as far as five meters away. 3. Piano talents . A friend passed me this URL of a four-hand arrangement of the Blue Danube by Anderson and Roe. Ten minutes of awesome piano prowess! I'm also enjoying Speak Softly Love and Victor Borge as well. 4. Austenprose . As a Jane Austen fan, I'm loving this blog immensely. 5. A nice lecture hall . I'm not sure if it's luck or what. Large groups are usually stuffed in normal-size rooms and that's it. Everyone suffers. But it's a welcome s urprise to find out I wa...

"No matter how harsh or inhospitable a place is, there's always someone who's willing to live there" - of Africa's Namib Desert on Animals are Beautiful People It's a 90-minute nature documentary that my five-year old loves to watch repeatedly. As I work around while the kiddo focuses on the entertainment, I pick up snippets of Jamie Uys's hilarious narration, ie. "the chameleon may be the only creature whose left eye doesn't know what his right eye is doing." There are interesting bird names such as Go-away and Secretary . See which of these 13 (from the more than thirteen featured) animals you remember or like from this 1974 film: 1. Oryx , ' the most beautiful of all antelopes, always manages to look sleek and well-fed. Perhaps because man finds the Namib so intimidating he hardly ever ventures there. But to the Oryx the hostile desert is paradise' Wikipedia photo 2. Meerkat Wikipedia photo 3. Weaver bird , ' t...

Hired to teach. Programmed to kill. That film tagline is a world away from the principles of teaching for education professionals. I don't think there's even any need for followers of the Teachers' Code of Ethics to be horrified. The second statement is what it is - a science fantasy. But for those who have had a frontline taste of what it's like among the worst scenarios of discipline issues, what if... what if robots were employed to educate gangsters, drug addicts, and other kinds of violent imbeciles? Fortunately the only two instances where I had to deal with anything that resembles what I just enumerated were when a budding, uncircumcised ruler-of-the-world wannabe showed me his knife to impress; and just last week a belligerent kid in his late teens attempted to barge into my class. Thanks to the internet the emergency numbers of the cops are just a click away; or thanks to the padlocked fiberglass door. In more extreme cases I just might need a stiletto-wearin...

This song came out in the early 70s. I heard it was popular back then. I liked it as a kid; I enjoy listening to it as an adult. We only have two seasons here in the tropics: cold (or wet/rainy) and summer (dry). As the latter is associated with beaches, vacays and no school, quite predictably it is my favorite season. Seals and Croft aptly described Southeast Asian summers with one of their hits, my entry for this week's Musical Monday Seasons theme. ~ Musical Monday is brought to you by Jori and Diane ~

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger called Yellow Jacket from Foma . He explains that "I found this clunker on Impetua's blog.". But, it was probably stolen at that blog 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 US ALL THIEVES 27. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? ~ I prefer to balance both 28. Do you look like your mom or dad? ~ Dad 29. How long does it take you in the shower? ~ less than 15 minutes during workdays; more than 30 minutes to an hour if I owned the time 30. Can you do the splits? ~ no 31. What movie do you want to see right now? ~ Twilight. I may be the only person who hasn't seen that 32. What did you do for New Year’s? ~ I forgot. It was uneventful. 33. Do you think The Grudge was scary? ~ I don't know; haven't seen it 34. Do you own a camera phone? ~ yes 35. Was your mom a cheerleader? ~ no 36. What’s the last letter of your...

This is what happens when a mom is stricken with temporary laziness to cook which usually happens during an uneventful weekend. Well, if it's eventful, we still normally end up in some restaurant as I don't have a proper kitchen in my apartment. Half an hour before dinner time, my 5-year old was already demanding, "I want chicken!" So we walked to nearby S&P and chicken it is: I ordered mine for the kale and bell pepper strips: We agreed to help each other try another plate: Cj drowned his chicken with his dearly beloved Hi-Q 3 Plus. (Will the vice ever stop?) I finished mine with the only pineapple juice I found in Bangkok that comes close to a Philippine taste. Dinner solved :-) ~ OWM is brought to you by Ebie and Arlene ~

I am playing this especially for my 5-year old today - a dose of something real, and a break from the everyday Winnie the Pooh, Lion King, and what else has he.... But it's also a sweet, familiar refrain for you and me. ~ TSMSS is brought to you by Amy @ Signs, Miracles, and Wonders ~

Back in the day, it seemed like the English Department always got this errand of hosting school pageants. 1996. Saturday evening. We had to move a few kilometers along Bankerohan River for the venue of this pageant. That's my co-instructor and co-host, a Mr C. We're both employed in this marine academy in Davao, a city in Southern Philippines. Mr C and I we're having a lull in reading sponsors' names and advertisers when this shot was taken. The student wearing blue is one of the campus hunks who girls go crazy over. I've forgotten whether he won or not but I'm guessing he must be out in some ocean now working on a ship. The academy also offers courses in Hotel and Restaurant Management where the hunk-crazy girls come from. This was my last job before I left the country. ~ FPF is brought to you by Alicia of More Than Words ~

Giving me all the highs for several weeks now are nights researching for a possible study proposal. The ideas I find here and there are freaking exciting I practically scream at my computer screen. But right now I'm acknowledging the little things that made me smile this week, and they are my faves: 1. Stairs . Hours in front of the pc are giving me extra weight, and I'm getting worried. Climbing stairs is a great alternative over the lift in exercising. 2. Golf cart ride . On Tuesday morning my watch registered 7:50 and I was still inside my apartment. I had ten minutes to sign in at work. Running to the computer in high heels surely would not help. The golf cart saved the day. Uniformed security never looked as useful, helpful and even sweet. 3. Food-equipped office . People in our department must really be this fond of eating. Thai colleagues are always inviting everyone to share their food. It's normal to arrive in the office and find snacks on your desk. Sometimes the...

Most shots I take of CJ are precious to me or there is almost always a reason why they are so called treasured pictures (this week's Mommy Moments theme) regardless of the quality. I selected a few pictures for my MM entry today. In 2007 I flew Mozart, my 'eldest son' home to PI and took the younger son Cj back to Bangkok. Mama and I exchanged wards :) This is one of our early family online chats Summer 2009: I just love it when he shows me his latest antics. Thanks to Auntie Chette for capturing this moment He's growing virtually half a centimeter an hour and I'm trying to hold on to his being a baby by carrying him like this He's got slight fever but due to our yayaless situation during weekends, I had to take him with me on my chores. Despite not feeling well, he endured an hour following me around while I sorted my european travel insurance. When I gaze at peace on his face while he is asleep, I feel at peace too (I posted this pic on a different meme but) ...