Hazel Ceej

Fave Five: week's highlights A little note for new bloggity friends: It's been an old blogging practice of mine to keep a record of what's positive and good about the week. For several months I have been unable to do it due to a few bits and pieces both on and off line. But I am doing it again. It's quite a good exercise in gratitude and optimism . There's nothing like celebrating! So on to exactly what I'm talking about, these are some highlights, five of them, of my week: Catching up with movies Thank goodness for days off.  I managed four of them in two afternoons. Fast and Furious 6 emphasizes teamwork, Hangover III friendship; The Great Gatsby shows lengths humans are willing to go to to gain acceptance, Jurassic Park introduces DNA to pop culture. Crichton's Timeline It took me awhile but I got the reading done . I appreciate and love novels that are intelligently researched.   Overseas phone conversation with the kiddo CJ: Are you finished workin...

For the first time since participating in the ABC meme , I go random for W . So without much ado here I go - Wine Republic: a wine shop in Thonglor windows of Mount Ievers Court, Co. Clara from the book Irish Houses and Castles watery wayside at work my whimsical notebook or at least that's how I call it. That's the buttercup fairy by Mary Cicely Barker. I scribble haiku on the leaves winged beans : go well with minced beef ~ ABC Wednesday ~

It's fun watching them and what they're doing these ones are wondering if their handiwork can withstand wind and these ones are adding volume to their makeshift wall Sally's Blues * Mellow Yellows * Our World * Ruby 2

Never in my life have I worn so much jewelry as I have during my wedding. Strangest sensation. There I was squatting on a wooden floor, hands clasped in prayer wondering what was going on while  nine monks chanted Pali in my clueless face for three straight hours. It was a Buddhist ceremony. The almighty (ex)Mom-in-law orchestrated the entire event. I did nothing but marry her son.  While barefoot the rest of my body was bedecked with 24K gold jewelry. Well, except the silk skirt which was heavy with hundreds of rhinestones sewn around a foot high above the hem. I don't think I will ever go through such wedding garb again. But I'm keeping the rock (ring is studded with six dots of diamond) and this- This pendant is a replica of Phra Buddha Sothorn or Luang Phor Sothorn which is the religious symbol of Chachoengsao, the city where the then husband and his family come from. In Christian countries Phra Buddha Sothorn is like a patron saint of a town or province.  Here's a...

Three cousins wrestle a mountain of clothes in the flea market. An hour or two in they proceed to the food section. It's been awhile since the girls had s omtam , or green papaya salad. So it is high on their list of dishes to have for supper. Joy is finding a vendor whose somtam combo is exactly one's taste.    xxx xxx   This is the state of the coffee table the day after- a mainly fruit breakfast to offset the effects of coke drunk during the somtam supper which cost just $4.50. And this is how fruits in the tropics are enjoyed: ten mangoes for $1.61, a kilo of rambutan for $0.60, two kilos of mangosteen for $1.30, durian for $3.25, a dozen pieces of jackfruit for $0.65. Joy is spending less for healthy food. Somtam is everywhere in Thailand and popular among locals and foreign visitors alike. The Thai variation is no. 46 on CNN Go's World's 50 Most Delicious Foods . Here's a recipe by Maangchi Kim . Visit these sites: Creative Homeacre * Inspire Me * Create it ...

It helps that the building around where life revolves at work is also a venue for offshore company meetings, seminars, sitcom shootings, press conferences and wedding receptions. Once in awhile I learn something new from the flower world.  Blue chrysanthemums? I thought the arranger sprayed some of them for variation. But I took a step closer and found they were real natural blue. Not trusting my eyes enough, I dashed off to Google.... ah! there are indeed blues of them. And their middle is just what I need for the mellows. Hope we all have a great week.  Visit these sites:  Favorite Things *  Our World * Sally's Blues * Mellow Yellows

As Lewis Carroll's neologism in his Through the Looking Glass , an u nbirthday is "an event that can be celebrated on any day that is not the person's birthday." People who love celebrations may be into unbirthdays regularly. I am. It keeps me counting blessings and looking at life positively. "Statistics prove that you have one birthday, just one birthday every year. But there are three hundred and sixty-four u nbirthdays. And this is a reason to gather and cheer."  An unbirthday is also "when you acknowledge that it is, indeed, the date of your birth, but refuse to acknowledge that you have aged." and to you!   ~ Sally's Blues and Maiylah's Food: sticky rice sweet coconut balls ~ It is also suggested that an u nbirthday is "the day of a sibling's birthday where you also receive presents/money in order to keep the peace."  I didn't know about this before but I have been buying gifts for my fur kid when the biological o...