Hazel Ceej

A happy Christmas it was. I almost starved; was invigilating and had to wait til 9 PM to eat for only the second time that day. Being single and living alone I mostly rely on cafes or restaurants for nourishment. But there's a job, food is available and I am thankful. I'm celebrating the highlights of my Christmas week - Government Complex Three-in-one : i.e. visa, work permit, and 90-day report - all done. It's quite a relief to have immigration and legal matters out of the way; makes the fun of celebrating the holidays compleat. Apex Lido Films galore :  Magic in the Moonlight, Saint Laurent, Serena, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and Night at the Museum 3. I love finding what memorable lines each film has. They're getting rare, aren't they? A real Christmas card . I can't believe someone would send me one. A delightful surprise. Tasty tree Macaroon Christmas tree  a sweet, calming sight out...

XXI Forever... I tried distracting myself with sights along the way. xxx xxx xxx It worked. By the time I got near the door, I decided to eXit. A chance to buck unnecessary shopping is an eXtra good thing. Happy holidays! xxx Linking with: Water World *  Mrs Nesbiitt & the ABC Team *  Our World *  Ruby Tuesday Too  *  Sally's Blues  * Mellow Yellows

V is for Villa de Oro, a beachfront accommodation in Boracay . Come on in! xxx xxx xxx and how's this for a view while dining on seafood? The shirt is right - life's a beach . I mean I cherish the nice moments in life. Water World Mrs Nesbitt & the ABC Team Our World Sally's Blues Mellow Yellows

Skywatch : city is far behind and I'm loving it! Reflections : serenade I buy books just because.... My not-so-old hat from the antiques section of a weekend market  A little yummy error Maybe I had more of those charming moments this week than the other weeks. I'm thankful. Swiss sheep farm . Anything that takes me out of sight of urbanization, rising concrete (condos) and drab parking spaces - I'm in. What a treat for the country girl in me! Somewhere out there   beneath the pale moonlight... . It's not everyday you get serenaded. I appreciated it. A lot. The Heart Garden, Eating People is Wrong , etc: my loot from Neilson Hays book sale. Knockoff prices, old plus beautiful library architecture - just my kind of awesome. Antiques therapy . My apartment is bursting I could hardly navigate the floor without my feet touching things so I didn't buy a truckload this week. Just the one hat. Thanks to the shining sun I had an ...

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie Happy Thanksgiving, my bloggity friends! Skywatch : mapping Forensic Accounting Reflections : at the Sweet Secret Cafe Can you tell if a mushroom is edible or poisonous?   Flowery hangout I can tolerate my own cooking ;) November is waving goodbye. That fast, wasn't she? It's been a good month. Now time to wrap up the week - Mapping Forensic Accounting . It was part of a 4-day seminar which I enjoyed doing. With time pressure though my screws splattered in all directions and my mind wandered to  the - Sweet Secret Cafe . Not a bad place to mentally be to make up for the frustration of not having enough time for concept mapping. The photo is an old one; taken when I was physically present and had a sweet time there. Hundred Foot Journey . Three reasons why this film was so much fun to me - Helen Mirren, food, an...

Sally's Blues : fishing boats by the talipapa Reflections : Big Ben in the Venice of the East (Huahin) Skywatch : by the river I was stuck with colleagues in a river jungle. Nice place, lots of cheery chatter, we were well fed, but work was work. It felt good when the remote controls, powerpoints and microphones were put away and we were on our way home. That's when the fun began - so much of it I forgot I had to pull off twelve hours the next day. But glad I am to be chatting about them: Talipapa or temporary fish market was our first stop. A breeze cooling through the parked fishing boats and to our hall of work, AC-coated faces says how great it was for lungs to function in such a morning.   Blue crabs - our main purpose of stopping by the talipapa. 350 baht a kilo (11 USD). Wait, is it just me or do blue crabs turn pink anyway when they are steamed? To the beach we go!  You could guess where we took our loot.  Foodie fun . The vend...

xxx xxx xxx This was a weekend work trip with colleagues to the province. I love the sumptuous meals in the hall above the floating cottages by the river and the houses among the trees where we slept at night. But the best part was going home. I'm not a fan of packing up but if it's to go home, then I happily pack pronto!  Linking with -  Share the Joy *  Water World  *  Smiling Sally  * Our World * Ruby Tuesday

Reflections : celebratory tea Skywatch : a bougainvillea roof And then it's time to acknowledge the good of the week. Here are my high fives: 1. Progressive, transition lenses . After two years of neglecting, avoiding and hesitating, I finally set foot in an optical clinic and came to terms with a 'perk' of aging. My traditional books, here I come! Back. 2. BBC modern adaptation of Cinderella . That bit on university research was very appealing. It's fun when a fairy tale sounds intelligent and not just all charm and romance. 3. Free expert knowledge . Last week when I mentioned my Mom successfully battling pneumonia and enlargement of aorta, I meant she was already breathing on her own. But she's not totally out of the woods yet as she's having difficulty swallowing food. A friend in the medical profession shared keywords of possible causes. That helped me form my own questions to ask the physicians.  It's comforting when you have at...

Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir Popularly known as Lal Mandir or Red Temple, and originally built in 1656, it is the 'oldest and best-known Jain temple in Delhi, India.' Too hot that day, I only stayed a few minutes to take a couple of photos and ran back to the car. But then I did not need too long to be impressed by such structure. I loved the moment I took in the sight. Sharing with -  Rubbish Tuesday / Our World / Ruby Tuesday  

Skywatch : west side of Taj Mahal Sally's Blues /  Reflections : by the blue lotus pond Fave Five: Living to  Tell the Story   /   Shine the Divine October has been very eventful. Stress and joys, adventures and challenges, you name it. It's wonderful to have the chance to express gratefulness for making it through this final week of a beautiful month. i. Surviving a task at work on finance/statistics: not my expertise but I did it. ii. Another world landmark off the bucket list. Taj Mahal is quite a love monument. iii. Angel friends : geographically distant (Canada) but willing to stick it out in their iphones the whole night to give emotional support. iv.  Kiddo in church with minimal adult supervision. The singing ministry does him good.   v. Mom's back at home after fighting off inflammation of the lungs and heart successfully. Now I can breathe.   

Opened in 1648, "the Taj displays its different moods through its varied shades... as any beauty can ever have." ~ tajmahal.gov.in Wall of the Taj up close. This is my world recently. A two-hour drive from Bangkok, it's all charming and nestled in a river jungle. No wifi. Did you just hear something shut down with a bang?  But since I didn't have to cook and maids were around to fix the bed, I say it was still a nice life for a couple of days. Sharing with -  Rubbish Tuesday / Our World / Ruby Tuesday  

Credits: Wikipedia . (The rest of the photos are mine) It must be a many-splendored thing to be a M ughal emperor's favorite wife.... You get to rest in peace in a m arble m ausoleum. Some quick facts about Mumtaz: she had a 'deep and loving m arriage' to Shah Jahan, was given an imperial seat, M uhr Uzah,   m othered fourteen children and died at the birth of the fourteenth. M umtaz M ahal is enshrined in magnificent structure.  The tombs inside are empty, cameras are not allowed, but I had what I call an archaeology m oment - staring awed at the hole that leads to her actual body 21 meters below. Now I can say I have really been to India! Sharing with: Mrs Nesbitt and the ABC Team &  Our World

Skywatch : on an expressway to Pratunam, that area in Bangkok where everything is cheap. Reflections : history wings and things   I Heart Macro : floral tribute Friday's Fave Five : Anticipation mode. My entrails are somersaulting. Come, September, come! 1 Teacher's day . It's that time of year when I'm so in love with my profession. 2 New apartment, new furniture. In the move I found a photo which I thought I had lost forever. It's of my parents, the last and only one with my rarely-seen-in-photos father in it a few years before he died. I was just thrilled with the discovery. 3 A change I don't mind . It was originally Bali in three weeks. Thanks to an unexpected problem with the travel agency, it's now New Delhi.  Hello Taj Mahal! 4 Re-entry permit and visa report sorted . Always a relief to get immigration stuff out of the way. 5 I will be entertaining. A friend from high school I haven't seen in 26 years is com...

Museums, ruins, historical sites, mostly anything old - they are what make me go on trips for. I love those ohs and ahs I get as I behold them. Like on this one inside a World War II train in a war museum. This is what I call my Jonah moment. I was inside the train.  xxx  xxx But there's something in history that is depressing. At least in these finds I call train entrails or it could be due to having no idea what they are really. So while waiting for the rest of the tour group to assemble for the next stop I loitered in a nearby orchid shop for some cheer.  xxx Linking up with Ruby Tuesday Too * Our World Tuesday * Rubbish Tuesday