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Whittard of Chelsea is one of Bangkok's many tea rooms. Walter Whittard founded Whittard of Chelsea in 1886. The first Whittard shop is said to have opened in London and then moved to Chelsea. That's probably how of Chelsea came to be part of the full name. They have several branches in Thailand. Life Center lists seven in Bangkok. I'm not sure if there might be a few more in cities where tourists flock like Pattaya, Huahin, Chiangmai or Phuket.  This branch a friend and I went to is in Siam Paragon. We didn't plan on relaxing here. It just happened to be right in front of us when we felt like having tea so in we went. Now I remember how comfy being seated in here was compared to that place I recently went to . Ah, here comes the Waitress of Whittard - I didn't keep track of who ordered what. My best guess is that the praline and Moroccan mint are mine, while my friend had banana and carrot cupcake. She probably paired it with peppermint. We talked about approach

It's been awhile since I decided to love vintage . And awhile since I've been reading about it comparing definitions, descriptions and illustrations as I know I most likely will not know how to distinguish vintage from antique just by looking. The first definition I read of vintage refers to wine, and as an adjective that means high quality, as in vintage claret . The Urban Dictionary defines vintage as "t oo old to be considered modern, but not old enough to be considered antique." There's vintage clothing which, according to Wikipedia, " is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era ." There's also vintage fashion which is "clothing and accessories that are at least 25 years old, and as, according to ATELIER-MAYER , "vintage fashion is now coveted the world over, it can be as little as two season's ago." There is also vintage furniture which is "furniture between 30 and 100 years old.&q

Umbel is "a mass of flowers springing from a single center." ( The Phrontistery ) The Science Dictionary defines it as "a flat or rounded indeterminate inflorescence in which the individual flower stalks (called pedicels) arise from about the same point on the stem at the tip of the peduncle. " Umbel is a new-to-me word. I'm marking a few things I learned about it: the flowers at the center of inflorescence are the youngest the lower of outer flowers bloom first geranium, milkweed and onion have umbels umbels come from latin umbella , meaning a sunshade (does 'umbrella' come to mind?) I thought I would skip this week's U word, until I looked around to find examples of umbels and found a photo to show. As lantanas mature they change color " resulting in inflorescences (group or cluster of flowers on a stem) that are two- or three-colored." I found these lantanas along a pavement in a memorial park; I was visiting m

The Titanic has always fascinated me. I read every story I could find, watch every available documentary about it. It's the very first film I saw during my first year abroad and I drowned in it for several weeks. Over the years I switched to occasional scholarly articles as the emotional side was too overwhelming. Unlike theme songs of other films I love playing on the piano, I hid the sheet music of My Heart Will Go On . This year marks The Titanic's 100-year anniversary, and I was delighted that my neighborhood is one venue of an artifact exhibition which ran from June to September 2012 on the 8th floor of Central World. They have some of the most familiar images at the entrance It was such a wonderful travel back in time When I checked in I was given a packet that in the excitement with history I forgot to give a look at until last night when I took photos of it. I didn't realize that on the back of this boarding pass was a ticket replica of the youngest passenger on bo

Running a road race is not exactly my thing. But I'm curious and willing to try anything new (well, except bungy jumping or serpent curry). On Saturday , October 20th, 2012 more than 5,000 runners joined the 15th Amari Watergate and BMW Thailand Charity Midnight Run . It's the only race in Bangkok held at night which is one appealing factor to many. And I didn't have to pay to run. A friend who works for a major sponsor of the race, Bangkok Hospital , used her professional connection to sort that out for me. Thank you Loreyne . We arrived at the assembly point about two hours before midnight, and was it a lot of fun. I was beginning to wonder whether I was running or simply socializing through the chatter, the games, and the photo opp. A quick sprint down Google lane shows the causes that would benefit from the race - Baht for a Better Life Project, Chalerm Prakiat in Lampoon and Baan Gerda in Lopburi . The latter two are schools with a similar purpose - education of chil

What is your motivation for watching a concert? Chicago goes live in Bangkok on Friday, November 2nd at Impact Arena. These are artists whose work  resonate with many in varied ways. I can't resist seeing them for real. Tickets seemed to be selling fast when I bought mine last month. All those moments listening to their hits years ago... I wonder what kind of emotions will I feel or what memories will come back to me when I watch them tomorrow night. Thai Ticket Major , the company that sells tickets to every huge concert and other forms of entertainment in the kingdom, provides info about the American rock band on their site. It is my first time to be acquainted with the names of the band members. Peter Cetera is not on the list. Never mind. I saw him during David Foster's concert last year.  There was also a list of Chicago hits and honestly I am not at all familiar with many of them. But I am hoping to hear them sing You're The Inspiration, Will You Still Love Me, Hard H

  Fair bootie bubbly frisky fascinating fae fancy water walk Pledged to believe, though foreign among city frogs   fish and lily pads  It's a lovely business morning in busy Bangkok and my longing-for-the-countryside imagination makes its way to the office through a garden with a pond that presents something surreal. It overlays activities of stilettos, remote controls and keyboards. Such a magical entertainment makes the day less drab. Thanks to the fairy who left her bootie. Shared with Haiku Heights * Haiku my Heart * Sensational Haiku * Outdoor Wednesday ABC Wednesday   *  Our World Tuesday

"Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as the water from a fountain. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass the fountain" So says ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze. I wonder what could he have thought about musical fountains. This one is. Right below the skytrain terminal station in Mochit is Suan Sirikit. This fountain entrances people in the park. The water dances while the music, which is understandably Thai, plays. It does not stop the fascination I know though. And it might have ended right then at the start.... * Thanks to Gray for tagging and lending me this photo. My World Tuesday is brought to you by Klaus and the My World Team Sandy , Wren , Fishing Guy , Sylvia

Sunday Stealing: The First 2011 Alphabet Meme Scroll down for Our Weekend Memoirs Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Neil Turner at the blog Neil Turner from the blog Neil Turner's Blog (duh). Neil is from Yorkshire, England. He said he stole it from Troy. 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. Cheers to all of us thieves! A is for Age: that age when they say life begins and it could be 1-90 B is for Beer of choice: I'm allergic to beer C is for Career: procrastination D is for favourite Drink: cold tea water E is for Essential item you use everyday: lappy F is for Favourite song at the moment: I'm not in love so don't forget it G is for favourite Game: dreaming H is for Home town: sleepy fruit basket at the foot of a volcano I is for Instruments you play: point and shoot J is for favourite Juice: mango K is for Kids: yeah, got a handful L is for Last

December is when Thailand almost does not look like a Buddhist country especially in commercial areas. You just have to go out and see how business works with a Christian tradition. This is a tree inside Central Mall, Bangna Sky rail tracks on the right and Siam Paragon on the left. Christmas arches in the middle are abuzz with picture-taking. Inside Siam Paragon . That star rubs shoulders with Emporio Armani. All ready for the Countdown . Merry Christmas from Bangkok! My World Tuesday is brought to you by Klaus and the My World Team Sandy , Wren , Fishing Guy , Sylvia

As a Buddhist country, Thailand has plenty of beliefs and practices arising from Animism or Spirit Worship. A major feature of animistic practice is the spirit house. Its purpose is to provide dwelling for spirits or celestial beings on land. Thais believe that spirits are either good or evil and most expect respect from humans, like being informed if humans would want to start a business in a certain spot. If these spirits aren't, they can cause disastrous interference to any venture. (Reference: Chiangmai and Chiangrai ) A Thai spirit house can be seen in front of homes, hospitals, company buildings, everywhere. You can see it "on a pedestal in front of every hotel. It dresses the corner garden area of a restaurant ... at outdoor food markets. They are built on the grounds of Buddhist temples, outside caves in the mountains, near fishing ponds in the valleys, and occasionally in the middle of an otherwise uninhabited forest." (Source: Uniquely Thai ) This is a spirit h

Sunday Stealing: Sunday Stealing Player's Meme Please scroll down for Our Weekend Memoirs Today we ripped this meme not from a blogger but from you, our players and friends. We asked for original questions last week. And did you guys deliver! We believe we’ve got everyone in the credits. If we missed you, let us know! The star players who submitted questions were: Hooting Anni, Niko, Wendy, Melanie, Ace, Bambie, Zoan, Dixie Chick, Lynette from A Blog in the Rough, The Gal, Katie, Hazel, Me, Mark from An Erie Tapestry, Mamo Ko, Cat., Noelle, Kwizgiver, Shakaku, Catch Her in the Wry, Brandt, Debster, Zh3en22, Americanising Desi and Kathy. Head over to the SS headquarters for the grand theft. Cheers to all of us thieves! 1. :::sniff, sniff::: Is the dog in the house? he got sent overseas. you're just seeing his framed photo sitting prominently on the bookshelf 2. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? There is always room for improvement. You only stop learn

Our Weekend Memoirs: When old maids meet Please scroll down for Sunday Stealing A friend on the other side of the world mentioned this place. I discovered it's right down my backyard when I googled it. Since a co-old maid was game for a little exploration we went there last night. The name of this restaurant is apparently its most attractive feature. We punctuated the food with conservative-wild observations of 21st century old maidenhood. Ah, there's my Screwdriver. Reliable in penetration. "Don't these things come with a man?," we teased the server who gave us condoms instead of the usual mint candies after we settled the bill. More memoirs at Ebie and Arlene's Our Weekend Memoirs . ********************************************* Sunday Stealing: The Majorly Personal Meme, Part The Last Please scroll up for Our Weekend Memoirs Today we ripped this meme off a blog that is written by a group of high school students. The blog is called