Hazel Ceej

Our Weekend Memoirs: Dionne Warwick Live in Bangkok Please scroll down for Sunday Stealing Sorting a visa problem doesn't have to be guantanamosh. The Thai Immigration Department gave me 7 days before they granted me a longer 365. I used the leeway making sure I didn't end up prosecuted as that's how the threat was stamped on my passport. So while our liaison officer was meeting lawyers, I was revelling in my Sunday night dreams with a hit maker. photosource One of the main things I bought the ticket for was a good video of a Warwick song that disappeared on youtube - I'll Never Love this Way Again . It felt good to finally hear it live and see the legend herself. Bangkokians dispersing That's What Friends Are For was brilliantly performed. David Elliott Warwick did a great job singing for Stevie Wonder and Elton John's parts with his famous mom. Chette and I lingered for awhile in this area after the concert and here's on our way out of Thailand Cultura

VISAS When I reviewed my visa last month it was too late. I have already overstayed for 8 days. Multiply that by 500 and you're looking at a 4,000-baht fine. That does not include other expenses from re-acquiring a work permit and applying for a new visa twice because the first was legally snubbed. I bid another 9,000 baht adieu. At least I wasn't kicked out of the country. If I were then I would have just used a stronger resolve to visit Angkor Wat and go home for good. So what was our liaison officer doing as liaison officer? See to it that foreign employees didn't overstay! She was just as much of a useless zombie as I was. When the zombies woke up, one did her part in solving the problem by settling the fine. The other did hers by going to and fro procuring special power of attorney, police certificates and contracts in less than 24 hours. There was tension between the two old maid zombies. But the overstayer got to enjoy coffee at the government complex where Thai Imm

And so we went. To Hua Hin, Thailand's famous royal beach resort town for Countdown 2010. It is where I partied almost every night in 1998 B.C. ( B efore C eejay). A minute-old quick search showed it's now HM The King's permanent residence. With a monarch for a neighbor, do people here behave? *smiles* Of course they do.... :-) What were you thinking? Everyone was in a festive mood. At least that's what I saw after leaving our bags in our hotel room and getting out to blend in with the required new year blast. I lowered my expectations on places to stay because we had no prior booking anywhere. My friend's BIL who arrived ahead of us with his family rang us to get ready with our cards because the only available rooms left are at the Hilton. "Cj's Disney budget is so getting chipped by this new year brouhahah," I dozed off the worry as our ride took us closer to the resort. Opposite Hilton, went the correction to the earlier advice. It also confirmed