Hazel Ceej

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  

An activity in the academic calendar was not translated to English for me to adjust the course outline in time. Someone's syllabus is going to be shaken up.... The thought of sitting for hours through untranslated details bothered me but then -   Reflections : weekend dinner view It turned out we would join the main campus (of Thonbury University) in celebrating ASEAN Day which means no stressing over multiple regressions, figure interpretations, stuff like that for a day. A much welcome break! A trip that involves feeling like being in the country or at least signs that some countryside is close by is great in my books. Skyscrapers and crazy traffic disappearing as the bus speeds to the suburbs - ah! My excitement was like To Grandma's House We Go.   Skywatch : homeward bound Speeches, a quiz bowl, food fair and demos later, I found a spot to wait for students to get into the buses that would take us back to the city. Water World : Electrical Enginee...

There is tension between Taiwan and the Philippines over the recent shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine coastguard. Taiwan retaliates; rejects apology from the Philippines, impose sanctions , threatens Manila with naval drills in the South China Sea, goes arrogant, eg. compares themselves to a golden retriever, the Philippines a chihuahua in the event of an attack. Wait. I love dogs. My ears are on alert mode, though I didn't have time to find how the shooting took place, there's an identical twin of my wondering through an FB comment by Mike San Agustin Mccrea :  "if a vessel is required to stop for a coastguard inspection in its national (usually 12mile) limit, and refuses to do so the coastguard is entitled to take such action as is necessary to stop the vessel. If it does not stop after a warning [shop], it seems fully justified to fire on the vessel.... If someone gets shot it is the fault of the skipper of the offending vessel.... So if this is t...

I always fancied parasailing (or parascending or parakiting) . Usually a boat tows the person harnessed to the parasail. I was towed by a jetski, as were the others who took this fun ride. The tour started in Pattaya where we took a boat to Coral Island. About 15 minutes out in the sea we made a stop to parasail. xxx   xxx   xxx xxx ABC Wednesday * Our World * Blue Monday

The museum at King Narai palace in Lopburi closes half past four.  We were late. But the ruins outside the inner palace gate were perfect for the time we arrived- less than thirty minutes to five. Sunset was approaching. We were among the few visitors who loitered behind. We couldn't have chosen a more wondrous time to be there. A resident mystique envelopes relics of the past, especially those that enjoyed splendor in their day. We explored in peace. Trying to get an idea of what was in store the next day, I peeped through the slit on the huge gate: outlines of edifices even bigger than the skeletal remains standing on the outer grounds, still proud. The shadows lengthen as the sun hurried west. Waxing meditative is easy when ruins speak to you I imagine a wedding here at night aglow with fireflies. Lotuses gliding on the pond, chimes in the soft breeze, real fairies for bride's maids.... ABC Wednesday * Ruby Tuesday * Our World

Meet Leo, the baby leopard. For 100 baht (about 3.40 USD) he's yours to cuddle and feed. The milk in his bottle is very little, just enough to be consumed in 2 minutes or less. Leo lives in Kanchanaburi. ABC Wednesday

Thailand has just concluded Songkran (traditional Thai New Year), which is celebrated on April 13-15.  The festival has many fun features, most significant of all is water.  People are out on the streets getting drenched, dancing, eating, greeting each other a happy new year. This is a scene in Huahin last week. Hilton Hotel is behind that old house which is actually a bar. Behind it is Hard Rock Cafe, and the opposite side are an assortment of shops and restaurants.  White foreigners participate in this event too as you can see.  They have as much fun as the locals.     My World Tuesday is brought to you by Klaus and the My World Team Sandy , Wren , Fishing Guy , Sylvia

Sunday morning, Elephant Island. The sun had a hard time coming out which was perfect for the skin of this visiting Bangkokian. It was her last day on the island. Very soon it was back to reality. Back to work, skyscrapers, crazy traffic. These quiet rocks and the general calm would help her recharge and face the capital again. My World Tuesday is brought to you by Klaus and the My World Team Sandy , Wren , Fishing Guy , Sylvia

Half an hour before boarding the bus that would take me and friends to Trat, I skimmed online reviews of the resort we were to stay in and beaches on Elephant Island that we wanted to go to. 1. Yet there's still that hint of surprise at finding reality: rocks instead of black sand at least abound on Pearl Beach, and Lonely Beach is not lonely at all. But discovering Koh Chang's hidden charm is good consolation. One of us baptized this place Hansel and Gretel's cottage. 2. I was right to have taken some work with me. Facebook-depriving elusive Wifi saved friends from being harrassed with islandish shoutouts at 20-minute intervals . 3. Work was a question to research the moment I was back to the mainland: if integrative complexity was high, would the number of assassinations go down? 4. Legs connected to the brains entertaining morbidity in the midst of holiday were clad in a long, flowery skirt. Mixing business and pleasure, for crying out loud. 5. Let's go music and mov...

August 12th, the Thai Queen's birthday is a national holiday here. That was Thursday and what luck, work bosses decided to give us Friday, the 13th free too. I and a couple of friends headed off to Thailand's second largest island, Koh Chang (Elephant Island), referred to by some as the Oriental Eden of the East . It's difficult trimming these faves to five but I'll try... I. Nothing beats waiting for dinner chatting on hammocks! Behind us blazing rays of the setting sun blanketed the sea; the sound of waves gentle and the breeze therapeutic. Nature was addressing the ACs cooling our city offices - this is how you treat weary Bangkokians, gentlemen . *The restaurant: Saffron on the Sea *Main course: deep fried white snapper with mango and carrot strips, sweet basil, chinese celery, and cashew nuts *Drinks: tequila sunrise drank at sunset and tempered by ginger and lemon grass tea II. Okay , I took work to the island. But I calculated that in a place so beautiful induc...

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...