Hazel Ceej

Links: Wordless Wednesday @ Shhhhhh, LET'S GET WORDLESS!! Wordless Wednesday @ Mommy Moment Wordless Wednesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom Wordless Wednesday @ Mom's Bookshelf Wordless Wednesday @ Momspective  

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

Sometime ago I answered this question : If you had to choose to live within a novel, which would it be? My answer was - Without much ado Harry Potter's Hogwarts ! What a place to explore! I'd like to transfigure arrogant Malfoy into a cross-eyed cockroach. *kidding* And when I feel like cutting Snape's class I'll hang out at Hagrid's hut. Then during summers head to The Burrow. As Ron Weasley says, "it's not much, but it's home." Let's travel to England. Can you name these places in Harry Potter? My favorite places in Harry Potter (go left to right for names and photo source links) 1   Hogwarts the moving staircases and all the magical learning! 2   Shell Cottage a newly-weds' home must be sweet and lovely 3   Flourish and Blotts books books and books! 4   Hogsmeade appeals to the country girl in me 5   Honeydukes for your sweet tooth 6   The Leaky Cauldron when one day in Diagon Alley is not enough 7   The Burrow 'dilapidated a

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

                                                         Click on photo for a larger view                                                                             A friend of a friend recommends the chicken dishes at Piri Piri . Several times I pass by the restaurant in Siam Paragon but refrain from getting in because I read "flaming hot" and I'm no fan of hot, spicy food. But one weekend after church I wandered around looking for something to eat. There's an advantage when you're not that hungry while restaurant-hunting. You get to vary the restaurants you go to. I was curious and didn't want to miss what Piri-piri is famous for: flaming hot chicken. No smoke came off my ears and nostrils - a discovery that tells me it's OK to go back. I love how fresh the lettuce and capsicum strips are. The menu presentation is charming, and that's great in my books. There's a little story in it which makes up for leisure reading while waiting for your order

Shoes? He shuns them. Sunglasses? He doesn't like them either. I am sadly accepting the obvious: my fur son does not share my fashion sense. The one shot of him grudgingly wearing a dark pair once was not even to shield his eyes from harmful rays during walks. He agreed to have them on his head, sitting on the coffee table. Yes, like a crown. I thought only cats were aristocratic by nature. Sometimes I wonder if he needs corrective glasses instead after his right eye was injured by an irate neighbor, which is another story. Mozart should watch Arlo .

How wonderful it would be if that's the case for everyone all time! But as we live in an imperfect world we can only take life one day at a time. If CEOs are people trying to hold their sanity for obvious reasons, moms are no different. Whether they are working outside the home, homeschooling, moms are usually in the center of many important things. This Gabby Moms October product is about staying sane and centered in a sea of mothering responsibilities. Gratitude is crucial. You have to learn it. As if it's not enough that you have managed to stay centered and sane, you have to be grateful as well. That's right grateful. I heard that too. Vividly.  When author Lorrie Flem started talking about gratitude I wondered what version of the virtue could I have exercised in the aftermath of divorce; in the face of a harrowing diagnosis - coordinating with specialists and therapists, not to mention dragging the son between two countries thrice before he could even say 'airplan

  A child's feet grow rapidly. It's a fact known to many parents or those in child care. So it is safe to assume that your child's shoe size is not the same as the last time you went on a shoe-shopping trip. The American Podiatric Medical Association suggests measuring your child's feet before every new shoe purchase. I fall short of this. And even if I did measure, I still would not have known we were to measure 'no matter how recently the feet were last measured.' I don't remember my kiddo regularly wearing typical socks while trying on shoes. And I don't remember myself inspecting his feet for signs of irritation after trying on shoes.  You may join me in making a note to self: socks and signs (of irritation) If you don't mind secondhand shoes, the advice is to avoid them as they 'could cause fungal infection.'  I remember a colleague proudly telling me how she bought her daughter's shoes for 25 cents at a garage sale. And I remember w

Fortunately Arlo's story is one of love, concern and creativity, unlike Missy's . Animal lovers would nod on Arlo needs glasses by Barney Saltzberg . Families with dogs might be interested too. It's not just the story I am interested in.  Arlo Needs Glasses is an interactive picture book. What children do not like names on pages that appear in equivalent of lights with letters that are outlined in different hues? They get to pull a tab and be part of the activities in the story. An eye chart in the doctor's office is shown on this book. Letters blur with the pull of a tab giving readers the idea of what the lead character might be seeing. It would even be more interesting to be able to detect words, which reviews of this book, suggest are hidden in the eye chart. Saltzberg spells out "phoropter," he uses the Broadway-marquee lettering, as if children are picking up a party favor when they look through the accordion-style fancy-dancy binoculars. At the very b

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

In a fairytale world, she's the damsel in distress and he's the gallant knight in shining armor who comes to rescue her from the tower of the evil witch. Enter reality - CJ in a golden steed green bike and Pinky gallop to the sunset head to the lift of a six-storey apartment building. They speak different languages. They also have different personalities. He is an introvert; she is obedient. And sweet. When asked to kiss him she obliged. Click!  goes the knight's little professor's very first kiss from a girl besides his mom. ABC Wednesday

In this post: Booking Through Thursday and Thursday Thirteen Quick–what are you reading right now? Would you recommend it? What’s it about? Pocket Finance by The Economist Books . Does it count? It's one of thousands of finance books out there; a "guide that outlines the complexities of financial concepts and practice through essays and alphabetized terms." If you are in higher education, Southeast Asia region- finance, accounting, management sort of stuff, you might fancy it for side reading. Come to my nook and we'll discuss it over tea. Coffee if you like or martini. It's just that at work there's talk of gearing up subject content for business undergrads; things like the AEC (Asian Economic Community), etceterati. This is back-up just in case. Thursday Thirteen: International Book Week There's a bit of fun going on around FB in honor of international book week. Bookworms are invited to grab the closest book to them, turn to page 52, and post the 5th s

They are only minutes and we have big things that require days, months or forever to do, so do we spend hours discussing the minutes or do we just play it by ear? Managing My Minutes: Do I Really Need To ? s hows why and how the minutes matter. It is when the work is great that there's a need to pay attention to little details. In a sea of chores moms or anyone managing a home may hope the children or loved ones in the household will cooperate so things are done quickly. But that may not be always the case. You wonder why the Jones children behave better, their obedience systematic. Is there a secret trick for that? Author Lorrie Flem points you to a law in the natural world that serves as a guide to help you understand what you might be getting wrong. It's not magic, nor a 'get-rich' formula but an 'app' you can actually make use of. This e-book works around a concept most of us deal with whatever social roles we play - schedule. Now I usually treat schedule as

"Oh Mary! ... find some useful employment!" ~ Mrs Bennet, Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen's 500-piece 18" x 14" jigsaw puzzle looks to me like one heck of useful entertainment. The moment I saw it on a shelf by the check out counter of Asia Books, I decided it was mine even before I read the blurb - "Settle down for a cozy afternoon with this literary-minded puzzle. Cleverly packaged in a booklike box... it features illustrations from the Regency Era paired with quotes from Jane Austen's beloved novels." Alas! I have had the misfortune of not having touched this most prized possession since I bought it last year . Therefore this is one good reason to look forward to rainy afternoons at home on that russet hardwood dining table. If only I were home. ABC Wednesday

That animal owner who abandoned his German shepherd Missy on a Colorado mountain made excuses : 'I was forced to leave her,' this and that bla bla bla. Fact is he DID NOT go back to rescue her. Other people did. After a vet declared that Missy would fully  recover the owner wants her back. I can imagine animal rights activists glaring at his guts. Or I was the one furrowing my brows in disbelief, feeling sorrow over Missy's cut paws. Poor darling. Mozart should learn about paw preservation from her, and at least try to wear his shoes for once in his life. But Mozart will never know the perils of mountain hiking until he were in Missy's shoes. Does your fur kid like to wear shoes?  Mine does not :( Actually he refuses to wear anything on his paws and will bite if forced. Recently I insisted he tried, at least for the sake of photos, and his teeth sank quickly on my hand so I dropped it. But not without having him pose with his unwanted shoes.  Heck, grooming accessories

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="144"] Bookshop Window (Photo credit: garryknight)[/caption] On the daydreams department : Inkwood Books, an "indie bookstore in a cozy old Hyde Park bungalow" is for sale. My dream is alive with more than just black and white as I buy the book bungalow in a page-turn. The rich becomes richer : had the U.S. State Department not withdrawn a $16.5 million contract to provide Kindle Touches for its overseas language education program, that would have been the case with Amazon . The reconsideration now gives all vendors opportunities to respond to the Department's requirements for mobile learning. Yay to sharing the pie. A positive state of bookstore affairs : Oblong Books & Music (New York) renovates. Here's wishing them traffic flow increase. Politics and Prose (Washington, D.C.) changes their store layout. A toast to events that draw larger audiences. Builders Booksource (California) re-sizes

If you had to choose to live within a novel, which would it be? That was a question I answered in a book party some time ago. I delightedly went, 'without much ado Harry Potter's Hogwarts! What a place to explore! I'd like to transfigure arrogant Malfoy into a cross-eyed cockroach. *kidding* And when I feel like cutting Snape's class I'll hang out at Hagrid's hut. Then during summers head to The Burrow. As Ron Weasley says, "it's not much, but it's home." The kiddo loves Harry Potter. He watches the first two installments over and over hiding behind the door and saying, "I don't like this..." each time. Then he watches it again, runs to the door again, the ceremony goes on :) For fun I thought of listing our Thirteen favorite places in Harry Potter: 1. Hogwarts the moving staircases and all the magic learning! 2. The Burrow 'dilapidated and standing only by magic' ah!... wonderful 3. Hogsmeade Village appeals to the cou

[caption id="attachment_13522" align="alignleft" width="259"] Bookshelf Wallpaper by Young & Battaglia[/caption] When books die do they go to heaven? I like to think they do. Earlier I lamented the gradual departure of bookshops here and there. It is  bittersweet to succumb to book depression. Then something came up which made me think that in a traditional book lover's space this would be perfect - "a heavenly library." Or at least the look of it. Young & Battaglia is the creative genius behind this bookshelf wallpaper idea showcased by Design Year Book. "White books on white shelves." How peaceful is that! And to me it is quite a comfort to see reminders of traditional books like this if they have to be driven off our lives by e-readers. On a fashionista note, it looks like an intelligent sort of background for a photoshoot with a dark-clad reading model, does it not? Let's go to Budapest. Just a 5-second show that ma

"Lace is a thing like hope. It is beauty; it is grace. It was never meant to destroy so many lives." Lace also usually associates well with tenderness, delicateness.  But how does it end up destroying lives? Author Iris Anthony weaves a story of "fleeting beauty, mad obsession and ephemeral hope." Ruins of Lace is for historical fiction fans, and is going to be published on October 1st 2012. More info here . [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150"] Charles Dickens' great-great-great-grandchildren, Rob Charles Dickens, and Rachel Dickens Green, lay flowers at the grave during a ceremony at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of the English novelist on February 7, 2012 in London, England. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)[/caption] Remember Pip, the orphan who rose to wealth, and got affected by the improvement of his circumstances? If you think you have seen Pip somewhere in the news last week,

  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

Divorce wiped me off something I would have been entitled to. That didn't bother me a hoot thanks to financial independence. But when the almighty ex-MIL cancelled my son's trust fund (long story, complicated) I had to look beyond mall windows to think. The realization that I am responsible for the loss of what is due the kiddo (we're talking more than a few digits here) horrifies me. Add the thought of giving up fine dining and entertainment, holidays abroad, and I'm twirling a nightmare in manicured fingernails.  The situation provides a steady supply of adrenaline as I scramble to adjust priorities hopping from one advice to another, experimenting, analyzing and trying out examples. Who wants a nightmare when life can go on nicely with some practice of what has been an option all along? Saving it is. A Yahoo Finance article shows readers how to live well on $40,000 a year . It looks feasible and motivated me to set a financial goal for CJ that will teach him how to

In the world of books and authors and the business people among them, things and people come and go just like everywhere else. Stephen Covey, familiar isn't he?, of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People fame passed away at 79 last month, July 16th. Bookseller Irving Oaklander, is also dead at 88 on August 8th. I am not very familiar with Oaklander but certain words in a tribute written for him by Steven Heller endears me to the kind of person he was - "... he kept a booth at the Greenwich Village Antiquarian Book Fair ... beckoning all passersby to feast their eyes as they page through the material.... He invited me to his Upper West Side book business... the main bookcase -the spines said it all . Indeed, Irving had them all. Every classic and many obscure volumes that I would have died for then... Irving was the Trader Joe of rare design books ." It's not just book people leaving. Bookshops are too. With the full-blown utilization of the internet our rea

Elephant treks in Kanchanaburi are usually priced at more or less 20USD for 10-15 minutes. A simple ride, no jungle involved, costs less. A Khao San tour agency offered this surprise inclusion in their package - elephant trekking which was free, so why not? Gently our planet's largest land mammals see-sawed globe trotters on their back as they maneuvered rocks and growth. The water mark on the elephant's body gives one an idea of the depth of the part of the river it waded through. If the beast suddenly sat and rolled on the water, all this would turn into a swimming party. While snapping from behind I noticed another elephant ambling alongside us, without 'passengers.' Curious, I asked the mahout what's the name of our chang (elephant). He smiled, "Siripon." "And this little darling here?" "Baby, baby of Siripon."   The trek took us through cassava, tomato and eggplant fields. We passed by a tree where Siripon's baby tarried at th

Elephant treks in Kanchanaburi are usually priced at more or less 20USD for 10-15 minutes. A simple ride, no jungle involved, costs less. A Khao San tour agency offered this surprise inclusion in their package - elephant trekking which was free, so why not? Gently our planet's largest land mammals see-sawed globe trotters on their back as they maneuvered rocks and growth. The water mark on the elephant's body gives one an idea of the depth of the part of the river it waded through. If the beast suddenly sat and rolled on the water, all this would turn into a swimming party. While snapping from behind I noticed another elephant ambling alongside us, without 'passengers.' Curious, I asked the mahout what's the name of our chang (elephant). He smiled, "Siripon." "And this little darling here?" "Baby, baby of Siripon."   The trek took us through cassava, tomato and eggplant fields. We passed by a tree where Siripon's baby tarried at th

There's a new-to-me vocabulary: osmolality , which means measures of dehydration that trainers and coaches regularly check among their athletes along with gravity. Ever heard of a dehydrated swimmer? A blind optometrist just whisked through. Samuel Taylor Coleridge too. "Water, water everywhere... and not a drop to drink." Swimming is a sport reported to be more likely to put athletes in danger of dehydration. Yes, the awareness exists: swimmers are in the midst of water or where else could they be. But I had that somewhat ironic how. Then the sense: swimmers can't grab a sip while performing thus they are more at risk for dehydration than other athletes. Indeed! Christine Gerbstadt, a registered dietician and anesthesiologist explains that "if an athlete's event is an hour long or less, they shouldn't drink water during the competition. If it's more than an hour, the amount of water they should drink depends on the temperature, humidity and how much

As media keep us updated with the London Olympics we see how athletes show power and stamina. Those medals. The hype, the awe. Do you wonder what makes all that possible? More specifically what fuels their extraordinary feats. Let's narrow down to the dining table. If you are wondering what exactly do Olympians eat, you are not alone. Athletes currently starring in the 2012 Olympics are said to be eating a lot.  Emphasis on "a lot" sent a memory back of my mother musing about what a boxer in her hometown eats: loads of eggs, milk and meats. Loads. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that the average, moderately active man needs 2,000 to 2,800 a day. Look at the contrast against calories consumed everyday by athletes: it's between 8,000 and 10,000 calories per day. The business of feeding athletes for elite sports includes appropriate times for meals, a balance of percentages between carbohydrates and proteins, and how much fluid they take. Diet advice has cha

In this post: Booking Through Thursday and Thursday Thirteen Amy asks: Name a book you love in a genre you normally don’t care for. What made you decide to read it? Did it make you want to try more in that genre? Harry Potter , and I ended up reading all seven books in the series. Broomsticks and cauldrons, wands and potions, what in the name of Merlin's beard are they?.... I recall my own snigger at these things; look up my book shelf where the books are lovingly piled, and think of telling the sister-in-law how she influenced me to read HP. Because I'm sure she has no idea what she's done. She was holding a wineglass in one hand and HP2 in the other over a meal during one family get-together. The cover I saw was of Harry dangling from the flying car above the Yorkshire Moors. I wouldn't have been curious if she was a ninth grader, but she's a medical doctor. Okay, she's a globe trotter too so maybe it was a book she did not finish from some trans-atlantic f