Hazel Ceej

"So that's how it looks like," I thought as I stared at a blurred image on Cambridge U's 800th anniversary portrait. The page shows a document stamped S E C R E T . I leafed through and tinkered with the text mode of my camera. But the real fun was just setting eyes on things for the first time. It makes up for not having been to any museum in awhile. Besides, I'm not sure how easy or difficult some of these things are to view from anywhere other than the book. This is what I meant on my T13 last week when I said, "into my lap a treasure fell..." 1. Extract from the annotated first edition of Principia Mathematica, 1686 2. Undergraduate record card of Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine 3. A 3D silicon nanostructure fabricated using chemical vapour deposition 4. In the pages of the Blue Boy Magazine, err... the Varsity 5. John Milton's manuscript of Lycidas 6. Ernest Rutherford's notes on the structure of the atom 7. The Chancellor's

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

Musical Monday: She Bop, Cyndi Lauper Scroll down for Monday Mayhem You are most probably aware of the controversy behind Cyndi Lauper's She Bop . Allusion, sticker, it's not like we don't know whatever. I hope you enjoy the beat at least. I do. Guess I always will. Amanda @ Bloggin with Amanda hosts Musical Monday Denise @ Run DMT hosts Music Monday Blog Hop ******** Monday Mayhem: The 6 best pieces of advice Scroll up for Musical Monday 1. Someone playing this meme has music playing on their site and it is disrupting what you have playing on your computer while you play this wonderful meme. What's your best advice to people who auto-play music on their site? Make the turn off button easily accessible and functional. 2. What is your best advice to someone thinking about getting married? It's only the beginning so good luck. 3. What's your best advice for someone wanting to purchase a new phone? Check out iPhone 4. What's your best advice to offer to

Our Weekend Memoirs: Roadside Fruit Stand Scroll down for Sunday Stealing Tupi is called the fruit basket of South Cotabato. It was only four months ago though that I really paid attention to the many fruits that I take for granted when I'm home. MG3, a pineapple label, is something new to me. The is the fruit stand in Kablon, a barangay near Dole, the pineapple giant. I bought loads of avocados. They're quite pricey in Bangkok. Whereas in SC 5 USD go a long way. We made several stops on our way home from the airport. This watermelon stand is in Gensan. Luckily, people at home are fruit eaters. It's no fun to eat alone. Click here for more OWM . **************** Sunday Stealing: Another 50 Questions Meme, Part One (perhaps) Today we ripped this meme of a blogger known as Nigel Vanstone at Away for a Bit . Nigel explains that he was tagged to do the meme, but does not credit the blogger. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we g

My reading pile is still a pile - book reviews, press releases, SEO pieces, but TGIF! I'm putting them all aside to have a look back at my week. Which to be honest has been a bit bumpy as far as work is concerned. Thank goodness there's personal life to run to and where we have better control over the happiness meter. I took my own sweet time enjoying life's little pleasures -- 1. Cousin weekend . Being an only child, the closest person I have to a sister is cousin Vi. Her young sons are well-behaved, loving, brainy and they call me Auntie :-) Meals and chatter with them are quadruple the fun. I love them even more for agreeing to stay at home while Vi and I went shopping at a night bazaar. 2. Camera . When a hesitant techno-ignoramus finally approaches features on a gadget, the result is fun galore. This is Milton's justification of the blank verse of Paradise Lost. The literary legend used f for s , a strange character for c and so on. I found it fascinating. 3. Si

"... and you're travelling with your daughter, Ma'am?" asked the immigration official at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He examined CJ's passport then looked at CJ and his shoulder-length hair. The official furrowed his brow. I stifled a laugh. At Bangkok Airport, the confusion scene was similar. CJ's 'normal' hairstyle is short like most boys. Sometimes a hair saloon would take the liberty of cutting him their version of stylish - Once he wasn't aware of the camera in my hand. He turned and I clicked right into his long bangs - Round and round Hong Kong, I had no idea his hair was this long already until this photo was uploaded. Only a few hours after we arrived home, CJ's grandma had his long hair trimmed very short. Now he looks like a coconut husk floor scrub. We're doing hairstyles this week @ The Mommy Journey .

... observes the Duke of Edinburgh. Someone from Cambridge University Press came to speak to us. He gave away Cambridge: 800th Anniversary Portrait to a Thai teacher, who handed the book to me as if she was glad to get rid of it. (It's ok. She doesn't read, nor speak English) Into my lap a treasure fell. Some days must be bright and cheery :-) 1. "As an undergraduate I was persuaded that the Dons were a wholly unnecessary part of the university. I derived no benefits from lectures, and I made a vow to myself that when in due course I became a lecturer I would not suppose that lecturing did any good. I have kept this vow." Bertrand Russell , The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell , 1967 (p.53) 2. "Cambridge, wet, cold, abstract, formal as it is, is an excellent place to write, read and work." Sylvia Plath , writing to her mother, 1956, from Letters Home , 1975 (p. 17) 3. "Dear Sir, I will be obliged to you to order me down 4 Dozen of Wine, Port, Sherry-