They're just breasts

What is it about men and nudity?

Particularly breasts... How can you be so interested in them?
I mean seriously: they're just breasts. Every second person has them. They're odd looking, they're for milk from your mother. What's all the fuss about?

In case you were wondering... that was Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) talking to William (Hugh Grant) the morning after they slept together. Notting Hill has been awhile. So have breasts. But not these features of the Woman and Child gallery at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre. They are fairly recent.

That's My World Tuesday is brought to you by the MyWorld team Klaus Sandy Wren Fishing Guy Sylvia

Hazel-eyed Jane Austen

As a fan of Jane Austen, I am extremely pleased with the plethora of information about her on the web. It goes without saying that I spend hours immersed in Austen blogs and equally delightful related sites. There is one I want to focus on, and it is the source of my faves this week:

Sadish

Jane Austen's World
A classic party inside! I am drawn to this promise:

"This blog brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details"

A good trait
Vic, the blog owner writes on "About Me"

"...If you would like to share a new site, or point out an error, please email me. (Yes, I am fallible. I'll own up to my mistakes and will make the corrections with a polite smile on my face.)"

A familiar word
It's an adjective but it's also my name. James Austen Leigh, the author's nephew describes his aunt's physical attributes -

“ ... full round cheeks, with mouth and nose small and well formed, light hazel eyes, and brown hair forming natural curls close round her face.”

Jane Austen: Christian Encounters by Peter Leithart
There are many Austen publications and reviews out there, but this is the first time I saw one of a book written by a christian pastor and Austen scholar at the same time. What magnets me to this review is Vic's closing comment which mirrors an inclination I have for someone with whom I have a volatile relationship: my own mother whose moral beliefs and practices often clash with mine -

"The references to Jane’s religion and Christian beliefs were interwoven into the narrative in an unobtrusive and restrained way. I had feared a lecture; what I received was enlightenment and a book I shall share with my Christian mother who is always asking me: “What is it about Jane Austen that makes you such as devotee?” Read this book, Mama, and you will understand."

Regency wedding dresses
I must be the only divorcee who is still crazy about wedding dresses lol! Ok, not exactly crazy but perhaps a better phrase would be 'like anyway and no matter what'. Admiring vintage fashion is high on my bucket. This Jane Austen's World post, as well as Social Customs During the Regency Era contain a rich list of links. Before I go hyper I think I should pause with this quote Vic included to celebrate a niece's wedding

"The handsome veil of Mechlin lace, A sister’s love bestows, It adds new beauties to her face, Which now with pleasure glows. Friends brothers sisters cousins meet, To attend the happy bride, And Queer’s joy is all complete, The nuptial knot is tied -"

Share what you love about your week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story

Palimpsest

Bucolic is listed on Dr Goodword's alphaDictionary as one of the most beautiful words in English. I typed it on google images and as I strayed, like I usually allow myself to when leisurely searching, I was led to words that reflect concepts appealing to me:

1. eclogue
2. denouement

3. cynosure
4. pianoforte

5. palimpsest
6. onomatopoeia

7. riparian
8. inglenook

9. petrichor
10. lilt

11. arcadian
12. vintage

13. Jenny what else but my idol Jane Austen's nickname :-)

Share your Thursday Thirteen list with Megan and Janet.

Yes, no, and in the air tonight

Musical Monday: In The Air Tonight
Please scroll down for Monday Mayhem

It was either Don Johnson or someone whose name I didn't pay as much attention to. Globe-trotting, short-term boyfriend mentioned that he briefly worked with one Miami Vice actor. Then off he went out to finish a meeting while I stayed behind to finish viewing bundles of photos. In one snapshot the guy he pointed out as the actor preceded him on the stairs of a plane. My mind ambled along opening scenes of The Real McCoy; the roar of Ferrari as Burnett and Tubbs sped on a dark highway interspersed with Phil Collins' bark-like "oh lord, oh lord, oh lord..." God I must have existed in the 80s already :D

Diane hosts Musical Monday. Click here for more music.

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Monday Mayhem: Yes or No
Please scroll up for Musical Monday

Today's meme is based on the popular YES or No.

We will focus on the internet. Answer yes or no for each question. Because I am so very nice, I will allow you to tell one story about one of your answers.

HAVE YOU?

1. Googled yourself?

I thought it was silly, but I got to sort something someone said. Read: skin the little bug alive

2. Googled your neighbor?

Sometimes we're on the lift together; and as the mercury on the neighborliness thermometer plunges, so does the interest to bother about remembering that I don't even know their first names

3. Used Google maps to spy on someone?

You should be asking if I used google maps to locate Mt. Ararat

4. Spied on someone via Facebook?








5. Friended someone on Facebook that you don't know?

It's the other way around

6. Tweeted gossip?
not my style duh







7. Followed a celeb on Twitter?
I'd rather follow my own dreams







8. Kissed any one of your Facebook friends?

and loved it!




9. Regretted an online relationship?
knowing when to stop has its advantages







10. Dumped someone online?

11. Played a prank on someone online?








12. Spied on a High School bully online?
The bully in my high school must have had brains enough to victimize only those he could






13. Written a nasty email?
At my age, if I have to attack someone, I'll do it face to face







14. Sent something X-rated via email?
received - yes







15. Searched your state's/locality's database for predators?








16. Done an online search on someone's traffic offenses?
If it's not my concern, I don't bother







17. Ordered dinner online?








18. Purchased something over $250 online?








19. Left an anonymous comment?








20. Checked out someone else's email (as in spy on your s.o.)?
it's not me







Harriet hosts Monday Mayhem. Click here for more mayhem.

A Chance and Class of 1988

Friday's Fave Five: A Second Chance

Please scroll down for Friday Photo Flashback

This week has been a lot better than last week. One significant thing led to another. I'm happy about and grateful for:

a second chance
It looks like it is and I consider it to be so after a mistake I made on these anti-virus programs wiped out all my pictures. Most of those I label "precious" haven't been sent to email or stored in a flash drive or posted on any social network site. Everything vanished. I tried hard to be cheerful and carried on but the loss was such a nasty cloud over me last week that I grew two canker sores. Then I worked again on restoring them but without expecting anything anymore. Tweaking and hoping I tried these hidden files that warn you not to open them or your other files would be messed up. I had nothing else left to lose anyway so I risked it. Alas! there they were! The saying "you value a thing when you lose it" had never taken a more distinct meaning. It taught me a few lessons as well: always have back-up and don't take things for granted.

a place to stay
I was getting worried that it's already mid-March and we haven't booked a hotel in Hong Kong yet. Finally we have. I acknowledge Chette's searching prowess. The place she found is not just new with a good price value. It's also in the midst of everything we need and want to do.

Alice in Wonderland
It's a beautiful film and I enjoyed watching it.

Shirts and blouses that fit
I just love it when I go shopping in a large mall and I find what I want right on the spot. I get to go home quickly.

Chat about a cat
Meet Kareltje, one of blogosphere's most famous felines. When I headed over virtually to the Netherlands to say hi to Anya (Kareltje's human Mom), CJ was watching video clips on another window. We talked --

CJ: (digressing from youtube) Mommy, Garfew?
Me: (on an impulse to correct) Garfield, Baby Pooh. But it's Kareltje ... (and wishing to evaluate the correction) ... who's that?
CJ: Orange!
Me: What is Kareltje doing?
CJ: Circle!
Me: How does a cat sound?
CJ: Karew fat!

It's either a situation that heralds the need for audio-visual comprehension overhaul or the influence of these Baby Einsten Art DVDs or something I have no idea about. So much for a master's in Communication.

Thank you, Anya for letting me use Kareltje's photos.

Share what you love about your week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

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Friday Photo Flashback: Matutum View Academy, Class of 1988
Please scroll up for Friday's Fave Five

There's Vivian, there's Daisy, George, Heartwell, Norman, and I'll try to remember the rest later. This was taken on a Friday afternoon after beautifying our class garden; most probably why we were not wearing our uniform. That's our homeroom adviser, Mr. Israel Tigley, grinning in the middle front row :-) Most of these classmates are on Facebook. Some of them may recognize themselves after the tags. (Guess the pic will enlarge when clicked on)

Share your old photos with Alicia at More Than Words.

Coffee over the classics

Random reads I spent some time on this week:

1. Right in your kitchen
Inexpensive yet for optimum health, foods one should eat everyday are leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, yohgurt and onions

2. Red shirts march to US embassy in Bangkok
Sabotage or no sabotage and whether the Thai premier steps down or not, I hope protesters' demands don't escalate to the airport again or my out-of-town trips are soo affected

3. Fashion police at the 2010 Oscars
They point out what's hideous, outrageous, precocious, precious or atrocious. It's entertaining to keep knowing.

4. Salespeople and insurance you don't need
A summary of money-saving tips

5. Out of the Crooked Timber
An academic blog (which is no longer updated but) I visit for its archives

6. Screamy window
Gwrych Castle. A dose of charmingly eerie stuff

7. Workplace attitudes
Avoid toxic co-workers

8. Shooting location tours
Feel what it must have been like. I'm interested in the Anne Shirley, Sound of Music, Harry Potter types (link is a good idea).

9. Children's effort to save their town
I like stories of positive cooperation. When I read "some children lugged sandbags that weighed more than they did" I went on.

10. HIV? Go bananas
BanLec, a banana ingredient was found by scientists to be as potent as two existing anti-HIV drugs

11. Testing a president's power of persuasion
President Obama's persuasion skills got me marking pages that show how he steers the US health care reform.

12. Her Majesty, inventor of the telephone?
A study found that British schoolchildren think Queen Elizabeth invented the telephone, Sir Isaac Newton discovered fire and the first man on the moon is Buzz Lightyear (stats available on the link)

13. Fiennes tackles literary classics
Actor Joseph Fiennes is to read scenes from works of Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility among others, to promote Carte Noir coffee. "I have a great appreciation for a wide range of genres but for me you can't beat the intensity of the classics - and what better way to enjoy them than accompanied by a cup of quality coffee?" enthuses the Hollywood star.

Megan and Janet host Thursday Thirteen.

Honor, Awards and a Game

Tuesday Couch Potatoes: Made of Honor

Awards and a Game/Meme follow. Please scroll down a bit.

My pick for this week's TCP theme (wedding movie) is Made of Honor. I like the humor in it. We've all been to several weddings but how many of us can say I've been to one in which the maid of honor was a he? The scene which particularly cracked me up is when the priest mistook the maid of honor for a gay man =) If you're familiar with some of my likes, you'd know why I also love the Scotland location of the wedding. For more of the synopsis click here; and here's the trailer:

Head over to Just About Anything for more wedding movies.



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My super duper bloggy friend Thom of Thom's Place for Well Whatever and fellow Mom Tetcha of Pensive Thoughts awarded me this Beautiful Blogger award. I have to list seven things about me so here they are:

1. I love wearing jeans more than skirts.

2. One of my favorite colors is purple.

3. I don't mind spending sunrise or sunset in book and antique stores.

4. Nowadays I dine out more than I dine in, and I'm enjoying it because I'm lazy with dirty dishes.

5. I consider a year not very exciting if I didn't get my butt on a jet.

6. My favorite female author is Jane Austen.

7. I think helicopter pilots and nuclear engineers are sexy.

The following awards are also passed on to me by Thom:





Thank you very much Thom and Tetcha for these awards. It is so thoughtful and sweet of you. Now I'm passing these awards to:

Anya of Kareltje en ikke !!!

Kikamz of Just About Anything

Chris of Chris Chronicles

Rossel of Topics on Earth

Mys of Pieces of Me

Nuts of Embrace Life

Shydub of Worth's Road

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And now we play a game/meme called Association. I want to thank Author Alice Audrey for inviting me to join this meme.

Here are the rules:

1. Anyone can play, whether they have been tagged or not.

2. Include the rules and logo in your post.

3. Copy out all the responses that were made before you.

4. Link to each of the people who responded before you.

5. Put in your response. Your response can be as little as a single word or as much as 100 words. It can be a word, a phrase, an image, a song, a video, a story, or a short rant.

6. Tag anyone you would like to challenge to play this game. You do not have to tag anyone.

7. You can do this any time you run across it, even if you were one of the previous responders.

Alice said: Excitement

Hootin Anni said: Thrill!

My association for thrill would be: Suspense

I challenge: Thom. Anyone who comes across this meme/game, play along if you have time. It's fun :)

Alice hosts Association Meme.

Somebody and Something

Musical Monday: Somebody to love
Please scroll down for Monday Mayhem

My kiddo discovered 1930s Mickey Mouse clips on youtube. The only trick that could prise him off the computer was to go out to eat his favorite steak. Back at the apartment I tempered his new addiction by making up Mickey's girlfriend, Ella of Frell; that Ella is his complete opposite: Ella obeys, CJ resists. He lasted til Somebody to love, which is thankfully what I particularly wanted to rewatch; my best consolation for not being able to see Alice over the weekend.

Diane of Good Mourning, Glory! hosts Musical Monday. Click here for more music.

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Monday Mayhem: The Something Meme
Please scroll up for Musical Monday

Name something you do every day
Hang out for a few minutes at my favorite sites

Name something someone else calls you
Anastasia

Name something that irritates the heck out of you online.
Spam

Name something that bugs the stuff out of you at a restaurant.
Ah... this one! Yesterday I called the attention of a server who looked away and entertained the next table cutting off my order mid-air. Then she came with something I didn't order at all. I gave her a you-should-be-thinking-twice-about-your-attitude-or-I-report-you-to-your-boss-right-now look

Name something you cannot tolerate at a store.
Sales assistants who are too eager to follow me around. You follow only if I can't read instructions or follow signs.

Name something you'd like to call your co-worker.
Kapayason (Cry Baby)

Name something that you hate about someone close to you.
He thinks I'm superwoman, able to do everything for him

Name something you don't like about your sibling.
I'm an only child

Name something you like about yourself.
I'm learning how to forgive myself

Name something you would rather be doing right now.
Outlining a research proposal that matches my transcript, not my neurotic fancy

Name something that you'll be doing next week at this time.
I will be dealing with my decision to have postponed taking the IELTS on the 18th of this month.

Harriet at Harriet and Friends hosts Monday Mayhem. Click here for more mayhem.

Street 55

Here comes Friday! And here we come with our faves:

Race cars

- that are extremely speedy by design but accident-free because they're stationary in the mall; at least the seats are. CJ enjoyed the rides so much. Although we argued about our time there, I collapsed in laughter beside him while he maneuvered his way through obstacles, between nudges, and into a crash. CJ was so calm amidst my hysterics. He gave me a reproachful look which made me shut up and resumed laughing until I finally regained my poise.

Exploring Street 55

An agrestic Bed & Breakfast is a charming surprise in a city like Bangkok, but I find that tiny but very dainty corner most delightful. It sells girly party accessories and looks like a shop from a fairytale.

Walking on the grass under the trees with a fuzzy breeze

- is a big comfort against the heat.

Sorting our trip home

Fares increase by the hour; but I'm glad it's only CJ's ticket I had to add a few more hundred bahts to. Mine remained the same as last night's figure. At midday today I closed the deal or risked paying more. The best thing is that my holidays were approved by HR before flights became unaffordable.

"Don't allow yourself to be bored. It's an insult to life"

It's a line from a co-participant's post of yesterday's Thursday's Thirteen. Boredom has been the reason I began blogging. I have been enjoying the experience ever since and thankful for online friends. Here's hoping the insult is now redressed.

Susanne hosts Friday's Fave Five. Head over to Living to Tell the Story for more faves.

Cars and kids

Noticed something awkward or funny in a vehicle? Ceejay's Dad's car has it. The ground floor parking of the Swiss trading company that employs Cj's Dad is reserved for executives. When he parks down there, his car becomes all the more funny-looking. I'm talking about a mickey mouse bumper sticker on it. And something worse than an executive's car with a grinning mouse sticking out the glass is that my computer got infected wiping out all my pictures. Disaster! I'm putting grief on hold. Below is a google idea of my rant.

image

Between ex-hubster's cars Cj seems drawn to the old one. I know why he prefers the old. It was his refuge when he was a yakking infant. Or ours. When CJ howls in the middle of the night the car is the ultimate solution. It's instant quiet once he's inside. Magic! Cj must have also felt some connection with it because it's what I drove until I was about six months preggy with him.

Yesterday Cj wanted to spend another hour driving those race cars in the mall. That is a source of argument as he's the only kid there. All other drivers are towering, young adults. He transformed into his Dad's car sporting Mickey among all those formal wheels at Berli Jucker. That's about it for CJ's ongoing experience with cars. Thank you fellow Mommies for using your imagination.

Moms are talking about cars and kids at Chris's Mommy Journey today.

Paper Sculpture

Talk of wondering how did a face take form. You look at the hair and you remember that you've forgotten it is not cement. I first came across paper sculpture from those regular emails sent by a friend. As I looked at one after another I got more curious and wondered who is the talent behind this amazing work. So off to Google I searched and found this:

"The Eckmans (Allen and Patty) are the inventors of this process and the Eckman Method® of Cast Paper Sculpture is a trade mark of theirs alone. Since 1988 Patty and Allen have developed and perfected the medium of cast paper far beyond any other artist in the world. Their work is considered to be the premier of the industry by many critics." (source)

This art has been around for awhile (1988), but it's never too late to appreciate and enjoy beautiful things.

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Megan and Janet host Thursday Thirteen. Click here for more lists or to join.