Shopping gets in the way

Musical Monday & Monday's Music Moves Me: Words Get in the Way
Please scroll down for Monday Mayhem

Something's whirling in my head. It made me stall in the middle of a wide space between university buildings yesterday. Thank goodness I am blogging as it helps me realize this insanity is hardly rocket science. Here's Gloria Estefan moving me, "there is so much I want to say but it's locked deep inside..."

Amanda @ Bloggin with Amanda hosts Musical Monday

XmasDolly of XmasDolly, Lori of Shewbridges of Central Florida, Larry of Cakeblast, and Callie of JAmerican Spice host Monday's Music Moves Me

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Monday Mayhem: Give us your shopping tips!
With the holiday shopping season in full swing, we want to hear your shopping tips for the situations below.

1. You mention to your neighbor, with the body odor, that you are heading out to the mall in the morning. Neighbor asks to go with. What do you say? Tell him/her that there's been a change of plans.

2. You go up and down every aisle in the parking lot until you finally scope out that perfect place. You patiently pull over to the side and put your signal on to wait for the person pulls out. Someone snags your spot before you can pull in. What do you do? Breathe deeply. Count 1-100. Let it go. I'm not growing wrinkles for low people like that.

3. You find that perfect sweater for grandpa and it's the last one in that size. Some lady with three screaming kids approaches you and asks for the sweater for her husband who is deployed in Iraq. What do you do? I will give it up for her. She's the one with screaming kids and a husband far away and in constant danger, not I. Grandpa will understand.

4. You found the perfect gift for your best friend and you notice that there are no less than 100 people in line in front of you. Unfortunately, you just drank 3 cups of coffee before you entered the store. What do you do? Find another perfect gift elsewhere.

5. You're within 10 people of the checkout after waiting in line for 40 minutes and the person in front of you lets three people in line- he was just saving the spot. What do you do? They better get ready for a howler.

6. You get to the check out and your card is declined. What do you do? Use cash, always carry enough cash.

7. Oops...you forgot to buy something for Aunt Edna. Do you regift the fruit cake George from next door gave you? Brace myself for a mouthful and let it pass thru the other ear. I'm a patient niece if Aunt Edna revises her will in my favor. Ops, kidding.

8. Are you planning on doing most of your shopping in the stores or online this year? If I haven't made this clear yet, well, I love shopping. But I'm doing something important right now. And if I don't get it done before Christmas, I'm not shopping at all.

Harriet hosts Monday Mayhem

Into the gold

Sunday Stealing: The Baker's Meme
Scroll down for Our Weekend Memoirs

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Reymos at the blog My World is Getting Smaller Every Day. He states he got it from Carl Dorsey at Iron Cook: American. (and Carl stated it was written by Thomas Baker, thus today's title). But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Note: There were a bunch of rules and mandates that we were suppose to give but Bud lost them. Or hid them, either way it is his bad.

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. If you could interview anyone on your blog (alive or dead) who would you chose and why? Perhaps JA. I want to know what she thinks of the evolution of her fave subject

2. What do you feel is your strength as a blogger? answering memes (lol)

3. Can you share a little bit about yourself that you have not already mentioned on your blog? I am brainlessly managing a ballistic digital divide right now

4. If you were forced to change the name of your blog, what would you change it to? Why? Something that reflects what I want to keep blogging about

5. What do you think is the most fulfilling part of being a blogger? reading myself

6. What would you do with your last day if you found you had only one more day to live? Spend it with loved ones

7. You’ve been doing medical research for decades and have finally found a cure. What was it that you found a cure for and why did you choose this particular ailment? a cure for neurosis, a neurotic speaking

8. What is your most guilty pleasure? late night thrills

9. Answer only one. What is your favorite book, movie or TV show? too constricting duh

10. What do you think is the very best smell in the world? The one smell that can take you back to a time and place of a very vivid memory in your past? I forgot the name of that scent but once a well-dressed guy walked by me in a hotel lobby and the smell wafting was exactly the perfume a date wore some 17 years ago. I mentally whirled.

Bud Weiser hosts Sunday Stealing

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Our Weekend Memoirs: Sunflower Field


So the Pacman and Margarito match went down in history. That was all the signal we needed to get cracking towards the sunflower field in Saraburi. The sun was at its brightest.

Along the road we made a stop at a stand selling big sugar apples.

We were practically spilling out of the car like beans from a sack when we arrived. Tractors would take tourist to the middle of the field for 10 baht per head. Here the ohs, ahs, wows, and whoas were starting....

I have never been this happy and thrilled with nature in quite awhile!

Big Miss Sunshine

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LIFE!


Ebie and Arlene host Our Weekend Memoirs.

So big

Mommy Moments is where Moms muse about motherhood and show off their kids.

Joys, worries, disappointments, hopes, challenges and successes are shared.

Chris hosts this meme every Friday at The Mommy Journey.


Today's theme got me debating if these punching bags would do.

Maybe HK skyscrapers would count. Three of the world's tallest buildings felt lofty across the horizon. So big too.

They dwarf me much like the way challenges of mommyhood do. But then life is bigger than all these biggies. And good too.

Thanks and tricks

Musical Monday & Monday's Music Moves Me: Thanks to you - Tyler Collins
Please scroll down for Monday Mayhem

T is for thanks, thanksgiving and Thanks to you. This video provides lyrics. I hope you enjoy this song of thanks.

Amanda @ Bloggin with Amanda hosts Musical Monday

XmasDolly of XmasDolly, Lori of Shewbridges of Central Florida, Larry of Cakeblast, and Callie of JAmerican Spice host Monday's Music Moves Me

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Monday Mayhem: PONDERISMS Part II

10· In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal. So, what is normal? Monday Mayhem

11· How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? Anything could go up in smoke with carelessness

12· Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out'? Thought it was the calf

13· If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him? Dunno

14· Why does an OB-GYN leave the room when women get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway? 'Up there' is their business, not what else is covered

15· If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests? Testy

16· If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from? ask Johnson

17· Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup? Reading is spelled differently from slurping

18· Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster? Try it

19· Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? Same as epoxy doesn't stick to the inside of the tube

20· Do you ever wonder why you gave someone your email address? No. I'm not unconscious of who I want to be in contact with.

Harriet @ Harriet and Friends hosts Monday Mayhem

a la Randomness

Our Weekend Memoirs: Palenke de Saraburi
Please scroll down for Sunday Stealing


Those sunflowers I posted on Tuesday's My World meme was a bit of a long, full Sunday I had with friends last weekend. I'm sharing snapshots on an installment basis as parts of the day held different descriptions.

We went out to explore Saraburi Market in the morning. It was windy and our hats were in danger of being blown off our heads. We wandered between stalls and found strings to fix the flying hat situation. There! 3 baht a piece and the hats stay put.

Manao taw rai ka? (How much is the lemon?)This is our Pacman-Margarito breakfast. Munch, swallow, brace for the punches. Now if I could have the abs of those cheerleader trio I would be glad to skip this yumminess.
But I don't so I'll settle for a low pitch Philippine national anthem. I wonder who is she....
Pacquiao and Margarito are not roosters jabbing each other's guts out, but neither can I stand blood sport. It was quite a relief when the match was over.

Ebie and Arlene host Our Weekend Memoirs

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Sunday Stealing: Questions a la Randomness, A Meme

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Kimmy from the blog The Smug Cloud. She doesn't state where it came from. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Cheers to all of us thieves!

What was the last thing you put in your mouth? cappuccino

How late did you stay up last night and why? a quarter past 12

If you could move somewhere else, would you? in a heart beat

Have you ever been kissed under fireworks? no

Do you believe ex’s can be friends? yes

When was the last time you cried really hard? duh... can't remember. I'm not a crying type

What items could you not go without during the day? water

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? a cousin who gave birth

How do you feel about your life right now? saint-like (I just watched HP7, I)

If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find? unread messages

Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? with flying colors

Has anyone ever called you perfect before? yes

Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m.: who do you want it to be? pizza delivery

Do you think too much or too little? somewhere in between

Do you believe in fairy tales? of course

Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work? no

What’s the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated? 3 years my junior

Have you ever been on a blind date? no

Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more? yes

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? no

What song do you want played at your funeral? Be Thou the Glorious Answer to All My Questionings

Would you tell your parents if you were gay? if it won't give them a heart attack I would

What would your last meal be before getting executed? you

Do you walk around the house naked? when I do I'll let you know

What do you do as soon as you walk in the house? whatever I fancy

Who is the person you can count on the most? at the end of the day - myself

What is your favorite Holiday? a blue sky holiday

Would you ever get plastic surgery? I'd rather spend the money on travel

Have you ever caught a fish? no

What is the first thing you notice about people? eye expression

What is the farthest you’ve been from home? 14 hours on an airbus

How did you meet your spouse or significant other (or most recent one)? thru my boss

Where was the last place you drove (other than home/school/work)? mall

Bud Weiser hosts Sunday Stealing

So little

Mommy Moments is a meme where Moms muse about motherhood and show off their kids.

Joys, worries, disappointments, hopes, challenges and successes are shared.

Chris hosts this meme every Friday at The Mommy Journey.

Today's topic is so little. I dug through what's left of CJ's offline albums and found one I scanned last night. This is one of CJ's earliest photos. He's just hours old. The first time I looked at my trophy, I was slightly aghast: CJ looked like a lizard. So you guessed it - little, tiny everything. Too little perhaps for a silly first-timer's vanity.

CJ with his tiny self is pictured here with his paternal uncle who cradled him away from camera flashes. I obviously didn't do research on photographing infants, but I'm glad I have this shot as I don't know when are they ever going to pose again together.

CJ is not letting his recent, little obsession off his cheeky grasp. He takes it with him everywhere. I sing him, "CJ has an Ultraman, Ultraman, Ultraman..." to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb.


And these are CJ's little men; his little sidekicks during his 6th swimming birthday party. This was when I fulfilled a promise I made to him on his 5th birthday - no more girly decors on his next cake, What was Mom thinking! and HK Disneyland to compensate for those flowers on the 5th cake that he snubbed.

To be honest I did buy one of those odd, little toys in HK to avoid a tantrum, aggh.... Boys!

Sunflower Field Thailand

Saraburi, a province near Bangkok, is abloom with sunflowers this month. The place continues to be a panorama of gold until January. Night was falling fast when we arrived on the field, but we were squealing with delight when silhouette of the flowers came into view.
A yellow beauty turns in. We had to see her at a brighter time of day...

So came back we did in the morning, and a sea of bright constancy swept before our eyes.
A Facebook friend mused, "... and I think to myself what a wonderful world!"

This had me bursting to life more than any other sight in my world.

My World Tuesday is brought to you by Klaus and the My World Team Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Sylvia

Virus?... here, Ma'am!

Golf is my ex-hubster's sport. It is also his friend's son's nickname. Golf's younger brother's nickname is Beer. Ex-hubster's nephew is fondly called Fluke, and somewhere in this strange kingdom I came across a girl nicknamed Gift. Check out some of the rest, spelled as they are in documents and see what they mean in someone else's local dialect:

1. Virus destruction, harm, jealousy personified
2. Birat pronounced bi-lat which means female genital
3. Paleeya bitter gourd
4. Anus down the alimentary canal, out of it
5. Auten male genital
6. Pota prostitute
7. Sukanya his or her vomit
8. Panit skin
9. Atchara papaya pickle
10. Tilawan to taste
11. Olopong serpent
12. Sombut alternately to confront and a confrontation
13. Karoon now

Find more lists at Megan and Janet's T13

Music and versatility

Musical Monday: Music of my Heart, NSYNC and Gloria Estefan
Monday's Music Moves Me: Coward of the County, Kenny Rogers
Please scroll down for Monday Mayhem

Until last night after watching the film Music of the Heart, I listened but never paid attention to NYSYNC and Gloria Estefan's Music of my Heart. The lyrics are beautiful. This song moves me today.

Amanda @ Bloggin with Amanda hosts Musical Monday

Over at Monday's Music Moves Me there's a country music party. Well, who else to feature but my favoritest Kenny Rogers. I can't name a song of his that I don't like. Coward of the County has good advice, "You don't have to fight to be a man" and some thought to ponder, "Sometimes you got to fight when you're a man."

XmasDolly of XmasDolly, Lori of Shewbridges of Central Florida, Larry of Cakeblast, and Callie of JAmerican Spice host Monday's Music Moves Me

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Monday Mayhem: Versatile Blogger Award

Things you have never mentioned before:

1. I have several bucket lists, but I don't blog about them unless I have achieved them.

2. I am outta this profession I am currently doing first chance I get.

3. I am reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol during breaks at work this week.

4. I can't wait for Harry Potter 7; less than two weeks now....

5. I'm thinking of playing the piano again.

6. My very first golf instructor is my ex-BIL.

7. I found that the cost of doing a PhD is almost the same as learning how to fly a plane. (local PPL)

The last 3 questions of today's Monday Mayhem are donated questions for Thursday Thunks which seems to be possibly having issues acquiring questions....simply answer each prompt with a usable question. Thursday Thunks appreciates random and silly questions as much as the real kind.

8. Comparing , such as apples and oranges. *pass*

9. Politicians. Who are your not-so favorite people?

10. The oddest food you've ever heard of or tasted. What have either assaulted or delighted your palate?

Harriet @ Harriet and Friends hosts Monday Mayhem

Spook and 14

Our Weekend Memoirs: Halloween on Khao San
Please scroll down for Sunday Stealing

Perhaps more than usual, Khao San Road, advertised as the gateway to Southeast Asia, was alive with the dead last Sunday. This was my first time to ever be in a halloween party.

halloween merchandise on Talat Yod

I wanna pour Bloody Mary into that silly, gaping mouth

On FB I asked, "does he need a mammogram, doc?" The reply was "maybe the girls beside him...." Wahahah!

Edward and Jacob didn't show up. If they did I swear I would have gone bloody bonkers, a nosebleed at least and worse than these decomposing kids at most.


This baby has gotten away with curfew.

Seated at last with our halloween chow.

Ebie and Arlene host Our Weekend Memoirs

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Sunday Stealing: The 14 Question Meme


Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Jayne at the blog Journey Through Grace. She states that she was tagged by her friend The Bug at the blog Bug Eye's View. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

1. What do you consider your hometown to be? an hour by plane from the capital

2. What’s the hardest part of your average day? when computers crash and deadlines are hours away

3. The easiest? Why? when I swipe my finger to sign out

4. What beverage do you reach for to quench your thirst? water

5. What is one not-so-secret goal you have for your life? I’ll let you keep your secret ones to yourself. Obviously, to have it all

6. What physical pain do you fear most? For example, I’m trying to decide how bad my jaw pain needs to get before I risk a potential needle from my dentist. So, for me, throbbing is preferable to jabbing. I hate pain but I don't necessarily fear it. What makes me afraid is when I don't know what to do to fix the problem.

7. Where do you find solace? high tea

8. What makes you the saddest when you read/see the news? innocents afflicted by natural calamities

9. What do you eat for a favorite snack? cashew nuts and raisins

10. What movie could you/would you watch more than two or three times and still enjoy just as much as the first time? period masterpieces that show a lot of quaint countryside

11. What boy/girl first made you cry? a crazy big cousin

12. What brand of coffee/tea do you drink most often? I'm not keen on brands. Ask me the place

13. Dig in the dirt with or without garden gloves? with gloves preferably

14. James Taylor or Carly Simon? They are both fabulous; can't choose

Bud Weiser hosts Sunday Stealing