Self-righteous acts of activists

Was watching the cable last Saturday and saw a promotional clip (probably The Cove) and was greeted by a crying Hayden Panetteire. In the 2007 video clip, the actress was involved in a violent confrontation with Japanese fishermen as she paddled out on a surfboard in an attempt to stop the annual killings in yet another self-righteous American act.

Killing of any animal is cruel, irregardless of breed/ species. When they poked their nose into someone else's business (like they always do, in the name of democracy/freedom of speech/ human rights/ animal rights etc.), consider this: The Japanese have been hunting dolphins for centuries and any attacks on this practice is seen as an attack on their culture.

Be sensitive.

And it's Saturday

Watched Alice in Wonderland and actually enjoyed it more than Avatar. Mdm hope that we would have the time to catch How to Train Your Dragon this weekend. Just realised many good movies are in the theatre right now.

Another hour to my well-deserved weekend break. No concrete plan for this weekend but I am looking forward to it nonetheless. Who doesnt love weekends? Since my father-in-law's visit to the doctor, he hadn't been driving and my parents-in-law are now staying in the city and would only be back in their farmhouse on Sundays. We have been kept very busy for these past weeks. Sending them home, having family dinners, sending them to their farmhouse every Sunday morning and fetching them in the evenings. My interaction with them has been very intense, probably at its peak since becoming their daughter-in-law.

Saturday is a rest day for me, but not everyone else (FIL runs his business from Monday to Saturday). So this Saturday, I would have it all to myself. It's a rest day for me, and I would probably do nothing but rot on my bed.

For the coffee addict

I love coffee and I love beautiful coffee machines/ expresso makers. MM, you hear me?

via Designcrush

Life is beautiful

After a long month of struggle, P finally made a move!!! Introducing our new 7-seater Chevy:










Love the fact that it's a 7-seater, meaning my folks, MM and SB can all easily squeeze into our car when they are here! And a 4x4 would mean road trips, road trips and road trips! Getting P's baby end May.

Our joys all coming in May!

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Early bird

Got up really early on a Saturday morning (like before 7a.m.), came back to get my in-laws then sent them to the company. Today, Mdm is an early bird.

Getting up really early also meant getting my routine started and ending it way before usual. At noon, I have completed all my tasks and completed my favorite shows on Youtube.

Pfff

United Nations

Spent a few hours this morning at the Chiangmai Immigration Office. P hates visiting the Immigration Office, it's a big hassle and the queue is horrendous. We sat ourselves down at one corner, and as usual, people-watched.

There are the usual farangs (Americans, Swiss, Germans etc.) and some Asians (Japs, some Chinese, a couple of Filipinos, Burmese etc.). Sitting right next to me was a Chinese who broke the silence and spoke to a backpacker across from him in English. A while later, he spoke to his lady friend in Thai then to a Chinese businessman he just met in Mandarin. A Burmese monk standing by the exit door was talking to a Caucasian man (self-proclaimed writer) in perfect English with a distinct American accent. Kids (obviously of mixed parentage) walked in and out, following closely behind their Farang dads, Thai mums (the usual case, though the reverse is not uncommon).

Welcome to United Nations.

Our space

At our place this evening:








Master bedroom






Walk in closet






80% completed bathroom






Folks' room






Construction and hand over probably by end March!

My husband

Officially, we have a nest! Work's not 100% done but we have gotten it transferred. P finalised the administrative matters this morning. As non-Thais are not allowed to own any property in Thailand, the house would be solely P's. At 12, the impatient me called to check on the status.

Me: So everything's done?
P : Yes, and now I officially have a 3 million Thai baht debt
Me: Well, at least you have a house.
P : You have me, and my heart.

He's not a block of wood afterall.

Another Thai ceremony

Super duper tired today.

Got up at 5.30am, went helping out at P's sister and had my first Thai-style moving in ceremony. Eye opening and lots of "to-do" as per usual Thai ceremonies.

Our turn soon in 1.5months time. Surely, P and I would like to keep things simple, meaning having some kind of a housewarming party. We don't have an altar and we didn't plan to have one, but this seems not to be an option now.

About the whole Jack Neo saga

I don't understand why it bothered so many of us when he had consensual sex. He f*** a girl who wanted to be f***. The bottomline is, his wife forgave him. Case close.

Those swearing not to watch his production must have given The Pianist a miss (which by the way is a great movie which made 120 million and won Roman Polanski Academy Awards. All for his work regardless that he actually raped a minor).

I hope I can get my regular entertainment news on Omy and Xin.sg back.

Fun-filled April!

Most bookings are made. We'll be flying back home on the 18th and will stay in Singapore till the 25th.

And we'll be spending a night at Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16! I am so excited about going to Macau. We won't have to pay SGD100 to get into the many casinos! I am not a fan of casinos but I do want to witness the grandeur (perhaps the closest to Vegas, which I won't have the chance to visit any time soon).

I am so going to stuff myself with Portuguese egg tarts.

Happy mid week!!!

Heading to Macau and is planning to stay at Hard Rock!

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Might be heading to Cotai Strip!

Got up this morning slightly disillsioned. For a while, I was trying to hypnotize myself into believing that I wasn't feeling well. This is a really bad sign.

Went out with a guest yesterday and got back home really late. For the first time, I actually clocked overtime! Got the liberty of choosing dinner venue so I brought him to my favourite seafood restaurant in town, then had a walk at the Night Bazaar. Food was great and I had an enjoyable time. One good thing about working in an institution is the many opportunities you will have meeting academias and having conversations that are enlightening, insightful and in the same time making you feel like running to the library to grab more books!

Was supposed to book the tickets yesterday but didn't. My FIL is having second thoughts and he might not be joining us afterall. He went for a body check last week and had a big scare when the doctor told him that his blood pressure was in the 180s. For the past week, he had been staying with us and monitoring his blood pressure on a daily basis. He would be making the decision today after his diagnosis in the noon and upon consulting the doc's advice. Anyhow, whichever the case, P and I would be travelling. Most probably, we will be adding Macau into our itinerary! That would be Singapore, Macau, Guangzhou, Hongkong then back to Thailand.

Perfect.

Heading to Universal Studios in a month!

Chiangmai > Guangzhou > Singapore > Guangzhou > Hong Kong > Chiangmai

Mdm's itinerary this April!

I'll see everyone back at home in a month's time!

Welcoming Monday with reluctance

Had a very busy Sunday. Spent half a day in my parents-in-laws' farm. Mdm helped out with some chores and was impressed by how hands on they were with everything. The weather was unbelivably hot in the noon and I had a splitting headache due to the heat.

These are some pictures I took this afternoon at out new place:

Our living area



And the kitchen



Next would be the sanitaryware and the floor laminates on the 2nd floor.

The works should be completed by April. In another 1.5 months time, we would be moving into our new place. ;)

Ji Lee

Another Parsons School of Design grad and current CD of Google:





I would think that there is a consideration for height. Someone standing at 1.9m would be considered malnutrition if he has my weight.

More by Ji Lee

Teaching is not my cup of tea

Invigilated and marked this AY's final exams yesterday. I was surprised that my students did pretty well on average. This is rather unbelivable. The paper was harder than mid-term. I guess they really did put in effort in memorizing the strokes (that might have not made any sense to them afterall).

Just realized that I have somewhat been in the education field for a while. Went relieving in various schools after 'A's, started tutoring since I was 18, etc. For a while I considered NIE as an alternative, and I am glad that I hadn't chosen that line. I guess I just do not have the discipline for it.

Had yummy Chinese in Chiangmai

Our place, with a 90% done facade.



Finally went to the hairdresser yesterday, had a new colour and a very sloppily done trim. Dropped P off at his workplace at noon, headed to the salon then to the mall. Fetched P at 6, had a sudden craving for Chinese food and went to Jia Tong Heng, one of the best place for Chinese food and my FIL's favourite.





The good thing here in Chiangmai is the availability of an array of cuisines, and at an affordable price. We drove past a commercial development yesterday and I saw a banner put up by a Hakka Restaurant. Hakka!