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Say Wine and Say Cheese! at Sambal Bar & Grill, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
Escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok to enjoy an evening by the River of Kings.
As an extension of Sheraton Social Hour, join us every third Friday of the month for an evening full of gourmet cheeses coupled with Chilean Wines such as Cantavida Merlot 2011 and Cantavida Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Whether you are looking for a spot to lay back and embrace the charm of the Chao Phraya River or kick off your Friday night before heading out to clubs, the fresh sounds of the DJ and trendy atmosphere of Sambal Bar & Grill are the perfect mix.
Discover new wines from the world and indulge in a wide selection of gourmet cheeses this Friday 20, June 2014 from 6.30pm to 8.30 pm at Sambal Bar & Grill, known for its stylish alfresco Dining & Bar.
Only THB 599++ per person – inclusive of free flow of wines and a wide variety of cheeses.
For more information or reservations, please call Tel: 0 2266 9214or email: email@example.com
Complimentary shuttle boat service is available from Saphan Taksin BTS Station to the Hotel every half-hour.


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The exciting and pushing-to-boundaries online search is on again - and this year, the organizers are in search for the most captivating and worth-seeing cities in the world through New 7 Wonders - Cities!
After our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River bagged one of the slots of the New 7 Wonders of Nature last 2012, Ilocos Sur's capital, Vigan City is now asking for support this year for them to be named as one of the New 7 Wonders - Cities in the world.
Competing with equally stunning and colorful cities in the world, like Bangkok of Thailand, Beirut of Lebanon, Doha of Qatar, Istanbul of Turkey, Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia, Mumbai of India, Perth of Australia, Seoul of South Korea, and Shenzen of China, Philippines' Vigan City keeps fighting for a slot in this renowned online world-wide competition.
Just recently, out of the 28 finalist, Vigan City has already secured a spot on the top 21 who will continue to fight for the title of being one of the New 7 Wonders - Cities of the world. Together with cities mentioned above, including Barcelona of Spain, Chicago of United States of America, Durban of South Africa, Havana of Cuba, La Paz of Bolivia, London of England, Mendoza of Argentina, Mexico City of Mexico, Quito of Ecuador, Reykjavik of Iceland, and Saint Petersburg of Russia.
On October, the list will be narrowed down to 14 and one December the final New 7 Wonders - Cities of the world will be named. So if you love Vigan City like I do, and you have the heart and time to spare for this UNESCO World Heritage Site and a true Pinoy's pride, simply visit http://www.new7wonders.com/en/cities to vote!
Don't forget to share this good news to your family and friends, okay?
Let us show our solidarity to the world once again, Vote for Vigan City!
Happy Rammmpa! I hope to see you again soon, Vigan City!

subset: commoncrawl


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The only good thing about having a cold is having an excuse to slow down and take it a bit easy this week. While I try to fight off a sore throat this week, I have been able to look at all of my current projects and reassess a few things I want to do differently. I also have been able to finish all my Christmas shopping from the comfort of my bed, which is why I love the internet!
Some of you may remember a post I did a few months ago about my plans for using up my stash of fabrics to create some new dresses, including a few Renaissance inspired numbers! Well I managed to knock out two of those planned dresses soon after that post, but ever since I have been focused on other things, including the dress I wore to the Cartier showing and the Victorian corset. I still have to finish up work on the corset, it just needs binding and flossing. However, while I'v been being lazy this week (...I mean recuperating from my cold, ahem) I have reconsidered some of my dress design plans and added a few new dresses to the line up!
I just have so much fabric waiting to be transformed into a pretty fabulous wardrobe! I have become enchanted by the 1950's again too, which means I finally have figured out what to make with some of my more 50's-ish fabrics. I even have some grey wool that I may try and coax into a little 50's suit! So many ideas, so little time, as usual. I definitely still want to make the last of my Borgia's inspired dresses, in violet and wine colored brocade no less!
Anyway, I hope you are all having a wonderful week, it's nearly the weekend again already!
|On the page in the center, a grey wool and black lace mini-suit with a 50's bolero jacket, and a cute 40's/50's dress in a tan and brown plaid!


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Flickr, as we know, is the most popular site for uploading and sharing images. Since Flickr is so popular, there are lot of third party tools built around it which help in further enhancing the user experience.
Today, I decided to list out 7 such tools which are probably the best when it comes to browsing flickr photos.
1: Flickr Related Tag Browser
Flickr related tag browser is an awesome AJAX based flickr search tool which allows you to search flickr photos by typing a word or a tag. It also displays the related tags and is very fast. For example in the screenshot below, I searched for the word- ' nature ' and it immediately displayed the relevant images and tags.
2: Piclens
Piclens is another extraordinary 3D visual search tool which is available as an add-on for most of the browsers. It transforms your browser to a 3D graphic tool and lets you enter a different world of browsing images. Apart from supporting Flickr, it supports various other sites including You Tube. Use it to experience it.
3: Compfight
Compfight is another tag-based AJAX search tool for Flickr photos. Its quite fast and allows you to search for Creative Commons photos too. The best part about this tool is the quality of photos which it searches. They are really very good.
4: Flickr Storm
Flickr Storm is another nice tool which allows you to search Flickr photos quickly. It also provides some additional features like advanced search, a download tray and history. Another thing in flickrstorm is that if you click on its name, it randomly selects a tag to search for.
5: Retrievr
Retrievr is a different kind of a tool, which allows you to search flickr by drawing a sketch or by uploading an image and it will find similar photos from flickr. Although I am not sure if you will get accurate results but still worth trying.
6: Flickriver
Flickriver, as the name indicates, displays a river of flickr photos. It allows you to search through user, group or tags and also provides some additional tools like a bookmarklet, greasemonkey script etc.
7: Photoree
Photoree (remember its ' Photoree ' not ' Phototree ' ) is a service which first analyzes your searching habits and then recommends you the photos. Although it doesn't say that its a flickr search tool but I have found that more than 90% of the photos it displays are from flickr.
So which is your favorite one out of the aforesaid tools ? 🙂


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Pretomanid is a nitroimidazole, a class of novel anti-bacterial agents. As a potential TB therapy, it has many attractive characteristics - most notably its novel mechanism of action, its activity in vitro against all tested drug-resistant clinical isolates, and its activity as both a potent bactericidal and a sterilizing agent in mice. In addition, the compound shows no evidence of mutagenicity in a standard battery of genotoxicity studies, no significant cytochrome P450 interactions, and no significant activity against a broad range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This compound has been developed by TB Alliance and is a potential cornerstone of future TB and drug-resistant TB treatment regimens.
TB Alliance
Related Links
Related Links


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Squarefoot and Loopnet Helps You Find That Perfcet Office Space
New York is overflowing with startups. So for those still looking for that perfect office space, here are two websites to help.
Squarefoot is like an online tenant broker, aiding prospective tenants to find the perfect commercial real estate space that fits their needs. All of this for free.
Users can search by either by space requirement of neighborhood. There are different spaces available: traditional, coworking, executive suites, and subleases.
You begin your search by picking a type of real estate and the square feet that you need. If you're not familiar with the measurements, the site gives you the number of people that can house the space.
After choosing the space, you can choose the monthly price you can pay, up tp $40,000 a month. There is also a live chat feature if you have questions.
Loopnet is an easy-to-use search engine for real estate listings in NYC (and across the country). The site has over 5 millions registered memebrs and a database of 25 million property records. You have to be member to enjoy its full perks but there's free membership available.
To search, you enter a location of your choice, square footage and price ranges that fits your business. Close-up and Aerial photos are available if you can't check the place out yourself. You can also evaluate brokers by viewing their personal profiles. With a Premium Searcher Subscription ($55 per month) you can search without limits and have access to all listing.
Source: NY Report


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If there's a unifying aspect to this set of music, it's got to be Meinhardt advanced facility for composition...they patiently unfold [and] there's even some classical finesse in several of his tracks. These are melodies you want to pay close attention to, because the rewards from doing so are often great.
-S. Victor Aaron, Something Else! Reviews
One snowy December night in 2012, an intimate audience gathered to hear the newest voice on the Chicago jazz scene. Rejecting conventional ideas of instrumentation, the works played that night were bold in their use of space and time, encouraging every member of the ensemble to contribute in new and innovative ways. Drums were a melodic instrument; saxophone and trumpet traded accompaniment with the bass. There was no keyboard, no guitar: no comping instrument of any kind. Yet, far from being sparse, the tunes sounded lush and full, the players like varying parts of a well-oiled machine. This was Outset, and the mastermind behind the music was saxophonist Dan Meinhardt.
Fresh out of a Master's program in Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon, Meinhardt moved to Chicago in the fall of 2012, eager to organize a band to play his music and make a mark on his new home. Bassist Tim Ipsen (Justefan, Tom Matta, The Cooke Book) and drummer Andrew Green (Jonas Friddle, Twin Talk, Paul Dietrich) were obvious collaborators – Meinhardt had met Green when they were undergrads at Lawrence University. Ipsen and Meinhardt grew up in Kenosha, WI (meeting in kindergarten), and traveled frequently to Chicago to comb through the stacks at the Jazz Record Mart and check out the scene they knew they'd join someday. It was an easy decision to invite Ipsen and Green to join the group, both because of their commensurate musicianship and, Meinhardt notes sheepishly, because they were "basically the only guys [he] knew in town at the time."
But Meinhardt wasn't a stranger for long. He soon established himself as a capable instrumentalist, collaborating with creative bands like the Carl Kennedy Large Ensemble and the Michael Nearpass group, as well as dance and theater companies and the Chicago Children's Choir. Praised for his "great, classic tone and less-is-more maturity," (Something Else! Reviews) Meinhardt kept his ears open, drawing inspiration from musicians in the city's thriving jazz scene. One of these musicians was Justin Copeland (Gustavo Cortiñas, Clif Wallace, Fatbook), an amiable trumpeter originally from Fresno, CA. The two played together sporadically around the city, always enjoying the collaboration, until one night in September 2013, when Meinhardt's usual trumpeter, Marquis Hill, couldn't make a gig. Copeland stepped in, and has been the group's trumpeter ever since.
One of the greatest challenges of Meinhardt's compositions for Outset is the absence of a comping instrument. Without a piano or guitar in Outset's mix, the other players have to pick up the slack, trading musical roles more frequently than normal. Ipsen and Green rise admirably to the challenge, trading their traditionally accompanying roles for more melodic or textural ones as the musical calls for it. These shifting roles lead to the raw sonic honesty that makes Outset so unique. Every voice contributes, and the compositions flow like good conversation over dinner. Outset is unapologetically individual, and after workshopping the pieces over several years, Meinhardt was ready to go into the studio. Working with producer Chad McCullough (Spin Quartet, Tunnel Six, Bram Weijters) in a Wicker Park art loft, Outset recorded their self-titled debut album over two days in August 2015, later signing with ears&eyes Records. The label, based in Chicago, is known for discovering innovative new voices in jazz. Meinhardt and Outset fit right in; their bold, intoxicating sound shines through their debut, establishing them as a group to watch in the years to come.
Musicians in Outset
Justin Copeland is a trumpet player, pianist, educator and composer based out of the central valley city of Fresno, California. Justin completed a M.M. in Jazz Studies at Northwestern University in June 2013. He has performed with Victor Goines, Brad Mason, Christopher Madsen, Sherman Irby, Elliot Mason, and Rufus Reid. In addition to performing with Outset, Justin regularly tours and recorded with Gustavo Cortiñas, Clif Wallace, and Fatbook. Justin is currently pursuing his D.M.A. in jazz studies at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Tim Ipsen grew up in Kenosha, WI. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Instrumental Performance/Jazz Studies from Columbia College of Chicago. He has collaborated on performances with such artists and groups as Von Freeman, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Cedar Walton, Terrence Blanchard, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and Billy Childs. In addition to Outset, he regularly performs with and has recorded with the Paul Dietrich Quintet and the Jamie Breiwick Spirits Quartet.
A versatile drummer and percussionist, Andrew Green is a highly sought-after sideman in many of Chicago's creative music projects. Originally from Washington, DC, Andrew moved to the Midwest to study Music Performance at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. In addition to performing with Outset, Andrew also performs with Twin Talk, Paul Dietrich, Abigail Riccards, Jamie Breiwick's Spirits Quartet, Katie Ernst's Little Words, Brazilian samba group Bloco Maximo, and the orchestral folk group Jonas Friddle & the Majority which was the grand-prize winner of the 2012 John Lennon Songwriting Award.


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Paul Evans
Being a grade 12 that was not generally talented in the science area, I can honestly say that Mr. Evans helps every student on a personal level make sure that they understand the content. He really cares about all of his students and takes an interest in their own learning style, incorporating each into his lessons. He is really the best science/ biology teacher I have had throughout the years, now having a not so great biology teacher makes me realize how thorough the lessons actually were.
Ive had him as a teacher in grade 9 science and I now have him as a grade 11 biology teacher, he is very helpful and such a nice teacher! I love attending his class everyday.
The only teacher in all of the science department that I've ever liked. Such a genuinely nice person, and cares about his students and their success. He makes everything really simple, while sticking to the curriculum, and knows how to keep us engaged. I've had him once for a general science course, and then the next year for biology. He's the man. You go Paul.
Awesome teacher. So chill! Wish I had him for all my sciences classes, at least I was fortunate enough to have him twice. Once of the best science teachers at UCC in my opinion. Really hope I have him again next year
Iv had evans as a teacher for 2 years best science teacher ever
i did not like him, he is a terrible marker but he is funny and a pretty nice guy. When it comes to grades he dosen't know what he's talking about though.
This man is a great teacher, always will to help and always there for you. I've never had a teacher like him.
a little bit boring sometimes, but a great teacher for actually teaching you stuff.
I love this man. He doesnt see you as anything more than a student. He doesnt judge you, or treat you badly because of what you have done before. Paul Evans is an example of a good teacher.
Best science teacher in the school, maybe even the best teacher in the school. Great guy.
hey evans great job at the singing thing you always find a way to make me smile :)
evans is the best teacher ever.... wish i was still in his class
GREATEST teacher ever! He taught well, was nice, and fun!
Cool teacher and helped me more than I could have ever asked for.Though having all my female friends crooning over the fact I had him was a tad annoying.
You brighten my day every time I see you. All teachers should be more like you: cool and calm. Thanks for everything Paul!
I had Mr. Evans in grade 10 last year. He was a great teacher and a good friend.Very attractive! My face still goes red everytime he says hi to me!!!
You are the best! Science class was a blast, and don't forget talking about all that LEAF stuff!
my favourite teacher ever!! very good looking!! last semester 4th period was great!
He FAILED me last semester... Thanx for ALL your help.
Absolutely wonderful! Made me want to come to class every day!
He's one of those guys you just want to be around for ever! Thanks! :)
Everybody likes you! You have a positive outlook on everything!
You are a super Science teacher! Thanks for your support!


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Tag Archives: spring/summer 2010
The Importance of Being on Vacation… How to design your luggage?
To pack luggage is like a tornado in your room. Sometimes, it is even worse… How to design you packaging easily and in time? Few secrets for a sucessfull packaging style are listed below. 1. It may worth it: to … Continue reading
Color – is it a pattern for fashion design today ?
Colors: from white toward black… Of course, I don't want to say: fashion is nothing about but colors. But fashion is nothing without its respect towards colors. White and beige for Celine, beige and soft magenta for Prada, black and … Continue reading
Handmade Fashion
Next weekend may become a challenging one. To make few nice adventures you may take some wood, ribbons, beads, and scissors with you. So, new adventures of a Fashionista just began… New advises how to make variaty of stylish things … Continue reading
Summer Girl's Best Friends
Top five things for summertime 2010. 1) Silky underwear in soft tones (beige or white). Used to be a very comfortable decision – it is imponderable for a day underwear. Maximum of comfort if to wear with liener or silky … Continue reading
Why Is It So Much Ago About Shorts & Pants ?
Luckely shorts are the most interesting trend of the women fashion this Spring/Summer. Ready-to-wear fashion designers choose shorts as a practical based solution for all occasions – from business style mode to casual wears. It seems that fashion designers who … Continue reading
Female Dresses. Fashion Trends Spring/Summer 2010.
Trendy dresses, Spring/Summer 2010 . This season gatewalks may serve as a great inspiration – and provoke you to make few visible challenges in your cupboard or to change your favourite styles of dress: whether it is holiday, business or evening … Continue reading


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northern light
The first things that overwhelmed me were the light and the colour. The light is not bright, but it is everywhere, it seems to radiate up from the street and pour from cracks in the pavement. It was raining nearly the whole time we were there, but still there was this soft, beautiful light. It finally dawned on me that it must come from the sea: Denmark is made up of hundreds and hundreds of islands, completely surrounded by sea, and is only ever gently undulating... no hills or valleys to catch or block the light. It is sea-light. And the colours... the colours are the colours of the sea, the sky and the shore... soft grey-blues, dove grey, softest pinky grey, taupe, charcoal, white blonde, ash, and white... so much white... beautiful white, full of every colour of light that exists. So monochromatic that even barely pigmented colour sings, but gently, softly, liltingly. I was in a personal heaven.
The next thing that took hold of me and pulled me inside out and back-to-front and practically left me breathless with longing and wonder was the innate sense of style that permeates from every door, window, garden, shop front and item of clothing. I felt like I had come ashore in a dream, stepped into a favourite magazine or fallen into the pages of a beloved book. It felt like me.
Personal style and interior decoration are the same in Scandinavia: natural, neutral, simple and soft, a mixture of beauty, comfort and practicality. All those lovely, muted, understated colours, exquisite attention to detail, respect for old buildings, warmth, light and a sense of calm. Simplicity. A sense of balance. No clutter, no chaos. And light.
Windows to exclaim over as you explore the pretty little streets: bowls of orchids, tiny succulents, my favourite houseplant known in Denmark as 'spots-in-the-air', little displays of collected treasures. Front doors which nearly always have welcoming green plants climbing up custom-built cast-iron supports. Elegance and simplicity.
Gardens, whether large or small, public or private, that have a real, tangible, sense of place. Open space with simple stone and evergreens. Nothing contrived or fussy. Sedums and succulents in carefully placed pots. And always somewhere to sit: everybody stays outdoors for as long as they can in the summer. Absolutely everyone has a very large square umbrella or awning so that they can still sit out if it's raining.
Loveliness and comfort in fresh, clear, wholesome things: dill, clear glass, aquavit, white, linen, lit candles, the sea, ryebread. Everything seemed to be done well, to somehow embody peace and purity, from the pouring of a glass of beer to elegant town planning and appreciation for historic buildings, to a properly integrated, modern transport system that runs to time.
Oh, and the sea. Did I mention the sea?
This last photo was taken at possibly one of the most breathtakingly lovely art galleries I have ever been to, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art just south of where we were staying in Helsingør. I spent nearly the whole time here in deep, happy tears, an almost spiritual experience of connection to the sea and the intensity of art, watching the misty grey-blue sea lapping at the shoreline as an Alexander Calder mobile sculpture flipped back and forwards in the breeze of an offshore storm.
Does all this make me sound a bit dippy? Because, it's probably time to own up that actually, I am.
30 comments:
- Lyn said...
we are all a bit dippy!
lovely post, I have never been but think it may have to be put 'on the list' of places to visit.
- 26 August 2010 at 18:22
- marigold jam said...
Beautiful post and if that sort of feeling is being dippy then count me in too! Loved it.
- 26 August 2010 at 19:19
- rachel said...
A beautifully expressed description of how I felt about Copenhagen; yes, it has to be the quality of the light, and how it seeps into the psyche of the inhabitants and influences how they dress their surroundings. I so want to go back again.....
- 26 August 2010 at 19:21
- Gigibird said...
Dear Dippy Dora
The job for the Danish Tourist Board is in the bag:)
So they have banned Cath Kidston? Hooray
So there is a land of good taste -
- 26 August 2010 at 20:29
- Sweet Birdy Love said...
Hey Sue, what a wonderful visit you had, certainly made quite an impression on you.
You have me reaching for my passport. I'm a little bit envious that Scandinavia is practically on your doorstep.
When something touches you so deeply, it's a wonderful experience.
- 26 August 2010 at 20:46
- Anonymous said...
It sounds lovely, I want to go!
- 26 August 2010 at 21:25
- m said...
How lovely. It's many years since I was on the Danish side but there's another beautiful gallery across the sound in Helsingborg ... same sea, same beautiful light. No wonder they're so stylish!
- 26 August 2010 at 21:39
- Jackie said...
Oh Sue......words fail me but they didn't fail you. A beautiful description of a beautiful place. I went 26 years ago and we had to visit the office of the curator of an Art gallery in Charlottenlund. Her room was furnished in completely natural materials and neutral shades. Stylish and simple. I so enjoyed your post.It really makes me want to go again.
- 26 August 2010 at 21:40
- Hollace said...
What beautiful words arranged to express an deep affiliation with such ethereal things as light and color. I'm glad you had such a soul-refreshing time. I hope it will send you into creative outbursts.
Really, considering the afghans I've seen you do, the colors you named in your 1st paragraph sound just like you. The writing is just like your patchwork in "know thyself", a study in color and texture and design thought. http://mousenotebook.blogspot.com/2009/04/know-thyself.html.
- 26 August 2010 at 22:32
- Susan Heather said...
I must put it on my 'bucket list' you make it sound wonderful. Rather a long trip from us here in New Zealand but hopefully I will manage one more trip north.
- 27 August 2010 at 00:43
- Frances said...
Sue, forget that dippy business. It truly does not at all apply to the way that this post has expressed your reaction to and appreciation of Scandinavia.
I do envy you the sampling of the beauty to be found there, and hope that I may eventually get there myself. Probably summer is the most delightful time, because of all that sheer delight of the unique light. Still, from some so the folks on the web with whom I have traded comments, I can sense that the lead up to Christmas time and the long nighttime might also be pretty magical.
All of your photos are so well chosen. It's hard to pick a favorite, perhaps it's the one of the green lawn with the pathway and the distant sea, but could also be quite a few of the others.
Any chance of your posting some more pictures? Hope so. xo
- 27 August 2010 at 01:28
- KnitNana said...
Can't just be you! I'm feeling might "dippy" myself after this luscious descriptive.
Hmm...where's my passport?
- 27 August 2010 at 02:34
- BumbleVee said...
it sounds like a perfect place to visit.... as a matter of fact..I almost felt like I was there for a minute or so.... thanks for a wonderfully descriptive post.... what wonderful colours it sounds......
- 27 August 2010 at 06:10
- A Time to Dance said...
We must meet up soon so I can pick your brains...I have always wanted to go to Denmark and Sweeden and your post has made med all the more determined...it sounds wonderful...glad you had a lovely time...every blessing H
- 27 August 2010 at 07:44
- Gilly said...
Oh Sue, your description of the light nearly had me in tears! And I visited Copenhagen even longer ago than you did - about 54 years ago!!
There seems to be an innate creativity in everyone there - even the open sandwiches are works of art.
Must dig my passport out again!!
- 27 August 2010 at 09:27
- Chrissie said...
oh dear, I've a lump in my throat. I lived in Stockholm for a year when I was 18 (40 years ago ...)and Scandinavia is engraved on my heart too. Your post brought back such wonderful memories.
- 27 August 2010 at 10:39
- acornmoon said...
I can see why you felt so at home there. it all looks very Mouse!
My husband went to Estonia and when he came back I am sure his eyes were bluer, this may sound dotty, yes I am dotty too, but I am sure the light made his eyes bluer. It wore off after a couple of weeks. I wonder if that is why Scandinavian's and Estonian's have blue eyes?
I am very envious of your trip, it has been on my wish list for ages.
- 27 August 2010 at 17:42
- Sea Angels said...
Sounds fabulous A Time to Dance sent me as she knows I too love that part of the world...would love to go to Denmark nearer Christmas and Hotel tips would be most welcome.
I love this post and am glad you had such a lovely time
Hugs Lynn xxx
- 27 August 2010 at 19:46
- ljw said...
It does sound rather magical
- 28 August 2010 at 19:01
- Rose H (UK) said...
Just 'found' your lovely blog whilst 'blog-hopping'.
Love your photos and posts. I'll certainly be back for more :o)
Best wishes
Rose H
- 28 August 2010 at 21:24
- Anonymous said...
What a gorgeous post.It sounds just my sort of place. I would love to go there. I love Scandanavian design and the lifestyle sounds very appealing.Dippy is good!
- 29 August 2010 at 14:31
- Cottage Garden said...
An etheral post Sue - I felt transported to the shores of Scandinavia by the immediacy of your prose. I follow many scandinavian blogs and concur with your appreciation of their inspiring style. I really must visit this part of the world.
- 29 August 2010 at 22:32
- rossichka said...
Dear Sue, congratulations on this post!! It's worth to be published somewhere because it's written from your heart and soul and I think it represents the feelings that Denmark awakes if not in all then at least in the bigger part of the foreigners who visit it! I was there five years ago and since then I haven't stopped dreaming of a new visit! Some of your feelings are just like mine, most of your impressions, too! Although your story is intimate and speaks about your individuality I found so much in common. This assures me that "the fault" is in the country - in its charm and magic! Your perception and description of the light is something that I haven't felt in the same way, maybe because I spent most of the time between "four walls" (I attended an international conference, dedicated to Andersen's bicentenary), that's why it was so interesting for me to see it through your eyes of an artist! As you see I'm so excited that I can just say THANK YOU for this incredibly beautiful and moving story!!xxx
- 31 August 2010 at 13:35
- vicki said...
Sue - Such a beautiful post - wonderful sentiment. The photos are absolutely beautiful. Your ability to take us there with your photos and prose are amazing. Dippy - no way - just someone who truly appreciates a beautiful place and the joy that being there gives to oone's soul.
- 1 September 2010 at 05:08
- Ginny said...
What a wonderful place! I can see from the colors it is a place where you belong.
- 3 September 2010 at 21:29
- elsy said...
sounds wonderful, everything that we crave for ourselves in colours, a serenity.......oohh i want to go
- 4 September 2010 at 16:58
- Alice said...
No - it's not dippy:) I love Scandinavia too.
- 5 September 2010 at 00:38
- Lorenza said...
We went to the Louisiana Museum in winter, amidst snow and ice, it was absolutely breathtaking! I nurture a little dream to work in Copenhagen for a year or two, who knows... one day :)
- 5 September 2010 at 15:28
- Anonymous said...
Definitely NOT dippy! What a lovely and observant post which made me feel so rested to have read it. Thankyou.
- 14 September 2010 at 07:39
- Joyce across the Pond said...
I so agree with all your sentiments about Scandanavia....we have travelled all over all of the countries and the design and simplicity of it, it's classy, elegant looks got me from day one when we crossed over the German Border into Denmark....oh the joy of observing everything, even the simplest home. It is many years since we started visiting and I remember well my first visit to an Ikea store...imagine my heartstopping feeling....at that time I just bought endless amounts of candles which were dirt cheap and stored them in the bedding compartment of the caravan for transporting home...next came some simple and plain Orrefors crystal candleholders for which I got the tax back at the port! Oh you have brought back so many beautiful memories...thank you...have so enjoyed reading your blog...and have bookmarked it.
- 11 January 2011 at 23:01


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Subban Signs Long Term With AcesThe Las Vegas Aces have wrapped up the cornerstone of the blueline with P.K. Subban signing a four year deal.
Aces Make Five Player DealThe Aces have brought in Adam Larson, Tomas Hertl and Mattias Janmark from Boston in exchange for TJ Brodie and Jakob Silfverberg.
Aces Season Ends in DisappointmentThe Las Vegas Aces rolled into the SICHL Final and then were rocked by the defending Champs.


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Rewind NBA Clip: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Really Did Learn From Bruce Lee! (Break's Dude's Jaw & Got No Suspension.. Just A Broken Hand)
Kareem Abdul-jabber breaks hand when punching kent benson
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You can tell a lot about people by noticing what they drink. For instance, I was in a restaurant recently when a man walked in and asked the hostess, ''How long before I can have a table?''
''About 15 minutes,'' the hostess said.
''Good,'' the man answered. ''That'll give me time for a whiskey sour at the bar.''
I can't explain why, but a whiskey sour is a drink for a man whose mother made him practice piano a lot when he was a kid. A man who drinks whiskey sours also probably throws a baseball like a girl -- limp wristed. A man who drinks whiskey sours and then eats that silly little cherry they put in the bottom probably has a cat or a poodle for a pet. In other words, I wouldn't go on a camping trip with a man who drinks whiskey sours.


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Like most seemingly rational people prior to the ladies event at 2015 Worlds, I predicted that the ladies podium at Worlds this year would have a Russian in the gold (Elizaveta Tuktamysheva) and silver (Elena Radionova) positions and an American in the bronze position (my choice was Gracie Gold, but others favored Ashley Wagner, which was not an irrational choice). In the deepest, darkest, and most delusional recesses of my heart, however, I hoped for a slightly different podium: Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Satoko Miyahara, and Elena Radionova. I nursed hopes of this dream podium in desperate times, but my rational self knew that my rational podium prediction was at least 74.3% times more likely to come to fruition.
[Insert typical caveats and clichés about ice being slippery here, etc.]
However, I was thrilled that my dream podium actually came true!! Given that my dream podium predictions usually have a distinctly delusional flavor to them, they are almost never reflective of reality so I was almost overcome with shock when I realized that my dream podium prediction was actually, well, manifesting in reality (admittedly, the shock could also be somewhat attributed to sleep deprivation). Of course, my dream podium for the ladies this year was not quite as . . .
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva was crowned the new ladies World Champion this year with a commanding lead of around 17 points over Satoko Miyahara, the silver medalist. Ms. Tuktamysheva's skating is not exactly my cup of tea, but it's difficult not to root for her. Indeed, Ms. Tuktamysheva's career trajectory would make an excellent, heartwarming NBC fluff piece replete with the solemn interview, dramatic music, and uplifting ending. It's extraordinary how Ms. Tuktamysheva was considered a young prodigy and aspiring Sochi medalist at the beginning of the past Olympic cycle, struggled competitively for a couple seasons, and was completely written off after placing a dreadful 10th place at her own Nationals and missing the very Olympic team she was predicted to make in 2014. I distinctly remember that there were a lot of talk (including by me . . . ) about how Ms. Tuktamysheva should retire at the ripe old age of 17, or should leave Alexei Mishin and find another coach, couldn't jump, was generally hopeless and would be crushed by the oncoming onslaught of young Russian wunderkinder. Yet here we are in 2015, and Ms. Tuktamysheva is not retired, has been landing triples left, right, and center with eerie consistency all season, and is still with Alexei Mishin. Oh, and she's also the 2014 Grand Prix champion, the 2015 European Champion, and finally, the 2015 World Champion.
Actually, as an aside, it's very amusing reading my comments about the Russian ladies from the past. Here was what I wrote on this very blog on November 24, 2012:
Our purported future overlords, the Russian superbabies, have mostly underwhelmed this season. Julia Liptnitskaya still skates like a small robot and her jumps do not look like they are going to survive puberty. Elizaveta Tuktamisheva has also been been struggling with her growing body and her purported artistic Renaissance with David Wilson choreography, etc., has mostly stayed mired in the dark ages of Mishin. Adelina Sotnikova continues to mystify with dreadful programs and performances despite her obvious talent level. There is no salvation in Polina Shelepen, Polina Korobeynikova or Sofia Biryukova. Contrary to the lofty predictions of some, the tantalizing prospect of a ladies OGM at Sochi looks like a distant proposition for the Russians from the way things are looking right now.
OK, I was right about Polina Shelepen, Polina Korobeynikova, and Sofia Biryukova. But Julia Lipnitskaya is the 2014 Olympic team gold medalist and 2014 world silver medalist, Adelina Sotnikova is the 2014 Olympic champion, and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is the 2015 World Champion. Please excuse me while I remove the egg from my face.
Anyway, Ms. Tuktamysheva's short program was undoubtedly the highlight of the entire ladies competition. Although Ms. Tuktamysheva has successfully landed the 3A at several B-events prior to Worlds and was landing them in the practices at Worlds and even during the warm-up before the short program, I was 100% Ms. Tuktamysheva was just pulling a Shizuka Arakawa and was practicing the 3A to intimidate the competition. And of course, I was proved wrong less than a minute into the short program when Ms. Tuktamysheva landed a superb 3A, undoubtedly fully rotated and with great spring. After picking up my jaw off the ground, I watched as Ms. Tuktamysheva proceeded to casually land a 3Lz and a second-half 3T-3T as if she landed four-triple short programs at World Championships everyday.
What can I say? Perhaps I could point out the weaknesses in the program's choreography. Or I could raise my eyebrows at some of those mediocre spin positions. Maybe I could also cough delicately at the relative lack of ice coverage? BUT WHO CARES? Because, frankly, it was so incredibly exciting to watch a ladies four-triple short program done with such attack, confidence, and sheer chutzpah. Ms. Tuktamysheva is clearly comfortable with the style and music, and the program truly feels authentic to her. The strength of Ms. Tuktamysheva's technique also helps here--it makes the whole thing look so easy and natural. Yeah, it's not the most nuanced nor the most original nor the most doubleplustransitionful program in the world. But by god, the sheer confidence and conviction in Ms. Tuktamysheva's performance (and those four triples!) lunges at you from start to finish with a vise-like grip on your eyeballs. It is legitimate to prefer the much more nuanced, polished and PCS-compliant short program of Mao Asada at 2014 Worlds, which is the current benchmark for ladies short programs. But the sport of figure skating is nonetheless irrevocably enriched by the existence of Ms. Tuktamysheva's short program at Worlds this year.
Ms. Tuktamysheva's long program was far more anti-climatic, but not like it mattered--the world title was in the bag the moment her short program ended. Considering the fact that Ms. Tuktamysheva has been competing at 113019735103918131930139184 competitions this season and still has one more to go (WTT), let's just call it a day and attribute her (relatively) lackluster long program performance to fatigue. Speaking of Ms. Tuktamysheva's 19319318661371891419438191 competitions this season, I wish people would be more restrained instead of insisting that other less successful competitors should follow Ms. Tuktamysheva's lead and also compete in 134139431714194184141 competitions next season. It reminds me of the JSF sending almost all their skaters to Nikolai Morozov after he coached Shizuka Arakawa to Olympic gold, or all those calls to send every promising male skater to Brian Orser right now. Just because it works for one skater doesn't mean it'll automatically work for every skater . . .
Satoko Miyahara placed second overall, albeit with a third-place short program and a fourth-place long program. Luckily we exist in IJS days now, because all that ordinal shuffling at Worlds this year could've been a nightmare during 6.0. Ms. Miyahara's second-place finish kept the 10-year streak of Japanese ladies alive, which is quite impressive given that the consensus seemed to regard Ms. Miyahara as a mere dark horse candidate for the bronze medal prior to Worlds.
Anyway, it seems that any discussion regarding Ms. Miyahara must involve a discussion of her jumps, which have been slapped with epithets as flattering as "minuscule," "microscopic," and "approx. 2 inches off the ice in height, yuck." It is of course undeniable that Ms. Miyahara's jumps are the smallest among the top ladies, don't have the greatest technique (esp. her picking technique, which seems off to me somehow), and rely on rotating at ultra-high speeds . . . all of which puts her TES at the mercies of any technical panel. But, in my humble opinion, it does appear that Ms. Miyahara has been working hard on her jumps all season and they for the most part look considerably more rotated at Worlds than they did at the beginning of the season. I can also see why people grouse about Ms. Miyahara's jump GOE, but considering the fact that Ms. Miyahara's skating in between the jumps fulfills so many more of the PCS bulletpoints than say, the skating exhibited by her two competitors on the podium but the marks don't exactly reflect this, I'm willing to let any concerns about her TES slide. It all balances out in the end . . .
Speaking of PCS, allow me to take this opportunity to rave (yet again) about Ms. Miyahara's Miss Saigon program, the best ladies long program in the field this year. Such stunning choreography (the placement of that spiral!), such beautiful skating skills, such mature, nuanced interpretation. I could watch Ms. Miyahara skate Ms. Saigon over and over again. Criticize her jumps all you want, but I hate it when people criticize Ms. Miyahara's skating as juniorish. Yeah, she physically looks juniorish because she's so small, but she certainly doesn't skate like a junior.
In third place was Elena Radionova, a somewhat surprising finish given that her remarkable consistency at landing high base value programs had many pegging her as a sure bet for at least silver. Ms. Radionova had by far her worst competition--performance-wise--at Worlds this season. Frankly, I can't even remember the last time she ever made so many mistakes. However, it transpired that Ms. Radionova had taken ill shortly before the competition and skated with a fever. As someone who was recently sick with a high fever, I can't help but be extremely impressed that Ms. Radionova was out there skating her heart out and selling every last note of her programs with a fever. I myself had trouble getting out of bed to make a cup of tea while I was sick, so I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like landing triple jumps with a fever. Mad propz, girl.
Anyway, Ms. Radionova skated quite well for someone who was ill, though her skating was noticeably more labored than it was in more salubrious circumstances. As with Yuzuru Hanyu, I'm impressed by how Ms. Radionova always skates with such energy and spirit--she never phones anything in, never gives up, and every jump, every piece of hokey choreography is always done with 200% effort even when she's running a fever. There's so much fight in her, and love her or hate her, that sort of tenacity is something truly to be admired. The way she nailed that 3Lz-3T in the long program on her second 3Lz jumping pass after missing the planned first one sums it all up for me.
Indeed, admiration for sheer tenacity might perhaps explain why I am such a fan of Ms. Radionova's skating, given that she embodies so many qualities I dislike: terrible posture, lack of body awareness, horrendous music cuts, cheesy choreography, garish costumes, sloppiness, dodgy technique, choppy skating, flailing limbs, rounded shoulders, stiff knees. And the list continues . . . but I am a fan, I love watching Ms. Radionova skate, and her performances never fail to make me smile. Full disclosure: I've loved watching Ms. Radionova skate ever since watching her in some random domestic Russian competition when she was only 10 or 11 years old. But if I want to aspire to at least some modicum of objectivity, it's difficult to justify Ms. Radionova's PCS. For example, let's compare Ms. Radionova to Ms. Miyahara in the long program. As I've stated earlier, I love them both, but it's mind-boggling that Ms. Radionova outscored Ms. Miyahara on PCS at Worlds, particularly given that they were skating back-to-back! On what planet does Ms. Radionova deserve to outscore Ms. Miyahara in Skating Skills? I mean, just compare their edges. And don't even get me started on choreography . . . I get that Ms. Radionova is probably 84.32% more effervescent and charismatic to watch in person and it's hard to resist that, but if the officially-listed PCS criteria are to mean anything, it would be nice to see them reflected more in the marks.
Also--is anyone as worried as I am about the future of Ms. Radionova's jumps? She's clearly been sprouting like a weed (I just realized that Ms. Radionova was the tallest lady on the podium, which is kind of hilarious), her jump technique is not great, and so many of her jumps have been relatively labored and precariously clung on through sheer force of will for much of the season . . .
Given that this recap is way too long already, comments on the rest of the ladies will be written in a second post, coming soon to an authorized retailer near you.


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Hello Portal Peeps!
Welcome back for Day 27 of the
31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop!
EEEEk just 3 more sleeps already until all the ghouls and monsters are set loose...are you ready to fend off the beasties with faboolous candy?
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SCARY or WEIRD!
We invite you to enter your Halloween projects in our October Challenge! The challenge ends October 31st at 5 to midnight so you'll be safe in doors at the strike of midnight! You don't have to use Lost Coast Designs stamps to play in any of our activities but if you do then your entry counts as TWO!
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We are giving away TWO PRIZES so enter your rubber stamped projects in the Challenge Linky located at the bottom of the Day of 31 DOH POST for the chance to win LCD/CV Bucks to spend in our online stores! The more entries the better the prizes so round up all your friends and join the most clawesome party of the year! We do have some RULES so please make sure you check them out to ensure your entries are eligible to win!
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"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" by LCDesigner Nikki
Nikki is back today with an eerie scene card created with Nuance Powders and featuring Lost Coast Designs Tree Branches!
Happy Hopping!


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The parking's not free but the juice is! Earlier this week Denver International Airport (DIA) announced that it will install 10 electric vehicle charging stations this fall allowing EV owners to charge their vehicle while away—for free. Considering that they're already paying an arm an a leg for parking, they might as well get something for free.
The airport is offering the charging stations in response to an increase in spotting more EVs there. "We have seen an increase in the number of customers who drive electric vehicles to the airport and plug them into existing electrical outlets in the garages," said Kim Day, Denver's Manager of Aviation. "These new charging stations are more convenient, safer and designed to work specifically with electric and plug-in vehicles. The airport continues to evolve to meet the needs of our customers and support the city's Greenprint Denver sustainability initiative."
The Telefonix, Inc. Level 1 (110-volt, slower) chargers that are being installed take about eight hours to fully charge an EV, according to DIA. They are compatible with most EVs and plug-in hybrids, like the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the plug-in Toyota Prius. Five charging stations will be installed on the West side and five on East side of airport. The spots, which are designated for EV and plug-in hybrids only, will be on level 1 between rows E and F in each garage.
"This is one of the first major public installations of commercial Level 1 electric vehicle charging systems in the United States, and I can't think of a better place than at Denver International Airport—which already has a reputation as being one of the greenest airports in the world," said Allen Will, director of business development and programs of Telefonix, Inc. "This project will set a new standard for airports that want to provide the best possible customer experience for drivers of plug-in electric vehicles."
Level 1 EV chargers use standard 110-volt electricity as opposed to Level 2 or even Level 3 chargers. Level 2 and Level 3 chargers use 240-volt or higher electricity to fast charge EVs' battery packs. The Level 1 chargers were chosen for DIA because they will charge most EVs in eight hours and the average stay in the parking lot is 1.4 days and they're less expensive than Level 2 or Level 3 chargers, like Tesla's Superchargers, which can charge a Tesla vehicle enough in a half hour to drive 150 miles.
The new EV chargers at DIA aren't the first EV chargers at the airport's parking, however. Canopy Airport Parking opened in 2010 and has six EV charging stations that offer Level 1 and Level 2 charging. Canopy also is powered by solar and wind.


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See the curtain? My new Big Shot matches my decor perfectly! LOVE IT! Kathy, you told me not to do this so of course it was the first thing I did. After taking advantage of the Sizziz Flash sale here and the Sizzix dies called... I want it all (which appears to have sold out as it's not on the site any more-check the video's perhaps it's still available) I have enough dies and embossing folders to last awhile. Ok a good long while as this is what came in this week. I don't even think this is all of them PLUS the sale ones aren't shipping until the end of this month. Stacey has GREAT flash sales every month.
Then I'm working on File under M BUT I made the spine 4.5" and have 9 file folder full sized pages and 2 envelops... I have room for 10 in my hidden hinge.
Here's a bit of the ephemera. Ya'll are right, I'm burning through TONS of paper for this one. GREAT project to use up the stash with. I will share photos after a bit, I haven't put them into the album just yet as I prefer to move them around a lot so I'm waiting on that,,, might be a big mistake but hey, I'm going for it. See the Lindy's? I'm going with that for the white on my doll house... I can't wait to play with different colors as I can't have white... I will mess up and get it dirty and it will turn colors and I will freak cause it's no longer white and well,,, yeah perfectionista showing through. Rather then fight it I'm going to lightly edge it. Got my ROOF in today too! I'm going to try gray and shingle looking embossing! FUN!
Lastly,,, the dumb boxes got 2 lanes again! :-( I'm going to wait for JoAnn's to have these at 50% off and then buy about 5-7 of them, the drawers there. These are the 14x14 Sterlite 3 drawer boxes. Then it will all look alike and I can get REALLY organized! I don't like having to heft the boxes from one place to another to get down to the bottom one when I need it so these drawers are just the thing.
Alright, I can't wait, here's the base pages of File under M. So far I'm only covering the pages and you will see that my construct varied from what the tutorial says as I have 9 folders so I didn't want them all to be the same. The Paper Studio, Kirby Teesdale is the paper line. Really thin cheap one from Hobby Lobby... again hoping to go thin.
Have a great weekend everyone.


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Chris Pine Sings School Closings to "Let It Snow" on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'
"Play Xbox and eat Cheetos," the actor crooned. "You're in luck, learning sucks!"
Winter Storm Jonas hit the East Coast over the weekend, and Chris Pine came to Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night to sing which schools were closed due to the snow.
Pine introduced the segment with, "Ladies and gentlemen, back East it's really cold. Us here in California, the warm center of the universe, we'd like to say a couple of things." He then proceeded to sing which schools from Virginia to New Jersey were closed to the tune of "Let It Snow."
Advising what to do on a snow day, Pine caroled, "Play Xbox and eat Cheetos/You're in luck, learning sucks!"
Watch the clip below.
This story first appeared on billboard.com.


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pružanje potpune usluge za sve jahte
SunLife charter is a family owned company. It was founded by Tina and Igor out of love for the sea, sailing and boats, and for our Croatian coast which presents the true Paradise for the sailors.
The company has been operating successfully in the past 12 years. In our business we pay great attention to caring for clients and to our relationship with our clients and partners, as well to our employees.
The great attention is also payed to our boats, which are, all of them, well maintenaned and equipped in accordance with the best nautical standars. Our base is situated in ACI marina, in our hometown Split, one of the most beautiful and one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean. Among many of it's advantages which attracts Split to a great number of tourists is its closeness to the airport and to the most beautiful islands and nautical destinations.
In our fleet we have 17 boats, sailing boats and catamarans and in our offer we have also motor yachts, gulets and mega yachts.
The goal that we have been striving to achieve from the very begining is how to be different and more original from the others. Orange colour of our Logo and our boats makes us recognisable along the coast, as well our friendly team of employees, who are 24/7 at client's disposal. In our office we speak English, German, Italian and Russian and it makes us very happy to offer to our clients upon the check-in a welcome drink so they can start their vacation in a relaxed tempo.
Each client is important to us so we do our best to make his vacation as pleasant as possible. Our ambition and enthusiasm to get better each year has brought us to the point where the clients recognise our brand, our quality and originality. This brings us to the happy fact that 40% out of our clients are repeated clients and this gives us the confirmation that our hard work has made it worth it.
We offer the following programs:
You can also become a part of our team.
Be orange – be happy
Tina Gazin Igor gazin
SunLife Charter Ltd.
Uvala Baluni 9
21000 Split


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Equity Capital Markets
Issuance in the equity capital markets was steady this week with $2.6 billion raised from 19 deals, pushing year-to-date volume close to the $140 billion mark -- it stands at $139.7 billion, up 71% year-on-year.
The league table rankings remain static with UBS, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs at the top three spots in the tables, on $12.3 billion, $11.6 billion and $10.8 billion respectively.
Woori Finance Holdings' $747...


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Photo By: Elin Chow
Address: No. 170, Renhe Rd, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou Country 546, Taiwan (R.O.C) 546 南投县仁爱乡大同村仁和路170号
We started the fourth day of our 11D10N Taiwan Trip early the next morning. After breakfast, we packed up our luggage and proceeded to check out of Brilliant Twins of Seattle 清境西雅图璀璨双城 in Cingjing. Our destination for the day was to visit Green Green Grassland (or Evergreen Grassland) 青青草原 before embarking on a long car journey to Kenting 垦丁 in Pingtung, Taiwan 屏东台湾.
Green Green Grassland 青青草原
Situated 1,750 meters above sea level in Nantou Country, Green Green Grassland is one of the most popular destination in Cingjing. The attraction consists of beautiful grassy high plains set against a magnificent mountain backdrop. Under the blue sky, herds of sheep graze and roam freely on the open grass plains.
The cool breeze, green grassy plains and azure sky with free-roaming sheep offer a tranquil and peaceful experience for all visitors. An ideal summer getaway to escape from the busy city life.
Operating Hours
Green Green Grassland is open from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm on Monday to Friday. Hours of operation is extended to 5.30 pm on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
Operating Hours
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Weekends & Public Holidays
8.00 am – 5.30 pm
Admission Fee
Admission to the attraction is not free. The price of admission is as per below:
Types of Ticket
For Who
Weekends / Holidays
General Public
Groups of 30 persons and above
Students with valid student ID
Senior aged 65 years old and above
Resident of Puli and Sinyi Township, Nantou Country, Heping District, Taichung City
- Children under 6 years old
- Disabled person and one companion
- Resident of Ren'ai Township, Nantou Country
For us, we paid TWD 160 each since we visited on a weekday. I would suggest you to visit on a weekday if you would like to save some money. Remember to present your Youth Travel Card for additional discount if you have one.
We started at the entrance located at top where we will be walking our way down to the bottom. At the entrance, Mr Tsai, our driver cum tour guide, offered to help us take a nice group photo before we went off exploring on our own.
Weekdays are typically not crowded and we were glad that there was no queue to enter the attraction.
Upon entering, we came upon a wooden box containing a rubber stamp and stamp ink pad. Be sure to have your hand stamped before you exit if you intend to re-enter on the same day. However, please note that re-entry is only allowed for the same day until closing time.
To sufficiently explore Green Green Grassland, I would suggest that you allocate at least half a day for this visit.
Be prepared to do a lot of walking up and down the paved hill, so make sure you wear a pair of comfortable shoes. Please note that the entire place is not wheelchair or stroller friendly. Visiting using a wheelchair seems impossible due to steep slopes and uneven paving.
We were delighted to find ourselves surrounded by a spectacular view of lush green grasslands and mountain ranges. The view was simply breathtaking.
We walked down a wooden walkway that leads to a viewing deck overlooking the stunning landscape of Cingjing.
There are coin-operated binoculars on the wooden viewing deck that allowed one a close-up view of the grasslands. So, like any other tourists, we inserted a coin into the coin-operated device and enjoyed a spectacular view of lush forests and majestic mountain ranges.
We spotted a castle-like architecture from afar and excitedly posed for the camera.
The castle makes a great backdrop for photo-taking.
Once we had our pictures taken, we followed the path straight ahead that leads to a steep descend. People with severe mobility problem will find the steep descend down the hill extremely difficult and challenging.
At the bottom of the steep slope, we proceeded climb a few stairs up to Cingjing Sheep Castle 清境绵羊城堡. Within the castle, there is a small gift shop offering sheep-related souvenirs and products made from pure sheep's milk. We were hoping to find unique items, but nothing caught our eyes. So, we left the shop empty-handed.
Each of the sheep is tagged with a yellow ear tag for identification and tracking purposes.
If you wish to get close and take a photo with the sheep, you would need to feed them with some sheep food purchased from one of the dispenser machine around.
There were plenty of dispenser machine around that dispense a handful of sheep food for TWD 10.
The castle also offers an amazing panoramic views of surrounding grasslands and mountains.
We continued our descent down the mountain. The weather was cooling and it felt great. But the uneven pavement makes it difficult and tiring to walk on. There are also several pavilions along the walkway for visitors to rest and enjoy the greenery and fresh air.
Further down, we were excited to see herds of sheep grazing lazily under the clear blue sky. The sheep are allowed to roam freely on the open grassy plains. It was a very delightful sight to see.
The grasslands provide plenty of food for the herds of sheep to graze, ignoring us as we came and went during the day.
So, just like any other visitors, we actively tried to attract the attention of the sheep by waving or calling out to them. But not surprisingly, we did not succeed since we did not have any food for them.
Even so, the grassy plains and beautiful mountain backdrop offer plenty of photo opportunities for visitors.
As you slowly descend your way down, take a deep breath of the clean, cool and crisp mountain air. This is a perfect little place for people who wish to get away from the hectic city life and get close to nature.
Relax and unwind as you stroll down the mountain trail while the cooling breeze gently brushed across your face. Everywhere you look, it is peaceful. The pace of life is slower. This is where you will start to appreciate the little things in life.
We were surprised to see a black sheep with orangery brown wool!
All day. the sheep grazed happily on the grassy plains and only started to crowd eagerly around us when someone offered them some food.
Sheep started to gathered by the fences at the sight of food, all eager for snacks.
Away from hustle and bustle of city life, Green Green Grassland is ideal for anyone seeking for peace and tranquility. It is a great place to spend a day with your family and friends, particularly if you bring a picnic basket along.
The weather is a little unpredictable. It was sunny one moment and gloomy the next. There were even moments when we thought it would rain because the sky was so dark. But luckily, it did not.
Sheep Shearing Show
ONLY weekends, national holidays, winter & summer vacation (except Wednesday)
09.30 am & 2.30 pm
Equestrian Stunt Show
10.45 am & 3.45 pm
At the end of the trail, we came upon a small open-air amphitheater where the signature sheep show will be held. Unfortunately, the show will only be held during weekend at 9.30 am and 2.30 pm, with each lasting for about half an hour. Since we visited on a weekday, we did not managed to catch the show.
The Equestrian stunt show, on the other hand, is held daily at 10.45 am and 3.45 pm. However, we decided to skip the horse show due to tight itinerary.
For those interested, please note that the sheep show and horse show are held at two different venues. So, make sure you are at the right venue for the show.
We also get to touch a free-roaming sheep around the amphitheater area. I was surprised by the feel of the wool. It felt so matted and rough. I was actually expecting something soft and fluffy like cotton. But it was not.
Apart from that, private horseback rides are available for an additional fee. If I did not remember wrongly, it was TWD 150 per round for a rider. The horse ride will be guided by a trainer, so you can assured that you are in safe hand.
The horse ride will take you around the open-air amphitheater area, which will probably takes less than 5 minutes. It was definitely not worthwhile to spend TWD 150 for a 5 minutes horse ride. But of course, there are always people who are willing to pay for it, especially those with young children.
Even so, this was actually a great opportunity for us to touch a horse. Although I was hesitant to touch them for fear of being bitten, eventually, I still did it. We took the chance to snap a quick photo with the horses as well
The horses actually looked a little tired and sleepy on the day we visited. They appeared uninterested in the people and surroundings around them.
There was another souvenir shop around the amphitheater area selling some of the usual tourist souvenirs. The shop also sell sheep's milk ice cream in both original and red bean flavors. Try it if you dare.
We walked down a few flight of stairs and arrived at a marketplace.
This is where you could buy local fruits and snacks from the many stalls available.
Personally, I feel that the Green Green Grassland is well-worth a visit, especially if you are a nature lover. For us, this is definitely one of the must-visit destination in Cingjing and I would recommend anyone to drop by if you have time.
Be sure to have your camera ready to capture some breathtaking pictures and be amazed by its amazing landscape.
If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 11D10N round island tour itinerary for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 11 days in Taiwan. Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on my 11 days adventures in Taiwan!


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Wednesday, 28 January 2009
My favourite villa in Greece
Imagine the setting, an ancient castle perched on top of a mountain overlooking the sea on your right side, a dirt road leading through overgrown fields, at this point thoughts may be passing your mind about being scammed, but if you persevere, you finally catch a glimpse of a roof top! You then reach the gates leading into the drive where there is plenty of space for parking, you will immediately notice a pretty courtyard with a Greek pie shaped building sheltering it in, 5 bedrooms and bathrooms lead off the courtyard and to the right the large door leading into the homely kitchen with ample space for cooking large family meals. Moving throught the doors to the living area we reach the "piece de resistance" of this property, the view! Imagine an uninterrupted view of the cliffs, Symi, the Turkish coast, other smaller islands and the best bit, you cannot see another building or in fact light at night! I forgot to mention that "infinity" style pool and jacuzzi, large veranda complete with dining table, seating, loungers and hammocks. I would suggest this property for a honeymoon or as a wedding venue, it could comfortably seat 80-100 guests along with room for dancing and perhaps a BBQ. The added pros for choosing this property is music can be played as loud as you want, without causing any disturbance and the property can be rented for 1 night only and used as a wedding venue. A civil ceremony could optionally take place in the neighbouring castle or the villa's grounds.
Posted by SP Weddings at 13:06
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Why Organic Seasonings are Worth the Money
Exploring my kitchen cabinets will expose a chaos of herbs and spices used in many of my culinary masterpieces and failures. In an earlier and less experienced time, I would reach for the basics: salt and pepper, but as my recipes grew, so did the array of seasoning options in my spice cabinet. Perpetually concerned for potential health impacts, one of the first questions I had was:
"What's the difference between organic and non-organic spices?"
Let's start with the nitty-gritty of seasoning: salt. Salt is a simple compound of sodium chloride but the actual product you buy in stores does not just consist of this simple compound. Table salt is normally mined from salt mines, which were originally deposits left from sea water, using bulldozers. The salt is then refined using energy-intensive processes, stripping the salt of many of the natural minerals. Anti-caking agents and bleaching agents are added to create a more desirable and less nutritious product. On the other hand, natural organic sea salt is harvested from salt deposits and are not refined, so they include many beneficial minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium, as well as trace elements such as iron, zinc, and manganese. Personally, I find that the taste of different types of salt to be very similar, so why not go for the healthier option?
Seasoning Mixes
There are few, if any, seasoning brands that inspire confidence more than the unique and delicious seasonings from Flavor God. For those who have not heard about this privately-owned widely popular seasoning brand, they create mouth-watering seasoning blends from herbs and spices helps minimizes your salt intake. The founder of the company spent endless hours creating unique flavor profiles like Pizza, Ketchup, Ranch and even Chocolate Donut for your sweet cravings.
Flavor God mixes have zero calories and are chemical-free, gluten-free, kosher, preservative-free, MSG-free, and GMO-free, making them a healthier option than most of the mixes you find on store shelves. Due to the necessity of a longer shelf-life, the products you find in stores are filled with preservatives and anti-caking agents. Flavor God seasoning mixes are made fresh to order, which means that the herbs and spices are packaged and sent straight to you. As an added bonus, the mixes have a very low salt content (25-40 milligrams per ¼ teaspoon), as the blends rely on natural herbs and spices for flavor, not an excess of salt. For anybody watching their sodium intake, Flavor God truly is a godsend. I especially like using their Himalayan Salt and Pink Peppercorn seasoning (the only mix with a higher salt content) on red meats and the Pizza seasoning instead of butter to sprinkle on popcorn to make my food just a little healthier.
Individual Spices
If experimentation is more up your aisle, stay away from the seasoning aisle in the store and instead look into Simply Organic 100% certified organic herbs and spices. The conventional packaged spices are irradiated and combined with anti-caking agents and preservatives to extend the shelf life, which also reduces the numerous health benefits that you can get from consuming their organic counterparts. With a wide range of seasonings that are not only organic, but sustainably and ethically harvested, you can feel good about getting the best seasonings for your body and the environment. We tend to add spice to just about any dish, but did you know these health benefits of common spices:
- Basil leaves have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties and may help prevent osteoarthritis
- Cinnamon has the highest antioxidant value of any spice, as well as helping with the risk of heart disease and diabetes
- Turmeric is well-known for helping reduce inflammation and improve joints
- Oregano is rich in vitamin K for your bones and high in antioxidants
- Ginger can help settle your stomach, manage the common cold, and reduce muscle pain
These are only a few of the many spices that we have in our kitchens. Spices that have been sitting on a shelf for a long time lose their nutritional value, which is why organic spices are the way to go. Think of spices as more concentrated vegetables, with almost every spice having their own nutritional value. If you would buy your vegetables organic, should you not consider buying your spices organic as well?


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Two women were killed in separate homicides Monday, bringing the total number of female homicide victims this year to 19, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found.
A 70-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the 1100 block of East 81st Street in Avalon Park, police said. An 18-year-old woman was shot to death in the 5700 block of South Sangamon Street in Englewood, according to officials.
Women comprise 12 percent of the homicide victims this year, according to RedEye data. About 9 percent of homicide victims last year were women, RedEye determined.
Citywide, gunshot homicides were recorded in the last week in Austin, Brighton Park, Chicago Lawn, East Garfield Park, Gage Park, Greater Grand Crossing, Roseland and West Englewood, according to police information.
Twelve homicides have been logged so far in June. Forty-seven homicides were recorded in June 2012, RedEye found.


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Flightline Restaurant
Attention Aviation Enthusiasts!
An exciting, new aviation restaurant is taking off at Santa Barbara airport and you can be part of it! It's all a part of the new Flightline Restaurant & Lounge that is home to some of aviation's best memorabilia. This is the ultimate opportunity for all aviation investors to participate and get on the ground floor before it takes off.
New Management!
Managing Owner, Warren Butler has a vision and it's coming to life. As you enter the restaurant you will see beautiful scale models of classic World War Two aircraft soaring above your head while the walls reflect stills and framed memorabilia from all corners of aviation.
Invest to be part of Santa Barbara Aviation History
This unique opportunity to invest and be part of aviation history will only last for a brief period of time, so don't miss this flight!
Contact us today
Contact Warren Butler at 805-705-7488 or email him at [email protected] and stop by for a beer.
Help share the history of aviation in Santa Barbara and celebrate those who were part of it!


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*an excerpt from a paper I am writing for school...the topic is the essential needs of the child in the 3 phases of early childhood, with an emphasis on how we as adult caregivers and educators can best meet these needs...
The "little child" (birth-2.5)
The very young child needs and deserves a warm and gentle welcome. We used this phrase many times this Summer, and I believe this encompasses much of what the small child is needing at this point of development. Once the child has initiated their descent into this world, we as parents provide the garden for their experiences. As they are born unprotected into a new environment, the little child continually needs physical warmth and an environment that is almost "womb like". As caregivers or parents, we strive to continue this protection and foster a growing attachment between mother and child during this time of transition; whether that is 40 days, 20 days, or just one week. A caregiver can create a space with this in mind…soft, filtered light (such as covering the stroller or crib with a mauve colored piece of muslin), a stroller which faces the mother, plenty of uninterrupted time at home; away from the harsh lights and mechanical sounds of busy places. This is a significant task for parents and caregivers! A parent/child "class" or gathering for infants would ideally offer an inviting, safe and developmentally appropriate space where parents feel comfortable to discuss challenges and questions. There is a true interest in the caregiver as a human being and the empowerment of the parent could be seen as the goal. This could be a time for parents to find real joy and community in parenting through a tactful facilitator and a "neighborhood" of like minded families.
Very small children are ideally able to experience free initiated activity and movement. "Uprightness" is something which they come to in their own time; not by being propped, coached, or placed. Parents should be empowered to trust in the child's pure capability to imitate and to do "things in his own time" without the use of clever "teaching". Understanding the large role of imitation during all phases of early childhood proves to be integral in supporting the children we have been called to care for. During this first phase of development, imitation is the river that bubbles and effervescently flows; guiding the child in all that he does.. We can best support this by offering simple and "unfinished" play materials which allow the child to organically experience weight, depth, and life. These natural sense impressions will further stimulate the inner development of the organs


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NOAA scientists report mass die-off of invertebrates at East Flower Garden Bank in Gulf of MexicoPosted by Jim at Wednesday, August 03, 2016
1 August 2016 (Science Blog) – On Monday, sport divers on the M/V Fling, diving in the Gulf of Mexico 100 miles offshore of Texas and Louisiana, were stunned to find green, hazy water, huge patches of ugly white mats coating corals and sponges, and dead animals littering the bottom on the East Flower Garden Bank, a reef normally filled with color and marine life. The reef, which is part of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, is considered one of the healthiest anywhere in the region.
The charter captain alerted scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), who were doing annual monitoring work a few hundred yards away on the same reef. The scientists are now reporting that a large-scale mortality event of unknown cause is underway on this bank.
The divers and researchers found unprecedented numbers of dying corals, sponges, sea urchins, brittle stars, clams, and other invertebrates on large but separate patches of the reef. Sanctuary Research Coordinator Emma Hickerson reported extensive white mats covering corals and sponges, and estimates the mortality of corals to be nearly 50 percent in some of the affected areas. The spatial extent of the event is still being determined, but Hickerson says the die-off has so far been seen at three dive sites that charter boats typically use when they visit the bank. […]
"At present, we are not aware of any specific risks to humans, but we are recommending this action as a precaution until more is known about the cause," said G.P. Schmahl, Sanctuary Superintendent.
Several potential causes of the outbreak will be investigated, including poor water quality, disease pathogens, and chemical spills. Each alone could cause mortality in coral reef organisms, but more likely, a combination of stressors is at work.
"We know of no spills that have recently occurred near the Flower Garden Banks," said Schmahl, "but water temperature over the banks is quite high, at 86 degrees." In addition, large plumes of low-salinity coastal water have moved offshore following months of extreme rainfall in the region. That water is rich with plankton, nutrients and chemicals that arrive to the Gulf through runoff and river discharges. As the plumes decay, oxygen levels in the water can decrease. [more]
NOAA scientists report mass die-off of invertebrates at East Flower Garden Bank in Gulf of Mexico
Labels: agriculture , algae bloom , climate change , coral , dead zone , ecosystem disruption , eutrophication , fish decline , global warming , Gulf of Mexico , habitat loss , NOAA , North America , sewage , shellfish decline


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Lacking of qualified teachers is one of the major problems facing KCD. Low salary (US $15 to US $30 per month) causes qualified teachers to leave KCD as they can earn more elsewhere. To make current teaching staff happy and to encourage them to stay, KCD implement a Teacher Capacity Building Program, that is, teaching the teachers. Click here to view teacher's photo gallery.
Periodically, KCD hires professional from Teaching School in Battambang to come and train its teachers various teaching skills, at a cost of around US$250 per training session. Teachers must sign a contract promising to stay teaching at KCD for at least three years. CEE Foundation is a proud sponsor of this program as well.
KCD connects its program to foreigners who speak English and works in or is visiting Cambodia. They come to the center and interact with students and teachers and give them an opportunity to sharpen their English language skill.


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Patient Forms
Please download and complete these four patient forms and bring them with you for your first visit.
Thank you.
Patient Health Questionnaire (2 pages)
Payment Policy/Consent to Treat Form
Urbana Office
3536 Urbana Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
301-874-9202 (fax)
Monday–Thursday: 7 am–7 pm
Friday: 7am–5 pm
Saturday: 9 am–1 pm
New Market Office
FreeZone Fitness
11670 Old National Pike
New Market, MD 21774
301-874-9202 (fax)
Mon. & Wed.: 9 am–7 pm
Friday: 9 am–3 pm
Tues. & Thurs.: By appointment


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The Latest from Iran (18 April): Trust Us, All is Well
See also Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- From The "Butcher of the Press" to Speaking Out Against War br>
Iran Video Feature: The Unemployed and Hungry Beg Ahmadinejad for Help br>
The Latest from Iran (17 April): Splitting Europe from the US Over Nukes and Sanctions
1444 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The wife of detained labour activist Reza Shahabi says he has begun a dry hunger strike.
Robabeh Rezai said the fast began on Saturday when Shahabi, a leading member of the bus drivers' union, he received a six-year prison sentence.
Shahabi has been detained since June 2010.
1440 GMT: President v. Parliament. MP Ruhollah Hosseinian, a supporter of President Ahmadinejad, has claimed that Parliament, with its criticism of the Government, has tried to "destabilise" the Iranian system.
1330 GMT: Reformist Watch. Former President Mohammad Khatami has said there has been "a problem" in the Iranian system over the last three years and that people work for an atmosphere which provides both the benefit of rule and the benefit of fundamental rights.
Khatami also called for the release of all political prisoners.
1240 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Switzerland has extended financial sanctions against Iran, while stopping short of freezing the assets of Iran's central bank and imposing an oil embargo.
The Swiss Federal Council froze the assets of eight companies and three individuals while holding out against the freeze on the Central bank "due to its importance for the Iranian economy".
0809 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mohammad-Reza Motamednia, a former advisor to the military command but now held in Evin Prison, has begun a hunger strike demanding the release of opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi.
Mousavi, Rahnavard, and Karroubi have been held under strict house arrest since February 2011.
Motamednia sent out the message that he was striking to protest "all the cruelty, pressure, injustice and in defense of the blood of all martyrs of the Islamic republic and as a respect for all the national beliefs".
0759 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Turkey's Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan has said exports to Iran have fallen 20% this year, as the cost of imported oil from Tehran has soared amid sanctions.
Meanwhile, Iran's Customs Administration is claiming that foreign trade increased 45% in the last month of Iranian year 1390 (20 February-19 March), compared to the previous month.
The Adminstration say trade was almost $11 billion during the period.
0755 GMT: Oil Watch. Trade sources say South African refiner Engen has turned to Saudi exporter Saudi Aramco for additional oil after halting imports from Tehran.
The sources said Engen, majority-owned by Malaysian national oil company Petronas, will replace about half of the Iranian volumes with Saudi supplies. The remainder will be filled up from the spot market, mainly from West Africa.
The refiner suspended an annual contract for 50,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude in March.
0745 GMT: Claim of the Day. Iranian State media is recycling the story, first put out earlier this month, that security forces have broken up a ring of 15 "spies and terrorists" working for Israel.
The Ministry of Intelligence said in a Tuesday statement that both Iranians and foreigners had been detained. It claimed the ring had planned an operation for 10 February, one day before the celebration of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
0515 GMT: We begin this morning with an All-Is-Well Alert:
Iran's Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi says despite international pressures and foreign sanctions against Iran, none of the country's oil industry projects have been stopped so far....
Despite the intensification of sanctions, new records have been registered for building new gas refineries in the South Pars region....Despite international sanctions, the Oil Ministry welcomes foreign companies' investment and participation in [developing Iran's] oil and gas industries," he added. Qasemi further noted that due to the high quality of Iran's crude oil, the country is currently facing no restrictions for selling and exporting crude oil to global markets.
And Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani says all is on course for an Iranian triumph in the nuclear talks: "[The West has] realized that they will face effective interaction by the Islamic Republic of Iran if they substitute the bullying language with prudence and the dual attitudes with a legal system....We take notice of the change in the West's attitude."
For the record, we offer the not-all-is-well assessment of an Iranian correspondent for EA:
We need to once again focus on the sanctions situation....SWIFT [the provider of global financial transactions] did not suspend the Iranian banks due to specific sanctions levied by the European Union or the US. It did so because it was nudged into doing it after polite requests by the US and, more importantly, the sweeping reputation risks associated with having to do with Iran.
This is the killer blow these days: the informal, reputation-based decisions to sever business links with Iran at all levels that has in some cases reached all the way to the oil procurement sectors of many governments and more. For example, MTN, the South African partner of Irancell, is under investigation for the ways in which it edged out Turkcell to win the contract and could very well pull out of Iran after the South African government's decision to call it quits on tight economic links with Iran.
Will [the next nuclear talks on 23 May in] Baghdad solve the above? Unlikely. Iran needs to embark on initiatives possibly well out of its reach in order to regain the semblance of ordinary trade links, say pre-2009....In the immediate future, Tehran needs to come out with winning quick-thinking, and cease the delusion that somehow Western economic crises will cause a change of heart and suspension of the July 1 deadline [for the European Union's cut-off of Iranian oil imports].


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Sketch #487 from Scrapbook Challenges is one that is great for that one photo that is special and you want to showcase it.
Here is my take on it. I ended up scrapping a Christmas photo from the 71 of my mom and her aunts. Because it didn't look like a very Christmasy looking I decided to treat it as a everyday moment.
Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Studio) pattern paper (Crate Paper, Basic Grey and My Mind's Eye), stickers (We R Memory Keepers, My Mind's Eye, American Crafts, Studio Calico and Elle's Studio), rosette (Crate Paper), canvas embellishment (Studio Calico) sequins (SEI), mist (tattered Angels)tag (American Crafts), journaling card (Project Life), pen (Project Life).
Here are a few close-ups.
Don't forget to link up your creations on the Mr. Linky at Scrapbook Challenges to have a chance at winning this month's prize.


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Daily Photo:
"The Dells" at Watson Lake in Prescott are quite unique rock formations. As sunset approaches, the granite boulders light up with soft glows of orange, yellow and red. I'd like to catch these formations sometime with billowing gray clouds in the distance for the HDR effect. It's always been perfectly blue skies when I have been there.
Click on Photo to see Entire Gallery


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When Practical Meets Pretty
Saturday, March 8, 2014
It's no secret that I prefer simple, classic decor with a colorful accent or two. The same goes for every day items. I look for simple, pretty packaging when I purchase things that the family will use that I know will end up in any room in the house. If it's pretty and will work within our decor, I'm more likely to buy it.
I was recently in Target picking up a few items and was pleasantly surprised by the new Kleenex designs! I'll admit it's been a while since I've shopped for facial tissue, so I was thrilled to find options that blend rather than clash with our decor.
We no longer have to hide the box out of sight. Even better - the branding is on the bottom of the box. Now the Kleenex box looks like it belongs there. I wish all every day items were so thoughtfully packaged!
If you like what you see here, I invite you to take this style quiz. You might also enjoy the fun facts. I definitely learned a thing or two.
Thank you Kleenex for sponsoring this post and for making practical everyday items stylish! Thoughts and styling are all my own. If you enjoyed this post I invite you to watch this fun video.
5 comments:
Dude. Kleenex is where it's at when it comes to box design. I can't choose between all of the awesome graphics they offer. You can also design your own box with your own photos. I went online and made some for all of my office mates and they were pretty wow'd!ReplyDelete
love your vignette!ReplyDelete
Love that white vase sitting on your table! I have a "thing" for white milk glass. :)ReplyDelete
Everything you style turns out simply beautiful! Oh and I love your office space.ReplyDelete
I would say your styling is quite spot on, so pretty and the Kleenex box at the bottom fits in perfectly with your vignette. Who knew tissues could be pretty?ReplyDelete
Thanks so much for stopping by! Your questions will be answered here or you can email me at email@example.com


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100 Lakeview Drive
77531| Or give us a call at: 979-265-8799
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Choose from a selection of one, two, and three bedroom floor plans. Our spacious and comfortable apartments were crafted with the features you deserve. Each residence includes a well-equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and refrigerator, mini blinds, central air and heat, and a balcony or patio. CrescentWood combines charm and quality for a place you can truly call home.
Our pet-friendly community presents an array of amenities suited for everyone. Exercise your mind and body in our fitness center followed by a refreshing dip in one of our two shimmering swimming pools. Our park-like setting creates the perfect atmosphere to relax and unwind. Take a stroll with your furry friend or spend time with the family at the play area. Allow Crescentwood Apartments to be your apartment in Clute. Discover what you've been missing and schedule your personal tour today!


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Gordon: We wait for disaster to come, then we panic. . .
But Gordon, who heads the Philippine National Red Cross, is worried that millions of his countrymen may not be as equally prepared.
According to him, the best protection people can have is to learn how to save themselves long before the disaster comes. It's the government's job to clean the esteros, but people need to know when to leave before a flood, or a landslide, occurs.
He considers this "national indifference" the biggest obstacle in the way of disaster preparedness.
"We're very lackadaisical," he says in an interview as the anniversary of the massive floods unleashed by Ondoy in Metro Manila last year approaches. "We wait for disaster to come, and when it comes, that's when we panic and start assigning blame."
Gordon's "snorkel" is actually the black exhaust pipe of his SUV which he has extended high on one side of the vehicle so that it rises above its roof. Other PNRC vehicles have been fitted out with similar "snorkels."
Gordon believes that innovation would enable him and his Red Cross team to cross floodwaters and reach victims should another deluge strike.
Such preparedness is something that Gordon fails to see in most Filipinos despite the massive loss of lives the country suffered in the wake of Ondoy.
Gordon notes that not long after the pummeling from Ondoy, many have returned to live on riverbanks and near esteros and canals, clogging the drainage systems that are supposed to drain rainwater and prevent floods.
Proactive leader
But it can change, he says, with a proactive leader.
"It doesn't take an Ondoy, it takes a leader to change that mind-set," he says.
This entails not just preparing for tragedy but reducing the risk of such events—such as by relocating people who live in flood-prone areas and having an urban management plan that forbids people from living in such places and requires strict compliance with the building code.
The government could also teach people how to prepare for and respond to calamities, a task that private sector groups, such as the Red Cross, is doing.
Gordon notes that the government has bought equipment, such as rubber boats, in case another typhoon ravages the country, but he also points out that there has just been a changing of the guard, and with it comes new people manning the disaster mitigation offices.
Continuity is an important factor in disaster preparedness, he adds.
Cycle of disaster
Gordon says tragedy need not strike again for people to be jolted into knowing how to take themselves out of harm's way.
"You must stop the cycle of disaster and poverty and the only way you can do that is if the people themselves know where to go, where to live and what are the threats in their community and they prepare actively for it," he says.
For its part, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, has put in place various plans to bring speedy relief to calamity victims.
More prepared now
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman believes the lessons of Ondoy have not been lost on Filipinos and that people are more knowledgeable now about what they need to do when a disaster is upon them.
"I think we're more prepared now. Citizens are more aware," Soliman says.
She notes that in Marikina, one of the cities hardest hit by Ondoy's wrath, many houses have been provided with boats which the residents could use if the waters rise again.
There is also closer monitoring of the rain and water levels in critical areas, she says. The environment department has also provided local governments with a geohazard map so that they could identify the areas prone to landslides during heavy rains.
Relief goods in place
Soliman says DSWD relief goods are also in place. Packs of goods have been distributed to regional offices.
Stocks of relief goods in the DSWD warehouse have been clearly labeled and stamped with expiration dates.
Earlier, a blogger claimed the DSWD had left relief goods for Ondoy victims to rot in its warehouses—a claim former Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral denied.
The DSWD has also inked a partnership with companies that provide trucking, heavy equipment, pharmaceuticals, mobile kitchens and portable toilets during calamities, according to Soliman.
They won't leave
Housewife Cristina Cacao, 53, and her family live within swamping distance of Laguna de Bay, the third largest freshwater lake in Asia, and may well be among the people Gordon worries about.
"We cannot just leave our way of life to be relocated elsewhere," Cacao says. Her family lives in a rented two-story house at Sto. Nino Aplaya, a community of 98 families in Muntinlupa City who rely solely on fishing for their livelihood.
"The people are okay with this setup. My family likewise don't mind," Cacao says.
When a storm starts battering Muntinlupa and the rest of Metro Manila, Cacao and the others scamper to evacuation centers or to higher grounds.
They return when the weather clears to resume their lives.
"We're content with this," she says.
'People are stubborn'
Cacao, the leader of a women's group called Samahang Kababaihan ng Sto. Nino Aplaya, insists that life in the community, no matter how hard, is still better than in relocation areas because they have fishing to rely on.