the weekend on my mind

I can't seem to to stop thinking about weekends. It overshadows like an impending doom about to clobber me. Well, maybe doom is such a pessimistic word. It seem to me like a pleasant secret about to be discovered. I dreamed of it last night, and the sense of excitement was undeniable.

I came to realize, not too recently, that people can change their long views on certain things in life as they grow older. Perhaps I should say- people transform their personal perspectives. I am an advocate for 'change for the better' mantra, and a fresher, auspicious and optimistic outlook change is always welcome. Over the years, I have transformed my views on weekends.

Weekend is such a simple, uncomplicated and inescapable part of our life: by definition, it is the end of the week, especially the period from Friday evening through Sunday evening. Yet people differ in their thoughts regarding it. Some people take weekends as a break, some people think it's yet another excuse to do more work especially at home. Younger kids look forward to do all the things they thought about over the week, preteens see it as another boring period filled with misery and inactivity. Some people love it, some people hate it.

Let me examine my evolving views on weekend. When I was little, weekends meant nothing else but play, play, play. As a schoolgirl, I looked at it as a respite from a week of school work, projects and various activities. As a teen, weekends felt like a severe punishment of being away from friends and being stuck at home being told to do this and that chores.

As a young adult, I had fluctuating emotions towards weekends, I guess. It was filled with highs and lows, there were glorious heydays and there was even a period when I hated it. I felt it were the loneliest days of the week, and if there was a chance to stay away from it, I would. I had thought of it as a waste of precious time. But then came a period in my life when I learned to appreciate weekends more. I welcomed the chance to take it slow and spend more time at home. I used to think (being young and believing I was invincible) that spending time at home was dumb, and that I need to be out gallivanting all the time (malling for hours and hours, and braving the heat of the sun).

When I got married and left home, a moment of realization happened to me. For a while, I was staying at my in-laws home (while David was away) and spent the weekends at my mom's house. And I never felt so anxious for the weekend. It was so true that one appreciates more the home after he leaves it. I remember being antsy all week, and when it finally came and I spent quiet afternoons with Gatorade and yogurt, I never ever felt so relieved. And to think I used to prefer noise around the house- the radio constantly on in the bedroom, the TV almost always in (rather) high volume, I was constantly chattering around the house, roughhousing with the dog. But it finally happened- I favored quiet weekends at home.

Now I have a different appreciation of weekends. David and I are together and we don't have much responsibilities at home (save the laundry and periodic house cleaning), and so we want to make our weekends as full as we can. Now that summer is coming, we have plenty of plans on our minds. If we can, we wanted to visit as many festivals as we can, theme parks, flea markets (my choice!), take many out of town trips, take tons of pictures and make it as memorable as possible!

I don't know what our weekends would be like, say, in three years. But I always want it to be cheery and productive. Our future weekends may not be quiet, or it may still be unrestricted, or it could become monotonous. But I always want to retain special feeling reserved towards weekends. That it doesn't have to be dull, too hectic or higgledy-piggledy to our liking. But instead, I want our weekends to complement whatever picks and passion we have at that certain time.

Today's Strategic Planning Activity

I was pleasantly surprised to have actually enjoyed today's Strategic Planning activity at work. I muttered to myself silently on the way to the office this morning how unprepared I was and how bored I would certainly get. I signed up for the Board Development small-group discussion (which was the most unpopular topic because only two people signed up for it!). We were merged with another small group, however, there were still few members on our group- three old-timers and two newbies (us).

We were asked to discuss for an hour and a half the strengths, obstacles and limitations of the agency and find solutions to meet the agency's goals, yada, yada. The quintessential points of any small group discussion. It was actually a very interesting ninety minutes. The older ones pointed out the weaknesses of the agency that has been tormenting the community for years, the truth about the system and a lot of other stuffs we never knew before. It was really interesting to listen and absorb all those information. And, as newbies, we got to share our insights, too. All in all, it was great and it was a nice group (being small, not prone to chaotic exchange of ideas, blah, blah).

I was assigned to write the details of our discussion and I got to write the conclusions on the paper for the big presentation. One of the oldies asked me if I went to a Catholic school. I did, and she said she could tell by my handwriting. I can't puzzle out the link, though :) We'll, I was glad our paper was, by far, the neatest and the most organized paper during the presentation. All the others are like vines on the wall, hehe.

We had pizza for lunch, and some Lebanese stuff (in the kitchen, others were unlucky to have missed it). It was a wonderful activity for me. It was a lesson in participation, cooperation and commendation. And I could proudly say, I passed fairly well. And that little thing, made me happy today.

my favorite cheapo* finds

Here are a couple of my favorite finds last weekend:

Maybelline Pure makeup. In porcelain ivory.

It's scent-free, oil-free and totally smudge-free. It doesn't leave a cake-y substance in my face, and since it's 50% water, it feels light and it doesn't give a warm, icky feeling like most of cake foundations do.

It comes in an attractive light-green tiny tube, which is trendy and fresh. It also takes lesser time to apply and blend compared to cake makeups. It gives an instant glow and less fuss, especially if you're in a rush each morning.

I looove this cute little fellow.

And here's another one:

Maybelline Moisture Extreme lipstick. In Rare Ruby.

I love how it glides and how pretty it stains the lips. It's the perfect red- not too bright, not to dark, not too scandalously-red. It's a healthy-looking red, I may say.

Plus the moisturizer doesn't chap the lips and it keeps it smooth and well-moisturized without being clammy. It has a nice scent, too. Not the overwhelming fruity flavor though. I think it's the aloe component, which really taste fresh and not gross.

This, should be, the perfect sales pitch. :)

Spring Greek Festival

Last Saturday afternoon, we went to the Spring Greek Festival at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church at 36th and Massachussets. It was a wonderful day, bright and breezy and it was a lovely day to be out. The Festival, with an array of food stalls selling authentic Greek stuff and an arts and crafts display under a white tent, turned out to be less than what we've expected. Well, maybe we just expected something more.

We sampled loukoumades and souvlakis. We liked the loukoumades, it was the first time we ever tasted it. It's chewy and the texture matched well with honey and sprinkle of cinnamon. And David was a little disappointed with the souvlaki. He expected it to be juicier and tastier, however, we found it a little dry. But I'd like to think of it as a still nice experience. We were eyeing the whole lamb roasting on a spit (in the manner of dear old lechon), however, they were gonna serve it in the evening, and since we were not planning to stay there longer, we regrettably turned our backs on it.

Well, maybe we were expecting bands playing Greek music, men in those silly Greek costumes, and lots of other Greek-y stuff. I liked the silver-and-resin jewelry I saw at the arts and crafts, and also the variety of Greek desserts on display. There was this man who gave samples for his kettle popcorn and the popcorn tasted salty and sweet. Very strange. :) But I love the smell of the Festival- the spit-roasted lamb, Greek coffee made in the lovely-looking Greek coffee pot called briki, the skewered souvlakis on the grill, and this tiny stall selling lemonatha.

The Festival is small, being held just in the church grounds. So much like a neighborhood flea market. I love it. It's a new experience and a new appreciation of a different culture.

all the pretty little ponies

By the time it came to the edge of the Forest the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and, being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, "There is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

These unforgettable lines suddenly sparked a delightful memory in my mind. I knew I had read this somewhere, a long time ago, in my youthful years....

I remember our elementary school's old Library, I found a book with stories of Winnie the Pooh- the old, black and white, sketchy Pooh before he became too Disney-ized. I loved him since then. Suddenly the memory of the humid second-floor library, the smell of old books, the stifled silence typically imposed on 9 and 10 year old students visiting the Library, all came to back to me. I don't even remember the title of the book, but I chose it and held on to it, borrowed it a number of times until I finished all the stories.

Back then, it had no significant meaning to my 9-year old mind. What I found were endearing qualities of Pooh- his forgetfulness, his light-hearted attitude and his friendship with Christopher Robin. The words of Pooh rhymed, and it was beautiful. Its beauty, I never fully understood until now.

There were two books I read as a young girl which etched strong impressions on my mind. One is the Pooh book, and the other one is called Arrivals and Departures. Arrivals and Departures was a collection of short stories. I don't remember much about the stories anymore, but I remember best that I liked it very much. The only thing I remember is the story about a young girl with a blue nose and how she got it. The girl has plenty of freckles, and somebody asked her how many freckles she got on her nose. She tried to count, however, she keeps on losing track, which prompted her to dab her freckles with blue ink in order not to count the freckles over and over. Such puerile musings! So characteriscally dissimilar to the present generation's tales on demons and wizardry.

I read a lot. But I can't say there's a particular genre of reading that I belong to, I'm not into reading philosophy only, or biographies only or history only. I read everything. I read short stories, sometimes I read novels. I read a number of biographies. I read children's stories. I read magazine and newspaper features a lot. I had read all the articles in my 10-years worth collection of old issues National Geographic magazines. There are some books I read which I never finish. There are books I wished I had the energy to read (Tale of Two Cities and Romeo and Juliet). There are books I had read rather late (I never read The Little Prince until I was in first year college).

And then, there are books which inflamed my youthful heart, then buried into obliviousness and found its way back into my consciousness right now. Just like in the case of the passage above.

Growing up is a long, steady process. One does not sleep at night a child and wakes up the next morning aged and wiser. Just like reading, it is a step by step process. One does not read The Road Less Traveled at 10 years old and emerge with wisdom after that. When I was 13, I was in a hurry to grow up. I was impatient and resented that I was young and could not do things I thought I could do. I kept asking my mother why, and she told me- "you know when you're older. Don't hurry".

There is exactly a right time for everything. And there is a right time to read something. One must read Love in the Time of Cholera at the right time of your life. When one is young, he shall read all about the pretty little ponies, and one day, when he's older and calmer, those memories will bring a different spectacle in his life. And discover that in life, one should never lose wonder....

recipe for a bad night out

take 1 eager future sister-in-law,
1 strong-willed bride to be;
add 1 confused groom to be,
mix with sleazy-looking nightclub-
voilá! a disastrous night.

Last weekend, I got invited to a girls night out by a friend who's a bride-to-be (getting hitched in two weeks), and it was her future sister-in-law who organized it in her honor. The big glitch was- the bride was hesitant to go to the said night club and would rather go to a different place.

And so, I thought we were not going with her future sister-in-law to the club anymore, however, at the last minute, she was convinced by her fiancé to go and have fun with his sister, who painstakingly planned the whole thing for her.

When we got to the place (her fiancé and my husband dropped us girls there), it wasn't exactly the place we wanted to be at that particular night. The place looked seedy, and the location was in a badly-lit area, there was a construction site nearby, and the crowd we saw wasn't exactly a comfortable looking bunch (at least for us), and it's so far away from a well-lit, busy street where we could hail a cab home (because much to my chagrin, the guys were NOT planning on picking us up after at all). The fiancé, who was too eager to drop us off and leave, insisted we go in and have fun. However, our unanimous choice was NOT to get off the car.

The fiancé was faced with an enormous snafu- to leave his fiancee and her gang at the club (albeit obvious opposition) to elude his own sister's diappointment? Or to heed his fiancée's decision to skip the club altogether and go somewhere else?

Ah, what a complicated situation. The bride-to-be, who has her own mind and couldn't be told what to do, insisted (rather, demanded) we leave pronto and not wait anymore for the poor sister.

The fiancé, looking so distressed, had no choice but to leave and drive us at the place where the bride-to-be wanted to go initially. We ended up at the Carribean-themed resto-bar favored by her (which is practically steps away from our place). The fiancé joined us much later because he went back to the club to pick up his sister and clearly, the sister was pissed-off and cancelled the whole night out with her other friends. And also, their boys night out went kaput. And while the fiancé was so bothered by the turn of events, the bride-to-be, in her true nonchalant self, enjoyed the night away like the unhappy event never happened.

Oh, well. What a night. What rotten luck. It happens all the time. Although it is much, much bothersome when one is torn between two conflicting entities- and wanting to please them both. Tricky, tricky situation.

However, there are much more bigger issues to be concerned of rather than the inconvenience of an axed night out, bruised prides and who's right, who's wrong. And there are plenty of Saturday nights ahead to drink and be merry. Cheers!

red letter day

On May 14, Sunday, it will be exactly one year ago when I came here. Looking back, it had been a fruitful year. I've learned many, many, many lessons along the way and I could definitely say I've grown older, wiser and much happier.

Growing up, I realized, means coming to terms with myself. I have learned, and accepted that not everything comes my way and it doesn't have to be the end of the world. I've learned to throw my hat over the fence, and I have learned to appreciate more a quieter and peaceful life. I have become a better "me". And that, is the most important accomplishment.

I have learned a lot in my first year here. It's very exciting, it's like being in a huge laboratory, with all the gadgets and accoutrements- at first getting adrift and confused, and slowly, day by day getting accustomed to all of it. It's a BIG learning experience where at the end of the day, I always get the rewards.

Life is tough, we've experienced our share of rainy days, too. However, I have all the support that I need in the person of David. And I believe in my heart, that's the only thing one needs in wading through rough waters. I feel blessed to have someone to hold on to, to have someone to share with the burden of life. Life has been easier and breezier and rosier each passing day with him.

But I miss all the things I left at home- my mom, my spoiled, bratty little dog, my friends, the comfortable familiarity of everything. But I am happy to be here, and I love the new life and new experiences. And I'm lucky that the people I left behind are so understanding and not exactly the emotional sandbags type. I'm especially proud and grateful to my Mom.

Looking ahead, I'm optimistic. What I learned here is to be patient, calm, to be assertive and speak out, to empower myself and to be mellower and less frantic and to enjoy life. I hope to do better and better. I've learned to value myself and love myself more.

New York state of mind

My best friend Roselle visited from Australia last week together with her hubby and her cute toddler Liam, who's three. We had fun showing them around (hitting the famous landmarks and sampling out kabobs and Peruvian chicken) and then last Friday, we drove them to NY. We had a great time in the Big Apple! It was all fun, fun, fun. And when I got home last Saturday night, I felt a little sad because being on a short holiday with a childhood friend is incomparable. We haven't seen each other since the last reunion in 2003, (and we weren't even there on each other's weddings in 2004), so naturally, meeting each other here and taking a trip with our hubbies was truly exciting.

Our hotel was right smack in Times Square, so we couldn't complain about the location. We walked, walked and walked until our legs ached, hehehe. And we had NY style pizza for lunch on our first day there. And like bona fide tourists, Roselle and I had our pictures taken with the Naked Cowboy! (Our husbands took the pictures, and laughed at us for being so 'brassy'). We went to the Rockefeller Plaza, visited the St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the highlight of the day- the Empire State Building.

David and I missed the Empire State Building on our NY trip last year, so we were so excited to be there. We endured the long lines and security checks, and once we were up there, it was all worth the wait. It was a perfect Friday afternoon- sunny, airy and clear skies. And we had the perfect view of the city. We stayed there until 8pm and watched the sunset. It was spectacular! I love it! We absolutely love our Empire State experience.

Then we had an Italian dinner buffet, which was yummy, and then we took tons of pictures of Times Square at night, with all the splendor of the lights displays and swarm of people having a good time. It was a wonderful first day. :)

On Saturday morning, we started early. We wanted to be the first ones in line for the ferry going to the Statue of Liberty. We took the first ferry to the Liberty island (at (9:30 am). Again, it was a perfect, sunny, unclouded day- just perfect for cruising. We had a good time taking pictures, and going up the statue and enjoying the fantastic views of the NY harbor. Liam, the ever fireball toddler, imitated his dad and David taking pictures and insisted we 'pose' for him and say, wooow...! when he shows us his "shots" with the folded tripod. How adorable is that?!

We decided to skip the next stop which is Ellis Island because after climbing the Statue of Liberty, we couldn't get our minds off Chinese food (esp. noodles). And so we hopped into a cab and found ourselves in Chinatown! We tumbled upon a small corner restaurant and we had a wonderful (cheap) meal! We were busog-happy atfer that.

Our last stop for the day was Central Park. By that time, we got our car back from the garage and we drove to the park. I think it's the only relaxing place in NY City, and it's a fantastic spot to be to cap the day. While looking for (free) parking, we took a spin through 5th Ave, Park Ave and Madison Ave- admiring the expensive apartments, posh designer stores and hoped to catch a glimpse of celebrities sashaying down the streets. But we didn't have any luck ;) The closest thing thing we had to a celebrity sighting was seeing Helena Christensen in Rockefeller Plaza. Roselle and I were hoping to see Sarah Jessica Parker or Jake Gyllenhaal, hehehe.

David and I only stayed in NY overnight. We don't know when are we gonna see each other again. Maybe in a few years, when Liam is bigger and older and he would not remember me and 'Uncle David'. But I was happy to see Roselle again and meeting her hubby and her son, and them meeting David. Maybe we can visit them soon in Australia. Who knows? The possibilities of future rendezvous make it more exciting. The perfect time will come for us to meet again. For the meantime, we will always cherish the wonderful weekend we spent in New York City.......

good tv, bad tv weekend

It was a wonderful (and quite successful) weekend. We went jogging! We never managed to get up at 7am, so we jogged at 9:30. But we did not go far because I got sick. Poor me. And due to years of non-exercise, we are suffering right now of aching legs. We vowed to make it a regular weekend jog. However, next weekend we're going away on a trip, so I hope the following weekend we'll be quite lucky ;)

And my pasta friday night turned out to be General Tso's (not!) night. I decided to make my trying-oh-so-hard version of General Tso's chicken, however, I failed miserably. I'm brokenhearted. It's been a series of unfortunate events with my kitchen experiments :(

Has anyone seen Sweet 16 on MTV lately? Can you believe how those kids are acting? Spoiled, good-for-nothing brats! They behave as if they're gonna die when things don't go their way. They scream at their parents, they look down on their peers, they ridicule every creature who are not as cool as they are. And they only think about their grand entrance, and their expensive cars, and outdoing other sweet sixteen parties. I especially despise that girl Sophie, who humiliates other kids like she's the greatest and the most beautiful person on Earth. But then again, beautiful people DON'T humiliate other people. That's why she has humilation frenzy against other people because she is u____. Enough said.

The show is a shallow, debilitated example for other kids out there. Riches and self-centeredness and extravagance are not the only way to be cool, popular and accepted. The show is giving wrong, poor messages to teens.

On the other hand, we love Big Love and National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer! Big Love had an exciting episode last night. And we love to see mean dogs 'rehabilitated' on Dog Whisperer :) These shows are entertaining without giving you the a dreadful mood. We also love The Amazing Race. And yup, we watch AI, too, hehehee.

fried egg friday

This, is one bizarre title for a blog entry like this! It's totally unrelated to my story this Friday. (Though I had thought of having fried egg+toast for breakfast this morning). But it seems like a kooky idea ;)

Anyway, I attended the panel interview for a job candidate this afternoon for the first time. (I was invited to come yesterday to the other candidates' interview, however, I chose to take my time at lunch, hence, I missed it). It went well, and I guess the girl's gonna be hired.

It has been a busy week. And tiring. And not to mention frustrating. I felt it was just like a series of waking up late, rushing for work, eating lunches, going home, and then the day is over. And I even felt there's no enough time to do my chores at night. After dinner, it feels like there's no downtime, and before I know it, it's time to go to bed. Where are those days when I anxiously wait for the day to end because it seems to streeeeeeeeeeetch forever? Has my world changed?

Well, I guess the most logical explanation is that I lead a very different life now. Aside from wondering (with a tiny little bit of complaining) how time goes really fast, I guess life is good for me since I enjoy the responsibilities. I like doing chores and keeping our household in order. And I like the peace and quiet, the predictability, the unhurried life David and I share.

But we still get to enjoy beautiful moments together, sharing a snack when we get home, fixing dinner, prodding each other who should take out the trash, watching tons of shows on TV. Our nights at home are full. Plus- we get excited what to do over the weekend. And lately, our gauge on how time flies is Big Love. Big Love na naman! It always feels like we've only watched the show the night before, and yet we're about to see a new episode on Sunday.

Our plan for the coming weekend is to jog at 7am. This, still remains to be seen, since both of us aren't exactly the people who get up before 10 am on weekends (except if we're going away on a trip). However, I hope the weather would be good tomorrow, the past Saturdays had been chilly, rainy, if not, windy. Not an ideal day (for us, hehehe) to go jogging. We could only admire people we pass by jogging under a drizzle or a gusty day. As much as we want to jog religiously (!), it seems we're always circumvented by weather reasons, hehehe.

Friday nights used to be take-out nights, however, I have a strong feeling he's not up for it tonight. For several nights now, I've been hinting take-outs to him (BK, Taco Bell, Baja Fresh, Super Pollo, etc.) to no avail ;) I'm such a lousy negotiator!

If I cannot persuade him tonight to get takeout then it's gonna be a pasta friday night. :) I could make some chicken rotini with bell pepper. Or maybe I could just make the Spanish rice he had been mentioning the other day. We'll see tonight.

I hope it's gonna be a great weekend! We have plans to meet a friend on Saturday afternoon. I hope it's gonna be warm, warm, warm. Can't take the chilly air anymore!

if i were a time of the day

You Are Sunrise!
You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

http://www.blogthings.com/whattimeofdayareyouquiz/

I had always thought I was sunset. Sunset for me means relaxation, a thrill, a triumph that the day is over and that you've accomplished something. Sunset signifies a promise of a better day ahead of me....

But I think sunrise better describes me now. I WANT to be always an optimist, assured and unconstrained with imaginary woes and uncertainties. I WANT to love life more and I want to make it better each day!

The Gift Outright

On January 20, 1961 poet Robert Frost was about to read the poem "Dedication" which he wrote especially for JFK's inauguration. However, blinded by the sun's glare, he was unable to read the words. And so he recited, from memory, his poem The Gift Outright....

The land was ours before we were the land's.

She was our land more than a hundred years

Before we were her people.

She was ours

In Massachusetts, in Virginia.

But we were England's, still colonials,

Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,

Possessed by what we now no more possessed.

Something we were withholding made us weak.

Until we found out that it was ourselves

We were withholding from our land of living,

And forthwith found salvation in surrender.

Such as we were we gave ourselves outright

(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)

To the land vaguely realizing westward,

But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,

Such as she was, such as she would become.

~ Robert Frost; 1874-1963 ~

what to do with leftover roast chicken

Sometimes, one falls into a quandary- what to prepare for dinner, when you are in a rush to whip something nice and tasty. It happened to me last night. Normally, I would have planned our meals ahead, but it's ever so often inevitable that one simply fails to come up with a planned meal (this happens towards weekends when one is tired and too eager for the week to end).

So last night, I found there was still the leftover whole roast chicken in the ref, I decided to create something from it. I fileted the meat (around 1 cup), prepared green beans (cut into half, around 1/2 cup), sliced carrots (1/2 cup), opened a small can of sliced mushrooms, and prepared to make a yummy meal out of it.

I sauteed onion slices in 1 tbsp. olive oil, added the green beans, carrots and mushroom. I stir-fried the stuff for around 3 minutes, and left it covered to further cook (under medium heat). Afterwards, I added the chicken filet, mixed everything, added a generous sprinkle of seasoned salt (and dash of black pepper). I added a few drops of sesame oil, and voila! A delightful dinner recipe. It serves two (for one hungry hubby and one happy wifey).

It is such a glee to chance upon great ways to touch up and invigorate simple, quiet Thursday dinners at home...

we walked the line

Last night, we watched the movie Walk The Line on DVD with our Kong-sized pizza, ginseng-honey iced tea, plus two dogs hovering around (trying to beg for a bit of pizza). It was our third night of housesitting and doggysitting, and we were havin' a lot of fun. The dogs were adorable, and we were trying so hard not to give in to their 'begging puppy' looks.

Well, a little 'accident' happened the other night- we made lumpia and David got burned by the hot oil from the frying pan, and so after eating, we left to buy some burn ointment. We just left the leftover lumpia at the table thinking the dogs won't be able to reach it. However, when we got back, a mi horror, all the lumpia are gone! Jake (the Springer spaniel) ate it all and left no trace (clever dog!). We knew it was him, since the other (old) dog Thea can't possibly get up and reach the table because of her arthritis, hehehe. Anyway, and he's not supposed to eat human food! But he was okay in the morning. No harm done, so this story is something I'd rather forget.

Anyway, back to the movie :) It was good and enjoyable. Reese was good on it, and she thoroughly deserves her Oscar. Joaquin was very, very good and passionate as Johnny Cash, too bad he did not win. We enjoyed their costumes and it was fun listening to their Southern drawl. The story is quite good and I always love a beautiful, not the overwrought, schmaltzy, demented kind of love- I like the passion, despair and hopefulness displayed in unrequited love. I'm an unrequited-love-story junkie, hehehe. Although I can't say theirs was an unrequited love. But I think it's remarkable how June Carter gave her support to Johnny Cash during his most difficult times.

I think the film ended a bit too suddenly. However, it's still a beautiful story. I love Reese and Joaquin.

It will be our last night housesitting tonight, and surely we're gonna miss the dogs. But I'm more than happy to be back to our warm, more comfy bed.

eeyore's thistley patch

I had thought about Eeyore yesterday........

Eeyore, a very gloomy, sawdust-stuffed, blue-gray donkey. He who spells his name "eoR". He who, despite this, is a very intelligent animal, although he keeps most of his knowledge to himself. That's why he is very quiet most of the time and a bit depressed.

Eeyore, who lives at the 100 Acre Wood Southeast, in his 'Gloomy Place'. His favourite food is thistles. Eeyore, who loves being remembered on his birthday and hates being bounced.Eeyore, whose biggest problem is that his tail keeps coming off (he has lost it many times). His other concern is that his house keeps falling down (he has to rebuild it again, and again, and again.....).

Nevertheless, he seems always appreciative of the efforts of his friends (Pooh and Piglet) to cheer him up....

Here are some of the famous (and cutest) lines from Pooh (and Eeyore), all of them are my favorites:

How sweet to be a cloud

Floating in the blue!

Every little cloud

Always sings aloud.

How sweet to be a cloud

Floating in the Blue!

It makes him very proud

To be a little cloud.

“You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”

“A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.”

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

“When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish.”

“People who don't Think probably don't have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake.”

“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon”

"They're funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you're having them."

"The nicest thing about the rain is that it always stops. Eventually."

I was feeling a little bit Eeyor-ish yesterday......

Hook!

I am alone at home on this lovely Saturday, trying to prep things up around the house, trying so hard to concentrate on housework and not get distracted by TV or anything else. However, since I started around 9am, I managed to get myself distracted with three old episodes of sex and the city on HBO ;) It's already 1pm, and I haven't made major progress on housework yet. Well, at least I had loaded the kitchen linens on the washer/dryer. But that's it. I haven't even eaten lunch yet.

And then... on TBS- along came Hook! Who could ever not love this movie?! For those who loved the Peter Pan cartoon movie would looove Hook. I haven't seen this movie for a long, long time. And what a delight to watch it on TV again! It is the absolute kid movie, but I believe it's for grown ups, too. Everyone of us have our happy thoughts :)

So I allowed myself to get distracted again. My favorite part of the movie is when the Lost Boys had a hard time recognizing Peter Pan (who's all grown up in the movie), and then one little lost boy came forward and pinched Peter's face, and exclaimed, "there you are Peter!" And I guess I could add the part when Maggie sang the song their mom used to sing to them so that she could never forget. And one more- when Peter divulged to Wendy, why he left his home to never grow up. Wendy told him, the reason why he couldn't remember his happy thought may be because there are far too many bad memories.

This is a delightful, romantic fanstasy movie. Young and old alike, I believe, can relate to this. It speaks about about the extraordinary relationship between Peter and Wendy, Peter and his kids, Peter and the Lost Boys... And all in all, I guess it tells about our personal relationships with ourselves... We have a choice whether to grow up or not, to stay or not to stay, to forget or never to forget.

So I recommend to watch this movie again. It's good for the heart and soul :) It reminds us never to forget. Many years may be added to our age, heaps of successes and failures may pass, however, one should never forget the essence, the happiness, the irrepressible joy that is called childhood.

What's your happy thought?

first!

I attended my first official Administrative meeting today! It was not bad at all. I was introduced to everyone, and since I have been a familiar fixture in the office, there was no need for extra introductions :) What was announced was just my new position and my new duties. Everyone congratulated me, and I was excited as ever with this new job.

There will be more big tasks coming and I'm sure it will be one hefty job for me. I guess my newest virtues would be: patience and calmness.

Big on Love

For the last five Sunday nights, David and I have been tuned in to HBO's Big Love. It is an interesting story- three homes, three wives, seven children, a crazy father-in-law, the usual "not-so-usual" family. Bill is the polygamist extraordinaire :) Anybody who thinks having three wives is heaven on earth must be deluded. In Bill's case, three wives plus three homes equals triple bills to pay, triple headaches and triple trouble.

I find it amusing to find the characters respond to different situations. Barb is the martyr/motherly-like, Nicki is jealous, demanding and a big-spender, and Margene is the clueless one. They act like normal big, happy family despite the fact that they share the same husband. They say the worse punishment of having three wives is having three in-laws! Bill's just got one on the show, his father in-law (Nicki's dad), a real menace.

Big Love is very entertaining. It gives the viewers a glimpse of the life of a non-convential family which is not usually portrayed on TV. And human nature is characterized well. No one's perfect, what may be unperceivable for some might be palpable for a few. There's a clear struggle there for what is right, what's lawful, what's plausible, and what's reality.

Other critics say it's nowhere near the cachet of Sex and the City, or Six Feet Under or the Sopranos. I think the show offers a different flavor. It might not be spectacularly huge, however, it has an engaging quality to it. And you can't help it to get curious and immersed. I am excited to know what will happen next. Will Bill get another wife? Well, if he's crazy enough to get another rock to strike his head. :)

throw your hat over the fence

"the" Truth in the Way of Life:

If you cannot figure out a way to climb over a fence, throw your hat over the fence, and then you WILL find a way to climb it.

Throw you hat over the fence has become my silent motto in life. Essentially, it means whenever facing difficult tasks, throw your hat over the fence, and make that commitment.

Being motivated to do a certain thing sometimes take more than a nudge. Sometimes you need to push yourself into a situation, where turning your back on it is unacceptable, and you have to deal with it. Taking a risk is more beneficial, rather than spending the rest of your life wondering 'what could have been?'

How many times have we pushed aside an opportunity or shelved a chance to say something, just because we thought it was hard? And were afraid to know the consequences? Many of us, including myself, would always veer away from any sticky wicket as much as possible. However, chances are, there will be an unending barrage of 'what ifs' and at the end, we will never know. Bailing out on Research Methodology class, forsaking a qualifying exam, refusing to start a new, promising career because you're afraid to leave your present job (even though how unhappy it makes you), rotting away in a pointless relationship just because you're too chicken to know what will happen next if you walk out of it - these are the circumstances when it's best to throw your hat over the fence.

I've learned through life experiences that when facing monumental tasks, it is best to face it and deal with it. Fleeing is out of the question. Swallow the pill, throw your hat over the fence! I used to have a lot of uncertainties before, lots of what ifs, however, throwing my hat over the fence has taught me to take a chance on eventuality.

Right now, I am taking a step further. I've thrown my hat over the fence. Now I'm climbing over, and I hope I'd get there unscathed. I really wanted this job, and it has been a long, arduous (and sometimes frustrating) process. However, I've committed myself to it, and I intend to make it. No regrets, I did it because I want no room for what if? I'm a little scared, but I'm hopeful. Whatever happens, this is still better than wondering all my life what could've happened if only.

Apple and Cherry Weekend

I'm always looking forward to weekends. Weekend means relaxing, waking up late and not sticking to schedules. Although there are chores I 'need' to do on weekend, I always have the option to delay it, or skip it altogether. David and I always have 'something in mind' for the weekends. Last weekend was supposed to be jogging, carwash, then cherry blossom. However, a slight drizzle and a gloomy sky suddenly altered our plans. We decided to do it the next day. However, we woke up a bit late the following day. Since it's back to Daylight Saving Time, we missed a full hour. So we had to change all the plans. :)

But it was still a wonderul weekend. On Friday night, we went out for shisha with Darko and Derek. We tried double apple. It was great. I enjoyed smoking it, though I am not supposed to smoke (bad, bad me). Just imagine me and David smoking flavored tobacco with hookah. It was exhilirating. However, the guys just talked about cars! And (gasp!) girls. Next time, we're gonna try caramel, or even coffee! We also met Derek's friends, two very nice Egyptian ladies. It was a wonderful night to be out, we sat on the chairs outside the hookah bar, and the night breeze was cool.

Saturday, since our plans had changed, I suggested that we go 'look' at shoes. 'Look', could mean, maybe just browse over an aisle or two of shoes, then go back home. But I meant to shop for a pair of shoes. Shop is a scary word for David. Because to shop for me means looking through ALL the shoes in all the stores in the mall before I make the ultimate decision. But I am not a hoard-girl, I am a one-at-a-time girl when it comes to shoes. I don't pile up in one go. And though we only went to a couple of stores, David grew restless right away! So I picked a pair of black thin-strapped sandals. Plus- a black tote (on sale!) which I eyed upon entering the store. David may always be annoyed with me when we go shop, but he is still very considerate. ¡Soy la chica más afortunada!

On Sunday we went to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. It was a wonderful sight! It was a little bit crowded that day, but I still enjoyed my first encounter with the cherry blossoms. We walked along the tidal basin and enjoyed the scenery, and David took a lot of pictures along the way. And we were parked blocks and blocks away, so we did a lot of walking that day! Although we missed our jogging, we felt we still accomplished something.

We can't wait for another weekend! Since it's getting warmer and days are getting longer, so it means more exciting things to do, places to go and wonderful weekends to look forward to. I love that the sun sets at almost 9:00pm.

*A hookah is a traditional Middle Eastern or Asian device for smoking. It is also known as a water pipe, nargeela/arghileh/nargile, shisha, kalyan, ghelyoon or Ghalyan, or hubble-bubble. The hookah operates by water-filtration and indirect heat.

**The most commonly-used hookah tobaccos (known as tobamel or maassel) are produced using a 1:2 mixture of shredded tobacco leaf mixed in with a sweetener such as honey, molasses or semi-dried fruit. Originally, tobacco was mixed with one of these sweeteners to form jurâk (e.g. Zhaghoul brand), a flavorless, moistened tobacco. The now-popular, fruit-flavored hookah tobaccos got their start in the late 1980s when Egyptian tobacco companies began experimenting with flavored tobacco as a way to sell more of their products to women. Due to the popularity of flavored hookah tobaccos, many modern manufacturers have begun to use glycerin as the primary sweetener in hookah tobaccos because of its humectant qualities and subtle sweetening properties that accentuate the various tobacco flavorings. Today, shisha tobacco is often mixed with dried fruit, natural extracts and artificial flavorings to produce a varying assortment of tobacco flavors, such as apple, strawberry, mango, cappuccino, vanilla, coconut, cherry, grape, banana, mixed fruit, cola, and mint, which has a cooling effect on the throat. This proliferation of flavors is rather new, starting perhaps in the mid-1990s.