I am one lucky girl

No so long ago, I actually had second thoughts blogging for the world to see/read me. I did not quite expect I'd be making friends every single day. The opportunities of meeting friends from all over are amazingly endless. Over the same week, I got three friendship tags. How amazing could the week go?

Why do we need friends?

For this beautiful poem, I thank Constance of Sunny Side Up Foodie and Mommy Ruby of Pinay Mommy Online. Thank you, girls! This really touched me.

Faeryrowan, Caffeinated Muse, divawearsnada, bottoms-up, Sheila, mckhoii, and chitgoks -- go guys, spread the friendship :-)

We need friends for many reasons,
all throughout the season.

We need friends to comfort us when we are sad,
and to have fun with us when we are glad.

We need friends to give us good advice.
We need someone we can count on,and treat us nice.

We need friends to remember us one we have passed
Sharing memories that will always last.

1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4 My Wonderful Life ....5. Can of Thoughts 6. Designs By Vhiel 7. Vhiel's Corner 8. Anything and Everything in Between 9. Wonderful Things In Life 10. The Fountain Of Happiness 11. A Message From My Heart 12. My Life's Adventure 13. Love Is.. 14. Photographic Memories 15. The Joy Of LIfe Forever 16. Beauty of Life 17. Money Maker 18. Jona's New Life 19. Creations 20. Lourdes Mia 22. Digital Life Scraps 23. Mommy Earns Money Online 24. Blessings and Beyond 25. Everyday Life 26. Words of Love 27. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . . Life is good and Beautiful 28. UMMA 29.Our Little Princess Gwen 30. Caramel Corn 31. Almanac Queen 32. Sunny Side Up Foodie & Lifestyle 33. Pinay Mommy Online 34. Purpled Sky 35. add your blog here

=================================================

BFF Gold Card

And this one, I got from Faery Rowan. Thanks for the award, sexy girl ;-) love it!


Rules:

1. Only 5 people are allowed to receive this award
2. Four (4) of them are followers of your blog.
3. One has to be new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to who ever gave you the award.

Tagging 5 of my blogger friends:
Marly
Pinay Mommy Online
Sweet Lyka
Eugene
Catherine

Please, the above 5 people are encouraged to pass this award to 5 Blogging friends too, following the 4 rules listed above.

It's true I have never seen you
and we have never met,
Never shaken Hands or
even truly hugged and yet!

I know for sure you care for
me by the kindness that you give.
And our keyboards keep us
together doesn't matter where we live.

So I give you this gift to
put a smile on your face
and to let you know in my
heart you have a special place.

=================================================

Am I normal or just plain nuts?

Do you, like me, sometimes ask the same question yourself? In the previous post I've written down things that have kept popping up my head recently. It is a therapeutic activity I indulge whenever I feel like I wanted to let something out. That is just but one quirk I have. I know I have plenty -- it's actually a laundry list of quirks, idiosyncrasies and pet peeves. Some, if not most of them are so irrational I fear I am just plain nuts. Then I stumble upon the article Are You Normal or Nuts? in Reader's Digest, and found myself nodding my head in agreement and laughing my heart silly every time a certain quirk resonates or just hits close to home for me.

I know of someone who'd dismiss anybody by retreating to her childish shell every time she doesn't want to talk more about a certain issue. I usually just shrug her behavior off and thinks she might have self-esteem issues that she needs to work on. I actually find rocking herself on the chair and intentional spacing out quite amusing. I do that sometimes!

Like most, I rearrange furniture without apparent reason. It is actually one of the things I do to de-stress. Quite funny, huh? I'm telling you, it's actually cathartic. I get to lift heavy couches and at the same time, release all the pent-up emotions I've been bottling up the whole week. Why do you think men have all these contact-bordering-on-violent sports?

In addition to that, I knock on wood to keep bad things from happening and actually believe it is effective; I have an irrational fear of cockroaches -- for those who want to torture me, this is a giveaway :-p Most of all, I laugh at myself and call myself idiotic all the time!

Now, one would wonder, do those quirks make someone nuts or are there people out there who have the same quirks and are perfectly normal? Why don't you find out and post your own quirky question in Reader's Digest
Are You Normal or Nuts?, and check out Reader's Digest Laughs while you're at it. I hate to admit it but the encounter is quite liberating :-)

Purging off

It's a blur. A lot of swirling images in my head that never gets written, really. If I don't see something as vivid as a painted picture, I can't seem to put things down in writing. That's how limited I am :-P Anyhoo, this here is an attempt to get a hold of some of those and hopefully purge myself from those crazy, swirling images of colors that kept popping up.

1) It is inherent in scheming bitches to sneak up behind your back and stalk you. Even online.

2) Happiness is largely a choice. Life offers you a lot of choices. If you happen to be miserable that is because you have always set your sail on someone else's star. Be contented. There's nothing much out there that deserves your misery.

3) I have learned to not expect too much on people. That way, nothing surprises me when they do something out of the ordinary. I kind of expected it, actually.

4) Assumption is the mother of all f**k-ups.

5) Grown-up insecurities and neuroses are largely caused by an unloving family environment. Studies have supported that.

6) I am rarely wrong on my gut feel towards people. I should start believing in myself when it comes to reading people, and probably unsubscribe to the idea of giving people second chances. Some just plainly don't deserve to be reached out.

7) I have realized that if I cut a friendship chord, it better stay that way. If I feel like my friendship is not received or reciprocated the same way, I cut the string, forget about about the person and move on. Life has so much more to offer. Attempts to reconnect are ignored. Too little too late, I think.

8) You have to accept that there are people who thinks that the universe owes them something; that everybody SHOULD be nice to them. - Hubby

9) Some people are experts in twisting things such that they'd appear to be the aggrieved one. - Mentor/Ninong/Friend

10) The trouble with you is that you don't go out and explain yourself. You allow people to misunderstand you. -Friend

11) Meanings suddenly take a different shade when you have your own family. Happiness is so within your reach, and yet too fragile and volatile.

12) Why are we so wasteful? Isn't it enough that the world is slowly crumbling down because of our own wrongdoings? Is it too hard to take that extra step to conserve and recycle? Where will we be tomorrow?

13) We are so tolerant to those we love, but if we dislike someone, it is our every intention to find fault in that person and attach all kinds of meaning to their statements. I believe Optimus Prime said something to this effect. How true.

========================================

Here's a little effort that goes a long way: dNeero convo for charity. Come, and join us :-)

Scrapbook Saturday: Christening

Click on the Scrapbook Saturday button to see more scrapbook from SS participants, or better yet, join us now :-)

Dating 101

image from http://www.naturalsciences.org/

Dating. Contrary to what most believed and continue to believe, I am not an expert on the field. Believe me though, I am no prude, that much I can tell you LOL I'm a late-bloomer by choice. I never started dating until when I was 20. I had to finish college first, that was the agreement me and my father shook hands on. *Yeah, ammagoodgurl*

Thanks, Mharms, for the tag! :-)

Players: Ozzy’s Mom | Me,Myself + 2 | Kidd Designs | Fun.Fierce.Fabulous | Me and Mine | Little Peanut | Pea in a Pod | Creative in Me | Notable Bistro | Sugarmagnolias |Around the World | Eds Mommy Life | My Precious Niche | Just Me.. Eds | Pinaywife | Mhar’s Display | Purpled Sky | YOUR BLOG

1. When was your first kiss and where?
..::.. I was twenty, by the door, it was a goodnight kiss :P

2. When was your first real relationship and how long did it last?
..::.. I'd have to say nothing was real until when I met my now-husband. We're on our 8th year of togetherness now.

3. What age were you allowed to date?
..::.. Hahay, 20! LOL

4. What’s the craziest thing you did (for love) when you were a teenager?
..::.. I did not date when I was a teenager. I had to get pass the teenage years to be able to date.

5. How long was your longest relationship and what’s the secret?
..::.. Eight years. We complement and compliment each other. Is that saying much to ya? :-))

6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down?
..::.. five years

7. How did you know he was the ONE?
..::.. This was an answer I gave to a friend when he asked me a similar question:

for starters, i never had a suitor who's as persistent (5 years wooing) as he is; i have learned that the man is of character and principles and intellect and humor; i have never known anybody who's as patience and tenacity are like his; he knows my moods and how to handle them perfectly--i'm a gemini--i think that speaks a lot about me; he spoils me silly in whatever ways imaginable; he loves my somewhat dysfunctional family; gives me enough room to commit mistakes and learn from them; he allows me to be whatever i wanna be (mind you, sometimes i wanna be a gymnast or diva or synchronized swimmer, or Xena... ;P get the pic?); he doesn't say all the right words but his is the most warm and sincere and loving; he treats his female family members like royalty -- and that tells you a lot about how a guy treats all other girls in his life; i can't imagine living this life with anybody else other than him; and i can see myself growing old with the man.

8. Now, at what age will you allow your kids(s) to date?
..::..At 20! Because really, if they consider this late, I'd tell them they won't be missing much. Dating in teenage years is overrated, and they might end up messing up their lives.

9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent?
..::.. My gut feel about people is rarely wrong. What I'm saying here is that I'd be whatever I'd be depending on how I feel towards the people they're dating.

10. What piece of advice can you give to your child when they start dating?
..::.. Enjoy the experience, know yourself more on the process, know your limitations, never forget the lessons learned in every experience, and above all, don't settle down when you have as much as 0.01% doubt about the whole thing. Oh, this is gonna be a veeery long lecture session.

Passing this fun tag to Faery Rowan, Shiela, and Catherine. Enjoy, girls! :-)

Talk with pictures

Have you tried talking in pictures? Try it, it's fun!




Try this pic. C'mon give it a shot and caption the pic :-)

Household chores I hate

I pride myself for being a domestic goddess, but that doesn't mean that I love doing all household chores that needs doing around the house. The good thing with having a help around is that I get to only do the things I love doing. Quite frankly now, I am better at managing a house than anything else. I keep everything running in their best condition, that includes the people around the house :-) I cook good meals, and I have an eye when it comes to organizing things. But other than that? Gah, I simply suck.

So anyway, I'm here to list down household chores I hate doing. Husband, let this be your reminder ;) Big hug to Mommy Ruby of Lourdes' Mia for this tag.

~~~START COPY~~~

This meme is pretty simple.

Here are the rules:

1.) List down the household chores you hate and why. Do you think you can survive without helpers and nannies?

2.) Copy the image.

3.) Tag as many girlfriends you want, the daddies and hubbies can also join.

4.) Add your blog's link in the domesticated divas linky love. You can add all your blogs.

5.) Leave a comment at Stripe and Yellow to be added to the masterlist.

DOMESTICATED DIVAS:

Living the Healthy Life / Sripe&Yellow / Vanity Kit / Mind Bubbles / Something Purple / Em's Detour / Me,Myself+2 / Kidd Designs / FunFierceFabulous / Ozzy's Mom / Insights from the Grocery Cart / Living A' La Mode / God's Best Gift / MommyAllehs Up-Close And Personal / My Precious Niche / Just Me.. Eds / Eds Mommy Life / Aggie Shoots Aggie Scraps / All Kinds of Me Stuff / The Salad Caper / Winding Creek Circle / InkBabyStudios / Joys in Life / Me and Mine / Little Peanut / Creative in Me/ Pea in a Pod / Sugarmagnolias / Notable Bistro / Around the World / I am Mommy / All About The Memories / Enchanted Play / In Depth / A Housewife's Journal / Life Together Starts / As We Face Forever / My Happy Place /Iam Dzoi / Suburban Sass / To the Moon and Back / Raising Sandy / Walk on Red / All Things Me / Because Life Is Fun / Feels Like Home / Growing up with Bea / My life... my own piece of heaven / Around the World / Hobbies and Such / My life in this Wonderful World /My Online World / / My Virtual Closet / My Views On My So Called Life / The Real Deal The Real Me / Changing Lanes/ Pit Stop/ Around the World / The Fountain Of Happiness / The Joy Of Life Forever / Love Is / Phtographic Memories / My Colorful World / Strawberry Gurl / Quicker8 / Mommy's Little Corner / The Dawn That Shines / Journey to Prosperity / Homelife / Sheng's Simple Thoughts / Coriander Dreams / Gorgeous Traveller / A Traveller's Domain / Lemon Iced Tea / It's My Party / My Wonderful Life / Simple Life, Simply Me / Sassy Finds / All things Yummy / Shangrila Journey / My Charmed Life / Mommyhood and Me / Crissy's Zone / Crissy's Library / Vis Vires /Crissy's Haven / My Daily Thoughts / Abby's Way of Life / Princess Bela / Women Xplore / Our Journey to Life / My Planet Purple / And so I am / Arlene's Random Ramblings / Life's All About Lourdes' Mia / Faery Dancing / Purpled Sky / YOUR BLOG HERE

~~~END COPY~~~

So, on to the chores I'd do anything to avoid:

Laundry. "Langga, can't we just have these sent to the cleaners and get it done with?" That's my usual line whenever we catch ourselves with no househelp for a week. I just simply hate doing the laundry, especially here in the Philippines when it's too darn expensive to own high-powered washing machine and dryer.

Ironing. I can't stand the heat, please! I can iron, alright, infront of a 2 horsepowered AC in full-blast.

Cleaning bathrooms. Do I need to explain why? This job is simply hateful! I also hate that I had to do all those backbreaking tasks in such small room.

I'm passing the tag to Catherine at Newife Blog, and Constance at Sunny Side Up Foodie & Lifestyle. Mommies, what household chores you wish to live without?

=================================

And since I've been talking about how I am an efficient home manager, ehem, here's a convo from dNeero that talks about all of August so far, i.e. the skyrocketing gas prices, economy, olympics, etc. Can't help but relate this to household budget and all. *sigh* Read on...

Scrapbook Saturday: FEET

Today's Scrapbook Saturday, MammaDawg is asking scrappers to share some of their favorite scrapbooking resources. Like Mammadawg, I am a scrapblog.com user, and I love it there! Unlike most scrappers, I have never used Photoshop in my digital scrapping. LOL I am a lazy bug, and I am a cheat. Anyway, if all digital efforts fail, I do scrapbooking the old-fahioned way. Here's a page from my baby scrapbook, which I did about ten months ago.

Click on the image to enlarge, and click on the SS button to see more amazing works from SS participants.

Have a happy Saturday, everyone!

Why do I blog?

Now, everytime I'm asked that question, the picture of a hundred acre ranch facing the mountains with a farmhouse overlooking a handsome seaside cliff comes to mind. Gosh, I know, lofty goals, and how is this in any way connected to blogging?

About four months or so ago, me and some friends thought of getting our blogs out into the public eye (yes, we used to maintain private blogs, if there is such a thing), and earn from them. We like blogging so much, might as well earn from it, right? Not a bad idea. Then my ever lutaw mind automatically wanders off in a dream. Wow, finally, I can stay at home to take care of the husband and the kid, while I blog for a living. Perfect! And maybe I'd get too darn rich, I can finally have my dream farmhouse by the seaside cliff while I blog and scrapbook on the side. That is how lutaw my mind is; and that is when the connection of a seaside farm and blogging got established. Simply put, I made this blog public because I want to earn while blogging.

Then Gaya, a friend who also blogs just because she loves to, was faced by a dilemna of earning through it while keeping faithful to her readers. She said it felt like selling out. I couldn't say her sentiments were unfounded, because really, sometimes you get that feeling. My take? As long as you stay true to what you believe, as long as you don't lie to your readers, and as long as you give honest opinions, you're not selling out. You may even, in her words, be able to help your readers by imparting them additional information through your paid posts and ads. Sponsors also won't force you to write for them if you don't believe in what they're offering. Some won't even mind a negative review. It's a clear win-win situation.

And as what my esteemed friend wisely said, "mahirap ang buhay ngayon..."

I may be far from my dream of a rustic farmhouse life while blogging and scrapbooking on the side, but the very reason that I blog really is only because I love doing it. That's the most important thing, I guess, to love whatever it is that you do.

The HammeRuler convo

In our house, the hammer meets my grip more often than my husband's. The husband, with all the good things and virtues and wisdom that he has, is no handyman. Unless he really needs to (i.e. me pissed off because the screwdriver slipped) he'd steer clear of any handyman tools. Good thing the man has people working for him to do the task.

This is why I so find this innovation brilliant. Come to think of it, a hammer with a ruler in it's handle. Simple, yet brilliant. Read on the convo to learn more.




Quick update: purpledsky's featured blog in SocialSpark today. Check out SocialSpark now! Thanks, SocialSpark. You simply rock. Props to you!

I kick ass!!!

Yep, that's me. I am a kick-ass blogger. Thanks to Faeryrowan and MammaDawg (who equally kick butts) for the recognition. No, you're wrong, I did not bribe or intimidate them into giving me this, it's my charm. My irresistible charm. Really. :-P Seriously, MammaDawg, will you ever run out of brilliant ideas? :-)

And I happen to know a lot of bloggers who kick ass as well. Without further ado, allow me to roll the credits, in no particular order:

1. Pinay Mommy - You're sheer strength is an inspiration to us all. Here's hoping and praying that you remain strong no matter what.
2. Sealed Reservoir - You are the only girl I know who's able to tame my good friend. Good job, girl! ;-)
3. BoTtOmS.uP - Hey, you know you kick ass by simply being you! Darn, girl, I'd still snag you if I could. Love ya, yin! Really, get back to blogging. You're like taking off a portion of my oxygen with your blogging absence.
4. Wat da wat daddy - You inspire me, watda daddy. I'd do anything to have a dad like you. And with that noble project? 'Nuff said.
5. MammaDawg - Of course, you kick ass! I especially like the done-conforming-with-other-moms" attitude, and of course, you crack me up! I check your blog, read the early posts, and I cannot help but relate and laugh out loud. I won't read everything at once, though, careful to leave a bit of that surprise for the next visit.
   

I know more who kick ass, but unlike faery, I'm sticking to the rules. That fairy-girl, btw, just bends the rules because she has so much love to give. Not brown-nosing here, just facts.

So anyway, passing this on...

Do you know any bloggers that kick ass?

Maybe they've got incredible, original content. Or they're overflowing with creativity. Is it someone that helps you become a better blogger? Or a bloggy friend you know you can count on? Or maybe it's someone who simply inspires you to be a better person... or someone else who sends you to the floor, laughing your ass off.

Whatever the reason may be, I'm sure you know at least a couple of bloggers that kick ass. Well...why not tell 'em so?

LOVE ON 'EM

• Choose 5 bloggers that you feel are "Kick Ass Bloggers"
• Let 'em know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award
• Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to www.mammadawg.com
• Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

Grab code's below - don't forget to link up the person who nominated you for the Kick Ass Blogger Club. :)

BONUS: Are you a Mom or Dad Blogger, too? If so, join us at The Bloggerhood!

(150px Width)

<a href="http://www.mammadawg.com/2008/08/kick-ass-blogger-award.html" target="_blank" title="MammaDawg"><img alt="Kick Ass Blogger Award" src="http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/mammadawg/Award_150px.jpg" /></a>

(200px Width)

<a href="http://www.mammadawg.com/2008/08/kick-ass-blogger-award.html" target="_blank" title="MammaDawg"><img alt="Kick Ass Blogger Award" src="http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/mammadawg/Award_200px.jpg" /></a>

Go everyone! Let's keep on kickin' ass!

Yep, I've tried skinny-dipping

And before your dirty minds wander, it's with my husband. :-P

I love answering surveys, especially if it's about me :P and I love that dNeero made their surveys into a convo. I get to answer the questions about me (which btw, really got me thinking what my favorite food is, because hey, I'd eat anything as long as it tickles my fancy and satisfies my palate), and answer other social people's questions, too. Plus, yes, there's a plus, I get to ask my question as well. How cool is that?

Here's my first shot at a convo with dNeero:

SS: Xofia at two months

Worry has no use whatsoever

I know, I am guilty. Sometimes, the daily humdrum of life takes away the very essence of my blissful situation as a whole. Not that the very thing robs me of it. But I am guilty of allowing myself to get carried away by mundane, not-so-trivial, beyond-my-control things. Allow me to rant...

The whole of last week, the router was acting crazy. It sometimes allowed my husband's laptop to connect, but never mine. Most often, it just blocked both of us off. So I instead went downstairs to use the desktop as it was the only computer in the house with a decent internet connection. An hour after I settled in, Globe Broadband decided to perform its very infamous disappearing act with no reason at all. A quick ipconfig gives me an IP Address of 0.0.0.0. Watda?!?!

I growled (which I do to release pent up emotions), and tried to relax my stressed muscles. I reclined in the couch, looked up the ceiling and there they are! Our ceiling was dripping in two places! I think our house is crumbling down. Literally. The house needs serious remodelling. Please, anybody from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition come see my desperate situation!

The wish of living in the province, tending to my farm full-time while blogging and scrapbooking on the side, has never been stronger. Aaah, I can only wish and dream. At least that made the situation less stressful.

Husband called some people to take care of the dripping right away; and talked to a friend of ours who can fix the router. I only had to wait.

Yes, a part of me got carried away, but mostly, the daydream took care of that. What did I learn? I learned what I have already learned long ago; that it's no use worrying something you cannot control. And while you're at it, worry just put more wrinkles on that face. So, I carried on. Read a book instead and played more with Xofia. Thanked the heavens for having a husband like mine. Guess what, I could never be any happier than where I am right now.

Get ahead in the game, get certified

There was this one time when a friend and I decided to share files without transferring them physically using a removable drive. We were confident, by virtue of common sense, to network our laptops with a LAN wire. Technical writers that we are, we should've known better. Needless to say, that made me realize how ignorant I am when it comes to the simplest task of connecting one PC to another. I have three computers at home, and I rely to a wireless router to automatically connect me to the Internet. Last week, the router was acting crazy and refused to give our laptops IP addresses. I had to wait for a week for a professional to come and check the problem. All the while, silently cursing myself why I did not take up Computer Engineering in college.

Let's face it, these days, if you don't keep abreast with the current technology, you're way way behind. Look around you, observe how IT career opportunities are growing and spreading like wildfires. Would you rather get left behind? Or equip yourself with the most updated and most sought-after tool? I know I'd rather sweat it out and choose the latter. You can't say you're way too busy to do it because nowadays, equal opportunities can be had for busy professionals.

Enhance and advance your IT career with Cisco certification, and watch as your opportunities grow massively. Cisco provides IT professionals with widely respected IT certification programs. These certification programs are categorized under Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert and Specialist to cater to all levels of expertise.

The demand for IT professionals all over the world is ever increasing. Your employer will be more than happy to have an expert in the team. Get empowered, enhance your knowledge, and that promotion will never be that hard to come by. Grab that one thing that makes you stand out. Get your CISCO Certification now!

A letter for Xofia

Hi, Anak!

It has been a year and 16 days since you came into our lives, and there's no single moment short of wonderful! We have learned that you are a cautious toddler. Not quite the spirited one like Mommy. Daddy likes to claim that you got that from him, which I, of course, have no proof of denying. You may not be as advanced in motor skills as the babies your age, but you remain the calmest, most poised baby I have ever seen. Wait, where did you get that? Your mom is a self-confessed anxious freak who breaks down in the sight of house clutter. OK, so maybe just as a result of my OC-ness.

As willing as you might be in experimenting your new skills in the comfort of our soft bed and your playpen, you hesitate being as active on hard surfaces. You’ve fallen off one time when you were about 8 months. You cried the biggest cry I’ve ever seen you do. From then on, you have stopped staying in the edges. Right now, though, you love testing us. You’d crawl as fast as you can towards the edge and when you’re right there, you’d stop and wait for our warning. The moment you hear us say “Hala, hala! You’ll hurt yourself there!” you’d crawl back up with the biggest grin. You know you’re not supposed to stay there, and you know we will be jumping on our toes the moment we see you a foot from the edge.

One evening, you woke up at 1 AM, and played. Daddy and I have to stay up as well. You wanted us to play with you! And though by virtue of age, you are technically a toddler, we have yet to see you toddle. This time, though, you didn’t disappoint. From the headboard, you turned and bravely took the first three consecutive steps before slumping back. I was unable to contain my surprise and joy, I cried! But I had to stop right away because crying, in whatever form, upsets you.

You love books, and you love it most when I read them to you. You point to illustrations in your books just like Mommy does when I read you a story. Most of the time, you’re contented flipping through your books by yourself while Mommy reads hers in one corner. But when you get bored, you’d crawl up to Mommy, and with a ready smile, tap my book. I cannot say a serious “NO” because all I see is that cute little dimpled cheeks. I have to try harder to let you know I’m serious.

You love crawling about your Pooh puzzle mat. You’d point to the characters and babble. It’s like you’re making up a story about them. It’s so much fun to just sit there and observe you. Until last night, you have never tried venturing out those marbled floors beyond the expanse of your puzzle mat. This time, you bravely took the challenge and did it. You circled the edges of your mat and tried the hard surface. You crawled all the way up to the kitchen! Your Daddy had to tell you to come back and stop yourself from getting dirty. The first few warnings, you did and came back to the safety of your mat. But you wanted to explore more! So you tried it again, and just smiled at your Daddy when he demanded for you to come back. I had to laugh and asked him to leave you be. You were having fun exploring! I’ll take care of the dirt later.

Have I mentioned how you yelp every time Daddy and I are home? You’re like the cutest puppy who’d, if you could, run up and about because you’re so happy to see us. You’d literally jump and slump butt first in your playpen. You did this once sitting down when you were a lot younger. The time you “kicked” those legs in an imitation of a jump, you hit your head on the floor. From then on, you were so careful in “jumping” when you’re not in safe confines, i.e. strapped with a seatbelt, in your playpen. Yes, you are the most cautious baby. I even saw you once trying to strap your stroller seatbelt when your nanny forgot to.

From all these Anak, I’d like to leave you with one lesson. This may not be as important when you are so young, but here I am again, hoping that you’d read all the things I’ve written for you when you’re old enough. Sometimes life gives you lemons. So, choose your lemons. Choose those that are worth the sour face. Choose your fights, because some are just not worth your time. I will want you to fight your own fight, but I will always be around for you. I will be constantly cheering you on, albeit staying in the sidelines.

Alternatively, like how your Ninang Aileen aptly said, “When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt!” Go see your Ninang how that’s done. :-)

What is more amazing than this?

Big hug to my top 5 EC droppers

I think my lappy-toppy Sam is sick. She refuses to connect to the router. It came to a point of me getting peeved why the connection always fails. I've tried every possible fix Windows recommended; still nothing. The hubby tried when I was about to "punish" my lappy-toppy for it, and decided she might be having a viral infection. Something that Mr. Norton can't detect. Or maybe just some settings screwed up. We decided to have her checked the soonest. So much for downloading whatnots. In the meantime, I'm using H (short for Horatio), the hubby's lappy, for my surfing. Gee, he lets me play with his most-priced toy. No DOTA tonight teheee!

And to further the grace and be more thankful with all the good things around me (instead of getting pissed over things I can't control), I decided to devote this entry to my 5 top card droppers. Guys, thank you, thank you, for taking the time and clicking that 4-letter word DROP on my EC widget. Here's one big hug to all of you!!!

And to all who happen to visit me here, please visit these wonderful bloggers, and do drop them some ECs as well.

A Second Cup
A Girl For All Status
Faery Dancing
My World in My Own Word
ulupongdotcom

biggest XOXO

Purpledsky and 7 things about her

I got another tag from faeryrowan; and this time, I'm supposed to tell the blogosphere 7 facts about me; facts that I haven't mentioned anywhere in this blog. Whew!

Here are the rules:
A. List these rules on your blog.
B. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
C. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Now, here are 7 things about me that I believe I haven't written in any of my blogposts yet.

1. I pack a mean punch. A friend once wondered if I really were a girl.
2. I once worked as a sales executive for Toshiba notebooks. Didn't last a year.
3. I *hate* human resource work. Never really utilized my college education.
4. I was there when my grandmother died. I saw how life slowly left her limp body.
5. I used to not like pasta until I made them myself. I believe I made them a lot tastier :-P
6. I am married to the most humble UP Law alumni there is in this planet. Yes, I am a lawyer's wife. :-P
7. My real name is Bernadette, after my grandfather's Bernardo; which means bold bear.

Now, I wanna know 7 more things about shimumsy, sheila, darlene, miss write, chef francis, caffeinated-muse, and rosilie.

Impromptu chicken

This is the husband's current favorite. While I was doing my usual breaded breast fillet using my own breading, my mind wondered how this delicate meat would taste like coated in bold, rich spices; pan-fried in butter. And as usual, curiosity got the better of me. I went ahead, thawed the rest of the chicken breast and did all in 20 minutes flat (depending on the size of your pan).

My spice combo is composed of heavenly doses of garlic, black pepper and coriander. Now, where did I get that perfect combo? From McCormick Grill Mates(R) Pepper Steak Seasoning Mix. Fast, easy and hassle-free. OK, OK, I cheated; but a working mom has to think of how to do dishes faster and yet appetizing. This is one of my best-kept secret; which I think is also kept by many. This certain Grill Mates seasoning mix is lucky to stay a day in the shelf. People like me hoard them if given the opportunity to. So, you have to understand that even though I cheated, at least I'm considerate enough to share this with you :-P Anyway, on to the how-to:

Slice 1/2 kg breast chicken fillet to desired thickness. In a large mixing bowl, place the towel-dried breast fillet slices. Sprinkle 1 pack (45 g) McCormick Grill Mates(R) Pepper Steak Seasoning Mix and a little sprinkling of salt onto the meat, making sure all sides are covered.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat butter until no longer foamy. Pan-fry each fillet slices turning over only when brown on different areas.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor! :-D


Take me to HOME COOKING tab

Hard times

...are here to stay.

I just finished balancing the books and allotting cash to bills that are soon due. After all the computations, without considering those that are still in the bank that are yet to be encashed (which is not much, btw), my household is left with a meager P3,300.00 cash. Now, tell me, how am I going to tide that over the next payday? Ah, the wife is left about to split her head open with migraines from budgetary causes. While the husband drowns my worry playing DOTA, I retreat to my blog and resolve to list down things that we could do to lessen the expenses.

Water use
Can't do much on that area. The husband, being part of the developer company of the subdivision we're staying, enjoys the "privilege". Not that we're such waste because I think I'm the most prudent user when it comes to water. I cannot imagine anybody in the household using water unnecessarily go their merry way without me nagging them into submission. I am a conscious consumer, and I enforce the same practice throughout the household.

Power consumption
It's not that we're such big users of energy, it's VECO charging whatever on us. I couldn't even begin to allow myself read the bill let alone understand why they're charging me for System Loss. WHAT?!?!?! I can only complain, and not expect anything from it. Because really, where am I to go? I'd rather focus on cutting the kilowatt hour/day usage of the household. But how do I do that with a daughter that cannot stand the humidity of this country even for a minute?

We cannot turn off the airconditioning at night. Xofia will be all over complaining. Actually, with her around, we have the AC on, plus that cute electric fan. We are considering on installing a ceiling fan which might help with spreading cool air in the room. We'd have cooler air even if we have the AC at low.

Trade my no-frost refrigerator with an ordinary one that uses lesser energy. That's a no-brainer. That being said, who's willing to buy my no-frost ref? Any takers?

Change all incandescent to energy-saving lamps. We cut costs, plus we'd be doing Mother Earth a huge favor. Now, we're down to 3 bedroom flourescent lamps that need changing. Guess I'd have to forgo aesthetics for more practical reasons. Sigh.

Eating out
Definitely limit this to once a week. The husband and I have lunch together once a week on a weekday. I think we're on our way there. Most days, and if I'm feeling like super wifey, I cook early in the morning for our packed lunches.

Malling
I actually think that this one's more energy-efficient than staying home especially on extra humid days. The mall offers free airconditioning, and a chance for my baby girl to socialize. If only gas prices stay low.

Transportation
Forget Kia Carens. Forget Mazda super-cool manual/automatic gearstick. Buy a motorbike. Pros -- motorbikes are more fuel-efficient, and can get through traffic jam no Carens or sedan can. Cons -- accident prone, free dust and soot to bask in, limited riders. I have one condition before getting on that frail motorbike: life insurance for us both.

With the taxi fare starting at P40, cab drive is, I think, out of the question.

Jeepney is out of the question as well. It will be a lot less efficient for us to use the jeepney because of our location. Travel time will triple, and hey, I'm a working mom, I need all the free time I can afford to bond with my baby. 'Nuff said.


This gets me into thinking really hard. Just when did living become this costly? this difficult? Is living in this country still viable? Is this the worst of it all, or are there more forthcoming?

How can we ever get out of it? A friend answered: by migrating. Now, that's a thought.

I think I died

and went to pasta heaven.

Exactly the words I uttered on my first mouthful of this delicately flavored pasta.


Don't be fooled, though; you can whip up a pasta like this in only 20 minutes. Trust me.

This is just a variation of our favorite tuyo and garlic in olive oil pasta. I used the same ingredients and added red-ripe, plump tomatoes.

I think I haven't mentioned in this blog the specific brand of bottled tuyo we use. This is locally made, and is only available in Metro Ayala supermarket. The bottle is covered in yellow paper, and tied with a twine up on the lid. The name in the bottle reads "Of tuyo and garlic in olive oil" -- probably the manufacturer's attempt at poetic marketing :-P Anyway, it's the only tuyo in olive oil in the market, everything else is in soya oil or corn oil. It shouldn't be that hard to find.

ingredients:

pasta, cooked according to packet directions, set aside some pasta water
1 bottle tuyo and garlic in olive oil
1 whole head garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
200 grams red-ripe plump tomatoes, roughly chopped
salt

1. Cook the pasta. Drain and set aside. Save a cup or two of pasta water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, separate the tuyo and garlic from the oil. Shred the tuyo using your hands. Prep the rest of the ingredients.
3. In a heated pan, pour the olive oil from the tuyo. Add more olive oil as necessary.
4. Saute fresh garlic slices.
5. Add chili flakes.
6. Add chopped tomatoes. Mix until softened. Pour a cup of pasta water. Cover to simmer until tomatoes are cooked.
7. Add tuyo.
8. Season with salt.
9. Still on stovetop, add pasta and toss well.
10. Remove from heat; and serve at once.

Note: For the non-native, tuyo is a local term for dried herring fish. This one that I particularly like is the lightly salted variety.


Take me to HOME COOKING tab

Thank you -- from Xofia and us

We never realized it until we saw her in action. Yes, our one-year old "reads" the cards first; and takes a moment as if she knows what the card says. I'm not sure if she saw us doing this (she's currently in that "aping" stage of toddlerhood), or this is just one of her many ways to practice her fine motor skills. Enjoy the slideshow!

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to shop for Xofia :-) She loves receiving gifts and is happy that she's remembered by all of you, guys! Xofia also sends her hugs and big thanks to all who sent cash gifts. Those will be deposited in her savings account. We are currently pooling these gifts until it's big enough for an In-Trust Fund.

And from Bong and me, we cannot thank you enough for sharing your time and being with us during our daughter's first birthday. Above all, for the prayers. Surely, you all are a blessing to this little family of ours. We hope that you continue praying for Xofia that the Good Lord may heal her tiny heart.

Karma

What goes around comes around. I think that one just hits me right between my eyes. I cannot think of any valid reason aside from mediocre customer service, why we still don't have our internet connection back. Must be the universe's way of telling me it's pay time for all the merry, free-internet days. But hey, it's not my fault. And I'm not being defensive here. See, we have a friendly neighborhood wi-fi provider. Every time our provider's connection sucks, which is very often, I go check for available networks, and there he was, the ever reliable friendly neighborhood wi-fi provider. He sustained me on nights that Globe Broadband went on it's usual hiccup spells. He kept frustration at bay. :-)

Now we don't have anything because the friendly neighborhood provider also disappeared about the same time ours went bonkers.

Sigh. I miss him.

The power of positive attitude

I blogged awhile back that I thought our househelp (H4), now Xofia's yaya, weird. We later realized that she's just naturally a happy person.

This Friday, our other househelp (H5) was undergoing some difficult marital problems. She must have been so stressed with it that it manifested on her health. I gave her mutivitamins to take care of the nausea. And to further the care I extend to the members of my household, my mother-in-law and I offered more advice on the marital problem. Something to do with taking care of ourselves first and everything else will follow. Yet, tried as we might, we were never able to make her at least smile.

Then here's H4. "Ayaw'g guol-guol te, kay samot ta ana masakit. Dapat pirmi tang happy." she told her with the sweetest smile. Then she added, "OK lang yan, te. Ang importante ay mahalaga." Ladies and gentlemen, she has a sense of humor! Needless to say, that sent the heartbroken H5 laughing.

And I think this will not be the last opportunity for H4 to unknowingly dispense her wisdom amidst innocence; and certainly, there will be more jokes forthcoming. :-)

Time flies

and it flies fast.

The husband and I found ourselves not believing that a year has passed. I guess it usually is like that with sleepless nights and cuddles, little butts and upturned noses, soft giggles and bruised foreheads; and everything else that's sweet and wonderful. I dare not mention those moments when I cry myself to sleep praying for a better life, better world for Xofia. Those moments, usually at the dead of the night, when Xofia wanted to cuddle herself to sleep leaving mommy up and awake. Because everytime I feel her hear beating next to mine, all the negativity that the world can afford to throw at me melts away. She has that power in me.

I am currently in a weird situation right now (absurd, I know), and any rational being wouldn't believe how the situation ever happened the way it happened. The picture that kept popping in my head was our 2-year old neighbor running to his mommy to kiss his boo-boo away after he scraped his knee from a fall. I was so blown away by the similarity of the situation I couldn't shake the feeling off. Then I enter our humble house and she greets me. All those negativity melts away like ice cream under the sun, reduced to nothing but mediocrity and trivilities blending with the dirt in the soil. Ah, nothing can beat that!

Here's the uber-cool invite that her Ninang Jan made. Super thanks, Ninang Jan! It is my ardent wish that Xofia will get that artist trait in you (you're her ninang already, so there must be some way for the trait to get included in her genetic makeup LOL). Enjoy, everyone!


PS: Will post more when the ever elusive connection is back. Ciao!

The Best Gift Ever

Promise, I'm doing my tags, starting now :-) And because I have no automated way of knowing/checking those tags I missed, can you, pretty please, remind me if I missed yours? :-)

Anyway, here's one beautiful tag this morning from shimumsy. Thanks, girl, this really touched me.

Be sure to read on till the end of the story. You'll never regret it.

***Start Copy Here***
Friendly Rules:
1. Simply copy the inspirational and in the end write down the lesson you have learned out from this.
2. Put your own blog name and link. Pass or tag this to your friends to inspire them.
3. Start copy from "Begin Copy" until "End Copy" to your blog.

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom. And knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him.He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.Curious, but somehow disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?"And stormed out of the house, living the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possesions to his son.He needed to come home immediately and take care of his things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.He begun to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago.With tears, he opened the Bible and begun to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt. 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he reads those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessing because they are not packaged as we expected?

I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for... PLS. SEND THIS TO ATLEAST FIVE PEOPLE SO AS TO LET THIS GREAT LESSON FLOW AROUND.
***END COPY***

Like the young man, I'm guilty of overlooking the real blessing just because I was quick to judge by what I saw. Impatient girl that I am, I cannot guarantee that I will always have the time to wait until the real gift will surface under those wrappings. The husband is the patient one. Notice the tagline of this blog? He waits, I whine. And I am not ashamed to admit that his kind of patience continue to be an inspiration and an aspiration of mine. :-)

I'm passing this beautiful tag to:

soreal, faeryrowan, caffeinated-muse, constance and dabawenya.

i think i've changed.

image from http://shirt.woot.com

and i have no idea if it's for the better. it's not sad. i just get apathetic at times. if apathetic is what you call the way i never cared.

ten years ago, i would've bitten your head off and gleefully chomped on your bones if you ever as much moved my coffee cup. now, i look at you and think of myself ten years ago. hah!

alright, so it was a pity to go down that low, but i was a slave to my emotions back then. i lived and breathed (got that!) with every swing of my mood. i was confrontational; to some degree, i still am. but i no longer exert the effort if i see there's no point in doing so. because i can only expend myself that much, and i choose to use that energy on things much more important in my life. i'd still receive you if ever you choose to open the confrontation line with me, though. heck, i might even offer you my homemade butter cookies. just don't expect me to apologize for being misunderstood.

priorities change through time. mine has changed a great deal. and if you're somebody who'd need emotional maintenance from me all the time, i might back off, do some reality checking, and ultimately, shrug and smile. but oh, if you're worth it, surely i'd never mind going an extra mile. but here's the thing. those who are worthy will never give me any reason to go that unnecessary extra mile. i don't know. i guess in the end, i just don't care about trivialities anymore.

Itsy-bitsy spider

He what?!

I had to brag about this. Ah-huh, the HUSBAND COOKED!!!

This is big deal, because really, no matter how hard I coaxed, bribed, and cajoled in the past, I can never make this man cook. Bad experience, he said. And he was sure he’d end up ruining the dish. Imagine my delight and surprise when he volunteered to make the pasta the other night! I had to sit down for a teleconference and there were a lot of preparations to be done, so there was virtually no time for me to cook. The instructions I gave to him were as simple as don’t overcook shrimp, just cook it until pinkish; don’t fry basil, add it towards the end; salt lightly. And look what he whipped up:


Here’s his recipe:

• 500 grams linguine, cooked as directed, set aside
• olive oil (as preferred)
• 3 cloves garlic, grated with microplane zester (Don’t do it, you’ll burn your garlic. Funny story. The help told him I do garlic that way. She mixed up garlic with ginger. No, I don’t zest garlic, I micro-grate ginger.)
• onions, chopped (this is totally optional)
• 1 cup shrimp, skinned, chop them if they’re bigger than half a pinkie
• handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated parmesan to serve (optional)
  

Procedure:

1. Cook pasta, set aside.
2. In a heated pan, pour olive oil, about 2 tbsp or as desired.
3. Sauté garlic and onions.
4. Add shrimp. Cook until pinkish.
5. Add basil. Mix and turn off heat. The basil will wilt with the remaining heat of the pan.
6. Toss well to coat pasta.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Add parmesan if desired.
   

*me proud wifey*








Take me to HOME COOKING tab

Wanted: Househelp

When we decided to live on our own and purchase a house, I was confident we can keep it clean and orderly with a minimum of help. True to what I professed, we we’re able to keep the house clean and orderly. The help only visited us once a week for a general cleaning, plus heavy lifting stuff I couldn’t do. It worked perfectly for us. That was when there were only two of us.

With the baby on the way, and with me suffering morning sickness throughout the day, a permanent househelp became a need. That was when the hunt (and the headache) began.


Househelp 1 was a taciturn type. Or at least that’s the trait she wanted us to see. She moved rather slower than I’m used to. Ok, so I’m used to doing things fast if I can’t do them any faster. I believe there’s no use dilly-dallying if you can finish it half the time and use the other half resting instead. I am totally OK with her taking an afternoon nap. I even encouraged it. Just show me the floor’s clean and the furniture are dusted. It was until I found out that she hasn’t been cleaning beneath the couches. That I can still tolerate. Then she asked to spend the night at her brother’s but did not come back after about a week. That was just too much, so we let her go. She went alright, with my blue J.Lo watch.

Househelp 2 was an unintentional comic. I forgot what her real name was, but she came by the name of Tagala. I later realize that her neighbors gave her that name as a truncated form of the word taga-lasang. In the vernacular, it means someone who lives in the forest, or any place remote of civilization. I was told that when she was little, she was too afraid of the passing buses that each time she’d hear one coming, she’d climb the coconut tree. It’s an anecdote that up to now still brings laughter in our dinner table. Yet, Tagala was the most hardworking househelp I’ve seen. You always see her doing something everytime. One time when all the chores were done, and all the nooks and crannies were wiped clean, she complained that the chores in the house were too light. I thought I hit the jackpot. Then her jealous husband called demanding her to come home.

Househelp 3 was an angst-y teen. We put her to school for the sole purpose of helping someone get a better education. Her night classes finished at 9 pm. She won’t be home until 11 pm, and the school is a good 5 minutes walk from the house. We later found out that she’s been keeping a boyfriend. She had been neglecting most of her duties because of this. Early on, I discovered she also has a knack of going through my stuff and use my lotions, moisturizers, etc. She also dispensed them in a smaller container and brought these to her room. One day, I left my digicam on video mode. She must have had a very confusing time why she can’t get a decent framed pic whenever she hit the button, because too many attempts were recorded on video. Not contented, she went infront of the mirror and positioned the camera giving the viewer a perfect view of who’s holding the cam while it was recording. The evidence of her kalikutan is just overwhelming. After a year of enduring her antics, and feeling like having a teenage daughter full of angst, off we let her go.

Househelp 4 is the total opposite of H3. She speaks really slow, always smiling but laughs really loud, it’s sometimes disturbing. She’s really polite and eager to do things her way. That’s just her thing. She wants to do things her way without asking first, which of course lead to mistakes, most of the time. Dai, hand me the zester. She’ll give me the can opener. I almost blew my top the other day for piled up mistakes, which lead me to lecture, in a very forceful voice, how asking questions is never wrong and we so encourage it in the household. Avoid mistakes, ask questions, I always tell her. From then on, she’s been asking questions, and I always compliment her for it. Then one morning she told us she’s going back to her previous job. The toddler she was taking cared of isn’t eating and is always looking for her. We were ready to find another replacement yet again when she changed her mind. She’s staying with us. Yes, she’s still with us and is currently our househelp.

Everything’s OK and working, then Xofia’s nanny had to go home.

Right now, Xofia’s under the care of her very generous Auntie Han when Daddy and Mommy are at work. We’re looking into training H4 as nanny since she has had experience there and we think Xofia likes her. Still that leaves us lacking a househelp. If anybody asks, I'm looking for a househelp. If you happen to know one, contact me, PUH-LEASE??? Just look at those eyes. :-P

Much ado about a name

Tash here talked about the delimma of naming her baby girl Athalia. Which reminds me, we've had our share. My daughter's full name is Xofia Enia. These names are from my maternal and paternal grandmas. Xofia is from Sofronia, and Enia is from Arsenia. Xofia is a Greek name which means wisdom and Enia is of Scottish origin which means jewel/fiery. The moment I said those names out loud, I instantly fell in love with them. They tasted good to the mouth and left a satisfying sound to the lips. At least, that's how a mother felt. I just knew it was perfect for her.

Then there's the family name that we had to deal with. It was later realized that if we were to write her initials down, it would spell X.E.S., the reverse of the word sex. And you know how teenagers (and some people with maturity levels to that of a 13-year-old) react upon mention of the word. If you thought you could explain that the word has other meanings, think again. The first thing that will come to mind will always be what we all are thinking right now. It's just how the human mind functions. Especially the teenagers. At about this age group would my baby start forming her own self-image. Mostly developed due to a lot of factors, but one major contributing factor to how we perceive ourselves is the society's opinion on us, on things that we do, against the norms, within standards. In a teenager's world, that translates to her peers' opinion.

We tried different combinations just so we won't end up with a second name that starts with an E. I suggested we place Enia before Xofia -- still sounded good to me, anyway. But her daddy won't have any of it. He so wanted the name Xofia to be written first. He had his reasons, and I also agreed with them.

Her Ninang Ayin was quick to point out that I was wrong. That Xofie's initial would be X.E.D.S. -- because hey, she herself was never A.Q., but A.M.Q. Being the mother of a baby girl, I should impose upon her to use my maiden name, that it should not be taken for granted just because we live in a patriarchal world. Cool point. Takes out the feminist in me.

And for whatever it's worth, if my baby will be ridiculed because of her initials, I think that she should not feel bad about it. She must realize that she can do a lot of things with an initial as unique as hers. Her imagination is her only limit. And like Tash, if my baby is ridiculed by the people around her because she happens to have funny initials, then I think that crowd needs to grow up.

Heck, I know she'd just throw her head back and flip those locks behind her shoulders and walk away from that shallow crowd. True to her name, I'd say.

xoxo