Petits Bonheurs

source: weheartit.com

 Have a great weekend, everyone!!!:)

Psycho Test

Stolen from here.

Our psychological state allows us to see only what we want/need/feel to see at a particular time. 

What five words do you see?

Mine were disturbingly "wrong". Trying to "save" myself going for word #6 was a waste... as I spotted "men". Geezzz...

What are yours?

Find Me a Husband, Mr. President

 Photo by Jenny Sun

David and Dorothy from Singapore. Beautiful couple, aren't they? I don't know their full story, but they found each other and got married, and that's the important part. You'd think that that's the way things work.

But, apparently, it's not the case for everyone. Not in Singapore, anyway.

It's even worse than that. So many young people struggle with finding a partner that the government decided to look into ways to help citizens find their other halves.

The 14, 17 and even 23-year-old romantic in me would've said it's absurd. But the 25-year-old newfound realist says, 'Why not? It does kind of make sense'.

You see, love is some mysterious term ALL people use for something, often, very different. 

Sadly or not, I don't know anymore if 'love' and 'marriage' are two strongly linked words.

If they both happen to be used in some particular love story, then I'm super happy for the two who found each other.

Otherwise, marriage is like a job you voluntarily sign up for. It's not always easy (I imagine), but at least it leaves much space for creativity.

Plus, keeping in mind that eastern people have a bit different mentality re. marriage and family in general, maybe Singaporean government has a point.

I wonder, if there'll ever be a singles program sponsored by government in my country once most girls are "exported" to Europe and overseas.

Does it make sense spending tax money on funding "love"?

We're expecting...

...some major blooming.

Cheri N. gave me Amaryllis this Friday. This thing is growing fast promising us a huge blossom some time soon. "Due date" is hopefully this week.

Now I just need to bring back to life my other flowers.

Revelations

There are quite a few "revelations" that strike me on a regular basis. I can't remember them all, but whenever I get them it's like... Duh...

Here are the 2 recent ones.

ONE. Things that you actively "plan" for (in my case it's more "plan" than plan)don't happen "just because". You've got to invest time in them. Even something less important like sorting photos or creating a new playlist requires a lot of time. And what about my to-do-list for The PLAN?!.. I've got to midfully invest time into that! Seriously!

TWO. Skinny VS Fit. Who am I kidding by just eating better?! While petting myself on the back for at least doing that for my dear self, I absolutely clearly understand that exercising is a must. Skinny but not fit is blah. And while I'm still super determined to finish a 5K race this April (while not training due to -15C outside and no access to a gym), there should be some abs action, on the floor of my apartment, not mentioning thighs, back and the whole core. (Oh, and what about Sun Salutations?! Duh... See ONE above).

I've been pretty good with baby steps, but it really feels like it's time to move on to toddler ones or something.

I need better summer photos!

I need to complete "The PLAN"!

Thursday 13: Grandpa

1. Today my Grandpa could've turned 78.
2. He was born in a small village but made it to the top, all on his own.
3. He had a big BIG heart that could fit everyone.
4. He would always help even without being asked and thought about everybody else before himself.
5. He took care of the whole family and made sure we had everything and more.
6. He was handsome... :)
7. ...and loved telling jokes and funny stories.
8. He loved company and had lots and lots of friends.
9. He loved cars. 
10. He was one of the most life loving persons I've ever met. Having been affected by radiation, he lost almost all his sight, developed diabetes and eventually lost both legs to gangrene. But he never complained. He stayed strong despite everyday pain he had to live with and never stopped working.
11. He wanted to live long enough to make it to my wedding. 
12. He died too soon, being only 63.
13. After he left, everything started falling apart.

The list could go on and on about how he used to call me his "little star", and take us all to the seaside every summer, and how he would take me and my brother to the biggest toy store and let us have whatever we wanted, and how he was the one and only person who agreed and insisted on getting us a puppy, and how he made us laugh with his silly stories, and how he loved when I'd give him English lessons teaching him the alphabet and pretending to write on the wall with a glass ball (I so wanted to be a teacher in elementary school!), and...

I regret sneaking out, sometimes, with my brother to watch cartoons on the weekend instead of staying in his bedroom talking. We lost so much time! I would trade all the stupid cartoons in the world for time with him.

It's been so long...

I wish I could be with Grandma today.

Other Thursday 13 participants are here.

Sunday Sunset

Other participants, wordless today, can be found here.

5K, Anyone?

This Friday, cheri N. told me about a race in April he'd like to participate in. Without giving it too much thought, I said I'd join. He'll run 10K, and I'll go for 5K.

So, while he was busy playing volleyball with other expatriates this Saturday afternoon, I got on the treadmill for a "quick test". 34:52. 5K. Without stopping even once! I was beyond proud of myself.

Given my constant mood swings and daily frustrations, I've been neglecting myself. Hopefully, this race will keep being my inspiration... along with Spark People, of course!

If you've been struggling with weight or laziness or whatever else that is keeping you from living a healthy(-ier) life, I highly recommend Spark People. It's an incredible site full of resources, food and fitness trackers and a very strong support system. This place is truly unique and 100% free. In 2009, I lost 10lb using it. So now I'm back on there to work on my 5K and lose a tiny bit more...

P.S. I'm totally intrigued by Tumblr... have been poking around on there to see what it's all about and if it's really that great. For now, Blogger is still my fav.

Wordless Wednesday: The HORE Horror:)

Speaking of learning languages...

Other members are wordless HERE.

The New English

Having cheesecake and cocoa for lunch (healthy choices, I know!!), I overheard some mommy talk. 

Apparently, good old English is no longer sufficient for bright future of our offsprings, not to mention German and French (the other two popular languages) or Spanish (which is left way behind around here anyway). 

Chinese! That's what 10-year-olds have to master these days.

Considering growing population of China and China's place in world economy, it is no wonder modern moms make their kids suffer through walls of exotic-looking hieroglyphs. But I don't envy the young ones... especially those who are linguistically challenged, so to speak. 

Learning a foreign language is not easy to begin with. Learning a language that has too little in common with any European language... well, that sounds almost impossible to me.

On the other hand, progressive mommies are right. Learning Chinese in addition to English (and whatever else, since 2 foreign languages has stopped being enough a while ago) will definitely widen kids' outlook on the world, and their thinking abilities. 

Plus, these days, China is offering a whole lot of very attractive studying and work opportunities. Lucky are those who have patience and will power, and also moms who push them to jump above their heads (at least a tiny bit voluntarily, I hope).

Would you want your child to speak "The New English"? Or maybe Spanish is American analogue of Chinese in Europe?

Meanwhile, I'm skipping my French class today. My place is trashed and in severe need of cleaning, and I didn't do homework anyway.