People : City scenes

I took this photo of a man. I captured this look of him.

I am trying to decipher whether the man's look is :
peaceful,
blank,
sad,
or content.

What do you think?

Wooden Beetle Bug

Car enthusiast, Momir Bojic is the owner of this cool one of a kind oak wood covered Volkswagen beetle. How interesting that it took him about a year to coat his vehicle with this wood. He lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and drives the car between Celinac and Banja Luka. Interesting masterpiece if I may say so!

Going Away (Party)

For young Australians it is common to go overseas to live for about a year or so. The culture encourages independence at a very young age, and a lot of them by the time they reach the legal age of eighteen would start moving out of their parents’ homes.

Last week a close colleague had a going away party at her nice posh house (looked like a designer home). Her boyfriend has been living in London for 2 years, and has just extended his work contract so they decided it’s time for her to move to London to live together. She invited all her close work mates, including one mature lady who lived on her own with only the company of her beloved dog who ate only the best dog food available. She couldn’t make it though as she had to take her dog to the veterinarian that evening.

At my colleague’s house, we were greeted with so much food, wine and her adorable parents (who even cooked for us!). It was such a nice night spent with colleagues. Too bad she’s leaving. Although of course for her it meant being reunited with her lover. I suppose all is for the best. Nowadays no one really stays put that long in one place. A move would happen to someone sooner or later. There are still a few though, who prefer to live and work in their hometown. I guess I’m not one of them!

P & O Earlybird Cruise Offer

Okay, for a good hour I got all excited about thinking of going on a cruise. Neither me nor hubby's been on a weekend overnight cruise. P & O Cruise has this earlybird offer, wherein we could do 2 nights Sydney - Brisbane or Vice versa, for about AUD 565 per person, for a 2 night cruise in a Room with Private Balcony, on the Pacific Dawn. This rate includes all meals (a la carte or buffet), and afternoon tea, access to various entertainment and activities.

I opted for this coz the price is reasonably cheap, all inclusive, and the fact that it was just for 2 nights would give us a feel of how cruising is like. For all we know we won't like it. So this won't be too bad, if ever. However, when I had a look at the itinerary, the cruise departed from Brisbane at 8PM on Day 1, and arrived into Sydney on Day 3 at 8AM. That's a bit of a rip off, as it would mean the time we board, settle into our cabin it would be night time! So we won't see the view much. And, we'll only have one full day to appreciate the sights before we arrive after sunrise into Sydney Harbour. Well, come to think of it, seeing Sydney at sunrise or early morning would be quite nice. And, a full day to travel the north NSW coast may be good enough.

Of course am planning on my own again and for all we know hubby won't like this idea. We've talked about it before, but not seriously.

Oh, I remembered I get my travel agent rate, so we won't really be paying the published rate!!! Hmm! I suddenly got excited again! I have til September to think about this. I might ring them up tomorrow to check availability and all. Should you be interested to see what I am talking about, click here to see more information!

P.S. I neeeed this for my job! To make me a better travel agent! Think so?!

Games kids and adults play!

There was a time when boyfriend and I were so into Apple Mac games. We would take turns playing jewel quest 3 for mac, and other times we’d try some new game, but we’d still end up playing jewel quest again later on. He even went to surf the internet to find a good mac blog how obsessed is that? I think once in a while we still get these moments when we act like kids taking turns playing computer games, or sometimes watching while the other plays! It’s probably one of the ways we bond, among the many other childlike activities we do (we used to play Daytona, the car racing arcade game!). He sometimes made me win, which I did not appreciate, because I would have stood a chance in beating him in the game anyway! We all have our own bonding activities with our partners. No matter how silly, playful, lame it may be, it brings us closer. Thank God for moments like these. When we’re old we’d probably either laugh it off, or try playing the computer games again!

Planning a divorce? Read this, and think again.

--I've received this realllly heart melting story. If you are contemplating about cheating on your partner, planning a divorce, or you just feel you need to rekindle your love, read this. It is long, but really nice.---

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.
Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door every morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Dew about my wife's divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.
On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now, I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank, blah..blah.. blah. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

Are you a bag, shoe or jewelry person?

I probably own about 30 pairs of shoes, more or less ( I think it is more though). I don’t know how it’s come up to that number, although I guess because I have shoes to suit different moods I am in. Just like my bags. I probably have about the same number of bags. They both come in different colors, shapes, and sizes. When I like something, for example shoes, I buy them in different colors of the same design, just to match the different bags as well.

Having said that though, I am not really much of a shopper. But, when I start, I really shop until I drop. Although I realize that I am not the best shopper particularly of baby presents. I find that each child is different and I don’t want to give the usual stuff that the baby may already have. I think a shop selling customized baby gifts would really be helpful during shopping dilemmas like these. Personalized gifts for baby would really be appreciated by the parents (also known as my friend/s) as they would feel that thought was given to choosing the best personalized new baby gifts.

When I was thinking what to buy my goddaughter of course I thought about getting her baby shoes, but then she’d just outgrow them. I ended up just getting her this really nice precious pearl earrings that were small enough to suit her baby ears, but big enough for her to use when she gets older. I really hope that she likes it.

Sides to a Story

Came across a nice quote this evening, by Robert Evans :

"There are three sides to every story:
Your side, my side, and the truth.
And no one is lying.
Memories shared serve each differently."

So true. Sometimes we are so caught up with our own side of the story, that we forget to think about the other side. Truly there is another side.

The bond between babies and mums

I’ve seen a few of my friends with young babies wear Baby Slings. These slings come in different sizes, colours and designs, and I love them. It not only looks stylish but really, it makes one feel so close to one’s child. It looks so comfortable, both for the mother and the child as well. I guess that’s because the material used is cotton, something really soft and non irritating. If one thinks about it, the sling would have been part of our history. The tribes’ women used to carry their young children in these slings while working. It keeps the baby in place, and at the same time is a bonding experience for mom and child (literally and figuratively speaking). Today I spoke with my mom and she’s asked me the big question: whether I wanted to have a child! I said of course yes, and told her I am planning to have one within the next two years (after wedding). She was quite relieved to hear this. I come from a big family and so they do think that children are blessing, and not just a mouth to feed. I was telling her that I am quite excited and looking forward to the day that I became a mom myself. Perhaps I should fast forward my life and imagine how I would be like as a mom, and how exciting it would be to carry my own baby in a baby sling!

I have a confession to make..

.. Sometimes my memory is too good, I surprise myself!

I don't know when it started. I could have had it in me ever since (as if) but then I would have to say it is not in all areas. I am bad at trying to remember what I wore last week, or what I ate yesterday for breakfast, or that an old good friend had a mole in between her mouth and chin. Ordinarily I don't remember these details. There are a few funny stories about my memory lapse on these instances. I actually told that my friend (with the mole) that she had some dirt on her chin!!! I was embarrassed by this! Another instance I told my colleague she had dirt on her cheek! She said it was a permanent scar/scratch of some sort. I would say it so casually that I just forgot that I HAVE seen them (mole and scar) before!

But with travel, it is quite different. With airport and city codes and computer entries, and geography and maps, capital cities, etc. I have quite a good memory. I also am a bit quite good at memorising telephone numbers, passenger details, etc. I guess it's what is called selective memory?

The air we breathe

My family has tried a couple of air purifier machines at home. In Manila one would think this would work, but I am not sure if it really does. In Sydney, when I moved here, the family I lived with used air purifiers as well. One of the kids had asthma and the parents thought that by turning the machine on at night this would have the child avoid an asthma attack. The question are air cleaners safe really? It really depends on how one is convinced to use them at home, or whether the machines are used properly the way they are meant to be. For me, I think I don’t really mind not having it. I suppose it is all just about preference.