year-end family holiday

Three smiles.

Three reasons.


Why it has been a very good year.

Photos by This Girl

wedding bliss

Happy Wedding Anniversary, Babe! Hey it's been twelve years!

And yet to hear a husband's I LOVE YOU is as thrilling as ever! To take matters on a light note - here are some stuff (some edited) I've gathered from my emails - to celebrate husbands, the married quirks, and that banter and laughter shared just by two people.

***

One day my housework-challenge husband decided to wash his
sweat-shirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, 'What setting do I use on the washing machine?'
'It depends,' I replied. 'What does it say on your shirt?'
He yelled back, ' University of Oklahoma.'

***

Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?
A: A rumor.

***

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to understand my man,
love to forgive him, and patience for his moods.
Because Lord, if I pray for strength, I'll beat him to death.
Amen.

***

Q: Why do little boys whine?
A: They are practicing to be men.

***

Q: What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling out your name?
A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough.

Image from Glitter Graphics

christmas eve

a tree covered in lights and tassels and decorations..
christmas gifts wrapped and boxed scattered at its foot..
whew! it had been a race to finish the
tree and those gifts the whole afternoon!

the refrigerator carrying the simple fare..
but of course the preparation had been not so easy..
cooking is not really a strength, you might say..
but there's spaghetti, and fruit salad..
a healthy vegetable salad with italian dressing too..
and the fruits! apples and grapes and oranges..

the table.. aahh the table! it's a masterpiece..
with the red mantle and the red candles now lit..

the house scrubbed and cleaned..
the people important to the heart had arrived..

.. but where is everyone?
locked up in rooms and jailed inside their angry hearts?
.. screaming silently and crying unshed tears?

the candles flutter in the soft wind from the windows..
the tiny lights continue to illuminate softly..

.. and silence

somewhere..
this is christmas eve for someone..

season's greetings!

list #02 so plugged in

Except for that incident a long time ago when my younger sister Helen was still small and one inconsequential day dared to poke the wall socket with a pin and she got a mild shock and I got my first scare with plugs and electricity I am really awed by the inspired creativity and genius of engineers and creators who spewed out all kinds of appliances and gadgets that by putting negative and positive together they can make aluminum and tin and metal go whirl, burn, scream, illuminate, flow, whizz, turn and kaplunk. Breathe.

Imagine

multi laser disc player attached to the telly
dvd player attached to the telly
decoder attached to the telly
5-speaker system and subwoofer attached to the telly
this telly attached to the automatic voltage regulator
the automatic voltage regulator to the wall of the tv room

d2360 deskjet printer attached to the laptop
external hard disk drive attached to the laptop
2-speaker system attached to the laptop
ipod nano attached to the laptop
wireless cardbus adapter attached to the laptop
this laptop attached to the wall of the family room

5550 deskjet printer attached to the desktop
altec lansing 2-speaker system & subwoofer attached to the desktop
scanner attached to the desktop
wireless broadband router attached to the desktop
lcd monitor attached to the desktop
keyboard attached to the desktop
mouse attached to the desktop
this desktop attached to the automatic voltage regulator
the automatic voltage regulator to the wall of the family room

60gb ipod attached to the speaker system
altec lansing 2-speaker system & subwoofer attached to the telly
dvd player attached to the telly
this telly attached to the wall of the bedroom

I cannot go to the dining area yet as I don't even want to start looking at the knick-knacks on the sink off the sink and around the sink because naturally they are all there with some of them just humming twenty-four hours a day to keep the household alive and not only that but if you throw in the fish tank for measure then that's another community of wires and plugs and speaking of plugs so many toys are needing to be charged at the end or the start of the day with each one in the house owning a minimum of one mobile telephone unit so can you imagine now not only here in this house but also in yours! Breathe.

gem in the dark

I choose to love you fiercely
even if it means I must take the risk

that you will not understand it.

Photo by This Girl

in no less degree

I've seen women handle themselves in various ways.

Some clutch on the trendiest bags and maintain a regular schedule with their dermatologist and hair stylist. Some look at the soft glowing advertisement on the glossy magazine - ready to buy that pack of cigarette which will bring any woman to that fancy place she deserves. Some leave the one they love and choose to be with the one who will take care of them. Some survive through the day with smiles and face their nightmares alone at dawn. Some knit.

I don't know what I'd do if I ran for Vice President, have the whole world pick on my family and wardrobe, and then actually not put me in that office at all.

I don't know what I'd do if all my nightmares came true.

I do not know how to knit.

Photo by This Girl

world of fun

Three weekends ago, Gela went on her first malling expedition with friends from school, so I dragged Nika and myself along with her.

There were more than a dozen girls in the group, of varying ages. It was the birthday of one of the younger girls, and they have created this new party of sorts by just hanging around the mall for hours and doing the cool mall things. Gela and Nika were ecstatic with this new development.

We started by waiting. There must be a proponent somewhere who will pass a motion that all girls around the world be enjoined to be patient with each other especially when one is ahead and the other is late in arriving at a designated meeting place. I want to discuss that one first though.

So we had pizza and pasta. It seemed like my daughters were skimming over that lunch, as everyone's heart were pounding for the main agenda of this adventure inside an air-conditioned mall.

Everyone was really holding her breath for this - the World of Fun. The end wing on the second floor of the mall filled with whizzing sounds and frenzied children. We needed to buy tokens. And armed with the tokens - we hit the games! The girls suddenly had this dazed passionate looks on their faces and and almost trembled while running to the game booths.

Then I started using my tokens and my own fun began. It was a feast that I cannot tell which to play and where to begin. And judging from my few tokens at hand, I knew I must choose the games where I would not end up like a fool.

But blimey! Gela clamped out two stuffed things I cannot name from Toy Story. We cannot understand the mechanics of King's Castle. An old man was hogging the SlamaWinner. And there was Jungle Jive and Dreamy Falls and Pirate's Gold and Sharp Shooter. I even saw an acquaintance sitting down over at a betting table. She said she was waiting for her son.

The objective of the place was for players to collect tickets from all the game booths. And later exchange those tickets for toys and cool stuff and what not's in the Prizes counter. But my aim was to have fun. And to be in a place where it's acceptable to scream.

I followed Nika to the Mini Basketball booth. There was a swirling goal and you have to shoot balls. You get a ticket for each ball going down the ring. But I also gave a whoop each time I would make a hoop! This made Nika irritated. And to my dismay, she spanked me in the hand for a few times and quite frankly told me to go away farther from her. The mom is embarrassing the child.

That was not nice I guess and it clouded the whole experience for me. So I gave my last tokens to her and I chose to sit down and read a book. In the middle of the world of fun.

But a plan is brewing. I'm gonna go back here. Bring a lot of tokens and play alone. And I will scream all I want. And collect those silly tickets. And claim a sillier prize at the end of the day.

I think that would be my revenge.

But I don't think that would be fun at all.