Efforts VS Excuses

I just saw a very neat quote ( from children's study room ) that is so simple and yet very inspiring .

Let your efforts rise above your excuses

How simple is it, and yet how true...

It could be use in any part of our life regardless age.

It is very true for students ( even for my daughter Indy's age ).. I want her to make effort rather than to use any excuses ( that the assignment is too difficult, the weather is too cold to run outside, she is too young, or that her reading skill is still limited)

But yet.... since I don't want to be a "talk only mom" who did nothing except preaching their kids, I want to be the mom who is and who always be learning with their kids, and I always told my girls that I  don't always know everything, let's discover and find the answer together, if I know more than them it is because I m much older than them but perhaps when I was at their age, I know lesser than them.

And I think that quote is good for me too ( and  perhaps you too? )

How many times we let our excuses took control of our life? How many time we did not make enough effort to try? 

I had use many excuses too rather that use effort. It is not always easy. The first thing that come in mind for me right this second is when we want to improve our physical health as in dieting. I don't really do diet but I do believe in balance eating. But when we want to try to loose some pounds, often , we use many excuses ( I DID!! :P) But I am doing effort right now, with strong determination to be healthier in and out. ( not just to loose some pounds that I gained over the last months ! :D)

And I really need to use a lot of effort during my homeschool time. How easy it is too slip into temptations and be mad with our children ( as in home school) but again, we need to make effort not just making up excuses!

I do believe in self discipline. I try to teach that for my girls that. I do teach them to pray to ask the strength from God as well, but if we just wait and pray , I think that won't be happening. God wants us to try too!

When I watched the move Eat , Pray, Love , they told the story, which I've hearad before, the story of a man who is praying every day to a Saint's statue every single day . He prayed and asked : please let me win a lottery... please let me win a lottery...please let me win a lottery...... every single day.

Then one day , the Saint's statue had enough and came to live and said to the praying man : please buy the ticket! please by the ticket! please by the ticket!!!

^_^ I do believe in the power of prayer, I do believe in miracle. But that doesn't mean that we just need to sit around waiting for opportunity, chances, friendship, loves, forgiveness etc to come to us without making any effort ....

So  let;s do some effort today and try to make no more excuse!

Good luck for whatever you try to achieve.

XOXO

S.R

One of the best advice of the month

I am still exploring a lot of new thing, I might be good at some but I definitely still need to learn and need a lot of guidance at other too.


A lady sent to me something good to read , and to remember , that at anything new that you do ( or at the first time you meet new people/new crowd ) or when you are new into something, you need to come with and OPEN HEART, OPEN MIND, CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR.

I think it 's great to check out our ego sometimes out of the door, and to come with open mind and heart. .
I always believe that I could learn something from the people we are least expected.



Cheers
XOXO
S.R

I have lost nothing indeed....

Hi friends and blogger friends! It's been a while since the last update. I am trying to post as regular as possible, but since I want to keep a " journal" of life and not just a boring " diary/activities " records in my blog, I have to have a " theme" or "Quote" to share, and sometimes it doesn't come easy :). Anyway....here I am now.

Last month, May , has been a hard month for me. My dad was hospitalized and undergoing spinal surgery. He is back in Jakarta now, still recovering mentally and psychically. It's been the hardest time for him as well. We all pray for his strength during this time.

And while I was in Guang Zhou for his stay there, I lost my whole bag in a restaurant too. My, Thanks Goodness, our passport and my mobile was not in there. It is an old scam, but however it worked ( badly) to me! I put my bag on the next chair beside me, and my sis was facing me, and yet we didn't see when it was stolen. And my bag is not tiny , it is big and heavy and yet it was just vanished right in front of my eyes. Could it be hypnotized tactic? or just us being tired, under stress and a lot of things going on in our head that day so we could be easily distracted? Or could it be that one of the staffs in the restaurant is one of the " thieves" team? Well what is gone is gone... I lost cash ( I seldom bring that many cash around normally) , credit cards, ATM cards, Canon camera, Ipod, my watch ( which happened to be repair so I put it inside my  bag ), my make up ( I also seldom bring my make up around but since I practically live switching between hotel and hospital so I bring it with me ). If  I lost ( touch wood) the passports and my mobile it could be much much hassle.

But to think of it, God knows what I need . A good family, my parent's health , my friends and my kids to be around with me . That is the most that I need. The cash could be earn back again, the cards could be replace easily, and before I lost my bag, I got a new bag stand by for me , and my dad even though we never tell him about this incident, he gave me his favorite awesome camera. My nieces will send their old Ipods for me ( yay) . I got a few watches at home waiting for me.

For those who stole my bag,  I could say I didn't lost a thing but I gained something. Something that they can't steal away from me, something more valuable, something to riches my life. For them they might easily sell off my bag, my wallet, my ipod, my camera and my watch for some cash. And who knows how long the money that they wickedly earn could last them.

And during that hard days, my amazing husband who was not with me at that time, showed his support and love, and words of encouragement for me, which mean the world to me. I could not go on if it is not because of him, my dad, my girls , my aunt, and my great sister. We shared our love, joy, tears and laughter together.

And the best thing of all for that day? My father was being baptisted on the same day I lost my bag. I believe that God's plan is always good. Don't you think?

Kindness counts!

If in the public/private school , there are moral or religion subject for the students to learn about being kind.

In the Sonlight curriculum for 2nd grader , we use the bookThe Aesop for children ( apart from the Bible) It has many wonderful classic stories and Indy is enjoying the stories a lot.

There are some of the  morals that we learnt:

Do not let anything turn you from your purpose( The wolf and the kid)
Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune ( The tortoise and the ducks)
Do not tell others how to act unless you can set a good example( The young crab and his mother)
Do not attempt the impossible( The Frogs and the Ox)
It is one thing to say something should be done , but quite a different matter to do it ( Belling the cat)
Self help is the best help . Heaven helps those who help themselves ( Hercules and the wagoner)
Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of  fear and uncertainty ( The town mouse and the country mouse)
In unity is strength ( The bundle of sticks)
They complain most who suffer least ( The oxen and the wheels)
A kindness is never wasted ( The lion and the mouse)

It is most rewarding when I can spend time with my girls and learn those beautiful wisdom bits together , it reminds me of our adult life. Many adults and even my self , sometimes forget the most simple things.

We often choose to be nice to only certain people, to people who we like, and refused to be kind to those we don't like. But like it said :  A Kindness is never wasted. In the story the  mighty lion would never imagine that one day he will be saved by the tiny mouse !

And other books that we have read together is the Red Sails to Capri. It is a great classic book about the discovery of the Blue Grotto in Capri , Italy. What a coincidence that the first book we read from the curriculum was about Italy! The books tell the story of 4 men looking for : adventure, peace, beauty and knowledge.
And this , I agree. Life is adventure it self, but we must look the beauty in it , sometimes , it lays in front of our eyes but our heart is closed and can't see the beauty in life, and we must find peace and of course knowledge too.

Right now we are reading the second book on the list : The Ginger Pyes .
It remind Indy to Zeina and Bull. :) but she loves the story !

Have a great and healthy week !

Beauty of the soul

Life so short
So, think what is good
Speak what is kind and
Try to live your best , then this world will be bright and beautiful to you.

When money is lostnothing is lost.
When health is lost something is lost
When character is lost everythingis lost

Live like a candle. which burns itself, but gives light to others.
Impose your own terms upon life
If you don't you will have to accept the terms of others.

Look backwards with gratitude,
Upwards with confidence
and Forward with hope.

When you truly care for someone
you don't look for faults
you don't look for answers
you don't look for mistakes
you accept the faults
and you overlook the excuses

Have a stunning and aspiring day !
Remember to enriched your soul not just your apprearance.

2010 handbook

Good one to share. I just realized I don't have any new year resolution yet.
I don't want to goal for something fancy or anything... and I got this email from a friend.... and I think it is very do able and great !!

Health:
1.Drink plenty of water
2.Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinne like a beggar
3.Live with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy
4.Make time to pray
5. Play more games
6. Rea more books than you did in 2009
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
8.Sleep for 7 hours
9. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily , and while you walk , smile!!

Personality
10. Don't over do, keep your limit
11. Don;t take yourself so seriously, no one else does
12. Dream more when you are awake
13. Envy is a waste of time, you already have all you need
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his or her mistakes of the past that will ruin your happiness
15. Life is too short to waste time on hating anyone. Don't hate others
16. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present
17.No one is in charge of your happines expect you
18. Smile and laugh more
19. you don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
20. Call your family often
21. Each day give something good to others
22. Forgive everyone for everything
23. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under age of 6
24. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day
25. What other people think of you is none of your business

Life:
26. Do the right thing!
27. God heals everything
28. However good or bad situation is, it will change
29. No matter how you feel , get up, dress up and show up
30. The best is yet to come
31  When awake in the morning, thank God for it
32  Your inner most is always happy , so be happy

Just to share....

Enough with our updates for the moment . My blog will be more than our updates. :0) later you all will be bored with our updates :)

Well I also want to share about what I see in life and beyond who knows it might be useful for others.Right now I am in the middle of changes. I will not say it is a big change. But a medium one.When I first came to Shanghai back in 2001, it was much harder. I didn't speak or read or write and I didn't know a single soul.

This time, at least , I can speak, and read a bit. And it helps A LOT! I also know more or less about the city.And I still have friends here, and thanks to facebook and online chat we are still in a good contact with each other.

Some times we always try to fit in to the society. Try to be liked by most of the people. We create our " image" for others to see. Our ego is taking control.

I never try to fit in to any society. Since I was young I know what I want, and I never be the followers. I mean if I like it I willl follow, But I will not choose or doing something I was not sure about just to FIT IN.
In College years, almost all of my friends are smokers. I could be one too. But I know clearly what I want, and I did not try to be accepted in their group by being a smoker. Untill this day I never smoke and happy with it but I got no problem with those who does.

Since I was young , I know my limitation and expectation quite clearly. I know I can't work sit in the offfice from 9 to 5 or do "paper"job. I like job that allows me to meet people, interact with people and allows me to travel. That is why I choose to study in Hotel and Restaurant Management. I knew excatly what kind of man I would marry one day. I can't have a 'static" life, where my husband will just sit in front of TV during his off or holiday or just take me to malls and malls. I just couldn't. I know I want someone exciting, some one adventurous, spontanious,some one that can challange me, some one that can say no to me instead of yes all the time.And I also know, when I want to do something, I will do it if I have the passion for it.

Right now , most of people we know here are stunned with our decisions to home schooled Indy. And I got plenty of "blank faces" responds :). It is  less travelled road we've choosen, so the reactions are "normal". Just like when I started to Cloth Diapered Maya or breastfeed my girls until they were over 2 years old .But then again, I am not always a crowd follower, so I am used to this reaction.

Most of the time, I try to concentrate of what I am doing . Like when I run my online store, I know enough about other online stores, but I m not " obssesed" to the details or what they are up to,  or what is the latest " blog wars" etc.  I do what I need to do .And let others to comment what they like, it is their rights to do so.

" A thoroughbred horse never looks at the other horses. It just concentrates on running the fastest race it can"

I never think if I have more or less than others in life. I am content whith what I have.
And I never allow my self to have a big ego , because big ego never bring you any where but downhill. Never think you are a big fish in a small pond, because when you think like that, you will drown and lost once you move to the ocean and see the real big fish there. We will never learn anything positive if we keep thinking that we are better than other people.

Changes is not always easy but if we are sure about ourselves and know what we want in life , I am sure we can handle it gracefuly.Trying to fit in is not always needed. Love yourself, be your self and don't care too much with what other think.

Image is what people think we are  but Integriy is what we really are 

I choose Integrity over Image, how about you?

SELAMAT HARI RAYA IDIL FITRI 1430 H, MINAL AIDIN WAL FAIDZIN to all Muslim friends !!

Just to share

These are the photos my dad took on Sunday ( 1st Syawal) morning during sholat Ied in one of the big " mesjid" near by parent's home in Jakarta.

My father always go there each year during sholat Ied to take picture ( his hobby)

He said he likes the feeling of the love between the people be in Muslim and Non Muslim.

He normally will chat with some of the people. And there is no sign of racist and trashing other religions at all. Which is a good example for us.

Indonesia as we all know is the biggest Muslim country in the world. But there are also Christian/Catholic, Buddhist, Hinduism.

The country , like most of the countries in the world,is still struggling do erase racism ( to erase it 100% seems to be impossible right now) but I think to be able to share one of the most important day for other religion in peace and love is a good start. It is must start with each individual.

My dad taught me to see beyond the horizon and to love beyond the boundaries.

And I believe when we see the world with an open heart, we will capture more loves.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful pictures.

The art of the communication

Have you ever be in a situation when you need to give advice but it might hurt the other's people feeling? Like if a friend asked you for fashion advice for example but you truly think she doesn't look good in that particular pants ( that draw more attention to her curvious lower bottom part)?

So these are the options :

To tell her the truth and might hurt her feeling ( hey your butt look huge in that pants! you look like a clown in the horror movie!) or

you can lie because you hope she just bought that and finish the long dragging shopping trip ( wow it suits you very well! )

or you can be honest and diplomatic at the same time ( and said : you might want to consider to try other pants? Maybe it will suit you better)

Or have you ever be in situation when you got a piece of your lunch stucked in your tooth. Then some friend come to you and said it to you in a way that made you feel very bad and so embarrassed and self conscious after that? And then in some other time, the similar thing happens ( ok maybe this time you got lipstick smear on your tooth) and another person told you but the way she told you make you feel so comfortable and make it looks so normal?

So THERE ARE options to say certain things in a nicer way.That doesn't mean we need to be a push over and agree ( or not agree but we just keep quiet ) with everything other people suggested or said. There will always be disagreement, dislikes , argument, honest advice that might hurt. But we must always try to avoid to being rude in certain situation (there is exception of course)

I always say : the truth is painful. But I think that is not necessary need to be said in a hurtful way. I always believe in IT IS HOW YOU SAY IT NOT WHAT YOU SAY.

Do you ever know someone who got the charisma and the one that can influence others by just talking? Even that this person give an simple advice we can be totally drawn by it. That is someone who born with the communication talents. But communication skills is also something someone can learn or should I say must learn? Some times we didn't mean too be rude , or sometimes we are maybe just too over sensitive. But there are some people who can really make other people feel bad all the time no matter what they said. And on the other hand there are some people that can give critics in a gracious manners.

In this day, in the industry , communication skills play an important roles in business and marketing. Taken from here. See how this 2 sentences with same meaning can be deliver in much more positive manners

“Use sunscreen to help your skin stay healthy.”

“Without sunscreen you increase your risk of developing skin cancer”

or in daily cases how do you feel if someone from cosmetic counter approaches you and said :

Sales girl #1 :

" tsk tsk... your skin so dull and lack of lustre....you need to use this cream"

or

Sales girl #2:

" you can add lustre to your skin and it will look much healhtier , this cream will help that"

Which one will make you feel more comfortable and can persuade you to buy the cream? I would go to sales girl #2!

My dad who has been in retail business all his life , gave me a very great advice when I started my online store , he said, if you explain your products to a customer you will need to explain in a certain manners , a respectful manners without making someone feel bad or show to people that you know MORE than them. Tell them in much comfortable way, explain the products in way that will make them feel that it is ok for them to ask you more questions , and that is part of your job.

This happened to me many times, New moms to Cloth Diapers asked me the same questions again and again ( the best one I can remember now is : Can I re-use the pocket diapers and just insert the new insert instead?) . So here again I choose between :

" Of course can not lar! The pocket diapers is dirty already ! How can you use that again ???) or

"It is not recommended because the urine already passed through the liner so it will be healthier if we change every thing every 3 hours"

And there are many other more examples. The other tricky situation is " email " or " chat" form.
I always feel that I must be extra careful of what I type during chatting or emailing. Because from one sentence , it can be read and interpret in many different way, For instance:
Of course I do that, I knew it ,but still he won't listen..
You can read this sentence in : angry tone, insult tone, mellow tone, or even a giving up tone.

I admit some customers can push me to the limit. But this is part of what I do, and when I can't say anything nice to them ( or replying their email) I rather don't say anything and come back to reply their email when I cooled down.

Me and my siblings often got misunderstood in emails. So that is why we need to choose the proper words and use the sentence wisely.

So this is an " ART" that we need to master it. I still failed from times to times but I try my very best. And I make sure that if it is necessary I can be quite strict and be sarcastic as I could be to someone who I think would deserve it. But I won't hurt some one close to me. The last person who I want to hurt is my close friends, and my own family.

Some times even with our own spouse we tend to be rude , we also need to learn the art of communication with our patner no matter what. Marriage without 2 way communication skills will die in no time.

So let's learn the art , shall we ladies ( and gentlemen)? CHEERS!

Rick Warren

Rick Warren author ofthe Purpose Driven Life. He said the prayer during the inaugural ceremony of Barack Obama as President of U.S.

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
"People ask me, What is the purpose of life?"

And I respond: "In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense..

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain. But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her - it has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen. But it will just be nice to pass it on to a friend...just like I have done.

God's Blessings."

Changes

Is it not the strongest of the species that survive,nor the most intelligent,but the one most responsive to change.
(Charles Darwin)

This is a quote I got from a dear friend's. And I think it is very interesting . Most of the time, we think that the smartest, or strongest will win or survive, but this quote mentioned about the ability to adapt or the responsive to change.

Personally I think this is true. We need to leave our "comfort zone" sometimes in our life, to be able to survive. We can find another comfort zone if we WANT to.

Apart of our adolescence life, I think also it is great to let our kids to take changes in life, to be more flexible. It will help us as parents too!

HOW?


Let your children used to many kind of different taste of food, a wider variety,
Many told me that I am lucky to have children that eat "everything" and not fussy. And meal time normally is a easy time for me. Of course it will be messy! But I don't have to chase and force my kids to eat.
This is VERY Helpful during family traveling and outing. We need to eat 3x a day, imagine if you stress up over what to feed your kids for every meals! It is like half of your day is gone.
Me and my husband also set a good example in front of our children. We eat everything on the table and we do not give many option to change the dishes even if they don't like it. We always say : TRY IT! and you will love it.
And often I told them that : Mamma is on a buffet restaurant that open 24 hours. What you see on the table is what you get.
Sound harsh? Actually it is for their best too. Of course I will serve the appropriate food for children
My In laws are all amazed by how well our children eat. Even it is a new food in a new place .


If your kids need a security blanket, or pillow or soft toys then it is good . You can bring this if you sleep outside.
If a child got a difficult time to adapt to a new environment , it will be hard for the parents too.
Don't blame the child or yourself. But once in a while let him sleep in different bed or room. So when he sleep in another place it won't be too scary for them.
If your child is old enough a sleep over at grandparent's place, Aunty/Uncle's place or even at friend's place will be good.

Don't be afraid to let your kid to experience changes. It will give them a new experience , and learn a new skills too.

If you must move your kids to other daycare /school , changing nanny, move house, move town, even country. It will teach them a lot of things to.
How to make new friends, how to adapt to new place and even how to speak the language.

Of course as parents we want to give our kids the best, but if somehow a chance come , and we refuse to take it because we are worry or scare that our kid will not like the change, how do we know if we don't try ?

Many of us , sometimes need to change job , many will resigned just a few months after. Even if that person is smart, hold a degree or diploma, has a lot of experiences, but they can't survive long in the working place. Can it be caused by the way he responds to change?

I am not saying that no body should not resign from a bad job. Of course you can, it is just the way we handle it. At least give it a try a b it longer before we called it quit.

It upset me , when I heard a person got a good opportunity but they were reluctant to move just because they dont want to come out from their comfort zone .Fear thet the children won't adapt well to new place, no new friends and no grandparents or other family. I think it is the parents who are scare not the children.

So in the time of globalization now, I think the other skills that we ( and our children) need is the ability to adapt well and how to respond to changes. Because we must admit that a good grades, hold a great diploma, have a lot fortune, speak 3 or 4 languages in the next 10-15 years it won't guarantee that someone will nail a good job.

( imagine if your kid gets an offer for a top position in a great company in another country , ok let's say India for example, but he must turn in down because he can't eat the food? or just can't be live far from you because he can't cook or do his own laundry?)

I am not suggesting that your life style must be change or travel to foreign country, or eat exotic food every single day, but if we live with an open heart, let them learn something new , instead of home -school- tuition- do homework routine, for instance let them learn roller blade or swimming? or taking sewing class or baking class or go to a near by park for picnic rather than go to mall ? or eat in the balcony once in a while instead of at the dining table?

It will make daily life more interesting too!

Another favorite quote of mine is from Little Buddha movies( by Keanu Reeves of course, my favorite actor):

To Learn is To Change.....

GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN

I've got man y beautiful emails from a dear friends, since I lost my outlook program so I lost all of the email contacts too! ( !##%#%#@#@$#@%)
So to make it easier, I just post it here! ( LONG LIVE THE BLOG!) , so let's start with :

GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN

Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half
wild, fertile and naturally beautiful!

Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe, well developed and open to
trade, especially for someone with cash.

Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain, very hot, relaxed and
convinced of her own beauty.

Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece, gently aging but still a
warm and desirable place to visit.

Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and
all conquering past.

Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel, has been through war and
doesn't make the same mistakes twice,
she takes care of business.

Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada, self-preserving, but open
to meeting new people.

After 70, she becomes Tibet, wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past
and the wisdom of the ages ... only those with
an adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge visit there.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN
Between the age of 1 and 70, a man is like Iran, ruled by nuts . .. . ..

MUAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!

So.....What is love, again?

In the mood for love? What is love anyway? No one can describe it in one sentence.
Is love is blind? Maybe... but without love we can't see clearly too.

So what is love anyway? There is many kind of loves
Love as parents, love as lover, love as couple, love as friends, love as a child, and love to God.

So what is love again?
I am still not sure...

Our love has grown from puppy loves to unconditional loves toward our kids and spouse. Love towards our Creator, Our friends, Our Country and all...

Some of my favorite quotes for love:

Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Franklin P. Jones
To have someone to be there with you, to share it with you in ups and downs I think it is LOVE.

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This is a very true one , specially if the love end up in marriage. Are you looking at the same direction with your spouse? We don't have to be the same person or think a like....I've met many
great couple who are so different from each other but they are looking in the same direction.

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.

John Lennon

This is the very truthful facts. Just because we are married we can live happily ever after like in the fairy tales . You just cant leave the love and expect it to grow own it's own. Work for it. Fight for it if you have too!

You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without.

Unknown
You might can live with a few people. We can "accept" them. But you should marry the one that you cannot live without.

People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you'll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow.

Erma Bombeck

I couldn't agree more on this one. Some one that makes me comfortable, be there for me, accept me for who I am, but this doesn't mean that I don't need to improved my self.
Our love has grown and still are.... our love is not the same like 10 years ago. It's evolving and adjusting to our life as parents .

He use to ( and sometimes still ) sending me fresh flowers , he knows I love flowers bouquet, He once picked me in the airport with a huge bouquet of flowers , that was actually embarrassing for me LOL, he once decorated our bed room with red rose petals, candles, and arrange for a private dinner in a gazebo facing the sea during sunset.
But I don't demand that every time. I am more into practical romantic :-D...see how it goes and the timing too. Not easy to find time to do more elaborate things now with 2 kids as our shadows.
Now for me the sentence : I would love to grow old with you is much much more sexier than :
You look hot tonight.... Sound pathetic? I think it is more meaningful when a man wants to grow old with you.

So ....What is love, again?

Im still not sure ..... I am still learning to understand it.

But one thing for sure the love has found me. And I hope it found you too!!


To all my dear friends and blogger ( that is including the silent readers, singles or the broken hearted ones...)

Happy Valentines Day ! Treat your self something on Valentines Day with our without your love one. ( lazy afternoon nap, an extra cup of homemade coffee, cupcakes, a session of laughing with your bestpal, manicure/pedicure, facial, lingerie , how about me?? not sure yet....maybe will treat myself and friends for a mug of coffee and a doughnut? )

XOXO

Beautiful woman tag

I received this from Viv. It is a reminder for me to revive myself as a woman. Either you share this Valentine's day with you husband, boyfriend, fiancee, friends, or family... remember that YOU SHOULD LOVE YOURSELF TOO! Or even if you don't celebrate it, let's use this International Love day as the opportunity to show more loves to others....

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!
I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord to keep my shape . Please no wrinkles please no bags and please lift my butt before it sags. Please no age spots please no grey and as for my bellyplease take it away . Please keep me healthy


please keep me youngand thank you dear Lord for all that you have done.

Five tips for a woman:

1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.

2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.

3. It is important to find a man you can count on! And doesn't lie to you.

4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.

5. It is important that these four men don't know each other.

Foot Note:One saggy boob said to the other saggy boob: 'If we don't get some support soon, people will think we're nuts.'

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her 'beauty tips.' It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

If you share this with another woman, something good will happen . . You will boost another woman's self esteem, and she will know that you care about her. Well, it is and that means you !!!

I'm supposed to send this to FIVE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN: ( I tagged SEVEN this time, I got more on my list but I want to leave some for other to tag them too)

MissDiana
Farrah
Deana
LebahSibuk
Tanya
Bonnie
Charish



. Send this to five bright, funny women you know and make their day !!! It's BEAUTIFUL WOMAN MONTH & TAG YOU'RE IT!

I Like to be a "Teflon"

I am not talking about the cooking utensils , or else I will blog it in my Cooking blog.

I just read about it in a magazine that:

The key to happiness is to have a Teflon soul...whatever comes to you, you either let it slides or you cook with it...

And this sentence strucked me , and I realized we must be a " Teflon" too....
So I decided to share a bit of the Teflon side of my life

When I just started my online store, a few bad competitions scenarios did happen to me. Some people blogged about it, talked about it.. I just didn't want to make it worst by blogging back ( and I am GLAD that I did not, I rather wait and see until it will be cool off) Else I will look like a complaining old grandma. So YES... I let it SLIDE off me....
It can be a mistake, or misunderstanding but I never will make that thing ruin my day .

So with other not so nice things happened to us. Be it a ridiculous jealousy from others, rude comments or handling a cheap gossip , let it SLIDE ....SLIDE.... SLIDE...

And the most of all....I forget and forgive. Life is too short for hatred.

When I moved to a new country, new city, new place, new culture, new home, new people....
I will COOK with what I have on hands.....
You can't make all the things work for you then you make YOURSELF work for it!

When I moved to a country that I didn't speak or understand or write or read the language , I know that I must solved this out....as soon as I could! Blaming others for not speaking your language won't help much, so did complaining. I was in THEIR Country anyway...So I ended up studying in Shanghai .

Same with being married to a man from a different country. I know that I will be in touch a lot with his family. Because his family is a very close one. So I need to learn his language too.

I took morning full time class for Mandarin and afternoon private tutoring for Italian. During my pregnancy . I must took 3 buses and a taxi ride to reach the Italian tutor house. Happened in winter ( freezing damn cold of minus 5!)until my 8th month of pregnancy. I was like a walking snowman by that time with the hat, jacket , gloves and scarf...I just didn't have the carrot nose !
My dh asked me to quit when I reached the 9th months, as the place is about 15-20 km from where we lived. And the road is slippery on winter days. And he said if I fell I might can't stand up by my self because I was as big as a ship! LOL

When I moved to where we are living now we also needed some cultural adjustment. The city is much more quieter and smaller than all the other cities that we've been to. People seems to know each other. That's funny still for us. Because when conversation go.. most of the times it will be like : oh ya, he is my cousin, oh ya I know him, he used to be my boss, oh I live near where your friend lives .......

As for public transports , it is hard to get it here. Hard for me to find school bus for my dd, hard for me to go around. But I COOKED IT! I met a great lady offering to take Indy to school everyday. I got a couples of "boy friends" to bring me around the city when dh is not available( wait....don't start the gossip here.... the boy friends are taxi drivers!!! hahaha.... I got their phone numbers and just need to dial them and they will be in my front door!!)


When the shopping option are limited here, I opted for online shopping and love it and ended up by opening my own online store.

And learning to write and put my feeling and opinions in my blog.

So for those of you who are having a rougher time than normally. You got the option in your hand...
SLIDE it off or COOK it !

I wish I could know what I will be "SLIDING" or "COOKING" next......

So , what is your "TEFLON" moment?

I don't have the intention to showing off my life experiences, but we need to look at others life sometimes and take something out of it to learn . I am still learning everyday, humiliating my self endlessly , fall and stand up again, making mistakes, and I still like to learn about values of life through other people too.

A true friend

A true friend is not who wants to ride with you in your limousine but who is willing to walk with you when your limo broke down.

-Oprah-

Don't take friends for granted but cherish them all . And you will find a true and meaningful friendship not just based on how long you've been friends but how much of quality times that you spent together.

I've met a few people in my life for not a very long time but we have great connection and bonding too.

To loose a friend is an easy task. To gain one is much more harder.


Cheers to all of my dears friends where ever you are. You will know who you are in your heart!