real colour

This is my real colour - bursting yellow sunshine! I love this bedroom for its clean lines, the thoughtful arrangement of objects, simplicity, art and its potentials. The pic is from Martha Stewart and Lowes.

rebel no more

One of the pluses of a good marriage, I think is the calming effect that it gives a couple. Most of the time, the both of you go on agreeing together on things that concern your children's welfare whatever the means and the methods. I used to put my foot down, protest with all my might, against traditions, superstitions and any folk-isms that may creep in our lives, e.g., the fatalistic "kapunan", etc. But, when you see the confident faces, the bravery, the sense that everything will work out well for the family, I can now and then, go along with the tide and get used to those pseudo-rituals. A good marriage works like a covenant. It mostly deals with peacemaking - and trust and faith on both sides.

handsome toads gone extinct

Because of changes in world climate, notably warming, a lot of animals are in danger of becoming extinct and going with them, are the tales of old - the stuff that made childhood a magical place. In a forest in Costa Rica, the orange toad have not been seen since 1991 and is feared gone for good. In 1987, there were 1500 of them. It has been noted that the clouds over the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve have gone higher, drying up the toad's breeding places. Global warming is something that does not jolt you until when the consequences affect you - imagine that you were there when Katrina or the Tsunami happened. Also, it's kinda sad when our grandchildren can't tell the story of the toad that a princess kissed and went on to live happily ever after -- because they don't have a memory of a living toad.

kindness of heart

There's not a day that I don't see something mangled and bloody on the roads of Brunei. It could have been a puppy looking for a sanctuary; or a kitten traversing the highways, lost and vulnerable. I don't blame the drivers for these accidents. But, I do lay the culpability on the owners for not keeping their pets safe. The kindness of hearts should be bestowed not only to people but to all the animals of the world especially to those that have lost their homes.

Happy New Year (again)!

Much of the blood running through my veins (and arteries) I believe is Chinese 'coz I am descended from horse riding warriors of the Gobi Desert. So, for the third time in the Gregorian year and without much ado, I wished people a Happy New Year. As my mom would say, "it is always the thought that counts".

Somebody lined up these oranges as if contemplating which one to eat first.

water babies

Meeza just loves the water. When we found that she was a water baby, we enrolled her at the age of five in the swimming scheme for children at the Stadium and subsequently found that she was a natural. She was also in the Swimming Team of her school until she got bored. Her birthday was spent in the pool (at the Empire's) and then kayaking at the beach nearby with closest friends who share her love for swimming.