hard to understand

What happens next when the likes of Amy Winehouse is awarded and rewarded by society despite their drug use and addiction. Just what message does it give our children? Illegal drug use is never glamorous and will never be - considering the problems attached to it. A family is not the same again when drugs take over the life of even a single member. The United Nations should speak out with substance, now that it has realized the extent to which society condones double standards when dealing with who uses drugs.

living with pink

Martha Stewart loves pink, I presume. Her guest house in Maine is all dolled up in pink. The dining room is splashed with a big painting in pink and her bathroom towels are all in pink. I couldn't imagine myself waking up in a pink bedroom 'coz it's too maddening and cloying and diabetic.

can i afford it?

On most weekends, I'd grab a chance to watch the "Can I Afford It?" segment of the Suze Orman show on CNBC. I enjoy the show because of the tongue-lashing that she gives to callers - she is so "mataray" and raises her eyebrows so high, your guilt over overspending just oozes from your pores. I would mentally guess what her verdict would be by the look of her and would race with her pronouncements of DENIED!!! Denied - is what is always the case (nine out of ten). You can't be buying things when you have enormous mortgages, when you have credit card debts as high as a mountain or when your savings are zilch!

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.