Too Gucci

When Chat asked me the other day which restaurant to have a party for my birthday, I told her, any place will do as long as it's not too "Gucci." A restaurant with table cloths and candles is too gucci for me, a restaurant minus the ketchup or soy sauce and vinegar on the table is also waaay too gucci. I also don't like restaurants with waiters who interrupts my chewing and asks me "how's everything" every 5 seconds. If I need salt or sugar, I'll get up and grab it myself from the diabetic man on the next table, and say "buddy, you'll thank me for these later on." Even at the risk of being mauled by his wife.

So you ask, what do I consider a good restaurant? Well, first it has to have foods--foods that I like and can afford. It has to be quiet and with waiters who will come for the bill only when I lift my arm asking for it. Until then, I want to be left alone. Detective Columbo once said that the best place to talk is at restaurants because no one listens in. He is wrong because the reason I like restaurants to be quiet is so I can listen in on people's conversation. And if it means anything, I'd want a restaurant to be quiet because I really would like to have a meaningful conversation with my eating companion, without having to squint, like my hearing aid needs to be adjusted.

When I am in Cebu, I complain about the loud music in most restaurants there. Because of the loud music, people then have to practically shout in order to be heard. How can you digest your food after being exposed to that stress? Well, as long as I'm complaining, here's another pet peeve of mine and I think only Asians do this -they will pick their teeth with one hand, while the other hand covers it. I don't get it, because a hand over your mouth is enough to make anyone wonder about you, how freaky is it with 2 hands? And if you think letting out gas through your mouth, by burping out loud in front of me is being thankful for good groceries, then I can't convince you that it's ok to smile with that green leaf stuck between your teeth. So, would you rather be accused of being too gucci or too ghetto?

One of the reasons why I miss Europe....the street market. Artisanal cheeses!!! Strasbourg France.

Normal people would feel depressed and gloomy on gloomy days, I am different. Gloomy days perks me up! Black Forest, Germany.
Dejann, he's Bulgarian and a very shrewd waiter. On a piece of napkin he drew a bee buzzing over a flower, hen he told me the bee was him and I was the flower. He knows how to make a dead old woman come out from the grave. Chat gave him a big tip not for being a good waiter, but for making her mother giddy and act like she's 17.
I don't speak German, he doesn't speak English so who knows what his name is. The only word I understood was mama, when he said "mama ich liebe dich". So I responded "papa ich liebe dich." Chat said we were telling each other "I love you." Oh well. It could have been worse.

Brain Fog

As you can tell, my blog posts have become less and less each week. Believe me, I wish I could do more. I am now on the second draft of my book and writing a page a day is barely possible. The memories and the stories are lurking somewhere but to put them down in a coherent and flowing manner is a struggle. "What seems to be the problem?" This is a typical question from people who are not writers and those who doesn't have my "brain fog."

What is a brain fog? Imagine yourself driving to work one morning and you're only able to see 2 feet ahead. You drive very slow because it is hazy and blurry, and to go beyond that 2 feet is like pushing through and peeling past the thick cobwebs.It is distressing to say the least. In actual driving in the fog, you either pull over and drive again when the fog lifts off or you keep driving slowly until you see the bright light several miles down the road. Every day now I have to employ both approaches in my writing because the fog is not lifting.

What causes brain fog? So many things - either biological or physiological. But it's never too late to try and help our brain and body. Of course I understand how hard it is to change our thinking and our eating habits. But let's not beat ourselves for not taking care of our minds and bodies when we were young(er). Let's just go from here.

1. Think positive. We live the way we think.
2. Stay away from anything toxic. This could mean friends, foods or families.
3. If it's within our means, let's start eating organic meats and vegetables. We only have one capital -our body.
4. Stop nursing our hate. Forgiveness is easier on the body and good for our skin.
5. Get out of prison. Pay off your credit card.
6. Get liberated from the Jonese's. It's cheaper to drag them down.
7. Don't worry about tomorrow - you may not even wake up tomorrow to remember this line.

IF.....

If this is your last day to live, who would you spend it with?

Video Courtesy:Stanleyngtube

Mid-Life (again)

In my blog I'm always talking about the perils and joys of being a woman. And everywhere I turn, I see all kinds of books and ads trying to convince me that menopause is the new spring of the second half of a woman's life and that we should enjoy it. Maybe.
This is from an email I received and I want to share this with ya'll. You will gain ten pounds of cottage cheese in your thighs if you disagree with me and think this isn't true.


Whether you are pushing 40, 50, 60 (or maybe even just pushing your luck), you'll probably relate. Mid-life is when the growth of hair on our legs slows down. This gives us plenty of time to care for our newly acquired mustache.

In mid-life women no longer have upper arms, we have wing spans. We are no longer women in sleeveless shirts, we are flying squirrels in drag.

Mid-life is when you can stand naked in front of a mirror and you can see your rear without turning around.
Mid-life is when you go for a mammogram and you realize that this is the only time someone will ask you to appear topless.
Mid-life is when you look at your know-it-all, cellphone carrying teenager and think, 'For this I have stretch marks?'
In mid-life your memory starts to go. In fact the only thing we can retain is water.

Mid-life means that you become more reflective. You start pondering the 'big' questions. What is life? Why am I here? How much Healthy Choice ice cream can I eat before it's no longer a healthy choice?

But mid-life also brings with it an appreciation for what is important. We realize that breasts sag, hips expand, and chins double, but our loved ones make the journey worthwhile. Would any of you trade the knowledge that you have now, for the body you had way back when? Maybe our bodies simply have to expand to hold all the wisdom and love we've acquired.. That's my philosophy and I'm sticking to it!

Lay Like Brocolli

Today is one of those days when I am literally a vegetable. I love rising up with the sun, but today I woke up late, the clock showed 6:50 which is way too late for me. I staggered to the kitchen, made coffee and took a 20 minute walk, then instead of showering first I started writing. I wrote 2 lines and my brain and fingers just quit on me, so I got up and guzzled more coffee. The caffein didn't do me any good so I took a shower, hoping it would crank me up and enable me to at least write a page. The shower didn't do a lick either, so I laid down on the couch and just as I hit the couch, I felt all the energy leaving me. Sleep came too fast and I could not move my hands and I could not wake up.This was before noon today and I only found the energy to get up after 4pm. Besides old age, I don't know what's happening to me lately. I can blame the heat, but I think there's more to it than the heat. I wish I could call it writer's block, but it's not that either. It is now 6pm and I am drinking coffee and I'm still feeling and looking like a sick dog. By the way, this powdered 3 in 1 coffee mix, added to a cup of brewed coffee usually will translate me to heaven, but not today.

We Con the World

Everyone believes in God, but do we believe God when He told Abram to leave Mesopotamia and go to Canaan and that He will make him a great nation? And that He meant what He said when He said the following: Genesis 12:2-3

"I will make you a great nation

I will bless you and make your name great

I will bless those who bless you and

I will curse him who curses you

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed"

Ponder on the first 4 lines and ask yourself why that itty bitty group of discards became a nation in 1948 and in spite of the constant attempt to annihilate them they still exist.

Now the last line --you don't have to go to school to know that it's the Jewish people who blessed us with the greatest inventions in medicine, technology and the entertainment industry--- just Google them. And while you're at it...Google Sergey Brin. See where I'm going with this?

I've always said if you don't believe in God, just watch the Jews and Israel. And right now Israel is getting so much criticism from the rest of the world because IDF killed 9 people on a Turkish flotilla.

Things To Remember

We could never have enough of these. Written by Regina Brett in one of her columns.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good...
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath... It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd
grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.


And don't forget, Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.