COLORS FOR ALL SEASONS
Who says that it's all easy being a woman? It can be fun at times (of course :p) but it can be hard also when it comes to choosing an outfit for an event. At this point, cat really envy you guys out there. For a guy, a formal dinner only requires pants and a shirt with a tie and coat. For a casual lunch, a shirt and pants (even a T-Shirt with a collar on top of those faded blue jeans are acceptable).
For a woman, it's a multiply choice questions..with 1001 answers to choose from. Opening cat's wardrobe, it's mostly black, grey or red: black and grey mostly for office wear..and black or red for casual. The 3 main color that can fit in any function. Once in a while, you'll get a surprise to see a pastel blue or pink blouse peeping from the hanged clothes. Same goes with cat's collection of T-Shirt. :p White is a rare article..as it's a magnet for all types of spots, sauce, ink.. (especially with someone who loves to move around like cat). Cat would love to wear white but..it just won't work. Whereas bright colors.. just attracts attention.
If you are going to a Malay wedding, black is an acceptable color if you match it with bits of colors (earrings, colorful brooches, yellow handbag or shoes). BUT no little black dress. A Malay wedding would require the invitees to wear something that covers the knees and those arms. Something that shouts out traditional and respect.
If it's a Chinese wedding that you are going to: then BLACK is a BIG NO! In Chinese culture, black is still a big taboo. Of course, you know that black represents death and tragedy. You can try to hide the black outfit under a load of 'bling blings' but the bride's grandmother would still see it as black and will have a heart attack right on the spot. You would not want to be the cause of any misfortune that might happen to the couple and banned from all festive celebrations all your life, would you? Seriously, do NOT wear black for this occasion.
If it's an Indian wedding, there's no color or dress code restrictions. Half the fun of attending an Indian wedding is getting dressed up. Especially for women, this is the chance to go all out and match dress, shoes, jewelry, makeup, purse, bangles, other accessories, nail polish – anything. Still..a word of caution: in India, more is more and definitely considered good taste for women. Too plunging a neckline and exposed backs are frowned upon, especially at weddings.
Well, got to go now. Cat has a wedding to attend to. :p Do have patience when you have to wait for a woman to get ready. It's not an easy job..and of course, you'll get rewarded for waiting. Isn't the final product worth the wait? :p
1. Let's Wake Up and decide to have a good day today!
2. Dress up with a smile! A smile is inexpensive and it does improve your looks :)
3. Shut Up.. Say nice things and learn to listen to what others are saying. God gave us 1 mouth and 2 ears for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
4. Stand Up for what you believe in..
Stand for something...or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary of doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap what we harvest if we do not give up.
5. Look Up! Keep yourself centered. Remember, you are important.
6. Reach Up! For something higher.
7. Lift Up your Prayers!
One of the frequent questions that teachers love to ask in school was: 'What would you like to be when you grow up?' Funny... how they never fail to ask us this question especially in the beginning and at the end of school year. Year after year and after year.
And the funny thing is that they ask but they do not really care what we answer as long as it stays in the norm. It's ok to want to be a teacher, a lawyer, a doctor, a prime minister or a businessman. A teacher, while not up to the same salary scale as the others, is still a very respectable job as you will guide the younger generation towards the better of the nation. And there's always the extra benefits for those working for the government: discounts when buying houses, pensions, bonuses, easier to get loans etc..etc.
Just mention that you wish to be a factory worker, a hotelier or even a nurse, and you'll see the surprised look on teacher's face. A factory worker is often looked down as it has always been publicized as a laborer's job. The same goes as working in a hotel (just the word 'hotel' brings all the worst situations possible into an elder's mind). Why be a nurse (on whose shoulders fell the bulk of the workload) when you can try to go further to be a doctor?
Me and my best friend used to play a game of searching the dictionary for names of good sounding careers and see who can impress teacher and the whole class as well. :) We came out with 'engineer', 'politician', 'member of the Parliment' and 'astronaut'. It was just word games, as we were kids who just had no real idea yet of what to be. Usually, we get away with it with the teacher smiling and nodding her head. But once in a while, teacher would surprised us by asking us to describe about the job that we mention. And of course, gaffes would happen when we did not read the meaning of the job that we mention such as 'prosxxxxxx' and 'smuggler' which entitles you to a visit to the 'counseling office'.
Nowadays, I understood, it's just a case of different mind sets coming from different generations. In their mind, the word hotel rhymes with 'brothel', so which parent or teacher would proudly boast to their friend of the child's profession?
Now, when it comes to our turn to hear a child's ambition, just be ready to listen with an open mind. A boy who wanted to be a hairdresser? Why not? Just look at Dato' Jimmy Choo, he is a shoemaker. But he's making shoes for the Queen of England and for the rich and famous! That is an accomplishment. Datuk Lat, the Malaysian cartoonists, is known for his work worldwide.
Listen to the reason why a child would choose a profession that is different from the rest before worrying. It might be just trying to copy friends or it might be something that he/she really wants. Sit down, google on the details, see what does the job requires and have a discusssion with him/her. It's a whole different ball game out there now.
Que Sera Sera. Whatever you want to be, my child, just do your very best and enjoy the profession that you chose.
What is it that makes a daughter looks up to her father?
Some would say it's the nature of things: girls bond with fathers and sons are closer to their mothers. All would depend on the parents themselves: whether each parent was an attentive or an abusive person.
Dr Terry Apter, a psychologist at the University of Cambridge says that: Daughters often see their father as being more objective than their mothers.
Mothers are the serious ones: they mend your clothes, they make sure that you eat your vegetables, you do your homework, teaches you housework and scolds you when you were naughty. A mother, well, sometimes thinks and expects a lot from a daughter.
A father in most cases, while presenting a stern exterior, usually has a soft spot for the daughter. You can count on Dad to be interested in the things that you are enthusiastic about. Mum would listen to your chatter but only until a certain point as she has many things on her hands and mind.
I was 22 years old when Dad died. It still hurts when I think about him.. which I tried not to do often and has not been doing so for a very long time. Dad was the only one who took the time to talk to me when everyone else is either bullying or making fun of the only girl in the family. While mum was always trying to get me to sing each time when there were guests, Dad would let me decide instead if I wanted to do it or not..
At times, when Dad could see me looking sad or with a worried frown on her forehead, Dad would just start the car and bring me along to his office or to his favorite kopitiam. There, the two of us would sit, Dad with a cup of coffee and me with her milo. He would then tell me stories about his life and the history of each building that we saw.
I would not understand all of his stories as Dad had a tendency to use big and sometimes complicated words but it was a happy moment for me. I would listen to the sound of Dad's voice and he was enjoying .. perhaps.. my companionship. If his friends came around to say hi, Dad would proudly introduce me to them as his princess. He told them how brilliant I was and how he thought that I will go far in life. He was the only one also who understood me when I voiced out my need to go far away from home, to stay in a boarding school and then to study abroad in France.
And for 4 1/2 long years, I have stayed away. Determined to only return home when I have something to show Dad. To be someone that Dad would be proud of. And at that time, I only made a few calls to home. Dad didn't want me to waste money. Thus cat would write long letters from time to time telling him what I saw and did in France. I was hoping that Dad would see it with my eyes. What hurts the most was that no one told me that Dad has passed away. It was only 2 weeks after he was buried that I knew he were gone.
Devastated, I came home to find everything has changed. There was not even a letter left for me. Maybe it was anger, or bereavement.. maybe also guilt for not spending more time with him and not being able to see him for the last time. I left my hometown a few days later to work as far as possible from anyone that I knew. Acting as if that episode in her life never happened and that I have been all alone all my life. It helps to convince me to forget what had happened and for me to start a new life.
Older now and perhaps understanding better on how life works..and knowing more about God, I have accepted the fact that I have to let go of the past. It's not my place to judge anyone and it can never bring Dad back to life again. I have made wrong decisions in life but I have also learnt a lot from those mistakes. Life is about learning and not about regretting.
Time to let Dad rest in peace and may God have mercy on his soul..
Amin..
Today, I read a nice post by Brenda Rosaeen on "Grateful". This is her article:
You don’t have to wait till the end of the day. You can stop what you are doing right now. It doesn’t take but just a few minutes,(seconds actually) and think about things that you LOVE. There are probably hundreds of things you can list that you LIKE. Don’t list those items. Your list should give you a feeling, that when you read the words, it’s as if you are there and your senses are activated.
Take a deep breath, relax. What are the first things that come to mind when you think of things you love? That instantly puts a smile on your face and gives you a feeling of peace? Notice how your mood begins to change when you take a minute or two, to focus on each one?
Things that I love? Those are thoughts that made me smile and they are also thoughts that make me sad..
