I work for a company that employs people from around the world. Because of that, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the different cultures of the people I worked with. I got to know Americans, Italians, Brits, Australians, Japanese, Chinese, Indians and many more.

Because of this diversity, very interesting conversations materialize during lunch or coffee breaks. One such discussion was about arranged marriages and divorce. You see back then, I had a colleague who had requested for a month long PTO (personal time off). When we asked, he revealed that he was going to meet his future wife and her family for the first time.

We were like… whaaaat?

It was true. His parents had already arranged his marriage the day he was born. We all launched on him with our questions and queries. All of us could not accept that in this day and age, arranged marriages still exist. And not only did they exist, but many intelligent and sensible human beings actually accept this situation and embrace it in their lives.

But amidst all the commotion, we sensed our friend getting irritated. He stopped us with a compelling statement. He said …

“What is so wrong with arranged marriages? Do you know that in India, where majority are involved in arranged marriages, divorce rate is very low? In America where you are free to choose who you spend your life with, half of all unions end up in divorce?”

Hmm, come to think of it - if you look at the divorce rate numbers you may be inclined to be taken by it. Would you submit yourself to an arranged marriage? I know I won’t.

If there are christmas presentations at the office, it is not surprising that there are presentations in school as well.

This is the second year that my son has participated in their school’s christmas pageant but it is the first time that he actually stayed on the stage to complete what their class has been practicing for weeks.

At about the same time last year, I recall practicing with my son the songs and poems that they were going to present at the pageant. But the hard work did not pay off. During the day of the pageant, my son could not get up on stage and was clinging to me like it was the end of the world. I was tempted to go up on stage myself just so I could have my son follow me and dance with his classmates. I did not do it as I did not want to ruin it for the other parents.

Today is different. Today is great. My son was excited and he did not cry or cling like last year. In fact, he even ran to his position on the stage as if he couldn’t wait to sing his heart out. He did so wonderful I was even able to record videos of each of his 3 presentations.

I was so proud I found myself teary eyed when they were singing their “thank you song” for all the parents. *sniff *sniff.

Merry Christmas to all!

My eldest kid is in nursery school and their class lessons have started getting more and more advanced. Previously, he would bring homework where he only had to trace lines, letters or color some images. Now, we are on phonetics and reading syllables.

When I go back and recall, my son learned how to speak very fast. He was very talkative during his first year. And on his second year, he even managed to say “shuttlecock” very very clearly.

So it frustrates me that he is having a not so easy time reading syllables and then translating them in his brain so he could pronounce them properly. He could easily tell me what letters I have written on his notebook and the most of the time the sound that each letter has (although we had some challenges with the “g” and “y”). Combine them into syllables and the task became such a feat.

I did my best to be patient until he could speak the words himself. There were moments though that I wanted to pull my hair and cry. And when he said - “Mommy, my throat hurts already”, I knew I had to stop and let him rest.

We have been doing these reading exercises for a couple of days now with little improvement. And now I think, maybe I am pushing him too much? How can I be a good teacher to my son when he doesn’t seem to be learning from me.

Years ago, I was an instructor to college students teaching subjects like statistics and electronics to grown men and women. I was not daunted then.

But now I am frozen by my frustration. *Sigh.

I grabbed this tag from Andrea.

His Name. Christopher. So plain. So common I know. In fact, about millions of other men in this country alone bear the same name. Needless to say, although the name is ordinary, the man that carries it isn’t.

How we met. It’s actually funny the first time we met. An ex-boyfriend actually introduced me to him. At that time, my ex was a fan of his so he invited my husband to a badminton game. Maybe he hoped that my husband’s skill would rub off on him. Little did I know that I had met my future husband.

His characteristics.

Flirt. I am attracted to men who go out of their way to make women feel special. And he was like that from day 1. He looked at you as if the rest of the world had disappeared. He laughed at my witty remarks even if nobody else did. Its a skill actually that he has that makes him alluring not only to me but to a lot of other women as well… hmpf!

Intelligent. He is such a techie! I believe I have some of that being that I passed five years of engineering school but he… is different. I am no dunce but I love how his brain holds so much more than mine does. In addition, I really hate having to correct a man’s statement especially if I happen to be dating him. Guess who does the correcting now? Hehe.

Passionate. Being that I am a very passionate person, it would be challenging to be with someone who goes through life in a state of mediocrity.

No nonsense. He does not go for any frills or pretense. In that way we complement each other. I bring all the frivolity to the relationship.

Strong. He remains standing inspite of all the blows he has received. He is my rock and he was the one who taught me how to be strong.

Tolerant. I am a bunch of different characters and personalities rolled into one. I am moody and crazy once in a while and sometimes all at the same time. He takes all this insanity in stride.

All that and more make up the man that makes me fall head over heels in love each and every day over and over and over again.

I encourage you to tag yourself with this.

I am not ready to die. I realized that today. I mean, who will take care of my kids? Who will take care of my husband? My dad would probably be disappointed that I felt this way but its a reality for me. I am not yet ready to leave this world.

Its true what they say that when you get within an inch of harm or even death, your life flashes before your eyes. I sort of imagined it would be like rewinding a scene in a movie. But its not. When you are faced with death, everything that is important to you becomes crystal clear. Your mind goes over images of those you love.

Everyday I do my best to be careful… about my health - so I take vitamins… about my safety - so I do not drive recklessly… about my life - so I look around first to make sure its safe to cross the street.

Although I may be careful about my life and how I live it, others may not care about endangering it. Its depressing to realize how many people out there have no regard for the life of others.

And as I replay the scene again and again in my mind of a big white BMW SUV bearing down on me, I think… I am not ready to die.

Remember when you were single and dating? Friday and Saturday nights were sacred back then. It meant your boss cannot make you put in overtime no matter how much she begged, or it meant you had to display extremely good behavior so your mom will allow you to stay out later than usual.

Now that you are married with kids to boot, are those nights still sacred?

Woe to those who say no. Getting married and not having kids do not mean you have to forget about being young and in love.

My husband and I agreed that we will always have our date night. It doesn’t have to be a Friday or a Saturday actually. It doesn’t have to mean going out and spending money on a movie or meal. It could simply be spending some quality time together, even at home curled up together on the sofa watching TV Patrol World.

Face it, everyday married life and parenthood can suck the life out of us. Out of me. Waking up, making sure your husband is awake, spending mornings with your kids, going to work, attending meetings, organizing chaos, thinking about dinner for the family, driving home, sitting down with your kids as they do their homework, eating dinner with your family, spending evening time with the kids, spending some time with your husband, planning your next day and checking all the doors and windows to make sure they’re locked before you go up to bed. These activities make up such a long sentence. Imagine how it makes such a long day.

So much so that if you allow yourself to get lost and buried in all that, you might end up not having quality time for yourself and your mate.

Date nights should stay sacred. I believe it is an essential part of marriage that doing away with it may cause serious repercussions to your future as a couple. But that is me. Because if my husband happens to forget… and has planned to spend all week doing something else that does not include me… then it ruins my week. It ruins my mood. I become irritable, bitchy. Then my kids notice and my officemates notice and they too are affected. It becomes a cycle.

Keeping the romance alive is part of what date nights are about. It gives me and my husband the opportunity to become high school sweethearts instead of a married couple. It also brings back all the tingly feeling you get when you hold hands or share a kiss.

Even when funds are low, date nights are a must for us. It keeps us thinking positive and cheery. I mean, who would feel dreary when you’re holding hands with the one you love?