Romance
ro·mance (r-mns, rmns) n.
a. A love affair.
b. Ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love: They kept the romance alive in their marriage for 35 years.
c. A strong, sometimes short-lived attachment, fascination, or enthusiasm for something: a childhood romance with the sea.

It has been my lifelong understanding that romance is more often than not defined by a and c. As for b, the definition alone begins with the word “ardent”, meaning “burning, fiery”. Can there ever be an emotional attachment or involvement between two people that burns with fire for 35 years?

I’m struggling to understand why romance has to fade significantly (I won’t say die) after you’ve known a person for, say, more than a couple of years. It seems to be a natural and inevitable process, even though human beings (and maybe more so the women) crave for romance. So if we crave for romance, yet it’s not happening, who’s fault is it?

I don’t think I’m wrong when I say that women have been trying to teach men the concept of everlasting romance for at least the past century, but only to fall on deaf ears? (I have to admit that sounds a tad pathetic on the male part.) As much as you try to tell them, it never seems to register. They seem to get the idea after arguments, but it only lasts for a couple of days. It almost seems that the only time you can get some romance back for more than a couple of days is when the male species is substantially threatened – by a breakup/divorce/affair with another man. So is romance then really just a word to describe the emotions that a couple feels when the man “chases after” the woman?

Women's Vocabulary 101
This has been circulating out there for a while now, but I still think it is really funny, not to mention that it's true 90% of the time *wink*. Plus, it's time to shift the discussion to a lighter topic seeing that it's friday already.

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right
and you need to shut up. Never use FINE to describe how a woman looks - this
will cause you to have one of those arguments.

FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your
football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an
even trade.

NOTHING
This means SOMETHING, and you should be on your toes. NOTHING is usually
used to describe the feeling a woman has when she wants to turn you inside
out, upside down, and backwards. NOTHING usually signifies an argument that
will last FIVE MINUTES and end with FINE.

GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over NOTHING
and will end with the word FINE.

GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows)
This means I give up or do whatever you want to because I don't care. You
will get a raised eyebrow GO AHEAD in just a few minutes, followed by
NOTHING and FINE and she will talk to you in about FIVE MINUTES when she
cools off.

LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often
misunderstood by men. A LOUD SIGH means she thinks you are an idiot at that
moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing
with you over NOTHING.

SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. SOFT SIGH mean that she is
content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man.
THAT'S OKAY means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you
back for whatever it is that you have done. THAT'S OKAY is often used with
the word FINE and in conjunction with a RAISED EYEBROW.

GO AHEAD
At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big
trouble.

PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to
come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is
that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and
you shouldn't get a THAT'S OKAY.

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.

THANKS A LOT
This is much different from THANKS. A woman will say THANKS A LOT when she
is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some
callous way, and will be followed by the LOUD SIGH. Be careful not to ask
what is wrong after the LOUD SIGH as she will only tell you NOTHING.

... and they live happily ever after ?!
My co-worker Kris' ex co-worker passed away suddenly on friday. Kris got the phone call in the middle of the afternoon, and that saddens him deeply. In search of a listening ear, he wandered into my office. We had this meaningful conversation about death. Kris was sad not only because his friend passed away (it was almost predicted because he has already been diagnosed with an incurable illness), but I think what bothered Kris most was the fact that this guy was still single, had never experienced starting his own family or having a kid of his own... in all, never experience life to the fullest.

Kris said, in his own words, "You know I'm not all that religious, so I always thought the way for me to 'live on forever' is to have kid(s) of my own..."

Just that one sentence sent me into deep thoughts. Does my parents have the same expectations from me? When other family friends / relatives see me, do they see me? or do they see traces of my parents? Is this one of the reason human procreate? Must we live on forever? Could I be like a burst of fireworks - lighten up the dark sky and make people clap with joy, but in the end I'll just go away and disappear, and not live on forever (so to speak)?

May I be lucky enough to never have the need to know the answers to my questions.

Career goals
Believe it or not, I think I’ve figured out how to achieve my dream career. I’m simply going to have my first baby when I’m 30. Voila! – I’m a stay at home mom. :) Of course, at that time I’d have to find some other profession to keep me entertained. It has to be a job that will allow me to work from home, so that I can keep my stay-at-home mom title. Voila! – Anyone need a babysitter? :) Sigh … desperately trying to amuse myself on a Monday afternoon.

How can I resist you?
Saturday was my first time at the Fox Theatre, and I was there to see the MammaMia show, and it was GOOOD! Auntie Holly flew in on friday night and we went to the saturday matinee show together. We missed the first 5 minutes of the show because we were running late, but we did enjoy the rest of the show very much. Met up with Suzanne and friend after that and all four of us had dinner at ZuZu Petals down at Kirkwood Rd. It's a fancy shmancy place but the food was good.

All in all it was a good weekend. Can't write long now because SATC is starting soon. I actually had lots of things on my mind. Maybe I'll write them down tonight.

Trading spaces
Just a random thought for this rainy Sunday afternoon ... (what a great day to be indoors) Did everyone watch Trading Spaces today at 1pm? I love the kitchen that Frank redesigned!!! :) Especially the mexican serape ceilings with its cheerful colors, and the metal-weave wall ... that is such a great idea. Hopefully when I get my own house, I can make a metal-weave wall like that too. It's great for contemporary rooms, but I think Frank made the contemporary-ness of the matte metal look go very well with the whole Mexican feel of the room.