I found this write up in the net and I am in total agrrement of it's message! :) It is written by Richard Lederer:

English is not as Easy as the English think it is......Even the English Know that...

Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant or ham
in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins were not
invented in England or french fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while
sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables,
what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can the weather be hot as hell one day as cold as hell another?

When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm clock goes off by going on. When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?

Now I know why I flunked my English. It’s not my fault; the silly language doesn’t quite know whether it’s coming or going.

Isn't it true?? I've studied this language all through my life as a second language and until now i get confused? I may have been better but not in full command of it's proper usage.

But what do I know? My first language doesn't even have enough words to live by... ;)

SM where art thou? All I see is Walmart now.

One of my fond memories of back home was my endless mall strolling and window shopping. I remember most of SM malls. The Megamalls of SM is just like a fantasy world for me. I can get lost into it and not be bothered by worldly cares. I don’t necessarily have to buy (because most of the time I do not have money to splurge). It’s just the many things to see, to hold in my hand and the thought of having them in the future (wishful thinking).

The malls here in Canada are nothing to compare with the malls back home. The one I frequent the most is Walmart. It’s a very famous store. This one in the picture is a supercenter already. It’s the biggest compared to other branches. Open from 6 AM to 12PM, it’s the most accessible store. Sometimes I do my groceries 11pm :) or when the kids suddenly needs something for school and it’s already 9pm it becomes my emergency store.

Is Walmart the store I can get lost in? Nah… There are other malls that are bigger and I have one in mind that I think I can literally get lost in. It’s called the PATH. PATH is downtown Toronto's underground walkway linking 27 kilometres of shopping, services and entertainment. Follow PATH and you'll reach your downtown destination easily in weatherproof comfort. I was told about this underground heaven (especially during winter) and I’ve decided right there and then that it was the mall for me. I guess being a newbie, the first time I tried to get there I could not find the place. When I found the place, it was what the legend says…it’s an endless tunnel of things to see, to eat and to be lost in (literally and figuratively). :) I was vindicated!

To get to know more about PATH, here is a link you can check out!

http://www.toronto.ca/path/

Guess what this is

I was looking into the memory of our digital camera when I saw this picture. It’s probably from my daughters picture taking jaunts and I was probably there but could not remember. It’s cute though.

My best guess?? It’s a piece of wonton in hot oil! Hehe…

I like the bubbles the best…

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well, just get up and dance!

Last Christmas, my daughter got a Play station2 game called Dance revolution. I guess she was distracted with so many gifts at that time that she hasn’t paid too much attention to this game. It was just recently that she would get the PS2 out of his Kuyas room and assemble everything in the living room to play. This will be after doing her homework at night. It was also during this time that I began to watch her play and find it to be a very good exercise. She then insists that I try the game myself (as if telling me…’you need this more than I do, mom’). Oh my…I was so clumsy that my legs get entwined and almost hurt myself. I got upset with both my mind and my legs for not efficiently communicating to each other! During one of my exasperations, my daughter (who does it so good) would say… ‘you only need practice mom’. I have taken that advice to heart. I think this is a good exercise not only for the body but also for the mind.

Ben gay will be at hand…. :)

My Sons New School

I took a picture of my sons’ new school from the van. I know it’s such a lazy thing to do. I’m still a shy photographer (I hope this will change when I get a better camera). Unlike his previous elementary school, which is shiny and new, this one is old and gray (modest is the appropriate term). I don’t mean to offend; I have never judged a book by its cover. I still picked this school for my son, didn’t I? I chose it primarily because one of my cousins been a graduate there and one is still at present studying on his senior year. There is already a sense of belonging and a good reputation to boot. It is also an all boys Catholic School. They don’t have too big a population so control and discipline will not be too hard.

So far, he’s doing good. The uniform suits him well too. The grade 9s orientation was held in Muskoka Camp for three days. My son enjoyed it immensely. There was also a parent curriculum orientation last week for all grade 9s (1st year high school). We were asked to go to each period/subject that our sons go through and get to know the teachers and their subjects. It was very interesting and it does make us feel as parents that we are personally involved with our sons’ studies. I got all his teachers email addresses and that makes me feel good.

I am so content to what the school offers. The public catholic high school here is comparable to the private catholic high schools back home except for the manner of teaching (it is more lenient here). I guess the private high schools here got that missing touch, but it is too expensive.

So far, my son’s feedback on his new school is good. He didn’t have any trouble finding new friends and no issues of bullying whatsoever. He got the hang of commuting on his own (or with some friends). He hasn’t told me but I know he misses having girls as classmates. I can’t help but feel guilty at times but I strongly feel that girls should be the least priority in his list of goals at the moment. Anyway, there’s an all girls Catholic High School near their school. ;) I’ll leave it at that….

Kuya, Kuya
Ako’y nadapa
Sa aking pagtakbo

Paghabol sa bolang di ko nasalo.

Aray, Aray
Tulungan mo ako,
Tuhod ko Kuya
Tila may dugo.

Adeng, Adeng
Huwag umiyak
Nandito na ako
Tutulong sayo ng tiyak.

Halika, halika
Kay Nanay tumahan
Lilinisin nya ang sugat
Hihipan ko naman.

Hayan, Hayan
Kapatid kong bunso
Band-aid sa sugat at halik sa noo
Galing sa Nanay gamot na totoo.

Ngumiti, Ngumiti
Wala na ang sakit
Hanapin ang bola
Maglalaro na tayo ulit.