Money > Love?

My parents have recently been giving me and my sister strife over our choices of boyfriends (so they obviously do not like WY). After a lengthy lecture about why it is important to find someone capable of providing for a family in the future (e.g. stable job, preferably a licensed professional or a public servant), and that money is more important than personality (we were told that we were acting too “romantic” for thinking that good manners and gentlemanly behaviours are important qualities to look for in a guy), we felt pretty crummy about the whole situation.

As our parents do not like our boyfriends, we are subject to a lot of restrictions such as not being allowed to go on trips alone with them; inviting them over to watch a movie is obviously out of the question as well. In their minds, our boyfriends are just our “friends” and nothing more. Therefore, we are not tied down and are free to search for other more suitable matches. Our dad is also very open to the idea of finding potential partners for us. I attended one such lunch (more info here), but that was before I met WY. I refuse to participate in my dad’s matchmaking schemes now. I love my parents and I don’t want to make them unhappy through my decisions and actions, but I know that I would be truly unhappy if I choose money over love.

While puzzling over this whole situation, Sis came across the blog of the dating coach, Evan Marc Katz, that answered our dating questions:

Evan Marc Katz on “My parents don’t approve of the person I’m dating.”

Anyway, reading his response made me feel a lot better. I think it mostly has to do with Asian parenting. Asian parents have the fear of letting their children make their own decisions in life, and society is also set up so that resources are coveted above all else, even love. Which I think is truly a shame.

QB

We have a new member in our family!

He’s white, fluffy, 3 months old, weighs 1 kg, and he loves to eat.

Meet QB, the white toy poodle!

On Tuesday, mom and dad went out for a particularly long walk, and when they came back, mommy carried a little white fur ball into the bedroom. SURPRISE! His bright eyes and teddy bear look were irresistible! He immediately became everyone’s centre of attention. Poor Yoyo… We neglected him that night because we were too busy setting up QB’s cage and getting him acquainted to his new surrounding. QB is such a quiet pup. We have not heard him bark once. He whimpers if we leave him alone in his cage though, because he needs to be around people. I can’t wait to take him outside to meet other dogs, but right now, he needs to stay at home and wait until he has had all his puppy shots. There are so many things that we want to do with QB… Take him out for walks, go hiking, play fetch in the park. Poodles are the second-most intelligent dog out of all dog breeds, so the vet said to not feed him delicious-tasting human food. Otherwise he will become a very picky eater and that wouldn’t be good. But those puppy eyes… *_*

Happy birthday, Mom and Dad!

My mom and dad’s birthdays both land on March 10th. March 10th seems like a common birth date, because I know 2 other people with the same birthday! (My birthday is also a common date) This year is the first time in 10 years that I can actually spend this special day with my parents! MM and I surprised them with a chocolate cake this morning, and with a birthday card. Dad complained and said that he didn’t want a cake, but inside we knew that he was actually quite happy.

This year I finally started to understand the hard work that it takes to be a parent, from listening to my boss talk about his daughter, and coworkers talking about their kids, I really learned to appreciate what parents do for their children. I only hope that if and when I become a mom, I can be half the mom that my parents are!

Mom and dad, I know I’m often not at home because I’m always out and about, but I’ll try to spend more time with you guys! Thanks for everything that you’ve done for me, and for giving sis and me the opportunity to receive world-class education in Canada. Dad, it was really brave of you to take us there all by yourself, and mom, even though you couldn’t be there to watch us grow, we’re reunited now after so many years. We’ll do lots of fun things together now to make up for the lost time.

Happy birthday, mom and dad! :) Stay healthy. We love you.

I love my friends!

I came home today to another package in the mail… more Christmas goodies! I want to say ‘Thank you’ to JTran and Jewels for the wonderful book (I love the Oatmeal!! It’s even signed by him, and addressed to me!), and my Starbucks cards collection continues to grow even though I cannot physically collect any cards here in Taiwan on my own.. Thank you guys. :’)

It’s honestly not the gifts themselves that bring me so much happiness, but just knowing that someone out there is thinking about me. I love my friends. They are my sunshine; they make me happy when skies are grey. Thank you for being so amazing. Thanks for being you!

If I still worked at Adams, I’d bring this to work today to share with everyone:

But unfortunately I cannot be there, so you guys get pixels instead. <3

Ask Dr. Tracy

I recently came across a website that provides some pretty good advice on relationships/love. It’s written by a relationship counsellor, and from her experience, I think she has some pretty good points to make!

I provided the link below titled “Developing Realistic Criteria”, where Dr. Tracy guides you step-by-step through some questions to ask yourself to determine some criteria to look for in a potential partner:

“Ask Dr. Tracy” Developing Realistic Criteria

It will make finding the right person that much easier if you have a “wishlist” handy. Then you won’t be sitting on the fence or wondering if you made the wrong decision!

Mr. Right

I have been thinking a lot about relationships these past few days, and I have come to realize that for a woman, age is a big factor, and for a man, it’s money. If a woman wants to get married, she has the highest chance to meet someone if she is young. If a man wants to get married, age isn’t an issue as long as he is rich. Of course there are always exceptions to everything, but this is generally what’s most important for males and females who see marriage and family in their future plans.

I don’t think anyone can be perfect, but for me, it’s still important to have a few criteria when I’m considering a potential man who might possibly be my Mr. Right. If I don’t meet anyone who’s right for me, then I would probably choose to not marry, rather than marry just for the sake of getting married.

So, here’s the list of things I look for in my Mr. Right:

– Must be chivalrous:
In other words, he must be a gentleman. Ex. Holding the door open, walk on the traffic side of the road, look out for my safety, etc.
I know it might sound kind of old-fashioned, but I think it’s really sweet when a guy is a gentleman and treats his girl like a lady. Not only does it mean he cares about her safety, but that he respects her.

– Must treat people around him kindly:
Specifically his parents and those who work in customer service, for example the waiter or the cleaning lady. If a man treats his parents well (not to the point of being a mama’s boy), then that tells me he will treat his future family in a similar way. And if he treats the waiter or cleaning lady kindly, then it shows that he respects people regardless of their occupation, and that he isn’t just treating only you well just to impress you, but that he is genuinely a kind person in general.

– Must be financially stable:
Love is not enough to support a family. I don’t think the type of job matters too much; he doesn’t need to be a company’s CEO or the son of an oil tycoon, but if he’s legally working for his income in an industry that I can accept, then that’s enough. However, the income must be stable and will not require us to live paycheck by paycheck in the future. I do not want a guy who will be relying on me for money because he is too lazy to look for work.

– Must be faithful:
Cheating is something that I absolutely cannot tolerate. This should have been at the top of my list actually. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Men who cheat are the most rotten ones in the whole lot, especially if they deny everything even when the evidence is glaringly clear.

So, those are the major biggies. If I was to be real nit-picky, I could easily expand my list by adding a few more criteria like:
– Be genuine and sincere
– Care about his health
– Be assertive and confident
– Be patient, responsible, mature, honest
– Get along with my family and my friends

Looks fade, but personalities last a lifetime. It’s really hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and that’s the same with people. Don’t expect someone to change dramatically just because you ask them to. Some things never change, so don’t be a fool like Daisy in “The Great Gatsby”. Follow your head and your heart, and good luck to all of us who are still searching for their Mr. Right.

This photo was taken by CindTee, who took it during a trip to an island in Malaysia. What a beautiful place.. I hope to travel the world one day.

Doggy Love

A few days ago Sarah and I went to Ivy’s house to play with her doggies. They were so cute and friendly! When we walked in the front door, Pocky and Gilbert started barking like crazy, but Pocky calmed down quite quickly. Gilbert was still very hyper though. I really wonder why dogs like licking human hands so much? I don’t mind dog saliva since I’m not allergic to them. (Although I heard that some people are?!) Dog saliva actually has healing properties too!! They have antibodies or something like that. I remember back when I was younger, somebody told me that if I let a dog lick my wound it would heal faster. That sounded both cool and kind of scary to me!!

Pocky

Here is a picture of Pocky! He knows how to sit and has a very calm nature. I thought his fur was crimped at first, but it turns out to be his natural wavy hair! So soft~! Like a lamb.

Gilbert

And here is Gilbert~ He has an extremely hyperactive nature. I think he might have ADHD!! For those who don’t know, that means Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder. He can’t sit still and even when he must stay in one place, he would turn in circles again and again and again~ Like when Sarah went to the washroom, Gilbert turned in circles in the same spot until she came back. At first I found him to be a bit intimidating because he loves to pounce and lick my hand and clothes and everywhere, but after a while he calmed down and turned into a little gentleman! (like the one you see in the picture)

People say that a dog is a man’s best friend. I want a dog in the future too if I can give enough attention and devote enough time to it. It will be a very sad feeling though when the dog dies. I guess it’s like that with all relationships. If it is really worth it to feel extreme happiness during the relationship, but immense sadness when it’s all over? I guess it is. It’s just too bad that the sadness can’t come first, then the happiness. I am personally a big fan of happy endings~