10 Most Desirable Virtues In A Man

A
Man's
10
Most

Desirable

Virtues
According to
ME

Being an only child where my father was never around means I never have the opportunity to understand the opposite sex. The women in my family had been strong, self-independent and very capable indeed. My mother raised me up on her own and my grandmother herself was a young widow. The only two men in the house were my uncles who were hardly at home.

All that changed after I got married. The BEFORE and AFTER were two worlds apart! Certainly not what I expected and anticipated.

1. Pride himself on his punctuality, he never neglects to call if he fails to be there on time. If he says he around the corner, the drive around the corner should not be half an hour later before he arrives. That is unless his car happens to have a flat or the car had engine problem. Of course all is forgiven if he is late, but arrive with a surprise.

2. Remain the wonderful husband/boyfriend he is instead of acting as your driving instructor. Please keep an open mind as to our driving style or speed. Driving should be a pleasurable task as we already lived in a fast lane. We are not denying that men are the better drivers, all we're asking is that you air your comments after we've reach the destination. The car should not be the battleground.

3. The ability to listen as if we, your ladies are the center of your cosmic world. As for my husband, he talks to himself while I talking to him. Maybe I am asking too much. In any case, I think I should stick to my intimate girlfriends if my soul needs a purging or two of any deep seated emotional distress.

4. Be a man of the 21st century. You no longer lived with your mother, whose sole responsibility was to cap the tube of toothpaste, pick up your used ear buds, collect your soiled underwear or smelly socks. In reality, your wives are mothers of her own kids whom she is desperately trying to help kick those bad habits.

5. A man who enjoys a good movie with you. Remember those romantic movies you'd watched when you were dating your man, those precious moments are now a thing of the past. Instead, you 'll be watching Steven Seagal or a Nicholas Cage flops and not the Jennifer Aniston or Anne Hathaway romantic comedy for the night. Then he wonders why there are no "cuddles" after that. Duh!

6. A man who understand that the car is not an extension of the house both of you are living in. Although my job offers me great flexibility as I could work from home but I also handle the bulk of the house chores. The start of my day ran into the gamut of..... feeding the 12 budgies, 10 Japanese Koi, the dog (feeding, walking, picking up doggy business), sending kids to school, shopping, cooking, laundering, picking kids from school, tutoring ..... I think we all get it and I hope you men out there get it too... So please have a heart and send the car for a clean up instead of saying " Why is your car so filthy when the house is not"

7. "The Disappearing Act 1" - My man has the knack of running off and forgetting to tell where he's off to. As a boy during the May 13th, his parents had to searched for him all over Bricksfield
as the night curfew was about to begin. Something about those soldiers excited him and he was actually following them not knowing they were there because of the political unrest.

8. His humor

9. His love for his family and mankind

10. His understanding, patience, undying love for ME

Hey, these are my opinions solely and do not reflect those of all the ladies out there. After all,
I am entitled to mine.

Made For Survival

For most of us who've made the choice not to have maids (I resolved to remain maid free after my one and only disappeared on a Sunday morning and never returned). Due to financial circumstances or otherwise, cleaning and keeping house can be a daunting task, especially if your kids are sensitive to household dust and allergens, you tend to become even more careful.

There are hundreds of cleaning aids out there to help you out. However, you'll need the eyesight of an eagle to read the label and if you somehow manage to get through that hurdle, you'll need a background in chemistry to understand what's in the bottle.

So how do I manage? Well, you don't need to be a rocket scientist for sure. For a start, you do need a schedule based on rotation chore timetable. Secondly, a good start-up kit, some very basic cleaning aids. You can even make them yourself (the internet offers tonnes of recipes), if not scout around for inexpensive organic brands. Finally, you need to have the determination, courage, strength and a big sense of humour.

*Magic Basket

1. Organic or good quality house hold cleaners
2. A couple of lint-free micro-fibre cloths
3. A medium size bucket and 100 % cotton/sponge mop
4. Lavatory brush and tile grout brush/baby- bottle brush
5. Sand paper block/sponge
6. micro-fibre feather duster
7. Distilled vinegar and Soda Bicarbonate powder
(Located at the baking and oil sections aisles)
8. Leftover toothpaste (any cheapy one will do)
9. Your most precious resources, your kids, maybe hubby and lots of elbow grease...
10. TIME

* HolyCow Organic, Cosway Eco-range, Ecover are a few brands available from organic outlets.
* Selley 3M, Cosway, Tesco, Ace Hardware, Jaya Jusco, Sogo, has a decent selections of micro-fibre cloths. They are available in different sizes. Large ones make good hand/face towels. They are easy to wash, fast drying and super absorbent.
*Micro-fibre/sponge mops are fine if your floor are not terracotta like mine. Mine will chew up the mop.
* Tile grout brush and baby-bottle brush looks similar to toilet brush. Slender and slightly curve at the end. Ideal for hard to reach corners of your shower cubicle and between grout.
* Sand paper block are available from good hardware shop. They remove metallic scuff mark on tile surface and hardwater ring stain in the toilet bowl. Always use them damp and be sure to rinse after using. Can be use on their own or with some soda bicarb powder for tough stains.
* A damp cloth wipe run over the micro duster first ensures every particles of dust gets wipe away.
* A 1: 10 solution of water and vinegar in a spray bottle is great for the quick touch-up. Spray onto any surface (Floor, kitchen counter, Bathroom porcelain fittings, tiles) and wipe. It helps to deodorize and remove oily residue. A small amount of vinegar in a glass jar will deodorize smell from your kitchen cabinet or fridge.
* A mixture(1:10) of essential oil eg lavender, eucalyptus, sandalwood, lemongrass and water makes your homes smelling fresh as if you have brought the outdoors in. In Sri Lanka sandalwood oil is mix with water cleans and refreshes wooden floor. Its anti-pest quality means it's a safer alternative to your petrol-based bug spray. Remember to invest in organic essential oil which is unadulterated.
* Old newspapers are still the cheapest way to bring a shine to your glass doors or window.

TIP:
Get yourself some pretty boxes or better still recycle gift boxes, shoes boxes for these emergencies. Many of the inexpensive boxes are available in myriads of design and textures. My favourite haunt is 100 YEN SHOP (Original $5.00 shop from Japan), Ace Hardware, IKEA , Sogo, Jaya Jusco, Tesco, Carrefour, smaller shops along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (gorgeous bamboo/reed baskets/boxes) . At home my collection of antique boxes/chests are left around the house to store things, from keys to toys to books and magazines.

BIGGEST TIP:
Spring clean and declutter regularly. Discipline, determination and dedication is the most important if you want to your heavenly abode to resembles those dreamy homes you see on TV. Working smart will save you precious time which you can then spend with your loved ones.

There is a saying " No one is perfect" but there is also another that says " Practice makes perfect"

Have Fun!

Holy Cow @#$%!

Would anyone believe this? I mean, how things can go wrong one after another.

First, my rear brake light unit broke off after a motorcyclist rammed into my car one morning. I even offered first aid assistance to him all while he was chastising me for braking abruptly causing him his misery.

I suddenly felt like a kid that had been spanked for a mischievous deed committed by another kid. Every other car behind me saw the little mishap and they too were not very forgiving, especially since a woman was involved. I could feel the "surround sound effects" as a result of car horns blasting from all directions telling me to move. I gritted my tongue, heaved an apology and drove away.

Back at home, I was not spared the usual interrogation. Is this a women drivers problem with men only or do men have a problem with women drivers as a whole? There had been tons of jokes about us being bad at driving, bad at reading maps and so on. My husband tells me that a woman's brain uses far less brain matter compared to that of a man when it comes to driving or operating machinery .(there is scientific proof this.) But why do I have the funny feeling that these tests were conducted men!

One week later, a newly purchased bottle of organic grapeseed oil exploded, drenching the rear passenger seat completely. Three weeks on, our efforts in washing and deodorizing the seats remain futile. The car still has that warm oily smell and it is more obvious if the days are hot.
Totally adhering to a plastic & paperless shopping motto has been my shortcoming that day. Next time, I will not refuse the cashiers offer to bag bottles with any liquid.

A fortnight following that incident, I crashed my car rolling into another as I was about to turn and exit from a road junction. To think that it could happen at a 10km driving speed was surprising. (Actually many accidents happen at that speed, my husband named it the "parking bay speed"). $150.00 compensation to the victim, and my own repair bill of $550.00 and that incident became another red mark on my driving annals among the many others.

I am not going to be intimidated by my "fall from my beloved horse". I am determined to perfect my driving skills just like how I am perfecting my mothering, child- raising, cooking, baking, home-making and etc. These things take a lifetime to master.

I realize I may not be Mrs 100 % but I will match the standard I've set. With two young audiences who are watching me at all times I have to set a good example. No resting on my laurels for me.

P.S. By the way, I chance upon the Holy Cow Organic cleaning products from USA at Ace Hardware Mid Valley, Kuala Lumpur. It is one of the most inexpensive organic stuff compared to what is currently available in premium supermarkets and organic outlets. They come in large almost 800 ml and in 3 variants for different usages. Other organic cleaning products either made in USA or Australia eg. Ecover are priced at more than $15 above. So I grab about 6 bottles just in case Ace decides to raise the price.

The "prove of the pudding test" is definitely "no lingering smell", no rushing out my shower cubicle after spraying prior to scrubbing. My son even uses the PINK Cow to wash his school shoes as his feet easily succumbs to eczema. They proudly sit alongside my home-concocted bottles of vinegar & soap, Arm & Hammer baking soda as new recruits joining my simple, non-life threatening house-keeping regime.

Not For Your Children's Eyes

It's been barely 2 days since we received news of the death of my brother-in-law's nephew in Perth.

This young man was at the prime age of 20 and would have had a bright future had he lived. His death has been a total shock to everyone in the family. His untimely death brought grief and extreme pain to the whole family. No funeral has been held yet, pending police investigation as to the cause of death. WHY the police , you may ask?

I, for one am overcome not just with grief but frustration, disgust and anger. Let me not spare you the unusual manner of how he took his life. He had utilized the Internet and its free information available from thousands of sites teaching people in despair how to end their lives by using various methods. (online euthanasia clinics)

All this boy had to get was a plastic bag and HELIUM gas, the type you get from party / balloon shops. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to rig this up and worst of all, it's not illegal.

In a world where we are bombarded daily with news of cyclones, earthquakes, famine and sickness, we don't need children dying like this. There needs to be some form of check and balance webmasters and Internet providers have to employ before anything of this nature is posted for the world to see.

This has been done successfully with child pornography sites in most countries and I don't see why sites that encourage taking your life should be any different. Please understand that I am only talking about not allowing children to have access to these sites.

The stress of living daily can take its toll on each and everyone of us. When we feel intimidated, frustrated and very often feel like the whole world is collapsing around us, we need to voice our feelings and thoughts to someone. Unfortunately. most of the time, seeking help itself intimidates us, we lose our inner voice and try to find alternatives. Sometimes not the right ones. And in the case of this young man a fatal one.

I will not surround my two precious children with colorful beanbags to cushion them from the realities of life. Nor am I going to ban the INTERNET or SAT TV.

Like my husband says, we don't live in the sticks and we are not hermits , therefore I will guide them through the rivers, ravines, hills and mountains as much as I can and to the best of my knowledge, teaching them everything I know about the life's troubles & joys.

We, in Kuala Lumpur will grief together with our family members in Australia.

May God bless us with faith, peace, hope and love.