20%

You are 20% likely to be experiencing a midlife crisis

 

You might be experiencing a midlife crisis, but it's not very likely. You may have some regrets about your past, and may at times wish things could be different, but overall you're a calm and stable individual with a bright outlook and realistic goals.

MidLife Crisis Quiz
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The result of this quiz surprised me. I thought I will score high on having a midlife crisis. But I believe the reasons why my score is on the low side are my answers when it comes to my future.

This is just an online quiz and I am not sure if this was supervised by a psychologist but if you read the questions, they are really telling.

Yes, I am greatly looking forward to a great future. There are so many things to enjoy about life, to be thankful for. And yes, there are still a lot of things I want to accomplish for my family, for myself.

I love life so much that I feel so positive about the present, about my future, together with my family. I believe that God is always by my side (as well as my family's). I have proven this countless times. Yes, there were moments when I asked where is my God? But things eventually turn out great and I've come out of a difficult situation a better person.

I want to believe it's my enthusiasm in life and all things that bring joy to my heart, my love for my family and friends, and my belief in God that makes mid-life something I honestly enjoy.

Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never"

My daughter had been eagerly anticipating this movie by Justin Bieber, "Never Say Never". She is a great fan of this boy wonder. She wanted to watch the movie right after her grade school graduation last Thursday but of course, going to the theater was not a priority on that night. We had dinner instead.

We watched it on Sunday afternoon. I was mulling over what to do while I sit there beside her for more than one hour. While checking the movie schedule online, my eyes darted on the how long the movie is. It says one hour and forty five minutes. I told myself "oh boy, I have to amuse myself that long". Needless to say I was prepared not to be entertained. I am not a JB hater, haha. It's just that I already have a Justin Bieber overdose at home. I don't need to see a documentary of his life.

But all for the love of my daughter, I went with her, paid for the 3D charge for the movie, wore that big glasses on top of my eyeglasses and munch on my popcorn. And the movie started.

Surprisingly the movie has a smooth flow. In summary, it documented Justin's musical inclination and talent since he was a toddler up to the present. Oh yes, this is very clever. What mother wouldn't appreciate a child playing musical instruments and singing to his heart's content.

It also warms my heart how close Justin is to his grandparents. You can see the genuine care and concern of the grandfather most especially. Video clips of Bieber as a small boy often show him with his grandfather. His family seems to be a closely knit family. His parents are divorced but from the clips, they seem to be in a harmonious relationship.

It was also touching to see how his father, very young father, cried during one of his concerts. I love that. It was also clear how close Justin is with his mom. Everybody was congratulating Justin but one point he approached his mom who was just sitting in one corner after his successful show at Madison Square Garden. He gave her a big hug. That was sweet.

The movie also showed the hard work Justin gives to be able to come up with a great performance. There are sacrifices and there are sacrifices. There's a price to pay for each success that you get. Is that it?

I am surprised to know Justin knows how to play the drums. He plays the drums, the guitar, the piano and he sings. He's really talented.

One thing I noticed is that his concert is patterned after Michael Jacksons...the pyrotechnics (of the fireworks on stage) and most especially the presence of a girl to whom Justin will offer a song. Just like MJ's, they choose a girl randomly to be on stage with Justin. Usher's idea?

Well, nothing really bad about it. I hope Justin will not be another Jonas Brothers, a flash in the pan. I sincerely think he will not be as long as he will be able to reinvent himself.

One thing I don't like about this documentary on JB is too much exposure of his manager. Yawn. He talks too much and too much close-up. I hope they had a lengthy or substantive interview also with the father.

All in all, I like Never Say Never.

Privacy Setting: For All the World to See

This makes me wonder. A lot of people in my Facebook account, and in my husband's, post pictures without even thinking who will really get to see them. I did add a few people who are under what I called Network and Media. Network for obvious reasons, they post updates on technology, legit business opportunities, running events, and the like. We don't know each other from Adam but I get to network with them online. They don't get to see any of my pictures and maybe 99% of my status.

But some of them seem not to care that even if I don't know them personally (and maybe half of their contacts) they still make pictures of their families and events which are private (example, wedding of their friends or relatives) visible to me. They post pictures of kids. They also post status which the whole Facebook world need not know. There is such a thing as "customize" in Facebook.

It's fine with me. I don't get annoyed even if my news feed is flooded with albums of people under my network list. I accepted their request or for some I was the one who added them so I should't complain what kind of Facebook user they are. I don't really check their pictures and most often than not, I click the X mark. I am only interested with the pictures of my family and close friends.

I'm a little worried for them though. What if among the thousands (and more) in their contacts just copy their pictures and use them for something else. Some pictures even show plate number of cars, house number, the children's schools, their work place, etcetera. Be discreet people. Edit, edit, edit.

Well maybe there are people who are comfortable being in the "limelight". They found a convenient stage in Facebook.

So I Learned.....

I want to master the art of homemaking. Why not? I can do it. As a working mom, I've put this in the sidelight for so long but now, I'd like to be a good homemaker, a very, very good homemaker. I am quite at home with cooking which I started around two years ago. I'm starting on the basic household chores lately. I don't want to be a weekend homemaker anymore.

Three things I have learned today about being keen on details when it comes to laundry, choosing fruits - bananas in this particular instance, and portioning for our daily menu.

This should be all common sense but well more often than not, some things get better with practice. Now I know.

I know that colored clothes should not be washed together with white. That's a no-brainer. But I didn't know that some fabrics are vulnerable to getting stained. That's what happened this afternoon. I put all the colored clothes in one tub only to discover one of my favorite off-shoulder top got a red stain as well as one of my favorite gym shirt but the rest of the clothes did not get the nasty stain.

Why didn't I learn this from our laundry shop? It goes to show I really need to understand and remember important details even for things I don't do everyday.

So I learned that I should not in any way mix any red shirt with the rest of the clothes. And that there are certain fabrics which are susceptible to stains. This I have to research more.

I bought a bunch of bananas at the wet market before going home this afternoon. I discovered that one of them bananas is actually rotten.

So I learned I should inspect each fruit for freshness.

I noticed...well, the hubby too, that when I am the one cooking or preparing our food, we always end up consuming them for two days, and can extend to three. I always over estimate what we can only eat. We practically eat for breakfast and dinner only, before leaving the house in the morning and when we are all together at night.

So I learned that just a little over 1/4 of beef and vegetables, only 3-4 pieces of medium sized fish will be enough for all of us.

Am I acting like a Superwoman? Do I want to be a Stepford Wife? No. I just want to be great at something which will mean taking care of my family every step of the way.

***Photo is from Getty Images.

Mary Grace Chocolate Cake

I texted my husband the other day that I want him to surprise me so he better buy me a chocolate or a mocha cake. He texted back that sure he will buy me at _______ (insert name of the famous neighborhood bakery). I messaged back and said never mind. Nothing wrong with the bakeshop but I have something else on mind.

I was sweating it out at the gym with a thought in mind that I will have a tiny bite/slice of chocolate cake when I get home. I am pretty sure my husband will buy me either at Goldilocks or at Red Ribbon since these are the nearest where he was at the time.

I was eager with anticipation going home. I went straight to the ref to have a bite of my cake. Yes, that's how I crave for my cake. Haha. Imagine last year, I never had a taste of any cake as far as I can remember because I was on a diet for my weight loss management program. This is torture for a cake person like me. Now that I have reached my ideal weight, I can have my cake and eat it too...in moderation...and not weekly, once in a while. :)

Thanks husband for my Mary Grace chocolate cake. Next time, ask for a caramel drizzle, :)

KFC Delivery

My daughter has caught the Double Down fever. I have not tried this and I don't have any plans to try. It's just too much for me. I wonder how many calories this food has. I am giving in to my daughter's craving now because it's a novelty for her but it will soon wear off I know. In fact I guess it is starting to wear off after her fourth try. That should be enough.

I was not feeling all too well last night because of my cold. I had no energy to prepare any food. Since it was just me and my daughter at home during dinner last night, I decided for a delivery. More like my daughter decided for a KFC delivery.

I had one piece chicken, removed the skin and just ate the meat, did not touch the rice. You tell me, I might as well had opened a can of meat loaf to serve as my dinner and saved a hundred or so pesos. But delivery is at P200 minimum so I had to order for myself too. My daughter had her Double Down and fries.

One-piece Original Recipe Chicken, Double Down, Large Fries, P245 thereabouts

I wonder why there is no box for the Double Down when I ordered to-go from one of their branches. I asked the cashier where's the box. She said there is no box and that's how they really package DD - inside a wrapper, tucked in a plastic KFC bag. Cutting down paper cost? But it's better if it's in a box not just for delivery but also for to-go orders.


Double Down, P100
What I appreciate about KFC is their 30-minute assurance of food delivery. Unlike other delivery restaurants which give a range of 30-45 minutes, KFC is quite confident for the 30-minutes alloted delivery time. The other food chains have more network/branches compared to KFC but they cannot promise a faster delivery time.

I am just hoping the delivery persons of KFC are not racing against time with their motorcycle. That would be dangerous. Safety is still number one. But anyway, so far, KFC delivery have been on time and true to their 30-minute commitment. Clap, clap, clap.

Dinner After A Movie

It was Italianni's night after watching Gullivers Travels a few weeks back. The daughter and the husband are not fans of this particular restaurant but since we have not visited the restaurant for a few months already, they gave in to my request.


Fried Calamari, Piccolo - P295
For starters we had fried calamari. I actually don't eat this for no apparent reason. So it was husband who consumed a huge portion of this.


I actually forgot what this is. I guess it's Frutti di Mare based on Italianni's menu description I found online. Husband loves mussels such pasta with lots of it is always his first choice. If this is what I think it is, it's at P595 for a regular serving.


Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillet, Regular - P595
This is what I had. I have always loved fish topped with cheese, whatever kind of cheese.


Lasagna P325
The daughter ordered for lasagna. She loves this with lots of mozzarella cheese.

It has been a very busy February so far. We intend to have a long weekend off on the last week of February since the 25th is a holiday! :)

In the meantime, have a great week ahead!

***More food sharing at Picture Clusters and Food Trip Friday.