I still wish it was Betty...

OMG. Archie is going to ask one of them to get married!!! Awesome, and I am totally voting for Betty!

What am I talking about?!

I'm talking about the characters in Archie Comics . Ring a ding ding to you?

No? Yes?

After 68 years, Archie has apparently made his choice and I am not surprised Archie picked Veronica... although of course I am sad, but i guess that is the logical choice at this time (2009). Veronica is outgoing, has money, and is appealing. She has no obligations or responsibilities. During this time of economic struggles, who wants anything less?! He can party, she can pay. He may have to endure the snotty attitude, but what man hasn't had to make sacrifices in a relationship (been happening since the dawn of time with PMS, ha ha ha).

First, there's the money. Secondly - and this really should be first, actually - Archie has always been hot for Veronica. She makes him crazy. He's willing to do anything for even a kiss. Sure, Betty will fix his car and bake muffins and generally diminish herself in a variety of helpful ways, but sex appeal is pretty much innate.

It's all a little ridiculous, really - but maybe Archie's choice has always been meant to represent some sort of archetypal choice between wholesome American values and a sort of worldly decadence.

I always have an old fashion sense however, when it comes to romance. So okay, Veronica may be hotter, but Betty's the better girl! I hope Archie makes the right call! When Archie gets his head out of his rear end he will realize that Betty is the person for him, because she has always love him even when he was with Veronica.

Even though Archie is fixated with Ronnie, if you look on the other side, he and Betty share the same style, they have everything in common and have been through a lot together. It seems only a matter of time until he finally wises up to exactly how evil Veronica is, and turns around for comfort in Betty, only to notice that here was this perfect, faithful girl, all along.

Veronica lives in luxury - she can waste money as though it is as available as oxygen. She travels to school in a limo, has the fanciest pool in Riverdale and the sexiest custom-made outfits. Archie absolutely never has any money, and is forever borrowing from Veronica, which she throws massive fits over. ... if Veronica has such expensive tastes, if she is so hot, if she has dated far superior men.. then what the hell is she doing with Archie anyway? This implies that she truly is merely dating Archie to ensure that Betty does not get him for herself.

How about you? Do you agree with Archie's choice?

For the love of Amy.

This is in reaction to Amy's blog.

She is such a sweet young lady with so much inner strength, resilience and self control and yet she fails to see how valuable and worthwhile she is. Go visit her blog and give her a boost. Help me let her know that although we are not all born with equal physical and mental traits we are all born with equal rights to feel deserving of excellence according to our own set of standards.

I just want to stress here that negative thinking can make all sorts of things incredibly difficult. It is like a leak in our confidence bucket - constantly drip-drip-dripping away our confidence and self esteem. I cannot say it more clearly than that. Yes I agree that things go wrong in our life at times, but ultimately we chose how we react to these events.

You all know that our thoughts shape our moods. Thoughts are very powerful! They affect our general attitude and the attitude we carry reflects on our appearance too unless, of course, one is a great actor. But aside from making us look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can also turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.

So let's do away with it and feature healthy thoughts instead. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative thoughts. But although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, we can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.

Oh, before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either! There is a time to mourn. So if we are beset by troubles, even in our darkest hour, let us focus on the good things in life, then we will always have hope, and problems become something we can overcome.

So keep those chin up Amy, and smile to stranger when you caught them looking at you! Having a positive thoughts can actually retard aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and will have a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day.

So, can we go for a walk now?

Where do you go from here?

Vacations are fabulous aren’t they? Nothing can beat relaxing on the beach enjoying the surf and sun, sitting in a hammock and watching the sunset with a margarita that should be famous.

Also, you noticed that the locals are the best people on the earth, so much better than those people you know back home, so much happier and kinder. You also thought the town seems to be taken straight out of a fairy tale, and that you can almost see yourself living there, walking those streets, enjoying that margarita day in and day out without a care in the world. You may tell yourself: This is the life isn’t it! Isn’t it?

Of course, there's no doubt, living overseas, abroad, and in another country seems wonderful when you are on a vacation. You may even think: why not buy property here and make this vacation last forever?

But then we all know that a life changing decision is never best made on a whim while on a vacation, because moving to a new country is a huge step. What you experience while on vacation might not be the reality of what life would be like if you moved there. Quite often the reality of the situation is much more... well real than you ever expected. Once the honeymoon of a new home in a sunny country has worn off, the reality of day to day life often sets in.

It's most likely that you will find that a town can change drastically depending on what season you come in. If a country has a high season, then naturally it will also have a low season. If you come from places like the US, Canada, and the UK, then your country can be summed up into one word: Convenience. You undoubtedly, had the most comfortable country in the world. What you want and need is there, easily accessible practically at all times of the day.

Other countries like mine, on the other hand can be quite the opposite. Whether you are looking at settling by the beach or inland, life tends to be set at a slower pace. Adventure is plentiful and living can be inexpensive. But you may loose a lot of the convenience that you have been accustomed to in the U.S. And not being able to find exactly what you need can be quite frustrating. It can be quite a culture shock if you do not consider what changes you will have to make in your daily life in a new environment.

Living and retiring overseas can change anybody's life, and it’s never wrong to chase your dreams... well almost never. Besides the world's too big and interesting to stay in one place. And discovering people's way of living and thinking is always exciting!

So if you can move to another country, would you?

Hi, meet Cedric.

I will be straight with you all - I met another guy and fell in love. But unlike with my husband, there was no getting-to-know-each-other phase, no texting, no talking, no going out several times before I felt this way about him.

Actually, when I first met the guy, he looked somewhat disgusting. He was covered with sweat and blood. He was small, wrinkled, and so very loud that it would be hard not to take notice of him. Still I was instantly smitten!

It is safe to say that it was love at first sight. Oh yes, I actually never believed in this until I experienced it first-hand. I wanted to hold him right at that moment, but unfortunately I lost consciousness before I could...

Thankfully the next day, I saw him again. This time he looked a lot more handsome and clean, too. My heart was beating very fast as the nurse handed to me my sweet new little angel. And just like any other mother, I could not help but cry.

Having another kid, a third one, is truly a life-altering experience. They say that a parent’s love is unconditional, and I agree. I loved my children even before I saw them or met them. But did I wish I had a girl? Ha ha ha.

Yes, I love Cedric and will continue to do so even if he makes mistakes or grows up to become a person different from what I expect him to be. I will love him just like how my parents embraced every inch of my being, whether good or bad. Of course, I never really knew I was capable of this kind of love until I had my boys.

My youngest son Cedric will turn 16 next week, June 2.

My riches.

Last weekend me and my kins were strolling along Greenbelt in Makati. It is a mall for affluent people where every single item sold are way too expensive, even when they don't look nice - at least to my eyes!

I cringe at the cost of a simple blouse which is around 2,400 pesos or $50. Damn I can buy 4 blouses with that amount! I don’t obsess over fashion sense or having the latest whatever. Maybe that’s just who I am, or maybe who I am is because of how I’ve been raised. We have never been rich, though there was a time when we were better off financially.

Or maybe I thought we were rich because as a young girl, my perception of poverty and affluence was a 10 centavo coin inside my pocket. And I felt rich. Kidding aside, I was very happy when my auntie gave me shopping money, but I am a window shopper, and it’s very hard for me to decide on something to buy because I don’t shop often. I try not to spend the money I’ve saved, and despite the manna I got from her, I just can't wrap my head around buying an incredibly expensive shirt.

They bought some few things there, and then off we search for a restaurant to dine. There was some struggle here as they cannot decide between a Thai or Korean or the sizzling beef dishes. Finally we settle for Thai foods.

While I sit there waiting for our food to arrive, I cannot help but look around me. Sure the ambiance seemed cushy and elitist, adding to it are the classy people hurdled in every corner. But it's not the place or the food that makes me feel rich. I can have all the money in the world, but I can’t be truly rich if I don’t have love, laughter and support from people I love.

So as we take pictures and poke fun at each other, I also take an inventory of the people in my life who love and supported me. I know I am blessed with a wonderful family. I don't get the chance to see them often and the few times that we did it is always a truly memorable time for all of us.

Hope you also recognizes the people who give you love, kindness, and support.

Too tired ...

Hello, I am back!!!

That's me and my uncle Butch as we wait to join the others at the grand opening of USANA in the Philippines.

Sorry that the brief lull had made you worried Tracey, I just happen not to have any access to a laptop during the weekend. My relatives from the province are in Manila and I had spent the weekend with them, and even today, a Monday.

It was a very busy weekend, add to that is the very hot weather that right now my temple is throbbing while I am writing this. I barely slept because even when we were tired after spending the whole day going around Manila, we still spend the night talking till the wee hours as we try to catch up on each other.

I will be posting more soon, but I do need to sleep early as even my eyes seem to ache. Just want to let you people know that I am well...just been busy.

Indulge a trekkie once more.

I’ve pretty much confined myself to watching DVDs at home. But I felt that the new Star Trek movie should be seen in the movie house where the sound is better, and where I can allow the suspension of disbelief unfold before my eyes as I won't have a remote control to pause a scene when I want to go to the john.

I know I should have followed the tv series so I can familiarize with the characters in the movie. But I came into the series much later in life. And the only reason for that was not that I could not relate to it when it first came out in the 1960s, but that we had no TV in the 1960s. The first time I saw a “Star Trek” episode was in the reruns of the 1970s.

One particular idea in the series that has always fascinated me is Starfleet's "Prime Directive". It is a non-negotiable premise of contract with other civilization. It commands trekkers not to interfere with the natural evolution of more primitive societies whatever the reason. The logic being that interference, however well-intentioned, however benign, however humane, will produce disastrous results.

That theme, unfolded in dramatic, amusing, and other worldly adventures, but which is in fact as timely and very worldly as our today’s headlines. If you think about it, this “Prime Directive” is a hugely enlightened concept, and strikes at the heart of imperialism. It rejects all the excuses for conquering other peoples on the grounds of civilizing them or baptizing them into a new religion.

You introduce new ideas, sure. You coax, you persuade, you argue, sure. But you do not interfere. You do not give one tribe guns or blasters to use against another because they are the better tribe. You do not introduce warp drive to simple societies and not expect distortions in their development.

Yes, the stardate may be the future, but the concept is here and now and may be found in the UN. That is the premise of mutual respect and non-interference. I’ve always thought that if George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld had grown up on Star Trek, the world might have been a safer place to live in. Or the Arabs, particularly the Iraqis, might have had a better chance to live long and prosper.

That is what makes me a lot more partial to Star Trek than to Star Wars. Star Trek inspires wonder, about what we are and are capable of, about our animal instincts and angelic strivings, about space being the final frontier—but which space, the inner or outer one? All this told with wit and magic, with manic energy and desperate adventure.

Doesn’t hurt that just about everyone in the film is fantastically good-looking and that there’s no shortage of slickly directed action sequences. It was also sweet to include Leonard Nimoy (the original Mr. Spock) in this incarnation… I cried when he appeared on screen.

At the end of JJ Abrams’ stellar reinvention, when the new crew of the USS Enterprise is assembled on the deck, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, McCoy, Scottie, and Chekov, looking bedraggled after weathering a violent storm but ready to brave new ones, I was one of those up on my feet applauding. A new day has dawned. Another trek beckons.

If you haven’t seen this movie, go quickly. Or should I say, boldly?