for all singles

I have a lot of girl friends who are singles and are already ready for a long lasting commitment. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to find Mr. Right on their own so some of them ask for help. My husband and I have some guy friends here who are just inspired by our relationship and would like to try their luck with asian singles and sometime they come to me and ask me if I know anybody.

I had a bad experience with playing cupid and I’ve learned from it but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with introducing single friends to each other. I actually think it’s good and that is not because I believe in the old Chinese belief that luck will be brought to those who successfully helped arranged a successful union/relationship. For me, it’s just nice to see two of my friends falling in love with each other.

Good old “waiting for Mr./Ms. Right” is not bad but for those who’ve been waiting for so long, I think they have to do something to stop their waiting. I think they should be proactive at finding someone who can be their partner for life. We are very modern these days. Other than sitting in a bar and hoping that the cute guy will notice you, there are also other ways to meet someone–go out more often, join a group, ask a friend if he/she knows somebody, or go online and try some dating sites… the possibilities are endless.

search love online

If you ever came across my Bizarre Marriage blog, you know that it is about my personal experiences and insights on intercultural marriage. Although I did not meet my husband online, online dating is something I was already open to (that’s when I was still single, ok) . When I met my girlfriend Ruthi (online), I felt an instant connection with her not only because she’s likable but also because she’s in an intercultural marriage herself. I invited her to contribute some articles for my intercultural marriage blog and she not only shared about her thoughts on intercultural marriages but she also gave a thorough account of her experience with meeting the love of her life online.

A lot of people still prefer the traditional way of meeting new people but a growing number of singles all over the world are opening up to online dating. Online dating is easy especially if you are the shy type because you get to postpone face to face encounter. Online dating enables you to get to know a person through talking first (this way, you avoid the pressure of physical intimacy) then when you are good and ready to meet each other personally, you can simply agree on the time and date.

There are a lot of available resources on the net about online dating so if you are thinking of trying out this new way of searching a partner, it wouldn’t hurt to read a few articles about it. Doing so will give you information on how to succeed with online dating. You’ll also be warned about what to avoid and what to do when things don’t turn out well.

I am swamped!

I don’t like to sound like I am complaining because I wanted to have this job in the first place and I do really want to keep it.

Teaching is a lot of work. I have a minimal number of classes per week but the amount of work is tantamount to having a 7-5 job. I used to have more classes per week in China but I was always relaxed. I had time for other things like meeting my friends, chatting with my family back home, and partying. Right now it seems that the time I have is just enough for lesson planning and making props. Other tasks like most of the housework are postponed. The pile of clothes waiting to be ironed is incredible… I don’t know if I can ever iron it all to the last piece of clothing.

Hubby understands that since I am now working, he has to help me with the housework and that’s what he is doing but I never dare let him do the ironing (he can’t do it to my standard). I still do the cleaning but at least he tries so hard not to make a mess.

He cooks sometimes. He likes doing it and I let him because he’s a far better cook than I am.

The work brought so much adjustment to our household. I still do most of the work but I noticed that when hubby can help it, he tries to minimize the housework for me.

Meeting People Online

I know a lot of couples who met online and I am quite impressed by most of these couples because despite of many negative things that result from people meeting online, these couples seems to be doing really well in their relationship.

I personally don’t have anything against online dating and meeting people online because based on my personal experience, I’ve met quite a lot of real nice people through the World Wide Web who share the same interests like mine. These people later became my friends.

One of our friends (who is a bachelor) once said that it’s getting more and more awkward to approach a girl in a bar or in restaurant simply because the people in these places doesn’t seem to be “looking for something” or that most of the girls in there are aiming for something else other than a possible relationship. I believe he has a point there. Why not just go somewhere where you can be sure that the people you’ll be meeting have the same interests like yours. In the net where chatting is offered, you’ll immediate know where to go because there are different “Chat Rooms” for different people. If you are a single parent and would like to meet and talk to other single parents, you can go to “Single Parent Chat”. It’s as easy as that.

Box of Chocolates

gertrudehawkchocolates.jpegMy birthday is still three weeks away but I already got my birthday gift and I am really loving it. Although my husband told me that that should be it and that I should not expect more on my birthday, I just know that he will still do something special for me on that particular day. I don’t know yet what he’ll do but I am sure that I’ll receive a bouquet from him plus a small sweet gift like a teddy bear or a box of chocolates. Though these gifts are very common, I always appreciate them more than the expensive ones.

I think that chocolate gifts and flowers always melt the hearts of women who receive them. A man can never go wrong about giving a woman flowers and chocolates because these are always welcome no matter what the occasion is.

Home is Where the Heart Is

mypinknotes-moving-boxes.JPGIn one of my interviews, I was once asked if I am having a difficulty moving from one place to another, if I hate it, or if I hope that it ends soon.

You see, I do hate moving and that means packing, transporting and unpacking things. I think I moved from one place to another like more than 10 times in my life. Now that I am married, people I know (like my mom) kind of expect that I am more settled and that I should be raising a family together with my husband already. That means we’re expected to have a kid and to live in a place where we can stay for the rest of our lives.

We are on our way to that place but right now, we are still preparing for it. I do hate moving but I’d do it again  because I  can’t imagine being away from my husband. If the situation asks for it, then we’ll move again together and we’ll build a home to whatever that is.

I Am that Kind of Shopper.

I didn’t attend my German class yesterday. The reason to this is because I needed to shop for a dress for the Austrian National Day Party which was held yesterday evening. Initially, we agreed to go there in our traditional Austrian clothes but Marcus dress.JPGchanged his mind. So yesterday afternoon, I was checking a lot stores one after the other hoping to find a dress. It was not fun! In fact, it was a total stress! I cannot do shopping when I am constantly receiving calls from Marcus asking me if I already found a dress or not! Gosh!

The party was hosted by the Austrian Embassy and I will tell you all about the evening next time. Right now, I want to talk about yesterday afternoon.

So yeah, I hated the fact that I am given such short time to shop. I do have other clothes for evenings like this but they’re all in Austria so it was like…. I find a dress or Marcus and I won’t go to the party and the second option is a no no because Marcus is dying to be there to mingle with his fellow Austrians.

You see when I buy something; I make sure that after I bought it, use it, wash it, I still view “it” as pretty. And I can use “it” again in other occasion. So I need time when shopping especially if I also have to find other things like shoes and accessories to go with “it”. Plus I also try to find something that I think my husband will like specially if he is paying for it.

A House that is Built for You

Once, I asked my husband why did he choose to continue working abroad when in fact, life standard in Austria is much better. He said it’s because he wanted to be able to buy our own house when we finally settle in Austria. He doesn’t like to be paying a monthly mortgage so he is working so hard to earn a sum that would be enough to buy a house.

I told him that it needed not to be grand. A simple home with a small garden is already great. There are ready built houses in Austria and I think owning one is practical but my husband told me that he doesn’t like such houses because they are too generic. He wants something which is built for us and he would like to help build the house. I don’t know exactly what he has in mind but I do hope that it is within our reach and capabilities.

In the US, there are a lot of custom home builder companies and Schumacher Homes is one of them. This company has over 15 years of experience in this industry and over these years, it has helped over 5,000 families build their dream houses. This company prides itself on the quality home construction, exceptional value, and award winning designs. They’ve got locations all over Ohio and Indiana so if you are from these places and you are planning to get a custom home, you might want to consult them. You may also visit there site at SchumacherHomes-ohio.com.