This is one of my favorite ads this season. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that to me, it almost doesn’t matter if he becomes fluent enough for his goal… the important thing is that all this effort IS the language of love, and that is more than enough.
I saw a story last night that simply made me giddy: A couple who had been dating for a year just found out two weeks ago that they were each other’s pre-k “sweethearts!” According to People.com, Amy and Justin actually met each other online and at a later conversation in their relationship, Justin mentioned that he always liked her name since he had a crush in preschool named “Amy” also. As it turns out, Amy went to the same preschool and after some digging, they were able to find a photo of the two of them together, from 30 years ago! Justin’s crush have always been her after all! What?! Call it coincidence, call it fate … either way, I thought this is such a sweet story and if it made me smile, I know it will make someone else smile too. :) Check out the full story.
I enjoy sitting in an airport because I get to observe the different folks around me. I’ve mentioned this before, but the pure joy I get to witness when a person hugs their missed loved one makes me really happy. This is why I thought Juan Mann’s Free Hugs Campaign is simply beautiful. Almost everyone, whether it comes from deep emotional sentiment or a simple recognition of someone’s existence in this world we share, will appreciate a hug. To me, when I give or receive a hug, I feel a sense of openness, acceptance, and a subtle shared celebration of that human connection that was just made or about to happen. It’s an expression of love in varying degrees, and it’s love nonetheless. Everyone who wants an honest-to-goodness genuine hug should be able to get one. Hug someone today. :) Visit the Free Hugs Campaign site for more info.
My sister recently reposted this video of Christian the Lion on Facebook. It’s one of those videos I’ve seen at LEAST 20 times on YouTube, to the point where I’ve probably memorized every single frame. I knew exactly what to expect, but I clicked the thumbnail anyway because I know it will make me smile. It never fails to grab my heart and squeeze it so much — in a good way. You may have already seen this 20x too, but I’m posting it here in the off chance that someone has not, and I get to be the lucky (re-)sharer of this beautiful story.
I’ve seen a lot of videos and heartwarming articles over the holidays but for some reason, this clip from Skype is the one that brought tears to my eyes — even after viewing it a second time! As I have written about before, I LOVE the internet mainly because of its sheer power for connecting people. Whether it’s keeping in touch with a parent or a best friend who lives thousands of miles away, or with a friend who is just like you and whom you have a meaningful bond with though you’ve never met in person … through this technology, we are able to express love, show support, and share happiness. And that, is more than enough reason to celebrate. Happy New Year!
I’m not a fan of war, but our soldiers have my respect. To watch them come home and reunite with their families make me happy. Seeing the love pour out of every embrace, every smile, every tear … it’s completely mesmerizing and humbling. I thought my heart was going to explode half-way through.
This song feels like a warm hug to my heart. It also reminds me of my friends and how I much I miss them. Our inside jokes, experiences (good and bad) that we’ve shared, lessons we learned together, their quirks, their humor, smiling faces, tears, laughter, and everything in between. I wish I can sing this to them every time they need me in spite of the physical distance between us. I love them truly. In case you want to sing along with me, here are the lyrics: You with the sad eyes Don’t be discouraged Oh I realize Its hard to take courage In a world full of people You can lose sight of it all And the darkness inside you Can make you feel so small But I see your true colors Shining through I see your true colors And that’s why I love you So don’t be afraid to let them show Your true colors True colors are beautiful, Like a rainbow Show me a smile then, Don’t be unhappy, can’t remember …
Watch Fran and Marlo’s impromptu piano recital. How cute is this?!
I was raised in an unconventional household. My father was the homemaker, and my mother was the breadwinner. When I was younger, I was a little bit jealous of friends whose moms baked cookies. Not that my household is any less cool, but it was different. And being different is not always ideal when you’re that young. Subconsciously (and I hated to admit it when I was a teenager) my mom served as an inspiration: She is strong and determined. She is intelligent and she broke social barriers. She made sure we did well in school, she knows who our friends are, and she pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of. She, together with my father, made a great team in spite of our unusual household set-up in the past three decades. Sure she missed some PTA meetings and she doesn’t cook every single day, but she has made great sacrifices to ensure that we, her children, grow up to be responsible adults with good values, and that we are equipped to face …
My grandparents own a convenience store in a busy part of town, where we have to “help as Sales Personnel” for part of our summer vacation. At two o’clock on a weekday however, we don’t have customers — so my grandfather and I would people-watch although there is barely anyone in sight except the unemployed and maids running errands. It was also a sketchy part of town and I remember seeing guys walk by shirtless, with massive tattoos on their arms, their necks. I was 8 years old and that gets scary. This one guy in particular looked like he just got out of prison, and I would sit there watching him drink with his buddies, marveling at the artwork, speculating what everything on his arm meant. Gang signs? I recognize Jesus. But what about the other symbols? Are they religious too? Or is it evil? I wonder what my religion teacher would say. Tatay (what I called my grandfather in Tagalog, pronounced as “tah-tahy”), who was hanging out at the convenience store with me, …
