Links Link Parties 6:12 AM Let's party here. If you know link parties that are not mentioned below, please let me know so in the comment. Sharing is caring! Monday Motivation Monday Living Proverbs 31 Soul Survival Raising Samuels - Social Butterfly Tuesday Titus Tuesday Wednesday Waiting on Wednesday Wholehearted Wednesday Thursday Rich Faith Inspiring/Unite The Bloggersphere #livefree Thursday Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop Friday Friday Frivolity Counting My Blessings Saturday Dare To Share Sunday Soul Survival
T.V. How I Learned To Love How I Met Your Mother 9:23 AM How I Learned To Love How I Met Your Mother When I first saw the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, I thought it was lame. I thought the lines weren't funny, the story dragged and the characters were shallow. That's because I watched the 3rd episode of the 5th series. Naturally, I couldn't appreciate the story. I don't know who these people are, how they've arrived there, why they talked that way. So I changed the channel and totally forgot about it. It was Robin 101, where Ted---the guy who tells the story of how he met the mother of his two kids, was teaching Barney---his crazy womanizer of a friend, things he need to know about Robin. Ted dated Robin for a while and remained friends with her after that. It was quite a twist for Barney to fall in love with Robin if you know how Barney is with women. It's even crazier for Robin to fall for Barney, as she's the type who doesn't prioritize romance. I actually kind of hate her more often than not because she can be slutty at times. When I found out that one of my fave bloggers (Bitchy Miss Ilongga) loves the show, I got curious and gave it another shot. So I watched the pilot episode...and instantly fell in love with the show! Meet the How I Met Your Mother Characters: Ted Mosby is every hopeless romantic's kind of guy. Committed, passionate about his work as an architect, a loyal friend, sensible, managed to stay sane and strong (with his friend's support) despite the trauma of being left at the altar, relentless in his quest for finding his one true love, quirky but in an adorable kind of way. Ted is someone who takes life and love seriously---so much so sometimes that it leaves him always heartbroken. Every woman's dream guy. Marshall Eriksen is Lily's long time boyfriend, turned fiance, turned husband and Ted's longest and best friend (although Barney always objects). He's the most unrealistic of all characters. He's got the kindest heart, he's only had sex with one woman all his life! He feels guilty liking women that he needs to imagine Lily dying before fantasizing about them. He's a lawyer and the tallest and largest of them, but he seems to be the most childish, kindest, gentlest and innocent among the group. Lily Aldrin is still Willow to me (Buffy, The Vampire Slayer's best friend). She's still this awkward petite red hair who speaks softly, somewhat poker face but can really be funny. The woman is uncanny whenever she plots and makes things happen the way she wants them. She's a preschool teacher. For me, that's the ultimate job. Robin Scherbatsky. The character I like the least. She's slutty. She'll sleep with almost any guy out there who'll hit with her, she's scared of talking about her feelings, she runs away from romance. She's very dedicated with her profession though, plus she can be the girl friend whom you can run to and will defend you whenever necessary, I'll give her that. Barney Stinson. Barney, Barney, Barney. What will ll the group do without you? He's the life of the party. He's the male counterpart of Robin; will sleep with any hot chick he sees and he's been so hurt in the past that he's scared to commit again as well. He's always "suiting up", he's got theories nobody wants to hear but he's always eager to share and Barney for Barney is the "awesomest" guy who's ever walked on earth. I follow his blog and it never fails to make me laugh like a loony every time I read it. Sometimes you'll hate his callousness but, secretly he's got a genuine heart and he's also loyal to his friends. Gotta love Barnabas Stinson. There's really nothing extraordinary about these 5 people who regularly meet at McLaren's Bar, talk about their day and try as much as they can to help one another whenever a crisis arise. They love to make fun of each other but takes their friendship seriously. I guess everyone with friends would understand that the weirder, the quirkier, the more annoying someone can be, the more lovable they are (sometimes). This show will make you laugh out loud, but you'll also learn a lot from the characters' flaws and adventures, the reality they present and you'll love the genuine friendship these 5 people share. We all have friends who can drive us crazy but whom we're also crazy about. Friends whom we can certainly grow old with. All of us long for the day when we can sit with our kids and tell them the incredible story of how we met their mother (or father). I think the moment I realized that was when I learned to love How I Met Your Mother. It was, wait for it....legendary! Photos: Google images Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Faith A Time For Everything 8:07 AM Take your time in all your seasons, and learn to respect other people's time as well. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. -Ecclesiastes 3
Stories I Choose To Forgive You 9:59 PM No matter what the world feeds you; anger, bitterness, confusion, pain---choose to forgive. At the end of the day, like love, forgiveness is a choice. So I made a mental note that despite the heaviness in my heart each time I wake up, despite the hurting that doesn't seem to stop in every waking hours, despite the questions that keep running in my head, despite the self-doubt and the crashing of self-worth that you brought me, despite the grudge I unconsciously hold, at the end of the day, I can still say I've forgiven you. It's a constant struggle. You told me so yourself, there are things in this world we can never explain. You're right. I would never understand nor will be able to explain some things. Why did you have to choose me, and leave me in the end? Why did you have to promise me so many things, when you always knew you're a coward and you can't deliver them? Why did you have to say hurtful things and blame me, so you can cover up your personal issues? What did I ever do to you to merit this? I guess life's like that. Shit happens. So you have to happen. Maybe I'll find the answer soon. Maybe never. And despite those uncertainties... I still choose to forgive you. I can say with all sincerity, that despite what you did...I forgive you. See also: Keep Walking Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Books Book Review: How To Talk To A Widower 10:57 AM Book Review: How To Talk To A Widower We read to know we're not alone -William Nicholson There are friends who can finish each other's sentences. Friends who know exactly what you’re thinking by merely looking at you. Friends who understand how you’re feeling without you explaining anything. That’s the kind of friendship I share with Doug in How to Talk to a Widower. This post contains affiliate links so we'd get a commission if you purchase through the links at no additional cost to you.Book Review: How To Talk To A Widower Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐I bought How to Talk to a Widower last 2011 on sale (from Php525 to a whopping Php50. Hah!) but I couldn’t find the time to read it. I was swamped juggling three jobs, making plans, and pursuing another dream. I went dating again after two years of not seeing anyone new so you can say sitting down to read a novel was not in my to-do list. But then...I quit all three jobs, the dating didn’t work out, and several things happened. So one ordinary day I found myself reading How to Talk to a Widower. I think the timing was impeccable. This is exactly the right time for me to read it. Like the universe already knew I will need this good read someday, two years after I bought it. Soulmate in a book I felt like a found a soul mate in Doug, the widower in the story. I admire his frailty. He grieved because he has to. He didn’t like the shallowness from the people around him. He loved Hailey with all his heart. Why I love How to Talk to a WidowerI know exactly what it means to act as normal as possible for the world to see. I know how hard it is to hold on to something you used to have but isn’t there anymore. I know how awful it is to deal with something that happened so abruptly, so sudden, and how cruel it is that the world would not even give you enough time to let it sink in first before it goes on. I know how crazy it is to get pissed and then feel guilty about getting pissed and then get pissed about feeling guilty. I know how difficult it is to cry yourself to sleep, wake up without feeling the purpose of waking up anymore but getting up anyway and showing the world you're still okay. I just know how messed up Doug felt and I’m glad that he made me realize I’m not alone, even if he’s just a fictional character. If you like how “informal” and raw Catcher in the Rye is, I think you’ll like How to Talk to a Widower too. It’s hilarious but poignant. It’s unpretentious, realistic and easy to relate with. It’s very human. The characters are ordinary and flawed. Their relationships are dysfunctional and well, normal. It doesn’t have a happily ever after ending and that’s the other beautiful thing about it. The story goes on. Doug moves on but he takes his sweet time. Hailey, his deceased wife, will always be a part of him. The way he refuses to forget about her even after over a year made me wish I have a Doug too. Even when women throw themselves at him, he remains loyal to her memory. Yes he dated again and even so humanly and irrationally jumped into something he shouldn’t have but at the end of the day, it’s still Hailey. Laughing and grieving with Doug was a refreshing experience. I feel alive…and normal again.