1. You May Never Fall In Love Again. Oneday when I was thirteen I locked eyes with the most good looking new schoolmate who was also very intriguing and witty. From that day on we couldn't stop staring at each other. He even tried to talk to me. But lest being gossip upon by classmates coupled with this notion that it was "wrong" to have a boyfriend at such young age I pretended to be indifference and foolishly hoped that he would chase me hard. Well, my mix signal backfired. When I left the school I couldn't stop thinking about him. For ten years I dreamt about him and wrote letters to my friend to know about him. And I had never felt about anyone for a long time since him. So if I had the wisdom and knew that I might never fall in love again I would be true my heart and write him a note saying: would you like to meet me after school at the store? Or at least send him a rose, chocolates, gift ~ anything!  Anything is better than living for more than a decade always wondering what could have been!

2. Be There For Your Pet. Growing up we had a white long haired dog named Francy who was very faithful and intelligent. We once had to give her up upon moving but when she got to her new owner she refused to eat for days so we finally had to find a way to keep her. Francy was also very intelligent that she knew how to play the "Shark" game we kids invented. It was a game involving an old rocking chair where three of us siblings would try to pile on at once and whoever fall out would be attack by a "shark". The shark was actually Francy who would playfully bite us. She wouldn't, however, even touch us once we were on the chair. It was the most fun!

Years later we found Francy's entire body swollen but instead of taking her to the vet our dad concluded that she was pregnant again and took us to a vacation. Then in the middle of our vacation we got a phone call from our housekeeper that Francy had past away. Her eyes were wide opened she said. She must had past away in unrest waiting for her bestfriends! Or maybe she was wondering what she had done wrong that we left her to die alone and in such pain. I still weep just writing about this. I would give anything to be there for her. And I wish with all my heart that I had the wisdom then to be there for my pet.

So please be there for your pet or you will regret it for the rest of your life. Don't do what they did in the movie Marley And Me. Let the children go along. I'm sure Marley or any dog long to see their buddies before they past away. Children need to say farewell too or they will be having dreams forever that their bestfriend is still alive (I did). You just have to explain that their pal will be sleeping for a long time or something.

3. The Jacket Makes The Difference. Unto a lighter subject I used to think that scarf made the difference in the coldest winter. It did help but the biggest difference was when my hubby bought me this long thick down feather North Face jacket that cost only $150+ at TJ Maxx. I didn't even want it at first cause I already had a Columbia jacket but my hubby insisted on snatching the bargain. Well, let me tell you I never complained that it was cold again and I wore only a short sleeve shirt underneath. Before that with my polyester and fleece Columbia jacket I had to wear a hat, scarf, gloves, sweater, T-shirt, tights, corduroy pants and I still couldn't brave the cold that I rather wait hours for a ride. Now I do not get paid to blog about a product like some bloggers do. I am just telling you this because I wish someone had told me this winters ago! Oh, by the way, not all down jackets are created equal, I have a Kenneth Cole down jacket that has so few density it is only good for fall.

P.S. This jacket is a best seller in thenorthface.com, no wonder.

4. Crates Are Inhumane

Unlike those who treat dogs like family members people of different culture or breeders who actually boast about their dogs being "crate trained" this paragraph is a must read.

Imagine yourself confined in a tiny crate for 23 hours a day 365 days a year. If you can not imagine this then try sitting in your tub for a whole day I guarantee you will go mental at the end of the day. Well, that is if you can last til the end of the day! Friends, we should not treat any living things this way. Yes, dogs and all other creatures may not have spirit but they have soul. They feel pain, abandonment, boredom, joy, fear, and even worries (my kitten stayed in the window all night when we did not come home til midnight one night!).

Growing up in the Philippines we used to confine our dogs in home-made wooden crates eventough we had a large yard! These wooden crates were sometimes twice as large as those metal ones but they were still prison. As a child I used to wonder why our dogs would leap and bark for joy came time to take them for a walk. I naively thought that their crates were like little houses but I could not have been more wrong. They were not in houses; they were in solitude confinement! So now I had the wisdom and knew how cruel it was to treat the dogs that I had loved that way. I would have convinced my parents to let them ran around the yard all the very short years that they had or even let them stay indoor given the hot climate there and that they are suppose to be part of the family!

5. Don't Rent

When I was younger and renting it did occur to me that I was throwing money away. So I did some research and a book actually said that a place is just a place. It gave an example of a lady who was making six figures and renting to avoid the hassle of maintaining her place. It made sense to me. Then the same book or another said that real estate is not really an investment because by the time you sell your place everywhere else will be at the same price because of inflation. It made sense to me too. And on top of those I said to my self, "I can't afford to buy a house, it's a hassle to buy a house, my job isn't secure, I'm single and so fort." Hence, I rented for years. Throwing my money away. Making my landlord richer and myself poorer.

But now in my thirties, married, a home owner and coming across this book called Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach. It confirmed my suspicion all along that indeed I did make my landlord rich and myself poor by renting. Had I bought a house I would have a lump sum when I had to sell it before my marriage. I could have used that money for a nice wedding, honeymoon, remodeling, finish college, open an animal sanctuary and travel the world! It felt good even just hubbing about the things I could do had I had the wisdom to buy a house. Afterall, everyone who rent an apartment can afford to buy especially if you are a first time home buyer because you get tax credit, grants, loans, extension and loads of assistance. So what if it was a hassle to buy a house? Anything worth doing takes a little effort and there are countless seminars for first time home buyer. No job is secure. Even the president risk being impeached or assassinated (tough word to spell!). And finally so what if I was single. All the more reason to buy a house and save myself dowry of sort or a cushion should my husband turns out to be abusive or a cheater!

Anyways, so buy a house. A small one if you will. In a nice neighborhood. With fence and two rescued dogs to keep you company and keep psycho out. But don't clutter your haven if books, clothes, collectibles or decorations instead spend your money on decent or antique furnitures and Energy Star appliances ~ more on this on my next hub: How To Live Simply (they are necessity, afterall, so no guilt there!).

6. Grass Can Be Greener On The Other Side

I once read that the grass may be greener on the other side but it still has to be mow, water and fertilize. True. But then again would you care if your side is all dried up with no sign of any greens at all?

I don't know about marriage, love, houses but I do know that the grass can be greener on the other side when it comes to job or career. Of course, to the wise this is common sense. But for a mess up person like me who had a mom that said, "Why do you keep switching job? They are all the same." Well, with that theory my mom stayed at a highly stressful job that required her to lift overly heavy stuff that might have lend to her cancer. And equally influence by this theory I had actually stayed at a horrible job for a full year believing there was nothing better!

But luckily I was recently enlightened by the grace of God when a lady contacted me about being her 14 months old boys' nanny. It turned out to be one of the best job I ever had. My bosses are so nice they paid me for hours I did not work because I lost some hours when the grandparents visited. They also saved me cupcake, never rude and the work is just relaxing and easy to do! Boy, compare to my previous job when my boss only listened to my co-worker unfair accusation, low pay, malicious co-workers and customers you can be sure that the grass can be greener on the other. And mowing and caring for it is a bliss.

So if you get headache come Monday, cries at work or after, feels like shooting your customers, call in "sick" all the time then maybe it is time to look for a greener pasture. Something that remotely resembles what you enjoy doing. Whatever you do: do not be so faithless or whatever that you stay at a job or career where everyone hates you! I once saw this night time news segment when a lady refused to leave her job at an airport eventhough everyone hated and mistreated her. Turned out her co workers were stealing brand new credit card shipments and she was not in on it. They finally plotted and killed her while she was out getting lunch for them. Now how could any job or career be not better than getting killed! So don't tell me the grass can not be greener on the other side.

7. Two Kittens Are Better

Two kittens are sure better. My husband and I adopted a kitten recently for the first time in our lives. We called her "Meowmy" and she is a darling. Sweet, smart and follows me everywhere. She was the one who stayed in the window all night waiting for us to come home. But when I need to finish time sensitive project in between her constant meowing for attention it can be a problem. Not to mention the hours of loneliless she felt when we left for work. So to solve this we adopted another kitten about her age name, Patches, and within three days they were like buddies playing all day til they were both worn out!

Yet if two kittens are better then two sibling kittens are the best. Two sibling kittens are still the best because it was challenging not to mention a gamble to fuse unfamiliar kittens together. Sometimes it would not work and the poor new comer would have to be sent back. But with siblings they arrived at your house feeling more secure and ready to play with each other. And you would not have to live with the guilt of separating family.

This being said I wonder if adopting two siblings children would be better too?

8. God Cures Depression. As a teenager I suffered from depression. I was full of rage that whenever I wrote it down my journal I became angrier and angrier until my sister would be alarmed by the changes in my whole being that she told me not to write my journal anymore. My relatives were constantly saying negative things about me behind my back that I soon begun to believe them. I hated the way I look and thought that I was the most stupid and unlovable person there was. This went on for years until oneday I found a book in a bookstore called God Is In The Small Stuff. Inside was a sentence that read, "God knows what's in our hearts. We might as well get right to the point." I think very slowly I begun pouring out my heart to God telling, complaining, and raging about all these unfairness, bitterness, anger, whatever that I felt. Slowly God begun to change my situation. I got kicked out of working for my relatives. This turned out to be a blessing cause not being around my relatives was the vital change of environment that I needed (Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side). But not only did God removed me from the negative surrounding he also imparted me wisdom to better care for my body. Instead of living on Burger King's Whopper Junior I began to take an interest in nutrition and found some great books to learn from. And he also got me watching Joyce Meyer who was also a former angry and bitter Christian who nows enjoy her everyday's life.

Today I am a healthy adult who enjoys life without ever taking pills for my depression. It was a slow healing process that took years because it took years for all the negativity to damage me. I was not raised in a positive environment as a child. But I am not sure what cause the depression since my siblings seem fine. I am very certain, however, that it was God who changed me.