• Bulls are red-green color-blind, and it’s not the color of the cape that angers the bull in the bullfighting, but rather the movement of the fabric. (I guess it’s true when they say “it’s not what you have, it’s how you use it…”)

• Shredded books are used in capacity of sound absorber to make roads. A mile of motorway consumes about 50,000 books. In construction of British M6 Toll Road 2 500 000 old Mills and Boon novels were used. (Interesting!)

• In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her cheating adulterous husband but she may only do so with her bare hands. The husband’s lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.(Can we have the same law in the US?) 

• The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is capitation. (Wonder how they enforce that one?)

• In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens her mother must be in the room to witness the act. (Haha…you can always count on Mama to help you rise to the occasion)

• Horses can’t vomit and pigs can’t look up in the sky (So what do pigs look at when they’re having their 30 min orgasms? haha)

• If a native Hawaiian woman places the flower on her right ear, she is available. The bigger the flower, the more desperate. (Should be helpful to all you (single men) traveling to Hawaii!)

• A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.(Creepy!)

• The male praying mantis cannot copulate (mate) while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male’s head off. (Ouch! If this is normal for them, I wonder what their idea of rough sex is haha)

I find it peaceful and comforting being at Barnes and Nobles, sitting in a big comfy easy chair, reading a book, drinking my vanilla soy latte, while listening to the music; and of course, occasionally looking up for some people watching action.  It’s even more special when it snows or rains outside the window, and in that brief moment, with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a book in the other, like a child reaching for her mother’s warm embrace and sheltering shadow, I feel at ease with my inner self, knowing that I am, momentarily,  protected from the rain, the snow, the stormy weather of life.

It’s so odd that you spend so much time and effort investing your heart and soul into a relationship with someone, expecting the relationship to last forever, only to have it spit back into your face when it falls apart.

So, the question is, is there a time when you just know that a good relationship is truly a good one so you hold nothing back, and weather out any storms together? And is there a time when you know that the relationship is not going anywhere, that you don’t have a future together so you only put in 50% of the effort? How do you know when to give it your all and when to not? Is that even a healthy way to go about relationships? Or is it better to just whole-heartedly give it a try, whether it works out or not, at least, in the end you know that you took a risk; you gave yourself and the other person a chance to find out; and you’ve tried your best?

After all, the future is unknown to all of us, and it would be almost premature, presumptuous, and surreal for us to decide the fate of our own future based on our fears of what the future might bring. Why are we so afraid of the future? Is the future so threatening, so distraught, so fearful that we’d rather sabotage our happiness to avoid facing it?

People behave differently in different situations, with different people, and different dynamics. Whether we realize it or not, the people that we interact with, significantly, in our lives, do seem to bring out different sides of our character, for better or for worse. The people that I have in my life come from all walks of life, and I do take notice that each one brings a certain side out of me. With one, I tend to be more ambitious, stern, and mature. Another brings out my mischievous, romantic, communicating, yet combative side of me. And yet another one has a calming effect on me, letting me be more selfless, patient, and nurturing.

There’s no doubt that certain people brings out a unique set of personality and behavioral elements, the best or the worse in you; but the question is, can people really make you a better or worse person, or are they only bringing out of you what is already there? Have I always been combative, or am I becoming combative from my interaction with that person? Or is it because I’m empathic, and I’m just reacting to other people, and their emotions, which then manifest as the personality traits they’re bringing out of me?  

Whatever the case may be, every person that we come across in our lives, certainly,  has a major impact on who we are, and who we become as an individual. That’s why I feel that it is extremely important to take note of what effects people have on our lives, and to be selective when letting people become a part of our lives; because in one way or another, they are big contributors to our personal growth and development, for better or for worse.  

“And I don’t want the world to see me
’cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am”
 - Goo Goo Dolls

“All humans are hypocrites; the biggest hypocrite of all is the one who claims to detest hypocrisy.” – Peter Wastholm