A simple Indian family lesson

I think we could learn something from India. It is about close family ties. Let me share you this:

Before they marry someone, it is all being checked by the family of both parties, that is, the parents of future bride and groom. A dowry still exists on some parts, and surprisingly, some of it is the opposite: meaning the bride's family may give something, a gift for the groom. This is not done these days, but there are some parts of India who still practice it. (There are reports that some husbands kill their wives after they got the gift. But that is another story).

Back to our blog. The main thing here is, both families must agree on the marriage. If there are any problems, the couples, either one of them are regarded as an outcast.

Marriage is not only an affirmation of love between the couple, between God and Law, it is also the merging of two families. If they have a child and each of the family has doubts on their marriage, the couples' life will not be happy in the long run.

I noticed in the Philippines, Filipinos are not doing this at all. They just make a child and pray that things will get better for both families. They are thinking that a child may serve as their 'salvation' for the merging of both families. I don't know about you but that is a product of watching too many telenovelas and immaturity in the Philippines.

It is not actually so called 'Arranged Marriage' like most of the people think of, although it existed in India before. Times are changing, and yes they may love someone with the man or woman whom they have chosen. Provided that they have a go signal or the blessing of their parents - of both parties - all will be fine.

The reason why I have mentioned this, it is because the family is the basic structure of any person. It is the basic foundation, a connection, before a wider social circle. If you have a good family with a good solid foundation, the couple will have a good life and their children will be able to succeed in the society much quicker than those couples who have dysfunctional families.

Think about it. What are we right now? Are we able to succeed whatever family background we have?

Your comments are highly appreciated.

The Greedy Doctor

(Note: This story I got from an English language test. Simple, yet meaningful.)

The Greedy Doctor

A famous doctor had cured a child of a very serious illness. The mother was 
grateful and went to the doctor's office to thank him.


"Doctor," she said, "there are some things we can't pay for, I thought that you
would want to accept this wallet which I made for you with my own hands."


"Madam," answered the doctor rudely, "I don't practice medicine for sentimental
reasons. You must pay me with money. Your bill is $ 2,000.


The lady opened the wallet, took out the $ 5,000 she had put in it,
and gave the greedy doctor $ 2,000.

***End***

Death of a vicious, mean, angry dog - Bubbles

It is hard to discuss death especially to young children. We cannot lie that 'they are sleeping' or 'they went to heaven.'

We have to accept death as a journey, it is what Steve Jobs have said, that it is a destination we share in the end.

Let me tell you the death of one of our family, her name is Bubbles (named after our favorite character from the Powerpuff Girls), our dog. She is vicious, mean, and scares the shit out of everyone who comes near our gate. She is a Rottweiler by the way.

Our family has always been a pet lover, we had dogs, cats, fishes, birds, and rabbits. We were fascinated by them, as they are cute and cuddly. We feed them, clean them, and their cages.

But we take care of our dogs the most. They are the ones who is more vocal, more lively, and importantly, more useful. Thieves has been lurking in our neighborhood in the early days up to now. And the best way to prevent them is to have a dog.

But we bought not just any dog, we bought breeds that are known to protect its masters to the extreme - that is why we chose German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Dobermans, and lastly, Rottweilers.

Bubbles, has shown extreme dedication even she is young. She barked immediately to strangers, she loves to play harshly, and we had our share of bites, cuts and bruises. She loves to exercise, but sometimes, when her leash snaps because of her great strength, she escapes and much to our horror that she may bite someone. But she just wants to explore, and we catch her back by using the 'choke chain' or doing the 'headlock'. We bought a real heavy duty 'chain' used in chain blocks to securely leash her.

She even bit me once, as she did not recognize my 'smell' (I was in abroad for a year), she was silent for a while, but when I reached for her head, she bit me. Luckily I took it away, or else I may not have a job anymore, it was my right hand too.

Her food is quite expensive. Sometimes we buy some left over beef ribs for her at the market, she loves this, together with the adult dog food. She suffered a mild insect infestation before on her skin, but was cured immediately by frequent baths and cleaning of her cage.

One thing we do not forget always is, she is telling us that she is hungry by barking. Her bark is so loud that sometimes the neighbors are angry. It can be heard 5 blocks away. So we keep a stock of her food always.

Everything is fine and all, but she has reached her limit. She is 11 years old. Our vet told that Rottweilers live for about 7-8 years. Our Bubbles did not bear any offspring, as she is always on guard protecting our home.

So Bubbles, wherever you are, now you are free. You can now be vicious and mean, and bite those bad people off, you are now free to do so. We're sorry sometimes we can't feed you on time, or we don't clean your cage immediately. We always remember that you are happy when you see us coming, asking for food, asking us to play, or just a simple pat on the head.

Thank you for guarding our home Bubbles. You can now rest.