Things you should know about dogs.. part 2

So here's the continuation of my previous blog "Thing you should know about dogs..". http://4cloverleaf.blogspot.com/2011/07/things-you-should-know-about-dogs.html

• Keep your dog free or unleash as much as possible, if you can. Some owner prefer their dogs tied or locked in a dog cage, these may result some problems like you dog may get bored being in just one place all the time or your dog will have a bad temper that maybe difficult for other people to play or pet them. These are actually the main reason why some dogs bite, especially to other people except their master. So if you want our dog to be a friendly, I suggest you keep them free.

• Dogs need to be appreciated too like humans. Imagine how loyal a dog can be. When you wake up in the morning and left your house for work or something, all they will do all day is sit in front of your house door and wait for you to come back. Even your gone for days, they will surely greet you happily each time they see you at your doorstep, with or without any treat from you. So return the favor, pet them, appreciate them and give time to show that they are important too. 
• If your dog is a girl and want her to multiply, here some of my tips and information that I can share base on my experiences. 
• When her period starts (which usually happens twice a year only) better prepare your dog for possible pregnancy. Like, make sure she already have her usual shots yearly base on her doctors schedule, she is healthy and already 2 years old to 4 years old (max 5 years old) this is the safe age for your dog to get pregnant to avoid miscarriages and risk for the mother and for the puppies too.  

• Look for a partner you want for your dog. You can search it on net where you can paid for stud service. Make sure to interview owners first and check the dog status before hiring them. Ask and take note on some details like;
• how much? (check first the market price of its services online, just for you to have the idea what is the reasonable price for the service you want to avail.)
• is the dog registered? (don't get dogs who are not registered.You can't register your puppies if the father is not registered. If you will sell your puppies later on, some customers want puppies with papers and you can surely sell them at the right market price unlike puppies without papers)
• how many red marks the dog have? (red marks is an indication that the dog is smart because it has a good bloodline that your puppy may inherit to avoid weak puppies) 
• is the dog healthy and has a complete boosters from the veterinarian? (because some dogs may be sick or have a virus that he can pass on to your puppies or to your dog upon mating)
• how many times do they mate? (I suggest, look for a service that gives 2 or 3 times mating, just to make sure that your dog will get pregnant and also have the possibility that your dog will bare more puppies. There will be a day interval every mating just for your dog to rest every after mating.)

• what other perks they give? (Good perks will be free smear test, (smear test is a test that will give you the idea if the dog is really fertile or not or if your dog is on her peak of fertilization, just to be sure that your dog really have the chance to be pregnant after mating) and free shooter (shooter is a person that will help the dogs to mate and will make sure that the sperm of the male dog will surely be inside the female dog.) Some  give a home service, easier for you and more comfortable for your dog. And some can give free food and accommodation if you want your dog to stay with them but I think there is no need for this, I am sure your dog will not be comfortable living with other people's house even for a while. And there's a chance that your dog will bring home more ticks and fleas if the other dog have especially if the owner have other dogs too in their house. Perks like this are sometime have additional fees, so if you can find one who can give these services for free, it would be much cheaper and better for you too. :)

• When you already found a male dog, set the schedules of mating. Best day will be the 9th day from the first menstrual period of your female dog. So better take note of the day. Having a smear test will be best, because sometimes the dog licks their blood so there will be a chance that when you first notice she is having her period, maybe she already has it for a few days already. If you don't have time for a smear test, just to be safe, you can schedule your dog for mating on her fifth day of menstrual period. 
• On the mating day, just make sure your dog is rested before their mating time, especially if it is her first time. After mating, avoid pressing her tummy and try to keep her feet up for a while to avoid the sperm from spilling. Do this every time they mate.
• You will know if your dog is pregnant only after a month or 30 days at least. Mostly, they start counting from the last mating date. Symptoms will be her tummy will start to swell already after 30days, her nipple will start to get a bit bigger and her appetite will increase. Some dogs, they say, may also experience morning sickness like human and will vomit once in a while but Mia didn't experience this. There is no need for any vitamins at this time but letting your dog start to eat puppy food on day one is best. Puppy food they say is more complete and good for the pregnant dogs. By the way, dogs pregnancy period is around 59 - 63 days. For first timers sometimes gave birth a week earlier. 

• From day one, avoid you dog to be active, if you can cage her, much better. Avoid her to run and jump. Avoid her going up and down from stairs. Avoid pressing her tummy. And never agitate or stress her. Pamper her in short. 
• On her fifth week, bring your dog to the veterinarian for a Doppler test and ask for vitamins for the dog to take. From the Doppler test, you will know if your dog is really pregnant base on the puppies heartbeat and how many puppies are inside. Don't get discourage if the doctor says that they don't hear any heartbeat yet or they are still not sure maybe because the heartbeat is still faint. Because from the first day of pregnancy up to week 6, puppies grows slowly. They rapidly grows on the last 2 weeks, so there are still some chances that there are still puppies to grow inside up to the last day. Because from our experiences, when we bring Mia to the doctor for a Doppler test, the doctor can only hear one very faint heartbeat and still not sure if it is really a puppy's heartbeat. They asked us to come back after a week but the result is still the same. So all along, we thought, Mia is only expecting one puppy. But on the big day, 3 puppies came out. :) 
• Give all the vitamins and calcium your doctor advise you to give to your dog for her healthy pregnancy and puppies. 
• If your dog experience unusual bleeding or discharge before her due date. Bring her to the clinic as soon as possible.

• On her last week, be vigilant already for signs that your dog is ready to give birth. If you can see some discharge and your dogs is digging everywhere and having a contractions every few minutes or seconds, your dog is on labor already and ready to give birth. Bring her to the clinic already for whelping assistance. Actually, you can do it at your house. Dogs they say instinctively know what to do. There are other sites you can find on net who can give instructions on how to prepare yourself and your dog for this. On what you need and what to do. I can't share this one because I brought Mia to the clinic and asked her doctor for whelping assistance. First because it is my first time to experience this and so is Mia. Luckily we do bring her to the clinic because it turned out Mia don't have enough strength to do the normal procedure so she underwent Cesarean operation. Main reason maybe because Mia is already 5 years old, too old and weak already to push the puppies out and also because the puppies is a bit bigger than usual. But first the doctor tried and helped Mia to push the babies out and just perform everything in normal procedure but time is important too. It takes them hours already waiting and helping her and still puppies didn't go out. Doctor check puppies heartbeat thru a Doppler test again and heard that the one of the puppy's heartbeat is so weak already. That's when the doctor's perform at once a Cesarean operation on Mia just to save her and all the puppies. 

... to be continued

Things you should know about dogs..

I am not a Veterinarian, so this is not a professional inputs, okay! :) Just want to make it clear. But I am a proud owner of a five year old black and white Shih Tzu named Mia. And currently Mia just gave birth with three cute, adorable and lovable little puppies namely Pep, Tof and Ogie. Anyway, if your a new dog owner or want to have one, read on, maybe you can get something from my experiences.

• Don't get a dog if you don't have the the affection, the space, the time, extra money, the love and the patience. THEY ARE NOT TOYS! 
• Love them as if they were you own children. In our family, we treat them as part of the family. They even sleeps in our own bed and gave them presents every birthdays and Christmas. Bring them in every family out of town trips, if the place is a dog friendly place. 
• Never ever forget to feed them and give them clean water everyday. If you are going to leave them for few days, ask someone who can check on them and feed them once in a while. Don't leave them alone in the house without any food or water. It is still best if you let them eat dog food rather than human table food. It is more healthier for them and safe. For me, Mia prefers the brand Pedigree and Alpo. We alternate them once in a while so she won't get fed up with it but sometimes, she eats table food too. She started eating table food when she was already 4 years old. If you will let them eat human food, just make sure not to give them fish or anything under water creatures because that can make their hair worn out.

• Potty train them as soon as you have them. Like for me, I trained Mia already when I bought her when she was just 3 months old to poop or pee on a mat. Whenever we go, she never pee or poop without a mat, ever. Some people use like newspapers, cartons, etc.. Use whatever you are comfortable with. But if you can walk your dog every morning and every evening for them to do their thing outside the house, much better. Just don't miss a day because they will surely dispose it inside your house if they can't hold it any longer. And please if you are going to do this, pick it up and throw their poop properly, so no one can step on it while walking.
• Be a pack leader! As Cesar Millan always says from the Dog Whisperer show. Watch the show if you haven't heard of him yet. You will learn a lot from him, in managing dogs. Here's his site : http://www.cesarsway.com/. Anyway, set some rules and let them follow you and be firm so they won't be a headache like you teenage daughter do (just kidding!).  

• What I know is (correct me, if I am wrong), it is better to train them until they reached 8 months of age. They will absorb every thing you teach them faster than the later months. So if you have the time to teach them such things as sit, roll over, jump and other things, teach them before they are already too stubborn to follow you.
• Bring them to the Veterinarian as soon as you have them and bring them when necessary. Complete every boosters, shots, tablets like heartworm, deworming, etc. they need especially on their first year for them not to get sick easily. They are some air borne virus for dogs that they can easily get if they are not healthy and protected. They can be deadly. So, if your dog is still a puppy and haven't completed all the protection he/she needs, don't expose them with other dogs that maybe a carrier of some deadly virus or with an environment you think is not safe. And give them vitamins each day.

• Take them for a walk or run everyday if you can or set a schedule each day to play with them. First, because they need exercise too like we do. Second, they need activities to loose those energy they have inside especially when they are still young. Or else, they will surely make your furniture, shoes, or anything they can see looks like a toy that they can bite and destroy before you know it. One tip is, buy them toys to play with so they won't pick your slippers as teeter.
• Bathe them! Me, I bathe Mia twice a week. Since she is hairy and all, she gets so dirty after 3 days and will surely smells bad after sweeping every dust and dirt on the floor every time she walks and lie down. Use a blower when drying them, try to buy the one with the cold blowing option so their skin won't get irritated or burned when you are drying them for too long. Make sure to dry them thoroughly, because if there are moisture between those hairs, bacteria will starts to grow and your dog will surely have a spot on their skin that will sore. And once they got this, it will surely come back every now and then. So better avoid that. Comb their hair each day if you have time and especially if your dog's hair is long. Groom them or if don't have time, take them to the Animal Center where they have services like haircut and everything. It is not actually a treat for them when they visit a parlor like we do feel but it's also for their own good. :) Me, I always avail every services I can for Mia, like haircut with style, milk bath that will make their hair sifter and smells good too, ear cleaning, anal sac, have their nails cut, etc..

• When your dogs have ticks and fleas which they can get pretty much easily, especially if your walking your dog outside everyday. Get rid of them as soon as possible! I recommend the brand Frontline Plus. It is a chemical thing that you put in the dogs nape and I can guarantee you it is effective and you will surely get rid of those ticks and fleas fast. I have tried other things like powder, soaps, shampoos and sprays already but Frontline is the only effective one. 
• When your dog is a female, expect them to have their period 2 times a year. You can buy a dog diaper if you don't want their blood be on the floor during those periods but dogs lick it all the time so they won't leave any souvenir on the floor but if their period is heavy, you better buy one. And if you are planning to have little puppies from her in the future, make sure to start when she reach 2 or 3 years of age. Dogs gave birth after 2 months or 63 days after mating. It is much safer for them to get pregnant younger (believe me!) because if you get them pregnant on much later date, there will be some health issues she needs to undergo or she may experience a miscarriage. Like Mia, she is already 5 when she gave birth with the triplets. She don't have that enough strength anymore to deliver the babies in normal procedure so she undergo Cesarian operation which is much expensive and more difficult to take care of. So make sure you have the time to take care of the puppies before letting her mate with another dog, okay.

to be continued...

Things I Learned from Life..

This is what I have Learned from the LIFE I am living now..

Life

• Everything happens for a reason. I always believe in this. Good or bad. There will be and will always be a reason behind everything. Even the worst moment in your life! Even in a tragic event. There will always be a positive reason behind it. Of course the obvious thing you will see first is the negative side of it. But I always believe that in every moment of our lives, every changes, decisions we made, there will always be a positive reason why things are happening. Whether we like it or not. And from this, I have learned that wasting your time in negative things is simply just a waste of time! So, I always, and believe me, it is difficult too sometimes, but I always try to look or search what is the positive reason for every events. I do get disappointed too, of course! I am still a human being. :) But I try not to get myself stuck in he situation of regretting things. And I hope other people too can apply this in their life. And your perspective in life will surely change. More positive things will come to you, even without asking for it. And you will also experience a more easy and happy life. 

• Love as much as you can. If there is love, there is happiness. Does someone in this world don't want to be happy or be loved??! Everyone does! right?! And everyone also deserves to be loved and be happy. Love and happiness go hand in hand. If your doing what you are doing for love, you will surely succeed in what you want to achieve and you will surely be happy. It is the only way and should be the main reason why we are doing things and also why we are living in this world. Imagine if everyone in this world is doing everything for love, "World Peace" will never be used in any Miss Universe Q&A portion. Using one of the Andrew LLoyd Webber song, "LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING" is indeed right! By hey, I am talking about the love in a good way huh! Not the love that can hurt another person thing. Like for example, "I will kill him just to prove my love for you" drama. :) So, if you want to be happy and still not doing things for love, you better start now! It may be hard for some, but try! Believe! Pretend you can love and pretend you want to be loved! (there are people I know don't know how to love and be loved, maybe because of their bad experiences that they close their mind with the LOVE idea.) And by pretending, later on you will discover you are actually doing it genuinely. It is the most amazing thing, love and be loved. <3 And oh, one more thing, prepare to get hurt but don't loose hope. LOVE Again. Over and over! You will and can find love, just GO!

Joke Time! : )

I'm reading "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make" by Sean Covey. This book is actually A Guide for Teens. I know, I know! I'm not a teen anymore.. :) So What!? Maybe I can still learn from it or maybe I can use this in guiding my teen son. Anyway, I am not going to tell you what the book is all about. I will do that some other time. I just want to share one part that I like and it is a joke! And I actually laugh after reading it. well, here it goes:

The following is a transcript of an apocryphal radio conversation between U.S. naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland. (I put some pictures I got from Google images just for illustrations.)

Americans: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision."

Canadians: "Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision."

Americans: "This is the captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course."

Canadians: "No, I say again, you divert YOUR course."

Americans: "This is the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers, and numerous support vessels. I demand that you change your course 15 degrees north. That's one-five degrees north. or counter-measures will be taken to ensure the safety of this ship."

Canadians: "This is a lighthouse. Your call."

 Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah....................

Did you get it???!! : ) haha..

Healthy Snack = Kuya's Lumpiang Sariwa

Vic and I, LOVE, as in LOVE, Kuya's Lumpiang Sariwa sooo much! Well in fact, everytime we visit SM Marikina, we always drop by at SM Food court for a Kuya's Lumpiang Sariwa. If I can get it right, their Lumpiang Sariwa composed of Pandan flavored Lumpia Wrapper, Ubod, Lettuce, Chinese Vermicelli, Mixed vegetables, Chili Flakes (you can request to remove it, if you don't want it to be spicy) and the special garlic sauce and peanuts and some more chili flakes (I like spicy food, that's why) on top.. Yummy!! And one lumpia is only P42.00 pesos! Good for meryienda (snack) right?! I know they have branches on some other malls here in Manila and maybe you can try and check their lumpia sometime. Believe me, you will surely love this! :)

Kuya's Lumpiang Sariwa

Lumpiang Sariwa is a Filipino version of Fresh Spring Roll.

Mirienda Time at Macky's Eatery

Macky's Eatery

If you are living within Marikina City, you should, as in YOU SHOULD! try this Macky's Eatery just along J.P. Rizal Street near the market and the church of Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina City. Especially if you are in a tight budget (like me!) and you are looking for a value for money type of eatery, this place is the PERFECT one. P50 pesos per person will surely go a long way. They are open from 6:30 am until 6:30 pm. Peak hours are breakfast, lunch and meryenda (3-5pm), so if you want to eat while seating, go before peak hours or after. : )

Here's what Vic and I ordered one afternoon during meryenda (snack) time.

 

Goto (Filipino term for rice porridge)

 

partnered with Tokwa't Baboy (Tofu and Pork)

I'm not actually a Goto and Tofu fan but Vic is! And according to him, Goto and Tokwa't Baboy goes hand in hand. if you want to enjoy the whole experience. And as I tasted it, it is not actually bad, well in fact, it is so tasty. Especially the sauce of the tokwa't baboy. And this is actually Macky's best sellers. So you must try!

Spaghetti

Halo-halo

Me, I ordered Spaghetti and Halo-halo for dessert. 

The look of the spaghetti when they serve it is not actually the same with the picture. I got so excited when the waitress placed my spaghetti in front of me, I already mix it at once so I can get a bite that I forgot to take a picture of it first. Sorry :) But, but! the Spaghetti is so great! a Filipino spaghetti style indeed. With just enough meet, cheese and not too sweet sauce. I will surely miss this when I'm not here anymore. :(  Ok, enough with the drama.. So you must try this and the HALO-HALO!! Super SARAP (delicious)! It is full with white and red beans. Love it!! :)

And all those food cost us only Php 107.00! Can you imagine! Value for MONEY right?! :) 

 Here's their board menu

And when in comes to service, the people are nice too and you will only have to wait for your order approximately 8-10mins upon ordering, maybe except if their place is full during peak hours and there's a lot of take out orders all together. Their place is actually small, with few tables and chairs only and have few fans for ventilation. It is like an old apartment turned eatery, and even the business is successful, they owners maintains the same ambiance they have. Some may not like it but for me, the look of the place adds to the charm of the business. So if ever you get a chance to visit Marikina, visit Macky's for a meryenda. You will not regret it! :)

inside the eatery

   

 

   

 

Afternoon in Manila

Ristorante delle Mitre placemat

Manila Sidewalk

I went to Manila one Sunday afternoon for an early lunch with Vic's family (Vic is my boyfriends name) at Ristorante de Mitre. The place is so.. Catholic : ) It's like you will be ashamed of yourself, if you didn't say grace first before eating your meal! hahaha.. But overall the place is nice and peaceful and the food is great and cheap actually. I am expecting it to be more expensive since the place is like a fine dining place. Anyway, try visiting the place when your in Manila. Sorry I didn't get a chance to take some pictures with the food and the place. I was so hungry that time that when my order came, I ate already. Try their paella and chicken adobo in olive oil and lemon. I didn't like the pumpkin soup I ordered though.

House along Ristorante delle Mitre street

 But I have some pictures outside while we walked on the way to the restaurant and when we visit San Agustine Church after dinner. This is the church my parents got married. I been here many times already and it is still beautiful. I heard when you want to get married here, you need to reserve your date at least a year or more. Couples especially citizens here in Manila like this church as their venue for their to promise to love each other, 'till death to they part... Although, not for me. I prefer smaller church than this one. And I don't want to follow my parents steps.. sorry Mommy.. haha.. :) because my parents got separated after 15 years of marriage. But still, it is a nice church.. One of the oldest church here in the Philippines built between 1587 and 1606. They have a museum too that you can check out besides the church. San Agustine Church is actually just in front of Ristorante delle Mitre. It is nice to have a small tour in your own country once in a while. We actually have a rich culture to share. : ) Maybe next time, I will try to bring my siblings here one sunny day.

San Augustine Church

 If you want to visit Ristorante delle Mitre, here's their address and contact number:

CBCP Bldg, 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros

Manila, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 559-5220

And for San Agustine Church information:
San Agustine Church
Shrine of our Lady of Correa Immaculate Conception Parish
Gen. Luna corner Real Street, Intramuros, Manila
527-4052; 527-2746; 338-2091

I heard, church rate for weddings as of June 2011 starts at P 25,000.00. Pretty expensive huh! :)

inside San Augustine Church

The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber in Philippines

Last Saturday, June 25, I watched "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" at the CCP Complex, Manila, Philippines with my boyfriend's family. The first time I heard of it, I am excited already plus her mom will buy tickets for everyone to come and watch with her including me! ha! Lucky ME! :)

Oh, yes.. I am one of those little girls who gone through those times that they constantly wishing and hoping that someday, they can go up on those kind of stages and sing or dance for thousands of people to watch and experience the trill and excitement all together during the show and will see that her audience will stand-up and clap their hands and praising her all together by the end of her number. I have been an active student when it comes to extra-curricular activities like singing and dancing, cheer dancing, choir, cultural shows, fashion shows, plays, and a lot more until my college days. I been a member of school cultural club in my high school days and actively dance in different events in different areas. I end up as a president in my college theater club on my 3rd year, organized some activities and enjoyed perks like free tickets on Miss Saigon play and other more but it is not something big like in other universities. And I loved and cherished the experience, the standing ovation, the recognition, being famous and everything. Why I didn't pursue it? Well, first as I grew older, I discover that my voice is not that great anymore and I can accept that. My mom is actually amazed that somehow I can sing since no one in family do sing. : ) Second, here in the Philippines, it is hard to pursue a path like that unless you are really gifted and talented. And at that time, it is difficult to be a famous artist even if your really good, unlike now that we have YouTube and the internet. Third, I think, career upstage is not something I want to pursue (I think). But still, all those things will always be a part of me and now I am one of those people who can only appreciate and patronize art like this. So, my dream changed from being upstage to being one of the audience who can experience every art the world can offer.

It is actually not a simple dream or should I say, goal (because I am planning to aim this before I get older), don't say, just that! Imagine how much per show costs? And if I am really going to pursue this, this will go hand-in-hand with one of my goal, traveling. And after watching Webber's concert, I really do promised myself that I will save some money and will watch all the best shows I can around the world. So just so you wait. :)

But before anything else, If you're here in the Philippines or if Webber's team will visit your country for their world tour. Watch it! Watch it! It is AMAZING! All the singers are great, my favorite part are the "Don't Cry for me Argentina" and the "The Phantom of the Opera" songs. It is just sad that they only sang one song from the "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" since I heard that there's a lot of good songs from that play. The whole concert is an experience of listening to all best songs of all the best plays in the world in just one roof. I only have one suggestion, if only they could add some costumes and props (even not that grand) just to make every song more visually interesting. Costumes will add more charm and people will surely say that it is like you actually watched different plays in one sitting. But nevertheless, you should take this chance or you will surely regret it, if miss this one. So better, buy your tickets now before you can find one anymore. : )

Love, Love Changes Everything! 

Gaga over Lady Gaga

Isn't she's pretty here?

Lady Gaga, an American pop singer-songwriter and one of the most influential people in the world. And I bet every iphone, ipod or ipad in every teenagers have a list of Lady Gaga's latest hits. Because even my boyfriend's eight years old niece have them in her dad's laptop. And she can do sing with it and pronounce every word of every song. And if you would really understand every word of it, it is actually not appropriate for an eight year old girl to sing. But we really can't control kids anymore with what song they can hear or not especially with the easy access on the internet. What we can do only is to guide them and explain what are those words in the lyrics that are not appropriate yet on their age and let them enjoy the rhythm of the song (which in the first place the reason why they are singing it). 

And because of that, I found myself watching Lady Gaga music videos, interviews and reading some articles about her on the net. And in a snap, I became a Lady Gaga fan or what she called her "little monster" after wards. Even if I will be going into a conservative type of person, I still would like to hear her music, meaning the rhythm and tunes eliminating the words (actually some words only, you know what I mean). It is actually fun and it is the kind of music that you want to use in a party or when you want to be in a party mood. But after watching her interviews, reading some articles about her and learning more of her, I then came to a point that you can enjoy the song much much better if you will agree with the lyrics and with the tunes all together. For me, you will be surely a Lady Gaga fan if as a first step, you must know who is Lady Gaga as a person, her point of views, her inspirations in every songs and some other things and then you will enjoy her songs and understand it and maybe can relate to some of it too. 

I am a fan not only to her music, but to what a Lady Gaga is as a person. I admire her, for being FREE. For being careless of what other people will think of her. Not thinking if the society, culture, religion or other groups will judge her for being proper or not. She freely expresses herself through her songs, hairstyles, costumes, make-ups, videos and some other things without giving boundaries a chance. She is completely honest with what she thinks and what she is as a person even expressing her dark side. And I think only few people can do that, even me I think can't express that much. Rules, government, church, society, environment, media, policies, right and wrong, proper and not proper, good and evil and a lot more exist in our everyday lives and they are already dictating what to do and what we can't do (So much for freewill huh!?). And most of us are afraid to be judged by someone or afraid that we may end up as losers. But not her, not Lady Gaga. And that is a tough thing to do. Well, I don't know her personally but from what I see, what I watched and read, this is one damn person and admire her for that. Some of her lyrics may not be appropriate for children, no doubt, but what the heck, let the parents guide them and let everyone enjoy what a good artist can share in our music industry.

Cheers to you, Lady Gaga <3 <3 <3

 This is my personal favorite video. Enjoy!

Note: For us Filipinos, "GAGA" means Crazy. She is one of a kind crazy girl and loving it! :)

Are you a GREAT father?

Happy father's day to every great fathers out there.

Every GREAT father deserves to be recognized. Being a father is not an easy task and for me, I can say, there are only few men who can really be a great father especially nowadays. I mean, you can be a great lover, a great husband, a great friend, a great brother, etc. but being a great dad is much much different. Not all fathers take their role seriously. And for be being a father is a huge responsibility and one of the most difficult job/career you can take just like being a mom. Some can be a great husband but not being a great dad, some may be a lousy husband but can be a great daddy, some can be a good provider but too busy to be a father, and some may be a good father but can't provide for their family and you'll be damn lucky if you can get a man both a great husband, a great provider and at the same time a great father.

Not lucky for me that my father is neither a great husband nor a great dad. Damn! But life goes on, if only we can get to choose our parents. hmm.. : ) That is why I am so jealous of people who can get a chance to have such a wonderful dad. A father that you can rely on, that will take care of you, carry you, comfort you and make you feel all the love he can give that even you're already on your 30s, you will always be his little princess. A father that you can feel you are always safe as long as you have him in your life and a father that when you're still small and tell everyone that you want a husband someday just like your dad. A father that you'll be proud of and a father that every girl like me wishing to have one. But there is always a reason for everything and we have no other choice but to accept it, if you're unlucky like me. But what I learned is, if I get the chance to have my own family, I should pick one man who can be both, a great husband and much much great father to my future children. At least my children will get a chance to experience something I long for, to have a wonderful family I never had.

Being a parent should not be taken lightly. In my own perspective,
one unhappy wife + one happy husband = unhappy family or
one confused wife + one irresponsible husband = one big miserable family or
one super great wife + one drug addict husband = a terrible family with emotionally battered children
one career woman wife + one lousy jobless husband = a disaster family that soon be a broken family
the list may go on and on, hope you got my point.


So better aim for this;
a couple who is both emotionally, financially, spiritually, mentally, physically and in-love + both want to have a great marriage and wonderful children + happy as a person (meaning both are happy even without the other but are better if together) = then what are you waiting for! get married, multiply and be happy : )

My point is, raising a family is not something we can take back, if we think we can't take it any longer. Being in a relationship is already difficult how much more if you will bring a child in between it if you, yourself don't know how to make yourself happy. There are lot of unhappy children already in this world, if you can't bring up a happy family, don't even think of getting married or get yourself pregnant. Seriously, you will just contribute in adding a population full of unhappy, confused, miserable, emotionally battered children that someday can blame you for letting them live in a terrible life that they don't deserve. So better think twice or yet a hundred times before getting yourself pregnant o getting your girl pregnant, so if you will end up badly, there are no children involved and can just move on with you life and maybe if you can find your perfect partner later on, that will be the time that you can think of having a family again if you got the formula already. And I am talking here base on my own experience (but now is not the time to talk about it).

I know there are some point in our lives that we are unsure or really so head over heels that you thought the relationship is perfect and yet you end up getting a divorce with a children on the side. Well, life goes on, just aim for few things = be a perfect parent (even as a single mom or dad), make your children happy and let them grow fulfilled, continue making a good family even you don't have a better half,  a good provider and never make the same mistake again ever!
 
Life is hard! You should never let your future children experience a much harder life! Every good life for the future starts in you, every good person belongs to a good family. Aim for that one and we will surely have a better world. Love can change everything.

Sofie

Practice Makes Perfect

One of my goals in life is someday I can publish my own book. A book about me, my family, friends, experiences, career, learning, heartaches and everything about what life means for me. I know this is not new, I've been telling myself that too. But what makes my life different among the others is at the moment, I am living life despite and in spite of  everything life brings. Embracing it even the things I am not wishing for, but of course it would be much better if I will just experience things that I only want and I think that is impossible. I am actually a very opinionated person and a little miss know how about life that can make this site as an outlet that at least I can share it with some people who's interested aside from my dear boyfriend.

And they say, practice makes perfect, so I am now practicing writing through this blog. I am actually want to delay this blog of mine until I have my own laptop, but since I don't have my job yet, I think this will be the best time. And I am hoping I can buy one soon already, as soon as I can. And maybe someday, I can compile all my blogs and make it as my first published book or whatever. Writing is hard! It is like I am not making any sense here and I am too worried with my English and grammar and everything, but I need to write something just to start this. : ) Anyway, 4Clover Leaf will be about me and everything else in life. Hope you can find something you can relate to, learn something from my experiences or maybe laugh with me too.


4Clover Leaf brings Faith, Hope, Love and Luck to me, and I hope to you too. Happy weekend everyone!

Love,
Sofie