Answer Period - the Finale

We're back with the final installment of "500th post and then some and it IS all about ME, ME and ME"...(All the questions were fantastic, by the way, and Episode 1 and Episode 2 are just clicks away.)

13/ From Kat: What was the best compliment you ever received?

Well, I guess "Your ass looks great in those jeans" doesn't really count. I'm so shallow, I know.

All kidding aside, during one of our last private talks, my father told me that he and my mom pushed me so hard to excel in school, to take all those lessons when I was young, only because they knew I could do it, and that I could handle it. They wanted the best out of me. He told me that looking at me as an adult, he had clearly succeeded. That, coming from my Dad, was THE absolute best compliment in the world.

14/ From katie/motherbumper: What is your biggest pet peeve?

It has got to be driving related. I cannot stand it when people brake unnecessarily; forget to signal a left turn, or for that matter, forget to signal at all. I'm just anal that way.

15/ From Laskigal: BEST piece of advice you WISHED YOU WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED?

So many pieces of advice from my mother come to mind, which leads me to admit that yes, mother does tend to know best.

The ones that stick in my mind are:
a) don't get so serious about one guy when you're a teen and do not date exclusively. Just hang out with friends, guys included, and when the time is right, after your studies are under your belt, then start looking for Mr. Right. Who may very well be amongst those friends.

b) when choosing a china pattern for your wedding registry, go with ALL WHITE! That way, when you're in a position to use your china, you will actually use it rather than leave it in the cabinet because you fear it's too darned formal and you're not serving dinner to the Queen.

16/ and another bonus question from Laski: . .. who would you want to play you in the movie version of your life? Why?

Hmmm, nowadays there are so many Asian actresses I could choose from, why there's
Gong Li (so beautiful, so talented);
Lucy Liu (also beautiful, talented, and Charlie's Angel)
Ziyi Zhang (fierce in Crouching Tiger; gorgeous as a Geisha)
Sandra Oh (gorgeous, talented, AND Canadian)

but, I think I'd have to go with Lindsay Price. You see:

a) she's Asian (well, mixed, but I've been told by many people that I can look mixed);

b) she's not a bad actress. She may not be in the same acting leagues as some of the others, but she's got that fashionista, bit of a scatter-brain-dip-but-smart-when-she-needs-to-be quality about her, at least in her current character. (I'm not holding 90210 against her);

c) she's got a nice rack and a non-flat ass and she's totally hot the way I'd want to be;

d) and finally, on Lipstick Jungle she plays the fiancee of a billionaire named Joe played by Andrew McCarthy.

Yeah, that's the real reason. Because Andrew was my 80s crush. Which also works because guess what, when I asked this question of the hubby, he said he'd want Andrew McCarthy to play him. Because we thought he sorta resembled him in a mulletish, skinny-white-guy way while we were in the 80s. And delusional.

Aren't we a cute couple?



17/ From OHMommy,: What attributes to do you love most about each child?

I loved this question.

For my boy, there are so many things that I love, especially when he's not being a mope. He's funny, cool, but what I love most about him is his affectionate nature, his empathy and consideration for those around him. He's always been mature for his age, but these qualities cannot be taught. He's been like this since birth, and I find it utterly amazing. The little things he does everyday demonstrate this, but there's one example that really sticks out in my mind.

My son's last visit with his grandfather was in the hospital. The fact that he came with me knowing how sick his Granddad was, and how sad it made him feel, already made me so proud of him. We took a break for lunch and I brought him downstairs to the sandwich shop. He didn't want a drink until after his lunch, so I gave him cash to go get the drink once he was done. I told him he could keep the change. He pocketed it to decide what he wanted to do with it later. There were vending machines and I just assumed he would eventually get himself a candy bar.

At the end of the day, we went to pay for parking. It was so frigidly cold outside. There was a homeless person with an empty coffee cup in hand standing just outside the shelter. My boy turned to me and asked, "Mommy, can I use my change for anything?" And I replied, "Of course."

He took the change he had been saving all day from his pocket, and plunked it into the coffee cup. The woman was quite astounded, and said "Thank you sweetheart"... and then told me that I had a very special kid. Special indeed.

Now my daughter, she is very different from her brother, that's for sure. She certainly is loving, but it's on her terms. Not as outwardly affectionate as her brother, but fiercely protective of those she loves. The attributes I really admire about her are her independence, her perseverance and her ambition.

Yes, she did only just turn four.

I know these words will come to haunt me one day, but her determination and her unwillingness to give up lead me to believe that these qualities will take her very far. Even as I'm typing this, she's sitting next to me going over all the books her teacher gave her to read over the March break. She read them all in one sitting. Because she wants to be smarter than her brother.

I just hope that she gives me a break every once in a while during her teens. I'm already bracing myself.

*****

And that's all she wrote.

Thanks again for indulging me, and for your continued support in feeding this crazy addiction of mine.

Onward to the next 500...
(images from IMBD.com)

*****

And then there's the giveaway over here...