Love Advice

A reader turned online friend sent me a message early this week. (I am blogging this with her permission.) She wanted to ask me for advice, and couldn't talk about it with her friends as they don't know her secret lifestyle.

Secret lifestyle?

All I know is she's intelligent, beautiful, and a constant traveler (perks of her job).

She added that her last boyfriend (a Filipino and a former co-worker) cheated on her, and that was almost 5 years ago. From that time on, she never let herself fall for another guy again.

However, she still meet with men in all her travels. But she also sleeps with them.

Oh! This is her secret life!

Ayayay!

"You mean you sleep with men in different countries, with different nationalities? You're a flag collector?"

"What do you mean? You mean hook-ups?"

"Well, yes, but yours is flag collecting. You sleep with men in every country you go to!"

"Oh?! That's what it is called?!"

"You're not scared to get sick of STD?"

"Mother Lili (long time readers call me by this name), that's why I want your input. Your opinion. I don't like it anymore. I want a relationship---a long lasting one like yours."

"I met a guy in Thailand. He's Filipino. I really think he likes me too--like a lot!" she added.

"What makes you think he likes you?"

"He spends time with me when I am in Thailand."

"That's nice."

"He really gives me attention. But since I earn way more than him, I pay for our trips. We are exclusively dating for close to 4 months already."

"You mean you pay for everything?"

Uh oh!

"Dear, stop going to Thailand. You mostly go there for him, and I think he's not worth it."

I really don't want to tell her this. Honestly.

"Sorry, he doesn't love you!" I added.

"Mother, NOOO! I really like him."

"Dear, what you have with him is not a relationship. It will never be. Do you know what it is called?"

"But I'd like to think that what we have is promising."

"A relationship is different from a business transaction. Yours is the latter."


P.S. The guy always asks for expensive pairs of sneakers every time she travels to America. Uh oh!

College

The new semester for college will start next week.

While fixing our dinner last night, I told the boy...

"I really want to go back to school." 

"Do it, Ma." he replied.

"...but what would you like to study?" he added.

"Maybe business management." 

I don't really have a concrete course in mind but something related to business. Since graduating from a university in 1993, going back to school  has been marinating in my mind for awhile.

"Then do it, Ma."

"I'll talk to Papa about it, then I'll beat you and Christian (his best friend) to graduating college first."

"MAAAAA. Don't do that to me!"

Hehehehe.

I was just thinking of taking short courses at the local community college just to test the waters.  So far, there isn't one class that caters to my needs yet.

Well, there is one but it's an online class. I don't like that. I want interaction with an instructor.

I might check a different community college nearby.

We'll see.

Clearance Sale Part 2

I had packages for pick-up today by the postman. When I checked our front door if it was pick up by mid-afternoon, I also noticed a package delivered.

It was not for me again, but for the mister.

After dinner, I asked him if he's okay with either a fig bar, or oatmeal for breakfast since we ran out of bread. I honestly don't have plans to make my homemade bread today because I'll be doing overtime work for my shop in the basement for another 2 hours after dinner.

I noticed him trying on a new pair of black headphones.

No wonder he didn't hear me talking from the kitchen. He was in the adjacent open room, at our family room.

The newly delivered package was his new pair of noise-cancelling headphones. He said he'll need it to listen to music and podcasts on his daily train ride to work.

I knew he was planning to get one, but I had no idea that he bought one already.

"So, was it on clearance?" I asked him.

Hehehehe.