Daily Prompt: Why Can’t We Be Friends?

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” – Elbert Hubbard

Do you find it easy to make new friends? Tell us how you’ve mastered the art of befriending a new person.

But to put a quasi-scientific spin to the above question: the ease of my making friends depends on the person, the situation, and/or common interests that may link us (that should pretty cover everything under the sun).

As an auto-didact with a strong sense of independence, I see less of a need to befriend a new person than a want. Thus, friendship is a luxury, but one that may reap (unexpected) mutual benefits in the present or near future. (Clearly, I have been watching one too many episodes of The Big Bang Theory).

Breaking the ice with topics that are neutral (the weather) or partisan (politics, economy, culture,

Daily Prompt: Nothing But a Good Time

Liz Lemon Happy (Photo credits: Giphy)

Imagine that tomorrow, all of your duties and obligations evaporate for the day. You get the day all to yourself, to do anything you please. What types of fun activities would make your day?

Being a workaholic makes it difficult for me to enjoy my off days. Duties and obligations are still in the back of my mind. I used to mentally take my work home with me. There’s even a bit

Wallflower or Social Butterfly?

Lycaenidae butterfly (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do parties and crowds fill me with energy, or send me scurrying for peace and quiet?

It depends on the crowd, party, and/or conversation. The massive Boxing Day/Week crowds at shopping malls are guaranteed to give me a headache (mostly because it feels like we are moving at the speed of molasses), but otherwise, it isn’t easy to define me.

To many, I am a person of very few spoken words. I do value my me time as I need it for

A Hugs Haiku

cats hug by G-Tinnetje, CC-BY-SA-2.0

Hugs are always free.
They are without condition,
And one size fits all.

Daily Prompt: Ingredients

Measured Ingredients by Emily Barney, CC-BY-NC-2.0

What’s the one item in your kitchen you can’t possibly cook without? A spice, your grandma’s measuring cup, instant ramen — what’s your magic ingredient, and why?

To quote that inestimable goose, Mr. Ping, and adoptive father of Master Po the Panda in Kung Fu Panda, “there is no secret ingredient” (with the inflection on the “is” 🙂 ).

Imagination is the magic ingredient in my kitchen. A willingness (and patience) to push the boundaries of taste is essential in the culinary arts. You can’t bottle it, buy it, or patent it.

Imagination puts a spin on the conventional. It is the difference between saying, “I’m going to spice up my vegetable soup by adding enoki mushrooms and garbanzo beans”, “I’m going to make a bed of risotto with coconut sauce, shallots, and shiitake mushrooms” or “I’m going to use mango salad dressing on my sweet-and-sour pork and veggies” instead of

Daily Prompt: Quote Me

Green Highlander salmon fly by Michael Maggs, CC-BY-SA 3.0

I have a favourite quote that I return to again and again. It is “give a fish to a man, and you feed him for a day. Show him how to catch a fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Why does it move me? Because teaching (and mentoring) others encourages initiative, develops skillsets for the student, and imparts a sense of accomplishment on personal and professional levels for me. It does require a lot of patience, because the novel can be hard to understand, and, as a marketing specialist and creative

Daily Prompt: All Grown Up

Peter Pam at Disney’s Once Upon a Time Toy Shop by George Thomas, CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0

When was the first time I really felt like a grown up (if ever)? I have been raised to act responsibly, even from a very young age (although when you’re seven, that kind of parental advice doesn’t get much traction in an often easily distracted mind.

Being grown up implies some kind of maturity (physical and/or psychological), so most of the time, I don’t really feel my chronological age–even now. Sometimes I feel like I am still eighteen; other times, I feel like I am eighty and have seen and experienced so much. Most times, though, I feel ageless/immortal. 🙂

The Big Bang Theory of Relationships: Discovering My Inner Geek

The Big Bang Theory, season 4 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Big Bang Theory is irrefutable proof that science geniuses can really screw up the Bell curve when it comes to understanding the opposite sex. Or, stated less scientifically, it means that, more often than not, brain trusts are complete idiots at relationships. Just like the rest of us.

Into its seventh season with 142 episodes aired to date, The Big Bang Theory is a TV sitcom that has done phenomenally well in the ratings department, thanks to its retooled, fish-out-of-the-water premise, all-too-frequent use of hyperbole, and the catchy, created-just-for-this-show Barenaked Ladies theme song of the same name.

Having name-over-title guest stars like Bob Newhart, Stan Lee, Stephen Hawking, Buzz Aldrin, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), Steve Wozniak, Danica McKellar

The Most Important Thing That Women Should Know About Men

love has no strings. sometimes.

Ladies,
No matter how much men say they love you (on Valentine’s Day, your birthday, Christmas, and sometimes even on your wedding anniversary), And let you go to town with their credit cards (and sometimes over it with the $900 Gucci or Coach handbag, which we always promise will be our last big splurge ever (again) on your plastic), Let you granny drive their car without proper gear shifting (and take in stride the odd dent (or two) that you put into their baby), Forgive you for the times that you “forget” to fill up the car (mistake lug nuts for lug bolts, and giggle when you hear the word “dipstick” used), Hold your handbag and jacket when you are clothes/shoes shopping, (or decide to invade the garage and frilly it up with pink Hello Kitty doilies), And even share their dreams with you in that rare moment (that’s not fueled by alcohol or an end-of-the-world epiphany), They will never ever Give you the password to their fantasy sports leagues.