"So, what's for dinner?"

I used to scream silently when I hear that question from the hubby.

Once upon a time, this FAQ made me want to run for the door. Unlike some lucky people, I do not have househelp to prepare dinner at the end of a busy day at work.

As a mother, I juggle a career and a family life. I have to think about kid stuff such as schooling, out-of-school activities, play dates, and lunch boxes. Then, there is running a household which is broad ranging from house upkeep to holiday planning, from weekend activities to laundry management, and so on. As an "event manager", I often think that our life will stop if I do not make things happen. That is all good if one is a stay-at-home wife. For a working mother, this can be distressful depending on the phases of the moon. I wished that I worked as a receptionist or a telephone operator so I did not have the additional strain of work stress.

One day, I decided that "something has got to give". Give, I did. Who made these rules anyway? I sat down with the hubby and showed him the long list of my to-do's. Well, I didn't really have a list nor did we really sit down. The hubby listened; he had no choice. He resolved to help me out of my rut. I realised that all I had to do was ask.

One of the hubby's strengths is cooking. So he became the primary chef in the kitchen. He is also good with lists, hence he also took over the grocery list. I still have to do the shopping though as he is hopeless in keeping the grocery bill low. My friends tease me that I never cook anymore. I just smile serenely. Of course I still cook. I do "invention" dishes when the hubby's prepared dishes run out. And yes, this new arrangement eased my strain tremendously.

These days I am still asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

But this time, I think, the hubby means "Which of the three dishes I cooked are we eating tonight? The pasta bake, the adobo, or the claypot chicken?" He still gives me the power to call the shots. Bless him. On good days, I relish making these "executive decisions". On bad days? A decision is still a decision. I still scream in my head!

The female bond

(My other playful title was "Why do females flock to the bathroom at the same time?")

Last year, my girlfriends and I organised an amazing night for a girlfriend who was about to tie the knot.  We stayed overnight at a hotel in the city and whiled the night away in a cruise ship with "Studs Afloat". We dined, danced, giggled and swapped tales.  We were teenagers once again.

This year, the last single girlfriend is about to wed. What could possibly top last year's Hens' Night? We searched the internet high and low. We planned, we held secret meetings, we voted and we saved. It was five months in the making. For a moment there, I thought we were never going to find an event that will surpass shirtless waiters.

Then we stumbled upon "The Artful Hen".

We were not disappointed. Suffice it to say, it was tasteful and it was a night that will remain forever etched in our memories.

But what makes these small getaways special to me is about being with my female friends. Something magical happens when we are together. For me, it is a release from my daily grind of being a wife and a mother (yes, it can take its toll, to be honest). We dress up and we disappear into the night. We stay up late and we sleep in. These are things that I never get to do anymore. It's about sharing my intimate thoughts with no fear of being judged. It's a true getaway of the mind and body. It's like someone restarted my processors, giving me fresh energy to go back to my family with renewed vigour. The ideas that we bounce off each other are exhilarating. We all go home to our husbands revitalised.

I have multiple circles of beautiful people around me. I have mum-friends,  friends with no kids, single friends, work friends, life friends from college and from previous jobs. Thanks to Facebook, I also found long lost friends and have renewed ties with them.

Each of my female friend is important in their own little way. Every relationship is unique and has its own level and space to feed a particular need. For example, I can only truly share my issues about my special needs son to another special needs mum!

My children define me; my husband completes me; and my female friends? Well ... they fuel me!

"So, how was your weekend?"

This is my own take of "the Aussie way of life".

"So, how was your weekend?"

This question used to throw me off-kilter.  I thought, "Do you really want to hear that I had a lousy weekend?"

My family relocated to Australia in 2000. At that time, when my workmates asked me this simple question on Mondays, I was truly puzzled.  In my mind, I went "This question is very personal.  Why do they want to know?  If I say that I did nothing, they will think how boring my life is.  But it is not boring at all, just un-exciting.  Do they seriously want to know?  Shall I tell them how I vacuumed and cleaned my carpet?  Well, I better start doing things on weekends so I will appear exciting!"

I started dreading this question.  I felt pressured to come up with exciting weekend stories.

Later, it dawned on me that this simple question is the equivalent of our "Kumusta na?" or "Hello".  However, Aussies go beyond the simple "How are you?".  They genuinely like to hear what transpired over your weekend.  They like to listen, and they also want to share their own stories.  It goes beyond the niceties of "talking about the weather".  Which by the way, is a great conversation starter.

It is amazing how there is so much to talk about the weather.  Back in the Philippines, there is only hot and rain and the occasional flooding.  Not particularly interesting to talk about.  But when you live in a country with four seasons, "weather-talk" establishes a safe and common ground and it builds rapport.  Everybody knows what the weather is like so there is instant camaraderie.

I also noticed how Aussies tend to use big words to describe pedestrian things.  Words such as "awesome", "beautiful" and "excellent" are commonly used to add color and dimension.  The word "lovely" is not limited to describing a pretty girl.  It can be used to describe "a lovely weekend". On the other hand, we Filipinos, tend to use precise words and downplay our happenings.

So the next time someone asked you "How was your weekend?" or "So, how was your holiday?"

Without missing a beat, respond quickly, "Oh I spent the weekend tidying up my kitchen.  I can't believe I have so much expired stuff inside my pantry!  I drove the kids to soccer Saturday morning.  And by golly, was it freezing!"

Put a spin to it. Use big words. Paint a lovely picture!  Notice that I said virtually nothing personal.  Yet I came across as one who had a blast! 

Don't get me started on responding to "How's life?"

Critics' verdict of Eclipse: With the exception of Stewart, "what there isn't, as usual, is much in the way of good acting."

How Eclipse fared in the U.S. box office ...

A reprint ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Vampire romance has become hotter -- if you can believe the story.
That seems to be the consensus by U.S. critics for the third episode of teen vampire saga "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which debuted on Wednesday to a record-breaking $30 million (20 million pounds) box office in screenings just after midnight.
North American ticket sales beat predecessor "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" with $26.3 million and are the most for any movie's midnight screenings, according to tracker Hollywood.com Box Office.
Critics said the movie boosted its romantic storyline, but the overall film was not entirely satisfying due to poor acting and execution, according to a consensus of reviews posted Wednesday.
The middle instalment of the film franchise -- Stephenie Meyer's four books are being spread out over five films for maximum profit -- was released in U.S. cinemas this week and again features a love triangle between Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner.)
The third film is "more of the same" from the first two movie, said USA Today, noting the physical attributes of the three co-stars are featured heavily in the film franchise that is wildly popular with the coveted teen market.
"This is definitely the most romantic of the films, although some of these scenes are set in flower-filled meadows that bring to mind feminine-hygiene commercials," the newspaper said.
The New York Times said "Eclipse" was "a more robustly entertaining film than either of its predecessors" with added humour, more violence, "and, true to the film's title, a deeper intimation of darkness."
But it said with the exception of Stewart, "what there isn't, as usual, is much in the way of good acting."
Overall, the film has scored a 50 percent rating among reviews aggregated by website rottentomatoes.com with 53 critics saying positive things and 53 negative.
BOX OFFICE UNFAZED
But reviews may not matter for the teen market who have embraced the first two films as much as they have Meyer's books, and the midnight screenings certainly brought out loyal followers known as "Twi-hards."
The initial "Twilight" sucked $392.5 million from box offices worldwide and its sequel, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" raked-in $709 million worldwide.
And whether they can act or not, the franchise's stars have profited. Both Pattinson and Stewart were ranked in this week's Forbes' magazine 2010 celebrity power list, earning $17 million and $12 million respectively in 2010. Author Stephenie Meyer made $40 million.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said while part of the movie didn't work, including the special effects, "the audience watched this film rapt with attention" and in summing up, said "The 'Twilight' movies are chaste eroticism to fuel adolescent dreams."
To sum up the movie, many reviews noted the line from the film that seemed to most epitomize the stand-off between Edward and Jacob over their competing affections for Bella. Jacob tells his rival: "Let's face it, I'm hotter than you."

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)