"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!

"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?"