Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History

Apple bosom, pear shape, or skinny legs. Curvy, hour glass, flat chested, slim waist.

You are beautiful.

The Most Inspiring Elementary School Student

Meet my new hero; A Kenyan woman named Priscilla Sitienei who is going to class with six of her great-great-grandchildren in order to complete her primary school education. She is 90.

Sitienei is a midwife in the village of Ndalat with no skill to read and write. She joined Leaders Vision Preparatory School five years ago in order to learn how to, with hopes to pass on her knowledge of herbs and natural medicines by writing them down. To this day, she’s believed to be the oldest primary school student in the world. Her classmates call her “Gogo,” which translates from the local language, Kalenjin, as “grandmother.” And as if we do not learn from her enough, she wears the school uniform!

Below are Gogo's words as told to the BBC:

“I’d like to be able to read the Bible, I also want to inspire children to get an education. Too many older children are not in school. They even have children themselves. They tell me they are too old,” she continued. “I tell them, ‘Well I am at school and so should you. I see children who are lost, children who are without fathers, just going round and round, hopeless. I want to inspire them to go to school.” 

“I want to say to the children of the world, especially girls, that education will be your wealth, don’t look back and run to your father,” she said. “With education you can be whatever you want, a doctor, lawyer, or pilot.”

Sitienei still works as a midwife, sometimes assisting women to give birth in her dorm room, which she shares with her great-great-grandchild. She is the motivator, inspiration, a fun friend to all her class mates. 

And the world.

ps: What's our excuse?

What British people say vs. what they really mean

Fun to read.
Try not to laugh. Or... cringe.

Why I do not want to change my last name

 I have edited and am re-posting this from 2012 archives.

“What is in a name, that which we call a rose …” The great Shakespeare once said. And I think I can understand the poet a little bit.

There are many things in life that I am not sure of. Politics, how to cook, and, what is the deal with daylight savings time. But my name is not one of them. I will never going to drop it. And, behold… I am not preaching why you should not change your last name, let alone saying that if you do; you are wrong. 

No, nothing like that. This is just about why I would not.

1. My last name is the chunkiest part of me. Followed by my cheeks and maybe my not so toned abs. It is me. It is everything that forms me to the day I met you. I have been breathing, living, walking, eating, and laugh-cry for decades with that name.
2. For years, I have received letters and invitations with that name addressed to me, and bills and pay checks too. It is also the name that’s written in my prescriptions. I have been renewing IDs with that name, applied for jobs and filling out magazine subscriptions with that too. Social media platforms? Yea, that. Some might think those are silly reasons, but… I cannot help it, it is who I am. And the idea of going through the hassle of changing it is just…meh.
3. I adore the very first man I know in life, my Dad. And carrying his last name is a privilege, a meaningful gem I wish to carry to my grave, crafted to my tomb if I am buried, engraved to my urn if I am cremated.
4. My Mom never changed her maiden name. And I do not recall her being bugged by a nagging husband pushing her to change it. He, in all his manliness never did that to her. In our very eyes, he was the pillar, the head, the captain of the family.
5. Patriarchal force is one of the strongest thing that embodies a Batak culture.  So if you’re a Batak lady, married to a Batak man, you might hear sayings like “You are a (insert husband’s last name) now, you should prioritize (insert husband’s last name) relatives and events before anything else.” My Batak family operates (if that’s the word) on love and passion. What we prioritize are always based on reality, logic and urgency. Not names and or hierarchies. 
6. A tradition. Some might declare. I hate to say this but… Us women were not being able to vote decades ago. That has changed, yes?
7. Most women would change their name immediately as they get married. It may be a force of habit. I get that. But hopefully we all understand that marriage needs bigger efforts than just a change of name. I for one know that for sure. I did not change it when I got married in 2008 and am sticking with that decision.

Here are some questions people have politely asked me over this matter:

1. Why not hyphenate and ask your husband to hyphenate his name too? I can say it is great for equality, but then it would be two people changing their identity for marriage. As I said in #7 above, you need more than that. So, I opt to invest my energy elsewhere. I might hyphenate for social events but not officially.
2. What will your children have as a last name? I will try to raise my future kids so that they will be proud carrying their last name, which is their father’s. They will have my last name as their middle name. Why? Because, if I am not mistaken, you need my eggs and my womb, yes? 
3. Won't you feel like less of a family if you have a different last name from your husband and children? I am not a mama yet. However, I'm quite sure that if I bear and or raise a child, that is enough to qualify me for feeling like their family. As with their father, we will go through ups and downs together and got each other’s back. We will be busy handling life and there be no time to check on our last names.
4. Are you just afraid of divorce? Well. Divorce did not kill me. Obvs. And that is not a reason for my decision. I know I will love him dearly, and hope we are going to be together forever until the end of time or at least until I witness an aurora while gazing at herds of unicorns with him. But, it will be naive not to realize that something like a third of marriages end in divorce. Would I then change back to my birth name? And if I re-marry (if, again), do I change it again to the new husband's name? What am I, a cattle? Can you handle the administrative hassle? Boy, I skipped many fields in magazine subscriptions, that is how lazy I can be!
5. Are you saying that if I decide to change my last name, it means I am not proud of who I am? No. This is not about you. It’s about me. I only do things that make me happier and feel better. I know changing my last name will not do so for me, so I am sticking with mine.
6. Maybe you’re just being stubborn? It is not a maybe. It is a yes.
7. What if your husband is James Franco, or Michael Fassbender  !? Ha. You got me. I just made that question up. But the answer remains. No. I think Hutasoit suits me best.

Note to my future long life partner, whoever you may be. Even if you are Franco, or Fassbender.

My dearest, if someday God grant us children, I promise you, I- a woman with head so strong not wanting to change her maiden name- can take care of them... educate them with love so solid and discipline with grace so that they will be so proud carrying their last name. That is yours.

I hope you prefer me to portray my love and respect for you in that noble way.

Love,

Tressabel Hutasoit

Squidoo

TED talks: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain

I have read Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts and am so thrilled to watch its TED talks.

Brace yourself, the world that can't stop talking!

Beautiful

Ink

Got a tattoo and the paint is alright/ Just wanted a way of keeping you inside/ 
All I know is that I love you so/ So much that it hurts...


ps: Sexiest beat of this Brit band.

Am a Mama Tiger!

And I also have a Narwhal and a sniffer Labrador!

Back in 2007, I donated some fund to Schmutzer; a primate center in Jakarta, and actually partake in voluntary work. After that, helped by a friend, I supported OFI with little things like cash contributions, purchasing merchandises, etc. My dream of going on ECO tours to see the gorgeous Orangutans shall wait.

The past two years, if you have been following my blog, you will notice that Sumatran Tigers have become another one of my concern. It is just heart breaking to see the vanishing populations. Today, fewer than 400 of that graceful big cats exist. 

I then learned about Narwhals(the closest thing we have to Unicorn!). This goofy looking sea unicorns been harvested for its meat and ivory. Are we really that greedy?

But here's a happier news. As a newly four-legged ‪#‎wwf‬ team, sniffer Labradors (and German Shepherds) are being deployed in airports and at checkpoints to stop illegal wildlife trade. How PAWsome is that?

I cannot join rangers in the wilderness, nor save the sea-unicorns with my hands. And my nose is only good in sniffing good food.

But I want my children to still be able see them in future. That is all.

If you have the same dream, maybe you want to adopt them too... WWF.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”― Mahatma Gandhi

What 2014 has taught me

Let's throwback for a bit.

2014 was the first ever year I entered with NO resolution at all. I just skipped it. I can never really stop biting my fingernails when am anxious anyway, and good luck with "Try to skill cooking a dish or two."

I just wanted to try a different approach to life and see what it brings. I can be a big time worrier and ahem... a bit of a control freak and just too hard on myself. 
So, having no resolution list is actually a big thing for me.

But look what I have learned and accomplished without the so-called list...

1. I lost a few friends. Or, let's say... The dynamic I used to have with some of them have changed. And it is personal, with no intention at all to have enemies. You just need to admit that not all relationships are worth fighting for. Especially ones that does not nurture you, keep hurting you. Or, ones you cannot trust.
2. My energy is now more invested to fewer people who nourishes me. Why? Because instead of hanging out with the #1 group of friends at a coffee shop, dragging myself to pointless drama, I spend more time writing emails to my friend(s) (who's probably a thousand miles away) with things that has substance for the both of us to grow. At the same time, I gained a new skill! I now can tell the difference between someone who listens to you attentively and then respond, AND ones that's just waiting for their turn to talk.
3. I made a move to a new job and got a promotion. Not an easy decision but... Thank you God! I always believe in Your timing.
4. We lost 2 dear cousins in 2014. And a young man, best friend of my brother. Tough. Made me question things but... knowing Phil 1:21, I am grateful for I know we will see each other again someday.
5. I did not blog much in 2014 and realized it is making me less fulfilled, so yes... I am going to write more.
6. You cannot (and do not have to) fix every broken strings in your relationships or social life. But you can change light bulbs at home.
7. I learned tricks on how to open a stubborn jar lid! Seriously helpful.
8. Running makes me a happier person. I am setting a higher bar this year by running through harder tracks that I know are not for the faint of heart. On average, I run 3*5K/ week. Not that bad I guess.
9. It is okay to fall in and out of love. Ahem.
10. Nothing is thicker than blood. I always nestle back under my siblings love, encouragement and laughter whenever I need an instant uplift or remedy. Works for any kind of ache. 
11. Square peg in a round hole? Just.forget.it
12. On a heavier, spiritual note: Matthew 7:15 is a real deal. I have seen more of them now and glad that nothing can shake my faith.
13. I can wear bright pink lipstick. And also in need of a good eye-cream.
14. A guy who drinks a USD5 worth of beer with corny pick-up-line may not be able to afford buying you a USD20 worth of cocktail you are sipping. 
15. Red is the way to go for fingernails and 60's style swimwear will still be a hit for another year or two. Invest in them. And in handbags.
16. When in doubt, there's always my dogs. And peanut butter and jelly sandwich (or Nasi Padang). And naps. 

Praise to be God... this below, is the ultimate lesson I have learned.

"Everything that you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear."

 In my case, baby, it is LOVE. And am getting closer to the other side of my fear!

In the kids world women do not get hit

"Why? Cause I am a man!"