I used to share this common trait with a friend, that of being a doormat. It’s not that I’m too gullible to know the difference between someone who genuinely asks for my help and someone who’s a born user. Let’s just say that by nature, I am the giving type and the user-friendly persons that I am talking about are the receiving type.

Lessons Learned: How Not To Be A Doormat
1. Learn from the ping pong game- Friendship and teamwork is a give and take process. If you’re giving too much love, help and protection to a person but he’s not doing the same, then stop giving. A doormat will do everything to please everybody; I just learned not to please anyone. I don’t care!

2. Learn from the snake- There was once a farmer who saw a dying snake on the road. He took pity of the creature and brought it home. He nursed it, fed it and put it in a nice jar. One day, the farmer was surprised when the now strong snake bit his hand. Surprised and hurt, the farmer asked the snake.
“Why did you bite me? I took good care of you. You should have at least the decency to return that kindness to me!”
The snake just smiled and replied, “My friend, you might be forgetting that by nature, I am still a snake.”
Lesson, you can’t change a person’s character. Just because you helped a person doesn’t mean that he/she will be loyal to you forever. Doormats will justify the snake’s action. I am not a doormat. I will either crash the snake to death or put him into a jar and seal it permanently.
3. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth- Stop being Mr. Nice Guy or Ms. Congeniality; you don’t owe the world their approval. If you feel that you’re being taken for granted, learn how to voice out your concerns.
4. Stay away from negative people, they will drain the last bit of positive energy that you have. It’s not cool to be hanging around with whiners.

We spent our 2nd wedding anniversary with Adi. You should see how he enjoyed the rides at the mall. He smiled at everybody as if it was his big day.

“Mama, up!” he said when he wanted to ride on the carousel.

A romantic dinner would not work with me and my husband because we are thinking about the kids most of the time.

Miel, happy 2nd anniversary!

Last Saturday, I spent the whole day reading blogs about Madeleine Mccann. Madeleine is the English girl who disappeared on May 3, 2007. She was three turning four when that happened.

Several blogs are available about Maddie’s case. Two of my favourites are Joana Morais and Goncalo Amaral’s blog. Both blogs suggest that Maddie could have suffered an accident on May 3, 2007. According to the blog, Maddie could have fallen from the sofa while reaching for the window. That fatal accident could happen if she fell head first on the floor. I wonder how a three-year old girl could have fallen from a sofa on that position. Why not legs first or arms first? If she were cuddling her toy while trying to reach for the window, isn’t it more logical that she would fall legs first or arms first?

Maddie was last seen alive at 5:30 PM. Kate gave Maddie and the twins a bath at 7:00 PM. Kate called the police at 10 PM. So what time did Maddie die? (Eddie smelled the scent of a corpse at the floor behind the sofa) It will take one hour for the body to start decomposition. Eddie also smelled the cadaver scent on Kate’s trousers and Maddie’s toy which means to say that Kate came in contact with Maddie’s dead body. Basing from this, I think that Maddie died while trying to go after Kate and Gerry before the couple went to the bar. If the couple went there at around 8PM, then Maddie could have suffered the accident at that time.

Who discovered the dead body? Probably Kate. Who moved the dead body. Probably Gerry. Who witnessed the accident aside from Kate? Probably their friend Mr. Payne. Why are their friends mum about what really happened? Because they left their young ones, too and they were afraid that they will be charged with negligence, too.

On the other side of the coin, I’d like to analyze the abduction theory. Jane Tanner saw a man carrying a child of Maddie’s size. I wonder why “Maddie” was on sleeping position when Jane saw the man carrying her. Is it possible for a young girl not to be awakened when someone carries her? Or would that deep sleep support the speculations that the Mccanns were using sedatives to put their children to sleep? Assuming that the abductor was walking on that direction when Jane Tanner saw him carrying a child, where was he heading to? Wouldn’t it be more logical if he would go the other way so as not to be noticed by the group?

Abducted or dead, I am curious about Maddie’s relationship with her parents. I am curious about the Mccanns and how they dealt with Maddie’s disappearance. (I read that one restaurant owner heard Kate laughing with a friend days after Maddie disappeared. She must have a good sense of humor to be able to laugh after her daughter’s disappearance.)

The truth will set us all free. The truth shall come out one day.