My bestfriend died.  The world has officially stopped revolving.  I’m gonna miss you Cathy.  You were my rock.  Because of you, I was able to laugh in the toughest of times.  I hope you’re in a good place. Damn,I wish I am where you are.

In the tradition of my previous post on how to answer a woman’s trick questions, I have come up with a few more statements a woman frequently say during the dating period so that men would have less complex experiences during dating.

I’d like to see you again = I’d like to see you again.

Sure, sounds good.. = I’m not that totally into you, but maybe I could be.

Sure, let’s meet up after we get off from work.  Just gonna do a quick errand = I’m going to change first and it’ll take at least 30 minutes to an hour.

What are you doing this weekend? =  Why in the world haven’t you asked me out?

Thanks for the compliment, I had this short forever = I bought it on my way home just for our date tonight.

I really should go now = You have 10 minutes to ask me to stay yet.

I really don’t prefer texting or email = Call me.

I have deadlines this week. Can you do raincheck until Friday at 8 PM? =  I’m dreadfully busy but I can squeeze you in.

So, is this life-sized Darth Vader model  in your hallway a joke? = You’re lucky, you’re hot.

It’s not you, it’s me = It’s clearly you.

This is generally talking, of course.  Woman have different ways of telling what we really want to.  But then, these can be helpful to the men out there who are having a hard time decoding a woman’s dating lingo.  This is also in honor of a friend of mine who once complained that reading a girl’s mind should also be taught in school.

In the past, I have talked about ways on how to love your imperfect body, which applies to all of us. Why did I said so, no one has a perfect body, well, literally, no one has, but it’s up to us to treat our bodies perfectly. And so, following in that path, I have come up with ways on how to love you body, regardless of what shape it is.

The four types of body shapes are:

• Hourglass shape - a body with these shape has well-proportioned areas, with a distinctly narrow waist. They have the measurement of 36-24-36 which is what is considered as the “lucky” shape.
• Pear shape - typical measurement is 34-30-42. Pears are commonly viewed as “bottom-heavy”. The heavy packages are those in the lower body parts, slim torso and a well-defined waistline.
• Cone shape - people with this shape have short waists and long legs. They carry heavier body mass on the upper part of the body. Typical measurement is 40-35-42.
• Apple shape - people with this shape are bigger on the torso, bust, waist and upper back.
• Ruler shape - they are built straight up and down with no significance difference between the sizes of their chests, waists and hips.

We have been bombarded with magazine photos of the perfect bodies, with clothes or without. Nothing wrong with it, really, but my point is that the clothes should adjust to us, not us adjusting to the clothes. It’s time to take charge and be comfortable with your shape.

1. Stop comparing yourself with others.

Everybody is born with a different body. You are born with yours, period!

2. Know your shape.

Stand in front of a full-length mirror and measure your waist just above the hipbone and then around your waist. Then, circulate your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), by dividing the waist measurement . If your WHR is 0.80 or less, you’re a pear. If it’s greater than 0.80, you’re an apple. Cone, ruler, and hourglass are easier to detect by just looking.

3. Research on the health implications of your shape.

Several studies have demonstrated that carrying excess abdominal fat (having an apple-shaped body) can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, but the excess weight carried below the waistline may contribute to varicose veins and orthopedic problems.

4. Stop feeling guilty.

Your body is not entirely your fault. We are all born with genes. Instead, celebrate the positive aspects of your shape and maintain healthy shape-specific eating and exercise habits.

We can’t completely change our body shape, so, the best we can do is to embrace it and love it.

I don’t really hate it-hate-it, but the feeling that you’re going there because of a not-so-good reason gives me the bitter feeling whenever I set foot on a hospital.  The last time I went there was to wait for the body of a friend who was going to be buried in another state.  Since we cannot travel that far, that time was the only time we were able to say goodbye.  It was a mixed day at the hospital, while we grieve her passing, we also reminisced our college days with her, how quiet she was, and how noisy the rest of us alive were. That was 2 years ago.

Now, a relative of mine is in the hospital for the same disease.  It’s just heartbreaking.

There will come a time when a couple will be caught in awkward situations where the girl will throw you offguard.  Men often complain of the complexity of women’s minds while women also complain of how shallow or naive men can be at times.  So, for the men out there, unless you like the taste of your foot in your mouth, take a peek at these answers so that you won’t be caught off balanced once she asks THOSE questions.

Here are the right things to say to avoid a fight over the trivial things, well, to us women, they are important to some degree as well.

1.  Once she says :  Do I look good in this?

You will answer: No, not all all.  Your legs look great in that dress.

Ah, this is the winning statement for this trick question.  You’ll be in a battle if you actually say yes.  Women value honesty but you’re suppose to love and like us no matter how we look so a compliment is better.  Saying a direct no will sound like you just want a girl to shut up and go on.  Giving a specific compliment shows you pay attention to the body but notice the good ones.  When one focuses on a sexy trait, the attention deflects from the problem part.

2. Once she says: You don’t have to go if you don’t want to

You will answer:  I want to because it’s important to you

This statement is actually an invitation for you to just bail out, but don’t take it.  What she’s really aiming at is your support.

3. Once she says : So, is she cute?

You will answer:  Yes, but she’s skinny

Look,we know you guys aren’t blind and we KNOW if someone is prettier than us so if you pull a naive answer like, “No! You are the cutest!”, we know you’re lying.   This answer will let a girl know that although you find some other woman pretty, it’s not enough for him to drool over or even turn his head.

There, I have given you the free ride to an argument-free day.  It’s all in the answer and the manner of how you’re going to answer them.  But at the end of the day, your honesty is what matters above all. Also, you have to mean it from the heart.  Even if you say these things, women can still feel if it was sincere or just a memorized answer.  Compliments do not really spell a fight-less relationship, but know how to say it in a way that is objective.  What I’ve given are just ways on how to make sweet, little escapes.

Celebrities are the trends etters of this era regardless if the things they bring with them are high end or just out of a vintage store.

Well, they can live without some of these, but we’ll always see them with these essentials.  We really don’t know if they actually use them or they want to flaunt these things.

1.  Dogs

It’s like every celebrity has a dog they walk everyday either on a movie premiere or just going to buy coffee.  Also, their dogs have become somewhat their own children.  They have their own closets,  grooming accessories and yes, some are as famous as their proud and doting owners, hello TInkerbell?

2. Bikinis

Regardless if it’s summer or not, you’ll always see a paparazzi shot of celebrities in the beach wearing their bikinis.  They are not only judged by the fashion police on the red carpet but even in their two-piece or one-piece bikinis.  But, this maybe one motivation to continue on with the trips to the gym, right?

3.  Designer watches

They don’t actually use this to know what time is it, duh, they have their assistant for that purpose.  They sport the designer watches to flaunt that hey, I can afford this.  And let’s face it, it’s one of the first things you see on a person, celebrity or not.

4.  Custom mobile phones

The story isn’t really on the brand but on the design of the phone.  You can thanks Prada for the designs.

5.  Cars

The men are the ones who have made the cars a part of their fashion statement.  It’s like the male equivalent of high heeled shoes for women.  Who’s the living proof?  You have Jay Leno to watch for that, he drives a different car everyday to his show. Though the 6-figure car is still the preferable choice for a celebrity’s wheels, a new trend id emerging, the hybrid, thanks to the new “religion” in Hollywood which is “going green.”  But then, I wouldn’t mind driving this $400,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

6.  Designer bags

And the size matters too.  One can only wonder what’s inside those big, designer bags.

7.  Babies

I know, babies are not things, but their presence on the celebrity magazines and paparazzi photos are undeniable.  Take for example, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s baby boy, Kingston. It’s like they want to prove that they are normal and can have families and can produce good-looking children as well.

It’s like a babies galore in Hollywood with the births of Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey’s babies in just the beginning of this week.  Nicole gave birth to Sunday Rose Kidman Urban while Matthew’s model-girlfriend, Camila Alves gave birth to their son.  The trend of having babies first before getting married is also increasing.  Not that I have anything against it.  Just an observation.

With Ashlee Simpson and Gwen Stefani and Angelina Jolie on the way, the battle for the highest-paid celebrity newborn baby photo is on.  Good thing most of them donate the proceeds to charity.