Women

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.

1. Sometimes, we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport, and no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work.
Strong hints do not work.
Obvious hints do not work.
Just say it!

1. We don't remember dates. Mark birthdays and anniversaries on a calendar. Remind us frequently beforehand.

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Check your oil! . Please.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. Let us ogle. We are going to look anyway; it's genetic.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done, not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. The relationship is never going to be like it was the first two months we were going out. Get over it.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. We are not mind readers and we never will be. Our lack of mind-reading ability is not proof of how little we care about you.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. I'm in shape. - ROUND is a shape.

PENCiLOID

THE PENCIL

1. BE HELD BY A HAND... it didn't say, hold on to the hand but rather BE HELD. In other words you have to trust the hand. The hand is the symbol of God, the one who is leading and guiding your life. You have to trust God completely and believe that even though things don't happen according to your plan, God is in control.

2. SHARPENING WILL BRING OUT THE BEST... Problems will always come and pain will be unavoidable, what is important is, how we handle these problems, these sharpenings. Ultimately, these sharpenings will make us strong... will bring out the best in us

3. YOU CAN ERASE YOUR MISTAKES... We will always make mistakes in life but we don't have to stay on those mistakes. We can be in a bad relationship and suffer for it, but we don't have to stay on that toxic relationsip. With God's grace and mercy, we can always be forgiven but we also have to forgive and move on and start afresh.

4. YOUR BEAUTY IS INSIDE... What makes the pencil write is the black lead inside, not the yellow piece of wood or the eraser. The essence of the person is not how she looks, talks, acts but who that person is inside. Finding the God in us is finding the beauty in us. Finding goodness also in others, will also help us find so much goodness in us. Because when we love ourselves, we easily find goodness and reason to love others.

5. ALWAYS LEAVE A GOOD MARK... someday the pencil will be consumed... someday our life will end. You don't know when, so there is no sense in saying " I will be good when I am in college or when I get married or on my next birthday" as if life is always COMING SOON and it's going to happen SOMEWHERE OUT THERE. No, life is about now and where you are. You make the best of what you have, who you are and where you are at the moment. Whether it's cartolina or scratch paper or illustration board, the pencil will always leave a good mark wherever it is used.