Oh yes, The Years Are Short

'saw this video here. It's by Gretchen Rubin, a NY-based writer. Check out her blog and embark on a happiness project of your own.

Here Kitty Kitty!

Finalleeeeh! :) The 2G was mine! I'm demystifying the kitty party, if you had not searched about it yet.

Kitty party... Paluwagan... Jam-ia... Sou sou. Whichever way it is called, it's a means to save money. Here's more:

Kitty, in India (and this is according to Tarun), means a pot of money. The Dictionary of Indian English has this meaning:

kitty party: n. a meeting of women where chits are arranged or gossip is exchanged.
chit: n. a financial scheme in which a group of people put in a fixed amount every day/week/month and one of them gets to collect the entire amount by lucky draw each time.

Note: There's 10 of us in the group. 8 women and 3 men. The promoter (and promotor) coined it kitty party...as per Tarun. So yeah, technically, it's supposed to be a meeting of women. But hey, we're all women! Chits are exchanged. Check. Gossip is exchanged. Check. Unique drawings are held. Check. Kitty party all the way!

My mom has something similar in their school, and they call it Sou sou. I went, "su... what??" :P
Fine, count me in. :) The more "diversified" I am in my savings, the better. The Urban Dictionary has this to say:

Sou Sou
A savings arrangement where a group of people each pool an equal amount of money for a period time (month, two weeks, etc) and after that time is up, one person in the group gets all that money. They keep doing this till everyone gets their turn and receives that full lump sum at least once. It's not a pyramid scheme, no one loses as long as everyone's trustworthy and puts in their share. It's just a way to hang on to money by putting tying it up into something else temporary. This is popular with 1st-gen Carribbeans, South Americans, Africans, and maybe someother people. Just a way to save money up if you can't get a small savings account, aren't in a credit union, or don't want Tha Man all up in your business.

Note: My mom's group draws the monthly "winner" in the beginning of the Sou Sou. You'll know when to expect your share. You can also request (or switch) for a slot, if let's say you need the money by a certain month. With mom's help, I got the March money pool (I needed it for Andrew's birthday party). Aren't they great?

On to our Filipino version, the Paluwagan. I say, who hasn't joined one??? Same premise: contribute money to a pool on a monthly basis, and the lucky member for the month gets to enjoy the money. It's repeated until all the members get their fair share. I was teasing a friend of mine who didn't know about the paluwagan (or is it more like, patago) that was so "in" during our elementary and high school days. I told her, she probably didn't need to do it anyway. Meanwhile, there I was... often a part of the class savings program. I even got assigned the responsibility of keeping the money safe (which, let me tell you, now that I look back at it, was difficult to do during those years). Look, you got extra cash in your possession... you're young... wouldn't it be convenient to borrow some of it to buy stationery for your collection, or to get yourself a bottle of Denenes? You tell me! Nah. Let me pat myself on the back... good thing I was the responsible class VP and I was also a legionary... no hanky panky.

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Okay. So back to my win. What do you say I now do with the money?

Tea... and the Kitty Primary!

4th Kitty Party was held at Sarabeth's. The thought of 'afternoon tea' thrilled the kitty hopefuls. I long wanted to experience a full tea service, not the typical before or after-meal tea in Chau Zhou or Silver Pond. You know what I mean... When Kathy voiced out the plan, I was looking forward to this monthly meet and then thought about the dress code. Darn, would dressing up be part of the plan? We were all relieved to know that it's going to be a casual afternoon tea treat. No white gloves. No chic hats. No lace and frills. Come as you wish.

It was lovely to have tea (& food) with friends. For $21 (+ tax and gratuity), we had tea sandwiches of ...Smoked Salmon with pickled onions & caper cream cheese, Chicken Salad with raisins, walnuts & dill, Radish and Cucumber with baby greens & chive goat cheese, Black Forest Ham with Brie cheese; complete with Sarabeth’s Scones, Cookies, Jams, and Clabber. Of course, you get your choice of Harney and Sons Tea. Add in the mix of stories, topics, gossip, news, updates, thoughts, and opinions that fly across each one of us in the group, and it truly becomes a fun weekend. Big bonus: getting the kitty. After each one of us got a bite of the delicious Martine's truffle (thanks to the host), it was determined that the winner for March is... Mel! --his is the only one with raspberry filling.

For April, incoming host Mel planned an elaborate Kitty Primary. Yup, check out the theme from this avid Hillary follower:

Email announcement: Attention: Kitty Pollsters!

Dear Super Delegates,

You need to vote for this new CNN/Pepper Poll-
1. Brunch or Dinner?2. April 12 or 19?
Your votes must be received by March 31 or else your vote will not count.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Senator Rommel

Congresswoman Pepper

Email confirmation: Kitty Poll Results!

Dear Superdelegates,

Not everyone has voted, however, it was a unanimous vote by the majority of those who voted already.
Here is the result:
It will be dinner on April 19, 2008.

The convention will be at:
Hill Country30 W 26th St between 6th Ave/Broadway

If you want to check their website: http://www.hillcountryny.com

Note: For those who haven't received their kitty, pls.think of the theme based on my two emails. This could determine your "momentum" in winning the prize.

Email reminder: Kitty Party this Saturday!!!

Dear Superdelegates,

This is a reminder that our convention for the kitty party is this Saturday, April 19 at 8 pm.
The convention will be at:
Hill Country30 W 26th St between 6th Ave/Broadway
If you want to check their website: http://www.hillcountryny.com.
(Ashton Kutcher and company had their after party here)

Note: I have counted all of you for the reservation. If you are bringing someone, pls. let me know the latest by Friday night. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your guest will be seated. The restaurant has a very strict reservation policy.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Senator Rommel

Congresswoman Pepper

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Pretty cool! Come convention night, we helped ourselves to generous servings of ribs, chicken, sausage, pork brisket, and sides. I got the bbq sampler #1 for $25 (with plenty to take-home for my dh). Mel began the voting proceedings before the band started playing and we couldn't hear one another anymore. But first, a test of knowledge of our chosen candidate. "What is your candidate's date of birth?" -- aargh, if one of us just knew Barack or Hillary that well, we could've won the prized kitty nomination! Since we all failed the first round, we were subjected to envelope drawings and competing for state electoral caucuses. The verdict after three rounds: President Jo Ann! I wonder what her first official act would be.

Note: Obviously, I still haven't won the kitty. I will explain what this is all about when I get that 2G. :P