I received an audiobook copy of this poetry book in exchange for an honest review.
This book packs a punch, and I mean that figuratively. Don't let the seemingly harmless cover fool you. This book is for the daughters, the mothers, and the sisters who face different challenges everyday on account of being born a woman.
It's beguiling, relatable, and touching, yet also empowering and inciting.
At twenty-three, Kayli Stollak, like most starry-eyed twentysomethings, assumed that she and her boyfriend, Charlie, would be together forever. Besides a rockin’ sex life, they shared a passion for motorcycle adventures, hedonistic European music festivals, and wearing matching glittery spandex to the disco. What more could a gal ask for? She envisioned their love burning well into their sixties.
And then he dumped her.
Heartbroken, Kayli turned to her seventy-five-year-old granny for support. And this ain’t no ordinary granny. Granny Gail is a ball-busting, sh*t-talking, gossipy yenta with an anecdote or piece of unsolicited advice for every situation. Granny didn’t sugarcoat the truth or let Kayli dwell on her failed relationship. No, Granny told her to cut the crap and snap out of it. Why didn’t Kayli give “one of those dating websites” a shot? With her ego on the line, Kayli threw the dare right back at her—if it was so wonderful, why didn’t single Granny join her in the world of cyber romance?
Granny Is My Wingman chronicles Kayli’s and Granny’s misadventures in online dating. What ensues is a hilarious tour through the obstacles of modern love: drunken hookups, late-night Facebook stalking, breathy phone calls with geriatric suitors, and the occasional rude dude. While Kayli powers through a marathon of OkCupid dates—the corporate drone married to his BlackBerry, the nail-biting thirty-three-year-old who still lives at home with his mom, the serial online dater—we learn about Granny’s romantic past and the bittersweet affair she carried on, even while married, for more than thirty years. The two women cheer each other on and become even closer as they share their dating exploits, learning that the hunt for happiness is the same whether you’re twenty-five or seventy-five.
Fresh, funny, and honest, Granny Is My Wingman is a book for anyone who has ever found love, lost it, and been crazy enough to do it all over again.
Engaged couple Jason and Hazel travel across the world to meet her family in this true story of love and adventure. The moment Jason steps off the plane in the Philippines, an exotic island caught between the East and the West, the past and the present, grabs hold of this naive American and seduces him with its beauty, its places, and its people. Temptation looms as the best friend of Hazel tests their relationship and touches their souls. A deeply personal account of the conflict of culture between American excess and Philippine poverty, His First, Her Last explores the ability of love to transcend two worlds apart. But after an accident spills blood on the streets of a remote village, the lives of this couple flash before their eyes. Will he escape? Will she survive? Will his first trip be her last?
Today, I have the honor of featuring Author Marie Claire Lim Moore for an Interview about her book Don't Forget the Soap!
At the center of many good stories – inspiring, entertaining, admittedly corny – is Marie Claire Lim Moore. Ask her about the time she and her family sat down with former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. Or the time she built houses in Mexico alongside former American President Jimmy Carter. Equally engaging are her every day experiences and perspective on life. You will be interested to hear what she thinks is a relationship “deal breaker” or why Christmas should be regulated or why kids shouldn’t say, “I’m bored.”
Don’t Forget the Soap is a collection of anecdotes from different points in Claire’s life: stories from the tight-knit Filipino community in Vancouver mix with memories of her move to New York, experiences at Yale and travels as a young executive. Underlying this narrative is the story of a global citizen who does not want to forget the fundamental values that come along with the “immigrant experience” as she and her husband raise their children in the increasingly glitzy expat bubble of Singapore. Her parents continue to remain a big influence in her life and her mother’s reminders a grounding force. These stories will warm the heart and resonate with people of any culture.
At the center of many good stories – inspiring, entertaining, admittedly corny – is Marie Claire Lim Moore. Ask her about the time she and her family sat down with former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. Or the time she built houses in Mexico alongside former American President Jimmy Carter. Equally engaging are her every day experiences and perspective on life. You will be interested to hear what she thinks is a relationship “deal breaker” or why Christmas should be regulated or why kids shouldn’t say, “I’m bored.”
Don’t Forget the Soap is a collection of anecdotes from different points in Claire’s life: stories from the tight-knit Filipino community in Vancouver mix with memories of her move to New York, experiences at Yale and travels as a young executive. Underlying this narrative is the story of a global citizen who does not want to forget the fundamental values that come along with the “immigrant experience” as she and her husband raise their children in the increasingly glitzy expat bubble of Singapore. Her parents continue to remain a big influence in her life and her mother’s reminders a grounding force. These stories will warm the heart and resonate with people of any culture.
A man murders the first four infants he fathers with his lover, then tries again with a fifth. Two men have three things in common: each commits what seems like a perfect murder, each marries his victim's wife far too soon, each has an overdue appointment with the gallows. A man cuts up the body of his victim into little pieces and gets away with the crime until he slaughters another neighbour six years later.
"Practically Perfect" details the crimes of killers who very nearly got away with perfect murders, including the tale of Marie Beaulne, who laced her husband's food with poison, only to be found out when a priest recalled someone else dying that way in his village. Each tale provides specific details on the planning of each murder, the events leading up to the discovery of the criminal, and the results of the trial, usually resulting in an execution.
What's the secret to success?
In this book, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dave Almarinez picks apart the myths that once held him back from financial freedom, and introduces actionable exercises and discussion points to help you get past your own "blind spot."
Read on and find out how he was able to overcome his own humble beginnings and start successful businesses that provided for himself, his family, and generated jobs for many.
What's the secret to success? In this book, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dave Almarinez picks apart the myths that once held him back from financial freedom, and introduces actionable exercises and discussion points to help you get past your own "blind spot."
Read on and find out how he was able to overcome his own humble beginnings and start successful businesses that provided for himself, his family, and generated jobs for many.
Building Your Movement
If your business requires your physical presence for it to work, you have not created a business. You have essentially created a job for yourself. And since no person can be at two places at one time, there is very little chance of you expanding your venture successfully.
That is why it is very important to create a system for your business. That way, as you grow, you can hire and train people to run the system for you. This leaves you with enough time and energy to think about how else you can improve the business, and where else you can expand.Creating a system sounds so complex, but we all do it every day. You may have created your own personal system for your morning routine, for example. In order for you to get to work on time, you make sure your clothes are prepared the night before, you set your alarm clock, and you try to leave your house at a certain time. If you still keep on being late, you might try something different, to tweak a few things in your routine to see if it will work better.
In business, it is no different. First, start with your end goal. What do you want your business system to achieve? Try to envision the kind of company you want to have, before thinking about the steps required to make that vision a reality.
In my direct selling business, for example, I envisioned having satellite offices all around the Philippines. I envisioned my role not as a manager of these offices, but as chief inspirer. I wanted the satellite offices to be independent and empowered enough to handle their administrative needs, but I wanted to guide them in expanding the company in their respective areas. I especially wanted to inspire new entrants into our company to work hard and achieve success.
Once you have your vision, the next step is to think about how to achieve it.
In my example, I needed to first understand how my company was running right now, and what I should change so that my vision will become a reality.
At that time, my Metro Manila office was still centralized towards me. We had an office, and we had a lot of new investors, but I was still the one conducting all the business opportunity meetings, going through the finances and worrying about the marketing of our product.
I realized that this was a problem. How could I be going around the country and inspiring new entrants if I was always in the office?
It simply could not be. For me to attain my vision of expanding our company nationwide and serving as an inspiration and guide for new investors, I had to create a system for our main branch—a system that would allow them to function even if I am not around.
So I determined what work needed to be done, and the responsibilities of each position.I knew, for example, that I needed someone to take over our company’s regular business opportunity meetings. I would run one in the office once a week, but I could not be delivering the talk every day. So I looked at our current pool of investors and partners, and I looked for someone energetic and engaging, someone whose story was inspiring. I then asked them to take the time to conduct the business opportunity meetings. They said yes, it would be an honor. This freed up my time and allowed me to travel around our country and help our partners set-up offices in their respective provinces.
