<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' version='2.0'><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:36:12 +0000</lastBuildDate><title>Alyssa Li Says...</title><description></description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>33</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-3540241479208027796</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:34:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-02-18T10:54:09.066-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Smitty</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; I've lost something significant in my life. Is there any possible way to get it back?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Hmmm&lt;/span&gt;. I'm going to say no. You've lost it right? So, being 5, I'm going to assume that you don't remember where you put it, or it doesn't remember where you left it, or it's gone on purpose, or it doesn't exist anymore for whatever reason.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hate to be the bearer of bad news, only bad really &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;because&lt;/span&gt; you said it was significant. If it was a thing, that's OK, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;because&lt;/span&gt; there are lots of th&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;ings&lt;/span&gt; that you can get to occupy your time. If it was a girlfriend or boyfriend, then that's a whole other ball of wax. If they are gone, see if you can't get them back. If they are gone gone, then they are gone gone. If that's the case, I'd go somewhere and buy a new Barbie Doll. Somehow, they seem to have all the answers. At any rate, I wish I could get you back what you lost, but I cannot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I do know that your life itself is significant, so hang on to it for as long as you can and live life to its fullest. Because next thing you know, someone will be buying a Barbie in your place...and the thing that you lost now will have wanted you to live, love, and laugh. Unless it was a marble or &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;something&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It wasn't your marbles was it? Sorry...couldn't resist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peace Out!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-3540241479208027796?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2009/02/question-from-smitty.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-3155141393208865867</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:58:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-01-19T22:07:16.554-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Ronalda</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; How has it been for you since Evan came on the scene?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; For those of you who don't know, Evan is my 5-year old adopted brother. You know Ronalda, I guess it really depends on the day. It's really a love/hate relationship. I hate him if he doesn't love me. And I love him if he loves me. There doesn't seem to be an in-between.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But really, he's been my brother now for 7 months, and according to my parents, god rest their souls, he's here to stay and torment me for eternity, I mean he's here to stay. What I don't understand is how come, when we all go away as a family, he doesn't stay behind in the kennel? I know uncle Dean keeps his Chloe in a kennel, and life is hassle free the whole trip he says. Oh well, my Barbie books keep me occupied on our trips, so it's no skin off my back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All in all, Evan is a wonderful boy who brings me great joy. I am the luckiest girl on the planet to have him for a brother. But when I learn &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;kung&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;fu&lt;/span&gt;, I'm going to chop him silly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But he is a cutie, I'll give him that.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-3155141393208865867?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2009/01/question-from-ronalda.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1258839750476060574</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:19:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-01-15T15:42:45.388-04:00</atom:updated><title>From Dianne</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; What do you think of the "Land of the People with Big Noses"?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Did a bit of digging on this, Dianne. Are you referring to the phrase that became popular from the 2003 documentary "Alice in Big Noses' Land"? If so, are you insinuating that my nose is small?? I rather like my nose...it's the one they gave me :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Big Noses" (&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;da&lt;/span&gt; bi &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;zi&lt;/span&gt;) is the familiar Chinese term for Westerners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This land of big noses is where I live, and I must say that I love it. Although the noses typically are bigger, I can easily look past them and see the person behind the giant nose ;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At any rate, I sense that you are endearing when you ask the question. So thanks for asking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PS: did you know that you have a big nose!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;;)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1258839750476060574?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2009/01/from-dianne.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1176469074943101832</guid><pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:08:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-03-20T12:24:09.887-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Mahamad</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; What's the use?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; You're a philosophy professor aren't you? And you've asked this several times to your students, and not one student has satisfied you with the answer you want to hear. Well, you came to the right outlet buster - a 5 year old!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'd like to know why you ask, really. I'm assuming you're really down about something, or you're just testing me. I bet somewhere along the way, you've lost sight of what it is in life that&lt;strong&gt; is&lt;/strong&gt; useful. What you are really doing is trying to find meaning in your existence, right? Oh, you're not? You're just asking the question? Oh, that's OK, I am just answering it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see, the use of anything is found inside of you. And it's also found outside of you, because really, it's not all about you. &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;AHHHHHHHHHHHHH&lt;/span&gt;. Yep, I said it. It's NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. If you're looking for other people or things to give you a feeling that you, or it, or they are useful, then you're missing the point. You are coming from a selfish standpoint. "Make my life better", "You owe me", "Give me meaning", "Entertain me". These are all the hidden statements behind your original question. What's the use?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The "use" is what you make it. And by the sounds of it, you are not making anything of it. There is tons of "use" in this life. Have you ever played with a Barbie? Don't laugh...they are awesome. Have you ever done something nice for someone else or even yourself? Gotta love yourself first! If you're asking "what's the use?", then you likely haven't thought about what's after this life. What's the use after this life? There's got to be something after this life. If you think that's impossible, where did you come from in the first place? If you think there is no use and you want to go back from whence you came, from whence did you came? You must of came from some whence. That whence might have some answers for you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, I could go on and on, but you'd only &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;give&lt;/span&gt; me a C anyway.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh, if you're really just testing me, then there is no use.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Except&lt;/span&gt; that Barbies rule and philosophy professors drool.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Word, Mahamad.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1176469074943101832?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2009/01/question-from-mahamad.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-7593885579157875710</guid><pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:39:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-31T11:24:11.997-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Martin</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#660000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Alyssa, who is afraid of the big bad wolf?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000099;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; It's all relevant, really, Martin. How big is this big bad wolf? Is he or she big or little? If it's a mini-sized big bad wolf, my brother Evan could easily take the wolf out. He's a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;kungfu&lt;/span&gt; master. If he's a bigger wolf, my mother can take it on; she's awesome at clawing people's eyes out dad says.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also, are you using "big bad wolf" literally or figuratively? If your using it literally, I'll have to ask the 6+ billion people in the world and get back to you (minus yourself, so that will save me some time). Actually, now that I think of it, ARE you afraid of the wolf? Why or &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;whynot&lt;/span&gt;? There, 6+ billion to go. If you are using the phrase figuratively, I am assuming you mean the dentist. In this case, I am afraid of the big bad wolf. But perhaps you mean your mother-in-law? If that's the case, I hope she doesn't read this because then you'll be afraid of the big bad wolf.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But seriously, you needn't worry in any case if you have an &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;oozi&lt;/span&gt; 9mm with a 40 watt range.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I am only 5 years old, so don't take me literally.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-7593885579157875710?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/12/question-from-martin.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-4474316407857272153</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-28T08:19:02.939-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from the Internet</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#660000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; What were the top ten christmas gifts for 2008?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000099;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Here are the top 10 Christmas gifts for 2008:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Digital Camera &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Nintendo Wii&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apple iPod Touch&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Caster Board&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Apple iPhone&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Universal Remote&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hannah Montana Toys&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lamaze Toys&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Robot Dog&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;LCD TV&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-4474316407857272153?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/12/question-from-internet.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-6846463142259987356</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:03:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-28T07:40:58.548-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Sally</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#660000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Alyssa Li, what can people do to help poverty?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000099;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; This is really easy; but for some reason, the whole world has a problem with it. Look at it this way: If I was at the park and wanted an ice-cream cone, I'd ask my dad to buy me one. He'd buy it for me &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;because&lt;/span&gt; he loves me. If I saw someone who wanted some of my ice-cream, I'd ask dad to buy them one too, and I think he would if he had enough money. Otherwise, I'd buy it myself if I had my own money. That's called sharing. S-H-A-R-I-N-G. I have more of something than someone else, so I give them some so they can have some too. Sounds easy right? Well, for some &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;weird&lt;/span&gt; reason, planet earth has some issues with this concept. For instance, I saw a commercial once about a little girl named Maria who had to climb through a garbage dump to look for scraps of food to eat. She looked like she could really use an ice-cream. If I was there, I would have given her one. I think I'd even invite her to my house to play with my Barbie dolls.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the problem is that too many people don't want to share. They want to gather as much stuff for themselves as they can. And they turn their face away from all the little &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Marias&lt;/span&gt; in the world who could really use an ice-cream cone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My mom is really good at helping people; she's a living example of how people should share with each other. For example, this Christmas she heard about a family in my brother's school who needed presents really really bad. So she went out and bought a TON of stuff and when she took it to the school, the guidance counsellor cried. She cried because my mom wanted to share so much. But my dad freaked when he saw all the stuff on the table, because he was worried that his own kids would not get as much. But mom chewed him out and he finally agreed with her in the end. Baby steps dad :) He is getting better! And that's what everyone else needs to do too. Stop freaking out about the stuff that you might lose if you share it with someone who really needs an ice-cream.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Little Maria...if you ever read this, I hope someone has found you and bought you an ice-cream by now. It looked really hot where you live.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alyssa Li&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-6846463142259987356?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/12/question-from-sally.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-5670622430226945567</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 02:54:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-13T23:09:41.790-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Santa Claus</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#660000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Alyssa, what would you like for Christmas?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000099;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; OK, let me start by saying if this is not really Santa, I'm going to find you and rip all your Barbie doll heads off--whoever you are. Why would you ever write a 5-year old and ask such a thing? Do you know that my stomach hit the floor when I saw the name Santa Claus? I was excited that he really wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas. You should be dragged behind Santa's sleigh through tacks and acid. I almost fell for it too. But I'm on to you. Gee, Santa, give me all the candy in the world and throw in a few zillion dollars while you're at it. &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Mmmm&lt;/span&gt;, whatever. No, actually, give me world peace. And I want a puppy and my own dance school. Hey, here's a question: Santa what do &lt;strong&gt;you &lt;/strong&gt;want for Christmas? How about a razor?!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Give me a break. Is this uncle Dean?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(PS: if it's really you, Santa, I want some Barbies)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-5670622430226945567?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/12/question-from-santa-claus.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-2363046886213310283</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-30T22:13:57.423-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Nana</title><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; What is the BEST Christmas present you could ever get, at the ripe old age of 5?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000099;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Well, since my dad is helping me write this, I would have to say a 52" Samsung LCD High Definition Television. One would think that this 5 year old might choose Barbie Dolls or other girly things (get me dolls for Christmas), but no way; I'm a liquid crystal display enthusiast all the way (get me dolls for Christmas). There is nothing better than watching a movie in my own home on a 52" TV (get me dolls for Christmas). Or have you ever played the Nintendo Wii on a 52"? (get me dolls for Christmas) It's AMAZING! Such fun! (get me dolls for Christmas). Anyway, thanks for the brilliant question (get me dolls for Christmas)!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Peace out sisterhood! (GET ME DOLLS FOR CHRISTMAS).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9-Eo-6ANHw0/STNIU_brboI/AAAAAAAAAB8/luxo6_fSuuI/s1600-h/images.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="WIDTH: 119px; HEIGHT: 105px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274639114043092610" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9-Eo-6ANHw0/STNIU_brboI/AAAAAAAAAB8/luxo6_fSuuI/s320/images.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-2363046886213310283?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/11/question-from-nana.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9-Eo-6ANHw0/STNIU_brboI/AAAAAAAAAB8/luxo6_fSuuI/s72-c/images.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>3</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1828381226954280765</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:11:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-20T13:52:41.958-04:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Ronalda</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Alyssa, how do you manage to stay sane with three 3 older brothers?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Ronalda,&lt;br /&gt;I get the feeling that you've been through the mill; you've either had many siblings or you've had many children. But either way, you need to know, right?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So here's the deal:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Having 3 older brothers is like getting brain surgery: you could do it yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it. You definitely need some help. It depends on your circumstances, but here's what I do. Boys are mostly &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;physical&lt;/span&gt; right? Everything is solved by a punch in the face. Since I don't want a punch in the face, I deal with things on a more intellectual level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If I am dealing with one brother, I use his other brothers against him. If this does not work, I call in the big guns - my parents. This is tricky, but if you are careful enough (especially with dad), you can use your little girl charm to convince them that your brother is causing you much grief in life and must be &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;dealt&lt;/span&gt; with accordingly. But be careful because your brothers might be on a sugar high or something and actually have a clue what you are up to (this is rare, but be careful nonetheless).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In general terms, however, the key to staying sane lies in your ability to filter life's situations. Ever hear of the phrase, "water off a duck's back?" In other words, don't sweat the things that have a tendency to drive you insane! Take the "whatever" attitude. Don't let it bother you. I look around at many people who have remained sane despite tons of older brothers...and I learn from them. If they can survive, so can I. Every day is a new day, with new opportunities to remain sane.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the truth is: your older brothers will always be your older brothers, no matter how old you get. Someday they will actually grow up and you will be a pro at staying sane by that point, so hanging in there is also key.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Otherwise, just punch your brothers in the face :)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1828381226954280765?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/11/question-from-ronalda.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-3175238654897238011</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-09T13:36:22.016-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Karen</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; How would you suggest that I handle those annoying telemarketers on the telephone?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Karen, first off I would suggest that before they even get a chance to sell you anything, ask them for their home telephone number. If they decline to give it to you, tell them you have an unbeatable proposal for them and that you'll call them when they get home. If they still decline, tell them they won't get an offer like it anywhere else. If they still decline, start asking them questions about the weather, where they live and how many kids they have; also what are their names and ages? If they hang up on you, then they &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;weren't&lt;/span&gt; worth your time; don't take it personally, Karen. If they stay on the line and &lt;em&gt;still &lt;/em&gt;try to sell you something, then hear them out for a minute. After that talk REALLY slow (like so slow even you get annoyed by it). Eventually, they will hang up; I've tried this myself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another thing you can do when they first call is put the phone down and go do something else. Or try placing a CD player beside the phone and play some seriously depressing elevator music and then go do something else. You can also try repeating everything they say, this would drive me NUTS and will likely cause the same result with them. My dad always just hangs up on them, but that is no fun. If they are going to come into your home via the telephone without an invitation, then you've got the right to react however you wish! It's Canada!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Failing all of this, Karen, you can register your # on the National Do Not Call List (&lt;a href="https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/insnum-regnum-eng"&gt;https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/insnum-regnum-eng&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Good luck, Karen!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-3175238654897238011?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/10/question-from-karen.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-4930619233716078442</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-07T13:46:53.464-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Dean</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Why does E=MC (squared)?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Dean, I have a question for you: why does anything equal MC (squared)? Why does anything equal anything, really? E=MC (squared) because Einstein said it does! The question is: do you believe him? Why or why not? But more importantly, why do uncles ask such easy questions to their 4-year old nieces?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Specifically, E=MC (squared) means that Energy is equal to Mass times the speed of light squared. In essence, it states that there is an equivalence between mass and energy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you'd like to know more about the science of energy and mass, ask my younger brother...he's got tons of energy when we go to mass.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-4930619233716078442?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/10/question-from-dean.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1383149217683070624</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-06T16:11:03.196-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Beatrice</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; My 2 sons (4 and 6 years old) are always at each other; arguing, telling on each other, hitting each other, etc. Is this normal? &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;How&lt;/span&gt; should I be handling this?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; First of all, good for you for taking the first step of actually WANTING to do something about this. Let me begin by saying any parent reading this with kids this age is saying, "Yep. Amen to that." The reason is, you're not alone. This is all normal behavior for kids this age. &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Except&lt;/span&gt; for me, because I'm perfect. But I digress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You may want to try tactics used in my family (on my younger AND older siblings). For example, when my 6 year old brother argues with another sibling, mom and dad give him a strike. If he gets 3, then he has to go to bed early. Hit them where it hurts you know...not many kids want to go to bed early. If they are hitting each other, however, you need to call in the big guns and put them in their bedroom right away (unless there's blood or broken bones, then you need to deal with that first!). Don't forget to make them say they are sorry BEFORE you send them to their room. This makes the victim feel better!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If, on the other hand, my older brothers (9 and 11) argue or tattle, they get an instant job on the spot. This works like a charm, especially for boys, because they HATE work. We girls, on the other hand love organizing and cleaning, so you'll have to think of something different. I can't offer you help on this, as I would betray my sisterhood. If they hit each other, they get the same treatment as my younger brother, but they also get an extra 2 jobs on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stay with it Beatrice; keep fighting the good fight. Consistency will see your children through to adulthood in one piece.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1383149217683070624?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/10/question-from-beatrice.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-2754461465863257882</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:36:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-03T12:25:40.162-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from my Nana</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Two things I would love to know: What do you like about your father? And does he ever drive you crazy?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Nana, two things I would like you to know: This smells like a trick question. Remember that that my replies are generally sarcastic!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So here goes nothing. I like that my father writes these blog posts for me as I dictate them and make him erase every second word. He gets his writing ability from me and is getting better; he is still learning, so be patient. I like that he does pretty much anything I ask. It is amazing how all I have to do is bat my eye lashes when I want a cookie. Sometimes he says no to others but gives me a cookie if I pout. I have more tricks up my sleeve, it's hilarious. Anyway, as for things that he does that drive me crazy, I'd have to say when he tires to check on me when I am doing things. Like who does he think he is? I was helping my brothers sell hockey tickets the other day and actually had to tell dad to zip it when he said, "how are you doing, sweetheart?" How &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;embarrassing&lt;/span&gt;! Or the other day when he dropped me off at &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Kindergarten&lt;/span&gt; and stood there for about 5 minutes just watching me run the class; I almost told him to stand in the corner, but I knew that he would just be confused (the poor sod), so I took pity on him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Other than that, we have a pretty normal relationship, and he is the most important man in my life for now until I don't need him anymore. Ha Ha!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-2754461465863257882?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/10/question-from-my-nana.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1539776751068160182</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:55:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-01T13:28:31.524-03:00</atom:updated><title>From "Mr. Hamilton"</title><description>OK, so I got this message in my inbox from a Mr. Hamilton, who wants me to invest in a business with him in my country. Aw, that is so sweet, but &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;unfortunately&lt;/span&gt;, I am only 4 years old...bankers won't take me seriously. So I thought I'd share his message with you and break it down in case he writes you too (don't hold your breath, he seems adamant that he wants ME to invest).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the message:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;"I am a foreign Investor, I want to invest in your country and I am &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;writting&lt;/span&gt; to seek your assistance in starting a business investment in your country and execute a business plan that will benefit me and you. If you can assist me in investing my money in your country on a business investment you can manage please e-mail me with your telephone number so I can explain to you more better and give you further information. My E-mail is - &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:frankhamiltons@msn.com"&gt;&lt;em&gt;frankhamiltons@msn.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;"&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the breakdown:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I am a foreign investor...&lt;/em&gt;Yes, and I am Barbie. Nice to meet you. But you should never preface any paragraph with those words. Two things wrong here: 1) you are foreign, so why would you ever want me to help you with an investment? You're FOREIGN. Before the Canadian cops ever get to you, they have to swim oceans and stuff. You'll be off with my allowance like a mad hatter. 2) you are an investor. Enough said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I want to invest in your country...&lt;/em&gt;Yes, and I am equally happy that you want to invest in my country and I in yours and...GIVE ME A BREAK!! You don't want to invest in my country, you want to invest in my allowance. Ain't no way your getting my bubblegum money. Swim as many oceans as you want pal; and don't insult my country, there are lots of bubblegum chewers over here - you'd be seriously outnumbered. Why don't you invest in a real job or an honest living...that's the only way to pay for &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Hubba&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Bubba&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I am &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;writting&lt;/span&gt; to seek your assistance in starting a business investment in your country&lt;/em&gt;...really, you should hear yourself. Did you read this before you clicked SEND? You can't even spell "writing"...you're probably younger than me for all I know! And where would I ever get enough capitol to help you start on our glorious adventure? It would never work anyway; I only invest in gum, Barbie dolls, and hair clips. Get over it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;...that will benefit me and you.&lt;/em&gt; Take the you, and, will, that, and benefit out of that sentence and what do you have left? That's right &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;spammer&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;in case&lt;/span&gt; you can't follow process of elimination, it says YOU. YOU would take my bubblegum money and YOU wouldn't care. &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;That's&lt;/span&gt; how pathetic this whole &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;charade&lt;/span&gt; is...you'd take money from a 4 year old. What about my future? What about all the dresses I will need in life? What about my education as a lawyer so I can stop people trying to invest in nothing?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;If you can assist me in investing my money in your country on a business investment you can manage...&lt;/em&gt;Holy cow, you are a hoser. You sound like dad trying to win an argument against mom. Sales pitch lesson from a 4 year old #1: make me believe you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Please e-mail me with your telephone number so I can explain to you more better and give you further information.&lt;/em&gt; While I'm at it Frank, why don't I send you the whole phonebook? Would that help you Frank? I am here for you my brother from another mother. I would like to include my social insurance number, my diary, safety deposit box key, and my package of Hubba Bubba...just in case you lose the phone book. Hopefully that will make you realize just how committed I am to this venture. Frank, I won't let you down.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;My E-mail is - &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:frankhamiltons@msn.com"&gt;&lt;em&gt;frankhamiltons@msn.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt; Yep, and mine is &lt;a href="mailto:iamasuckertakeallmygummoney@totallyhereforyoufrank.com"&gt;iamasuckertakeallmygummoney@totallyhereforyoufrank.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wierdo.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1539776751068160182?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/10/from-mr-hamilton.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1792410692113750094</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:06:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-09-27T14:13:43.070-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Rob</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; Alyssa, what are your top ten pet &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;peeves&lt;/span&gt;?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Yes! You people are getting to know me! Here are my top ten pet &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;peeves&lt;/span&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Line ups&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Unsweetened anything&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Old &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;bitties&lt;/span&gt; who are old and bitty&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Slow people&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Non brand name dolls&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Someone &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;else's&lt;/span&gt; birthday party&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Anything less than first place&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cold hockey rinks&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Diego (copy cat)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Oprah Winfrey (she doesn't know me yet)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1792410692113750094?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/09/question-from-rob.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-1111472087415205319</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:56:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-09-27T14:05:47.523-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from Anonymous</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; What do you want to be when you grow up?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Well, this is not an advice-based question, but I'll entertain it anyway! First of all, thank you for the compliment. The fact remains, however, that I am 4 years old. To a 1 year old, I am &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;already&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; a grownup. So to answer your compliment, I'd have to say that for my entire life, I've wanted to be a kid. I kind of missed that boat, you know what I mean? I went from zero to grownup. It's been like a curse! Even my own parents turn to me for wisdom. Mom always tells me to give some of my brains to my dad...and dad always tells me that I am a smart &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;alec&lt;/span&gt; like my mother. They are both full of wisdom too I guess. Anyway, if you're referring to what I want to do when I get bigger..I pretty much want to run my own business. I am good at sales. I took my brother's hockey tickets door-to-door the other night and sold half of them myself!! By the way...are you a grown up? Are you doing what you want to do?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-1111472087415205319?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/09/question-from-anonymous.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-615759897687300242</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:01:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-09-24T13:13:25.620-03:00</atom:updated><title>Question from my Dad!</title><description>&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;Q:&lt;/span&gt; "Alyssa, what is your favorite part about being a sister? And what advice would you give to sisters around the world looking to better themselves?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#3333ff;"&gt;A:&lt;/span&gt; Dear Dad, since I have 3 brothers and no other sisters, I would have to say being the only one is the best part. If my brothers had more sisters bossing them around, then I'd only have at least 1/2 of my requests satisfied (if not more, horror of horrors). Then where would that get me, huh? Seriously though, if you want to be a better sister, be a brother sometime first. Then you'll realize how far down the sibling ladder you are, and, trust me Dad, it's no fun being anywhere below the top. So once you truly see what it's like to be a sister (and the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;only&lt;/span&gt; one if you are lucky) you'll realize that you can't really get much better than that! Oh yeah, you can always do the normal things, like share and treat others as you would have them treat you (except your brothers!). Sisters rock!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-615759897687300242?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/09/question-from-my-dad.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-4974786903918212136</guid><pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:19:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-31T11:31:23.201-03:00</atom:updated><title>Bedtime, Way Better than Obama</title><description>So there I was scouring the Internet looking for the latest news and I came across some news articles reporting that Sarah &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Palin's&lt;/span&gt; (senator John McCain's presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election) 16 year old daughter, Bristol, might possibly be pregnant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People of earth...what does this remotely have to do with the way America needs to be run? Aside from the fact that even this child might be able to beat both presidential candidates? I mean seriously, if the state of the union rests on the latest dirt that can be found on any given &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;politician&lt;/span&gt;, then New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They should vote for me; because then America would be filled with light sarcasm, not this political news dripping with Entertainment Tonight. But I digress. I'm only 4 years old, what do I know?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Really people, if you're that desperate for entertainment, come to my house and watch us all during our bedtime routine. You'd be saying, "&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Barack&lt;/span&gt; who?"&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-4974786903918212136?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/08/bedtime-way-better-than-obama.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-8410643359738553791</guid><pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-29T18:27:29.764-03:00</atom:updated><title>Marco Polo Land Camping, etc.</title><description>I've been camping with my family for a few days. We slept in a trailer like &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Barack&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Obama's&lt;/span&gt; campaign bus! It's actually my Uncle Dean's trailer. It is much better than a tent. The only thing I didn't like about camping was the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;mosquitos&lt;/span&gt;, chilly nights, dirty feet, drops of rain, no milk one morning for breakfast, not winning at chocolate bar bingo, my brother Evan hogging the Nintendo &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Gamecube&lt;/span&gt; and DVD player, dad's second attempt at the campfire, the cold wind at the Lake of Shining Waters, a loud baby crying for an hour one night, the bouncy tent gang that were all way older than me so I couldn't bounce very much, and the arcade in the basement that we couldn't go in because we didn't have enough money (read my previous post about money...same thing!). Other than all that, it was a pretty good time. A typical &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;MacKinnon&lt;/span&gt; vacation... hurricane Gustav style! Just like today when we went to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Zellers&lt;/span&gt; to buy shoes for back to school. You should have seen the look on mom and dad's faces when we were leaving the store, especially when dad wanted to buy 35 boxes of Kraft Dinner so he could save $29.05! What a fiasco.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, we're going back to school soon and I am starting &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Kindergarten&lt;/span&gt; with my brother. I told mom he is not sitting with me and my friends Cristy-Ann and Anna. Mom insists on telling me that it is OK if he sits with us. I can't wait until she leaves us there the first day. I am going to be so &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Evanless&lt;/span&gt; it's not funny! Well, that's it for today my peeps. Until the next post...keep your chin up and your stick on the ice. My brother Dylan wanted me to write that. He really likes the Ottawa Senators.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-8410643359738553791?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/08/ive-been-camping-with-my-family-for-few.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-4564348340824822202</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:25:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-19T21:10:39.917-03:00</atom:updated><title>Money</title><description>I went to Tim &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Hortons&lt;/span&gt; today with dad. I asked him if I could put some of his change in the dish to help kids go to camp. Then I asked him why they need money. Why can't they just GO to camp? Well dad started talking like a grandfather and lost me instantly. I picked up a part about people needing money to live or &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;something&lt;/span&gt; like that. He says everyone in Tim &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Hortons&lt;/span&gt; makes money so they can afford food, housing, and I bet even Barbie cars too. I have one question for the person that invented money...WHAT ARE YOU NUTS OR &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;SOMETHING&lt;/span&gt;?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why should anyone have to trade metal coins or bills just to go to camp? Here's a concept for you...just GO to camp and forget about the money. Dad always pays money for food at the Save Easy and the Superstore and &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Sobeys and Walmart&lt;/span&gt;. Why can't he just pick up his stuff and leave? Those lines just hold him up. He's a patient dad though, but that's beside the point.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dad says he'll soon be giving me money for allowance like my big brothers. But I don't get it. He can get money out of the bank anytime, can't he? Just go to the bank people!! If anyone reading this needs money, there are several banks that will give it to you. If you live out of town, then you'll have to find a way in; sorry, can't help you there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, when I grow up I'm going to print my own money. Why hasn't anyone thought of that? Hello CNN ???&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;DUH...&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-4564348340824822202?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/08/money.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-8397068937145390966</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:10:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-10T13:28:37.376-03:00</atom:updated><title>La-di-da Day</title><description>It's Sunday today. And the Olympic Games in Beijing, China are well under way. I watched some of the opening ceremonies with my dad the other night. He said they were the best he has ever seen. He also says that Beijing is a 2.5 hour flight from where I was born in the province of &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Hunan&lt;/span&gt;. If you do a search on Google, you'll find all kinds of links for the Olympics. Also, people on &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Facebook&lt;/span&gt; are going crazy over the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Olympics&lt;/span&gt;, starting lots of groups, etc. And have you seen the Olympic Babies?!! They are so cute! My brother really loves them&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can see the Olympic Mascots here: &lt;a href="http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml"&gt;http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, I just thought I'd show you them because my brother really wants on the computer, so if I show him them while I am writing this, then he will go away. There, he's gone. I am a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;genius&lt;/span&gt; :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today mom and dad are taking us to a park and then we are having supper with the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Stewarts&lt;/span&gt;. I will write more soon! :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alyssa Li.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PS: some of my brother's favorite Websites include: &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Webkinz&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;YouTube&lt;/span&gt;, Club Penguin, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Spiderman&lt;/span&gt;, and Transformers.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-8397068937145390966?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/08/its-sunday-today.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-5864160967668275608</guid><pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:01:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-09T10:25:58.451-03:00</atom:updated><title>Shining Waters</title><description>Today we are going to the Lake of Shining Waters in Cavendish. It is full of water-slides and ice cream. My brother calls ice-cream "Bin-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;shee&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;lin&lt;/span&gt;". But I think that ice-cream sounds more yummy. Bin-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;shee&lt;/span&gt;-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;lin&lt;/span&gt; sounds more like ice-cream with spicy sauce on it. Oh, well...to each his own. Anyway, the only problem about today's trip to Cavendish is the RAIN. I don't know where you live, but it has been raining here in Prince Edward Island since I was born. Yesterday it was sunny for a while, and it felt like heaven. I went on the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Harbor Hippo&lt;/span&gt; with mom because it was her birthday. Dad said she is halfway to 70. I don't know what that means, but mom said, "Very funny".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So back to today, if the rain doesn't stop until after Shining Waters I'm going to have a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;conversation&lt;/span&gt; with the rainmakers and tell them that we've had about enough...it's not funny anymore...jokes over rainmakers. How would they like it if I sent rain on their rain? Or even better, some ketchup too? I bet they'd never find enough French Fries (not even in PEI) to turn their lemon-ketchup-rain into lemonade-ketchup rain (I hope I don't have to really do that though, because we don't have enough ketchup either. But I bet we could scrape enough off my brothers plate after supper. Dad says he uses way too much). Anyway, I'm supposed to go back to my cousin's for a BBQ after Shining Waters, so hopefully the rainmakers heard my ketchup rant enough to think I might be serious.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When life hands you lemons or tomatoes, turn it into lemonade and ketchup. But never, under any circumstances, should you EVER eat spicy-sauce ice-cream. &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Bleck&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a good day everyone.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-5864160967668275608?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/08/shining-waters.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-6394974525035683378</guid><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:36:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-02T14:07:27.541-03:00</atom:updated><title>My Cousin Lauren</title><description>I just wanted to write about my cousin, Lauren. She is a very nice person and friend. She always calls me on the phone to see what I am up to; even when we're not able to visit each other. She is 11 years old and I am only 4. That's like someone who is 109 years old hanging around with someone who is under 100. Although, I don't think they'd play with Barbies and run around outside. It would be funny to watch them try though. Especially in the dark! But I'd have to have my brother's night-vision goggles on. My brother only has one pair,  so if Lauren was there we'd have to share. I find it easier to share with her than with my 3 brothers. That's like pulling adult teeth from a baby.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, Lauren is my best friend and I think that she should invite me for lots of overnights ;)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-6394974525035683378?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-cousin-lauren.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink='false'>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2616830060670594272.post-6721626467587772707</guid><pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-08-02T10:19:49.517-03:00</atom:updated><title>The Middle of Summer</title><description>How, now, did we ever make it this far into a beautiful PEI summer? We are so far in that I heard daddy talking with someone at the mall yesterday about back to school shopping. Didn't my brothers just leave school? Boy, we have done so much since then. We adopted a new brother and even went to a beach in a place that I can't pronouce. I think it rhymes with Shmustico or some silly name like that. I think one of my blogstalkers lives near there...Karen the woman daddy says is married to a cool farmer. They sound like a cool family, maybe I'll meet them someday ;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My new brother is learning lots of English words. My favorite cousin Lauren plays with me all the time, and we're going to a family party this afternoon. We are all bringing water guns. Now I have to go because daddy wants me to help him cut the grass. I don't actually cut it, I just follow him from the front yard to the back yard, smiling, so he thinks I am helping him. HA HA, jokes on him :)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2616830060670594272-6721626467587772707?l=alyssalisays.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://alyssalisays.blogspot.com/2008/07/middle-of-summer.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Alyssa Li)</author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></item></channel></rss>