into breezes. . .

All of us make  little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run -  simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of  the most common mistakes made by  many of us.

Crossing our  legs
Do you cross  your legs at your  knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the  lady-like elegant  way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don"t  want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs  and compromise your  health, uncross your legs every time you realise you have one knee on top of the  other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the  floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both  legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider  crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is  a classically elegant  way to sit, and is far better for your legs and  your health than  sitting with your legs  crossed at your knees.

Not changing our  toothbrush
How often do  you change your toothbrush? Most of  us wait until most of the bristles have  either fallen off, or are in such bad  shape that we"d be embarrassed to pull out our brush in public. However,  since not many of us need to pull out our  brush in public, we carry on with our  frayed one until we lose it. Replace your  toothbrush often. Damaged  bristles can harm the enamel, and don"t massage your  gums well. If you find brushing your teeth a pain like I do, but know you must do it, you  might as well be  doing it right. Imagine going through the  annoyance of brushing your teeth twice a  day only to find out that you"re damaging your enamel every time you clean your  teeth. Also, use a brush with soft bristles unless your dentist has advised  otherwise.

Eating out  often
There are oils  that are high in  cholesterol, and oils that cause little harm and are better  for your heart.  However, no matter how light
the oil is, it is never a good idea to  eat too much of it.  Avoid fried foods.Remember that in all probability your favorite Indian  food
restaurant throws a huge, HUGE chunk of butter in a tiny bowl of dal. Rita,  who worked in the kitchen of a 5 star hotel, was shocked when she saw the cook  chop a 500gm butter slab in half, and throw half into a Paneer Makhani dish.  No wonder the  customers left licking their fingers. And no wonder they felt  so stuffed and heavy  afterwards. Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you"re getting  served light and healthy food.

Skipping  breakfast
Never, ever  skip breakfast. Remember, when you wake up in the morning it"s been  around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, more than at  any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast. You will then be busy through the day,  and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet, eat a  light dinner. Here are some more  common health mistakes we make.  Being informed and making a few  changes can help make us feel a whole lot  better.

High  heels
High heels sure  look great, but they're  murder for your back. This however doesn't mean you should steer clear of  stilettos. Wear them, but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear  them when going out for lunch or dinner -  when the only walking you will be  doing is to your car, to the table, and back. Avoid high heels when you are  going somewhere on foot. If you are constantly tempted to wear your heels, take a good look at your flats. Is there something about them you dislike? Invest  in a new pair of beautiful flats or shoes with a low heel. Buy something you  love, that you will enjoy wearing. If possible, get a matching bag. You will  then enjoy your flats as  much as you do your heels.


Sleeping on a soft  bed
You don't have  to sleep on the floor be kind to your back,  but do make sure you have a firm  mattress. Although a mattress on springs  is soft and lovely to sink into, it's bad for your back. If you already have an old bed with springs, you don't need to invest in a new one - simply get a thick wooden plank put over the springs, and place the mattress on the plank.  Similarly, if your mattress is  old and lumpy, throw it out and get a new one. Your  neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If  you will be spending  hours on a sofa, get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you  completely sink into are not the best idea.

Pillows
No matter how  comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is, have pity on your neck and resist.  Sleep with one pillow, and make sure it is not too thick.  If your pillow gets lumpy, discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow  if you sleep on your stomach, and something a little thicker if you sleep on  your back, to give your neck adequate support.

Not  exercising
So all of us  know we should exercise more, but many of us don't. This is a  health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse  to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working out. A number of people  only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal.  Don't wait for a heart attack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle  change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in  top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a  world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty  minutes, four times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't  exercised for a week, you're making a mistake.


Today's Message of the Day is:

Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly.  Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile.


----------------------
Source: Sis Adele Jaucian  --forwarded e-mail--

Ad of the day! :D



Advertising Agency: TBWA Praha, Czech Republic
Creative Director: Petr Bucha
Art Director: Charles Salmon
Copywriter: Jérémie Pouchin
Photographer: Aurélien Meunier
Published: October 2007

You Are a Comma You are open minded and extremely optimistic.
You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything.

You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests.
You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time.

Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to.
(But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.)

You excel in: Inspiring people

You get along best with: The Question Mark

What punctuation mark are you?

. . . i hate this feeling.

i really do.

dead star?
please shine on me once more.
i need you.
you inspire me.
like magic.

1. be the eternal optimist

2. value people

3. be an original

4. laugh and have fun


"Too many among us are afraid to be ourselves.
So we give up our dreams to follow the crowd."

Winter snow is falling down
Children laughing all around
Lights are turning on
like a fairy tale come true.

Sitting by the fire we made
You're the answer when i prayed
I would find someone
and baby I found you.

All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
from being broken apart
You gave your love away
and I'm thankful every day
for the gift.

Watching as you softly sleep
What I'd give if I could keep
Just this moment
if only time stood still.

But the colors fade away
And the years will make us grey
But baby in my eyes
You'll still be beautiful.

All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
from being broken apart
You gave your love away
And I'm thankful every day
for the gift.

All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
from being broken apart
You gave your love away
I can't find the words to say
That I'm thankful every day
for the gift.

haha.
saka na ang kwento..

Always have a thankful heart...

smile!

 

 

 

And a youth said, "Speak to us of Friendship."

Your friend is your needs answered.

He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.

And he is your board and your fireside.

For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."

And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;

For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend.

If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?

Seek him always with hours to live.

For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a woman spoke, saying, "Tell us of Pain."

And he said:

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall

 

 

 

Then said Almitra, "Speak to us of Love." And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said: When love beckons to you follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from your husks. He grinds you to whiteness. He kneads you until you are pliant; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast. All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart. But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love. When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, I am in the heart of God." And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

let me share with you a secret...

i love to read Mr. Jesus Estanislao's column in Manila Bulletin entitled Swimming against the current.  It's nice to start a day with a lot of positivity, and his column is definitely a very good source. :)

I admire him because of his undying love for our country and for his willingness to serve his fellowmen through his column.


The forces that pull us down
by Jesus P. Estanislao


    The ideals that burn in our hearts and minds often get to be tested by the fires of self-interest that flare out every day and at every turn of our life.

    In our best moments, we swear allegiance to everything good and patriotic.  We profess love for country and the Filipino people.  We express readiness to die should we be called upon to do so in defense of the Philippines' core interests.

    Unfortunately, our best and most idealistic moments do not stay with us all the time.  In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we let our noble spirits rest and allow our practical side to be super-charged and busy.  We have to make compromises, and in many instances we even cross the dividing line between what is proper and improper, between what is ethical and unethical.  Once we allow ourselves to be drawn to the other side of the line, self-interest takes over, and many times this is made to rule over the broader, more common national interest to which we should stay committed.  As we have observed all too often, "our evil passions tug at our garments, dragging us down" (even as) great, noble and pure ambitions (remain) within our hearts."  The perennial struggle continues, and each day and in every circumstance, we often have to choose between selfishness and selflessness.

    That struggle is what life is about.  And responsible citizenship asks that we keep up with the struggle, in the end scoring more points on the side of selflessness and of putting the national, more common interest prevail over personal, more narrow self-interest.  It asks that we "learn to say 'No' for the sake of that great Love with a capital letter."  Oftentimes, when we say "no" to our self-interest, it has to be because we say "yes" to what should be our greater and nobler love, the broader national interest.  This calls for a tight "watch over our hearts (so we can) pull ourselves away from" the forces that pull us down.

    Keeping that tight watch day in and day out, over many years, and indeed throughout our life time is far from easy.  It calls for us to "show courage" not only in big, heroic moments, which may never come.  Rather, we have to be courageous and heroic "with every single thing, no matter how small" as we go about discharging our daily duties.  It is in these small things where we are called upon to struggle and score victories for selflessness and greater concern for the common good of our people.  Here, because only small things are involved, it is easier to score those victories.  But since they present many more opportunities for scoring those victories, we soon build a track record of winning and acquire the habit of staying on the side of selflessly working for the good of out people.

    It is necessary for responsible citizens to get into the habit of living and working selflessly, focusing on our daily duties carried out with love and a spirit of service towards others.  By trying to do so, we would keep the fires burning and nurture "our great and ardent desire to be a {patriot}, even though we see ourselves filled with wretchedness" and attracted for the forces that tend to pull us down towards selfishness.

    Who says that being a responsible citizen is easy?  Who says that being a patriot is like a walk in the park?

-jesus estanislao, june2007



" If all of us swim against the current, in our humble little ways, there is a good chance that we can turn the tide. "

ana lorena

You are responsible, determined and tenacious with sound judgement and the ability to inspire others making you ideal for positions of leadership. Having broad vision you are happy to accept the challenge of handling large projects which others may find too demanding. With your keen intuition and inventive mind you are always seeking answers. Fair and just you have a warm and compassionate nature which attracts many friends.


hmm.. i'd like to think that this is true :)

source: http://www.bostonuk.com/name_meanings.php

"In life, there are four things you can't take back;
          the stone...after the throw;
          the word...after it's said;
          the action... after it's done;
    and the time...after it has passed.

So be careful of what you throw,
     of what you speak,
     of what you do,
and of what you let pass by."

- Glaiza Lee

 

Many times people with problems become slaves to their situation because they can see nothing but problems. 

 

 

it all started with tipz's grad pictorial.

i woke up early but i felt bad because i thought i would'nt be able to join tipz's barkada picture-taking.
my stomach seemed to be uncooperative this morning.

flashback.
yesterday, nikki and i had our usual friday dinner. this time at teriyaki boy in katipunan.
we ate a lot. as in super supper. (we had gyouza, toufu and kani/crab salad for our apetizer; yakimeshi, tori/chicken teppanyaki, and gyuuniku/beef for our main course; and of course bottomless iced tea) yes, i suppose you'll think that this is some sort of gluttony, but i will say that it's not. Nikki and I enjoy eating for the simple reason of rewarding ourselves by eating delicious food.  It is in these times that we share thoughts about our dream -- of having our own restaurant in the future.  add to that, it is also in these times that we update each other about our week's experiences (acads, personal life, lovelife, chikas, etc.)

After that we took a walk. went to national bookstore. nikki bought cds and i bought readers' digest (RD) which is btw one of my compulsions.  I started collecting readers' digest in september of last year.  from then on, i make it a point to buy readers' digest monthly.  Yes, it may be expensive for a student like me but i make sure that i save money for it.  The benefits i get from reading the magazine cannot be quantified.  Anyway, too much about this RD thing.

From National Bookstore, we decided to go to sweet inspirations for our dessert. 
We were always curious about what kinds of food are being served in this restaurant.
I had fudge ala mode (thick choco brownie with vanilla ice cream on top) and nikki had an apple pie ala mode.  For our drinks, i had lemon soda (which is super lemony) and nikki had shirley temple (a great combi of sprite and grenadine >> ansarap, promise).

ayan, ang haba na ng kwento about food. ang gusto ko lang naman sabihin, ang dami dami namin kinain ni nikki kaya mejo masama timpla ng tiyan ko kaninang umaga, na sana ay naging dahilan para hindi ako makasama sa grad pic ni tipz..

so, there. now, back to regular programming.

so, in short, i decided to join tipz barkada grad pic.
after two hours of posing and laughing in the studio, we decided to go to trinoma to watch ratatouille.  it was around 3:30pm when we reached trinoma and found out that the movie's next screening is at 5:30 pm. so we decided to satisfy our long burning desire for videoke.. we spent an hour there and ate at chef d' angelo after.

ratatouille
i find the movie cute. it's all about dreaming and realizing that dream.
i also love its context (a rat cooking in paris! wow. buti pa yung daga nakapagluto na sa paris kahit sa animations lang.. samantalang ako.. nananatili pa ring pangarap ang makapagluto sa paris! haha.)
fave line: " how can i choose between the two halves of me?".
lessons learned: when we dream of something, dream with our heart and find ways toward realizing that dream. heartaches and setbacks are just challenges. they should not stop us from achieving realizing our dreams.

"love melts all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften even the coldest clay..."


dream big. and believe.

friends.
i really enjoyed this day with rose, tipz and raffy.
we had much fun during the pictorial while enjoying each other's company.
raffy is officially my 'laughing buddy' (i really laugh my heart out when i'm with him..dati akala ko dahil sa iba pa naming kasama, pero narealize lang namin today, na lagi nalang kami tumatawa pag magkasama kami!). actually, we're thinking of organizing a lauging club! wheW!! lots of benefits, boosting the immune system and a form of relieving stress to name a few).
rose and tipz what more can i say but to thank you for being my certified true friends ;)

what more can i ask for?
life is sweet :)

cream of mushroom is my favorite cooking ingredient.
it adds flavor and texture to the dishes i cook.
e.g. pancit, steak, buttered vegetables, special sopas.

so, why did i post about this ingredient here?
no, i did not intend to promote it, i just want to share it with people who possess the same passion for cooking as mine.


classes were suspended today and tomorrow. and i feel happy about it.
i had the opportunity to cook for my loved ones the whole day today and i will have the same opportunity tomorrow!
WoW. 
i realized that i really love to cook.
i have been mentioning this in my previous posts though.
please bear with me. can't help to mention it over and over again.

today's menu:
breakfast : chicharon, hotdog and egg
lunch      : pork steak
miryenda : special sopas
dinner     : repeat performance of steak and sopas! :D
para sakin, mas sumasarap ang ulam pag inuulit eh.. it becomes more flavorful!

tomorrow's menu:
breakfast  : lumpiang shanghai
lunch and dinner : paksiw na pata! yum yum. one of my favorites :D

ansaya talaga pag walang pasok.. i quote pauee "buhay baboy. kain kain kain tulog" pero hanggang kain kain kain lang ako eh. ndi nako sanay mag siesta. maybe because i get enough sleep everyday. (an average of 7 hours) i usually do all the things i need to do (e.g. study, clean the house, cook) during the day... nightime is my time to reflect and to rest.

     i wonder if i can be like cream of mushroom-- adding texture and flavor to other people's lives.