Sunday, June 26, 2011

random thoughts at 3pm



she looked through the white light on the screen as if it indicated that there was nothing wrong with her, that her memory was not failing her somehow, that life as she knows it ought to return to its normal pace as soon as she starts thinking positively. but it didn't and she stared blankly at the screen while it ate up her thoughts like a lion devouring a deer for dinner.

there was nothing wrong with trying to do good right? but if that is what had gotten her in trouble in the first place, it would probably be much better for her to just leave those goody two shoes at home and mind her own business. yes, it would be much better that way. the isolation would serve her best, the solitary thoughts would just go pit pat on that white screen, nobody would judge nor would anybody interfere, here she was right, here there was nobody to think otherwise.

she tried to keep her eyes open, had to finish a report that was due tomorrow and that would otherwise be her vindication if ever there was such a term. but the words struggled to make sense, she barely knew what she was writing. then she heard it. a whirr like that of a fan, going round and round, then a siren wailing from the distance awakened her from her thoughts. she looked around, her eyes growing accustomed to the dark and the white stark of reality that lay before her. her head throbbed with pain, and she felt her knees begin to cramp, but the thoughts kept coming out. like vermin, it crept out of her brain and there was no way to stop it now.and so she kept on with the pit pat, and so she kept on writing, until her eyes stopped, paused, closed, then opened once again, then the pain stopped and then there was blackness, and light and then freedom as the white light on the screen slowly, slowly, slowly faded and turned into colors so bright, she had to shield her eyes from it.

here she was, back to where it all began. back to when she had to bang her head on the wall just because of a grade, here she was back in bed in her pajamas while she hugged a green bear that sang a midnight lullaby, here she was back when there was only innocence, and stationaries with pink kittens and imaginary friends who accompanied her when she was scared, here she was with a missing tooth and a promise of ice cream after a visit to the dentist, here she was and she felt loved. then she blinked, and again the blackness returned.

there was the screen again, there were her thoughts again. gone were the pajamas, gone was the bear. all that was left was a feeling of emptiness despite everything that she had, tears slowly fell down her face, as she looked at the bed she had made and the room that she lived, there was nobody now, there were no more hugs, no more bears, no more stationaries, just a paycheck with numbers that defined what she had become, just emptiness, then there was black, and a small sound as she struggled to breath, her chest heaved up and down, her eyes began to cloud, then just as she thought the blackness would swallow her whole, a small beam of light began to show. She squinted her eyes, and then she saw those open arms, welcoming her home, hugging her tight, and telling her, My child, everything's going to be all right, sleep tight now, tomorrow's going to be a new day...



Sunday, March 20, 2011

of ants and financial freedom





you wake up
go to work
like ants
scurrying towards
a nest
where the
queen
sits to
relax and drink
on a day's work

we look
at life
through
lenses
blurry
from media
advertising
and
consumerism
and
you head on
to the next
big thing
with the words
marked bold
in red
SALE

only to look
back
at your
purse
which was
full awhile
ago
now almost
empty
save for
a few coins
just enough
for bus fare

and so you go
like an ant
scurrying
back home
to sleep
and slumber
only to wake
up
tomorrow
to again
work

until
you have
gone
through life
wondering
if you
have ever lived
or if
you have
just
missed out
the chance
to be the
queen
sitting
on a throne
relaxing
with money
as your slave
and
you
financially

free









Sunday, February 27, 2011

most commonly used passwords online

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

workaholic





a pit-pat on the screen
with eyes blinking
adjusting
slowly
to the white
light
of LED

coffee spilled
on some notes
with scribbling
marked as
urgent
while
a mobile phone
alarm
beeped incessantly
showing
time
to be way past 10pm

cool air
penetrating
through drone
like sounds
of airconditioning
while the road
outside
seemed to
grow
more silent
by the minute

a man with his
head
on the table
amidst clutter
and spilled coffee
was suddenly
awakened by
the ringing
of a phone

a broken
promise to
be home
by nine

the shrill sound
of a siren
on the background
drowned
by the words
of a woman
a doctor
telling him
the missus
met an accident
while he
was busy
with paper
now
meaningless

as the screen
showed a pit-pat
with eyes blinking
tears
and a realization
that its now
too late
to keep
a promise






Saturday, February 19, 2011

My Top Ten Online Photo Editing Sites



There have been a proliferation of online photo editing sites lately. From the simple ones where you can adjust contrast, size and brightness to the quirky ones where you can insert your photo on pre-existing pictures, here's my own list of the funny, the weird and definitely the most fun sites on the net. Just a word of caution though, click one of the sites and you'd find yourself hooked. Just make sure your chair offers some good back support and your pc or laptop is not overheating yet. :)


1. Photo Face Fun
More than a hundred pre-existing photos where you can insert your own face or someone else's. If you want to be a star but just don't have their acting skills nor their faces, just insert your picture here and voila, an instant movie poster alongside hollywood's brightest. The site is divided into categories such as advertisement, art, cars, celebrities, drawings, faces, fashion, frames, galleries, holidays, posters, media, vintage and a whole lot more. You can choose your own facebook avatar.

Here's one sample with my niece on a quentin tarantino film.

And my sister and her beau drawn on colored pencil


Oh, and I do hope my brother loves being Wolverine too...hehe

2. Picnik
Now this one is a photographer's and an amateur's photo editing site and when they say its a picnic, it really is. Here you can edit contrast, turn a picture into lomo, even adjust the focus and the blur all with just a click of your mouse and a few tweaks. You can even add your own copyright seal to make sure no one steals that picture perfect shot you've got. Some features are premium though with a corresponding fee. Nonetheless, the free ones are worth your time too.

Here's an example of a picture of me and my friends shyrell, anjie and russiel goofing around with the before and after shot. I edited it using lomo, duo-tone, and added some text and a dropback shadow.


3. Photo Funia
The site is somewhat similar to photofacefun.com but what makes this site different is that there are other options aside from just inserting your face on the picture. You can turn your picture into that which is similar to the pictures used at currencies. The site is divided into effects and lab. The effects part is similar to photofacefun, whereas the lab part is a whole new world of its own where you can create your own diploma, create your own lego portrait and even swap faces. Curious? check my examples below to get started.

For example, you can graduate even though you haven't even stepped on that stage.

or command a ship and replace Johnny Depp as a Pirate

4. Big Huge Labs
As per their tagline, Helping you do cool stuff with your photos since 2005, you do not need to be an expert to try photoediting at this site. Make your own poster, jigsaw puzzle, hockneyizer, movie poster, calendar, motivator, and even your own trading card for free. If you want your pictures to be in high resolution though, you'd have to pay them a premium price. But what is usually charged at picnik.com, such as frames and jigsaw puzzled pictures are free to use on this site. I love the jigsaw and the Andy Warhol technique used in pop-art poster.

Jigsaw billboard at China?

Or Polaroid Overload?


5. Funny Photo Zh
Now, this one is what I call an all in one site. You can touch up, smart fix, edit filters, cartoonize yourself, make your own avatar, and even do everything else at photofunface and photofunia. The only catch is that some of the page is in japanese and you'd have to do the trial and error thing to get it right. Nonetheless, if you're looking for some great avatar for your forums, this one is definitely worth the language translation. :)

here's an example of my beau's brother, Mark Cayago as a blinking Navi

6. Flamingtext
I have been using this since 2000 when I was still in highschool. Now, ten years later, this continues to be one of my top picks for logos and text banners whether it be for email signatures or for powerpoint presentations, this site lets you customize text in a professional way.



7. Hollywood Hair Virtual Makeover
Every girl wants some hollywood glam every now and then. Every girl wants a good haircut and some flawlessly shiny locks. Now if you're like me, who's afraid to risk it out before going to the salon, this site allows you to upload your picture and use the model's hairstyle to see if your dream style matches your face or not. This is basically a make-over without regrets. Just a word of note though, the site takes quite awhile to load, but your look afterwards would definitely be worth the wait.


8. Moronface
If number 7 was Beauty, now its your time to turn into a Beast or a Moron for that matter....kidding. Oh and did I mention this one is good for some sweet old revenge to that friend who tagged your ugly pic on facebook too?

I just hope this kid grows up to be the next top model :)


9. My Heritage
Do you want to know if you resemble your mom or your dad more without DNA testing?
Or is it possible you have a twin brother or sister who is at Hollywood? This site matches your photo with the closest match, whether it be your dad or your mom, or even Brad Pitt, it's our time to brag about those genes.



10. Pizap
After searching about your lineage and trying on hollywood style, how about a game of basketball with the president Barack Obama while Lady Gaga, Eminem and Michael Jackson are singing? Or perhaps you'd want to include Michael Jordan himself playing with Manny Pacquiao? Whatever your whim or craziness, pizap has the clip, the avatar or the picture for you.



oh, and before I forget, you can tweak up other people's pictures too. hmmm...perhaps Doodle would be a much better word for this one.



So there you go. My top ten Online Photo Editing sites that would surely take up a lot of your time. There's more than 50 out there but these are the ones that I use every now and then, they come highly recommended but are highly addictive too.

Keep on smiling and editing everyone! Cheers!









Friday, February 18, 2011

Looking Younger Memoirs-1: Avocado Magic




Everyone wants to stop time from showing on their faces. Even those who say "bah humbug" still end up staring at the mirror and wondering how those lines, spots, and everything else that wasn't there when you were three managed to show up now. Yes, you still might have the same size of eyes since you were one, but your skin has began to manifest the years. Why did I choose to write about aging and our obsession to stop it? Blame yahoo and the television screen. :)

photo by" Tom Hussey for Novartis


And so I have decided to compile what I have seen and remembered from my childhood days about alternative remedies and methods to look younger and feel better.


I am starting with memoir number 1, The Avocado.


I was a kid when I first saw an attempt to stop time from catching up. I opened up the fridge looking for some avocado to mix with some ice and milk when I found out there was none left.

Turns out my aunt, used it all up.
The green mashed up mixture was splattered on her face while she slept at the couch. She looked like Princess Fiona of Shrek minus the ears...kidding.

The naive kid then asked her aunt why her face was eating her snack. She pinched me on my chubby cheeks and told me, she needed the pinkish glow for a date later in the evening.

Confused, I left her alone and decided to rummage the fridge for something else. The search ended up with just ice, some peanut butter and a pack of dried fish.

I figured playing Power Rangers was a much satisfying option. After countless fake battles with the rangers (I was Rita Repulsa: the villainess)
we were surprised to hear my aunt screaming.

I ran and saw her rinsing the green goo out of her face as if it was the most revolting thing on this planet.

She got her pink glow alright, she got it from a bunch of angry ants which feasted on her face while she overslept.

But for those of you who want to try it out for themselves minus the creepy crawlers, here's
what I remembered from my aunt a couple of eons ago, oh, and don't worry, this one does work.

My Aunt's Recipe
Mix 3 tbsps of mashed or blended avocado with 3 tbsps of honey until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little bit of coconut oil or olive oil to smoothen it up. Mix well. Wash your face with warm water (got this from my other aunt who told me it opens up the pores. Pat dry with a soft towel using upward strokes then apply the mixture using a brush or using your hands. Spread evenly and rinse with cold water (to close the pores and lock in moisture) after 20-30 minutes.

But if you still are doubtful of my aunt's mixture, here's one from expertvillage taken from youtube.




do not forget the following:
Use only ripe avocados. my aunt used raw ones which lead to too much green stuff caking and falling off her face leading to a barrage of ants and bite marks afterwards.

Other Beauty and Medicinal Uses of avocado for personal experimentation

Experiment 1: Instead of cucumber thinly slice avocados after removing the seed and place below the eyes. Let stay for 20 minutes
claim:removes puffiness and dark undereye circles

Experiment 2 To lessen irritation and swelling from skin allergies, wipe the skin of the avocado to the affected area. Leave for 5-10 minutes then rinse.
claim: natural cure for allergies and inflammation including dermatitis

Experiment 3: Mix eggwhite, 2 tbsps of oatmeal, 1 tbsp of calamansi or lemon juice and a quarter of an avocado until smooth. Use as scrub for the hands.
claim: smoother and softer hands. removal of dead skin cells

For those with oily skin, substitute the honey from my aunt's mixture with egg white.
For those with dry skin, substitute the egg white with egg yolk.

For those with dull hair, blend the avocado together with 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil or olive oil, 1 egg yolk, and and spread evenly on your hair, cover with a shower cap for 20 minutes and rinse. Here's a cool vid from bubzbeauty at youtube on how to make the mask.




My nutritionist and vegan aunt also told me last 2005 that there are a lot of nutrients,mainly phosphorus and some B vitamins that could be found on avocados. If you want a cheap facelift, she told me this fruit was the cheaper alternative and at 2-3 times a week, its better than having botox. It increases skin elasticity and at the same time the oil moisturizes and reduces inflammation which later on leads to wrinkles and lines.

With the onslaught of photoshopped and chemical laden creams in the market nowadays, why not give this fruit a try then go out and brag how you did it naturally?

Just don't forget to check the area for ants first. ;)






Sunday, February 13, 2011

Train - If It's Love Official Video





dedicated to my grandearico... (",)
through thick and thin
through laptop movie sessions
and even through camels and desert storms
if its love
and we decide that its forever
no one else could do it better.

happy valentines ga!

and to everybody else,
through blood diamond chocolates
through roses of every colors and shapes
through tears and laughter
may you also
know
and feel
that you are loved
and you should
know it better

happy valentines everyone!

Friday, February 04, 2011

rules to live by (guide for the year of the rabbit)


saw this at one of the forums at financemanila.net while trading stocks this morning. It was posted by antediluvianist.
It made me laugh, think and at the same time realize more facts about life itself than what I already know.

I just thought this is something worthwhile to share.
:)


First, do not end sentences in a preposition often.

If anything can go wrong, it will – Murphy’s Law

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory – Brown’s Rule

If you don’t need it and don’t want it, there is always plenty of it – Murphy’s Law of Supply

In America, it’s not how much an item costs, it’s how much you save – Paulg’s Law

Don’t believe everything you hear or anything you say – Murray’s Law

Marriage teaches you loyality, forbearance, selfrestraint, meekness, and a great many other things you wouldn’t need if you had stayed single – Townsend’s Law

It doesn’t matter if you win or lose… until you lose – O.J.’s Law

Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups – Wethern’s Law of Suspended Judgment

There are no answers, only cross-references – Weiner’s Law of Libraries

To err is human, but to really f*ck things up requires a computer – Law of Unreliability

Once you give up integrity, the rest is easy – Evan’s Law

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other – Ameringer’s Axiom

When a politician gets an idea, he usually gets it wrong – the 5th Rule of Politics

No matter what goes wrong, it will probably look right – Scott’s First Law

Murphy’s Law always hits at the worst time – Lanning’s Law

Things get worse under pressure – Murphy’s Law of Thermodynamics

Sometimes it takes several years to recognize the obvious – Sy’s Law of Science

If you are in a hole, stop digging – 1st Rule of Excavation

There is no issue so small that it can’t be blown out of proportion – Ruckert’s Law

The degree to which you overreact to information will be in inverse proportion to its accuracy – Weatherwax’s Postulate

The item you had your eye on the minute you walked in will be taken by the person in front of you – Cafeteria Law

Nothing is as temporary as that which is called permanent – Jose’s Axiom

Nothing is as permanent as that which is called temporary – Corollary

Free time that unexpectedly becomes available will be wasted – Sandiland’s Law

The one who does the least work will get the most credit – Shapiro’s Law of Reward

No matter how often a lie is shown to be false, there will remain a percentage of people who believe it to be true – Law of the Lie

The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made – Glyme’s Formula for Success

Never replicate a successful experiment – Fett’s Law of the Lab

Accuracy is the sum total of your compensating mistakes – Wingfield’s Axiom

As soon as you’re doing what you wanted to be doing, you want to be doing something else – Law of Living

There’s no time like the present for postponing what you don’t want to do – Hecht’s Law

Whichever way you turn upon entering an elevator, the buttons will be on the opposite side – Gluck’s Law

If credit can possibly go to someone else, it will – Kovaleski’s Dictum

If you don’t do anything, you can’t do anything wrong – Cameron’s Law

It is impossible for anyone to learn that which he thinks he already knows – Plutarch’s Rule

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people – Chesterton

A little inaccuracy can save a lot of explanation – Munroe’s Teaching Principle

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive – Grandpa Charnock’s Law

Man is always ready to die for an idea, provided that the idea is not quite clear to him – Eldridge’s Law of War

If you don’t care where you are, you’re not lost – Rune’s Rule of the Road

The probability of someone’s asking irrelevant questions requiring lengthy responses increases in direct proportion to how tired you are of the meeting. – Bowlby’s Law

:) oh and may i add something else?
Learn the Rules then Break Some. hehe...cheers!










Wednesday, January 26, 2011

3 to 4 in the morning



Image from Photoshop Art @ Flickr


The clock on the right side of my laptop changed from 3:42 to 3:43am. From a distance the roosters echoed out their orchestrated shouts while I heard the door of my bathroom creaking, its hinges rusty from water sprayed during bath time.

My brain began to fall slowly to slumber. To the place where people had wings and each scene changed from happy to bad to weird in less than a minute. Inception? Or perhaps just wide awake and dreaming. I looked around and the only light I see is my screen and a mobile charger with an eerie blue glow.

Yes, I am still wide awake.

But my fingers moved on their own, a pit pat on the keyboard while my fan whirred incessantly. I managed to blink my lids, my eyes fighting my brain against going back towards the covers where pillows and sheep jumping over fences waited.

There's too much going on inside my brain. I browsed through facebook, then to a finance forum, then through blogger. My thoughts a jumble of status updates, bus explosions at Manila, to stock prices snapping back up after a five day low.

Everybody seemed to have their own say on everything.

People calling for attention or perhaps just voicing out the random nerve impulses their brains send to their hands. Happy, sad, excited, proud, or just selling a few colored shoes at bargain prices. Either way, the status updates showed a group of people I am connected with. Either by blood or friendship, they echo my ramblings, like a gong vibrating loud.

Loud. Politicians and every civic group are all crying out for justice over a bomb placed below a bus seat leaving 2 dead. Despite intel, people focused on the latest entertainment news and who got married with whom, nobody got cautious of 2 people riding a bus with a bag and leaving without it. Fear is present and alive.

Alive and resurrected from after 5 days of watching red, I grinned like a Cheshire cat upon seeing green on the ticker screen this morning. Celebration and cash flowing in, the Philippines' stock market thrived on good news. As of yesterday morning, the good news was people are much more optimistic about the government. The foreign investors thought so too.

I am happy that they did.
I am hoping they still think so until today.

Today, my eyes fight to stay awake battling my brain. A hardheaded pair trying to control the center of my thoughts. But as the winner stood proud over the defeated, my eyelids begin to slowly close. White flag waving up and down.

The sound of a motorcycle woke me up again. I muttered a prayer to please make tomorrow much better than today as the clock on the right side of my laptop now showed 4:06.

From a distance the roosters could still be heard, my bathroom door creaked, a dog barked...

and I know my prayer had been heard.








Monday, January 24, 2011

fighting bears



a ticker screen
with a green
which turned
into a
yellow
then a
red
in less
than 5 minutes
with cash
flowing
down the
drain
and
fear creeping
in
like a
thief
crawling
steadily
fast
its bag
full of everything
that i had
earned
for the
past 2
months
now wondering
where
did the
bull go
and why
did the
bear come
back
to clutch
its reigns
on me
on money
on fear

but like
everyone else
trading
stocks
i'd stay put
mind cleared
thoughts intact
hoping
that would
be enough
to fight
the bear
and turn
that
ticker screen
from a
red
to a
green







Thursday, January 20, 2011

Philippine's Secret Cheap Getaways



Posting some cheap vacation getaways here in the Philippines.
Went to these places and loved it!

Go dip your feet at the cool waters of Majayjay and Liliw, buy some handmade slippers, take a trip down memory lane and see their old church, and eat your heart out at Arabela's at Rizal St.

photo from southbound.ph


Or perhaps go see the hanging coffins and cave spelunking at Sagada and conquer two caves at once. Be introduced to limestone formations named after human genitalias, oh, and animals too. :) For a more detailed travelogue on my Sagada trip, here's the link to my multiply site. http://althene63.multiply.com/journal/item/33 and if it's a guide you're looking for just type http://sagadagenuineguides.blogspot.com and get the services of one of the best guides this trained group has to offer.

king's curtain formation


the wooden coffins


the king


rice terraces


or perhaps you'd rather see century old lighthouses and jump from a cliff at Bolinao, Pangasinan
one of the oldest lighthouse in the philippines


ocean jumping at solomonsparadise resort www.solomonsparadise.multiply.com


beach view


or better yet go ghost hunting at some old houses and ruins at Silay, Negros Occidental



oh, and did i mention we're considered one of the happiest people too?

photo by: malou marquez-www.malousky.multiply.com


see you in the philippines! :)





















colorblind




sometimes
you stare
deep
and try
to gauge
what's
wrong
and odd
based
on what
you
think
is right

as if
the world
turned
on
your
wheels
like
a hamster
with its
feet
running
running
endlessly

only
to realize
that
its
not the
colors
so
bright
nor the
picture
that is
wrong

but
the
way
you
see
things


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Of Swan Lake and Pussycat Dolls




movements
coordinated with
every thump
every pause
like
pit
pat
thump
like
one
two
three
eyes
concentrating
to movements
not understood
arms moving
up and down
head
swaying
side
to side
movements
now
imitated
from
a tube
with colors
a three
year old
who
dreams of
becoming
a ballerina
dancing
to Pussycat dolls

:) For my 3 year old niece Ela,hope you'd see this someday and laugh.





Sunday, January 16, 2011

overachiever




photo by s.calvert.dpchallenge.com


a pile of papers
on a messed up desk
a computer screen
flashing
flashing
white
light
a cup of coffee
spilled
some breadcrumbs
littered
a fan
electric
whirring
turning around
but the room
remains
damp
eerie

a certificate
hangs
on the wall
a reminder
of medals
and honors
achieved

a ballpoint pen
ink
oozing
on paper
notes
scribbled
trashed
on a bin
adjacent to
an unmade bed

where a girl
lay
dead
while clutching
a card
with
a grade
just a
point
short
of being
the best











If




photo by malou marquez-www.malousky.multiply.com



If I could count the words and tell
What the mind has failed to see
If I do know my thoughts so well
Why can't they let me be
If a clock's tick could stop for once
I'd fall into my dreams
I'd be a victor in this dance
Of pain and joy it seems
But then as all could not be good
And thorns do prick to bleed
I'd stand up again from where I stood
And love the one I need

poem written for the school paper way back college.

A Story on Appreciation



prelude: this story was sent by a friend. hope it would touch your heart as it touched mine, oh and i do hope you give a call to those people that you need to call to afterwards also, or perhaps just give them a big hug.




One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.


He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.


The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements
were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.


The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".



The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"
The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it
was my mother who paid for my school fees.



The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My
mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to
show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and
perfect.




The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"



The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read
more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.



The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean
your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*



The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went
back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His
mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands
to the kid.



The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that.
It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so
wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were
so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.



This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands
that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee.
The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to
pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.



After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.



That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.



Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.



The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"



The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'



The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."



The youth said,

Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not be a successful me today.

Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.

Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.




The director said, " This is what I am looking for to be my manager.

I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a
person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a
person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.



Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every
employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance
improved tremendously.

.............



A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted,
would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself
first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts
work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he
becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees
and would always blame others. For this kind of people, who may be good
academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not
feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and
fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really
showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*




You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano,
watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them
experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls
together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not
have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a
right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents
are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that
young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to
appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the
ability to work with others to get things done.




You would have shared many stories to many and many of them would have back
mailed you too...but try and forward this story to as many as
possible...this may change somebody's fate...





Migraine Remedies...from a nutritionist to a nurse



Ever had that feeling when you just want to bang your head on the wall to just divert the pain a little? Ever felt needles being stuck on your brain? Or has your vision gone nuts and everything is a blur. Me, I felt like there were little people playing bowling on my head. phew!

photo courtesy of geeksontheinside.wordpress.com



It started occurring way back 2001. I'd get this bouts of pain on my head starting from the neck up to the frontal lobe. Like everybody else battling with it, I wanted a cure fast. But since painkillers don't work for me anymore, I decided to look for alternatives.

Here's my list of what worked for me.
It has been a year since my last migraine attack. :) Consider it progress number 1, my progress with hives (see labels on cures) is progress number 2...so read on, tell me what you think, and hope this helps you or someone else you love


1. Choosing Food Wisely

chocolates, though considered to be good brain food have been my number 1 migraine trigger. I still get a bite every now and then, but prefer the dark chocolate ones than the sweet milky bars. Load up on fruits and vegetables, steer clear from msg (monosodium glutamate) and use as little portions of butter as much as possible. In short, eat more food grown from plants not manufactured from plants.

2. Nutritionist advice: garlic, honey, and philippine lemon/ lemon
I got this from my aunt who is a vegetarian and is a nutritionist. Here's the concoction.
-2 cloves raw garlic (finely chopped to small pieces)
-1 tbsp of honey
-1 tsp of lemon juice
mix and drink.


(note: the garlic induces sleep, don't take if you're going to travel or going to work) then rest and get some sleep. wake up happy.:) note: for sore throat and colds, roast the garlic then drizzle honey and lemon juice. for cough: add fresh washed oregano leaves to the concoction.

3. Nurse advice: Grab your hair gently from the ends
My best friend connie used to do this to my head way back college.

It feels good and at the same time calms you down. This massages your scalp and at the same time relaxes your nerve endings. Don't grab your hair too strongly though. :)
4. De-stress
Go away for awhile by yourself and just enjoy nature tripping or going on a vacation.
Drink a cup of green tea
Get a massage.
Laugh more, worry less.

I am not a doctor just a hypochondriac trying to solve my health problems one problem at a time.

If this helps, or if you have anything else to add, feel free to do so, it might help some people too.

note: I am not against manufactured medicines, I'm just a little bit cautious about the side effects... :)