Up Till Dawn

Thanks to Ate Vangie, I somehow felt better with her reflex on my liver points (acupressure can do wonders you know) and now its already 2AM and I'm still here making my assignments. I'm already done with the preparation of my examinations tomorrow so I'm really all set. Just that I still have a lot of things to do tomorrow - 1) to mail my hubby's authorization; 2) to present the letter to the principal whom I will be conducting my observation; 3) to read those assignments ; 4) to refresh and update myself to the subjects I handle (it's always important to read and read). Right now, I'm still printing stuff for my readings tomorrow (I mean today) before I hit the good old bed.

Saturday Photohunt: BRIGHT

I would want to consider this bright as it highlighted this cross. A pic taken from Quiapo Church when we visited the Black Nazarene.

Saturday Photohunt: WATER

I am so late (as always) to this photohunt session...I thought of not joining this round but I really have some shots of the last rainy days we had here and if you're from Davao and you are familiar with the Matina area specially in Tulip Drive then this was the outcome. This is a perennial problem, no solutions? Hmmm...

Made my Way to Social Spark!

I was going over my daily reads and my never-ending assignments and exams, cramming to finish all in several days - 3 weeks back log on my continuing education (nah, make it two weeks), 4 subjects that I have to teach and make 4 exam preparations, night lessons with my son who I've been dying to encourage and motivate to writing (we really have this perennial problem with him complaining always that his hands were already tired from writing - and he didn't even started yet!) his assignments, got to tend to my youngest who looks at me with such beautiful eyes (can't resist the look and the smile - that seems to say 'mama, pick me up!) and my only girl who must be tended to and who's got so many demands of her own (this time she's really having a bout of the irritating runny nose). With all of these in my hands, I felt that I've been neglecting my blog and was compelled to do some justice.

When I was opening some sites, I went to SocialSpark and made some changes with my account and went my way to browsing some opportunities when I finally, finally able to get one! This time, I really made my way in this sparkie and I really am glad! Why shouldn't I be?

First and foremost, these are all based to real opinions, the in-post disclosure is auditable, there is really transparency here and the site is search engine friendly! Yeah, my friend Tess has been telling how she was able to get in with SocialSpark and taught me how it is done...so, I really am so elated right now that in all the hustle and bustle of my multitasking life, I finally made it through! Even if I just recently been ill (and thankfully out of it so I'm so careful in how I spend my time so as not to overdo and have a burnout again), I just couldn't help but announce my sparkie entrance. It's a great feat and I'm quite satisfied. Go sparkie!

No Excuse

Tired and totally full. That's what my life is right now....I'm late with my TMAs and sleepy...zzzzz.

Fun At Work

1. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

2. God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die.

3. Nobody notices what I do, until I don't do it.

4. Hard work spotlights the character of people; some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all!

5. I always try to go the extra mile at work, but my boss always finds me and brings me back.

6. After all is said and done, more is said than done.

7. I pretend to work. They pretend to pay me.

8. I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.

9. I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.

10. Inasmuch as the earth is 2/3 water and 1/3 land, it is clear that our time should be divided. 2/3 fishing and 1/3 work.

11. Quote from the Boss: I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you.

12. The world is full of willing people -- some willing to work and some willing to let them. - Robert Frost.

13. I don't mind if you sleep in class. Only, please do not snore. You are disturbing others who are trying to sleep. - Dr. C. Rao, UW-Whitewater

14. A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep.

15. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

16. The Romans didn't find algebra very challenging, because X was always 10.

17. No matter how many years pass teachers will always use the word obviously, without ever knowing what it means.

18. A morning without coffee is like something without something else.

19. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

20. There ought to be a better way to start the day than by getting up in the morning.

21. Two kinds of people: Those who finish what they start and...

22. Work fascinates me, I can look at it for hours!

23. "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." --Albert Einstein

24. "If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"-- Albert Einstein

25. If A equals success, then the formula is _A = X + Y + Z_. X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut. -- Albert Einstein

Buzzzzzy and Multi-Tasking

I guess you could say, I did put a lot of stones to make pukpok over my head. Teaching 4 different finance subjects (that means 4 preparations - 1 in Mutual Fund, 1 in Intro to Business and Finance, 1 in Behavioral Finance and 1 in Global Finance with Electronic Banking), studying online - 3 subjects with assignments that gives me nosebleed, with 3 kids (My eldest can take care of herself, so it's the 2 boys that's a handful). My day goes with me rushing to get to my 8AM class until 10AM, a vacant period which I spent reading Behavioral Finance (this is quite a complicated subject) then 11-12NN Behavioral Finance. At 12NN, I rush to get home and tend to my 2 kids (my 2nd son's school is only from 10AM-12NN) then I go rushing again at 5PM to get to my 5:30PM class. Then I go home exhausted but felt the need to read more and blog some.

Actually, I had the choice not to teach, but I felt the need to teach since I'm trying to help hubby ease the burden of providing even for my allowance, and it stimulates the mind to read and understand better than any medium I know of. At the end of the day, I felt quite exhausted from all the to and fro, from endless reading and writing, researching and juggling there is my responsibility to tend and care for my kids. Not to mention I wanted to get home early at 12NN so that I can still catch my hubby online (time difference - 12NN here, 11PM there). Looking at myself now, I still do not know how I managed, but with the help of my mom and two wonder women at home, the multitasking stuff made it plain and simple to me, and until this time, I'm up to it.

Bye for now, I got loads of fine readings to hoard.

Saturday Photohunt: BAD HAIR DAY

My son likes to imitate animé hairdo. He would describe with zest how he likes his hair done (spiky and straight) and will definitely tell you when he does not like it. Here were shots in one of our 'salon' sessions:

He was smiling before he saw his hair:


and when he saw it -

Happy hunting!

Yummy Teas

As usual, I'm late again but hey, better late than never...just want to introduce these teas to you. Obviously, I'm a tea drinker, and these are the teas that I've tasted and it's definitely heavenly! I think it was bought in the US since I cannot find it here (a gift again from my mom's friend, this time somebody from US).

Dos Palmas Resort and Spa

Have you heard about Dos Palmas? (Of course you do, remember the celebrated Rico Yan? Now you do.)

(Photo by dospalmas.com.ph)

Dos Palmas is located among a group of islands and sandbars in Honda Bay, northeast of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan. Just 25 minutes overland takes you to Sta. Lourdes Wharf, there you'll ride in a banca for 50 minutes to get to the resort. It's either you can fly get there directly from Manila or Cebu (where's Davao?)

There are a lot to do there actually...I want to visit this place. Just not where Rico Yan was found ha? Really nice.

(Photo by dospalmas.com.ph)



(photos by ronyak)

Hippopotamus and the Tortoise

"Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed."

- Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said. The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, "Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

Food as Medicine

HEADACHE? EAT FISH!
Eat plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT!
Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.

TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA!
Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading....Green tea is great for our immune system)!

INSOMNIA (CAN'T SLEEP?) HONEY!
Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.

ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!!
Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).

ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!!
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)

UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS - GINGER!!!!!
Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.

BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!!
High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.

BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!!
Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!!!!
Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.

MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS!
Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.

COLDS? EAT GARLIC!
Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)

COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!!
A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.

BREAST CANCER?
Eat wheat, bran and cabbage. Helps to maintain estrogen at levels.

LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!!
A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables

ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!!
Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.

DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES!
Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)

CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO!
Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!!
Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.

BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!!
The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E & fiber. It's Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they're high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young........blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field.they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)

Orange: Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 - 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.

Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients
found in watermelon are Vitamin C & Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays)

Guava &Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber which helps prevent constipation.

Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion)

Tomatoes are very good as a preventive measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.

Futurederm.com

I was surfing the net looking for something to address my growing pores when I accidentally found the site, FuturedermDOTcom. It's a blog written by a medical student who hopes of becoming a dermatologist in the year 2012! Well, it's a very informative site and since she is studying to become a professional consultant, the information there are definitely must-try!

Hello!!!

Hello guys! You may be wondering what ever happened to mwah! Well, as always, I am BUSY...grrr! I got myself enrolled under UP's Open University and when I got the modules, I got nosebleed!!! And to think I only have 9 units...huhuhu. And we have this 3-day seminar workshop in the university I'm teaching (which was really beneficial) and UP orientation (you better try checking that out UPOU.org), and bantay bata 163! Of course, I was busy too, making my food blog (it's actually a compilation of kitchen must-know and recipes I love and want to try). I made that blog basically because I won't be able to bring all my food stuff and I wanted it accessible, anytime, anywhere - hence, that blog. You'll be able to access that on the sidebar, and promise - you'll love it!