Brain Shinobi

Yoga for Diabetes

2010-05-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

Affecting more than 18 million Americans, diabetes leaves many sufferers overweight, fatigued, and weak, and when untreated, blindness, nerve damage, and heart disease can result. While there is no cure for diabetes, many diabetics have found relief by incorporating yoga into their routine.

According to Jasmine Lieb, R.Y.T., a Los Angeles-based yoga instructor at Yoga Works who specializes in rehabilitating students recovering from injuries and chronic diseases and has worked with many diabetics in her therapeutic classes, yoga can help at any stage. "I once worked with a gentlemen who had gone blind and lost feeling in his hands and feet from type 2 diabetes. We modified the poses until he was able to do them independently, and he felt more confident and comfortable by the end," says Lieb. Not only did some feeling come back in his hands and feet—he was able to walk further and longer. "Through yoga, that feeling of powerlessness is gone."

Yoga's focus on breath and movement can boost circulation, especially through the extremities. It is one of few exercises that sets the entire body in motion with the breath, circulating the blood through parts of the body that might otherwise go unused in our day-to-day routine. While daily practice is ideal, Lieb says you shouldn't stress yourself out or feel pressured by a set schedule. Instead, do these poses while your kids are doing homework at the dining room table, or after you've tucked them into bed.

Please note that these poses should be done under the supervision of an instructor.

Modified Shoulderstand
"Through inversions like shoulderstand, we can focus on stimulating the thyroid, which is often linked to the weight gain and water retention suffered by many with diabetes," Lieb says. Diabetics also have a higher incidence of thyroid disorders than the rest of the population. When the legs are raised above the heart in shoulderstand, blood is drawn to the crook of the neck where the thyroid gland is located. For many diabetics, increasing circulation in the thyroid can help bring relief.

To begin, lie down with your back on the floor and your feet flat on a wall, knees at a 90-degree angle. If you are comfortable in your lower back, build up to straightening the legs and bringing the pelvis up. Place your hands on your lower back for support with your fingers pointing toward your feet. Keep your shoulders away from your ears as you straighten your legs and push your feet toward the wall. You can hold the posture here if you're comfortable, or cycle through a few rotations (about 2 to 5 minutes) of slowly raising the pelvis up and holding for a couple of breaths, and then bringing it back down to the floor. If you are not able to breath easily,get out of the pose by gently lowering your hips to the ground.

Ujjayi Breath with Reclined Twist
To begin this breathing exercise, take a deep breath of air in through your nose. Close your lips softly so that no air goes through them. Slowly channel the breath through the throat so that an ocean sound is made as you exhale through the nose, Lieb says, like waves on a beach. "By directing the air that way, the diaphragm muscle brings more oxygen and nutrients into the blood than normal breathing," she says. Combine with a teclined twist or seated twist to increase circulation in the pancreas, which helps the body digest sugarsone of the greatest challenges of a diabetic. Lieb recommends doing this breathing exercise for 5 to 10 rounds, depending on your comfort level.

12 Help Foods to Control Diabetes

2010-05-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

It is not enough to simply take medicines to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Diabetes is fatal if you don't take actions to control glucose content in your body. Good blood sugar can be attained by proper diet, exercise and medicine. Proper diet is different from these help foods I'm going to give you. These foods are safer than medicine because these are natural foods having pure nutrition to prevent complications from occurring.

1. Apples - contains quercetin that reduces glucose level and heart diseases.

2. Cinnamon - increases insulin sensitivity thus blood sugar are converted to energy quicker. It is healthy to take 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon everyday.

3. Citrus Fruit - increases vitamin C which is commonly low with diabetic people. Maintaining enough vitamin C is necessary to have antioxidant for defense against illnesses.

4. Cold-Water Fish - contains omega-3 fatty acids to avoid heart diseases. It is a fact that heart diseases target diabetic people twice than non-diabetic ones. The good fat in cold-water fish lowers bad cholesterol that clogs the heart or the artery-clogging cholesterol and raises good cholesterol(HDL).

5. Fiber-Rich Foods - slow down the release of glucose into your bloodstream and make your stomach feel satisfied longer. Therefore, you wont have blood sugar spikes that is dangerous for your diabetes.

6. Legumes - has low fat, low calorie, high fiber and high protein content that reduces diabetes and heart diseases as well. The most important thing here is the high fiber content of the legumes for blood sugar control.

7. Green Tea - is simply equipped with flavonoids that contributes a lot in fighting inflammations. Orange or Cranberry juice can also be a substitute for Green Tea. Why choose coffee if you can have a healthier drink for breakfast.

8. Nuts - lower the risk of heart disease which is one of the main dangers of having diabetes. The reason is not yet certain. This is according to surveys. One sure valid reason for this is the compound called tocotrienols that is contained in nuts. However, nuts are high in calories so you shouldn't eat too many. 2 tablespoons of nuts is enough.

9. Spinach, Kale, and Collard Greens - are good sources of lutein, a carotenoid that's good for the eyes. It is a fact that not properly maintained diabetes causes vision problems. These type of veggies are also rich in fiber, B vitamins, iron, calcium, and vitamin C.

10. Chocolate(Dark) - improves insulin sensitivity which is good for avoiding type 2 diabetes. Dark chocolates also lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol, and improve blood vessel function. However, you should still eat in moderation because chocolates still contain a lot of fats and calories.

11. Steak - Beside from iron, protein and B vitamins, steak contains conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) that corrects impaired blood sugar and works as another anti-cancer tool for our body. Healthful CLA are found in beefs that were fed in natural pasturage.

12. Vinegar (preferably apple-cider) - Researchers discovered that Apple-cider vinegar is one of the best tool for lowering glucose level. They found out that taking 2 tablespoons of this vinegar before each meals can lower glucose level by 25% for diabetic people and around 50% for prediabetics. However, it would be safer to still consult a doctor before using this kind of treatment.

source: Men's Health

12 Truths about Diabetes

2010-05-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Diabetes has 2 types. With type 1 Diabetes or the insulin-dependent diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. This can happen at any age but commonly in children and young adults. When you have type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond correctly to insulin. This is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that fat, liver, and muscle cells do not respond normally to insulin. As a result blood sugar does not get into cells to be stored for energy. When sugar cannot enter cells, abnormally high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia. High levels of blood sugar often trigger the pancreas to produce more and more insulin, but it not enough to keep up with the body's demand.

Here are some facts to eliminate confusions about Diabetes:

1. Eating sweets is not the main cause of Diabetes. Generally, the main cause of Diabetes is insulin deficiency or our body is failing respond to insulin. However, sweets can cause diabetes indirectly because sweets can cause obesity which is a cause of type 2 diabetes.

2. Diabetes occurs at any age. Kids can have it at early age. Obesity causes children to have Diabetes type 2 which is caused by physical inactivity. 95% of children with Diabetes are obese or over weight.

3. Insulin does not cause complications. Taking insulin actually does prevent diabetic people from having complications lowering your blood sugar.

4. Type 2 Diabetes is preventable but type 1 is not for now. Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented, though all your family members has it, by having a healthy lifestyle. However, type 1 Diabetes has something to do with genetic factors thus making it unpreventable.

5. People with Diabetes can eat anything. A person with diabetes is required to limit carbohydrate intake but it doesn't mean that he/she cannot eat his/her favorite sweet dessert. He/she can eat anything but it is a must not to exceed the allowed carbohydrate intake per meal. The recommended amount of carbohydrates is 40-60 grams for women and 60-75 grams for men(per day).

6. Diabetes won't result to blindness, heart attack, kidney disease, amputation, and won't have you lose your feet if properly controlled. Blood glucose control reduces the chance of having these things to happen.

7. Stress worsen Diabetes. Stress and depression have direct effect on blood sugar. Experiencing stress can increase your blood sugar and being able to control stress can have positive effect on sugar level.

8. Eating excess amount of carbohydrates and unhealthy fats increases the complications of Diabetes even you take extra medicine. Taking extra medicine makes you gain more weight thus increases insulin resistance.

9. Don't trust 'Sugar Free' labeled products. These 'sugar free' labeled products contain just as many calories, carbohydrates, and fats as the products they replace.

10. Fair amount of weight loss improves blood sugar, blood pressure and fat levels. It would be better to follow the height to weight ratio chart.

11. Exercise makes insulin more effective. Without exercise, all the medicines a diabetic person is taking are useless. Exercise improves metabolism that makes our body respond better, specially to medicines.

12. Diabetes, looking on the positive side, is a wake up call to have a healthier lifestyle. Diabetes is not the end of everything. It's simply a stricter way of telling you not to abuse your body.

Fatal Effects of Lack of Sleep

2010-05-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

It is not a good idea to stay up all night surfing the net, reading books, studying, playing etc. An average man needs to have at least 7.5 hours of sleep. If you have been sleeping less than 6 hours every night or you have not been sleeping for nights, you would want to sleep right after reading this list.

Obesity - Lack of sleep does make you gain more weight. According to research, human body burns 60-65% calories while sleeping. Lack of sleep causes us to have more appetite but also causes our metabolism to slow down. Slow metabolism causes our body to slow down the conversion of calories into energy, thus resulting to weight gain. Michael Breus (the Director of the Sleepdan Beauty Sleep Issues in Health Arrowhead, Glendale, Ariz) explained the relationship of Weight Gain and Sleep through 2 hormones - Ghrelin and Leptin. “Ghrelin is a hormone that serves to inform you when the time to eat. And if lack of sleep, you’ll have a lot of ghrelin. As leptin is a hormone that tells you to stop eating. And when you lack sleep, leptin in your body just a little, “he explained. If the hormone ghrelin in the body more than leptin, it would be related to weight. “You’ll eat more, but that the metabolism will slow when you lack sleep,” -Breus.
Diabetes - Yes, sleep deprivation causes Diabetes. The main reason here is our body would have more insulin resistance due to lack of sleep. Our body needs insulin to maintain low glucose content in our body. Sleeping for only 7.5 hours or less makes our body slow or even non-responsive. So, after eating our meals/snacks, our sugar level increases but there is not enough insulin to lower it down. Worse, we tend to eat more because lack of sleep makes us hungry as I've stated in number 1. (based from scientists' research)
Heart Disease - Sleeping less than 7.5 hours every night provides 33% higher rate of cardiovascular diseases. Lack of sleep raises Cortisol levels that causes inflammation resulting to plaques to be dislocated. Once these dislocated plaques ruptures, they can block blood vessels in the heart or brain leading to stroke or heart attack. Sleeping less than 7.5 hours every night provides 33% higher rate of cardiovascular diseases.
Stress - People who lacks sleep produces more cortisol or stress hormones. Thus, lack of sleep affects the way you think resulting small problems to be more stressful and you tend to panic a lot which is really deadly. Stress is, indeed, one of the top killers on earth and should really be avoided.
Mental Disorder - Study shows that the activity of the part of the brain that is responsible for emotional reaction called Amygdala is 60% higher than the people having enough sleep. "It's almost as though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity, in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce controlled, appropriate responses," said Matthew Walker of the University of California Berkeley, who led the study.

sources:

How to get motivated to study?

2010-05-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

Most people have the problem of getting motivated in their studies. I've seen several students who have great potentials but end up failing their subjects. To have good results in your academics you have to put effort in it. Thus, you need to be motivated to study.

Useful Study Motivation Tips

1. Be Curious – get interested in the subject you’re studying
When you’re interested in the subject you’re studying, things become so much easier. You’ll be naturally motivated to learn and read about it. So how do we become interested in what we’re studying? We adopt a curious attitude. As long as you’re curious enough, anything can be interesting.
Question it, use your imagination, get inside the subject, understand what makes it tick, find out how you can apply it in life, read real life case studies. There are many ways to make a subject interesting when you adopt a curious mindset.

2. Set a schedule and study at the right time
Set a study schedule everyday. It’s good to plan your day in advance. Set a specific time for studying, and a time for playing or relaxing. This way, you won’t worry about ‘missing’ your fun. You may be studying hard now, but you know that later on you’ll be enjoying yourself. So this keeps you focused on studying in the present.

Here’s a tip : When planning your day, it’s always good to study first. If you think you should watch some TV or relax a little first before ‘getting down to it’, you’re making a big mistake. Doing that will only make it harder for you to start studying. The first step is always the hardest.
Also when setting study schedules, schedule your studying time at the time of the day where there will be the least distractions. Also choose the time when you’re at your peak state to study. This means obviously not studying after heavy meals (where digestion will make you sleepy) and times where you’ll be tired (ie. late nights)

3. Get started – 5 minute challenge
The hardest part of doing anything is getting started. The first step is always the toughest. After you got that out of the way, it’s all downhill. This is because once you’ve got momentum; it’s easy to keep it going. So it’s vital that you get yourself going in the first place.
This study motivation tip can help you get started. This is what you can do, whenever you’re not motivated to start studying, just plan to study for 5 minutes. That’s it, just 5 minutes. Tell yourself that you’ll be studying seriously for 5 minutes then you’ll stop.
Usually, what happens is after the 5 minutes are up, you would have been well into the swing of things that you’ll want to continue studying longer. Yeah that’s right. It’s quite a cool way to ‘trick’ ourselves. The key here is to make sure that for those 5 minutes you are really studying 100%. Not dreaming or getting distracted by other stuff.

4. Stop/start at the fun part
When having to stop for breaks, meals or other activities, plan to stop when you’re at a fun part of the subject. The parts that are more interesting and enjoyable to you. This way, when you continue to study later, it’ll be much easier to get started because you’ll be starting at the fun parts.

5. Remove distractions from your surroundings
Obviously this is very important for your study motivation. When you got the TV, phone, computer, bed, magazines etc nearby, you’ll be easily tempted to throw your books aside. Try to remove as many distractions away from you as possible.
You don’t need strand yourself on an island with only your books. Just make sure that any of these distractions are not near you.

When the remote is right next to you, you’re more likely to pick it up. Same with your phone, laptop etc. But if you have to walk all the way across to another part of the house to watch TV chances are you’ll be less likely to do it.

6. Set a study area – make it as conducive as possible
The environment can play a big part in your study motivation. Imagine studying in a dimly lit, hot and stuffy room with loud music on playing in the corner. Or, in a quiet room, bright, with the right temperature and good air ventilation. Which room would make you feel more motivated to study?
If possible, have a regular study area. Make sure it’s conducive like being well lit, has ventilation, quiet and so on. Place all your notebooks, stationary, reference books in your study area. Make your study area as conducive to studying as possible.

7. Put yourself in a strong motivated state

Take 5 minutes before you start studying to put yourself into the proper state. Turn off any music, sit down, clear your mind and take deep breaths. Say a prayer or do some visualizations and light meditation. Visualize yourself happily studying and clearly understanding what you have learned.

Other methods include pumping yourself up by saying encouraging words and making a fist, and also by using NLP techniques such as anchoring and submodalities.

8. Set Goals
Setting goals will give you more motivation. When there’s a target to aim at, we’ll be more determined rise up to the challenge and push ourselves to achieve it. The sense of satisfaction from the achievement is also a good confidence booster. And it will cultivate a studying habit.
Set goals such as how many sections/chapters you plan to cover within a period of time, grades to score in tests and others.

9. Reward yourself
Finally remember to reward yourself for the job well done. If you’ve stuck to your schedule, didn’t let yourself get distracted and successfully achieved the goals you set out, you deserve a reward for that.
Reward yourself immediately. It doesn’t even need to be anything major, just simple things like enjoying an ice-cream sundae, watching your favorite TV show or calling friends up to chat. Of course, also give yourself big rewards whenever you have major achievements.

Final thoughts…
Remember, the toughest part in studying is to get started. As long as you are determined and push yourself to pick up the book, half the battle is already won. With willpower, determination and using the study motivation tips above, getting study motivation shouldn’t be a problem anymore!

source: self-improvement-mentor

Simple Techniques to have Confidence

2010-05-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

Confidence makes you more productive. Kobe Bryant, an NBA superstar, trusts himself so much that made him a great basketball player. He doesn't even trust his team mates and this is one of his bad side, but the idea of having such great confidence can make you the best person you can be. But, sometimes it is just so difficult to have confidence. When fear is turned on instead of confidence, it is impossible to have a a good performance and worse, failure can happen anytime. I'll be direct to the point in telling you the key to confidence.

A cat demonstrating confidence

1. Mind Setting - The first thing you need to do is have a positive mind. Think you can do it. You can FLY. Yes, you can. Don't turn your negative thoughts on again. You just have to believe that everything is achievable.

2. Know your goal - If you are to give an informational oral report, focus on what your task is. Your goal is to give them facts and information. You don't have to be afraid of failing. Focus on your goal not on the people who are going to criticize you. Come on, we can't please everyone. Don't have a goal of pleasing everyone because you will really be nervous. Just stand there and feed them with facts because that's your goal. That's it!

3. Practice - We all have our own weaknesses. But we have the capability to learn new things, don't we? That's why you should practice. I'll be consistent with my example-Public Speaking. If you lack spontaneity in speaking, you should research and focus on improving that weakness. You just have to want to improve. Practice speaking in front of your family or friends you trust. Beg them to give you honest comments and don't start your emotional drama if you were criticized. Instead, go back to your laboratory and improve your formulas.

4. Accept that everyone fail - Michael Jordan said: "I failed over and over in my life. That's why I succeeded." No matter how good you are in walking, you still fall. If you're speaking in front of people and you commit a mistake, don't lose all your confidence. It is totally fine. You can correct it or you can go on with your speech, depending on the situation. Be thankful because you learned though experience.

5. Have an inspiration - Watch a person who is good at the field you are to do and study how he does it. By learning some tricks on how to be successful at doing something, you can be confident because at the back of your head you now have a plan. You're now going to stand there, not for experiments, but for execution of the things you discover.

Stop shaking in fear. Confidence will remove cobwebs in your life.

Get rid of these killer anxieties

2010-05-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is something many people in America and Europe are used to bringing in their daily lives. Though many studies have shown that this addictive stimulant can help produce symptoms of anxiety, insomnia and the like.
Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, many sodas and even certain medications. Always ask your doctor about a medication before using it. Also, ask the doctor if there is an alternative medication if your medicine contains caffeine.

Reduce your processed and refined foods intake

Processed food can rob your food of nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to fight off stress and promote good health. Try to buy whole foods, unprocessed foods and try and stay away from "instant" foods, preservatives, artificial flavors, saturated fat and MSG.

Reduce your sugar intake

Too much sugar can rob our body of essential nutrients. Yet don't be so fast as to replace the sugar with artificial sweeteners, they too can cause anxiety as well as other health concerns.

Reduce your alcohol intake

Yes, in small amounts, alcohol can be good for your heart but too much alcohol is not a good thing for your body and too large of an intake increases your body's need for extra vitamins. The body has a harder time using oxygen. As a result, you can become more sensitive to stress - which in turn can cause anxiety reactions. It can also cause depression.

The Effects of Alcohol on Anxiety:

How does alcohol contribute to Anxiety Disorders? Research has shown that alcohol ín high doses has numerous health hazards. As well as many other things ít can: increase your need for extra vitamins due to disturbed eating patterns interfere with the body’s ability to use oxygen, to process food & absorb vitamins. As a Result: High alcohol consumption makes you more sensitive to stress.
Chronic abuse of alcohol ís often associated with depression-like symptoms, which can reduce the ability to solve problems, which ín turn can lead to anxiety. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to poor work performance, relationship difficulties & financial difficulties. This can produce stressors that worsen anxiety.

Quit Smoking

Smoking reduces your endurance. It causes your body to become unhealthy and promotes low adaptation to changes in your physical life. The human body can live for weeks without food. The body will live just days without water. Yet the body can only live a few minutes without oxygen. Why rob your body of this vital resource?
Exercise becomes more of a challenge on your body and smoking has been shown to effect your heart, lungs and even interfere with some of the chemicals you need to manage anxiety disorder and stress. So quit smoking as soon as you can.

What to drink:

Drink water instead of soda

Dehydration causes fatigue, confusion, dizziness and weakness. Soda is not a good source of water, it can often leave your body thirsty for more water.

Try orange juice for a treat

When you want to treat yourself to something sweet, try orange or grapefruit juice. It is high in vitamin C and try to buy, "not from concentrate." (Warning: Grapefruit juice can be toxic if combined with certain medications.. so ask your doctor).

Here are some foods that may be beneficial in your diet:

Add protein and carbohydrates to your diet: Incorporate protein into your diet. Protein helps to keep sugar levels stable. You can find protein in nuts, yogurt, beans, fish, chicken, tofu and lentils.

Seek out foods that are high in Omega-3 (a fish oil):
This fish oil has been shown in many studies, to reduce your bad cholesterol levels and reduce plaque buildup in your blood. By reducing your bad cholesterol, you are helping your body to fight off stress and relieve anxiety, tension and even prevent heart disease! Fish that are high in Omega-3 are excellent ways to help your blood stream.

Add many vegetables in your diet (especially green ones)

Why should we fear and avoid anxiety?

Anxiety caused due to stress can lead to multifarious disorders. Some of these disorders are physiological and some of them are psychological. Among physiological disorders many problems like heaviness of breath, palpitation of heart, increased levels of blood pressure, and also some other infections which the body gets susceptible to because of low levels of immunity are observable.

Anxiety can cause various kinds of psychological problems too! These include panic, mental fatigue and some serious neurological disorders.

These conditions are serious and in general they can be even fatal at a certain level.

To discuss in detail I would elucidate some of the physical problems that often plague people who are under stress and are easy prey to anxiety problems.

Cardiological problems, lung disease and even cancerous growth can be some stress assisted problem that can become fatal.

The true reason behind such unusual problems is excessive smoking and drinking that stressful people do as a measure to cancel out the anxiety. Instead of relaxing their mind smoking excites them even more.

The nicotine in cigarettes is extremely dangerous as they make the brain addicted to such a drug and a falsifying effect of stress busting relieves such stress and anxiety very superficially. Even a lot of drinking too is triggered by such stress related problems. Social stress and often personal problems trigger such habits, which forces both the husband and the wife to smoke and drink excessively.

This results only in the decadence of the union as both the partners indulge more into the trap of irrational excitement and end up fighting more out of emotional fatigue and irritation.

Other than that smoking deteriorates the functionality of the lungs and the entire respiratory system as it chokes it with poisonous smoke and that in turn increases blood pressure.

Once the patient has high blood pressure he will surely have cardiological problems. Hyper tension and high blood pressure exerts tremendous amount of pressure over the auricular and ventricular muscles and also on the valves. This lead to myocardial infarction or blood pressure or stroke that is increased blood flow in the brain.

Anxiety related problems are also heavy on your neurons and also on your psychic sphere. They can be increasingly heavy and clogs the nerve ending s making them resilient towards feelings of stimuli. This also happens because of the over load of sensory stimuli and thereby stress anxiety and other related problems are complex problems which seek more attention and care than just simple medication.

sources: anxietysecrets ; ezinearticles

Why is Philippines a poor country? Is it really because of the President?

2010-05-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be in Korea, Japan, USA and other successful countries, you'll observe something in common among them. Thus, it's the complete opposite of our country(Philippines). That something is being "busy". Almost everyone in those countries are working. They accept the fact that in life, 'you live, then you work'. Time is so important for them. They are always punctual in their works. Most of their time are devoted to work. They NEVER complain of working. They don't search for excuses for them not to work. Even senior citizens work. They're given works suited for their age. While they're on their jobs, there are no chatting time in between. They are always in focus and they always make the best out of their works. No/Less beggars for those countries. On the other hand, in the Philippines, if you try looking around places, like malls, you'll see tons of people busy of RELAXING. The scenes you're going to see are unemployed people sitting on benches, students cutting classes to play computer games, young couples dating, people on work chatting, beggars. Most people are late on their jobs or classes. Because of public practice, the popular 'Filipino Time' is invented. Filipino time is simply being exactly 1 hour late in meetings, events, etc. Oh, and though they're late on their jobs, they will be fixing their things and retouching their faces around 30mins before their time shifts end.

Then, we keep complaining of poverty.

I'm not saying that the President cannot be blamed, totally. In my opinion, the president should be the first one to realize the flaws of our culture. He/she should think of a way on how to MAKE A CHANGE in the lifestyle of the people in this country. A brave and strategic president that will make everyone obey him/her is highly needed. Because if not, the one-wrong-move-i'll-complain people will start another people power revolution to kick you off! Weird people. That's why this democratic type of government is not a good idea.

USA - constitutional republic -

Japan - monarchy

Korea - communist(north) republic(south)

There's one more thing. I noticed that in Korea, the almost all prices of the products, fees, etc have a minimum of 1000 won(their currency). I realized that this is a good idea for the Philippines too. I'll make an example to explain how this strategy will work here.

You're working as an ordinary waiter. You're daily income is P200. You pay the public jeepney P7 to reach the restaurant. You spend P75 for your lunch. You give P5 to a beggar before you go home.

Now, let's multiply EVERYTHING by P1000.

Here's your new story.

You're working as an ordinary waiter. You're daily income is P200,000. You pay the public jeepney P7,000 to reach the restaurant. You spend P75,000 for your lunch. You give P5,000 to a beggar before you go home.

Nothing changed? Yes, but the Philippines wont be poor anymore.

Let's assume a close conversion Philippine Peso to Dollars. P50 = $1.

If our monthly income is originally P10,000 only, then because of multiplying EVERYTHING here by P1000, we would have P10,000,000 monthly.

Advantage:

If we go to other countries, like US, we will live. our 1 month income of P10,000,000 is equal to $200,000. This is what happened to us in Korea. We have $100 converted in Korean won. We had lunch. After eating our lunch, we have to convert dollars again to Korean won because we wont be able to go shopping anymore with the change. That $100 is P5,000 here. I never experienced having lunch for P5,000 here in the Philippines. The reason why our $100 is not enough because the dollar seemed so low due to the Korean's strategic prices. Though the conversion is P1 = 0.3kw(korean won), they are successful.

Caramoan Islands - Best place to go in the Philippines

2010-05-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

So, you're looking for fun in the Philippines. You're bored at malls, parks and buildings. You want a place to relax and you want to experience something new. There are a lot of places you can go, like Boracay, Tagaytay, Baguio, etc. Some places are tourist spots. You can take picture, and feed your eyes with natural spots. Some places, like Boracay, are for socializing and obviously, swimming. Now, I know you've already experienced those stuffs. What if you can go to somewhere that summarizes almost all those places and the experiences you can get there? You'll have 10 times more fun, dont' you?

The Caramoan Islands is simply a collection of islands. So, why would we want to go there?

Simple. Most of us want to try something new. Going to Caramoan is the safest way to explore islands. You can explore other Islands in the Philippines but if you don't have much experience, you're putting your life in danger. Caramoan is well-developed and maintained. You will have tour guides in your explorations. There are resorts for you to stay, though I advice you to bring tents to fully enjoy your stay here. If you're going to stay in resorts, you should wake up early to explore 4 to 5 Islands because resorts are way far from these tourist spots. You have to ride a motorcycle for around 20mins to reach your boat. If you now have a boat, it's time for your island hopping along with your tour guide. Your tour guide will operate the motorboat for you. You can leave everything up to him and enjoy the experience. It's totally safe. Boats are maintained properly. Tour guides are aware of high and low tides. There are no shark attacks. No pirates too. Every time you're on your boat, it's your chance to rest your mind from business deals. As of now, it's the best experience I've had in my life.
The boat will now park on the side of your first Island. You can swim, explore, sunbathe, etc. when you're here. Then it's your choice when you want to leave the island. You can visit all the top islands there but it's impossible to do it in one day. Almost all islands here in Caramoan have it's own special tourist spots.

I will give you pictures of the top 10 islands in Caramoan.

Matukad

Lahuy

Pitogo

Sabitang Laya

Minalahos

Lahus

Hunungan

Cotivas

Tinago

Gota

There are a lot of activities you can do here in Caramoan aside from island hopping.

Here are some other activities you can do in Caramoan:

Rock Climbing

Kayaking

Trekking

Snorkeling

Kite Boarding

Mountain Biking

Spelunking

Camping

You will be missing the fun and adventure if you're still going to sit there in front of your computer.

Here are their contact infos:

Address: 2nd Floor bldg. 11 la Fuerza Plaza Compound, 2241 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City

Phone no: +63(2) 817-0831 or 710 9086

Fax number: +63(2) 817-0832

EMAIL:

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Salt Official Trailer

2010-05-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Opens: July 23,2010
As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?"

Cast:
Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt
Liev Schreiber
Chiweter Ejifonor
Zoe Lister Jones
Yara Shahidi
Cassidy Hinkle
Gaius Charles
Victor Slezak
Corey Stoll

Just Wright Official Trailer

2010-05-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Opens: May 14, 2010
Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) is a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight (Common). All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's childhood friend Morgan (Paula Patton), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of "best friend" forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him?

Cast:
Queen Latifa
Common
Paula Patton
James Pickens Jr.
Phylicia Rashad
Pam Grier
Laz Alonzo
Mechcad Brooks
Michael Landes
Dwight Howard
Dwayne Wade
Rashard Lewis
Bobby Simons
Jalen Rose
Rajon Rondo

Predators Official Trailer

2010-05-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Opens: July 7, 2010
The film follows a mercenary named Royce who is abducted by alien creatures known as the Predators. He is released onto an alien planet—which acts as a game reserve—along with seven other humans, who, with the exception of a disgraced physician, are all cold-blooded killers, the group consisting ofmercenaries and convicts. Royce reluctantly leads the group of elite warriors as they come to realize they have been brought together to this planet as prey for a new breed of Predator.^[4] While battling to survive against these creatures, they come across an American soldier known as Noland who was brought to the planet years ago as game, but has managed to survive by hiding from the Predators in a cave. Noland reveals that the Predators have been hunting humans by dropping them on this planet for many years.

Danny Trejo
Adrien Brody
Tropher Grace
Lawrence Fishburne
Alice Brage
Derek Mears
Walton Goggins
Brian Steele

Jonah Hex Official Movie Trailer

2010-05-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Opens: June 18, 2010
Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone... and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, "Jonah Hex" is an epic adventure thriller about one man's personal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil.

Cast:
Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex
Megan Fox
John Malcovich
Michael Fasbender
Julia Jones

Memorization Technique - Andi Bell's Link Method

2010-05-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

Andi Bell's Memory Training Technique

To remember a list of items, world memory champion Andi Bell recommends that you:

Imagine a location you know very well such as your home
Place the items in a sequence around the location

Let's try an example with these six items:

Lamp
Carrot
Trumpet
Plant
Rabbit
Chair

Then...

Put the lamp on the doorstep.

Put the carrot on the TV.

Put the trumpet in the kitchen sink.

Put the plant on the stairs.

Put the rabbit on the toilet.

And put the chair on the bed.

This should be a quick way of committing the list to memory, and you should have a good chance of remembering it in a day's time.

Now try our memory test using Andi Bell's technique.

Steve Nash Crosses Up the Defense against Spurs in Game 1

2010-05-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

Knight and Day Trailer

2010-05-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

Roy Milner (Cruise) is a secret agent who goes on a blind date with unlucky-in-love June Havens (Diaz), and ends up pulling her into a serious yet comedic journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.

Cast:

Cameron Diaz

Tom Cruise

Maggie Grace

Marc Bulacas

Oliver Martinez

Paul Dano

Peter Sarsgaard

Viola Davis

Kobe's Tough Shot Against Utah (Game 1)

2010-05-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Get Him to the Greek Trailer

2010-05-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

Cast:

Christina Aguilera
Dee Sindler
Elizabeth Moss
Jonah Hill
Robert Seay
Rose Byrne
Russel Brand
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs

All You Gotta Do is Focus

2010-05-02T19:16:00.001-07:00

Cool NBA Commercial - Focus

The NBA players are telling you what you should really do while playing basketball or any other game.
This clip simply compiled NBA players' statements and added beats to make it seem like a rap song.

Ball in my hand... All I gotta do is just raise it up and shoot.
That's my FOCUS... All I gotta do is shoot the shot in the same way.
You just want to maintain FOCUS.. You have to execute, every night, 48 minutes.
All I gotta do is FOCUS... Everything you do is like the right thing.
It's like the right move. That's my FOCUS...
You gotta stay Focused.

LeBron James Named MVP

2010-05-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

AKRON (AP) -- LeBron James won his second straight NBA MVP award Sunday, dominating the voting just as he dominated on court all season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star received 116 of a possible 123 first-place votes to win in a landslide over Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant. Durant was picked first on four ballots and Orlando center Dwight Howard, who finished fourth, received the other three first-place votes.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant had no first-place votes and finished third.

Voting was done by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters, and this year one ballot was cast by fans in an online vote. Players were awarded 10 points for first, seven points for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

James finished with 1,205 points, nearly doubling Durant (609). His margin of victory is the second largest in history, topped by only teammate Shaquille O'Neal, who by 799 points in 2000.

James is the 10th player to win the award in consecutive seasons, joining Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash. Russell, Chamberlain and Bird won it three times in a row.

"I never imagined I would be on a list with names like that," James said. "Those are players I always looked up to when I was a kid."

For the second straight year, James accepted the Maurice Podoloff Trophy in his hometown of Akron.

Last May, he returned to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and received the award in the quaint gymnasium in front of family, friends and the student body. He chose a larger but still familiar stage this year, opting for Rhodes Arena on the campus of the University of Akron.

As James' popularity soared as a prep star, his high school moved many of its games to Rhodes to accommodate overflow crowds and a growing media contingent interested in his story.

The ceremony was open to the public, and fans, many of them wearing an assortment of No. 23 James jerseys, stood in line for hours for their chance to witness yet another coronation of Ohio's basketball king.

"Akron Ohio is my home," he said to loud cheers. "Akron Ohio is my life and I love this city."

More than 3,000 fans chanted "M-V-P" when James finally walked on stage to accept his award. He was later joined on the podium by his teammates, each of whom congratulated him with a hug before surrounding him as he completed his acceptance speech.

James led the Cavaliers to 61 regular-season wins. He averaged 29.7 points, 8.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds.

Source: NBA.com

Watch the interview here: ESPN

Inception Trailer

2010-05-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Casts:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Ellen Page
Marion Cotillard
Cillian Murphy
Joseph Gordon-Levit
Michael Cane

Samsung UN55C8000

2010-05-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

Samsung UN55C8000

THE GOOD: Better black levels than other edge-lit sets; accurate color with linear grayscale; numerous picture controls and tweaks; sleek styling with inch-deep panel; superb streaming and widget content via well-integrated Apps platform; 3D compatible; 2D to 3D conversion system works better than expected.

THE BAD: Extremely expensive; subpar uniformity and off-angle viewing; lighter black levels than full-array local-dimming sets; black areas tinged bluer; doesn't handle 1080p/24 content properly; 3D exhibited ghost images along edges (crosstalk); does not include 3D glasses; terrible remote.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Its 3D is still a work in progress and its 2D picture quality comes up short of the best available, but the high-end Samsung UNC8000 series still offers superb features, solid performance, and unique style.

Among HDTVs we've reviewed, the UNC8000 series is the first 3D TV, the first edge-lit LED-based LCD with local dimming, and the first example of Samsung's Apps for TV platform. It has the company's best LCD picture quality specs for 2010, packs in more features than ever before, and yet manages to measure just under an inch thick. As you can imagine, it doesn't come cheap.

The verdict? We haven't been able to compare the Samsung UNC8000 to any other 3D TVs in the lab, and until we do, our evaluation has more caveats than an ad for allergy medication. That said, 3D on this TV (with this firmware version), though definitely an impressive technology demonstration, won't satisfy videophiles, and at times even made us feel queasy. We'll take 2D Blu-ray for now, thank you, although we're interested to see how non-animated 3D Blu-ray content looks on this set.

Speaking of comparisons, in 2D mode the UNC8000 had a hard time keeping up with the better local-dimming LED-based LCD TVs available, although it does own the edge-lit crown for now. The Apps platform is probably the company's biggest win on this set, proving to be well-integrated, snappy, and chock full of useful content. Of course, it's also available on plenty of cheaper Samsung TVs. All told, despite its cutting-edge features and design, the high-end UNC8000 left us wanting better picture quality to justify its high price.

Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the 55-inch member of the Samsung UNC8000 series, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and should provide very similar picture quality.

Source: cnet

A Nightmare on Elm Street Trailer

2010-05-02T07:47:00.003-07:00

Furry of Vengeance Trailer

2010-05-02T07:47:00.001-07:00

How to Become a Japanese Citizen

2010-05-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Switching your country of citizenship can sometimes be a difficult process. For starters, it's a massive change to your lifestyle—you are literally becoming a legal citizen of a place that is not your country of origin. You must fill out many forms and follow many procedures that make the entire ordeal both challenging and time consuming. Becoming a citizen of Japan has been noted as an intensely difficult process perhaps since foreigners have had the option of applying. While you can't guarantee the acceptance of your application, here's what you can do to help things along.

Fill out and turn in an application of residency with the Japanese Ministry of Justice. Obtain the form at any American embassy or U.S. State Department office. It is the first step toward becoming a Japanese citizen.
Live in Japan as a full-time resident for five years. More is better, but a continuous stay in Japan of at least five years is required to gain citizenship.
Maintain a history of good behavior. When reviewing your application for residency, the minister of justice will review your background history, including any criminal record you may have. Your record must be completely blemish-free before your application will be considered.
Prove that you have sufficient skills and wealth to support yourself. As part of your application process, you'll have to prove that you'll be able to provide for yourself and any family you bring along. Failure to do so will result in the dismissal of your application.
Learn Japanese. One of the most difficult parts of the application process is an in-person interview with a Ministry of Justice official. This interview will go much, much easier if you have learned the national language, thus showing that you are willing to become a productive part of their society and culture.

Becoming a Japanese citizen will not happen overnight. The country's minister of justice has to approve all applications of citizenship, a process that takes an estimated one year to complete.

If you are over the age of 20, the minister of justice can and will at any time make you declare sole citizenship to your country of choice, be it Japan or your native country. If you truly want to be a Japanese citizen, be prepared to renounce citizenship from your country of origin.

source: ehow