coffee cups and tea cups

2019-04-11T22:52:00.002-07:00

Policy Paper: The implementation of RA 10650
Open Distance Learning to the Continuing Professional Development of the Medical Technologist

By: Christine R. Guerrero

Abstract

The continuing education is an integral part to the medical and health care profession to enhance performance, improve technical competency, upgrade new skills and promote health awareness. It’s about time that the medical technologist be informed and level up the 21st century skill in medical laboratory science and in public health. Despite of the laws supporting the online education, the progress of online or web-based education system has been very slow and unreliable, there has not been created a medical technology courses offered in the the internet intended to supply the demands of the CPD programs especially to the medical technologist in far places like the provinces or abroad. The research method used in this policy paper study is descriptive analysis or describing characteristics of a population or phenomenon. It describes the the educational and training needs of the medical technologist in a fast-paced health care setting, and the challenges to eliminate the barriers of geographic and economic condition, and thus the need of online course.

While the online learning has overwhelming benefits and advantages, for the online course to be successful the students should be self-disciplined, self-motivated, goal-oriented, responsible, and organised. They should also possess skills in time management, multitasking, and critical thinking.

Reform in this area should include the following: The student must be informed and be ready of the basic knowledge and requirements of online learning methodology. This includes the distance learning readiness, assessment or screening of the students. And to achieve the full benefits of online learning, there should be an option of blended learning as a support to provide the students learning instructions through acquired cognitive learning and motivation and encouragement from the instructor.

My thoughts on International tourism

2016-08-28T23:06:00.001-07:00

Even though international tourism creates jobs for the local population in that area and it can attract foreign investors that may improve the local economy, international tourism should be considered more disadvantageous than advantageous because the culture clash that inevitably results from the interaction of the local culture with the cultures of foreign tourists tend to be detrimental. For instance, when white westerners would go to these tourist spots, people in the town would welcome them only because they see them as a money people or someone who could give them lots of money and sometimes some would make funny jokes or stereotype remarks about them. In reality it is hard to accept foreigners in a new place or town because people tend to dislike who looks and acts different from them.

The most important reason international tourism should be considered more disadvantageous than advantageous is because too much exposure and use of environment's natural resources will exhaust its own supplies, leaving nothing to the locals even to the next generation.
Take Boracay Island as an example, because too many local tourists and tourist from around the world visits Bocaray beach every now and then, environmental related problems arises such as garbage disposal problems, coral reefs disruption, ecosystem imbalance and much more.
It may have improved Boracay in becoming famous for awhile and gained economic growth, but in exchange of losing her beauty and innocence, in the long run, the locals will soon feel the effect of the ecological abuse and later on in years to come.

So you can see that although international tourism creates jobs for the local population in that area and it can attract foreign investors that may improve the local economy, international tourism should be considered more disadvantageous than advantageous for two main reasons. First, the culture clash that inevitably results from the interaction of the local culture with the cultures of foreign tourists tend to be detrimental . But most importantly, too much exposure and use of environment's natural resources will exhaust its own supplies, leaving nothing to the locals even to the next generation. And although It is easy to overlook the state of our natural environment for "greater good" of the community of that which brings food to the table in exchange of the life of our dearest mother earth, we should be responsible and be a good stewards of what God has given us, let us take action and start now by taking good care of our nature before it is too late.

Coffee, a friend or a foe?

2016-08-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

Coffee drinkers like me are somehow dependent in one way or another in our morning coffee rituals.

I want to explore about it since it has been my brain fuel and comfort for theses past months. Is coffee a friend to be trusted or an enemy in hiding?

The caffeine in brewed coffee is a legal stimulant and has no side effect either except it drives your brain cells to get working. According to this article in Huffington post, "Coffee may make you more intelligent" because the chemicals in the coffee beans can boost the brain to work and think more efficiently and smarter. My example for this is right now, I have my morning brewed coffee beside me while writing this, isn't it brilliant?! Another example is not only i am active in the morning, it helps me in my motor skills to be sharp and accurate and my brain to be alert, exactly what i needed in my job.

Coffee has not just been very helpful to me in waking me up in the morning and drives me to go to work everyday but it has been my close friend, it has never failed me whenever i need a driving force in my work and in my study, and whenever i need to relax when i am stressed. Throughout this years, coffee has been my companion in every twists and turns of my life. Just a few moments in a cafe or coffee shop feels like I'm entering to a new world dimension that takes me away from stress and dealings of this world to the wonderful world of imagination that is just a door step away. (Disclaimer: This is not what you think about pots and smoke, though in other countries it is legal combination with coffee, but here in my country is strictly prohibited, and a drug is different from a stimulant, take it from me, i'm a certified drug analyst, so.... it's not what you think, sorry!) What i mean is, i'm entering to a new world of ideas, this is the time where concepts and understanding is being brewed in my mind at the same time there is the smell the fresh aroma of brewed coffee by the barista. I came to understand a lot of things such as. what is life is about and what it means and in depth wisdom that only can be compounded wherever i am around with coffee.

Just like any other things, coffee can be very addictive. To some, 6-7 cups of coffee per day is not enough, and there we could see a perceivable problem in the future about control issues and discipline. The cliche "keep in moderation" is easier said than done, it has been said many times all over again but the reality still remains that coffee is addicting. The problem lies when the body starts to be dependent of the caffeine and at the same time immune of its effects, and thus, the reason for the increase and escalation of coffee consumption. It takes will of power and strong decision and moral support from loved ones and to some extent from professional help to keep the coffee consumption in moderation.

We can see the reason why coffee drinkers like me turns to coffee not just for social events but to keep me mentally focus and alert in the morning, and it is also an array and a means by which we could delve into the world of ideas and concepts even if it sometimes can be very addictive. It takes strong will power and attitude, moral and emotional support from friends and family to be able be healthy coffee drinker.

Classical Music, Coffee and Studying

2016-02-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

By: Christine R. Guerrero, RMT, MLS (ASCPi)CM

Febuary 14, 2016

"Without my morning coffee I'm just like a dried up piece of roast goat."

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) The Coffee Cantata

"Coffee: Induces wit. ..."

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)

Most people do not think of classical music and coffee together, and yet one of the best ways to maximize one's thinking is listening to classical music while sipping a strong, brewed cup of coffee. Many indeed challenge this notion, saying that any music (including heavy metal or death rock!) one enjoys maximizes ones thinking, and brewed coffee a mere luxury for people with money. Even though brewed coffee is expensive and classical music is often boring or tiring or both, still one should start listening to classical music while studying and reading with brewed coffee or cappuccino or espresso, whatever your preference because while the classical music stimulates our brain into working effectively, it does even more by improving the attention span and by enhancing concentration and focus.

A bag of coffee beans can cost more than half of a day's salary and a cup of freshly brewed coffee can range from a thirty pesos to a One Hundred and fifty pesos depending on the branding or the name of the coffee shop or establishment. And although the taste of fresh coffee is irresistible, not everybody likes the taste of coffee, sometimes it maybe too acidic or too strong for them and these could turn them away and would prefer a better alternative than coffee such as adequate water consumption, organic veggies, balanced diet and tea for healthier brain leading to an effective studying and concentration. Same in the case of classical music, not all has a love for classical music or has a taste for one. Because classical music is not very popular in today's societal musical taste, it will be very difficult to ask a college student to switch music genre from pop to classical; In my own experience, transistioning from pop musical preference to a classical music did really took me a long time to like it, at first I thought of it as boring and uninteresting. Greg Sandow argued in Pop vs. Classical that pop music has the same effect as of the classical music, it can also stir one's emotion, evoking emotional and spiritual content, implying that listening to pop music could also improve one's concentration and studying.

But although brewed coffee can be expensive and classical music is often boring or tiring or both to modern hearers used to pop music, still one should start listening to classical music while studying and reading with brewed coffee because while pop music may have the same effect as classical music, it is classical music that has a greater effect than pop music in stimulating our brain into working effectively. According to the article Studying for finals? Let classical music help,

University research in France, published in Learning and Individual Differences, found that students who listened to a one-hour lecture where classical music was played in the background scored significantly higher in a quiz on the lecture when compared to a similar group of students who ?heard the lecture with no music.

The researchers speculated that the music put students in a heightened emotional state, making them more receptive to information.

And if one is inclined to think that any other genre of music will have the same effect, the article continues, "But make sure you are listening to classical music, because not all music aids blood pressure, a University of San Diego study found."

Scientists at the university compared changes in blood pressure among individuals listening to classical, jazz or pop music. Those listening to classical had significantly lower systolic blood pressure when compared to those listening to other musical genres or no music at all.

If testing anxiety causes sleepless nights, classical music can help soothe insomnia. A team of researchers at the University of Toronto found that tuning into classical music before bedtime helped people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Works by Brahms, Handel, Mozart, Strauss and Bach were effective sleep aids because they use rhythms and tonal patterns that create a meditative mood and slow brainwaves, the study found.

What this means is that while a person studying to the tune of classical music is just as receptive to one studying with pop music in the background, listener of classical music is more relaxed which enhances significantly the effect of study.

The most important reason why one should start listening to classical music is, according to Chris Boyd Brewer, "Baroque music, such as that composed by Bach, Handel or Telemann, that is 50 to 80 beats per minute creates an atmosphere of focus that leads students into deep concentration in the alpha brain wave state. Learning vocabulary, memorizing facts or reading to this music is highly effective." Thus, it help establish a more positive learning state than pop music, create a more desired relaxing atmosphere, increases attention span, focus concentration and improve memory. This all the more when combined with coffee, which improve the brain's memory and attention span because of caffeine's cognitive enhancing effect, one might find classical music and freshly brewed coffee a perfect combination for optimal learning.

So you can see that although brewed coffee is expensive and classical music is perceived as either boring or tiring, still one should start listening to classical music while studying and reading with brewed coffee or cappuccino or espresso, whatever your preference for two main reasons. First, while both pop and classical music may have the same effect (which is debatable, at best), classical music stimulates our brains more effectively than pop music, it does even more by improving the attention span especially when combined with coffee. But most importantly, the combination of classical music (or more specifically, Baroque music and Mozart) and coffee has greater effect on the person's concentration and focus than pop music ever would, for pop music is more distracting and therefore less conducive to focused study. Bach, the preeminent Baroque composer whose music is one of the suggested listening for studying, has expressed his love for coffee through the Cantata he made about coffee. I think that Gustave Flaubert got it right when said, "Coffee induces wit," for many years later science proved his assertion. I had my caffeine fix this morning and Vivaldi on the background, this two components when combined together instantly enriched my brain with so much ideas that needed to be written down, so here it is, my thesis on coffee and classical music. And coffee need not be very expensive at all, for one doesn't have to go to a coffee shop to get one's caffeine fix. There are now easier and cheaper ways to brew fresh coffee at home. So try sipping warm coffee, turn on youtube and play some classical music for studying and concentration--simple and easy as pie.

Citations:

Greg Sandow, Pop vs. Classical, www.artsjournal.com, 2008

Allison Engel, Studying for finals? Let classical music help, www.news.usc.edu, 2014

Chris Boyd Brewer, Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom, John Hopkins School of Education, 1995

Managing Time: School, Work and Leisure

2016-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Everyday in our life we set aside a time and much of this is for studying and working either outside or at home doing some errands and house chores. After high school or college comes next is entering the professional career and that again is work and study but more in working. The question is where is the leisure part comes in? Some would say, "I have no time for fun", "I need to work harder"... But is it worthwhile?

Studying and working hard is very essential in building one's career or future economic stability. The benefits that one can reap from being diligent at what he does is vastly enormous. As Marlon Wayan says, "Success is not a destination, but the road that you're on. Being successful means that you're working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it. That's living your dream." Even Vince Lombardi Jr. agreed too by saying,“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. work is the key to success, and hard work can help you accomplish anything.” I could almost claim that because of my hard work I graduated from college, and after years of studying hard finally passed the qualifying exams. But how I did it, blows me away! What I discovered along my journey to success is the missing piece to my pie chart, first is Study, second is Work and lastly Leisure. Spending quality time with my family and friends and at church is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling things. It refreshes one's mind, it creates a clearer thinking mindset and a wider perspective. In these times I've got to rest, pray, recharge and do my favorite hobbies and this is where my inspirations is built.

Working and studying hard can benefit us from achieving almost anything, but it doesn't guarantee success in a world's point of view. Because there are a lot of factor to consider in become "successful" n the world. These are just few but important factor such as wealth, connections, and a little bit of politics and successful communication or marketing oneself. The link between the gap of "working hard" and "success" is known as of what we called "Working Smarter". As the saying goes, "Time is gold" so better use time wisely and part of working smarter is Time management. Chapter 3, p. 85 of Managing Your Time from the book Essential Study Skills by Linda Wong, says, "Time Management is a highly prized skill in both the work force and the academic world. Learning to manage time effectively will help you meet your goals, be productive, and achieve success in many different avenues of your life. The following strategies will help you apply your time-management skills more effectively and consistently."

How to apply Time Management?
First, Be Flexible - Set a flexible daily task to accomplish each day. Even the littlest thing done is a great achievement. If a task is a long term process, patience is the key. Just keep on working on it.
Secondly, Post a note reminder - Post a note of things to do, in your work area and even right in front door of your fridge, this will remind you of your daily tasks and schedules to meet, knowing your schedules, maybe your family and friends could help in their little own way.
Third and lastly, Seek Solutions to Time-Management Problems. "Some would find that their lives have specific circumstances that make creating a weekly time-management schedule difficult. Be resourceful and seek solutions to your scheduling conflicts. Discuss your circumstances with your instructor or with other students; frequently they will be able to suggest solutions." Chapter 3 p.85, Managing your Time, Essential Study Skills by Linda Wong.

To summarize it, Learning Time-management helps one balanced their time for studying and working and for leisure. It is a skill that need to be practiced, and eventually mastering it will help one to achieve the desired goal in a span of time or a specific amount of time. Everyone needs everyone, helping a friend, making time for family, and setting time for God and church, do charity works is using your time wisely. As would Ecclesiastes Chapter Three verse One would say,"To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:..."

Written by:
Christine Guerrero

Marlon Wayan says, "Success is not a destination,...."; Vince Lombardi Jr.,“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. work is the key to success,...."
Chapter 3, p. 85 of Managing Your Time from the book Essential Study Skills by Linda Wong,

Multiple-Choice Exams: Myths, Misconceptions, and How to Conquer Them

2014-07-22T08:33:00.003-07:00

Multiple-choice exams have existed for more than 70 years—so have the myths surrounding them. Still, many students believe such tests put them at a disadvantage. Thus, it would be worthwhile to dispel some of these myths, and then find out the best way to prepare for them.

Myth #1 “They measure only isolated facts, not what I really know.”

In truth, since a multiple-choice question can be answered usually within a minute, many questions can be asked in a given period of time. Thus, coverage of topics can be more comprehensive than other kinds of tests such as essay and short-answer.

Further, the more questions you have to answer, the less likely your overall performance will suffer if you encounter problems with a single topic.

By contrast, since essay and short-answer questions tend to be highly selective, your overall performance will suffer if you are unsure you
addressed the question correctly.

Myth #2 “You just have to memorize.”

Actually, properly designed multiple-choice questions test your capacity to understand a body of complex and sophisticated information, and to reason and analyze using that understanding. In other words, multiple-choice questions demand the same sort of capacities as other kinds of tests such as essay and short-answer tests.

Granted, you must know terms and their definitions. Even more crucial, however, is gaining a thorough understanding of a subject’s particular discourse that will enable you to interpret and apply your understanding come test time.

Myth #3 “Your need to know the little tricks.”

We've heard this advice before: “When in doubt, choose the longest answer;” “Choose one of the ‘inner’ answers” (i.e. not the first or the last); “Eliminate distracters that contain extreme modifiers” (always, never etc.), and so forth. Multiple-choice tests, after all, contain “trick questions.”

In reality, multiple-choice questions are straightforward. What makes particular questions difficult has nothing to do with the multiple-choice format, but with the complexity of understanding needed to answer the question.

Myth #4 “You should stay with your first answers.”

Conventional wisdom suggests that if you change an answer, you are more likely to change to a wrong answer. Research suggests otherwise:

• Anywhere from 57% to 96% of students change their answers, with a median of 84%.
• The proportion of items changed is around 3%.
• Wrong to Right — 57.8%
• Right to Wrong — 20.2%
• Wrong to Wrong — 22.8%

A word of caution: The success of your answer depends on your reason for the change. While your judgment usually improves when you take time to reflect, it worsens when your mind fills with doubt or anxiety.

So, How Do I Prepare?

Toughen up.

Many students aren't tough enough with themselves about whether they really know and understand things. Instead, they passively browse and highlight text in the hope that information with stay vaguely in their minds.

Mastery, by contrast, demands self-questioning, searching for connections and relationships, making clear distinctions between terms, concepts, theories, and processes, and seeing how the details fit together to form “the big picture.”

Pair up.

Study pairs or groups work best when people who are roughly equal in their knowledge, diligence, and motivation use each other to consolidate their grasp of material they have already studied individually.

What doesn’t work: just hearing other people’s quick summaries of what they’ve read. What does work: asking pertinent questions and responding with fully elaborated explanations. Only then does the information become fixed in long-term memory.

Quiz yourself—ruthlessly.

Old exams, end-of-chapter questions, and study guides—all are useful for testing what you know and identifying areas you need to work on. Making up you own questions and answering them is also an excellent way to test your knowledge. After all, why wait for your professor’s study guide
when you can create one of your own?

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~lrngctrs/pdf/multiplechoiceexams.pdf

Sources: David Palmer, Multiple Choice Tests, Center for Student Development, McMaster University, 1999 and Ludy T. 1984 pp. 133-141. Benjamin, et. al.,staying With Initial Answers on Objective Tests: Is it a Myth?” Teaching of Psychology, Vol. 11 No. 3,

busy days

2014-06-28T22:25:00.001-07:00

Been busy all this months, from personal reasons, family to work and stresses of academic pursuits. Through all of these, prayer is my saving grace and a comfort of cup of coffee and music along the journey. Being part of Order of St. Luke's, prayer is a vital part and much more is the Eucharist. Six to seven times a day is the biblical way of how should a christian pray. Or atleast three times. "Pray without ceasing".

Summer Is Coming

2014-02-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

It means only one thing, It will be very hot. and since we're just 13º00 north from the equator we are considered a tropical country. Some would say paradise, that be describing the country side, but definitely not the metro. And since we're in the metro expect that it will be really really hot that the temperature can raise up to 37 degree Celsius.

Here I have my own recipe just right enough for summer.

ICED CREAMY LATTE

You'll need:

Coffee Dripper (i bought mine from Saizen)

Coffee Filter (it's in the same area where coffee drippers are, it also can be bought in some grocery stores but a lot more expensive than Saizen)

Coffee grounds (from starbucks to any local store bought coffee grounds)

Hot/boiling water for the pour over coffee

Condensed Milk as creamer and sweetener all in one

1/3 cup Fresh Milk and Lastly, ICE

Pour Over Coffee

1. Place the coffee dripper on top of a glass or a cup

2. Put the filter on the coffee dripper

3. Add 2 spoonful coffee grounds
This is the measurement;:2 tbps. coffee grounds for every single serving

4. Pour over the boiling hot water on the coffee grounds. 1/4 cup of concentrated brewed coffee would be enough.

NEXT,

5. With the freshly brewed coffee on the glass add on the condensed milk and STIR! (depends on your desired level of sweetness).

6. Add the small blocks of Ice, Top on the fresh Milk filling the glass.

7. ENJOY your cafe-quality Iced Creamy Latte!

L.A. Coffee of Kopiko

2013-10-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

L.A. Coffee means Low Acid Coffee, and is a new product of Kopiko.

As it says in the description, this coffee mix is ideal for people with medical conditions relating to the digestive system and and also for those who have high-stress jobs and are at risk to develop sensitive stomachs as well as those who simply want to enjoy good health.

I don't have sensitive stomach neither high-stress job, I'm just a coffee lover who was curious enough to bought some just to try the taste. I confess I'm a bit of a coffee snob, (just a little ^_^)

I have issues with stale coffees and not-so-good coffees.

Amazingly, I loved the L.A. taste! It's like a dessert coffee, sweet and mild,

no pretensions, plain instant coffee.

If I were to asked if i do recommend this, I DO!

For me, this is cheap alternative coffee fix just in case I run out of coffee beans in my coffee jar.

Disclaimer: I am not paid in this article. Just an honest review based on my personal opinion.

Coffee Cups And Tea Cups Home Cafe

2013-09-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Setting up a cafe or coffee shop has been a dream to many coffee lovers and or coffee connoisseur like me. Since setting up a coffee business can be very expensive, why not set it at the comfort of your home. Practice makes perfect, right? One of the best place to practice and do the deed of brewing to perfection is at your home cafe, your place at your own time.

Isn't that great?

So let's start it,

set-up your coffee tools,

get the spatula,

flour into the bowl,

pat the dough and bake it,

pour over the coffee into the coffee cups,

set the breakfast table

serve the fresh lovely brewed coffee and tea

and enjoy the chewy and moist delectable hot baked bread and cookies.

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.

Benjamin Franklin

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.

Jane Austen

People who have good relationships at home are more effective in the marketplace.
Zig Ziglar

Who knows maybe day we can have a chance of owning a coffee shops/cafes. But for now I treasure and enjoy my own home cafe.

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”― Robin Hobb, Fool's Fate

Effective Study Habits Tips

2013-09-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

I started my refresher course 4 years ago at my own time place at my own pace. Isn't one of the best deal? Since I've been out a bit long time now from my course of field since my marriage and my daughter came along, time and money would one of the issue to consider in leveling up your professional career. How to save time and money and still get that licensure exam or certification exam passed is tough and mind consuming. So here's some few tips I wanna share and is very effective to me, so here it is;

Study Tip # 1. If you a timeline/time table or schedule for your review time, PREPARE AHEAD.

How?
a.) Rest the day before your study time or rest before you study (If you prefer studying everyday). Play, read your favorite book, have your coffee time, get a body massage, watch your favorite tv series or listen to music (I prefer smooth jazz by this time), do your chores and errands and more. Remember not to tire yourself much.

b.) Prep up your emotion, psyche yourself (you may listen to a relaxing music or instrumentals, read your bible and don't forget to pray. Remember to get a good night sleep. Or to those who study everyday just make sure have a rest in between errands/chores before studying.

note: These are just small things you do to yourself with little or no effort at all. So just relax.

Study Tip #2 LISTEN TO CLASSICAL MUSIC AND BREW SOME COFFEE.
The moment I wake up I tuned into Mozart online radio, brew my own coffee (from beans to cup), bite some biscuits, and face my books. Let Mozart and coffee take effect and you'll see everything will follow. Not realizing you already read almost a hundred pages for just a hour or two. Don't worry or be surprised if you keep that mode until the end of the day or be possible a week, it's the Mozart and caffeine effect.

note: Don't be too harsh on yourself, get some sleep and food. Rest a day or two before going to another study session with Mozart. It's a normal thing if your brain wouldn't process more information that's to keep the information you had and process it in your long term memory. Rest is a good thing.

Study Tip #3. GRAB YOUR TEXTBOOKS.
We all know that time is precious, we are on constant move in this fast-paced generation. Review books are a great deal for us who wants to learned the condensed or just the most important information in a short period of time. But the question is, are we really learning or understanding the concept? Or it's just another way of memorizing the material with little to no understanding. I've learned that from 3 to 4 years of experience. I started in a review/concise books and ended up a lot of questions of how's and why's and wasting time.
So what should I do?

Go get your textbooks and reread and relearn it again. It may be bulky, so what? there's what we called E-book nowadays, so no excuses to that...sorry! But these contains the whole story of how and why It began and why you should study the material.

note: Don't get me wrong, I really love review/concise books. I used these books to reaffirm, remind, organize and highlight the important information in my brain, but that does mean the "less important" stuff that aren't included in the condensed notes are not important, it's the "less important" in addition to the "most important" knowledge that makes the whole story understandable.

Study Tip #4. FAMILIARIZED YOURSELF WITH THE LEARNED MATERIAL.
Now this where the Review Books, Concised Notes, Q and A Books, Flash Cards and notebooks comes in. After learning the textbooks, time to brush up what you've learned. Bring your pocket notes or flashcards wherever you are and reread and reread. Practice answering the some questionnaires everyday. This is very important, and I'll be discussing this topic in another blog post. That's it and we're almost done.

Lastly,

Study Tip #5. NEVER STOP LEARNING, whether it be learning a new skills, watching informative or historical documentaries, reading an article or writing a blog can make the brain active and healthy.

coffee pins

2013-07-30T00:40:00.003-07:00

here are some of my favorite coffee pins (too cute to ignore) from pinterest

tineebubblesinthesun

2013-07-30T00:31:00.002-07:00

Almost a year ago i've shifted from here (blogspot) to instagram. It's been a bit accessible to update coffee photos in this social networking site, so i ofted to use this more often, sometimes i miss blogging and writing stuff. But anyway here is my instagram account tineebubblesinthesun.

CBTL Pages

2012-08-25T07:28:00.001-07:00

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf 2012 Planner

For My Sister

2012-08-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

I made this drawing for my lovely sister. Hopes she likes it.

Coffee and Tea Sunglasses

2012-08-23T01:16:00.002-07:00

Iced Blended Chai Cafe Latte

2012-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

"Coffee Cups and Tea Cups Theme"

2012-08-22T06:50:00.003-07:00

Art by: Tinee

PAINTS Cups

2012-08-22T04:07:00.001-07:00

My attempt of drawing cups using MS Windows PAINT. Oh well, just posting it. =D

Coffee Book

2012-08-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

I have scanned first few pages of my coffee book

thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for such a lovely christmas gift

(this is actually a part of a coffee set with electric milk frother and with 2 espresso cup and saucer in it)

So here they are. Enjoy!
(Just click any photos to see fully the pages, thanks!)

the Nescafe 3-in-1 Creamy Latte

2012-08-18T03:28:00.003-07:00

After depriving myself of caffeinated coffee beans (to avoid high BP on my hubby's part) my body wasn't really satisfied of the decaf coffee we had 2 weeks ago. I went to "caffeine starvation mode" and so I grab the only available coffee we had days ago and that is the 3-in-1 instant coffee. Since I knew how to work it right by accident or should we say by curiosity (but i wasn't killed =D). The fantastic discovery of instant mixed coffee with steamed/frothed/heated milk didn't fail, it was indeed a successful experiment. And I actually wrote the recipe here and published it. Here's the link, http://coffeecupsandteacups.blogspot.com/search/label/instant%20coffee
(but no photos to demo it, so i thought of taking a picture to help describe more bout the recipe).

Not every household does have espresso maker, in fact it's very rare. Those people who owns one of these are those who loves coffee enough to save earnings to afford such not-so-necessary stuff.

And for those who have coffee shops or coffee businesses.

The good thing is one can have an alternative way of

"how to make steamed/heated milk" in very a simple way.

1).Heat the fresh milk into the saucepan. Just heat, don't boil.

2). To make the froth, just shake an enough amount of cold fresh milk into a close container to produce a froth. Then topped it into the hot coffee. Then cappuccino or latte is ready.

"Nescafe 3-in-1 Creamy Latte"

Try mo!

Cookies and Milk, anyone?

2012-08-17T10:04:00.005-07:00

So this afternoon I was craving for some walk and my destination is Cubao Expo. I was expecting to go to Libreria Bookstore that my husband and I found about last year. Libreria to my knowledge is a bookstore where you can find a lot of books, maybe old or new or 2nd hand, but who cares, the older the book the better, like wine. Speaking of wine, you can't find wine there, instead, they offer coffee, YES COFFEE!! And they have this set of sofa, where one can sit comfortably while browsing books and being warmed up by a hot coffee of your choice, paired with a cake, if one prefers to. Next to the sofa was a set of a table and chairs for the readers, so there that's the picture of what the Libreria looks like. Because it was so unique and peaceful I was intrigue and curious and excited to visit there soon, but unfortunately we haven't found time yet, so I thought this would be the perfect time.

When i got there to the spot i knew where it was, It was gone, as in GONE (accompanied by some horror music on the background) let's do it again, IT WAS GONE.....MY WORLD JUST SUDDENLY CRUMBLED DOWN! OH NOOOO!!!! (just kidding!)
Well it was replace by a new store. No big deal. I went on, I walk around pretending i was not desperate. But heyyy look what i found, a new cookie and milk shop, ohhh yeah! (dancing in the disco, dadadadancing in the disco) I was happy, so happy enough to try their menu. The shop's name is "Sweet Ecstasy". I got myself a cookie and a glass of fresh milk (forget the low fat, it's a cookie that i have, COOKIE!) I'm glad i found Sweet Ecstasy, it was a sweet afternoon indeed. With just a less than a hundred bucks, finding happiness is that too easy. Next time I'll bring a book or a friend. Bring your friends too. But if you want to be alone, it's a perfect time to have a moment of peace from the hustle and bustle of life. You may prefer to watch at the flat screen TV with cable, how cool that can be, or you can bring a book it's nice to read there the ambiance is perfect, or just chill out and bring a two small ear plugs that is round in shape, big or small it doesn't matter, it comes in diff. color usually white, people just love white, anyway, it's the one that bring forth music =D ayt.

Much has been said, so these are the photos i got so far, I hope you'll like it.

"Sweet Ecstasy"

Inside the shop, it's nice and clean, very avant garde and minimalistic

I love everything in it, It reminds me a lot of the cafes in Melbourne,

I haven't yet been there but the photos say so, that's why.

Outside the shop,

About

Milk and Cookies Bar. Where you can have your cookie and eat it too! Operating hours: 3-11pm on weekdays. Fri-Sat 3pm-2amCubao X, Quezon City

Description

We serve the best cookies in town! With the freshest milk! If you're craving for something sweet, we got you covered. Hang out and chill with us at the shop. We'll always have something for you when you pass by. It's all about Milk+Cookies baby! Fcuk Cake! :)

Location

Cubao X, Araneta Center, Quezon City, Philippines

Hours

Mon - Thu:	3:00 pm	-	11:00 pm
Fri - Sat:	3:00 pm	-	2:00 am
Sun:	3:00 pm	-	10:00 pm

Phone	0916 594 1229

Email	ecstasysweet@gmail.com

Website	http://twitter.com/sweetXecstasy https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Ecstasy/

The List

2012-08-15T00:38:00.001-07:00

"The list"

The last two months was a roller coaster ride. One day I was happy, the other day we'll not so extraordinary day, then came the day I was frightened of the future possibilities, then i got depress then after more soul searching and worries i got even more depress. But when I got to the point i needed to breathe out, I realize that the world is marble. Sometimes you're up sometimes your down. And I kinda getting the whole story now, and to realize that anything can happen in this life which is mostly beyond our control, being flexible at any situation is a plus and a must.

I got new motivation, new goals, inspiration, in short i'm strengthen by the waves and storms that comes and go. I have in here a short random list of well, "what to do":

1.) Be with my daughter, play with her, talk and listen to her always (in simple words, attend to her needs)
2.) Gotta catch-up to my spiritual needs (need to acquire the habit of praying in the morning and evening)
3.) Lose some weight (i have a target goal of weights to lose)
4.) Read Jane Austen's book/novel (while watching the tv series version)
5.) Read random books (spiritual, theology, literature, medical technology,and more...)
6.) Read "The Hobbit" and watch the animated version of the it.
(In preparation for the movie coming this december)
7.) Write more often to my blog (really had to, this is to keep track of story each day we had, and hopefully inspire other as well if it happens they read this site).

So far, this is the list i had in mind as of the moment, but i know for sure more list is coming on the way... ( I just know)

adds on: I wrote this blog here in Highlands Coffee along E.Rodriguez St.,they have these free use of pc and internet. How cool is that?! and to add more, one can get a large cup of regular cappuccino or latte for only 99 pesos. This is a real nice deal. Have a cup of great day! ^_^

Coffee On A Budget

2012-05-23T00:18:00.004-07:00

Coffee On A Budget

http://media-cache6.pinterest.com/upload/111604896985329032_ViLl3Zd4_c.jpg

Wanna have nice decent cappuccino on budget at home?

One doesn't need to go to starbucks or coffee shop everytime you crave for coffee, why not make one at home? you don't have to shell out hundreds of peso just to have a coffee outside, save it and try to do these steps.

What to buy:

Coffee press/French press

http://www.corporategiveaways.com/products_medium/216-1.jpg

http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1314284616-french-press.jpg

(ranges from 100-300 php)

this is good enough, no need to buy really expensive one, but if you have a budget why not.

Whole Coffee Beans or Ground Coffee Beans

http://www.buycoffeeonline.org/images/Whole-Bean-Ground-Coffee.jpg

You can buy coffee beans in grocery stores, go to the coffee section or whole food section (some stores are selling it by grams that's a good news if you're on a budget, you can buy even 50 pesos beans, they can also grind it for you, and also they have a really nice coffee burr grinder).

Barako coffee a bit cheaper than Arabica. The prices ranges of 250gm pack of whole or ground coffee beans is from 150-250 pesos. This can last for one month if you're a moderate coffee drinker, but if its for the use of the whole family, it can serve leastwise 2 weeks. Imported are more costly than local products.

Tip: If you have a blender in your house that has a separated grinder, make full use of it. Freshly grounded beans is more better than pregrounded. Grind only enough beans you need to use.

Fresh/low fat milk

Can be bought in Tretra pak to 1 liter. 28-70pesos

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg892bkKoDyKL5ruxgBydPifvlkVdP0qysx_qmGZhUF1wCIsGzuU10B1y2eNw8MnVL9SzolxASggBLHOFsXpTR00WPyt8BH8IZSSFK7vOqFIn-EvM0i48LUBuMGP_yDnFhzJR6lIB3b9Pm4/s400/fresh+milk.JPG

Milk Frother (optional)

You don't really need to have one, seriously! one can just heat the milk in a sauce pan and that's it you have your latte. But if you want your cafe latte to turn into a cappuccino, put some milk in a closed container then shake it for 30 sec, you have your foamy milk ready to be poured on the latte making it a cappuccino.

Here are some frothers i found in the net,

cappuccino frother 150-200 pesos

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00pBaEYMQGIKuF/Cappuccino-Coffee-Mixer-Milk-Frother.jpg

electric milk frother

CBTL do sell one like these, but it's sooo expensive,and it's a lot lot beyond my budget, a whooping 13,000 bucks!!!

So i opted finding one on sulit.com.ph, truly God is gracious, from thousands down to hundreds, 300-500 pesos, yay! here's the link http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/5354596/Expressi+milk+frother?referralKeywords=milk+frother

All Purpose Cream (optional)

http://www.alaskamilk.com.ph/images/crema-new.jpg

(optional as well, but it can do a lot of magic in your coffee, believe me it does! It's still an optional, you can still make your latte without this.)

Sugar to taste

http://www.bigoven.com/uploads/BrownSugar.jpg

http://www.healthylife-healthyplanet.com/image-files/artificialsweeteners.jpg

(optional again it you don't like sugar in your coffee, that's perfectly fine, but i like my coffee with a brown sugar, really I do! (haha...) For diabetics you can use artificial sweeter.)

lastly,

Cinnamon

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVpyTE3CDvbMaMSipWRhQrfsjE0ITTydxuk89RHFq5BaxCMovurerKqQgvw0toOAGEiU1GnNJtdNNy3w57aJhwt8rbKKTjMKl1p_R-3KFAGfpN9-nEyaSt4Tbes3KWZ1oC5FiOYGJ89A/s748/cinnamon-sticks-and-powder.jpg

Just the smell of coffee with cinnamon on top, is sooo satisfying. And healthy too, it lowers blood sugar. that's a huge WOW for only 20-30 bucks, right?! Can serve up to several months.

In summary:

BASICS

coffee/french press ----------------------- 150

coffee beans whole grounded------------- 200

fresh/low fat milk ------------------------- 70

____________________________________

420php

with cream 37 + 420 = 457php

with cinnamon 20 + 457 = 477php

*can serve up to 8-10 cups of cappuccinos or lattes.

*250 gms pack of coffee can last up to 3-4weeks.

Compare to a 130-150 pesos per cup of coffee from starbucks to a 420 php spending for 8-10 cups of delicious cappuccinos and lattes and more brewed coffees, americanos, and espresso at home it's a whole lot cheaper.

Simple And Easy Red Velvet Hot Cocoa

2012-04-16T01:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing one of my favorite drink of all time. Iced or hot, christmas or not.

This is my version of the recipe I found in the net, I follow some of the steps but not totally all.

Simple and Easy Red Velvet Hot Cocoa

(1 serving)

Ingredients:

2-3 tsp.sugar

2-3 tsp. all purpose cream

1-2 tsp. cream cheese

1.) Mix it all together. In my case I mix it althogether in the cup.

next,

2/4 cup of milk

1-2 tsp. cocoa, and

a dash of red coloring powder

2.) Mix the cocoa powder with cold milk and added the red food color, and froth it in the milk frother.

If you don't have a milk frother, you can just simply heat the mixture in a sauce pan, and that's it you're almost done.

3.)Combine the sugar,cream and cream cheese mixture with the steamed/heated hot choco milk,

4.) Lastly, you can top it with whipped cream cheese (if you have) or whipped cream, in my case milk foam did the trick. So that's it, simple and easy to do.