Allure

LAP Band And Gastric Bypass Surgery

2012-01-14T14:52:00.003+08:00

Nowadays, we all want to lose weight- and fast. Luckily, there are many methods out there that can be done for you to be able to get that body you wanted. Gastric bypass surgery is the most commonly performed type of weight loss surgery. This procedure is performed to lessen the stomach size, as well as the length of the small intestine. The procedure both restricts the amount of food that can be eaten, and limits the absorption of the food in the intestine, making you feel full after a few bites.

To be eligible for this surgery, the LAP-BAND is intended for adults with a body mass index of 35 or higher, or people who are 80-100 pounds overweight and who have unsuccessfully tried exercising and dieting. For patients to go through this procedure, they must also be willing to diet and change their lifestyle both before and after surgery. People should be aware that the cost of realize band is dependent on who will do the surgery, hospital fees, and other factors but the insurance company may should all or just a percentage of the surgical procedure.

Another example of a quick weight loss method is the lap band. The LAP Band is a type of adjustable gastric band used for weight loss surgery. During surgery, this silicone band is placed around the stomach, limiting the amount of food that may be consumed. The LAP band helps people feel full while eating less, gradually losing weight. Like the gastirc bypass surgery, a patient whose BMI is higher than 35 or 80-100 pounds overweight is eligible to go through the weight loss surgery. Like most surgeries, there are also disadvantages and side effects after the surgery.

MySurgeryMD offers many types of information on the various types of surgeries, such as breast augmentations, weight loss surgeries, hair transplants and many more. Before taking any chances and moving on with any type of surgery, you have got to do your research and become informed on what you're doing. MySurgeryMD.com acts as a guide in informing you about your surgery and treatment options.

Bare Hand Puppet Singing "One Night"

2011-01-10T07:05:00.009+08:00

For three consecutive days, I had no internet connection and I had nothing to do but stare at the four corners of my room. I then saw a ballpen and looked at my hand. I drew a mouth, and eyes on my hand. I created a hand puppet! Thought it was so cute that I must record it. I saw my cellphone with camera and it suddenly dawned on me on what to do next! I recorded my hand singing... but of course, that was my voice. I always thought it would be nice making different voices. On this video, I used a macho male voice. I was not biased or anything but the hand puppet I made was so cute that I created more of it. I showed it to my nieces and baby nephew and they were laughing also. I was having a hard time uploading it on youtube, though. Hope you like it.

New Year 2011

2011-01-06T18:54:00.008+08:00

By now, I can truthfully say that I have survived 2010.

Two hours before the year 2010 ended, I was still busy doing my job as a Freelancer. As for my son, he was outside our house, giggling and laughing with the neighbors' kids. They were busy preparing for firecrackers that they were planning to use to welcome 2011.

Fireworks and firecrackers are very famous in the Philippines especially if there are big celebrations like birthdays, fiesta, anniversaries, and most of all, Christmas and New Year.

I learned that firecrackers were invented by the Chinese and that was one of their many inventions which they brought in the Philippines. The Chinese believed that loud sounds and exploding lights could ward off the bad spirits and misfortunes of the old year and to give the incoming year a clean slate.

The difference between fireworks and firecrackers is that the beauty of fireworks can only be seen during nighttime. On the other hand, the firecrackers is being appreciated by the sound it produces, thus the louder the sound of the explosion, the better it is to keep bad luck away from transferring to the new year.

The Philippine government is now discouraging the Filipino people to use firecrackers since most of the time, freak incidents happen (see the picture below to know the reason).

Most of the firecrackers and fireworks that proliferate in the Philippines came from Bocaue, Bulacan, which is also being considered as the "Firecracker capital of the Philippines".

Below are some of the most dangerous firecrackers available in the market.

Atomic Bomb - explodes like an Atomic Bomb (left) / GoodBye Philippines - explodes like there is Civil War in the Philippines (right)

Bawang (Garlic) - produces mild explosion

Bin Laden Firecracker - explodes like it is the end of the world

Google PageRank Update December 2010

2010-12-29T18:31:00.005+08:00

Has Google updated their PageRanking system?

This blog of mine used to have PR0 for such a long time, but just this morning, I noticed that it has got PR2. Is my eyes playing tricks on me?

Up to now, Google has not divulge on when they usually update their PageRanking system, and only the Google insiders know when they would want to have it updated.

Last year, the PageRank has been updated 4 times and the year before that, it has been updated 5 times. Back in 2007, it has only been updated twice!

If you want to know the confirmed updated dates of Google Page Ranking system, visit this site.

Science Poem

2010-08-12T06:13:00.009+08:00

Long been wanting to post Albert EInstein's photo here and I guess this is the right time! Hahaha!

One of my son's projects at school is to make a poem about Science. Just so my son could pass a project, I made one and it took me 5 minutes to make it. I know the poem doesn't make any sense at all. It looks like a kindergarten made it.

I sure hope my son gets a high grade on this or else I will burn down the school! Just kiddng.

Anyway, here it is...

Science

What is this horrible Science
As most students may ask
Others say defiance
Alas! A difficult task

Always wanting to know
What this is or that
But believe me, it is not
As hard as Calculus or Math

It is true Science has lots
Of simple different branches
All of your ideas and questions
Can't be answered by hunches

Ever it has to be proven
By Scientific experimentation
Believing just a shallow theory
Is a very sinful conclusion

Look above, what will you see?
Look from above, what will you still see?
Science is everywhere, my bold friend
Your ears to your teachers, you should lend.

Yakap (Embrace) By Junior

2010-07-30T11:17:00.002+08:00

Ako ay nagbalik
Sa init ng iyong yakap
Parang ibong sabik sa isang pugad

Nadanas kong lungkot
Nang kita'y aking iwan
Na di pa dinanas ng sinuman

Ako ay nagbalik
At muli kang nasilayan
Hindi na 'ko muli pang lilisan
Dahil kung ikaw ang yakap ko
Parang yakap ko ang langit
At yakap ko pati ang iyong ngiti

Init ng 'yong halik
Wala ng kasing init
Yakap pa rin nito yaring isip

Ako ay nagbalik at muli kang nasilayan
Hindi na 'ko muli pang lilisan
Dahil kung ikaw ang yakap ko
Parang yakap ko ang langit
At yakap ko pati
Ang 'yong ngiti...

Ohhhh

At muli kang nasilayan
Hindi na ko muli pang lilisan
Dahil kung ikaw ang yakap ko
Parang yakap ko ang langit
At yakap ko pati ang yong ngiti
Ang yong ngiti

English Translation

I have returned
The warmth of your embrace
Like an eager bird missing its nest

I felt sadness
When I left you
Sadness that haven't suffered by anyone

I have returned
And again saw you
I won't leave anymore
Because if I hug you
It is like hugging heaven
And embracing your smile

Your kiss is the warmest
And it is still etched in my mind
Its sweetness

I have returned
And again saw you
I won't leave anymore
Because if I hug you
It is like hugging heaven
And embracing your smile

Ohhhh

I have returned
And again saw you
I won't leave anymore
Because if I hug you
It is like hugging heaven
And embracing your smile

How I Wish You Were Mine - By Regine Velasquez & Mark Anthony Fernandez

2010-07-23T22:53:00.006+08:00

From the moment I first heard this song, I googled its lyrics, since I thought that this was a remake of an old song. It turned out that it was an original and has not been released in the market yet.

Last January, GMA-7 ran a music writing competition for the telemovie "Diva", and this song, "How I Wish You Were Mine", won first place. I just don't know who its composer was.

Menstrual Cup

2010-05-25T18:02:00.003+08:00

As I was researching over the internet about Green Living, I came across a website (I forgot the URL, sorry) that said something about a cup that women use instead of sanitary napkins. I thought it was really insane but my eyes was not playing tricks on me. There is really this thing called "menstrual cup".

Menstrual cup was invented in 1935 but it was only in the 80's that this item became popular.

According to the article I read, environmental conscious women do not want to use sanitary napkins anymore, as this cannot be recycled and contributes to more landfill. Instead, they opted to use a menstrual cup, which is inserted in the vagina.

There are two type of menstrual cup. the first one is reusable and can last up to 10 years of use. The second cup is disposable which is made of polyethylene and looks like a diaphragm contraceptive.

And would you believe that it has sizes? For women who have given birth through normal delivery, the cups are bigger. It is made of silicone due to its hypoallergenic properties.

I do not think these cups are advisable for women who have heavy flow since it would be so messy and uncomfortable.

A Little Farmville At Home

2010-01-15T09:52:00.017+08:00

This is my first post for this year. I just want to clear my head of all the things that has been disturbing me that I just don't want to think about anymore.

You might be asking why I am posting a new article now. Well, it is due to the fact that I want to update my blog because a friend of mine suggested that I must update it and I want to share the photos I took from our small Farmville.

In addition, for the past two months, I was busy. With the Christmas season approaching and all, I needed a sure income. I do not want to write articles about the holidays since I might cry a river. I worked hard that my back ached, taking my mind off the coming holidays. I guess working late nights took a toll on me that I have to plaster a salonpas on my back every night.

Anyway, as a person who lives and breathes the Internet, I noticed that people are going gaga over Facebook's Farmville online game and I am no exemption. But I believe I have a little "Farmville" here at home.

I am not used in living in the country side but I have no choice. Still, I have learned to love all the things that surrounds me. I now have 3 dogs, 2 kittens which my son adopted when he was strolling with his friends in our subdivision, a goat and her 2 kids.

When we were still new in this place, my son was so excited that he would get and pet whatever animal he could get his hands on. Some of the animals and insects that he petted were mariposa or large butterflies (I was very surprised when he got home handing me a larger than life butterfly!), big spiders, big lizards or geckos, birds that accidentally went inside our home; and baby snakes (Yes, you read it right. We got like 5 baby snakes and my son was so curious that he wanted to eat those.). I told him not to touch those since we were not familiar on how to handle those strange yet wonderful creatures.

I also planted vegetables like mustard and bitter melon. At this time of year, we harvest mangoes from our one and only mango tree.

I read somewhere that being happy is not a condition of one's mind. Being happy is a choice. When I wake up every morning, I ask myself, "Should I be happy?". My answer is "Why shouldn't I?". I like Pollyanna's philosophy in life and that is why i adapted it... But for how long?

Our one and only mango tree

Our one and only coconut tree (Our Kamatsile tree is on the background)

Fruit from our Mango tree

The mother goat with her kids

Mother goat strikes a pose

Kittens my son adopted

This kitten thought that our dog "Botchog" is her mom

The kittens sucking milk from our male dog "Botchog"

Transgender Surgery - Male to Female

2009-10-26T12:27:00.010+08:00

This post is not for the faint of heart.

I got this video when I googled about how a male could become a female. I was really curious as to how it could be possible. If gays could only see this, maybe they won't have the heart to undergo this kind of surgery. I have a gay assistant who lives at home with me and I let him watch this short video. He said that it was so gruesome and even though he was gay, he would not want to undergo the "procedure", which was also called Gender Reassignment Surgery or Sex Reassignment Surgery. Isn't it amazing that it can only be done in 6 minutes?! That was for both the breasts and the genitalia.

After seeing the video, all I can say was that gays who had this "tranny surgery" were very strong, determined individuals.

Transgender surgery-male to female

This transgender surgery was performed in Thailand where many gay people go to have this procedure. They said that the said medical operation was cheaper in Thailand than anywhere else in the world.

Octopus man | OctoMan

2009-09-13T11:35:00.014+08:00

A man in Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines was one of the oldest living persons, who was born with excess limbs.

At first, one would think that Rudy Santos, who hailed from Pampanga, looked like any usual man who only had an ordinary disability, i.e., his right leg was shorter than his left leg, but there was something else. He showed Jessica Soho, a multi-awarded reporter in the Philippines, what his true predicament was.

He used to work in the carnival as one of the featured people with exotic looks. He then admitted that the story about the Octopus Man was not a myth, and that he and Octopus Man was one and the same person.

He was ashamed to show his true self to other people, but eventually, he showed on national TV what he was hiding. Beneath his pants, he's got 2 extra arms and 1 extra leg. All in all, he's got 4 arms and 3 legs. A doctor had checked up on him and said that Rudy has this condition called "parasitic twin".

Parasitic Twin is a condition also known as an asymmetrical or unequal conjoined twin. It is the result of the processes that produce vanishing twins and conjoined twins, and may represent a continuum between the two. Parasitic twins occur when a twin embryo begins developing in utero, but the pair does not fully separate, and one embryo maintains dominant development at the expense of the other.

When asked by Jessica, if he felt that there was another person inside of him, he answered that he just felt there was just excess limbs on his body.

Photo courtesy of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho

Rudy Santos when he was younger

Dr. Vince Gomez, an orthopedic surgeon said that Rudy's twin could be operated on, to remove the extra mass of flesh and limbs from his body, and that it won't have any ill impact on him. But Rudy have his own family now and they do not approve of him having his "twin" removed from his body, because they were afraid they could loose him also in the process.

Rudy said that when he was a child and his "twin" would get wounded, Rudy would then suffer severe fever. On the other hand, if any part of his body would get hurt other than his "twin", it didn't have bad effect on it.

"Some people might think that he was weird, but what matters most was that he could continue to live and fight in this circus-like world of ours.", said Jessica Soho.

Chinoys

2009-07-29T21:41:00.008+08:00

I just finished watching the movie "Ip Man". I didn't want to watch it ,but my son kept on calling me and insisted that I watch the movie. Well, he won. I watched it and it was a nice movie although we cannot understand it, since it was in Cantonese! Good thing it had a subtitle under it, whew!

Ip Man movie was the life story of a Chinese martial arts teacher who was well disciplined and loved by his disciples or students. He was an expert in "Wing Chun". As a matter of fact, he was the master of Bruce Lee.

Photo of Ip Man courtesy of TWK

Photo of Ip Man courtesy of times are priceless

I wish I knew how to read, write and understand Cantonese. There are so many Chinese schools in Manila and in other places in the Philippines but it was more expensive to study there, and so my parents opted to let me and my siblings study in Catholic schools.

For most people who have never gone to the Philipines, they did not know that the Chinese have been living in the Philippines way back even before the Spanish, Japanese, Americans and other nationalities have come in our country.

Aside from the Filipinos, the second largest group of people who live in the Philippines are the "Chinoys". Chinoy came from the word "chinese" and "pinoy". The Chinese in the Philippnes are known also as "Intsik", but the Chinoys didn't like it because it sounded like "insect".

I must say that all Filipinos have a mix blood of Spanish, Chinese, Americans, Indians, and all the nationalities you could think of. My mother's mother is Chinese and the mother of my father is Spanish. When I checked on the internet where our surname had first appeared, it said Mexico!
Some people mistook me for a Filipina-Mexican or Spanish-Filipina or Indian-Filipina since I have round eyes and fair complexion.

I don't think that there is a Filipino nowadays who could truly say that he has no foreign blood running through his veins.

My 14 Year Old Son's Abs

2009-07-26T11:37:00.011+08:00

It took me some time to post here on my personal blog since I was too busy with all sorts of things.

I have to adjust myself with the things around me, since I am not used in living in a place which is quiet. As for my son, he made big adjustments also. He often asked me when we will be living in the city again. I told him that we now live in our own home, the home of my parents, so there was no way we would transfer again.

When we were still living in Manila, I only rented a one bedroom apartment. And my son and I could not move around. The only place that we stayed always was inside the small bedroom.

He asked me time and again to buy him a bike so he could get around the village. I said I will buy him. But then, he grew tired of waiting for me to buy, so what he did was that he saved money so he could buy his own bike. I was really amazed at my son.

Since my son was very bored in our new home, he also started exercising. He used the other bedroom as his gym. He set up a punching bag which he made! He just became so creative and matured! He got an old bag and stuffed old clothes inside of it. Almost everyday, he punched the "punching bag" for two hours. I asked him why was he exercising so hard. He told me he was not exercising. He called it a "training", and told me he wanted to be a boxer! No way! I would not permit him to be a boxer like Manny Pacquiao! If he would do that in the future, i.e. to become a boxer, I will be the one who will go inside the boxing ring and punch his opponents! He also taught me "Wing Chun", a Chinese martial arts which is a branch of Kung Fu. And would you believe that he learned it only from youtube?

See the body of my 14yo son below. He now has 6pack abs! We do not have gym equipments here at home but he managed to contour his body. He does not eat pork. Once in a while, he eats beef, but most of the time, we eat fish and wheat bread and rice.

I am so proud of my son. How in the world did he became like this? 14years ago, he was just a baby... I am sharing this story because I am so proud of my son.

I Am Home

2009-05-16T01:04:00.004+08:00

Another phase in my life has just started. I now live miles away from my relatives and I know I have to be strong.

As far as I can remember, I have lived in 10 different locations for the past 15 years. I felt I was like a leaf that was constantly being blown by the wind. I have made few friends and acquaintances from the internet and from the real world. Some have failed me and most just did not care. I thought that I could depend on them but I was wrong. I came to realize that in the end, it will always be me and my son.

I reside now in my parent’s house but my parents are in the US. It has been a long time since I felt I was home. The house is not big, but I love every nook and corner of the said abode. Sadly, most of our things inside the house has been robbed and vandalized, since no one lived in it for 9 years.

It is good to be home at last. I now remember who I was and where I came from…

"Nation Of Servants" and Proud

2009-04-15T14:01:00.001+08:00

Yes, the Philippines is a nation of servants!

There are so many words that define what a servant is. The root word of "servant" is serve. It means "to tend to; to attend; to work; to perform a duty or task". The word "Service" means "work done by one person or group that benefits another".

I am proud that we are tagged by Tsip Chao, a columnist of Hongkong, as a nation of servants. The Philippines is the only country that has been tagged that way and I do not think, in any way, that it is bad for us Filipinos. Serving people is a holy calling. Some think that servants are lowly people, but they are not. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to serve others.

All of us in one way or the other can be regarded as servants. Office workers, call center agents, doctors, nurses, vice presidents and CEOs of multinational companies, are all servants. You may wonder how that is possible, but when you analyze thoroughly each and every profession, the main goal of everyone is to satisfy people of the higher stature. The entrepreneur's aim is to give his patrons what they want and that is a way of serving others. So, it is suffice to say that the entrepreneur is also a servant.

We, Filipinos should not be so onion skinned. We are the ones who belittle ourselves. We just read somewhere that there is a columnist who called our country "nation of servants" and we just reacted negatively. Why not react in a positive way?

Mostly, rich people here in the Philippines have house helpers or "Katulong" at home. There are the nannies (Some even have 1 nanny for each of their kids. So, if there are 4 kids in the family, there are 4 nannies as well!), drivers, cooks and laundrywoman, who are employed by affluent Filipino families. They are hired to ease the burden of household concerns.

If some Filipinos do not want to be called servants, does that mean they regard their servants (who are also Filipinos) as lowly humans?

Chip Tsao

Web Hosting

2009-04-13T16:59:00.005+08:00

Searching the best web hosting is a tough job, because we want only the best to represent ourselves over the internet. There are lots of hosts, who are not really hosts but only a reseller, and we want to avoid that. We want to be hosted by a provider that has strongest foundation over the internet.

To choose a host, there are certain factors that we must not take for granted. Customer satisfaction, affordability, reliability, uptime and technical support are all the things that we must consider.

Let us look for a trustworthy web hosting company, please visit Web Hosting Geek.

They have the biggest list of complete information on all web hosting providers, web hosting plans, promotional and discount coupons, and most of all, unedited reviews by real customers. Start building your name and your business in the world wide web.

Some of the hosting companies that are listed at Web Hosting Geek also offer free domain names. See also their blog and check out the vast array of services that they offer to their clients. In these times of crisis in our economy, let us get our money's worth from Web Hosting Geek.

Holy Week in the Philippines - Flagellants

2009-04-08T23:27:00.016+08:00

Celebrating Holy Week is just as huge as celebrating Christmas here in the Philippines.

The Philippines is the only so-called "Catholic country" in the Southeast Asia. 80% of the Filipinos are Roman Catholics, thus, most Filipinos believe that by doing penitents and sacrifices, their sins would be lessened, if not, erased. Catholics do not eat chicken, pork or beef at this time of year. They eat vegetables and fish only.

For those who do not know, the Holy Week in the Philippines is very bloody also... There are certain rituals which they think could be the solution to cleanse their sins. Mostly, male Filipinos do this because it was handed down to us from generations to generations. My father once did this gory ritual. And the ritual I am referring to was the "Flagging of oneself". In our province in Bulacan, it is called "Hampas Dugo" or Spank Blood.

I was only 6 years old when my father decided to underwent this penitence in our province. I cried and told my father not to do it, but then, he insisted saying that this procedure could "make him clean" of his "original sins" and "mortal sins". As a Roman Catholic then also, my mother didn't object.

I was really puzzled as to why should a person hurt himself so that his sins would be forgiven by God.

As my father was walking on the streets barefooted, with a white cloth covering his face, his back was very sore and bloodied. Prior to that, a man wounded my father's back with a sharp object so that blood could ooze from his back. I did not get to see this and I did not want to. My father was holding a rope and at the end of the rope was 24pieces of thick bamboo chips, and he used these to flag himself on his back, where his wounds were! I could not bear to look at what he was doing to himself and so I ran inside my grandmother's house.

It took him 2 hours to round the village with his fellow flagellants. And after showing the village what they had done to themselves, they ran to the nearest river and they took a bath there.

I did not stop crying until I saw him feeling relaxed, inside the house of my grandma. My sister taunted and laughed at me saying that I was such a crybaby and coward.

My father narrated that at first, when he flagged himself, the wound hurt so much but as time passed, it did not hurt anymore because it became numb already. He did this sacrifice only once, but I guess, some of his other "co-flagellants" still do this every Holy Week.

Up to now, the scars on his back are still visible.

Photo courtesy of Joleng

Is There Something by Christopher Cross

2009-03-26T15:47:00.004+08:00

I have been wanting to post this song, "Is There Something", for quite some time now but it was only this month when someone had uploaded this song on youtube.

I never knew Christopher Cross, not until 5 years ago, although he had been in the US music industry for like 2 decades now, I guess. When I heard for the first time one of his greatest hits, "Think of Laura", it sounded so soothing to the ears that it made me feel relaxed, even though it was a sad song. From then on, I became a fan of his.

Christopher Cross has this great charismatic singing voice that sounds like he is singing a lullaby always.
My favorite songs of his are (not in any particular order)
1. Sailing
2. Swept Away
3. Think of Laura
4. Never Be The Same

Lately I see clouds of sorrow in your eyes
Some deep sadness you can never quite disguise
Now I'm scared to ask what it's leading to
But I'm more afraid of not asking you

Is there something that you want to tell me
Is there something that I ought to know
Are we something that's still worth fighting for
Or should I simply let you go
Is there something I can do to reach you
Are we something more than history
I'll find some way to convince you to stay
If you just tell me honestly
Is there something left of you and me

You've got secrets you've been keeping for too long
And I'm going crazy acting like there's nothing wrong
I can taste the truth every time we kiss
And I can't go on
At least not like this

I don't want to lose you
But what's the use of holding on
I don't really have you
If the feeling's gone

Is there something I can do to reach you
Are we something more than history
If there's no way to convince you to stay
And be the way we used to be
Then there's something that I want to tell you
And I want you to believe it's true
We had something that I'll never forget
Even if I wanted to
'Cause part of me will always be with you

Ortho-Evra Hormone Patch (Irregular Period)

2009-03-16T23:51:00.017+08:00

One of the common signs that a girl has turned into a young lady is when she has experienced having her "monthly period". Sadly, not all woman have normal menstrual cycle and I am one of those.

The absence of menstrual bleeding before a woman has reached her menopausal stage is called amenorrhea. Physical and mental stress may be one of the triggering factors of this condition. To make my bodily function normal, I went to an Obstetrician-Gynecologist. She told me that to resolve my concerns, I must take hormone pills. Honestly, taking pills is really frustrating. I questioned myself why I should take 1 pill every evening for 21 consecutive days when i do not have a "horizontal partner"! But I followed the doctors advice just the same.

The hormone pills made me feel sleepy and hungry all the time! The positive effects though was that it made my skin so smooth and that my breasts have increased in size, aside from the fact that the pill had regulated my cycle.

One day, I came to bump with my friend who happens to be a doctor. She told me to use a hormone patch instead. It is 3times more expensive than the conventional pills but the positive outcome would be that it would regulate my period, make my skin supple, and my "twins" would stay plump.

The hormone patch is like a square "Band-Aid", which is less that 2in by 2in in size. It can be worn either on one's arm, hips, thigh, chest or abdomen. In one package of the Ortho-Evra, which is the brand name of the hormonal patch, there are 3 patches. One patch can be used for 7 days and on the 8th day, replace the patch with a new one. Use it for 7 days again and then replace it with a new patch. All in all, for a month, 3 patches are to be used. After those patches are used, wait for 7 days. The 7 patch-free days are the rest days.

Based on my experience, the patch won't come off unless I deliberately peel it off from my skin. Showering, bathing, exercise, swimming, or even sweating do not loosen the hormone patch from one's skin easily.

This is not a paid ad. I only want to share this article to women who are having a hard time taking pills. Also, this is to inform that there is a new solution to regulate menstruation and I guess a new and good method for contraception. (Oh well, I am not sure about how effective this is for contraception since I have not tried it yet. Honestly, I wish scientists could find contraceptive pills for men. Life is really not fair.)

*Ask your doctor first before using the hormone patch.

Lion

2009-03-12T13:07:00.010+08:00

Photo courtesy of National Geographic

A name is a word in which people call us. May it be our nickname, first name, surname or full name, it is who we are. Our name makes us unique from others. Sometimes we wonder how our parents choose our names.

Our names are also considered to be our treasure. Others want their names to be changed because they think it is ugly, while others want a different name due to the fact that they are hiding from others or they have a brush with the law.

As for me, I like my name. It is not unique but not many people have the same name as I have. Additionally, I love what it means.

My name means “brave as a lion”, hardy and powerful. And I want to live up to what my name means.

The lion is a symbol of strength and royalty. And I consider myself a lioness. They are believed to be ferocious and yet very caring for their cubs. They hunt their own food while the male lion is busy sulking under the sun. Only few animals have challenged a lion. Other predators, like hyenas, cheetahs and panthers would give up their kill if they would be challenged by a lion.

There are many kinds of animals in the world that live in jungles, in the wild and savannas, but the lion is universally recognized to be their king or head. We see on TV or in zoos how lions walk and we could easily detect that there is an air of confidence and grace in his manners. Lions won’t fight unless provoked or think that he is in danger. They are very territorial. They have their own world and if someone would abruptly crash into their own space and place, we can never tell what would happen.

Do you want to know how the lion expresses his supremacy? It is through its roar. It does not throw roars much, unlike other animals who just bellow, bark and whimper and laugh and shriek. When the lion make known his presence, all the other animals silence themselves and listen.

Reference1
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Out of Reach By Gabrielle

2009-03-05T14:10:00.002+08:00

I think this was the theme song of the movie "The Diary of Bridget Jones", one of my favorite movies.

"Out Of Reach"

Knew the signs
Wasn't right
I was stupid for a while
Swept away by you
And now I feel like a fool
So confused,
My heart's bruised
Was I ever loved by you?

Out of reach, so far
I never had your heart
Out of reach,
Couldn't see
We were never
Meant to be

Catch myself
From despair
I could drown
If I stay here
Keeping busy everyday
I know I will be OK

But I was
So confused,
My heart's bruised
Was I ever loved by you?

Out of reach, so far
I never had your heart
Out of reach,
Couldn't see
We were never
Meant to be

So much hurt,
So much pain
Takes a while
To regain
What is lost inside
And I hope that in time,
You'll be out of my mind
And I'll be over you

But now I'm
So confused,
My heart's bruised
Was I ever loved by you?

Out of reach,
So far
I never had your heart
Out of reach,
Couldn't see
We were never
Meant to be

Out of reach,
So far
You never gave your heart
In my reach, I can see
There's a life out there
For me

Find Me

2009-02-12T06:22:00.004+08:00

It is Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 and I am envious of people who have dates this Saturday.

I wonder why I am having a hard time finding love… Why can’t men see that I am worthy to be loved? There are guys who like me, but I don’t think they are true to me. Do they see who I really am? Most likely, they don’t.

I grew up thinking that men only want sex from women. Well, that was my mother said to me. But how was she really sure that men only wanted sex? How could she possibly know when my father was her first and only boyfriend, and up to now, they still love each other. I guess she was very careful because her father died when she was still young and her mother remarried. No one knew that the guy her mother married was married to someone else. It was too late because her mother was already pregnant. 6 months after giving birth to her half sister, her mother died.

She didn’t want to happen to me what had happened to her mother and so, she kept reminding me. And what does this got to do with me? I have a hard time trusting men…

I want to be loved but will I ever find a guy who is true to his words?

I do not want to sound like I'm blowing my own horn, but I think that I should be loved because…
1. I am kind hearted – But do men want kind hearted women? I don’t think they want that… But do they?
2. I am smart – I believe men are afraid of smart women.
3. I am personable – Men think that personable women are flirts.
4. I have a strong personality – Guys want women who are followers.
5. I am a loyal friend and lover – Do men think that loyal women are boring?
6. I am very understanding – It is okay if the guy does not call me everyday… It means he doesn’t really like me, and I won’t be harsh on him.
7. I am willing to be a martyr like a saint if I love the guy – Ugh! I am so weird.
8. I can cook – Yes, I can. My son loves the food I prepare for him. He has no choice.
9. I am a very caring, sweet, passionate and loving person – I have to lessen this because I think men do not want these attributes.
10. I am just an average looking middle aged woman – Men want sexy, gorgeous, young women.

I wanted to become a perfect mother and wife so I studied everything even on how to knit and sew by hand. (I once made a heart-shaped pillow, for my ex-bf and also a pair of short pants. Both I did from scratch, using only my bare hands. But of course, I used cloths, needle and thread.)

Do I stand a chance of finding love? It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It seems to me that the needle is like very microscopic and the haystack is as big as the world, three times over…

Image from Mathworks.com

Inexplicable

2009-02-07T11:19:00.001+08:00

It hurts a lot. I lost my bestfriend, and now, I don’t have anyone to talk to anymore. Almost everyday, I was looking forward to talk to him because he made me happy. It seems he was the only one who understood me. I never thought that my world would shatter like this, him being gone. The pain I am feeling right now is inexplicable. I cannot stop crying and I can’t tell anyone why I am sad. Good thing I am alone at home for I can cry like a cow. I went to my sister’s house last night and this morning, to busy myself, but I can’t tell her my concerns. She was just puzzled why I was sad. I only said that I was tired. She asked me why my eyes were swollen. I said that I slept late last night.

It just hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much like this? When I eat, it seems the food does not have any taste. Does anyone have suggestions what I should do for this pain to subside?

Favorite

2009-01-24T14:18:00.003+08:00

My 4th birthday has just gone by, and I was with my parents, grandmother and older sister, who celebrated her birthday a month before mine. My grandma, who was the mother of my father, asked my parents to bring us to a store because she said that will buy a doll as a present for my sister. I was hoping that she would buy me, too. I was very excited to enter into the department store. I looked around and I saw wonderful toys that were being sold. My heart leapt with awe. My grandma was holding my older sister, who is her first grandchild. She was asking my sister what she wanted.

After 30minutes of looking around, my sister arrived, holding a big bag and I knew that inside it was a doll. I was silent, but I was hoping that my grandma would give me something. I was waiting, but she didn’t give me any, not even a small toy.

I was so hurt. I cried but I did not want any of them know what I was feeling that time. I was just silent. I was asking myself why my grandma didn’t give me a gift even though my birthday was just 3 days ago. And she gave my sister a doll and her birthday was already a month ago!

I knew then that maybe my grandma didn’t like me. When we went inside the car, my sister sat in front with her, while I sat at the backseat.

There was also this once instance when I was in our hardware store in Binondo. My grandma handed a check to my mother. It was for my sister. I went inside the storage room and I silently cried. My mom was looking for me and she found me with my eyes red. She asked me why I was crying. I pointed to her the check she was holding. When my grandma learned that I was crying, she immediately got her checkbook and wrote something on the paper. She told me that I have a check also. I looked at the paper which she was handing to me. It looked different from the one she gave for my sister. I knew inside of me that it was just a worthless paper. But I stopped crying so that my mom would worry no more.

These things happened when I was only about 4 or 5 years old. Imagine, at that age, I know already what a bank check looks like!

I have forgotten all about these incidents but I remembered it when I had my psychotherapy.

I am not angry at my grandma. She is now in California. It is okay for me if she does not like me. I still respect her because she is the mother of my father. And that is just it.

When I get hurt or if I have some things inside my head, I just kept it to myself and not wanting others to know what my true feelings were. But, all these changed because of Dr. Abas. I learned that keeping things inside is not very healthy.

Okay, I admit it. Sometimes, I still do keep my feelings inside up to now… Good thing there is blogging, where I could pour out all of myself…

Podiocast by Odiogo.com

2009-01-17T01:24:00.006+08:00

As you can see here in my blog, i added a widget which is a Listen Now Button. It is from odiogo.com. The service is free, so you might also want to add it on your blog. It is really cool hearing what you wrote in your site.

Some of your readers may like your blog, but they do not have time to read your articles, and so, Odiogo is a time saver. They could listen to your writings through their iPod, mobile phones, or MP3 players.

We all know that podcast is very expensive. You have to hire a person who have a good voice just to record what you have written in your site. But Odiogo is different.

The voice you hear on podiocast is computer generated.

To listen to your podiocast, I guess you have to wait like 30minutes after posting your fresh content on your site, before it would become available to listen to.

And did I tell you that this service is free?