Hi all! Yup, I’m still alive and kicking. Sorry for not being able to post on this blog for more than a week. I’m currently busy with family matters. I will be back soon. Ciao! 
Working for long hours in front of the computer oftentimes result to back and neck pains. Big bro explained to us the proper sitting posture when using the computer - incline your back a bit (don’t sit straight) so the weight of your upper body won’t go directly to your lower backbone. Also, the direction of your eyes should be looking slightly downwards to the computer screen not horizontally straight. And your hands should be resting on your mouse horizontally in a comfortable manner.
Now, I am checking on my posture and I realize I sometimes focus too much on the task forgetting that I am not observing proper sitting position. So that explains the back pains sometimes.
Anyway, here’s a site that provides info on back pain, low back pain, and sciatica, the Healthy Back Institute (www.losethebackpain.com) where you can avail of a free back pain relief guide if you need to know more about losing pain the safe and natural way.
The guide offers more information such as the hidden cause of back pain, effective medical approaches for managing your pain, details on new pain treatment and more.
The site also provides other interesting articles such as getting a good night’s sleep, and fitness products such as Stress-Less DVD, Fitness & Nutrition Journal, Fit Wheel and more.
RECOMMENDED LINKS
Continued from 20 Qs Part 1
Here’s the second part of the 20 questions meme.
11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half? Humor and honesty.
12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? Hmmm…can’t think of any for now.
13. Which type of person do you hate the most? Selfish persons and those who treat the sidewalks and roads as big trash cans. Just recently, I saw this sosyal guy who, after an ATM transaction, crumpled the slip and threw it on the sidewalk before speeding off away in a sleek Ford. grrrrr…
14. What is your ambition? Financial and time freedom. Read more about it here.
15. If you had one wish what would you wish for? Uhmmm…World peace! See #14.
16. How did you celebrate New Year? With family prayer and of course midnight snacks.
17. What is your beauty regimen you swear to stick to this year? Simple lang. Get more beauty sleep.
18. It is already 2008, do you have a New Year’s resolution? Yes, to put more into savings.
19. What do you look forward to in 2008? Travel to my dream destinations.
20. What was the last book you read? 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich by Bo Sanchez. (yikes, haven’t read a book in ages na!)
I’m not tagging anyone for this meme, but feel free to do it if you like and leave me a comment if you wish your post to be featured here. The instructions are explained in Part 1. Enjoy!
When you’re mad at somebody or angry at a seemingly frustrating situation, what do you do? Most of us react immediately by muttering some really bad words, or shouting and yelling at the person who caused it or just burst into tears. As they say, being angry is normal and it’s a feeling that should be acknowledged. The problem lies in how we react to it, thus it is best to manage and control anger in a creative and productive way. I have my own ways of controlling the rage inside and it could be as simple as taking a long walk, or doing something creative as writing about it in my offline journal, or getting something done such as cleaning up the mess in my room. How about you, how do you deal with your anger?
For serious relationships such as marriages, the usual sources of problems are critical issues dealing with anger and communication as observed by Dr. Marty Tashman, a marriage counselor in New Brunswick. The issue of anger is important since it can destroy the relationship when unchecked. According to him, sensible communication between couples can be developed particularly their skills in approaching a difficult topic and getting their message across. He stresses that a relationship is a very important part of one’s life and it is worth saving if it is not emotionally and physically destructive to both parties. His practice as a marriage counselor for 34 years gave him more understanding and experience regarding the many ways of helping couples deal with problems and teaching them to improve on communication and anger management.
The small dot of wound in my right arm where the nurse injected a needle and took a blood sample this morning is almost unnoticeable now. Yes, I finally went through the long overdue general checkup this morning. Thank God the results are all normal though the doc advised me to see a gynecologist for my monthly dysmenorrheal problems.
What a great way to start the year being aware of my present health condition. Now I am more careful about my diet. hehehe… How about you? When was the last time you’ve had your general medical checkup? Be sure to include it in your list of priorities for this year.
I’m used to printing pages upon pages whenever I’m working on a project. I always find it necessary to have a printout rather than trusting what I see on the print preview of the computer screen. Seeing a hardcopy of your work on a sheet of paper is very much different than what you see on screen especially if you’re dealing with colors and tones, or if an accurate measurement is of prime importance. The downside to churning out lots of printouts is eventually having your printer software nag you that the ink is running low. Ugh!
I’ve been browsing over at InkjetDeals on an article about how to save up on your ink so you can maximize on your printer cartridges. Their site is an online resource for printer supplies such as printer cartridges and laser toners. I couldn’t agree more to their list of useful tips, particularly with leaving the printer on if you will be using it soon. This was what a techie friend also advised to save on ink. He said everytime you turn on the printer, it uses up ink on the initialization process. Another important tip is to leave out the logos and unnecessary graphics when printing from a webpage. I usually just copy the necessary text and paste it on a wordprocessing program instead of printing the webpage directly. InkjetDeals features major printer brands such as Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP and Lexmark. Links to online merchants that offer inkjet coupons, deals, discounts and promotions are also provided.
It’s meme time again! This one is from Daisy, and I’m told to answer 19 of the 20 questions given, remove 1 question and add my own to make it a total of 20. I’ve added my question as #20. Anyway, since this is a lengthy post, I’m making it into two parts. Here are the first 10 questions, my answers are in blue.
1. What music are you listening to right now? Learning to breathe by Switchfoot. I could listen to this song over and over again.
2. What color do you like most? It depends on what stuff. I am attracted to PINK clothing and accessories, RED flashy cars, BLUE ink, and WHITE blog templates.
3. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one? Well, it does take a lot of courage to say things like how much you appreciate and love a person, and bringing up some unresolved conflicts. Wait, do I have a beloved one ba? ;)
4. Where is the place that you want to go the most? EUROPE (all caps pa gyud, hehehe)
5. Which part of you that you hate the most? Hate?! Not really hate, I just don’t like my hair which gets unmanageable sometimes…or maybe I’m just envious of those artificial-looking wavy tresses I see in the shampoo ads?
6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? I cry or feel emotional. Then I try to ponder a lot on the incident.
7. What are you afraid to lose the most? My laptop! Kidding aside…how about losing my mind? Hehehe…
8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? Invest in real estate and finally buy that flashy RED car. LOL
9. What do you loved the most last year (2007)? My travel to Thailand. It was a great combination of work and leisure.
10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you. Thoughtful, generous, CUTE!
To be continued
The Internet not only opens doors to more knowledge and information, entertainment and fun, but it also bridges communication lines and even helps singles meet their future spouse. Yup! Two of my lady friends found their match via online dating sites and are now happily married. Of course we also know of those who’ve had unpleasant and heartbreaking experiences with having online long distance relationships. The key is really to go beyond the virtual borders of chatting and emailing and get to know the person in real life. As they say, it’s a make or break once you meet.
There are numerous matchmaking services and dating sites in the net, and they are sometimes classified according to the type of relationship (fun or serious dating), age range (20s, 30s, or senior dating), nationality (Asian, Latina, European, etc.) or faith (Jewish, Christian or Catholic singles). You might want to compare internet dating sites and online matchmaking services featured at 5StarDating.com, an online resource for those interested to learn more about this service and make the most of their online search for The One. Their Dating Digest features articles and tips on dating and relationships such as making your dating resolutions, unconscious dating behaviors, forming healthy dating habits and more.
It’s time to say my goodbyes to some of the symbols of the Christmas season that just ended. These meaningful things which grace our home every Christmas are part of what makes the season special for our family:
The Christmas tree with its blinking lights and trimmings
The Advent wreath in our living room center table
The Christmas Belen or the Nativity scene which we placed above the rock garden
The Christmas candle as the centerpiece in our dining table
As I take out the trimmings and keeping them inside boxes for safekeeping, I realized it is similar to the process of saying goodbye to the past year and moving on to newer pages in the book of our life’s journey.
Life is truly unpredictable and every day we are faced with risks. Recently our neighbor’s brother and nephew were involved in a road accident which immediately took their lives. There’s always the question of whether we will still reach the age of 60 plus or not. Oh well, dying and growing old…these are part of life’s journey. Well, at least we become wiser and more matured as we advance in our years. Unfortunately, there are health and financial issues which have to be addressed to as well. Will you be able to provide for your health care when you retire? This is a question which concerns not only the elderly but younger adults as well.
Preparing for retirement is a must since medical costs tend to increase as one gets older. Thus it is financially wise to prepare for future medical costs and health care needs and get funding from health insurance programs for the elderly such as Medicare. In the US, Medicare covers four benefits – hospital insurance (Part A), medical insurance (Part B), advantage plans (Part C) and prescription drug plans (Part D). To be eligible for Medicare, an individual has to work for at least 10 years in a company which offers employment covered by Medicare, and has to be at least 65 years old as well as a US citizen. Disabled individuals below 65 are also eligible, as well as those afflicted with stage renal disease. There are many Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) to choose from and they cover the original Medicare plans (Part A and Part B) including extra benefits.
There are many questions involving Medicare and it could be confusing sometimes. It’s best to get more information from your insurance agent who will explain more about important issues such as enrollment, eligibility, benefits and other concerns.
Here’s a fun meme from Cai. Sorry it took me another year to answer this tag. hehehe… Here are the rules:
1. Start at *start copy here*
2. Put an X on the things you've done.
3. Tag how-many-[X]s people.
4. Post with title “I've done ___*how-many-[X]* of 35 stupid things”.
Have fun! ^-^
*start copy here*
[x] Gum has fallen out of your mouth when you were talking.
[ ] Gum has fallen out of your mouth when you were NOT talking.
[ ] You have ran into a glass/screen door.
[ ] You have fell out/off of a moving vehicle.
[x] You have thought of something funny and laughed, then people gave you weird looks.
(more…)
My cute baby niece is growing fast and she’s such a hyperactive baby just like her cousins in Finland. I recently saw her on my cutie sis’ webcam lying and crawling on their floor. Here’s how she looks like now:
I could see that she’s going to be an energetic kid when she grows up. Anyway, kudos to my sis for bringing up such a healthy and happy baby. I just wish I could give my cutie sis some books on parenting since most of the reading materials they have are in the Czech language, even their baby books and songs.
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Now that the holidays are over, we can just reminisce on how we manage to go through the shopping rush and the busyness of it all. And not to mention the heavy traffic on the road! Ugh. My dad kept complaining every time we go to the city and back, and I kept reminding him it’s what to expect during the busy holidays. Another thing that makes driving around the city a challenge is looking for a decent place to park. With the sad thing that happened to our van at the Plaza being robbed of the things we left inside, we are more careful this time to park it in a safe place.
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Every time I watch the news on TV, the local station never fails to deliver the usual happenings of violence and accidents. After being fed with frustrating news such as these, you can only tell yourself that accidents happen anytime and that our lives are truly fragile. With the many road accidents that occur, having your car insured is a requirement by the law. For instance, a new program in the UK is strict on cars travelling without legitimate car insurance.
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We used to think of the Internet as just another useful source of knowledge and information (a big help for research projects or finding your old classmates) and a valuable way of global communication, but nowadays it’s fast becoming a powerhouse of entertainment and fun – movies, music, videos, news and much more including loads of fun games made available online. How many of us have spent hours hooked on Internet gaming and sometimes were unaware of the time that breezed us by.
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Flowers can be simple romantic gifts, though not as luxurious and expensive as diamonds or precious jewelry but they surely find their way to anybody’s heart. Most ladies have this weakness for flowers especially red roses. Do you know that yellow roses signify friendship and red roses mean romance? Well, I am not that knowledgeable about what the other rose colors mean, though I like pink roses especially the light pink ones.
Anyway, whatever the occasion is, sending flowers to your loved ones is a charming way of expressing love and friendship. You can send those lovely roses to them across the miles via 1800Flowers.com where they have lots of beautiful bouquets of roses to choose from, whether you prefer an all-red, pink, white or multicolored bunch with an option of adding elegance to your gift with their stylish vases. For instance, this bouquet of two-dozen long-stem red roses could really melt any lady’s heart:
Aside from the color of a rose, the number of roses you give also symbolizes something meaningful. For instance, two dozens or twenty four roses actually signify unfailing love and devotion twenty four hours of the day. So, when somebody hands you three red roses, just ask me, I know what it means! 
These are simple tools that make life easier for me and every time I use them, I am always thankful for the convenience technology brings:
So most of us gained some pounds over the holidays, right? This is the reason why I still haven’t gone through the prescribed laboratory tests for general check up since I know I have consumed lots of unhealthy cholesterol-laden food and possibly gained some weight during the holiday season. Ugh. I miss having my daily dose of veggies already. I haven’t checked the scales yet but I know I need to follow even a simple weight loss plan.
Anyway, it’s good to browse on some informative articles on nutrition and diet plans and weight loss tips and learn more about healthy living. Aside from cutting back on calories and having a healthy diet, incorporating exercise into your busy schedule is important and can be as simple as jogging on a treadmill while watching TV or dancing with friends. With the many weight loss programs around (Medifast, Nutrisystem, South Beach Diet among others), it’s best to choose which system suits your lifestyle.
The most important thing with choosing to be healthier and fit is in taking the first step. This reminds me of Mary Jane from the ‘FISH! for life’ book who was also having some weight loss troubles and got inspired with a line from a poem by Mary Oliver: “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began.”
Ideas are powerful. A train of thought can make or break, build or destroy. The choice is ours. Our ideas become our future. I believe that life’s meaningful lessons are best learned when shared with others.
