Your Daily Dose of Useful Stuff

      It's the holiday season once again friends and what does this mean?  We are all guilty of one thing, over-eating.  It seems that food becomes irresistible during the holidays.  No matter how hard we  try, we just cannot resist the urge to try the food that is offered by friends whether in the office or in the department stores.  There are many free-tasting of new products introduced in the market everywhere like ham, and etc.  They just materialize everywhere during the holiday season.  Food becomes just so tempting that we can't resist buying and eating.  It seems that the holidays is the excuse to eat the things and drink the beverages that we skipped the entire year.     Of all the things that you eat and drink during the holidays (or even in ordinary days), you should not forget to drink one important item, wine. Wine is healthy as it does wonders to your system. Here are the benefits that you get from sipping wine.  But first, according to experts, wine should b

     In the Philippines, natural calamities like typhoons and earthquakes are very common.  The Philippines get over 20 typhoons annually.  Some of these typhoons could be only Signal No. 1, the weakest type, but some could really be destructive just like the holocaust-like "Typhoon Yolanda" which damaged not only properties, but also killed thousands of people in the Visayas region, especially in Tacloban, Leyte.    Some people would have their own list of things to bring and do during emergency situations.   I guess that depends on what each one would prioritize.  It really does not matter, as long as people prepare for eventualities and most of all, as long as they have the presence of mind to get the things that they ought to get before tragedy happens.     I n preparing for emergency situations, there are two basic steps a: what to prepare in case a calamity strikes and what to do after the calamity, while in the evacuation centers.  Well, as a responsible individu

            P umpkin is one of the underestimated vegetable, but it is one of the abundant ones in the Philippines.   Slowly however, pumpkin is gaining serious recognition as a very versatile vegetable.  I have seen it prepared in different ways.  The Japanese would grill it.  Koreans would make it into croquettes and sometimes healthy kinds of juices.  And there would be more in  the future. All one needs is a little creativity.        I discovered my own recipe when I tried to find a way to utilize a medium-sized pumpkin. What i did was I sliced the pumpkin into smaller slices for easier mashing.   And then I placed them in a kettle with water not more than the amount of pumpkin.  Just enough to soften the pumpkin and be mashed easily. Once it is soft and can be mashed, you can prepare the following: tofu - diced into small pieces ground meat (for the vegetarian, you can skip this) garlic onlion salt  pepper evaporated milk water (the amount would depend

One of the things that women agonize about is their hair.  They take pains in keeping it shiny, soft, clean and smelling good.  They would go to any lengths just to find that perfect shampoo and conditioner that will match the nature of their hair.  They even go to a hairstylist regularly, paying lots of money just to keep that mane in perfect condition.  Many women envy other women who have gorgeous locks that attract the opposite sex.  Let's admit it, some men really do get attracted to ladies with nice, well-maintained hair.  Somehow it adds to the total appeal. And we all know of course how shiny, healthy, no-misplaced-strand hair enhances the appearance of ladies.  This obsession with great-looking, head-turning hair has made shampoo production a major industry as far as beauty products is concerned.  I have heard various stories regarding the magical effects of coconut milk to a woman's hair.   According to regular users they noticed some changes in their hai

Do you believe that vitamins make us live longer? This is a tough question really because if vitamins wouldn't give us that additional help to prolong our lives, then what will?  When we were in elementary school, we were taught that having sufficient and the right vitamins  in our body increases our resistance to diseases and prevents us from seeing our doctors frequently. Remember the adage:  "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  Well, it has since been replaced by:  "A banana a day keeps the doctor at bay."  Apparently, potassium is an important mineral and many doctors have recommended banana in the daily diets of a lot of children, and even adults for additional source of potassium.  So let's go back to the issue we have here.  Do vitamins really help us live longer?  Or are vitamins just a small portion to the equation leading to a totally healthy body ? What components do vitamins have that are beneficial to our physical health?  According t

  This is probably a subject that is so off-tangent.  What does Miley Cyrus got to do with a simple lifestyle ?  Na da, but she is newsworthy and whether you agree with me or not, Miley Cyrus has an enigmatic personality, bordering on extremes.  She is pragmatic on one hand yet, bold and daring on the other.  No wonder her fans adore her and her critics, well, you just have to think of a way to compete with her effectively.  We have to give Miley credit for her courage and bravery to perform stunts that totally breakaway from her wholesome image.  She knew that she would be criticized for her racy, almost pornographic performances, but she proceeded and gave a performance that people will never forget, well, people are still talking about her VMA stint after a month that she did that never-to-be-forgotten number, if that is not an achievement and a huge marketing success, I do not know what is.  You can criticize Miley for appearing on stage in get ups fitting for for adult mo

     In some cultures in Africa, honey is considered, "yellow and sweet gold."  They consider honey to be a precious commodity.  Indigenous groups would climb very tall trees, endangering their lives in the process just to provide their families with this "yellow and sweet: gold." They actually eat honey straight from the comb, beeswax and all, after all, wild and raw honey is ready-to-eat.  What could be more natural than eating it straight from the honeycomb that it was taken from.  Honey is believed to be the healthiest food ever known to man.  The fact that it has no expiration date is an indication that it has components or elements that makes it long-lasting and makes it withstand all season and temperature. Imagine what benefit a teaspoon of honey brings to our body and imagine the kind of fortification you can get from honey.        Well, according to research, eating a spoonful of honey at least once a day will prevent increase of free-radicals in

I asked this question because there are many insurance companies around us that offer life insurance, car insurance, travel insurance, etc.   Sometimes they are scams and sometimes they are genuine.  I have attempted to buy an insurance policy a couple of times when I was younger, however, I would stop paying my premium after a year or a few months.  Until now, I still do not know if I should regret not pursuing it.  Because it has been 25 years ago since I bought an insurance (which I did not continue to pay) and had I did, I am either enjoying my so-called 'savings' now or be bawling my eyes out because I got scammed .   The latter one is not an attractive option for me, though.  The idea of insurance is actually like saving for a long period of time and after letting that money mature, we can withdraw that savings with interest.  Depending on the amount of time we let our money mature, we could get 100 percent of our total savings or premiums, which is not bad, co

If you do not know what Hotels Combined is, now is the perfect time to do so.  Hotels Combined is an Australia-based  hotel search engine that a person can use to compare hotel prices in a certain location and from that information the person who is going to be traveling to that location can choose which hotel will be perfect for his budget and his needs or preference.  Hotels Combined invited partners that can help in the marketing and promotion of its services and products.  Something similar to what Amazon did in order to increase sales. They call these individuals associates.  So Hotels Combined invited associates, gives the associate a link to Hotels Combined and if someone books a hotel going through the link of the associate, the associate then gets an income from that sale.  Sounds good; right?  Some associates really earned from this method. However, for some reason, Hotels Combined scams one of their associate for the amount of $400 and not contented with that, Hotels Combin

People have different rituals when they wake up in the morning.  Some would do some stretching on the bed, others would immediately wash their face and gargle.  Others would say their prayers, while others  would instantly prepare their favorite coffee to warm them up.   Each one of us have different practices mornings and it all depends on our values and things that we have been used to doing.    I do have my own morning traditions.  I have done these as far as I could recall.  Here are the most common ones and why do I do them. 1)   Say my short prayer -  It's a personal prayer that I created and  it asks for guidance, expresses gratitude for the blessings and I say prayers for other people also.  Occasionally, I mention people that really need prayers: sick friends, parents, family members, etc.   The power of prayer should not be underestimated for faith can do a lot to the believer.  A tiny seed of faith is enough to give courage to the believer. 2)   Recite my af

Strumming the guitar might seem an old-fashioned hobby to some and can be boring to others.  I even know someone who thinks that strumming the guitar is a hobby of lonely people because that's how lonely people amuse themselves.  But I disagree, passionately.  Actually, I think strumming the guitar is neither old-fashioned or boring.  For me, it is a cool hobby as is playing other musical instruments.  I have always admired powerful people who play musical instruments like the former US President, Bill Clinton, who plays the sax.  It brings the more human, one-of-us side of him.  And when he jams with a band, he would look so cool, gray hair and all. I have just recently learned to strum the guitar.  I started to practice one chord a day and I assure you, it's not easy.  The skin under my fingers were screaming after three days.  So I had to take a break for a day.    One thing about this hobby is it is low maintenance.  The basic requirement is an ordinary guitar, but b

The most important principle in traveling should be "travel light."  But prior to leaving for your destination, you must do a little research to find out if some of the items that you might need can be availed in your place of travel these could be batteries, sanitary napkins, 3 in 1 coffee, bottled water and snack items.  If these are not available in your destination then these are some of the things that  you  should make sure you have with you.   So information is key in determining what to bring for a trip.  But regardless, here are the things that you must have wherever you go.  Aside from your " kikay kit" (vanity kit ), which you should have with you whether you go on short and long travels as well as daily trips to work.   But whether you go to a short or long trip here are the things you should not miss to bring with you. 1.   Identification Cards -  Anything to inform authorities who you are will come handy especially when you buy pla

There should not be any other reason to stop smoking but your desire to spend more years with your family and most especially, to enjoy a healthier, longer span of life .   I was a smoker for over 20 years.   Started at the age of 20, although I am a less than average smoker (almost 10 sticks a day) but since I did this destructive habit for over 20 years, millions of cells in my body have been burned with every puff I made.    But a year ago, call it enlightenment or whatever, I made a solemn vow to quit smoking.   I was so ready to give it up and I did it overnight.  I quit smoking and have not had a puff since then.   Which brings me to the conclusion that it only takes willpower to quit smoking .  Only weak people can not bring themselves to stop smoking.   We should not let anything overpower us especially something as destructive as nicotine.   The problem is that some people just don't want to even try.  Well, I was in their situation many years ago and it sure was d

If you have a credit card with a high credit limit and cash advance provision, you should read this post and be on guard for the pitfalls of withdrawing cash from your credit card.   If you think your credit card is your ally in times of emergency you are totaaaaaaalllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy wrooooooongggg, dear.  I also had the same idea before I realized my credit card was a fancy loan shark.  Like a loan shark, I ended up paying 20% of the principal amount to my credit card company.  Horrors of all horrors. Call me ignorant and a fool, but I was really taken hook, line, and sinker.  Don't get me wrong.  I am thankful for the times that I could use my credit card in times of emergency, but as a credit card owner and considering that I pay a membership fee of 1,600 per year, I thought that I have to maximize the use of my credit card, and loaning from it is a service that I can avail of, until I learned that it is a very unbeneficial privilege. If I don't exercise caution when

peoplemaps.com S tress, it is the number one cause of illness and disease and our lifestyle is the culprit why stress has taken residence in our system and our day would not seem to be complete without it.  It just became a part of our r-o-u-t-i-n-e.  We nurtured it, until it developed and now, it's full-grown.     How did we get here?  Here is a short passage that I got from one of the letters that was sent to me by Silva Mind Control Group .  Read on, for it speaks of nothing but the truth only.  It is quoted from Carlin. Society has given us wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.  We spend more time, but have less.  We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses, but smaller families. More degrees, but less sense.  More experts, yet more problems.  More medicine, but less wellness.  We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired and look af

from: howstuffworks.com It's not what you think, lol.   I know that when you open your closet, you'll see a lot of clothes that you have not worn for two or three years, right?  We all have that tendency to store things. We store or keep the pair of jeans that do not fit us hoping that we will be able to wear it after working out for the next three months. We store bags that we have received from our bosses, even if we dislike the design and have no intention of using them ever.  We store blouses  that we bought on impulse and realized that it does not become us.  We store old lipstick, old coins, old stamps. old letters, old photos, old underwear, old and broken mugs, old books, and so on,  In short, we are all hoarders.  Nothing wrong with that, as long as you find time to wear half of your closet so that they will also smell of laundry bar and fabric conditioner, but if you don't plan to wear them within the year, then please give them up.  It's time to earn fr

photo from: blogs.scientificamerican.com Being fit does not only mean in a physical sense but it also be in the emotional, mental as well as social sense.  In other words, fitness should be holistic and a person should be fit in all aspects of his being.   A person's mind holds a lot of potentials to effect the realizaton of his dreams, desires and objectives in life and one way of keeping the mind fit and healthy is by meditation.  This is aside from exercising the mind in order to keep it more sharp and active by engaging in activities that provoke the mind to be used to its potential.  Meditating has a lot of positive effects to ones well-being and this is the principle behind The Silva Mind Control Method.  A method of disciplining the mind which supports using meditation in order to enhance  the capacity of a persons mind.  By arriving at the alpha level, a person's creativity is developed further and this could lead to achieving his goals and objectives.  Constant

Walking is one of the best exercises because it does not require any fancy equipment and at the same time, does not require the use of some ample space unlike say, yoga or dancing where you need to perform the routines within a certain  area and swimming, where you need to be in the pool or go to the beach .  What is advisable though for walkers is a good pair of walking shoes in order to be comfortable in walking.  A good pair of walking shoes would be very light, airy and with a low supportive heel for easier rolling of the foot from the heel to the toes.   Walkers benefit from walking because it is believed to be effective in:  a) weight loss b) decrease of cancer and type 2 diabetes  c) Improving disposition d) Staying fit and healthy The ideal duration of time to walk for physical fitness and health is from 30-60 minutes daily.  But studies also have shown that 15 minutes can also have the same effect.   When done properly, walking does not only speed up

Summer vacation is one of the seasons of the year that people look forward to.  Aside from the Christmas  season, summer is the most enjoyable time of the year.  People take pains in planning their activities and saving for out of town trips and at exotic destinations .    But, before you pack for that most awaited trip, make sure you have the following in your luggage for an enjoyable time at the beach without sacrificing your health and safety .  It would not be fun if you will be suffering from discomfort if you come unprepared for your trip. 1.   Beach Footwear -  Don't burn your soles walking on that hot sand or those rocks.   Buy a comfortable, easy-dry, colorful and attractive footwear.   Consider the weight.  Don't buy materials that become heavy when wet.   Buy durable and long-lasting footwear that you can use for the next 3 summers. 2.   Swimming Gear -  Make sure your swimming gear is appropriate for the location.   Observe what the people are we

As we grow older, we gradually forget things.  Even our short-term memory becomes weaker.  We forget the activities that we did that day.  We also forget where we placed an object or an item.  When we meet a familiar face on the street, we can't put a name on her or him.  It creeps slowly that it becomes embarrassing sometimes and sometimes dangerous.  I know of someone who was cooking rice but was in a rush to leave because of an appointment, and he forgot to turn off the stove.  The stove went on burning for over 30 minutes or close to an hour that the rice started to burn.  More minutes passed and still the stove was on, the rice started to really turn brown and then black.  The house started to smell of burnt wood.  Fortunately, the other people in the house were able to smell the burning rice and got up in time before the entire content of the pot becomes pure charcoal.  Fortunately, there were other occupants in the house, but what if, what if, there was no one who could

We should all be concerned about proper waste disposal because if waste is not managed properly, we will have no clean surroundings in the future.   Our vacant lots will all be turned into dumpsites, unless we start segregating our trash and also reuse some garbage that we create in our very own homes.  Let us all be conscious about our movements and be very careful about the carbon footprints that we leave behind us.  Remember, we only have one home and we are slowly destroying it because of our lack of awareness of the effects of our irresponsible actions. Recently, I experimented in making fruit peelings or other food remains into organic fertilizers . Rice washing will do wonders for your plants so don't just throw them away Whenever I would be cooking, all the peelings and washing of the ingredients that I use, I set aside and later on, I throw them all directly in the backyard.  I did it for almost a week and surprise, surprise, I noticed a healthier growth in the