Your Daily Dose of Useful Stuff

Tea is considered a healthy beverage.  According to studies there are many benefits that tea gives our body.  Among the benefits we get are:  better dental health, healthier circulatory system, lower cholesterol, anti-cancer qualities, it's an antioxidant and an antiviral agent, and a host of other disease preventing characteristics.   Studies have shown that it is best to drink tea before dinner in order for the stomach to get filled up partially and also before going to bed to feel relaxed and mentally destressed.   I am a tea-lover and I like to put lemon and honey in my tea for two reasons:  to add zest to my drink and also to reduce the bitterness.   Lately, the market has been infused with this new beverage called 'milk tea.'  All of a sudden, there is a milk tea branch in every corner of the city.   Milk tea is a beverage that is part of the culture of people from Hong Kong.   It is black tea mixed with milk, usually...

I am not really a big fan of Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, but I can't help feeling excited for the royal couple of GMA.  Lolit Solis, veteran showbiz writer and host of Startalk, a longtime showbiz program of GMA,  hinted over the weekend that GMA's primetime queen is infanticipating already, four months after their altar date.  This prompted the couple to finally reveal their secret, much to their chagrin.  I'm sure they would have wanted to keep the joy of knowing that their love for each other brought this wonderful gift for both of them, but somebody let the cat out the bag already so might as well share the big news with the fans.   Both Marian and Dingdong are reeling with happiness and are overjoyed over this future addition to their union.  In an interview with Ms. Jessica Soho, GMA's former vice-president for news program, Marian revealed that she is suffering from morning sickness and has an aversion to strong smell.    In...

Bill Gates was in the Philippines lately although it was a trip that was not announced, which is typical of Bill Gates, it still got leaked by some media men.  One television station got a photo of Mr. Gates' heli in the premises of IRRI, that prestigious research center inside UP Los Banos.  We all know that UP Los Banos is a premiere university dedicated to the study of agriculture and other allied courses so it is fitting that researches on rice should be conducted here.  Besides that, great scholars and educators in the field of agriculture from all over the world have worked in UPLB.  Going inside IRRI is very challenging.  A confirmation of a booking or scheduled visit is needed before anyone is allowed to enter the compound.  So what brought Mr. Gates in IRRI?  He just happens to be the biggest private donor of IRRI and maybe it is time for him to sign that check again that's why he came over to see the goings-on in the center.   But t...

People think having the ability to speak another language is cool.  Well, it is cool, but they just don't realize the amount of work that is spent in order to be fluent at a different language.  Admittedly, there are many advantages in being able to speak other languages.  Nowadays, people who are bilingual, have more job opportunities.  When a friend of mine went to work in Korea, I told her while you are there, you should learn another skill.  I encouraged her to study Korean language, which she did.  She studied earnestly, until she became almost like a native speaker,  By the way, she stayed for almost six years in Korea, working different odd jobs.  Until one day, she saw in the Internet, one BPO hiring a CSR who can communicate in Korean or Hanguk.  She saw it as an opportunity.   So she searched some more openings and she found out that it is not just one BPO, there are more BPOs looking for Korean speakers.    ...

                    The fight that has made everyone, except me probably, excited about will finally happen on May 2 and for sure it will be the first of firsts, especially if Manny Pacquiao will knock Floyd "big-mouth" Mayweather out.  As we all probably know, both boxers have stunning records and have fought against the greatest fighters in the boxing arena.   Manny Pacquiao is  called "the Pambansang Kamao" or "the National Fist" (We Filipinos have a knack for catchy labels) for being the only boxer that fought in 7 different divisions and emerging victorious.  Although Manny suffered some defeats, which for me are quiet negligible, these do not erase the fact that he crossed different divisions and holds the championship belts in these divisions.  It's a clear sign of courage and determination.    Manny Pacquiao just needs somebody challenging enough plus, he is also an entertainer who wants peo...

Very few people can pull off the trick that he does which is make up transformation.  The guy is a genius in make up application that he can transform almost identically his face into any personality that he so likes.   Paulo Ballesteros started making his face his canvass and showcasing this talent while performing in Eat Bulaga, during its weekend shows, when the 'dabarkads' would present production numbers.    Eat Bulaga is currently the longest running variety show in the Philippines where Paulo Ballesteros is a mainstay and one of the reasons why the show has maintained its high-ratings.   Paulo does not only put on make up to resemble popular celebrities, he also copies their fashion and style.  He really immerses himself into the personality of the celebrity.  

She probably is not the typical beauty pageant contestant with her short-cropped hair, but boy she can carry herself regally.  Tall and shapely, Kaci hails from that nation where the music "reggae" originated.    A real dark horse, Ms. Jamaica was not even in most of the predicted top finalists, but her classy appearance, in the tradition of Hollywood beauties Audrey Hepburn and  Halle Berry,  wowed and impressed the judges.  Her modeling background did play a big role in her disposition.  Camera lenses just love her, they can't get enough of her.  

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the Philippines' bet for this year's Ms. Universe pageant, MJ Lastimosa, was, holy cow,  this girl is a dead ringer of Shamcey Supsup and like Shamcey Supsup, she has more than fifty percent chances of bagging that crown, which for the past three decades had numerously slipped from the fingers of  each Philippine candidate.   I guess, we've all sympathized with our contestants who came back home without the  major "bacon" for the past three decades, and we all felt sorry and sometimes "bitter" when Philippine contestants didn't get the crown even if majority of them did win runner-up awards. Winning runner-up is not the same as getting the major crown.  But then it's better than coming home empty-handed.  So what's MJ Lastimosa's edge over former candidates we sent to this most prestigious beauty pageant?  Frankly, while others think and believe our former contestants, the likes of ...

The entire Catholic community in the Philippines is again in a state of euphoria because Pope Francis arrived in the Philippines today for a five-day pastoral visit.  Pope Francis will be in the Philippines until January 19.  Pope Francis is the third Pope to visit the Philippine Islands.  The first was Pope Paul VI in 1970, Pope John Paul II, who came to the Philippines twice in 1981 and 1995, during the World Youth Day and Pope Francis, the current Pope. Pope Francis is known as the Pope of 'firsts' because Pope Francis's leadership is non-traditional, going beyond and against the normally practiced traditions/dogmas.  He is also the first non-European Pope, being that he is from Argentina, but he is of Italian ancestry.  He also is the first Pope to use the name Francis, from St. Francis of Assisi.    Because of security concerns, there are many guidelines that the police and other government leaders have imposed in order to prevent any ...

The first time I saw Valerie Weigmann, she was tagging along with Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros during Eat Bulaga's "Juan for All, and All for Juan" segment.  And she struck me as a "cool and down-to-earth person." with a knack for comedy because she had difficulty in delivering some jokes which ultimately made the joke more hilarious.   She is cool because she doesn't mind poking fun at herself and being laughed at at her funny deliveries.  In fact, she is what you see.   Now, I heard that she bagged the crown to represent the Philippines in the next Ms. World Pageant, kind of the successor of Megan Young, who is doing a great job representing the Philippines and in doing the Ms. World rounds.   Physically,  Valerie has got what it takes to compete with the fairest of candidates who will be coming from different countries.  She is tall and fit, thanks to her regular gym visits.  And most of all, she has such a very r...

The downside of being famous is that any issue, gossip, rumor about you,  no matter how small, gets easily magnified.  And it does not help that social media can spread anything like a virus, and anyone who owns a smartphone can become an instant news'stringer.    Admittedly, not everything about the digital age is ugly,  because the digital age, helped people communicate faster  and information  about everything is as quick as a blink of an eye.     One of the people who got dragged into the  showbiz mire is  actor-hunk, Derek Ramsay.  Derek found himself face-to-face with his past when his estranged wife,  Mary Christine Jolly surfaces with a surprise for all Derek Ramsay fans, their son, thus  breaking the heart of many Derek Ramsay fans in the process.   Their image of Derek as a hunky bachelor made a quick 360-degree turn.   Suddenly, he is no longer the beefcake young girls woul...

What happens when you got a rocking athletic body, stunning looks and volleyball prowess?  You are the envy of women and you get to be on the cover of one of the most popular men's magazine.  That's right, volleyball fans, FEU's "Queen Tamaraw" needs no further introduction because she is synonymous to  volleyball in the Philippines.  She is our "Leila Barros,"  Brazil's most popular female volleyball player. Rachel Ann Daquis accepted FHM's invitation to grace their cover and so come October 2014, you can buy FHM from your favorite  magazine stands and get a glimpse of Rachel Ann Daquis's life outside of the court.  If you have been following the volleyball games in the UAAP and the two professional leagues, Shakey's V-league and the Philippine Superliga, you are probably familiar with Rachel Ann and her kind of game.  

Vanessa Hudgens is just one of the many Hollywood celebrities whose naked photos were leaked by hackers online.  Other victims include Rihanna, Gabrielle Union and Johny Depp's fiancee, Amber Heard.  Apparently, this is the third time that this happened to Vanessa.  How can she allow this to happen to her  three times? Maybe she should start getting photos of her with clothes on and just admire her body in her bathroom mirror?  But that is just my humble opinion.  I still believe that no one has the right to steal anyone's private property.  If it ain't yours, then do not touch it.  Unfortunately, people like these hackers get their kicks from getting into the computers of famous people and Vanessa Hudgens was just one of them victimized.  For the information of you, my readers, Vanessa Hudgens, rose to stardom through the  High School Musical Series.   Vanessa Hudgens, played the role of the female lead character, Gab...

( Jeane Napoles enjoys hanging out with Hollywood's popular young actresses,  oh, well, the things money can do) Like the average Filipino, my knowledge of Jeanne Napoles is limited to what I would overhear over TV or radio. We all know that she is the pretty, socialite daughter of PDAF Queen, Janet Napoles, the PDAF Scammer.  The family activity would not even be \revealed to the public had Ben Hur Luy not exposed the modus operandi of Janet Napoles.  Now, the Filipinos, here and abroad, know almost everything about this family and what they did with the money that they allegedly scammed from the people with the help of our legislators namely:  Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.   I'm not really going to dwell on the dynamics of the deed, I leave that to the senate fact-finding committee and anyone who is curious about this MO can go to Mr. Google and that info is available anytime, anyplace,. I'm really more interested i...

I always viewed crying as therapeutic, but I was not conditioned to the sudden welling up of tears as I played Ronnie Laws's "Stay Awake" tonight. Shallow, isn't it? But maybe, its time for my tear ducts to get some exercise. It felt good afterwards though. I looked at this photo which was taken a while back and I was impressed at the artistic results of the arrangement of the different veggies that were used to create this. Can you identify some of the veggies in this artwork? I guess it is time to go to a spa, i am rambling inanities like a ninny. Enjoy the photo...