Charley horse

Charley horse or muscle cramps

* involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax

* mild twitches that can last anywhere from a few seconds to a quarter of an hour or occasionally longer

* may recur mutliple times until it finally goes away

* may involve a part of the muscle, the entire muscle, or several muscles that usually act together

* skeletal muscles are most prone to cramping: calf, thigh, and arch of the foot are most notorious sites of cramps

* Causes: insufficient stretching before exercise, exercising in the heat, muscle fatigue, imbalance in the levels of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and phosphate in the blood)

* most resolve spontaneously within a few seconds to minutes

I woke up very early this morning with a cramp on my right leg. It must have been caused by poor sleeping position. I noticed I hadn't moved that leg the whole time so it must have caused that too. I did a quick research and got the information above---nothing serious, but it can be painful.

I just can't help reacting

Another heart-breaking news I read is this story of a brother who is dying of leukemia and that his sister has refused to help him even if she knows that her refusal could mean death for her brother. For more details of the news, you can read it at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=4442388in_page_id=1770 which talks of a sister's refusal to donate bone marrow to her bother for a life-saving operation. Simon Pretty is father of 3 children and is going to die from leukemia within months if he did not get that bone-marrow transplant which only his sister can give since his sister Helen who is 43 years old is a perfect match to his bone marrow. The chances of finding a match outside of the family is very slim and there are not enough donors. Pretty's doctors had helped him look for a match but couldn't find any. Only his sister holds the key to his survival but the sister already declined and refused to elaborate on her reason why. What can you say about this story? Do you think the sister has her own good reasons for doing this? You may want to share your views here.

6-year-old girl arrested?

I got this interesting piece of news from Mylot forum about a 6-year-old girl who was arrested by the police at her school after hitting and biting her teacher. The girl had been yelling and screaming so when the teacher tried to calm her, she had, instead of obeying her teacher, started to hit and bite her. The others who were around tried to extract the little girl from the scene but when it was impossible to do so, they called the police who instantly arrested the wild misbehaving kid. The girl had been processed in jail like an adult.

This news story stirred various reactions from the community but on general concensus, members believe that violent behavior among children is a reflection of their home environment. There was a strong request for the girl's parents to take drastic measures to shape up the child

Scenarios like the one narrated above is not an isolated case. We hear of many cases of violence committed by children aged 5 to 10 and teen-agers aged 13-15 killing homeless people for fun. Now this is not fun anymore involving kids' stuff. This is about the future and what these kids who are exhibiting early signs of violence will do with their lives if adults do not intervene at the first instance early signs of violence are shown by these kids.

According to developmental psychiatrists, adult intervention is crucial from ages 1 to 6. After these ages, it will be hard to control our kids.

the food we are eating could be slowly killing us

A certain food additive called MSG or monosodium glutamate or Ajinomoto has been dubbed by a study as "slow poison" or otherwise known as the international nicotine for food. Most popular fast food chains use MSG because of its addictive nature which keeps consumers coming back for more. MSG has also been pegged as the number one cause of obesity for it triggers the production of more insulin in the body. People rallying against the use or the buying of food containing MSG (read labels and ask restaurant owners what ingredients they are using) are racing against a Bill recently pushed by Bush banning anyone from suing food manufacturers. The bill is otherwise known as "Cheeseburger Bill" or "Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption" even if the truth is, restaurant owners deliberately use MSG in their food because of its addicting capacity.

We as consumers have the right to know this and it is up to us to make rightful decisions with regards to our buying and eating habits. After knowing how harmful MSG is to our body, it is about time that we spend some moments to read labels before buying anything that we use at home. We cannot do much about what these restaurants are serving us but we can be in complete control over what we buy and eat at home.

why I do not like insurance companies

My first bitter experience with an insurance company happened years ago when I was a fresh graduate from college. No, I did not work in one but my mother when I was a student had been religiously paying on a daily basis to this insurance company which promised her the moon and the stars. I have vivid recollections of the company's collector going to the house everyday to collect payment from my mother. The insurance money was supposed to be accessible anytime the member wants to quit. My mother must have been paying this company for over two years when a tragedy happenned to her. She slipped on the floor and broke her bones and she needed operation. Through the collector my mother expressed her desire to use her insurance for medical purposes. She was promised yes and asked to fill out a form. But months rolled by and nothing came out of that claim. The collector had stopped coming to the house and we soon found out that he had been pocketing much of what he had collected from my mother. Much of her payments were not reflected on her ledger because the collector did not remit the payment money. My poor innocent mother had been receiving fake receipts or unofficial receipts for her payments. This time I stepped into the picture and wrote a lengthy letter to the main branch in Manila while at the same time sent the same copies to major newspapers in the country for publication. It was only then when we finally got some positive action from them. My second bad experience with insurance companies happened about three years ago when this certain company tried to change their rules for whatever reasons just to avoid payment. I had to get a lawyer to write the company a letter demanding for the right amount. It was only then when we got what was right. It is no wonder then why most people have negative feelings about insurance companies because they seem to be too eager to get your money but when it's payback time, they use all sorts of delatory tactics or avoidance schemes.

another rant

I know that this is not the right avenue for this but I just need an outlet for this anger of mine against a househelp who I only discovered three days ago had been using my landline phone to call people's cellphones! I learned this when I received the latest bill from Globelines which reflected huge long distance uses amounting to almost a thousand pesos for the month of February alone. And because it is supposed to be her salary day today, she had asked permission to go home. I could not let her fly away like that considering the fact that there is still the whole month of March's telephone bill to consider. Imagine deserting you like that because she knows that she had betrayed us by using our phone to make long distance calls to her relatives and friends! Isn't that so unethical and so dishonest! I will have to be dealing with her after this blog. GrRRRrrr!

have they read this blog?

I doubt it. But two blogs ago, I expressed my observation regarding the road repair these people were supposed to be doing along Daro area and which did not actually amount to anything after a long period of inconvenience. When the road blocks were removed, we saw no progress at all except for the gravel spread all over the area. Today, when I travelled to West City Elementary School ( my alma mater) to deliver a graduation speech the road was blocked again obviously for completion or start of real road work. Both outlets are barricaded so commuters and other vehicle owners will have to take a round-about turn to reach the other end. I thought, have they read the blog? I guess not but I am glad anyway that they will now do something about those rocks and gravel that are giving the taxpayers a bumpy ride each time they take that road. Hopefully, whatever they are doing will be finished before elections for the convenience of everyone.

then fuming, now ranting

My blood pressure went up this morning during the final exams of my three classes because one proctor, who is a parttime teacher, did not appear to do her duty of proctoring one of my classes! That would have been fine if I was not in charge of one class for I could always take over. Through a student I relayed the problem to the staff of the office in charge of scheduling and assigning of proctors but was told that I look for a teacher to do the proctoring! I was like "What? That is not my problem anymore. Getting someone to proctor and scheduling of exams are within their turf and now they are asking me to trouble-shoot this problem they have created? I was almost forced to use effing words at that time. There is no way they could make me do that because I was tending over one class! Don't they see the mess they are creating everytime parttimers are assigned to proctor outside of their class, they always do not appear to do their work. This whole thing bothered the students involved in that class so they went to the office and got told to have the exam rescheduled because no one will proctor. So when these students came to me for rescheduling I told them to let the office do that because my work does not include scheduling or rescheduling of exams. Finally, after almost an hour of waiting, the office sent a proctor. Now that is what I call "Pinoy style of management". Do we ever wonder at all why we remain locked up in caves?

so much hulabaloo for so little

Recently in our city there are certain sections that have been blocked because of road repairs or construction and the only way vehicles can get to their destinations is to make a longer tour. Of course this has created some inconvenience and eyebrow-raising. Why are these repairs only done now? Oh, I almost forgot that election time is up and coming in May. Better late than never but this is supposed to be good for the constituents. Okey, no use arguing that. However, I still could not understand this. There was a time when this major road in Daro was blocked because of this. The section was not avalaible from both sides so travelers had to make a turn to the other road. This lasted for quite a few weeks so when the blocks were finally removed and people were allowed to travel that area, I was in for a big surprise because the road area which they were trying to fix was actually very, very short---maybe only about a few meters . And it is not even done yet! What had they been doing during those weeks they were blocking the area? And to think that they had to subject people to so much inconvenience with so little or no proof of work progress at all. If you have noticed, the only thing they have done there was spread gravel all over the area. This has made it even more difficult than what it was before they attempted to "fix" it. What's going on? As a taxpayer I think I have the right to ask these questions. How much budget was alloted for this spreading of gravel in the area? How many men were paid to do that task any small child can do in a mattrer of minutes? I just don't get the whole thing.

no matter what, I'm hugely proud of this

Bent in getting some referrals I mentioned about blogging at my workplace and one teacher, about half my age asked me, "What is a blog, ma'am?" Well that made something clear: not all young ones are computer-savvy. Many are still as clueless as I am about a lot of online things. The fact that I have already started this while many still do not know what a blog means, seems like a huge leap for me and it all of a sudden gives me the feeling of being one step ahead.

the untold umbrella story

This is one episiode of my life which I find amusing when I remember it now. I was never a big fan of umbrellas when I was young.Until now I just do not know why I did not like carrying umbrellas whether it rained or shined. To my young mind at that time carrying one was not in harmony with my personality. Weird, right? My late mother who always carried one along was always mad at me for this weird attitude I had against this multi-purpose gadget called the umbrella. One day it was raining real hard and my mother insisted that I went to school with an umbrella. It was difficult to argue with her at that moment because I saw that she was boiling mad! That settled it. I brought an umbrella to school but under one condition----that I did not have to carry it inside the campus. My younger sister had to carry two umbrellas in school and when her classmates asked her why, she told them the truth and they all found it not normal. Today, I have gotten over that crazy feeling. I can now carry any umbrella whenever it rains.

tons of foooood!

These are just samples of the variety of foods prepared by Mandarin Catering Services for the Mercado family in celebration of Roxanne's graduation from school. Roxanne as you will remember in the earlier blog, did not merely graduate from high school but did so with high honors. (read previous blog). And for congratulating and sharing the family's moments of joy, this is what we were treated to....

McDonald's is here!

Another famous name in the food industry has found a good timing to open at such a time when schools and universities are busy churning out graduates to the pride and happiness of parents. Good cause for celebration and what better way to treat the family than to bring everyone after the ceremonies to the nearest fast-food restaurant. We passed by McDonald's and were amazed to see a long queue of people patiently waiting for their turn under the heat of the mid-day sun! What is this? Is it the food which they surely have not tasted yet or plain curiousity which made these people line up to wait? On the other hand, the other fast-food which is as popular is also not to be outshined. Their Jollibee mascots were put to work, as loud music and a band around the city gave everyone the impression that there is healthy competition going on around here in this small city of ours called the City of Gentle People or the University Town. the crew of Chowking, yet another food house, are extra nice and fast. With the mushrooming of these fastfood restos, we can easily conclude that people in this city are indeed eating.

no connection

Hello! It seemed like ages but it was only a matter of hours when internet access became impossible in our area. Something close to panic seized me when I could not get connected late yesterday afternoon. Why? I made a call to the internet provider and was told that restoration work on the site's server was going on around Visayas and Mindanao and that they hope everything would go back to normal the following day. The following day? That to me sounded like years! So I had to deal with that until the thing gets restored. Hey, watch for my next catch on photo of the week for she will surely mesmerize you. Tip: she's got the rare combination of brains and beauty.

flying high!!!!

the world salutes all the graduates of

2007! go and pursue your dreams!

Congratulations, Roxanne and all of batch 2007!

Whether you finished high school or college, it does not matter, but if you are one of those who will proudly walk up the stage to receive your diploma anytime this month, you deserve lots of hugs and congratulations. You did it! A case in point is one girl who belongs to the 2007 batch of high school graduates of Catherina Cittadini, a Catholic school run by Ursuline sisters. This 15-year-old girl will march on the 25th of this month with flying colors. Roxanne Mercado is the first of two children of Atty. and Mrs. Raymund Mercado. Her awards include the second to the highest academic award as Salutatorian of the class, Debater of the Year, a silver award in Journalism, YMCA Outstanding Student award, as well as other leadership citations. She was chosen as one of the Ambassadors of Goodwill of the Philippines which she represented in a two-weeks' leadership congress in George Washington University in Washinton, D.C. Roxanne or Roxie had also travelled with her family to San Francisco, L.A., Las Vegas, and New York. A distant yet worth mentioning was her winning the title of Little Miss Dumaguete in 1999 when she was just a little girl. This vibrant and intelligent daughter of the Mercados has the makings of becoming a fine lawyer like her father someday. When asked about what course she intends to pursue, Roxanne will break into a smile and say,"A course in Economics or Accountancy". With that there is no doubt as to what career route this girl is taking. To our featured lady this week, keep it up and you go, girl!

this week's feature: this girl named Roxanne

Our photo of the week is that of a fresh high school graduate who answers to the name Rosanne or Roxie. Why did I choose her to be our photo of the week catch? Well, for several reasons which I will be writing in detail when I come back. I still have a class to catch and I just dropped these few lines to explain briefly the photo that you find in our "photo of the week". Duty calls now and I must abide. I'll see ya later.

writing an effective application letter

It's another season of harvest---thousands of college graduates will march out of school to find their niche in the world and the race begins. Usually those seeking for employment will be asked to submit an application letter together with a resume. If there are three hundred interested applicants for a single position, there will be a total of 300 application letters all aiming to catch the interest of the prospective employer. Which letters will gain favorable attention and which ones will be junked? If you were an applicant, how do you want the reader to treat your letter? The answers to these questions depend on how well you have written your application letter.

The first step to do before writing that crucial letter is to ask yourself this question: What is my purpose of writing this letter? I could almost hear you say, "to get a job". But that is not the real aim of the application letter. The real role of the employment or application letter is for you to be granted an interview---that is, if your letter is well written and convincing enough to attract the attention of the prospective employer who should schedule you for an interview. However, if the letter is poorly written, meaning, it is merely copied from someone else's letter and is therefore laden with cliches and not specific about your goals and achievements, then you lose the opportunity to sell yourself during a face-to-face interview. It is important therefore to write your application letter with much care and thought.

First, make an assessment of your personal characteristics, your assets or positive characteristics that will make you a valuable new hire. In other words, what have you got to deserve the post you want? Take note of these top selling traits and use them in your application letter. Remember, an application letter is much like a sales letter in which the product you are marketing is you. And before you can market anything, you need to know the product very well. After taking stock of your potentials, be ready to know which companies will need your services. Then be very clear about the kind of work you want to do. Do not just state "any position". That shows weakness on your part because it means you don't know what you want. Be specific with the kind of work that you can do and want to do. Use this to start your letter along with your top three assets or selling points. Then after stating the position you are seeking and your capabilities, move on to the second paragraph and explain what you mentioned in the first paragraph. State your academic preparation, your experiences in school which have prepared you to tackle future responsibilities. Since you are explaining your academic training and experiences on the second paragaph, it is understood that this should be the longest of the 3 paragraphs your application letter should contain. The third and last paragraph will seek for action from the reader. Do not say " I am hoping for your reply" or "I will be waiting for your call", because they sound weak and are downright cliches. What do you want your reader to do after reading your letter? Of course, you would like him or her to schedule you for an interview by giving you a call or sending you a telegram or an e-mail to that effect. The last part of your letter should make it easy for the reader to get in touch with you by telling him how you can be reached and what you would like to happen after that.

never too late

Driving had always fascinated me in the past. Everytime I took the passenger's seat and watch someone maneuver and ply the roads with not a tinge of fear, I would imagine how it would be like to be the one in control, to be at the wheel and go where I wanna go. That opportunity came, at last, at an age when most of my contemporaries would say "We're too old for that, Glen". Well, I have proven to them that the skill is not that hard to learn when you're "old". I am now driving while they, who've had their vehicles many years ago, still have to depend on their husbands or children driving for them. The good thing about being able to drive is that you become mobile, you can go places and accomplish many things even with little time. With a one-hour vacant period, I can finish 5 tasks without arriving late for my next class. I am doing this almost everyday shooting one task after the other----buying e-load, bondpaper, going to the local post office, to the bank, then to studio to pick up some pictures---did it in a breeze! All because I can drive myself to places. There is nothing more energy sapping than to wait for a pedicab or someone to drive for you each time you go from one place to another.

40% of crossroads fatalities involve drivers over 70

In Washington, a study shows that 40% of fatalities at crossroads involve elderly drivers over 70 whose vision problems were tagged a big factor. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, elderly drivers have difficulty judging distance and when it is safe to make a left turn across traffic. It is hard for older drivers to judge whether they have enough time to make a left turn or not, says Anne McCartt, senior vice President for the insurance institute. The issue of aging drivers surfaced as the nation of baby boomers starts to age. In the study it was noted that the percentage of people over 65 with a license increased from 61% in 1980 to 80% in 2003. By 2030, the number of elderly drivers is expected to double to a million or 25% of the driving population. The study is struggling to find ways of determining which older drivers are at the highest risk for accidents and which could sufficiently be used for licensing decisions.

In 2003, an 86-year-old man drove his car into Santa Monica, farmers' market, killing 10 and injuring more than 100 people.

why Spears & Hilton were named Most Annoying

Star Magazine named Britney Spears and Paris Hilton Most Annoying of 2004. Editors said that the pop princess "seemed to be doing everything this year but sing and dance" while they beg Hilton to stop saying, "That's Hot!" Editors further say they it's hard to escape Hilton and her private parts because they're everywhere. Just recently Spears had shaved her head and escaped rehabilitation. Second most annoying after those two was Anna Nicole Smith for her disoriented behavior at the American Movie Association Awards this year.

Lara, our dog in heat

Lara came into our lives around eight months ago when our friend Nene gave her to us. She was just a two-month- old puppy and at first nobody wanted to touch her because she was very dirty, extremely thin with a stomach that bulged suggesting worms, and had skin diseases that showed her skin where there should have been hair. After a few days, her skin diseases became worst because I noticed that its color was turning bluish. I brought her to the city vet who gave her two shots and some daily medications. A week after, her appearance and gait had greatly improved and I saw that she was beginning to gain some confidence by being charming and playful with us. In short she had now become officially an additional member of our family. We discovered that beneath her seemingly shy and morose look lies a sweet and docile doggie that has simple taste for Lara eats anything. She is not choosy with her food unlike our first dog Pingping who wouldn't even look at the food if he does not like it. Generally, Lara has never given us problems except the few times she destroyed some pairs of sandals.However, the other day everybody noticed something different with her. When we saw the blood and the neighboring male dogs trying to make a score with her we said, "Oh, no! Not again!" The thought of Naughty, our first female dog, giving us dozens of litters was not a very happy thought. Lara is going to be a mother and we are going to have to deal with litters, one after the other...oh, no..

do you want to be super thin?

It is the dream of many men and women to be fat-free or to be slim but it seems like the battle of the bulge continues to be a battle lost many times over since the ones concerned are not really that serious about pursuing their ideal weight. When you visit this blog http://markxander.blogspot.com you will discover how very thin models have really worked hard to achieve the size desired in their trade. And yet what is the use of the huge talent fees these super thin models are getting, if they can't even eat! What an irony. To read more about this thinsation, give the site a visit and you will know what I mean.

when dogs are in heat

My post on this subject at www.blogchex.com/everydaywear/ deals with truths and facts about this cycle that occurs in female dogs at least twice a year. My blog here is more of a rant about having a female dog in heat around the house.

This early morning I had to jump out of bed upon hearing the sounds of angry dogs fighting and one dog crying like it was being butchered just outside the house. I was thinking of Lara, our female dog who is having her first cycle and who has attracted all the male dogs in the neighborhood, and who could be hurt by those dogs fighting. Barely awake from my short sleep, I ran outside without slippers to make sure it wasn't Lara. Our other dog Pingping is on a leash inside the house so he's out of danger. Thank God, she's just fine inside the closed gates of the house while the male dogs hanging around outside glare and fight each other. This seems to be a long month for us with all the dogs hanging around and fighting day and night because our dog Lara is in heat and this is going to be the case for 3 weeks. Oh boy, I'm thinking of having her spayed after this. Any comments or suggestions on how to cope with a dog in heat?

Debate, hosting, and journalism

Hello! If plans get pushed through we will be offering summer classes for kids designed to hone their skills on the following areas: debating (both Oregon-Oxford and British-Parliamentary style), hosting or emceeing, and basic journalism.It is a total package course, meaning, they pay once to learn the three skills. It's surely going to be one hot summer for kids aged 10 to 12. The venue for this one- month summer workshop is tentatively set to be held at Catherina Cittadini.This offer is open to outsiders on a first come, first served basis. More details on the workshop will be posted here. Just keep in touch!

what's up for summer?

Summer is here! We can feel it in the piercing heat of the sun, certainly not a good time for getting a tan. The heat is just too unbearable, promising to do more harm than good. Wrinkles, burnt skin, and God forbid, skin cancer are enough for us to shy away from too much sun contact. The beach may still be the best place to spend much of your summer, but it is important to choose the right time to hit the waters for the sun can be very damaging to your skin. The use of sunblock and other skin products to protect the skin may help but not much so you have to take note of this. Huge hats, umbrellas, and big sunglasses may come in handy when the heat of the sun becomes too much. Modernization has deprived our cities of trees that should have provided this planet with enough shade. Taking all these into consideration, summer may not be a very welcome idea anymore for it no longer offers that much fun to be out in he sun. People may prefer to stay in their air-conditioned rooms the whole of summer which is not also very interesting. So what options have we got left in this hot country like the Philippines? You can try giving your suggestions in here.:)

pop soda intake linked to obesity

The new April 2007 edition of the American Journal of Public Health reveals the clear connection between drinking pop and other softdrinks to obesity. A woman who gave up drinking sugary softdrinks dropped by 10 pounds and Yale University has reviewed 21 studies to prove the point. Nineteen research results showed that the more pop people drink, the more weight they gain. People just don't think about the more weight they gain when they wash down a burger and fries with a pop soda. Drinking these sugary drinks no doubt lead to increased calorie intake and weight gain. In another study, 91,000 consumers were followed for 8 years and it was found out that those who consumed one or more softdrinks a day were twice likely to develop diabetes than those who didn't. It was further advised that eating more fruits and vegetables is the best way to go in maintaining an ideal body weight.

shopping more with your money

Studies show that there is a great change in the shopping habits of people during the past several years. Earlier generations went to a supermarket at least once a week while the present generation shops on average twice a week and visit at least 7 food distributors in a month. Today, with the economic crunch affecting the daily food budget, it is wise that shoppers use utmost discretion when it comes to buying groceries. According to Gary Foreman, publisher of "The Dollar Stretch" it is important that people are careful about where they buy and the size they buy. One of the tips he gave in order for shoppers to get more for what the shoppers pay is on buying the correct size of products to avoid wasting or throwing away food. Foreman further stated that 20% to 25% of food bought aren't used and are thrown away. "Bigger isn't necessarily better," Foreman said. It is better to buy 100-calorie pack than larger sizes. Another way of shopping wisely is to change brands based on price. In the past, most shoppers stick only to one brand and thus spent more money than necessary. Today, shoppers have more options as newer brands that are cheaper have hit supermarkets making possible the changing of brands in favor of products of lesser cost. Another advise is to visit or shop in as many food distributors over the week and visit those that sell at lower prices. Supermarkets vary greatly in their prices, some sell certain goods quite higher than the others so shoppers are advised to choose where they buy their food products in order to get the most out of their money. Lastly, invest time to plan your menu. Surveys show that a lot of women don't know at 4 0'clock p.m. what they are making for dinner. When you plan your menu, say, for a week before you shop, you will most likely buy only what you will need and thus make big savings for you. If you have more tips on the subject, feel free to leave them under comment.

My students--don't they all look so pretty?

Accountancy students in a Business Communication class portray the roles of BOD's and CEO's of the world's top ten companies/corporations as one way of shaping up for the global competition via the use of the English language.

the world is getting richer

Forbes magazine reports an additional 178 more billionaires this year in addition to the 946 it has already pinned down. Once again topping the list of the world's richest is microsoft founder Bill Gates with $56 billion, followed by Warren Buffet at $51 billion. It is good to hear that, according to Forbes, these two super rich guys are "doing something, helping the downtrodden." Mexican telecom king Carlos Slim Helu is third at $49 billion. For a complete list of top 20 richest people in the world this year, just follow the link here http://www.Forbes.com/2007/03/07/billionaires-worlds-richest-07billionaires_cz_li_af_0308billie_land.html

The youngest billionaire is German prince von Thurn undTaxis who, at 23, has inherited his massive wealth from his family. The latest Michigan rich folk to make it to Forbes' list is Gilbert Ilitch. Forbes magazine lists yearly the names of the world's richest and features an exlcusive club of billionaires of less than 1,000 members across the globe. William Ford Sr. did not make it to the list this year because of the drop in Ford Motor Co. stock.

"I think it will be me, mommy"....

My four-year-old granddaughter Dewey calls me mommy while she calls her real mom "Mom"--just a difference of one syllable really. So when she calls for her "Mom" she is actually calling for my daughter and when she is looking for "mommy" she is looking for me. The other day while Dewey and I were at the hospital for a cough she was having, we saw this very old woman who had difficulty walking. In fact, she was assisted on both sides by what appear to be her relatives. The old woman, with great difficulty of movement, was ushered into a seat to wait for her turn to see the doctor and Dewey, ever the curious and inquisitive asked, "Mommy, why is she moving very slowly?" So I told her it is because the woman is already very old. I pursued her line of thinking and I asked, "Dewey, if mommy is going to be very old like that woman, who is going to help me when I walk?" And she gave me the sweetest answer, "I think it's going to be me, Mommy". Do you ever wonder why grandchildren are closer to grandparents than their real parents? You have the answer in that little story.

who's that girl?

Our featured photo of the week is that of my four-year-old granddaughter Dew or Dewey who enjoys playing around and making faces whenever she is asked to pose for pictures. She is one baby girl who still carries a lot of her baby fats although she had, by choice, months ago decided to stop drinking milk from the bottle. Dewey's first language is English but I am now trying to teach her Visayan words little by little. She could be very "makulit" at times and does not give up until you stop to listen to what she has to say.

relationships, fishing, poetry, motherhood

With sleeves all rolled up I feel I am ready to tackle the day's blog reviewettes. (Reviewettes? Ever heard of 'em? You have now. It is a new term I have coined to mean short, short reviews.) I am doing this in order to jumpstart each and every new weblog for it to be seen, recognized, and patronized in the long run. This may seem like an ambitious or tough endeavor, but I am doing it anyway. Today's featured bloggers come from a variety of backgrounds with a variety of interests.

Dale Mazurek, happily married for almost 20 years to a woman of his dreams who at first broke his heart many times before finally accepting him (you will read all about this on his blog), answers not just one or two or three relationship questions but 1000 issues concerning all sorts of relationships. For quick answers to your relationship problems, you may visit http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com You wouldn't believe what I have to tell you next about the same guy Mazurek who resides in Canada, whose greatest passion in life is fishing. Yep, he learned fishing at the age of four and has been fishing for 35 years. He has a list of tips on the proper ways to fish at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com Our next blog stop called http://reflectionsofthehearts.blogspot.com is your one-stop poetry destination. The owner had published her first book of poetry titled "Reflections of the Heart" and she is sharing with us many of her poems in that book on this blog spot. Pleeeeease visit her site. The lay-out is simply cool to the eyes. Is it because of the cover of the book which features the sea? Whatever it is, you can find out for yourself. www.blogchex.com/kaleidoscope/ is still in its infancy but early on I could see that the blog is more like a record of a woman's day-to-day struggles as career and family woman. The writer here claims ignorance to all that is happening in the net world but her introduction to the world of blogging might change all that.

photo of the week launched

Starting this week, this blog is launching a "photo of the week" space in which interesting shots will be featured. What makes for an interesting photo to make it to this page? Well, if it is funny, original, beautiful, informative, and unique---if it has any of these ingredients, then better leave me a copy of it here under comment and who knows? You could be the next guy to be featured here for a week. I am therefore inviting you to send me your photo. No-no would be porn stuff. Together with the photo you can give a brief explanation so I can also explain it in my blog. Yes, you can even submit a photo of your product but you need to explain what it is and what it is for. So what is it you're waiting for? Give me your nice photos now.:)

sister act

My younger sister who has a doctoral's degree in Psychology and is the current head of the Student Affairs Office in our school had her piece said during the disciplinary board conference having to do with a few student leaders who had been incriminated in burglary and malversation of funds. She, being the head of the said office, felt that so far, this is the greatest blow to her headship, since the most trusted students in the council, holding high positions, are the very persons who betrayed her trust and confidence involving thousands of pesos lost and allegedly stolen. The whole thing fumed her and raised her BP to a dangerous level when she started her rant in front of the disciplinary board. Someone who was there to witness her wrath said that she was literally "spitting fire" to the bewilderment of those around. Now this is the thing. This sister of mine had been always known to be kind, soft-spoken, and mild---according to them, she is my exact opposite but after witnessing her fiery speech they all made a singular conclusion: We are indeed sisters. I do not know whether to be happy about that or not.

when work interferes with family and vice versa

Much as we all would like to be good in all aspects of our life-work, family, and community involvement-sometimes we cannot help it but neglect one or two of them. We just can't be in two places at the same time. For example, you are in the middle of your work at your office. All of a sudden you get a call telling you to be at a certain hospital because someone in the family is sick. What do you do ? Of course, you drop everything you're doing and rush to the hospital. It's a natural reaction which I believe is very much related to our instinct for survival. During moments like these, we come to grips with our values and priorities in life. In extreme cases when we are made to choose between two loves, we always hang on to our family. I've done this several times in the past when my two grown children were still kids. I'd skip work just to bring a sick child to a doctor. I've never left this task with anyone else. When it comes to hospital appointments, it was and is always me and this morning I have proven it again with my granddaughter Dewey. I had to miss three classes just to bring her to Dr. Leo Bollos, her pediatrician and a resident physician at the Silliman University Medical Center.

what a person wears is none of our business

The business of choosing what to wear everyday when you work or study in a no-uniform office or school can sometimes sap you of your energy spending the whole morning changing from one dress to another. Women are like that. They do not seem to decide very fast in matters of what to wear on this day and that. I know of someone who would fit every dress and blouse in her closet every time she goes out. When she does not like what she sees, she'd toss it to the floor and wear another. This would go on and on until she comes to the last dress or blouse there is, then scavenges from among the pile of clothes on the floor until finally deciding on one with much reluctance. Who decides what you wear in the end? You. No one can dictate to you what you should wear because it is you who will be wearing it. When others give their unasked for comments about what you are wearing, what do you do? Do you rush home to change? No, you don't. You simply tell the person to mind her own business and not put yourself into so much hassle trying to please them. What you wear everyday becomes you and that is your business.

welcoming brittany to the world of blogging

Who is Brittany? I really don't know that much about this girl who came to give this site a visit and left her link http://tangerinesunshinejewelry.blogspot.com It is a new weblog concentrating on jewelry business. I really got excited about this because jewelry to most women is an important part of dressing. I am quite sure that this new site will have the attention of all girls, ladies, and women who are fond of jewelry and we're talking majority. I haven't seen the site yet because she suggested that it be visited after she had already put up other pages. The site is still in its infancy, so. But the site owner is someone to emulate. She works two jobs while at the same time manage to sneak in some time for school. And now she's starting her online jewelry business to add to her already tight schedule. I can't wait what this girl Brittany has to show to the world regarding her concepts of jewelry. Incidentally, another visitor dropped by to say some nice things and she left us her link http://tyka.blogspot.com When I'm done with this I will take a look at these two intriguing sites. I can't wait to click.

two friends visit

Before the day ends I know I have to visit two friends' sites whose owners came for a quick tour. Both of them belong to Mylot community where I am also a member and how glad I was to find their "footprints" or links so I could graciously return the favor. I will be talking about each weblog after I have made my visit. For easy reference, you might want to check out these sites and see what these two intelligent beings have for us in their sites---http://chinagoldendawn.blogspot.com and http://cwilson26.blogspot.com Alas, when I tried to take a trip to their sites, I found out that the first url is non-existent or could not be found. I wonder what my Mylot friend will say to this. I was able to open to the second site where I was met in bold letters by this title--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES. However, I wasn't even there for 5 seconds and a box came out informing me that the site could not be opened. I now think their sites might be experiencing some trouble so I am postponing the visit when the weather is fine. All in all, I'm quite satisfied with what I have accomplished today. I'll talk about that later. I need to rush to the post office to mail a very urgent letter. If you're lucky, I might even tell you about it.

what is OPlink4traffic?

OPlink4traffic is short for Operation: link for traffic. Those of you who get thousands of visits in your sites a day need not read this. This project is only meant for site or blog owners who know that the survival of their sites is greatly challenged because of the absence or lack of traffic to sustain its continued existence. Let's face it. We all want traffic. We need traffic. More traffic means higher chances of increasing one's earnings. That is why we need OPlink4traffic. So this is how it should go. 3 easy steps---
1. Leave your link after this entry under comment. (Your site will be given a review or a short blog---FREE, plus a link-up)
2. Get my link so you can put it up in yours. (You might want to blog about it or just link me up, it's up to you, so long as my link is there)
3. Before you leave, VISIT or SURF or CLICK to 3 sites found in my list. (You may or may not want to blog about their sites, it's up to you)

You should also start the same campaign in your site. Ask visitors to leave their links, to link you up, then to visit 3 sites found in your linkages. Be aggressive in doing this because we want to reach out to as many new and struggling sites as we can. We need to help find traffic for each other. We need to promote each other's existence in order to gain some amount of visibility in the web. There are thousands of giant sites out there getting thousands of hits or visitors a day while newbies would get lucky to even get one visitor a day. See what I mean? That is why we need to do something. Let us be an active part of OPlink4traffic project. Other site owners have money to buy traffic while we only have each other to generate traffic in our sites. Please follow the three simple steps if you want to be a part of this.

it's a cheery Monday morning, March 12

Mondays are always rush days for me. I don't know why but there is something about Mondays that I don't like. Probably it is the thought of it as the beginning of another loooong week, especially this particular Monday which is today, March 12. I made a guide or list last night of the things I need to move or accomplish today but I will only be able to start working on them after 3 this afternoon because my classes start from 8:oo to 12:00. There is practically no time to even breathe. I will keep you posted later.

CNN reports 15-yr.-old girl kills own mom

There is something terribly wrong with the world today. A horrible news happened in Colorado USA to a 52-year-old woman who was murdered by her own 15-year-old daughter Tess Damm who was assisted by her live-in boyfriend Bryan Grove, 17. The victim, Linda Damm, was first stranggled by her daughter's boyfriend before she was stabbed to death and left for almost a month in the trunk of a car. Tess, her boyfriend and another friend twice tried to bury the body but failed because they thought the grave they dug was just too shallow, so they hurled the body back into the trunk. In the meantime, while the dead body was left to decompose in the car's trunk, the three teens partied and used Linda's debit card to do what kids their age want to do. A neighbor of the Damms told the police that Tess and Bryon hated Linda who was an alcoholic and had recently lost her job. The neighbor further said that the family had a very difficult life. The three teens were arrested and jailed without bail and they will be tried for murder, conspiracy, etc. as adults. For more details of the story, read it by using the link
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/10/mother.slain.ap/index.html For comments, please click "Comment".

this boy is in love with Mylot and Giordano

I casually met this online friend at Mylot forum where he expressed his concern regarding improving traffic in his site. I posted a response and after a few hours, I found his link
http://inhairstudio.blogspot.com in my other blog site at www.blogchex.com/everydaywear
Wasting no time I made my visit to his site and at a glance I knew that I was in a boy's blog site. All the clues were there, the page design, the trendy stuff and the youthful language told me that the site owner is a young guy of Asian origin. He loves to wear Giordano clothes and is currently very much involved with Mylot, a discussion site where the blogger frequently hangs out. This guy's site is a combination of everything. It is a blog, a helpful search engine, and a store. I was amused by his account of a girl he knows could be suffering from some "mental illness". You may want to read this boy's rant about his brother's ex-gf who he calls "mentally ill".

the first candle

The desire and act of one blogger to get linked with another blog site is like lighting a candle to start lighting the candles of many others in order to create conflagration or what everybody wants---TRAFFIC. The first one to light the candle is a young man who has a total of four (4) blogs while at the same time is actively participating at Mylot forum. He is probably the busiest college student at the University where he studies, and all these interesting twists and turns in a student's life while in school, are contained in his blog at www.blogchex.com/karl/ This young man has all the ingredients of success about him. Although I have not met him personally but his blogs tell me a lot about his energy and endurance to pursue what he believes is or are good for him. His other blogs, www.karolejoseph.blogspot.com www.blogcharm.com/hugyawan
www.blogcharm/travelsite.com will tell you more about him as well as his school and the city where he lives. You will find beautiful pictures of his school life and scenic views of the city by day and by night. All in all, reading this young man's blogs gives you a taste of youth and action. You might want to see for yourself.

increase your blog traffic

Hello. If you are someone like me who are new to blogging, I need only three seconds of your time for you to read and understand the entire invitation. How's your site moving? Do you repeatedly hear the sounds of coins finding their way into your Google adsense? I know it's hard. Newbies like us will have little staying chance against those who've been ahead in the game and have gained some ample foothold in the business. Yes, blogging is not just a personal diary or journal but it's also about business. It can give you some serious income if you only get enough hits for your blog. How do you drive traffic into your blog site? I am sure that you are aware of the existence of sites that promise to help you get traffic into your site. But it is not as easy as that. You will be caught up in a maze of many other sites wanting you to sign up with them until you drop. That scenario happened to me. I had to give up after spending an hour clicking here and there and not getting a single traffic to my site. So here's the invitation. If all of us new unknown bloggers will get together and pledge tie-up with each other by exchanging links, taking time to visit as well as blog about each other's blog, then that could amount to a lot of traffic! Let us get started now. Leave your links under "Comment", then I will take a look at your blogs and write my opinion about them. That is promoting your site. You can do the same with mine and you can start a similar blog in your site designed to get maximum participation from all new bloggers.

company blog

As blogging is now considered a very important marketing tool in business, more and more companies, especially those with offshore visibility, are using it to promote and grow their business. A company blog is less costly and offers a wider scope of visibility. It is not just enough for a company to have a static website. The trend now is to have an online promotional tool that is interactive in nature and highly flexible and that is what a blog does. It invites, informs, as well as answers questions customers ordinarily ask. It brings in more revenues because a blog can project the best image for the company and thus gain the trust and patronage of customers. However, the person who will handle the blog must know everything about the company, its ins and outs, its assets and deficits, etc. Most important of all, aside from this knowledge, the company blogger should know good English.

While this novel communication tool is still hugging the limelight, companies should waste no time and should start jumping in.

calling all poetry lovers

Poetry is a cry or a sigh that emanates from the innermost depths of one's heart and soul. I oftentimes am at awe at how some people could easily wax emotions and thoughts into this genre which to me, is more mystical than the flight of birds. Well, now, are you one of these much revered people? Or are you just a so-called lover or one who simply derives joy in reading beautifully-crafted poetry written by others? Or would you fall under the category of "struggling poets", those still trying to learn the craft. Whoever and whatever, here's a site that is for you.
www.everypoet.org
It's an organization of poets who are willing to critique your work without mercy. If you're one with a weak heart and cannot take brutal insults hurled upon your work, then stay out of this.

Queen eats cornflakes for breakfast

You heard it right. The Queen of England is not eating lamb chops nor steak but cornflakes for breakfast out of a Tupperware! And we thought cornflakes is only for kids who had to rush to school everyday, so the easy-to-prepare breakfast. But a Queen, not wanting of the best chef of England, prefers cornflakes more than anything. This goes contrary to the belief and practice of most poor countries which put heavy emphasis on one's food intake at breakfast. It is believed that it is always good to start the day with a heavy meal in order for a person to tackle his work with much efficiency and vigor. However, a person of such high stature as the Queen of England can always survive with a light breakfast unlike an ordinary laborer who needs to work with a full stomach to tackle the day's work.

drives you nuts

I wasted a whole hour at a site that promises to give you thousands of traffic per day only to be caught up in a traffic of different sites all wanting you to sign up to get some traffic. Like a desperate newbie that I am, I followed each one, signing up here, signing up there, but each time I am done with one site, another one pops up and the clicking goes on and on and it did not look like I am bringing anything to my blogs except a rant. I had to give up or else my whole sunny Sunday would be wasted on that site that will drive you crazy. I am still waiting for Blogchex to come up but until now, the site "cannot be displayed".

crashed

I've been trying to get into my other blog since yesterday but the site is still down and in fact a lot of other people from another forum had been wanting to go there too but it isn't available. I need to do some updates there especially correct a link I mistakenly entered. Anyway, it is a link which leads you to a site that helps couples plan their dream wedding based on their budget.If you know someone who wants to get some ideas for a beautiful wedding, give her this link http://mbwrw.blogspot.com A doctor, turned full-time mom, is launching a new blog at http://blogchex.com/theworkingmom It would be interesting and highly informative to read the blog of someone who had shifted direction from a promising career to full-time homemaker to be with her toddler.

scratching the itch

When I have started blogging with Blogchex, I have completely deserted this one because I thought having two blogs would be too difficult to maintain. So for more than a month I was away from this site because I was busily updating my newfound diversion. Alas, some unavoidable circumstances made me revisit this, my first blog The constant crashing of Blogchex site pushed me back here and after a few updates and with a little help from my children I was finally able to revive it. It's more like responding to an "itch" that made me come back. When one is visited by this so-called writer's "itch", one just have to look for a way to scratch that itch. Another blog was the best answer. Thus, www.everydaywear.blogspot.com is reborn. Lo and behold! Isn't she pretty?

let me blog your blog

This second blog of mine is devoted to blogging about other people's blogs. This is for the purpose of promoting and thus increasing traffic to their blog sites which is vitally important to their growth and income. Those of you who have blogs may leave your links with your comment so that I can visit your sites and spend time later on blogging about them. This is also a new blog of mine and I need to get some traffic in here which I am determined to do using networking tools and methods. If you think you can be of great help here, I'd be willing to return the favor.

online store selling wolves

The title is just a catch. The guy who owns this online store has more than wolves up his sleeves in his interesting website which I don't want you to miss. When I clicked to the link myself I saw that aside from "wolves" he has a lot of other stuff in it. It is an online store which doubles as a good source of information about a lot of things which I would like you to discover for yourself if you click to this link http://www.wolfietreasurebox.homestead.com Come on, give it a click. You will be amazed. I like its unique lay-out too.

sunny Saturday morning

I woke up to see the sun up and hear the cheery chirpings of birds either flying or perched on trees nearby. It is a sunny Saturday morning and in the neighborhood where I live with my family, there are many trees that become homebase to many birds. We have our own bird at home and two chickens which my children keep as pets. We have a lot of other pets like two dogs, hamsters, some fish and some white mice, most of them fed and maintained by my son Mark who has taken to a new hobby of collecting these small animals. Well, what's new today? Nothing much, except for the fact that Saturdays always give me an extra lift, a feeling of being "high" simply because on these days I am free to do as I please----no schedules to catch, no classes to meet. It is only during Saturdays and Sundays that I get to really be free.

Public speaking

My affair with public speaking started many years back in Grade School when my Grade 6 teacher chose me to be one of the contestants for a declamation contest. That was the beginning. My teacher thought my voice quality was good and that I pronounced words well. This was further proven when the best speakers in the class were asked to audition for certain parts of the graduation play. The audition consisted of reading out a text from a book. I could not forget Mrs. Godinez at that time who was requested by the school to direct the play and personally handpick the pupils who played the different roles. I got the role of Mother Philippines, Sylvia Marino was Justice, Myrna Ragay played the role of Peace, and Sherree Badon was the graduate. There were other values portrayed by other classmates like Lilibeth Bongalos, Roberto Godinez, Clarissa Acebo, and others. From there, my participation in stage presentations that required public speaking became more frequent. I was a candidate for a "tula"contest in high school played the biggest part in a school play during the Founders' Day of St. Louis School where I was Hannah in a horror play entitled "Frost- bitten". The characters were limited to only three---Sherree, Elvie and myself. It was a very successful play and I wish I could get hold of the entire script of that play so I could stage it today. I hope Google will be helpful.

2 blogs by a Malaysian blogger

Now he is the second Malaysian blogger I have encountered, one I have already mentioned in my other blog at www.blogchex.com/everydaywear/ and now this guy who owns two blogs. I have taken a look at the two sites and found them to be interesting and informative. The first blog, http://bbd.efx2.com, is what he calls a family blog. If you click to the link you will be redirected to a sweet page of love and romance where the blogger poses with his wife. The second blog, http://lidi.efx2.com is a blog that deals with people sharing and learning new ideas. It is worth taking a trip to these two sites to know more about other people's cultures.

3 blogs by 1

I came across this lady from Cagayan de Oro City who owns three and not just one blog. The first one, http://www.zelmarq.blogspot.com showcases her innermost thoughts and feelings while her http://www.zelmarqs-indulgence.blogspot.com features her unique passion, and that is, collecting and maybe earning from her collection of cactus. You heard it right. Cactus. Probably the most misunderstood plant in the plant kingdom. In order to see the beauty of this seemingly dry and prickly plant, we only have to click to the second link above. But I like the third blog most because it is what it says http://listen-quietly.blogspot.com It is a very quiet place here where you get to hear the lady's heart beating and find her soul searching in the quiet rhythm of poetic lines. If you're one for life, nature, and reflection these are the sites to visit.

got myself a new look

Look at this! It's an entirely new look I have now featuring not only myself but my entire family---there's Mark( my son), my daughter Love and the much-talked about baby in the family Dew or Dewey. The over-all lay-out was done by my son and Love helped me put up some ads. I am proud and happy. Of course, this is not going to be it. There will be some changes and surprises in the future especially in the area of looks. This is just a bit like scratching the surface of the real work that is to come. Keep yourself posted!

yahooooo....blog is no. 1 !!!

When I logged on to my blog at another site, I was delighted to see that I am no. 1 in the latest ranking at www.blogchex.com/everydaywear/ Just what do I have there which made it to the top? Nothing spectacular. Just everyday things happening to ordinary people. But of course, I have different categories there to suit one's interest. There are different blogs for different people. If you want stories that are out-of-the road type, you can go to "Odd Stories but true". If you are looking for tips on generating income, then click to "Get Rich and All that Money Talk" and so on and so forth. I've been blogging there for a month and a half and have already made some close to 300 posts---simple, ordinary postings. Maybe you would like to take a quick tour there. Just click to the link.

blogging at another paid site

What has kept me busy these last many weeks were my very recent involvements with two sites in which I am actively blogging at www.blogchex.com/everydaywear/ and aggressively putting in my two cents' worth of opinions at www.Mylot.com/?ref=funny52f , sites that pay. You might want to take a look and visit them and maybe become a member too to get paid. Membership is free and all you need to do to get in is to click to the links I have just given.I need to write about a lot of stuff here but I am always running out of time. Anyways, vacation is fast approaching, and I know I will be able to do what I had been wanting to do.

shopping delight

Shopping is a great source of delight. Yesterday afternoon after we had encashed the Google check with Optimum Traders Love, Dewey and myself drove to Cang's Inc. to buy some curtains but ended up forgetting to buy them. We were so engrossed in choosing and fitting clothes that we forgot what we came there for. We only remembered it on the way back home. It sounds funny but this is the second time that this happened. The last time was about a year ago when we decided to buy some plastic flower pots. So we went to Super Lee for that purpose but wound up buying a lot of other stuff except flower pots. We remembered them only when we reached home. Shopping is fun but when we are immersed in it, oftentimes we miss the most important things to buy. As a result of that impulsive shopping expedition, here's what we got for ourselves: Dewey got a pair of pink step-ins, a cool blue dress, a toy, and some knickers. Love got herself some new set of panties, four maternity dresses, and a pair of white flat shoes. For myself, I got a light brown Secosana bag , a pair of sandals to match it, and a couple of undies. No curtains. While driving home, Love asked me if I was able to get some curtains. I said no, was she? No, she hadn't either.