snake for sale?

This morning while waiting for my turn to pay our electricity bill, I noticed a lady edging her way towards the cashier. She was obviously trying to sell something. When she turned after the guy at the counter said he was not buying, she was now facing me directly and it came as a shock to see her carrying a big two-gallon bottle with a huge snake inside. Was she selling snakes? My curiousity got the better of me so I asked her if she was selling snakes. She wasn't. In that large bottle was a big snake coiled and submerged in what seemed like water. The lady asked me if I wanted to buy. Buy what? Then she told me that she was selling medicinal massage oil in which the snake was soaked. She showed me the different containers and prices if I was interested to buy. Snake oil, according to her, is very medicinal. It can alleviate body pains when it is used as massage oil.

sunburn

Baby Dewey experiences her first sunburn after bathing too long yesterday at Dream Park swimming pool. We were there from 10:00 in the morning 'til mid-afternoon and we could have stayed longer had I not insisted that we had to go home. Today, she cries every now and then because the "sun is so bad" it damaged her skin. She's red all over from the sun's ultraviolet rays which leaves 1st degree burns on the skin or the outer layer of the skin. Other more severe cases of sunburn often lead to 2nd degree burns and would need medical attention. I did a quick research home treatment for sunburn and here are a few doables:

1. Wipe or dab cool cloth on sunburned areas.

2. Frequent cool showers or baths.

3. Apply soolthing lotions that contain aloe vera to sunburned areas.

Sunburn may also cause mild fever and headaches due to dehydration. Drinking plenty of fluids and aspirin will help alleviate the nasty feeling. Peeling of the skin is also to be expected after a few days.

informative, fun reading

A fellow Mylot user has shared the link to his blog which is http://blacktom.blogspot.com

or what he calls "Tom's corner" which contains informative and helpful scientific breakthroughs that will surely be of interest to you. It is a different sort of blog because the author talks about his subjects like any pro does. His latest blog about clothes that help you dodge any untoward incidents is quite interesting. Then how about milk as substitute for cigarettes? Yes, the blogger discusses the possibilities or options a smoker may employ to quit smoking. So if it is information you want, you get it on this blog.

"Michael Jackson in the house!"

That was the "battlecry" of one of the butchers in the meat section of the city's public market as Michael Jackson's "Black or White" rocked the whole fish and meat section amidst the fish and meat vendors' loud voices. Yes, it had been quite a while since I had delegated the task of food marketing to one of my helpers but today I have decided to go to the market myself. What a surprise it was to hear the song of Michael Jackson emanating from amplifiers recently installed almost everywhere in the already noisy part of the market. Wow! I felt like jumping myself. In fact, I saw one young lady butcher really jumping to the hot beat of "Black or White" while holding a huge butchering knife with one hand. I preferred to keep my distance so I edged my way into the thick of marketeers and vendors. The idea of putting some music in that area is amusing but maybe they should choose the mellow type of songs because it seems like fast beats make everyone jumpy in that place. But really, it's a nice improvement. Just a thought, do you think playing Beethoven or Mozart in there will have more positive results? Like make people more refined in their words and deeds? You see, having rock music in that area among butchers may not be a very good idea. What dya say?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Menopause

Most women are frightened of the idea of menopause because it brings with it a lot of unwelcome signs of aging, ill health, infertility, etc. According to those who have reached this phenomenon in their lives, menopause results to many mysterious illnesses ranging from headaches, hot flushes, muscle pains, itchiness, moodiness and the likes. However, there are some women who don't give a hoot about menopause and I am one of them. For me, I don't care. It is bound to come, so what? At 52, I must be on my menopausal stage now. I am not sure because I never have given this much thought until today. It struck me suddenly that I have not been entertaining my "monthly visitor" for many years now. Yes, and I mean many years for I had stopped buying sanitary napkins for a long, long time now. It just stopped without much ado. I could not even remember when it stopped coming. I do not have an OB-Gyne that I go to for monthly check up. I met my sister's OB-Gyne one day (she is also my acquaintance) and I just asked her opinion about some nagging pains I felt somewhere below the stomach and she retorted, "See me at my clinic so I can also make money." Ha,ha, ha. You bet I didn't show up at her clinic. I only did some water therapy and the pain just disappeared. You see, doctors have a way of giving labels to everything you feel. They give you illnesses in other words. At the moment I leave everything to Him. As I said in one of my posts, I have been confined in the hospital only twice during my two deliveries and I know that there is really someone greater who is taking care of us. Yes, I must have reached my menopause sans the headaches, itchiness, etc. My fertile days are over and I am not crying for they left without even saying goodlbye.

hospitals

I hate hospitals because my associations with them are all painful. Believe me, I only got confined in hospitals twice----when I delivered my two babies. After those times however, hospital trips became frequent---for consultation, immunizations, treatment, etc. The first time my first child was confined in the hospital was like nightmare. I must have been six to seven months pregnant of my second child at that time when my first one was having lbm and was vomiting and I did not know how serious that could get. It was my landlady who told me that dehydration could be a very dangerous consequence of lbm. Nervous to the point of breakdown, I scooped the child and took the first pedicab I saw. Dressed only in my old and tattered house dress I must have looked likeI have escaped from a nut house but I did not care about that. I was in a state of panic especially when a nurse started taking his measurements while he was lain on the examination table. Why was she doing that? Why were they not giving any medicines yet when they could see that the child was already weak and limp from vomiting? At that time when I was very scared the nurses were acting like nothing was happening and were drilling me with questions like "what did he eat?" "How many times did he make poo-poo?" I mean, how would I know the exact number of times? I did not even know that I was supposed to make a tally of this. At that moment while I waited for these people to give some medication to my sick son, it seemed like all the questions they were asking were irrelevant----the correct spelling of my family name, my address, where I worked, etc. For a scared mother like me, the questions sounded like, "What is your son's favorite color?" "Who is his favorite actress?" "What is his ambition in life?" "What is his motto in life?" They all sounded so stupid for asking those questions when they were supposed to give him treatment. He was confined on the 2nd floor and while there I expected that he would finally be given his medication but no, another nurse, a student nurse obviously, came in to ask me the same questions they had asked on the first floor! I mean, who wouldn't lose control? I said, didn't they give duplicates to all those who are interested of the answers to the same questions? My son needed treatment! That made the young nurse rush out of the room to tell those people there that I was angry.