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.