Funny Candidates for the Philippine 2010 Election

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Philippine Presidentiables 2010
Eddie Villanueva, Noy Noy Aquino, JC de los Reyes, Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Gilberto Teodoro, Joseph Estrada, Sen. Richard Gordon, Manny Villar

Vice Presidentiables 2010
Bayani Fernando, Mar Roxas, Jejomar Binay, Edu Manzano, Loren Legarda, Perfecto Yasay
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I received this funny pictures of politicians via forwarded e-mail - really makes my day, so funny. Just want to share it here. Enjoy!
BTW, I don't have specific candidate in mind yet. Maybe Gibo or Noynoy. I'll decide later. Have a great long weekend! 

This is just for fun and politics is fun right?- no intention to campaign or mock any candidate (Ang pikon talo.)

Appreciating Nature: The Health Benefits of Honey

My mom sent me bottles of pure honey yesterday together with packs of cashew nuts from our province. That’s typical of mothers I guess – always sending something to their children to show affection. It’s really heartwarming whenever I got packages from my mom via door-to-door delivery. I remember during my college days, when I’m striving to finish college and living in a boarding house all by myself, my mom used to send almost anything from our town in Occidental Mindoro– onions, sampaloc, pastillas, dried fish, cashew fruits, vegetables etc. It was always carefully and meticulously wrapped, and you will always find a handwritten note, always reminding me to take care of myself especially my health.


By the way, I am writing this post about the health benefits of honey. Although my mom, during our growing up years used to give us a few spoonfuls of honey with calamansi before bedtime, many of my town folks are ignorant of honey’s health and beauty benefits. It’s one of the luxuries of our town but often unappreciated and overlooked. I say luxury because when I’m checking out bottles of commercial honey in a grocery store, I can’t believe it cost that much. In our town, our Mangyan brothers are harvesting honey in the wild forest of Mindoro, then cheaply sell it in town or most of the time in exchange for used clothes or rice.

Our town is blessed by nature with this wonderful product, so I want to share this especially to all Mindoreños. Lets appreciate what nature is giving us and take extra measures to protect our forests.

The health benefits of honey:

1. Energy booster–Honey gives you that extra rush of energy when needed, the same way energy drinks affect the body. The glucose in it is quickly absorbed by the body for an instant spike in energy level while the fructose takes it time to be absorbed in order for the energy to be sustained for prolonged periods of time.

2. Detoxifying agent–Honey is actually a cleansing tonic that improves the health of the digestive system, making it easier for the body to fight diseases. Its antioxidant and antibacterial components help boost the immune system while clearing the passages of harmful toxins and microbes.

3. Antioxidant–Honey contains powerful compounds that fight free radicals and aid in slowing down and reversing the effects of aging. Generally, antioxidants neutralize free radicals and heal tissues on the cellular level, therefore, protecting the body from aging from the inside out. A study published by the University of California concluded that honey contains antioxidants comparable to spinach, apples, oranges and strawberries.

4. Skin protectant–Honey has been historically linked to protecting the skin against irritants. It has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that disinfects and promotes the healing of wounds and burns. The University of Sydney stated in a study that honey should be used as a “first choice” in dressing wounds instead of it being the “last resort” because of its superior antimicrobial properties.

5. Natural skincare product–Honey also helps in achieving smooth, soft, nourished skin due to its rich mineral, vitamin and amino acid content. Further, a University of Amsterdam study found it to be “a promising topical antimicrobial agent for prevention or treatment of infections, including those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.” This means that honey may actually be used to treat acne and pimples.

6. Weight loss aid–Honey has high calorie and sugar contents, but curiously, it doesn’t seem to affect the body in a negative way. According to the USDA Agriculture Research Service, the body tolerates honey better than table sugar and doesn’t gain weight from it. The University of California published a study reporting that consuming buckwheat honey on a daily basis for a month does not cause weight gain. This proves that honey can be a table sugar-substitute for individuals aiming to lose weight.

7. Hangover remedy–Honey contains the natural sugar, fructose, which helps the liver in speedily oxidizing alcohol. The Web site www.benefits-of-honey.com recommends drinking 15ml honey with 80ml orange juice and 70ml natural yogurt to minimize the effects of a hangover.

8. Cough remedy–Honey has soothing qualities that relieves minor sore throats and coughs. The Pennsylvania State College of Medicine found honey to be more effective in curing nighttime coughs in children than over-the-counter cough medicines.

9. Sleeping aid–Honey is suggested to promote better sleeping patterns with regular consumption. Although no study has directly linked it to curing insomnia or improved bedtime habits, the classic combination of warm milk and honey has been traditionally used to relieve sleep problems. This can be attributed to the presence of tryptophan, a natural relaxant that reduces anxiety and aids in regulating cholesterol levels.

10. Dietary supplement–Honey can be used as a regular dietary supplement, with or without the need for any specific function like those mentioned above. Fruits and vegetables lose large amounts of their vitamins as early as 24 hours after being harvested. Honey, on the other hand, retains all its benefits without an expiration date. The vitamin and mineral content of honey varies depending on the flower used to cultivate it. But most variants contain high levels of vitamins C and B-complex, essential minerals and at least half a dozen of amino acids.

Additional info: Honey may aid conception - Known as the Nectar of the Gods, honey has long been held in esteem for its medicinal and antiviral properties but, according to at least one beekeeper and several researchers around the world, it is also of great benefit for people struggling to conceive. Ayurveda has been advising honey as a medication for men with problems of impotence and women with problems related to infertility

Sources:

• Biado Ed, "Health benefits of honey" [ http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideLifestyle.htm?f=2010/february/10/lifestyle4.isx&d=2010/february/10 ] 29 March 2010

• Babyworld, "Honey may aid conception",  [ http://www.babyworld.co.uk/information/trying/getting_body_ready/honey_helps_conception.asp ], 29 March 2010

• Ayurveda and Yoga Blog, "Honey treatment for Arthritis, Cholestrol and Infertility" [ http://www.ayurvedictalk.com/honey-treatment-for-arthritis-cholestrol-and-infertility/222/ ] , 29 March 2010

6.2-Magnitude Earthquake Hits West of Manila

(AP) – 25 minutes ago

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine seismology institute says a 6.2-magnitute earthquake has struck west of the capital, Manila.

Buildings in Manila shook for about 30 seconds early Thursday afternoon. Many workers ran out of their offices.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Seismology institute Director Renato Solidum says the quake happened at a depth of 6.21 miles (10 kilometers) under the seabed. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.1 and depth at 21 miles (33 kilometers).

Well, this is some disturbance in our boring Thursday afternoon. Employees from upper floors of our office building are having fun outside. Hope there's no more quakes to follow.

Guaranteed Life is Propaganda

Sometimes I find it hard translating my feelings into words and as far as my personal blogging experience is concerned, I find it impossible to completely convey exactly what I feel – I can’t totally overcome blogger’s-block I guess. And although my written expressions might be improving, the more I write the more I am discovering how difficult the task of laying down words really is. I’m writing a draft of a personal e-mail right now and I don’t know why I find it so hard.

Evidently, I’m having a hard time conveying the frustrations I’m feeling right now. Thinking about your career and what you really want in life is really a huge everyday burden – especially if you suddenly realize that somewhere along the way, you took a wrong turn.


Eventually, at some point, I feel the need to be on the right track. FEAR always keeps me from moving on and over time it disguise itself as HOPE.  

I accept that I'm not guaranteed anything in my life, but rather I am given the opportunity to go after what I believe to be a worthy pursuit. Because there is no guaranty of success I will appreciate it all the more when I've achieved what I have set out to accomplish.

Through hard work, keeping my end result in mind, and applying ample stick-to-it-ness I know I will achieve what I really want in life.

Am I making sense here?

Enough of my self-help rants! Back to my e-mail…

Resignation and Suicide? WTF!

Regarding my post On to Better Things  - which is about myself, contemplating on resigning from my job, I find this MS Word error message really funny and I want to share it here.

Our Dirty Mind

I admit. I have a dirty mind.

Does it mean my visual sense is not objective? In that there is not a perfect one to one ratio between what I see and how I make sense of what I see compared to you guys?

I think not. Look at these pictures, I’m sure you will also see what I see.

I think our brain interprets what our eyes perceive based not solely on the visual stimuli we are looking at but on our experiences, especially sex.

When looking at these pictures, I think our brain takes in the visual stimuli and then connects it to our sexual experiences, or matching it to our favorite pornography. In other words, we perceive these pictures in the context of what is familiar and previously stored in our brains as meaningfully recognizable.

Ask some small children with no knowledge of sex to tell you what they see in these pictures. Will they perceive the image as adults do? Psychological articles tell us the answer is no. In fact, they will see nine dolphins in a bottle in the last picture, do you see the dolphins? Well, look again. 

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Photo Credit: {Last picture} “Message of Love from the Dolphins” by Swiss artist Sandro Del-Prete.
                    {other pictures} via forwarded e-mail

The Veiled Beauty of Zamboanga del Sur

 Quick notes on my Zamboanga del Sur - Mindanao trip last February 11 - 13, 2010.

“We inherited an age-old conflict in Mindanao, exacerbated by a politically popular but nearsighted policy of massive retaliation. This only provoked the other side to continue the war.”
- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her State of the Nation Address, 27 July 2009

Why I picked Zamboanga

I’ve always known Mindanao for the region’s armed conflicts, which was officially between the Philippine government and the MILF.  It was further aggravated by violent acts by other armed groups, privately armed militias and powerful feuding clans. Last November 2009, the Maguindanao Massacre also known as Ampatuan Massacre - which prompts the declaration of Martial Law in the province, shocked us.



Mindanao is beautiful, however, its beauty was veiled by that dark political issues confronting the region. But despite that, I still decided to be assigned in Zamboanga del Sur, the western part of the island of Mindanao, as proctor for this year’s Maritime Schools Assessment Program (MSAP). Everybody is asking me if I’m sure about this trip. I said yes, I’m sure. I badly need some distractions on this boring everyday routine – I guess it’s that feeling of excitement and danger that attracted me to this part of the country. 

Why I’m in Zamboanga – aside from leisure

Our main purpose of going in Zamboanga is because of the Maritime School Assessment Program (MSAP). It is a nationwide standard academic assessment test for all second year students taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) or Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE). It is an undertaking of the Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative Council, Inc. (PJMCC) jointly with other members of the Joint Manning Group (JMG). My last year’s assignment was in Davao City and in 2008 I went to Laoag City - so why not Mindanao this time? I was considering Cotabato but finally decided to take Zamboanga.

Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur – Little Hong Kong of the South?

Before landing, I saw the picturesque harbors of Pagadian City. It was so beautiful and natural, but we don’t have extra time and budget to visit these places – maybe next time. We just planned a quick city tour instead.

Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur is the largest province in Western Mindanao and the point of entry to the cities of Ozamiz, Iligan and Cotabato, But the airport in Pagadian City is currently undergoing renovation and expansion, so we took the 11:25 am PR flight bound for Ozamis City Airport. It was a two-and-a-half hour flight from Manila and from Ozamis airport. Then we took another one-hour land trip going to Pagadian City together with Dr. Sulpicio Etcuban, our MSAP coordinator from our host school, the Zamboanga del Sur Maritime Institute of Technology (ZSMIT). It’s a long trip actually but it was nice because we got the chance to take a peek at the Mindanao countryside, covered by golden rice fields and unending rows of coconut trees. It’s refreshing to escape the congested Metro Manila once in a while. 

Pagadian City is like Subic Bay in Olongapo, very organize and clean but more mountainous. What caught my attention is their uniquely designed tricycle – the passenger seats are tilted upward like a kalesa, but more diagonally inclined. I asked some locals why it is designed that way and they said it’s because of the rolling terrain surrounding both the commercial and residential districts, The locals also boast it to be “only in Pagadian” with great pride!

We stayed at the Pagadian City Bay Plaza Hotel on our first night. The rooms are nice and clean but the hotel staff are not attentive, the front desk personnel are unsmiling, keeps on talking on their local dialect in front of us and room keys are not working. We are thankful we were transferred at Alindahaw Hotel on our second night. (Quick Facts: Alindahaw is a local term for Dragonfly)

I don’t know why they are calling Pagadian City as the “Little Hong Kong of the South.” I’ve never been to Hong Kong so I’d rather not question it. I just notice that the city sleeps at nine or ten in the evening – effects of the Mindanao armed conflicts I guess.

Pasalubong Shopping and City Tour

We headed directly at the Zamboanga del Sur Maritime Institute of Technology right after we arrived at the busy city of Pagadian. We met with the very hospitable school officials and professors for the formalities and pre-exam briefing and merienda. 

Then we did a quick tour of the city and visited some shops for some pasalubong. I am looking for some Pagadian City delicacies or sweets, unfortunately there’s none. What they have there are colorful sarongs, batik, beautiful shawls, and other Muslim-inspired outfits. 

They also have a big market section just for dried fish and squid. They sell all sorts of dried fish – unfortunately my favorite tuyong espada isn’t available that time so I bought four packs of dried squid instead.

To experience riding their uniquely designed tricycle, we decided hiring a local tricycle driver for our city tour. We enjoyed the ride going to the scenic rotunda and did a quick horseback riding in the area, which only costs twenty pesos.

Personal Notes

I only saw a portion of Mindanao, therefore I can’t say that Mindanao is generally a good and safe place to visit. Nonetheless, I can say that the beautiful Mindanao were definitely veiled by the ugly face of the war.

Fortunately I visited a city with warm and hospitable people, with laid-back and clean environment. It was a nice trip – thanks to our host: from the ZSMIT staff – the university owner Mr. Galileo Maglasang, Dr. Sulpicio Etcuban and our assistant proctors Capt. Bernabe P. Cepe, Mr. Daniel Belza and Mr. Arman Lapuz. I also enjoyed the company of my cool co-proctors: Grace, my friend and officemate, and the two proctors we met on the plane, Ms. Helen Aguilar and Ms. Lilibeth Delgado.

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More of our pictures HERE