Timeless Beauty

We have just received our 13th month pay today and so the Christmas shopping begins... I haven't made my list yet. But I'm already thinking of the people I'm buying gifts for. The kids, of course, are on top of the list. Next are the closest people that I love and cherish: my family and friends, and my only beloved. I will have to sniff out the best gifts in town from the many sales and discount shops. Magarbo here I come!

Yesterday my landlord's youngest daughter, Marianne, celebrated her second birthday. It was a blast watching her in her Princess dress and blowing the candles on her cake. Her cousins came and played parlor games with her. The older girl, Monica, was a bit jealous of the attention, but later calmed down when the games began. I enjoyed watching the kids, but I enjoyed the food more. I had the opportunity to taste kimchi for the first time. It was HOT! But it is alright. Just needs getting used to. All in all, I look forward to celebrating the holidays with my family. Filipino parties are always celebrated like a mini-fiesta. Happy Holidays everyone!

Oh well. I was gone for a while due to a bird flu-like sickness which I can't seem to get rid of. It's probably a new strain of the flu virus. As usual, the culprit is the office air. And then I come back and find my blog blocked by Blogger because it's suspected as a spam blog. Whoooweee.

When we think of drug rehabilitation or drug treatment center we immediately think the place is for drug addicts only. What most of us are not aware of is that these drug treatment centers also cater to those suffering from depression, eating disorders and alcoholism. Drug use is just a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. When focusing only on the drug addiction and ignoring the root problem, the treatment will surely fail and the victim will be left in the same state as he or she was in before rehab, or even worse. The therapies used to treat these problems include detox, individual therapy, group therapy, depression treatment, and alternative medicine. The alternative medicine being referred to does not mean psychotropic drugs, but healing therapies that do not fall within the realm of conventional medicine. These include naturopathy, chiropractic, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupun...

Orovo diet pills have been touted not only as a weight loss supplement but also an anti aging and skin care supplement due to its major mix of antioxidants, mineral and herbal extracts that have proven to promote youthful clear skin when used individually. However, no study has yet been performed on Orovo diet pills as producing the results expected from each of its "superfood" ingredients. Nonetheless, despite not having an official stamp of approval from the FDA, Orovo diet pills continue to be the diet pills of choice by slimmers and weight watchers worldwide. So far no serious medical side effects have been reported that led to deaths in Orovo users.

It's that time of the year again when everyone else begins their daily pilgrimage to their favorite vacation spot. For my cousins living in Illinois and Maryland, Las Vegas NV is one of the best places to go to. Most of the airfares will be rising as expected, but the trip will be worthwhile because many of their Filipino friends will be there. So many Pinoys have settled in Las Vegas that it sometimes feels like home to the expats. For Pinoys the feeling of home is brought by the smells of cooking in the kitchen. Many Pinoy fastfood outlets such as Chowking and Jollibee, and Filipino ihaw-ihaw restaurants have sprung up in Las Vegas to cater to the Filpino community there. And who could forget? The coming fight between Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya is waited for with great anticipation by all of the Philippines and Filipinos worldwide. The fight will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas NV on December 6, 2008.

I have just opened a direct save-up account at the Bank of the Philippines Islands. This account is immediately filled with balance transfers from my payroll account at the same bank. What's good about this Direct Save-up account is that I wouldn't be able to touch my money through an ATM. If I wanted to withdraw from that account I can either do a balance transfer from it to my payroll ATM account or go to the bank's branch at SM City and withdraw from there personally. This also solves my problem of amounts below 100 pesos which I can not normally withdraw from the ATM.

It's been awhile since I last heard or seen my cousins on my father's side of the family. But it's always a joy to even get a glimpse of or receive a bit of news about my any of my cousins. I just learned that one of my cousins who is working as a nurse in the US has just bought a house because Wilmington NC real estate prices have dropped. He can afford to buy one now because of the effect of the pre-recession in the US. I hope he and his wife enjoy their newfound home. Another cousin is coming to Canada this month to take care of our ailing aunt who just had a bypass surgery. She'll work as a caregiver there. Her daughter who is a Physical Therapist will be taking the licensure exams in the US this month, too.

The Halloween weekend has just ended and the trek back to the city has begun. Every November 1 and 2, Filipinos visit their dead and light candles for them. We send prayers for their souls and reminisce of the times when they were alive. Now it's time to return to the world of the living. Personally I still have a hangover from the celebrations over the weekend. It may be a bit morbid for some, but the Day of the Dead is also celebrated with lots of food and a joyous get together with the family. And with the increase in food there's the increase in weight. But fortunately I have stopped drinking alcoholic drinks and eating fatty foods. I only chose the dishes made with vegetables, and drinking water instead of softdrinks or any alcoholic drinks. I hope these changes in eating and drinking habits will produce a positive effect. My basis for improvement is the shape of my body, my muscle tone, and my clothes. I don't give much attention on weight because it sometimes mislead...

I have just got back from UP Diliman for a week of respite. I had training for trainers at UP SoLaIR (School of Labor and Industrial Relations). It was a working vacation. At least I had time to slow down and not think of work for a few days. It was good! Really felt good to be taken cared of by the University Hotel staff.