I Love My Cup of Coffee

I do love coffee, it must have been genetics or hereditary because my mom and grandmother love the stuff and couldn’t live a day without its rich and oh so mature taste. When I was a kid, I used to think that I would never appreciate having coffee since I took it as a sign of being mature and I really had an aversion to anything having to do with growing up and growing old. But as I reached my college years and had long, sleepless nights for finishing reports, assignments and first-thing in the morning exams, coffee has been my best friend as far as having good grades was concerned.

When I got pregnant, I knew it meant saying goodbye to my favorite morning beverage temporarily because despite the very good benefits I get from my cup of coffee, this was a major NO for my growing and developing baby. My husband would complain of how much I complained about missing my coffee but it was only because I was in what I called, “withdrawal”. I endured and I have a smart, healthy son to show for having said no to caffeine. But now that I am not breastfeeding anymore and that I am now free to have all the caffeine I want, I am back to my normal 2-3 cups of coffee.

Let me share the benefits that I get and the good things I know about coffee. These are from a collection of readings from magazines, books, and articles I have come across long before I appreciated the goodness of coffee. I’m only telling you the stuff I have experienced myself.

Coffee is a quick cure for a hangover. I am an occasional drinker but during “those” occasions, I tend to have a little too much and hangovers were never a problem as long as I have my cup of black, steaming hot coffee.

It can help induce bowel movement. I often have constipation for not eating a lot of grains, fiber and veggies. So coffee, for me has that bowel-loosening effect despite what most books say; that it can cause constipation in the first place. I regret to disagree, but I don’t experience that from my favorite coffee.

It can alleviate headaches. When I have been studying, reading for too long or for when my professors stress me out, I usually suffer from headaches and the cure for that is caffeine. According to one of my readings, some or most pain meds contain caffeine to increase its absorption in the body. Now, I don’t recommend taking pain meds with every kind of pain, if it’s tolerable; why not try other methods to find relief – a mug of coffee perhaps? 🙂

As an athlete, I get a strength and endurance boost from drinking coffee and not energy drinks. Before our soccer team’s warm-up early in the morning, I always bring coffee to wake me up and to get me ready for the game.

The most obvious effect of coffee is to help you stay awake and alert. As a nurse, coffee has kept me alert and on the go during those late nights at the hospital and during those days of boring lectures and long review and research nights.

Lately, this talk of wellness and disease prevention has got most of the products aired on the TV and almost everywhere have their ads stating that theirs have an antioxidant effect and not to be biased, but coffee does have its antioxidant effect. I don’t know how to prove this but just as vitamins keep me from visiting my doctor; I thank coffee’s effects too.

More research has been made about the effects of coffee but I’m too lazy to go into those and to look for such and read them, but all I can say is, I really love coffee and for those who can’t understand this passion, you might want to catch up on your reading and get influenced on drinking this rather than other addictive substances and drinks.

You got to admit, you definitely can’t ignore the sweet and tantalizing smell of fresh brewed coffee in the morning. Yum~

Not Exercising during the Cold Months is Bad

I want to share my previous experience from when I was still in the United States during the winter months. I didn’t have a history of high blood pressure but after having experienced difficulty of breathing, some minor chest pain and neck pain similar to having a stiff neck and then having a blood pressure of 140/90, I got scared. It was the first time I ever had a BP reading that high.

My aunt and also a doctor friend of mine said that since I didn’t have a history of hypertension, it might be because I was overweight and that I didn’t sweat or have enough exercise during that time. It was true though, because I did gain a lot of weight after a few months of not minding what I ate and not having a regular exercise routine. But even though I wanted to go out and sweat, it was impossible for me because I never imagined then that it was near impossible for me to stay out in the snow-covered surroundings for too long, despite having worn a lot of thick, warm clothing. My body refused to let out any kind of warmth and or perspiration because I was always shivering. It took a long time for my body to adjust to the weather because having come from a 2-season country where we only saw snow in snow globes and the insides of our freezers; winter was really new to me.

A lot of my relatives too weren’t fond of going out in the slippery, ice-covered sidewalks and streets just to go for a jog or stroll. I couldn’t blame them because it was dangerous and a simple slip can either land you in the hospital or let you miss the festivities of the holidays and stay at home. I didn’t want to risk that. So I decided just to sleep in and bask in the warmth of our well-heated room and to not do any kind of tiring activity unless necessary.

This cost me a lot though. I was packing in the calories and not letting any out. So, it took a toll on my health. Having been active and an athlete during my college years, my body really deteriorated in terms of endurance and I was almost always easily fatigued or out of breath from just doing menial and seemingly effortless tasks. I also felt chest pain almost every time I wake up and I found this odd since I have never experienced this before. My aunt got really worried and so did I. But my doctor friends assured me that with a few dietary restrictions and more activity, my high blood pressure would go away or return to normal and the symptoms I have been feeling will go away with it.

I prayed a lot, did tons of research and I started to watch what I eat. I got on the treadmill and found exercises that I could do inside the house. This finally got me breaking out a sweat. I continued for weeks, and brought the habit I established back to the Philippines. It also helped that my parents were such health buffs that they took me to the gym and had me eat healthy foods. I had my blood pressure checked almost every other day and thank God! It was back to a healthy and normal 110/70 – my usual BP.

I really had fun eating all sorts of food, just relaxing and assuming a sedentary lifestyle in front of my computer and TV back when I was with my relatives abroad but for the sake of having to live long and have no disease or illness, I really have to exert effort and maintain a balanced routine of healthy eating and good exercise.

When I Have a Bad Day

Some days, I just wish I was something else in this world, like a floating plastic bag in the wind, or a falling raindrop, or a piece of rock from a mountain. I wish I was a star in the sky or a tree in the forest, or a shell at the bottom of the sea. Each of these things had a clear purpose and some of them had done theirs and are just satisfied at having done so and be on their way. I envy most of them and when I see these things and admire how they could just exist, I wonder if my life could ever come to a point where it will all be easy and I could be happy and satisfied and no one would care so much or expect me or rely on me for something.

It’s one of these days when nothing goes right and that everything in this world is against me and what I wanted was near the impossible to achieve. Where happiness is a dream and my voice is drowned out by the crowd. Thought have a lot to be grateful for, I can’t seem to gather my thoughts and see the light at the end of the tunnel and or have a kind and serene heart to notice these. I have a lot of regrets that I always tell everybody that I have none  but secretly I wish to scream out how much I want things to happen the way I want to, selfish as my wishes can be, I wish it was all about me – I wish I wasn’t here, I wish I could live my purpose, I wish I was appreciated, I wish I was heard, I wish I could be myself, I wish I could do what I want, I wish I had what I wanted, above all, I wish I was happy.

Reality is so cruel and growing up is like an alarm clock you can’t turn off. You have a job to do, you have to be at the office, you have chores, you need to feed yourself, your family, you need to pay the bills, you need to attend an appointment, you need to be someplace, you are demanded of your time and effort and you have to invest and put your sanity on the line all the time. Like an alarm clock, that wakes you up from a good dream –  being on cloud 9 then suddenly plummeting down to earth with nothing and no one to catch you and you feel the heavy and painful – “THUD”!

I had one of the worst days yet again here at home and no thanks to some people, I am feeling so emo and drained that I wish to throw this feeling into my blog so that I can forget it tomorrow or else I won’t be able to do a good job of raising my son, being the zombie-like perfect daughter and don’t-mind-you-don’t-mind-me type sister. Being asked to do this and that and getting no reward or gratitude sure sucks big-time and having nothing to show off as I am still a bum, a leech and a mouth to feed here at home, standing up for yourself when you’re being treated like crap can sure take its toll on the body, mind and spirit. Hence, I write these weird ramblings of my consciousness and sanity or insanity. Forgive me. Oh at these times, I wish I could end this day myself but as I close this post, and look at the clock, I find a little hope that somehow tomorrow can be a little better for me.

Helping Your Baby Through the Teething Months

The title is pretty straight forward as it pertains to the pain caused by a baby’s teething. Teething defined is the months wherein a baby’s teeth finally start to show and is initially accompanied by pain, fever, itchiness of the throat, mouth and ears, and the baby’s desire to bite down on something hard and or cold. This also signals the parents that their little one is ready to start solid foods.

The effects of teething for the baby are very obvious. Because as the tooth starts to surface, the gums start to get swollen and as it prepares for the eruption of the baby tooth, pain is felt and irritability and restlessness is often the result. Sleep can be interrupted, the baby may or may not develop fever and he or she may pull or scratch their ear often. Drooling is present and the child likes to bite on almost anything hard. Teethers are important toys to soothe the child’s teething pains and the most useful are those that have liquid or water inside so that once it is placed in the refrigerator and cooled, when the baby bite on the soft teether, there is a numbing effect felt by the child.

Some of the books I have read also recommend rubbing the baby’s gums with a clean cloth soaked in warm water and or rubbing the area with your clean finger to relieve the pain. And I have also read that although topical analgesics can be used such as Ibuprofen, it is unadvisable since after applying the drug, it tends to be washed away, dissolved or swallowed quickly by the baby, too quickly before the drug takes its effect. If it can’t be helped or if you really want to help your baby, one practice I have observed and seen to have worked is placing a few drops of analgesic (those specifically made for babies) into an infant’s formula. You can let your baby have this before his sleep time at night so that he or she doesn’t get a disturbed sleep. Be sure though, not to give your baby aspirin because it can cause a dangerous side effect, one disease linked to mental retardation is called Reye’s syndrome; that can develop in children below 8 years old when aspirin is given.  Read the drug literature and the container carefully to be sure of the right dosage and better yet, consult your pediatrician first before giving your baby any kind of drug even though it is over-the-counter.

This teething process is always inevitable and it takes its toll on the parents and the caregivers as well, but this should be taken as a good sign and also, rest assure that it is normal. This does not last long so patience is definitely needed.

As a mom, who experienced a lot of sleepless and stressful times during my baby’s teething, all I can say is that having read a lot of books and carefully followed some useful tips, I have successfully comforted and helped my son get through the worst of it and my baby is now enjoying the fun and tasty side of having big boy food (Pureed and mashed solid foods).

Baguio is cool, But There is No Place Like Home

We arrived at Baguio last Monday. My brother and I came here with the intention of learning how to properly start blogging and maintain a decent number of traffic and also to get an overview of how to earn from blogging. We had the opportunity to stay with family because of my husband’s side having a residence here in the cool, mountainous and well-populated City of Baguio.

I did not expect it to be really cold since it was nearing summer time and the sun had already shown no mercy to most of the places like Manila and our province of Nueva Ecija, a province known for its farms and rice paddies. I welcomed the change in climate and I finally donned my jacket to prevent me from shivering. Honestly though, Idid not miss the smoldering heat of my hometown. But what I did miss tremendously though, is my baby boy. This was the first time I had to be away  from Caleb ever since he was born. Except for the vacation I had when he was 2 months old, (see Camiguin post), this was the longest I have been away from my son. It f like my heart was missing a big piece and that feeling stayed with me the entire time I was in Baguio.

We stayed in Baguio for 6 days and I could say that it was a productive and fun-filled stay, albeit the boring and migraine-inducing moments after hours of staring into the computer screen. It was a good bonding experience for me, my brother, my sister-in-law and her cousin. We alternated work and play. Our usual days were filled with research and frequent cartoon marathons and gaming online after having updated our blog sites. We also went to the Mall and had fun window shopping at Session Road because of flea markets and booths displaying clothes, jewelry, native delicacies and souvenirs. We ate at a curiously nice 50’s diner and spent a lot of time taking pictures and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. These where memories that I would cherish andwon’t forget.

As I pack my bags and look at the fog outside my window, I look forward to my baby’s warm embrace. I have been worried that he might forget my face and how much I love him. That’s why I felt I had to come home now. Caleb forgetting me would be my worst fear coming true and so I hurried packing and went straight to the bus station with my brother. I bid goodbye to the cool air, pine trees and colorful flowers of Baguio and welcome the warm sun outside.

The Cabanatuan City sign greeted us and I remember the saying, “there is no place like home”.  I have realized that after doing much travel. And for me, that place, my home,  is with my son, feeling his heart beat and his breath on my chest as I cradle him to sleep.

“Just a little longer, Caleb, Mommy is coming home!”

Having Allergic Rhinitis: Sneezing Much?

Ever since I could remember, I have suffered from sneezing episodes almost every morning. This goes on for at least an hour and then magically, it stops leaving me with an oozing nose, and several used tissue paper littering my floor. People usually tell me that it might have been due to allergies, or that my room is so dusty and or because of pollen in the air because there is a field right in front of our house. It may be because of all those reasons and thus, led me to finally do some research about the annoying  morning condition.

What is Allergic Rhinitis or more commonly known as Hay Fever?  According to the Health Encyclopedia, Allergic rhinitis is an inflammation of the nasal passages and is associated with watery discharge and itching of the nose and eyes.

And since it is called “Allergic” Rhinitis, the causes are from allergens that are found in one’s environment. These can be dust, dust mites, animal dander, pollen and molds.

Symptoms usually consist of repetitive sneezing initially, which is then followed by a runny nose, post nasal drip, nasal congestion and itchy eyes, nose, throat and impaired smell. Just like me, you can suffer from all of these or maybe just some for those who are a little luckier.

Prevention is always the best cure and that spells, avoiding allergens. Don’t put yourselves into situations that expose you to elements triggering the sneezing spells. This can mean, staying away from your neighbor’s dog or cat, not frequenting parks and or gardens, being more careful in going out during hay fever season and of course, you need to clean your house and your surroundings often. This is quite a chore for me though, since my house is right beside the highway and that highway is in front of a field. Each time a car or truck passes by, magical dust bunnies and dust specs shower my window sill and my floors.

Always have tissues or your handkerchief ready. Always wash your hands and blow your nose. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing to avoid blowing off and spreading more of the dust particles, mold spores and animal dander around your home or office.

For medical management, it spells, nasal decongestants, antihistamines or oral anti-allergy medicine before going to be. Nasal sprays containing steroids can also help for management of symptoms like post nasal drip. More information about medications for allergic rhinitis can be seen here.

I used to take and use most of these especially the nasal sprays, but the cost was a bit too high for me to maintain using these treatments that was why I had to endure the symptoms every morning. It can be annoying but it is self-limiting as soon as you clear your nasal passages of the offending allergen.

I swear to experience though, my allergens are mainly from dust because we have a lot of dogs and I never had a problem with them. Also, when I had to sleep over at my aunt’s house in another country, less dusty and polluted than mine, my allergies were nowhere to be found. So, I recommend first, cleaning your house properly. Having those air purifiers and dust filters might help a lot too.

http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/208/main.html

Camiguin Getaway

This was from my vacation with friends 2 months after I gave birth to my son. From having stayed home for almost the entire duration of my pregnancy, my parents told me to unwind before I resume serious Mommy duties. Caleb was very easy to take care of since he just sleeps most of the time and Separation Anxiety was still far from the horizon. So, my parents volunteered to take care of their first grandchild and so I was off to some sun, sand and island hoping with my friends.

It was a bright and early start for all of us and the sun had yet to say hello, that moment we boarded our local flight to Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao. We were all bright eyed and bushy-tailed as we spent the entire flight chatting about our trip to Camiguin and the fun-filled activities in store for us.

Camiguin, the so-called “Island born of fire” is pear-shaped volcanic island in the northern tip of Mindanao. It is approximately 90 kilometers north of the City of Cagayan de Oro. It is bounded to the north by Bohol Sea, to the west by Macajalar Bay, to the southeast by Gingoog Bay and to the east by Butuan Bay. Read more from this site.

We spent the day visiting the different tourist spots in this small but very beautiful and peaceful island. Here are some facts and pictures from our trip. All the details are from http://www.camiguin.redbearnet.com/places.html.

CATARMAN CHURCH RUINS (GUI-OB CHURCH)

The devastating volcanic eruption in 1871 wiped out the Spanish settlement of Catarman that was established in 1697. The remains of an Old Spanish church, ruins of adobe walls, belfry and convent are mute witnesses to the wrath of nature. It also allows us a glimpse into the culture of Spanish-era Camiguin.

CROSS MARKER AND SUNKEN CEMETERY

Located in Bonbon, Catarman a huge cross marker has been installed by the Provincial government to mark the community cemetery that sunk during the 1871 volcanic holocaust. Years ago, gravestones were visible during low tide. Today, it is an interesting diving site.

STO. NIÑO COLD SPRING

Located in Catarman, the Sto. Niño Cold Spring has a pool measuring 25 meters by 40 meters. It is 2 meters deep of cold spring water sprouting from the sandy bottom. The area has a restaurant, native cottages, picnic huts, cookout facilities and restrooms for visitors.

KATIBAWASAN FALLS

The 250-feet majestic beauty cascades to a rock pool surrounded by ground orchids, wild ferns, trees and boulders. Its ice-cold waters provide an ideal summer splash to locals and tourists alike. Rock picnic tables, seats and cookout facilities are available for use.

MOUNT HIBOK-HIBOK

The only active volcano in the island, the 1250-meter slope is a challenge even to the seasoned mountaineer, as he has to contend with loose rocks and boulders. Mount Hibok-Hibok has a crater lake at the peak and has steam outlets abound. The peak also offers a breathtaking view of the islands of Cebu, Negros and Bohol.

WHITE ISLAND

Two kilometers off the coast of Agoho, Mambajao is the Camiguin’s popular sand bar. At times it is in the shape of the letter C, sometimes the letter I, depending on the ocean tide. It has the picturesque Mount Hibok-Hibok and Old Vulcan as its backdrop. It is ideal for swimming, sunbathing and snorkeling.

There are plenty more tourist spots in the small but very beautiful island like the Ardent Hot Springs as well as the Soda Swimming Pool and a lot more places that we unfortunately haven’t visited because of lack of time. But I am sure you would definitely appreciate the very scenic Volcano Island if you had the chance to travel.

All credit goes to the Camiguin Island, Philippines site for the information about the island’s tourist spots.

Baby Cosplay: My Son in Costume

Cosplay or costume play in the Philippines has been a good hobby for my family. It is in fact the reason why my husband and I got introduced to each other. In the course of 10 years, we have either went and joined a cosplay event or just hanged out with fellow-cosplayers and convention goers. It was a great place for people who like anime, manga,  J-POP and J-ROCK or Japanese-related music and paraphernalia can just  attend and be themselves and obsess over the creatively-dressed cosplayers and interesting booths, shows and lineups. And now, we introduce our son to our most favorite hobby.

Caleb, my then 5-month old baby was dressed in costume and he cosplayed the character, Reborn, a hitman tutor from the series, Katekyo Hitman Reborn by Akira Amano. At such a young age, Caleb enjoyed being in front of crowds and he liked exhibiting his cute smile to an adoring audience. I couldn’t help but feel so proud at how sociable my son is.

I had his costume made by my trusted seamstress and I had his black mafia suit patterned over his very comfy pajamas at home. The fedora and stuffed animal was made by our good friend and cosplay buddy. The toy guns and grenade were bought at a local thrift store and well the booties where hand-sewn by me. I could tell you more about how the convention went but I’m sure that would be fit for another post. But the bottom line is, we all had a blast.

My husband and I took turns carrying our cute little hitman and thanks to our cosplay group and friends, we had a lot of fun and memorable experiences during the event.

Snoring and the Overweight

I didn’t know I had a snoring problem up until I was staying with my mother’s aunt in Chicago and I had to sleep on a mattress on the floor beside their bed in their small condo. I was a little on the chubby side but still remarkably chunkier than when I was playing soccer back in college. I do know that I am overweight and when my Aunt woke me up in the middle of the night, I finally understood and accepted that I snore.

My aunt said that snoring was directly related to being overweight and so I did a little reading and here is what I found.

“Slimming stops snoring. “Snoring is frequently related to being overweight,” says Dr. Dunn of the University of Toronto Sunnybrook Medical Centre Sleep Laboratory. “We’ve found that if a moderate snorer loses weight, the snoring becomes less loud, and in some people it actually disappears.” This is from a site I found.

When it comes to health related matters, anything I read off the net is pretty much believable unless it concerns me or my family getting surgeries and or have serious conditions. Thank God that we don’t have any.

So what about remedies? Of course we always have to consider non-drug/medical related home remedies first and so I want to post these 10 tips taken from The Doctors Book of Home Remedies.

1. Go on a diet.

2. Ignore the midnight spirits or alcohol.

3. Stay away from sedatives or sleeping pills.

4. Put the cigarette light out.

5. Sleep on your side rather than lying flat on your back.

6. Get on the ball (tennis ball) or place something on your back that will prevent you from lying unconsciously on your back.

7. Avoid using pillows.

8. Elevate the bed to elevate your head and your torso.

9. Use nasal decongestants or prevent allergies and if you have any avoid the triggers.

10. When all else fails, get earplugs for the person lying beside you or the people who you inflict your snoring on.

I hope these help.

My Cousin the Magician

I have observed my cousin’s passion for magic grow and develop into something that is very amazing and utterly cool. He was only 8 years old, as far as I could remember when he went to our house proudly saying that he wanted to show us his bag of tricks.

At first, it was only the usual kiddie sort of magic tricks like the 3 metal rings being linked together and then detached without having made a dent or opening in the loops, then the vanishing ball from the set of plastic cups, and then the long piece of string being cut and then reattached without having tied them together. Pretty small-time but then again he was a child then.

Now that he is an 18 year old, he could very much make money from his craft and befriend even the most famous card trick master in the world. He spends a lot of time practicing, investing every cent he has to buy a lot and I do mean a LOT of cards, simple playing cards, those used to play poker and then some that are trick cards. He buys and memorizes trick after trick after trick, he buys videos and sits in front of the TV and or the computer just analyzing the tricks so that he could do it himself and amaze his family, classmates and friends.

Here is a sample of my cousin doing a crazy card trick. You’ll be shocked and amazed.

Here is a link to his youtube video site where I for one can vouch for the true awesomeness of my cousin RJ.