Our Christmas Home

Today is the perfect time to be thankful for another wonderful year that has passed and looking forward to the coming years. Most of all, I am very thankful for all the blessings. I would like to indulge myself in sharing with you how our home looks this Christmas. Finally, we were able to fix the house the way we have been meaning to and I think it looks very cozy and warm. I want to thank my husband, Vince, for doing a great job with the picture wall and helping me out in the decorating.

Did you decorate your homes too this Christmas? I would love to see pictures of your beautiful homes. Care to share with me?

[Re-Posting] Coca-Cola Where Will Happiness Strike Next: The OFW Project (w/ English subtitles)

Now this is what Christmas is all about...being with your family.

Health Facts about Onions and Mayo (Potatoes too!)

I have come across this information before about onions and potatoes. I thought it would be worth sharing with you all. The holiday season is coming up and we will all be pre-occupied with preparing dishes for our celebrations. It's but wise to keep in mind these useful information while we are busy cooking or making our meals. 

(Re-posting an article I received via email. Please pass this on to all you love and care so that they will be informed.)

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Onions and Mayo ( not a joke)

We can always learn from each other, can't we?  

 

Please Read

In 1919, when the flu killed 40 million people, there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu.  Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died. The doctor came upon this one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy.   When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy. Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work.... Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.  Now there is a P. S. to this.... I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:  Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmers story.... But, I do know that I contacted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill... I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an empty jar.....placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs.... Sure enough it happened just like that.... The onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.  Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.  This is the other note. Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don't know what to blame. Maybe it's the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria is the reason they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu's and is the very reason we shouldn't eat an onion that has been sitting for a time after it has been cut open! LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of Mayonnaise.. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family.  My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed. He's one of the brothers Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially- made Mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a  point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quaint essential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick. Ed says that  when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?).   Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade Mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the Onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES. He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion.. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator. It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your hotdogs at the baseball park!) Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down. Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions. Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook the next day, it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

Atty. Jose Midas Marquez (Supreme Court Spokesperson) Shows His True Colors

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess it's safe to say that this video is probably worth more. Guess the cat's out of the bag now...

Starting m

How To Recognize A Stroke

Sharing with you all something that can be very useful when the time comes...

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STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T..R ...
My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (they offered to call ambulance)

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the party . Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :

S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..
T * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A prominent cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

And it could be your own.

*Re-posted from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2491866901097&set=a.1416840466108.2057665.1385502866&type=1&ref=nf

Rainy Days Are Here (ABS-CBN Tag-Ulan Station ID 2011 - "Sukob na" by Anne Curtis)

Happy song for the gloomy weather....enjoy!!! =)

Top Five Myths Bankruptcy - #1

As consumer debt has skyrocketed to over $3 Trillion, many believe the only way out from under the mountain of bills is to declare bankruptcy. But is it right for you? Many myths persist to misinform the public.

“Probably the worst myth about bankruptcy is that you need to be flat broke before you should file,” says Sacramento bankruptcy attorney Gerald B. Glazer. “It is not good to wait until creditors are knocking on your door,” according to Glazer. Planning can prepare you for a bankruptcy that causes the least amount of financial disruption.

Classes Suspended in NCR

No classes today in the Northern Capital Region for the pre-school, elementary and high school levels. This is due to non-stop rain for the past 24 hours. The rains are not that strong but has occasional strong winds from time to time. There is no storm or "bagyo" but it is from a Low Pressure Area (LPA) near Oriental Occidental Mindoro according to news from INQUIRER.net 

My daughter is happy for the extended vacation. She has an excuse to have more time to play with her chick, puppies and to sleep more in this cool, wet weather.

If you will be going out in this rainy weather today, make sure to bring an umbrella, raincoat or jacket and boots. Stay dry everyone.

Gloomy Sunday

Relax day. Family day. Rest day. Those are just a few ways that we describe our Sundays. The common factor would be that it is a good day for rest and relaxation with your family.

But today's Sunday is another description altogether. It is a gloomy and wet Sunday. Gloomy because the sun hardly showed itself. Gloomy because the weather has been quite wet with occasional showers and drizzles from time to time. Gloomy because the total mood of the day is just outright lazy. Lazy to the point that we do not know what we would like to do for the day.

I guess we should get accustomed to these gloomy Sundays because there are more to come. As the weather bureau announced yesterday, 'Summer is officially over. We should welcome and be prepared for the rainy season.'

Sundays are still rest days, relax days and family days in spite of it being a gloomy day. It will be up to us to make any day worthwhile whatever type of weather condition it may be. So go out and make you future gloomy Sundays be the best days it ca be!

My New Optical Shop

A couple of days ago, I decided to look around for new prescription eyeglasses. My current one was purchased a year ago and was intended to be used exclusively for special occasions. I ended up using it every day and it’s not as pristine as when the first time I bought it. I was hoping to find one that I can wear on a daily basis, is comfortable to wear, and is within budget (meaning, not much).

Usually, my wife and I go to our trusted optical shop for a new pair of prescription eyeglasses. The manager there has always been very accommodating and always makes us feel very important. The only issue we have with the shop (like with most optical shops) is the lack of choices when it comes to frames. Sometimes they have nice ones, but most of the time, they have outdated designs. True enough, after a couple of hours looking for the “right” pair of prescription eyeglasses, my eyes got tired and decided to call it off.

When I got home, I came across a website that sells prescription eyeglasses. What caught my attention was that the website allows you to browse eyeglasses based on different categories: Price, Prescription type, Frame type, Style, Shape, Size, and even Gender. This feature of narrowing down products for viewing is very important to me because every time go to an optical shop, I find it very tedious and time-consuming to browse through the hundreds of prescription eyeglasses randomly displayed on the glass shelving only to tell yourself you have not found what you are looking for.

My wife and I have been using prescription eyeglasses for over a decade and the cheapest we were able to get was for $58. I was surprised to see that Zenni Optical sells $6.95 prescription eyeglasses and already includes Anti-scratch coating, UV protection, a protective case, and a microfiber cleaning cloth. I thought this is too good to be true. But it is true. In fact, I found that Zenni Optical was in the news—journal-news.com. At this point, I thought Zenni Optical is a legitimate online retailer I can trust (I had to find out since I know there are a lot of online retailers that don’t deliver as much as they promise).

There is no doubt I might purchase my next pair of prescription eyeglasses from them. I already saw some designs I like. For those who wear prescription eyeglasses, maybe you should check out their website too. Who knows, maybe you will find there what you have been looking for.