Amusing Tips

2012 Feng Shui Tip: Attend to Southwest sector for peace and harmony

2012-01-12T02:51:00.000-08:00

In my previous post, I mentioned that I will see how I may show everyone the way to true peace and happiness through this blog. I guess it is an accepted fact that the balance of energies or elements in the environment is one of the best ways to achieve harmony, which will eventually result to true peace and happiness. Feng Shui is a popular practice that aims to achieve balance in the environment.

For 2012, I would like to prioritize the Feng Shui tip that will most affect the interaction or relationships among people, and the Southwest sector of a home or an office has a lot to do with it. There are five elements responsible for a balanced environment and these are water, wood, fire, earth and metal, and each of these elements corresponds to each of the direction in the compass.

The element for the Southwest direction is Earth, but unfortunately, in 2012, this direction is visited by the "argumentative star" whose element is wood. Wood controls earth, that is why we need trees to hold the earth to make it stable. But since this star provokes arguments, it will be aggressive in Southwest this year because it can control the earth element. To create balance, the fire element should be introduced since it can control wood. Colors can represent elements, thus red or orange objects in the Southwest sector of a home or an office is the easiest remedy. Lights can also represent fire so this sector should be lighted at all times. These remedies should already be in place before the argumentative star arrives 10 days from now! The arguments that can take place in an imbalanced southwest sector can lead to illness like hypertension or high blood pressure.

A New Mission

2011-12-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

I have a new mission for the year 2012: "To show everyone the way to true peace and happiness".

Quite a difficult mission indeed, because I myself don't know yet how to achieve true peace and happiness. But let me see how I can use this blog for that mission. Of course good health can give a person true peace and happiness so tips on wellness will always be posted in this blog, among other tips that will help promote peace and happiness, this 2012.

What gave me this direction can be explained by my post in my "Dreams List" blog titled "A Star in God's Eyes".

I'll repeat my last sentence in that post,

"May the year 2012 bring true peace and happiness to everyone!"

Lubel

Power to Discern and Power to Judge

2011-11-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

I have looked for amusing tips in the internet and it was amazing that I found "gold mines" about wellness that I shared to my close friends and relatives, but couldn't publish them as is, in respect to copyrights though such copyright was not indicated in those articles I found. My decision was a result of two of the eight powers of a soul, the "Power to Discern" and the "Power to Judge".

The Power to Discern is simply the ability to differentiate right from wrong, and true from false, within a second.

The Power to Judge is the ability to assess the quality of choices, decisions and actions in yourself and in others. Can you do that too within one second? I can't do that yet, but I know I will, eventually.

The secret is meditation, meditating that you are a peaceful and loving soul and each person is a soul just like you, yearning for peace, love and happiness. What differentiates the souls are the "sanskars" or memories from the experiences in life, which should be forgotten when meditating. Negative thoughts often cloud discernment and can be eliminated through meditation.

All souls were created equal by a Supreme Being in His likeness, and through meditation, we can leave the bodies we occupy and "go home to Him".

Focusing on Mankind Chi

2011-10-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

For this year which is a Rabbit year, I posted this last February: "We can focus on the mankind chi within all of us – focus on strengthening it – and in so doing, more effectively harness the spiritual energy of the empowered self to overcome obstacles and emerge triumphant." (Reference: 2011 Feng Shui by Lillian Too & Jennifer Too)

I'm glad that I've done my job of really focusing on strengthening my mankind chi by learning yoga through the invitation of a mission oriented friend. At first I didn't realize yoga's relationship to mankind chi but it is now clear to me. If a person is always conscious in achieving the original qualities of his soul, his mankind chi will be strengthened.

The reason why we need to always meditate is to remember the original qualities of our souls: pure, loving, happy, positive and blissful. By being conscious of achieving these qualities, we detach from the corporeal level and shift to a higher level of consciousness, where God, our Supreme Being resides. Once we achieve these original qualities we become powerful and fearless. Thus, we can easily "overcome obstacles and emerge triumphant"!

Delicious Chemotherapy

2011-09-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

The title of this post might sound weird but not to naturalists, I suppose. What you can see in the photo here is a favorite recipe in the Philippines, it is called "Seafood Afritada". The seafood that can be recognized are the squid rings and the shrimps, perhaps not so much the fried dory fillet and fish tofu. The basic ingredients of "afritada" like potatoes and red bell pepper were of course included.

How about the sauce? Of course there is tomato sauce and soy sauce for seasoning and more, and that "more" is my secret which I would like to share. I add turmeric powder and black pepper, and one important information I'd like to share about these two spices is that when they are mixed together they make a very powerful chemotherapy for cancers. Wait, there should be a salad to go with afritada, and guess what will make the already powerful mixture of black pepper and turmeric as chemotherapy more powerful? It is broccoli, so that should be included as a default in any salad you'll serve with afritada.

Happy eating!

Red lips without lipstick

2011-08-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Do you want your lips to be red? That would be easy if you're an adult, just apply a red lipstick! But for kids, there are really more ways since it is not normal for them to use lipsticks and therefore have to be resourceful. When I was a kid we would just eat a strawberry flavored candy or wipe on our lips the petals of some red flowers.

Yesterday, I was not so comfortable when I was on my way to the FLEX (Foundations of Leadership Excellence) seminar because I forgot the case where I put my lipstick, blush-on and eyebrow pencil, which I usually apply on my face while inside the car.

I planned to use what I learned from TCM which is to stimulate the best acupoint of the spleen meridian found at the middle portion of the inner leg, around four fingers away from the inner ankle, to make my lips red. I could do that by rubbing or pressing the knuckle of my index finger to that point. But my lips were not really pale so I thought there was no need to do that.

I won't deny I was surprised why my lips were not pale as usual that was why a lipstick is an indispensable make-up for me. I thought perhaps my spleen was functioning well yesterday. But there was more to that and I just found out now. I just read that though worrying and over thinking will be bad for the spleen resulting to pale lips and suppressed energy, the opposite, meaning openness or positive thoughts and emotions will help the spleen function properly and that will be manifested by reddish lips. During the two days in the seminar, the participants were required to be open in their thoughts and emotions, especially on the second day.

But wait, there is one more fact to be considered. The spleen will not function well when exposed to cold, even just to cold drinks.

So if you want your lips to remain red or reddish in color, just be positively transparent in your thoughts and emotions , don't worry or over think, wear warm clothes in cold weather or temperature and don't take cold drinks. The bonuses are very important: a continuous supply of energy, good memories that the spleen could direct to the kidneys which are later transferred by the kidneys to the heart. Isn't that awesome?

"The Spleen's positive psycho-emotional attributes are trust, honesty, openness, acceptance, equanimity, balance, and impartiality; its negative attributes are worry, excessive thinking, pensiveness, obsessiveness, remorse, regret, obsessions, and self-doubt."

I'm mad!

2011-06-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, that was just the title of this post though I was really a bit mad a few days ago. The title is to call your attention to express your anger, but not by quarreling another person at that angry moment.

Some tips to express your anger:
1. Cry but don't let everyone know you're crying.
2. Shout your anger to the hills, the seas or any place of nature that can easily engulf your anger and replace it with a nice feeling.

Releasing your anger will not only release you from bad feelings but will prevent your liver from stress and from developing cancer cells that will later be distributed to the other vital organs. Anger is the number one cause of breast cancer.

If it's another person that caused your anger, cool down at least a day or two, and when you're in the right senses to listen and understand and speak rationally, discuss the issues with the other person involved.

Mankind Chi

2011-05-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

This year of the Metal Rabbit, Feng Shui experts like Lillian Too predicted that "Mankind Chi can be harnessed very effectively to overcome the discordant energies of heaven and earth this year. We can focus on the mankind chi within all of us - focus on strengthening it - and in so doing, more effectively harness the spiritual energy of the empowered self to overcome obstacles and emerge triumphant."

Having read that, I wondered how I am going to harness my mankind chi. All I knew was to get together with people to accomplish that. As a result of meeting people, I was invited to a seminar on "Soul Consciousness". I hope to be more enlightened about my spiritual energy so I immediately said yes! It was amusing to discover how simple it is to place one's spiritual energy at a higher level and I'd like to share that to all.

Each and everyone should actively achieve the original qualities of the soul: peaceful, powerful, pure, positive, loving and joyful. Ten minutes before your regular waking time, meditate on achieving the original qualities of the soul, your soul, for the whole day. If that seem too hard to accomplish, focus on one quality first, until such time all qualities are achieved.

Change should start within ourselves, and now that we know how, we can be confident that everything in our surroundings will change too!

In case of emergency

2011-04-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

When a friend or relative suddenly dies, that is so sad. Before my father died of cancer this second week of April, a friend and mentor from Toastmasters Club died of heart attack. And then another friend died yesterday of cardiac arrest. Perhaps people should know the acupoint that may save a person who has passed out for any reason. The acupoint is called Shuigo or GV-26 and is found at the middle right below the nostrils (at the junction of the upper and middle third of the philtrum).

Shuigo or GV-26 is the main point for restoring consciousness, for shock, revival from fainting, weakness, or helps patient to awaken. Specific indications include manic-depressive disorders, epilepsy, infantile convulsion, coma, trismus, puffiness of the face, deviation of the mouth and eye, pain and stiffness of the lower back. In case of emergency and no acupressure or acupuncture gadget is available around, use your fingernail and press on this acupoint obliquely towards the brain. In my case I always bring my Acupoint Treasure with electric pulse which is really intended for emergencies.

How I wish all my friends can read this so I won't hear any bad news anymore. By the way, the time of our friend's death yesterday was around 11:15 in the morning. I've told this friend one time to avoid activities between 11AM to 1PM because the heart is so active within these hours and can be prone to heart attack, and also to stop smoking! Anyway, we just learned he has a congenital enlarged heart. All we can do now is pray for him.

Renovating the house

2011-03-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

The best season to renovate a house is summer or hot season. Several countries are approaching that season and people are preparing to renovate their houses, but based on Feng Shui, it is not good to renovate some parts of the house within a specific year. For 2011 for instance, we are not advised to renovate or disturb the Eastern part (67.5 to 112.5 degrees) and the Western part which covers half of both the NW and SW sides (225 - 315 degrees).

However, we can always paint our houses, just don't start or end the job on those two areas mentioned. This year, it would be good to renovate the South and North areas of the house, and don't postpone that for next year because those areas might be afflicted by then and shouldn't be disturbed.

It would also be good to follow the right colors based on Feng Shui. I've tested that and noticed that the direction of the sun has either good or bad effect on color, but the best effects if Feng Shui was followed. I've published about the "Feng Shui Rule for House Colors" just click that title if you want to know about it, read from the middle part of the post.

The Golden Rabbit Year

2011-02-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

"Rabbit Years have always been years of appeasement, when conflicts arising in preceding Tiger Years get resolved. Unfortunately, 2011 continues to be a year of global political upheavals.....

The Golden Rabbit Year is challenging and full of intrigues. Unlike the direct confrontations of the previous years, this is a year when unexpected betrayals and underhand tactics will be prevalent."

That Feng Shui prediction for the year is obviously coming true, with the revolts that has started in the Middle East. Intrigues could also have started even in small organizations. Strong leaders are needed this year, strong meaning righteous, steadfast, compassionate and intelligent. On the other hand, each one should always maintain a positive outlook because --

"Both the year 2011 and the Period itself (period of 8) favors those who move fast and who have prepared themselves to penetrate uncharted territory, just like water. We borrow the term blue oceans to suggest the clever opening up of new areas for creating wealth. And it does not matter whether you live in the West or in the Northeast, if you can work with the cosmic forces of the year and the period, you are sure to benefit....

We can focus on the mankind chi within all of us – focus on strengthening it – and in so doing, more effectively harness the spiritual energy of the empowered self to overcome obstacles and emerge triumphant."

Reference: 2011 Feng Shui by Lillian Too & Jennifer Too

2011 Feng Shui Tip

2011-01-28T00:46:00.000-08:00

In 2011, the Earth element which symbolizes resources is missing. It is therefore important to create the presence of earth element objects in the home. Place stones, rocks and crystals in the following areas:

1. The living area or the center of the house.
2. Southeast and Northwest corners and keep them well lit so that the Fire element is always present to effectively strengthen these Earth element sectors.
3. Northeast and Southwest , the compass earth sectors.

The stones and rocks may be formed like a small mountain which brings excellent Feng Shui. A painting of a mountain or mountains will do the same. In my case, since my space is too small for miniature mountains and I don't have a painting with mountains, I tried to use a tall glass and filled it with stones. Perhaps that will do 'cause I even placed a lamp beside it.

It would be good to install your "creations" before the Chinese New Year which is this coming February 3.

Jet Lag

2011-01-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

It has been a very busy season and I haven't started researching for the nice things that can happen this year based on Feng Shui, so in the meantime, since there were a lot of people who spent Christmas in their hometowns, I thought it would we nice to share this very simple tip.

This tip teaches travelers to alleviate jet lag through an acupuncture point or acupoint called "LI4" or "Hegu" found at the joint intersection of the thumb and index fingers (please see illustration). While inside the plane, just press this point with the thumb of your other hand for 5 seconds, then while still pressing rotate clockwise for ten seconds, press for 5 seconds then rotate counterclockwise for 10 seconds. Repeat the cycle for one to three minutes and repeat the whole procedure after 4 hours. That balancing action will help you easily adjust to the timezone of another country. That is just the bonus of that action which mainly benefits the lungs (reduces cough and colds), eyes and many others. For fever, rotate counterclockwise because LI4 is a "yang" acupoint which is hot and moving, so to reduce or sedate, the "tonify" or clockwise action should be reversed.

A life saving chart

2010-12-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is again the chart of the 5 elements in TCM, but it is not exactly the same as the one I published more than a month ago in this blog. I've manually written on the chart the relationships among the elements so anybody may readily refer to the chart after understanding some basic principles.

The elements are usually represented by the following YIN vital organs which are the solid organs (the YANG organs are hollow and have active movement in the hollow space like the small and large intestines):

1. FIRE (hot and upwards): Heart
2. EARTH (nurturing and nourishing): Spleen
3. METAL (contracting and descending): Lungs
4. WATER (cold and downwards): Kidney
5. WOOD (growing, expanding and straightening): Liver

The sequence from one element to another is very important so I thought the number before each element could help. Knowing the role of each element to the next element is also important:

1. WOOD YIELDS FIRE (without wood, fire will burn out)
2. FIRE GENERATES EARTH (fire creates ashes which can be used to nourish the earth)
3. EARTH PRODUCES METAL (metal is mined from the earth which helps it to form)
4. METAL GENERATES WATER (by acting as a conduit for water to move)
5. WATER PRODUCES WOOD (plants cannot live without water)

Another important basic principle is the CONTROLLING or RESTRAINING function of one element to a specific element:

1. WOOD controls the EARTH (Wood keeps the Earth in place).
2. EARTH controls the WATER (Earth acts like a sea wall or dam).
3. WATER controls the FIRE (Water prevents Fire from getting out of control by cooling it down).
4. FIRE controls the METAL (Fire moulds the Metal into shape).
5. METAL controls the WOOD (by cutting and shaping the Wood).

I am just a layman and at this point, I can't help but translate the 5 elements to the representing organs because I noticed that some very recent medical findings or even ongoing Western Medicine studies prove that there are such relationships which I feel we should all be aware of, to improve our lifestyles and prevent illnesses.

1. The LIVER supports the HEART and controls the SPLEEN.
2. The HEART supports the SPLEEN and controls the LUNGS.
3. The SPLEEN supports the LUNGS and controls the KIDNEY.
4. The LUNGS supports the KIDNEY and controls the LIVER.
5. The KIDNEY supports the LIVER and controls the HEART.

For example, if we have Hypertension (an illness originating from the HEART), we should take care of our LIVER and KIDNEY. Unfortunately, when we take medicines for hypertension, the LIVER and KIDNEY are gradually damaged. The best therefore, is change in lifestyle, so both the liver and kidney can eventually control the hypertension.

The emotions found in the chart can also affect our health as follows:

1. Anger or Depression => harms the LIVER
2. Overjoy or Upset => hurts the HEART
3. Over-thinking or Stress => drains the SPLEEN
4. Sadness or grief => damages the LUNGS
5. Worry or Fright => wear the KIDNEYS out

Now you know why the pants of your frightened friend got wet!

The Snake and the Boar

2010-11-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

I should have posted this earlier but my time was occupied preparing dinner to celebrate my son's birthday. I enjoyed the whole day of preparing and cooking which started as soon as I've finished feeding late breakfast to our special needs child, Lyca. For the celebration, I cooked lasagna, delicious potato salad and oven roasted chicken marinated in rosemary. My big mistake was not taking photo shots of the prepared food. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the "chef" experience, maybe because I was conditioned to do it as a special gift to my son.

In the Chinese zodiac sign, the snake and the boar are exactly opposite each other and are therefore considered enemies. As my son grew, I became worried about that because I am a "Snake" and my son is a "Boar". Until I met a friend who was also a "Boar", and he became one of my best friends. That helped because it removed my insecurities, though I've still always avoided clashing with my son.

Early this year, all my worries about my relationship with my son vanished because I have read in a reliable Feng Shui book that the mother-child relationship always prevails over all other zodiac sign differences. I am no longer worried to clash with my son, I can now tell him how I feel.

To my son OC, Happy Birthday!

The Five Elements

2010-10-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

After my post about the "Mother of Lungs", some of you might be curious to know what is the son of lungs. The answer is the kidneys. If you know the five elements and the organs representing them, it would be easy to determine what next organ can go wrong and therefore should be given attention whenever a specific organ becomes ill. The lungs represent metal which generates water represented by the kidneys. Water produces wood represented by the liver, and wood yields fire, represented by the heart, then fire generates earth which produces metal. The earth is represented by the spleen while metal by lungs, and that is how the spleen became the mother of lungs.

Aside from the mother-son relationship of the five elements and the organs representing them, there also exists a controlling relationship represented by the inner arrows in the chart shown, that will help us determine what other organs can help an ill organ aside from its "mother". Water can control fire, therefore the kidneys can control the heart. Earth can suppress water, which is what the spleen can do to the kidneys. So when there's something wrong with the spleen and the kidneys are not strong enough, the kidneys are not capable of distributing the water properly, thus edema occurs.

That is TCM and that is how the acupoints to be stimulated are identified in acupuncture, one of the ways to prevent a "son" to become imbalanced because of an ill "mother". Another way is to avoid dwelling on an emotion affecting both the ill organ and the susceptible organ (the "son of the ill mother"), as shown on the chart. Take for example anger that affects the liver first then affects the heart because it is the son of the liver. Too much joy directly affects the heart, that is why some sweepstakes winners have heart attacks. Take note also of the taste of food that can help prevent imbalance in an organ, as shown on the chart, which can be a life saving chart.

Holistic detoxification

2010-10-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

I read this dozen ways to detoxify your personal environment from about.com and called it holistic detoxification because it also involves the mind, spirit and emotions. I'm republishing this for the people I care for.

1. Eat a balanced diet that emphasizes plant-based foods and minimizes animal products as well as refined sugars.

2. Boost your immune system by walking or exercising about 30 minutes a day.

3. Avoid air pollution, such as tobacco smoke and industrial fumes, whenever you can.

4. Walk or sit in the sun for at least 20 minutes a day, for a dose of Vitamin D.

5. Clean your indoor environment of toxins, using natural cleaners.

6. Air out any dry-cleaned clothing or fabrics before using them to minimize contact with PCE (Perchloroethylene) and TCE (Trichoroethylene).

7. Use natural insecticides and organic fertilizers in your garden.

8. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water everyday.

9. Cook food in glass, ceramic, iron, or steel containers instead of plastic made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

10. Choose skin products that contain no estrogens, placental components, phtalates, or parabens.

11. Resolve emotional issues, lower your stress levels, and surround yourself with positive, supportive people to make your body a stronger, less hospitable field in which cancer may grow.

12. Set aside regular time to relax, write a journal, meditate, or pray, away from all of your electronic devices. Reconnect with your true self and clear your mind and spirit.

The Mother of Lungs

2010-10-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Based on TCM, the spleen is a vital organ and is the mother of lungs. The spleen filters the air to transport only pure air up to the lungs and transports impure air down to the stomach. However, there are times the spleen couldn't function well when exposed to outside factors like cold drinks or very cool environment. That is why we catch a cold when we're outside in the cold, and why hot chicken soup is good for colds. The hot temperature will help the spleen recover, so even just drinking hot water (one part hot water, one part tap water) will do the same good job.

The spleen is important to the lungs, so it should be taken cared of. Too much thinking will also affect the spleen. Coupled with sadness or grief, sooner or later, you'll hear that grieving person coughing. Grieving for any loss, whether material thing or a loved one will affect the lungs.

Eating spicy foods moderately will also help the lungs. The spleen likes sweet foods, but too much sweets will also harm the spleen. That is how holistic TCM is, each vital organ has a mother or a son, can control another organ and be controlled by another organ, is affected by emotions and even by the tastes of food.

Sunlight

2010-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

It seems that in the past, nobody had thought that God will provide to mankind a very easy way to prevent or solve most health problems. In fact, that solution was enforced to mankind because all a person has to do is to get out of the house and stay outdoors for a few minutes while there is sun.

People are aware now that sunlight can stimulate the body to produce Vitamin D. I learned that from my first years in school. But for more than a half of my lifetime, assuming I will live till age 80, I feared the sun. Part of those years, was mainly because I feared cancer. I was not aware that it's also exposure to sunlight that is the best prevention for breast cancer. Other cancers can be prevented as well, like prostate cancer which most men feared, colon cancer and rectal cancer. When a cyst was found in my ovary, I saw to it that it will not stay in my ovary for more than 5 years so it became my main reason to undergo total hysterectomy. I had no idea that just 15-30 minutes stay under the sun everyday can stimulate the production of Vitamin D which can inhibit the growth of my cyst and prevent it from becoming cancerous. More benefits can be derived from sunlight and here's a summary:

=> Reduces stress, anxiety/tension, depression and migraines
=> Reduces fatigue, sleep disturbances and sleep disorders
=> Reduces alcohol and food cravings
=> Reduces violence and aggression
=> Lowers cholesterol levels, blood pressure
=> Improves alertness, energy and productivity
=> Increases calcium absorption
=> Improves immune system function and cardiac output
=> Improves concentration, academic performance and visual acuity

The best time under the sun to stimulate production of Vitamin D is 9 A.M. to 10 A.M. Avoid staying under the sun between 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. which is the horary time for the heart because in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), the heart represents fire and might overact during peak hot hours.

A Tip for Runners: The Leg Three Miles

2010-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the Leg Three Miles? It's an acupoint found below the outer part below the kneecap. It's easy to locate because there is a depression in that point, between two bones. The tip for runners is if you're tired but haven't reached your endpoint, just press that point with the tip of your thumb, release then press again, alternatingly for one minute and you're ready to run for another three miles.

This acupoint is called ST36 and is part of the Stomach meridian. It is said to be the most important acupuncture point because it can treat all diseases. It is now the runners' turn to share this amusing tip to others.

Food for Yin or Yang People

2010-06-23T04:02:00.000-07:00

The ideal state of a person is a balanced Yin & Yang energies, based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. Excess or deficiency in either Yin or Yang can bring about illness so a person should know his or her current state and the ways to achieve Yin and Yang balance. One basic way is to know the right food to eat whenever one is Yin and the right food when one is Yang.

Common indicators for a Yin state are cold hands and feet, a pale face and feeling weak. On the other hand, too warm hands and feet or a warm feeling, a red face and always raring to go are indicators that a person is Yang. A balanced state is just in between the indicators mentioned.

Yin people should eat warming foods like a warm soup and steamed vegetables even for salads. Raw vegetables are cooling foods and therefore more appropriate for Yang people, otherwise Yin people who will eat raw veges will become more Yin.

More warming foods for Yin people: cherry, chicken, coconut, cinnamon, clove, eel, green onion, ginger, guava, leeks, rosemary, lamb, shrimp, squash, radish, turnips, vinegar, walnut, wine

More cooling foods for Yang people: black beans, kidney beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes, oysters, clams, fish. String beans, lemons, chicken eggs.

Best food to beat cancer

2010-05-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

What can be a better amusing tip than the best food to beat cancer? In the past, death becomes scary when a person has a chronic illness like cancer. I guess not anymore, thanks to the internet generation because people can now be aware of the possible solutions to fight and defeat cancer. Thanks too to my learnings in TCM, for making me aware of the holistic approach to prevent and fight cancer. But let us focus first on the food that can help us beat cancer:

The first rule is to avoid creating the habitat for cancer which is an acidic body. That means that meat and dairy products such as too much milk, ice cream and butter should be avoided because they turn into acid. The best food is vegetables because they are alkaline. Here are some of cancer fighting foods:

1. Broccoli - its sprouts are my favorite source of sulforaphane which is an antioxidant that can prevent breast cancer and prostate cancer. It also stimulates natural detoxifying enzymes.

2. Garlic - have you tried broccoli with garlic? I can live eating just that everyday 'cause the combination is just yummy!

3. Carrots - aside from beta-carotene, carrot has falcarinol, an antioxidant that inhibits the growth of tumors, especially colon tumors. Carrot can be eaten raw so why not eat strips of carrots for snack? Carrots can also be boiled and that makes falcarinol more absorbable.

4. Red beetroot - has Betanin that prevents chemical-induced liver, skin and spleen cancer, even at a very low dose.

5. Red onion - like garlic, has sulphur, and also quercetin, both capable of inhibiting the growth of tumors. Carrots, red beetroot and red onions are familiar ingredients in some salads, you can create variations like adding curcumin or tumeric which is more well known to have anti-cancer properties, so you can eat that combination often.

6. Spirulina - the world's richest natural source of vitamin B-12 and contains a whole spectrum of natural mixed carotene and xanthophyll phytopigments. In vitro, studies suggest the unique polysaccharides of spirulina enhance cell nucleus enzyme activity and DNA repair synthesis, inhibiting the growth of various types of cancers. It can shift the immune system towards mounting a cell mediated immune-response instead of a humoral response thus also effective for autoimmune diseases.

Spirulina is my favorite supplement and I'm lucky that Tiens, where I am a distributor, manufactures high quality Spirulina powder in capsules, and for that, Tiens or Tianshi was given an award for “Best Healthcare Food for Astronauts” by Russia.. The powder tastes good so it may be removed from the capsule and sprinkled on food. I always do that on oatmeal.

Ten Tips for Taking Criticisms

2010-04-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

This shouldn't have taken too long to publish after my previous post on John Maxwell's Ten Tips for Giving Criticisms, so my only consolation is hoping that the timing is right for most people who will read this. These tips are again from John Maxwell:

1. Understand the difference between constructive and destructive criticisms.

When you are criticized, it usually feels destructive, but when you criticize, you're doing it to help, so it is constructive. You need to determine the true motives of the critic so you have to ask yourself some questions:

Was it done in public? If yes then the critic's motive can be to destroy you.

Is the critic a very close relative? If yes then it should be constructive.
If it was done in public, that relative wanted you to learn, by all means!
But he should know Maxwell's tips on giving criticisms.*

2. Don't take yourself too seriously. Blessed is he who can enjoy his blunders.

3. Look beyond the criticism and see the critic.

4. Watch your own attitude toward the critic. A negative attitude toward criticism can be more destructive than the criticism itself.

5. Realize that good people get criticized.

6. Keep physically and spiritually in shape.

Physical exhaustion has a tremendous effect on the way we act and react; it distorts the way we see and handle life.

7. Don't just see the critic; see if there's a crowd.

8. Wait for time to prove them wrong.

If you know your action or decision was right, hang in there. Time will prove you out.

9. Surround yourself with positive people.

Enough quality time with positive people will minimize the effect of negative criticism.

10.Concentrate on your mission – change your mistakes.

Most people do exactly the opposite - they change their mission and concentrate on their mistakes. If you run from your task each time you make a mistake, you will never accomplish anything. You will always be in a state of frustration and defeat. The only real mistakes in life are the mistakes from which we learn nothing. So instead of dwelling on them, count on making them, learning from them, and moving on to finish the job.

* Except for the statements under item number 1, all statements were taken from John Maxwell's "Be A People Person".

10 Tips in Giving Criticisms

2010-03-16T03:10:00.000-07:00

I kept on forgetting to share these ten important tips in giving criticisms by John Maxwell. Important because people tend to hurt other people through criticisms. They knew they are giving constructive criticisms and therefore helping the person concerned, but they didn't know that there is a right way to do it. I was guilty of that, as a mother to my kids, as a wife, and as a friend. Through these tips, I've realized my mistakes, and I hope that others will too, as soon as possible, because the sharpest knife that can hurt a loved one is your own tongue.

1. Check your motive.
The goal of the confrontation is to help, not to humiliate.

2. Make sure the issue is worthy of criticism.

3. Be specific.
When you confront you must be tactfully explicit. Say exactly what you mean and provide examples to back yourself up.

4. Don't undermine the person's self-confidence.
Try to find at least one area in which you can praise the person before you expose the problem.

5. Don't compare one person with another. (A lot of people make this very common mistake).
Deal with people on an individual basis. Comparisons always cause resentment and resentment causes hostility.

6. Be creative or don't confront.
Look beyond the problem and see if you can help find some solutions.

7. Attack the problem not the person.

8. Confront when the time is right.
The right time is just as soon as you know something is wrong.

9. Look at yourself before looking at others.
Instead of putting others in their place, put yourself in their place.

10. End confrontation with encouragement.
Always end confrontation with the "sandwich treatment". Sandwich the criticism between praise in the beginning and encouragement at the end.

Blue rhinoceros and elephant for 2010

2010-02-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

I practice Feng Shui inside my house but since it is not a big house, I couldn't place all remedies or duplicate any of them. I am very particular about the "Burglary" star which now resides in the Southeast part of the house, because it doesn't only pertain to money or material things that can be robbed from you but also pertain to sudden loss of life.

The amusing tip is a simple remedy. Put a figurine of a blue rhinoceros and elephant in that part of your house. I initially placed a blue rhinoceros outside the window but now transferred it inside because I either misplaced something I placed exactly in the Southeast part of our house, or lost it. The best thing maybe is not to place anything valuable in that area.

Even if you move those valuable items out of that area, don't forget the blue rhinoceros and elephant, not only to protect you from burglars but also from cheaters to come to your life this year.

2010 Feng Shui Locations

2010-01-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

Best location: the center of the house. The number associated to this is "8". Keep this part of the house active and keep lighted with a bright light.

Important tips:

1. Place a water feature at the Southeast.

2. Do not renovate the Southwest and Northeast portions of the house. If it cannot avoided like when painting the whole house, don't start or end at these parts.

3. Avoid facing the Northeast. It is the location of the fierce Tiger.

Once in a Blue Moon

2009-12-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my last post in this "Amusing Tips" blog was last August 30 of this year. But don't get me wrong, the title of this post doesn't mean that I will be posting once in a blue moon. On the contrary, what it meant was that big gap in my posting in this blog may happen once in a blue moon, and I hope that will be acceptable, though I will try my best to post at least once or twice a month, or even weekly.

The photo included here was taken last night, December 31, and it was a "blue moon". It was the second full moon within the month, it happens rarely, and that is what a "blue moon" really means, and it has nothing to do with the color blue. It happens about every two and a half years.

For this New Year, it's time for Feng Shui believers to see what may happen this 2010. I am one of those believers and I just love to share my excitement so watch out for it.

Recipe for Fame

2009-08-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

A Feng Shui rule for toilet doors

2009-07-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

When I designed the renovation of our house, I haven't started learning about the rules in Feng Shui yet. I didn't know that a toilet door should not be seen at the front door. The solution is not hard, just keep the door of the toilet closed.

My problem was that not everyone at home would like to follow any Feng Shui rule, so the door of our toilet is not always closed. In my case, following the rules just makes things easy for me whenever I want to beautify a place or a spot. In my years of experience of rearranging objects even in my cubicle at the office, I noticed that when I follow the Feng Shui rule, the outcome is better that what I expected.

It is not hard to follow the rules, because there is always a solution. But we have a small space so that I cannot use a divider. Until I found a hanging shell craft and that gave me an idea. When I shot the photo here, at my back is the front door, and the door blocked by the shell craft is the toilet door. It is more than one meter away from the door. I'm glad I finally found the solution!

Spirulina Mask

2009-06-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

I didn't mean to scare you, that was just me with spirulina on my face! It's a very natural way to cleanse and smoothen the face, and I'd like to share that tip with you. Just put in a bowl a half egg yolk and then open a spirulina capsule (preferably the one manufactured by Tiens), and pour the powder on the bowl with egg yolk then mix thoroughly. Using a clean blush on brush, apply the mixture to your face and stand for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water. You'll instantly feel that your face becomes smooth! Egg yolk may be substituted with milk, or with egg white to remove wrinkles.

Google Docs

2009-05-31T02:07:00.000-07:00

At the same time I was about to start working again, a post from a fellow blogger gave me an idea on how to share documents with work teammates through Google Docs (you need to have a google or gmail account first). When I explored the Google Docs site, I was amused because it does a lot more than just sharing documents, and I'm referring to the following features:

1. You can invite people with any email address either as viewers or collaborators who can edit the document shared.

2. As the owner of the document, you may be notified every time a change is made on the document.

3. You may publish the document as a web page so anybody who has access to it can always view an updated copy.

4. You may create your own document, spreadsheet, presentation or form to be shared.

5. You may choose any of the template designs where all types of forms can be found. For projects, the Project Management template is a big help, as well as the Communication Plan or the Project Timeline. For sharing personal documents like photos, there are different types of photo albums to share with friends and relatives, and even a Wedding Budget Manager, those who are getting married, take note. With 449 template designs at present, you'll surely find what you'll need.

Swine flu tips

2009-05-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Overwhelmed with information about the swine flu virus, it took me long to finally publish a post about it. The swine flu virus is not amusing in the first place, but maybe I should still post whatever I learned about it for the past 3 weeks, in the form of a summary.

1. Swine flu should not cause panic since the number of mortality is not significantly high.

2. A healthy person with a strong immune system will unlikely be infected with swine flu. To be healthy, foods that will cause acidity should be avoided like meat, dairy products and caffeine. A vegan diet can maintain the body's alkalinity.

3. Some antiviral supplements like resveratrol can help treat swine flu.

4. Green tea is a good alternative for Tamiflu.

5. Cytokine storm which can be fatal, can occur in a person who has swine flu. This is caused by the body's immune system and some cytokine-producing foods to continuously produce cytokine to signal the body to fight a virus cell, which incidentally is immune, as far as swine flu is concerned. Turmeric can be added to food to decrease the production of cytokine.

Clear out wilting flower and leaves

2009-04-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

If there is one Feng Shui tip I follow almost everyday, it is removing or clearing out wilting flower and leaves. My reason is the obvious aesthetic difference between a garden that looks so fresh because of the absence of dried leaves, and the one with wilted leaves and flowers especially when there are already many.

This is what Feng Shui says about flowers inside a home: Fresh flowers in the home are like an offering to the spirit of the cosmos residing in your home and this also brings in the freshness of growth energy. But change the water regularly and throw out flowers as soon as there are signs of wilting. Otherwise, yin spirit formation starts, transforming positive energy into negative energy.

Ten steps to baking success

2009-04-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

1. Read the recipe thoroughly.

2. Use fresh ingredients.

3. Ensure the ingredient are at room temperature for better mixing. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before you start.

4. Measure all the ingredients before you begin mixing.

5. Use standard dry mixing cups for dry ingredients and standard liquid measuring cups for liquid ingredients.

6. Level off dry ingredients when measuring (don't use a heaped measure), measure wet ingredients on a level counter top for an accurate read.

7. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients slowly and just until combined (don't over mix, otherwise the batter or dough will become tough).

8. Preheat the oven to correct temperature (use an oven thermometer to confirm it's accuracy), and use the center rack for the even heat distribution (unless your recipe stated otherwise).

9. Line baking pans with non-stick foil to prevent sticking and to help with cleanup.

10. Use the pan size specified in the recipe.

Source: www.FoodPals.com

More Glycemic Index Tips

2009-04-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Aside from helping a diabetic decrease the sugar in his or her blood, here are other health benefits of low GI (Glycemic Index) food:

1. It may reduce your cancer risk - low GI eating is linked to a lower risk of breast, pancreatic and colon cancers.

2. It helps your heart - people who eat lots of high GI carbohydrates have 76 per cent more triglycerides (a harmful form of fat) in their body than low GI eaters.

3. It may reduce Alzheimer's risk: Korean researchers found swapping high GI rice for other wholegrains cut levels of a harmful amino acid called homocysteine in their blood that is believed to be a major contributor to Alzheimer's.

4. It might cure acne. Research from Colorado State University found high insulin levels increase levels of male type hormones in the skin - something linked to the development of spots.

5. It may reduce stroke risk. Switching one portion of carbs a day from high GI to low, cuts risk of stroke by 40 per cent in women, say Harvard researchers.

More tips about the Glycemic Index (GI) of food, which I have explained in my last two previous posts:

1. The more fiber a food contains, the lower GI, which is why brown bread is better than white, and the more fat a food contains, the slower it converts, which is why crisps have a lower GI than most other forms of potato.

2. Pasta is a low-GI food - many people think all white foods are a no-no in GI diets, but because the flour in pasta is high in protein it does not convert quickly to sugar in your body.

3. Adding vinegar to a food lowers its GI - the acid slows the rate at which any food converts to sugar by around 30 per cent. Squeezing lemon juice over a dish also works.

4. Eating a low GI breakfast cuts the amount of calories people tend to eat over the rest of the day by half.

5. New potatoes are the only low GI potato. That's because they're picked early in their growing season so they have lower levels of sugary starches than other spuds.

Five steps to GI success:

All you have to do is remember the following five, simple rules...

1. All meals and snacks should be made up mainly of low GI foods.

2. If you're trying to lose weight, you shouldn't eat more than one high GI food and two medium GI foods a day.

3. When you do eat a high or medium GI food, you should always combine it with at least two low-GI foods at the same meal. Do this and you slow down the speed at which the high-GI food converts to sugar.

4. Eat three small meals a day and two snacks: this keeps blood sugar levels more balanced than eating three large meals.

5. Always remember, portion sizes count: because fat affects the sugar rating of a food, some GI foods can be high in calories and fat, so for the health of your waistline and your heart, you do have to watch the quantities you eat.

Portion control:

1. Fruit and vegetables are unlimited, but meat portions should be roughly 75g (3oz), fish 100g (4oz).

2. Starchy carbohydrates like pasta or grains should be 50g (2oz) dry weight, a portion of dairy products is roughly 25g (1oz) cheese, 150ml skimmed milk or a small pot (roughly 125g) of yoghurt.

3. Nuts and seed portions are roughly 10 of a small nut like almonds, six of big nuts like brazil or a small handful of seeds.

4. Chocolate can be enjoyed two or three times a week in the form of a small bar like a Milky Way or two-three squares of pure chocolate.

AT-A-GLANCE GI GUIDE...

GREEN GO!
CARBS: Granary bread, rye bread with grains, wholewheat tortillas, soy bread, All Bran, porridge oats, barley, bulgar wheat (aka taboulleh), quinoa, buckwheat, glass noodles, egg noodles, new potatoes, yams, pasta.
FRUIT: Apples, dried apricots, avocado, berries, cherries, grapefruit, citrus fruits, pears, plums, prunes.
VEGETABLES: All except those listed in orange/red columns.
PROTEINS: All fresh meat, fish, shellfish plus processed foods (burgers, sausages, fish fingers).
PULSES: All beans (except broad beans), lentils - and any products made from them like tofu, hummus, falafel and unsweetened soya milk.
DRINKS: Water, tea, herbal tea, milk.
OTHERS: Yoghurt, cheese, nuts, seeds, olives, chocolate (though remember, calories count).

ORANGE CAUTION!
CARBS: Brown bread, fruit bread, pitta bread, high fibre bread, sourdough, muesli, wheat cereals (like Weetabix), couscous, soba noodles, udon noodles, crisps, sweet potatoes, basmati, brown and white rice.
FRUIT: Fresh apricots, bananas, melon, figs, red grapes, mango, papaya, canned fruit, raisins, sultanas.
VEGETABLES: Beetroot, corn, sweetcorn, peas.
PROTEINS: There are no medium GI proteins.
PULSES: There are no medium GI pulses.
DRINKS: Fruit juices, wine, squashes.
OTHERS: Ice cream, biscuits, cakes.

RED STOP!
CARBS: Bagels, white/French bread, flaked cereals, honey-coated cereals, puffed cereal, mashed potato, jacket potatoes, chips, any rice that takes less than 20 minutes to cook.
FRUIT: Watermelon, dates.
VEG: Parsnips, pumpkin, swede, turnips.
PROTEINS: There are no high GI proteins.
PULSES: Broad beans.
DRINKS: Cola, fizzy orange, sports drinks, beer.
OTHERS: Boiled sweets, doughnuts, popcorn, rice cakes.

Note: Helen Foster's book The Easy GI Diet is published by Hamlyn, £12.99.

Glycemic Index values of foods

2009-03-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is the Part 2 of my previous post titled "A must know: the Glycemic Index of food". Most GI values below were taken from the GI Listing website, please refer to that website for more information.

Foods to avoid are those with High GI which follows. For diabetics and people who had cancer, High GI foods is definitely a NO-NO. This is my personal opinion for you people, so you can make that a habbit!

High GI Foods ( GI 70 0r more )

Breads
White bread, bagel, blackbread, Wonderwhite®, gluten-free bread

Breakfast Cereals
Sultana Bran®, Bran Flakes®, Coco Pops®, Puffed Wheat®, Rice Bubbles®, Cornflakes®

Grains
All white rice, brown rice, calrose rice, jasmine rice, rice pasta

Legumes
Broad beans

Starchy Vegetables
Other potatoes, parsnip, cooked turnips, french fries, mashed potatoes

Fruit
Watermelon

Other
Ice cream, Digestive cookies, Table sugar (sucrose), Soda crackers, Jellybeans, corn chips, pretzels

Choose from the following Low GI Foods:

Low GI Foods ( GI 55 or less )

Breads
Burgen Soy-Lin®, PerforMAX®, fruit loaf, Vogel's honey and oat®, multigrain bread, stone ground wheat bread, sour dough bread

Breakfast Cereals
All Bran fruit'n oats®, All Bran®, Guardian®, porridge, Special K®, Rice Bran, Oatmeal

Grains
Barley, Pasta (all types), Noodles, Bulgur, Semolina

Legumes and nuts
All Beans (eg kidney, soy, baked bean, etc…), peas, lentils, peanut, walnut, cashew nut

Vegetables
Broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, green pepper, carrots

Starchy Vegetables
Sweet potato, taro

Fruit
Cherries, grapefruit, peach, dried apricots, apple, pear, plums, oranges, grapes,
kiwi fruit, banana (not the Philippines' lakatan)

Other
Skim milk, Plain Yogurt, Soy beverage, Pumpernickel bread, Al dente (firm) pasta,
Chick peas

You may include the following Medium GI Foods but when you do, always include a Low GI Food, best practice will be 2 Low GI foods to 1 Medium GI food. In that manner, you are not deprived of most foods you are accustomed to eat.

Medium GI Foods ( GI 56 - 69 )

Breads
Hamburger bun, rye bread, croissant, light rye, crumpet, wholemeal

Breakfast Cereals
Oatbran, untoasted muesli, Just Right®, Nutri Grain®, Sustain®, Weet-Bix®

Grains
Basmati rice, wild rice, Sunrice Doongara® rice, Mahatma Premium® Classic,
couscous, cornmeal, tapioca

Starchy Vegetables
New potato, corn

Fruit
Sultanas, raw and canned apricots, mango, papaya, paw paw, raisins, rockmelon, pineapple, lakatan

A must know: the Glycemic Index of food

2009-03-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Glycemic Index or GI is a way of measuring how fast a food converts to sugar in your body. If a food converts quickly, it is a high GI food (for example, white bread, potatoes and watermelon). If it converts slowly, it has a low GI rating (like berries, pasta or steak).

Why should you eat foods with a low Glycemic Index?

Eating foods with a low Glycemic Index may help you to:

1. Control your blood glucose level
2. Control your cholesterol level
3. Control your appetite
4. Lower your risk of getting heart disease
5. Lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetis

To those who work out on a regular basis, the glycemic index is important as well. When you eat high glycemic carbohydrates to help fuel your workout, you need to balance them out with low glycemic carbohydrates. Eating low glycemic carbohydrates can help bodybuilders and others involved in fitness to have a more constant level of energy when working out.

Those who have risks for cancer should remember that sugar is food for cancer and like the diabetics should avoid foods with high glycemic index.

In my next post which should follow shortly, I will post the Glycemic Index of some foods.

Why you should eat broccoli

2009-03-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

If you eat broccoli regularly, these are the health benefits your body will get, from head to toe:

1. It can prevent the development of cataract later in life.
2. It can prevent stroke.
3. It can help the body destroy breast cancer.
4. It can prevent colon cancer.
5. It can prevent bladder cancer.
6. It can halt or slow down the development of prostate cancer.
7. Its extract can be used as sunscreen that can protect the body for three days.

6 Potent compounds that broccoli contains:

1. Diindolylmethane or DIM, which appears to be effective in reducing a variety of health risks, in particular the possibility of developing certain cancers.
2. Sulforaphane, which may be one of the strongest anti-cancer fighters.
3. Isothiosyanates, which is also well known to have anti-cancer properties.
4. Lignan, which may play a role in reducing breast cancer.
5. Thioredoxin, which can reduce the deterioration caused by oxygen-deficiency that can damage heart muscles.
6. Selenium, which is an essential micro-nutrient that is necessary for healthy cells, and which also plays an important role in normal thyroid function.

Include broccoli in your diet at least two or three times a week, if not more often.

To get the greatest health benefit from broccoli, the best way to prepare it is to steam it lightly about 3 to 4 minutes, until it is just tough-tender or 'al dente'.

Cleansing the liver

2009-03-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

It is very important the we take good care of our liver and one way is to cleanse it regularly. There is a traditional way of cleansing which is so simple, and the TCM doctor who shared this to us would like us to share this procedure to others:

1. Get a ginger about 3 to 4 inches long.
2. Slice the ginger to about half inch per slice WITHOUT PEELING.
3. Boil the slices of ginger to 2 liters of water for 5 minutes.
4. While boiling the ginger, drink one liter of tea or water.
5. Take out the ginger, slice to smaller pieces and minch.
6. Pour the boiled water and minched ginger to a basin.
7. Test if your feet can withstand the heat when soaked.
8. If your feet can withstand the heat, soak until the water's heat is gone.

The pungent essence of the ginger will cleanse the liver from its acupoints on the foot. You should feel the heat going up your body.

The lucky houses for 2009

2009-03-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

According to Feng Shui, there are houses that are just luckier than the rest each year, because there are lucky stars that fly to specific locations each year where the houses are seated. The direction where the houses are facing is the opposite of where they are seated.

This year, the following are the directions where the lucky houses are facing, the lucky stars where they are seated respectively, and the meaning of these stars:

North 2 (352.5-360; 0-7.4 degrees), star of sitting direction, South 2, is Golden Deity - Residents enjoy blessings of protection, material wealth, and good health.

East 2 (82.5-97.4 degrees), star of sitting direction, West 2, is Golden Deity - Residents enjoy blessings of protection, material wealth, and good health.

Northeast 3 (52.5-67.4 degrees), star of sitting direction, Southwest 3, is Heaven Seal - Everyone in the house receives support and blessings from the heavens.

North 1 (337.5-352.4 degrees), star of sitting direction, South 1, is Big Auspicious, - This very lucky star brings abundance, good news and prosperity to residents.

To know if your house belongs to the lucky houses this year, find the middle of your house and a reliable compass, and determine where your house faces. If your house doesn't belong to those lucky houses, you can still be luckier than their residents if you'll maintain a positive attitude at all times. And don't forget to give to charity.

A cure for cancer

2009-02-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

When I was at a bank one time, I met an employee of the bank whose mother died of cancer. He researches a lot, but it was too late when he read an article that there is a cure for cancer. The problem is it may be administered only once and the patient is healed! It is a problem because it will stop all the procedures already there that were part of the healing process of cancers. In other words, it will affect a big percentage of the medical industry's business. This employee did not tell me what was this cure he was talking about. That was a month ago.

A few days ago, I think I found the article that he was talking about. It said that this product was tested in rats with tumors and upon injecting this product directly to the tumors, the cancer cells disappeared. This product cannot be patented since it already has a lot of manufacturers and distributors, and it is so cheap, business establishments that will attempt to manufacture them for injections will not profit.

That's really a sad news. Maybe I won't also publish what this product is, since the affected people in the industry might run after me (LOL) or just say there's no truth to this information. It's a food supplement and I'm just glad that I've used the tablet form of this supplement to my children in the past to make them grow tall. Since my eldest child was already a teenager at that time, it was my second child who was able to take it longer but not religiously I think, since we were forcing him to take a number of tablets at a time, though he really had grown tall.

Amazing antibiotic

2009-02-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

I was afraid I would be hospitalized yesterday! I had an "eat-all-you-can" reunion lunch with some friends last Friday, but maybe my digestive system was no longer used to it so since early morning yesterday, I had diarrhea and my head and stomach where both aching. I learned that my child's caregiver was also having diarrhea and stomach ache, but they said hers was stress related because of a news from her province.

I thought a drink that will replenish my electrolytes was enough for me to feel better, but my head and stomach continued aching. I then remembered that during similar situations in the past, I would already take an antibiotic, but I wouldn't want to do that. And then I recalled that the Tiens Cordyceps supplement that we have at home has a natural antibiotic, so I immediately took 5 capsules. To my amazement, my stomach ache was gone after one hour, though I still had headache. I also gave the caregiver 5 capsules of Tiens Cordyceps. Since my head was still aching, I used my Tiens comb gadget, until I felt sleepy.

When I woke up, I couldn't feel any sign of pain, neither on my head nor in my stomach! The caregiver's stomach ache was also gone instantaneously after taking the 5 capsules of Tiens Cordyceps I gave her, and she said she couldn't believe that was possible!

Do charity work

2009-02-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

My first posts dealt with the luck the year 2009 brings. I don't want to mention the negative side because it will always exist in a house since different people will occupy a house.

What I appreciate about Feng Shui is there is always a remedy to every problem. The best remedy however, is for the afflicted person to do charity work. No matter how tremendous luck the year brings to a person, there will still be bad months. If you can be charitable at all times then there will be no room for bad luck in your life.

The best baking tip

2009-02-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

The best baking tip I can share is very basic: keep all baking utensils very clean and dry (free from moist).

When separating the egg whites from the yolks, remove the drops of yolk that might come with the egg whites. Use the smallest teaspoon or measuring spoon you have, to remove the yolk spots. Pure egg whites on a clean dry bowl will surely give a fluffy result when beaten.

2009 Lucky Locations

2009-01-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

The SE or southeast sector of the home will bring "extreme" luck this year but it has to be activated, according to the 2009 Feng Shui.

In my case, our bedroom is the southeast sector of our home and the southeast portion of that room was occupied by display cabinets of books that are rarely used. That will stall the luck so I did a minor rearranging since it is just a small room, by moving the more active objects to the southeast. That included our child's play clothes rack that has a tray on top where I placed a battery operated miniature fountain, my most active jewelry container, a miniature 9-rod windchime and our child's talking and singing toy frog. Adjascent to it is the bookcase which I asked my husband late last year to add a pull-out table for my laptop, so at this very moment that is where I'm working on this post. I've added a purple covered pillow on my chair and a purple cloth to cover my laptop when not in use. I also displayed my small jade elephant on the shelf above this pull-out table.

For bigger homes, a bigger water feature such as an aquarium with nine goldfishes or a fountain should definitely be placed on the southeast sector of the home, inside or outside or both. Place a light on this sector also. A good news for those working in this sector of the office is there will be less stress in your work this year. If you're not fortunate to be in this sector and there are already occupants here, a figurine of your Feng Shui secret friend (e.g. the boar's secret friend is the tiger) on your desk, will help you make your work less stressful.

I practically did everything I can to take the opportunity to experience that "extreme" luck so I even I simulated the aquarium with nine goldfishes by making it the screensaver of my laptop (LOL). As early as now, I can experience the result of what I've done! I feel more comfortable with the pillow on my back, and the sound of the water trickling on the miniature fountain is just soothing to the ears while my mind is composing this post.

The SW or Southwest sector of your home will bring "unexpected fortune" of the speculative kind, and will bring authority and power. Again, it has to be activated with lights, water feature and figurines such as the Triple Sheep, which was what I placed on the table at the SW corner of our living room. We have a small house so more often than not, I see that figurine and whenever I do, it makes me feel good. Now I believe that even if no unexpected fortune will happen, activating that sector will make you happy anyway.

KUNG HEI FAT CHOY !

Lucky Numbers for 2009

2009-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that 8 is a lucky number. But for this year, 9 is even luckier. It is a symbol of future prosperity and is a very special number in feng shui since any multiples of this number comes back or sums up to 9, like 18 (1 + 8 = 9), 27, 36, etc. Good luck this year can therefore be enhanced with objects in nine or multiples of nine such as 9 goldfishes in an aquarium. Now I understand why there are windchimes with 18 rods or 9 rods. We have both at home and I wondered if those 18 rods had a special meaning. For those planning to get married, September 9 this year is truly a lucky date (9-9-9) and coincides with the Feng Shui calendar that says it's good to marry on that date, though it falls on a Wednesday. If your wedding day has to be a Sunday, then September 27 is the best day, based on the 2009 feng shui calendar.

There are best locations for your aquarium with 9 goldfishes and that will be another 2009 feng shui tip for my next post.

2009 Lucky Colors

2009-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Based on Feng Shui, the lucky color for 2009 is purple. According to the Chinese, when there is good luck, red becomes very red it turns into purple. For people whose sign is the Snake like me, deep pinks are also lucky.

Another lucky color is green because 2009's element is Wood.