I started seeing those green grassy plants at the gym’s juice bar last year. But I have never been tempted to try it.
Lately, my cousin has been posting his wheatgrass babies on Facebook. He even created a Facebook page solely dedicated to the green juice.
So what’s in wheatgrass? Why is it becoming such a hit among health buffs?
Wheatgrass is the young plant of the common wheat. Though there are a lot of commercially available finished products, more and more wheatgrass enthusiasts are cultivating the plant in their own homes.
Its juice is squeezed out with a juicer and often taken pure. Others prefer it mixed into a shake. The pure juice tastes like “grass – bitter, fresh grass,” as one friend put it.
That definitely did not make me a convert.
The supposed health benefits, however, outweigh the, uhmmm, taste… Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: benefits of wheatgrass, colon cleanser, herbal supplements, wheatgrass, wheatgrass juice
Last year, the Philippines topped among all countries who joined the Earth Hour 2009, with over 15 million Filipinos from 650 cities and towns turning off the lights for one hour.
We reportedly saved about 611 megawatt-hours, the equivalent of ’shutting down a dozen coal-fired power plants for 60 minutes’, according to a local officer of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). That’s a lot of power conserved!
In my home, we switched off the lights, the TV, the airconditioner for as long as we could beyond 60 minutes! My kids and I talked about environmental stuff, which they really enjoy especially when the topic is on endangered species and melting ice caps.
The overwhelming reponse was largely due to heavy campaigns both online and off. I remember seeing ‘Earth Hour 60′ tarps and banners all over Metro Manila. Online, the campaign was even more intense – bloggers blogged and SNS-ers tweeted/plurked about it.
This year, it seems a bit different. Earth Hour is in just a little over a month, but I have only seen a handful blog posts about it. I’ve yet to see a ‘60′ tarp in the metro.
This is understandable, because it’s also the campaign period for the May elections. And that’s where everyone is focused.
But I hope we can do our own little thing. Help spread the word about this year’s Earth Hour -
Turn off the lights on March 27, 2010 at 8:30 P.M.
After all, this Earth is the only home we’ve got. Sixty minutes in darkness isn’t too much to ask.
Sign up at EarthHour.org and spread the word!
Tags: 2010, Earth Hour 2010, Earth Hour 60, environment conservation, Environmentalism, March 27, turn out the lights in 2010
Even as a parent of an atopic child, I sometimes still get confused between eczema and atopic dermatitis. They are often used interchangeably, but they are quite different. I have a child who suffers from atopic dermatitis.
Eczema is a general term used for a group of skin inflammations or “dermatitis”. Atopic dermatitis is a specific skin condition marked by dry, itchy, scaly rashes that generally appear on the face and scalp (especially among babies), elbows, back of the knees, neck, wrist, ankle, hands, and feet.
Atopic dermatitis is caused by several factors. The leading factor is heredity. As early as infancy, I myself suffered skin allergies. This carried on until I was in grade school. Up to now, I’d get itchy breakouts around my wrists and on my forearm once in a while.
So it’s not a wonder why my son suffers the same condition.
The environment also has got a lot to do with risks for atopic dermatitis. Living in an urban area with a lot of pollution increases the chances to develop the skin condition.
Atopic dermatitis can also occur, and is more likely to occur, with asthma, hay fever and other allergic conditions.
Living with an atopic child has led me to read up more about the condition so that I can better manage him. Right now, he is on relative remission, with sporadic breakouts only once in a while. (His scalp rashes are more recurrent and challenging though.)
The two tricks that has worked best with my son are: 1. Food trigger avoidance. 2. Skin moisturization.
Learn more about eczema and atopic dermatitis on www.eczema.com.
Tags: atopic dermatitis, children with allergy, eczema, management of skin asthma, skin asthma, skin conditions in children
The Lunar New Year coincided with Valentine’s Day this year.
And because my husband is, above all things, Chinese – no Valentine’s date. *sad face*
But we did celebrate the New Year the traditional way. New Year’s eve was spent by husband in prayer and offering at the Buddhist temple. The next morning, we went to the Father-in-law for the customary visit, and to pai-pai (offer incense).
Then we had family lunch at a Chinese restaurant. (Eating is always the highlight, hehe)
I wanted to go to Binondo for the real stuff, but husband was not brave enough. So we ended up at the closest real thing – Banawe Street. Eating places get pretty crowded there too.
We were not expecting to get a table but we pushed our luck at Mandarin Sky Seafood and Shabu Shabu Restaurant – a newly opened restaurant at what used to be Wah Yuen.
Well, if it’s a preview of lucky things to come, then I’m excited for this Year of the Tiger!
Not only did we get a table, but there was also a Dragon Dance and a Lion Dance at Mandarin Sky when we got there. It was a nice treat for the kids (though at first, Nate was crying and clinging to me, deathly scared of the lions and the noise.)
Accompanied with drums, gongs and cymbals, the Lion Dance is traditionally performed during special Chinese occasions to drive away bad spirits and attract good luck. There are two styles – the Northern and the Southern. The style performed in the Philippines is of the Southern one, because our descendants have their roots in the southern province of Fujian (Hokkien/Fookien).
The Lion Dance is often confused with the Dragon Dance (below, upper left, and bottom right). Both are performed during Chinese celebrations. During the Chinese New Year, groups of performers go around business establishments to entertain and show off their acrobatic talents. An ang pao (red envelop) hanging by the entrance is their reward.
The red lion lion symbolizes courage, while the green lion friendship. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Banawe Street restaurants, Chinese culture, Chinese New Year celebration, Chinese restaurants, Chinese traditions, lion dance, video of Chinese lion dance
Saturday, on the way home from Mandarin classes.
The two girls were discussing what to do on this long weekend. (In celebration of the Lunar New Year, my kids have no school on Monday.)
Patch: I want to watch a movie! Can we go watch ‘Alice in Wonderland’?
V: No, I don’t like that, it’s scary. I want ‘Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief”! (kumpleto talaga!)
Me: I like ‘Alice in Wonderland’…
V: Nooooo! I’m scared of that…
Patch: Mas scary kaya ang Percy Jackson. Ang daming magagandang movies ngayon.
Me: There’s a movie on Avatar, the Last Airbender. Yan ang gusto kong i-watch!
V, Patch get excited, chuckling at the same time…
Me: Hindi ko man lang napanood yung Avatar…
Patch: Oo nga, andaming good movies pero we missed a lot. At least we watched Avatar.
V: Yeah, daming good movies. Avatar…
Patch: Sherlock Holmes…
V: I Love You, Goodbye… blech… *rolls eyes, sticks out tongue*
Smooth, V. Smoooooth! You see, I did not go with them to watch Avatar because I went instead to see I Love You, Goodbye with my sister and niece. Jologs ba? Even V knows it.
Tags: While I was driving...
Running is probably the most ‘in’ sport these days, with running events held almost every Sunday for the next two months. Yep, running calendars are full!
Running not only makes you ‘in’ (if that’s the reason why you do certain things). It’s also a great way to lose weight. In fact, running at 9 kph (5 mph) for an hour will burn about 560 calories.
Studies have shown that high-intensity exercises such as interval sprinting burn fat more than aerobic exercise. It’s how I lost five pounds last year! Read my blog entry on interval sprints here.
There is no quick weight loss – I’ve learned that the hard way. If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good, it’s going to take a bit of hard work. 
Tags: calories burned in running, Running, running and weight loss, weight loss
… A car as vain as thee:
Whooooaaaa!!!
I was so overwhelmed and taken aback that I just had to run after it. And try to get a closer picture. I finally caught up with it at a stoplight, and got this shot – Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Louis Vuitton car decals, LV car, While I was driving...
On some days, I have them really bad. Other days are a bit more forgiving.
I’m talking about deark circles under eyes.
I have friends who have really bad cases of dark under-eyes. One seems to have the genes for it (because all of them – she and her sisters – have those ‘panda eyes’). The other is exposed to too much sun. Both heredity and sun exposure are known causes of dark under-eyes.
Another cause is ageing. The skin thins as it loses more fat and collagen, making the blood vessels more visible on the surface. I get dark under-eyes when I’m tired.
There is no permanent cure for dark eyes, but there are a lot of remedies. Applying cold compress helps constrict the blood vessels around the eyes. The best eye creams that are said to work are those with high peptide content, as well as vitamins K, C, and E.
Avoid too much exposure to the sun, as this stimulates the skin to produce more melanin (the dark pigment). Finally, a good concealer should work best, if all else fail.
Tags: dark eye circles, dark under-eyes, remedies for dark eyes
Hiring employees is a critical step for any company. Hire the good ones and the benefits are invaluable. The opposite, of course, is true.
That’s why the hiring process must not be rushed. Pre-employment screening cannot be taken for granted, as well as background checks and drug testing. It will probably cost more, but the advantages gained from hiring the right employees far outweigh it.
Companies such as AIS offer pre-employment screening services. If your company is small and does not have a full, dedicated HR department, it is better to outsource this task for convenience and cost-effectiveness.
I’m a parent who is always on the lookout for worthwhile places to bring my kids to on Sundays. We don’t like to go to the mall often because there really is not much to do there but eat, shop and walk.
I bring my kids to outdoor places where they can play freely (and for free). I’d like my kids to have a little bit of culture too, so we bring them to museums every so often.
Now here’s an interesting place on the ground floor of the Benpres Building along Exchange Road in Pasig – the Lopez Memorial Museum.
The Lopez Memorial Museum began 50 years ago with founder Eugenio H. Lopez Sr.’s collection of Juan Lunas and Felix Hidalgos.
Today, the Lopez Memorial Museum boasts of an impressive collection, not only of artwork modern and classic alike, but also of books and historical artifacts.
The galleries at the Museum showcase the work of legendary modern Filipino artists – Fernando Amorsolo, Botong Francisco, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok, and other luminaries of the local arts world.
The Museum also has a notable library with over 16,000 Filipiniana titles. Historical literary pieces that go back to the 1500s (‘De Moluccis Insulis’ by Maximilianus Transylvanus, which has the first printed account of Magellan’s expedition to the Philippines), old copies of periodicals such as Aguinaldo’s ‘La Republica Filipina’, and an extensive collection from the Spanish and American times make the library an interesting stop for some brain stimulation.
The Lopez Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary on February 18 and has lined up several events to highlight this special year:
- February 18: Launch of the coffee table book ‘Unfolding Half a Century: The Lopez Memorial Museum’ at the Rockwell Tent in Makati.
- February 19 -25: An interesting exhibit entitled ‘Threads: The Museum as Site for the Weaving of Tales’ at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall will feature the visual and performance arts by contemporary Filipino artists Jean Marie Syjuco, Ann Wizer, Myra Beltran, Jef Carnay, Ann Tiukinhoy Pamintuan, Leo Abaya and Kiri Dalena. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: After the Fact, Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, Lopez Museum, Threads exhibit, Unfolding Half a Century coffee table book
