Saturday, April 29, 2006

Francis, Agnes and Joy Manlangit's Visit In Ripon


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Agnes, Francis and Joy came to visit us today at home. They were here from morning till evening time at about 10 PM. It was a great day to bond with her and her family and vice versa. We went to the Saturday afternoon mass this afternoon at 5 PM at our parish in Manteca, CA at St. Anthony of Padua.



Agnes is a close friend of mine and we worked together at Beacon in 2004. She is still there and is here on a summer holiday with Francis and Joy until June.




Friday, April 28, 2006

Yesterday When They Were Young


This is my all-time favorite poem for all seaons. I knew this poem when I was about sixteen. Now, I am not a spring chicken anymore but still am delighted to read this poem time and again. Today, I thought I'd share this to all my blog readers.



Childhood Is A Time Of Innocence
~Joan Walsh Anglund~

Childhood is a time of innocence.
It is the morning time of life when all is change and wonder.
It begins with being born and ends with growing up.
It is a small world of pennies and wishes... of sudden friendships... and short sorrows.
It is big stairs and small footprints.
It is joy...and laughter...and make believe.
Childhood is a magic place of dreams...
where everything is possible and the best is just beginning.
It is a timeless place...
where minutes are not numbered and the hours are sweet with happiness.

Childhood is for exploring... It is for running...and reaching... and touching...and seeing... and tasting...and hearing...and learning... but, mostly, it is for growing.

Childhood is when we are young. It is the happy hour... the passing dream... the tender time of innocence that is part of us forever.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

ANOTHER YEAR OLDER!



*Click photo to enlarge*


Blue-Eyed Little Boy-Blue!

Wishing you all you are wishing for~peace, love and prosperity! All the best to you today and
always!


PHOTO (in leather hat): Taken last week-end (April 22), husband is looking good! His weight loss is 11 lbs. after a month of doing the FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT philosophy! He is on his way to getting back to his old shape again. Wow!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

WEIGHT LOSS IN PROGRESS A'LA "FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT" TECHNIQUE


13 lbs weight loss in one month!
13 livres 13 libras
perte de poids perda de peso
pérdida de peso

*Click photos to enlarge*


When people grow older, metabolism changes. There are many factors affecting weight gain or weight loss. However, in my case- I just pigged out and stopped working out for the past two years. Whereas for 3 years before I relocated here in the USA, I worked out 3 hours daily, seven times a week. And then I got lazy and became a couch potato. Ouch!



I gained weight but am losing it. Good grief! My weight loss process is gradual. Sometimes I gain a pound or two before my period comes when I get bloated which is normal for any woman my age who is still fertile, hehe. Anyhow, am not pushing myself to lose weight ASAP. I want to look refreshed and slim as before when I was younger so I am just cool about weight loss and taking time to let my body acclimatize to my new life style of eating slowly. Below are some developments, healthwise for me:

1. Life style strategy to lose weight: "FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT"
2. Target weight: 123 lbs.
3. Previous Weight: 156 lbs.
4. Current Weight: 143 lbs.
5. Food intake: all~ including beef, pork, chicken, fish, veggies fruits, yougart, pies, cakes, chocolates, ice cream, pastries + wine, gin and tonic, margarita, tea, coffee and water. Surprise?
6. Exercise: 1 hour leisure walk (at least 3X a week). I don't do power walking. Not my cup of tea.
7. Approach to eating quantity: Eat in moderation. EAT SLOWLY. It should work for you. It worked for me!
8. Work out routine: when at home and not travelling.
9. Machine: Bowflex and dumb bells (have not done this since March, actually but am still losing weight!)
10. Supplements: Protein drink and zone bar (a.k.a power bar)

NOTE: For details on my weight loss program, read my previous blog last March 2006, go to ARCHIVES and read stuff there. And BTW, I am already taken and married!!! I got a prompt note earlier (from someone from across the globe). Wow! Am flattered but sorry. I am committed to blue-eyed little boy-blue. But thanks for passing by! I appreciate it!











COUNTRY/CONTINENT SHARE OF MY BLOG READERS




As of today (29/04/06), 7.28 AM



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Who reads my blog? Where are they from? See *graphics on the left* and *on the right* below.

The stats report is interesting. It has all the details of the ISP (internet service provider) of my readers, IP address, country, city, time span page view, subjects read, out click, entry page, exit page, referrals, continents, etc. So hackers watch out, I can track you down! Why? How is that? Well, because I can expose the hacker's identity! So far, I got none of this problem. However, it is my little ballet dancer niece Nikki who has been a victim of one heartless soul *sigh* So this morning, she prompted me to chat, I thought of giving her some very sound advise on the relevance of having a stats meter (mine is site meter by http://www.sitemeter.com. It surely sets the difference as it gives me the detailed profile of my readers. Good day!

To see it, click way down at the bottom of this blog and you'd see the site meter. Click it and you'd be brought to the site. Sorry, the statistics info is private and for my eyes only. But it should give you a bird's eye view of hi-technology of tracking down the i.d. of my readers.

Magandang umaga (good morning in Filipino)!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

TINNITUS: Do You Hear What I Hear?


I remember experiencing this ringing in my ears when I was still living in Bangkok (Thailand) from 1993 to 1999. At night when all was quiet and peaceful, my room would seem noisy and filled with sound...sometimes it was like a crickety sound that goes in crescendo. The ringing in my ears was bearable at that time. After 1999, I lived in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Alexandria (Egypt) and Manila (Philippines). I had occassional bout of tinnitus. Living here in the USA has triggered my tinnitus. How come? Well, I guess it's the noise around me. There is way too much noise in my neighborhood when people start mowing their lawn and start turning on their blower to get rid of dry leaves during springtime, summer and fall, especially. These could all be very loud~ the cleaning up of yards in America. At church during my adoration time with my husband each Sunday evening, the church cleaner uses a blower (for goodness sake!) to clean the church and boy the sound is too much for me to bear while I try to focus on my meditation. In reference to this, husband bought me a pair of ear plugs that shatters the sound by certain degree. It helps. I had an ear check up last year and the tinnitus did not register. I got the result from my audiologist.

As I write this blog tonight, my ears are ready to explode with the ringing inside them. It is all so quiet here in the house (husband is away) yet the ringing in my ears is just so LOUD! I am desperate to get a treatment. One is acupuncture. I'll see what happens. I read online that there is a special place in Norway that does this treatment. I got to read it again. I missed the website address. Anyhow, read on:


TINNITUS: What Is It?

Tinnitus, commonly called ringing in the ears, is the sensation of hearing a sound in the ears when no such sound exists. This sound, which comes from inside the head, typically is described as a ringing, but it also can take the form of an annoying hiss, whistle or buzz. Tinnitus can be constant or can come and go. Most often, tinnitus is a symptom of an ear problem, such as:

1. Earwax buildup
2.
Age-related hearing loss
3. Ménière's disease
4. Inner ear damage from loud noise
5. Middle ear damage caused by a sudden change in pressure
(barotrauma)

Occasionally, tinnitus is a side effect of medication. Aspirin in moderate to high doses often causes tinnitus. Health experts estimate that more than 30 million people in the United States have some form of tinnitus.


Symptoms
Tinnitus is a symptom in itself. However, people who have tinnitus also may have the following:

1. Insomnia
2. Difficulty concentrating
3.
Depression
4. Frustration
5. Irritability

In addition, depending on the cause of tinnitus, there also may be:
1. Hearing loss
2. Dizziness or
vertigo
3. Pain or a plugged feeling in the ear
4. Nausea

Diagnosis

The cause of tinnitus may be difficult to determine. Your doctor will ask if you have been exposed to loud noise at work or home and will ask about medications you take, including all herbs and supplements. He or she may look in your ears to see if you have wax blockage or if the eardrum appears abnormal. If your hearing is affected, then your doctor may have you undergo a hearing test called an audiogram to measure your hearing ability in each ear.


Expected Duration
Nearly everyone experiences a few brief episodes of ringing in the ears at some point in life, and usually these pass without medical treatment. However, in some people with tinnitus, the problem is a persistent source of discomfort.


Prevention
The best way to prevent tinnitus is to avoid loud noises. Wear earplugs or ear muffs when working around loud equipment, such as chain saws, lawn mowers and high-speed power tools.

If you have persistent tinnitus, review your list of medications with your doctor or pharmacist to see if any may be contributing. Some people find that they can lessen the intensity of tinnitus by limiting caffeine.

Treatment

The treatment of tinnitus depends on its cause. People whose tinnitus is a side effect of a medication will improve when the medication is stopped or the dosage is decreased. Removing a wax blockage may improve ringing in the ear. When tinnitus is caused by Ménière's disease, the tinnitus usually remains even when the disease is treated.

Many medications have been tried to treat tinnitus. Some people respond to antidepressant and antianxiety medications. Other therapies that may be considered are:
Biofeedback, a form of therapy that teaches you to control bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing and perspiration

A tinnitus masker, which is an instrument worn like a hearing aid that makes a sound that cancels out the sound of the tinnitus

Tinnitus training therapy — Small devices that generate "white noise" are worn behind or inside the ear canal to help the person learn to ignore the tinnitus

When To Call A Professional

If you notice a consistent pattern of ear ringing, make an appointment for an ear exam with your doctor. If you suddenly lose all hearing, seek emergency medical attention immediately.


Prognosis
The outlook for tinnitus depends on its cause. In people with tinnitus related to earwax buildup or medications, the condition usually will go away when the earwax is removed or the medication is stopped. In people with tinnitus related to sudden, loud noise, tinnitus may improve gradually, although there may be some permanent noise-related hearing loss.
Even when standard medical treatments fail to relieve tinnitus, some people learn to tolerate the problem either by ignoring the sound or by using various strategies to mask the sound. In others, however, the persistent ringing affects their sense of wellness and adds to depressed mood or anxiety.

Additional Info

American Tinnitus Association

P.O. Box 5Portland, OR 97207-0005

Phone: (503) 248-9985

Toll-Free: (800) 634-8978

Fax: (503) 248-0024

E-Mail: tinnitus@ata.orghttp://www.ata.org/
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication DisordersNational Institutes of Health

31 Center Drive, MSC 2320 Bethesda, MD 20892-2320Phone: (301) 496-7243Toll-Free: (800) 241-1044

Fax: (301) 402-0018TTY: (800) 241-1055

E-Mail: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.govhttp://www.nidcd.nih.gov/
Last updated May 24, 2005


Source:
www.intelihealth.com (Harvard Medical Schools)

Saturday, April 22, 2006

A Walk In Our Neighborhood


Click photos to enlarge

Our neighborhood is old~built in the 1920's so one would find this little town to be quaint and gorgeous. Our streets are filled with sycammore and mulberry trees, planted by an American solider before he went to France during the war. Flowers in bloom this spring season are bright and colorful. I'd miss this place when we move to SFO in June.

Berryman's residence...and their dog...this house is my favorite house in our neighborhood. It is almost like a doll house!


Here we are clowning at our neighbor's garden. Can you find my partner? He said I look like a scare crow with my pose here.
Perhaps a healthy scare crow? Eeks! Below: inside the Ripon Drug Store

L to R: inside the Ripon Library; exterior of the library; interior of Ripon Drug Store

L to R: I love this landscape design of our old lady's garden. She is a retired pharmacist and an artist; her flowers; the mint green house across our bedroom

L to R: my favorite flower: California poppy; Calvary Church across my kitchen window; Sue's house across our bedroom

More lovely houses....




Extreme Right: Egyptian Orthodox Church. There is at least 20 churches in my neighborhood!

L: Acacia Street; my optometrist's clinic in Ripon; the other side of Acacia Street


Beautiful homes built in the 1920's...