Healthy Products

When I turned 31 this year, I must admit that I became more health conscious and more mindful of my skin. Unlike in my teen years and twenties, I don't really care that much about my health. As I hit thirties, I worry about wrinkles, dark spots and other signs of skin aging.

I'm always now on look out on products that does not only promises but guarantees fair, healthy looking skin.

A lot of the products like soaps with gluthathione that I used are a let down so they end up along with my money that I used to buy them in the trash bin. What a waste!

In my ever endless search for quality anti aging skin products, I am led to Oxis.com.

The company is in the process of developing nutraceuticals and cosmeceutical products with L-ergothioneine as the main ingredient. Ergothioneine (ERGO) is a powerful antioxidant that is naturally occuring and water soluble. Antioxidants are needed by the body in neutralizing free radicals that damage or kill cells. Antioxidants promote healthy cells and prevents skin aging and diseases like cancer and heart problems.

Oxis International Inc. is founded in 1966 and is committed in the research and development of quality products. The company offers investor with penny stocks and other investment options.

To know more about the company visit Oxis.com

My Top Entrecard Droppers

I'm always late when it comes to thanking my faithful entrecard droppers; so for this month, I'm going to thank them a day in advance.



My top entrecard droppers for May are:

* T-Shirts Review

* The Third Uncle

* Ad Master

* Selfploitation.com

* Web Design Web

* Let's Jump Together

* Art Shout!

* Photography by KML

* Earn Money Online

* Lainy's Musings

Thank you once again and keep on dropping. :)

Alone on a Sunday

My boyfriend and I usually see each other on a Sunday just to hang around the house or to go to the mall to shop or to watch movie. But for this weekend, he visited yesterday because he's going to Antipolo today to visit his parents.

I'm so used to having him around on a Sunday that it feels different not having him around. But, it's okay because he's spending some time with his family.

But since he's not around I have more time to spend online to write a paid post, visit some of my friend's site and to catch up on my entrecards because I was not able to drop ec's yesterday.

After doing all my tasks online, I'm going to watch shows on television. I haven't been watching t.v. the past few weeks because I'm so busy with so many things.

Anyway, next Sunday we'll be back to our normal schedule.

UST Tigresses 2010 Shakey's V League's Champion

This is such a late post but my congratulations to the University of Sto Thomas Tigresses for winning this year's Shakey's V- League, their third straight championship after beating the San Sebastian's Lady Stags last May 27. 2010.

The UST team beat the San Sebastian squad after four rounds of volleyball action 25-20, 25-27, 25-12 and 25-15. The UST with its all Filipino line-up proves to be a strong team even without enlisting the help of Thai imports which some of the other teams like San Sebastian, Ateneo and the Lyceum of the Philippines did.

Shakey's V League is an intercollegiate women's volleyball competition and is now on its seventh year.

No More Back Pain

I used to suffer from low back pain almost on a daily basis. After a tiring day at work I can start feeling the pain on my back and all I wanted to do is to lie flat on the bed to alleviate the pain. I started panicking for a time thinking that I might be suffering from spondylolisthesis or spondylosis since both diseases have back pains for a symptom.

Spondylolisthesis is a condition wherein one of the vertebra (we have 33 bones in the spinal column and is called a vertebra) has slipped forward in relation to another which commonly occur in the lumbar area or the lower back area while spondylosis or spinal osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease cause by the wearing away of the cervical spine.

People with spondylolisthesis and spondylosis may be required to wear a cervical neck or back braces like Aspen CTO from Aspen Medical Products to support their neck and back and at the same time give relief to their pains.

I've discovered that my back pain is brought about by stress at work and poor posture. Ever since I became aware of what causes my back pain I became very mindful of my posture and try to take some breaks at work to cut down the tension at work; I realized that I don't get to have lower back pains as often as before.

Aside from observing proper posture, it is important too to exercise to strengthen the back muscles and to be on my normal weight because the extra pounds put heavy stress on the back as well.

God's Whisper

God's whisper message for me today :

Dear Joy,

You have the ability to touch the ordinary and create wealth.

Bless you,

God

PS. Use your gifts to serve the world, Joy. And the world will bow at your feet.

The Spanish Lighthouse of Corregidor

Sorry, if most of my post this month has been about my Corregidor trip. I really enjoyed my travel there that I want to document every landmark that we've been to in the island.

As previosly mentioned in my other posts, the Spanish colonizers already used this island as part of its naval defenses. The island served as a penal institution thus it was named Corregidor from the spanish word " Corregir," which means to correct.

Most of the structures in Corregidor has been destroyed in World War II except for the Spanish Lighthouse. It was however severely damaged by the war that it was torn down and a new one was built in the 1950's.

The Spanish Lighthouse that is standing in Corregidor looks exactly like the original one on the same site where the old one has been built.

This charming structure with red roof and cross shaped windows is at the highest place in the island which is about 628 feet above sea level.

There's a Spanish Museum inside the lighthouse

The lighthouse has very steep stairs to reach the observation deck. It was a long and tiring climb to the top.

But the view from the observation desk is all worth it! It offers a panoramic view of Corregidor, South China Sea, Manila Bay and the provinces of Bataan and Cavite.

The sign post outside the lighthouse indicates how far and in what direction certain key cities are from Corregidor : San Francisco is 6,972 miles southwest of Corregidor, Australia is 3,044 miles north-northeast from the island while Hongkong is 692 miles south from Corregidor.

My other Corregidor's stories and their links:
* Our Corregidor Trip
* Corregidor Tour - Bottomside Landmarks
* Corregidor's Batteries and Barracks

Confuse

I'm feeling low lately. A lot of things are preoccupying my mind. I know that I made my self sick last week because I've been stressing out over things.

A part of me wants to hold on and wait but half of me wants to let go and move on. How do I know if I've been waiting for something for too long? What if I'll get what I want if I just waited a little bit longer. :(

I've been praying for wisdom to discern what is the right thing for me to do.

Sweet Blog Award

Thank you Bambie for this award. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity! I am blessed to have found a wonderful friend like you here in the blogosphere.

The rules for this award are as follows:
1. Pass it to 10 Sweet people.

2. Inform them about this award.

3. Link back the one who gave this award

I would like to pass this award to the following girls who are so sweet and nice:

* Bambie - giving it back to you because you are sweet!

* Gracie - my adorable sis

* Jenskie - my new found friend in the blogosphere

* Rocks - whom I really admire and look up to because of the way she witnesses to her faith

* Enchie - because she's a sweet mom and wife

He Loves Basketball

My brother Paul loves playing basketball and watching basketball games on television. He would watch the UAAP, NCCA, PBL, PBA and of course the NBA and every other basketball league.

Now that the NBA season is on its semi-final round, he would ask my father to watch the games in the morning to relay the result for him because he is at the office working. During the weekends, he would wake up early to catch the games on television.

Often, I would tease him because he would get caught up in the game. I would catch him mumbling his disgust when the referree makes the wrong call or his favored team makes the wrong moves and he would scream at the top of his lungs when his favorite player makes a crucial play.

He is that passionate about basketball.

If ever he's into sportsbetting, I know that he would be rooting for the Boston Celtics versus the Orlando Magics in the Eastern conference and his basketball team sports bet is on the Phoenix Suns againts the LA Lakers in the Western conference.

Cine Corregidor

Before World War II broke out, the American personnel in the garrison and their families enjoyed watching movies in the island of Corregidor at this theater.

According to our tour guide, "Gone With The Wind," was one of the last movies shown here.

I was able to watch "Gone With The Wind," which starred Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh Moore because it was given as an assignment by our History teacher in highschool.

Cine Corregidor is at the left of the Pacific War Memorial.

This is one of my favorite pictures taken from the island because the shot turned out to beautiful even if it was taken while we were on a moving vehicle.

Razon's Halo Halo

I've always wanted to try Razon's Halo-halo because everyone I know is raving about it.

I had the chance to try it when my brother and I went to Gateway Mall two weeks ago.

Razon's Halo-halo is only made up of shaved ice, sweetened bananas, macapuno, milk and leche flan and it cost P85.00. Their halo-halo is creamy and the shaved ice is really smooth. At P85.00 with only few ingredients I was expecting that at least they will add more bananas, macapuno and leche flan on my halo-halo. But as you can see in the picture, there's only a thin slice of leche flan on top of the halo-halo and I was only able to eat a few tiny bits of bananas.

I prefer my halo-halo with munggo, pinipig, gulaman, sogo, ube , ice cream and lots and lots of ingredients. :)

I love This Pic

This picture was taken during Mother's Day before we went to the the Loyola Cemetery in Marikina to visit my mom's grave.

Can you guess how old my dad is?

He's turning 57 this coming August but he looks as someone in his forties ( yep :) I'm biased).

I love this picture (but could have been better if I'm not wearing my eyeglasses) because it reflects how happy my Dad is and how funny my youngest brother is.

A List Broker

Starting a new business is often a rewarding yet tough experience. One of the most important things to consider in starting or building up a business is developing a client base that will avail of the products or services your company has to offer.

With the advent of the internet, many companies use e-mail marketing to introduce their products or services to potential consumers.

But where do companies get a list of potential consumers from?

List brokers provide a list of million of names with e mail addresses, telephone numbers and other information to conduct email marketing needed to introduce your product or services. A list broker do not have a ready made list of prospective buyers because they only made the list once the specifications from a company needing a list is ordered from them. A list broker as an agent can make a marketing list, consumer mailing lists, business lists, mortgage lists, ethnic lists and other lists your company may need to have a successful e-mail marketing.

Corregidor's Batteries and Barracks

This is the continuation of my Corregidor Island Tour

Because of Corregidor's strategic location which partially blocks the entrance of  Manila Bay, the Spanish colonizers already used this island as a naval defense against Chinese pirates, Dutch and British invaders.

During the American occupation of the Philippines, the American Government started fortifying the island with 23 batteries consisting of 56 coastal guns and mortars placed around Corregidor. It also has 13 anti-aircraft artillery batteries, 76 guns and 10 60-inch Sperry searchlights.

Corregidor's Batteries or Gun emplacements

- this batteries where named after American army officers who died in the country in the early 1900s. The following were some of the still intact batteries in Corregidor that we visited.

Battery Way and Battery Geary proved to be the most effective batteries in its campaign against the Japanese forces in World War II.

Battery Way - has four 12-inch mortars capable of firing 700 lbs shell in a distance 14,610 yards that can penetrate the thick wall of warships and against enemies in Bataan. A crew of 14 personnel was needed to fire the mortar and was equipped with anti-personnel firepower. The mortars of Battery Way continued firing until it frooze tight on May 6, 1942 when the Japanese took over Corregidor.

Entrance to Battery Way

The four mortars of Battery Way

bullet holes on one of the doors found in Battery Way

the holes on the walls of Battery Way caused by the heavy aerial bombing of the Japanese troops.

Battery Geary - eight-12 inch mortars made up this battery and this battery was considered to be the most effective anti-personnel firepower against enemies entreched at the mountains of Bataan. Each of the mortar was capable of firing a range of 14,610 yards at any direction.

It was directly hit by a Japanese bomb and all its crew died in an instant.

Battery Hearn - has a 12 inch seacost west-ranged gun, firing at approximately at 29,000 yards. It was found intact by the Japanese soldiers and was used by the Japanese force. But it was later on neutralized by the American aerial bombardments in April 1945.

Battery Crockett - has two 12 inch seacost gun mounted on a disappearing carriage. It was capable of firing at a range 17,000 yards and was capable of 170 degrees traverse. It is located at the center of the island and it fired often in the direction of Manila Bay.

The barracks just like the batteries were not restored to its original state after the war in order to show the destruction brought by the war and to honor the valiant men and women who fought and served in Corregidor.

Metal braces were put up on some of the structures to prevent the further degradation of the buildings.

From the ruins of the barracks you can have an idea on how heavy the fighting and bombing that occured in the island during WWII.

Middleside Barracks - made up of 2 three story building located at the Middleside of the Corregidor where the members of the 6oth Coast Artillery Regiment and the 91st Philippine Scout Coast Artillery Regiment were billeted, later it was occupied too by the 4th Marine Regiment.

Topside Barracks (Mile Long Barracks) - where the army officers and enlisted officers stayed. It is hurricane proof and is 1,520 feet long. It is less than a mile but this three story building is the world's longest barracks in the world during its time so it became known as the Mile Long Barracks. General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters can also be found here.

My other Corregidor's stories and their links:
* Our Corregidor Trip
* Corregidor Tour - Bottomside Landmarks

* The Spanish Lighthouse of Corregidor

* Cine Corregidor

Corregidor Tour - Bottomside Landmarks

Corregidor Island is 6 kms long and 2.4 kms on its widest side. It has a tadpole shape with the bulbous head having an elevated large flat surface and is called the Topside facing the South China Sea while the tail end of the island is pointing towards the Manila Bay.

The Bottomside of the island is towards the tail and there is a small plateau in between the Topside and the Bottomside areas of the island which is referred to as the Middleside.

We disembarked through the Bottomside of the island and as soon as we got on board our Tranvia buses we were immediately brought to our first destination - Douglas MacArthur Park and Lorcha Dock





General Douglas MacArthur Park - in honor of General Mac Arthur ,this park has a bronze statue of General Douglas MacArthur (the commander of the USAFFE - United States Armed Forces in the Far East ) and it has this famous line written in its base " I shall return." The promise he made to the Filipino and American people he left in the Philippines when he left the country for Australia upon the orders of US President Roosevelt.






Adjacent to the General Douglas Mac Arthur Park is the Lorcha Dock













Lorcha Dock - it was at Lorcha Dock where General MacArthur boarded the PT (Torpedo) Boat 41 on March 11, 1942 for Bogo Dock in Misamis Oriental where he was to ride an aircraft that will bring him to Australia.






This is the ruins of the Lorcha Dock used by General MacArthur. You can see at my back the rusted railway track used for the transportation of personnel, ordnance and ammunition directly to the Malinta Tunnel.




The mountainous region facing the Dock is the Bataan Peninsula



General Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial - a small plaza in honor of General Wainwright. General Wainwright is the deputy officer of General Douglas MacArthur. He took over the command of the Filipino and American Forces in the Philippines when General MacArthur left the country for Australia. Because of the valiant stand of Corregidor against the Japanese, the Filipino and American soldiers prevented Japan from invading Australia and New Zealand. On May 6, 1942 almost a month after the Fall of Bataan, with no relief in sight coming from the United States, General Wainwright surrendered to the Japanese soldier to prevent further bloodshed. Corregidor was the last to fight the Japanese invaders in the Philippines.

General Wainwright was taken as a prisoner of war and was imprisoned in one of the concentration camps in Manila. He was given the harshest treatments by the Japanese because of his position.

After the war in 1945, he thought he will be court marshalled in the US because he surrendered to the Japanese but he was given a hero's welcome by his country.

My other Corregidor's stories and their links:

* Our Corregidor Trip

* Corregidor's Batteries and Barracks

Our Corregidor Trip

I don't know why I had this sudden interest in visiting the Island of Corregidor. My parents visited it when they were in college many years ago and the only place they remembered was the Malinta Tunnel.



Perhaps because I had to ride a ferry to go to that island. I never had a ferry ride and it excites me to try how it is to be on it. And probably because I also enjoyed studying History during gradeschool and highschool. I want to put an image on the things I've read about in my History books.



It was not hard to convince my brother Paul to accompany me to visit it because my brother and I share the same interest in History, especially those that happened in World War II.



So we save up, bought our tickets and booked an island day tour at Corregidor through Sun Cruises, Inc.



We woke up early on May 7,2010 and was at the Sun Cruises Offices at the CCP Bay Terminal before 7:00 am to get our tour stickers, boarding passes and buffet meal stubs. We rode a shuttle bus to where our ferry was docked.

I was a little apprehensive riding the ferry because of the many maritime accidents in the past but my fear was erased when I saw the Sun Cruiser II docked at the marina. It was a fairly large ferry.

The Sun Cruiser II was one of the two ferries of Sun Cruises Inc. that brings people to Corregidor. It can accomodate 285 passengers. It can travel at the speed of 23 knots. The cabin crew were courteous and they assisted us to our seats. We even have two marine marshals onboard our ferry.


As we sail off to Corregidor at a little past 8:00 am, the steward gave a demonstration on how to use our life jackets in case of emergency. It was a relief to see that on every seat there is a life jacket for the passenger unlike in the movie "Titanic" were the passengers fought each other for a life jacket. They also pointed to us where the emergency raft was.



As soon as all the safety precautions were said, my brother and I immedietely went to the upper deck to see the view of Manila Bay and to take pictures.

just a few minutes from the Manila Bay

When we got tired of all the picture taking session, we went back to our seats and watched the video presentation on Corregidor. After the film, Ed Baguio, one of Sun Cruises tour guides gave a history of Corregidor.

It was amazing to learn that Corregidor's history dates back to the Spanish era. Because of Corregidor strategic location and proximity to Manila Bay, the Spaniards already used Corregidor for her naval defenses against the Chinese pirates, Dutch and British Invaders.It is also called "The Rock" because of its rocky formation and fortifications.

The Americans started fortifying the island by installing guns and mortars and the Island became known as Fort Mills.

Because of its fortifications, Corregidor was the last to surrender to the Japanese forces that invaded the country.

The hour trip was a breeze and soon we were greeted by Corregidor with the Bataan Peninsula on its north and Cavite on its south. Geographically speaking, Corregidor is nearer to the province of Bataan but its interesting to note that the island is under the municipal jurisdiction of the province of Cavite.

The north dock of the island with the mountainous regions of Bataan on its North.

It was a low tide when we reached Corregidor so we have to disembarked through the upperdeck.

I was giddy with excitement when I saw the Tranvia buses that will take us to the different sights and historical landmarks of the Island.

The tranvia or the trams were the main mode of transportation in the island during the American Occupation of Corregidor.

We were on bus no. 3 with Kuya Bobby as our tourguide (the man with glasses leaning against the glass) and Kuya Jerry our bus driver. The bell on the left side of the tram rings when its time to visit another site.


I'll continue my post on Corregidor starting with the landmarks that can be found at the tail end of the Island.

My other Corregidor's stories and their links:

* Corregidor Tour - Bottomside Landmarks

* Corregidor's Batteries and Barracks

* The Spanish Lighthouse of Corregidor

* Cine Corregidor

Car Needs

My dad is a kidney transplant recipient. One of the side effects of the anti-rejection drugs he is taking is his weakened thigh and feet. He has to walk now with a cane on hand. His doctor told him that his medications weakened his muscles and bones. My dad couldn't stop taking these drugs because his body will reject the kidney graft.

And because of his weakened lower limbs, he couldn't drive our owner type jeep anymore. He finds it frustrating that he couldn't control the clutch every time he steps on it to change the car gear.

I wish I have enough money to buy him even a second-hand automatic Honda Civic car to replace the manually driven owner jeep that my father has. With an automatic car he wouldn't have to worry about the clutch so he will be able to drive with ease.

Speaking of cars, if you are living in the Los Angeles, USA; and wants to know the best Los Angeles auto repair shop in your area, head over to repairpal.com. Repairpal will help you choose the best repair shop for your car with their comprehensive reviews on car shops located in the different cities in the United States of America. Repairpal also give repair and maintenance advice on common car makes, common car models, on head gasket replacement and on other car parts repairs.

April Wrap-Up

As usual I'm late for my monthly wrap-up.

April has been an amazing month. I was able to utilize the two long weekend breaks of this month to the fullest.

During the Holy Week Break, I was able to really spend time to pray and reflect. It was the first time for me to attend the Washing of the Feet Service of our parish on a Holy Thursday and the Veneration of the Cross Service on a Good Friday. Both services were full of beautiful bible readings, beautiful hymns and inspirational homilies.

Then on Black Saturday, my loved ones and I went to Noah's Park in Rodriguez, Rizal to unwind. It was a thrill discovering where the place was because it was our first time in Rodriguez, Rizal. Although we're not able to fully use the swimming amenities of the place, we have super fun taking pictures, eating picnic style and fishing.

Only a week after the Holy Week Break, there's another long weekend break due to the observance of "Araw ng Kagitingan," another regular holiday. This time Paul (my brother ) and I went to the Manila Ocean Park in the morning and the National Museum in the afternoon. It was a super tiring day but we learned a lot about the diversity of marine life and the richness of our culture.

I hope the new month will bring me more opportunities to explore new places and to spend more quality time with my loved ones.

Missing You

Last night, I was not able to sleep well because of my asthma. I was up as early as 4:00 because I was getting frustrated trying to get some sleep.

I did some household chores and bought "pandesal" at the local grocery and ate breakfast early so I can take my medication for my asthma.

At around 7:00 am, I went back to bed and tried if I could get some nap to compensate on some of the loss sleep the previous night. I was able to easily doze off and was in dream land in a few minutes.

I have one of those rare instances when I have my mother in my dreams.

In my dream, I was looking for my mom when I found her, she was at our front yard, sitting on a chair and reading a book. I smiled when I realized she was reading a Harry Potter book. She looked up at me and I said to her "Ma, okay ka lang po? ( Ma, is everything alright?). She smiled sweetly and gazed at me lovingly without answering my question. So I asked "Bakit po?" (Why?) and she said " Wala lang, sinuwerte lang ako sa iyo ( I'm so lucky to have you). She hugged me tightly and I told her " I love you."

And then I woke up from my dream.

It's my mother 14th Death anniversary on Thursday.

I missed saying the word "Mama," and I terribly missed her.