New Found Passion to Heal

In order to spend quality time with my husband I went with him to the Mt. San Antonio College Cross Country Invitational Races. Their school was volunteering to provide medical assistance to injured runners. The medical tent was positioned near the narrow track just before the finish line, where runners are forced to run in almost single file to reach the end of the course.

It was amazing to watch how these high school kids run through rough terrain. There were a lot of hills in the course and the funnel leading to the finish line was a dirt road. They glided over the dirt like a gazelle.

My husband was in his high school's track and field team, he used to run cross-country. He could relate to what these runners were going through, he knew how to coach them so they would recover after the race. I think my husband found one of his passions right there on the field that day. I'm glad he decided to take the course on sports therapy and rehabilitation - being able to help athletes through injuries and towards their dreams of excellence is an admirable profession. There was excitement in his eyes and an inner joy at just being at that event that I did not have the heart to tear him away. He spent the whole day at the races and I think it was good for him.

Are you currently doing what you love to do? Why not? If you think it's too late for you to change your life to pursue your passion - you're wrong! It's never too late! May you find the courage to live your dreams today:)

Verizon's Droid: High Expectations

I love this ad.

My husband and I have been talking about switching to Verizon - I think their ads have brainwashed us into thinking that they are the biggest and best network around. There were just a few problems with switching.

(1) They don't have cool phones. (2) They have a very unimpressive line of Motorola phones (which my husband absolutely insists he wants).

I've seen Motorola Cliq from T-Mobile and it looks very promising. Hopefully the Droid will meet all expectations.

Enjoy the video!

Yogurt for Health

Our department at work is very conscious about weight gain, particularly because we found that sitting in front of a computer all day does not help our maturing bodies maintain a healthy weight. One of our coworkers even climbs the four-story stairs of one of our buildings on campus to stay fit.

I also noticed that we have a new staple in our mini refrigerator - yogurt. When I wasn't exercising and cutting down on rice and sweets (yup the no-sweets diet did not last long) - I replaced ice cream with yogurt, every time I craved ice cream I would eat yogurt instead. I bought them by bulk at Costco, which means I get two or three basic flavors like strawberry and blueberry that will last me a few weeks (I don't really indulge in the exotic pie-like or cake-like flavors).

But other than the fact that it can help in weight loss, yogurt has many health benefits, which include (1) being an excellent source of protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin b12; (2) provides a boost to our immune system; (3) prevent osteoporosis; (4) contributes to colon health; (5) aids healing of intestinal infections; (6) decreases yeast infections; (7) lowers cholesterol; and (8) is considered to be a "grow" food.

Yogurt is a great milk substitute because the active cultures in yogurt produce lactase, which break down the lactose in it. Lactose-intolerant people will find it easier to digest and it has greater calcium content than milk. Isn't that great?

So next time you're thinking of a delicious way to help your diet along - especially if you have a sweet tooth like me, try some yogurt with active cultures. It might just be that x-factor that keeps you going!

Stay healthy, my friends!

Workout Review: 30 Day Shred

When I was single I used to buy magazines that had workouts in them to try out at home - in the privacy of my locked bedroom. I was never attracted to workout videos because our TV was in a common area and I didn't want everyone to see me trying to keep up with the workout.

I have been trying to get myself into the habit of exercising regularly, with little success. I have a treadmill, a stationary bike and a pretty complete weights system at home, but most of the time it just gathers dust. At times I find the determination to workout for a full week just doing the same exercises over and over then I get bored. It was during one such period of ennui that I stumbled upon a review of the 30-Day Shred on FitSugar, a blog I have been frequenting recently.

Jillian Michaels is the no-nonsense trainer on the tv show, The Biggest Loser (which admittedly, I have rarely watched). She designed the DVD to give you results in 30 days of up to 20 lbs of weight loss. And because FitSugar said it would not take a huge chunk of my day, I decided to buy it and try it out.

I tried level 1 last night and discovered how unbelievably out of shape I was! I was familiar with some of her abs exercises from workouts I've done from magazines, but the aspect of combining cardio, strength and abs in one workout had me breathing hard all through the workout. I had some help from my husband since I have not done a push up in more than a decade! It helped a lot that my husband used to be an athlete, he checked my form and gave me doable alternatives to those parts that were very hard for me to do. He watched the workout as I was doing it and concluded that circuit training is a great method to promote weight loss. He thinks I did too much for my first day though.

He suggested doing the workout every other day and doing my usual cardio (treadmill + stationary bike) and weights the rest of the time to give my body some time to recover. If soreness is any indication of how the workout is working - it's working really great! I'm sore all over! But it's a nice sort of sore, makes me feel inspired to do more.

So if you're looking to prepare for the holiday season by getting into the habit of exercising to keep you from gaining weight, try the 30 Day Shred and see how you like it! Stay healthy, everyone!

My eBook Reader Feature Wishlist

One of the new gadgets that I have recently changed my mind about is the eBook Reader. I once took the stand that I preferred an actual book to an eBook Reader, but the escalating eBook wars is piquing my interest. Good competition often brings out great features from a gadget maker and I'm looking forward to seeing what these eBook Readers come up with next.

I am definitely waiting for a colored reader - I think magazines and some books with colored illustrations should be viewed the way the printed version was originally designed to be viewed. And if textbooks will be available in readers then they definitely should be in color.

And I'd love it if you can browse the internet on it as well, there are a lot of content online that people read and this would definitely be a great feature on an eBook Reader.

Purchase or borrow books online right on the reader without the need to sync it to a computer. This would be a great feature for iPods as well! The use of several computers (home, work, mobile) sometimes makes it confusing to sync music - so just having the device as the central location of all you purchase or the masterlist of your library would be more convenient for me.

Gizmodo released leaked images of the new Barnes and Noble eReader and it looks very promising to me. Now if only the price is right - this has been a major deal breaker for me with regards to eBook Readers. Even with the recent markdowns, I still think they're too expensive. Gizmodo says the eReader will be announced next week so we will need to wait and see as to the gadget's price point.

The Good Wife: Great Late-Night TV

When I was a young and very naive girl, unlike other kids my age who wanted to become lawyers and doctors, I wanted to be the wife of a very powerful and very prominent public figure. I wanted to be able to do volunteer work full time and that's what I saw these wives doing in the newspapers at that time. One of the qualities that first attracted me to my husband was the fact that he was a leader and an influencer. So the concept of the TV series The Good Wife intrigued me at first, but it wasn't really the kind of TV show my husband and I watched so I never really suggested it to him.

Last night just as I was finishing up my work, my husband settled in to watch TV with me and found the Good Wife on CBS. I didn't expect to like it, but I did!

The premise of starting over, leaving old friends and an old way of life, helping your family cope with the change and flourishing is something I can relate to - it reminded me of when I migrated to the US to be with my husband. The compassion Alicia, the main character, showed for a boy she used to babysit despite the fact that his mother cut her off when the scandal involving her husband was exposed is a moral lesson taught in a real-world scenario. The investigative work and analytical thinking involved in Alicia's career as a lawyer is reminiscent of Legally Blonde - her experiences led her to the clues that enabled her to defend her client and have all charges dropped. I was cheering for her by the time the episode ended!

Even my husband liked it, and he's not easily impressed. I think we'll watch this show again or at least record it on the DVR for viewing later. I give The Good Wife two thumbs up!

Happy late-night viewing, everyone!

Daily Stress Relief

Last month, our company treated us to a 3-day stress reliever, a retreat in a beautiful spanish-style ranch. We enjoyed nature and immersed ourselves in spiritually refreshing exercises - finding purpose in what we do everyday. We had quiet meditation time, a delicious lunch and then fun group activities in the afternoon. We talked a lot and laughed a lot – simply enjoying each other’s company. It was an experience I appreciated very much.

Just one short month after the retreat, I feel like my body could use another stress escape just about now. Stress is something that sneaks up on us daily. It is a part of life that we must learn to deal with if we want to continue living a healthy lifestyle.

Ideally diet and exercise helps our body combat stress, but a hectic schedule usually wreaks havoc on our staying healthy plan. So we must seek alternatives like the emWave Personal Stress Reliever, a very handy way of dealing with stress. It uses colored LED displays, audio feedback and breathing techniques to help a person deal with stress.

Stress can induce fatal illnesses, knowing the right way to deal with stress is a great prevention mechanism. Stay stress-free with a balanced diet, exercise and a little gadget-help from EmWave!

Stay healthy, everyone!

Neiman Marcus' Last Call: New Store at the Block

Last September a Neiman Marcus' Last Call store opened at the Block of Orange. Never even actually being in a Neiman Marcus store, I decided to check it out after my aunt gushed about it at a recent family gathering.

There were shoes on sale for around $300, bags at the rock-bottom price of $800 and designer gowns at half their original price at around $1,000! My aunt may be gushing, but I was running out the door. This is definitely not my idea of things on sale!

Call it a peek at how the other half lives. A review of last season's offerings that weren't received as well as others. I tried to figure out why these items would have such a huge price tag - it's the brand name, of course. These styles that aren't necessarily nicer than those I get at department stores I can afford have that golden signature that enables a woman to say, "Oh, that's a so-and-so!"

I'm sure my husband is thankful that I am blissfully unaware of these designer brands and happy with my affordable stores. I know, I know what you'll say - gadgets aren't cheap either. But for the smart shopper, you know only to buy what you need or something you can make money out of (i.e. you're a web programmer, you need a computer to program with at home so you can do all those side projects). So in these difficult times, invest wisely and think twice before pulling out your wallet!

Happy shopping season, everyone!

Early Christmas Card Shopping

Christmas is my favorite holiday. In the Philippines we start preparing for Christmas in the month of September. So my starting to think of holiday cards and gifts in October is actually late.

I take great pleasure in choosing holiday cards to send to friends. When my husband and I have kids, I’m sure I'll get photo cards every year just to show our relatives how adorable they are. But in the meantime customized address labels and beautiful red Christmas cards will do. Don’t you just love the color red? It’s my favorite holiday color.

When I send out cards, I try to inject my personality into it so that without even reading my note my loved ones know that this card is from me. These red card and red address label are just perfect! Are you excited about Christmas yet? I am!

Happy holiday shopping to all!

Learning Through Comic Strips

My two sisters and I are all avid readers. My father had to install several shelves to hold all our books and they still overflow with piles and piles of books today. My sisters and I weren't always fans of reading, my mom got us started on it when she kept buying comic books for us. These comic books taught us our words, taught us how to appreciate reading and enticed our creativity.

I saw Bitstrips for Schools in one of the tech blogs I read and I thought it was a fantastic idea. Get the kids to create their own comics to teach them to read and write. This will challenge their creativity and who knows how many talented kids teachers will discover in the process. What do you think about this new learning tool? Share your comments here.

Remote Protection for Your Workstations

A few days ago my work computer got attacked. Several windows popped up in my screen claiming that it detected a virus or a Trojan and urging me to click OK or another similar looking button. Something like this happened to my husband while he was working on our old computer and he clicked on a window that said it was our computer’s security software and our computer was never the same again. It got infested by the malware and we had to reformat the whole system before we could use it again.

I definitely did not want to make the same mistake on my work computer so I called our help desk. I described to him all the windows popping up on my screen and he understood my concern right away. He said I was right in not clicking on the windows until I checked with him. He had remote access software and within seconds he was able to see what my problem was, install an anti-malware application and had it scanning my computer for the culprit. He fixed my problem while at his desk and wrote me a note in notepad that he was done when he finished. My work station was good as new! Our IT expert saved the day!

I think any business whose employees work on computers with internet access need peer-to-peer remote access software that they can depend on to access workstations not in their immediate vicinity that get malicious attacks. Proxy Pro 6 is an application that can protect your computers, allowing your IT department to support your staff efficiently and effectively from their workstations taking away the time it would take them to physically get to the machines. And the Gateway Edition even enables them to access staff PCs who may be working from another office or location behind a firewall or other NAT devices. The Gateway Edition also has screen recording, which enables inter-office collaboration and enables virtual or online training where trainers don’t need to fly out to a remote location to perform their duties – very cost effective. Isn’t that a great deal?

So if you’re looking for a security solution to help your IT department with their workload, please check my sponsor’s website and read more about Proxy Pro 6.