Tinapay ng Aking Buhay

Aside from rice, bread is also one of the staples Filipinos could not live without with. Mornings won’t be complete without the very famous pandesal (a soft and browned bun) taken with black coffee. Meriendas or afternoon snacks could be sweetened breads like muffins and cakes, slices of loaf breads, big monays and star breads, cookies and chewy ensaymadas. This is just a short list compared to the very broad picture of the famous bread clan.

Growing up, I developed the taste for bread. If I eat bread in the morning, I could survive the whole entire afternoon eating nothing. It’s like rice for me. I could even eat a whole loaf of bread, eat a pack of cupcakes and eat a box of donuts all by myself! But as I age, I realized more of our commercialized breads are now being overdosed with sugar, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, additives and even extenders. Like vegetables and meat, bread also spoils in a few numbers of days after manufacturing/baking. The usual life span of dry breads is for 4-5 days only while the soft ones shorter if not kept inside the fridge. That’s why some bread manufacturers include instructions on their packages advising consumers to store bread in cool temperatures to maintain freshness.

In the past few months I was looking for bread that will suit the healthy lifestyle I would like my family to look forward to. I started with buying those expensive and branded ones that claim to have nutritional value yet they didn’t meet my taste and my family’s. We were like buying bread most of the time but still didn’t get on the right track, until one Saturday I decided to switch stores to do my grocery shopping. As I was almost to the check out counter, I passed by the store’s bread section and I spotted Nature’s Bread’s selections. I chose their wheat bread because I’ve always heard this kind is healthier than the white ones. I started out with two bags. On my next shopping trip I bought four then to six by the following week. Nature’s Bread’s Wheat Bread does not only taste good, it looks good as well and smells good. It’s like being in an oat and barley field where you can smell the aroma of ripening grains. It’s best partnered with some processed or homemade fruit jams and jellies.

Let’s admit the fact that many of us today are hooked in salted chips, fries and junk foods. These gunks won’t give us any better effect, even the slightest. When craving for something to eat for a snack, why not try to gobble a wheat bread sandwich loaded with your favorite fill-ins like those in famous fast food restaurants – some tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese, a slice of ham, some mayo or just with a simple sandwich spread. You’ll save yourself from indulging too much on food that won’t give you any gain for your health.

Soduku Invades my Home

I didn’t know this game actually until one day I saw my husband engrossed with his cellphone. I asked him if what’s he’s up to and when he showed up his phone I saw that he’s playing Soduku. All the time, I was thinking Soduku is the same with the Rubix Cube. What a shame! Totally mistaken. (LOL).

I asked my husband to teach me how to play the game which he gladly did. My first game was only up to number 4, climbed up to 6 then to 9. I could finish the game and make it perfect only but give me hours. My husband can do it for just a matter of seconds or a few minutes (depending on the length of numbers given). Moreover when you play Soduku in mobile phones – it has a timer! So you need to beat the default winning time of its system. I was very hysterical at first that I didn’t know anymore if I should press key 1 or key 9. If I feel I’m almost out, I’d readily hand it over to my husband. (LOL again). Fortunately, there are now Soduku books sold in all stores nationwide and worldwide! You can take your time filling in numbers and even letters in the boxes without a timer! But if desired, you may still. As for me, I’d choose not to..

When I brought one at home, our house helper found playing the game to be fun. The three of us (excluding my daughter) would sometimes tease each other if we get mistakes with our answers and could not anymore proceed to jet in with the game. Sometimes we race and set up a timer. It’s really fun but sometimes I get pissed off. Soduku – the number placing puzzle of all times.

The FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

It’s not fair if you are not being able to make your own choices in whatever you do in life. Somebody chooses for what you eat, what you wear, where you should go, what you must do. Come to think of it. Filipina women were identified as ‘mahinhin’ but have the capability to show how to reel their rights and voices in a crowd to fight for a win. In this post, I’d like to talk about the House Bill 5043 or the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008. Popularly known as the RH Bill, it provides safety measures to help women and their families stay healthy, and to provide an environment where the freedom to choose is being acknowledged. Many Filipinos, especially the underprivileged, remain unaware of, or are misinformed about their contraceptive options.

In the Philippines, poverty limits a woman’s options and makes it difficult for her and her family to survive:

*For every 100, 000 women who give birth, 230 die from health complications.[1]

*For every 1, 000 babies born, 23 of them die within the first year of life.[2]

*When a poor couple has nine or more children, they can spend only P682 per child for education in a year, and they are only able to spend P150 a year for the health care of each family member.[3]

As far as I’m concerned, I believe RH Bill is not pro-abortion. Under HB 5043, abortion remains a punishable crime. However the bill ensures that those women suffering from complications as a result of illegal abortion will be provided the necessary medical care. The bill makes family planning methods such as pills, condoms, injectables and IUDs to be available in public health facilities for easier dispense to those who can’t afford to pay for OB-gyne doctors. The injectables and other related reproductive health products will be considered essential medicines and will be part of the National Drug Formulary which means public health facilities like government hospitals, health centers and clinics in respective places will make these products a regular part of their essential purchases, it’s clear that it should be one of their function. Couples, who find any natural family planning (NFP) methods effective, will be able to continue using it.

I wonder why the leaders of the Catholic Church are entirely against the bill. In fact the government is not imposing or requiring the bill to its men and women. IT IS ONLY an option. I can see RH Bill wants to promote consciousness to everybody to control the widespread and unpleasant growth of our country’s population. It is for us to be aware that we have the right to choose. In Visayan dialect, “Dili lalim magsige panganak nga walay kasiguruhan og naa kay ipakaon, ipasinina og ipaeskwela sa imong mga bata” (It’s not easy to just give birth to babies without an assurance that they will be well-fed, well-clothed and they can all go to school when they grow up). And a person either cannot control his/her self when it comes to having sex with his/her spouse or partner. So the best cure is to control the union of the reproductive cells. The word in there is clear, to control, not to kill. The World Health Organization defines reproductive health as the state in which people are able to have a “responsible, satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce, and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so”. 

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[1]  State of the World’s Population 2008, UNPF

[2] Ibid

[3] Pulse Asia, 2007

Beauty-licious (Revamp that Skin!)

It was 10 years ago (my sophomore year in high school) when pimples and all sorts of facial problems (I guessed) started sprouting all over my face. As television the main medium of info, the ramp for me those times was the line of products which were anti-pimple, anti-acne, anti-acne marks, oil-free and pimple-free solutions, astringents, creams and the choice was eternal… I was so stressed and I even felt exhausted in finding the right product and regimen on how to stop the field that’s growing on my once-flawless and virgin face.

After so much depleted trials from product to product and exasperation, I finally ended to using nothing! I did an examination of my self why I had pimples. Background check, both my father and mother sides have a history of this kind (except that my mother is pimple-free). So my blood has its share why I had the problem. Next thing, the kind of foods I’m eating. I realized we put so much stuff ON our skin we sometimes forget that what we take internally also affects how we look.

I would like to share my knowledge of foods I had researched and tapped with to be taken to beautify our skin:

Avocado. A part of various lotions and bath oils, this fruit is known as the skin moisturizer.

Strawberry. Aromatic, juicy and intensely appetizing. This fruit purifies skin and promotes good digestion to flush out toxins.

Banana. Full of potassium and zinc. This common fruit repairs tissues and is good for healing wounds (those nasty scars) and flushing out toxins. My personal fave! It has pectin that repairs tissues making skin flawless, spotless, supple and milky-looking. It can cool off the temperature inside our bodies so if the weather is hot – it’s best to take in some bananas. Its cooling effect is the main reason why this fruit is being advised to pregnant women. During pregnancy I’d always eat banana and even if I’m not anymore pregnant I make sure me and my family get a daily dose of it.

Horseradish. Has regenerative, cleansing, disinfecting effects on blemished skin. If used in bath, it promotes blood circulation.

Carrot. This vegetable contains large quantities of carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and C. This veggie improves the protective and healing ability of the skin against infection, injury and inflammation. Its carotene content enables the body to make vitamin A – a lack of this nutrient causes large pores, dry rough skin and blemishes.

Lemon. A very rich source of vitamin C. Regular intake reduces the appearance of scars and unsightly bruises.

Cucumber. One of the best skin cleansers that is suitable for even hypersensitive skin which cannot tolerate soap or hard water.

Papaya. A useful skincare ingredient for us girls because it contains enzyme papain which digests protein and rids the skin of dead cells that can clog pores and lead to spots.

Tomato. Contains vitamins C, A and B complex; the juice of fresh tomatoes cleanses, refines and beautifies skin.

Oat. The kernels contain starch, proteins, traces of fat and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. According to Swiss physician Dr. Bricher-Benner, oat flakes soaked in water for 12 hours and then mixed with honey, lemon juice, yogurt and various kinds of fruits and eaten regularly, will make the hair glossy and elastic and the skin smooth and fine. It also improves one’s physical and mental health.

It does not hurt to eat the fruits and vegetables I have mentioned above. An ample supply of these can replenish the nutrients our bodies lack which we don’t get from our daily meals due to rush hours and rush cooking. As the cliché goes, beauty must be inside and out. Wherefore what we eat is what we get. Be beautiful inside and out!

Your Handy SHOE GUIDE

The way thru a man’s heart is thru his stomach. And the ladies say, ‘the way thru our hearts is thru our feet”. I guess I’m almost accurate about this stuff. Well, women of all levels love to wear different kinds of footwear to clothe up their feet; they would even visit spas and salons to have their feet pampered and have their toes for a pedicure. Women who are conscious of how they look would usually take to consider that their pair of shoes should match or compliment the dress they are going to wear.

To those who find it hard to find the matching pairs for their wardrobe, here’s a simple guide:

Oxford lace-ups/loafers –best worn with wide-leg trousers or cropped straight leg pants

Kitten heels or rubberized heels – best worn with pencil or A-line skirts, knee length or mini; bootcut jeans

Boots – best worn with mini skirts or bootcut pants

Flip-flops – best worn ALMOST ANYTHING! Dress up with anything with a cute, clean pair of tsenilas

Sneakers – best worn with rugged pair of cargos, ripped denim, short shorts, minis…

Bakyas – same mix and match rules apply as with sneakers

Espadrilles – best worn with beachwear or Bermuda shorts or anything preppy

Skinny Heels – best worn with skinny, straight leg pants or jeans, a slim skirt or a flirty dress

Wedges – best when worn with flared or wide-leg pants, A-line mini or knee length skirt, and A-line shorts

Girly flats – best worn with long flirty skirts and pants

You now have an idea how to shop for pairs which would look good on you along with your wardrobe. And look for foot wears that will not sacrifice your comfort. Some shoes might be too good be true when worn but it’ll be a pain in the ass if they’d cause you too much trouble when walking and would scrape blisters on your skin upon wearing them.

Happy shopping then!