salt

Image and sloppy Photoshopping by me.
My Mom's got a collection of these things here.

I love this version of this popular verse; it's taken from The Message Bible.

I've lately had a renewed appreciation for salt on food.  For a few years I've skipped placing salt in my cooking, reckoning it was the wise thing to do after my Dad had a stroke and and my Mom had an open heart surgery.  Their doctors had recommended low-sodium diets for them, and I thought maybe I should start early and avoid salt as much as possible.  :p  Of course that was a drastic move, so last year I decided that a tiny bit of salt is fine, as long as I make it a habit to eat more fresh food.

Anyway, I felt like I rediscovered what salt does for food, and my oh my, salt is ah-mazing.  Lemme say that again: AH-MAZING.  Now I like to put a tiny bit of salt on most of the stuff I eat (not everything. I'd still like to watch the sodium).  ^_^  Trust me, salt even makes cornflakes taste better.  

In the Gospels, Jesus likens his followers to salt, calling us the salt of the earth.  In The Message version, it says You're here to bring out the God-flavors of the earth.  

I've read it over and over, but it stills strikes me as profound.  When Christ's followers do their thing, it makes the world more flavorful, more palatable (?), and a generally better place.

Making this my personal mantra,  I'm here to bring out the God-flavors of the earth.  I've got it in me to give the people around me a dash of what makes them closer to God.  I can touch lives, a tiny bit at a time.  

I suppose I need to "rediscover" myself as the salt of the earth to see just how ah-mazing things are being a child of God.  Not that life is dull.  I guess I'm just getting less starry-eyed now that I'm older (and boy, do I feel older!)  I've settled down considerably, and that's a good thing; but I want to realize something new and dynamic about my existence on earth, i.e., something I haven't experienced before.  Is it too much to hope I feel about myself the way I feel about salt on food?  (Dang.  Awkward sentence.  Anyway ...)

I can actually write a detailed Bible study on this scripture, complete with cross-referencing, suggested worship songs and homework, but I'm not doing that.  That kind of reflection has lots of merit, but I think I'll pass for now.  Stripping things down to the basics also has much benefit too.

30 helpful hints

From a friend's blog.  Click to enlarge.

hello, january

(Also posted in my other blog,  irreverendmar.blogspot.com)

The past several weeks have been full of stuff  for me, and since I've never considered blogging to be anywhere at the top of my list of priorities, all my blogs have been fairly silent through last December.  I hadn't made any heartwarming Christmassy posts, or thought-provoking New Year-related ones, tsk tsk.  It's still January though, and I reckon I can still blog about my thoughts on the start of the year.


I'm not a New Year's Resolution sort of person.  Never believed in resolutions.  I'm more into setting goals for myself, with specified target dates and target numbers. Having goals instead of resolutions, i.m.h.o., is more conducive to productivity and affords a sense of accomplishment when reached.  But ha ha, here I am this year with some resolutions instead of goals this time.

I've mostly set and reached similar goals every year (it's usually along the lines of Get x ministry rolling by y quarter of year, Read z number of books by December 31, Lose n pounds by m month), and though they are all good, life-enriching goals, I've gotten quite tired of them.  I usually have them written out  at the start of each year, but I haven't gotten to doing that just yet.  I probably will in the next few days, knowing that  my obsessive self will never forgive the lapse.  But in the meantime, I find myself having a of list things that seem more like silly resolutions.  Whaddyaknow.

 Those resolution thingies were sparked some wekends ago while I was having a late lunch/ early dinner with an old friend from high school.  As we were bound to do, we mused about our early teenage years and laughed about how old and ricketty we've become and yadda.  It was just a few days after Christmas, so we naturally went into our thoughts on how to make 2014 a better year.  One of the things we brought up was the fact that we're both just a few years to forty, and it's about time we invest in better quality stuff.  i.e., it's fine to wear a ratty top or tote a cheap bag when you're in your twenties, but when you still do it past thirty, it has a vibe of being irresponsible.  And it's just plain ugly.  Besides, why go for cheap, low-quality stuff when you can afford something better now? Go for well-made stuff, high-quality, the real deal.  It isn't just about comfort or excess; it has more to do with being respectable and responsible.

So anyway, we spewed out some good ideas that day so we decided to write things down (she in her smartphone, and I in my handy dandy, low-tech notepad).  This isn't the kind of thing I can easily write in goal form, so I settled with sticking to a resoltion-type to-do list. It kinda started out with getting better stuff (i.e., buy a smartphone), but things eventually rolled toward being a better person.  Such as, learning new skills, seeing new places, and basically leveling up as a human being - but that's just basic yearly stuff.  One of the more "special" things we agreed on is that we ought to become more visible to our godchilren, because yes, that's what respectable, responsible people do.

Margaret is my first-ever goddaughter.  I think she's graduating.
Her mom had her when she was quite young, now she makes us feel real old.

I had my list pretty much down pat when I wnet home that evening, and I re-wrote it on a clean sheet of paper that I taped to my desk.  I thought my list ended at "Be a better godmother", but I added the most important thing a few days later.

At the bottom of my list, I had added Be A Blessing.  I'd like to try my best at purposely being a living, breathing, walking, talking, blessing. I know, Iknow, it's something that the Christianity Clause sort of implies.  But I've been following Christ for some time now, and I can't really say I consistently provide a positive experience for everyone I encounter.  Since I'm doing resolutions this year, I might as well have it in there.  Be someone who makes people feel blessed, loved, or just plain happy.  Because that's what respectable, responsible Christians do.

Oh dear, that's a lot of work.  I feel like scratching it out already.

The decisive moment came one afternoon, after an encounter with a particularly unpleasant cab driver.  I had reacted to his cantankerousness by going on b*tch-mode, pretty much ruining his day.  Other people would likely affirm  me by saying that the guy had it coming, but I'm pretty sure Jesus would tell me to turn the other cheek.  Tsk tsk.  Besides, they guy was a cab driver.  He's apparently less fortunate than I am; shame on me for not being more sympathetic toward a guy who's trying to make an honest living but is probably just on the 22nd straight hour of a bad day.

As I sat at home alone, I went into full-on remorse for being such a pathetic excuse for a social being. It's more or less socially acceptable these days to get all aggressive when someone offers you bad service (and it's even applauded in some circles), but being demanding is one thing, being b*tchy is a whole other. B*tchy doesn't really help anyone involved. It certainly didn't help the possibly-tired cab driver, and it didn't make me a better person.

Not immediately anyway.  But I hope to make something out of the remorse and the realizations that came after the experience.  Like what they say about life giving you lemons ...

So I resolved to Be A Blessing.  I'm not just talking about "doing random good deeds"; I mean more like "be less of a b8tch" and "be more intentionally refreshing". Ayown. It's not natural for me; it's the sort of thing I have to remind myself about.  It's always been easier for me to be a bitchessa than a blessing.  MUCH easier.  Believe me, I've tried my best, but at some point in the past several years, I decided to give up altogether because I'm just not good at being likable.  But being a blessing has less to do with being likable and more to do with what's doing right and proper.  I just want to be it because it's life-affirming, inspiring, nurturing; not just for myself but for the lives around me.

So this year, on top of acquiring better things for myself, I'm acquiring a better "blessing persona" - well-made stuff, high-quality, the real deal.  Because that's what respectable, responsible Christians do.   Why go for low-quality when you can afford better, right?

i did WHAT with milk?

My Dad gave me two cartons of milk the other day, saying he noticed I like drinking it.  I actually prefer almond milk, or sometimes low-fat milk when I need to stretch the budget - but I just received two liters of the full-fat variety.

I'm not exactly willing to drink full-fat milk, but I decided to accept the gift because it was a sweet gesture (minus my Dad's story about how he can't properly digest the stuff anymore, hee hee).  So I did a web search for recipes I could use milk in.  Just then I remembered a snippette I read in a teen magazine several years ago, about using milk as a homemade hair mask.  I remembering trying it out back then and that I was very happy with the result.

Image from yahoo.lifestyle.co.nz

So this is one of the things I did with the milk:

milk as a hair treatment

• After shampooing, apply milk to hair.  A spray bottle makes it easier.
• Work it into your hair.  Leave it on for a few minutes. For even better results, leave it on for thirty.  A shower cap is a good idea.
• Rinse well.

The result:  soft, silky tresses.  I find it more effective in taming my hair than store-bought straightening conditioners.

I was surprised to find a lot of beauty blogs discussing  the wonders that milk does for hair. I've read that it helps to remove product residue accumulated through the years, and it provides nourishment.  I also learned that the creamy beverage was used as a hair and skin treatment way before commercial shampoos were available.  This practice goes back all the way to Cleopatra, who bathed in milk because she believed in its healing and beautifying properties.

A lot of women are opting for traditional hair treatments nowadays, and milk is one of the ingredients in some homemade shampoo recipes.  This method of washing hair in milk is an all-natural, sulfate-free alternative to conditioner.

yes, he will! :D

Photo and graphic by me.

home de-cluttering

I am once again at that juncture:  'tis the jolly season for de-cluttering (hooray!).  After watching a few episodes of Biography Channel's Hoarders,  I felt the impulse to clean out my closet, my shelves and most especially that unruly conglomeration of file boxes, doodads and whatzits squatting in our hallway.  I've already cleaned all those up in the past, but clutter tends to reproduce asexually when no one is looking, and you can end up with twice as much junk at the end of the year if you aren't careful to keep everything in their respective bins.

So here I go:

home de-cluttering tips

1. Take one room at a time, one day at a time.  Depending on your mess, you may take several days, so pace yourself.
   
   I started with the easiest room - the bedroom.  Then I slowly conquered the hallway.  Then I took a break and made strategies for the living room and dining area.
   
   Still strategizing.
   
   
2. Set up three huge boxes (or garbage bags).  Label one as "THROW AWAY", another as "RECYCLE", and the other as "DONATE TO CHARITY" or "GARAGE SALE".  You may even want another one marked "GIVE AWAY TO RELATIVE".  Pitch things in accordingly.
   
   
3. If you haven't touched it for more than a year, let it go.
   I gave up any illusions that I will someday fit into that slim pair of jeans.  Bye. I found a couple of dresses I wore back in college but can't possibly wear now without looking like I'm desperately trying to appear young.   Bye . That pair of shoes that always slices into my heels.   Bye. That cookie canister that has long been empty but is just too cute to throw away and is now eating shelf space. Bye. Silly useless kitsch gifts.   Bye .   Bye .   Bye .
   
   
4. If it's gross or useless, throw it away.  Especially if it's a health or fire hazard, forget sentimental value. Don't even think about fixing it up.  If you're having second thoughts about something, think about how you'll keep chancing upon it every time you clean the house, and how you'll always wonder whether to throw it away, so you might as well do it now.
   
   
5. Give stuff away.  I've previously said elsewhere that giving away your stuff is an antidote to selfishness (try it, it really works!).  If there's someone else who could appreciate it more, give it to that person.
   
   While I was sorting the old clothes in the garage, our driver picked up this sun dress saying how his teenage daughter happens to love that particular style.  I never was able to use that dress since I acquired it, and I gave up trying to fit into it a long time ago, so it's time to pass it on.  Not to the driver, ok - his daughter.
   
   Old clothes: Take them to your church.  Most churches have ongoing charity collections. But nix on the ball gowns and party stilettos.
   
   Old books: Donate to a library.
   
   
6. Hold a garage sale.  If you have a lot of stuff you no longer want but are still good, and it would seem too much of a waste to throw/ give them away, sell your second-hand items to your neighbors.
   
   It depends on your neighborhood, but you generally have to price things incredibly low, or they won't sell.  Unless of course they're genuine antiques or items of special interest.
   
   
7. Employ smart storage solutions for the stuff you do keep.  Candy-colored plastic storage boxes come in various sizes.  There are also a lot of sleek Ikea-ish shelving aids, and nifty things like pegs, racks and bins. 
   

... And after several days of going through our stuff, I'm still not done.  But it feels grrrrrreat to have more space in my closet already.  And I'm so proud of the fact that I singlehandedly defeated the evil dragon of debris that has been living in our hallway, using only a broom, some trash bags and storage bins. Now I'm thinking about painting the interior of the house a crisp, fresh white ...

what's so good about being a ghost writer?

Aside from the fact that it brings in a bit of extra pocket money, helps keep my writing skills sharpened, and gives me something productive to do after-hours, there's nothing so great about it really, if you think about it.  Unless I was working on an entire book, which I'm not.  It's unglamorous, incognito and nothing I can boast about; but even if only for the three little benefits I just mentioned, I appreciate and even enjoy ghost-writing.

Okay, wait.  For those of you who aren't quite familiar with the term, it has nothing to do with ghosts, or anything supernatural for that matter.  It simply means writing for someone else, and that Someone Else takes credit for my work.  So the only ghost here really, is me. 

Lately, it's been my preoccupation of choice - researching and writing articles for travel books, tourism magazines, technology blogs, health websites and places in cyberspace to spam.  I don't really mind not being credited, since it's not creative work but just a lot of gathering and organizing data (now, for creative writing like short stories and poetry, that is a whole other story; I will never give up my rights on something I created with creativity).  If I didn't need to do chores, maintain hobbies or make time for ministry, I could make up to fifty US dollars a day - but since I want to have time for all those other things, I don't earn more than ten, but I'm good.  ;)  The reward really is being able to simplify my life, making time for things that matter to me while still being productive.

And oh - another little benefit of writing for other people: I get to learn about stuff I normally wouldn't be interested in.  Like, I just learned a lot about Australia, Diablo III builds and the new Samsung Galaxy.  And that article I recently worked on about "the top 10 regrets people have" made me reflect on my life and contemplate on a major decision.

The other day, I got so tickled when I found a website where several of my articles were put up.  It's a website on air travel called iFly, for which I've written a number of tips for travelers, glossary items and air-travel-for-dummies type material.  I recognized my work immediately (including the typos that were left in!) and wondered whether I should have charged more for them :p but there's some content pleasure in knowing that what I wrote is going to be immensely useful to a lot of people. 

how i plan to have a fruitful week every week

In line with starting a new year, I thought of an easy way to remember my weekly To-Do list. I'm not a "resolution" kind of person, but I don't mind writing out goals and tasks that would place my life in a good direction. 

I've assigned my chores and tasks into days of the week, and I've given each day a nickname for easy recall.


Every Monday is Bun-day
... Or bunny-day, in which I make sure to spend time with my rabbit and see to it that his home is clean and his supplies are well-stocked.
The personal / health-related dimension of Bun-day: This will be the time I eat only fruits and vegetables, a sort of weekly detox.  I'll be eating just like a rabbit naturally would - no carbs, no junk, no processed stuff, no added salt or sugar. 
I think I will also pick this day to wear no make-up or any hair product.

Tuesday is Shoes-day
... In which I dust my shoes and bags and place them back in their proper boxes and shelves.
The health-related part:  This will be when I pamper my feet and nails.

Wednesday is Cleanse-day

... In which I ensure the bedroom is clean and suitable for a good night's sleep, and that the living room is presentable enough to receive guests.
The personal cleansing:  This is when I take longer baths and exfoliate my skin.  I can do this more than once a week if needed of course, but Wednesday will be my fixed, no-rush day. 


Thursday is Thirst-day
... In which I drink lots of water.  I know that eight glasses of water are part of a good daily diet, but I forget to drink that much sometimes, particularly when I'm busy.  I'm slating Thursday to be the day I have to do it. It will also be my "drink water only day" - no juice, tea, and especially no soda.

Friday is Pray-day
... In which I spend a longer time in prayer, and make sure to pray for others.  Of course prayer should be done everyday, but Fridays will be for prayer requests that I might have forgotten about during the week. Sometimes people ask for prayer, right? ("Please pray for me / for my father who is sick / for my daughter who is taking an exam / etc.")  To be honest, I don't always remember everything people tell me, so I'm setting Fridays aside to recall all those.  This will also by the time I will pray for what goes on in the country, or something disturbing i saw in the news, so that I won't have to spend every day worrying about it.



Anything goes on Weekends... and I will see to it I lay back and have fun on Saturdays and Sundays.

what's in your wishlist?

I thought about making a vain post about what I wish to receive this Christmas as I usually do every December, but I found this thought-provoking image floating around cyberspace:

I know don't really need a new android phone, or  that DVD player with the USB port, or a whole new wardrobe.  I don't really need to spend money on gifts, on thingamabobs and space-eaters to give to friends who may or may not be my friends after five years.  I really don't.

Dear loved ones of mine: instead of buying me something I may or may not like, please give something to someone who really needs it.

If you truly believe that it's better to give than to receive, go extreme this Holiday season.  Instead of spending on stuff that people will probably forget about after January, how about giving to people who are really in need?

You don't have to go far to show kindness to the needy.  Every city has homeless people, orphans, widows.  And no matter how broke you feel, remember that there will always be someone poorer than you - your house helper, the manong vendor, the security guard at your office building.  Go beyond relief goods give them brand new, high-quality food and items you would be glad to receive yourself. Why not, right?
.

(nod nod nod)

Ah, yes. Simplify life and be content. ^_^

I like this blog, by the way. Give it a follow. ^_^

I have a new "like" : virgin coconut oil

Someone told me that virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a good skin moisturizer. Since I happen to be allergic to a lot of lotions and stuff I decided to give VCO a try.

I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I'm liking it. It has kept my skin from drying and helped my cold-rashes subside.

Since VCO is all-natural, there aren't any allergic reactions or side effects.

I did a bit of Googling around about VCO and I learned that it has a whole lot of other benefits. Aside from being useful as a skin and/ or hair conditioner, I mean. It is said to treat eczema, dandruff and fungal infections, and helps to keep skin looking young and healthy. It's also a good massage oil and stress-reliever.

VCO ingested in small amounts could help to regulate weight. You could cook with it too - it is said to be "the healthiest oil on earth".

I'm no pro on this though, so don't take my word for it; you can do some research yourself. And by the way, make sure to pick out virgin coconut oil, not just regular coconut oil.

There's this homemade body scrub recipe that I've been using. Instead of the usual olive oil, I tried virgin coconut oil instead this week, and I've found that and it works just as nicely. VCO is a cheaper alternative, and it smells yummy too.

temporary vegetary

Image from here.

I thought about going vegetarian for a week. Maybe two. Though I probably need to lose a few inches around me, my real reason has nothing to do with weight loss. I just think it's about time for a detoxification of sorts.

I realize that I've been eating mostly chicken and fish the past several months (it's my Dad's menu of choice for health reasons. And since we acquired a new helper to cook for us, I stopped bothering to prepare food for myself so I just eat what they prepare). I've been getting these bad rashes on my legs, and I remembered that I used to have these same allergic reactions to chicken and fish and eggs and seafood when I was younger. I thought that the allergies went away through the years, but apparently they just stayed away when I ate a more-or-less balanced diet. Now that I'm practically living in the poultry train, I'm getting chicken skin all over again.

But who wants to live with the itching and scratching and wheezing and sneezing, right? I decided to adjust my diet, at least for a while. Since we live with my Dad and he has pretty much outlawed beef and pork in this house, I thought it would be best to go vegetarian. I'm going to try to drag my Hubby and my Dad into this too, because I think it's a really good idea.

A local magazine featured vegetarianism a few Sundays back, so I went through that issue for some input. I was delighted to read people's testimonials and the health benefits they've been experiencing - increased energy, clearer skin, slowed aging. Just for those things, it might even be a good idea to go green forever ... but, naaah; I love bacon too much. :D

A vegetarian diet doesn't just mean steamed veggies and tofu. There are a lot of yummy, meatless dishes that are easy to prepare, so I'm not afraid that I'll be starving myself. I've already started to scribble possible dishes.

I could and should eat
(and force influence others at home to follow):

oatmeal
corn flakes
bread
pesto
veggie spaghetti
spinach / eggplant lasagna
bean soup
baked potato
baked tomato
waldorf salad
baked tofu
squash soup
onion soup
mushroom soup
tomato soup (i looooove tomato soup!)
banana sandwich
broccoli and cheese
apples and celery
carrot sticks
frozen yogurt
fresh or dried fruit

I'm quite excited about this temporary change. I need to plan menus carefully of course, to make sure I still get the right amount of protein and necessary nutrients. I don't want to end up being a vegetable myself.

girls talk: other intentions for 2011

We've posted about our 2010 plans for health, work and love in the past few weeks of Girls Talk, and this week we're rounding up our resolutions month with life in general.

The overall purpose of making resolutions and setting goals for oneself, I believe, is personal growth and/or betterment.

Ever heard this practical piece of advice? - Don't compare (or compete) with others; just compare (or compete) with yourself. The bottom line is to be secure about yourself, but at the same time checking that you are growing. You don't have to be a perfect person. Just make sure you're a growing one. ;)

This is how I do it: Periodically I ask myself Am I a better person than I was this time last year? Follow it up with question along the lines of, Am I in a better place in my life? Am I better skilled at something? Have my relationships improved? Am I happier or more content now? And so on. I just want to be sure that my life is not stagnant and that I am constantly growing and improving.


Other areas I want to work on:

Relationships
Chat at least once a week with my Mom and my brother.
Drop by my mother-in-law's place weekly (or at least every other week).

Finances
Now that the Hubby and I will be generating more income, we're glad we can set aside more savings. Aside from leaving a certain amount untouched in the bank, I want us to put P100 each in our piggy bank every payday.

Spiritual health
Spend time with God daily, and get back into the habit of making journal notes. I used to be a committed journaller, but I noticed that I've neglected journalling since I started blogging my thoughts.

Minstry
I intend to get myself more involved in our new church this year.

Intellectual / mental growth
I don't know how I should do this yet. In the past years, I've made it my goal to read a certain number of books for the year, but I'm thinking that books are ridiculously expensive these days, and if I want to save money I have to be a bit more practical.
Maybe I should do at least one crossword puzzle a week, to keep myself sharp.

Creativity
Keep blogging. ^_^
Be faithful with my 365 Project - one photo a day for every day of the year.


That's pretty much it. :) See other girls talk about their 2011 resolutions at Beauty Queen Gene:

girls talk: work-related plans and love-related ones

I'm doing two entries in one today since I missed last week's girls talk.

work

It's been nearly four years since my last day of working in an office setting. Between that time and now, I have cheerfully concluded that I am not the kind of person who would flourish in rigid office-type job and I should not work at an office again, hahaha.

I've been working odd online tasks, but I've been thinking about really working again this year. I definitely would like to have a more stable income. Though I can boast that I can successfully manage my time, I'm not very good at managing stress, so I want a kind of job I can enjoy, preferably a part-time one.

I am glad that these days, due to the boom of jobs online, I have the options to work from home. Just this week I submitted an application for a part-time English tutor. It looks fun and practical enough. The pay isn't that big but it's at least bigger than what I make now, and more importantly it's regular income. I'm hoping and praying I get accepted (hey, maybe you can pray with me too ^_^ ). If I don't get accepted, I intend to look for something similar.


love life

The Hubby and I will be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary in June (I think we're old now, but I don't feel we're old, so I guess that's okay). We haven't really planned anything for the anniversary date itself , but we've been scheduling some trips this year.

Love isn't just in the big celebrations; it's also in the little day-to-day things. I therefore intend to do small, simple but deliberate gestures of showing my affection and appreciation for the Hubby every day. It's as easy as writing a random but purposeful note, or cooking some fruits into his oatmeal to make it special. I got this idea from Diana Hagee's book, The King's Daughter (a good read for every Christian lady); she calls it "one way every day". The point is just to intentionally show love in at least one way, every single day.

how not to let those online social networks steal your time

If you've got access to the internet, you've already likely made an account in at least one of them. Sites like Facebook and Twitter aren't only "the in thing" nowadays, but they've become a major means of interaction, communication and the sharing of information.

You've also probably witnessed -whether first-hand or by observation - how these things can suck you into a black hole of non-productivity. You know; you sign in just for a little while with the intention of just checking your inbox ... And then hours later you find yourself deep in a chatfest with a friend, or lost somewhere in your virtual kingdom.

As you probably already know, these social networking sites aren't harmful per se. I don't believe in simply writing them off as useless time-wasters, since they do prove beneficial at times. I actually believe we should embrace things like Facebook and Twitter if we want to stay relevant and ready for the next wave of technological change, as well as in touch with the next generation (Let me explain: Look around now at those aged 40 and up who don't know how to use a computer and need their kids to switch it on for them just to check their e-mail. Those are people who did not acquaint themselves with the PC when they were younger, because they failed to see the practicality of the computer, and are now still unfamiliar with something so ordinary and necessary. You wouldn't want to grow old into someone so detached, would you?).

While I don't at all claim to be the poster-girl for discipline, I came up with a few points to outsmart these online time-stealers. These are a few conditions that I put on myself.

Image by Fucsia Macaree.

how not to get sucked in:

1. Assign specific times for checking your inboxes. Perhaps an hour or two in the morning, an hour or two in the evening - and that's it. Don't go over. Set an alarm if you have to.
Go through all inboxes - Facebook, Google, all e-mails and other accounts - all at once instead of checking several inboxes at several different times of the day. Skip over the unimportant messages. Send the short replies within that time; for those that need attachments or longer responses, see to them later until you've checked all your messages. When your alarm goes off, wrap things up.

2. Filter your Facebook homepage. Hide all posts by anyone and everyone who rarely ever say anything worthwhile. I suggest hiding those who whine most of the time, those who spam your inbox with too much useless information, those who are offensive and are pretty much uninteresting. For that matter, you can leave only the feeds from people who matter to you. You will probably not care about what's going on in the lives of your 700 other contacts anyway.

How to do that: Go to a person's last post on your feed. Hover your mouse pointer by the upper right corner of the box. Click on the little x that appears, and then click on "Hide all posts".

It's okay; no one will know you did that. You will still be able to interact with them when you want to. And it's totally reversible by going to "Edit options" at the bottom of your home page.

3. You don't need to respond to all alerts and messages. As a general rule, don't post comments just for small talk; don't remark on each and every new status or new photo just for the heck of it. Post comments with intent. If it's neither urgent nor important, skip over it. A single remark can easily boom into a lengthy, time-consuming thread, so don't feel obligated to keep clicking that "comment" button.

4. Ignore invitations to install applications. If you think about it, the biggest time-wasters on Facebook are the applications and games. Now, if you don't install them in the first place, you won't waste precious hours playing them, right? But seriously, some of the games on FB are really fun, even cool. If you like playing the games, choose just one, stick to that then delete or ignore the rest. Time yourself inf necessary.

5. Appear offline so no one will initiate a chat. On Facebook, click on that Chat tab on the bottom right part of the screen. See that little green thing that looks like a jellybean? Click on the white dot on it and drag it to the left of the jellybean so it turns gray.

6. Don't leave FB or Twitter on in the background all day while you work. Sign out when you're done. Honestly, your followers won't suffer if you won't feed them trivial details every five minutes. You can tweet some in the morning, once during your coffee break, and then some more in the evening - that would be sufficient to update your friends.

Also, it would benefit you not to see the tweets coming in one after the other, so you won't feel the need to read them and respond to them right then and there. You can get back to them all at once later during your assigned times.

7. Limit the number of people you follow on Twitter. Realistically, you don't have the time to read every single tweet by several hundred different people every day. You probably even don't need to know most of the stuff they put on there, and you definitely don't want to follow people who have nothing worthwhile to say. And by the way - you don't have to follow back everyone who follows you.

Every few months, clean out your contacts - delete the constant complainers, obsessive updaters and random blabbers.

8. Put your Twitter contacts into lists. Put all your real friends in one list, all the celebrities in another, all the news updates in another, and so on. That way you can easily switch from one list to another as needed. Ignore your celebrity and entertainment lists for most of the week and check it only on the weekend. Believe me, you don't need a blow-by-blow account of Demi Moore's day, and it wouldn't kill you not to know what Tyra Banks had for breakfast.

9. Postpone some stuff for the weekend. If it is neither important nor urgent, you can postpone reading it, watching it or replying to it until the end of the week. Generally you can ignore all "amazing" videos and forwarded "inspiring" e-mails, even they claim to be a must-see.

10. Don't keep your computer in the bedroom. This is to avoid all-nighters. Place a time limit on yourself and don't go beyond it.


I hope this is helpful. Now have some responsible fun online. Embrace the wonderful innovations on technology and communication, but don't let them grab ahold of you and gobble you up. ;)

simplifying the upcoming stressful season

So. The awareness of Christmas is just floating over our heads like a persistent follow-spotlight. At this time we'd usually be harassed over getting gifts, maybe even penciling out our own wishlists, or stretching whatever budget we have just to be in the spirit of the season.

Gifts. Lists. Wrapping. Make sure not to forget anyone.
Lights. Trees. Tinsel. Trimming.
Recipes. Groceries.
Parties. Invites.
Events. Events to go to, events to turn down.
People to make nice with.
Clutter. Diets.

I think it was two years ago that the Hubby and I have decided not to be slaves to tradition. Oh, we're not going in the Ebenezer Scrooge direction -- we just agreed it would be wise not to blow several thousand bucks buying gifts for insignificant people and decking the house with kitschy decor.

Instead of scrambling for cheap stuff for a long list of friends colleagues neighbors volunteers donors sponsors pastors disciples helpers group-members workers parents-of-workers people-to-thank people-to-impress and so on, we'll simply be buying good-quality gifts for immediate family. If we have enough, the Hubby and I might even treat ourselves to a vacation. The Holidays would be less stressful and more meaningful that way.

The first time we did this, I felt a kind of bite on my pride whenever I had to greet Christmas-wishers who might've expected gifts (It probably will still sting a bit this year, but I think I've more or less gotten used to it). But the money saved and the freedom from stress is absolutely rewarding.

We could feel guilty for not handing out tangible, giftwrapped tokens to (hopefully) convey our thoughtfulness at a season of giving.
We could be afraid of being thought of as Scroogy or stingy.
We could spread ourselves too thin over people we "should" please or events we "should" attend.
Or we could choose to simplify our lives at this already complicated season - just stick to what really matters instead of just going along with social convention.

Personally I'd rather not give in to the overspending, people-pleasing, materialism and fatigue. If Christmas is supposed to be about love, joy, sharing, giving, and spiritually enlightening things, it would be nice not to contaminate it with worldly values.

cash out of trash

Yesterday, the Hubby and I held a garage sale. There was so much stuff in our house that we wanted to get rid of; instead of throwing everything away, we decided to sort the ones that were still usable and make some money out of them.

At 9 in the morning, we arranged our makeshift spread of used clothes, bags, home accessories, books, toys, kitchen appliances and trinkets. Customers started coming in even before we were finished setting up. I was so surprised that people actually came though we didn't even advertise. I guess a lot of people really have a nose for these things.

We made P 4k on our first day. Not bad, huh? Considering that we marked most of our items at fifty bucks and below (We chose to price them really low to attract buyers - and it worked. We weren't seeking to get rich anyway; our main objective was to get rid of the stuff we didn't want).

It's also surprising how other people could be interested in things we were ready to throw away. Like for example, we had a few of these glass pot-lids (the pots were long ago worn away) that were pretty much useless. A young-ish couple who came in happened to need a lid for their pot, and we happened to have the exact same size they needed.

We initially thought it would be fruitless, but we're really glad we did it. We were so glad in fact that decided to hold a garage sale every Saturday until we get rid of all our unwanted stuff. We also thought of maybe asking some friends to sell their used items too, just to bulk up the "showroom".

real women

I quite enjoyed Girl's Talk yesterday. ^_^ I mean, I always enjoy Girls Talk but yesterday was especially refreshing because it was so nice to hear from real women about what they loved about their bodies.

When I say real women, I mean us regular people who aren't surgically-enhanced, airbrushed celebrity goddesses.

I've gotten tired of the daily media barrage of the made-over Angelinas, the Marians and the Next Top Models reinforcing the lie in our minds that beauty is necessarily 1 : 1.618. Real women are beautiful too - including their stretchmarks, c-section scars and a few extra pounds here and there.

It was very pleasant to even read about how the Girls Talkers appreciate even their imperfections, and how the people they love appreciate them too.

Women are made beautiful by their confidence, their kindness and how they touch other people. And as I've come to believe, sexy is an attitude. I'm loving the Dove campaign that feature ladies of different shapes and ages and show them all as beautiful.

TV and the movies might want to stereotype "ordinary-looking women" into supporting or comedic roles - but we are the leading ladies of our own lives, the celebrity goddesses of our own husbands and children.

eight glasses of water a day

photo from here

drinking eight glasses of water a day:

• provides sufficient hydration
• aids circulation
• promotes healthier skin
• burns calories faster
• lowers the risk of heart attack
  
• aids weight loss
• regulates digestion and elimination
• lowers the risk of urinary tract infection
• flushes out toxins
• reduces headaches
• regulates body temperature
  
  

I'm pretty sure you've heard about it somewhere too. :)

(There have been some "researchers" though that say there really hasn't been any significant, measurable evidence that prove the benefits of eight glasses a day - still, I'm a believer in sufficient hydration. Besides, it wouldn't hurt anyone to drink water)

Recently I received an-email forwarded from a family friend, where she shared that drinking eight glasses of water a day helped to clear her cancer (She's cancer-free now). Of course she had other treatments, but proper hydration was a big factor.

Ive decided to take this eight glasses a day thing seriously since a few years ago when I was found to have a kidney infection. I've had a severe blood infection that affected the functioning of my other organs due in part to improper hydration. So far, I haven't had that again.

For the past year or two, I've been able to successfully increase my water intake and reduce sodas and caffeine (I've had to do it partially because I needed to get more sleep, and also because the meds I take for my BMD tend to overwork the kidneys). I've developed more liking for water, and have decreased my appetite for corn-syrupy or carbonated drinks. And it feels great.

I'd rather not drive myself crazy by keeping a precise count of how many glasses, but I just have an idea of the approximate amount . It helps to have big glass nearby when I read, work or watch the telly. It's also a good idea to have a handy-dandy drinking bottle when traveling.

A nice idea:
I got this idea from a book I read, about how this lady kept count of her water intake by leaving a stack of eight coins on her desk every day. Each time she drank a glass, she'd move a coin over to the other side of her desk.

Drinking lots of water is very helpful and healthful these days especially when we're in the middle of a tremendous heatwave. There have lately been a couple of deaths due to dehydration and heat stroke, and I just want to make sure we aren't part of that statistic.

Another nice idea:
Don't wait until you're thirsty. Just drink up.

And uh, yeah, it would be very wise to have clean, accessible restrooms at all times. All that water intake would be useless if you didn't flush it out.

galatians 5: freedom

I was reading Galatians 4 and 5 in another translation today, and I was so delighted at the fresh perspective I gained from an often-quoted passage.

Galatians 5 : 1-10, 13-26
The Message

The Life of Freedom

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment.

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

*emphasis mine

Aside from the brilliant manner of translation, I really appreciate this because I see the great, big grace-filled truth of it in my current situation. It is so not about do's and don'ts.

And I find a lot of comfort in reading that if I want to be loving, kind, charitable, etc. to someone, there is no law against that, i.e., it is not wrong to do that, no matter what anybody says.

This passage affirms that the Hubby and I certainly made the right decision about "moving". We've known these things for a while, but I've recently delved into a deeper understanding - a liberating, grace-filled rhema.

I love it! ^_^ The word of the week is freedom.