As a blogger, I find it hard sometimes to attract and get readers for my blog. Especially that mine does not have an exact topic to deal with. People have different interests, that is true. However, You also have a lot of blog mates who do topics that you also do which creates a competition in terms of site crawling and reader attractability. I had mine for roughly three years and I can tell that it wasn't as popular as anyone else.

It is a bit sad to be honest as you strive hard to make your blog as interesting as possible and you want it to be popular where site visits can go as far as 100,000 per day. I guess I need to work harder on that. However, I find it interesting to see a website where your blog contents can be read once you have posted them. All you have to do is submit your blog, create a post, and they will syndicate your blog post through their site.

Yousaytoo website caters to all chaps who wish to promote their decent blog and attract readers as well. It is a revenue sharing program too where you have the option to donate your blog earnings for important causes like helping people in Haiti, funds for the efforts of having a clean water, and etc.

I browsed through the site and found some interesting topics in there. One was the HUD apartments for rent topic where it gives an option to rent a decent apartment at a very reasonable and attainable price. This project is intended for people who do not have that much income. Another topic that I was interested in was make your future baby. Through technology and modern photography, the parents will now have an idea on what would their child look like upon birth. The concept of "picture morphing" creates an excitement among partners who will soon become parents.

Yousaytoo indeed is also like an Amazon of different ideas of different people. I have to go now, I guess. I'll submit my blog and meet some chaps there. :-)

The summer sun was on its hottest state as usual. Many people congregate at the school; queuing at different directions towards different classrooms, not minding the sweat coming out from their pores. It's May 10 today and everyone is excited as it is the Philippines' election day. I believe people like me are eager to vote in two ways. One is that we are here again in a very special day to make a major decision for our country by selecting  the leaders whom we think can "manage" our country for its betterment and the other one is that we are so excited as this is the first automated election in the country's history. We are so feverish to witness the controversial PCOS machine and check how it works.

The process wasn't as smooth as expected. Some people complain of waiting for so many hours just to have for their slot and vote. Some are complaining of extreme heat and dehydration (that was their fault though), some are complaining of defective machines, some were not able to have their sheets counted , and some can't just think of anything to complain. I don't mind though, I have my tools-my umbrella, my Pierre Cardin towel, a paper fan, and a bottle of C2. I made sure as well that I had a good bath first before going to my designated precinct. 

The waiting time would surely test your patience. A lot endured and were able to cast their precious votes. During my turn, I read the instructions carefully. I chose my candidates as planned and shaded their designated circled regions. I went to the machine and at last, my vote was counted. As my friend commented on my Facebook status wall, the process is really fulfilling. Not just because you were able to see how the machine eats your paper and congratulates you that your vote was counted but the feeling of being heard to make a decision for your country as a citizen.

Truly the right to suffrage is one of the rights we citizens of this nation are entitled to shape our nation. Again, for those who haven't cast their votes yet, go out now and vote. Now is the time to make a major decision for our country. Don't waste it.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Calling all the registered voters out there, may it be your parents, your siblings, your friends, or your jejemon clanmates. Tomorrow is the date when we will exercise our right of suffrage. We will make a major decision tomorrow and the power lies in our hands so to speak. Please do not waste your right to vote. Go out there and choose your preferred candidate. If you still haven't located your voting precint, kindly proceed here:

It was a day where I have this feeling of urgency to drop by at our office even if I was still on leave. I have been away for more than 10 days due to my Typhoid Fever and I felt I have the responsibility to update myself with the information that I've missed during my confinement Especially now that I have been given extra task to perform. Nothing was that different then except for the warm welcome by my friends. I thought it was just me who made it to the headlines at the workplace but to my shock, Mamacon, as we call our colleague named Connie brought a not so good news to me.  We saw each other at the locker room, exchanged friendly kisses, and greeted one another. She spoiled the news that Judy, one of our colleagues was currently mourning at the demise of her mother. It really shocked me as the news sent shivers. I just can't bear the thought of a passing of a mother. It is something that I cannot truly handle should it happen to me.

We went to the chapel in which her mother's remains are located. The place by the way is so far, far away that we literally begged for something to drink at the time we have arrived. We extended our condolences tp Judy and had some chit chat with her. We found out that her mother's death was caused by a disease called Lupus.

 Lupus is a disease that involves the immune system Normally, a person's immune system works by producing immunity cells and antibodies, special substances that fight germs and infections.

But when a person has lupus, the immune system goes into overdrive and can't tell the difference between some of the body's normal, healthy cells and germs that can cause infection. So the immune system responds by making autoantibodies that attack the body's normal cells.

1. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Also called SLE, this is the type of lupus that most people mean when they talk about the disease. It was given its name by a 19th century French doctor who thought that the facial rash of some people with lupus looked like the bite or scratch of a wolf ("lupus" is Latin for wolf and "erythematosus" is Latin for red).

SLE is the most serious form of lupus. SLE can affect the skin, joints, and tendons. It may also affect organs like the brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys.

2. Cutaneous (or skin) Lupus

This type of lupus is a skin disease that causes a rash on the face, neck, scalp, and ears. There are two types of cutaneous lupus: discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), which can cause scarring; and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE), which doesn't cause scars. Discoid lupus is a much more rare form of lupus than SLE, although about 10% of people with discoid lupus will develop a mild form of SLE. It doesn't affect other body organs the way that SLE can.

3. Drug-Induced Lupus

This type of lupus is caused by a reaction to certain kinds of medicines. For example, some types of antiseizure medicines and acne medicines can cause this kind of lupus in teens. Drug-induced lupus is similar to SLE in the ways it affects the body, but once a person stops taking the medicine, the symptoms usually go away.

  

WHAT CAUSES LUPUS?

No one really knows what causes lupus. Researchers think that some people may be more likely to get it due to things that are out of their control, like:

    * gender: Many more women get lupus than men; for every 1 man with lupus, there are 10 women who have it.
    * estrogen: This female hormone may be a factor in lupus — almost all women who get lupus are of childbearing age.
    * race/ethnicity: Lupus occurs more often in African-American, Asian-American, Latin-American, and Native-American women than in non-Hispanic Caucasian women.
    * family history/genetics: About 10% of people with lupus have a family member with lupus.
    * major stress or infection: If people have the genetic tendency to get lupus, extreme stress or an infection may trigger the disease — but the blueprint for lupus has to already be there. One thing researchers know about lupus is that it is not contagious. You can't catch any of the three types of lupus from another person. And although lupus involves the immune system, it is not the same as other diseases that involve the immune system, like AIDS.

Symptoms of Lupus and How It Is Diagnosed

Lupus can be hard to diagnose because its symptoms can vary from one person to the next. The symptoms can also make lupus look like certain other diseases. They may have muscle aches, loss of appetite, swollen glands, and hair loss. Sometimes they have abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The doctor may perform certain blood tests when lupus is suspected and will probably send the person to a rheumatologist (pronounced: roo-muh-tol-uh-jist). Rheumatologists are doctors who have special training in diagnosing and treating autoimmune diseases like lupus.

Because signs and symptoms of SLE can be so varied, a rheumatologist will look for 11 specific signs:

   1. malar rash: A malar rash appears across the nose and cheeks in the shape of a butterfly.
   2. discoid rash: This rash features round, red, scaly patches that can appear on the face, arms, scalp, or ears.
   3. photosensitivity: This means sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, like the ones that come from the sun or from fluorescent lights. Most people with SLE are photosensitive and find that the sun worsens their lupus.
   4. ulcers in the nose or mouth: These usually don't hurt and many people with SLE don't even know they are there.
   5. arthritis: This makes joints hurt, especially in hands and feet. Unlike the kind of arthritis that older people sometimes get, this arthritis doesn't damage the bones. Most people with SLE have some degree of arthritis.
   6. serositis: This is the collection of fluid near the linings covering the heart, lungs, or abdomen.
   7. kidney problems: These can be mild or severe. Most people with SLE will have kidney problems, but only about half of them will have permanent kidney damage.
   8. neurologic problems: This refers to problems with the brain and nervous system, like seizures.
   9. blood problems: SLE can cause a lower than normal number of red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells, or platelets.
  10. immune system problems: Blood tests may show that the immune system isn't functioning properly.
  11. positive ANA test: This is a blood test that shows a certain type of antibody. About 95% of people with SLE have a positive ANA test.

Someone with four or more of these signs or symptoms is likely to have SLE. Most patients don't develop all 11 of them.

TREATING LUPUS

The type of treatment someone gets often depends on how severe the lupus is and which body systems are affected. Almost all people with SLE take some kind of medicine to help control their lupus. Patients whose joints hurt often take acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin) to help with the pain.

Others take antimalarial drugs (medicines first developed to prevent and treat malaria, but that have also been found to help treat lupus). Antimalarial drugs often help treat skin rashes and joint pain.

Some rheumatologists prescribe anti-inflammatory steroids, medicines that help fight the fatigue and fever that can affect people with SLE. People with lupus that affects important body organs may be given other immunosuppressive drugs. These drugs help stop the immune system from producing the autoantibodies that destroy healthy cells. These drugs are very strong, though, and can have side effects. So they are used only when it's really necessary.

Judy's mom was not able to triumph over Lupus. Who by the way says that treatments are guaranteed for  recovery? One thing is for sure though, her mother is now in a place where antibodies are no longer needed. Where medicines are no longer necessary. Even health is no longer a matter of the subject. She is now happy; free of all pain and suffering.

The fight is over and Mayweather triumphed over Mosley. Mayweather’s points victory over Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night was a masterful display of technical boxing and the work of a genius athlete. However, the fight was as boring as hell. The news flash at a popular Philippine TV station by the way aired the said victory and the reporter who has covered the scenes kept on saying "Manny Mayweather". I thought there was just a mix up between the names of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather but the reporter refers to Money Mayweather-just as my brother had thought. He may have made the pay per views to land on the top 10 but the whole show was just all about boxing technicality.

People clamor for the fight that they all have been anticipating; the match between Mayweather and Pacquiao. People nowadays are no longer watching the boxing show just to see men showcase their technical skills in boxing but they crave for excitement and if you may allow me to say this, people wants to witness a  tremendous clash between brave warriors inside the ring. The PPVs may have proved the success of the fight between Mosley and Mayweather but are we sure that we'll get the same vibe? If I may compare, the fight was not as enthralling as Pacaquiao's fight with Ricky Hatton where the people literally got up from their seats.
These men-Mayweather and Pacquiao has to come into agreement and set aside their reservations. The boxing needs a super fight and it has to commence soon.

APRIL 23, 2010; 10:00 PM MANILA TIME-My body's sweating after having a dream. Though it wasn't a nightmare, I can tell that it was vivid and it made me rouse from a very light sleep. My head experienced an excruciating sensation as if a steamroller is running on both sides, trying to flatten out my head's surface. I thought it was my depression that causes it. I'm so nauseous, exhausted, and so hopeless.



I rushed to the restroom to throw up. After some minutes of such ordeal, my mother noticed it and tried to help me with whatever she could extend just to somehow ease my suffering. She caressed my head, put some ointment on it; for some hope that the torturing pain in my head would cease. Prior to this nightmare, I've been having an on and off fever for the past 4 days. 2 days prior, I have already consulted a doctor via OPD and was diagnosed with acute rhinitis. I was given oral medicines and was sent home.

On that night, such meds wouldn't work anymore. Anything that I ingest would surely be catapulted to the toilet bowl. After those painful hours and countless times of vomiting, my mother decided to take me to the hospital.

APRIL 24, 2010; 6:00 AM MANILA TIME-I was lying at the bed at the emergency room. I was already at the hospital, I thought. The process was tedious and prolonging. Thank God I have my health card with me as I won't pay for anything (I thought!). Doctors interrogate me as if I am some sort of a thief or whatever. Nurses come and go to check my temperature. After such question and answer portion and temperature check of 40° C, they figured out that I am suffering from Typhoid Fever.

The dextrose was put in and I was sent to my regular Private room. Doctors and nurses still come and go to check my progress. People who knew my situation extended their regards and let me know that they have prayed for me. Some relatives, friends, and office mates took time to visit. After 5 days of confinement, I was finally discharged. After those 5 agonizing days of medication, I became stable and the illness went off. Whether they have detected where I have gotten the disease or not, I don't care. As long as God, the Jehovah Rappa who healeth thee took care of my disease I am fine. I will just be careful with what I eat and drink from now on.

The Doctor who handled my case documented that I am fit to work on Tuesday, May 4th. I still have time to recuperate and rest. I can't wait for that day!

It was just a common day where I go to my preferred computer shop to surf the internet. Of course, who else in the information superhighway would forget to pay a visit at their Facebook accounts? I dropped by, checked my status, commented on someone's wall post, and laughed at the tagged pictures by my friends. I didn't know that one of my friends then was online and he started to have his presence felt by me by sending a message via FB chat. As a friend whom I've missed for quite some time, I entertained him with eagerness and got a long with any thing to talk about. Our chit-chat jumped from one topic to another until the crazy roller coaster suddenly went to a halt and we talked about the DVDs that he recently purchased. Among those that he'd bought there was this one that he talked about the most; though not compromising the entirety of the story. He was referring to a movie called "Hachiko".

I thought at first that it was some sort of a Memoirs of a Geisha movie but the fact is it was an Americanized pet movie based on a Japanese story between a dog and his deceased master. Intrigued, I asked him if this is as tear jerking as Marley and me. He just put so many hahahahahas on the chat box and he warned me to prepare a towel as Marley and Me is nothing compared to Hachiko when it comes to tear jerking.

I went to Youtube and watched some clips. All comments were the same; touching, heartwarming, will surely make you cry. Anxious, I hurriedly visited the Quiapo Market to purchase one copy. I watched it that night. At first, I got bored because the subtitles are inaccurate. There was nothing to cry about, I thought. However, upon the final episodes I noticed myself not just crying but I was bursting into tears! The funny thing is that every time I press the rewind button for the heart breaking scenes, I cry again. I finished the movie and I was still crying!

Hachiko by the way is a true story where an Akita Inu breed named Hachiko waited for 9 years at the train station for his deceased master. His master is a Japanese professor in agriculture whom Hachiko escorts at the train station, waits for him, and escorts him home.

Never had I witnessed or known in my entire life such kind of loyalty especially for someone who does not own a pet like me. Another funny thing though, I kept telling my friends who've watched the movie as well is that I'd rather wait for my Akita Inu to die first as I don't want to have him wait for me if I'm already dead. This is a very wonderful movie, recommended to all.

Yahoo. com just published an article online about the top billionaires in the world who were surprisingly frugal and living a very, very simple life. Business moguls in the likes of the great Warren Buffet and his Berkshire Hathaway empire and Telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim are living attestations that fortune and success do not equate with luxury. These two people didn't even have their own yachts and airplanes when they all have the resources to acquire not just one or a few but a whole bunch of them! I won't be surprised either if both of them have also bought used cars.


Speaking of used cars, having luxurious and elegant car as to use doesn't mean it has to be expensive. There was a simple business that dawned at the late 70s in Milan, Italy where Auto Usate Milano (used cars Milan) were traded. The humble business that started off with a garage has been passed down and became a successful and exclusive arena for car trades is now known as Garagedelparco. A very convenient and practical transacting used cars (vendita auto usate).



I've read the their online page and I am absolutely in awe at the way they handle business. They carefully appraise the car that you would like to sell and they give the prompt payment in accordance to their quality assessment. If you would want to buy the car, you may even bring your own mechanic to inspect it himself to meet your expectations before purchasing. Isn't it that wonderful? Those are only a few or their perks.

If these frugal billionaires happen to chance upon Garagedelparco, I guess they might have exclaimed: "compro auto usate!" Hahaha!

Global warming and pollution. Those are what's everyone's concerned about these days. The impending destruction of Earth looms over as people do not take necessary precautions in taking good stewardship of what was entrusted by God. Various documentaries and movies were shown to make us aware of what consequences we shall all pay should we not take care of our environment. As so graphic and very fictional it is, The Thaw was the most recent movie I've watched concerning Global warming. Al Gore is even coming here to the Philippines to talk about such thing.

Alternative energy became a popular term and method as people become somehow more aware on how to conserve our resources. Some use renewable energy for household applications such as solar power for electricity and etc. Some would try to convert waste to energy. Some search for alternatives for oil in for transportation. Moreover, people are gearing towards opportunity fuels.

I have found a company whose advocacies are towards a better and cleaner environment. Clean coal, which reduces CO2 emissions by putting it underground is one of their advocacies. N-Viro, a corporation that licenses its technology utilize alternative energy helps the cities and municipalities achieve a sustainable environment. They actually convert dirty waters into a clean ones. What a miracle, isn't it?

Who doesn't want to have a peaceful and sustainable place to live. We only have one planet to live in and we have to take care of it.

http://www.nviro.com

The Philippines is mourning again as another truthful and dedicated public servant has passed away.

Former Budget Secratary Emilia Boncodin died on Monday afternoon. The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), in a medical bulletin, said Boncodin died at 2:05 p.m. due to cardiac arrest. She was 55. She was tried to be revived for two hours but her frail body gave up.

She was admitted to the said hospital on March 10 due to difficulty in breathing. Her diagnosis was anemia and end stage renal disease or what we call Nephropathy. She has a history of congenital kidney cyst. Her sister was chosen as a potential donor after it was determined that she was a perfect match but Sec. Boncodin requested to have it postponed until the Philippine Congress has passed the budget that year.

Boncondin has been a consistent valedictorian from elementary up to high school. She became then a scholar of the University of the Philippines in which she Majored in Business Administration and Accountancy. After graduation, she took the CPA Board Examination and was included among the top 20, placing in the 15th spot.

She also taught as a professorial lecturer at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) at the University of the Philippines and the Lyceum of the Philippines.

She was awarded the degree of Master in Public Administration at Harvard University as an Edward S. Mason Fellow.

She is known as a professional and hard working public servant. She initially joined the department as a senior fiscal planning specialist. In 1978, she quickly rose to become division chief at the age of 27, then Director of the Office of Budget and Management, and then Officer-in-Charge of the Government Corporations Budget Bureau of the reorganized DBM.

In 2005, she halted her post at the government as she joined the other cabinet members who called for the resignation of President Macapagal Arroyo. Their group was popularly known as the "Hyatt 10". In 2009, she joined the board of directors of Petron as an independent director.

I really do have high respects for CPAs like Boncodin as I myself, is an Accounting graduate and I know how hard the course is. I admired her for her intellect and dedication as I always hear her on interviews being held by a Christian radio show where my mother always listens to. For a very brilliant and skilled mind like hers, a better opportunity privately or even outside the Philippines could have made her life better and even prosperous. However, she humbly stayed and opted to serve her countrymen.

We do hope that another wonderful person just like her would emerge someday. Transparent, patriotic, and truly dedicated to serve the people.

Farewell Sec!

Orphan has become my ever favorite movie so far after buying it from a local DVD store. The story is amazing, the scenes are so intense and frightening you cannot predict what's going to happen and that little "psycho-evil" girl Esther who wasn't even a girl anymore made everyone blow a fuse. Everybody from the hate community wants to smack her should be given a chance. Enough of the rage though, it just proves how effective Isabelle Fuhrman as an actress. Gosh, her imminent stare made my blood run cold.


The whole cast ensemble are terrific, something that you do not commonly expect from a horror/suspense movie. Aside from Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga, and Peter Sarsgaard who became my ultimate crush after watching this film, I became so fascinated with Aryana Engineer. She played the role as a deaf-mute daughter of Kate and John who became Esther's sister after the adoption process. I am now wondering if a Cochlear Implant could have helped in uncovering the villain's secrets immediately and prevented all the sinister things that had happened.


Well, I am not the scriptwriter nor the creator of the story but I guess if that had happened the whole scenario could have changed. A Cochlear Implant for your information is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Majority of the patients have greatly benefited after undergoing Cochlear Implant Surgery. However, this does not guarantee an eternal sunshine nor give a miracle for everyone. The doctors are out there, their advice is necessary and every patient who wants to undergo such surgery has to consult first before taking a major decision.


To know more about the processes and information about Cochlear Implants, please click here. By the way, Aryana Engineer in real life is hearing impaired and is fluent in sign language.

Does size really matter? I really do wonder and just can't stop thinking if bigger is actually better for everything. Of course, we dream big and do not settle in mediocrity. We dream of big houses, big cars, big money (more cash I mean) and the list goes on and on. How about sex?

Do women really prefer a big "tool" for their partners or do men prefer to have a big "tool" to satisfy their partners? Some say that it takes more than size to arrive at a certain pleasure during intercourse but some say it is a must. Let us check the survey acquired from a respectable article at a certain website (the mail genitalia term is replaced with the word "tool" to make the article to be a lot more wholesome):

-From a sexual attractive standpoint, 87% of women prefer a "tool" which is 7" or longer in length. Only 11% preferred a man's size to be between 4.5" to 6.5% in length. This is just the physical presentation and not related to sex.

-65% of women have dumped a man or refused to have sex with him because of the small size of his "tool". 4% of women say they refused to have sex or broke up a relationship because the man was too big.

-When asked about their experiences with intercourse with the largest "tool" they had ever encountered, 70% stated that the experience was fantastic. 8% stated that it was too painful.

-79% of women polled stated that an above-averaged-sized "tool" was more stimulating during intercourse.

-3% agreed that if their current lover could increase the size of his "tool" they would be happier. 13% said no. The rest were happy with the size of their current partner.

-When asked if, overall, that they felt a larger "tool" provided more sexual pleasure and was more sexually-stimulating to look at compared to an average-sized or smaller "tool", 85% agreed that the bigger was definitely better.

With all that statistics, we can conclude that women prefer size over performance. However, for some guys who are not so blessed with their tool's size, it is still not the end of the world. Penis Enlargements today are widely advertised through different media channels especially on the internet-offering eternal sunshine to those who are in desperate situation in order to achieve the size that they wanted. We have to be cautious though as we do not know if the procedures that were practiced are safe and would not pose great risk on our health.

I am a no fan of Male Enhancements actually because of the stigma of danger that comes into it. However, there is a website that promises Results and Safety. Peloop.com I believe does only use modern technology and discovery for male enhancement without undergoing operation or ingesting pills. This is actually the best for male folks who would consider achieving their glory while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To find out more, kindly proceed here.