Suspend-It

MP3 players nowadays are so common, that almost everyone has one. It’s great to listen to good music especially when you’re in the gym exercising.

Ever tried of doing a workout while listening to music? Your movements will automatically lock on to the beat without you knowing. Doing workouts with the beat of the music makes your reflexes react to the beat and give you that happy and energetic mood.

Music gives good motivation. It lets you concentrate more on your workout rather than on the stress you are feeling. It sort of distracts you from all the noise from the outside world, and makes you feel that you are in a world of your own. Researchers even linked music to nerve simulation. They pointed out that music increases tension in the muscles therefore making them work harder.

A bit of a warning though about listening to music: never play music loudly. It can do permanent damage to your ears. Also, earphones which are of the earplug type are not advisable. They can cause serious injury to the ears because of the pressure it gives to the eardrums. Better to use the hooked types or headphones.

My cousin, who’s currently in the online trading business, is fat. Not excessively plump or big boned, but fat. He IS almost in the scale of filthy rich, but he’s fat. The I-might-have-a-heart-attack-anytime-soon type of fat.

It’s quite sad to know that people nowadays are so busy trying to get rich that they neglect their health – something that once lost, cannot be restored to its full functionality, not even if you’re swimming in money and are willing to pay the bill.

You may have all the riches in the world, but the question is, with your current health condition, will you be able to enjoy it? For how long?

Only a few days to go before thanksgiving holiday! Most of us will be visiting our far away relatives to celebrate with them this wonderful occasion. In our family, it has been a tradition to give gifts to our nephews and nieces. Children love receiving gifts especially toys.

Nowadays, consumers are warned to be very conscious when buying toys. There are currently lots of unsafe toys out in the market. Counterfeit toys may be cheaper and may look the same as the original, but the materials used in making these toys usually are toxic and harmful to children. Some of the common toxic materials found in these fake toys are lead, mercury and cadmium.

When buying toys, make sure they are well packaged. Look for the age bracket label and relevant warnings to know if the toys are appropriate for the children. Inspect the toys if they have sharp edges, and removable parts which can harm children. See if you can find a CE seal with the importer’s and manufacturers name outside the packaging. The CE mark is a sign that it is legally imported and inspected by trading officers. Most importantly, buy only in reputable shops and not from street vendors. This will give you a little guarantee that the toys you bought are of high quality.

Happy thanksgiving to you all!

Ok, so last night was unlike any other night I had before. It was so much fun! I met my friend at the mall and we went shopping for best buy items for her newly renovated room. Everything seems to be on sale, so we shopped till we literally dropped.

After that, we had dinner in a steak house just outside the mall area. Then, we walked around the nearby park. I really enjoyed chatting with her. We passed by this small videoke sing-a-long bar and we ended up going inside! Ahahahaha. It was my first time to sing in a videoke bar! I never thought that I would enjoy it that much.

I came home at midnight, still with a big smile in my face. This morning, I caught myself humming the songs I sang last night. I guess I still have a hangover. Ah good, happy, hangover. ^_^

This morning I had a chat with my friend Denise. She came by our house to return some books she borrowed. The last time we talked was a year ago, and I was surprised to see her so thin. I could remember the time when she was so conscious about her chubby figure that sometimes she won’t go out of their house for a month straight! And now, I am so amazed with her sexy figure.

I came to the point of asking her how she did it. She said several months ago she was hospitalized because of taking instant weight loss pills she got from a friend. She took them without prescription then after a week, her hands were trembling and her heart palpitating. Her doctor told her to immediately stop taking those pills. It turned out that those pills were not FDA approved and therefore unsafe. It was a good lesson that she learned the hard way.

“If you want a real fat burner”, Denise advised, “Better ask your doctor’s advice. Or better yet, do it the natural way – proper exercise, balanced diet, plenty of fruit juices, and good sleeping habits.” She further suggested enrolling in a fitness gym or aerobics class; this way you not only lose weight, you also make your heart healthier.

The holiday season is up. Everyone’s rushing to the mall to buy new clothes, shoes, gifts, and home decorations. During these days, thieves and robbers are out loose and crime rates are in its peak. Mall owners usually double up their security personnel and upgrade their wireless security system for the safety of their customers. Although preventive security measures are being made by mall owners, it is still better to be conscious about our belongings while shopping.

With that, here are some safety shopping tips:

• When going shopping, don’t wear unnecessary jewelry. Malls are expected to be crowded so better not have the hassle of checking your jewelry once often.
• Bring only cash that you intend to spend. Or better yet, just bring a credit card.
• If you brought a car, be sure to park in a secured parking lot.
• Bring valuables with you and make sure that your car is locked.
• Never leave your valuables in the baggage counter. If the guard insists on making you leave your bag in the counter, just tell him you have your money inside your bag. That way, he’ll just let you pass.
• Be wary when using your cell phone. Someone could easily snatch it when you’re not careful.
• Always check items at the counter, counter check bought items with the receipts to avoid hassle of complaining to customer service department.
• Lastly, if possible, bring a friend with you to assist you in your shopping.

Happy holidays!

My bestfriend Mark and I went to a Water Therapy Spa last October 25 for an unconventional four-hour water massage experience. I have been dreaming of going to a place like that after watching an episode of Honey & Clover wherein Miwako dragged Yamada to a health spa to cheer her up.

The Water Spa concept basically makes use of Hydrotherapy or “water therapy” – the treatment of disease through the use of water. The Spa Pool alone, with 25 different hydrotherapy massage systems which are push button & soft touch activated, is already a relaxing treat. Add the Bubble Pool, Bubble Massage, Spa Pool, Water Fall Bath, 6 Hot Herbal Pool (Lavender, Jasmine and Mint herbs added to the hot pool with back and foot massage)… The 3,000 square-meter indoor all-weather spa facility is really a water haven.

To cap it off, their high-tech security systems and discreet and warm staff adds up to the cozy, relaxed ambiance at the spa. Mark and I loved it there so much, especially the bubble pool, that we’re planning to save up for another round at the Water Spa this coming holiday season. ^_^

During break, I saw my colleague go over some Austin resumes online. Curious, I asked what it was all about. He said he’s been having health problems with his current job because of the climate and had been searching for job vacancies in another state since last month.

According to him, someone advised that his best bet in recovering for health conditions similar to his is in areas like Texas. Hmmmm… I have never given much thought on the large impact of the climate to one’s health until now. Imagine moving over to another state, getting a new job, adjusting to a different type of culture just to recuperate and avoid further damaging your health.

This is why I’m more grateful now with the fruit of my being health conscious – I am healthy, and I intend to stay that way.

I have been dying to get back to our Kendo dojo and gear up with my bogu for a long time now. I miss doing the suburi with my fellow kendoka (not to mention hitting them in the head. Hehehe). Heck, I even miss the required two rounds of cleaning the dojo before the session starts.

*Sigh* I just don’t have the money for it right now. Too many payables… I need to prioritize those first before I should even think about going back to Kendo (and then dream of fighting off those Japanese in the yearly Hong Kong Kendo Competition).

Thanks to my friend Mark, I just might be able to join one of those sessions soon. To be able to pay off my bills (and unnecessary finance charges) asap, he suggested I engage in credit card applications. Once I get approved, I should immediately avail of their balance transfer so I can pay at a much cheaper monthly rate. Isn’t that just brilliant?

One thing’s certain – when I get back to the dojo, I’ll do my utmost to be the best female kendoka (if not best kendoka) worthy of joining the next Hong Kong Kendo Competition. Yosh!

Yesterday I went with my sister to the mall to get some stuff for the kitchen.  On our way there, we saw a group of students giving away flyers about recycling and proper disposal of compact discs. The flyer described the harmful effects of CD’s to the environment. Optical discs, as said in the article, contain toxic metal coating which can pollute water hence harmful to health. This got me into thinking… I have so many used cds piled up in my room! Most of them are very old albums and free demo cd’s from magazines so I rarely use them.

Instead of just throwing them away, I suggest we reuse them. We could use them as wall decors especially in music rooms or we could hang them in the ceiling as reflectors. Since it is Christmas season, we could add them as Christmas tree decoration! If we run out of options, we could always send the used cds to the nearest recycling plants so that they can dispose the CD’s properly. This is a very important issue guys, I hope everyone takes part in protecting the environment.