My Blogging experience

My blogging experience this semester has been pleasant. I have had great responses from my fellow classmates as well as enjoying their blogs. By having to write blogs I have discovered what kind of things interested me and what I wanted to share with everyone else. I find many health topics interesting and practical and loved sharing them with the class. I also liked sharing my family life and how hectic it is. Knowing that some of my fellow classmate’s lives are not too different from mines, I found closure in them. I really like one of my classmate’s blogs because what she puts in her blogs I feel relates to me like the lazy husband, and the one naughty child that you just can’t get to listen. This has been a great experience for me and although I found it difficult to write sometimes, I enjoyed it very much. I also liked the diversity in the blogs that my classmates posted up. Frankly, although I enjoyed it, I don’t think I’ll be blogging after this class. Therefore, farewell to all of you and have a great life.

Benefits of green tea

Are you a big tea drinker? How about green tea? Not only does is replenish the soul it has health benefiting factors as well. Most of the teas benefits are from the high content of flavonoids( anitoxidants). Green tea contains a lot of catechins which can ward off disease because it is more potent than vitamin C and  E. More overly, by drinking green tea can reduce risk of heart disease. The antioxidant agents in the tea can filter the LDL( the bad ones) cholesterol out and retain more of the HDL ( the good ones) cholesterol by which will improve artery malfunction. Green tea has been consumed all over Asia and is used as medicine as a stimulant, diuretic, control bleeding and help heal wounds, improve heart health, treating gas, regulating body temperature and blood sugar, promoting digestion , and improving mental processes.

Through extensive studies, researchers suggest that green tea can help treat atherosclerosis because of the antioxidant properties of it. After following a large group of people in the study with a diverse dietary they have found that by consuming 3 cups of green tea a day, they concluded that the rate of heart attacks decreased by 11% although the FDA rejected tea companies to put on their labels that it reduces risks of heart disease because they didn’t have scientific reasoning to support the claims. Another great thing about green tea is that it aids in weight loss. In clinical studies, the green tea extract can boost the metabolism to burn fat. Some researchers claims that it’s because of the polyphenols in the extract that is responsible for the fat burning effects.

Benefits of drinking green tea

http://www.umm.edu

My experience at Missouri Southern

Fall of 2009 was my first semester here at Mssu. I was so nervous because as a non-traditional student I didn’t know what to expect for my first semester. This made me so nervous; I remember I was taking the mids 100 class , anatomy and physiology 1, lifetime wellness, and college algebra. I just told myself to study hard and what grade I got I would be satisfied with it. This was the semester that I met a couple of great gals that I still keep in contact with and had completed all my science classes with. I couldn’t have done it without them ( well I could’ve but it wouldn’t be fun). I anticipated the level of difficulties of these classes before I even experience it for myself. I was just so frustrated because I didn’t want to disappoint my husband who is supporting me through this whole back to school experience with unacceptable grades. I remember studying and memorizing all my a&p notes for my first exam. I was having anxiety attacks as I was walking to the class. I don’t know why because I knew everything in my notes, my attacks must have signified my excitement for the exam? I don’t know I’m weird ok. I remember my professor telling us that if we wanted to pass his class we would have to find someone smart to sit next to. Oh boy I thought to myself then the girl next to me asked me if I were smart. I modest person as I am replied “I don’t know”. Of course I’m not going to say I am because what if she relied on me too much but she ended up dropping the class half way into the semester anyway. My other classes I didn’t put much effort into it but I still did well. One thing I thought was that the campus is pretty friendly. I like it here and plan to finish my degree here. I’m not very active with school activities but I do feel the lion pride. I can’t believe it’s been that long since I started and now I’m ready to hand in my nursing application( super nervous!) and hopefully before I know it, I’ll be graduating and saying that I am a proud alumni of Missouri Southern State University.

WTH? Brace yourselves guys.

Ok, I stumbled on this as I was surfing the net. There, I read multiple stories of each survivor’s story and suddenly I felt sadness for those people who had went through it. It’s about kids being sold as slaves in poor countries. I stumble on one, she said her parents always fought, she never felt loved. She was sold and served as a slave. Often she was beaten. She tried running away only to get capture again and then beaten even worse but she managed to eloped with a boy. Soon they were married but both were involved in a car accident. She injured her legs and came to realized that her husband had abandoned her, left her to fend for herself. She later found herself at a homeless shelter and there she still resides not fully recovered from the accident. She thinks she is priceless. It’s so heartbroken that someone can sell their own child just for a couple hundred dollars ($500 in her case). There are many similar stories like this one and there really isn’t anything that can be done about this. I just hate to think that these parents would sell their child just for a few bucks. I can’t fathom these thoughts. I know it happens everywhere. Why is the world so corrupted? There is another story of a disabled boy who got sold at the age of five by his mother and brother. The reason he was sold was because of his disability. He remembers that day as he saw the strange people handing his mother money and then found himself leaving with them. He was forced to beg for money on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand along with other kids that has been sold. He recalls being so hungry and weak that he couldn’t even crawl when he was out begging. Soon he got sick and used a stick to support him when walking as this disease affected his legs. He was retrieved by Thai polices and stayed in confinement for weeks. There he was beaten by older inmates because of his disability. Finally he was transferred to a shelter and there he shares his story. I only read a few because it got emotional for me. I only hope that these problems in the world don’t progress and decreases but I know it won’t. Poverty is too high everywhere, even in America. I only hope.

What’s the difference between fats?

Ever heard the concept of fighting bad fat with good fat? I didn't either until I stumbled on a health website. Well with further research, I found out why we need to fight our bad fats with foreign good fats. First you’re probably wondering what the difference is. The “bad” fat can increase our cholesterol levels, in which could cause us to have a heart attack one day. Saturated fat or fats from animals whether it’s on the meat or in dairy is also a no no. Eating these kinds of fat will MAKE you fat; although, they have so much palatability!  The “good” fats can actually lower cholesterol and aid in weight loss. Good fats can be found in safflower oil, olive oil, avocado, egg yolks, fish, and peanuts. Fats are chemically triglycerides in our bodies. Triglycerides main job is to provide us with energy, insulation, and protect our organs from injuries (to certain extents). Our bodies loves loves loves to store fat because it’s thinking it’s doing us a favor in case we get stuck on a deserted island one day ( the only time you wish you were fat) . Well if there are too much triglycerides, the body cannot metabolize it fast enough therefore it gets backed up in the blood stream and thus causes the most leading health predicaments.  A subcategorized group is the saturated fats.  Its chemical structure has clusters of hydrogen atoms which will bond to so many other things like amino acids and stuffs; thus generating FAT!  The good fats are unsaturated fats meaning less hydrogen atoms, less chemical bond hence less fat! Another good fat is omega-3 fatty acids that can be found in fish. What this fat does is to help regulate blood pressure, blood clot formation, and the immune system. People that take in the daily recommended dosage are less likely to have any kind of cardiovascular diseases as oppose to people that don’t (like  me). People who are looking to lose weight would usually ingest good fats to aid them during their weight lost journey. So, next time if someone asks you if you ever heard of fighting bad fat with good fat you can say YES I HAVE!

Types of fat

what is the difference?

Kids huh....

What is with kids these days? They think they are entitled to anything and everything. Well at least mines do. I remember when I was younger, I’d be happy if I got a shopping pass from Wal-Mart and now, my kids won’t even wear clothes from there. I guess it’s somewhat my fault because I’m the one who chose to expose them to the world of fashion and labels. But that is not the point, how they develop this selfish, ungrateful, self-entitled attitude is what I’m trying to figure out. Their father and I have always taught them to say thank you and only want what they have but lately, oh man, they have been asking for ridiculous things and when I say no they get mad and yells “I hate you mommy! You’re mean!” what is the deal? My first is a bit better; he knows when to ask and when not to ask. All he wants for Christmas is a piano, so a piano it is. My second, he’s the bad one. He’s always yelling and not listening to me. I get so frustrated with him. I give him more than what he deserves and he still lashes out.  His dad told me to start taking things away and not include him in fun events when he doesn’t listen but seriously like I’m going to do that, heck no because I believe in equality for my kids. I know this sounds weird and maybe I’m setting myself up but I’m a mom and can’t help it. My daughter, she is still two; the age where she is starting to understand but not fully so I have to be patient with her. But oh boy, she sure knows how to push my buttons! I guess it’s the universal phase known as the “terrible twos”? She is the only one that thanks me though. Every time I  feed them or buy something for them she’s always yelling in the background “thank you mommy!’’ and doesn’t stop saying thanks until I say you’re welcome princess. The boys, they forget but once she says it they follow. These kids are not awful kids but they just need learn how to be more appreciative. I’m trying to slowly by using psychology on them; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, hopefully it does though. I’m hoping to mold these munchkins into grateful and responsible adults one day, so they won’t be the ones racking up huge credit card bills. I hope.

Crazy for coconuts!

Who wants a coconut? Last night, I finally decided to crack open my Thai younge coconut that has been sitting in my fridge and drink the juice. As I was drinking the juice, I started wondering what the benefits of drinking coconut juice are as well as eating the coconut meat. So here I am today writing a post about it.

What I found out is that coconut juice is low in carbohydrates, almost 100% fat free, and low in sugars. The benefits of coconuts are because of its isotonic properties with the same levels of electrolytes in our blood, it has the ability to re-hydrate and cool the body. This is ideal after an intense workout.  Also the properties in coconut water can aid in weight loss by increasing the metabolism. Not only does it increase the metabolism, it also detoxifies and fights against unknown antigens that can get the body sick. What I really liked was that is also balances the pH in the body in which reduces possible effects of cancer. It is also used to treat kidney stones and urethral stones.

Wow, also supposedly coconut water was used in wars to save lives and 3^rd world countries through coconut IV because it has the same properties as human blood. It is healthier than orange juice with less calories and even better than processed baby milk!

When compared to most sports and energy drinks, coconuts contains about 294mg if potassium; which is more than any sports or energy drinks out there, less sodium (about 25mg) while sports drinks have 41mg and energy has 200mg. Also it has natural sugars of only 5mg as oppose to artificial sugars that are 10 to 25 mg. Coconut water is also high in chloride containing 118 mg rather than sports which contains 39mg. Best of all is that coconut water is natural and sterile right from the nut.

I prefer the young coconuts because they are fresher and the coconut meat is edible unlike the brown ones seen at local grocery shops. The younger coconuts can be found in most oriental markets but they are costly ranging from $3 -$4 for one.  Opening them can be a challenge too but I have included a link on YouTube showing how opening one is done. That’s how I learned. But a sturdy knife will be needed. Oh, and don’t bother cutting the top off I think it’s a waste of time. I just chop my top off and peel the coconut meat off. I hope you’ll enjoy your coconuts if you ‘ll decide to try one today.

Benefits of coconuts

How to open a coconut

Friends

Have you ever have someone that is always in and out of your life? Well for me, it’s friends. I don’t know but I have this friend that is always in and out. She is a super awesome loyal friend but it seems as though she’s always running. I’ve never really have friends that stick because it seems as though my life is always changing and the friends that I do have I only contact them through cyber space. My high school friends I don’t even see anymore but only on Facebook. This saddens me because I want to see them all. My work friends, since I moved to Mo, I don’t see them anymore either and the few friends I managed to make in MO ended up moving away. This is why I say it seems as though they don’t stick. Well back to my friend, we were besties ( so I thought) but once I moved to Mo she turned around and found another besty. I don’t really mind but she’s keeps e-mailing me telling me how much she misses me and wants to come see me. I miss her too but last time she was in town, she never came to see me. I was a little disappointed but I thought she had other things on her mind. That was the last time I heard from her until last night. I received a friend request on Fb and it turned out that it was her. She claims that she was looking for me this whole time (hard to believe because I tried contacting her through Fb before). My husband said that I can still talk to her but keep my distance because he has a feeling that she is those type that wants to know what is going on in your life, tells you your life sucks and hers is better, then ignores you again. Yea I see where he is coming from. I’m sure some of you can relate right? I just wish things turned out differently though. I’m not the talkative or outgoing type at first so it’s hard for me to make friends but once you get to know me then I open up and get outgoing. I would say I am loyal to my friends and do what I can for them. I respect them and would not say anything that would offend them. I try to keep them but again they just won’t stick not because they don’t like me (at least I don’t think so) but because life changes. I’m not looking but I always welcome. I just miss going shopping with them or sharing my thoughts with them. Then again there is my husband, he is my lover, my best friend, and my one and only. When all else fails he is always there for me and holding my hands. Well I have nothing else to rant about so thanks for reading my thoughts today guys. I appreciate it!  

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is a series of poses called asana and the first records of yoga was dated back in 2700 BC.  By practicing yoga, one can find many benefits; for instance, one can develop muscular strength, flexibility, and concentration. What do you think of when you think of yoga? I didn't think I was ever going to take yoga or do yoga as an exercise but after having my second baby, I decided to do something different. Since the baby, my stomach muscles were so weak I couldn't even do a simple crunch but since I started doing yoga it has helped me strengthen my core. Not only yoga has to do with poses but it also emphasizes on breathing as well. Here is the idea, when extending you inhale and when you contract you exhale. I sometimes get my breathing confused but my instructor said that it takes practice and once you master your breathing then your workouts will be optimal. Not only breathing is practiced but also concentration too. In order to stand in a pose for 60 sec. there’s got to be concentration. There are some poses that only one leg is supporting the weight of the body. I tend to lose my balance on these kinds of asana.

There are certain styles of yoga. There is ashtanga and power yoga for those who are looking for a more vigorous workout which helps improve muscle tone. For the less vigorous styles of yoga there are lyengar and hatha which has to do with precise alignment in poses that can help develop strength and endurance. Other poses like downward dog or plank helps build upper body strength and standing poses like tree or eagle helps build strengthen the hamstring, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. By having flexibility and strength, your posture also gets better because a stronger sore is developed. Strengthening the transverse abdominal strengthens will help you stand and sit up taller.

Breathing is also an important part of yoga. With improved breathing, the lungs capacity improves as well. Did you know, only people breathe in only 1/3 of oxygen into their lungs due to improper breathing? Yogis think that there are stale air on the bottom of the lungs and by breathing deeper breaths allows that stale air to come out. By deepening and lengthening your breath can also help you relax and relieve stress because this calms the mind.

Long time yogis tend to be more outgoing, less stress, and positive in life than others because of the benefits of yoga. Yoga is a great way of strengthening your body in more ways than you can imagine. I just started doing yoga at the beginning of this semester and think of continuing because I need these benefits. Yoga is for those who are looking for something different and effective. Trust me; you’ll feel a lot better after only one session.

 Benefits of yoga

History of yoga

My religion.

My religion is ancestry, as I like to call it. I used to think its Buddhist because I couldn’t find the right word to describe it. We don’t have a church or a place where people go and worship but simply we have a shrine within our own house. We do this rejuvenation of our shrine every New Year in calling our ancestors to come and share a feast with us. Usually it’s my dad sitting at a table with four empty seats with food and a table setting to feed four. He’ll be talking in this weird “Hmong” language that I can’t understand. I think it is old folk language. It is said that he’ll call upon our ancestor to come down from the heavens and share the feast. No one is to sit in those empty seats as the spirits are sitting in them enjoying their feast with my father. After that is done, we sacrifice a chicken, boil it and set it up on our shrine. This chicken is to bring us luck and fortune for the upcoming year. After three days, we take the chicken from the shrine and boil it some more then everyone in the family eats a piece of it for luck. In our culture, we have a witch doctor or also known as a shaman.  People are chose to be shaman by the forces of their family spirits. They just can’t decide they want to be a shaman but be chosen. Shamans perform vigorous task in chanting when they are needed by their community to appease their ancestors. When they chant, their spirits has left their bodies and gone to find whatever it is that their looking for. When a person is randomly sick for a long period of time or a sickness is reoccurring, they have lost their spirit. The shaman then goes into a chant and look for the sick person’s spirit. Once they find the lost spirit, they take it back. The elders say that when we pass, there are three spirits from our body, one stays behind and guard the body, one goes on to get reincarnated, and one stays to look after their family. There are many superstitions too when it comes to my religion; for instance, we can’t whistle or cut our hair at night, we can’t have tarty fruits on the table while we eat. I know it’s different but I believe in it and feel a sense of comfort about my religion. Thanks for reading! 

Massage anyone?

Who wants a massage?  One can benefit from massages in various ways.  We all know that it helps reduce stress but there’s more. During a massage, certain chemicals are released cascading throughout the body. People that suffer from arthritis reported less aches, stiffness, and pain. Children with asthma show better pulmonary function. Even premature babies show weight gain. Believe it or not, frequent massages can actually aid in weight loss. During a workout, a cycle of lactic acid fermentation occurs (body is taking oxygen from muscle tissue for energy) in which results in soreness. Massage after a post workout helps relieve those aches and pain by circulating blood throughout the system and we all know that our bloodstream carries oxygen to our muscle tissue in which homeostasis equals faster recovery!  Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported their studies of massage therapy by using a machine called the endermologie to increase circulation and heighten body. 85 women from the ages of 21 to 61 reported halfway in to the 14 session, half of those noticed inches loss. James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio conducted a study on the effects of massage on cancer patients and concluded its effect. They divided 52 cancer patients in two groups, one controlled and the not. The group that was receiving massages prior to their treatments reported less pain than those who didn’t. They concluded that because massages relieves anxiety and stress, this aided in helping their patients cope better with their treatment and feeling less pain. Even if massages get expensive there are alternatives or even other ways of feeling the same effects. Pilates or Yoga are said to be a type of self-massage because it requires pushing of the limbs together and against the floor in turn stimulating pressure receptors. Also it’s recommended to hug someone because not only the person receiving the hug receptors is working but the person giving the hug as well. There are more benefits of massages out there and only a few stated in this blog, so go out and get a massage today!

http://www.oprah.com

http://www.massagemag.com

http://www.massagetherapy.com

http://www.drkalsweightlosstips.com

Keeping our kids safe.

I just finished watching a very sad video of a child being run over not once but twice by two different vehicles. This makes me angry that no one helped this helpless child but simply passed over him. I have the link on the bottom if anyone cares to watch it.  As a mother, this is one of the worst scenarios for your child to go through. My heart breaks every time I hear or see child abuse or neglect. There’s a difference when it comes to discipline and abuse. A child should never endure any kind of abuse this includes verbal and emotional. I get angry at times with my children but I don’t say things that I’ll regret later to them. I think of what I’m going to say before I say it; I try to use psychology on them. By being abusive to a child, they will be affected in the long run and more than likely be abusive towards their children. Besides the abuse, a child should never be left alone. I am so paranoid about my children getting her that I’m always keeping an eye on them. I don’t really trust anyone else other than my mom or mom-in-law in watching them. I always have this fear that they’ll be mistreated when I leave. My daughter is in daycare right now but I’m thinking of pulling her out and having my mom watch her because I don’t like leaving her there. I know daycare centers have safety standards to abide by but as a mother, I worry too much. When it comes to safety in the car, I put on the child safety lock in the back seat, in case she opens the door while I’m driving. I strap her in her car seat nice and tight but I’m cautious because I think she can wiggle out her arms and head for the door handle. I’m starting to think I have obsessive compulsive disorder now that I’m writing all this down, funny because I refuse to drink from a cup unless I rinse it under the water even though it’s clean. Hey, don’t judge, I’m just a cautious mom.  We have a fairly big yard; I don’t let my kids outside unless they are supervised. My oldest is seven and I won’t even let him outside by himself. I have this fear that someone will come and snatch them up. I just hope the other parents out there empathize with me on this subject. These are our kids, so let’s keep them safe and give them memorable childhood memories.

Sad video

Dreams

Ever wonder after having a weird dream, what it means? In my culture, there are many reasons explaining why we dream what we dream. There are some frightening ones and some foreseeing good or some implying pregnancy.   When we dream of a death or seeing someone that we know dying in our dreams, that usually means that they are recovering from a sickness in real life. This is a sad one, but if we dream of someone that is getting married, or apes, or a tree falling in our dreams, this usually means we better be prepared for a loss in the family. I am also the superstitious type so I take my dreams seriously.  Moving on, if you dream of seeing your house burn down, go p lay the lottery using your house number or if you see random numbers in your dreams p lay them. Once someone I knew saw numbers in his dreams so he decided to p lay them, the bad thing were he didn’t know how to arrange the order of those numbers so, he got all his number correct but not in the right order.  For pregnancy, a woman would dream of a snake biting her to signify the sperm going into the egg. If she was to have a boy, she would see a knife or a gun in her sleep. If she was having a girl, she would see herself picking flowers or eating sweet melons. When I was pregnant with both my kids I dreamt of getting bit by a snake but never dreamt of eating melons or holding guns. Also, the elders say that if you see someone that has passed in your dreams that means their visiting you and have a message. I’ve seen many before, especially my Grandma. In my dreams she would scold me to be better. I also see my cousin and uncle from time to time, but sometimes I wonder why me? I have a huge family and why they chose me. I will never know.  If you have reoccurring dreams of places that you’ve been to before, that means you want to go back or it has a special place in your heart. For me it’s my hometown. I used to work for this bakery, I loved it there and from time to time I keep dreaming that I’m back there or I’m moving back there just so I can go work there. I do miss working there, and love their yummy pastries as well. Hey it was unlimited if you worked there.

I just read on this site www.unclesirbobby.org, that snake symbolizes something bad, or a bad person in your life. It states that it represents a fear that can happen at any moment.  Most of the other sites I’ve gone to requires me to pay a fee before they even disclose their information. Can’t I get anything for free these days! 

We should volunteer.

Why do we volunteer? Some people do it from the graciousness of their hearts, some do it for class credit, and some do it to gain experience. Whatever the reason, I think we should volunteer at least once in our lifetime.  Like I mentioned, some people volunteer because they want a better community, they have empathy for those less fortunate than they are. I always have this sadness over me when I see someone that is less fortunate than me. I try to help as much as I can regardless if it’s someone I know or just some stranger on the street.

There are various types of volunteering opportunities. You can volunteer cleaning up your community park to make a safer, cleaner environment for your children. There is also helping out at the homeless shelter, serving a warm meal for the unfortunate. Also, volunteering in the medical field. There are many students that find this opportunity helpful as they are going through medical school because it may help them get a feel about what they need to do. Some people volunteer their time going abroad helping others in need of supplies, education, medical attention, and even food. Not only they are giving their time aiding, they also are traveling and getting a broad view of their surroundings.  Some volunteer hoping it will lead to a paying position. There are numerous positions that are done this way; for instance, student nurses, and student teachers.  Some just does it for a since of accomplishment.

Some people don’t volunteer due to their lack of time. Whether it’s having young children to care for or running on a hectic work schedule, at the end of the day, they are just tired out and have no energy to do anything else. Some people aren’t just interested in volunteering because it’s not their thing. Everyone has their own reason to not volunteer and it’s not their fault for not doing it. Besides that fact, volunteering is a great experience and I think everyone should at least give it a try because the feeling of helping someone out is priceless.

Why don't people volunteer
why do people volunteer

My Husband’s American Bullies

My husband has always had this fascination with bulldogs until recently develop a liking for American bullies. His first investment was on an eight hundred dollars blue bully. She is a beauty; being only 15 inches tall and very muscular. At first I was against him purchasing such an expensive dog but now I see why she was priced so high. Actually, my husband got her at a steal because she was supposed to be two thousand dollars but her owner was in a financial rut (he called my husband back and wanted to buy her back). I don’t understand their dog talk about pedigrees and the standards but whatever makes him happy. The American bullies originated from American pitbulls because people wanted to fade out the aggression in the pit bulls. Pit bulls were stereotyped to being these aggressive, blood thirsty dogs and for this reason they were prohibited from certain cities and plus it’s difficult to obtain home insurance if you own one. This was the reason why American bullies were created; these bullies are no longer pitbulls. After generations of breeding with mellow dogs and mixing the breed with other bulldogs they had created more bullied, thicker, and sometimes shorter dogs. We now have the ideal pit bull given its new name the American bully that has all the loyalties and drive to please its owner(s) without the aggression toward people or dogs. The American bullies now have their own registration administrator and are accepted in some other registration. Their main registration is the ABKC (American bully Kennel Club). My husband has always loved the American “pitbull” breed, so that’s why he bought Blue, our little blue female, she has a good bloodline, her grandfather was a $50,000  bully and a well-known producer who produced a lot of champions in the bully world. That’s probably why her asking price was so high. My husband said that there was a bully by the name of White Rhino that sold for $250,000. I don’t know why people would pay such an ridiculous amount for a dog. Every once in a while there are ABKC shows around the states and people would drive from all over to attend. My husband has been working with our little blue female for the show coming up in November. There are five classes in the show; The Pockets classification for females 15in and under and males 16in and under, the standards class for the standard size, the X-Large classifying dogs taller than 18in, the extreme class for just all the freaks with huge muscle, the Fun class for anything that is fun and the classic for those pitbull lovers. We are looking forward to seeing how our little blue will do in the pocket show in November.  So, we shall see when the time comes! Wish us luck.

Kids plus instruments equals greatness

Want the best for your child? Giving them the knowledge of playing an instrument can help them in the long run.  There are many benefits by letting your child learn how to play an instrument. Everyone wants their child to succeed academically and by letting them play an instrument, they will sure do well. After many studies, scientist found that the kids that play an instrument are smarter than those that don’t because by playing music it causes development of the primary motor cortex, the cerebellum and corpus callosum of the brain. In math, fractions are easier for kids with music lessons to comprehend because they understand time signatures. Children will develop discipline as well when they learn how to play an instrument. In order to master playing their instrument, they have to practice on a daily basis; in turn they will develop self-discipline. A child must learn how to be patient when they are learning. This will help them in their adult years when more challenging circumstances ensue. What I found interesting is on this page, they stated that children who play an instrument will be more empathetic than any other children. They will develop the compassion and empathy instead of being spoiled and selfish with an “it’s all about me attitude”.  

 Music is so popular these days and children who practice music will likely have more self-confidence than those who doesn’t.  So later on in life they will probably become the better communicators because of their music talent. A study at Brown University studied music and its effect on child development and found that children at the age of 3 to 4 performed 34% better than other children because they were given basic piano lessons. These children were from diverse economic backgrounds.  Adult can even benefit from learning.  Adults can develop similar benefits as children. For them, playing an instrument can relieve stress (something kids don’t have a clue about). Also, playing music will strengthen their brains giving them better memory. There are endless possibilities of the benefits of playing an instrument. So if possible, give your child a talent that they will later thank you for. They are expensive but sure are worth the point.

http://www.paulborgese.com

Gorehound

My total randomness

Ok, so this is the sixth week of classes. How is everyone doing in their classes? For me, it’s going fairly well. I could use more time to focus on History though.  So I wonder how many of you guys can relate to this. Every time I go to write my paper or blogs, I always find myself staring at a blank piece of paper for the longest time. So this week, I’m going to randomly write about events that are going on in my life right now. Well my husband and I are in the middle of fixing our house. We are a quarter of the way there only. Most of the work put in it was from me. I painted all eight rooms all different colors and since I got paint on the white moldings and ceiling, I have to go over them again. I tried putting in tiles for the first room, and let me tell you, you would not want me to do your floors after that.  I don’t know how I started straight at the corner and end with a huge gap between the wall and the first tile. Oh well I tried right, that’s what count.  I wanted to try and take out the toilet seat out myself and was looking at YouTube tutorials on how to remove a toilet seat. I have an Idea but I don’t think I want to do it. I don’t know how long it will take for us to finish the house because we only have the weekends to work on it. I’m considering hiring someone to finish the remainder of the house for me though. I’m super excited because my husband is letting me decorate the house. I have an idea of what I wanted to do with the house. I wanted a ceiling pot rack, so I’m looking on eBay for a good deal. Since my favorite color is pink, I painted my room pink. I have these really pretty ruffle white curtains that will go great with the pink. I was thinking about making my own head board. The ones that look like a mattress type of headboard. It’s in style right now and super cute. Pier one has one for 400 bucks but my husband said that I would be crazy if I buy it, but it’s so cute though. Here is the link if you guys want to see how it looks like. The cute headboard

Anyways, my infant will be three months tomorrow, oh how fast he grows. I feel like I haven’t even spend that much time with him and he’s grown so much already. He’s too cute; I’m so in love with him. He has a dimple on his right cheek and every time he smiles, it goes in, how cute is that!  Sometimes I joke that he’s too cute to be my son. Lol. Well I hope I didn’t bore you guys too much. Thanks for reading my blog!

What will it be?

 December 21, 2012. Does this date sound familiar? This is the date the Mayans had prophesied for the end of the world. Scary isn’t it. The Mayans were known for creating astronomy, calendric systems and hieroglyphic writing.  With their strategic systems, they were able to predict accurate meteor showers and the date for the end of our beloved world. Unfortunately when the Spaniards conquered Mesoamerica, all the Mayans books were burnt with only very few scriptures surviving. With so little information remaining, there’s not much too evident about the Mayans prediction of 2012. Although I believe the Mayans, I feel some people may have misinterpreted it. I believe the world isn’t going to end and here is why.

The Mayans never said it’s going to be the end of the world but the end of their calendar. Also, People tend to panic and exaggerate especially on this topic for example I say there are tomatoes outside they hear there’s a tornado outside. Also, doesn’t it seem as though all other end of the world predictions fall on the same date? Lastly, most of the sites I’ve been on have vague information on this topic. I’m asked to purchase a book if I want to know more. This sounds like a money making scheme to me. I believe people have hoax the Mayans predictions into their own personal gains. The Mayan interpretation of the ending date of 12/21/2012 is that the sun will align directly with the center of the Milky Way. By this alignment in place, the energy channels from the Milky Way to earth will be disrupted. If this does happen, it will be the first time in 26,000 years. The Mayans have always been accurate in their previous predictions.

Another prediction is our solar system, supposedly our sun is cyclic, and is in its period of stability. It’s knocking out power grids and satellites and predicted to do more damage in 2012.

In Europe scientists have develop the world’s largest particle accelerator. It is said that when turned on it could crush the world into a “super-dense blob the size of a basketball”. Frankly I think this is bull because why would the government allow this kind of experiment if it was going to end the world. On religious terms, the Bible, the I Ching (a Chinese book of changes), and various teachings of the Hindu suggests a battle of good and evil occurrence in 2012 as well. There are more crazy stories out there and I only stated a few. Whether this is going to come true or not, I have to say I’m skeptical about it.

 The Mayans

http://buburuza.net

Is online dating a good deal?

Does anyone have experience with online dating? There was a time when online dating was a big hush hush. But since then it has been one of the most practical tools when it comes to meeting someone new.

There are many advantages to online dating.  From www.dateseeker.net they gave a list of advantages. First, online dating can reduce anxiety buildup when it comes to first dates. Chemistry between the two persons may develop without them even meeting in real life at all. Then if things go well perhaps they can arrange to meet. Second (I find this very cute), there’s these flirtation button that the user can send to their person of interest. This is less awkward for the user and if you’re bashful in person this is a great feature to flirt without being intimidated. Lastly one more important advantage is variety! You can look up from either one to ten members at a time, check them out, their status, and what they do for a living. By doing this you can prequalify them before even initiating any form of contact with them.

There are some disadvantages as well; for example, they could be lying about themselves to sound more attractive. They could have a bogus profile picture that is not even them. Lame but true. They could be married but looking for you know what, so they turn to these sites for discretion.  Also, there are a lot of creepers out there so they turn to these sites. So be cautious too when testing the waters of online dating. 

Regardless of the disadvantage, many has found love and everlasting relationships online as well here.  Internetdatingstories.com is a site where couples that have been successful share their experience.  I’ve read a story about a recent widow of 40 years in marriage, sad and lonely went onto yahoo personals and found her happiness again. Regardless of the 24 years age difference, they made each other happy, she claimed he has never used her financially or emotionally in any way.  She thanks this online service that she has found her happiness again. This is a sweet story and who knows you may have your own one day. I do. The story here. 

A sad history of my people.

I am Hmong, pronounced huh-mong. I little history of what we are. Hmong historians speculate that our ancestors originate from Persia or Babylon before migrating to the mountains of China. Early records show that our ancestors had blond hair and slightly blue eyes but since the migration to china, a interbreeding took place. I don’t know how much of this is true but there are pictures of blonde hair and blue eyed Hmong people but our language resembles much of the Chinese. Laofamily.org showed that there was a Hmong kingdom establishment in China, where only the rulers and men can vote. Unfortunately, the Sung dynasty conquered the kingdom, which has returned them to wonder for land.

By the 1800’s, the Hmong migrated again to northern Laos, where they would reside for years to come. Eventually Laos fell into French, where Hmong favored the French, but soon after they regained their independence, they took out their revenge on the Hmong people. Many men, women, and children perished.

In the 1960’s the Vietnam war with US broke out. This war was known as the secret war. U.S. troops recruited and trained many young Hmong men to stop supply lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trial from the North to South Vietnam and to help rescue any downed U.S Air Force Pilots and/or injured soldiers because due to the Geneva Treaty, U.S. troops were prohibited from entering Laos. For the help of Hmong men, U.S promised food and land in America. When the war was over, U.S troops pulled out of Vietnam leaving the Hmong to survive on their own with only the weapons that was given to them. Till this day there are still some with the same weapon hiding in the jungles of Laos.

Laos was overthrown by Pathet Lao ( a communist party) that favored Vietnam. They began the Hmong genocide, prosecuting men, women, and children for aiding U.S troops in the war. This was a really tough time for them. Many hide out in the jungles of Laos in hopes of not being captured. Till this day, I still hear stories. If anyone wants to know more, there are videos on youtube showing what happened. This was during my parents time. I remember hearing stories from my mom how they would hideout in the jungle and traveled through the nights to get to the Mekong river (this river separated Thailand from Laos) where they would swim across it to Thailand. She told me that they would poison wimping babies and toddlers to the point of death because they posed as a risk of getting the migrating group capture. Hearing these stories and seeing that it’s still going on today brings tears to my eyes. I just can’t believe how cruel the governments are back then. Thanks for reading this blog.

My consideration of plastic surgery

When I was younger I used to be against plastic surgery but as grew older I’m starting to see why people have it done. It could be for many reasons, insecurities or injuries, regardless, plastic surgery serves one purpose, to enhance the look. When I was younger I had no self-esteem whatsoever, I thought I was the ugliest of the ugliest, I don’t know why I thought that way, maybe it was because I was overweight then. When I graduated from high school, that’s when everything changed. Within two years I went from being 165 to 123 pounds, it was hard but I did it. I started noticing a difference in me. I was more confident but I started seeing some insecurity in me. I noticed that I needed a more prominent bridge for my nose, I started noticing that my eyes were starting to sag, I had major bags under my eyes all these insecurity was gearing me toward plastic surgery. Maybe it was all in my head but I wanted to change the way I looked. Maybe I got carried away with myself because for once I looked nice in my life and wanted more of that. I still am surgery free today, but am in serious consideration.   I just hate my eyes, I can’t do anything with them, I’ve always wanted that smoky eye makeup look but can never achieve it because my eye a not hollow enough. There’s a broad range of procedures out there, and for girls, did you know they have a procedure called the Revirgination, where they stitch the hymen back. Weird isn’t it? But what I’m most interested in is having my nose, eyes, and tummy work on. After getting married and having two babies, my body is a shamble. I have gained all the weight I lost and more back. I’m as miserable as ever now with no determination. I have lost 36 pounds like I mention in my first blog but I still have no motivation. But I have decided that if I ever achieve my goal weight, I’m going forth with my procedures. I don’t want anyone to judge but I feel that if it makes you happy, what could hold you back other than financial reasons. I’m sure others feel the same as I do.

Green Juice

Has anyone heard of the green juice before? Not only its super green it’s very healthy for you. What it consists of is all the green vegetable you can think of, yes even zucchini. Most nutritionist recommends fresh greens which you will need assistance of a juicer for optimal nutrition.

Due to the standard American diet that mainly consist of processed, full of artificial flavorings and chemicals, it’s impairing our body from fully absorbing all the nutrition from the vegetables or from any other food for a matter of fact. When juicing, all the body is taking in is a liquid which helps pre-digest the nutrients for the body instead of just passing it through the body as feces.

Not to mention, we don’t get enough of our vegetables in our everyday diet, so juicing alone can bring in most of our recommended fruits and vegetables that we need. So if green juice doesn’t sound tasty, just use fresh fruits instead. For more information go here.

This website allonhealth.com, is advertising a type of green juice supplement. For those who are always on the go, they can choose this alternative. This company promotes green juice mixtures. They have five main claims about their product: Chlorophyll, Trace minerals, Vegetable Protein Enzymes, and Alkalizing abilities.

Chlorophyll is used in various treatments from periodontal disease, diabetes and low iron, to open wounds, ulcers and body odor. This green plants chemical makeup is similar to hemoglobin in the blood that transports oxygen throughout the body. The only difference between the two chemical structures is that the center element of chlorophyll is magnesium, while the center element of hemoglobin is iron. Research shows that the chlorophyll can be converted to hemoglobin in turn increase flow of oxygen throughout the body which will reduce fatigue.

There are certain parts of the body that should be alkaline meaning having a nuetral pH of 7, for example our circulatory system and when it’s lacking the neutral pH, it takes the alkaline properties form other places of the body.  The first place it “borrows” alkaline properties from is the mouth, so if it gets too acidic we can develop cavities, plaque, bleeding gums, periodontal disease, and bad breath. The small intestine also needs to be in an alkaline state to regulate the passage of glucose through the intestine. If we are able to alkalize it we will start noticing potential weight loss, increased energy, and higher metabolism.

Green foods can reverse the acidic process in the body. So when drinking green juice it has the ability to strengthening the gums, reduce plaque, and eliminates cavities  and most importantly, by normalizing the pH of the oral cavity of the mouth, supposedly food taste better and we’ll develop a will power for not desiring the unhealthy stuff.

With this in mind, when wanting to change your life to a healthier lifestyle, try detoxifying the body with green juice first before anything else for optimal health. 

My life on the chicken farm.

Ever wonder how it would be like living on a farm? I never thought I would ever live on a farm and look at me I winded up on one.  Both my parents and in-laws own and operate their own poultry farm. Although it makes a decent living it can be a dirty job.  First of all is the smell that these chicken broiler house give off. Just standing outside of one and you can smell the stench of chickens and their feces but wait until you get inside. That’s where the real fun begins.  My husband and I help out on the farm by doing most of the daily maintenance task.

Every morning we would wake up early, put on our boots and mask, and then off to the chicken houses we go. First thing we do is check the feed and the water lines to make sure their working properly then from the front of the house we walk down the aisle picking up dead chickens. There are rotten ones that we might’ve missed from the day before that smells out of this world awful. There are eight broilers so it takes my husband and I two hours to complete. This goes on for five weeks then our chickens markets the sixth week. While waiting for our next batch of chickens to come in, we will have to set up the broilers for the baby chickens. This includes placing about 100 red trays along the feed lines, rolling paper towel underneath the water lines, and bringing the feed and water lines down so that the baby chicks can eat and drink. This is a hard process but if it’s not done this way the baby chicks will not survive once they come. Once they arrive the whole cycle starts all over again.

Why we shouldn’t drink soda.

Who doesn’t love soda? Throughout high school I drank soda mostly every day and mostly my adult life without even thinking about how bad it is for me.  When I decided to go on a diet I did some research on drinking soda and this is what I found. All I can say was wow, that’s what I’m putting into my body?  Here’s what I found on this siteWaterforlifeusa.com .  Soda is very acidic with a pH of 2.5 and we all know anything under 7 isn’t good for us well maybe except lemons and limes. We can use cola to clean rust! Also it can weaken the enamel on your teeth causing cavities due to the high sugar content.

Last year in Chemistry class to show how much sugar there are in soda, my professor placed a regular cola and a diet cola into a jar of water and the regular cola sank to the bottom while the diet cola floated on top. Diet is not better either because of the artificial sweetener contained in the diet cola can cause side effects like headaches, dizziness, nausea and even depression. And remember whatever we give our children will affect them three times more than us. Here is an informative website about different types of artificial sweeteners that's Americans use sweetpoisen.com. 

Another aspect of drinking soda is that it strips away the calcium in our bones causing them to be weak.  This will pose as a problem for most women because we need as much calcium as we can get for our bones because we tend to lose bone mass more than men due to childbirth. Also it’s not safe for kids as well because not only is it making our kids obese, they can fracture their bones more easily than kids who don’t drink soda. So think about this when you’re craving for that ice cold cola, do you really want to put that high sugar acidic drink into your body?

Why we should eat more sushi!

Sushi was one of my favorite foods before I became a raw vegan but I’m going to share some of the benefits of eating sushi with you guys. This is considered healthy by many due to the low calories they possess. Sushi is cooked or raw fish (any type) rapped inside a seaweed sheet with rice. Not many people will like the taste of them but it is an acquired taste because for me I didn’t like sushi when I first tried them but after a few I grew to love them.

One of the health benefits is that because it is a low calorie food, anyone on a diet can enjoy it without feeling guilty. I read on this site “http://chickenfoodrecipes.com/healthy-food/important-reasons-why-sushi-very-good-for-diet/” that the seaweed sheet has the ability to decrease the retention of body fat. Tasty and beneficial!

Also another good reason to eat sushi is that it contains fish. We all know that fish is good for us but do we know why? Fish oil! Fish oil is good for memory and aids in a healthy heart. Did you know that the Eskimos consume 20 times more omega-3 fatty acids than anyone else in the US. Their diets manly consist of salmon, cod, seals, and even whales! Seal and Whales are high in fat which makes the Eskimos overweight but study shows that they have no trace of any heart disease because this is due to the high omega-3 fatty acids. http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2011/03/24/omega-3-fats-study.html

There are so many combination of sushi that you can make and it doesn’t have to always be raw fish. My favorites are the spicy salmon roll and the California roll, they’re so yummy! So next time you’re in a mood to try something new, give sushi a try. You’ll love it.

Why I went raw.

What are some reasons why people choose to go from eating their regular diet to the raw vegan diet?  Simple, the raw vegan diet is known to help support weight loss, help prevent diseases, and overall cleansing the body of all the toxins from all those years of ingested fatty foods.  How I got started on this wonderful journey is from my desire to lose weight and stay healthy. I’m not one to preach about healthy eating and exercising because for the longest time I too was struggling with my weight and still am.

After I had my son I was left with the 60 pounds I’ve gained during pregnancy.  I tried eating healthy and exercising but for some reason the scale wasn’t budging and my patience was running low then all of the sudden I found myself going back to my old eating habits. I wanted a miracle diet, one that I don’t have to restrict my calories or starve myself so I did some research and found out about the raw vegan diet.

At first I didn’t really like the idea of giving up meat and dairy products but I knew I’d have to to get the results I want. I started out slowly weaning myself off of beef, pork, and chicken. I started eating lots of salads with olive oil and lemon juice and snacked on snap peas and carrots. I also got these really yummy tasting raw chocolate with cashew bars to cure my sweet tooth. Since I started this raw journey I’ve lost 36.8 pounds and I’m very pleased with it. I feel much healthier now and for some reason my mind is clear of negative energy. Plus I can eat as much as I want!

I’m looking forward to this new me in a couple of months if things turned out as planned. I’m starting to develop a passion for raw foods and have no desire to look back, which is great because I’m on the path to a healthier lifestyle. I just bought a juicer hoping to start juicing my own juice, although they don’t taste as good as the ones from the store they’re better. There’s the green juice that I’ve been juicing every morning for myself that’s absolutely good for my body (even though it taste funky). It’s supposed to cleanse the body of acidic toxins because of its alkaline properties. I have to say that I’ve definitely found my miracle diet and it is doing wonders for me

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Greetings fellow Eng 102'ers!

Hi everyone, my name is Pa Yang. I am a nursing student and hopefully start the nursing program next fall. There's really nothing interesting about me. I have four kids two of which are my step sons but I love them dearly. There is Leon who is 7 then Eiji who is 6 also I have a little girl named Evelyn who is 2 and then I have a 1 and 1/2 month old Adrian. They are so wonderful and God's gift to me, I love them so much!

Both my parents and in-laws have their own poultry farm. My husband and I both help out around the farm. It's alot of work and not exactly the cleanest job but hey someones got to do it right?! We both share this dream of one day building our own house with a huge in-ground pool, hoping it will come soon enough.

Like I mentioned earlier I'm not a interesting person so I'll just leave it at that :)