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!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
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!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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
Friday, October 7, 2011
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.
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