Tragedy in the Sea

Just a week ago some parts of the Philippine archipelago experienced a strong typhoon name “Frank”. The typhoon leaved a very disastrous and even took away lives of hundreds of people. The most fatal one was the sunken ship of M/V Princess of the Stars owned and managed by Sulpicio Lines. A tragic incident that killed hundreds of people and until now the authorities can’t still determine how many are the survivors and how many are dead out of the eight hundred crews and passengers of the ship. The coast guard told that it will take them month to retrieve bodies inside the ship since they will not be able to get into the entrance and exit of the ship because it is blocked. They can see dead bodies inside but they are tangled by the wirings of the ship. Some are hoping for possible survivor inside the ship for there are spaces of the ship that can provide them for shelter. I hope God will have a miracle that there are still survivors inside and the retrieval team will be given a signs for life of the sunken ship.
I just hope that the relatives of the passengers will be able to accept the tragedy and go on with their normal life, though it’s painful but we can never foresee when God will take our lives. The point is that we should always be ready for anything that will happen in our lives and most importantly we should not forget to “PRAY”.

Proud Mom

Classes has just begun and everyone is busy especially the parents in preparing for the food for the children who are going to school. Being a mother is not really an easy task. I already have a student now she is still in her junior kinder level but since her school is so far from our house I really have to wake up early everyday to prepare everything. You have to be patient in waking her up, since there are times when she doesn’t get up from the bed because she’s still feeling sleepy. You have to give some convincing words so that she will get out from bed. Despite of those sacrifices everyday all of them will be out of my mind since she is doing well in school. Of course in her first one week she cried because of adjustment to the environment and fear. But as time passed she already adjusted and participated in the classroom activities. I feel so happy and proud of course as a mother when she showed a star on her arm because she participated in class and talked what they are doing in class wherein she participated and get involved in the activity. All of my tiredness is gone because my little child is doing well in school and I am proud of it. I hope she will continue her performance as the school ends.

REMembering SLEEP

There are tw o types of sleep: REM and non-REM. For the first 90 minutes of your sleep, you experience non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. Here you drift from consciousness to total unconsciousness. REM sleep then follows. This is the dreaming stage.
The NREM-REM cycle is repeated six to 10 times throughout the night. Do you know that:
* Bed-wetting, snoring, sleepwalking, and night terrors occur during stage IV of NREM sleep?
* NREM sleep relaxes the body, while REM sleep relaxes the mind?
* When you wake up in the middle of a REM sleep, you will remember your dream, but when you wake up during NREM sleep you won't even know you dremed?
* Lack of REM sleep is more upsetting than lack of NREM sleep? In a study conducted by N. R. Culler and H. B. Cohen people who had been deprived of REM sleep for days became less well-integrated and effective. They also became confused and suspicious of other people. Thus, they withdrew from society. Moreover, sleep-deprived individuals appear anxious, insecure, irritable and have a marked increase in appetite leading to weight gain.

The Benefits of Kangkong

Kangkong though called swamp cabbage or water spinach, is not really a cabbage or a spinach. It grows practically everywhere- in ditches, ponds and dry land. Kangkong comes in varieties ranging from purple-stemmed ones with narrow leaves to white-stemmed ones with broad leaves. It is usually used as an ingredient in sinigang, salad, adobo and other apetizing dishes. Has a good source of carotene which in turn, can be converted to vitamin A by the body. It is beneficial especially to persons with hypertension. It helps eliminate fatty deposits in the alimentary canal that would otherwise lodge in the blood vessels. Kangkong is often neglected by people especially thsoe who are living in cities but knowing now the benefits that we can get from this plant. So start eating kangkong now and get the benefits it has rather than buying vitamins from drugstores wherein it is expensive.

The Five Fingers of Prayer

As Christians or whatever religious denominations, we all have different way of praising, adoring, thanking and asking God, this is in the form of prayer. While we often still think of prayer primarily as asking God for something, prayer, properly understood, is a conversation with God or with the saints. Just as we cannot hold a conversation with another person unless he can hear us, the very act of praying is an implicit recognition of the presence of God or the saints here with us. And in praying, we strengthen that recognition of the presence of God, which draws us closer to Him. That is why the Church recommends that we pray frequently and make prayer an important part of our everyday lives.

As part of that act of praying we can use the fingers in our hands in stating our needs to God.

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all. Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others? As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.
By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight, just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.

Back to School Adjustments

It's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. But for college students’ especially old students, going back to school is exciting of course because it’s the time they will meet and see again new faces most probably their crushes. Let's find out more about going back to school. The first day of school, mostly teachers do introduce themselves and talking about all the stuff you'll be doing that year. They often go over classroom rules so you'll know what's allowed and what's not. That’s why you should pay close attention so you'll know the rules especially the grading system. So that you will not feel alone do the first move, make new friends. Don’t be afraid to ask question especially when you’re lost and you cannot find your classroom. Go to the nearest office or to the Guidance Office to seek help. It might helpful to write a few notes to yourself, so you'll remember the important stuff, like your locker combination and other important things to remember. Here are a few final tips for a fantastic first day:
1. Get enough sleep.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast.
3. Try your best.
4. Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments and turning in your homework

on time.
5. Take your time with school work. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher.
6. Keep a sense of humor.

Enjoy and have have fun the rest of the school year!

Fire Safety in the Home

Every year or even every month, more than 100 Filipinos die in fires and thousands suffer with the loss of house and valuables and hundreds are injured. If a fire occurs in your home, your chances of survival will depend on how quickly and safely you are able to get out. Just recently one of the barangay in Davao City was ruined by fire due to some reasons. Most frequent reasons of fire are faulty wirings, candle left unattended, gas leaking and etc. So that we will not be a victim of fire every individual should know on how to prevent a fire and how to protect oneself should one occur. Here are some safety tips which could help to prevent fire at home.

1. Eliminate fire hazards through good housekeeping. Dispose waste paper, rubbish and other flammable materials regularly.

2. Keep matches out of children's reach.

3. Lighted oil or gas lamps and candles should be placed away from curtains. Put put the flame before going to bed.

4. Do not keep flammable materials like gasoline, alcohol and paint inside the house.

5. Check your electrical installatios regularly.

6. Do not overload electrical circuits by putting additional lights and appliances.

7. Blown fuses should not be replaced with coins, wires or any metal.

8. Never leave a lit cigarette/cigar/pipe unattended. It may fall on flammable materials which could start a fire.

9. Keep a first-aid kit in handy.

10. Never fill a pan more than one-third full of fat or oil.

11. Never leave tha pan unattended while cooking.

12. Never put the food in the pan if the oil begins to give off smoke. Turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool. If the pan catches fire turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a damp cloth. Never ever throw water onto the fire.

I hope this safety tips somehow help each one of us to prevent fire.