I love Chocolates.... a Lot ...

When I’m tired and sick, the very first thing that comes into my mind is to...look for a chocolate. Yes. That's right... Chocolates really make my day, especially when I’m on my down moments. When I'm tired, a piece of chocolate will relieve my stress. Did I say a piece? Hmmn, I think I should rephrase that. A bar of chocolate will do..LoL.

I was been exposed to chocolates since I’m a little girl. Though not the expensive ones, but some local chocolates like that of "block busters", "curly tops", etc... I actually got this habit from my mom, who usually looks for sweets every after meal, considered to be our dessert then. I once told myself, "When I will have my own work, I will make sure that I'll taste every kind of chocolate I can find!" Wow, that's a very high dream (for me then), coz I knew some chocolates are expensive enough for me to be able to buy some.

Glad that I can now taste some of these chocolates I once dreamt of. Thanks to all my sponsors (Good Friends, Relatives, Special someone) who really don't forget to give me some when we are seeing each other, or when they are travelling outside the country, or when they just love to.(nice) :> Well, I can say that I have a very shallow happiness, but yes, a chocolate can make me simply happy...

Enough of that little dream I had.
Do you know that eating chocolates can also have its advantages?
Yes, of course it has, see details below who focuses on Dark Chocolate Advantages.

1. It's loaded with antioxidants 

Dark chocolate contains hefty amounts of disease-fighting flavenoids, antioxidants also found in red wine and many fruits and vegetables. In fact, it appears to have more flavenoids than any other food. 

2. It helps you through PMS 

"There's a reason we crave certain foods, such as chocolate, at that time of the month," says Toronto-based raw foods coach Nathalie Lussier. "Chocolate releases calming endorphins that reduce anxiety. Plus, it's high in magnesium," which lifts moods and reduces water retention.

3. It may lower cholesterol 

A small study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that daily consumption of cocoa flavanol-containing dark chocolate lowered cholesterol and improved blood pressure. While the reasearch was funded by chocolate manufacturer Mars, Inc., the study was double-blinded and peer reviewed. 

4. It may prevent pregnancy complications 

A new study reports that a chemical (theobromine) found in chocolate may reduce preeclampsia, a major pregnancy complication. The darker the chocolate, the better. Preeclampsia is primarily noted for raising blood pressure in pregnant women, and eating chocolate helps to lower this risk by up to 69 percent.

5. It helps prevent heart disease 

A recent study shows that people who regularly consume 70% dark chocolate (about 20 g per day) show a marked improvement in blood flow, while no improvement is observed in those who eat "processed" chocolate, which contains very little cocoa paste.

6. It may improve your skin 

Researchers at Germany's Heinrich Heine University exposed chocolate eaters to ultraviolet light and found that after six weeks, they had 15 percent less skin reddening than those who didn't eat it. "We believe the compounds in chocolate act as UV filters," says study leader Wilhelm Stahl. After 12 weeks, the chocolate eaters' skin was 16 percent denser and 42 percent less scaly.

7. It may reduce pain 

A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that rats don't respond as quickly to pain while they're eating chocolate. While this might explain why nothing in the world could drag you away from your Hershy's Kisses, the study's researchers say this pain-killing effect could be detrimental to humans as it could contribute to obesity.

Chocolates not only creates cavity on our tooth (because children are lazy having their teeth brushed). It's also nice to know their advantages.

So, happy eating... :>

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10 Surprising things that age you

While aging is an inevitable part of life, how quickly or well you age depends on many different factors. Although there are some obvious causes of premature aging, there are many seemingly harmless things that can also add on the years. Here are our top 10 surprising things that age you.

1: Watching TV
While we all know that spending hours in front of the television is bad for your waistline, you may not know that it can also shorten your lifespan. Researchers from the University of Queensland found that for every hour you watch TV you may shorten your life by as much 22 minutes. Furthermore, research has suggested that watching TV could increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

2: Drinking from bottles and through straws
You probably know that what you drink can affect your looks, but you may be surprised to hear that how you drink can also influence how well you age. In fact, sucking on straws and drinking out of sports bottles causes the same pursing action – and therefore the same fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth – as smoking. Try drinking directly from the glass whenever you can to help keep the wrinkles at bay.

3: Too little (or too much) exercise
The benefits of exercise are immeasurable for keeping you looking and feeling young. Not only does a lack of exercise shorten your life and increase risk of obesity and heart disease, but exercise can also keep your brain young by protecting against Alzheimer’s, boosting your mood and leaving you feeling alert and energized. Furthermore, increased blood flow to your skin can help keep your complexion clear, bright and youthful-looking. On the flipside, while we should all make an effort to stay active, too much exercise can cause stiffness in joints and increase risk of arthritis.

4: Central heating
Many of us spend a fortune on anti-ageing skin products, yet we may regularly accelerate skin ageing without even being aware of it. The central heating and air conditioning systems that many of us use at home and at work can severely dry out skin, leading to premature ageing and wrinkles. To help keep skin youthful and soft, try turning down the heating and wearing more layers to stay warm. Keeping a glass of water in the room can also increase humidity, while wearing a protective face cream can help relieve dryness.

5: Sugar
Eating too much sugar is clearly bad news for your waistline; however sugar consumption is also up there with sun exposure and smoking when it comes to the major causes of wrinkles. When blood sugar levels are high, a process called glycation occurs which damages the collagen in your skin. Once damaged, the normally springy collagen hardens, leading to wrinkles and sagging.

6: Listening to an iPod
Hearing loss is a common symptom of ageing, yet many of us may suffer from diminished hearing early on due to listening to loud music through headphones. While listening to music sparingly and at a moderate volume is unlikely to do you much harm, a study has shown that listening to music on headphones for an hour can temporarily affect people’s hearing, while some researchers have suggested that listening at full volume could put you at risk of permanent damage.

7: Your job
While having a job is pretty essential for most of us, it can also be one of the biggest causes of premature ageing. Firstly, work is a big source of stress for many people, which research has found can increase risk of heart disease and speed up cell ageing. Secondly, spending too many hours in the workplace can mean you have little time for essentials such as exercise, proper meals and sleep. To help minimize damage, try to avoid working exceptionally long hours and make the most of your evenings and weekends as times to relax.

8: Soap
While you may think that soap is your skin’s best friend, this is actually not the case. The reason for this is that your skin has an acid mantle which is a natural protective barrier of the skin. When you wash with soap – which is generally alkaline – it can remove this protective layer of oils and dry out the skin, eventually leading to wrinkles. While it is not advisable to stop washing entirely, try swapping the soap for a PH-neutral and chemical-free cleanser, and bear in mind that there is such a thing as over-cleansing your skin.

9: Your pillowcase
You may think you’re indulging in a bit of beauty sleep when you hit the hay at night; however the opposite could in fact be true. If you regularly sleep with the same side of your face pressed against a cotton pillow case this may cause creases on the skin which can eventually turn to fine lines and wrinkles. To help stay youthful overnight try sleeping on your back instead, or switch to a silk or satin pillowcase to create less compression wrinkles and help maintain skin’s moisture levels.

10: Low fat diets
Many of us switch to low fat diets to help shed excess pounds. However, cutting out good, healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids could negatively affect the speed and way in which you age. Omega-3 fatty acids – present in oily fish, walnuts and flax seeds – are essential for keeping you looking and feeling young. Not only do they help keep skin supple and wrinkle-free, but they help boost brain health, keep your heart in good condition, and can even increase your lifespan.


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Places I've Been here in the Philippines

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

8 Ways to Spot a Liar: Plus two

Just want to share this one to all. I've seen this article in the web by Korin Miller.
Good to Learn.

1. Shoulder Shrugs
Whether it's your man, a stranger, or a friend, shoulder shrugging subconsciously signifies that someone doesn't believe what they're telling you.

2. Lip-Licking
When someone is nervous (like when they're, say, lying their pants off), their mouth becomes dry-they lick their lips as a result.

3. Leaning Back
Liars subconsciously want to put physical distance between you and themselves, so they lean their heads back a little.

4. Fidgeting
Liars are prone to shuffling their feet, playing with their hair, and fidgeting with their hands-it's an easy way for them to release nervous energy

5. Brush-Offs
Wiping their hands down their arms or legs is a subconscious way of getting rid of the dirty feeling associated with fibbing.

6. Pursed Lips
Puckered lips is a sign that someone is holding back information-especially if they make the move after you ask them a sensitive question

7. Lip-Biting
Sure, some people just bite their lips out of habit, but doing it right after you ask them a question can be a sign that they're about to lie.

8. Blowing Out Air
Just like brushing themselves off, blowing out air is a subconscious way to get the icky feeling associated with lying out of their bods.

Just want to add this things. I have learned this in our province.
you can spot a Liar when:

1. The person you are talking too cannot look into your eyes directly. So to catch a liar by talking to him or her and deeply look into his/her eyes.

2. A person will be looking at the floor when answering a question. But, when a person will be looking at the ceiling, it means that he/she knows the truth but just don't know how to answer the question.

Item 1 and 2 relates to each other, don't know either if this two info is reliable :>

Mt. Batulao Day Hike: First Climb

Invited by my office colleague Eric E, I didn't even take a second thought to grab this opportunity to try a different kind of activity: to climb a mountain. First target, Mt. Batulao!

Kuya Eric (as what I have observed) is the most adventurous guy in our office. In fact he was a member of a mountaineering club they called ADTREK. I am very happy meeting him as I was exposed to this kind of activity. So, last year (July 23, 2012) I was encouraged to take my first climb activity. A Mt. Batulao Day Hike Traverse was organized by Kuya Eric and his team, and this was open to all who are interested. So I, Jocel, Kim and Joy from PCB Group participated to this climb.

This sample shot was given by Kuya Eric to have some encouragements.

Just a small background, the mountain ranges of Mt Batulao covers the area of Nasugbu Batangas, and Tagaytay City. It has 811m peak.

The meeting place was set to be 6:00am at Jollibee – Robinson Pala-Pala. We were just informed to bring our own lunch, water, a pair of extra shirt, rain cover, and small amount of money. Me, having no idea at all in mountaineering, didn’t even prepared. So I just wear a pair of white shirt and a semi-maong shorts, normal rubber shoes with a white socks. I was really looked funny compared to my other colleagues. Take note guys, it’s a BIG NO NO to use a white shirt, and a white socks because expect this to become very dirty, and will just thrown away after a climb. Ahaha. I didn’t even know that thing. Another thing,  use Leggings or soft pants when trekking, so that you can get less wounds. :>

Note: I will not post any picture of me for my first climb (nakakahiya kasi outfit ko..ahaha)

So let’s back to the story. The group hired a Jeepney from there to Nasugbu (sorry I don’t even remember how much we pay for the Jeepney fare). Then first drop, here.

If you can observed the time from the picture, we started walking by 8:30 in the morning. Well, the 6:00am departure time was not met (that's what we called "Filipino Time"). If I'm not mistaken, around past 7:00am when we left Pala-pala.

I actually can’t remember our head count that time. More or less 15 heads. We have what we called 'the trek arrangement': A front man, middle man, and last man that should be an experienced trekker. So the we, as visitors should always be with in those persons. In that case, the safety is assured, that no person can be left behind. We, are always at the end of the line, guess why, of course, picture taking, hehe. So here are some of our shots.

We have same altitude as the clouds. Imagine?

Walking by twos :>

This shot is same as the shot taken by Boss Eric above, this time, using my camera.

Here's a Welcome sign to all the trekkers. Going to Mt. Batulao Summit (Summit is the term used for the Highest peak of a specific Mountain) has 2 options, you can use the Old trail and New trail. From here, we followed the New Trail.

Welcome newbies.

We took a rest on this ragged Nipa Hut (So sad to this that it is not as good as it used to be, probably damaged by strong rain.)

This Nipa Hut below is actually a small souvenir shop where you can buy T-shirts with different prints of Mt. Batulao, in different colors. There are also key chains or key holders with your birthstone on it. Caps and hand warmers are also available. (Hand warmers are like socks that you wear in your hands :> just the like the ones used by tricycle driver to protect their arms).

See that peak? I think that's the Summit (if I am not mistaken). stepping that Summit.

After almost 2 hours walk, we reached the 1st camp of Mt. Batulao. There are 10 camps in all, so trekkers has an option to skip some, or complete all. Sorry I forgot how many camps we have passed by. 

We ate our Lunch Baon here at Camp 1. Just after eating, the sky became dark and rain start falling. We (the newbies) started to panic on how we can finish this adventure. So we let first the rain to pass, before we started walking again. Remember, our goal is to reach the Summit. As a mountaineer, you should reach your goal rain or shine.

Umbrellas, and rain coats maid our lives easier, thanks to the inventors of this. Indeed very helpful. :>

As the result of the rain, here is a 1 percent visibility. We can't even enjoy the scenery as it was covered by fogs.

Good thing we reached the Summit. Here we are...I felt happy for reaching the first summit in my life, at the same time sad as I didn't enjoy this feeling because of the rain and fogs that covers the area.

We just spent only minutes to enjoy this scenery, and now ready to take the traverse, going back to the plain.

We are passing the different Camps, but can't remember in specific.

A breathtaking walk on the Mountains Peak. Its very dangerous, so you must  really take a good step at a time.

See the small ally in between of the tall grasses? That't the way guys.. :> So you must take a step very carefully, specially it's slippery this time.

I really love this shot. A Cute little flower grow in a large stone at the peak of the mountain.

Here's how my feet looks.. very dirty. See my white socks? It is now ready for disposal.tsk.tsk. Good thing my shoes is color brown. I'm really worried for my companions as they are wearing white shoes, just think how it looks like comparing to mine.

After the very long day, we successfully finished the Day Hike with everybody in safe condition. Next stop, A Resto in Tagaytay, to taste their very delicious and known Bulalo with fresh fruits.

Eat. Eat. Eat.

That's all for this post guys. Thanks.

My First

Gosh! It took me a lot of time to create a title for my Blog. Every title I wanted is not available, whew, glad I'm all set now. Looking forward seeing my blog, and all your future comments...:)

This would be my First Post for my First Blog.
So to start with, I would like to have some sort of small speech...:)

Okay, First thing, I would like to say thank you to my Good Friends for sharing this idea to me, to create a blog for myself, and for everyone of course. To extend my emotions, delightful or distressing. To share my experiences for travel, food, etc.

Secondly, Thank you for the guys who created this free blogging site. I believe this was started long long time ago, and seems like I'm very late already. Though there's a saying that, Better late than never... so here I am. Starting up My First.

Lastly, thank you to our Almighty, for giving me life. To explore the wonders of the world. And to share this with everyone through this blog.

Hope everyone will find this interesting...
Welcome to my Blog...
Happy viewing.