I am in Mindanao's Top 100 Bloggers!

It is new year once again and I am so happy with the blessings I received before the closing of 2007. One of those blessings is I am listed as one of the top 100 bloggers in Mindanao! (no. 37 to be exact) I am so glad to see my name in the list. Thanks to all of you! Thanks to www.mindanaobloggers.com!

New Year's Day Food Traditions

It is New Year once more! And it means doing the good old traditions to bring luck and good fortune to us. There are so many different traditions around the world and here are some:

In the Philippines, it is important to have food on the table at midnight in order to insure an abundance of food in the upcoming year.

It is a Cuban tradition to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. The 12 grapes signify the last twelve months of the year.

Eating noodles at midnight is customary at Buddhist temples in Japan.

The Italian people eat a traditional New Year dish called cotechino con lenticchie: pork sausage served over lentils. Cotechino sausage is a symbol of abundance because they are rich in fat; while lentils symbolize money (being both green and coin shaped). This New Year food promises a double-packs of luck!

In the southern United States, it is believed eating black eyed peas on New Year's eve will bring luck for the coming year.

Boiled Cod is a New Year's Eve must in Denmark.

A German/Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's day for good luck.

The Greek tradition of eating Vasilopita (a cake baked with a coin inside). The person who bites into his piece of cake and finds the coin will be blessed with good luck in the coming New Year.

Another tradition from the Philippines is to collect 7 different types of round fruits. The round shapre of the fruits signify money and seven is believed to be a lucky number. Set on the dinner table on New Year's eve, the fruits are believed to bring prosperity and sound financial status for the coming year.

Which is Better? QWERTY or DVORAK?

Did you know that there is another useful keyboard lay out than QWERTY? It is called as DVORAK. According to wikipedia DVORAK is a keyboard layout patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak, an educational psychologist and professor of education[1] at the University of Washington in Seattle, [2] and William Dealey as an alternative to the more common QWERTY layout. It has also been called the Simplified Keyboard or American Simplified Keyboard, but is commonly known as the Dvorak keyboard or Dvorak layout.

Although the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard ("DSK") has so far failed to displace the QWERTY standard, it has seen an increase in popularity in recent years especially among computer programmers and others whose jobs require them to do extensive amounts of typing. It has become easier to access in the computer age, being included with all major operating systems (such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and BSD) in addition to the standard QWERTY layout. It is also supported at the hardware level by some high-end ergonomic keyboards.

I have been practicing DVORAK right now and of course it is not easy to switch from the usual QWERTY layout. But I noticed that less than a month my wpm is increasing and almost surpasses my QWERTY speed or wpm. It also helped me to be a touch typist because in the first place most of the computer keyboard layouts are in QWERTY so I need to memorized the DVORAK layout because the only thing I can change is the setting. It has been proven that persons who shifted from QWERTY to DVORAK typed faster or even doubled their speeds.

If you want to try DVORAK, change your language setting. Go to CONTROL PANEL click REGIONAL AND LANGUAGE OPTION select the LANGUAGE tab click DETAILS then click ADD check KEYBOARD LAYOUT select UNITED STATES DVORAK. Then try it...

Here is what DVORAK layout looks like:

SideDrip: Christmas Party at Shangrila Makati!

We enjoyed the party so much! Food was great and the presentations of each departments were spectacular! We had fun dancing the night away! And during the raffle, I was so lucky to won a mountain bike!

Merry Christmas to all!

I want an Ireland Adventure!

Ever dreaming of an Ireland adventure? It is one of the most romantic places I wanted to visit and have fun!. Since I was a child, I always wish to see real castles that I can only read in most fairy tales. And in Ireland, I can make this wish came true. There I can see the famous Dublin Castle which is one of the oldest surviving architectures in the city, also The Castle, built by William the Conqueror’s son, Robert Curthose and of course the Cardiff Castles with a Victorian clock tower on it. There are so many popular historical landmarks and buildings around Ireland which makes the place well-known and well visited.

I am also hearing about the Kilmainham Gaol, the most disuse prison which was built in 1792, and the Temple Bar where the best night spots and great restaurants are located for that endless fun that can make the vacation worth remembering!

There are also various museums around to witness interesting exhibits like the Royal Armouries Museum, Temple Newsam, Thackray and the Medical Museum.

I can’t wait the time I can have the opportunity to have my greatest vacation in Ireland!

Thanks to http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/!

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances, the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. These symptoms can increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the patient is almost totally paralyzed.

Risk Factors:

• possible autoimmune
• more common: 20-50 y.o.
• ? association with swine flu immunizations
• frequently preceded by mild respiratioy or intestinal infection

-progress rapidly or over 2-3 weeks

-minimal muscle atrophy

-symmetrical paralysis causes problems with:

• respiration
• talking
• swallowing
• bowel and bladder function

-begins in lower extremities and ascends bilaterally :

• weakness
• ataxia
• bilateral paresthesia progressing to paralysis

The "SuperHumans"

Did you know that some people can see colors or taste it when hearing a sound? It is a condition called SYNESTHESIA. According to wikipedia, Synesthesia is a neurologically based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.

I was amazed as I have watched their episodes about "Real Superhumans" at Discovery Channel. The show featured 4 different gifted people around the world. A blind man since birth from Turkey who can paint nature, animals, objects and almost everything in accuracy. A man who can control his core temperature and can withstand cold environment at -18 degree for hours. And a man from Russia who has been called as the "human calculator" who can calculate so quick using only his mind even a great mathematician cannot explain how. And believe it or not, he failed math 3x when he was in grade school. I was really astounded how these people defy human nature.

Elisabeth on the other hand, started to discover her ability one day when she was dining out with a friend. They were seated outside the restaurant having their lunch when suddenly the rain pours. Elisabeth then saw different colors as the raindrops keep falling around them. She asked her friend if she can see colors but her friend said she didn't see any. At that point, Elisabeth started to experience her gift. Each sound she hears has a specific colors and different taste corresponds to it. Bus sound, whistle, footsteps, even the sound of your name and etc. And yes, she can taste the sound as well! Elisabeth is called as SYNESTHE.

Up to now, scientist are still researching what really causes these "superpowers" Some said it is a brain defect, other said it is genetic. But whatever the reason or the cause of this, it only proves one thing, that superhumans really do exists...

And hey, you'll never know, in time you will also discover that you are gifted because these people above have known their abilities during adulthood...

Purchasing Insurance Leads

Selling insurance is one of the prime industries now. Agents are competing to sell different excellent insurances. But with thousands of insurance leads around, it is not easy to get leads that the clients are after.

Insurance marketing is a big factor if an agent wants to get a bunch of clients to avail the sort of insurances they need. The marketing strategy should not only be convincing but very easy to understand. At QuotesAction.com, they have real time Internet insurance leads that are very competitive. Agents have the liberty to choose which insurance leads they actually needed and the site has a 24/7 help desk to assist agents with everything they need.

Insurance clients usually search the Internet to get quotes from different companies for best options. At QuotesAction.com, the prospective clients will be asked to sign a virtual form if they will request for a quote and sooner after, the agents can contact them for some detail explanations. Agents can make their jobs a lot easier with the website’s lead generator system. So, it means more income for them with less effort.

Online insurance marketing really is a huge help for both the clients and the agents to get the type of services they each needed. A Client desires the most excellent and suited insurance needs while an agent wants the finest system to satisfy their client’s requirements.