Michi Photostory: December 2013

December 30, 2013

Some Evidence that Music Has Therapeutic and Beneficial Effects on People

There are numerous worthwhile organizations that have put an inventive spin on charitable good-works and community outreach, and many may provide a service or a resource that is unconventional and innovative. There are some that dedicate time to working with particular populations of often overlooked individuals while some other groups may dedicate their time and energy toward providing services to a common group that are unique or slightly alternative.

There is some evidence that music has therapeutic and beneficial effects on people; this is also said to be true in the case of individuals who suffer or struggle from affliction, defects, or impairments beyond the conventional treatment methods used by doctors and practitioners who may be providing care or prescribing medications for particular individuals. In fact, there is such a compelling case to be made for the positive impact of music, theater, and the arts, that many treatment facilities have adopted programs and therapy models that embrace these entities for the clients that they serve. Some enlist actual musicians or performers to come and visit patients in a hospital or other treatment setting, while some simply replicate the effect through art and music therapy sessions.

Photo Source

There are some clever and conscientious individuals who comprise a group that recognizes the instantaneous relief that the arts provide, and that have created their own organization that is dedicated to providing such enrichment in the lives of those who might otherwise be deprived of some such splendor. The group, “sing for hope”, aims to provide a respite to those in distress with song, theater, and art. They perform in unlikely venues for populations that might not be able to afford or access such offerings without this contribution. The performers in the group do not get paid for their service, and they strive to interact with their audience in a meaningful and personal way. The result is inspiration- both through the craft- and through the dedication and attention that each shows to their art as well as their audience members. The provision is not funded by any formal group, and some communities may make donations to the group to ensure continued provision of their artistic expression amid an audience of appreciative and inspired spectators. Other individuals may donate their talent and contribute to performances for these receptive audiences in various regions world-wide.

December 28, 2013

Christmas 2013

Well, just like that Christmas is already over and I was happy that even it was so stressful we were able to celebrate it. One week before Christmas we were all sick. My son was not able to take his exam because of the viral fever and bronchitis, my husband had colds and cough and I have colds too. I had to go to ENT day before Christmas Eve because I had small bumps and rashes in my nose due to colds. The doctor prescribed oral and topical medicine at baka maging Rudolf daw ang nose ko sa pula.

But God is so good because my son was able to attend their Christmas Party.

My husband invited my in-laws for lunch in our house so I have to prepare meals. Initial plan is I will just order food so I won’t be stressed and tired but the store was closed so I have no choice but to cook. While I was cooking, I ran out of LPG and fortunately my husband was able to buy gasul but the price is so shocking, P1000 already. #soexpensive Anyway, I was able to prepare Kare-Kare, Roast Chicken, Ham and Brownies for dessert. No more pasta or pansit. We had exchange gifts worth P50. Hehehe!

The following day we went to Victoria, Laguna for our Christmas reunion. It was our first time to celebrate Christmas with our Aunt Lida. We had games for the kids and raffle for the adults.

Few more days and we’re going to welcome year 2014 and now I’m busy with cleaning and decluttering our home.

December 24, 2013

DIY Christmas Envelopes

I’m happy to say that I’m done with gift wrapping because I did not wrap those big gifts like bike and lap desk for my son. #nanghihinayangsagiftwrap Anyway, I always save those leftover gift wrap just in case I need it. This time instead of throwing those leftover, I’ve made Christmas envelopes. It saves me from buying angpao, money card or envelopes, I used my DIY Christmas envelopes instead.

Materials:

Leftover Christmas wrapper

Glue

Pattern

Pencil

Procedure:

1. Trace the pattern.

2. Cut the pattern.

3. Fold and paste.

A repost from my old blog Michi's Home Sweet Home

December 18, 2013

Manila Ocean Park

We first visited Manila Ocean Park last February 1, 2009, my son was only four months old during that time. I’ve been meaning to revisit the park again because of the new attractions but it never happened so I was really happy when I saw that Manila Ocean Park is included in my son’s field trip. It was our chance to visit the park again. It’s like a first-time visit for my son, for sure wala siya naalala dati. Hehehe!

Our package includes:

Oceanarium

I don’t see any major changes in the Oceanarium except on this picture. See through na kasi yung aquarium so panget na background namin. Before fishes ang background, now you can see tables and chairs.

Sharks and Ray Dry Encounter

This is one thing that I look forward to experience but I was disappointed because no picture allowed and sila lang pwede magpicture, of course you have to pay. We were able to touch the stingray but no souvenir picture.

Back of the House

There is nothing special about this place, they will just inform and show you how they maintain the aquarium, from cleaning the water, breeding the fish and others.

Jellies Exhibit

A small room where you can see different types of jellyfish.

Shark Anatomy

The last part of our itinerary is Shark Anatomy, I thought they will discuss shark but we ended up watching a magic show.

Comparing my first and last experience, I enjoyed the first visit because it was not crowded and no time pressure.

December 14, 2013

Asian PsorClub Christmas Party

Before I joined Bazaar, I already said yes to our Asian PsorClub Christmas Party so even though I’m super busy with the bazaar I took time to attend the party last Saturday because I seldom see them in a year.

Again, it was a simple get-together in a resort in Los Banos, Laguna. Since I’m busy and I have no time to cook or bake, I just ordered pansit for my potluck.

The traffic was so bad and nakatulog na sa biyahe ang aking anak. He has cough so he did not swim, he just played billiard with his dad. #ibangversion

It was an overnight party but we did not stay long because my husband has a Christmas Run the following morning. Ilang hours na tulog for his first fun run.

December 12, 2013

Do Holiday Cookies Create Obligations?

Christmas time is a time for a lot of festive activities, and they’re all aimed at spreading joy and the spirit of the season. Some of these activities involve the giving of delicious baked goods; many a cookie delivery has been made in the name of the holiday season. However, some people claim that receiving a baked gift on your doorstep creates a feeling of obligation rather than joy. Now that they’ve received a gift, they feel obligated to reciprocate. So, should we all stop giving gifts to prevent others from feeling obligated to return the favor?

Givers

The givers, those who are responsible for the sweet deliveries, seldom expect anything in return. Their intentions may not be entirely selfless, they may want to feel better about themselves by helping others, or they may want to foster good will with their neighbors, but that doesn’t mean they want a physical gift in return. In most cases, they just want to do something nice. Sometimes they may even feel obligated to give the gift in return for something the receiver did for them in the past.

Happy Recipients

Many cookie recipients are more than happy to receive these types of deliveries. They don’t ask questions, they don’t feel obligated to return the favor, and best of all, they get to enjoy a guilt-free plate of cookies that appears out of nowhere. This is the type of response givers envision when they plan the delivery. This recipient may return the favor or keep the holiday spirit rolling by doing a favor for yet another individual, but this is done in a spirit of giving and not obligation.

Reluctant Recipients

So the root of this obligation problem lies with those few reluctant recipients. They may feel like the giver is expecting reciprocation, but in most cases this simply isn’t true. It’s one thing to refuse a large gift that costs hundreds of dollars, but cookies, brownies, fruitcakes, and holiday breads are nothing to fret over. So, if you’re planning a cookie delivery, don’t let the few reluctant recipients spoil your small act of service. And, if you’re the recipient, you don’t have to feel obligated to do anything but enjoy the treats.

December 10, 2013

Kitchen Saving Tips #1

According to webmd.com, kitchen sponge is the number one source of germs in our house because of the micro crevices and moist that makes it cozy home for the germs. And because of this, I change my kitchen sponge every week and to save, I cut our sponge in half.

I want small sponge for easy grip so washing the dishes or scrubbing the kitchen countertop won’t be difficult.

FYI: "Wet your sponge and then pop it in the microwave for two minutes to eliminate the germs that lurk inside the crevices," says Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai in New York City, and the author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu.

A repost from my old blog Michi's Home Sweet Home

Lotus: The Original Caramelised Biscuit Spread

I’m quite sure that we’re all familiar with Lotus Biscoff and Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter because it is almost all over the social networking media. I can read it on different blogs and I can see it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It seems that everyone is going crazy over this spread that you can only buy in online shop.

Knowing me, I’m not into online shopping because I have to go out and deposit the payment and wait for the items at home. Last August 16, I ordered some party stuff for my son’s birthday and my experience wasn’t good. I ordered Friday, made the payment on Sunday via Paypal and received the items 9 days after the payment. It was still fine with me because at least I received the items but I was disappointed because my order was not complete.

There’s a missing item so I have to inform the seller and she asked me if I can pick up the item in her bazaar in Rockwell which is not good because I live outside NCR so she said she will ship the missing item. Every week, I have to ask her when she will send the missing item and I got tired already, feeling ko she has no plan to send it so last September 11, I refunded my payment via paypal which of course I did not receive the full amount because she did not chose personal payment.

And because I don’t want to experience that again, I don’t want to buy this cookie butter and biscoff spread online. I tried Trader Joe’s Speculoos cookie butter when my sister-in-law brought one jar in my mother-in law’s house few months ago. And last weekend I saw this Lotus “The Original Caramelised Biscuit Spread” in SM supermarket at P349 so I immediately bought one jar.

Honestly, my taste buds can’t differentiate which one is better because for me, both taste good but I’m sorry to say that I still prefer peanut butter over this. #loyal But my husband and son love this. This is my son’s new favorite spread at nagsawa na rin sa Nutella.

FYI:

“The Lotus Spread story begins in Belgium in early 2007 with the simple but brilliant idea of Els Scheppers, a culinary enthusiast. Her idea? Create a creamy sweet spread with the unique taste of Lotus Biscuits. With recipe in hand, Els entered the Belgian prime time TV show “De Bedenkers” (“The Inventors”), competing against 2,000 other entrants. On November 25th a jury of food experts and TV personalities chose Els’s Spread recipe as one of the finalists of the competition. Lotus Bakeries and Els Scheppers worked together to perfect the recipe and so gave birth to this new culinary delight!” Source: Lotus Biscuits

World’s Easiest Detox

Detoxification is part of my healthy living list and I’ve been meaning to do this for the longest time because I know that I have many toxins in my body because of the food that I eat and the oral medicine that I take to control my psoriasis.

“Detoxification is the process of removing toxins from the body.”

I wanted to try the juice cleanse but P7,500 for 3 day cleanse is quite steep for me so until now I haven’t ordered yet.

Last Saturday, I went to Watson to buy medicine and my husband saw this Chi Foot Patches Eucalyptus for less than P70. I bought 1 pack and each pack contains two pads.

Information from the packaging.

“Eucalyptus contains a refreshing aroma. It has antiseptic and mint. With high content of oxygen, it improves one’s ability to concentrate. It is effective when one is tired or had difficulty in concentrating. It also has effect of refreshing one’s mind and releases tension from body.”

Instructions

1.Do not use more than 6 patches at any one time. For detox, it is recommended to use one patch on the sole of each foot. For pain reduction, it is recommended using one patch on each foot corresponding to the are on the diagram overleaf and the another on the painful joint/area.

2.Chi Foot Patches should be left in place for 8hours or until the patch becomes discoloured and damp.

3.Do not place Chi Foot Patches directly over the eyes or open cuts. If you have any health concerns, please consult your medical advisor before using Chi Foot Patches.

Since I only bought one, my husband said tig-isa daw kami hehehe so we tried it. The following morning, this is the result.

It only proves that I have so many toxins. I will buy this again next time I visit Watson. I must agree that this is the world’s easiest detox and it is so simple to use. In addition, very affordable compared to other detox products.

A repost from my old blog Mrs Ugly Duckling