Breathing lessons*

I worked with preschool children for a significant number of years.  There's a technique that I have learned in order for them to calm down whenever they have a negative emotion, or just mellow down when they have so much energy.

It's the "smell the flower and blow the candle" technique. I just have to instruct them to pretend holding a flower on one hand and a candle on the other hand. And then I just tell them, "Everybody smell the flower. (Inhale). And blow the candle. (Exhale)."

This also works with the adults. I was asked to facilitate several mindfulness based cognitive exercises to a women's varsity volleyball. Conscious, slow breathing allows them to focus on the present and lessen the worry for the future or be anxious about their past mistakes in the game. They even had this "Smell the flower, blow the candle" printed in their shirts that they use whenever they practice hard.

Posting this random topic here in blogosphere in case someone might need to just breath and be present. 

*Pasintabi kay Anne Tyler

Preferences in the Early Stages of Mate Choice

Isa sa mga pinag-aaralan kong article patungkol sa mate selection kahapon ay ang Preferences in the Early Stages of Mate Choice ni K. Lewis.

E biglang may exponential random graph modeling. Naalala ko na bigla si Alma Moreno, "Dasal lang. Dasal lang talaga."

Newly-banned ingredients commonly used in antibacterial soap

The list of newly-banned ingredients includes the two that the FDA says are the most commonly used in antibacterial soaps: triclosan and triclocarban. Triclosan in particular has troubled public health advocates over the years. As STAT News reports, studies done on lab animals show that the chemical can disrupt hormones in the body, leading to all sorts of issues ranging from infertility to impaired brain development and heart function. In addition, the stuff can end up in sewage sludge that gets used as fertilizer—meaning it can re-enter the food chain through crops.

Perhaps the biggest concern is that overuse of these chemicals could fuel the rise of more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to a consumer update issued by the FDA along with the new rule, “laboratory studies have raised the possibility that triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Some data shows this resistance may have a significant impact on the effectiveness of medical treatments, such as antibiotics.”

Kaya ko bang mapa-inlove ang taong gusto ko? (updated)

Meron akong klase ngayon sa kolehiyo na pinag-aaralan namin ang mga sistematikong pag-aaral ng pag-ibig. Noong isang araw ko pa ito gustong isulat kaya lang walang pagkakataon.

May isa akong bagets na nagpost ng tanong sa klase -maaari bang i-manifacture ang falling in love? O sa mas madaling tanong, kaya ko bang mapa-inlove ang taong gusto ko.

Maganda ang tanong na yan. Kasi may konsepto tayo na wala tayong kontrol kung kanino titibok ang puso natin.

Ayan ang dahilan kung bakit kami napahanap ng mga pag-aaral na posibleng sumagot niyan.

May isang pag-aaral na hindi direktang patungkol sa pag-ibig pero patungkol sa pagpapaigting ng interpersonal closeness. Ginawa ang pag-aaral nato nina Arthur Aron at iba pang mananaliksik.

Nood kayo. Nood tayo.

Hi friends! Ito ang schedule sa UP Film Center sa UP Diliman. Timbrehan niyo ako kung nasa area ako. Di ko sure kung nandun din ako pero kung sakali, malay niyo, magkita tayo. Haha. Here's the schedule:

1 June 2014

Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and instead seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed. it is about God being present in the mess of our unfixedness.  -Mike Yaconelli

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

Ngiti

JOPET: Pare, kailan mo balak
bayaran yung utang mong P64?

PABLO: Oh eto may P100 ako,
may P36 ka? …

Patayin ang 'Pilipinas'

MAY tatlong pangalan ang ating bansa: “Filipinas,” “Philippines,” “Pilipinas”: lbinasbas sa atin ang una ng kolonyalismong Espanyol at siya nating opisyal na pangalan sa loob  ng tatlong  siglo.  ltinatawag naman sa atin ang ikalawa ng imperyalismong Amerikano at opisyal nating pangalan ngayon sa Ingles.  Bersiyong Tagalog ng una ang ikatlo at batay sa orihinal na titik ng lumang abakada.

Palagay ko, sintomas ng ating pambansang pagkalito ang pagkakaroon ng tatlong  pangalan ng ating bansa. Hindi  tayo magkaisa kahit sa pagtawag himang sa ating sarili.Ang  panukala ko, panahon na para magkaroon tayo ng opisyal na pangalan para  sa ating bansa’t republika, at tulad ng inumpisahan ng Diyaryong  Filipino, dapat tayong kilalanin sa buong mundo bllang “Filipinas.”

Unang dapat burahin ang “Philippines”. Tatak ito ng patuloy na pag­ iral sa ating utak ng pananakop ng Amerikano. Hindi nila ito nagawa sa Puerto  Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Chile, at ibang dating kolonya ng Espanya. Bukod pa, may mga bansang nakapagpipilit ng kanilang sariling pangalan sa UNO sa kabila ng lningles na tawag sa kanila.

Ngayon, bakit hindi “Pilipinas”?