Reckless abandonment...

What causes us to be afraid of reckless abandon? Why are we always so guarded and afraid? Are we too afraid of the unknown that we don't allow ourselves to just abandon our inhibitions.

I spent a great day yesterday with my "almost sister, J." and her hunky, G. Their relationship is fairly new. Both of them are Christians and entered into the relationship through God. With that said, you'd think that the relationship is smooth sailing. But on the contrary, J is having a lot of uncertainties.

Two words or concepts I have shared are leap of faith and reckless abandonment. We sure had some interesting exchanges of ideas with those two words on the table of discussion. I admired G for being certain with his love for J. And I just like the way he explained himself on that. Loving someone through God and irregardless of what the other person's reciprocal feelings or emotions ... sounds wonderful enough. So why is she having some difficult time accepting him and those concept???

Are our lives so rigid with our goals and routines and obligations and responsibilities that we no longer unable to be pliable enough to take a break away from those goals and routines and obligations and responsibilities??? Are we so engulfed with life's astringent demands that we no longer able "to let loose" and be down and crazy and forget for a short while and do something silly and even crazy for a moment or two???

I know of a person that said to me that his year has already been scheduled for him (of course by his secretary) and thus can't see how he can squeeze in any other activities other than those already scheduled. For some odd reason, I felt sad for him when I heard that. Reckless abandonment... that would be nice for him, I think and so I stated.

I think I have done a few reckless abandonment in my lifetime... seems like I get pushed or put in that spot though by friends. I remember, a few years ago, going to Santa Catalina Island for a much needed R&R with four girlfriends. It seems like that I almost always opt for a more tamer, relaxing, quieter way of having R&R. Somehow my company almost always doing more spectacular, daring "fun" than I choose to. They are okay with my choices and I am fine with theirs... does not affect our friendships at all.

So then they decided to go parasailing, the next morning. For one moment I had that "reckless abandonment" and went for it. First of all I am not even a swimmer, I barely self taught myself to swim to avoid drowning. Second of all, I have this problem with heights. It is a tolerable phobia but my preference is to stay away from activities that require height.

The minute the harness was being applied around me, the feeling of adventure had drowned down ... hehehe!!!! My back formed that wide, big yellow streak on it... hehehe!!! I desperately wanted out of all that. But then there I was, eventually being dragged down the water runway and then lifted up on the air. How I survived that is beyond me... I think we all do need some reckless abandonment at times...

I am ready!!! Are you???

A talk about ... Universal Health Care

Wikipedia defines UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE as - publicly funded medicine in a level of medical service that is paid wholly or in majority part by public funds (taxes or quasi-taxes). Publicly funded medicine is often referred to as "socialized medicine" by its opponents, whereas supporters of this approach tend to use the terms "universal health care", "single payer health care", or National Health Services.

You might not agree but I think our present health care system needs a lot of overhauling. When I was in nursing school and did my ER (emergency room) clinical rotation, I told myself that was one department I would not want to get into. My reason then was that I saw the abuse in the health care system and saw clientele that ER seemed to carry on... the drug abusers and the "needy" people.

I stayed away from that area of nursing expertise for a few years until two girlfriends talked me into trying it out... My reason for not wanting to work there remain the same as to this day... seeing the abuse in the health care system and the hard to please clientele.

In a way you can't really blame the clients that use ER as their primary health source. These people come to ER with big chips on their shoulders already ... no financial abilities to gain access to health care and or their primary physicians are overloaded to accommodate them when they need to. These ER users are just plain frustrated in their attempts to get medically better. So when I see them in my triage room, they already have built-up frustrations and "pain" and discomfort so they have the tendency to be "negative and needy".

Is UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE the answer to these??? Let me put it in another angle... our education system is free and run by the government. Unfortunately as we know that system is messed up. Do I want my government to get hold of the health care system seeing what the education system is all about??? Yes, the present health care system is a mess but the government running it??? It will be one big paper-bound bigger mess. Let's look at going to DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) to simply renew a car registration. How many steps and waiting and paper work does it take??? Now think of the more complicated thing as the health care. Hhhhmmmm??? Multiply that DMV scenario at least ten times worse when the health system is under the government.

Sure the health care coverage is outrageously expensive. Sure the government run health care will probably be cheaper. But then... you get what you paid for... ALWAYS!!!

Sometimes in frustration, I would say my 2 cents worth to these patients in waiting out in the ER lobby who would come up to my triage window and ask me when they will be seen. If only these people use ER as it is supposed to be used, then the congestion is not going to be happening and the real emergent patients are seen in a faster manner. The fever and colds and coughs and "boobos" and hurt pinky toe can wait and not life threatening and should not be clogging the ER.

My next entry would be the Pros of this concept ...

And the following one will be the Cons...

Picture blog by Human Mom...

Since my brain is pretty drained from 2 days of retraining/recertification ... my PALS and TNCC expired, I decided not to use any (brain that is) with this entry. Besides I am a bit down from cancelling my trip to New Orleans. Sharing some pictures of my 2 four-legged children. I still miss my Puffy but doggies lives are moving on...

Meet Duke, a typical Alpha creature, adopted recently. A 4-5 year old Llasa Aphso. Such a vibrant, loving doggy son.

He now is the second shadow to Human Mom, even in the restroom. He is now in training for what this girly house is suppose to be .... hehehe!!!

He loves to play with Human Mom's garden shoe, in fact, the left pair is now his "security object". Human Mom retired the right pair in hope that someday the left pair will be let go and able to join the right pair again. In the mean time the left pair goes wherever the Duke Meister goes... So far it remains intact though.

You have heard about my ever so loving dog daughter, ever so faithful ... a Human Mama's Girl... Zipper. She is about 14-15 years old, a Llasa Aphso , definitely a gracious 'ole lady and yet still energetic, or she tries to be...

She is training Duke on how to be a gentleman ... hehehe by snarling at him when he tries to pull one of those Alpha maneuvers. Of course, with Human Mom's nod and approval and occasional... way to go girlie, you tell that hunky how to behave around us girls...

Ever so patient, Zipper, is never presumptuous, always looking in Mama's direction first for approval, be it with food, going in the house, going out the door... such a perfect dog...
Together they are adjusting to each other's idiosyncrasies. It is such fun to watch them with their antics... for free, I get entertained.

Animated me!!!

Can you imagine a world with only one personality wherein everyone thinks the same and behaves the same??? I must say that God does have a great sense of humor for creating the many personalities in all of us. Our differences are what make our lives interesting. The intermingling of these differences is what gives us the feelings of sadness, happiness, fulfillment, failures and many other "humanly" characteristics.

These humanly characteristics have been portrayed by the many cartoon characters out there that were made by great creative writers. Have you associated yourself with one of these cartoon characters???
I always have had great admiration for Eeyore. I don't consider him as a reflection of my own personality but this creation of A. A. Milne, shows us the negativism, resistance and fears of people. Eeyore, a character in Winnie the Pooh, has a wishy-washy kinda approach to life. He gives voice to the worst fears there are but makes one face possibilities that would rather be avoided. Eeyore notices if things don’t work out. His “I told you so” makes us see the price of the possibilities of "good".

Now, there is one character out there that carries many of my self-reflections... TINKERBELL!!! Tinkerbell was created by James M. Barrie, the British playwright and author of Peter Pan. Many versions exist of Tinkerbell, none are perceived as important as that created by Marc Davis (1913-2000) the famous animator at Disney in 1953.

Tinkerbell, the jealous fairy who glowed the brightest for Peter Pan. I have yet to find my Peter Pan and maybe show off my glow, but that is another story. I wonder how bright my glow can be when my Peter Pan comes along??? Hhhhmmmm??? Tinker Bell is a mender of pots and kettles, a tinker is a tin worker, and with her magic wand led Peter Pan through the ins and outs of Never Never Land which made her one of our greatest influences to search out and find, thus the name.

I can't say I am a mender but I do like to keep busy, always having projects at hand. I have been accused many times of having an affair with the mail man or the milk man or the UPS man because of the times I would rearrange the entire house and puzzling the other members of the household how I was able to move certain furniture or appliance in the house. I keep mum. Let them guess. Maybe a hunky on the side has been helping me... hehehe!!! NOT!!!

I guess the child in me is drawn to that " fantasy" that Tink exudes or represents... the sparkle, the unexpected flash of light, the speeding beam... uplifts me to that land of possibilities and good... the never ending hope and wishes. Many dreams still to be gotten. There is always an endless possibilities. Many Never, never land to reach and claim and rejoice about.

It took me a while to learn to focus ( I still have the struggle) on the positive sparkle of life. It is still hard to keep my wand directed to the pleasantries of life... but I am more aware and more appreciative. I guess the Eeyore side of my life taught me that. Life, God's sense of humor, the cartoon adventures in this Never, never land that we live in, had helped me quite a bit in finding my power to search for that which I can no longer have, keep me reminded that anything that can be believed and make-believe is real.

In my "mature" years I see myself more of a free spirit, like Tink. "She is what she is, says what she says and doesn’t give a care what others may think, and seems happy to tell people they are a silly a--. She does however endear herself to everyone in spite of her jealous ways and spiteful character. She would lay down her life for Peter and finds it difficult to compete with his attention to other adoring female company."

I think the only characteristic of Tink that I don't have or if I do have is the degree of jealousy. I am one to see with my own eyes first before being jealoused... and what I see has to be something outrageously outright for me to spend any energy or brain to that issue. Otherwise, it is not worth it. And if my Peter Pan is stupid enough to divert his attention then it is his lost and his character at stake... not mine.

Another side of Tinkerbell that I don't see in me is the vindictiveness and hatred... but then I have not been provoked that badly yet... hehehe!!!

C's Birthday!!!

It was a long week!!! All worth it though. It was a pretty hectic week of working and preparing for my one and only child's birthday party. The last time I had one for him was when he was 12 years old. I thought this year he could use one. He has been down a bit for an overwhelming adjustment to the hectic life of "adulthood". Besides, my family has been hinting to get invited.

So I had a total of 46 people over. It is always a pleasure having my family over, especially seeing the little ones. Food, food, food, eat, eat, eat and eat some more... and talk until ours ears fall off!!! What a nice life that is.

It was nice to catch up with my cousins' lives and seeing how much their children have grown. We did not even do Karaoke this time, we got busy just talking and looking at family pictures and watching family films.

I did have to leave them when I had to go to work but I was not worried at all because I knew they will take care of everything. The best deal for me was that the "boys" worked on my gazebo remodelling... I will surely share the picture of the finished project. They did such a great job. My brother, Emil, has to put the finishing touches next week-end when he comes back.

The children were tanned very well... hehehe!!! They spent long hours in the pool while the adults were under the patio with the ceiling fans going... temperature was in the 100's both days.

Food??? I had a cooler full of iced drinks. A huge container of lemonade. A jug of iced sun tea. Fruits... cut up watermelon, grilled pineapple and peaches (a big hit) and Manila mangoes and bananas.

Sweets... chunky chocolate chips cookies, oatmeal raisincookies, chunky peanut butter cookies, camaroons, divine angels, brownies, leche flan cassava, rice cake, and the birthday cake. Popsicles and ice cream and smoothies were consumed as well.

There were the mixed pancit, menudo, shrimp/mussels dish, grilled salmon, hotdogs and sausages, tri-tip steaks, chips and hot salsa, pork adobo, and cat fish soup (sinigang), grilled asparagus, mushroom, and zucchinis, veggie lumpias, lumpiang shanghais and pinakbet. My picky nephew was served my macaroni and cheese dish which made him content and happy. And of course the biggest electric rice cooker was on...


Most everybody stayed over so the party continued the next day... I mingled a bit after work then off to bed... I was waking up with the voices outside in the pool and the patio and drifted off and on to sleepy land. Then I had to work that night again. Whoever were left behind cleaned pretty much the house and took all left over... my order... so that I don't have to eat them.
It was a great party!!! I wish you all came over...

Interracial, a talk about its beauty

Interracial union of the hearts... come into place without any prejudicial intents. Cultures intermingle, genetic traits amalgamate. The offspring of this union shows off the blended beauty of the genetic mix.

When my son was born and I had the time to really look him over, I got fascinated by his physical characteristics. He definitely inherited and shows off the genetic mixture from both his parents. His father - a second generation German American and a Filipina mother. I always think he has such a beautiful skin coloring... always a light golden tan. His hair coloring is a mix of light brown and dark brown. Eyes that are somewhat brown with hazel tone to them. He turned out to be a tall product of a 5'11" father and a 5'4" mother... 6'3".

But then biological benefits or disadvantages of interracial marriage should probably be irrelevant. People should be choosing their marriage partners based on personal characteristics. Man/woman should marry someone who she/he decides to be committed to loving the rest of his/her life irregardless of what the offspring might look like.

One comment I have read..."although most hybrid children are uniquely beautiful, they face the tough time socializing, unless they are exceptionally good looking". I did not see this issue with my child growing up. I have to admit though that it came into play with his first relationship that caused his young heart to break. The ex-girlfriend is of English heritage. The young lady did not have any prejudicial tendencies but unfortunately, her parents could not recognize the relationship because my child was not quite "white" enough.

I personally don't have any problem with this kind of hypocrites because I just go ahead and bounce back to them their attitude... it is really their problem and not mine... prejudism I mean. Can you imagine how rotten they feel inside when around people they don't regard as "equal"??? And this is how I raised my child... that there is nothing wrong with him. He is a beautiful person inside and outside and should not believe anything less than that. Hopefully, he would always live in the thinking that I always share with him... treat other people as you would like to be treated. And don't let the stranger's ignorance make you uncomfortable.

One other benefit of having parents of different cultures is inheriting two cultures instead of just one. My son loves it. He loves to be around his Filipino relatives and embracing the uniqueness of it. The ongoing joke with him and my family... "C, you are so tall (he is 6'3") which he always answers back... No I am not that tall, Filipinos are just short people".The bottom line is... the most important feature in a person, hybrid or not, is the inside. Inside beauty is what really count.

Ratiocination of A G E

Age is not important unless you are a cheese. Is it really NOT that important??? Age and aging I mean. I look at age and aging in two ways ... biologically and psychologically. And this is where it gets catchy on the discussion. Some people are lucky enough to be blessed with the "young look" wherein their chronological age does not seem to match their physical age. Of course physical aging can be skewed by many factors that are probably brought unto himself by the person himself such as smoking, drugs, and other unhealthy practises.

I was in a discussion with a health nut friend who I did not know was a "casual smoker". I had to impart the .... 1-900- NursyE- advice-line. He did not like that I was lecturing about the fact that his running many miles a week become unimportant when he is smoking away the cilia along his respiratory tract. Eventually, smoking will eliminate all these cilia and he would be puffing and huffing in his run.

I come across many people in my career as a front line caregiver. Some of these people are of my age and once in a while I wonder if I look as bad or as good as that person across me. It shouldn't matter, right, sure, some people would say. Others would say that age is just but a set of numbers. True, it is a set of numbers but it is more than that, isn't it? The D Dictionary defines it as ... That period of life in which we compound for the vices that we still cherish by reviling those that we have no longer the enterprise to commit.

Some people look matured enough and yet act immaturely, and vice versa. I have been told that I look younger than my age but still... if only I can hasten the advancement of the gray hair and the rickety bones... hehehe!!! Vanity, vanity, vanity... I know. Okay, I even agree to the "all in the mind" business of aging. You are as old as you think you are. And I believe that ... sometimes!!!

One issue that I have come across about age is the age gap between partners. Many Western men have decided to get into the relationships with much younger Eastern women. I have seen many broken relationships with these unions. I am not surprised a bit. These young women have so much more years of growing up that when they do, the men are caught off guard. Do you really think that a man in his 60-70's can keep preoccupying the mind and heart of a woman in his early 20's??? Get real!!! So then, what would be the good age gap???

In my unstoppable aging process, I look at my son as my mirror. I look at him and think of his growth process and alongside, I see myself evolve as well... So far, so good!!!

6 Weird Things About Me - made to confess

I was going to add on to the dream house entry but I had to do this post because my dear amiga from Arizona tagged me to confess... hehehe!!! After reading this confession, tell me... first, if I am really weird or not... and if I am, then how much??? Did you say you are a friend???

SIX WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME:

6. I don't like my food mix in together, maybe next to each other or touching each other but no mixing them all up. I guess that is a carried over neurotic tendency of my obsessive desire to have organization of some sort in my life... so that I can function in a more harmonious environment... Or maybe I just would like to savor each dish separately and have my palate distinguish the unique taste of each and so my brain can appreciate each taste in its simpler form.

5. My house has night lights all over, I like it that way so when it gets dark, it gives me the relaxing feeling that the dim lights give out. I never need to turn any light switch on to go around the house... the night lights provide enough lighting to get from one spot to another. Another reason is my two 4-legged children that can be anywhere in the house spread out asleep. I sure don't want to be stepping on them in the dark.

4. The need to clean the entire house all in the same day. I never thought it was weird to clean your place all in one time that you are doing it until I was enlightened by a few people. It has always been my way of doing it. Again my neurotic tendency comes out with the way I clean. When I clean, I really clean from inside, out, upside, down, underneath and over not missing a spot, even the spot that people will never see.

3. Two things I have to put on to feel completely dressed, otherwise, I feel nekkid... perfume and a pair of earrings. It is not the same to me to be all dressed up without my White Linen or Nina Ricci perfume and a pair of earring in my ears.

2. My lipstick and my toe nail polish have to RED... love it, love it, love it!!! And at this age, I can wear any wild color, right??? I usually get my spa pedicure every two weeks and red it will on those massaged pampered toes. And my lips really feel very secured when they are covered with red lipstick... hehehe!!!

1. That I mastered the art of power napping... give me 5, 10, 15 minutes and I can go into power nap and snap out it fully recharged, well, at least that is the feeling I get. I unfortunately could use more discipline with sleeping. I tend to deprive my self with sleep. I should know better, but I have always been that way... sleep is down the bottom of my list to do...

Come and dream with me...

Dream house!!! Through the years that I have lived in different houses, I have slowly developed what my dream house would look like. It probably will not come true but it is always nice to just turn off the real world and fly away to the dream land and imagine. After all dreams are free and we are free beings... so come and join me in this dreamy talk .... of my dream house.

I don't have it quite together as a whole house but I have bits and pieces of it that I would like for it to have or to look like. I can say that I am a homebody. I prefer to be at home than out there . I work many stretch of days and sometimes I would also have stretch of days off. I can definitely stay home for many days and not run out of things to get busy with at home.

Every house I have lived in had been "personalized" so it is always hard to move out every time. I tend to pour out my energy into my home and Edenize it... hehehe!!!

Soooo, my dream house. As you look at it, is far away from the street. A circular driveway is always been a dream so there it is. In the middle of the circle is a round flower bed and in the middle of it is a big water fountain and around it are different colored flowers. The both sides of the properties are flowering trees of maybe Crepe Myrtle trees, Magnolia trees or Lilac trees or those Red Japanese Maple trees.

To get to the stained-glass double front doors, you walk through the portico... always dream of a house with a portico so there I have it. As you open the double door you come into a welcoming sitting area. I would like the middle of the house as a tranquil garden... The center of the house would be a common area wherein every room in the house has a door that lead out to that garden. Wouldn't that be neat??? There would be many plants and flowers. A pond and a waterfall that you can hear althrough the house when you open the windows.

Let me share these ideas and add more features later on... as I use my imagination!!!

The game man and woman play...

The Bible has two myths of creation ... the Genesis and the Adam and Eve theories. As we know, the second theory tells us the creation of Adam in the Garden of Eden in the company of animals and with the warning to not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam was not happy, so God created Eve out of one of his ribs. It was Eve that ate the fruit at the urging of the serpent and she in turned talked Adam in doing the same. And so they were punished... Adam to toil for his living, and Eve to suffer pain in childbirth and the Garden of Eden banished.

This is not a Bible talk but a talk about men and women and the games they play in relationships. As I have shared before; I haven't had a lot of relationships to talk about. This talk is a mixture of personal experience and information I have read.

Anytime a man and a woman are together, the potential for magic or mayhem exists, we all know that. The man-woman thing is a game rather than a source or basis of identity. It is that exciting, spicy encounter, each plays a part, like an actor or actress on a stage acting out an ageless drama with a continuous new script.

Man-woman life then was simple. Women wanted, and men provided. In the olden times when chivalry was alive and well, women were definitely more feminine. They were happy to be female. They played their part with grace and ease. Men were heroic and romantic. They were happy to court women and women were delighted to be courted.

Over the past several decades, women have taken on more of the male roles. Maybe it is time to move back to the way it was in the olden times. This would probably allow men to support women in moving things in the direction of the feminine. This might bring balance back to a world where the feminine energy is wanted and needed. I think that women need to allow men to be men, and encourage them to do more of what they do best. Men want women to know they are completely capable of producing whatever women want and need, as long as they are given the opportunity.

I think that when a woman expresses her wishes and desires, a man should take heed that those would be the times that he can win her over... by listening to her, paying close attention to what she says she would like. The domino effect on the relationship is tremendous when a man plays hero for the woman. I think a man helping a woman discover her desires could benefit him the most because she is a much happier woman with a heart overflowing with love for him.

As we all know, we were not created different by accident. The plan has always been perfect, but we have resisted the perfection of our differences. This resistance has been the source of the majority of man-woman breakdowns.

In order to move efficiently around each other's game board, each one has to recognize that women are better than men in the area of desire, and men are more effective than women in producing to satiate those desires. K.C. book states that ... "to try to exist on love is like trying to make a meal out of salt. Yet the seasoning is important. The goal, is to recognize its significance, activate it in life, perfect the arts of playing the game, and do so when it is appropriate." Sounds simple enough and yet man-woman breakdowns happen quite a bit.

On Foot

DON'T you wish we can just eat and not worry about the things we eat appear, perhaps on our hips or on our thighs and worse, on our bellies??? I am one of those that used to be able to eat anything in sight and not gain an ounce until I hit the big 40 then everything went downhill from then on... hehehe!!! Not only do I need to watch my food intake nowadays but I do need to watch my level of activities to keep some decent numbers on the scale... less food, more activities... that just does not sound like a rational mathematical equation, does it??? Nonetheless, that seem to be the ratio I need to live by.

The western world might be of fast paced mode but everything is of automation so manual, physical exertion is of minimal existence. So if you want to sweat (which could mean losing some weight), you have to intentionally do it. Back home in the Philippines, we exert physical efforts almost at all times because there was less automation, at least when I was living there. I had to wash clothes by hands, put them up on the clothes line to dry, swept and washed the floor manually because we did not own a vacuum or floor mop. I had to do a lot of walking because I did not own any vehicle. So for years and years I weighed anywhere from 98 to 109 pounds with my height of 5'4" - I was screwny.

The biggest stumbling block for me is that I am not crazy about exercises as in regimental tasks. I am very active in that I do a lot of physical work as in yard work and house work and whatever project I find around the house. I love to use my hands... (yep, even with those things that you are thinking about!!!) and that was how I was getting by with not going to the gym.

One of activities I like to do is walking. I just think that there are endless benefits from walking. Besides a form of exercise, I find it as my way of relieving stress and my commune to my inner peace and solitude, and lastly, my way of checking out the neighborhood, the plants, the animals and those walking/jogging/running hunkies ... hehehe!!!

Walking may sound easy but to get the full benefit from it, one has to remember a few things. First, you want to wake up your muscles and let them know you plan to be active for awhile. Walking at an easy warm-up pace for 5-10 minutes tells your muscles they can't just sit back and burn up the available sugars, they need to call on the fat reserves. This is why you should not start off at a high speed - when you do that, your cells don't get the signal that this is a long-term activity, so instead they burn up sugars only.

The speed to walk for optimal fat-burning is a "determined" pace. At this rate, you should be breathing noticeably but able to carry on a conversation in full sentences. Heart rate 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Walk at this speed for 30 minutes at a time, once you have built up to that duration. Walking at a moderate pace for 30-60 minutes burns stored fat and can build muscle to speed up your metabolism. Walking an hour a day is also associated with cutting your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and stroke.

Walking with racewalk style at paces under 13-minute miles will burn more calories per mile. This if you are already walking 20 miles a week as described above. To achieve more results purely from waking you may want to build speed as well as duration, about 30-60 minutes at 50-70% of your maximum heart rate is recommended. Start with walking at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes. Stop and do some stretches and flexibility exercises. Walk at your target heart rate for 30-60 minutes. Cool down at a slower pace for 5 minutes. Finish with some gentle stretches.

For longer walks, walk 30-60 minutes at your target heart rate and slow a bit to complete 90 or 120 minutes at a comfortable pace. If your schedule doesn't permit it, break it up into walking twice or three times a day for shorter periods. Always warm up for 5 minutes at an easy pace no matter what duration you will be walking. For weight loss, walk most days of the week.
Time spent walking per week should be 5-10 hours. On your non-walking days, try some strength training exercises. If you find yourself worn out, take a day off. But be sure to get back walking the following day.

Walking shoes are your most important item of gear. The best shoe for you is the the one that fits you best, the one that gives you the proper support, flexibility, cushioning, and compensates for any stride problems you may have, such as overpronation. Each person's feet are different. I did invest in 2 pairs of walking shoes. As a nursy, I am on my feet 12 hours when I am working so if you are looking for slenders legs ... that will not be mine... hehehe!!! Mine are probably as strong as yours if not stronger, many years of being on my feet kinda did that.

If you are short on time you want to get the most out of your walking workout. How can you accomplish this? By burning more calories during your walking workout. Here are some ideas to help you accomplish just that. The easiest way to burn more calories walking is to simply walk faster. If you are just walking around for now, pick up the pace and get your heart pumping. Start by walking faster for a few minutes, then giving yourself a break while walking at your regular pace. Keep going back and forth between the two speeds. Before you know it you will get used to the new pace and will be able to keep it up during your entire walking workout.

Here's another great way to burn more calories - pick a hilly terrain for your walks and spend more time walking uphill. Adding even just a short little incline to your walk, can make quite a difference in both the amount of calories you burn and also how challenging your walk will be. You'll have plenty of water with you to re-hydrate yourself during the walk, and when you do, your weights get lighter and you burn more calories. This is also a great way to tone your upper torso, shoulders and arms while walking.

Happy trails!!! See you out there!!!

Walking through it... meniscal tear

In a span of two years, I fell off the ladder twice and hurt the same knee - my left one. The first injury was minor in that I had some bruising and swelling which went away. The second time brought some persistent pain and swelling and affected my range of motion. I eventually had MRI and found out that I have 16 percent meniscus tear on my outer part of left knee. My option is live through it or have an arthroscopic surgery.

In humans the knee supports nearly the entire weight of the body. The knee functions as a living, self-maintaining, biologic transmission, the purpose of which is to accept and transfer biomechanical loads between the femur; or thigh bone which is the longest, most voluminous, and strongest bone of the body and forms part of the hip and part of the knee, tibia; or shin bone, patella; or kneecap which is a thick, triangular bone that articulates with the femur and covers and protects the front of the knee joint, and fibula; or calf bone. In short, our knees are hinge joints.

Menisci are cartilaginous/rubbery tissue within the knee joint which serve to protect the ends of the bones from rubbing on each other; acts as a shock absorber between the upper and lower leg bones and stabilizes the knee joint by evenly distributing the load across the knee. There are two menisci in each knee, the medial meniscus, the inner side of the knee and the lateral meniscus, the outer side of the knee. Either or both may be cracked, or torn, when the knee is forcefully rotated and/or bent.
In a typical minor tear, there may be slight pain and swelling at first. These symptoms usually go away in 2 to 3 weeks.
A typical moderate tear can cause pain at the side or center of the knee, depending on where the tear is located. Swelling increases gradually over 2 to 3 days. This may make the knee feel stiff and limit bending, but walking is usually possible. There's often sharp pain with twisting or squatting. These symptoms go away but tend to recur with minor twisting or overuse. In severe tears, pieces of the torn meniscus can dislocate into the joint space. This can make the knee catch, pop, or lock. You may not be able to straighten it. And the knee can feel "wobbly" or unstable, or give way without warning. It may swell and become stiff right after the injury, or over 2 to 3 days.

A physical examination is done to determine if a torn meniscus is the cause of your pain and to rule out other knee injuries. Your health professional will examine both knees and evaluate tenderness, range of motion, knee stability, and how the injury has affected your knee. X-rays are usually done. Your health professional may suggest that you follow up with an orthopedic surgeon for further testing. MRI is the best imaging modality available today for diagnosing soft-tissue injuries. While X-Ray and CT are excellent tools for detecting bone injuries, they have limited value for patients with severe ligament or meniscus damage.

Treatment for meniscus tear depends upon the extent, type, and location of the tear, your age and activity level, and when the injury occurred. Treatment options include nonsurgical treatment with rest, ice, compression, elevation, and physical therapy; surgical repair; surgical removal of the torn section (partial meniscectomy); and surgical removal of the entire meniscus (total meniscectomy).

Rehabilitation varies depending on the injury, the type of surgery, your orthopedist's preference, and your age, health status, and activity demands. Time periods often vary, although in general, meniscus surgery is usually followed by a period of rest, walking, and selected exercises.

I decided to live through it until the arthroscopic surgery deems necessary. I do have pain which is bearable. Depending on the activity I engage my knee in, I would take Motrin 600 mg or a heating pad or gentle massage on the area. I can no longer subject my knees to any strenuous exercise and find that walking is the best exercise it can tolerate. Even the Pilates exercise I do causes pain that I just have to remember to put my knee pad when the left knee is sore.

The world of blooms and fruits and yields...

I am one busy person. I get into crazy work schedule wherein I work in stretch of many days. And of course my profession can be mentally exhausting beside physically strenuous. To keep my sanity intact, I step outside my yard and play... yep, with the dirt... gardening. I can download many frustrations and bury many stresses when I start gardening. I can't even imagine me not having a garden to play with. I probably will just make a garden out of anything just to have one.

By the way, the garden of this Eden does not have any of those snakes or sinful apples... nor you'll find any Adam or Eve... just so you know...

For me, gardening is a continuous process of learning, always a trial and error deal. When I think I got the perfect blend of soil, something or some fungus or some disease or some creature will let me know that it is not quite right. Or when I think I perfected the method of planting a certain plant then it dies on me. Which is not really a big deal. Although frustrating at times, I just get my hands back in the dirt and deal with it.

Spring of course is my favorite season because I know that is when I can enjoy all those flowers, fruits and vegetables. I can spend all day in the nursery looking over those plants they have there. I do visit them quite often in the spring and summer just to check if there's any interesting "new" flowers or plants. It is so relaxing to me to just be around plants and flowers. That is why I enjoy those walks in the woods. Have you been to Yosemite around those giant Sequoia trees or inside the Redwood forest... amazing!!! Someday, I would really like to experience being in a Rainforest, I think it will be incredible.

As in my cooking, I am also adventurous with my gardening, always trying out those rare, wild, unusual flowers or plants. Two flowers that I can not seem to grow no matter how much I try to follow the suggestions of the experts... gardenia and fuschia. This spring I found out that fuschia is not going to survive here in our region, sooooo why do they even sell them? The master gardener I talked to said that they shouldn't even sell them here. I know not to buy any more of that flower. Now, I only have one challenge left, yep, gardenia. And I do have one out there in my patio that I am closely watching. We'll see!!!

I always have to have roses. I do have roses, the bush kind and the tree kind and even the miniature kind. I like to keep up with pruning off the old flowers because I know that the more I prune the more flowers there are. Someday I would like to have one big particular area in the backyard where it will just be a rose garden. My ex-father-in-law taught me to prune off on the branch where there are at least five leaves of the plant and that is how I have been pruning my roses. I have yet to research on the reality of that and the significance. In the summer I like to bring those roses in the house and enjoy them some more, the smell is just wonderful.
Lavender is another plant that I always grow and plant them in abundance all over the yard. I like to make potpourri, oil, and sachets out of them. If you notice at the store, these are expensive items and yet they are easy to make at home. I like to give the lavender a gentle kick when I go by them because of the smell they emit, so sweet!!!

Begonia is another flower that you will always find in my garden. I like their hardiness while producing those gorgeous flowers. As in my roses, I keep up with the pruning so that I can enjoy the flowers. And I plant many varieties of this. Nowadays they even have the scented begonias which I think are neat!!!

Most of my plants are perennials so that I always have them. What I do in the spring is plant some annuals in front of the perennials. This way it adds up some dimension to the garden and break the monotony of the "always there, always the same" perennials.

Another garden habit I have is using containers in the mix of the planted plants. I do use those unusual, interesting containers like an old wheelbarrow, an old barbecue grill or my son's old red pulley cart. Just to put some conversational pieces in the garden.

To keep them alive and healthy and generous of their flowers, I water them with water soluble fertilizer about every two weeks. I throw in those slow release fertilizer once in a while. And my vegetable garden get the steer manure beside the slow release fertilizer. Of course I try to nurse their problems as I see them as in fungus, bugs and other diseases. No I don't go out there with my stethoscope and try to diagnose what is wrong... hehehe!!!

Two years ago I decided to downsize my garden because I have been busy. To prevent weeding, I covered my whole yard with weed block material and put thick layer of mulch all over the place. It works!!!

I have a few fruit trees , all dwarf or semi-dwarf. I found this dwarf avocado tree which unfortunately fell victim to the frost last year. I was afraid that it died but so happy to see it growing like crazy this spring. There is a dwarf nectarine tree. A semi-dwarf apple tree with four varieties of apples. A semi-dwarf pear tree with five varieties in it. A semi-dwarf cherry tree that has four varieties of it. A semi-dwarf persimmons tree. A dwarf Satsuma tangerine tree. A dwarf Meyer lemon tree. A calamansi tree.

Then there is my herb garden which is a lot smaller now but still has the varieties that I use a lot of... basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, rosemary, chives, dill, sage and tarragon. When in over abundance, I dry these herbs and jar them. This is another grocery item out there that cost quite a bit and yet so easy to do at home.

Then there's my orchid collection that my sister started me on. They are of different varieties that bloom diffent times. It takes a lot of patience to take care of these plants. In the winter I divide them up and repot them. Incredible flowers!!!

As soon as it warms up, you would not find me inside the house. I am almost always outside pottering around or pruning or weeding or trimming. And getting tanned. So now you know where to find me. And one amazing thing, I can get really busy but I always seem to find time to garden. I hope you like having your hands dirty...

When you do find me inside the house, I am probably tending to my bonsai plants. I have a few of these interesting plants.