5 Tips on How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

1... 2... 3... 10,001... 1,897,657.876... Oops, it's time to get up!

Think about it.  We spend a third of our lives in bed.  Say, what?  If you are 24 years old now, then 8 years of your life were spent lying on bed, sleeping.  Amazing fact isn't it?  Since we are spending that much time sleeping, it just makes perfect sense to get the most out of it.  After all, a good night's sleep recharges the mind, body and spirit.

Here's some tips for you to get a good shut-eye:

The Time I Cooked Myself a Meal

"Filetto di Pesce con Timo, Rosmarino e Basilico" with Arroz Negra con Aceita de Oliva

Yum! Yum! Yum!

It was my first time and it didn't hurt.  I was happy and contented.  It was a lot of fun!  I  think I'm going to do it again.  I'm hooked.  LOL!  I was talking about cooking, okay?  Would you like to learn how I made this delightful dish?

Kiwifruit, I Love You.

I love Kiwi!  No, not the flightless bird from New Zealand that's listed as an endangered species, but that strange brown "hairy" fruit, apparently also from New Zealand.  Yes, that "sweet-with-a-sour-aftertaste", "green-in-the-inside", and "oh-so-yummy" fruit.  Strange enough, although kiwifruit is popularly from New Zealand, the fruit actually originated in China.  No matter where it came from, the kiwifruit has been for so long now available in the Philippines.  But, did you know that there was a time in the Philippines that even apples and grapes are considered "status symbols", let alone for an exotic kiwifruit?

Original Artisan Jewelry - Conferment from the Winged Goddess of Victory

Nike is the Greek goddess of victory.  It is said that "Nike flew around battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame".  Swoosh!, probably in lightning speed.  (Chuckles.)  Anyway, I was inspired by the Olympics and decided to create this necklace - an original artisan jewelry.

Where Do You Belong? Fraternities, Death, and Hazing.

Reality check:

Where do you belong?  On fraternities, death, and hazing...

(PADRINO is to blame.  The horrid reason for joining fraternities.)

Reality bites:

It's true!  Life is full of surprises.  Some are good… and some unfortunately are bad.  Are you prepared to receive one now?  How would you react?  What would you feel if the next surprise life ushered you is your son, friend, or boyfriend lying in a coffin?

10 Interesting Olympics Trivia

Spectacular!  Dazzling!  Sensational!  What a magnificent opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics!  Thanks to YouTube, aside from the 2012 Olympics, I was able to see again the opening ceremonies of past Summer Olympics.  The opening ceremonies have evolved into an art form over the years.  Thus, the Olympic opening ceremony has become much of an artistic expression, as well as an extravaganza anticipated by millions of people all over the world.

Did you know that it was on this 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony, that for the first time the Olympic Cauldron was lighted by seven (7) people?  The cauldron is traditionally lighted by just one torch-bearer.  Did you also know that the first Olympic Cauldron was lighted in 1928 at the Amsterdam Olympics?  Would you like to know more trivia about the Olympics?

What Do the Olympic Games Mean to You?

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat - for mere spectators such as myself, those feelings may be a bit hard to come by.  We can however, relate (perhaps in some occasions connected to work, relationships, or personal aspirations)… and we can definitely dream!  We can also learn invaluable lessons...

5 More Things I Love About You - The Video

"What a pleasant surprise?!"  Don't you just love receiving unexpected gifts?  I am not talking about presents wrapped in multi-colored paper and ribbons.  Simple friendly notes, unpretentious "I Love You's", and thoughtful voice messages - expressions of one's heart swathed in layers of sincerity, hugs, and kisses.  That's what I am talking about, and frankly I don't mind receiving one from you.  (He-he-he)

5 Things I Love About You - The Video

Videos are so much fun!  I was toying for the longest time the idea of creating a video.  I wasn't really sure how to go about it.  So, I decided to take it a bit slow and come up first with a simple (but elegant) video presentation of my "5 Things I Love About You" blog post.  It is some sort of a slideshow presentation with nice effects accompanied by music.  Oh, I hope I get the hang of creating cool videos.  Anyway, I hope you like this one.

Horrific Shooting Spree in The Dark Knight Rises Premiere

I am terribly shocked!  There are no words to describe this gruesome event.  The world grieves over the loss of 12 lives and the more than 50 people wounded, (including one Filipino-American), in the shooting spree in a theater in suburban Denver, Colorado during the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises.

A Film Review of The Dark Knight Rises

Clap.  Clap.  Clap.  I rarely experience people clapping in the movie house after the  showing of a film.  They must have really enjoyed watching the newest Batman flick - The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR).

It was scary!  I am not talking about the movie.  Not just yet.  To think that death threats and website torching (?) can happen just because of a negative review for a film is something really scary.  I read about the first negative review of TDKR by a film critic of rottentomatoes.  I went to the film critic's website, read his review, and the hundreds of comments to that single post.  I got the tickets to TDKR a week in advance.  After learning about the review, I was excited to watch the movie even more and see for myself if the critic's point of view about the film is reasonable.

Hep, hep, hooray! 100th Post of Lifestyle Check 101. Thank you.

Hollywood TV shows always celebrate their 100th episode.  As to why, your guess is good as mine.  In line with such tradition (well, happy occasions are always auspicious), here is my celebratory post - my actual 100th blog post.  I just want to say THANK YOU to all of my readers and followers (no matter how few, LOL).

How to Deal with Bullies

"Don't let me catch you.  You'll be sorry!"  That was my retort with a matching glare that could contend with a microwave oven in thawing a frozen meatball in seconds.  Inside my head, "you're dead!".  Coming from the mouth of a 10-year old holding a rather pointy tree branch to an aggressor a year his senior, my classmates who were in a safe distance behind me knew I was dead serious.  My message was loud and clear.  So, he ran so fast like his life depended on it.  It was a triumphant day, indeed!  It was eons ago but quite oddly, it's as if it just happened yesterday.  It was the day!… the first time that I stood up against a BULLY!

A Film Review of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

"Until all men are free, we are all slaves."  These are very powerful words that rang throughout the film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Judging from the narrative when the film started with Lincoln writing in his diary, you would get a feeling that the movie will be great.  Exciting, even.  The transition of the picturesque modern time iconic structures of American politics and history to their construction stage in the eighteen hundreds is fantastic - a few minutes of magic in panoramic mode.  The rest of the film however, wasn't impressive.  The earlier feeling that the film would turn out great was extinguished by the humdrum scenes that made me scratch my head on several occasions.  "Hey, that looks oddly familiar…"

To Blow or Not to Blow?... Your Steam Off.

I rarely get mad, and when I do, I summon all the angels in heaven to stop me from spontaneously combusting, so as to avert the release of tremendous radiation that could destroy an entire city!   No, I am not a character from "Heroes" nor "Supernatural", but a simple human being stretched to the limit!

National Day of Remembrance for Dolphy, Philippine Showbiz's King of Comedy

Some say that Friday the 13th is freaky.  Today, 13 July 2012, is Friday the 13th.    It isn't freaky but quite special, at least to Filipinos!  Malacanan Palace declared today as the National Day of Remembrance for Dolphy - Philippine Showbiz's Comedy King.  Pidol (i.e., an anagram of his name as some fondly calls him) passed away at the age of 83 last evening of Tuesday, 10 July 2012.  From such humble beginnings, this man in his more than 5 decades of making people laugh, has become a Filipino icon short of a conferment for the title of National Artist.  So, just what do we do in a day of remembrance?

The Art of Collecting - What Should You Collect?

What you are looking at is a case of miniature Coca Cola bottles from the 1960's.  Vintage.  Each bottle is about 63 mm. high, and slightly taller than a double-A battery.  The bottle caps are rusted, and the Coke liquid inside of some of the bottles have already evaporated.  The yellow paint on the wooden case is already faded but the prints are still very much visible.  It's rare to find vintage Coca Cola miniature bottles much less a set with the original wooden case.  Here's a little personal secret.  I play with it.  I love it!

How to Say 'Get Lost' Politely and 5 Ways to Accomplish It

I was tempted to use the title "How to Say Fuck Off Politely", but I changed my mind.  It's true that we should not write nor say anything while we are feeling angry or frustrated.  Sticks and stones may break some bones, but "words" destroy the soul.  Thus, it is important that we calm down, count some sheep (LOL, isn't that if we wanted to sleep?), compose ourselves before we utter words or write down sentences.

The Union of Sau and Venus

Sau, in Chinese traditions, is the God of Longevity.  He  is one of the well-known three (3) Star Gods namely Fuk-Luk-Sau.  Venus, on the other hand, in Roman mythology, is the Goddess of Love and Beauty, counterpart of Aphrodite in Greek mythology.  She is one of the 12 Olympians.  I thought of naming this original artisan jewelry piece "The Union of Sau and Venus" because their symbolisms are represented in this necklace.

My Reaction to Anderson Cooper's Coming Out of the Closet

The closet has glass doors.  Quite a number of people from the media has known all along, that CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is gay.  This is what I have read in most articles in the Internet.  Hence, his coming out to most Americans is not really a surprise.  He was even named one of the 50 most powerful gays in America in Out Magazine in April of this year, moths before his actual coming-out.  So, why did he trend in social networking sites, and made quite a huge noise yesterday when he came out of the closet?