NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY CELEBRANTS and Personalities of the Month

Batchmates Update

Aida is back home from her long sojourn in England.

Emma had just had her cataract operation. She and fellow retiree, Fely, had been recently farewelled by their school colleagues.

Siony is soon off to join her husband in Dubai and will be away till the end of the year.

Josie has not been heard from for nearly two months now. We are all hoping she is well.

How to Argue and Improve your Health

Is being nice bad for your health?

A recent study in the July report of Psychosomatic Medicine found that married women who bottled up their feelings after an argument were four times as likely to experience declining health as women who expressed their feelings openly.

This reluctance to express emotions and communicate openly is referred to as "self-silencing," and it has a devastating effect on our physical and emotional health. In fact, self-silencing has been linked to depression, eating disorders, and heart disease.

Despite these negative side effects, many couples still refrain from communicating honestly with their partner -- particularly if the needed communication is anything less than pleasant. Couples may fear expressing anger or sadness to their loved ones, as it may come across as criticism or judgment. However, without this crucial candor, relationships suffer and emotions fester.

So how can you communicate with your partner in a way that is kind but effective?

Be Authentic. When couples argue, they tend to get caught up in the "who, what, when, and why" of the argument, rather than truly expressing what the argument really makes them feel. Instead, couples should be more descriptive of their feelings, because that's the crux of the issue. For instance, rather than "I can't believe you were late for dinner and didn't call me! This is just like last month when you [insert past indiscretion here]." A better way to truly express your real feelings about your partner's lack of punctuality would be to say, "It makes me sad when you are late and I don't know where you are. I get worried and feel sick to my stomach."

Fight to Love, Not to Win. If you get into an argument with your spouse with the intention of proving how "right" you are, the argument will never be resolved. Instead, make love your goal during the dust-up. All couples fight, but there is a way to fight with harmony in mind. Insulting your partner, bringing up past fights, giving the silent treatment, or pretending like nothing is wrong are ineffective ways to solve an argument and merely add fuel to the fire.

Keep It Sweet. Utah researchers found that marital arguing style has a correlation to couples' heart health. Couples who argued with hostility (Think remarks like, "Don't you know anything, you idiot?") were more likely to experience poor cardiac health than couples who argued with kindness (Think remarks like, "What you said just now hurt me. Can we talk about it?"). This type of composure during an argument is certainly easier said than done, so have a few safety mechanisms in place ahead of time. For instance, agree to take a breather for 30 minutes when arguments start to spiral out of control, or use a safety word (perhaps a funny reference to your favorite comedy) to defuse the situation.

End each argument or cold spell with your spouse with affection and gratitude. It is easy to forget appreciation and love when you are in the middle of a fight with your partner, which is why it is so important to express these emotions after the issue is resolved.

(Excerpts from Dr.Laura Berman's article,"The Art of Intimacy"


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Have You Been to ISDAAN?

On the way up to Baguio City, and looking for somewhere to have brunch (breakfast and lunch) we chanced upon this exquisitely beautiful place in Tarlac. If you are in the area, do visit this "kainan". It serves yummy authentic Filipino dishes, provides great filipiniana entertainment, and a breathtakingly beautiful setting ( floating kubo over fish ponds teeming with fish, sculptures of animals etc, Zen-type landscaping, punong saging etc). We liked it so much we stopped there again on the way back. A plate of tuyo, sinangag, corned beef, mangga/saging, fried egg and a bottle of Sars costs less than the cheapest (USA or Aussie) McDonalds meal but there are plenty of mouth-watering choices. It is sooo relaxing there. If the beautiful setting and the "murang" cost of food are not enough to calm your nerves, you are allowed release/relief by way of breaking plates Greek style.

For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jriorionbatch1963/

As Friends Cross your Path

As friends cross your path,
They turn your gloom into smiles.
The sun changes darkness into light.
Friends lighten your darkest way.


You get the feeling of nature's renewing cycle.
Friends renew your hope for everlasting love.
Friends that stand behind you,
Assure you that it's impossible to be alone.


Nature's wondrous way of entertainment,
Gives you insight into nature's excitement.
Friends entertain you with their caring,
They allow you the insight for love.


As with nature and all it has to offer,
You will always have something to hold close.
The friendships you build and let grow,
Give you everlasting hope for the future.


Thank you for being my guiding light,
my comfort, my friend.



(This piece about friends is from an unknown author and dedicated to all who value friends)

AMBROSIO PEREZ

Garlic

This is also mentioned in the book of Bernard Ward: "Healing Foods from the Bible." It's glorious garlic! It is one of the world's oldest healing foods. It was being used both as a favorite food and as a powerful medicine centuries before Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness.

Garlic and its cousin onion were regarded highly for both health-giving and magical qualities in ancient cultures. Garlic was one of the first foods to be deliberately cultivated, although wild varieties grew in abudance. Evidence of its healing powers is detailed in 4,000 -year- old records from the ancient kingdom of Sumeria. Depictions of garlic bulbs have been discovered on the walls of Egyptian tombs that back to 3200 B.C.- centuries before Joseph and his brothers settled in Egypt.

During the same period, ancient records reveal that garlic was the principal ingredient in many remedies that Egyptian healers prescribed as cures for headaches, sore throats and other complaints. Research suggests that garlic may help protect against heart disease and stroke by lowering blood pressure. It contains allylic sulfides, which may neutralize carcinogens. In fact, garlic has been linked to lower rates of stomach cancer too.

Japanese scientists have distilled an antibiotic medication called Kyolic from raw garlic. Because it was used so commonly as an antibiotic by Russian army medics during World War II, it became known throughout all of Europe as the "Russian penicillin." An astonishing 500 tons of garlic were trucked into Moscow to combat one influenza epidemic in the 1950s. European doctors still prescribed garlic to ward off colds, pneumonia, whooping cough and a wide array of intestinal disorders.

Whether cooked, raw or in extract form, garlic may be one of the most potent natural healing foods we have. The ancient people of the Bible knew that basic fact of life while some of our scientists are just rediscovering it.

Financial Report

This is the financial report of our Treasurer,Belen Buenaventura Almazan.


1. Total Collections Php 82,970.00

Balikbayans Php 59,970
Locals 23,000


2. Total Expenses Php 64,381.45

Dela Fuente Farm rental 5,000
Catering 29,000
Crown Hotel 19,650
Streamer 500
Others(ukoy,tips ) 1,900
Grocery for Bahay Puso 6,294.45
Dinner at Violet's house 1,037
DVD burning 600
Blog prize 400




Cash on Hand Php 18,588.55

Other Collections
( Returned by Eslao Sabino) 6,100.00


TOTAL Php 24,688.55


Approved by the President

THANK YOU

I GIVE THANKS TO OUR LORD GOD FOR GIVING ME ANOTHER YEAR FULL OF JOY IN MY HEART WITH GOOD HEALTH OF MIND AND BODY, FOR SHOWERING ME SPECIAL GRACES EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE AND FOR CONTINUOUSLY SHARING ME THE FULLNESS OF HIS LIFE.

I ALSO GIVE THANKS TO MY FAMILY WHO WERE THERE ON MY SIDE ON MY BIRTHDAY ESPECIALLY TO MY MOM, TO MY SON DONDY AND WIFE MICHELLE AND MY DAUHGTER DAINTY WITH HUSBAND BJ AND MY GRANDSONS BLYTHE AND LISTEN JOSEPH WHO ARE ALL PRECIOUS TO ME. THANKS TOO FOR TELEPHONE CALL FROM MY HUSBAND AND E-MAIL GREETING FROM MY COUSINS RAY AND MAYET AND MY AUNT VIRGIE AND FOR ALL TELEPHONE CALLS FROM MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

I ALSO GIVE THANKS TO ANNIE AND EDDIE FOR THE MAILED BIRTHDAY GREETING CARD AND E-MAIL GREETING THEY SENT ME. FOR LUZ Q.'S E-CARD AND E-MAIL, FOR NELIA'S E-MAIL, FOR TELEPHONE GREETING FROM EDITHA AND MIKE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR GIVING ME JOY ON MY VERY SPECIAL DAY. GREETING ME ON MY DAY IS THE SPECIAL GIFT I WANT TO RECEIVE.

THANKS AGAIN AND THANKS TO OUR LORD GOD FOR MY EXISTENCE SURROUNDED WITH FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.

Politicians - Businessmen

What makes politicians different from businessmen?
A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advances out of a dust cloud towards him.
The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?"
Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer,connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany .
Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.
He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then the Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"
"You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government," says Bud.
"Wow! That's correct," says the young man, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows ... this is a herd of sheep . . .

Now give me back my dog.

Crabby Old Man

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this "anonymous" poem winging across the internet.

What do you see nurses?... What do you see?
What are you thinking... when you're looking at Me?
A crabby old man,... not very wise,
Uncertain of habit... with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food... and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice... "I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice... the things that you do.
And forever is losing... A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding... The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?... Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse... you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am... As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding,... as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten... with a father and a mother,
Brothers and sisters... who love one another.

A young boy of Sixteen... with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now... a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at twenty... my heart gives a leaf.
Remembering, the vows... that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now... I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide... And a secure happy home.
A man of thirty... My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other... With ties that should last.

A Forty, my young sons... have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me... to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more... Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children... My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me... My wife is now dead.
I look at the future... I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing... young of their own.
And I think of the years... And the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man... and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age... look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles... grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone... where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass... A young guy still dwells,
And now and again... my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys... I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living... life over again.

I think of the years... all too few... gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact... that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people... open and see...
Not a crabby old man. Look closer... see... ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.....we will all, one day, be there, too!-----By Tom Sykes from the The Britttany Pointer, a newsletter of ACTS-RETIREMENT LIFE COMMUNITY wherin I am working as part time employee.

Crabby Old Man

RIZALINO'S BIRTHDAY

RIZALINO, IT IS YOUR B'DAY TODAY. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. SAAN BA ANG KAINAN. HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR PARTY WITH YOUR FAMILY. MAY YOU BE IN GOOD HEALTH THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. SEE YOU IN 2010 WITH A BIG SMILE IN YOUR FACE. GOD BLESS.

Loving Difficult People

I am sure most of us had encountered some personalities that really annoyed us no end.These encounters occurred mostly at the workplace where conflicts often ignite disagreements.Most often too,the relational problems that result consume us.One author says that "frogs have a tremendous advantage over humans,as they can consume what bugs them."

What bugs you about people? Is it their inconsistency? Inflexibility? Inability to give and take? Or is it their bad attitudes? Most people can handle disagreements,differences in opinions but negative attitudes spoil our day.

Despite the fact that most of us in Batch '63 had retired from work,in our daily activities we still meet these people,so we might as well learn how to deal with them effectively. John C.Maxwell,in his book, Be a People Person, advised that it will be helpful to identify their common traits so we can choose how react to them.They can make us or break us not by the treatment we receive but by how we respond to it.He described difficult personalities like the Sherman Tank, Space Cadet,Volcano,Thumb Sucker,Wet Blanket,Garbage Collector and User.We have meet them all or perhaps in one way or another we had become one of them. Have you recognized someone who is in a category all by himself? Take heart,put into practice some general rules to work with them effectively:

1.Love them unconditionally.
2.Ask God for wisdom in working with them.
3.Stay emotionally healthy yourself.
4.Do not elevate them to positions of leadership.
5.Be honest with God,yourself and them.

Are these tall orders?

Wine

Wine is also one of the Healing Foods from the Bible by Bernard Ward. Making wine from grapes is one of the most ancient arts, and certainlywine appears to have been the beverage of choice throughout the Bible.

According to Genesis, one of the first things Noah did after the Flood subsided was plant a vineyard so he could make wine. But then he promptly drank too much of what he produced and became intoxicated, which resulted in several stern warnings in both the Old and New Testaments against the excesses of wine.

Although grapes were the primary source for wine, then as now, spirits were also distilled from other fruits and grains and were then sometimes diluted with water and flavored with honey, cinnamon or spicy herbs.

Researchers are now rediscovering what the physicians of the Bible knew centuries ago: That wine-in moderation- may have a profound impact on our health and healing. One of the earliest recomendations on record comes from St. Paul, who wrote: "Stop drinking water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and for your frequent cases of sickness." - 1 Timothy 5:23.

You don't have to drink very much wine to receive the benefits. Many researchers say that a single glass of wine a day may be enough to raise the HDL count by as much as seven percent and help the body put up a significant barrier to a variety of cancers.

HEART DISEASE: Wine may also be just the thing for heading off heart problems. A study at the University of Ottawa in Canada recently concluded there is a clear link between wine consumption and lower rates of heart disease. In areas of high wine consumption, the number of fatal heart attacks was found to be dramatically lower than elsewhere. Countries where better than 90 percent of alcohol is consumed in the form of wine have the lowest rate of heart disease deaths.

CANCER: Wine, particularly red wine, also seems to strengthen the body's defenses against cancer, just as it does against heart disease. Researcher Dr. Hans Stich says: "Wine, notably red wine, has high concentrations of gallic acid, one of the tannic acids that give the bouquet to the wine. Gallic acid is also anticarcinogenic."

CAUTION: Wine can be a two-edged sword. In elderly people who have trouble eating enough of the right foods to maintain good health, a glass of wine can be wonderful appetite stimulant. However, it does the same for the people who are dieting so if you are trying to lose those extra pounds, it might be best to pass the wine.

There are many benefits to drinking a glass of wine each day. However, the advice given in the Bible thousands of years ago, still applies: "AND BE NOT DRUNK WITH WINE, WHEREIN IS EXCESS." Ephesians 5:18.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAY CELEBRANTS

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OUR BATCHMATES WHO ARE BORN IN OCTOBER. MAY GOD BLESS YOU THE BEST ESPECIALLY OF GOOD HEALTH OF MIND AND BODY FULL OF JOY, LOVE AND PEACE IN YOU HEART.

AMORY TRAJANO - OCTOBER 3

RIZALILINO BALUYOT - OCTOBER 9

NELIA AMPARO - OCTOBER 15

RUBEN BALUYOT - OCTOBER 31