Heal the world

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

~William Shakespeare

'tis my first time to watch this video. The message is so profound, leaving me an enormous feeling of grief and inspiration. I can't help but to smile when i thought of the receding troops of the US going home from Iraq. Nowhere is the war to end but that step would significantly make a difference.

Look around what's happening all around us, it's as if love has vanished so sudden giving the world to succumb in a wounded state.

With the intensifying recession hitting all over the world, it seems a hopeless journey. Why do all good things come to an end? Like happiness always gone too soon. It's a fact of life, i reckon.

But humming the song of the great Michael Jackson somehow brings me back to a sane reality that each human beings' love can make a difference. That the light of a single candle is not only serving itself but creates a bridge, a way, a connection to light the other so many candles unlit. Paving the way to a brighter atmosphere, illuminating chaos and darkness that seem to envelope this ever changing world of ours.

Come August 29th marks the birthday of Michael, it has been more than a year since his passing but reminiscing his history never faltered me to get a lump in my throat especially when i listen to his songs. "Heal the world, make it a better place.. for you and for me and the entire human race..."

Each day that passes, may our candles of light shine... with empathy, with compassion, with hope, and with love. Make a lil' space, make a better place...












~mAc

Top 2 free iPhone app of the week

Beginning today, i'm going to blog weekly about my top 2 pick of free iPhone app of the week. This will include my own personal perception of the picked iPhone app, how did it go through while using it, personal comments and raves, but most of all, you'd expect a positive recommendation. My choices would be uncategorized, could be in the range of games, entertainment, utilities, social networking, music, productivity, lifestyle, reference, travel, sports, navigation, healthcare and fitness, news, photography, business, education, weather, books and medical. (Whoa! that was a long list!)


So, check out this fresh batch of my top 2 picks!


NINJUMP

One of the best way to kill time is indulging yourself in an absorbing game on your iPhone, absorbing in the sense, it creates a "time flies" effect while playing it.
Take the case of NINJUMP. I had my ringer turned on highest vol when i first launched this app. It has immediately captured my likeness of its background music. Playing this game is just by tapping the screen and the cute lil' ninja will jump from one wall to another. Not complicated eh? Quite simple, but there are more in to it that would make you ask for more. (ie) hitting/killing three same obstacles in a row will have your ninja levitate further in heights. Did i forget to say that the goal of this game is to achieve greater heights? (think about doodlejump...). One thing i don't like about it is the one (1) life per game, yep! you have to start over again once you die. And i guess that was the reason why this game is somewhat addicting, it bars you down to beat what  you have achieved by going back to square one, keeping your momentum to go on further unnoticing that you've spent an hour already toying around the app. Trust me, you gotta try it!!!



SIXPACKAPP

In relation to my regimen of a healthy lifestyle, i got this app back in June or prolly May... but only this time i was able to appreciate what it has to offer. For those who could not afford to enroll in a gym due to time or budget constraints, well this app is a timing. The categories its offering are A+, with the how-to's, info, steps, tips and its best catch are the descriptive photos, take note, it's not illustrations, but real-life photos in executing those exercises.
My routinary push-ups and crunches and tricep-bicep moves got flavoured through the instructions of this wonderful app. I recommend this because it's direct to the point and the how-to's are visually easy to follow esp if you have only a mattress, a gymball and dumb bells to use. Oh yeah! you can use this app without wifi. It serves like a database on the go whenever you wanna check out some tips and positions in doing a work-out.







~mAC

Resisting Temptation

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. 

Mae West 

It's so hard to resist the temptation of devouring kavsa (chicken grilled or prolly "tinuno" with fancy rice) or any meat produced delicacy. Why? for i'm in the fifth day now of NO RICE /  NO LIVESTOCK MEAT REGIMEN DIET. Hahaha. I know! i don't need to reduce my size or weight, infact i need to gain more actually but the hell in gaining weight, i like my mesomorph type of physique at the moment.

Except for fish, veggies, and fruits, and of course those dressings, all are prohibited to be swallowed by my mouth at this food journey i'm in at this instance. It all started when i stumbled this website (thanks to kamAr for posting this on fb) :

http://www.justcleansing.com/

It's actually a loose following of what's suppose to abide as per the articles of the above website. I made a variation in bits and pieces and i love the way i customized it. Although i'm aching to eat chicken meat already, (wtf, what more of pork? i cant cuz im in a country where pork is "haram" or is prohibited), my tongue juices did not fail to resist the temptation despite the many kavsa house around the neighborhood. In the back of my mind, it's saying... "it's all a matter of practice and discipline and consistency". Wehehehe! Let's see how far could i go on this pre-training on the way for me being a pescetarian.

Yup! i long and i planned to be a pescetarian in the future. (pescetarian - a portmanteau between the italian word "pesce" and the english word "vegetarian". from wikipedia). It's a state of eating where primarily fish and seafood produce are exclusively taken in as a diet, in addition to all the veggies, grains, beans, eggs, and dairy. Ain't that unsuperfluous? Well, it's gonna serve a healthy lifestyle when it comes to the morale of eating and diet.

So, on my way to it, i'm conditioning my mind and body to do the needful and make it perfect each day that passes. As of this moment, i took pride and happiness to see myself burping eating lots and lots of fruits and veggies. Two hours back, i just had this simple mixed salad dressed with cottage cheese and yogurt. Oh boy! my tastebuds has been satiated with satisfaction.

Oops. I drink soda no more. It's been one hell of a no no eversince. it's not that i religiously stick to it but on most occasions, i refrain in gulping such bevarage like pepsi or coke or any of the sorts. H20 would quench my thirst, leaving me full and extinguishing any hotness i feel especially being here in a tropical country.


I feel good sharing this extra endeavor here in my blog for i could relate for any progress in the future. I'd definitely blog about this again. If i was a victor in fulfilling this plan - be a pescetarian at least or if i would be a loser- succumbing to old habits. We'll see!

Lastly, a goal needs to be realized or else, that goal would be demoted to be only as a wish. My main goal actually is to be a vegan. Health gurus are saying that one must undergo the science and physiology of pescetarianism first before entering vegeterianism. The logic here is so profound that i made myself to be at peace with that premise. Indeed i have started already. :)






~mAc

August 13th, Friday

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much. "

-George Harrison 

Despite the week's buzz, hecticity and intensified heat around the Kingdom, i managed to get in touch with some friends to celebrate Amado's birthday. Yep! that's August 13, it was a Friday. Contrary to superstitions about Friday the 13th, i'd say that it transpired coolly and smoothly. We had a small social interaction with my fellow closed-knit friends in the the city.

Food for the occasion is no bigtime nor with fancy dishes. We settled with two things only:
1. Fish Fillet Dips
2. Salad

However simple those blessings are, it made a funtastic glamour and appetite for everyone of us in the throng.

It did make a superb appeal to savor the moment with these match:

When everything was set and the table got ready, the heat surged up as the videoke got rolling. Happiest are the times like this, when moments of bonding and no-reservation of whatever you wanna say, comes along, heard and digested, without thinking twice. But of course, no alcoholic drinks. We got resolved by bottles of non-alcoholic beverages to complement the salad and fish fillet.

I had a great time during the full three hour course of the gathering. Singing out loud with the rhythm of Eagles, Michael Johnson and some classics (you know those usual songs rendered among plebeian when videoke party is up).  It's been a while i reckon, exercising my lungs, breathing the notes of melody and topping it all, enjoying the sensation and fulfillment of singing. LOLZ.

Being with great friends like this elevates a general conscious awareness of where you belong to. It defies loneliness and boredom in relation to being away from the real home. It creates connection and reminiscences of the good 'ol days. Bringing thy mind and emotions to the yesteryears of memory lane where good times and pure fun are vaulted deep down in the strings of our retention cells and nerves.

... One of my most multi-talented friend here in the Kingdom, so to speak, a jack of all trades, with the innate taste of the arts and creativity, a born leader and joker of the sorts, with the windfull spirit when it comes to standing on his ground. Let me extend my wishes and compliments to a one of a kind friend of mine, Amado "Budds". Long live and more birthdays to come.!!!

So where's the cake buddy? :)








~mAc

Ramadan

"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love. "

-Morihei Ueshiba 

This post might be too late already but hey, i pondered it's still jiving with this month's major themes in the calender, the last week has been full of hustle and bustle for me cuz of the transition in my shift schedule to be in a "broken timing".  It's because RAMADAN has finally arrived.

(photo courtesy of vladstudio)

Eversince i was a kid, the fascination  in seeing the moon crescent leaves me in awe and wonder. I didnt know though that this has a significant connection with Ramadan. Although it was taught to me in history classes back in elementary and high school,  i never had the full appreciation of its beauty and essence until i knew just recently with the association to the holy month of the Muslim world.

Ramadan's the ninth month in the Islamic Calendar, the holiest time for Muslims worldwide in observance for fasting and the offering of more prayer than usual.

One of the many facts that i recently unraveled as per my conversations with my Muslim friends is the process on how to determine the start of the Ramadan season. It's a must that the naked eye must see the first sighting of the moon crescent, to officially start this holy religious tradition. As per articles of reading via Wikipedia, this sighting of the crescent of the moon rooted from Saudi Arabia.

Fasting is being observed between the time where the sun has signaled its first ray (mostly during dawn) until the sun has finally sets in again (sunset). At these timeframe where sunlight is visible, it's a must to practice fasting - no eating or drinking of any sorts. This holy sacrifice would halt as soon as  darkness starts to creep in after the sun sets, and would begin again during dawn time. This will continue for the whole month of the Ramadan and being revered by all Muslims.

It's also noteworthy that the season of Ramadan varies every year just as the moon crescent appears from the naked eye. I gathered a table from Wikipedia presenting the start date and stop date of the season. I was thinking all along that Ramadan would be always in the month of August but i was found wrong upon learning that the lunar calendar goes 11 - 12 days shorter than that of the solar calendar. I reckon that this table verifies the fact that these were approximates:

(photo from Wikepedia)

This year, it happened that the official start of this holy season was August 11th. And as per the table, it would end this September 9.

Greetings to all the populace of Muslims around the world in celebration of Ramadan.






~mAc