I received this award from jk.


I'd like to pass on this award to cc's lifestyle and reviews, juliana's site, and mommy's little corner.

I grabbed this Choo-choo Train tag from Liza. I won't be tagging anyone but please feel free to grab this award if you're interested.

Cut and paste the following starting here. I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community. Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook .Link Addiction.Ardor of the Heart When Life Becomes a BookThe Malaysian Life .Yogatta Dot Com.What Goes Under the Sun.Rashidan’s Cyber Station Sha says.Art of Physics.And the legend Lives .My View My Life.A Simple Life.Juliana’s Site.The Callalily Space.Clumsy Mommy Starz in Sky.Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Choc Mint Girl Summer in Blue.Denz Techtronics Blog.Denz Recreational Blog .Denz Blog.Pinay WAHM.Teacher Corner.Roselle’s Blog.Roselle’s Blog.Life in the Blogger Lane Tikya sa Tate’ .MyOnlineBiz Gags, Chuckles and Giggles.Pinaysmile’s Journey.GARDEN of MOMENTS.Asawa’s Love Nest.A Mother’s Journal.Field of Dreams.Wildcatlady29. Norasfamilytreasures. Francine’s Blog, Sexymomy’s Blog, La vida es hermosa, Gracie’s Blog, Istilopinoy’s Blog, Chez Francine, La Place de Cherie, Le bric a brac de Cherie, HiPnCooLMoMMa Girlie, PERSONAL.SHOPPER.WANNABE vanidosa, my other site ::mariegvergara.com:: My World, Juliana's Lair, My Library, mommy's little corner, moms..... check nyo, wifespeak, ADD YOURSELF HERE!

The Chemistry of Love

It's February once again. . . love is in the air. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it is inevitable that love will be written about and discussed everywhere where there are readers. Bloggers are not an exception. So here's a different viewpoint on love-for a change.

According to Helen Fisher, a leading expert on love, there are three stages of love. The first stage is LUST. She describes it as the initial, mostly sexual desire between two individuals which promotes mating. At this stage, the body shows an increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects, she found, rarely last more than a few weeks or months. But this is the stage of love that is prevalent among most people who are "involved" with someone.

The second stage is ATTRACTION. This is basically the romantic desire for a particular person. It develops out of lust to a commitment to a specific person. At this stage, individuals tested show that their brains consistently release a certain set of chemicals such as pheronomes, dopamine, and serotonin which have effects that are similar to amphetamines. These chemicals stimulate the brain's pleasure center and produces side-effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. Research indicates that this stage generally lasts from one and one-half years to three years.

The third stage is ATTACHMENT. This stage is based on the type of bonding which promotes longer lasting relationships. It is based on commitment such as marriage and children, or on deeper friendships due to shared interests. The body, at this stage, releases higher levels of chemicals such as oxytocin and vasopressin.

The brain scans of people who are infatuated by love display a resemblance to those with mental illnesses. This is indicative, therefore, that new love is possibly more physical than emotional. Over time, this type of reaction mellows and the different areas of the brain are activated. These activities are based mainly on long-term commitments.

To those of you who have dates on Valentine's Day and are planning on taking their relationships a step further, keep this in mind. If you're in that stage where your heart races at the site of your "new love" and you can't seem to find your appetite for food or for sleep, then be aware that you are only on the second stage of love. This stage, as studies have shown, lasts all of three years. If you are looking for a life-long partner, you might want to wait until the "excitement" mellows before taking the plunge.

Friends Tag

I got this tag from my new friend Pinaymama's Diary. Thank you for sharing this with me. I love Winnie the Pooh, too!



Friends
Anger is only one letter short of danger
If someone betrays you once, it is his fault;
If he betrays you twice, it is your fault.
Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people. He, who loses money, loses much;
He, who loses a friend, loses much more;
He, who loses faith, loses all.
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
But beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others
You can't live long enough to make them all yourself. Friends, you and me...You brought another friend...And then there were 3...We started our group...Our circle of friends...And like that circle...There is no beginning or end...Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.

So now, let's see how many circle's of friends we can make by simply adding your link on this Friendship Meme!

1- Catsy Carpe Diem, 2- Catsy Downloads, 3- Out of the Blue, 4- A Day to Savor and Relish, 5- A Piece of Idea, 6- Write Shy, 7- Stupid Wise, 8- http://onlinememorylane.blogspot.com/, 9 - http://www.jk-nocargo.blogspot.com/, 10- FIELD OF DREAMS, 11-Pinaymama's Diary, 12- A Mother's Journal, 13- Asawa's Love Book, 14- Wifespeak, 15-Continue here

I'd like to tag A Simple LIfe, Amel's Realm, Mi Casa Es Tu Casa.

The P36 Challenge

I was watching the Sine Totoo show last night and I could not help but write about it. A report came out recently that a government study states that an ordinary Filipino can survive on 36 pesos a day. Documentary writer Jay Taruc was probably just as amazed as I was about how they arrived at that amount that he decided to make a documentary about it. He challenged himself first. He tried to go about his daily business but limit his daily expense to 36 pesos on that day. Naturally, he failed dismally. So he decided to challenge others to spend only P36 on a single day while he and his crew followed the challengers around. A teacher, a jeepney driver, and a congressman agreed to the challenge. As expected, they all failed. He tried to get the President, Gloria Arroyo herself to take the challenge since the report came from her government but after so many times of trying, Madame President just dismissed his attempts to invite her. Well, helloo! Who in his right mind would say that an average Filipino can survive on P36 a day. Whatever government agency made that report should be abolished. It is most obviously manned by either the most stupid individuals in the Philippines or those who would say anything and sell out on their morals, principles and integrity to the devil at Malacañang for money. It is so irritating, nay, it is maddening to know that the Philippine government, top to bottom, is made up of the biggest liars the world has ever known. My grandmother used to say that anyone who lies is also, most probably a thief. How truly wise an observation that is! The Philippines is in such a mess because the government is composed of cheaters, liars, and thieves. And what is even more lamentable is that the people, because of the (bad) example set by its leaders, have followed suit. We have become a nation of liars , cheaters and thieves. Woe to the Philippines! Mothers, please, it is time for you to make your presence felt. The moral regeneration of our country is in your hands. Teach your children well. Teach them what is right. And when they go astray, lead them back to the right path. Even when they are already 60, they still need to be reminded that what is wrong is wrong. In that, there are no grey areas.

Love and Hate Tag

Liza tagged me on this. I was asked to list down the things I love and the things I hate. So, here goes . . . .

The things I LOVE are . . . . . . . .

• God above all else.
• My children. They come first, naturally.
• My family, that is, my parents, siblings and their families.
• My husband. Not necessarily in this order, he he he.
• Food, oh glorious food.
• Christmas. For me, it's the season of love, not Valentine's day.
• Cross stitch and hardanger-my favorite hobbies.
• Malling, my way of unwinding.
• Olive, our shih tzu, and all our birds. They give me so much pleasure.
• My latest passion-blogging!

The things I HATE are . . . . . .

• Corrupt politicians, specially Gloria Arroyo and her ohh so greedy husband Mike, the pig and her eldest son Mikey, the crocodile.
• Poverty. I wish I had the power to eradicate it.
• Greed. It is the devil's weapon against all that is good.
• Narrow-mindedness.
• Abuse of women and children.
• Racial prejudice.
• Oppression, in any form.
• All the hoopla about Britney Spears. She obviously needs professional help so please let her sort things out in private. Same with Paris Hilton, and all the rest of them Hollywood brats who obviously lack in parental guidance.
• Apathy. It is our moral obligation to be involved.
• Parents who tolerate their children's bad behavior. Parents who plant the seed of greed and love of money and possessions on their children. I see it everyday.

This tag is a good idea because it gives us insights on the individuals doing the tag. I would love to see what sasha, manilenya, and juliana are going to list down.

The Foundations of a Good Parent-Child Relationship

Through the years that I have been a parent, I have learned that parenting is a lifelong learning process. Experience has taught me valuable lessons on the foundations of a good parent-child relationship. That doesn't make me an expert, I know, but younger parents might benefit from them. So here goes:

1. RESPECT-This is the cornerstone of any relationship. Our children need to feel that we respect them as individuals and as human beings. We need to remember that our children are unique and are different from us. And we need to respect that. We cannot impose on them our beliefs, our style, our dreams. They have to be allowed to have their own, be their own person. Just as we expect our children to respect us, we need to respect them, too.
2. COMMUNICATION-We have to keep the lines of communication open between ourselves and our children. Each child is unique so we need to know our children well. Some children do not open up. We have to learn to listen to them even when they have not said a word. Most of the time, we can see, through their actions, if something is bothering them. Let them know you are there for them. When they are good and ready, they almost always come to you for help. Also, we need to be careful what we say to our children. We should not be over-critical when they fumble. We should know how to say things so that we do not offend them. When we criticize them often, we are in danger of damaging their self-esteem. Knowing their worth as human beings is an important foundation of their personality. It is the backbone of their existence. So we should not, in any way, be the one to damage that.
3. TIME-My world revolves around my children. In that, I am blessed. But I know not all moms are as fortunate as I am. There are millions of moms out there who are missing out on their children because they need to work. But this is not an excuse. We need to make time for our children. My mom used to take us with her to her office when we were children just so we can have some quality time together. She would schedule out-of-town trips with us so we can have time to bond. Even when she had live-in seminars she would insist on getting a room for us in the hotel where they were staying so that we could be together in the evenings. Otherwise, we would be at risk of alienating our children from us. We will not be able to get to know them if we don't spend time with them.

Parenting is a big responsibility. We should take it seriously. Every step of the way, we should think about our response to the smallest things. Although we parents are their first teachers, I have found that I have actually learned, and continue to learn from my children. Ultimately, my guide to effective parenting has been myself. Whenever I am in a situation which I am unsure about, I think back to the time when I was a child and how I felt back then. And I respond from there.