Somehow I had missed the news about Madoff's son, Mark's suicide. He left his wife and two small kids behind. He must've been really depressed, and I wish I had known him so I could help him deal with it. I hope he is in a better place and has finally found peace.
In an ideal world, kids should inherit either both their parents' money and their parents' debts or they should inherit neither. By law, we only inherit the good, the money, and leave the bad, the debt, to the lenders to deal with. It doesn't seem fair but who am I to judge and when has life been fair? There were smarter people than me making the laws and if they believe this is good for society then so be it. You leave the sins of your ancestors in the past and move on clean.
I don't think Mark, like most rich kids, realized what an advantage it is to grow up with money. You end up in the best schools that are normally reserved for the brightest of students. You travel and see different cultures and customs, which makes you think and reconsider what you would normally take for granted. You socialize with well-connected successful people who can make a world of difference in your career and in the world we live in. You do not have to worry about malnourishment, lack of clean water, and diseases only known in poor countries. You learn manners, how to dress, how to speak like the movers and shakers of society. Being born rich is like starting a marathon from the middle while everybody else starts from the beginning or even before that. Who knows why some people are born with all the advantages and others without any of them. Maybe it's random distribution but maybe it's karma. I wish I'd had the chance to tell Mark, "If you were brought up in an environment with so much potential, use it. You father has done wrong, try to do as much good for society as you can. Committing suicide is not going to help anyone or correct the evil. You are more precious to the world alive." Rest in peace, Mark!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Why Do We Have Cravings for Certain Foods?
If you have persistent cravings for particular foods, chances are your body needs a specific mineral. Try taking it as a supplement and see if your craving goes away.
Chocolate – Magnesium – Raw cacao, rich in Magnesium; Magnesium supplements; raw nuts and seeds
Salty foods like potato chips and salted nuts – Chloride – Sprinkle sea salt on healthy foods
Candy – Chromium, Carbon, Sulfur, Tryptophan – Chromium — Chromium supplements, brewer’s yeast, apples and bananas, carbon — fresh fruit; sulfur — garlic and onion supplements; tryptophan — 5-HTP supplements, sweet potatoes, spinach
Red meat – Iron – Iron supplements, spinach
Fatty foods like pizza and french fries – Calcium – Broccoli, mustard or turnip greens, legumes, or calcium supplements
Carbonated drinks – Calcium – Broccoli, mustard or turnip greens, legumes, or calcium supplements
Chocolate – Magnesium – Raw cacao, rich in Magnesium; Magnesium supplements; raw nuts and seeds
Salty foods like potato chips and salted nuts – Chloride – Sprinkle sea salt on healthy foods
Candy – Chromium, Carbon, Sulfur, Tryptophan – Chromium — Chromium supplements, brewer’s yeast, apples and bananas, carbon — fresh fruit; sulfur — garlic and onion supplements; tryptophan — 5-HTP supplements, sweet potatoes, spinach
Red meat – Iron – Iron supplements, spinach
Fatty foods like pizza and french fries – Calcium – Broccoli, mustard or turnip greens, legumes, or calcium supplements
Carbonated drinks – Calcium – Broccoli, mustard or turnip greens, legumes, or calcium supplements
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Perceptual Distortion in Love
My roommate is back to her crazy self. Whatever happened to the sweet and lonely girl from the end of last semester is a mystery to me. Jill is back to drinking, partying, and sleeping around and we've only been here for a couple of weeks. Apparently, she is still obsessing about Alex because she woke me up one night and said, "I had a dream you and Alex hooked up. How could you do this to me?" "You woke me up at 3:20 am to tell me about your psycho dreams? Am I supposed to apologize, because you are a nut case? " I really wasn't happy she woke me up. I've had a bit too much for such a short time of being here after Christmas break. JT and I met for lunch and he took my hand in his while we were talking. So confusing when I'm trying to figure out if Mike and I are right for each other. To make the matters more complicated, there is that really hot guy in my Theater class, Luis. He is like... too hot, hot in an intimidating kind of way, hot as in "don't touch the stove" kind of way. When I sit close to him, I feel energy between us... so weird... I wonder if he feels the same.
"Research on how people react to belief-contradicting information abounds in the psychological literature, and there are certain response patterns that tend to show up, when our beliefs are being challenged:
* We look for flaws in the new information,
* seek information that bolsters our original attitude,
* garner for social validation of our original attitude,
* begin derogating the source of the message,
* show signs of anger and discomfort, avoid the new message altogether,
* or simply assert our confidence in the initial belief more adamantly.
Although typical responses to belief challenging information have been shown for various groups of beliefs and for different sources of information, there is an understanding that people select from available resistance strategies based on how important the issue is to them. The closer the issue is to your heart, the more resistance you put up. It also matters how knowledgeable you are about the issue in general and how socially desirable the resistance strategy is. If you're an environmentalist and Sarah Palin provides you with information on why drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is a good idea you might choose "derogating the source" and dismiss her as an idiot (as that may be generally socially desirable among your social peer group), but if Barack Obama informs you about the benefits of offshore drilling you might opt for politely "looking for flaws in the new information."
The above listed mechanisms don't really work that well when it comes to information that is provided through scientific research. It is also not that easy to counter-argue scientific evidence or to point out a study's methodological flaws, because as laypeople really we often don't understand the methods well enough. Even if we do, more often than not, we are presented the sexed up "evidence" without the methods that produced them.
So what do people do? Lie down, roll over and accept that science has proven their stereotypes to be wrong? Unlikely, so here's how we chose to lie to ourselves:
The resistance strategy to belief-contradicting scientific evidence might just be to claim scientific impotence; the inability of science to address the area of knowledge being challenged.
In many ways scientific impotence - or rather people's strategy of claiming scientific impotence when information contradicts their world views - is the most important reason why scientific evidence often remains ineffective in changing people's understanding of the world around them. Science can tell you about the evolution of life on earth, but you don't want to hear it. And science can inform you on a whole range of moral topics, but this is also something many people don't want to hear. We are selective in what we choose to believe." - Psychology Today
"Research on how people react to belief-contradicting information abounds in the psychological literature, and there are certain response patterns that tend to show up, when our beliefs are being challenged:
* We look for flaws in the new information,
* seek information that bolsters our original attitude,
* garner for social validation of our original attitude,
* begin derogating the source of the message,
* show signs of anger and discomfort, avoid the new message altogether,
* or simply assert our confidence in the initial belief more adamantly.
Although typical responses to belief challenging information have been shown for various groups of beliefs and for different sources of information, there is an understanding that people select from available resistance strategies based on how important the issue is to them. The closer the issue is to your heart, the more resistance you put up. It also matters how knowledgeable you are about the issue in general and how socially desirable the resistance strategy is. If you're an environmentalist and Sarah Palin provides you with information on why drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is a good idea you might choose "derogating the source" and dismiss her as an idiot (as that may be generally socially desirable among your social peer group), but if Barack Obama informs you about the benefits of offshore drilling you might opt for politely "looking for flaws in the new information."
The above listed mechanisms don't really work that well when it comes to information that is provided through scientific research. It is also not that easy to counter-argue scientific evidence or to point out a study's methodological flaws, because as laypeople really we often don't understand the methods well enough. Even if we do, more often than not, we are presented the sexed up "evidence" without the methods that produced them.
So what do people do? Lie down, roll over and accept that science has proven their stereotypes to be wrong? Unlikely, so here's how we chose to lie to ourselves:
The resistance strategy to belief-contradicting scientific evidence might just be to claim scientific impotence; the inability of science to address the area of knowledge being challenged.
In many ways scientific impotence - or rather people's strategy of claiming scientific impotence when information contradicts their world views - is the most important reason why scientific evidence often remains ineffective in changing people's understanding of the world around them. Science can tell you about the evolution of life on earth, but you don't want to hear it. And science can inform you on a whole range of moral topics, but this is also something many people don't want to hear. We are selective in what we choose to believe." - Psychology Today
Monday, January 24, 2011
The World vs. Caffeine
I've been drinking coffee sporadically for the last couple of years but lately pretty regularly. I liked saying that it improved my school performance, but I would buy it to feel like an adult. I still love walking around campus with my coffee in hand. I feel like such a busy, no time for nonsense, career woman.
I've been reading conflicting reports, though. One says a cup per day helps prevent Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and it works as a great anti-oxidant. Caffeine is also in soft drinks and diet pills so it can't be that bad. I've noticed, though, that coffee and diet coke make me hungry. Right after I drink either one, I need something sweet. Sometimes I get so hungry, I can't focus on anything else and only look for an opportunity to run to the vending machine. I did some research and apparently, caffeine makes you hypoglycemic, your blood sugar drops. That's why you have those wild sweet cravings. I don't understand why it's in all diet pills, though. Don't people get even hungrier after taking them?
I've been reading conflicting reports, though. One says a cup per day helps prevent Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and it works as a great anti-oxidant. Caffeine is also in soft drinks and diet pills so it can't be that bad. I've noticed, though, that coffee and diet coke make me hungry. Right after I drink either one, I need something sweet. Sometimes I get so hungry, I can't focus on anything else and only look for an opportunity to run to the vending machine. I did some research and apparently, caffeine makes you hypoglycemic, your blood sugar drops. That's why you have those wild sweet cravings. I don't understand why it's in all diet pills, though. Don't people get even hungrier after taking them?
Friday, January 21, 2011
Fraternity Initiation Rites - Hazing
Why do guys take pride in being able to drink a lot without getting drunk? When otherwise intelligent people start looking down on each other based on alcohol tolerance, I just have to laugh. I have a feeling it has something to do with our need for significance. Some people would just use anything, no matter how retarded it is, as an arbitrary criterion to feel superior to others. My college overall has highly intelligent guys who use their brains and think, but I've heard horror stories about other places. Why is it so important to treat others with utter disrespect and build up your ego through control and humiliation? It's scary that all the frat boys look so decent and normal and yet, I have to wonder if they were in one of those hazing-prone fraternities, would they be just as bad. Here are some stories...
"You make the pledges do a work call (or a extended period of house work, for people unfamiliar), one that starts at about 10 or midnight. So you have them clean the house, scrub the floors with toothbrushes, etc etc, everything but the bathrooms. Then you call them all together at about 5am, tell them they've done a good job, and explain to them you're buying breakfast. They'll be relieved and excited about this, they probably think you're proud of them and that the work is over, plus they are probably hungry. Get all the food ready or whatnot, show it to them, and tell them they get to eat in 30 minutes when the bathrooms are spotless. Finally, about 5 minutes before their time is up, tell them to clean faster and better, seeing as their gonna be eating their mcdonalds breakfast off the floor behind the toilet they're currently cleaning. Then you make them do it, of course."
"They bragged about one of their chapter traditions they thought was really funny in addition to being useful in disciplining the pledge class.
"Every rush we make a point of pledging one marginal guy who shouldn't be here," they said. "He's the sacrifice, the example. At some point usually around the end of the semester we'll blackball him and scare hell out of the pledges. It really shapes them up."
"Pledges strip down to their boxers and sit indian style against a wall. Then an industrial-size fan is brought in and turned on. Brothers tear up pieces of insulation and run it through the back of the fan. Fiberglass in skin. Its a story i heard....dont know if its actually true but the source was very trustworthy and that certain chapter had a "hardcore" reputation."
Here's what some people have learned while trying to deal with hazing...
*don’t be afraid to get advice
*Stick to your commitments. People will respect you.
*Value your friends and pick them carefully.
*Trust and confide in your parents, mine were great.
*Don't get yourself into things you don't want to go through with.
*Make the best of bad situations.
*Finally, you can survive almost anything .
"You make the pledges do a work call (or a extended period of house work, for people unfamiliar), one that starts at about 10 or midnight. So you have them clean the house, scrub the floors with toothbrushes, etc etc, everything but the bathrooms. Then you call them all together at about 5am, tell them they've done a good job, and explain to them you're buying breakfast. They'll be relieved and excited about this, they probably think you're proud of them and that the work is over, plus they are probably hungry. Get all the food ready or whatnot, show it to them, and tell them they get to eat in 30 minutes when the bathrooms are spotless. Finally, about 5 minutes before their time is up, tell them to clean faster and better, seeing as their gonna be eating their mcdonalds breakfast off the floor behind the toilet they're currently cleaning. Then you make them do it, of course."
"They bragged about one of their chapter traditions they thought was really funny in addition to being useful in disciplining the pledge class.
"Every rush we make a point of pledging one marginal guy who shouldn't be here," they said. "He's the sacrifice, the example. At some point usually around the end of the semester we'll blackball him and scare hell out of the pledges. It really shapes them up."
"Pledges strip down to their boxers and sit indian style against a wall. Then an industrial-size fan is brought in and turned on. Brothers tear up pieces of insulation and run it through the back of the fan. Fiberglass in skin. Its a story i heard....dont know if its actually true but the source was very trustworthy and that certain chapter had a "hardcore" reputation."
Here's what some people have learned while trying to deal with hazing...
*don’t be afraid to get advice
*Stick to your commitments. People will respect you.
*Value your friends and pick them carefully.
*Trust and confide in your parents, mine were great.
*Don't get yourself into things you don't want to go through with.
*Make the best of bad situations.
*Finally, you can survive almost anything .
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Alternatives to College
In my family, education is highly encouraged. I look around, though, and I notice that many celebrities either don't have college degrees or they went to relatively unknown schools and do something completely unrelated to their majors. If you want to be an artist or an actress, you are better off just starting young and not waste time in school. I highly encourage everybody to get into the best school possible, but I feel like we barely learn any useful information in class. We learn data we are going to forget anyway and is readily available on our iphones if we need it. I wish we had more classes teaching us critical thinking and problem solving, alternative learning technologies, strategies to handle stress and work place politics. I'm sorry I have to say that, but I spent so much time reading the classics and the more I get into real life the more I realize I should've spent my time playing sports instead. At least with sports you don't learn some 18th century values but sculpt your body and learn to be competitive and persistent. Here's the article for you anyway...
"It's been nearly a year since Formula Capital's James Altucher discussed his theory on why sending your kids to college is a bad idea. The segment proved to be one of Tech Ticker's most popular...and controversial of 2010. More recently, a report based on the book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses found that after two years of college, 45% of students learned little to nothing. After four years, 36% of students learned almost nothing.
Meanwhile, the cost of college keeps rising -- 20 times the rate of inflation and much faster than say healthcare costs -- and student loan debt keeps growing. As of mid-2010, U.S. student loan debt totaled $850 billion vs. $828 billion for credit card debt, according to the Federal Reserve.
So with more people coming around to the idea that maybe Altucher is onto something (vs. being on something), the money manager and author is back with a follow-up:
In the accompanying video, Altucher "repartees" with Henry and me about his alternatives to college and addresses the most powerful thing working on behalf of higher education: The huge gap in employment between those with and without college degrees." - yahoo.com
"It's been nearly a year since Formula Capital's James Altucher discussed his theory on why sending your kids to college is a bad idea. The segment proved to be one of Tech Ticker's most popular...and controversial of 2010. More recently, a report based on the book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses found that after two years of college, 45% of students learned little to nothing. After four years, 36% of students learned almost nothing.
Meanwhile, the cost of college keeps rising -- 20 times the rate of inflation and much faster than say healthcare costs -- and student loan debt keeps growing. As of mid-2010, U.S. student loan debt totaled $850 billion vs. $828 billion for credit card debt, according to the Federal Reserve.
So with more people coming around to the idea that maybe Altucher is onto something (vs. being on something), the money manager and author is back with a follow-up:
- -- Start a business.
- -- Work for a charity.
- -- Travel the world.
- -- Create art.
- -- Master a sport.
- -- Master a game.
- -- Write a book.
- -- Make people laugh.
In the accompanying video, Altucher "repartees" with Henry and me about his alternatives to college and addresses the most powerful thing working on behalf of higher education: The huge gap in employment between those with and without college degrees." - yahoo.com
Monday, January 17, 2011
Budget Fashionista
My Mom and I went shopping at an outlet mall this weekend. She usually takes my siblings too but this time it was only the two of us. Before we left, I had made a booklet with outfits I liked from Gossip Girl and celebrity photos. It is so cool that the fashion this year is so feminine, I love it. I picked most of my new clothes at Neiman Marcus and Off Sachs. We never shop at these stores, even at outlet prices, because they are still expensive. My Mom buys certain pieces from there for herself but only once or twice a year. I'd always been a Gap, Nine West, H&M kind of girl. Out of everything I bought, I'm particularly in love with a 1920's looking Betsey Johnson lacy dress and black Stuart Weitzman stilettos with a tiny bow. My Mom advised me to think of whole outfits instead of just pieces that I had nothing to combine with, so I bought black stockings with ornaments on them and a party ring with a big flower on it. I've never had clothing that makes me feel so sexy and grown up. I'm afraid to get it wrinkled or dirty, because it's so special to me. I feel like my Mom has noticed I've been venturing more into the world and have become more independent, and this is her way to encourage it.
I think clothes show belonging to a group. People of different ethnicities, professions, and socio-economic classes dress differently. Also people often start to dress like the groups they want to belong to (think suits and designer clothing). I still have an issue referring to myself as a woman instead of a girl but now I have the clothes real women wear. I am a woman and proud of it.
I think clothes show belonging to a group. People of different ethnicities, professions, and socio-economic classes dress differently. Also people often start to dress like the groups they want to belong to (think suits and designer clothing). I still have an issue referring to myself as a woman instead of a girl but now I have the clothes real women wear. I am a woman and proud of it.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
My 2011 New Year's Resolutions
1. To stop biting my nails
2. To crash a party
3. To lose 10 lbs
4. To read a new book every month
5. To lose my virginity
6. To watch all seasons of The Apprentice
2. To crash a party
3. To lose 10 lbs
4. To read a new book every month
5. To lose my virginity
6. To watch all seasons of The Apprentice
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Nicole Kidman Is A Great Role Model
It's hard to believe she is in her 40's. She is so beautiful, a great actress, happily married, has two adopted kids and one of her own. She can be a great role model for women of all ages really. I realize she doesn't look like she is 25 naturally, but what does it matter. The advancement of science are there for us to enjoy and to help us make the most out of our lives.
Now the rest fortunate of us have to come up with a list of New Year's Resolutions and make sure all the important goals for 2011 are set in stone. I finished reading Steve Pavlina's book and would highly recommend the author. Read the text below and tell me it's not awesome!
"Desire is the fuel of power. One of the sweetest benefits of life as a human being is to enjoy the progressive fulfillment of your desires through the exercise of your power. This doesn't just mean celebrating your big accomplishments. It means savoring every delicious step of the journey.
What do you want? What do you fantasize about? What do you long for so badly that you can't stop thinking about it, even if you consider it impossible? Allow yourself to dream. Spend time cultivating your deepest desires, no matter how impractical or impossible they seem. It's perfectly okay to want the impossible. It's not okay to pretend that your desires don't matter.
Never deny that you want what you want. When you deny your desires, you fall out of alignment with truth, love, and power. You distance yourself from truth by lying to yourself. You distance yourself from love by disconnecting from your core. And you distance yourself from power by cutting off the fuel of desire. If you want to develop your power, you must accept your desires as they come, no matter how strange they may seem.
Most people are out of touch with their true desires. They allow others to decide what they should want, or they settle for what they think they can get. They buy into the socially conditioned nonsense that the purpose of life is to work at a meaningless job for decades, spend themselves into debt, distract themselves with mindless entertainment, get married, have children, retire broke, and then quietly die. Consequently, they live desperate shadow lives, forever powerless and unhappy. Don't succumb to the illusion of false desire.
Life is constantly asking: What do you want? You have the freedom to answer that question however you wish. Aligning yourself with truth and love will help you evaluate the possibilities, but there are no compulsory right or wrong answers. There's only your freedom to choose. Will you answer with silence, or will you exercise your power of conscious choice?
You must break through the haze of social conditioning that says your life must obey a set of rules dictated by others. You're under no such obligation. Your only real constraints are your decisions and their consequences. You're a free and independent being. How you decide to use that freedom is up to you."
Now the rest fortunate of us have to come up with a list of New Year's Resolutions and make sure all the important goals for 2011 are set in stone. I finished reading Steve Pavlina's book and would highly recommend the author. Read the text below and tell me it's not awesome!
"Desire is the fuel of power. One of the sweetest benefits of life as a human being is to enjoy the progressive fulfillment of your desires through the exercise of your power. This doesn't just mean celebrating your big accomplishments. It means savoring every delicious step of the journey.
What do you want? What do you fantasize about? What do you long for so badly that you can't stop thinking about it, even if you consider it impossible? Allow yourself to dream. Spend time cultivating your deepest desires, no matter how impractical or impossible they seem. It's perfectly okay to want the impossible. It's not okay to pretend that your desires don't matter.
Never deny that you want what you want. When you deny your desires, you fall out of alignment with truth, love, and power. You distance yourself from truth by lying to yourself. You distance yourself from love by disconnecting from your core. And you distance yourself from power by cutting off the fuel of desire. If you want to develop your power, you must accept your desires as they come, no matter how strange they may seem.
Most people are out of touch with their true desires. They allow others to decide what they should want, or they settle for what they think they can get. They buy into the socially conditioned nonsense that the purpose of life is to work at a meaningless job for decades, spend themselves into debt, distract themselves with mindless entertainment, get married, have children, retire broke, and then quietly die. Consequently, they live desperate shadow lives, forever powerless and unhappy. Don't succumb to the illusion of false desire.
Life is constantly asking: What do you want? You have the freedom to answer that question however you wish. Aligning yourself with truth and love will help you evaluate the possibilities, but there are no compulsory right or wrong answers. There's only your freedom to choose. Will you answer with silence, or will you exercise your power of conscious choice?
You must break through the haze of social conditioning that says your life must obey a set of rules dictated by others. You're under no such obligation. Your only real constraints are your decisions and their consequences. You're a free and independent being. How you decide to use that freedom is up to you."
Monday, January 10, 2011
Best Natural Appetite Suppressants
I want some natural appetite suppressants to feel in control of my weight. I want to be skinny and popular but don't want to become one of those girls who care so much of others' approval, they develop eating disorders to fit the ideal set by Euro designers a few decades ago. The designers were probably gay men anyway, so what did they know about beautiful female bodies? They liked women who looked like men, or more like 12-year-old boys, tall with wide shoulders and barely any body fat.
Avocado extract
Imagine looking at a candy bar or a bowl of ice cream and not wanting to eat it. Imagine feeling an absolute aversion to sugary foods. Well, according to both human- and animal-based research studies, avocado extract tablets make this dream a reality.
Avocado extract tablets have helped some people lose significant amounts of weight, even when they are not making a conscious effort to diet. These people report that, though they were not purposely dieting, they ate fewer calories than they normally would, simply because they weren't hungry. Though most people lose weight by taking two avocado extract tablets per day, the Life Extension Foundation reports that you can take more when you feel hungry, so as to eat even fewer calories daily, or limit yourself to only two tablets and eat a healthy, sensible meal.
Chá de bugre (pomngaba): Can It Really Get Rid of Cellulite?
For women worldwide, it’s the subject that nightmares are made of. We're talking about the dreaded "c word"—cellulite. Cellulite occurs when subcutaneous fat protrudes into the dermis layer of the skin, creating a "cottage-cheese- or orange-peel-like" appearance to the body. According to Wikipedia, between 85 and 98 percent of post-pubertal females have at least some cellulite, so even women who are not necessarily overweight can have "cottage cheese skin."
As many women know all too well, cellulite is extremely difficult to get rid of. Simply cutting back on calories or following a fad diet will not take away your skin's dimpled appearance, and liposuction is completely ineffective against cellulite. Though the cosmetic industry markets a myriad of "miracle cellulite cures," they too are largely ineffective. In fact, many experts agree that only following a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly can truly get rid of cellulite.
On the other hand, many Brazilians believe that the rainforest herb chá de bugre both suppresses appetite and actually rids of the body of existing cellulite, making it extremely popular at Brazil's famous beaches. "Chá de bugre products are highly commercialized as a weight loss aid in Brazil, where tea bags, fluid extracts, and tinctures of chá de bugre are commonly seen in pharmacies, stores, and even in the beach-front eateries and refreshment stands along Rio de Janeiro's beaches," Leslie Taylor explains in The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs.
You don't have to go to Rio de Janeiro to get chá de bugre. Its popularity has extended to the internet, so you can buy it in many forms, including a tea infusion.
Chickweed
Some experts believe that the common "weed" chickweed acts as a natural appetite suppressant, according to Dr. Elson Hass' book Staying Healthy with Nutrition. It is widely available online.
Cumin
This flavorful spice not only adds a little pizzazz to any dish, it also acts as a natural appetite suppressant, according to Asian Health Secrets.
Dahlia roots
Dahlia roots contain a natural fructose polymer called inulin, which helps reduce your appetite by slowing carbohydrate metabolism. The Anti-Aging Manual recommends that you eat one serving per day, alternating between raw and cooked, or just use the juice rather than the peel.
Evening primrose oil
According to Professor Gary Null's Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, if you take 500 milligrams of evening primrose oil in the morning, it may help reduce your appetite all day long.
Fennel
Fennel seeds, stalks and bulbs act as a natural appetite suppressant, according to Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Plus, they make a great garnish, giving any dish their special flavor.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
Gamma-linolenic acid is the active component of flaxseed and flaxseed oil, primrose oil and blackcurrant seed. By helping to control the metabolism of fats, GLA is a natural appetite suppressant.
German chamomile tea
Many people in Costa Rica use German chamomile tea as an appetite suppressant, but the trend hasn't caught on elsewhere yet.
Grapefruits
As many dieters around the world already know, grapefruit is the quintessential diet food. As Dr. Haas points out, grapefruits are so low in calories that the energy it takes to eat one of them most likely burns off all the citrus fruit's calories. Plus, grapefruits are a natural appetite suppressant.
Gymnema Sylvestre
Imagine what it would be like to be unable to taste sugar. Would you still want to eat that cookie, bowl of ice cream or candy bar? Several studies have confirmed that the herb Gymnema sylvestre, which remarkably reduces and even eliminates the taste of sugar for up to 90 minutes when taken before meals, significantly suppresses appetite. In India, doctors have been using it for centuries to treat diabetes, and Western physicians are beginning to recognize its ability to "tame the sweet tooth." It is widely available online in supplement form.
Hawthorn berries
In traditional Chinese medicine, hawthorn berries are believed to act as a natural appetite suppressant and also aid in the digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Many Western practitioners of alternative medicine use the herb for cardiac health and circulation, so hawthorn berries are widely available in tablet form.
Jerusalem Artichokes
Like dahlia roots, Jerusalem artichokes contain inulin, a natural fructose polymer that curbs your appetite by slowing down carbohydrate metabolism. Anti-Aging Manual author Joseph B. Marion recommends eating one serving per day, alternating between raw and cooked, or just using the juice rather than the peel.
Nuts
Fact: Not all fat leads to body fat. Many dieters avoid nuts because they're high in fat and calories, but they're actually good for you. Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, filberts, macadamia nuts, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds may be high in calories, but their fat-to-carbohydrate ratio is so high that they'll naturally suppress your appetite, which will lead to you eat fewer calories overall.
Plantain (Plantago ovata)
Not to be confused with the bananas known as plantains, this so-called common "weed" suppresses appetite with a bulking action similar to fiber, but even more significantly, scientists in Italy, Russia and several other countries believe that plantain actually naturally reduces the absorption of lipids in the intestines. Plantain may also lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and it is available online in leaf or powdered form.
Spirulina
This potent cancer-fighter and immune-booster can help you lose weight by satisfying your appetite with nutrients rather than empty calories. In one double-blind study, 16 overweight people lost a small amount of weight after eating only 2.8 grams of spirulina three times per day for four weeks. Experts are still unsure exactly how spirulina reduces hunger. One theory is that its high content of phenylalanine affects the hypothalamus. Another theory is that spirulina raises blood sugar levels enough to cause the hypothalamus to suppress hunger pangs. Known as a "superfood," it is widely available online in tablet, powder, bar and capsule form.
Avocado extract
Imagine looking at a candy bar or a bowl of ice cream and not wanting to eat it. Imagine feeling an absolute aversion to sugary foods. Well, according to both human- and animal-based research studies, avocado extract tablets make this dream a reality.
Avocado extract tablets have helped some people lose significant amounts of weight, even when they are not making a conscious effort to diet. These people report that, though they were not purposely dieting, they ate fewer calories than they normally would, simply because they weren't hungry. Though most people lose weight by taking two avocado extract tablets per day, the Life Extension Foundation reports that you can take more when you feel hungry, so as to eat even fewer calories daily, or limit yourself to only two tablets and eat a healthy, sensible meal.
Chá de bugre (pomngaba): Can It Really Get Rid of Cellulite?
For women worldwide, it’s the subject that nightmares are made of. We're talking about the dreaded "c word"—cellulite. Cellulite occurs when subcutaneous fat protrudes into the dermis layer of the skin, creating a "cottage-cheese- or orange-peel-like" appearance to the body. According to Wikipedia, between 85 and 98 percent of post-pubertal females have at least some cellulite, so even women who are not necessarily overweight can have "cottage cheese skin."
As many women know all too well, cellulite is extremely difficult to get rid of. Simply cutting back on calories or following a fad diet will not take away your skin's dimpled appearance, and liposuction is completely ineffective against cellulite. Though the cosmetic industry markets a myriad of "miracle cellulite cures," they too are largely ineffective. In fact, many experts agree that only following a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly can truly get rid of cellulite.
On the other hand, many Brazilians believe that the rainforest herb chá de bugre both suppresses appetite and actually rids of the body of existing cellulite, making it extremely popular at Brazil's famous beaches. "Chá de bugre products are highly commercialized as a weight loss aid in Brazil, where tea bags, fluid extracts, and tinctures of chá de bugre are commonly seen in pharmacies, stores, and even in the beach-front eateries and refreshment stands along Rio de Janeiro's beaches," Leslie Taylor explains in The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs.
You don't have to go to Rio de Janeiro to get chá de bugre. Its popularity has extended to the internet, so you can buy it in many forms, including a tea infusion.
Chickweed
Some experts believe that the common "weed" chickweed acts as a natural appetite suppressant, according to Dr. Elson Hass' book Staying Healthy with Nutrition. It is widely available online.
Cumin
This flavorful spice not only adds a little pizzazz to any dish, it also acts as a natural appetite suppressant, according to Asian Health Secrets.
Dahlia roots
Dahlia roots contain a natural fructose polymer called inulin, which helps reduce your appetite by slowing carbohydrate metabolism. The Anti-Aging Manual recommends that you eat one serving per day, alternating between raw and cooked, or just use the juice rather than the peel.
Evening primrose oil
According to Professor Gary Null's Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, if you take 500 milligrams of evening primrose oil in the morning, it may help reduce your appetite all day long.
Fennel
Fennel seeds, stalks and bulbs act as a natural appetite suppressant, according to Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Plus, they make a great garnish, giving any dish their special flavor.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
Gamma-linolenic acid is the active component of flaxseed and flaxseed oil, primrose oil and blackcurrant seed. By helping to control the metabolism of fats, GLA is a natural appetite suppressant.
German chamomile tea
Many people in Costa Rica use German chamomile tea as an appetite suppressant, but the trend hasn't caught on elsewhere yet.
Grapefruits
As many dieters around the world already know, grapefruit is the quintessential diet food. As Dr. Haas points out, grapefruits are so low in calories that the energy it takes to eat one of them most likely burns off all the citrus fruit's calories. Plus, grapefruits are a natural appetite suppressant.
Gymnema Sylvestre
Imagine what it would be like to be unable to taste sugar. Would you still want to eat that cookie, bowl of ice cream or candy bar? Several studies have confirmed that the herb Gymnema sylvestre, which remarkably reduces and even eliminates the taste of sugar for up to 90 minutes when taken before meals, significantly suppresses appetite. In India, doctors have been using it for centuries to treat diabetes, and Western physicians are beginning to recognize its ability to "tame the sweet tooth." It is widely available online in supplement form.
Hawthorn berries
In traditional Chinese medicine, hawthorn berries are believed to act as a natural appetite suppressant and also aid in the digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Many Western practitioners of alternative medicine use the herb for cardiac health and circulation, so hawthorn berries are widely available in tablet form.
Jerusalem Artichokes
Like dahlia roots, Jerusalem artichokes contain inulin, a natural fructose polymer that curbs your appetite by slowing down carbohydrate metabolism. Anti-Aging Manual author Joseph B. Marion recommends eating one serving per day, alternating between raw and cooked, or just using the juice rather than the peel.
Nuts
Fact: Not all fat leads to body fat. Many dieters avoid nuts because they're high in fat and calories, but they're actually good for you. Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, filberts, macadamia nuts, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds may be high in calories, but their fat-to-carbohydrate ratio is so high that they'll naturally suppress your appetite, which will lead to you eat fewer calories overall.
Plantain (Plantago ovata)
Not to be confused with the bananas known as plantains, this so-called common "weed" suppresses appetite with a bulking action similar to fiber, but even more significantly, scientists in Italy, Russia and several other countries believe that plantain actually naturally reduces the absorption of lipids in the intestines. Plantain may also lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and it is available online in leaf or powdered form.
Spirulina
This potent cancer-fighter and immune-booster can help you lose weight by satisfying your appetite with nutrients rather than empty calories. In one double-blind study, 16 overweight people lost a small amount of weight after eating only 2.8 grams of spirulina three times per day for four weeks. Experts are still unsure exactly how spirulina reduces hunger. One theory is that its high content of phenylalanine affects the hypothalamus. Another theory is that spirulina raises blood sugar levels enough to cause the hypothalamus to suppress hunger pangs. Known as a "superfood," it is widely available online in tablet, powder, bar and capsule form.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Sex and The City and the real NYC
NYC is unlike any other place I've ever been to, and I say that in both positive and negative way. Glamor, wealth, fashion, elegance, ambition, and achievement vs. arrogance, crime, abuse, back stabbing, narcissism, and the rein of style over substance... that's New York City for you.
Sex and The City presents New Yorkers as rich and elegant, with plenty of free time to pursue their interests. That is rather far from reality. Many people here are overachievers with relatively high incomes but very little free time to enjoy themselves. If you are interested in work-life balance, this is not the place for you. If you like making money to show off in front of people you may not even know or care about, you will go far in this city and will fit right in.
Getting an apartment here will bring you to the tiniest and darkest of places with a high price monthly rent attached to it. You will also be tempted to hate those who've been renting for decades the so-called rent stabilized apartments and pay 1/10 of what you would be paying if you tried to rent the same place now. Apparently, not so long ago NYC was not a desirable residential option, so the government gave people incentives to move here by setting limits on how much the rent could go up every year and making it really hard for the landlord to evict you.
...and as you all know I live in a dorm. It was really close for me to live at home like in high school, but my parents were so proud of me for making it into a great college that for once were ready to indulge me. There are many rich kids around here and then, there are the rest of us trying to keep up with housing, fashion trends, and trendy places on a lower budget and often working and studying at the same time. Life would be so much easier if none of us had to ever worry about money again. :)
Sex and The City presents New Yorkers as rich and elegant, with plenty of free time to pursue their interests. That is rather far from reality. Many people here are overachievers with relatively high incomes but very little free time to enjoy themselves. If you are interested in work-life balance, this is not the place for you. If you like making money to show off in front of people you may not even know or care about, you will go far in this city and will fit right in.
Getting an apartment here will bring you to the tiniest and darkest of places with a high price monthly rent attached to it. You will also be tempted to hate those who've been renting for decades the so-called rent stabilized apartments and pay 1/10 of what you would be paying if you tried to rent the same place now. Apparently, not so long ago NYC was not a desirable residential option, so the government gave people incentives to move here by setting limits on how much the rent could go up every year and making it really hard for the landlord to evict you.
...and as you all know I live in a dorm. It was really close for me to live at home like in high school, but my parents were so proud of me for making it into a great college that for once were ready to indulge me. There are many rich kids around here and then, there are the rest of us trying to keep up with housing, fashion trends, and trendy places on a lower budget and often working and studying at the same time. Life would be so much easier if none of us had to ever worry about money again. :)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Alienation and a Pervasive Sense of Isolation
"Our culture teaches us to withdraw into ourselves when we are confronted with stressful situations. It is a vicious circle. One of the main stressors of modern society is alienation and a pervasive sense of isolation. The solution our culture offers us - to further withdraw - only exacerbates the problem." - Chris Lasch
This morning I woke up to find a FB friend request from Alex. I got so excited that he possibly, probably, maybe, potentially didn't look down on me for my high as a kite episode that I texted Vienna. I want to tell you the conversation word by word, but I''ll just sum it up for you... She felt guilty she wasn't there 100% for me and thought I didn't want to talk to her ever again. How about that? And I spent 4 days hiding from them... and from myself like an ostrich. We are social animals. We cannot live in isolation.
I'm looking for magazines to subscribe to. I want celebrity gossip, psychology, tech reviews, and possibly business.
This morning I woke up to find a FB friend request from Alex. I got so excited that he possibly, probably, maybe, potentially didn't look down on me for my high as a kite episode that I texted Vienna. I want to tell you the conversation word by word, but I''ll just sum it up for you... She felt guilty she wasn't there 100% for me and thought I didn't want to talk to her ever again. How about that? And I spent 4 days hiding from them... and from myself like an ostrich. We are social animals. We cannot live in isolation.
I'm looking for magazines to subscribe to. I want celebrity gossip, psychology, tech reviews, and possibly business.
Monday, January 3, 2011
High Like a Rock Star
NYE was a disaster. Not for anybody else, only for me. Fortunately, I only knew two people at the party. Unfortunately, they were Alex and Vienna. I had no idea they were friends so oh, well... surprise! The party was at the roof of Alex's apartment building. They must've been so embarrassed by me. I don't even know if I should contact them on FB or text them. There is no way I'm calling them, but I'm open to suggestions on what to do. Here's the story and my opinion on what happened...
The reason why alcohol is more fun is because you lose the ability to differentiate right and wrong. Weed sucks! You realize everything that's going on, you know it's wrong, you know you look silly but cannot help it.
I got so high, it felt like I was going from one dimension to another. It felt like as soon as I had a thought I would move to a different reality where the thought would be playing out in front of me in slow motion. I couldn't feel parts of my body, like I would lick my lips and couldn't feel them. I was so vulnerable and scared, like a little girl lost in a mall. I was having hallucinations, visual and auditory, but not kinesthetic. I found out that if I reached for something and couldn't touch it, I was hallucinating. The only way for me to recognize reality was through my sense of touch, and the only way to stay in the present moment was by moving my feet and feeling the ground underneath. People love smoking weed, so I don't know why it turned into such a horrible experience for me.
The noises around me were distorted. I would see people talking and hear gargling noise coming out of their mouths. I started walking just to stay in the moment and walked into a bathroom. I felt so sorry for the person looking at me from the mirror, my pale skin and smeared eyeliner made me look like a ghost. God had given me a healthy body and this is how I was showing my gratitude, by abusing it and intoxicating it? I felt so pathetic I wanted to cry but only for a moment, then the realities changed again. I was vulnerable, out of control, among people I didn't even know, in a place I had never been to. I was all by myself, alone and lonely. Where did Vienna go? I asked Vienna to hold my hand and not let go until I was home and safe. Where was she? Did anybody care for me? I tried to drink water to speed up the detox process but noticed no difference.
I walked out of the bathroom, and there was Vienna, some other people, and Alex. I grabbed Alex's hand and said, "Please, don't let go of my hand. No matter what. Take me away from these people and please, don't let go of me." After what seemed like an eternity, we were sitting on a bed. "You are fine now. You can let go of my hand." "No, please don't let go of me." He turned off the light and we crashed on the bed holding hands like children. I remember opening my eyes in a light room hearing Alex's voice but when I tried to squeeze his hand, I couldn't feel it. I was hallucinating. Then I would open my eyes and I was in a dark room with Alex sleeping next to me. I could feel his hand under mine and would feel an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude.
Finally, I woke up in the morning and felt like myself again. Alex and I were spooning. Mr. Pretty Boy was a gentleman and a true friend, no doubt about it.
The reason why alcohol is more fun is because you lose the ability to differentiate right and wrong. Weed sucks! You realize everything that's going on, you know it's wrong, you know you look silly but cannot help it.
I got so high, it felt like I was going from one dimension to another. It felt like as soon as I had a thought I would move to a different reality where the thought would be playing out in front of me in slow motion. I couldn't feel parts of my body, like I would lick my lips and couldn't feel them. I was so vulnerable and scared, like a little girl lost in a mall. I was having hallucinations, visual and auditory, but not kinesthetic. I found out that if I reached for something and couldn't touch it, I was hallucinating. The only way for me to recognize reality was through my sense of touch, and the only way to stay in the present moment was by moving my feet and feeling the ground underneath. People love smoking weed, so I don't know why it turned into such a horrible experience for me.
The noises around me were distorted. I would see people talking and hear gargling noise coming out of their mouths. I started walking just to stay in the moment and walked into a bathroom. I felt so sorry for the person looking at me from the mirror, my pale skin and smeared eyeliner made me look like a ghost. God had given me a healthy body and this is how I was showing my gratitude, by abusing it and intoxicating it? I felt so pathetic I wanted to cry but only for a moment, then the realities changed again. I was vulnerable, out of control, among people I didn't even know, in a place I had never been to. I was all by myself, alone and lonely. Where did Vienna go? I asked Vienna to hold my hand and not let go until I was home and safe. Where was she? Did anybody care for me? I tried to drink water to speed up the detox process but noticed no difference.
I walked out of the bathroom, and there was Vienna, some other people, and Alex. I grabbed Alex's hand and said, "Please, don't let go of my hand. No matter what. Take me away from these people and please, don't let go of me." After what seemed like an eternity, we were sitting on a bed. "You are fine now. You can let go of my hand." "No, please don't let go of me." He turned off the light and we crashed on the bed holding hands like children. I remember opening my eyes in a light room hearing Alex's voice but when I tried to squeeze his hand, I couldn't feel it. I was hallucinating. Then I would open my eyes and I was in a dark room with Alex sleeping next to me. I could feel his hand under mine and would feel an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude.
Finally, I woke up in the morning and felt like myself again. Alex and I were spooning. Mr. Pretty Boy was a gentleman and a true friend, no doubt about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)