Magnitude 5.9 Hits Philippines

Just recently a magnitude 5.9 earthquake was registered in Luzon. The epicenter was believed to be in Olongapo and was being felt through the neighboring towns of Cabanatuan stretching through Metro Manila. For more details please refer to the following sites.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc00053yd.php

Always prepare ourselves for this kind of situation.

Identify Safe Places Indoors and Outdoors

• Under sturdy furniture such as a heavy desk or table.
• Against an inside wall.
• Away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures, or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over.
• In the open, away from buildings, trees, telephone and electrical lines, overpasses, or elevated expressways.

 Educate Yourself and Family Members

• Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on earthquakes. Also read the "How-To Series" for information on how to protect your property from earthquakes.
• Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
• Teach all family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water.

Details regarding the Earthquake:

Magnitude 5.9 Hits Luzon Philippines

Date/Time: Monday, July 25, 2011 at 17:15:41 UTC

    Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 01:15:41 AM at epicenter

    Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location: 14.970°N, 120.119°E

Depth: 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program

Distances:24 km (14 miles) NW of Olongapo, Luzon, Philippines

54 km (33 miles) WSW of Angeles, Luzon, Philippines

102 km (63 miles) WNW of MANILA, Philippines

108 km (67 miles) WSW of Cabanatuan, Luzon, Philippines

Hungry Ghost Festival 2011 falls on 31 July 2011 to 28 August 2011

Hungry Ghost festival in fact originated from China, thinking it has lost authority in many parts of China. The Chinese have followed the ritual of the Ghost Festival since the Liang Dynasty in 502 BC. It was then evolved in to the current Zhogyuan Celebration.

Pigs, chicken, ducks, sheep, cakes and fruits are adorned by households on the altar approach after noon. On every sacrifice, the high priest puts a triangular paper of three colors with special characters on the sacrificed objective. After which, the high priest will ring a bell to call back the souls and monks will sing chimes of incantations. Then the Buddhist high priest will toss the rice and peach offerings into the air to share out to the souls.

In Hong Kong; believers of the festival blaze paper notes of “money” printed with various denominations and make other offerings to tranquil the restless spirits of their ancestors that is wandering during this time.

Ghosts haunt on the entire island during the seventh lunar month was admired in Taiwan. The first day of the celebration was inaugurated by the opening of the gate of a temple which symbolizes the gates of hell. All the lamps on the main altar are lit during the twelfth day of the festival. On the thirteenth day, a march of lanterns is held. A procession is held for releasing water lanterns is done during the fourteenth day of the festival; at some point in the duration, incense and various foods are being offered and spirit paper money is burnt in order to please the wandering spirits.

Malaysia celebrates the Ghost Festival 2011 with a rather modernized interweave. Live performances and concerts spread out around the countries’ major cities, thus making it exceptional and stand out among the other countries that celebrate the same festival.

Singapore Hungry Ghost Festival 2011 will be celebrated in similar manner with Malaysia Hungry Ghost Festival. Live shows, called getai or “theater of songs” is held in the various towns in the city state of Singapore.

American Pie Adobo

Have you ever tried to make a twist with the adobo recipe?  Adobo is an authentic Filipino dish and one of the mostly recognized Filipino foods. Not to be flawed with Mexican adobo, Adobo dish is uniquely prepared by stewing chicken in vinegar and soy sauce. Well here's a mouth watering recipe that you will surely enjoy. It’s American Pie Adobo!

American Pie Adobo

CRUST (recipe makes one double crust):

1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces

2 1/2 cups white flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening

8 tbsp. ice water

Calculate the flour, sugar and salt together.  Mix to combine.

Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the basin. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife.  Don't over mix them.

Put in the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, and then divide in half. 

Roll out each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour.

Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that's about 12 inches in diameter.

Put the circle in a 9" pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife (parents only). Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.

Add filling (see below)

Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top.  Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together.  Cut a couple slits in the top.

FILLING

1/2 kilo pork cut in cubes + 1/2 kilo chicken, cut into pieces or

Choice of either 1 kilo of pork or 1 kilo of chicken

1 head garlic, minced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup vinegar

2 cups of water

 Teaspoon paprika

 Laurel leaves (bay leaves)

Cooking oil or olive oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons water

In a big sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil then sauté minced garlic and onions.

Add the pork and chicken to the pan. Add 2 cups of water, 1/4 mug of soy sauce, vinegar, paprika and the bay leaves. Get to a boil. Cover and seethe for 30 minutes or when meat is tender.

Take out the pork and chicken from the sauce pan and on another pan, heat cooking oil and brown the pork and chicken for a few minutes.

Combine the browned pork and chicken back to the sauce and put in cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken.

Add salt and/or pepper if desired

Bring to a boil then seethe for an additional 5 minutes.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Try to keep the chicken adobo size of the slices even.

Pour chicken adobo into pastry-lined pie plate.

Dot it with margarine.

Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.

OPTIONAL:  Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning.

Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Do's and Donts during Hungry Ghost Month

According to feng shui and  Queen of Feng Shui Marites Allen, the attitude one must have is simply, “There’s no loss in trying.” The Hungry Ghost Month happens every seventh lunar month of the year. This is the time when yin (the dark energy) is a stronger than yang. Because of this imbalance in which yin dominates, ghosts and local spirits feel comfortable and wander around on earth. These roaming hungry ghosts cause misfortune by feeding on people’s energies and fears.
The Hungry Ghost Month is also the Asian equivalent of Halloween in Western cultures. Meanwhile, the Hungry Ghost Day falls on the 13th of August. On this day, the Chinese believe that the Gates of Hell will open and release more hungry ghosts.Feng shui believers or not, Allen advises the public to take extra care during this time.
People should avoid activities that involve negative energies because of the excessive yin energies in the surrounding. Examples of these activities are attending wakes or funerals, visiting the sick, or even wearing black.
Major decisions in life like opening businesses, getting married, buying or moving into a new house, and getting medical operations or procedures must also be avoided.
Everyday activities like going out late at night, swimming and traveling should be lessened if not dropped altogether.
And because hungry ghosts and local spirits roam freely during the Hungry Ghost Month, they easily feed on people’s energies and fears unless appeased properly.
“It is believed that hungry ghosts are ghosts of people that have not found everything they need to survive in the afterlife. If someone passes on, but does not have enough food, water, shelter and other material things, it will come back into the world of the living to scare people and feed off their energy and fear.The goal is to appease the hungry ghosts. To do so, you have to feed them. Ghosts and spirits eat through their nostrils, which is why they can only feed through smell. This, she added, explains why burning incense is better than food offerings. Moreover, incense purifies the air, as well as dissolves bad energies and transforms them into good energies.
So as not to attract hungry ghosts, make sure that homes, offices and closed places are well lighted. Allen advised to open windows and doors and let natural light and wind to come through. Making the whole environment bright and lively will fend off the hungry ghosts.
Lastly, people can also stay protected by wearing lucky amulets. Pendants or accessories with the “hum” symbol are powerful defense against hungry ghosts. Hum is a Buddhist mantra that represents the trinity of heaven, earth and mankind. “You can even chant under your breath ‘Hum, hum, hum’ when you feel in danger.”
Ghost Month 2011 falls on Sunday, 31 July 2011 to Sunday, 28 August 2011. The2011 hungry ghost festival falls on Sunday, 14 August 2011.

Full Moon Aliases: July Full moon is Thunder Moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent (ecliptic) longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.

Long time ago; the tribes kept track of the seasons by giving unique names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the whole month in which each occurred.

July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also frequently called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon and for the Chinese this is the start of the Hungry Ghost Moon.

For the list of Full Moon names please see list below:

Chinese

January:            Holiday Moon   

February:          Budding Moon  

March:              Sleepy Moon    

April:                 Peony Moon     

May:                 Dragon Moon    

June:                Lotus Moon      

July:                 Hungry Ghost Moon

August:             Harvest Moon

September:       Chrysanthemum Moon

October:            Kindly Moon

November:         White Moon

December:        Bitter Moon

Celtic

January:            Quite Moon      

February:          Moon of Ice      

March:              Moon of Winds 

April:                 Growing Moon  

May:                 Bright Moon      

June:                Moon of Horses

July:                 Moon of Claiming

August:             Dispute Moon

September:       Singing Moon

October:            Harvest Moon

November:         Dark Moon

December:        Cold Moon

Neo Pagan

January:            Ice Moon          

February:          Snow Moon      

March:              Death Moon      

April:                 Awakening Moon          

May:                 Grass Moon     

June:                Planting Moon  

July:                 Rose Moon

August:             Lightening Moon

September:       Harvest Moon

October:            Blood Moon

November:         Tree Moon

December:        Long Night Moon

Angry Birds Online

These were the common words in most of the offices nowadays. It's all about the well played game called Angry Bird.

The survival of the Angry Birds is at risk. Dish out vengeance on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles.

But what happens when everybody’s favorite fierce fowl get caged and shipped to Rio? They get very angry!

In Angry birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio de Janeiro, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to to save their friends, Blue and jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, Rio. Angry Birds Rio will pair the physics-based game play of the original game with unique twists based on the film.

Angry Birds Rio features:

- Two fantastic episodes with 60 exciting levels!

- Completely new achievements!

- Special Hidden fruits - discover them all!

- Put your Angry Birds skills to the ultimate test in a spectacular boss fight!

The most exciting of avian adventures continues! Help the Angry Birds to free their friends and defeat the evil smugglers!

Angry Birds features hours of game play, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 120 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy.

Protect wildlife or play Angry Birds!

For downloads please refer to these sites:

http://www.brothersoft.com/mobile/angry-birds-rio-download-84545.html

For online game:

http://www.angrybirdsriogame.com/play/angry-birds-online/

NASCAR Bats

NASCAR is one of the most viewed professional sports in terms of television ratings in the United States. In fact, professional football is the only sport in the United States to hold more viewers than NASCAR. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries.

NASCAR drivers coming to Kentucky next week will be hit with a Louisville tradition.

The Sprint Cup series is really like the big league of auto racing, and a better gift for the folks associated with this race than the official bat of the major leagues, and it's such an important event coming to Kentucky as well according to the executive director of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.

More than 300 special-edition NASCAR Louisville Slugger bats were rolled out of the Slugger factory. They feature the logo for the inaugural Sprint Cup race at the Kentucky Speedway, which takes place July 9. The bats have the names of the drivers they'll be given to engraved on the side.

Along with drivers, official team members and executives will be given the special bats. They will not be sold to the public.

Surely these will be most collectables this season. 

Snail Cream: New beauty product

Snails are very slow moving creatures and most people find them to be boring. Korean cosmetics companies are now touting snail guts as the new heaven-sent ingredient for skin care. Creams containing large amounts of snail extract have been selling fast in Seoul. The latest beauty trend to hit Korea and it may be the grossest yet.

As snails move they leave behind slime. This slime is like a powerful form of suction for them. This is why they are even able to move upside down. It is a myth that this type of slime is going to make humans ill. Many people worry that snails being in their garden will ruin the foods grown there and make them unfit for consumption but that is all false. Snail extract soothes regenerates and heals skin. Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream contains 70 percent snail extract; the same kind that can be found on menus in French restaurants, are fed red ginseng while being raised in Korea in order to ensure quality slime.

 The snail cream is so sticky she has to slap it onto her face with a spoon.  Korean's desire for good skin outweighs potential icky factors. Adding a K-Pop idol advertisement into the mix helps make the case.

Now it’s the top grosser in the beauty product line in Korea and will soon hit the world market. It is believed that there are at least 200,000 species of mollusks out there including snails. Many of them haven’t been found and classified yet.

Always Be a Blessing to Others

For the pass few months GOD had been showing me wonders in life; teaching me new virtues to enhance and scenarios to live in a Christian way.

One of the secrets to a happy and blessed life is serving others. There is so much to giving that one's life can be made complete. We must not always think about what we can get. We must think about how we can give.

Have you ever thought about being a blessing to others?

A friend of mine Harvy; taught me years ago to do blogging but this is one skill that needs more responsibility. Here I can share my views of reaching out to my friends and readers how I feel and how GOD tries to renew me everyday.

Would you say you have everything you need in life? Have you ever thought about being a blessing to others?

On my end, Harvy had been a blessing on me. If you are retired or retiring don't just sit around being idle, use this as an opportunity to share with others what you know.

But I know GOD sometimes put you on a test, recently while preparing for our small street vending business of street foods, there's a young man barefooted and was collecting bottles and plastics from which he can benefit from it. I do have a soft spot for these people whose daily living is collecting plastic bottles and other profitable things out of rubbish. I told that person to everyday he can collect bottle from me. So he did, I just simply collect the bottle from my neighbors and then give i to him in the morning. In my own little way I can be a blessing to him. But it seems that GOD talked to me, if you are helping the person why not help him with all of your effort. It might be a blessing in my end since I need manpower to our small business, that is then I invited the young man to worked with us and help us for an exchange of a decent place to sleep at night, a meal to share with and to elevate his living and earn some money.

 Giving does not necessarily mean money or material things. It's the belief that this person can change and also shares the blessing that GOD had been giving me because those were the same thing that my brother and circle of friends were giving me. With all that in mind, giving to others your knowledge and skills is one great way of deriving satisfaction in your life. As well as believing that he can uplift his way of living is an achievement that I can give that person.So becomes a blessing to someone, for you'll never know; maybe someday he might be the person to stand as a witness in front of the LORD. 

Mayor Punched The Sheriff

In the Philippines, there had been news regarding a City Mayor that punches sheriff thrice over demolition of shanties.

The Mayor punched the Sheriff not once, but thrice, a court sheriff for insisting on demolishing houses inside a contested property.As the Sheriff was hit in the left eye and was explaining to the Mayor that he was just implementing a court order when the mayor threw two more punches that landed on his face.

According to the sources the Mayor asked the demolition team anew to stay the execution of the court order for two more hours but the Sheriff refused.So the Mayor rushed on the site and asked "Where is he? Where is the sheriff?" The Sheriff visibly scared approached the Mayor who immediately flung her fist.

The Sheriff was shocked, tried to explain he was just implementing an order issued by the Judge of the Regional Trial Court's.The Mayor threw two more punches that all landed on the Sheriff's face.

The sheriff was immediately rushed to a hospital after the incident.

"I was only asking for two hours. Two hours. Why can't you give that to us? Why do you insist on serving the notice? Do you think the residents will just allow you to demolish their houses without them giving out a fight?" The Mayor said.

It was only in the Philippines that the status of being a Sheriff was degraded while in other Country a Sheriff takes a very responsible and respected position. A dog gets proper rights and attention from the Pet Society and media because of maltreatment but that Sheriff was not being backed-up by the Supreme Court of the Philippines instead Philippine Sheriffs take an image of Antagonist when the truth of the matter was that he was just implementing an order issued by the Judge of the Regional Trial Court. Why is this happening? No one fight for the rights of the Sheriff here in the Philippines? It's odd.

For the Video refer to this Link :

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/she-punched-the-sheriff.html?cmtnav=/mwphucmtgetnojspage/headcontent/article/a3f18925-239e-3940-98cc-bae597cfd826//num_rating_up/desc/721/0&mwp_success=NONJS_POST_SUCCESS#mwpphu-post-form

Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day is fêted on July 1st across the country. July 1st marks the anniversary of the creation of the union of the British North America provinces in a alliance under the name of Canada - that's the nominal explanation, but Canada Day also means fireworks and the year's biggest national party. The Canada Day holiday is akin to the U.S. July 4th festivity but on a more Canadian scale.

Schools, banks, government offices and many other stores and businesses are closed on .Call ahead to restaurants, stores and tourist attractions to verify Canada Day hours.

Typically, Canada Day celebrations incorporate parades, fireworks, barbecues and other get-togethers. Check local tourist sites or the Government of Canada list of Canada Day celebrations.

In Quebec, Canada Day is not celebrated as fervently as in the rest of the country. Federal offices, schools, banks are closed but many populace in Quebec appear at July 1st as "moving day," as this date has been historically the end of lease agreements. So if you have agreements it will end on this day.

Visitors other than the U.S. have always needed a passport to enter Canada. On the other hand, because of a friendly boundary crossing agreement between Canada and the United States, Canada Border Services did not want U.S. citizens to present a passport to enter Canada. This friendly boundary crossing agreement used to be mutual; however, now the WHTI requires that U.S. citizens have a passport to return home. In this way, passport requirements for Canada and U.S.borders are different on paper, but, are in practice, the same. Canada will not allow a U.S. citizen into the country that does not have the proper documentation to return home.

See below for a listing all the national public holidays in Canada

Aug 1-    First Monday of August Civic Holiday: celebrated by most provinces.

Sept 5-   Labors Day (first Mon. of Sept.)

Oct 10- Thanksgiving Day (2nd Mon of Oct)

Nov 11-Remembrance Day (banks and government offices closed, but most business & schools open)

Dec 25 -Christmas Day

Dec 26 -Boxing Day (most stores open)