Body Mysteries Explained

1. What causes goose bumps?

Goose bumps (scientific name: piloerection) pop up when you're cold or afraid. A tiny muscle at the base of each body hair contracts; together, they appear as naked bumps on the flesh. They made sense eons ago, when humans still had a natural "fur coat." Back then, fluffing your ruff would warm the body by trapping an insulating layer of air between the hairs. And standing your hair on end was intimidating to predators or enemies (picture a cat facing off with a dog). Evolution has since stripped humans of their pelts. Now goose bumps are, of course, no medical issue. If you're uncomfortable showing off your vestigial physiognomy, dress warmly, place yourself in calm environments, and avoid horror flicks.

2. Why does chopping onions make you tear up?

When you cut into an onion, you rupture its cells, releasing enzymes that produce a gas called propanethial sulfoxide. Once that gas reaches your eyes, it reacts with tears to produce a mild sulfuric acid. And that hurts. The brain then signals the eyes' tear glands to produce more liquid to flush the stuff out. The more you chop, the more irritating gas you produce and the more tears you shed. "The onion's chemical reaction is a defense mechanism that evolved to repel pests," explains University of Wisconsin-Madison horticultural professor Irwin Goldman, Ph.D. Keep the stinging and crying to a minimum by chilling an onion in the freezer before cutting it; cold temperatures slow release of the enzymes. The highest concentration of enzymes is at the bottom of the onion, so cut it last to postpone the weeping (and the irritation) for as long as possible.

3. Why do your joints crack?

The most common type of joint in the human body is the diarthrodial joint—knuckles and shoulders are examples—in which two bones come together in a capsule. Inside that joint capsule is a lubricant called synovial fluid, which contains dissolved gases. When you stretch the joint, you're actually compressing it and the fluid within, forcing those nitrogen-rich gases to escape the synovial solution. The release of "air" within the joint capsule is what you hear as a "pop." Once the gas is released, the joint is a bit more flexible (enabling you to go a little further in a yoga pose, for example). But you've probably noticed that you can't immediately crack the same joint again. That's because the gases released in a pop must first reabsorb into the fluid, a process that takes 15 to 30 minutes. If you habitually crack your knuckles to relieve tension, try concentrating on your breath for 30 seconds instead. Knuckle cracking doesn't lead to arthritis, but it can lead to decreased grip strength.

4. What makes your eyelid twitch?

This annoyingly common condition is known as eyelid myokymia. Not a lot is known about eye twitches, which are more likely to occur in the lower eyelid than in the upper, though they're probably caused by the misfiring of a nerve. But experts know that fatigue, stress, and caffeine all increase the likelihood of the pesky twitching. So do eyestrain, poor nutrition, excessive alcohol intake, and allergies. Fortunately, eye twitching is almost always benign and usually goes away by itself. To put an end to a bout of the eye flutters, cut down on coffee and alcohol and give your eyes—and your whole body—a good night's rest.

5. Is it true that your ears grow throughout life?

Yes, the outer ears do. Starting at birth, the ears are, proportionally, the body's largest feature, with a Spock-like prominence. They grow rapidly until about age 10, then slow to the languid pace of about 0.22 millimeter per year, according to a study by Britain's Royal College of General Practitioners. Other studies show that the earlobe itself also lengthens throughout life (men have longer lobes than women). However, the size of the ear canal, which is formed by bone and cartilage, does not increase into old age.

6. What causes the feeling of "pins and needles"?

Called paresthesia, pins and needles are caused by blocked blood flow to a pressed nerve. If you sit too long in an awkward position—or even just with your legs crossed—you may press hard enough on a nerve to interrupt its signaling to the brain, causing your feet, for example, to "fall asleep," or go numb. This is not the same as a pinched nerve, a longer-lasting condition that occurs when a part of the body, swollen because of injury or misalignment, applies steady pressure on a nerve. Paresthesia is usually felt in the extremities—hands, feet, and ankles. That crazy-making prickly sensation is the resumption of pain messages to the brain. Simply changing your position is almost always enough to allow the nerve to resume communication. But prickly feelings more rarely can be symptoms of diseases as diverse and serious as diabetes, lupus, and MS. If your pins and needles don't resolve quickly with a change of body position, see a doctor.

7. Why are there rings or halos around lights when you drive at night?

This phenomenon falls under the category of "spherical aberration"—just one of several examples of how the human eye is optically imperfect. In daylight, the pupil narrows to a very small opening, allowing light to hit the very center of the lens. At night, when the pupil dilates dramatically to allow maximum light to enter, your eye is using a much larger swath of its lens to see. "The farther out on the lens you go, the less perfect the optics are," says Duffner. "And as you get off center, those light rays won't be focused to the center of the eye." You see circles, well, because your lens is round. Almost everyone sees these rings, and if you've always seen them, you're probably just fine, he says. But halos can also be caused by opacities in the lens—a sign of cataracts. So if seeing halos is new to you, see a doctor for a cataract exam.

Taken from MSN.com

Ang Itim na Taong Kandila sa QUIAPO

Happy New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

January is about to end I haven't updated my blog yet....I was thinking what to write when last Sunday I was in Quiapo to attend Sunday Mass saw this black candle sold in quiapo.

It as a cool Sunday afternoon kahit dami tao sa loob ng simbahan. My friend was late kaya I styed inside untill the mass ended. My friend was outside in front of the giant screen pala.

We were in front of the candle vendor standing while he was listening to the readings while I was looking at a bundle of candles in various colors and reading the prayersattached to it. I bought a bundle for 20 pesos. We were still waiting in front of the candle stand when an elderly woman came and ask for a black candle in a shape of a man. We became currious and we listened to their conversation.

Then I looked at the piece of papaer where the meaning of the candles was posted. Black candle is for conscience. The woman was given instructions by the vendor what to do with the candle and when to light it. It seems that woman wanted to wanted to awkaen the consciene of the person who owed her money but did not pay. Hmmmm kakatakot pala.......Sana bayaran siya. Is this true?

I hope the credit card companies would not resort to such methods...hehehehehehe

LOVE

"Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us.
When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us.
When we try to understand it, it leaves us felling lost and confused."

From: The Zahir
Paolo Coelho

A Night To Remember

Nove 20, 2008 a night I consider "A Night To Rember. A friend from the San Agustine Museum invited me to watch the 5th Internation Music Festival of the San Agustine Museum. It was a 3-night event featuring different artists from the Basque Country. I was with a friend the night before and the artista were a renowned Spanish organist and an Spanish Tenor and a Pinoy trumpetter, a former member of the Phil. Philharmonic Orchestra. They performed classical Spanish pieces.

And on the last night hey still have 3 artists doing different pieces this time. The second half of the concert was the Phillipine Philharmonic Orchestra. I came alone because my friends are busy. I have to watch them because it's an opportunity I cannot miss. The PPO performing live for free in an intimate venue.

The performance was world class. The audience were glued the to ther performance. it was world class. Ang galing ng PINOY! BRAVO!

The audience wanted more and they gave one last performance. AMAZING!

Then umuwi na kami kasi malayo pa uwian at gutom na.

TechnoPhobia

"Ayaw ko ng cell phone, ayaw ko ng computer"... that is what my dearest tita always said everytime we tell her that its time for her to know how to use the cell phone and computer. My tita frequently travels from LA to Manila....she is very much a senior citizen. :).. Although she has stayed several years inthe US, she has maintained her simple life style.

When she buys an airline ticket, she does not want an e-ticket. When she calls my other tita it is always by landline....but during her last visit we tried to convince her again to buy a cell phone just in case she gets lost in the mall or in the LRT and its cheaper calling our realtives in the province.. but she was firm on her decision not to be bothered with the latest technology. She went back to LA ...

But after a month she came back to Manila and an unfortunate incident happened on her way to Manila. The flight was cancelled. My other tita in the US called us that the flight was cancelled and they cannot locate where she is and on what flight the passengers were accomodated...We were all worried about her.

I met her at the airport alone for the late arrival of a special flight. Then she asked bakit ako lang at wala yung iba.... I told her, It's because we are not sure what flight she will be in... She realized that if only she knew how to use a cell phone and have cell phone, she could have called us to inform us the status of her travel...thank God she was safe.

The first thing she did the next day was to go to Mall of Asia, and we bought the cheapest Nokia phone for her to work on... and she was so happy that she now knew how to make a call and realized that it was that easy....and she was happy.

The next challenge for us will be to teach here how to TEXT...hehehehe masakit daw sa ulo dami pinipindot....but we ask our 6-year old nephew to teach her how to text becasue they have the same cp model...

That is how my Tita conquered her phobia.

A Day with Mr. Blogger - Jayvee Fernandez of abuggedlife.com

I've been planing to create a blog.... but it has remained a plan for along time....i planned to have one after my birthday... but still did not have one..... not until this very important day....

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, sponsored a Trainer's Training for all OWWA-Microsoft "TULAY" project instructors. It is a 3-day training covering several topics to further improve the skills of the instructors. The first topic was on blogging.

BLOGGING!..... My first reaction was wow at last I can now create a blog. The speaker was Mr. Jayvee Fernandez, one of the top bloggers in the country, who has used blogging to its full potential.

Jayvee, the owner of the famous blog, abuggedlife.com shared his knowledge about blogging and using it to express ourselves, influence people, use blogging for business, meet people, and other lots of uses of blogging. Every minute of the workshop was so interesting.

WHATS NEXT.......

As a trainer for the IT Project, I'll pass on the knowledge and skills from the training to the class that I would be handling. Although it would not be an instant success, it would the start of the road to success for everyone. I hope that through blogging our OFW brothers and sisters will have hope for a better life after years of working abroad....opportunity for greatness...as what Jessica Zafra has said, the Filipinos can achieve world domination though our domestic helpers....now the Filipinos can conquer the world through BLOGGING...

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF BLOGGING...