Health & Home (May-June 2016)

From short-term changes to a lifestyle overhaul More Subic attractions for the adventurous

Bacteria silently at work

Health & Home May-June 2016

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CONTENTS

May-June 2016

6 What Can a 70-year-old Father Do?

By Francis B. De Castro

How a widower at 57 single-handedly raised eight young children

8 MacGyver in Action

Ryan J. Martinez

Troubleshooting life’s annoying situations using simple household items

11 Who’s Paying for the Wedding

The benefits of relying on your own savings

14 When Life Is Dark and Dreary

By Marlo Schalesky

A child finds comfort in Mommy

18 Blessings in Disguise

More than the crunch and the thirst-quenching punch

By Evelyn V. Almocera

In just a matter of four hours

ABOUT THE COVER

34 When God Made the Eyes

By Rowena R. Antemano

The complex organ that evolution cannot explain

By Lillieth A. Garcia

When to worry about vaginal discharge

38 Dieting Dos and Don’ts

20 Singkamas: Summer’s Savory Snack

How to help your trusted photographer

Ramon Uy, Sr. rises from the brink of bankruptcy to success and advocacy

By Arlene May G. Corpus

By Vinz B. Matias

36 Feminine Care

By Leren D. Bernardino

32 Rice Poisoning

By Rose Fres Fausto

29 Secrets to Stunning Wedding Photos

By Sue Radd

Starting with: Should you diet or not?

39 Dealing With Difficult Teachers

By Lucile B. Tañalas

It’s really not as hard as taming a dragon

22 Zambales: “JEST” for Fun and Adventure

By Christian L. Sangoyo

41 Shabby but Chic Look

Subic’s jungle masters, “Supermen,” and “Hunger Games”

By Czarina V. Budayao

Old but new, new but old

Coming Up...  Aratiles: Sweet, Healthy, Abundant, and Free  Healthy Joints Matter Most  When God Made the Ears  Balingoan: Underwater Paradise  Why Do People Come in Different Colors?  Weekend Weight Crunch  A 45-year-old Couple Asks About Improving FQ  If Marriage Were an F150 Photos in this issue are by rogeRGSabio unless credited otherwise.

44 The Gift of Rest

26 Honoring My Mother: Sometimes It Takes an Army

Conscious about looking like a celebrity on your wedding day?

Get tips straight from a soughtafter wedding photographer on page 29. Vinz B. Matias of Rockin’ Photographers also shares with us his portfolio, starting with our cover—Jon and Apple Caplis who tied the knot last December.

By Jan Coates

By John T. Baldwin, L. James Gibson, and Jerry D. Thomas

When I almost ran over my mother

God took a break so we also could

Cover photo by Vinz B. Matias

Columns 3 Editorial

By Lucile B. Tañalas

17 Consult Your Lawyer

42 Food for the Family

By Silvino L. Sumagaysay, Jr.

The Power of Passion and Purpose Real Estate and Chattel 4 iContact Mortgage

Compiled by Dexter O. Quiñones 28 Echoes of Life 10 Personal Answers

By Ryan J. Martinez

By Arnold C. Serra

Hail to the Queen

I Am Jobless 40 Subscribers Section 16 Dear Doctor

By Ryan J. Martinez

By Linda L. Varona Dependable Buddy

Swimmer’s Ear

By Miriam R. Estrada

Substitution Possibilities 43 Word for the World

By Petronio M. Genebago

Building a Strong Family

in These Challenging Times 46 Children’s Corner

By Janet R. Tolete

Growing and Knowing Plants

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very time I visit my family, I always wish our life was easier, especially for Father. I mean, a little more convenient in everything—more rooms for enjoyment and less time for worries. But life had not been kind to us.

Tatay has been a widower for more than a decade now when our mother succumbed to cancer. Left with no option, he assumed the responsibilities of being a mother and a father to his eight children.

Given little opportunity to get an education and the lack of employment opportunities, raising us must have been very difficult for him. But I am proud of Tatay, As of this writing, despite the hardships of life, he remains strong. I know he will never, ever give up guiding us.

My father is now 70 years old.

What more can he do?

Well, he remains the cornerstone of our home and the bright light that illuminates our life.

Early years

Tatay married late. He was 37 and our mother was 19 when they tied the knot. Like most May-December

Tatay Francisco

With a responsible and passionate father, plus a very loving and equally responsible mother, our family was simply fine. Not until Inay was diagnosed with breast cancer—at just 37. We were crushed!

photos/pixabay.com

By FRANCIS B. DE CASTRO

6 Health & Home

May-June 2016

Blessings in Disguise

By LEREN D. BERNARDINO

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common adage sometimes attributed to Hellen Keller says, “When one door closes, another opens.”

This is the experience of Ramon Uy, Sr. who, after experiencing the horror of bankruptcy, rose to become a blessing in his community.

Following the trade of his father and as an undergrad mechanical engineer, Ramon, as he is fondly called, founded RU Foundry and Machine Shop Corporation in 1974.

The company supplied industrial equipment to well-known sugar milling companies and railways in Negros Province. As Ramon’s industrial business grew, banks gladly granted him huge loans.

His was a booming business until the Asian financial crisis hit him real hard in 1997. His financial problems

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May-June 2016

piled up, to the extent that his loans soared up to 38 percent interest.

He found himself on the brink of bankruptcy.

SHREDDERS TO THE RESCUE Accustomed to hard work and persistence, Ramon used what little finances he had to start a new business.

“His shredders saved him from bankruptcy,” shared Aladino Moraca, his friend.

“It started when a farmer asked him to fix his shredder. Ramon could not fix it, however, because some parts were not available in the local market. He decided instead to design a shredder made from local parts.

That was in 1999. After almost a year of study and modification, he was able to invent a better shredder.”

So began Ramon’s passion to manufacture and supply different kinds of shredders—for papers, plastic, grass, and biodegradable and nonbiodegradable wastes.

In one of the summits on waste management in Metro Manila, Ramon demonstrated how his shredders work before government officials. After the presentation, officials who were already implementing solid waste management practices— like then Caloocan Mayor Rey Malonzo and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin Abalos— placed large orders. Ramon’s advertisements in the Agriculture Magazine published by Manila Bulletin also attracted more customers.

Secrets to stunning Wedding PHOTOS Text and Photos by VINZ B. MATIAS

Relax.

There will be a lot of folks running to and fro as you get prepped for the wedding.

Just relax. Instead of stressing yourself with your wedding details, trust your wedding suppliers to deliver their respective tasks, and enjoy every bit of every moment.

Wedding Photography n. photography of activities relating to weddings, encompassing photographs of the couple before marriage as well as coverage of the wedding and reception

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edding day! Everyone desires to look their best on this very important day of their lives. Members of the entourage and guests will be dressed to the nines, and there sure will be a lot of cameras—well, all kinds of cameras from smartphones to DSLRs—snapping every moment aiming to immortalize your big day in pictures.

Your photographer would want to capture your day as candidly as possible so that when you wish to revisit the joy of your wedding in the future, your memories can be vivid like they were just yesterday.

Here are some tips to have beautiful and heartfelt wedding pictures!

Be happy.

This should be automatic. A wedding day is a joyous event.

So never hesitate to laugh and smile. Feel free to interact with friends and family. Not only will it brighten everyone’s mood, your photographers will surely be able to capture the genuine happiness of the moment.

Health & Home May-June 2016

29

Rice Poisoning

By EVELYN V. ALMOCERA

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re you aware that eating leftover cooked rice or pasta can cause food poisoning?

Perhaps you have experienced severe vomiting after eating sushi brought from a restaurant. Or, maybe you have heard of news reports of people landing in the hospital due to intense vomiting and abdominal pain after eating spaghetti during a birthday party.

Well, the cause of vomiting may be the stuffing that comes with sushi. But then again, the culprit could be the cooked rice or pasta left at room temperature hours after it has been cooked.

Our common practice is to cook rice in large quantities to save time and effort. Then we leave the rice in the pot at room temperature for several hours. This invites bacteria, called Bacillus cereus, to grow and multiply and produce poisons that can lead to vomiting (30 minutes to 6 hours after eating), abdominal cramps, and diarrhea (6-15 hours later).

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May-June 2016

The silent bacteria

Bacillus cereus, found in uncooked rice, has protected spores that can survive the cooking process. These spores remain dormant in dry rice, but begin to germinate and multiply when water is added.

As cooked rice or pasta is left at room temperature, it produces two kinds of toxins: those that cause diarrhea and those that cause vomiting.

Unfortunately, there is no way of telling if the cooked rice or pasta is contaminated, as these food items do not change their appearance, taste, or smell. Reheating cooked contaminated rice or pasta does not destroy the heat-resistant spores and their toxins nor inactivates the poison. In fact, a moist and warm environment is a very good medium for their growth. B. cereus begins to multiply at temperatures beginning at 30°C and multiplies at a faster rate as temperature goes higher at 55°C. Fried rice may contain higher levels of B. cereus than ordinary cooked rice does, because of the long time it takes after the rice has been cooked and before it is consumed. This is especially true for food providers who serve meals with rice, including fried rice. To save time, most food providers cook the rice a day before or the night before using it for arroz caldo, arroz valenciana, champorado, or fried rice. While the food providers sleep, the B. cereus is awake and continuously multiplying.

CHILDREN’S CORNER

By Janet R. Tolete

Growing and Knowing Plants How Do You Plant Seedless Grapes?

—Joven, 8 years old

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ave you seen your parents or grandparents setting aside the seed of a sweet mango or the seeds of one good papaya so they can plant them later? They do it so you can have your own mango or papaya tree in your backyard.

That way, you won’t have to buy such fruits anymore but simply pick them for free once they are ready to harvest. It is indeed a nice and wise idea.

But what about fruits with no seeds, like grapes as what Joven is curious about?

Planting seeds is not the only way to reproduce plants. So although seedless grapes have no seeds, you can still grow them. You simply use cuttings, which are parts of the plant—from the branch, root, or leaf—that are cut and then planted to grow a new herb, shrub, tree, or, in the case of grapes, a new vine.

How do cuttings grow roots?

When you cut a part of a plant, the stem for example, you wound the plant and activate its healing process. This makes roots grow from the injured part, making it possible for the plant to continue living and growing.

Another interesting thing is that the new plant is actually the same organism as the old one. Thus, plants grown from cuttings are clones of the original plant. They have exactly the same genes.

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Do-It-Yourself: Cut and plant

ould you like to have your own garden at home? If you have one already, you’re quite lucky. Would you like to try growing your own plant?

Here’s a simple experiment you can try with the help of Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa.

Materials • Sweet potato/camote stalks or runners (maybe from a garden or from the wet market or from Mom's leftover stalks when she cooks bulanglang, diningding, or any Filipino stew or soup) • A clear jar or container (plastic or glass) • Water • Pots of soil or a garden bed • Stick Procedure Remove the bottom leaves from the stalks using your hands or fingernails. Leave 1-2 leaves at the top. If you want to plant the stalks right away, see #6.

If you want to see them grow roots, proceed to #2.

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