Lie To Me: My New TV Show Fave

I am recently glued to a new TV series entitled 'Lie To Me' starring Tim Roth as the lead character.

What I like about this show is, it is interesting and it offers the viewers some lessons in reading facial expressions and involuntary triggers from somebody's face to depict emotions of shame, fear, contempt, disgust, anger, pain, disbelief and many more.

Just having Tim Roth on the show is awesome and him being able to play a character who has an amazing skill of reading facial expressions is remarkable.

I am enjoying this show. Definitely.

And even if the show specifically warns the audience that it is a work of fiction, the show for some reason feels so real because of the profound subject--human emotions--as its core theme. Plus, showing clips of famous personalities and even dignitaries depicting the same emotion is really a good selling point to the audience as well.

If you haven't seen it, try watching it. Just be forewarned. You might be glued to this TV show, too.

American Idol: Top 13?

It is definitely a welcomed move. I would rather be entertained by thirteen great singers than a mere twelve great ones.

On the other hand, not one contestant has really separated himself or herself from the bunch by standing out with his/her performance. It's too early to tell, but just basing on the vocals, it is really not that promising.

Tatiana which could have been a good addition to the show for some drama, didn't make it and it is a little disappointing since she definitely can sing. But I agree with Simon. If she sang the same song three times already, what is she trying to say? I mean if you truly have the talent why not seize the moment and prove to the judges after you are given another opportunity to prove your worth, that indeed you deserve a spot in the top 13.

Tatiana! Girl, what were you thinking?

Yoga And Meditation: Essential Life Tool?

I am reminded that I just recently enrolled in yoga and meditation, and with which I have no prior experience or exposure to.

What is my goal?

My main goal is to be able to delimit the effects of today's stress using breathing exercises and control of the mind. Accordingly, it is said that if we are able to master this art then we can tap into a vast source of potential energy which could have positive effects on our lives.

I managed to gather some information which I am happy to share to anyone who maybe looking into practicing yoga and meditation.

What is yoga?

Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word "yug" which means "unity" or "oneness" and basically refers to the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness.

The many benefits of Yoga include:

• relaxing the mind and body
  
• stretching and toning
  
• improving the body's flexibility
  
• helping breathing disorders
  
• improving heart conditions
  
• strengthening the spine
  
• easing back pain
  
• relieving stress or tiredness
  

. . . and more

What is meditation?

It is the mastery of controlling the mind. It is the perfect tool for developing positive emotional health and the key to success in life. The way to achieving this is through perfecting the ability to discipline and refine the mind, body and breath using psycho-physiological tools.

The many benefits of meditation include:

• calming the mind
  
• giving a sense of purpose
  
• balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain
  
• giving perspective and clarity
  
• promoting confidence
  
• soothing the nervous system
  
• improving the memory
  
• improving the body's energy levels
  

This is a very interesting endeavor for me and I am hoping to enjoy the positive effects of this practice in my life.

In this chaotic world, it is essential for us to find a way to channel our negative emotions and mental stress so that we may be able to find a peaceful place within ourselves.

If yoga and meditation will help, then I'm up for it. How about you?

My Take On American Idol Judges: Does It Matter?

After about three good weeks of performance by the top thirty-six contestants, American Idol remained to be truly unpredictable, engaging, brilliant and entertaining by far compared to other TV reality shows.

What I like most about the show aside from seeing raw talent is Simon's ever accurate assessment of every performance. For someone who doesn't really sing, Cowell is unbelievably right on the money every time.

His comments are always painfully necessary to provide a dose of reality check to American Idol wannabes. Less of what Simon does now would be unforgivable. In all honesty, Simon is the one who is able to carry the show with his often brutally jaw-dropping comments to the contestants.

Randy is getting better at it, too. He is able now to say more sensible and truly honest weigh-in on every contestant's performance.

Kara? Cara? She is good as well. She is getting there but sometimes her tempo is off-beat with the other judges' comments. What I notice with her comments is her immediate foresight on how commercially viable a contestant is. This sometimes blinds her of how much talent is laid out on the table compared to the X-factor or the 'it' quality.

Was it necessary to have a fourth judge this year? I don't think it is necessary but a change of pace is always refreshing.

As with Paula, she is there for a reason. She is always the strong pillar upon which every badly shaken contestant can lean on after hearing the other three judges' harsh criticisms. She is the emotional, caring and appreciative aura needed to counter all the brutal energies exchanged after a lousy performance.

Always, Paula's presence is needed to soften each hard blow which some contestants aren't totally prepared for at times.

With the vibe and the atmosphere that the four judges provide now, American Idol has become ever more colorful. A great deal of compliments should go to Ryan Seacrest as well for being great at what he does--hosting.

I'm never short of wonderful expectations for this season's American Idol.

It's always a pleasure to watch this show.

For These Desperate Times: A Few Measures You Could Take

On spending:

1. Use coupons when you shop.

2. Never pay full price for an item.

3. Always prepare a list of things you need to buy before going shopping.

4. Go for what's on sale. Be ready to try other brands.

5. Stay away from mail-in ads and mail-in shopping mags.

On saving:

1. Live below your means.

2. Save at least 20% of your pre-tax earnings.

3. Limit use of credit cards and if you have to, always pay the full amount due each month.

4. Go on a budget and stick to it.

5. Shop less often; shop in bulk.

Earn a little extra on the side:

1. Get a little extra hour of job at snagajob.com.

2. You probably have some stuff you can sell at online sites like amazon.com, ebay.com, etsy.com, half.com.

3. Consider getting a home-based job or business that will cut costs.

4. Ever heard about dropshipping? If you like to do online business without the inventory, this may be a business for you.

5. Are you an authority on a subject? There's a lot of opportunities online, e.g., blogging that may give you a few bucks each month.

Meanwhile the other worthwhile things you can do:

1. Perform CPE (Continuing Professional Education) or get an A+ Certification. There's an ample resource of free study materials online that can help elevate your career.

2. Take care of your health by exercising and dieting. You'll save on medical bills.

3. Support a cause or volunteer for a group. Check out dosomething.org or freerice.org.

4. Spend more time bonding with the family. We could all use a good circle of support in these stressful times.

5. Enjoy the free things in life. Go back to nature and the bounty it offers.

Medical Prognosis...If You're A Pinoy Like Me!

antibody -- you're definitely against everyone

artery -- it is a structured study of fine paintings

benign -- this is what you become after you be eight

bowel -- includes and is limited to the letters A, E, I, O, U

Caesarean section -- a prominent region in Rome

cardiac arrest -- when you are caught stealing someone else's car

cardiology -- an in-depth study of the game of poker playing

critical but stable condition -- when you run out of allowance but you still have enough load in your cell phone for text messaging

critical mass -- the service that politicians attend prior to election day

CT Scan -- something that you do if your cat goes missing

dialysis -- an automated telemarketing strategy

DOA (dead on arrival) -- the state of your electronic gadget upon receipt when you get it from an online thrift store

dilate -- the ability to live longer

enema -- referring to someone who is not your friend

genes -- usually comes in pairs of blue denim

hemorrhagic pancreatitis -- a more sophisticated way of saying 'bangungot'

hemorrhoid -- nasty being from outer space

impotent -- means that you are distinguished

labor pain -- refers to all your work-related stress

lobotomy -- a very unimpressive way of referring to a medical procedure involving the brain; 'lobot' in my dialect actually means 'ass'

organ transplant -- a strategic relocation of your piano

paralyze -- coincidental lies

pathological -- having to do with the paths you take from home to work and vice versa

protein -- when you are in favor of the younger generation

red blood count -- typical if you are one of the descendants of Count Dracula

secretion -- the art of hiding secrets

terminal illness -- a sickness you acquire in one of these locations: airports, pier, train station

tumor -- when you need an extra pair

vital signs -- critical clues to how much your medical bill is gonna be

Spirited Discussion: Decluttering Your Life

Creating a space inside your home could be a daunting task especially if you are the incurable collector of anything and everything under the sun.

But if you ponder on these tips, you might be able to de-clutter your home as well as your life.

1. Get a hold of yourself.

Ask yourself, "Why the clutter?" when the obvious is that if you are organized you'll have more time to enjoy the other things in life. Battle it out with the inner packrat inside of you.

2. Now is the time.

Acknowledge that there will be a hundred tomorrows to come but if you keep on procrastinating, you may end up overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task that you are going to do and you'll end up not doing it, at all. Besides, after time has elapsed, you would have collected more clutter overtime.

3. More means less.

I'll give you a very concrete example. I have two iPods, five cell phones and let us just say about eight hundred other stuff and gadgets (computer stuff, wires, connectors, drives, back-up devices, network adapters and about every utility to enhance my computing life.) What's the real score? I spend more time figuring things out--i.e. troubleshooting (guess this is a better terminology), than actually enjoying the functionality of every device.

4. Less is always more.

Imagine a simple room with just the very basic purposeful amenities inside it. You'll see the actual room layout; appreciate the clean lines; see more of the subtle hues. You'll actually find yourself spending more time in that room, with pleasure and relaxation.

5. Make room for new things.

Out with the old! I always tell my siblings the same thing. Get rid of your old stuff so that you will invite new things to come in. I always tell them jokingly, "If you give away your cell phone, I might be tempted to give to you my smartphone."

If this is a little hard to practice, you can do it the other way. When you get something new, get rid of the old so that you don't accumulate unnecessary, out-of-style, outdated stuff that will eventually pile up as junk.

6. Segregate, now!

--Trash

--To-Go

--Treasure

See your stuff with two eyes. Ask yourself, "For here?" or "To go?". If the stuff is not good to keep 'for here' or not good enough 'to go' to other human beings, then it's trash. Yup, trash is not fit for human consumption!

7. Purging is rewarding to the soul.

Nothing is as refreshing and fulfilling as being able to cleanse your life of old unwanted stuff, be it old soiled material stuff or old nasty habits.

We all need a dose of self-cleaning on a periodic basis to loosen up some tight ends and probably overhaul some worn-out parts and oil up some rusty gears in our life. Periodic self-cleaning actually works with computers!

8. You are dust.

And to dust you shall return! If you are already accumulating too much dust now with the stuff that you have, isn't that clue enough that perhaps you are going to return to dust anytime (I hope not soon enough, knock on wood!).

It's your reality. It's my reality. A hundred years from now, we'll all sit side by side--none better than any other. Yup, you'll be dust. I'll be dust.

A single crap you have now, none you'll take. Duh?

9. Help the planet.

And when I say the planet, I mean the people in it. Do you actually know how many people sleep on the streets with no blankets, on mere cardboard boxes on a cold breezy night?

One time, at past 11 p.m. at a bar-b-q stand in Cebu, a mother was begging for food with a totally unclothed 2-year-old in her arms. The sight of it, crushed my inner being.

Meanwhile, here you were on a different corner of the planet in your warm, cozy bed covered with about fifty-two Swarovski crystal-encrusted blankets. Yup, 52 blankets! How could you?

10. Desperate measures for desperate times.

In this economy, help yourself. Love to shop? Shop in your closet, or in your drawer or in your cabinets. I'm sure you have stuff with tags still in it.

You might find something that you can sell to generate extra funds.

You might also find some old stuff that someone you know may still be able to use for free.

Pass on the savings.

11. If all else fails, reconsider tips 1 to 10!

12. You can still use tip # 11...