• Speaking of Where The Wild Things Are, wowza! I didn’t expect that at all. I was very thrilled, from start to finish, and was quite amused at how the director interpreted the, what, 20-page book(?) into an entire awesome film. It was genius. I really loved it, and I was already expecting a lot ever since I first heard about the movie. It’s one of my most cherished books so it was only right to expect a lot, right? Well, this is a first: finally, a movie that had exceeded my already high expectations.
• I was supposed to drive up to the Rockies for the fall break with friends, but decided to stay home instead. It was fun, actually. I got to write a lot, work on a few drafts for WellWire, and prepare for the busy school week ahead.
• This week was a huge sound trip for me, too. Paolo sent me really awesome tracks from random indie acts, most of which I haven’t heard before. Watched a bit of Punk in London ’77 and reminisced as if I was actually there to witness it all (the 70s, hands down, is my favorite era for rock). Got some great Sonic Youth (and solo Thurston Moore) tracks, again from Paolo, and organized all my chick rock tracks into one comprehensive playlist for some great femme tunage. My iPod is having the best musicgasm ever, that’s for sure.
• The only thing that I’m a bit bummed about is that I’m totally being complacent about my recreational reading. I know that the week has been by far the busiest week ever, but I hate making excuses when it comes to my books. I’m on it, though. I won’t sleep tonight without reading at least 3 chapters off of Dracula.
• I watched High School Musical 3 this afternoon. I heart you Zac Efron (and your unbelievable biceps and abs… they make me shed tears of joy).

Click to join us on Facebook!

It has been almost exactly a month since I joined the WellWire team as a writer, and so far, it’s been awesome. Aside from the fact that I get to write about my biggest passion, I’ve met the most amazing people who are not just super topnotch in their field, but they’re probably the most fun physicians and health care practitioners I’ve ever encountered in the wonderful world of Health 2.0. For instance, if ever you catch us in what Dr. Nishant lovingly calls Virtual Coffee, which are basically our conference calls via Skype to discuss projects and updates, it’s just like hanging out with your friends in a coffee shop, with the added bonus of being productive in the process.

WellWire is largely known for its daily articles and health-inspired Twitter updates, but this week, we’ve decided to rock the wonderful world of Facebook and connect more closely to our followers. So far, it’s been really fun, and I often find myself glued to the computer, waiting for the next update. We had just started using the Discussions tab on our Facebook page, and the feedback has been wonderful. Here’s a little teaser, if you haven’t checked it out yet, or if you haven’t joined – which you must do after reading this post, by the way. Deal? Alright!

Experiences With Food Allergies
Inspired by this article, WellWire Facebook fans have been discussing personal experiences and success with having their children (or themselves) properly diagnosed for food allergies. Different methods of testing, such as the MRT and comprehensive blood testing, are also discussed. Pretty informative, if you ask me.

Breast Cancer Awareness Tips
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we’ve been talking about this article by Dr. Carrie on how to properly feel for those lumps (or non-lumps). What I love about the discussion on Facebook right now is that they mentioned getting your boyfriends and husbands in the mix of breast self-examination. Intriguing, right? Join the discussion and find out what that‘s all about.

Staying Healthy This Cold and Flu Season
Forget Over-the-Counter sneeze quenchers or flu symptom relievers. Have you heard of wei qi? It’s what the Chinese consider the energy system that protects our body from disease. Read this article to learn more about your protective qi. This discussion on Facebook has got to be my favorite one so far, since it’s very timely and informative. I really encourage everyone to check this out.

Another super fun addition to the WellWire Facebook page is the Day In The Life photo series of WellWire authors.

This week, we are featuring co-founder Dr. Igor Schwartzman. Here, he hangs out with his dogs, and beautiful daughter Selene. Click on the image to check out more Day In The Life photos.

Well, what are you waiting for? Come join us!

Those rubber rafts may have kept my fellow Filipinos safe during the flooding,
but what was it, really, that kept them afloat?

Check out WellWire‘s blissful little tribute to the Philippine victims of Typhoon Ketsana to find out: A True Story of Buoyancy and Bliss

Photo from gettyimages

Dear friends,

If you haven’t heard the news yet, my homeland, the Philippines was severely hit by a typhoon (tropical storm Ketsana) last Saturday, 26 September. I have family and a lot of friends back home who were terribly affected by the floods, and I feel very helpless being here when all I want is to book the next flight to Manila and help rebuild homes and lives.

But instead of recoiling in defeat, I’m trying my best to get the word out through my blogs, Twitter and Facebook, and I hope you can help, too. I am reposting the following list of avenues through which we can help from thousands of miles away. Please take the time to read this post, and perhaps if you find a convenient way to help out, it will be so greatly appreciated. Any amount will do — $5 can buy more than a dozen water bottles and even more canned goods.

Please help spread the word. Thank you and may God bless all.

Karla

***

Reposting Letter from Fr. Manoling: International Donations for the Victims of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana)

Plus link to the Philippine National Red Cross – http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx

28 September 2009

Dear Kababayans and Friends,

The other day, Typhoon Ondoy unleashed the heaviest rainfall in the Philippines in the past forty years (34.1 cm., one-month’s worth of rain, in Metro Manila in just six hours), submerging 80% of MM under water and placing 27 provinces under a state of calamity. The NDCC reports damage to infrastructure at P108M; Agri. Sec. Yap estimates damage to crops at half a billion pesos. Casualties have breached a hundred (many remain missing), and almost half a million people have been displaced.

For those who wish to help our kababayans affected by Ondoy, you may send checks through the following:

CHECK

U.S.A./Canada
Tax-deductible checks to:

1. Philippine Jesuit Foundation (for Ondoy-TYF)
236 West 27th Street
Ninth Floor New York
New York 10001

2. Any of the 64 LBC branches all over the U.S.A.
Address check to LBC (Ontoy-TYF)
Immediate remittance, but non tax-deductible checks to:

3. Tanging Yaman Foundation, Inc.
Metrobank SA (USD): 448-2-448000265-3

MIDDLE EAST: U.A.E.

1. Any LBC branch
Address check to LBC (Ontoy-TYF)

EUROPE: Spain & Italy
1. Any LBC branch
Address check to LBC (Ontoy-TYF)

ASIA: HK, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Australia, Taiwan
1. Any of the 56 LBC branches in Asia
Address check to LBC (Ontoy-TYF)

2. Tanging Yaman Foundation, Inc.
MetroBank SA (USD): 448-2-448000265-3

PHILIPPINES:
1. Any of the 750 LBC branches
Address check to LBC (Ontoy-TYF)

2. Tanging Yaman Foundation, Inc.
Metrobank CA (PhP): 007-613-00046-8
Metrobank SA (USD): 448-2-448000265-3

CREDIT CARD:
Visit www.tangingyaman.org

Go to the “How you can help” page,

Fill out the pledge form, and then

Email it back to exesec@tangingyaman.org

In Our Lord’s Mercy

Fr. Manoling V. Francisco, SJ

Executive Director
Tanging Yaman Foundation, Inc.
Loyola School of Theology,
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights, QC, MM

We’re only a little over halfway through the year, but I can’t help but feel that it’s about time 2009 bids us all that much awaited adieu. Of course, it may be different for you, but if there’s one thing that stood out for me this year, it was death.

Sure, people die each year, but death seems so much more provocative this year. It could’ve been heavily influenced by the media, but I was left shocked and speechless from one obituary to the next, which rarely happens to me.

Deaths this year, from Michael Jackson to Adam Goldstein to young film critics Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc, and just recently, the Eguids, just seemed so… hasty. Unceremonious. Inappropriate.

Do you also feel that? Maybe not. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m being melodramatic. Of course deaths are supposed to be sudden. Well, not in my book. Not in that way, at least. Not because of possible foul play, suicide, and worst of all, murder.

It’s officially autumn tomorrow, and from its seeds of newness, I wish to cultivate the fruit of second chances. Of hope. Of life. I’m not running away from the shittiness of yesterday. I would still look back disconsolately but from now on, without letting it bog down my spirit. Here’s to autumn. Here’s to new life.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/sha_junglii/2553986142/

And the secret, really, is precisely what the logo says: everyday holistic solutions. If there’s one thing that has never worked for me, it’s setting myself up for these outlandish goals and eventually punishing myself for not being able to reach them… which has always been the case.

WellWire is a refreshing, new health and wellness site co-founded by two amazing naturopathic physicians, Dr. Nishant Rao and Dr. Igor Schwartzman. They have devoted this great hub for practitioners, patients, health nuts, foodies, and social media junkies to share information and support each other in reaching health related goals; goals that absolutely anyone can achieve. It’s easy, practical, reliable, and trust me when I say that it’s actuallyhella fun. For instance, check out this entertaining article by Dr. Nishant: Superhero Your Vegetables!

I am privileged to be part of this community: I was recently chosen to have a weekly, Gen-Y focused column on the site, and just like I tweeted, “It feels great to see my face plastered alongside these professionals!” (see my newly published bio here. Holler!) So watch out for the column soon; I’m sure you’ll love it. Meantime, hit up the WellWired folks this weekend, and let’s all toast to our health!

Once upon a time, my prayerful Catholic mother would often tell me that there are usually three answers to prayer: yes, no, and not right now. I would shrug and say, okay mom, thanks, but still go on living as if the only answer I truly deserved was yes and nothing else.

And like I said, it did me well. I was a go-getter, I was, again, assertive, I was confident (sometimes overconfident but hey, take it or leave it, right?), and I always got what I wanted. Or so I thought, until the trend collapsed and I found myself face to face with my very first unachieved goal.

I was furious.

The anger and disappointment and anxiety escalated until I hit rock bottom — I just straight out chose to quit believing in myself. I had convinced myself that I was being punished, living a life that I didn’t want in the first place.

But for some reason, I managed to step out of the rut and start from scratch — but this time, with a completely different attitude.

I tried taking my mother’s words of wisdom and act on it without sounding too religious or spiritual or whatever — that wasn’t my style anyway. But since I had always believed that mother knows best, I decided to give it a shot.

First, learn how to pray. Again, I’m not one to be all Hail Mary’s about it. So I tried refocusing my idea of a prayer. I tried turning it into a lifestyle. Prayer, to me, means to make a goal and work for it; and to work for it not to the point of being over-assertive and stubborn about it, but to just work with what you have. You save yourself a great amount of stress when you do so.

Now, when the answer is yes, be thankful. Do not be overzealous, arrogant, or complacent about it. Just be grateful for the opportunity, and for actually seeing all your hard work pay off. It simply means it’s meant to be, and that’s great. Make the most out of this gift and go on with your life with both feet planted, always.

When the answer is no, cry if you need to. Punch a pillow if that’s what you feel like doing. Rant to your husband or girlfriend or journal until the load seems lighter. Then, accept. Accept that it just wasn’t meant to be. Do not blame yourself for not working hard enough — you did. You know you did everything you could, and that is already more than enough. Know that if it’s not this, it’d be something else. Continue living the life of prayer, let go and move on, and prepare yourself for the gift that was truly designed and meant especially for you.

Finally, when the answer is not right now, be hopeful. Do not lose sight of your goal. Live your life and continue preparing yourself for the pursuit, simply because ‘not right now’ means you probably aren’t ready for it yet. Be patient and continue living your life the best way you can, as this is the only way you can prepare for absolutely anything.

Good luck, and namaste.

I have a bunch of relatives, including my brother, and friends who live there who would only say the nicest things about the city. They say that once you experience living there, you wouldn’t want to leave the place ever again. And I’m taking their word for it.

They also say that the only way to truly experience the Big Apple is to stay away from the touristy spots and travel by roughing it. As a first timer, of course, I wouldn’t know where to go except Central Park or SoHo and other such places, and I’ve never really been a fan of touristy things to begin with. So, I made a shout out on Facebook and Twitter asking people, especially the NY locals, to help me make a kickass, 4-day to do list for my trip to New York. I made sure to mention absolutely no touristy suggestions; only New York’s finest obscurities: hidden pubs, dingy burger joints, underground bookstores, etc.

Here are some of my favorite tips that I would definitely try to check off of my New York to do list:

• Apollo Theater in Harlem for some kickass motown acts
• Kati Roll Company for spicy meat or veggies rolled in Indian flat bread
• Junior’s strawberry cheesecake at the Grand Central Station
• Grey’s Papaya for the best hotdogs
• Jollibee in Brooklyn. It just gives me an excuse to foot it to Brooklyn, is all.
• The Smile for breakfast or maybe a tattoo.
• Anthony Bourdain’s meat lovers sandwiches scattered across different NYC sandwich joints
• Volunteer as van assistant for God’s Love We Deliver, a non-secular charitable organization that delivers meals to people with terminal illnesses. It’s a great way to see Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Lower Bronx, not to mention do something really meaningful with your vacation time. I’m actually seriously considering this.
• Ride the 7 subway train in Queens and get on and off every other stop, as each stop presents a different type of neighborhood with its own character and culture. Great way to take advantage of their different cuisines as well.
• West Village, St. Mark’s, Brooklyn: the real artist colony, NOT SoHo.
• Don Bogam, a Korean BBQ joint for interactive cooking.
• Union Square performers, underground subway musicians, especially the ‘piano man.’
• The Strand bookstore in Union Square – bookshopping for cheap.
• NuBlu for world music and acid jazz acts. Must remember not to miss it as I won’t see a sign other than a solitary blue light above the entrance.

That’s it so far. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to do all of it in just four days, but it’s good to keep a list like this and just flip back through it when I plan another trip to NYC. Any more tips?