It’s Thanksgiving in the United States, and since the frenzy of the earnings season is finally over (for now, at least), we were afforded long weekends off work. Mine started yesterday. But since I man the graveyard shift, most of yesterday was spent catching up on some much-needed sleep. Today, my eight-year old and I […]
What Is Hyperthyroidism?
When I was little, I often wondered why some people had lumps as big as tennis balls, or even bigger, at the base of their necks. And then some folk from our very tight-knit neighborhood told me the person swallowed something that got stuck in his throat. As I grew older, I realized that a […]
5 Reasons Why Anyone Can Cook
If you’ve ever watched the movie Ratatouille, there is a quote there that was repeated during the entire film – “anyone can cook!” In the movie, however, this anyone referred to a mouse. In real life, it is not always the case – a mouse cannot cook, but you can. As long as you have […]
Life According To Kurt: The Seal Deal
Last night, on our way to the bus terminal, Kurt, my six-year old son, asked, “Mama, what does seal mean?” The heavy traffic was getting the better of me so that the question was a welcome reprieve. I said, “Seal can mean two things. One, it can mean a sea creature that you usually see […]
A Father’s Love
My tear ducts are probably impaired. At 4:50 in the morning today, I found myself watching a video shared on Facebook and crying a river. It was the video of a father and son in the Ironman together. Ironman, as it turned out, is a series of long-distance races consisting of a 3.86-kilometer swim, 120.8-kilometer […]
What Is Acid Reflux?
Three years ago, I was still working for a call center when I noticed my voice getting weak. I thought it was just the usual wear-and-tear stuff. Like, sleep it off for the night, and the following day, it would be all good again. But that wasn’t what happened. As a matter of fact, it […]
All Things Bright and Beautiful
The moment I walked into the house yesterday, my moderately heavy travel bag still weighing me down, my youngest, Kurt, told me, “Mama, I need to memorize All Things Bright and Beautiful. I’m going to recite it on November 3.” “November 3?” I said. “Good. You have a lot of time to memorize, especially since […]
My Daughter and Taylor Swift
My daughter adores, er, loves Taylor Swift. How do I know? Let me count the ways. 1. Taylor invasion of the hard drive. There’s a huge collection of Taylor Swift pictures in my hard drive. Good thing I already had the drive upgraded. Otherwise, I might not have space left for my own files. 2. […]
Children and Exercise
When people think of exercise, they almost always have physical exercise in mind. The free Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines exercise as bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness. Similarly, freedictionary.com pegs exercise as physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body. […]
Rugby and Soccer Need Not Be Expensive
Every now and then, it won’t be a surprise to hear soccer fans argue that soccer is the best sports there is in the world, and by far the most popular. But rugby enthusiasts are definitely not ones to just sit in a corner and listen to the soccer guys downplay the game they love, […]