My Perfect Car

     Everyone has a dream car. Our love affair with automobiles and the freedom they afford us never ceases to amaze me. Car enthusiasts like myself see the connection as more than just a love affair but a passion, which, among car nuts, can lead to hours of car talk. I also see it as a way to express my creativity. picture this scenario; you are driving home one day and by the side of the road of some unrecalled street you see a car with a "FOR SALE" sign taped haphazardly on the windshield. It can be any car,for that matter,as long as it has been in your "I-want-it-so-bad" list and just like any misdirected priority in our life, we go about to seeing we take that car home. This is, in fact, a daily happenstance in everyday America and it still happens even this very second. 

     Well, let me indulge you for a minute on a great story, one, which, in all intensive purposes seems like just another love affair with a car and an enthusiast wrenching away to help him or her relive the glory days of youth. However, this story has a twist. You see, for a long time now, I have great passion of for classic american iron of the muscle car era, to be exact. The deep rumble of big V8's has always been music to my ears. Combine that sweet sound with the perfect stance and a set of "slapper bars" tucked behind steamroller wide drag radials and you've concocted a formula for a perfect street bruiser. Never mind the fact that driving these cars enable gas attendants around a 2 block radius from your house to get to know you better, even on a first name basis. Of course, never mind also the fact that these cars had very poor handling and tend to squeak and rattle over time. All you ever cared about is you looked good driving in one of these behemoths and that no one dared challenge you when the light turns green. Can this be a car you can live with on a day to day basis? Probably not. But you don't care, right? Then you turn 40 and the next thing you know you start paying attention to the Viagra ads by the time 50 rolls around your corner. Then you come to the conclusion that you don't really want to drive around in your old sled anymore. Sounds familiar? Of course it is.

     This is why I love Porsches. What, you say? Well, my perfect car is a 1970 911T without a sunroof, converted to Carrera RS specs but with  modern engine, close ratio transmission, and brakes. Going back to what I just typed; why I love Porsches? Well, they are light, nimble, you can set them up for the track or slalom and still have an infinite number of combinations to fit whatever driving you plan to undertake in. Besides that, that enduring design has been around for as long as anyone remembers and still takes in rants and raves from just about any car nut out there. Ever see a 911 with a Venetian Blue paint reflecting the setting sun? Sinister and mysterious, that one. But looks and performance alone doesn't quite complete a car into the "perfect car" category. There has to be something more. With a 911, there is. 

     One hot summer day back in the day ( 1987 to be exact) I was picked up by a good friend of mine who had just purchased a Porsche 911 Carrera. Blacked out with that signature whale tail that car rode like its on rails. After a leisurely afternoon of just cruising around hoping to run into someone we knew (so that they can tell the girl we had crushes in we were in a Porsche), he decided to go to the freeway and stretch the Carrera's legs a bit. The sound of that flat six wailing away near redline as you row through the gears is music to any car lover's ear. We thought we had the coolest ride until another Porsche came abreast. A 911S probably circa 1969 or 1970 in Signal Orange and wearing 15 inch Fuchs didn't really pose a threat to a much newer sibling. Or so we thought. That car revved so effortlessly and just danced around our black Carrera as if we were just parked and standing still. Until this day I still couldn't figure out why we couldn't catch that little orange 911. Nor can I forget that sweaty summer afternoon back in '87.

  

How to Cure Anxiety

     We live in an ever changing world full of challenges and hurdles. Stress and anxiety are  simply  parts of our daily life. There are many ways to deal with our daily dose of stress and anxiety and depending on the gravity   of such encounters how we INTERPRET and REACT to these situations affect us in many ways more than we are aware of. If unchecked anxiety can lead to recurrent panic attacks which, in the long run, are not only unhealthy and debilitating but are also harder and longer to treat.

     Before we cover deeper ground on how to best deal with our anxiety-ridden life and explore some techniques to lower our anxiety levels as well as reduce stress let's establish a clearer understanding of what anxiety is. How are stress and anxiety related? Well, simply put, anxiety a physiologic response and it is essentially  how our body reacts to stress. Now let's  not confuse Anxiety with Anxiety Disorder because the latter is a disease whereas the former is a natural response  to stressful situations or events. Anxiety Disorders can be broken down into several conditions:

1. Panic Attacks
2. Specific Phobias (i.e. fear of heights, fear of spiders, etc.)
3. Social Phobias
4. Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
5. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

     Know, however, that constant worrying and anxiety CAN LEAD to any one of the above disorders and would essentially require medical treatment or intervention. Since an ounce of prevention is much better than a pound of cure, as they say, having a systematic approach to dealing with anxiety is crucial before it sets in and converts to a disorder. So, let's cover, in the following order, the key steps in living and dealing with anxiety. They are:

1. Our Perception of Fear and Stress; conditioning our minds
2. Assigning Situational Gravity; what's worse and what's not
3. Filtering and  Subduing; fear reduction 101
4. Increasing our Level of Awareness
5. Optimism; Learn it and Assimilate it in Every Way.

      The first thing we need to tackle is our Perception of fear and stressful situations or events. Our perception ultimately dictates how we interpret and receive data or stimuli from our surroundings and it is how we interpret, in turn, which dictates how we respond. From this first level we need to uncover how we can keep our fears at bay, to assess each situation carefully and eliminate apprehension of any type. The mind is a powerful medium which can ultimately affect our better judgement. What I mean by that is most of us anticipate beyond what is necessary.Our apprehension leads us to conjure possible dangers or risks or even worse case scenarios which, ultimately, cripples us from moving forward or even taking positive action. A method I suggest you try us to imagine yourself in a situation which you know causes a lot of anxiety and stress. Now,with that in mind, imagine walking yourself through such an experience, opening your mind to options you may want to consider or take in order to overcome this event. Now imagine in your mind's eye how you will act or feel at that moment and thereafter as you tackle the said situation. Play this exercise out until you become familiar with how you plan and undertake any course of action. This systematic disensitization is one way which allows us to remove anxiety during a stressful event. Though there is no gold standard in dealing with anxiety and curing it, there is, however, a resounding theme when it comes to overcoming it, and that is how we need to condition our minds as a first step towards anxiety-free living. This mind-conditioning self therapy is effective in many ways but its greatest asset is how it relieves stress in our lives. I had already talked about how stress is debilitating to our health in one of my previous posts and helping yourself cure anxiety is the first step towards stress-free living. Here's a video exemplifying how we have in us the power to overcome our fears and relieve ourselves of unwanted anxiety.

     Conditioning your mind, however, is not enough in order to overcome anxiety. You need to form, out of habit, a method by which you categorize immediate threats ( more gravid) and less severe, more distant threats (less gravid). In other words, you need to do away with worrying about useless stuff and be less mindful of them. Remember what I always say in some of my posts," There are a lot of things in life we absolutely have no control over, hence we shouldn't even bother. The things we do have control, however, we can improve upon and change for the better.". Another thing you have to do away with is how you anticipate dangers or even fear needlessly. When it happens, it happens, and only when it does happen do you need to act accordingly and calmly. Assess each situation you feel causes you uneasiness and anxiety and relegate them to the back of your mind only when you feel that there is no immediate threat from them. You also need to focus more and be more attentive. By doing so you increase your level of awareness significantly. The final thing you need to do is practice optimism on a daily basis. Being optimistic keeps your mind open to options you may not even be aware of initially. Being positive and doing positive action assures optimism. Lastly,know that you are only traveling through the road of life once. Don't let fear, anxiety, and stress limit your potential to exploit life to the fullest. This is JowelMD with yet another post. Signing off but not signing out. Take care guys.

Keywords; key thoughts?

     If you ever tried writing on blogs or even write an article, you'll find that the key question hovering on most writer's heads is," How do I reach my target audience?".Simply put another way, " How does one write well enough and at the same time include a good amount of keywords that search engines search for on a daily basis? If you've ever played around with SEO, you know what I mean. The main challenge, at least I believe, is how do you convey your thoughts across a medium and not be a slave to a slew of keywords you know you'd have to insert somewhere just so someone out there gets to read your work. Where do we strike a balance between a well written piece and one that gets picked up by search phrases? In other words, quality v.s. quantity on a whole different light.

     I write because I like to write. Writing allows me a sense of freedom in sharing my thoughts, my ideas, my ideals, to the world. First and foremost it gives me a medium to put my thoughts down even if only to evaluate them later. I also believe writing is an art. You can say a hundred different things about something but find yourself limited when trying to write those things down. I write on a whim most times so I don't really pay attention to what keywords I type down, if any. As a matter of fact, the question begs to be asked regarding what keywords really are. Key words to what? To whom? Ever try writing poetry while minding what key words you jot down? Of course not! I have a deep respect for poets because writing poetry is like seeing your soul on a mirror and describing what you see. Poets write out of passion and whatever moves them is what gives them lifeblood.

     Going back to our dilemma. A good writer writes for himself or herself, first and foremost, before writing for anyone else. This signature must be established in order to cover deeper ground in writing. Writing, you see, isn't just about putting words on paper. It's so much more than that. Your'e written work must flow and convey your thoughts with clarity. On that note I'd like to say that there are two types of writers who publish on the internet; for every writer who writes for himself or herself is another writer who writes for an audience or a group of audiences. The latter targets a specific demographic and keys in on topics which may have some value to these group of people. The former writes about issues and challenges which have profound effects on their daily lives and offers alternatives or solutions to these ailments. Which one are you? Better yet, which of the two would you most likely read published works on. I prefer being a writer who writes from experience. I can write passionately then. 

     Another key topic most writers concern themselves with is Content. How do you cover ground on the basis of delivering quality content? Well, let's ponder for a minute what quality content is. For me, quality content must cover two areas effectively. These key areas are Substance and Delivery. Let's talk about Substance. Say I was searching through the web and typed in a keyword phrase in the hope of finding a solution to a problem I have. On the first page I open the first 5 websites that are keyed in on the question or keyword phrase I typed. Going through the data I noticed that very few of these websites offered ACTUAL, real-world answers to my problem. Instead, what I got out of them are suggestions and not solutions. I want a road-map to solving whatever it is I want solved, not another referral to yet another possibility. Delivery, on the other hand, is an entirely different ballpark from Substance. You have to grab your audience long enough  to convey your message across and not lose them in translation. Do you write blandly or with gusto? Do you at least keep things interesting enough to arouse your audience's curiosity making them come back for more? A good delivery depends on how you structure your written work. You need to flow into your next paragraph and the next and so forth. Avoid using distractors and thought shifts. Don't jump from one topic to the other. Instead,cover them in terms of relevance tackling the most relevant first and  the least last.

     Write for yourself. Genuine written work is much more appreciated when read. Someone out there will eventually stumble on your article and blog and say, "Wow!". Write from the heart and write your own. Don't rewrite someone else's work just so you can jump in the bandwagon and get some traffic to your site.

Writing is like speaking in front of an audience, in some ways. You can never get everyone's attention but you try anyway. That goes without saying that writing, like speaking, takes patience and practice. You don't need to be a gifted writer. Skill comes with consistency and time. And of keywords? What keywords?

Laugh Your Troubles Away

Ever heard of the age-old adage, " Laughter is the Best Medicine"? Well, surprisingly enough, that may very well be true. I know you probably already read or heard somewhere how Laughter reduces stress in our daily lives but, in actuality, it does so much more. Ok, here's the deal: I am a sincere believer of alternative medicine that offer real life solutions, meaning they are applicable and actually work when applied to the daily   health issues that continue to cripple us, preventing us from living our lives to the utmost. Although many and varied in their categories, alternative forms of medicine are increasingly being practiced by clinicians and even take it up as a sub-specialization. How does laughing some more and more often factor in in all of this? quite simply, it's the cheapest form of alternative medicine you can be doing now. It's free and you can do it as often as you like, when you like , and feel like it. Ok, as I have done in my past posts which has something to do with anything medical, I will list the benefits down first and then we'll delve into each and everyone of them in detail as to why they are so. Although there are many literature on how laughter benefits us, the conclusions are rather iffy at best. No two schools of thought arrives at the same conclusion. This is because the benefits of laughter can't be proved scientifically(yet) and the studies conducted on its benefits are merely to support theories. However, what science can't, or is incapable as of yet, prove doesn't necessarily mean it has no merit. Studies show laughing indeed has beneficial effects and although we can't gauge what those are, we can certainly see clearly how our body responds accordingly.The Benefits of Laughter are:

1.   Laughter reduces Stress
2.   Laughter strengthens your immune response
3.   Laughter as a form of exercise
4.   Laughter is beneficial for better mental health
5.   Laughter as a social tool
6.   Laughter increases our sense of focus and alertness
7.   Laughter lets you sleep more soundly
8.   Laughter lowers your chances of acquiring lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
9.   Laughter  prolongs your life
10. Laughter helps detoxify our bodies

There are very few constants in life and one of those that we can be sure of is Stress. There are many forms of stress whether it be physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stress. What we need to understand about stress, firstly, is what causes it and how our body responds to it. Stress is caused by a number of stressors or triggering mechanisms. It is how we perceive these stressors, and more importantly, how we process their potential effects, whether they be short term or long term which dictates how we respond accordingly. When we see a potential threat to imbalance us our body responds by increasing production of  hormones. In other words, we adapt to engage in a fight or flight response. Hormones which increase in their levels during stressful situations are aptly called stress hormones. Opioids produced by our body such as Corticotrophin, and Cortisol as well as Catecholamines such as Epinephrine and Norepinephrine act by preparing our body for a "fight or flight" response in the face of stressful events such as a life threatening situation. There's a lot of physiologic changes going on during a fight or flight response and they are geared to adapt our body to these situations. These hormones reduce stress and relieve pain. How does laughter factor in in all of these? Well, laughter increases the production of another set of hormones called endorphins. Although there are many types of endorphins, the one that has the most benefit in terms of pain is the type called beta-Endorphin. By blocking pain receptors, these hormones essentially modulate how we feel pain. Laughter, however,has a two-fold effect on stress. The first we have just covered and that has something so do with endorphin production. In this regard, we can modulate pain as it comes to us. The other,perhaps more important, role of laughter in stress management is it's ability to fine tune our focus by increasing our level of attention and awareness in any given situation, allowing us to develop a keener sense of observation. This helps in assessing a stressful situation such as a threat, and modulating our response to it depending on it's gravity.

How then does laughter improve our immune response? Without going into the vast field of Immunology it is suffice for us to know that some immune cells are inherently affected in terms of their function and production when the body experiences stress. Antibody production goes down as well as antibody producing cells ( your B-cells). Laughter boosts our immune response for reasons being unclear but the key point is that we strengthen our immune defense against antigens and infections in general when we are happy and full of laughter in our lives. Another benefit of laughter is a rather not so obvious one. When we laugh our body does indeed get a workout. There's a reason why your stomach muscles hurt when you laugh excessively. With this workout you can see and feel your abdominal muscles tense as well as your other respiratory muscles such as the diaphragm, for instance. Of course, with this form of unassuming workout you can expect your heart rate to go up, delivering much needed oxygen to our tissues, in essence giving them a boost. Another benefit is that diabetics are shown to have a lower blood sugar level when subjected to laughing ( have them watch a stand up comedy session ) and this is partly due to the increased tissue delivery of nutrients I mentioned earlier when our heart rate does increase.

One other health benefit of laughter is it's ability to negate depression. Depression, you see has far reaching effects besides our emotions. When we are depressed our bodies produce a lot of radicals and as you know free radical production damages our cells and it is perhaps the sole reason why we age. A healthy daily dose of laughter can indeed  make you feel and look young by decreasing free radical production. This free detoxification process is readily available and indeed life-saving. When practiced daily along with proper breathing exercises ( you'd be surprised to know that not a whole lot of people know how to breath properly ) helps our organs function optimally in terms of oxygenation, nutrient acquisition, and waste removal. One important health benefit of laughter that needs mentioning is how it affects our mental state. Beyond its psychological standpoint, laughter increases our level of awareness and sense of focus aptly increasing our capacity for better decision hence improving our decision making skills.

Perhaps the most obvious affect of laughter, as most people would agree on, is that it is indeed contagious. It is a social tool in that it binds people together, making fuller and richer relationships, easing tensions, and promotes a conducive environment towards positivity. We don't have to talk about how that enriches our lives because it's pretty obvious  how it does so. On that note let me include, however, that lesser tension means better sleep. On a later post we will cover how sleep affects our daily lives and why we must realize its untapped potential.

The question then boils down to how do we incorporate a little laughter in our lives? Well, to start we should establish some practices which promote humor. There are a lot of things we can do and a prime example is try renting out some comedy movies for a change during movie night. Practice silliness daily. By making someone laugh you are actually doing them some good ( now that you know how). Avoid negative people because negativity only breeds negativity. Lastly, keep an open mind and learn to let go. What I mean by that is learn to not take your problems so seriously. Don't fret over the small stuff and you'll do fine. I hope this post has helped you in your quest for a better and fuller life. Glad to be of help. email me if you need to talk to me about anything any comment would be appreciated. Once again, JowelMD signing off. Until our next post. Take care and feel better today. You deserve it.

Contentment Blues

Why are we never really satisfied with just about anything? Why is that we always feel the need to move up to bigger and better things all in the name of progress, notwithstanding? Have we ever once stopped and think that what we have or where we are is as good as it will ever be? So many questions and yet so few answers. Let me share with you an excerpt of a piece I wrote back in 1987 ( whew! I can hardly remember when that was, only that Covergirls, Expose, and Seduction had some really cute lead singers; anybody even remember them?).

I saw an old man once carrying a really heavy load up a steep grade. Having realized his dilemma, he sat on his heavy parcel contemplating how to get his baggage up and over this small hill. With the mid-morning sun slowly climbing and making it's presence felt, he wiped his sweat from his brow, adjusted his sandals, and toiled on. 

Halfway up, he realized, much to his surprise and dismay, that he could not possibly carry ALL his load and expect to reach the top. SO he devised a plan of action. Having thought of all possible ( at least in his mind) options, he narrowed his rather short and crude list into 3 possibilities.

1. He can wait until the next traveler happens by and ask him or her for some much needed assistance.

2. He can divide his load into two manageable trips, ensuring that none will fall off precariously and be lost.

3. He can, with a moment's respite, trudge on hoping that his rested state will spew forth untapped strength to make the journey ahead.

While sitting by the roadside, under an elm even, contemplating which of the three paths of wisdom should he take, he realized that the three choices he devised were not as easy as he thought them to be. 

The first will test his PATIENCE. How long can he endure on waiting before he deems it unsafe to stay out for long with nightfall approaching?
The second will test his COURAGE. Can he really part with even just half of his precious cargo, especially with bandits and thieves about?
The third will test his PERSEVERANCE. Can he push his already worn and tired state further? 

After much self-deliberation he came to one conclusion. He realized that even if he reached the hilltop, the journey beyond that is even more perilous and lengthy with steeper climbs. In his already famished and exhausted state he already knows what the outcome would be should he push himself further.

So he walked over to his much-loved burden and picked two objects most dear to  his heart, leaving the rest to fate and consequence. After a brief rest and a deep breath he ventured on humming softly to himself, stuffing the 2objects he CAN'T DO WITHOUT in his pockets.

When he got to the top he saw me sitting on a dry-rotten bench beside yet another elm tree. My curiousity getting the best of me, I asked him politely what he took with him and why he took so long to decide what plan  of action to take. He answered me with a weary voice," It took a while for me to decide what  to LET GO and what TOO KEEP. Finally, I just decided too keep the two most valuable object I can see there."

"And what did you decide to keep after all?", venturing my inquiry even further. 

" My  ROSARY and a little picture album of my FAMILY. I mean what else is there, right?", with that final remark he bid me a sour note of farewell and off the distance he prodded, disappearing at the next crest of some yet another unnamed hilltop.

With that I am left to contemplate at those parting words, "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"

Indeed,what else is there?

The Best Pork Adobo Recipe, Ever and Ever.

     Once in a while I indulge myself in cooking up one of the philippines' finest home cooked comfort food, Adobo. You can have it in the chicken or pork varieties and you can add just about anything you want and even put in however many twist to that filipino classic as you deem fit. I, on the other hand, prefer the classic type and in this post I will share how I cook it with less fat without compromising the taste.

     Ok, to start off let's make a list of what you will be needing; A kilo of pork ribs. I prefer younger pork meat and I would like to have the ribs with ample meat on them and chopped in appropriate sizes. I would season the meat with a little rubbing down with salt and pepper and just a pinch of paprika, dried rosemary, dried basil, and set it in the refrigerator for about half a day. Once ready to cook have  2-3 medium sized potatoes peeled and cut into bite size cubes, peel 2 carrots and cut them up in comparative sizes to the potatoes. You will need the following, as well. Pork lean meat or ribs about two and a half pounds (roughly a little over a kilo). Half a tablespoon of salt, a quarter of a tablespoon of ground pepper, a pinch of paprika, several dried bay leaves, dried rosemary and thyme about the same ratio as your pepper you grounded earlier. Also, a clove of garlic minced into little pieces and a whole onion, diced to perfection.

     Saute the garlic and onions first and once you see the onions about half done add in your meat. I like to sear the meat on a separate pan with about two tablespoons of olive oil to lock in the juices before I add them to the sauteed onions and garlic. cook in medium heat until the pork is about half done then season with your salt,pepper, paprika, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Add about half a cup of chicken   stock to the mixture and cover for about five minutes. Chop the potatoes and carrots into equal cubed sizes and have the carrots steamed until half cooked. The potatoes, however, will be fried on a separate skillet until golden. Then comes the best part about cooking adobo. You see, it's the soy sauce that gives it a distinctive flavor making it a filipino cuisine every household is well familiar with. Mind you, not every brand of soy sauce you see on your supermarket shelf is the same. I chose Kikkoman Soy Sauce because of its rich flavor. Add about a quarter cup of soy sauce into the pan and stir. Let cook for about another five minutes before adding the carrots and potatoes.

     I like adobo because it's one of those comfort foods you never tire of. Every household in the Philippines have at least a variant of this dish and is a mainstay of the filipino kitchen. I like to serve it over hot rice with juices flowing over and steaming with flavor. A side dish of Atchara and a tall glass of cold Mango shake and you couldn't possibly ask for more. Ahhhh...Indeed. Well, I hope I tickled your taste buds enough to make you want to try this dish for yourself. As they say," variety is the spice of life".So go try to cook yourself up one of these. You will taste a culture found half a world away, reading this same post, I hope. Well, ta-da and until next time. Happy cooking.