SUNDAY DIET

İ love Sundays. Not that İ need them as a respite from work, now that İ'm retired from a full time job.

But even when I get busy once in a while, with writing and doing seminars or teaching some days, İ find myself goofing off a lot of times---sneaking off for some coffee times with my girl friends and relatives---any time someone hollers, "Tara go!" 

So why do İ love Sundays when I'm on R&R most days? Sunday truly is the day of the Lord! 

İt's like going on a picnic by a river on a hot summer day. Jumping into the river and wading to its deeper parts, you soon feel the the water enveloping, refreshing, envigorating and turning your body feather-light. "İ could stay here the whole day," you wish. 
 
Yesterday was one such Sunday. The refreshing came actually as a buffet of heavenly manna. Visiting my Citygate Christian Center family in the morning, I feasted on Pastor Brian Kairuz's anointed warning: 

Do not allow sin to rob you of your victory, so pursue Jesus, not money or women or men or fame. 

Come humbly to God first, repent. Don't say, "Kayang-kaya!" because if sin or pride is not dealt with, even the most mundane challenge will seem like a Goliath that you want to run away from. 

In the afternoon, Pastor Jeric Soriano of New Life Christian Center reminded us of God's love. 

It is a love so unconditional, it is not based on what we can do or perform, not if you've been a good or bad boy. God doesn't have bad days or tantrums. He loves us no matter what! 

Proof of that? He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2Peter 1:3). He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians1:3). And all of these are available in Christ! 

So isn't it wise to just do what Christ does, or follow what Christ teaches? And how I've been refreshed! 

Matthew 6:25-26: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" 

This was the very first lesson İ learned from Jesus in 1983 when İ confessed Him as my Savior and Lord. That too was when He changed my heart of stone to a heart of flesh, so that from then on, every Word He said became alive in my heart. 

İ ate every bit of it, relishing them as my daily bread, milk, butter, meat and veggie roll-in-one. Everyday has just been a basketful of masarap na baon. 

Life has never been more delicious---in spite of the sometimes acrid and putrid menu dished out by the temptations of this world, or during times that I dissed His word and followed instead old rotten me.

The "birds of the air" referred to here are sparrows, Pastor Jeric clarifies. Cheap birds, costing two pennies for five sparrows during Jesus' time. 

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God, says Jesus in Luke 12. 

İf you're prone to worrying, take a grip of this. İf God cares for cheap and seemingly worthless creatures like birds---protecting them from the elements, giving them food without needing to harvest and store them in barns---couldn't we believe that, we being His children, are secure in Him? 

He is our provider, our healer, our strength, our peace, our joy, our victory! Jesus is God İmmanuel, the God who is with us. He is the God who is more than enough. Best of all, He is our Lord and Savior. 

The answer to anything you will ever need and every situation you will ever face is in Christ! 

But this free gift of eternal life and security in Jesus is yours only if you commit your life to Him. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12) 

The best part about these Sunday refreshings is this: İt stays with you through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday as you read your bible and meditate on His greatness and love. 

By the way, this great heavenly food which gets deposited in us everyday must result in something, right? Love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness. The fruit of the Spirit.

Planted by rivers of living water who is Jesus Christ, this tree  (our life) must bear fruit. Dapat my demo, para paniwalaan! (Must be demonstrated to be believed!)

Making a difference is not a result of studying much, says Pastor Jeric. 

İt happens because Jesus lives in hearts constantly being changed by His Word. 

photo credits: dailydecorator.com, gdfon.com, garthright.blogspot, historicfortplain.com

REUNION LOWS AND HIGHS

"Boring!" must be the thought bubble of many kids attending family reunions. 

That ho-hum, "mom-could-we-go-home?" look was evident in every family reunion I've attended, while the elders regaled each other with oft-repeated adventures and misadventures of their childhood days.  

Introduced to their never-seen cousins and made to mano po (kiss the hands of elders as a sign of respect) unfamiliar adults who are supposedly their lolos, lolas, titos and titas, they would uncomfortably settle, stone-faced, on their seats.

It's different, of course today, since many of them would just play electronic games using their cell phones or PSPs---oblivious to the reunion frenzy around them. 

But what did you expect? Reunions are the stuff of those who've done that, been there---together. That's why they're called reunions. Having gone through much together in the past, you get all giddy to have that blast in the past once more.

Well, that is so true of class reunions. Of some women I know (in my age group or a bit younger) who'd made a decision to attend their class reunions, the countdown would start months prior, with weight reduction as priority number one.

"For who knows, my first love might come!" said one.

And one couldn't give a hint of looking losyang or pinagtampuhan ng tadhana (a has been or in a lowly state) after all those years. So one prepares.

I've heard quite a number of childhood sweethearts getting back into each other's arms after years of having their own families, turning up single again in the class reunion---a de-ja vu---then marrying! 

I attended one such high school reunion, excited to see the crush ng bayan. Never mind what I saw. But what was I thinking? That the same youthful, slim Justin Bieber look-alike would make an entrance? 

And look at me! I've changed, heavier, rounder and with more wrinkles---eye bags to boot (my then very very senior mother jokingly referred to them as "eyes bag" and tried to conceal them with glasses that didn't have any grade)---around my eyes. I wonder what my classmates thought in turn?

So to even think that time would stand still on your crush or yourself---you're dreaming!

So when they say, "You have not changed!" charge that to flattery or defective eyesight! Or maybe they're saying the essential "you" is still intact. 

We all get old and that's a fact of life.

I recently attended the San Miguel Packaging Products (SMPP) retirees' reunion, a first such reunion for me. 

It felt good to be with people who were once your bosses and colleagues. I looked forward to seeing dear friends Cynthia Cabasag and Ceci Talattad. 

Honestly, these two looked the same as when I last saw them eons ago! Walang flattery! Both have continued to pursue their own careers and ministry work outside of corporate life.

And so have others. Some are still active in the corporate world, a handful are pursuing varied advocacy work; many are completely retired. 

Former San Miguel Corporation president, Frankie Eizmendi (FCE)---to me the epitome of calm, cool and collected--- looked as dapper and handsome, except for the more obvious lines on his pinkish complexion. How does he manage to remain so healthy, even as a septuagenarian?  I quite remember him (when I used to be one of his staff assistants) always taking a power nap every lunch hour, no fail!

Ricky Gomez, my Marketing mentor, looked like he hasn't changed at all. Honestly! (Again!)

Both of them talked about SMPP as a great division of San Miguel, it being the breeding ground of SMC's top executives, many of them having made it to CEO and COO positions in the SMC family and elsewhere. 

Rene Gener and his able team of angel volunteers ably organized the reunion, with fun, laughter, entertainment, nostalgia evenly handed out. 

He called for one minute of silence for SMPP members who have gone ahead of us. But it turned out to be longer than that. Seeing my Kuya Tony's name in that list made me teary-eyed. He passed away just a year ago; and yes, these people were all his friends. 

And here they were, honoring one another. 

Glory days may pass. Days of accomplishing much are soon over. But relationships are meant to last.

Thank you Lord, for this rare opportunity to reconnect with my mentors and friends.

Reunions, we need them---even if our eyes are faltering or our bulges are jutting out.


 

TO WHACK OR NOT TO WHACK

How do you do discipline your child? Several volunteered answers: 

With yantok (rod) or belt.  

Batok (a slap on the nape). 

Kutos (a knuckle blow on the head).  

Kurot sa singit (a pinch near the groin area) or pingot (ear-pinching). 

"Luhod sa munggo! (kneel on mongo beans)!" 

Our bible study group members seemed not to run out of recollections about how parents and teachers punished unruly kids during our time. 

C recalled being placed inside a jute sack, which was then tied and hoisted to a beam so she could not jump out until the punishment was over.

We've, in recent weeks, been immersing ourselves on the lessons of Proverbs, mostly written by King Solomon; pleasantly realizing that his words, though written in 931 BC (approximately 3,000 years ago), still offer wisdom for practical application in our time. 

One of these verses: Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death. (Proverbs 23:13) 

"We were always made to squat," Jack, our bible study teacher, said of his school superiors' style of discipline whenever they came too late for classes during his elementary grades. 
 
"Then we got the knuckle treatment when caught in misdemeanor. That was really painful." 

Of course, today, parents and teachers are more careful. Some countries, like the US and Australia, have severe laws protecting children's rights, mainly as a response to numerous cases of child abuse where the state must step in as an advocate for children who suffer harm from irresponsible adults. So a child can call 911 to ask for help. 

This issue has sadly turned sour because parents now refrain from using the rod, nor any tool of discipline at all, for fear that their children will report them to the authorities. 

But we must discipline and let our children know for sure if they have transgressed or gone out of bounds---for their own sake! 

Disciplining helps develop well balanced, stable individuals with a healthy worldview: That goodness reaps rewards while pooh-poohing what's right merits disapproval. 

Hebrews 12:6: For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as his child. 

Following His example, we must also discipline our children, because we love them. No parent wants to punish a child. İ'm sure your heart breaks every time you need to confront your son or daughter because he or she has done something awful. 

But our heart agonizes even more if our children traverse the "do not enter" route, say they become barkada (part of the peer group) with those who do drugs or drink or bully others. Because if they persist in that, potholes and landmines may not be far behind. 

So as loving parents, we step in with a very clear rebuke---to make sure they don't repeat the wrong. 

We young once are learning from young ones. Today's parents have reinvented the rod so they can discipline their kids without breaking the law of the state. 

"Go to your spot!" İ've observed how a young boy---seemingly shamed and humbled---pleadingly cried, "İ'm sorry, İ will not do it again!" after his mother ordered him to face the wall and not sit or move out of that position for a long time (after he whacked a playmate). 

And this parent never hesitates to apply the face-the-wall punishment to her two kids, who it seems are growing more and more to be God-fearing and parent-honoring, considerate and kind to others. 

İn school, to have a student write, "İ will never copy from my seatmate again," 100 times, may reform a cheat.

"You're grounded!" seems to work with a lot of teenagers since it entails curbing privileges and freedom to do whatever they're used to enjoying. 

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Poverbs 22:6 ) 

Parenthood is awesome responsibility. Love. Care for. Motivate. Encourage. Teach. Train. Provide. Feed. Clothe. Educate. We owe our children these, having brought them out into this world. 

But the parenting package is not complete without the painful task of rebuking, disciplining or correcting. However, we need to do it while our kids are young, nipping bad attitudes and practices in the bud, even before they get entrenched and become lifetime habits that eventually lead them not to lala-land but to lose-lose-land. 

Some kids, in spite of their parents' careful training, have gone the forbidden way anyway. But His Word says, "when they are old, they will not depart from it." 

İn the middle of their disobedience, what you taught them when they were but toddlers or tweens will come back, just like a wave returning to shore even if it proudly surges out. 

Because you've planted it in their soul. The seed may take time to bud, but eventually it will, and you'll be surprised at the result. Any learning is useful even if it takes the longer route.

That's His promise if you are a good steward of your children. That's why He commands, "Train!" If we obey, He takes care of the rest. With Jesus, nothing is impossible! 

Better to have disciplined than not disciplined at all. 

Image credits: yeetle.blogspot.com, squidoo.com, thammiesy.com, metu.edu.tr

DON'T BELITTLE JESUS

Here we are again, tracing our way to Calvary.

"Surely this man was the Son of God!" said the centurion who watched Jesus die on the cross (Mark 15:39), after a long dark day when Jesus was sentenced to death at the taunting of indignant religious leaders and the multitude.

Mocked, lashed, spat at, crowned with thorns, his tormentors made Him carry the cross. The final scene: "The King of the Jews" crucified, just like a common criminal. 

Surely He proved Himself God: Healed the woman who hemorrhaged for the most part of her life. Gave sight to blind Bartimaeus. Made the lame walk. Raised Lazarus from the dead. Calmed the storm. Enabled Peter to walk on water. Sent malevolent spirits scampering from a tormented soul into pigs and to their death.

The apostle John said that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written about all the things which Jesus did. 

Up to today, many turn to Him because He's proven to be the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). He assured, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith." (Mark5:36). 

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved---you and your household, " said the apostles in Acts 16:31. This salvation He gives for free. It is not earned, so no one would boast. 

It's all because of God's amazing grace.

So it is not a fad that people are turning their lives over to Jesus. The captives are set free. Lives are changed, for the better.

But it took the greatest sacrifice. The Son of God became man---the great exchange. His lashes and broken bones for our healing. His pain for our joy and peace. His blood for our sin. His death for our life---eternal life.

Unknowingly, we cheapen what Jesus has done for us. 

This holy week, especially in the Philippines, many will have themselves crucified to identify with Jesus and be cleansed from their guilt. Countless other don'ts-and-do-this-stuff will be accomplished by many as a way of imitating Jesus.

As if what He did on the cross is not enough to totally take care of our sins and weaknesses. All He needs from us is honest to goodness repentance, a turning away from sin; and acknowledge what He did on the cross. 

"It is finished," He reminds us.
 
The only sacrifice Jesus wants from us is this: To trust and obey His Word. To thank and praise Him. To worship Him not only with our lips but with our lives.

"...and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:2)

Everything is under the blood of Jesus.

"At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." (Philippians 2:10). 

Name it! Cancer, heartache, addiction,  brokenness, insanity, loneliness, profanity, lack, famine, drought, pestilence. The whole of creation obey Him because He created them. 

Every name or object or situation and every created being that has been named, bow only to this One Name. That's why the devil tries so hard to distance us from that Name. 

We belittle Jesus in so many other ways. Insisting the lie to be truth, though Jesus taught us the truth. Some of these lies: That a woman can have her unborn baby aborted because she has the sole right to her body, or homosexuality is OK just because gays have gained political muscle. 

But we cannot bash gays and lesbians or anyone treading dangerous waters. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God---none exempt! 

We however speak against sin and the lies of Satan, and every word declaring wrong to be right. 

You cannot shake your fist at God and expect things to turn out right even as you reject Him. Going against your Creator's plan, and the purpose for which you've been created, has its consequences! 

Jesus offers to take us out of the rut. Without Him, it's a useless and tiring rowing against the current.

This week, let's ask ourselves: Do I REALLY believe in Jesus, or am I just going with the flow of what I've always done year in and year out? Is Jesus just a name in my mind? Does He even own my heart?

Jesus is Lord, or not at all. It's a choice we have to make at one point in our lives.

Choose Jesus, choose new; and with that, peace, joy, assurance of a full life. And the ability to resist temptation. He is the God who's more than enough. He came that we may have life abundant. 

Now may be the best time to commit your life to Him. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.

Pray: Jesus, forgive me. Thank you for dying on the cross to save me from my sins and give me eternal life. Come into my heart. I confess you today as my Savior and my Lord. Holy Spirit, have your way in me. In Jesus name.

Now, trust and obey! And worship Him with your life, everyday and not just at certain times of the year.

MBA

I take my hats off to them.

Those who never tire of  studying or going to school. In the university where I teach, when someone says, "Doctor," almost everyone in the faculty room would turn to acknowledge the call. Except me and a few others. 

Of course, "me and a few others" always kidded that in case of a medical emergency, the presence of so many doctors will not even be able to save a life. 

And of course, we're probably just sour-graping---simple degree holders. But we 're cool, right? Secure as cucumber.

Seriously, I admire those who seem to never run out of fuel to gas up on new knowledge. That's perseverance personified. 

Imagine yourself in school the entire length of your fleeting young life. Instead of just watching movies or going to basketball games, you're in the library leafing through browning text, or mostly browsing through web upon web pages of e-books. 

Nursery to elementary, probably nine years. Four years of high school. Another four for a college degree, much longer for engineers, lawyers and doctors. 

And for many others today, add two more for MBA or another masteral pursuit. Then two more years of PhD, especially for those who want to make it big in the academe or other scientific endeavors. That's 20 years, more or less. 

Whew, that roughly translates to 19,200 hours of attending four-hour classes five times a week, assuming you also take summer classes; some 14,600 hours burning the midnight oil to cope with assignments and exams; close to 300 textbooks; and hundreds of thousands in tuition fees, uniforms, transportation and baon expenses. 

İt's a pity that while some would die to get an education and even study further, many young people---especially those born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths---take it for granted. 

Education is probably the most valuable inheritance parents can give their children. After all has been said and done, what's been planted in their minds and hearts become irreplaceable. 

Knowledge levels the playing field---for the haves to retain their mansions, and the have-nots to get out of their potholes and be in the same footing as the have-plenty. 

No matter your economic or family background, educational credentials help open doors to be employed, and even be promoted. 

İn our university, for example, you could not be "professor" (with corresponding higher remuneration) unless your resume specifies a master's or PhD. 

İ admire students with the patience to study some more even if they have already earned degrees. 

The bible however warns that too much learning tends to make us haughty. It can puff up our minds, says 1 Corinthians 8:1.

İ'm sure you know of someone who's been educated in the best universities abroad, held significant positions in business or in government, but whose life has been a total mess. 

Separated from wife. Children gone their own way and not wanting to have anything to do with Dad. Facing a graft rap for unexplained wealth and possessions. Sounds familiar? 

Well, this may be quite the extreme. But we do know that MBAs and PhDs, nor titles and certificates hung on the wall, don't define us. 

They're good door and opportunity openers. Because the real test of competence is how we use that knowledge to manage our situations. 

Wise is the man, who having obtained knowledge, uses it to teach and build up others. 

Sadly, some titled people seem to carry an air about them which tends to repel others. Worse, they carry it like a badge even in their homes, treating their wives and children like underlings. 

Titles like Reverend, Doctor, Boss, General. Highfalutin, huh.

If you're not careful, your title can wall you in, or fence people out. Whichever way, you feel alone in your ivory tower. 

To live well and enjoy God's abundant blessings, education and the endless pursuit of more learning and information, is not the key; but rather wisdom.
 
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, says Proverbs 1:7.  One translation: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 

If knowledge and wisdom do come from Him, shouldn't we all the more seek Him than titles and badges?

Simply put, wisdom is the right application of knowledge. 

And real wisdom can happen only out of an intimate relationship with the One who made you into you. 

God knows your every part, your strengths and weaknesses; but He can mold and lead you if you ask Him for wisdom daily.

"Master in Business Administration" is desirable, but so is "Master in Being Alive" so that your every move comes out of a desire to make a difference, not be different; to teach and be teachable, not just acquire stock knowledge that puffs up; and to learn life skills, not just work skills. 

photo credits: www.aamu.edu, www.mscareergirl.com, www.rediff.com

THİNGS İ LEARNED AS A TEACHER

Not even in my wildest dreams did İ envision myself becoming a teacher. 

Yet here İ am, doing it, loving it, believing that whatever tiny grain of influence İ could plant--- for whatever time frame İ was allowed to do it--- would grow into something fruitful in my students' lives. 

My parents were teachers. İ remember drawing and coloring Nanay's bulletin board posters--- on godliness, cleanliness, faithfulness, patriotism and many more life lessons--- so her students would have new values to ponder each time they entered her classroom. 

Never did İ realize İ would be doing the same thing even as İ'd retired from corporate life. 

Tatay taught Physics in our town's public high school, but soon gave it up because teaching didn't pay much to feed, clothe and send eight kids to school. But Nanay persisted.

This year marks the tenth year of my teaching career. But İ regard teaching more as a calling than a career or a profession.

İt's a calling, a ministry if you will, because it involves a higher purpose. 

İ soon realized that whatever İ said and did made an impact in the lives of young pliable minds. 

So may İ share with you the lessons İ learned as a teacher. 

İ learned that teaching is a gift. To connect with students today--- gimmick and gizmo oriented, self absorbed and ultra individualistic, meaning differently-wired, and therefore hard to reach--- a teacher must pull all the stops to make sure her students get it. 

Sometimes, er, most of the time, the kids don't get it, but a teacher persists---even if one has to sing and dance, or pirouette, just to get them to get it. 

Whatever works--- games, workshops, industrial tours, having a guest speaker so they don't get tired of your face, letting them  bring a keyboard or a guitar so that they can compose a product jingle or do a TV commercial, letting them be the judge of a mock advertising congress--- İ've employed them all and then some. 

But İ've learned that the biggest tool a teacher can bring is her heart, not her brain. 

İt's a given. I must come prepared to teach and facilitate learning. 

As a Marketing or Advertising teacher, I must understand business and communication principles and demonstrate how they apply to actual cases, giving them a chance to use them in simple exercises. 

But I pretty soon realized my students needed more than just principles for career success, but life skills to overcome insecurity and low self esteem, survive a dysfunctional family life, be free from addiction, get past a recent family tragedy. That's why... 

İ've learned not to judge. On the surface, some students may look happy-go-lucky, uncaring, dense, impenetrable, duh-like, even irredeemable. 

But unless a teacher takes the extra effort to know them, a term would have passed without us making a REAL difference in their lives. But... 

İ've learned not to baby them and exercise tough love. A student must be confronted with the truth even if it hurts. If God disciplines us to make us see the point, so should a teacher.

I could not give a student an impression that he's doing OK even if he's not; and that he must shape up or else... 

Confront if I must, but to let them go scot-free and feeling hunky-dory would not be in keeping with the word "teacher". 

Because a teacher teaches! How could I say, "You're doing fine!" and grade you with high marks when I know you've been lazy, done your assignment just to comply, and yes, I see the evidence of it in the mediocre way it was written! 

Oh, if İ can just get it in their heads that life out there is tougher than school. 

That promotion comes if they are faithful with each small thing. 

That discipline--- like coming to class on time, complying with deadlines, doing an assignment like it were the last you'd ever do and must therefore execute with your best effort--- is a habit well honed for a lifetime of success. 

Every time İ go to school for my classes, İ pray that Jesus would grant me the grace to exercise love, compassion, wisdom, understanding, patience, even rebuke and discipline for anyone in need of any of these; and to pray for my students, because more than the world of knowledge and understanding that we can pass on to them, it is only God's enabling grace that will pull them through the toughest and challenging moments of their lives. 

John 13:13-16: You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. İ have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. İ tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Lastly, teaching has humbled me, taught me to realize that even as İ've topped 60 years on this earth, İ'm still clueless about many things and the more İ interact with young people, the more İ'm learning from them. 

İ'm privileged that even at my age, God enables me to enjoy a buffet of LOL and fulfilling moments with my students. 

To my students, thank you! 

Photo credits: www.englishpludz.com. dailygalaxy.com. questgarden.com. genskiescribble.blogspot.com. jesuit.org.sg

LOL MOVEMENT

When was the last time you really laughed? 

I mean a grand laugh out loud (or LOL for short, for the benefit of readers not accustomed to social media lingo) moment when you didn't care if someone's thought bubble across the room read, "İs she crazy or what?" 

Old people, mostly, must rediscover laughter! (OK, count me in, though I refuse to be called "old" just because I've passed the half century mark or I flash a senior citizen card.) 

And I don't mean "smirk"! You may not have noticed it but we young once have this tendency to dismiss as silly others' attempts to be funny or cute or try hard to amuse others. 

So we smile this sly smile with "condescending," "oh, give me a break," or "you're so corny" written all over it. 

But that actually shows how petrified we've become, or how rigid and me-minded and self-absorbed we've turned into because, "Hey, I've been there, done that. I've heard it all, so don't try to impress me. I'm beyond impressing." 

Cranky is the word! 

We need to laugh. But there must be a reason to laugh, otherwise those around you will think you're cuckoo or something. 

So laugh even if the joke is corny or silly or shallow. It's for your own good. Ok lang maging mababawaw!

Doctors must prescribe laughter like they prescribe our maintenance pills or health supplements. It's one of life's freebies---might even save you from visiting your doctor often, or save you from illnesses requiring hospitalization. 

(Especially if you don't have health insurance. Horrors! Insurance companies in the Philippines don't insure you anymore when you've reached a certain age! Calling on our valiant lawmakers! There oughta be a law protecting seniors' rights to fade away from this earth in dignity, not in indebtedness as we grapple with sky-high hospitalization bills!) 

Care2.com suggests that laughter, based on many health experts' studies: 

 * Lowers blood pressure 
 * Increases vascular blood flow and oxygenation of blood 
 * Gives a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles 
 * Reduces certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline 
 * Increases the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells 
 * Defends against respiratory infections–--even reducing the frequency of colds, by immunoglobulon in saliva 
 * Increases memory and learning. In a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores. 
 * Improves alertness, creativity, and memory

So come on, enlist in the LOL movement and scare the Count away: triglycerides, cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood sugar; and have your grandkids rejoicing that Lolo and Lola can afterall still walk with them in the park or visit Disneyland. 

Proverbs 15:13: A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. 

Any takers for a LOL reality TV show? Let's brainstorm... will it be Dolphy and Panchito or Charlie Chaplain type? Slapstick? Brainy? 

As long as it catches melatonin-short Lolos and Lolas at four in the morning, that's fine by me!