2007, Year of the FIRE PIG

18th February 2007 - 6th February 2008
by Gayle Atherton

The fat, happy Pig is the 'laughing Buddha' of the Chinese Zodiac
signs; naturally pleased, whatever he does.

He likes his creature comforts; is sensual in all endeavours.
Tolerant, compassionate, generous, - he has difficulty controlling his
passions but hides neither faults, mistakes, nor his self-indulgence.

Egocentric, chaotic, destructive at times, one of Pig's essential
drives is his love for freedom and beauty. The eternal optimist, his
attitude is, "Don't worry, be happy".

What to Expect in the Year of the Fire Pig:

The Chinese Fire Pig symbol (Fire over Water) contains a special
character that forms an accelerant. The year has potential for
situations to gather speed; to burn out of control.

In Chinese astrology, clashes of Fire & Water have powerful,
uncontrollable effects, while transformation takes place. Situations
flare up quickly and propel out of control.

The Water element denotes clandestine affairs, 'behind the scenes',
danger. It can indicate physical floods & large scale water problems -
potential for extensive damage and destruction.

Fire Pig has harmonious elements, but harmony is lost when situations
are out of control. Fire Pig years have been fraught with incidents:
wars, political takeovers, enormous unrest.

Year of the Fire Pig and your Sign (General guidelines, Brief excerpts.)

RAT A busy year; many changes. Opportunites & innovations; Personal
adjustments are necessary for success. Keep track of possessions.

OX A busier year than usual. Doing things together with a pig-born
person can be helpful. Travel is likely - if so, watch your
possessions.

TIGER Lots of laughter, happy occasions. A new partner possible in
business, love, or both. In business, ensure a good action plan -
things happen fast!

RABBIT A great year: lots of support & friendship. Finish any 'strange
stuff' from the past so you're ready for the future. Hook up with
pig-folk.

DRAGON Good for socialising; Not for ground-breaking new projects.
Exercise patience! Avoid stress-outs. You'll need to fit in with the
plans of others.

SNAKE If you feel out of synch, remember it's a good time for resource
consolidation, for research & getting up to date. Going incognito
leads to discoveries.

HORSE The Horse will appreciate the social aspects of the year.
Opportunities can arrive by strange means: - Keep an open mind.

GOAT The year's flow is in harmony with your energies. Significant
projects & opportunities. Keep highest integrity in romance: your
reputation is at stake.

MONKEY You may be run off your feet; Don't trust hunches until you've
done the research: facts, figures, stats. Look behind the scenes. Take
time out.

ROOSTER Public recognition, but more important things need attention.
Learn how you're contributing to any chaos. Re-evaluate what's
important to you.

DOG You may have to go on rescue missions. Don't fret if the 'dog's
bone' goes to others. Be aware, keep focus, avoid get-rich-quick
schemes.

PIG A happy, optimistic, comfortable year. Avoid excess, indulgence,
being carried away in the moment, & making promises you can't keep.

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From: http://www.astrolog.com.au/pages/year_of_firepig.htm

Stress Primer

O, bakit ka na naman na-i-istress? Did you wake up on the wrong
side of the bed?

Meron ka bang deadline na i-bi-beat ngayong araw na ito?

It's important to understand stress before we can effectively
manage it kaya Stress ang pag-uusapan natin ngayon.

Ayon sa mga scientists mayroong dalawang uri ng stress.

Eustress and Distress.

Eustress is positive stress. Ito ang nararamdaman ng isang dalaga
kapag dumarating na ang kanyang manliligaw at may daladalang flowers.

Eustress din ang tawag sa stress na nararanasan ng mga nagwo-
work-out when they are doing their exercises.

Ang mga athletes, pagkatapos na ma-stress ang kanilang muscles,
they rest para ma-repair ang kanilang muscles.

Kapag hindi sila nagpahinga, the stressed muscles will be injured.

When injury happens, yan ang distress.

Distress is the negative side of stress.

Nakakaramdam ka na ng sakit ng ulo, pagsakit ng tiyan, hindi na
makatulog, di pa makakain.

Distress ang uri ng stress na nagreresulta sa kung ano-anong
sakit tulad ng hypertension, minsan nga ay emotional breakdown pa.

Ano ba ang pwede nating gawin para ang stress natin ay hindi
maging distress? Famous author and inspirational speaker, Dr. John
Maxwell has the following suggestions:

Don't be overly sensitive to criticism.

Tanggapin na natin ang katotohanang hindi natin kayang i-please
ang lahat ng tao.

Talagang mayroong hindi aayon sa iyo kahit na napaka-noble ng
iyong mga intentions and motives.

So when you receive criticisms, take it constructively kung
sensible ang criticism.

If you think the criticism is not objective, huwag na lang
pansinin at ng hindi ka ma-distress.

Don't take too much pride in your achievements.

Ang pride ay parang uling, ginagatungan niyan ang distress.

Ang taong proud ay mas lalong nadi-distress dahil masyado niyang
iniingatan ang kanyang achievement at accomplishment.

Minsan nga our achievements hinder us from growing and learning
kasi sinasabi natin sa ating sarili, aba may na-accomplish na ko.

Mas mahusay ako kaysa sa iba, hindi na nila ko pwedeng turuan.

Ang lungkot ng buhay kapag naging ganyan ang attitude natin.

Don't harbor jealousy over the achievement of others.

Ang taong mainggitin madalas ding madistress, kasi nga totoo
namang mayroong mas higit kaysa sa atin.

Natural ang iba ay maaaring magkaroon ng achievements na wala tayo di ba.

Instead of being jealous or envious, let's learn to rejoice in
the successes of others.

Malay mo malibre ka pa bogchi dahil nakikigalak ka sa kanilang
tagumpay, di ba?

Don't focus on your weaknesses and inadequacies.

Ang sugat kapag mas lalo mong ginalaw mas lalong lalala at baka
maimpeksyon.

The more you focus on your weaknesses and inadequacies the bigger
the tendency of wallowing in self-pity.

While it is important to acknowledge your inadequacies, it is
helpful to focus on your strengths and capabilities.

One effective way of fighting distress is by counting our
blessings - the good things which life brings.

When we have grateful hearts, we will always be reminded that we
are too blessed to be stressed!

====================
From: hmalfonso@PNOC.COM.PH

Microwaving Water!

(I did not know this, did you?)

A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of
water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had
done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer
for, but he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut
the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the
cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but suddenly the water
in the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact until he
threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his
face due to the build up of energy. His whole face is blistered and he
has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.

He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the
hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a
fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a
microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be
placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick,
tea bag, etc., (nothing metal).

It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle.

GENERAL ELECTRIC'S RESPONSE:

Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail
that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do
not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually
get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will
bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a
spoon or tea bag is put into it.

To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any
liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup
stand in the microwave for thirty seconds! before moving it or adding
anything into it.

Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter:
"Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It
is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime
water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the
water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water
(less than half a cup).

What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can
form. If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface
scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As
the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat has built up, the
liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past
its boiling point.

What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred,
which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form
and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a
carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken."

If you pass this on you could very well save someone from a lot of
pain and suffering.

====================
From: snowbel16@yahoo.com

Importance of Sleep

A man can go two weeks without eating. But if he doesn't rest at all,
he can only survive for one week. Sleeping provides us the time to
rest our internal organs, eyes and brains. Poor sleep quality can
cause internal damage to our internal organs and brains. Therefore,
sleeping is very important to us. If you wish to have a long life and
stay healthy, please take note of the advice below.

FIVE (5) DON'Ts WHILE SLEEPING

Don't' Sleep with Watch
Watches can emit a certain level of radioactivity. Though small, but
if you wear your watch to bed for a long time, it might have adverse
effects on your health.

Don't Sleep with Bra
Scientists in America have discovered those that wear bras for more
than 12 hours have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. So go to
bed without it.

Don't Sleep with Phone
Putting the phone beside your bed or anywhere near you is not
encouraged. Though some of us will use phones as alarm clocks, but
please put the phone as far as possible. Scientists have proved that
electrical items including mobile phone and television se! ts emit
magnetic waves when used. These waves can cause disruptions to our
nervous system. Therefore if you need to put your mobile phone near
you, switch it off first.

Don't Sleep with Make-Up
People who sleep with make up might have skin problems in the long
run. Sleeping with make up will cause the skin to have difficulty in
breathing and problem in perspiring. You will also need a much longer
time to go into deep sleep.

Don't Sleep with Other's Wife
'Coz you may never wake up again.

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From: em_ang@edsamail.com.ph