Playing Ball

Beautiful day today

I went outside, and went wow this feels like spring. I could not believe it. We decided to take the kids out and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Christmas 08

We had a wonderful Christmas! The following are some of the pictures from the x-mas celebration!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you, and your family. Don't forget the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. As a tradition, my parents, siblings and I usually open Christmas gifts on Christmas eve, go to church at 5am on Christmas day. After church, we cook, eat, and sing Christmas carols all day long. Sometimes I miss those days; however, I tell myself that I have my family now, and it's time for me to create my own tradition. In today's world, if you ask an average child about Christmas, the first thing that would probably come to their mind is present, and Santa. Today I had a conversation with my son about Christmas. I could see in his eyes how excited he was to see what Santa will bring him tomorrow when he wakes up. I was excited to see his face, at the same time, I felt like telling him about the true meaning of Christmas. He was so interested to hear more. Follow the link above for recipes: Merry Christmas everyone! We wish you love, and peace. HaPpY HoLiDaYs!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, And checking it twice; Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, So be good for goodness sake! Oh, you better watch out! You better not cry. Better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town. Santa Claus is coming to town!

Major flaw revealed in Internet Explorer; users urged to switch

You should switch to any other web browser such as Firefox, and Chrome for now. To read the article, follow the link above.

Survey: Keyboards, DRM to become scarce in 2012 (CNET)

Step aside, keyboards, laptops, and 9-to-5 jobs. A survey of more than 1,000 Internet activists, journalists, and technologists released Sunday speculates that by 2012, those quaint relics of 20th century life will fade away.

It's not a formal survey of the sort that, say, political pollsters use. Nor are computer journalists especially known for their prognosticative abilities. Still, the Pew Internet and American Life Project hopes the effort will provide a glimpse of the best current thinking about how online life will evolve in the next decade or so.

Lee Rainie and the other Pew researchers asked their survey respondents to respond to a series of questions about 2020 future scenarios, including whether the mobile phone will be the "primary" Internet connection (most agreed), whether copy protection will flourish (most disagreed), and whether transparency "heightens individual integrity and forgiveness (evenly split).

The rough consensus was that "few lines divide professional time from personal time," and that professionals are happy with the way work and play are "seamlessly integrated in most of these workers' lives."

Another, which also met with broad agreement: "Talk and touch are common technology interfaces. People have adjusted to hearing individuals dictating information in public to their computing devices. In addition 'haptic' technologies based on touch feedback have been fully developed, so, for instance, a small handheld Internet appliance allows you to display and use a full-size virtual keyboard on any flat surface for those moments when you would prefer not to talk aloud to your networked computer."

One respondent was Google chief economist Hal Varian, who said: "The big problem with the cell phone is the (user interface), particularly on the data side. We are waiting for a breakthrough."

It's easier to read the report itself, which you can find here (PDF). This is Pew's third report in the series; further reading can be found in its 2005 first survey (PDF) and 2006 second survey (PDF).

Dancing and singing

Ndamona loves music!

Joke of the day!

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'

Secrets of Super-Healthy People

Some people never seem to get sick. What are they doing that the rest of us aren't to keep illness at bay?

By Jennifer Soong WebMD Feature

Are you secretly envious of your co-workers and friends who, like superheroes, never seem to get sick? You know, the ones glowing with good health while everyone around them is sneezing, sniffling, and coughing like villains.

Don't hate the healthy people. Instead, steal the secrets of people who manage to stay above the sickroom fray and take steps to boost your body's immunity.

Training for the Body

Jennifer Cassetta, a martial arts instructor in New York City, claims she never gets sick, and neither do her father and grandmother, who also teach martial arts. "I believe it is the holistic approach to exercise that calms the mind and relieves stress," she says. "And the cardio, strengthening, and conditioning help boost the immune system."

Cassetta says her health has changed dramatically after she picked up martial arts eight years ago. Before then, she was a smoking, take-out-every-night, espresso-drinking girl in her 20s.

"As I started to train, I started to change my habits drastically," she says. "I cleaned up my diet, trained more, and quit smoking. Now in my 30s, I have more energy, I look better, and am stronger than I ever have been."

One bout of vigorous exercise can increase circulation, says Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. "Whenever circulation is increased, you get far more white blood cells," she says, "so they check for foreign germs and are far more apt to be able to gobble them up."

Pay Attention to Your Mouth

Chicago public relations consultant Joanna Broussard says gargling regularly with an antiseptic mouthwash has helped improve her dental health and may have helped fend off other illnesses.

Twelve years ago, Broussard's dental hygienist convinced her to gargle consistently after brushing her teeth. "So I made the effort and got into the habit every morning," she says, "Since then I have not had colds. When people all around me have colds or the flu, I seem to be immune."

Another reason to bone up on your brushing and gargling is that poor oral hygiene and gum disease have been linked to more serious illnesses, including diabetes.

An Apple a Day Really Works

Your mom may have been right when she said, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." A natural antioxidant called quercetin, found in red apples as well as broccoli and green tea, may give an immunity boost to individuals under stress.

In a study conducted by David Nieman, PhD, professor at Appalachian State University, results showed that only 5% of cyclists who took 1,000 milligrams of quercetin every day for five weeks reported upper respiratory illness during a two-week period following extreme exercise, whereas 45% of the cyclists who took a placebo reported illness following extreme exercise. However, there were no significant differences in measures of immune system function in the two groups.

Additionally, researchers found that athletes taking the quercetin supplement maintained better mental alertness and reaction time over the placebo group. So go ahead, stock up on those red apples and you may be thanking Mom later.

Fun, fun, fun!

Last night it snowed a lot, at some point I thought we were going to have a storm.

This morning we had fun with the snow, making snow angels and much more. Finally, we put up some Christmas decorations.

Is your set ready for digital TV?

the Transition to Digital TV On February 17, 2009 all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital. Digital broadcasting will allow stations to offer improved pictures and sound quality plus additional channels. You can keep your old fashion tv if you get your programming from a cable company, satellite company or telephone company. Your provider will convert the broadcst stations for you just like they been doing with digital cable channels for years. To learn more go to.:http://www.dtv.gov/whatisdtv.html

Homemade Waffles

Making waffles is as simple as ABC. My son loves waffles; since waffles are not the most affordable breakfast food in the store, I decided to find a cheaper way to satisfy my son. I usually freeze half of the waffles, and put the other half in the fridge. I tried different recipes until I came up with my own!

Ndamona @ Eight months

Oooh what a beautiful day!

A month ago, I spoke to my friends in Europe who have a baby couple months older than my daughter. They told me that their baby has been sleeping through the night without eating since four months. I was so impressed, and wondered how they did it. Few days latter, a friend of mine whos baby is couple months younger than my baby wrote me an e-mail and told me she was only getting 2 hours of sleep at night. I went wow, I'm not a lone. I decided to take my time, and do it my way. I have no idea how I did it, I'm now able to sleep for at least 4-6 hours most of the nights. One day I decided I'm not going to wake up at night and feed my baby. It was not easy, she cried, and cried at night, and at first I just fed her, but after two weeks of trying, I'm glad to announce that most of the nights I put her to bed at around 10pm and feed her when she wakes up by 6am. Well I didn't do this with my son. I actually waited until he was 15 months. I know every baby is different. Thus says, sometimes it does not matter what you do, if the child is not ready, it might take them a while. One thing you should remember, you are not alone, and do what works for you!

Two New Bibles Preach A Hip, Eco-Friendly Gospel

What's your opinion on this topic? Two New Bibles Preach A Hip, Eco-Friendly Gospel by Lynn Neary Two new Bibles targeting a young, hip — even secular — audience are hitting bookstores. One is a slick, illustrated version of the New Testament; the other is an environmentally friendly edition that takes advantage of the popularity of the green movement. A Peek Inside 'The Book' First, the flashy coffee-table Bible: Dag Soderberg, a secular Swedish advertising executive wondered why so few people actually read the "good book," so he set out to make it more appealing, with glossy photos and magazine packaging. The resulting publication is an illustrated version of the New Testament called Bible Illuminated: The Book. "A coffee-table magazine is read by the many everyday, everywhere," explains Soderberg. "This is a way to make [the Bible] as available as any other magazine." If you didn't know this was a Bible you might think The Book was a "goth" magazine, or perhaps something you'd find in a doctor's office. The front cover is a close-up of a translucent green eye, caked with black makeup and staring eerily from the page. On the back is a photo of a faceless figure wearing a black hooded sweat shirt. Inside, photos of celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Bono and John Lennon are interspersed with pictures of heroic figures like Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. A veil-covered African woman holding a young child illustrates the story of Mary and Jesus. Images taken from the news — both jarring and poignant — radiate a message of social justice. United Methodist minister and Hacking Christianity blogger Jeremy Smith says The Book is meant to provoke discussion. Smith points to the series of images that run in conjunction with a quote from the Book of Revelation. The quote reads: "The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast ..." The photographs show post-Katrina New Orleans, a four-page spread of an animal slaughterhouse in Nigeria and, finally, a picture of a man pumping gas. "They are interpreting this with some very political and edgy and — honestly — some disorienting imagery," says Smith. Follow the link to learn more above.

Wow Christmas is here!

Houses, and shopping centers are all covered up with Red, Green and White decorations. Since childhood, Christmas has been my favorite fest. Even during the time that I was in exile, my parents especially dad, always made sure that we had a Christmas dinner, shared gifts, and visit Church. I want to pass this traditional ritual to my children. Last year I cooked, and tried a lot of recipes for Christmas. This year we plan to stay home and have a marry Christmas at home.

Does your hair style tells who you are?

I came across people who think that just because you have rocks, you smoke some wwwwdss. Not very funny. One afternoon while I was out with my son, a young American man came and joined us, he greeted us nicely, and then turned on his Ipod. 10 minutes latter, another young man came and joined him. While my son and I were busy enjoying our cold drinks, and appreciating the last heat for the year, these two guys took out some cigarettes, and started inhaling the polluted air. I grabbed my young man B, and moved to a near by place. We were still close to them, but far enough not to inhale the cigarette smell. One of the guys, looked at me funny and asked, "What's wrong, did we do anything wrong," I smiled, and responded, "Yep, I can't stand your cigarettes." He smiled and said, "Why, does our cigarettes smell cheap or something." I said no, I just hate the way cigarette smells, beside don't you have sense not to smoke right in front of a child? "You mean you don't smoke cigarettes" the young man asked. I said, "NOPE." Then he asked again "Not even wds" I said nope. Then he looked at me funny and said, "You don't know what you're missing." Daaaah if he kinda knew what he was putting in his system he wouldn't say that. Well hello world, just because I have rocks does not mean I smoke wwwwds. I don't smoke because smoke make me cough, plus I believe it's not healthy. I'm not against people who smoke, but I think if you smoke, please don't do it right in front of the people who don't. I was so happy when Columbus banned smoking in clubs and restaurant about four years ago. I hope the rest of the world do the same.

Aids Day

Aids is affecting everyone around the globe, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Five years ago, I came across information that reported that Namibia was one of the top 3 countries affected by HIV epidemic. In 2002, about 22% of the population was reported HIV positive. Immediately after learning this information, I became an advocate to fight against the HIV/Aids. Almost everyone in Namibia has a story to tell. Almost every Namibian has lost a sister/mother/father/brother/cousin/neighbor/child/teacher or a mentor from Aids. Not long ago, I learned that the rates has dropped. According to the Namibian Health Minister Dr Richard Kamwi (2008) "prevalence rate now stands at 17,8 per cent, down from a figure of 22 per cent in 2002 and 19,9 per cent in 2006." Moreover, about 230 000 people in Namibia are living with HIV-AIDS. Thus says, we still have a long way to go. I'm glad to see that many young Namibians are taking this issue seriously than five years ago. My motto is, let us never lose hope, lets keep educating the young people, and let's lead by examples. I pray that by 2010 the rate will drop from 17,8 to 9 percent. I also pray that, come 2015 there would be a cure for HIV. I pray for the entire world.

Thanksgiving 08

As usual, we drove 3 hours to see my in-laws in Cleveland to join in for the Thanksgiving dinner. Mom cooked the best turkey, macaroni and cheese, greens, ham, and mashed potatoes. The cornbread was delicious too. We took a bite here and there, sat for few hours, ate again, and finally we had rooms for the dessert. The kids had fun too!