Another one of my cravings... Cinnamon Rolls

My baby and I had some Cinnamon Rolls today... I actually got it at Starbucks... with my Hazel (cold) Chocolate.

I don't know why, but I seem to be craving for sweets these past few months.

First, I had cravings for Mars Bar, like, once everyday. I tried to cut down on it, and eventually, I lost my craving for that.

Then I had a craving for Daim chocolates... I still do actually.

I notice that, it just has something to do with Caramel. Mars had Caramel and now Daim also has caramel. :-)

But now, I just got to have cinnamon rolls... and the more it has that white icing on top... hmmm.... the more I love it. :-)

I know what you're thinking... I really have to go for a Blood-Glucose check... which I certainly have to do this week. My friend warned me that when she was pregnant, she had Diabetes... but was normal after giving birth.

Anyway, I read this article about the benefits of Cinnamon... I just thought of sharing it... for those who loves Cinnamon as well... here's some health benefit for you.

From http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.

Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

I didn't actually know this... but I enjoy eating it anyway. ;-)

What goes around, comes around...

I received this message from a friend. It's a lovely story... I don't know whether you have all read it before... but when I finished reading it, I just thought I had to share it.

The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.

"Leave me alone," he growled... To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president.. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader.

Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
"Let me go, officer. I didn't d o anything.."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked."What is all this, is this man in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so.. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."

"Oh.."

The woman smiled again.. "I thought that might make a difference."

She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer.."

The officer watched him walk away... "You certainly put him in his place," he said.

"That was not my intent... Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.

"Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment.. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I
saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my
food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right..."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll
find something for you to do around the office."

She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he asked.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways.. "Thank you for your help officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget, And thank you for the coffee."

Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You always and don't forget that when you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be returned to you. God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.

Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!

The power of one sentence! God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.

God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..
If you need God to open some doors for you...send this on.

Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing....

New Year with family and friends...

I know it's kinda late for me to post this, since it's already the 8th. I've been busy at the office after the New Year, since we've shifted our office to a different location... so I didn't get any chance to open my blog.

Anyway, just to share how we celebrated the New Year... :-)

Matth and I celebrated our New Year's Eve at our friend's place. It was just a simple gathering with family and friends, but we really had fun cause it also felt like back home in the Philippines.

Well, the only Filipino food that time was Pancit Bihun, and Tita Ruby made it... I must say, she really makes good Pancit Bihun.

I made some Carbonara... and some Tacos (since the kids like Tacos)... and Tita Ruby's friend made some Polish food.

We also barbeque some chicken and pork... which I really enjoyed cause I was craving for it.

We thought we wouldn't see any fireworks... but we did.

And of course... it wouldn't be a Filipino gathering without karaoke... and drinking. We sang till 7am... haha. Well, the kids were already asleep, I mean fast a sleep. Despite how noisy we were, they were still asleep. :-)

We went there again on the night of the 1st... and continued our Karaoke session. :-)

It was a fun New Year...

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Temper Tantrums during Pregnancy... I thought I was the only one

After reading this article...

http://www.ninemonths.com.au/woman-who-have-temper-tantrums-during-pregnancy-put-babies-at-risk-of-heart-problems/

According to a new study anger can affect the development of babies' hearts in the wombs.

Researchers say angry behaviour even things such as door slamming, shouting loudly and even binge-eating whilst pregnant can affect the development of babies’ hearts.

Infants born to mothers more prone to these impulsive and aggressive acts had less variation in their heart rates after birth, the research found. Variation in heart rate is thought to be healthy because it indicates the body is flexible and adaptable to change. For example, different breathing patterns should affect the heart rate.

But if the heart does not adapt to change it is more at risk of disease and infection. It is already known that adults who have a lower variation in heart rate are more likely to develop heart problems.

Researchers also say the hormonal changes in the body which trigger aggressive behaviour may pass through the placenta to the unborn baby, and could have an influence on the way cells develop. And so staying relaxed and calm whilst pregnant is important – what a better excuse for a spa day!!

The study, led by researchers from the University of Sussex, recruited 49 pregnant women aged between 22 and 39 from childbirth classes. The volunteers were tested to see how likely they were to develop ‘impulsive, uncontrollable bouts of temper’. The women were asked in interviews to describe how they normally dealt with anger and their brain activity was monitored to see how they responded to certain sounds and images designed to prompt a negative reaction. They found 22 women fitted into the ‘angry’ category, nearly half of the volunteer group.

The researchers said this was a higher proportion than would be expected in the general population, attributing this to the fact that the study had been advertised as investigating the effects of temper on foetal hearts and attracted volunteers concerned about their anger.

After the women gave birth, the electrical activity of the babies’ hearts was measured using an electrocardiogram, or ECG. They found newborns whose mothers were in the angry group had a lower variation in their heart rate.

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I realize since we can't really control these kind of emotional outburst, it is important that we do when we're pregnant... I've talked to my husband about this, it really helps if we do.

Christmas Day... picnic at a waterfalls in Bentong, Pahang

It's Christmas day... and we decided to celebrate it at a Waterfalls, at Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia. Had a nice picnic there and enjoyed the scenery.

We really had fun. It was actually a bit far than we expected... in fact, everyone was actually hungry once we got there.

The food was nice... Pinakbet (a popular Ilocano dish from the Philippines) (it's a mixture of pork, bitter gourd, eggplants, tomatoes, string beans, and okra with bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)), Rellenong Bangus (stuffed Milkfish) (you actually have to take out the fish bones, take the bangus meat mixed with peas, raisins... to create the stuffing), Tinapang Isda (smoked fish), Black Pepper Chicken and Sweet and Spicy Chicken.

After having our lunch picnic there... we went to the waterfalls... just wading in the water... the kids went for a swim at a deeper (yet safe) part.

The water was cold... so we all enjoyed it. It was a bit dangerous though, cause of the rocks. We just had to be careful going down to the waterfalls.

My hubby took some good pictures of the waterfalls from a better angle... at the top of some huge rocks.

It was a good Christmas... we really had fun. :)

Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Dinner)

It's always good to spend the holidays with good home cook meals, laughter and cheer with family and friends.

We celebrated Christmas Eve at Tita Ruby's house. I made Tacos... both Beef and Chicken... since Uncle doesn't eat beef. Tita made some Pancit Bihon (Filipino dish), Rellenong Bangus (Stuffed Milkfish), and others.

After stuffing ourselves with good food... we hang out at the living room, watching some movie... chatting... and they had some Guinness Stout Beer. If I wasn't pregnant, I'd probably be drinking with them :) hehe. Guinness Stout is actually nice cause when you drink it (right amount though, not too much) you wake up the next day, feeling fresh... none of those really bad hang-over.

We had a great time. My hubby and I went back around 5am already. There house was just a few minutes drive from our place anyway.

Pasar Malam (Night Market) before Christmas

My hubby and I visited the Pasar Malam (which they always have every Wednesday night at Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia).

We like just going around the pasar malam, find some interesting items or buy some fresh fruits and veggies, or fish and meat.

They also have clothes, bags and watches. The best part is... it's cheap and near our area. Only a few minutes drive from our home.

Here, we actually bought some vegetables and meat to cook for Christmas... and to stock at home for the week so we don't have to keep running to the grocery for items.