Kelly's Campaign

There’s a difference between being sleepless one night and sleepless almost every night up to a point of not getting enough sleep for the day. The word insomnia is being used and misused because of lack of information. This sleep disorder can be categorized into two types. The transient insomnia is only temporary and can be caused by factors such as jet lag, an argument or a short medical illness. Once the situation is resolved the sleeping pattern goes back to normal.

On the other hand, chronic insomnia is a more severe case and can be caused by too much stress, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep apnea and excessive caffeine intake. If the situation gets worse it can be harmful to one’s health. If the lack of sleep starts to disrupt one’s daily activities and hinders a person to become productive at work then immediate medical attention and diagnosis is needed.

Is there a way to fight insomnia? The treatment will vary depending on the severity of the case. It could be as simple as resolving emotional issues that causes a person to be bothered or a lifestyle change. Regular exercise and meditation such as yoga can also help relax the mind and body in order to promote a better sleep. Engage in activities that will keep your body moving like sports and start a healthy diet.

In chronic cases, prescription medicines are often given to patients that can aid in their effort to sleep. But it is to be taken according to the doctor’s advice as it can be habit forming. If you are suffering from insomnia consult your physician in order to start your treatment.

Mia currently works as a freelance writer. Among her favorite topics include travel, current events, technology and fashion. She’s enjoying her current task writing for "canvastavlor" a project about "photo canvas".

Thanks to Jhari for sharing an article in her blog. The article is about the signs that says a toddler is ready for potty training. This got me interested because I have a 28-month old toddler and have not started potty training yet.

Here are the five signs a toddler may be ready for no accidents

1. Staying dry longer. When this happens, staying nappy-dry for at two hours, it means she is already able to control her bladder. Check also if her diapers are not too saturated as she wakes up in the morning.
2. Showing physical signs before going. She grunts, makes faces, tries to take off diapers, or better yet says it out loud when about to go.
3. Disliking soiled diapers. When she shows that she does not like being in soiled diapers and says it too.
4. Showing interest in the toilet. She is curious about the washroom habits of parents, siblings or friends. She may also imitate these habits.
5. Wanting to wear big-kid undies. When she refuses to wear diapers already.

Personally I am not pushing the little one yet to be fully potty trained. I believe that sooner or later, she will learn that, in her own time. She is already showing some of the signs as listed so I know we are on the right track.

Twitterlandia was abuzz with conversation about how one of us was almost scammed into sending money to someone she does not know. The alarm went off when a supposed email sender became anxious for her to send the transfer details. Then later, through the help of another friend based in the US, she was able to clear it up with Paypal.

Anyway, this just goes to show that scamming and phising is indeed alive in the world wide web. Even the great Apple is not invincible. have you heard of the latest possible scam in the Apple store? Be wary when you receive something like thins in your email inbox:

This is alarming since the scammers would send this email after a customer makes an actual purchase. Deceiving, eh? The link goes to a pharma website, I heard. It is unknown how these con artists are able to secure information about your purchase so it is always best to be vigilant about purchasing apps.

After I have loaded my iBooks with well, ebooks (and I am not done yet), I decided to check out Zinio. I have had this app installed for almost two weeks now but only got the chance to explore it the other day. I was hesitant to start with it because I was sure that I will get suck into it and I just might not be able to control myself from purchasing. My friend Glo said there are free issues available and it would not hurt if I check it out.

So I did. I was happy with the free magazines until I received an email notification about the featured magazines on the “stand”. I need not let you guess about what happened next, because yes, I bought a couple of subscriptions I simply cannot resist:

The O Magazine, I only got for US$18 for 12 issues. Did you know that on this side of the world, an issue (in print) of this magazine cost about US$15 already?! That alone justifies this purchase. On the other hand, I only paid US$6 for 12 issues for Elle. Believe me when I say that it comes so much cheaper than my local celebrity mag.

I love Zinio!

Only days after Sony announced all-systems go once again for PlayStation Network, another attack hit it. PSN users will face a difficulty when trying to change the password. This is necessary when logging back in after the massive attack where everyone’s user account details were stolen. You can just imagine that verifying users in order to change the password can be difficult because anyone who has the valid email address and birthday can do that for any user. Sony say:

Unfortunately this also means that those who are still trying to change their password via Playstation.com or Qriocity.com will be unable to do so for the time being. This is due to essential maintenance and at present it is unclear how long this will take. In the meantime you will still be able to sign into PSN via your PlayStation 3 and PSP devices to connect to game services and view Trophy/Friends information.

So yes you can still log-in and play but you sure need to pray hackers won’t change your password at all.

Thanks to Chanda of Globe Tower 1 Business Center, my iPad’s 3G connection works already!

Almost two weeks since the husband got me the new iPad 2, it was only yesterday that the 3G worked fine. See, I cannot find the settings anywhere in the company website or in forums (or I was not looking hard enough?) so I have been getting this response:

I am using a prepaid micro-SIM by the way, because I am almost always with wifi anyway. A postpaid subscription is clearly not that pratical. I am glad that DD and I were able to tag along with DH in Makati so I was able to visit my previous BC. And within minutes of Chanda’s tinkering, I was connected to the internet even without WiFi. She reset the network connections and input the right APN settings. Here:

If you are having the same problem, maybe this is the solution. Thumbs up!

I am a certified germophobe! I easily get paranoid especially when we go out of the house. Yep, classic example: I refuse to hold hand rails on stairs or escalators (much to DH’s annoyance because he feels I am being unsafe).

If you are someone like me, you probably do these things to beat the germs (I am posting for the benefit of those who aren’t LOL):

1. Wash hands: before meals, after using the toilet, after petting an animal or playing outside, just wash wash wash! :p
2. Wash AND do it right. It takes twenty seconds of scrubbing with soap and water for the germs to get killed.
3. Keep a hand sanitizer handy, for the times when washing areas may not be available. Make sure every inch of the skin is covered, even under the nails.
4. Squelch ‘em! Make sure to clean cutting boards thoroughly after preparing meat or poultry with hot sopay water. Disinfect countertops too.
5. Attend to injuries with TLC. Wash cuts and scrapes with soap and water, apply antibacterial cream and bandage if necessary. Change dressing daily until the wound is healed.
6. Update vaccinations especially those against the flu virus.
7. Wipe, wipe, wipe! If someone in the household is sick, be sure to wipe anything (doorknobs, tv remote, faucets, etc) that anybody could touch to prevent the spread of the germs.

I am not sure if I mentioned it here already but my family is building a school in out humble hometown. For now we are only accepting pre-elementary and Grade 1 pupils with plans of expanding in the very near future, of course. While also being in the Board, my tasks include developing the programs and also handling some HR and desktop publishing work. Somewhere within that job description, I am also to work with the canteen concessionaire so we are sure that only healthy food is being served to the students.

Earlier today, this was my task on hand. Meal planning, that is. I find this very challenging because I know kids these days are pretty picky with food. I do not have the same problem with my DD as she would pick veggies and chicken and fish over pork or beef. But the students are not my kids and I have no idea how their parents trained them when it comes to food.

I have done my research but I find that the ones I got are insufficient to create monthly menus that do not just repeat every month. Another limitation is that we should make the meals affordable too. If you have suggestions, you might want to leave a comment!

My cousin just got hired in a hospital in the city. She is a nurse by profession, by the way, and this will be her first job stint since passing the board & acquiring her license. Just last week, we had a little get together on her honor to celebrate these milestones. I was thinking of an appropriate gift and someone suggested NRG Scrubs. Why not right? I am sure these will be very useful:

I also got her a set of Cherokee Flexibles:

As expected, she got giddy upon opening my gift. Just looking at the designs made me wonder why I never got into the medical field. I think I am missing the opportunity to wear nice suits like the ones posted. Anyway, I checked the quality of these scrubs, which I ordered from medicalscrubscollection.com, before I wrapped them in a box. I must say that these are perfect for the long hours in the hospital. I am so glad my cousin appreciates the gift!

Autism, a complex and mysterious brain disorder. Being so, science have not provided explanations about why and how it happens. It strikes one in 110 children in the United States and affects four times as many boys as girls. And most often than not, it is detected at around three years old. Just imagine how parents may feel upon learning that their kid has Autism. I know a single parent who recently found out that her son has developmental delay, she was devastated (but have moved on since then).

A recent study however claims to detect autism at an earlier stage in life. On Thursday, US researchers reported that “A five-minute screening test could help detect autism in babies at 12 months of age, giving parents and doctors far more time to intervene.” This is good news because it has been established that early detection is better since intervention can be done right away. The author of this study is Karen Pierce of University of California, San Diego, funded by National Institute of Mental Health c/o Dr. Lisa Gilotty who heads the Autism Program. The study will appear in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Click here for more details.