Places To Retire

Another sensible article I read on yahoo today. As usual I would like to impart this to my readers just so they can have an idea on where to retire. We are all going there someday. In fact, my husband has got few more years before retiring and as early as now, we should discuss things like these so when the right time comes we know where we going.

These suggested countries below could accommodate you if you only live for 1,200 a month of your pension. If you plan of staying in U.S then you probably receive more than that because of the living expense here is too costly. As for us, I would like to retire in my home country, the Philippines. With 1,200 USD to live by every month, that should be more than enough that of course if I can convince my husband to live in a hot tropical climate all-year round.

The average Social Security check is about $1,200. You can receive that payment while living anywhere in the world. In some countries, you can even have your Social Security check direct-deposited into your local bank account. Here are five places where you could retire on your Social Security income alone.

Boquete, Panama. Panama offers super user-friendly options for foreign residency. Resident retirees receive a long list of benefits including discounts on everything from prescription medicines and in-country air travel to closing costs on the purchase of real estate.

Granada, Nicaragua.

Granada, Nicaragua. Granada is a charming Spanish-colonial city built around a beautiful and lively central square. It's also home to a welcoming community of expat retirees enjoying new lives in this land of lakes and volcanoes. You could live well in Granada on about $900 per month.

Hangzou, China. About $1,000 a month could buy you a comfortable and super-exotic new life in Hangzou.

Morelia, Mexico. You could retire on a budget of about $1,100 per month in this colonial city full of charm and history. A friend calls Morelia the "coolest Mexican city you've never heard of."

Cuenca, Ecuador. The average monthly Social Security check ($1,200) could also buy you a pleasant new life in Cuenca. The city has an established community of expats who will welcome you and help with your transition. The other big plus for Cuenca is its climate. Ecuador is a land of eternal springtime, never too hot and never too cold.

THIS ARTICLE IS LIFTED FROM YAHOO NEWS.

4 Foods For Younger-Looking Skin

Here's to skin conscious people. If you would like to keep your supple, healthy, younger-looking skin forever, eat these four wonderful foods that helps maintain your collagen to help fight getting wrinkles.

I am an Asian and naturally tan in color so I don't bother getting in the sun so much for the sake of getting brown, I am talented in that part. However, I would still want to keep my skin as it is right now, wrinkle free and not sagging. Thanks to this wonderful tips from Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.

Strawberries: Eating more vitamin C-rich foods, such as strawberries, may help to ward off wrinkles and age-related dryness, suggests research from 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vitamin C’s skin-smoothing effects may be due to its ability to mop up free radicals produced from ultraviolet rays and also its role in collagen synthesis. (Vitamin C is essential for collagen production.) You can find vitamin C in a multitude of cosmetics—of which some have been shown to be effective in protecting skin—but why not go straight to the source for a tasty boost of C: red bell peppers, papaya, broccoli and oranges are other excellent sources. (Try these sweet strawberry recipes for better skin.)

Tomatoes: Tomatoes get their red hue from lycopene, a carotenoid that may help to keep your skin smooth. In a study published in 2008 in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, researchers found that of the 20 individuals studied, those who had higher skin concentrations of lycopene had smoother skin. Boost your lycopene intake with fresh summer produce like watermelon and carrots too. (Find tomato recipe ideas here.)

Tofu: Tofu and other soyfoods, such as edamame and soymilk, may help to preserve skin-firming collagen because they are rich in isoflavones. In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, mice fed isoflavones and exposed to ultraviolet radiation had fewer wrinkles and smoother skin than mice that were exposed to UV light but didn’t get isoflavones. The researchers believe that isoflavones help prevent collagen breakdown. (Find tasty 30-minute dinners using tofu here.)

Tuna: Eating tuna—and other omega-3-rich fish, such as salmon, sardines and trout—may help keep your skin looking youthful thanks to the omega-3 fat EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). EPA has been shown to preserve collagen. (Enjoy tuna in Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad and more healthy tuna recipes here.)

Application Of Citizenship

I can't believe I have gone this far in my endeavor. It feels like it was just yesterday when I found the man of my dream, came to join him in America, had a baby and built that desirable family I long to have for a long time and look at me now, I am about to apply for my U.S Citizenship.

I am quite ready for it. In fact, I have been practicing their self-help test on their website and I learned a lot of their history and current events although there are few questions I need to master before I could say I am totally ready for the interview.

I have the form total pages of ten filled out and is now waiting for the weekend to come so I can get a passport size photos and send my application to Dallas. Weewww I am getting so excited for this thing to be over with. After the citizenship, I will be done with US governmental papers and I will have the same rights as Americans do. I will be equal with them and for that I will let no one to put me down. Hopefully, God permits and allows me to be an American citizen and everything will be smooth and easy.

Abroad

As you have noticed on my Facebook list I got tons of people there that I kept after a thorough clean up last February. I deleted those that aren't that close to me I knew online and I met once in my life. Things were not meant to be so I decided to let them go. I don't feel any regret at all.

For strangers who just came across to my FB page, seeing more than 250 people in my list would probably think I am pathetic. If you call it that way then be it, I don't blame myself for that because most of those are from my elementary, high school, college and neighbors whom I got reconnected with through facebook.

Oh! To tell you the truth, I am so glad I joined FB and keep myself open for other eyes to see. Through it, I found tons of people way back in my school days. Just last night, I found two people who were my classmates in high school. Edilenson Igot was my 4th yr. h.s. classmate under Ma'am Sanchez, who was a quiet, smart, twiggy boy who just sat in one corner of our classroom tickling his guitar. I admired this kid for he was just simple yet deep.

When he accepted my request, I was grateful, I got to see his photos that concluded that he really was my classmate. He is now in New Zealand having a family of his own which is good for him. I thought wow what a fine man seeking his future outside the country, nanikay sikay ug nangita kaayohan para mo asenso!

Another one is Nelson Tunacao or "Isot" as most people called him. So nice to see his happy pictures along with Koreans. He probably works in South Korea, the pictures tell it all. Good job Isot, 'coz you joined those people who want to be responsible and successful in life.

Duh it just feel so freakin' good to have found several friends over the internet after almost a decade of losing contact with them. I can go on forever enumerating people who have made their way out of poverty and uplifted themselves for the better but I don't wanna bore you with this nonsense. Just come by more often check me out...

Indonesian Baby on 40 Cigarettes A Day

I feel bad about this baby who got hooked into cigarettes after being introduced by his father to cigarettes. This is depressing, instead of teaching the baby good values he screwed his life early. Watch the video and tell me how you feel about it afterwards. Honestly, I am speechless and I cannot fathom the father's mind why in the world he did to his own son.