Ayon sa pag-aaral ng mga eksperto ay nagtataglay ang sarang semut ng aktibong compounds ng flavonoid, tocopherol at phenolic. Mayaman din daw ito sa minerals na may bisa bilang anti-oxidants at anti-cancer. Mukhang napakahusay talaga ng sarang semut na ito kung pagbabasehan ang mga testimonials ng mga nakasubok na nito at mga minerals at compounds na meron ito.

Kaya simula nitong araw ng Linggo ay sumubok na rin ako. Baka sakaling madelay ko ang unti-unting pagtaas ng aking blood pressure na nitong huling check up ko ay nasa 125/80 na mula sa 90/70 noong ako ay nasa kolehiyo pa lamang.

Madali lang namang iprepara ang sarang semut soda (pinanindigan na hahaha). Maglagay lamang ng ilang piraso ng tinipak na sarang semut sa kumukulong tubig at pakuluan ng 5-7 minuto. Matapos itong pakuluan ay salain ang brownish na medyo may pagka maroon at medyo purple kung minsan (sensya na magulo ang kulay malabo na mata ko) na sabaw. Para lamang tsaa ito.  Medyo kakaiba ang amoy nito lalo na sa mga unang iinom ng sarang semut. Palamigin ng kaunti bago inumin para hindi naman mapaso ang mapupulang labi at dila.

Ang lasa nito ay hindi naman masagwa. Para ka lang umiinom ng bagong flavor ng tsaa. Walang masyadong after taste. Sa labi lang kung matuyo ang sabaw ng sarang semut ay parang medyo maalat ng konting-konti lang. Uminom ng konting tubig matapos na ubusin ang isang baso ng sarang semut kung meron kang nalalasahan na konting naiwan sa iyong bibig.

Hindi ko pa sigurado kung gaano karami ang iinumin sa bawat araw para maging lubos na mabisa sa kalusugan. Maraming mga katotong Pinoy dito ang nagsasabi na hanggang tatlong baso isang araw daw. Ako naman ay isang malaking mug lang tuwing gabi. Yun muna siguro ang aking iinumin sa loob ng isang buwan bago ako magdagdag ng dami.

Noong una kong pag-inom ng sarang semut ay parang ayaw akong antukin at alas-dos na ng madaling araw ako nakaramdam ng antok. Pakiramdam ko rin ay napuno ang tiyan ko. Parang pakiramdam ng busog ngunit hindi naman mabigat. Bukod doon ay wala naman akong ibang naramdaman na kakaiba. Eto at kaiinom ko lang ulit at ganun pa rin ang pakiramdam. Medyo alisto nga lang ang senses ko at parang masigla ng konti kaysa dati. Si katotong Kim naman daw ay tigas-titi ang epekto sa kanya. Nag wet dreams ng makailang ulit sa  tuwing iinom sya ng sarang semut soda.

Ang napakuluang sarang semut nga pala ay pwedeng itago at muling pakuluan hanggang 3 ulit. Obserbahan lang kung medyo lumilinaw na ang kulay ng tubig matapos ang bawat pakulo. Kung halos tubig na lang ang kulay oras na para magpakulo ng bagong batch ng sarang semut.

Narito sa baba ang ilang litrato ng sarang semut bago at matapos pakuluan.

Yuckiiiii ang hitsura parang yung sa kumalat na chain mail dati na pinakuluang fetus sa Taiwan!!! Hitsura lang yan mga tsong at tsang. Sarang semut soda masarap din naman parang tsaa na walang asukal.

Resulta: palaging puyat, kinakabahan at natatakot sa kung anuman ang nangyayari sa akin.

Kagabi ay naglaro ako ng basketball for two straight sets na inabot ng one hour intense competition. tatlong six-footer ang kalaban namin mabuti na lang at ang sentro namin ay isang physical 6-6 na Venezuelan na sobrang ingay maglaro. Anyway, for the first time in a week ay di ako nakaramdam ng pagsakit ng dibdib or any discomfort sa paghinga. Exercise lang pala ang katapat. Yun nga lang masakit ang aking paa at lower back.

Tumatanda na kailangan maging mas maingat sa kalusugan.

• Maglakad papunta sa kanto at bumili ng ihaw-ihaw. Subukan ang isaw (food for the soul). Bumili na rin ng samalamig na panulak: sago/gulaman o ice cold coke.
• I-google ang larawan ng celebrity/model na matagal mo ng pinagpapantasyahan at simulang gawin ang paborito mong hobby habang nakatitig ka sa picture. Warning: hinay hinay lang baka pulikatin ka.
• Pakinggan ang musika ni Bitoy dito.
• Manood ng session ng mga politiko. Ito kasi ang 'seryosong' pagpupulong ng mga biggest jokers sa bansa. A high dose of laughter is guaranteed.
• Maglakad, mag-jog o kaya ay mag bisikleta around the park or just around the barangay for 15-30 minutes. Pag pinawisan ka ang sarap ng pakiramdam.
• Kumain ka ng chocolates. Wag yung may sangkap na gatas galing China at baka magkasakit ka sa bato dahil sa melamine.
• Magyosi ka hanggang ubuhin ka o kaya naman ay uminom ng pagkilamig lamig na San Miguel Beer, tamang tama Octoberfest!
• Take a quick  nap. Siguraduhing magigising ka pa.
• Tumugtog ng gitara, piano o kung anumang musical instrument na gusto at alam mong gamitin. Pwede ring kumanta na lang. Kung wala kang alam sa musika tumalon ka na lang sa tulay.
• Tawagan ang mga kabarkada mo noong supot ka pa at yakagin silang balikan ang inyong paboritong gawin noon: mamboso, manghuli ng tutubi, umakyat sa mataas na puno, magjakol sa talahiban.

 Nag-aalala kasi ako na baka pagdating ko ng edad trenta y cinco eh kamukha ko na si Gollum. Hindi maaari! 

Kaya heto at ginagawa ang lahat para mag ehersisyo at nagsasaliksik din ako ng mga sources ng anti-oxidants bukod sa Vitamin E capsules na karaniwang mabibili sa inyong paboritong botika.

Malunggay! My gulay! Ito daw ay isang 'miracle vegetable' sabi ng isang henyo at marami pang iskolar at doktor kwak kwak ang nagpapahayag ng mga mabubuting dulot ng pagkain ng malunggay. Sayang at nakabalik na si Joseph sana eh nakapagpadala ng tatlong bayong na malunggay dito. Wala kasi ditong gulay na yan. Ang ginugulay lang dito sa Tangguh ay sitaw (kibal na kasi malaki), spinach, carrot-repolyo (pakain sa rabbit shet) at dahon ng papaya! Lintik na gulay yan, dito lang ako nakakita ng mga taong kumakain ng dahon ng papaya. Pag didighay nga sila matapos kumain ay may lumalabas na bula sa bibig nila. Out of topic... anyway... Narito ang ilang copy-paste na something-something about MALUNGGAY.

Botany
- As high as 9 m; has a soft, white wood and corky, gummy bark. Root has the taste of horseradish. Each compound leaf contains 3-9 very thin leaflets dispersed on a compound (3 times pinnate) stalk. Flowers white and fragrant, producing long, pendulous, 9-ribbed pods. 3-angled winged seeds.
- Introduced from Malaya or some other part of tropical Asia in prehistoric times. Grown throughout the Philippines in settled areas as a backyard vegetable and as a border plant. Drought resistant and grows in practically all kinds of well-drained soils. Conserves water by shedding leaves during dry season.
- Propagation by seeds and stem cuttings.

Properties
Galactagogue, rubefacient, antiscorbutic, diuretic, stimulant, purgative, antibiotic, antifungal.
Antiinflammatory, antitumor activities on mice studies.
Antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-ulcer.
Purported to be beneficial for decreasing blood pressure, relieving headaches and migraines, reducing inflammatory and arthritic pains, anti-ulcer, anti-tumor. Purported to be beneficial for decreasing blood pressure, relieving headaches and migraines, reducing inflammatory and arthritic pains.

Distribution
Grown throughout the Philippines as a vegetable or border plant.

Parts utilized
Flowers, leaves, young pods

Constituents
Ben oil, 36% - palmitic, stearic, myristic, oleic, and behenic acids, phytosterin; two alkaloids the mixture of which has the same action as epinephrine.

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Kanina paulit-ulit kong naririnig sa isip ko ang mga salitang yan. Paano ba naman ang tagal kong tinititigan itong pandan cake sa harapan ko. I was debating for the last thirty boring minutes kung papatulan ko itong berdeng mamon na binalot sa icing o ilagay ko sa refrigerator kung saan di ko makikita para maipagpatuloy ko ang Newton's Law na bawal ang sweets (sabay kindat).

Ako: "Gutom ako."

Gwapong Konsiyensya: "Hindi ka gutom baliw!"

Ako: "Gutom talaga ako."

Gwapong Konsiyensya: "Uhaw lang yan. Laklakin mo ang isang 600 ml na mineral water sa harap mo at makakaraos ka."

Glug...glug..glug.glug.glug. Limang lagok lang at ubos ang tubig. Nakngtipaklong uhaw nga lang pala ang nararamdaman ko at hindi gutom. Kaya heto at ibibigay ko na lang ang cake na ito sa aming janitor sa office. Ganun siguro ang teknik ng mga hippopotamus na nagtagumpay sa pagpapapayat. Tubig diet. It's all in the mind. Kala mo gutom ka when imfak uhaw lang pala.

Narito ang ilang Water Facts ayon kay Mang Ernie (Suma Langit Nawa)...

• After air, water is the most important element for life and vitality.
• Chronic dehydration is a major contributor to many diseases.
• Adequate hydration reduces the risk of many diseases.
• Thirst in the mouth is only one of many indicators of dehydration.
• Thirst in the mouth sensations decrease significantly after age 30.
• By the time you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. Drink before you are thirsty.
• Drink twice as much as it takes to quench your thirst.
• Blood is 92% water.
• Brain is 75% water.
• Lungs are 90% water.
• Muscles are 75% water.
  

Health/Wellness and Disease

• 5 glasses of water/day: decreases risk of breast cancer by 79%, colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%.
• Chronic dehydration causes: asthma, arthritis, kidney stones, gall stones, hypertension, cardio vascular diseases and weight gain.
• Chronic dehydration causes: migraines, loss of muscle tone and digestive complications.
• 8-10 glasses/day can significantly ease back and joint pain for 80% of sufferers.
• Most adults loose between two and three quarts of water a day without exercising. One quart is lost during a night’s sleep.
• Caffeinated coffee, cola, alcohol, tea and tobacco, actually cause the body to discharge water.
• Shortage of water first suppresses and eventually kills some aspects of the body.
• Water is the bonding adhesive in the architecture of every cell structure.
• Water prevents DNA damage and makes its repair mechanism more efficient. Less abnormal DNA is produced.
• Water greatly increases the efficiency of the immune system in bone marrow, including its efficiency against cancer.
• Water helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Water helps prevent glaucoma.
• Water helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
• Water reduces the incidence of morning sickness in pregnancy.
• Water is directly needed for the production of all neurotransmitters, especially serotonin.
• Water is directly needed for the production of all hormones, including melotonin.

Performance and Focus

• Water helps reduce fatigue.
• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue and performance reduction.
• A 2% drop in body fluid causes a 20% reduction in mental and physical performance.
• Water gives us power and electrical energy for all brain functions especially thinking.
• Water helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
• Water is the main energy source of the body. It provides the power to live by generating electrical and magnetic energy in each and every cell.
• Water can help prevent attention deficit disorder in children and adults.
• Water restores normal sleep rhythms.

Diet and Weight

• Drinking water is crucial for weight loss programs.
• Dehydration is a major factor in childhood obesity.
• Even mild dehydration will slow metabolism as much as 3%—fewer calories burned.
• 1 glass of water shuts down midnight hunger for almost 100% of dieters.
• In 38% of Americans the thirst mechanism is so weak that thirst is mistaken for hunger.
• Drinking water separates the sensations of thirst from those of hunger.
• High protein and high fiber diets require more water intake than normal.
• Adequate hydration relieves constipation.
• Adequate hydration reduces fluid retention.

Aging and Beauty

• Aging is essentially dehydration.
• Water makes skin smooth and helps decrease the effects of aging.
• Water gives luster and shine to the eyes.
• Water decreases premenstrual pains and hot flashes.
• Dehydration prevents sex hormone production, a primary cause of impotence and loss of libido.
• Water helps prevent memory loss as we age.

Water Myths

Water may be the most undervalued nutritional and therapeutic element on this planet. Modern society has made four large assumptions about hydration that are not true. These assumptions are being overturned by visionary scientists who see clearly how important adequate hydration is, and how dehydration is the cause of many chronic conditions.

These four assumptions about water and health have contributed to widespread epidemics of obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. While it may take another five years for our culture to embrace these newfound truths, in time they will. In part because the value of adequate hydration as a prevention tool will save employers billions of dollars and help to reduce the crushing costs of the "sick care" industry. Also, both employers and employees want prevention because they don’t want the suffering and cost of "sick care".

Water Myth 1: Responding to thirst in the mouth is enough to keep a person adequately hydrated.

Truth: Thirst in the mouth arises only after you are already 2% dehydrated. In 38% of the population the thirst mechanism is "broken" and thirst is mistaken for hunger. When deprived of adequate water the body activates a "drought management response". Water is moved from less critical bodily functions toward more critical ones. Most of this water comes from your cells, which require water to function properly. This loss of water at the cellular level causes systems to decay and die.
 
Updated Manifestations of "Thirst": At the first level of dehydration thirst manifests as anxiety, irritability, fatigue, depression, cravings, cramps and body aches to name a few. At the second level of dehydration thirst manifests as heartburn, joint and back pain, migraine headaches, angina, constipation/colitis and fibromyalgia. At the third level of dehydration thirst manifests as allergies, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, lupus, psoriasis and various autoimmune and neurological diseases. Studies have shown that dehydration contributes to many other chronic conditions including cancers, and that adequate hydration reduces the risk of contracting them.

Water Myth 2:  Water only dissolves and circulates substances in the body.

Truth: Water is responsible for these types of life sustaining activities and more. Water moving through cell membranes actually produces a significant portion of the energy the cell then uses to perform its functions. Less water equals a lower level of cellular function.

Water Myth 3: The body efficiently regulates water intake over a lifetime.

Truth: The body actually looses its capacity to register "thirst" as we age. The decline of the thirst mechanism begins at about age 30 and becomes much more significant in old age. As we age, we naturally dehydrate. Adequate hydration into old age can help maintain a youthful vitality and slow down "aging".

Truth: Water in other liquids rarely has restorative benefits equal to water. Many are incapable of producing sufficient energy at the cellular level. Many substances actually cause a net loss of body water. A 20-ounce beer or caffeinated cola will actually cause about a 10-ounce net water loss in the body.

Pagdating sa shower eh syempre usual routine lang hubad, hubo, konting kanta-kanta, pasayaw-sayaw pa, at siyempre kinausap ko ang tatlo kong bestfriends. Naknampootah nga lang kasi hinawakan ko pa sila as if nakikipag kamay sabay sabing: 'Kumusta naman ang araw nyo ngayon mga kapatid. Di ba kayo naboring sa....WADAPAKINGSHET!!!' Hindi ko pa pala nahuhugasan ang kaliwang kamay ko na ginamit ko para maglagay ng Alaxan Gel! Ang init!!! Ang hapdi!!! Yung kaliwang yagbol ko eh namula at parang gustong mag alburoto sa init ng pakiramdam. Agad nawala ang sakit ng bukong-bukong ko dahil sa naramdaman ko sa isang mahiwagang parte ng aking pagkalalaki. Mabuti na lang at meron temperature control ang shower at agad ko itinodo sa cold sabay tapat ng dutsa sa aking namumulang member. Bwesit na yan talaga.

Kaya kinabukasan pag pasok ko iika-ika ako. 'Sabi ng mga nakapansin mukhang may pilay ka ah?' Eh di tango lang ako sabay smile pero ang totoo mas masakit ang burning sensation na dulot ng Alaxan Gel (putik nakakarami na akong free advertisement dito ah) sa manipis na balat ng scrotum kesa sa sprained ankle.

Lesson learned: Maghugas ng kamay bago hipuin ang inyong pagmamay-ARI.

Palagi ko nakikita ang sarili ko na ganito kalaki in the future kung hindi magiging effective ang aking mga pinag-gagawa para lang makabawas timbang. Nakngkamotebeybi! Dambuhala naman masyado ang hitsura ko pag nagkataon. Kaya nga bawas bawas ako sa kanin at sa matatamis na pagkain. Magdadagdag naman ako sa oras ng pag ehersisyo at sex. Hay my gulay!