How To Make A Baby Boy?

One of the requests I got from the readers of my previous post is for me to come up with an article fully discussing how to manipulate fate with the intent to produce a male offspring. I promised to come up with an entry about it during the weekend but I wasn't able to find time. I also couldn't kindle the inspiration to write something up.

Researching tends to be disappointing because of several contradicting theories and breakthroughs in genetic engineering. But more or less, this is what I've come up with.

Let's start with the basics. The sex of the baby will be determined according to what spermatozoa fertilized the ovum. There are two types of sperm cell: the X-bearing (male) and the Y-bearing (female). When an X-bearing sperm fertilizes the ovum, a baby girl is conceived. When a Y-bearing sperm does, a baby boy is conceived.

According to Shettle's theory, male sperm swim faster then the female sperm. However, male sperm die more quickly while the female sperm survive longer. Many claim that the Shettle's method is effective by 75% if followed closely. Other methods are merely theories from different experts and non-experts and I have decided to come up with the following formula to ensure a male offspring:

1.) Use sexual positions with deeper penetration. This is to give preference to the faster-swimming male sperm.
2.) Have sex as close to ovulation as possible (the day before, the day of and a day after). If you have sex 2-3 days before ovulation, chances are, the longer-lasting female sperm will be the ones waiting to fertilize the ovum.
3.) The to-be mother should have an orgasm and preferably before their partner ejaculates. An orgasm changes vaginal pH to an acidic one. Apparently, an acidic environment kills female sperm.
4.) For the to-be mother to establish an acidic environment in the cervix, she must eat more meat less chocolate, fewer vegetables and less fish.
5.) Another way for to-be mother to create an acidic vaginal pH, she may use acidic douches before intercourse.
6.) The to-be father also has to drink coffee because coffee was found to stimulate the male sperm.
7.) Another thing that the to-be father has to do is take a cold shower before the act because girl sperm were found not to like the cold.
8.) To increase the sperm count, the to-be father has to eat plenty of nuts and vitamin E and zinc rich foods. Some studies showed that naturally, there are more male sperm than female sperm present in the semen.

Couples, goodluck on your attempt to have a baby boy for your first born! I sprinkle you with lots of baby dusts... See you at the DR next year! ^.^

Let Us Multiply!

Two years after I lost my first baby in a miscarriage, I have decided that I want to get pregnant again. Now the first conception was unplanned but it was definitely wanted. The trauma from that experience made my husband and me hesitant to have a baby again. The doctor said that I will have a delicate pregnancy in the future. It’s pretty scary, huh?

During my brief first gestation, I didn't know how to go about it. Although I am a registered nurse and I used to give health education to my patients, I felt like I'm ignorant when it comes to maternity.

What I've been up lately? I researched about pregnancy. I wanted to learn how to take care of myself while I am pregnant, and most importantly, how to get pregnant fast. This is what I learned:

1.) Saliva can actually kill sperm! So, fellatio and cunnilingus should be avoided if one wants to conceive.

2.) Other artificial lubes like KY jelly, petroleum jelly and even vegetable oils will damage the sperm.

3.) Some vaginal sprays are not sperm-friendly, either.

4.) There should be a fresh shipment of sperm waiting at the fallopian tube to fertilize the egg. A fresh supply of sperm every 48 hours will ensure that the sperm are not tired and sluggish.

5.) Let's talk about vitamins C. Low doses of vitamin C can increase fertility. It can improve the quality of cervical fluid that transports sperm to meet up with the egg. But too much vitamin C can dry up the cervical mucus. So mommy-to-be, avoid taking mega-doses of ascorbic acid.

6.) A good laugh lasting for 15 minutes a day can increase the chances of getting pregnant. "Laugh Therapy" is a good stress-reduction technique. Studies show a great link between conception and stress.

7.) Avoid fish that is high in mercury. Too much mercury can affect the nervous system of the unborn baby. One kind of fish that many people eat too frequently is white tuna in can. This should be avoided. Other fishes high in mercury content are shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.

8.) Avoid coffee and other beverages that contain caffeine including sodas and teas. I found out from my research that Sprite, 7-Up and A&W Root beer have 0 mg caffeine. (Yipee!) Decaf coffee actually has 1-5 mg caffeine. (Oh, no!)

9.) Chocolates have caffeine, too. Dark chocolate has more caffeine content than milk chocolate.

10.) Some medications taken by the father-to-be also have a great impact on the conception.
Tagamet, used to treat ulcer and UTI, can have a harmful effect to sperm production and sperm count. Consult your OB-Gyn on what medications should you and your husband have to eliminate.

I hope these facts have put away some clouds in your mind. It pays to be ignorant. And the price is high... More about baby-making tips to come... ^-^

Quack, Quack...

I have a terrible muscle pain in the upper leg area. The culprit? It's the duck walk game conducted by Sir Jhaze during our team building activity in Batangas. It's so painful that I could hardly take one step higher or lower in our stairway. It slowed me down 70%! I haven't experienced such muscle ache in my entire life.

I haven't experienced a company outing, either. So I guess I'll have to call it quits. ^.^ The pain from the said event is worth it. Afterall, we won the first place for the said game, and 2nd place overall.

It was such a long day for me, haven't been able to sleep the night before. After the shift, we proceeded to Sir Wilson's place. There were nine of us -- Sir Wilson, Nikka, Maica, Dhang, Noel, Jason, Ruth, Gian and me. We rode a van on the way there. When we reached the place, we enjoyed videoke while preparing our midnight meal. Then, a tattoo artist started painting Nikka, Maica, Wilson and I was supposed to be included. But I couldn't make up my mind on where and what tattoo to put on me. Goodness! It was only henna and nothing permanent yet I was so hesitant. Nature won and we ran out of good ink. Hahaha! It could have been my first time to have a body art.

Call time was at 5:30am. We arrived in the meeting place at 5:10am. The bus started moving at around 6:30am because we were waiting for some more people to arrive. The trip to Mabini, Batangas took about three and a half hours with a couple of stop over in between. The first stop over was at McDo, where we had breakfast. The next one was a short bladder break at a gasoline station. We arrived in the land travel end point at around 10am. We stayed at a resort for about half an hour to prepare ourselves for a boat ride to an island where the team building was to be held. We were supposed to go to Bayawak Beach but because the boatmen said it was too risky to go there, we settled for another resort -- the Olympic Point.

It was a big resort and it looked better than the first shore we first checked out. The sea wasn't that sandy though. You have to swim with the rough surface underneath. But to a sea-lover like me, it was such a heaven.

We arrived sometime at noon. First, each team had to build a tent out of the materials provided. There were ten of us in the group. Three of them were the Korean staff from Avalon. These three were executives, mind you. But they were able to build a nice tent for the group quickly. We were the first one to finish.

Then, a series of games were conducted. The third one - duck walk really made an impact on my leg muscles. Our Korean teammates - Cho, Kim and Park, whom I believe were military men at one point in their lives, joined us. (Korean men are forced to join the military as soon as they reach the age of 21.) They were very strong and swift. Our team captain, the big boss who was also my partner, was literally dragging me towards the end point and Mhay, another teammate was pushing me badly, just so we end up winning the race. To top it all, I got bruises and my knees were scratched. Ugh!

We had lunch after the tiresome activities. Pork Steak, Chicken Barbeque, Hotdogs and Eggplant Ensalada were flowing. And lots and lots of sodas and chips to munch on... Then, we enjoyed another round of videoke. Later, I dipped in the sea and swam for half an hour! The water felt so good. I didn't mind the heat of the sun. I didn't care if I get tanned...

We borrowed the snorkeling materials that our Korean counterparts used. It was a wonderful experience. The only problem is that, I messed it up every time I breathe in. A lot of water got onto the mask. I think the mask was too big for me. So I just snorkeled with my bare eyes. By the time, I got out of the water, it looked like I cried hard. Russel told me to let it go... Hahaha!

When the time came when I had been awake for more than 24 hours, I decided to take a power nap because my body couldn't take it anymore... I was able to sleep for maybe an hour. When I woke up, I was energized.

I played basketball. I wanted to see if I could still dribble the ball and shoot some basket. Yes, I did! In fact, I did improve in shooting lay-ups. Gosh, it has been a long time since I handled a basketball. Ms. Elly, our Department Manager, joined me. It was her first time to practice shooting. I taught her about the "boarding rules" and she was able to make a goal! I was so proud of her! Am I not a good teacher? (^.~)

After that, we were called in for our finale game where our team ended second. The awarding ceremony followed. Then, it was time to pack up. We left the island at past five in the afternoon. The boat ride would only take about 20 minutes. Not if something happened... Then, it happened. We got stranded in the middle of the angry waves when the engine of our boat stopped working. We were very scared. We prayed for the boat to work again but it did not happen. I realized that the boat isn't stable without it's engine roaring. Another boat, from which some of our teammates were on, fetched us and brought us safely back to shore. Whew!

We went back to the resort were we first got into. We took a shower there and had our farewell meal. Then, we rode the bus on the way back to Globe Towers, where we started. I spent 80% of travel time sleeping. ^-^ We arrived there at 10pm.

It was such a wonderful experience; all of us are excited for the Christmas party! What could Sir Jhaze have in store for us??? ^-^

Liars, Liars...

Why do people lie? "To protect other people's feelings," said one of the friendster surveys I read. -- That is the most fabricated excuse and self-justification I have ever heard. The pathologic liar who said this must have believed her very own lies...

According to an article I read, "Lying is a technique that is used to influence, control and manipulate other’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors."

To that, I totally agree. I am not a fan of liars myself. In fact, I abhor this kind of people. I try to stay away from them. But as the saying goes, "It takes one to know one" so, it takes a while for me to discover a potentially dangerous company. I often become a victim of these deceitful people.

A notable personality disorder often associated with liars is "Narcissism." It is a condition characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, need for admiration, extreme self-involvement, and lack of empathy for others. A true narcissist is almost totally wrapped up in himself, and the entire world revolves around his needs and desires.

There are two kinds of lying: a lie of commission and a lie of omission. So, either you twisted the truth or you withheld it, you are still considered a liar. Psychologists came up with five major grounds why liars do what they do:
1.) to avoid punishment or possible rejection
2.) to seek approval or to create a favorable impression
3.) to maintain privacy
4.) to avoid conflict
5.) to regulate power

Whatever reasons a liar might come up with; it still comes to an ultimate reason -- for personal gain. So how can a liar be somewhat humanistic in lying as what the subject in the survey wanted to point out?!

There are three kinds of liars: the situational, the pathological and the chronic liars. Even so, I don't think there is someone in any of the three categories that we can consider as "less evil."

Another funny term that liars came up with is "white lie." It is still a lie whether you color it white, grey or black. No matter what the intentions are, still, "the end does not justify the means."

I Welcome Thee, August!!!

Welcoming a new month with a positive outlook had been a history in my monthly tasks. Having a hectic schedule the past few weeks and with the hardships that have gone my way the past months, how can I possibly even have a positivist mind-set?!

However, I have finally decided to free myself from a stressful assignment, from the thoughtless people and from the miseries. It's time to liberate myself! And I came out of it with a beautiful perspective outlined in my horizons. The cheerfulness is back in my heart. The smile is back in my eyes. This is the price for taking charge!


I greeted the first day of August with a pair of red Nine West stiletto boots. I strut my way to work, not minding the surprised look on some people's eyes.


"These boots are made for walking...
That's just what they'll do.
One of these days, these boots are gonna
walk all over you!"
-Hahahaha!


It's a promising month! I'm anticipating a lot of beautiful things to come my way. Nothing and no one can destroy my festive mood. Make way or else my boots are going to run all over you! Nyahahahaha!