ISSN 0115-0839
FOOD SCRAPS Fertilizer
DEAR BABY in My Womb
STOBOSA:
Colorful Houses
WEDDING Planning Tips
CONTENTS May-June 2020
REGULARS
FEATURES
8
3
Tips to Planning Your Wedding
Notes From the Frontlines Annabel C. Cebrero
Stress Reliever and Investment
Mae Ann L. Castro
Starting with respecting your budget
16
Dogs in the Chicken Coop Marlo Schalesky
Working against a common enemy Food for the Soil: The Bokashi Way
24
Antibiotics: Are You Using Them Appropriately?
26
Waiting for the Doomsday Disease
30 34
Lanie B. Francisco and Janet R.s Tolete
Fermented fertilizers from food scraps
Evelyn V. Almocera
Life-saving can be life-threatening
Kim Peckham
Hope amid plagues past and present
6
Finance
Michelle Anne P. Diamante
Our World’s Giants
Why We Should Reinvent Retirement
10
Grace in the Act
14
Education
22
Letters From the Heart
32
Arts & Crafts
42
Share a Thought
43
Word for the World
Hillside Homes Artwork: The Colors of Stobosa Angel C. Juarez
A transformational landscape When Do They Grow Up? Ashley Bufe
Staying present in every moment You Should. . . No, You Should. . . Managing Expectations in Marriage
Karen Holford
Who’s supposed to do what
36
iContact
Rose Fres-Fausto
18
28
4
Growing From the Garbage Dump
Angie Joey S. Abbott
From Teacher I to Head Teacher I
Kaleigh Christensen
Dear Baby I Haven’t Met Yet
Harold Bryan L. Namoca
Googly Pompom Keychain
Mark Jubilee M. Matira
Coping With #Adulting
Jecsoon O. Mariñas
Dunning-Kruger Effect
Working the Night Shift and Your Health Sue Radd
How to eat when you’re on graveyard shift
44 46
38
Rechelle F. Matira
The Power of Hope Series Julián Melgosa & Michelson Borges
An Antistress Day Parenting Portrait Babylen Castro
While She’s Still
Yummy Yacon Arlene May G. Corpus
Crunchy as apple but almost unknown
Coming up… Animal Friends to the Rescue • Chronic Kidney Disease • Divorce From a Foreign
Spouse • Stress Checklist • Lies Cheaters Believe • Pansit-pansitan • Distance Learning
47
Word Play
47
Book Review
Jecsoon O. Mariñas
Toward the Center
Notes From the Frontlines
Subscribers Section has taken on an expanded form. Notes From the Frontlines features our loyal readers and our dedicated distributors who are at the forefront of our mission to share “healthy, happy, and holistic living to the glory of God and the blessing of humankind.”
Stress Reliever and Investment
Petronio M. Genebago
Messages to Young People
COLUMNS
5
Here and the Hereafter Leonardo C. Heyasa, Jr.
Forever Growing
12
Consult Your Lawyer
21
Dear Doctor
Atty. Silvino L. Sumagaysay, Jr.
Proof of Filiation
Linda L. Varona
Ulcer and Stomach Cancer
31
Food for the Family Miriam R. Estrada
One-dish Meal Standpoint
37
Personal Answers
40
Children’s Corner
Nathanlie M. Baldoza
In a Time Like Now
Sheryll Ann M. Castillo
For the Love of Truth
Janet R. Tolete
Beauty and Math
ABOUT THE COVER Unlimited potential. When conditions are right—and sometimes amid blight, a plant can reach its full height as long as there is light. Indeed, nothing can block the sunbeam of God's love. Cover photo by shutterstock.com/beeboys Photos and illustrations in this issue are from shutterstock.com unless credited otherwise.
T
he desire to collect books started when I first worked as a neophyte teacher in a private school. I bought big books, which I used as instructional materials during my reading lessons. Since then, it has become my hobby to collect books and journals—until I came across Health & Home, a one-of-a-kind book which contains different articles suited to all kinds of readers. I subscribed to Health & Home in 1997 when Sael E. Narido, a sales representative, visited our school. I was convinced to pursue my subscription upon seeing the magazine’s contents. Since then, I have committed to getting a copy of the book edition at the end of each year. Health & Home contains a variety of informative, entertaining, inspiring, and relevant articles. When my two daughters were still in high school and they had to look for trivia, science articles, etc., the magazine served as a ready reference material. Meanwhile, Dear Doctor, Food for the Family, Word for the World, iContact, and parenting articles are my favorites. After going through a day’s work, I find information and
Health & Home ︱ 3 ︱May-June 2020
inspiration from the magazine. Inspiring stories from fellow subscribers, in particular, are my stress reliever. Despite the overwhelming presence of the latest gadgets, where children can easily browse and read articles in just a click, physical books are still essential, notably in the developmental stage of our young kids. Health & Home also kindles love of reading. As an educator, I am encouraging all parents to teach their children to read and love books like Health & Home. It is not just a collection of reading materials but an investment for the family. Annabel Cat-awan Cebrero is Elementary School Head Teacher II at Kiliog Elementary School in Kiliog, Libona, Bukidnon.
photo courtesy of author
33
By ANNABEL C. CEBRERO
Grace in the Act
By Rechelle F. Matira
GARBAGE DUMP A
s the eldest of five children, I had to work as early as high school to help my father provide for our family. Finishing college was only a dream—until I heard about Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP). I learned that I could enroll at AUP as a working student. I was first assigned to the Environmental Resources Management Department. It might sound glamorous, but the work was the opposite. The department was in charge of managing the school’s wastes.
I tried applying to other departments but I was told that there were no vacancies. Soon I found myself as the only girl engaged in the task of sorting big sacks overflowing with filthy and stinky garbage.
Sorting through Drenched by the rain and dried by the sun, I mastered the art of segregating biodegradable wastes from the nonbiodegradable and the recyclable. Here I became acquainted with maggots of different colors and sizes. In my situation, I eventually learned to eat from trash: moldy bread, rice that may be contaminated with rat urine, etc. I even drank unfinished bottles of soy milk and green tea. Every time I felt like giving up, my colleagues would always encourage me to endure. “Be brave. We’ll face more difficult things in life.” The stench of garbage stuck to my skin despite several rounds of bathing. I felt sad for my roommate for she had to endure the odor, but there was not much I could do. Some nights I cried in secret, but I toughened up and told myself I would never give up.
Piling up I was then transferred to the Grounds Department and became a street sweeper, landscaper, toilet cleaner, etc. By 4 a.m., I should already be cleaning the roads on campus. Health & Home ︱ 10 ︱May-June 2020
DOGS IN THE By MARLO SCHALESKY
M
oooooom!” I knew by the intensity of the shriek that something was very wrong. My six-year-old never screamed ssssssslike that. She came bursting through my office door. “Mom! Help! Come quick!” I leapt from my chair. “What’s wrong?” She started to sob as she spoke. “The dogs are in the chicken coop. I couldn’t get them out.” I ran for the door. She ran after me. “They pushed past me when I went in. I couldn’t get them out. Hurry!” I was hurrying. I was sprinting out the front door, up the driveway, back toward the coop. “Moooommmmmyyyy! They’re going to kill all the chickens!” Probably. But I wouldn’t say that out loud. Instead, I just ran as fast as I could. When I reached the coop, I burst inside. The hens were squawking high up in the coop while our white rooster flapped his wings at the two dogs and the red rooster lay, motionless, on the coop floor. The two little dogs barked ferociously at the red rooster. Oh no! Buffalo, the red rooster, was the favorite of all the kids. I grabbed the two dogs and tossed them from the coop. They wagged their tails and scratched at the door to get back in. I ignored them.
Health & Home ︱ 16 ︱May-June 2020
FOOD FOR THE SOIL
THE BOKASHI WAY By LANIE B. FRANCISCO and JANET R. TOLETE
W
here do your kitchen wastes go? To the city dump? To your compost pile? To a vacant lot nearby? Or to your neighbor’s yard? Do you know that your food scraps are precious and can be used to rebuild soil that has lost nutrients? And do you know that with that soil, you can grow your own food? Instead of contributing to the problems of climate change and garbage disposal, your food wastes can actually help you survive amid the ongoing community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How? Through the bokashi way.
The basics Bokashi is a process of fermenting kitchen waste using beneficial, anaerobic microorganisms, which can fertilize the soil and bring it back to life. Yes, ferment—as in what we do with kimchi and atchara (pickled vegetables). Although similar in some respects, bokashi is different from composting because the former: • Kills pathogens • Makes wastes unattractive to pests like cockroaches, ants, and rodents—even from pet dogs and cats • Compacts wastes in an air-tight container; takes up less space • Allows beneficial microorganisms to multiply and proliferate • Reduces greenhouse emissions by 45 percent • Produces usable compost faster than the traditional method Health & Home ︱ 18 ︱May-June 2020
Text and photos by ANGEL C. JUAREZ
hillside homes artwork
Health & Home ︱ 28 ︱May-June 2020
models not subjects of article
You Should. . . No, You Should. . . By KAREN HOLFORD
W
e’d only been married two months when Bernie handed me a potato in the grocery store. “Karen, do you know what this is?” “Of course I do! It’s a potato!” Strange question, I thought. Maybe it’s some kind of joke. “Why don’t we eat potatoes?” He looked puzzled. “Because. . . well. . . because I don’t like them! They’re icky! I’ve not eaten potatoes since I left home!” “But I love them! It’s not a proper dinner without potatoes!” Bernie has a strong German heritage. So we bought a sack of potatoes. And I learned how to cook them. But I’ll never learn to love them like Bernie does.
Patterns formed When we get married, we bring lots of expectations into our new relationship, including little details like how often we’ll eat potatoes, dessert, or pizza, and bigger ones like how we’ll cope with our conflicts and manage our cash. The challenge is that we’re not aware of our expectations—until they go unmet. Most of them seem so obvious to us that we can’t even describe what they are.
Our expectations have been strengthened by years of observing our parents and grandparents, reading books, and watching TV shows. Patterns form in our thoughts, slowly shaping how we expect people to behave, including our spouses.
Who’s to do what We rarely discuss our expectations because we just assume that our husband or wife will behave a certain way, or do certain jobs around the house, because that’s what we saw when we grew up. Our garden was almost overrun by weeds because I expected Bernie to do the gardening, while he expected me to do it. It sounds funny now, but we know how difficult it can be to manage our expectations, and how complicated it can be to talk about them. It’s painful to realize that Bernie may not be living up to my expectations, or that I’m not living up to his. Which is why it took us two months to talk about potatoes.
Great expectations When relationships don’t turn out the way we expected, we can feel disappointed, rejected, frustrated, hurt, and sad, without really understanding why. We’re just aware that something’s missing.
Health & Home ︱ 34 ︱May-June 2020
Parenting Portrait
Capturing the colorful, challenging, and profound world of parenting
By Babylen Castro
While She’s Still
While she still holds your hands tight, While she still listens, believes you are bright, Lead her toward the light. One day she’ll spread her wings, Choose her goals and chase her dreams. Smile. Let her fly into the sky.
Babylen Castro prioritizes parenting her 8-year-old daughter, Amarah, while pursuing her passion as a Section Cook in an international restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, where they have been living for nine years.
photo/Celo C. Guinto
While she’s still young and sweet, While she still finds pleasure beside you in sleep, Make memories for keeps.
THE FAMILY THAT READS TOGETHER, GROWS TOGETHER.
This comprehensive, colorful, and sturdy set of references will guide your family on: • having hope in the face of global crises • healing not just the body but also the mind and soul • honing young people to live with a purpose and dream higher • handling finances the godly way
Philippine Publishing House 632 Baesa, 1401 Caloocan City (Location) • P.O. Box 813, 1000 Manila, Philippines (Postal) Tel. Nos.: (632) 8363-3024 • 8364-5205 • Fax No.: (632) 8363-4244 E-mail: marketing@pphsda.com • Website: www.pphsda.com Facebook@PhilippinePublishingHouse For more information, contact your local sales representative.
