Road to Subic Bay

Subic Bay Freeport (SBF), otherwise known as SBMA, is located southwest of the Luzon Island in the Philippines. It is sandwiched by the Zambales Mountain Range at the east and the Subic Bay at the west. It is northwest of the Bataan Peninsula and southwest of the Zambales Province.

Subic Bay Freeport is about 110 kilometers north of Manila. Manila Bay and the Bataan Peninsula separate SBF from Manila. The mountain ranges around the Subic Bay area and the deep natural harbor provide excellent and protected anchorage. In addition, these features make SBF safe from typhoons, as well as from the devastating effects of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo last June 15, 1991.

Like the rest of the country, it has two seasons: Dry, from November to May. Rainy, from June to October. The climate is without extremes. Average temperature is about 26 degrees Celsius. And about this time of the year, we should enjoy the “pleasantly cool” climate at the mountains.

It’s been quite a while since we went to Subic. We used to go to Subic every summer on late 1990’s up to early 2000’s. Somehow, the kids got tried. =)

Anyway, for those who doesn’t know the way to Subic Bay, I took some pictures on the road on our way to Subic Bay last Sept 27.

From the entry point at North Luzon Expressway toll gate at Balintawak, it should take about 2 hours to reach the famous freeport

Directions and more pictures will be posted later.

Forex Trading

The Foreign Exchange market, also referred to as the "Forex" or “FX,” is the largest financial market in the world, with a substantial volume turnover of about $2 trillion a day. Compare that to the $25 billion daily volume trade at the New York Stock Exchange, one can easily imagine how enormous the forex market really is. In fact, the FX market is so huge, it actually equates to more than three times the total amount of the global stocks and futures markets combined!

Until the late 1990's, to be able to trade with the forex market, one needs to have at least ten to fifty million US dollars. With the advent of high-speed internet connection, so does the proliferation of online forex trading firms. Thus, it has made online forex trading become very accessible. And because the cost of transactions is low and there are no commissions, anyone can get involved in this great opportunity to make money.

"Money begets money," as the old adage goes. But in-depth knowledge about how forex market works is a must too! A mistake I personally made - went into live trading with limited knowledge - that eventually cost me some good hard earned money!

Forex Trading Made Easy, or so I thought, is a blogspot I started at the beginning of the year. About the same time when I learned about the potential of making big money by trading forex online. After suffering a huge loss, with the China market meltdown sometime Feb-Mar, my portfolio was almost wiped out. Lost 75% of my principal. Still I persisted, and traded a bit more carefully, as I scrambled to learn the tricks of the trade more religiously.

On April, I met a friend who's into forex trading too. He's way too conservative and patient in trading - virtues I realized is actually an advantage. He is using the hedging technique and the inverse hedge trading. The former being commercially available. The same trading techniques I tried to use myself, but somehow, I can't seem to get the correct timing in entering and exiting the market. Maybe patience is something I need to master.

So, with whatever funds that is left of me, I "teamed up" with him, nay, I virtually ask him to trade for me. So far, so good. From April to September this year, I have recovered about 20% back. I plan to actively continue in posting at forex blogspot pretty soon.

You'll find some useful online resources, like Babypips.com - a comprehensive site that teaches forex trading basics; Forex Market Hours - real time guide of which forex market is open/close relative to your local time; RealTime Forex News, and Forex News Commentary -
up to the minute forex news and commentary, reported when it happens, as it happens.

You can even get a one-time free $5 to trade live at Marketiva. But personally, I am trading using the platform of InterbankFX. I have also posted a lot of useful links to forums which actively shares and discusses their own experiences - mostly for free.

As forex trading is likened to gambling, whatever happens, always remember to play only with money you can afford to lose, and learn to cash out while ahead!

Ultimate Insurance Coverage

One day, Joe decided to get an insurance for his family.

Insurance Agent 1: Here, I’ve got the best insurance coverage for you. When you get my insurance policy, you’ll be covered from “birth” to “death.”

Joe nodded, and said nothing.

Insurance Agent 2: Oh, with me, you’ll get an even greater deal. With my policy, you are being covered from “womb” to “tomb.”

“That’s real nice,” Joe commented.

Insurance Agent 3: Hahaha! Stop kidding. Mine should be the best. With me, you’ll get covered from “sperm” to “worm”!

Joe replied with disbelief, but smiling, “Wow, now that’s what I call complete insurance coverage!”

Suddenly, Jesus interrupted, and told Joe, “Son, with me, I can give you the ULTIMATE INSURANCE COVERAGE. Just have faith, and I have you covered from ‘erection’ to ‘resurrection’! Best of all, it’s free!”

* Moral of the story:
Oftentimes, we have this false sense of security. We tend to cover our future with monetary insurance only, neglecting our spiritual security. By the way, got this “story” from our community priest. =) And remember too, the best things in life are indeed free!

Of Coffee and Cirrhosis

Once again, a new study shows that coffee may contain an ingredient that protects us from yet another widely known disease of the liver - alcoholic cirrhosis. The comprehensive study, shows that among more than 125,000 people studied for up to 22 years, coffee drinkers were less likely to be diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis.

The researchers noted, “these data support the hypothesis that there is an ingredient in coffee that protects against cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis.”

Of course, they aren’t recommending that anyone rely on drinking coffee to prevent alcoholic cirrhosis. After all, “not drinking heavily” is definitely a better strategy for liver health, the researchers emphasized.

The participants were signed up for the study between 1978 and 1985. They were followed until the end of 2001. Upon joining the group, participants were given a thorough checkup and was asked to fill out a complete report about their own consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea, and cigarettes. Most importantly, none had been diagnosed with liver problems.

Here’s a summary of the participants’ own report

* Most particiant were noted drinking light or moderate amounts of alcohol (up to two daily drinks).
* About 8% of them admitted drinking three or more alcoholic drinks per day.
* Typical coffee consumption was one to three daily cups, as reported by 42% of the group.
* Approximately 16% reported drinking four or more daily cups of coffee.

Over the years, 330 participants were diagnosed with cirrhosis; 199 of those cases were alcoholic cirrhosis, while the remaining cases of cirrhosis were nonalcohol related. Which means about 60% are related to alcohol drinking.

For every daily cup of coffee that participants reported drinking, they were 22% less likely to have been diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis during the study. Although the odds of developing nonalcoholic cirrhosis weren’t linked to coffee consumption.

Coffee drinkers were also less likely to have high blood levels of liver enzymes. That pattern was strongest in people with the highest reported alcohol consumption.

The study didn’t identify what ingredient in coffee might help protect the liver from alcoholic cirrhosis. Caffeine might not get the credit. Tea contains caffeine, but tea consumption didn’t appear to lower participants’ odds of being diagnosed with any form of cirrhosis.

Finally, the study doesn’t prove that drinking coffee cuts the chance of developing alcoholic cirrhoses, the researchers caution. They also point out that if coffee protects the liver, the effects of adding cream, milk, sugar, or other substances to coffee aren’t yet known.


SOURCES: 1. Klatsky, A. Archives of Internal Medicine, June 12, 2006; vol 166: pp 1190-1195.
2. Gloria Jean’s September 2007 e-newsletter.

The World of Coffee

History of Coffee
Coffee’s roots are widely debated and like a fine wine, are shrouded in mystery and Romance. There are many versions of how this extraordinary beverage came to be. The most famous and well known is the legend of Kaldi, a third century monk living in Ethiopia.

It is believed that this monk discovered the Arabica coffee bean (indigenous to Ethiopia) when he found his goats dancing wildly after eating the cherries from a bush. He tried the cherries himself and enjoyed their stimulating effects so much that he shared them with the other monks. It soon became a religious ceremonial drink to keep them awake during their long hours of prayer at night.


The Emergence of Coffee as a Beverage
Coffee first emerged in the form similar to tea today. The leaves from coffee shrubs were boiled in water and the liquid was consumed “black”. This preparation technique gave way to the use of cherries and later the roasted seeds of cherries known as coffee beans.

It did not take long for the popularity of coffee to spread, and as a result a great demand was created for drink. Coffee is both a functional beverage (a wake-me-up) as well as a sensual experience. An understanding of the romance and history of coffee is integral to truly enjoy a fine cup of coffee. Few people realize the history they hold in their cup!


The Cultivation of Coffee
The coffee tree grows at altitudes between sea level and 6,000 feet (1829 meters). Botanically, the coffee tree is an evergreen shrub and can grow as high as 10 feet. It is kept trimmed to facilitate harvesting methods. The coffee tree produces hard green cherries, which turn bright red when ripe. Arabica trees are left to mature for a five-year period before they are put into production. Numerous stages of development occur simultaneously.

Coffee is derived form a cherry and is, in fact, a fruit and not a bean, as many people think. (The bean is actually the pit of the cherry.) There are usually two hard green and waxy beans inside each cherry.


How Coffee is grown
Similar to winemaking, coffee farming is a very delicate and intricate process. The coffee plant begins as a shrub, living in seedbeds in a nursery until it is approximately 3 inches high. The seedling is then transplanted into pots, where after a year, it is re-planted in the ground. The cherries on the shrub require the perfect balance of shade, rain and sunshine, and thrive in warm, humid climates.


Coffee Growing Regions
Latin America
o Costa Rica produces some of the world’s finest wet-process coffees. At its best, it balances acidity, body, and flavourful richness.
o Mexico the very best of Mexican coffees have a delicately balanced acidity and are smooth with a hint of sweetness and nutty overtones
o Brazil is the worlds leading coffee growing nation producing 29% of the world’s coffee. Brazilian coffee is typically dry processed and is often described as having a “nutty” flavour.
o Colombia’s coffee is carefully handpicked, wet-processed and beans are graded according to their size, not their quality. Colombian Supremo, large, bold beans, is Colombia’s finest quality coffee.

Africa and the Middle East
o Ethiopia – Coffee is indigenous to Ethiopia, where it was found growing wild in the third century. Much of Ethiopia’s coffee crop goes un-picked because it cannot be accessed by roads. Ethiopian coffee is processed by the dry method and has a pungent exotic quality and a vigorous spicy aroma.
o Kenya – With the most rigid grading and production systems, beans are classified by growing district, bean size and by letters (AA being the largest and highest quality, followed by A, B). Kenya AA produces a cup that is sharp and bright with the perfect balance of acidity.
o Yemen – Yemen Mocha coffee is rich and dark, and can be described as chocolate-like. It is common misconception that the word “mocha” means a chocolate-flavoured coffee. In fact, Mocha is a port in Yemen.

Asia-Pacific
o Indonesia coffees are the fullest bodied coffees in the world. Sumatra, in particular, is famous for its full-bodied, tangy and exotic flavour qualities.
o Vietnam is now one of the world’s largest producers of coffee, however, most Vietnamese coffees are low-grade Robusta.


N.B. A similar, but more comprehensive post can be found here, "Coffee Sessions with the Academe" blogspot.