Tuesday, March 24, 2009

12 Vitamin-rich Exotic Fruits From the Philippines (and Other Tropical Areas)



A dozen of mouthwatering tropical fruits that are rich sources of vitamin C and ascorbic acids and will provide you other health benefits as well.
As we all know, vitamins C and ascorbic acid are very important to our health. They help our body fight diseases; these fruits keep our skin beautiful, our teeth stronger, and many other health benefits.

Some of these exotic fruits from the Philippines (and other tropical areas) are now becoming rare, so when you see them in the market – don’t think twice to buy these fruits because you may never have the chance to see and taste them again. After all, these fruits are very rich in vitamin C and ascorbic acid.

Yantok is a fruit that is not as popular as mangoes and bananas. This exotic fruit is from a vine locally called “yantok” (a variety of rattan) found in jungle forest areas but it is now actually raised in small plantations for commercial sale. It is one of the sourest fruits in the world. You will not like the acidic taste of yantok the first time you taste it, but one thing is sure, you’ll crave for its unusual taste later. These fruits are available in the market from August to October.

See more mouth watering and exotic fruits from the Philippines HERE

The World's Most Spectacular Obelisks

Obelisks were built in order to honor or commemorate important people or events in history. Here’s a list of the most notable obelisks from around the world.

Cleopatra’s Needle, Central Park, New York





Three of the most popular and most spectacular obelisks in the world are the so-called Cleopatra’s Needles. They are a trio of obelisks in London, Paris, and New York City. Each is made of red granite, stands about 21 meters (68 ft) high, weighs about 180 tons and is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics. They were originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, around 1450 BC. The inscriptions were added about 200 years later by Ramesses II to commemorate his military victories. The obelisks were moved to Alexandria and set up in the Caesarium – temples built by Cleopatra in honor of Mark Antony – by the Romans in 12 BC, during the reign of Augustus, but were toppled some time later. This had the fortuitous effect of burying their faces and so preserving most of the hieroglyphs from the effects of weathering.

See more spectacular obelisks HERE


Philippine Events with Great Impact and Importance in World History

Important historic events in the Philippines.

The Philippines is a tiny country situated in Southeast Asia. Comprising of more than 7,100 islands, it’s endowed with countless natural beauties and wonders. Small as it is but it had also contributed numerous events which were of enormous importance in world history. Here are some of them.

Battle of Mactan



The Battle of Mactan is a historic event that took place in the Visayas during the Age of Exploration and navigation. The Battle of Mactan was fought on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Spanish sailors and soldiers under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The Battle of Mactan is commemorated by a memorial monument, known as the Mactan Shrine, in honor of Rajah Lapu Lapu and Ferdinand Magellan.

Because Magellan underestimated the capabilities of the natives, his forces suffered a humiliating defeat that eventually led to his untimely death. Lapu-Lapu utilized a strategy that gave him and his warrior’s advantage; they waited for Magellan’s group in a shallow shore where they (Spaniards) can’t use their canons forcing Magellan and his men to engage in a hand to hand battle using only their sword/sable. In some accounts, Magellan even boasted that he will teach the native a lesson. But surprisingly, without the aid of canons and guns, the Spanish sailors were easily beaten by the Filipinos. Because of this incident and victory of Lapu-Lapu, he was regarded as the first Filipino hero.

See more Philippine events with great impact and importance in World history HERE

11 Historic Events That Created the World's Largest Mushroom Clouds

11 Historic Events That Created the World's Largest Mushroom Clouds

Share
|




Amazing Animal-Shaped Rock Formations

Amazing Animal-Shaped Rock Formations

Some animals that were sculpted by nature through geological processes like wind erosion and many others.
ome rock formations are extremely unique having a close resemblance to animals or part of animal’s anatomy.

Turtle Rock Island


This picture was taken by my friend during our trip to Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, Philippines. We called it “Turtle Rock Island” not because it’s a breeding ground for turtles, but due to the striking similarity of the rock island to a turtle.

Read more...
Share
|




Five Holy Caves in the World

Five Holy Caves in the World

Some caves are considered holy by religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Caves are important archeological sites that provided us invaluable knowledge of the past. Caves are also economically important because many caves are major sources of guano. Likewise, many caves are popular tourist destinations. On the other hand, there are also caves which are considered holy by some religious groups. Here are five holy caves from different part of the world.

Batu Caves


Image Source
One cave regarded as holy in Malaysia is the Batu Caves. This holy cave is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, located in Kuala Lumpur- the capital of Malaysia. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to god Murugan. It is the focal point of the annual Thaipusam festival in Malaysia and attracts over more than 1.5 million pilgrims, making it one of the largest gatherings in History.
Share
|




Famous Spa Towns From Around the World

Famous Spa Towns From Around the World

Literally speaking, there are hot springs in all the seven continents. These hot springs are believed to contribute to health according to some medical experts. That’s why hot springs and other natural springs were converted to a so-called spa. A spa town, or simply spa, is a town frequented mainly for health reasons, to “take the waters”. The term spa is used for towns or resorts offering hydrotherapy which can include cold water or mineral water treatments and hot thermal baths.
If you are a resident of Europe, here are the famous spa towns in this continent.

Spa: Belgium


Spa is a municipality of Belgium. This town is the origin of the word “spa” and features springs with water temperatures of 32 °C (90 °F). Casanova visited Spa in 1783 looking for business opportunities but was disappointed. As the famed site of healing hot springs, Spa has been frequented as a watering-place since as early as the 14th century.
Share
|




Emergency Lamp: Salt and Cooking Oil

Emergency Lamp: Salt and Cooking Oil

Do you want to learn how to create an emergency salt and cooking oil lamp.Check this out!

Expect the unexpected so they say, and when the unexpected happens you must always be ready. Just recently, we experienced power failures in our area due to successive typhoons that hit the country. It so happened that we don’t have available candles anymore at home, no lamp and no flashlight as well. I thought the power supply will resume within a few minutes but I was wrong. My daughter started to feel uneasy and a bit scary because it’s very dark. Fifteen minutes passed away but still no power supply, it was then I decided to make emergency measure. I remember what an old friend had taught me way back in college.
With the aid of my cell phone, I went to the kitchen and started looking for the necessary materials I need to create an emergency lamp.

Materials:

• Drinking glass
• Salt
Cooking oil
• Match stick or toothpick
• Cotton ball or a piece of cloth (cotton)
• Lighter


For the procedure see it HERE




Share
|




Why is Greenland Just an Island Not a Continent?

Why is Greenland Just an Island Not a Continent?

Despite the relative huge size of Greenland, it is just an island. Why is it so?
One of the most unique islands in the world is Greenland. Physically and ethnically, Greenland is an Arctic island country and geographically a part of the continent of North America. Politically and historically, Greenland is associated with Europe, specifically Iceland, Norway, and Denmark. Greenland is the largest dependent territory by area in the world. It also contains the world’s largest national park.

When you take a closer look at the world map or the globe, Greenland appears to be like a continent because it appears to be larger than Australia, which is a continent. Even so, Greenland is just an island, actually the largest island in the world. Why is it so?

Read more..

Weird Weather Incidents in History

Weird Weather Incidents in History

Unusual and bizarre weather occurrences in the worlds.

Balls of Lightning


Image Source
Lightning usually strike in the form of a long bolt from the clouds to the ground or over clouds. Sometimes, lightning can take the form of fiery balls that float to the ground and even enter buildings. These balls often make sizzling noises and give off glowing colors. Scientists think they are made up of heated or electrically charged gases. One controversial incident is a photo purportedly depicting natural ball lightning, taken in 1987 by a student in Nagano, Japan.

Read more..

World's Most Impressive Ice Formations

World's Most Impressive Ice Formations

Interesting and awesome ice formations sculpted by nature.
Its winter time! Strange and fascinating ice formations are form in winter. Here are some of the most unique ice formations I have found in the internet.

Image Source
This unique ice formation is named the Blue Ice, an ice formation in the continent of Antarctica. This one resembles an arc formation.
I have always been fascinated with the things associated with ice and snow since I was young. Because I am from the tropical region, I always wanted to see unique ice formations.

Read more...

The Ten Greatest Books in the World

The Ten Greatest Books in the World
What books do you considered the greatest? Check this out.
Books play an important part in our lives. Likewise, religion is one of the most vital things associated with civilization, thus, most of the greatest books ever written were about it. Things regarding religious beliefs were written down as a reference and guidelines for believers and/or as a manifestation on the existence of a superbeing or creator. A book is considered great if it is popular and widely read. The extent of its influence is also highly considered. Here are some the greatest books in the world.

To start with, here’s a trivia about books. The world’s largest book stands upright, set in stone, in the grounds of the Kuthodaw pagoda at the foot of Mandalay Hill in Mandalay, Myanmar. It has 730 leaves and 1460 pages; each page is three and a half feet wide, five feet tall and five inches thick.

1. Bible


Image Source
Undeniably, Bible is the greatest book in the world. Christianity is the largest religion in the world and has more or less 2 billion adherents, representing about a quarter to a third of the world’s population. Naturally, the Bible, which is refers to respective collections of religious writings of Christianity (and Judaism) is read and owned and have a tremendous influence on the lives of Christians.

Read more...

The Freakiest, Craziest, Weirdest and Toothiest Grins/Smiles in the Animal World

The Freakiest, Craziest, Weirdest and Toothiest Grins/Smiles in the Animal World
Some interesting and intriguing smiles.
Smile though your heart is aching. A smile can bring you near to me. A smile will certainly brighten up someone else’s day. So always give your best smile to everyone. And since holiday season is already within the corner, don’t be selfish, share a smile to all because it’s free and will definitely makes many people happy.

Image Source
Datu Puti Smile is certainly one of the freakiest, craziest and weirdest smiles you’ll ever see in your entire life. The man on the picture is a model for a local brand of vinegar.

Read more...