Tips for Getting Snowed in

With the upcoming blizzard which a lot are dubbing "an epic proportion,"  one needs to be ready and prepared. So here are some tips.

• Stock Up on Food and Water - this is probably the most important tip. You will need to make sure you have enough food and water especially if you get stuck at home for a couple of days. And you don't need any fancy food - granola bars and snacks will do. But the most important is water, you need to make sure you are hydrated all the time.
• Batteries - you need batteries for your flashlights and radio - unless you have one of those crank radios. 
• Charge up your electronics - with this kind of blizzard, there is a big possibility of power loss so make sure your phone, book reader, laptop and other electronic devices are charged up so you won't get bored in case there is no power.  And you will need your phone in case of emergencies.
• Thermal blankets - thermal blankets will be put into greater use when you don't have power and you will need to sleep in the cold. Your body can only take enough cold before hypothermia sets in. 
• Don't venture out - especially during the heart of the blizzard even if you have a all-wheel drive. You don't want to be stuck out in the cold and you might end up getting buried in a pile of snow. 
• If you need to be driving - make sure you have essentials in your car. Make sure you have food and water, thermal blanket, first-aid kit, flash lights and charged up phone. Also, if you need to be out, let someone know. 
• First-Aid Kit - no need to explain this.

This are just some tips to get you by the impending snowpocalypse. Good Luck, stay safe and keep warm

Tips: Hiking Alone

It is not recommended to hike alone, especially if you are unfamiliar with area you are planning to hike. But sometimes, you got that thirst for adventure that needs to be quench (like mine) so you go ahead and tackle that trail. Here are some tips when you are hiking alone.

1. Let your family/friends know your plans. Give someone a "heads up" that you are going for a hike. Give them the location of your hike as well as estimated time that you are going. And don't forget to let them know that you are back so they won't worry about you if they don't hear from you for awhile.

2. Check in on Social Media. Everyone or I should say, most people, have smart phones and data plans. So utilize it by checking in on Foursquare or posting status on Twitter or Facebook. That way, someone knows where you are and how you are doing.

3. Pack Essentials. Make sure you packed essentials that day before your planned hike especially since you are doing this alone. Ensure that you have water, snack bars, first-aid pouch, suntan lotion, light jacket and flashlight for a day hike. Make sure you have enough water to last you the entire hike plus extra especially during summer time when your dehydrate faster. Make sure your phone is fully charge as well.

4. Bring a Map/Trail Map. This is really important if you are going to hike an unfamiliar area. Plan ahead by searching online. If that hiking area has a ranger station, stop by and ask them for trails. Park rangers are always happy to give you suggestion on which trails to take and it is also nice to let them know that you are there.

5. Always follow the trail. Don't be too adventurous and leave the trail especially in unknown areas. Look for  trail markers on trees and/or rocks. If you hike through New York, most of the trail are marked with a rectangular shape painted green on trees. When I went to Sonora Dessert in Arizona, the trail was marked with stones pile on each other.

6. Bring a Hiking Pole. Hiking Poles are good to have because it provides stability especially on rough terrain. It is also good to have to probe the depth of mud or water and in case you encounter wild animals like snakes. If you do not have a hiking pole, find a long sturdy branch before you start your hike.

7.  Time your hike. Most nature parks close on sun down so timed your hike to ensure you won't get stuck on the trail when the sun sets. It will be harder to find the trail in the dark. This is also the reason why you need a flashlight just in case you do get stuck up in the trail at dusk.

8. Watch your step especially after rain when the ground is soggy or the rocks slippery. Take your time to prevent injuries.

Hopefully these tips are useful. Enjoy nature and the great outdoors but stay alert of your surroundings.

Thanksgiving Tips

It's that time of the year again when Americans stuffed their belly with turkey, stuffing and whatever else in serve on Thanksgiving. If you are hosting this year, you must be stressing out, except if you are prepared since the beginning of the month.

A little trivia first, which countries, other than the United States, celebrate Thanksgiving? If you answer Canada, you are correct, they celebrate Thanksgiving during the second Monday of October. Do you know the others? No? The other countries are Germany, Grenada, Korea, Japan, Liberia, Norfolk Island and The Netherlands. Though their Thanksgiving varies.

Know your guest. If you are hosting, you should know by now how many people are coming. And you should not only know the count but also if any of your guest has allergies. Some people don't bother to ask and it's usually not a happy ending. The guest might have an allergic reaction or might go home hungry. As a host, you want to make sure everyone goes home happy and satisfy. So make sure to ask you guest. And your guest will appreciate your effort.

Prepare ahead of time. Thanksgiving usually means a lot of cooking and you should prepare way ahead of time. Preferably the last four days before that Thursday. You should have bought all your ingredients ahead of time and those that can be prepared ahead should be done. Dishes that can be prepared ahead of time are usually the side dishes such as Sweet Potato, Pies and Cranberry Sauce. If you are making your own croutons, you could prepare this two days ahead but chopping white bread and letting it dry. I have done numerous Thanksgiving feast and I usually start prepping four days ahead. Chopping up the vegetables and mixing the ingredients for the pie.

Make sure the Turkey is thawed well before Thanksgiving Day. Most turkeys are frozen when bought and if you don't thawed it properly, it won't baked well. Turkey usually comes with thawing instructions, follow them! I remember making a 15 pound turkey and it took me 4 days of prep work just to make sure the whole thing is ready.

Practice, especially if this is your first time hosting. Make small servings of the dishes and stuffing you are making and taste it to see if you need to add/lessen some ingredients. If possibly, ask someone to give you a critique. That way you are you not guessing how your dishes will taste like come Thanksgiving day.

You might have notice that I didn't mention turkey. Well, the turkey gets, mostly, it's taste from your stuffing and how you baked it.

Make a list of what you are preparing so that you can just check them off as you do them. This way, you won't have to worry about leaving something behind, worst, in the oven. If you have someone helping you, give them the list as well.

Don't stress out. It's a meal, not a life and death situation. If you are prepared, then you won't stress out. And if you are not stress out, the probability of you missing something is less.

If you are busy and time is your enemy, you can always go for the ready-to-eat dishes located at the frozen aisle section of your local supermarket. You just need to heat them up in the microwave. If you don't have a microwave, you can always transfer them to a oven-safe dish and baked them. Follow the instructions.

Don't have an idea of what to prepare, let the Internet help you. Search for Thanksgiving recipes online and find one that you think you can handle. Again, don't forget to practice.

If you have a lot of guest, it would be nice to have place cards in front of each dish you are serving. That way, your guest won't need to keep asking you and you repeating it over and over again. List also some of the ingredients which can contribute to allergic reaction.

Well, hope this tips will help you prepare your Thanksgiving feast. Just don't forget to give thanks.

After Thanksgiving..
After the feast, you will want to do some detox, there are also tons of information about post-Thanksgiving detox that you can follow. I followed one before that was composed of protein shake for breakfast, salad for lunch and dinner. And light snacks in between.

Tips: Eating at a Buffet

Buffet - a place where one can indulge into eating everything and anything without breaking one's budget. Being an buffet enthusiast, I have manage a way for me to eat enough for my money without over indulging.

Now, I am not saying my way is the best way. This are merely tips that I have followed for many years and would like to share it with everyone else. Hopefully you will be able to use one or two or all of them the next time you go to a buffet.

Tip 1 - Eat a light meal before the buffet meal.
Here is one of the biggest mistakes some buffet goers tend to make. They think that not eating breakfast before a lunch buffet or not eating lunch before a dinner buffet, will aid them in eating more. This is actually not good, going to a buffet on a empty stomach will make you want to eat fast and more which results into overindulging.
Why? well, your body does not process the food as quick as you eat. This means that your stomach does not send signals to your brain as fast as you chow down your food to tell you that you are full. Once it sends the signal to your brain, you have already overate which means you will feel so full that you might end up going to the restroom.

Tip 2 - Look around before starting picking your choices
Look around and see what the buffet has to offer especially if there are a lot of different stations. This way, you have a visual of what the place is offering during that time. Also, it helps to know what is available so that you will know what dishes you want to take the next trip to the buffet line.

Tip 3 - Eat slowly
Eat slowly, chew your food more to aid your body in digesting what you are eating. Don't just gobble everything down. It's not a race, except if you entered an eating competition. Enjoy what you are eating.

Tip 4 - Do not eat a lot of carbohydrates and fried foods.
I always see people doing this in buffets. Eating meals pack with carbohydrates like rice and noodles will make you full easily since they are heavy on your stomach. Eating fried foods will make you feel the same. When I go to buffets, you won't see me taking rice and/or noodles but if you really like them,   just take a little bit. That way, you have more room for other dishes.

Tip 5 - Take a breather
Some people tend to go straight to the buffet line once they finished their plate. Don't! Take your time, relax a little and if you are with company, chat a bit. Then head back to the station, remember, the dishes won't go away - they will still be there when you get back on the buffet line.

Tip 6 - Eat high price items
This tip is more for those who want bang for their buck. This is where Tip 2 comes in handy. Looking around will allow you to find where the high price items. And depending on where the buffet is, it could be steak, filet mignon, sashimi, snow crabs, crab legs, etc. I have been to a buffet in Las Vegas that features King Crab Legs, Fresh Shrimps, Lobster tails and Filet Mignon.

Hopefully this tip will help you when you head to the Buffet. Eat and Enjoy

Things To Do During Power Outages!

Updated: November 4

Another power outage... and this time, its for the long haul. My power has been out three five days and might not get restored for another two days due to that freak snowstorm that pounded my area this weekend.

So putting a positive spin on things.. here are some tips to do during power outages

• Have a candle-lit dinner especially with your love ones. 
• If you are with a group, have one of those Dining in the Dark concept that has been popping up all over the place. You don't even need a blindfold since its so dark. And you do not have to worry about plate presentation.
• Of course if you do own an electric range, then no power means no cooking. Get some take-outs, mix and match the dishes. See what you can come up with.
• Clean out your fridge (which I will be doing soon) since most items will be spoiled after two days of no power. Remember, food is much cheaper than getting stomachache and needing to go to the emergency room. And if you are home when power goes out and know that it wont be back at least for two days, have a big food feast!
• During daylight, do some dusting around your place. Better yet, do a whole house dusting.
• Clean out your closet and dresser, donate unwanted clothes to charity. Remember the rule, if you have not worn something twice, that means you are not wearing them anymore. 
• For families, bring out the classic board games such as Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Sorry or Scrabble. You can also bring out Pictionary but it might be harder to play it during the dark. 
• If its warm outside, bring out the lounge chair and enjoy some fresh airs. Read a book when its still light out. If it gets dark and you are afraid of getting bitten by mosquitoes, get those repellents. 
• If its warm outside, invite friends over and just chill... 
• Read a book.. light permitting.. don't want you to ruin your eyes.
• Write and when I say write, I mean with pen and paper. Time to get back to the old school way of writing. 
• Think.. yep, think of the things you want to do with your life and see if you have achieve them. If not, think of ways to help you achieve those goals. Think Think Think
• Do some bbqs weather permitting and if you are permitted to do one. Actually, you can bbq even if its cold. You are satisfying your hunger while getting warmth - Two birds in one stone.
• Memorize lyrics to a song.. or songs.. so you will be ready for your next karoake
• Learn shadow puppetry... it should be fun... be creative

I am sure there are more options but the coffee shop I am in is closing so this is the end for the tips. 
I thought of more things to do in the dark since that's all I can do for now...

• Make your own candle - with all the melted wax you will be having, you can customized your candle in various shapes and sizes. And you are saving money for reusing the melted wax instead of buying new ones.
• If you live with your partner, there is one thing that you can surely do. The three letter word - S-E-X. And if its cold, what a better way to warm up by using each other's body heat. And the darkness will just heighten your arousal. And you are using more of your touch and feel sense rather than what you see. Could we say... hot!
• Board games are fun but you can also go for other games such as Rock-Paper-Scissors and Hand Slap but this are also light permitting games. 
• Meditate or do Yoga - you don't have anything to stop you now.

I'll think of more tips since it does not look like I will get power back soon.