1. How to avoid embarrassment from a yawn. My college professor’s tip on stifling a yawn in class helped me avoid embarrassmant during a couple of meetings and consultations I did at work this week. When I felt like yawning during one meeting while seated across the company chair and vice chair, I recalled the tip and breathed deeply through my nose. That one deep inhalation prevented me from the humiliation of yawning at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I learned that yawning is actually not because of boredom or fatigue; it’s a way for the brain to cool off after periods of intense activity. Inhaling deeply through the nose sends a wave of cool air to the blood stream, lungs, and eventually the brain, enough for it to cool down and command your system not to yawn.
2. Cover first, flush second. I was told that when you flush the toilet, particles of water including E.coli bacteria, which causes gastroenteritis and urinary tract infections among others, spray up to the air and land up to 20 feet away. Thank goodness I always wash my toothbrush before putting toothpaste! :)
From now on, I’ll switch my habit: cover first, flush second in any toilet I use. This is one small effort to avoid getting sick and help clean the air. Haha! If there’s no cover, I’ll probably just suspend breathing until I’ve washed my hands and stepped out of the restroom! Hahaha! 
3. White lies work best when your boss is over 50. Part of working smart in the 21st century is being ready to tell a white lie at the most appropriate time. And to a boss who’s showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. The good thing about a white lie is it’s insignificant to become the boss’s top-of-mind during judgment time.
Am I sharing this based on my experience? Hmm, partly yes, but mostly through direct observation of others. Hahaha! 
4. Sitting down or lying down after a meal does not make the tummy bigger. Thanks to the latest issue of Men’s Health, I’m now enlightened that sitting down or lying down right after a meal has no scientific link to a bigger belly. I’m sure you’ve seen people who consciously (in fact, with soooo much effort) not to sit down after a heavy meal, claiming they don’t want to have bulging tummies as if the mere act of sitting down is the only cause of unwanted bulges.
I remember having been ”advised” several times in the past by friends and relatives when they see me slouching comfortably, as if it’s a mortal sin to sit down after enjoying a good meal. I’ve always hated the reasoning. Now I have more good reason to hate it even more and not heed the advice.
5. Get insurance only when you’re over 25 and have a full-time job. Getting insurance can be tricky because it takes some good amount of faith to trust a company with your savings, not to mention you need to have the maturity to value hard-earned money and appreciate the worth of an insurance. When you are too young (say 21), fresh out of college, and just starting out your career, you’re most likely very selfish and prefers immediate gratification from your salary. And I bet you will only get insurance because your bestfriend’s mom, or maybe your boss’s wife, or your ninang’s amiga, sweet-talked you into it like the trained agents that they are and you were too shy to say no.
At 25, you are more or less established: you have regular income; you understand what inflation means; you’ve become so bored at work and so pissed off with your boss that you always daydream of running your own business, or doing the same investments he’s doing because you see him enjoying it now. So even before 25, learn everything you can about insurance so that when you’re mentally and financially ready, no agent can fool you into buying an insurance you don’t really need. I’m really speaking for myself here Hahaha! 
6. To know people better, go see their home. My officemates and I went to the wake of a colleague’s father last Thursday and I was surprised by her family’s living condition. It was worse than I expected. Despite some hints of embarrassment with us seeing her in her place, she was very warm and so was her family, and I felt they were all genuine. I think we in the office now have a better appreciation of our colleague.
Seeing co-workers in their home with their families is meaningfully different from seeing them in the office wearing their titles; it enables you to understand their attitude and behavior, to fully know “where they’re coming from”—figuratively and literally.
7. Always make room for surprises. And this is why I’m leaving no. 7 blank because I’m leaving some room for any surprise lesson from what’s left of my weekend. If there are no surprises tomorrow, then you can say I learned my lesson.
[...] 7 lessons I learned this week 7 lessons I learned this week April 19, 2008 1. How to avoid embarrassment from a yawn. My college professor’s tip on stifling a yawn in class helped me avoid embarrassmant during a couple of meetings and consultations I did at work this week. When I felt like yawning during one meeting while seated across the company chair and vice chair, I recalled the tip and breathed deeply through my nose. That one deep inhalation prevented me from the humiliation of yawning at the wrong place at the wro [...]
i like your lessons.
and this finds me breathing deeply, and even holding it, because i like hoarding cool blasts of air in my brain.
btw, dinner at shanghai bistro at eastwood city this saturday. my treat. i have GCs.
Haha! I enjoyed this post. Number 1 I learned before. My head must be really cool most of the time. hehe.
#4 - Ahh! now I can sleep after a good meal without feeling guilty.
Nice tip for the yawn. It is indeed embarrasing to yawn unexpectedly, esp in a meeting.
As for no. 4 - what a relief ! I always felt that lying down after a full stomach makes your tummy bigger. But you know what, I’ve been conditioned to walk it around so I better not quit doing it hehe
{illyria} do you hoard rice, too?
see you sat.
ferdz: careful with sleeping! baka mabangungot ka. haha.
bw: wow, i envy your discipline! how i wish i could do the same.