What would you do?

People who destroy the environment count on people who do nothing.

Salsa has taken a bath

SALSA HAS TAKEN A BATH!

Malapit na ata magunaw ang mundo! (THE END IS NEAR!)

I had to because I wont be able to give them a bath again for the next two months as I wouldnt be at home...kawawa naman.

Alas no picture while he was taking a bath...no digicam yet dear folks (unless you want to donate, hehehe ).


I had to tie him up again. But this time I had to hug the bugger and baby talk while soaping him.
And the inevitable happened, he tried to bite me again while I was rinsing him. But after that he was happy hehehee.
Sarah the other dog also had her bath. This one was tamer and didnt even flinch. Very very mabait na dog. Just stood there and shivered while I thoroughly soaped her.

Now they smell like peaches...bango, bango na!

Toxic Free House Tip No. 3- Toilet declogger

For those times that you need to clear that dear old toilet from all that drain clogging oil ridden food you ate over the Christmas, New Years, you b-day, pista, summer party, school opening etc. that got deposited and enver made it to the Poso Negro...

Kadiri ba?

What you will need:

Boiled water
White vinegar
Baking Soda


1. Boil water

2. while boiling the water pour Datu Puti Suka. Use as much suka as you want, depends on the severity of the clog. I usually use almost the whole bottle.

3. Then pour the baking soda, it will bubble (magic!). Let it sit, the more baking soda and suka sits in the john, the better.

4. Lastly, pour the boiling hot water. Let it sit again for a minute or so then flush.

If this doesnt work, use more suka, baking powder and boiling water and let it sit for a longer period of time. Then use the plunger.

If this STILL doesnt work. Call the The Justice League in the US and ask for help with the next available super hero with your toilet problems.

Kaladkarin na naman

A travelling I will go!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Lalarga na naman ako! (translation: I will be an international sailor again baby!)
By next weekend I will be in Singapore and will be boarding a ship to sail again.
So I won't be here for awhile. But I will still post updates on what will be happening to me onboard depending on the internet access that would be available.

I have started pre-packing my bags last weekend as I need to pre-plan the clothes that I will be using. I learned my lesson from the last trip. I had to lug around 35 kilos worth of pasalubong and excess clothes around Khao San road in Bangkok and made my legs and knees hurt for a month afterwards!

Nothing better than sailing...more mornings like this again:

Stay tuned!

And now a word from my friend Ala from Down Under

Would you all like to make a difference together? Would you like to take a leap of faith on me, believe that together we can make things happen?

I have just said yes to a very special challenge, together with a friend. I invite you to walk alongside us on it.

Here is the lowdown of this project:

Who? Lucy and Ala!

What? http://www.charitychallenge.com.au/gpchina/
The Greenpeace Great Wall of China Challenge

The primary goal? To raise 5,500 AUD each (11,000 AUD), half of which is due by August 25, 2006, for Greenpeace's climate change campaign activity.

The secondary goal? To trek the Great Wall of China, the only man-made structure visible from outer space, with Greenpeace China!

Read on http://buildthiswall.livejournal.com/profile here!!!

In the months to come, I will be blogging very actively at http://buildthiswall.livejournal.com. Please bookmark it, or if you have a livejournal, please add me as a friend.

Cheers to all of you, and have a good day!

Much love,

Ala

Salsa the canine schizophrenic

Salsa, my small, cute, smelly, foot pissing, tail less dog is schizophrenic.

He is all sugar and sweetness when I go out in the garden and pet him and Sarah.
Pero wag ka.

Come dinner time.

Ayan na, here comes the grub, rub a dub dub.
He changes into something else.

This is how sounds like when eating:

nyam nyam NYAM NYAM NGYARARARAANGYARANGARYNGYARY GGRRRRR KAW KAW KAW!! (bites and barks at non-existent enemy dog)

nguya nguya nguya, ngasab ngasap nyam nyam KAW KAW KAW!! BARK BARK BARK! NGYAR NGYAR NYAMNYAMNGYAR!!BARK BARK BARK(bites and barks again)

susme.

Tapos may I chase my own non-existent tail.

And thats how he sounds like till he finishes all his food.

Then he is all sweet again :-)


Another time he is schizophrenic is when its bath time.
I have to time him up because he nips me when I give him a bath!
THE BASTID!

Me: Salsa you have to take a bath na, AMOY PATIS KA NA! (YOU SMELL LIKE FISH SAUCE!)

Salsa: by this time he tries to run away but I catch him anyway

Me: ties him up and starts wetting salsa.

Salsa: grrr (ayan na yung tabo, nabasa na) grrrrrrrr (by this time he is thoroughly wet)
(I start to soap him) up growwlllllllrooowwwlll, with dagger looks to match, if this dog had wanted to kill me with his look, I bet he would have done that by now.


GRRRGGGRRRRR BARK BARK BARK!!!
(trying to nip me now)

Me: holding him close to my face GRRRRRRRRR SALSA!! YOU BEHAVE!AAAYYY!! (I do the same to show him who is master)

Salsa: BARK BARK BARK!! GGRRRRRRROOOWWWLLL BITE BITE!!

Me: BARK BARK BARK BARK GRRRR GGRRRR!! GROOWWWLL

Patulan ba yung aso......

I tried to splash water on his face in an attempt to stop him from barking and nipping

Salsa: with water splashing on his face GRWOOWLWLLW NYAMNYAMMM GRYOLLGNGYOORWWL (growling with water on his face) withc matching nips and bites

Luckily he didn't really bite me.

By this time, he is finished with his bath. I let him go and towel dry.

Afterwhich he gives me a dirty look.

That was two months ago.
He smells like patis ten times over now.

When life throws you into a loop

Unexpected things happen and when the going gets tough,

there's just two things that you can do
either you accept it or you fight it

if you fight it, there are two things that can happen
either you get results or you get exhausted

if you get results, there are only two things that can happen
either you get what you want or you don't

BUT...Big but (malaking pwet)! What if it doesnt go your way?

when you accept it there are two things you can do
either you pray about it or mope about it

when you pray about it there are two things that can happen
either you offer if up or you rage against heaven for not granting your wish

I accepted that the situation was already what it was.
I prayed about it.
That was two days ago.

Now I got an email that answered my prayer.

Prayer works.

Toxic Free House Tip No. 2-Honeybee Cosmetic Products

My friend Ala had shared that she uses Ilog Maria beauty products.
I went to their website:

http://www.ilogmaria.com/index.asp

and I went crazy over their products! They use honeybee products such as propolis, beeswax, pollen, honey, royal jelly and bee venom for thirty years already.

They have a wide variety of products including soaps, shampoos, oils, and beeswax.

There are very good alternatives to the commercial products that we buy in the supermarkets.

P.S. You would have to register and log in to buy their products online. They do not have outlets so you would have to order through their website OR go to Tagaytay to their bee farm as walk in.
Then by email, they will inform you of how to pay through the bank of by Gcash.

Toxic Free House Tip No. 1-Metal ware cleaner

I love silver jewelry. And we also have lots of antique metal house decor that tarnishes a lot.
I used to use the commercial metal polishers but I had to rub the surface as if my life depended on it.
Then I discovered (drum rolls please) WHITE TOOTHPASTE with BAKING SODA!

It cleans my jewelry and metal stuff way way much faster than the commercial polishes.

First you buy:

Any toothpaste thats white
baking soda

Rub the white toothpaste over the part which you want to clean. Moderate amount is best to put on, just enough to cover the surface but not too thin that there are parts that are not coated.

Then rub, rub, rub...then put on the baking soda...then rub rub rub rub. Damp it a little bit with water, use a little stiff toothbrush to scrub it a little bit further.

Rinse with water. Super shiny na!

Repeat as necessary until the desired polish is obtained.

Works with gold too.

Beauty is more than just skin deep

I am very vain when it comes to hair and skin care. At any given time I would be using 2 or 3 brands of lotion, 1-2 kinds of facial moisturizer, various conditioners, hair spas and shampoos not to mention soaps that I fancy. (maarte talaga!)

LOL! When I was around 11 or 12 I remember my Tita Chibi (thats aunt for you in english) said that I was too dark. So I bought the then popular and only cheap alternative that I could find to lighten my skin: C.Y. Gabriel WonderSoap!

HALA! SIGE! Babad sa banyo, to dry the soap on my skin. I had delusions of being fair skinned after 12 days. NGEK...wala pala. Wa epek. (Believe me Likas Papaya soap made my skin lighter after just 3 days! Di lang pang tinola pang skin pa!)

When I got into the environmental movement and I worked for the organization Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), I was made aware of the possible and proven carcinogenic ingredients of most of the popular brands of shampoos, lotions, perfume, hairspray, deodorants, make-up and the whole lot out on the market. This included Jergens, Clairol, L'Oreal, Hugo Boss, St. Ives to name a few.

For those of you who would like to check out the whole listing please go to this link:

http://www.nottoopretty.org

This website lists US, European, China, India and Korean products that would have phthalates (thats the toxic ingredient that they put thats carcinogenic)

Also this website explains how the chemicals got to your body:

http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/

So what to do? There are alternatives to us vain people!


Virgin Coconut Oil-rub it at night and use as an all over body and facial lotion and when you wake up WOW your skin is very very soft. No need to put on moisturizer in the morning!

Oat meal-great oil absorber... mix 1/4 cup oatmeal with water till its a little like pasty, something that you can spread on your face. Then put on your face and let it dry complately. Works really well with oily complexions. Tightens your skin afterwards


Yoghurt and honey-another great moisturizer. mix the two together and rub on your face.


Cucumber-cool cucumber slices on your eyes to get rid of the eyebags in the morning.


Okra-great intestine cleaner. If youre having a hard time doing no. 2 (like I do sometimes), this is a great bowel mover.


Apple-mashed apple works great on burns. First degree burns tho. I tried this when I was scalded with hot water on my hands.

Well, here are just some stuff that I remember.
I will try to remember the other alternatives that I use.

So guys, if you still want to look good and be environmentally conscious and health conscious at the same time, try these "kitchen cosmetics".

In dying you give life to others

I am finally free of my past.

If seeing him this happy is worth my decision then I am at peace.

Nevertheles I wish you well in your newly married life.


But the big paradox is...why am I crying now?

Marko: My most favorite cook in the world, A tribute

I was given the opportunity to ride a ship for 3 months as an assistant cook on the Rainbow Warrior. Initially I had applied as a volunteer deckhand but instead I got the AC (Ass Cook) position. I thought what the heck, just as long as I got to sail!
I embarked in Palawan and I was sooo excited that I was all smiles when I got on. I felt very eager to plunge into ship work ASAP. And boy did I!

I went right to the galley and I found the cook. I introduced myself and said “Hi I’m the new cook assistant!”. He didn’t even turn his head as he said “Hi.” I thought, weird. “My name is Maan!” “Maan right?” and he turned his head and smiled.

My ‘boss’ (he doesn’t want to be called boss, he said we were equals) was a cute Finnish guy named Marko. He has been heating up the galleys of GP for 10 years already. Remarkable guy as I discovered through out the time I was his assistant, but to many he came across as an unapproachable, unsmiling, silent guy. That was my first impression as well but I believed that first impressions are usually just…first impressions. I got to know and like people better by being patient and digging a little bit deeper.

Silent was an understatement!
We would start preparing food at 10:30 a.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. for dinner. And we didn’t talk the whole time! Hell yeah he would answer my questions… only when I would ask, otherwise he was very, very silent.
How silent? The first time I had asked him how he wanted me to cut up the veggies, he showed it to me.
After a while he, got pen and paper and proceeded to draw 8 different cuts and told me
"I will just tell you the number and you would have to cut it like its illustrated in that number"

The unsmiling part…ahhh I had tricks up my sleeve (which I will not divulge, trade secret hehehehe). After some time of talking and drinking he was smiling at me already. And we were actually having a conversation. HALLELUJAH!

As I said dig a little deeper…

People were afraid to approach him but his silence never bothered me. I was a pretty talkative person but I am also used to long stretches of silence, being alone at the house most of the time. He was a gruff looking bear but he was actually a softie at heart. And when he would smile wow! It really lightened up his face. On the few occasions that we would talk he told me about his life and what he went through (very personal I cant divulge it here), his life in Finland. Not only could he cook, but he also does welding, builds houses assembles cars and motorbikes when he is on land.

He also taught me a lot of things, thus I learned how to make veggie burgers, assemble a salad, boil the veggies right, make a mean vegetarian lasagna, different simple pasta sauces that would blow you right out of your socks, distinguish and buy the best cuts of meats and fish, etc. this to the music of Iron Maiden, To Die For, Johnny Cash and Metallica.
At Christmas and New Years we had a feast whipped up by Marko and everyone couldn’t resist filling their plates up a second time.

In the end I considered him my brother and I was over protective of him. He grew on me so to speak. I made sure that everything he needed in the galley was there without him asking, cleaned the cooking mess and utensils right away, and making sure he had his juice in stock all the time.
I heard from the other crew as well as from the captain that Marko considered me his best assistant ever in his ten years of being a cook. Of course I was flattered but it was small compared to the privilege of knowing and working with this person.
I was transferred to being a deckhand after the tour and I was sorry to leave the galley. I was loathe to leave the comfortable silence and the occasional beer after we had finished galley duty. I was truly going to miss working with him.

UPDATE:

I still get to talk to Marko in chat.
He is doing well.
I gave him my DVD of “Equilibrium” (one of my collectors items DVD, pirated of course) which I left on the ship.
He still drinks juice.