Gasoline prices went down by P1 today.. that’s equivalent to like.. say.. $5 cents USD? So it’s at about $.90 per liter now, or $3.20 per gallon. Prices for diesel is supposed to go down by about P9.

I’ve been so busy. Ridiculously busy, almost. But life is good. No time to stop and think sometimes, but maybe it’s better that way.

I read some articles a while ago about bees.

The fact is, I grew up around bees- and everything I’ve got I have because of bees. My dad’s a commercial beekeeper, and I’d say, I love the honey business. The bees smell good, you don’t have to work hard all year- and it’s great to be out in nature and just be around the bees. And well- I’m a workaholic, and so are bees, we fit together I think. I also have this rather strange fetish, I suppose, for drones- i.e., the male bees.

I mean, just look at that. Who can resist? These little guys don’t have stingers, have round bums, and hugely round eyes. They move around rather slowly and are just so totally cute! It’s really funny that one of the Philippine’s dialects has a name for these little guys- i.e, “mama lupar” which basically means “mama’s boy”.

The lives of drones are very simple. Since all the worker bees, and the queen- are female, – well, the only work of the drone is to basically mate queens. After having mated, these poor guys die. One other thing they are said to do is heat up the hive. Their bodies have a bit more fat than the regular worker bees, so they kinda help the heat going inside the hives. But once food is scarce, these guys are thrown out of the house! They are quite high maintenance, hence in the harsh months such as winter months or rainy season – it’s rare to see any drones around because first of all, they have big appetites and well- they kinda like the service, like you know, having worker bees come around and feed them. I guess, in nature’s law, you really can’t get everything you want.

Honeybee Wipeout May be Averted with Flower Recovery Zones

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) – Honey bees, whose numbers are falling, must be given flowery “recovery zones” in Europe’s farmlands to aid their survival, a leading EU lawmaker said Wednesday.

Bees pollinate numerous crops and scientists have expressed alarm over their mysterious and rapid decline. Experts have warned that a drop in the bee population could harm agriculture.

“If we continue to neglect the global bee population, then this will have a dramatic effect on our already strained world food supplies,” said Neil Parish, who chairs the European Parliament’s agriculture committee.

Parish, a British conservative, said vast swathes of single crops such as wheat often made it difficult for bees to find enough nectar.

But he said farmers could help bees by planting patches of bee-friendly flowers — including daisies, borage and lavender.

“We’re talking about less than one percent of the land for bee-friendly crops — in corners where farmers can’t get to with their machinery, round trees and under hedges.”

Genetically modified crops, climate change, pesticides and modern farming techniques have all been blamed for making bees vulnerable to parasites, viruses and other diseases.

More research is needed to pin down the exact cause of the declining number of bees, the European Parliament is expected to recommend in its vote Wednesday evening.

“The experts themselves are mystified,” said Parish. “A failure to act now could have catastrophic consequences.”

The EU parliament’s vote will carry no legal weight but is intended to nudge the European Commission and EU member states to take the matter seriously.

Source

I just started reading the “Chinese System of Food Cures, Prevention & Remedies” by Henry C. Lu today. Here are some interesting excerpts from the book:

Five Flavors of Food
The five flavors of food include pungent (acrid), sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Pungent foods include green onion, chives, cloves, parsley, and coriander.
Sweet foods include sugar, cherry, chestnut, and banana.
Sour foods include lemon, pear, plum, and mango.
Bitter foods include hops, lettuce, radish leaf, and vinegar (I list vinegar as bitter because the Chinese call vinegar “bitter wine”. Vinegar tastes both sour and bitter; it is common for some foods to have two simultaneous flavors.)
Salty foods include salt, kept, and seaweed.

The flavors of food are important in Chinese diet, because different flavors have their respective important effects upon the internal organs. Food that have a pungent flavor can act on the lungs and large intestine; foods with a sweet flavor on the stomach and spleen; with sour flavor on the liver and gall bladder; with a bitter flavor on the heart and small intestine; foods that have a salty flavor can act on the kidneys and bladder.

At the beginning, some foods with obvious flavors found to act on some internal organs perform specific actions in the human body. The basic relationships between flavors and internal organs and the actions are studied and analyzed by a process in science called the inductive method. As time goes on, other foods whose flavors are more difficult to determine may be found capable of active upon some internal organs and performing some specific actions.

In general, the common action of foods in regard to their flavors are as follows:

Pungent foods (ginger, green onion, and peppermint) can induce perspiration and promote energy circulation.

Sweet foods (honey, sugar, and watermelon) can slow down the acute symptoms and neutralize the toxic effects of other foods.

Sour foods (lemon and plum) can obstruct the movements, and are useful, therefore, in checking diarrhea and excessive perspiration.

Bitter foods, reduce body heat, dry body fluids, and induce diarrhea (which is why many Chinese herbs recommended to reduce fever and induce diarrhea taste bitter)

Salty foods (kelp and seaweed) can soften hardness, which explains their usefulness in treating tuberculosis of the lymph nodes and other symptoms involving the hardening of muscles or glands.

Mmm… it’s nearly been exactly a year since I went to China. I loved the place we went to, and the food! I never ate so much street food in my life. If only I hadn’t accidentally deleted all the pictures we took of our trip. :’( I just have a few left now.

It’s funny how life’s best lessons can be learned not in classrooms – not in the most expensive, most prestigous universities.. but right in our much-loved play grounds…

In life…
sometimes you’re up. Everything’s going well, going great! Nothing could be better… or – if things could be better- at least it’s all going quite well as it is.

Then, sometimes, you’re down.
When nothing’s going right. Everything just seems to be getting worse and worse and you’re thinking, “How could anything get any worse?” But they do. But, have faith, have patience.. soon you’ll be up again.. but then, don’t get your hopes too high. Every now and then you’ll have your downs too, and it’s just the way life is.

We all look for stability and peace, and it’s in a whole nother realm we can find that peace – that happiness, which is so deep that no ups or downs could possibly affect it.. it’s a place, once you go to- will give you the foundation and fulfillment you look for, so that the ups and downs that we inevitably experience in this world will not affect us any more than the passing clouds in the sky affect us. And there we’ll find rest.

Sweet potato.  Yep, you heard it.  Sweet potato’s not only high in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, glutathione, it also helps reduce and keep blood sugar levels and arthritis at bay.  My dad was right, – sweet potatoes, aka “Kamote” in Tagalog, is a wonder food.

For more information on the nutritional values of sweet potatoes, go here.

Even its vines are good to eat both on the level of taste and health.

A variation of sweet potato fries

There are endless ways to eat sweet potatoes- one way is to make them into fries.  If you’re making it into fries, cut it lengthwise or into thin circular slices.  The thinner the better.  Flavor with curry, salt, and cinnamon, or herbs and salt, or Korean pepper/Korean ketchup sprinkled with sugar is another great way- or go, the rather unhealthy but extremely delicious Filipino way, fry the sweet potatoes in melted sugar.

Another way is to just boil them and eat them- but because boiling brings out the high starch content, it makes it a bit fattening.  Personally I like eating sweet potatoes when they’re baked and coated with honey and/or maple syrup, butter, and cinnamon, or even just plain.  Sweet potatoes are good in pies, mixed in sweets with grated coconut meat, milk, and sugar, and even in savory dishes like another Filipino dish- pochero.

So well, here is, the wonder food.  It’s been recently found that sweet potatoes are also high in glutathion which is used to treat toxicity, acne, cancer, allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, arthritis, diabetes, hepatitis, liver dysfunction, and more. I’m going to include this in the list of “must eat foods” for the nutrition project and I’ll eat more of this stuff for sure. Sweet potato, the ultimate multivitamin.

I like avocados, but more importantly – Sam, my co-author, loves them.

Avocados grow quite abundantly where I live, in fact we’ve got at least 3 mother trees who all have totally different shaped avocados. One of the trees gives perfectly round avocados about the size of soft balls, the seeds are just a little smaller than a ping pong ball, and the meat is beautifully buttery and smooth. One of our other trees gives long avocados shaped quite like distorted balloons or something of the sort. Avocados grow so well around here that in some places, the fruits are just left for the monkeys and pigs to eat.

Avocado has surprisingly good effects, including helping with weight control!

Here’s a little snippet on avocados:

CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING AVOCADO: Healthy Fats, Lower Cholesterol

Avocados are a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat—a type of fat that may actually help to raise levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol) while lowering levels of LDL (“bad” cholesterol). And these delectable green orbs pack more of the cholesterol-smashing beta-sitosterol (a beneficial plant-based fat) than any other fruit. Beta-sitosterol reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food. So the combination of beta-sitosterol and monounsaturated fat makes the avocado an excellent cholesterol buster.

Eat some today

Avocado is a bit high in calories. Your best strategy: Use this luscious veggie in place of another high-fat food or condiment.

Get this much

The American Heart Association recommends that you get up to 15 percent of your daily calories from monounsaturated fats like those contained in avocados, but some heart experts recommend an even greater percentage. (In an 1,800-calorie diet, 15 percent translates into 30 grams per day.) FYI: A whole avocado has about 300 calories and 30 g fat.

From: MSN

One of my favorite ways to eat avocado is in salad or in sandwiches. It’s especially good with Kimchi:

(I need to get myself a camera so that I can post some fuuud pix!) Since Kimchi is somewhat a salad/pickle, and contains high amounts of enzymes. Not only that, but it’s also got heaps of chili in it, making it a good way to keep off pounds. It’s great layered in with sandwiches – be it a nice little burger or just some sort of a tofu crumble or something of the sort. It actually goes real well with avocado, mustard, cheese, pickles, and the other usual ingredients of good sandwiches.

Avocado is an incredibly versatile ingredient to work with, good when salty, sweet, or even spicy. Just don’t ever bake it- it turns out horribly bitter, – or at least from my experience that’s what has happened!

This avocado tart recipe is another favorite of mine. It’s easy and fast to make, and is real enjoyable. The cashew milk blends in real well.

These pre-baked pastry cups filled with a custardlike cream will please your vegan friends. Best served freshly chilled. Cholesterol-free avocados are loaded with potassium, vitamins A and C, and niacin.

Pastry:
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp. raw sugar
1/2 tsp. egg replacer powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. safflower oil
Water for binding

Filling:
3/4 cup fresh cashew milk*
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups ripe avocado
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh mint leaves for garnishing

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the dry pastry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Rub in the oil with your fingertips until evenly crumbly. Carefully add just enough water to make a soft ball of dough.

2. Lightly oil 4 mini tart pans or custard cups, or a standard muffin tray with 6 cups. Divide the pastry into 4-6 pieces depending on the size and choice of pan. On a floured work surface, roll each piece into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.

3. Place the pastry into the pans and mold to fit. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Bake for 20-30 minutes until light golden. Cool and remove the shells from the pans. If you are using custard cups, bake first, then remove the pastry shells from the cups and bake on a tray, bottom side up, for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Prepare the cashew milk as directed below. Blend the cashew milk and the next 4 filling ingredients until smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix. Spoon the filling evenly into the cooled shells and chill briefly. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Makes 4-6 tarts

*Cashew milk: Blend 1/4 cup raw cashew pieces with 1 cup hot water until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 293, Fat 15.3g (138 cal), Carbohydrate 34.7g (139 cal), Protein 3.8g (16 cal)
Added information: Saturated Fat 1.8g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 202mg, Dietary Fiber 2.7g

I went to Onemana today, a really nice little beach. It’s a perfect temperature out there lately.

I got a few nice pics. I like the artey little pics of nature if you can’t tell already.My favorite time of the day to go for a walk on the beach is when the sun is going down into the ocean. Unless it’s windy then I’ll stay inside.

It’s a very mode of goodness time to be with nature. Makes me feel good

Sam just posted his first post, I’m not sure if he actually read the first one I put up, but he suggested I write about us.

To make the background short, I didn’t think I’d ever get married…. then Sam came along and now I’m engaged. On some occasions I wonder what in the world got into me- or perhaps, what I’ve gotten myself into. Here’s someone from a totally different culture and country, haven’t known for very long – but well, hey- my parents and family really like him and so do I.  While there are many things we both see eye to eye, I’m sure there are countless things we won’t be seeing eye to eye with.  Despite the major cultural and racial differences between us I think and hope we’ll be all right together.

It’ll be at least a few more years before we marry because we’re both basically working students.  And while I feel that there’s so much more to do before actually settling down and marrying – I’m happy and feel lucky knowing that I have him.  I’m involved in many humanitarian projects and am loving it.  I have many other things I’m trying to run but humanitarian work is my biggest priority.

Right now he’s back home in New Zealand and I’m here, home in the Philippines.  It’ll be a long time before I see him again.  Thank God for technology!  I’ll post some pictures of where I’m from sometime soon.

I’ve been sitting here trying to think of something beautiful to post, but I just had too much lunch and can’t think properly, so I’m just going to put a simple introductory message here.

I’ve loved writing and had several journals before but I never kept an online one.. I’m quite excited about this blog.

I’m “Jocks” from the Philippines and I’ll be writing on health, pets/animals, nature, community work, posting about cooking, recipes, health related issues, and probably a few other things.  The other author, Sam, who is from New Zealand, will be posting about sports, pictures, and travel in and around New Zealand and probably other places too.

I hope you will enjoy reading our blog, which is one of our first joint ventures.