Vegetarian Junction #1: Garbanzos Patty

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Journey essentials (cuatro) Love the earth campaign

I am planting this idea for so long ~ to promote awareness about our environment ~ I am making good progress with the conceptualisation but it is still a vulnerable tiny bud, it needs to wait for a little bit before launching it out in the big world.

But I am excited to share the possible topics of this campaign

(1) Recycling
(2) Permaculture
(3) Living simple
(4) Conservation
(5) Alternative lifestyle

I do hope dear readers that you will read posts regarding this idea of mine and of course apply some ideas in your daily lives. So drumroll,  love the earth campaign coming very soon . . .  I have yet to create a better name for it so it's easier to recall.

night dears, have sweet dreams

My wandering mind and my journey to home

Hop and hop and hop and hop, repeat million times. I have never been this confused in my life. I observed myself engaging to millions of thoughts in a second, have you ever been in that kind of situation? It's not funny, it is sorely disruptive.

How can we stay focused and concentrated to a goal? How can we engage in just one cohesive thought to be able to have a productive day? Argh, I have never been this diffused. It's really weird. My thoughts are like flying petals of flowers on a flower field blown by strong winds. I cannot get a grasp of myself. Thoughts fly around, it feels like I am in front of my computer but at the same time I am like in a different place altogether. The sad part is I am finishing a documentary project, I need the marriage of my two minds, the logical and the creative -- the thing is they are not even communicating to each other, they are conflicting or worst yet, they stopped cooperating with each other. Or maybe they just want to have space from each other :)

***
On a bigger level, a good news came today for me. Maybe the universe is sending me sweet gifts. Oh, I feel so blessed. I miss my home, my family ah, and my Goddesses. I think the path to go back to my home is visible through this mist. I feel so grateful that in this confusing and cloudy terrain, I am guided by pure light. Home, such sweet word. I feel like I am going back home.

Proactive habits

I remember I posted a picture about Book Day celebration at Instituto Cervantes. Enjoyed that day so much with my best friend Romina and her sister Karen. At first we went to Salcedo Saturday Morning Market, then Instituto Cervantes then Football game.

That was a full day indeed, also that's the day when Manila reached it's highest temperature so far, 35.9 Degree Celsius, whew!

No wonder I reached out for a tall glass of water when I arrived home. We should drink 3 liters of water per day to replenish the water we lose as we do our activities, but since it's been extra hot these days, it will be safe to drink 3L plus another liter to rehydrate, especially when your lifestyle or job
requires you to be under the sun most of the day.

It is also earth friendly if we use water tumblers instead of buying plastic water bottles every day. Aside from being economical we help reduce the average consumption of water bottle around Asia, which is by the way is three liters per head per year though this data is from 2007 (Asian Tribune). Refill your water tumblers with water from coffee shops, food courts or in my case university main library :)

Maybe we can also make better use of our time by waking up early and cooking breakfast and packed lunch for ourselves and our family. This way we can hone our culinary skills and we know that the food we eat is healthier. It is also plus points if we cook meals that are vegetarian or with lesser meat/fish. Use reusable bowls or food containers with cover moreover, spoon and fork that are not
plastics so we can help lessen the consumption of disposable plastics as well.

Let's keep in mind that we are here to cherish our Mother Earthband be good stewards of the resources that we have right now, remember not all of them are renewable. I am making a habit of waking up early to plan my day with lesser consumption and more proactive routine to protect our environment. Don't forget to sort out garbage and join recycling activities in your community this way we can make good use of our time, we interact with our neighbors and we heal the world, one day at a time.

Must read, must read

GNH vs GDP as explained by 

Prime Minister of Bhutan, H.E. Jigmi Y. Thinley, 

in preparation to the 2nd of April debate on GNH at the United Nations.

Please click the links below

http://www.matthieuricard.org/en/index.php/blog/208about_gross_national_happiness_and_gross_national_product_1/ 
http://www.matthieuricard.org/en/index.php/blog/209_about_gross_national_happiness_and_gross_national_product_2_continued/ 

Service is my poetry

Uno. During Anthro class, my professor was talking about the Dharma of Rama and Sita, oh I love the intertextual synchronicity of my life: I have my Buddhist Teacher in the morning teaching me about my Dharma, then I go to my Anthro class that teaches me worldview through folklore of particular countries, then I get to fuse them in my mind -- the Dharma of Faith and the teachings of culture that touches on some socio-cultural Dharma designed by religion, they sometimes conflict but I guess the bigger perspective is that I am learning how to look at how the dynamics really work. The secret is the fusion, the magic is there in the part where it is actually working! Eureka! I am really having a good time right now.

Dos. The application part is the ecological symposium -- i learned that Philippines is one of the 33 spots of rich biodiversity, wow isn't that uber amazing! I mentioned application part because, I guess my Dharma is there, to help with charting the source of problem (eg disaster, global warming) as my Master mentioned in her talk, "And when we have found the root cause of disasters, we'll know how to eliminate disasters." Hopefully to fulfill my Dharma, I  want to help to eliminate disasters. Sigh, it is a big responsibility right, but as I mentioned above, service is my poetry. Just like poets, they never get tired of seeing the beauty to translate it into words. I must be like them, I see the beauty of the world through service, and I want to conserve/preserve it for everyone to experience it -- even generations after.

Namaste.

PS this picture moved me. (picture from wikipedia)

This is a map of biodiversity hotspots (regional). The Philippines is number 18, kudos!!!

Panna Cotta, coffee and sympathy

The sweetness of life that is Panna Cotta! Yum, I love mine with mangoes. The combination is so subtle it is like tasting the very best of both worlds. Balanced. Perfect. Delightful <3 Cibo Panna Cotta gets five hearts!

*^_^*

I had a quiet Sunday coffee afternoon after sprinting to Greenbelt Cinema for Pelicula screenings. Turned out that we were late and no seats available anymore. Frustrated, we instead satisfied our unfulfilled cinephilic-longing with mugs of simmering coffee, hot chocolate and bitter tea. Uno, dos, tres tazas en la mesa! La vida es buena.

Macel y Marnie, tazas de cafe y chocolate

Of course, tea is the yummiest. Especially green tea <3 

Our conversation in the cafe centered on how will you celebrate your birthday when you have unlimited budget?

Macel said she will have a tree planting event.

Marnie said he will celebrate in a posh restaurant or even a hotel.

Mmmm, I was thinking of saying, I will hold a blood letting event, but then again I changed my mind maybe my guests will not show up anymore if that is the case. So I said, I will hold different events, there will be discussion corner where global warming will be tackled. There will be vegetarian cooking class in one site. And the last site is recycling corner. So, when cooking class ends they can feed those who did recycling and those who learned in global warming discussion.

Mmm, thinking of making myself a sandwich now. Adios! 

On Rio +20, GMOs and tutorials

Yesterday I attended the last Round Table Discussion of CSOs in the drafting of their position on the upcoming Rio +20 convention next year. It was really a heavy discussion as everyone feels the pressure of coming up with cohesive strategies and paradigms or maybe goals that they will submit to our government agency that will in turn incorporate the output to the country's position. Nonetheless, an idea have proved itself the central repository in the paradigm lay-out and from which, every new inspired idea springs.

Nationalism should be our basis for paradigm in sustainable development.

Now that is the big idea. I hope we find more positive developments in this field. I believe that when we actually hammer it home not only in the environmental issues but also in bigger socio-economic discussions, we might actually get somewhere. Of course the road to this endeavor will be long and challenging, but it is just part of the big picture, I do believe that the end of this road is a positive nation-identity building that is essential to a progressing country like ours.

Moving on to what occupies my mind all night, Bhutan, apparently a country that never ceases to inspire me, have implemented a law on banning GMO imports. Wow that is some inspired decision they have there. Remember their King was the one who started promoting GNH (Gross National Happiness) because he is concerned about the quality of life of his subjects more over, he puts premium to the hollistic growth of Bhutan as a nation not just in terms of economic but also in psychological progress. 

Finally, exhausted as I was after the meeting, I still have classes with some of my students. This particular guy has booked me for 10pm lesson. I actually like talking to him, very deep insights, artsy, mysterious but given my current exhaustion I prayed he will cancel the class. But fate proved to be stubborn so I ended up talking to him. He shared about his yoga classes, the movie Here After, the curious vibration of plants and his shaman-ish boss. I in return gave some title recommendation to him: elegance of the hedgehog, dance dance dance and never let me go.

Ha! When it rains it pours. Very nice. Now am on my way to UP to do some reading stuffs.

Things to do within my lifetime

I have been reading blogs this morning, looking for something to occupy my mind, then I saw this picture of Monastery on top of Himalayas mountain. It looks so heavenly and the fog makes me think that it is well, like a castle floating in the sky. To look at the majesty of this picture, please click on the link, this is from Matthieu Ricard's blog, a monk, http://www.matthieuricard.org/en/index.php/blog/77_magic_moments/

Back to my original intention, I want to write some of the things I need to do in my lifetime. It has been an old belief that once you announce something into the big universe, you might really get what you wish for. So universe, I thank you in advance.

1. Climb the Himalayas and personally look at the floating castle in the sky (Monastery on mountain top)
2. To plant 500 trees and more.
3. To embark on a journey that explores the themes of culture, language and music.
4. To encourage someone to give up eating meat for one month (or maybe more).
5. To write a book about environment, goddesses and journeying.

These will be all for now. Maybe I will add another batch on the list but I think this is enough for the time being.

In addition, please mark your calendars dear readers on September 24, let us join the international movement of finding solution in moving beyond fossil fuels. Enjoy the video. I am planning of biking!