Friday, October 16, 2015

More of My Philippines Stamp Collection

Here goes more of my stamp collection. Some of these are too old already. Back to when my mom was still young.

10. Philippine National Bank 50th Anniversary
      July 22, 1966
      10s


11. 15th International Conference on Social Welfare 
      September 6, 1970
      10s

12. 15th International Conference on Social Welfare 
      September 6, 1970
      30s

13. New Constitution
      December 19, 1987 
      P4.75

I remember this one the most because it was when the President of the Philippines changes through EDSA People Power Revolution and the New Constitution was made. This was my childhood and we were made to memorize our Preamble.

14. "Buy Filipino" Movement
      August 11, 1987
      P1.00


15. Bonifacio Monument
      July 10, 1978
      30s

16. Baguio City 75th Anniversary
      August 24,1984
      P1.20


See you on my no. 17 post. Til next my loves.

Source: Republic of the Philippines - Stamp and Postal History

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Rewards of the gardener

I am now literally gaining the fruits of my labor. Since it is a weekend, I paid my garden a thorough visit and guess what? This is what I earned. So many harvest. There are still a lot of fruits waiting to ripen and get harvested in the days to come. I hope I could give it more time in the future so I will have  more harvest.

Guavas, Custard Apple, Sour Sop, Calamansi, Bell Pepper


We have harvested so many guavas actually but I have not taken a photo since we have visitors yesterday and they've eaten some and the ripe ones were cooked as our lunch, a native dish we call Sinigang na Bangus sa Bayabas, a milksfish cooked in guava soup.

No chemicals were used for any of my tree or plants, so what we have is 100% organic.

What I did with the clam shells

My husband loves the Halaan (clam) soup, so whenever it is available at our local market, surely, it will be served on our table by the next meal. This is a common Filipino dish, not my favorite, but I still eat it, and I've got a use for its shells after eating.

Filipinos are generally seafood lovers, all kinds. You know how seafood are, lots of shells being thrown away after eating. But me, nah, I do not put it in the garbage instead I've found a way to use it. Tadah!






I've just realize its light yellowish color are really cool to look at and would blend well with my garden landscape, if I may call it a landscape. So there it is now lying beautifully on my garden. But I do not just put it right away after eating though as it my attract pest, ants and flies, I washed it thoroughly first making sure all its flavors are gone so no pest would come near it.

I have planted a few seeds of ornamental pepper, petunias and another flowering plant (I forgot the name) on the pots, I hope it will soon sprout. 

Friday, October 9, 2015

My Philippines Stamp Collection

    I am lucky because part of my job has to send registered mails to customers and when the registry cards get back, I remove the stamps attached and add it on my collection. So mostly, I have gotten the  2015 and the past years series. I also have other stamps which my mom has collected when my father was abroad at the time when e-mail does not exist yet. Here are some of the stamps I have. 

1. Pineapple
    Philippine Popular Fruits    
    February 4, 2015

I added the Suha (Pomelo) leaf I picked from the yard that is perfectly heart shaped. 
   



 2. Custard Apple  
     Philippine Popular Fruits #2
     February 6, 2015

Again I added a touch of nature in the photo from the leaves of a plant that's very attractive. I sure think this will be a great addition to a flower arrangement.


3. Papaya 
    Philippine Popular Fruits #2
    February 6, 2015


4. Longnose Firefish
    Philippines Marine Biodiversity
    December 10, 2013

The beautiful two-colored Mayana leaf is the photobomber.


5. Murex Shell
    Marine Biodiversity
    October 25, 2011


6. Fire Clown
    Philippines Marine Biodiversity
    December 13, 2013



7. Oriental Sweetlips
    Marine Biodiversity
    November 4, 2011


8. Two-lined Monocle Bream
    Philippines Marine Biodiversity
    December 16, 2013

Apparently, I was not too careful, the paper got stained from the leaves' sap.


9. Pyjama Cardinalfish
    Philippines Marine Biodiversity
    December 10, 2013

I picked some beautiful flowers of Lantana. Just lovely.

These are the props that I used to lighten up my stamps on this post.




'Til my next stamp collection post. Btw, I am numbering each one so I'd have a count on the series I've posted. Thanks!

Sources:    Republic of the Philippines - Stamp & Postal History RP Issues of 2011 & 2013
                  PhilPost Stamp Releases Archive

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

My Birthday Post!

I will forever be grateful for the life God has blessed me with. Thank you Lord for showering me, my family and friends continuous blessings all year round, for trying to strengthen me thru Your challenges and just for giving me a wonderful life.

Fam i love!

My fave pix

with the husband

My two bffs


Saturday, September 12, 2015

A few ways to reduce your carbon footprints

A carbon footprint as defined by Wikipedia is "the total sets of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or individual."

Plant a tree.

Trees inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. So if you've got a space within your yard for a little tree, why not plant maybe one or two. As it grows, it will store a significant amount of carbon dioxide thru its woods. Trees also absorb heat, so don't wonder why during summer, staying under a tree has a cooling effect. Tree roots can also delay flooding because its roots absorb water.



Have a mini garden or if you don't have any space, a container garden is a good idea.

Busy moms, wives, entrepreneurs, employees or even students sometimes cannot find enough time to squeeze in gardening so why not have a mini herb garden or an ornamental one depending on your preference. These two are easy to maintain, just start by having at least one or two pots then continually add if you still want more. Little plants as little as they may be just like a tree reduces carbon dioxide into the air and in return releases oxygen. A few pots of decorative plants inside the house would sure give you your daily  oxygen source too.


Water Vapor is the most abundant greenhouse in the atmosphere 

Contrary to the belief that carbon dioxide tops the list of greenhouse gases abundant in our earth, nah, it is actually the water vapor. These are the produce usually of our daily way of life like heating the water or drying our clothes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to advise you to re-use all your clothes and not wash the bed sheets as frequently as you can. No, not that. Well, we can limit our emissions at least by not heating up water for our bath at least every other day or by turning off the shower heater when it won't be in use anymore within the day. These are for the people in warmer climates or if we are enjoying the hot season. Because I live in the tropics, we are not a fan of shower heaters, the average household here do not have shower heaters, if the weather gets a little colder, the means of  people is to heat water by the stove then add it up to their pale, and that's it, its a heated bath already. So if hot water is not really wanted, sure there's not enough reason for us to boil water and just let it cool down, it will only add up to the abundance of water vapor in our atmosphere.

Turn off the lights or any electricity consuming gadgets/appliances when not is use.

If no one's in the living room, turn off the electric fan/lights quickly. When no one's watching on the television, turn it off. When the computer is not in use, don't let it sleep, all appliances and gadgets in a sleep mode still consumes electricity, shut it down. Many of us are heavily addicted with online games or just staying online facebooking, instagramming, ebaying, well, we can't stop surely, but we can at least cut off the hours we stay online, it will not only reduce our carbon footprints but also our electricity consumption within the month. Instead of staying online we can clean the part of the house that has not been cleaned for a while or re-arrange our closet or find a good book to read.

Why use the car if you can burn a few calories by walking or biking?

If you are to buy at a store somewhere near your place, won't it be a good idea instead to walk it through or if you have a bike, go use one. This way, you will burn the extra calories you consumed on your previous yummy dinner plus it will reduce your carbon footprints. 

Reduce. Re-use. Recycle.

Here in our country, it is almost always a tradition for an average home to burn their yard waste such as fallen leaves, dry grasses including all household waste especially during the summer months. Please refrain from doing this. Burning plastics are harmful and pollutes the air we breathe the same thing with burning leaves. We can just recycle instead by re-using plastic bags or bring along with you recyclable shopping bags when you're shopping, so you won't have to bring home another plastic to throw away. Segregate your waste. Papers that aren't heavily printed can be an addition to you compost bin, that is if you have one and I would suggest you might want to if you have started your mini garden. More so, the kitchen and yard wastes are a great addition to your compost. You maybe thinking, garbage trucks pick-up our garbage on a regular basis, so I don't burn my wastes. Okay, sure, but do you know that biodegradable wastes that are buried in a land fill releases a more potent and harmful gas known as the methane gas via anaerobic decomposition. 

These earth is not only ours to enjoy but of our heirs and the future generations too.  Let us do what we can while we can.


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Saturday, August 22, 2015

A few tips to live happily

I just finished reading a few blogs which share their happiness and it made me feel quite inspired to give some few tips to remain positive and always be happy.



LIFE IS NOT A BED OF ROSES, IT HAS ITS SHARE OF THORNS TOO.

 And sometimes all we could see are these thorns. Well, some things are just inevitable. If you can find a solution, go solve, but if not face it and let things be. I have been a victim of anxiety  for some time too, because I'm always afraid of what tomorrow may bring, but I've managed it triumphantly with courage and acceptance and of course the most powerful weapon, prayers.

 ALWAYS FIND TIME TO RELAX AND CHILL

No matter how busy you are with work, children, obligations, never let this be the reason for you to lose your "me" time or whatever it is that can chill you out a bit even for just a few hours in a week. Be with friends at some spa to have yourself pampered. Foots spa is one of my favorite relaxation. Once a month is already good enough for me. You can also have your favorite coffee with the husband, boyfriend or girlfies and have a small talk.  Catching the new movie release is also very relaxing. When I watch a movie (actions are my favorite) I always feel like I'm the lead actress. Lol. You can also go squeeze in a run to the nearest bookstore and purchase a book you'd want to read.

BE WITH FRIENDS. 

Be with people who loves you for who you are. Those that can give you the homey feel. Those whom you can share with the life's simple joys. Please note that friendship knows no rules. These are the people whom you can run to during your troubled times and the same way you share with them your success even in little things. Be with the right people and you will live in peace.

LOVE, INSPIRE, SHOP, TRAVEL, SAVE.

These are five different things, but each could matter a lot to anyone. Shopping and traveling are a hard workers gift to themselves and I believe it's a must or you'll get burned out. My mother would always tell me when I was younger to buy the things that I like because it is a gift I should give to myself as a reward for my hard work. Traveling is special because this will fill your heart with memories no one could ever erase. You can have all memories of it till you grow old. Being in a different place I believe is mostly everyone's joy. There are people who'd like the feeling of financial securities, they can never be wrong because one should really save for old age. Nothing in this world lasts forever, you may be on top now, but since the world may just turn around one day and you just might find yourself at the bottom, it is best to save even just a little portion of your earnings. This may not bring up your social status like what shopping and traveling does, you know because of these social media things, but savings and a fat bankbook will definitely save us one day, won't it? Love and inspire. Two things that are our major reasons for living. To be loved and to love back and to inspire those we love. We can never live alone or rather survive alone, loner or not, people in general need love. It's something that makes us see the sunshine during the heavy rains. The same way with inspiration, it gives color to any gloomy day.


EXERCISE, GARDEN, EAT GOOD FOOD.

It has been noted that exercise brings out the happy hormones and I've proven this so many times. Of course I would never exclude what makes me happy, gardening. It is believed that gardening is therapeutic. I have also proven this, I always feel like all my cells are getting renewed when I'm tendering my garden. The aura in itself of a garden brings peace to one's heart. So all anger, hates, a bad day or week, a garden can help cure it. Well, eating good food is one more thing. Be healthy and happy. Let's fill our stomach with real foods. If you're a busy person, set a date at least once or twice in a week to prepare and make your family eat real foods.




PEACE AND CONTENTMENT EQUALS HAPPINESS.

A happy person glows from the inside. Let's be lovely and happy at the same time. Quite hard eh, with this tough life? Yeah. Every time the trials, sadness, challenges will come our way (which will surely do) let's just go back to the things that makes us happy.