Crystals

What are crystals?

Crystals are natural solids made from minerals.  Each type of crystal has a unique and precise atomic structure.  They are commonly identified by their color and degree of hardness by using Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness.

            

Some crystals like Quartz come from the center of the earth’s fiery gases and molten minerals.  Intensely heated, they are catapulted to the surface by the planet’s tectonic plate movements.  As the fiery gases break through the Earth’s crust and meet solid rock, they cool and solidify.  This process may take eons or may be fast and furious.  

Other crystals, however, are not formed under such intense pressure.  There are those that develop in deep underground chambers, growing in layers, or dripping into existence.  Nonetheless, whatever their origins and the eventual shape and sizes they transform into, their crystalline properties can absorb, conserve, focus, and emit energy on the electromagnetic waveband.

The wondrous powers of crystals: fact or myth?

            

The growing interest in crystals – for their captivating colors, shapes and forms, including their holistic healing effects – is not at all some leftover influence of the New Age Movement of the 1980s.  

Actually, medicine men and shamen of ancient civilizations have been using crystals and gemstones as sacred tools for healing and protection.  Their recorded use dates back thousands of years, from the annals of the Chinese traditional medicine to the Ayuverdic texts of India.  

The Bible also contains hundreds of references to crystals and their powers and connections.  The Greek philosopher Theophrastus (372 - 287 BC), a student and collaborator of Aristotle (384 – 322 BC), wrote the book Peri Lithon (On Stones), which presented a taxonomy of known gems, their origins, physical properties, and healing and magical powers.  It is regarded as the first systematic mineralogy book in the world.  To date, it serves as a basis of modern scientific classification of gemstones.

            

Moreover, since ancient times, various schools of thought – mystical, magical, scientific and pseudo-scientific – strived to offer valid explanations for the wondrous effects of crystals.  Through it all came some remarkable discoveries, such as the ability of crystals to generate a voltage in response to mechanical stress (piezoelectric effect) and the ability of crystals to generate an electrical potential in response to temperature change (pyroelectric effect).  The other explanations for the beneficial effects of crystals involved heat, electricity, “focused energy,” the placebo effect, and magic.

            

Although concrete evidence remains elusive to modern science to prove the many other wondrous powers of crystal – such as the direct effects of crystals on the human condition and his environment – previous significant discoveries eventually produced many practical applications.  Crystal quartz is now commonly used in watches, computers, cell phones, and radio transmissions, as well as in the development of laser technology in the fields of medicine and space explorations.  

Notwithstanding, the scientific community, with the quantum physicists at the forefront, continues its research into the properties of crystals and their potential uses to enhance our life.  Thus, for now, the belief that crystals work by magic becomes valid, if magic is defined as “that which is beyond our understanding at this point in time.”

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Suggested read:

The Healing Power of Crystals


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Saturday Sareenity

Shadow Shot Sunday

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Life 101: Idleness

Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, 

or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good.

                                                                               Thomas a Kempis (1380 – 1471)

Thomas à Kempis was a late Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion. His name means, "Thomas of Kempen", his home town and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen. He also is known by various spellings of his family name: Thomas Haemerkken; Thomas Hammerlein; Thomas Hemerken, and Thomas Hämerken.

In 1392 he followed his brother, Jan, to Deventer, Netherlands in order to attend the city school. While attending school in Deventer, Thomas encountered the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote's Modern Devotion. He attended school in Deventer from 1392 to 1399.

After leaving school, Thomas traveled to Zwolle, Netherlands to visit his brother again, after Jan had become the prior of the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thereafter, Thomas was invested at the Mount St. Agnes monastery in 1406. He did not become ordained as a priest, however, until almost a decade later. He became a prolific copyist and writer. Thomas received priest's orders in 1413 and was made sub-prior of the monastery in 1429.

Kempis was born at the Lower Rhine region in Kempen, Germany, County of Cleves ca. 1380.  He died in 1471 near Zwolle in the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, seventy-five miles north of his birthplace.

Read more here.

This post is part of Ruby Tuesday and Litratong Pinoy

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Papaya

Go to any of the popular grocery stores at Tagbilaran City and notice how they rarely carry a good selection of papayas; worse, there’s hardly any selection at all.  I found this puzzling at first until I realized that most Boholanos have papaya trees in their yard.  A local I once spoke to claims the two trees at his backyard bear fruit so abundantly his family got tired of eating papayas, and nowadays just leave the fruits for the birds to feast on.

I love papayas!  There was a time I would go on a three-day cleansing diet by just eating papayas and nothing else.  According to recent studies, papaya has protein­-digesting enzyme, papain, in the milky juice or latex, which is carried in a network of vessels throughout the plant. The enzyme is similar to pepsin in its digestive action and is reputed to be so powerful that it can digest 200 times its own weight in protein. Its effect is to assist the body's own enzymes in assimilating the maximum nutritional value from food to provide energy and body building materials.  

Moreover, if eaten regularly, papaya can correct habitual constipation, bleeding piles and chronic diarrhea. The juice of the papaya seeds is also useful in dyspepsia and bleeding hemmorrhoids.

Regarded as a wholesome fruit, it can fulfill our body’s daily requirements for essential nutrients like proteins, mineral and vitamins. The vitamin C in the papaya increases as the fruit’s maturity progresses. Also, its carbohydrate content is mainly of invert sugar which is a form of predigested food. 

Papaya is cultivated for its edible ripe fruit; its juice is a popular beverage, and its young leaves, shoots, and fruits are cooked as a vegetable. It is also used as flavoring in candies, jellies, preserves, and ice cream. Shallow cuts on the surface of fully grown but unripe fruits cause the exudation of a milky sap or latex that is collected, dried, and termed crude papain. 

Papain, the enzyme in papayas, has a wealth of industrial uses.  It has milk-clotting (rennet) and protein-digesting properties. Nearly 80% of American beer is treated with papain so as to remain clear upon cooling.  Papain is most commonly used commercially in meat tenderizers and chewing gums.  Cosmetically, papain is used in some dentifrices, shampoos, facial creams and soaps.

Papaya has been used widely in folk medicine for many ailments: the juice for warts, corns, cancers, tumors, and indurations of the skin; the roots or their extracts for tumors of the uterus, syphilis, yaws, hemorrhoids, and to remove urine concretions; the unripe fruit as a mild laxative or diuretic, and to stimulate lactation, labor, or abortion; the ripe fruit for rheumatism and alkalinizing the urine; the seeds as an anthelmintic or to stimulate menstruation or abortion; the leaves as a poultice on nervous pains and elephantoid growths, or smoked for asthma relief; and the latex for psoriasis, ringworm, dyspepsia, or applied externally as an antiseptic or to heal burns or scalds, or smeared on the cervix as an ecbolic.

Waverley Root, an American journalist wrote, "The papaya leads a disorderly life. Normally some plants bear female flowers and others male flowers, putting it in the category of 'harem trees' -- male trees are thinned out as soon as their sex can be determined, to leave one male for each eight to fifteen females."   

"The papaya is not normal. Hermaphroditic trees appear, bearing both male and female flowers, while others change their minds in midcareer and shift from male to female or vice versa. Miscegenation is rampant, too," Root further claims.

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Related links:

Papaya Health Benefits - Part 1

Papaya Health Benefits - Part 2

Papaya: The Healing Fruit

Yummy Sunday

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Panaw sa Alampat: National Art Month Exhibit by Boholano Artists

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Suggested read:

An Artist Defines Her Role

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Our World Tuesday

Watery Wednesday

Beyond Just Black and White

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Lechon de Leche

There are those who claim it as Chinese in origin, while others say it’s a Spanish cuisine; that leche means milk in Spanish and lechon means suckling piglet. Whatever its provenance, for some coronary artery bypass grafting veterans, lechon means the culprit.

Nevertheless, to this day, a party wouldn’t be grand without having a lechon as its centerpiece. Such is the power of lechon in our cultural psyche. Not only are these succulent roasted pigs esteemed with their very own parade in Balayan,Batangas, there is a summer lechon parada as well in La Loma, Quezon City.

The turkey, although an important American holiday staple, doesn’t have its own parade in New York City. Thanksgiving Day Parade, yes; Turkey Parade, no. More power to the lechon!

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig, which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC.

Here at Palwa Restaurant at Bohol Coco Farm in Panglao Island, Bohol, the pork dishes that they serve come from pigs raised on natural farming method.  Hence, it has a more flavorful taste and devoid of excessive grease.

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Litratong Pinoy

Food Trip Friday

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This novel is a collaborative effort between Mary Ann Shaffer, a debut novelist who passed away earlier this year, and her niece, children's author Annie Barrows (who helped complete the book when Shaffer’s health turned for the worse).

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a heartwarming, bittersweet novel written in an epistolary style, between  writer Juliet Ashton and her best friend from childhood Sophie Strachan and her brother Sidney Stark (who also happens to be her publisher). 

It all started in January of 1946 when London was recovering from the shocks of war. While Juliet Ashton was looking for a new project to embark on, she receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.  Her pen pals will soon include some folks from Guernsey.

Through these missives, Juliet learns of Guernsey and its deprivations during the war, as well as the astonishing spirit of the people who live there. She eventually becomes more and more intrigued with the stories of the people who survived the occupation; leading her to decide to write a book based on their experiences. To do so effectively, Juliet moves temporarily to the island and soon finds herself immersed in its captivating culture.

Guernsey is one of the Channel Islands, nominally part of Great Britain but located in the English Channel, close enough to see mainland Europe with the naked eye. And, as the residents of Guernsey discover during World War II, close enough for the Germans to occupy. What started out as a layover -- during an intended full-out invasion of the British Isles -- resulted in a five-year occupation that changed the lives of these quiet, simple people forever.

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Read Part One of the novel here.

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

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MV Logos Hope: Floating Book Fair

This is the MV Doulos docked in Pier 15 during her final visit to Manila.  Built in 1914 (only a couple of years younger than the Titanic) the Doulos was the world's oldest passenger liner still sailing the seven seas until it retired in 2010 in accordance with the international maritime law.

Following in her footsteps is the MV Logos Hope, the newest vessel in the GBA Ships fleet. She carries the world’s largest floating book fair and has docked in Manila as part of her maiden voyage around the world. The newer and larger Logos Hope features a greater space for visitors and more comfortable browsing in the air conditioned book fair and café area.

The book fair on board Logos Hope offers a wider selection of over 5,000 books at affordable prices. The subjects of the books include science, sports, hobbies, cookery, the arts, medicine, dictionaries, languages, and philosophy. With children’s titles, academic texts, dictionaries, atlases and more, the book fair is something the whole family can enjoy.

MV Logos Hope will open to the public at Pier 15, Berth 4, South Harbor from Feb. 17 until March 13. Opening hours are from 10 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. on Sundays; the ship will be closed on Mondays. Tickets cost P20; children under 12 are allowed for free, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Bea Wessels from Austria warmly greeted the visitors of MV Doulos. She was among the ship's 350 volunteers from various countries who are otherwise known as ambassadors of goodwill and peace.

Doulos has traveled to over 100 countries since 1978 and carries over 6,000 different titles of books, covering a wide range of subjects. The vessel has received over 18 million visitors; in some ports, thousands of people reportedly waited in line each day for several hours to come on board.  MV Dolous has since retired.

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

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One's Giant Shadow

Always remember the first rule of power tactics; 

power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.

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                                                                                       Saul Alinsky

Born in 1909, in the ghetto of Chicago’s South Side, Saul Alinsky saw the worst of poverty and felt the ethnic prejudices that fester, then blast into violence when people are crowded into tenements and have too little to eat. 

He came to believe that working people, poor people, put down and stepped upon, had to organize if they were going to clean up the slums, fight the corruption that exploited them, and get a handhold on the first rung of the ladder up and out.

 Along the way, Alinsky faced down the hatred of establishment politicians, attacks both verbal and physical, and jail time. He was a gutsy guy. Outspoken, confrontational, profane with a caustic wit, one journalist said he looked like an accountant and talked like a stevedore.

Read more here.

Suggested read:

The Shadows of Power

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Shadow Shot Sunday

Camera Critters

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

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Brazo de Mercedes

It is a rolled cake made from a sheet of soft meringue with custard filling. This is considered as one of the all-time favorites in the Philippines. The sponge-like texture of the meringue is balanced by the flavor of the rich custard filling. This is one delicious cake.

In Manila, if I wanted to bring a Brazo de Mercedes to a festive gathering, I'd order it at least two days in advance at Jade Vine Executive Inn's restaurant.  This restaurant is quite popular amongst Manila's culturati, and it oftentimes provides the catering services for them. 

Here in Bohol, the best place to buy a whole Brazo de Mercedes is at Saffron's. The best! The first time I had a piece of Brazo de Mercedes from this fine restaurant was when I attended a wedding reception held there. 

If you'd rather try baking one, from what I understand it's easy to do so and recipes abound online.

Related links:

Brazo de Mercedes, Remedios, Victoria…

Brazo de Mercedes Recipe

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Food Trip Friday

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Litratong Pinoy: Continuity

I took this photo at SM North when the Philippines was vying to 
become the new record holder for the world’s longest painting on 
continuous canvas. Their theme was Marine Life.

See my coverage of it  here.

See more images of the event and paintings here.


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My entry to Litratong Pinoy Weekly Challenge

This week's theme -- LP189: Dugtong/Kabit

Litratong Pinoy

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Banana: Sex drive booster?

According to this HealthDesign Magazine article, the banana is among the five fruits that can augment sex drive and naturally treat impotence.

Here are the five fruits and their aphrodisiac attributes:

Pomegranate

It is probably one of the most well known fruits for increasing your sex drive. Scientists found that drinking pomegranate juice can actually increase sex drive.  Such efficacy of the pomegranate is attributed to its ability to help the body produce (NO) or nitric oxide, which aids in opening up blood vessels and increasing blood flow.

Figs

The high levels of amino acids found in figs are also very effective at increasing libido in both males and females. Amino acids play a vital role in normal sexual function and will help increase levels of nitric oxide in the body.  Aside from increasing sexual stamina, figs enhance sexual appearance as well.

Avocado

The avocado contains high levels of folic acid to help metabolize proteins giving you an energy boost.  Avocado contains vitamin B6 which help the production of testosterone. They are also known to benefit a women's libido due to the high potassium content.

Dates

They are packed with amino acids for sexual stamina, as well as a good dose of fruity sugars which make them sweet and an amazing pickup.

Banana

A great way to start the day, the bromelain enzyme in the banana will help boost your libido.   Also, it contains the highest levels of potassium that help regulate energy levels as well as B vitamins.


Two of the five -- banana and avocado -- are always available here in Bohol.  As for the other three, Boholanos might have to ferry it to Cebu, or fly out to Manila, to find some dates, figs and pomegranate at swanky supermarkets, or chichi charcuteries.

Since the banana is the most ubiquitous of the lot, here's more on its health benefits:

So often, the humble banana is often overlooked when it comes to providing nutritional and medicinal value. Bananas in fact have a lot to offer us, both nutritionally, as well as in relieving the symptoms of a myriad of physical complaints.

Bananas are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. They also provide us with a source of energy. They contain a lot of iron, which is extremely helpful to those suffering from anaemia, as it stimulates the growth of haemoglobin in the body. 

They contain a lot of potassium; this helps to alleviate high blood pressure and prevent bone loss by countering the damage done by a diet high in sodium/salt. Potassium is also excellent for relieving menstrual cramps and is also excellent for fluid retention, making bananas a sure winner for women who suffer with these symptoms. It also helps minimize the risk of kidney stones. Vitamin B6 also helps to balance blood-glucose levels, thereby alleviating mood swings often associated with PMS.

Bananas are an excellent food source for those suffering with ulcers, as they lower gastric juice levels and build a protective coating in the stomach. Therefore, they are also excellent for helping to alleviate heartburn symptoms. Simply rubbing the inside of a banana skin on a mosquito bite can help to alleviate the itching and irritation caused by the bite. They are also known to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women. They also contain pectin, which is known to alleviate constipation naturally.

Bananas contain tryptophan, serotonin and norepinephrine, which help alleviate depression and also help one to relax. The B vitamins found in them also help to calm and soothe the nervous system. Vitamin B6 also alleviates the symptoms of irritability and sleeplessness. They are a good first food to introduce to infants, as they are easily digestible and non-allergic.

Because of their sweet taste, bananas also help to curb cravings for sugar and other unhealthy sweet snacks. They are also helpful in preventing age-related macular degeneration and strokes. Even the peels serve a few useful purposes. They make an amazing fertilizer in the garden, especially for roses. Simply bury a few peels near the plant or bush, and they will normally cause the roses to thrive. Pimples are able to be dried out naturally by rubbing the inside of the banana peel on the affected spot on the skin.

Source: Natural News

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Related links:


Watermelon: Another sex drive booster?

Salon: America's original fast food - banana

Five other turn on foods

Dried Fruit

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The prices at Dau Market in Tagbilaran for the lakatan variety of banana (as lead photo above) is 40 pesos per kilo, while the saba is 15 pesos per kilo.

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Food Trip Friday

Yummy Sunday

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Palwa Restaurant at Coco Farm

Palwa Restaurant's menu boasts an array of delicious native dishes with ingredients of vegetables and meat products from the Bohol Coco Farm’s natural farming endeavors. 

I love their Camote Top Splash and Veggie Burger.  The camote top (talbos ng kamote) contains substantial amounts of polyphenolics that protect the body from oxidative stress that breeds many diseases that include cardiovascular illnesses and cancer.  

Moreover, camote top is an excellent source of  protein, lipid, calcium, sodium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese.  It is also a source of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid.

Veggie Burger

Pork dish (from a hog raised the natural farming method)

Incidentally, the Bohol Coco Farm will be hosting a 3-day Natural Farming Seminar with Andry Lim as resource speaker on February 28, 29 and March 1from 8am to 9pm. 

Aside from the essential applications of natural farming methods on horticulture and animal husbandry, attendees will be introduced to various herbal healing techniques by using indigenous plants and vegetation.

For further details, contact: Efren de Guzman of Coco Farm at 0926-444-6186 or Andry Lim at  0917-705-1008

Suggested read:

Natural Farming with Andry Lim

The Creative Exchange

Rural Journal

Yummy Sunday

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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