Green tips to prolong life of books & docs

I practice five(5) rules to prolong life of my books & docs. But last December, I discovered one (1) more. The most important, I believe, since I don't only protect my books. I also protect the environment.

These were my 5 Rules to longer books-&-docs-life.

1. Cover them with plastic right after purchase.
2. Handle & flip each leaf with care.
3. Flatten each leaf. Make sure no part is folded.
4. Return them onto their nest or shelf right after use.
5. Immediately seal with scotch tape partially torn or worn out leaf-edges.


The 6th rule: Put them inside transparent plastic while they wait for their next use on their nest.

Actually, this 6th rule popped by accident. While figuring out how I could protect my books from gathering dust, I chanced upon a document I kept inside a plastic. The plastic was dirty & worn-out already. But the docs inside remained crisp & white.



After my Aha! moment, I immediately digged through my collection of used transparent grocery bags. See picture of my collection! I have wide array that fits to the sizes of my books & docs. (Remember, I'm also an advocate of 5Rs, one of which is re-use).



I then started to put my books & other treasured items inside these plastics. The result truly overjoyed me! Gaze at the pictures of my books & you hardly notice they are snugged inside discarded plastic bags!




The grocery plastic bags that normally go to the garbage perfectly sheltered my books!The "green" factor just comes as a bonus. Little effort but so much benefit!

Sweet Musings about Nanay (my mom)

If last week I felt so annoyed for the hassles my allergies caused, now I feel I should be grateful it happened. My allergies served as the reason so I could spend some quality time with my mother.

She's now 61 years old. The hardships she went through in raising us, her 5 brood, now show on her wrinkled & scorched skin. But she remains tireless in demonstrating how she loves & cares for us. In the several days that we're together I've felt so loved and cared for. She still treats me like her little girl. She still can't help herself from giving me sweet caress(es) when I lie down beside her for our small talks before she sleeps. But what I love most is that she's been spoiling me & my hubby! When we wake up our ginger or malunggay tea is already waiting for us! Breakfast is ready! She makes my domestic life so carefree!

I wish she can be with me all the time. Unfortunately, I can see that she does not enjoy life in the metropolis. She draws strength & happiness from her daily gardening & raising of pets. She terribly misses her native chickens, her pigs, her other pets, her ornamental plants & vegetables. So, although she committed to stay until Thursday, I already said she can go home this coming Sunday. Anyway, my allergies are almost gone now. I saw her face lit up the moment I mentioned she can go home sooner.

I just pray she'll remain strong & healthy until her '90s. For 3 years now she's been mentioning about owning cows & goats to add to her list of pets. That's why I earnestly pray I could have enough money soon to buy her a bigger land so she can have bigger space to raise farm animals & grow her ornamental plants, vegetables & fruit trees.

Thanks to God & to my allergies for paving the way for our mother-daughter bonding.

Siling Labuyo for Itchy Skin Rashes

After being in the metropolis for a long time, I forgot that Siling Labuyo (small variety of pepper, the very hot ones) are effective remedy for itchy skin. Thanks to Nanay for making me remember. Mothers really know best!

Yes, you heard me right. Fresh red pepper cures itch! And let me emphasize that it is very effective & cheap compared to anti-histamine ointments available in the market.

Six years ago, I was already rushed to the hospital due to rashes after doing general cleaning. But I enjoy doing domestic chores. Likewise, I admit I can be OC (obsessive compulsive). I want things done my way. I'm very hands-on. I'm also hard to please when it comes to cleanliness. So I prefer to do domestic stuff myself. Unfortunately, I had terrrible skin rashes (again) last week after cleaning and arranging stuff in our rooftop. As they were getting worse I was forced to avoid doing chores. But my hubby hates domestic duties so I had to seek help outside. Good thing, Nanay is always ready to rescue. Upon learning my mishap she immediately rushed to Manila from Bicol.


Skin rashes are really itchy so Nanay immediately bought a bunch of fresh "Siling Labuyo". She made me apply their sap topically on the itchy part. In one application itchiness did disappear! My skin did not darken as well unlike in the past when I applied anti-histamine ointments my derma prescribed! The only downside is that I suffered from extreme burning sensation for hours! But overall I'm satisfied. My rashes healed fast without the ugly dark spots!

Thanks to my dearest Nanay & Siling labuyo!

Beliefs of Successful People

Last Jan 14 I had the opportunity to attend a short lecture by Tony Burgess (Director of Academy of High Achievers, www.aha-success.com). In his lecture he shared the Beliefs/Traits of successful people. They are the following:

I am amazing! I have so much potential!
Problem = Learning
Yes, I can do it!
If one Can, I can!
If noone Can, I can!
The how will become clear!
I'm responsible for my mistakes, noone else!
Soon, I will be in the driving seat!
GRATITUDE- I'm grateful for what I have!
VISUALIZATION -I'm able to visualize clearly my dreams!
Keep deciding & Acting

So, if you have the same mindset, you are on the right track! You'll soon achieve your goals!

Cheers to your success!

Reuse Suds & water from the laundry!

My husband always gives me a stern look whenever he sees me toil to reuse the suds and water from the laundry. In return, I give him a sweet smile! :-)

Re-using of suds & water was a childhood obligation that I hated to do. But since I was made to do it all the time it became part of my system. Now it's been my practice to also clean the bathroom or wash rugs & rags after I wash our clothes so I can re-use the suds and water. If there's extra I patiently transfer them into a covered pail then slowly consume them for flushing the toilet or for washing other dirty stuff.

I admit it's tiring. But I choose to do it for three good reasons. I am able to cut water bill & expense on detergent. I am able to accomplish my everyday goal to be environmentally conscious! Most importantly, I am able to abate the blows that mother earth gets from us-humankind!

So, realizing my noble purpose,(after giving me a stern look), my husband obliges himself to snatch from me the pail-of-used-suds-&-water and carry it for me all the way to the bathroom. Sweet no?!

Tomatoes & left-overs in the Freezer!

Yes, I store tomatoes (the over-ripe ones) in the freezer! Keeping them there prolongs their life.

I also do the same for cooked left-overs that we don't feel eating again yet. I stock them in the freezer for a day or two. When our tastebuds are ready to enjoy them again, I move them to the ref to thaw. After being heated, they almost taste newly cooked!

I do this not because I have separation anxiety for the things I bought or exerted effort on. Main thing, I prevent food wastage. I save money! And, I don't feel guilty about mismanaging my blessings & resources.

Pls try it.

Patch Adams

I just finished watching this movie. It's really moving and heart-warming! Packed with lessons, humor and drama! After a great laugh during the spaghetti-in-the-pool treat for the lady-patient, we got teary-eyed when Patch fought for his right to graduate in the Med school. 'Never thought it could be a good treat after forcing myself to be productive today!

Well, my whole day had actually been both productive & sentimental. This morning, just before I rose from bed, it popped in my mind to text our Ninang (Godmother), say hi! and share to her that I learned Buko Juice is a wonder water, good for her recovery from the series of chemo she underwent. I thought it was a great idea so I immediately sent her the SMS. In her reply I seem to have lightened up her day!

At 10 am, while trying to relax my eyes from gazing at the computer monitor, I thought of texting the lady I emulate for the pending dinner treat for her. I had to express my sympathy because I learned her father-in-law just passed away.

At lunch, I took the initiative to lead the prayer. Little did I know I was uttering a not so-usual meal prayer this time. After thanking the Lord for our blessings, peaceful and productive day, I asked that he keep us good steward of HIS wisdom & riches. I saw my husband gave a sweet smile and nod to agree. Said prayer set the tone so we could reminisce and express how we appreciate where we are now. My husband said it better. We're fortunate to be able to feel how it is to have full control of the time!... where we can be more productive by taking advantage of leveraging! We're now starting to be in the situation where we can strategize and plan more! Yahoo!(Me & my husband are working from home right now so we're able to enjoy meals together).

Then at dinner, I got a surprise text message from an aunt in the province asking that I lend her some money to serve as capital in buying 'palay'(rice). Last Christmas I talked to her and she was asking if she could temporarily work as househelp for me while they're waiting for the coconut to bear fruit. She explained that they don't have source of income right now because coconuts did not bear good fruit due to continuous rainfall. I turned her down because I don't need househelp & I feel awkward with the idea. Because Patch Adams reminded us of the essence of giving & helping others, my husband & are seriously thinking of lending her provided we can afford the amount.

Truly, I'm thankful for everything. I don't know. Sounds mushy but I do feel so blessed to have a great marraige & husband; loving mother & siblings & in-laws!


Going back to Patch Adams, if you are fond of watching inspiring and heart-warming movies, I urge you to grab a copy and watch it soonest!

Done with Speech No. 9!

After the agonies, I've finally delivered my Speech no. 9. The full text is pasted below with the pictures of 2 of my most treasured dreamboards.

This a true-to-life recounting of my goal setting experiences. I hope you'll learn something from it and will soon seriously do the same ( if not doing it yet) . Enjoy Reading!

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You want A Bright Future? Set Your Goals Now!


This shabby notebook may look worthless. But believe it or not, this was instrumental in shaping my future. This served as my dream-board and journal where I scribbled my prayers, my hopes , my dreams, my goals as well as the twists and turns of my life from 1996 to Yr 2000. These cardboards on the other hand, came to life in 2002 when my husband & I decided to go for bigger and bolder dreams! I could have thrown these stuff already. But I treasure them dearly because they never fail to make my reminiscing of my past sweeter! More importantly, they serve as my reminder of how vital it is to have goals, to plan for your future and consistently work on them until you achieve them and become a better you.

Writing goals, prayers, hopes and dreams concretized my thoughts and fantasies. In times when I feel I was not going anywhere reading them provided additional strength to continue moving forward. Though I admit a number of my goals changed significantly as time went on, two things never did — I always have plans and that most of them did materialize.

As emphasized by successful people and gurus, a person who aims to achieve something should always make it a point to set his goals. Goals provide direction. They act as roadmap for our future. That is why, it’s always an advantage to have GRAND dreams so that we can be sure we will end up on a better ground. Keep in mind that no one wins without a particular game plan. Has anyone here encountered a WINNER without any game plan at all? Only those who set goals have huge chances of winning! Scrutinize the life stories of successful people and you will see that they all were avid goal setters. They dream BIG!

I know it’s easier said than done. I had my shares of that. But honestly, if you are serious about succeeding, setting and reaching goals should be empowering. Besides, ways and means to remain excited about goal setting abound. In my case for example:

I Commit to my goals. When my husband and I committed to consistently work on our goals, we wrote them in this cardboard and we clipped this on the door of our closet so we see them always. As some of them materialize I never expected this piece of cardboard could become a source of joy and inspiration to dream more.

I R-E-A-D my goals: I exert best effort to READ my goals regularly. I EXAMINE and EVALUATE them as often as I can. Doing this allows me to discover new ideas to slowly make them happen. When I find that what I wanted few months back is not exactly what I want now, I ADJUST them when needed. And, I DISPLAY them in the most conspicious place of our room so I see them always! ( Now, I also keep them in my mobilephone & laptop so I can conveniently gaze at them when I'm on the go!

Moreover, I complement them with chunks of “to do list”. The to-do list allows me to be productive & remain on track. What I like about my to-do lists is that they make me feel guilty about putting off and not accomplishing my action items. I also do my best to take action on the most important things every day. The to-do list doesn’t have to be very organized. Just make sure it’s readable, handy and aligned to your goals.

On the other hand, when circumstances get tough, when things seem to take forever to happen despite working long and hard and I start to lose my drive and get weary, I strive to recharge by praying. I’m also fortunate that my husband exerts effort to give all the encouragement and support I need in my trying moments.

An example is that of my dream to own house & lot. I admit my specs were ambitious. But I thought earning it was possible in 3 yrs. Unfortunately, it took 7 long years before this dream started to materialize. God knows how many times I complained for his very slow response. But I’m thankful I waited. I realize he didn’t want me to buy ready-made house. He wanted me to build it the way I want.

I also strive to surround myself with successful supportive people. I made a mistake once. I don’t want to commit the same again. I gave up my lovely voice as a child and my passion for singing because of staying in a crowd of naysayers.

If I can, I also try to emulate successful people. I meticulously read their success stories. Learning how they triumph inspires and keeps me motivated. It sparks new ideas! And it's true, somehow you save time and avoid the painful trial and error!

And…most importantly, I make it a point to be grateful for what I have. Being grateful keeps my faith in God and in my capabilities solid. I'm able to remain positive. It makes me value my gifts and my blessings. It allows me appreciate more the fruits of my goal setting efforts. Having a grateful disposition also opens up more doors to amazing opportunities!

We truly are the master of our fate, the captain of our ship. Where we are now is always the result of the choices we made. And our future will be shaped by the goals we set. So, I urge you decide to take charge of your future and create the life you love to live! It’s never too late to sit down and set your goals. Year 2009 has just started, this may be a good time to start, renew, revisit, revise or revive your commitments and your dreams!

(When I already have the resources)I hope to organize an event in the future that will showcase the methods & tools used to set goals for success! I hope I will see you there!

Still not Prepared for my Speech!

I committed to deliver my 9th Basic Speech this coming Thursday. It's almost Wedsnesday but still to prepare it. Lord, when will I improve in this area?

I always have the tendency to cram. 'Been trying to rectify this weakness but I keep failing. I wasn't able to do my speech despite the long vacation! I was tempted to keep quiet when our VP for Education called for speakers. In fact, today I texted him to say I can forgo my slot. He didn't reply though. And I found in the group's post a while back that he already declared me to deliver this Thurs. I can't escape anymore! Thus tomorrow, I should force myself to come up with my speech! I did try to start drafting since Monday. But so many other things to do keep popping up. I know it's a bit absurd because I was able to compose this post! When you're in my shoes, you'll know.

Oh, by the way, I'm talking about my speech for our meeting in ButterNToast, Toastmasters Club (http://butterntoast.freetoasthost.net/). Toastmasters is an international organization of renowned, budding public speakers and wanna-be(s) like me. Since I'm about to deliver my 9th speech, it means I'm almost done with the Basic Manual! Hurray! That means I've one milestone soon in the area of public speaking. Truly, my membership in Toastmasters has helped me greatly boost my confidence and improve my speaking skills!

Going back, well, good luck to me tomorrow. I hope I can soon address my cramming habits.

To do List keeps me on track

Although my ATM card had been captured, I'd like to believe that I have been productive today.

Keeping a To-do list does help a lot in tracking productivity. It also provides some sort of direction. It doesn't have to be very organized. For my case, I just randomly scribble what comes to mind. When I'm mobile I enter it into my Iphone. When at home, on a piece of paper, specifically when I'm busy with the house chores. I usually do the prioritizing in my mind or when I have time, I consolidate my notes and arrange them by priority. To make sure I do accomplish what I wrote I review my progress regularly. And I have to admit I do get excited and ecstatic when I'm able to remain on track!

Today, including the hiccups which I consider blessing in disguise, I was able to accomplish 90% of my to-do notes. Not bad!

Tissue Paper, Towelette

Taking home unused (or used) tissue papers or towelettes gives me 4 simple pleasures. First, it brings back fond childhood memories. Second, it makes me feel proud of being environmentally conscious. Third, I'm able to save money. Fourth, the towelettes help me mend our precious-but-seriously-torn pants & shorts effectively!

Taking home unused tissue papers and towelettes used to be just Lola Mana's practice. She never fails to do this when she has the opportunity. The unused tissue papers go to our tissue holder for our use. The used ones are for cleaning the stove or the jalousies. For the stove, they absorb oil very well so cleaning is easier. For the jalousies, they effectively grab dust leaving a spotless gloss. The towelettes on the otherhand are washed and re-used.

I used to feel embarrassed whenever Lola Mana would let me gather these items. I also thought this was wrong. But after observing a number of waiters throw them in the garbage anyway, I began to appreciate Lola's effort. Now, I also realized I was fortunate to be taught (and trained) at a very young age the basics of protecting the environment. Unconsciously, I had been practicing the 5Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle, respect, responsible. I'm so glad I internalized this practice! Imagine, with the simple act of reusing and recycling I'm able to reduce waste. More than that, without knowing it, I've been advocating respect to the nature and sense of responsibility as well! So everytime I have the opportunity, I put these items in my bag with great pleasure, specially the towelette!

Yes, you heard me right. I find pleasure in bringing these items home specially the towelette! The main reason, I discovered they are also useful in mending our favorite-but-seriously-torn (in the butt area) cotton pants & shorts! Their being soft make them very good patches. Look at the pictures below to see what I mean!

I was able to prolong the life of husband's favorite shorts.




















This one is my favorite pants.

















The towelettes I used for the shorts are those I gathered from our dinner-outs within Manila. Those in the rugged pants were from Cathay Pacific & FinAir, during my recent business trip to Europe.

Indeed, taking home these pieces of paper can be embarrasing or a waste of time. But I hope this sharing will shed better light, urge us to take a second look at the tissue papers/towelettes we will leave behind and remember the 5Rs of protecting the environment. I'd be happy to hear your own story of the pleasures you get from doing this simple act!

More Daring & With Better Purpose

It's Jan 2, 2009 now! I couldn't believe I did not update my blog for several months!

Well, am renewing my dream to become a better writer so here I am again! Bolder this time as I've finally gathered enough guts to reveal my identity. With better purpose too for I'll now take my shot on sharing practical ideas (and maybe wisdom) and writing about life management in general! My way of honoring the two great women in my life. My mother - Elena Pana and Lola Mana, Mrs. Romana Bautista Flores. But most credits will go to Lola Mana 'coz my mom & I both learned from her.

Simple but intimate! That's how we celebrated the Holidays. (And I guess for most of the BIG days of my life...hehehe!) Simple & intimate get-together do allow for more bonding with loved ones. No fancy pleasantries. Just heart-felt sharings & conversations with the people you cherish. Our Christmas celebration this time is with a number of our pamangkins. They stayed with us for a couple of days. After dinner we played Bingo together, me, acting as Santa! Indeed, for 3 days our home had been filled with kisses, hugs, laughters, screams & cheers of angels!

Oops..before I forget, I'm now in a new job and I've finally finished my Masteral studies. We're also moving soon to our newly built home! Indeed, God blessed me greatly for Y2008. But I'm sure he has more abundance and wonderful experiences in store for me so I'm welcoming Y2009 with my advance thank you(s) to HIM! A prosperous & peaceful Y2009 to us!