In-lightened

Ever since I can remember, I've experienced this phenomenon that just seems to happen out of the blue.

My eyes are closed -at any time of the day- and suddenly I start to see yellow or white lights. Either a donut shape that starts out big and becomes smaller and smaller, until it fades away or dots all over, more often than not, in motion. Sometimes if I rub my eyes I can get these visions up and running too. I have also experienced more than once that after looking at something in the sunlight and then closing my eyes, I see shapes in lights and shadows of what I was just looking at. Like and after-image.

What the phosphene?

Apparently, this light is coming from inside our eyes. In the same way that fireflies and deep-sea creatures can glow, cells within your eyes emit biophotons, or biologically produced light particles.

Phosphenes are like visual noise our retinas make, they can also be activated by stimulating our retinas with pressure. Even without pressure it is a completely normal biological function, determined by the way our eyes and brain communicate with each other, agreeing on what kind of light it is we are seeing, outer or inner.

Please read these articles to understand a little bit more in depth, otherwise sit back and enjoy the show. I know I do. 

All italics are quoted from these.

References:

http://scienceline.org/2014/12/why-do-we-see-colors-with-our-eyes-closed/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cheryl-g-murphy/why-do-i-see-patterns-when-i-close-my-eyes_b_7597438.html

The fifth taste

One of my all-time favorite things in the world is undeniably food. It is among my top 3 reasons to travel, and in my daily life, I generally put a lot of thought into it.

I lived in Indonesia for a year in 2015-16 and like I stated on my previous post, I've recently returned. One of my favorite things about Indo is its food. Yet it is only a few days ago that I found out about MSG and ultimately made the connection to already knowing about this decades ago from home and the famous use of Ajinomoto in Ecuadorian cooking.

But what on Earth is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)?

Long story short, it is a very commonly used flavor enhancer. It is known to trigger the fifth taste known as umami* or savory taste. FYI, the other basic tastes are sweet, sour, bitter and salty. It tricks your brain (via your tastebuds) into believing it is consuming something tastier and actually nutritious. Unfortunately, it is not only added to industrial ready-made foods, such as chips, frozen goods or broths, but also to households and local cuisine everywhere and I mean everywhere in the world; Japan, USA, Ecuador, Indonesia, to name just a few. 

Simple made complicated, it is an excitotoxin, which like the name suggests, overexcites the cells to potentially harmful levels that can in the long run cause serious cell damage and we all know what that can lead to.

Funny thing is, the idea for MSG came from a natural seaweed broth that once upon a time blew the tastebuds out of someone.

Before ever moving here I thought it'd be though to stick to a healthy vegetarian diet, but when I arrived I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty simple given the fine array of veggie options in the local warungs or food stalls around. I, blissful in my ignorance, enjoyed this last year to the fullest, now that I have this information, I can't yet let it go. What I've done is I found a local warung that I love and just asked if they use it, they said no. Is it true or not? I guess I will never know and I can honestly say that I will keep going back either way 😔

*Discovered by MSG (Ajinomoto) creator, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda more than a 100 years ago.

References:
http://www.msgtruth.org/whatisit.htm
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/msg-is-this-silent-killer-lurking-in-your-kitchen-cabinets.aspx

Signs of venom

After 2 years of living my life in such a way that I didn't allow myself to blog anymore, I'm back.

Reading my own old posts is like looking at old pictures, brings back memories of who I was back then. The focus of these new posts has shifted from the original one. The actual inspiration to return came from my never-ending curiosity -that hasn't changed- to answer all those questions that my life experiences give way to, regardless of its nature. Meaning I will be my own personalized Google and Wikipedia.

I've recently moved back to Indonesia, this time to Labuan Bajo in the island of Flores. Living in the tropics has its perks and downfalls. You gotta definitely, among other things, roughen-up. I personally don't think I'm afraid of much, except for certain human-inflicting-damage-on-others situations. 

But let's talk phobias. Among the most feared things by humans are (in no particular order) spiders, thunder & lightning, darkness, dogs, heights, open/crowded spaces, small/enclosed spaces and snakes. Dogs, really?? 

The other day I found a small snake in the bathroom of the house I stayed at the first days. The experience itself was out of this world. When I found the snake, the owner of the house; a small Italian girl with severe Ophidiophobia (new word) couldn't even go into the house, and my boyfriend; an almost 2-meter tall, 36 year-old farm-raised man, hid behind the words "you're from Ecuador, you should be used to dealing with this." So after some very manly 😅 attempts on his behalf, I had no choice but to take care of it myself, thankfully it was a small one so I made it curl-up with a broom, then I put a tupperware over it and with the lid of the pizza box we had the night before, I slowly, but surely picked it up and threw it "far away" back into the green. 

What question rose after the experience? Was it a venomous snake? Which brings me to today's topic:

How to recognize a venomous snake?

First, look out for a triangular shaped head -they say-, in my experience and after seeing pictures, I think the actual shape is more a rhombus or diamond shape, rather than triangular. Most venomous snakes have this head shape, which is characterized by a fat, wide neck, then again, a few don't, plus some non-venomous might also have it. ◊  Mine had it. 

As with most animals, look at that color. There are just colors that scream "you can't touch this". Some are just plain. Mine was black, for example. Some also have special patterns that allow you to immediately recognize if it's venomous or not. 

Snakes are not even aggressive, again, like with most predators they will attack if they feel threatened or are in need. They will go through great lengths to avoid confrontation. If your snake takes an attacking, striking pose, that should be another sign. 🐍  Mine did, after some time of being chased around, patted with brooms or cloths and cornered.

All the other signs are rather hard to look for, specially if you are in a panic over having a snake in your house. Like the eyes, most venomous snakes have vertical eye slits. Most have heat sensors between the eyes and nostrils. Some don't. Either way, I doubt that you will be able to look for these in the moment of the encounter.

As with everything there are exceptions to what I've written here, of course, and he most important thing is actually that you stay calm in such a time rather than start wondering if it will kill you. You can do that afterwards, like I did.

References:

http://www.fearof.net/top-10-phobias-of-all-time/

http://www.wikihow.com/Differentiate-Between-Poisonous-Snakes-and-Non-Poisonous-Snakes

http://www.snake-removal.com/venomous.html

One thing beautiful I remembered today

I am in a period of transition at the moment for many reasons I won't bore you with now. Let's just say that has brought me back to just a few months ago when I went diving in Malta for the second consecutive year.

Diving has become an eyeopener in many ways and definitely, a new passion.

So without further ado, here's a short video I made with a GoPro we purchased prior to the trip, using one of my all-time favorites songs EVER as a soundtrack.

I hope you enjoyed. The underwater world certainly is to me one of the most beautiful, most inspiring things our planet has to offer. Let's take care of it OK?

As opposition to the beauty intended to be portrayed in the previous video, I suggest you watch the documentaries "The Cove" and "Chasing Ice" (both available on Netflix) so that you can get a clearer picture of what is happening to and in our planet Earth and its womb, the Ocean. Don't look away, if it is happening to mamma Earth is happening to you.

Wanna live longer?

As an addition to my last entry I would like to state the following.

Absolutely everybody fervently vowing for a specific diet claims that their choice is the best one out there and that it's gonna grant you a healthier, longer lifespan. I believe that as long as you make your choices wisely, and by this I mean listening to your own body and its needs, that's what's gonna make you live longer -speaking here only in terms of nourishment- because unfortunately, you cannot foresee your death outside the realm of "natural causes".

If you live too fanatically, living by an eating rulebook, you will almost definitely fail, because you cannot always account for everything that happens around you. Believe me, I say this out of personal experience. There are exceptions, of course, maybe a lot of bloggers, media yogis and foodies, authors of diets and so on, can. Instead, if you allow yourself to break the rules, to make mistakes without punishment and keep going forward even if you think you took a step back, then you will achieve health, because then your mind is at peace, ergo your body is too. Inform yourself though, do intensive research, carry on test drives, make up your own mind and let everybody else do the same, even if it leads them to a whole other path than yours. You don't know if it is the right path for them, but you don't know if it's the wrong one either. So live and let live. You'll get much more out of that, I promise.

In my case, I chose to live as clean as possible. Today my option is vegetarianism. That's one of the main reasons I don't eat meat, because at the rates the meat industry is moving I just don't want to have anything to do with it, nor do I want to eat what they offer anyway. Maybe one day, if I live in a community where it's members account for one another, providing what their fields provide, be it honey, be it beets, be it limes, be it meat (natural death), be it eggs. I will go for it. Because if it comes from balance, it doesn't really matter what it is, it will provide balanced health. Wanna live longer? Lead a balanced life, making all kinds of balanced choices in your habitat, including what you fuel your body with.

My choice, today

My 10 year old nephew asked me a few days ago: And why are you a vegetarian? Don't like the taste of meat? He is not only generally curious, but also very interested in experimenting it himself. Although I think it is mostly because vegetarian options -for the most part- taste so darn good, as his excuse for eating meat is: well, you know, if it is already dead... it would just be a waste!

To be honest, I haven't completely made up one straight answer for my reason to cut meat out of my menu. Normally my answers vary depending on who is asking. But the fact that I couldn't give him a very convincing answer has been hammering my head these days. This is the third time in my life that I've given vegetarianism a go. The first time I had no choice, as it was imposed by my father. The second time was purely out of my love for animals and the cruelty that is involved in the meat industry. Today, I have many reasons that complement each other.

I have been following -on an off, unfortunately- a more conscious path of self-discovery, physically and spiritually. This path has lead me to the understanding of the functions of my body as a whole, and of my digestive system as a part of it, not just a separate automated entity. It has also open the door to the magnificent world of nourishment, the knowledge of the properties of everything we call food. It simply makes more sense now to work together with my inner machinery by fueling it properly and routinely, rather than just allowing it to go on auto-pilot, checking back only when something seems to go wrong. Now, what is "proper"? How to know what the body needs? Well, in my case case it's been 1) research: investigating my options 2) experimenting: I am my own lab and 3) concluding: by making a habit of what feels right. So, my research and experiments -in the end, a very simple pro et contra strainer- leave me with one clear option.  

I am a vegetarian today because MY reality is: I don't NEED meat -or animal products for that matter- to survive. I'm lucky enough to be able to have a choice, and I don't have to fight for my survival. That's an incredible advantage. Plants are pretty impressive, you know? they make their own food out of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. I choose to nourish form these powerful beings and live alongside other animals at peace, regardless of how good they taste. I stand on top of the food chain by default, but that precisely gives me the possibility to decide where I take my aliment from. In my mind and understanding, the closer to the source of riches, the better and eating plants and their derivates is the closest I can get to eating actual sunlight. 

Unclench and let.it.be

I believe that if we can comprehend and accept the changing nature of things we would be more at peace with ourselves and ergo everything/everybody that surrounds us will work better in harmony for our own benefit. Especially that which shakes a negative reaction out of us. Because it is mostly when things don't fit in our way of perceiving what is presented to us in form of daily life situations and people, that we get mad or sad and tend to do or say senseless things. 

If we were to welcome change as the only true constant in our lives, we would suffer less. Because we then know that whatever happens, happens because there is no other way it can, should, would be. It just is. BAM, your mind is free-er. 

I have never been a routine lover, au contraire, I've fought it fiercely. Call it aging or whatever, but I enjoy my few routines these days. I suffer from some levels of OCD -as most of us do, I like to believe- which goes horribly together with routines. Because! I tend to obsess when I break them and end up screwing up even more because I beat myself up about being dumb enough to break them in the first place. "I'm just good for nothing... Why even try?..." I guess most people can to some level relate to this vicious circle. 

I am very good at observing what needs to be done or where I've gone wrong, but very bad at doing something about it. And if something has helped me take the first step ahead after each breakdown, each mistake, each mess-up, each mood, each state of mind, it is to finally accept that I have no power over this, it is simply not the same now and today as it was before and always, unclench and let it go. Once you've let go, you can see it all from a more objective perspective, making it easier to work with.

The taste of water and sunshine

It's been about a week since I saw a dash of blue skies. Whatever is beyond those thick, white clouds, I seem to have forgotten. Besides suffering of post-holiday syndrome, the darkness is seriously bringing me down. There is something mystical that I simply adore about the snow and even though I was born on a day like this, I would give all its beauty up, for eternal sunlight on my skin. That's just my truth. Sunshine brings loads of colors and I am a fool for colors. The most colorful part of my days now are my morning juices.

I am a proud juicer owner. Regardless of what I put in it, it whips up something that always colors me up. To be honest my portions are by no means small, so I feel full for a good hour or so, allowing me the time to put an extra effort in whatever breakfast I feel like. I still consider it to be my most important meal of the day, my mood throughout it is really based on how good and nurturing my breakfast was. And if I start it with a good juice, I'm half-way a great day already. The possibilities are unlimited, so I will not bother you with my favorite mixes. I will nevertheless, tell you what all my juices always have in or right next to them in a shot glass. Now, if I cannot have the sun blind me today this sure makes up for it a little, filling me up with sunshine from within. Spirulina. Where to start with the wonders of this (cyano)bacteria?

I am no encyclopedia, not even nearly an expert on the matter, just an avid user. But I do not want to misinform the reader either, so I will not get crazy about all the benefits it has, as I myself don't even understand all the terminology entirely -yet. But I will share what amazes me the most about its properties.

The fact alone that they use the sunlight to through photosynthesis create oxygen, it's pretty breathtaking and it for sure explains why I feel the need to have some of it every morning when it is constantly dark outside. I think we all know how extremely important for our evolution and lives oxygen is, so I will leave it at that. 

It truly is a whole-food, it has it all! Spirulina contains antioxidants, protein, essential omega fatty acids like 3, 6 and 9, chlorophyll, minerals, vitamins A, C, D, E, and B complex. It is said that it has higher protein than meat, higher calcium than milk, more beta-carotene than carrots and considerably more (around 2300%, that's right 2300%*) iron than spinach. Some of the greatest benefits of possessing all of these properties are that it boosts the immune system and it helps remove toxins from the body.

I think that if we are not able to gaze at the sun each day to feed off its light as we would like to (me and my Qi, who introduced me to "sun eating" and Spirulina), we will settle for having Spirulina in our lives. I've even named my bike after this wonderful aliment.

*Top Ten Superfoods. The Whole Pantry App.

The world according to us

I guess most of you have heard about GMOs, Monsanto and all the fuss surrounding these by now. In case you haven't, here's a bit of info.

Monsanto is a multinational corporation pioneer in agricultural biotechnology. It started out more than a century ago as a chemical company and developed insecticides such as Agent Orange, PCBs and the peptide hormone rBGH -to mention a few. All involved in major controversial global issues because of the outrageous results their use has provoked in the environment and health of millions all around the world. That includes you and me in one way or another. Even though today a lot of people are still paying the price -as you can read under the links above- of the misuse of these, Monsanto is alive and kicking, as strong as ever, hiding behind a "sustainable" agriculture label and creating poison after poison that just keeps spreading further and further. Forget Agent Orange, PCBs and rBGH if you will, but do not think that you are safe from being contaminated. Monsanto developed herbicides to kill weeds that would compromise a crop's full growth. They are on top of the list of herbicide manufacturing in the world, with Roundup being their pride baby and a bestseller.

Genetically Modified Organisms are -as it clearly spells out- organisms that have been genetically altered. Even if genetic engineering and biotechnology are gigantic tools of modern science, the modification of organisms is in itself unnatural as these are not able, nor are they meant to, alter themselves in such a way. Monsanto genetically modifies seeds to be immune to the herbicides they themselves are selling. The crop is now injected with and is producing toxics to protect itself from the herbicides. Today, ALL those seeds are Monsanto patented and ayayay! he who dares grow them without Monsanto's approval. Even if you don't eat this type of crops per-se, a lot and I mean, A LOT of products use these crops as base. So that is -no more, no less- what you buy in the supermarket and feed your family with. In very few words GMOs, you and Monsanto are very much linked.  
That not being enough, the "success" of the cultivation of these types of crops has created a monoculture that has spread to every corner of the world, making it easy for the now -by the way- also mutant insects to spread just as fast. But no worries, Monsanto has now put on the market yet ANOTHER poisoned insect-ready crop. The RR2. Well, well, well, would you take a look at that... Monsanto is everywhere. Corporate vicious circle. And we are in the middle of it. Their marketing skills are so high, that they have convinced so many of us of their "pure" intentions of ending world hunger. Maybe once upon a time, that was one man's dream, but today they couldn't be further away from that. They are controlling the world. Period. The corporatization of agriculture is one of the main characters in all the crises we are facing nowadays; poverty, climate change, desertification of our planet. Someone offering a spiritual -yet as Earthly as the air we breath- solution to end this was Masanobu Fukuoka and his "One-Straw Revolution", labeling all those conditions as unnatural and proposing solutions based on his own generations-old farming experience. Solutions of organic farming to regain the balance between Earth and its inhabitants, specially us humans, who seemed to have forgotten that Earth is the soil we step on, the air we breath, the water we drink, without it we are dust. 

Like medical researcher Jonas Salk once said: “If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.” 

In Europe for example, labeling GMOs is a must and so it is easier to know what we are consuming. But rules and regulations are changing constantly and you need to keep informed about those in your own country as these vary, even within the EU. These are even becoming less and less strict, more and more corporation-faborable.

I could go on forever about this, but I hope I've at least shed a light upon something here, that you'd wanna dig a bit deeper and become more conscious about what you buy to fuel your beautiful body. I am sure your priority is to take care of yourself and your family, so let's all become a part of the green revolution and stand against what's in our way to a healthy, happy life. Start here, by clearing your pantries of GM foods and rejecting to buy them ever again. Taking the risk of sounding like a modern clichè: Go organic, go green!

Here are some related suggestions that will expand your knowledge on the subject:
Documentary "The world according to Monsanto" by Marie-Monique Robin (there are many options on youtube)
An article on Vanity Fair about Agent Orange, here  
Short documentary about soy plantations in Argentina, here  
Very inspirational book by Masanobu Fukuoka "Sowing Seeds in The Desert"
An informative site against Monsanto, here

Some of the brands Monsanto either owns or has business with, here

I'd rather eat it cold

I've been battling with different subjects to dedicate my first official entry to. I have learned so much about certain things, yet so little overall, that I don't feel entirely ready to share everything I have made a part of my daily routines and habits just yet. 

Yesterday night though, at my dear friend Guada's house, I had a little go with her about microwaves, it literally lasted just a few sentences, but that's normally enough to get me boiling up here. Yeah, I'm a tad obsessive, you'll see more of that. 

Microwaves have actually for many years now, been a major concern for me, because since I can remember, at my parents house there has always been one. At first I was so amazed and thankful by the fact that I didn't need to ask any adult for help to warm up my leftovers or pop some corn, but I could actually do it myself with the touch of a button. I mean, what is not great about that? Well, turns out, a lot! Even though, not enough -for some- studies have been made about it, what's out there is more than enough for me. It all started when I got to ask myself the question: If I shouldn't stand near a microwave in use, nor place medicine/foods over or near it, why on Earth should I eat what's emerging from it? Common-sense in my world. But I've been debated on this one, continuously. Like Guada yesterday argued: "if you don't wanna use the microwave, then you might as well get rid of your iPhone" And I certainly give her that, because I believe that line to be so very true. But well, I'm working on changing my life one step at a time and I'm not ready to hear my parents say something about me going backwards, and how I would be breaking the deal I made with my mom to talk to each other every day after our wonderful mom-daughter trip to NZ and OZ, how technology has changed the world and maybe words like "cavewoman" will pop-up. Simply, not ready yet. While I sleep though, I do leave it in another room, on airplane mode and/or switched off, and turn the wi-fi device off as well. Anyway, what I did give up long ago, even while still living under their roof, was the microwave. I sincerely believe it has been an important step for me. Besides the common-sense side of it, there are a few points to be taking into account when deciding to ditch that harmful radiation out of your life for good. I will only throw a couple of what I consider to be basic knowledge about microwaves your way, but I do suggest you to do some research on your own, so that you can decide for yourself which of the other facts are enough for you to stop microwaving your meals. Or not. Always your choice.

-The natural way for heat to work [on our food] is from without, whereas microwave heating happens from within the cells and molecules, primarily those containing water, as it is harder for it to work in sugars and fats. Artificial. So even if some would challenge you by saying "but the sun emits radiation". You can reply with: First of all, it is not the same type of artificial radiation and second, we need the sun to survive, we sure do not need microwaves.

-The change that occurs in the cells and molecules from microwave heating creates new components that our bodies are not able to break down, as they are unknown to our nature. Even if conventional heating methods do change the properties of our food, it does not damage our bodies. It might deprive us of some of the richness of whatever we are about to ingest, but it is certainly not harmful to our system. 

Now, I would like to take this second post to specify that whatever I write on this blog is entirely my opinion, based on my personal experience and knowledge. I do not intend to present any "absolute truths" here and I certainly don't want to plagiarize authorship on any of these subjects. What I have learned on most of these subjects, I mostly did by mouth-to-mouth corroborating from the internet. When I know/remember the sources I will definitely make reference to them. But if it is something I read/heard/lived long ago, I will refrain from making references, as they are now my own truth and I'm just trying to pass it on.

References:

Read further about Hans Hertel study on microwave heating in this article: here

Foreword

The birth of this blog is a combination of many things beautiful: pieces of advise provided by wise souls, the discovery of the fact that my body is the most powerful whole created by Nature, the wonderful daily influence of my "Qi" (pronounced chi, is the nickname I have for my partner) since the moment he's been a part of my life, the understandig that if I want to be an active part of making this world a better place I need to start within myself, the peace-making with my ultimate role in the kitchen resulting in the incredible development in my relationship with cooking and eating, and finally, wanting to walk the following talks: "Love the life you live. Live the life you love" and "Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food".

I will be posting about one thing beautiful as often as I can, for now, as a motivation to my own loving relationship to myself and maybe after some time, as inspiration to blissful readers out there. The posts I share will be in the shapes of varied topics; from new things I learn about holistic health and whole foods, to recipes that blow my tastebuds, from bits of my personal inspiration, to images of gorgeous things that cross my path, from stories that just want to be told, to dreams waiting to become realities.

May this be the beginning of one of the great rides my life always takes me on.

P.S.: Today I commemorate too, the birth of my niece Gabriela, there, in the other end of my idealized world, Ecuador. Cheers to life.