Derma/complexion - vanity, youth, flaws, etc...

As I advance with my age, the physical flaws pile up or so it seems. I am still battling with my forever labile hormonal function that directly affects my weight. I am happy though that I can at least have some control now about this once "my health crisis"... a struggle still ... but is going the right downward direction. I recently consented to be the subject for COMPLEXION ANALYSIS. With this, my facial derma analysis was done. A report is shared.

The catch of course here is to tell me and encourage me to use their beauty products which are not the cheapest. Is it worth the money to hasten the process of aging and deterioration? hehehe maybe for those women who have spare change to use to buy these products.

With spots and blemish that I have... compare to other women of my age range???

I belong to the 34% ones... meaning 66% of women my age are worse off than I am.

I have 2% rating on my pores which is not the greatest. This is my problem area. My skin pore is too big that subject me into flare-ups of adult pimples during that time of the month. Also that makes my skin sensitive to many skin products out there.

Porphyrins is a very complicated chemical ongoing in the body that I can't even break it down to a simpler term that my brain can relate to. Anyways, my number is on the low side which means that I do have enough of this that cause the breakages in my skin which results in the blemishes and adult pimples.

The result of the wrinkle test denotes that there's 18% of women my age that have lesser wrinkle than I have. And 82% is worse off than me.

My complexion is on the 33% range meaning that this adds up to the cause of my skin breakdown. Not too fine but then it is not too bad.

UV Spots, the sun damage present on my skin is 228. The numbers reflects a very low damage and yet could be improved.

I enjoyed the pampering of the free session, the education on my complexion. I have to admit, I ended up buying the facial wash but that was all I was willing to buy into... hehehe!!!

My Desktop - "I am tagging NursyE"

And this is my desktop. Aquarium theme. I alternate between this one and the Nature theme. When I get tired of the wolf howls with the Nature theme then I switch to this one. Then when I get tired of the drops of water sound, time to do a switcharoo. I like the screensaver on this one because of the sound of water and the fish swimming. So soothing!!!

The icons on the desktop are related to school and work mostly. One of these days, I might put up an inspiring pic of a hunky... just to get me excited being infront of the confuser.

Here is the screensaver when it is still... otherwise it is usually animated...

Thanks, my sweet girlfriend Fe (MOM) for tagging me on this... I apologize for the long delay.

8 Random Facts About Me - tagged by Belle

This was a hard one so I had to ask a couple of friends for their random assessment of yours truly. I got nauseated... hehehe... of the randomness that Kay and Vincent shared. Anyways, here are ...

8 Random Facts About Me ...

Decent - Kay said because she never knew me to compromise any of my personal principles even it costs me some heart breaks. Hhhhmmm???

Funny - Kay said that she can't remember any encounter with me that she didn't at least smile. Most of the time, she (this is off the record) almost always had to "pee" her pants.

Charm? - Okayyy, this is debatable. I know I recently heard this adjective from the head of my Master's Program which caused havoc in my student life. Dr. C claimed that I was charming my way to that program and that I was charming all of my classmates despite the fact that I have a pretty decent GPA and that I impressed her with some of my work... hhhhmmm??? Kay's word - that I can talk anybody into doing anything... hehehe.

Persistent - that I move forward and only forward in an unstoppable manner when I set my mind into something... ignoring all hindrances.

Determined - I thought this was the same as the latter but Vincent said "no". I guess he'd seen my determination in achieving what I decide to accomplish.

Tenacious - this I think is a learned one from bad and sad experiences. More like a shield to protect me from unnecessary unpleasant "pain". Or that it is because this word comes with those words -- persistent and determination.

Patient - this one is a given. I am a nursy. One has to be a "patient" more ways than one to be in my profession. Although I think that I am less patient or tolerant as my age advances.

Consistent - this is the most nauseating, overly, exaggerated word given but I promised to post it as said. I was told that I am consistent in my love, care, attention, generosity to all that I care about. That "I give only one way"... meaning I don't wait, I don't expect and I don't care about reciprocities.

It's beautiful - up North!!!

I had the opportunity to meet a wonderful person and to visit (again) the state of Washington and Canada. I think that where I was is a gardener's heaven because the weather is mild and almost constant all year round. I can walk all I want and not sweat and that tells me that I can be out in the yard all day working out and not perspire. With this kind of weather, the many varieties of flowers and other vegetation flourish with a vengeance. I enjoyed the walks (with Shadow) looking at each plant and flowers along the way. I was so envious that fuchsia was growing like crazy in every yard while I can not grow it here on my part of the world... too hot.

I like being surrounded by nature. And state of Washington provides that. The abundance of sea food and produce is something I can live with everyday. Water, bodies of water, streams, current, any water movement always brings comfort and peace inside me and there was definitely an abundance of that as well. And I can definitely get lost in any of the public markets and or farmers' market they have. My kind of shopping which reminds me of home - the Philippines.

The drive to Canada was fantastic except for the passport showing procedures. The construction is ongoing at the border to get ready for the Olympics. I finally had the famous Tim Horton's coffee. Honestly, I didn't think it was anything special of a coffee. I would drink G's morning French press coffee anytime. He makes it perfect for me. And with a slice of homemade apple pie... geeeezzzz, what a treat!!!

Here are some pics to share.

Shadow, a very smart patient dog. I enjoyed his company. Something about ball... he just loves, loves, loves any ball. He never tires of playing catch and gnawing any ball.

I was enjoying the Vancouver skyline while Shadow was taking a dip in the cold water, catching his ball. This bridge is the one by Stanley Park.

I don't know how many times I saw this same scenario... the water plane taking off and adding to the fascinating view of the Vancouver skyline. Neat!!!

You better believe that salted water is ccooollldddd, just the way Shadow likes it... perfect for his coat. He had that ball in his mouth.

The ever famous Totem Poles at Stanley Park.





The trip was cut short but nonetheless, it was well worth it. I learned a great deal!!!

Salty

I always wanted an aquarium. The opportunity to have one came when I couldn't think of something to put in the atrium spot in my house. At the end part of my formal living room lies an atrium complete with sprinkler system. I didn't want to have plants there because of poor light source. I decided to put a 75 gallon salt water tank in the spot.


Why salt water aquarium? I like the idea that I can have many different colored fish and other water creatures. I read a couple of books from cover to cover about salt water aquarium. I checked 2 pet stores about prices of things I need to set this all up. I talked at length with a young salesclerk about my "want" and he gave me a website to check out and gave me a few pointers on having one. He later became my helper in maintenance of my tank until I learn to manage it myself. He comes over to my house every 2-3 months to check everything about the tank and my progress in maintaining it.

I was lucky enough that the tank set I bought was on sale with free set-up. It is not a cheap hobby. I am learning as I go along. I have lost 2 fish, just disappeared into the thin air or more like they were eaten... as my helper tells me. I am slowly building it up and learning the ins and outs of owning this fascinating contained salt water world...

It fits pretty good in the spot. I feel secured about where it is in case of glass breakage and or water leakage. It serves as a room divider between the living room and the hallway to the bedrooms.

I have 100 pounds of treated rocks, a few Damsels for fish. A few snails to keep the tank clean, mainly the glass case. Some cleaner shrimps that eat debris that keep the tank clean as well. A few Emerald crabs for the same reason as to help keep the tank clean by eating debris.

I see many new creatures on the rocks. I can see that the fish are getting bigger. I have to really get the hang of the pH deal so that the snails can be happier ... lost a few of them. Pretty soon I can let loose some bigger fish in there. My mom likes resting on the couch out in the living room because of the soothing sound of the water.

Preserving... my way!!!

Ahhh summer!!! My second favorite season after spring. But for me, it is a fleeting season. Everything in it seems to happen all at once. For a gardener as myself, summer gets to be hectic in such a short of time. A season of beauty and abundance, summer magnifies all the fundamental joys of a gardener: garden-fresh food; postcard-perfect scenery; a rainbow of flowers in bloom and an outdoor-living mindset that begs for spontaneous picnics. When spring comes, my lusting for summer starts. A reading perfectly describes what summer is for me ... "Like a torrid love affair, my relationship with summer goes through predictable cycles: We crave each other, passionately adore each other, then mutually burn out in the end".

Summer means working hard but having fun. More than any other time of year, the average summer day offers a buffet of options and possibilities. Mow, weed, harvest, repair, and process. Summer’s to-do list never ends. A celebration of seasonal abundance!!! One way I cherish the summer's abundance is preserving its yield. Although I downsized my garden 2 years ago, I still get quite a bit of produce. I resort into drying and vacuum-sealing/freezing so that I can enjoy the yield of summer throughout the rest of the year.

Tomatoes are one of those summer abundance that I have learned to preserve. I enjoy it as much as I can during the season by indulging in tomato sandwiches - smashed avocado on the bread, slices of tomatoes then lettuce and more smashed avocado on the other bread, some freshly ground pepper and eat away. It's heavenly!!!

Sometimes. I take some sliced up tomatoes, put them on the grill, top them with slices of mozzarella cheese then freshly picked Basil leaves, a dab of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and let them grilled ... great appetizer, snack or sandwich.

Dried up tomatoes, if you look at them at the grocery stores, are expensive. And yet so easy to make at home. After I wash and dry the tomatoes, I slice then cut them at least halves, or three slices if they are "fat". I try to squeeze out most of the seeds. then lay them on my dehydrator. I open all the vents of the dehydrator and plug and leave it be. I check once in a while to take out the ones that are dried up and to rotate the dehydrator plates.

The stages of drying ...

After drying the tomatoes, I divide them into 3 piles. One pile is vacuumed-sealed in smaller quantities so that I can use them in recipes that require tomatoes. When I want to use them, I soak them in water until plumped up then use as the recipe calls for. One pile gets chopped finely and put in a jar with EVOO. The other pile gets chopped in bigger slices then in the jar with EVOO as well. The finely chopped is used for more delicate recipes and the bigger chunks get to be used in sauces and soups and the like.

One other way I preserve is by vacuum-sealing then freezing. I first blanch the tomatoes - boiling the water in the pot, putting the whole tomatoes in and let it quickly boil again until the skin is peeling off. Scoop them out and into a container of iced cold water to stop the boiling process and maintain that natural red color.

Relish summer while it’s here and sing along with Sandy and Danny from “Grease” while sinking in your teeth in those juicy, tasty tomatoes: “Summer lovin’, had me a blast. Summer lovin’, happened so fast.”