to Sifnos Island (Greece)

ahh, Sifnos...

our snack - recommended by our taxi driver

packaged breakfast

the only way to eat

I came across an info-graph this week about how households these days are spending less and less money on food, much lower compared back 50 years ago, I think it was about 40% then, and now around 15~20%?  (if I remember correctly). 

I used to be one of them.  Just 3 years so years ago, I had no clue or interest in nutrition and had my priorities else where.  I now cringe at the thought when I used to buy a "1000won square ham" for our curry dinner.


So, to cut the story short, we spend much of our monies on food, quality food.  We always try to go organic when possible.

organic apples - in stock!

Recently, my husband "cured" his apple allergies!

Yes, he was allergic to them forever, until just 2~3 months ago.  He can now eat a whole apple with skins and all - without any reaction., but the thing is they were all "organic apples" or "high quality" apples. 

I'd like to think that changing our life style;  eating healthier (organic), eating/cooking more at home, avoiding processed food/eating out, taking folic acid / magnesium / omega 3 / chlorella  / vitamin C / supplements had to do something with it...  I would like to think so! 
 

I think it's worth spending good money on higher quality food (=paying attention to what you put in your body).

Hey, it even cured my husband's apple allergies :P

organic onions straight from the farm - much sweeter and much longer shelf life

you are what you eat..

remembering Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey was nothing but taking it all in.

where we sat for 2 consecutive days indulging on sweets

fall, coffee, and poems

cold weather is making me drink twice the coffee,

and read,

poetry!  (thanks library)

loving America a long time

Korea is becoming "westernized" really really fast.

I turn on the TV to find Kpop singers fondling each other on stage mimicking a sexual act - or a pole dancing girl group on stage supposed to be a serious act?  is this all a joke?

did Korea poke themselves in the butt to just be another "western american puppet" - apparently so.

kids are having more sex with strangers - promiscuity is becoming normal and "cool"er than it was 10 years ago.  Oh, Korea is going through its nasty puberty stage.  I just hope it matures and grows up - soon (will it?!).

Korea, stop being a puppet. 

respect your own culture and stay away from being so sexual - it's not a good influence for the kids and their future.

I want old Korea back - with more morals - and respect for their culture. 

makgeoli with aspartame

I just found out that the makgeoli I was happily drinking contained, aspartame....!!!

SHAME ON YOU!!!!

and guess what?  I'm  having muscle spasms on my right arm right now as I type this - lasting me all day.

***my muscle spasms didn't go away until the next day :(  



It never crossed my mind that something wholesome as makgeoli would contain, aspartame.  How naive of me!

Always read the labels.. always always always.

GOOD MAKGEOLI = NO ASPARTAME!

Here's a photo of a makgeoli we  got one day, that didn't have aspartame.

Look for the chinese letter for "without", pronounced "mu" in Korean.

So anytime, you see that, it means "without ____".






---------------------------------------------------------

Brain tumors: Bad. Aspartame banned by the FDA.

In January of 1981 Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of Searle, stated in a sales meeting that he was going to “call in his markers” and make a push to get aspartame approved. That month Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President of the United States. His transition team included Rumsfeld who hand picked Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes Jr. to be the new FDA Commissioner.
Within a couple of months, Hayes appointed a 5-person Scientific Commission to review the claims on aspartame. In a 3 – 2 decision, the panel upheld the original ban, stating that the artificial sweetener was unsafe.

Aspartame: Banned twice by the FDA.

Despite the panel’s decision, Hayes later installed a sixth member on the commission who voted in favor of the making aspartame legal. The vote was now deadlocked.
So what happened?
Hayes personally broke the tie in aspartame’s favor. (Keep in mind that Dr. Hayes, a pharmacologist had no previous experience with food additives before becomes in the FDA Director.)
On July 18, 1981 Hayes officially approved the use of aspartame as an artificial sweetener in dry goods. (How’s this for a kicker: In 1983 Hayes later left his post at the FDA amid accusations that he was accepting corporate gifts for political favors. BUT, just before leaving office in scandal, Hayes approved the use of aspartame in beverages.)
The icing on the cake: In 1985 Searle was absorbed by Monsanto. Donald Rumsfeld reportedly received a $12 million bonus. And the sad tale of fake food and experimentation on the human race continued onward.

So is Aspartame dangerous?

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Here are just some of the different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame:

• Headaches/migraines
• Dizziness
• Seizures
• Nausea
• Numbness
• Muscle spasms
• Weight gain
• Rashes
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Tachycardia
• Insomnia
• Vision Problems
• Heart palpitations
• Breathing difficulties
• Anxiety attacks
• Slurred speech
• Loss of taste
• Vertigo
• Joint pain

http://www.thankyourbody.com/is-aspartame-dangerous/

spent time

...

Wow, I just spend some time changing the privacy settings on my google account.  apparently, you can see anything on my youtube account - and I didn't know this.. it was just somehow connected.  google + youtube.

and I hate it. 

I hate how privacy settings are set to public.  and somehow accounts gets connected - into one?  this is they say, something we just have to deal with - since we use their service, blah blah BS. 

well, I had enough, to a point of wanting to go back to no email.. sigh...

...

I don't have facebook.  I don't even remember when I deleted it (2~3 years ago?).  Yes, I had it when our uncles and aunts (grandmas and pets) weren't in it. 

life is so much better without it. 

it's just a distraction away from the real thing, life.



...


did I tell you how much I hate g---gl-???  I do.