Yesterday was Earth Day

Yesterday, was our only planet’s day and I was stuck in the office. Not the Earth day I have imagined at least for myself. However despite that I didn’t get to join lobby groups or planted tress with my fellow youths (which what I would have wanted to do) I would still like to give a small contribution, although late, in raising environment awareness.

As I continuously watch the news and surf the web, the facts on our Earth’s degradation and abuse caused by us, the supposed to be stewards of this only planet, are overwhelming. Figures on carbon emission is rising every year and the forecast of the coming decades are frightening.

Let us make Earth Day not as a symbolic celebration filled with empty rhetoric, but a day-to-day occurrence in our choices, habits and actions for a more sustainable environment for our children and our children’s children.

Below are 8 simple things that you can do to contribute in our cause for the Earth.

1. Understand what’s going on with our environment. Research on pollution and its causes. Recognize the bad to know what not to do.
2. Join environment groups in your local community. If you don’t go out much, you can join online environment communities. Being with like minded individuals allows you to understand and delve into the issue more.
3. Recycle. Know the word and then do it. Segregate your garbage. Don’t throw out those old newspapers, ketchup bottles, plastic coke bottles and such. You can store them for the mean time, and later on sell them or give them to “we buy scrap” entrepreneurs. See, you can still make money out of garbage.
4. Conserve water. Don’t waste it, it’s a precious gift that will run out eventually if we don’t use it properly.
5. If you are going to a nearby place, opt to walk or use a bicycle rather than use a vehicle that emit carbon monoxide.
6. Use fresh food as much as possible. Avoid eating too much processed food or fast food. These type of food usually contribute to a gain in weight and to the amount of trash.
7. Don’t buy things that you don’t need. Things that you usually buy out of plain envy or want will usually just go to the trash or be left unused after a few months.
8. Conserve Energy. Turn off the lights, the fan, the aircon, TV, radio, etc. whenever you’re not in the room, you’re not using it or if the need is not immediate.

Let’s be proactive in solving Earth’s issue. After all, we only have one planet and her name is Earth.

Taugi *beta*

Last Saturday, my boyfriend and I ate at Tokyo Joes. Among all the Japanese restaurants, I’ve eaten at, Tokyo Joes was the only one to tickle my taste buds. Everything I’ve eaten were rich with flavor. I love the tempura, you can really taste the shrimp inside it. I also enjoyed their mongo sprouts or “Taugi” in our dialect (I’m not sure with the spelling). Their Taugi is not overcooked unlike how we cook it at home *grin* . Last night as I was about to go to bed, I was chewing up on mirroring the sumptuous Taugi recipe of Tokyo Joes. All the thinking got me inspired and lead me to make my Taugi recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Mongo sprouts or Taugi
2. Sesame oil
3. onions
4. Onion chives
5. Thinly Sliced carrots

Sauté the onions using the sesame oil. Add the carrots and mix it for a bit. Add the Taugi or mongo sprouts. Mix it a bit. Since I love sesame oil, add some more. Drop the sliced chives and turn-off the stove.

Hmmm, I’m not sure how its going to taste. I haven’t really cooked it yet. I still have to buy my mongo sprouts and sesame oil. Keep posted.

My Mocha Magnifico

Christmas has always been that one day of the year that we look forward to. When we were still staying with my dad, we always see to it that we have enough food on the table for Christmas eve. This is the first time me and my siblings got to spend Christmas and most likely new year with my mom. Here, they usually sleep through the entire celebration of Christmas eve and usually get up the next morning doing things they usually do. Anyway, since I’m the eldest I felt that I owe my dad the responsibility of in a way taking care of my siblings. Last Christmas and I saw to it that our yearly tradition is followed.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without my spaghetti. But this time, my yearly mango float was replaced with Mocha Magnifico. The recipe is stated below.

Ingredients:

2 250 ml All Purpose Cream

1/2 Cup Condensed Milk

1 tbsp Coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water

Crushed Graham Crackers

Crushed wafer sticks

1 cup Chocolate chips or milk Chocolate chopped

1/4 cup Melted Butter

Procedure:

1. Mix together all purpose cream, condensed milk and dissolved coffee
2. Mix butter and a part of your graham crackers together and then press it on your container. This will be the base of your Mocha Magnifico. Spread about 1/2 cup of the coffee-cream mixture on top of graham crackers and sandwich it with your crushed wafer sticks, remaining crushed graham and about 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate.
3. Finish with the remaining cream mixture.
4. Chill for 4 hours before serving.

I hope you’ll like my mocha magnifico.