Sunday, February 28, 2010

pickled papaya & milkfish

here is one of my favorite front page newspaper images i saw when i was in the philippines last summer.

that same day i went with my parents to the local school of fishery. dad wanted to get the homemade atsara (pickled papaya pronounced ah-cha-rah) canned so it could be brought back to VA.



the atsara was placed in small plastic bags and then manual seamed into steel cans.

while that was going on, i was scoping out the room and learned more about deboning bangus (milkfish pronounced bawng-oos). dad tells me the bones have to be removed using tweezers. such a tedious task but so worth the taste.



the secret to a profitable bangus business was posted on the wall. $toring is where it's at!


the principal of the school asked one of the grounds keepers to give us a tour so i could take pictures.






MISSION: To develop positive work values and provide quality Basic Secondary and Technical Vocational Education and Skills Training.

VISION: To become among the region's Center of Excellence and leading Training Center for Fishery Technology and Entrepreneurship.

positive messages were posted on the beams.

make it a betterway to have fun while learning or joining sch. organization.


if there is purity in the heart, there will be righteousness in the character


our tour guide wanted to show us where they dry the fish out in the open sun to make tuyo. it was by the shoreline. he pointed to this really narrow path that i would have to walk on to get there. it had water on both sides. i didn't feel risky that day so i admired the view from afar.





break time.


the gate to the fishery school.


surroundings on the way to the school.




stay tuned for more sporadic blog posts about my adventures in the archipelago.

Friday, February 26, 2010

the set up






NOTE: no bacon was harmed in the making of these images.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Day #49: reusable gift wrap


i used tissue paper from the gifts i received for my life anniversary last month to wrap gifts for a friend's born day this month.

Day #48: recycling rescue



i saw a plastic bottle stuck by my car tire and brought it home to recycle.

the end.

Day #47: upstairs recycling



the upstairs recycling container i designated last month sits conveniently near the top of the stairs. the big blue bin is happy to be even fuller when recycling day comes.

Day #46: paper bags



reuse them.

hand puppets. textbook covers. lunch bags. drawing paper. gift wrap. grease trap. bird cage liner. stationary. the list goes on.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Day #45: presentation


this valentine's day marks six years of the hubby and i being married. even though we said we wouldn't do gifts this year, he got me something anyways. he even tied a newspaper ribbon around the box! i give my hubby R3 props!

Day #44: thrifty shopping


i finally found a cute winter black dress coat! i found it at thrift store city, one of the largest second-hand stores in the tidewater area. it cost me a whopping $10 which is kinda expensive for thrift store shopping but totally saved me some money in buying a brand new coat that i'd only get to wear maybe two or three times every winter season. shopping in thrift stores is also helpful in reducing landfill waste.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Day #43: can you read me now?


trader joe's makes sure their recycling message is not teeny tiny like on soda cans and plastic bottles.

Day #42: ready, set, recycle!


rinsed and ready to be recycled.

READ HERE FOR USEFUL INFO ===> Should you rinse your recyclables or save the water?

Day #41: my buddy


so far, this lil blue klean kateen has been reused many times over the past month to carry my agua. i bring it with me almost everywhere.

trying to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles being purchased as well as my high fructose corn syrup intake.

Day #40: determination



me: do we have a hand saw?

hubby: yeh. why?

me: i'm trying to take the cap off of this shampoo bottle because it won't twist off.

hubby: just leave it on there. don't you think the workers at the recycling place use something to remove it... like an electric saw?

me: i want to take it off myself.

JR: let me see it. (pulls off the cap using his newly acquired brazilian jiu jitsu strength.)

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

snow day! part 3: japanese garden


lorimar gave me the idea to go out to the japanese garden the day after the snow storm to shoot the scenery. so we headed out four wheel drive style.




bamboo in the snow!

snow day! part 2: adobi and pixel






Day #39: tabs



while shooting these tabs i remembered one of my favorite cartoons called "the littles." the littles could use these tabs to make rims for their cars i bet.

i also remembered a type of game i learned when i was a tween. while bending the tab back and forth on the can you say the alphabet and whatever letter it ended up breaking off on is the first letter of the person that likes you likes you.

and yes... i will be reusing these tabs for something really cool and then later to be recycled :)

Day #38: i spy



"Basic Benefits of HDPE recycling are:

* HDPE Recycling can help reduce waste disposal costs (since the HDPE Plastic is removed from the waste stream).

* HDPE Recycling can generate revenues from the sale of the recycled HDPE.

* HDPE Recycling can reduce labor costs associated with the handling of HPDE during the waste disposal process.

* HDPE Recycling can help with streamlining overall waste processing operations.

* HDPE Recycling can help free up space (used for the temporary storage of HPDE).

* HDPE Recycling can help improve workplace safety and neatness."


- excerpt from www.wastecare.com about HDPE recycling

Day #37: paper chaser



every month i end up with a big ol' heaping pile of paper trapped in my work portfolio. i sort through it all when i'm in my home office and it goes straight into the upstairs recycling container. laziness is no longer an excuse as to why unwanted paper doesn't end up in the big blue bin.

p.s. someone threw out the recycle box jenny and i started at work. no worries. i will be looking for reusable containers.

Day #36: you've got mail!



click HERE ===> "how does recycling junk mail help the earth?"

Day #35: still collecting!



it's going to be the coolest fort ever!

Monday, February 08, 2010

Day #34: say "please"



maybe by saying the magic word it'll happen.

Friday, February 05, 2010

snow day!

photo by shane s.

one year i made a snow pikachu with the lightning shaped tail and pointy ears. this year i made a snow ladybug. hehehe. i couldn't help it. me thinks i want to try making sand sculptures this summer.



Day #33: adopt plants



increasing the plant population is a step towards reducing CO2 emissions.

every little bit helps.