it’s not easy being green…says who?

long before talks on global warming and recycling were everywhere, my first valuable lessons on loving mother nature came from my parents. early on in life we were taught the simplest ways to help save the environment like turning off the faucet when not in use, using basin when we do our “pag-uurong” (that’s washing the dishes), keeping the opening of the refrigerator  door to a minimum, cleaning the surrounding and not being a litterbug and unplugging electric appliances when not in use.  later on in life, i think the habit was stuck on me and it has become a way of living.  while still working, you will find me carrying my thermos around the office everyday, saves loads on coffee cartons and plastic cups! i would also always have spoon and fork and a set of microwavable stashed in my locker so i won’t have to use plastic come eating time. i would refuse the plastic utensils and tissues when having takeouts or takeaways. i would even bring home the microwaveable my friends would just otherwise throw away, i recycle them at home and there are just numerous ways to reuse them.
 
old habits die hard and now that i am a mum myself, i still carry on with what my parents taught me and more, i segregate the garbage, keep what’s recyclable in a different container (mineral water bottles, milk cans, paper and card boards, plastic caps) and sell it to the neighborhood junk shop, i even joined world wildlife fund . hopefully i will be able to pass this on to my son so he will be a nature-loving, earth-friendly guy when he grows up!
for mother earth, a simple act of kindness can go a long way and every little thing we do counts. today you can start by turning your blog carbon neutral, and then try to do one good deed for mother earth each day. if you run out of ideas check out my green tips on the side, it will give you loads of suggestions to help you turn green, (the other day i just found out  i can use milk cartons as alternative pots for plants, so from now on i will never be throwing my nestle milk tetra), or better yet get you own green tips here for your blog. at the end of the month you would’ve done 30 good deeds and if all of us will start maybe one day our planet will heal and hopefully we will  sure have a better planet for our children and the generations to come next.
cheers to a healthier mother earth!
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potter frenzy is in the air.. part II

yup the potter frenzy is in full force yet again, at least that is the case in our household (having three siblings who share the same potter passion can’t be that bad, huh?!)

the other day my youngest brother was watching the official trailer on youtube (the exact same one showing here) for probably a hundredth time with my son in tow and was just too delighted to tell me that jared, probably due to too much exposure, said “Mort, mort!” whilst the sinister face of Harry’s archenemy flashed on the screen. Yep, i am fully convinced that my son will grow up reading the books and watching the films, much like his mum. It won’t be a surprise anyway, i remember reading the books to him while he was still in my tummy, i even listen to the audio books while traveling (since when i got pregnant i found much of the songs in my ipod unfriendly, i.e. they seem to induce my “throwing up” instances, so i sought solace from few too preggy friendly melodies, and yep the audio books which was narrated in a delightfully crisp british accent) to and from work. And to top it all off, i watched the last Potter installment with my siblings and a cousin and you guessed it right, with my bulging tummy! So it is actually a hands down, no question asked, jared will want a lightning bolt scar on his forehead a few halloweens from now…

i will be counting down the days to 19 November with mixed emotions, delighted and ecstatic that finally the long wait is over and that we will, at long last, see our fave book in full living colour, bearing in mind the scenes from the book which i would just love to see on the big screen (how they’d manage to break into Gringots, the scenes in the forest where they’ve gone hiding plotting their next course of action, and many more) and on the other hand, sad, knowing that this will truly be the second to the last film and then there will be nothing more. The happy/sad ending. The story which has been part of our family for what 10 years or so will be part of history forever. It has converted many a faithful amongst us and long after the curtain is drawn on the last installment for the Deathly Hallows, we will reread and reread the books, watch and review the films and yep recount it to our children during storytelling tuesday nights and therefore, keep the legend of Harry Potter alive!

See you on November 19, in cinemas where harry will visit, for now let me just wipe the dust off this Deathly Hallows copy and brush up on my potter knowledge!

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potter-frenzy is in the air…

Note: this is a review i did on Deathly Hallows ages ago. First published on my multiply  account, 03 August 2007.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

the best of this colossal series by far, i recommend that each of us, wizard, witch, mudblood, squibb + muggles alike, read this amazing end to our fave wizard’s mis/adventures
the face/off with voldemort is breathtaking
the tale of the deathly hollows entwined with harry’s mission to trackdown all the horcruxes + to destroy them all is way too mind-boggling
the epilogue is a treat
did i tell i had goosebumps holding my copy for the first time?
i’m moving on to the audiobook.(hehe!!)
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