The cold and blue life at sea.. are you ready to embrace this challenge?

   One of the most sought after jobs in the Philippines is that of a seafarer, why wouldn't it be? it is a decent job which promises a stable career to anyone who is dedicated enough to endure the challenges associated with it. You have free accommodation, free meals, good pay. But what are these so called challenges?

    Ship jobs is considered to be one of the many hazardous jobs in the world.
    Among the many possible dangers are:
  1. Crew being exposed to fall and drowning hazards while releasing their vessel from dock or on extreme weather conditions.
  2. Those whose job orders include working with mooring lines, while aware of the possible dangers of their work still encounter problems or accidents, since these cables are high tension wires and can snap or break under excessive stress.
  3. Those working on chemical tanker ships on the other hand can be exposed to harmful chemicals due to inhalation, while some suffer burn related incidents involving the same.
  4. Human error- remember titanic? but most recently the Italian Luxury liner Costa Concordia which ran aground off the coast of Italy on January 13.
5. Motion sickness-  if you are one of those who has motion sickness this could also be one of your biggest setback since the ship is moving most of the time.

   There are actually a lot more dangers associated with this job, but these are only which involves physical challenges, but what about the mental and emotional challenges that every seafarer has to face whenever on board?
   1. Homesickness- it is human nature to long for your family especially if you're away most months of the year. The hardest of all to overcome I believe. So here are some of the possible problems which could arise out of this nostalgic mood.
     - Alcohol related problems- some people tend to seek temporary relief on alcohol for their sadness and further result to inadequacies at work or quarrel with a co worker.
     - Sleep deprivation - some would literally spend time wondering about their family back home which could lead to lack of sleep.
     - Sexual promiscuity and its health risks- though seamen today are much more educated on the dangers involved, when it comes to engaging in such an activity? still, one can only wonder if this problem will ever be eradicated.

 So you see, this career is certainly not for the weak or the fainthearted, it is for the tough and the strong.
 So here's a toast and a salute to our brave modern heroes, who sacrificed a lot for their families.
 I should know because... among life's greatest irony? I happen to be married to one.

                                " If Prayers can move mountains, then so shall calm seas"
  
  

basil's sweet surprise!

   My niece sent me a message today asking me about the recipe of spicy tuna pesto spaghetti, and since one of the main ingredient of this delicious pasta dish is basil, I thought of talking about it today and share with you guys my affection to this super herb.
  Ahhh basil!  the almighty herb! with its rich flavor and aroma, but did you also know that this mighty herb has more health benefits to offer? I bet you'll love this herb even more.
   Basil boasts of its anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties, not to mention it is also high in antioxidants. These antioxidants can help protect our body from free radical damage associated with aging and most forms of cancer.

Among its many healing benefits are:

1. Reducing fever- boiling leaves with cardamom in about 2 quarts of water, then mixed with sugar and milk, brings down temperature.
2. Coughs- chewing on basil leaves can relieve colds and flu symptoms.
3. Sore throat- boil basil leaves in water and use it as a gargle to relieve sore throat.
4. Respiratory diseases- boil basil leaves in honey and ginger is useful in treating asthma, bronchitis, and influenza.
5. Kidney stones- basil leaves is useful to strengthen kidneys. The juice of basil leaves mixed with honey and taken for about 6 months is said to expel kidney stones from the urinary tract.
6. Heart problems- basil can also reduce cholesterol and can be used to strengthen those weakened by heart disease.

   There are still many more benefits of basil from healing skin disorders to insect bites and mouth disorders, but my favorite is basil as being an anti stress agent, chewing on about twelve basil leaves twice a day can prevent stress, purify the blood and help prevent many other common ailments.
   I so love this herb dearly I decided to grow my own, thanks to my very good friend who sent me seeds to grow.. on my own little pot!

back on track..

   Hello world wide web! did you miss me?  I guess not much huh? its been ages since I last blogged, I was just starting and I quit already? The truth is... I got cold feet.
   There has been unexpected reversal of circumstances in my life, that's how I would want to put it, left me in complete awe, caught me unaware, and led me to self doubt and hating, to the extent that I just couldn't write anything nice anymore, didn't want my readers to catch the "dark age" of my life and honestly? I never thought that I would ever think of writing again, but if there is one thing that I've learned from this unfortunate event in my life, it has to be that time alone doesn't heal all wounds,  after all our perception of time differs right? if I would wait for time to heal my pain, it could take eternity and I would probably still hurt, I may have dropped my passion for writing in a while,  but my interest in reading? never!  I just kept on reading and reading about almost anything under the sun, anything that could keep me occupied and not think of certain issues that makes me remember my pain is certainly worthwhile.
   One thing good about today's technology is you get very good information at the comfort of your own home, or mostly anywhere in this planet..as long as you have internet connection of course!     I sought solace online, and found it! time has nothing to do with it by the way!  What struck me the most was when I read about something that seem to be a tailor fit for me so believable that I really thought the author was referring to me, it says.. " if you  knew of someone who was going through a tough time, you would help them through it, so why not help yourself now?".  That seemed to shook me well, and from that moment on I started contemplating on what's bothering me and I just accepted it, let go and moved on..  it is my decision to end my misery.
   It is indeed true that humans were created to adapt to almost any kind of extreme situation, what's keeping us from recovering? is our own hesitation to adapt to what would be our "NOW".
   Everyone has struggles in life, has different cross to carry, what makes all the difference is how we handled those trials, after all, by anonymous, " Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional ", so starting today... I'm gonna love myself more, I'm gonna live my life and I'm gonna blog!