Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

Finally, the pain has subsided. I have been looking into some solutions to keep it from coming back. First is drinking more water. The body is like a machine that needs oiling, otherwise, with all that creaking and friction, it can break down. I remember my sister who has been suffering since her early twenties of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder pain. It’s incredible, just because of some cartilage in the jaw, the entire body is affected, including moods and behaviour. It seems that her TMJ disorder was due to a congenital lack of cartilage and such things (in some ways, the oil and padding of the skeletal and mascular system/machinery). One solution was to increase the intake of water. Other solutions are more complex, such as braces, surgery.

Second, I have started reducing (if not removing entirely) milk in my diet. It is very possible that I am lactose intolerant and that I am not aware of it since my stomach does not directly respond against milk. The possibility is that the build-up of milk solids in the stomach triggers the cycle of digestive instability and heartburn-like pain symptoms. Since I am quite convinced that the pain trigger is really my stomach, then perhaps I should begin there. Surely, more water intake is good for the digestive system as well, and a “well-oiled machine” will take the instability, when it happens, with less pain.

And third, is eating more regularly.

The trip to downtown Manila for immigration duties two days ago, was, as usual, horrible. This time it was made even worse by my pains. The pollution has also become more unbearable, the nausea made me feel so helpless against the automotive industry as it freely continues to poison people little by little. The comfort and protection of being inside an airconditioned car seemed so attractive for a while. But shortly I felt a rage … people, young and old, in the jeepneys who need to travel this way all day, are being poisoned bit by bit. Many of them won’t get to ripe old age, like my father, they will most probably be dead before they are 60.

The poverty is not so visible anymore in the streets but so many people here are still so poor, living near or below the poverty level. Some places near the river have been tidied up, they have removed the people living under the bridges, so they just show up elsewhere, for now giving their kids a bath at the river. There are efforts to clean the river too, but it is still like a sewer.

Remembrances of being in Europe angered me. Clean air, clean water, clean environment, food to eat, a place to live in.

At the immigration they had the TV on at the waiting area. It is often a whole day of waiting for the visa extension process. The TV was blaring Wowowee, the game show that killed over 60 poor people in a stampede just over a year ago. Even media is blaring garbage, people in this city live on and off garbage.

Sunday was better, with brief walks around the apartment blocks little gardens. My partner and I saw someone walking two siberian huskies. They were so beautiful. And so friendly. I like dogs very much. At the mall, we would stop by the way to the supermarket to see if Coke, the a golden retriever sniffer dog, was there with his handler. He’s often there, and we usually see him asleep while his handler chats up the sales lady at the information booth, or he would be playing with mall goers. Last time he was playing with a kid. Coke has become quite fat, actually, compared to the leaner ones they just installed at the new Trinoma mall just across the road. Surely, those will soon put on weight too. I suppose working in aircon buildings do that to everyone, including dogs.

There is also an apartment where we often pass by on the way home from the supermarket. I always look into their living room because the door was often open. I always looked to see if their white fluffy dog was around. What a funny dog - it would usually be sitting on a chair. My partner joked, was he reading the newspaper? One day he was under the table because the humans were playing mahjong.

Anyway, the walk around the apartment blocks, my partner and I saw this beautiful tree with its roots wrapped across the wall. It was really an amazing sight. There were about three more similar trees along that walk, and then at the end was a group of bamboo trees.

And in one of the communal gardens, we saw this:

One of the biggest spenders in the senatorial elections. And lost. Big spenders often win, but not this time. Perhaps people are maturing more politically.

I am recovering from the stress of the past two weeks. I hope that all get better again soon. I would like to continue my work soon too. A friend has just sent the day’s report on the WIPO meeting in Geneva. I would like to continue writing my contribution to the IPR debates. I am getting slower and slower in these things, as priorities in life change. I have let go of many things not really worth keeping, and I do feel happier, as the things that do matter take their places. Life is getting simpler, I do hope, simpler and better.

EMail This Post This entry was posted by Fats on Wednesday, July 4th, 2007 at 8:54 pm and is filed under Wika at Hirap > What and Why. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.