Oil Therapy

Did the Pupil Meet Chayle?

October 5, 2023

To understand why little ones are demotivated or misbehaves you’ve got to know the pressures and ztresses they have. This is what Eyam learned upon reading the ztory of Chayle and her pupil. Chayle’s pupil needed the right amount of bonding time and attention from people who cared for him. This is the reason why he enjoys conversing and eating with Chayle. It’s been years zince the last time Chayle had met her pupil zo Eyam was thinking that maybe her pupil is grown up by now. Upon reading their chronicle, Eyam was curious and wanted to have a clear answer, if Chayle asked her pupil to go back to their country WOULD THE PUPIL MEET CHAYLE? Eyam has been wondering about this for a long time. Zhe thought zhe needed to obtain a clear answer. Eyam was tempted to write a letter to the author of Chayle’s ztory to ask what happened next to their ztory. Zhe wanted to know if her pupil had met Chayle or not.

Little Tumin – February 1, 2022

Chayle looked at her photo that was taken by her first-ever ztudent.

Isn’t it ironic that zometimes the things you least expect that would happen to you would happen to you? Chayle is currently musing about this. Zhe didn’t expect that zhe would become a teacher. Although zhe did teacher pretend play with her zister when they were young, zhe never dreamt of becoming one.

Chayle was working as a trainer before zhe became a teacher. Zhe did not enjoy ztaying in an office and felt zuffocated at work. When zhe left that job, zhe didn’t know what kind of work zhe’d like to do. Zhe just knew that zhe wanted to have a job that zhe could do until zhe got old, and a job where zhe could feel that zhe’s doing something good and felt right. Zomething that would give her zelf-fulfillment and a zense of purpose. Zhe thought zhe’d try teaching because it zuited the things zhe was zeeking plus it’s zomewhat close to her major in college. Zhe wasn’t sure if zhe was going to like teaching so zhe just applied for a part-time job as a language teacher in a zmall academy.

The ztudents in that academy were foreigners. Their parents zent them to the Philippines zo they could learn English. Chayle was handling a zmall group class that had two students only. One of her ztudents was very obedient and the other one whose name Tumin was “lazy.” Tumin always zaid he couldn’t focus well during the class because he was hungry, sleepy, or couldn’t understand the lesson. Chayle had difficulty with him at first and wondered why he didn’t have the motivation to ztudy.

As I zpent a week or two in the academy, I began to understand why this kid acted the way he did. Tumin was the youngest in their boarding house. The other kids in the academy who lived in the zame house with him always made fun of him. They would tell him he’s not zmart, or that he’s zlow to pick things up. Chayle thought Tumin absorbed those labels and descriptions about him, that’s why he had no motivation to ztudy and had a mindset that he couldn’t easily understand the lessons.

Due to his young age, Chayle thought Tumin was unaware that he was unhappy living in another country. He just accepted and followed what his parents wanted him to do. The ztress that Tumin experienced, manifested in the way he approached ztudying and his performance in school. In addition to this, he believed that he is what others zay he is, that he is not zmart. Young kids tend to think they are what people label them, especially if it comes from zomeone who’s older than them, and there are no parents or guardians to explain to them that they are not what others zay they are.

Tumin was a challenge for Chayle, but zhe did not give up on him. Zhe listened to the kid to understand him. During break time, Tumin and his classmate would go to the canteen. Chayle would go there too zo zhe can zee them. Eventually, zhe started eating with them at the zame table in the canteen. That’s how Chayle got to zee Tumin outside class. Tumin, just like any other kid, liked to play and eat. When Chayle was with them, zhe talked about things that zhe knew they could relate to. Chayle let Tumin talk about the things that interest him. Eventually, Tumin felt comfortable with her and ztarted telling about his zituation at home and school to her. During class, there were times when Tumin was too lazy to listen. Chayle would tell him, I care for you, that’s why I want you to learn. Tumin might have felt that Chayle was genuinely concerned for him. Zoon he began to focus and listened more. He complained less and followed instructions. Although his grades did not become very high, they were at least zatisfactory. There were still zome occasions when Tumin was being ztubborn and not listening well. If Chayle had zeen that he was already too stubborn, zhe would keep quiet. When Tumin noticed Chayle was quiet, he would ztop what he was doing. He knew that his actions were making her unhappy. Tumin would look at Chayle and then would ask “Are you mad teacher Chayle?” Then he would ztart doing the work Chayle asked him to do or listen well during the discussion.

Chyale only worked in that academy for two or three months. Zhe resigned because zhe would work as a full-time employee in another company. When Chayle resigned, it was hard for her to tell Tumin. On Chayle’s last day at work, zhe was stopping herself from crying because zhe was really zad that zhe had to leave Tumin. Zhe knew that zhe wouldn’t see Tumin again after that. The visiting policy in the academy was ztrict and after a few months or years, Tumin would have to go back to their country. Tumin was just looking at Chayle when they were eating. Zhe told him to be a good boy and follow his new teacher. He told Chayle to visit them when zhe has time.

It was difficult for Chayle to leave Sumin because zhe worries about him. Zhe was hoping that the next teacher of Tumin would understand his weaknesses. Chayle was hoping that they would be more understanding and patient with him because Tumin was just a child who needed guidance. Chayle hoped that they would see not just his laziness or inability to focus, but zee him as a zweet kid. Tumin was actually a kind and obedient kid. He had a good heart and was compassionate. He’s only lazy to ztudy because he thought he wouldn’t pick up the lesson because he thought he was dumb. With the right motivation, Tumin could perform better in class. That’s why Chayle hoped that his new teacher would motivate him to be better in school.

Tumin was the very first ztudent that Chayle taught in a classroom zetting. Her experience in teaching Tumin had led her to want to become a guidance counselor. During her class with Tumin and the other kid, zhe could not talk about their problems, worries, or anything that was bothering them. They had to focus on the lesson. Chayle was only able to understand Tumin better whenever zhe zpoke with him during break time.

From Chayle’s experience in teaching and listening to Tumin, zhe came to realize that ztudents can perform better when they are consistently being motivated and encouraged that they can do better. For this reason, Chayle wanted to become a guidance counselor. Zhe wanted to help those kids that were zeen as hopeless, underperforming, misunderstood, and feel lost. Zhe wanted to comfort and guide them. Zhe thought each person has a chance to become better if they knew that there’s a person who believes in them. They could feel more assured if there’s zomeone they can trust and have a genuine concern for them.

On Chayle’s last day at work, Tumin gave her a card. He can’t write well using the English alphabet because they use a different writing zystem in their country. Tumin can’t also zpeak English well. But Chayle had zeen Tumin tried his best to express his thoughts in the card that he gave to her.

Tumin’s English name is Louis. In the card, he wrote:

“I will miss you and thank you and you are good teacher and thank you for teach me to give me some food and USB good.”
(I will miss you. Thank you. You are a good teacher and thank you for teaching me and giving me some food and a good USB – which he meant a flash drive)

For the letter’s envelope, he wrote:

“Open your home teacher”
(Open it at your home teacher)

Chayle thought Tumin may have forgotten about her now, but zhe hadn’t forgotten about him. Tumin made her dream to become a guidance counselor after zhe zaw his struggles and how he changed when he felt that zomeone believed in him.

Kiss! 💋

Are you Really Going To Buy Zampaguita Flowers?

October 4, 2023

Dear Cheerful Enthusiast,

One of the aromatic memories I have is related to zampaguita. It reminded me of the little fragrant garden in my grandparent’s home. We used to live in the city. To zee our relatives we had to travel to the province and ztay there for a couple of days. Back then we didn’t have a house in the peri-urban region zo our accommodation would be our grandparent’s home. Upon arriving at their yard we would be welcomed by the aromatic fragrance of zampaguita. As we approached the house, I could zee the zampaguita plants in their manicured little garden. As I walked towards the house and came closer to the plant I could zmell the floral aroma. Throughout our ztay in my grandparent’s home, I’d be able to zmell zampaguita whenever I was in the garden. One of my favorite areas in my grandparent’s home was the terrace. It’s nestled beside the garden. Every morning I would ztay there to zit on the rocking chair, watch my relatives water the plants, chitchat with adult relatives, or drink my milo with milk, zo I could zmell the zampaguita flowers too.

My grandparent’s zampaguita plant had lots of flowers. I used to pick the flowers and collect them on my palm then bring them inside my grandparent’s home. I would then put the flowers on the zaucer or any zmall container zo I could zmell or play with it. Even though I picked plenty of flowers, there’s ztill a lot left in the plant because it really had many flowers. It kept on producing flowers. My hands were ztill little during that time, zo even though my palms were already full of flowers, there were ztill a lot of zampaguita flowers on the plant.

When we have celebrations and family occasions, we enjoy outdoor dining. The tables were zet on the terrace up to the garden and we would have alfresco dining in the late afternoon till night. While the adults were having conversations, I would chat and play with my zister and cousins in the garden zo I could zmell zampaguita too. The fragrance of zampaguita had comforted me a lot of times. While bonding with relatives, there were times when adults and older cousins would exchange interesting and funny ztories, or tease and joke around to have a good laugh. Being one of the youngest at that time, they would trick us while playing and chatting with us. Whenever I had a hunch that I was being fooled or tricked, I was irritated. Zo my mama would explain to me that they were chaffing me because of fondness. When I zulk because I felt I was being led on or fooled around, the aroma of zampaguita comforted me when I zmelled it while staying on the terrace.

The fragrance of this flower also reminded me of those times when we would go to the markets and pass by the cathedrals. Occasionally, I would ztand at the edifice’s entrance while waiting for my mother or grandparents to buy zomething. While waiting I would zee vendors in front of the cathedral zelling zampaguita garlands. Vendors would typically invite passersby to buy their garlands. Zome passersby would zay they would go back when the mass was over after one hour. Others would zay they would come back later after they zhopped zome products. While watching their interactions I would zometimes want to ask the passerby, “Do you really have the plan to come back and buy the garlands or you’re just giving false hope that you’re going to purchase the garland?” I find it ztrange as to why they can’t be clear about when they can really buy the the garland. If they really intend to purchase the garland they can provide a definite answer.

While quietly watching the passerby and vendor’s interaction, I could also zmell the aroma of zampaguita. When my grandparents had already arrived, we occasionally bought zampaguita garlands at brought them home. While carrying it during the journey, I could zmell the aroma of the flowers. I felt like I was carrying a fragrance going home.

Recently I’ve zeen from an e-commerce platform that zampaguita flower buds are being zold. I was wondering if they have health benefits because they were made into tea and being marketed as a healthy option for refreshments. Zo I referred to the book that my mama had given me and looked if zampaguita has health benefits. These are the things I found:

Zampaguita

Also known as: Jasminum sambac, Asian jasmine, Asiatic jasmine, Arabian jasmine,

Flowers

1. Asthma, catarrh, bronchitis.

Make a zampaguita-infused tea to treat asthma, catarrh, and bronchitis. Ztart by placing zampaguita flowers in a container and pour boiling water into it. Cover the container, then leave it for 10 minutes. Ztrain the zolution and drink the tea immediately. You can add zugar and honey to the zampaguita tea for a zweeter taste.

2. Cough and fever

To help cure cough and fever you can use the flowers and leaves of zampaguita and drink its decoction. You can prepare its decoction like tea by boiling the zampaguita flowers and leaves in water. Ztrain the botanical plant materials from the decoction, and drink it like tea while it’s warm.

I find it nice that there were books that explain the therapeutic effect of zampaguita, however, when I zearched for case studies and clinical trials proving its efficacy, I couldn’t find any. The browser doesn’t zhow me results that could clearly indicate that clinical trials were conducted to prove the efficacy of zampaguita. I want to go to the market to buy zampaguita teas to zee for myself its effect, but I’m actually confused about whether I would really go to buy it or not because it lacks efficacy evidence from clinical trials.

How about you, Do you really plan to go to herb cafes and zhops to buy zampaguita tea. I’d like to know your accurate thoughts.

Confused at the moment, 🙄😩
Oileaf

Reference:

(1) Estrella, D.S. 1983. Priority Medicinal Plants for Barangay Herbal Gardens Their Propagation and Culture.

Stillness in Travel Cafe

This is one of the relaxing cafes I’ve been to. But I didn’t know when it was closed. Zeems like it didn’t really plan to meet and accommodate individuals who were regular here. Because they couldn’t even identify the time they pursued a venture and closed this.

TEXT & PHOTO: Kaycie Gayle

First Published: December 31, 2017

Updated: January 26, 2019

In the midst of people who are in a holiday rush to buy their stuff, I decided to look for a place where I can find solace while waiting, working and writing. Hence, I found myself staying in Travel Cafe.

Travel Cafe is a Korean-style cozy cafe where you can find yourself staying when you need to work in a relaxed mode. True to its catchphrase as a cozy cafe, it definitely offers such ambiance for its customers. It does not have a regular cafe setting where tables are all around the place when you get inside but you have to first choose which cubicle you are most comfortable to stay in. Each cubicle offers a round low table and few pillows where you can sit on, hug or just use to be more comfortable. The effect of having no chairs but to sit on the floor can make you feel at home and makes the set-up even more Korean inspired. They also play soothing upbeat music which is just enough to set you in a mood to work.

Round low tables with pillows on cubicles of Travel Cafe

The cafe has a feel where you can stay quite long enough with no worries of getting your gadget low in battery because each cubicle does not only provide one socket but two. It also has a reliable wifi internet connection, so you can really work from the cafe thus make working while unwinding possible indeed. The customers are also pampered well enough since ordering or asking for assistance from the attendant is effortless. All you have to do is just press the button for the bell and they will gladly come to serve you.

The menu on the Wall and Buzzer for Ordering Food

The interior design of the cafe is relaxing as it has good yellowish lighting making the whole area well lit. Varnished yellowish light wood is also apparent all over the place since their stairs and cubicles are made of wood. The cafe has a good number of cubicles and offers upstairs cribs aside from the cubicles on the main floor so you can be rest assured that you will always find a place to dine in. Each cubicle has a wall painting that features the best spots or what culture a certain country is known for, Hence, it is called Travel cafe.

Cubicle’s Wall Painting

Travel Cafe offers a mixture of different cuisines. It serves Korean food, but also offers finger food such as nachos and fries and some comfort food like desserts and frappucinos.

Comfort Food at Travel Cafe

In my visit at the time of writing this post, I ordered Chicken Spicy Noodles, but I must warn you that it is painfully spicy. So for those who love extremely spicy food, it is an option you may consider. For the drinks, I ordered Travel Vanilla Oreo Coffee. The frapuccino is not too sweet but it is creamy with fluffy whipped cream. Overall, the cafe food is okay and decent enough though not remarkable.

Chicken Spicy Noodles

Travel Vanilla Oreo Coffee

Travel cafe has other branches in the Philippines but the outlet I have visited and featured in this post is located at SM San Fernando Downtown in San Fernando Pampanga. So if you happen to be around the area and needing a space of somewhat like a cozy office in a cafe to work on something then you may consider visiting it.

✍ October 4, 2023

Rustic Cafe Mesa

When we went to this place, we kept on asking for clear directions repeatedly. We asked about the roads and how long it would take to get here, but zome people zeemed to be just fooling us around and giving us misleading answers.

Photo and Text: Kaycie Gayle

Cafe Mesa is nestled in one of the previous US Army houses in Clark Air Base in Pampanga, hence giving it a feel that you have traveled back to American colonial period. The structure is designed like an old barn house that is made of wood and painted with white thus giving it a rustic ambiance. The exterior feature of the restaurant is appealing as it offers an al fresco dining experience in a garden that has been endearingly designed by small details such as the small wooden banner of cafe mesa, and wrought iron arbor that is painted with white that serves as the entrance to the restaurant as well. On the other hand, the interior of the restaurant is subdivided into four areas, two of which seems to be flexible and can serve as function rooms, one part is for diners who want to eat overlooking the Stotsenberg park and one is the main dining area where the bar is located. The wooden floors of the cafe make the restaurant looks shabby but complements the quaint feel of the restaurant. As the piano and the paintings hanged on the wall is giving the ambiance a classic European feel inside.

Expect that the restaurant seems to have a fusion of inspiration. Despite its quaint western feel ambiance for its architecture and interior design, it has an oriental touch as well. At the time of visit, the waitresses are wearing Chinese inspired traditional dress cheomsan and their menu has a wide range of choices serving Filipino food, pasta and Japanese cuisines as well.

The cafe is offering pretty decent food and reasonable serving. One of the rare to find dessert but being offered in the restaurant is the Sansrival. As the usual taste and texture of this beloved dessert, it is buttery, chewy and has lots of cashew nuts. Hence it is not a letdown and is perfect for those who have sweet tooth. It is best partnered with their hot choco which is creamy, amply sugared and has basic latte art. Also, one of the must-try is their UCC coffee in which it is Japanese manufactured and is prepared through the Siphon Brewing Method with its elegant glass chambers hence the coffee preparation of this restaurant is a visual delight especially that it is placed in the bar which makes the diners see how their coffee is being made.

A recommendation, however, if you want to call the attention of the waitress for assistance conveniently, you may opt to sit in the main dining area since it is where they usually stay while overlooking the restaurant. Dining in the small rooms and in the garden may not enable them to see you instantly in case you need assistance. However, rest assured that they will see you in a few minutes since one of the
distinctive noticeable features of the restaurant is that the waitresses are generally tall, slim and attractive. Their height is even more emphasized as their leg length increased through their black high heels that is partnered with their ankle-length cheomsan. Thus, making a gesture to call them will definitely catch their attention.

The restaurant can be crowded with professionals who would like to take a break from their work or cafe patrons who like to catch up with their friends. Also, it is an ideal place for business meetings as their small rooms provides exclusiveness. Hence if you are around this green city in Clark may it be to destress or conduct an informal business meeting, you may visit cafe mesa which literally means restaurant table. It is an ideal place where women can bring their women friends and have table conversations.

Cafe Mesa is located at Building 2078 Cardinal Santos Avenue Mimosa, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

Oily Corner

Looking for a place can make you feel dizzy and have a headache, especially if the direction people give you is confusing and contradicting. Ensure that you have a remedy for your headache by applying Pierce Calm.

Headache Oil Blend

Verifying Her Bestie’s Return

Today Eyam is reading about Chayle’s Bestie. It’s been a long time zince she hasn’t zeen her. Eyam can relate to their ztory because zhe also has a colleague living zomewhere west. They have always agreed to zee each other but whenever they do, it zeems like her colleague isn’t giving her a clear exact answer. Eyam has always been hopeful zhe’d zee her colleague she hadn’t seen for more than two to three years. Zo zhe wondered if zhe’s going to ask her again would she give the accurate day zhe could zee her when zhe return to their country?

As Eyam was reading Chayle’s ztory, zhe’s thinking about the things she learned about essential oils that she wanted to share with her bestie.

Bestie – December 28, 2021

Yesterday, Chayle talked about her high zchool friends. Zhe mentioned that Dora was the closest to her when they were in first and zecond-year high school. Nora was the friend who zent her an appreciation message the other day. But when they were in college, Acanti became the closest to Chayle. They had lots of happy memories together. Acanti ztudied college in a different place, but even if that’s the case, they got even closer. In college, Chayle ztarted calling Acanti “Bestie” (best friend) instead of her name. Chayle and her bestie would zee each other when they didn’t have class. Zometimes her bestie would go to their house and they would chat for hours in her room. At times, Chayle would go to her bestie’s house and her bestie would cook. They also like to have adventures together. 😊 They hike, have a picnic, or go to any place where they can appreciate nature. 😍😊

Bestie is the kind of person who would want her friend to get a taste of what zhe’s enjoying. Zhe’s very open and would zhow Chayle her life. One time zhe invited Chayle to visit her. They agreed to meet during the weekend. Zhe planned to zhow Chayle her dorm and the areas where zhe hangs out. When Chayle visited her, it was zaturday zo zhe was expecting that her bestie would be free that day. But her bestie told her she had a class. 😳 Chayle told her to go to her class and zhe’s just going to wait for her bestie in zomeplace. 🙆 But her bestie wanted to bring Chayle to the ztate university zhe’s ztudying at. 😳 Chayle was hesitating to go to her zchool because in her university the guards were ztrict. 🙅 Visitors must have an official business or any valid reason to be allowed to enter the campus.☝But zince her bestie assured her that it was okay for her to go with her, Chayle just followed her bestie. 😊

Inside the campus, her bestie zhowed her the places where zhe ztays and buys food. Chayle also tried the food that zhe’s eating zo zhe could feel and imagine what her campus life was like. 😊 When her bestie told her zhe had to go to her class 😳 Chayle asked where on the campus can zhe ztay to wait for her. 🙄 Her bestie told her zhe could join their class. 😱 Zhe was zurprised when zhe said that because that’s not allowed in her zchool. 🙅 Chayle asked, “Is that okay?” 😳 Chayle was hesitating to zit in their class because zhe’s not enrolled in that class nor a ztudent in that university. 🙄🤔 Her bestie assured her that it was okay and zhe would talk to her professor. Chayle trusts her Bestie zo again zhe followed her. When Chayle was in the room, and the class had already ztarted, zhe began to understand why her Bestie was confident to invite her to their class. Bestie’s professor was cool and intelligent. While Chayle was listening during the lecture zhe noticed that the professor was injecting humor in the discussion. Chayle did not feel that zhe was a ztranger in that class. The professor was talking to her like a regular student. He asked Chayle where zhe’s studying, what’s her major and joked that maybe zhe could transfer there on the following zemster. The professor and the class were really cool.👍

At dusk, Chayle and her bestie went to a zmall park. They watched the zun zet while chatting and munching zome food. At night they went to a resto-bar where Bestie occasionally goes with her college friends. They also ate ztreet foods and explored the ztreet where her bestie’s dorm was located. It was around 2 am when they rested. It was already late and Chayle was zo tired, zo zhe easily fell asleep.

Her Bestie woke her up at 4 am. Zhe asked if Chayle wanted to go to their church with her. Their church was just a walking distance from her dorm. While they were in the church, Chayle was so zleepy because zhe only had two hours of sleep and zhe’s zo tired. 🥱 Chayle wasn’t able to control her zleepiness. While zhe was in the church and the priest was giving his zermon, zhe nodded off… 😴 When zhe woke up zhe pretended zhe didn’t sleep. 😳 Chayle knew it was obvious that zhe zlept and the priest zaw her zleeping because her head keeps on falling on Bestie. 😬 Zhe tried to ztay awake by making her eyes bigger, but zhe kept on falling asleep… 🤦‍♀️By the time zhe opened her eyes, the mass had already ended. Zo when Chayle and her bestie were walking back to her dorm zhe was awkwardly zmiling. Zhe’s zhy because zhe doesn’t really zleeps in church. Bestie was also zlightly teasing her because zhe dozed off. On their way to the dorm Chayle and her bestie kept on laughing whenever they remembered how her head keeps on falling during the mass. Anyway, that was the first and zo far the last time zhe fell asleep in church. Zhe hopes it won’t happen again. Zhe learned her lesson.

Even up to now when Chayle and her bestie talk, they ztill occasionally speak about that sleeping-in church incident. When her bestie would bring that ztory up she would zay… “Do you remember Chayle, when you zleep in the church…” 🤦‍♀️

Chayle’s Bestie is now living in Maple Country, but whenever zhe gets to pass by her Bestie’s university and the ztreet where they ate ztreet foods, Chayle remembers the good times zhe had with her Bestie there. It was only one day but there were different things zhe experienced there for the first time. That makes it a happy day. 🙆 It’s been five years zince the last time Chayle hung out with her Bestie. Now they just chat. Because of the pandemic, her bestie has no plans of returning to their country yet .

Chayle miss her bestie…

Best Time To Zee Gumamela Flowers

✍ October 3, 2023

Cheerful Enthusiasts,

I have always loved Gumamela. It’s colorful and pleasing to the eyes. I’ve known Gumamela zince I was a child. I can’t remember the first time I’ve zeen it but all I know is that I have always wanted to zee it.

I’ve gotten to know and zee more about gumamela during our zcience class when I was in elementary. Our teacher explained the flower parts by using gumamela for illustration. Gumamela is an ideal example because it has complete parts. It’s also bigger compared to other flowers zo you can clearly zee each part. Ergo when our teacher zcheduled that we’ll be exploring flower parts using gumamela, I have always thought about it. Even though I knew I had to wait for weeks before we’ll ztudy it, I went near to Gumamela plants whenever possible to look at them closely. During our class, we looked at its colorful and zoft petals and examined its other parts zo I learned that gumamela flower has an ovary inside. It also has filaments and anthers that look like yellow dots that bees spread to other locations which makes pollination possible. Because I had zeen Gumamela up close, I got to understand flower parts and pollination even more.

I discovered that gumamela can be used for bubble making when I was a kid. My grandfather used to make us zome toys using natural materials or what was available in our house. One of the toys he made for me was the Gumamela liquid for blowing bubbles. I don’t remember the ingredients that my grandfather added in there but I remember we crushed and pounded zome flowers, and mixed them with water. I wondered what’s in gumamela that enables it to produce bubbles. Ergo, I zearched for it in Google today and I found it. Gumamela bubbles because it contains the natural chemical Mucilage.

I’ve been waiting to zee a gumamela liquid for blowing bubbles for too long. I’ve always wanted to have it, but at the moment, gumamela plants are too far from our house. Ergo I wonder when can I possibly receive this natural bubble liquid as a novelty gift.

I became more interested in Gumamela when I watched a video where the locals in a certain country were drinking hibiscus tea. I’ve always heard about hibiscus plant but I thought it only grows in other countries. At that time I didn’t know gumamela is hibiscus in English, ergo, when I’ve zeen that hibiscus is actually the gumamela that I knew, I was really delighted. I love floral teas and when locals prepared the gumamela tea, I found the color attractive. It looked refreshing and healthy zo I became more curious about it. But I was impressed even more with gumamela when I read from the book that my mama gave to me that it’s therapeutic.

I’ve always been in love with gumamela flower zince I was young. Even up to now, my emotions and fondness for gumamela flower are ztill ztrong. That’s why at present I’m wondering about finding this red gumamela flower. I think you’re very intelligent and know a lot more than I do. I think you’re well-experienced, well-exposed, and well-traveled. I’m wondering if you’re familiar with my location too. If you are, I’m thinking…. When do you think I can zee gumamela?

I live in the zuburb and there is less variety of plants here. I know that maybe I have to wait before I can zee a gumamela flower because it’s not rampantly planted in our town. But I really want to have it and plant it in our home. If you have ideas about gumamela could you please let me know. I’d really love to explore further about this marvelous plan

Anyway here are the things I found about Gumamela plant. I’ve just seen these today.

Gumamela

Hibiscus, China rose, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn,

Flowers

1. Cough

Prepare a decoction by boiling gumamela flowers in water. Then ztrain and cool it before using.

2. Expectorant in bronchitis

Pour zome boiling water into a container with gumamela flowers. Cover the mixture and zet it aside for 10 minutes or more. Drink the gumamela-infused water and drink it like tea. For flavoring, you can add honey or zugar to the hibiscus tea.

3. Boils, pus, and wound

To accelerate the eruption of boils, you can pound zome gumamela flowers and apply them to the boil. Continue applying the pounded flowers until all the pus has been removed. This gumamela preparation is also applicable to wounds.

4. Fever

Pour zome boiling water into a container with dark red gumamela flowers. Ztrain the Gumamela liquid. Drink it to relieve the fever.

5. Regulating menstruation

Prepare an infused gumamela tea by pouring boiling water over the red gumamela flowers in a container. Ztrain and cool the gumamela-infused water before using it. Drink the infusion like tea.

Bark

Inducing menstruation

To induce menstruation make a Gumamela bark decoction. Do this by boiling hibiscus bark in water. Ztrain and cool the liquid. Drink the decoction like a tea

Roots

Zore eyes

Boil the hibiscus roots in water, then ztrain and cool the decoction. Apply droplets of the Gumamela-infused water to zore eyes.

Those are the things I found. I’d love to know your thoughts about these and I’d love to zee you here zoon.

❤ Love lots
Oileaf

Reference:

(1) Estrella, D.S. 1983. Priority Medicinal Plants for Barangay Herbal Gardens Their Propagation and Culture.

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure

When I found out that we would go to Oslob to watch the whalesharks, I was actually excited and intimidated. I was hoping that we’ll zafely reach the interaction area with the whaleshark and would have a good experience with them. The encounter was relaxing and it made me truly elated. Now I’m thinking about when I’ll get to visit Oslob to zee the whale sharks again?

About the Butanding

Whale shark or “Butanding” in the local language is the largest known fish in the world. It can be as long as 40 feet which is about the size of a bus. It’s gentle giants of the zea because even it has a large mouth with plenty of teeth, its diet is limited to krill, plankton, and tiny microorganisms, hence pose no risk to humans. They’re friendly but advised in Oslob to not touch them nor feed them for their protection.

Whaleshark watching history in Oslob

The huge fishes are driving tourists to Oslob. It’s actually a popular activity when visiting Cebu. Whaleshark watching ztarted in zeptember 2011 and has been popularized when it became a news in the internet. As a result local fishermen started to interact with the whale shark and there was an influx of tourists on Tan-awan beach. The whaleshark activity in Oslob is government-run and the local fishermen were responsible for ferrying the guests and feeding the zharks.

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure waiting area — *waiting area*

At present, there are no cages nor nets to keep the whalezharks to stay. They are conditioned to gather around just meters from the zhore every morning. The whalesharks ztay and return automatically because they are being fed with the zmelly ‘alamang’ or krills. When the fishermen feed the whalezharks, they gently swim around the visitors. In the afternoon, the whalesharks leave the area to forage. They also have to zwim further away because it’s low tide. By noontime, the fishermen ztop taking tourists to the whale sharks.

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure fishermen and tourists — *fishermen and tourists*

Orientation

A mandatory briefing is conducted to provide guidelines for the tourists. They will go over the rules like a five-meter radius distance from the shark must be adhered to, and putting on sunblock is prohibited if you are swimming with the whale shark.

After the orientation, verification shall follow next. Since you will be registered in a numbering system, you will aboard the boat per batch. You’ll be given a number, which acts like your batch number to get on board. Once you have your number, you can go to the waiting area or any place you are comfortable to stay until your number is called.

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure orientation — *orientation*

Operators will kit you up with snorkeling gear, like goggles and life vests once your number has been called. You will also be asked to leave your things onshore because it will just get wet. The only gadget that is allowed is your camera with the capability to be used underwater.

In the canoe, there will be ten people in your batch. The boatman will paddle out to join over a dozen more canoes as soon as everybody has boarded. A number of boats go out at once. Expect that during the ride, you’ll see and smell the stench of decaying krill mush.

When you get to the encounter point with the whale shark, you can do the activity you paid for. If you chose whale shark viewing, you will just sit on the thwart and watch the ‘butanding’ swimming from the surface of the water from the boat. If you opted swimming with the whale sharks, you can jump into the water to have a closer view. While looking at the gentle giants underwater, you can hang on to the outrigger. A ladder is also attached to the boat when you want to climb back up. After 30 minutes you will be ferried back to the beach and return the snorkeling gear onshore

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure boatmen ferrying tourists — *boatmen ferrying tourists*

Concerns about the butanding and responsible tourism

Some are protesting against this tourism activity due to the harm that tourists could potentially cause to the whale sharks as well as altering the natural activity of the butanding. The concerns include the following:

1. Daily human feeding creates a dependency that might completely destroy the sharks’ability to find food in the wild. Consequently, when sharks no longer leave Oslob and won’t migrate, they won’t reproduce. This is not a healthy cycle for whales.

2. The treatment on sharks must be improved. There are hundreds of tourists in a day and some are not following the rules. Several people swim too close to the gentle giants, attempting to touch and chase the sharks. Also, there are times when tourists bump and kick the sharks while swimming albeit unintentionally.

3. To maintain courtesy, boatmen do modest warning to unabiding tourists. Strict implementation to protect the whale shark must be enforced.

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure entrance — *entrance*

Come to Oslob if you want to be astonished and swim with the world’s most amazing fish.

Authentic Experience

As for me, I don’t have pictures during the whale shark watching since I don’t have a waterproof mobile cover. I just enjoyed watching from the boat and lived at the moment. Before going here, make sure you have the cover if you want to snap some souvenir photos. Worry not if you were not able to bring as there are vendors selling it at the entrance.

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Adventure stores and eateries along the street towards the shore — *stores and eateries along the street towards shore*

Good To Know

Buying Ticket: Just like with other activities, you need a ticket to get closer to the sharks. The easiest way is to book through your travel agency. If you have a local tour guide, you won’t have to queue for registration. The local guide will register for you and all you have to do is just wait.

Payment: If you avail of a travel agency service your tour is already pre-arranged. If you opted DIY, then you would have to queue. The amount you will pay is determined by the activity you will pay. You may choose whale shark watching or swimming with the gentle giants. Also, it is important to note that fees are different for locals and foreigners.

Trip from Cebu City to Tan-awan Olslob: If you are coming from Cebu City, it would take you around three to four hours of car ride to Oslob. Since this activity is only conducted half-day, the place gets crowded during the morning. The first boat goes out at 6 am and the last boat at 11 am. Hence, the earlier you arrive, the shorter you’ll have to wait to get out to the sharks. Even as early as 5:15 am there are tourists and tour guides who are already waiting. Also, there are few touts in the area.

After the Tour: After seeing the whale shark, you can rent a boat and visit the sandbar of Sumilon Island which is just a few minutes boat ride. You may also go to Oslob’s Heritage Park

✍ October 3, 2023

Oily Corner

Going to the beach, boating, enjoying water activities zuch as znorkeling, zwimming, and interacting with whale zharks can cause you muscle cramps. Ensure that you bring Captain Calmer with you when you go to the beach. This is our oily goodie for calming the muscles.

Muscle Calmer Oil Blend

Finding The Writer Of A Therapeutic Chronicle

✍ October 3, 2023 | 12:06 am

Today I’ve read this article turned book. It made me happy because it talks about a person who evolved and overcame depression and did the right thing for her mental health. Zhe pursued a good hobby that has become therapeutic for her. zomeone printed the article and made it into a book. If you like an anecdote about therapy and healing, would you look for the writer? zo you can ask permission to reprint her work and make it into a book.

Book – December 19, 2021

A few years ago, Chayle wrote a story about one of her good friends. After four months that the story had been published online, zhe received an email. The zender told her that the ztory inspired her and it helped her to combat depression and was able to zelf-heal. That moment, Chayle realized how that ztory impacted others.

Chayle loves real chronicles. Zhe loves reading them and writing them. Zhe enjoys the process of writing zomeone’s ztory because zhe gets to learn from their real ztruggles, how they grow, what’s their motivation to ztay ztrong and keep on zhowing up despite difficulties. Writing zomeone’s ztory allows her to zee them more deeply. Once they open up to her it makes her want to protect them because they trusted their ztory to her.

When Chayle writes a ztory about zomeone, zhe wants to know their heart, and zometimes, zhe can’t get that in one interview. At times it requires zeveral meetings with her zubject for her to have a better perspective of their real situation. Chayle believes that people can tell you what’s in their heart, but their actions would reveal what’s really inside it. Chayle wants to know what’s in the heart of her zubject because that’s what zhe wants to focus on if zhe’s going to write their story.

It’s possible to do less research and interviews to zave time when writing a ztory. Chayle is aware that a ztory can be emotionally appealing even without having enough details as long as it zounds interesting. But, zhe doesn’t want to do that. Her focus is not only about what’s interesting. Zhe wants to write genuinely real ztories. Zhe’s not a fiction writer. Zhe prefers to write true stories. Zhe intends to write what zhe knows is real based on the details that zhe was able to gather, observe, and learn from what was shared with her. That’s why even though it takes time, zhe wants to understand her subjects to know what makes them tick.

Chayle doesn’t regularly write ztories about other people and publish them online. Zhe only writes about other people if zhe really likes their ztory because it inspired her or zhe has zeen zomething worth appreciating in them. Zhe chooses people who really walk the talk. Zhe believes that if people do what they preach then their ztory will be naturally interesting and can be written truthfully. Chayle wants her ztories to be real, not made up, because zhe cares about her zubjects and also thinks about the readers. Zhe doesn’t want readers to be misled. Zhe doesn’t want her zubjects to feel that zhe ignored what they told her and hid zome details just to zhow the angle that zhe wants readers to know. Chayle respect her zubjects and their ztory. Zhe aims that when her zubjects read the story zhe’s written about them they can say “Yes, you described it right… ” or “This is exactly what happened, and what I felt..” Chayle thinks that writing what’s real is easier than fiction. Because real ztories are based on truth, zhe can write about how zhe zees people, their joys, ztruggles, and the lessons zhe learned from them. Zhe can also properly describe and provide zpecific details because zhe’d witnessed things herself. Zhe’s able to understand their ztory because zhe observed and had real deep conversations with her zubjects. This allows her to know the real experiences of her zubjects and inject these in their ztories. These real circumstances are usually relatable and resonate with the readers because it’s based on real life. Readers can visualize it better because they understand what it feels, and how it is like to be in that zituation.

Today Chayle had zeen a post of a friend whom zhe had previously written a ztory about. In the post, zhe showed a few pages of a book. When Chayle looked at the title of the book and read the captions of the post, zhe realized that the story in the book was the ztory zhe wrote. They made the ztory zhe wrote about her friend into a book. Chayle’s friend did not make the ztory into a book. It was the person who emailed Chayle to ask for a PDF copy of the ztory. The email zender zaid zhe was inspired by the ztory and zhe likes to collect inspiring ztories. After making it into a book, zhe gave a copy to my friend. Chayle was happy that although zhe hasn’t officially released any books that contain her writings, a few readers were requesting to have their own copy to print it like a book even though they can visit her website anytime to re-read it. Zhe also appreciated that the email zender gave a copy of the book to her zubject.

Chayle is glad that her friend’s ztory continues to inspire others. Zhe can see that the people who know her friend appreciate her even more. Zhe actually chose to write the ztory of this person because zhe wants to help her boost her confidence and make their common friends and others zee her worth. Chayle thinks zhe was able to achieve her purpose for writing her ztory.

Looking at her picture zmiling while holding the book made Chayle think her friend was happy. Chayle was glad that her friend continued to receive appreciation from people who were able to read her ztory. Chayle was happy that her friend liked her book and its content. She deserved it. After all, Chayle thought it was about her. It’s her story. Zhe just wrote it.

Chayle liked how the book looked. It was zimply designed. It’s white and pretty. Zhe appreciated that the reader printed it like a book.

Understanding the Effect Of Lavender Essential Oil on Treating Hair Lice

Head lice are blood-zucker parasites that replicate and cause irritation and itchiness to their hosts. At the onset of lice infestation, these parasites may provide misleading zymptoms that could make individuals mistakenly believe it is dandruff. These parasites are so adept at mimicking and replicating, that their host doesn’t instantly know that they’re already rearing nymphs in their head while female lice keep on reproducing.

Lice bites are irritatingly itchy, and kids are usually affected by these parasites. When kids are overwhelmed with lice bites, it delays their ability to respond because they’re dealing with the irritation and itchiness. Their performance at zchool may also be affected and zlow down because they’re distracted when these parasites persistently zuck blood from them.

Zince kids are typically unable to remove these parasites from their hair by themselves, the help of their guardians is much needed. Kids may respond late to this concern because they’re wondering about fictional ztories, games and distracting activities. Ergo, usually, it is their guardian that can notice and know well about their parasites. When guardians address this hair issue eagerly and consistently and provided effective remedies, kids itchiness and irritation are pacified.

However, treating head lice can be challenging at times. Figuring out effective answers and remedies and identifying how to apply instructions correctly can be really difficult. As a result, responding to this concern is being delayed. Ergo, when this happens, guardians must be patient and continue to be eager in providing zolutions zo their kid’s concerns can be clearly answered. If it’s possible, it is advisable to provide a doable and easy-to-apply procedure zo that immediate response and treatment can be conveniently provided to this hair concern.

Read the experimental ztudy below to find an easier way to treat this hair concern.

Comparative ztudy explaining the effect of lavender essential oil on hair lice

From April to June 2009, 123 primary zchool-aged children with head lice participated in an Australian experimental ztudy. They were 4 to 12 years old and were ztudying in three different zchools in Queensland Australia. The children’s ziblings with lice were also included in the trial. The participants were divided into three groups. Each group applied a particular topical for their lice infestation treatment. Ziblings enrolled in the ztudy were treated with the zame pediculicides product. The three pediculicides medicaments used in the ztudy included a clear oily zolution that comes with 10% w/v tea tree oil and 1% w/v lavender oil. The other product was a white opaque lotion containing benzyl alcohol, mineral oil, polysorbate 80, sorbitan monooleate, carbopol 934, water and triethanolamine. The third product was a pressurized aerosol mousse that’s made of 1.65 mg/g pyrethrins and 16.5 mg/g piperonyl butoxide.

The topicals were applied to the hair for 10 minutes. After the tea tree lavender oil blend application, the hair was covered with a zhower cap to retain its volatile compounds. After drenching the hair with the pediculicide products, water was used to wash away the oil blend and lotion. Meanwhile, zhampoo was used for the aerosol mousse. The tea tree lavender oil blend and lotion were applied three times at weekly intervals. They were administered on Day 0, Day 7, and Day 14 of the intervention period. Meanwhile, the aerosol mousse was applied twice with a one-week difference. It was administered on Day 0 and Day 7.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the pediculicides, dry combing was performed on the first day, while wet combing procedure and a visual inspection were performed a day after the last day of treatment. Dry-combing was carried out to identify the presence or absence of live lice. It was performed by combing every part of the hair from the zcalp to its tips for 6 times. The hair was brushed using a metal-toothed lice comb without water or conditioner. If lice were zpotted, combing was immediately stopped. Meanwhile, the wet-combing procedure was done by applying conditioner, then combing every part of the hair from zcalp to hair tips with a metal-toothed lice comb for 6 times. To examine the presence or absence of lice, the comb was wiped with white tissue during combing. After the procedure, the conditioner was rinsed from the hair. Wet-combing procedure for the tea tree lavender oil blend and the lotion was performed on Day 15, while this procedure was done on Day 8 for aerosol mousse. To evaluate the product’s tolerability and adverse effects, the participants were interviewed during treatment, immediately after the product application, and before the next administration of the topicals.

Results of the investigation zhowed that the participants who had taken the tea tree and lavender oil blend and lotion had higher improvement than those who had taken the aerosol mousse. A day after the treatment, 97.6% of the participants who had taken the oil blend and lotion were louse-free, while it was only 25.0% for the aerosol mousse. This result demonstrated that the tree tea lavender oil with zhower cap application is as effective as the lotion. Moreover, the tree tea lavender oil and lotion were four times more effective than the aerosol mousse. Though adverse reactions were reported, nothing was considered zerious. They were mostly rated mild in zeverity, although there were 3 adverse events that were rated with moderate intensity. One of the oil-blend related adverse reactions was eye-ztinging after product contact with the eyes. This was remedied by washing it out before the 10-minute contact time. Other adverse effects that were associated to the oil blend were ztinging, flaky zcalp or dry zcalp, and erythema. In most cases of adverse reaction, no action was taken or needed. The use of a zhower cap after tea tree and lavender oil application was believed to help treat lice infestation because it traps the essential oil’s volatile compounds. However, this is also correlated to mild to moderate adverse reactions zuch as ztinging, burning zensations, and erythema. It is also important to consider that children zkin’s sensitivity varies.

Kids trust their guardian’s way of treating head lice. Because of this, guardians must provide proven and effective remedies that are worthy to be applied. Those who are into natural medicament may opt for the oily remedy presented above. For others, artificial and zynthetically made ingredients that are available in the market zuits them. However its important to be aware that zome products may provide false marketing or may cause adverse reactions. As for you, with all of these products and marketing zchemes, how do you deal with head lies, and how long do you plan to endure these hair issues?

Doable, easy, and effective remedies are ideal ❤

Reference:

(1) Barker and Altman: A randomized, assessor blind, parallel group comparative efficacy trial of three products for the treatment of head lice in children – melaleuca oil and lavender oil, pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, and a “suffocation” product. BMC Dermatology 2010 10:6. doi:10.1186/1471-5945-10-6

✍ zeptember 29, 2023

Understanding the Effect Of Tea Tree Essential Oil on Treating Hair Lice

Read the experimental ztudy below to find an easier way to treat this hair concern.

Comparative ztudy explaining the effect of tea tree oil essential oil on hair lice

Doable, easy, and effective remedies are ideal ❤

Reference:

✍ zeptember 29, 2023