Global Warming Awareness

Global warming is considered as the most alarming problem that we are facing nowadays. In fact, it's already evident in different parts of the world. In the Philippines alone, the weather temperature is EXTREMELY hot ranging from 37 to 40 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, other countries are experiencing frequent typhoon and earlier start of spring. The most shocking part is when I saw on the news that some icebergs in Antarctica are already melting, thus affecting its native animals like the penguins and the polar bears. So what causes global warming?

The main culprit behind the global warming problem is the continuous emission of heat-trapping gases (e.g. carbon dioxide) into our atmosphere. Whenever we burn fossil fuels (e.g. petroleum) to have our daily supply of electricity, we are actually releasing tons of heat-trapping gases which destroy our ozone layer and these gases remain in our atmosphere for decades. Some of the applicances that we are using are also emitting CFC (another form of heat-trapping gases). Among these appliances are airconditioners and refrigerators.

What can we do to solve or at least minimize global warming?

• We must minimize the emission of heat-trapping gases by reducing our usage of fossil fuels. Some countries are already using water and wind as natural source of electricity.
• We must plant more trees around us. Why? It's because trees absorb all the carbon dioxides that are released by our cars.
• We must use CFC-free airconditioners and refrigerators.

If each one of us will cooperate to alleviate the problem of global warming, then we can assure our children and future grandchildren a healthier environment to live in.

For more information about global warming, you can visit Union of Concerned Scientists.

My First Attempt to Cook Seriously

My mom is a great cook. My younger sister also has a talent in whipping any kind of dishes, particularly in baking homemade cookies. On the other hand, I considered myself as one of the worst cooks in the world. I tried to cook twice or thrice during my teen days and it ended up as a kitchen disaster. I recalled frying hotdog without removing its plastic (because I thought it’s similar to longganisa) and cooking gelatin that never formed. Due to those incidents, I promised to myself that I’ll never cook again.

I never thought that I’ll break that promise when I met my very loving boyfriend who really loves to eat and whose mom is also an excellent cook. He inspired me to learn how to cook and that’s one of my goals this year. So with the help of easy-to-follow recipe books and cooking blogs on the Internet, I’m now ready to start my cooking adventures! Here is the first ever recipe that I decided to make.

Tuna Sandwich adapted from Nestle Philippines Recipe

Preparation Time: 00:05

Cooking Time: 00:05
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 cup CARNATION Evap
1 cup water
2 tbsp flour
200 g tuna flakes (drained)
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:

1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan or kawali.
2. Cook stirring constantly until thick. Cool and use as filling for bread and crackers.

Note: I didn’t include the pickles because I don’t like its taste. I also made the flour 3 tbsp instead of 2 tbsp because after stirring for a few minutes I noticed that the mixture didn’t thicken.

Verdict: My first ever attempt to cook seriously is a success! I used the filling on toasted bread and it tastes like tuna carbonara sauce on bread. It’s yummy My mom and my sister also like it and they finished everything. By the way, pardon me for the low quality of my photos, they are just taken using my cellphone camera. I can’t wait for my next recipe