(nod nod nod)

Ah, yes. Simplify life and be content. ^_^

I like this blog, by the way. Give it a follow. ^_^

I have a new "like" : virgin coconut oil

Someone told me that virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a good skin moisturizer. Since I happen to be allergic to a lot of lotions and stuff I decided to give VCO a try.

I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I'm liking it. It has kept my skin from drying and helped my cold-rashes subside.

Since VCO is all-natural, there aren't any allergic reactions or side effects.

I did a bit of Googling around about VCO and I learned that it has a whole lot of other benefits. Aside from being useful as a skin and/ or hair conditioner, I mean. It is said to treat eczema, dandruff and fungal infections, and helps to keep skin looking young and healthy. It's also a good massage oil and stress-reliever.

VCO ingested in small amounts could help to regulate weight. You could cook with it too - it is said to be "the healthiest oil on earth".

I'm no pro on this though, so don't take my word for it; you can do some research yourself. And by the way, make sure to pick out virgin coconut oil, not just regular coconut oil.

There's this homemade body scrub recipe that I've been using. Instead of the usual olive oil, I tried virgin coconut oil instead this week, and I've found that and it works just as nicely. VCO is a cheaper alternative, and it smells yummy too.

temporary vegetary

Image from here.

I thought about going vegetarian for a week. Maybe two. Though I probably need to lose a few inches around me, my real reason has nothing to do with weight loss. I just think it's about time for a detoxification of sorts.

I realize that I've been eating mostly chicken and fish the past several months (it's my Dad's menu of choice for health reasons. And since we acquired a new helper to cook for us, I stopped bothering to prepare food for myself so I just eat what they prepare). I've been getting these bad rashes on my legs, and I remembered that I used to have these same allergic reactions to chicken and fish and eggs and seafood when I was younger. I thought that the allergies went away through the years, but apparently they just stayed away when I ate a more-or-less balanced diet. Now that I'm practically living in the poultry train, I'm getting chicken skin all over again.

But who wants to live with the itching and scratching and wheezing and sneezing, right? I decided to adjust my diet, at least for a while. Since we live with my Dad and he has pretty much outlawed beef and pork in this house, I thought it would be best to go vegetarian. I'm going to try to drag my Hubby and my Dad into this too, because I think it's a really good idea.

A local magazine featured vegetarianism a few Sundays back, so I went through that issue for some input. I was delighted to read people's testimonials and the health benefits they've been experiencing - increased energy, clearer skin, slowed aging. Just for those things, it might even be a good idea to go green forever ... but, naaah; I love bacon too much. :D

A vegetarian diet doesn't just mean steamed veggies and tofu. There are a lot of yummy, meatless dishes that are easy to prepare, so I'm not afraid that I'll be starving myself. I've already started to scribble possible dishes.

I could and should eat
(and force influence others at home to follow):

oatmeal
corn flakes
bread
pesto
veggie spaghetti
spinach / eggplant lasagna
bean soup
baked potato
baked tomato
waldorf salad
baked tofu
squash soup
onion soup
mushroom soup
tomato soup (i looooove tomato soup!)
banana sandwich
broccoli and cheese
apples and celery
carrot sticks
frozen yogurt
fresh or dried fruit

I'm quite excited about this temporary change. I need to plan menus carefully of course, to make sure I still get the right amount of protein and necessary nutrients. I don't want to end up being a vegetable myself.

the name "miranda"

Miranda isn't my birth name, but it's a name that I like. I've long disliked my real name and for a few years now I've been thinking about having it legally changed. I'm not a hundred percent sold on any new name yet so I haven't begun to do anything about it, but since I've been using Miranda for some time it's one of the strongest candidates.

Some of my friends speculated that it's from the Sex and the City character, or from the Parokya Ni Edgar vocalist - but that's not really where I got it. My source is a real simpler one.

Back in college, freshman year, there was a batch mate of mine who for some reason thought my real name was Miranda. I have no idea why. It sounded nothing like my name save for the first and last letters. Still I thought it had pretty sound; I remember thinking that it was a pity I didn't own it. The new nickname didn't catch on during my stay in college though, but I kept it in my pocket for future use.

I first employed the moniker Miranda a couple years ago when I needed to name my site on Multiply. Miranda has a nice ring to it, it looks cute when written and it's easy to recall. I've grown to love it ever since.

It also happens to mean something nice (I mean, when choosing a name, might as well get one that has a cool meaning, right?).

In Latin, it could mean wonderful, miraculous, admirable or extraordinary.

In Spanish, it means to see + to walk.

I've also read elsewhere it can mean peace or prosperity.

Miranda was created by Shakespeare for his play "The Tempest" from the feminine form of the Latin 'mirandus' (admirable, lovely), from the verb 'mirari' (to wonder at, to admire). This gives the meaning "she who must be admired".

Miranda is also the name of one of the satellites of Uranus. Though Uranus has 27 known satellites, five are considered major. Miranda is the smallest of these major satellites

So far, several sources agree that it was coined by Shakespeare and was not used as a name until the 20th century. In English-speaking countries it's a girl's name; in Spanish-speaking ones it's a surname. Imagine wearing a name created by Shakespeare.

My only problem with it is that it sounds too Western (or American at least), and if I used it with my surname I kinda think it sounds too artificial, almost porn-star-ish.

But overall I like it. Pretty cool. Right now I'm leaning toward having my name changed to Miranda for good (I mean, after I look into the legalities involved and get enough money to have the change made).