The Four-eyed Journal » Silang

Keeping the immune system strong with Ilog Maria Bee Propolis

jhay — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:39:34 +0000

In a bid to stave off my newly acquired allergic rhinitis, of which I still can’t believe I now have, the common colds, cough and to boost my immune system in general, I’ve been taking Bee Propolis every morning just before breakfast.

Why Bee Propolis? Che, my fiancee had been scouring parenting forums for an alternative cure for Julia’s diaper rash. The ointment prescribed to us is extremely effective in keeping our baby’s bottom rash-free but it’s also effective in burning a hole through our wallets.

In one of those forums, a mom somewhere in Manila attested that Bee Propolis ointment has worked for her as well at more than half-the-price of the drug ointments. With Che convinced to give it a try I browsed the website of Ilog Maria, a famous bee farm here in Silang, Cavite that makes the ointments based on bee propolis which is in fact, very much sought after throughout the country along with many of their other natural products based on bee-made substances.

One of those products that Ilog Maria makes is a concoction from bee propolis and coconut brandy which also does the same trick of keeping the immune system strong as does the honey + calamansi combo.

So instead of getting a bottle of honey, I bought a small bottle of Bee Propolis along with its ointment form.

Ilog Maria Bee Propolis. (The electric tape keeps out the ants.

What the heck is bee propolis? Let me save you the trouble of Googling for it by sharing the answer from Ilog Maria’s Bee Propolis brochure:

Propolis forms trees’ immune systems. Propolis fights bacteria, fungi & viruses that attack trees. Our bees and use this bee propolis to varnish the insides of their entire beehives; including the insides of all the cells in their honeycombs to sanitize all that propolis touches.

Each time an attacker, stung to death inside the beehive, is too heavy to be pulled out; our bees embalm it with their propolis. This bee propolis-embalmed moth, mouse or lizard is preserved by the bee propolis and is perfectly mummified without putrefaction or decay. This is perfect proof of the potency of propolis. In fact, Lenin’s corpse is also embalmed in propolis and is perfectly preserved in a glass coffin for all to see.

Bee Propolis is packed with phytochemicals and anti-oxidants which combat the ill effects of exposure to all kinds of pollution, carcinogenic substances, carcinogenic conditions and eating processed or preserved foods.

After almost thirty years, we have found a perfect solvent for absorbing all the beneficial contents of bee propolis. Coconut brandy has its own monolaurins that strengthen your immune system. My childhood friend Philip Eleazar, runs two huge coconut plantations in Cotabato, Mindanao. His plantations have never seen fertilizers and any chemicals. He produces Don Felipe organic coconut brandy from fermented coconut sap.

We collect bee propolis and macerate it in Don Felipe organic coconut brandy in our cellars for about a year. After waiting so long in the cellar, it becomes Ilog Maria Bee Propolis. Ilog Maria Propolis is the living essence of bee propolis.

That explains why it tastes a lot of brandy mixed with honey. I’m not saying it’s a miracle cure or something but so far it’s been working well for me. I mix 30 drops with plain water, though you can mix it with other drinks like coffee, tea, milk and chocolate, and take it before having breakfast.

In the two weeks of using it, I can say that it does work. With the crazy weather here in Silang – chilly nights and hot days plus the sudden rains – I’ve been able to remain cold and cough free.

Ilog Maria has many other all-natural products based on materials made by honey bees – honey, pollen, beeswax, propolis and royal jelly. Some are cosmetic while some have medicinal properties. If you’re interested in their products or curious about an actual bee farm, head to their website or visit the farm itself in Silang, Cavite. You’d be amazed at what they have in offer.

PhotoHunt: Triangle

jhay — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:23:34 +0000

It’s so good to be joining PhotoHunt again, this week’s theme is ‘triangle’. That three-sided polygon that has been one of the iconic shapes in the history of human civilization, nature and the universe.

The triangles in this picture form the logo of my non-profit, community-based theater group Sining Bayan. The design shows two triangles, one with the tip on top while the other is upside down. It represents the group’s dreams of affecting a meaningful social change in the Philippines wherein the vast majority who are presently living in poverty would experience progress, genuine freedom and a bountiful life.

The logo design was inspired by the song “Tatsulok“, which is Tagalog for triangle, by Filipino alternative music group Buklod. It was later given a rock rendition by popular Filipino rock band Bamboo with the same title. The excerpt of which is shared below:

Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban
Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan
Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman

Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong gulo

The photo in turn, was taken last February 3, 2009 during the annual street dancing festival in honor of our town’s patron, the Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria.

Happy photohunting and enjoy the rest of photos here.

PhotoHunt

Struggling to organize the workflow

jhay — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:18:56 +0000

Contrary to what my non-blogging friends cum blog readers’ belief that I have quit blogging and will sell this blog, I’m breaking the much extended blogging hiatus with this post today.

Where the heck I’ve been?

This past week, I was out for most of the day directing and mounting Sining Bayan’s Silang Day theatrical production, “Silang Magigiting” which was premiered last Saturday, June 9, 2007 at the Silang Town Plaza. It was for the celebration of Silang Day and the inauguration of our town’s newly elected officials.

Below are some photos I took with my trusty SE K800i. Don’t wonder why I’m not in any of the photos because I’m the one who took them and I was doing so many things at the same time; directing, managing the backstage, keeping tabs on the finances of the production and keeping those hormone-enraged teen actors and actresses focused on their acting. Nonetheless, it was one heck of a great week!

In the last photo, is Supreme Court Justice Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. who was guest of honor at the ceremonies.

The rest of the photos from the entire production can be found in my awesome zooomr photos page. Other shots of the actual performance would follow suit.

Lastly, I have a feeling questions like, “You do theater arts?” or “Ano ba talaga course mo?” will be coming from readers who never knew I’m into these kind of activities knowing that I blog about geeky and political stuff. And here’s another secret, I’ve been into theater arts long before I ever heard of the word ‘blog’.

I really, really, really hate Globelines broadband

Aside from the week-long production which shaved off any ounce of weight I gained, plus more, during the summer break; I was unable to blog and go online from June 6 to yesterday, June 10, 2007. All thanks to Globelines Broadband’s crappy f*ck*ng services! Come to think of it, the recent disruption of my connection once more followed the repairs-they-make-are-good-for-only-two-months pattern. Yes, Globelines does provide me with fast and unlimited internet connection, but every two months, they simply screw things up!

It’s back to school on Wednesday

The new semester officially starts this coming Wednesday and though I have a relatively light academic load giving me plenty of spare time in between classes, I have a strong feeling it will be eaten up by extra-curricular activities. (My school life has been like this since highschool)

Since my student political party will be taking over the La Salle DasmariÃ±as‘ University Student Council this school year, keeping the party united and working in support of our student officials, as I am the Secretary-General, will greatly become a bigger task.

Aside from that, I was appointed to become a member of the University Student Council’s advocacy committee, a gargantuan task given that the committee was formed with the objective of breaking the passivity of the Lasallian students in the DasmariÃ±as campus.

Another thing to keep me on my toes this school year is the newly formed Vox Lasalle Debating Society which I co-founded with a few good friends of mine who believed that it’s high time Lasallians from DasmariÃ±as once again engage in the fine art of debate.

Organized chaos

All these plus many more to come as I expand my other more private projects such as a webzine and an anime-blog in the coming months. It appears that once more, I’ve bitten more than I could chew. Then again, things have always been like this and crazy as it may sound, I thrive and do most of the amazing things I could under stressful and dire times.

Now all that I mentioned before is just half of what I’ll be dealing with for the next 5 months or so, as I have this blog and a another one to take care of, especially my problogging gigs and an online venture project.

Am I just ranting off? No, because this is the price for being active, for being responsible, for doing things you like and love and facing the challenges you know that will improve yourself and the community you live in.

Though I’m a bit crazy, I’m not crazy enough to screw all these up. I’m currently thinking of new ways to organize my workflow so that I’ll manage all these tasks and to-dos with better results while keeping my self alive and human.

So in the following weeks, I’ll try my very best to document the things I’ll do that will hopefully help me get things done, like playing more with apps folder in my K800i, abusing my installation of activecollab, finding new tips and tricks with Gmail and Google Groups and using more and more online apps like Google Docs and Notebook.

Could this be the start of a change in my blogging? We’ll see…