medicine for upset tummy and a whiter smile?? plus something for dog lovers at the end of the post!

Tummy's not feeling for the past couple of days and i was glad that I bought some medicinal charcoal a week ago.

heh. i shall confess. i bought the charcoal NOT in anticipation of the runs, but actually for a little experiment (which i have yet to start on).   

[caption id="attachment_1785" align="aligncenter" width="547"] charcoal[/caption]

what on earth would I do with charcoal you might think?  apparently you could use it of all things... to whiten your smile!!!

[caption id="attachment_1787" align="aligncenter" width="303"] white teeth[/caption]

yes! whiten. teeth. no kidding.  when i read the blog of the lady who tried it - i went 'really? serious?  doesn't it actually blacken your teeth?'  well. apparently it does quite the opposite after you wash the thing off!

I did try those gel strips years ago - despite the fact that I didn't like the fact that it was probably not all that great to bleach your teeth and that it wasn't so good for your gums.  All i can say is that at that point in time - i disliked the yellow teeth more - so I used a couple of strips, got it ever so slightly less yellow, then stopped.  i didn't experience any side effects.

[caption id="attachment_1795" align="aligncenter" width="224"] teeth whitening strips[/caption]

so imagine my surprise and delight when I found that someone used charcoal AND it worked!  cheap and safe - aaaahhhh...heck! why not!  Again, as usual - i went to research and read someone who tried and her teeth were sensitized cos' it was too abrasive.  so i guess the trick is to do it lightly, and probably once a week?

My teeth are slightly yellow - probably from the copious amounts of coffee I drink.  (irrelevant to the post, but I am trying to limit it to a single morning boost cos' apparently caffeine taxes your adrenal glands, and despite the inital boost - it actually weakens your body makes you more tired. still i personally think - bias and all - that a cup is good for our brains. i feel I think clearer).

so I'm gonna pound those pills into powder form and use it with my toothpaste!  update again after i try it!  Here's the link to the blog post where I first read about it for those who are interested!

probably will try only in the next couple of  days cos' seem to be coming down with the flu and my entire body is aching.  Part of the body ache probably is from walking Lucky at the dog shelter yesterday!  We took almost a 2 hour walk from the shelter to the nearby wetland (together with all the other shelter dogs and volunteers).  Volunteering to help take the dogs for a mid-week walk was to bring more joy to them, and I have to admit - I ended up throughly enjoying myself!

Lucky is super energetic - tugged and pulled and yanked.  had to dig in my feet to hold him back - until i figured that I had to walk a lot faster and ahead of the rest - then he walks contently at my side.  He has a really gentle energy about him and is very good natured (he tolerated TWO dogs trying to hump him!!) andwill be a great companion to someone who needs an exercise buddy!:)  The family or person who decides to gives him a home he deserves will be blessed with this darling!

If you or anyone you know is keen to adopt this handsome boy - you can click on the photo to head to the fb page.  Or leave a comment if you would like more info about this dear fellow!

Lucky - the shelter dog who has one of the sweetest temperament. a very gentle energy about him and I think he will make a wonderful companion to someone deserving of him!  

simple pleasures and happiness

my apologies for the lack of posts recently. not been feeling that great recently, and the horrid itch didn't help!  yah. sad to say it's still around.  been taking meds at night, and it seems to help - so that's a good thing!:)

so....yesterday morning, I woke before my alarm went off and wayyyy earlier than my usual waking hours.  amazing huh! given I'm quite the pig and have consistently proven that I can easily sleep through my phone alarm even as it rings a zillion times.  once I had to be somewhere at a certain time and asked the hb to call and be my 'stand-by' alarm clock.  and boy! was i lucky i did! he had to call FIVE whole times before the sound hit me in dreamland!  I am pretty sure he was a tad annoyed, though he tried hard not to show it - right hb who reads my blog?;)

[caption id="attachment_1694" align="aligncenter" width="438"] the only other time I recall waking with such enthusiasm was when I took riding lessons eons ago! had to wake about 5 plus, but boy - was I just eager to jump off the bed! sadly i sucked so bad that I didn't continue. also it was expensive.[/caption]

I was looking forward to the day - as I had volunteered at a local dog shelter.  They were asking for mid-week volunteers to bring the dogs out for walks.  most volunteers are free only weekends, and the dogs go a whole week w/o walking. and a mid-week walk is something the dogs would love.  Since I had the time, I figured, why not?

So i started the day with my morning coffee (else I'll just be a grouchy monster) - with the sound of the water fountain in the background, and my two darlings loitering near me.  it's moments like this that I feel incredibly blessed and happy.

after my caffeine boost, i made my way to the shelter.  Located in a 'ulu' place - the 10 mins solitary walk was real peaceful - hardly a car and lots of wide open spaces (sadly, a premium here in Singapore!)!     finally reached the place, and there was a nursery - the plant kind!  take a look!

[caption id="attachment_1691" align="aligncenter" width="547"] love how healthy and vibrant the plants are!  maybe the next time I'll get one for the home!:)[/caption]

the volunteers (new and old) waited at the carpark till the 'chief' volunteer came to bring us in.   When we arrived at the enclosure, I was a tad concerned and wary when I saw the sizes of the strays! My twinkle is a small/medium-sized dogs - so I'm comfortable with smaller dogs. but boy! the strays were really a LOT bigger than what I used to!

a little drama actually - a dog fight broke out (which is apparently normal in a free roaming environment) and a volunteer got bitten when she was trying to clean the wound of a dog that snaps when in pain.  The dogs are actually pretty human friendly, but I guess there needs to be some level of caution especially when we don't have an established connection.   I stayed out-of-the-way, and just let the experienced volunteers do what needed to be done.

Once the drama was contained and enclosure cleaned of the loads of shit (apparently the dogs were having diarrhea!  and it stank just as bad as my cat's poo!) - we brought the dogs to a big field for them to roam, and boy were they happy!

[caption id="attachment_1697" align="aligncenter" width="547"] left photo: Faith - the dog I walked right photo. very powerful pull!  I had to dig in my heals at times!  she's one of the more docile one.:)  right photo: Chili, looking like a super young version of my twinkle tan. but she was very withdrawn.  doesn't bite nor show aggression, just super wary and aways backs away.[/caption]

After their little excursion, we brought them back to their enclosure, and here's a video of the dogs in their home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY1PjvvsM08&feature=youtu.be

It was a simple activity, and it made me happy to enabled their mid-week walk! although it's sad that they are enclosed, they are loved and protected. at least by the founder of this shelter.    it's times like this when I am reminded of how lucky my family dog - twinkle tan is!:)    I think he knows that too - he stopped attempting to run away (he tried once when we first adopted him).   you can leave the door open, and he will just lie there on the floor or sofa!:)