PagPag : "The meaning of Junk Food"

Life in the slums of Manila can be incredibly difficult, and putting food on the table every day is a big challenge. That’s what makes “pagpag” so popular. This Tarong term usually refers to the dust one shakes out of clothing or carpets, but in the slums, it means meat picked out of the landfill, cleaned and recooked into cheap meals.

Pagpag has long been a staple of Filipino slum cuisine, but in recent years it has also become a lucrative business both for landfill scavengers and small restaurant owners who buy the discarded meat at cheap prices and recycle it into various dishes. Scavengers who were previously only interested in recyclable metal and plastic now focus on leftover and expired food coming in from fast-food chains and supermarkets, scouring for it alongside feral cats and rats, packaging it in plastic bags and selling it for a small profit.

A bag of pagpag meat usually sells for about 20 pesos ($0.50) and is enough for slum restaurant owners to cook several servings of cheap dishes, which they, in turn, sell for around 10 pesos ($0.25).

Watch: Pagpag is keeping Filipino’s slums fed 

But before re-cooking the meat, it’s first washed to remove any trash it might have come in contact with at the landfill, and the bones are removed. Then it is mixed with various sauces, vegetables and spices, and served to customers.

“With the kind of life we live, this helps a lot. When you buy a bag worth a few pesos, you can already feed one whole family,” one slum resident told Reuters.

Pagpag was once a last resort for most slum dwellers, something they would only eat on the worst of days, when they didn’t earn enough to afford a little rice, but with food inflation making it harder for people to afford first-hand food, pagpag has become the daily meal for many families.

Even though some of this recycled meat has literally been partially eaten by another person before being discarded, some pagpag eaters are convinced it’s safe to eat because it is washed before being recooked. Others even call it tasty and nutritious, but health authorities in the Philippines consider it a major health risk.

Sometimes discarded food is sprayed with disinfectant before being thrown away, and other times it becomes infested with dangerous pathogens like salmonella, for being kept in improper conditions for too long. And they don’t get much more improper than a landfill…

Salome Degollacion, an elder from the Helping Land slum, in Manila, told CNN that many have died from eating pagpag, but when you’re left with no other choice, I guess the risk is worth taking.

“It is a private humiliation of the poor to have to eat off someone else’s plate. But it’s a survival mechanism for the poorest of the poor,” said Melissa Alipalo, a social development specialist.

“They’re being pushed to do that thing because they don’t have enough money to buy the food that they should prepare,” Maria Theresa Sarmiento, manager of health and nutrition at Philippine Community Fund, adds.

With no real solution in sight, the popularity of pagpag can only go up, and with it, the risk of food poisoning and other life-threatening health conditions.

So the next time you think you have it tough, just imagine that there are people out there forced to eat recycled meat out of the landfill to survive.

Work Out At Home For Beginners

Starting into a workout routine can be very intimidating. There are so many things to consider, and you want to be sure that your time spent exercising is maximally beneficial. Here's a list of 10 beginner friendly workouts, plus a quick rundown on how to get yourself off on the right foot. 

1 Low Impact Beginner Cardio Workout - Feel Good Recovery Cardio - The moves in this 26 minute workout are all low impact and easily modified to be easier or more difficult. It uses exercises that build range of motion, cardio endurance, coordination, control of your own body and flexibility. It's also a great starting point for burning fat and building cardiovascular endurance. 

2 Low Impact Cardio and Abs Workout As you can tell by the many low impact routines on this list, they are a great place to start when you're new to exercising, and they give your body a chance to adapt and get ready for more intense training. This is a core and cardio combo that helps you build a strong base while working up a sweat (with no jumping at all).

3 27 Minute Butt, Thigh, and Abs Pilates Workout Pilates workouts like this one are a great way for beginners to improve core strength and to start to build a mind body connection, which are both imperative to being able to safely push yourself during harder workouts.

4 Low Impact Cardio Workout for Beginners - Recovery Cardio Workout with no Jumping 

5 No Equipment Upper Body Workout with Warm Up and Cool Down - Using only bodyweight, this antagonistic routine is a great way to learn how to engage your muscles and perfect form before you start to add more weight. Honestly, it can be very difficult to anyone, as long as they're pushing themselves, but because you're working against your own strength, the difficulty is scalable. Once you're comfortable with form, strength training is an excellent way to burn fat, build muscle, and get fit. 

6 Upper Body Strength & Cardio Interval Workout (with Low Impact Mods) - Speaking of lifting, here's a great strength training workout that will help build muscle and boost your metabolism, even while resting. Adjust as you need to, always focusing on form.

7 10 Minute Butt and Thigh Workout At Home - No Equipment - These 10 minutes pack a punch, and are a great place to start to get comfortable with basic bodyweight exercises for the lower body. There is no warm up or cool down on this video; make sure you always do both for every workout session.

8 At Home Cardio Workout to Burn Fat and Tone (High & Low Impact Modifications) - Once you feel like you need more of a cardiovascular challenge, try our cardio workouts that show both low and high impact mods; do the harder version for as long as you can before switching to the easier version.

9 Fitness Blender's 5 Day Challenge - Strong and Lean - Day 1 This week long challenge takes out all of the guesswork by laying out an entire week's worth of workouts. These workouts are intense, but both low impact and advanced modifications are shown.

10 3 Day Flexibility Challenge Day 1: Fluid Full Body Stretches for Flexibility & Stress Relief - Blow off stress, increase flexibility and range of motion with this gentle 3 day challenge that focuses on feeling good.

Respect in Islam

Objectives: Explain how the Muslim community shows respect for each other and carries out its religious duties and good actions.

Respect: Every Muslim has rights given to them by Allah. Other Muslims have a duty to protect and respect those rights. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that the life, property and honour of one Muslim are sacred to another. He also stated that a true believer wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.

how to show respect:

§  Respect the property of others. If something belongs to another person, do not steal it, or damage it. If you are lent it take good care of it and return it as soon as you have finished with it.

§  Respect the feelings of others. Do not bully or tease; do not frighten them, or upset them without reason. If you have bad news to tell them, tell them gently.

§  Respect their privacy. Do not enter their homes without an invitation; do not demand their news but allow them to offer it instead.

§  Treat everyone you meet with good manners to show that you recognize that they are as important as you.

§  Respect yourself. You are valued by God and have a duty to care for yourself. Keep yourself healthy and fit.

Religious duties: The religious duties of the Ummah are to carry out the Five Pillars, to celebrate the festivals, to obey the laws of God and to follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions. Some of these duties like prayer and fasting they can all do. Others, like Hajj, some will do and others cannot due to lack of finances. In order for the Muslim community (Ummah) to function well, it needs experts in the Qur’an, Sunnah and Sharī’ah Law to make sure that the true teachings are not forgotten. It needs judges to settle disputes between Muslims and to rule on matters like divorce, inheritance, etc. It may need governors, leaders and scholars who will speak on behalf of the community or village to the ruler or the government. All of this is achieved by remaining as a jamā’ah (united body) under the ruler of the country without rebellion, street demonstrations and violence, which are all forbidden under Islamic law as they lead to upheaval in the Ummah.

Good actions and Sadaqah: Good actions are expected from all Muslims. The feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood should be so strong that if any Muslim hears that another is in true need, they should immediately ask: “What can I do to help?” The Prophet informed his Ummah that the Muslims are like one body in their love, mercy and affection for each other. Another narration of the Prophet (peace be upon him) states: “You cannot enter Paradise unless you are a believer, and you cannot be a true believer unless you love one another. Shall I not point you to something that if you were to practice it, you would love one another? Spread the salām among yourselves.”

Every Muslim should be generous with their time and their money to help those around them. This is the duty of sadaqah or charity. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) charity was more than giving money. Righteousness includes everything from praising and glorifying God, to helping people in any way possible. Even smiling in the face of fellow Muslim is considered sadaqah (charitable act). And this charity naturally extends to non-Muslims also, whether they be neighbours or colleagues at work and so on.

Righteous actions are only rewarded by God if a person worships Allah alone and does not commit idolatry. Idolatry is to worship gods besides Allah, whether it be idols, saints, angels, prophets, stars or the dead in their graves. The optional righteous deeds are never more important than the obligations such as Prayer, Zakāh, Hajj and Fasting since these are from the Five Pillars – so a Muslim is expected to practice Islam and increase one’s faith (imān) further with optional righteous actions, and not replace the Five Pillars. A Muslim who does a lot of charitable work but does not pray the daily prayers, pay the Zakāh or fast Ramadan is not considered as righteous, at all.

Muslims have rights and duties between themselves that strengthen the bonds of brotherhood in the Ummah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated: “The right of one Muslim upon another are five: to respond to the salām; to visit the sick; to follow the funeral [when he dies]; to respond to an invite; and to say yarhamakallāh (may Allah show you mercy) when he sneezes and says alhamdulillāh (all is praise is for Allah).” He also said: “A Muslim is a brother to a fellow Muslim. He does not oppress him, he does not betray him and he does not look down on him.”

Allah stated in the Qur’an 49: 10-12 what can be summarised as: O you who believe, do not let one set of people make fun another; do not insult one another by calling each other names; do not spy on one another, or spread rumours about each other or criticize people behind their backs.

Basic skincare routine

Great skin is not simply a matter of DNA — your daily habits, in fact, have a big impact on what you see in the mirror. But depending on which product reviews you read or doctors you consult, there is a dizzying number of opinions on everything from how to moisturize to how to protect yourself from UV rays. Ultimately, caring for your skin is simply personal. Here’s what you should keep in mind to sort through all the noise.





Here is simple skin care routine which is really important for beginners to follow.

1. cleanser
2. scrub ( 3 times a week )
3. toner
4. serum
5. moisturizer
6. SUNSCREEN


CLEANSING
 

Find Your Facial Cleanser

The right formula cleanses your skin without stripping essential, healthy oils. Take it easy with exfoliating scrubs (use once a week) and avoid those with crushed walnut shells or abrasive ingredients. 

For everyday cleansing, here’s what to look for:

SCRUB

Top 10 Benefits Of Scrubbing Your Skin:

In case you don’t know why you must go for an exfoliation session, at least once a week, here are the top 10 reasons to give you that much needed nudge!

1. For A Squeaky Clean Skin:

Scrubbing gives you clean skin, free from dirt, oil, and sweat. Actually, the bottles of cleansing milk, face wash and facial cleansers cannot pull out all the dust that accumulates in the pores of your skin. Scrubbing does this job successfully. Make your own facial scrub with brown sugar and honey and use it twice a week to see the difference.

2. Frees Your Skin From Flakes:

Flaky skin looks hideous! It clearly signals the fact that you don’t take care of it the way you should. In fact, flaky skin also gives rise to dry patches. It allows dead cells accumulate over time. Scrubbing your skin can help you deal with flaky skin effectively.

3. Helps In Removing Dead Cells:

Dead cells make your skin look dull and tired. Why let them build up on the layers of your skin? Scrub them off with a gentle scrub.

4. Adds Glow To Skin:

Exfoliation can actually make your skin glow. Soak rice in milk for two hours. Then grind it into a paste and scrub your face to get glowing skin in no time.

5. Removes Dark Patches:

Do you know that scrubbing could even help in removing dark patchy skin? Add a spoon of yoghurt to a spoon of crushed walnuts. Use this scrub twice a week to get desired results. It is especially effective on knuckles, elbows and knees.

6. Removes Acne Scars:

Exfoliation helps in doing away with acne scars. Prepare a basic scrub using two spoons of baking soda and a spoon of water. Make a paste and use it on your face to treats the ugly marks left behind by acne.

7. Prevents Ingrown Hair:

Ingrown hair is a perennial problem and scrubbing is the solution to prevent this problem. Squeeze out the juice of two lemons and add a cup of sugar to it. Add some water and use this scrub to prevent ingrown hair. You may add a few drops of tea tree oil because it has antiseptic properties. You can use it after 2 or 3 days of waxing for effective results.

8. For Smooth Skin:

Smooth skin is the key to a more beautiful you. Use a scrub made out of a cup of ground almonds, two spoons of honey and milk cream. This scrub will not only make your skin look flawlessly smooth, but will also make it soft and well-nourished from within.

9. Improves The Texture Of Your Skin:

Scrubbing your skin gives you clean and smooth skin with an improved texture.

TONER

“Toners should be done after cleansing and before putting on anything else,” Mattioli says. The traditional application method is to saturate a cotton pad and pass it over your face. But, as Mattioli points out, “You end up losing a lot of product.”

Tip: “Applying toner with clean hands is the most efficient. Just pour a few drops in your palm, then swipe it on.” Or if you prefer, you can pull apart a cotton pad “so it’s not so thick before putting toner on it,” Mattioli advises. Most formulas can be used morning and night, but you might want to use those with exfoliating acids only at night or every other day.  

SERUM

Simply put, serums are powerful skin allies. Filled with concentrated doses of active ingredients, these elixirs can mitigate a number of issues, from dark spots to wrinkles. “Even if you don’t have any specific issues, everyone still needs a general antioxidant serum in the morning to protect from daily aggressors,” Mattioli says. While there are “limitless options” for ingredients, Nazarian singles out her hardworking favorites. To handle specific issues, look for these products:  

• Hyaluronic acid to seal in hydration and strengthen the barrier function (the top layer of your skin) to prevent moisture loss.
• Vitamin C to help brighten dull skin and decrease dark spots with continued use.
• Retinol, vitamin B3, peptides to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, proteins in the body that help prevent lines and skin sagging. 
• Colloidal sulfur, niacinamide to calm redness and irritation by decreasing inflammation, and improve acne with its antimicrobial effects.

MOISTURIZER

How to Pick a Moisturizer

“Everyone needs moisture, but the texture of your moisturizer will differ depending on your skin type,” Mattioli notes. Consider this your cheat-sheet, courtesy of Dr. Nazarian.

SUNSCREEN

reasons on why you should wear sunscreen throughout the year:

1. Shields From Harmful UV Rays:

The continuously depleting ozone layer has put us at a higher risk of getting affected from the harmful rays of the sun. While you do need the sun for your daily dose of Vitamin D, it does not imply that you should put your health at risk! Applying sunscreen actually blocks these harmful rays from penetrating the skin and triggering skin disorders.

2. Prevents Premature Aging:

All of us love to have younger looking, radiant, and healthy skin. And, this is one of the most convincing reasons to start using sunscreen. It shields your skin from developing signs of aging, such as wrinkles and fine lines. Studies reveal that people below the age of 55 who used sunscreen had 24% lesser chances of developing these aging signs than non-sunscreen and occasional sunscreen users.

3. Lowers Skin Cancer Risks:

While I started using sunscreen mainly for beauty reasons, this health benefit came as an advantage. Wear your sunscreen daily and over the days and months to shield your skin from the risk of various types of skin cancer, especially, melanoma. This is the worst type of skin cancers, which can be life threatening for women, particularly those who are in their 20s.

4. Lowers Blotchiness on Face:

Apply sunscreen liberally on your face to prevent the onset of that irritating blotchiness and eruptions of red veins. This is also essential to prevent the onset of acne and other sun rays- induced damages.

5. Prevents Sunburns:

Sunburns weaken your skin, subjecting it more to bruises. Your skin may suffer repeated attacks of peeling, swelling, redness, hives, and itching. And, this comes from the influence of UVB rays. The blisters can escalate the risk of skin cancer. A study published in ‘Annals of Epidemiology’ in August 2008 suggested that recurring occurrences of sunburns could actually put you at a higher risk of lethal melanoma. So, apply sunscreen and stay safe.

6. Prevents Tanning:

Tan is healthy – this concept still persists. However, what you should be aware is that while you are sunbathing to tan, you are at the risk of being harmed by the harsh ultraviolet B rays. Choose a sunscreen that has a minimum of sun protection factor 30 to prevent tanning induced by UVB. And, make sure you reapply sunscreen every two hours, especially if you have a sensitive skin. Or, just after your exercise, as sweat could wash away the protective coating.

7. Enhances Health of the Skin:

The essential skin proteins, such as collagen, keratin, and elastin are protected by sunscreen. These proteins are required for keeping the skin smooth and healthy. Make sure your sun block has titanium oxide in it for endowing these benefits to the skin.

STATELESS CHILD IN SABAH

It is well known that a large number of Sabah’s inhabitants are saddled with a complicated legal status. The luckier ones are migrants with proper documentation proving their permanent residence or refugee status. But many do not have proper documents, and some are even without a nationality. These are indeed “stateless people”.

Being born in Sabah or Sarawak does not automatically make a person a Malaysian citizen. One of the child’s parents must also be Malaysian 6.  But even if one parent is Malaysian, without the right papers to prove it, the child is left stateless.  And so are his or her children.   Many stateless people who might be eligible for citizenship do not know how to go about obtaining the relevant documents and are faced with a lengthy process.  Undocumented Sabah residents fear exposure and expulsion. This, in turn, leads to reluctance to register the birth of their child, perpetuating the cycle 7.

The stateless foreigners in Sabah come from descendants of Filipino refugees of the 1970s, children from illegal marriages between Filipino and Indonesian illegal migrants and locals who have blended into Sabah with no roots to their homeland.The ethnic Bajau Laut people, or sea gypsies fled to Sabah in order to escape the war between the Philippine government and the independent movement by the Moro National Liberation Front, resettling in many parts of the state such as Lahad Datu, Semporna and Sandakan.

It is a complex problem that festered over the decades and today, their countries of origin refuses to accept them back or do not recognise them as their citizens.

Like their parents or grandparents, the offspring of these migrants have no legal status to work, live, marry or buy a house on Sabah land.

The coastal areas surrounding the island, Pulau Berhala, were covered in garbage, animal carcasses and human waste, due to the absence of a waste management system.

Seemingly oblivious to the murky waters, the brothers would tread around barefooted collecting plastic bottles, wooden planks or metal sheets — anything that could potentially be sold for pocket money.

PULAU BERHALA’S ONLY SCHOOL: TWO TEACHERS, 236 STUDENTS

The school was set up by the Malaysian military, which has a strategic base at the island to patrol the waters and protect Sabah from militants coming from southern Philippines. 

The school aims to equip stateless children with the basic educational skills of reading, writing and counting, but it does not offer its students the opportunity to take national examinations or to graduate with any certificate that will help them apply for a job.

The school, built in 2010, is attended by students aged four to 17, and is located next to the Pulau Berhala army camp.

What protection is available under international law?

Malaysia’s somewhat lacklustre commitment to eradicating statelessness and to providing a legal identity for all is evidenced by its reservation to the right to nationality under Article 7(1) of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child 13 and by its non-ratification of the 1996 International Convention on Civil and Political Rights which requires similar commitment in its Article 24(2).

When it comes to protecting stateless people within its borders and reducing statelessness, Malaysia relies on Constitutional protections as it is not a State party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.  Under the Constitution, every person born in the country who is not born a citizen of any other country and who does not acquire any other citizenship within a year of birth is a citizen of Malaysia by operation of the law.

The Constitutional protections are strong in theory, but in practice offer limited protection. To make use of the Constitutional protection, parents and children must provide extensive documentary evidence.  Identity documents are often not available to many stateless people in Malaysia.  Furthermore, there is no statelessness determination procedure which can lead to an official finding of statelessness to then eventually facilitate the acquisition of citizenship.  I have written about the importance of having a statelessness determination procedure here and here.  The burden under the Constitution is on the applicant to prove statelessness.  And, as always, proving a negative can be incredibly difficult.

The focus is now turning specifically to Sabah’s stateless residents. As recently as March 2019 there is evidence of the Malaysian government’s willingness to take action to legalise and document Sabah-born children which have at least one Malaysian parent 19.  The problem remains how and whether children will be able to provide the necessary proof of being born in Sabah and that one of their parents is indeed Malaysian.  Nor is it reassuring to hear that the plan remains to deport (to where, it is not clear) children with two foreign parents, or who cannot prove that they are Malaysian.

Recognition of the problem is a good start.  But recognition of the problem must involve recognition of the challenges that many of the Sabah stateless will face in providing sufficient proof of their place of birth or parents’ citizenship to benefit from any programme that helps to secure their legal identity.

ABOUT MYSELF

Assalamualaikum, hi welcome to my blog and happy visit. 

For my 1st post, i would like to introduce myself and a little bit about my background.

My name is Noor Humaira Dayini binti Juden and im 23 years old. i was born in Terengganu and have been living in Johor Bahru since my childhood as my family decided to move and follow my dad's workplace.

I am alumni from Polytechnic Jeli Kelantan and graduated Diploma in Aquaculture, under Department of Agrotechnology and Bio-Industry.

CIMB - PFA Kickoff meeting 2020

PFA sales team

after graduate, i was struggling in finding suitable job until i decided to work at Singapore
as an operator and quit at the end of my contract. luckily, i was offered as a Personal 
Financial Advisor at CIMB Bank Berhad and its been a year since i started. 

although my current job is not related to my diploma, i would take this chances to gain 
new experience and use all skill that i had learn during studies. Meanwhile, I am currently challenging myself where i decided to pursuing degree as a part time in Business Finance 
at Uitm Pasir Gudang and hoping to finish it no matter what.