Coconut Milk Overdose

Coconuts at the beach

When I was young, and before I read Michael Pollen, I loved to eat Milano cookies. I once told my mom, “I could eat one million Milanos!” My mom laughed and wisely responded, “If you eat too many, you might get sick of them.” Never, I thought, I could never be sick of Milanos! Then, on one fateful day, a sale at QFC Grocery resulted in four white bags of Milano cookies sitting in our pantry. 

It was a dream come true as I indulged in orange chocolate Milanos, raspberry Milanos, dark chocolate Milanos and of course, mint chocolate Milanos. About 30 minutes later, I started feeling funny. My stomach hurt, I got a headache, and then I flat-out passed out on the couch from my Milano overdose. When I awoke from my sugar slumber, I couldn’t even look at Milanos without feeling nauseous. I can count on one hand the number of Milanos I’ve consumed since. It was a lesson well-learned to enjoy treats in the right quantities, or so I thought. 

More than 15 years later, I suffered another overdose at Gawad Kalinga. The culprit this time? Coconut milk. 

One of the things I love about the Philippines is the common carts of fresh young coconuts that street vendors will cut open and straw-up for you to enjoy the fresh coconut water. I had happily sipped a few coconuts in this manner when I came across a coconut milk stall at a market in Angat. Here, they cut old coconuts in half, shredded the coconut meat, put the shreds in a straining cloth, and then press the liquid out of the coconut, producing a thick and creamy coconut milk.

I was so excited about my small bag of coconut milk. I brought it back to the farm, put it in the fridge to chill and waited for that moment when the heat would make me crave a cold drink. When that moment arrived, I eagerly poured the coconut milk into a glass and took a sip. I knew immediately that I shouldn’t have the whole 8oz at once because it was pretty much coconut cream. I was like, I’ll just drink a little and put the rest in the fridge. I should’ve known better because before I knew it, I had downed the cup hoping to quench my thirst (which it doesn’t do!! Go for the H2O, people, go for the H2O). 

It was Milano deja vu. First I felt my stomach. I was on the verge of throwing up, which probably would have helped. Then I got the headache, and then I just passed out for two hours. It was my body’s last line of self-defense to protect my consciousness from the poisoning power of excessive coconut milk. I felt so sick. 

Luckily, the farm is like a family and everyone made sure I was alright. Jio - my awesome, singing tour guide - went to the herb garden with me where we picked fresh peppermint and tarragon to make fresh tea. “Peppermint and tarragon grow well together, and they taste well together too,” Jio told me with his teddy-bear smile. The tea helped a lot and I can’t wait for the day when I grow my own peppermint-tarragon herb garden. 

Eventually the episode passed, and the jokes began. “Hey Willa, want some coconut milk?” was the question of the day :). So this overdose did have at least a couple of silver linings: garden fresh tea and good laughs all around. 

Amazing herb garden! 

Peppermint tarragon tea

The Power of Light

My excitement for the Philippines skyrocketed when I met Amira Polack, a wonderfully warm lady who just returned from a two-year tenure in the Philippines. She’s a Princeton grad heading to Harvard Business School, and her smiling demeanor is showcased in photos that line the walls of Manila’s EAT Cafe. Upon discovering our shared passion for social entrepreneurship, Amira introduced me to a plethora of inspiring people in the Philippines. One of these social innovators is her former boss and founder of Hybrid Social Solutions, Jim Ayala. 

Jim grew up in the Philippines and is the second oldest of six children. When he was 15, Jim’s father died prematurely, instructing Jim and his siblings to study hard and look after their mother before passing away. The Ayala children took this to heart, and all of them earned Ivy League undergraduate degrees on nearly full scholarships as well as graduate degrees from Harvard University. Jim attended Princeton and Harvard Business School before working for Mckinsey for 20 years, playing a key role in starting many of the company’s offices in Asia. He then went to work for the Ayala Land Trust, a group responsible for the development of Makati City, a posh neighborhood in Manila. It was in Jim’s beautiful Makati home that I found myself learning about how Hybrid Social Solutions is literally electrifying the rural Philippines with solar energy.

Here’s the issue (from Hybrid Social Solutions website): “one in four Filipinos, about 20 million people, lacks access to electricity…Without electricity, communities lack the basic resources for development, trapping them in a cycle of poverty, illness, and environmental detriment.” 

HSSi brings solar energy technologies to off-grid populations with a Kiva-like model. They provide solar energy and electric products like flashlights and headlights to community organizations that them distribute the products to local populations. Jim’s office is lined with a myriad of HSSi products that have effectively helped students to do better in school, improved work conditions for many and reduced livestock loss during natural disasters. 

Jim giving my friends and me an awesome demo of HSSi's work.

Prior to solar lights, students could only study until the sun went down. HSSi came up with a system where students could check out lights for a day to study, allowing them to finish their homework and study longer. One low-ranking school became one of the top-ranking schools in its district with this technology. Those who sell livestock suffer fewer losses during storms because light enables them to save chickens that would otherwise float away. This allows people to pursue economic growth with fewer bumps and stop signs. That’s the power of light.

Of course, this is just the beginning. When discussing this issue with Willerie Razote, who worked with  the Acumen Fund in Uganda, she noted that the trend with solar energy now is to go big. Small lights have changed lives, and it has inspired people to desire and innovate more. Instead of just a light for studying, they want a refrigerator so they can feed their family and reduce risk for contamination, an electrified office building, etc. HSSi has served over 100,000 Filipinos and they aspire to bring energy to all who need it in a sustainable way. 

If you’re interested in learning more or helping, HSSi is hiring and also accepts volunteers!

Jose getting us where we need to go!

10,000 Fireflies

Fireflies light up for 3 reasons:

1) to attract a mate

2) when they sense danger

3) to communicate 

As we cruised on the starlit river, the trees seemed empty and quiet. I was on a firefly watching tour and there was hardly any light in the dark maze that we had entered...until the tour guide shined a red LED light into the trees. The fireflies perceived the red-light as danger and lit up those trees like the fourth of July! Actually, they light it up like Christmas time because they make the trees look like Christmas trees adorned with lights. Hehe. It was really an incredible sight, and I loved that there was this kid on board who got everyone excited by exclaiming, “I see it!!!” every time we encountered the fireflies. Once in a while a firefly would linger on our boat like a little fairy cruising by. 

Manila pics:

Carlos Celdran Tour. Many people skip over Manila when they visit the Philippines because the pollution is rampant, and infrastructure is weak. For example, there is a path that lines the beautiful Pasay river, but no one uses it because it's accompanied by a sewer system for a majority of the way. After taking this tour, I am majorly impressed by Manila's resiliency because it's been tossed around as a way toy, moving from a mostly Muslim population to Spanish Imperialism to US and Japanese hegemony.  

Slums adjacent to more modern developments

Fried tofu for Adrian's Birthday

Adrian and Tinka

The Kong's got competition.

Visit to SmarterGood, one of many social enterprises I've visited (more to come on this).

"No Sugar (healthy)". Word. 

Korean Palace

New friends, Matt and Clint, at La Terasse. It was the Scorpian, wasn't it?

First the Banana Hostel, and now this at my Cebu Hostel? The Cosmos is working. 

Salt-water Snorkling

February 13, 2014

Honda Bay is an open water marine scene consisting of 60 islands big and small. At 6:30am I hopped into a van full of tourists in Puerto Princesa to go island hopping in the Bay. First stop: Starfish Island, known for the starfish. I went snorkeling for the first time and was blown away when I ducked my head under water. Right next to my feet were little fish dancing around. There was a Nemo, a dory, a jellyfish, schools of small blackfish, a long skinny clear one and one guy that kept swimming right at my goggles. It was peeking at another world, and I was humming “Woowww” the whole time. 

About 50 feet from the shoreline, the ground dips sharply into a world of coral, sea urchins and fish. There was life that I have gone unaware of for most of my life. And with a snorkel, you can float and observe for extended periods of time. We were in clear saltwater so my skin got a nice exfoliation over the next day and now my epidermis is feeling smooth as silk. 

After a yummy lunch with eggplant and rice, we hopped to Sinking Island, so named because it submerges completely with the tide. There was a diving board there and I reminisced on my diving days by doing a front flip into the water, which shot a bunch of salt water up my nose. Boy did that to clear my sinuses :). 

When I wasn’t in the water, I hung out with the my tour-mates. I don’t know how it started, but it became a thing for everyone to say “Willa!!!!” throughout the day. “Wiillllaa, don’t forget your shoes! Willaa, try to feed the fish! Willlaa, we can watch your stuff!” Or just, “Willlaaa!!” for kicks. I thought this was nice because everyone was looking out for me. There was a group of older Filipino Americans and two American guys, Matt and Clint, that I enjoyed sipping coconuts with. 

Matt and Clint and I laughed so hard about scorpions, and cricket. After the tour, we all had dinner at La Terasse, another delicious recommendation from Adrian. Then we invented a special Puerto Princesa bar crawl, hitting up some sweet spots including one with live Filipino bands singing Bob Marley and island tunes. After some local Red Horse Beers, we walked down to a shack called “Street Bar,” which was literally a bar in the street. Finally, we ended up at Tiki Bar where I had a mango banana smoothie, watched 15 year olds tear up the dance floor, and did the shopping cart to an Asian band doing covers of Kesha. Win. 

Pics or it didn't happen:

My ride and company in Puerto Princesa

Veggie Dish and coconut banana smoothie at Kalui restaurant, recommended by my sister, Diana, and Adrian.

Whoever said not to play with your food is missing out. Look, it’s a “W” made of grape seaweed!

Smiling seaweed. Hehe.

Fruit bowl for dessert. 

Poster for free Zumba! Apparently it’s a thing to do this at the mall. 

Red bananas!

Odysseus set sail...except with neon green and pink flags.

Stylish water shoes that everyone had to wear. They each held about a pound of water.

Shipmates

The view, reminded me of Seattle.

Cupid banana

Captain Wentzie and the crew.

This is a real starfish! Photo cred to Cap W.

Me and Captain Wentzie!

Hike to Heaven

Flotation meditation

This is the office of the Mayor of Cebu. Jk! He just donated the backboards. Nice marketing.

Huge sound system on the back of a truck.

Nice People

Oh, Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Hope it was awesome and filled with love and appreciation for family, friends and SO’s.

In the recent days, I have lost count of how many times I have said “You are so nice. Thank you!” Here are some stories of nice people:

Nice Family #1: Marjorie, her son, Leon, and her brother:

I found a great coffee shop called Brown Cup to do some reading and catch up on emails. I asked the barista if there was a gym nearby because I was itching to try Zumba in the Philippines. The waiter didn’t know, but the woman next to me chimed in with a suggestion. We started chatting and I met her son, Leon, who is 5 years old, has curly hair, and kept saying, “Mommy, I love you!” What a good little support system. 

Then Marjorie’s brother came and suggested a yoga place in town, and then Marjorie called her cousin who gives hiking tours to see if he could give me a tour, and then she gave me her number in case I needed anything! 

Nice Person #2:

My Zumba teacher in Cebu!

This guy was great and danced to "Rodeo Romeo!"

Nice Family #3: 

Allyssa Camiso and her parents. My good friend and T-Rex leader, Josh Gross, introduced me to this family that he was close with when he lived in Cebu. I ended up celebrating Valentine’s Day with them at the Radisson Blu and they are amazing people. They took me to an incredible nature hike/playground because they knew I like active outdoor activities with fresh air. 

One of the few negative aspects of the Philippines is that the air is quite polluted because the majority of the vehicles emit potent fumes. But not at Uncle Rick’s and Auntie Nelda’s nature getaway. Rick and Nelda are the Camiso’s good friends, and they are developing a pristine plot of land in the mountains of Cebu. They didn’t know we were coming, but they were so excited when they saw us,  saying “come in! I have cake. try this banana and go explore the playground!” Their warmth and hospitality are traits I hope to develop and emulate in my lifetime. 

Uncle Rick, Auntie Nelda, Mr. and Mrs. Camiso, Allyssa and me

What's that??

On a related note, I feel strongly that everyone should have a community where they can share their success and confide any conundrums weighing on their minds. The research on the positive effects of strong social support systems on health, crime, economics and every aspect of life is undeniable. I like being the place where friends think to go when they want to talk or just read/sit quietly with company. It’s always an honor when a buddy knocks or calls or emails randomly and I feel that people encourage this where I've been traveling. 

Taiwan

I love bananas. So much so that I spent several months trying to invent the ultimate banana case. The existing plastic ones are too bulky and impractical. I wanted to create a case that could cater to each individual banana’s length, width, and degree of curvature. It would defend the fruit from any bag-mates  that might bruise this wonderful snack. And, the case would collapse for easy-storage after each use.

I spoke with Harvard professors of engineering about potential materials, and brainstormed with Katherine Groesbeck, an artist and design guru, outside of Theo’s chocolate in Seattle. The momentum fizzled after a great comedy sketch about banana cases by David Letterman, but maybe I’ll return to this venture later. In the meantime, I kicked off my travels in Taiwan, a small island nation off the southeast coast of China. 

Looking at the myriad of hostel options, I wasn’t sure how to decide. Hostelworld, a great site for booking hostels, had a plethora of information to consider: location, price, ratings, number of ratings, etc. Then I found it: the Banana Hostel. Its description read, “if you’re a bananaholic, this is the place for you.”

That settled it. I booked a room for 4 nights and it was one of the best hostels I have ever stayed in. There were complementary bananas 24/7, banana bread on the weekends, wonderful staff, an extremely convenient location and curtains around the dorm beds that provide privacy when you need it. I highly recommend this place for any Taipei bound travelers. Here's some photos:

Tai chi in 2/28 Memorial Park

Dumplings from the world famous Din Tai Fung

All gone!

Awesome buns being cooked on the side of barrel ovens at Shilin Night Market

Watching this night market game was one of the funniest moments of my trip. Contestants are given a sledgehammer to try and smash water balloons as they come flying out of a slide. It is difficult to time and the whole crowd would be like “oh! too early! too late!” every time someone missed. As I laughed with the collective , I was thinking, “who invented this??”

Hike up Yangmingshan

Please note all facials in this photo

Noodle soup artist

A word of caution from the ATM, “Attention the gangster may use the English operation interface to cheat you.” 

Sweet potatoes baking in a barrel oven = yummy!! 

Lunch with hostel friends. I had done all my laundry that day except for my pajama pants so they kindly lent me a jacket and scarf. 

This one's for you, Tracy Han: Pooh Bear on the 1819 Express bus from the airport

The immaculately clean MRT/subway system in Taipei. Note tape to organize waiting/exit areas.

Can you get more serious than this about the ABC’s? Yao for the win.

Malt milk