Obscure Journey

It seems that talking about a person's weight turned into a taboo subject as it always ends up in a 'body shaming' topic. It seems everyone likes to point how the others are worse looking ... but they forget to look into their conscience mirror to see how ugly their thinking is.

I'm not here to promote any secret magical diet given to me by Fairies. Sorry :( It's not because I don't want to share, but because I have yet to meet said Fairies. I also don't want to tell you "You absolutely MUST lose weight" because in the end, it is your life and your body and you have the right to control them as you think it's fit.

That being said, in a much earlier post I promised I would tell you more about how I managed to lose some weight. I never got around to do it.. until now.

Why did you want to lose weight?

The reasons for which I wanted to lose weight are simple: I couldn't fit into my pants anymore and I didn't want to go shopping for others as I really liked what I owned. I always bought larger shirts, so that wasn't an issue. Just my pants.

So, what did you do to lose weight?

Let's make a few things clear, shall we?

1. I dislike working out - especially running or jogging.

2. I'm trying hard to use my common sense.

3. My common sense tells me that most "losing weight diets" don't give long lasting results.

The first thing I did was analyzing my diet AKA what was I eating and when. I discovered:

1. I would eat the most in the evening and then I would go to sleep.

2. I also found out I was eating a lot of bread and not enough fruits and vegetables.

3. My eating pattern wasn't  'regular' - I never ate at the same hours.

When I realized a few of the things I was 'doing wrong,' I decided it was time to change all that. I never tried to follow this or that "losing weight recipe," but I did try to see a common pattern in them and follow that instead.

I cut down on bread to the point of not eating any at all with any of my meals. I was left still hungry at first. Then, an idea occurred to me: what if I ate SLOWER by chewing my food more? and what if I drank more water?

This actually worked! I would chew more, and therefore I got the impression I was fuller! There is science behind this, so feel free to go search it yourself to convince yourself. I also started to eat more vegetables and white meat [just chicken, though I like fish too].

Not eating in the evening was the most difficult part though. I went and drank water every time I felt hungry. I started hating the water :( However, in the end, not eating in the evening started to feel OK, even normal...?

Another change I made was paying attention to how much I ate, AKA the size of my portions. Eating smaller portions means less ingested calories as well.

Did these changes do anything?

You mean, if I saw any positive results? Yes, I did. Or I wouldn't have written this.

I do have to mention the results weren't fast, like say in 1 week, but maybe more like a month? One month is the earliest I started to see a difference.

You should know that this "common sense diet" is actually a change in lifestyle. It doesn't make one obsessed with counting calories, though doing that would help in faster results. I wouldn't recommend it though. This "diet" doesn't force one say "oh, I can't have cake because I'm dieting," because you can eat anything you want, just not too much.

Do you have any further tips?

Well, if you insist, the last piece of advice I have for you is to look for those diets doctors insist diabetic people follow. They are specially designed to keep diabetes and weight in check, and why wouldn't they help other people as well?

If you like working out, you will also see faster results and your body will tone up as well.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful.

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

Hello world.

Today's topic is something we all should think about. Today's topic is one of the reasons I started writing this blog. I'm not a good person, or better said, I'm not as good as I would like to be. However, this is something that defines "being a human, " isn't it?

But, what does "good person" mean?

"Good person" means anything you want it to mean. It can be a person with a kind heart who cares about the pain other people feel. It can be someone who simply wants to help everyone in need, be it a person, animal, plant, cause, insect, alien... you get the point.

A "good person" can be someone who wants to be the best at doing something: their job, a hobby, at school.. the list goes on.

Can I be or become a good person?

This sounds like a really silly question. Of course you can be! Anyone can become a good individual if they so want. How to become a better person is a topic better discussed in a different entry though.

Back to the current subject, now.

What I noticed is that many people are mean these days. And with each passing day they become more and more mean. I wonder why is this happening.. It can't be terrorism. Or not just that.

I think it's because people take for granted way too many things these days, and each of them has the impression they rule the Universe when it's the Universe ruling us. You don't believe me? Just think about who gives birth: the Universe decided only women can give birth. This is just one sign that the Universe rules over us.

Sadly, everywhere I go I see someone bearing hate feelings towards another. I see hate speech, hateful behavior, and a general lack of respect. All of these are proof that people are not "good." A good person wouldn't do all the above.

Ironically, there is a whole group of people that recently emerged. This group of individuals put up an image of "promoting love, kindness, and consideration towards others," .... but by preaching. Preaching is not "being a good person either." Preaching is trying to give the impression the person is loftier than the rest, but they actually aren't because they still use a hateful speech when addressing others. This aspect is easily seen online when people discuss a controversial subject.

Trying to think of alternative ways of saying something can make you a better person. Walking away from a conflict can be a sign of a wiser or better person, and not sign of weakness. Announcing you're walking away from the conflict doesn't make you a better person though: you have to simply walk away and forget about it.

Am I good or better person by saying all of the above? No. What I'm saying here is something I may be doing wrong and I hope to help the readers to avoid making the same mistakes and choose to be better. 

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

What's up guys?

This entry is not motivational, or at least that's not my current intention. What I want to talk about is what I noticed that changed since I started waking up early.

βΑ¢ΚŠτØℜϒ  - that should read backstory, in case you can't see the characters-

I work as a freelance writer for 5 and a half years now. Like most writers and freelancers I discovered that I'm more inspired to write at night - not to mention that my days were also filled with other activities and chores.

This meant I would end up going to bed really and I mean REALLY late. Think of 1 am which slowly and steady reached 3 and 4 am, sometimes even 6 or 7 am, just to finish a task.

I need to sleep at least 8 hours every night, so I would wake up not earlier than 10 am. During 2015 I would wake up at 1 pm or even 2 pm at times, even if I was asleep at 4 am.  This wasn't good for me ... mentally.

tip: ƒ¡ηР¡ηšΡ¡ℜα†¡Øη! - that reads "find inspiration!"

I also was [and still am] watching the videos posted by Grace about her daily life in Japan. I watched them and I started feeling ashamed of myself.

I'm not saying she leads a perfect life, but in my opinion hers seems more put together than mine. She's also a blogger and a freelancer, so I kinda started looking up to her.

I guess her videos started to inspire and motivate me [if just a little bit] to want to be more proactive in taking control of my life. But the first step was to control my sleeping pattern.

I needed a change. And the change came.

The Change - that reads "the change"

I decided I should search for a 9-to-5 job to make sure I earn more money - I really want to buy a house [=house around here means apartment, and translated to a place that I could call "my own"].

This type of job means I would have to wake up earlier than what I was used to in the past few years. MUCH EARLIER. Of course, that is easier said than done. And it also meant I would have to go to bed earlier as well.

I forgot how I started doing it, but I did. I most likely started to set the alarm to ring throughout the morning and to make an effort to get up from the bed each time - I would go use the toilet or drink some water. It did took a lot of will power, but it had to be done. But then I would go back to sleep and repeat till 1 or 2 in the afternoon, every 2 hours.

TIP:  If you want to make sure you get up at a certain hour, place the alarm across the room: you'll be forced to get up from the bed to stop it. 

While I did manage to start adjusting to being waken up throughout the morning, I still wouldn't manage to be in bed earlier.

However, the "secret" was to remain awake at an earlier hour: say, 9 or 10 am. In the evening, the body would be too tired to be able to still stay awake till wee hours. I managed to do that and it started working. My sleeping pattern started to slowly improve.

In the end I did find a job and I was forced to wake up at 6 am. It was still way early for me. That job wasn't meant to be, but I did learn some stuff, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Plus I got paid too, so I can't complain too much - plus I'm trying to be positive here ;) .

†Η€ ρℜ€š€η† - that reads "the present"

Currently I wake up at 8 am, though the alarm is set for 7:51 am, no exceptions allowed. This means that even on Saturdays and Sundays I continue waking up at the same hour. I go to bed at midnight sharp and I get enough sleep.

Of course, I was forced to go to bed later than midnight, however I still insisted in waking up at 8. I only lingered in bed till 9 for two days [one of them being today] and I'm not happy about it.

I do consider that sometimes is OK to wake up a bit later, especially if there is nothing waiting to be done on the spot. I just need to make sure this doesn't slowly revert to my old habits.

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

Hello everyone reading this~~

Today's topic is cleaning - cleaning the house, that is. I decided to share some of my thoughts and observations after I started cleaning my apartment. This post is actually a rant - therefore simply my thoughts. Look forward to my next posts related to my observations, some "useful" advice, AND why I like cleaning.  [I'm not sure of their order though.]

First of all, I must say I am really bad at cleaning. I am a pretty messy person. Well, to my defense, there are people way worse than me and others who are far better than me at cleaning or keeping their stuff in order. I wish I belonged in this second group. Who know, maybe after I'm done with it all, I will slowly feel more motivated to stay organized and trying to keep up the clean state of things.

it never lasts for long

What I dislike the most about this chore, is that no more than 2 days pass since it's completed, and things magically go back to the way they were before the action. At this point I'm too tired and in pain to be able to start it all over again.

it's so tiresome

I guess, I was never used to physical activity, and even something as simple as cleaning get's me super tired. The worst part is that my spine starts hurting BADLY if I stay in certain positions for too long. The most common position is partly bend forward - used when doing dishes, using the vacuum, and mopping.

it takes so much time

The apartment is not very big, and there aren't THAT many things to clean. Regardless, it still takes time. I have to use the vacuüm properly to make sure no crumbs and cat hair is left, then I have to mop making sure no streaks are left on the floor, and then I should be dusting.

I believe it takes about 2 hours to vacuüm the place. Then, while mopping, I have to change the water from time to time when it gets too dirty. This might also take another 2 hours. I never checked, but next time, I will. By the time I get to dusting I'm too tired and in too much pain to continue.

the cleaning products are not that good

I will leave the vacuum out of it for now, and I'll complain about the chemical solutions used to actually clean things.

I tried several brands of floor cleaning products. The mop with strings leaves ugly marks on the tile floor I have. Granted, they're seen only in the light, at an angle - I hate that! There are various solutions I use - some leave marks, and some don't leave as many. None of them leaves the floor as shiny as the ad or the package claims. Same goes for the solution that removes dust off the furniture. Luckily my furniture is not the shiny type, but matte. I would die if my shiny furniture would become matte because of the bad solutions in the store.

What I mentioned above applies to the products used against old grease and limescale. Rubbing and scrubbing grease seems more effective than products for this purpose, but it's so tiresome.

skin on my hands becomes so dry

I tried using gloves. Several times. They broke within minutes of putting them on, and they were brand new. This happened while I was doing the dishes. Doing the dishes is a simple task I do daily [or almost daily, depending on the amount of dishes I have]. I guess I still have to try using gloves? or find a good hand cream for me.

With results that don't last, cleaning products that are not as good as expected, and getting all sorts of back pains, it's really no wonder I'm not THAT good at cleaning. Or that willing to complete this chore.

And you? Is cleaning such a difficult chore for you? Is it easy for you to keep up a clean state of things? Please share!

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

Last week I went out to have a drink and relax. I had no idea where to go and I just wandered around until I found this cafe called The Drunken Lords.

The cafe, or bar -as I'm not entirely sure what its label is- is located in the Historic Center of Bucharest. This area is full of cafes, restaurants, bars, night clubs, and even random shops, especially those selling wedding gowns. I may show some of these stores in a future entry.

I never went here before, and I often go to new places just because. The downside is that I never know how the service or the drinks are. I came up with a simple and rather sure way of testing out new cafes. I will share my observations with you, because you know, "sharing is caring," and I started this blog for this particular reason.

Check out the atmosphere of the place.

This means you need to observe "each detail." For instance, what do the seats and the tables look like? Do they seem comfortable? How many people can they accommodate? What type of decorations are there on the walls? Is there a funny scent, or is it too smoky?

The Drunken Lords had tables for two but tables for 4 or 6 persons as well. The  owner or the designer thought about using a combination of chairs and sofas [or couches] to appeal to the preferences of more people.

I sat on a chair, while my friend used the sofa to sit at the same table.

I really liked the wall decor and this is why I took two pictures of it. One of the walls was completely covered in these old books - most likely nobody would have read them anymore. Among all those books, some really old fashion suitcases were also sprinkled. You can actually see a little bit of one of them in the above picture.

I didn't take a better picture because it took me minute to realize what was I looking at, and was feeling self conscious taking pictures. On another wall, the designer used the portrait of a gentleman [see below] - too bad my phone and the spotlight were at a bad angle. I really liked how the middle section was left as it was while the upper and the lower sections seem painted over.

Check the bathroom

You may not need to go, but you should still go wash your hands before consuming anything. This is exactly what I also did. Having a look at the cafe's restroom is a great indicator of the care they put in serving their clients.

Luckily most of the restrooms I went to while being at a cafe, were CLEAN. They might not have someone to clean the place after each person, nor advanced Japanese toilets, but you won't feel like throwing up while walking in there.

I never sit on the toilet seat, but that's a different story. This restroom was not only clean, but it was nicely scented too. They have one for the ladies and one for the gents, separated, unlike many other places. 2 people can go in 2 separate stalls at the same time, and there were 2 sinks with soap and paper towel dispensers as well.

Can you tell I was nicely impressed?

Pay attention to the staff

Of course, many people would pay attention to the staff, and notice faster if the staff is rude or not polite enough. The guys on duty on that evening were all smiles and excited to talk to me and my friend. This made the experience more relaxed and much more pleasant.

There is one slight minus that happens virtually everywhere I go: when the order came, there was no napkin in sight! 0.0 I realized this when it was too late, and took my own out [taken from another cafe. When our waiter noticed, he got upset, but he didn't say a word. ooops] I should have asked for some, but I'm not sure why I didn't.

The way your bill is presented at the end is also important. Since you're going to a more fancy place, you should receive it inside a little something, and not just given in your hand. Different locations have different ways of presenting it: in glasses, inside small fancy looking boxes, or specially created cases.

Place your order

This step is one of the most important one when going to a cafe or restaurant. However you must be prepared ahead of time.

What I like doing is quite simple, and uses common sense [I noticed not many people still have it these days, sadly].

I order some drinks I really like and that are super easy to get right or fail. [Well, I also pay attention to the quantity and the price, to see how 'fair' they are or if they're trying to rip customers off - this is something that happens at times].

We ordered a lemonade and a hot chocolate with a side of a standard drink - Pepsi Cola [hey, Pepsi folks! can I get some change here for advertising your drink? =P LOL]. Pepsi was the last resort if we hated the other two drinks ;)

Lemonade is something REALLY easy to make. And it might sound ridiculous to some of those reading this entry, but I had a few places bringing me a NASTY lemonade. If they don't know how to make a decent lemonade, how are they going to make other more complicated drinks?

The staff at The Drunken Lords made a nice lemonade for me. Its size was decent too - not too large and not too small either. I also found its price rather fair, so I can't complain in this regard.

Hot chocolate is something that I had a bad experience with on a few occasions. This one was a good one, and therefore I have no complaints here either. The bad experiences were related to watered down chocolate, and the drink not being hot enough [at the same time too at least once], OR it being a pudding chocolate.

Hot chocolate is supposed to be like hot Nutella and a bit more creamy or liquid when hot. And the barista at The Drunken Lords did just that. YAY! [can I get some cash for advertising Nutella as well?]

All in all, I had a nice time there. I also liked it because at the time it was mostly empty, so it was more quiet. The music was nice as well. At least in the beginning of my stay, because I can't remember the whole playlist, but the music was pleasant all the way.

If you're in Bucharest, you should totally check this place out. This is their website.

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved. Re-edited in March 2018.

It's been a long time - my offline life changed for a while, now it seems to be back to 'normal.' I just want to share a few thoughts and insights regarding the life of a blogger [or a vlogger].

I'm not going to lie here: I read several blogs and follow several vloggers on Youtube. What's more is that they seem to lead a perfect or ideal life - it most certainly looks better than mine, from my point of view.

But that's just MY point of view.

However, I did notice how others seem to share this impression, but the reality is different.

The internet is everyone's tool and chance to become famous.  Or to at least get noticed a little.

Some people are more successful or lucky than others, and they become quite famous online. Some of them use their online fame to make a change in the [offline] world around them.

This is something I also secretly dream of. But I'm not going to put my hopes too high.

In any case, I recently realized that most of us that decided to share our experiences with the world have one thing in common:

We present a chopped, idealized reality.

And we do so because we want to inspire others to be better people and not do the mistakes we make. You could say we are selling dreams.

The internet is literally a shopping street, and with the right tools, some of us can show you our dreams while earning some money as well.

I did mention before that some bloggers and vloggers share their experiences and opinions as to inspire others as well. Some of them started their blogs and channels from a passion they had - beauty, fashion, gaming - or because they have a rare life-style - married to people from a different culture, living in a foreign country, so on.

Everyone wants to lead a better life, and some people are simply scared to do what it takes to live their dreams.

All bloggers and vloggers took it upon themselves to show the world that it is not impossible to live a [near] impossible dream.

It just takes a lot of hard work, courage, and will power.

They are showing the world no dream is impossible if enough passion is used while working. Some of them managed to start their own businesses through which they do whatever they can to help other people to follow their dreams for a better life.

A blogger's life is not perfect, because they are just humans, and there is no perfect human out there. They might have reached the "star" status, but even so, not even "stars" have a perfect life.

Bloggers choose to show the better parts of their life for two reasons:

1. life is too short and full of negativity and they [we] choose to spread a positive attitude and energy.
2. one cannot inspire others into become better and more brave by sharing the bad parts in their life.

I hope you can now better understand why the life of a blogger seems perfect, but it actually isn't.

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

(if you want to, of course)

This post is not meant as a brag, nor as a judgment towards those who don't do what I'll talk about next.

Being Eco-friendly is seen as a good thing these days. And why shouldn't it be? We actually take care of our planet by paying attention to what and how much we consume or throw away.

But what inspired this post?

You wouldn't believe me, but my kitchen sink clogged and my floor flooded as a result. The clog was well down the pipe, in the wall, and pretty bad. I used some products for this issue, and I thought I got rid of it, but I was wrong.

I tried doing the dishes in the bathroom, but it was a nightmare, and not very hygienic. Then, a better idea popped into my head!

Why not using the kitchen sink, but letting it drain into a large bucket? [you know until the plumber would come to fix it] I used the bucket meant for mopping. The idea worked like a charm! But there was still one tiny problem: the bucket would contain just so much water and needed me to empty it constantly. 

Of course, I needed a different solution. The solution was to use less water when doing the dishes. Said Thought and done! This second solution worked even better: I needed to empty my bucket more rarely. YAY!

I used the method for some 3 or 4 days, and noticing just how much water I'm wasting scared me. It scared me because I never realized just how much water I use.

I then noticed the same thing when showering, because guess what? A few days after I manage to have my sink fixed, my tub's drain pipe got clogged as well. I never saw the clog from the kitchen, but the one in the bathroom looked as if the ghost from The Grudge would emerge from there at any minute. 

I had to shower while containing the water in the tub, and then remove it somehow else with buckets, and what not. I almost never leave the shower running while using shampoo or shower gel. I removed about 4 or 5 buckets of water.

I think this is a lot. It didn't look like a lot, and perhaps other people use more water. But, do we really need to use 4 or 5 buckets of water? I think not!

For instance, sometime last year, they had to stop the hot running water, and it was actually during one of the cold months. I clearly needed to shower, and I boiled 1 big pot of water. When I used it, I mixed it with cold water, so it would have a good temperature. Do you want to know the result?

It was enough! I managed to wash my long hair, use conditioner, wash my body, and then properly rise everything off!

One thing IS certain: even if I mixed cold and hot water in a proportion of 1:1 I wouldn't have had 4 or 5 buckets at the end, but 2 big pots of water just good to wash my body and hair with.

So, what am I doing wrong? Why do I waste so much water? Anyone experience this? Talk about your experiences in the comments below!

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

Or for cold winter days, depending on how you serve it, of course. If you want it hot, it's ideal in winter, and if you want it cold, have it in summer!

Be warned that in winter zucchini is more expensive, since it's in season in summer.

Yesterday I received these beautiful zucchini, and I decided to cook them. I really like zucchini food, more than any other way of preparing zucchini. These are brought from the countryside and are grown in a bio way, as people here don't like tasteless food ingredients.

The recipe is super easy and you don't need many things at all. Additionally, many other recipes follow a similar pattern, so if you know one recipe, you can make several types of foods.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium sized zucchini

• some salt - about a teaspoon
• some oil - 2 or 3 table spoons?
• some condiments - I used black pepper
• some tomato sauce
• some all purpose flour

METHOD

• Pour the oil in a pot and turn on the fire or heat.
• Dice the zucchini and drop them in the pot.

• Sprinkle with salt and set to cook with a lid covering them.
• Mix from time to time with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• You have about an hour till they're done cooking.
• At the end, you will want to sprinkle your condiments, add the tomato sauce, and some all purpose flour if you find it the food liquid.
• You might want to continue cooking for some 10 minutes more at this point, or turn off the heat and let it sit covered for the same amount of time.
• Serve in a dish, either hot or cold, however you prefer!

NOTES

• You can cook this with chopped onion if you like. You'll have to saute the onion a little before adding the zucchini. Some people say it tastes better, but I disagree.
• You don't need to add any water to this food because the zucchini will provide plenty.

I hope you'll like it if you decide to try it out!

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

And you should too!

This is my review for the Texan in Tokyo blog... and books. Too bad Grace gave up blogging. The site no longer exists :( 

"read" is past tense ;)

DISCLAIMER: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. I used these affiliate links to give you the option to check the item out or something similar to it, for yourself, if you so wish, through a well-trusted seller. While I will be very glad if you buy any of the linked items, the decision to do so or not, belongs to you. Thank you for reading!  

WHY DO YOU REVIEW IT?

1. I really like reading it! And the comics are so lightweight, they relax me!

2. It has comics too! [see above, and below!]

3. I learn about different cultures! And I mean, I learn a lot of things, especially differences. I can compare to m reality and try and see if I could live in a country on a planet of its own, Japan. I can try and realize if I could have a Japanese or Asian partner.

4. There are 2 published books - and the 3rd is about to come out! - featuring some of the published comics and blog entries.

5. I forgot my other reasons :P

WHAT LANGUAGE IS IT IN?

The author is from Texas, therefore the blog and comics are written in English. As you can see in the featured images.

WHO'S WRITING THE BLOG AND DRAWING THE COMICS?

The author's name is Grace Buchele Mineta. She is married to a Japanese guy whose name is Ryosuke. I'm not sure how to read Buchele - is it with an H-sound, or with an SH-sound [like in French]? I don't know, but this is Grace' maiden name. So, there! now you're a few steps closer to becoming another stalker of Grace.

But if you really want to know more about her, go check out the blog, comics, and her videos! Grace uploads videos as well, on her YouTube channel!

WHAT IS THE BLOG ABOUT?

Grace blogs about her life in Japan. This comic here shows a major difference between dating in Japan and dating in USA, for example, but you have to read the explanation as well to understand the situation better.

Most of the comics talk about cultural differences: what Japanese people think is normal, no matter the situation, we, people in the West, may perceive weird or down right rude.

Her blog entries talk about various hardships she's facing and how she deals with them, how she learned is better to deal with, and self encouragement.

Grace also talks about her experience as a Caucasian woman married to an Asian man... This subject seems to be a hot topic for everyone having the slightest interest in Asian culture. Of course, each AMWF relationship [this is how you currently call this type of marriage - Asian male, white female] is different, and it depends on many factors.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS BLOG/COMICS?

1. There's no color: I can use my imagination to fill in the colors. YAY!

2. I can relate to some situations. I can also understand others better when there is an image.

3. The writing style is so informal, like talking to old friends. Grace is one of those authors who writes the way she talks, and I really like this. Her stories become more personal, more funny, more alive.

4. Each comic comes with a short explanation: just click the link under the comic above, and see for yourself!

5. I never know what topic comes next! The chapters are rarely connected, and this is exciting!

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT THEM?

I honestly feel that sometimes, some of the entries may need more explaining. But I learned [quite the hard way] that usually more explaining is worse than little or no explanation. Most likely, Grace also learned this, and quite frankly, this is not something I would really complain about

YOU MENTIONED SOME BOOKS. WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THEM?

Grace said she has been blogging about her life in Japan for 3 years. She said she also has a lot of unpublished material, so she decided to make some books out that. She self-published, and her books can be found on Amazon, and even Etsy for those who want a signed copy! How cool is that?

WOULD YOU BUY HER BOOKS?

YES! I'd buy them and then start coloring them :P LOL - Don't judge me, I read yesterday that adults benefit from coloring as well, not just kids do. It's scientific [but you'll have to search for that article by yourself].

Truthfully, I didn't buy any of the books yet. 

Well, this is my review for the blog Texan in Tokyo, or How I became Texan. I hope you liked it, and I hope you'll go check it out!

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

through my diet.

Disclaimer: the drawings are mine. I signed them with my previous blog and author identities.

Hello there.

Everyone has body odor. It is one of the things humans and animals have in common. The body odor is used by animals and by humans for different purposes:

• to recognize one another - this is why dogs bark at strangers: they don't recognize their scent.
• to select a mate - be honest: how many times have you been attracted to a person whose BO you disliked?         I thought so
• to identify an ailment - sure, not all illnesses will change your BO, but some do.

However, as mean or racial as this sounds like, based on your race, you may smell more than other people. In case you didn't know, East Asian people are the ones with least body odor on the planet. Among them, Koreans take the cake.

Of course, genetics also play an important role in how a person smells like naturally. Science showed us how some inactive genes mean that the person will have minimal body odor. These inactive genes can be found in some non-East Asian people. There are many other websites out there with better, in depth information on why we have body odor.

But this is not all there is to the BO we dislike so much:

What we eat, and sometimes the medicine we take also alters our body's odor, and how strong it is. What I wanted to talk about was how my diet helped me reduce my body's bad odor.

Now, remember:

 

I still have unpleasant body odor and I still sweat, so my BO is NOT completely gone. It is simply reduced, meaning while I still smell, it is not as strong as bad as it used to be!

The first thing you need to know is that I have bad stomach burns when I eat certain foods, especially spicy or fried stuff. What I did was to reduce to a minimum these types of foods. That's because, let's be honest:  they are yummy! You might think that this has nothing to do with how a person smells like, but it does!

Think about kimchi, pickles, or sour cabbage: they're delicious, right? But, don't they have some strong scent about them? Well, that scent is carried inside your stomach through the food itself, then it passes into your blood, and then to all of your body's cells, including the skin. The skin sweats, and that sweat contains remnants of the stinky food you had. Do your biology homework, and see that I'm right! - or use your common sense-

Secondly, all that fried oil is full of toxins:  the more toxins you put in your system, the more bad body odor you release. Related to these toxins, I also gave up eating processed meats like hotdogs, sausages, and salamis. Ever checked to discover the real ingredients in these things? All I have to say is EWWW!

Then, I gave up touching and consuming garlic and onion. O_O YES! These 2 beloved aromatic plants were the ones guilty of most of my bad body odor. ;-; You know how bad your hands smell like after you peel and chop an onion bare handed? I dare you: try it out!

You probably have one question in mind right now:

How do you know garlic and onion made you smell bad? The answer is so easy, you won't believe it!

After a few months of not eating these things I randomly had them is some dishes I got from relatives. They had cooked more food than they could eat and they shared it with me. They didn't know I was 'dieting' and therefore not eating some of the ingredients. Any ways, I'm not the person to throw away foods without even trying them out.

I forgot if they had only onion (I know for sure they had onion, as my relatives never cook without it), or if there was some garlic in there too. In any case, the next day I could feel a strange scent around me, before showering. The feeling was BIZARRE, haha. It took me several minutes the culprit was my body!

Sadly, I could feel the scent even after showering! I felt it until the next day! I am not sure if by then I got used to it or it was gone. :/ What I do know is that I did throw away the left over food I received. Since then, I pay even more attention to what I eat.

Now don't get me wrong: I also don't eat onion and garlic because they're bad for my stomach. I was never OK after eating them: I would either throw up without wanting or suffer with stomach burns. I thought it was normal, because I imagined everyone was feeling that and they just wouldn't talk about it. :(

Later on, or better said, in the recent years I found out I was wrong.

In any case, reducing or eliminating foods that cause a bad body scent is not enough. You will still sweat, I know I do, and it still is unpleasant. I still need a good deodorant, though I prefer a good antiperspirant. Showering daily is something that should be a given and not even mentioned, along with making sure to wear clean clothes. Of course, this can't apply to those who consider water as a luxury.

I recently learned that  Japanese people, I believe it is mostly the ladies doing this, carry wet napkins [handkerchiefs] with them every day and everywhere they go. Apparently, they use it to remove excessive sweat, refresh and cool their bodies, and to clean their hands when needed. I think my summer bag will be a bit fuller this year.

How about you: What do you do to keep nasty body odor at bay? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.