Doneaza!

Imi amintesc fericirea pe care o simteam cand eram mica (mai exact pe la inceputul anilor '90) cand primeam "ajutoare" din strainatate. Ajungeau la mine prin bunica mea care era infirmiera la spitalul din Gaesti sau prin mama mea, profesoara la o scoala pentru copii cu dizabilitati de vedere. Nu era nimic special acolo decat cateva hainute, plastelina, carioci, culori cerate, ceva jucarii de plus si joculete. O gramada de prostiute care deveneau jucariile mele si cele mai pretioase comori din dulap.

Asa ca, imi place sa intorc aceasta bucurie incercand de fiecare data sa imi donez lucrurile. De cativa ani imi fac cu regularitate curat in dulap si "scap" de lucrurile pe care nu le mai folosesc: jucarii, carti, gablonturi, genti, incaltaminte, haine, aparate electronice etc. Sunt sigura ca nu sunt singura care are cel putin un moment de shopping compulsiv si dupa o luna/ doua isi da seama fie ca nu a purtat niciodata acel lucru, fie ca de fapt mai avea ceva foarte similar, fie ca acum poarta numai obiectul acela vestimentar si altele au ramas uitate pe raft. Ca sa nu fac erori imi donez lucrurile la sfarsit de sezon, cand inainte de a le pune la naftalina, trec prin ele si selectez tot ce nu am purtat in acel sezon si are sanse mari sa nu mai fie purtat de acum. La inceput nu mi-a fost usor. Ma atasez cu usurinta de obiecte si imi e greu sa dau ceva ce imi apartine...asa exercitiul se transforma si intr-un tratament foarte bun.

Ce fac cu lucrurile?

Din prima tura de curatenie am vandut multe obiecte, in special vestimentare/ electronice, prin contul meu de Okazii. Erau lucruri noi sau care aveau o oarecare valoare. Jumatate din tot ceea ce vindeam donam la Asociatia Robi.

O mare parte din lucrurile mele a ajuns la un eveniment caritabil de suflet: Save and Shop, Care and Give. Un proiect caritabil unde prin vanzarea de obiecte donate se colecteaza fonduri pentru cateva adaposturi de animale din Bucuresti. Este un loc absolut minunat ce ar trebui vizitat nu doar pentru a dona dar si pentru a cumpara si ajuta. Mi-am gasit aici numeroare lucruri minunate.

Jucariile s-au dus toate la mama la gradinita pentru hipoacuzici.

Un alt loc pe care il recomand unde se pot dona haine atat pentru adulti cat si pentru si copii este Samusocial - ONG care se ocupa de recuperarea oamenilor strazii.

De luat in considerare sunt si numeroasele cazuri promovate de diferite ONG-uri pe Facebook. Trebuie doar sa cauti si cu siguranta vei gasi o cauza care merita...

Sau poti incerca un schimb de haine.

In concluzie, nu cred ca exista nici o scuza pentru cei care isi arunca hainele sau le transforma in carpe pentru curatenie :)

House of memories - Bran

Casa cu amintiri (House of memories) is a small vila in Bran (Romania). It's on the road to Omu mountain peak in Bugeci...the last house on the left side of the road. The place is filled with magic and memories from a lost time. The owner is a former antique store owner, and a Greek descended, from a family which immigrated in Romania many years ago after a strong earthquake shook their village. His grandfather owned a cafeteria, and his entrepreneurial skills definitely lasted in time for generations to come. If you are an antique lover, this is definitely the place to be. You can stare for hours at the walls and the shelves packed with objects from another era.

This is definitely a place to feel like home, relax...and enjoy the vibe of nature.

Bran and around...

As we did not plan an encounter with Dracula, we skipped the castle and focused on the area around it. So, we managed to visit the old village museum near the castle, eat kurtosh...and then enjoy the nature of Bucegi National Park and the view from Bran's monastery site.

My "No Poo" weeks

As a curious cat as I am, I decided to test this experiment everybody's talking about: No Poo...

This means that for at least 6 weeks I should avoid washing my hair with shampoo. Additionally no hair dryer, flat iron or curling iron. No conditioner, no protective serum, no masks...no nothing.

In theory, I should wash my hair with water only, but in the first weeks the quantity of sebum is a bit higher than normal. All these years of shampoo turned my hair into an addict that cannot function normally without its weekly shampoo and conditioner dosage. For this reason I chose to clean my hair with vinegar and baking soda at least for the first couple of weeks just to avoid the risk of being taken as a bum. I can also use egg masks and olive oil for my tops...

I decided to do this manly because my hair started falling pretty bad in the past couple for years, and I have already tried several treatments without success. I also read a lot of interesting things about this experiment. It has not been successful for everyone, but that's not a big surprise....it's worth trying anyway. The most inspiring is this guy who has not been using shampoo in 10 years, and though he is in his 60s he has wonderful hair...I am sure he also has some pretty good genes there :)

Anyway, I am in my week two of no poo...and things seam to work just like everyone describes it. My hair is a bit greasy and messy, but I can already feel it being healthier...it is softer and heavier. Also, I can see my natural curly hair coming back without freeze. It basically looks as if it is constantly wet.

So, here starts week three. I am basically half way through the process, and I have to admit that I have been tempted to use shampoo. I managed to keep myself away, but I did switch from vinegar to baking soda and I can definitely see the difference. What amazes me is the fact that after two weeks of basically not washing my hair, my tips are still pretty dry...considering that they've also been trimmed recently. Regarding my hair fall problem, I can't really see a huge difference. My hair doesn't fall as much when I wash it, but it does fall just as bad when I brush it or just touch it. Depending on how things evolve, even if I will no longer use poo, I think I will go back to my hair treatment with Alopexy 2%.

My experiment ended abruptly at the end of week three. On Thursday and Friday my hair started falling like crazy, so I decided to wash it properly and get it back on track. As much as I like natural remedies in general, the pleasure of putting shampoo in your hair is simply wonderful. The shampoo commercial with the lady imitating an orgasm while washing her hair...well that's the feeling you get after not washing with shampoo for three weeks :)

I can still see some results though, especially in the fact that my hair does not get greasy as fast as it used to. I will try to use organic shampoo only and in very small quantities.

The experiment is worth trying though. Not everybody's scalp reacts the same and nothing really bad can happen.