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Monday, May 18, 2009

Acné, pimples, (jeugd)puistjes



Easy to do it yourself, pressure points to treat acne...

It's such a shame when young people walk around with these red, sometimes white headed pimples that mar the face or other parts of the body.

This acné normaly starts to occure around the age of 13 and older. It's directly related to hormonal activity of the young body, but there are links to consuming pork meat, chocolate, milk, peanuts and sugar.
You could say that this kind of food is a vertilizer to the pimples.

By stimulating the two points shown on the fingers, the body will start action against these suckers.
These points are quite painfull when punctured by needles, pressing with a pencil is also an option and is effective as well. Press each point for about 20 seconds. Be aware that the point at the little finger is at the first phalange, while the point at the ringfinger is located at the second phalange!!!

There's no difference in treating left or right hand.


There are several acu-points on the ear to treat skin diseases :
click image to enlarge

~~Mango and skin ~~

It is believed that mango may help unclog pores, people who suffer from acne, which is caused by clogged pores, will benefit from mango use, apply thin slices to the area of skin that you want to clear up. Leave the mango there for about ten minutes before rinsing the skin with warm water.


More tips:

Maintaining a clear and beautiful skin, takes time, consistency and effort. Dermatologist may recommend lots of products, but some of them can be expensive and may actually take a long time to work. You can, however, incorporate some home remedies for blackheads and whiteheads into your daily beauty regimen and in a few weeks, you will experience a drastic reduction or even total elimination of the problem.

● Toothpaste – Toothpaste is an effective blackhead and whitehead remover. Apply a thin paste to your infected areas and let it sit on your face for at least 25 minutes. You will probably feel a burning sensation when you apply the toothpaste, but this is normal and will pass. Once you remove the toothpaste, the top of your blackheads and whiteheads will disappear, but you still need to thoroughly wash your face to remove the buildup underneath. Repeat this home remedy every other day for two weeks.

● Tomato – Tomatoes have natural antiseptic properties that dry up whiteheads and blackheads. Peel and mash a small tomato. Apply the tomato pulp to your blackheads and whiteheads before going to bed. Leave the tomato pulp on your face while you sleep and then wash your face in warm water in the morning.

● Lemon -Wash your face in warm water. Then, squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl. Add in a pinch of salt and stir the mixture. Apply the mixture to your blackheads and whiteheads. Leave the mixture on for approximately 20 minutes and then wash your face with warm water again.

● Lime – You can also use equal parts of lime juice and cinnamon powder and apply this mixture to blackheads. Leave it on overnight and rinse it off in the morning

● Cornstarch – Mix about a three-to-one cornstarch to vinegar ratio into a paste. Apply it to your problem areas and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove the paste with warm water and a washcloth.

● Yogurt - Mix three tablespoons of plain yogurt with two tablespoons of oatmeal. Add one teaspoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture. Stir the mixture thoroughly and apply it to the effective area of the face. Let the mixture sit for five to seven minutes then rinse off with cold water.

● Almond or oatmeal – Mix either oatmeal or almond powder with just enough rose water to make a spreadable paste. Apply it to your problem areas with your fingertips first and then apply it to the rest of your face. Let it set for about 15 minutes and then rinse your face with cold water.


● Rice – Soak rice in milk for 5 hours and then grind this in a blender until it is paste-like in consistency. Use the paste as a scrub on affected areas of the body.

● Potatoes – Grate raw potatoes and then rub the area with the mixture. Wash it off after 15 minutes.

● Fenugreek leaves – Crush some fenugreek leaves and mix with water to form a paste. Put this on the face for 15 minutes and then remove it. Do this every night to keep your face free of blackheads.

● Coriander leaves – Mix some coriander leaves and a little turmeric powder with water and form a paste. Use this as a mask to eliminate blackheads.

● Oatmeal -Grind oatmeal into a powder in a blender and then add some rose water. Use this on affected areas for 15 minutes and then wash it off with cold water.

● Baking soda – Prepare a mixture of equal parts of baking soda and water and rub it onto your face or other body areas prone to blackheads. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water.

● Honey is also good for removing blackheads. Spread honey on the affected area and remove it after 15 minutes.

Remember – Be gentle to your skin. Never pinch, scrape, poke, press, or squeeze too hard!



 Next a video, pimples and blackhead are being removed by 'electrocuting' them...! Watch this:

Pimples..

Juramentado (ENG)

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--JURAMENTADO--
Paul's room was crowded, no other word for that. As far as I remember we counted seven or eight guys and this room was not that big at all. ..So what, it was just for a couple of hours because we ended drinking in Ermita until early hours and after coming 'home' ,to wake up only a little later. We ended up talking a lot as most of us were strangers to each other, while Paul was briefing us what to expect in this movie world. We got prepaired to what was to come and had some idea what was going on on a set.
A local Philippine production was about to film a notorious revolt of a moslem jihad during WW 1 against the christians on the southern island of Mindanao.
Juramentado” means as much as going mad, a blind hate or as the pinoy call it themselves: running amok. But there is more behind this word. It is a holy oath with an intention to fight till death. For their religion. The Japanese have a simulair word: Kamikaze, also until death but on behalve of the emperor...

The Moro-moslems have their own motto: a juramentado ends with death. They had this device already during the Spanish domination and were still attached to it during the American occupation, for sure it took a lot a lives. Even today there are dayly confrontation between the katholic government troops and the entire southern province which is totaly islamitic.
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1983 with: Ramon Revilla, Karim Kiram, Jesse Ramos, Leopoldo Salcedo, Rosemarie Sonora, Tessa Tuazon, Johnnie Wilson, Paul Vance, Steve Rogers, David Light,
Robert Marius*, Bert Spoor
Dir: Efren C Pinon.





It was far before 6 am when we woke up and headed to a jeepney meeting point. These kind of locations, as I learned later, always were nearby sari-sari stores where all of us started our day with a fresh cup of insant powder coffee a couple of tinapai and cigarettes by the piece.. Those stores made good times when we had our stops over there. And with a three hour ride ahead of us we bought some extra to servive that trip to Lucena, south of Manila. A small barrio at the beach was our goal. A little dusty and stiff we inspected our neighbourhood and we found the locals realy colourfull and quite noisy when they gathered around our jeepney to do théir inspection on us. It took a while before I realized that they were cast and already dressed in their 'war colours'.
It looked cosy, in strident contrast to what we had to do with eachother: ass kicking headhunters, blood-smelling fanatics with no scrupules and no friendly attentions what so ever!
But for the moment we were making friends unaware of what was to come. An assist direct ordered us to hurry cause a big part of the day was spilled already by travelling and we had to show up on the set. So we went to wardrobe to get our outfit. A little greenhorn I followed the other guys to see where we would end up. Another A.D. explained us what to expect and what to do upon action. He left us some space to perform in our own vision and improvisation. Our first confrontation would be a superior power of Moro-militants. Some of us were soon to die, but everything was great footage of a distance so most of them were be raised back to live in no time. Die in a close up, it was not the real end, because in the next hot outline everyone was provided other clothing and wigs.
There wasn't much of a story I thought, but is there any story in real war that has one ? I mean a thing as war is out of any proportions, it all happens with the intention to slaughter eachother as fast as possible and under the most cruel circumstances. And that's exactly what we did, creating blood and death, sorrow and pain as brute as we could. So did the enemy, they tried to be even “badder” as we were.
But I have to mark that the Christians were the intruders, the deliverers, the bringers of civilisation...
We were doing our thing the rest of the day. I really got great respect for these decor-artists who made all kinds of different props made of polystyreen foam, couldn't see difference from real.!! And how about those make-up artists 'creating' the most terrible wounds, looking real bad. It was a lot of action for one day and I was glad when it was called a wrap. Earlier that day we already had seen our beach accommodation, we got ourselves some nice bamboo/nippa huts fitting no more than 2 or 3 people each.
The sun had set and a slight seabreese made it a comfortable 25-26 degrees centigrade. Air and water were close the same temperature, but still the water cooled us down and so did a couple of San Miguel beer. It was about time to hit the blanckets and close the mosquito-nets, and so we did.

The next morning started with overcast, no sun at all. It was windy and the color of the air had something threatening. The locals looked worried and I got this feeling that bad weather was to be expected. Oh yeah, in no time it started to drip down and coming with an encouraging wind it stagnated the takes. It started to pour down beyond imagination. Each half hour the beach had become a meter shorter at least. Half way the afternoon the tide line came as close as a couple of yards. Many of the crew and cast were hiding in a strong, two floor high, brick building a little higher on the beach. I decided not to risk wet feet and went for the second foor, well so did a lot of others !! Even as I lived in the Phils for a couple of months now I still didn't understand much of the language but I was aware of coming typhoon. But what to expect, I mean in Holland a storm once in a while reaches a 12 on the Beaufort-scale. And that's a lot of wind.
I saw some people carrying a bag with all their belongings and civilian clothes. I didn't have anything on me.All my stuff was in the nippahut.Coconuts were flying a horizontal way as did the rain that didn't seem to come from above.. I didn't care too much about my clothes, toothbrush or haircomb. I was also strongly adviced not to go outside.

Heavy storm”, I came with to a Filipino whom I spoke before, “Not yet”, he declared and looked at me with a significant smile.
One moment I had the feeling that the rest of the world was in a vacuüm cos all the air came our way. The solide building reacted with cracking sounds and a shivering every now and then. Sometimes it seemed to be jerked from its foundation all night long. But it hold. Lucky for us there were no mosquitos, they probably found a better place to hide.
I used someones bag to put my head on but couldn't catch any sleep. It was just too noisy. Sometimes it seemed to slow down, just to return with all its strenght adding even more power and hurly-burly.
By morning most of the storm was gone. It was still pretty windy and almost dry. I couldn't believe my eyes when light broke. The beach seemed to be 2 or 3 feet higher. The cabines were all crooked up and halfway burried in the sand. I couldn't help but getting this Pompeii-feeling. The stone building still stood, but everything on the beach had changed. Most of the coconut trees were down. Nippahuts built with inferior materials didn't make it either. The whole scene: it was an indescribable mash. So was the set.
It was less than 200 yards to the hut where Paul and I had been staying. I hesistated wether to walk to the huts or do such later. It looked pretty scary. One moment the seawater was as far as it used to be, only to roll back the other minute again ,even passing the cabines by meters. I couldn't even make it ten staps towards the huts. The sand sucked me in over the knees and I got that feeling that my live was at risk. Never mind that stuff. I returned to the building were other people also were astonished by the result of this powerfull storm. I was told that low tide was due in some hours. By that time everybody was to be evacueted before hightide came in again. Nobody had seen Paul...
I saw some people grouping up and leaving the beach. I still was looking for Paul but couldn't find him. So finaly I joined a team about to leave, when a guy from wardrobe told me to return me clothes before going. He didn't care a shit that I was to stand there in my boxer shorts. I was about to tell the idiot to fuck off, when this friend of Robert Marius handed me a t-shirt, short pants and a pair of slippers.
Nobody had seen Paul. I got worried more.

I stopped asking around and left the area with some of the people I knew. Water was rising again.. The path we had to follow was under water, sometimes a couple of inches then all of a sudden over 2 feet deep. Pretty tough to walk cos one can't see were to put ones feet. I didn't mind at all carrying short pants. Sometimes the water seemed to catch up with us, creapy feeling...But after a while we faced ground and could walk a lot faster. We had miles to go. Fallen trees often blocked our way forcing us to re-route and enter the water again.
I haven't any idea how long it took us, it must have been hours. Everywhere people were cleaning up and repairing there places, chasing their chickens and goats. Finaly we reached a road having traffic. Busses, jeepneys all loaded to the limit and no way to board one of them. We hung around there for an hour or so, but our chances to get anywhere were zero. At last a filipino guy from our team decided to take action. He left to come back within a quarter of an hour including a jeepey to our transportation. Good news,bad news as well. We couln't go the regular way to Manila, because the roads were blocked by trees or powerlines and if not most likely to be flooded. Bridges were damaged and secundary roads jammed by traffic. I'm not sure but I think we went all the way around Laguna-lake the eastern way to reach Manila.

Manila was chaos as well. Large areas of the lower city were flooded not only by the rising seawater entering the Pasig-river, but also by the rainwater coming down the other way from the lake.
I was surprised by the speed and imperturbable commitment by which the damage was repaired. Back to normal live.
It was late in the afternoon when we reached the Manila boundry and it wasn't untill seven before we reached Ermita. The recepcion in the Mabini hotel told me that Mr. Vance didn't pick up his key to his room.
I didn't feel much like going out in this outfit and these weather conditions. I booked a room and enjoyed a good sleep.


Sunday, May 17, 2009

VHS firebird 'The video'.

Well Jack I'm so surprised to hear you got your hand on a copy of the Firebird. It seems to duck up in all parts of the world, I've seen the Japanese VHS-cover, there's suppose to be copies somewhere in Canada and Australia and now you've found yourself a Finish' haha , release. And I even saw some Dutch VHS-covers from Cirio's movies.

I mean, Nick and I are so desperately seeking a copy of this film for the last 25 years. How can you get us one, can you burn it a DVD or something? Costs are on me of course.

By the way I like your blog doing the war movies. Be sure I'll come and visit more often.

Bert

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Missing in Action 1 (NL)


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MIA 1
Er zou een casting zijn van een Amerikaanse producent in Manila, de werktitel van de film was: “A matter of Honour”. Meer was me niet verteld. Het was druk bij Filmore Avenue toen ik er aankwam, blanken, zwarten en Filippino's, iedereen wilde een job. Het hart zonk me in de schoenen. Zorg maar eens dat je daar tussen komt. Ik achtte de kans dat ik werd geselecteerd uiterst klein en verwachtte dus niet al te veel. In het geroezemoes had ik al opgevangen dat het een film met Chuck Norris zou worden, een Vietnam-oorlogsfilm. Dat zou verrekte leuk zijn als ik op de set een glimp van hem op kon vangen dacht ik.
Ik stond dan ook een beetje belazerd te kijken toen hij in hoogst eigen persoon naar binnen stapte met een stapeltje papieren in de hand. Dat bleken onze aanmeldingsformulieren te zijn. Vrij snel had hij al een aantal keuzes gemaakt en jongens aangewezen die door de selectie waren. Met sommigen had hij even een praatje.
Zo kwam hij steeds dichter bij mij in de buurt. Ik kreeg een hand van hem en een brede glimlach. Hij bekeek m'n papieren en las m'n CV. Hij knikte goedkeurend en zei dat ze iemand nodig hadden die neergeschoten zou worden om vervolgens door hem op de schouders genomen te worden. “You are about my hight and not too heavy”, vond hij.
Ik moest naar voren stappen en hij nam me vervolgens in de brandweergreep. Zo liep hij een paar passen heen en weer met mij op zijn rug en knikte naar zijn assistent die de gegevens noteerde.
Ik zat erbij.... Dit was heel wat meer dan de glimp die ik gehoopt had van hem op te vangen.
Ik kon een gevoel van trots niet onderdrukken dat ik zo'n beroemdheid de hand had geschut. Zesvoudig wereldkampioen karate en vermaard om zijn vechtscènes met Bruce Lee. Mijn dag kon niet meer stuk. Over een aantal dagen zouden de opnames beginnen bij, ik geloofde mijn oren niet, Pagsanjan. Daar was ik net een paar maanden weg. Daar het voor mij korter reizen was om direct van Cavite naar Laguna te gaan dan eerst helemaal naar Manila, sprak ik af dat ik op eigen gelegenheid naar de set zou komen.

Door allerlei oorzaken echter had ik vertraging en kwam te laat aan op de set, nog wel op tijd om te zien dat 'mijn' shot net werd verfilmd. Een POW ( prisoner of war ) werd door Erni Ortega neergeschoten en belandde in het water. Na diverse takes, de man viel niet mooi dood, was het dan eindelijk naar de zin van de direct. Ik kreeg een rot bui, de kans van m'n leven verziekt, het hart zonk me in de schoenen. Maar ik kreeg niet op m'n donder, ze bleken juist blij te zijn dat ik was komen opdagen. Direct werd ik naar de wardrobe verwezen en kreeg ik 'n uniform aangemeten.
Er zat tempo in, zo totaal anders dan de lokale producties die ik tot nu toe had meegemaakt. Er werd me een brancard in de handen geduwd en ik moest gaan lopen op het sein 'action'. Dat had ik vaker gehoord...
De film begint met een explosie die een boom velt. Chuck komt in beeld en wenkt naar ons ploegje. Ik flits door het beeld en het is voorbij eer je er erg in hebt. Maar het is nog niet afgelopen.
Terwijl we onder vuur worden genomen en 'Braddock' mij een signaal geeft, loop ik in zijn spoor met m'n M-16 in de aanslag.
Aan alle kanten gaat er iets de lucht in. De heli's vliegen af en aan en proberen ons uit onze benarde positie te bevrijden.
Rennend proberen we bij de toestellen te komen. Velen van ons worden neergemaaid.”
Er werden ook opnames in en rondom het Luneta-hotel in Ermita gemaakt, de E van de lichtreclame werd afgeplakt wat resulteerde in een Vietnamees klinkende naam: 'Lun ta'.
De werktitel veranderde in “Missing in Action”

( Het verhaal dat de ronde deed over Vic Morrow, die tijdens de opnames van 'Twilight Zone' twee jaar terug, werd onthoofd door een verkeerd gemanoeuvreerde helicopter en waarbij ook twee kleine kinderen werden gedood, maakte het gevoel voor gevaar heel reëel.)
Mijn laatste scène speelde zich af, nadat ik door Chuck gewenkt werd dat de weg veilig was en ik verder liep met als doel de helikopter te bereiken die verderop geland was om ons te evacueren. Tijdens de 'rehearsals' gingen er natuurlijk geen explosieven af, dus Chuck en ik konden zo ons 'parcours' verkennen terwijl de camera's en belichting werden ingesteld. Anders was het, wanneer na action aan alle kanten iets gebeurde en je voor het echie ging.
Mijn gezicht beschermend liep ik de stofwolken in en was even gedesoriënteerd, zonder bril zag ik niet zo best en door alle herrie om me heen kon ik ook niet op het gehoor de landende helikopter lokaliseren. Met de dode Vic Morrow in het achterhoofd wilde ik niet echt als een blinde in de klauwen van de rotor lopen.
Toen door de turbulentie van de wieken de rook verwaaide, en ik meer zicht kreeg, zag ik de laatste manschappen naar binnen klauteren.
Rennend en struikelend probeerde ik het toestel op tijd te bereiken, maar net op het laatste moment zag ik de ski's loskomen en had ik er eventueel nog aan kunnen gaan hangen. Onder echt vuur zou ik niet getwijfeld hebben en de sprong gewaagd hebben. Ik besloot te doen alsof ik getroffen werd en kletterde naar de grond terwijl de heli laag over de kokospalmen scheerde. Als ik er onder had gehangen had ik waarschijnlijk de toppen geraakt... Mijn beslissing werd achteraf de juiste gevonden, maar als ik het had gedaan vond men, dan was het een hoogtepunt geweest. Toch ergens jammer dat ik het lef niet had...
Eerder op de dag was er ophef ontstaan toen de mariniers een snelstromend riviertje moesten doorwaden. De oversteek was niet al te moeilijk, maar zo nu en dan kon je wegglijden van een gladde steen en even onder gaan. Sommige heren wilden daar een slaatje uit slaan en eisten gevarengeld! Er was zelfs sprake van een dreigende staking. Nadat de boel even was stilgelegd, en er gebabbeld werd, gingen de opnames gewoon door, zonder dat de eisen waren ingewilligd. Ik vond het allemaal gedoe om niks en had er niet aan meegedaan.
Een tierende Henry verkondigde dat zulke gasten niet meer voor hem hoefden te werken. “Je zult zien, straks staan ze allemaal in de rij als we een helicopterbemanning moeten samenstellen. En dan hoor je ze niet over gevarengeld, want ze willen maar al te graag vliegen!” zei hij tegen me. Om te vervolgen met: “Burt get ready, you are with the heli's”.
Ik kon het niet laten te gniffelen.
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Na deze opening schrikt Braddock wakker in zijn hotelkamer en blijken wij eigenlijk een nachtmerrie...

's Avonds zat het erop en keerde ik tevreden met onvergetelijke ervaringen op zak huiswaarts.
Ik vond dat ik 1984 met drie films op mijn naam als geslaagd mocht afsluiten. Er zouden er nog negentien volgen...
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