I often find my mind wandering to different topics, interrupting phone calls, meetings, or reading sessions. These thoughts take center stage, making it challenging to refocus on the original task.

Interestingly, this mental game sometimes proves helpful. Whether it's a forgotten task during a book or a work-related bug that surfaces while spending time with family, these moments can be both distracting and beneficial.

A peculiar incident occurred last week when, despite my usual preference for organic food, I accidentally purchased non-organic sourdough bread. Initially trying to ignore it after enjoying a slice for breakfast, curiosity led me to search for its ingredients. The search took me down a rabbit hole of articles and comparisons between the European Union and the United States, accompanied by alarming posters like “Stop Eating Cancer.”

Though not a chemistry enthusiast, I felt the need for some chemistry knowledge to navigate ingredient lists. It seemed complex, with some ingredients deemed safe, others unknown, and some linked to health issues.

The idea of a simple barcode reader app solving this mystery crossed my mind. Such an app could provide a safety score for food items. However, existing apps in the market often push for subscriptions or paid versions.

But wait a minute, the government needs to check it for me right?

Maintaining a healthy diet appears to come at a higher cost. Even with organic non-GMO choices, scrutinizing ingredients becomes crucial. It feels like an unwelcome chemistry lesson, requiring the memorization of various terms to ensure the elimination of potentially harmful foods.

Questioning the need for personal scrutiny, I pondered the role of the FDA, a government organization meant to safeguard consumers. However, the approach varies significantly between the US and the EU.

The FDA in the US tends to take a hands-off approach, allowing new food ingredients unless proven harmful. This includes substances like GMOs, growth hormones, and chemical preservatives. In contrast, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) mandates safety proof before approving additives and bans certain substances, including growth hormones and various chemicals.

These differing regulatory philosophies result in the approval of certain additives in the US but their prohibition in Europe. Notable examples include growth hormones, ractopamine, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, olestra, azodicarbonamide, and various coloring agents and preservatives.

Armed with this information, I've become more conscious of what I consume, hoping others will do the same. It's a reminder to stay informed about the food we eat for the sake of our health.

#personal #foodSafetly

In late August, southern California faced a mosquito invasion. These tiny pests seemed to appear out of nowhere, leaving their itchy marks on unsuspecting victims. Whether you had a bug screen or not, they found their way into your home, and you'd wake up with irritating mosquito bites. At first, you might not notice them, but as time passed, the incessant itching would become undeniable.

These mosquitoes were notorious for targeting ankles, leaving small, pink, and itchy bites. Sometimes, you'd wake up with not just one or two but possibly three or more bites. The constant itching would make you want to scratch your ankles, especially when walking. It was nearly impossible to scratch them all the time, like when driving, where you'd long for relief.

By the end of the day, you'd have scratched your ankles raw, and the next day, it would only get worse. Congratulations, you'd have itchy scars and mosquito bites.

After a few weeks, I had to confront the mosquito problem plaguing us. The constant itching was unbearable, and even my precious puppies were not spared. Seeing my dog helplessly bothered by these mosquitoes, I decided it was time to take action.

I began wearing socks before sleeping and opted to use the air conditioner instead of opening windows. It made a difference, and though I still spotted the occasional mosquito, I became adept at swatting them before they could bite. Sleeping in socks and long sleeves also helped.

One day, I had a fantastic night out with friends, celebrating something special. I returned home late, exhausted, and in my tired state, I forgot about the mosquito problem. I kept the window open to enjoy the ocean breeze, and by morning, I was covered in fresh mosquito bites. These pests had taken advantage of my lapse in vigilance.

I realized I needed to confront this problem head-on. Passive measures weren't effective. So, I declared war. I ordered bug zappers and mosquito-killing sprays. Before sleeping, I abandoned socks and long sleeves, choosing instead to check the lights and eliminate any mosquitoes. There were a few nights I forgot, but the bug zappers and previous efforts paid off. It was initially a bit scary and required effort, but I learned that ignoring the problem was more costly. My quality of life improved, and I woke up without disturbances. Occasionally, there were accidents, especially when I ventured outside my “castle.” I went shopping and returned with a couple of bites, but this taught me to be prepared. I learned to identify areas prone to mosquitoes and took precautions with repellent body spray.

The key was accepting that I had a problem, taking proactive steps to combat it, and arming myself with solutions to alleviate the bites during my ongoing battle with these pesky insects.

#mosquitoes #personal

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I've noticed a repetitive pattern of content on the internet across various platforms. Whether it's on Reddit, different social media sites, or news websites and popular blogs, the same or similar content keeps circulating. Additionally, Google searches have taken a peculiar turn. When searching in English, the results often differ from the same websites, and in other languages like Turkish, you might encounter clickbait websites with strong SEO but weak content.

I appreciated the user-friendly interface and the quality of the community on Hashnode. I read some excellent articles. After a few articles, my job changed, and life became busier, leaving me with little time to write more.

In the last few months, I've had some spare time and planned to write more. However, I encountered a hurdle. I realized I didn't need a development-centric blog; I wanted a space to share my thoughts on various topics. Unfortunately, this didn't align with Hashnode's rules, and it would feel out of place among the tech-focused blogs. Consequently, I decided to migrate my blog from Hashnode to Write.as.

Initially, I experimented with hosting my own instance on one of my servers and even on a Raspberry Pi, which turned out to be surprisingly easy. I opted not to use my EC2 instances due to cost concerns. While the Raspberry Pi experiment went well, I didn't want to rely on my home internet to host a blog. So here I am, writing this post with my Write.as account. While I haven't made my first payment yet, I've already updated the CNAME record. After this post, I plan to transfer my old posts from Hashnode and import them into my new blog. I've already exported all my posts to a JSON file, although I'm unsure about the importing process; I'll figure that out after completing this post.

#Writefreely #personal