Us flowers have recently learnt that the New York Daily News reported that off-label Viagra use has become “bigger than creatine” among athletes and bodybuilders looking for an extra power boost—one that’s not banned from competitions, at least so far, as steroids are.

Among the nonsexual benefits that blokes are allegedly enjoying from the small blue pill is ‘helping build endurance if you happen to be competing way above sea level’.

 We ask you - would you ever take something that was not originally intended for it’s original use AND do you think athletes can carry on avoiding playing with science like this?

Are there any high level athletes classed as ‘natural’ thesedays and does it really matter?

Comments welcome  - stiff upper lip is optional!

Does anyone else find they no longer need to remember the likes of phone numbers and birthdays or have lost the ability even if they tried?

Maybe we are the google generation that thrives on high speed information without the need to recall it. Are we fast losing the capacity to think deeply, camly and seriously as we succumb to internet attention-deficit disorder?

Maybe this is the techno induced first steps of dementia? Here’s some tips on how to give your brain a tune up to help us on the way whatever our excuse for remembering very little as it’s all at the touch of a button:

We ask YOU - Do you remember phone numbers, email addresses and birthdays like you used to? Do tell and we promise we won’t forget!

(Founders - This youtube clip was posted by pressing the youtube symbol and pasting the url of the youtube page in the text  -no need to embed the code - feel free to give this a GO! on your next post or over at forums)

I know Climate Change has been done to death and to be quite frank about it I am over it.

Yep totally sick of Climate change being used as an excuse for our own selfish needs, oil, economics, and just plain greed.  I thought I had heard it, until I read something today which shocked me to say the least.

DID YOU KNOW GLOBAL WARMING WAS FIRST NOTICED IN 1827. No this is NOT a typo….

1827: French polymath Jean-Baptiste Fourier predicts an atmospheric effect keeping the Earth warmer than it would otherwise be. He is the first to use a greenhouse analogy.

I thought the issue was relatively new given the talks have been around for about 30 years… dam hippies again hey Urban… but no this was not true…

For a full run down of all the latest facts, results etc, such as the fact that Oceans are warming at rate 50% higher than previously thought (is a bit of an under estimate dont you think) all links to the data, and full story is at Aussie Cynic.

But a short question is How much time do we need?

After all isnt 141 years long enough……?

This video has come across my path a few times in the last few days from different sources so I thought it about time that I share it. Do you think it will make a difference to how the United Nations conducts itself? Watch as 12 year old Severn Suzuki tells it like it is to the UN about Global Warming, Poverty and Hunger around the world and asks what they are going to do about it?

You will find it at Make this Video GO Around the World and admin may want to embed it for me.

Hi from Dubai folks after an 8 hour delay at Toronto airport we took deep breaths, checked our luggage in and headed off to explore downtown Toronto. With a 14 hour flight ahead of us we both folded like cheap suits and knocked back Canada’s infamous coffee - Tim Horton’s - like it was going out of fashion. From de-tox in Thailand to re-tox in Canada!

Others must have done the same plus e-numbers as when we returned some of the rapid fire abuse the poor airline staff were getting at check-in was jaw dropping. We sat back and watched as insults where exchanged between fuming passengers and the team that was only doing their jobs and apologizing through understandably gritted teeth.

Rather than step in and try and save the day we thanked the staff for doing a great job and understood what pressure they must have been under explaining the reasons for the delay (Emergency maintenance work in London - Gulp) that was out of their control.

So, two questions for you to ponder and reply to:

1) What would you have done during an 8 hour delay in a major City with only hand luggage to hand?

2) Would you have stepped in to stop the insults to the airline crew - assuming you wouldn’t opt to complain yourself, of course.

We’d love to read your comments on this one and please, 25 words per person is your maximum word limit permitted on this post and anything that is fluid and over 100ml has to be displayed in a clear plastic bag 

I just learned that an English breakfast features tomatoes, mushrooms and sometimes something called white or black pudding!  We don’t eat a lot of tomatoes with breakfast in the states.  Just about the only time you’ll see a tomato on the plate at 8 am is when it’s part of a western omelet.

White or Black Pudding is really intriguing.  When I read ‘pudding’ I tend to think sweet, mushy dessert, but it’s actually a kind of meat and oatmeal sausage.

We have all kinds of breakfasts, but the standard is usually bacon, eggs, toast or cereal and coffee, tea or orange juice.  What’s the standard fare to break your fast where you live?

How much do you rely on your computer?

From Airline tickets and amazon to E-bay and electricity bills our time online increases.

How much time do you spend online everyday? Include work, play and surfing - Do tell flower smellers.

Hi from Dubai some 36 hours after we returned from our spell at the Koh Chang Spa, Thailand.

We stuck to the ‘getting back into it slowly’ by sticking to light foods since we broke that fast and declined to eat on the flight as everyone else munched around us. Weight wise we’ve both settled at 11 pounds lighter than when we started and time will tell if this is just going without food for 8 days or a weight that we can comfortably maintain. Clothes that were deemed to tight now fight a couple of inches have dropped of our waistline, without breathing in!

Jim’s first cooked meal was a veggie omelet with Em’s being a bowl of pumpkin soup. Taking too much heavy food on too soon can lead to, erm, problems with regularity that even a superhero would struggle to overcome:

So, our key action points now we’re back to reality we will endeavour to:

1) Never eat microwaved food again! We’ve binned our microwave oven. It serves little purpose apart from driving radiation into food and altering the moleuclar structure. We heard a tale at the Spa that a cat used to perch upon it’s owner microwave after food had been cooked - it liked the heat you see. One year later the cat developed a soccer ball sized tumour as a result of kitty soaking up the radiation from the microwave AFTER it had been used. Do you REALLY needs yours? The Microwave, not your cat.

2) Include some raw food in our diet wherever possible or if cooked then lightly, preferably steamed or flash-fried!

3) Eat food slower, chew it thoroughly and graze throughout the day, little and often and upping the amount of water we drink.

4) Erradicate cups of tea with milk and sugar as that was our ticket to open biscuits. Kettle on - biscuits open.

5) Cutting right back on food laced with refined sugars, processed starch, alcohol and wheat.

6) To practice 30 minutes of yoga everyday - got no time? Get up 30 minutes earlier.

7) Eating more nuts, seeds and pulses in between meals.

8. Remembering everything we eat should ideally help regenerate the body and / or be converted into energy to help our body & minds work to their potential.

9) Keep an eye on our bowel activity!

10) Learn to listen to our bodies regarding what food suits us - drains us or revives us. Different strokes for different folks.

We appreciate all the support here at GO! Smell the flowers - all your concerns, thoughts and comments over the last 10 days. On Wednesday we’ll be announcing what we’re giving up for the next 3 weeks and it may come as a bit of a shock to you when we write a post explaining what it is we’re taking time out from next!

So, do tell us your final take on our detox regime, the colonics and our action points. All are welcome.

Hi  GO! Smell the flowers from  the Spa Koh Chang. Our final day here having completed the cleansing program and we’ve both lost eleven pounds each in weight, feel clear headed, healthier inside & out and generally more chilled out.

To ‘keep it real’ we’ll report back on our result in 3-4 months time. Before the cleanse Jim had blood pressure, pulse and  blood work done (his biggest fear - needles  ) to measure pre-cleanse lipid profile, (cholesterol & triglycerides), Biochemistry (Blood glucose) , Endocrinology (testosterone) and thyroid.

The immediate step-on-the-scales-whoop-whooop-high-5 results but that could be down to water loss, clearly a lack of carbs and just giving the body a break so time will tell and getting back amongst ‘reality’.

We ‘broke-fast’ with Papaya, mango and bee pollen:

Back for more general abuse with Thai massage:

Smell the flowers, Em:

We’ll reflect on the key things we learned and share them with you here when we return to Dubai  in the next couple of days. It’s been great learning and laughing at the threads here at GO! Smell the flowers, at times when we barely had the energy or the inclination so thanks for all your interest, support and comments.

NOW! Where did we put that hose pipe?  Do share how you’ve found our detox diaries and this whole experience we’ve shared with GO! Smell the flowers and feel free to add a few captions to the photos above just for fun as we leave ourselves wide open as ever, which, after 8 days of colonics could be interesting - Cheers!

Our final day of the cleanse! Energy levels are pretty high considering it’s 7 days since we’ve consumed any solids and drink with the exception of water, coconut water, Wheatgrass:

Cocktails of Carrot juice and slurps of Oolong tea, a herb popular in China we understand.

So, with only 1 final flush to go (pure water first thing tomorrow morning) and a few ‘flora grow’ bacteria tablets we’re done! Then after breaking our fast we can star gradually re-introducing solids back into our day to day lives.

What would you break your fast with? Comments welcomed as we prepare to post how we feel after this intensive cleansing experience. Cheers!

Hi from the Spa Koh Chang with less than 48 hours to GO! before we break the fast with only 4 more colonics remaining.

To help keep things moving we’ve tried our hand at Yoga, first thing, in the morning to help us stay us on track and our bodies active without food. Whatever your capabilities it can aid relaxation, improve flexibility, help with detox and massage the organs of the body - always a bonus, right?

Pictured above with Yoga instructor Cliff on Day 5 of our fast we declined to bring our feet together like that - maybe another time, after a few ice cold Chang beers perhaps A big thanks to our teacher Cliff who taught us a few stretches that’ll keep tension at bay and exercise our eyes whilst we tip-tap away on the laptop.

So anyone ever tried Yoga? How do you help stay / get in physical and mental shape and as the years catch up with you? Do tell, hold that pose and release!

Well GO! Smell the flowers we can hardly believe that it is day 6 of our detox – only 2 more days and we are allowed food! We are craving fish & chips, chocolate and bacon sandwiches and we’ve already been warned that the food we break our fast with will have to be raw so that our system will not be shocked by processed ‘poison’ as the spa puts it to avoid any ’shocks to the system’.

So with this philosophy in mind (please keep an open one as you read) GO! Smell the flowers would like to introduce two raw food experts we met here at the Spa Koh Chang.

There is much to be said for including raw foods in our diet but we wanted to know more so welcome Matt Monarch, motivational speaker and author of Raw Spirit and Raw Success and Angela Stokes author of RawReform. Pictured above.

They are both 100% raw ‘foodies’ and switching to a totally raw diet has completely changed their lives, not only in what they eat, but who their friends are and their outlook on life. We were really curious – just what would make you forgo the Big Macs and Bacon sandwiches and live off fruit and veg? So before they left we asked them….

“I read the book Become Younger by Dr. Norman Walker and changed my diet over night. Everything in the book made perfect sense that I realised eating up to 6 Double Doubles (bigger than the MacDonalds Big Macs) was not going to do me any favours” Said Matt, aged 33.

“Although I wouldn’t recommend anyone do the switch over night! I had withdrawals from all the junk I was eating and got sick. Introduce a raw diet slowly and look at the other stuff you are eating. Processed sugars and starches are the most harmful to our bodies, so if these are cut out and a percentage of your diet is raw, then this can be a very healthy diet.”

“ I have been living a raw food way of life now for 8 years and never looked back. I have amazing energy, sleep well and know that I am fully nourishing my body in the best way possible.”

Angela, also a published Author and originally from the UK has been a raw ‘foodie’ for 6 years. She read The Raw Family by the Boutenkos and went raw over night which was too much and she lasted a week. She then went to a 75% raw diet for 2 years while her system adjusted. She has lost 160 pounds in a year and rediscovered what her body looked like as her collar bones, cheekbones and ribs became defined.

“There is no other animal in nature that eats cooked or processed food. Raw food is the ultimate and healthy way to nourish the body.” Says Angela 29. “For so long I used food as an emotional crutch and now I realise what abuse I was doing to my body.”

They are both now Flower Smellers in every sense of the word and have both changed careers to follow a path that they are truly passionate about. A path that is a now way of life and an example to everyone as to how you can follow what you truly believe in.

Matt left MTV as a business manager and now runs an online store for raw food whilst Angela moved from volunteer work all around the world and now runs her raw community and online business.

So, how does a raw food lifestyle grab you? It suits a rare few to GO! 100% raw but we ask you- what raw food do you enjoy at mealtime, if at all any? We’d love your thoughts & insights on their story, raw food lifestyle and any other raw food experiences you wish to share! Do tell - All comments welcomed.

We’ve only just realised it’s Saturday so happy weekend to all from us here mid De-tox at the rainy & chilled out Spa Koh Chang, Thailand.

So, getting straight down to the process of our bi-daily flush out we thought we’d share some of the finer highlights of our stay. DON’T try this at home - not even gardeners who KNOW their hosepipes:

Step 1 - Fill a 16 litre bucket full of coffee solution:

Step 2 - Lie down, insert and RELEASE as the next 20 -30 minutes ‘pass’:

We’ll spare you the detail of sharing with you what ends up in the pink plastic sieve after emptying but it’s far from smelling of flowers

We’re feeling far more ‘human’ today and are getting into the early doors exercises, detox drinks and the general way of the spa here. Time for our Midday broth, carrot juice and detox drink - more on that tomorrow.

The key to success in this procedure is to relax and let it GO! on every level so we ask YOU - how do you relax and ‘let it go’ in your day to day life generally? Do tell!

Well gang despite having BIG plans to post photos of our progress there’s a photo uploading techy hitch this end plus we’re totally washed out - all part of the process we’re told as we stick with it. With even the local Mosquitoes taking quite a shine to us we feel popular.

‘I find it hard to be compassionate towards Mosquitoes’ - The Dali Lama

Our tongues are turning from white to yellow (metallic toxins coming out apparently) with lighter headaches and dizzy spells (real dizzy spells - not blond moments) and we’re sleeping very deeply amongst the pit-patter of the rain pink sieves are being filled with digested matter of yesteryear as our coffee & garlic buckets are emptied.

On the way over to Bangkok we watched a film called ‘The Bucket List‘. Two terminally ill men make a wish list of the things they’d like to do before they die and then set about doing it.

So we ask you to share with the garden some of the things that would feature on your bucket list! Do tell……

Just the other night while I was setting up a new site (I’m excited!!) which I will let you into shortly, I was following my twitters (I believe twitter is banned in Dubai so I grabbed a screenshot) when this site grabbed my attention.

This image will take you to the Story of Stuff site where you can watch a fast paced 20 minute very informative and educational interactive movie about consumerism and why we buy stuff and where it all goes when we are done with it, or not. Watch and see what I mean. Then tell me what makes you purchase the stuff you do and if you have to keep up with the Jones’ and why?

Yesterday a new Study surfaced in OZ.

This time it is Alcohol.

For years we have been told a glass of Red Wine is good for you, well not anymore.
The Time has come to put away all your toys, pack away your Yard Glass, stow you nip glass and remove your cocktail shaker…. dry your eyes its for your own good.
Men consuming more than 2 drinks of Alcohol a Day and Women more than one alcoholic beverage are increasing there chances of cancer.
Yep! another of life small pleassures removed from our lives. Full report on Aussie.

My Question after investing this further yesterday and today is:

Is it the Beverage causing the issues or could it be the high levels of Arsenic, Lead, Floride and other known harmful chemicals present in your drink that is the problem…
After all these beverages have been around for hundreds of years, the only thing that has changed is the way it is made!
your thoughts Please

Captains log so Day 2 of our 10 day detox Spa Koh Chang style ended with Em having coloured laughs (being sick) as her toxins were released unable to keep even carrot juice down. Jim suffered with  the hangover from hell headache and both our tongues have turned from yellow to white with breath strong enough to take paint of a well treated door frame.

As detox day 3 broke we had next to no appetites,  generally irritable and struggled to report in for our 7a.m detox drink before a morning meditation,  yoga class and deep issue massage Thai style…… 

Our appetites increased  throughout the day with Emma craving fish & chips, a glass of chilled Chardonnay & a large bar of dairy milk chocolate with Jim craving a Sunday roast dinner, a pint of Sam Smiths ale with apple crumble and custard for dinner.  Then it became a case of craving anything remotely edible…..

On the upside we’re getting into the swing of things colonic wise  (Em - coffee, Jim - garlic) and enjoy the steam room and tomorrow will be posting photos of ourselves  in and around the Spa. So it’s time to head off for our evening broth, shot of wheat grass and a lug of carrot juice.Life in the fast lane huh?  Do share your plans for tonight right here and as always we welcome your comments, knowledge and opinions.

[You Tube Video Should Go Here]

My son is becoming addicted to this game ( http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=QfICeBtVv8U ) — which doesn’t bother me in the least.  His older brother (they are 19 & 20, let’s hear it for ‘Irish Twins’) is also very involved with quite a different game, Grand Theft Auto 9000 or something — and when he’s not playing that, he’s playing WoW.  World of Warcraft.

I can’t claim to know too much about either of those games, but I do know that when my youngest boy is playing Echochrome, he’s listening to a quartet and building his brain for his entrance into University this August, where he will be studying Aeronautics Engineering. 

I love both my boys equally, but they are as different as night and day.  The oldest and I have been talking about what his plans are, as he’s dropped out of school (college) and wanders aimlessly through his days and nights moaning and groaning about not having a life.  His original plan was to finish school, get a degree, join the Peace Corps and heal the world.

Now, he is looking at a Military career and continues to play his violent fantasy video games while his younger brother examines the laws of physics. 

::shakes head::

What kinds of games — if any — interest you or your family?  Do you see a pattern in any of it and if so, how does it apply to your reality?

We awoke to the tip-tapping of rain here at Spa Koh Chang as the rainy season gets underway. A far cry from the dry heat of Dubai plus the croaking of frogs reminding us of that Bud advert from the mid 90’s.

Beers aren’t on the menu as detailed on our daily Candida cleansing schedule that we’ll be following over the next 7 days as follows:

7.00am - Detox drink (every 3 hours)

8.30am - Supplements 3 x Intestinal Cleanser capsules & 3 x Herbal Nutrient Capsules

10.00am - Detox drink

10.15am - 11.30a.m Coffee Colema*

11.30am - Supplements

13.00pm - Detox drink

14.30pm - Supplements

16:00pm - Detox drink

16:10pm – 17.30pm – Garlic Colema*

17.30pm - Supplements

18:00pm - Herbal steam room

19:00pm - Detox drink

20:30pm – Supplements

*20-40 minutes of self administered colonic irrigation with 16 litres of purified water and clinically clean equipment. A pink sieve catches all solids that can be inspected with chop sticks as required.

In addition to the above ‘treats’ we can enjoy / squirm during Thai foot, back, shoulder and stomach massages plus access to the pool and stream room with liquid top ups of broth, coconut and carrot juice. Cravings so far include a spicy Thai green curry, fish and chips and a pint of Guinness (Jim) with Em dreaming over a piece of chocolate cake and a cheese board. Yum.

We are curious to know what you’ll be eating / have eaten today. Do tell – what delights are we missing out on here? Comments and questions welcomed right here and save a piece for us!

Sawadee Krup (Jim) Sawaddee Ka (Emma) as GO! Smell the flowers start our detox diaries from the Spa Koh Chang Resort, Thailand. We’ve decided to stick our necks out and share the ups, downs and insides of our Thai ‘ clean-me-out’ Spa experience designed to rejuvenate and lead us on the path towards a healthier and happier life.

Good eh - or is it? Some would argue this is totally unnecessary.

We’ve decided yet again to give our bodies a chance to heal as it is believed they work at their full potential after 24-36 hours without the intake of food as our healing mechanisms works best when we stop eating, ingesting, digesting and metabolising food. Hmmmmm, F-O-O-D - Homer Simpson drool - GO! Homer:

On the flight from Dubai to Bangkok we chose to pass on the ‘we’re entitled to it so we’ll have some’ alcohol, bread, coffee, meat and peanuts. Same for the hop over to Trat, the skip on a boat to Koh Chang and all that remains is the jump but will we have the energy as we start our Pre-cleanse diet.

A bonus start to our trips as we’ve a letter featured today in the Dubai ‘paper of the people’ (lift right clenched fist above your hand) 7 days. We addressed an article on ‘ How has the internet changed your life?’ and this community blog is a case in point. Read it here!

So, welcome to the garden to all new readers and feel free to post a comment in any of the articles below and get amongst it and share your knowledge, experiences and opinions with other as we literally dig deep and share our detox diaries with the world before, during and after our 9 night / 10 day stay.

Group hug anyone? Now where did we put that hose?

Colonic irrigation anyone?

Some 21 months after our first Thai Spa experience in Koh Samui we’re preparing our luggage, so to speak, as we leave the bling of Dubai for the rains of Thailand this time at the Spa in Ko Chang.

We’ll be posting regular (it’s important to be regular) updates right here on how we get on, off and a bit of both as we embark on a 7 day fast to detoxify, cleanse, purify, spit, polish and whatever else is on offer. So, the majority of Jim & Em content here at GO! Smell the flowers will be detox based for the next 10 days, best read either on an empty stomach.

Comments and support welcome here - get ready for the detox diaries

Have you ever tried hypnosis to conquer a fear, make of fool of yourself in public or to aid deep relaxation?

This 10 minute clip may give you a taster*:

Did it do anything for you? Do tell AND sleep. YOU’RE BACK IN THE ROOM.

*Do not try whilst driving or using heavy machinery

What are you desiring at the moment?

My daughter is at the age now where she is starting to ask questions about things. So yesterday, we traveled to the north side of the city and got in alot of talking! But it wasn’t until almost the end of trip where she said something I will never forget.

“Mom, did you know there are two ways to get pregnant?” Courtney (my daughter) said.

“No, really?” I said.

“Yes, some boy told me. Salt or sperm!”

“Salt???”

Now I never went further in the conversation because I really didn’t want to know how that could work! But I think I laughed for about a half an hour! Kids are so cute.

Photo 

P.S. These are my daughter’s eyes.

Check this out flower people! Children see dolphins - Adults see something different:

Interestingly, research has shown that young children cannot identify the intimate couple because they do not have prior memory associated with such a scenario.

What they will see, however, is nine (small & black) dolphins in the picture!

So, we’ve already proven you’re not a young innocent child. Now, if it’s hard for you to find the dolphins within 6 seconds, your mind is SO corrupted that you probably need help and it could take more than smelling the flowers to do that

OK, here’s help: look at the space between her right arm and her head, the tail is on her neck, follow it up. Look at her left hip, follow the shaded part down, it’s another one, and on his shoulder…..

Do you feel any better now? What’s that flipper?

How did are you sleeping these days?

A drink before you drop or a book to help you drool? Do you need any help to send you to the land of nod?

More information on why sleep is pretty important here. 

Let us know your sleeping patterns here folks z z z z z z z z and save some covers for us on this side will ya?