Are you ready for summer?

By Malu Fernandez

As February winds down and the temperature slowly rises you all know we are just a few days away from when the sweltering heat of summer. For the last three months the weather has been quite pleasant and we have all enjoyed it, but I dread the heat of summer?with the pavement so hot I swear you can hear it sizzle. Fortunately we live in a country with 7,100 islands so we have the cool refuge of the ocean. We literally have hundreds of beaches to choose from!

There are two types of summer vacationers: those who love being one with nature and those who prefer the luxury of five-star accommodations and sipping drinks by the pool. The one thing everyone will ultimately share is the sun, the beach and the wind. Whether you?re sitting in a resort like Amanpulo or roughing it up in a flea bag resort, we all share the same ocean and the same elements around it. How you protect yourself and your environment is up to you.

I?m not saying go be an environmental activist and wear hemp but common sense is a good thing to practice. For instance, if you?re enjoying a nice boat ride please put your garbage in a trash bag and don?t throw it in the ocean. That?s plain common sense, isn?t it? How dumb do you have to be to not know that not only will you pollute the water but you can harm the animals and the fish as well. Most places make it easy for you to recycle. Some hotels provide you with recyclable receptacles for your trash. If your hotel provides you with a recyclable trash bin throw your drink bottles in the right receptacle! It?s already there, no effort required! Don?t litter the beach with your beer bottles, cigarette butts and empty snack containers. The beach is one of the most beautiful things to look at, don?t destroy the view. Even if you?re not a beach person, looking at a sunset on the beach is still a pretty sight. Just look at the sunset by Manila Bay?it?s beautiful minus the stench of garbage and the cockroaches on the reef.

OK, enough about the environment, how many of you idiots out there think that sitting out under the sun to get a tan will make you look beautiful? Uh-Huh, I thought so there are many young women out there who love to sit under the sun and get all nice and tan, but never think of the damage it does to their skin. If you must go under the sun please put on some sun block with 35 spf. Unless you want to look like dry leather don?t forget the sun block! The irony of it all is this country promotes so much skin whitening products yet so many women bake themselves under the sun during the summer season. Buy a self tanner, it?s the safe way to go or check out your favorite salon for a spray tan.

When we are exposed to the elements most of us forget to protect our hair, when you?re at the beach, rub some conditioner at the ends of your hair and tie it up. You could also wear your hair under a cap to protect your scalp from sunburn, because when your scalp peels from the burn it can look like you have a nasty case of dandruff!

Whether you?re staying at a five-star hotel or a cheap motel, remember that the little Ziplock bag is your friend. Sand gets into everything you own, the finer the sand the worse it can get. For instance your cell phone can be ruined if enough fine sand gets into it. Put all your stuff in little Ziplock bags to protect them from the environment, not only will you save yourself the headache, it makes packing easier and more organized. Plus it also helps keep your stuff dry!

A little common sense at the beach goes a long way. Don?t forget that even if you?re on vacation, if you treat your environment right and take the right precautions, even the most advanced city slicker can feel comfortable in a natural environment.