Useful items

I titled this "Useful Items," but really, the items are a necessity here in the Philippines.  "What items?," you ask. Well, cotton underwear, bandannas and hankies.  Of course, you are asking me, "Really?  Underwear?  That's a given, you always wear underwear!"  My answer is, "Cotton underwear".  COTTON is the key word here.  Cotton is very breathable and highly absorbent.

Wear cotton underwear (undershirts and underpants) under your shirt and lightweight shorts while you are in hot and humid weather.   They will keep you sort of dry.  I say "sort of" because you will sweat and sweat and sweat and sweat even more! Your clothes will be wet but they also will dry just as fast...because they are COTTON. 

You are asking me, "Why should I put on a t-shirt under my shirt?" or "Why should I wear 2 shirts? It's way too hot for that!"  I'm smiling here because I asked the same question!  So, I tried it.  There had to be something to it because, for one, my husband does it all the time, and for another, a lot of people here in the Philippines do it, too.  At first, I felt hot!  I wanted to rip it off and just run around naked...that just wasn't an option...I would have been spotted, tracked, netted, tagged and caged, and possibly, shipped to an animal sanctuary where they would monitor me and label me as some kind of monster, maybe even an unidentified new animal species.  So, I kept it on and toughed it out for the day. I was pleasantly surprised that, even though I was sweaty, I felt comfortable and partially dry.  I went out and bought a couple of tank t-shirts.  I may even pick up several more.

Now, on to bandannas and hankies.  I never had use for them.  I grew up with them and only saw my grandmother and my mother use hankies.  I thought that hankies were pretty and were given as gifts when you just couldn't think of what else to give an elderly person.  Bandannas were what cowboys wore...on TV.  Then, of course, came the 1980's, when people wore them around their heads, arms, and necks as a fashion statement.  I wasn't into that.  I married my husband in the early 2000's and guess what he used?  A bandanna as a hanky.  He grew up using them and always has one tucked his pants back pocket.  When we arrived in the Philippines, I saw that a lot of people used bandannas, hankies and even towelettes, all cotton, of course.  Hahaha, cotton.  I'm telling you cotton is the fabric to use, besides it's the fabric of our lives, right?!

Here in the Philippines, when you are using public bathrooms, also called comfort rooms or CR's, you will not find paper towels or toilet paper.  They stopped stocking these items because the locals decided they needed these items more than the general public. Now it is custom to bring your own. You may find vendors selling these items outside the CR doors but, I always try to remember to have a bandanna on me so when I wash my hands I have something to dry my hands with. It's good to have on hand because you never know when you'll need it.  And, since this is a hot and humid country you'll need it to mop the sweat from your brow and the back of your neck.  The locals even tuck it into the collar of their shirt or into the back of their pants at the waist to soak up sweat.  I think they do it when they aren't wearing the cotton t-shirt under their shirts.  It's a smart thing they are doing.  Personally, I will wear the cotton t-shirt under my shirt to soak up the sweat instead of wearing a towelette or bandanna.  

I now have a new found respect for cotton underwear, bandannas and hankies. Maybe I should have titled this blog "COTTON"!