Learn-Something-New

Like Fish In A Barrel

2011-12-21T13:42:00.000-05:00

It started out back in 2009 as a water feature -- a half-barrel to catch the water that flowed through the rainchain from the roof gutters. We found a waterproofed half-barrel at a garden center, where we also bought the marginal aquatic plants, Dwarf Giant Papyrus, Powdery Thalia, and Pickerelweed. We got a lotus bulb but it never woke up.

Pickerelweed

We weren’t really planning on having fish in the barrel but stagnant water would mean breeding ground for mosquitoes. So, I assigned a couple of Goldfishes and a Platy from our aquarium to take care of the mosquito larvae that could populate the barrel. All went well until winter came.

January 2010 was fierce; it froze the barrel, together with everything in it. I was devastated, not only because the fish and most of the plants died, but also because it didn’t even occur to me that I actually had the means to prevent the imminent disaster.

Frozen water. See dead fish in the center of the photo.

The following winter, I was prepared. As soon as the weather cooled down, I put an aquarium heater in the barrel and made sure that the setting was just right – no ice cube fishies, but no fish stew either. Everyone survived.

Last summer, I added more fish. I introduced a few tropical livebearers, both male and female, and let nature take its course. The barrel is now teeming with Guppies, Platys, and Swordtails.

We had our first chilly morning a few weeks ago, and no, we didn’t forget to install the heater. We won't let Mother Winter mess with our pets again, even if they are fish in a barrel.

Goodbye Auto Mode

2011-12-08T09:52:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, Groupon offered a discount on a photographyworkshop to be held in Orlando, conducted by CapturingTrueEmotion.com. I took the 4-hour “The Ultimate Camera Experience” workshop with the matching 2-hour “The Ultimate Camera Expedition”location shooting scheduled for December 2nd. The lecture was at the Sheraton Safari Hotel, and the shoot at Downtown Disney, just 10 minutes away from home.

It was essentially a basic course on DSLR photography – understandingISO, aperture, shutter speed, metering, etc., and knowing how to control themin your camera. I knew all that, since I’ve had my Canon Rebel T2i for morethan a year and my Canon S3IS for a couple of years before that. I was really more curious about the workshopitself (how it would be conducted) rather than the photography basics.

Surprisingly, at the end of the day, I actually learnedsomething important and photography-related. Our wonderful (she was awesome!) facilitator was professionalphotographer Stephanie Adriana. After listening to her share her shooting techniques and personalexperiences, I discovered that there was, indeed, an easy and methodical way toshoot in Manual mode.

Stephanie at location shooting.

My action shot in "shutter priority" mode.

So, wow, I can now shoot, quite confidently, in Manual mode! Nomore getting nervous and rattled and defaulting to Auto mode when shooting in apinch! I would say that’s a lesson that was worth more than what I paid for that6-hour workshop. The chance to mingle with fellow camera enthusiasts was abonus. Getting a laminated cheat sheet from the workshop -- priceless.

Below are some of the photos I shot after the workshop, all in easy-peasy manual mode, without the headache from second-guessing the camera settings (click on any image for a high-res slideshow of all photos). Thank you, Stephanie!

Our bikes in the driveway on an overcast day.

The hot-air balloon ride at Downtown Disney, where we had our location shooting.

Mike's Boss bike. Shot with a zoom.

Our Blue-and-Glitter-themed Christmas tree.

My CD-ripping project workstation.

Your Ticket, Please.

2011-10-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

What normal people would typically throw away, I keep. I always say to myself, "Someday I'll think of a way to turn this into a work of art."

One of the many things I've kept over the years are movie tickets -- those that the ticket collector at the theater entrance hand back to the patron. I wasn't able to save all the stubs of all the movies we saw because when Mike gets to hold those little pieces of paper, he tends to crumple them and throw them away. He's normal. When I get to hold them, I keep them safely in a pocket in my bag and later slip them into a little hoarding box.

After almost ten years, I suddenly decided I've collected enough of them to turn into a piece of art that I can hang on the wall. I gathered all the stubs and removed all the duplicates (I still kept the duplicates in an envelope, I don't know what for).

Then I looked for that picture frame of a frowning clown that I really meant to repurpose. I glued colored paper on the frame backing and taped the stubs onto them. It's very relaxing, gluing ticket stubs one at a time into a symmetrical structure. Yes, I know. OCD.

And this is the final product -- a glass-framed conversation piece of ticket stubs of some of the movies Mike and I saw together from 2002 to 2011.

What else have I been stashing around here? Hmmm.

More Shelves!

2011-09-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

ADD. OCD. It took a while for me to wrap my head around the realization that I have a healthy affliction of both. ADD takes me from one project to another, one field of interest to the next, and one... oh, look, a squirrel! Then OCD grabs me and compels me to ~~fix~~ ~~sort~~ organize my ~~belongings~~ stuff in ~~neat~~ ~~aligned~~ symmetrical order.

That's why I need shelves. Lots of shelves. Because I tend to collect things. Assorted things. Especially those that mean something to me. Like colored glass. Matrioshka dolls. Crystal bells. And books. Lots of books. Some CDs. Some DVDs. A few pewter figurines. Japanese artifacts. And Darth Vader.

I must organize my things. I must. So I build shelves. I need shelves.

More shelves!

Puto and Dinuguan

2011-09-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

Finding good puto (rice bun) here in the U.S. is hit or miss. So, I decided to try out a White King Puto boxed mix, which is much like the pancake mix that I always resort to for my comfort breakfast.

The White King Puto powder mix required a cup of water, half a cup of sugar, and 5 tsp of cooking oil. Instead of plain sugar, I used Splenda. I also used Canola oil. After a minute of hand-mixing the ingredients, I poured the batter into my muffin (silicone) molds. Our rice cooker doubles as a steamer, so I was good to go. The instructions said to steam for 25 minutes.

The puto came out just right. I dabbed some butter on top before I took them out of the steamer. My taste test revealed that next time I should put a little more Splenda, and spike the mix with a drop or two of vanilla flavoring.

So, why did I suddenly have the urge to cook my own puto? Because we had some Dinuguan ("Blood Stew") takeout from the Pinoy store, and everyone knows that Dinuguan is always best with puto.

Book Review: "Tapping the Source: Using the Master Key System for Abundance and Happiness" by Gladstone, Greninger, and Selby

2011-01-21T01:00:00.002-05:00

Wouldn't it be great if life had an instruction manual? Fortunately, every now and then, someone writes a book that gives us, in no uncertain terms, step-by-step instructions on how to achieve success and happiness in life. Tapping the Source is that type of book.

Tapping the Source starts with how authors Gladstone, Greninger, and Selby serendipitously collaborate to expound on the wisdom of the Master Key System introduced by Charles Haanel in the early 1900s. Haanel had shared how meditation, manifestation, and being one with the Universal Mind (also known as Creative Spirit, Infinite Creator, or Divine) can influence the people and events around us into making our aspirations come true.

What makes Tapping the Source stand out from other self-help books is it draws from an expert who has been the role model of many successful businessmen and personalities over the past century. The book's authors, themselves, use Haanel's secrets in their own lives. Here, they present these secrets in practical, present-day, layman's terms, for regular people like us to use.

The book quotes Haanel extensively. The authors elaborate on Haanel's teachings and translate them into a manifestation process anchored on seven focus phrases that we can utter several times a day. This manifestation process works around the Law of Attraction, the secret of giving, the power of positive thinking, and direct communication with the Source. It may all sound nebulous, but the authors succeeded in presenting Haanel's concepts and teachings in clear and concise terms.

Tapping the Source is a life instruction manual. The manifestation logic and the actionable focus phrases serve as a blueprint for fulfilling our desires, achieving our goals, and tapping into the power of the Divine. This book empowers its reader with insights, awareness, and various mental tools to build material, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual perfection. In fact, this book takes away whatever possible excuse we may have to not succeed in life.

Life Coach 04: Ride the Winds of Change

2011-01-17T01:00:00.002-05:00

Change doesn't always have to be hard to accept. Change can most often be a blessing. How do we learn to face and take advantage of a major change in our lives?

Life Coach 03: Choose To Be Happy

2011-01-16T01:00:00.001-05:00

Studies show that you can consciously provide the mental and physical conditions that your brain will translate into feelings of happiness and contentment.

Life Coach 02: Carpe Diem -- Live the Moment

2011-01-15T01:00:00.002-05:00

Grabbing a moment and living it means giving yourself wholly to a situation.

Life Coach 01: Count Your Blessings

2011-01-14T13:52:00.001-05:00

When you think about it, bad days are actually the best days to focus on the good things we have. It doesn't guarantee that everything will suddenly be okay, but it gives us a better perspective of our circumstances.

Ruby Beads

2010-08-19T07:44:00.003-05:00

Come on down to my new blog: Ruby Beads!

It's all about my handcrafted jewelry hobby. Lots of photos and interesting stories. I'll see you there!

Hiatus

2010-05-16T07:30:00.004-05:00

I've decided to put this blog on hiatus.

Please follow me to my "other" blog: Neural Spork: Mental notes to masticate.

You can also subscribe and have updates delivered via email.

See you there. :)

Mike Llamas is Stoney Burke, Broadcaster, Rock Jock

2009-07-23T12:31:00.001-05:00

Mike Llamas is Stoney Burke, Broadcaster, Rock Jock

Shared via AddThis

Concert: Steely Dan

2009-06-19T08:50:00.003-05:00

I wish I could be like Steely Dan and make people pitch in for my house payment. This is what their "Rent Party 2009" tour is supposed to be about: for all of us closet fans of their several decades of music genius to show our appreciation by coming out to help them pay the rent.

Tickets to the June 15 show at the Bob Carr Performance Arts Centre downtown were pre-sold in April 23rd. Good thing we decided to get our tickets then--the house was packed.

After eight weeks of waiting, the day finally came. Our Balcony Right seats were pretty decent (for the money, they should be!). It also helped that we brought our birdwatching Bushnells.

I couldn't keep myself from comparing the people at the Steely Dan concert with the crowd at the Fleetwood Mac show. Of course, the artists are from totally different genre, but M and I belong to both crowds, so it was interesting to note the difference in the mob mentality. Unlike the free-for-all rock-and-roll attitude of the Fleetwood Mac-ers, the Steely Dan-ers were more refined (restrained?). There was this gaze of, I don't know, intelligence (question mark), in their eyes.

The Steely Dan fans (some with their I-was-at-the-Steely-Dan-2005-tour t-shirts) looked sharp, somewhat stiff and, uhm, smug (I guess you would if you knew that very few people get you for naming your Rottweillers Aja and Gaucho). Many of them, er, us, looked like we've been on to Steely Dan since the 70s. But hey, Donald Fagen came out on stage looking like one of us--mellow in our wisdom and experience, but still energized!

For a guy who's already crossed into the 6th decade of his life, Fagen performed as strong and forceful as ever. Walter Becker and the rest of the band (I mean, orchestra) were virtuoso-faithful to the tunes we grew up with. I believe they lined up songs that particularly showcased the talents and skills of the individual musicians and singers on stage.

We were at the edge of our seats waiting for the next song. What will it be? I bet I can name the song in four notes. People at the back kept screaming Black Cow! The Fez! Dr. Wu! Sadly, we got none of those, not even Deacon Blues. But we did get some of our other favorites like Aja, Green Earrings, Bodhisattva, Kid Charlemagne, Bad Sneakers, Peg, Third World Man, Home at Last, Caves of Altamira, and Josie. The demure head-bobbing crowd eventually let it all hang out with My Old School.

The show ended after only one encore. We wanted more, but, well, it was late, and way past our bedtime. So, we just listened to Steely Dan when we got home, trying to figure out the message in Sign in Stranger.

Here's some Steely Dan trivia worth knowing:
Haitian Divorce is obtainable within 24 hours.
Black Cow is a float.
The Fez is not a condom.

P.S.: M told a coworker that we saw Steely Dan in concert. She said, "Who's he?"

Book Review: "Conquer the Fat-Loss Code" by Wendy Chant

2009-06-06T21:09:00.002-05:00

Conquer the Fat-Loss Code is nothing short of a complete strategy to lose fat, raise metabolism, shed unwanted pounds, and remain fit for life. Wendy Chant has presented a book that not only explains the science behind the body’s reactions to food and exercise, but also details how to take advantage of these natural tendencies.

Chant’s book is a quick read because she explains the fat-loss code in simple, readily understandable terms. She also outlines all the principles involved in optimizing fat-loss (like the meal plan cycles) in straightforward bulleted paragraphs and in-a-nutshell “Conquer the Code” boxes for quick comprehension and reference. Testimonials to the success of the Fat-Loss Code (inserted in the book as “What the Code Crackers Are Saying”) are short stories that add to the credibility of the method.

Chant’s book is also a long-term guide because it has a complete 8-week planner that lists daily food suggestions, weight training and cardio schedules, and a feedback log complete with the day’s affirmation. The book not only explains the fat-loss code, it also provides the tools you need to apply the code to your particular situation. Chant even fine-tunes the program to differentiate plans for men and women, and those aiming to lose less (or more) than 30 pounds.

Of course, a plan is only as good as its Plan B. So, Chant also includes tips and tactics for special days like weekends, travel, and holidays, plus a special section on what to do if you fall off the wagon. And it goes without saying that the chapter on “Quick Tips for Ultimate Success” merits a permanent bookmark.

The last section of the book could be the most precious gift from Wendy Chant: it features her own recipes for breakfast, shakes, soups, salads, vegetables, entrées, and desserts. And to round out her comprehensive book, she adds an appendix of the Beginner’s Home Workout and several pages of references and scientific basis for her fat-loss code.

Anyone who has tried any kind of diet or regimen for losing fat (and maybe did not achieve the desired results) deserves to try Wendy Chant’s method. The science is sound, the code is simple, and this book is the key.

Book Review: "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

2009-03-13T17:39:00.002-05:00

The book answers one question: What makes an idea stick to our minds? The question is profound because it asks why some ideas are better remembered than others, why some methods of communication are more effective, and why a message should be specifically packaged to achieve the intended impact. The answer involves six principles spelled SUCCES: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, story.

What’s brilliant about “Made to Stick” is: authors Chip and Dan Heath use the answer to the question to make the answer stick to our minds. Not only do they explain how the six principles are used to make an idea stick, they also apply these principles in making their message—the book—be a sticky idea that stays in our consciousness.

The six chapters of “Made to Stick” focus on the six principles of stickiness. Each chapter uses some, if not all, of the SUCCES principles to deliver the chapter’s topic. The language is light and straightforward (because sticky ideas must be simple and memorable, like proverbs). The presentation is captivating, making you pay attention and want more. The numerous references are concrete and credible; in fact we are already familiar with many of them (like Jared, the Subway guy, the Chicken Soup series, and the Mother Theresa Effect). And with one story after another, of how regular people used these principles to make an impact, Chip and Dan Heath seal the imprint of their message in our heads.

I have never read a book that skillfully and successfully applies the principles it is trying to teach, until now. With the additional “Sticky Advice” chapters (for managers and teachers), the Easy Reference Guide, and the hundreds of fascinating reference notes, I can say “Made to Stick” will be stuck to my fingers for a while.

The Hanging Lamps Project

2009-02-28T18:34:00.008-05:00

Most of my home projects are born out of necessity –- necessity for convenience, necessity for comfort. After we built the breakfast counter, I noticed that whenever I sat there, I seemed to crave for... more light. I needed to see what I was eating, and the recessed lighting on the ceiling was too far and too weak. I needed task lighting... pendant lights over the breakfast counter. Need... must... have...

To keep in tune with the house’s Japanese-y, Oriental-ese theme, do I want to use those Japanese paper lanterns from Ikea? Do I want to spend money when I can make my own lamps and post the how-to on eHow as an article and get paid for it? The answer was a no-brainer. So, I looked around the house for materials I could use...

Read about the whole project (with photos!) at my Multiply site:
"The Hanging Lamps Project"

Read my tutorial (with photos!) at eHow:
"How to Make a Japanese Hanging Lamp"

Book Review: Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is by Natalie Pace

2009-01-08T14:46:00.002-05:00

Everyone wants to be rich; which is why countless books have been written, suggesting ways to build wealth, by as many experts on the matter. Natalie Pace’s “Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is: Investment Strategies for Lifetime Wealth” may be just one of them, but I appreciated her book because she shared her own experiences and spoke in simple terms to readers like me, amateur investors.

Pace’s approach gives a layman’s view of the forest as well as the trees. She laid out the basic principles of investing, the fundamental guidelines in designing and maintaining a sound investment portfolio, and the various wealth-handling challenges one has to deal with. She stresses that it’s not just about getting rich, but also about staying rich.

What makes “Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is” a compelling read is how Pace reveals her own successes through real-world examples. She shows how she handled her investments over the years and describes which companies she studied, recommended, and built her own wealth on. She shares her personal investment strategies openly and clearly; and she nutshells every major lesson with three important takeaway tips.

“Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is” is a good how-to book in investing that even a newbie can quickly understand and immediately apply. Regardless of whether the overall economic situation is in flux, Pace’s chapters like “The Magic of Stock Report Cards”, “Lessons from Enron”, and “The Top Eleven Investing Mistakes” remain universally pertinent. In fact, the book details how to invest wisely so that wealth becomes recession-proof.

Natalie Pace’s book details practical answers to crucial questions like “How do I choose a broker?”, “How do I buy low and sell high?”, and “How do I diversify my nest egg?” For me, though, the best takeaway of all is her set of tips that describes “The Foolproof Get Rich and Stay Rich Plan.” After reading this book, I feel that I’m psyched to learn more about enjoying a lifetime of wealth.

RightPet.com

2008-10-30T06:56:00.006-05:00

A new site for pets has just launched:

It's a place to check out which pet is best for you and your family. Pets and vendors are user-rated so that an online collective wisdom is shared with everyone wanting to find the right pets for the right homes. Drop by and post your pet stories, photos, and videos... I'm sharing my pet fish experiences there.

Night Sounds

2008-03-26T17:36:00.004-05:00

We live in Orlando, you know, the city where dreams come true. For several years, we stayed in an apartment located just two traffic lights away from Mickey Mouse's door. Every night we would hear a cacophony of fireworks explosions from Epcot, Magic Kingdom, or Downtown Disney. (Every now and then we would hear heavy walking and late night furniture rearranging from the neighbors upstairs.)

Fireworks are exceptionally loud during holidays like the eve of the 4th of July or New Year's. They usually last about 10 to 15 minutes, so they won't really keep you up. If they ever wake you up, especially the finale super-explosions, you quickly realize it's the Disney fireworks giving all those breathtaken visitors the awe of their lives, and you promptly fall back asleep.

Since we moved to our new place last year, we have a different set of nighttime sounds. We now live about two blocks from Seaworld, where they also have fireworks, although not everyday, and not as loud as Disney's. And because the Orlando International Airport is just 15 minutes away, the traffic of airplanes can sometimes be heard in the stillness of the night.

But tonight, we heard a totally unusual sound. For a second it sounded like someone dropped a piece of furniture upstairs. Only thing is, there's no "upstairs" -- unless someone dropped something on our roof. It didn't quite sound like thunder... the weather was clear all day.

"What the heck was that?"

So, we paused the show we were watching and we stepped outside, looking around for whatever may have caused that thunderous explosion.

A neighbor was taking a stroll. She saw me walk out to our driveway and look up at the clear blue sky.

"You heard the sound of the shuttle," she called out, smiling.

"That was the space shuttle?"

"Yes, the sonic boom of the space shuttle."

"Oh, wow! That's right! They're landing tonight! Thanks!" It was a huge "aha" moment for me!

So, there it was, our first sonic boom experience in all the years we lived in Orlando. Next time we hear a thunderous sound like someone dropped a piece of furniture "upstairs," we'll know to suspect it was another space shuttle announcing its arrival.

A news article said the Endeavor caused a "twin zonic boom" as it came in to land at the Kennedy Space Center. For more about the Space Shuttle Endeavor and its mission, and some tidbits about the International Space Station that's now 70% complete and gearing towards human expeditions to the moon:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

New Articles: Aquarium Design and Decor

2008-03-19T20:58:00.002-05:00

How to Design an Aquarium

Designing an aquarium, also called aquascaping, is one of the most exciting and challenging aspects of the fishkeeping hobby. The aquarium is a mini replica (or simulation) of the fishes' natural homes, which means utmost care must be taken in designing, preparing and maintaining the tank's elements and ecosystem. Here are some guidelines in designing a successful fish tank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Be Creative With Aquarium Decor

Aquascaping or decorating an aquarium involves the bringing together of various elements primarily to simulate the natural habitats of the resident fishes. Setting up aquarium tank décor is a basic task--and after you've done a few setups and seen others, they start to all look the same. How can you make your aquarium stand out? Here are a few suggestions.

New Articles: Growing Roses and Cleaning Bronze

2008-01-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

How to Grow Bare-Root Roses in Containers

One of the best ways to propagate roses is by transplanting them in their bare root state. Bare-root roses remain stagnant until they are "awakened" through soaking and planting on the ground or in containers. Here are the simple steps to plant bare-root roses in containers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Clean and Polish Bronze

Almost everyone has bronze décor pieces in their home. These metal artifacts may have looked shiny and new when you bought them, but the longer they are exposed to air and moisture, the greener and duller they become. Bronze reacts with moisture (oxidation) to form a greenish layer on its surface, called patina. Some homeowners appreciate the darkened finish because it adds character to the metal, but many prefer their bronze clean and shiny. Here are a couple of natural ways to clean and polish your bronze treasures.

New Articles: Metal Tables and Papier-Mache'

2008-01-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

New articles at my eHow Home & Garden:

How to Repaint a Metal Table

Metal tables, especially those used in outdoor gardens and patios, can quickly rust and deteriorate from exposure to the elements. They should be checked periodically for fading and corrosion, and then cleaned and repainted as necessary. Follow these steps for removing rust from an old metal table and repainting it to look like new.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Make Papier-Mache' Hearts

One of the easiest ways to create decorative forms is with papier-mache' or paper mache. Using common materials like old newspaper, modeling clay and diluted white glue, you can create your favorite three-dimensional shapes and forms for decorating your home. Here are the simple steps for making papier-mache' hearts for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or just for fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Make a Valentine Mobile

Mobiles are interesting décor items because they are dynamic and always in motion. Hanging your favorite items in a balanced, free-moving configuration can be attractive to infants learning about shapes and motion, as well as to art aficionados appreciating creative expression. Here are the simple steps to creating a Valentine mobile with bamboo sticks and lightweight papier-mache' hearts.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Book Review: Life Safari by John Strelecky

2007-12-30T16:07:00.000-05:00

Available only at TheLifeSafari.com

Many of us have it on our "to-do-before-I-die" list: go on an African Safari. John Strelecky (as Jack) had it on his list, too. Life Safari is about how he had dreamed of experiencing Africa, when he decided to take the trip, who and what he discovered there, and why it changed his life.

John Strelecky tells us about an old woman, Ma Ma Gombe, an experienced safari guide, who not only showed Jack where the animals were, but also shared the wisdom, and the secrets, of the wild continent. Jack told Ma Ma Gombe that he wanted to walk across Africa to see five animals, his African Big Five. The old woman agreed to help him because doing so meant she would also have the chance to pursue one of her "Big Five for Life"--the five things to see or do to declare one’s life a success.

Life Safari is a simple story that can be read in one sitting; but each chapter, each lesson that Ma Ma Gombe shares, each adventure with the wild animals, hides a deeper meaning. Interestingly, these "deeper meanings" are universal. Readers, no matter their circumstance in life, can relate and find countless takeaways from the book.

Through Life Safari, Strelecky succeeds in inspiring his readers to contemplate on their personal "Big Five for Life." What are the five things you want to see or do to be able to say that your life was a success? Through Ma Ma Gombe’s stories and advice, the book shares some specific strategies on how to pursue them.

It doesn't have to be Africa. You only need to immerse in the story, be amazed at how it often touches on your own dreams of adventure and excitement, and dwell on the magic and mystery of life and the universe. This book is really an essential guide... for a life journey, a life safari, that each of us will have to take.

---
Read my other book reviews at OurSimpleJoys: Inspiration: Book Reviews

My "tsukubai" Project

2007-11-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to build a water feature on the corner near the door to our patio. I deliberated on a lot of ideas: a small koi pond, a stillwater pond, a small fountain. I couldn't decide. Then I found a book about "Theme Gardens" and one theme that attracted me was the Japanese "tsukubai" or water basin.

The "official" tsukubai is composed of four rocks, a water vessel, water that flows through a bamboo fixture, and stones or pebbles to unify the whole setup.

The four flat-topped rocks are: a stepping stone, a kneeling stone, a setting-down rock on the right for a pitcher or teakettle, and a slightly higher rock on the left to set down a lantern or candle.

The water basin can be a hollowed out rock or a stone jar or basin. The pebbles between the rocks and the basin are symbolic of a sea in the middle of the rocks. And they serve to absorb the water spills.

The tsukubai is traditionally a water basin built outside a tearoom. Guests wash their hands there before the tea ceremony. It's also found outside temples for the symbolic cleansing of the spirit.

A Japanese-style water basin garden feature would be pretty easy to do, but I still had to figure out the logistics... the rocks and the jar, which were the main elements, would be expensive and difficult to work with.

All of a sudden, from out of the blue, everything came together. With the help of ArtificialRocksFactory.com and a clearance sale of fiberglass stone jars at a neighborhood Super Target store, I was finally able to build my tsukubai.

The article about the step-by-step process is now published in eHow.com:
How to Make a Japanese-Style Water Feature.

How-tos at eHow.com

2007-10-30T06:36:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, there was Themestream.com. Then there was Webseed.com. After that I got picked up by eRef.com and WriteEdge.com, then Magi21.com. Of course, the whole time I was a mainstay at Suite101.com. Aside from Suite101.com, where my Introduction to Backpacking tutorial still resides, all the content sites I used to work for are now history. The stints were good while they lasted, but true to the volatility of the World Wide Web phenomenon, they, well, evolved.

Now there's eHow.com. I've been hired to be one of their resident "Experts" in the Home & Garden section. I love it because I get to write about how to do the things I enjoy doing. I've always been a home and garden person. I got it from my parents. They gave me the handyman handcrafter gene, and the opportunity to try my hand at anything I'd be curious about. I think it's just about time to share the knowledge and experience I've accumulated over the years.

So, where will you find me at eHow.com? Right here: Ruby Bayan

My two latest articles are:
How to Provide Adequate Lighting to Indoor Plants
How to Find Your Ideal Partner

Many more articles... I'll post the titles here as they get published.

Harnessing ADD

2007-05-31T12:42:00.000-05:00

Like most parents dreaming of the best for their children, mine wanted me to be a doctor. When I told them I failed both my Qualitative and Organic Chemistry courses, their dreams faded into oblivion. Over the years, I realized I couldn't have been a good doctor, anyway -- and it was their fault... because they gave me ADD.

There was no "Attention Deficit Disorder" back then. We, young ones, were just "distracted" (it was the dawn of color TV!) or "over-stimulated" (good ol' rock 'n' roll!). Most of the time we were just experiencing a surge of hormones. Nobody thought we had some kind of "disorder."

It's only now, in this semi-retirement phase of my life that I finally understood why I've been constantly curious and "highly creative" –- I have ADD. With a craving to learn something new, my short attention span takes me from one body of interest to another. Many times, I would exhaust a passion to the point where I can say, "I've done that," and then I'd move on and try something new. That's not such a bad thing, is it?

Lately, I noticed that I've actually structured my activities to jibe with my ADD. For example, my handicrafts projects (like the bookmarks and notepads I sell online) require drying time, so after I'm done with one task, I can pull out and do something else. When I write or edit, I give it one or two passes, then I pull out and go back the next day with a fresh set of eyes. When I do my jewelry, I have several projects on-going and move from one inspiration to another. In between all these, I cook, surf the 'Net, garden, take photos, workout, and putter about. I'm never bored and I learn something new everyday. It's all so exciting!

In a way, I feel that I've successfully harnessed my ADD. My parents may have been disappointed that I didn't become a doctor, but they’d be happy that I've made the most of the genes they handed down.

So, I should end this here... I feel this big urge to learn metalsmithing. Where's that site I bookmarked?

[Reprinted from my old Blurty journal, May 5, 2005]

John Kaizan Neptune

2007-04-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

A while back, I scoured the Internet for a CD copy of one of my favorite easy-listening LPs, Mixed Bag, which had one of my favorite love songs, "Soft Melody." But it looked like the LP never made it to CD format.

So, I searched for the artist, John Kaizan Neptune, famous for his romance with the shakuhachi bamboo flute. That led me to his homepage, http://www.jneptune.com, where I found his email address and everything about him and his craft. He's been living in Japan and making his own flutes.

I was bent on finding out how I could get a digital copy of his Mixed Bag album because I had no means to convert the songs from LP to CD, so I wrote him an email. That was in December, 2005.

Last week, I received an answer. I was very pleasantly surprised!

John had been preparing a new album, which will be coming out very soon: Bamboo Magic. He said it was recorded in India and Japan. I'll be looking out for it for sure!

And he sent me some photos! I asked his permission to share them on my blog and he said, yes!

If you haven't heard of John Kaizan Neptune, or his shakuhachi music, you're missing a very essential experience. Trust me.

Why learn something new?

2007-02-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

My father never smoked a cigarette in his life, but he suffered from emphysema, most likely brought on by his commission in the military. He was commander of an artillery brigade during World War II. While he lived to age 84, he spent a good share of his senior years on hospital beds.

The years before he passed away, he often said to me, "If you had become a doctor, you would be treating me. You should have studied medicine." That time I was into information technology and marketing.

I didn't know then how to reply to my father's sentiment. But now I know. I would never have become a doctor, even if I tried real hard. I wasn't born with the brain cells to store volumes of medical information and readily access them for the patients I needed to treat. I wasn't even born with the stomach to stay calm and collected when a fellow human being screams in pain and gushes blood. I wasn't born with doctor genes.

Instead, I was born with a deep sense of curiosity and awe... at the universe around me. I might be curious enough to learn about health and sickness, and biology and mortality, maybe even psychiatry or surgery, but I'm also curious about thousands of other non-medical things.

At age 13, my curiosity in the kitchen led me to learn how to bake different types of cakes, cookies, and desserts. My mother couldn't stop me from pedaling the sewing machine and making my own clothes. I knew how to crochet, embroider, and make handicrafts. I think I was 16 when I learned how to mix cement and lay down bathroom tiles. Balancing on ladders to paint walls and window grills was as much an adventure for me as raising aquarium fishes, growing cacti, and solving jigsaw puzzles. Later on I found myself building wall shelves, practicing karate, and climbing mountains. Then computers and the Internet came along, opening up more stuff to delve into.

Much of this curiosity must have been handed down by my mother. She was half Spanish and big on discipline, but as she taught me how to set the table and entertain guests the old fashioned way, she also taught me never to fear new things. Read. Travel. Mingle. Observe. Absorb and appreciate as much as possible.

I wasn't born with the brains and guts of a doctor. I was born with a heart compelled to explore, find adventure, and learn new things everyday. My ailing father wouldn't have understood, but I think that if he could read me now, he would still be pleased.

Stories about my parents as my inspiration and role models are here:
http://www.oursimplejoys.com/inspiration.html

Flamingo A Go Go

2007-02-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

In case you're not familiar with my Flickr photo site, username: MyRuby, I'd like to share a set of interesting shots that I took the last time I visited Seaworld.

There's a preserve at Seaworld where Caribbean Flamingos congregate. The other times I visited the park, the birds were loud and cackling at each other -- doing their bird thing. This time, they were all taking a nap.

I'm not sure what it is that inspires them to nap at the same time, at this particular time, but there they were, their long necks all curled up, their heads tucked under a wing, and, yes, standing on one leg. All of them!

So, while I was pretending to be a photographer there, getting bored at all the ball of feathers I was waiting to move around for some semblance of a flamingo photo shoot, two of them woke up and walked toward each other. They seemed to have awoken too early, and decided to confront each other.

"Did YOU wake me up?"

"Of course not! Maybe YOU woke me up!"

Then a third one woke up and approached the other two. Their heads came together, bobbed up and down, their rubbery necks almost twisting around one another. They looked like they were planning something. For a few seconds there, I imagined them hatching a plan (get it, "hatching"?! LOL!).

"Hey, Vinni... here's what we'll do. On my signal, we'll flap our wings and run about, cackling like crazy, you get that?! We'll wake 'em up and show 'em who's boss!"

Well, they didn't really do anything like that. After a few more minutes of bobbing heads and nudging each other, probably some macho territorial ritual, they walked away and slowly faded into the pond-ful of balls of feathers. At least I got a few neat-o photos of these exotic iconic birds.

Next time I visit Seaworld, I'll camp out next to the penguins.

HINT: click on photos for larger versions and to browse my Flickr site.

Paramotoring

2007-02-08T14:22:00.000-05:00

Back in the 70s, I overheard a couple of classmates talk about meeting up over some cliff to try out some new hang gliders. Wow! Hang gliding! I would've crashed their party if I weren't too busy memorizing lines for a drama presentation. Looking back, I should've just flown off a cliff considering how far I -didn't- go with that drama workshop.

Over the years, I've always contemplated on trying out some method of flying -- if not dead dropping with a parachute, maybe air-swimming about with a hang glider, or floating about with a motorized oversized kite.

A few days ago, we saw a guy doing just that -- floating about an open field under an oversized kite, with a huge fan and a motor strapped to his back. The fan and motor remind me of the airboats that maneuver through the everglades.

Motorized Paragliding... or Paramotoring... is what it's called. Here are a couple of photos I snapped in a hurry as we passed by.

It looks like a lot of fun -- you don't have to depend on the wind for your flight, and you don't have to jump off a plane, a cliff, or a tall building to get your thrill. Of course, you have to fork over most of your inheritance for the gear and the fuel, but hey, you gotta have some form of investment to literally fly high.

Want to learn more? See more photos? I found these two sites (I'm not affiliated with them in any way).

www.paragliding.us/paramotoring.htm

www.uptimal.com/club.html

Maybe one of these days.

Cleaning Dried Eucalyptus

2007-02-02T16:41:00.000-05:00

It was time to clean my dried flower arrangements. The last time I cleaned the one in the bathroom was... never. Not that they didn't really need any cleaning, but because it's a big arrangement with assorted flowers and reeds that it would really require a considerable block of time to clean them.

You wish you could just throw them in a bucket of sudsy water, shwish them around, pull them out, and shake them dry. But you can't. You have to hold each stalk and gently brush off the dust and dirt. You could lose a dried flower or break a twig here and there, but it's part of the cleaning process.

Most of my arrangements are eucalyptus -- I like them for their resiliency. The fragrance is distinct, although I've encountered some that get nasty after a while, smelling like old socks -- I think some driers mess with additive fragrances. But, dried eucalyptus really last forever.

So, I picked up my trusty soft-bristled paintbrush, took a seat out in the patio, dumped all the preserved eucalyptus branches, dried wheat stalks, mini-bamboos, twisted cane sticks, and dehydrated flowers on the round table, and went to work.

It took me about an hour to clean three floral arrangements. I re-arranged only enough for one vase. The rest, I laid out in an oversized shirt box to store for future use. I could've thrown them away... they're dead anyway. But I'm a certified card-carrying packrat, er, conservationist-recycler, who believes that every item in this world could potentially be a component of a revolutionary art piece. Okay, I'm a packrat. But look, these preserved eucalyptus leaves still look good after... so many years!

Eucalyptus leaves are particlarly prone to dust... they attract dust... or more like dust clings to them for dear life. That's because the leaves and stems are naturally oily. Eucalyptus is preserved by letting them absorb water spiked with glycerin, an ingredient in the soap-making process. Effectively, the branches as "dry" but remain oily. Therefore, it requires a little patience to clean these branches because you have to brush both sides of each leaf to really do a good job. Blowing or "swiffer"-ing won't do. Well, consider it a zen experience -- not unlike pruning and shaping bonsai. Or, just like you polish your silver, you brush your dried eucalyptus.

Here are some photos I took during my zen moments:

My Tiny Yellow Puzzle

2006-12-30T18:53:00.000-05:00

I used to collect puzzles and brain teasers -- from jigsaws to Rubiks to wood puzzles (from geometric shapes to animal shapes and such). When I moved to another continent, I left them all behind. Except one... a small yellow plastic geometric puzzle that I dismantled several years ago, and virtually forgot about. Until yesterday, when I accidentally found it in one of my treasure boxes.

I don't know what possessed me to put it back together, but it was like it was the first time I worked on it! I spent close to 7 hours fidgeting with it. I stayed up late last night solving it and gave up when my eyes started to sting.

This afternoon, I spent another few hours of sheer concentration... hell bent on getting those blasted pieces to come together. Until finally!

Whew! Now I remember why I was digging into my treasure box... I was looking for something to take pictures of. And I imagined this puzzle would be a nice subject. Well, now that I've solved it, I don't really care if the photos are good or not. Haha!

Faces

2006-12-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

Our treadmill is positioned so that the treadmiller (new word?) faces the fountain pond outside. Here's the POV of the treadmiller:

When you're staring at a particular view for about 30 minutes almost everyday, you kinda notice some details you'd normally take for granted. For example, I noticed that when the treadmill is on a 10-degree incline, I could see the tops of all the cars that drive by, and about 80% of them have sunroofs. Oh ye, we're in Florida.

Also, there's a new tenant on the second floor unit across the pond. I haven't really seen the person, but I'm assuming he's male because he doesn't care if he leaves the blinds up all night, or hanging crooked all day. And the resident with the small black dog lets his pet wander close to the pond. The dog seems to always be wearing a red vest -- maybe it's a life vest, in case he falls into the water.

Anyway, what I wanted to share today are the -faces- that stare at me when I do my treadmilling (another new word?). Yes, faces. Just faces. No bodies to speak of. Just faces. These faces:

Don't they look mean and bad-tempered?! The boogly-eyed one looks male -- I call him Gonzor. The other face looks female -- I call her Grenza. Why? No particular reason -- they just look like a Gonzor and a Grenza to me.

Their features are obviously the result of trimmers pruning the trees. Would there be some way to cut the branches so that the tree trunk scars will have smiling faces? That should be fun.

Pinecone Tree

2006-12-11T12:22:00.000-05:00

And this is the tabletop tree that the pinecones adorned:

A Merry Christmas to all!

P.S. Check out the candle holders that I made out of clam shells.

Pinecone Decor

2006-11-27T19:04:00.000-05:00

I always thank my mother for the creativity genes she shared with me. She was a stay-at-home mom and her hands were always busy crafting something… from pastries, to paper beads, to pompom poodle bottles. Today, I'll reminisce one of her favorite holiday decorations: jazzed up pinecones.

Back in those days, we would go to a Farmer's Market to buy big sacks of pinecones that were brought down from the mountains. The objective was to hang the cones on our Christmas tree, so my mom would tie each one with a ribbon. Then she would dab white glue on the tips of the cone’s flaps, sprinkle glitter on the glue, and shake off the excess glitter. Then she would add a cute bow on top and voila! Of course, by the time we were ready to hang the cones, our hands and faces would all be shimmering in green and gold glitter!

This time, it's a little different. I picked up the cones from the lawn across the pond. There's a huge pine tree out there that drops quite a bunch of rather large cones in the middle of the year. So, I've had these pinecones since April, I think.

Some of them fell with part of their stems intact, so it would be easy to tie a handle on them. Those with no stems, I drilled small holes and hot-glued twist ties to serve as their handles.

Then I used an acrylic type metallic paint to color the tips of the cone flaps "glorious gold" and "royal ruby."

Add some ribbons, gold balls, and other accessories, and we're all set.

Now all we need is the tree to hang them on.

What Was I Thinking: The Bagel Incident

2006-11-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

I have a long list of excuses: "Senior moment" (most valid, of course), "I was distracted" (it's my ADD), "I'm new here" (I look like a foreigner wherever I am), "Sorry... instinct" (you can't blame me for a knee-jerk reaction), or "I didn't get the memo" (aka: "Why didn't you tell me?").
What are these excuses for? For my "Duh" moments, which I will refer to as my "What Was I Thinking?!" moments. Let me start with the good ol' bagel incident.

For those of you who've been patiently reading my online ramblings, I wrote about my first encounter with the bagel here: Romancing The Bagel.

As if my romance with this wanna-be-donut pastry wasn't enough humiliation (however private it was) sure enough, I had another episode where I just knew that someone behind me had said, "What the heck is she doing?"

We were at a hotel breakfast spread. I was barely awake (excuse #1). They had the average fare: cereal, oatmeal, fruits, coffee, juice, milk, doughnuts, muffins, sliced bread, and bagels. Some hotels have waffle makers and microwave ovens; this one had a contraption -- like those pizza cooking gizmos -- with a conveyor belt and a heating element over the belt so that you toast only the top portion of whatever you want to toast the top portion of… like maybe your bagel. But unlike pizza conveyors, this one doesn’t go in one end and out the other -– it goes in one end and out underneath.

In other words, you put the bagel on the conveyor, and it slowly travels into the toaster, falls through the back end, and slides forward so you can pick it up just under the belt. Easy.

This was our first time at this hotel, and the first time I saw this contraption (excuse #2). And that morning, I wanted a bagel. What I've always done with my bagel was split it open (learned to do that already), spread some cream cheese on each half, and pop the cheesed slices on the toaster oven. I get warm bagels with a slightly crusty cream cheese topping. Just the way I want it.

So, instinctively (excuse #3), I picked up a bagel, split it open, and spread some cream cheese on the slices. I looked up and about for a toaster oven, but it seemed this conveyor contraption was all they had. So I placed by cheesed bagel slices on the belt. And they started traveling into the machine.

Suddenly, it's like I woke up. Aach! Before I could take another breath, my slices rode deep into the machine, disappeared from view, and fell into the back of the toaster... cheese-side down.

I had to grab the longest pair of tongs on the table so that I could reach the bagel slices now upside down and totally stuck to the back end of the chute where the bagels slide out.

I dashed away with my warm half-bagels, nevermind that most of the cream cheese topping ended up on the floor of the toaster. I was hoping nobody noticed, but surely someone will whisper a curse when his bagel gets stuck in the chute because some idiot put a cheesed slice in the toaster.

The good news is, that was a lesson well learned. I will know what to do (or not do) when I use that conveyor toaster again.

The better news is, now there's a bagel toaster that doesn't use conveyor belts to heat only one side of the slice. These bagel toasters are regular sliced bread toasters but with wider slots to accommodate the fat half-bagels; and if you press the button that says "Bagel" it heats up only one side of the slot.

Here's the model we got:

All I have to remember is to cheese my bagels -after- I toast them.

Blogger Beta and Feedburner Funk

2006-11-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

Sometimes procrastination saves the day. Case in point: I had been considering moving to another blog server because Blogger didn’t have the “tags” capability. I felt I needed a way to sort my entries by topic since my blog has been racking up posts, but Blogger’s interface didn’t allow it. I knew I had to migrate, but I kept putting it off like an appointment for a root canal. Though I knew I’d have to do it eventually.

Just as I was cracking my knuckles ready to deal with yet another learning curve switching to Wordpress or some other blog venue, Blogger announces an upgrade version that allows “labels” for each journal entry. “Tag”... “Label”... same diff. So, I rested my knuckles and waited for the version release. They rolled it out yesterday. And I must say I’m pretty happy with the new features and ease-of-use. Labeling was a snap!

Unfortunately, this morning, the Feedburner feed managing my blog gave me (and all the feed subscribers to Learn-Something-New, obviously) a funky surprise.

Apparently, when I labeled my journal entries in Blogger (of course, I had to label all the entries, all the way back to March, or else the labeling concept wouldn’t make much sense), Feedburner got messed up. Today, it sent out a notification that Learn-Something-New has a new entry, but instead of the actual latest entry that I wrote yesterday, it broadcasted the posts I wrote back in August.

Anyway, I’m done tweaking the labels, so this post should appear in tomorrow’s Feedburner broadcast as the latest entry. Things will iron out eventually. Well, they better!

Meanwhile, I’ll stay on with Blogger… I still have to experiment on the new mess-with-your-layout feature. I wonder what exciting glitch will come my way this time around.

P.S. Thank you, Blogger, for your new features. I’m sure a lot of bloggers like me appreciate all the hard work you’ve put in. Kudos to your tech team!

Festival of the Masters 2006

2006-11-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

The Festival of the Masters has been an annual event at Downtown Disney for the last 31 years. I wonder why I never went out of my way to see it until last weekend. According to the brochure, the Festival “showcases art from more than 200 of the finest artists across the nation.”

Sculpture, jewelry, painting, photography, glass, and digital art are just some of the art genres featured this year. It took me two hours to just walk from one booth to the next, without even talking to the artists. An amazing collection of absolutely stunning work.

Too bad I didn’t have the time or energy to ask the artists about their chosen art, where their studios are, or how it feels to be part of a very special show like the Festival of the Masters. I would’ve learned so much from them. All I could do was snap some photos to remember the shock and awe I experienced as a spectator.

Here are my favorite booths (I apologize, I didn’t get the names of the artists. A serious oversight):

The larger versions and the rest of the photos are here: Festival of the Masters

Also, I discovered that the Festival’s Signature Art Artist, the one created the logo for this year’s event, is Arnel Platon – born in the Philippines and a migrant to the US in 1971 when he was 10. More about Arnel and his Festival Signature Art.

Creepy Cake

2006-10-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

We get them from the Oriental grocery stores -- they’re called “Red Bean Cake” or, more popularly where I grew up, “Hopia Mongo.” They’re round pastries made with flaky layers of paper-thin dough and stuffed with a pasty filling made from finely ground mongo beans.

The hopia is supposed to have originated in China and might have evolved from another bean-based pastry called the Moon Cake, which is a favorite treat for Chinese holidays and festivities. A similar incarnation of the hopia might have originated in Japan, because there’s the cube-shaped mongo bean delicacy we call Hopiang Hapon.

A few days ago, we got our fix of hopia treats from the Chinese store. I’m not sure if the baker intentionally made this bean cake this way, but it sort of freaked me out when I tore off the wrapper. I took these photos with my phone... you tell me what you see.

Happy Halloween?

More about the hopia here: Hopia on Wikipedia

Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip

2006-10-16T14:09:00.000-05:00

I’ve stopped counting the times we’ve driven up from Florida to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. When you live in Florida, you eventually get tired of the theme parks and the beach scene. You wake up one day craving for mountain slopes and fresh air.

This year, we drove yet another 10 hours north until we reached Asheville, our favorite base camp for our drive up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mornings and high altitudes gave us the chilly autumn breeze we so impatiently wait for in Orlando.

The most wonderful experience on this trip was our search for the colors of fall. We were able to schedule our vacation just when most trees along the parkway are peaking in reds and golds. Every outlook we visited was busy with tourists and photographers capturing the splendor of the mountains. Tripods here and there… motorists slowing down to snap quick remembrances… chitchats with fellow Floridians getting away from it all.

We’ve gone to the mountains many times, on different times of the year. This trip is the best one yet. And I have pictures to prove it.

More photos (in bigger sizes) in my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubybayan/

Stunning Sculptures

2006-09-27T14:45:00.000-05:00

We all know sculpture chiseled from rock. But with man’s innate and infinite creativity, the world has learned to appreciate sculpture in many other media. Here are some of the most awe-inspiring creations I found:

Polymer Clay Creations by Jon Anderson

Liquid Sculpture by Martin Waugh

Metal Sculpture: Wildlife Collection by Dick Kappel

Contemporary Glass Sculpture by dozens of renowned artists hosted by the Holsten Galleries

Paper Sculpture by Calvin Nicholls

Paper Sculpture at ebaumsworld.com

Ice Sculpture at ebaumsworld.com

Are you ready for the future?

2006-09-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

Less than four months to go to Year 2007. 2 0 0 7! I still remember how... in a previous life... we scrambled to ensure that the world as we know it wouldn't end at the turn of the Millennium. The Y2K project we called it. That's history and we're fast drifting past Space Odyssey territory. But where are the flying cars? The shuttles to the Moonbase? The androids?

Just when I imagine I'd have bought the farm when all of these futuristic ideas become part of the human way of life, I come across this video:

If these guys work real fast, I might still get to see flying cars after all.

License To Eat Fast Food

2006-09-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

Stripped from today’s headlines:

Obesity An 'International Scourge'
Conference Warns Of Global Fat Pandemic's Consequences

"Obesity is an international scourge," Prof. Paul Zimmet, the chairman of the meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, told delegates in a speech opening the International Congress on Obesity. "This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world."

An average adult is supposed to require only about 2000 calories of food per day to stay healthy. When the World Health Organization says that more than 1 billion adults around the world are overweight, with 300 million of them considered obese, I’m not surprised. It’s really very easy to exceed our daily food intake quota, especially in the more industrialized nations where everything is biggie-sized. With all the excess calories we consume getting stored in the body as fat, we’re kicked into the obese category quicker than we can say, “Burp.”

So, having too much time on my hands, I went surfing for the nutrition information on some of our favorite fast food places (interesting how they all provide these numbers now for public consumption – pun intended). I culled the calorie and fat count of their biggest and smallest burger items (all their other burger choices have nutrition values in between) from Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Carl’s Jr.:

Wendy’s
Big Bacon Classic = 580 calories, 29 grams of fat
Jr. Burger = 280 calories, 9 grams of fat
http://www.wendys.com/food/pdf/us/nutrition.pdf

McDonalds
Double Quarter Pounder with cheese = 730 calories, 40 grams of fat
Hamburger = 260 calories, 9 grams of fat
McDonald's Menu Items Nutrition

Burger King
Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese = 1230 calories, 82 grams of fat
Whopper Jr. = 370 calories, 21 grams of fat
http://www.bk.com/Nutrition/PDFs/brochure.pdf

Carl’s Jr.
Double Six Dollar Burger = 1522 calories, 110 grams of fat
Low Carb Six Dollar Burger = 490 calories, 37 grams of fat
http://www.carlsjr.com/content/downloads/nutrition.pdf

Now, for my radical idea...

The Health Department should issue “License To Eat Fast Food” cards specifically for dining in fast food restaurants. They can be called “License To Overeat” or “License To Stuff Yourself” cards, whatever. The idea is to have different fast food eating clearance levels.

For example, if you want to have a Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger (1522 calories) for lunch, you should be able to present a “License To Eat Fast Food” card with a LEVEL G (for Gorge) clearance. Which means you must be underweight (Body Mass Index of less than 18.5; refer to http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/), a professional athlete, a body builder, or practicing for an eating competition.

Every six months, the Health Department will give qualifying exams for the various “License To Eat Fast Food” clearance levels.

Average, healthy persons in the normal BMI ranges (18.5-24.9) will get a LEVEL E (for Eat Healthy) clearance. They’re allowed to order anything on the menu that doesn’t have the words “Big,” “Double,” "Triple," or “Whopper.”

People who are in the overweight and obese brackets (BMI of 25 and higher) will get a LEVEL C (for Control) clearance. They can order anything on the menu that has the words “Low,” “-Free,” and “Diet,” with a maximum of 3 items per 3-hour period.

How to implement that is another story (not to mention the flack it’ll raise from the Hefty-and-Happy crowd). But hey, it’s an idea. After all, “Global Fat Pandemic” deserves some serious thought.

If you’re interested in an easy way to compare nutrition information among the 12 leading fast food restaurant chains, here’s a site with a handy search interface: The Fast Food Nutrition Fact Explorer.

Admirers of Fine Print

2006-08-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

If there’s one thing I learned here in the US, it’s to read the fine print… on everything.

If you want what’s good for you, you should read the tiniest printed words not just on contracts, agreements, and disclaimers, but also on discount coupons, sales flyers, special offers, product labels, bills, notices, as well as posters, cards, and all your mail.

The main reason you must read the fine print (and that’s after you’ve checked the “Best Before,” “Valid,” and “Expires” dates) is to make sure your expectations are correct, especially when something looks too good to be true. You know what they say, “If it looks too good to be true, there’s a catch.”

For example, a credit card offer will put “No annual fee!” in bold letters, but the fine print will say that on top of the high interest rate, there’s a sign-up fee and a sell-your-soul list of other fees and charges.

Notice how car commercials on TV scream “THE BEST DEAL IN TOWN!” but in very small print, which flashes on the screen on the millisecond that you decide to blink, will effectively say, “Restrictions apply,” which, for all intents and purposes, actually means “none of you will qualify.”

Just a few days ago, I came across these too-good-to-be-true eye catchers:

$1.99 WHOLE CHICKEN
with the purchase of a family meal
(Poster at Boston Market)

FREE GIFT
wrapping everyday
(Sign at Bealls)

FREE PIZZA!
2nd Pizza of Equal or Lesser Value
(Domino’s Gift Certificate)

Since I started on a mission to read all the fine print on anything I buy, use, consume, or even consider taking into my scheme of things, I’ve become familiar with these:

“Void where prohibited by law.”
“Subscription will be renewed automatically unless you cancel.”
“Limited time offer.”
“Consumers with food allergies, please read the ingredient statement carefully.”
“Heating times are approximate.”
“Consuming raw or uncooked meats may increase your risk of foodborne illness.”
“Only at participating locations. Not valid with other offers. Delivery areas and charges may vary. One coupon per order. No double toppings.”
“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
“Any other use constitutes fraud.”

And the most popular clincher: “Individual results may vary.”

To cap this off, here’s what I found when I signed up with a Feedburner email subscription:

"For admirers of fine print, we also offer the following details:
The publisher of the site you have subscribed to uses FeedBurner to deliver email subscriptions. FeedBurner's Terms of Service govern this subscription service. This subscription is a relationship between the publisher and you, the subscriber; the publisher will have access to their complete mailing list should they decide to stop using FeedBurner and move to another service. FeedBurner provides email delivery service to the publisher; it will never sell email addresses, share email addresses or send any other email to the email address. FeedBurner never liked that, and never will. Nice FeedBurner."

To Be A Millionaire

2006-08-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Back in our younger days, my friends and I used to say, “We’re so ready to be millionaires… the only thing missing is money.”

I’m sure some of them have found the money by now and are comfortably circulating among fellow millionaires. I have high regard for them, especially after I read an article about what it takes to become wealthy.

In a nutshell, all you need to do to become a millionaire are:
1. work long hours
2. take risks
3. be willing to fail

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Why then are there only "2.9 million millionaires in America and 8.7 million millionaires worldwide in 2005" (Wikipedia: Millionaire)? Maybe because long hours, risks, and failure are not exactly what we want to deal with in this short journey called life. After all, these are way outside our normal comfort zones. We prefer easy money, get-rich-quick, and winning the lottery.

Then there’s the responsibility that comes with being rich. You’ll need to continue spending more time and energy to protect and nurture all that wealth. Affluence does come with a hefty price tag.

But if you really want to be a millionaire, here are valubale hints from one who's been-there-done-that:

If you want to be rich, first stop being so frightened

Just Say No

2006-08-09T12:29:00.002-05:00

I have a new weight maintenance tool. I call it the “Just-Say-No“ technique because all you have to do is say, “No, thank you.” You don’t have to measure and weigh what you eat; you don’t have to take some funky pills; you don’t have to hop on a treadmill! How easy is that?

By responding, “No, thank you!” during potentially weight-maintenance-damaging situations, you can lose from 100 to 1000 calories every time. And you won’t even feel it! Here are the opportunities you can cut off those calories.

At the theater concession stand:
“Would you like butter with your popcorn?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 220 cal.]

Also at the theater concession stand:
“Would you like to make your soda a large for just 25 cents more?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 100 cal.]

At the coffee shop:
“Whipped cream?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 150 cal.]

At the burger place:
“Would you like to supersize your order for just 99 cents more?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 100 cal. on the soda, 500 cal. on the fries.]

With the boys:
“Another beer?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 120 cal.]

At a party or at home:
“Second helping?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 300-800 cal.]

For dessert:
“How about a vanilla milk shake?”
“No, thank you.” [Lose 1000 cal.]

Simple. A calorie refused is a calorie lost. Intake your calories wisely, is what I say.

So, next time someone asks you to an all-you-can-eat too-good-to-pass-up buffet apply the “Just Say No” technique and save yourself a few hundred hard-to-burn calories.

For more information on calories and how much effort you need to put into burning them (hint: you have to walk the dog for a little over an hour to burn the butter you added to your popcorn): Calorie-Count.com

Caimito and Chico

2006-08-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

The two fruits I terribly miss out here in the US: the sweet and soft purplish caimito (Star Apple) and the sweet and grainy brown chico (Sapodilla).

My brother and I grew up climbing the caimito trees fronting our house. We had our own favorite branches where we’d while away the lazy afternoons of youth… almost like waiting for the fruits to ripen right next to our faces. Just sit on a branch, reach for a shiny tender one or two, and gorge away.

Friends and neighbors passing by would see us lounging on the branches; we’d pitch them as many ripe caimitos as they could carry. Most of the time, Papa would be at the foot of the tree, catching fruits my brother and I tossed down -- our very own version of "playing catch."

I remember though, that I never ate the Star Apples piled high on our dining table fruit basket. Not even the ones cooling in our refrigerator. I only ate caimito that I had just picked from our trees with my own hands -- fresh, organic, pesticide-free. Good old days.

Our chico tree was a different story. The tree itself was too dense to lounge in, plus it hosted the life cycles of all kinds of bugs -- spiders, mostly. You’d have to work your way through webs, ants, and aphids to get to the good branches, and then you’d have to literally go out on a limb to reach the fruits. The chico tree taught us how to pick fruits from the ground, using a really long stick rigged with a wire loop (to snag the fruit) and a bag (to catch the snagged fruit) at the end.

Ah, memories of long ago and far away. Our parents were the best; they made sure my brother and I had a wonderful childhood growing up alongside an assortment of fruit trees.

Oh yes, we also had guava, mango, tamarind, santol, avocado, guyabano, and kamias, all lush and fruit-bearing in our yard. I have poignant stories about each of these trees. I’ll write them one of these days.

Dieting, Eating Strategies, Fat Loss

2006-07-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

I may just have accidentally stumbled on an article I had always wanted to write.

As a health/wellness writer, I’ve published pieces on stress, the fat-and-forty syndrome, backpacking, and other focused topics, but never one that can serve as a comprehensive guide to health and fitness. I planned on writing a simple bulleted guide that covers nutrition, weight maintenance, aerobics, and resistance training – the essential elements of a healthy lifestyle. But the most I’ve done is scribble pieces of a draft that gets shuffled around in a deep drawer marked “One of These Days” (oh, that’s a step up from being in the thick folder labeled, “You think?”)

Today, while surfing the ‘Net looking for the formula for how many calories a person burns at rest (don’t ask), I ended up here:

How Dieting Works by Marshall Brain of HowStuffWorks.com

Mr. Brain had the information I was looking for. And I quote:

“At rest (for example, while sitting and watching television), the human body burns only about 12 calories per pound of body weight per day (26 calories per kilogram). That means that if you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), your body uses only about: 150 X 12 = 1,800 calories per day.

“Those 1,800 calories are used to do everything you need to stay alive:
- They keep your heart beating and lungs breathing.
- They keep your internal organs operating properly.
- They keep your brain running.
- They keep your body warm. “

The part I enjoyed best about Mr. Brain’s article was the section on weight loss myths:

“The myth that you can lose 54 pounds in 6 weeks - Despite what the ads say (I LOST 54 POUNDS IN 6 WEEKS WITHOUT DIETS OR EXERCISE!!! or LOSE 10 POUNDS THIS WEEKEND!), you cannot lose a pound of fat unless you burn off 3,500 calories. To lose 54 pounds in 6 weeks, you would need to lose 9 pounds in 7 days, or 1.3 pounds per day. That 1.3 pounds of fat is equal to 4,500 calories, so you would have to burn off 4,500 calories per day. The only way to do that would be to eat nothing AND run a marathon every day for 42 days. That's impossible. The only way to lose that much weight that quickly is either through dehydration or amputation. The ads are lying.”

With nothing better to do, I continued surfing until I found myself reading what I previously mentioned as the article I had always wanted to write. Obviously, someone already beat me to it. In 2002.

Eating Strategies for Permanent Fat Loss

It’s actually a handout created by Sheri Barke, MPH, RD, of the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. To learn more, explore the UCLA site she developed: Student Nutrition (& Body Image) Action Committee.

So, I can rest easy. The piece had been written. All I have to do now is bookmark and send the URL to my trainees. Thank you, Sheri Barke.

Happy Chickens

2006-07-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

There’s this hype about eating organic.

“Organic” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary in Answers.com as:

1. Of, marked by, or involving the use of fertilizers or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin: organic vegetables; an organic farm.
2. Raised or conducted without the use of drugs, hormones, or synthetic chemicals: organic chicken; organic cattle farming.

I’d say I’m fortunate because I was raised on organic food. Back in the day, my parents grew fruits and vegetables in our backyard. We had a pond teeming with tilapia. We also had a small poultry so we raised our own chickens. I gathered our breakfast eggs by hand. Our chickens were raised on cracked corn and milled grain; our vegetables were fertilized with our chicken’s droppings. It was just how things were.

Of course, on a larger scale, the world needed to feed a multitude of people, so backyard farming wasn’t enough. Mad scientists had to create hormones and DNA strains that make livestock grow faster, bigger, and resistant to disease. They had to develop artificial environments that make fruits and vegetables give more... uhm... fruits and vegetables. They even resorted to genetic reengineering to grow transgenic papaya, potato clones, and headless chickens (sorry, that last one is an urban legend).

Everything went well, and everyone got fed (okay, almost everyone), until another group of mad scientists said all of these growth hormones, funky fertilizers, and pesky pesticides that help grow our food are making us all act weird. Not to mention that these genetically altered environments are upsetting our ecological balance, among other things.

So, we’re back to backyard, all-natural farming. Talk about retro. But now we pay premium for it. Why? Because in organic farms, free-roaming cows and cage-free chickens require more real estate, and eggs that have to be hand-gathered from nests scattered in the open range require more personnel. How about the need to hire more caregivers who must talk to vegetables to motivate them to grow big and prolific?

In short, after science and the economy had their way, now only the elite can eat organic. Elite because they can afford to buy from organic supermarkets, or elite because they can afford caretakers to grow their own produce and raise their own livestock in their own backyard. There’s irony there somewhere.

In any case, I must agree that organic/natural products do taste better than the alternative. I know. I used to water my father’s all-natural vegetable garden and feed my mother’s happy chickens.

Want more information about genetically altered foods and the organic food industry?

Arguments for and against genetically altered produce.

Genetically Altered Food: Myths and Realities

Is Whole Foods Wholesome? The dark secrets of the organic-food movement.

Here’s an article about a whole new crop of goodies:

Eat Your Hybrid Veggies

Treadmill Tunes

2006-07-13T12:58:00.002-05:00

Long before I became a mountaineer (and that’s a long time ago!), I used U2’s The Joshua Tree album for my aerobic workouts.

For some reason, “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “With Or Without You” jibed well with my cardio workout rhythm. And that was before Tommy Lee Jones danced to these songs in the movie “Blown Away.”

Singing along with Bono (real name: Paul Hewson), I would jog in place and go through the warm-up routines I had learned as a student of Tae Kwon Do (okay, that’s even waaaay farther back – when everyone wanted to be Bruce Lee!). My routines were punches, blocks, and kicks, with the mandatory “kiya!”

Fast forward to today. Hell if my joints can still execute half of those karate moves, so I don’t even try. But I still do cardio with U2 – this time on a treadmill. I can’t do spinning back kicks anymore (I’ll be lucky to tear a ligament before I bash my head on a piece of furniture!), but on the treadmill, I can simulate hill climbing, and I can still dance-jog to the rhythm of “In God’s Country.”

In fact, I’ve created several playlists for my treadmill travails. These sets of tunes are 30 to 40 minutes long (my daily routine), some more aerobic than others. The first and last songs are warm-up and cool-down tunes; the ones in between vary from high-incline-slow-speed to no-incline-high-speed. Oh, no biggie... my high incline is only 10 degrees, and my high speed is a break-neck 3.0 mph, tops.

[Aside: The treadmill has a safety feature “key.” One end you attach to the machine, the other you clip on to your waistband just so if you fall, your body will tug the key off the machine and automatically kill it (kill the machine, that is, before it kills you). But, I don’t really want to have to experience that, so, I’m not braving any death-defying stunts like hoofing faster than 3 miles per hour. Maybe next year when I train for the marathon. Not.]

Here are my treadmill workout playlists so far:

U2 [The Joshua Tree]
With Or Without You
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Where The Streets Have No Name
Red Hill Mining Town
Bullet The Blue Sky
In God’s Country
Trip Through Your Wires

Guns N’ Roses [Greatest Hits]
Welcome to the Jungle
Sympathy for the Devil
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
You Could Be Mine
Don’t Cry

Metallica [Black Album]
Don’t Tread On Me
Sad But True
Enter Sandman
Wherever I May Roam
The God That Failed
The Unforgiven

A Night At The Roxbury [Soundtrack]
What Is Love
Make That Money
Do Ya Think I’m Sexy
Be My Lover
Pop Muzik
Beautiful Life
Little Bit of Ecstasy
Careless Whisper

Satriani [The Extremist]
Friends
The Extremist
War
Summer Song
Why
Motorcycle Driver
Cryin’

Yanni [Live At The Acropolis]
Santorini
Keys to Imagination
Acroyall/Standing in Motion
Within Attraction
Reflections of Passion

I load these playlists depending on my treadmill mood. Yanni’s set is more for routines similar to the feel of stair climbers and elliptical trainers –- apart from the warm-up and cool-down songs, the set features backgrounds to a steady “orchestral” uphill pacing on 10-degree inclines at 1.8 - 2.5 mph. The Roxbury soundtrack, on the other hand, is all aerobic – disco dancing type of jogging at 0-incline, 2.5 mph (I adjust my stride and pace to the rhythm of the song, and I flail my arms mimicking an elliptical workout). The rest of the sets are, well, just music I enjoy walking/jogging/trekking with.

I should make a few more playlists. Maybe The Rolling Stones or Led Zep. The rock bands are the best to treadmill with. I tried jogging with the jazz guys... no good. Classical, uhm… I’ll have to look again.

Counting more blessings

2006-07-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

Last night I had dinner with a friend. Let’s call him John.

John is a survivor. He was diagnosed with cancer of the throat last year. After a series of chemo and radiation treatments, he’s finally cancer-free. As with most cancer patients, he lost a lot of hair and muscle. Other than that, you can see from the smile on his face and the spring on his step that he’s fully recovered. Not quite.

Over dinner, he told me that the radiation treatment for his throat killed not only the cancer cells, but also the roots of his teeth, his taste buds, and his salivary glands. Eating is now a horrendous ordeal.

Without saliva, the whole mouth would be dry, and everything you eat will be dry. Food particles will stick to your gums, teeth, tongue, and all over the mouth. And try bringing all that into your throat to swallow. Without saliva, the food will have a tough time going down. You’ll have to push every mouthful with a gulp of liquid.

John said he now knows how awful it feels to eat toast, chips, and nuts without the slimy natural fluids in his mouth. His doctor says he can eat anything so that he can regain his strength, but without saliva, even sweets and desserts stick to his mouth like glue. Eating is such a chore that he would often just forget about it altogether.

The doctors aren’t sure if or when John’s salivary glands will come back to life. In the meantime, he will have to come to terms with something that’s certainly much better than the alternative.

I congratulated John on his recovery and overwhelming strength of spirit. I was really happy to see him again. After we hugged and parted ways, I said to myself, “Next time I feel rock bottom and depressed about my state in life, I’ll count my blessings by starting with my fingers, and add: ‘My salivary glands work!’”

Notepad Log Files

2006-07-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Gosh, took me more than five years to discover that the handy Notepad was designed to be a journal. And I quote from a mailing list I subscribe to (Thanks, Jon Lewis):

Open a blank Notepad file.
Write .LOG (in uppercase) in the first line of the file, followed by Enter.
Save the file and close it.
Double-click the file to open it and notice that Notepad appends the current date and time to the end of the file and places the cursor on the line after.
Type your notes and then save and close the file.
Each time you open the file, Notepad repeats the process, appending the time and date to the end of the file and placing the cursor below it.

Here's a site that gave it as a Tip of the Day in... uhm... April 2001: WUGNET.com

And here's the word from Microsoft in 2004:
How to Use Notepad to Create a Log File.
(Of course, it also applies to XP.)

Best Pictures

2006-07-06T21:43:00.000-05:00

Just finished watching "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" - the Oscar Best Picture for 1975.

I didn't know that aside from this movie, only two other films won the Top 5 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. The other two are "It Happened One Night" (1934) and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991).

So, in my usual OCD thing, I looked up a list of all the best picture Oscar winners from time immemorial. Below is the list with an asterisk after the ones I've seen at least once. Of course, I now remember very little from the movies I've seen, but that's why I'm writing this now -- I want to see these gems again.

Those 60s and 70s ones would be fun to relive. This time I'll have a new perspective from the first time. Like in the Cuckoo's Nest... many of the actors were just being discovered then... like Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd (his first movie). Brad Dourif, our favorite Grima Wormtongue in LOTR was here billed as "and introducing..."

This should be a fun project. I'll tack this list on my wall and see how many films I can tick off for however long this journey takes. Netflix is flashing its "ca-ching" grin right now.

2005 - Crash *
2004 - Million Dollar Baby *
2003 - Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King *
2002 - Chicago *
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2000 - Gladiator *
1999 - American Beauty *
1998 - Shakespeare In Love *
1997 - Titanic *
1996 - The English Patient *
1995 - Braveheart *
1994 - Forrest Gump *
1993 - Schindler'S List *
1992 - Unforgiven *
1991 - The Silence Of The Lambs *
1990 - Dances With Wolves *
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy *
1988 - Rain Man *
1987 - The Last Emperor *
1986 - Platoon *
1985 - Out Of Africa
1984 - Amadeus
1983 - Terms Of Endearment
1982 - Gandhi *
1981 - Chariots Of Fire *
1980 - Ordinary People
1979 - Kramer Vs. Kramer *
1978 - The Deer Hunter *
1977 - Annie Hall *
1976 - Rocky *
1975 - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest *
1974 - The Godfather Part II *
1973 - The Sting *
1972 - The Godfather *
1971 - The French Connection *
1970 - Patton *
1969 - Midnight Cowboy *
1968 - Oliver! *
1967 - In The Heat Of The Night
1966 - A Man For All Seasons *
1965 - The Sound Of Music *
1964 - My Fair Lady *
1963 - Tom Jones
1962 - Lawrence Of Arabia *
1961 - West Side Story *
1960 - The Apartment
1959 - Ben Hur *
1958 - Gigi
1957 - The Bridge On The River Kwai *
1956 - Around The World In 80 Days *
1955 - Marty
1954 - On The Waterfront
1953 - From Here To Eternity *
1952 - The Greatest Show On Earth *
1951 - An American In Paris
1950 - All About Eve
1949 - All The King's Men
1948 - Hamlet *
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1946 - Best Years Of Our Lives
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1944 - Going My Way
1943 - Casablanca *
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1940 - Rebecca
1939 - Gone With The Wind *
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1937 - The Life Of Emile Zola
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1935 - Mutiny On The Bounty *
1934 - It Happened One Night
1933 - Cavalcade
1932 - Grand Hotel
1931 - Cimarron
1930 - All Quiet On The Western Front
1929 - The Broadway Melody
1928 - Wings

Oh, and ye, I liked Cuckoo's Nest much more this time around. Excellent movie, certainly deserving of the Top 5 Oscars.

For the loogah

2006-07-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

“Scuse me, while I kiss this guy!” – Jimi Hendrix (or not)

Back in a previous life, I had a pocketbook of misheard song lyrics entitled Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy.

I wish I still had that book. It would be fun to go over it again, now that I’ve had a more extensive exposure to rock songs—the major source of misheard lyrics.

“Clown control to Mao Tse Tung.” (Ground control to Major Tom.) – David Bowie
“It’s a hard egg.” (It’s a heartache.) – Bonnie Tyler
“Sweet dreams are made of cheese.” (Sweet dreams are made of these.) - Eurythmics

Last night, I was listening to a collection of Steely Dan songs from their Citizen Steely Dan: 1972-1980 box set.

I never used to bother with the lyrics, much less what they mean, since most of the time Fagen’s lyric poetry could hold a candle to... uhm... Beowulf. But this time, “Third World Man” bothered me.

The song went... or at least it sounded like:

Soon you’ll throw down your disguise
We’ll see behind those bright eyes
Flying by
When the sidewalks are safe
For the loogah

“For the loogah”?! What the heck is a loogah?! That couldn't have been "lugaw" (porridge in Tagalog).

Of course, the whole stanza didn’t make sense at all, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to know what he said that sounded like "loogah"!

Thank heavens for the Internet, I found a site that listed the lyrics of “Third World Man.” LyricsFreak.com.

“Flying by” is actually “By and by” and “the loogah” is actually “the little guy.”

The whole song still didn't make sense... but now I can sleep.

But then again, who can sleep after watching THIS?! How do you wash your brain with soap?

Extra-terrestrial

2006-06-14T19:51:00.000-05:00

My brother and I often discuss the mysteries of the universe. We've always been sci-fi, my brother and I. Growing up we devoured "Chariots of the Gods?" by Erich Von Daniken, the first book to present proof that we are not alone in the universe, and that our most ancient art and artifacts are works of aliens passing through.

Recently, he asked me if I've read the works of Dr. Michio Kaku, a renowned theroretical physicist who has taken after Einstein's quest for the "theory of everything." I replied, "Dr. who?" He said, "No, not Dr. Who... Dr. Kaku!"

Before we could both stop laughing, my fingers were already Googling the doctor. I quickly found his site: mkaku.org. And before the end of the day, I had read all the articles posted on the site. My favorite is The Physics of Extra-Terrestrial Civilizations, which explains how our planet can evolve into a Type I, II, and III in order for our species to survive.

I am reminded of this today when I read an article about the thoughts of another renowned physicist, Stephen Hawking: Hawking: Humans must colonize space to survive.

It's just interesting--okay, mind-boggling--to think of all this. Certainly a lot of questions remain unanswered... or actually "fictionally" answered by the plot lines in our favorite sci-fi worlds of Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, and Battlestar Galactica. I would love to actually own a replicator or feel the effects of going through the "gate."

For now, in this fraction of time that humans try to not annihilate themselves and somehow succeed in evolving from a Type O to a Type I civilization, my brother and I will just continue to look up at the moon and imagine...

What would it be like to live on Mars... or slip through a tear in the fabric of time and space?

[Photos by Ronald Bayan]

Da Vinci Cryptex

2006-05-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

I had mentioned the Da Vinci Code Quest on Google in a previous post. Yes, I had so much fun solving the daily puzzles. I even set an alarm to remind me to solve the last puzzle as soon as it came out. Took me about 5 minutes, so I was confident I made the first 10,000 who completed the puzzle.

Got my confirmation in the mail today... the Da Vinci Code Cryptex! It's brass and quite heavy. Very nice souvenir for the fun I had with the puzzles. A big Thank You to everyone who made this happen.

Now, will I try to solve the final puzzle to win the Grand Prize of untold riches? Who knows?!

Postscript [05/27/06]: Yes, I tried solving the final puzzle, but no, I didn't solve it. Unlike some who cheated by picking up solutions posted online, I worked on the puzzle on my own... ergo, I didn't even get to finish the first set! I'd blame it on the eternal conflict between my ADD and my OCD.

But I did get to see the movie. My take: I'd have enjoyed the movie more if I hadn't read the book. The film has its merits, surely. Still worth seeing if only to learn something new... or at least come out wondering "what if?"

Cabbage shoot - Part 3

2006-05-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

Another follow-up on my "Cabbage Shoot" and "Cabbage Shoot - Part 2" posts.

Someone (Rej) suggested that I plant the cabbage shoot in soil. Well, a few days ago, I noticed that the bright yellow plant sitting in my crisper drawer had started to wither because the mother wedge had almost totally dried up. No more nutrients to sustain the shoot!

So, I pulled out an old pot and planted my new plant in the soil. I sheltered it under the plants just outside our patio so it won't get shocked by the light, the Florida heat, and the general outside world.

It's been a week and here's how she looks today:

Notice how green the leaves are! And there seems to be a flower blooming! I'll continue to monitor our little cabbage darling for as long as I can. Until next time.

Fondness for puzzles

2006-04-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

I am so ready to watch movie. I just finished reading the book, and I must say The Da Vinci Code is a page-turner. Whatever controversy surrounds it, on whether it's fiction or not, it doesn't matter. The story is well told, and the author really takes you there. The action and intrigue holds a candle to plots weaved in TV series like 24 and Alias.

If you want to learn something new, or at the very least read about some radical thought (remember, the book is touted as fiction), pick up the Da Vinci Code. Even for just the story. I loved it for the riddles, puzzles, and codes (actually figured out a few).

Info and links pertinent to the movie, the author, the book's references, etc. are compiled on Wikipedia (heed warning on spoilers).

If you're like me, who grew up collecting puzzles (talk about solved jigsaw puzzles piled under the bed because there's no more space to hang them on the walls), you'll try the Da Vinci Code Quest on Google. I'm on the Day 7 puzzle (and kinda stuck! Haha!).

Did you know that the Mona Lisa is both male and female?

Cabbage shoot - Part 2

2006-04-20T13:46:00.000-05:00

I talked about how I discovered that a cabbage had grown in my refrigerator crisper.

Well, I didn't want to throw the thing away, so I shoved it back in one of the crisper drawers. I didn't put it in a plastic bag anymore. This morning, something yellow caught my eye... in the crisper drawer where I left the cabbage. Look what I found!

How totally fascinating is that?! The shoot had grown tall (trying to reach for light) and remained light yellow (should I have opened the fridge door more often?). The wedge continued to wither as it fed the shoot.

And look at this close-up!

Wonders never cease.

Musty AC

2006-04-19T09:18:00.003-05:00

Big Problem: Our apartment's air conditioning unit is giving off a musty smell.

Bigger Problem: The apartment maintenance guy came to clean the coils but did a piss-poor job; musty smell is still there.

Biggest Problem: My roommate is allergic to molds.

I took a look at the AC coils (the tubes containing freon that cools the attached fins that cools the air that flows through). OHMYGAWD! Many of the fins were sqwooshed flat (most likely from the last maintenance job, obviously long before we moved in), not to mention the mold and mildew growing all over the thing! I don't want to imagine what's cultivating behind the flattened fins! No wonder the apartment smells like a rain forest everytime the AC comes on!

Here's where my OCD kicked in. I had to straighten out all the fins and clean out all the mold! [I need to do this. And I need to do it now!]

My first challenge was what tool to use to un-flatten the flattened fins. [Tool - yes! I love tools!] Checked my tool cabinet and there was this putty knife. Tried that but it felt awkward -- not ergonomic.

Maybe I'll find a better tool in the... uhm... kitchen drawer. Found a plastic knife... that should work.

After a few un-flattened fins, I felt the upper edge of the knife was too wide -- some fins didn't straighten out nicely.

Back to the kitchen drawer. AHA! The orange peeler! Excellent. That worked.

When I finally straightened out all the fins, the next task was to clean out the gunk. Bought two implements to make this happen: a coil cleaner (foaming detergent in a spray can), and a water pump.

I sprayed the coils with the cleaner and used the water pump to flush out the loosened dirt.

I poked with the orange peeler and brushed with a bristle brush (some of the resident fungi were pretty well-anchored!), and flushed with water for almost two hours. Okay, more than three hours. I was surprised my ADD hadn't pulled me away sooner.

When it felt like I had fished out about a pound of moss and seaweed, I sprayed foam cleaner one last time, flushed with water one final round, and let my ADD take over. [I need to check my emails!] (Sometimes it's tough to have OCD and ADD at the same time.)

The coils don't look brand new (some stains are permanent), but I think I did a pretty good job -- certainly a lot better than that maintenance guy. Now to see if the roommate's histamine agrees with me.

VHS to DVD

2006-04-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

The date on the label says "Jan 26-28 1996." It's a VHS tape of our trek up Mt. Pulag, back when I was an avid backpacker/trekker.

Ten years. That long. Once-in-a-lifetime memories held together in a strip of decade-old magnetic tape. How long do these things last? The tape, I mean. A friend gave me this time capsule a few months after we got back from the trek, and I've seen it only twice -- the day I received it and about four years ago. I'm surprised it's still working. I'm surprised I still have a working VHS player.

Memories are supposed to last forever. But they don't do they? I can't even remember with whom I climbed that time. I can't remember what I wore, what we ate. All I remember is I have sounds and images of a very important climb in this strip of decade-old magnetic tape. How long so these things last anyway?

So, I did myself a favor. I watched the tape again and tried to remember everything (I still can't remember the names of some of the guys I trusted with my life up that mountain!). It's stunning to realize that since that climb, two of my fellow-climbers had died. Some have migrated to other parts of the world. A few have gotten married... to each other.

I knew that if I wanted to keep these memories with me, I would have to watch the tape every so often. Some of these friends will be hard to find now, and a number will most likely continue to exist for me only in this roll. Maybe in one of my viewing sessions everyone's names will come back to me.

So, before I lose everything as this VHS tape deteriorates, this VHS player fades into oblivion, and this aging mind slips into retirement, I copied the tape onto a DVD to preserve the stories, the smiles and laughter, and the unforgettable faces of friends who trekked with me through some of the most exciting days of my life.

How long do these DVDs last anyway?

Here's what I gathered from the old reliable Internet:

Pressed DVD (movies) - 50-300 years
DVD-R - 20-250 years
DVD-RW - 25-100 years
Magnetic tape - 10-100 years
Archival Microfilm - 300+ years

Fine print: Computer storage media and equipment become obsolete in 20-30 years.

Finer print: all of these lifespan estimates are based on highest quality materials and manufacturer standards. Poor materials, equipment, and storage conditions reduce lifespans considerably. Some experts recommend archive backup on at least three different media, and constant upgrades as new technologies emerge.

Finest print: nothing lasts forever.

Cabbage shoot

2006-04-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I discover a science project in my refrigerator.

Some would be familiar, like a kaleidoscope of molds on old cheese, or a cucumber that has disintegrated into a soft mush in its original grocery produce plastic bag.

Some would be just plain black -- an unknown substance that had evolved from a leftover long forgotten in its airtight plastic container pushed back deep into the lowest shelf of the fridge also known as the FBH or Fridge Black Hole.

Some would be a wonderful surprise. Like this one:

This is a cabbage wedge that I had forgotten I still had. It was in a plastic bag in my vegetable crisper. When I pulled it out a couple of days ago (of course, while muttering the usual, "What the heck is this?!), it had this beautiful shoot coming out of the center part. Oooh, wow!

I've had other vegetables grow in my crisper by accident, like potatoes, onions, garlic, even carrots. But this is the first time with cabbage. I wonder what else I can grow in there.

As for this little wonder of FBH, I obviously will not use the withering wedge anymore (I bought a new head of cabbage yesterday). But will I let the baby cabbage shoot grow bigger so that I can use it in my next cole slaw? We shall see.

1-2-3-4-5-6

2006-04-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

I got this message from a friend today:

"On Wednesday of next week, at two minutes and three seconds after
1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. That won't ever happen again."

Kinda like my birthday.

With lemon, please!

2006-04-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

According to an herbs-for-health book I read, lemons help digestion. Of course, that’s aside from the fruit's Vitamin C benefits. Another expert suggested adding a slice of lemon to every glass of water you drink. Hmm... I can follow that advice. Better yet, I can also add lemon to every glass of soda I drink.

So, do I cut off a slice each time I feel like a drink? I tried that for a while but it’s too much of a bother to get the lemon from the refrigerator, put it on a board, pick up a knife, cut off a slice, then return the lemon to the fridge, and wash the knife and board, every time I feel like a drink with lemon. Nah... too much work.

So, do I pre-cut the lemon, put the slices in the refrigerator, and pick up a piece every time I have a glass of soda or water? I tried that but the slices deteriorate faster than I can consume them.

So, do I freeze the slices so they don’t deteriorate? Tried that, too, but the slices stick to each other as they freeze, making it impossible to pick up just a slice.

After thinking it over real hard… I figured out a way. And I will share this little secret with you!

***NOTE: The tips and photos have been migrated to: How to Freeze Lemon Slices

Here's to everyone's digestion!

Shocking shrimp

2006-03-31T13:22:00.000-05:00

I can't count how many times I've cooked shrimp. Tiny shrimps, medium shrimps, large shrimps, tiger prawns; white shrimps, pink shrimps; head on, head off, de-veined; steamed, scampi, sweet-sour, chili-garlic, fried, breaded, roasted, broiled, grilled. So, you can imagine how many meals I ruined.

To save you the same misery, here are my learned-the-hard-way tips for cooking tasty, delicious shrimp:

1. Room temperature. Frozen shrimps thaw quickly, so it won't be too much of a hassle. Unless you're thawing the really big ones, in which case you just need to take them out of the freezer earlier. (No matter how much of a hurry you're in, DO NOT thaw in the microwave! Seafood and microwave don't go well together. Thaw them in water instead. Give your guests something to play with while they wait.) This room temperature requirement is important because otherwise the next tip won't work.

2. Shock treatment. Shrimp becomes tough the longer it cooks. So, the best tasting shrimp would be opaque but not tough. The solution: shock. If you're steaming, let the steam build up before you put in the shrimp. If frying, heat that oil to smoke point. If broiling, pre-heat the oven. If grilling, let's see those bright red coals! The shrimps should curl up almost instantly, and when they're whitish and all curled, take them out pronto and serve! (Remember, only a few seconds spell the difference between "flaky-scrumptious" and "hard-as-rubber" shrimps. So, practice, practice, practice!)

3. Season with a reason. Shrimps are like most seafood -- bland. Sprinkle salt and pepper, or whatever your poison is, before cooking. And unless the shrimps are a minor part of a major dish, season them again just before serving. The best just-before-serving seasoning for shrimp would be melted butter, garlic powder, flavored extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, and/or a squeeze of lemon. Of course, there's the ubiquitous marinara dipping sauce (speaking of which, soy sauce and wasabi would be fun, too!). Now, don't get carried away with the sprinkle-sprinkle-bamm seasoning -- it's easy to overwhelm these little shrimpies. Of course, if you're the adventurous type, no harm no foul!

About guest satisfaction...

Before I came to America, I thought everyone knew how to eat shrimp. Then I met folks who have zero experience in shelling cooked shrimp (they never bothered to figure out how the guys in the kitchen prepared their favorite shrimp cocktail). I even know someone who gets goosebumps at the sight of cooked shrimp with their heads on (I plan to teach him how to suck the tasty shrimp fat from inside those spiny heads! Yum!). So, ask your guests beforehand if they have qualms about consuming sea creatures -- the ones that look like insects. It would be a golden opportunity to teach someone something new.

Bon appetit!

Dishwasher lesson

2006-03-29T10:22:00.003-05:00

I was born and raised in a tropical island. I didn't grow up operating dishwashers much like Paris Hilton didn't grow up pitching hay.

We didn't have dishwashing appliances because hand dishwashing is considered an integral part of tropical island life. And also because dishwashers require hot and cold water, an indoor engineering application that we had absolutely no use for in our lovely, steamy equatorial climate. We take refreshing cold showers 24/7.

So, when I came to America, this dishwashing contraption was as alien to me as a snow plow. But hey, I gotta learn to use it, so I used it. How hard was that -- turn knobs to settings that said Hot Start, Heavy Wash, Normal Wash, Short Wash, Rinse Only, Drying, and Stop. Simple.

I loaded the dirty dishes. Of course, dishwashing needs detergent, right? Hmm. I have detergent. There's a cup in the dishwasher door that's obviously for the detergent, so I pour it in there, close the cup, shut the door, and engage the lock. Turn knob to... uhm... Normal Wash should be good.

And the machine goes whirrrr. Okay. I can get used to this world of machines doing housework.

A few minutes later, my guardian angel whispers in my ear. "Check the dishwasher."

I go into the kitchen and notice bubbles streaming out from under the dishwasher door, and a white foam starting to crawl across the floor. Argh!

Stop! Stop! Where's the stop button?! Unplug! How do you unplug this thing? Panic!

I unlock the door and swing it open. Woah! More bubbles! Everything covered with bubbles! More bubbly water flowing onto the floor! Mop! Get the mop! Get the rags! Panic!

When I finally pulled myself together, I called the apartment maintenance.

"Our dishwasher is busted! The drain must be clogged. Could you send someone to our apartment?"

I had transferred the dishes to the sink and handwashed everything when the maintenance guy arrived.

As soon as he saw the bubbles, he looked at me and asked, "Ma'm, what detergent did you use?"

I paused, and realized I had obviously used the wrong detergent. How was I to know? Thinking quickly on my feet, I said, "Uhm, I didn't load the washer myself. Why?"

"Well, your husband might have used -that- detergent over there." He pointed at the dishwashing handsoap pump that was sitting next to the sink.

"Oh, really? Why, what's wrong with that detergent?" Busted.

"It's not for dishwashers, Ma'm. They produce too much bubbles, so they will flood the dishwashing machine."

"Ye, my husband might have used that detergent by mistake." I was certain he knew it was me.

He soaked up all the soapy bubbly water from around and inside the machine and wrung the rag over the sink. After he had wiped off all the bubbles, he ran the machine for a bit until it rinsed out whatever soapy water lurked in the plumbing.

When the man of the house got home, I told him about the incident and warned him that if the maintenance guy ever confronts him about using the wrong detergent in the dishwasher, to say, "Yes, my mistake!"

Luckily, no confrontation ever took place. And we've long moved out of that apartment complex. Since then, we... er... I... have always used the right detergent in our dishwashing machine.

A good day to learn

2006-03-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

I always say, "Learn something new everyday."

It's actually an excuse for my ADD.

Today, I will learn to work with Blogger.

Then I'll tell you about my Chicken Cacciatore... and how I flooded the dishwasher.