quoting

from 'Lost in Translation':

"The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you let things upset you."

pineapple update!

household tips

(from a forwarded e-mail)

For ant problems: Ants hate cucumbers. Keep the skin of cucumbers near the place or ant hole.

To get pure and clean ice: Boil water first before freezing.

To make the mirror shine: Clean with spirit.

To remove chewing gum from clothes: Keep the cloth in the freezer for an hour.

To whiten white clothes: Soak white clothes in hot water with a slice of lemon for 10 minutes.

To give shine to hair: Add one teaspoon of vinegar to hair, then wash.

To get maximum juice out of lemons: Soak lemons in hot water for an hour, then juice them.

To avoid tears while cutting onions: Chew gum.

To remove ink from clothes: Put toothpaste on the ink spots generously and let it dry completely, then wash.

To skin sweet potatoes quickly: soak in cold water immediately after boiling.

To get rid of mice or rats: Sprinkle black pepper in places where you find them. They will run away.

:(

I recently came from Tokyo, where I visited the Ueno Zoo, hoping to see a panda. But this was what welcomed me when I got there:

And so I settled for this photo:

Lessons learned:
1. Quit encouraging animals in captivity by not promoting or going to zoos. Haay. Tigas kasi ng ulo. (Related blog post here.)
2. Do better research; don't rely on just one (obviously outdated) brochure/ travel guidebook. Researching well pays.

Saw a baby snail on my way to the office

somewhere along Soliman Street in Salcedo Village, Makati City

P.S. (10/4/10, 12:33 am)

A snail is born with its shell! From Wikipedia ("snail"):

As the snail grows, so does its calcium carbonate shell. The shell grows additively, by the addition of new calcium carbonate, which is secreted by glands located in the snail's mantle. The new material is added to the edge of the shell aperture (the opening of the shell). Therefore the center of the shell's spiral was made when the snail was younger, and the outer part when the snail was older. When the snail reaches full adult size, it may build a thickened lip around the shell aperture. At this point the snail stops growing, and begins reproducing.

A snail's shell forms a logarithmic spiral. Most snail shells are right-handed, meaning that if the shell is held with the apex (the tip, or the juvenile whorls) pointing towards the observer, the spiral proceeds in a clockwise direction from the apex to the opening.

At tignan mo nga naman! May math pa talaga sa shell ng snail! Amazing!