Magic Mushrooms

I always see this shop on my way to work. It's only now that I got the chance to take a picture. All along I thought magic mushrooms or psylocybe mushrooms were illegal since they are hallucinogenic. According to the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, it seems farmers and retailers found a loop hole in the law

which classifies the active ingredients in the mushrooms as Class A drugs,

(and therefore illegal)

but not the fresh mushrooms themselves.
A widely circulated letter from Ian Breadmore (Home Office drug licensing section, 17 February 2003) stated that 'it is not illegal sell or give away a freshly picked mushroom provided that it has not been prepared in any way' and has been taken by vendors as official permission for their activities.

Hmmm, very curious situation. I'm just not sure if I'd be willing to try these in my stir-fry. :LOL:

the Webbies

The 9th Webby Awards has announced its winners! One of my favourites, the Guardian, which I read almost everyday won the best Newspaper website category. I noticed my one other favourite site, the BBC, was nominated in several other categories. While the blog category was won by the prolific BoingBoing.net. Have a look at the winners and the nominees you might discover new, exciting and informative sites in the outstanding list of sites there. Case in fact, I love that winner in the humor category – Dooce (warning colourful language!). She’s not only hilarious but also unselfishly shared some blogging and photography techniques. I discovered the Webby several years ago and through it I was led onto a lot of note worthy and useful sites that made my working life bearable. ;-) 'Hope it will do the same and more to you.

British Library, King's Cross, & St. Pancras

My eldest daughter, J2, is attending a dance lesson class in central London. So every Saturday we have to take her there at 1:30PM and come back for her by 5:30PM. I don't want to hang around there for 4 hours and I certainly don't want to go home and come back again for her. What to do? Well, explore London of course! We've gone to the 'big smoke' countless of times but there are still pockets that I haven't explored.

Last weekend me and J3 just walked around the vicinity of where J2 was dancing. The walk was not that far but I was feeling so fatigued on the way back due to the heavy backpack I'm carrying. Feels like a ton. It must have been with all the 'abubots' of J3 crammed in there. Anyway, just about a block away is the British Library. I seem to remember some controversy surrounding it during its inaguration. Can't quite recall what it was. That afternoon it was a sparsely populated place. We just got to view the main reception lobby and their small museum of showcase pieces in their collection. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed.

Among the impressive items they have in the John Ritblat Gallery are the Magna Carta, Shakespeare's first collection of his plays circa 1623, Codex Sinaiticus - earliest New Testament manuscript in Greek, Gutenberg Bible, da Vinci's notebook (not code), handwritten lyrics and notes of the Beatles, among other things. They also have another gallery where they show how book making and publishing evolved. Very educational, indeed. We did not go in the inner sanctum of the library because you have to register and provide documents, etc. to be given access.

Avoiding lots of hassles so we kept putting one foot in front of the other which led us outside to St. Pancras train station that was only a few metres away. Currently it's closed for renovation. Of all the trains stations here this is my favourite - a classic Victorian Gothic Revival building. Beautiful and majestic. You might find its sight familiar due to it being used in Harry Potter 2 movie when Harry and Ron rode the flying car. And right beside St.Pancras is its ugly sister, the King's Cross train station. Low, squat, very functional, unelaborate mass of concrete, steel, and glass. Roads and subways (pedestrian underpasses) are being built and renovated so there are loads of scaffolding and contruction palaver about, which made it even uglier. Despite this, it's famous for its non-existent 9 3/4 platform - you know from the Harry Potter books. We were tempted to go in and see if they made anything special between platform 9 and 10.

AWOL Pellet

The dreaded thing happened, my youngest daughter's favourite beanie baby Pellet (which I blogged here before) disappeared. It has been misplaced before but we always manage to find it for J3. Though this time we turned the house inside out we still couldn't find the fake hamster. My guess is it fell off the car the last time J3 brought her. Poor J3 was crying and whimpering for more than 2 days running especially during bedtime when she would always ask, "Where is Pellet?" After 2 days, I couldn't take it any longer I decided to look for another Pellet from the shops. Problem is, that model was released last 2000 and they don't make them anymore. I thought of giving J3 a different substitute like a beanie dog or cat. But Pellet is what she was crying for. Good thing I remembered eBay has lots of beanie baby resellers. After ordering one , soon enough it came through the post. You could just imagine J3's joy when she opened the envelope. Now they're together again day and night. She even takes pictures of it (see pic above). I'm even considering buying another one in case this Pellet goes missing again.

Deep Breathing

Feeling of tiredness and exhaustion often takes over me from the early evenings onwards even if I am just puttering around the house. Stress is the main culprit coupled with fatigue or plain overwork. When it comes, I usually catch myself sort of holding my breath in my upper chest area and I am often doing shallow breathing. This causes me to expend unnecessary efforts to keep things in that upper area. It’s no surprise then that tiredness soon set in. Typically my lower ribcage will ache and pain in the whole of my torso will follow. I analysed what I was doing and thought that one of the things I definitely have to change is my breathing.

I called on an old friend who mentioned to me before the benefits of deep breathing. He extolled the benefits of it such as – stress reducer, tension reliever, and promotes good functioning of our internal organs through the proper oxygenation of our blood – among other things. The following deep breathing exercises he passed on to me. Undoubtedly it helped me a lot in relieving tiredness and stress even if I only do it once in a while in a day (well actually should be ideally done all the time). Once I start noticing the beginning of exhaustion I do deep breathing which more often than not starts to reverse the state of things at the time.

* How to do deep breathing:

1. Sit up straight or stand with your spine straight. Relax.
2. Inhale by starting to fill up your lower lungs. Your belly should expand. This is breathing with your diaphragm.
3. Next fill up your upper lungs. You should see your chest area expand. DO NOT raise your shoulder while you do this. The chest will expand naturally (and your shoulders slightly rise) as you inhale. Fill up your lungs to the max that you can until you feel like bursting. These 2 stages of inhaling should be done in one continuous motion.
4. Exhale air from the upper lungs slowly.
5. Then expel air from the lower lungs completely by contracting abdominal muscles.

You can start doing the above in the count of 3: breathe in to the count of 3, pause to the count of 3, exhale to the count of 3, pause again to the count of 3. Once you get the hang of it increase count to 4 then to 5.

There are some very informative websites complete with illustrations on how to do this. Click here, here, and here for more info.

Strange and Funny Names 1

I've been living here in the UK for quite awhile and even in the first few months I was struck by how strong the influence of language to their culture. It's no wonder that in such a small country, with everyone more or less speaking the same language, you can find a lot of different accents depending not just on the region but also on the socio-economic level they're in. In just one city alone, London for example, you find so many variations of the English accent. This language-centric trait is also reflected in their love of the written word which accounts for their rich literary heritage and their first-rate theatrical traditions. But for me, the most intriguing and interesting consequence would be the use in everyday colloquial terms. Often when travelling all over the country I would delight or laugh out loud at the strange and funny names I encounter.

With this post I hope to chronicle via pictures all the weird, bizzarre, or sometimes hilarious names not only here in UK but from all over the world. Mind you these are authentic and not at all 'photo enhanced'.

Let's start with something that even an NHS hospital tried to rename as a 'Spotted Richard':

As you would have guessed, Spotted Dick (or Spotted Dog) is not some man's private parts with a bad case of chicken pox. But a suet-based steamed dessert (pudding) with raisins (the spots) and served with custard.

Faggots are not some un-PC name for a maligned member of the society but meatballs made of pork liver, bread, and spices. Welsh in origin though I think some English counties would contest that.

Wardrobe Problems

I was looking lately in the shops for a dress or at least a top that I could wear to a formal evening do. I completely forgot that most of the evening attires for ladies have either plunging necklines or backless or both. The backless part I can live with (I just probably have to do more scrubbing while in the bath) but the plunging necklines - arrrgghhhh! I have a foot long scar going down in the middle of my chest and I'd rather not have people stare at it. What to do?

Well my choices are either go with a very conservative jacket or get a halter top. The latter would cover up my scar but reveal my chunky shoulders and arms. Maybe I'll just wrap up with a shawl. This just goes to show my frustrations in the wardrobe department. I'm not of a model silhoutte then I have a wormtape-like scar on my chest to contend with. Ho well ...

Weight Sentinel Week 10

It's been 3 weeks since I last posted my weight and I almost forgot to again this week. It’s now – dyan-dyaran-dyaran … 14 stones 5 pounds. Well after all that time it’s just about right I lose more than 2 pounds. But it’s not been easy my friends, oh no not at all. What with all those confections that I’ve been doing for the IMBB and SHF entries of in my food blog. Plus the back to back parties of my friends where I have to contribute at least 1 dessert or dish. The impulse to splurge completely was too hard to resist. My solution to this is to give away the tempting dessert as much as possible. My dear work colleagues and friends have now been benefiting from my dieting.

Spring in HG Wells country

My poor blog hasn't been updated for 2 weeks now. I've been very busy lately with real work, mummy work, achay (maid) work at home (where else) plus my unrelenting obsession with baking and cooking. Somehow these take precendence over blogging here. But nevertheless, hopefully from now on I can update this at least once a week.

We've had a respite from the cold since it started getting warmer last week. Spring is here! It's about time. The endless biting cold, overcast skies were beginning to affect my moods. Only the snow was welcome and it did indulge us with longer than usual visit. Normally, it snows here 2 days a year max. This year there was a stretch of almost 2 weeks with medium to light snow. I know my friends in the NE USA were cursing them what with back to back blizzards that dumped about 4-5 feet of snow at its height. Thankfully they're thawing already.

This sign I see almost everyday at the high street of the town in Kent where I work. It's only now that I remembered to take a picture of it and share it here.

Herbert George Wells or H.G. Wells is a giant in relatively contemporary English literature. He authored works ranging from science textbooks to comedy to science fiction (The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine). A man known for his inventiveness, he nevertheless showed much compassion for the plight of the common man with his works touching on his hope for social progress and human evolution.
For more insight on the man and his life and works click here and here.

Weighty Weight Week 7

I forgot to weigh myself last week so my log right now is 2 weeks’ worth. According to the old fashioned (non digital) weighing scale at the mall, I am now 14 stones and 7.5 pounds. That’s about .75 pounds loss per week. Previously it was 1 pound a week. Seems my weight loss is slowing down. At least it’s still going down which I am pleased. I really do hope I could sustain this long term. I guess time to exercise more rigorously.

What's in a Name?

It is a word that a thing, a person, a place is called. It identifies the entity. To some extent a name defines it. For an institution it can signify status and reputation. A façade of some sort that can attract the right kind of people it wants to draw in. Normally a good reputation is built up over the years. A result of hard work and good intentions among its members to generate good products much admired over the years.

This is what happened to the educational institution called Mapua Institute of Technology. For the past 80 years it had been known as a technical school of good repute. The high regard for it did not happen overnight but through the years of toil by professors and students alike to turn out an institution worthy of its name. And this is the main reason why I could not understand the plan of the current owners (Yuchengcos) to change the name to Malayan University. They have various ruses on their actions, among them being that Mapua will still retain its name but under the banner of Malayan University.

Firstly I don’t really trust that they will retain it for long. They have done things without any prior announcement or consultations with faculty and students like changing the school year periods from semestral to quartermestral, hiking up school fees, etc. Question is how can we be sure of they would stick to their word?

Secondly, Mapua’s name will be diluted with the name of Malayan University looming right above it in any document and signs on the walls.

The students and faculty are demanding that Mapua as an institution be left alone and consequently its name left intact. It has thrived in the past 80 years in its current setup, why fix something that’s not broken?

If ever they change the name why not it be Mapua University? Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a university of very high status in America but it still retained its ‘Institute of Technology’ title. Why? Because it’s what is has been known for a long time. And because the years of goodwill has been built up on it. Precisely the same case with Mapua.

Now, why ‘Malayan’? Is it because according to President Vea that the name ‘Malayan’ has sentimental value to the Yuchengcos? Well what about the sentimental value of the thousands of students and alumni? That just goes to show they don’t give a horse shit on their customers. I thought the Yuchengcos are good business people, why would they then alienate their customers? Did they not realise that a lot of parents send their children to study in Mapua because of its name, because of its reputation. And if you’re going to take that away how would you entice your customers with a product name that has no providence yet education-wise? I don’t get it, it doesn’t make good business sense. Nag-iisip kaya sila?

Right now almost all the students, faculty, and a large part of the admin staff are still in protest. As an overseas alumni I can only join you in spirit. If you would like to join us in protest please sign this online petition - click here.

No to Malayan University!!

Viva Mapua!!


You can also go to other blogs and sites that wrote about this:

Apple Blog
Carpe Diem
Little Devil's Haven
Mapua Online
MIT Students
My Hideaway
No to Malayan Forum
Stranded on the Same Ground
United Mapuans

Loggins & Messina

My son dug out an old cassette tape of The Best of Friends of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina a few weeks ago. I was secretly pleased that he liked it and had even learned a few of the songs there. Realisation came when he played it in the kitchen radio, produced the accompanying lyric sheet and sang with gusto. Well I wouldn't let myself be beaten so I sang eagerly with him. Why oh why did I forget this great song writing duo when I was doing my music meme. I relived memories brought about hearing old favourites like Your Mama Don't Dance, Peace of Mind, Travelin' Blues, or Watching the River Run. If you notice my selection in that music meme, a lot of the songs are arranged with just acoustic guitars and vocals. I love those type of songs where it exposes the beauty of the words, melody, and the human voice. And Loggins & Messina have a lot of those.

In that tape of Loggins & Messina, my son have 2 favourite songs. One was about Winnie the Pooh (which I will blog later) and the other the dainty and refined Danny's Song - song about the joys of parenthood, the metamorphosis of an otherwise aimless young man to a responsible father, of his love to the mother of his son. So poignant.


Danny's Song
(Kenny Loggins)

People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one
And we've just begun
Think I'm gonna have a son
He will be like she and me
As free as a dove
Conceived in love
Sun is gonna shine above

Chorus:
And even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with ya honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
And in the morning when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright

Seems as though a month ago
I was a Beta Chi
Never got high
Oh I was a sorry guy
And now a smile, a face
A girl that shares my name
Now I'm through with the game
This boy will never be the same

(Repeat Chorus)

Pisces, Virgo rising is a very good sign
Strong and kind
And the little boy is mine
Now I see a family where there once was none
Now we've just begun
Yeah, we're gonna fly to the sun

(Repeat Chorus)

Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup
Drink it up
Love her and she'll bring you luck
And if you find she helps your mind
Buddy, take her home
Don't you live alone
Try to earn what lovers own

(Repeat Chorus)

Weighty Weight Week 5

As usual I'm late with my report on my current scale indication. I weighed myself last Tuesday and I'm now 14 stones and 9 pounds. Another pound off which is really nice considering that I've not been so virtuous this week. But I guess, unless I go on a whole day pig out, I'm relatively okay.

I can understand now the merits of eating with low carbs or with the right ones. The other day I was in the car with my husband and my youngest. Me and the kid were famished, really hungry. We were on the move and have no time to find a resto and sit down and eat. So the only option at the time was a McDonald's drive thru. I ate chicken nuggets and had some french fries. You know what, those little fries I had made me even more hungry. I now discovered that with processed or easily absorbed carbs I get hungrier and the feeling of hunger is more intense unlike the ones I feel when my food is primarily vegs, fruits and proteins. What a revelation. At least now I will know the warning signs when it comes. Unlike before, when I will indulge my stomach with every smallest little hunger pang I experience. The downside with this is when you go out to eat or shop. Almost every food or dish available is catered for fast consumption and absorption of the body. White bread, white rice, processed food. I don't mind having them once in a while but the choices for a low carb eater is certainly narrow.

*Currently Listening to: Virgin Radio playing - Tubthumping (Chumbawamba)

Weighty Weight Week 4

It's the start of week 4 and I should have blogged this 2 days ago. But I was (and still am) snowed under with work.

Weighing myself again, now I am 14 stones and 10 pounds. I'm 1 pound lighter. Well, that's expected. It says in the book that at phase 2 the shedding of weight will be about 1-2 pounds every week. Hopefully this continues on. I know what did me in last week, it's that darn Sugar High Friday event in the food blogging world. I tried to make some pain au chocolat and who else is gonna eat it afterwards? Of course waste-abhorring me! ::sigh::

Red is for Valentine ... or Bull's Eye

An unforgettable Valentine's Day happened to me eons ago. I was attending a local primary school which was within walking distance from my grandma's house where I was staying. That day I decided to do the full monty and dress up for the occassion. I put on my reddest dress and proudly walked to school. I was imagining in my 8-year-old mind the looks of approval or envy from my classmates.

As I was walking, I noticed there weren't many people or kids on the road and I realised I was already late. So I hurried on hoping I won't miss the flag ceremony so everyone could see my nice dress in all its red glory. I was just outside the school fence I did not notice that there was a bull (note: big bad cow with big horns) tied to the other side of the road. In the corner of my eye, I saw that it looked up from eating its breakfast. Stared at me. Saw my red dress and then charged me at full speed! It probably thought I was a matador's rag. I was pinned against the wire fence with the bull breathing down on me, its horns about a foot from my chest. Horrors of horrors!

cartoon courtesy of my BIL - Roland Mikey Ilagan

So there I was on my Valentine dress ready to be gored by a bull not exactly admiring my red confection. Knees shaking, tears were about to fall from my eyes. But I willed it not to, someone might see and I was more concerned with my street cred than my fear. I was rooted on the spot not daring to move at all lest the friggin' beast charge again and break free from its ropes. Luckily I noticed that the wire fence was broken at the base precisely where I was standing. I was able to wiggle in and make my escape to the other side. Whew! What a relief. You might understand now why no matter what incentive anyone give me I never want to wear red again on Valentine's Day. Even if it meant getting extra points from professors when I was in college. Who knows there might be a tethered bull just round the corner.

I've been Tagged !

Mrs.Tweety and Baby Rambutan kindly tagged me in this music meme. Actually I felt sooo constraint by the second to the last question because I am allowed only 5 songs! 5 songs! I've got a lot of favourites and my taste is somewhat eclectic so I would have put easily 50 items in there under normal circumstances. But howell, never mind...

Update: I saw other posts on this and they have a 'Random 10'. Now I just have to add this because I feel a list of 5 songs is too limiting. Here goes:

Random 10

1. "No Woman No Cry" - Bob Marley (live version)
2. "Should I Stay or Should I Go" - The Clash
3. "Under the Bridge" - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
4. "Lady Marmalade" - Patti Labelle
5. "Beast of Burden" - Rolling Stones
6. "More Than Words" - Extreme
7. "Superstition" - Stevie Wonder
8. "Oye Como Va" - Santana
9. "Mais Que Nada" - Astrud Gilberto
10. "Tell Momma" - Savoy Brown

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
1228 songs, a total of 4.55GB - most of them my husband's and kids'

The CD you last bought?
Beatle's Revolver and Abbey Road - to start my Beatle's collection

What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?
Benny and the Jets (Elton John) - I heard it over the TV

Write down five songs that you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
"Do It Or Die" - Atlanta Rhythm Section - in my lowest times this gives me hope
"True" - Spandau Ballet - our song
"Peg" - Steely Dan
"The Joker" - Steve Miller Band
"R.E.S.P.E.C.T." - Aretha Franklin

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
*CaT of Now What, Cat? - I'm curious about the music taste of this funny and intriguing lady (meow!).
*Keiko of Nordljus - because she's one of my newest blogging friends
*Analyse of My Hideaway - I wanted to know what this young vivacious Pinay in France listens to.

Weighty Weight Week 3

So here I am at the start of my week 3. I am eager to move on, meaning eat other types of food. Last 2 weeks I was so vegged out, why I have vegetables practically coming out of my ears! I know it's healthy, makes me feel spritely and gives me nice smoother skin. But I can only eat veggies for so long I am dying for some fruits! Strange this diet, I thought I'm going to crave for carbs as in great mounds of rice or hot oil drenched chips (thick fries). What I found I'm craving for are sweets especially after a main meal. Just hope I can stick with this in the long run.

I weighed again as usual and I now tip the scales at 14 stones and 11 pounds - meaning I lost a further 2 pounds! I am mighty pleased. At least all the will power and self control I mustered to prevent me gorging on the fluffy mash my daughter made last night or the banana cake I baked last weekend or the disastrous egg tarts last Sunday, had not gone to waste. Roll on week 3 and hello to fruits and beans in my diet.

Three Angels

See my beautiful angels? That's one for each of my children. This is what my husband called 'katas ng blogging' :). They were sent by a very kind blogging friend. I believe in people encountering things and circumstances that they need at the time. Right now we need guidance, direction and strength. I believe help is on the way symbolised by these lovely angels. What exactly they bring I do not know but I believe we will be given exactly what we need to further our education here on this plane in a school called 'life'. Thank you very much dear CaT for your gifts. They are much appreciated.

Here is a song my family love to sing and recently hubby taught J1 to play it on the piano so our 'karaoke' sessions are becoming more lively.


Angels
by Robbie Williams

I sit and wait
Does an angel contemplate my fate
And do they know
The places where we go
When we're grey and old
'Coz I've been told
That salvation lets their wings unfold
So when I'm lying in my bed
Thoughts running through my head
And I feel that love is dead
I'm loving angels instead

Chorus:
And through it all she offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I'm right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life won't break me
When I come to call
She won't forsake me
I'm loving angels instead

When I'm feeling weak
And my pain walks down a one way street
I look above
And I know I'll always be blessed with love
And as the feeling grows
She breathes flesh to my bones
And when love is dead
I'm loving angels instead

(repeat Chorus 2x)

Weighty Weight Week 2

Ta-dan! It's the start of week 2 of my diet and have to report on my current weight. I used the same scale in the same mall in roughly the same clothes I was in before, and guess what - I'm now 14 stones and 13 pounds. That means I lost 4 pounds!! Wooohooo! (cue Blur's Song2 riffs) Ain't that great? I just hope they keep coming off 'coz I'm really getting the hang of it.

Years ago I did the Weight Watchers diet and I vividly remember in the first 2-3 weeks I was sooo hungry all the time. I did lose about 1 1/2 stones that time but it only lasted about 6 months and I was back to my old ways again. With this South Beach diet, I only feel hungry occassionally. Quite a strange sensation. We're supposed to be in a very strict no-carbs-no-sugar-diet in the first 2 weeks but I didn't follow it strictly. I eat a little amount of carbs when I'm feeling woozy probably from too low sugar level. But even then I lost weight. Great! Looking forward now to next weeks' weighing in.

Turbo Charge Your Firefox

Read from Batjay's blog about some tips on making your Firefox browser run faster. Have a look in the above link or go straight to Chin Wong's Digital Life article. I did follow all the instructions in it and there was a noticeable increase in the performance of my Firefox. Super! My browser now is like a chipmunk on fastforward. Folks, I highly recommend it.

From that article I also noticed all those extension goodies that you can add such as Adblock or Click2Tab or Bandwidth Tester. The latter was very helpful for me to gauge how well my broadband ISP performs. Well, well, well, if that bandwidth tester is telling the truth then BT Internet is not delivering 512kB to my wire's end as they have promised. It was only tipping in at around 410-425kB. Hmmm, something's not right here. Time to move to Wannadoo? Anyone out there have any experience with them (good or bad)?

Big thanks to Batjay and Chin Wong for their tips and making us bloghop faster. ;)