Sunday, March 9, 2008

Tagged AGAIN!


The Longest Line


Thank you to doc joey for the tag!


Abie - Journey to Life
Abie - MyPlanetPurple
Farah - changing lanes
Bela
Kaptyurd by Howell
Aggie
Apols
Apple
Thea
Jacqui
Jane
Jody
Joey
Joy
Kelly
Leah
Mich
Pat
Peachy
Vien
Nick
CC


I'm tagging sujee, rocks, jan, eds, sexymom, jown, eileen, che-che, arpi, chie, LUTCHI, Bless, happy, caca, liza, JoyD, eDs, emz, and anna. Have a great day everyone!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Tagged!


I got tagged by JAN! Thanks, jan! This is the first time I've been tagged, and it took me some time to figure it out. Haha!

Cut and paste the following starting here. I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!


The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com, What goes under the sun,Roshidan’s Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, Petra Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife Bless’ Sanctuary Happy Life, Living @ Evergreen State, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Pinay Mommy, Expressions from the Heart, TeacherJulie, Sweetbites by Bang, Paul, Toni and Lance - Bridging the Distance, Our Growing Family, The Uncensored life of me, My Untamed World, Something Purple, A Detour, Something Purple, Wifespeaks, Changing Lanes, Bits and Pieces, My Chocolate Coated Glasses

I'm tagging sujee, rocks, eds, joey, lutchi, sexymom, arpie, eileen, happy, che-che, liza, a simple life, and chie. That's more than 5 but who's counting? :)

Monday, March 3, 2008

Murphy's Law

Last weekend, I cooked for about 15 people to celebrate 3 birthdays. It was actually pot luck, but my contribution was to be the only one that's home-cooked on the table, so there's some pressure. That and the fact that people actually asked for that-dish-I-make-that-they-like-so-much-but-they-can't-remember-the-last-time-they ate-it pasta dish. I also decided to make dessert.

The pasta is a cinch to make. So is dessert. Before I started doing anything, I already had my game plan squarely in my head, because I was already planning for this for the past 3 days. I visualized myself doing everything seamlessly, from the marketing and groceries, to the food preparation, to the cooking, and to the final presentation. I saw myself with about 2 hours to spare for fixing the table, the place, and myself up before everyone arrives. It was hardly a challenge.

This was NOT to be the case.

That fateful morning, my brother who's supposed to help with the grocery shopping came down with a stomach flu, my husband, who's also supposed to help with the errands had an emergency to attend to, there was no parking at the wet market, 3 trips had to be made to the supermarket for "additional ingredients," people had to wait about 30 minutes for my pasta to be served, and the dessert, although yummy, didn't quite make it and died on the plate due to lack of refrigeration.

Everyone had a GREAT time, they all loved the pasta, they can't get over how yummy the dessert was, even if it looked more like porridge than anything else--and there I was, trying hard not to wail and sleep, smiling but dazed, smelling like garlic and bananas.

Everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. But that won't stop anyone from enjoying good food & great company.

Friday, February 29, 2008

The Whys of February 29th

Why is there a February 29 every four years, and who came up with ths idea?

February 29th is called an intercalary or leap day. It is the extra day added during leap years, which, instead of the usuall 365 days, have 366. There is actually a very plausible reason why leap years and leap days were "invented," other than giving headaches to people born on February 29th.

An extra day is added every how many years to keep the calendar working properly. Our calendar is meant to match the time it takes for the earth to revolve completely around the sun--or the solar year. However, the 365 days in an ordinary calendar year is in fact a bit shorter than the actual time it takes for the sun to go around the earth, which is 365 and about 1/4 of a day ( 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, adn 46 seconds to be exact). To catch up with the solar year, an extra day is added every four years to the calendar year.

Some sources say the Egyptians were the first to come up with the idea of adding an extra day to the calendar once every four years, but many say that it was Julius Caesar who actually became the first to designate February 29th as the leap day, and that leap years occur once every four years.

Everything seemed fine after Caesar, until the late 1500s, when people noted that the seasons were coming in earlier than usual. It turns out that the solar year is actually 11 minutes and 14 seconds LESS than 365 and 1/4 days long, so designating an extra day every 4 years may be a good idea, but it isn't accurate. The 11 minutes and 14 seconds of lag time between the solar & calendar years piled up since 45 BC, and by 1582, the calendar year was found to be AHEAD of the solar year by about 11 days, with the vernal equinox falling on March 11th instead of the 21st.

To correct this, Pope Gregory XIII adjusted the calendar dates and instituted an exception to Caesar's leap year rule: that century years be counted as leap years only if divisible by 400. This rule eliminates 3 leap years every few hundred years. Now, instead of the solar year lagging behind the calendar year by 11 minutes & 14 seconds, there is only about a half-a-minute difference.

Which isn't much. At least for the next 3,300 years.


Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Happy Birthday!


Someone super special is having his birthday today! SO special that I'm cooking his favorite dish AND making a dessert for dinner!

There are a lot of articles on the personality traits of people born under what Western astrological month, and what Chinese astrological year. But do you know the personality traits of people born on a specific DATE?

This is for people born on February 26th. Happy birthday! More to come!

A Pisces born on February 26 sees life on a large scale, yet his or her ability to perceive details is amazing. Affectionate, their ambition is strong, though they never lose sight of personal relationships. Their romantic view of life is tinged with melancholy. They never regret an opportunity taken.

Pisces Information
for February 26
You should embrace: Energy, perception, cooperation

You should avoid: Egotism, unpredictability, anger

Friends and Lovers


February 26 natives always seem to be surrounded by a group. They have a way of making everyone feel indispensable. With an exceptionally romantic nature, they have a reputation for investing their lovers with more virtues and charms than they possess.

Children and Family

People born on this date often harbor anger toward their upbringing. Therapy can help them cope with this. Although they have the potential to be good parents, they may feel jealousy when they see how much easier it is for their children compared to what they experienced.

Health

February 26 people take pride in their appearance, which motivates them to exercise. They are concerned with retaining their youthful good looks and are likely to adapt their nutritional habits toward achieving this aim.

Career and Finances

February 26 individuals like to master their fates. They have the discipline to work for others, but prefer not to, feeling they must go their own way to achieve their desired level of success. They are careful with money, especially if they have an irregular income.

Dreams and Goals

February 26 people are idealistic in their hopes and perceptions, and many of their goals may seem out of reach. But the unattainability makes those goals so appealing. They see no reason their dreams can't be realized and are willing to sacrifice to make sure they are.

From howstuffworks.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Dilbert Cartoon of the Day

A little late for Valentine's Day, but still funny, nonetheless.


Thursday, February 21, 2008

What the @#$! is Crown Lengthening?!?

So here I am, still thinking of what to do about my tooth.

I quickly replayed the horrible monologue of the also-a-dentist husband of my regular dentist, and the words "crown lengthening procedure" flashed back ominously.


What the @#&! is a crown lengthening procedure?!?

According to a dentist friend (whom I don't go to--you don't let your friends look inside your mouths, right?), crown lengthening is a procedure which involves the removal of gum tissue, bone or both to expose a tooth more. It is usually done when a tooth needs to be restored, but there isn't enough tooth above the gum line to support a filling or a crown. It can also be done to treat a "gummy smile."

REMOVAL OF @#&!ING GUM & BONE?!?!?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Crown lengthening is done by a periodontist under local anesthesia. The periodontist makes incisions to flap the gums away from the tooth, exposing the tooth's roots. If necessary, the periodontist may remove some bone to expose more of the tooth using a combination of chisel- and drill-like instruments.

CHISEL & DRILL?!?!?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!