Notes

1. Breakfast: Twice-baked potatoes

Two potatoes are _far_ too much for breakfast. I feel stuffed. I feel
more than stuffed. I feel like skipping lunch, which might not be a
bad idea considering I've got another two potatoes slated for dinner.
(It's a good thing I don't easily tire of eating the same kind of
food...)

The cause of my current not-quite-distress is something called the
twice-baked potato. I have a particular fondness for it because it
graced the breakfast tables of my childhood (clearly before the
household settled into the corned-beef-and-eggs routine). I remember
seeing the crisp, slightly browned grated cheese topping the potato
and knowing there would be more pockets of cheesy goodness beneath it.

How do you prepare twice-baked potatoes for breakfast?

Take the potatoes you microwaved last night out of the refrigerator.
Baking the potatoes the night before makes them nice and cool by the
time you need to hollow them out. Slice open the top and carefully
scoop out most of the potato using a spoon, making a small bowl. Mash
it together with cheese, salt and pepper and spoon it back into
potato. You may need to pack it in tightly if you use as much cheese
as I do. Then pop it into the microwave for another minute and a half
to make it nice and warm.

As originally prepared:

2 potatoes

0.46

A bit of cheese

0.41

Total:

0.87

Again, two potatoes are far too much. Heck, I started feeling full
halfway through the first potato. By the time I finished it, I was
wondering if I could put it back into the refrigerator. To err on the
safe side, though, I decided to finish it all up. That explains why
I'm currently... quite... full...

Next time:

1 potato

0.23

A bit of cheese

0.20

Total:

0.43

このコンピュータは強力で効率がよく使いやすい。 This computer is powerful, efficient, and easy to use.

2. Learning designers

Maybe there should be third-party "learning designers" who you pay to plan and choose the best options and put together a perfectly tailored custom program from a variety of learning vendors (instead of throwing all your learning eggs into one school basket) that still includes some general education, but in the way that makes the most sense for that particular student, and uses both online, distance, and *some* face-to-face learning.

Hmm. Now there's a fun idea. I like tailoring things to fit people's individual needs, and I'm crazy about teaching...

祖母が生きているうちに、電話もコンピューターも一般的なものとなった。 In my grandmother's lifetime, both telephones and computers have become commonplace.

3. Not the only one

It's great to know that I'm not the only one who thinks loving one's
country isn't passe. From a chat with
Jijo:

<jijosevilla> Hey Sacha! How are things in Canada? I just read your
entry on coming back home to the Philippines. Very very
very positive attitude! If more progressive people like
you (and me!) thought more about what we can do for this
country than merely what it can do for us, I'm sure it
wouldn't be in the rut it is now. We have a lot of work
to do, but as early as now, brava! :)
<sachac> Awww... =)
<sachac> Things are fine in Canada, although I _really_ need to find
other Filipinos who care about the Philippines and don't go
on and on about the Good Life here or say things like "You
know, I was also patriotic when I was young..."
<jijosevilla> Yeah.
<jijosevilla> I read the "Walang Kwenta Ang Pilipinas" email that's been going around.
<jijosevilla> I couldn't finish it because I found that it just said
too much of the obvious and the wrong. We all know we're
in a rut, and just writing about the rut we're in
doesn't solve things.
<jijosevilla> Your blog entry, though short, inspired me. Knowing that
I have like-minded colleagues like you give me the
strength to continue standing up for this country,
amidst the exodus of professionals and the shit that our
politicians just keep ramming down our throats.
<jijosevilla> I hope you find more like-minded people there. The
feeling of being the only one can be very discouraging.

4. How to get to the IBM Center for Advanced Studies

Finch bus, business express, Finch subway station, where the Go buses
are. Stand number 8. Business Express. 9:00 AM, Thursday. IBM Center
for Advanced Studies corner of Warden and Highway 7, roughly. The bus
stops right outside it. Cool-looking Get off highway, right on small
street, then turns around in a bus bay. Get off right after it does a
U-turn to get to a bus stop.

5. The quest for the mythical ironing board

It may be the height of summer, but the temperature of the Bahen IT
building allows me to wear crisp long-sleeved blouses. Which is why I
doubled my efforts to find the Mythical Ironing Board said to inhabit
the common room.

Right by the door, my roommate said. From the elevator, turn left, go
straight, and go in. By the sink, another said. Somewhere there.

I looked everywhere for anything that vaguely resembled an ironing
surface. I found an outlet near the sink, but the white plastic didn't
look like something I should be ironing my clothes on.

Nope.

Up and down. Asking for directions.

On my sixth trip down, I finally collared someone and asked him if he
could please explain to me exactly where the mythical ironing board
was supposed to be.

He walked back with me, opened the door, and said, "It's right
th... Hey. Hmm. It's not there."

Well, at least I know it doesn't really exist.

Mom, could you bring me an ironing pad? Something small I can use in the room.

今やノート型コンピューターは弁当箱と同じくらいが一般的だ。 Now note computers are as common as lunch boxes.

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Page: 2005.07.18

Updated: 2005-12-1615:24:4515:24:45-0500

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