This picture makes me feel happy, it's been a long winter.

It can kill you, but it can also save your life

So my mind was blown away tonight when I was watching a PBS special -- Venom: Nature's Killer. There are about 20 million toxins out there being produced by animals in nature. If they strike and their venom is injected into you, you might become paralyzed, scramble your brain signals.. aka you will be in lots of trouble. But at the same time, their venom is a great tool for scientists. The venom can be chemically engineered into drugs, in which doctors will use to treat heart attacks, cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

Unfortunately, a lot of these animals are going extinct before scientists are able to study what's in them. One scientist said, the only way things will be preserved in nature is if they make money. That being said, these animals are worth lots of money! Though, there are other reasons why they're important/worth preserving besides being able to generate money. Now that's a whole another argument...

I wish I had learned more about this when I was an undergrad, I am so fascinated... These scientists are amazing, so brave when they are handling venomous creatures, I'm not sure if I have it in me to grab a snake like that.

From Animal Planet

CONE SNAIL: This pokey predator makes up for its lack of speed with one of the strangest hunting systems in the sea. Since it's too slow to chase down fish and other prey, the cone snail prefers to paralyze its victims with a poisonous "harpoon." The poison, or venom, is made in a long, tubular duct. The duct has a muscular bulb at one end and empties into the proboscis — a slender, tubular feeding organ. The harpoon — a hollow, spear-like tooth — is made in a cavity called the radular sac. When a tooth is ready, it is transported to the tip of the snail's proboscis and pumped full of venom. The cone snail detects prey with chemoreceptors in its siphon, or breathing organ. When a fish, worm or mollusk wanders too close, the snail extends its long proboscis and fires the venomous, harpoon-like tooth into its prey. The tooth is attached to the snail via a thread or filament, tethering the prey so that it can't swim away. The venom acts quickly, immobilizing the prey in a matter of seconds. Then the thread is retracted and the snail engulfs its meal through an opening at the tip of its proboscis

Fill up that red cup or cups!!

Having been given so many opportunities growing up.. it is only right to give back.
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On another note, some thoughts on education
Do you see things through the whole picture? In my mind, it is usually complicated... Here's an opinion about the No Child Left Behind legislation (effective 2002)
Noguera: ...higher standards and more tests alone will not make low-income urban students any smarter and the schools they attend more successful without substantial investment in the communities in which they live to improve employment opportunities, housing, and health care.

For the goodness of our communities, we must work together, hopefully not for our own prosperity but for the communities'

We'll always make it through
As long as you've got me and I've got you

We will take the world in our stride
Anything can be possible by your side

A message from a 5-year-old

xoxo .i loveyou.i love unicorns.
dddddddddddaaaaaaarrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.dddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrriiiiiiiaaaaa. love daria

31 days of beauty

From the blog:

Griottes, palette culinaire

In lieu of Valentine's Day I baked peanut butter caramel corn with cashews. I was kind of worried, never really baked anything like this before, but it turned out to be a success so I'm happy.

Late in the afternoon yesterday I was in so much agony, stuck in traffic on the highway from work to class. I drank a cup of tea before the drive. I swear, I know from past experiences how quickly tea passes through one's systems, yet I gulped that caffeinated tea down. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to school without a stop to the bathroom. Once I exited I made a left turn into Pathmark. Did you know Pathmark has bathrooms for shoppers? I was so happy when I saw the black and white porcelain toilet.

Once in a while I see an elderly person pushing a cart of soda cans and bottles to recycle. And whenever I do, I feel a pang of sadness. They probably worked hard their entire life.. I wonder at their age, what makes them rummage through garbage cans in cold winter days like today.


>> beautiful voice!!

Story of the day

Yesterday I was contemplating how I'd have liked to study to become a school nurse, preferably grade school (the younger the kids are, the cuter they are!)

Then.. something happened. One student had a raging nosebleed, seriously torrential. I quickly grabbed some gloves and tissues and tried to stop it, but... it would not stop. He was freaking out, and I tried to calm him down whilst trying to stop the blood from flowing. Some of the blood went into his mouth and he instinctively spat, and it went all over my jacket. My desire to become a school nurse? Gone.

----

The other night, I had a really really strange dream. I dreamt that I got married to a friend of mine from college. The scene suddenly changed and we were in this palace. I was still me and he was still himself.. except we transformed into horses. Sadly, I was a fugly horse, he was a very cute horse. He was a subservient husband and gave me all the power to our kingdom. Unfortunately, seemed like I didn't know how to handle all this power and was hated or feared by my people. Great, not only was I an ugly horse, but I was also a terrible ruler. Thanks dreams.

Lol.

If you know me, you'd know that I am inspired by beauty. As for cooking or baking, I am inspired by the tasty level of a dish. Though I do limit myself by specific ingredients which I like ~ For example I love avocado, corn, shrimp, tofu, spinach... etc. Thus, if I were looking through recipes, I have the tendency to lean towards making a dish which encompasses one or more of my favorite ingredients.

So, it's almost Valentine's Day. I love all these Hallmark holidays, fall straight into their pretty little traps. I like to bake themed goods on Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter.. This Valentine's Day I have three things which I'd like to make---

a) Here's my heart gingerbread man cookies

Snapped a picture of this from a baking magazine that I didn't want to buy (lol)

b) peanut butter caramel corn with cashews (the recipe for this can be found here: peanut-butter-caramel-corn-with-cashews I like this recipe because boys usually likes nuts, unless they're allergic which is totally understandable if they will despise such gift.


c) I really like this one, the packaging, the presentation, so great!!
You can actually skip all the hard work and order these cookies at Pink Olive for $24.00
Totally worth it! Though I bet a girl would appreciate receiving such gift much more than a boy lol, the cuteness factor here is totally catering towards females ;P



But to be realistic and calculate the time that must be devoted to baking, I can probably only bake one of the three.. now which one am I leaning towards? :o)

兔年快乐！(Happy New Year of the Rabbit)

I was born in the year of the rabbit, glad too because it's one of my favorite zodiac animals, besides a man's best friend - the dog :o)

Wish you love, luck and prosperity!!!

-- This is a little off topic but I just wanted to comment on how beautiful it was today when it was rainy and cold, and the fog was hovering over the island. For me when it's foggy, it creates an atmosphere of quietness, mystery, and wonder. I considered stopping in the middle of the road to capture it.. but alas probably would not have been the best idea since I was driving on the highway.