Know What?

A year...

2010-08-27T08:13:00.004+08:00

It's been a year.
That long?

Yeah.

I really don't know for sure what's wrong with me.
Maybe I just got a little bit busy...
...a little bit preoccupied...

I'll bounce back soon enough...
...and resume writing here in my blog...

Something is wrong...

2009-10-02T17:37:00.001+08:00

Know what? There is something wrong with my ''blog header''. I have to check this one out.

Spelling Numbers to One Thousand

2009-07-28T11:05:00.002+08:00

Know What? If you were to spell out numbers, it will take to one thousand (1,000) just to find the letter "A".

Well, let's see...shall we?

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen... and so on...

Ten twenty and twenty so on...thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty ninety one hundred...

...one thousand.

Hmmm....makes sense. Hehehehe

Stuff again...

2009-07-23T10:18:00.008+08:00

• The name "Wendy" was made up for the book Peter Pan. There wasn't any record of the name Wendy before Peter Pan. The author made it up! Creative!

Someone commented on that fact (The Never Fairy) saying:

"Actually Wendy was made up for the play, it came first. :)"

...and yes, it's true! Thanks Never Fairy! A theatrical play came before the book. For more details about this... why don't you check out the movie "Finding Neverland"? J.M. Barrie, the author, was played by Johnny Depp.

I guess what this fact means is that, generally... there wasn't a record of a name Wendy before. I mean, even before the book...the play...

...no girl was ever named...WENDY... Hehehehe...

What do you think guys?

Know What? What else!

2009-07-10T14:14:00.002+08:00

What else? More Know What!

Okay...got lost for a little while. Sorry for the...late updates. Very late updates...
I owe you one...no explanations here either...

• Know What? Almonds are members of the PEACH FAMILY.

• The name "Wendy" was made up for the book Peter Pan. There wasn't any record of the name Wendy before Peter Pan. The author made it up! Creative!

• Apples are part of the rose family.

• Marilyn Monroe has six toes.

•A group of crows is called a murder.

•When your foot falls asleep, it's called taresthesia

• A shrimp's heart is in his head.

More to come...sorry.

So here I am...

2009-05-13T15:33:00.002+08:00

So here I am...
"Enlightened"!

I'll be changing my course; major in Advertising.

It's not that I failed Accountancy...c'mon, I passed...but it's just that... I'm tired. I have to face the fact that I can't discipline myself. I have to face the fact that I'm...bored. Yeah...dead-bored.

Anyways, I wasn't able to update my blog last April...been busy.
Hope, you'll understand...

Whimsical Facts...Ehehe

2009-03-30T12:24:00.004+08:00

Here are question that are...well, yeah, quite true...they're interesting! Some facts I've read... have fun!

♦ Why is the man who invests all your money is called a broker?
-Ok, so even I, an accountancy student, a member of the Commerce family, don't even really know why...

♦ Is there an expiration date on sour cream?
-Don't know about this one...but yeah...is there? I mean it's already sour and it tastes like...uhuh..

♦ Is there another word for synonym?
-Honestly, I ALSO WANT TO KNOW...

♦ Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?

- I asked my mom, a doctor (family med), about this. She told me that needles are disposable things. Once you have used it, you have to throw it away. And besides, needles sold in drugstores and health centers are already sterilized.

...more to come...soon!

Honey Sweet Facts

2009-03-23T16:14:00.013+08:00

Know what? Honey is the only food that does not spoil! What's more it's the only food that is made without destroying any kind of life. Honey kills bacteria...and babies too.

You see, honey is a combination of sugars (dominance of fructose and glucose), and these sugars maintain the life of the honey. So, it does not spoil. Also, because of its high-leveled sugar concentration, honey kills bacteria. Airborne yeasts cannot stay long because moisture content is too low. And because of that, we are back on the track that honey does not spoil. Spores present in honey kills infants because their digestive system is not yet fully developed. The more developed digestive systems of older children and adults generally destroy the spores.

Honey is the only food, researchers observed, without destroying any kind of life. People kill animals for their meat and grab edible leaf-like forms for vegetables. Hehe. Fruit harvesting kills the fruit. Well, it makes the fruit stop growing, you know. So how's honey made? Honeybees gather nectar from flowers (they just gather, they don't kill the flowers). While gathering, the honeybees store the nectar in their *"honey stomach". Once full, they return to their beehive. In the hive they use their "honey stomachs" to ingest and *regurgitate the nectar a lot of times until they get the desired quality. After this, it is stored in the honeycomb.

"After the final regurgitation, the honeycomb is left unsealed. However, the nectar is still high in both water content and natural yeasts which, unchecked, would cause the sugars in the nectar to ferment.The process continues as bees inside the hive fan their wings, creating a strong draft across the honeycomb which enhances evaporation of much of the water from the nectar.This reduction in water content raises the sugar concentration and prevents fermentation. Ripe honey, as removed from the hive by a beekeeper, has a long shelf life and will not ferment if properly sealed." -Wikipedia

Natural head gland substances combine with water evaporation results to honey.

And because of the honey's unique characteristics of killing bacteria and yeasts, and the fact that it will not spoil, honey is used in embalming the dead. This practice is not only present in Ancient Egypt but in other places as well. Honey appears to be effective in killing in some drug-resistant causes also. Its antibacterial characteristics made it good in coughs, acidity, ulcers and the likes. Honey also prevents scarring. They don't usually apply honey directly in the wound but in the dressing.

Honey's little History

Honey was mentioned already more than 10,000 years ago in Sumerian and Babylonian writings. Its name comes from the English hunig (meaning gold) and it was the first and most widespread sweetener used by man. In ancient Egypt, they used it for food and in the mummification process. In ancient Rome, the people used to pay their taxes with honey. Even in Germany, peasants used honey and beeswax to pay. In the Old Testament, honey was always mentioned and compared to Israel-"land of milk and honey". And people in the olden days considered honey as the "nectar of the gods."

Honey is not only used for food, embalming and as an offset to liabilities. It also plays an important role in religious traditions. It was an ingredient to make cement and in furniture polishings. Well..there's a lot more too. A lot more...

Uhhh...end?

*regurgitate- it's like vomiting but done voluntarily. It is used by most species to feed their young. Remember baby Mumble in Happy Feet? When his mom returned back home, she vomited food for Mumble to eat.
*honey stomach- a special stomach where bees place their gathered nectar. It is also where they turn the nectar into honey.

References:

www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/honey/trivia3.asp#honey
homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/honeyhistory.htm
www.flickr.com/photos/24713472@No4/2385894ooo/

Ame Mami: Now what?

2009-03-19T13:33:00.003+08:00

I'm having my finals today. But I wonder if Accountancy is the right ''thing'' for me. I know I can make it even though I don't like it. But I just can't stand studying all the time!

I want to draw! I want to paint! I want to write! I want to play music!

I want...I want...

Seems a little bit egoistic over there, huh? Yeah. But my parents won't let me take up Fine Arts; Journalism and Interior Design as well. I was a rebel last semester. I ended up losing myself with all queries. I did not know myself back then. I even hesitated to do what I want because some people look at my activities as..."worthless". Come on, I mean, what are THEY just doing anyway? All they do is study...and compare their grades with someone else's. It seems harsh. I know. I'm sorry. They also look down on me because they think I'm taking everything lightly. It's not true. I'm just thinking deeply (though, I look like I don't care with everything). But now, I think...I'll be okay. Mom said I'll just finish accountancy first then proceed to what I love the best. Aahhh...arts. And you KNOW WHAT? Starting next semester (I'll be on third year!), I will do my best. It is because that it's cool to be good both on academics and activities! I'll do it not for them...but for goodness' sake, for me and for my God!

Then...finally... ARTS, HERE I COME!

Ame Mami: Why Edison?

2009-02-27T10:58:00.005+08:00

Greetings!

So, why Edison? Why am I fascinated about him? Easy. I like his attitude. It's quite amusing to do a little research about him. His famous quote "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration" has always spark an interest in me.

You see, Edison had this child-like attitude (mischievous and inquisitive) which I like. I also love his quotes. I guess it's true as what they say..."Necessity is the mother of inventions." Edison said so, too. He took the ''road less traveled'' and finally got paid off.

But here's what I've really learned about Edison and his life: HIS CREATIVE SIDE IS SO AWESOME!

I came up with my own definition about creativity:

"Creativity is a gift from God, which is often largely misunderstood as plain talent. Most people don't know that it captures more of that of personality."

Creativity is seeing things other people can't see. It's similar to opportunity spotting in a good way. Like Edison, he spotted a lot of opportunities. He said "There is far more opportunity than there is ability."

Why? As we speak of it, actually, children are far more creative than adults are. It's because that they are unconstrained by rules, policies, and facts. Adults live on the world of facts. Children are inquisitive by nature. They always ask a lot of questions. Adults are sometimes...hesitant. This is because that they are afraid to be ridiculed and labeled as a child. Children often practice their creativity in a form as what they know as-play. Adults will argue that they don't have the time to do it or the money to spend it. But they don't know that all they ever need is the passion to do so. Few adults are able to open up their imagination. They are labelled as "child-like adults". Well, they are creative.
'' I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun!"-Edison

Since creativity captures more of that of personality, it can be developed too. Some people are born with great creativity...but some may don't. That doesn't mean they cannot be creative later in their lives. But they can! All they need is their desire to learn and voila! Ehehehehehehe...
And since it captures more of that of personality...does that mean...a person's personality can be changed if his creativity is on the line? Maybe. Right? Well, the correct term for it then would be "revert" rather than "change". Why? *sigh* tatatat tata! They think back like a child! It's actually great. But a lot of people would be...quite...well...you know...uneasy about it.

Back to Edison guys. I love his quotes. They are so inspirational. It pushes you to your creativity. That's all.

Ame Mami

Wizard of Menlo Park: That Guy Named Alva

2009-02-18T16:36:00.027+08:00

Know what? Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark!
(Thus, the lightbulb?)

Born:February 11, 1847
Father: Samuel Edison
Mother: Nancy Edison
Marriage and children: On December 25, 1871, he married Mary Stilwell. They had three children:

Marion Estelle "Dot" Edison
Thomas Alva "Dash" Edison, Jr.
William Leslie Edison

Mary Stilwell died on August 9, 1884.
On February 24, 1886, Edison married Mina Miller. They also had three children:

Madeleine Edison
Charles Edison
Theodore Edison

Thomas Alva Edison, Al by his family, was a very curious child. Some would think he's quite mischievous. He would ask a lot of questions and would experiment to find the answers. He once tried to hatch some eggs by sitting on them. Another time, he wanted to see his friend fly by feeding him some gas-producing laxative. At age six, he set the family barn on fire "just to see what it would do." After the incident, Edison's father spanked him in front of the whole town to show everyone that he was really sorry. His family were also afraid that maybe he had no feelings. A friend of his drowned in a creek and he showed no emotion.

Edison's teachers thought that he could not learn because there was something wrong with him; that he was "addled". They told his mother, who became furious with what they said. She decided to teach him by herself. Edison went to school only for three months in his entire life but nevertheless, he became an avid reader. He read the History of England, History of the World, The Age of Reason and the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. After reading the Dictionary of Science (the book which his mother bought for him), he set up a laboratory in their family basement and spent all of his allowance buying chemicals at a drug store. He was ten years old at that time.

At age 12, when his mother could no longer stand the smell of his 'lil experiments, he took a job as a train boy on the Grand Trunk Railway by selling candies and newspapers that he made (he called it the Grand Trunk Herald) to make money for his experiments. There, he established hi new lab in an empty baggage car. A lot of complaints were received by Edison because of the foul smelling experiments he made and the explosions happened while conjuring up these experiments.

When he was 13, he started slowly to become deaf. A man pulled him up by his ears when he was running behind a train, trying to catch a ride.

At 15, Edison saved the life of an official's child. He saw the boy on the track with the train heading right for him. He grab the child and put him on a safe place. For his bravery, the boy's father taught Edison how to use the telegraph. Then at 16, he went to work at the Boston Telegraph Service. He stayed there for five years and then was fired from his job because he became bored and started playing jokes on his boss. On May 1, 1869, Edison received a patent for his vote recording machine. No one wanted it.

He went to New York at age 22 with only a dollar in his pocket. He hunted for a job at day and slept in the basement of a company at night. Edison observed his surroundings very closely. He observed how the machinery works every night. Because of this, he was able to fix some broken equipment. He improved a device that would control errors in stock tickers and the company liked it that he was offered $40,000. When he brought his check to the bank, the teller yelled at him because he could not hear. An engineer, who worked at the company where Edison was fixing gadgets, notified him to the teller. Edison got his money which he spent all of it on shop equipment.

He started the American Telegraph Works in New Jersey. Edison built a laboratory there in Menlo Park. He was known as the Wizard of Menlo Park. He directed his team to work on various projects. Together, they worked to make a lightbulb which would go on for a long time. They tried a lot of materials but not one was working well. They finally tried a new material and it did work. The lightbulb went on nearly 200 hours. After making it, he made a power system, so that people could use it too. In 1882, in Pearl Street, New York City, people there had electric lights for the first time.

While working on the bulb, Edison noticed an electric flow from the filament to the metal wire. The phenomenon was the foundation of Electronics.

Edison was probably one of the most outstanding inventors in history. He also invented the Phonograph, which he is most proud of. Other invention of his includes the celluloid film and film projector (movies!), the quadruplex, automatic telegraphs and a lot more. His greatest contribution to mankind was the development of power stations. Still, he's famous for his lightbulb (fear of the dark, perhaps?) When he died in the year 1931,he patented over 1,050
inventions.

Quotes from Edison
( I've done a 'lil research! Very...inspiring! Ame Mami is inspired!)

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.
The three things that are most essential to achievement are common sense, hard work and stick-to-it-iv-ness.
I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others. I found out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.
I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.
Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do, doesn't mean it's useless.
To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
We now know a thousand ways not to build a lightbulb.
I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.
I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exist- proves that there are infinite laws behind it.
The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.
The value of an idea lies in the using of it.
There's no substitute for hard work.
There's a way to do it better- find it.
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.

There, goes my research. Didn't copy. But did a lot of paraphrasing.

Hope you enjoy!

References:

Padua, A., and Crisostomo, R. 2003. Practical and Explorational Physics Modular Approach. Quezon City: Vibal Publishing House, Inc.
www.incwell.com/Biographies/Edison.html
www.mccsc.edu
gardenofpraise.com/ibdediso.htm
equotes.wetpaint.com/page/Thomas+Edison+Quotes
www.inspirationalquotes4u.com/edisonquotes/index.html

Photo Credits:

(young Edison and Edison with invention) gardenofpraise.com/ibdediso.htm
(old Edison with lightbulb-right) www.solumhouse.com/electricity
(old Edison-left) pre1900prints.com/Science/EdisonWizardOfMenloPak.html

Know What? The Beginning

2009-02-16T11:20:00.008+08:00

Welcome!

This Know What site is all about funny, bizarre facts and trivia of everything (that fascinates me) and my own simple research to these facts. That's all. Don't worry. I'm including references and credits after each article I'll be making.

After each facts (another blog post) is my very own point of view or stand. It could also be just a simple whim that comes out in my head, or let's just say, my own opinion.

This blog site has underwent a lot of...er, changes. Like, my blog title. The first title I made is Masquerade. Uh...no connection right? Ehehe...ugh. So the next title I made is "Did You Know?". So common right? Right. Another is the "Kaleidoscope World." It's okay. But...it's also quite common and...I don't know...I'm not quite comfortable with it. The journal look also underwent a lot of...styles. But this time, I think it's okay.

ENJOY!