fede speaks italian, spanish and english. some lessons in english i have learned from him:

1) one time he figures out a problem and exclaims joyously to me, "i am so GENIAL! just GENIAL!"
erm- do you mean genius?

2) andres' clothes got wet in the bathroom and he asks around why and who got them wet. fede shouts out, offering his explanation, "it's a fucking CONSPIRATION!!"

3) today as i am cooking he says
oh we should buy google.
what?
google! for mexico.
huh? what do you mean?
googles!! (uses fingers to make spectacles around his eyes)
OH- GOGGLES!

so where did you go now- the federico school of english??

adventures in egypt (from a few months back)

before you say wah jia en now is a greenie, i will say i've always held my green/do my part to save the world mantra- where do you think my compulsion for finishing up all the food on the table comes from? and yes, i'd like to da pao the quarter of the pad see-uw that's left (to which hang will roll her eyes in embarrassment). but with the knowledge that food shortage around the world is a logistical problem that cannot be resolved by me stuffing my face with all that's served, plus it is very bad for my waistline and double chin, i have stopped being a pack food rat. but still we need to solve a problem that is much bigger than my waistline.

and when we were younger, my sister and i would bug my dad to turn off the tap while brushing teeth and soaping/shampooing. this worked and he is in turn bugging my mother (partly because my sister and i no longer live at home).
now that i'm older, i just bug the bf when he is brushing teeth, washing dishes etc. now he knows and does turn off the tap while brushing- even if only when i'm around. if i have 5 more bfs before i settle down *shudder*, at least i know i can convert 5 more people

for all my talk of being green and caring about environmental and social issues, i am unfortunately and hypocritically still very much a consumer. i guess that's why i don't believe in charities or goodwill- being green has to incentivize me the same way as zara on sale does.

so while i consume cheap spanish clothing, i thought i should at least share some ideas from time to time about how we can easily embrace the green lifestyle.

1) don't take a shower EVERY day. you really don't have to- especially if you live in temperate climate. in fact, not showering all day every day is to be kinder to your skin as it lets the natural oils moisturize and do its work.
and even if you HAVE to, you should be limiting the showers to quick wash rather than a long, hot bath. good for the environment, good for you. see what the doc prescribes:
http://web.mit.edu/medical/mithealth/winter2006/stories/story1_1.shtml

true to my instincts, i came home and checked behind my baskets under my makeshift coat closet only to find a dead critter lying in the exact same spot its friend/relative died a few weeks ago. makes me suspect that there must be a patch of roach killer right there for the fatality to have happened twice in the same place.

seems the trend is whenever the weather takes a turn for the bitter cold, the roaches come into the warmth of my apt. but alas, there is no food or dirt so they end up starving to their deserved death or perhaps they suffocate to death within the radius of the mysterious roach-killing patch.

i've had enough this time and have offered hang and kr a drink if they will make the 6-flr ascent and help me with the removal of the carcass.