tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83957532009-07-20T22:11:38.715+08:00Was: a blog about Baguio City and Dolores, Quezon in the Philippines. Now: weekend pursuits, hobbies, books, movies, commuter time fillers here in Wellington, New Zealand.watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-31185475892343423242009-07-16T07:00:00.001+08:002009-07-16T15:00:20.472+08:00

This origami is from the same book as Pegasus, the Origami Sourcebook authored by Jay Ansill. This dragon design is shared by Robert Neale.This dragon is quite fun to make because it's very easy. It uses the bird base and only requires a few folds to get the dragon done. I think I overdid the folds on the neck, though. There's one too many. I liked it nonetheless and so it is now on display

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-88927245076345690282009-07-12T05:27:00.003+08:002009-07-12T05:53:52.942+08:00

This was a very challenging paper fold, but I managed to complete this project after 3 hours. This origami was devised by Gabriel Alvarez from the book Origami Sourcebook (author: Jay Ansill).I used an A3 sized paper. Based on my experience, a smaller-sized paper will make folding this project difficult. As it is, I skipped some folding instructions, particularly those that further defined

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-57579372027273004142009-07-06T16:22:00.003+08:002009-07-06T17:02:52.483+08:00

Before we left the country last year, I was keen on what had been happening over the forested area at the Convention Center in Baguio City, the Philippines. As I have mentioned before, the pine trees were planted there when I was around Grade 2. I saw the trees grow and the area become a desolate piece of land into a place rich with life and reflects what Baguio City is all about - a city of

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-15757912342367387622009-06-28T14:52:00.002+08:002009-06-28T15:06:02.801+08:00

Having enjoyed Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I endeavoured to read another novel of his writing. I came upon The Butterfly Tattoo. It was only a relatively thin book, and after reading some hefty books I was prepared to go a bit slow this time and have a quick read.I have actually finished reading this a couple of weeks ago and so I Googled for some background information prior

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-22205305284821642632009-06-22T17:00:00.000+08:002009-06-22T17:00:07.172+08:00

The Kindies here in Wellington have an assortment of play doughs that kids merrily cut and shape into different shapes and get into pretend play. Very engaging stuff. A friend said that you can actually make some at home too! So I did a little research and tried my hand on some!Ingredients:1 cup all-purpose flour (NOT the self-rising variety)1 cup warm water2 tsp cream of tartar1 tsp oil (

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-38536598118111816602009-06-16T12:06:00.002+08:002009-06-16T12:14:29.348+08:00

I have finished reading the final book to the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Puillman. It took me a couple of days to get the third book (The Amber Spyglass) because - wonder of wonders - it's not available in the Wellington City Libraries!Prior to reading the third book, however, I got my hands on a little piece of work called Lyra's Oxford. Which was a bit of a spoiler, actually,

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-56262673471308053542009-06-10T16:10:00.001+08:002009-06-10T16:10:00.975+08:00

African violets are something that I am very familiar with because back when I was working as a Library Assistant in college many years ago, it was a favorite plant among the Librarians. They would have many small pots at the windowsill, each holding either a leaf or a full plant with flowers abloom. For such a delicate-looking plant, it's really easy to take care of and it blooms all thoughout

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-70897817532513374592009-06-04T08:00:00.001+08:002009-06-05T12:32:30.405+08:00

As I write this, I am happy to note that I am already mid-way through the third book, The Amber Spyglass. I finished reading the second book, The Subtle Knife last week, and the Northern Lights the week before that. It is quite an amazing story. I was drawn toward the book because of the controversy that the movie The Golden Compass had generated. I have also seen the movie last year and

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-34194732258430700552009-05-31T07:00:00.003+08:002009-05-31T07:00:00.885+08:00

Jo-Lo and I made 4 projects from the papier mache' pulp. These are the other two:the moon, bright yellow with some starts on its face,and ice cream!The photo below does not do justice to the projects, but they sure brighten up the kitchen!Technorati tags: Papier Mache'

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-18483037345708981602009-05-27T07:00:00.002+08:002009-05-27T07:00:01.005+08:00

Yesterday, Jo-Lo and I went to town to purchase some stuff and we decided to drop by the video store to see what they have on sale. I have been thinking of buying The Golden Compass actually because I thoroughly enjoyed the novel on which it was based on (the Northern Lights). But I did not find that. What I saw, however, were these nice surprises:Battlestar Galactica - this is from the

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-33500464304827953322009-05-24T11:26:00.003+08:002009-05-24T11:52:14.656+08:00

The autumn-winter season isn't really helping out with our papier mache' project. We started this about a month ago, I think, and we used 100% pulp to mold our wall decors. It's solid pulp through and through, and so it will take more time to dry up than a model that was made with some rolled-up newspapers inside then plastered with paper strips. But I did not realize that it will take this

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-14094351537411408572009-05-17T07:00:00.001+08:002009-05-17T07:00:00.814+08:00

After having enjoyed Nobody Owen's Story in the Graveyard Book, I became interested in reading Neil Gaiman's other works. I picked up this book, entitled Neverwhere, without expecting it to be another breakthrough and at the same time expecting to be marvelled. The fact of the matter is, even though I have heard Neil Gaiman's name for quite a number of times in the past few years, I have never

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-8976496922110719372009-05-13T08:00:00.001+08:002009-05-13T08:00:00.690+08:00

The term "Papier mache'" usually conjures memories of days spent in school making crafts. I remember my first venture which this art form when I was a kid when I made a small vase. In high school, we also engaged on something similar to papier mache but instead of paper as the medium, we used sawdust instead which lumber shops gave to us for free; all you have to do is ask and they would let

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-16985394480539319572009-05-08T08:00:00.001+08:002009-05-08T08:00:00.975+08:00

Since we have a nice, little front lawn with a nice, little pohutukawa tree at the side, I thought it would be wonderful to have some feathery friends visit us occasionally! And so I researched on how to make a bird feeder to attract them to our place. I was thinking this project will have me working on a boxed container that dispensed seeds, but I was pleasantly surprised that there is an even

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-70931830231570678992009-05-04T12:18:00.004+08:002009-05-04T15:29:41.886+08:00

After our gardening adventure and at the onset of winter, My son and I busied ourselves for another project: papier mache'I've had some experience with this paper craft when I was a kid, mostly because it was a school project. In high school, we also made something similar but instead of paper, we used sawdust. For papier mache', we used some sort of paste. I remember we used gawgaw (starch)

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-31644646739781086222009-04-30T07:00:00.002+08:002009-05-01T12:49:00.884+08:00

I was wandering around the DVD collection of the Wellington City Library when I came across this DVD. I snatched it up and headed straight for the counter!Misery is a movie which my friends and I rented back in high school and watched on a weekend. It is classified as a horror film. Which is strange, really, when you think about it, because it does not have zombies or chainsaw massacres, but

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-21103406760852974642009-04-27T07:00:00.002+08:002009-04-27T07:00:01.331+08:00

Week 10 (I skipped a week 9 update) should complete my first venture with vegetable gardening, which was a moderate success! Moderate because, like I said in Week 8, some plants made it, and some didn't.On the success side, my lettuce is growing rather well! This is the batch in front of the house.Even the ones behind the house has put up a last-minute rally and has finally decided to make me

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-80187351390442242652009-04-24T07:00:00.003+08:002009-04-24T07:00:00.938+08:00

This course is open for New Zealand Citizens and Permanent Residency holders. This is supposed for the April run (and April is fast rolling away!) but the website does not actually state any deadlines so I it will not hurt to ask.***The National Certificate in Horticulture is a Level 4 self-paced distance programme, delivered on-line, with practical work-based components. In addition, students

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-62568376354432608822009-04-21T16:59:00.003+08:002009-04-21T17:23:39.637+08:00

This is my first ever Neil Gaiman book. I have heard of his name before, and is synonymous with his critically acclaimed Sandman series. Which is a graphic novel. Or a series of graphic novels, actually. Other than that, I did not know much about Neil Gaiman. So I was surprised to see his name emblazoned on this novel. Intrigued, I borrowed the book as my bus companion.The story is about a

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-9498176910505486282009-04-16T07:00:00.001+08:002009-04-16T07:00:00.711+08:00

If you look at the current map for Baguio City at Google Maps, you will notice that Session Road is nowhere to be seen. It is misidentified as Governor Pack Road. I was looking through the process of how to notify Google Maps about this... it's either you notify the map provider for that area, or notify Google itself. But I have not found the necessary links so far... will keep looking

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-19529821291875480562009-04-13T15:48:00.005+08:002009-04-13T16:06:19.619+08:00

We are now on the last few hours of our four-day vacation. Incidentally, week eight is also supposed to be the time when the lettuce can already be harvested. I am quite happy with the way the lettuce at the front of the house has turned out. They're looking crisp! It's a good thing that I spread the seeds in various places, or I would have been stuck with the stunted lettuce at the back of

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-11666650123788196842009-04-08T07:00:00.005+08:002009-04-08T07:00:01.006+08:00

I had been collecting Happy Meal toys back in the Philippines, the last of which was the entire set of the Star Wars toys that came out at the same time as the Star Wars CGI movie.We no longer go to McDonald's that much, though, but this is the closest we have come to completing a set again after so many months. The SpiderMan series had four characters in it. We were able to get three. And in

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-36881170627758168882009-04-05T11:13:00.002+08:002009-04-05T11:22:15.217+08:00

So... how is my veggie gardening venture turning out after week 7? Let's look at it at the bright side. I would say it was a moderate success because...The lettuce at the back of the house is finally starting to see some growth! That's the row at the background. The squash is also looking fine, although I would have thought it would be crawling by now.Unfortunately, something's ravaging the

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-70987119833884409832009-04-01T15:55:00.002+08:002009-04-01T16:22:33.895+08:00

The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves comes into contact with one or more of the hairs twice in succession, the

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8395753.post-13493869492454392512009-03-31T07:00:00.000+08:002009-03-31T07:00:00.929+08:00

1 and a half months into gardening... I think the lettuce are supposed to be harvestable in 2 months' time. However, I do not see a lot of progress in the garden at the back... the lettuce are still too small, and so are the broccoli. The squash, though, is coming along rather nicely. I am guessing the plot of land is not suitable for lettuce or broccoli... I will try root crops next time.

watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851406139825729546watson.online@gmail.com0