Tutorial: Opening A Coconut

If you’re looking for the tutorial on how to open coconuts, scroll to the bottom of the page.

The last week had a lot to do with escalators. I’m currently in Coronado, a part of Panama, for my winter break. While browsing the Internet I came across a video that is allegedly of people trying an escalator for the first time. At first I found it kind of funny, but then I tried to understand how what I saw was possible. I mean it’s not that hard to ride an escalator, I think.

Coconuts on the Panamanian grass

I thought of two different reasons: the handrail couldn’t support much mass and the handrail was moving at a different speed than the steps. If you watch the video carefully you can see that the passengers only start to fall when they grab onto the handrail. You can also see that the handrail moves slower than the steps so the people fall backwards.

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“Eggs with Toast”

Uhg. It’s only eleven in the morning. Back to sleep I go. Noon? I could do a bit better. And then, at one, I rise. It’s cold. On the windows there’s condensation and I see the grass covered with frost. I shiver. Is it winter already? I put on a long-sleeved tee-shirt and a pair of track pants and head off to brush my teeth. Back and forth, back and forth. Up and down, up and down. Still tired, I creep down the stairs and have fried eggs with a bagel (also known as pure bliss). My dog scratches. I threaten to scratch him back if he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t stop. I scratch him back.

Trompe l'oeil "eggs and toast" with Meyer lemon pudding, lemon curd, and cinnamon cake

Hmm… what to do next? I lie down on the couch and my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lies on top of me. I feel warm as I watch a movie. I pet my dog and lie there happily  in my family room. Life’s good. Around 4pm I realize I have an English assignment due and run to my computer. I stare at the blank word document before me and wonder how writers do it. Perhaps they use SparkNotes?

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Mango-Chocolate-Coconut Cake

Every spring my mother goes to the store and buys pretty much a crate full of mangoes from a tropical fruit store in Toronto. As soon as she gets home I run to the car, get the box, and feast on the juicy yellow flesh. So sweet, so good.

Coconut-mango chocolate cake with a lemon glaze

When I was in Panama two years ago I went to visit this fabulous tropical fruit market and saw piles of juicy, colourful fruits that I never saw before. There were guanabanas, prickly pears, and jackfruits! Sure, it was nice looking at them in the market (and it was quite fun buying them while sipping on sugar cane juice I saw squeezed before my eyes) but when I got back to the apartment I was perplexed on how to eat them. Eventually, I figured it out but I was hungry for more. I wandered to a convenience store and bought two coconuts (I wish Canadian convenience stores sold coconuts!), which both looked different.

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