Mimosa pudica; Tickle Me Plant; Makahiya

When I posted about Tickle Me Plant, I was fascinated by its use in other country. I will never look again in that plant the same way. But of course, as a kid, Makahiya plants has been very fun.I just did not thought that it would be marketed as a toy.

The plant’s scientific name is Mimosa pudica. This is an annual or perennial herb and is native to South America and Central America (but can be found in most Asian countries too and is considered a weed). Below is an explanation (from wikipedia) on why the plant movies or folds inward when it is stimulated.

The leaves also close under various other stimuli, such as touching, warming, blowing, or shaking. These types of movements have been termed seismonastic movements. The movement occurs when specific regions of cells lose turgor pressure, which is the force that is applied onto the cell wall by water within the cell vacuoles and other cell contents. When the plant is disturbed, specific regions on the stems are stimulated to release chemicals which force water out of the cell vacuoles and the water diffuses out of the cells, producing a loss of cell pressure and cell collapse; this differential turgidity between different regions of cells results in the closing of the leaflets and the collapse of the leaf petiole. This characteristic is quite common within the Mimosoideae subfamily of the legume family, Fabaceae. The stimulus can also be transmitted to neighboring leaves. It is not known exactly why Mimosa pudica evolved this trait, but many scientists think that the plant uses its ability to shrink as a defense from predators. Animals may be afraid of a fast moving plant and would rather eat a less active one. Another possible explanation is that the sudden movement dislodges harmful insects.

Well, if you are as small as Makahiya, I guess its being “shy” saves them a lot from being eaten by animals. And if you have not noticed, most Makahiya plants have thorns in their stems.

Sewing Kit Thread

I believe that every home should have a sewing kit that compose of sewing needles and sewing thread.You can do a lot of things with a needle and a thread. Once my mother sew a post pregnancy belt that helped me to get rid of belly fat. And she can sew a shorts by her hand too.I am not as talented as she when it comes to sewing by hand. But sewing kit is a familiar scene here. You never know when you need to repair your dress. In fact, on my small make up kit, I have a small sewing kit there, you should too.

So what should you include in your sewing kit?

First, it should different kinds of needle. Put at least three kinds of needle there. A small one, a medium sized a big one. It should also have some pins on it. Choose pins which have ball on its end. Also put some safety pins in there.

When it comes to sewing thread, you can have at least five colors in your sewing kit. Buy a big white one since this color is the most used color on sewing. Also buy a black sewing thread and a red one. Look at your closet and see what is the majority of your clothes, is it blue? pink or brown? Then buy a thread in that color.

Other stuff you should put on your sewing kit is pin cushion and a small scissor.

Tickle Me Plant, The Plant That Moves

Amazing how this grass has given this kids some fun. It’s everywhere here and we call it Makahiya. The word Makahiya comes from the root word HIYA which means shy. The plants shy away when somebody touch them. Yeah, in a way, these plants are very ticklish.

The Meaning of Colors In Roses

My husband never brought me any flowers, ever. And though most women loves it when their husband or partner shower them flowers. I am not just that kind of women. I can buy my own flowers. I rather have it that my girlfriends will bring me flowers. And if ever my husband will do that, it’s the time to say good bye. Flowers is not in his character, and I love most because of that.

For the longest time, flowers has been known to cheer up people. Any flower does but for some reason, Roses is the most popular when it comes to flowers giving. There are many different kinds of roses actually. Here in the country, we are not that conscious on the type or kind of roses when we Buy Roses. We are only concerned on color. And when it comes to color, every hue represents certain emotions.

Red is very traditional when it comes to love. This is the color most used when a partner is buying his or her other half. White on the other hand signifies purity. A combination of red and white is a very nice bouquet, specially if this is your first time to give a flower to someone. Yellow makes any day brighter, yellow is a very cheerful color. That is why, in most cases where one would send flower to an ill person, yellow is the color they choose. Pink is a very feminine color, when it comes to giving roses to female friends, pink, violet, peach are the best thing.

Designing A Fashionable And Useful Eco Bag

When I was designing the souvenirs for Sati’s 1s birthday, I was tempted to put bow ties on the bags. My idea was to create an eco bag that is fashionable and most importantly, useful. But of course ties is not for girls, specially babies. So instead, I made a bag with her name on the front. On the back, since the usual problem I have with ecobags are pockets, I made sure that Sati’s has a small pocket where you can put the receipt of your purchases. I will post pics later 🙂