Jessica Zafra's Blog, page 52

Still Jonesing: The return of the 90s singleton

There are bookshelves, then there are rooms that are bookshelves.

Book and Bed is a hostel in Tokyo where guests sleep in hidden bunks built into a giant bookshelf. The hostel’s owners wanted to recreate the feeling of drifting off to sleep in the company of a good book, and has 1000s of books — both in English and Japanese — to choose from. Read […]

How to read a pet food label

Information from the Association of American Feed Control Officials A pet food is the sum of its thoughtfully blended parts, with the quality of the food overall being more important than the presence of any one particular ingredient. Taste of the Wild labels contain such reader-friendly information to guide pet owners on what they’re actually […]

Lav Diaz’s Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left) wins Venice Film Festival

The Woman Who Left, a black-and-white revenge thriller lasting 228 minutes, has won the Golden Lion at the 73rd Venice film festival. The 19th film by Filipino director Lav Diaz, 57, it focuses on the struggle of a schoolteacher to reintegrate into society after 30 years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit. “This […]

Clint Eastwood’s workmanlike airline drama Sully flies because of Tom Hanks

How do you turn an amazing event that lasted all of 208 seconds into a two-hour movie? Especially if the hero at its center is a man so dignified, selfless, and flawless that he doesn’t even allow himself to feel pride at his stunning feat? First you cast Tom Hanks, the world’s most sympathetic everyman, […]

How to pick the fastest line at the supermarket

Get behind a shopper who has a full cart That may seem counterintuitive, but data tell a different story, said Dan Meyer, a former high school math teacher who is the chief academic officer at Desmos, where he explores the future of math, technology and learning. “Every person requires a fixed amount of time to […]

How could a limited edition Avengers Moleskine make me unhappy?

Available at National Bookstores, Php1580 By having ruled pages. I cannot write on ruled pages.

Qapla’! Easy Klingon phrases that may save your life

quSDaq ba’lu’’a’ (Is this seat taken?) Usage: When you’re sitting down to negotiations with a Klingon, it’s probably best to proceed with caution—although your polite question may betray your humanoid tendencies. vjIjatlh (Speak) Usage: As a greeting. “A Klingon will not waste time on trivial pleasantries,” notes Windsor. Why say “hello” when you can issue […]

3 Stories by Joy Williams

Titles at the end. The child wanted to name the rabbit Actually, and could not be dissuaded from this. It was the first time one of our pets was named after an adverb. It made us uncomfortable. We thought it to be bad luck. But no ill befell any of us nor did any ill […]

Friending, trending, messaging: You’ve been verbed

Mothers and fathers used to bring up children: now they parent. Critics used to review plays: now they critique them. Athletes podium, executives flipchart, and almost everybody Googles. Watch out—you’ve been verbed. The English language is in a constant state of flux. New words are formed and old ones fall into disuse. But no trend […]