Smart Blog

10 Most Popular Japanese Dishes

2012-02-21T17:08:00.004Z

Japanese cuisine is very different to British, and offers a huge variety of tasty and unique dishes.

A lot of Japanese dishes are healthier than British dishes, being a nation very big on fish. There are many variations of the same dishes, relying on different factors to depict the end result.

1. Sushi

Sushi is a well-known popular Japanese dish, that consists of cooked vinegared rice (shari) combined with other ingredients.

Although it is commonly known as a Japanese dish, original sushi (nare-zushi) actually originated in South-east Asia, spreading to south China, before being introduced to Japan.

The varieties that are found in sushi arise from the different fillings and toppings, condiments, and their preparation.

2. Fried Rice

Fried rice is very popular in Asian cuisine. It is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often with other ingredients such as eggs, meat (chicken, beef, or cured pork), seafood (shrimp or lobster), vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bean sprouts, celery, peas, corn, mushrooms), spices and peppers, and soy sauce or sometimes oyster sauce..

There are many different variations of fried rice. Some common variations include: Hokkien or Fujian fried rice, Bai cha, Canton, Cha Han, Yangchow, Yuan yang fried rice, Burmese fried rice, Thai fried rice, American Fried Rice, Nasi goreng, Chaufa, Chaulafan, Kimchi bokkeumbap, Sinangag, Curry fried rice, Hawaiian fried rice, Arroz Frito, Omelette rice.

3. Tempura

Tempura is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that has been deep-fried and battered. A light batter is made of cold water and soft wheat flour (cake, pastry or all-purpose flour). Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added.

Thin slices or strips of vegetables or seafood are dipped in the batter, then briefly deep-fried in hot oil. Vegetable oil or canola oil are the most common.

4. Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake made-up of a variety of ingredients. It is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas in Japan, but can be bought from around the nation.

Depending whereabouts you are, normally depicts what toppings and batters are applied.

When served with a layer of fried noodles, the resulting dish is called modanyaki.

5. Donburi

Donburi, commonly abbreviated as 'Don' is a Japanese rice bowl dish consisting of meat, fish, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice.

The simmering sauce used is varied in accordance to the season, ingredients, region, and taste.

The varieties of donburi are (and not limited to): Gyūdon, Tendon, Tamagodon, Unadon, Oyakodon, Katsudon, Tekkadon, Hokkadon, Negitorodon, and Tenshindon.

6. Yakizakana

Yakizakana is (and literally means) grilled fish, and can be done in a variety of ways. It is served with rice, miso soup, or both.

For it to be left overnight to dry with just a bit of salt is very common and tasty. Dried with varying degrees of saltiness and sweetness is also another common practice.

7. Udon

Udon is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle in Japanese cuisine. Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru, which is made of dashi, soy sauce and mirin. Another common topping is tempura (number #3 on this list).

Broth flavourings and toppings vary from region-to-region, even the packeted version is sold in two different types, one for the east and one for the west. Udon noodles are served chilled in the summer and hot in the winter.

Some hot variations of the dish include: Kake, Kitsune, Tempura, Tanuki, Tsukimi, Wakame, Karē udon, Chikara, Stamina, Nabeyaki udon, Kamaage udon, Udon-suki, Yaki udon, Misonikomi udon, Houtou udon, Ninja udon.

Some cold variations include: Zaru, Bukkake udon, and kijoyu udon.

8. Ramen

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat, broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, kamaboko, green onions, and sometimes corn. Ramen is another popular Japanese dish with varieties of itself.

Ramen soup is typically categorized into four titles: Shio, Tonkotsu, Shōyu, Miso.

Some varieties of the dish are: Sapporo, Kitakata, Tokyo, Yokohama, and Hakata.

Ramen even has it's own museum devoted to it named: 'Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum'.

9. Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish in the Japanese hot pot style. It consists of meat which is slowly cooked at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.

It is usually a winter dish, being eaten a lot at Japanese year-end parties.

10. Chanko-Nabe

Chanko-Nabe is a Japanese stew commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet. To add flavour, it contains a dashi or chicken broth soup base with sake or mirin.

Leftover chanko-nabe broth can also later be used as broth for somen or udon noodles (number #7 in this list).

Sumo wrestlers specialise in the dish, and is popular in restaurants. It is not uncommon to find retired sumo wrestlers in restaurants making chanko-nabe.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the picture present, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

How to Make Pancakes

2012-02-16T13:24:00.002Z

As pancake day draws ever-nearer, I decided that it would be a good idea to explain how to make pancakes. This recipe is not the only recipe for pancakes, but is just one of many out there.

Ingredients

1/2 oz lard, or cooking fat, or 1 dessertspoon oil.
1/2 pint pancake batter
Flavouring of choice (e.g. lemon and sugar, syrup, fruit, etc)

Cooking time: 4 minutes
Makes 8-12

Recipe

1. Put your lard, cooking fat or oil into a small pan, and heat until a faint haze rises.

2. It is important to have a thin covering of batter only, so with a jug or spoon, pour out only enough to give a paper-thin covering in the pan.

3. Cook at a steady heat for two minutes. Then turn or flip the pancake, cooking the opposite side for a further two minutes.

4. The pancake is now ready, and can either have the filling put in at once, or have the pancake put on a hot dish. After each pancake, heat a little extra fat or oil before proceeding to cook the next.

How to keep Pancakes Hot

Once a pancake is cooked, put it onto a hot plate or dish, or if you prefer, a sheet of greaseproof paper covered in Castor sugar on a hot dish or plate.

It (or they) can be kept hot in an oven, with the heat turned very low, or kept hot on the plate on-top of a saucepan of hot water.

Serve as quickly (and safely) as possible.

For larger families, after making the pancakes, wrap them in foil and give them a final frying for 1/2 - 1 minute on each side. Then serve.

How to Turn a Pancake

Shake/wiggle the pan. Insert a broad-bladed palette knife (or something similar) underneath the pancake, and gently turn the pancake over.

How to Flip a Pancake

This isn't actually that difficult, only needing a minimal amount of practice.

Firstly, shake/wiggle the pan before you make the attempt at the toss, loosening it from the pan. If it moves sufficiently, it's cooked well, if it's sticking, then an extra 1/2 minute of cooking is needed.

Take the pan in your dominant hand (or whichever if you're ambidextrous), holding it securely, but not stiffly.

Point the pan downwards slightly, and give one sharp upward flick. The motion may have to be done through your arm.

The pancake should rise out of the pan, and if the flick was sufficient, the pancake should flip 180-degrees onto the uncooked side.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the picture present, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

How to Make Jam

2012-02-15T11:15:00.002Z

I, like many others, love jam, and so am going to write about how to make it. You can use jam from less than all-right fruit, but for the best results - fresh fruit needs to be used.

Once you get used to making jam, it's really quite simple, and the resulting product is tasty.

In this recipe, we're going to make strawberry jam.

Ingredients

1 kg/2 lb Strawberries
1 kg/ 2 lb Granulated or Caster sugar
Half a lemon, juice only
Small blob of butter

Recipe

1. The day before you're going to make the jam, halve and hull the strawberries. Remove any soft spots you find, as-well as any berry that is bruised or that is overripe.

2. Find a large bowl and place your strawberries into it. Then pour 500g of your sugar into the bowl as-well. Mix them together with a spoon carefully, making sure to coat the strawberries well.

3. Once thoroughly mixed, place cling film over the bowl and place into fridge overnight.

4. The next day, place a saucer into a freezer to chill, this will be needed to check the setting point of the jam.

5. Sterilise your jam jars. First, wash them in warm soapy water and rinse in clean water. Place them upside-down and allow them to drain inside an oven set to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Leave them there for at least half an hour while you make the jam.

6. Pour your mixed strawberries from the night before into a very large pan or preserving pan. This includes their juice and any residual sugary juice left over. The mixture will rise as it boils.

Now add the remaining 500g of sugar and all the lemon juice.

7. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves.

8. Now bring the strawberries up to boil, and then boil hard until the jam reaches the setting point. Check the setting point every ten minutes, bearing in mind it may take up to half-an-hour.

9. To test the setting point, remove the pan from the heat. Take your saucer from the freezer and place a drop of jam onto the cold plate. After a few seconds push the jam with your finger.

10. If the jams surface wrinkles, then it has reached its setting point and is ready.

If however, it still slides about as liquid, then it hasn't reached its heat and needs to be returned to the heat, being checked once again in a few more minutes.

11. Once the setting point has been reached, the heat can be turned off. Now stir in your butter and skim off any scum on the surface of the jam with a large spoon.

12. To make sure that the strawberries don't sink to the bottom of the jam jars, leave them in the pan for ten minutes, allowing them to thicken.

13. Remove the now sterilised jam jars from the oven with oven gloves, or other form of protection. Try not to touch the inside of the jars, as this can introduce bacteria.

14. Stir the thickened jam with a spoon and ladle it into the jars. If you don't think you can do it without spilling a lot of the jam, you could use something like a funnel.

15. Cover the top surface of the jam in each jar with waxed paper discs that have been cut to size - they should cover the entire surface of the jam. Press the wax disc down to create a complete seal.

16. While it's still hot, cover with a lid with a label and store in a cool, dark cupboard, being okay for up to a year. Eat when you want.

What flavour jams can you make?

There are many different flavours of jam you can make, some of which would be quite interesting to try:

Blackberry
Marionberry
Raspberry
Plum
White grape
Apricot
Pumpkin butter
Cherry
Currant
Rhubarb
Apple
Huckleberry
Boysenberry
Orange
Peach
Red Grape
Mango
Pineapple
Avocado
Bilberry
Blackcurrant
Blueberry
Clementine
Elderberry
Gooseberry
Grapefruit
Kiwifruit
Melon
Pear

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures present, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

10 Underrated Composers of the Past.

2012-02-14T12:24:00.002Z

The most well-known composers are considered some of the greatest. With so many composers throughout history, it's not surprising for many to slip under the radar, and become unnoticed.

It's a shame, but is inevitable in whatever walk of life is chosen, but they are still as interesting to hear about, if not more so because of the lack of lime-light.

1. Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams (12 October, 1872 - 26 August, 1958) was an English composer. He was a keen collector of English folk music and song: this activity influenced both his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, and also several of his individual compositions.

He was a composer of opera, symphonies, chamber music, film scores, and choral music.

As a student he studied both the piano and violin, attending the Royal College of Music (RCM).

After serving time as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps (during the first world war), he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Exposure to gunfire caused Williams to become severely deaf in his old age.

2. Carl Stalling

Carl W. Stalling (November 10, 1891 - November 29, 1972) was an American composer and arranger of music for animated films.

He is most closely well-known for Looney-Tunes and Merrie Melodies produced by Warner Bros.

He composed frequently, and managed to average a complete score every week, for 22 years (which is 1144 works).

Carl started to learn the piano at the age of six, becoming principle piano accompanist in his hometown's silent movie house, aged 12. He started to conducting in orchestras in his early twenties.

3. Isaac Albéniz

Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (29 May, 1960 - 18 May 1909) was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer, whose works were based upon folk music idioms.

At seven years old, he passed the Paris conservatoire entrance exams, but was declined a position as he was believed to be too young. In 1883, he met the teacher and composer Felip Pedrell, who inspired him to write Spanish music such as the Chants d'Espagne. In the same year the composer married his student Rosina Jordana. They had three children, Blanca (who died in 1886), Laura (a painter), and Alfonso (who played for Real Madrid in the early 1900s before embarking on a career as a diplomat). Another two of their children died in infancy.

4. Zoltán Kodály

Zoltán Kodály (December 16, 1882 - March 6, 1967) was a Hungarian composer. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.

As a child Kodály learnt to play the violin. Kodály was very interested in the problems of music education, and he wrote a large amount of material on music education methods as well as composing a large amount of music for children.

5. Luigi Boccherini

Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (February 19, 1743 - May 28, 1805) was an Italian classical composer and cellist.

Boccherini most well known for one particular minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 (G 275), and the Cello Concerto in B flat major (G 482).

Being born into a musical family, Boccherini at a young age was sent to study music in Rome.

He was later employed by the younger brother of King Charles III, and flourished. After playing for the royal family for a while, the king disapproved in one of the passages in his new trio, and ordered it to be altered. Instead Boccherini doubled the passage, he was immediately dismissed.

6. Paul Hindemith

Paul Hindemith (16 November, 1895 - 28 December 1963) was a German composer, violinist, violist, music theorist, teacher, and conductor. He was born in Hanau and was introduced to the violin at an early age.

He became deputy leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra in 1914, and was promoted to leader in 1917.

In 1922, some of his pieces were played in the International Society for Contemporary Music festival at Salzburg, which first brought him to the attention of an international audience.

7. Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February, 1792 - 13 November, 1868) was an Italian composer, writing operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces.

He was nicknamed "The Italian Mozart " because of his tendency for inspired, song-like melodies, which are evident throughout his scores.

Before Rossini retired in 1829, he 'was' one of, or the most popular opera writer of all time.

According to Herbert Weinstock's 1968 biography, Rossini's estate was valued at 2.5 million francs upon his death in 1868, the equivalent of about 1.4 million US dollars.

8. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian

Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (June 6, 1903 - May 1, 1978) was a Soviet Armenian composer. His works was often influenced by Russian classical music and Armenian folk music.

He is most famous for the Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from his ballet Spartacus, and for the "Sabre Dance" from his ballet Gayane and the adagio from the same ballet.

The composer joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1943. In1948, he temporarily fell from official favour. It was the Symphonic Poem, later titled the Third Symphony, that officially earned Khachaturian the hatred of the Party.

9. Antonio Caldara

Antonio Caldara (1670 - 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. He was a son of a violinist, however, Caldara learnt many different instruments.

In 1699 he moved to Mantua, where he became maestro di cappella to the inept Charles IV, Duke of Mantua, but later moved from Mantua in 1707, after the French were expelled from Italy.

Caldara is best known as a composer of operas, cantatas and oratorios. Several of his works have libretti by Metastasio.

10. Johann Christian Bach

Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a composer of the Classical era, the eleventh and youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach.

He is sometimes referred to as 'the London Bach' or 'the English Bach', due to his time spent living in the British capital, where he came to be known as John Bach.

After his father's death, when Johann Christian was 15, he worked with his second-oldest half brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who was twenty-one years his senior and considered at the time to be the most musically gifted of Bach's sons.

He composed cantatas, chamber music, keyboard and orchestral works, operas and symphonies, and has been noted to have influenced the concerto style of Mozart.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures present, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

The Problems of Hastiness

2012-02-13T09:02:00.001Z

Whilst hastiness can be a sign of enthusiasm, often it just creates mistakes and errors. How many of us have said to ourselves: "I wish I hadn't done that", or "If only I had just taken the time to think". I'm guessing a lot of us have, it's a very common thing to do, which is why it can be so problematic.

A proverb you may want to consider is: 'Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth'. - Proverbs 19:2. While some of you who read this aren't Christians, I think it can still be agreed upon, that this is a good principle to apply in our lives.

That if we're hasty and if we're without knowledge, we're going to make mistakes. Now a proverb is a generally true statement, and I'm not suggesting that every time someone is hasty something bad happens, but on the vast majority of time - this is a true statement.

You may be thinking, 'I've heard things like this before, I don't need them as I'm not going to make mistakes'. Inevitably you will, we all will, and that's why we need to think about what we do before we act.

So often we want to be in on the action, and want to part of what's happening now. Whilst caught up in the moment we don't think about the consequences until it's too late.

I know many of you who are reading this (and myself included), have learnt from previous mistakes, in fact it's one of the best ways to learn. However, when it comes to being hasty, there's something that always catches us out, always trips us up. We don't only have to learn from our mistakes, but from the mistakes of others as-well.

Some of the things I've done in the past as a result of hastiness and lack-of knowledge of the situation, makes me cringe to think about, and I can think of many different (and much better) ways I could have gone about handling the situation.

Things to Think About

The next time your faced with a decision, however small or large it may be, really have a good think about what you're doing. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What Are The Costs? - There might be no immediate costs that cross your mind at first, and it's not just financial cost I'm talking about. Relationships with those around us, spiritual relationships, personal costs, and the emotional costs. Consider it carefully, even if you consider it to be a calculated risk.

I had some grandparents who owned a chain of businesses and funeral directors, and they were offered a deal into some hotels. These hotels would have made them millionaires, however, there was only a tiny chance of the deal falling through. Even though the positive outweighed the negative by far, after my grandparents went through with the deal, it did fall through and they lost everything.

2. What do Others Think? - It's always good (where possible) to get someone else's idea and opinion. Don't choose someone who normally makes hasty decisions themselves and would tell you to go ahead with your plan, only stopping to think about the costs later. Instead, go to somebody who you know normally makes the right choices and seek their counsel.

You can also think about the situations of others you've heard about or know of, that are similar to yours and what happened to them as a result of their decisions.

3. Pros and Cons - Try to get into the habit of weighing the positives and negatives of every decision you make. This will help you make the right decisions (if you do it wisely).

First go through all the pros, thinking about them hard, and asking yourself if they're really worth it. If they are, then go over to the negatives, and ponder upon them. If you have a gut instinct that tells you that the negatives outweigh the positive - don't do it.

Also, when you're first going through the pros, and you feel that they're not really worth going along with, then don't do it.

If you've done step 1, then you'll probably have a good idea what the negatives are already.

How to Build your Vocabulary?

2012-02-10T19:30:00.001Z

Why Build A Better Vocabulary?

Regardless of your age or intelligence, having a good vocabulary will help you to have a better understanding of certain academical situations.

You'll find it easier to express yourself, and easier to explain things to others in a clearer fashion. You'll feel comfortable with different social situations, not having to withdraw from the conversation because of a subject that's alien to you.

Having a great vocabulary is great for job interviews, in fact interviews in general.

It can very helpful when reading texts that are unfamiliar to you.

You can also use them for games such as boggle, scrabble, and the like.

When having a good vocabulary, and being familiar with long and difficult words, it can be really useful for speaking publicly.

It might seem like junk to learn, but it will stick with you and help you in the future.

How To Improve Your Vocabulary?

1. Read, Read, And Read Some More - This is one of the best ways to get yourself familiar with a larger range of vocabulary. Most of the words in your vocabulary have been learnt through context, and by exposing yourself to as much vocabulary as your can - it can only get better.

When you do come across a word that you're unsure about, try to imagine what it means and then look it up in a dictionary. Just keep repeating this process and you'll be surprised how much your vocabulary can improve.

2. Monitor The Context - As I said in point #1, most of the words you learn is by context. So whenever you hear a word that you're unfamiliar with, try to understand the context it was used in. The great thing about this is you just have to be in ear-range of a person speaking, or within reach of reading material.

3. Look Up Words You Don't Know - Try to get yourself into the habit of looking words up that you're unfamiliar with. If you're fortunate enough to have access to the Internet (which I'm assuming you do if you're reading this), you have loads of choices of dictionaries and thesauruses.

4. Learn A Word A Week - Challenge yourself to learn a word a week. This is definitely doable, with seven days at your disposal to get accustomed to the new word. If you do this, you'll be expanding your vocabulary by fifty-two words a year. If this is too easy for you, then do two words a week, or three words a week - it's up to you. On the other-hand, if this is a bit much of a challenge, then do a word every two weeks.

5. Repetition - It's no good learning a new word if you're going to forget it. You need to try and get it into your long-term memory.

Research suggests that by going over a word twenty times will help it to become part of your vocabulary.

You can review your words with index cards, or any other memory trick that can help with the memory process.

6. Insert Them Into Conversations - Once you feel quite confidant that you know the meanings of a few newly-learnt words, your next step is to put them into a conversation. Don't try to use them in every sentence, but just insert them when the time is right, like you would with any other word.

The more used to the words you become, the more you're inevitably going to use them casually, not even having to think about when and where to say them.

7. Take Vocabulary Tests - Get yourself to take a quick vocabulary test a day. You'll be forced to think about words, and words you come across that are unfamiliar to you, you can just look-up on a dictionary and become acquainted with.

You can find vocabulary tests on the Internet just by doing a quick Google search.

Some Words To Consider Using

Here's a few words you may want to learn if you're unsure which words to start with, but there are loads more out there to choose from:

Abhor
Abjure
Acquiesce
Arcane
Avarice
Amiable
Brazen
Brusque
Candour
Chide
Clandestine
Coerce
Coherent
Connive
Debase
Decry
Demure
Deride
Despot
Embezzle
Enmity
Erudite
Extol
Feral
Fractious
Furtive
Gratuitous
Haughty
Impertinent
Impudent
Incisive
Indolent
Inept
Infamy
Innate
Insatiable
Insular
Intrepid
Inveterate
Jubilant
Knell
Lithe
Lurid
Maverick
Maxim
Modicum
Morose
Myriad
Nadir
Nominal
Nuance
Obsequious
Panacea
Penchant
Perusal
Plethora
Predilection
Repudiate
Rife
Salient
Serendipity
Staid
Superfluous
Sycophant
Taciturn
Truculent
Umbrage
Vex
Vociferous
Wanton
Zenith

10 of the Rarest Flowers in the World

2012-02-08T08:38:00.002Z

Its no doubt that spring and summer bring about some very vibrant and attractive colours.

The insects and wild animals are out-and-about, and a whole host of flowers and plants become alive. So in this list, we look at some rare flowers, whose future seems uncertain. In fact the only chance you may have to have a glimpse at some of these, is through a photo.

1. Corpse Flower

This interesting flower is the largest individual flower on earth. Occurring in Indonesia, it was nationally considered a rare flower in 1993. Months can pass while the flower buds, after reaching bloom, the flower will last for roughly a week before dying. Because of this, the flower can be particularly hard to locate.

2. Franklin Tree

A very rare plant, the franklin tree is the sole species in its genus, and is native to the Altamaha River valley in Georgia in the south-eastern United States.

All the Franklin trees known to exist today are descended from the seed collected by William Bartram (who saved the species from going extinct in the wild) and propagated at Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia.

They can grow up to a height of 10m, and the seed capsules take 12-14 months to mature, with the plant then living up to and over 100 years.

3. Ghost Orchid

The ghost orchid is a rare plant and is not to be confused with the Eurasian ghost orchid.

The flower was thought to be extinct for a period of nearly twenty years, until recently when it was rediscovered. It is an endangered species and is close to impossible to propagate.

It has no leaves and doesn't use photosynthesis, it needs a specific fungus to be in close contact with its root system for nourishment.

It only blooms when conditions are just right, making this a very elusive flower to find.

4. Middlemist Red

Despite its name, the middlemist red is actually bright pink, and is probably the rarest flower in the world. There are only two known specimens left: one in Britain and one in New Zealand.

The one in Britain was imported from China some 200 years ago by a British Gardener named John Middlemist (whom the plant got its name from).

At the time of John Middlemist, the plant was sold to members of the public as-well, so it is very possible that someone could have one in his/her garden.

The plant has since been totally wiped out in China.

5. Cape Sundew

The cape sundew is a carnivorous plant that is native to the Cape of South Africa. The sundew is covered in many sticky tentacles that are used to trap arthropods.

When prey lands on this plant, the leaves roll towards the centre having as much contact with it as possible, which aids in digestion. The process is relatively quick, lasting for about thirty minutes.

6. Schweinitz's Sunflower

Schweinitz's sunflower is one of the rarest flowers, with only 90 known populations left, many of which contain less than 40 flowers. The species is named after its discoverer, the clergyman and botanist Lewis David von Schweinitz.

The plant can grow from one metre up to four metres, and flowers for two to three weeks in early October.

7. Seven-Son Flower

The seven son flower is native to China and can also be found in non-desert areas of the United States.

The flowers start to blossom in late summer, turning fuschia that last well into the autumn. The pale, peeling bark can be exposed by pruning the lower branches of the interior.

It is a popular ornamental plant that gives off an intoxicating aroma.

8. Showy Lady's Slippers

The showy lady's slipper, can also be called the queens slipper or the pink-and-white-lady's slipper.

While the plant has never been common, it has vanished from much of its historical range as a result of habitat loss. Its habitat is restricted to the north-east region of the United States and the south-east regions of Canada.

Charles Darwin took an interest in the plant for a number of years, and like many - he was unsuccessful in cultivating the plant.

9. Wild Blue Lupine

The wild blue lupine can stand at 0.3-1.5m tall, and as a result of the revolution of industrialisation, the species is on the decline. It is estimated that the number has dropped 90% since 1900.

The remaining habitat is commonly fragmented, and so limits the range the plant can reproduce.

10. Nepenthes Tenax

The nepenthes tenax is a species of the lowland tropical pitcher plant. The plant grows to a height of around 100cm and has a self-supporting stem. It is a carnivorous plant that can eat small rodents such as a rat. All pitcher plants feed on insects, with anything more complex and of greater size results with the death of the plant. However, this seems to be the exception.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

How to Become Ambidextrous?

2012-02-06T13:23:00.001Z

What is ambidexterity?

Ambidexterity is the ability to freely use both left and right external parts of your body (e.g. hands), both more or less with the same capabilities.

It's rare to find someone who is naturally ambidextrous, with the odds at every one in one-hundred people.

More often than not, it is more common to find people who were originally left-handed and then to have become ambidextrous. For example: through childhood where they were forced to write with the right hand, jobs where right-handed abilities are emphasised etc.

Right-handed people often become ambidextrous through injuries that limit use of their dominant hand.

Why become ambidextrous?

If you're wanting to achieve something or wanting try something out, there's always going to be a reason behind your choice. That shouldn't be different with the ability of ambidexterity.

I've written some reasons why you should consider it:

1. You break your dominant arm, causing it to be fully incapacitated. Do you want to be unable to write, draw, or whatever else that you need your dominant arm for?

2. With sports, when one arm gets tired, you will be able to switch more easily to the other one.

This can also be used for professional sports: baseball and cricket (to throw the opposition off-guard), for snooker (when the shot is easier to reach with the other hand), tennis where it's better to hit forehand with either hand. Some other sports you may want to use ambidexterity for are: golf, basketball, badminton, volley-ball, football/soccer (ambidexterity with your legs), boxing.

3. Some jobs and hobbies are easier when being ambidextrous. For example: sculpting, playing musical instruments etc.

How to become ambidextrous?

Unfortunately, if you're thinking of becoming ambidextrous, it does take time and regular use of you're less-dominant hand.

I've put together a list of different things you can do with your less-dominant hand to become ambidextrous. Note: it may feel weird to do things with your opposite hand in the first couple of weeks or so.

1. I'll start with one of the hardest things to do when wanting to become ambidextrous because of the precision needed. That is Writing. Try to write a paragraph or more a day with your less-dominant hand. Your muscles need development, so practice is the key.

2. Brushing your teeth.

3. Brushing your hair (if you do - I don't normally bother with brushing mine to often) :)

4. Using a computer mouse.

5. Sports.

6. Eating and drinking (maybe you shouldn't do this one in public until you've got the hang of it). :)

7. Wearing a watch on your opposite hand.

8.Shaving (be careful when first starting).

9. Cutting your nails (be careful with this as-well).

10. Opening cupboards, draws, and doors.

11. Drawing.

12. Pen-spinning.

What is a Tongue-Twister?

2012-02-05T22:21:00.005Z

A tongue-twister is a phrase that is purposefully designed to be hard to articulate properly. Tongue-twisters are used for the amusement of people, laughing at some of the mispronounced words, however can be great for articulation. If you're interested, I have written a post about how to develop articulation.

A tongue-twister is normally comprised of a rapid alteration between similar phonemes, rhyming, and can include alliterations.

If you're now wanting to try some tongue-twisters, then try these - just make sure to repeat them over-and-over again until you make a mistake, and to try and go as fast as you can:

She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore. The shells she sells are sea-shells, I'm sure. For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore. Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells.
Red lorry, yellow lorry.
Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.
The butter Betty Botter bought was a bit bitter
And made her batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter makes better batter.
So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter
Making Betty Botter's bitter batter better.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper Picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Shep Schwab shopped at Scott's Schnapps shop;
One shot of Scott's Schnapps stopped Schwab's watch.
Unique New York.
Greek grapes.
A Proper Copper Coffee Pot.
Betty bopper's battering batton made bertie bopper bite her.
Cecily thought Sicily less thistly than Thessaly.
Irish wristwatch.
Peggy Babcock.
Pleasant mother pheasant plucker.
Red Leather, Yellow Leather.
Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry.
Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper.
Smiley shlug with Shloer.
Unique New York.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A woodchuck would chuck as much as he could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!
Sheena leads, Sheila needs.
Shine my city shoes!
She sat upon a balcony, inimicably mimicking him hiccuping and amicably welcoming him in.
Dog, doggy, doggity.
The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.
Wolf waffling (I made this tongue-twister up as I was writing this post). :)
Rubber baby buggy bumpers
Toy boat.
Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran
Fuzzy-Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy-Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy-Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

10 of the Most Dangerous Sports

2012-02-04T09:09:00.001Z

Sports - there's one for all of us. Whether its the 40k marathon run, or the sunny golfing greens, you don't have to exhaust yourself to enjoy a sport.In this post I'm focusing on the dangerous side to sports, and which sports have it in more abundance, but for some sports, danger is the whole point, so the adrenaline rush can be triggered.

The order of this list, does not indicate how dangerous each sport is.

1. Street Luge

Street luge is the act of lying on a street luge board (like a long skateboard) inches away from the ground, and letting gravity take over, sky-rocketing up to speeds of 40-97mph......with no brakes!

Street luging have special organised races, but its not surprising to see people tearing down main roads with traffic acting as a one-way ticket to hospital.

2. Bull Riding

Bull riding is a rodeo sport which involves a rider getting violently thrown about whilst trying to cling on for a designated amount of time. (Eight seconds for the US).

It is an extremely risky sport and has been called "the most dangerous sport for eight seconds". An angry bull can easily kill a person or very seriously injure someone.

For me personally, I'm not a fan of the sport.

3. Heli-Skiing

Heli-skiing is the downhill, off-trail sport, in which participants have a helicopter ride to a steep slope and then jump, hopefully not injuring themselves in the process.

The sport allows people not to have to carry gear and accessories required to reach these areas, however, the helicopter ride in itself can be dangerous and there have been instances where people have died on route.

4. Base Jumping

Base jumping involves throwing oneself from atop buildings, antenna, towers, bridges, mountains, cliffs, into caves and crevasses, and the like, having only a single parachute to save their life.

It is considered an extreme sport and has been banned outright in a lot of places. When jumping from a height of 2000ft, falling for 1000ft will have a person plummeting towards earth at 120mph, and will be approximately 10.9 seconds away from the ground. Base jumpers normally jump from a height of 1000ft (300m) or less!

There have been fatalities with this sport.

5. Cave Diving

Cave diving is the exploration of caves and is an extension in the U.K of the sport caving.

Taking all the dangers diving already offers, cave diving adds even more: cramped spaces, low or no visibility, chances of getting lost, cold temperatures, and not having the luxury to resurface whenever one wants.

True cave diving can take individuals thousands of feet into a cave complex, well out of the sunlight's reach.

There have been hundreds of deaths as a result to cave diving.

6. Cheerleading

While cheerleading isn't the first thing that springs to mind when talking about dangerous sports, it has seen its fair share of injuries proving quite common for them to occur, and in some instances fatalities.

Being thrown 20ft into the air isn't the safest thing to do, and trusting in a group to catch you with precision can prove tricky. As cheerleaders move up divisions, the tricks and stunts also increase in danger.

7. Mountain Climbing

Mountain climbing also known as mountaineering, is the sport of hiking up and climbing mountains. Mountain climbing poses more dangers than many expect, with mountaineers having to face freezing conditions, a loss of oxygen, equipment breaking and being stranded, falling, and simple injuries being much more problematic.

Mountain climbing is split into three categories: rock, ice, snow. Whichever route a person decides to take, the perils don't let up.

8. Gymnastics

Involving flexibility, physical strength, agility, balance, coordination, and throwing yourself around at great height. Due to the intensive training gymnastics involve, and the small margin for error, gymnastics has gained the reputation of a dangerous sport.

9. Rugby

The physical contact sport of rugby is no joke. It doesn't matter if you're rugby union or rugby league, injuries are common, and more serious permanent injuries are no surprise.

The game originated in England in the early 19th century.

10. Big-Wave Surfing

Big-wave surfing is just the same as regular surfing except for one thing, the waves that are taken on are 20ft (6.2m) and higher.

The size and shape of the board depends on the surfer and the waves. Some boards allow for fast paddling and easiness of wave catching, being stable once upright, however not having much manoeuvrability. Others may be less stable, but a lot more agile.

Some of these waves could destroy a village, not to mention a small surfer who accidentally falls off his board.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

'Jedi' Arrested for Police Attack

2012-02-01T10:11:00.000Z

Armed with just a toy lightsaber, David Canterbury (33) was seized and arrested by police after attacking customers at the store Toys R Us in Portland, and then attacking the police.

Judge Kenneth Walker sentenced David Canterbury to 45 days in jail. David Canterbury told Judge Walker that he is seeking mental health treatment, and has since apologised to his victims.

The police said that on arrival, David Canterbury was wielding two lightsabers, one in each hand, and had attacked three customers. David then left the store with lightsabers in hand, to take on the police.

Armed with tasers, the police started to try and deliver the electric shock that would cripple David's body long enough to make the arrest, but were surprised when he successfully defended himself with his plastic lightsabers.

After failed attempts using tasers, the police then used 'force' to wrestle David to the ground where they were finally able to make the arrest.

Pete Sampson, from Portland police, has made a statement that, David was not wearing a jedi costume. He later added that he believed it was a blue lightsaber that David was using.

David has been banned from the store.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

British Pair Arrested and Detained in the US over Twitter Jokes

2012-02-01T09:27:00.002Z

Two British citizens have been arrested in America and detained in holding cells for over 12 hours.

Leigh Van Bryan (26) and Emily Bunting (24) were planning a nice holiday to Los Angeles, but after his tweets were found by the Department of Homeland Security, they were swiftly arrested in Los Angeles airport by armed guards.

The following tweets were Leigh's:

"Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?”

“3 weeks today, we’re totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up!”

When questioned about his first tweet, Leigh tried to explain that he only meant it in reference to a party, and was just British slang.

The two friends weren't let off the hook there, and were further questioned about the second tweet, which made suggestions towards the grave of Marilyn Monroe. Federal agents searched his suitcase for any sign of digging equipment, such as shovels and spades, claiming that Emily was going to act as Leigh's look-out.

Leigh stated that the tweet was only a quote from America's Family Guy comedy T.V series, and wasn't meant seriously.

They were questioned some more, before being locked in separate cells for 12 hours, and then put on a plane home via Paris.

Emily said: "The officials told us we were not allowed in to the country because of Leigh's tweet. They wanted to know what we were going to do.

'They asked why we wanted to destroy America and we tried to explain it meant to get trashed and party.

'I almost burst out laughing when they asked me if I was going to be Leigh's lookout while he dug up Marilyn Monroe.

'I couldn't believe it because it was a quote from the comedy Family Guy which is an American show."

Leigh said: "It's just so ridiculous it's almost funny but at the time it was really scary. The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist."

"When I was in the van I was handcuffed and put in a cage. I had a panic attack but the worse was yet to come."

"When we arrived at the prison I was shoved in a cell on my own but after an hour two huge Mexican men covered in tattoos came in and started asking me who I was."

"They told me they'd been arrested for taking cocaine over the border."

"When the food arrived on the tray they took it all and just left me with a carton of apple juice."

Leigh's tweets were posted on 16 January 2012.

What is Feng Shui?

2012-01-31T18:39:00.003Z

Feng shui is a Chinese system of geomancy and is thought to improve ones life by receiving (because of feng shui) positive qi (chi).

Feng shui has been used for structures, dwellings and tombs. Since being almost silenced in the 1960's (because of the cultural revolution), it has recently once again gained popularity.

The astronomical history of feng shui is seen in the astronomical instruments that were used. In accordance with Zhouli the original feng shui instrument could have been the gnomon.

Rituals for using a feng shui instrument required a person to examine current sky phenomena and state, to set the device and adjust their position in relation to the device. The magnetic compass was later invented for the purpose of feng shui.

The goal of feng shui is to take advantage of vital qi by appropriate sighting of graves and structures. In pre-modern China, Yin feng shui (for tombs) had as much importance as Yang feng shui (for homes). For both types one had to determine direction by observing the skies.

Here is a building that has had feng shui incorporated into its design:

The Origin of Feng Shui

While Feng shui's origin is not precisely known, there is a good probability that it was during the Hongshan culture and Yangshao period, which provide the earliest evidence for the use of feng shui.

Feng shui used to rely on astronomy before the invention of the compass.

All capital cities in China (beginning with palatial structures at Erlitou) used rules of feng shui for their design and layout. Graves and tombs also followed the rules of Feng shui (including Mawangdui and Puyang).

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

How to Remember a Pack of Cards

2012-01-24T07:32:00.002Z

If only having a couple of minutes to look, could you remember the sequence of a shuffled 52 card deck?

I'm sure the question is now in your thoughts: "Can I really remember the order of a shuffled 52 card deck?" The answer for most people is yes, but some effort is required on your behalf.

There are different ways you can go about doing this, but the method I'm going to write about is the mnemonic word system. This is where each card is assigned a word, so when you see that card, the card will be only the secondary thought in your mind, whilst the word will be at the forefront.

A pack of cards will have four suits: clubs; hearts; spades; diamonds.

To remember the suits, a common word chased is used. If you look closely at the word you will notice the first letters of the suits: CHaSeD (clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds). Each suit has 13 cards (ace, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, jack, queen, king).

Each individual card is assigned a key word/image (which is known as a 'peg' word). Each word a card is given will begin with the same letter as the suit, for example: clubs - c, hearts - h, spades - s, diamonds - d.

The ending of the word is from the consonant phonetic value of the card, in which the value of the card is sound based. 1 - T or D, 2 - N, 3 - M, 4 - R, 5 - L, 6 - J; Sh; G or Dg, 7 - K or hard G; Ch or C, 8 - F or V, and 9 - P or B.

The ace is given the number 1, and 10 the number 0. It ends in either a S or E.

The Jacks 'peg' word is the same as its suit. Example: Jack of spades would become just spade.

The 'peg' word for queen becomes a word that sounds like queen but has the starting of the suit (except for the queen of hearts).

The 'peg' word for king is (like the queen,) a word that sounds like king but has the starting letter of the suit (except for he king of clubs).

Here are the 'peg' words for each card:

Clubs

Ace of clubs - cat
2 of clubs - coin
3 of clubs - comb
4 of clubs - car
5 of clubs - coal
6 of clubs - cash
7 of clubs - coke (as in the drink)
8 of clubs - cuff (of a shirt sleeve)
9 of clubs - cap
10 of clubs - case
Jack of clubs - club (golf club)
Queen of clubs - cream
King of clubs -King

Hearts

Ace of hearts -hat
2 of hearts - hen
3 of hearts - ham
4 of hearts - hare
5 of hearts - hail
6 of hearts - hash
7 of hearts - hog
8 of hearts - hive
9 of hearts - hub
10 of hearts - hose
Jack of hearts - heart
Queen of hearts - queen
King of hearts - hinge

Spades

Ace of spades - suit
2 of spades - sun
3 of spades - sum
4 of spades - sewer
5 of spades - sail
6 of spades- sushi
7 of spades - sock
8 of spades - sieve
9 of spades - soap
10 of spades - studs
Jack of spades - spade
Queen of spades - steam
King of spades - sing

Diamonds

Ace of diamonds - date
2 of diamonds - dune (sand)
3 of diamonds - dummy
4 of diamonds - door
5 of diamonds -doll
6 of diamonds - dish
7 of diamonds - deck (of cards)
8 of diamonds - dove
9 of diamonds - den
10 of diamonds - dice
Jack of diamonds - diamond
Queen of diamonds - dream
King of diamonds - drink (as in water)

When you do shuffle a pack of cards and go through them by memory, imagine the 'peg' word associated with that card and link it to the next card. Slowly creating a 52-step journey through the deck.

Make sure to memorise the 'peg' words very well first, as you don't want to spend an unnecessary amount of energy trying to remember the 'peg' word. When you're comfortable, start trying to memorise the deck. Start with one suit, then when you complete that move onto doing two suits, then three, then the whole deck.

With practice you should be able to do this in a few minutes or less.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

Best-Selling Books of All Time

2012-01-19T22:25:00.002Z

There are thousands and thousands of books, most of which fall under the radar and disappear over time. For those that do become best-sellers, further opportunities can come about, making the concept of the book even more popular.

As I thought it would quite intriguing, I've put together a list of 10 of the best-selling books of all time. If I haven't included a book that you feel deserves to be in the list, then please let me know by commenting.

1. Holy Bible

The Bible is by far still the most bought book of all time (and is interestingly also the most stolen book), managing to survive for thousands of years.

It's hard to give an exact figure concerning the amount sold because of its international and historical scale. However many estimates are between 2.5 billion - 6 billion, and roughly 100 million more copies are sold around the world each year! (Definitely my favourite book) :)

2. Don Quixote

Don Quixote is a novel set in two volumes coming out a decade apart (1605 and 1615). They are written by Miguel de Cervantes and are considered the most influential work of literature of the Spanish golden age. It has sold over 500 million copies.

3. Harry Potter

Selling over 450 million copies, J.K Rowling's set of fantasy novels have been hugely popular. So popular in fact, that they have been made into films, in which Warner Bros Pictures have made the highest grossing film series of all time. The merchandise that tie-in with Harry Potter (e.g. harry potter mugs, scarf's, toys, games, and so forth,) is estimated to be worth around $15 billion.

The books have been translated into 67 different languages.

J.K Rowling has said that the main theme is death (bearing in mind that this is supposed to be a work of children's literature), and seems to be popular with all ages.

4. Xinhua Zidian

Xinhua Zidian is a Chinese dictionary and is the worlds most popular reference book, selling over 400 million copies. It contains pinyin, stokes, radicals, indexing system, wubi codes, origin of characters, phrases, examples and meanings.

Nearly every page has an illustration of either an animal, plant, industrial or agricultural machine of the time, or architectural structure. In the latest edition, almost all characters are simplified.

5. Goosebumps

Written by R.L Stine, Goosebumps are a series of children's horror stories. Sixty-two books were published under the name of goosebumps between 1992 and 1997. As a whole, the goosebumps series have sold over 350 million copies, been published into 35 or more languages, and have made appearances on many best-seller lists.

The series was made into a t.v series, and unfortunately when I was younger I came across it....(creepy).

6. Perry Mason

There are 82 Perry Mason novels, many of them adapted as a television series starring Raymond Burr. For most of the plots, Perry Mason (a defence attorney) was involved in his clients murder trial, where he would try to plead for their innocence. The author behind these stories is Erle Stanley Gardner.

The novels have sold more than 300 million copies.

7. Berenstain Bears

Selling over 260 million copies in 23 languages, Berenstain Bears are a set of children's books in which a moral or safety lesson is learnt. They have been made into two television series and other related merchandise.

8. Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure, is a set of children's gamebooks, where the reader assumes the perspective/role of the protagonist, and makes decisions to determine the actions of the main character and outcome of the story. Between 1978 and 1998, the books have sold more than 250 million copies. They were originally intended for 10-14 year-olds.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

9. Sweet Valley High

Created by Francine Pascal, Sweet Valley High is a novel series consisting of 152 books (1983-2003). They have sold over 250 million copies as a whole and are classed as young-adult fiction.

The books soon became popular and started to gain some attention, branching off into some spin-off t.v series, where a CD soundtrack and other merchandise became available.

10. Noddy

The books have sold over 200 million copies and are very popular with children (who of course the books are aimed for). The initial publications were those between 1949 to 1963. The television series has been on the screen since 1955, and more books have followed the initial works. Noddy books and the television series still appear today.

What is Memory?

2012-01-17T07:50:00.001Z

Memory is the ability of an organism to retain, store, and recall past experiences and information.

There are three different stages of memory, these are: sensory, short-term, and long-term. Not everything is known about memory, and there is still a lot more to research.

Sensory Memory

After an object is received, approximately 200-500 milliseconds into the function, is what sensory memory corresponds to.

An example of this ability is being able to remember what an item looks like just a couple of seconds after viewing it.

There are different types of this memory, all of these lasting for a short amount of time and are not able to be recalled with clear precision, decaying over time.

Short-term Memory

Short-term memory's capacity (like sensory memory) is also very limited, allowing a person to recall something for a period of a few seconds to a minute, without repetition or rehearsal.

A persons short-term memory capacity is said to be low, but can be improved with a technique called 'grouping'/'chunking'. This is where you split something into smaller more manageable sizes for your short-term memory to digest. For example: Someone gives you a number of 117342334. Instead of trying to learn the whole number off by heart, you would split it up to say: (117), (342), (334). Then you could (instead of naming these groups by there numbers, e.g. one, one, seven (117,)) name the three new numbers by there whole new numbers, e.g. one-hundred-and-seventeen, three-hundred-and-forty-two, three-hundred-and-thirty-four.

Herbert Simon found that the ideal 'grouping'/'chunking' size for numbers was three.

Short-term memory is believed to rely more on an acoustic code for retaining information, rather than, to an extent a visual code.

Long-term Memory

Whilst sensory and short-term memory have a limited capacity for retention and duration, long-term does not. This type of memory holds a far more vast quantity of information (some of these can last a lifetime).

With short-term memory, the likelihood of forgetting phone numbers, names, addresses and directions (and the like), is a probable circumstance. However, with long term memory (and techniques such as repetition), a huge amount of information can be catalogued inside the mind. For example: Lu Chao from China managed to recall off by heart 67,890 digits of pi!

Baddely discovered (1966) that after 20 minutes, it was hardest to recall names, numbers, and words with similar meanings. (Big, large, huge; small, tiny, miniature, etc).

The Functions of Sleep

2012-01-06T21:39:00.064Z

If you've read my last post about sleep (how much sleep do we need), then you'll have noticed that I didn't explain about the functions of sleep. So, I've decided to talk (or should I say write) about them now.

Sleep is still not fully understood, and so the understanding of its functions is also not fully known. However we do have a pretty good idea about some of the proposed functions of sleep.

Functions

1. Restoration - It has been shown that sleep deprivation has an (assumed) affect on the immune system and can impair its function ( study by Zager et al. in 2007).

Wound healing has also been closely associated with sleeping, and deprivation of it can be a hindrance to the healing of wounds (study conducted by Gumustekin et al 2004).

Sleep has not been directly linked to body growth, however a study has shown that 8 hours of sleep (more specifically slow-wave-sleep), did have an effect on the growth hormone levels of men. (Study by Van Cauter, Leproult, and Plat).

On the other hand a study done on 305 children over a period of 9 years (1-10), tried to establish if height and weight correlated with sleep. The results received suggested that sleep had no effect on a child's growth. (Study by Jenni et al. 2007).

2. Ontogenesis -The activity occurring during newborn REM sleep appears to be particularly important for development (according to the hypothesis of ontogenetic REM sleep).

Sleep deprivation at an early age has been linked to behavioural problems in later life, decreased brain mass, an abnormal amount of neuronal cell depletion, and permanent sleep disruption.

From various studies on REM sleep, it appears that it is important for brain development.

3. Memory Processing -Working memory has been shown to be affected by sleep deprivation.

Important for support of higher levels of cognitive functions such as reasoning, episodic memory, and decision making, working memory is also important for further processing information.

Studies have been done on this, and the results point to the conclusion that sleep deprivation means a reduced working memory.

It's not so easy to concentrate either when feeling sleep depraved.

Short Summary

All-in-all, I think we can all agree that sleep is important and that our bodies do need it, otherwise why have it.

I'm sure I've missed something out, if you notice that something is missing, feel free to make a comment.

10 Modern Inventions that had an Impact on the World

2012-01-06T21:24:00.002Z

I know it's not the first choice for a title (the first being '10 modern inventions that changed the world'), and that was what I had originally planned to call it, however, after reviewing my list I felt that a few of them might not have had as big an impact as others, hence the change in the name.
Here's the list:

1. Internet

The Internet has definitely got to be in this list, revolutionising the way information is stored, accessed, and sent and received.

In 1993 it was said that only 1% of telecommunicated information was used, by 2000 this figure had risen to 51%, and in 2007; more than 97% of this information was now in use.

Over the years the Internet has grown drastically, paving way for some of the online giants: youtube, facebook, google, twitter, and the like.

Some of the things that you can do online nowadays include: set up an online business; access social networking sites; advertise; buy and sell products; book holidays; access a huge amount of information; apply for jobs; send e-mails; play games; watch videos and films, listen to music, and so much more. So for these reasons (and many more I haven't mentioned), it's not surprising to see the Internet on this list.

2. Ipod

Ipods are a range of portable media players that have grown in popularity since the release of the first generation ipod in 2001.

The ipods are created and marketed by the company Apple Inc.

Known for their superiority over other mp3 players, with the wide range of things they can allow a user to do. These include: listen to music; look at photos; watch videos and films; listen to podcasts; listen to audio books; play games; view the time; use touch screen controls; and have access to a huge amount of apps.

Since the release of the ipod, Apple has claimed to have sold over 300,000,000, with the still ever present popularity of them.

3. Touch Screen

The touch screen (being made popular by Apple in 2007 with the introduction of the IPhone), changed the way technology is used. It is now becoming a lot more popular, with the releases of touch screen phones, the ipod touch, ipad, touch screen computers, hand held game consoles, even supermarket terminals.

4. MP3 Format

Coming into the world only in 1991, it is a standard for audio compression that makes any music files considerably smaller with little or no loss of sound quality, hardly troubling the hard disk, which provides the best quality sound available.

It almost fell through in the beginning, not being widely known or used, but it slowly started to catch on, and with the rise of computers; mp3 players; and phones, mp3 format became a lot more popular and is now recognised around the world and used around the world.

5. Google

It is the most popular search engine in the world, providing so many different things and changing the way we use the Internet. It is the biggest company on the Internet and is worth over 200 billion dollars, and is still continuing to grow. It's hard to believe it's only been around for just over a decade.

I would be surprised to hear of an Internet user who hasn't heard of Google.

6. Facebook

Facebook is a recent invention (2004) and is the fastest growing company since the launch of Google. It houses over 800 million users and is the most popular social networking site, it's worth coming up to 100 billion dollars, and like Google - is continuing to grow.

It is a very attractive site for advertisers as-well, who spend billions of dollars a year.

7. Global Positioning System

The GPS allows reliable positioning, timing and navigating services to users around the globe.

A widely used system today, and is incorporated into cars; boats; phones; planes; watches and much more.

It promotes safety from car theft, without the worries of ever getting lost, identification of traffic free and sound routes, and speed control of your car. It also has many other applications.

8. Windows

Windows began 1983 with founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen their companies first graphical user interface operating system. Windows has grown strength in strength. There is often remarks and criticism surrounding windows (often by mac users) :), but they still manage to come up with new innovative ideas that silence it's critics. It's one of the most widely used systems.

9. Mobile Phone

The mobile phone has also got to have a place on this list, allowing users to communicate with on another from anywhere within range of telecommunication signal.

In their just-over 20 year history, worldwide subscriptions grew from 12.4 million to now just a bit short of 5 billion. Mobile phones have grown technologically as-well, now they incorporate: cameras; mp3 technology; date and time; video cameras and players; games; Internet access, and many other things.

10. Nanotechnology

Sometimes nanotechnology is shortened to 'nanotech' is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale.

It is the development of molecular sized objects and materials, used for medicine; technology amongst other things. It's making a big progress in medicine.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

How Much Sleep Do We Need

2012-01-04T13:59:00.001Z

When getting up in the morning, the large majority of us still feel incredibly tired and find it a challenge to get up. If you were to ask somebody about the amount of sleep they get and if they would want more, I'm sure a lot of people would say they get a reasonable amount or less, and would accept the invitation to have more sleep.
There are however others, who hate to sleep in late and don't want to miss out on any part of the day.
For me, I would rather get up early, as I consider the morning to be the best part of the day. If you would like to know some of the other reasons why I like to get up early, then I'll refer to an earlier post of mine: 10 Benefits of Being an Early Riser.

Stages of Sleep

Sleep is divided into two general types: REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement), each with there own unique features. Your sleep is made up of five stages: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - REM. When you fall into sleep, you begin at the first stage and work your way through, before coming out of the other side.
A sleep cycle can take anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes going through each of the stages of sleep. This is considered 1 cycle. After finishing, it just starts over again.
Before reading any more, if you find it hard to drop off to sleep, I've written a previous post named: How to Relax Before Bed.

Stage 1: The beginning stage is just a light sleep, with the recognisable drifting in and out. Sudden movements of muscles can be common, but you're eye and body movement do slow down overall, and you're in a position where you can be woken easily.

Stage 2: This stage is when brain waves (the measurement of activity of your brain) slow down, roughly fifty percent of your time spent sleeping is spent in stage 2. Occasionally sleep spindles take place (rapid brief bursts of brain activity).

Stage 3: This is the first stage of deep-sleep, where delta waves and faster waves. Whilst in this stage, it can be difficult to wake a person, disorientation and grogginess are usual for someone is does awaken during this stage, and normally for several minutes.

Stage 4: After stage 3, the second stage of deep sleep occurs, slow delta waves are almost exclusively being produced by the brain. Like stage 3, it is also very hard to wake up a person. The two stages of deep sleep are important for a refreshing feeling to take effect. Sleep will not feel very satisfying if these two stages are too short.

REM: About twenty percent of sleep for adults is spent in the REM stage. As you enter into REM sleep, your breathing becomes fast, irregular and shallow. Heart rate and blood pressure increase, as-well as quickened eye movement and less mobile muscles.
Beginning about 70-90 minutes into a cycle, REM is the stage in which dreams occur and is quite short in the first cycle, increasing in length towards the morning.
Despite quite a lot being known about sleep, researchers don not fully understand REM sleep or the reasons for the occurrence of dreams.

Amount of Sleep

The amount of sleep is dependant on age, infants and children needing more. A newborn spends about 9 hours of sleep in the REM stage, studies suggest that school children need 10-11 hours of sleep a day.

Newborn: up to 18 hours per day
12 Months: 14-18 hours per day
12-36 Months: 12-15 hours per day
36-62 Months: 11-13 hours per day
5-12 Years: 9-11 hours per day
Adolescent: 9-10 hours per day
Adults, including elderly: 7-8 hours per day.

Benefits of Flexibility

2011-12-22T11:52:00.000Z

Not being able to do things that you used to do because of flexibility and joint restriction can be frustrating.
For example: During primary and middle school, it was common to sit cross-legged on the floor during assemblies. When I reached high school, we no longer had to sit on the floor, but were allowed to sit on chairs. So for three years I didn't sit cross legged at all, and ever since then I've found it hard to sit cross-legged for more than a couple of minutes. With stretches that help maintain flexibility, things like my example above (and much more serious ones) could be prevented. (I now can sit cross-legged for a lot longer now since stretching my legs) :)

I've started doing some stretches to help improve flexibility recently, having quite a weak back myself because of various circumstances, and so I thought I would make a list of the benefits for doing so.

Flexibility Benefits

1. Improved posture - Doing regular stretching causes your body to gain better muscular balance and posture.

Weight and gravity, and/or poor postural habits, mean that your soft tissue structures have adopted poor effects. Stretching can help realign soft tissue structures making it easier to regain good posture.

2. Improved blood circulation - Stretching increases blood flow to joints, this is done by increasing the tissue temperature (through stretching) and that then in turn increases blood circulation.

Your joints will have an increase in the transport of nutrients to them as joint synovial fluid (lubricating fluid) will see an increase in production.

You will also have a reduction of joint degeneration.

3. Relieves muscle and joint pain - A well structured stretching programme can help to reduce pain and soreness from muscles and joints.

Static and slow exercises are good for this, being held for 20-35 seconds. (Although I normally try to hold a stretch for at least a minute).

4. Reduction in risk of lower back pain - Muscular relaxation is promoted through stretching and a reduction in accumulated toxins, and a lower chance of lower back pain.

Stretching muscles attached to the pelvis (e.g.: hamstrings, quadriceps etc,) reduces stress in your lower back.

5. Reduction of injury risk - Stretching the correct way improves physical health and decreases the resistance of tissue structure. Whilst being physically active and you exceed your tissue maximum extensibility, you'll have a lower chance of injury as your tissues and muscles are used to the stretching of them.

A better range of motion can be obtained also with less energy used to do so.

6. Better muscle coordination - Nerve impulse velocity (the time it takes for an impulse to reach the brain) sees an improvement by the regular action of stretching, in turn helping opposing muscle groups to work in a more coordinated, synergistic fashion.

7. Improves strength and balance - Some types of yoga stretches (ashtanga and power yoga (which is more vigorous than others)) can help to increase muscle tone.

Stretches that involve less movement but involve more precision of alignment, can help strength and endurance benefits.

As your body becomes more accustomed to different stretches and poses, balance will naturally come as muscles and tissues are used more regularly.

10 Huge Dog Breeds

2011-12-19T12:16:00.004Z

Some dogs are tiny, whilst others are huge. I've decided to put together a list of 10 huge dog breeds and have included photos. This isn't an official 'top 10' list as there are lots of really big dogs, however these are some that are at the top end of the list.

The ordering of the dogs isn't an indication of size.

1. Anatolian Shepard

The Anatolian Shepherd (also known as the Karabash) is a muscular breed of dog with thick necks, broad heads and sturdy bodies.

Originating in Anotolia (central Turkey), the Anatolian Shepherd is used for guarding flocks of sheep, being able to stand up against wolves, horses, and surprisingly lions.

They have excellent hearing and sight, with outstanding strength.

According to Turkish shepherds, a pack of 3 Anatolian Shepherd is sufficient to fight off a pack of wolves with the ability to injure a couple.

Males stand at 26-31 inches and females at 27-30 inches. They weigh in the region of 90-150 lbs (41-68kg), males being on the larger side and females on the smaller.

2. Great Dane

The Great Dane (also known as the German Mastiff or Danish hound) is one of the tallest breeds of dog, recognized by many for its large size.

Males stand at 30-34 inches, females at 28-32 inches.

The tallest dog on record is held by a blue Great Dane named 'Giant George' who stands at an impressive 43 inches (110cm) at the shoulder!

Males weigh 120 lbs (54kg) upwards, females at 100 lbs (45kg) and upwards.

3. Irish Wolfhound

Credit to SheilaKane

The Irish Wolfhound is a sighthound (which use speed and sight primarily for hunting instead of endurance and scent).
They have very flexible backs and long legs, which they need for capturing fast, agile prey such as deer and hare.
They have very efficient lungs for sprinting and large hearts.
Irish Wolfhounds stand at 28-35 inches, males being the upper half and the females the lower.
They weigh in at around 90-150 lbs (40-68kg), males being the upper side and the females on the lower.

4. English Mastiff

The English mastiff is an extremely powerful breed of dog, with an enormous head and a huge robust body. Noted for its gentle temperament the mastiff has seen an increase in popularity since the 80's.
It is the largest dog breed in mass out of any other dog. A typical male can weigh anywhere from 150-250 lbs(68-110kg), and females at 120-200 lbs (54-91kg). The standard height for males are 30 inches (76cm), and for females 27.5 (70cm) inches for females.
Despite the fact that Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds can be taller, many consider the English Mastiff to be the largest of all dog breeds because of its sheer body mass, and still very respectable height.

5. St Bernard

The St Bernard is a very big working dog from the Swiss and Italian Alps that is well known for it's popularity for mountain rescue.

It stands anywhere between 25.5-28 inches (61-71cm), and weighs 110-200 lbs (50-91kg).

The most famous St Bernard to have lived was a dog named Barry, with reports indicating that he saved 40-100 lives.

6. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

The Greater Swiss Mountain dog (also known as Swiss cattle dogs) are originally from the Swiss Alps. There are four breeds of this dog, the Greater Swiss Mountain dog being the largest of the four.

They stand at 23.5-28.5 inches (60-72cm), and weigh around 130-135 lbs (59-61kg).

In the past they have been used as livestock guardian dogs, guard dogs, herding dogs and even dogs that pull small carts.

7. Neapolitan Mastiff

Credit to Iscribbly

Neapolitan Mastiff's (also known as the Italian Mastiff) is a large breed of dog often used as guarding dogs because of their protective instincts.
They are seen as 'fearless' and rarely let their presence be known to intruders, as they prefer to sneak up on them.
Males stand at 26-31 inches (66-79cm), and females at 24-29 inches (61-75cm). The males weigh in at 130-155 lbs (60-70kg), and females at 110-130 lbs (50-60kg).
They are very intelligent dogs with a streak of independence.
They are very tolerant of pain due to the breed's early fighting background and the fact the skin is loose on the body, so it may be hard to know if anything is wrong with it. Routinely check-ups are recommended.
The record for the largest litter of puppies is held by a Neapolitan Mastiff which gave birth to 24 puppies!

8. Newfoundland

The Newfoundland is a breed of large dog bred for fishermen as working dogs. They are recognized for their strength, size, even temperament and loyalty.
They excel at water rescue work and so are popular among lifeguards on beaches. In fact I once saw a video of a man vs Newfoundland to see who could rescue a person out in the sea the quickest.... the Newfoundland won. (The man was a strong swimmer as-well).
They stand at 27-29 inches (69-74cm) for males, while females stand at 25-27 inches (63-69cm).
Males weigh 130-150 lbs (60-70kg), females at 100-120 lbs (45-55kg). The largest ever recorded Newfoundland weighed 260 lbs (120kg).

9. Pyrenean Mountain Dog

The Pyrenean Mountain dog (also known as the Great Pyranees) is a large breed of dog used for livestock guarding.
Males grow to weigh at 110-120 lbs (50-54kg) and females at 80-90 lbs (36-41kg). Males stand at 27-32 inches (69-81cm) and females at 25-29 inches (63-74cm).

10. Tibetan Mastiff

Tibetan Mastiffs are known for their guarding use, used for guarding livestock, properties, villages and the like. Normally in historical guarding, they would be tied to a rope outside a house as to deter intruders. In nomad camps and villages however, they are allowed to run loose at night.

In Mandarin Chinese, the name is (Zang'Ao), which means 'Tibetan Mastiff' or 'Tibetan "big ferocious dog"'.

The normal height for the breed is 25-28 inches (61-72cm), but males can be known to reach 31 inches and above. The typical weight for a Tibetan Mastiff is 140-180 lbs (64-82kg).

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

How to Enforce a New Habit

2011-12-17T10:22:00.001Z

Choosing and enforcing new habits can be really easy and really hard at the same time. Easy in the choosing of the new habit, hard in the enforcing of it.

Here is a list of simple tricks and tips you can use to make your new habits stick.

Tips you can use

1. Do it Daily - When enforcing a new habit, doing it daily is a great way of making it stick. It's also one of the easier ways to help new habits stick, rather than doing it only two or three days a week and forgetting about it.

2. Consistency - It's no good trying to change an old or existing habit or form a new one if you're not going to be consistent in your tackling of it.

Scholars, athletes, musicians and the like, have all had to be consistent in their fields to find success. It really goes along with point number 1, that being a way in which you can remain consistent.

3. Select a period of time - When deciding what new habit you're going to enforce in your life, also decide how long you're going to practice it for (daily). For example ten days, twenty days, thirty days etc.

For a new habit to stick, normally I would give a guideline of about a month or so, of course this is only a guideline.

If you manage to enforce a new habit in less than a month - great, if it takes longer than a month - don't worry.

Although if it's a habit that you need to change ASAP, then of course the sooner the better.

4. Use a Calender - Calenders are a great way of reminding yourself to do something, but not only that you can keep track of how you're doing. I recommend a grid calender, and plotting out each of your days. Then as you do this new habit each day, you can cross them off to let you know how you're doing.

5. Reminders - If you don't fancy using a calender or would prefer to use another method as-well as or instead of, then placing reminders is the way for you.

Write out a handful of reminders and allocate them to places you know you'll notice them, e.g: on your computer, on your bedroom door, on your car steering wheel, on your shoes, etc. Wherever you choose to place them, as long as you know you'll notice them then you can have no fear in forgetting about your new conquest. Just don't forget to put out the reminders, maybe you should make yourself some reminders to remind you to lay out some reminders. :)

6. Know why you're doing it - Knowing the benefits of you're new habits will be brilliant for motivating yourself to keep it up. For example I'm trying to become more flexible to try and prevent joint and muscle problems when I'm older. I also have quite a weak back with being quite tall, so I thought why not?

Having a goal in mind helps a lot.

What is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?

2011-12-14T11:25:00.001Z

The NATO phonetic alphabet (more precisely known as the NATO spelling alphabet and also the ICAO phonetic, or spelling alphabet) is an alphabet created by the International Civil Aviation Organisation for perception of voice messages when dealing with letters.

It is the most widely used spelling alphabet. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) assigned a words to letters and digits, so as when perceiving voice messages by radio or telephone, pronunciation could be understood regardless of the individuals native language.

NATO Alphabet

A - Alfa
B - Bravo
C - Charlie
D - Delta
E - Echo
F - Foxtrot
G - Golf
H - Hotel
I - India
J - Juliet
K - Kilo
L - Lima
M - Mike
N - November
O - Oscar
P - Papa
Q - Quebec
R - Romeo
S - Sierra
T - Tango
U - Uniform
V - Victor
W - Whiskey
X - X-ray
Y - Yankee
Z - Zulu
Hyphen - Dash
Decimal Point - Decimal
Full Stop - Stop
0 - Zero
1 - One
2 - Two
3 - Three
4 - Four
5 - Five
6 - Six
7 - Seven
8 - Eight
9 - Nine

Some other terms commonly used are: 'Mayday' (emergency), 'roger' (message acknowledged), and 'telegraphese' (with functions words like the, a/an, and is/are).

It is not only used in the military, but also in quite a few telephone based jobs and other jobs where clear communication is necessary.

Military alphabets before 1956

Royal Navy: Apples, Butter, Charlie, Duff, Edward, Freddy, George, Harry, Ink, Johnnie, King, London, Monkey, Nuts, Orange, Pudding, Queenie, Robert, Sugar, Tommy, Uncle, Vinegar, Willie, Xerxes, Yellow, Zebra.

Royal Air Force: Ace, Beer, Charlie, Don, Edward, Freddie, George, Harry, Ink, Johnnie, King, London, Monkey, Nuts, Orange, Pip, Queen, Robert, Sugar, Toc, Uncle, Vic, William, X-ray, Yorker, Zebra. 1924 - 1942

Able/Affirm, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item/Interrogatory, Jig/Johnny, King, Love, Mike, Nab/Negat, Oboe, Peter/Prep, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle,Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra. 1943 - 1956

U.S Phonetic Alphabet: Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle,Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra.

The 10 Highest Mountains on Earth

2011-12-05T12:16:00.002Z

Try to keep this in mind when noting how high each mountain is; the Empire State Building is 381m high. Compare this to the mountains and it seems tiny.

1. Everest

Mount Everest is a very well-known mountain and stands at a monstrous 8,850m (29,035 ft) in the Himalayas.

The first ascent was made by sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. It has also been completed by a group of 40 who managed to reach the top in a day! (May 10, 1993).

2. K2

Mount K2 (Godwin Austin) stands at a monumental 8,611m (28,250 ft) and is the second highest point on the planet. It's not as well known as mount Everest as there's no prizes for second place. Still, this is a huge mountain non-the-less.

The mountain was named in 1938 by Rex Gibson and is part of the Karakoram mountain range.

3. Kanchenjunga

Third on the list is mount Kanchenjunga. It is an impressive 8,586m (28,169 ft) high and is located (like Everest) in the Himalayas.

Kanchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450m (27,720 ft).

Until 1852, Kanchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world but calculations made by the Great Trigonometric Survey of India in 1849 came to the result that Mount Everest was no.1 and Kanchenjunga was no.3.

4. Lhotse I

In fourth place is Mount Lhotse I. At 8,516m (27,940 ft), Mount Lhotse I is certainly not something to scoff at and is interesting to know that it is connected to Everest via the south col.

Lhotse I has a 'I' after it's name as it distinguishes which summit is being identified. Lhotse has three summits; Lhotse I (8,516m), Lhotse II (8,414m), and Lhotse III (8,383m).

5. Makalu I

Mount Makalu I is 8,463m (27,766 ft) tall and lies also in the Himalayas. Makalu has two notable peaks; Malaku I (8,463m) and Malaku !! (7,678m).

Makalu is part of the 'eights thousanders' (which is a set of 14 independent mountains that all range at 8,000 + metres high,) and is an isolated peak.

6. Cho Oyu

Nanga-Parbat is the ninth highest mountain in the world (second highest in Pakistan, K2 being number one) and is among the 'eight thousanders' coming in at a total of 8,125m (26,660 ft).

Known as the "Killer Mountain", Nanga Parbat was one of the deadliest of the 'eight thousanders' for climbers in the first half of the twentieth century. It is located in the Himalayas.

10. Annapurna

The final mountain in the top ten is Annapurna, and is 8,091m (26,545 ft) high.

Annapurna is separated from Dhaulagiri by the Kali Gandaki Gorge, which is considered as

the deepest in the world.

The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the

7,629 km² Annapurna Conservation Area, the first and largest conservation area in Nepal.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.

11 Tips to Revise Effectively

2011-11-28T09:53:00.001Z

I hate exams (like a lot of us), and even worse is when I have no idea what any of the answers are. In a position like this it's not surprising to see an end result of a fail or a very low score.

Revising can prevent this feeling (or at least help you to feel more confidant during the exam). I once heard from a academic that anyone can pass an exam with good marks, it just depends if and how they revise.

As I have a few electrical exams coming up and a music theory exam as-well, I thought it would be a good idea to share some revising tips and which one I find the best.

Revision techniques

1. Summary Papers - I thought I would start with my preferred method of revision, and that is to make summarised notes on a page. About 80% (or sometimes more) of the information that we take in when learning is useless, and only 20% (or less) being the key parts. So with this in mind, I divide the page into two long sections (A4 paper,) and start making subtitles with the key points underneath.

The summaries of each sub-heading may take up only a few lines, maybe a whole page, maybe more, the main thing is that you're just noting down the important exam points.

For my last main exams I took (all about electrics), I had only 12 sides of A4 summary pages to revise - which beats reading through books upon books in my opinion.

2. No Distractions - However good a multitasker you think you are, you wont be able to revise effectively with noise and interruptions (e.g. the t.v.).

In order to concentrate fully on the information you're trying to absorb, quietness is the best way to go.

If you're in a position where it wont be possible to revise quietly, then more revision will have to be done so you can ground the information into your mind.

I have heard however that baroque music helps while studying. Here's the link to the page: Music moves brain.

3. Questioning - Get your friends and family members to question you, particularly the parts you're struggling with. This is a great memorisation technique.

4. Past exam papers - Past papers are an excellent resource for revision and definitely help if done correctly.

When I did this in the past I would go back over my test (once completed) and tally up all my wrong answers. I then would correct myself mentally and say the right answers out-loud before proceeding to redo the whole test. I would repeat this process until I had no answers incorrect. I did about sixteen different practice exams in this style, It was long and hard but I think I achieved 100% for the exam I took.

5. Study-buddy - Despite the sub-heading it doesn't just have to be just one person you have to study with, it could be a whole group. This can be really beneficial as questions will be thrown this way and that way, resulting in acquired exam knowledge.

The downside is that you may be tempted to muck around, but if you're all serious about revising then it should be fine.

6. Take breaks - Breaks are essential for optimizing the time you spend revising. You are human like the rest of us and our brains become fatigued if pushed too far. This is why short regular intervals are necessary. Whilst you take these breaks, get a drink of water to keep you hydrated and some fruit for those essential vitamins.

A rough guideline to when one should take these breaks is up to oneself, I suggest every 45-60 minutes.

7. Mind maps - For people who are visual learners mind maps are great. Choose a heading to start with, place it in the middle of your page and branch off sub-headings from it. Then sub-headings from the sub-heading etc.

Personally they're not my style but for a lot of people they work really well.

8. Diagrams and sketches - Another great one for visual learners is the inclusion of colour, pictures, diagrams, sketches and the like, can really help to solidify the points in your mind.

9. Repetition - It's a sensible to decide to revise, however if you're going to revise just the once, chances are that you're not going to remember a lot in the exam. Repetition and consistency must be used in order for you to reach and maintain your peak amount of knowledge on the subject.

If you want to I have a previous post about self-discipline for reading.

10. Revise in plenty of time - Don't put revising off when you know that you have an exam coming up. Force yourself to study, you'll find that once you start it isn't as bad as you were expecting it to be. Quite often the worst part about revising is thinking about revising.

On the day of the exam you'll be glad you did that revision.

11. Revision cards - Create your own pocket-sized revision cards to carry around. Whenever you have some downtime take out your cards and read them over. For example: on a train, on a bus, whilst in a queue etc.

If only one thing sticks in your mind afterwards, then it's time well spent, after all it is during downtime.

Like I said at the start, exams are hated by many of us and can bring misery about. If you do revise though with one of the above study methods or a different way that works for you you'll do better.

Remember, you're not the only one who's ever been under this amount of stress.

If anyone who's reading this is taking an exam of some sort, I wish you good luck.