screw that

the revenge of the killer bottle cap

yesterday rerama and i had a terrible terrible time opening a particular chemical bottle...we employed several methods, and i'd like to share them with u [who knows? u might face this one day too]

#1 - try the blunt knife u see nearby. rip out the plastic ring attached to the cap
[but hey, the cap still doesn't budge]

#2 - oh look! there's a flat spatula thingy that looks usable. try prying the cap from underneath [hello....help....it doesn't work too]

#3 - let's try another knife shall we? a sharper one...the picture doesn't show the knife, because it belongs to the lab next door...and i ummm, kind of broke the tip...so i shall not put the photo just in case i get caught...

BLARDY THINGS DON'T WORK!!!

#4 - we got rid of most of the cap bits...but still no hope. then we had a brilliant idea! let's cut thru the cap and use the cap from the old bottle to replace this damn one!! yes...!!!

so u see, the cap looked as though it had been bitten and gnawed upon...but we didn't bite! [we used the neighbour's knife...but this didn't seem like an appropriate thing to do as i feel that one of us may have lost a few fingers in the process.]

THINK, think. what to do next?

#5 - added a rubber band for extra grip on the cap

#6 - used a cloth to help - the cap really hurts hands! it's painful... :(

so, we put in a team effort on the grand finale. one held the cap and the other held the bottle and we moved in opposite directions. [it was a funny thing this position, but we shall not elaborate, if u want a demo, we'd show u. so we ended up laughing instead....after a 1 minute break of laughter, we went right back to work.]

and lo and behold, suddenly there was a little bit of hope - something moved...
so we tried again, with all our might, finally!

we got the cap off!! yay!

the lesson learnt here: skip all the way to step 5 and 6 if u ever find yourself in this screwed up situation. or get a macho man to help...but sadly, rerama and i had no one to turn to at the moment. where's a hero when u need one?

:)

Illacrimo

A complete makeover is way overdue for this site. Since Nautica back in May 2006, this blog has not had a major redesign...until now.

Apart from a change in its looks, there are also a few other changes to the blog in this revamp. Comments are now opened to all. Previously, only members of the blog were able to comment but not anymore. It is also fully ported to the new Blogger interface as we say goodbye to the Blogger Classic Template. This move however has its own pros and cons.

We can easily add polls and other elements to the blog now but they are more difficult to configure and manipulate compared to previously. We also have labels and categories now. Search results will be displayed directly on this website now instead of another page and apart from subscribing to RSS feeds for posts, you can also subscribe to comments RSS feeds now.

These are the few changes to the blog. Oh, and the new theme is called Illacrimo. I don't know what it means but IMHO, it is a small improvement from Nautica. Don't you think so?

From Diet Coke & Mentos to Post-it Notes

The dudes that brought to you the Diet Coke/Mentos geyser has now tried their hands on another project - Post-it Notes.



Wonder what the EepyBird fellas will think of next!

Function of Appendix Discovered

For as long as we can remember, we seem to think that the appendix is a useless body part. In fact, it could even be harmful if inflamed and not removed in time. As such, when we have a surgery somewhere in that region, we are asked if we would like to remove our appendix too. However, recent findings may have now discovered the true function of the appendix.

Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut. [...]

The appendix "acts as a good safe house for bacteria," said Duke surgery professor Bill Parker, a study co-author. The location of the appendix — just below the normal one-way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of gut cul-de-sac — helps support the theory, he said.

Also, the worm-shaped organ outgrowth acts like a bacteria factory, cultivating the good germs, Parker said. [...]

Would you still remove your appendix (under normal circumstances) after knowing this? Actually, the researchers don't think there is a need for an appendix in a modern industrialised society and you can still remove your appendix without causing any harm to your body system.

Ten Reasons To Eat More Chocolate

We know by now that consuming chocolate is good for our health. Even without knowing its nutritional and medicinal benefits, we still chow the dark matter down, no? In the past, chocolate has even been used to cure certain diseases. Here's some of the ten reasons to eat more chocolates, backed by research too, that may prove useful to us now.

2. Improves blood flow to brain - a University of Nottingham professor found that drinking cocoa drinks rich in flavanols improves blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours. Flavanols in the cocoa drink are a key ingredient of dark chocolate. Professor Macdonald's study also suggested that cocoa flavanols in chocolate may enhance brain function to help fight sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the effects of ageing.

3. Boosts mood - MSNBC reported that caffeine and other chemicals in dark chocolate can improve your mood and ease premenstrual symptoms. Mark's Daily Apple wrote that the chemical phenylethylamine in chcolate has been found to trigger feelings similar to "falling in love."

7. Helps ease chronic fatigue syndrome - a study found that adults with chronic fatigue syndrome who eat 1.5 ounces of 85% cocoa dark chocolate were less fatigued after they eat chocolate.

10. Eases a persistent cough - a UK study found that theobromine, a component in cocoa, may be more effective as a cough medicine than standard drug treatments. The research showed that "theobromine acts on the sensory nerve endings of the vagus nerve, which runs through the airways in the lungs to the brain."

I've been feeling under the weather for awhile now. I guess I need to go out and grab myself some chocolates now. Anyone else need a bar or two? ;)