Mind Field : YouTube channel on the deep questions of Science

Obsessed! I love this channel

Normally I go on YouTube to 'turn off' my brain, but this series is as intellectually stimulating as any science documentary. Exploring complex questions in a modern & entertaining way, I don't know how I missed this channel all these years. Highly recommended if you dare to challenge your mindset.

S01: https://youtube.com/playlist...

S02: https://youtube.com/playlist...

S03: https://youtube.com/playlist...

Royce's Garden - How To Grow Your Own Garlic

HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN GARLIC - A GROWING PASSION

Living in a concrete jungle makes us more used to neon signs and plastic items. Sometimes, I feel the sharp lines and harsh borders that make up our cosmopolitan environment gives me mild Claustrophobia. I really miss the ambiance of nature as we move towards modernization.

One nightmare was frightening to me, I was flying in the city, but no matter how high I flew up the glass buildings, the facades wouldn't give way to blue skies but became a blank neon blue screen. I woke up to the realization I need some Nature energy in my life.

If you've got unused garlic in the fridge that seems a bit dried out. Don't throw it, break up the bulb into little cloves and soak that in water.

Being stored in the fridge will trick the Garlic into thinking it was just winter, when you take it out to soak, the temperature change triggers the sprouting process.

***

DAY 1: Take garlic out of the fridge, skin is removed and garlic cloves broken up and soaked in warm, PURE water (filtered or bottled water is good, tap water is chlorinated which is bad for seeds), leave in warm area to soak for a few days. Seeds do best when only 50% is in water and 50% above surface.

***

 

DAY 3: Learnt from YouTubing-Gardeners that CINNAMON POWDER or HONEY are excellent rooting hormones. They have antifungal properties which keeps the cup from stinking and protect seed from infection. Garlic roots quickly proliferated and sprouts reached cup height.

***

DAY 5: Garlic shoots have reached out of the cup height and roots seem crowded in the plastic cup. Time to transplant the cloves into the ground and hopefully each will turn into a full bulb.

***

DAY 7: For transplantation into a spacious pot, I got good cheap ones from DAISO and MR. DIY shops. so the roots can establish themselves. Using a mix of peat moss + compost + potting soil. (This is the most successful mix so far for sprouts)

I buried each clove about 2 inches deep into the soil. They have been very happy since and I have not had to tend to the batch at all. Will update with actual pictures soon.

NEXT UPDATE: Garlic Shoots -1 Month Later 

NEXT GARDEN POST: Royce's Home Veggie & Flowerbed Garden Planning

(Royce's Garden Before Landscaping)

I will be sharing my garden design plans using The Sims 3 home builder. The fun links to download some tropical plant skins and other awesome freebies.

I plan to share my own process of learning the gardening skill, doing my part to elevate our global natural environment.

The Science of Sleep - LoRe (Lessons of Royce)

THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP

(From Royce's Footnotes)

I have had the fruitful opportunity to receive a lecture on the technicalities of sleep, conducted at my company  - Tropicana office tower.

The speaker is a sleep doctor, or sleep specialist, which can also be your GP or Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. There is the American Board of Sleep Medicine - http://absm.org/ to understand the collective of Sleep scholars in the field of Somnology.

R.E.M - Rapid Eye Movement

There are 5 stages of REM sleep and we begin our sleep by entering heavier, uninterrupted sleep at the start and progress into longer alternating intervals of light REM sleep and Deep (Non-REM sleep).

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

(PSG)
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/polysomnogram

EEG (electroencephalogram) to measure and record brain wave activity

EMG (electromyogram) to record muscle activity such as face twitches, teeth grinding, and leg movements; it also helps in determining the presence of REM stage sleep.

EOG (electro-oculogram) to record eye movements; these movements are important in determining the different sleep stages, particularly REM stage sleep.

EKG (electrocardiogram) to record heart rate and rhythm

Nasal airflow sensor to record airflow

Snore microphone to record snoring activity

SLEEP DISORDERS

These are just some of the known / common sleep disorders that people experience, but equal to the variety of minds out there, surely there are also more types of sleep disorders that remain unrecorded and undiscovered.

Approved Solutions

I personally am an advocate of natural remedies such as the healing art of scent.

Aromatherapy

The allopathic medical community would recommend Melatonin supplements, of course, you should seek professional medical advice before going for these.

Melatonin Supplement

Hope this information helps you get a better quality of sleep at night.

Good Zzz's to you.

Ashton Kutcher told me to be sexy - Teen Choice Awards 2013 acceptance speech

Screenstar Ashton Kutcher, practical joker host of MTV Punk'D, reveals his real name is actually 'Chris' and Ashton is really his middle name.
He accepted a Teen Choice award but surprised the audience with his unconventional speech.
With the poise of a public orator, Ashton got 'real' and talked about things a teenager really needs to know.

It feels like Ashton is finally done with the cougar hunger games and is moving on strong.
I love the simplicity and arrangement of his points.
1. Opportunity
2. Be Sexy
3. Living Life

Saving Fish From Drowning.

I heard of this Chinese saying that Amy Tan (on Ted.com) was explaining: "Saving Fish From Drowning."

She claims this old saying is from the Buddhist fishermen of ancient China. They felt bad for killing living beings for their livelihood, because according to their faith, fishes are just reincarnated human souls with bad karma.

To comfort themselves, these fishermen found the 'silver lining' to their 'dark cloud' with the saying: "We are simply 'Saving Fish From Drowning'...unfortunately, the fish dies in the process. "

I think it is a very sticky-in-the-mind quote because it's like an oxymoron but sounds like ironic poetry, yet the background story and context changes it from funny to steep deep.

Your opinion of the saying in relation to the story of these fishermen would cause you to reconsider your moral compass, your preconceptions of human vs nature, and then struggle with emotion and logic - "To sympathize with the working class or to defend fishes' rights?"

As with every quote I collect and internalize, I had an existential crisis and started asking questions like:
"Is it ok to kill animals for a living?"

"Is fishing a natural skill we evolved with, like Kingfishers?"

"Are humans a type of evolved fish?"

"If Humans are evolved, then why are we the ones endangering the whole planet."

"Killing seems wrong from human's perspective, yet hunter and prey are aspects of nature. Is killing to eat ok?"

***Mental Tangle***



The best part about the story is that this simple saying was the solution to their guilt. They didn't have to change anything they did, simply the way they saw things.

My problems are problems because I get into a mental tangle of negativity, juggling question after question when a simple mind shift might be the solution.

I see:
"Malaysian roads is a hellish battle of metal and honking. Drivers give you the finger, cuts your lane and then criticizes your mother. There are also occasional pothole minefields, flash floods, chain accidents and sudden motorbike gangs."

I positive paint:
"If I can drive in Malaysia, I can drive anywhere. Drivers think about my mother more than I do. Flash Pothole Minefield Flood is my new favourite driving reality game, like Grand Theft Auto, but real.


I see:
"Poor healthcare and waived human rights."

I paint:
"They know we can't afford Rich healthcare and when there is less human rights, it stands to reason that there should be less human wrongs as well.


I see:
"Racial discrimination and prejudice."

I paint:
"A lot of people are really good at racial profiling and simply giving their feedback on other cultures. People are probably saving a lot of time using prejudice, like court trials, judgement can be a slow process."


The lesson here is that having a positive view needs creative thinking, unconventional ideas and maybe even ironic poetry.

It's not a question of being right or wrong, it's more a question of how to see things different, how to find the silver lining of your own mind-cloud. That silver lining saves fish from drowning, it also saves people from drowning.

Failure To Launch (short fiction)

It's been a year since I've failed my mission. not a mission to Mars, but just as important and challenging.

Sometimes lifting yourself off the ground can feel as difficult and as risky as a space shuttle launch. It's been little over a year since my failure to launch and I am still stuck here. I sit in my spacesuit of dreams most of the time now. I dream of being amongst the stars, a celestial held in reverence by all tongues.

Some say that I won't reach beyond, the sky is The limit; statistically, things are not in my favor. I should just plant my feet on solid ground, grow roots, settle down...settle.

My own motto: 'Don't settle for less than your personal best.'

I stare at the Full Moon. The Sun is steadfast but the Moon, the moon, she fills and fades with rhythm, an ancient cycle ruling over human consciousness.

There is something so much larger out there, yet undiscovered and unknown to the minds of men.

I've heard: "The human mind is a way for the Universe to contemplate itself."

The gift of awareness can contemplate things so much bigger than us, so much older and transcendent.

The big question still hangs: "What are we here for?"

Perhaps our function is not in our form but in the way we form. Alone, we are physically pitiful and our newborns would die quickly, when we form a family, we are connecting energy. The larger our web of connections, the more empowered we feel.

Our innate desire makes us explore, expand and evolve.

My mission is what failed to launch, not my dreams.
My dreams are like the moon. I may not see it today but it does not mean it's not there. The unseen moon still exerts its pull on the tide, its pull on me.
My hope is like the sun, there is light even on the darkest mornings.
My passion is like the sparkling stars above, ignited and seen long after it has passed.

Theories on the Spirit World and Ghosts

This was a reply to a fellow mystic whom discussed a few ideas about hauntings. As a psychically sensitive person who has lived in a haunted house before, I feel that my personal experience on the matter is relevant and based on careful thought :Royce Tan

Hey, Thank you for the reply. I too have lived in a haunted house with a few family members. My observation is similar to yours, true hauntings rarely cause harm to the ones who experienced it.

The thing I question is, Why do only specific individuals experience the hauntings personally and almost never on an equal scale. Meaning that if the spirit were a single purposeful entity trying to communicate with us via exerting equal spiritual force on all living souls within the vicinity, should we not all receive equal amounts of it's energies and therefore experience the same thing?

In simpler terms = if a singer stood in front of us, singing for us, would we not all hear the same song? yet spiritual experience is always individual and unique, some smelling things, hearing things, seeing things. Different experiences within the same haunted location. This further supports my theory that the area has a Dimension/space-time anomaly, that leads us to perceive different strange things in very individualized ways.

The individualized ways such as hearing, seeing and feeling are again indicative that it isnt' the Singer (spirit) with the intention of communication, but the Listener (the haunted) that has the subconscious intention to 'hear' the transposed and dislocated Sounds (ghostly experiences) recorded in that space.

I am still unsure if the land is 'recording' these energies or if the land simply has a weaker boundary between different Times, allowing us to sense past or future Living people in the same location yet physically in a different time.

I've always wondered how come mediums can connect to a person from the past in the present yet have their timelines run parallel. I'm a psychic precognitive dreamer (I dream of the future) so I always saw it as connecting to my future self. Ghosts to me are leftover energies of the past because I think the original bulk of the soul & energies have moved on. This for me explains why ghosts fade in and out, they seem to be stuck on repeat and bound to certain geographical locations. It's like leaving a recording of your soul upon the land which acts as a giant recorder. You hear the sounds and occasionally see the video replay but the actual person is already gone.For me these vibrations that are picked up, are not so much significant of the 'ghosts' intentions but rather, your mind is attuned to that particular energy and that's why you pick it up.perhaps the message of the spirits is dependent on your 'mental channel' It;s like when you tune into a certain radio channel. It's not so much what the radio is trying to tell you,the radio station is going to keep playing with or without you, but rather, what your mental receiver is trying to listen to. With this, I think you have a very direct link to your subconscious and your senses are actually indicative of what Your subconscious intentions are, rather than the spirits.

I formulated this whole idea because if the Spirit world does exist as an unseen dimension side by side with ours, then it must be bound by certain laws of physics as well. Energies cannot be created or destroyed, simply transmuted into another form. The resulting conversion of such energies are usually able to be observed.

Yet, we assume that when we die, part of our energies gets turned into a 'Spirit" which is usually undetectable within the physical dimension, yet able to exert force and presence once in a while. This idea is weak to me because the transmuted energies disappear and then reappear only during a haunting. Where is the potential energy stored in between that? Energy for the most part is visible when active as fire, light, electric. When it is dormant like tension, chemical and potential energies, they need to be stored in something physical ; like a spring coil, food or ball at the top of a slide.

Spirits would need to have the power to store energy in nothing or perhaps another dimension, then the power to transmute that energy out of nothing and over to our dimension or directly into our perceptions. If a Soul is only one third of a Full human (Body + Mind & Soul) , then a full human should be three times more powerful and able to transmute invisible energies across dimensions to other people.

Reiki and Absent/spiritual healing could be indicative of that power, so maybe it is possible for energy to be stored in certain wavelengths that are undetected by us. Such as microwaves, infrared and electromagnetic fields. But if this theory applies then we should be able to "haunt" fellow humans much more effectively than spirits.

Sorry for the rant, but I just love considering the world of spirits.
Hope this is another interesting read :)

The House-mate/Room mate questionaire

 The Housemate Questionaire


The Basics
Name:
Birthdate:
Gender:

Preferred Move-in Date:
Length of expected stay: 6 months/ 1 year

Contact number:

Email:

Emergency Contact:

Number/ email:

Relationship: 

Friend or mate?
1. Do you prefer your house-mate to be a stranger or close friend? 
2. Your house-mate's going out for drinks with friends,do you expect to be invited along? 
3. If you are currently dating someone, how often would you have them over?
4. How long do you think is fair to have guests staying over? 
5. Will you be annoyed if the guest is hanging, cooking, showering, etc. in communal areas? 
6. Do you look forward to having time alone or do you like to talk when you get home?
7. If you are currently working/studying, what are your hours? 
8. Why are you leaving your current accommodation?
9. What was your worst living arrangement?
10. Do you get along better with guys or girl?


Money & Perks 
1. Do you have your own pre-existing phone & internet plan or would you like to share?

2. Utility bills are usually split evenly, are you able to pay bills each time in advance?

3. How would you share communal items like cleaning supplies/ laundry powder?

4. Do you buy your own meals or do you expect to share groceries?

5. Do you have any furniture of your own?
6. Are you fully supported by your parents?

Housekeeping

1. How long does takeout stay in the fridge? 
2. How often do you do laundry? Dishes? 
3. What household items (kitchen spices, toilet paper, etc.) would you like to share? 
4. Who is responsible for cleaning common areas? How often? 
5. If you leave clothes in the washer, and your roommate needs to do laundry, what would you like them to do with your stuff? 
6. Should groceries be shared? How? 
7. What constitutes “borrowing”? How many times can a roommate “borrow” before it becomes an issue? Are there any things which are absolutely not up for grabs? Don’t be petty, but do replace what you’ve borrowed.

Social Skills
1. Are you involved in criminal activity?
2. Do you drink, smoke, or toke? 
3. Do friends or family stop by frequently? 
4. What time do you usually go to bed weeknights? Weekends?
5. Are you a light or heavy sleeper? What noise can you tolerate?
6. Speakers or Headphones? 
7. Do you watch a lot of television. Usually in the morning or night?
8. How long have you been at your course/ job? 
9. How would you describe yourself when you're in a bad mood?

reference:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/11011/roommate_questionnaire.html?cat=41

Virtues and Vices

Last night I had a dream... I lived in a world where everyone is born as a killing machine. Each person had skills that were meant for killing, and the world was filled with disgusting bloodthirsty creatures. I ran across the walls, defying gravity, the sweat prickling across my brow.
My fingers shot forth like spikes right into the horned beasts ribs and pierced its heart. It felt like a responsibility. It felt like my duty to just keep killing and growing in strength. For what purpose, I do not know, but I just had to kill.

I woke up to another dreary day.... Responsibility....
I remember many years ago my dad was the one that thought me that word. I had ran away to play with my cousin, to the bowling centre. I remember that split second where I had to choose between calling my dad and letting him know that I wanted to stay longer and risk him ordering me to go home, or I could just turn my phone off and I can play some more. I stared at the phone for a few more seconds, and I switched my phone off.

Needless to say, My dad tried calling me forever and then found me in the bowling alley. I was scolded like mad as he was worried that i had been kidnapped or something. That day, he taught me that responsibility meant that I had to put my commitments to others first, before my own playful desires.

It's a good lesson I've learnt. Now I try my best to consider others before myself. To put down my Pride. One of my deadliest sins. Shaza told me about the 7 heavenly virtues that i meant to fight the 7 deadly sins. Found this on Wiki


I love the Latin words, this is the 7 sins and virtues chart.

Virtue	Latin	Gloss	(Vice)	(Latin)	Virtue's Meaning
Chastity	Castitas	Purity	Lust	Luxuria	Abstaining from sexual conduct according to one's state in life. Embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought through education and betterment.
Temperance	Temperantia	Self-Control	Gluttony	Gula	Constant mindfulness of others and one's surroundings; practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation.
Charity	Caritas	Will, Generosity	Greed	Avaritia	Generosity. Willingness to give. A nobility of thought or actions.
Diligence	Industria	Persistence, Effort	Sloth	Acedia Tristitia	A zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness.(The Vice "Acedia" is more commonly known as "Sloth")
Patience	Patientia	Peace	Wrath	Ira	Forbearance and endurance through moderation. Resolving conflicts peacefully, as opposed to resorting to violence. The ability to forgive; to show mercy to sinners.
Kindness	Humanitas	Satisfaction	Envy	Invidia	Charity, compassion, friendship, and empathy without prejudice and for its own sake.
Humility	Humilitas	Bravery, Modesty	Pride	Superbia	Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self.

Sims and Interior Decoration

Like I said in my previous post, I am currently working as a Personal Shopper/ Interior Decorator. Mainly buying furniture and home essentials and what not. It is a pretty full on job :) but fun,

This was part of how I visualized the end product. It wasn't done to scale, but it does give me a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like.

This is the floor plan-

I started with the first room which is the Guest room.
My client wanted the customized Billy bookcase that costs around 2000++
I wanted to give it a Harvard library meets the philosopher kind of look. This will probably be the Billy Bookcase in black brown fixed with 9 Gruntal cabinet Lightings all from Ikea.
Next, you'd see the kitchen, which already has a built in countertop and a large cabinet for the fridge and microwave to sit in. A rather odd design with an unflattering light brown wood for the paneling.

These are my ideal look for him. A dark brown which makes it look a lot classier I think.
I'd love for him to have a chandelier or some kind of interesting lighting to spark interesting dinner conversations at the table. especially if you're entertaining guests. It'll be a good conversation piece. Swivel bar stools at the kitchen counter are genius! you'd want guests to feel entertained while you're preparing meals, at least by your cooking if not conversation, and they can always swivel around to speak to other guests as well.
For the bachelors and busy work people, this is a quick and fast way to grab a breakfast and run for the door.Sit at the kitchen counter.


Next comes the living room. The main feature of the home. My client has the view of the Melbourne Port, so instead of grass, think of the night lights of chic seafood restaurants reflected by yacht filled ocean waters coming through the balcony.


After doing the 3D model in The Sims, I figured that I should have done it to scale, as the model I made was way bigger than reality, or I didn't get the proportion right. It was still a good visual guide though. I think the black and white look goes well with the ocean. You'd want to go for cool colors or monotone so that you'd pick up the nice blue tinge view of the ocean outside.

Still shopping daily. Whoever said money can't buy happiness. Hasn't worked as a personal shopper.

fabrics and swatches

Note to amateur interior decorators everywhere. Take pictures of all permanent fixtures in the house. such as annoying air conditioning unit that takes up wall space. Make sure you take all measurements and write it onto a floor plan. It makes things alot easier

I was asking a furniture shop consultant on the decision of furniture color palettes.  turns out that Grey is pretty smart option if you think about it. Scuff marks and stains turn up really obviously on white furniture, but dust and fibres show on black, so with grey, you kinda maintain the illusion of cleanliness.

Leather is a really smart choice of material for the entertaining type. It keeps wine and food stains at bay as you can just wipe it off. cloth material is really comfy for the type that lounges at home. I have an issue with suede though as it has what the consultant described as Watermarks. The 'stain' that appears when you rub the fibers of the material a different way?
Luckily I found a new material called 'Tango' at king's furniture shop. Apparently they found a way to weave fibres in a crosshatch direction, which reduces the watermark effects on the material whilst still keeping the suede texture finish.


Tomorrow I'm heading to Ikea to buy some stuff. Remember how I made a 3D model in the Sims? Did you know you can also download IKEA furniture into the Sims3?
here's the link!
http://www.brothersoft.com/games/game-archives/addons/

you can get all types of Add-ons for the game like

How cool is that?