100 Doraemon Dolls Photo Collection

A photo is worthy of a thousand words. So, let the 96 photos speak for me. They show 100 Doraemon dolls displaying at Harbour City in Hong Kong.

The event is called “The early celebration of Doraemon's birth – 100 years early!” The date of exhibition is from the 14th of August to the 16th of September, 2012.

The figures are huge, colorful and lovely. They are displaying outdoor. Doraemon fans or not, it is fun to take photos with this famous comic character. All the photos are taken by me.

                                                                                               

There are other Doraemon displays inside Harbour City. Don’t miss the indoor ones if you can come here to see.

For readers who don’t know anything about Doraemon, you are welcome to read the following article that gives more information concerning this comic character. The additional knowledge will give you more ideas on the background and help you appreciate the variety of the displayed dolls better.

100 Doraemon Dolls in Hong Kong

Author’s note:

In the advanced society nowadays, a doll is no longer just a plaything. It could have many different roles. The following article will give you a rough idea on the several roles a doll may have.

Understanding the Roles of a Doll

Click into the link below and look at a figure doll of a popular music idol in the anime world.

The Music Idol in Macross, Lynn Minmay

13 Uses of Adhesive Tape

Adhesive tape is common and inexpensive. Besides sticking, it has other helpful uses people often overlook. Let’s discover the amazing potentials.

Author’s photo of adhesive tapes

1. Stick things together

The most basic function of the adhesive tape is to stick things together. This facilitates easy carrying, fixing some broken pieces, and enlarging the size (e.g. a few pieces of paper into one large piece) for more appropriate use.

2. Seal packaging and packing

Adhesive tapes have various sizes to seal different packaging and packing such as carton box, envelop, gift and an opened bag of potato clips. It holds and protects the content either in the transport or seating still. No spill out and harmful things in, for example, ants and cockroaches.

3. Decorate

Some adhesive tapes have colorful patterns imprinted on them for decoration as well. People can also use the transparent ones for indirect decoration such as sticking a poster on the wall.

4. Replace vacuum cleaner for computer

To pick up dust and the hidden dirt, have the sticky side of adhesive tape sliding at the margins on the keyboard.

5. Replace a bloom

If you don’t have a bloom, adhesive tapes could be a substitute for cleaning and sometimes, it does a better job due to the nature of the substance, for example, the blowing dust (flour, baby powder) or items like hairs and broken glass that will mess with the bloom undesirably. Strong adhesive tape will pick up all the unwanted items for easy and swift disposal.

6. Clean clothes

Scalp and dust stick on clothes easily. When the garment can’t be washed daily, we can apply adhesive tape for a quick cleaning.

7. Shut one's mouth

Use strong adhesive tape to keep one’s mouth shut, to forbid talking, eating and biting others or one’s own tongue.

8. Tie things

Strong adhesive tape could replace rope to immobilize people by fixing them on a chair and tying their limbs.

9. Protect surface

Adding a transparent tape on top of a paper label, the label can be more durable. We can sweep the surface with a damp cloth.

10. Clear insects

Some tiny insects (fleas) may stay on your walls. This often happens for humid place and season. It's creepy or annoying to have these tiny creatures even though they won't bite us. Don't squeeze them to death because this will leave odor and attract the same kind. Sweep gently with the adhesive tape to have the tiny insects stuck for disposal.

11. Trap insects

If you hate flies and other insects getting in and buzzing around but don’t have a screen window, make a simple trap then. Prepare two solid and long stands, as long as the vertical edge of the window, and cover the space in between with the sticky side of the adhesive tapes face inward and outward alternatively. Hang the trap to cover the window. Punch tiny holes on the tapes to let air in. Hopefully, insects will be all trapped for disposal.

12. Have fun

Stick a drawing on one's back with adhesive tape.

13. Bring pain

Sometimes, physical pain is required, for example, to stay awake. Apply adhesive tape on the skin and pull. Ouch! It hurts indeed.

Some suggestions may sound malicious, but they can be life-saving. Be creative to discover new uses. Putting adhesive tapes into good use, it could ease our life at an insignificant cost.

Author’s note:

Discover new uses for an item, we can get more benefits and save money. Let me give you two examples.

How to Use Green Tea on Skin Health

The Power of iPad: Awesome Uses of Apps

Should I Borrow Money?

Many people borrow money but you don’t have to follow suit. Think carefully the real necessity before you commit. Say “no” to avoid unwanted burden.

(Happy coins bag, a photo taken by the author)

The convenience of borrowing money lures people get into debts more often and the accumulated amount could be large if one keeps overestimating his ability in repayment. Overdraw chronically is like a running snowball that can’t be checked and its growth will make our life miserable. Thus, always ask yourself “Should I borrow money?” Think harshly and exercise sufficient self-control to avoid falling into the money pit.

Circumstances that one shouldn’t borrow money:

1) The item is not a must.

Consumers face many temptations daily. We are tempted to buy new clothes, bags, shoes, cell phones and so on. Sometimes, extra piece is unnecessary. Whereas, some desires are surprisingly transient and a rapid purchase will only result in unwanted waste.

2) There is an economic downturn.

Banks and other lenders always face difficulties in recruiting customers during an economic downturn. They will offer low interest rates to bait us borrow money. Be mindful of the shrinking job markets and it’s wiser not to borrow money at this unstable period.

3) Old debts are still hanging.

Some people are too accustomed in borrowing and fail to save enough money clearing the old debts. When emergency arises, they simply borrow more money, pay more interests, and endanger their personal finance to a new difficult level. It is more important to break the bad habit of borrowing and clear the old debts first.

4) You have other sources to earn money.

It is always advisable to save part of salary for future use. If you have no saving to meet the new needs, explore new sources of earning money, for example, have a part-time job, sell unwanted or no longer used items to cash money.

5) You have no feasible plan to clear debts.

Some debts are on a lump sum basis; whereas, others are in the form of installment. In either case, borrowers need to reserve money to pay the requested amount on time. If you can’t work out a viable plan on putting aside enough money for this purpose, don’t borrow money.

6) The future is gloomy.

Gloomy future may appear in various aspects such as political instability, crisis of world finance, poor career prospect, unstable relationship and personal health deterioration. It is wiser to delay consumption and focus on saving money until the circumstance is no longer gloomy.

7) You are not ready to commit.

Many people borrow money to buy a house, get married, and set up their family. The borrowing amount is often huge and it takes many years to clear the debt. Plan carefully and have a harsh self-assessment on whether you are ready to commit. Make sure you really know what kind of living you want to have, the degree of self-discipline required to settle the payments, and the difficulty making changes afterwards. If anything goes wrong, the financial burden and unwanted commitment will become a great stress that could be hazardous to one’s health.

Don’t make haste at borrowing money but ponder over the issue in an all-round manner. Seek a third advice (expert level if possible) to help you see the circumstance from a more realistic and long-term point of view. You could avoid the worse-off potential more confidentially then.

Author’s note:

Many people borrow money via the use of credit card. Wise use can be harmless if the amount is never large and you can reserve money to settle the balance on or before each payment deadline. Welcome to check out the following two articles for more details.

Maximize Eight Benefits of Your Credit Card

Use Credit Card Wisely and Leave No Debt

The Beauty of Jellyfish (with Some Interesting Facts)

Seeing the same jellyfish picking various colors, I couldn’t help asking, “Are they transparent in color?” Let’s learn more about this superb species.

I took the jellyfish photos at Sea Jelly Spectacular in the Ocean Park Hong Kong. The five photos below are showing the same group named freshwater jellyfish, which are small in size and colorless.

Not all jellyfish are colorless. For example, the purple jellyfish (scientific name is Pelagia noctiluca) vary in colors worldwide. The colors could be pink, mauve, golden yellow and tan.

Jellyfish have many different types, living in the ocean worldwide, from the surface to the deep sea.  Jellyfish have other interesting facts that are worthy of our knowing.

Interesting facts of Jellyfish:

1) It is one of the world’s most ancient animals, exist at least for 500 million years or even longer, say 700 million years.

2) Sizes vary from a few millimeters to over two meters.

3) Some types can sting; whereas, others cannot.

4) Box jellyfish have deadly poison that can kill a human in 30 seconds.

5) Lifespan varies typically from a few hours to several months. However, there is an unusual type reported. Turritopsis nutricula, another name is the immortal jellyfish, can revert to the polyp stage after becoming sexually mature. This reverting ability can go on non-stop if there is no interruption to the life cycle and hence, the lifespan of the immortal jellyfish is a mystery. Naturally, Turritopsis nutricula becomes an object of study for it may hold the key to human immortality.

Jellyfish looks simple, with the bell, jelly-like bodies and tentacles. This marine life moves by squeezing water out from beneath its body, and sinking happens when there is no squeezing. Jellyfish in the aquarium look so fascinating that it is the living proof of the beauty of Nature.

References:

a) Wikipedia.

b) Visual Factfinder: Natural World published by Bardfield Press.

Author’s note:

The earth is being polluted continuously. Some marine creatures are lovely to look at but they may under the threat of mass death. Seal pups are a typical example. Click into the article below to learn more about the tragedy happened so far.

Over 500,000 Seal Pups Drowned to Death

If you have the opportunity to pay a visit to Hong Kong, you may want to see jellyfish in person. There are more things to enjoy from this theme park. Click into the article below to have an idea what the gimmicks are.

Hong Kong Travel Guide: Ocean Park Hong Kong

The Beauty of Tulips (with Some Interesting Facts)

Tulips have various colors such as orange, white, red, yellow, pink and deep purple. Hope you enjoy my tulip photos and learn some interesting facts.

I took all the photos in a flower show that held recently. Though there were many different floral species in the exhibition, tulip was indeed the most eye-catching one. The beauty of tulips attracted many viewers and photographers. 

If you couldn’t help admiring its beauty, take a further step to learn more about this flower. Tulip has some interesting facts that are worthy of our knowing.

Interesting Facts of Tulips:

1. Do you know where Holland got the first tulip bulbs? They were from China. Setting up by Carolus Clusius in the late 1500s, the “first tulips” were grown in the famous flower garden in Leiden, Holland. Tulip cultivation in Holland began since then. Nowadays Holland becomes the most famous tulip growing and exporting country.

2. There are over 100 species for tulips.

3. Each tulip has four major parts (from top to bottom): flower part, stem, leaves and bulb.

4. Tulips are grown in the wild, in gardens and pots. They are also popular cut flowers.

5. Tulips bloom from bulbs that have layers because they are made of leaf parts.

6. Tulips belong to the monocot group and this means only a single leaf sprouted from their seeds.

7. Most tulips have a single bloom at the end of each stem.

8. Tulips have few leaves, usually two to six only.

9. Tulips are perennial flowers. They can bloom for many years and flower in spring. When winter approaches, all other parts die, leaving the bulbs alive underground to store food.

10. Holland began its cut flower trade with tulips in 1600s. The cut tulips are sent by air and keep chilled during the transport so that they can arrive fresh.

References:

a) Visual Factfinder: Natural World published by Bardfield Press.

b) Wikipedia.

Author’s note:

Besides tulips, you may want to take a look at some other flowers to enjoy their beauty as well. Welcome to click into the four photo links below to discover other impressive offers found in the Nature.

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. One

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. Two

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. Three

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. Four

Save Money by Wearing a Scarf in 25 Ways

A colorful scarf can help people look stylish. Learn how to wear it in 25 ways. You can unleash the potentials in clothes matching and save money.

Benefits of wearing a scarf:

A scarf offers additional warmth and decoration to one’s neck. When you are indoors and feeling hot, you can take it off easily and quickly. Feeling bored at one look? You can change to a new look within a couple of seconds if you are skillful in wearing your scarf.

Another benefit of wearing a scarf is for color matching. A scarf can be in different colors, either plain or assorted, and also in various patterns or themes. If you have a scarf with one whole color block following another one, you can switch color with the same piece by adopting different wearing methods. The YouTube video will demonstrate to you this little magic so that you can learn it for your own use.

Benefits to be a skillful scarf wearer:

Even a plain colored scarf will look wonderful if you can wear it in different ways. It is unnecessary to stuff your wardrobe with a lot of clothing items for a new look. Also, you can save money for clothing. So, keep practicing to be a skillful wearer. The effort will pay off and you could always look refreshing with just one scarf.

Author’s note:

One effective way in money saving is to maximize the use of the current items and buy less. The bonus for this practice is that we can be more environmental friendly. If you are interested in doing good to yourself and the earth, welcome to click into the two articles below to learn more on what we can do in our daily life.

Stop Being a Shopaholic

How to save water at home by developing some good habits