How to Use and Clean Chewing Gum

People enjoy chewing gum and dispose it when the flavor was gone. Have you ever thought of other uses? Also, do you know how to clean it from a mess?

Chewing gum is more than for chewing. Let’s exploit other uses. It can be surprisingly helpful when you use it creatively and properly.

Uses of chewing gum:
1)    Different flavors are available to give satisfaction on taste.
2)    The chewing activity generates more saliva that helps avoid tooth decay.
3)    Some people use it to keep their mouth busy to check overeating.
4)    Some people use it to keep their mouth busy to check smoking.
5)    Clean the used stamp by pressing it on the chewed gum.
6)    Use the sticky chewed gum to pick up hairs, bits, dust and broken glass for disposal.
7)    The sticky chewed gum could temporarily substitute double-side tape in assignment such as hanging a paper.
8)    It can serve as a temporal station to hold needles.

Disposal of chewed gum could be as easy as point A stated. Unfortunately, some users are careless enough to create a mess. If you are the victim, don’t lose your cool. Try the cleaning method listed below.

Cleaning of chewed gum:
A)    Spit the chewed gum on a tissue and wrap it properly before the disposal to the rubbish bin.
B)    If the chewed gum was on a carpet or clothes, harden it by placing a bag of ice on it. Clean the hardened gum with a brush afterwards.
C)    Wipe off the chewed gum with a shovel, a cutter or something equivalent, and then rub the sole against the ground to get rid of the sticky remains.
D)    If the chewed gum was on hairs, apply cooking oil to the affected area. Wait for two to three minutes and then comb the hairs until no gum left. Wash your hair with shampoo thoroughly.

There are some other methods to clean the chewed gum, but they often require the use of chemicals. Let’s pray that everyone can use and dispose the chewed gum properly. Stick to Point A, which is the most efficient and the least costly method, and develop it as a good habit. It will save time, resources and efforts in keeping our environment clean.

If you can think of other creative use or natural cleaning method for chewed gum, welcome to leave a message and share with us all.

Author’s note:

Very often, we use an item for its major function only and overlook other possibilities that can extend the lifespan of that item. Some examples are newspaper and plastic bottles. Read the two articles below to exploit the new opportunities. Let’s make more contributions to save the Earth by being environmental-friendly. Everyone can do it.

15 Uses of Newspaper in Our Daily Life

15 Ways to Give Plastic Bottles a New Life

Hostel in Singapore: Footprints Hostel

During my Singapore trip, I dwelled in Footprints Hostel. It’s a nice and economic option. Check it out see if it could meet your budget and needs.

(Footprints Hostels locates in Little India.)

When travelling alone within a limited time, usually four or five days, I tend to stuff my itinerary with as many scenic spots as possible. This means I will be staying outdoors most of the time, leave early and return late, going from one place to another. Lodging in an expensive hotel will be a waste because I will have no time to enjoy the grand layout, service and facilities such as swimming pool and gym. The most important thing is to have a clean bed that allows me reviving within a few hours; therefore, hostel is often a better choice than hotel to me.

Staying in hostel is less expensive because you can choose dorm for accommodation. Toilet and bathroom, though often shared, could be as clean as those private ones in a hotel. I used digital camera to capture my user experience. Satisfactory, isn’t it?

(Dorm)

(Shared bathroom)

(Using these two hair dryers at the same time, my long hair dried fast.)

(Café at the ground floor)

Many hostels offer different options for dorm. Some options target to family or a bundle of friends, allowing people keep closer together and have more fun. Taking care of one another, elder and children in particular, is more convenient.

If you have an extrovert character, you will enjoy the additional benefit. Many hostels have a common room with a more carefree atmosphere that provokes chatting. It’s easier to talk with other travelers, get tips, share experience and make friends.

Hostel staff is often friendlier, more willing, ready and patient to offer help by providing travel information and tips than the hotel staff. Warm reception could make your day, enhancing the joyful degree of your trip.

With so many merits and lower cost, you may want to give hostel a try. No matter how inexpensive an offer is, do not forsake the basic needs and overlook the quality aspect. For example, choose a hostel that offers excellent safety, clean beds, reliable lockers, tidy toilets and bathrooms.

With the use of Internet, finding a suitable hostel is easier now. Many web sites offer detailed descriptions, photos of the facilities, user's rating and comments. Instant booking is also available. Take some time to review the rating and pay attention to the latest comments; the information will help you understand the latest condition of your options and come up with the best pick.

I am glad to pick Footprints Hostels for my stay in Singapore. Hope this hostel can keep up with its merits and strive for higher quality. Look forward to staying there again in the future.

Author’s note:

If you are planning a trip to Singapore or want to know the fun of touring there, welcome to read my three articles that cover 15 interesting tourist attractions.

15 Places to Visit in Singapore (Part One)
15 Places to Visit in Singapore (Part Two)
15 Places to Visit in Singapore (Part Three)

The Fate of the Animal Kingdom: Balloon Animals?

Balloon animals to replace real animals? No way! Let's take some efforts to save animals instead of letting the mass animal deaths go on unchecked.

The photo shows a sheet from a comic calendar that I received many years ago. When I saw this page, I grinned because of the humor. The idea of balloon animals was creative but exaggerating. Looking at the very same page 12 years later, my grin disappeared. It reminded me many mass animal deaths that had been reported in 2011. Many familiar species are under critical threat of survival. And I can’t help wondering how many species extinct unknown every day.

The fate of the animal kingdom is getting worse over the years. This is a warning to humans. We are too busy in our daily life, exploiting the earth aggressively and are not sensitive enough to our surrounding. We overlook the negative impact of many changes and then feel shocked to hear reports about mass deaths in the animal kingdom. Terrible news broke out one after the other. Frankly, the alarm is on for a long while and tends to go on non-stop. We must forsake our passive or “not-my-business” attitude and take constructive actions to save other species on earth.

Don’t think animal preservation should be done by experts only. Humans at all ages can make contributions to improve the fate of the animal kingdom. Let’s start to protect the environment with a list of feasible measures to join in the saving force.

1)    Do not pollute the air, water and soil.
2)    Replace plastic bags with environmental bag that can be reused many times.
3)    Recycle the plastic, paper, tin can and glass.
4)    Recycle the residue of meals to minimize the refuse.
5)    Cut the use of disposable items such as paper dish and cups, drinking stalks.
6)    Write in both sides of a piece of paper.
7)    Use hand towel rather than tissue to dry your hands.
8)    Share with others, or donate seldom used / no longer used or never used items to the charity organization to extend the lifespan of those items.
9)    Don’t buy excess and let the things seat idle or deteriorate.
10)    Share usage rather than buy new ones, for example, books and toys.
11)    Don’t buy new cell phones, appliances to keep up with the trends and create a lot of refuses.
12)    Try to fix the appliances rather than buy new one.
13)    Change the use of an item to extend its lifespan. For example, make a bag from your worn blue jean.
14)    Report any pollution discovered to the government for a quick cleanup.
15)    Do dispose refuses to the countryside, mountains and lakes and report any illegal disposal.

Individuals can help in many aspects and the collective force will make significant changes. So, no more delays but get started to change our habits in daily life to cast a better future to the animal kingdom.

Author's note:

If you have no idea on how serious the mass animal deaths were, or you want to know more about this issue, please read the two articles below. Whenever you come across any heart-breaking news, share it with your acquaintances to enhance their alert on the hazardous impact to the earth. The more environmental-friendly we are, more animals can be saved.

Mass Animal Deaths: Who is The Killer?

Over 500,000 Seal Pups Drowned to Death



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My Happy Valentine’s Wish

Valentine is coming. Let’s make a wish. Pray that we find true love that lasts forever as the song said, “Can’t Stop Loving You.” Cheers and enjoy.

Valentine’s Day gives the couple an opportunity to highlight their love. But a true and long-lasting love demands deposits constantly. Therefore, do not express your love just on a single day in every year. Treat every day as sweet and loving as Valentine by showing your love and care to your beloved. The constant effort paid will consolidate the love relationship and bring forth tremendous happiness.

For those we are still single, don’t feel sad and give up. Do something positive to keep busy and cheer your heart. If you hate staying alone, have a gathering specially held for single people. Some people cherish private moments to enjoy their favorite book, music or movie alone. If so, have a good time. Valentine’s Day is about love, and loving yourself is also important.

Author’s note:

Phil Collins is my favorite singer. But I also listen to other songs and composed three recommended lists as below. Give them a try. You can find the songs in YouTube for trial hearing easily. Play according to the lists and hope you enjoy the music. Happy Always!
15 Best Movie Songs I Have Ever Heard

Ten Best Love Songs I Have Ever Heard

Ten Best Non-love Songs I Have Ever Heard

How to make a Valentine Card by Stamping and Embossing

(Say "Thank You" to your beloved with a handmade card, sample image extracted from a Japanese leaflet)

Valentine’s Day is coming. Do you want to express love in a unique way? You can make a card by stamping and embossing to hold your loving messages.

Benefits of making your own card:

Of course you can buy a card easily. Why bother to make one? It’s mainly for uniqueness and precision, with other benefits as well.

1)    You can have full control on the size, color, pattern, and message added.
2)    Handmade card conveys the personal feeling in a more precise manner.
3)    The DIY steps are simpler than you expected. You can let your creativity run wild.
4)    It saves time from shopping for the right card as this could be more time-consuming than buying the DIY materials directly.

Materials for the handmade card:

1)    A piece of drawing paper with thickness equivalent to the normal purchased card.
2)    Stamp (the numbers depend on how many messages you want to add)
3)    Embossing ink pad (the numbers depend on how many colors you want to use)
4)    A bottle of embossing powder
5)    A brush
6)    A dryer
7)    Color pencils or markers

DIY Steps for stamping and embossing:

1)    Cut and fold the drawing paper to your desired card size.
2)    Press the stamp on the embossing ink pad and then on the card.
3)    Cover the stamped mark with embossing powder thoroughly.
4)    Brush off the excessive powder.
5)    Adopt the hot mode of the dryer on the mark until it changes color.
6)    Fill up the space with color pencils or markers.

(Using drying on the mark, image extracted from a Japanese leaflet)

Tailor-made love messages:

If you can’t find a stamp that holds your loving message, you can replace the stamp with a stencil. Again, the DIY steps are simple.

1)    Write, draw, print or photocopy your messages with the desired fonts, sizes and thickness on a piece of drawing paper, whose size should be larger than the handmade card.
2)    Cut out the characters and patterns.
3)    Place this stencil on the card.
4)    Press the protruding embossing ink pad on the hollow area.
5)    If the embossing ink pad is not protruding, you can use a sponge to transfer the embossing ink from the pad to the hollow area.
6)    Apply the embossing power and complete the rest of the DIY steps.

Handmade a Valentine card and let your daring receive all your sweet love and blessings exclusively.

Author’s note:

Stamping and embossing are not the only ways to make a card unique. You can also try blow paint if you want to have more fun in the DIY process. Read the article below to see what you need and how to do it.

Play with Kids: Ten Reasons to Do Blow Paint and How 

Random Thoughts from My First Game & Watch

What is Game & Watch? It is the predecessor of Game Boy. Some people may play it before; whereas, others may not know what it looks like.

My first Game & Watch:

(Image from boneash.oldgame.tw)

It was Parachute, released on the 19th of July, 1981. The player presses left and right buttons to steer the boat so that every parachute can land on it. A life will be lost if one parachute falls into the sea.

The game is simple enough, but it’s still exciting when the falling speed accelerates. It’s easy to game over.

Characteristics of Game & Watch:

The handheld electronics game is small and portable. The display, controls and speaker are all in one unit. Each unit has one game installed.

Not much thinking is required as the setting is fixed and actions are standardized. All you need to do is focus on the screen, and be swiftly with your eyes and hands

The enjoyment is personal and subjective. For kids nowadays, maybe they will find Game & Watch too humdrum and not challenging enough. But when it was the first electronics game that we ever had, it stirred up excitement and fun for the old kids in their childhood.

Developments of Game & Watch:

Same as many commodities, Game & Watch underwent a series of development before meeting its oblivion. From 1980 to 1991, Nintendo released a line of handheld electronic games for Game & Watch. The first game is Ball, released on the 28th of April, 1980. Other than the variety of games, Game & Watch has different versions as well:

Silver (1980)
Gold (1981)
Multi Screen (1982–1989)
Tabletop (1983)
Panorama (1983–1984)
New Wide Screen (1982–1991)
Super Color (1984)
Micro vs. System (1984)
Crystal Screen (1986)
Mini Classics (1998)

My Random Thoughts:

1)    Technology advanced in a staggering speed. My first Game & Watch used to entertain both children and adults tremendously, but now it may only work on the youngest children who are beginners of any electronics game. They may find it boring within a short period of time.

2)    Children nowadays have more choices on electronics games, for both hardware and software. Are they happier and more blessed with the more advanced gaming?

3)    In the old days, people might enjoy their Game & Watch frequently, but we did not hear over-addictive cases that caused tragedy. Now, we hear fatal cases in relation to electronics games more often, and could be stunned by the details. So, is technology advancement a friend or a fiend to humans?

4)    When we buy our children a game, maybe we should give them something more than that at the same time, for example, teaching the children to be self-disciplined so that they can apply self-control to avoid over-addiction and negligence of other important matters.

5)    Children nowadays won’t be contented with one game. They keep pressing for more new ones. As it is costly to buy the advanced games, raising a child needs more money than in the past.

Game is made for fun. Play safe and wisely. Let the gaming experience be harmless for all ages, anytime and anywhere.

Author’s notes:

You will learn more about tragedies and happiness that elicited by electronics games by reading the article below. Exercise self-control for yourself and your kids so that games won’t be hazardous to your life and your beloved ones’.

The Three Most Memorable Aspects of Gaming

Playing electronics games is not the only way to attain fun. Try some good hobbies and have a good time with your family.

Ten Hobbies Beneficial to Kids

Niche Marketing: Enter Market with a Franchise

(Appealing Ceiling)

Under keen market competitions, new entries strive hard to get a market share and stay survived. To secure a business easier, franchise can help you. 

 

According to Wikipedia,“Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business…”This article will show you an appealing example, Charlie Brown Café.

(Peanuts Characters everywhere)

The benefits of entering market with a franchise:

1)    Speedy recognition and sales:

Franchise involves famous brands. Fans become the potential customers immediately. People who are neutral to the brand will also give the new entity a try for the sake of gimmick.

2)    Lower promotion cost:

It costs a lot for an individual entity to promote and be outstanding when there are so many other similar choices in the market. With a franchise, joint promotion is often done, in a large scale, benefiting all corresponding branches. The promotion cost is shared and minimized. Sometimes, the trademark is so remarkable that free promotion can be entitled as travel books, blogs and word-of-mouth spread the merits and drew in customers. 

3)    Successful formula:

The methods of doing the business are standardized. Following the procedures, people can learn to be a successful boss or manager easier with fewer trials and errors. Many things come in handy, for example, the inventory, the style of the shop, the products and so on.

4)    Niche marketing:
When the products and services are similar, the specialty of a trademark offer favorable uniqueness, which can secure the business to the category of niche marketing, adding competitive advantages to strengthen the survival of a business entity. 

5)    Higher price acceptable:

If the trademark is adorable enough, price of the products and services can be set higher without the fear of losing customers. Satisfactory experience will enhance customer loyalty in a larger degree.

(Cakes showing Lucy)

 Click into the link and see the photo of A Lovely Charlie Brown Coffee.

Gimmicks of Charlie Brown Café:

1)    With the licensing of the trademarks, you will find Peanuts characters all over, from the interior design, furniture to foods and drinks. Many people will find the layout and products eye-catching, friendly and adorable. Warm feeling could be generated when the customers enjoy reading Peanuts comic scripts and know the characters well. With the expectation of fun, people are likely to give it a try no matter you are a fan or not.

2)    Charlie Brown café is spacious, comfortable and relaxing for people sitting together to eat, drink, chat, read magazines or books and use one’s gadget. It’s a good place for gathering and having fun. Due to the lovely characters, parent will find it more helpful than other similar options such as Starbucks Coffee and Pacific Coffee Company as their children will enjoy the environment far better.

(Friendly and relaxing environment)

Charlie Brown Café can be found in Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asia countries. My photos are showing the Charlie Brown Café in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.

(Charlie Brown on the floor)

Author’s note:

Charlie Brown Café is never the only restaurant that applies niche marketing. Let me give you two more outstanding examples. Due to the nature of the gimmicks, the given examples have their own pros and cons.

1st example: Modern Toilet (The chain restaurants adopt bathroom theme.) Welcome to clink into the two articles below for more details. Just a reminder, do this before the meal.

Are You Ready to Lose Your Appetite?
Niche Marketing: Will It be Digging One's Own Grave?

2nd example: Choco Cat Café (The restaurant adopts cat theme. Real cats are used to attract customers.)

Niche Marketing: Rallying Point of Cats