Mentos and Coke

I LOVE MYTHBUSTERS.

They discovered the Science behind the Mentos and Coke reaction.

The way they did it. Real Science. Makes it so cool. We should think like that too.

A breakdown of what they did. They used Coke, and compared it with soda water. Soda water has only the minimum ingredients shared by coke. So it is used as a control. This is keeping in mind that keeping all aspects of the experiment constant while changing only variables. To isolate the ingredients that causes the effect, they added individual components of Coke but not soda water into soda water and tested the mentos effect. Which helped them get the ingredients which played a part. They also tested the ingredients of the mentos and got the ingredients that made it possible. Thereafter, they tested the physical limitations of the mentos effect by using 2 mentos but 1 with glaze and 1 without. In the end, they got what they looking for.

Quoted from Adam,

"The primary initiator of the reaction is nucleation , the candy helping bubbles to form in the soda. But it turns out that the ingredients that make up the candy matches perfectly with the ingredients that make up the soda to make up what is known as the cascade effect, whereby the soda wants to let go of all its CO2 instantaneously. That's what makes the explosion happened."

Wow. Science.

"The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks

First up, thanks to Valerie who recommended me the book.

Well, the book is full of great lines which made me have trouble deciding which one I will quote. Then I realize that I shall not quote them here but commit them to memory. The whole collection of beautiful verses made the book wonderful. The main guy, Noah is actually a lover of poems, and when I put down the book, it seemed like the book was a whole poem. It's really good.

I teared towards the end of the book. It's as though something deep down told me it was ending. Seriously, it wasn't the last few pages. Because they included the epilogue of another book. But I just teared in the last few pages. The strength and power of love. It's just incredible.

It makes you believe in miracles. Makes you believe that such a love is possible. I'll wait for it. Or die without.

I'll probably re-read the book soon. When I need motivation. :)

Self thought

There is no pride to be found on the battlefield that I'm on.

It's littered with dismembered bodies and delusional survivors.

Welcome to NUS.

Wolf

Hmmm.. I like the way this was said to me quite some time ago. Tweaked it a little.

Imagine a pack of wolves. They're running along the floor of the valley. There are a few wolves who run in the same direction, but along the cliffs of the rock wall on top of the rest of the pack. The massiveness and sheer sharpness of the rock wall seems impossible to ascend. Few think that there is something up there, or that there is something on the other side of the rock wall. It is extremely hot in the day on the top of the rock wall cliff, as there is little shade, and frost bites are not uncommon at night for the same reason. There is no fixed path, and more often than not, the lone wolf have to create his own path and jump across chasms of peril. One wrong step, one wrong jump, and he would perish. Sometimes, wolves who try to scale the impossible wall envy those on top, but they fail to see the comfort of the pack. The comfort of company, of being able to follow the pack, of sharing the catch of the pack, getting the occasional prime parts of the hunt. The lone wolf feeds on whatever game he can find, which is scarce and often not fulfilling. He howls alone and stares down at the pack, sometimes wishing he could join them. But never. It could be that the view up there has changed him. Maybe it's the comfort of being alone that keeps him there. But he knows that he is not meant to be in the pack. He has changed when he climbed the rock wall, and seen what others could not. He could not be like the rest again.

But I do not run alone. I run the cliff of the wall with my friends.

Thoughts

I finally, clearly and concisely summarize the 2 sentences that I use to deal with people.

I don't judge a man by his mistakes. And I don't make decisions for them.

And oh, I realized why I seemed to have lost my "life" story.

You know something?

My sad past. Is PAST.

The years of suffering, has born fruit, withered and died. The cold fire of pain has been consumed by the fire of the brotherhood.

My life, and its story, is no longer about pain. It was. But so many years with my friends, whom are my family, they have put in place what cannot be erased. Years of joy and many years to come. Things we do together that mean so much more than others have done, than what I've done with my own family for so many years. These years together, although it does erase my past, it is MY LIFE.

And my life story, is a happy one.

2 vivid dreams

Had the 2 most vivid dreams I can remember in a long long time.

First one was about some horror crap. Some person who dragged "me?" into a movie theater and only to find out he's some conjurer of some sort. Scary. Heartbeat increased, woke me up and I forced the dream to end.

Second one was about my dad. And it's really the contrast that makes me want to laugh and post this. He's nagging at me. ( What's new?) I got really pissed and replayed one of the many episodes of shouting matches. This time, push came to shove. And I decided to give the ultimatum to shut him up for good. No fear, no increase in heartbeat there. Perhaps if I had done it, I would only feel relief.

Most people would be more appalled by their second dream. That's the difference between you and me.

One of those times.

Beneath this mask of hardened clay is a vulnerable face. The mask which has been baked hard by years of exposure to harshness of the sun, the sting of the rain and strong wind. The mask grows ever harder to cover the pain, the shame, scars and memory that the wearer tries to hide. Can't help but wonder if one day, someone will remove the mask and touch his face with tenderness.

TV

Yes, I watch TV.

And it's an interesting "Everything you need to know - Tornado"

The biggest tornado was 1999 Oklahoma tornado. Of course different people have different ways of defining biggest. So, whatever.

Tornado is essentially a rotating column of air. The conditions needed are dry, cold and moist air. Creating a vortex.

It is rated on scales, much like earthquakes. F0 - F5. F = Fujita
Basically, it measures the scale of damage.

The place with the most tornado? Tornado alley in U.S.A. Apt name ^^

And the worse possible mis-believed place to hide in a tornado storm? Highway overpass. Made famous by a homemade video of survivors under a highway underpass. Truth is, the air is compressed and speed increases when funneled through that small overpass. Good Luck.

The main killing force of a tornado? The flying debris. A 2 X 4 Wood becomes a missile. Scary to see it sticking out of a stone wall. Imagine that sticking out of you. Best place to hide? Inside room and basement, away from flying debris and risk of being sucked up and thrown 100 feet.

Wow. Love TV. LOL

Survival

These are the 3 rules that have kept fishes alive in their large schools for millions of years.

1. Pay attention to your neighbour only.

2. Turn in the same direction.

3. Stay close, but give room to allow turning.

Doesn't it just seem so familiar? Sounds like something that society will teach you.

And it feels like many people are just doing that. Guess that's the main reason why I don't fit in.

Attitude.

There's a stark difference when you do something with the attitude just not to fail and when you do the same thing with the end in mind to achieve.

The effect is remarkable.

I'm shifting from the former to latter.