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There's nothing like a double espresso to kickstart your morning, especially if it's extracted from medium- or dark-roasted beans. What a tasty way to begin the day. I enjoy coffee, but I'm not a caffeine addict so it's not a must for me to consume. In fact, lately, I've only been drinking it once or twice a week - doing this ensures that when I do drink it (to power my way through a hectic day), the caffeine kick will be well and truly felt. I did not stop drinking coffee thrice a day five days a week because I couldn't sleep or became jittery. I have no trouble falling asleep even if I drink coffee at 6pm. Instead, I decided to try and cut down after one of my colleagues mentioned going 'off-caff' because his addiction to caffeine was giving him a headache - even if he was drinking coffee. After he stopped drinking coffee for two weeks, he told me that not only was he having more dreams, but they were very vivid, too. This writer still loves a good espresso every now and then. (Image: Tabitha Turner, Unsplash) You'll never know till you try Intrigued, I began reducing my intake to two coffees a day (one at home and a second one after lunch). After two weeks, I realised I was okay with one double espresso a day. Subsequently, I went 'off-caff'. However, the lack of caffeine didn't immediately cause me to dream more. In fact, it took some time before the no-caffeine routine began having this effect on me. What was immediately more noticeable was that I was sleeping more deeply compared to when I regularly drank coffee. I woke up feeling more refreshed instead of zombie-like and/or confused. It seems that deeper sleep also resulted in my body naturally waking me up at the lightest point of the sleep cycle, which, by the way, is how you avoid that groggy feeling. Alternately, you could try using one of those apps that track your sleep cycle and wake you up during the lighter phase. As the weeks progressed, my 'alarm clock' ensured I woke up just before 7am daily, even on weekends. That's not bad since I usually sleep between 12.30am and 1am. Having adequate shuteye also means I have more energy and don't require coffee to function. A ship on water sailing in outer space? It could only happen in a dream. (Image: Johannes Plenio, Unsplash) In the dreamworld Nobody knows why we dream or how it happens, but to me, they are an interesting experience (not nightmares, though) because I cannot daydream the stuff that happens in them. Dreams can be realistic and fantastic, and they also reflect my current state-of-mind. For instance, I once dreamt that I was in car that had the ability to leap over other vehicles at a press of a button. In that dream, I would activate this function each time I encountered a traffic jam. When I woke up, I realised my mind was conjuring up a form of mental escape. I must have been feeling quite stressed during that period. Without coffee, my dreams also became more vivid. I also started to recall them more compared to when I was regularly drinking coffee. Another dream I remember occurred prior to this year's Motor Show. In it, I was asking an employee of a particular car brand which models would be displayed at their stand. Then one of his colleagues appeared and told me, 'Stop it already!' It reflected the anxiety I was feeling. I can't say whether having more dreams feels more tiring than not dreaming or not remembering your dreams. But I do think that having convoluted or nonsensical dreams that seem to drag on until you wake up will feel tiring. But these are still better than panic-inducing nightmares. Off-caff, another dream within a dream might be possible. (Image: Adi Goldstein, Unsplash) Does inception exist? In the movie Inception, they demonstrated the concept of a 'dream within a dream'. That the subject can wake up, but only from one of the multiple, deeper stages of sleep - he is not truly awake yet. This happened to me when I was 'off-caff'. I don't recall what I dreamt of, but the memory of dreaming that I was waking up from a dream (while still asleep) was incredible. What I cannot determine is whether I consciously realised what was happening, or whether this sequence was part of that complicated dream. I do remember, however, that for a moment, I did worry I wouldn't fully wake up unless my better half shook me awake. Yikes. Though I've yet to experience this again (I'm not sure I want to, actually) the fact that I could sleep so deeply and dream in multiple levels was amazing. That's why I'll continue drinking coffee just once or twice a week. After all, I already know that sleeping between six and seven hours a night is enough to recharge my batteries. And it'll be worth waiting for the next graphic, memorable dream my mind conjures up. Good night. – Jeremy Main image: Cederic Vandenberghe, Unsplash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKEN-_eGlPc&feature=youtu.be Lancer driver not paying attention and moves off before lights turned green. I guess he was looking at the green lights at the next junction, but actually they had been green for a while already, not like they just changed to green. Thought I was about to witness a tragedy when I saw the motorcyclist approaching at speed.

Firstly, some chemistry should you all forget everything from school. Those who have not been to school, I'm your teacher today. Learn. Water is made of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. Hence H2O. They way they are covalently bonded is in an angle. The H are 60 deg between them and 300 deg on the other. This bond is very stable. Nothng can break it easily. Passing an electric current will not even break them apart. Why is it so difficult? What is so stable cannot be made unstable easily. All these three atoms forming the water molecule is very stable electrically. An equilibrium state that is unmatched for a common substance. The electrons from hydrogen allow the oxygen to be more or less neutral. Electrons on the hydrogen travel so fast around it that it also makes the hydrogen more or less neutral as well. The net effect is a tiny "delta" charge. Oxygen has a tiny delta negative and the hydrogens have a tiny delta positive. This by itself also lends stability to water. A water molecule forms "loose" hydrogen bonds (electron induced attraction forces) with another water molecule. The delta negative from oxygen attracting to the delta positive of the hydrogen. BTW, it is the hydrogen that is donating its charge to the oxygen. So there is a 3 dimensional charge network in liquid water. This is stronger when you freeze water and this attraction charge pulls them all together which makes ice very hard. This charge difference also makes water a solvent. These delta charges enables it to "dissolve" salt which is NaCl. Water pulls these apart using its delta charges to dissolve ionic substance. So you cannot separate water to its individual components for combustion. HHO is basically water vapor. You are actually doing water injection into cars. To separate water into its atomic components of hydrogen and water, you need electrolysis. Then hydrogen combustion is fraught with a lot of engineering problems as well for gasoline powered ICE. Not a problem for diesel ICE. Why? Diesel burns very slow. Ignited by detonation of air/fuel. It is precisely this problem that makes it a good candidate for hydrogen or propane injection. Now there is even CNG injection. That is why diesel ICE can go for dual fuel systems and opposed to bifuel for gasoline ICE. In dual fuel mode with hydrogen, propane or CNG, the burn is faster, harder and you get more power and better fuel economy. Gasoline ICE is different. We don't want fast. We want slow. Detonation is good for diesel but bad for gasoline. Remember, high octane fuel burns slow. You add hydrogen to gasoline and you make it quicker......badaboom! Back in the 80s, there was a hydrogen as ICE fuel documentary. The engineers got a huge problem and they have to solve it with water injectionn to eliminate the knocking. Yes, the same method used by methanol racers and even the siao turbo enthusiasts today. In short all you peole here. Don't do what you don't understand. Concluding: 1. Water as a fuel is a scam because HHO is basically water vapor. You are just doing water injection. 2. To separate water to hydrogen and oxygen gas, you need electrolysis. Lots of pressure, power, everything. If you see videos of HHO systems, you will see there is no connection to the battery. Scam! 3. To use hydrogen as a combustive fuel runs counter to everything a gasoline ICE needs. If you have a diesel, great for you.

Hi Guys, 1. Do you think a lai uncle like me can master a musical instrument like Guitar? This California dreaming has so much influence on me that I wanted to learn how to play guitar. Any recommendations on which muscial school to go for so that I can learn how to play this song as the soonest possible route? 2. How much do I expect to pay for a guitar or music lesson? Just want to have a feel. Wish me success! Thank you very much. Oops...didn't realize I post this one in the wrong place...so sorry . Regards,

Singapore Dreaming Wins Best Asian/Middle Eastern Film Award in Tokyo! Posted by Big cxxk on Sunday, October 28, 2007 (8 reads) Topic: Community Announcements Seow leow! We just learned that our film Singapore Dreaming has just become the first ever Singapore film to win the Best Asian/Middle Eastern Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival! This is a huuuuuge deal! We couldn't be at the awards ceremony as we had to be in Washington DC, where the film was the closing film at the Smithsonian Institution's US ASEAN Film Festival. Thankfully, Alice Lim (who played 'Ma' in the film)'s daughter is stationed in Tokyo and could accept the award on our behalf. That's her above... we think she's so glam, she should represent us at all awards ceremonies from now on! Thank you, Tokyo jury! Thank you, TIFF! Thank you, audiences! Thank you, investors, actors, crew, distributors, sales agent and everyone who helped make our dream come true! Now, in celebration, we shall tuang the next couple of days' update and go and whack some Nigiri Set 'A'... Sorry hor. Hope you understand... ---

A funny vid from Tog Gear on why Supercars are impractical http://www.metacafe.com/watch/315643/video/R/CFD_1002/