Stay Cheese!

Whether it’s an elegant event or a casual party, cheese is a perfect way to please people. With the right serving accessories and pairings, cheese can be elevated from a simple food to something sensational. Nutrition specialists say, “Climate plays a huge role in the consumption of cheese. Unlike countries like Switzerland, Italy and France, which have a relatively cooler temperature throughout the year, hotter and humid countries consume less cheese which has more calories and protein. Low fat cottage and regular cheese is the safest bet. Cheese made from cow’s milk and skimmed milk is easier to digest and is lighter. Including vegetables with a mainstream cheese dish is ideal for the hot and humid climate.”

Buying cheese
Keep in mind the following points the next time you are buying cheese at a gourmet shop.

• Keep an open mind when you approach the cheese counter. Check for what’s ripe, what’s in season — yes cheeses do have seasons and even vintages!
• Taste before you purchase. This will help you select the right one. 
• Be wary of cheeses that are cracked. If the cheese has a cut side, make sure it looks fresh, the edges should not look dried out. 
• Smell the cheese. If you catch a whiff of soured milk, or a barnyard smell in particular, it could be well past its peak. Also, look out for smell of ammonia, which is often an indication that the cheese has aged too long or hasn’t aged properly. 
• Avoid cheese pieces which are wrapped in plastic. Buy freshly cut cheese. 
• Check for the label and the expiration date if you are buying a packaged one. 

Storing cheese

• Do not store cheese in a plastic wrap. Wrapping cheese directly in plastic is equivalent to flavour suffocation. 
• The best way to store cheese is in a cheese paper inside a container. Or the easiest would be to wrap cheese first in parchment or waxed paper, to prevent drying out. Let it breathe! 
• Consume the cheese as soon as possible, since many tend to dry out if kept in the refrigerator for a very long time. 
• Do not store cheese with foods that have strong odours, as they absorb the smell. 

Pairing with drinks 
According to experts, “Though cheese is paired best with wine, it is completely a personal preference. Soft ripened cheese can be paired with a sparkling wine, martinis, stout beer or coffee as well.” 

Tips

• When preparing dishes using cheese, add the cheese at the end, especially in sauces, risottos and soups. 
• Grating cheese is easier when it’s cold. 
• An expert chef says, “ The style, texture and flavour of the cheese depends on the origin of the milk. To enhance the taste of the cheese, herbs, spices or smoke may be used as flavouring agents.”

How to make 11.11.11 most remembered day

Tomorrow is 11.11.11. (November 11, 2011) and apart from it being an auspicious day for many, we think it's an opportunity to do something memorable, wacky, crazy. Here’s a look at some fun things you can do on 11.11.11. to break out of the mundane routine and go wild! Keep in mind, this is a not a day to be forgotten!

Go on a trip to nowhere!
No need to over plan or over think it! Just take your car for a spin, blast the stereo and enjoy the scenery. The further you get the better. A spur of the moment trip is bound to loose the adventurer in you!

Dye your hair a different color                                         
Always wondered what you’d look like with different coloured locks? Well, today’s that day you can find out! Dye your hair an electric blue or shocking pink, or simply go blonde! The more unconventional the better!

Throw an 11/11/2011 theme party
Here’s one party, no one will be expecting! Break out of that mundane routine by throwing an 11/11/11 theme party and inviting all your bosom buddies. Order 11 pizzas or create 11 or your favourite dishes! Decorate the house with the lucky number 11! This is a party no one is ever going to forget!

Do something adventurous
Why not make this day extra special by trying out that crazy activity you’ve always wanted to do but never had time for? Go jet skiing, ride a hot air balloon, enjoy rappelling or go bungee jumping! The exercise is sure to clear your head and provide you with that much-needed thrill!

Stay up all night
If you can’t remember the last time you stayed up all night, then this is definitely for you! Invite a couple of friends over and have that much needed slumber party. Stay up watching horror movies and catch up on the latest gossip. And most importantly, don’t forget to make that special wish at midnight! It just might come true.

Get a tattoo or piercing
Have you always wanted one but chickened out at the last moment? Well, today’s the day to get over that fear! Go get that piercing or tattoo that you’ve always wanted! And naturally, don’t forget to flaunt it in front of everyone you know!

Try crazy recipes         
If you’re tired of the same old recipes every day, there’s no better day to experiment! Dust off that cookbook until you find the wackiest recipes and spend your time creating those special treats! Maybe cupcakes with multi-coloured icing or animal shaped cakes! There’s a treat for your eyes plus your taste buds! Yumm.

Plan your baby
It's a day of wonders – if you’re in love, happily married and ready for it, why not take this amazing opportunity to plan your baby – and make it really special at that! Dim the lights, put on some slow music and light candles everywhere - after all any baby conceived on this day is sure to be lucky ;)

Splurge on 11 things!
You’ve been working hard and saving all your hard earned cash for the future and that’s admirable. But today, why not splurge on some things you’ve always wanted but thought were too extravagant to buy? It may be those gorgeous pumps you’ve been eyeing or a flowing evening gown you’ve always wanted! Today’s the day to spoil yourself and make your dreams come true.

Surprise your loved one with a gift  
We’re sure your partner isn't expecting a gift, and that’s what makes it even more special and exciting. Has your loved one been looking to buy something recently? Well it’s the right time to beat him/her to the punch and buy it for them first! Watch their face light up as they open that unexpected gift and appreciate you all the more!

Talk to a crush
Have you been watching that special someone for some time now and still not worked up the guts to talk to him/her? Well today's supposed to your lucky day, so work up some nerve and approach the guy/ girl of your dreams. If everything goes well, then this is sure to be a day you’ll never forget!

What Our Lips Are Telling Us - Part 3

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13. Even a light lip-brushing is a huge turn-on for our brains

“It probably depends on who you ask -- it’s culturally influenced,” the Expert says. The famous Indian sex text the Kama Sutra advises going for the lips, of course, as well as the inside of the mouth, the breasts, the throat and most places on the face. Science also provides some clues: It turns out that a disproportionate amount of brain space is taken up with processing information from the lips compared to the rest of our bodies. “Just a light brush on them stimulates a very large part of the brain -- an area even more expansive than would be activated by sexual stimulation below the belt,” the Expert writes.


14. Men like tongue more than we do

Remember when Sex and the City’s Charlotte got totally grossed out when one of her dates started licking her face? The moment captures a real distinction between how men and women like their kisses. “There’s this huge gender divide: Men tend to express a preference for wet, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses, and women are constantly complaining about too much tongue,” the Expert says. There’s a reason guys do what they do: An open mouth allows men to dose women with small amounts of libido-raising testosterone via their saliva. “If he’s kissing her over weeks or months, it enhances her libido over time,” the Expert says.

15. Kissing while (mildly) intoxicated can up the passion

To drink or not to drink? On the one hand, drugs and alcohol stimulate some of the same brain chemicals as a kiss, so you could mistake your substance-induced high for passionate feelings about your partner, the Expert says. But, that said, if you’re looking for something casual, kissing can be better after a drink or two (and alcohol can release your inhibitions, making a kiss more likely). “It can wind up feeling better or worse -- it depends on how drugs affect your sense of reality,” the Expert says. “Kissing acts as a drug on top of everything else, so when there’s a lot riding on it, go with most accurate impression of what you feel,” which is probably more obvious when you’re sober.


16. Kissing never gets old -- even when we do

While there hasn’t been much study of kissing and longevity, there’s reason to think that kissing is vital -- and enjoyable -- throughout our lives, the Expert says. “Kissing is so important to long-term bonds,” she says. ”It helps to maintain a relationship.” So she suspects kissing plays an important role from birth to death.


17. Kissing can actually help you make up

Forget chocolate and flowers -- just plant one on her lips. Though a woman may profess to be unmoved by a kiss from the man she’s fighting with, research has found that a smooch (or a few) paves the path to forgiveness, the Expert writes. The effect may come from the oxytocin that’s released during kissing. Kissing may reduce levels of cortisol -- the stress hormone -- coursing through our bodies during a fight. “Reducing stress is a pretty good way to amend a fractured relationship,” the Expert says.


18. Men see kisses as a means to an end

No doubt: Both men and women enjoy kissing. But while women tend to ascribe big-picture significance to a kiss (is he "The One"?) guys often smooch for short-term gain. Exhibit A: Prostitutes don’t kiss their johns, and the clients don’t seem to mind. For men, while kissing can be meaningful, it also can be all about sex, the Expert says. “Men are kissing as a means to an end: They’re swapping saliva so they can swap something else later,” she says. “Women look to a kiss to assess relationship status. We are sensitive to things that tweak out compatibility, and from an evolutionary perspective, men don’t need to do that.”

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What Our Lips Are Telling Us

1. Is it in his kiss?

Oh, yes. Osculation, the scientific term for kissing, in many ways says everything about your compatibility with your mate and the health of your relationship. What Our Lips Are Telling Us,We asked an expert, to tackle some of your top questions when it comes to smooching. Curious to know what happens inside our brains and bodies when we do it? Wondering whether a kiss means more to you than to your guy, or whether you can make your make-out session even better?



2. Kissing isn’t just about chemistry

While two strangers might serendipitously find themselves chemically compatible, more often the best kisses grow out of an emotional connection and ambience, Expert says. “So much of a great kiss is understanding the needs and desires of another person -- there’s no one-size-fits-all formula to it,” she says. How-to guides “focus on where to put your hand or how to set the mood, when so much of it is intuitive that you make the person comfortable, secure and safe. It’s an ultimate expression of how you feel about them.”


3. Kissing is universal

Kissing seems “almost completely universal” among humans today, the Expert says. But it wasn’t always so; she cites the work of anthropologist Helen Fisher, who’s noted that certain South African tribes once “found kissing disgusting” and that it was previously “unknown” among people in parts of East Africa and South America. Still, non-kissing cultures did kissy things like lick, suck or blow on a lover’s face before intercourse, the Expert writes. “Now kissing is exported and we’re using mouthwash and toothpaste, so in some ways the experience is so much better than before it became a common custom,” she says.

4. We always remember our first kiss

If you’re like most people, you remember your first kiss much better than losing your virginity, according to Butler University research. It’s not clear why, but the Expert says it may relate to a kiss being our introduction to sexual behavior -- and to all the important decisions that come with it. “I would expect it has to do with novelty and how much we engage all our senses in the behavior,” she says. “A kiss really works as nature’s litmus test. It tells us whether we decide to pursue a relationship.”



5. Kissing comes naturally but our techniques can evolve

We’re kissed from birth (more on that later) and other social animals seem to kiss, too. Bonobos -- a type of Chimpanzee -- have been known to smooch for up to 12 minutes straight, while giraffes like to entwine necks, and even fish touch lips, the Expert says. So while all of us seem to be programmed to know what to do, we pick up culture-specific techniques from movies and TV. Still, the Expert says, “There are definitely things people can learn to make it a better experience.” Lay off the pressure -- it produces the stress hormone cortisol, a real buzz kill. “Getting to know someone fosters a bond and makes the likelihood of a kiss going well higher,” she says.



6. It’s all about first impressions

A bad first kiss can kill a would-be romance faster than you can reapply your lipstick. In a S.U.N.Y. Albany survey, 59 percent of men and 66 percent of women reported ending a relationship because the first kiss was off. The finding points to the way we unconsciously assess reproductive compatibility through a kiss, so a good kiss may signal a sizzling future under the sheets, the Expert says. Kissing releases chemicals associated with romantic and emotional bonding (oxytocin) and pleasure (dopamine). “A lot of people, especially men, judge how someone might perform later based on kissing,” she says. “If you have that boost in oxytocin, those dopamine spikes, you can’t wait to be with that person.”




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Common Safety Measures Invention

No matter how safe we feel in our own lives, every day brings with it another opportunity for an unprecedented and possibly fatal accident -- be it a Mother Nature-induced natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami, or a more personal event such as a car accident or life-threatening medical diagnosis.

While it leaves one feeling uneasy to ponder the various things that could possibly damage our personal well-being at a moment’s notice, our modern society can take comfort in knowing that we are, quite frankly, significantly safer in this generation than we were centuries ago. Top Public Safety Innovations examines the inventions that have been instrumental in making us feel more secure and affording us a higher quality of life.

Life Preservers

For anyone who takes a cruise or a ferry trip on a regular basis, the sight of a life jacket is to be expected. First created in 1854 by Englishman Captain Ward before being adapted into inflatable devices by Peter Markus in 1928, life preservers are now commonplace in preventing drowning deaths of adults and children on both commercial ships and private boats. It’s worth noting that the inflatable shape of early life preservers was ample enough in the chest area to warrant the nickname Mae West, in recognition of the classic bosomy actress.

Fire Extinguisher

The earliest fire extinguishers -- first developed by Ambrose Godfrey and then retooled by George William Manby -- were used to combat fires in 18th- and 19th-century England. Over the course of their substantial evolution -- which initially featured ingredients like gunpowder, but now contain water, foam or carbon dioxide -- these familiar red contraptions have become safety staples in places such as residential dwellings, offices and restaurants. While no fire extinguisher can offer the advanced technology a local fire department provides, they have still provided accessible, effective protection against small fires that was never available before.

Pasteurization

When French scientist Louis Pasteur developed the art of pasteurization, he was hoping to extend the shelf life of beer and wine. Good man. By perfecting the process of using high-heat and fast-cooling action to keep harmful pathogens under control, his original handiwork has since been applied to dairy products, juices, canned products, and even water. Besides allowing the important things -- like beer -- to taste better, pasteurization has been innovative in protecting people from acquiring scarlet fever, typhoid fever, listeriosis, and diphtheria through food and beverage consumption. 

 Helmets

No matter how easily a helmet can bring on a case of bad hair, not wearing one can just as easily bring on a case of serious injury. First worn for protection by soldiers in ancient times, helmets are still worn during modern warfare while also showing up in everything from sports to construction. Also popular for riders traveling by motorcycle and bicycle, helmets offer an extra layer of security that is invaluable to their well-being and safety on the road. 

Refrigeration

Humans first experimented with food conservation through cooling centuries ago by using ice and snow inside caves. Following the efforts of pioneers William Cullen, Benjamin Franklin and Carl von Linde, refrigerators infiltrated households in the early 20th century. The health benefits of a fridge are numerous, starting with the healthier diets that are possible from refrigerating fruits and vegetables year-round. Additionally, we can thank refrigeration for allowing us to enjoy sushi, as cool preservation was the key to eliminating sushi’s early hepatitis A health risks. 

Anesthesia

We have come a long way since Sigmund Freud suggested that Karl Koller employ cocaine as a local anesthetic and Crawford Long instituted diethyl ether as the operation drug of choice. The advances in anesthesia along with the teamwork of nurses and doctors have made surgery safer for patients who are under the knife, making it less of a life-threatening risk and more of a live-saving procedure. By keeping the focus on the patient and reducing surgical risks, modern anesthesia has prolonged the lives of millions by allowing surgeons to successfully treat countless injuries and conditions at a moment’s notice.   

Vaccines

Through their individual efforts, Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur transformed society by moving it away from inoculation and into the era of vaccination. Initially introduced in the 18th century and popularized in 19th-century medicine, vaccines changed the course of the health industry by encouraging the prevention of diseases in the human body before they could start. While not without occasional flares of controversy, vaccines can still be credited with protecting humans against the dangers of otherwise deadly conditions like polio, smallpox, measles, and rubella.

Tap Water

Water is the primary essence that allows us to live, which makes the ability to access clean drinking water a vital component for human survival. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the indoor plumbing revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in developed countries was the introduction of tap water. Besides giving humans water they could use for cleaning and food preparation, clean tap water provides essential fluids while preventing waterborne illnesses. As an example of how important safe tap water is, one can simply observe the challenges and health problems endured by those living in countries without it.

911 Emergency Service

The evolution of telephones has gone hand in hand with the changes in how we summon emergency help. During the prerotary phone era, operators patched callers through to authorities, but the invention of rotary dialing necessitated a new approach. The answer came in 1937, when a single emergency phone number -- 999 -- was developed in England. AT&T spearheaded a similar technology across the United States in 1968. The institution of 911 has streamlined emergency services and saved millions of lives by immediately connecting people to the appropriate authorities in times of danger.  

Soap

Being a soap salesman, Fight Club’s Tyler Durden would tell you that there’s no greater universal safety innovation than soap. When coupled with hand washing, soap is critical to protecting the body from bacteria. The one-two punch of William Shepphard’s pioneering liquid soap and dispenser has allowed soap to do its job almost anywhere and everywhere we get the urge to clean up, keeping humans healthier in the process.

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Designer Flooring Ideas

Few months back when my home getting renovated it was great confusion which kind of flooring to use! Asking any expert or professional are more confusing and expensive. Anyway I wanna share some of our flooring experiences of home renovation here.

Natural flooring

Still high on the most-wanted list, jute, seagrass, coir and sisal are great for heavy-traffic areas. Bear in mind, though, that natural flooring can be slippery, 
so avoid using it on staircases, and it can be a bit too scratchy for bedrooms.

Ceramic tiles

Ceramic tiles come in all shapes, sizes, colours and textures. Usually made from clay or other natural materials, they aren’t as pricey as porcelain tiles, but nor are they as hard-wearing, so avoid laying them in heavy-traffic areas, as they may crack. Plus, their edges aren’t always totally straight, resulting in thicker grout lines. They’re ideal for use in bathrooms, but be sure to choose a design with a textured or non-slip surface. 

Concrete

Cool and chic, concrete is hard-wearing and can be poured straight onto an existing floor with no need for levelling. It only needs resealing every seven years or so. Using stone soap will help to maintain it.

Rubber FlooringResilient yet soft and warm underfoot, rubber is ideal for bathrooms and kitchens. It’s available in lots of colours and textures, including ribs and studs. Opt for a smooth finish or low-profile studs for easy cleaning.

Vinyl

Modern, high-quality vinyl can replicate all manner of flooring, from wood and stone to tiles and mosaics, through to contemporary materials such as glass and zinc. And it’s usually cheaper and easier to maintain than the real thing. 

Linoleum

Linoleum is tough, yet tactile and warm. It’s a natural and sustainable product, made of linseed oil, rosin, jute and limestone. It’s the ideal flooring for people with allergies, because it doesn’t harbour dust mites and is bacteria static – germs can’t live or breed on it. 

Wooden Flooring

Beautiful, renewable and recyclable, solid wood is sturdy underfoot, and adds a high-end feel. Solid boards may expand and contract more than other materials, so they’re unsuitable for damp areas. Wood can be finished with polyurethane lacquer or natural linseed oil, and most sealants only need to be reapplied every few years. 

Carpet

There are plenty of reasons to love the modern carpet - it's cosy, soft underfoot and available in myriad colours and patterns. It's also more hygienic than you may think - it traps allergens and dust, which can easily be removed with regular vacuuming. It absorbs sound, so it's ideal if you have neighbours downstairs, and, as it acts as a layer of insulation, it can lower your fuel bills. Carpet doesn't always need a level surface, so it can save you money on any sub-floor work.

Stone

Limestone, marble, basalt and granite are ideal for heavy-traffic areas, bathrooms and kitchens. Stone is porous and can stain, but a sealant, such asLithofin Stain Stop, will protect it without leaving a coating. Any scratches will gradually disappear into the patina, which can make a five-year-old floor more beautiful than a brand-new one. Stone can be laid on any surface as long as it’s strong and rigid. You may need to reinforce the floor, so ask an expert.

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