11 Things to Do When You’re Alone in a Quarantine

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There are a lot of things you can do at home even when you are alone during the quarantine instead of just scrolling through social media. Here are some activities homebodies and nerds do to stay sane that will help you get through the quarantine.

Read that book you’re planning to read. If you have a stack of books you hoarded last year, now is the perfect time to read them. If you do not have books, you could still sharpen your mind by getting the e-book or audiobook versions. Remember to get them from legit sources so the writers get compensated for saving your sanity.

Tackle your backlog of games. Remember those cheap games you bought during the holidays? Now you have plenty of time to play them before other new games come out. As long as there is electricity and internet, you will be fine.

Make art. Turn this opportunity into making your masterpiece or just honing your skills. You will also have access to plenty of resources online if you need to improve your techniques. For those without art skills, try the adult coloring books you bought last year.

Practice playing that musical instrument. If it does not bother your neighbors, it is time to start playing that musical instrument again. Or you could try to learn a new one. There are a lot of tutorials you can find online nowadays.

Watch those 3-hours plus movies. Remember those old classics that you have been avoiding because you don’t have enough time? Now that you are stuck at home, you might even be able to watch Lawrence of Arabia, The Ten Commandments, and some Bollywood and experimental films.

Learn a new language. You do not need to enroll for a class to start learning a new language. Put your internet to good use.

Try home workouts. You will still need some physical activities to keep fit during a pandemic, but if going out is not an option, there are home workouts you can try. Yoga, aerobics, and Zumba are some of your options.

Use the solitude to write your masterpiece. Maybe being forced to stay at home is just the inspiration you needed to finally start writing that story.

Find stuff at home to fix. If you have a set of tools at home, you can do minor repairs while in quarantine. This can also be a good workout.

Clean your apartment. Remember when you used to tell yourself you do not have time to clean because you’re busy? Well, now you have time to make your apartment livable.  You do not have to do everything all at once; clean a different room each day.

Try virtual tours. If your trips got cancelled this year, you can still visit some famous tourist spots using the virtual tour.

Hair Care Myths and Facts

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You will find hundreds of hair care beauty tips on the Internet, but how do you sort the facts from the myths. This list provides you with the most common hair care myths that you should stop believing.

  • Washing your hair daily will not make it dull and dry. If you have dry hair, it’s most likely from applying a lot of chemicals, exposure from heat, and over-styling.
  • Shampooing twice is good for the hair. Well, not really. Wash your hair once daily to keep it clean but doing it more than once can strip it of its natural oils.
  • Exposing your color-treated hair to heat and bleach will change its color. You might want to stay away from the beach, spa, and pools in Singapore during hot days if you want your hair to stay healthy and shiny. If you need to go out, make sure that you apply a sun protector on your hair or wear a hat.
  • It is better to wash and rinse your hair with cold water. Hot showers are divine, but you should opt for cold baths if you love styling your hair. Just like heat and chemicals can damage your hair, so will hot water.
  • Hair doesn’t grow faster if you trim it regularly. Remember that your hair does not have blood vessels, so it would not know the difference if it has been cut or not.
  • Regular brushing does not necessarily make your hair shiny, but brushing is a good way to massage the scalp and bring out the natural oils that protect the hair.
  • Rubbing your hair vigorously with the towel will not necessarily damage it, unless of course you already have damaged hair from too many treatments and hair coloring. Remember, however, that the water in your hair can potentially reduce its tensile strength when friction is applied.
  • There is no remedy for split ends, so save your money instead of buying hair repair products. Regular trimming will make your hair look less damaged, but it will not solve the problem either.
  • Extreme stress can cause hair fall, but alopecia is rare unless you have a genetic predisposition to baldness or your hair is extremely damaged.
  • Pulling out one strand of hair does not mean two strands will grow in its place. Ingrown hair comes from improperly shaving or pulling hair.
  • Coloring your hair while you’re pregnant can have negative side effects on the child, however, the studies are conflicting. Still, most stylists and doctors will advise against it.
  • You do not need to change your shampoo and conditioner regularly if they already work. Your hair does not magically develop an immunity from the chemicals. However, if you have chemically-treated hair, you should switch to sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to avoid damage.
  • Coloring can cause hair damage. To some extent, yes, it can weaken your hair. But if you want good results, consult a reputable stylist and use only the best products you can afford.

4 Great Reasons to Try Out Couples Yoga Today

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Yoga has its own benefits as an exercise. Contrary to what you think, there are a lot of bodyweight and breathing exercises in yoga, as well as different styles of yoga, that can do the same thing as spending time in the gym.

However, there are more benefits you can get when sharing this activity with your partner. Aside from having someone to practice and hold different kinds of poses with, there are other ways that couples yoga can be good for you:

1. It reduces anxiety and stress. Yoga is sure to reduce the anxiety and stress of everyday life with many exercises that involve different breathing techniques and poses that require you to stretch and hold your muscles for extended periods of time.

But when you do it with your partner, it’s another story – couples yoga is great for reducing stress and tension after a long day, and makes for a great bonding experience overall.

2. It creates more shared moments. The simple act of doing something together with your partner is a shared moment in itself, and if you’re having a hard time looking for something to do together, couples yoga is a great and easy way to spend quality time with your partner.

3. It promotes intimacy. What makes yoga a gift that keeps on giving is the trust built during the exercises. In fact, certain exercises in couples’ yoga require trust between both parties to hold certain poses for lengths of time.

Once your yoga session is done, not only do you discover your limits and strengths, but you also take steps to improve them, and by extension improve as a couple.

4. If offers warmth and affection. Yoga isn’t sexual in nature, even though it often leads to a better sex life with your partner.

What is integral to couples yoga, however, is touch, which gives much-needed feelings of warmth and affection for both partners. You and your partner will especially need a way to keep them alive when both of you are working and have different schedules, and this is a great way to do so.

To keep the romance alive, there are a lot of exercises you can do in your free time. All you need are comfortable clothes and an exercise mat, and you can get started on a few poses, such as the partner double tree, the downward double log, or even the standard back-to-back pose.

Not only can you repeat different exercises and modify your routine to have all kinds of poses, but you can also adjust your routine to have as many repetitions as you want.

7 ways to help deter global warming

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In the last 50 years, the global temperature has increased by 3%. Carbon dioxide releases from pollutions of different kinds have played a big role. It covers like a blanket in the atmosphere that causes global warming. This state can cause a whole chain of events from ruptured ecosystems to weather patterns and a variety of other factors.

Unfortunately, we have contributed one way or another. To remedy this, here are a few ways to help deter global warming:

1. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Buy eco-friendly products. Reduce using new products or use less. Reuse bottles, plastic containers and other items bought at the grocery store. Help limit our solid waste by trying to use the disposable products into some other form. Don’t throw them away if you can still make use of them. Recycle papers, bottles, aluminum foils, cans, newspapers. This way, you help limit piling up landfills.

2. Reduce your waste
Landfills are easily piled up especially in the city. Our wastes are contributors of various greenhouse gases and methane. When burnt, it releases toxic gases in the atmosphere which results to global warming. By limiting our waste disposals, we also reduce our carbon footprint.

3. When not in use, turn off lights
Use of electricity is also considered a contribution to global warming. Try to save this form of energy so that we can conserve the use of electricity from hydrothermal plants, coal plants or even from nuclear plants or wherever the source maybe.

4. Plant Trees
It is best to help plant trees. Trees and green plants release oxygen that neutralizes the carbon dioxide from different emissions. Different groups and organizations are active in sponsoring planting of trees. You may join any of these groups. Or you may want to start in your backyard by maintaining a small green garden. It will help you to be healthy in many ways as it will generate more oxygen.

5. Conserve water
A study says that there will be a shortage in water in the future. This could be an effect of global warming. Best practices to help conserve water must start with ourselves. Help by making sure no leaks are found in faucets of your home, when brushing your teeth you should close the tap, recycle used water for your plants or wash your front lawn or garage or bathe your pets. Take a short shower.

6. Check your car and keep it tuned regularly
Checking your car and making a regular maintenance will help your car become efficient and will not emit so much carbon dioxide.

7. Take a Car Pool
Car pool is best done to save energy and make friends at the same time. You can either help your neighbor reach their workplace or do it the other way around join them in theirs to save gas and energy. This way you can help lessen the car congestions in major streets that create traffic at rush hour.

6 Easy Ways to Conserve Water

Editor

A study was made on the probable shortage of water in the future due to many factors especially climate change.
Use of water is basic. We are well aware of that. We need it in our everyday living like for drinking not to mention our necessary 8 full glasses a day; for cooking; for washing; for food preservation; for cleaning; for growing plants and animals; for hydrothermal plants; and more.

If we equate it to the number of users we need the statistics on the growing population. Come the law of supply and demand where there is high demand the less the supply. In addition, wastage in usage also marks the line.
So to keep this precious commodity just within reach, here are ways to conserve water:

1. Use just enough water in brushing your teeth – turn off the tap. Usually, when brushing your teeth, the tap continues to flow. Who can not relate? But it’s time to stop this practice. Better if you fill a glass of water and finish brushing. Basically, you can use at least 2-3 glasses only compared to the continuing flow of the tap water while brushing.

2. Sing the birthday song – turn off the tap. In washing your hand, hum or sing the birthday song while washing your hand with soap and water. Turn off the tap while doing this. It is clinically proven that the duration of the birthday song when washing your hands will give you a clean pair of hands, free from germs and free radicals.

3. Check and fix your leaks. Avoid big maintenance problems at home by regularly checking your water tubes and drainage for leaks. Early prevention will save you from big expenses when these leaks become a major concern.

4. Recycle rain water. You may install a rain barrel to save rain water. You may use this water to wash clothes and water your garden plants. Rain water is also good for washing your hair as it will give it a softening effect and conditioning. Rain water is also good for bathing your pets. You may also use it for washing your working lawn areas at home. After a few weeks, you will lower your water bill too.

5. Rinse wisely; use recycled water. During washing of clothes, don’t just throw the water from first to third rinse. Use the water for your front lawn or for watering your garden plants. This water can also be used for cleaning and washing of cars.

6. Use a small basin in the sink. In washing of the dishes, you may use a small basin in the sink to gather water for rinsing the next dishes even if the tap is on. This also helps make your task faster.

Understanding the Different Parts of Your AC Unit and What They Do

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Having an air conditioner for your home or office in Singapore helps keep you cool and comfortable. And with proper aircon servicing, they keep a room cool by transferring heat from the inside to the outside for a long time without a problem.

Knowing the different parts also makes it easier for you to keep a clean AC on your own. And with the right aircon maintenance done by reliable air conditioning services, you can make home AC repair a breeze.

The Different Parts of an Air Conditioner

The major parts of an A/C unit manage the refrigerant and move hot air inside the room to outside the room, and the cold air is what goes back in while the hot air is expelled outside. Typically, an A/C unit is made of the following parts:

• Evaporator coil – The part that receives the liquid refrigerant that cools down the air being pushed into the room

• Condenser coil – The component of the air conditioning unit that allows the heat to transfer from one area to another

• Expansion valve – This component that limits and controls the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator

• Compressor – The part that pressurizes the refrigerant as it goes through the evaporator coil, turning it into a liquid to help with the cooling process. A defective compressor can reduce the cooling process, which makes the unit take up more energy.

• Fan – The part of the A/C unit that blows the cool air back into the room

• Refrigerant – The cooling chemical used in the air conditioning unit to lower the temperature.

• Air filter – Traps dust and keeps it from getting into the unit. The air filter is the first part you should look to when doing regular air conditioner cleaning, since it’s the easiest to remove.

While these parts are not always seen when you wash and maintain your air cooling system, they deserve to be cleaned and checked regularly by a professional AC repair man in Singapore. Dirty coils and a clogged air filter are a huge no-no if you want to maintain the efficiency of your air conditioning unit.

Your air conditioner not cooling means that something is wrong with its internal parts. Aside from the previously mentioned causes, your AC unit can also start leaking. This means it has insufficient coolant and would be less effective in keeping the room cool.

Alternatively, your AC unit could also have a faulty thermostat, which makes it hard to tell if it’s cooling at the right temperature.

Calling Aircon Servicing for Your Home or Office

Having aircon service look at the problem instead of trying to solve it yourself will save you a lot of time and money later on, especially when it comes to aircon repair and the overall cost of aircon servicing.

With a reliable aircon servicing, you also get to see how you can upkeep AC and respond in case you need to fix cooling system failures in your AC units.

5 Ways to Decorate Your Home Even on Budget

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Having a high-end looking home can be quite difficult to achieve, especially if you’re decorating on budget. Luckily, there are some simple and thrifty ways that you can do to achieve the high-end home look you’ve been dreaming of. Get your pen and paper now, and list down these simple home decorating tricks that’ll surely leave your guest thinking that you live a rather high-end life.

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  1. Get Into Details. When it comes to decorating your home to make it look custom-made and high-end, always remember that details are the key. You can work on crown moulding to make a particular area in your home look complete, while giving it an elegant appearance. There’s no need to worry about your budget too, as crown mouldings are relatively inexpensive with a lot of widths to choose from. You can add several types of moulding into your home, such as high baseboards, columns, ceiling beams and chair rails, to give your space the ultimate glamour that it needs.
  1. Play With Colours. It may sound easy, but choosing a paint colour is perhaps one of the hardest decisions to make when decorating a room. But if elegance is what you’re after, then there are a number of colours that can add an instant glamour to your space. You can choose between soft, understated hues, or the bold and dramatic colours. Painting your interior doors black is another great way to add a hint of elegance to your home. Just be sure to add some black accessories to tie your overall design.
  1. Use Unique Hardware Finishes. Another way to make your home look elegant is to use unique hardware finishes, such as drawer knobs and pulls. The best places to look for these pieces are in antique shops, flea markets and small hardware stores. You’ll definitely find some expensive-looking and heavy-duty knobs in these places that’ll surely give your home the unique and elegant look that you want to achieve.

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  1. Work With Your Room Lighting. Although chandeliers are good, going with the designer light fixtures will surely add more elegance to your home. Luckily, there are several tricks that you can use to get the high-end look that you want sans the high-end price. You can start by looking into second-hand stores and flea markets, and doing some little paint job to make it look like a million-dollar piece.
  1. Opt for Hardwood Flooring. A wall-to-wall carpeting may give a soft and warm vibe to your home, but nothing beats the gleaming hardwood floors if achieving an elegant interior look is what you’re after. To get the most out of your budget, opt for the inexpensive types of hardwood like oak and birch. Also, choose hardwoods set in dark colour to give your floorings a more luxurious appearance.

Decorating your home to achieve an elegant look can be quite expensive, but by following these tips, you’ll surely be able to give your space some touch of elegance without breaking the bank.

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