Bubbling Champagne...

Ever wonder how the bubbles get into the Champagne bottle? Well, it is definitely not from the gas tank, of course.

When wine ferments, it produces carbon dioxide. When it ferments in a bottle, the gas is trapped. Popping the cork releases the pressure and causes the gas to come out of its dissolved state, creating and effervescing wine.

When you need to pop the Champagne cork, ensure that the bottle is cold; warm fizz can froth wildly when popped. Once it's open, you may want to enjoy as many of the bubbles as possible, so use a tall, skinny flute-shaped glass, rather than the wide saucer shape.

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Shoot & "You Tube" Directly

Behold the all new Casio's latest 8.1 megapixel camera for the future - Exilim Zoom EX-Z80. One of the special feature is having a YouTube capture mode that shoots movie clips in the site's recommended format and resolution, and comes with software to upload the videos directly to the Web.

This baby can records video in the H.264 standard, which also makes the mini-movies compatible for iPod viewing. Being a still camera, the EX-Z80 has a 3x optical zoom and face-detection feature to help improve the focus and exposure of people in a photo.

The Exilim EX-Z80 comes in six colours - green, blue, black, silver and two shades of pink and has a 2.6in LCD screen. Nothing to shout about, considering some cameras now a days comes with a 3.0in touch screen.

Compliments are given for some features like the image stabilisation technology and the motion detecting Auto Shutter that snaps the picture as soon as the subject settles down and holds still.

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THE EMERGENCE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

The concept of nanotechnology first originated with American physicist Richard P. Feynman during a talk to the American Physical Society in December 1959, entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom: An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics,” Feynman provided examples of the benefits to be obtained by producing ultrasmall structures.

Feynman, however, did not create the term nanotechnology. The term was actually coined by a Japanese scientist named Norio Taniguchi in his paper titled “On the Basic Concept of Nanotechnology.” Since then, nanotechnology began being promoted as a key component of future technology.

Major breakthroughs had been achieved in industry, such as the formation of nanoparticle catalysts made of nonreactive metals and used in catalytic converters found in automobiles. These catalysts chemically reduced noxious nitrogen oxides to benign nitrogen and simultaneously oxidized poisonous carbon monoxide to form carbon dioxide.

WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Nanotechnology is the creation and use of materials or devices at extremely small scales. These materials or devices fall in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). One nm is equal to one-billionth of a meter (.000000001 m). Scientists refer to the dimensional range of 1 to 100 nm as the nanoscale, and materials at this scale are called nanocrystals or nanomaterials.

In order to grasp the size of the nanoscale, consider the followings:
Atom = 0.1 nm (dia)
Molecules (combination of atoms) = 1.0 nm (dia)
Cells (combination of molecules) = 5,000 to 200,000 nm
1.0 nm = 50,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.

The nanoscale is unique because nothing solid can be made any smaller. It is also unique because many of the mechanisms of the biological and physical world operate on length scales from 0.1 to 100 nm. At these dimensions materials exhibit different physical properties; thus scientists expect that many novel effects at the nanoscale will be discovered and used for breakthrough technologies.

A number of important breakthroughs have already occurred in nanotechnology. These developments are found in products used throughout the world. Some examples are catalytic converters in automobiles that help remove air pollutants, devices in computers that read from and write to the hard disk, certain sunscreens and cosmetics that transparently block harmful radiation from the Sun, and special coatings for sports clothes and gear that help improve the gear and possibly enhance the athlete’s performance.

Imagine, checking out from the supermarket cashier all-at-once without the need to scan prices one by one – this is made possible with nanotechnology-based, flexible, thin-film computers housed in plastic product wrappings. What about having your toilet bowl or basin crystal clean – no cleaning is required? It is possible to build these surfaces so flat and fine, that no bacteria or algae can ever grow on them (bacteria sizes are larger than the nanoscale).

Nanotechnology is in its infancy, and no one can predict with accuracy what will result from the full flowering of the field over the next several decades. Many scientists believe it can be said with confidence, however, that nanotechnology will have a major impact on medicine and health care; energy production and conservation; environmental cleanup and protection; electronics, computers, and sensors; and world security and defense. Read more ...

Rent A House or Buy Your Own Property?

Which one is the better option … economically?

Everyone of us would dream of owning a nice and comfortable house for the family. Be it just a small apartment, a luxurious condominium or just simply a place to call home. But, have you ever ponder for a moment whether to purchase your own house or just renting a home?


Well, there are certainly a whole lot more aspects to consider when buying a property. Location, pricing, amenities, accessibility and perhaps the most important of all is affordability.Many of us would like to stay in an uptown area with great addresses but ended up choosing other cheaper options due to money matters. All the more reasons why you need to punch your calculator even harder before deciding.


One good example will be buying an apartment-condo in an outskirt area. We bought this 1000 sqft condo way back in 2002. It was selling around RM138,000 at that time, which was quite affordable for a young couple like us.


And now, when we decided to upgrade to a landed property, we made a detail calculation on our home loan payments and was shocked by the findings. As of January 2008, we have paid about RM37,000 on interest alone! Plus all the lawyer fees, yearly quit rent, fire insurance etc, we had paid a total of about RM50,000 already!


Price appreciation for this area is slow and the market price for our condo now is at RM150,000 only. This means that, if we are to sell our property now in order for us to upgrade, we will incur losses of RM38,000! (Just over a 5-year period)

• Initial purchase price = RM138,000
• Interest & misc fees = RM50,000
• Selling price now = RM150,000
• Losses = (RM138,000 + RM50,000) – (RM150,000) = RM38,000

If we were to rent the same condo at market rate of about RM600 per month for 5 years, we only need to pay RM600 x 5 yrs x 12 mth = RM36,000 without having to endure all the hassles of buying your own.


So, the next time when you are buying your own property, think about this factor too. Are you planning to upgrade in the short term? If so, we would advise you to choose your property location very carefully. Make sure there are plenty of rooms for price appreciation. Otherwise, wouldn't it be much easier just to rent a house?



*It would be different if you are staying for longer term. Read more ...

Anatomy of the Engagement Ring

Know your rings and how to discover her ring size.



It may be one ring, but it's made of many distinct elements:



· The Stone will account for 75-90% of the overall cost of the ring.

· The Setting holds the centre stone. A strong precious metal is imperative in securing your investment.

· The Band will endure the most wear over time since it's in constant contact with the fingers and everything that the hand touches.

· The Hallmark indicates the type and purity of the metal. All rings must have this.


Cross checked my platinum wedding ring; found that the hallmark (PT950) is engraved at the inner ring. Pheew ... luckily we were not being cheated.





Have you ever think of surprising your love one by presenting a ring which could just fits perfectly without letting her knowing your plan? Sounds so romantic but how many of you could make it?



Here are some tips on how you could discover her ring size and turn the romantic moment in reality.I found several ways of getting ring size but these are the most easier and effective ways:

1. Find an occasion when she's not wearing her ring and take it to a jeweller for sizing. You got to make it within a short period of time to aviod her suspicous. You won't know when she will change her mind to wear her ring again.


2. Offer to take her jewellery to be cleaned and have the ring sized. If you never make this offer before, chances she might know your plan is higher. So start giving hand from now if you have planned to surprise her few months later.


3. Pressing a ring into a piece of soap, clay or other malleable substance will make an impression of it that you can then take to a jeweller to obtain a reliable measurement. Make sure you clean up the ring after doing so.


4. Perhaps the quickest way to get an idea of her ring size is to place one of her rings on your own finger and push it down as far as it will go. Mark the spot where it fits with a pen, then go to a jeweller who will be able to take a measurement. You can only do so if your love one has a smaller finger size than yours.

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Gold, White Gold or Platinum??

What will be your choice when buying jewelry?

How much do you know about Platinum? What is the purity of platinum as compare to gold or white gold? Do you know that platinum can never change in term of color, weight, & shape throughout your lifetime?

I wish to share with you the 4 elements of PLATINUM which will make you know more about it. Make you choice after reading.

Platinum - pure, rare, eternal and versatile.

Pure

Its purity about 95% (18 karat gold is 75% pure), platinum jewellery does not fade or tarnish and keeps its looks for a lifetime. Simply because of it’s purity, platinum is hypoallergenic and ideal for those with sensitive skin.

Rare

Platinum is rare. There is very little platinum on this earth and it is found in very few places around the world. In 1819 platinum deposits are discovered in the Urals in Russia. This exquisite metal is 30 times rarer than gold. Platinum's rarity makes it exclusive and distinctive.

Eternal

Platinum jewellery is the perfect choice for a lifetime of everyday wear. Its density and weight make it more durable than other jewellery metals. Like all precious metals, platinum scratches. However, the scratch on a platinum piece is merely a displacement of the metal and none of its volume is lost. So, even though wearing it each and every day may leave an impression on the surface, it remains what it was - a symbol for all things eternal.

Versatile

Platinum is so pliable, that just one gram of the metal can be drawn to produce a fine wire almost 2 km long. Platinum also plays an important role in medicine. It is not affected by the oxidizing reaction of blood, has excellent conductivity, and is compatible with living tissue.

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Car Insurance: To Claim or Not To Claim?

Have you ever been involved in a minor car accident? Do you file for claim to the insurance company immediately and lose all your “No Claim Discount” (NCD)?

Well, if you ever get into the same situation, take some time to work out a few things. Firstly, assess the damage and see if it’s only require minor repair or major overhaul. Run a few checks and calculations and you will be thanking me for saving you the money.

Let us assume that you had a collision with another car. The cost of repair is estimated at about RM3500 (change rear bumper, bonnet cover, repainting, rear lights… etc). Your current NCD is at 55%. What should you do?

Claim and start your NCD all over again from 0%?

For example, if your car is to be insured for RM50,000. Upon renewal, you will only need to pay a premium of RM849.03 (assume 55% NCD without windscreen cover).

Calculation of premiums:
Sum insured = RM50,000

Full Premium = [(50 – 1) x RM26] + RM251.50 + RM10

= RM1525.50 + RM10

Minus NCD 55% = (RM1525.50 – 55%) + RM10

Premium to be paid = RM696.48

Option A: Claim and Lose the NCD

Option B: No Claim and Save on the NCD

And thus, the total premium difference between the two options (to be paid over 5 years) is only RM1863.89 as compare to paying the RM3500 for repair. Well, you have done the math, which option do you choose?

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Blue Ocean Strategy vs Red Ocean Strategy

Understanding the differences in both concepts…

The analogy of red and blue oceans describes the market universe. Red oceans are all the industries in existence today or the known market space. In the red oceans, industry boundaries are defined and accepted, and the competitive rules of the game are known. Here companies try to outperform each other to achieve a greater share of product or service demand in a world where growth is increasingly limited. As the 'ocean' gets crowded, prospects for profits and growth are reduced. Products become commodities and cut-throat competition turns the red ocean bloody. Hence, the term red oceans.

Blue oceans, on the other hand, denote all the industries not in existence today or what we called the unknown market space, untainted by competition. In blue oceans, demand is expanded or created rather than fought over. There is ample opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid. Here, in blue oceans, competition is irrelevant because the rules of the game are waiting to be set. Blue ocean is an analogy to describe the wider, deeper potential of market space that is not yet explored.

Blue Ocean Strategy is a business strategy book that promotes a systematic approach "for making the competition irrelevant." The authors, W.Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, are professors of Strategy and Management at INSEAD. A core idea is to create a leap in value for both the company and its buyers by breaking the differentiation/low cost trade-off and to align product value and profit propositions.

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Purchase the Single-pack or Grab the Bigger Bottle?

Don't fall for pricing gimmicks, open your eyes and stretch your dollar.

We are all living in a wonderful world where money can buy a lot of things. We work hard to earn money to support children, our family and ourselves. That's why we must know how to use our money wisely.

Have you ever go grocery shopping with your spouse? The next time when you are shopping in hypermarkets like Tesco, Carrefour or Wal-Mart, be sure to do one thing before paying. Compare prices!

Most of us normally think that buying those twin-packs or bigger packages would save us more money. Well, think again! I have noticed a few times that these big packages actually cost more!

Just the other day when I was at Carrefour selecting my favourite KraftTM cheese slices. The single pack cost RM$7.90 but the twin-packs (supposingly cheaper when you buy in bulk) was selling at RM$16.50!! That's a saving of RM$0.70 if you grabbed two separate packs, instead. And trust me; it wasn't my first time seeing this.

I've encountered similar price gimmicks in Tesco hypermarkets, Giants as well as Jusco supermarkets. And I'm not talking about cheese alone.

So, don't be fooled by big packaging. Always make the comparison when you shop. Look at the weight if it's food, or compare the ml for liquids products. You'll be very surprised of what you see.

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Google vs Yahoo!

vs

Battles of the Two Goliaths

Ever wondered what’s the different between these two ‘goliaths’? I still remember those years in my university days. At that time, Yahoo was the most popular web search engines, not to mention the Yahoo Mail as well.

Then, things started changing. Google was born … and the battle begins.

Do you know that both Google and Yahoo were created by students from Stanford University in California?

In January 1994, Jerry Yang and David Filo started a list of web pages in a campus trailer, as a way to keep track of their personal interests on the Internet. The lists were published in a web site named "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web", and it grew larger and larger and soon was required to be organised into categories and subcategories in hierarchy.

By the end of that year, Yahoo had already received close to a million hits. Yang and Filo realized their website had massive business potential, and on 1 March 1995, Yahoo was incorporated. Soon, Yahoo bought over RocketMail and converted it into Yahoo Mail.

As for Google, it all started as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin back in January 1996 (two years later than Yahoo). Both Ph.D students hypothesized that a search engine that analyzed the relationships between websites would produce better ranking of results than existing techniques, which ranked results according to the number of times the search term appeared on a page.

Google web search engines indexes billions of Web pages, so that users can search for the information they desire, through the use of keywords and operator. Google has also employed the Web Search technology into other search services, including Image Search, Google News, the price comparison site Google Product Search, the interactive Usenet archive Google Groups, Google Maps, and more. And of course, the ever popular … Gmail.
Do you know that Google, like the Microsoft search engine, stores personal information for 18 months and by comparison, Yahoo and AOL(Time Warner) retain search requests for 13 months only? So far, there is no misusing of information … yet. Hope it will stays that way.

Ranking in terms of market share in the search engine category:
Google @ 53.6%
Yahoo @ 19.9%
Live Search @ 12.9%
Others @ 13.6%

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Wines match making

– the right food, the right wine … perfect.

The flavours of different wines are very distinctive and some are considered to taste better with certain kinds of foods.

A wine with a very delicate flavour goes best with lightly flavoured foods rather than with strong flavours that overpower the wine, making it appear tasteless.

Likewise, if the wine is too strong in flavour for the food, the food tastes bland. Great chefs are considered masters of pairing wine with food so each enhances the flavour and aroma of the other.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Duck, spicy beef, pate, rabbit, roasts, spicy poultry, cheddar, blue cheese, sausage, kidneys

Pinot Noir

Braised chicken, cold duck, rabbit, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal

Merlot

Braised chicken, cold duck, roasted turkey or beef, lamb, veal, stew, liver, venison, meat casseroles

Shiraz

Braised chicken, chilli, peppercorn steak, meat stew, barbecued meat, spicy meats, garlic casserole, ratatouille

Chardonnay

Seafood with butter sauce, pasta with cream sauce, veal, chicken, turkey, ham

Riesling

Mild cheeses, mussels, prawns, lobster, sashimi, ham, pork, tandoori chicken

Sauvignon Blanc

Oysters, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salad, irish stew, goats cheese and strongly flavoured cheese

Gewurztraminer

Spicy dishes, Thai or Chinese food, curry, smoked salmon, pork and sauerkraut, onion tart, spiced/peppered cheese

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Good wine vs Bad wine

A Good Wine Is:

1. Clean and clear. It should smell and taste fresh, yummy and enticing.


2. Concentrated. Whether it's light and delicate or rich and full-bodied, it should sit pleasingly on your tongue.


3. Complex. Good wine has more than one flavour, to keep you interested to the last drop.


4. Balanced. No one element – fruit, alcohol, acid, oak – should stick out. They should be in harmony.


5. Able to linger. The flavour haunts the back of your throat, urging you to have another sip.

A Bad Wine Is:

1. Dirty and bland. It smells unpleasant or boring.


2. Thin and dilute. It hardly registers on your tongue.


3. Simple. Bad wine has only one rather weak flavour.


4. Unbalanced. Bad wine is overly sharp, or woody, or has alcohol burn.


5. Short-lived. The taste disappears at the back of your throat and leaves you feeling short-changed.

*Tips: Once Opened, Wine Lasts …

1-2 DAYS for light white and red wines such as Riesling and pinot noir; sparkling and pink wines

3-4 DAYS for fuller-bodied reds and whites such as Shiraz and chardonnay; sweet white wines

1-2 WEEKS for pale dry sherry and vintage port

3 MONTHS for tawny port, Muscat, Tokay and sweet sherry. Read more ...

Red wine vs White wine

Wine serving temperature

For most beginners, we tend to drink our white wines too cold and our reds too warm. The best serving temperature for red wines is around 15°- 18°C (cool room temperature). As for white wines, temperature of around 8°– 12°C (moderately chilled) is best.

Serving a wine too cold suppresses its fruit flavour and exaggerates oak character and tannin. Serving it too warm exaggerates alcohol but softens tannin – the stuff that causes red wine to a have a puckering effect in the mouth.

White wines are usually served chilled because at warmer temperatures they quickly lose their volatile characters and become flat and tasteless. Blush wines are also served chilled like white wines.

Red wines, which usually contain more flavour and aroma components than white wines, are served at room temperature to release the aroma characters, and the wine smells and tastes better than it would if it were chilled.

“Good wine ruins the purse. Bad wine ruins the stomach”

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Honda Civic vs Hyundai Elantra

It has been 3 years since you bought your first new car? And you are now shopping around for a new and affordable car to suit your upgraded image? Allow me to introduce you to the new Hyundai Elantra and Honda Civic.

At a glance from the showroom, the new Elantra 2.0 will definitely thrills you. Comes equipped with CVVT technology and DOHC engine, it can deliver a maximum power output of 143PS.

Test driving behind the wheel is totally an amazing experience. I especially love the silky-smooth advanced step gate transmission system (in other words, the gear change is superbly quiet and almost unnoticeable). This technology was previously found only in the top of the range Hyundai Sonata and Hyundai Azera 3.8liter V6 engine.

Elantra’s interior design is simple yet spacious. The seats are wrapped in leather, giving it a luxury look. But driving in Malaysia hot weather, I still prefer the non-leather seats. No sticky feeling when you start sweating. Not to mentioned, hot leather surfaces when expose to too much heat.

**Independent US Government Assessment of Interior Volume**

Passenger Volume = 98ft3 (Elantra) vs 91ft3 (Civic)

Luggage Volume = 14 ft3 (Elantra) vs 12ft3 (Civic)

The new Civic 2007 gives a very compact feeling. Somehow, it was designed larger than its predecessor. Must be the new Honda's principle – M&M (Minimum Space for Machine and Maximum Space for Men).

For comparison purposes, I test-driven the Civic 2.0 litre model, rather than the 1.8 litre model. Driving is smooth and very Honda-like. My only comment is the acceleration peddles which needed a little fine tuning. Too much pressure is required to floor it down.

As for the interior, no leather seats for this baby. Another worth commenting aspect is the ingenious flat floor which gives you ample of foot room in the rear space (you will notice that there is no hump at the centre)

The new Elantra is selling at RM93,800 while the Civic is being marketed at RM128,000. Both are on 2.0 liter engines and “almost” similar specifications. If you do not compare the brand name, I would say, the new Elantra is definitely worth the money. What is your call?

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Welcome to My CompariZone

Welcome to My CompariZone, the place where you will find all the necessary information in order for you to make better and wiser decisions. Whether it's on shopping for the things you like, looking for the best choice of study option, investment opportunities or simply just to gain more knowledge on how things works compared to others, you'll find it all right here.

My Comparizone will give you all the latest news from around the web and across the world. We'll bring it all to you right here at MyCompariZone.blogspot.com Read more ...

Bachelor vs Master

What are these qualifications?

"Bachelor" and "Master" are the names of the first and second academic degrees awarded to university students. As part of the "Bologna process", almost all study courses and qualifications are being converted to bachelor and master courses in 45 European countries. It is aimed to complete the process by 2010.

The first study course is for a bachelor's degree; it usually lasts three years and provides students with in-depth knowledge of their subject. Depending on the subject studied, students are awarded a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) or a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) – regardless of the type of university.

This degree qualifies graduates for a career and they are encouraged to look for suitable positions. Graduates wishing to go on to a master's degree can do this immediately after obtaining their bachelor's degree. The master's course usually lasts two years, either in the same subject or in a related one. Graduates can also start a master’s course after working for awhile. They collect credit points in a system uniform throughout Europe. The aim is to make study courses comparable and to make it easier for students to change universities on an international level.

Some two-thirds of university courses in Germany will have changed to the new system by winter term 2006/2007. The aim of the educational reformers is that in Germany, as in Anglo-Saxon countries, the majority of graduates will start work after obtaining a bachelor's degree. Read more ...