Amazing Uses of Coke...

So you’ve all heard that Coke has many uses (besides being a cold soda to enjoy on a hot Summer afternoon) So I’ve compiled a list just for reference purposes. Also, am in no way, promoting Coke, pretty sure that Pepsi, ThumsUp or any other kind of cola can probably do the same (unless it’s the secret coca-cola ingredient!)

Personally, I’m trying to stop drinking cola after all the bad stuff I’ve heard…might as well drink water right? But this is going to be hard as I do like myself some ThumsUp (If you haven’t been to India, you probably don’t know what that is but it’s like a tangier/spicier/more fizzy version of Coke and as any Indian will vouch, a 100x better!)

The list
1.       Remove grease stains from clothing and fabric I had to start with the most obvious.
2.       Remove rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminium foil. 
3.       Remove blood stains from clothing and fabric.
4.       Clean oil stains from a garage floor; let the stain soak, hose off.
5.       Loosen a rusty bolt; pour on some Coke and wait for the magic to happen Same application as cleaning rust
6.       Kill slugs and snails; a small bowl of Coke will attract them, the acid will kill them. Salt works as well.
7.       Help a lawn become lush and green 
8.      Prevent an asthma attack! Apparently, the caffeine in two 330ml cans can prevent the onset of an attack but beware the sugar rush that follows…
9.       Defrost a frozen wind-shield. Apply liberally and wait…
10.   Clean burnt pans; let the pan soak in the Coke, then rinse. No way!
11.    De-scale a kettle using the same method in 11.
12.    Neutralize a jellyfish sting.
13.    Clean car battery terminals by pouring a small amount of Coke over each one.
14.    Cure nausea; let a can of Coke go flat then take a teaspoon of Coke every hour. 
15.    Also, flat coke can help relieve an upset stomach (aka “the runs”).
16.    Make a Mentos & Coke exploding fountain. This one takes a 2-liter bottle of Coke.

 

17.    Get rid of hiccups; gargle with a big mouthful of ice-cold Coke. 
18.   Shake up a can and pour it over your wind-shield/car bumper to remove bugs and other crud.
19.    Clean your engine; Coke distributors have been using this technique for decades. 
20.   Relieve congestion; boil and a can of Coke and drink while hot to clear you up.
21.    Make a sweet BBQ sauce. Mix a can of Coke with ketchup and brush over ribs or chicken.
22.   Baste a ham roast with Coke as it cooks. The sugars will caramelize; the ham will be moist. 
23.   Add a can of coke to your pot roast to tenderize it and add extra flavour.
24.   Make pretty pennies; soaking old pennies in Coke will remove the tarnish. 
25.   Make your hair curly; pour flat Coke onto long hair, leave for a few minutes then rinse.
26.   Also, a bad dye job can be faded by washing in flat coke.
27.   Age documents and photos; for that antique look, apply Coke, pat with paper, leave to dry. 
28.   Clean tile grout; pour onto kitchen floor, leave for a few minutes, wipe up.
29.   Mix a can of Coke with a packet of Italian seasoning; cook a tough steak in it.
30.   Make better compost; Coke increases the acidity, adds sugars and feeds micro-organisms. 
31.    De-skunk yourself. If you have been sprayed unfortunately, cover yourself from head to toe in the shower and rinse off.
32.   Dissolve a tooth in it; Use a sealed container, this takes ages. Why would you want to though, unless you’re Hannibal Lecter?
33.   Remove gum from hair; dip into a small bowl of Coke, leave a few minutes. Gum will wipe off.
34.   Get silky skin; mix a spoonful of Coke with regular lotion and apply liberally. I don’t believe this nor am I trying it! 
35.   Make low-fat brownies. Not sure how anything with coke in it can be deemed low-fat!  On second thought, after looking at this, have to try this!
36.   Pour a little in a cup and set it out an hour before a picnic, away from your site; it will attract wasps and bees so they’re not bugging you and your grub. 
37.   Remove stains from vitreous china.
38.   Got a dirty pool? Add two 2-liter bottles of Coke to clear up the water (it acts as rust remover). 
39.   Add Coke to your laundry to remove bad smells, especially fish. 
40.   Remove (or fade) dye from hair by pouring diet Coke over it. 
41.    Mop a floor with Coke to make it sticky. It’s a movie industry trick to stop actors slipping. Why are studio floors so slippery?
42.   Remove marker stains from carpet. Apply Coke, scrub, then clean with soapy water. 
43.   Clean a toilet; pour around bowl, leave for a while, flush clean. So essentially acts as toilet bleach? 
44.   Apply to skin for a deep tan. Although this seems like a recipe for skin cancer to me.
45.   Supposedly, drinking 220ml of Coke every day can prevent kidney stones and induce obesity.
46.   Perk up your Azaleas or Gardenias, plants that like acidic soil. 
47.   Coke and aluminium foil will bring Chrome to a high shine. 
48.   Strip paint off metal furniture; soak a towel in Coke, sit it on the surface for days. Make sure you keep adding Coke to keep the towel wet. Wouldn’t it be easier to buy paint stripper?
49.   Add it to vodka, rum or bourbon.
50.   Drink it straight from the can.

 You know, one of the most amazing things is that most of us who read or are even slightly in touch with the world, know at least 10 of these things yet we still continue drinking a black sugary drink who's main ingredients are carbonated water, sugar, caffeine, phosphoric acid, carbon dioxide and 'natural flavouring' what ever that means! 

Hope some others have decided to join me in my resolution to quit destroying our bodies!

Legend of Jack-O-Lantern

So as to continue the Halloween themed week...here's a new story for ya...

Optional: To be enjoyed with some Irish Lager :)  

Every October, the American suburban lawns are lined with carved pumpkins, peering out from porches and doorsteps. Pumpkin carving exists in other countries but it’s just not that prevalent. Pumpkins are inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles, a sign that the Halloween season is upon us (see what I did there? Haha.) The practice is decorating “jack-o’-lanterns” and its story comes from an Irish folktale about a man referred t as Stingy Jack. Originating in Ireland, instead of pumpkins, it was first done within large turnips and potatoes. When Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the US where pumpkins are the most available fall fruit and it just probably looked nicer than potatoes (can’t imagine what that would’ve looked like!).

Legend of Stingy Jack

According the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him (because well, I can’t think of any reason to do that.) True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack then used to buy their drinks. The Devil complied (What?!?!) and Jack decided to keep the money in his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from returning to his true form. Jack then blackmailed the Devil, freeing him only after the Devil promised not to bother Jack for a year and that in the event that Jack died, will not claim his soul.

The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil (I have no words for how moronic the Devil is made out to be in this story.) into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. However, while he was up in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the tree’s bark so the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years (See, why does it take any magical power to climb down a tree? If I’m correct in understanding that the symbol of God takes away the Devil’s power…)

I just imagine the fruit being an apple...you know, to symbolise the  forbidden fruit that  the Devil convinced humans to eat...IRONY is hilarious!

Eventually, Jack died but as irony would have it, God didn’t allow such a rapscallion into heaven. The Devil (who would obviously be furious to be outwitted by a man not once, but twice!) kept his word not to claim his soul and didn’t allow Jack into hell either (The smartest thing the Devil did!). He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack then put that coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth ever since. He became known as the ghostly “Jack of the Lantern” or when spoken with an Irish accent, “Jack-O’-Lantern”!

<-- An actual turnip lantern!

How did everyone start making their own version of Jack’s lanterns? Well, in Ireland and Scotland, people would carve scary faces into turnips or potatoes and place it in their windows or at doors to frighten away Stingy Jack or other wandering evil spirits. In America, the native pumpkins were found to be perfect jack-o’-lanterns!

Hope that little story was cute and interesting..I sure thought so...old legends are always so fascinating!

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Halloween Special...Boo!

Well, I’m going to jump on the bandwagon for the holiday seasons. Yes, Halloween is a holiday. Not really, but it’s seasonal? Happy Halloween everyone! I do love this holiday, mainly because I love dressing up and it’s the one night I actually spend some time on my make-up (Otherwise, it’s a well-rehearsed routine that I can breeze through in 5 minutes)! 

So here are some facts (that I researched online since I’m no encyclopedia!):

Origin of Halloween

More than 2000 years ago, its origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced like sow-in), in the area that is now Ireland, the UK and northern France, whose New Year was on the 1^st November. It marked the end of the summer and harvest and beginning of the cold and dark winter, a time associated with death (Why would you want to start your year on a cold and dreary note?) Anyway, so the last day of October was considered a day when the lines between the world of the living and dead became blurred and the dead returned to the world. These ghosts would then cause trouble and damage crops (Even during that time, vandalising teenagers existed!) but also helped Celtic priests make future predictions. Obviously, during those times when everything was dependent on Mother Nature, prophecies were a source of comfort and direction during the dark winters.

To celebrate this time of year and to prevent the ghosts from harming them, the Druids built huge sacred bonfires and gather to burn crops and animals (I’m not sure why…since the Ghosts obviously preferring to do that themselves!) They also wore costumes of animal heads and skins, (like people do cuz of the fantastic scent) and tried to tell each other’s fortunes (sounds like an old-school carnival!)

By 43 AD, the Roman Empire had conquered quite a lot of Celtic territory and during the course of the 400 years that they ruled the Celts, 2 Roman festivals was combined with the Celtic festival of Samhain. First was Feralia, a late October festival that Romans deemed was important for the passing of the dead. The second day was to honor Pomona, Roman goddess of fruits and trees, due to the end of harvest, whose symbol is the apple. The incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the modern tradition (what an oxymoron!) of ‘bobbing’ for apples.

Around 600 years later when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honour of Christian martyrs and the catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was establisted by the Western church. Pope Gregory III later included all saints as well as martyrs and moved the observance to November 1^st (as opposed to mid-May). The influence of Christianity had moved into Celtic lands by the 9^thcentury where the rituals and believes started to blend and supplement the older Celtic rites. By 1000AD, the church made November 2^nd All Souls’/Saints’ Day, a day to honor the dead in general (in an attempt to replace old ‘Pagan’ Celtic festival with something similar but church-sanctioned). All Saints’ Day was celebrated similarly with big bonfires, parades and dresses up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas – from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day – and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

Halloween Traditions Today

The American tradition of ‘trick-or-treating’ probably dates back to the early All Saints’ Day parades in England when poor citizens would beg for food and richer families would give them pastries called ‘soul cakes’ in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The church encouraged this as it was a way to replace the ancient tradition of leaving food for roaming spirits (or hobos!). Initially referred to as ‘going-a-souling’, this practice was eventually taken up by children who visited their neighbourhood houses to ‘beg’ for ale, food and money (I can see why many people in England no longer celebrate this, with such overtones. As a parent, I would definitely not encourage my children to beg for sweets!)

Soul Cakes: Still made to celebrate All Saints Day on 1st Nov

The tradition of costumes has both European and Celtic roots. As previously mentioned, this Halloween was the time that the ghosts would roam our earthly world, people were worried they would encounter said ghosts when they left their houses at night (and during the short and dark days of winter, nights were long!). To avoid being recognised by ghosts, people wore masks so ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits (I can see so many things wrong with this belief but LOL will have to suffice!).

Ghost on right says to 'ghost' on left: I bet you can't pass through the banister. 

Halloween Superstitions

Halloween has always been a holiday (I don’t know why we call it that, considering we go to work and have school!) filled with mystery, magic and superstition. When it first began within the Celtic community, it was a time when people felt close to their deceased friends and relatives. They would set places at the dinner table, leave treats on the doorsteps and light candles to help them find their way back to the spirit world (Personally, if I were a ghost, I would stay. You get food and treats! Also, if you light candles, I’ll go towards them and not towards the spirit world!)

Today, ghosts are perceived as fearsome so the customs are scarier too. We don’t cross paths with black cats in fear they will bring us bad luck – stemming from the Middle Ages when witches were believed to turn themselves into black cats to avoid detection. Walking under ladders is supposed to bring bad luck – maybe because ancient Egyptians believed that triangles were sacred (So walking through a triangle should make you closer to God, right?).

But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about? Many of these obsolete rituals focused on the future instead of the past and the living instead of the dead. In particular, many had to do with helping young women identify their future husbands and reassuring them that they would someday—with luck, by next Halloween—be married. 

• In 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who found it.
 
• In Scotland, fortune-tellers recommended that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding, the story went, represented the girl's future husband. (In some versions of this legend, confusingly, the opposite was true: The nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last.)  

• Another tale had it that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night she would dream about her future husband. 

• Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials 

• Women tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water 

• They stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces. 

• Other rituals were more competitive. At some Halloween parties, the first guest to find a burr on a chestnut-hunt would be the first to marry; at others, the first successful apple-bobber would be the first down the aisle.

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween

That was just so hilarious, I just copied it straight from the site.

More Halloween-related posts coming this week. Where did the concept of Jack-O-Lanterns come from? How is Halloween similar to other festivals around the world? Coming up soon…

On another Halloween related note, check out Google's search page: https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=iw

Crazy Celebrity Diets

Now I’m not suggesting that I haven’t tried one of these and even now as I’m doing the research, I’m curious about some of these… (oh, the dreaded word!) diets. Anyone who has known me for a good amount of time knows that, as a total foodie, I’m opposed to the concept of dieting. But here I am, talking about this. When I started writing my blog, I promised that I won’t be self-obsessed but I also told myself that I will write about things I know (Because well, it’s hard to write about things you don’t. Can you imagine what a blogpost about weightlifting by me will be like? So urm,  you like urm, lift stuff…)

So what do I know about crazy diets? Well, when I moved away from home 2 years ago, I had a moment of realisation (well, several) that I was on my way to becoming obese. Living in a different country, for the first time away from my mother’d delicious home-cooked meals, I had many choices that I could make: ready made sodium-packed preservatives-filled junk that tastes pretty good or tasteless bland food served in the cafeteria. Guess what option I chose? Neither. I went for the option of starving myself. And you know what? It worked. It also had some side effects of hair-loss and fainting spells (anywhere and anytime, and I mean, anywhere and anytime). This had a culminating effect of me losing 25% of my original body weight in about 3 months, 20kg.

I also had another moment of realisation that as easy as it was to stop eating (think about the time you save on cooking!), this is not the way to live. Food is too amazing to give up.

Crazy Celebrity Fad Diets

Acai Berries

The world hangs on to Oprah’s every word and when she once attributed her weight-loss (again!) to acai berries’ antioxidant properties with Dr Oz on her show, she got sued! (Well, what else do Americans know how to do? If my problems aren’t solved by you, you are wrong and I should get some money out of it!) Bottom line: It’s just a berry. Don’t depend on it.

Lemon Aid

A really scary, terrifying and dangerous diet: Beyonce reportedly dropped 20lb in 2 weeks by consuming nothing but homemade lemonade, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper. I can’t imagine not consuming any solid foods for so long. Probably a good way to lose weight before an important event but be prepared to gain it all back!

Raw Foods Diet

When I first heard this one, I thought what’s wrong with raw vegetables and fruits? The enzymes and nutrients that are usually lost by cooking will be absorbed by the body and that is true (with some exceptions!) Demi Moore popularised this diet but probably took it a step too far by also adding raw meat. This can be connected to nausea, kidney and liver problems and even eye infections! Disgusting.

Facial Analysis Diet

Kate Winslet swears that this is how she lost her baby weight. A facial analyst read her skin, hair and eye texture (whatever that is) and recommended a special diet. Seriously? How can people fall for this stuff?

Baby Food Diet

Yes, they are small, cute and come in small portions and snackable sizes but they are for babies. Which we are not. And neither is Reese Witherspoon. You can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle with just 600 calories a day.

Cabbage Soup Diet

All you allowed is as much cabbage soup as you like… Poor Sarah Michelle Gellar. Not even people who like onions, tomatoes and cabbage can sustain this. Apparently it’s a quick weightloss technique and you lose weight in less than a week. But you put it all back on. And more.

Sundowner Diet

You know, I’m not convinced about this one…sounds like the old-wives tale about not eating after 6pm. No evidence that high-calorie foods get stored up as fat in the evening. What we can say is you shouldn’t go to bed right after dinner so I guess by not eating after sundown, there’s no chance of that ever happening?

Grapefruit Diet

Grapefruits have fat-burning properties and this diet requires you eat half before each meal. Probably to fill you up on all the water in the fruit! Each meal is also extremely tiny (about 250calories), adding to a grand total of 800 calories a day. That is called starvation, Kylie Minogue.

The Bird Diet

No, you don’t eat birds but you eat LIKE a bird. Victoria Beckham follows it and boy, is she thin but listen to this: It’s a diet of soya beans, strawberries, lettuce and 2 pints of algae and seaweed shake everyday. Not very posh at all, I must say.

I could compare that to malnourished Ethiopian childrens' pictures in NatGeo!

7 Day Colour Diet

Christina Aguilera discriminates against her food. This diet follows a colour/texture pattern where groups are made of kinds of food, one type per day per week. Sounds like a 6 year old child, or OCD.

Cookie Diet

Who thought up this one? Sesame Street? Apparently, you eat 2 healthy meals a day and replace one meal with 2 cookies, consuming a total of less than 800 calories a day (What kind of cookies are these? If each one is not 150 calories, then it’s not a real cookie…) Kim Kardashian has tried this diet…she’s fit but her ass is still huge.

Ice cube diet

Renee Zellwegger seems to ride the weight roller coaster and one of her craziest ones was this. She ate low carb meals and snacked on ice cubes through the day. What’s wrong with drinking water? Too normal for you?

Not exactly celebrities but crazy enough to be on the list!

The Drinking Man’s Diet

In 1964, Robert Cameron published a book with this diet which quickly became a best seller. The diet advises a diet that consists of gin and vodka (low carb beverages). Inspired by England’s William the Conqueror in 1087 who grew too large to ride his horse started a diet where he substituted food for alcohol in a desperate attempt to lose weight. Apparently this worked since he got on the horse again (but eventually died from falling off of it)! I think it’s safe to say that anything beyond the odd glass of wine should not be on the everyday menu…

Chew, chew, chew…SPIT!

In the early 1900s, art dealer Horace Fletcher discovered a new weight loss technique where you were allowed to chew your food – 32 times, one for each tooth – but then would proceed to spit it out. His theory was that by only chewing your food in this fashion, your body would absorb all the necessary nutrients and you would be able to enjoy the taste of food without any risk of weight gain. Of course, we now know that the body doesn’t absorb nearly enough food or nutrients through chewing (mainly the lack of fibre). Yes, you can lose weight, but generally due to malnourishment.

The Tapeworm Diet

What a wonderful diet where you can eat all you want but remain thin! All you have to do is swallow a worm-laced pill which will then feed itself on your food (inside you!) Besides the ewww factor, there’s a huge danger the worm can lay eggs inside nervous tissue (although how it can fertilise them, I’m not sure…I’m no entomologist but usually you need two to tango or else it’s mitosis.) These eggs can then cause seizures, dementia and meningitis…There are still several internet sites that allow you to purchase these illegally and how to infect yourself with a tapeworm. Eww. Just. Eww.

Just to make it extra-gross :)

P.S. Sorry about some of the gross-ness...Here's a cutesy video to make up for it!