Intelligence is Value

You have probably heard of tap water, spring water, and filtered water, but most stores advertise a safer and cleaner way of getting water―bottled water. But even the name itself can be confusing for some customers who take the time to read the labels and wonder why some bottled water packages say mineral or distilled or purified. What’s up with that?

Let’s start by looking at each label.

Mineral Water
Mineral water, which are usually collected from mineral springs, is a product of either the distillation process or distillation plus additional purification processes. In short, mineral water can be distilled water or purified water, but it has additional content. The added content are the minerals, such as sulphur, calcium, magnesium and salt, that enriched the water when it came into contact with the earth. Don’t confuse mineral water with mineralized water, which is a type of mineral water synthetically produced by companies. The water is infused with vitamins and minerals required by the body, so it’s not as bad as it sounds. Just keep in mind that the combination of the minerals and vitamins found in mineral water will vary among bottled water companies, as well as the sources of the water.

Distilled Water
Distilled water, as the name suggests, is water distilled at temperatures that exceed the boiling point of water. The goal of distillation is to remove contaminants found in water, such as metals and inorganic minerals. These contaminants all have boiling points higher than is required to turn water to steam, so once the water becomes steam and then captured and cooled (or vaporized), the contaminants are left behind. There are two problems with distilled water, however; that is, some contaminants, such as volatile organic compounds, have lower boiling points than water, so most of them are left behind, and the distilled water tends to be acidic because only the solid residues like minerals are removed.

Purified Water
To get purified water, water must go through the distillation process just described, and additional processes to remove other impurities. You could say that distilled water is also purified water, because distillation is considered a purification process. However, there are two processes involved in additional purification; deionization, which is the process of letting the water flow through 2 ion exchange materials to remove the salt, and reverse osmosis, which is the demineralization and deionization of water by pushing it under pressure so that it will pass through a semi-permeable membrane. Both processes use less energy than distillation, are considered environment-friendly, and are also more effective than distillation.

Other Options
What if you prefer filtered water and products labeled “bottled” water? Filtered water does not undergo purification, while bottled water is just tap water placed in bottles.

Still confused? Instead of choosing from one of the three, consider these qualities instead when selecting water:

• Filtered from synthetic chemicals and toxins
• Balanced pH levels between 7.5 and 6.5
• Electrolyzed for better nutrient absorption
• Contains antioxidants and minerals

Humans as we are, we can’t do away with our basic needs no matter how mundane they may be. Whether we belong to the select-few high class or whether we belong to the majority middle, we are always bounded by our mortality in the form of our biological needs.

Since this is a given, all we could do is to devise ways to give a twist to each need. One of which is to provide variety to one of the most common constants in our lives: eating. We toss a few more salads, we spice up a few dishes, but the bottom line is we just satiate our palates as best as we could while meeting our needs.
Here are three suggestions to satiate your craving for wrapped lunches:

1. Vegetable Egg Salad Wraps
One way to make sure we don’t compromise our health while satiating our palates is to make sure what we ingest is healthy. For this healthy treat you will need hard-cooked eggs, chopped cucumber, chopped yellow summer squash or zucchini, shredded carrot, chopped red onion, mayonnaise, Dijon-style mustard, milk, fresh tarragon or basil, salt, paprika, lettuce leaves, tortillas and tomatoes.

Combine eggs, cucumber, yellow summer squash, carrot and red onions in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together Dijon-styled mustard, milk, mayonnaise, salt, tarragon and paprika. Coat dressing over egg mixture.
Prepare your lettuce leaf and arrange accordingly in your tortilla. Prepare around three to four tomato slices and include in the tortilla sandwich. Place the egg mixture before rolling up the tortilla. Cut the rolls in half before serving.

2. Mediterranean Chicken Wraps
If you’re looking for a wrap with just the right texture of white meat, this wrap is for you. For this you will need plain fat-free Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, tortillas, dried dill weed, baby spinach, cooked chicken breast and fresh vegetable strips of cucumber, red sweet pepper, carrot and yellow summer squash.

Prepare and stir together yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and dill weed. In the tortillas, prepare chicken, vegetable strips and spinach. Scoop in the yogurt mixture before rolling up tortillas. Cut in half then serve.

3. Prosciutto & Artichoke Panini
For those looking for a heavier form of wrap, upgrading to a sandwich would be a good move. For this, you will need ciabattas or other crusty rolls, mozzarella, olive oil, marinated artichoke hearts, basil leaves, prosciutto, black pepper and lemon. Spread olive oil on the sides of the rolls.

Add in a later of mozzarella, artichokes and basil on the bottom half. Place prosciutto on top. Lightly top it with lemon zest and black pepper before placing the other top of the roll. Prepare a large skillet and heat under medium fire. Place the sandwiches and cook until they turn a light gold. Invert the sandwiches to heat the other side and wait for the cheese to melt. Best served a short while after heating.

Who doesn’t like a good scent in the wake of your every move? We all look forward to gaining that signature scent or just smelling clean and fresh even with a long day ahead of us. Not only does this keep a good reputation and keep the air around us pleasant to the nose, it also gives us a kick of confidence we could always in any given day.

Here are some ways to help keep you clothes smelling clean and fresh longer than your usual laundry routine can:

1. Coffee grounds
Not only do coffee grounds help keep you alert and awake in your daily cup of coffee, it also serves as an effective hack for your closet. Basically, it is an effective absorber of bad odors and gives off a distinct smell that your clothes may benefit from. To prep them, get a container and fill it with coffee grounds. Next, poke a few holes on the cover or lid. Find a corner in your closet that doesn’t get in the way of your clothes then store the container snugly. Take extra care to switch them at least once a month to maintain freshness.

2. Vodka
Hold up and spare your liver. Use some vodka for another closet hack instead. For clothing articles seldom used, they normally carry a musty scent even after hanging them in a well-ventilated place. So to remedy this, mix vodka with water using a one-to-one ratio. Fill the mixture in a spray bottle and lightly spray in areas of clothes smelling stale from prolonged hours of storage. Once done, hang your clothes in a well-ventilated area and wait for them to dry. Almost immediately that stuffy odor will be off your precious outfits.

3. Perfumed tissue paper
We are fond of spraying perfume directly on our clothes but we have to admit it could get overwhelming at times. We wouldn’t want to smell overdone, do we? So to counteract this, we’ll do a little improvisation instead. Get a small portion of tissue paper or cotton balls. Next, spray perfumer or any scent you usually wear. Wait for the tissue paper or cotton balls to dry. Finally, line them up in your closet before placing your clothes on top of them. You’ll find your clothes smelling fresh – with your scent nonetheless.

These are but few ways to keep your clothes fresh and clean for longer hours than their usual shelf life. Of course, no matter how religious we adhere to these tips, there’s no substitute to cleanliness. What better way to make clothes fresh than to actually wash them clean. So make sure to wash those threads regularly for fool proof fragrance.

Trademark registration is perhaps the most important way for your business to advance, which is why it’s so important to protect your brand.

Even though Singapore is a friendly country for start-ups looking to file a trademark application, the process itself still involves a lot of paperwork and takes up a lot of time you could use to actually start up your company.

But the good news is that the right trademarking company can help you protect your assets much better and much faster, help you grow your business, and so much more.

Branding and Registration
The reason why securing copyright for company’s logo should be a top priority is because it’s essentially a company asset, and you want to make sure that you can keep this asset as your company grows and expands here in Singapore. Moreover, getting a registered mark for your business is a form of brand protection that ensures you can safely use your logo without running into any infringement risk and protects you from anyone who would try to use your intellectual property without your permission.

While the initial cost of filing a trademark can seem expensive at first (it’s comparatively cheap with a trademarking company), it’s best to think of it as an initial investment to further your brand instead. Once you create a TM for your company assets, you can use them to their fullest potential.

What Trademarking Companies Can Do For You
Trademarking companies primarily help you by reducing the time it takes for you to register trademark yourself. They process your application for you and, if needed, they can also help you create the very brand you want to use for your business.

Essentially, filing your brand with a trademarking company simplifies the whole process into the following steps:

• Identifying trademark class and assets
• Checking for potential conflicts
• Application submission
• Objections and appeals
• Successful registration

The biggest advantage that you can get by working with a trademarking company is the access to the existing database. The company will run a thorough trade mark search through the existing brand name registry for any similarities.

Once they find that there are, they notify you so that you can change it before submitting it to the IPOS. This saves you a lot of time from re-doing it after a rejection, since the general approval time often takes between six and nine months.

Objection and Appeals
Aside from the wait time, legalities are another hurdle between you and getting full protection for your assets (with two months usually allotted for any objections or claims on the application).

Keeping accurate documentation is important in this aspect of defending your trademark, but the downside to this is that takes up a lot of time and resources.

This is where the trademarking company comes in to handle this legal aspect on your behalf. Because they are well-versed in intellectual property law, they are more than capable of handling both objections and appeals for you.

With the right trademark registration company in Singapore helping you every step of the way, there’s no reason to leave your brand to chance.

What are you waiting for? Call one today!

Looking for a way to get rid of cockroaches permanently without having to use insecticides? Or is your office in Singapore in need of professional help to exterminate rodents? Pest control management can answer your needs whether you want to remove insects that are contaminating your food and destroying property.

But does pest extermination consist only of the use of professional-grade sprays and treatments, or do the experts use other means to control pest population?

Action Threshold
Before the pest exterminator can recommend any action, the building/household/office of the customer must first meet their set action threshold. This means that the population of the pest/s must be significant to justify pest removal using pest control chemicals. Why is this necessary? You do not need to terminate pest if there is only one instance of sighting, especially if the residents or owner are referring to animals that live naturally in the area such as bees, butterflies, small mammals, spiders, and others. For mild cases of pest problem, a 24 hours pest removal is necessary.

Monitoring and Identification
If the population of the pest does not create a threat to the health of the family, the pest control services team will devise other ways to move the animals. The building owner or resident will be made to understand that not all living organisms are harmful and some might be even beneficial. If the action threshold is met, however, the experts must then monitor and identify the pests.

This is a necessary step to terminate pest without using the wrong chemicals or method that might harm the humans living in the building or home and the animals in the surrounding area. Identification is key to achieve guaranteed pest control especially in the case of insects, because some chemicals work only on certain species. The use of organic pesticides for home in Singapore is rather encouraged to ensure the safety of the residents. The bed bug for example can be very difficult to remove with chemical pesticides alone, so it’s best to talk to your pest exterminator for available options.

Prevention
Not all pest control management companies will use chemical treatments right away to control pests, except for most cases when there is a need to remove termites. Prevention means that the area must be freed from possible sources of food for the pests, removal of hiding places and breeding grounds, and educating the homeowner/s or building occupants about proper waste disposal, the use of chemicals such as insecticides, and eliminating possible entry points for pests. At this stage, the areas are cleaned, leaky pipes are fixed, and the holes in the walls and ceilings are sealed. The pest control worker might also recommend installation of window screens, decluttering of storage areas, and improving overall waste management. Most of the time, if the pest infestation is not significant, these preventive methods work well if the occupants keep the area clean and well-maintained. Families who are worried about the effects of chemicals might not even need chemical treatments for their home if the prevention step has addressed the problem.

Control of Pests
If preventive methods still cannot address the problem, then the pest control services in Singapore will evaluate the risks and benefits of using other measures. This is where the monitoring and identification step is very crucial because some insecticides or sprays should work only on the target pests to disrupt their mating. Mechanical methods such as trapping and baiting to kill rats are also studied carefully for quality and guaranteed pest control results.

Years of technological advancement brought us GPS and Google Maps – but what if your phone turns into a brick when you need it or you can’t get any reception? A physical map is perhaps a tourist’s best friend, especially when you don’t speak the language or if there’s no one around to ask for directions.

Though map-reading is slowly becoming an obsolete skill in a world that grows more interconnected each day, it’s still an important thing to learn to know where you are. Here’s how to read one in 4 easy steps:

Step 1. Have the right map
Be sure to look at the map title when choosing a map to guide you. Different kinds of maps have different uses. While road maps are made for drivers and would highlight byways and fly-overs, tourist maps highlight landmarks, with topographic maps designed mostly for hikers and backpackers.

Step 2. Understand it
Most maps are oriented with north at the top. If you’re not sure, find the compass rose on the map to see where it’s oriented. If there is no compass rose, assume that the map is oriented north. You should also look at the scale, which for most maps is located at the bottom.

The scale ratio indicates how many units of distance between points on the map are equivalent to how many units of distance in real life. For example, maps for walking distance have ratios of 1:25,000, while driving maps have a 1:190,000 ratio.

Topographical hitchhiker maps also include contour lines. Lines that are closer together indicate steep land: the closer the lines, the steeper the land. If they’re far from each other, you’re looking at a flatter surface.

Step 3. Examine the legends
These may vary depending on the map you have, but most legends are indicated this way:

• Mountains – brown or green
• Bodies of water – blue
• Large areas of vegetation (forests, parks, golf courses, etc.) – green
• City limits/boundaries – pink/yellow, boldness indicates importance/population size
• Roads – Lines (broken/unbroken, colors may vary depending on map)

Step 4. Orient yourself
Find common topographical features such as road names or bridges and natural features such as rivers. If you’re not sure where you exactly are, look at two landmarks that you can see around you and find them on the map.

Your relative position should be somewhere between these two points. From there, look for closer landmarks to zero in your location. This method is called “triangulation”, and is taught to soldiers and sailors to determine where they are.

Now that you know how to read a map, you can use it to get from place to place. Just remember where landmarks are so you would know if you missed a turn.