Angel's Secret Garden: November 2010

Friday, November 26, 2010

Travel guide to Hokkaido, Japan

Hokkaido {北海道} is one of my "must go" places when I travel to Japan. Hokkaido formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yesso or Yeso. Hokkaido is an island in the northernmost of Japan and consist of the 22% of the total land area of the country yet only 5% of the population lives here. As an island, Hokkaido is currently being the 21th largest islands in the world. It's really hard to imagine the fact of it. There are many attractions in Hokkaido, including skiing, hiking, camping, motorcycling, biking, rafting, canoeing, fishing…even bird-watching. Hence, I'm going to bookmark a few places that you shouldn't be missed when travel to Hokkaido.

Furano Lavender Farm

In Furano Lavender Farm, you'll impress with the purple carpet of lavenders on the vast land of Hokkaido. Enjoy the flowers covering hills, mountains and the sky. Its magnificent view will definitely touches your heart.

Akan National Park

Akan National Park is protected and run by the government in Hokkaido. This expansive park (905 sq km) contains volcanic peaks, large caldera lakes and thick forests. The park's attractions are its three sparkling clear mountain lakes, the eponymous Lake Akan, Lake Mashū and Lake Kussharo. The volcanoes spawned from the lakes featured an amazing natural scenic landscape weaving together forests, lakes and volcanoes.

Noboribetsu Onsen Hot Spring

Noboribetsu-onsen attracts people by its various springs with nine different qualities. The three most popular hot springs that can beautify your skin are sulfur spring, ferruginous spring and alum spring. This is really a good experience for you to see beautiful scenery, and banish the fatigue of travel in the hot spring.

Niseko Ski/Snowboarding

If you ask skiers and snowboarders in Japan,“which ski and snowboarding slopes do you want to visit most in the country?”, then many of them will probably answer“Hokkaido's!”. The Hokkaido's slopes have the finest powder snow compared to other slopes in Japan. You will love the experience of skiing/snowboarding on the finest powder snow, plus snowboarding on the snowfield and banana-boat on the frozen lake are assures you to have great fun. And, Niseko is the most famous ski resort in Hokkaido.

Sapporo ~ Beautiful National Scenery

Every city in Hokkaido is designed in an articulate manner so that nature and the cities function harmoniously. Especially, Sapporo is the biggest city of all the cities in the Northern part of Japan after Tokyo whose population marks over 1.8 million. You will be surprised to learn its cutting-edge culture and to find many inspirations as well as plenty of nature in the heart of Sapporo city. Also, both Hakodate and Otaru, cities located in the South of Hokkaido and North of Sapporo, have a somewhat nostalgic atmosphere because of Western culture brought into the cities more than 100 years ago. Those two cities are definitely worth dropping by when you visit Hokkaido!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Interesting facts that you never knew in life... Trivia II

Great interesting facts or knowledge that you never knew in life continue..... Enjoy the trivia II that I've gathered for you and..... me.

51. Wasps taste like pine nuts, beetles taste like an apple and best of all… if you run out of bacon for Sunday breakfast you can eat worms from the garden because they taste like bacon.

52. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand 7 feet, 2 inches tall.

53. Most people are an inch taller at night.

54. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

55. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

56. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

57. Blueberry juice boosts memory

58. The flea can jump 350 times its body length.

59. Each year, about 500,000 detectable earthquakes occur in the world. About 100,000 of those can be felt and about 100 of them cause damage.

60. A queen bee lays 1500 eggs a day

61. The city of Portland in Oregon was named after a coin toss in 1844. Heads for Portland and tails for Boston.

62. The African cicada fly spends 17 years sleeping, then wakes up for two weeks, mates and then die.

63. The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.

64. The tongue is the only body muscle that is attached from one end only.

65. Starfish don't have brains.

66. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

67. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

68. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world's nuclear weapons combined.

69. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.

70. The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.

71. Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

72. Kangaroos can not walk backwards.

73. Most alcoholic beverages contain all 13 minerals necessary to sustain human life.

74. Non-dairy creamer is flammable.

75. The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com.

76. How does a shark find fish? It can hear their hearts beating.

77. Penguins can convert salt water into fresh water.

78. Avocados have more protein than any other fruit.

79. The average car produces a pound of pollution every 25 miles!

80. The most powerful electric eel is found in the rivers of Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, and Peru, and produces a shock of 400-650 volts.

81. Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.

82. When a giraffe's baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt.

83.One of the ingredients in dynamite is peanuts.

84. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

85. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

86. The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

87. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.

88. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

89. 23% of all photocopier faults world-wide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.

90. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.

91. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

92. Goldfish's memory lasts only three seconds.

93. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

94. Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

95. On average people fear spiders more than they do death.

96. 90% of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants.

97. The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.

98. An Albatross can sleep while it is flying.

99. One-gallon of used motor oil can ruin about one million gallons of fresh water

100. The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Interesting facts that you never knew in life... Trivia I

The world is full of many interesting things/facts that never explore or even knew by us. Why does this happen? Because we never thought of it, never need to learn it, and never need to use it. Hence, I would love to share some of the interesting facts that you never knew in life... Trivia.... Enjoy....

1. A baby is born with 300 bones while an adult has only 206.

2. A cockroach can live about 9 days without it’s head.

3. The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.

4. Elephants are the only animal in the world who can’t jump.

5. Butterfly tastes with their feet.

6. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

7. Apples are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

8. Turtles can breathe through their butts.

9. The chicken is the closest relative to the T Rex.

10. If you sneeze too hard you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force they can pop out.

11. Your stomach must produce a new layer of mucus every 14 days so it doesn’t digest itself.

12. Another word for junk food is “Lubberwort.”

13. Coca Cola is actually green before coloring is added to it.

14. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

15. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.

16. The first condom was invented in the 1500’s and was made of linen.

17. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.

18. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

19. Horses can't vomit.

20. A snail can sleep for three years.

21. An elastic band will last longer if it is refrigerated.

22. Pearls melt in vinegar.

23. The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.So did the first “Marlboro Man.”

24. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

25. The full name for Los Angeles is, “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncul.

26. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley’s gum.

27. The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache.

28. Camel’s milk will never curdle.

29. The first local anesthetic ever used was Cocaine.

30. Humans shed about 600,000 particles or 150 pounds of skin in a lifetime.

31. When exiting a cave, bats always turn left.

32. Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first U.S. president whose name contains all the letters from the word “criminal.”

33. It is physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

34. No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven times.

35. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

36. It is impossible to kill yourself by holding your breath.

37. A slug has 4 noses.

38. A Giraffe can clean it’s ears with it’s tongue.

39. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.

40. "Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

41. Right handed people live an average of 9 years longer than lefties.

42. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs... but not downstairs.

43. One ounce of chocolate contains 6 mg of caffeine.

44. In ancient Egypt , priests plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.

45. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

46. 85% of the world’s foliage grows in the ocean.

47. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

48. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

49. No word in the English language rhymes with "MONTH".

50. All polar bears are left handed.

I've gathered more interesting facts that you never knew in life.... Want to learn/know more? Stay tuned.....

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

50 Most Stunning & Impressive Reflection Photography

Seeing stunning, remarkable and impressive photography can really spice up my day! I've been browsing through the internet to look for the hidden natural beauty ~ Reflection Photography. Reflection photography can be explored easily on reflective surfaces like glass, mirror, and water. However, it will only becomes a piece of great artwork when an expertise captured a perfect shot and displayed them in a newly creative perspective. I've featured some of the greatest reflection photography to inspire you.