Scientists unveil formula for a great cup of tea

Six minutes to a perfect chai

The secret of serving a perfect cup of tea could lie in a mathematical formula. According to this formula for the ideal brew, it's best to drink a cup of tea exactly six minutes after it's made. The team of researchers from the University of Northumbria, UK, who were commissioned by a milk company, spent 180 hours in the lab testing brewing methods and a panel of volunteers consumed 285 cups of tea. "When enjoying a cup of tea, our palette requires a balance between bitterness and sweetness," said senior lecturer Ian Brown, a food and nutrition expert in the university's School of Life Sciences and lead researcher. "Our findings show that 10 ml is the preferred amount of milk for our cuppas, due to its ability to balance natural bitterness and allow a smoother taste sensation," he added. FINER POINTS TO A GREAT CUPPA The optimum brewing time is two minutes and the ideal amount of milk is 10ml The perfect drinking temperature of 60 degrees Celsius is achieved six minutes later — but after 17 minutes and 30 seconds the tea will be past its best as it falls below 45 degrees Celsius MATHEMATICS IN THE KITCHEN Here's the formula the scientists have come up with: TB + (H2O at 100 degrees centigrade) 2mins BT + C (10ml) 6mins BT = PC (at OT 60 degrees centigrade). TB means tea bag, BT is brewing time, C is milk, PC means perfect cuppa, and OT stands for optimum temperature. The perfect drinking temperature of 60C is achieved six minutes later — but after 17 minutes and 30 seconds the tea will be past its best as it falls below 45C, they said.

TIME WISE: Tea is best when brewed for only two minutes

SIPPING DELIGHT: Scientists suggest 10 ml milk for a perfect cup

A kiwi gives you plenty

Kiwifruit is one of the most nutrient-dense fruits and has high levels of Vitamin C, minerals, antioxidant and phytonutrients, which offer 24/7 protection to the body.

Zespri launches the Gold Kiwifruit, which has outshone other popular fruits such as oranges, cranberries, bananas, apples and mangoes in terms of Vitamin C and fibre content. Besides its cool, sweet and tangy taste, there are numeroushealth benefits that everyone can enjoy. It helps prevents colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration and the most common of all , diabetes. It also keeps cold and flue away, improves the digestive system, protects against asthma and increases uptake of iron, particularly for children. The Gold Kiwifruit is available at all major retail stores and local street vendors.

REFRESHING: Kiwi

DEAR SUMMER....

IT IS OFFICIAL, YOU HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED. WOOWHOOOO.....AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, ANYTHING GOES IN 2011 FASHION WISE. THERE WAS A TIME WHERE YOU  WERE THE ONLY SEASON THAT OWNED THE COLOR WHITE. WE ONLY WORE WHITE BETWEEN THE HOLIDAYS OF MEMORIAL DAY TO LABOR DAY. IF WE WERE CAUGHT WEARING WHITE ANYTIME OUTSIDE OF THOSE MONTHS, WE WERE LIABLE TO HAVE THE FASHION POLICE CALLED ON US.....BUT NOW, I'M SAD TO REPORT (SAD FOR YOU BUT HAPPY FOR FASHION) THAT WHITE HAS GAVE UP ITS COMMITMENT TO JUST YOU. WHITE IS NOW FLIRTING AND DATING OTHER SEASONS. PLEASE DON'T BE UPSET, JUST THINK OF IT AS SHARING....BUT BECAUSE YOU  HAD IT FIRST, I'VE FOUND YOU SOME EXCLUSIVE HOTT ACCESSORIES THAT WE WOULD ONLY WANT TO SPORT WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING....OH AND SUMMER, THE WINTER DEFINITELY WORE WHITE OUT THIS WINTER WITH ALL THE SNOW SO PLEASE DON'T LEAVE SO FAST, ITS TIME TO SHOW WINTER WHAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH................

CURLING WAND METHOD

WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS LOOK?

Here are the tools needed:
- Shampoo
-Conditioner
- Leave in conditioner (optional but highly recommended when applying heat)
- Towel (t-shirt optional)
- Blow dryer
- Rat tail comb
- Flat iron (optional~to get a little straighter than the blow dryer)
- Light sheen or oil mist
-Curling wand

Shampoo and condition hair........apply leave in (optional) and towel blot hair......Hand blow dry hair in four sections (more if your hair is thicker).........with a rat tail comb, section off medium size pieces of hair and run flat iron over hair once (this step is optional).......Clip all hair up out of your way except for the section you're working on. Spray each section, comb with rat tail comb to evenly distribute spray and to even your hair out, wrap hair around top of the curly wand and continue to wrap down the wand until your hair ends......And TADA, mission complete!

~Send photos in if you try it~

TIME HEALS ALL BALD SPOTS

After roughly 6 1/2 months, I am happy to report my bald spots have finally started growing back in. I was told to give it a while (with any specific time frame) and I'll start to see growth but that wasn't a good enough answer for me. I needed to know when, if ever, it was going to grow back. I made several trips to the dermatologist, primary care doctor, beauty supply store for products, and the list goes on. Nothing had seemed to be working. So after about 4 months of that, I stopped. I left it alone and went on to caring for my hair as I did before the discovery of the bald spots. The other day I went to check on them and i could find them. So I started parting my hair in itsy bitsy sections so I can target right in on them and I STILL could find them. What I did find was little patches of hair that was drastically shorter than the rest of my hair...That's when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.....
So sometimes it's just best to leave thing alone and let things be. I also found other short pieces of hair in the very middle crown area. I'm not sure what caused the breakage but I decided to give the twist outs and wetting my hair everyday a break. I gave my hair a good 4 hour oil treatment (cayenne pepper/EVOO mix and coconut oil), shampooed my hair b/c of product build up and deep conditioned my hair. I then applied some Chi Silk Infusion in my hair and blow dried it and flat ironed. Results are posted below. It's been a while since I applied heat to my hair so I had to switch up. Plus I like to do a length check ever once in a while. My hair is almost back to original length prior to me going natural. Check it out and feel free to ask questions and or comment.
CHOW.......
PJ-1

Freshly blow dried

Leela James watch out ~lol~

Freshly flat ironed

No I'm not naked...Tube shirt

Showing how lite (weightless) my hair is

Products used to acheive the look.....Point! Blank! Period!

A to Z Of STRESS MANAGEMENT

A to Z Of STRESS MANAGEMENTAlways take time for yourself, at least 30 minutes per day.Be aware of your own stress meter: Know when to step back and cool down.Concentrate on controlling your own situation, without controlling everybody else.D aily exercise will burn off the stress chemicals.Eat lots of fresh fruit, veggies, bread and water, give your body the best for it to perform at its

Top 10 Ways Of Stress Management

Top 10 Ways Of Stress Management It is agreeable that stress has become part and parcel of the everyday life of the modern man and woman as a result of career issues, family, financial constraints, physical disabilities, divorce, sitting in traffic while getting to work, organizing a presentation, death and deadline issues amongst others. However, we do have an option to how we respond to stress.

10 Tips for Good Digestion

10 Tips for Good Digestion1. Eat in order of digestibility.You should eat the easiest to digest foods first in each meal and slowly move towards the more complex.Think of a highway, if the slowest cars are in front they'll hold up the faster cars behind them, causing a trafficjam. The same goes for your food. Eat those fastest to digest first and save the tougher to digest foods forthe second

Top 10 Reasons To Exercise In The Morning

Top 10 Reasons To Exercise In The MorningIf I had to pick a single factor that I thought was most important in a successful exercise program, it would be to exercise first thing in the morning - every morning! Some mornable to fit in a 10 minute walk, but it's important to try to do something every morning.So why exercice in the morning? Below are some reasons that would help you know why it is

10 funky facts about beetroot

10 funky facts about beetrootIt's far sexier than it looks.It's far sexier than it looks.We all know that it stains everything it touches, tastes good and is almost disturbingly healthy.What you might not know is that beetroot crops up in mythology and legend all over the place.You probably also don’t realise that beetroots are all about sex and love.Here then, in absolutely no particular order