Small things that may improve your quality of life

I wanted to share some small things that I have adopted into my lifestyle that improved my quality of life. These will be rather varied. I will be brief in this post, but if you have any questions, a quick search online will net you the answers, probably.

Tongue Scraping

I (to the best of MY self perception) have basically solved the problem of bad breath with the addition of an inexpensive (definitely under $10) tool and a 5-second routine to my everyday morning teeth brushing. Just scrape your tongue. It gets rid of the gunk that builds up on your tongue that causes bad breath. There's really no reason not to do this.

Learning how to hold and use a knife properly

This goes out to everyone, even those who don't cook often. You'll eventually find yourself holding a knife, and it is likely going to be the most physically dangerous thing you hold in your everyday life, barring power tools, perhaps.

It seems the proper way to hold the knife is unintuitive, as I see most people hold it by gripping the entire handle. You will want to pinch the knife blade with your thumb and middle finger, and use the remaining three fingers to hold the handle. This gives you much better control over the knife, plus the force applied is more centered.

Look how intact the guy's fingers are...

As I'm not an expert, I can't go too deep into cutting technique. But for your other hand, make sure your fingers are tucked in and only your knuckles protrude. This will ensure you do not chop any fingers off. The knuckles guide the blade.

Blue light glasses/night mode

Most of us use screens practically the entire day. If it's not our phones then it's our computers at work... unless you work at an oil field. Spare yourselves the eye strain and get a pair of glasses that filter blue light, or turn on night mode on your monitors. I do both, which is a little excessive. Trust me, I've been on the other end... I once spent half the day staring at my laptop screen, working on a university project. My eyes were so strained at the end of it, and that seemed to happen when I wasn't wearing my blue light glasses. Also, I have perfect vision and I plan to keep it that way, so my glasses are just a cheap degree-less pair with a filter.

I don't know... maybe you still need the glasses here?

Getting good tools for everyday use (for me, desk work)

I spend a lot of time on the computer and at my desk. I got myself a nice mechanical keyboard and an ergonomic (vertical) mouse since I'll be using them literally every day. I can't put myself in the shoes of those who don't use mechanical keyboards. They're strictly better than membrane keyboards, except in the realm of price (even then, not that much more expensive). As for the mouse, I can't say for sure whether it actually makes a difference that it's vertical, but I have one, at least.

I also got myself a nice fountain pen (Pilot Kakuno) with a converter, which allows me to refill ink from an inkwell. I write a lot on pen and paper; school/work notes, my journal, post-its... and nothing beats the tactile feeling that my fountain pen gives me. A close second are the MUJI pens. Each time I write, it's a treat and a half. I can't help but look at my stationery with joy. All my pens are as fine as they get, I prefer the precision of a fine tip.

Personal choices aside, what I'm saying here is: find the right tools for you, because you use them often. They should fit you like your clothes do. Make writing and typing a JOY to do... and perhaps you'll find a little more joy in the work you do.

How could you not love the smile!

That's all I can think of for now... Edit: I'm going to add one more thing because it came to me and it doesn't warrant a new post.

Cross Ventilation

I made a few Architecture friends in university, and the one thing I remember learning from them is the concept of cross-ventilation. In short, having two openings (like a window or door) on opposite ends of a structure creates air flow between. It's so simple it's easily taken for granted. Many benefits to this. There's the cool breeze, which is welcome in hot, hot, Singapore, and then there's the reduction of CO2 levels, which is ostensibly bad for you... regardless, if you spend a lot of time in a room, consider opening the windows strategically to get a little air flow in.