Causes of and Solutions to Frugal Fatigue (节俭疲劳症)

Have you ever attempted to save money to such a degree that you are not enjoying your life anymore? If so, you could be suffering from frugal fatigue. Simply (put), frugal fatigue refers to being sick and tired of attempting to save every penny that you earn. When you are determined to prioritize your savings, it can be initially (tempt) to cut out every single luxury item from your budget. However, the problem with this strategy is that in the long run, you may experience burnout from allowing yourself no luxuries whatsoever.

Frugal fatigue can be compared to extreme dieting. Someone attempting to diet in order to lose weight decide to give up all treats such as chocolate, cakes, and alcohol, of which presents health risks if consumed in moderation. months of eating nothing but vegetables and snacking on fruits alone, it would be no surprise if one became fed up with dieting. What tends to happen in the cases of frugal fatigue is that the individual in question suddenly reaches a breaking point he goes on a spending spree (狂欢) to get relief. This causes them to lose all the savings that they (store) up thus far, and then they suffer from financial anxiety again.

So, how does one prevent frugal fatigue? One method is to avoid adopting an all-or-nothing attitude. (plan) a careful budget that not only enables you to save money but also allows you the occasional luxury purchase. This way, you will not feel you are robbing yourself of all treats. Another effective strategy is to establish realistic goals for saving. Try to break up your financial goals into manageable milestones. Be sure to keep very clear reasons in mind for you are saving, whether it's for a vacation or a retirement fund.

Ancient Civilizations Had Game Nights Too!

Morten Ramstad, a researcher at the University of Bergen, Norway, and his team spotted one of the rare objects while unearthing the remains of an Early Iron Age (400-300 BC) burial site in Western Norway. Burying loved ones with basic necessities like ceramic pots and clothing, to ensure their in the afterlife, was a fairly common tradition in ancient cultures. However, the families of some lucky individuals went a step further by a board game for entertainment.

Though the game board was , the archeologists, who revealed their findings on April 5, 2020, managed to recover the dice (骰子) and 18 circular game pieces. Unlike the modern-day cubical (立体的) dice, which are with a different number of dots from one to six on each face, the ancient game counter was square and had bulls-eye like , which indicated zero to five on each of its four faces. The researchers suspect it may have been by the oldest-known board game — the "Game of Mercenaries". The two-person strategy game, which dates back to the 3rd century BC, was believed to be similar to modern-day chess.

The archeologists, who also unearthed remains of pottery jars and a bronze needle at the burial site believe the game pieces indicate the dead was a wealthy individual. In ancient civilizations, board games were a status symbol, signifying the owner's high social and economic . They indicated an individual's intellectual ability and also proved he/she could afford to spend time on such activities.

"These are status objects that bear witness to with the Roman Empire, where they liked to enjoy themselves with board games," Ramstad said. "People who played games like this were from the upper class. The game showed that they had the time, profits, and ability to think strategically."

The researchers planned to put the game pieces in a museum as the discovery provides insights into Norway's social structure during the Early Iron Age and gives some ideas of what tabletop looked like during ancient times, at least for the upper class.

Bad Dreams Are Good!

Most of us dream, whether we remember them or not. What are dreams for? A handful of 1 dominate. Sigmund Freud famously maintained that they reveal hidden truths and wishes. More recent research suggests that they may help us process intense emotions, or perhaps sort through and strengthen memories, or 2 random neuron (神经元) activity, or prepare responses to threatening situations. Others argue that dreams have no evolutionary function, but simply 3 personal concerns.

Despite being largely unsupported by 4, Freud's view maintains a strong following around the world. Researchers found that students in the U.S., South Korea, and India were much more likely to say that dreams reveal hidden truths than to accept better 5 theories. In the same study, respondents said that dreaming about a plane crash would cause them more 6 than an official warning about a terrorist attack. Even if dreams can't foretell the future, they seem to 7 our shared fascinations. The majority of dreams occur during REM sleep (深度睡眠) cycles, of which the average person has four or five a night.

A study of Canadian university students found the most common dream topics include school, falling, being chased, and arriving too late for something. For all the commonalities dreams 8, they vary across time and culture — people who grew up watching black-and-white TV are more likely to dream in black and white. A 1958 study 9 that compared with Japanese people, Americans dreamed more about being locked up, losing a loved one, finding money, being 10 dressed or encountering a mad person. Japanese people were more likely to dream about school, trying repeatedly to do something, being paralyzed with fear, or "wild, violent beasts." If human dreams sound 11, bear in mind that even negative ones can have positive effects.

In a study of students taking a French medical school entrance exam, 60 percent of the dreams they had beforehand 12 a problem with the exam, such as being late or leaving an answer blank. But those who reported 13 about the exam, even bad ones, did better on it than those who didn't. So the next time you dream about an education related experience in which you are unable to answer the questions or solve a problem, don't 14: It's probably totally meaningless. Then again, your brain might be practicing so you'll be 15 if such an event ever comes to pass.

Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast, mixing up words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny.

Jonas smiled, remembering the morning that Asher had dashed into the classroom, late as usual, arriving breathlessly in the middle of the chanting of the morning anthem (国歌). When the class took their seats at the conclusion of the patriotic song, Asher remained standing to make his public apology as was required.

"I apologize for inconveniencing my learning community." Asher ran through the standard apology phrase rapidly, still catching his breath. The Instructor and class waited patiently for his explanation.

"I left home at the correct time but when I was riding along near the pool, the crew was separating some salmon. I guess I just got distraught, watching them."

"I apologize to my classmates," Asher concluded. He smoothed his messy collar and sat down.

"We accept your apology, Asher." The class recited the standard response in unison. Many of the students were biting their lips to keep from laughing.

"I accept your apology, Asher," the Instructor said. He was smiling. "And I thank you, because once again you have provided an opportunity for a lesson in language. ‘Distraught' is too strong an adjective to describe salmon viewing." He turned and wrote "distraught" on the instructional board. Beside it he wrote "distracted."

Jonas, nearing his home now, smiled at the recollection.

Thinking, still, as he wheeled his bike into its narrow port beside the door, he realized that frightened was the wrong word to describe his feelings, now that December was almost here. It was too strong an adjective.

He had waited a long time for this special December, when the Ceremony of the Twelve will be held and the future assignment will be announced by the Elders in the committee.

Now that it was almost upon him, he wasn't frightened, but he was... eager, he decided. He was eager for it to come. And he was excited, certainly. All of the Elevens were excited about the event that would be coming so soon. But there was a little tremble of nervousness when he thought about it, about what might happen.

Anxious, Jonas decided. That's what I am.

Identifying the chemical makeup of pigment (色素) used in ancient documents, paintings, and watercolors is critical to restoring and conserving the precious artworks. However, despite numerous efforts, scientists had been unable to determine the source of folium, a popular blue dye used to color manuscripts (手稿) in Europe during the middle ages — from the 5th to the 15th century. Now, a team of researchers from Portugal has finally uncovered the mysterious ingredient responsible for the gorgeous blueish-purple color that helped bring ancient illustrations and texts to life.

The research team began by poring over instructions penned by European dye makers from the 12th, 14th, and 15th centuries. They found what they were seeking in a 15th-century text entitled The Book on How to Make All the Color Paints for Illuminating Books. However, translating the instructions was no easy task. It was written in the now extinct Judaeo-Portuguese language, and though the source of the dye was traced back to a plant, no name was mentioned.

However, by piecing together suggestions from the text, the scientists were able to determine that the dye was made from the bluish-green berries of the chrozophora tinctoria plant. After an extensive search, the team found a few varieties of the plant growing along the roadside near the town of Monsaraz in south Portugal.

The detailed instructions gave the researchers critical clues — including the best time to pick the berries. "You need to squeeze the fruits, being careful not to break the seeds, and then to put them on linen (亚麻)." The scientist says the detail was important since broken seeds polluted the pigment, producing an inferior quality ink. The dyed linen, which was left to dry, was an efficient way to store and transport the pigment during ancient times. When needed, the artist would simply cut off a piece of the cloth and dip it with water to squeeze out the blue color.

Once the key ingredient had been identified, the researchers began to determine the dye's molecular structure. To their surprise, they found that folium was not like any other known permanent blue dyes — it was an entirely new class of color, one they named chrozophoridin. "Chrozophoridin was used in ancient times to make a beautiful blue dye for painting." the team wrote in the study. "Thus, we believe that this will not be our final word on this amazing plant and its story and that further discoveries will follow soon."

Managing Time with the Pomodoro Technique

In work, as well as in life, doing what needs to be done in order to reach our goals can be difficult. Luckily, one of the most efficient and most popular time management techniques is also one of the world's simplest — the Pomodoro Technique.

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. Each block is known as a pomodoro, the Italian word for "tomato." Cirillo named the system after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that he used to track his work time when he was studying as a university student. He developed a habit of doing short blocks of work followed by resting periods. He realized this method could help him work with time instead of struggling against it.

In 2006, Cirillo published his Pomodoro Technique manual for people to download free of charge. The Pomodoro technique can be applied in almost all parts of our life. It was built around a handful of important steps. First, choose a task that you'd like to get done. What matters is that you are ready to give it your full attention.

Next, set a timer for 25 minutes. Try to spend the full 25 minutes with your complete attention on the task. Then, when the timer goes off, take a five-minute break. Sit back, have a drink, go for a short walk, or do something else that is not work-related. Once you have completed four of these 30-minute cycles, treat yourself to a longer break that lasts 15 to 30 minutes.

After trying the Pomodoro Technique, you may want to experiment a little. Some people have found that 90-minute blocks work best, while others might perform better with more flexible periods. It varies from person to person. Just remember, like many things in life, simpler is often better!

A. In theory, the longer break will allow your brain to relax, reset, and get ready for the next round of Pomodoros.

B. Without a good system in place, it is easy to lose focus, waste time, and lose track of our most important tasks.

C. While you are working, block out all unnecessary distractions.

D. It uses a timer to break down your work into 25-minute blocks separated by short breaks.

E. If you're managing a team, have everyone start the Pomodoro at the same time, and do breaks at the same time.

F. It can be something big, something small, or something that you've been putting off for months.

What Is Zero Waste?

The goal of the "zero waste" movement is to get rid of all waste from products. "Zero waste" means using every part of a product. Today, the zero waste idea can be found everywhere from food to fashion.

Creating a zero waste restaurant is a challenge. It is very difficult to use every part of produce and leave nothing behind. Creating a soup from unused ingredients is a popular way to use up extra food items. Other ways are more advanced. Some restaurants use coffee grounds (咖啡渣) to flavor dishes. Some cooks also crush shrimp shells and reuse them in sauces. While it's challenging, zero waste restaurants appear to be on the rise.

In the fashion industry, zero waste isn't a new idea. But in today's world of fast fashion, zero waste is growing more popular. Usually, cutting cloth creates lots of waste. In zero waste fashion, designers try to avoid this. One way to do so is by adding these extra pieces of cloth to the final design. Another way is to design clothing without wasteful cuts.

Beyond restaurants and fashion, there are many other possibilities for zero waste products. All restaurants need utensils (器皿). Bakey's is a company that is developing edible (可食用的) utensils. After using them, you can eat them! Their spoons are made of flour and come in all kinds of flavors. While these spoons are not hard enough to cut meat, they are perfect for rice dishes. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand is experimenting with edible coffee cups that are made by the company Twice. They have already introduced a line of flavored cups. After you finish your coffee, you eat the cup, just like a cookie!

Whether products are made to be edible or reusable, hopefully the movement will help reduce waste all over the world.

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