Tar! Heels! Tar! Heels! 

Whatever the perception out there about women and sports may or may not be true but at UNC basketball = life.  Before I came to UNC I cannot say when I watched an entire basketball game.  But, being at UNC has changed all that.  There is this sports culture that I have never experienced before. 

Previously, I did not particularly like sports at all.  The only sports game I watched was the super bowl and that only for the commercials.  But over the past year I have built up a love for UNC sports. 

 It all started when I was walking out of ram’s head dining hall and I saw the football stadium covered in a sea of Carolina blue.  Everyone was shouting “TAR HEELS” with one thought in mind: WIN!  From then on, I was a Tarheel. 

In conclusion, I don’t care much for sports and I do not know 90% of the teams in the NCAA brackets but I love UNC basketball.  I don’t find myself watching any other basketball games or any games that is with kind of heart and spirit as UNC basketball games. 

 And, in time for the elite eight, I want to offer you a recipe for a dip that never misses; Hummus. 

-Mince one garlic clove into the food processor

-Add one can of chick peas/garbanzo beans

-Add about 4 table spoons of tahini (like peanut butter but made with sesame seeds.  Easily found at Harris teeter)

-1/2 Freshly squeezed lemon

-A table spoon of olive oil

-A pinch of salt

-Add water according to the preferred texture

-Blend until smooth.  Then serve and enjoy! 

TAR!

A weekly column

 It is starting to get warmer and the shorts from the bottom of the closet are coming out.  I have heard that weather is a good indicator of the general mood, and seeing as the days seem to be getting more beautiful, all I see are smiles. But, remember, if the sun is out your sunscreen should be too.

We all welcome the sun and warmer weather, but if you are unarmed, it is not your friend.

Here are a few tips to keep you safe under the sun:

1) Wear sunscreen: I cannot stress enough how sunscreen is so important to healthy skin.  Wear sunscreen that has a SPF of higher than 15 every time you go out in the sun whether it is summer or winter the sun is still out.  There are so many sunscreens out there and some are even spray on so all you have to do is quickly spray it on your arms, legs, and face and within 15 seconds you are ready to go.  So do not be lazy or else you can face an unending list of damages to your skin like sunburn peeling skin, freckles, blisters, sunspots, wrinkles, and even skin cancer. 

2) Be careful of what kinds of sunglasses you wear: Yes sunglasses can be stylish but make sure they have the right UV protection or else they could be worse to your eyes than not having sunglasses at all.  The whole point of sunglasses is to provide shade so that your eyes do not absorb all that light or UV.  In darkness your eyes dilate to absorb more light and in bright areas your eyes constrict in order to allow less light into your eyes.  Sunglasses allow your pupils dilate but if your sunglasses do not contain UV protection, your dilated eyes are absorbing more UV than it would be if you had no sunglasses. So don’t just wear those sunglasses because they were only $4.99 at forever 21.  Make sure they have the right UV protection or else you could be hurting rather than helping.

3) Keep yourself hydrated: Recently, the Institute of Medicine reported that 8 glasses of water is actually less than what we should be drinking.  In actuality we should be drinking 91-125 ounces of water a day, which is about 2.7-3.7 liters including food and drinking.  More than half our body is water and the amount of water excreted by your body in sweat, urine, etc needs to be compensated with an intake of the same amount.  The easiest way to get yourself to drink more water is to constantly have a water bottle with you whether is plastic or stainless steel.  Also try to cut out those sugary drinks that in actuality make you thirstier.

The sun can do scary things but with the right precautions the sun can be great.  Take advantage of the weather; don’t let it take advantage of you. 

A weekly column

As I rode the escalator up to the top of Lenoir, I made eye contact with a man dressed in a tuxedo, a far cry from the t-shirt and jeans I was wearing.  He grabbed a rose out of a basket to give to me, and the 4 seconds between making eye contact and finally getting to the top of the escalator was the most awkward few moments of the week.  Many of us are getting roses this week but what is the significance of a rose?

Many of us give roses without thinking twice.  But, roses come in many different colors and each color can mean something different.  Below are a list of different colored roses and what they mean.

Red: This is the most common color of a rose, and it traditionally means love.  A red rose doesn’t always have to be picked for your significant other but for anyone that you love like family.  For example, my brother and I send red roses to our grandmother to tell her that even though we do not see her often, we love her. 

Pink: Pink can mean different things depending on shade but the most common meaning of a pink rose is admiration or gratitude.  A pink rose should be sent to someone to show great appreciation or someone who has helped you through hard times. 

Yellow: A yellow rose may be the sweetest rose to give to someone.  A yellow rose means friendship and hopefully between all your relationships, there is a basis of friendship. 

White: In a traditional sense white means innocence and purity and in the language or rose, it still holds this meaning.  There are actually many meanings attached to the white rose.  White roses are seen many times at weddings, which mean new beginnings.  On the other hand, they can also be used to represent remembrance of a past loved one. 

Orange: The color orange is a mix of yellow and red, which gives insight on the meaning of this rose.  The orange rose represents desire, excitement, and romance that can be used to say you want to move a relationship past just friendship.  An orange rose could give the red rose a run for its money!

Lavender: This beautiful, rich color catches the eye and, just as the color does, the lavender rose represents love at first sight.  First impressions last a long time, and giving a lavender rose could be a great way to make a positive, lasting impression. 

So, next time you give someone a rose put a little more thought into it. You could be saying something you mean or don’t mean to say.  Send mixed colors or a bouquet of one color depending on what you are trying to say.  Although Valentines Day is past, anytime throughout the year you can use roses to send a meaningful message. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, readers <3

(Note: The Angry Beard column will return next week; this week the author was out of town and out of a laptop)

A weekly column

Today I am going to divulge the mystery behind the subject of hiccups and offer a proven cure. 

Hiccups come at unexpected times and can be caused by many things that include eating too fast and eating spicy food.  Specifically, hiccups are usually caused by irritations in the diaphragm that result in spasms.  These spasms cause air to irregularly pull into your lungs.  When the air passes by the vocal chords, the result is what you know as the “hiccup” sound. 

In other words, the best way to avoid hiccups is to regulate your swallowing and eating so that your habits do not irritate your diaphragm.  Interestingly, there are some irregular cases in which the hiccups can last for weeks.  However, these incidences are another matter entirely that can be helped by the use of medication. 

When it comes to hiccups, everyone’s a doctor.  Many think they have a secret remedy to cure them.  These magical cures include the ever popular spoon full of sugar remedy to the more unique having one foot in cold water while dancing around cure.  According to Wikipedia (a most trusted source for many college students) home remedies for curing hiccups fall into three categories: diverting attention, swallowing, and altered breathing. Below I spell out my own personal remedy for curing hiccups.  The trick is to have a cure that encompases all three categories. 

The following is an easy three-step exercise to rid these hiccups fast.                      

1) Bend forward as far as possible

2) Drink a couple large sips of water while bending over.

3) Then hold your breath for 15 seconds after swallowing the water and then slowly stand up.

Hiccups generally go away with time, but in order to get rid of them faster I highly recommend the above three step process. It has never failed me.  If it does not work then you probably did it wrong.

But, perhaps you know of another cure that has been passed down in your family since Eve hiccupped after eating the apple.  If so, feel free to comment and let everyone know!

A weekly column

Welcome to Fast Cognition with Naomi Chun.  In this weekly feature I will keep you in the know about interesting issues not discussed anywhere else.  Fast Cognition will be a unique column full of helpful advice and random facts about a myriad of topics.

Today’s discussion is about dining hall food.  As college students it is, it seems, among our responsibilities to complain about the cafeteria food. Most of my conversations at the top of Lenoir are initiated by the question, “What is that?” But, believe it or not, comparatively, we have it pretty good.  Take for example the unlimited salad bar, the large choice of beverages, fruit, and pizza.   Inevitably, however, many of the most popular menu items served by the university are anything but healthy. But have no fear!  Below I offer what amount to three easy tips on how to stay healthy and cut down on calories.  It is a blueprint for surviving the dining hall.

1) Drink water:  Everyone knows the 8 cups a day rule but giving up the sweet drinks is just not appealing, especially with the flowing fountains of soda, juice, and that oh so sweet ice tea in the dining halls.  I myself am a coke fiend.  I drink about 2 or 3 cups of liquid during a meal.  But, here is the good news: you don’t have to give your habit up.  Simply by cutting down a little bit, you can make a dramatic impact.  For instance, try drinking two glasses of water and having one glass of coke.  Already, the calorie intake is reduced by 2/3.  That is 67%!  Even a little effort adds up during the week. 

2) Naked salad:  Salads are great things but sometimes overloading a salad can be pointless.  On your next trip to the salad bar try to add more vegetables and cut down on salad accessories like cheese, croutons, and dressing.  Adding veggies is always good.  Take cucumbers for example, they are mostly water so no harm there.  Also, cutting out the cheese in your salad can make a huge difference.  On average, one ounce of cheese contains about 100 calories; forgoing even this one accessory can more than shave some time on the treadmill.  Furthermore, croutons are bad news.  They are merely condensed carbs and are full of salt.  In other words, it is not all that good for you.  As to dressing, try not to drench the salad.  Dressing is supposed to accent the salad, not be the soup base for it.  If you have a hard time controlling your dressing intake try a different method.  One idea is to place the dressing in a side bowl, dip your fork in your dressing, and then grab a bite of lettuce.  This will allow you to have that creamy caesar without the guilt.

3) Question Special Lines:  Be afraid, be very afraid.  The trickiest specialty line is the wrap line.  Chicken, tuna, turkey wraps all sound very healthy right?  I mean, they are loaded with lettuce, tomato, and fresh ingredients.  Yes, turkey and vegetables are good but dining services usees large flour tortillas to wrap all that healthy goodness.  And, unfortunately, each tortilla contains over 250 calories.  That is a staggering amount of calories that are simply empty.  I recommend trying the sandwich line.  You can keep all those fresh ingredients but a slice of bread averages around only 60 calories. 

In conclusion, you don’t necessarily have to take all the soda and cookies and throw them down Mt Mordor like Mr. Frodo.  Just cut down on them.  The dining hall will be there tomorrow with some more cookies and soda.  It is all about portion size. 

That’s it for this week but be sure and join me next Sunday for more fast cognition.  Until then, I guess I’ll see you around at the dining halls.