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You've finally escaped your daily grind, jetted off to paradise, and now you're... exhausted? Welcome to the modern vacation conundrum. In the words of a well-spoken colleague, this is "where YOLO meets FOMO in an epic battle for your precious holiday time". The overplanning trap Many of us are hardwired for productivity because we're pressed for time. Everything from errands to visits to workouts must be scheduled in a bid to save time. At times, it seems like the only goal is to save time, rather than saving time for rest and relaxation. Naturally, this habit extends to whenever we plan our holidays. Every day of annual leave is precious and must be maximised. Failure to do so leads to time wasted as you frantically Google where to go for your next meal. Too much planning ruins a holiday. You'll end up just trying to execute the plan as opposed to enjoying yourself. (Image: Unseen Studio, Unsplash) One of my good friends is a Type A personality who is so goal-oriented that his holidays have no room for spontaneity. I have no plans to ever travel with him (you cannot pay me enough to do so), as his itineraries are planned by the hour. The result of being so productivity-driven is not just fatigue, but sian-ness, and for the unhappy ones who have no say in the matter, a bitter memory. It's what causes us to declare that we need another holiday to make up for the tiring one. Do less and do the opposite Personally, I start by thinking about what I want to see, eat, and do, then use Google to find those places and compare ratings. Like most, I watch YouTube videos to get a sense of whether an attraction is worth visiting. This process alone takes significant time and energy before I've even left. I make a list of five things I want to eat and five places I want to visit at my destination. Anything else, such as shopping or sightseeing, is left to chance. Meaning I'll consider these if there's time. A cold drink, a hat, and a pair of shades are great ingredients to unwind with. (Image: S'well, Unsplash) What about FOMO? While it's true that nobody likes missing out on things, allowing FOMO to influence your plans is harmful. I get that missing out on a particular dish or attraction means having to travel to that country all over again, but racing from one activity to the next (like in The Amazing Race) is not a holiday. Unscheduled wanderings and surprise discoveries can create cherished memories. For instance, while strolling through a Seoul neighbourhood in search of lunch, a friendly woman invited us to try her restaurant's dishes. It was a small, five-table place with delicious food and wonderful service. Why not spend your vacation catching up on your reading? (Image: Link Hoang, Unsplash) What made it memorable, though, was her seeming disappearance after seating us. Today, we can't help but laugh whenever we recall this, wondering if we'd been invited in by a ghost! On another trip to Taipei, my wife and I sought out a popular beef noodle shop, only to find it closed for the day. As we roamed, we stumbled upon a humble alternative, where the beef noodles tasted homecooked rather than chef-prepared. Beyond the warm service, what made this place special was the family allowing their docile dog to mingle with diners, adding to the cosy atmosphere. Or better still, spend the day relaxing in a pool as opposed to jostling with crowds. (Image: Haley Phelps, Unsplash) Let go and go with the flow When it comes to holidays, sometimes no plans are really the best plans. Venture out without a schedule and see what you discover. You can even hop onto a bus or train and alight at a random stop to explore. After a few hours, return to your hotel for a nap. Constant activity hardly promotes de-stressing. In fact, some friends now travel just to indulge in the luxury of sleeping in, something difficult to do back home. And instead of constantly updating social media with photos and videos, focus on being present. After all, documenting every moment turns relaxation into another task. So instead of FOMO, make JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) the goal during your next trip. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you when you return fully recharged. – Jeremy Main image: freestocks, Unsplash

Volvo Cars bets on electric vehicles Volvo Cars is only going to sell electric vehicles by 2030, the Swedish firm has said. It will phase out all car models with internal combustion engines by then, including hybrids. The carmaker is also planning to invest heavily in online sales and simplifying its products. It is trying to capitalise on growing demand for electric cars, including in China, which is already one of its biggest markets. Carmakers are also responding to pressure from governments around the world to beef up their electric car plans. New cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, for example. "To remain successful, we need profitable growth. So instead of investing in a shrinking business, we choose to invest in the future - electric and online," said chief executive Hakan Samuelsson. Its online push means customers will be able to order cars to their own specification online, but also through a dealership. Volvo will not be investing in cars with hydrogen fuel cells, as it does not think there will be enough demand from customers. There is also a question mark over hydrogen's availability in comparison with charging points for electric cars, a spokesman said. Volvo previously announced that by 2025, half of its sales would be fully electric, with the rest being hybrids. "There is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine," said Henrik Green, the firm's chief technology officer. In February, Volvo abandoned plans to merge with Chinese car giant Geely. But the two companies said instead that they would form a partnership to make components for electric cars that would be used by both firms. Global carmakers continue to pursue alliances to spread the cost of the transition to electric cars, tougher emission rules and autonomous driving, as well as pooling expertise and resources. In January, shareholders approved a merger between Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA Group, creating the world's fourth biggest carmaker. The new group, Stellantis, would be able to "bet big on new innovations in electric, connected and autonomous vehicles", analysts said at the time. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56245618

Charging your phone battery can be inconvenient and take awhile, but what if you could get a proper power refueling in just a few minutes? Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore say they developed a lithium-ion battery that can go from zero to 70% power capacity in two minutes. Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in phones and tablets. See also: 7 Ways to Preserve Your Battery Life on iOS 8 Perhaps even more importantly, the battery lasts much longer than the ones we have now, an attribute that could boost the electric car industry, developers said. The new battery is supposed to last for 10,000 cycles, a lifespan estimated at two decades and more than 10 times longer than what we're used to. The new battery is supposed to last for 10,000 cycles, a lifespan estimated at two decades In contrast, Apple says its phone batteries are designed to "retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles." Generally, the more you recharge a battery, the more it loses its luster over time. The breakthrough here is with the battery's anode or negative pole, which traditionally works with graphite. The graphite is replaced with a newly developed gel made from an "abundant, cheap and safe" material called titanium dioxide that's found in soil. It's also an active ingredient in sunscreen. The researchers were able to morph the spherically-shaped titanium dioxide into tubular strands that are 1,000-times thinner than a human hair. The gel speeds up reactions taking place inside the new battery, propelling the hyper-fast recharging. The researchers think the battery's most important impact will be on the electric car industry. Potential adopters can be turned off by the long recharge times and shorter battery lifespans for electric vehicles. With this battery, however, recharging your car — timewise — wouldn't be so far off from filling up a tank a gas. It should take about five minutes to give you enough power to get back on the road and 15 minutes for a full charge, the researchers said in a statement. Replacement batteries for electric cars are costly, too, with some priced at more than $5,000. Another benefit is that it would cut down on waste resulting from battery disposals. When talking about "breakthroughs" for battery technology, expectations can be very high. Don't treat this as consumer reality just yet, but it's good to know that scientists are trying to make batteries more efficient. Developers expect the new batteries to hit the market in the next two years.

http://www.witricity.com/pages/application.html install the device on top of car park ceiling, like that every car can charge up without plugging to socket or electric kiosk....this company has the potential man.....keep a lookout for its listing in Nasdaq in future however the constant and long exposure of EMF to human may bring side effects.

Becareful When U charge your Mobile Phone [sweatdrop] http://www.mediafire.com/?41b1jmz4zqe

An interesting article from Carma webby..........checkout here: http://www.carma.com.sg/news/news.php?id=519

My maintenance battery has flaten out the other day cos' I left my lights on for days. Can I recharge thhe flaten battery and use it again ? Thanks for your adivces.