Big Bang machine

The Big Bang machine, aka Large Hadron Collider, is the world’s most expensive scientific instrument and is at the centre of a project that involves 10,000-plus scientists and engineers from more than 100 countries. The LHC is designed to cause atomic particles to collide at unimaginably high speeds, replicating the intensity of the atomic collision, or big bang, that many scientists believe was the beginning of the universe. The steel frame supporting the machine is huge, weighing as much as 3,000 Asian elephants. It thrills me to think about the ways it might change our world.

Photography

Feeling bored with the humdrum hobbies that you have relied on for entertainment since you were a kid? Get yourself a camera and watch the ways that your formerly dull free time becomes filled with the many possibilities of photography. Seriously, pick up a camera – it doesn’t matter if it’s a simple digital model or a high-tech SLR – and start snapping some shots. Start with something simple and photograph whatever is around you. Hone your photography skills by using ANYTHING that catches your eye and turning it into a strange or beautiful work of art. Trust me, you will be hooked after the first day.

How do they do it?

There are thousands of objects around us, but do we know exactly how they were made or how they work? No chance! Fortunately, there is a fantastic TV show called How do they do it? on Discovery Channel that answers those questions we might have. We can’t all be engineers, but we can learn the secrets of the industrial world with the fascinating facts presented in each episode. The investigation of everyday objects will make you realise how much you don’t know. How are light bulbs made? Exactly why are plasma TV screens flat? Don’t feel dim for not knowing; I didn’t either before I tuned in. You should too. I guarantee you will be fascinated.

Trunk sale

If you are watching dust collect on your old, unused belongings, you are missing an entrepreneurial opportunity. Trunk sales, also called yard sales or garage sales depending on the venue, are commonplace in many Western countries, but are rarely seen in Cambodia. The idea is to take stuff you don’t want and sell it to people. The sale relies on the notion that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. All you have to do is collect the clothes, shoes and books that has become useless, slap on a price tag, put the stuff into your car’s trunk, drive to a well-populated place, pop the trunk and the sale has begun. In no time your trash will turn into cash.

Tennis

Tennis is the most enjoyable outdoor exercise known to humanity. That’s a fact. What’s better is that it can be played by people of all ages and athletic ability, and it has the same stress-relieving result for everyone. If everyone played, the world would be a more peaceful place, as the collective anger of the Earth’s population would be taken out on furry rubber balls rather than each other. And don’t forget the calming effect brought on by that amazing sound of the ball hitting the sweet spot of your racquet. The sport is becoming more popular in the Kingdom, but there is still a pitiful number of places to play. The best place to get your swing on is Olympic stadium, where you can play for $2 an hour. Go early in the morning to make sure you get a court.