The world is a colourful place with everyone speaking different languages, wearing different clothes and having differing cultures. The countries of the world also differ in the instruments we play. Each is highly unique and played all over the world. Here are some of the biggest countries of the world, and their instruments:

America

Famed for its Country and Western music, America’s most famous instrument is the Banjo. The banjo has long since stood as the symbol of South American heritage, and has since found popularity all over the world. With its unique sound, the banjo has played a huge part in popular American music for over 200 years.

Africa

Africa is known the world over for its amazing array of musical instruments, and none are more traditional and famous than the handheld djembe drum. This type of African instrument, pronounced ‘jem-bay’, was originally played in religious ceremonies but is now a regular feature in many drumming circles and schools.

India

North India’s most famous musical instrument is the Sitar. The sitar is made up of metal frets and up to seven main cords. This instrument has grown in popularity all over the world and is now taught in many schools in the US and the UK.

Spain

The perfect accompaniment to the native Flamenco dancing, Castanets are one of Spain’s most famous instruments. Castanets are held in the hand and used to produce rhythmic accents through a series of rapid clicks. Tradition dictates that they are made of hardwood, although fibreglass alternatives are becoming increasingly more common.

Scotland

Scotland is, of course, the home of the bagpipes. This instrument is recognisable the world over, and produces a highly unique and beautiful sound. Bagpipes have always been played to accompany dancers but have become increasingly common all over the world in recent years. This instrument, is also notoriously difficult to play which only adds to its allure.

Australia

When you think of Australia you instantly think of two things: the wildlife, and the music. The didgeridoo is recognised all over the world for its unique look and sound. The didgeridoo saw a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to popular television personality and musician, Rolf Harris.

It becomes apparent how diverse the musical instruments of the world are. Learning about the music and instruments played by different cultures tells us a lot about their lives and traditions so introducing some of these instruments into schools is a great way to educate children.

Human beings spend as much as a third of our lifetimes sleeping. What if we could in some way still use that time frame to grow and develop? This is the essential dilemma that propels individuals who are focused on controlling dreams.

So, how to focus on this exciting task? How do we, to turn a phrase, expand our lives?

We’re going to review some prime methods here. Anything you read on the subject matter will recommend to start out with a dream notebook. I have used this system and I can tell you that it works. You have to remember your dreams to get the greatest use out of them. Keeping a pad or computer device at bedside and writing what you can remember just after waking up will focus your brain to recreate your dreams in greater detail.

Upon arising, try to stay loose and in a some-what sleepy state of mind.Think gently about what you were just dreaming. Write down what you can recall most recently and work in backwards order. Just scribble notes. You can organize it more intelligently once you have all of the details.

If you have difficulty recalling the dreams, here’s a little strategy: try setting your alarm for a time much earlier from when you would normally awaken. Then remain relaxed and put your notes in reverse order, as mentioned earlier. If you’re worn-out, let yourself go back to bed and put the notes in order when you wake up.Elementary as it may sound, intention plays a substantial role as well. You wouldn’t go into a business meeting underprepared. In the same way, if you’re serious about awakening in dreams, you’ll want to cool off and stretch out right before bed. Then as you get into bed, tell yourself you’ll have a a lucid dream.

Anything you do to train your mind and conjure things into your reality, do so in this scenario as well. Tell your unconscious this is something you fancy.Identifying what sets you off is a great tool, and the journal may help this also. You’ll start to see certain venues and friends and family appear recurrently in your dreams. Also, you can set up random triggers in your waking life. For example, at every red light ask, “Am I awake or dreaming?” Do it enough times and you’ll begin to do so while dreaming.Once aware in dreams, gazing at the ground or your hands will help keep you focused.

If you want to modify an unfavorable situation, it’s best to face it straight on. Afraid of that evil goblin? Look directly and question, “who are you, really?” Or convey love. Modify your style and you change the conditions. Lots of people report higher psychological wellness from such experiences.

However, tea’s acceptance by British masses was quite slow. It was in late 1700 that tea’s popularity picked up. As tea came from British colonies, it came to be viewed as a national drink, with patriotic sentiments attached to it. Another reason which contributed to its popularity was the ease of its preparation technique. While coffee grounds could be brewed only once, and reusing the same ground yielded a much inferior flavour, tea leaves could be brewed several times without any significant drop in the quality of liquor. As tea was a high class drink and hence expensive, the British masses bought second hand, brewed leaves and brewed them longer to compensate. Tea was thus gradually finding place in British everyday life.

Soon, tea began to be sold in London coffee houses. Tea was heavily advertised as a medicinal drink which helped maintain health and beauty. The coffee house owners charged heavily for a cup of tea, as much as 6-10 pounds per cup. The government soon imposed various taxes, regulations and restrictions on sale of tea, with a view to cash in on the growing tea trend. This even led to tea being smuggled into England. Finally the taxes were waived off to stop this illegal smuggling.

Tea, meanwhile, continued to grow in popularity. Around 1800, there developed an “Afternoon tea” culture, wherein rich ladies invited their friends for a cup of tea in the afternoon. They also served pastries, sandwiches or some snack along with it. It was accompanied by social graces, refined conversation, sweet gossip and polished etiquette. Yet another popular tea trend was serving tea in tea gardens. Pleasure gardens like Vauxhall or Ranelagh Gardens provided lush lawns for public to stroll and enjoy a hot cup of tea. The working class, however, took a break from work in the evening, and relaxed with tea.

The most well liked and sought after teas were English breakfast tea and Earl Grey. English breakfast tea, as its name, was consumed mostly in the morning as its strong caffeine helped shake off sleepiness and start the morning energetically. It blended sumptuously with milk and sugar, and could be enjoyed anytime of the day. The Earl Grey provided a classic blend of fine black tea with bergamot essence. It was considered more sophisticated a tea.

In 1875, Thomas Lipton aggressively advertised tea. He replaced the coffee gardens in Ceylon with tea plantations, and opened his first tea shop. By the end of 19th century, he had almost set up his Tea Empire and laid the foundations of modern tea trade. The Indian and Ceylon blends, Brooke Bond and Lipton found a firm place in British everyday life. Tea had finally “arrived” in England.

The Roman and Celtic silver and gold coins were entombed under a hedge in a large mound of clay, weighing three quarters of a ton and measuring 140 x 80 x 20cm. Experts predict they are of Armorican origin – modern day Brittany and Normandy – from a tribe called the Coriosolitae who were based in the modern-day area of St Malo and Dinan. They have dated the coins from 50BC, the Late Iron Age, and believe they would have been buried underground to be kept safe from Julius Caesar’s campaigns.

This is because the armies of Caesar were advancing north-westwards to France at the time, driving tribal communities towards the coasts. Some would have fled across the sea to Jersey, finding a place of refuge away from Caesar’s troops. The only safe way to store their wealth was to bury it in a secret place. Dr Philip de Jersey, a former Celtic coin expert at Oxford University, said each individual coin in the ‘extremely exciting’ find was worth between £100 and £200.

1.A Colt revolver sold for $977,500
The most expensive single firearm ever sold at open auction
A Cali Paterson Colt revolver sold for $977,500 at auction in September 2011, surpassing the previous record firearm auction price of $920,000, also for a Colt revolver.
The buyer was described as a “Silicon Valley mogul.”

2.An Hermès Birkin bag sold for $203,150
Most expensive handbag ever sold at auction
An Hermès handbag encrusted with diamonds officially became the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction when it was purchased for $203,150 at a Heritage Auctions sale in Dallas, Texas in December 2011.
The bag, which is officially called the Hermès Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Porosus Crocodile 30 cm Birkin Bag with Solid 18K White Gold & Diamond Hardware, sold to an anonymous buyer.

3.A woman paid $250,000 to have size 38KKK breasts
The world’s largest breasts
Twenty-two surgeries and $250,000 later, Sheyla Hershey now has the world’s largest breasts, measuring at a staggering 38KKK.
Hershey broke the record by putting 85 fluid ounces (comparable to a six pack of soda) of saline in each of her implants. She increased her breast size from a B to a KKK, and was featured on TLC’s “My Strange Addiction” in February 2012.

4.A Chinese businessman paid $328,000 for a pigeon
The world’s most expensive pigeon
In February a Chinese shipping magnate, Hu Zhen Yu, paid a record-breaking amount—$328,000—for a Dutch fancy pigeon of the Dolce Vita breed.
The bird had been auctioned off in a group of 245 pigeons on the Belgian website Pigeon Paradise, or PIPA.
Hu Zhen Yu bought the bird for breeding, not racing. The sale far exceeded last year’s purchase of a similar pigeon for $200,000.

5.A bluefin tuna sold for $736,000
Most expensive tuna ever sold
A 539-pound bluefin tuna caught off the coast of northeastern Japan sold for $736,000 at a Tokyo fish auction in January.
It was a record price for a tuna and also set a record per-pound price at $1,238 per pound.
The winning bidder was Kiyoshi Kimura, president of a sushi restaurant chain, who said at the time he wanted to help the country recover from economic stagnation associated with the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

6.A photograph sold for $4.34 million
The most expensive photo ever sold
In November, an anonymous buyer paid a record-breaking $4.34 million for Andreas Gursky’s photograph of the Rhine River, called Rhein II.
The snapshot, which sold at Christie’s impressionist and modern art auction in New York, beat out Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96, which sold for a whopping $3.89 million at a Christie’s sale in May 2011.
Gursky’s print, made in 1999, was expected to sell for between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. It depicts a stunning panorama of Germany’s most famous river. The sale price includes the buyer’s premium.

7.A Babe Ruth Yankee jersey sold for $4.4 million
The most expensive sports memorabilia ever
Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees jersey from 1920 sold for $4.4 million at auction in May to an anonymous buyer.
“New York” is plastered across the front of the jersey, and the inside collar reads “Ruth, G.H.”
The jersey had been on display at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore before it was put up for auction.

8.A 900-year-old bowl sold for $26.7 million
The most expensive Song dynasty ceramics ever sold at auction
A 900-year-old bowl from the Song dynasty sold for $26.7 million at auction in April, smashing previous auction records.
Bidding for the piece, known as the Ruyao Bowl, went on for 15 minutes before a Sotheby’s auctioneer brought down the hammer.
The bowl came from a Japanese collector; the buyer remained anonymous.

9.A Henry Moore statue sold for $30.1 million
Most expensive Henry Moore work ever sold
A large, scale semi-abstract statue of a human figure, made from bronze in 1951 by artist Henry Moore, sold for $30.1 million at Christie’s last week. The statue, called “Reclining Figure: Festival” was the most expensive Henry Moore ever sold.
Cologne-based dealer Alex Lachmann purchased the statue at the London-based auction.

10.A Ferrari GTO sold for $35 million
The most expensive car ever sold
An apple green Ferrari 250 GTO from 1962 sold in June for $35 million, making it the world’s new most expensive car.
Cellphone industry tycoon Craig McCaw purchased the car from current owner Eric Heerema, owner of a vineyard, who had originally bought the car for $8.4 million.
The GTO was originally commissioned for race car driver Stirling Moss.

11.Mark Rothko’s “Orange, Red, and Yellow” sold for $86.8 million
Auction record for any Post-War and Contemporary work of art
Mark Rothko’s “Orange, Red, and Yellow,” a 1961 oil painting, sold at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art sale in New York this May for $86.8 million.
The painting, which sold to an anonymous buyer after a 7-minute bidding war, went for well above its high estimate of $45 million. It also set an auction record for the artist.
The work had come from the collection of David and Gerry Pincus, prominent Philadelphia collectors and philanthropists.

12.Britain’s Park Place estate sold for $219.3 million
The most expensive home in Britain
In August, it emerged that an unnamed Russian tycoon had paid £140 million ($219.3 million) for Park Place, a 300-year-old estate in the village of Remenham, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon.
The property includes 200 acres of the parklands, listed monuments, a main house, cottages, stables and a boat house, the Telegraph reported at the time.
It was sold by Mike Spink, a developer who bought the property in 2007 and spent several million dollars renovating it.

13.A mega yacht sold for $300 million
The ninth-largest yacht in the world
In August 2011, an unknown mogul took delivery of the brand-new Serene, a 440-foot yacht that is believed to be the ninth-largest yacht in the world, for $300 million.
Features include two helicopter landing platforms (one with a hangar), storage for a large submarine, and a huge indoor seawater pool.
While the buyer remains unknown, he’s rumored to be Yuri Schefler, a Russian vodka tycoon.

14.A Saudi prince bought a private jet for $500 million
The most expensive private jet ever sold
Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bought an A380 double decker private jet from Airbus for $500 million.
This is the most expensive private jet ever sold.
Ordered in 2007, this luxury floating palace will reportedly include a garage for two Rolls Royces, a stable for horses and camels, a pen for hawks, a prayer room that always points to Mecca, and seating capacity for 460 passengers.

15.John Lennon’s tooth sold for $31,200
Most expensive tooth from the mouth of a Beatle
John Lennon’s tooth—cavity and all—was sold at auction in November 2011 for $31,200, nearly twice its pre-sale estimate.
A Canadian dentist, Michael Zuk, purchased the tooth to display it in his office and to show to other dental schools.