A few days ago I found an interesting article about "Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy". It discussed how while Baby Boomers had worked hard towards something, and extremely happy with lush green lawn, the Gen Y are told that they are 'special' since childhood. So in their career, they expect 'a shiny unicorn on top of the flowery lawn'.

Baby Boomers are the generations who were born in 1950s. They were raised by "G.I Generation" or the "Greatest Generations" who grew up during the World Wars and Depression period. While Gen Y were the generation born between the late 1970s and the mid 1990s. This article also coined another term within the Gen Y; the Gen Y Protagonists and Special Yuppies, or GYPSYs. According to the article, a GYPSY is a unique brand of yuppie and who always think that they are the main character of a very special story.

This GYPSY attitude, according to this article what makes most Gen Y an unhappy bunch. Baby Boomers were taught that nothing can be achieved overnight, and envision a prosperous and stable career for themselves; this was what they called the "green lawn". But everything must be achieved through hard work, and no instant success. 

With the hard work, most Baby Boomers achieved more than what they had expected, which left them happy and satisfied. 

With this happiness and satisfaction, these Baby Boomers mostly raised their children, the Gen Y with a lot of optimism and unbounded possibilities. They told their children that they can be whatever they wanted to be, thus Gen Y had this special protagonist identity deep within themselves. Now Gen Y wanted to have "green lawn with flowers". A simple green lawn is not enough anymore.

Because these Gen Y especially GYPSY's had the impression that they were special, while their destinations maybe very clear, but do they know how to get there? 

The foundation of the journey is crucial because it sets us down the right path. There's no shortcut to success. It take years, a lot of sweat and tears, for most successful people to achieve what they have achieved. But according to the article, Gen Y can't accept this reality. 

The article also quite blunt in identifying these GYPSY as wildly ambitious, but delusional while always opened to being taunted by their peers and other things. Success is a gradual achievement. There is nothing sudden about it. People may just suddenly notice and talk about it. 

If we are indeed ambitious, as what most Gen Y thinks they are, we need to decide what our gradual factor(s) is(are). One day, everything will become apparent, whether we do things gradually well or terrible. 

We can't tell people that we are hardworking, we can only show them.

We can't tell people that our work excellent, we can only show them.

We can't tell people that we are an open-minded person, we can only show them.

We can't tell people that we are tolerant, we can only show them. 

In short, actions speaks louder than words. But actions take time to show results. It takes a lot of effort, blood, sweat and tears. However, we can take a deep satisfaction that we are not going to be a 'one time wonder'. At the end, it may give us the lawn with the flowers, and maybe, the unicorns too.

Thank you for reading my two cent worth of thought. I love to hear your opinion on the matter, especially from the Gen Y. Sometime, we the Baby Boomers are a bit hard-headed. It comes with age. So please forgive us. LOL

Source : Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

This is my third entry on My Perth Diary. This blog is dedicated to 1 Omer who told me that he needs a year to finish reading my previous blog, Day Two : 30th Dec 2013. I hope this blog is not that long, and he will be able to finish it before the grape juice turn into wine. LOL 

Day One : 29th Dec 2013

Day Two : 30th Dec 2013

Day Three : 31st Dec 2013

I was getting excited. I never thought that I will one day celebrate the coming of a new year in a Australia. We had asked the hotel reception on new year's celebration in Perth. We were told that new year's celebration was not a big thing in Perth. It seemed they reserved that for their Australian Day. However, we were given two choices; either Mandurah or Perth Foreshore. We haven't decided where to go and keeping our option opened.

Because we were expecting a late night today, everyone was taking it easy. My friends and I decided to go to Harbour Town. It's a factory outlet kind of place. My friend suggested that we just took the Perth CAT (Central Area Transit) instead of driving to the place because of parking space issue. Perth CAT is an free bus services within the Perth City. It's no wonder that Perth City has no issue of traffic jam.

We walked a short distant and took the Red Perth CAT which took us to the Centre of the City. From there, we took the Green Perth CAT which carried us to Harbour Town. I had to admit, as far as a factory outlet kind of thing, Harbour Town was nothing to shout about. Thank God for that. LOL. Otherwise I will go shopping crazy. 

Though most of the items were on sale especially the shoes and handbags, the choices were limited for us. This was because most of shoes and handbags had some 'pig skin' elements in them. We had to be very careful when trying to look at those items. But that did not stop me and my friends from buying a few pairs of shoes. I even bought one handbag. OHMY! My budget!

We had a late lunch at one of the food kiosk over there. It seemed Turkish gozleme was every where in Perth. It made our choices of food easier because it's 'halal'. Furthermore, I'm getting tired of eating everything with fries. We thought we were going to spend a short time in the Harbour Town. After all, there was nothing much we can buy. Well, girls and shopping were really the best of friends. We ended up spending the whole day in Harbour Town. My poor aching feet! My poor purse! My poor eyes! OHMY!

After like forever, we went back to our hotel. After resting for a short time, my friend called me and said that we were going to Mandurah for the year's celebration. City of Madurah was about 70 kilometers South of City of Perth. It's about one hour drive. 

The drive itself was very smooth. Nothing much to see because we were taking the Freeway, or was it Motorway. We did not take any wrong turn because we got our GPS. I spent my time taking photos from the car, especially the sunset. At the same time we tried our best to pronounce certain road signs such Joondalup, Booragoon and Mandjoogoordap.

Did I say we did not take any wrong turn? Well, I spoke too soon. We did took a wrong turn when we reached the City of Mandurah. Don't look at me! I was not the map reader or in this case GPS reader. Anyway, finally we reached the City Centre. After driving round and round and round to park our car, we managed to find a small spot to park it. It seemed tonight everyone was allowed to park at non-designated parking lots. 

We saw a lot of families with their kids and extended family members and friends had picked the ideal spots on the park. The atmosphere were electrifying with children running around, and adults opening their picnic boxes. The mini concert was already started, but the order of the day for us was finding a restaurant and order our dinner. Priority was priority, right?

One thing that we noticed was the signs that had been put every where near the celebration area. "This is a No Smoking, No Drinking event". And it seemed everyone was following the rules. We were talking about it while having our dinner. We started comparing new year's celebration in Malaysia and over here. We know maybe drinking was not prevalent in Malaysia in such occasion, but it had became uncontrollable, and smoking was really every where at nd bad habit which most Malaysians acquired.

At exactly 9.00 pm, fireworks started. In Mandurah, the new year's celebration was divided into two parts. The first part was for fireworks at 9.00 pm which especially targeted for parents and small kids, well, and adults with young hearts too. LOL. Like a small kid, my dinner was forgotten. I left my table and went out from the restaurant to watch the fireworks display. 

It was really nice to hear kids clapping, oohing and aahing, every time the fireworks shot into the dark sky. I think not only kids were enthralled with the display, but everyone on the park, including me, though I had to admit, it was very hard for me not to clap every time the fireworks showed it's glorious formation in the dark sky.  

When the display ended, I can hear audible sigh from everyone. Maybe everyone was hoping for more. Back to my forgotten dinner. We spent talking about everything and nothing really. We really took our own sweet time in trying to finish off our dinner, but at the end we had no choice when the waiters and waitress of the restaurant started to clean up all the tables and put the 'Closed' sign on the door. However, when we asked whether we had to go, the lady was politely told us to just enjoy our dinner and take our time. 

We left shortly after. We don't feel comfortable to be eating when everyone seemed to be waiting for us to leave. After asking some take out boxes, you have to understand that the food portions over here were too much for small Asian ladies even if we have big stomachs. Normally we will share our food with each other, but sometimes, we wanted different food, so we always ended up with uneaten food, especially since it seemed every thing in here was served with potato chips. 

After finding an ideal spot on the park, we parked our well fed stomachs, in front of the stage where a group was entertaining the crowd. The group entertained us with various songs from Abba. Even though we just had our dinner, that did not stop my friends from joining the crowd on the dance floor. They even managed to drag me, the only two left footed and tone deaf person, on the dance floor. I managed to shuffle my feet to resemble some movement, but honestly, I should be banned from ever trying to dance to anything. It was really a horrendous sight, and innocent public should not be tortured with such sight.

A few seconds before midnight, we joined the crowd in counting down to 2014. The second part of fireworks display was right on cue at midnight. We hugged each other, and laughed nonsensically. We just felt blessed to be able to celebrate the new year in a foreign country and with each other.  

Right after the fireworks display ended, we walked to our car. We did not encounter any drunk behaviour from anyone, nor rubbish strewn every where. In fact, the event was more like a family day out. Once again, while in the car on our way back to the hotel, we were comparing the behaviour of the people in Mandurah to Malaysians. The sure thing was, after such event, in Malaysia, rubbish would be strewn every where, and people will act aggressively to try to drive out from the car park areas. It shamed me to admit that Malaysians were definitely lacking in civilised manner.

However, when we reached Perth, the scene was not too nice. It was nearly 3.00 am, but we saw a few police cars parked at various curb sides. We also saw people walking or more like tottering drunkenly on the streets. Once in a while, we heard the sound of sirens from various parts of the City. Throughout the night, or I should say morning, I can hear the sound of sirens. This made me thankful that we decided to choose Mandurah rather than Perth Foreshore to celebrate the new year.

To be continued in My Perth Diary : Day Four 1st January 2014

This is the continuance of My Perth Diary. This blog is dedicated to a friend of mine, "Yes WMW! You! There's no need to look at other people on your left or right, or even above or below you. It's just to tell you that I can write longer than longest. LOL"

Day One : 29th Dec 2013

Day Two : 30th Dec 2013

The four of us had decided to rent a car during our vacation in Perth. It's easier to move around between Cities. My friend had made an advance online booking with a car rental company in Perth. The next morning, the four of us went to the car rental company to take our car. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the GPS that we required was not available. We felt a bit let down because we had booked the necessary well in advance. But the lady promised us that if one of the GPS being returned back, she will make sure that we have it by tomorrow.

The rental of the car was a bit reasonable. It was about AUD60 which was roughly about USD54 per day. At first, we had booked the car for five days, but then decided just to take for four days. 

The order of the day was to drive around the famous Swan Valley and then go to the Caversham Wildlife Park. Because of the lack of GPS, we drove out from the car rental office with a little bit pensive and trepidation. I was assigned as the map reader. OHMY!

Before going to the Swan Valley, we need to make a stop at Danish Patisserie, Bassendean. It was quite famous among some Malaysians because it's a 'halal' shop. We were quite proud of ourselves because we only took two wrong turns to reach the shop. At one time, we had to stop at a petrol station and I asked the cashier for the direction towards Bassendean. At the shop I bought the famous Bushman pie and croissants and coffee, of course.

While driving towards The Swan Valley Tourist Centre, we had our breakfast in the car. In the Tourist Centre we asked information on which farms or shops which were opened. Unfortunately, we came in summer and during holiday period, thus many farms and shops were closed. But we felt optimistic. 

Driving through The Swan Valley area was really enjoyable. Roses dotted the area, as well as other flowers that I don't know their names except the hibiscus. My friend told me that someone told her that roses were planted in order to avoid the grape plants being 'attacked' by the bees. The Swan Valley was also famous for its wineries. Our eyes were glued to the left and right and kept on 'ooh' and 'aah' when we saw rows and rows of grape plants. Some of them were fruiting, and some of them were not. 

We decided to stop at one of the farms when we saw that the grape plants were fruiting beautifully. We took a few pictures and decided to move on, feeling optimistic that we were going to see more of similar farms. Our first real stop was The Margaret River Chocolate Co. When we entered the shop it was a bit dark. Apparently there was power disruption in their shop. It was unfortunate because we cannot see the way they made their chocolate because the back room factory was dark. My friends were like kids in chocolate store. I tried to feel as excited as they were, but since chocolate was not my thing, it was just another shop. After buying several boxes of chocolates, we drove on.

Next we stopped at Cape Lavender. It's a quaint cafe with lavender as the main focus. We decided to have late brunch. I had wonderful piping hot lavender scones. It was heavenly. We did not stay long in the cafe because there was so many thing to see and do. Next stop was another cafe, but this one was an ice cream cafe. OHMY! Though I just had my brunch, I cannot resist from buying a vanilla ice cream. Another heaven. LOL.

We stopped at many shops along the way. We went nuts in the Moorish, specialising in various nuts. Though most of the time, we just stopped to take pictures and rest because most of the shops were for wine tasting. I was disappointed because one of the two bee farms was closed. Alas! After making nearly the whole round of The Swan Valley, and on our way to the Caversham Wildlife Park, we decided to stop again at the first grape farm that we encountered. I had to admit, we were a bit naughty and sneaked near to the grape farms. We cannot resist from plucking a few grapes and ate them. I know! I know! We should not do that. But .... I promise I will do penance for those yummy grapes. 

The Caversham Wildlife Park is just within driving distance of The Swan Valley. The admission fees was a bit expensive; AUD25 per adult. Though I was petite, I can't pretend to be a child and pay only AUD18 (student's fees). Hmm! We were on time to catch it's afternoon farm show. It was a show where we can watch the sheep dogs mustering the sheep, the farmhand cracked the stock whip as well as shearing a sheep. It was a fantastic show and I felt like a kid. LOL. Watching a farmhand shearing a sheep was an eye opener, and the sheep was really docile, though at one time, it moved and the farmhand accidentally cut it. Watching at the small cut and blood made me cringed, but the farmhand assured us that the sheep at no time at all was hurt. He said it was just like a nick while shaving. Gosh! 

Next we caught the show "Meet The Wombat And Friends". We were so excited to meet and touch the wombat. I don't know what to expect, but I was surprised when I saw it was really big. Unfortunately, we can't hold it. We were just allowed to pet it a bit. And another thing was, it was sleeping the whole way through. What a bummer! But we were fortunate to see up close and personal with other less famous animals such as betong and golden brushtail possum. 

From there, we moved to the koala's pen. We were warned not to touch any of the koalas except only one. We were also asked not to touch any of the eucalyptus leaves since koalas will not eat leaves that were touched by human. Picky animals. LOL. Those koalas seemed to be very docile, and maybe because it was in the afternoon, most of them were sleeping. Hmm .. here I thought I was always sleepy!

On my way to the kangaroos area, I asked my friends to go ahead, because I was waiting for the ferocious Tasmanian Devil to come out from its burrow. Thank God it was not sleeping like most of the animals in the park. After a few minutes, it came out from the burrow. I can't hear its growl because it's the only animal that has glass pane. Maybe it's better that way.

And finally, the kangaroos area. We were like kids in a toys shop. There were so many kangaroos and we don't know which one to touch, which one to cuddle and which one to feed. LOL. All those kangaroos were very beautiful and friendly. I was a bit afraid at first after reading stories of some kangaroos turned aggressive and will kick at people. But they were very tame. The best part was feeding them with their pestles from my paws. Some of the kangaroos were white, some brown and some were reddish. How I wish I can kidnap one and make it my pet. Haha!

We left the Caversham Wildlife Park with giddy feelings. We can't stop talking about the animals, especially the koala and kangaroos during our drive way back to the hotel. It was really once in life time adventure. 

We decided to have our dinner at Freemantle Fishing Boat Harbour, City of Freemantle. Besides being famous for its Freemantle Market, it was also famous for its seafood. We had our seafood dinner while watching the sunset at the harbour. 

On our way back to the City of Perth, we took a couple of wrong turns. Maybe because we were tired, or maybe because it was night, that we can't clearly see where we were going. Once again, we stopped at a petrol station, and once again I had to ask for direction. We reached our hotel without any untowards incident or wrong turns after that. That night, I know I was sleeping with a big smile on my face.

To be continued in My Perth Diary : Day Three 31st Dec 2013.

First of all, happy new year. It's been a while since I write and post any blog in here. I was struck with laziness virus. LOL. Anyway, in this blog, I want to share with you my Australian Diary. It will be a series of blogs, and I hope you will enjoy reading it as I was enjoying my journey through Perth.

I went to Perth, Western Australia from 29th December 2013 and 4th January 2014, well, technically maybe until 3rd January 2014.

Day One - 29th December 2013

My flight was scheduled at 9.30 am. I had agreed to pick my friend up from her office where she would park her car at about 7.00 am. So that would leave us ample time to check in and clear the immigration. As usual, I seldom could sleep too deep before going anywhere. Maybe because adrenalin rush or maybe because I was just too excited. Anyway, I set my alarm at 4.30 am and I guessed I should not bother. I woke up well ahead.  

Though my friend was a bit late, we managed to clear the check in and immigration process in no time at all. Since we had enough time to enjoy our breakfast, we decided to take our coffee and eat some muffin at Starbucks cafe. 

Our flight was on time, and took about five and a half hour to reach Perth. We were lucky because we were seated at the back of the flight and most of the seats were empty. After the breakfast being served by the flight attendants, I spent my time reading an e-book in my iPad; "The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan". There was nothing much you can do during a flight; either reading, watching in-flight entertainments (which I don't fancy much) or just sleeping. 

After some hour, I decided to take a nap. At first, I was napping at my seat, but let me tell you, flight seat was not a good place to nap. It's literally a pain in the neck. Since there were a lot of empty seats at the back, I decided to occupy the middle seats where there were three empty seats in a row. I flipped back the arm rest of the seats, voila, I got one long and nice bed/seat.

I spent my time between napping and reading the e-book. Once in a while the Captain would make some announcement, but all in all, it was a pretty smooth and boring flight. After some time, the Captain announced that we were going to reach Perth and the flight would start to descend and ask everyone to be back at their seats. From the window of the flight I could see some brown/yellowish view. I guess we were flying somewhere above the Australian desert. It looked very desolate. 

Out of the blue, the plane hit one air pocket after another. There some audible groan from somewhere, and a few babies started crying. Since I was seating at the back of the plane, the impact of those hits were more pronounced. After like the longest few minutes, the plane started its descend. The landing was smooth. Thank God.

Finally, I reached Australia. Well, not yet, but I was getting there. After like the longest Immigration ever, over there it's called Customs and Border Protection Services, we finally able to take a taxi to the City of Perth. I had been fortunate enough to be able to travel to a few countries, be it in the surrounding regions, or Europe, but I never encountered the longest Customs and Immigration ever as compared over here. I hope it's not a sign of things to come.

Our taxi driver was a nice old man from New Zealand. He told us that most people from Perth were away that was why the hotel prices were a bit cheaper. But he warned us that Perth was an expensive city to live in. After about twenty minutes, we reached our hotel. After checking in our room, my friend and I decided to venture out to the City of Perth. We tried to call our friends who had arrived to Perth one day earlier and staying in the same hotel, but they were not around.

After checking the route from the hotel reception, we started to walk. The City was indeed very quite and empty. It reminded me of my visit to the City of Belfast, a few years back when the City seemed to be abandoned. The walk was pleasant. It was warm but the wind made it a bit chilly. We reached the business centre at Hay Street. Unfortunately, at that time, it was about 5.00 pm and all shops were closed except a few food and beverages shops. 

We felt a bit lost because there was nothing much we could do. But we decided to continue on our walk and bought some fish and chips. From the city centre we decided to walk along the Swan River. By this time, the City of Perth was awashed with golden colour. The sun was setting down, and the view was magnificent. We stopped and just sit at the bench and watch our first sun set in Perth. The temperature was getting chilled, but we just ignore it. 

We don't talk much, just watched and enjoyed the view. After some time, our friends gave us a call and asking where we were. They decided to join us, so there we were, four ladies, eating some fish and chips and laughing though shivering, and spent our first day together in Perth.

To be continued in My Perth Diary : Day Two 30th December 2013.

The year 2014 is the year of a Horse according to the Chinese calendar. I am not going to tell you anything about the Chinese zodiac, let ⊱ Mickey ⊰ tells you about that, but I want to share with you some facts and maybe folly facts about horse. We have to admit that a horse is really one of the most elegant and magnificent animals. 

Did You Know?

1. Idioms/Phrases/Proverbs related to horse

A horse plays an important role through out the history of human kind. They had been domesticated for over 5000 years, thus there was no wonder that they were many idioms and phrases related to the horse.

a. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

This means to be ungrateful to someone who gives you something. The origin of this idiom can be traced back to St. Jerome who first uttered the phrase. This phrase is related to the value of a horse which is determined through its teeth. A horse value usually is based by its age. And, a horse's age is determined by checking through the prominence of their teeth. Therefore, when you're looking at a horse's teeth, it can be deemed that you're judging a gift of a horse by the horse's age. Ultimately, the phrase in a sense saying, the thoughts that count. So even if the gift is not so valuable, we should appreciate it.

b. Wild horses couldn't drag someone away

This mean that nothing can persuade someone from something, or someone is determined to remain with something. This proverb maybe originated from medieval torture of using horses to stretch prisoners to force them to confess.  

c. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

This proverb is really meaningful. It meant that you can give someone with an opportunity, but unfortunately, you can't force him/her to take advantage of the opportunity. It's one of the oldest English proverbs that is still being in used today. It's recorded as early as in 1175 in Old English Homilies.

2. A Horse Is Measured In Hands

The measurement of hands to determine the height of a horse can be traced back to ancient Egyptian. A hand is approximately about four inches, which is an average width of an adult male's hand. Thus, if a horse is said to be 14.2 HH (hand high) it meant that the horse is 14 hands and 2 inches, which is equivalent to 58 inches (14 x 4 inches + 2 inches). Please click on this link on how to measure a horse. 

3. A Horse Age in Comparison to Human

According to Equine Resources International, a horse aged about 6.5 years for each human year, until it reaches puberty. However, once a horse reaches the age of four, the rate slows to 2.5 years for each human years. This is the chart of horse age in comparison to human age.

I know it's too early to wish all of you a "Happy Horse Year", but who cares, right?  LOL. Enjoy ushering your 2014, and don't forget to put on your horseshoe on and gallop merrily.

My other Did You Know? series:-

1. Did You Know?;  2. Continuation;  3. Another Continuation;  4. Not Another Continuation!; 5. Gosh! Will It Never Ends?;  6. Oh No! Not Another One!;  7. Here Comes Another One;  8. Another One?;  9. One, Two, Eighty Six?; 10. Punishment? OMG!; 11. Is This A Swan Song?;  12 John Has It All?; 13. It's All In The Myth;  14. This Is Random;  15. It's A Dog's World;  16.  It's Also A Cat's World;  17. Is It A Mouse World Too?;  18. Dutch Flavour;  19. It's The Greek Flavour;  20. It's All Greek;  21. All That Gold

In this blog, I want to share with you a few idioms/phrases related to gold. Did you know:-

1. The Midas Touch

The meaning of Midas touch is to have the ability to be successful, especially the ability to make money easily. The idiom of Midas touch is originated from the story of King Midas. It was an ancient Greek story. King Midas had a lot of gold and good fortune. But he never satisfied with what he had. The more he had, the more he wanted. He stored all his gold in a vault, and he would count his fortune everyday.

One day, while he was counting his gold, a stranger came upon him. The stranger told Kind Midas that he would grant any wish made by the King. Without much thought, the King said "I want everything that I touch to turn into gold". The stranger asked King Midas whether he was sure about his wish. With a firm voice, King Midas said "Yes! I want the ability to turn anything that I touch into gold". With that, the stranger told King Midas that by the sun rise tomorrow morning, everything that King Midas touch will turn into gold. 

The next morning, when King Midas woke up, he touched his bed, and it turned into gold. He was so happy. He looked outside his window and saw his daughter was playing happily. He wanted to share his good news with his daughter, but first, he wanted to have his breakfast. But, alas, anything he touched turned into gold, so he can't eat anything. Before long, his daughter came bouncing and hugged him, and the worst thing happened. She turned into a gold statue. 

King Midas was sad and hungry. He can't smile anymore, because everything that he touched had turned into gold. Out of the blue, the stranger that granted his wish came. King Midas apologised to the stranger and asked for forgiveness. The stranger reversed back the wish, and King Midas got back his daughter.

2. Chasing Pot Of Gold At The End Of Rainbow

The meaning of this phrase is that chasing the elusive dreams, always seems to be tantalizing but one step ahead, never within reach. This metaphor is always being associated with the story of leprechaun. According to an Irish folklore, every leprechaun has a pot of gold.

A leprechaun is a devious fairy, but for any human that can catch it, he/she can be the luckiest person. To protect the leprechaun’s pot of gold the Irish fairies gave them magical powers to use if ever captured by a human or an animal. A leprechaun would use this magic to escape capture by granting three wishes or by vanishing into thin air!

3. As Good As Gold

The idiom 'as good as gold' meant to be 'excellent, very good indeed, well behaved'. The term as good as gold also means something as genuine as gold. In earlier years, 'as good as gold' meant to carry more economic meaning because when the banknotes being first introduced, they were not to be considered as carry much weight as now. This was because at that time, gold and silver carried more weight.

However, at later stage, 'as good as gold' is more widely used to indicate 'well behaved, or excellent'. 

I am sure there's many more 'gold'. I will try to add as time permits, or you may add in the comment.

My other Did You Know? series:-

1. Did You Know?;  2. Continuation;  3. Another Continuation;  4. Not Another Continuation!; 5. Gosh! Will It Never Ends?;  6. Oh No! Not Another One!;  7. Here Comes Another One;  8. Another One?;  9. One, Two, Eighty Six?; 10. Punishment? OMG!; 11. Is This A Swan Song?;  12 John Has It All?; 13. It's All In The Myth;  14. This Is Random;  15. It's A Dog's World;  16.  It's Also A Cat's World;  17. Is It A Mouse World Too?;  18. Dutch Flavour;  19. It's The Greek Flavour;  20. It's All Greek

This a continuance of my previous blog, Amazing Places in Malaysia - Part I.

In this second part of Amazing Places in Malaysia, I want to introduce to you to three amazing islands in Malaysia.

1. Tioman Island

Tioman Island is a small island in the South China Sea, about 32 km off the sea coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Tioman Island looks like a sleeping dragon. This is because according to a legend, a Chinese princess was on her way to Singapore and decided to stop and rest at a calm and warm water in the South China Sea. Enchanted with the beauty of the area, she decided not to continue with her journey. Thus, she took the form of a sleeping dragon to form an island which is known as the Tioman Island.

Tioman Island is famous for its tropical rainforest, white and sandy beaches, and clear blue water. The nature of the island is its biggest attraction such as hiking, snorkeling and diving, or just simply lazing around on the warm sandy beaches and coves. The photos here are taken from various sites. 

2. Redang Island

Redang Island is one of the biggest islands off the sea coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It's located about 45 km off the coast of Kuala Trengganu. It is a marine park which consists of nine islands. Since it's a marine park, it's rich with marine fishes, turtles and coral reefs. Thus, it is a heaven for snorkelers and divers alike. It is also an important site for the conservation of sea turtles. In addition, the waters surrounding Redang Island are hiding two historic shipwrecks, The H.M.S. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. Repulse, which were sunk at the start of World War II.

The photos here are taken from various sites. 

3. Langkawi

Langkawi Island is an archipelago of 99 islands (some article claimed it's 104 islands), roughly about 30 km from the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia. It's located in the Andaman Sea. Langkawi is a combination of two Malay words; 'Lang' or 'helang' which meant 'brow eagle' and 'kawi' which meant local manganese stone.

In 2008, it's been conferred the title 'Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah'. The island had been declared a 'duty island' since 1986 to spearhead its tourism industry. Its pristine sandy white beaches, intact rain forest, and duty free status makes Langkawi the tourists attraction world over. Langkawi is also famous for its the Legend of Mahsuri. It's also UNESCO's World Geopark.

The photos here are taken from various sites. 

Once again, I would like to extend our "Selamat Datang ke Malaysia - Welcome to Malaysia".

When I wrote my blog "Did You Know? - It's The Greek's Flavour", I found out that there were many more English words originated from the Greek mythology. Therefore, I want to share a few more of those words.

Did You Know? :-

1. Morphine

The word morphine, the drug that make someone in a dream-like state, was originated from Morpheus. Morpheus was the Greek God of Dreams. He had the ability to take human form and appear in people's dreams as suggested by the word 'morphe'. 

The Dream World of Morpheus was where his family lived. It was said that the cave where Morpheus lived was full of poppy seeds. In his Dream World, the River of Forgetfulness and River of Oblivion were found. 

2. Nemesis

The meaning of Nemesis in modern time is the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall. In the Greek mythology, Nemesis was the Greek God that took revenge against those who showed arrogance before the other Gods. She also responsible in maintaining the equilibrium of human affairs. She had to ensure that happiness was not too frequent or excessive. If human seemed to be too fortunate, she will bring losses and suffering.

Thus, she was regarded as the avenging or punishing divinity. Nemesis was feared because she was the messenger of Justice, Retribution or Divine Vengeance. She dislike the absence of moderation, thus very zealous in trying to re-establishing order and proportion through punishment. 

3. Tantalising

The word tantalising means arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach. The word "tantalise" originated from the story of Tantalus. Tantalus was a half-god and half-nymph. He was favoured by the Gods and thus invited to dine with Zeus at Olympus. He stole ambrosia and nectar as well other secrets of the Gods and brought them to the mortals.

He also sacrificed his son Pelop to the Gods, but the Gods knew about it and rebuilt back his son. As punishment, he was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he was thirsty and reach down to drink, the water would recede. The same when he was hungry. Whenever he reached up to the tree branches for the fruits, the branches would rise up and out of his reach. Therefore, Tantalus would spent the rest of eternity being tantalised by water and food he could never have. 

It's really fascinating to learn the origin of these words and at the same time learning a little bit about all those Greek mythologies. It seems like all these Greek mythologies really left strong mark in modern world. 

My other Did You Know? series:-

1. Did You Know?;  2. Continuation;  3. Another Continuation;  4. Not Another Continuation!; 5. Gosh! Will It Never Ends?;  6. Oh No! Not Another One!;  7. Here Comes Another One;  8. Another One?;  9. One, Two, Eighty Six?; 10. Punishment? OMG!; 11. Is This A Swan Song?;  12 John Has It All?; 13. It's All In The Myth;  14. This Is Random;  15. It's A Dog's World;  16.  It's Also A Cat's World;  17. Is It A Mouse World Too?;  18. Dutch Flavour;  19. It's The Greek Flavour

I like to introduce to you a famous Malay fable which is called "Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup'. It can't be literary translated into English, but I would called it as "The Magic Cave".

Once upon a time, in a country far far away, there was a magic cave next to the forest. Even though it's a magical cave, the people was afraid of it. This was because the cave will open up when ever anyone whisper to it. However, if anyone entered the cave, that person will never be seen again.

According to the fable, in the village next to the forest, lived a widow named Mak Tanjong with her two small children, a girl named Melor and a boy named Pekan. Since the death of her husband, Mak Tanjong was always sad, and in deep mourning. Her hard life made it harder for her to balance her taking care of the children and trying to be the breadwinner of the family.

Due to her depression and poor life, sometimes Mak Tanjong didn't realise the two best things that she still had, that were her children. Sometimes Melor and Pekan would be neglected for days. When that happened, Melor will try her best to take care of her little brother even though in actual fact she was just a young girl too.

One day, Mak Tanjong felt the need to eat the fish egg of mud skipper, so off she went to the river at the end of village. After some time, finally Mak Tanjong managed to catch one big mud skipper. With a happy feelings, she brought back the fish to her house.

"Wow! What a big fish you have there, Mom" said Pekan excitedly. He was clapping and jumping with joy.

As you may have noticed by now, I like to share the origin of certain words or phrases. I found that the origin of those words or phrases to be fascinating. In this blog, I want to share with you another collection of the origin of certain words based from Greek myth.

Did You Know? :-

1. Narcissist

A simple meaning of narcissist is a person who is in love of themselves. Freud introduced the concept of a narcissist to psychology, a person with an exaggerated sense of uniqueness, obsessed with the dream of boundless success. The word 'narcissist' is originated from Narkissos, the Greek God. It was said that Narkissos was so enarmoured of his own reflection that he could not tear himself away.  

According to a legend, Narkissos never value the love of anyone around him. He was even cruel to them. It was said that he even rejected the love of a nymph called Echo which brought the wrath of Gods. Thus, he was cursed that he would fall in love with his own reflections. Therefore, he kept on gazing at his own reflections and one day drown in the lake and died.

2. Atlas

Atlas as we all know today is a term use for a group of maps. However, Atlas was a Titans God. According to a Greek legend, Atlas personified the quality of endurance. Atlas had brought the wrath of Olympians when he led a rebellion against Zeus. Because of that Atlas had been punished and he had to shoulder the Heaven. 

Another legend said that Atlas was appointed to be the guardian of pillars which held the earth and sky together. He was also the God that shown the art of astronomy. 

3. Echo

Echo means a sound or sounds caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener. It also means a close parallel to an idea, feeling, or event. Echo is originated from the story of Echo, the Greek mountain nymph. According to the legend, Echo the mountain nymph had a very lovely voice and loved to talk excessively. 

Echo liked to distract Zeus' wife Hera with her stories in order for Zeus to sneak away and entertained himself with other mountain nymphs. However, one day Hera found out Echo's role in duping her. Hera punished Echo by taking away her ability to speak, except in repetition of other people's words. Echo eventually dies and leaving her voice to haunt the Earth.

There are many more words that originated from the Greek myths. I will add them as we go along.

My other Did You Know? series:-

1. Did You Know?;  2. Continuation;  3. Another Continuation;  4. Not Another Continuation!; 5. Gosh! Will It Never Ends?;  6. Oh No! Not Another One!;  7. Here Comes Another One;  8. Another One?;  9. One, Two, Eighty Six?; 10. Punishment? OMG!; 11. Is This A Swan Song?;  12 John Has It All?; 13. It's All In The Myth;  14. This Is Random;  15. It's A Dog's World;  16.  It's Also A Cat's World;  17. Is It A Mouse World Too?;  18. Dutch Flavour

Sera's blogs about the amazing places on Earth inspired me to introduce to you amazing places in Malaysia. These places may not be classified as amazing places on Earth by some, but to me, they are beautiful and amazing. 

In the Part I of this topic, I want to introduce to you three natural and amazing places in Malaysia. 

1. Gunung Mulu National Park

Gunung Mulu or also widely known as Mulu Caves is located near Miri, Sarawak. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gunung Mulu National Park encompasses caves and limestone karst formation in deep rainforest of Borneo. 

Various expeditions had been mounted to scale depth of Mulu Caves and most notably the Royal Geographical Society in 1977 - 1978. Mulu Caves also has the known largest natural chamber, Sarawak Chamber. It was said that it's so big that roughly 40 Boeing 747 can be parked inside the chamber, without even overlapping their wings. To read more about Mulu Caves; The Mulu Caves Project, UNESCO World Heritage Site and Mulu National Park site. The photos are taken from all these sites.

Before you even reach the Mulu Caves, your eyes will even feast on spectacular views from the above on the jaunting and sharp formation of limestone karst. 

2. Semporna, Sabah.

Semporna is located at the East Coast of Sabah. It's a popular destination for tourists especially divers which considered it as one of the best diving sites in the world. The most popular islands are Mabul and Sipadan. It's clear blue water and diverse sea creatures what make this area a heaven for divers and snorkelers. These wonderful photos are taken from various sites.

3. Taman Negara, Pahang.

Taman Negara or National Park is located in Pahang. It's one of the world's oldest rainforest and is estimated to be 130 millions years old. Due to that, it is rich and diverse with plants, animals and all kind of insects. The complexity of the rainforest has inspired many researchers to find various cures of modern ailments such as cancer and aids based from the plants and faunas found in it. To read more about this wonderful area; Taman Negara, Pahang or just Google about it. These serene photos are taken from various sites which show casing the amazing Taman Negara.

In 2014, Malaysian Government through it's Tourism Board has declared it as Visit Malaysia Year. As one of many Malaysians, I would like to extend our warm welcome to each and everyone of EC Members to come and see various things that Malaysia can offer. I will try and introduce to you more amazing places in Malaysia in my future blog(s).

In Malaysia, we say "Selamat Datang". Welcome.

Suddenly I found myself staring at my laptop with a nothing to write. The most dreaded thing had happened to me. Am I finally hitting my writer's block? OHMY! What am I going to do? Scour the net to find articles to read? Find more obscure facts to write in 'Did You Know?' series?. The easiest answer is sleep and more sleep. LOL

I never think of myself that one day I will enjoy writing, especially writing in English. Though I read a lot, I never dream that I will find one coherent thought and sentence and turn them into a simple paragraph, let a lot a blog.

I never enjoy writing. A few attempts to keep a diary during my schooldays, it seemed that was the trend that any school girls to keep a diary, I failed miserably. I was too embarrassed to share my thoughts even to my own diary. The thought that anyone can read what's in my mind at that time gave me the shudders.  

Nowadays, I like writing. I found it stimulating trying to put a few coherent sentences of what's in my mind. I don't call myself a writer. I think I'm far from being one, but the feel of embarrassment of people reading my thoughts no longer grips me with terror.

I felt a lot of enjoyment whenever I posted a blog in MyEC that it will be viewed warmly by my friends and EC members though sometimes I just wrote silly and trivial matters. I felt somehow connected with them. The support given by them made me wanted to write more. At the same, this made me wanted to reciprocate back and thus reading and commenting on their blogs became a 'must do' whenever I log into MyEc.

This wonderful cycle becomes bigger without much effort, and thus the connection with people from all over the world with different views is something that I never dream off. However, the most important part in all this is that, many individuals; English teachers, advance learners and friends had put their invaluable time and effort in trying to correct my mistakes. 

A post that I think I am proud of is my first real attempt in writing a short story. The title is "How I Wish". Reading the comments from friends for this blog gave me the courage to try writing a longer story. At the same time, a respected English teacher, Tim New helped me with the corrections and introduced to me a most wonderful story 'Bridge of Terabithia' by Katherine Paterson.

A post that I think connect me with a lot of MyEc members is my earlier blog, "My Virtual Friends - My Journey with ESL/EC". It's my experience of learning and meeting people through MyEC which I think many members can relate to. Furthermore, this blog reconnect me with my former chatter friends, which I was not too sure will ever meet again in this site.

I learnt to love writing through MyEC. Though at the moment I only write in MyEC but only God knows where it will lead me to, one day.

It was near midnight when I started writing this blog. It was raining cats and dogs, and normally the best time to hit the snooze button. Unfortunately, I drank a bucketful of coffee in the meeting today, so now I am wide awake. That's really ironic, isn't it?

For the past few weeks, it's been raining nearly everyday and tonight it's no exception. While I was grappling for things to write, suddenly this rain reminds me of my Jakarta's visit early this year. It was spur of the moment decision to go to Jakarta. Let me tell you how it started.

A few of my friends decided to have a small reunion. All of us at one time or another had worked with the company that organised Formula One. All of us, except my best friend, had moved on and working with another companies. Due to several reasons, we were seldom able to meet and hang out with each other. So after so many cancellation and re-scheduling, we managed to confirm the date. It was Friday night, so it became a Friday night out for ladies. All of us are single ladies except for one lady who is married and she always dragged her poor husband along for all kind of occasions that we had accepted him as part of the lady group. LOL.

As many of you had experienced with ladies group, there will be never ending stories. We jumped from one topic to another with ease. How anyone can understand and participate in the discussion was still a mystery to me. Suddenly, the restaurant manager came over to our table and informed us that they were closing the restaurant in about half an hour, and asked us whether we want to make our last order. Realising that we had so much more to talk about, we decided to leave the restaurant and moved to another restaurant which was opened for 24-hour.

Over a few glasses of juices drinks, we decided to go on holidays. So for a few minutes, everyone was silent and browsing through their phones to find some cheap holiday packages. After going on and forth with a few suggestions, we decided to go to Jakarta. There was a promotional ticket prices somewhere in February and too good to miss out. We made a solemn promise that we won't go shopping too much, just go the spa and eat. LOL.

On the day of our flight to Jakarta, our friend's husband wasn't allowed to check in because his passport had less than six months before its expiration. For your information, Malaysians are not allowed to travel if their passport will expire within six months. After much discussion, it was decided that our friend will fly with us whereas her husband needed to renew his passport and fly to Jakarta the next day. The start of our holidays did not seem too smooth, but we still felt excited, though it's not our first time to visit Jakarta.

When we reached Jakarta, it was raining. Our driver told us that it had been raining for sometimes, but the rain did not dampen our mood. The first thing we told our driver was to find a good Padang food restaurant. LOL. Thank God we had the same interest, food. The driver took us to a popular Padang food restaurant - Sederhana, and we ate to our heart content. After gorging on the food, he drove us to our hotel, somewhere in the South of Jakarta. For anyone who never been to Jakarta, it's well known that you had to have a good time allowance and patient when driving in Jakarta because of its infamous traffic jam. Due to the rain, we were caught in a massive traffic jam on our way to the hotel. Though it was annoying, we were more or less prepared with the situation. Furthermore, we just had a good dinner, so nothing can spoil our mood.

After the longest hour, finally we reached our hotel apartments. We only rented two apartments, one for my friend with her husband, and the other for us the single ladies. After telling our driver to pick our friend's husband from the airport in the morning, and then send us to a well known spa, we went to the bed with good mood still.

The next morning, after we had our breakfast at the hotel, we were waiting patiently for the arrival of my friend's husband. He told us that he will arrive at the airport at around 10.00 am. After the expected time when he still did not reach our hotel we became anxious. Phone calls were flying back and forth between our friend, her husband, our driver and our tour leader (she was the only one who can speak Indonesian quite fluently). It seems that our driver and my friend's husband cannot find each other.

Finally it was sorted out and my friend's husband reached our hotel, but half a day was gone just by loitering around the hotel. Not a good start to our holiday. When we reached the spa, it was noon. Thank God the session was heavenly. After the session, once again we were caught in heavy downpour and stuck in the traffic jam. My stomach was singing tuneless opera by that time. We tried to be cheerful, but it was getting hard.

One the second day, we decided to go to Tanah Abang, a famous bargain market in Jakarta. I know we said before coming to Jakarta that we were not going to go shopping, but then again, it was Jakarta. LOL. However, again, it was raining, and again we were stuck in the traffic jam. Tanah Abang offered wide variety of local products and clothes. After spending about couple of hours in Tanah Abang, we moved on to Mangga Dua. Mangga Dua is another famous bargain market, though unfortunately infamous for its fake branded products. We only spent a short period of time in Mangga Dua before moving on to one of it's shopping complex, and more importantly, another restaurant.

In between all these downpours, traffic jams, eating out and such, we were being informed by our drivers that the situation in Jakarta was getting serious. Certain parts of Jakarta had been flooded.

On last day of our holiday in Jakarta, we thought we just wanted to go to the area near to our hotel. Out flight was in the late evening, and we thought we have ample time to go somewhere nearby, while two of our friends decided to go to their friends' office with our driver. However, after about half an hour later, both of our friends were back in the hotel. They told us that flood had reached the roads nearby our hotel. Apparently the flood situation in Jakarta was getting worst. Since it seemed we cannot go anywhere anymore, it was decided that it was better for all us to head out to the airport before more roads being cut off by the flood. When we were checking out from the hotel, the concierge of the hotel informed us that certain parts of Jakarta had been declared 'the state of emergency'.

We were very anxious when we were driven to Jakarta Airport. Though certain roads had been flooded, but they were still passable and we managed to reach the airport with no untoward incidents. When we were at the airport, we realised how bad the situation was in Jakarta after watching the news. So even though we were forced to leave our hotel earlier than we thought, we were thankful that we were able to leave the city.

Looking back at my last visit to Jakarta, it was no wonder that airline sold their tickets at cheap prices. It was not a good time to visit. LOL. Though the holiday was not what I expected, but I was glad to be able to visit Jakarta again, and ate its delicious food especially the Padang food.

It's been a while since I write anything. My work load seemed to be getting heavier, and by the end of the day, my mind was just too tired to do anything else. But I realised that I really missed writing, and trying to come up with coherent English sentences. Trying to make sense some flitting ideas and putting them into a sentence, and then a paragraph was a challenge that I never thought I will ever enjoyed. 

So I thought, what the heck, and took long and deep breath (instead of drink, LOL. I don't drink) as my Dutch courage. The easiest topic to kick start my rusty brain was writing 'Did You Know' series. Did you know that there are many expressions and idioms related to 'Dutch'?

1. Dutch courage

This idiom is actually somewhat a bit derogatory to a Dutch. This mean as false courage or false bravado and which meant the person needed a few drinks to bolster one's courage. 

One possibility of the origin of this idiom was the fact that the Dutch had invented gin. British troops appreciated the calming effect of gin before going to the war, thus giving the impression that their bravery was false and linked to alcohol fueled courage.

2. Going Dutch

No. No. No. You're not going to be a Dutch by going Dutch. LOL. Going Dutch means that to evenly split the group expenses such as meals. According to one source, due to historically, the Dutch and British were rivals in term of building global empire, this idiom to be considered a tightwad. In addition, the Dutch was always being customary considered to treat people equally. Therefore, if a group of people were going out and enjoying the same experience, they should be paying equally.

3. Dutch Auction

A Dutch auction is a method where the price of the goods are reduced until a buyer is found. It is differ from the normal auction where the price of the goods are increased until a buyer is found. A Dutch auction was historically originated from tulip farmers of Holland in the 19th Century. The farmers will pooled their tulips at the central market and sellers will undertook their sale to the traders from all over the world. The sellers will provide the starting price, and the traders will buy at the prevailing market price. Nowadays, the goods are not limited to the tulips, but other goods as well.  

4. Dutch Durian, Dutch Chicken and like a Dutch who has given a land

LOL. Don't roll your eyes. These three expressions are only peculiar to Malaysians. In Malay, a Dutch is called "Belanda'. Due to the Dutch, or Belanda had occupied Melaka from 1641 - 1825, Malay had a unique way in associating the Dutch to our daily vocabularies/phrases.

One is the 'durian Belanda' which can be literary translated as 'Dutch durian'. Actually, it is just a soursop. 

Another one is 'ayam Belanda' which can be directly translated as 'Dutch chicken'. It is what other people in the other parts of the world called 'Turkey'. LOL

And finally, like a Dutch who has given a land. It is just a direct translation of 'Seperti Belanda mendapat tanah'. It's a derogatory and somewhat angry expression. Like I said, the Dutch had colonised Melaka for about 183 years. Though during their occupation, there was little resistant from the Malay at that time, most Malay lamented that the Dutch was never satisfy with what they were given, which was land, and they wanted more.

I know there are many more idioms/expression relating to the Dutch. I will add them if time permits, or you may add them.

Additional idioms/expression or phrases that has 'Dutch' in it. Thank you to Eric and Y.N. I really appreciate it. I was too lazy to research and add them on my own. LOL

1. Dutch Uncle - a person giving firm but benevolent advice.

2. Double Dutch - it is a jumping game played with two skipping ropes swung in opposite directions so that they cross rhythmically.

3. Double Dutch - also can mean a language that is impossible to understand; gibberish.

4. In Dutch with someone - in trouble with someone

5. Dutch treat - a social occasion where one pays for oneself.

My other Did You Know? series:-

1. Did You Know?;  2. Continuation;  3. Another Continuation;  4. Not Another Continuation!; 5. Gosh! Will It Never Ends?;  6. Oh No! Not Another One!;  7. Here Comes Another One;  8. Another One?;  9. One, Two, Eighty Six?; 10. Punishment? OMG!; 11. Is This A Swan Song?;  12 John Has It All?; 13. It's All In The Myth;  14. This Is Random;  15. It's A Dog's World;  16.  It's Also A Cat's World;  17. Is It A Mouse World Too?; 

I read this interesting little article which was shared in the Facebook. It was about Ten Rules for Being Human written by Cherie Carter-Scott in ‘Life is A Game, These Are The Rules’. I hope all of you will enjoy these rules.

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called ‘life’.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The ‘failed’ experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately ‘work’.

4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.

6, ‘There’ is no better a place than ‘here’. When your ‘there’ has become a ‘here’, you will simply obtain another ‘there’ that will again look better than ‘here’.

7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person, unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8, What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need or do is look, listen and trust.

10. You will forget all this. 

For the past few days, I have been reading various articles about this remarkable young lady, Malala Yousafzai. She was feted to be a Noble Prize 2013, but she does not win it. However, I think she is still a winner to many children especially young girls. I think when you read her name, no futher introduction is necessary about this brave young lady. But, give me a little leeway here, I still want to say a few words about her.

Malala was a student in Swat Valley, Pakistan. She was an advocate of education for girls in her area. When Taliban took over the Swat Valley and forbidden young girls from going to school, she bravely defied their edict and went to school. She swapped her school uniforms and wear normal dress. Her father was an English teacher in the school where she was a student.

One day, a gunman stopped her school bus and shot her. Two of her friends were shot on the shoulders whereas she was shot at the head. Against all odds, she survived. However, when her conditions were deteriorated, she was flown to the UK for further surgeries. She was 15 years old.

She survived her surgeries, and she and her families due to the threats by Taliban had to move to England. As recent as last week, Taliban was still putting a threat to her safety and will not hesitate to kill her. 

In July this year, on her 16th birthday, Malala addressed a special convened youth assembly at the UN in the New York. She was advocating girls education not only for Pakistani girls but for every girl in the world.

Against all these, behind Malala is her supportive father and family. For a young lady from a very conservative environment, I believed the unyielding support from her family is really remarkable. Her father, an English teacher by vocation, has been with her in nearly all her interviews, and reading his views, it's no wonder Malala is such a remarkable and brave young girl.  

To Malala and every Malala in this world, I salute you. I would like to end this blog with a poignant words from this remarkable young lady.

"I raise up my voice -- not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard."

After writing blogs about dogs and cats, it seems unfair not to write a blog dedicated to a mouse. You have to admit that Mickey Mouse is cute too. LOL

Did You Know?

1. Mickey Mouse

Did you know that the most popular mouse is the Mickey Mouse? LOL. I think our ⊱ Mickey ⊰ will become the second most popular 'mouse' after this. There are few selected fun facts about Mickey Mouse that I want to share with you guys.

a. When the late Walt Disney drew a mouse, he wanted to call it as Mortimer Mouse. However, his wife told him that 'Mortimer' sounded too pompous and suggested Mickey Mouse which personified the qualities of fun and humbleness.

b. Mickey has its own entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica in 1934.

c. Mickey’s favourite sayings are “Oh Boy!”, “Gosh!”, “That sure is swell”, “Aw, gee…”, “See ya soon!”. And ⊱ Mickey ⊰ saying is 'Giggling' and she had adopted 'Lo and behold'.

d. During World War II, when the Allied forces invaded Normandy on D-Day in 1944, "Mickey Mouse" was used as a secret password between intelligence officers.

e. Mickey Mouse birthday is on November 18. This year it will be 85 years old. Happy birthday in advance Mickey though ⊱ Mickey ⊰ had her birthday a few days ago.

2. Fun facts about mouse

a. A mouse needs to build its home near to the source of food because it needs to eat 15 to 20 times a day. Now no wonder ⊱ Mickey ⊰ is always hungry and eating something while chatting in EC. LOL

b. It was said that most mice can jump nearly 46 cm (18 inches) in the air. They are excellent climbers and great swimmers. Hmmm .. I wonder is ⊱ Mickey ⊰ a great basketball player or a swimmer?

c. Most mice have tails that are as long as their bodies. No wonder ⊱ Mickey ⊰ likes men with long beards. LOL

d. According to Dr. Tim Holy, male mice are romantic creatures. LOL. They will sing squeaky love songs when smelling or seeing an attractive female mouse. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the squeak are very high pitched that human cannot hear them.

3. Idioms and Expressions

There are a few idioms/expressions related to rat, which technically is a mouse too. LOL

a. Smell a rat means to suspect that something is wrong; to sense that someone has caused something wrong.

b. Rat race which depicts the fierce struggle for success especially in one's career or business. 

c. Rat on someone is to report someone's bad behavior to authority or to tattle on someone

d. Like a rat abandoning a sinking ship is an indication of something is about to fail because a large numbers of people begin to leave or abandon it which basically implying that the people who are leaving are rats; in order words, selfish and disloyal.

I am sure some of you can add more idioms or expression with regards to rats/mice. So, can you add some more?

My other Did You Know topics:-

1. Did You Know?;   2. Did You Know - Continuation;   3. Did You Know - Another Continuation;   4. Did You Know - Not Another Continuation!;   5. Did You Know - Gosh! Will it never ends?;   6. Did You Know - Oh No! Not Another One!;   7. Did You Know? - Here Comes Another One!;   8. Did You Know? - Another One?;  9. Did You Know? - One, Two, Eighty Six?;   10. Did You Know? - Punishment? OMG!;   11. Did You Know? - John Has it All?;   12. Did You Know? - Is this a Swan Song?;  13. Did You Know? - It's All in the Myth!;  14. Did You Know? - This is Random,  15. Did You Know? - It's a Dog's World,  16. Did You Know? - It's Also a Cat's World

I just realised that there are a lot of idioms relating to dogs after I had written a blog about dogs. It does not seem fair, right? LOL. So I make my mission to write things about cats, and of course, only the great and wonderful things. LOL

Did You Know?

1. Fun Facts about Cats

Did you know that there are many fun facts about cats that most of us did not know. I would like to share some of them, and the rest you can search them yourselves. LOL. Well, maybe you can click this link to read some of them.

a. A group of cats is called 'clowder' , whereas a cat lover is called an Ailurophilia.

b. As many of you already know that cats love to sleep. There's nothing new in there, right? But did you know that on average a cat sleep 2/3 of a day. So, for three year old cat, on average it only awakes for one year. LOL. Well, before you guys say that it is a proof that a cat is lazy, just to let you know one of the reasons why a kitten sleeps so much is because a growth hormone is released when it sleeps. 

c. Based on some source, it was said that a cat's brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog's brain. The region of brain that is responsible for emotions are similar for both cats and human. 

d. The myth that dog's hearing is better than a cat, is totally untrue. It's a scientifically proven that the hearing of cats is better than a dog. A well known story about how the Holland's embassy in Moscow, Russia discovered microphones hidden by Russian spies because two Siamese cats kept on meowing and clawing at the walls of the building. This was because the cats heard the microphones when they turned on.

e. Not to be outnumbered (pun intended in here), a commemorative tower for a cat named Towser was built in Scotland because she caught about 28,899 mice (don't ask me who on Earth count those number of mice). In fact the Guinness World Record recognised her contribution on eliminating the population of rats. 

2. Cat's Age in Relation to Human

Similar to dog's statement that a year in a dog is equivalent to seven years in human age, it is said that a year in a cat is equivalent to seven years in human age. However, this statement is also incorrect. Because, cat lives longer than dog, as an average. Cats grow faster when they are young, and then they age slower when they are getting older. 

This is a basic table of cat's age in relation to human

And, just to let you know, dog is not only one which has it's own age conversion calculator, but cat too. Click on this cat age conversion calculator to check your cat age in relation to you.

3. Cats' Idioms and Expressions

I want to share with you some more popular idioms and expression in relation to cats. 

a. Curiosity killed a cat

This is one of the most popular expressions with regards to cats. I don't know why people like to kill a cute and curious cat, but there you go. LOL. Anyway, the meaning of the expression is basically a warning that being too inquisitive is likely to get you into trouble.

b. Has a cat got your tongue?

This is normally an idiom posed to someone who remains silent when in fact (s)he should be speaking.

c. No room to swing a cat

Who is that cruel person that wants to swing a cat? Tsk tsk tsk. This expression simply means a confined space, (I think the person who coined this expression really have a fat cat, LOL)

d. Put a cat among the pigeons

I think if you put a cat among the pigeons, the cat will think it has died and gone to Heaven. LOL. But in actual fact, this saying is used to describe something controversial. 

I am sure some of you can come up with more idioms and expressions relating to cats. So, please, share them in here.

And finally, all of you have to admit that it is a universal truth that cat is really a cute animal. LOL. 

Other Did You Know Series :-

1. Did You Know?;   2. Did You Know - Continuation;   3. Did You Know - Another Continuation;   4. Did You Know - Not Another Continuation!;   5. Did You Know - Gosh! Will it never ends?;   6. Did You Know - Oh No! Not Another One!;   7. Did You Know? - Here Comes Another One!;   8. Did You Know? - Another One?;  9. Did You Know? - One, Two, Eighty Six?;   10. Did You Know? - Punishment? OMG!;   11. Did You Know? - John Has it All?;   12. Did You Know? - Is this a Swan Song?;  13. Did You Know? - It's All in the Myth!;  14. Did You Know? - This is Random,  15. Did You Know? - It's a Dog's World

I want to dedicate this blog to 'man's best friend' which is a dog and sometimes the natural 'enemy' of a cat and which always bullies and chases cat. Just to show no hard feeling for a dog. 

Did You Know?

1. Man's best friend

This is one of the best term describing a dog, however, that reference is basically can refer to any animal that performs valuable service to humans. The affection for dogs as pets is pretty recent trend. Previously, dogs were mostly used as hunting dogs and defense dogs rather than pets. However, in 1870, the phrase 'a dog is a man's best friend' became popular because of a case in Warrensburg, Missouri, when a farmer shot his neighbour's dog. The lawyer George Graham Vest gave a moving speech and later known as the Eulogy to a Dog.

However, based from another source, it was said that the expression 'a dog is a man's best friend' first appeared in the The New-York Literary Journal, Volume 4, 1821, fifty years earlier than the Eulogy to a Dog.

2. It's a dog's life

It's an expression to describe that life is hard and unpleasant. This expression is mostly based on previous existence of dogs in people life. Dogs were never be considered as pampered pets previously. They were kept as hunting dogs, watch dogs and defense dogs. These dogs most of the time were not allowed into the owner's house. They were kept in kennels, fed scraps, worked hard and often died young. 

But I wonder, with the power of Hollywood celebrities whom making their dogs as pampered pets, they even put them in dresses, is the expression of 'it's a dog's life' as a hardship still applies?

3. A year in a dog

Did you know the statement that a year in human calendar means seven years in doggy life? This statement is only a myth, and no truth in it. The correct estimation of dog's life in comparison to human's years is as stated below:-

And just for fun, this is the conversion calculator on how to calculate your age in dog's years and vice versa. 

I know there are more fun idioms and phrases related to dog. Can you suggest and add some of them?

I've added a bunch of idioms related to dog thanks to my friends sewar, I am Vietnamese and Y.N. I never thought that dogs' related idioms are so many. Hmm.. Can you add any more?

1- Dog day of summer -  The hottest and most humid day of summer.

2- Dog eat dog world -  A way of life marked by fierce competition in which people compete ruthlessly for survival or success.

3- Go to the dogs - To decline in look or health; to be ruined or destroyed.

4- Let sleeping dog life - To not make trouble if you don't have to.

5- Raining cats and dogs - To rain very heavily.

6- Sick as a dog - very sick.

7- You can't teach an old dog new tricks - people who find it difficult or impossible to change their ways or adjust to new ideas.

8- Dog's dinner/breakfast - something that has been done very badly

9- A dog and pony show- a show or other event that has been organized in order to get people's support or to persuade them to buy something.

10- Be like a dog with a bone- to refuse to stop thinking about or talking about a subject.

11- Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion - It is better to be the leader of a less prestigious group than to be a subordinate in a more prestigious one.

12. Dog-tired - Extremely tired

13. Dog-eared - To turn down the corner of (the page of a book). To make worn or shabby from overuse.

14. Dog-paddle - A prone swimming stroke in which the head is kept out of the water and the arms remain submerged and are alternately thrust forward and pulled back while the legs kick.

15. In the dog house - Get a lot troubles

16. Be like a dog with a bone - To be relentless, to never stop.

17. Tail wagging the dog - a small part is controlling the whole of something.

18. Love me love my dog - A way of saying that you should love everything, and accept everything about the person you love.

19. As mean as a junk yard dog - A way of saying that a person is very mean.

20. A shaggy dog story - a story that can be funny, but usually ends up being ridiculously lengthy.

21. Every dog has its day - A way of expressing that it is inevitable that everyone will have at least one moment of glory in their lifetime.

Other Did You Know Series :-

1. Did You Know?;   2. Did You Know - Continuation;   3. Did You Know - Another Continuation;   4. Did You Know - Not Another Continuation!;   5. Did You Know - Gosh! Will it never ends?;   6. Did You Know - Oh No! Not Another One!;   7. Did You Know? - Here Comes Another One!;   8. Did You Know? - Another One?;  9. Did You Know? - One, Two, Eighty Six?;   10. Did You Know? - Punishment? OMG!;   11. Did You Know? - John Has it All?;   12. Did You Know? - Is this a Swan Song?;  13. Did You Know? - It's All in the Myth!;  14. Did You Know? - This is Random

You bring light to EC with your presence

Your perfect views on imperfect world make these tired eyes see differently

No matter how much we are going to miss you

Your Mom and your sister are going to miss you more

My dear Grand daughter, Noorany

I don't have a single bone of a poet in my body

But how I wish I can write a beautiful poem for you

I know EC had brought you joy

and EC had brought you pain

But what I know for sure

EC was brighten for a while with your joy

with your blogs

with your poems

Now purple colour brings different meaning

May you rest in peace, dear

May Allah bless your soul

Goodbye my grand daughter.

I will miss you terribly.