Plant and Animal Talk

Mother and Child Reunion!

2009-10-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Mother and Child Reunion!

Mother and Child Reunion is always a precious and warm moment! Just as warm as the song 'Mother ad Child Reunion' written by Paul Simon for his dog which was run over and killed. The title of the song though was from a dish in a menu fromChinese Restaurant.

Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Young...

All in the family!

2009-10-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

All in the family!

You would probably remember Carroll O' Connor's Archibald "Archie" Bunker, in the long-running and top-rated American television sitcome, 'All in the Family' which premiered in January 1971. TV Guide named Archie the greatest television character of all time. Enjoy the show's opening, won't you?

All in the family...

I am not a peacock!

2009-10-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

I am not a peacock!

The peacock with its beautiful iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage perhaps makes it the right choice as the national bird of India. No wonder, there are people who want to make a peacock out of a dog!

What's in there?

2009-10-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

What's in there?

They say curiosity kills the cat. Just you wait, monkey!

I am just a bad!

2009-10-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry! I mean a bat!

Bats, the flying mammals in the order Chiroptera are not so bad if you consider them as pollinating agents. But if you view them as a host for patogens that transmit diseases such as rabies or the severe acute respiratory syndrome which is better known as SARS, or even dream to associate them with Dracula, the blood sucking vampire of Transylvania then, they are not so good!

Get Cosy!

2009-10-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Get Cosy!

This is no ugly duckling, the homely little bird in Danish Hans Christian Anderson's tale which was born in a barnyard and suffered abuse from his siblings and neighbors until he matured into a graceful swan. This is indeed one of the most beautiful bird ever!

One down!

2009-10-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

One down! Many more to go!

Penguins are delightful creatures. Found exclusively in the Antarctica in the Southern hemisphere, penguins are birds but they are flightless. Their wings have adapted into flippers which make them suitable for an aquatic environment. It's a wonder then to have a supervillain called Penguin in Batman!

Pick on me!

2009-10-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Pick on me!

Don't know about deer but the Nile crocodile is one animal which likes to be picked on. It will open its mouth and birds like spur-winged plover will pick on the leeches that feed on its blood. It is gain-gain symbiotic relationship.

Plant Talk: Pornographic Chillies

2009-10-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

It seems that there is a type of chilly native to Louisiana and Texas in the USA that looks so hot that it has been voted the Most Pornographic Pepper by Organic Gardening Magazine. Called by a variety of name like Peter Pepper, Chilly Willy, Penis Chilly, the pepper could be eaten but are planted for ornamental purposes. Fancy having one in your mouth? I bet it would make you cry!

We are saluting the sun!

2009-10-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

We are saluting the sun!

Yoga practitioners would be familiar with the term 'saluting the sun' which refers to the series of postures aimed at promoting general health. Yoga as everyone know is a stess-busting sport originating in India. Said to be associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, it is no wonder then that Malaysia's National Fatwa Council once issued a ban on the sport among Muslims.

Wait till I catch you!

2009-10-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Wait till I catch you!

That'd probably remind you of Aesop's 'The Mice in Council' and the phrase 'Belling the cat' or 'To bell a cat'. Doesn't ring a bell?

Shoot!

2009-10-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

Shoot! And I don't need a gun!

I once heard someone said that the inventor of the atomic bomb, Hungarian physicist Leó Szilárd was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. During World War II, Leó Szilárd, and many other scientists in the 1945 Manhattan Project that produced the deadly weapon had hoped that by merely showing the tremendous power of the bomb, Germany and Japan would be forced to surrender. In a similar vein, Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the assault rifle and a decorated general wished that his legacy would spread peace in the world and stop murders and wars. Pretty silly smart men these, don't you think?

Visit Beautiful World for more quips!

I am Flying!

2009-09-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am flying!

Can ducks fly? I used to think that they can't. Back home, my dad used to keep ducks in the backyard. I had not seen any of them flying. Domesticated duck, it seems, do not fly because their body weight is heavy. Wild ducks, however, do fly! That's why, I suppose, western comics and books have hunters shooting down ducks.

Size does matter!

2009-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

For Malaysia’s biggest bull, size does matter. Besides needing a daily diet of 50kg of Indian Napier giant grass and 5kg of food pellets, getting up on its four feet is difficult to do. Because of its girth, it takes up to a minute to just get up and then of course, it is difficult to have sex. Its owner, Juharani Jaafar, a cafe operator had tried to get the bull to mate twice and both times the cows died. Standing at 183 cm and weighing 1.5 tonnes, the six-year-old bull which is bigger than a mid-sized family saloon car broke their backs when it mounted them!

I am the flower dog!

2009-09-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

You hear it right! I am the flower dog, not the flower girl!

A flower girl, like a ring bearer or a page boy, is a participant in a wedding procession. A flower girl walks in front of the bride, carrying a bouquet of flowers and may spread flower petals before the bride as she makes her entrance. And while we are here, here's , 'Here comes the bride'...

Rats!

2009-09-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Rats That's what Kapuku are! If you fancy a diet of rats, you'd probably get to buy it in Lilongwe, Malawi. where you can get the rodents ready cooked, salted or dried. These gray field mice are popular Malawi delicacy.The mice are hunted in corn fields after the harvest when they have grown plump on a diet of grains, fruits, grass and the odd insect. Doesn't really look like a dirty meal, does it?

I am feeling out of place!

2009-08-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am feeling out of place!

Out of place is an idiom, meaning not in the proper place or inappropriate. If you are feeling out of place, you could well feel awkward and unwelcome. When and under what circumstances do you feel out of place?

Community Project: Human Rights Day

2009-08-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

December 10 is Human Rights Day! A video to commemorate the day...

Cucumber, my foot!

2009-08-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

No, I mean, cucumber, my hand!

Cucumbers, said to be domesticated in India, spread quickly through Europe and Asia and and by the 6th and 7th centuries, were already widely consumed in the region. Eat them raw or have them pickled!

That's my baby!

2009-08-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

That's my baby!

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, about a hungry wolf which put on a sheep's fleece to enable itself to sneak up on a flock of sheep and steal a lamb for its supper is one of Aesop's most notable fables.The wolf had ended up as supper instead when a shepherd, thinking it was a sheep, had it slaughtered. In English, "a wolf in sheep's clothing" is a metaphor for any hidden danger, or for any enemy putting on a false display of friendship. By the way, do you notice that the baby in the picture is just a pig in tiger's clothing?

I am jumping with joy!

2009-08-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

I am jumping with joy!

Joy is that emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. How do you express your joy? Do you just smile or do you jump like me?

I am a juggler!

2009-08-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

I am a juggler!

You may have seen people juggling in the circus but do you know that people have been juggling since ancient times? Juggling has been recorded in many ancient cultures including Chinese, Indian Greek, Roman, Aztec, Norse and even Polynesian civilisation but the earliest record of juggling is said to be on a panel from the 15th Beni Hassan tomb of an unknown prince which depicts female dancers and acrobats throwing balls.Beni Hasan, by the way, is a cemetery site located in Middle Egypt, between Asyut and Memphis.

Can you spot me?

2009-08-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

Can you spot me?

Now you see me, now you don't! I am the Coconut Crab from the islands of the South Pacific and India! A Coconut Crab can climb up a coconut palm to get its pincers on the fruit. It will break it open and make a meal out of it! Cool, isn't it?

Donkey or a Walrus?

2009-08-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Animals are often featured in religious stories. On the night of the Holy Nativity for example, when Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger, besides shepherds, animals were present and one such animal was the donkey.Through Donkey Tales, children are supposed to learn about the obedience God requires. Now, wouldn't it be nice to have some walrus tales too!

Kiss my butt!

2009-07-20T04:03:00.000-07:00

You can kiss my butt or butt off!

'Butt' can mean more than butt as you can see. If you are talking about 'butt of a rifle' for instance, that means its blunt end. If it's your rear you are thinking about, how about some butt exercises like squats. It could be chair squat, ball squat, tiptoe squat or barbell squat. Rest assured that these exercises will reward you with buns of steel!