ISSUE NO 6: Hello Idioms

Hello Idioms!
1. Sell like hotcakes = [for something] to be sold very fast. Example: The fancy new cars were selling like hotcakes.
2. Swan song = the last work or performance of a playwright, musician, actor, etc., before death or retirement. Example: His portrayal of Lear was the actor's swan song.
3. A latchkey child/kid = a child who is often in the house alone because both parents are at work.
4. Drop like a hot brick = to suddenly get rid of someone or something that you have been involved with because you do not want them anymore or you are worried they may cause problems. Example: The government dropped the plan like a hot brick when they realized the bad feeling it was causing.
5. It’s ill waiting for dead men's shoes = You should not be eager for someone to die so that you inherit something. Example: Phil: Why should I bother to learn some kind of trade? I'll be rich when Grandpa dies and leaves me all his money. Alan: It's ill waiting for dead men's shoes.

6. Sport of kings = horse racing. Example: The sport of kings has sure impoverished a lot of commoners.
7. turn king's/queen's evidence also turn state's evidence
If someone who has been accused of a crime turns king's evidence, they give information in a court of law about other people involved in the crime in order to have their own punishment reduced. Example: She was given a lenient sentence in exchange for turning king's evidence.
8. Show a clean pair of heels = to go faster than someone else in a race. Example: Butler showed them all a clean pair of heels as he raced for the finishing line.
9. First in, best dressed = something that you say which means that the first people to do something will get something first or will have an advantage. Example: I've got ten free tickets to the movies to hand out, so it's first in, best dressed.
10. Comfortable as an old shoe = very comfortable; very comforting and familiar. Example: My old house may seem small to you, but I think it's cozy. It's as comfortable as an old shoe.
11. Common as an old shoe and Common as dirt = low class; uncouth. Example: That ill-mannered girl is just as common as an old shoe. Example:Despite Mamie's efforts to appear to be upper class, most folks considered her common as dirt.


Prepared by:
Israa A. Ameen

ISSUE NO 6: 5 Steps To Live It English

5 steps to live it English

1 - Style your life; English is more than a language, it is a life style, so why don't you make translation your life, try to translate everything you see: signs, billboards, subtitles even two people talking in front of you.
2 - Be alert; English might be your second language, why not make it your mother tongue. Listen as much as possible to English dialogues, radio talks, TV shows... etc. The point is to pick your own comfort zone and to transform it completely into English.
3 - Use a healthy habit; in your mind, make learning a habit. Try to learn something every day. It is much better to study each day than to study for long hours once a week or if you study each day you will keep your mind updated and you will not forget things.
4 - Live it up; English is not only a material of a study, it’s a language of your own. Speak as many English sentence as possible it’s alright to make mistakes, socialize, take it in use, try to use it most of the time with your mates, if not available you might try to join a forum, a social network or even chatting on line.
5 - Be patient; you can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.
And always remember: love English and it will love you back.
Written by: Aseel K. Mahmood

ISSUE NO 6: Poem: By Then

By then...
I can not love you, not here not now,
Not in a million ever lasting years.
Maybe if I came across you ten years ago
Then we will meet again in the other ten after.
Maybe they will catch the ghost of our cries and laughter,
And air will carry the scent of where we sat,
Where rain would wash away all the pain,
And miles around them will say that

I am quiet my self again.
I can not think of the right time to say
Either too late or too soon
Not until suns fade away
And shadows cover the moon,
Till months burn their wings
Flying toward the time of eternity
And the life circle whirls
To retain my youth and dignity
When the roses you gave to me
Gently lose their thorns
And all the things we wanted to be
Obtained the minute we are born
When seas evaporate and skies collapse
And this world heals from its state of relapse
Still, there's no more evil so death loses its worth
And no more of anything... not even birth
Till ages pass by as if they were minutes
And all the moments are déjà vu
Till life repeats itself as a sonnet
Only the time I'm with you
Till all the world only to begin
Maybe I will love you by then.
Written by:
Aseel K. Mahmood

How to Be a "Creative Thinker"

How to Be a "Creative Thinker"

Here are some tips to be followed to help you to be a creative plus a deep thinker and to discover the most mysterious organ of the body "the brain"!


Focus on something:
Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand.
"The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus."
- Alexander Graham Bell


Take your time: Or thoughts may take years to produce something worthwhile.


Do not think under pressure: People, who claim to work well under pressure produce solutions, grind out work, meet deadlines, but they don't necessarily create great thought. Doing and thinking don't happen at the same time.


Be ready for the opposition: A great thought will have enemies, at least opponents. Without opposition, the thinker cannot fully explore the weaknesses and potential consequences of his thought. A person who cannot withstand opposition to his thought is not totally committed to it.


Do not despair when a thought is rejected: Truly great thoughts often take longer to be fully appreciated than the thinker has years to live. The thought, the great thought, becomes the legacy of the thinker.
Thought lives on when facts have become history.


Tap your emotions and trust your instincts:
Our unconscious thoughts are like a trained autopilot. Based on their conclusions, the brain generates emotions. So don’t disregard that subtle feeling telling you to avoid the salmon special. Your personal supercomputer is trying to tell you something.


Consider alternative points of view. Professional poker players often use a simple trick when they suspect another player of bluffing: They think about how the player would act if he or she weren’t bluffing. The brain naturally filters the world to confirm what it already believes (which is why conservatives watch Fox News and liberals watch MSNBC). But this habit is limiting and dangerous; you could be fixating on the wrong answers.


Challenge your preferences: Like presumptive beliefs (see the above tip), your supposed likes and dislikes can limit your mind. I used to be a bit of an expensive-clothes snob. But then I did a test of clothes from different price ranges and discovered what scientists have since confirmed: There is no correlation between the price of a dress and how much it looks wonderful on you! By figuring out what you truly like-be it cheap clothes or fancy shoes- you can enjoy life, not to mention spend more wisely.


Take long showers: Studies show that moments of insight often arrive when you’re not aware that you’re thinking of the problem, such as during a warm shower or a long stroll. This is because insights are typically generated by a rush of high-frequency gamma-band neural activity in the brain’s right hemisphere, and a mind is better able to tune in to that hemisphere when it is stress-free.
Be prepared for ideas: Always keep a notebook with you just in case. Sometimes you will be just out somewhere and all of a sudden, a beautiful, profound idea will enter your thoughts in a split second. Jot the idea down. Even writing down a few key words will help you remember the main point of the idea. By combining these ideas together you will get a coherent piece of work.
Do something everyday: Do something everyday even if you think it is junk. Most of what I write starts off as junk, and then it becomes piles of junk. After moving the junk around to the right places and polishing it up a bit, the end product becomes a beautiful piece of junk. For example, learn a new word every day. Look at dictionary.com's "Word of the Day." Use the word several times during the day.
Appreciate the smallest things in life: All the things around us in the world have a certain significance to them that can add to our creativity. A small pebble that is rolled down an icy hill can accumulate into a giant snowball towards the end.
Do not be afraid: This fear can come from not being able to think of anything new and different. It can be from not knowing if others will like your work or from comparing your work to those of better people or from starting from scratch and not knowing how to start. All of these fears can stop us from taking action and destroy our confidence. But if you're always going to run away from your fears, nothing creative is ever going to come out of you.
Just have fun: Let go. Creativity is best expressed when you're free.. Also, creativity is supposed to be the farthest thing from the word, labor! Then you'll realize that the happier you are doing your work, the more ideas will come to you, and the better creative thinker you'll be, all without losing your mind.
Observe and ask questions: Watch the way in which others perform. Ask others how they solve problems. Approach from a different angle: Think of potential solutions as if you were a child. Do logic puzzles: Try crosswords, word finds or sudoku. These are free online. Understand something new: Watch movies, read or look at pieces of art in genres or styles that would normally be of no interest. Read more about them. Force yourself to approach problems in different ways: Perform tasks with your left hand that you would normally do with your right. This forms new neural pathways and diversifies your reasoning capacity. Do not set limits: Look at the absurd. The answer may go against convention. me up with the answer: Acknowledge the problem, then relax and do something else. Thoughts may eventually have some bearing on the solution. Master the technique: Perform a new technique until it is second nature.

Prepared By: Maha Ali