Years come and go, but this year I specially wish 4 u a double dose of health n happiness topped with loads of good fortune. Have a great year ahead!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

Break the ice

Our Eskimo in the illustration doesn"t seem to understand that to break the ice doesn"t mean to knock someone"s house down. It means to do something friendly in order to overcome shyness or to ease tension in a social situation. "To break the ice, let"s invite our new neighbors to lunch."

Call it a day

"Let"s call it a day and go home," Teddy said. Because the person he"s addressing doesn"t understand the expression, it"s up to me to explain that when we call it a day, we stop whatever we are doing, regardless of the time. "After twenty years as a postman, Mr Burr called it a day and retired."

Do things by halves

I don"t know what"s wrong with Mr. Long. He"s either lazy or disorganized for he always does things by halves. That is, he does things in a careless and incomplete way. "When I read a book, I do it by halves. I never finish it." Mr. Long said. " I guess I"ve decorated my house by halves too."

Put someone in their place

George made the mistake of criticizing his boss. His boss responded by putting him in his place. When we put someone in their place we punish them, often by telling them in an angry way that their thoughts or opinions are of little importance. "Having been put in his place, I doubt that George will ever criticize the boss again."

On the cheap

Things that are cheap are inexpensive. To do something on the cheap is to do it without spending much money. Last summer, for instance, Felix joined a tour to Europe and that it discovered was done on the cheap as the hotels were inexpensive and lunches were from hot dog stands.

Make a splash

For several years Gilbert has been studying acting. At last he"s ready to appear in a play and make a splash as an actor. When we make a splash, we do something that attracts attention. "Did you see Gilbert in the play last night? He made quite a splash playing Macbeth."

Hands are tied

Angela and Bruce would like to be free to do as they wish. Unfortunately they can"t for their hands are tied ! When people"s hands are tied they are unable to do as they would like. "I"d like to go shopping with you but my hands are tied for I have to stay at the office today," father said.

Go Dutch

It takes at least two people to go Dutch for the simple reason that when we go Dutch we share the cost of something, each person paying his or her own expenses. "Hans invited Gretchen to join him for lunch. Knowing he hasn"t much money, Gretchen has insisted that they go Dutch."

Cost an arm and a leg

Whatever is said to cost an arm and a leg is very expensive. "It cost me an arm and a leg to get my car repaired." "George flew to Austria to go skiing. He said that the trip cost him an arm and a leg."

Catch-22

This expression comes from the title of a book. Situations referred to as catch-22 are unreasonable and unfair in which a person has no chance of winning or succeeding. "If I study medicine, I"ll be unhappy. If I study art, my parents will be unhappy. I"m in a catch-22 situation."

Burn the midnight oil

Mr. Wilcox works all day and attends school at night. When he goes home he burns the midnight oil by studying until dawn. If you are like Mr. Wilcox and work or study long hours at night, you too can say that you burn the midnight oil.

A big hand

Last night, Fiona was given a big hand at the end of her wonderful performance. Fiona was overjoyed, of course, for a big hand refers to loud and enthusiastic applause. The newspapers say that Fiona performed very well and received a big hand for her role in the play.

Chew the fat

After a hard day, Nanook and his friend like nothing better than to sit around a nice warm fire chewing the fat. "Normally we are so busyhunting and fishing that we don"t have much time to get together to chew the fat, " Nanook noted. To chew the fat is to have a casual chat or a nice little talk. "Our wives have just gone to one of their friend"s igloo to chew the fat", Nanook smiled.

At each other"s throats 

Ian and Alfonso have never gotten along together. As Long as I can remember they"ve been at each other"s throats. That is to say they have always been quarrelling, arguing and - on occasion - fighting. ""We"ve been at each other"s throats so long we"ve forgotten why we"re mad at each other,"" Alfonso said.

Child"s play

Jaime truly enjoys his new job. It"s so easy that he has been able to make child"s play of it. Any job or task can be called child"s play if the person doing it finds it almost too easy to do or to perform. "Jaime"s new job seems like child"s play." Helen smiled. "He makes it look so easy."

All keyed up

Teddy has had a terrible day. It began when he overslept and was late getting to school. Then it rained and he got all wet coming home from school. Not only that he forgot to study for a history quiz! "Now you know why I returned home all keyed up," he explained. To be (all) keyed up is to be nervous, tense or excited. "That"s exactly how I feel," he nodded.

Come clean

"We have ways to make you talk," Officer Mutt grinned. "If you don"t tell us the truth, I will find a way to make you come clean." Officer Mutt"s dog ground his teeth together and agreed. To come clean is to confess or reveal all the facts about something - expecially after telling lies or hiding the truth. "I"ll come clean if you keep your dog away from me," the criminal cried out.

Give someone the cold shoulder

The snowman in this illustration is happy to allow a bird to rest on its cold shoulder ... but that"s not what this idiom means. To give someone the cold shoulder is to be unfriendly, usually by ignoring them. "I"m going to give donald the cold shoulder for not inviting me to his party."

Gut feeling

Until recently it was considered somewhat vulgar to use the word "gut" when referring to the human abdomen. Gut feeling isn"t vulgar, though. It refers to a feeling or an impression that comes from one"s innermost self. "I have a gut feeling I shouldn"t be here." Wilbur said to himself.

Get to grips with

Kenneth had difficulty adjusting to his new job but he soon got to grips with it. He was uncomfortable living in a strange city but he came to grips with that too. To get/come to grips with ( something ) is to deal satisfactorily with a problem or a situation that initailly proved difficult or confusing.

Tie the knot

Colloquially, when two people get married they tie the ( marriage ) knot. "Peter and Elizabeth have decided to tie the knot. They make a lovely couple, don"t they ?" Also, the person performing the wedding ceremony ties the ( marriage ) knot. The priest at St Teresa"s tied the marriage knot for Peter and Elizabeth.

Get hitched

Trevor and Janet have known each other since they were children. "You love me and I love you." Janet said one day. "Isn"t it time we got hitched ?" Trevor resisted a little, but in the end he and Janet did gt hitched. When people get hitched, they get married.

Drink like a fish

I don"t know if people are aware of it but Tim drinks like a fish. When a person is described as drinking like a fish, he drinks great quantitles of alcoholic beverages. Not water or cola or lemonade, mind you, but beer, whiskey, wine and other alcoholic drinks ... such as Tim is doing now?

Top off / up

Bob and Tim are celebrating. With a bottle in one hand, Tim asks: "May I top your glass up!".

"Certainly, old pal, top it off," Bob said. Glug, glug, glug went the bottle as his glass was topped up, for this expression means to fill a partly full container - a glass, a tank, etc. - to the very top with liquid.

"Thanks," Bob smiled. "My pleasure," Tim replied.

A lame duck

A person described as being a lame duck is helpless. If he is in a position of authority, he lacks power. " Shirley is such a lame duck. She can"t do anything without ebing supervised. " ( Helpless ). "Harry"s term of office ends next year. meanwhile, he"s a lame duck president and none of his plans stands a chance of ebing acted up. " ( Powerless )

Stress is common to everyone. Our bodies are designed to feel stress
and react to it. It keeps us alert and ready to avoid danger. It is not
always possible to avoid or change events that may cause stress. We can
feel trapped and unable to cope. When stress persists, the body begins
to break down and illnesses can occur. The key to coping with stress is
identifying stressors in your life and learning ways to direct and
reduce stress.

What is stress?

Stress is your reaction to any change that requires you to adjust or
respond. It"s important to remember that you can learn to control
stress, because stress comes from how you respond to stressful events.

What causes stress?

Stress can be caused by anything that requires you to adjust to a
change in your environment. Your body reacts to these changes with
physical, mental, and emotional responses. We all have our own ways of
coping with change, so the causes of stress can be different for each
person. Common causes include:

• Death
• Illnesses
• Accidents
• Marriage
• Pregnancy
• Divorce
• Job change
• Deadlines
• Moving
• Money problems
• Confrontations
• Crowds
• Heavy traffic
• Legal problems
• Retirement

When you are not sure of the exact cause of your stress, it may be
helpful for you to know the warning signs of stress. Once you can
identify these signs, you can learn how your body responds to stress.
Then you can take steps to reduce it.

What are the warning signs of stress?

Your body sends out physical, emotional, and behavioral warning signs of stress.

Emotional warning signs include:

• Anxiety
• Sleep disruption
• Anger
• Inability to concentrate
• Unproductive worry
• Sadness
• Frequent mood swings

Physical warning signs include:

• Stooped posture
• Sweaty palms
• Chronic fatigue
• Weight gain or loss
• Physical symptoms that your doctor cannot attribute to another condition

Behavioral warning signs include:

• Over-reacting
• Acting on impulse
• Using alcohol or drugs
• Withdrawing from relationships
• Changing jobs often
• Feeling agitated most of the time

What can I do to reduce stress?

• Keep a positive attitude.
• Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
• Be
  assertive instead of aggressive. "Assert" your feelings, opinions, or
  beliefs instead of becoming angry, combative, or passive.
• Learn to relax.
• Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
• Eat well-balanced meals.
• Rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
• Don"t rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.

How can I learn to relax?

There are a number of exercises that you can do to relax. These
exercises include breathing, muscle and mind relaxation, relaxation to
music, and biofeedback. A few that you can try are listed below. First,
be sure that you have:

• A quiet location that is free of distractions.
• A comfortable body position. Sit or recline on a chair or sofa.
• A good state of mind. Try to block out worries and distracting thoughts.

Relaxation exercises

2-minute relaxation-- Concentrate your thoughts on
yourself and your breathing. Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly.
Mentally scan your body. Notice areas that feel tense or cramped.
Quickly loosen up these areas. Let go of as much tension as you can.
Rotate your head in a smooth, circular motion once or twice. (Stop any
movements that cause pain.) Roll your shoulders forward and backward
several times. Let all of your muscles completely relax. Recall a
pleasant thought for a few seconds. Take another deep breath and exhale
slowly. You should feel more relaxed.

Mind relaxation-- Close your eyes. Breathe normally
through your nose. As you exhale, silently say to yourself the word
"one," a short word such as "peaceful" or a short phrase such as "I
feel quiet" or "I"m safe." Continue for 10 minutes. If your mind
wanders, gently remind yourself to think about your breathing and your
chosen word or phrase. Let your breathing become slow and steady.

Deep breathing relaxation- -Imagine a spot just
below your navel. Breath into that spot and fill your abdomen with air.
Let the air fill you from the abdomen up, then let it out, like
deflating a balloon. With every long, slow breath out, you should feel
more relaxed

Best wishes & good luck with the exams.

Catch a Rabbit 

The LAPD, The FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.

The CIA goes in.

They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist.

The FBI goes in.

After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming.

The LAPD goes in.

They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling: "Okay! Okay! I"m a rabbit! I"m a rabbit!" 

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Facts about Old Men and Women 

Q: Where can guys over 65 find youthful, pretty women who are interested in dating them?

A: Look in the library-------under Romantic Fiction.

Q: How can a guy cope during his wife"s menopause?

A: By staying busy. If you"re mechanically inclined, you can remodel the garage. When you are finished you will have a flat in which to live.

Q: How can a woman raise the heart rate of her 65+ year old spouse?

A: She should tell him she"s with child.

Q: What can an older woman do for the wrinkles on her neck?

A: Don"t wear a brassiere. The additional hanging "weights" will take out the wrinkles.

Q: How can older people remember where they parked their cars?

A: Use the Valet service. They have to remember where your car is.

Q: Do older people have problems storing their short term memories?

A: No, they have problems retrieving the memories from storage.

Q: Do older people have deeper sleep?

A: They do, but normally their deep sleep happens in the afternoon

Q: Where can older people find preion eye glasses?

A: On top of their heads.

Q: What is the most often used sentence uttered by older people when they visit antique shops?

A: "Gee, I have one of these." 

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Be happy!