English Idioms

Writing

If they don’t get one, all of that self-doubt and insecurity will come flooding back if the two sides are paired together in Brazil next summer because, as Germany know only too well, history has a nasty habit of repeating itself.

History never repeats itself. Man always does. – Voltaire

Mark Twain: “History never repeats itself but it rhymes.”

The evidence of history, on the contrary, shows that these ancient people had a very advanced culture

It is of note that the overall trend for the first six months of the year was steadily upwards.

In retrospect, I think that I was wrong.

As long as they go well with eggs and coffee, I’ll love my breakfast to bits.

I’m afraid geography is not my strong suit.

Barring future injuries, the full-back slots are nailed down.

It’s not exactly beautiful, is it?

It just blows me away

I suppose you’ll be leaving soon, then?’ ‘No, as a matter of fact I’ll be staying for another two years.

Keep your fingers crossed!

the U.S had turned the corner in the war

The authorities were either unaware of the problem or turned a blind eye to it

She passed the exam with flying colours.

MU rating:
Nani – 4 – His weekly competition with Foster for the worst performer award continued.  Rarely found a team mate when in possession; his Old Trafford career seems to be going down the pan.
Fletcher – 5 – Set nothing like the standard we’ve come to expect.  Ran around like a headless chicken all evening and was subbed for Carrick.

It even surprised herself that her first book was a runaway success.

He initially didn’t know how to solve the problem but he then decided to ask for his teacher’s hint and that did the trick.

“People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes” (Van Buren)

Surprise visits put the staff on their toes

Luck has deserted us!

The countries are contiguous.

She gave him a look that made words superfluous

Minute Winner Means Red Devils Are Destined To Win Premier League Title?

Last season, when Balotelli scored a brace against the Giallorossi in a memorable 3-3 draw, the enigmatic forward rushed up to the traveling fans and told them to hush, by placing his finger over his mouth (after scoring a goal??).

Chelsea Are Title Favourites Now.

She was beaten in the semi-finals by wild card Louise Smith

ineffable joy

“Truth be told, I am thrilled!” the 59-year-old said to Tuttosport newspaper.

a rift between siblings

There’s an easy, albeit expensive, way to fix the national crisis in forensic crime labs.

a hitherto unknown species of moth

We had no alternative but to fire Gibson.

The child’s right to education is a correlative of the parent’s duty to send the child to school.

You should study this document with the utmost care.

But he is now at risk of being framed as the culprit in England’s downfall, which is something that the talented forward does not deserve.

Diego Maradona raised more than a few eyebrows when he did not call up former seletion captain Zanetti.
Eyebrows were raised when he arrived without his wife. (raise your eyebrows (at something)[often passive]))

This latest computer game raises the bar for interface design.

Sofia sets the bar very high for what she expects of herself. vs lower the bar

“When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it. You have a moral obligation to share it with others”

An argument ensued.
They lost track of each other in the ensuing (following) years.

The team seemed invincible.

It will not be the first time the French have experienced such troubled times, especially with a squad that has several ethnic divisions and no small number of inflated egos.

Thankfully, the nightmare has come to a close.

Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter (basic, very important) issues of politics.

a city steeped in (have lots of) history

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson Confirms Loan Moves On The Cards (likely to happen) For Danny Welbeck And Tom Cleverley
The merger has been on the cards for some time now.

Why oh why are Juve getting rid of him at the end of the season?!

Speaking

Do the maths before you take on more debt.

I’ll leave it up to you to use your discretion.

The sun never sets upon the British flag.

Some experts believe that it is only/just a matter of time before truly intelligent computers and robots are created.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that he’s a liar (= but I think he may be slightly dishonest).

Ronaldo is Ready To Embrace Jose Mourinho

He is now expected to meet with club chiefs at Villa Pacelli to put pen to paper on his new three-year deal

‘”More haste, less speed’” is a well-known paradox.

The Chelsea star has been simmering under the skin since being stripped of the England captaincy by the Italian

He was on the verge of tears.

Terry has been the one who engineered another spectacular collapse of the current Golden Generation of England’s footballers.

He has jumped on his high horse => be/get on your high horse

There is no disgrace in being poor

I’m not going to dignify his comments by reacting to them.

It was only after they were married that she began to see the flip side of the fairy tale.

children born in/out of wedlock (= whose parents are/are not married)

Walker, who admitted that he was gay last year, spoke of the relief he felt at no longer having to live a lie.

we had to painfully sit back and die a slow (& painful) death

Klose may be renowned as the man who makes it happen on the big stage

The country was torn apart by strife (conflict)
We tore the other team apart in the second half.

… until Beckham apparently stepped in as peacemaker

I couldn’t resist the temptation to open the letter

By the letter of the law, again, this should have been a red.

Opportunity rarely knocks twice at United

What’s Driving Appetite for Agbank?

The book will whet your appetite for more of her work.

an insatiable appetite/curiosity/thirst

on the brink of collapse/war/death/disaster

They found a way of circumventing the law.

God cannot be replaced by his disciple

They say the GIMP is aimed at intermediate to advanced users, and not everyone’s cup of tea

She was chosen for the job on the basis of her qualifications.

Many years elapsed before they met again

the diffusion of Marxist ideas

Enough to suggest he finally has got the bit between his teeth after two lacklustre campaigns in Manchester.

… after picking up his second successive man of the match award.

That’s another brilliant idea down the pan

not to be missed

We set to work without further ado

They are now reaping the rewards of all their hard work.

United hit the jackpot (= were successful) with a 5-0 win over Liverpool.

“The biggest piece of advice, beyond ‘start now,’ is to use a ‘set it and forget it’ approach,” says John Curry, managing director of retirement management with FundQuest.

We usually visit doctors and dentists as a last resort,

..more than a bit-part role. In his heyday, the snarling midfielder was worth two players

I don’t want to become a burden to my children when I’m old.

That’s all of a piece with Carlos’ career

He is streets ahead of them all

Now looking every inch the £30million striker that he conspicuously didn’t during his first two seasons

There was ample time to get to the airport.

Reiterates desire to leave his position following Euro 2012

Carrick will be used as a makeweight for Modric

You always twist everything I say.

The problem, needless to say, is the cost involved.

Looked every inch Rio Ferdinand’s doppelganger

Bail is granted at the discretion of the court.

to learn by rote/ rote learning

be a double-edged sword/weapon

reluctant to show himself in flesh and blood.

I only agreed out of sheer desperation

Of course, sex is an inevitable byproduct of the bizs

We’re setting ourselves up for a strong Christmas and New Year, the time when we expect to click into gear.

The problem, needless to say, is the cost involved.

He was born in a family with entertainment in vein

Work out a plan of action. Break down the plan into baby steps

In his first start of 2011, he handled everything with aplomb. How sorely the Dutchman will be missed when he hangs up his gloves.

But regardless of who is selected during the event – filled with pomp and circumstance along with hammer-and-sickle propaganda

I’m leaving Bayern with pain in my heart, but with my head held high

he was no longer an undisputed starter at Bayern following the signing of Gustavo Luis this winter and therefore wanted to leave the club.

Nobody doubts his worth, and no-one questions his quality.

believes that the comeback his team made against Blackpool on Tuesday could prove to be a pivotal moment in their season.

Stay tuned for the news coming up next.

She was in love but now she has been left high and dry.

from my perspective and from where I stand; from my point of view; the way I see it
Fig. in my own opinion. Mary: What do you think of all this?
Tom: From my perspective, it is just terrible.
Bob: From my point of view, this looks like a very good deal.
Bill: That’s good for you. I stand to lose money on it.
Alice: From where I stand, it appears that you’re going to have to pay a lot of money to get this matter settled. Sue: I’ll pay anything. I just want to get all this behind me.

the wee/small/early hours

practise what you preach

Manchester United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur. SPURS WIN AT OLD TRAFFORD FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE YEAR DOT Well, 1989 to be precise.

Breakfast is served at 8 on the dot. (sharp)

Keith” Who has always been there for me through thick and thin!

He left home at the tender age of 15. || She shouldn’t be having to deal with problems like this at such a tender age.

She felt it would be tempting fate/providence to try the difficult climb a second time.

What Hislop brought to the table was real commitment and energy. // He brings it to the table

every cloud has a silver lining (every sad or difficult situation has a positive side) => always look for the silver lining in everyday situation

every sad or difficult situation has a positive side

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Overview

Private victory:

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Principles of Personal Vision

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Principles of personal Leadership

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Principles of Personal Mangement

Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about.

A mission statement is not sth you write overnight. It takes deep introspection, careful analysis, thoughtful expression and often many rewrites to produce it in final form.

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

“Start with the end in mind. ”

Writing your mission in terms of the important roles in your life gives you balance and harmony.
It keeps each role clearly before you. You can review your roles frequently to make sure that you don’t
get totally absorbed by one role to the exclusion of others that are equally or even more important in
your life. p.137

An effective goal focuses primarily on results rather than activity.

Public Victory

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Priciples of Interpersonal Leadership

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to Be Understood

Principles of Empathetic Communication

Habit 6: Synergize

Principles of Creative Cooperation

Revewal

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

Life is fun and Success is easy

Success is easy, do the easy things

Jim Rohn – the American’s foremost business philosopher, gives us a naked truth concisely: success is easy; do the easy things and do it everyday. Why is it easy? Well, it’s easy because almost all of us basically know what we should do and if we actually do it, it’s not hard at all. First, we know we should keep improving our skills and abilities; we know we should learn to communicate well; we know we should excercise regularly to keep healthy. Second, we also know we should stop eating fast food, junk food and smoking as they are harmful to our health in the long run. Don’t neglect to do the easy things is the advice he want us to really master. Here comes another great saying about life and success:

If you do what’s easy, your life will be hard; if you do what’s hard, your life will be easy

Does the famous “hard – life” Les Brown’s saying contradict with the “easy – sucess” Jim Rohn’s? The answer is not at all. Let’s first find out what he means by “easy”? Easy things here means the jobs and tasks that are simple, fun and irrelavent to our works and goals such as watching funny videos on Youtube, go Facebook, Twitter and reading news. It’s relaxing to watch videos. It’s fun to chit chat with friends. It’s conformtable to read news. Everyone can and wants to do those. Those time wasting activities contribute nothing to your skill improvement and goals at all, that’s why if you keeping doing what’s easy, your life will be hard. But did Jim Rohn just say, success is easy, just do the easy things? Well, Les Brown also clarifies what he means by hard? He said, we must try to do the hard things; make tough decisions. Tough decisions are tough not because we don’t know the answers. It’s tough because most of us don’t have the courage to do what we know.

Tough times never last but tough people do. Say, I’m tough! – Dr. Robert Schuller

Back to Jim, when being asked, if success is easy, why aren’t more people become successful? He said, what’s easy to do is also easy not to. He told us, the things he found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. He found it easy to read the books that could affect his thinking and ideas. They found that easy not to do. He found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter. Six years later, as a result, He became a millionaire while they were all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.

In summary, let me give you some other words of Jim Rohn to conclude the article, when giving the choice of “easy to” and “easy not to”, do not neglect to do the simple, basic, “easy,” but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines. Successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people are not. Be successful, do the easy things.

Come on Singaporeans

Criticisms and oppositions are all around, on street chit chats or group discussions…

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t oppose voicing out your feelings, ideas or opinions. In deed, I support such criticism and complains to a certain extent. Those are what will keep the country and its government on the right track preventing them from being self-satisfaction, monopoly and the likes. But sometimes it’s too excessive that it makes me wonder if you guys are fighting for the better or just purely complaining?

First let’s briefly see who Singapore is and its position in the world’s map:

Singapore

– It’s got the top 3 airlines & the best airport in the world.

– It’s the second cleanest & probably the safest city in the world. (btw I really like their slogan – “Low crime doesn’t mean no crime”)

– Singapore is among top 10 countries, together with only Japan in Asia, whose citizens are granted visa-free access to 150 and more countries on earth.

– With nearly 1 in every 6 households has more than $1 million in assets, Singapore becomes the densest population of wealthy households in the world.

That just to name a few. In fact, according to CNNTravel, Singapore is the world’s greatest city based on these 50 reasons.

The city-state is apparently not a bad country right Singaporeans? To be honest, I don’t know much about your country’s history & Government. But let’s be fair to what they – the ruling political party have done to Singapore. Their policies from taxes, CPFs to penalties, etc. all seem excellent. They all work. Having done those things, they do realize their weaknesses and acknowledge that albeit the first world country, Singapore haven’t had the 1st world Government yet.

These few facts above are just to illustrate another fact that some Singaporeans are really “pathetic” & “funny”. They cry and complain about almost everything. They complain about their awesome ruling party being too “communist” (without understanding what communist really is). They complain about foreigners taking away their jobs… And recently the story of a man who asks a minister to stop foreigners from “stealing” local women exemplifies a complaining habit which is spreading out to quite a lot young Singaporeans. (Btw, the minister’s anwser is funny too, “The government cannot regulate love”. lol)

More about that story, almost all Singaporeans both men and women, laugh at that guy when he just dares to say what he thinks. But think about it for a moment, the story of foreigners snatching local women is basically similar to the story of the those taking away jobs from the local. Those who laugh at the guy should laugh at themselves too. If you’re good enough, no one can take anything away from you, no matter what it is, loves or jobs. There is no such thing as “unfair advantages” here.

Of course I know that those are just opinions of the minority who are likely not doing their jobs well…

Come on guys & girls. Stop complaining, blaming & making excuses.

Updated on Mar 18th, 2013

Good Reads

These are great articles from various sources and writers which are worth a least a second read and thought. I keep them all here for future reference. This will be updated constantly, so bookmark it if necessary.

(English)

Lessons & Tips:

Fish don’t know they’re in water – Derek Sivers

We’re so surrounded by people who think like us, that it’s impossible to see that what we think are universal truths are just our local culture. We can’t see it until we get outside of it.”

Valuable to others, or only you? – Derek Sivers

When I’m hot, it’s hard for me to imagine that others in the room are cold. I think it really is hot, not that it’s hot only for me. It feels like fact, not opinion.”

Never Hurt to Ask – Darren Hardy

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive. Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not

=> Before you ask: What have you tried?

Young people are screwed… Here’s how to survive  – Bryan Goldberg

Lesson No. 1: Learn to make something

Lesson No. 2: No, education is not the answer.

Lesson No. 3: Your parents and grandparents don’t understand your world. You should probably ignore them.

Lesson No. 4: Don’t worry about your network. Worry about your friends. [If you have successful friends, you will be successful.]

10 Smart Things I’ve Learned from People Who Never Went to College

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job – Steve Pavlina

10 Reasons You Should Never Have a Religion – Steve Pavlina

Ten Ways To Ensure You’re Driving Your Bus Instead of Just Being a Passenger

There’s No Such Thing as the Worthy Poor – Scott Dannemiller

Tim Ferriss Interview – Derek Sivers

Fuck, I Need Some New Swear Words – davidbanks

Disconnecting Distractions – Paul Graham

The Imperfectionist – Sarah

Smarter Than Your Parents – Steve Pavlina

Journal/Blogging:

You Should Write Blogs – Steve Yegge

Why You Should Write Things Down – Henrik Edberg

Presentation

Presentation Zen

Skills:

3 Entrepreneurial Skills You Won’t Learn In Business School: How to code, sell & hire

Why are you in such a rush? Dan Shipper – slow is smooth and smooth is fast

Sucking Less Every Year

10 Skills You Need to Succeed at Almost Anything

Design:

Content Without Design is Dumb – Pat

User Experience

Please make your article title as a link – it helps me & others to share it easier. Steve Pavlina and many others do this!

“Fuck You.” – Brad Frost

Next time you find yourself intentionally depriving someone an experience—to acquire knowledge, to complete a task, to do something online that can make their life even just a little better—picture yourself standing in front of that person in real life, looking them square in the eyes, then firmly and definitively saying “Fuck you.”

Habits

Busting the 21 days habit formation myth
How Long to Form a Habit?
Habit Formation: The 21-Day Myth
>> It takes more or less 66 days to form a new habits

Simply Successful Secrets Roundup!

5 things to do everyday to be successful

Goals

Are Your Goals Holding You Back? – Dan Shipper

Money

The Power of Association – Robert Kiyosaki => I like the term “motivation killers” 😀

Passion:

Don’t Do It For The Money – do it because you love it. Do it because….

Do You Know?

Why Ideas Pop Into Your Head When You’re Trying to Fall Asleep – No distractions

Health

How to Need Less Sleep by Getting Better Sleep Every Night  – Better Sleep is More Important than More Sleep

Career

Job Titles in the Web Industry – CSS-trick.com

Are we designers or developers?

Go the F**k Home – an interesting post & speech!

If you can’t name two things you’re regularly doing outside of work, you’re spending too much time there.

Programming Is Like Dancing – Dan Shipper : The product isn’t eternal but the moment is. The feeling isn’t lasting but it’s worth chasing.

Why I Left Google

Entrepreneurship

10 Tips for Moving From Programmer to Entrepreneur  – Ian Landsman: Design!! vs Coding

Hackers

How to become a hacker?

Hackers vs. Coders – this not a real ‘hackers’ btw

They’ll be focused on solving user problems, rather than solving implementation problems. They spend more time hacking it and less time coding.

Are You An Expert?

How To Be A Great Developer – Ed Finkler – Poor communication

Learn to Code >> 4 non-coders

The Origins of the <Blink> Tag  – Getta know this when doing my current homepage

Bai tieng Viet:

Thời vắng những nhà văn hoá lớn? – Trần Hữu Dũng

Tuổi 16, ta đã làm được gì? – Dongsongxanh

Bài học kinh nghiệm về hợp pháp hóa mại dâm

Justin Khương: Phong ba bão táp không bằng Start-Up Việt Nam

Không thích đọc tình yêu lm buồn, oán trách kiểu này lắm nhưng hay:

Đàn ông ví mỏng – Trang Ha

“đàn ông kiếm tiền là năng lực và tiêu tiền là văn hóa”

Vì bạn không đủ tư cách để yêu (2) – Trang Ha

“Bởi vì nếu thật sự yêu, người con gái sẽ tự nguyện chờ đợi, vượt qua được những khoảng cách và không gian, mà không cần một lời hứa hẹn ràng buộc nào cả. Tôi tin thế.”

Lý do tui ghét chữ phượt

You should have a blog!

A summary of why you should have a blog:

• Don’t ever trust your mind
  10 or even just 5 years from now, you likely won’t remember even your most memorable moments today.
• Who were you yesterday?
  Time’s flying. As time goes by, you’re also likely to lose track of yourself. Jotting something down is one of the best ways to keep track of your progress.
• Your stories (experiences) are your life
  If you have a lot to say but nothing to write down. Do worry!
• Your experiences are invaluable! (even though you may think they’re not) So write them down & share with us. I’d love to read your blog

My Story

Many of my friends find it weird when I put a pocket pen inside my wallet. So do they feel when seeing me carry some “funny” notepapers…

You’ve got to write things down!

Don’t ever trust your mind

I and she – we had a great trip in Thailand. At the end of the trip, I asked if she will remember this trip. Un-reluctantly she said no, no, never, how would I forget these wonderful memory?

[keep things/events in perspective – what & who you love now may not last forever]

Well, our memory is certainly not as reliable as we may think it is. Write things down and you will know how much our memory can leak. This is even more important:

“Every time we remember something we recreate what happened rather than just replay a film from our mental archives. The recreation is directed by a number of things such our beliefs, our emotional state at the time and our self-image. What you remember about an event may differ quite a bit from what someone else remembers.” – Henrik Edberg

One year later for some reason we broke up. Now every time she thinks about the trip, she says it’s really bad and that she just wanna forget it all. Unsurprisingly, the trip now becomes a forgettable experience simply because it reminds her of our broken relationship.

By writing things down, you are not only able to remember it longer but also keep its perspective.

Keep track of your progress

If I’m this positive person, who would know & imagine that I was a completely negative person not long ago? No one maybe not even myself. By writing things down, you can track your progress. When realising that you’re improving, you will become more appreciated of what you’re having and that keeps you moving forward.

By keeping a written record of your life, you’ll be more accountable. By putting into writing the action steps that you’ve planned; you will easily see what works and what doesn’t.
Most people just try to get through the day; never writing anything down; never keeping track of their progress along the way…” – Jim Rohn

Also, you don’t have to occupy your mind by remembering every little thing. By writing them down and clearing them out, you will become less stressed and it will become easier for you to remember and think clearly.

So first, you’ve got to write things down. Second and probably one of the most important things I would ever say in my blog: you should have a blog.

Don’t over-think it BLOG

I know, many of you’ve already used some kind of the so-called “blog”. Journal, diary, notebook, phone tracking notes – whatever you want to name it. The interesting thing is when it comes to blog, many would think that it’s a super hard thing that only writers would use. Only those who have outstanding writing skill should have a blog. Or it’s meant for businesses, etc. The truth is:

You don’t need to have a flair in writing to write.

You don’t need to have a business to have a blog.

You don’t even need to spend a buck to have a blog of your own…

Blog is just a tool that helps you keep your journals easier.

Just do it

Your blog’s design may be ugly but who cares, it’s yours.

Your ideas may be ridiculous; your thoughts may be random but who cares, they are yours.

Your blog would suck but who cares, it’s yours.

I remember that awkward moment when I admitted I loved a girl in my class and my friends kept laughing at me when they read it. But… So what?

Now how about:

Someone gets useful information when reading your personal trip’s experience with your girl/boyfriend in Vietnam?

Someone gets inspired when reading some of your “nonsense” ideas?

Your stories are your life

Your experience is invaluable – which you may not realise until you look back on it. So don’t let those experience be just a topic of your daily gossip or chit chat. Save it for others. If you meet a weird strange person and find him interesting, jot it down. If you have a chance to go to Africa, jot down your experience there.

You may not realise. But… Your opinions count. Your ideas are original. Your stories are unique. Your journey is a wonderful lesson. And they are all interesting. So Keep them. Write them down & share them with us. I’d love to read your blog!

Updated on October 5th, 2013

Rexy Theme

A traditional, kinda old school and boring (at least to me) theme consists of a post(s) (main content) on the left and a sidebar on the right or in reverse. While the right/left sidebar may provide readers some extra useful information, I usually find the two-column website structure unbalanced. Very often, the sidebar is very short whilst the main content, containing lots of posts, is very long. As a result, there is a long, empty and wasted space at the end of sidebar. Apparently, the longer the content is – which is good, the longer that space is – which is wasted and therefore bad. That really frustrated me. So I eagerly wanted to find a better design. I then came up with this theme, which focuses solely on the site’s content itself, and nothing else. There is no sidebar at all. It’s just a small header at the top, the main content and a footer below which gives readers some extra information about the site, and that’s about it!

If you feel like this theme and wanna get one for your blog, just click like (facebook) this post below. When it gets enough 21 likes, I will build and give this theme freely for you guys to download.