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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
COT: Guerilla Cat


Au is playing war games again. This is him taking cover under a newspaper. Tonight I shall read him the story of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe's The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal, "creature is so mind-bogglingly stupid that it assumes that if you can't see it, then it can't see you."

If you like words, check out Logomania Ladies from Bountiful to Muck UNTIL two hundred years ago, “ladies” were female members of the British aristocracy, such as the wives of knights and daughters of earls. Today, the word is used as a polite way to refer to any woman...

Happy Cats On Tuesday!
Cats on Tuesday



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Thursday, September 20, 2007
Logomania: Office Talk

A new Logomania came out in the Star today. Office Talk takes a look at phrases such as Hatchet Man, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Ne’er-do-well .

Feedback welcome!

PS Scoop's time is drawing near. He's happy and eating well but his condition is worsening. I'm dreading the next few days.

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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Logomania: Love and Limerence

The Star published my Logomania Love and Limerence today, so if you're curious what limerence is, or who said, "love me, love my dog" check it out here.

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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Qwill's Birthday

Qwill who lives with my mum is 15 years old this month! Here he is, the fussy old man.


Qwill lives in Spain and is enjoying a warm summer. He enjoys eating fish, and prefers to be hand fed. Just like the royal potentate he is :-)

Scoop is doing fine. He's fast asleep on his kitchen chair. My camera is broken so I don't have a new picture. Hopefully I will be back in action by next week.

Also, if you like language, take a look at Aesop’s English... Charming and timeless, Aesop’s fables still thrill after 2,500 years and form part of the English language. ELLEN WHYTE looks at phrases culled from Aesop’s works.

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Friday, June 29, 2007
Ancient Companion

A new study has led researchers to speculate that a certain group of wild cats decided to move in with human servants some 130,000 years ago; not 9500 as previously suggested.

The DNA based study also pinpoints the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East as the spot where this started.

The BBC has an excellent article about this called DNA traces origin of domestic cat.

Also check out the Telegraph article Cats are our oldest friends that mentions dogs have been around people for 15,000 years which means that cats are now man's best friend.

ScoopIt's hard to imagine how Scoop's ancestors wandered over the China Sea to Kuching in Sarawak, Borneo.

Perhaps his catly ancestors hitched a lift from a headhunter warship expedition. After all, even the best Dayak warrior can learn a thing or two from a cat!

Here's the old fluff, having a wonderful time lying about in bed.

PS: Logomania is out again today: From the classics Greek, Roman and other classic tales have inspired some wonderfully evocative phrases. We take a look at some of the most popular classic allusions used by English speakers today.

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Thursday, May 24, 2007
Logomania: Salty Language

The Star has published my latest Logomania column: Salty Language an article discussing origin and use of phrases such as To take something with a pinch of salt, To rub salt into the wound, To be worth one’s salt and more.

Comments, brickbats, comments on where to find better etymological sources etc welcome...

The guy on the far left is Ferdinand Magellan, the old salt who set off to sail around the world. He was the first person to lead an expedition sailing westward from Europe to Asia and to cross the Pacific Ocean but he died in the Philippines in 1521 but his crew made it back under the charge of Juan Sebastián Elcano, the man with the fancy feathery hat.

I like sailing but the idea of setting off across an unknown (and possibly unending!) ocean with just a packet of biscuits and a motley crew is not my cup of tea.

If you're interested in reading more than the Wikipedia articles linked to above, a good start is Eyewitness History.

PS The Magellan pic is an anonymous work of art from 16th or 17th century now part of The Mariner's Museum Collection, USA and the Elcano pic is a line drawing by J. Donon in 1854, now part of the Royal Spanish Navy collection (Historia de la Marina Real Española).

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Thursday, May 03, 2007
Double-cross and doublespeak

There's a new Logomania column out today, all about doubles...

DOUBLES suggest partnerships such as tennis partners, extra bounty as in doubling of profits, and also duplicity or cheating. With such a rich variety of meanings, it’s no wonder that this word forms part of many colourful expressions.

Check it out to learn more about doublespeak, doublethink, double whammy and other expressions.

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Friday, April 20, 2007
Road Kill

Au on the sofa
It's been boiling hot the last few days and Au has been comatose on the sofa by lunchtime every day.

He's so hot that if you ruffle the fuzz on his tummy, he just looks at you with half an open eye and says mew in a tiny voice. He's not just too hot to finger wrestle, he's too hot to complain in a loud voice.

I've offered him a cooling bath but he just glared at me as if to say, try it if you dare.

Let's hope it rains today!

PS Here he is, doing his best impression of road kill

PPS another logomania column is out in the Star today. It's all about boats, so if you want to know where the phrase "whatever floats your boat" comes from, and it is a bit vulgar, check it out here!

Tagged with weekend cat blogging

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Thursday, April 05, 2007
Monkey Business

The star have just published another Logomania column:
Monkey Business A plethora of expressions featuring primate images acknowledge our animal cousins, and enrich the English language.

It's all about phrases like: To go ape, A monkey on one’s back, To monkey (around) with etc.

Comments appreciated!

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Thursday, March 15, 2007
Logomania Do's and Don'ts

The Logomania column I write for students learning English often allows me to indulge a hobby: chasing up the history of common words and phrases in English. And sometimes it forces me to relearn my grammar too! This weeks column Do’s and Don’ts had me digging into "do's and don't's" and "dos and don'ts"

As far as Scoop and Au are concerned, there are only a handful of do's and don'ts:

Do feed the cats nice things like chicken every day.
Do cuddle and stroke cats whenever they demand it.
Do refresh the water bowls twice a day - and the run the taps when they ask.
Don't hog the sofa when a cat clearly needs to nap.
Don't pet dog friends!

And talking of dogs: there will be a Pet Adoption Programme by SPCA on 17 March 2007 at Bandar Utama. You can check info here http://doggie.fotopages.com/?source=30

Life with pets is wonderful, so if you have the time, the home, the money (for food and vet fees) and the inclination for a furry friend, please adopt a homeless pet. You won't regret it!

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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Piggy Logomania

Au is crazy about ham, the local cooked stuff by Solisege is his absolute favourite. When our local supermarket stopped stocking it, Au's pitful meows sent me scurrying into the car and off down town to TMC supermarket to pick up supplies. (Yes, this is the true meaning of pussy whipped!)

Scoop prefers is a little pork fillet, sliced paper thin and presented in a fan shape for easy munching.

This being the Year of the Boar, both cats are looking forward to plenty of piggy treats. Also, it suggested a Logomania column:

To appreciate pigs better
In honour of the Year of the Boar, we take a look at some of the piggy images that enrich the English language.

Feedback, brickbats etc appreciated.

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Thursday, February 01, 2007
Man’s best friend

The Star have published another Logomania column:

Feb 1: Man’s best friend
Serving as guards, pets, guides, and general factotums, dogs have also contributed to the English language.

to find out more about doggy expressions, check it out!

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Thursday, January 18, 2007
It’s The Cat’s Meow

There’s a new Logomania article out in The Star today:

It’s the cat’s meow
Love them or loathe them, says Ellen Whyte, cats have put their pawprint on the English language, enriching it with some colourful images.

Au reading the StarFor the conspiracy theorists out there (Hi Kumar! Hi Sara!) yes, it's true. This continuous cat article publication is all part of a secret plan to create a new generation of cat lovers.

Here is a picture of Au reading the Star. As you can see he's a stern critic.

PS: Logomania is a newish column that discusses the meaning and uses of words and phrases, all linked by a central theme (e.g. lunacy, cats, Greek etc). Light-hearted and easy to read, Logomania helps readers who speak English as a second language to improve their word power easily.

I’m syndicating this column with the help of Planet Syndication. Rights for Malaysia and Lesotho have been sold. Interested parties for other countries can contact me via email.

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Thursday, January 04, 2007
Making a name for yourself

I'm still fluffing around with the archives, but in the meantime:

If you're curious where the term Lothario comes from, or want to know about Scrooge, check out the latest Logomania article in The Star:

Making a name for yourself
Some people make such a strong impression on the world that their very names become part of the English language.

Katz Tales is out on Saturday in the Weekend section...

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Thursday, December 21, 2006
Cricket

We're having a good day today. Scoop and Au woke us up just before dawn, coming into the bedroom to tell us the rain had stopped, they had a nice walk outside, the biscuit bowl was empty, and were we going to lie in bed all day or what?

While they got their squizzles, and wrestled on the bed, I hid underneath the pillows. Eventually though Scoop got me up with a combination of headbutts and loud purrs. Looking out of the window, I decided they were right. It is a beautiful day.

Scoop and Au have now collapsed into bed, happily stuffed with sardine catfood. The dishes are piling up in the sink, the laundry is beginning to live a life of its own, but the sun is still shining, I'm listening to Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits, and I've decided to sneak off for a swim rather than write that article on bridges.

Life is good.

PS Another Logomania article has appeared in the Star. This week's offering is:
Are you an all-rounder?
HISTORIANS trace the origins of cricket to the 13th century when children in England made a game of knocking the crossbar off the top of hurdle gates in sheep’s pens. Over the centuries, cricket matured into a sport that attracts millions of fans.

Enjoy!

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