Minggu, 29 September 2013

FLOKLORE

 Senin, 30 September 2013

My Nest Is Better Than Yours

 Folklore from Riau

each other. They always looked for food together. They met in the morning and looked for food until in the afternoon. At night they separated and went home to their own nest.

It was raining. The quail and the weaver bird were under a big tree. While they were waiting for the rain stop, they were talking about their nests.

"My nest is great. It is very clean and strong. I made it by arranging the old leaves and the twigs. I'm really comfortable living in my nest," said the weaver bird.

"Well, my nest is great. It is also very strong. And I don't have to be bothered making it. I just need to find a big broken tree and I can live there," said the quail.

"But compared to your nest, my nest is better," said the weaver bird.

"I don't think so. My nest is better than yours," said the quail.

They kept arguing. Each of them said to have a better nest. What started as a little argument then turned to almost a fight. To prove whose nest was better, they agreed to stay in their nests.

"Let's stay in my nest tonight. Tomorrow we will stay in your nest," said the weaver bird.

"I agree!" said the quail.

It was a late in the afternoon. They were going to the weaver bird's nest.

The nest was at a branch of a tree. It was high. The weaver bird did not have any problem reaching the nest. He was flying and in just a minute he arrived at his nest. Meanwhile the quail had problem arriving at the nest. He could not fly well. Instead, he tried to climb the tree. Finally he succeeded. He arrived at the weaver bird's nest.


The weaver bird and the quail shared the nest. They started to sleep. Suddenly, the rain fell down heavily. The wind was blowing strongly. The branches of the tree were moving back and forth. The The quail was terrified. He was afraid he would fall down.






"Do something! The branch is swinging. I don't want to fall down."

"Don't worry. We are not going to fall down," said the weaver bird calmly.

The weaver bird continued to sleep. However, the quail could not sleep at all. He regretted his decision to spend the night at his friend's nest.

In the morning, they looked for food as usual. And in the afternoon they went to the quail's nest. And when they arrived, the weaver bird was surprised.

"You live here? Under the big broken tree?" asked the weaver bird.

"Yes. And you don't have to worry with the wind. The tree is lying on the ground, so it won't swing."

Later, they started to sleep. Then rain was falling down heavily. Unfortunately, water was slowly approaching the nest. And they were finally wet.

"I'm so cold," said the weaver bird.

"Don't worry, you will dry soon. Let's continue sleeping," said the quail.


In the morning, the weaver bird complained about the quail's nest. The quail also complained about the weaver bird's nest. Then they realized that their life were different. Since then, they never say to have the better nest

Jumat, 27 September 2013

SPOOF



 SABTU, 28 SEPTEMBER 2013
SPOOF (ADVANCED)




A certain hunter had found a piece of forest where there were plenty of animals to hunt. The only trouble was that the place was very difficult to get to.

He returned from his first visit to the place in late autumn, and could not get back until the snows melted in the following spring. Then he went to the pilot of a small plane, who earned his living by carrying hunters over parts of the country where there were no roads and no railways, and asked him to take him back to his favorite piece of forest,

The pilot did not know the place, so the hunter showed it to him on the map. ‘But there is nowhere to land there, man !’ said the pilot. ‘I have flown over that part of the country on my way to other places, and I know that we can’t land anywhere between this river and these mountains.’

‘I thought you were a wonderful pilot,’ said the hunter. ‘Some of my friends said you could land a plane on a postage stamp.’

‘That’s right,’ answered the pilot. ‘I can land a plane where nobody else can. But I tell you there is nowhere to land in the place you are talking about.’

‘And what if I tell you that another pilot did land me there last spring ?’ said the hunter. ‘Is that true ?’ asked the pilot. ‘Yes it is. I swear it.’ Well, this pilot could not let himself be beaten by another, so he agreed to take the hunter.

When they reached the place, the hunter pointed out a small spot without trees in the middle of the forest, with a steep rise at one end. The pilot thought that there was not enough room the land there, but the hunter said that the other pilot had done so the year before, so down went the plane. When it came to the rise, it turned right over onto its back. As the hnter climbed out, he smiled happily and said, ‘yes, that is exactly how the other pilot managed it last time.’





Kamis, 26 September 2013

SPOFF


JUMAT, 27 SEPTEMBER 2013
SPOOF


The soldiers had just moved to the desert, and as they had never been in such a place before, they had a lot to learn.

As there were no trees or buildings in the desert, it was, of course, very hard to hide their trucks from enemy planes. The soldiers were therefore given training in camouflage, which means ways of covering something so that the enemy cannot see where it is. They were shown how to paint their trucks in irregular patterns with pale green, yellow, and brown paints, and then to cover them with nets to which they had tied small pieces of cloth.

The driver who had the biggest truck went to a lot of trouble to camouflage it. He spent several hours painting it, preparing a net and searching for some heavy with which to hold the net down. When it was all finished, he looked proudly at his work and then went off to have his lunch.

But when he came back to the truck after he had had his meal, he was surprised and worried to see that his camouflage work was completely spoilt by the truck’s shadow, which was growing longer and longer as the afternoon advanced. He stood looking at it, not knowing what to do about it.

Soon an officer arrived, and he too saw the shadow, of course.
‘Well,’ he shouted to the poor driver, ‘what are you going to do about it ? If an enemy plane comes over, the pilot will at once know that there is a truck there.’

‘I know, sir,’ answered the soldier.
‘Well, don’t just stand there doing nothing !’ said the officer. ‘What shall I do, sir ?’ asked the poor driver.
‘Get your spade and throw some sand over the shadow, of course !’ answered the officer.