Idioms Vale of tears This vale of tears is the world and the suffering that life brings.

Velvet glove This idiom is used to describe a person who appears gentle, but is determined and inflexible underneath. ('Iron fist in a velvet glove' is the full form.) Vent your spleen If someone vents their spleen, they release all their anger about something. Vicar of Bray (UK) A person who changes their beliefs and principles to stay popular with people above them is a Vicar of Bray Vicious circle A vicious circle is a sequence of events that make each other worse- someone drinks because they are unhappy at work, then loses their job... 'Vicious cycle' is also used. Vinegar tits A mean spirited women lacking in love or compassion. Virgin territory If something is virgin territory, it hasn't been explored before. Voice in the wilderness Someone who expresses an opinion that no one believes or listens to is a voice in the wilderness, especially if proved right later. Volte-face If you do a volte-face on something, you make a sudden and complete change in your stance or position over an issue. Vultures are circling If the vultures are circling, then something is in danger and its enemies are getting ready for the kill.

1000 English Proverbs and Sayings 1. A bad beginning makes a bad ending. 2. A bad corn promise is better than a good lawsuit. 3. A bad workman quarrels with his tools. 4. A bargain is a bargain. 5. A beggar can never be bankrupt. 6. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 7. A bird may be known by its song. 8. A black hen lays a white egg. 9. A blind leader of the blind. 10. A blind man would be glad to see. 11. A broken friendship may be soldered, but will never be sound. 12. A burden of one's own choice is not felt. 13. A burnt child dreads the fire. 14. A cat in gloves catches no mice. 15. A city that parleys is half gotten. 16. A civil denial is better than a rude grant. 17. A clean fast is better than a dirty breakfast. 18. A clean hand wants no washing. 19. A clear conscience laughs at false accusations. 20. A close mouth catches no flies. 21. A cock is valiant on his own dunghill. 22. A cracked bell can never sound well. 23. A creaking door hangs long on its hinges. 24. A curst cow has short horns. 25. A danger foreseen is half avoided. 26. A drop in the bucket. 27. A drowning man will catch at a straw. 28. A fair face may hide a foul heart. 29. A fault confessed is half redressed. 30. A fly in the ointment. 31. A fool always rushes to the fore. 32. A fool and his money are soon parted. 33. A fool at forty is a fool indeed. 34. A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years. 35. A fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise men cannot pull out. 36. A fool's tongue runs before his wit. 37. A forced kindness deserves no thanks. 38. A foul morn may turn to a fair day. 39. A fox is not taken twice in the same snare. 40. A friend in need is a friend indeed. 43. A friend is never known till needed.

42. A friend to all is a friend to none. 43. A friend's frown is better than a foe's smile. 44. A good anvil does not fear the hammer. 45. A good beginning is half the battle. 46. A good beginning makes a good ending. 47. A good deed is never lost. 48. A good dog deserves a good bone. 49. A good example is the best sermon. 50. A good face is a letter of recommendation. 51. A good Jack makes a good Jill. 52. A good marksman may miss. 53. A good name is better than riches. 54. A good name is sooner lost than won. 55. A good name keeps its lustre in the dark. 56. A good wife makes a good husband. 57. A great dowry is a bed full of brambles. 58. A great fortune is a great slavery. 59. A great ship asks deep waters. 60. A guilty conscience needs no accuser. 61. A hard nut to crack. 62. A heavy purse makes a light heart. 63. A hedge between keeps friendship green. 64. A honey tongue, a heart of gall. 65. A hungry belly has no ears. 66. A hungry man is an angry man. 67. A Jack of all trades is master of none. 68. A Joke never gains an enemy but often loses a friend. 69. A lawyer never goes to law himself. 70. A lazy sheep thinks its wool heavy. 71. A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth. 72. A lie begets a lie. 73. A light purse is a heavy curse. 74. A light purse makes a heavy heart. 75. A little body often harbours a great soul. 76. A little fire is quickly trodden out. 77. A man can die but once. 78. A man can do no more than he can. 79. A man is known by the company he keeps. 80. A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds. 81. A miserly father makes a prodigal son. 82. A miss is as good as a mile. 83. A new broom sweeps clean. 84. A nod from a lord is a breakfast for a fool. 85. A penny saved is a penny gained. 86. A penny soul never came to twopence.

87. A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder. 88. A rolling stone gathers no moss. 89. A round peg in a square hole. 90. A shy cat makes a proud mouse. 91. A silent fool is counted wise. 92. A small leak will sink a great ship. 93. A soft answer turns away wrath. 94. A sound mind in a sound body. 95. A stitch in time saves nine. 96. A storm in a teacup. 97. A tattler is worse than a thief. 98. A thief knows a thief as a wolf knows a wolf. 99. A thief passes for a gentleman when stealing has made him rich. 100. A threatened blow is seldom given.

Like myself, Duke is much more than an academic institution; it is a living institution. I feel that I will be given the opportunity to excel both academically and socially. Duke is a university known for its rich history and strong academic program. And, at the same time, it is also known for its innovation and progressiveness. These are qualities which draw me to the college. In addition, Duke and I have a lot in common. The two most important extracurricular activities I have are a major part of Duke University. Duke's Speech team is known for its strong Extemp squad. I remember the time when my speech coach asked me what schools I was applying to. When I had listed my top five choices, he frowned at me and said, "Out of all those schools, I will only respect you if you either join us at Berkeley or go to Duke and extemp." I hope I will be given the opportunity to contribute my part in the Duke Speech team. Equally important, the Duke University has a well-known Ultimate Frisbee team. I look forward expectantly to becoming a part of the team. Strange as it seems, Ultimate Frisbee is one of my top criteria for choosing my future college. It delights me that Duke places such great emphasis on the two extracurricular activities that mean most to me. My first year at Duke should be a great one. Majoring in economics at Duke should allow me to both pursue my major studies and allow me time for personal interests in Chinese and the Humanities. Moreover, in my spare time, I plan to join the Speech team and the Ultimate Frisbee team. Hopefully, with my previous experience, I will have an early start in both Speech and Ultimate. Yet, I will never forget why I'm in college in the first place. As long as I give organic chemistry a wide berth, I should be able to continue my level of academic excellence. Overall, my first year at Duke promises to be exciting, if a bit hectic.

Essay Throughout my life, I have tried to be a wellbalanced person. Growing up in the South, I had a hard time fighting the stereotypical image of a Chinese person. I was expected to be a math and science genius and nothing more. As it turned out, I defied my detractors by excelling in English and history along with math and science. And over the years, I have continued to maintain my academic standards. Nevertheless, I have also made sure that I am more than an academic person. I am an active one as well. In middle school, the most popular game during lunch was a basketball game called Salt and Pepper (white vs. black). The first day of school, I stepped onto the basketball courts and was greeted by cries of consternation, "Who is he? Is he salt or pepper?" But after the game, I had made a name for myself. From then onward, I would be known as Spice, and the game we played became Salt, Pepper, and Spice. When I moved to California, things were no different. I continued to play an active part both academically and socially. My involvement with Cross-country, Speech and Debate, Ultimate Frisbee and numerous clubs guaranteed that I would not be only known as an Honors student.

Speech Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, we have gathered today to speak about overcoming adversity and coping with the storms of life. This is very deep theme, and I am sure that anyone has many stories based on the challenges and their overcoming. But today we will concentrate on the issue of overcoming. In this light, it is important to emphasize the postulate that all challenges are timely, and they are not accidental. God tests us in such way. You cannot realize the real value of your life if you have not compared it to something. God sends us trials so that we could understand the deepness of His goodwill and love. No one is alone until he has his faith. The Bible has such words: "God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart" (Chronicles 32:31 NKJ). So, you see that even in His withdrawal, God is always with us. Sending us trials and challenges, He wants to demonstrate us the real power we have inside, the real power he gave us. Often we fail to use it properly, because we don't know how strong we are. In order to help us see our values He assigned us to, He sends us trials. There is no sense in crying over the trouble - "the best way out is always through", as Robert Frost claimed. So, you should not concentrate on your problems, but rather on the way how to solve them. Look forward, because life is beautiful, and God created it for us. "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" - these words of the famous philosopher demonstrate that we are the instruments in the hands of God. Remember, how many times you thought that this was the hardest thing you've ever done. Then you experience something even harder, and you understand that you became stronger. Now you can endure even more. This is the eternal process of human development. I have met a lot of people who overcame the storms of life with dignity and faith. they all admit, that these challenges made their lives brighter. They understood the real value of life - it is invaluable. And there is no sense in suffering accept it and overcome. This is life. It does not consist of dreams and happy days, but of

alternation of days and nights - both happy and miserable. Thus, another sense of adversity comes to the foreground - it makes us closer to our destiny. Japanese proverb says, "Fall seven times, stand up eight" - and this eighth may be lucky chance which will bring you to your happiness. May be not, but then you'll have to believe, fight and stand up as much as it will be needed. Storms of life are transient, no matter how hard they are - some day you will definitely reach your desired peaceful shore. Just listen to the words written in the Holy Bible: "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (JAMES 1:1213, 16-17 NKJ). Temptation to yield - overcome it! Temptation to blame God, fate and everybody around you in all your troubles overcome it! All your life is the sequence of choices. When a person makes his choice in favor of faith - he wins! Overcoming adversities and demonstrating strong will and belief, a human will obtain the "crown" - for he has shown his love to God, by accepting all challenges as needed and coping with them with the name of God on the lips. And God loves us, helps us and support us, and this is the main truth a person should remember when fighting with difficulties in life. Don't be alone in your struggle, accept it and entrust to your God. For, as He told, "When you pass through the waters I will be with you; when you pass through rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I Am the Lordyour Savior." (Isaiah 43:2, NIV). All our mundane difficulties may seem crucial and catastrophic to us, but in fact they are only the episodes in the history of the humanity. Each life is saint and important in the eyes of God, so don't thin your faith and sacrifice are inessential. They mean a lot, especially when they are heartfelt and sincere.

Eternity is 20 Seconds Long Kev adjusted his position in the hammock, just enough to look round. Beyond the shade cast by the trees, the beach was ablaze with sunlight. The glare from the white sand would have been painful if it hadn't been for his sunglasses. Even with them, the flicking pinpoints of light from the sea stabbed sharply into his retina. There was still ice in the bucket, though, and the drinks were cold. Along the beach, he could see the girl coming back towards him. The bright orange bikini glowed against her tanned skin. She waved. He'd promised her a special experience. She didn't know how special it would be. They would have the time of their lives. A very long time. He waved back. Everything was perfect. Now was the moment. The device resting on his chest looked like an irregular collection of cylinders, in several different shades of red to purple. The interface unit attached to the side was a crude human intrusion, but necessary. He picked up his PalmPC, linked in to the interface, brought up the programme. Took a deep breath and hit go. The rush of alien symbols across the screen was as expected - but surely that configuration was wrong? Alarmed, Kev reached a finger to the abort icon. DISCONTINUITY "That's the loop point." Kev adjusted his position in the hammock, just enough to look round. Beyond the shade cast by the trees, the beach was ablaze with sunlight. The glare from the white sand would have been painful if it hadn't been for his sunglasses. Even with them, the flicking pinpoints of light from the sea stabbed sharply into his retina. "How come he doesn't see us?" "Different time streams. We weren't there then." There was still ice in the bucket, though, and the drinks were cold. Along the beach, he could see the girl coming back towards him. The bright orange bikini glowed against her tanned skin. She waved. "What about the girl?" "Outside the field, fortunately. If he'd set it differently, she'd be in there with him." "How big could it have got?" "We're not sure. Perhaps the entire planet." He'd promised her a special experience. She didn't know how special it would be. They would have the time of their lives. A long time. He waved back. "What was he trying to do?" "We're not sure. Extend his holiday, perhaps." Everything was perfect. Now was the moment. The device resting on his chest looked like an irregular collection of cylinders, in several different shades of red to purple. The interface unit attached to the side was a crude human intrusion, but necessary. "What is that thing?"

"Temporal field node. Part of a star-drive. Isha'hassat technology." "How did he get hold of it?" "That's being looked into. There's quite a black market in alien tech, but this is new. The Isha'hassat are upset about it." He picked up his PalmPC, linked in to the interface, brought up the programme. Took a deep breath and hit go. The rush of alien symbols across the screen was as expected - but surely that configuration was wrong? Alarmed, Kev reached a finger to the abort icon. DISCONTINUITY < 3 > "So what happened?" "He set up a self-perpetuating temporal loop." Kev adjusted his position in the hammock, just enough to look round. "Can we stop it?" "No. The controls are inside the loop. No one from outside can reach them." Beyond the shade cast by the trees, the beach was ablaze with sunlight. "So how long does it last?" "Twenty seconds. Twenty point two five to be accurate." The glare from the white sand would have been painful if it hadn't been for his sunglasses. Even with them, the flicking pinpoints of light from the sea stabbed sharply into his retina.

"No I meant how long will it last? The timeloop-field thing?" "From his point of view, twenty seconds. From ours eternity." There was still ice in the bucket, though, and the drinks were cold. Along the beach, he could see the girl coming back towards him. The bright orange bikini glowed against her tanned skin. She waved. "But what happens if the sun explodes or something like that?" "If the sun explodes in five billion years, will that affect you?" He'd promised her a special experience. She didn't know how special it would be. They would have the time of their lives. A long time. He waved back. "No." "And it won't affect him either. For the same reason. He's in a different time. Always." Everything was perfect. Now was the moment. Top

How Many Times Marie Howe

No matter how many times I try I can't stop my father from walking into my sister's room and I can't see any better, leaning from here to look in his eyes. It's dark in the hall and everyone's sleeping. This is the past where everything is perfect already and nothing changes, where the water glass falls to the bathroom floor and bounces once before breaking. Nothing. Not the small sound my sister makes, turning over, not the thump of the dog's tail when he opens one eye to see him stumbling back to bed still drunk, a little bewildered. This is exactly as I knew it would be. And if I whisper her name, hissing a warning, I've been doing that for years now, and still the dog startles and growls until he sees it's our father, and still the door opens, and she makes that small oh turning over.

from The Good Thief, 1988 Persea Books, New York, NY Copyright 1988 by Marie Howe. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission (click for permissions information).

Different Summers Lyrics We're like a melody with no words Until we figure it out We sing La, la, la, la, la, la I know it's simple, yeah But it's worked right up 'til now Cause, up 'til now, yeah Every day's been like a dream world, oh, but now you're not just in my head oh, no Will we remember different summers It's like tossing your heart to see where it lands Heads is easy Tails is harder to plan If we're starting all over again and again and again Oh, You know that I can't help but wonder What's gonna happen next. I'm a little curious, oh yeah Every star that I stood under, When you were under it too Did you ever think about us I hope you did 'Cause I can tell you That's something I'll never forget I won't forget If we remember different summers It's like tossing your heart to see where it lands Heads is easy Tails is harder to plan If we're starting all over again Only friends Just beginning But I hope that we find it again So we can go from here Will we remember different summers It's like tossing your heart to see where it lands Heads is easy Tails is harder to plan

If we're starting all over again oh-oh Again and again and again and again Again and again and again Will we remember different summers. Read more: Demi Lovato - Different Summers Lyrics | MetroLyrics