Emotional Intelligence: The Social Skills You Weren't Taught in School

Emotional intelligence is a shorthand that psychological researchers use to describe how well individuals can manage their own emotions and react to the emotions of others. People who exhibit emotional intelligence have the less obvious skills necessary to get ahead in life, such as managing conflict resolution, reading and responding to the needs of others, and keeping their own emotions from overflowing and disrupting their lives. In this guide, we’ll look at what emotional intelligence is, and how to develop your own.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Measuring emotional intelligence is relatively new in the field of psychology, only first being explored in the mid-80s. Several models are currently being developed, but for our purposes, we’ll examine what’s known as the “mixed model,” developed by psychologist Daniel Goleman. The mixed model has five key areas:

• Self-awareness: Self-awareness involves knowing your own feelings. This includes having an accurate assessment of what you’re capable of, when you need help, and what your emotional triggers are.

• Self-management: This involves being able to keep your emotions in check when they become disruptive. Self-management involves being able to control outbursts, calmly discussing disagreements, and avoiding activities that undermine you like extended self-pity or panic.

• Motivation: Everyone is motivated to action by rewards like money or status. Goleman’s model, however, refers to motivation for the sake of personal joy, curiosity, or the satisfaction of being productive.

• Empathy: While the three previous categories refer to a person’s internal emotions, this one deals with the emotions of others. Empathy is the skill and practice of reading the emotions of others and responding appropriately.

• Social skills: This category involves the application of empathy as well as negotiating the needs of others with your own. This can include finding common ground with others, managing others in a work environment, and being persuasive.

The order of these emotional competencies isn’t all that relevant, as we all learn many of these skills simultaneously as we grow. It’s also important to note that, for our purposes, we’ll only be using this as a guide. Emotional intelligence isn’t an area that most people receive formal training in. We’ll let psychologists argue over the jargon and models, but for now let’s explore what each of these mean and how to improve them in your own life.

Self-Awareness

Before you can do anything else here, you have to know what your emotions are. Improving your self-awareness is the first step to identifying any problem area you’re facing. Here are some ways to improve your self-awareness:

• Keep a journal: Career skill blog recommends starting by keeping a journal of your emotions . At the end of every day, write down what happened to you, how you felt, and how you dealt with it. Periodically, look back over your journal and take note of any trends, or anytime you overreacted to something.

• Ask for input from others: As we’ve talked about before when dealing with your self-perception, input from others can be invaluable . Try to ask multiple people who know you well where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Write down what they say, compare what they say to each other and, again, look for patterns. Most importantly, don’t argue with them. They don’t have to be correct. You’re just trying to gauge your perception from another’s point of view.

• Slow down (or meditate): Emotions have a habit of getting the most out of control when we don’t have time to slow down or process them. The next time you have an emotional reaction to something, try to pause before you react (something the internet makes easier than ever, if you’re communicating online). You can also try meditating to slow your brain down and give your emotional state room to breathe.

If you’ve never practiced intentional self-awareness, these tips should give you a practical head start. One strategy I personally use is to go on long walks or have conversations with myself discussing what’s bothering me. Often, I’ll find that the things I say to the imaginary other end of the conversation can give me some insight into what’s really bugging me. The important aspect is to look inwards, rather than focusing solely on external factors.

Self-Management

Once you know how your emotions work, you can start figuring out how to handle them. Proper self-management means controlling your outbursts, distinguishing between external triggers and internal over-reactions, and doing what’s best for your needs.

One key way to manage your emotions is to change your sensory input. You’ve probably heard the old advice to count to ten and breathe when you’re angry. Speaking as someone who’s had plenty of overwhelming issues with depression and anger, this advice is usually crap (though if it works for you, more power to you). However, giving your physical body a jolt can break the cycle. If you’re feeling lethargic, do some exercise. If you’re stuck in an emotional loop, give yourself a “snap out of it” slap. Anything that can give a slight shock to your system or break the existing routine can help.

Lifehacker alum Adam Dachis also recommends funneling emotional energy into something productive. It’s alright to let overwhelming emotions stew inside you for a moment, if it’s not an appropriate time to let them out. However, when you do, rather than vent it on something futile, turn it into motivation instead:

"I recently started playing tennis for fun, knowing that I’d never become exceptional because I began too late in life. I’ve become better and have a very minor talent for the game, so when I play poorly I now know and I get down on myself. When up against an opponent with far more skill I find it hard to do much else than get angry. Rather than let that anger out, I take note of it and use it to fuel my desire to practice more. Whether in sports, work, or everyday life, we can get complacent with our skill and forget that we always have some room for improvement. When you start to get mad, get better instead."

You can’t always control what makes you feel a certain way, but you can always control how you react. If you have some impulse control problems, find ways to get help when you’re feeling calm. Not all emotions can be vented away. My struggle with depression taught me that some emotions persist long after the overflow. However, there’s always a moment when those feelings feel a little less intense. Use those moments to seek help.

Motivation

We talk about motivation a lot . When we’re talking about motivation as it relates to emotional intelligence, however, we don’t just mean getting up the energy to go to work. We’re talking about your inner drive to accomplish something. That drive isn’t just some feel-goody nonsense, either. As Psychology today explains, there’s a section of your prefrontal cortex that lights up at the mere thought of achieving a meaningful goal.

Whether your goal is building a career, raising a family, or creating some kind of art, everyone has something they want to do with their life.When your motivation is working for you, it connects with reality in tangible ways. Want to start a family? Motivated people will start dating. Want to improve your career? Motivated people will educate themselves, apply for new jobs, or angle for a promotion.

Daniel Goleman suggests that in order to start making use of that motivation, you first need to identify your own values. Many of us are so busy that we don’t take the time to examine what our values really are. Or worse, we’ll do work that directly contradicts what we value for so long that we lose that motivation entirely.

Unfortunately, we can’t give you the answer for what it is you want in life, but there are lots of strategies you can try . Use your journal to find times when you’ve felt fulfilled. Create a list of things you value. Most of all,accept the uncertainty in life and just build something. Fitness instructor Michael Mantell, Ph.D suggests that using lesser successes you know you can accomplish. Remember, everyone who’s accomplished something you want to achieve did it slowly, over time.

Empathy

Your emotions are only one-half of all your relationships. It’s the half you focus on the most, sure, but that’s only because you hang out with yourself every day. All the other people that matter to you have their own set of feelings, desires, triggers, and fears. Empathy is your most important skill for navigating your relationships . Empathy is a life-long skill, but here are some tips you can use to practice empathy:

• Shut up and listen: We’re gonna start with the hardest one here, because it’s the most important. You can’t experience everyone else’s lives to fully understand them, but you can listen. Listening involves letting someone else talk and then not countering what they say. It means putting aside your preconceptions or skepticism for a bit and allowing the person you’re talking to a chance to explain how they feel. Empathy is hard, but virtually every relationship you have can be improved at least marginally by waiting at least an extra ten seconds before you retake the conversation.

• Take up a contrary position to your own: One of the quickest ways to solidify an opinion in your mind is to argue in favor of it. To counter this, take up a contrary position. If you think your boss is being unreasonable, try defending their actions in your head. Would you find their actions reasonable if you were in their shoes? Even asking the questions of yourself can be enough to start empathizing with another’s point of view (though, of course, getting real answers from others can always help).

• Don’t just know, try to understand: Understanding is key to having empathy. As we’ve discussed before, understanding is the difference between knowing something and truly empathizing with it. If you catch yourself saying, “I know, but,” a lot, take that as an indicator that you should pause a bit more. When someone tells you about an experience that’s not your own, take some time to mull over how your life might be different if you experienced that on a daily basis. Read about it until it clicks. It’s okay if you don’t spend all your time devoted to someone else’s life, but putting in just some time—even if it’s idle thought time while you work—can be beneficial.

By definition , empathy means getting in the emotional dirt with someone else. Allowing their experiences to resonate with your own and responding appropriately. It’s okay to offer advice or optimism, but empathy also requires that you wait for the right space to do that. If someone’s on the verge of tears, or sharing some deep pain, don’t make light of it and don’t try to minimize the hurt. Be mindful of how they must feel and allow them space to feel it.

Social Skills

Summing up all social skills in one section of an article would do about as much justice to the topic as if we snuck in a brief explainer on astrophysics. However, the tools you develop in the other four areas will help you resolve a lot of social problems that many adults still wrestle with. As Goleman explains, your social skills affect everything from your work performance to your romantic life:
Social competence takes many forms – it’s more than just being chatty. These abilities range from being able to tune into another person’s feelings and understand how they think about things, to being a great collaborator and team player, to expertise at negotiation. All these skills are learned in life. We can improve on any of them we care about, but it takes time, effort, and perseverance. It helps to have a model, someone who embodies the skill we want to improve. But we also need to practice whenever a naturally occurring opportunity arises – and it may be listening to a teenager, not just a moment at work.

You can start with the most common form of social problems: resolving a disagreement. This is where you get to put all your skills to the test in a real-world environment. We’ve gone into this subject in-depth here , but we can summarize the basic steps:

• Identify and deal with your emotions: Whenever you have an argument with someone else, things can get heated. If someone involved is emotionally worked up, deal with that problem first. Take time apart to vent, blow off steam on your own, then return to the problem. In a work environment, this may just mean complaining to a friend before you email your boss back. In a romantic relationship, remind your partner that you care about them before criticizing.

• Address legitimate problems once you’re both calm: Once you’re in your right headspace, identify what the conflict is. Before you jump to solutions, make sure you and the other person agree on what the problems really are . Propose solutions that are mutually beneficial and be sympathetic to any concessions the other person may be unwilling to make (but be sure to stand firm on your own).

• End on a cooperative note: Whether in business or pleasure, relationships work best when everyone involved knows that they’re on the same page. Even if you can’t end on a positive note, make sure that the last intention you communicate is a cooperative one. Let your boss/coworker/significant other know that you want to work towards the same goal, even if you have different views.

Not every type of interaction with another person will be a conflict, of course. Some social skills just involve meeting new people , socializing with people of different mindsets , or just playing games . However, resolving conflict can be one of the best ways to learn how to apply your emotional skills. Disputes are best resolved when you know what you want, can communicate it clearly, understand what someone else wants, and come to favorable terms for everyone. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that this involves every other area of the emotional intelligence model.

Extracted from: HERE

History of robotics timeline Pt.1

The concept of creating life, or at least a mechanical machine that can replicate the actions of humans and animals, (as well doing the housework) has been a popular concept in science, literature, and the arts. Have a look at the timeline below for important events:

Unknown date- Talos mythical golden robot built by Hephaistos was fabled to roam the island of Crete.


350 B.C. — NaN- The Pigeon.
The Greek mathematician, Archytas of Tarentum builds a mechanical bird dubbed "the Pigeon". The device was a bird-shaped model, propelled by steam. Click for more


222 B.C. - Ktesibios/Tesibius. Water clocks and regulators.
Water clocks and regulators Whilst at first sight, water clocks don’t sound robotic, they are relevant to robotics for two reasons. Firstly, they are examples of feedback systems, and secondly some early intricate robotic devices acted as water clocks. It is worth pointing out that a bucket full of water with a hole in it is a feedback system. The flow of water that comes out through the hole is determined by the pressure exerted by the water, which is the water weight divided by the area of the hole. So, as water comes out, the weight of water and hence the pressure is reduced so the water comes out less quickly. This is relevant to perhaps the first man-made feedback system: the water clock of Ktesibios in around 250 BC. The aim was to have a measure of the time since the sun rose and this was achieved by having a bucket which was emptied initially and into which water flowed at a constant rate – the height of water in the bucket indicating the time. The difficulty was to ensure the water flowed in at a constant rate, for which a second bucket was provided, with a hole in the bottom. But as noted above, the flow from such a bucket varies with the amount of water in it. The solution: to keep the top bucket full. Then, assuming atmospheric pressure variations were small enough, a constant flow of water left this bucket. So as to ensure the second bucket was always full, a float valve was used: if the water level dropped the float dropped thereby opening a valve to let water into the vessel. Water flowed until the bucket was full again.


10- Hero of Alexandria. Self opening temple doors, theatrical robots.
Hero of Alexandria was a Greek Mathematician and Engineer who devised ‘automata’ and theatrical robots. ‘Automata’ can be used to describe devices which use mechanics or pneumatics, for example, the automatic opening and closing temple door. He also constructed a three-wheeled cart powered by a falling weight which pulled string wrapped around the cart’s axle. The strings were wrapped in different directions which then determined the way the cart (robot) moved. This string-based control is equivalent to a modern day programming language. Click for more


1200- Al-Jazarī. Elephant water clock.
al-Jazarī was a scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, craftsman, artist and mathematician who lived during the Islamic Golden Age. He made an Elephant Water Clock for the King of Diyarbakr in present-day Turkey in about 1200 CE, i.e. over 800 years ago! It’s not only a clock that tells the time but also a pioneering robotic machine. Click for more

The elephant clock from Al-Jazari's manuscript.

1495- Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot.


1515- Leonardo da Vinci’s Lion (Codex Atlanticus).
Leonardo Da Vinci’s mechanical lion was presented as the star gift in a pageant in honour of François, the new king of France in 1515. Da Vinci also designed a mechanical knight, able to bend its legs, move its arms and hands, turn its head and open its mouth. It could also ‘talk’ by using an internal automatic drum roll and is often claimed to be the first ‘programmable’ computer. Click for more


1739- Vaucanson’s Duck.
Jacques de Vaucanson (1709 - 1782) was a French engineer credited with creating fine automata that some regard as the world’s first robots. His defecating duck ‘ate’ food out of the exhibitor’s hand, swallowed it, digested it, and excreted it, all before an audience. He is also credited with creating the first completely automated loom.

Vaucanson duck automaton

1770- Jaquet-Droz ’scribe’. Clockwork automata: writing, drawing and playing music.
The most complex of three automata by Pierre Jaquet-Droz, Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz and Jean-Frédéric Leschot. It is able to write up to 40 letters of text which is coded on a wheel. The actual writing is done by a goose feather which the scribe dips in ink. Click for more


1770- The Turk.
Wolfgang von Kempelen constructed The Turk, supposedly an automaton which could play chess. The Turk played several games during demonstrations across Europe and often won! In fact there was space under for a man to recline inside the machine to make it work - Certainly a good example of telemanipulation.

An engraving of the Turk from Karl Gottlieb von Windisch's 1784 book Inanimate Reason

1817- Frankenstein published. 
Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus), written by Mary Shelley and published in 1818, is often considered the first true science fiction story. It tells the tale of scientist Victor Frankenstein who is horrified when he creates life in the form a grotesque creature. The story has been adapted into many films (the first in 1910) and TV shows.


1864- US patent with the word "Android" issued.
This was patented in reference to miniature human-like toy automatons.


1898- Remote controlled robot boat.
Nikola Tesla builds and demonstrates a remote-controlled robot boat at Madison Square Garden. Click for more

1913- First conveyer belt assembly line.
Henry T Ford installs the first conveyor belt based assembly line, allowing Model T Fords to be assembled in 93 minutes

Ford Assembly line

1920- Rossum’s Universal Robots published which introduced the word ‘robot’ to the English Language.Rossum’s Universal Robots (RUR) is a science fiction play by Karel Čapek. The play is about a young idealist Helena Glory, who goes to the remote island where Rossum’s Universal Robots are made, aiming to liberate the robots, which are ‘stripped down’ versions of humanity designed as inexpensive workers. The play introduced the word robot to the English Language. Robot comes from robota meaning ‘drudgery’ and robotnik meaning peasant or serf.

Information extracted from Future Learn Robotic course

20 misused English words

English grammar can be tricky, and, a lot of times, the words that sound right are actually wrong.

Accept vs. Except

These two words sound similar but have very different meanings. Accept means to receive something willingly: “His mom accepted his explanation” or “She accepted the gift graciously.” Except signifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting except the one next week.” To help you remember, note that both except and exclusion begin with ex.


Affect vs. Effect

To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb. Let’s start with the verbs. Affect means to influence something or someone; effect means to accomplish something. “Your job was affected by the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be effected on Monday.” As a noun, an effect is the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge effect on sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun affect refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s affect was flat.”

Lie vs. Lay

We’re all pretty clear on the lie that means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up. Lie also means to recline: “Why don’t you liedown and rest?” Lay requires an object: “Lay the book on the table.” Lie is something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to lay. It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of lie is—you guessed it—lay: “I lay down for an hour last night.” And the past tense of lay is laid: “I laid the book on the table.”


Bring vs. Take

Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody brings something to you, but you take it to somewhere else: “Bring me the mail, then take your shoes to your room.” Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.


Ironic vs. Coincidental

A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic—it’s coincidental (and bad luck). Ironic has several meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In his famous short story The Gift of the Magi, Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s coincidental.If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s ironic.


Imply vs. Infer

To imply means to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer implies, and the listener/reader infers.


Nauseous vs. Nauseated

Nauseous has been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference. Nauseous means causing nausea; nauseated means experiencing nausea. So, if your circle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I 'm nauseous” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.


Comprise vs. Compose

These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language.Comprise means to include; compose means to make up. It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use comprise, you put the whole first: “A soccer game comprises (includes) two halves.” When you use compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America.”


Farther vs. Further

Farther refers to physical distance, while further describes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any farther,” but “I have nothing further to say.” If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use further.


Fewer vs. Less

Use fewer when you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use less when referring to a whole: “You have fewer dollars, but less money.”


Original Post from LinkedIn Author- Dr. Travis Bradberry

23 New Words for Emotions That We All Feel, but Can’t Explain

Here are 23 Examples of Koeing’s genius that we can all identify with.

Sonder: (n) The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own

Opia: (n) The ambiguous intensity of Looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable

Monachopsis: (n) The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

Énouement: (n) The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self.

Vellichor: (n) The strange wistfulness of used bookshops. 

Rubatosis: (n) The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat.

Kenopsia: (n) The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet. 

Mauerbauertraurigkeit: (n) The inexplicable urge to push people away, even close friends who you really like. 

Jouska: (n) A hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head.

Chrysalism: (n) the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm. 

Vemödalen: (n) The frustration of photographic something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist.

Anecdoche: (n) A conversation in which everyone is talking, but nobody is listening 

Ellipsism: (n) A sadness that you’ll never be able to know how history will turn out. 

Kuebiko (n) A state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence.

Lachesism: The desire to be struck by disaster – to survive a plane crash, or to lose everything in a fire. 

Exulansis: (n) The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it. 

Adronitis: (n) Frustration with how long it takes to get to know someone. 

Rückkehrunruhe: (n) The feeling of returning home after an immersive trip only to find it fading rapidly from your awareness. 

Nodus Tollens (n) The realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore. 

Onism (n) The frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time. 

Liberosis: (n) The desire to care less about things. 

Altschmerz: (n) Weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had – the same boring flaws and anxieties that you’ve been gnawing on for years.

Occhiolism: (n) The awareness of the smallness of your perspective. 

More from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. - See more at: http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/

Atticus Quotes

We are all a little lonely these days aren't we?


Poetry is what happens,
when your mind stops working,
and for a moment,
  all you do is feel.


"that was her magic,
she could still see the sunset,
even on those darkest days."


"If I had all the treasure in the world,
I would follow my dream, spend time with my children 
and love my wife."

"No," said the old man.
"If you follow your dream, spend time with your children and 
   love your wife,
you will have all the treasure in the world."


Don't ask her to be a rock for you to lean upon
Instead, build her wings,
and point her to the sky,
and she will teach you both how to fly.


We were a strange love,
her and I.
Too wild to last,
to rare to break.


"he was the thing that healed her
that made her scars fel beautiful"


She consumed in me a heroic madness.
I wanted to save her from everything
but in the end, she saved me.


"There's too much risk in loving."
 The young boy said.
   "No," Said the old man.
"There's too much risk in not."



I told her I was lost in this world,
and she smiled,
because she was too,
we were all lost somehow,
but we didn't care,
we had in the chaos,
found each other.


We humans are so tortured 
by not properly guessing 
what will make us happy.


So I let her go,
for it was unfair of me to keep her.
It was the hardest thing I'd ever done
but I knew it was right.
She was a bird I had caged
that had forgotten how to fly
but dreamed of clodds
when she closed her eyes.


She was just another broken doll,
dreaming of a boy with glue.


I worry there is something broken in our generation;
there are so many sad eyes on happy faces.


Forgive me,
if I stumble and fall,
for I know not how
to love too well.
.
I am clumsy, and my words
do not form as I wish.
.
So let me kiss you instead,
.
and let my lips.
paint for you,
all the pictures
that my clumsy heart 
cannot.


Somedays I grow tired of life
and long for the next great
adventure.


"Put your head on your heart," 

the old man said. 

"Inside you, there is a power, 

there are ideas, 

thoughts that no one has ever thought of, 

there is the strength to love, 

purely and intensely, 

and to have someone love you back--

there is the power to make people happy, 

and to make people laugh--

it's full compliments, 

and the power to change lives and futures. 

Don't forget that power, 

and don't ever give up on it." 

Which is your favourite? Do leave a comment below! Thank you for reading :)

Irony

What is Irony?
Irony is a device which speakers or writers use to point to a contrast between what is stated and what is really meant; or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen. 

Types of Irony 
There are two basic kinds of irony. 
They are: 

• Irony of situation- This is evident when events turn out to be different from what is expected.   

 E.G. A person who claims to be a vegetarian and avoids meat, will eat a slice of pepperoni pizza because they are hungry. 

• Verbal irony- Verbal irony refers to a statement in which the implied meaning intended by the speaker or writer differs from what is overtly expressed. 

E.G. The bed is as comfortable as lying on nails. 

FACT

English words that you should know

balter (v.): to dance artlessly, without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment.
Example: "Never underestimate the healing power of listening to your favorite music on full blast while baltering"

chork (v.): to make the noise that feet do when one’s shoes are full of water.
Example: “Caught in the rainstorm with no shelter, he was soon chorking his way toward a terrible cold.”

duffifie (v.): to lay a bottle on its side for some time so that it may be completely drained of the few drops remaining.
Example: “The relationship started to fall apart when Dennis uprighted a bottle of ketchup that Sarah had been duffifying for days.”

egrote (v.): to feign sickness in order to avoid work.
Example: “Among lazy men, egroting is a pursuit of perfection.”

feague (v.): to put a live eel up a horse’s bottom; used figuratively to describe encouraging someone or getting their spirits up.
Example: “I’ve heard Ann Romney’s secret to winning dressage is feaguing Rafalca right before the competition.”
This word, used in the 1700s by what were apparently kinky horse-traders, came from a reference called Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

jehu (n.): a fast or furious driver.
Example: “So I’ve got an idea for a movie. We get a bunch of jehus—well, that’s about it..” A jehu is named for Jehu, a Biblical figure who “driveth furiously” as he went to murder King Ahab by the Lord’s decree.

metanoia(n.): the journey of changing one’s mind, spirit, heart, self or way of life; fundamental change of mind; spiritual conversion.
Example: Metanoia in the psychological theory of Carl Jung denotes a process of reforming the psyche as a form of self healing, a proposed explanation for the phenomenon of psychotic breakdown

pedeconference (n.): to hold a meeting while walking.
Example: “Roughly 40% of the West Wing is footage of people pedeconferencing.”

redamancy (n.): the act of loving the one who loves you; loving in return
Example: "Despite his lack of redamancy her passion for him was unabated for several years."
scuddle (v.): to run with an affected haste.
Example: “Desperate to look important and with nothing to do, she scuddled around the office like a pinball.”

serendipity (n.): the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident; finding something good without looking for it.
Example: "Sarah had known Josh for years and had a crush on him. She never knew that Josh liked her too. It must have been serendipity that their mutual friend Alice set them up on a blind date."

snollygoster. (n.): One, especially a politician, who is guided by personal advantage rather than by consistent, respectable principles.
Example : “Even though he professed to not be a crook, our president was still a bit of a snollygoster, wasn’t he?”

throttlebottom (n.): a dishonest man who holds public office.
Example: “’That Barack Obama is a downright throttlebottom!’ said the Tea Party supporter who feigned political opinions so he could wear colonial garb.”
Other great political insults include flapdoodler, lollie boy, pollywog and quockerwodger.

uhtceare (n.): lying awake before dawn and worrying.
Example: “Knowing that some object he owned had been secretly put in the toilet bowl, Jerry lay awake, plagued by uhtceare.”
Pronounced oot-key-are-a, the word breaks down into two parts: uht, a word for the restless hour before dawn and ceare, an Old English term for care and sorrow.

zarf (n.): the cup-shaped holder for a hot coffee cup that keeps you from burning your fingers.
Example: “Forgetting a zarf often leads to a dangerous game of hot potato.”
In the olden days, zarfs were typically metal or ornamental. These days they’re referred to as ‘one of those little cardboard thingys.’”

Limericks

What is a limerick?
A limerick is a form of poetry/poem. It consists of five lines with the rhyme scheme AABBA. Meaning that the first, second and last lines rhyme while the third and fourth lines rhyme. The first, second and fifth lines are usually longer than the third and fourth. The last line in most limericks are humorous.

Examples of Limericks

1. There was a Young Lady whose chin

Resembled the point of a pin:

So she had it made sharp,

And purchased a harp,

And played several tunes with her chin.

2.  I Wish that my Room had a Floor! 

I don't so Much Care for a Door, 

But this Crawling Around

Without Touching the Ground

Is Getting to be Quite a Bore! 

3. There once was a wonderful star

Who thought she would go very far

Until she fell down 

And looked like a clown

She knew she would never go far.

4. There was once a fellow named Tim,

Whose dad never taught him to swim 

He fell off a dock, 

And sunk like a rock,

And that was the end of him.

5. There once was a young lady named bright

Whose speed was much faster than light

She set out one day

In a relative way

And returned on the previous night.

6. There was once a spotted brown cow,

Who lives in the pasture now.

She makes chocolate milk,

As smooth as silk,

And I don't know exactly how.

7. There once was a little brown cat.

That cat was sitting on my door mat,

It looked very hungry,

So I gave it some curry, 

And now that cat looks fat. 

8. There was an old man called Greg,

Who tried to break open an egg,

He kicked it around

But fell on the ground,

And found that he had broken a leg.

9. There was a young ghost called Doreen 

Who's name wasn't scary or mean.

She changed it to Boo,

And now it is true 

She's frightened by herself on Halloween.

10. There once was a turkey named Chummy,

Mom thought that he might be quite yummy.

He waddled away,

On thanksgiving day

But still ended up in my tummy!

BONUS

Guyanese Folklore

OLE HIGUE

What is the ole higue?

A ole higue is always a female. She is also known as a “fire rass” or as a “old Hag”.       

In Guyana the ole higue is equivalent to a vampire. She sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims as they sleep while her favourite victims are young children or new born babies.

The Ole-Higue's distinguishing feature is the fact that during the day she lives among other Guyanese as a quiet and harmless old lady. She possibly lives at the end of a village. While at night this harmless old lady removes her skin and places it in a calabash. After which she travels across the sky in the form of a ball of a fire heading to the home of her victim. To Enter the home she shrinks herself and passes through the keyhole. 

Guyanese believe that there are 3 ways to catch an Ole-Higue: 

*To turn the key while she is trying to get through the key hole.   

*To find the skin of the Ole-Higue in the Calabash and put hot Peppers in the skin. 

*The easiest way to catch her is to spill rice grains on the floor, in front of your front door. As she enters your home she will be compelled to count each grain.

The ole higue in the form of

    a ball of fire. 

Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul

Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul

Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul commonly known as V.S. Naipaul is a travel writer, novelist and an essayist. He was born on 17^th August, 1932 in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago.
The eighty one (81) year old British writer has written both fiction and non-fiction books including Miguel Street, The Mystic Masseur, The Middle Passage,  An Area of Darkness etc.

Some of V.S Naipaul books

      

Education and Accomplishments

V.S. Naipaul studied at Queen’s Royal College and then to the University of Oxford in 1953. He was knighted by the Queen in 1989 and in 2001 he was awarded the noble prize for Literature. It was one of the many prizes and awards. Sir Naipaul received over the years.

Sir V.S. Naipaul collecting
 his noble prize

Personal life, Family and Marriage

Naipaul was born to Indian decent parents. His father, Seepersad Naipaul was a journalist and a writer. In 1955 Naipaul married an Englishwoman, Patricia Hale who die from cancer in 1966. After Patricia death Naipaul proposed to Nadira Khannum Alvi, a divorced Pakistani Journalist.

V.S Naipaul with his wife Nadira