Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The new normal

The new normal

It's life

It's life!

Merriest Christmas and Happiest New Year

Merriest Christmas and Happiest New Year

World Refugee Day

Photo c/o unhcr.org

Today is their day.  According to the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), we are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record.  There are around 65.6 million people around the planet who have been forced to leave their home.  22.5 million of them are refugees, half of which are under 18 years old.  Who is a refugee?  A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war and violence.  In the past, the refugees came mostly from Europe: Poles, Germans, Jews, Latvians.  These were people fleeing from Russia and Nazi Germany.

The present day refugees are doing the reverse: they are now fleeing Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Turkey, Iran and other parts of the Middle East to get into Europe.  We also see refugees coming from parts of Africa like Chad, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, as well as those coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Myanmar.

They endure hardships and all kinds of danger just to seek a better place, a peaceful and welcoming place for their love ones.  Theirs is a long and arduous journey, one gets to be uprooted from their land of birth, to be thrown into a future that seems unfathomable and unforeseen.  My only wish is that they shall find the peace and love they have been searching for, after all these years.

Top Kiwi Slang Words That Confuse The Entire World

Photo c/o absolutebus.co.nz

Kiwis have a unique language all their own, with words like:

Chur: Thanks bro!
Gone owl: What are you doing?
Hokey pokey: A type of toffee, often used in ice cream
Munger: Food
Ripper: Terrific or fantastic

For more Kiwi slang, please click this link.

Happy World Environment Day

Happy World Environment Day!