Mourinho Paling Cinta pada Premiership



Mourinho Paling Cinta pada Premiership 
Tuesday, 29 December 2009 19:29

BeritaBola.com: Milan - Ke liga mana pun Jose Mourinho pergi, titel juara selalu mengikuti. Namun, di antara tiga buah liga yang pernah disinggahinya, Mourinho paling cinta pada Premiership.


Sebelum kini melatih Inter Milan, Mourinho pernah menukangi Benfica, Uniao Leiria, FC Porto dan Chelsea. Dari dua tim terakhir, The Special One sukses meraih dua titel juara Liga portugal dan dua titel juara Premier League.


Bersama Inter, Mourinho sudah memenangi satu titel juara Seri A. Dan meski banyak rumor mengatakan bahwa dia tak akan lama menangani La Beneamata, ia menyatakan betah berada di klub tersebut.


Namun demikian, rasa cintanya kepada Inter tak sebesar dengan rasa cintanya kepada Premiership. Lagi-lagi ia kembali menegaskan bahwa ia akan sangat senang jika bisa kembali melatih di kompetisi tersebut suatu hari nanti.


"Saya ingin kembali. Saya bukanlah orang yang suka menyembunyikan perasaan. Saya sudah berulang kali menyatakan, saya suka di sana, saya suka di sana, saya suka di sana," ujarnya kepada ESPN Star.


Pernyataan itu pun menyembulkan spekulasi bahwa ia akan segera hengkang dari Inter. Namun, Mourinho mengatakan hal itu tak akan terjadi pada tengah musim seperti ini. Kalau di akhir musim, mungkin lain lagi ceritanya.


"Saya tak akan pindah klub pada tengah musim. Jadi, sampai akhir musim tak ada kesempatan buat saya untuk pergi dari Inter."


"Saya sudah memenangi dua titel bersama Porto, dua bersama Chelsea dan sekarang saya ingin membuatnya jadi dua, ditambah dua, dan ditambah dua lagi dengan memenangi gelar juara bersama Inter. Hal itu akan sangat spesial."
 

"Tetapi, ya, saya percaya saya akan kembali (ke Premier League) suatu hari nanti," tutupnya. (dtc/roz)

Pengalaman Limbad Naik Harley


Berkendara menggunakan motor besar Harley-Davidson memang mengasyikkan. Terlebih jika kita pandai mengendarai serta paham betul dengan kondisi depan dan belakang motor gambot tersebut.

Tetapi tidak bagi Limbad, pesulap yang namanya akhir-akhir ini tenar lewat televisi itu mengaku pernah jatuh dari moge Harley Davidson yang dibelinya seharga Rp 200 jutaan itu. Limbad rupanya tidak bisa mengendalikan moge itu.

Parahnya lagi Limbad tertimpa motor Harley selama 15 menit dan butuh 9 orang untuk membantunya.

"Wah mas saya pernah tertimpa motor Harley 15 menit lamanya, kejadiannya 2007," celoteh Limbat kepada detikOto beberapa waktu lalu.

Limbad menjelaskan motor HD Sportster Classic yang baru dibelinya pada tahun 2007 itu tiba-tiba saja tidak bisa dikendalikan yang akhirnya Limbad harus jatuh dan tertimpa motor berbodi besar itu.

"Waktu itu saya mau nikung, tiba-tiba saya jatuh. Saya belum pernah naik Harley dan memang baru pertama kali bawa Harley waktu itu, enggak tahu kenapa saya tiba-tiba jatuh, dan butuh 9 orang yang bantu angkat motor," ujar sang The Master.

Akibat kejadian itu Limbad yang juga hobi touring itu harus merogoh kocek Rp 80 juta, untuk mereparasi bagian kiri motor kesayangannya agar tampil apik kembali.

"Tapi untungnya saya tidak apa-apa," ujar Limbad yang menuturkan kalau motor besar itu tidak semudah mengendarai motor kecil.

Muhamad Ikhsan - detikOto

Mobil-mobil untuk Sinterklas


Natal sudah tiba. Perayaan suci yang digelar setiap tanggal 25 Desember itu ternyata tidak hanya menyibukkan umat Kristiani ketika bersiap menyambutnya, namun juga menggugah perancang mobil untuk mendesain mobil terbaru untuk Sinterklas.

Hmm kira-kira Sinterklas mau memakai mobil apa ya? Seperti dikutip carmagazine, tercatat pabrikan-pabrikan mobil dunia seperti Jaguar, Vauxhall, Land Rover, Nissan, Aston Martin, Audi, Ford, Bentley dan Roll-Royce menyempatkan diri untuk bersusah payah untuk menyumbang rancangan mobil konsep bagi Sinterklas yang suka memberi hadiah ini.

Rancangan mobil dinas untuk Sinterklas pun tidaklah main-main, selain berpenampilan futuristik, rancangan pabrikan mobil dunia ini pun juga unggul di sisi teknologi.

Jaguar dan Ford serta Bentely mendesain mobil dinas Sinterklas untuk bisa terbang seperti halnnya yang dilakukan Vauxhall dengan kendaraan Sanat yang mereka namakan E-REV.

Sedangkan Land Rover membuatkan kendaraan 4x4 yang tangguh yang membaut santa dapat sampai ke tempat mana pun juga untuk membagikan hadiahnya. Namun pabrikan mobil Jepang Audi rupanya masih percaya diri bahwa mobil A1-nya pantas digunakan untuk dinas pria tua berjanggut itu.

Sementara Aston Martin, Nissan, dan Rolls-Royce berkonsentrasi merancang kendaraan yang kencang dan futuristik agar Santa mampu membagikan hadiah Natal bagi anak-anak di seluruh dunia dengan waktu yang lebih cepat lagi. Ho..ho..ho..

Pendengaran Berkurang Akibat Pekerjaan



Deskripsi
Pendengaran berkurang akibat pekerjaan adalah kerusakan pada telinga bagian dalam dari kebisingan atau getaran yang disebabkan jenis pekerjaan tertentu atau hiburan.

Pendengaran berkurang akibat pekerjaan merupakan bentuk trauma akustik yang disebabkan oleh getaran atau suara. Suara yang terdengar masuk ke telinga, getaran dari gelombang suara menjadi impuls saraf dalam telinga.

Suara di atas 90 desibel (dB, satuan pengukuran dari kenyaringan atau kekuatan getaran suara) dapat menyebabkan getaran cukup kuat sehingga merusak telinga bagian dalam, terutama jika suara terus terdengar� dalam jangka waktu yang lama.

Gejala
Gejala utama adalah sebagian atau seluruhnya kehilangan pendengaran. Gangguan pendengaran dapat menjadi lebih buruk dari waktu ke waktu. Kadang-kadang gangguan pendengaran disertai suara di telinga (tinnitus).

Perawatan
Gangguan pendengaran mungkin permanen. Tujuan pengobatan adalah untuk meningkatkan pendengaran yang tersisa dan mengembangkan keterampilan mengatasi (seperti bibir membaca).

Menggunakan alat bantu dengar dapat memperbaiki komunikasi. Selalu melindungi telinga dari kerusakan lebih lanjut. Misalnya, memakai pelindung telinga di lingkungan yang bising.

Obat Alami Sakit Gigi



Lagi-lagi dengan ramuan Alami yang sering kita temui di sekitar kita. Sakit gigi merupakan gangguan kesehatan yang umum terjadi dan seringkali muncul tanpa gejala sebelumnya. Rasa sakitnya yang bervariasi mulai dari tajam, berdenyut, hingga konstan.
Rasa sakit yang ditimbulkan sangat mengganggu. Belum lagi, jika dibiarkan tanpa penanganan yang tepat, kerusakan gigi akan bertambah parah sehingga harus dicabut. Ada beberapa obat alami yang bisa Anda coba untuk meredakan sakit gigi.
Bawang putih
Bawang putih efektif meredakan sakit gigi. Caranya, haluskan satu siung bawang putih dicampurkan dengan sedikit garam kasar kemudian tempatkan di area yang sakit. Sebagai tindakan pencegahan, kunyah satu siung bawang putih setiap pagi.
Bawang merah
Bawang merah mengandung komponen antibakteri. Mengonsumsi satu bawang merah setiap hari dengan cara mengunyah terbukti bisa melindungi dari berbagai gangguan gigi. Mengunyah bawang merah selama 3 menit cukup untuk membunuh semua kuman di mulut. Dan Anda bisa meredakan gigi yang sedang sakit dengan cara menempatkan sepotong kecil bawang merah di area gigi atau gusi yang sakit.
Jeruk Limau
Jeruk limau, sebagai sumber yang kaya vitamin C, sangat bermanfaat mempertahankan kesehatan gigi dan tulang di bagian tubuh lainnya. Jeruk limau dinyatakan bisa mencegah gigi berlubang dan gigi tanggal, pembentukan plak gigi, sakit gigi, dan perdarahan pada gusi.
Minyak Cengkeh
Cengkeh efektif meredakan sakit gigi, juga mengurangi infeksi karena mengandung antiseptik. Caranya, oleskan minyak cengkeh ke lubang gigi yang mengalami kerusakan.
Tepung lada
Campuran sedikit tepung lada dengan 1/4 sendok teh garam sangat bagus untuk menjaga kebersihan gigi. Jika digunakan secara teratur setiap hari bisa mencegah gigi berlubang, nafas bau, gusi berdarah, sakit gusi, dan sakit gigi. Untuk meredakan sakit gigi, Anda bisa menempatkan campuran tepung lada dan minyak cengkeh ke dalam lubang gigi.
Semoga Bermanfaat..

Batuk 100 Hari yang Susah Sembuh


Ketika terkena batuk ada orang yang harus mengalaminya sampai berbulan-bulan atau dikenal dengan batuk 100 hari. Seperti apa batuk 100 hari itu? Benarkah batuk ini bisa hilang sendiri tanpa diobati?

Batuk 100 hari biasanya dikenal dengan istilah batuk rejan dan dalam bahasa medis disebut sebagai penyakit pertussis. Penyakit ini disebabkan oleh bakteri Bordetella pertussis, bakteri ini dapat menular dari orang yang terinfeksi ke orang lain melalui udara atau dahak yang dikeluarkan oleh pasien.

"Bakteri ini bisa ada di lingkungan sekitar kita dan orang yang memiliki daya tahan tubuh rendah sangat mudah terkena infeksi bakteri ini. Sekitar 60 persen penyakit ini diderita oleh anak-anak di bawah usia 10 tahun," ujar Dr Agus Dwi Susanto, Sp.P saat dihubungi detikHealth, Jumat (25/12/2009).

Terbentuknya istilah batuk 100 hari karena sebelum ditemukannya antibiotik, perlu waktu 3 bulan atau 100 hari untuk menyembuhkannya. Tapi setelah adanya antibiotik, penyembuhannya bisa lebih cepat dan tak perlu menunggu 100 hari lagi.

Apa saja gejala yang muncul?

Gejala umum penyakit ini biasanya muncul 5-20 hari setelah orang terinfeksi dan ditandai dengan flu, batuk, pilek, radang tenggorokan dan biasanya disertai dengan demam. Penyakit ini bisa terjadi pada bayi, anak-anak ataupun orang dewasa.

"Batuk pada penyakit pertussis ini sangat khas yaitu batuk kering yang disertai dengan tarikan napas seperti orang sesak napas, bahkan seringkali pasien tidak sempat untuk menarik napas karena batuk yang terus menerus terjadi," ujarnya.

Bagaimana pemeriksaannya?

Biasanya dokter bagian paru akan melakukan evaluasi jika seseorang sudah mengalami batuk lebih dari 2 minggu. Untuk mendiagnosis penyakit ini dilakukan pemeriksaan suap tenggorokan dan mengambil dahaknya untuk melihat ada bakteri ini atau tidak.

Gejala pada bayi

"Penyakit ini sangat berbahaya jika terjadi pada bayi, karena ada penelitian di Inggris yang menunjukkan 1 dari 500 bayi meninggal akibat penyakit pertussis ini," ujar dokter yang berpraktik di RSUP Persahabatan Jakarta ini.

Pada bayi harus dilakukan deteksi sedini mungkin untuk mencegah komplikasi. Beberapa komplikasi yang muncul pada bayi:
1. Infeksi paru-paru (pneumonia) jika bakteri tersebut masuk ke paru-paru
2. Sesak napas
3. Perdarahan di mata akibat tekanan yang terjadi saat batuk terus menerus
4. Kejang akibat asupan oksigen di otak berkurang
5. Yang paling parah berakhir dengan kematian.

Namun gejala-gejala itu juga dialami orang dewasa bila mengalami komplikasi.

Mencegah Batuk 100 Hari
1. Menghindari orang yang terinfeksi
2. Segera deteksi dini jika mengalami batuk yang disertai dengan sesak napas
3. Melakukan vaksinasi DPT (Difteri Pertussis Tetanus).

"Vaksin ini cukup signifikan untuk mencegah pertussis, berdasarkan penelitian di Inggris sebelum ada vaksin kasus kejadiannya 200.000/tahun, tapi setelah ada vaksin hanya 2.000 kasus/tahun," ungkapnya.

Jadi, penyakit batuk 100 hari tidak bisa hilang dengan sendirinya tanpa adanya bantuan obat seperti antibiotik. Deteksi penyakit sedini mungkin untuk mencegah terjadinya komplikasi pada bayi dan juga orang dewasa.

Saat ini hanya penyakit batuk 100 hari saja yang ada istilah medisnya tapi untuk batuk 30 hari tidak ada dalam kamus kedokteran.

Sang Pemimpi


Terinspirasi dari seorang guru bernama Balia, membuka wacana bagi persahabatan Ikal, Arai dan Jimbron, akhirnya cerita bermula.
Balia membawa mereka pada keajaiban ilmu pengetahuan dan luasnya kehidupan, sebuah tempat yang memberi mereka nafas untuk keluar dari tekanan hidup. Balia membarakan semangat mereka menjelajahi Eropa dan bagian dunia lain untuk mengarungi samudera kehidupan. Namun, pada saat yang sama, mereka harus menghadapi sikap keras Pak Mustar, sang kepala sekolah yang mendidik dengan pola hukuman bagi yang lalai.
Berwarnanya, problematika yang mereka hadapi tak hanya melulu sekolah dan bertahan hidup, tapi juga cinta. Sebuah pahit getirnya yang tak mungkin mereka hindari di kehidupan remaja.
Cinta Arai pada Zakiah Nurmala menggiringnya menjadi seorang penyanyi dadakan dengan berguru pada Bang Zaitun, seorang pemusik Melayu keliling. Jimbron jatuh hati dengan Laksmi, gadis pemurung pekerja pabrik cincau yang tak pernah tersenyum sejak orang tuanya meninggal. Ikal tertarik pada gambar wanita molek dari reklame sebuah film Indonesia di bioskop.
Tetapi, kebimbangan Ikal akan hidup dan masa depan membuatnya patah arang dan berusaha menghapus impiannya bersekolah ke Eropa bersama Arai. Namun rasa bersalah terhadap sang ayah membuat Ikal bangkit, dan para pemimpi pun kembali berlari bersama.
Semangat penuh cita-cita dan harapan serta tambahan bekal dari tabungan Jimbron, Ikal dan Arai melanjutkan hidup untuk merajut mimpi. Namun, setelah gelar sarjana diraih, Arai menghilang. Tinggalah Ikal sendirian mengadu nasib sambil mengejar mimpi. Sanggupkah ia meraih mimpinya tanpa kehadiran Arai?
Judul : Sang Pemimpi
Jenis Film : Drama
Pemain : Lukman Sardi, Mathias Muchus, Nugie, Landung Simatupang, Rieke Dyah Pitaloka, Yayu Unru, Vikri Septiawan, Rendy Ahmad, Azwir Fitrianto, Jay Wijayanto, Nazril Irham
Sutradara : Riri Riza
Skenario : Salman Aristo, Mira Lesmana, Riri Riza
Produser : Mira Lesmana
Produksi : Miles Film & Mizan Productions

Alvin and the Chipmunk 2


Alvin and the Chipmunk 2 : The Squeakquel memulai kisah. Usai perseteruannya dengan Ian Hawke (David Cross), untuk urusan konser musiknya, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) dan Theodore (Jesse McCartney) diurus sang ayah Dave (Jason Lee). Untuk itu sang ayah harus ekstra displin mengatur trio superstar The Chipmunk itu. Maklum ketiganya amat sulit diatur, terutama Alvin.
Kesungguhan Dave mengurus ketiga anaknya itulah yang akhirnya membuat terkena musibah. Kecerobahan Alvin sehingga membuat listrik konslet membuat ayahnya kecelakaan. Terluka parah, sang ayah harus dirawat lama di rumah sakit. Itu pun saat dirawat, Dave sempat celaka lagi akibat ulah ketiga anaknya.
Tak ingin membiarkan ketiga anaknya terlantar saat sekolah dan menjalani kehidupannya, Dave mengirim Alvin untuk tinggal bersama Toby (Zachary Levi). Dibawah asuhan Toby yang memiliki sifat ceroboh dan cuek, trio tupai ini berpetualang dan menemukan banyak pengalaman baru yang tak diduga sebelumnya.
Terkenal sebagai superstar dunia, membuat ketiganya digandrungi teman-teman wanita di sekolah, tanpa terkecuali kepala sekolahnya, yang juga wanita. Hal itu bagi ketiganya adalah pengalaman pertama masuk sekolah yang menyenangkan.
Namun kesenangan itu hanya berlangsung sementara. Pasalnya, para lelaki yang tadinya menjadi idola gadis-gadis di sekolah merasa tersaingi dan kalah popularitas. Ujungnya, ketiga tupai kesohor ini harus mengalami pelecehan dari teman prianya.
Beruntungnya, Alvin mampu mengalahkan ego para teman lelaki di sekolahnya. Itu berkat kepiawaannya bermain basket dan football. Usai itu, teman-teman prianya menghentikan pelecehan terhadapnya, Simon dan Theodore. Bahkan, Alvin dipercaya masuk tim inti football sekolah. Sayangnya, itu membuat Alvin jadi jauh dari Simon dan Theodore.
Masalah semakin bertambah, ketika tanpa diduga trio tupai ini bertemu trio tupai wanita The Cipettes, Brittany (Anna Faris), Jeanette (Christina Applegate), dan Eleanor (Amy Poehler). Saling jatuh cinta, tetapi mereka harus bersaing untuk tampil di pentas musik antar sekolah yang memberikan hadiah utama sebesar US$25 ribu.
Sayangnya, The Cipettes yang terkemas alah Destiny Child saat mebawakan lagu Hot and Cold milik Kate Perry ini mempercayakan Ian Hawke sebagai manajernya. Sekedar mengingatkan, Ian Hawke sempat bermasalah dengan The Chipmunk. Dan, ian yang masih sakit hati sepertinya akan memuaskan ambisinya, terutama untuk menghancurkan The Chipmunk.
Apa yang terjadi selanjutnya? Saksikan saja The Squeakquel dari Alvin & The Chipmunk. Hiburan yang penuh tawa ini layak untuk ditonton.
Jenis Film : Animasi - drama semua umur
Produser : Ross Bagdasarian Jr, Janice Karman
Produksi : 20th Century Fox
Durasi : 92 menit
Pemain : Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Zachary Levy, Justin Long, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate
Sutradara : Betty Thomas
Penulis : Jonathan Aibel,Jon Vitti

Luna Maya dan Infotainmen Sama-sama Keras Hati


Jakarta - Luna Maya keukeuh keberatan meminta maaf kepada infotainmen. Sebaliknya, infotainmen tetap menuntut Luna meminta maaf. Jadi bagaimana, dong?
"Saya keberatan meminta maaf, karena saya tidak perlu meminta maaf. Kan saya sudah meminta maaf lewat media yang sama (twitter, red). Melakukan di media itu, jadi saya meminta maafnya via media itu," terang Luna Maya kepada TV One, di Jakarta baru-baru ini.
Luna tetap bersikeras pada pendiriannya. Bintang iklan, presenter, model, artis sinetron dan aktris film ini sama sekali tak mau memenuhi permintaan infotainmen untuk menyatakan kata maafnya.
"Untuk apa? Saya keberatan. Saya merasa tak masalah. Yang membuat masalah kan, infotainmen. Jadi saya sekali keberatan (minta maaf, red)."
Sikap keukeuh ini karena Luna merasa benar. Ia merasa tak ada yang perlu diluruskan. Lebih dari itu, Luna merasa tetap ada yang mendukungnya. Mulai keluarga, teman artis, penggemar, bahkan dari para pengguna Facebook yang tergabung dalam satu bingkai dukung Luna Maya.
"Sejauh ini hampir semua orang-orang terdekat mendukung saya. Hampir semua teman artis menyatakannya. Jadi untuk apa?," paparnya tersenyum tipis.
Sesungguhnya, kenyataan yang tampak di permukaan opini publik, bintang iklan sabun ini terus mendapatkan banyak dukungan. Salah satunnya, yang bahkan mau menjadi mediator Luna, adalah Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI).
"Kenapa kita intervensi ancaman itu, karena pasal 27 ayat 3 UU ITE yang terjerat hukuman enam tahun. Itu yang tergerak oleh kita membantu Luna Maya," ungkap Ketua Umum Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI) Nezar Patria, saat ditemui di Cawang, Jakarta Timur, baru-baru ini.
AJI membela Luna karena menyesalkan pelaporan Luna Maya oleh PWI ke polisi dengan menggunakan UU ITE.
Pembelaan itu sangat disayangkan pihak infotainmen yang bertentangan dengan Luna. PWI mewakili infotainmen tetap menuntut maaf dari Luna atas caci makinya di twitter. Jika tidak, PWI akan memproses Luna Maya secara hukum.
"Ucapan Luna Maya kan tidak etis. Kalau Prita mengritik layanan publik. Dan, karena Luna Maya sulit maka kita terus saja, kita terus proses," ungkap Ketua PWI Margiono.
PWI atas nama infotainmen menuntut Luna Maya meminta maaf atas caci maki kepada infotainmen di twittter pribadinya. Seandainya Luna ikhlas melakukannya, laporan polisi akan dicabut.
"Luna minta maaf, wartawan selesai. Saya akan mengusahakan teman-teman menerima dan untuk tidak dilanjutkan," terangnya.
Ia menambahkan, "Tapi kalau Luna Maya tidak minta maaf untuk apa kita selesaikan dan cabut."
Kasus Luna dan infotainmen seperti justru akan menggelinding layaknya bola salju yang semakin membesar. Apakah Luna akan meminta maaf? Itu masih harus menunggu keikhlasan kekasih Ariel 'Peterpan' ini. Jika tidak, apakah PWI akan tetap memperkarakan Luna secara hukum? Itu semua tergantung keteguhan sikap PWI.



INILAH.COM

Paris Hilton Dapat Kado Natal Berlian 14 Karat!



Los Angeles - Paris Hilton merayakan Natal bersama kekasihnya, Doug Reinhardt. Ia senang saat membuka hadiah-hadiah Natal kekasihnya itu. Maklum, salah satunya perhiasan berlian. Paris menulis kebahagiaan Natal di twitter pribadinya. Mengutip situs femalefirst ia menulis, "Di rumah membuka hadiah Natal. So Happy!. Dia benar-benar memanjakan saya tahun ini dan memberi saya begitu banyak hadiah yang luar biasa!:)."
Paris kembali menulis di halaman twitter. "Dia memberikan semua perhiasan berlian 14 karat di Jewellery Store. Ini begitu menakjubkan! Dia tahu berlian yang diinginkan gadis."
Suka cita dan pujian terus terucap dari pewaris Hilton Hotel di seluruh dunia ini. Ia kembali me-tweet. "I LOVE Christmas TIME !!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! LOVE YOU! XOXO PARIS:) (sic)."
Sebelumnya pada 23 Desember 2009, Paris sudah menghabiskan waktunya untuk berbelanja hadiah Natal. Ia mendatangi seluruh butik ternama di seputaran Los Angeles

Malin Kundang



Let me tell you the story about a boy and his mother. This boy is a very famous person in my country. No body knows his face but everybody knows his name. The boy was called Malin Kundang. Why Malin Kundang famous? Was he an Indonesian Idol? We’ll find out here.

The story began when Malin Kundang was a boy. He lived with his mother. He didn’t have father anymore. Some people said he’s dead and some people said he left for sailing and never came back. And because the father did not around, the mother had to work for the family. Sadly for the mother, even though she worked hard, still could not make worth living for her son. They still lived poorly and her health was not great either. Malin kundang realized their condition. He was sad. He could not let his mother worked hard in sickness so he asked permission from her to go abroad.

“Where are you going, Malin?” his mother asked.

“I am going to sail, mother. Like our neighbor, he sails and sells many things abroad. Then he comes back with a lot of money. Do you see things he brought?” Malin said excited. “I can be rich too. And you don’t have to work anymore. Please mother, give me permission to sail. It’ll only need couple years then I’ll come back here.” Malin hold his mother’s hand, begged her for permission.

His mother could not say no to her loved child. She knew Malin wanted it so much. When she said yes, he was pranced all over the room.

Malin left by merchant ship belonged to his wealthy merchant neighbor. He worked as one of the ship’s crew. It was very great. He loved the sailing. They sailed from one island to another, met strange people, heard strange languages, experienced adventures and sold things. During the time, he learned about trading from his merchant. Malin was a smart boy. He understood quickly. But the lessons finished when they met pirates at the sea.

The pirates attacked the merchant ship. When they closed enough, they jumped to merchant ship with weapons in their hands. The merchant’s crew tried to fight back but the pirates were too strong. Just in sort time, the merchant’s crew was defeated. They killed all the men and took the goods along with them, then burned the ship and sink it down.

Oh no. Was Malin killed too?

Don’t worry, the story doesn’t finish yet. Our celebrity lived. He hid in a place or pretended dead, I’m not really sure. The pirates thought no one lived and then they left the crime place. Malin hang on a piece of wood, tried to save his life. For couple days he was floating in the sea. His head was getting dizzy. He was cold and tired. His hands could not hold his body anymore. His vision started blurry and then he passed out.

Was he dead? Shark ate him?

No no. The man was not dead easily. He survived. He got cast away at a beach. He was unconscious when the local villagers found him. Soon he stayed with them, made friends with them and then married with one of their daughter. Malin’s wife came from the wealthy family and had a high status in the social community. Apparently that made him shame to admit that he was poor and he was nobody in the social community. So he lied to his wife and her family. He lied about who he was. He said he was alone and no parents.

Malin then started to sail again. With helps from his wife, he traded goods like his merchant used to do. After couple years, he succeed to build his trades business. He had few merchant ships with hundreds crews. He was rich. His dream came true.

One day, Malin sailed to his hometown. With his big ship, he tied up to the dock. He brought lots of goods to sell. Everybody in the dock was fascinated with his ship and his goods. Malin - the new wealthy merchant - suddenly became famous. Everybody talked about him and then the talks were heard to an old woman’s ears.

“Is it true what you say?” the old woman asked the story teller.

“Yes. It’s true.”

“Who was the merchant’s name?” she asked again.

“It’s Malin, ma’am. Malin Kundang.”

The woman was surprised. The words were just said charged her body with full of energy.
“That’s my son.” She yelled. The woman hurried to the dock. She wanted to meet his son that she missed so much. The day that she waited for long time had come. The day where her son would come home. God answered her pray. She met her son again.

At the dock, the woman’s head turned around. Her eyes were looking for a face of her son. When she saw two persons at the ship, she got stood. She saw her son with a beautiful woman. She called Malin but he did not hear. She called him louder and tried to get to the ship. But then two guards blocked her way.

“Who are you? “ One of the guards asked.

“I’m Malin’s mother” the old woman said.

Malin heard the noise. He came closer.

“What is going on?” he asked .

“This old lady said she is your mother, sir.” The guard explained.

When he saw the old woman, he got surprised. He recognized the old woman as his mother. She was older then he remembered. Her hair turned grey, her skin was wrinkle and her cloth was dirty and torn. Compare to him, it’s like sky and earth. She looked like beggar.

And now look what money can do to you.

“She’s not my mother” Malin said and turned his face from her.

“I’m your mother, Malin. Don’t you remember me?” she said. Her tear started to float in her eyes.

“No. you are not my mother. I don’t have beggar mother.” Malin yelled to her.

“Go away and don't come back.” he evicted the old woman.

“You are rebellious son, Malin. You are shame to admit your own mother because I’m dirty and poor. You are blinded by your wealth.” her mother cried, hurt and angry. “I cursed you into a stone. Let God be my witness” .

Suddenly, the sky turned to dark and sound of thunder cracked everyone ears. The sea billowed. The big waves came from the sea and threw Malin’s ship and his people to the ground and crashed it.

Malin got shocked. He realized his sin to his mother. “I’m sorry mother.” he kowtowed, begged her for forgiveness. But everything was too late. God didn’t give second change to Malin. He and the pieces of his ship turned into stones. That’s the power of mother’s words. Very powerful. Trust me. I’ve been there. So be careful when you had fight with your mother, you could be the next stone.

Bawang Merah dan Bawang Putih (Red Onion and Garlic)


Do know Cinderella story? Indonesia also has Cinderella story, only this story does not end up happily ever after with a handsome prince, although there is a version of that. This version ends with no handsome prince but still happy.

The story started in a big house where a mother and two beautiful girls lived. There was no man in that house because he was already dead. He left two beautiful girls from different mothers. First mother was dead and left him a beautiful little girl called Bawang Putih. Then after she became young girl, her father left her with a stepmother and a stepsister called Bawang Merah. It was a bad luck for Bawang Putih because her stepsister and her stepmother were not kind of person who liked her.

Bawang Putih was a maid in her own house. She did all the houseworks. She cleaned, washed and cooked. Her stepmother and her stepsister were the queens in the house.

In one usual day, Bawang Putih went to the river to wash her stepmother’s clothes. She accidentally washed away her mother’s shawl. That would be a problem because the shawl was her favorite. When her stepmother knew, she got furious. She kicked Bawang Putih off the street. She would not let Bawang Putih home if she could not find the shawl.

Bawang Putih walked fringing the edge of the river. Her eyes were looking for a piece of yellow shawl stacked on the rocks in the river. However, she did not see anything. Bawang Putih continued walking. She stopped in front of women who washed there. “Did you see a yellow shawl swept away?” Bawang Putih asked them.

“Yes. I saw it. Buto Ijo took it a while ago. Is it yours?” one of them asked Bawang Putih.

“Yes it is. I have to get there then” Bawang Putih said.

“Be careful Bawang Putih. Buto Ijo is crazy,” they warn her.

Buto Ijo was an old woman who lived alone. They said she was a little bit crazy. Her hair was like branches of tree, dirty and stiff. She lost almost her teeth and she liked talking alone. The rumor told Buto Ijo cooked from human bones. It was scary.

Bawang Putih came to Buto Ijo’s house. The house looked dirty and untidy. It is as no one ever lived there. She knocked the door carefully. She heard a walk came to the door. Bawang Putih was a bit afraid. The door was opened, a wrinkle face came from it. Her eyes looked sharply, she seemed did not like to be bothers. “What do you want?” the old woman asked suspicious. She did not smile at all.

“I’m looking for a shawl. It is yellow. The woman in the river said you had taken it. The shawl belongs to my mothers,” Bawang Putih said.

“Yes, I took it. “ Buto Ijo said. “But if you want it you have to stay here for a while and did what I order.”

“What do you want me to do?” Bawang Putih said.

“I want you to clean the house and garden. You also have to cook for me” Buto Ijo gave her conditions.

Bawang Putih agreed. She stayed there for a while, cooked and cleaned the house. Buto Ijo was not that scary like her thought. In fact, Buto Ijo was a nice old woman and funny. She liked her. After couple of days, Buto Ijo gave the shawl to her. Before Bawang Putih left the house, Buto Ijo gave her pumpkin. “These are pumpkin. One of them is yours, Bawang Putih and open it when you get home,” Buto Ijo said. Bawang Putih took the small pumpkin. “Thank you Buto Ijo” she said. Bawang Putih then went home.

In her house, Bawang Merah sliced the pumpkin. She was surprised seeing there was a bunch of jewelry in it. Her stepmother and her stepsister were surprised too. “Where did you get that?” her stepsister asked.

“Buto Ijo gave it to me,” Bawang Putih said. Then she told them the story.

Bawang Merah wanted to get a pumpkin with jewelry in it too. The she went to the river and washed away her shawl in purpose. She followed the shawl and she saw Buto Ijo took it. She went to Buto Ijo’s house and asked her for the shawl. Buto Ijo said if Bawang Merah wanted her shawl she had to stay there for a while and she had to do the housework. It was just as she asked to Bawang Putih. For a pumpkin of jewelry, Bawang Merah agreed to stay there and do the houseworks.

After couple of days, Buto Ijo gave her shawl. Before Bawang Merah left the house, Buto Ijo gave her a pumpkin. Bawang Merah was very happy. Her head was full with images of jewelry. Bawang Merah took the big pumpkin. She ran to her house. She could not wait to slice the pumpkin and get the jewelry out of it.

When she got home, she took the knife and cut the pumpkin. She got surprised seeing snakes came out from it instead of jewelries. She threw the pumpkin and ran out the house.

The Legend of Toba Lake


Once upon a time, there was a fisherman lived in a North Sumatra. Don’t ask me the year, all I know it was a very long time before you were born. When he was fishing in a river, a big fish was nailed. This fish had gold color all over its body. It was beautiful. The fisherman was very excited. He imagined a delicious dinner in his head. He put the fish in his basket and went home happily.

When he got home, he put the fish in a sink. He grabbed a knife to kill the fish. But when he almost killed it, he saw the fish eyes and felt pity. He took the knife away and put the fish in washbasin and added water in it. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t kill you” the fisherman said.

The fisherman went fishing again. But this time he couldn’t get any fish. He went home with nothing in his hand. His stomach started to sing. He walked home slouching. He was surprised when he saw smoke came out from his kitchen.

“Who cooked in my kitchen?” he confused.

He took a peep and surprised when he saw a beautiful girl cooked in his house. “Why there’s a girl in my kitchen?” he confused.

The fisherman entered the room. “Who are you?” he asked the girl.

“I’m the fish.” The girl said.

The fisherman looked the washbasin and saw nothing in it. “The fish?” he asked incredulous.

“Yes. You didn’t kill me and I’m very thankful. I will return your kindness.” The girl said.

“That’s ok. I didn’t ask any return” the fisherman said.

“But I have to.”The girl insisted.

“Well, I lived alone. I don’t have family. If you want to be my wife, I will be very happy.” The fisherman asked the girl.

The girl smiled and said “I’d love to but you have to promise me that if we have kid you can’t tell him about me.”

And so, the fisherman and the fish girl were married. And then they had a child called Samo. Samo was very naughty. He couldn’t be advisable. He always played and never helped his parents.

One day Samo was asked to deliver lunch to his father. On his way, he met his friends and forgot to deliver his father’s lunch. Samo played with his friends. When he was tired and hungry, he was resting under a tree and ate his father lunch. Meanwhile his father waited him in starve and tired. His father went home and saw Samo played. “Where is my lunch?” he asked.

“Mmm…mm.. I ate it” Samo said afraid.

“Why you ate it?” his father asked.

“Mmm..mm.. I was hungry after playing with my friend” Samo said.

“You were told to deliver my lunch but you didn’t listen.” his father was very furious. “I can’t handle you anymore. You are very naughty. Go away from me. Don’t come home anymore.” His father yelled and evicted Samo from his house.

And this what happened if you can’t control your mouth when you angry. His father said the words that he wouldn’t suppose to say. “You… fish’s son.”

Suddenly, the sky was getting dark. The storm was breaking the ears. The rain felt from the sky like giant hose sprayed water all over the place. And then the water came out from the land and getting harder.

Sumo’s mother was very sad. “I told you don’t tell him about me” she said to her husband. “Now I’m going back to be fish again. Good by” the mother was transformed magically to be gold fish again and disappear through the water. The water was getting higher and drown the village and formed a lake.

Meanwhile, sumo run to the hill and stayed there. The hill then was surrounded by the lake.

Now the lake was known as Toba Lake. Toba came from Tuba word means no mercy. And the hill in the middle called Samosir Island. Samosir means ‘Samo di usir’ or in English : Samo have been evicted.
This is just a legend, there were so many versions of the name’s story. You can’t tell which one is really true. But I heard this version since I was a little girl.

The Legend Of Banyuwangi


Patih sidapaksa lived in a land called East Java. He was a patih from Blambangan kingdom. Patih Sidapaksa felt in love with Sri Tanjung, a beautiful girl from a village. Sidapaksa’s mother did not agree with his son’s lover. Apparently, his mother hated her because Sri Tanjung was not an aristocrat. It is a very important status in her society. But love is love, isn’t it? Nothing can’t stand its way. Sidapaksa did not care about his future wife status and married her. A couple months after the marriage, the wife got pregnant. They were very happy waiting for the childbirth.

One day in the morning, the king called patih Sidapaksa. He ordered his patih to get a flower at Mount Ijen for his queen. The flower was believed could make younger the person who bathed with it. Therefore, Sidapaksa went to Mount Ijen, left his wife and his mother for couple of months.

Meanwhile the baby’s birth was getting closer. Sri Tanjung stayed with her mother in law. When the baby boy was born, her mother in law helped her took care the baby. The reason she did that was not that she cared about her grandson. Instead, she wanted to get rid of the child and his mother.

And that night must be a very misfortune night from all Sri Tanjung’s nights. She went to a bath and left the baby in the room. Her mother in law entered the room. When she saw the baby slept, her evil’s mind was working. Slowly and carefully, she took the baby and brought him to the river. Without thinking any further, at the edge of the river, she threw the baby. The crying of the baby did not change her mind. The water was so fast. It drowned the baby and made his voice silent just in a few second.

When Sri Tanjung finished her bath, she was shocked knowing her baby was gone. She look for everywhere for the baby but she could not find him. She felt powerless in her room thinking about her baby. When her mother in law came home, the mother pretended knew nothing about it.

Sidapaksa came home from his long journey. In front of his house, his mother was standing. When she saw Sidapaksa arrived, she ran to him and cried. She said, “Oh my son, I am sorry. I am useless. I couldn’t stop your wife killing the baby.”
“What? Why she did that?” Sidapaksa yelled.
“She was afraid that you found out that the baby was not your son,” she explained.
Sidapaksa was very angry. He felt like got a stroke by lightning in the middle of the day. He went to the house looking for his wife. When he entered his room, he saw his wife was sleeping. He woke her up and dragged her out the room. Sri Tanjung was surprised knowing her husband came home with anger. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“You’re having affair and killed the baby.” Sidapaksa accused her. His hand pointed his keris to his wife.
“For the sake of Gods, I did not having affair and killed the baby.” She argued.
“I don’t believe you,” Sidapaksa said. He dragged her wife to the river and said, “You threw him to the river”.
“I did not do those things,” Sri Tanjung kept her argue. But it seemed she could not persuade her husband anymore. So she said” if you don’t believe me, you can kill me and throw my body to the river. If the water smells fragrant, it means I am innocent. Let Gods be my witnesses”.

Sidapaksa stabbed his keris to her chest until she died then he threw her body to the river. But strangely, the water did not turn to red and smell fishy when her blood got in to it. Instead, the blood cleaned the river and smelt fragrant. Sidapaksa was shocked and yelled like a crazy person” Wangi.. banyu.. wangi.. banyu.. wangi..”. It means “fragrant.. water.. fragrant.. water.. fragrant..”. Suddenly in the middle of river, two flowers showed up, the big ones and the small ones. The big flower was incarnation of Sri Tanjung and the small flower was incarnation of her baby. Then the small one talked to Sidapaksa” Father, I am your son. My mother was innocent. Grandmother drowned me to this river”. Sidapaksa felt stood. He realized he had made a huge mistake. However, his wife and his child would never live again. And he could only cry and regret.

After the incident, the area around the river called banyuwangi. In Javanese language, banyuwangi means fragrant water.

REOG PONOROGO


Ponorogo is most well known for the reog mask dance, which is said to have been created by one of the kings of Kediri in the 12th century. The performance re-enacts a legendary battle between Pujangga Anom, a minister from the court of Ponorogo, and Singa Barong, guardian spirit of the forest of Lodoyo. The former had aroused the anger of Singa Barong when he stole 150 tigers from the forest, apparently to be offered as a dowry payment for a princess of Kediri, whom the king of Ponorogo wished to marry.

A typical reog troupe, then, usually consists of the principal characters; Singa Barong, wearing an enormous tiger head and peacock feather mask, and his adversary Pujangga Anom. They are accompanied by one or more masked clowns/acrobats, as well as a number of hobby horse dancers, who are said to represent the troops of Pujangga Anom.

The people of Ponorogo have a reputation for being tough, both physically and mentally. The qualities of bravery and daring are fully displayed in a reog performance, where the focus of attention is on a trance dancer supporting a giant mask, often weighing more than 40 kg, between his teeth. The mask is a ferocious, snarling tiger's head, covered in real tiger skin and crowned with a gigantic three meter fan of peacock feathers.

The success of a performance, including the ability of the principal dancer to bear the weight of the mask, is said to depend upon the magical power of the leader of the dance troupe. Known as warok, these men are believed to possess special talents, gained through years of training. One of the unique features of the reog dance is that the hobby horse (jaran kepang) dancers are invariably young boys dressed as women. Known as gemblak, they accompany the warok, who are forbidden close association with females, in their travelling performances.

Contest of Reog dance is presented annually by the local government. Ngebel, a natural lake and batik printing of ponorogo are also worthwhile seeing.

Reog Ponorogo: Tiger, Peacock


A tiger's head and a wide-winged peacock are the principal features of the traditional Reog Ponorogo dance. The weight of this pair, called Dhadhak Merak, may reach 40 kg or even 100 kg, carried by one man, moving around, up and down. The tiger's head symbolizes a hero. The man, warok, who bears it must have a magic power.

Dhadhak Merak, often known as Singobarong, is performed as a welcoming dance for honorable guests, or as attractions, complete with its attributes. For instance, the player of the role of Prabu (King) Kelana Sewandono, with his supernatural power, always carries an inhabited, holy whip.

Another man plays the role of a dancer, Bujangganong, a governor under the rule of King Kelana Sewandono. He is a hero with a bad face, bearing a mask with a red, long nose, untidy hair and tusked teeth.

The team of players is completed with riders on horses made of bamboo plaitwork or skin of animal. They symbolize the escorting soldiers of King Kelana Sewandono on his trips. Formerly these horse-riders were played by men called Gembak. But now they are generally women.

The total number of a Reog team is between 20 and 40 members, including the magical heroes (waroks) with open breasts and waist band, symbolizing their magic power.

According to history the Reog dance originated from the glorious era of the Kediri kingdom around the l5th century. The region of Ponorogo was called Wengker, the seat of the kingdom of Bentarangin (now the area of subdistrict Sonoroto) under King Kelana Sewandono. He had a governor, Pujangga Anom (in the Reog dance called Bujangganong). One night Kelana Sewandono dreamed meeting a beautiful princess, Songgolangit. He felt in love with her and ordered his governor to ask the hand of the princess. This proposal was accepted on the condition that the King should present an attraction which was still unknown at that time.

King Kelana Sewandono then decided to kill the powerful King Singo Barong, who was pictured as a king with a tiger's head bearing a wide-winged peacock. The victorious King Kelana Sewandono then went into procession to the palace of the princess, bearing the defeated Singo Barong. The procession attracted great attention during the trip to the palace.

Another story says that Reog dance is a hint on the king of Majapahit, who married a Chinese princess. The King's power was therefore pictured as being defeated by the beauty of the Chinese princess.

No matter its origin, the Reog dance is a popular attraction, not only in Ponorogo, but all over Java to be performed on various events, including the field of tourism.

Geography of Indonesia


Geography of Indonesia - Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. It consists of five major islands and about 30 smaller groups. There are total number of 17,508 islands of which about 6000 are inhabited. Straddling equator, the archipelago is on a crossroads between two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and bridges two continents, Asia and Australia.

The territory of the Republic of Indonesia stretches from 6°08' N latitude to 11°15' S latitude, and from 94°45' E to 141°05' E longitude. Total Area of Indonesia is 1,919,440 sq km (Land Area: 1,826,440 sq km; Water Area: 93,000 sq km).

The five main islands are: Sumatra (473,606 sq. km); the most fertile and densely populated islands, Java/Madura (132,107 sq. km); Kalimantan, which comprises two-thirds of the island of Borneo (539,460 sq km); Sulawesi (189,216 sq km); and Irian Jaya (421,981 sq km), which is part of the world's second largest island, New Guinea. Indonesia's other islands are smaller in size.

The country is predominantly mountainous with some 400 volcanoes, of which 100 are active. The highest mountain is the perpetually snow-capped Mandala Top (15,300 feet) in the Jaya Wijaya mountain range of Irian Jaya. Many rivers flow throughout the country. They serve as useful transportation routes on certain islands, for example, the Musi, Batanghari, Indragiri and Kampar rivers in Sumatra; the Kapuas, Barito, Mahakam and Rejang rivers in Kalimantan; and the Memberamo and Digul rivers in Irian Jaya.

History of Indonesia


Origin & History of Indonesia - It is generally believed that the earliest inhabitants of the Indonesian archipelago were of Indian or Burmese origin. Later migrants known as Malays came from Southern China and Indochina at around 3000 BC. By the end of 7th Century, powerful groups such as Buddhist Srivijaya Empire and the Hindu Mataram kingdom developed in Java and Sumatra. The 13th Century witnessed the rise of Hindu Majapahit Empire in East Java, which united the whole of what is now modern day Indonesia and parts of the Malay Peninsula. The subsequent spread of Islam into the archipelago in the 14th century forced the Majapahits to retreat to Bali in the 15th century.

By this time, a strong Muslim empire had developed with its centre at Malacca on the Malay Peninsula. Its influence was short lived and it fell to the Portuguese in 1511. Then, in the middle of 16th century, Dutch displaced the Portuguese and began making inroads into Indonesia. The Dutch East India Company based in Jakarta dominated the spice trade and the Dutch took over the occupation of Indonesia for about 350 years. The Dutch East Indies, as Indonesia was known at that time, fell under British rule for the period of 1811-1816. Later on burgeoning nationalism combined with Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War II weakened the Dutch resolve, and they finally transferred sovereignty to the new Indonesian republic in 1949. Achmed Sukarno-the leader of the freedom struggle- became the first President of Indonesia.

All change at the last minute.

Back from our Holidays already.

It was slow to arrive and went so fast. We'd planned on a week cruising the Llangollen canal, or as far as the Pontscysyllte Aqueduct, but at the last minute we got cold feet and decided against it, would our trip to Llangollen and back be to ambitious for one week. we had big doubts and would have been very disappointed if time ran out on us and we had to turn around before reaching the aqueduct. So we opted for an alternative route and decided on the Cheshire Ring. 97 miles, 92 locks and 50 hours.

One other thing we planned to do on our trip was to write a daily blog, armed with laptop, camera and broadband dongle we set off, but as you can see that didn't happen either. And the reason why, well we were just to shattered by the end of each day, so I'm doing it no.

The big day arrived and we collect NB Cheshire Cat from Preston Brook at 15:00, loaded up our things and after all the safe checks and operating instructions we finally cast off at 16:00, latter than we would have liked but we always seem to be the last to leave, must remember to get there even earlier next time. Wasn't much progress done that first day, we only managed to reach Walton Hall Gardens before it started getting dark and we had to pull over for the night.


 Walton Hall













Day two we were up bright and early, took Charlie for his walk and cast off around 07:00, it was a lovely morning.



Passing through Grappenhall













It wasn’t long before we were passing through Stockton Heath and then Lymm, parts of the canal we walk quite often.















What a lovely first day, twenty miles of lock free cruising, we both know tomorrow wasn't going to be quite so easy, twenty-six lock. Not sure what time we arrived at Castlefield junction but it wasn’t late, we found a spot for the night and tied up.


 Castlefield Junction












Day 3. We were queued up at 08:00 and ready for the Rochdale Nine, a flight of wide beam locks and we paired up with the crew of Agatha for this section of locks, all went well except we found access on foot between locks wasn't easy in some sections.
Oh I managed to smash my camera while in my pocket, not happy about that, it was a present last Christmas.
Soon finished the double locks and started down Ashton Canal,locking and unlocking gates was a pain but obviously necessary on this section. Filled up with water at Fairfield Junction and happy to be away from this stretch of water, the canal was dirty and obviously not appreciated by the locals. One last push and we moored up for the night just around the corner from Portland Basin and the start of the Peak Forest canal.

Day 4. Up early again today as we need to keep on schedule. We had been so lucky with the weather and today was no exception. we stopped at Romiley to pick up food from the local Aldi, handy not much of a walk.
Setting off again and just through Hyde Bank Tunnel and we see NB Caxton and Matilda Rose moored up, didn't see anyone about but it was good to spot boats we knew.

Passing over the Marple aqueduct as we got ready for the next sixteen locks, really missing my camera. After starting the locks we were soon caught up by NB Jessica with a crew of six who kindly gave us a hand with the remaining locks, and so glad they did as I was beginning to feel the strain on my bad knee. Marple junction was a good place to stop for a bite to eat now the hard bit of the day was over, the rest of the day was much easier.
Finally stopping for the night just before Lyme View Marina at bridge sixteen, a lovely quite spot.
Goyt Mill.

Day 5. This morning we cruised down through Bollington and Macclesfield and the Bosley locks, passed NB Sanity at bridge 25.

As we had done so well for time and the weather was glorious we decided to stop for lunch. This is when the thing we had dreaded most of all happened. Charlie decide to make a leap for the bank before we had actually reached yet, silly doggy so impatient, all six stone plus of him splashed half in and half out of the water, poor thing was left clinging to the bank, too far in the water to pull himself out, Corinne made a jump for the tow path when it was within reach and ran to try and help him, he doesn't wear his collar very often and for some reason we hadn't put his life jacket on this morning so there wasn't anything to grab hold of to pull him out, I managed to secure the boat and come help with Charlie, I got hold of him behind his front legs and managed to pull him out. He must have been so cold he was in the water for a good few minutes, and I know how cold the water was after clearing out the weed hatch a couple of days ago. Anyway everything was ok, he got dried off and life jacket put on. the rest of the day was pretty uneventful, we moored up near Little Moreton Hall for the night.

Day 6. Yet another dry day and we're on go again bright and early, everything was going well. We left the Macclesfield canal and joined the rusty waters of the Trent & Mersey when at lock 43 reverse gear stopped working on the Cheshire Cat, we pulled over at BW Red Bull and phoned for help, this was at 08:30, Time for a cup of tea. two hours later and we were underway again at 10:30 not bad service I thought. We worked our way through twenty-eight locks and surprisingly ended up not far for our intended destination before the breakdown, lock 68 just outside Middlewich.

Day 7. Once again we were on the go nice and early but this time as we were casting off NB Jessica and her crew joined us down the first couple of locks and then again through Big Lock at Middlewich, that was the last time we met up with them along the way. we followed behind another boat all the way though to Anderton were we made use of the BW rubbish disposal.

We did all three tunnels today Barnton, Saltersford and Preston Brook. When we entered Preston Brook the exit could see, but it never seemed to get any closer, took twenty minutes to pass through. We moored up for the night and went for a walk to find a shop for something to eat and a bottle of wine to celebrate us finishing on time.

Day 8. Our last morning on Cheshire Cat, all that is left to do was drop the boat back of at Preston Brook, we packed and got all our things together had breakfast a cruised as slow as possible back to base, making the most of the last minutes aboard. We had to be back for 9 am but we had easily done it with time to spare, the car was loaded and we were on our way home.


The week aboard Cheshire Cat had been a good one, some hard work but that's something we ain't scared of, even Charlie enjoyed it and he wasnt eager to get in the car to come home, now that isnt like him. We were planning our next canal holiday before we had reached home. The Cheshire Ring was a good choice and we would definately do it again. Maybe two weeks next time so we can spend more time exploring.






Why Wise Leaders Don't Know Too Much


Could it be that knowledge is overrated?

Don't get me wrong — knowledge is a good thing. But there is a point at which it may be bad. Even the sturdiest shelf crumbles under the weight of too many books.

We can only comprehend so much. Our minds have limits in our ability to digest information, just as shelves are only meant to hold so many books. Too much knowledge undermines the greatest insights, the deepest conjectures.

Take an example from graduate school. To earn my Masters degree, I had to write a lengthy thesis (hundreds of pages) to demonstrate a command of knowledge in a broad field. When it came time for my Doctorate, however, I was asked to take my thesis and condense it into a synthesis of that knowledge. Most people think that the process should be reversed — that writing 20 pages is easier than writing 200. But the lesson is less about writing than it is about learning that information and knowledge are something to dissect and discard. And that is the difference between knowing and understanding; between knowledge and wisdom.

Wisdom can be shattered by too much information. Great scholars, for instance, tend to be great in very narrow disciplines. These scholars give ground on colloquial information so that they can digest more within their field. In many ways, we are all idiot savants: our expertise in certain areas necessitates weakness elsewhere.

Yet we still spend our days analyzing information and falling into traps. Decisions are destroyed by over-analysis. The brain is not intelligent because of the sheer volume of data it can ingest, but for the way it can quickly discern patterns — and then guess the rest. The more information you pile on, the less likely you are to make educated guesses. But educated guesses spring from wisdom: all of your past experiences, knowledge and knowhow, coupled with the most recent information and analysis. In other words, wisdom comes from your gut.

Pile on too much information and you fall victim to one of two phenomena: On the one hand, you might make a decision focused only on what has been analyzed because the abundance of information suppresses even the most relevant past experiences. This "knowledge trap" disregards our decision-making skills (often intentionally), opting instead for the logical decision-making of a computer or calculator. You see this often on Wall Street where quant jocks confidently grind data into machines, only to face an unlikely (but not unexpected) event — or what Nassim Taleb calls a "Black Swan" event. For those on Wall Street, this is often an unfortunate demonstration of the power of wisdom over knowledge. Just look what happened in the hedge fund industry in general or credit default swaps in specific as painful examples.

Or worse, faced with an abundance of information you fall victim to analysis paralysis — unable to make any decisions in the face of so much data. To be frozen by information is perhaps the single biggest risk of knowledge. Ancient Greek philosophers used to warn their children about this ailment and Peter Drucker did a good job of combating it in the business world. But is anyone really listening?

People often become victims of the "knowledge trap" or "analysis paralysis," thinking they need to weigh every bit of information against all possible outcomes. Those people rarely make it very far. Those who avoid these traps — who realize they'll never have all the answers no matter how much knowledge they gather — are often the ones who succeed.

Jeffrey M. Stibel is an entrepreneur, a brain scientist, and the author of Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet. He studied business and brain science at MIT Sloan and Brown University, where he was a brain and behavior fellow. Stibel has authored numerous academic and business articles on a variety of subjects and is the named inventor on the US patent for search engine interfaces. He was formerly President of Web.com and currently serves on academic Boards for Tufts and Brown University, as well as the Board of Directors for a number of public and private companies.

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