Mentiko Betuah

Folkstory from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

A long time ago, there was a kingdom in Semeulue, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

The king and the queen had a son, the prince. They loved the prince very much. They

always gave him anything he wanted and that made him grew as a spoiled young man.

The king realized his mistake. He wanted to give the prince a lesson. He asked the prince

to leave the palace and became a merchant.

"I will give you some money. Use the money only for trading. Don't come back

until you are rich!" asked the king.

The prince was sad. He knew his father was angry with him because he was a

spoiled boy. He then promised himself that he could become a great merchant.

After he left the palace, he went to a village. While he was walking, he saw some kids

were trying to shoot a bird using their slingshots.

"Stop! Don't hurt the bird! I'll give you some money if you stop hurting him,"

said the prince. After that, he gave some money to those kids.

Later, he saw some men were torturing a snake. Again, the prince asked them to

stop hurting the snake. He also gave them some money. He kept on giving some money

to people who tortured animals. Finally he did not have any money at all. He was so

worried. He knew he could not become a merchant without any money in his pocket. He

was also scared of going home. His father would be very angry at him.

Next, the prince went to the forest. He did not know anywhere to go. While he was

sitting under a big tree, a giant snake came to him. He was so frightened.

"Don't worry, young man. I will not eat you. I am the king of snakes in this

jungle. I heard you helped many animals from being tortured. Now, I want to give

you a gift. This is Mentiko Betuah. This magical stone can give you anything you

want."

The prince was happy. He asked the Mentiko Betuah to give him a lot of

money. Amazingly, the prince later had a lot of money. So he went home and told his

father that the money was from his business as a merchant.

The prince kept the Mentiko Betuah carefully. He went to a goldsmith and

asked him to make the magical stone as a ring. Unfortunately, the goldsmith stole the

Mentiko Betuah. The prince was angry. Luckily he had made friends to the animals.

Then they all helped him find the Mentiko Betuah.

A cat, a dog, and a mouse went together to find the magical stone. They

finally found the goldsmith. However they could not enter his house, only the mouse

could. After waiting for a moment, the mouse came out of the house. He said he

could not find the magical stone. After that they all went back to the palace. The cat

and the dog did not know that the mouse actually had found the magical stone. He

was hiding it in his mouth. He then gave the Mentiko Betuah to the prince. He was so

happy and said that the mouse was the hero.

The cat and the dog were jealous and angry. They tried to kill the mouse.

That's why until now cats and dogs always try to catch mice.

Adapted from http://indonesianfolklore.blogspot.com/search/label/Nanggroe%20Aceh%20Darussalam

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Brain is one of the vital organs in our body. Brain that control every inch of our bodies. Already we should keep our property well as thinking beings. But sometimes without realizing we are actually slowly destroying the brain. Why? Our bad habits can damage the brain itself. Here are 10 bad habits that can damage the brain, as quoted from the forum MayPesbuk LautanIndonesia:
  1. No Breakfast
       Those who do not eat breakfast have lower blood sugar levels, which consequently supply of nutrients to the brain becomes less.
  2. Overeat
      Too much to eat, let alone a high fat content, can result in hardening of the blood vessels of the brain due to accumulation of fat in the blood vessel wall. Consequently the ability of the brain will decrease.
  3. Smoke
      Substances in tobacco that is inhaled will cause rapid brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer's disease.
  4. Consuming too much sugar
      Consumption of too much sugar will cause disruption of the absorption of protein and nutrients, causing nutritional imbalance that would interfere with brain development
  5. Air Pollution
      The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain that can decrease the efficiency of the brain.
  6. Sleep Deprivation
     The brain needs sleep as a time to rest and restore capabilities. Sleep deprivation in the long term will accelerate the destruction of brain cells.
  7. Head covered while sleeping
      The habit of sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.
  8. Using mind when sick
      Working too hard or forced to use our minds while studying with sickness may lead to reduced effectiveness of the brain and can damage the brain.
  9. Less stimulating thoughts
     Thinking is the most appropriate way to train our brain. Lack of stimulation in the brain can lead to wrinkle our brains.
  10. Rarely communicate
     Communication is needed as one means of spurring ability of the brain. Communicate intellectually can trigger brain efficiency. Rare intellectual ability to communicate will cause the brain to be poorly trained.
       So ... what are you waiting. Save our brains. Take good care of us a priceless treasure this. Not another person who can save us, but our own consciousness demanded. Be grateful, because when you read this article, you are still given by his health. Thank's for all God, for everything I have ... Read More...

There's not much special about my vacation this time. I spent more time at home. Always the same my activities from days to day. Wake up, eat, help my mom, watching tv, take a walk around my home, then sleep again. Boring sometimes came to me.
Among all I mostly spend my day in front of a computer screen. I tried to develop the skills I have. In only ten days vacation that I've managed to produce four short stories Indonesian language and one English-language short stories. I think I'm pretty good by doing that. hehe
New Year's Night I spent at home with family. Through the night with laughter and the warmth of mother's arms. In this new year, I want to become a better student than before. I want to continue to develop what I would call talent. I will always strive to be the best in the eyes of anyone.

jeng..jeng...
New Year Come!! yihaaaaaaa...... Read More...