Nat Geo & Bio Channels

Because I have little time for TV, I don't follow much sitcoms nor dramas.
If I'm lucky, I will catch parts of a movie.
If I'm luckier, I get to watch documentaries and I enjoy behavioural sciences most.

Sometimes, the geek in me wants to jot down notes while watching.
But always, I wanna share with you the interesting learning. But I'm not sure if it would be as interesting for you.

Nevertheless, let me put down the few things I remember for now.

We all know that a symmetrical face garners more adoration than a less symmetrical face. So try to even out your face.

Female names with two syllabus are deemed more serious (business) than one syllabus names.
For instance, people treat Deborah more seriously than Ann.
Male names work opposite. Eg: John is better sounding than Kenneth (for business).

Our brains are wired to "believe in authority". Before doubt sets in, we are quick to believe.
For eg. during the research, the professor dressed a man in suit and posed as a news anchorman, armed with a team of camera man they went on the streets to interview passerby. They asked what the public feel if being told that NASA Apollo 11 did not land on the moon and it was a cover-up. Straight away the people believed the news anchor man and expressed disappointment.

Recently, the most interesting episode I've watched was the one on how parasites alter and manipulate the behaviour of its host, including getting human beings to behave reckless and accident prone! In animals, eg: the rat, the parasite alters the brain behaviour of the rat and make cat urine attractive to the rat. It also makes the rat run in the open (rather than hide in shadows) so when the rat seeks the cat, it gets eaten and the parasites get a new host! Gosh, doesn't it sounds like alien invasion? Worse than scary movies.

On a lighter note, I shall part you with a static picture of wheels.
Look sideways or at the borders and see what happens.
(This is to do with our brain's interpretation of colours)
source: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/08/inside-the-secrets-of-illusions-memory/

Peer Learning

Kiki & Colin take the school bus home. Naturally, they make friends with the kids on the same bus. Children make new friends easily.

Last evening, Kiki returned home with a handmade booklet that has sketches and short text written in Chinese. It's a self-made storybook of sorts. From the text, I know that booklet is not Kiki's work as she hasn't learned to write in Chinese. So I queried the origin. She explained to me that her friend; Glenda, gave her the book. (Glenda takes the school bus).

This was just one of the non-essential short conversations we have normally.

When I emerged from my lengthy shower, Kiki showed me her storybook which took me completely by surprise.

She had asked Maricar to staple some drawing board paper into a booklet, and proceeded to sketch the story in her head. After that, she asked her Papa to write the story as she narrates.

 

 An untitled book.

 Once upon a time, there was a dog named "P2". 
(He was a) lonely dog. 

Then one day, a friend met him. 
The other dog named "P.P." was also a lonely dog. 

Then until the next day, the pups decided to play. And that two pups said- "What can they(we) play?"  One of the dogs said- "We can play ball!"

(After some time) So, one of the pups said to the other pup- "I need to go back home." And the other dog said - "OK! You can go back home."

This other pup also needed to go back home. 

And the other pup also needed to go back home. 

And he said - "There's my home."

It's a journey and until the pup found his mother. 

 (Pup returns home to a waiting mother)

Mother & pup in their home.


Well, I am very impressed.
The phrase that touched me was - "It's a journey until the pup found his mother".
Then, the picture of a delightful pup upon seeing his mother. (with a heart above the two).

I interviewed her.
I asked why do some of the dogs have only one eye.
She couldn't explain properly but she took her Applejack Pony plush toy and showed me that if I view the pony from the side, it is showing one eye. (side view)

Then I asked why is the story so sad. Why are BOTH dogs lonely?
She explained that one pup has no friend, one pup has no father and no mother, so the pups are sad and lonely. (I hope that's not how she feels!)

Well, at least the pup with a set of parents is eager and excited in going home to a waiting mother. 


The end.

Oggy & the Cockroaches

Oggy and the Crockroaches
















Oggy and the Cockroaches is a French animated comedy series produced by Xilam and Gaumont Film Company. Kiki watches it over Cartoon Network as well as Youtube. Sometimes, she watches two different episodes simultaneously over both the TV and iPad, that is how much she enjoys watching the cartoon.
The show is about a laid back cat (Oggy) who is either always watching TV or doing housework. He hates the residential cockroaches in his house because they always pull pranks on him, but he gets lonely without them. So, it's a love-hate relationship they have with each other.

Kiki must love this cartoon so much, it inspired her to sketch them.
I asked her if she drew from memory or by copying-- she explained that she drew it by pausing the screen on the iPad. (it means she copied it from a screen shot, which is also not bad at all).

Weekend, Sunday 23rd 2014

Bren & I had Tim Sum after sending Kico to Chinese class.

After class, I gave them lunch and accompanied them till they fell asleep. Then we quickly dashed to the pool to catch the sun. Nice tan, and we're planning to do it again next Sunday =)

Then we went lunch. 

 When the kids woke up, I brought them to play.
Kiki has a new cart, I don't know what to call it so I said it is a wiggle-cart but sometimes I called it go-cart.
She's could maneuver the cart very well, despite being new at it. She showed off by waving her hands in the air while she wiggle round the garden porch and placed her hands behind her head in a relaxed manner. Colin cried and wants to have his turn at it but his legs are too short for now. In the end,,,, I pushed him manually a couple of rounds until I was breathless. 

And we went for Lego- the movie.
Colin is a tad too young to comprehend the movie (I think), but he was well behaved and patient till the end of the movie.
Kiki enjoyed the movie more. After the show, she responded to all my conversations with "Meow, Mews, Mees." Mimicking the cat in the movie.... haha.
Maricar also found the movie funny. 

Then the Universe sent me a sign.
Thank you!

Colin (2 yrs)

And my aunty thought this is me...............

Last Friday Night

Looking rather terrible without make-up, I was having flu... feeling very sleepy but I don't like to take rain cheques. I had agreed on a cheong date with my friend and she had waited since last Nov hence I just hung-in-there and forced myself to brighten my face with some make-up and made the effort to curl my hair. No one needs to know how you actually feel (you know). As long as you play your part and look your part, they don't have to know your misery. That's my motto actually. I rested a while at her place while she showered and dolled up, and that was enough recharged energy to last me till 4 am. Wow, I actually enjoyed the sleazy pub. It was really sleazy, but the super loud dance music was good, and it was interesting to watch the performers dance to K-pop tunes and funky dance moves. I even told my friend to scout for K-pop dance class and we will go learn to groove.

 I've reunited with an old hair dresser. For now, it's lots of ash brown streaks.

Adaptation

Last night, we were practising the violin when she slowed down and "soften" the tune too early and at a wrong section of the song. 

Hence I explained to her that the slowing down section is only four of the notes (as indicated by a "less than" triangle sign below). (I don't know the name of that symbol). 

She explained that she likes it when the song slows down earlier than indicated. 

I told her that she has to respect the composer and play it accordingly. I said she is not allowed to change the song even if it is just by slowing it down at a different section; I added that unless she is a composer, she could then design her own songs. To illustrate, I told her an author is a person who writes an original story while a composer is a person who writes an original piece of music. 

She then said - Do you mean like hundred and one dalmatians, the owner? He is a composer.

Me- What 101 dalmatians?

She - There,, the man writes songs. 

Me- Dumbfounded. Oh, yes, yes... the master of the dogs is a composer! Oh my gosh, she remembers what I had read!  (I had only read the book twice to her because it is rather lengthy). But well, well, I am very impressed by her comprehension. 

So she reluctantly finished her practice session accordingly, and I thought that was that, until........ part 2!

After she hurriedly finished the practice, she ripped a page from an old note book and wrote down the entire song by memory and inserted two symbols and asked ME ok, ME, to play it accordingly to her composition.

I told her that to write out another person's song is not original composition, at best, it is an adaptation.
So she said okay, then I could play an adaptation. (!!!!)
Wa,,,,,,,,, she won the case because I can't tell her there's no such thing since there are indeed all sorts of variations and adaptations she's learning. I am surprised she presented her case so well!
 

Breakfast

We share a sandwich and a cuppa every morning.

Sketch

I am not too sure if this sketch had been inspired by news on volcano eruptions in Indonesia, since the school sometimes tells them news from around the world. I am not too sure if current news are good for her. Once, she asked me if I could swim if Singapore is hit by tsunami.

In this picture, she elaborates that there's a spotted dinosaur, it has small feet. (amusing).
She explained that if the lava touches you, you will die (from the burning heat).
I queried about the circle that's found on each tree; she explained that those are eyes and there's a man living inside the eye. (sometimes, her imagination worries me).

School's Newsletter 2014

The school sent a newsletter to introduce the classes and teachers-in-charge, and to re-cap this quarter's activities and study theme (Animals)

Yeah! Meeting my friends at last. 约会!

Activities spilling over to April! Yeah.
Firstly, lots of commitments for Kico:- piano, abacus, reading (school assigns two books each week), violin, chinese. In between, squeezed in cheong night, and all Fridays for dinner meet-ups. Sunday, after Chinese, it'll be beach time or bringing Kico out. Oh, and the company has thrown in five sessions of bowling (Thurs), and next month, the school has an outing to the zoo, zoo, zoo! Yeah!

Yucky Food 很难吃啊!

If you are a woman living in a city, you will be lucky if you don't feel fat. I don't mean lucky in the sense if you are obese and in denial, I mean lucky in the sense if you have a positive self-image.

I have been on the medium-heavy side for many years; the last time I felt nice about my size was during my wedding and the nice weight and size lasted about two years or so. At that time, a bunch of my work friends and I joined the California Fitness Club/Centre?, the branch at Orchard. We had so much fun, joining combat aerobics classes after classes every evening till past ten at night. It was tough but I had friends to push me.

Since then, my sports activities are down to zero since I no longer wake board with Pam, and no longer skate, and no longer play the badminton with Bren. But, it is about time to restart and keep my ass moving, although I don't think I can wake board ever again,,, due to my under arms operation.................
*shall see how it goes 吧!

Meanwhile, I thought dieting might help. So when the promoter recommended me two weeks' worth of healthy, packed meals, I gave it a go.

I tell you,,,,,,, the picture is DECEIVING!    骗人的!

Soaked them in hot, boiling water because I do not fancy microwave ovens.

Looked like shit doesn't it?
To be totally fair, the taste is quite authentic, and the rice is quite okay.
However, the presentation sucked and I felt as if I was eating vomit.
But well, Bren says that some astronauts' meals are also like these.

So,,,,,, I re-conditioned my brain to think that I am consuming healthy meals fit for astronauts. 自欺欺人.


To be fair again, there are some other menus that are slightly more palatable; like the Black Pepper Fish:-
and so,,,,,, I'm not too sure if this will last but well, just give it a blast.

Bitstrips Avatar

 My avatar is quite realistic huh?

Arggh! There's nothing on cable! 
*throws remote controller and pulls hair

OBE

I bet you call all the girls "sayang". 
I bet you call all the girls "美女"！