This is latest news from Amazon.com.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling is now available for pre-order on Amazon. This book of fairy tales was written to supplement the Harry Potter series and will be published in two new editions on December 4, 2008. The Standard Edition features all five fairy tales from the original The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a new introduction by J.K. Rowling, illustrations reproduced from the original handcrafted book, and commentary on each of the tales by Professor Albus Dumbledore. Amazon’s exclusive Collector's Edition includes a reproduction of J.K. Rowling's handwritten introduction, as well as 10 additional illustrations not found in the Standard Edition.
To pre-order, do it here for the Standard edition and here for the Collector’s Edition.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Sleep remedies
What do you do when you can't sleep at night? Right now I'm bothered by an aching knee, itchy fingers (dermatitis problem), slight hunger and an overactive mind. I was tossing and turning in bed and decided it wasn't worth the torture.
I was contemplating reading or watching TV but the computer's little voice started calling out. Chatting, checking email, and blogging has managed to distract me slightly from the knee ache and itchy hands. The hunger is stifled slightly by a cup of warm chocolate. The overactive mind however is still, well, active.
So, how to sleep better? WebMD says:
A good mattress firmly supports the back, neck, and legs, and also offers cushion and recoil for comfort. (Okay, time to go mattress shopping)
Talk Yourself to Sleep. Try talk therapy to fight insomnia. It gets better results than sleeping pills. (Umm, talk to myself and the wall? My talking partner cannot talk while he is snoring away...)
Nix Late Naps. No matter how tired, don't nap after 3 p.m. Late naps make it harder to fall asleep at night. (What nap? I'd be lucky if I can just lie down for 3 minutes in the afternoon!)
Regular exercise deepens sleep in young adults. Be sure to exercise no later than three hours before bed. (Exercise? What is that? Am I a young or old adult?)
To read more, see here.
I think I shall move on to something else on the computer now....
I was contemplating reading or watching TV but the computer's little voice started calling out. Chatting, checking email, and blogging has managed to distract me slightly from the knee ache and itchy hands. The hunger is stifled slightly by a cup of warm chocolate. The overactive mind however is still, well, active.
So, how to sleep better? WebMD says:
A good mattress firmly supports the back, neck, and legs, and also offers cushion and recoil for comfort. (Okay, time to go mattress shopping)
Talk Yourself to Sleep. Try talk therapy to fight insomnia. It gets better results than sleeping pills. (Umm, talk to myself and the wall? My talking partner cannot talk while he is snoring away...)
Nix Late Naps. No matter how tired, don't nap after 3 p.m. Late naps make it harder to fall asleep at night. (What nap? I'd be lucky if I can just lie down for 3 minutes in the afternoon!)
Regular exercise deepens sleep in young adults. Be sure to exercise no later than three hours before bed. (Exercise? What is that? Am I a young or old adult?)
To read more, see here.
I think I shall move on to something else on the computer now....
Monday, August 4, 2008
Discipline and teachers
One aspect of the Chinese school system that makes it 'better' so to speak is that discipline is given emphasis. On the other hand, when the teachers do not act responsibly and intelligently as educators in this aspect, much is left to be desired.
I've heard quite a number of stories where children are punished, caned, ridiculed, belittled because they were just being children, unaware of their mistakes or simply not able to cope as well as others with the demands of schoolwork. Without proper balance at school and home, the discipline Chinese schools enforce on children will turn them either into 'robots' or kids with low self-esteem and lacking in confidence to speak their minds.
Today, I read about yet another case in my morning daily's letter-to-editor:
Wrong way to punish pupils
My son studies at a Chinese primary school in Cheras. Two pupils, one a Malay girl, have been punished by their class teacher and made to sit on the floor for months, while the others look on, some laughing, but many more feeling sorry for them, my son being one of these.
To punish pupils to this extent for so-called laziness is not right as there are many reasons why a pupil might not be able to complete his homework on time. Perhaps he is unable to keep up with his peers and has no one to guide him at home.
I don’t know whether asking students of a primary school to sit on the floor for months is the only way to punish them for failing to complete their homework, but I am very sure that it will affect their confidence, self-esteem, self-respect and dignity after being laughed at or being the object of sympathy.
In this context, I think the school has failed to maintain the basic right of every child to self-respect and dignity.
After a copy of a letter of complaint on the matter to the Public Complaints Bureau was given to the headmaster of the school, the girl was on the same day, granted a chair to sit on, permanently or temporarily, I do not know; but the boy continues to sit on the floor.
This is the attitude and stand of the school even after a parent steps in to complain.
I have done my part and my best as a parent to lodge a complaint after my son told me about the experience of his peers, his eyes brimming with tears.
On behalf of my son
Kajang
The Sun, 4 Aug 2008
While this and other cases could be out of the norm as some may claim, I believe it is an issue that requires serious scrutiny. Yes, there are children who have graduated from Chinese schools with flying colours to become great leaders in business, politics and academia, with the additional advantage of the Mandarin language, and probably without having been affected much psychologically from the strict discipline. But what about those that don't although they could have thanks to the 'bad' teachers? Is one child less important than another?
Having said this about Chinese schools, I am not saying that Kebangsaan or private schools are any better in this aspect. I know of a child in a renowned private school whose face was vandalised by the teacher with permanent marker pen just because he was an intelligent seven-year-old who could have been a little more precocious than others.
And when I was in Standard Three back in the late 1970s, our class teacher was one who did not spare the rod, whacking some of us 9-year-olds on the back with the long, thick wooden ruler used for drawing lines on the chalkboard, the chalk duster, and the feather duster if we couldn't answer correctly. I had my share of slaps on the cheek simply for being the first one to submit my finished work to her. And one girl was violently pushed against the wall, her head knocking the wall with a loud bang and falling to the floor because she was 'stupid'. And one, day, just because we were noisy, she did not let us out for recess, resulting in a few kids getting stomach aches/gastritis. A number of our parents complained to the headmistress about this teacher and it was only the following year's Standard Three pupils that were spared from such torture by this teacher, who continued to teach there till she retired...Till today, these images are still clear in my mind.
So back to my dilemma about which school to send Caitlin to....
I've heard quite a number of stories where children are punished, caned, ridiculed, belittled because they were just being children, unaware of their mistakes or simply not able to cope as well as others with the demands of schoolwork. Without proper balance at school and home, the discipline Chinese schools enforce on children will turn them either into 'robots' or kids with low self-esteem and lacking in confidence to speak their minds.
Today, I read about yet another case in my morning daily's letter-to-editor:
Wrong way to punish pupils
My son studies at a Chinese primary school in Cheras. Two pupils, one a Malay girl, have been punished by their class teacher and made to sit on the floor for months, while the others look on, some laughing, but many more feeling sorry for them, my son being one of these.
To punish pupils to this extent for so-called laziness is not right as there are many reasons why a pupil might not be able to complete his homework on time. Perhaps he is unable to keep up with his peers and has no one to guide him at home.
I don’t know whether asking students of a primary school to sit on the floor for months is the only way to punish them for failing to complete their homework, but I am very sure that it will affect their confidence, self-esteem, self-respect and dignity after being laughed at or being the object of sympathy.
In this context, I think the school has failed to maintain the basic right of every child to self-respect and dignity.
After a copy of a letter of complaint on the matter to the Public Complaints Bureau was given to the headmaster of the school, the girl was on the same day, granted a chair to sit on, permanently or temporarily, I do not know; but the boy continues to sit on the floor.
This is the attitude and stand of the school even after a parent steps in to complain.
I have done my part and my best as a parent to lodge a complaint after my son told me about the experience of his peers, his eyes brimming with tears.
On behalf of my son
Kajang
The Sun, 4 Aug 2008
While this and other cases could be out of the norm as some may claim, I believe it is an issue that requires serious scrutiny. Yes, there are children who have graduated from Chinese schools with flying colours to become great leaders in business, politics and academia, with the additional advantage of the Mandarin language, and probably without having been affected much psychologically from the strict discipline. But what about those that don't although they could have thanks to the 'bad' teachers? Is one child less important than another?
Having said this about Chinese schools, I am not saying that Kebangsaan or private schools are any better in this aspect. I know of a child in a renowned private school whose face was vandalised by the teacher with permanent marker pen just because he was an intelligent seven-year-old who could have been a little more precocious than others.
And when I was in Standard Three back in the late 1970s, our class teacher was one who did not spare the rod, whacking some of us 9-year-olds on the back with the long, thick wooden ruler used for drawing lines on the chalkboard, the chalk duster, and the feather duster if we couldn't answer correctly. I had my share of slaps on the cheek simply for being the first one to submit my finished work to her. And one girl was violently pushed against the wall, her head knocking the wall with a loud bang and falling to the floor because she was 'stupid'. And one, day, just because we were noisy, she did not let us out for recess, resulting in a few kids getting stomach aches/gastritis. A number of our parents complained to the headmistress about this teacher and it was only the following year's Standard Three pupils that were spared from such torture by this teacher, who continued to teach there till she retired...Till today, these images are still clear in my mind.
So back to my dilemma about which school to send Caitlin to....
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Conversations
Scene 1: Caitlin asked Eugene to play a game on the mobile phone. She cheers him on.
Caitlin: Come on daddy, you can do it. Go, go, never give up. Find a way. That's what winners do!
Me (surprised and puzzled): Where did you learn those phrases from?
Caitlin (eyes still fixed on phone, in a brush-off tone): From 'Surf's Up' lah! Daddy, come on....
Scene 2: Caitlin colouring a picture
Caitlin: See mum, I added a long sticky tongue for the frog and there's a fly on it. Is it nice?
Me: Yes, that's good.
Caitlin: Yeah, I'm so intelligent, huh....
Scene 3: At the toy section in a supermarket
Caitlin: Mum, can you please buy this for me?
Me: Where's the money you were saving to buy things?
Caitlin: No, you use your money!
Caitlin: Come on daddy, you can do it. Go, go, never give up. Find a way. That's what winners do!
Me (surprised and puzzled): Where did you learn those phrases from?
Caitlin (eyes still fixed on phone, in a brush-off tone): From 'Surf's Up' lah! Daddy, come on....
Scene 2: Caitlin colouring a picture
Caitlin: See mum, I added a long sticky tongue for the frog and there's a fly on it. Is it nice?
Me: Yes, that's good.
Caitlin: Yeah, I'm so intelligent, huh....
Scene 3: At the toy section in a supermarket
Caitlin: Mum, can you please buy this for me?
Me: Where's the money you were saving to buy things?
Caitlin: No, you use your money!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Decisions, decisions
We have yet to do anything concrete in next-steps for Caitlin's enrolment in primary school. Caitlin's been sick this whole week and that leaves me no opportunity to leave the house and check out new alternatives. Doubts about whether all three of us can cope with everything that comes with the Chinese school 'package' are re-surfacing. I guess we need to really decide if Chinese school is the way to go. If it is, then we'll just have to bite the bullet.
The doubt is also now contributed by the fact that we are toying with the idea of a private school that is operated by a church. The syllabus they use follows the 'kebangsaan' schools but with more time provided for English and Mandarin. The other plus point is that the size of the classes are smaller, 28 children per class vis-a-vis around 50 per class in Chinese schools. And their fees are affordable, equivalent to what we are paying Caitlin's kindy right now. The only minor drawback is this school is pretty far away from our home.
The doubt is also now contributed by the fact that we are toying with the idea of a private school that is operated by a church. The syllabus they use follows the 'kebangsaan' schools but with more time provided for English and Mandarin. The other plus point is that the size of the classes are smaller, 28 children per class vis-a-vis around 50 per class in Chinese schools. And their fees are affordable, equivalent to what we are paying Caitlin's kindy right now. The only minor drawback is this school is pretty far away from our home.
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