Since young, we have been taught how to use paper and pencil to do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Then when we got older, we got dependent on our calculators. We even have calculator function in our mobile phones. By and by, we lost touch with the ability to do mental calculations, or rather, we become lazy to do so.
If not for Jiaheng, I guess I will never be associated with ABACUS.
Jiaheng has always been fascinated with numbers. We kind of regretted teaching him the term "infinity" because after that he kept 'stalking' Kai Hock and me with big numbers. How many hundred plus how many hundred, then subtraction by how many hundred. Then it grew to thousands. Really tak boleh tahan liao.
Then Papa came up with this brilliant idea to send Jiaheng for abacus class. Then he can do the big numbers plus and minus himself. Then we can be SPARED...!
That sparked it all off. The love story of Jiaheng and abacus...
Jiaheng kept saying that he can see the abacus beads stirring in his head. He always looks forward to going for his abacus class. And that is where we learnt the phrase "嘿！嘿！你真棒！"
Jiaheng is now in Grade 8 for Mental arithmetic and Grade 9 for Abacus arithmetic. Something new for me. Abacus also got grading?! like piano??? The children will start off with Grade 13, then slowly progress up to Grade 1. Then go on to Level 1 and finally reach Level 10. When you reach Level 10, you are really the Master (Shi fu) liao.
Currently, Jiaheng is doing 2 digits, 10 numbers for his Abacus; and 1 digit, 6 numbers for his Mental, plus and minus included.
We are happy that Jiaheng is enjoying his abacus lessons. Ultimately, we are not looking at a boy genius in our house, rather, we are looking at brain stimulation. If we don't stimulate his brain when his brain cells are growing, are we only going to do it when his brain cells start to die?
When we were young, our parents are not aware about child-hood development. They are not aware that children develops most and best before the age of 6. Now, we know it and we want to do something about it so that we don't short-change our children.
There are many arguments about whether single hand stirring or two-hands stirring is better. I guess there are pros and cons to everything. So, we fixed our criteria on the fact that his school's style can stimulate both sides of the brain cos he uses both hands to stir the beads.
... and the by-product is we got a calculator-Quek in the family. :P
----- posted by Mommy
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Can this be true?
This evening, Yixuan went for her 3rd vaccination. This is supposed to be the last one after her earlier 6-in-1 doses.
But before her vaccination, I asked the doctor if we could check her height and weight. It has been ages since I last measured her height. Yixuan seems to be so much shorter when she stood next to her brother. Her brother has always been in the 97th percentile range. People often comment that he looks much taller than his age. Secretly, I do contribute this to the fact that he takes supplements cos Papa & Mommy are not those tall tall type.
When I look at the duo 6 months ago, there was a huge gap. 6 months later, the height gap is still so big. But blur blur Mommy never factor in the consideration that the brother is also growing. Silly right!
So Mommy always comment that her little girl is so S-H-O-R-T. And can't wait to start her on her supplements once she reached 13 months of age. Today, Mommy decided to ask doctor to measure her. And surprise surprise! Doc says she is 86 cm! Once out of the clinic, Mommy can't wait to take out the health booklet, flip to the chart which does Height-for-age comparison and UNBELIEVABLE... Yixuan is at the 97th percentile! Can this be true???
So our little girl girl is not S-H-O-R-T after all! Hiak Hiak Hiak! Mommy is beaming with joy. :) Must carry on the effort to supplement her, then she will grow taller and healthier ...
----------- posted by Mommy
But before her vaccination, I asked the doctor if we could check her height and weight. It has been ages since I last measured her height. Yixuan seems to be so much shorter when she stood next to her brother. Her brother has always been in the 97th percentile range. People often comment that he looks much taller than his age. Secretly, I do contribute this to the fact that he takes supplements cos Papa & Mommy are not those tall tall type.
When I look at the duo 6 months ago, there was a huge gap. 6 months later, the height gap is still so big. But blur blur Mommy never factor in the consideration that the brother is also growing. Silly right!
So Mommy always comment that her little girl is so S-H-O-R-T. And can't wait to start her on her supplements once she reached 13 months of age. Today, Mommy decided to ask doctor to measure her. And surprise surprise! Doc says she is 86 cm! Once out of the clinic, Mommy can't wait to take out the health booklet, flip to the chart which does Height-for-age comparison and UNBELIEVABLE... Yixuan is at the 97th percentile! Can this be true???
So our little girl girl is not S-H-O-R-T after all! Hiak Hiak Hiak! Mommy is beaming with joy. :) Must carry on the effort to supplement her, then she will grow taller and healthier ...
----------- posted by Mommy
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
我们的小小客人
昨天和今天，我们接待了来自英国的小客人，敏涵(a.k.a. Anna)。当然还有我的老友，那就是敏涵的娘。
孩子们都很高兴家里来了客人。 我的妈妈更是乐得看小敏涵吃她的小点心。一边说敏涵吃得多么多么快，多么多么多， 一边想着自己的孙女能够吃得这样多该多好。（老人家就是那样。。。总喜欢多吃多吃）
敏涵还真是讨人喜爱。脸颊总是红红的， 象极了妈妈。见到人就笑，名副其实的开心果。还有她那惊人的毅力！当她已设定了目的地， 她就往前冲。不论在她面前的障碍有多大(oops! sorry Aoqun, not saying that u are huge k)，都无法使她止步。敏涵总有法子爬过去。那种毅力和 never say die attitude 真是值得我们这些大人学习的。
很高兴能够和老友度过两个下午。谈谈天，说说地。看看孩子， 捉捉小瓜。吃吃东，尝尝西。时间很快的过了。
下午乘着伞，遮他们两母女上车时，突然感到很不舍。下次再见时可要等到明年新年了。
---- posted by Mommy
孩子们都很高兴家里来了客人。 我的妈妈更是乐得看小敏涵吃她的小点心。一边说敏涵吃得多么多么快，多么多么多， 一边想着自己的孙女能够吃得这样多该多好。（老人家就是那样。。。总喜欢多吃多吃）
敏涵还真是讨人喜爱。脸颊总是红红的， 象极了妈妈。见到人就笑，名副其实的开心果。还有她那惊人的毅力！当她已设定了目的地， 她就往前冲。不论在她面前的障碍有多大(oops! sorry Aoqun, not saying that u are huge k)，都无法使她止步。敏涵总有法子爬过去。那种毅力和 never say die attitude 真是值得我们这些大人学习的。
很高兴能够和老友度过两个下午。谈谈天，说说地。看看孩子， 捉捉小瓜。吃吃东，尝尝西。时间很快的过了。
下午乘着伞，遮他们两母女上车时，突然感到很不舍。下次再见时可要等到明年新年了。
---- posted by Mommy
Mommy in Baby's Eyes
Yixuan is very intrigued by Ge Ge's pictures. We have loads of them pasted on the walls around the house as well as in home-made picture books. She will go pick out one book, flip the pages and call out at the people in it.
Just the other day, she repeated her act. The only difference is that she was calling the people wrong, she kept pointing at Ge Ge's pictures and calls Ma Ma.
"No no, this is Ge Ge. Say, G... E.. G... E.." Mommy kept repeating.
But Mommy is wrong, Yixuan did see her Mommy in those pictures! I only realised that when Yixuan pointed. See below and see if you can spot Mommy (more correctly, parts of Mommy) too. :)
------ posted by Mommy
Just the other day, she repeated her act. The only difference is that she was calling the people wrong, she kept pointing at Ge Ge's pictures and calls Ma Ma.
"No no, this is Ge Ge. Say, G... E.. G... E.." Mommy kept repeating.
But Mommy is wrong, Yixuan did see her Mommy in those pictures! I only realised that when Yixuan pointed. See below and see if you can spot Mommy (more correctly, parts of Mommy) too. :)
------ posted by Mommy
Sunday, May 25, 2008
7 years worth of supplements !
Recently, my father found that his vision is deteriorating. Upon a check-up, we found that he had cataracts and is supposed to go through a surgery to remove it.
My father said "Ah ya... it is part of growing old lah, cannot help it". But I seriously don't think so. Why can't people age gracefully with a healthy body to enjoy their golden years? That started my father's and my 'debate' in my attempt to help him understand how to achieve better health.
Below is just an abstract
-------------------------
Why do we have cataracts when we age? Because the culprit behind this is degeneration of cells as we grow old.
Why do cells degenerate? Because the degenerated cells don't have sufficient raw materials to repair and rebuild.
What can help cells regenerate? Anti-oxidants!
In fact, most of the common diseases we see today like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer are mainly degenerative diseases.
So if they are degenerative diseases, we already have the solution to better health isn't it?
We just need a quality Anti-oxidants with the correct quantity.
Then my father said "But it is so expensive to take supplements, and I am so old already, no need to have all these". Luckily, I am prepared for this, and so I did the Maths for him.
His operations and consultations this time round for both eyes come up to about $7000. If we were to invest this sum of money into Anti-oxidants supplements, we can easily supply him with 7 years worth of supplements.
The better deal is he does not need to go through the pain of operation, and the anti-oxidants can also protect his other organs. Isn't it killing multiple birds with one stone.
FINALLY! I managed to convince my father that he should start his supplements today.
I am really very happy that my father is on the path to better health. I know that I can't guarantee that my father will not be knocked down by major illnesses from today onwards due to the many years of unhealthy eating and stress. But, I do know, I have done the best I can to help him with his health. It also serves as an important lesson to those who are younger with more years ahead of them to build up their health while they can.
I promise myself to talk health to my friends and relatives so that they can make an informed decision and own their health.
My father said "Ah ya... it is part of growing old lah, cannot help it". But I seriously don't think so. Why can't people age gracefully with a healthy body to enjoy their golden years? That started my father's and my 'debate' in my attempt to help him understand how to achieve better health.
Below is just an abstract
-------------------------
Why do we have cataracts when we age? Because the culprit behind this is degeneration of cells as we grow old.
Why do cells degenerate? Because the degenerated cells don't have sufficient raw materials to repair and rebuild.
What can help cells regenerate? Anti-oxidants!
In fact, most of the common diseases we see today like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer are mainly degenerative diseases.
So if they are degenerative diseases, we already have the solution to better health isn't it?
We just need a quality Anti-oxidants with the correct quantity.
Then my father said "But it is so expensive to take supplements, and I am so old already, no need to have all these". Luckily, I am prepared for this, and so I did the Maths for him.
His operations and consultations this time round for both eyes come up to about $7000. If we were to invest this sum of money into Anti-oxidants supplements, we can easily supply him with 7 years worth of supplements.
The better deal is he does not need to go through the pain of operation, and the anti-oxidants can also protect his other organs. Isn't it killing multiple birds with one stone.
FINALLY! I managed to convince my father that he should start his supplements today.
I am really very happy that my father is on the path to better health. I know that I can't guarantee that my father will not be knocked down by major illnesses from today onwards due to the many years of unhealthy eating and stress. But, I do know, I have done the best I can to help him with his health. It also serves as an important lesson to those who are younger with more years ahead of them to build up their health while they can.
I promise myself to talk health to my friends and relatives so that they can make an informed decision and own their health.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Jiaheng's first compo
I remembered the time when I was in Kindergarten, it was just the routine chalk and talk lessons. No doubt we also learn the alphabets & numbers, do colouring & art and craft, the way the lessons were conducted were still very conservative.
School lessons nowadays are really more creative and innovative than the ones we had years back. Recently, Jiaheng brought back a 'friend' from school. His 'friend' is supposed to spend a weekend with us and then Jiaheng is supposed to write an essay about what they have done together. His 'friend' is non-other than the infamous "Ee-yore" from the Winnie the Pooh gang.
Of course, the school could have just set the children a composition entitled "The Adventures of Ee-yore" and make the children sit down to conjure and document down an adventure. However, they chose the more 'hands-on' method by making the children live the adventure with Ee-yore. Which adventure do you think will leave a deeper impression in the minds of the young ones?
Apparently, the school is doing some activities revolving around the theme of PETS. The children have been tasked to bring a pet soft toy to school. During the circle time, they are supposed to introduce their pet to their class. Then Ee-yore the ambassador, will follow a child home each week, then the child will document Ee-yore adventures in a book. This book will then be passed to the next child.
Talking about circle time... hmmm... what a great way to introduce public speaking and building up confidence in the young ones. Imagine facing an audience and standing in front of the whole class and yet be able to talk freely. This task could have proven to be too difficult for many adults. Yet, the children have no issues with this. Daring, adventurous, willing to take risk, not afraid of failure... our children. Sadly, we lose much of these good qualities along the way when we grow up. Sometimes, we have so much to learn from our children.
Share with you what Jiaheng wrote...
--- posted by Mommy
School lessons nowadays are really more creative and innovative than the ones we had years back. Recently, Jiaheng brought back a 'friend' from school. His 'friend' is supposed to spend a weekend with us and then Jiaheng is supposed to write an essay about what they have done together. His 'friend' is non-other than the infamous "Ee-yore" from the Winnie the Pooh gang.
Of course, the school could have just set the children a composition entitled "The Adventures of Ee-yore" and make the children sit down to conjure and document down an adventure. However, they chose the more 'hands-on' method by making the children live the adventure with Ee-yore. Which adventure do you think will leave a deeper impression in the minds of the young ones?
Apparently, the school is doing some activities revolving around the theme of PETS. The children have been tasked to bring a pet soft toy to school. During the circle time, they are supposed to introduce their pet to their class. Then Ee-yore the ambassador, will follow a child home each week, then the child will document Ee-yore adventures in a book. This book will then be passed to the next child.
Talking about circle time... hmmm... what a great way to introduce public speaking and building up confidence in the young ones. Imagine facing an audience and standing in front of the whole class and yet be able to talk freely. This task could have proven to be too difficult for many adults. Yet, the children have no issues with this. Daring, adventurous, willing to take risk, not afraid of failure... our children. Sadly, we lose much of these good qualities along the way when we grow up. Sometimes, we have so much to learn from our children.
Share with you what Jiaheng wrote...
--- posted by Mommy
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