Opinions offered on the Internet

Trolling is something so familiarly encountered nowadays on social networks and forums. However, even with accountability, some trolls are still 'brave' enough to type their candid comments out on social topics, without caring if the comments offend others or border on extremities. The trolls are not afraid to provide their full names.

I am heartened by some measures taken by websites to prevent such unfair comments from being aired on the Internet. Gizmodo has come up with an 'audition' for comments made on their website by sifting through all the opinions offered. Disqus has also come up with this method of sifting the wheat from the chaff through rating scores.

Indeed, editing of comments made on the Internet is necessary. I do that on my Facebook profile when I receive notifications of comments made on my posts by my friends. As long as the comments offend my sensibilities, they are deleted.

Picture books' value is sadly underestimated

It is such a pity that picture books in New York's bookshops are not appreciated enough to be bought by parents for their children. The books' colourful and detailed pictures are complements to the descriptive captions and explanations. They are most suitable for children. Mere words in books are not yet suitable for children, especi- ally young ones.

I understand that parents are concerned about the school syllabus which advocates textbooks filled with chapters of words. However, children need to start from the basics when it comes to languages. Graduation from pictures with accompanying words to mere words is encouraged. Only after being exposed to both elements of a book, can children move on to the latter with a greater sense of understanding. Parents are making the wrong move.

Parents should listen to the experts about picture books. Such books "can develop a child's critical thinking skills." "From picture to picture, as the reader interacts with the book, their imagination is filling in the missing themes...Some of the vocabulary in a picture book is(sic) much more challenging than in a chapter book. The words themselves, and the concepts, can be very sophisticated in a picture book." Thus, analytical, imaginative and linguistic skills are developed through picture books!

Some parents actually think that their children's skills will be advanced with the alternative. I beg to differ. Their children still can "work to read" with picture books. If their children try to go back to picture books, their parents should not be unduly worried. 80-page chapter books for 6-year-olds seem to be a too huge leap. It is no wonder one of them reverted to picture books.

I may be an adult but I still read picture books. Perhaps it really is for the "comfort element" but literary classics when read with illustrations, are easier to digest. Would you rather read House of Mirth as a children's classic or a Penguin/ Signet classic?

Technology is really not all good

The New York Times examined an age-old topic on the negative consequences of technology. It really is about time this is discussed in detail and published.

The Internet is one of the main sources of technology which is nowadays prevalent in society. Video games are extremely enticing to kids and teenagers. I was exposed to this particular game played to Kate Perry's Fireworks song. One is supposed to use one's fingers to clear the balls randomly sliding down 3 candy canes. Thus, speed and agility are needed. Though it seems fun, it does personify this excerpt from the article: "Their brains are rewarded not for staying on task but for jumping to the next thing". Thank goodness there are disciplines like the arts to aid in the focus skill of one's mind.

The computer may be an ubiquitous tool in our lives but should a youth want to be a computer specialist when he grows up, he will still need academic subjects like English to communicate with other like-minded colleagues and Algebra to directly aid in the job. Also, the ability to speed-text on one's hand phone may make one seem dexterous but it ultimately causes blisters and calluses to form on the fingers, as well as the skin on the fingers to harden and dry. The finger joints may become stiff and inflamed too.

Reading some of the views on computers given by teenagers saddens me. Computers become a means of escapism from the harsh reality one lives in. In order to shut out the fear that comes from being exposed to external conflict, one numbs it through the drowning in virtual reality. Facebook provides one user with false gratification in terms of the mistaken thinking that one is doing something productive.

It is also alarming to note that video games can lead to "lower sleep quality" and "a significant decline in students' ability to remember vocabulary words". I think I have bore witness to this truth without knowing. :S

"Computers(should)be combined with education to better engage students and give them technical skills without compromising deep analytical thought." I am trying to do this in my teaching. It allows them to learn more in terms of general knowledge and my subject, and to be independent in finding information out on their own while advocating creative thinking in terms of the method needed.

Jeff Chang's new music video

I was perturbed while reading some of the things he said in a newspaper article. They pertain to his latest music video which hints at the presence of casual sex. He claims it is meant for adults but what prevents youths from gaining access to it, with the advanced technology they have at their fingertips? They would think that casual sex is not bad. He claims the video is for lonely adult singles but doesn't this imply that casual sex alleviates loneliness, a potentially harmful message? What about the hurt and unwanted pregnancies that result from the act?

What I don't understand is this. Since he found it awkward to film physically intimate scenes with his female co-stars, why did he change the direction of his music videos? Is it to keep up with the rest of the singers who film such scenes in theirs? If true, isn't this reason rather conformist? Perhaps I am the problem here. I am not used to his new image.

Twitter IS of no use

Jill Alphonso has decided to delete her Twitter account and I condone it. How can the evocative thoughts of our daily events be reduced to a maximum of 140 alphabet letters? That is clearly not doing justice to the very essence of the human mind.

She also spoke on keeping in contact via letter writing. I love pretty stationery like note papers, books and pads, envelopes, cards and stickers. I was happy to read from Jamie Yeo's blog that there is a shop selling all these in Ion. I hope to go there. I still send good old-fashioned Christmas cards to my friends.

I feel that the art of handwriting somewhat reflects the sender's personality. I also feel that it shows more sincerity than a typewritten email. My choice of stationery used is also based on my impression of the recipients. I even keep the handwritten letters and cards people give me :)

A book that evoked this blog entry

Diary of A Taxi Driver is written by a cab driver who chronicles the different customers he meets everyday. I browsed this book and found it interesting.

I am a regular cab customer due to my physical condition and met three cab drivers who made my rides more outstanding than the rest. The first one gave his take on the customers of the different races; Chinese, Malay and Indian. The second one saw me as a food expert on the stalls in Chomp Chomp, since I have lived in the estate for more than thirty years. He wanted to know which stalls were the original ones and I gladly shared my knowledge with him. The third one discussed with me the hawker food in the estate as well.

I am blessed to have encountered all cab drivers who have been nothing but nice to me. I cannot fathom why people warn me against them. I know that this is a gift from my dear Mother Mary. She also answers my urgent prayers for a cab when I am running late. Thank you, my Mother!

Pride and Prejudice variations

I saw 2 sequels to P&P in Times at Plaza Sing. Pride and Prejudice by Ann Herendeen and Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds have made a powerful impact on me.

The former is one of repulsion. There are forbidden lovers included in the story. Darcy and Bingley are gay lovers and there are descriptions of gestures that indicate their relationship with each other. The mutual consent given to allow the contact is implied.

The latter is not so bad but it still causes a negative reaction in my mind. The story explores the possibility of Darcy and Lizzy marrying after his first proposal but it is different in terms of how the proposal was done. He included sexual advances in his proposal and before she could even reject them, Colonel Fitzwilliam saw them. Darcy immediately claimed that she had accepted him and in order to protect her family's reputation, she did not dispute that. However, her married life with Darcy is far from blissful. She feels stifled as Darcy is always with her, and when she is finally by herself, she feels lonely.

These sequels are definitely deviant from the original plot. I can never bring myself to read the former. As for the latter, it makes me appreciate the real story even more. The visit to Pemberley was probably the climax for her change in perception towards him. Thus, when they married after his second proposal, and after being a guest there, as well as confiding in him Lydia's misdeed, the marriage was meant to be and their life ahead was more than perfect. :D Thank goodness though, the second book still ends happily for the married couple and they learn to truly love each other :)