Left eye healed by Jehovah Rapha

Thurs - 24 March 2011
Due to dryness or tiny specs of object that fell into my left eye that irritate it, I rubbed it casually.
Was out from 8.30am - 10am the morning and felt a strange tug in my left eye. I could feel the jelly-like substance inside my eye twitching when I look to the right corner. Went home, and checked my eye at the mirror. Saw a jelly-like ball of yellowish swell beside my pupil. The other corner was red. I prayed for God to touch my left eye and heal it. Afternoon, I was out again and did not feel the swolleness, went home and had it checked. Praise the Lord, left eye totally resumed normal probably within 2 hours. No signs of dryness. Glory to God, nothing is too small for him!

How do we praise you in such storm?

In the face of disaster, many would flee, but they chose to stay on, so that a major catastrophe might be averted.


Watching the news from this part of the world, we seemed unable to understand the magnitude of a disaster many cannot help but call reference to Chernobyl disaster.

The New York Times

March 15, 2011

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

By KEITH BRADSHER and HIROKO TABUCHI

A small crew of technicians, braving radiation and fire, became the only people remaining at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday — and perhaps Japan’s last chance of preventing a broader nuclear catastrophe.

They crawl through labyrinths of equipment in utter darkness pierced only by their flashlights, listening for periodic explosions as hydrogen gas escaping from crippled reactors ignites on contact with air.

They breathe through uncomfortable respirators or carry heavy oxygen tanks on their backs. They wear white, full-body jumpsuits with snug-fitting hoods that provide scant protection from the invisible radiation sleeting through their bodies.

They are the faceless 50, the unnamed operators who stayed behind. They have volunteered, or been assigned, to pump seawater on dangerously exposed nuclear fuel, already thought to be partly melting and spewing radioactive material, to prevent full meltdowns that could throw thousands of tons of radioactive dust high into the air and imperil millions of their compatriots.

The workers — and an increasing proportion of soldiers — struggled on Tuesday and Wednesday to keep hundreds of gallons of seawater a minute flowing through temporary fire pumps into the three stricken reactors, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Among the many problems that officials acknowledged on Wednesday were what appeared to be yet another fire at the plant and indications that the containment vessel surrounding a reactor may have ruptured. That reactor, No. 3, appeared to be releasing radioactive steam.

The reactor’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said it had been able to double the number of people at the plant to 100 as a result of falling radiation levels, but that was before the sudden release of radioactive vapor. It was not immediately clear how many of the workers and soldiers at the plant might have evacuated after that.

Those remaining are being asked to make escalating — and perhaps existential — sacrifices that so far are being only implicitly acknowledged: Japan’s Health Ministry said Tuesday it was raising the legal limit on the amount of radiation to which each worker could be exposed, to 250 millisieverts from 100 millisieverts, five times the maximum exposure permitted for American nuclear plant workers.

The change means that workers can now remain on site longer, the ministry said. “It would be unthinkable to raise it further than that, considering the health of the workers,” the health minister, Yoko Komiyama, said at a news conference. There was also a suggestion on Wednesday that more workers may be brought to help save the power station.

Tokyo Electric Power, the plant’s operator, has said almost nothing at all about the workers, including how long a worker is expected to endure exposure.

The few details Tokyo Electric has made available paint a dire picture. Five workers have died since the quake and 22 more have been injured for various reasons, while two are missing. One worker was hospitalized after suddenly grasping his chest and finding himself unable to stand, and another needed treatment after receiving a blast of radiation near a damaged reactor. Eleven workers were injured in a hydrogen explosion at reactor No. 3.

Nuclear reactor operators say that their profession is typified by the same kind of esprit de corps found among firefighters and elite military units. Lunchroom conversations at reactors frequently turn to what operators would do in a severe emergency.

The consensus is always that they would warn their families to flee before staying at their posts to the end, said Michael Friedlander, a former senior operator at three American power plants for a total of 13 years.

“You’re certainly worried about the health and safety of your family, but you have an obligation to stay at the facility,” he said. “There is a sense of loyalty and camaraderie when you’ve trained with guys, you’ve done shifts with them for years.”

Adding to this natural bonding, jobs in Japan confer identity, command loyalty and inspire a particularly fervent kind of dedication. Economic straits have chipped away at the hallowed idea of lifetime employment for many Japanese, but the workplace remains a potent source of community. Mr. Friedlander said that he had no doubt that in an identical accident in the United States, 50 volunteers could be found to stay behind after everyone else evacuated from an extremely hazardous environment. But Japanese are raised to believe that individuals sacrifice for the good of the group.

The reactor operators face extraordinary risks. Tokyo Electric evacuated 750 emergency staff members from the stricken plant on Tuesday, leaving only about 50, when radiation levels soared. By comparison, standard staffing levels at the three active General Electric reactors on the site would be 10 to 12 people apiece including supervisors — an indication that the small crew left behind is barely larger than the contingent on duty on a quiet day.

Daiichi is not synonymous with Chernobyl in terms of the severity of contamination. The Ukrainian reactor blew up and spewed huge amounts of radiation for 10 days in 1986. But workers at the plants have a bond.

Among plant employees and firefighters at Chernobyl, many volunteered to try to tame, and then entomb, the burning reactor — although it is not clear that all were told the truth about the risks. Within three months, 28 of them died from radiation exposure. At least 19 of them were killed by infections that resulted from having large areas of their skin burned off by radiation, according to a recent report by a United Nations scientific committee. And 106 others developed radiation sickness, with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dropping blood counts that left them highly vulnerable to infections.

The people who had suffered radiation sickness developed other problems later, according to the report: cataracts, severe scarring from the radiation burns to their skin and an increased number of deaths from leukemia and other blood cancers.

Some of those Chernobyl workers were exposed to levels of radiation far beyond what has been measured to date at Daiichi — especially helicopter pilots who flew through radiation-laden smoke spewing from the reactor to drop fire-extinguishing chemicals on it.

Radiation close to the reactors was reported to reach 400 millisieverts per hour on Tuesday after a blast inside reactor No. 2 and fire at reactor No. 4, but has since dropped back to as low as 0.6 millisieverts at the plant gate. Tokyo Electric and Japanese regulators have not released any statistics on radiation levels inside the containment buildings where engineers are desperately trying to fix electrical systems, pumps and other gear wrecked by Friday’s earthquake and tsunami.

But nuclear experts said that indoor radiation levels were likely to be higher because the containment buildings were probably still preventing most radiation from leaving the plant.

The site is now so contaminated with radiation, experts say, that it has become difficult for employees to work near the reactors for extended periods of time. According to one expert’s account of nuclear emergency procedures, workers would be cycled in and out of the worst-hit parts of the plant.

In some cases, when dealing with a task in a highly radioactive area of the plant, workers might line up and handle the task only for minutes at a time before passing off to the next worker, said Katsuhiko Ishibashi, a former professor in the Research Center for Urban Safety and Security at Kobe University.

Tokyo Electric has refused to release the names or any other information about the 50 workers who stayed behind, nor have utility executives said anything about how they are being relieved as they become tired or ill.

Some of those battling flames and spraying water at reactors at Daiichi are members of Japan’s Self-Defense Force, police officers or firefighters.

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Tuesday that Self-Defense Force soldiers might be called on to fly the helicopters Tokyo Electric may use to spray water onto the overheating used fuel storage pool at reactor No. 4. The same day, however, members of Japan’s nuclear watchdog group, who had been stationed about three miles from the plant, were moved to a site 18 miles away. (The authorities later said that using helicopters to put spray water on reactor No. 4 might not be feasible.) If the plant operator is limiting the exposure of each worker at Daiichi — and calling on hundreds of volunteers to make up the 50 on site at any given time — then Chernobyl may offer some consolation.

To clean up the Chernobyl site after the accident, the Soviet Union conscripted workers in proportion to the size of each of its republics, and developed a system to limit their exposure.

“They sent up to 600,000 people in to clean up the radioactive debris around the plant and build a sarcophagus,” said Dr. John Boice, an author of the study, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt and the scientific director of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockvillle, Md. The workers were sent into contaminated zones for limited periods.

Keith Bradsher reported from Hong Kong, and Hiroko Tabuchi from Tokyo. Denise Grady contributed reporting from New York, and Matthew L. Wald from Washington.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: March 16, 2011

A news alert associated with an earlier version of this article, relying on an English translation of remarks by Japan's chief cabinet secretary, incorrectly stated that workers had been evacuated from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A core group of workers remained at the plant.

I read this news with a heavy heart . I ask God, how Lord, how can we praise you in such storm? When the earth shakes, there is a sense of mass disorientation. Tsunami is horrible, it really makes one feel like they are being swallowed alive. How can I understand? I can never understand. Then as if the darkness of destruction is not enough, there is freezing snow and the silent killer. I can never understand Lord! How, tell me how can I praise you in this storm, in this magnitude. If my heart is torn, how much more torn are the people there, right in the middle of the storm? So I pray, Lord that you push back the darkness of destruction, enough is enough! Send your ministering angels, stretch out your loving hands. Comfort, save, restore! Heal, they need miracles. Step in and save the day, merciful & powerful Lord.

Pls join me to interceed unceasingly until a breakthrough comes. Thank you.

Helmet of Salvation

Eph 6:17 (NASB) "And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..."

It is common for homeschoolers to 'follow' a certain educator's philosophy. When we adopt a curriculum, we adopt its philosophies, knowingly or unknowingly.

While there are pros and cons regards to the Greek versus Hebrew worldviews, we are in a state where humanism has profoundly influenced the way we think, live and act.

"The lens through which we modern-day people (paraphrase) view the world has been coloured by years of the influence of ancient Greek thought; Homer, Thales, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle;s thinking and teachings have had a profound impact on how we think today." - The heart of wisdom teaching approach by Robin Sampson

The book further elaborated that "The basis for humanism is found in the Greek philosophical spirit. the common thread for both belief systems requires man-not god-to be the measure of all things. Greek philosophy and humanism place man as the ultimate evaluator of everything. The outgrow of this view is that there are no God-given standards. Everything changes and evolves. Ethics and morality are based on the whims of man, not on the holy will of God." - Mike and Sue Dowgiewicz.

While some approach are pretty clear-cut in the way they align themselves with the Bible, some are not so clear. I was particularly cautious about using a certain educator's methodology as a blanket theory.

Essentially, following Christ requires that we submit our wills, desires and intellects along with those in whom we place our trust in, under the sovereignty of our Almighty. I had to be careful not to utter words like "so-and-so educator says this , therefore it must be so..." especially so if it has anything to do with character building, or issues pertaining to transformation of heart.

We try to let God be God. In a world of plurality, the only way to stand firm is to take the helmet of salvation (protection), the sword of the spirit (weapon), which is the word of God.

we believe that if God says so, it must be so, only because "He is the way, the truth, the life."

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Praise you in this Storm - Casting Crown

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

lyrics from sing365.com

Homeschooling two tots

We entered this year still pushed into something I was not quite prepared for. My older tot entered preschool. The story is that we registered him BEFORE we made the decision to homeschool him. We were not against school, but we did prefer homeschool. ;) For the most part, we believed that the closer a child is to the people he spent time with, a.k.a parents, the more keen he is to listen to them, especially so during his formative years.

KB would be four this year. We evaluated him and thought he was ready to enter school. We made the decision to let him try it out. He surprised us by being so keen. I thought he was just being excited during the preparation stage. But he surprised us all by NOT CRYING in school and telling us that he likes his school, his teachers and look forward going. It had been almost 2 months now.

The only thing I still did not take a liking to, is the time needed to be up. He would be up at 7am, contrasted with the usual 7.30am or so, and would usually look tired by the time school finishes at 11.45am. I decided that He didn't need to go to school everyday. Being in a classroom with mostly teacher-directed activities and similiar outdoor play was a tad too confined and non stimulating for a curious preschooler. So, KB goes to school 3X a week at most. :) Perfect for us.

While KB is in school, I potty train my younger tot. My younger tot has gotten so used to following Kor Kor wherever he went and does that I am beginning to suspect if he even obeys me. I guess he does a little, 60% perhaps but I like it 80%. :) And the bonding was just great for starters. The house gets a little quiet with only 1 boy, and I truly miss it at times, but I had learnt to appreciate it gradually. I also get to swim at least once a week in the morning without having to leave two tots to my helper who may find handling two tots difficult.

So while two boys are home, this is what I do. I keep a routine so I don't lose everything we had established. Of course, I don't do as much as I used to with my older tot (even as I wish to).

The days I take him out, we like to go outdoors and let the sunshine bathe them and spend time bonding and pruning his character. With kids, we are learning to take things one step at a time, if the Lord would like for him to stay in school, we would follow and if he were to be taken out, we want to be ready as well.

Homeschool scheduling with 2 tots (aged 2, aged nearly 4)

MORNING (7.30am - 11.30am)

Prayer – Bible reading for both kids. Dad reads to a tot, mum reads to another.

Breakfast (30mins) – Dad eats with kids, while mum does devotion in room.

Reading

Worship & Music (5-10mins)

Outdoors large motor (30mins-2hr) – playground, parks, zoo, sand play, gardens, void deck, nearby bicycle trails, ball games, running, swimming, cycling, play bubbles etc.

Independent play (15-30mins) – older tot chooses any toy he wants and goes into a room to play. I use a gate so I can still see him from time to time. while I work 1-to-1 with younger tot on puzzle, pretend play, puppet, games, BFIAR etc.

Reading – Both are read together, starting with baby board books and young tot is free to pick his own activity , while I continue reading for tot 2

NOON

Reading

Younger tot naps. So 1-to-1 with older tot. (1.30pm - 2.30pm)

1 hour – (either one per day: math, science, phonics, Language arts, crafts)

Monday: Language arts – Charlotte Mason, bits of BFAIR, FIAR, Phonics - Ruth Beechick 3 R’s

Tuesday: Art & craft – The way they see it , Artistic Pursuits curriculum & bits of Reggio Emilio approach

Wednesday: Chinese –we converse in mandarin from time to time, with WED being the speak mandarin day.

Thursday: Science – we use the hands-on approach & read science-related books

Friday: Math, Family Math for young children -Grace Davila Coastes, Jean Kerr Stenmark + some ideas from living Math forum, Montessori

*Parenting – we use Growing Families International curriculum & shepherding a child’s heart by Ps Tedd Tripp – focusing on the heart of a child, character and values.

*worship – weekends, resources from top 100 Sunday school sites + play-n-worship + focus on family resources

NAP

Play together & Free Play/ Creative play (any kind of play that is suitable for two tots; chalk drawing, craft etc) – learning to share, conflict management (under parent supervision)

EVENING

Daddy reads to boys Family play

Review of Tots/Pre-schoolers Bible

I wanted to do a review on the Bibles I own, some great, some not so great. Bibles are like clothes we wear, they grow with us and I find myself having to acquire new Bibles simply because of relevance.

When I first had KB, my goal was to read the great word of God, so he can be familiar with us reading the Bible. I also wanted him to love the word, so I got a Bible that rhymes.

This is a small Bible with OT and NT . A sample text reads, Moses said, "Let's start, now go with all your heart!" And the people walked in wonder as God made the waters part."

Suitable for aged 0-2yrs old

(click image to go to Amazon link)

The second Bible we got was a present from our small group.

It was a simple, straight forward Bible that kept close to the original text, with big illustration. I use this for telling Bible stories together with other resources because this Bible does not provide questions or devotional material.

The main draw of this Bible is its big pictures.

Suitable for aged 2-3yrs old.

(click image to go to Amazon link)

Blessings Every Day is a devotional Bible. It is used best to illicit conversation and discussion with children who is able to understand simple Biblical concepts. Yet, if there was a particular habit, character, or concept that I wish to bring across. I would usually use this together with other activities to teach.

The thing with this devotional is that it is meant as a springboard for conversation, I don't always cover every word on one devotion because it turns the child away as it can be too wordy to understand.

(click image to go to Amazon link)

The other thing about this devotional Bible is that it does not come with a content page. It is organised by months and days. So unless you have no specific requirement on going about the topics you want to cover, this would be ideal. I tend to like to cover immediate topics that is developmentally appropriate or needs-based before going onto general topics. So I do find it a little difficult to prepare my teachings ahead.

Suitable for aged 3-5yrs old


The Big Picture Bible is a Bible that is somewhat made simple with big illustration for the very young. It rephrases some words and makes it read like a storybook. Phrases are also short, and simple questions are included for simple conversations.

We use this for Bible stories alone. I did not think this is a Bible that could grow up with the children because I prefer original text.

Their beautifully illustrated picture is certainly a big draw for children as young as 2yrs old.

(click on image to go Amazon link) Suitable for aged 2-4yr old


Toddler Bible comes with a DVD cartoon, so in a way, it is self-explanatory and the story sticks better.

We're no T.V buffs, so when it comes to watching DVD to learn something, we are selective. My tot is only allowed 15mins each viewing, and that is about 2 stories.

(Caution: as a word of caution, parents need to be aware of how addictive TV, or other electronic media. Unsupervised viewing or having TV as a babysitting is a sure way of cultivating addiction)

The good thing about this Bible is that it includes very simple activity to reinforce learning as well as prompters for
parent-tot conversation as each stories brings out relevant
life topics to learn. I like it that I can use this Bible alone or
together with other resources.

Suitable for aged 3-5yrs old.

If anyone has experiences of good Bible and would like to share, pls feel free to comment! Thanks!

Shift Happens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emx92kBKads

How are we preparing our children's future ?

Not so fun place afterall - enrichment centre review

I was trying to check out a programme for my 10-yr old niece and called up Our fun place.












Me: Hello, is this Our Fun Place

OFP: Yes.

ME: May I make an enquiry?

OFP: Sure.

ME: I’m looking for speech and drama course for 10-yr-old

OFP: yes, we have it on the website you can take a look under speech and drama, the photos, and videos

Me: (clicked speech and drama): Oh but it says from 5-12yrs old, do you group all the children together?

OFP: no, we put same age group together.

Me: So what’s that like? 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s,?

OFP: No, we group them, you can look at the photos on the website, we’re on you tube too.

Me: How do you group them, 5-6, 7-8 ...?

OFP: hm, like 5-7, 10-12.

Me: So what happens with the 7,8,9 yr olds? I am trying to find out the age range here. You know there is a lot of difference in each age group …

OFP: of course …

Me: and are you able to tell me because I am not getting that from you

OFP: (sigh , slightly frustrated), its 5-7, 8-9, 10-12.

Me: I see. So your speech and drama is for 5-days only?

OFP: There’s art, public speaking, singing …

Me: no, no, I’m asking about speech and drama. You mean you have speech and drama for a month-long?

OFP: Er, we can stretch up to 2 wks for you

Me: Oh, you mean you can customise for us, is this a 1-to-1 class or a group?

OFP: It’s a group of course, you can look at our photos on the website, but depends on the demand.

Me: So who is teaching speech and drama

OFP: Professionals.

Me: (????) Of course, professionals are everywhere. I mean who, do you have the name?

OFP: Its on the website, you can refer to it.

Me: (at this point), excuse me, can I maybe speak with the person-in-charge?

OFP(slightly annoyed) I, am the founder.

Me: I see, are you teaching speech and drama?

OFP: No, we get speech and drama experts to teach. The teacher’s profile is all on the website.

Me: I see, so what makes your program so special compared to the other speech and drama programme?

OFP: (pause), we are all-rounded and our class size is small.

Me: how small?

OFP: 10. Oh, that’s it? Ok, thank you.

This is why I think some centres are so profit-centric that they can't be bothered to invest a few minutes to talk to their customers. They seemed to think their customers have all the time to study their website and take in every detail and just walk in and magically register. Parents, don't gloss over great websites with virtually all the information and wonderful photos. If they can't tell you in detail, how great they are, how they think it would benefit your child, I think we can forget about them training our children. The entire time, this lady was trying to sell me her programme without trying to understand my needs. Sorry, this really is a not so fun place afterall.

Environment ( a holiday reflection)

This is really my idea of a holiday. Yep, just a nice drink and a good book. Because this is what I love. I guess that means I can have a holiday anywhere anytime isn't it? ;)

This is my probably 5th or 6th visit to Indonesia, my husband's hometown, Jakarta. Among the many things that I have seen one thing was plain. The wealth divide is enormous. That Chinese people are mostly bosses and the locals are mostly workers.

I have experienced the best service in Indonesia, from hotels, to villas to restaurants and small eateries. The locals are generally warm and very obliging. No where in China or U.S have I encountered such level of service.

My husband's family's driver is a blessing to us in many
ways. This time, while out in the countryside, my younger boy was in need of urgent medical attention. The medication which he needed was not available and the only 'solution' from the local public hospital A&E was circumcision! In the end, we used some table salt in warm basin and heaps of prayer. The next day, Elias was healed. God is good! However, to prevent the infection from reoccurring, the driver rode on his motorbike for about 3hours all the way up to deliver the medication. I also got to know that the travelling time between his home and ours is about an hour. With the infamous traffic jam in Jakarta, it is not unusual for him to travel 2 hours, just one-way to work.

I caught up with a long time friend of mine who is a lawyer in Jakarta. In addition to her existing law firm, she had started 2 other boutiques. With so much wealth, she told me, she literally don't have to work. To pass time, she travels around the world!

In my short stay of 2 weeks there, I am constantly caught breathless between the irreconcilable difference of outrageous extravagance versus simple humility and servitude. I'll be seeing a kid with no slippers on the road stealing fuel from trucks (so they could resell it for money) who stop at the red light and then at a huge malls (much like that of United States), shoppers buying big ticket items without battling an eyelid.

People in Indonesia are closely-knit people who like the Thais and Filipinos value families and friendships and loves living in communities. It is common for Chinese wives to stay home and husbands out at work. It is also common to see women chatting endlessly via their blackberry.
Every family has a chauffeur (they call them drivers) and a maid. There was no labor shortage among their own people. The locals, almost always the servants and the local Chinese almost always the bosses.

This was pretty much the life there.

I concluded that people everywhere are shaped by the very culture and environment in which they are placed in. Ideology permeates their lives and we began to "follow suit". It reminded me of the story of Pied Piper of Hamelin. We could be following a beautiful tune and march to its beat without a single consciousness if this was the way of God.

How foolhardy and dangerous life is to let the culture shape us! The single most powerful environment we live in is community. Most people have herds mentality. We follow the majority. That means idealogies spread quickest in places like families, organizations, churches, nations ( in order of size).

In this time and age of lifestyle choices and information overload, it is difficult even to focus on one thing once a person is at his laptop. There are emails, news feed, social network and stock market windows all opened at once. Sometimes, I find myself having to look away from my laptop and focus on what needs to be down. Or shut every window except one which I am working on. Or make a list and keep to it. Or turn off my phone so I will not get interrupted. So much effort is spent just to focus on one thing. No wonder people follow the majority. We did not realise that we had probably lost our stamina and had naturally chose the easy way out.

But there is a choice. We could start at the lowest level; families. As a parent, I find myself having to ensure environmental influence are positive during a child's formative years (below 6 years old). This window is a moulding, nurturing time where we could input nuggets of wisdom into their hearts.

Proverbs 13:20 says "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companions of fools suffers harm".

Make a decision today. Don't let what everybody else is doing distract you from God's highest calling for you. Walk with God, not with the world.

A more creative approach, perhaps?

The first time I did art & craft work with my son, we made a wind-chime. Or should I say, I made the wind-chime.
Well, an ordinary piece of craft you would say, and I would most certainly agree. But what made me ashamed was not how ordinary this piece of work was. It was that this craft was well ... 90% my work and only 10% my son's. *blush*

In short, this was the work of an adult made to look like a child's.

And you could probably tell, the only part he helped to do was to punch holes, under my guidance.

Try to take a look at kids' crafts everywhere; in preschool, sunday school classes, you will probably see the same thing. Beautiful pieces of craft, wonderful laces of fish, or ingenious piglets made out of cupcakes wrappers. Do we wonder how much of it is really a child's work?

Ok, I'm not saying a child is incapable of such wonderful work. There are instances where childrens' work blow our mind away, a thousand times. One way is to look at their developmental stage and how much of the craft originates from the child.

I remembered once when my son came back from a particular class and showed me some colourings. I asked him, "oh that was so beautiful, you coloured it?" "No, my teacher coloured it." came the reply. There was no pride in his voice, he just said it matter-of-fact, flatly.

To be fair , I suppose the teachers everywhere were probably under pressure to show parents what 'real work' took place in class. It would also be almost impossible to have 20 kids pick up their favourite materials and do what they like with only 2 teachers ratio.

So, the question to ask is, would such approach to art have a place in class?

A craft that has been conceptualized and steps that are thought out by a teacher leaves little room for a child's imagination. That is why you would see 20 crafts done by 20 kids looking exactly the same. The same ingenious piglet made out of cupcakes wrapper is the same 'ingenious piglet" by 20 kids.

Thankfully, all is not lost. :) There is a place for such craft. It is when we decide to hone in a specific skills, for instance, cutting, pasting, hole-punching, pasting... that is where such craft requires the attention of doing a skill repetitively so that the child can perfect it, through practise. Or where a craft is called upon as a reinforcement to a subject, concept, or a lesson.

This is a craft of an owl. I followed the instruction of a craft book, merely because this particular craft trains the art of cutting straight lines and using scotch tapes to paste. You can see that these skills forms the intent of this project.

There are at least 12 straits lines to cut and probably about 15 tapes to stick. Talk about repetition. As a parent-teacher, I praise how well the child could hold s scissors or tape papers and not how beautiful he created the owl.

There is difference between his work versus mine. Someone else came up with the owl concept, not him. So give credit where credit is due. Of course, I could say, "look how we created the owl", or "look how your cut papers can create an owl".

Technical dexterity is an important consideration of art. It is however, not the only thing that counts. For that matter, creativity is not really an art subject as much as it is a lifeskill. We need creativity to solve problems, or to get along with others, for instance.

Young children are the world's most imaginative people, yet it is most contradictory that their natural imagination and creativity not given an outlet to flourish.

This year, during lantern festival. I told my son, aged 3, that we are going to make a lantern. I was doing a lesson on mid-autumn festival and wanted to emphasize the significance of a lantern. So I initiated the idea of making lantern. However, he is free to choose the materials and conceptualize his craft. Ask 20 kids how they would like their lanterns made, and you most definitely would have 20 different designs. Now that is creativity!

Creativity lets a child take it from ground zero. He conceptualizes, designs, and makes various decisions on how it would function.

He owns the process of making his craft, he imagines how the craft would look at the end.

Ask a child "who made the lantern?"and you will most certainly see that unmistakable beam right across the child's face, "I did it!" He knows and you know that it is 100% his work. What confidence and pure fun that brings!


But beyond that, we would have built in a child, lifeskills that extends further than just preschool years. Lifeskills are survival skills. Problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, having ownership, independent thinking/ group discussion (if you have more than one child together), are just a few skills-set that can be achieved with this approach to art.

Adults often look only at the results and ignore the process. We missed much of the effort that a child has put in. The process is bigger than the performance itself!

We need both technical excellence and innovation. The key is to strike a balance. It is not hard, with a little imagination. Anyone can help a child's creativity take flight!

Next time we look at a child's art, try not to t be too quick to dismiss the results. There are alot more going on then we ever know.

We could also be less impulsive with our praise for art work which we know is not 100% a child's. He knows that we are either being phony or just too lazy to recognise where his true potential lies.

my music journey & a new hobby

I love music , how much? like air (second to water), like hues (second to rainbow), like hymns (second to God) ... I grew up in the environment of music ... my father works for the greatest music company (then), and my mums hums the best childrens' songs (she's a kindergarten teacher). My encounter with music started when I was just 4 yr-old. I got a nice piano. Unfortunately, I could not recall feeling magical when I touch the keyboards, there was always one more grade to go and one more exam to take. Finally at grade 6, I called it quits and moved on to competitive singing. I was so in love with singing.

I started competing as young as 8-yr-old actually (thanks to my mother who spotted my love for singing), I think its got to do with having her radio blaring all day... mandarin songs! Unfortunately, I never bagged a first. I vaguely remembered being overwhelmed by the Big colourful lights on stage (at semi-finals) and forgot my lyrics. That day I cried my heart out. I could not take my dinner and I was only 8.

Then I was involved in a local radio company that produces drama (the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation). I did singing and voice acting for 5 years. I was picked out of a company of 20, after endless rounds of audition to sing at a radio program. I was about 10 yr-old. Then at about 12 yr-old, I developed chicken pox and after a long medical leave, never really made it back to the group, much to the regrets of many of my mentors who begged my mum to persuade me to go back. It was a time of chaos for me. I was young, impulsive and very confused.

At about 19 yr-old, I was accepted into one of the most prestigious choir. After several rounds of audition, I was finally accepted into The Singapore Youth Choir. I love the beautiful blending of voices, the male tenors, the female sop (Then, I'm a higher sop :) ), the amazing repertoire of songs makes my hair stand up on ends. I love the choir, particularly of beautiful voices, even without music accompaniement. I dream of travelling with the choir to perform. Like usual music groups, frequent auditions are common, only to maintain a stellar standard. SYC is a performing choir
with strict standards. I often feel like I have to be perfect to be in. So in one of the auditions, I crumbled singing an Italian song, only to repeat the 1st stanza the second time round. I knew I was voted out.

I left the music scene to pursue other interests, only to be attracted by night scene. Ambient music, techno music, canto pop, bright lights, fancy clothes, platform dancing etc. etc. At one point, I picked up smoking and my voice was like never before. I could never hit high notes.

Then at 21, God came. In his presence, I felt so ashamed with scanty clothes, I dropped on the ground crying and shaking. After that I could only dance in his presence and to please God.

When I finally belonged to a local church, I served in worship ministry as a vocal back-up. Frankly, the blend of voices was not great, it was a far cry from what I experienced in all my years of music background. I struggled with pride. And then I realised I had to start from ground zero. It was my faith experience, and not how badly others sing. Then I fell in love, hook line and sinker. It was the worst experience to love a musician and not have him love you back. I thought I was going to marry him, then I thought I was going to die. I left the front line ministry, but survived. ;p

In my late twenties, God did something in my heart. He dugged out the pride of years and years of musical experiences that made me think I was better than good. He flung out feelings of failures. He set me free from the lies I was shackled too. I began to cry and cry non-stop at a keyboard class. But after that, I played like never before. For the first time, I finally felt that magical touch. I felt I was not good yet, but not a failure. Something miraculous took place. He parted the red sea literally inside me. My brother (a talented musician, he performs smooth jazz in cafes, pubs, weddings and is proficient on guitars and drums) commented my music is finally flowing like water and not raining rocks! (See the spiritual connotation?)

Today, I am a mother of two toddlers. I play the keyboard now and then, and they worship with me. We worship as a family every Monday evening over my keyboard. We battle as a family and make desperate calls to God in hard times over my keyboard. But most of all , I loved singing in the night. When all my boys go to bed, I put on music, a you-tube trailer, a CD and I sing and sing... on top of my voice. One night, I sang "The greatness of our God" next to my sleeping boys and then the next day, my elder boy started singing the chorus . God truly knows how to surprise me.

I love this new hobby... when I sing, right beside my sleeping boys, none of them wakes, even when I sometimes go crazy and sing real loud. :)

God... he is soooo good. He is not done with me I know. He still continues to make all things new.

Enjoy this very upbeat, summery song by Brooke Fraser. Wonderful melody.

The next song talks about how we can find ourselves in God even when our world falls out, an absolute favorite. Inspirational. Blessings!





BROOKE FRASER - Something In The Water

Send "Something In The Water" Ringtone to your Cell

Do do do do do do do do do do

I wear a demeanor made of bright pretty things
What she wears, what she wears, what she wears
Birds singing on my shoulder in harmony it seems
How they sing, how they sing, how they sing

Give me nights of solitude, red wine just a glass or two, reclined in a hammock on a balmy evening
I'll pretend that it's no thing that's skipping my heart when I think
are you thinking bout' babe? I'm crazy over you

Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water, something in the water
Aaah Aaah Aaah
There's something in the water, that makes me love you like –

I've got halo's made of summer, rhythms made of spring
What she wears, what she wears, what she wears
I got crowns of words a woven each one a song to sing
Oh I sing, oh I sing, oh I sing

Give me long days in the sun, preludes to the nights to come previews of the mornings laying in all lazy give me something fun to do like a life of loving you
Kiss me quick now baby I'm still crazy over you

Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water, something in the water
Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water that makes me love you like I do

Oooh oooh oooh Oooh(x3)

Give me nights of solitude, red wine just a glass or two, give me something fun to dooooo

Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water, something in the water
Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water that makes me love you like I do

Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water, something in the water
Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water that makes me love you like I do


Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water, something in the water
Aaah Aaah Aaah
there's something in the water that makes me love you like I –

Do do do do do do do


BROOKE FRASER - Shadow Feet <object width="480" height="385">


Shadowfeet

Walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet
towards home, a land that i've never seen
I am changing; less and less asleep
made of different stuff than when i began
And I've sensed it all along
fast approaching is the day

[CHORUS:]
when the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
When the sky rolls up and the mountains fall on their knees
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you

There's distraction buzzing in my head
saying in the shadows it's easier to stay
but I've heard rumours of true reality
whispers of a well-lit way

[CHORUS]

You make all things new

[CHORUS]

[CHORUS 2:]
When the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
Every fear and accusation under my feet
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you