Can't you sleep little bear?

In every spread of this book, except one, there is a picture of the big bear with the little bear. On that particular spread, the illustration was drawn through the perspective of the big bear.

The Boy, "Mummy, where is the big bear?" The Mummy stops reading, looks at the picture. How to explain perpectives? Says, "The big bear is behind you." The Boy looks sideways at The Mummy. The Boys eyes starts widening and slowly, very slowly, turns his head to look behind him. The Mummy realises what she has said. Literally. The Mummy wants to laugh but decides not to. The Boy is looking behind him now, "WHERE?". The Mummy quickly turns the page and says "Here. Look. The big bear is here!"

More on Books

Attended the Asian Children's Writers and Illustrators Conference.

Met someone today whom I never thought I'd meet. Ho Minfong, the author of Sing to the Dawn. I read it when I was 14 years old! (The only other literature text I enjoyed was Harper Lee's To kill a Mockingbird)

Right now, I'm into books writted by Rohinton Mistry. His book A Fine Balance got me depressed and so, I went on to buy his other book, which I'm now reading called Tales from Firozsha Baag. I have the propensity for self inflicted mind torture as you can see. Had to convince myself that reading A Fine Balance and We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver back to back was the combi that got me morosed.

Anyway, back to the conference. What did I learn?

(1) Our state libraries subscribe to certain standards. Books that fall out of these standards will never be acquired for the reading public.

Oh...he who does not read books is wondering when the lights can be turned off. Later...(the next morning)...Read an article featuring Ho Minfong in the papers. What a small world. Her brother, the successful businessman she talked about but did not name during her speech is none other than Ho Kwon Ping, founder and chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings. Attended his talk on entreprenuership some many years ago in NUS. Wow! Again. And now, back to what I have learnt....

(2) This is the normal ecosystem: Author => Agent => Publisher => Distributor => Bookseller => Reader

(3) This is how the monies are distributed through the ecosystem.

Bookseller 35-50%
Distributor 10-15%
Publisher 10-15%
Agent 10-15%
Printing 10-15%
Author (10)-25%

Yes, the author, unless very famous and very successful in the first place, makes no money at all. They are like algae. Responsible for sustaining the ecosystem but gets no recognition at all for their importance.

I have to take another break. Later... Back. From the book fair at Expo, beach and dinner with your YeYe. It's 10pm now

(4) Top 10 lists. In the UK, it's based on receipts from the till. In the US, it's based on the numbers sold to the booksellers (Meaning, all you need to do is print half a million books, ask Borders to stock them for a day and immediately, you become a bestseller.

(5) Books sell better if they come in a series. Harry Potter did not take off until Book #4. Think about it. Secret Seven, Famous Five, Mr Midnight...

(6) Manuscripts: If even you need to send them out, please remember to double space them. Otherwise, one more reason (if not the only) to not read them.

(7) Who influences book selection?

Recommendation from a friend 40%
Author 35%
Review 24%
Advertisement 14%
Promotion 5%
Book Club 4%

(8) Pictograms & Infographics. This is very important in children's books. The combination of words and pictures needs to be balanced properly.

(9) Graphic Novels are becoming more and more popular.

(10) In Singapore, don't expect to sell more than two to three thousand books per title. And going by this example, the 'Teenage Textbook', which sold about fifty thousand copies during it's heyday, is considered a phenomenal success.

Penguin books sale!!!!!!!!!!!

19 Nov: I thought I was in Vivo city! There was this book fair, a furniture fair and a food fair all side by side and the whole of Singapore must have made at least one trip here this weekend. It was packed! Bought half a dozen books for you, two for myself, some dark soya sauce and some potato chips.

Zoooooooooooooooooooupppppppp!

Did you see that?

The island of Sodor

GG: YY, where did you go just now?
YY: Park
GG: Huh? Where?
YY: Island of Sodor
Mummy *did I hear what I heard?*
GG: *a little hard of hearing* Where???
Mummy: The island of Sodor!
YY *shy smile*
GG: What?
Mummy: The island of Sodor. That's where all the train engines live.
YY *My mummy gets it!*
GG: Huh?
Mummy: *Hahhaha!!!* YY, say Goodnite GG.
YY: *grinning from ear to ear* Goodnite GG!


BTW, this was where we went...

Another reason not to buy rubber clogs...CROCS?

"3-year-old Shiyr Chong had her big toe ripped off after her rubber clog got caught in the gap on the escalator at Admiralty Place Mall....While experts say the type of footwear generally does not play a part, 'soft shoes' made of rubber are more likely to be caught in the gaps, compared to 'harder' ones." ~ extracted from Channel NewsAsia

2 little monkeys on a swing

Chaos & Creation. Why don't penguins feet freeze?

Watched 3 inflight movies enroute to London. They were ClICK (Adam Sandler), THE LAKE HOUSE (Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves) & THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway).

Funny. They were like a trilogy to me. All of them had their theme centered around career fulfillment & family life. Forget about balance. There's only 24 hours in a day. 1 hour put on this side will mean that that same hour is taken away from that side. Bleak.

The only groovy thing from these movies was the song "This never happened before". Love it. Must get it.

Found the soundtrack in HMV. It was going for 24 pounds I kid you not! Crazy. But now at least the music ignoramus knows that it was Paul McCartney who wrote & sang that song. Ok. Maybe his album will be cheaper? Aahaa! There! 'Chaos & Creation in the Backyard', eh...13 pounds!?! Well well well. No thank you. Go back then buy.

Bought this silly but interesting book titled 'Why don't penguins feet freeze' instead.

3 examples from the 114 more questions found in this book:

(1) Most substances melt when heated, so why does my scrambled egg turn frpm liquid to solid as I cook it?

(2) Why does a biscuit that is left in the open overnight become soft by the morning but a baguette left out for the same length of time become so hard that one could knock someone with it?

(3) Please read the this sentence and count the Fs:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-
IC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

How many did you see? On first reading, most people see only three. However, the answer is actually six. Why is this?

Clubs, Blades and Walking the 4-Wheeled Monster

Last weekend, we got you some golf clubs - or at least borrowed some for you. The boy who lent them to us was a 7 year old boy named Gerard, who is the son of one of your Papa's ex colleague. You spent some time in his room watching him play with his Pokemon chips. Quietly. ***QUIETLY!!!***a rarity these days***

Yesterday, we went to Pasir Ris park. Again, there were kids belonging to your Papa's circle. This time, 2 girls. A 6 year old named Alicia and a 9 year old named Amelia.


These kids definitely match your energy levels better than us old ones. Could see you enjoyed their company a lot. I also realised kids 6 years old and above are much much better at playing the 'leaders' role. They are less competitive & also more generous with young ones like you. Gerard gave you 2 Pokemon magnets and 4 Pooh bear stickers. The girls shared their milo biscuits with you willingly.

Walking the Bicycle



I really want to laugh at you. You looked 'pissed' when the bicycle refused to budge like a stubborn dog.

Oops! ***Hahhaaa!

Todd-out

Lockout: the temporary closing of a business or the refusal by an employer to allow employees to come to work until they accept the employer's terms.

Todd-out: the temporary self imposed enclosure or the refusal by a toddler to allow adults to enter until such times as when the toddler figures out how to unlock himself from enclosure or when a locksmith is engaged.

9:15pm
Todd-out #1. Toddler locks himself in a room. Everyone rushes to the door. Toddler turns the lock and manages to unlock the door. Comes out grinning from ear to ear, basking in the attention of 4 adults (1 set of parents + 1 set of grandparents).

9:25
Todd-out #2. Toddler manages to lock himself in a 2nd time. This time, toddler is not so lucky. Turns the lock but cannot get the door to open. Starts alternating between screaming for help and laughing. Laughs gleefully when someone on the other side tries to open the door. Zero signs of toddler panicking. Adults gives toddler instructions. Toddler tries to follow, then screams "Cannot! Ah Mah! Mummy! Cannot!" Adults gets tired of waiting for the toddler to unlock the door. Ah Kong the locksmith is engaged. Door Opens. Toddler tries to hide behind opened door and laughs when discovered.

Note: FIND ALL THE KEYS TO ALL THE DOORS IMMEDIATELY AND PLACE THEM IN AN ACCESSIBLE PLACE.

Flashback: 1970s. Girl ,4 or 5 years old. Locks herself inside a room in her Uncle's flat. In those days, the locks are box shaped and comes with a tiny latch and a round knob. The latch is rusty and stiff. Girl trys to prey the latch open. Fails. Girl screams for help. Gets a scolding first and then was given instructions on how to unlock the door. Girls know how it work but latch refuses to give way. There is no key. Girl tries to figure out how much of a trouble she'll be in when she does get out. Someone outside figures out how to unlock the door. Clever! There are glass window louvers above the door. Glass panes are removed one by one from its aluminium brackets. Boy cousin is lifted and squeezed through the gap. Boy cousin gets inside the room! Door opens. Girl is freed! Girl gets more scolding on the spot. Back home. Girl receives a thrashing.

Tampopo Cot

While waiting for a table at Tampopo (Liang Court #B1-50), you asked, "the food go round and round? BY take take take??" We had conveyor belt sushi some time back. Eh... 2-3 weeks ago? Was pleasantly surprised that you still remember something from so long ago.

We ordered:
**Fried Silver Fish
*****Black Pig Ramen
***Gyoza with Black Pig
*****Kyushu Ramen
*Teriyaki Cod
Bill: $50+

The Ramen was especially delicious and you loved the Kyushu version, polishing up everything that we put into your bowl.

Cot
Finally retired it to the storeroom today. Doesn't make sense having it there if you won't sleep on it, even after we've converted it into a junior bed. Every night is like merry-go-round. We have a King size divan bed with 2mattresses on the floor flanking it. Each night, all 3 of us, we'll take turns sleeping on at least 2 of them. When it gets too crowded on the divan, one of us (either your Papa or I or sometimes the both of us) will have to take refuge on the mattress. Sometimes, you'd follow suit and then someone has to get up and back onto the divan. It's a nocturnal circus! *sigh*

"Bicycling"

One hippo, Sixpoopoos & some scotchtape please!

Me: Hippopotamas
Son: Hipotamas
Me: Hi-PO-PO-tamas
Son: Hi-PO-tamas
Me: Hi-PO-PO. 2 times PO-PO then tamas ok?
Son: HiPOOOOOOOOOOOOOtamas!!! OK?
*SIGH*

6 times! you POO-ED 6 times today! How can any toddler be so full or s**t? One piece fell out while we were in the hawker centre and a fly promptly went for it.
Son: Mummy, housefly eat BY's shit.
*FAINT*

Later, at East Coast Park, you picked up a humongous fallen branch and tried to put it back, sticking it inside the crevices of the tree trunk.
Me: What are you doing?
Son: Repairing the tree!
Me: Huh??
A while later, frustrated by many unsuccessful attempts...
Son: Mummy!
Me: What?
Son: You got scotch tape?
*HAHhhAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa!!!*

Charity on wheels

Swung by a thrift shop on the way home today and found a bike going for $20. It looked new! There was not a single spot of rust on it. Then, they offered me a carrot I couldn't resist. Hari Raya & Deepavali holiday special. 20% discount! So, there! Paid $16, lugged the darn thing to the boot and drove home as fast as I could.

Situation, Consequence & Solution

M: Eh Papa, your son very smart leh.
P: What do you mean?
M: He can state the situation, the consequence and then the solution to it all in one breath.
P: Like?
M: No shoes, cannot walk, Mummy carry!
P: Chey!

Face-Off with the Old Man

Scene #1: Toys all over the floor.

Bigone - BY! Keep your toys!
Littleone - *ignore*
Bigone - BY! Keep your toys!
Littleone - *throws 2 pieces into the box
Bigone - Some more over there
Littleone - *tries to walk away
Bigone - No, keep your things first!
Littleone - Don't WANT!
Bigone - Do you want to face the wall?
Littleone - OK!
Bigone - You want to face the wall?!!!?
Littleone - YES!
Bigone - *proceeds to make you face the wall
Littleone - NO!
Bigone - Then keep your toys!
Littleone - *trapped
Bigone - *silent
Littleone - *sits on the floor, pretends to play with the toys
Bigone - *silent

10minutes later
Littleone - *lying on the floor, fingering the toys
Bigone - *still watching you

Another 5 minutes later
Littleone - *falls asleep lying on the floor
Bigone - *huge sigh, picks up littleone and puts littleone to bed

CYC

Went to the tailor at Raffles Hotel Arcade with your Papa. Your old man hasn't got a new business shirt in years. Yes, years! He had like a dozen tailored while he was working in Thailand between 2000-03 and then, that was it!

Prices at CYC for a men's business shirt starts at $90. We chose one that costs him $127. It's not too bad, considering that you old man wears them for an average of 4-5 years... we can amortise them at $32/year. =P

I think he got a bit overwhelmed by the fuss. He told me later that in Thailand, you choose the material, they take your measurements and off they go to make the shirt. Here, he was asked what kind of pleats he wanted on the back, collar stiffness, 1 or 2 buttons on the cuff, the type for initial embroidery, button color, pocket and so on. The lady was pretty good with her recommendations. All we did was just nod like bumpkins.

So, in about 10 days, we get to collect The Shirt - a cream colored one with a slight tinge of pink ( the in color now leh!) which by the way, according to the expert, matches his skin tone perfectly!

Vivo City

Checked out Vivo City today. Itched all over as a result. Must be allergic to the dust. The building is pretty much completed, as least from the looks of it from the inside. But about 30-40% of the tenants are still busy setting up. *Scratch*

First shop I saw was Crocs. They are UGLY! I can't fathom how they can invade this city of non-boaters so succesfully. They come in such psychedelic colors, it brightens up nothing but ankles, no, nothing but itself and dulls everything except say just maybe, on rare occasions, the sun in the tropics. It's a visual pollution! *Urgh*

Noticed a couple of new clothing stores for kids - Gap & Pumpkin Patch.

And oh, there's Free Parking! Or maybe I just happened to be lucky?

Thumb Drives

Found this picture in a thumbdrive which I haven't used for a long long long time....

Height Predictor

Works for kids over 2 years old. Height Predictor

"Thanks for using our calculator!Your son will likely be 6 feet, 2 inches tall at age 18. This prediction is a "best guess" but it's still just that -- a guess. Based on the formula we used,* there's a 58 percent chance your son's full-grown height will be within 1 inch (above or below) of this prediction, an 85 percent chance it will be within 2 inches, and an 96 percent chance it will be within 3 inches." ~ParentCentre~

Wahhh......that's 188 cm! And there's a 96% chance you'd fall between 5ft9 (175cm) and 6ft5 (196cm)

The Big Man: He will grow taller than you!
Me: I will still drag him down to my 164cm height for a big kiss and hug!