J (6Y5M26D) came home very excited and eager to show me his stuff boy, luggage and a reading book. He told me that he got the reading luggage from the teacher. He claimed that he was selected to be the first in class to do this, because he has been always been the first to complete his homework. Not sure how true this was, but I am glad that I have been very conscientious in checking his homework and making sure that he does it.
What he is supposed to do, is that he is supposed to read a book. Today he brought the book home from the school and he couldn't wait to read to me on the way home. But we were going to piano class, so I said that he would have to wait.
When we came home, he insisted that he wanted to read to me. So we sat down on the sofa and he read to me. He could read everything, but I guessed that the pictures helped. Apart from Chinese, which I conscientiously make him read to me, this is the first time that he read a Danish book to us. So that was a pleasant surprise.
I am also very delighted to see that he is so eager to learn to read and that the teacher has inculcated the passion for learning in him. So far, I have been very satisfied with the school. Thank God for being with us and giving such a good start so far.
Monday 31 August 2015
J's Lunch Box - Relakkuma
Bed frame made of blueberries and grapes;
Pillow (hidden) made of homemade millet pancake rolled with sliced banana, strawberries and blueberries and spread with peanut butter;
Care bears made of oatmeal banana buns;
Eyes made of raisins, ears made of cheese and mouth made of goji berries
Bear's body made of avocado, almonds and strawberries
Blanket made of homemade millet pancake with brewer's yeast and wheat germ.
Asparagus
Letter 'P'* made of cheese
Pencil made of carrot and seaweed
* J is learning the letter 'P' in school, and so I decided to include the letter 'P' in his lunchbox - 'P' for Pencil
Navigating the Danish Society as a Cross-Cultural Family...
The Chinese parents here tend to be on either extreme: they either pack only Chinese fried rice for their child's lunch pack every day, because they do not know how to pack Danish rye bread; or they do not pack Chinese fried rice at all, because they and their children are embarrassed of their Chinese lunch pack. Thus, they go the other extreme and do not pack any Chinese food in the name of integration into the Danish society.
Why should the Chinese and their children in Denmark be embarrassed of their heritage?
I think this is a big mistake.
We have to be proud of our heritage. Without giving our children their roots, how can we expect them to be confident in facing the Danish society?
Give them roots - so that they know who they are and secure in being who they are.
From there, give them wings - so that they are free to explore the world and embrace other cultures.
The trick is to be discrete. I pack the Chinese fried rice in small portion as one of the items in the lunch box that contains also Danish rye bread. In this way, we are saying to the Danes, we are integrating into the society - see my child eats Danish food. But we also eat Chinese food, and this is reflected in my child's lunch box.
We have to be rooted and be proud of our heritage. This is how Singapore as a multi-ethnic nation has survived and retained its Chinese-ness, Indian-ness and Malay-ness that gives it its roots. And this is how I am going to learn to navigate the mine fields of being a cross-cultural family in Denmark.
We have to be rooted and be proud of our heritage. This is how Singapore as a multi-ethnic nation has survived and retained its Chinese-ness, Indian-ness and Malay-ness that gives it its roots. And this is how I am going to learn to navigate the mine fields of being a cross-cultural family in Denmark.
So far, this method worked. We got praise from his teachers :-)
J's Lunch Box - Fish
Clockwise: Grapes decorated with cheese and raspberry stuffed with almond; Homemade wholewheat oatmeal banana bun (no sugar added) in the shape of fish, with olive as bubble, raisin as eye, and cheese and strawberry as fin; Danish rye bread topped with cheese as plane, carrot and red pepper bell; Chinese egg fried rice with peas, corns and shrimps placed on baby spinach leaves and garnished with carrot flower and cheese; carrot and top made of broccoli.
Behind: Chinese piggy moon cake
Close-up: Chinese egg fried rice with peas, corns and shrimps placed on baby spinach leaves and garnished with carrot flower and cheese
Close-up: Close-up: Danish rye bread topped with cheese in the shape of a plane, carrot and red pepper bell
Close-up: Homemade oatmeal banana bread in the shape of fish, with olive as bubble, raisin as eye, and cheese and strawberry as fin
J Summary (6Y5M26D)
J started school on the 12 August. It has gone very well. I brought him to school every day. He is very happy that I am with him, and happy that I hold his hands. He is the only one who has packed lunch bento-style, rather than Danish-style, but he is not embarrassed about his cute bento lunch box. He said that everyday, his teachers took many pictures of his bento lunch box. Today, we came to his class and took out the lunch box. We discovered that the toppings dropped from his "fish" decorated bun. He wanted me to arranged it back, and wasn't concerned with what his classmates think.
In J's school, parents are allowed to participate in the morning assembly. And always, he is happy that I attend, and not embarrassed that I came along. Today, he held my hands on the back to the class, while the hand of another child. There may come a day, when he does not want me to attend the morning assemblies anymore... so I treasure every of these moments.
Sunday 30 August 2015
Singlish
Archiving this for J to learn Singlish and making sure I don't forget it...
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33809914
Among ordinary Singaporeans, Singlish tends to be spoken in informal situations - with friends and family, taking a taxi or buying groceries. It indicates casual intimacy. English, on the other hand, is used for formal situations - at school, or at work, especially when meeting strangers or clients.
Over time, it has become a social marker - someone who can effectively switch between the two languages is perceived to be more educated and of a higher social status than someone who can only speak Singlish.
Someone who can only speak English, and not Singlish, meanwhile, may be seen as a bit posh, or worse - not a real Singaporean.
So how do you speak it?
The grammar mirrors some other regional languages including Malay, which is indigenous to Singapore, by doing away with most prepositions, verb conjugations, and plural words, while its vocabulary reflects the broad range of the country's immigrant roots. It borrows from Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese, Mandarin and other Chinese languages, as well as Tamil from southern India.
Rehearsal for national day parade, held on 1 August
Having coffee, "lim kopi", is a combination of the Hokkien word for drink, "lim", and the Malay word for coffee, "kopi".
A person who worries a lot is a kancheong spider - "kancheong" is from the Cantonese word for anxious, and the term evokes the image of a panicked spider scurrying around.
If a situation is intolerable, you may exclaim, "Buay tahan!" The word "buay" is Hokkien for cannot, and "tahan" is Malay for tolerate.
But Singaporeans have also appropriated English words and turned them into something else.
To reverse is to "gostan", from the nautical term "go astern" - a reminder that Singapore was once a British port.
"Whack" means to attack someone, and transposing that to Singapore's favourite pastime, eating, it can also mean ravenously attacking or digging into a hearty meal.
Singlish also has an array of words that are simply invented, that don't mean anything on their own, but dramatically alter the tone of what you're saying when tacked on to the end of a sentence.
"I got the cat lah," is an assurance that you have the cat. "I got the cat meh?" is the puzzled realisation that you may have lost it.
Some Singlish phrases are also used in Malaysia but others are unique to Singapore.
To "merlion" is to vomit profusely, and refers to Singapore's national icon, the Merlion, a half-fish half-lion statue that continuously spouts water.
Thanks partly to social media, Singlish, which used to be only a spoken language, is now starting to evolve in written form with spelling that reflects how the words are pronounced.
"Like that" can be "liddat."
"Don't play play" - a phrase popularised by 1990s sitcom character Phua Chu Kang, meaning roughly "don't mess around with me" - is more accurately written as "Donch pray pray".
Confused? Donch get kancheong.
Spend enough time in Singapore and you sure get it lah.
Some of your comments and examples of Singlish:
Some slangs that are more commonly used among students include "mugging", which means studying very hard, "siao", meaning to the extreme, and "sian", meaning tired and boring Vanessa Kin, Singapore
If something is disagreeable, people will yell "alamak!" Tom, Singapore
Growing up in Singapore, my parents used to frown upon the usage of Singlish, whether we were talking informally at home or with others while outside. They'd insist that we spoke proper English and even had me attend English-language tutorial classes, in addition to having English lessons at school. They'd also prohibit us from watching local TV programmes where the use of Singlish was prevalent. Consequently, I grew up not being able to hold a decent conversation in Singlish and that presented problems for my social life, e.g. ordering food at a local food centre was difficult if the stall owners couldn't understand what I wanted. The problem was especially bad during my National Service conscription period, where I had to work hard to integrate myself with the rest of the boys as we slogged through training together and also having to make sure I didn't incur the wrath of the instructors and trainers because I appeared to be too "posh" as it were. These days, I've learnt to switch between speaking proper English and Singlish depending on the situation I find myself in. Although I do not live in Singapore anymore at the moment, I still find myself smiling whenever I hear Singlish, and realise it's really a part of our national heritage. James Wong, Tokyo, Japan
When I lived in Singapore, your "sunnies" were your sunglasses, your "swimmies" was your bathing suit, and I was expecting at the time, so people would ask if I had been to the "gynie", meaning the gynecologist! Aileen, NYC, USA
"So bad one lah" (a random expression for something disagreeable!) Chwee, Swindon, England
Phrase: Pattern more than badminton. Explanation: Style over substance Lum Wai Loon, Singapore
When I was in Singapore I was asked questions such as "Where you go?" So when I went on their very modern Metro system I was amused to hear an announcement in slow and meticulous "BBC English" saying "Please mind the gap". (The gap incidentally was minuscule compared to some of those on the London Underground.) David Jenner, Bamford, UK
Being a transplanted Singaporean, I am glad (from this article) that I am perceived to be 'better educated' and not just 'atas' (snobbish!) However there are occasions when even I am baffled, most recently after watching a music video (proudly Made In Singapore!), "Unbelievable" where I came across the phrase "stunned like vegetable..." Now even I admit to being blur like sotong when it comes to this! Nicholas Tan, Salford, UK
Having lived in the region for four years, the language felt very efficient, using prepositions as words - "Can you on the fan?" "Can you off the aircon?" - to be always met with the response "OK lah!" Andrea, Marlow, UK
"Want to go out. Can or not?" Question: "Have you been to Malaysia?" Answer: "Ever!" Daniel Muthuswamy, Chennai, India
I may have lived abroad for many years, but I definitely retain my Singlish skills. It evolves continuously with new terms getting introduced every year I return. In Singapore, speaking Singlish builds instant rapport, and because of its nuances, people can easily distinguish between a real native or a newbie. Not using Singlish in a non-work setting when someone is evidently local makes the person appear "jumped up" or insecure about their culture and identity, especially if compounded by a fake foreign (ie US/UK/Aussie) accent. I'm glad that the 'establishment' are recognising the real role Singlish plays in creating cohesion within this multiracial space. Sharliza, London, UK
My favourite is "see how" in answer to a situation whose outcome you can't predict, so you wait to "see how" it turns out. Andra Leo, Singapore
Been to Singapore once. I am amused with calling someone "uncle" even if it's not your relative. Chitetskoy, Manila, Philippines
I learnt Singlish when I went to a local school in Singapore around Siglap where the first phrase I learnt was "relax lah brother, can tankap one corner" from this Malay kid. But I have to say one of favourite phrase is "boh jio! never invite me leh!" whenever I go back to Singapore mainly to visit my dad I somehow unconsciously start speaking Singlish as my lingua franca language amongst my old Singaporean friends but I do get stumped at the coffee shops when I order the different variations. You going from "Could I have a flat white and a bacon roll please" in London to "Uncle! Kopi ci Kai Ci! Kaya toast one!" David Houghton, UK
Favourite phrase is definitely "Eh that level of jio is bo" which is another way of saying "bojio", meaning "Why you never invite me?" Denise, Singapore
I love Singlish. It is colourful, expressive and reflects the wit, humour, history and multiculturalism of Singaporeans. When I first arrived I struggled with the quick delivery, the lilt and the Malay / Hokkien / appropriated words but Singaporeans are resourceful and there was an app for that! I downloaded it and soon I was ordering limau asam boi and yong tau foo in my favourite hawker centre with confidence. A Carey, London, UK
The article misses out on the word "Kiasu". Used profusely in Singapore previously it has less popularity among Singaporeans now because it is a negative term denoting a behaviour emanating from intense materialism, a selfishness ( the 'Me' syndrome) and a desire to be liked at the same time as being looked up to. Choo Weng Choong, King's Lynn, UK
"Sian" is one word in Singlish that can be used in a many contexts and accurately expresses emotions so I like it a lot because it's so efficient. Generally it means to be sick and tired of something or bored or being caught in bothersome situations you can't do anything about. E.g. English: I'm so sick and tired of going to work every day. Singlish: Everyday go work, very Sian. English: The plane got delayed. Singlish: Plane delay, Sian. Caryn, Singapore
You forgot to mention the phrase "Same Same" - you can go around all day and say this! it covers a multitude of meanings and everyone understands what you mean, although this phrase is not just limited to Singlish, you can use it all over South East Asia. Tom Ayre, Kristiansand, Norway
My wife is Chinese and uses lah all the time. My favourite of her expressions is when she puts her phone on silent: "No ding dong" Andy, Baldock, UK
Actually Singlish was developed in both Malaysia and Singapore, not just in Singapore alone. And the most used word in "lah" is a Malay word. Tones are very important. And adding a word to "can" with a correct tone can bring eight different meanings to can: Can ah ? - Can you?; Can la - Can; Can leh - Yes, I think so; Can lor - Yes, Of course; Can hah? - Are you sure?; Can hor - You are sure then; Can meh? - Are you certain?; Can bo? - Can or not; Can can - Confirm; Can liao - Already done Ng Wah Lok, Malaysia
My kids speak impeccable English being products of British and now Australian school system. My wife and I are often under close scrutiny from them on grammar, and use of idioms. The only way we rebel against the kids are when we speak really "deep Singlish" with a spatter of colloquial Malay. It's funny as we observe the kids often scratch their heads trying to decipher the words. Most of the time they only come to know the meaning when we go back to Singapore / Malaysia to visit family. It's me and my wife's only "secret language" around the house. I do welcome the acceptance of Singlish as more mainstream but now it means that me and my wife have to learn a new language (perhaps Russian "govoryu Pa-russki") to confuse the kids! Ahmad Nazhar, Perth, Australia
Only Singaporeans can understand and appreciate: Singlish is the only language in the world that expresses with emotion from text messages. Simon, Singapore
"Area Masjid Sultan is a decent makan place la..." said my friend Ansari. A Singaporean born but now settled down with his family in Sydney. "Makan" is a Malay word for eat and "Masjid" is borrowed from Arabic for mosque. That short sentence above means, "You can get a decent food nearby Sultan Mosque..." Mohd Ayub Sulong, Mayfield, Australia
The Singlish expression "WALAOEH!" is an all-time favourite. It is used mostly to express disapproval, but can also be used to show one's disbelief, ie. a surprise. For example, when visiting a durian stall, one may say "Walao-eh! This durian so big sia!" Mike Lim, Singapore
Question: "How are you? Are you ok?" Possible answers: Ok lah (I'm fine); Ok lor (I'm fine, I guess); Ok lah! (I'm definitely fine); Ok meh? (Am I ok? Don't think so) James, Singapore
I like the long phrases because they are so unique and amusing. "Pattern zuay guay badminton" is a derogatory term for someone sneaky who has got lots of hidden designs. "Chop chop Kali pop (curry puff)" just means hurry up! Li Ching, Singapore
I do like the way Singlish draws on other languages for certain words that just don't have an equivalent in English: my favourite is the loan word 'pai-kwan' taken from Hokkien. It refers to someone who is too eager for any kind of financial gain, no matter how small. For example, "He is so pai-kwan one: when he realized that they were giving out free samples, he shamelessly jostled his way to the front of the queue, knocking over a few old ladies in the process." Alex Liang, London, UK
The use of 'ever' to replace 'have' is quite common. "You go Bangkok, is it? I ever go there oready" translates to "You're going to Bangkok, are you? I've already been there." Ken, Montreal, Canada
I going to watch movie, ghost movie lah , sure very nice one, you want to follow me? Today my mother cooked nasi goreng, so sedap lah, come lah I give you some.. Dewi, Italy
"No more already" means , " it's over long ago.." Mukunda, Bangalore
You know a Singaporean is worth his or her salt when they hear, "eh that guy so stylo milo (trying too hard to be stylish)" and replies, "yeah he think he some yaya papaya (someone who thinks he or she is very important)" Rebecca, Singapore
Here, we include everyone into our way of living, add in our famous efficient character, we live, play and eat together without discrimination (eg. Ah Chan, lai canteen, lunch Yusof blanjar Thosai - Ah Chan, come to the canteen. Yusof treating us Thosai for lunch.) This is what I call My "swee!" Life (My beautiful Life). Gavin, Singapore
Friday 28 August 2015
Montessori Activity: Small Bead Frame - Dynamic Addition (With Exchange)
Note: I am showing the large bead frame above, because it is not necessary to buy both the small bead frame and the large bead frame. I am using the large bead frame to do the small bead frame exercises.
AGE: 5.5 (after the child has worked with the Stamp Game)
OBJECTIVE(S):
To show the relationship between the different place values in the decimal system.
MATERIALS:
1. Small bead frame
2. 1 worksheet
3. 1 green, red and blue pencil
PRESENTATION:
1. Read a problem to your child, i.e.:
4679
+ 2864
---------
7543
2. Slide 9 green unit beads to the right.3. During the process of adding 4, slide 1 green unit bead over to the right, which makes the total of 10.
4. Exchange by sliding 10 green unit beads back to the left and 1 blue ten bead the right.
5. Continue sliding the 3 remaining green unit beads to the right, counting as you go along... 2, 3, 4.
6. Count the beads on the right, i.e. 13 and record it on the worksheet.
7. Next slide 7 blue ten beads to the right.
8. During the process of adding 6, slide 2 blue ten beads over to the right, which makes the total of 10.
9. Exchange by sliding 10 blue ten beads back to the left and 1 red hundred bead to the right.
10. Slide the remaining 4 blue ten beads to the right, counting as you go along... 3, 4, 5, 6.
11. Count the beads on the right, i.e. 140 and record it on the worksheet.
12. Slide 6 red hundred beads to the right.
13. During the process of adding 8, slide 3 red hundred beads to the right, which makes a total of 10.
14. Exchange by sliding 10 red hundred beads back to the left and 1 green thousand bead to the right.
15. Continue sliding the 5 remaining red hundred beads to he right, counting as you go along... 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
16. Count the beads on the right, i.e. 1500 and record it on the worksheet.
17. Slide 4 green thousand beads to the right from the first addend.
18. Slide another 2 green thousand beads to the right for the second addend.
19. Count the beads on the right and record the answer in the worksheet i.e. 7543.
1. Read a problem to your child.
2. Slide 9 green unit beads to the right.
3. During the process of adding 4, slide 1 green unit bead over to the right, which makes the total of 10.
4. Exchange by sliding 10 green unit beads back to the left and 1 blue ten bead the right.
5. Continue sliding the 3 remaining green unit beads to the right, counting as you go along... 2, 3, 4.
6. Count the beads on the right, i.e. 13 and record it on the worksheet.
7. Next slide 7 blue ten beads to the right.
8. During the process of adding 6, slide 2 blue ten beads over to the right, which makes the total of 10.
9. Exchange by sliding 10 blue ten beads back to the left and 1 red hundred bead to the right.
10. Slide the remaining 4 blue ten beads to the right, counting as you go along... 3, 4, 5, 6.
11. Count the beads on the right, i.e. 140 and record it on the worksheet.
12. Slide 6 red hundred beads to the right.
13. During the process of adding 8, slide 3 red hundred beads to the right, which makes a total of 10.
14. Exchange by sliding 10 red hundred beads back to the left and 1 green thousand bead to the right.
15. Continue sliding the 5 remaining red hundred beads to he right, counting as you go along... 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
16. Count the beads on the right, i.e. 1500 and record it on the worksheet.
17. Slide 4 green thousand beads to the right from the first addend.
18. Slide another 2 green thousand beads to the right for the second addend.
19. Count the beads on the right and record the answer in the worksheet i.e. 7543.
Montessori Activity: Small Bead Frame - Static Addition (Without Exchange)
Note: I am showing the large bead frame above, because it is not necessary to buy both the small bead frame and the large bead frame. I am using the large bead frame to do the small bead frame exercises.
AGE: 5.5 (after the child has worked with the Stamp Game)
OBJECTIVE(S):
To show the relationship between the different place values in the decimal system.
MATERIALS:
1. Small bead frame
2. 1 worksheet
3. 1 green, red and blue pencil
PRESENTATION:
1. Read a problem to your child, i.e.:
3461
+ 2132
---------
3. Ask your child to build the second addend with the remaining beads, i.e. slide 2 green unit beads to the right, 3 blue ten beads to the right, 1 red hundred bead to the right and 2 green thousand beads to the right.
4. Count the beads on the right and record the answer, i.e. 5593 on the worksheet.
5. Read aloud the question and answer with your child before you end.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:
1. Read a problem to your child...
2. Ask your child to build the first addend on the bead frame, i.e. slide 1 green unit bead to the right, 6 blue ten beads to the right, 4 red hundred beads to the right and 3 green thousand beads to the right.
3. Ask your child to build the second addend with the remaining beads, i.e. slide 2 green unit beads to the right, 3 blue ten beads to the right, 1 red hundred bead to the right and 2 green thousand beads to the right.
4. Count the beads on the right and...
record the answer, i.e. 5593 on the worksheet.
5. Read aloud the question and answer with your child before you end.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
J tried this out for the first time today. We started with 4-digit static addition and he wanted something more difficult. We proceeded to 5-digit static addition. He found it challenging learning to read the 5-digit numbers, but had a lot of fun with it. We did this exercise in Chinese Mandarin. I have recorded a video of him trying to read the 5-digit numbers:
1 September 2015 (6Y5M27D)
Montessori Activity: Small Bead Frame - With Exchange
AGE: 5.5 (after the child has worked with the Stamp Game)
OBJECTIVE(S):
To show the relationship between the different place values in the decimal system.
MATERIALS:
1. Small bead frame
2. 1 worksheet
3. 1 green, red and blue pencil
PRESENTATION (WITH EXCHANGE - WITH ZERO):
1. Slide the green unit beads one by one to the right, and as you do so, say, "one unit, two units" all the way to 10 units.
2. After having counted 10 green units say, "Ten units make one ten," and move the 10 green unit beads back to the left and at the same time move 1 blue ten bead to the right.
3. Ask your child to record this on paper and ask your child if there is any green unit bead left. He will say no, and because there are no green unit beads left, ask him to write a zero in the unit column on the worksheet and a 1 on the ten column on the worksheet.
5. Repeat this for the tens, hundreds, and thousand.
6. Continue counting and moving 10 blue ten beads to the right.
7. After having counted 10 blue beads, say, "10 blue ten beads make 1 hundred," and move the 10 blue beads back while moving 1 red bead to the right.
8. Ask your child to record this on paper and ask your child if there is any blue ten bead left. He will say no. Ask him to write a zero in the ten column on the worksheet and a 1 on the hundred column on the worksheet.
9. Continue counting and moving 10 red hundred beads to the right.
10. After having counted 10 red beads, say, "10 red hundred beads make 1 thousand," and move the 10 red beads back while moving 1 green bead from the 4th wire to the right.
11. Ask your child to record this on paper and ask your child if there is any red hundred bead left. He will say no. Ask him to write a zero in the hundred column on the worksheet and a 1 on the hundred column on the worksheet.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:
Montessori Activity: Small Bead Frame - Forming Numbers (Without Zero)
Note: I am showing the large bead frame above, because it is not necessary to buy both the small bead frame and the large bead frame. I am using the large bead frame to do the small bead frame exercises.
AGE: 5.5 (after the child has worked with the Stamp Game)
OBJECTIVE(S):
To show the relationship between the different place values in the decimal system.
MATERIALS:
1. Small bead frame
2. 1 worksheet
3. 1 green, red and blue pencil
PRESENTATION (WITHOUT ZERO):
1. Write a number on paper, such as 3256.
2. Slide one green unit bead at a time to the right and count as you go along until you have moved 6 green unit beads to the right.
3. Do the same by sliding 5 blue ten beads, 2 red hundred beads and 3 green thousand beads to the right, counting them as you go away. Say, "You now have 3256."
4. Slide all the beads back to the left, invite your child to write a number on the notation paper and try out making this number on the bead frame himself.
5. Next invite your child to compose a number on the bead frame and composes the number on his notation paper.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:
1. Write a number on paper, such as 3256.
2. Slide one green unit bead at a time to the right and count as you go along until you have moved 6 green unit beads to the right.
3. Do the same by sliding 5 blue ten beads to the right...
sliding 2 red hundred beads to the right...
and sliding 3 green thousand beads to the right, counting them as you go away. Say, "You now have 3256."
4. Slide all the beads back to the left, invite your child to write a number on the notation paper and try out making this number on the bead frame himself.