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Is it time to buy a Playstation?

By

ww

I’ve never been into video games, which probably explains why I’ve always told N that she wouldnt be allowed a Gameboy or the like until she was 10 years old. So imagine my annoyance when at the family Christmas get-together, my 11-year-old half sister (who N adores) lent N her Gameboy, and N was entranced, showing that she clearly had some talent despite being only 5-years-old.

Then a few days ago, her friend Rose (as mentioned in the previous post) brings the latest Gameboy to school, which was a present for her birthday. It was the envy of all the kids at school, especially N. Noticing this when I picked her up from school that day, I gently (but firmly) reminded her that she wasnt getting one until she was 10. She was very-grown up about it, as if resigned to her fate….

Now feeling guilty, I spoke to my husband about it (who, has been desperate for N to be old enough to play video games with him, a hobby he gave up when we had the kids). He said that if we had a “big one” (i.e. something he can play too) at the beach house, which she can only play on weekends or holidays, then MAYBE we can bend this rule a bit. Hmmmmmmm…….

The jury’s not out on thus, but I didn find an interesting article about ways parents can make video games “good” for kids, which I’ll be blogging about next.

Originally posted on April 18, 2007 @ 10:55 am

Pirates vs Ninjas

By

dd

Ok, I admit that maybe I am a teeny-weeny obsessed with pirates these days. My sister insists that I am, and although she was down with a nasty bug, managed to send me this email about the “Pirates vs Ninja” debate.

Its rather interesting if you asked me. The pirates are winning, with 263 votes, as opposed to the ninjas with 258. Here are some of the insightful comments on debate:

For the Pirates:

” Ah, the anachronism that is the ninja! Are there even any ninjas
left in the world, to fight the pirates? I am pretty sure that
the true ninjas went the way of the samurai (speaking of which,
in the movie THE LAST SAMURAI, ninjas and samurais duke it out,
and I am pretty sure that was anachronistic too) I say NAY!

Yet modern pirates abound! See The Outlaw Sea: A World of
Freedom, Chaos, and Crime by William Langewiesche. Pirates still
kick trash, even in a world of atom bombs and blackberries. In
fact, pirates probably use blackberries. Blackberries, eyepatches
and parrots. Yar, matey! “

For the Ninjas:

“Ninjas have the advantage on land. I mean, you can’t even see
them until it’s too late, and then you’ll never see them because
you have no head.

But on sea, pirates are dangerous. But a ninja could sneak on
board. And pirates are too loud. Yell and say yar, and are
usually drunk, so it is all ninja!”

[tags]pirates, convince me, pirate vs ninja, debate [/tags]

Originally posted on January 28, 2007 @ 8:56 pm

Why I Like Children’s Shows

By

television.gifThose who read my personal (tech) blog would know that I’m very fond of cartoons and other children’s shows. The reason: well, some shows on television today are not only geared towards children, but they’re adult- or parent-oriented, too.

For example, when P was a toddler, she loved watching High 5, Blue’s Clues and the Backyardigans on Nickelodeon. I got to appreciate the music and the artwork in those shows. Today, my kids are more fond of the Disney Channel than other channels on cable. We get to watch Art Attack!, Mickey Mouse cartoons and other such Disney offerings. And guess what one of our favorite shows is: Kim Possible. Actually, it’s more of a teen-oriented show, because of the nature of the characters (High Schoolers).

Of course, as time goes by, TV programs grow with their audiences, so you can expect the themes to become more mature. For instance, many of the Disney shows we watch like Kim Possible, Hannah Montana and Totally Spies often discuss relationships. This is similar to other now-defunct kid-oriented shows like the late 1990s’ Lizzie McGuire and the like.

The humor is usually witty enough even for the mums and dads to really appreciate. Sometimes I tend to worry that these might already be affecting my kids in a bad way. But then again, I tell myself they’re too young to understand such things.

However, it’s always best not to just ignore the risks. As a parent, I try to keep an active role whenever we watch TV or movies, so I can adequately explain the situations being depicted in a way my kids could understand.

Originally posted on February 21, 2007 @ 8:10 pm

Growing Up and The Tube Part Deux

By

ddd

Yes, we enjoyed Dynasty, V (remember the mice-eating aliens?), Taste the Blood of Dracula, and of course ALL the Disney classics, but we were also passionate about books, going through practically all the books in our Grandfather’s home library by the time we hit our teens. The public library and bookstores were also our favourite haunts, where we could spend entire afternoons happily choosing one or two.

And now that I think about it, we were extremely imaginative and creative kids who have grown into adults who now dont even watch much television at all. In fact, these days its either my kids or my husband who monopolize our televisions, and I don’t mind one bit.

Ok, I’ll watch Martha if it happens to be on after I drop my daughter at Kindergarten and am done with the gym or morning errands, and if the latest episode of Desperate Housewives is on, its definitely Mummy’s turn tonight – but, having said that, I actually can’t sit for long periods watching the tube. My bottom aches and I’d rather be making homemade ice cream or scrapbooking in my typical Supermom drive.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in less of a “granola” environment (the exact opposite actually) in an all-boys boarding school in England. Television was only allowed on weekends for a very limited time, and at home on holidays it was equally regulated. Not that today he’s become a coach potato, but lets just say that if he can, he’ll watch the entire DVD collection of Las Vegas or Stargate in a few days. And don’t tell anyone, but he doesn’t like reading much either.

[tags]Dynasty, television, reading, childhood[/tags]

Originally posted on November 26, 2006 @ 11:25 pm

Manamana!

By

dd

Yesterday morning after I took my daughter to Kindergarten, I was busy answering my emails when O toddled to my desk. He often does this when he sees me on my laptop, and most of the time (if I don’t have any deadlines to meet), I indulge him by going to the Thomas the Tank Engine or Bob the Builder sites. If his big sister is around, she play games while he watches, and fun seems to be had by all.

Anyway, for some reason, I was in You Tube, and somehow, we found the video “Manamana” as you see pictured above. Its a vintage Sesame Street/Muppets clip (wasn’t I just talking about this?) from the 70’s, and involves a very catchy tune “sung” by the two pink creatures (birds?) and the caveman-esque chap with the shades. It is absolutely delightful!

Well, O LOVED it, and just kept on cracking up when the caveman would pop up saying “manamana”. For what seemed like ages, we watched the clip over and over again, which eventually prompted me to sign up at the site and get more into memory lane by searching for more clips from the childhood, of which I found a couple of gems – “Eleven O’Clock!” and the clown who takes his makeup off. Hurrah!

When N got home from school, O just had to show her “anama!”, which she LOVED as well.
They watched it again first thing this morning, and now N wants them to sing it at out family Christmas party on Christmas Eve. Guess who’ll have to be one of the pink furry creatures?

To see the video, click HERE.

[tags]Muppets, manamana, Sesame Street,childhood[/tags]

Originally posted on November 28, 2006 @ 6:32 pm