Travel
You might have been led to believe that holiday trip comes to an end after the arrival of baby. I don't. It's always a comfort to have the same view shared by others. That is the reason I purchased the book Travel With Children from the Lonely Planet shortly after my first trip with Jasmine.
As parents, we're no longer footloose travellers off the beaten track with itchy feet. This isn't to say we have less lovely memories for the family trips. We spent another
As parents, we're no longer footloose travellers off the beaten track with itchy feet. This isn't to say we have less lovely memories for the family trips. We spent another
Ginkgo
The very first time I paid attention to the yellow triangular leaves of ginkgo tree was when I visited Hiroshima more than four years ago. After taking a stroll around the city, I saw quite a number of ginkgo trees. It is called Ginkgo biloba , " biloba " meaning "two lobes", which indeed its leaf is.
I learned more about Ginkgo after my recent reading of Survivors , written by the paleontologist Richard Fortey . This tree appears to have survived for a long time, even longer than the dinosaurs.
I learned more about Ginkgo after my recent reading of Survivors , written by the paleontologist Richard Fortey . This tree appears to have survived for a long time, even longer than the dinosaurs.
Wild
A coda to this weekend's true delight is an outing with my daughter at the countryside, spending time under the tree and savouring its glamour and allure.
The lively walk was sprinkled with surprises. We met butterflies. We bumped into bird nest. We touched the ferns. It's hard to imagine a more funny way to learn the beauty of nature than playing with achenes attached to pappus of fine hair, watching them fly in the wind.
Which brings me to the scene with the glee of Jasmine pretending
Natural
Heard about René Redzepi? Not many do - even though, as the top chef running a restaurant voted the best in the world.
Redzepi hates artificial products. The Danish chef has never indulged in technological wizardry of molecular gastronomy; his restaurant served only foods produced within his region. To go with his philosophy of serving clients to taste the soil, Redzepi digs deeper into his immediate surroundings and comes up with dishes like a flowerpot stuffed with carrots and radishes.
To which a natural response might be "Ingenious" or
Redzepi hates artificial products. The Danish chef has never indulged in technological wizardry of molecular gastronomy; his restaurant served only foods produced within his region. To go with his philosophy of serving clients to taste the soil, Redzepi digs deeper into his immediate surroundings and comes up with dishes like a flowerpot stuffed with carrots and radishes.
To which a natural response might be "Ingenious" or
Penguin
I have long been an admirer of the behavioural ecologist. Animal behaviour, as most people know, is important but not easy to study.
I couldn't quote a better example than the recent white-flippered penguin story from the Science magazine. Those noisy penguins often squabble over their colonial territory, fighting with each other mano a mano. When it comes to fighting, the scientists were not particularly interested in whether it's a fist fight (of course, penguins can't) or flipper bash. Rather
I couldn't quote a better example than the recent white-flippered penguin story from the Science magazine. Those noisy penguins often squabble over their colonial territory, fighting with each other mano a mano. When it comes to fighting, the scientists were not particularly interested in whether it's a fist fight (of course, penguins can't) or flipper bash. Rather
Goldilocks
I've moved house for the umpteenth time. But this is the first time to move with a two-year-old baby.
Like other parents, we're inundated with myriad advice from everyone we know (and many people we don't know) on do's and don'ts, such as "don't pack the baby in a box." Ugh.
Like the three bears who venture in the story of "Goldilocks", we could never make prediction about what lies down
Like other parents, we're inundated with myriad advice from everyone we know (and many people we don't know) on do's and don'ts, such as "don't pack the baby in a box." Ugh.
Like the three bears who venture in the story of "Goldilocks", we could never make prediction about what lies down
Move
Count me a skeptic when it comes to moving house - and my skepticism is not ill-informed. I've moved more times than I have fingers.
Moving around, from the medical intern's hostel to any unoccupied room inside the hospital, is one of those skills you can never get better than me. Well, that was my nomadic way of living, if not necessarily my preferred one, and it turned out to be the cheapest way to stay near the hospital in my early years of work.
Moving around, from the medical intern's hostel to any unoccupied room inside the hospital, is one of those skills you can never get better than me. Well, that was my nomadic way of living, if not necessarily my preferred one, and it turned out to be the cheapest way to stay near the hospital in my early years of work.
The Help
In case you're wondering whether Kathyrn Stockett's novel The Help is as good as To Kill a Mockingbird , here is the answer: No. It's better.
Both stories talk about black African-American maid or housekeeper. Aibileen and Calpurnia were black, and I mention this for a reason. My domestic maid is coloured, as well. I love The Help more as the black maid in this novel, Aibileen, was helping to raise a little girl and that hits a strong chord with me
Both stories talk about black African-American maid or housekeeper. Aibileen and Calpurnia were black, and I mention this for a reason. My domestic maid is coloured, as well. I love The Help more as the black maid in this novel, Aibileen, was helping to raise a little girl and that hits a strong chord with me
On Call
It's a Friday in hospital full of activity for me. The first thing I did in the morning was to make sure my fountain pen brims with ink, and my cup with coffee.
On your mark, get set, go.
Within minutes, my beeper was on full blast, and my footprints were all over the hospital.
This is a hospital, and there's no reason why we don't talk about death. Soon after my morning clinic, I joined a pre-inquest meeting for
On your mark, get set, go.
Within minutes, my beeper was on full blast, and my footprints were all over the hospital.
This is a hospital, and there's no reason why we don't talk about death. Soon after my morning clinic, I joined a pre-inquest meeting for
I Know
Similar to comrades in the army, doctors within a team call each other for dinner even though we're busy.
It's fairly obvious that there isn't convenient time common to the doctors. "Alright, you go first, and I'll finish admitting my cases and join you guys in a minute."
As we all know, virtually nobody will turn up one minute after that remark. Even so, the phrase "in a minute" can mean anything like fifteen minutes or forever. The
It's fairly obvious that there isn't convenient time common to the doctors. "Alright, you go first, and I'll finish admitting my cases and join you guys in a minute."
As we all know, virtually nobody will turn up one minute after that remark. Even so, the phrase "in a minute" can mean anything like fifteen minutes or forever. The