Honey4Boyz

A rare full cold moon brightened up the sky on Christmas Day. It's the first time in 38 years that it's full moon on Christmas. December's nights are the longest of the year so we could see the full moon much longer and it's a typically cold month. What a rare treat indeed to end my homeschooling year with Brandon!  Drawings By Brandon:- On a still winter night H.M.S. Resolution in a Gale,  original painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1670) The cannon shot, original painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1680) Shipwreck on a cloudy night Hong Kong International Airport The Starry Night, original painted by Vincent van Gogh Brandon wrapped up his  Charlotte Mason  homeschooling year. It has been a very eventful year for him, and the family as well. We've thoroughly enjoyed the journey and saw the benefits of exposing him to a wide spread of interests and lotsa free time for him to explore and connect with things

Cookie was a nervous freak when she just joined our family in April 2015. It's a very timid dog, and it barked a lot especially when it's afraid. It's so hard to house train her and she hated to be confined. Cos of her agility and small size, she could jump over the fence easily. We're almost at our wit's end. After Cookie turned 'one', she's spayed on Dec 17 and stayed at the vet for 10 days.  We noticed a turn around in her since then. She's much calmer and always ready for an exercise. She also keeps her crate clean and dry the whole night. She still barks a lot, but she doesn't pee and poop so often whenever she's afraid. She's beginning to be more aware of our commands and instructions too. We're happy of her changes, it keeps our sanity for the time being.  "We gain some, we lose some" as the saying goes. We're proud of Cookie's progress, at the same time we lost Disney on Dec 29. The boys we

Things to do with your kids in Ho Chi Minh City... 1. Observe the transition to modernity Vietnam is opening up its economy and this brings a sharp increase in foreign investment. And it's changing the landscape of the city at lightning speed.  The Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches are like a type of breakfast staple, combining a mix of French baguette, pate and native Vietnamese ingredients, eg cilantro, cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon and a drizzle of soy sauce. This trip, I saw a shift in trends - in December, two McDonald's were opened in downtown. I also saw a fast-growing trend from sidewalk stalls to the more upmarket lifestyle cafes. 2. French architecture in postcolonial HCMC.  You can walk anywhere in the city and noticed the influence of French in their buildings, food and culture. Most of these buildings were built in the late 19th century like the General Post Office, Notre Dame church, opera house and some hotels. 3. Soak in the music &

Posted by Xian Jin I had a very memorable trip to Vietnam recently. It really was an eye-opening trip, because the life and culture there was totally different from Malaysia. Despite staying there for only 7 days, we took the opportunity to uncover this city as much as we could, to blend in with the lifestyle of the people who, only a few decades back, had gone through terrible sufferings of war. I could see that the Vietnamese loved being outdoors, and I liked how they can always be found in groups scattered around parks or in shops just to chitchat or play some games. Unfortunately, this is something uncommon in Malaysia.  Even at night, people crowd around in squares to watch musical performances, a mini-football game or to just gather around and chitchat. Ho Chi Minh is known for having rows and rows of shops selling the same things, be it guitars, sports equipment or shoes. I enjoyed visiting these shops, as I could join in with them or even just watch

Written by Xian Wei When I heard that we were going to Vietnam, I knew that it was going to be an exciting trip.  We were going to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, the old city name, for 7 days.  The weather forecast was around 23~25'C but when we arrived it was 30+'C! So much for bringing jeans...  We stayed in a 4-star hotel called Paragon Saigon hotel, next to many other hotels. We went to many must-go sites, like the  Ben Thanh  market, War Remnants museum, The Post Office( Bưu điện ) , Notre Dame Cathedral, Mekong Delta etc. There were many French architecture because the country was colonized by France for 100 years, But now it's a communist country. A common sight in the city- the messy electrical wires! Whoever who manages to 'organize' the mess into a systematic order should be elected as mayor. I hope it doesn't make one go hair-wired... One of the most memorable things I enjoyed in Vietnam was the food. Their food is very simpl

After battling with his physical conditions for two full years, my father succumbed to his illness on Dec 7 in the wee hours of the morning - in the hospital. None of the family was present at that time. It happened fast, and he was gone to be with the Lord. In these two years as one of the caretakers, I was so indebted to HUKM KL and Hospis Malaysia. No words can describe my gratitude to the staffs who've labored there, taking care of aged patients with life-limiting illnesses. My late father was a regular patient at HUKM especially in the last two years. From the parking attendant to the ward nurses, we exchanged casual conversations cos of familiarity.  One thing I learned from the hospital visits - waiting. Wait for a car park, registration, appointments, medical tests, check-up, pharmacy, discharge, etc. The Emergency was always overcrowded. The wards were always full. The queue was always too long. During those times, I observed the medical and support staff at w

Posted by Xian Jin Once again, I registered for my 3rd Kiwanis Youth Camp. It was located at Earth Camp, Gopeng for 5 days and 4 nights. I joined this camp again even though I knew some of the activities were the same, but there's a new theme every year. I learned that there's no such thing as a good choice or a bad one. The only reason why we label choices as 'good' or 'bad' is based upon what we think the outcome will be. In order to make choices, you have to be AWARE. Only then, we start to make choices.  We were exposed to many different activities, like whitewater rafting, high ropes and climbing and caving. We also did indoor activities, like public speaking. I faced my fears, even those that I wasn't aware of before, and completed all the activities, even enjoyed myself in the process. The whitewater-rafting and high ropes were really challenging, as I had to look out for my teammates and for myself at the same time. This year I

It could be the free time Brandon has in his homeschooling environment. Or it could be the prolonged haze that deterred all outdoor activities. He became very obsessed with playing chess. He took every opportunity he had, playing with his father or brothers, but mostly his online chess enthusiasts. He already knew how to play chess, but was playing it casually. We thought he will revert to some normalcy after the haze is gone. But the craze continues... We allowed him to immerse in chess cos we're so caught up with many other issues during that time. It's a very good distraction. W e're too busy to send him to any classes then, which turned out well for him.  He watched chess games of other grand masters, analysed the moves and even appreciated some of the brilliant moves. The free time really allowed him to blossom and learn on his own.  Jin was equally a good chess player but he's so tied down with school work that he hardly had time to play and enjoy the ga

Our study of the banana trees in our garden led us to many discoveries. As we observed the trees day after day, we noticed the growth, the living creatures that the trees had supported, the changing weather and environment and the butterflies and moths that they had attracted. Brandon has started a 'Banana Journal'.   The Lady Finger Banana or  Pisang Mas  has very thin skin and the flesh is very sweet. The lengthwise veins on the leaves make them weak, easily tear in the wind. A very interesting discovery about the banana skippers. These are leaf-rolling caterpillars. Watch out for tears on the leaves but these are not caused by the wind. Rather, these leaves are torn and rolled beautifully as shelter to the larvae of the banana skipper. Other than a shelter, the leaves also provide a food source for the larvae and they leave behind lotsa, lotsa 'poop', an obvious tip to the predator wasps! Look out, they also have a supernatural ability

"A home entertainment during the Sept/Oct forest-fire haze." The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the DESERT shall rejoice, and blossom as the ROSE (Isaiah 35:1). (esor tresed) A grass family - very useful as tea, soup, curries. Its oil can repel mossies and attract honeybees.  (ssargnomel) Find the name of the 'lookalike' Christmas Star that led the Magi to baby Jesus. (mehelhteb fo rats)  From time immemorial, many civilisations looked for silkworms. Where do you think they'll find them? (sevael yrreblum) "I belong to the Witch Hazel family'. "Lookout!" I have many little fuschia hanging baskets over me. Botanists call me loropetalum chinense var. rubrum. A dog sheds its hair. But this shedding falls right into our garden. In ancient time, they even used it as clothing. What's Cookie favourite pastime when it's bored? Look deeper, but make sure you&#