Boys and girls

"I'm not your boyfriend" - Chowder

When it's my turn to look after our sons, I feel like I am being punished when being made to watch Cartoon Network (CN) all day long by them. Not that I'm complaining, I still love cartoons!

Chowder

One of the boys' favourite CN show is Chowder, which is about an excitable young apprentice of a legendary chef, Mung Daal. Chowder loves food and dreams of becoming a great chef one day.

Panini is the apprentice to Ms Endive and who has a terrible crush on Chowder. She's convinced that Chowder is her boyfriend and takes every opportunity to let him know this.

Chowder does not return the feelings, which he strongly shows by responding, "I'm not your boyfriend!" everytime Panini greets him.

Boys vs Girls

We all know that a very young age, boys and girls hate, or rather, dislike each other, right? We've noticed that in our boys. The older one casually describes that boys play only with boys and should not mix with the girls, implying that girls are bothersome to play with.

We also know that television shows can influence our children's thoughts and behavious, right? This particularly struck us recently with our younger son.

"I'm not your boyfriend!"

On schooldays, I bring Cean to school in the morning while his mum and JP collects him in the afternoon. One day, on their way back home they pass by several girls (one of which is Cean's classmate) when suddenly, JP told them, "I'm not your boyfriend!" together with a look of dislike. Daisy was more embarrassed than surprised upon hearing it. Later that night, Daisy told me about this incident and I can't help but laugh.

That weekend of the incident, I brought the boys to our local Sainsbury's to do some groceries. Both of them would ride in the trolley while we coast along the alleys to find stuff we needed.

We pass by a group of girls, probably sisters and in their early teens. JP then gave the look and said, "I'm not your boyfriend!" I wanted to run away from the scene and if asked, disown my son.

When I told Daisy about it later that night, it was her turn to have a great laugh.

Boy Loves Girl

I'm glad that silly episode in our young family life is over now. Our little Chowder had found his Panini and when they are together they are oblivious to what's going on around them... while holding hands! I now tease him about it telling him that the next time he sees his "girl" (yes, that's what he calls her), say "I am your boyfriend!" He will just smile back and repeat it.

Photos: Chowder (Ben's Chill kid blog), Panini & Chowder (Baking the Baker blog) and Chowder & Panini (TVrage.com)

Website content management

I learnt a new computer skill today. I took a one-day basic website content management training course, for free.

In the organisation where I worked, I was named as the 'editor' that looks after our team's internet website contents. The web-content-management system our organisation will be using is SDL Tridion, apparently also used by RSPB (http://www.rspb.org.uk), Derbyshire County Council, Unilever and Emirates.

According to Wikipedia:

A web-content-management system (WCMS or Web CMS) is content management system (CMS) software, usually implemented as a Web application, for creating and managing HTML content. It is used to manage and control a large, dynamic collection of Web material (HTML documents and their associated images). A WCMS facilitates content creation, content control, editing, and many essential Web maintenance functions.

I learnt a lot of information that I think will also be helpful in my blogging, content management-wise. I still have to get hold of a copy of the presentation though so I'm not able to share them in this blog yet. So watch this space.

I am quite excited to start tinkering on my office computer soon, eager to try out my newly acquired computer skill.

Suicidal lemmings: a myth

The legend that says lemmings jump over the edges of seacliffs to drown in their thousands is a myth perpetuated by out-of-date books and the Disney corporation.

I know this legend for a long time now and believe it (like countless others, no doubt) without bothering to check whether it is true. Then I read an article on the Norway lemming (Summer 2009 edition of BBC Wildlife magazine), which exposed the origin of the myth.

According to the BBC Wildlife magazine:

The number one myth about lemmings, that they commit mass suicide by jumping off cliffs to drown themselves, is quite modern. Sometimes it even comes with a 'scientific' justification: the suicide would benefit the species in times of overcrowding. It seems so heroic, but unfortunately such behaviour simply does not exist in the animal kingdom. This did not stop Walt Disney from including footage of a lemming suicide in White Wilderness, released in 1958. The film crew bought about 1,000 lemmings from Inuit children, transported them to Alberta and created a set on top of cliffs by a stream. The lemmings were herded together on the edge - and driven over it. Needless to say, their 'fatal' plunge was a huge hit with the public.

So, always remember (especially if you have young impressionable kids like mine), don't belive everything you see at the movies.

Python v Alligator...it's a DRAW!

More than a week ago, I came across this strange story of an epic (must be!) battle between two fearsome predators in the Florida swamps.

This unusual clash between two deadly rivals, a 6-foot (1.8m) alligator and a 13-foot (3.9m) Burmese python ended in both of them dead.

The python gained the upper hand in this encounter. It tried to gobble its rival whole but then exploded. The alligator may have clawed at the python's stomach, causing it burst.

The python's remains were found with the alligator's tail protruding from its burst midsection. The python's head was missing. Surreal!

More of this story here.


Story and Photo: BBC News

We are (tennis-crazed) family

I am teaching my family to play lawn tennis this summer. By family, I mean my very eager wife and very excited sons age 6 and 4, respectively. By the end of summer we will be one tennis-crazed family and my sons will be tipped as the future British No. 1, perhaps the future world no. 1 player!


I have to say that I have not touched a tennis racket for seven years, that's quite a long while. But it didn't feel strange holding one again last week. The skills are still there as well. I played with a friend last week although my family went with me. I gave them a taster afterwards, which they really enjoyed. My younger son had great fun trying to hit the balls. It didn't surprise me at all as he loves all types of ball games.

Last Monday afternoon after work, we all went down to Central Park to play tennis. The scattered rains didn't put off Daisy and the kids. They scampered towards every ball despite the rains. I was playing with Daisy most of the time and the kids would just cut in and try to hit the ball. But most of the time the kids were happy left to themselves with their own rackets desperately trying to hit their balls.


We probably played for a couple of hours. We had mixed reactions from the kids afterwards. The older son, not exactly sports-minded, enjoyed just running about the tennis court with racket in hand and hitting, or rather, not hitting, the ball he carried with him. The younger one, however, was not such a happy bunny. He tried hard to hit the ball but most of the time he couldn't. He did erupted into big smiles and shouting hurrahs when I hold his hand and racket and let him hit a few balls.

So, if you come looking for us on Monday nights during this summer, chances are you will find all four of us in Central Park playing very competitively against each other. Game on!

Photos: Andy Murray in contactmusic.com and Central Park in Discover Peterborough website

My Lamborghini Gallardo is on fire

Photo: Peterborough Evening Telegraph

You have got to feel for the owner. Wouldn't you if you are driving your Lamborghini Gallardo out on a Friday night when suddenly smoke comes out from the engine and minutes later your supercar is burnt to ashes.

This happened two hours after I left the office last Friday looking forward to a daddy daycare weekend. When I arrived at the office yesterday morning I saw the burnt patch on the road, which is just outside the reception area of the building. I was curious to know so I checked out the local daily newspaper, Peterborough Evening Telegraph, for some news. The headline in the newstands says "Hundreds watch as supercar burns".

I thought it was just some car that burned last Friday. But no, it was a supercar! A 195mph Lamborghini Gallardo that costs UKS 115,000 to 130,000 brand new and UKS 75,000 and up when bought second hand. At that cost, it is like watching my house burned to the ground!

There are 5,000 to 6,000 of this supercar in existence with fewer than 400 running in Britain. Now it's one more less.