Book Review: Internal Drive Theory, Motivate your child to want to study

OK, this book review is way over due. I have actually finished reading the book months earlier but somehow simply did not have the time to write a proper review.

I am very proud to say that I actually know the author of this book: Internal Drive Theory, Motivate your child to want to study. How cool is that?! You can find out more about the author, Dr Petunia Lee and her book here.

Alright, back to the book review, here's what I like about the book:

i) It is is very easy to read. When I am reading the book, it feels like Petunia is talking to me. Concepts are clearly put across and easily understood.

ii) It is written within the context of Singapore's education system, which to me, is very important. I have read other books regarding early childhood and Home-schooling, but those books are written by authors who are from less rigorous education systems. Singapore's education system is not for the faint-hearted. We all know how competitive it is and this book shares tips and methods to encourage and motivate your child to want to excel in his/her school work.

iii) Real live examples. Petunia conducts her "experiments" on her son, so her methods are tried and tested with success! I guess it also helps that I read Petunia's blog regularly, and thus I can relate to her and her son, Little Boy very well.

iv) Very cute illustrations. Petunia's daughter is quite an artist! She designed the cover page, as well as all the illustrations in the book. These cute drawings kept me very entertained! ;)

v) Realistic. This book is written from the perspective of a mother. Other than to motivate your child to want to excel in his/her school work, this book also sets the right tone in encouraging parents to teach their children the important values in life.

In conclusion, I will definitely recommend this book to parents who have young children. In fact, I can foresee myself re-reading this book again and again when Beanie starts her primary education.

Am I Harry Potter’s oldest fan?

If the movie is based on a book, I’ll usually say the book is better. And that is true like 95% of the time… but the Harry Potter series; I must congratulate the directors, producers and the casting crew. They have made the movies better than the books.

I’ve read the books and I’m CRAZY about Harry Potter and the whole Hogwarts thingy. I’ve spent many hours imagining the setting and scenery while reading the books, but when the very first movie of Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone debuted in 1997, I was blown away.

The casting was perfect. Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are also very well portrayed by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson respectively. I enjoyed every single Harry Potter movie and it was so amazing to see the producers’ interpretation of J.K Rowling’s world of magic, Hogwarts and the mystical creatures.

The 7TH and the finale (Part 1), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will premier on 18 Nov island wide. I cannot wait to catch the movie!!! But I will be out of town until 28 Nov. Argh… I guess I’ll just have to wait patiently.

And everytime there's a Harry Potter movie on TV, I MUST watch it, even if I have already watched most of them for at least 3 times. Hub will just roll his eyes whenever I go gaga over Harry Potter. Well... now that Hermione has become a hot babe, Hub starts watching Harry Potter too, or at least whenever she's on screen. *guys?!?!?!*

Meanwhile, I’m reading the Deathly Hallows for the 3rd time?!?! Anyone has the dvd for The Half-blood Prince to refresh my memory?

Beatrice and Virgil

During the long weekend, a wonderful friend, D gave me a present, a book, titled “Beatrice and Virgil” by Yann Martel.

I am familiar with this author as I have read his award winning book, “Life of Pi” for at least 3 times. I enjoyed “Life of Pi” so much that, I insisted D to read it and in fact, bought him a copy as a present a few years back. And now, D returned the favor. ;)

"Beatrice and Virgil" is a captivating book, once I started, I could not stop. Luckily it was rather easy to read (but hard to digest), and I was able to complete the book in a day. And after that, I could not stop thinking about the book.

It’s the way Yann writes, the way he describes that make you go "hmmmmm". There is a particular section of the book where the lead character describes a pear to another character that has NEVER seen nor eaten a pear before. The description is so vivid and full of life that, I really felt like eating a pear at that very moment when I was reading the book.

Now, I ask myself how I’ll describe a simple object or event that I take for granted everyday, but yet, someone else might have never experienced before…

1) How would I describe the aroma of freshly ground coffee to someone who has never smelled coffee?
2) How would I describe the sight of a butterfly resting on a flower to someone who has never seen a butterfly?
3) How would I describe the thrill of sprinting down a slope to someone who cannot walk?

By forcing myself to describe each object/action in details, allowed me to internalize and then truly appreciate the very object/action that I’m about to describe.

The book is easy to read but hard to digest… the book is about the Holocaust and how 2 different men, but with the same name dealt with it.

How would you describe the horror that you have witnessed to someone who has never been through hardship?

How would you describe the pain and anguish that you have suffered to someone who lives the privileged life?

How would you describe the senseless violence that you have gone through to someone who has never been through unrest or war?

Personally, I find the ending of the book too abrupt and there are parts of the book that I do not understand. Compared to “Life of Pi”, which I think has a better closure and development of the characters; “Beatrice and Virgil” seems a little chaotic and unfinished. But is that intentional?

Nonetheless, it is a worthy read. Highly recommended.

p/s: so is "The Life of Pi"

Another year to slog

Ideally, I should have passed my CFA level 3 by now, and can finally start thinking about starting a family. I’m in my earlier 30s… and biologically, it is about time to have children before age-related complication sets in.

But life isn’t all rosy and no matter how hard I try, things just do not go according to plan. I really did sit down and study for this Level 3 exam, but either I’m getting senile or I’m really just a stupid person, I did not manage to clear the exam, which already was my 2nd attempt.

1st attempt: I was busy with the wedding prep and subsequent house hunting activities that I did not prepare well for the exam. So, I jolly well deserved to fail.

2nd attempt: Wedding was over and finally got myself a HDB flat, I put in the effort and really sat down and studied. I did all the mock exams provided and went through all my notes. I really wanted to pass the exam and proceed to get my chartership. But, when I saw the morning paper… I panicked. The structure of the paper was very different from what I had been practicing and basically, I had no idea what the questions were asking about.

With that, I flunked.

Next year will be my 3rd attempt and I cannot afford to fail this time round. I have registered for the course early and once my books arrived, I will start studying. I will also sign up for “tuition” classes and seriously intend to be a “chao mugger”.

Haiz, the disappointment and shame that I have to endure for my “failure” is very, very, very difficult to stomach. In fact, I was moping around for the past weeks and took me a while to finally accept that what ever grand plans I have about having children, will just have to be postponed for another year.

Some friends commented that I should just go ahead with family planning and not let CFA be a hindrance. But I find this exam to be highly demanding and the fact that I have to juggle between my job, my personal life and the exam is already killing me. I simply cannot imagine being pregnant AND study 6 books and sit through 6 hours of mind boggling exam in a day. Yup, the 1st paper will start from 9-12, a break of 2 hours, then the 2nd paper from 2-5pm. And usually you will not have time to even pee nor drink any water during the intensive 3 hours per paper. It would be just scribbling, scribbling and punching madly into the calculator.

Just the thought of taking this exam all over again, is already making me DEPRESSED.

Why am I doing this to myself…?