Archive for September, 2007
September 23 2007: Review: HushDiamonds
Filed under Reviews with 11 Comments
Please note that I am writing this as a guest reviewer for Rhiannon as she has an insane number of people waiting for a review. Help a girl out!
Reviewing: Sandra of HushDiamonds
First Impressions
Hey there. You’re getting me instead of Rhiannon because a) I’m cooler, and b) I’m more Asian, c) I’m harsher, d) she’s swamped with requests. Choose the option you like most. What you’ll need to know: As a reviewer, I’m different to Rhiannon in that I will focus on your coding (semantics more than validity), site structure, and content more than I will focus on layout and aesthetics. I also don’t mince words, so where Rhiannon will make a joke about something, I’ll just say that you suck donkey’s balls. Yep. That’s right. Donkey’s balls. Nice and tasty.
September 22 2007: A Toddler On A Motorbike
Filed under Family with 13 Comments
Apparently there’s a 21-year-old motocross champion by the same of Casey Stoner, who’s making a splash on the international circuit. He’s one race away from being crowned world champion of the motocycling world. What struck me most though, were some quotes attributed to his father which were mentioned in my newspaper today, regarding Stoner’s natural aptitude for the sport.
- We used to ride everywhere on the farm and I was sitting on the back, directing him. He was controlling the bike by himself by 18 or 20 months, and got his first throttle blister at 18 months.
- [He] learnt things on a motorbike by three or four that I know adults have trouble mastering.
- He was very very fast at that age [six]. He could beat riders who were quite accomplished at a world level.
I also like this sentence in the article: “Before Stoner started school, his father judged him ready to race”.
Speaking of irresponsible parenting…this is another example. Regardless whatever the natural ability of the child, there should never be any instance where an eighteen month old toddler should be given the chance to control a motorbike that weighs fifty times what he does. Nor should a three/four year old be doing dangerous moves on a motorbike that adults can’t do. Nor should a six year old be racing against full-grown adults.
While I’m not of the “oh, let’s mollycoddle a child until they’re sixteen” persuasion (children need challenges thrown at them for the right reasons, to equip them with the skills they need in the ‘real world’), there are limits as to the challenges and experiences a child should have - especially if these experiences are dangerous and life-threatening. Six year olds racing motorbikes against full-grown adults crosses that line.
Shame on you Colin Stoner. You are an irresponsible father, risking the life of a child in order for you to, as the article states, “dangle him as bait before the major racing teams in the hope that one would snap him up”.
September 21 2007: Gag Reflex My Arse!
Filed under Family with 19 Comments
Was it terrible of me to forcefeed my brother sushi?
My parents have always been very lenient when it comes to his food choices - as such, he is an incredibly picky eater and his dinner inevitably consists of meat, egg, and rice, while his school lunches are a peanut butter sandwich and peeled apple slices. Breakfast is CocoPops (chocolate cereal), or two minute noodles. Mmm, nutritious. I sure can see all the food groups represented there.
In contrast, I was brought up to eat whatever was put in front of me - and thus depending on how braces-friendly the dish is (nothing too stringy that will get stuck between the metal, nor anything too hard that could break it), will eat almost anything except eggplant. I’ve tried to get into eggplant I really have. It just doesn’t work for me, no matter what sauce you dress it up with.
In any case, I finally got sick of how picky my brother was tonight, so I slapped him around a couple of times, whacked him with a leather belt, threw shoes at him, body slammed him to the wall, etc. etc. (hello Child Protection Agency!), and put a piece of home-made vegetarian sushi on his plate (rice, egg, avocado, cucumber, carrot) with the instructions “EAT IT OR WATCH ME SNAP ALL YOUR HARRY POTTER PS2 GAMES IN HALF!”. He tried his patented gag reflex to get out of eating it (he can make himself gag on command - that’s how he’s gotten past eating healthy foods in the past as my parents fall for it every time), but I replied with “YOU TRY FAKE VOMIT IT UP AND I’LL MAKE YOU EAT YOUR VOMIT - YOU’LL HAVE TO EAT THE SUSHI TWICE!”.
Needless to say, he ate the whole piece of sushi without further complaint or fake attempts at gagging. Tomorrow I’m going to make him eat some bokchoy. I’m planning steamed fish the day after.