Posted on 19 August 2007 @ 21:40 in Stress Busters
Happy Birthday, Mei Sheng!
He turns 4 today, and will be returning to his mother’s birthplace – Wolong, China – in October. This has been announced, and much as some Pandas Unlimited members do not like it, it’s a fact of life. Panda cubs born to panda parents on loan from China have to return home anytime after they turn 2. His sister, Hua Mei, returned in late 2003, and soon, he will be joining her.
It’s a 4-year difference between Hua Mei and Mei Sheng. When an ultrasound confirmed Bai Yun’s pregnancy in 2003, it showed two fetal heartbeats. After he was born, the zoo kept a 24-hour watch for the second cub, but after about 48 hours, announced that the fetus had probably been re-absorbed into the mother’s body. So, yes, Mei Sheng was a twin.
I got to meet him in November 2006 and find him to be the most gorgeous young panda I’ve ever seen in person. Here are some pictures, including screencaps, of him over the years; the last picture is from a video I took of him pacing the off-exhibit area.
He was exactly a month old in this picture:
1 month 4 days:
4 months 3 days:
Almost a year old:
Nursing:
Good boy at his mummy’s feet:
3 years 3 months (my favourite picture of him, because I took it):
More Mei Sheng pictures
Video: Mei Sheng pacing the off-exhibit area
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Posted on 11 August 2007 @ 22:54 in Gadgets
If ever there’s a bumper sticker that says I 
my Dana, I will gladly put it on my car. Of course, for those not in the know, they might think I’m just declaring my love for someone called Dana. Dana Delaney or Dana Carvey? Neither.
Dana is my portable word processor made by the former AlphaSmart company, since sold to Renaissance Learning.
On the Notebookism site is an article about typewriters, and the writer’s observation that “aside from a notebook, I think they’re the next best writerly thing.”
I disagree.
I personally think an AlphaSmart is better than a notebook – because you don’t have to retype any handwritten words – and more writerly than a typewriter – because it’s an improvement over the typewriter, and is in fact the typewriter of the 21st century.
There are actually two AlphaSmart products – the Dana and the Neo – but I prefer the Dana.
Neo lovers will tell you that a Neo is more writerly than a Dana. That’s because the Neo is a bare-bones word processor. Absolute zero distractions. It’s the closest thing to a typewriter, but with memory. The words are auto-saved. You can’t do anything but write with a Neo. Okay, you can add, subtract, multiply and divide on it – there’s a calculator onboard, but it can be disabled.
The Dana, my preferred AlphaSmart, is a little more sophisticated. It’s powered by Palm, so it has PDA functions – a calendar, memopad, to do list and calculator. And because it’s powered by Palm, you can add third party applications to it. On mine, I have BudgetMaster, CheckItLite, DayNotez, eReader, MyBible, etc. The Dana I’m using also has wireless so I can actually log onto the Internet at any wireless enabled public establishment. So it’s not as distraction-free as the Neo. But the wireless function is actually quite primitive, especially since the display is monochrome and the connection is snail slow. But the one wireless thing my Dana is excellent at is IM chatting. I still remember when I had to keep mother company in the hospital after surgery for her fractured wrist, and was saved from possible boredom through IM chat online with friends. Oh wait, that wasn’t via the wireless feature. That was using Bluetooth. Oh yes, the Dana has Bluetooth, too. Or rather, it has 2 expansion card slots that allowed me to plug in my Palm Bluetooth card and connect with my Bluetooth enabled handphone to get online. But I digress …
The features of AlphaSmart products – beginning from the very first AlphaSmart – include a full-sized keyboard, long battery life (up to 25 hours for the Dana and 700 hours for the Neo, both on 3 AA batteries), lightweight (less than 2 pounds), no heat, and a display, too, that allows you to see what you type (not too much, just a few lines, which help to keep the internal editor at bay), plus instant boot-on, with the cursor right where you left it before you switched off the machine after the last writing session.
AlphaSmarts were originally developed for the US education market. While that remains its primary market, there is also a secondary market comprising writers (published and yet-to-be) who have discovered that two particular AlphaSmart features – the lightweight and long battery life – help to unshackle them from their desktops and allow them to write anywhere.
I’ve actually forgotten what a pleasure it is to be able to write anywhere I want. This entry was originally written at my favourite San Francisco Coffee outlet. You won’t really know (and probably don’t care) where it was originally written because you don’t see me typing away, but I do have a picture of my Dana sharing table space with an empty, chocolate smeared plate and fork and ice blended extreme chocolate. What matters is I’m writing, and not at the usual writing spot (read desktop computer).
AlphaSmart products make writing a pleasure. Because you can write anywhere you want (except in water, but some users have already solved that by putting the machine in a ziplock bag) and don’t have to worry about the battery running out at a crucial point in the writing. And you can keep it by your bedside table (in place of a notebook and pen) to jot down those inspired middle-of-the-night moments.
I’ve actually forgotten the pleasure of writing on my Dana until this afternoon. And now I’ve rediscovered it again.
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Posted on 11 August 2007 @ 13:30 in Fun Stuff
Some of us are so fussy about spelling, maybe we should use the spell wrecker instead. Or input an sms text message to un-wreck it and find out what it really means!
Spell wrecker discovered through Richard’s Notes.
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Posted on 7 August 2007 @ 14:32 in Books
It’s not a compliment for a female to be told she’s “on the shelf” , but when the same expression is applied to a book, it means the book is available for purchase, and just in time for the country’s 50th Merdeka celebrations, too!
It also means the arrival of another Malaysian author in our midst – Chong Kwee Kim, the author and illustrator, is a journalist with The Star in Penang.
I had promised her a blog entry about her book and asked her for a hi-res picture of the book’s cover to go with it. But nothing beats a picture of the book on the shelves, and once again, I “delivered” – this time, at the MPH One Utama outlet.
At first glance, Ah Fu the Rickshaw Coolie may seem a simple book – it’s only 32 pages thick – but remember, never judge a book by its cover! The story, set in large clear type, is told in verse and said to be suitable for readers of all ages, ideal for reading aloud, according to the blurb on the outside back cover.
Aha! Ah Fu is a great introduction to reading and also encourages quality family time together as parents can read to their kids.
The story is accompanied by well-drawn colour illustrations that tell a story of their own – one that is historical and a fitting addition to the numerous books published to celebrate Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka. For the history of the country is more than a history of politicians and extraordinary men and women, but also a history of the common person in the street, someone like Ah Fu the rickshaw coolie, who contributed in his own small way to the making of Malaysia.
This makes a great little gift – go get a few copies for yourself, your family, and friends, too.
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Posted on 6 August 2007 @ 12:44 in Stress Busters
Just three days in the new world, and we have a picture of Mama Bai Yun’s latest baby. Thanks to IffyBear for the screencap!
Hua Mei, Mama Bai Yun’s first-born, was kept from the world for longer than three days, but then, as the first-born, she received much more protection from her first-time mama.
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