China (Grand)Parents Gone Too Far

This is beyond understanding, does not make much sense, and forces me to ask “What’s the point?”

GRANDPARENTS are sitting in the same vacation classes with grandchildren in an attempt to help them with advanced math problems.

The trend emerges as some children fail parents’ high expectations in the subject dubbed both “Math Olympiad” and “Math Acrobatics.”

A lot of children become bored and fall asleep in summer classes and this is where grandparents lend a hand.

For example, Ni Yunkai, 11, a Grade Five elementary school student, yawned during a lecture in the advanced math class, while his 68-year-old grandmother Ni Bingru, who sat behind the children, listened and took notes…

The whole piece of news is here.

On that same note, here is a great presentation of Arthur Benjamin on math that really matters.

Shanghai 2010 World Expo Official Preview

People, this is a very solid reason for you to visit Shanghai (read: me) next year.

I’m very excited after watching this video. Not because of its production value, but the assemble of countries around the world to showcase what they have to offer. It’s a report card that shows what the humanity and different cultures have achieved thus far, and what lies beyond.

Can’t wait….

What do I care in Life?

That’s the question that my girlfriend asked me last night.

Coincidentally, i saw this quote while reading a book on my way to work this morning. This is my reply to her.

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. – Bessie A. Stanley

That’s pretty much me.

Good vs Evil

On the day that my girlfriend and i came back from holiday in Malaysia 2 weeks ago, i had a dinner in her house together with her parents.

Over the dinner, my girlfriend was happily telling her parents about her trip in Malaysia and the experience. At one point, she talked about buying food from road side stalls, and her father burst out the question, “Wouldn’t they sell you higher price because you are from other country?”

“They wouldn’t.” I quickly replied.

“Why? They know you’re a foreigner, wouldn’t they charge you higher?”

For a second or two, i’m actually dumbfounded by his question. Because it’s very natural for us to take people we meet  are friendly and good hearted, unless they appear to be otherwise. But here, i got my girlfriend’s father questioning me as if every person are readily to take advantage on your once they found your weaknesses. Maybe it’s because of the culture, of the things that they have been through in the past few eventful decades, of the people they grew up with, of other reasons that i dont’ know, that makes them think every people is evil at heart.

And it is this simple difference, that explains why some people i encountered in China behave like that, why certain regulations and policies, although look stupid, are in place.

“Well, not every people think of taking advantage on other people in the first place…” is my answer to her father after a second pause. I’m glad that we continued our discussion to other areas after that.

Although my girlfriend told me afterward, her father’s way of thinking is always different from normal people, don’t be bothered. Still, i can stop myself thinking about the teaching of  two ancient Chinese philosophers: Confucius and Mencius.

Confucius believes every person is born good hearted within, it is through life experience that make him become  bad later. On another hand, Mencius believe every person is born evil, only through education that he will become good.

The Gay Animal Kingdom

So, this is totally new to me. This article reveals something that i didn’t know about before for so long. Here is the excerpt:

“Male big horn sheep live in what are often called “homosexual societies.”…… Giraffes have all-male orgies. So do bottlenose dolphins, killer whales…… Bonobos, one of our closest primate relatives, are similar, except that their lesbian sexual encounters occur every two hours.”

It’s an interesting read, certainly thought provoking. And i just got know that besides Natural Selection, Darwin also proposed Sexual Selection. Definitely give it a read when you got time.

p/s: There is even a bird species like it as threesome. How fascinating!