Bringing Danger Dan to schools

During the June holidays, we had a break from school talks but once Term 3 began, our school talk circuit kick-started once again.

Lesley-Anne and I were very privileged to have been invited to speak at and conduct a workshop for the inaugural Writer's Congress, organised by the East Zone Centre of Excellence for English Language (Primary).

Some 43 students from various primary schools in the East Zone attended the workshop which focused on creative writing. The kids were very engaged and participative, especially during the game segments.

There was a period when the kids had to wait to leave the classroom and they all whipped out Danger Dan without prompting!

Queuing up for autographs.

After the workshop, the students had to fill in a feedback form and we were sent the results last week. About 80% gave us an 'Excellent' rating and more than 95% gave us an 'Excellent' or 'Very good' rating! Yay! Some of the written comments mentioned that the sharing session was really inspiring and this was one of the best programmes they've attended. Such encouraging feedback - we feel very blessed indeed.

If you're a teacher and would like us to speak at your school, you may contact our book agent, Denise at denise@closetfulofbooks.com or 9146 5522. We have a half-hour talk ideal for morning assembly where Lesley-Anne shares how she grew her love of reading and writing, and how she overcame obstacles to become a published author. We also conduct a 1.5-hour creative writing workshop, similar to the one mentioned above. Target age for both the talk and workshop is p3-6.

Here's a picture of a school talk I did a couple of weeks ago at Corporation Primary School. I did this one solo as Lesley-Anne had lessons in school.

Incidentally, we received this book review from an eight-year-old boy named AJ. We're so thrilled by the effort he put into both the writing and drawing. We think he's enormously talented and we love how he calls Danny's ears "extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely ginormous"! Thank you, AJ, you made our day! 

Increasingly, we've been hearing how kids enjoy our books and that makes us really, really happy. A mum told me that her son has been finding school stressful ever since they returned to Singapore and she's glad to see him chuckle to himself when he reads Danger Dan. Many Singaporean kids are far too serious and have little leisure time, so to know that our books make them laugh is the greatest feeling ever.

So here's a call to action: if your kids are between the ages of 8 and 12 and have enjoyed reading Danger Dan, why don't you drop us a line? We're looking to print readers' reviews in our upcoming Book 4 - Danger Dan Traces the Perilous Poison. Get them to pen a couple of sentences telling us why they like Danger Dan and send us a message on the Danger Dan Facebook page.
 
You can see samples of students' reviews in Danger Dan book 2 & 3 (page 1). Deadline: National Day, 9 August 2014.

Danger Dan book 4 in progress!

Here's a short update on Danger Dan: book 4 - Danger Dan Traces the Perilous Poison is shaping up very nicely! We met up with Epigram Books recently to discuss illustrations and edits and we're very pleased with how everything looks.

This is the part of the process that's the most fun - when the text is 90% ready and we see our words come to life under the hands of our wonderfully talented illustrator, James and designer, Lydia. Sometimes when suggesting illustrations, Lesley-Anne and I would wonder if it was even possible to draw Danger Dan with such complex expressions but we've never been disappointed yet!

Proposed covers. The difficulty was coming to a decision - around the table, we all liked a different one!

Danger Dan Traces the Perilous Poison is expected to be published in October, just in time for the year end school holidays. We're looking to print kids' reviews in the book so if your kids are between the ages of 8 and 12 and enjoy reading Danger Dan, why don't you drop us a line? Ask them to pen a couple of sentences telling us why they like Danger Dan and send it to us via private message on the Danger Dan FB page. You can see a sample of these reviews on the front few pages of Danger Dan books 1-3.

Deadline: National Day, 9 August 2014. We also welcome reviews from social studies/history or English teachers. If you're one and you think Danger Dan is great for kids, we'd love to hear from you!

Just another view on the NLB book-banning saga

Regarding the recent NLB saga, I initially told myself I wouldn't comment on it. It wasn't that I had no views on it - I had mighty strong views. But I found the whole incident distasteful and there was already so much mudslinging, I didn't want to add to the controversy. So I stayed silent and I even tried to stop reading articles.

But my FB newsfeed kept flooding with all kinds of headlines that screamed at me. Then yesterday, a reader Grace posted in the comments column asking me what I felt as a mother, writer and Christian. I told her I didn't want to write about it but later, it nagged at me that she was right. This saga hits me on all three fronts. By not addressing it, I was behaving like an ostrich. So I mustered up my courage to write a post and here are my views on the matter:

More than whether I feel that banning the books was right or wrong, I felt that it was UNNECESSARY. It turned a small matter into a colossal one. It widened the rift that had already begun to grow in recent years and became a battle of us against them.

As a result of the book banning, some Christians may congratulate themselves on having "won" this battle but the fact is we have won nothing. We have turned our backs on people, told them they have no place in our public libraries and in doing so, turned away more people from Christ than ever.

As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is wrong because it says so in the Bible, which I accept as truth.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality." - 1 Cor 6:9

However, the Bible never said to bring out your pitchforks. That's where I think many Christians trip up. I get the impression that Christians sometimes feel like they're obliged to take certain sides. If homosexuality stands on one side, they HAVE to take the other side because that has to be the right one. It's almost as if how hard I wave the anti-Pink flag is an indication of how strong my faith is.

I beg to differ. Taking actions in the name of Christ is dangerous when it's done without thought or love. Just because you call on God's name doesn't mean what you're doing is holy. For example, the witch trials in Salem in 1692 - where they persecuted and put "witches" to death, was done in the name of the church. I'm sure all the people who were for it thought they were fighting the good fight against Satan. It's mob mentality and religious frenzy at its worst, preying on the irrational fears of people.

Standing up for what we believe in should not entitle trampling on what others believe. Otherwise you might as well disband the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony (of which the Archbishop is a member). And going with the majority is a flawed argument. If you lived in a Muslim country, would you readily accept that you had to live by Islamic beliefs because they formed the majority? Or would you want the freedom to live out your own beliefs?

If only Christians would pour as much energy into eradicating some of the other sins listed in the Bible: greed, lust, envy, sloth, anger and pride, for example. Incidentally, the greatest sin is Pride. Not homosexuality. Pride.

"He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions." - 1 Timothy 6:4

Sometimes, I wonder why some Christians make such a big deal about homosexuality vs all other sins. I suspect it's because for all other sins, it's hard to claim we're blameless. We have all lied at some point, been envious (that rich guy throwing money around!) or been lazy (played Candy Crush when we were supposed to be working!) But in the area of homosexuality, straight Christians know they have not and will never sin there. So it's easy to focus on that. If that's true, then we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and realise that our feverishness against homosexuality has nothing to do with righteousness and everything to do with self-righteousness. Another possible reason is the fear of a community we don't understand. And so instead of trying to understand and empathise, we choose to shun and despise.

Now, let's come back to the book banning and look at the books in question: parents said they didn't want their four-year-olds to accidentally come across the books and somehow be corrupted by the gay agenda. First, there are like a gazillion books in the library and the chance of your kid picking it up is already slim. Second, if you are a concerned parent, you're likely to pick the books for your four-year-old. But ok, for the sake of argument, let's say your child really does pick out this one book unsupervised and reads about two male penguins looking after a baby penguin. What are the chances he'll make the connection: "Oh! It's telling me a family can have two daddies and no mummy!" And then, finally make the further ludicrous connection: "I therefore want to be gay!" Seriously. Adults are the ones who project their own beliefs and prejudices onto things. Not children. Four-year-olds are more likely to think: "That baby penguin is very cute. I wonder if I can get mummy to buy me a toy penguin."

By banning these books, we're enabling a breed of parents I often come across - protective to the point of paranoia, where they feel they need to bubble wrap their children to shield them from every danger in life, real or imaginary.

And why only ban these books? Do you know there are children and young adult books that feature premarital sex? And divorce? These are all sins in the Bible too. (I sure hope I'm not giving NLB any ideas). And why stop there? What about books that depict greedy, envious, lazy, proud children? As a writer, I'm concerned that an institution should decide for me what sort of books I can let my children read. Already sometimes I feel that in writing, I have to be over-the-top mindful of being politically correct, lest people read some hidden meaning in my books, even if totally unintended. And as a writer, I'm completely opposed to the pulping of books because it disturbs me that a national library should think it's ok to destroy books. That's just a slap in the face.

To me, this unnecessary action of banning the books has snowballed into unhealthy territory. It legitimised zealots who now think that with the "majority" and authorities on their side, it's ok to publicly display their hate and disdain for LGBTs. There's already an anti-Pink Dot group formed. I foresee the LGBTs will retaliate with something else, and so on. Kinda like Palestine vs Israel - after a while, nobody cares who's right and what they're fighting for any more. Each side just wants to win.

It upsets me to see so many Christians behaving in such an un-Christian manner. The problem is that none of these actions were done in the "love thy neighbour" spirit. As long as something is done in the spirit of hate and strife, it's not backed by the Bible.

If you remember, Jesus regularly mingled with the people on the fringe of society - prostitutes, tax-collectors, lepers. He never lobbied for these people to be tucked away out of sight. He never lobbied for their rights to be taken away from them. He lived among them and made them feel loved.

It was precisely why the Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus although they were the religious leaders of their time. They were superior and judgmental. Behind their actions was not love for their fellow beings but self-satisfaction.

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12:16

Pope Francis, ever since he became Pope, has steadily conquered hearts and minds across the world. He says unequivocally that homosexuality is a sin. But he also said: “If someone who is gay and is sincerely seeking God who am I to judge? They shouldn't be marginalized.” Here is a man who gets it.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:1-5

These are MY views - I can't stress that enough. You don't have to agree with them. But if it helps seed the idea that perhaps peace is the way forward, not war, then that's enough for me, as a mother, writer and Christian.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." - Mark 12:30-31

Student + dying = studying

When it comes to study methods, my kids are as different as night and day (ok, who am I kidding, my kids are different, full stop.)

Lesley-Anne is methodical and focused. She makes her own notes using multi-coloured pens and highlighters, and annotates her texts almost religiously. If there's something she finds difficult to remember, she tries different ways to jolt her memory, like redoing notes in other formats or organising them in little post-its which she sticks on her wardrobe. During exam periods, she holes herself in her room and emerges only for toilet and food breaks.

Andre, on the other hand, will simply stare at his books with a pained expression worthy of a Brazilian today after the World Cup semi-final match. When I catch him goofing off, he'll reluctantly read and re-read his textbooks. I tell him that reading the textbook is a very ineffective way of studying and force him to make notes, which he obediently does. Unfortunately, he copies down stuff in a notebook but without any form of processing so that when I do a random spot check and shoot him a question about something he'd just written half an hour ago, I'm usually rewarded with a blank look.

During exam periods, I suddenly behave like I have a multiple personality disorder. You'll hear me calling out to one kid: "Why don't you take a break? Like, really, take a break!" while screeching at the other: "Go study now! Enough with the breaks!"

Andre was supposed to study 50 成语 (idioms) during the school holidays. During the last week of the holidays, I asked, "Have you studied them?"

Andre: "They're very hard!"

Me: "I didn't ask you whether they were hard! I asked whether you studied!"

Andre: "But they're really very haaaaaaarrd! Even my friend who's very good in Chinese says they're IMPOSSIBLE." (Translation: he didn't do squat).

Me: "GO STUDY THEM NOW."

Two days before school reopened...

Me: "So do you know your 50 成语?"

Andre: "I think not bad. I roughly know 32."

I didn't dare ask what "roughly" meant.

Meanwhile, I asked Lesley-Anne whether she'd finished studying for her block tests, which were sadistically scheduled right after the June holidays.

"Well, more or less but you can never really finish studying for GP." And she scooted back to her room to do more revision.

How on earth did I spawn these two kids? I bet God is laughing at me right now.

These anecdotes make for a funny story but as parents, there's the underlying concern that our kids are not motivated to do well in school. I can keep nagging at Andre to study harder but my personal belief is that by the time our kids hit secondary school, they're too old to be hand-held and constantly told what to do. The motivation to study needs to come from within. They need to take ownership of their actions and understand the consequences, because at the end of the day, it's their life.

For my kids, I feel it all boils down to the fact that Lesley-Anne sees meaning in what she's studying whereas Andre doesn't. Over the past six months or so, Kenneth and I have had chats with Andre about his future and what he wants to do in life. He's told us in no uncertain terms that he's tired of all this mindless studying for subjects which he feels has no bearing on his future.

I've always believed that as parents, our role is to help our kids identify their dreams and goals in life, then provide the guidance and support to help them achieve these goals. The thing about kids is that they often don't know what opportunities are out there so their mindsets are pretty limited. So for Andre, what we did was to consider his personality, his abilities and interests, and show him what the possible options are. We showed him websites, let him talk to various people and the upshot of it is that he's now very keen on going into a particular industry.

I won't disclose what it is yet as it's still early days and things can easily change but for now, Andre's eyes light up whenever people talk about working in the industry. Even though it's a long way for him before deciding on a career path, having a goal such as this is good for kids like Andre who find school dull, because it gives them purpose. It also gives them direction which has immediate value for charting the education journey (eg. what subjects or courses to take). Andre now knows for each next leg of his schooling path, what he needs to achieve, which is more tangible than just "study hard and get good grades".

Little steps but hopefully in time, we'll get there.

The finer points of parent-teacher conferences

Before the school holidays, I attend the Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTCs) for both Lesley-Anne and Andre.

I have mixed feelings about PTCs. On one hand, I want to know how my children are doing in school. On the other hand, sometimes knowing is worse than not knowing. You know what I mean - going to a PTC only to hear the teacher confirm your worst fears about how badly your child is doing is about as enjoyable as having a root canal. Students definitely feel the same way because Lesley-Anne told me that her classmates who weren't doing very well in school were the ones who actively discouraged their parents from attending the PTC.

Another reason for not liking PTCs is that I usually don't really get much value from them. I feel compelled to attend them but I really don't need to meet the teacher to hear that Lesley-Anne should speak up more or that Andre needs to pay attention in class. Tell me something I don't already know.

But this year, I was pleasantly surprised both times. Andre's PTC, for instance. Andre's results haven't exactly been stellar so I was half expecting the worst. Instead, his teachers never once mentioned his grades and one by one, told me that he's a very nice boy with a great attitude.

When we met the Chinese teacher, I thought we would be admonished for raising a son who believed that scraping by with a passing grade for Chinese compo was the pinnacle of achievement. Instead, he said that Andre has a good attitude and just needs to have more confidence in himself. Although when Kenneth asked where Andre's weakness lay, the teacher did say "when he picks up his pen." Alamak! Somebody hand that teacher a trophy for stand-up comedy. 

Ok, I know I shouldn't laugh but sometimes, the best way to approach a situation is just to have a sense of humour. Andre's Chinese is what it is. Angst-ing over it is not gonna make an iota of a difference. I'm thankful that his teachers appreciate him for who he is and don't judge him simply based on his report book.

For Lesley-Anne, I wasn't expecting much since the school term only started in mid-February and the teachers have had limited face time with the students. In the past, some of her teachers barely even remembered her name until later on in the school year. So I was astonished when a few of the teachers displayed a keenly astute perspective of her personality, right down to who she gets along with in class and whose views she doesn't agree with (if you know Lesley-Anne, you'll understand that this is no mean feat because here is a girl who doesn't talk much and doesn't publicly reveal her emotions). They brought up specific instances of her behaviour, which showed that they saw her and paid attention.

But what I was most pleased about was that most of them seemed genuinely interested in her as a whole person. They didn't just zoom in on her schoolwork - they asked about her CCA and external activities. They felt that she had a lot to offer intellectually and wanted to help her grow. It was a refreshing change from PTCs where teachers made general statements based on grades. Oh, and that she should speak up more. I'm not sure if it's this school or just her batch of teachers but when I left the PTC, I felt that Lesley-Anne was very blessed to have such nurturing teachers.

As mentioned earlier, PTCs are a touch-and-go affair. I don't always emerge from them feeling like I've gained anything but this year, I'm very glad I went. I came back less worried about my kids' immediate education journey (for the rest of the year at least) because I know they're in good hands.

Thank God for good teachers.

Wake up and smell the coffee!

It was a decision that took about two years but I've finally done it - I've jumped on the Nespresso bandwagon. 

For as long as I can remember, I've been a 3-in-1 coffee drinker. To be more specific, Super 3-in-1 Rich Coffee Mix. Among the myriad of coffee mixes I've tried, that's the one which stands out for me in terms of taste. Plus it's very convenient. Tear the sachet, pour in the hot water, tah-dah! Coffee.

So this went on for years, until about two years ago when my sister started nagging me to put a stop to the 3-in-1. "It's so bad for your health!" she scolded. More specifically, according to her friends who are nurses, the palm oil and other preservatives in such mixes can have long-term health effects.

One thing I've come to realise: before I hit the age of 40, health warnings bored me. I would have said "Aiyah, it's just another fad! In 10 years, they'll say 3-in-1 is good for you!" But once I hit 40, such bits of info weren't brushed away quite so easily. Somehow, they creep into my mind and cause niggling doubt because I know my body is already on the downhill slope. My eyesight is deteriorating so badly that my kids now read all fine print for me. On the recent trip to London/Paris, I wore knee guards everyday so my knees wouldn't give way from all that walking, and after day 2, I had to pop into Boots to buy anti-inflammatory pills to soothe my aching back. Ageing is not glamorous. The last thing I needed was palm oil to cause my arteries to explode or something.

The problem was finding an alternative for the 3-in-1. My sister suggested a single-serve coffee machine. She had a Martello back then but I tried a cup of coffee and wasn't crazy about it. So I went on a tasting spree. Whenever I came across coffee machines on display at malls that offered samples, I asked for one. The Nescafe Dolce Gusto was released and I was hopeful - finally a coffee machine with a reasonable price-tag! But it was such a letdown. The coffee tasted like those insipid java-wannabes you get at Starbucks or Coffee Bean. No kick. Plus, to make a cappuccino or latte, you need to add a milk capsule which contains preservatives. Well, might as well stick to my 3-in-1 then! 

The cost of the machines and capsules was a big deterrent. My sister tried telling me it's still cheaper than drinking a Starbucks brew everyday, but that argument doesn't hold water cos I DESPISE Starbucks. I prefer local kopi to ang moh coffee any day. My favourite is the kopi from Toastbox (I find that among the local kopi joints, Toastbox is the most consistent in taste). If only there was a Toastbox within walking distance from my home.

So after a while, I tossed out the idea of coffee machines and explored other forms of instant coffee. Instant coffee powder, where you add milk and sugar, 2-in-1 which is basically just coffee powder and sugar. None of them stuck. The taste was disagreeable and some of them caused havoc with my stomach. After weeks of utterly unsatisfying attempts, I reverted back to my good old, preservative-laden Super 3-in-1.

Then about a year ago, my sister replaced her Martello coffee machine with a Nespresso U. She invited us to try it and whadya know, it was actually not bad! I realised that what made the difference was the milk. Her Nespresso U came with a milk frother and adding the steamed milk to the coffee ramped up an ok beverage to a wow one.

But still, I vacillated. I told myself it was expensive. I think subconsciously, I didn't want to part with my beloved 3-in-1. Before I was about to leave for London, my sister told me that Nespresso is much cheaper in Europe than in Singapore and she urged me to stop the 3-in-1 habit. Ah yes, the artery-exploding palm oil. Darn it, I thought I'd put that behind me. (I may be making my sister sound really naggy but she isn't, she's very sweet. She really cares about my health and my arteries.)

I guess God must be on her side because Nespresso recently launched the new Inissia model, which is the smallest and cheapest one yet. (Incidentally, Nespresso releases a cheaper model every few years to try and capture a new market but they all essentially work the same way, so there's no point getting the higher end model. The Inissia has all the same functions as the Pixie). In addition, there was a special promotion until 30 June 2014 where for $238, you get the Inissia and a free Aeroccino (the milk frother). You'll have to buy 10 sleeves of coffee capsules though, but you'll need to buy them eventually anyway.

I checked out the prices in London (unfortunately we were in Paris during a public holiday and the Nespresso boutiques were closed). They were offering a very attractive £40 discount off the Inissia, which made it only £49! The Aeroccino was £50. However, the discount was valid for UK residents only. I calculated that at full price, it would be cheaper to get it in Singapore with the current promotion (plus I wouldn't have to lug a bulky machine back home). So I only bought capsules which are significantly cheaper in London (about 65cts per piece vs 91cts here).

Long story short, after I returned home, I went to Takashimaya and bought me my very own Nespresso Inissia with Aeroccino and a whole bunch of Arpeggio capsules. Singapore only brings in the red and black machines for now, none of the limited edition colours. I chose the red one and the black Aeroccino.

I've used the machine for over a week now and here's my verdict:

It makes a very satisfying cuppa joe and the star is really the Aeroccino. If you drink your coffee with milk like me, it makes all the difference. In a couple of minutes, the Aeroccino whips up a batch of hot steamed milk, topped off with a layer of foam (I recommend removing the whipping ring so you don't get half your milk turned into foam). Besides making the coffee that much creamier, the plus point is that I end up drinking a lot more milk (vs 3-in-1 which is basically dairy creamer and a ton of preservatives).

Some tips: I use the Arpeggio and Decafe Intensio (for night) capsules as I like the taste - strong and smooth. They're meant to be extracted as an espresso (40ml). Nespresso tries to tell you that you have to buy the Lungo capsules if you want to make a larger cup of coffee, eg latte (they cost more), but that's rubbish lah. I've used the Arpeggio to extract 110ml (this is the setting for the lungo button on the Inissia) and it tastes perfectly fine. Add milk to the lower line on your Aeroccino and you'll get a wonderful full cup (as in the picture. Yes, I use a Disney mug ☺)

I think it's a modern marvel, these coffee machines. I can't understand how you can turn on a cold machine, press a button and have HOT coffee instantly flow into your cup. Even a kettle takes time! Same for the milk. It's very easy to use, super convenient. Just fill up the water tank when it runs low. Cleaning up is a cinch too. The discarded capsules collect in a container that you empty once in a while. The Aeroccino is like a large metal mug that you rinse out.

I'm loving my two cups of Nespresso a day. My arteries are safe for now. Added bonus: each time I make the coffee, my home is enveloped in the lovely java scent that lingers for hours ♥♥♥.

Top of the morning to you, Guv'nor!

Next week, we will be going on our family vacation - to London and Paris! I'm especially excited about this trip because it was something we had talked about doing for years. We've always felt that our kids' first trip to Europe should be London and Paris (our kids agreed!) and since travelling to Europe is not exactly cheap, we wanted to make sure that they were old enough to appreciate the cultural and historical significance of the places we visited.

We saw the window of opportunity this year as there are no major school events. Well, barring the fact that Lesley-Anne has block tests the week after the June hols, bah. (Next year, Lesley-Anne will be sitting for her A levels and the following year, Andre his O levels, so there might be all kinds of revisions and exams scheduled. Bleaaah. Sounds dreary just thinking about it.)

Both Kenneth and I have been to London and Paris and both cities were definitely memorable for us. We've been busy planning the itinerary and doing all the bookings for airlines, hotels, Eurostar, etc. A very fun sort of busy. Lesley-Anne has been too caught up with school to be excited yet but Andre has been as restless as an English terrier. All ready for fish and chips and croissants, he is!

Our bags are packed (well, almost) and even Danger Dan is making the trip with us!

During our holiday, I'll be posting on my Travel Blog whenever I can find the time (and wifi!) So if you'd like to read about our adventures, do check in there occasionally.

Meanwhile, lay off those assessment books for a bit and have a great mid-year break!

Danger Dan #3 and one questionable video!

Book 3 of  Danger Dan is out! Isn't it such a glorious shade of purple?

Titled Danger Dan Spooks the Peculiar Peranakan Pirate, it sees Danger Dan hurtling back in time to 1819 - yes, the historic date when Singapore embarked on its destiny to become a British colony. Will Danger Dan get to meet Sir Stamford Raffles in the flesh? Perhaps... but first, he has to battle ferocious pirates to save Sultan Hussein from a watery grave!

We received a very complimentary review of the series from journalist Clara Chow: "If Doctor Who were 11 years old and born in Singapore, he'd be a lot like Danger Dan. This time-travelling boy wonder romps through Temasek with a feisty female partner, offering a fun alternative to boring textbook versions of local history."

We've also been getting fantastic reviews from kids and what we find most heartening is that they all say Danger Dan is funny. It's great to know that the stories strike a funny bone. Nothing like a little chuckle to whisk away the cares of homework and exams!  

Our publisher, Epigram Books, will be holding a sales conference in June and we were invited to introduce Danger Dan to the participants. However, since we will be away on our family vacation, we were asked to produce a video clip instead. Initially, I thought of just doing a simple clip where Lesley-Anne and I would talk briefly about Danger Dan.

But Lesley-Anne, being the ambitious teen, had other ideas. She came up with a storyboard of 10 things about Danger Dan and us, the authors. We filmed it and even roped Andre in! Lesley-Anne pieced it all together using Windows Movie Maker. It was pretty hilarious. She turned out to be surprisingly talented at hamming it up and alarmingly for me, I think my reputation is ruined forever.

Anyway, if you're curious or wanna laugh at how silly I look, you can watch the video clip here. It will also give you a quick summary of the series.

Danger Dan Spooks the Peculiar Peranakan Pirate will be available at all major bookstores soon (give them a week or two to bring in the stocks). $10.90 each (before GST).

Danger Dan makes it to Zaobao!

Did you have a good Vesak Day break? Not sure how many of my readers read Zaobao but we were featured in the paper yesterday! 

This is the back page of ZB Now, the lifestyle section of Zaobao. The reporter wrote about my relationship with my kids and how I encourage them to love reading and writing. The article also talks about me writing Danger Dan with Lesley-Anne.

I must confess, with my limited Chinese, I struggled through the article and relied mostly on Kenneth to read it out to me. I thought the reporter was very complimentary - she made me sound much more fantastic than I actually am in real life! Helps that the Chinese language is so poetic - one or two words can hold so much meaning. You can read the article here.

The photographer was also super friendly and she experimented with different compositions until she came up with the brainwave of making Andre do a star jump.

Did you notice the large Danger Dan poster on our wall? That was a gift from Epigram Books - signed by all the staff. They're a truly supportive and fun bunch. We love working with them.

Meanwhile, Danger Dan book 3 will be out 26 May! Titled Danger Dan Spooks the Peculiar Peranakan Pirate, it will see Danger Dan hurtling back to 1819 Singapore. Watch this blog or go to the Danger Dan Facebook page for updates!

Nostalgia vs reality

Early this year, I was very excited when I discovered a new channel on Starhub cable - Hits. It's a channel dedicated to all the oldies. I was thrilled that I would get to relive my childhood with shows like The Golden Girls, Seinfeld, Diff'rent Strokes and so on. These are the tv shows I grew up with and have very fond memories of.

I should have known I was setting myself up because many of the shows simply didn't live up to what I remembered. I told Andre to watch The A Team, telling him it was action-packed and very entertaining. We watched the first episode together, sitting through a whole lot of lame jokes and a very simplistic plot. When it ended, Andre said diplomatically, "it's ok" but I'm sure in his mind, he must have been thinking, "My parents are weird". Kenneth admitted to me later, "It was quite boring. I can't believe I used to wait eagerly for this show on tv!" I also watched a rerun of Star Trek: The Next Generation and oh my goodness, some of the scenes and costumes were so cheesy that they were almost painful to watch. Part of me hopes Starhub never shows reruns of Happy Days because I don't think I can take another discordant fissure in my memory bank.

Oh, remember ET? It was my absolute favourite movie growing up. I had watched it on a bad videocassette tape (remember those??) seven times and thought it was brilliant. Then decades later, I watched it again and despite willing myself to love it, I almost fell asleep - it was sooooo slow-moving. Nothing like a dose of reality to shatter all your rose-coloured dreams.

It's a reminder of how much more we've come to expect of entertainment. Everything must be super fast-paced, with complex twists and turns. Dialogue should be snappy, comedy over-the-top funny and characters with more dimension than the Twilight Zone.

It's the same with food. In my teenage and university years, coffeehouses were the luxury places we could go to for a meal. My father worked at Sea View Hotel and I looked forward to the times when I could eat at the coffeehouse and enjoy the absolutely marvelous oxtail stew made by Hainanese chefs. I measured all other oxtail stews by that one (and of course all others fell short).

Couldn't resist the temptation to dig up old photos! Unfortunately, I don't seem to have a single one of Sea View Hotel, but I found this one in front of Yaohan, which was next to Sea View. That's me on the left with my sister.

Right up to my working days, two of the coffeehouses I went to quite regularly was Jack's Place and Han's. The value of their set meals couldn't be beat and those were the popular eateries for people of my generation (still are, I believe).

Our last time at Jack's Place was last year, when we brought the kids there for lunch. It was then that we all realised the food wasn't very appetising. The soup, supposedly cream of chicken, was so thickened with starch it was almost blobby and tasted exactly the way it looked (we called it Cream of Starch). The dessert was a few pieces of fruit cocktail suspended in a synthetic jelly. The steak was rubbery. Does anyone else find it odd that a western-style steak can come with a side of cabbage? One of us had the chicken that came in a strange lychee-flavoured sauce. Only the coffee was still good (I have a special place in my heart for thick, local kopi).

Han's was even worse. The fish and chips were soggy and sad. My kids hated it and we only went once. Cheap...but not good. (PS This is our opinion only. If you're a Jack's Place or Han's fan, no need to send me protest notes explaining why I'm wrong, haha.)

And I kept thinking: gosh, I used to like the food here!?

The reason is simple: It's not that the food at these places has gotten worse. It's that we've come to expect more. In the past, we had fewer choices. These days, food variety in Singapore has expanded so much that we've grown accustomed to better quality and sophistication. And it's not like we have to pay more either, compared to Jack's Place and the likes. If you bother to explore and do some research, you can get good eats at great prices, especially for lunch.

Many restaurants now offer value-for-money lunch sets, like Astons or New Zealand Bar and Grill, one of our favourite hangouts. You can get a set meal starting from as low as $10. Very hearty portions and all very well done. My kids and even my mother-in-law, who's picky about food, love it there.

The truth is, whether we like it or not, we evolve over time. We change and our yardsticks change. We practically demand better food as customers, even without realising it. As a result, some things that we liked in the past, sadly remain good only in our memories, which can be fickle and unreliable when tempered with emotion. In other words, the good old days are not necessarily all that golden. We just choose to remember them that way.

Nostalgia is comforting and helps us embrace our past (funny how just looking at a photo with a sepia tone automatically injects an "aaah" feel-good factor). But nostalgia can also be an insidious tool, choosing to filter memories through soft focus lens to suit our frame of mind - whether it is to mourn a time lost or people who have passed us by. In fact, this perception can be so entrenched that having it dislodged may cause discomfort, even distress. In a way, I'm glad the Sea View Hotel oxtail stew is no longer around. It can stay on the pedestal in my mind forever.

What's my point, if any? Well, it's nice to reminisce every now and then. But dwelling on the past and thinking that nothing will ever be as good as it was, is simply our memory playing tricks on us. Some people like to lament, "Things are not like they used to be!" True. But they were not necessarily better.

Some things have stood the test of time. Like The Cosby Show and Little House on the Prairie. Still terrific after all these years. And Jack's Place's coffee. Others haven't fared so well. I don't think we'll really enjoy living in the past as much as we think we will, knowing what we know now. Some things in the present are actually improvements from the past. So putting nostalgia aside, enjoying the present is still the most productive way to live, afterall.