Will iBooks 2 Replace Our Conventional Textbooks?

Just this morning, I saw in the news about Apple's launch of iBooks 2. This app is available to iOS devices and will allow users to read textbooks interactively. The part that awed me the most is the visual aids found in the e-books. The pictures and diagrams could be brought to life just by tapping on them. Dragging a picture allows users to see the different angles of the object. Readers could gain much more understanding with the subject matter through the embedded videos laid across the e-books. These are the features I find to be lacking in our traditional textbooks. 2D diagrams aren't enough to illustrate a concept as abstract as those in chemistry. (Continue reading...)

Guide to a Healthy Home

Photo by Kittikun Atsawintarangkul via Freedigitalphotos

Personal care products, household cleaners, processed foods, pesticides - these are just some of the products of modern civilization. They may make our lives easier, but they also come with a price: our health. While some of the products may render harmless, still many others contain chemicals that are hazardous to our health especially when handled improperly. (Continue reading at Lifestyle for a Healthy Body.)

My Love for Stuffed Toys and Play Therapy

Photo by Dan/Freedigitalphotos.

When I was a little girl, I did not like to play with dolls. My sister would continually nag me to play Barbie dolls with her, to which I reluctantly give in. My sister's bed was overflowing with stuffed toys. Mine was just a few pillows and a neglected pink stuffed toy pushed to the very end of the bed. Perhaps it was because I was a very obedient daughter. My mom didn't want me to sleep beside dolls, for she believed that the fibers from the dolls might give me respiratory diseases. (Continue reading on Let's Talk About People.)

Dealing with Shy Children

Don't push a shy kid too hard. Learn to build his trust and confidence.

Source: Photo by Ernst Vikne/Flickr

Shy people are often misunderstood. Shyness is often seen as a defect in personality. Parents who have shy kids tend to push them too hard in order for them to become more outgoing. Of course, they do not have any bad intentions for their kids. They just think that being more outgoing will make their kids grow up to become successful adults. However, dealing with these kids requires a lot of patience. Some might shut themselves off when pushed beyond their limits. I have even seen children who refuse to speak to strangers, teachers, classmates, relatives or neighbours except to the immediate family. When this happens, shyness might become a hindrance to the child’s well-being. (Read full article on Let's Talk About People.)

My Very First Blog Award

On September 4, 2011, I was given the Liebster Blog award by my blogger friend Judy (Thank you, Judy!). She is the author of the blog Judy H-J's Thoughts - A Twinless Twin. "Liebster' is a German word meaning favorite. I wasn't able to pass this award on immediately as many of the blogs I was following then have already many followers. The rules, however, are simple, once you receive this award you must:

• pass this on to three of your favorite blogs
• these blogs should have less than 200 followers
• let them know about the award
• link back to the blog who gave you the award

Now that I've been a little more active around Blogger, I had encountered several great blogs and these three are among my favorite (drum roll please!):

Psychables

Another Dreamer 
Soliloquy

Congratulations on the award! May this award be a great source of motivation in your blogging experience in the same way it has motivated me! Have a nice day.