Brotherly love vs. Harry Potter.

Which is more powerful in the life of a child: brotherly love or the magical wizard, Harry Potter, lord of the box office? Well, yesterday, that was put to the test.

Syahidah had planned to take Fintan and Tiarnan to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This seems quite apt since they are both "half-bloods", themselves...though, I have yet to secure the title "Prince" for them!

When Syahidah arrived at the cinema, where I waited, she had only Tiarnan in tow. Fintan was nowhere to be seen.

The story turned out to be a sweet one. On leaving for Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, Syahidah noted that Fintan was hesitating.

"Are you coming?", she asked him.

"I don't want to see Harry Potter: Ainan will be lonely.", he said, looking at his brother who was soon to be left behind.

Syahidah objected that he would not.

"You can't see it...but he is very upset.", he said, concernedly. Perhaps the "upset" he thought he saw, was the thought of being left home alone, without his brothers.

Syahidah relented and let Fintan stay with his brother. She was touched to see that he cared so much about his elder brother that he would forego the film she knew he so wanted to watch.

As it went, however, it was lucky that Fintan didn't go to see Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince - for it was a dire concoction. Syahidah judged it as being up there with Transformers 2 as among the worst films she can recall seeing. Truly, Hollywood is churning out trash these days. She particularly criticized the PLOT as utter nonsense - and that would seem to be J.K "I don't plagiarize, honest" Rowling's fault. She also observed that it had disturbingly close similarities to elements of the Lord of the Rings - except that LOTR was fun, well put together and skillful - none of which could be claimed for Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince.

Now, I wasn't able to see Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince myself, at that time...even though I had gone to the cinema: so I consider myself lucky not to have wasted another couple of hours in a darkened room.

Given the creative poverty of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, it is fortunate that Fintan's brotherly love is stronger than his taste for all things Potter. It seems, therefore, that his brotherly love has wisdom in it, too, as well as sweetness.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals.If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

A Singaporean Shopping Trip.

A few days ago, Syahidah was shopping in Orchard Road with Tiarnan, two, and Fintan, five. As she did so, a characteristic moment occurred that illuminated their brotherly relationship.

They were in Toys R Us and Syahidah said to Fintan:

"We are going to look at Ben 10 stuff."

Fintan gasped, understanding something: "You mean Tiarnan’s toy for his birthday present?". He turned then, to his little brother Tiarnan: "Close your eyes."

Tiarnan was not entirely convinced: "But if I close my eyes I cannot see when I walk."

Fintan insisted: "You must close your eyes. You can hold my hand."

Tiarnan considered this briefly then agreed: "OK".

They walked, then, together, throughout the shop. Tiarnan's eyes were closed as requested, and he held onto Fintan, trusting his brother to guide him.

At one point, Fintan informed Tiarnan: "There are steps ahead." Tiarnan had his own idea about that. Syahidah thought that Tiarnan, at that moment, peeked from behind slitted eyes, just to be doubly sure.

She thought it very sweet to see them navigate the stairs and shop together, Fintan so careful with the safety of his little brother.

It is warming to see siblings so supportive of each other. I feel fortunate that the brothers get along so well together. There is, at least so far, none of the sibling rivalry that one hears so much about. There is no "jockeying for position", no competitiveness, no dislike of the others' achievements, successes or abilities. There is only this supportive togetherness in which each looks out for the others. It is an ideal situation and I hope it persists. I would not like to see it to decline into a situation of mutual rivalry and competitiveness. That would be such a pity considering how warm they are to each other, at this time.

Incidentally, Fintan was so good and so careful at guiding Tiarnan that he never bumped into anything and didn't even stub his toe. Well done Fintan.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

A computer password like no other.

It is the little things that we do, that reveal, at times, the complexities of what goes on within us. There are signs and signals of inner life, in the merest of things that we do.

Today, I found out something quite curious. Ainan has his own laptop computer, which he rather enjoys surfing the internet on, or, indeed, playing computer games with, usually in the company of his brother, Fintan. Today, Ainan thought to show me his password. It was 48 characters long, consisting of a seemingly random assortment of letters and numbers. It was not a word. It was not any recognizable set of characters...it was just a long string of unexpectedness.

Now, I found myself somewhat amused that he should choose such a long character string for his computer. He had done so, partly, as a game with his brother Fintan. Up until a couple of days ago, Fintan had known the password to Ainan's computer (only 12 digits long)...but, as a bit of fun, Ainan decided to change it to something that Fintan, five, would not be likely to follow. Hence the string of letters and digits of no sense at all. Ainan saw a certain hilarity in it.

The funny thing is, of course, not the joke that Ainan himself perceives - but that Ainan finds it no trouble to recall such a long string of alphanumeric rubbish.

Now, if there were only a use in this world, for the memory of alphanumeric rubbish...apart from unbreakable passwords, of course!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.)

No signs of sibling rivalry here.

I suppose that we are fortunate in that there, as yet, appear to be no signs of sibling rivalry, among the brothers. In fact, just the opposite seems to be developing.

Yesterday, Fintan, five and Ainan, eight, went to a talk on genetics. Initially, just Ainan was meant to go - but Fintan expressed an interest, so his mother, Syahidah, brought him along too. In the end, he rather enjoyed it and seemed to gain from it.

Anyway, Fintan behaved rather sweetly throughout the talk. Whenever a question was addressed to the audience, he did something very funny: he would grab a hold of Ainan's arm and raise it into the air to make it look like Ainan wanted to answer the question. Then he would urge Ainan on: "Go on, Abang, you can answer that one!". Ainan, once put on the spot, duly answered the questions.

It was endearing to see Fintan do this from several perspectives: the first is that, not knowing the answer himself, he had the confidence in Ainan that Ainan would know. Secondly, it was warming to see how proud he was of his elder brother ("abang") that he should be able to answer such questions.

The most important thing I learnt from this is the strong evidence that the dynamic developing between the brothers is not one of sibling rivalry - but of pride in the other's achievements and abilities. It seems to me that this is a very good development, indeed, for it promises that the relationships between the brothers will be strong and supportive ones - and few things are more valuable in a life than that one's siblings should form a support network.

Fintan, interestingly, had some well-observed questions 0f his own - but that is for another post. In the meantime, I am just happy to see the brothers get on so well.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.)

The World's Most Exotic Reptile

Fintan, four, is shaping up to be a child with an imagination all of his own. His remarks are so characteristic of him - and of no other - that I long ago started to call them Fintanisms. The same applies to his behaviour.

Two days ago, for reasons known only to himself, Fintan came up behind Tiarnan, twenty months, and gently pushed him to the ground so that he was on all fours, saying: "Run reptile, run!"

Then he paused, momentarily, "Oh no..." I thought, then, in that moment, that he was going to correct his odd description of his younger brother, "crawl."

Hilarious.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and ten months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and three months, and Tiarnan, twenty months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)

Brotherly love and solidarity

Tiarnan is a little boy of big emotions. Though only fifteen months old, he shows an interesting degree of complexity in his social interactions and emotional responses.

A few days ago, Syahidah scolded Fintan, for something or other. Tiarnan was a witness to this. On seeing that Fintan was upset by this, he took it upon himself to deal with the matter. He followed his mother out of the living area and into the kitchen and, when he finally reached her, he gave her an overarm slap, with all the not very mighty force of his diminutive frame. Then, having satisfied his innate sense of justice he hurried back to Fintan, where he sat beside him, sharing a silent solidarity with him.

It was touching to see this demonstration of togetherness with his much larger brother: there they sat, a Laurel and Hardy like pair - Tiarnan, appearing slender, delicate and dwarfed by his much stockier, three year old brother Fintan.

It is in such displays that we can read the love children have for each other. Tiarnan is very attached to his mother - yet, on seeing his brother scolded, he took umbrage - and sided with his sibling.

(If you would like to read more of Tiarnan, fifteen months, or his gifted brothers, Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and five months, or Fintan, three, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, the creatively gifted, gifted children and gifted adults in general. Thanks.)