其实，人生就是靠那几句智慧之言引导

http://www.cnd.org/my/modules/wfsection/article.php%3Farticleid=29273

而对一个人一生真正能有指导性的话语，也就那么几句，搞明白了终身受益。听多了反而糊涂了。我的一生到如今，我觉得真正是对我有影响的关键性话语，我的人生指南，也就那么简单的几句话。

第 一句话，是我上成都七中初中时，第一堂课，语文老师鲁老师，在黑板上写下：“不积跬步, 无以至千里; 不积小流, 无以成江海。”（源于荀子《劝学》）意即：要想成大器者，都要从小事一点点干起。第二句话：是我的阿姨（父母文革中被送走去被改造，她带我长大）在成都火 车站站台上，送我去长春吉林大学读书时，说要送我一句话：“做人要不卑不亢。”（源于齐国宰相晏婴奉命出使楚国的故事）即得意时不要张狂傲慢，不成功或失 意时也不要低声下气、自卑自贱。第三句话：当时，站在旁边送行的父亲，也说他自己读书人一辈子两袖清风，没什么送我的，就送我一句话：“天行健，君子以自 强不息。”（源于《周易》）意即：自我奋斗，才是真正人生运行的规律，人生到头来只有靠自己。第四句话：读大学期间，姨父来长春出差，与其谈到该怎样处事 为人，他说：“很多人与人相处，总是想自己来控制局面和他人；其实，很多时候，还不如把球踢给对方，让他发球，看他怎样出手，自己来应付，会主动得多。” 意即：与人打交道，多观察少说，先弄明白对方的思路和牌局，自己主动来应付，结局可能会好得多。

这几句话教我的是：第一句话，聚小成大（集腋成裘）。第二句话，做人态度。第三句话，要我自强。第四句话，交流技巧。

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Time flies, I almost forgot to send holiday regards to friends and relatives until Christmas already passed. Here you go:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

自推娃 and his life plan

Albert is a 自推娃, as parents, we can't help laughing inside. But what's more amazing, he already started planning his life. So far, he has decided that he's going to marry a smart wife who can speak 4 languages, and 4 years younger than himself. As to the appearance, she's just OK, not pretty (the standard of OK is mommy, and mommy is not pretty : ( ). He will be married at 27 and have kids (better be twins) at 32. He will have 2 kids, both boys. He will have a 4 story house at Spicewood springs Rd. He will have pets, and he himself will take care of the dog and the cat, and his wife will take care of the fishes and the bird, as well as the kids. And Albert is going to cook and clean dishes, the rest of the chores are left for his wife. He also decided what his first car is, of course that's consistently changing. Initially he wanted a Ford Mustang, later he changed it to a Nissan Altima.

We were waiting for our flight at the airport. Sitting next to us was a 3 year old pretty Hispanic girl, her mother, and older sister. Albert managed to get her attention, but when she came over, Albert started to fill up a form. The girl found that boring, left to play with a cat. Albert finished the form, wanted to show it to that girl, but was too timid to get closer to her. Yuqi and I at first were puzzled, then later we realized that Albert were trying to impress her with his strength. That's really nerdy, but also kind of cute. He's yet to learn how to deal with girls. : )

Albert loves math

Albert started to do math when he was three, but he's really into it recently. He asked "Mommy, can you teach me multiplication?" He even enjoys memorizing the addition and multiplication tables. Albert always wanted to do division, but I told him to hold it off until he grasped multiplication. Now he thinks it's time, started practicing division himself.

Albert would do math in workbooks or create math questions himself. He then asks us to grade it and always says "don't forget to draw a happy face and write Excellent".

How to raise a creative genius

We are blessed with Albert who's a smart and self-motivated kid. But it takes a lot of learning and work to cultivate and nurture the talent. Read on...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/10/22/motivation.kids/index.html?hpt=C2

略谈教育

Here are the collections of the blogs from a father of a ten year old boy whose IQ is 160.

http://www.unknownspace.org/article_t/Parenting/31492729.html
http://www.mitbbs.com/article0/Parenting/31275247_0.html
http://www.mitbbs.com/article0/Parenting/31276027_0.html
http://www.mitbbs.com/article0/Parenting/31278411_0.html
http://www.mitbbs.com/article0/Parenting/31280387_0.html
http://www.mitbbs.com/article0/Parenting/31283107_0.html
http://www.mitbbs.com/article0/Parenting/31298403_0.html

I agree with most of their opinions and approaches, but some of them gave me a different perspective on things that I didn't expect or think of. Every kids is different, the most important thing is to understand your kid, and find a right way for him/her.

扁豆五岁半的时候经常去一位小朋友家玩。那个小朋友和扁豆一样大。他们家刚买了
Yamaha 钢琴，并给孩子请了老师。有时候就让孩子即兴弹个儿歌什么的，扁豆羡慕得
不得了。回到家跟我们说，他也要学钢琴。于是我们就买了一个德国的杂牌钢琴，请了
个台湾老师教。钢琴老师在美国拿过音乐硕士，用美国教材教，很认真，对孩子也和蔼
可亲。教了有一年，孩子也学了简单识谱，但扁豆妈觉得教得太浅，只是局限于儿歌之
类。于是她就去咨询有没有更好的老师。调查的结果是，俄国的钢琴老师水平比较高。
一来二去的，我们就让扁豆去和一位严格得出名的俄国老师学琴了。头一次上课，上来
就让扁豆弹 German Dance by Bethoven。我们扁豆一是看不懂谱子，二是弹琴手型不对，用老师的话说“是敲琴不是弹琴”。结果被一顿臭骂。回来的路上，扁豆就哭开了
，说不想和新老师学了。她妈苦口婆心地说：严师出高徒。你再学一个月。如果还是受
不了，我们就换。又去“挨骂”了三、四次，回回扁豆都哭。他妈就问他：换不换老师
？扁豆说：这个老师严厉是严厉，但水平的确高。她弹 German Dance 不费力气，很好
听。虽然被骂，心里难受，但我还是想跟她学。这一晃三年下来，扁豆钢琴已经考过四
级，“挨骂”的次数越来越少，比赛小奖也拿了一两个。更重要的一点，老师的言传身
教，让扁豆对音乐的理解提高了一个层次。用老师的话说，他已经知道 tempo,
expression 的重要性了。相比之下，原来先学琴的小朋友早就不弹了。Yamaha 钢琴成
了客厅里的摆设。

言归正传。扁豆中文学校用的教材是中国暨南大学华文学院编的一套《中文》教材，给
海外儿童用的。一年学一册。现在已经开始学第五册了。我这孩子记性不错。上次提到
的 whale's blowhole 的趣事就是一例。一旦他用心学，笨鸟先飞，磕磕绊绊地也就赶
上来了。现在的中文班上，扁豆已经属于好学生之列。主要是他肯学。据他讲，好多同
学都放弃了。上中文课根本不听。听写单词可以错上一半的，大有人在。他老实，老师
让干啥就干啥，从没二话，一步一个脚印地走下来了。所以龟兔赛跑的故事，在他身上
应验了。

我们为了提高他的学习兴趣，特意让他和一位中国声乐老师学唱歌。大家一听肯定笑了
。一个男孩子，学什么唱歌呀。不瞒你说，我开始也有同样的看法。可扁豆妈有她的一
套理论：一是我们当父母的都五音不全。这孩子可不能步我们后尘，给耽误了。二是学
唱中文歌曲，有助于巩固所学中文。三是上台演出，如果不怵观众的话，有助于培养扁
豆的公众演讲能力。这第三条对我比较有吸引力。于是就这么办了。

你甭说，几年下来，扁豆在这三方面都有进步。歌喉嘹亮，音域宽阔；中文利索多了；
大庭广众下的言谈举止，更拿得出手了。四年级在学校做的课堂报告啦，课上发言啦，
都比以前有进步，有口若悬河的趋势。这点从他的成绩单中也能显示出来。语言表达能
力上了一个台阶。上台唱歌也从扭扭捏捏型，变成大大方方型，自信心倍增 。有时候
在家，他心血来潮，会一边弹琴一边唱歌，有滋有味的。

Albert to play pretend

Recently Yuqi and I asked Albert, how's things at school, who he played today. His mouth would popped up a few familiar names. And sometimes, he even said "I didn't play with anyone, I played with myself. No one wanted to play with me." I got worried, and had Yuqi asked his teacher. Surprisingly Ms Vino said Albert played very well at school, played with almost every one. He's even very talkative now, v.s. before going back to China, Albert was quite at school. Albert also translated for two Chinese classmates who don't speak good English.

It seems to start to happen after Albert came back from China, he wanted to have a little brother just like his good friend Maomao does. Tonight he even named his fluffy toys Mommy, Daddy, Albert and little brother, and played pretend by himself. Big pressure on me. : (