3 Little Pigs and A Big Bad Wolf On A4 Paper

It was my last day in Penang, when my niece and I had a one-to-one moment at the living hall after having lunch together. She asked for a pen and a piece of blank paper. I gave her and she offered me a story which she’s learned in school.

 

 

This was how the conversation took place. It’s a children classic story of ‘3 Little Pigs and A Big Bad Wolf’.

 

*****

 

Niece: Kelly gugu (which means aunty in chinese), I tell you a story.

Me: Ok. What’s that sweet heart?

Niece: *start drawing 3 imperfect circles with few black dotes*
There are 3 little pigs and they are brothers for each other. One day, the mother asked her children to leave the house and build their own houses.

Me: Em.. hm.. ok. Then?

Niece: The first pig built a straw house. The second pig built a wooden house. The last pig built a stone house *her right hand was drawing those houses out*

Me: Wow.. interesting. So?

Niece: One day, a wolf come. He went to the first pig and say, “pig ah pig.. open the door or I will blow your house”. The first pig say, “No.. no.. you naughty wolf. Go away”. The wolf laughed and immediately blew the house and the house was gone. So the first pig ran into second pig to hide himself. The house was blown by the wolf and both of them ran to the last pig *continue sketching*

Me: Aiyo.. scary lor.. then, then? *making myself interested*

Niece: Yes.. It’s scary. So the wolf try to blow the house but this time, the house can’t be blown away. The wolf climb.. climb.. climb.. to the roof and go into the chimney  and kelly gugu.. guess what happen?

Me: Emmm… dunno oh dear. What happen next? *pretending not knowing*

Niece: hahahahaha… I don’t want tell. Go ask teacher.. *stop drawing on the paper with tougue sticking out*

Me: Uh? Come back.. come back.

Niece: Haha.. Kelly gugu so stupid… 笨

Me: o________O!!
Today’s child is so naughty.

 

*****

 

P/s: I think it’s creative to tell story while drawing the objects out. My niece has grown up and I happy to see that =)

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My Academic Research On Blogging As Self Therapy

Normally, I don’t really reveal my name in my own blog or other Social Network Sites (SNS) especially like Twitter and Facebook because to me, my real name is private. Or maybe I think Kelly Tan is pretty enough to describe me. Yes?

 

However, it is a bit different today. I reveal my long name here for the very first time (I suppose) because I am proud with my GOLD IN COLOR NAME on my academic research. Though I have made this nearly couple of months ago, still I am a proud owner of this boring-black-in-color-hard-cover-academic-research-book. Why am I calling it in such a long term? If I can blink my book, I will. Lol.

 

Anyway, it is interesting because of the title *wink*

 

I do look like a nerd. Well, this is the time where I can claim that I’m proud to be one with that book holding in my hand.. =D

 

I score A- for this work and is ready to present it in an International Conference next week (well, I am not really satisfy with my work but that is the best I can give despite of the time limit, exhaustion from personal issues and lacking of resources. Anyway, I have over come them pretty good and it’s over).

 

So, yes. It’s next week babe. Frankly, I am crazily nervous. I have not… em… well, I presented once last year in a conference in my university but that was different as I have other 5 members to backup. This time, I am presenting my own research topic and it is about BLOGGING!

  My juniors can check my work out in our faculty library. Sounds cool to me ^^

 

You heard me? BLOGGING!!!

*Whoohoot*

 

The title of my academic research:

“A Phenomenology Research On Blogging Experience and The Possibility of Self-Therapy For An Undergraduate Student In University Of Malaya”

A friend of me once told me nonchalantly that I can treat my future client/patient by asking them to blog daily for counseling purposes. And I was like, “Hey! that’s a real good idea”. Lol.. So now, who wanna be my clients? =P

 

Haha.. Well, wish me luck. Really. I. Need. Blessing.

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Kids Are Creative

I still remember, years before this when I was completing Dr.Diana’s homework, I did explain on why I want to work with children and family population when I become a counselor in future. The reasons are pretty simple. Children are cute, genuine and innocent. They don’t need to cover themselves with masks to please anyone. However, these innocence and originality are easily ‘contaminated’ by the environment, especially by adults’ expectation. Simple examples like, parents will make children to color apple only with red, being disciplined to sit quietly even though they want to run around and wear certain selected color (pink for girls, blue for boys) from the wardrobe.

 

Of course, when it comes to teaching and learning, children should be taught in a proper manner in order to shape discipline and obedient persons. But sometimes, adults might not be aware that creativity and expressiveness of a child are restricted under such environment. Well, I am born in such a family background. So, I can pretty understand the limitation when one is growing up. I think, I can be another da Vincci or Piccasso if my parents and teachers are like Dr.Diana – do whatever we want as long as it is safe and not harmful. Lol.. just joking. Be a curryegg is better =P

 

I guess, having such understanding about originality, genuiness and creativity, I admire my own nieces and nephews sketches. Ya, serious! Although they are simple doodles, I awed at their own artworks.

 

 

I love the way they approached me when we were all gathered at my grandma’s 75th birthday at a restaurant last month and they went like, “Kelly jie jie (which in fact they should call me ah yee or aunt), you see you see! Nice or not?”. One of them will jumped on my laps, another pulled my hand to win my attention and another one just non stop talking. Well, they are 4 of them starting from the age of 8, 6, 5 and 2.

 

 

Their drawing are simple yet original. Believe me when I say this. Most adults (not even myself) is unable to draw something like this if I am to give you a pen and paper now. You will mostly draw a very straight, fine line of a house in a general and accepted way because in reality, they look that way. Or in another word, everyone should draw that ‘standard way’.

 

 

 

I don’t really understand all these creativity and originality stuff until I learned from my lecturers and my courses. Thus, now I am a fans of children’s uncontaminated drawing. Well, it is true.

 

From Ping Kwan – 5 years old

From Guan Rue – 6 years old

 

Another sketches by Guan Rue – 6 years old

Shing Ron – 8 years old

 

But these are not just the reasons of why I want to work with this population. They are some other reasons that actually intrigue my interest. Well, share next time if there is something I can relate with in future posts.

 

P/s: It is good to keep some of your childhood drawings because they are the most original work we have ever done without inserting others’ idea into our masterpiece. Mum has thrown away all my sketches before I turned 7. So, no more… =(

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Is Thinking In The Box Not Creative?

They say it is important to always think out of the box. This is what they call, creativity.

 

There is a definition which defines creativity as the ability to produce work that is novel (i.e original, unexpected), high in quality and appropriate (i.e useful, meets task constraints) by Sternberg, Kaufman & Pretz 2002.

 

Well, I do agree with the above statements because I am a kind of person who support creative thinking.

 

However, I am trying hard to figure out whether is ‘think out of the box’ is synonym to creativity? How about ‘think out of the box’ equal to ‘Not to think in the box’? Let me do the equation:

 

 

Think out of the box = creativity

Think out of the box = Not to (think in the box)

Not to (think in the box) = Not (creativity)

 

As conclusion: Think in the box equals to not creative??

 

 

 

Well, if the above equation is true to you, then I would strongly disagree. Why? Because thinking in the box can enhance creativity too. You get to understand a situation better, trying something which others might have forgotten or left out, new discovery, unexpected, fun and CRAZYY!!!

 

 

How do I know?

Good question. Because I did that.

 

 

I am not just thinking the box, but I am thinking in a collection of BOXES!!!

Now, I am creative or what? Lolx..

 

 

P/s: Actually the most creative person is my cousin, the photographer who found and captured the right and interesting angle for my hilarious poses. Credit to her =)

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