akhir tahun 2009

wah! akhirnya cuti sekolah akhir tahun sudah bermula...*aku suka* Dapat la aku berehat daripada menyental baju sekolah selama beberapa minggu ni. Part kotor yg paling susah nak hilang, kat hujung lengan belah bawah (baju sekolah agama); kotor karbon pensel. mmg melekat betul! Tapi tak sesia jugak la usaha aku merendam baju2 tu dgn vanish semalaman, menyental baju/seluar luar dan dalam, dan bilas dgn nila setiap minggu. Hasilnya, baju2 sekolah semuanya masih elok, boleh pakai lagi tahun depan, dan takdelah kusam terkepam rupanya. *pat my own back* hehehehehhe...

Now, am preparing a lil' to-do list:

* nak basuh beg2 sekolah, dan adjust sikit mana2 yg patut. Beg2 Iman nampak boleh pakai lagi tahun depan, so ok. Beg tadika Iqbal boleh buat beg sek. agama, so need to buy a new schoolbag for his sek. keb. only. Beg Ayu dah hancur, need a new one too.

* Sort baju budak2 ni; mana yg boleh pass down, mana yg boleh totally let go.

* tuala2 lama yg aku simpan tu, aku nak jahit sambung2 buat selimut ayu. maybe i should learn on how to quilt. wah! very2 interesting!

* buku2 pun kena kemas jugak. we definitely need another book shelves.

*vacations. nak pergi mana yek?

*shopping for school supplies. bagus jugak sekolah bagi hadiah stationeries, boleh buat stok tahun depan.

* i should start browsing topics on small-spaced interior design. terasa nak tukar susun atur rumah. barulah seronok sikit kan? *berangan*

*aku kena buat jadual harian utk iman, iqbal and ayu. i should monitor their homeworks and study awal2 lagi, supaya aku takde la rasa saspen bila diorang nak exam. yup, aku yg lelebih risau dan cemas. w/pun aku nampak cool jek :) malas la nak pressure budak2 study, they should enjoy their schools. but at the same time, they should try their best to excel.

so far, for year 2009, the kids are doing fine. Iman scored highest marks in few subjects both at sek. keb & agama. Final results for both schools are >95% of total percentages, very excellent. Iqbal did learnt a lot, drpd dia yg hanya tau melukis aje, now he can read, write and do simple maths (>90%, pun excellent juga). Ayu is quite advance in reading & mengaji, cuma cikgu komplen dia kurang minat menulis & mewarna. heh heh... takpelah, ayu baru 4thn kan.

me? well, i was hoping for some sort of career advancement, tapi tak tercapai. not yet. aku terasa nak sambung study, tak kisah la ambik master or at least a diploma in different field. tapi aku takut takleh nak handle study & anak2 aku nanti. of coz, i'm living in a comfort, stress-free zone right now, tapi rasa mcm kurang mencabar pulak. heh heh.. boleh?

magic eye

Aku mmg ada masalah untuk melihat objek tersembunyi di balik corak-corak ini. masalahnya, aku nampak imej-imej tersebut tenggelam. sepatutnya imej tersebut timbul. mata aku yang kero ke apa?

Contohnya gambar ni (sumber di sini). Gambar apakah ini?

HOW TO SEE 3D IMAGE:

Look at the two red marks above the picture. Diverge your eyes as though you are looking through the image into the distance. Diverge your focus into the distance until you see two squares above the image turn into three squares.

When you clearly see three squares, at that distance the hidden 3D image will magically appear. Once you perceive the hidden image and depth, you can look around the entire 3D image easily. The longer you look, the clearer the illusion becomes.

It will be easier to find out the 3D image if you print the magic eye picture (black and white will also work).

*update on 13 nov 2009

this 'magic eye' trick is also known as stereogram. dengan berpandukan tips di atas, aku berjaya tengok objek tersebut! yey! fokus mata (focal point) sepatutnya berada di belakang gambar, bukannya di depan gambar, baru ler imej tersebut timbul! akhirnya berjaya jugak... peh!

this is what i found today, animated 'magic eye'. disebalik corak ini adalah.... jeng.. jeng.. jeng...

... gambar seekor ikan jerung sedang berenang-renang. kreatif betul! :)

synopsis raya 2009

[sebelum raya]

percubaan pertama buat biskut mazola. boleh la... heh heh.. *sambil hidung kembang kempis* bangga ni!

kalau sebelum ni, aku yg tulis kad raya utk dihantar kat kaum keluarga, tahun ni ada kerahan tenaga. hahahahha... bagus betul anak2 aku dah pandai menulis, masing2 tulis sendiri kad raya. bagusss... bagusss....

(mula drpd Iman lahir, aku tampal gambar anak2 dlm kad raya sebagai kenangan. boleh buat koleksi gambar mereka membesar dari tahun ke tahun; dari Iman sorang, jadik berdua dgn iqbal, dan kemudian bertiga dgn ayu :) tapi yg sedihnya, aku bagi kat org, tapi aku sendiri tak simpan satu... huhuhuhu.... )

almaklumla, rumah 'penthouse' takde laman. main ler bunga api kat balkoni aje. heh heh...

balik kampung kat k/pilah. entah apa perangai sorang2. yg si Iqbal sebok menulis entah apa (homework tak siap2 jugak) dan lukis peta. ayu pulak tgh bad mood, mula lah pening kepala lah, sakit perut la.... glad we arrived safely at padang lebar. w/pun ada tersangkut sana sini, biasalah, heavy traffics, semua org nak balik kampung... :)

[pagi raya]

wokeh, beratur... beratur... salam, cium tangan, boleh dapat duit raya sorang satu. lepas tu bagi kat omi tau! jgn sepah2. nanti org lain kebas. hehehehehhe...

[raya ke-2]

raya ke-2 singgah Tangkak sekejap utk beraya rumah mak/pak sedara dan atuk sedara. kemudian kami terus balik puchong utk basuh baju dan repacking, sebelum bertolak ke Sg Sumun. Mak aku, mokde & mokteh tahun ni beraya dgn poksu, jadi kami pun ke sana la...

[raya ke-3]

dari Puchong kami terus gerak ke taiping. singgah sekejap melawat muzium, kemudian ke zoo. keluarga poksu, mak aku, mokde & mokteh dah menunggu.

yg khusyuk baca buku tu moksu aku. dia target nak khatam 3 buah novel sempena cuti raya ni. heheheh... lepas pusing2 zoo, kitorang ke gerai makan belakang bomba. makan yong tau fu & sotong kangkung.. nostalgia sungguh!

[raya ke-4]

pergi pulau pangkor la pulak. heh heh... dari pagi sampai ke petang. lepas pusing2 satu pulau, kita piknik tepi laut.

jernih betul air laut kat sini! pasir pun halus je... mmg best!

[raya ke-5]

singgah pasir salak sekejap sebelum gerak ke cameron highland. giler jalan sakan!

kalau aku nak ulas kisah pasir salak ni, mmg panjang. perebutan kuasa, penindasan, tak puas hati, dan memberontak. (datuk maharajalela seorang pejuang atau penjenayah?)

dari pasir salak kami ke tapah, tunggu family husband sampai (diorang beraya kat malim nawar). kemudian, kami ramai2 ke cameron highland.

[raya ke-6]

kami bermalam di tanah rata. bagus jalan masa raya2 ni, org tak ramai. sewa apartment pun murah. puas hati jugak la.

dari cameron highland, aku sekeluarga terus balik puchong (eh, takde lah terus balik terus pun, singgah kejap kat rawang, rumah angah)... penat woooo... melepek habih! besok tu, sambung lagi beraya kat rumah mak/pak sedara kat kl pulak.... peh!

biasalah, kalau tak bergambar dgn pokok teh mmg tak sah. hehehehehhe....

menghampiri syawal 1430H

raya datang lagi... sedar tak sedar dah nak dekat sebulan kita berpuasa. aku bangga dgn Iman & Iqbal kerana berpuasa hampir penuh tahun ni. Hari yg tak puasa pun sbb demam dan haus sgt katanya. takpelah. diorang baru 5-6thn. tapi masa kecik2 ni lah kena prektis pose. senang kita nak membentuknya. cuma kena lebihkan bersabar, kena puji2 melambung2, kena bagi kata2 semangat, dan kena cerita yg best2 pasal puasa dan raya. everyday, without fail. yup, itu je syaratnya. :)

aku bukan rajin sgt nak bangun sahur, tapi sbb nak ajar bebudak ni puasa, mmg takleh miss sahurlah. iman tak banyak kerenah. bila di kejut dia terus bangun pegi makan. iqbal plk, masa awal2 puasa dia ok. bila dah akhir2 ni, siap menangislah, nak dukunglah, entah hapa lagi perangai. kadang2 dah bunyik azan, tapi dia masih makan, saje lambat2. aku biarkan aje. yg penting lepas tu, dia kena puasa jugak.

ayu pulak? ada juga dia puasa sehari dua, lepas tu dah tak tahan. sakit perutlah, angin lah, hauslah, penatlah. yg kelakarnya, dia dah melantak kuih & milo jam 6ptg; masa berbuka, dia pun berkobar2 sama nak makan mengalahkan org puasa! heheheheh....

owh, tahun ni, utk julung2 kalinya aku buat biskut raya: biskut mazola. hahahhahaha... mcm tak percaya plk. mmg jadik, mmg sedap. senang rupanya membuatnya. anak2 aku pun suka. tapi nampaknya mmg tak sempat nak bagi org lain makan, sbb kitorang dah perabiskan setengah telap. hehehehehhe.... (zahra, aku simpankan seketul biskut mazola utk kau yek.)

(klik gambar utk lebih jelas)

iye, aku takde gambar sefamily yg terkini. dan nak carik gambar budak bertiga ni pun payah. jadi, terimalah gambar ucapan raya yg agak garang untuk tahun ni. :)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin.

I’m Sorry, What Did You Say?

I’m Sorry, What Did You Say?
By: Natalie Willis

Dear Makers of Rosetta Stone Language Software,

I seem to have a problem I was hoping you could help me with. I have three beautiful, smart children. I know they are smart because their teachers tell me so, and this assertion is backed up by test grades and report cards. So, I have to assume the shortcoming in our relationship comes from me.

Now, when I was in high school and college I had to take a foreign language. I opted for Latin, given my desire to someday get paid to argue (lawyer) or get paid to fix little kids boo-boos with a kiss and a smile and maybe write them a ’script (doctor). I followed through on neither career choice, by the way.

So, while it makes me feel all smart and stuff that I can conjugate words like abstineô and tell you the root meaning of cerebr, it has very little everyday usefulness.

This is not the first time my lack of language skills has gotten me in trouble. I have been known on more than one occasion to greatly offend some of my Spanish-speaking friends by asking what seemed to be a simple question. While I am certain I said, “May I please borrow your restroom?” in fact, what I actually said is something along the lines of, “My chicken pooped on your grandmother’s toast.”

Yeah. Me? Not so good with the other languages.

I thought I had English down pretty well, though. However, there seems to be an issue with my dialect. Or accent. Or enunciation. Or something.

As I mentioned above, my kids are smart. Really. So, when I say, “Please go brush your teeth,” and they hear “Please go play your Nintendo DS,” I have no choice but to believe it is some failure on my part.

Just this morning …

I said: “Please hurry. We are running late.”
They heard: “Please try to set a world record for slowest walking human. EVER.”

I said: “Get dressed.”
They heard: “Why don’t you sit on your floor, wrapped in a towel, after your shower, and catch up on some reading?”

I said: “I am going to go brush my teeth. Please have all your school stuff by the door, ready to go.”
They heard: “Please, for Pete’s sweet sake, take everything you own out of your back pack and dump it in a pile in the middle of the living room floor so that you can verify the existence of your very favorite pencil because if you don’t have it there is simply no way you can do your schoolwork.”

So, as you can see, there is obviously a language barrier issue here. Maybe it is merely a dialect issue? Maybe it is a whole other language that I can’t possibly expect them to understand? Maybe I actually don’t make any sound at all and they are just doing the best they can trying to understand my nonexistent subtitles?

Either way, I clearly need your help. It is not them. It is me. I know that and have taken the first step to solving my problem. However, I looked all through your website. I found Swahili, Mandarin and even Persian. And while those sound like interesting languages to learn, they are not exactly applicable to my particular situation. At least I don’t think they are. Maybe that is my problem … I am not even sure what language my children understand.

Rosetta Stone, we are a family in crisis. What kind of mother can I be, if we can’t communicate effectively? I beg of you, please let me know exactly what software it is I need to purchase with three easy credit card payments of $39.95 plus shipping and handling? My family’s health, well being, and tooth brushing depends on you.

Thank you so much for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Love,
Natalie

First published February 2009
(source: divinecaroline.com)

==============

heh heh.. tergelak baca artikel ni...

the sentences bold in red? it is sooooooooooo iqbal. not wrapped-in-towel version, but holding-clothes-in-one-hand type. and not only he has a sudden urge and interest to read, he'll also take time to rearrange his toy vehicles. and while at it, he'll reorganised his toy farm too.

kadang2 aku terpikir jugak, apa la yg budak2 ni pikir dan dengar bila kita cakap atau suruh diorang buat itu ini. cakap perlahan pun tak jalan, kalau terpekik2 kang, buat sakit tekak aje.

iysk.. iysk...

ngeri

kejadian ni mmg betul2 berlaku. bukan cobaan. manalah aku sangka, tgh elok2 tidur boleh pulak anak aku sorang ni bangun dgn berlumuran darah! ngeri giler!

minggu lepas, hari selasa lebih kurang jam 4 pagi. Iman kejutkan aku. dia kata badan dia panas, mcm demam. aku pun rasa dahi dia mmg panas sikit, dan badan dia berpeluh. jadi aku bagi dia makan ubat demam. lepas tu aku suruh dia tidur balik dalam bilik dgn iqbal.

oleh sebab iman bukak lampu bilik, si iqbal terjaga sambil menggosok2 mata. iman pun cakap, 'omi, tengok iqbal ni!' sambil tunjuk baju iqbal. aku pun hairanlah sbb mcm ada tompok2 coklat kat baju iqbal, dan kat bantal, cadar dan selimut. aku pun tanya iman, dia muntah kat iqbal ke? iman cakap takde, mana ada dia muntah.

aku jadik panik. aku belek2 telinga dia, hidung dia, kepala dia kot2 berdarah. tapi takde pulak. bila aku tengok leher dan bawah dagu, aku punyalah terkejut sbb ada luka besar tersopak kedalam, nampak isi daging, betul2 bawah dagu dia! astaghfirullah...

aku kejut husband sambil cuba bertenang. ok, darah dah kering, takde la aku risau sgt. cuma kami tampal plaster besar (adhesive wound dressing) utk cover luka tu. iqbal masih blur, dia langsung tak menangis atau cakap sakit. bila aku tanya kena kat mana, dia tunjuk birai katil. aku musykil. mcm mana boleh terkena kat situ padahal besi katil tu di tutup dgn tilam, dan tiada setitik darah pun kat lantai.

setelah buat CSI lebih kurang, dan keluarkan mcm2 teori. kitorang sambung tido... masih awal pagi kan.... aku bagi iqbal makan ubat demam utk kurangkan sakit dan tak mau dia demam.

pagi tu kat klinik, luka dia kena jahit. 4 benang hitam tersimpul bawah dagu. ngilu aku tengok. dah berjahit bawah dagu pun masih melompat, berlari sana sini. lemah lutut aku tengok budak sorang ni. iysk, mmg tak reti sakit agaknya.

inilah rupanya dari bawah. kena tukar plaster selalu sbb makan comot2, sampai dagu. kang tak pasal2 semut hurung ke apa.

lepas kejadian tu, mmg macam2 aku pikir. aku rasa mcm mimpi pun ada, percaya tak percaya. and we thought he's safely tucked in his bed that night! inilah yg dinamakan takdir. kalau dah nak kena, kat mana2/apa cara pun kena jugak.

jenuh aku & hubby buat CSI dalam bilik. belek2 bawah katil, bucu katil, atas katil.. tapi masih buntu. kalaulah dia jatuh ke bawah katil, mestilah kepala terhantuk dulu kan masa dia nak bangun? mcm mana dagu pulak boleh tersangkut, terkoyak mcm tu sekali? entahla...

i shuddered to think what if he's not stop bleeding that night. what if the wound more severed? my child is wounded yet i'm deep asleep, oblivious to what was happening. ngeri betul. aku berdoa semoga Allah melindungi anak2 aku dari segala bahaya.

Bismillahi Tawakal tu al Allah wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah

dua org budak dah tak sabar nak berbuka. iqbal pun puasa jugak w/pun bertampal dagu.

awal2 lagi dah mengadap air oren sejuk. :)

(menyambut awal ramadhan di rumah arwah atuk, tangkak)

ramadhan 1430H

Iman dah mula berpuasa penuh sejak hari pertama lagi. maklumlah, dah darjah 1, takkan nak separuh hari lagi. lagipun tgh cuti sekolah. mmg duduk rumah je, takde pegi mana.

untuk menggalakkan iman, iqbal & ayu berpuasa, berbuih2lah mulut omi & abah menerangkan apa itu puasa, mengapa perlu puasa, nikmat puasa (nanti dapat berbuka dan lepas sebulan puasa dapat beraya).

iman & iqbal nampak dah faham... tapi ayu? heh heh.. pagi2 1 ramadhan tu, aku tanya dia..

omi: ayu nak puasa tak?
ayu: NAK! (peh, semangat betul)
lepas tu ayu tanya lagi: nak pakai baju apa?

aku blur kejap. apehal la nak puasa tanya pakai baju apa pulak? rupa2nya dia ingat puasa tu raya.... hahahhahahahah.... alahaiii... heh heh.. dalam berjela2 cakap pasal puasa, raya je yg dia faham....

[unplanned vacation, 1-2 aug 2009]
iman, iqbal dan ayu sebok tanya, bila nak pegi hotel, nak mandi swimming pool. ye la, sbb dah janji masa cuti sekolah hari tu kan. tapi dah semua kena cikenpox, mcm mana nak pegi?

aku pun survey2 la tempat2 yg berhampiran. aku jumpa satu resort kat pantai morib. cantekkkk... dekat pun dekat... lalu banting boleh singgah beli kerepek. sampai je sana, tengok2 oarang punyalah ramai. laaa.... ada reunion sekolah pulak... bilik semua penuh. aduilah... menyesal tak booking awal2. hampeh...

perjalanan diteruskan ke arah selatan. konon2 nak pegi sri malaysia bagan lalang. pun penuh jugak! ada family reunion pulak dahhh.... last2 terus ke PD.

kat PD pun penuh daaa... tak sangka la pulak ramai yg nak berunion hujung minggu tu. aku tengok jam dah pkl 5. kalau tak jumpa jugak resort yg sesuai dgn budget, mmg aku cadang terus balik tangkak je la...

last2 setel kat ilham resort. yahuu... anak2 aku mmg seronok la. tukar baju terus berendam dalam kolam. heh heh...

owh.. rupa2nya ilham resort ni terletak di sebelah kawasan rumah api tanjung tuan. selain tempat rumah api, kat sinilah tempat persinggahan burung2 yg berhijrah dari utara/selatan.

fuh! semput aku nak jejak sampai ke kawasan ni. ambik nafas dulu sebelum panjat tangga.

sambung berendam dalam kolam. ayu muka cuak sbb bekas air tu terlepas dari tangan dia bila dia nak simbah air ke abang iman/iqbal. heh heh...

[ulu bendul]

hari tu kitorang balik k/pilah, singgah mandi sungai kat ulu bendul. sejuk betul air dia.

ini budak 2 org yg tak reti sejuk. leka betul main air.

di pondok kecil

dipondok kecil di pantai ombak
berbuih putih beralun-alun

disuatu hari ayah berkata
jaga adik mu ayahkan pergi jauh
ku pandang wajah ayah dahinya ku cium
air mata mengalir hatiku pilu

diam-diamlah sayang jangan menangis
doakan ayah semoga diterima
diam adik ku sayang jangan menangis
andai ayah gugur doakan dia syahid

selamat berjuangan ayah tercinta
kau pergi dulu ayah ke medan juang
ku iringi doa moga berjaya
beroleh kemenangan demi agama Islam

wahai abang ku kemana ayah

ku sayang ayah ku cinta ayah

duhai adik ku sayang jangan bersedih
ayah mu pergi menyambut seruan Ilahi
tapi ingatlah adik ku pesanan ayah
berjuangan dan berkorban walau dimana jua

pada Mu Tuhan aku bermohon
dosa ayah ku minta diampunkan
berilah rahmat bantulah dia
untuk menegakkan agama Islam

(youtube link: Nadamurni_dipondok kecil)

======================
sayu pulak bila terngiang lagu ni kat telinga aku. teringat balik zaman2 sekolah dulu, layan lagu ni kat surau..

alfatihah utk Ust. Asri (Rabbani). terima kasih kerana meminjamkan suaramu utk mengalunkan zikrullah dan nasyid2 yg indah.

i need to post this! :)

Monster with Boobs
By: Maija Threlkeld
(source: devine caroline)

Lately my five-year-old has been drawing profusely after school. Always with a red crayon. As he draws, he shares aloud the “story” that he is creating. No surprise, there’s at least two “blasts” and lots of “pew-pew” shooting sounds mixed with rockets, fireballs, and something called blasters.

By the time the narration ends, his drawing is covered with a swirl of red hiding the layers of events underneath. These action-filled abstracts add excitement to our bulletin boards.

Today as I sifted through the basket holding the drawings—with three children it’s spilling over by day’s end, I was startled by a red outline of a creature with distinct boobs, areola included. I knew my son’s artwork had evolved to the current potato stick people stage, but so far there hadn’t been any detailed anatomy. The one time I had thought a potato person had been “enhanced,” I was quickly informed, “That’s his gun on his belt.” Oh.

But these were clearly boobs. Long, droopy boobs in need of a serious breast augmentation. The only boobs he seems to focus on are his Mom’s so this wild-eyed monster creature with hanging boobs is meant to be me. And here I thought mine were well, still relatively perky.

Motherhood has its share of indignities but this just sucks.

What a vision too. I commanded the entire vertical sheet. My feet stood on the paper’s edge and my swirly hair graced the other. My body was one enormous vertical square from which the boobs slung over like straps off a saddle. My arms (drawn as thin lines, but what does that matter now) were raised from my sides, topped with circles depicting my hands and jutting out stick fingers. I appear to be wearing pants and heavy boots or shoes.

All femininity shot to hell. To my son, I am Hulk Mom.

At least at my side is an adorable cat, or what appears to be one. The cat’s smiling, whereas I have a serious straight mouth. I look angry. My mind darts to all of the recent battles of wills and scoldings and challenges. Obviously it’s been too much for my poor little boy: this monster mother overpowering the page must mean he is overwhelmed by me.

I feel William’s warm cheek as he peeks over my shoulder and then catches my eye, happy to find me admiring his artwork so intently.

“See Mommy? It’s Mario!”

“Mario? Mario, the character from Nintendo?”

“Yeah!” he beams back.

“But what are … What is this?” I carefully inquire, pointing gingerly toward the areola of one boob.

“Those are his BUTTONS!” William cheerfully hollers before scampering off to draw some more.

So much for art therapy. My femininity—and perky boobs—are reclaimed. For now.

==============

hahahha.. lawak giler...

aku pun ada cerita iras-iras mcm ni...

ada satu malam tu, iqbal tiba-tiba cakap, 'omi ada titik!' sambil tergelak2 menengok aku.

aku terkejut sebab dengar dia sebut 'tetek'. aku nak marah jugakla, tapi aku tanya balik, 'titik apa?' dengan muka berkerut.

dia jawab, 'tu, titik kat kaki!' dan sambung gelak.

laaa... dia tunjuk taik lalat kat kaki aku rupanya.... aduyaii...

multi-lingual

Unraveling how children become bilingual so easily
(source: yahoo news)

WASHINGTON – The best time to learn a foreign language: Between birth and age 7. Missed that window?

New research is showing just how children's brains can become bilingual so easily, findings that scientists hope eventually could help the rest of us learn a new language a bit easier.

"We think the magic that kids apply to this learning situation, some of the principles, can be imported into learning programs for adults," says Dr. Patricia Kuhl of the University of Washington, who is part of an international team now trying to turn those lessons into more teachable technology.

Each language uses a unique set of sounds. Scientists now know babies are born with the ability to distinguish all of them, but that ability starts weakening even before they start talking, by the first birthday.

Kuhl offers an example: Japanese doesn't distinguish between the "L" and "R" sounds of English — "rake" and "lake" would sound the same. Her team proved that a 7-month-old in Tokyo and a 7-month-old in Seattle respond equally well to those different sounds. But by 11 months, the Japanese infant had lost a lot of that ability.

Time out — how do you test a baby? By tracking eye gaze. Make a fun toy appear on one side or the other whenever there's a particular sound. The baby quickly learns to look on that side whenever he or she hears a brand-new but similar sound. Noninvasive brain scans document how the brain is processing and imprinting language.

Mastering your dominant language gets in the way of learning a second, less familiar one, Kuhl's research suggests. The brain tunes out sounds that don't fit.

"You're building a brain architecture that's a perfect fit for Japanese or English or French," whatever is native, Kuhl explains — or, if you're a lucky baby, a brain with two sets of neural circuits dedicated to two languages.

It's remarkable that babies being raised bilingual — by simply speaking to them in two languages — can learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. On average, monolingual and bilingual babies start talking around age 1 and can say about 50 words by 18 months.

Italian researchers wondered why there wasn't a delay, and reported this month in the journal Science that being bilingual seems to make the brain more flexible.

The researchers tested 44 12-month-olds to see how they recognized three-syllable patterns — nonsense words, just to test sound learning. Sure enough, gaze-tracking showed the bilingual babies learned two kinds of patterns at the same time — like lo-ba-lo or lo-lo-ba — while the one-language babies learned only one, concluded Agnes Melinda Kovacs of Italy's International School for Advanced Studies.

While new language learning is easiest by age 7, the ability markedly declines after puberty.

"We're seeing the brain as more plastic and ready to create new circuits before than after puberty," Kuhl says. As an adult, "it's a totally different process. You won't learn it in the same way. You won't become (as good as) a native speaker.

"Yet a soon-to-be-released survey from the Center for Applied Linguistics, a nonprofit organization that researches language issues, shows U.S. elementary schools cut back on foreign language instruction over the last decade. About a quarter of public elementary schools were teaching foreign languages in 1997, but just 15 percent last year, say preliminary results posted on the center's Web site.

What might help people who missed their childhood window? Baby brains need personal interaction to soak in a new language — TV or CDs alone don't work. So researchers are improving the technology that adults tend to use for language learning, to make it more social and possibly tap brain circuitry that tots would use.

Recall that Japanese "L" and "R" difficulty? Kuhl and scientists at Tokyo Denki University and the University of Minnesota helped develop a computer language program that pictures people speaking in "motherese," the slow exaggeration of sounds that parents use with babies.

Japanese college students who'd had little exposure to spoken English underwent 12 sessions listening to exaggerated "Ls" and "Rs" while watching the computerized instructor's face pronounce English words. Brain scans — a hair dryer-looking device called MEG, for magnetoencephalography — that measure millisecond-by-millisecond activity showed the students could better distinguish between those alien English sounds. And they pronounced them better, too, the team reported in the journal NeuroImage.

"It's our very first, preliminary crude attempt but the gains were phenomenal," says Kuhl.But she'd rather see parents follow biology and expose youngsters early. If you speak a second language, speak it at home. Or find a play group or caregiver where your child can hear another language regularly."You'll be surprised," Kuhl says.

"They do seem to pick it up like sponges."

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yup, children learn and absorb everything quickly, not just on languages.

aku pun konon2 nak jugakla latih anak2 aku ni bercakap b/inggeris di rumah. i mean with proper sentences and correct grammar. bukan manglish yek, bahasa rojak bukan termasuk kategori 'bilingual' (w/pun aku selalu jugak merojakkkan bahasa :).

aku teringat kat Iman, masa dia umur 4-5 thn, after watching playhouse disney channel all day long; he just shouted 'hey, wait for me!' when he was left behind. Of course children love to copy and imitate others, but citing the phrase at the right moment meaning that they really understand the words.

and a few days ago, iqbal said, 'omi, may i borrow your water' when asking for a plain water to drink. hehehhe. muka serius pulak tu.

ayu? part ni ada konfius sikit. bila kita cakap 'are you....', dia perasan kita panggil nama dia, 'ayu'. mcm mana tu?