STIR IN THE AIR

Back to the days when I was in Secondary School. I loved Biology.
One day, we came across a topic that I waited for so long.
I wanted to know more, more, more... about thinking.
After lesson to lesson, I waited and waited.
The most critical point was never mentioned.
I was very disappointed.
I went to see the teacher and asked him why the topic was named as "thinking process" but contents only covered on how signals were transmitted along nerves.
I wanted to know what's a thought ... how it got started ... from nothing to something ...
He told me that these were not in syllabus ...
I was angry.
He killed a student's prime learning motivation.
Of course, now I know, he couldn't give me an answer.
It is not what Biology is about.
But what stirs a thought still amazed me today.


5M IZA

1

「機塲究竟是一個有地方泊機的商塲，還是機塲內有一個商塲？」

" Is airport a SHOPPING MALL with parking spaces for airplanes, or is it an AIRPORT with a mall in it?"

iza gazed up in the air and talked to herself.

I almost wanted to show her immediately the book MUTATIONS by Rem Koolhaas ...

Aug 2009

top left ........The Hulton Getty Picture Collection : Aviation
top right ......Mutations

2

After the big earthquake in Chile in February, iza learnt that the Earth axis might have moved, making days on Earth shorter. Scientists from Nasa think it moved 7.6cm ... our days could be 1.26 microseconds shorter ...

" Mama, if a day is shorter, will there be a change in counting 24 hrs per day?" iza puzzled.

" ... i don't know ... i don't think so ... "

" Mama, if we still use the unit of 24 hrs per day, then is a SECOND still a SECOND?"

Mar 2010

3


"It's the most delicious cookie in the World!"
iza said when she was eating this.

"Really?"

"Umm...should be the best cookie I've ever had.

Cookies I've tried as compared to ALL cookies in the world are just like (area of) HK to the Earth. No... not HK ... might be Singapore ..." she's figuring out ...

"Have you ever learnt analogy at school?" mama wondered.

"No."

"Do you know what is it?"

"Yes, it's like 6-3=9-6."

"6-3 is not equal to 3-6."

"Mama, what i said was 6-3=9-6."

OH!!!!! I never think of using an equation to explain analogy.

It's very conceptual.

I guess I would use plenty of WORDS instead.

I know, primarily, I use Chinese in thinking, my mother tongue, my first language.

But, iza is using numbers, by her first instinct, in thinking!

Nov 2009

5