by Hanifa K. Cook | Mar 15, 2009 | Environment
10 weeks ago, I was still in Australia enjoying summer vacation. When I arrived back home, I received a phone call from my daughter’s Mandarin tutor. She spoke to me in English with a very heavy Mandarin accent, “Hello! Is your daughter coming to register...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Feb 6, 2009 | Childhood, Environment, Internet, Language, Learning Skills, Music, News
Learning out loud is a great way to bounce back knowledge that comes into your head. Kids figure out quickly that being loud does not necessary have to mean about sounds. Bright and gaudy colours are loud. If used as a figure of speech, ‘loud’ takes a...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Dec 9, 2008 | Environment
A friend of mine sent these disturbing images which you have seen and read. The message is very clear . Killing babies in definitely no sport hunting. Even when you catch a baby fish in the ocean, it is humane to release it back to the seas to let it grow big and live...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Nov 27, 2008 | Environment, Language
On the morning of the last day of our stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we had breakfast at McDonald’s located at the junction of Jalan Bukit Bintang. We sat on the top floor next to the window; the monorail and traffic intersection were in full view. One of the things...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Nov 13, 2008 | Environment, Language
If you have just arrived here, do read, Observing Language Development first. This is how I learn my 5th language. No dictionary, no translator, just work with the environment straight away. I use a specific example, grocery shopping. I used to keep a record of all...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Nov 12, 2008 | Environment, Language, Learning Skills
I started speaking Bahasa Indonesia in the early ’90s. Back then, I worked as a personal assistant in an international company and the regional marketing manager only spoke English. I was also work as trainer. Then after I got married, my husband was posted to...