We love ice cream

Perhaps it's something that runs in my family. No one so far beats my dad, but certainly he's got a couple of contenders.

An old picture from our vacation in Myrtle Beach.


But what are our favorites? Pretty much any kind of ice cream. For sure, certain brands are better than the others.

Häagen-Dazs is definitely among the best, a truly premium brand with premium taste. Unfortunately, it comes with premium price. So, it's restricted to only premium occasions. Our favorite: its fondue (now) and Mint Chip Dazzler. Oh yeah, high calorie dessert - 1270 calories and 38 grams of saturated fat. But, gosh, it's so good.

I also like Woody ice cream, back way years ago in Indonesia... I think Woody is a local brand, without any permission to use the Woodpecker icon. But for sure, it was among the best back then.

Ben and Jerry's was our favorite when we were in North Carolina. One shop on Chapel Hill's Franklin St. was our favorite during Summer time.

Baskin-Robbins used to be better than they are today, in my opinion. But with 31% off every 31st of the month, it certainly is a good deal, good value for the taste.

There was an ice cream parlor in Blok M (then moved to Pondok Indah), called Rendez-Vous. Again, my parents' favorite. Their sundae is superb!

And of course, soft ice cream -- anywhere, vanilla mixed with chocolate. Dairy Queen, Mc Donald's... My old time favorite is the one in Apotik Melawai on Jalan Melawai.

Yeah, we love ice cream.

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Sex education: solution or problem?

Malaysia is considering sex education in the National Service - I heard this on the radio a couple weeks ago.

clipped from www.cbsnews.com

AP) Malaysia's government is worried that high school graduates may not know enough about sex.

Authorities in the conservative, Muslim-majority nation are considering teaching sex education to teenagers when they undergo national service after leaving school, Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil, director general of the National Service Department, said Wednesday.

High school graduates may not know enough about sex? Never underestimate teenagers!

The question is "what is sex education?" What is the curriculum? Will knowing more about sex drive up or down the sex activities among teenagers?

I found another article from John J. Macionis interesting.

Most schools today have sex education programs that teach the basics of sexuality. Instructors explain to young people how their bodies grow and change, how reproduction occurs, and how to avoid pregnancy by using birth control or abstaining from sex.

Half of U.S. teenage boys report having sex by the time they reach sixteen, and half of girls report doing so by seventeen. These numbers are much the same in most high-income nations; what accounts for the higher U.S. teen pregnancy rate is less use of contraceptives. "Sex ed" program, then seem to make sense. But critics point out that as the number of sex education programs has expanded, the level of teenage sexual activity has actually gone up. This trend seems to suggest that sex education may not be discouraging sex among youngsters and, maybe, that learning more about sex encourages young people to become sexually active sooner. Critics also say that it is parents who should be instructing their children about sex, since, unlike teachers, parents can also teach their beliefs about what is right and wrong.

But supporters of sex education counter that research does not support the conclusion that sex education makes young people more sexually active. More generally, they argue that it is the larger culture - one that celebrates sexuality - that encourages children to become sexually active. If this is the case, the sensible strategy is to ensure that they understand what they are doing and take reasonable precautions to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

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Is flashlight a toy?

A typical scene at home.

*#^$%#$(*& !!!!

"Whoa, whoa. What's happening?"
Anya: "Ben doesn't let me borrow his flashlight!"
"Why, Ben?"
Ben: "Because it's not a toy..."
Anya: "It IS a toy!"
Ben: "It's not!"
Anya: "It IS!"
Ben: "NO!"

"Stop it, stop it."
"Why do you think it's not a toy?"

Ben: "Because... because we use flashlight when it's dark!"
Anya: "No..."
"Wait. Let him finish."
Ben: "So we have to keep it."
"And why do you think it's a toy?"
Anya: "Because it's a Buzz Lightyear flashlight! Buzz Lightyear is a toy!"
Ben: "But it's a flashlight! You said we shouldn't play with flashlight!"

(Oh, now it's me)

"OK. Let's not play with my flashlight, because we need to know exactly where we keep it. When it's dark, it'll be very difficult to find a flashlight if it can be anywhere, won't it?"
"But since this is a toy flashlight, you can play with it."

Both: "Yipiiii...!"
Anya: "Give me."
Ben: "My turn first!"
Anya: "But you've played with it already!"
Ben: "This is my toy. My turn first!"

... I think I found the reason why men play golf the whole day...

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Polygamy on the rise

Call me ignorant, but I was pretty surprised to read an article about polygamy in the U.S. - open and quite legal. "About 40,000 'fundamentalist Mormons' in Utah and nearby states live polygamy illegally," the article said.

Aroengbinang stated his position on polygamy - respecting both groups, those who oppose as well as those who support polygamy. I guess mine is along that line.

As long as there's a mutual agreement between the parties involved. As long as the neighbors are not disturbed. As long as there's no fights or whatsoever.

But, religion aside, there should be some rules to govern polygamy, shouldn't it? If people are free to have as many wives (or husbands?) as they like, I am sure there will be chaos.

This is absolutely a one-sided view.

Love or attention is probably too difficult (or impossible) to measure, but financial is not. Without ample financial foundation, there will be problems. More family members to take care of. More stomach to feed. More kids education to fund. And so on.

So there probably should be rules for polygamy, if it's ever made legal. Sort of like a financial threshold before marrying the second, third, fourth wives/husbands. Or even the fifth, sixth and more.

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Kids In Mind

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