Forrest Gump

Many parents hope that the little John they are cradling in their arms become future Einsteins. Actually, some of these mommies and daddies believe that their child really is the smartest.

When I was bringing my little tots to pre-school, a lot of fierce mamas talk about their young ones like they are the next Bill Gates, or Lea Salonga or Lisa Macuja. So how do we know that we are not just blinded by our unconditional love for our kids? How do we distinguish real giftedness, as opposed to genius only in our biased eyes?

Issa, Carlo, and Paolo, during their elementary years

 

According to www.lilsugar.com, here are ten signs to determine if your most precious is gifted, in the real sense of the word:

1.       Retains a wide variety of information accurately and can recall it after some period of time.

2.      Is interested in a myriad of things like dinosaurs, cars, planets, or countries.

3.      Can write and read early, even without formal teaching.

4.      Is talented in music or arts.

5.      Has a good memory of events that happened even when he was still smaller.

6.      Has a long attention span and shows intense concentration on a subject.

7.      Has an advanced vocabulary. Not just an early talker, but he can describe things accurately using more difficult words.

8.     Has a keen eye for details. The child notices small things which we normally ignore.

9.      Are critical of themselves. The child knows when he makes a mistake and often corrects it, or asks someone for help to correct him.

10.  Understands complicated concepts and can think abstractly.

Henyo epek!
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I am past that stage of trying to squeeze the genius juices in my three kids, for they are now in their mid-teens, and they think they are now much brighter than their ol’ mum. (Hmp!) I’m not sure if the Hubby and I have done everything to maximize their potentials, what I’m sure is that we have done the best we could. For that, we are quite happy of how the Kiddos have turned out, and are still turning out to be.

Movie Recall: Forrest Gump   (1994)

The Story:

The story follows the life of low I.Q. Forrest Gump and his meeting with the love of his life Jenny. The film chronicles his accidental experiences with some of the most important people and events in America from the late 1950's through the 1970's including a meeting with Elvis Presley, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, fighting in Vietnam, etc. The problem is, he's too stupid to realize the significance of his actions. Forrest becomes representative of the baby boomer generation having walked through life blindly.

My Review:

Of course Tom Hanks' acting was impeccable. It was expected of him. But what impressed me most is how he has become a real Forrest Gump in my eyes. His characterization made me understand how geniuses are different in their forms.
Even my Daughter was not spared of this strong impression--we often crack up when she imitates how Forrest Gump talks in the movie. That's when I discovered the Daughter is a genius after all.

Trivia:

Bill Murray, John Travolta and Chevy Chase turned down the role of Forrest Gump. Travolta later admitted that passing on the role was a mistake.

Gary Sinise's lower legs were wrapped in a special blue fabric that allowed them to be optically removed from the film by computer later.

Tom Hanks' younger brother Jim Hanks doubled for him in many of his numerous running sequences.

Tom Hanks said that he would make the film only if all the events that took place were true to historical reality. Tom Hanks wasn't paid for the film. Instead he took percentage points which ultimately netted him in the region of $40 million.

The condition that Jenny was being treated for at the end of the movie was probably HIV. She says in the movie that the doctors do not know what the virus is and that they can do nothing about it. She mentions that she is being treated in Atlanta; the Centers for DIsease Control in Atlanta did some of the first US research on the epidemiology and treatment of HIV/AIDS; and the time that she died was the time the virus was first being discovered. Based on what we see of her life, she is in several of the categories that were at the highest risk for contracting HIV, including IV drug users and women who have unprotected sex with many partners.
www.imdb.com