weaving the rainbow

Monday, March 30, 2009 ;

1:19 PM

27 Mar
Fri

ds1 was home from school and both of them were playing rough and super active stuff like climbing up and down the bunk bed, jumping down from the upper bunk and kicking huge balls across the living room. (footnote: ds2 actually fell from the upper bunk and cut his lips yet again. Even his frenulum was torn, with a laceration. Sigh)

I had run out of novel things to distract them. So I offered them a chance to dismantle the HD DVD player we got in US which was shipped over in the boxes. It was rarely used now that we only watch HD DVDs on Sat. Also, the fuse had been blown by yours truly, because I plugged it into the China electrical socket without realising this device cannot take the difference in voltage.

Since Dh still had no spare time to change the fuse, I thought might as well help him by opening the thing. Thus I handed 2 screw drivers to the boys and asked them to open the thing.

Then I went to prepare dinner.

It was good. Occupied them quietly for a long time, while I came out once in a while to peek.
Mainly it was ds1 doing the unscrewing (they were supposed to take turns but ds2 was happy to let his brother do everything while he observed.

After the lid was off, the kids begged to examine the components and since it was plugged in, I thought why not? ds1 wanted to further dismantle the DVD holder section and anywhere there were screws. I gave the go ahead, after reminding him that he needed to be able to put the things back where they were supposed to go. He agreed.

But I took a picture of the thing first, just in case they can't put it together again.

Then they had fun pressing all the different buttons inside the player. ds2 was interested in this. He loves buttons.

Oops, I stayed in the kitchen for too long a spell and when I came out, the DVD player was almost wrecked. It certainly looked like it couldn't be put together again.

After that I didn't dare leave them, so I sat at the side to film them.

He began explaining what he was doing. The way he did it seemed like it was targetted at his brother, cos the language was simple. But then his brother didn't seem like he was listening so he directed it at me.

I wasn't paying that much attention to what he was saying, but I did notice all the screws he placed nicely on the chair. I thought that was rather neat, at least they weren't strewn all over on the floor. This looks like something he is better at than his dad, haha.

After he was done, I asked him to try and put everything back. To give him credit, he did stick most of the stuff back in the same place, only thing they weren't connected. Some of the "ribbons" (I don't know what they are called but they look like gift wrap ribbons to me) were flapping about with one end loose. I know they were all connected at the beginning. Oops... better wait and see if Dh can salvage it. But I knew he wouldn't be too pleased.

When DH returned from work, he exclaimed indeed, and chided me for letting them run amok with the player without supervision. I admitted that I should've been with them all the way.. But I still thought it could be put together. Dh didn't look so confident because the damage he saw, he understood. For me, I don't know these things, so I just think of the best scenario, but was secretly worried that if it were really not fixable, I'd be a dead duck.

Dh gave them a earful too, especially ds1.

Dh took over, and even though by that time dinner was ready, none of them wanted to eat yet.

So I announced that I would start first, and I ate my dinner by myself while watching them from the dining table. As the minutes passed, I wondered if it would ever be done, and if the guys would ever have dinner... so I prayed that the player would work fine soon too!

Finally it did! Phew... The fuse still needs to be replaced for the DVDs to be played but at least, everything was back in place, and the lights were on and blinking again, hooray! The boys were overjoyed!

Footnote: Dh went out the next morning (Sat morn) to buy the fuse and a soldering thingy. He came home, soldered something together (apparently something was broken). He said he couldn't find 110V fuse, so he just put a piece of metal in place of the fuse and sealed it there.

He at once tried the player out by playing our HD DVD Living Earth, and with that excuse of "testing the player", sat there and watched DVD for more than 1 hour.

I think it is risky not to have a fuse, cos I might absent-mindedly plug it in again, instead of using the transformer, which is so bulky and heavy. Anyone knows where to get the fuse here?

(Otherwise I would incur the wrath of Dh too many times! He already told the boys to wait for him to be home before asking to watch HD DVD, don't ask mummy to play for them!)

rainbows every day, do not worry for the morrow
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