THE LEFT LANE
Got NeoPet?

Advertiser Staff and News Services

NeoWHAT? Well, think Tamagotchi, but online. NeoPets are the newest evolution of virtual pets. Remember Tamagotchi, those egg-shaped devices invented in Japan, that became a worldwide fad?

With 131,000 members in Hawai'i and 50 million virtual pet owners worldwide, NeoPets.com is a busy site, with 120 free games, trading, auctions, greetings and even messaging. NeoPets spokesman Eric Hood said members can sign up for up to four pets each e-mail address, and that the site is popular with the 8-to-23 age group, slightly more with girls than boys. Hood said a launch in Japan is next for Glendale, Calif.-based company.

Do you have a NeoPet story to share? E-mail us at Ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com, and include your name, daytime phone number and age.

Self-doubt sabotage

Low self-esteem can trigger a self-fulfilling prophecy for people who take the blame for their partner's unhappiness, psychologist Sandra Murray says in the journal Personal Relationships.

Murray, social psychologist at the State University of New York at Buffalo, says self-doubt can make people unwittingly sabotage their relationships. Spouses with low self-esteem tended to misread cues from their partners and underestimate the amount of love their partners said they felt in the relationship.

Bright stars

Looks like the Bright lights will be shining when the newly formed Hi'ilei Center for Performing Arts stages its premiere work, "Once Upon This Island Jr.," at 7 p.m. July 25 and 26 at the Kamehameha Schools auditorium on the Kapalama Heights campus.

Ronald E. Bright, director of the Castle Performing Arts Company and Windward Community College musicals, has assembled 40 students in grades 5 through 8, including grandson Chris. The show, open free to public, is truly a family affair, since son Clarke is musical director, daughter-in-law (and Clarke's wife) Lynell (who worked with the Kamehameha choir for "Lilo and Stitch" tunes) will perform on keyboards, and son Mike (former "Miss Saigon" cast member) will be on percussion.

Simple child-proofing

A few very simple, effective products that help prevent serious accidents:

• Electrical outlet covers.
• Cabinet and drawer latches.
• Approved safety gates.
• Toilet-seat lid locks (They can prevent a child from drowning in a toilet bowl.)
• Know what you're planting — some house and yard plants are poisonous.
• Beware of dangling electric cords.
• Never leave electric appliances such as irons or coffee makers on and unattended.
• Follow the advice on the labels of toxic household chemicals: "Keep out of reach of children."