juneparenting.com

Yes, finally it has been launched today - 07/07/07.

So log on to http://www.juneparenting.com/ NOW for the new fresh look.

New Website coming up

Yes, it's coming. Had intended to release the new website this month because it's JUNE.

Well, still have some touch-ups to do. So, be patient. It will be really soon.

Monthly Reflections 0705

Today is Vesak Day and also my dad's 1st death anniversary. How time flies? It has been one year since he left us. We still miss him.

For this month, my achievements are:

• Attended refresher course on SEO Web Design.
• Wrote article on "Family Culture" and submit to Society of Singapore Writers for their year book publication.
• Passed the written exam on Education Success Coach, after the 2 attempt.
• Completed the 1 week practical course on Education Success Coach (waiting for the result of the practical exam).
• Was at Temasek JC to give talks on Family Bonding.
• Managed to upload all existing posts from this blog site to my new web site.
• Did Reiki on a number of people in need and glad to see that their conditions did improve.
• Managed to enrol only 3 students for the self-improvements courses.
• Attended Cedar Girls' Sec Sch 50th Anniversary Dinner on 19/5.
• Borrowed 2 books from the library for my parenting workshop reference.
• Had 1 facial treatment done.
• Had dinner with 2 good friends whom I not met for some time.
• Attended course by WINGS on writing my biography. Intend to have the article published when I complete it.
  

Tasks to be done in June 2007:

• Go for roadshow at Dhoby Ghaut MRT on 1/6 and 4/6.
• Give a talk on "Family Bonding thru fun and fitness" on 9/6 at StarDus Clubhouse.
• Be facilitator on 12/6 and 19/6 for talk by Jason and Jolly.
• Assist Maurice on SSW talk on 18/6.
• Attend course by WINGS on every Thursday afternoon from 2 - 4 pm.
• Attend Reiki workshop on 29/6 and 30/6 (have enrolled my husband and sister for this session).
• Must find time to clear the plastic bags still piling in my room.
• Get my sister to help me call leads that are coming in from several people.
  
  

Preparing for my new website

Hi Singapore parents
In case you are wondering what is happening, I have been working on my new website.

It's going to be refreshing. So, be on the look out.

Will keep you updated.

Bye for now.

Delights and Woes of the Week 0718

This week, things tend to slow down a bit, with exams going on.

Well, the delights are:

• My eldest girl, Yulin, set forth her back-pack trip to Europe on 01 May with 2 other friends. First destination is to Athens, Greece. At last update, she is in Italy today. Lots of fun, she said, and getting tanner by the day.
• Did the written exam of Education Success Coach the second time and passed. The score for the first round was 75 and 90 for the second attempt. The passing mark is 80. Looking forward to the practical course and exam at the end of this month.
  
• Attended refresher course on SEO Web Design. Glad to make new friends and learn some more tips.
  

For woes, there are a couple this week. First, 4 families cancelled their appointments for the complimentary workshop due to school exams. Happy to take a break and rest at home.

Yesterday, the computer broke down. Apparently, the hard disk crashed. Have gotten someone to fix it. The damage is going to cost more that $200 for hard disk replacement, recovery and workman costs. Sigh . . . one of those days.

Monthly Reflections 0704

It's another month with one third of the year gone.

For April, my achievements are:

• Submitted income tax claim before 15/4 deadline.
• Settled web hosting selection. In the course of switching to wordpress.
  
• Submitted final insurance claim for Lawrence on 'Total Permanent Disability' ground to Great Eastern.
• Brought mum to Modern Beauty at Toa Payoh and both of us had our facial done there. It was the first time for mum.
  
• Finally settled the application for the maid and she is now at my mum's place.
• For Art Outreach, shared with the students of Pei Tong, Jurong and Methodist Girls primary schools on public sculpture and art fundamental 1.
• On Good Friday evening, attended the 1st Friday Writers Corner of The Society of Singapore Writers. Shared with those present on Nurturing Kids on Literacy Appreciation.
• Met the Chinese scholar from Cedar Girls' Sec Sch. Her name is Li Jing. Had an outing with her to Changi Village on 8/4, Yulin's birthday. On the following weekend, my 2 younger girls had table-tennis and badminton with her at The Civil Service Club. Last Friday, invited her to our house to have a home-cooked meal.
• Had my regular monthly Reiki session on 14/4. This time round, all the 5 kakis turned up and we sure had a good time 'roasting' each other.
• Brought Lawrence for his quarterly check-up at Toa Payoh clinic on 18/4. He lost another kg. Sure need to work harder to reduce further.
  
• Brought Lawrence for his monthly massage at The Adelphi on 19/4.
• In the same evening, attended the CPT Alumni with 14 other participants.
  
• Attended Cedar Girl's Sec Sch Sports Day on 20/4. Participated in the Parent cum Staff relay event.
  
• Accompanied my mother-in-law on 2 occasions to SCH for her regular check-up.
  
• Managed to enrol 5 students for the self-improvement courses with Mindchamps this month.
• Took the written exam on Education Success Coach last night. Although there were 40 multiple-choice questions, it sure was a tough paper.
  

Tasks to be done in May 2007:

• Must do more brisk walking with my husband again. Need to monitor further weight loss for him and myself.
• Must clear half the plastic bags which are piling in the room. Balance to be completed in June.
• Apply the parenting and NPL strategies learned, where appropriate.
• Have my regular monthly massage and facial done.
• Continue to Reiki those in need.
• Target to enrol 10 students for self-improvement courses that will benefit them in the long term.
• Go to the library and internet to gather materials on parenting tips.
• Re-write any blog articles and switch to wordpress for my new website.
• Set aside time to train new maid for my mum as a companion and help with household chores.
• Attend refresher course on SEO web design.
• Attend Cedar Girls' Sec Sch 50th Anniversary Dinner on 19/5.
  
• Attend practical Education Success Coach training.

Delights and Woes of the Week 0717

It has been a rainy week so I chose to stay home most of the time. Well, still there are delights:

• Glad that my eldest girl, Yulin, had enjoyed her trip at Phuket (24/4 - 27/4).
  
• Accompanied my mother-in-law to the polyclinic at National Health Promotion Board, near Singapore General Hospital. She had fasted the previous night and had her blood test done. Despite her discomfort, she was in good spirit.
  
• Invited Li Jing (the Chinese scholar) for dinner on Friday. She sure was a small eater. I suppose that is how she maintains her slim figure.
  
• Got quite a number of families to attend the complimentary workshop on Saturday. Although some of them did not turn up, I still had one enrolment done.
  
• This afternoon, met up with Valli, parent of the Indian boy who enrolled last week. After settling the balance payment, gave her a copy of Deeper Than The Ocean. Thereafter, took her around Toa Payoh Central to familiarize herself with the surroundings.
  

For the woe, my mum is finding difficulty in communicating with the new maid, Misti. My sister and I see it as a positive stress where she will be kept on her toes. We told her to take it as a challenge for both of them to get to know each other better.

Delights and Woes of the Week 0716

It has been another busy and eventful week. First, the delights:

• Completed the 3 Artistry Beauty Workshops conducted by Amway spread over 3 Mondays (2/4, 9/4 and 16/4). Learned quite a number of tips on how to do a proper facial, scrub, massage and mask.
  
• Was back to Methodist Primary school for the 2nd time and shared with class 4.3 on public sculpture.
  
• Bought my husband for his quarterly check-up at Toa Payoh Polyclinic. Glad that that his cholesterol has gone down. So was his weight, about 1 kg lighter.
  
• Did the time table for the young gentleman whose parents signed him up for the program at Mindchamps last week. Apparently, he is still spending a lot of time on computer. My colleague and I explained the importance of setting goal and prioritizing his tasks.
  
• Bought my husband for his monthly massage at Adelphi. Thereafter, had curry fish head at the basement of Peninsula Centre.
  
• The Singapore CPT Alumni Networking this week had 15 CPT attendees. Expect more participation next month as Teoh Poh Yew will be the guest speaker.
  
• Attended the annual Sports Day of Cedar Girls' Secondary School. Also participated in the Parent cum staff race. Sure had fun.
• Got my husband, 2nd sister and a friend to attend the Reiki preview at Le Meridien Hotel. Was glad that my friend had signed up for the workshop to be held in late Jun and early Jul. My sister also indicated interest to enrol. Will sign up for my husband too.
• Got my first pay-check, after 4 months without income. Intend to see more of this coming. Yesterday, successfully closed 3 cases of enrolments for the learning technique programs.
• The maid for my mum finally came in today. Quite a pleasant girl aged 23. My mum and I had quite a bit of hard time communicating with her in Malay. Was at Bras Basah tonight and managed to get a Chinese-Malay-English dictionary. Hopefully, this will improve our language barrier.
  

For the woe, my mother-in-law is still in pain, especially at night. My husband and eldest girl paid her visit yesterday. This Wednesday, I will be accompanying her to see doctor. Just wish I could cheer her up in some way.

Delights and Woes of the Week 0715

Until my new web page is ready, I will continue to update what are my weekly delights and woes . . .

For this week, the delights are:

• On Monday afternoon, brought mum for facial at Modern Beauty Salon at Toa Payoh. This is her time attempt. She just enjoyed it but has no intention to sign on any package.
  
• On Tuesday, finally selected the web hosting company and signed up with them. Thereafter, consulted my 'sifu' on how to switch to wordpress (still in progress).
  
• On Wednesday afternoon, Courts delivered the new set of sofa to my house and disposed of the old one which had a bad tear on one side of the big sofa.
• On Thursday afternoon, went to Jurong Primary School to share with Class 3G on the 6 elements of art, namely, line, shape, space, texture, colour and pattern. It was raining outside the classroom but that the children were just as responsive and chatty.
  
• On Friday evening, was at Cedar Girls' Secondary School for Meet-the-Parent session as my youngest girl is Sec 4 this year. As usual, I get feedback from the teachers. Am glad that she will be released of her duties as Head Prefect soon. Then, she can concentrate more on her studies.
  
• On Saturday afternoon, 5 other Reiki kakis turned up at my place for the monthly 'roasting' session. 2 of them joined us for the 1st time. Expect them to join us in future.
  
• Today, one family attended the study workshop and the parents signed up after some deliberation. They are PRs from India and have been in Singapore for 3 years. Their only boy is somewhat addicted on computer games. Will be meeting them again next week to help draw up a time-table for the young gentleman.
  

For the woe, my mother-in-law needs to go for a bone scan next week after the doctor examined her on Wednesday. He wanted to make sure that there is no recurrence of cancer cells elsewhere in her body. She still cannot straighten her body when she lies down on the bed. Hence, her sleep has been affected. Really hope she will recover soon and resume her social activities.

New Look for my blog

Hi Singapore parents


I am in the process of upgrading my existing blog to a new look and at a more prominent web hosting site.


Will update you with more details soon. Be on the look out.



Bye for now.

Getting a Maid

The last time I had a maid was more than 5 years ago. Recently, because of my mum, we had to start sourcing for one again. To expedite the application process, here are some tips:

About the agent

• A ttitude and service of agent must be good
  
• G et checklist on documents required for processing of application
• E nquire on processing time and expected 'delivery' of maid
• N eed to know, besides the general charges, what other costs are involved, e.g. medical check-ups, maid levy, return air-fare, etc
  
• T ake a look at their contracts between agent/maid and agent/employer - this is important because employer needs to know what is expected of them and that of the maid

About the maid

• M ust match the requirements of the employer, e.g. willing to take care of the elderly, able to cook, etc
  
• A ppealing and pleasant looking and to the liking of the employer (at least from the photo)
• I ndicate what is expected of her on the first meeting, e.g. listen to whatever grandma says
  
• D raft out a list of tasks to be done daily, weekly, monthly, for ease of management

Parents, hope the above tips help. We all love our children. Remember, she is also someone else daughter so during her stay in Singapore, ensure that she is:

• well fed
• have enough rest
• treated by a doctor when she is ill
• not physically or mentally abused
• not at risk when performing her task

Brococli with Button Mushrooms

Singapore parents, do try out the following nutritious and healthy dish which is relatively easy to prepare and cook.

Ingredients (Serves 4 - 6)
300 g broccoli
100 g fresh button mushrooms
1/2 carrot, sliced
2 red chillies, cut into stripes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 dsp unsaturated oil

Method

1. Wash broccoli and cut into small florets. Cook in 1 cup of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, remove and drain. Keep the balance water for boiling carrot.
If using a microwave oven, cover and cook on high for 30 seconds.

2. Scrub carrot and cook in boiling water for 3 minutes. Save the water as stock.
If using a microwave oven, cover and cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove carrots and slice.

3. Heat oil and fry chillies and garlic until fragrant. Add in broccoli, carrots and button mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add in half cup of vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add in the oyster sauce and mix well. Remove from heat and serve.

Delights and Woes of the Week 0714

Yesterday was a day without computer as my family was at Changi Village. Occasion - my eldest girl's birthday.

So what are delights for this week???

• On Monday and Tuesday evenings, we have review on the Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The trainer completed the belief and value aspects. The hands-on activities enable each of us to know our classmates better. Must put the tips offered to practice though.
• On Tuesday morning, was at Pei Tong Primary School sharing with Class 5B on public sculptures. Less than 20 students were present with majority boys and they sure are talkative.
• On Wednesday, called a number of prospects to invite them for the study workshop on learning techniques. So far, confirmed booking for 2 of them.
• On Thursday, finally did the e-filing for my Income Tax.
• On Friday evening, was at YMCA for the 1st Friday Writers Corner of The Society of Singapore Writers. Was glad to share with those present on Nurturing Kids on Literacy Appreciation (refer to blog dated 6 May 2007).
• On Saturday morning, was at Cedar Girl's Secondary School to meet the scholar assigned to my family under the Parent Guardian Program. Her name is Li Jing and is a very pleasant and sweet girl from Fujian, China.
• Yesterday (Sunday), I invited Li Jing to join our family outing. First, we had lunch at Sizzler, Toa Payoh. Then, we proceeded to Changi Village Hotel. 5 of us dip ourselves in the pool at the roof top level for an hour while 2 of them stayed in the room and watched TV. Dinner was a mixture of dim sum, satay, fried hokkien mee and fried oyster at Changi Village.
  

For the woe, my sister and I were rather annoyed that the maid agent has yet gotten the maid for us. So on Friday afternoon, we finally meet up with her to sort out the issues to expedite the application. It would still required another 2 weeks . . . sigh . . .

Parent Guardian Programme

Cedar Girls' Secondary School offered this programme to foreign students since 2005. This year, I volunteered to be a parent guardian. This scheme aims to enable foreign students studying at Cedar to settle down in Singapore with much ease and reduce their home-sickness.

Today, I get to meet the scholar from China. Her name is Li Jing. She is 17 and an only child. Her hostel is quite near my place so I would expect frequent visits from her. During this morning's interaction, we got to know each other better.

Tomorrow, I have invited her to join my family for an outing to Changi Village. That will be the first time she gets to meet my whole family.

Well, will keep you people updated as we progress further . . .

Nurturing Kids on Literacy Appreciation

This evening, was at YMCA for the 1st Friday Writers Corner of The Society of Singapore Writers. I had been requested to talk on the above subject and below is what I shared with those present.

Literacy can be both spoken and written. Basically, we have to first look at the 4 developmental stages of children and these are:

1) Sensory Stage (from birth to age 2)

At this stage, the children learn through the 5 senses, namely, touching, tasting, seeing, hearing and smelling. It is more of physical knowledge exploration.

While children at this stage cannot write, parents can actually read to them. The more stories they are exposed to, the more they will be enticed to read once they get the thrill of what is written inside the books.

2) Pre-operational Stage (from 2 - 7 years)

At this stage, the children are more in the 'ME' world. The focus is on themselves, gathering information and the environment around them. They prefer the use of symbols to represent objects. They learn from concrete evidence, i.e. the non-abstract aspect. They are also unaware of another person's perspective.

While children at this stage may know more words, it is still too early to expect to be able to write well. It is still more of the spoken literacy that parents can inculcate. Continue to expose them to books and also let them know of the external environment affecting them.

3) Concrete Operational Stage (from 7 - 11 years)

At this stage, the children are able to think logically and there is increase awareness of external events. They are also in a better position to express literally in writing. Some may still not be comfortable with the abstract aspect though. Nonetheless, parents can still introduce abstract ideas to them and let them learn at their own pace.

For this age group, parents may want to arouse their interest in sharing their delights and woes of the day. It is a good way to interact.

4) Formal Operational Stage (from 11 and beyond)

At this stage, the children should be at secondary level. In terms of brain development, it is a 'critical mass' of experience to fully blossom before they grow into adults. They are inclined literally to more abstract associations. They are also able to plan and think ahead; reflect and evaluate; form and test hypotheses.

Until their frontal lobes of the brain are fully developed, teenagers tend to react and interpret the external stimuli with emotional and 'gut feeling' responses. Pressing them to focus on different aspects of a problem simultaneously can produce an internal tension. This can lead to frustration or anger reaction.

To cultivate literacy appreciation for this age group, parents should feel free to discuss with them on any topic. Make it a routine or habit to set aside some time each day and talk on:

• Happenings in schools (from child)
• Happenings at work (from parents
  
• Current affairs in Singapore
• Current affairs around the world
• Composition topics
• Projects that they may be involved in

Hope parents will find the above tips useful.

Before I conclude, I read out the 'LOVE' letter that my youngest daughter wrote to me and my husband on 5 Jan 2007 (please refer to my blog dated 06/01/2007).

Qing Ming

Yes, today is the actual Qing Ming day (the 18th day of the Lunar 3rd month). All Chinese Singaporeans, be it Buddhists, Christians, Taoists and whatever, will make it a point to pray respect to their lost beloved ones. This can be done 10 days before or 10 days after this day. It is a Chinese culture being practised all over the world too.

For my family, it is no exception. Previously, we prayed only my father-in-law and my husband's grandmother. This year, my dad has been included. As expected, be it the temples or crematoriums, they are packed by family members of parents and children, gathered together to give offerings to the dead.

As it is coming to a year, I thought I have gotten over my dad's demise. However, when I saw his photo on the tablet, tears just rolled down again. But it is a good feeling . . . it's just that I still miss him. Now I know why my mum is reluctant to visit my 'dad'. She just gets too emotional missing him.

I must say mum is coping well, of late. Hopefully, with the maid coming in, she will be her own self again. Come next month will be dad's 1st anniversary. But papa, no matter how many anniversaries, we are still going to miss you. If you do have anything you want to tell me, do come into my dreams . . .

Fantastic Mushrooms

Today, I would like to share with you the fantastic range of mushrooms available in Asia.




White button mushrooms

These are round, plump, creamy and mild. The fresh and canned forms are the most available. As they mature, their caps partially open and they are better known as cap or big mushrooms. Whites may be used raw in salads, stir-fried, braised, baked or sauted . They can also be cooked with other vegetables, nuts, meat, poultry, fish and shellfish, rice, pasta, noodles and breads.

Shiitake or black mushrooms
These are brown to black umbrella-shaped mushrooms with caps that are 1 inch to 3 inches in diameter. They can either be thin or thick with or without white fissures. Of all mushrooms, shiitakes are more preferred and more available in their dried form because these are more fragrant.

Soak these in boiling water for 30 minutes or warm water for a few hours or tap water overnight. Either way, your shiitakes will be tender but those soaked in tap water will be the tastiest. Reserve the soaking liquid for stock. Shiitake is used in soups, stir-fries, steaming, boiling and braising. It is also a favourite for vegetarian dishes because of their intense flavor and meaty texture. They combine well with bland ingredients.

Black mushrooms
These come mainly from China and are known as "the plant of immortality" because of their legendary restorative properties. They have been used to treat colds, flu, poor circulation, stomach upset and exhaustion. Shiitake black mushrooms has two times more protein than button mushrooms.

Black tree ears or cloud ears
These are almost always sold dried. According to the Chinese, they "keep the blood fluid," or help improve circulation. Black tree ears are also used as medicines as they help fight atherosclerosis and improve blood clotting.

Although flavorless, these are delightfully crunchy. To use, soak tree ears in warm water for 30 minutes to an hour. When soft, trim off any gritty base then rinse thoroughly. Tree ears go well with soups, glass vermicelli, spring rolls and poultry.

Oyster mushrooms
These are cultivated or wild. They grow in clusters of fan-shaped caps that are creamy gray. They have a smooth texture and mild flavor reminiscent of the sea, hence the name. Large ones are torn and added to soupy, stir-fried and even grilled dishes during the last minutes of cooking.

Straw mushrooms
These are grayish brown mushrooms grown on beds of rice straw in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Java in Indonesia and the Philippines. Fresh straw mushrooms are available only in Asian markets. Canned straw mushrooms must be drained and rinsed thoroughly before use. These combine well with other ingredients in soups, saute braises and grilled fare.

Enoki mushrooms
These whitish with their tiny dot-like caps and long slender stems resemble needles. They can be bought at supermarkets in fresh clumps. Enoki is best added raw to salads or as half-cooked garnish for soups and other hot dishes.

Creminis (brown button mushrooms) or portobello mushrooms
These are the brown and stronger-flavored versions of white mushrooms available seasonally at high-end Asian supermarkets. Portobellos are full-grown creminis with thick, meaty and robustly flavored caps that can grow up to 6 inches in diameter. They are versatile mushrooms that are great for almost all types of cooking methods including grilling and broiling whole.


Singapore parents, hope you have found the tips on treatments of the various mushrooms useful.

Next week, will share with you more dishes using different mushrooms. . .

Delights and Woes of the Week 0713

It was another busy week for me, going all over Singapore again. First, the delights:

• Shared with my mum what I have been doing at schools. She was pleased that I am enjoying what I am doing.
• Went to Balestier Hill and Fuchun primary schools on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Talked to them on Public Sculptures. They sure had fun.
  
• On Tuesday evening, attended Exam Strategies for Parents. Shared some of the tips I picked up during the session with my 2 younger girls. Just hope they will make use of them.
• On Wednesday night, was glad to meet my colleague again and let her know more about the Certified Professional Trainer's programme that I had attended.
• Thursday to Saturday, was busy trying to get another 3 enrolments to meet my target of 12 for the month. Must say my efforts paid off.
• Today is relaxation day. Had slight flu this morning so I rested myself lazing on the bed and did some light reading. It has been a long long time since I last did this.
  

Now for the woe. My mother-in-law is still having her leg pains. My sister-in-law is arranging for a Chinese physician to see her tomorrow. I wish her speedy recovery.

Monthly Reflections 0703

This has been an eventful month for me.

So far, my achievements are:

• Had 2 facials done in the month.
• Attended several workshops - Parenting Strategies, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Exam Strategies for Parents.
• Had the kitchen cabinet with ant hive fixed.
• Taught Perseverance for Success to P5 and P6 students at Huamin Primary School.
• Was at Bukit View Secondary School as facilitator for Perseverance for Success workshop.
  
• Shared with P4 and P2 students on Public Sculptures at Balestier Hill and Fuchun primary schools respectively.
• Had a booth in Bras Basah Complex Book Fair. Learning techniques were introduced to parents and children. Invitations were also made to them to go for complimentary study workshops.
  
• Was at my mum’s place twice a week (except the book fair week) and kept her company at home.
• Visited my mother-in-law who was having leg pain. Did Reiki on her but did not seem to help much.
  
• Managed to enrol 12 children for the self-improvement courses, with much help from my colleagues.
• Ordered a new set of sofa to replace the existing one which is wearing out with tears.
  

Task to be done in Apr 2007:

• Must start brisk walking with my husband again.
• Clear all the plastic bags which are piling in the room.
• Apply the parenting and NPL strategies learned.
• Have my regular monthly massage and facial done.
• Continue to Reiki those in need.
• Target to enrol 10 students for self-improvement courses that will benefit them in the long term.
• Start gathering materials on parenting tips.
• Settle web hosting selection and switch to wordpress for my new website.
• Set aside time to train new maid for my mum as a companion and help with household chores.

Singapore parents, hope you did spend some time with your children or family during the one-week short break.

Learning The Fun Way

I read with interest the article in today's The Straits Times on page H9 - "NTUC Childcare gives its syllabus a makeover".

All childcare centres under the NTUC umbrella will be having new curriculum from April 2007 which include:

• Exciting experiments and 'hands-on' activities like setting up a restaurant, mixing drinks with different ingredients and playing cashier, just to name a few.
• Observing things around them and making simple deductions.
• Step-by-step methods and activities for teachers to use (as opposed to general outline of a topic).
• Incorporating art into the English language.
• The last 10 weeks of Kindergarten 2 will be spent getting the children ready to enter primary school.
  

I really applaud this move by NTUC Childcare. To keep abreast with the ever changing times, I sure the other childcare centres will also be upgrading their programmes to entice Singapore parents.

What is important is that these organizations must recognize that learning should be fun. At their age, they should be enjoying life and do what kids should be doing.

What is 100%?

Singapore parents
Want to share with you a small truth to make LIFE 100%

If A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
is equal to
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then

HARD WORK is
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

KNOWLEDGE is
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

LOVE is
12+15+22+5 = 54%

LUCK is
12+21+3+11 = 47%

Then what makes 100%???

MONEY- NO!!!
13+15+14+5+25 = 72%

LEADERSHIP - NO!!!
12+5+1+4+5+18+19+9+10+16 = 99%

Every problem has a solution,
only if we perhaps change our attitude

To go to the top, to that 100%
What we really need to go further . . . a bit more . . . is

ATTITUDE
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

It is OUR ATTITUDE towards
Life and Work that make OUR LIFE 100%!!!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
Change your attitude . . . and you change your LIFE!!!

Now that you know the answer . . .
WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Well, the least you can do is to share this message with those your care.

Cucumber Minced Meat Soup

Goodness of Cucumber

The cool, crisp cucumber, which belongs to the family of courgettes. It was one of the first vegetables to be cultivated in the world. Although it has little nutritional value, its most remarkable quality is an exceptionally high water content - 96.4%, which makes it both refreshing and low in calories. It is a natural diuretic but not a particularly powerful one....

For beauty purpose, cucumber are also being used as ingredients for its cooling effect. One of the most effective ways to clear eye bags is to put one slice of cucumber on each eye and leave it for 15 minutes.

Now, I would like to share one recipe which is typically a Teochew dish - Cucumber Minced Meat Soup

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6):

1 medium to large cucumber

300 gm of minced meat

50 gm of soya beans

6 cups of water

Method:

1. De-skin the cucumber and cut them in 3 cm chunks
2. Scour out the seeds in the centre portion (see left picture above)
   
3. Marinate minced meat with 1 tsp of cornflour and 1 tsp of soy sauce
4. Stuff the minced meat into the cucumbers, ensuring that both sides are fully covered
5. Put soya beans to boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes
6. Put in the stuffed cucumbers and boil until cucumber begins to turn soft
   

Singapore parents, this is a simple dish that even the children can do it with guidance. Let them try it out.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) - 2

Hi Singapore parents

Day 2 session on 23/3/2007 started at 9 am and ended at around 5 pm. The following areas were covered:

• Getting the results that you want - the magic of rapport
• Eye accessing cues
• Chunking up/down
• The driving force - values and beliefs
• Alignment of your goals, beliefs, values and behaviours

I like the portion on Eye Accessing Cues. By observing one's eye cues, you will be able to tell if he/she is:

• Vc = Visual Constructed
• Vr = Visual Remembered
• Ac = Auditory Constructed
• Ar = Auditory Remembered
• K = Kinesthetic
• Ad = Auditory Digital
  

Other tips shared by the trainer on Beliefs include:

• What is the key belief that is limiting you?
• What price have you paid for having this belief?
• How does holding on to the belief benefit you?
• Why must you change this belief?
• Why this belief is not true?
• What would be a new alternative belief to help you?
• Why is this new belief TRUE?
  

At the end of the 2-day program, the trainer wished that all participants are able to:

Well, I must say the trainer did his best in getting us to understand the NLP theories in simple ways. Our journey towards success has just begun . . .

Thank you, Kheng Mong!

Delights and Woes of the Week 0712

It has been a busy week with lots of action. First, the delights:

• Glad to be with my mum again on Monday and Wednesday. We even made a trip to Chinatown on Wednesday and paid my uncle and aunt a visit.
  
• On Tuesday afternoon, was at Bukit View Secondary School as facilitator to Sec 3 students. There were 39 pupils in the class but 5 were absent. The remaining 34 stayed throughout the activities from 2 - 6 pm. One of the games required them to squeeze into the boys' toilet. The 9 girls were sporting enough and did as told. They remarked that it was smelly though.
• For Thursday and Friday, attended NPL workshop with 11 others. Trainer shared many tips with us and also got us into action with lots of activities. We even got to watch glimpses of the movie "CRASH".
• On Friday evening, helped as facilitator at West Spring Secondary School. This is in preparation of the big event coming up on next Saturday.
• Yesterday afternoon, was busy again doing usher duty at Toa Payoh. In the evening, helped a parent settled his payment for his child's learning programme. In the night, managed to get 2 deals from the same family for 2 boys, one P6 and one P4, to sign up for the relevant learning programmes.
• This morning, had Reiki II reunion at Cairnhill Circle. Good to meet and share with those present on happenings since January 2007. In the afternoon, was at Great World City to settle air ticket payment for my eldest girl. She will be going to Europe in May 2007.
  

Since going to all these schools, really get to know Singapore better. Although a small island, there are still lots of places I have yet been to.

As for the woe, sad that my mother-in-law has been unwell. Her legs were giving her so much pain that she has not been sleeping well. Paid her a visit this evening and did some Reiki for her. Hopefully, she can sleep well tonight.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) - 1

Hi Singapore parents

Want to know what is NLP? It is the art and science of personal excellence.

Today and tomorrow, 11 of us have the chance to learn some of the NLP techniques and apply them through activities.

Day 1 session started at 9 am this morning and ended at around 9 pm. The following areas were covered:

The Neuro aspects include our 5 senses such as:

• Visual (see)
• Auditory (hear)
• Kinesthetic (feel)
• Olfactory (smell)
• Gustatory (taste)

The Linguistic aspects touch on language and other non-verbal communication systems through our perceptions.

For the programming part, it is how we organize our ideas and actions through the neuro and linguistic aspects to achieve our results. Isn't this interesting???

Below are the 6 NLP Guiding Principles To Success where the trainer elaborated with examples:

• We already have all the resources we need or we can create them
• There is no failure, only feedback
• The Map is not the territory
• The meaning of the communication is the response I get, regardless of my intention
• If I am not getting what I want, I will change the way I go about doing it
• Take 100% responsibility, no matter what happens

Other tips shared by the trainer include:

• Ultimate success formula
• Goals and outcomes
• Modelling - strategies to success
• Modelling physiology
• Mental modelling
• The secret to peak performance
• Mastering your mind: how to run your brain (modalities and sub-modalities)

Of all the activities that we did, I like the negative experience best. I used to 'hate' one of my superior to the core. When I did Reiki previously, we were told to forgive our enemy which I did.

Tonight, when we were told to dispel negative thoughts, again, this person's name pops up. I thought I would give it a try again to see if I have fully forgiven her. And I did. Instead of the disgusting figure that I would have pictured, I saw a very different person. From head to toe, this 'enemy' don a totally new image, one that is cheerful and friendly.

I am now very sure I have forgiven her fully. The mention of her name no longer irks me. Isn't that great?

Well, will share more with you after I learn more things tomorrow.

MOF - My Izakaya

Hi Singapore parents
Today, instead of sharing recipes with you, would like to introduce a Japanese restaurant to you. It offers dishes such as:

• Chicken char-siew bento
• Tri-color bento
• Chicken char-siew ramen
• Sansai udon
• Sansai soba

The prices are reasonable and it is located at:
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-138E
Marina Square
Singapore 039594

BTW, MOF stands for Ministry Of Food.

So, the next time you are at Marina Square and there is a craving for Japanese food, do drop by this outlet.

EMO kids

Singapore parents, do you know this term "emo" kids? Well, I just learn it today from The Straits Times on H2. It stands for emotional. Emo teens apparently adopt the following fads:

• They like to wear dark T-shirts, a little undersized or deliberately worn down to look old
• Their choice of sneakers is Converse canvas shoes. On these sneakers, one can find words like "pain" scribbled in red ink or a drawing of a broken heart
• They also like to don heavily lined eyes
• Their hairs will be long fringed which cover half their face
• They like to listen to angst-filled music from bands like Hawthorne Heights, Aiden, The Used, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy
• Some like to pen poems about suicide and dealth
• Others opt to slash their wrists to "ease their pain"

Counsellors shared that there are more cases of girls attempting wrist cutting as opposed to boys. The age group is also getting younger and younger.

I agree with the author that while it is ok to follow the trend, one should not hurt oneself physically. It is very sad to know that our teens have such tendencies.

Parents, if your children are in their teens, do look out for any change in fashion, new interest in music mentioned above or other pecularities. If you do suspect something amiss, it is better to seek help early. Don't wait till tragic happens.

Delights and Woes of the Week 0711

This week, most the delights came from the Book Fair at Bras Basah Complex. As in my updates of Book Fair Fiesta (1), (2) and (3), I got to meet all sorts of people, including tourists visiting Singapore. The best part is I managed to cheer many children with balloons and sweets.

In return, 4 families sign up their children for the programmes offered by MindChamps. Here, I sincerely wish these parents and their kids all the best in their new endeavours.

On Tuesday, my elder brother brought my mum down to town. They paid a visit to my booth at Bras Basah. Thereafter, we had lunch at Jalan Besar. It was good to see that mum had good appetite.

On Thursday night, the CPT Alumni meeting at Tung Ann Building at Cecil Street saw positive exchanges and sharing amongst my peers. Everyone benefited one way or another. Most importantly, we had fun with the games and enjoyed the 2 talks.

As for the woe, one parent was upset with me over some assessment arrangement. Need to do recovery in the coming week. Wish me luck!