Heartland Heartbeat

Death is not a threat to them

2012-02-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

They know that underage smoking is illegaland causes diseases like cancer and respiratory infection. But these youth doit anyway.

This worrying trend sees that the numberof underage smokers to remain high in recent years, according to the directorof St Vincent de Paul’s Youth Service Centre Dr Joyce Lim.

A study conducted by the centre this yearshows that one in five youth, aged between 10 and 17, smokes regularly. Thesame figure was recorded in a similar study in 2006.

Underage smoking on the rise

Dr Lim said: “While there are severalmethods that schools employ to curb underage smoking, we notice that the figurehas not decreased. This is a frustrating trend that we hope to eradicate forgood.”

The number of underage female smokers hasalso increased considerably. Among the 235 smokers interviewed during thestudy, 179 were female. Compared to 90 smokers in 2006, numbers have significantly increase.

Dr Lim, who counsels underage smokers on aweekly basis, said: “The most common reason young girls give for smoking isthat they want to feel part of the group. There is also a common misconceptionamong the girls that smoking helps them to lose weight. But there is noscientific link to this perception.”

She added that underage male smokersusually pick up the habit because of the “perceived image that smoking iscool.”

Smoking has become a socialising tool

The youngest smoker interviewed during thecentre’s study was a 10-year-old who only wanted to be known as Vanessa.The student, who turns 16 in May, said: “I could boast to my friends that Ismoked. They all looked up to me and saw me as mature because I was doingsomething adults would do.”

Vanessa stopped smoking when herparents discovered her habit during that year. She said mini-mart shop owners werewilling to sell cigarettes even when she was dressed in her uniform. “Lookingback, I really made a stupid mistake."

Underage smokers can be fined up to $200and placed under probation for their first offence. Subsequent offences canlead to a fine of $1,000.

Ms Nadine Cheng, 45, who is a mother oftwo underage smokers, said that children should consider their parents feelingsbefore taking up the habit. “Apart from the fine, parents will feel extremelylet down by their child. When I found out that my children took up smoking insecondary school, I felt that I failed as a parent.”

WATCH:

V DAY SPECIAL: The (TRUE) Vow

2012-02-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

This is not another sappy love story to watch on Valentine's Day.

Maybe the fact that Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum are staring in a movie TOGETHER isn't a strong-enough factor for you to watch this.

However, the fact that it is loosely based on a true story might be. Directed by Michael Sucsy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning film director, screen writer, and producer, the film depicts the life of a married woman who wakes from a coma - only to forget that she's married.

In the original story set in 1993, a couple, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter [click to watch their interview], who has just been married for three months got into a car accident. Kim was hurt, but his wife was badly injured and given only a one percent chance to live. After being in a coma for months, she woke up with no recollection of her married life. Kim could have left Krickitt, who detested the idea of a 'stranger' getting much too close for comfort; but he stayed true to the vow he made on their wedding day, preserved, and they fell in love - for a second time.

The struggle to rekindle a flame that once burned so strong is bound to capture your heart as you watch love slowly unfold again.

Tissue packets and Tearful stories

2012-02-09T00:59:00.001-08:00

You can call them salesmen. But their work does notinvolve selling cars or insurance policies.

Instead, these men and women, who are usually over60-years-old, spend up to six hours a day and seven days a week at train andbus interchanges selling tissue packets; and their numbers are increasing - according to the Nativity Welfare Organisation.

Mr Sebastian Yeo, vice-president of the group’spublicity division, said: “Our members, conduct random observations at interchanges tosee how many senior citizens engage in selling items such as tissue paper. Theoverall feedback showed a spike in thenumber recently.”

Old man earning a living

Mr Yeo, 30, said that figures from the welfareorganisations last observation, which was conducted in December 2011, are about“15 per cent higher than 14 months ago”. He added: “These elderly folks wespeak to say that their family has neglected them or they stopped working andneed extra income. It's very disheartening to know that so many elderly arestruggling.”

Credit: Anhkeen

Selling items such as tissue packets and otherproducts are illegal without obtaining a permit. But authorities are generallylenient towards these offenders, noted Mr Yeo.

68-year-old Mr Lim, who sells tissue packets atYishun interchange regularly, said that government aid is not sufficient tosupport himself and his bed-ridden wife. The man added in mandarin: “I have lost a lot of pridebecause I have to sell tissue packets to support myself. And I don’t get toomany customers.”

Tissue packets are sold between 50 cents and $1.Catherine Toh, 26, student, who buys tissues from Mr Lim regularly said shefeels sorry for the elderly man, who walks with a limp. She said: “He neverforces anyone to buy. When someone hands him a dollar, healways wishes them well.”

Credit: Wai_sg

Over at Ang Mo Kio interchange, Mr Wong, 62,sell packets of tissues despite being wheelchair bound. He said: “I’ve cameacross extremely kind-hearted people. At the same time there are people who arerude and call me a cheater. But I have no choice because no one provides forme and no want will hire me.”

Mr Wong, who lives with an fellow senior citizen in aone-room flat near the interchange, said that he has never considered admittinginto an old folks home.

The man, who has no children, said: “As long as I cansupport myself, I will never join an old folks home.”

WATCH:

Just felt the need to write this...

2012-02-09T00:38:00.000-08:00

To sum up PBL (although unnecessary):

The semester has come to an end. This marksthe end of having to think along the (very slow) lines of Facts, Ideas,Learning Points and Actions to come to a solution.

Looking back at my experiences with PBL, I can confidentlysay that PBL has definitely opened my eyes to a whole new dimension ofproblem-solving. Although I doubt that anyone of us will be plotting the FILAchart when we head out to the working world, I’m sure we have all taken home acouple of “Learning Points” with regards to problem-solving.

(yadda yadda yadda)

I guess I’ve failed to come to love PBL asI said I would in the past 2 PBL entries. I don’t detest it though, in fact, Ido think we should all have an encounter with PBL at a certain point in ourlives. PBL has taught me some skills and cognitive processes that facilitates theproblem-solving process that I know I will use them (consciously or unconsciously) in the near future.But whatever the case is, whether good or bad, I know that there will be thatone day in our lives when something triggers us to look back and think aboutPBL (and your chicken rice analogies) and I’m sure it will bring a smile to all our faces. :)

They Kindle-d their reading experiences

2012-02-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

You will almost always seethem with hundreds of their favourite books. That’s right – hundreds. TheAmazon Kindle 4 is an e-book reader that has a weight similar to a can of tunabut can carry up to 1,400 books with just 2GB worth of capacity.

Kindle 4

They love to read – but they do not want to carrytheir bulky storybooks around. So these Temasek Polytechnic students decided toswap their book load for a Kindle 4.

The Kindle 4 is a portable e-book from Amazon. It canhold information of up to 1,400 books. This came as a no-brainer to PaulineTan, 22, a Business School student.

Kimberly reading her favourite book, 'All the King's Men'

The 22-year-old, who bought a Kindle in October, said:“I love to read but carrying a storybook around is not ideal because my bag isalready so heavy. So I bought a Kindle and to save me the trouble. It’s reallylight and stores all of my favourite e-books.”

With its high-contrast e-Ink display, it deliversclear, crisp text and images that can be read even under bright sunlight.

“The perfect combination? Lying down by the beach tosun-tan and read my favourite e-books!” said Kimberly Wong, 20, a Design Schoolstudent. “There is no glare from the Kindle and it really feels like I’mreading from an actual book without the heavy weight.”

Easy reading under the sun

The device’s six-inch display has five hard keys and acursor pad, but there is no touch screen feature. Experimental web browsing onKindle is also available through wi-fi. “If you like to read in bed but hate itwhen your arm starts to hurt from holding the book too long, Kindle is thesolution,” said Laurence Goh, 21, a Design School student who purchased aKindle 4 in January.

“You flip the pages by clicking the two buttons at theside so you can rest your arms.”

Kindle users can purchase e-books on the hardwareitself through Amazon, and purchases will remain forever or until it isdeleted. E-books typically cost much less than a paperback copy and there arelots of free books available as well. The Kindle also has a one-month batterylife if used for 30 minutes a day.

TP students find the e-book useful because it can beused for their schoolwork.

Kimberly said: “What I really like about it is that Ican download PDF files or books related to my studies onto my Kindle. You caneven convert (Microsoft) Powerpoint or Word documents through an applicationcalled Mobipocket, and load them into the Kindle.”

Defines a word instantly

She added that it is particularly helpful to her whenshe takes notes in class. She said: “I can highlight certain parts of my notesand when I want to look up the definition of a particular word, I just have toscroll to that word and the definition will show at the bottom of the screen.There are also many dictionary languages available on Kindle – from English toFrench to Spanish.”

WATCH:

Here comes your train of food!

2012-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

So you havebeen looking for a Japanese restaurant where you can enjoy your sashimi and atthe same time have the most possible fun ever.

Entrance of Genki Sushi, Orchard Central

Well, imagine dining at a restaurantwhere there are no waiters, but bullet trains, that serve you.

That is what diners can expect at GenkiSushi restaurant, located at Orchard Central’s third level. The highlyinnovative approach to serving food by using double-decker delivery lines,attached to a conveyor belt, sets them apart from other Japanese restaurants.When the food arrives at your table in a toy bullet train, you can send thetrain back by pressing a designated button.

Food served on Bullet Train

And that is not the only innovativeuse of technology in the restaurant. In true Japanese fashion, technology isinterpreted in a way where diners have to use an iPad to order their dishes.You can order up to four dishes at once, which is registered at the bottom ofthe screen.

Forget awkward attempts to pronounce the names of dishes!

But the technology-filled fun diningat Genki Sushi restaurant is not a disguise to conceal poor food quality orhigh prices. Prices range from an affordable $1.80 to $5.80. This is comparableto other sushi restaurants in Singapore.

The food quality is also kept highwith the help of timers that monitor the belt. An automated arm removes thesushi if it is not collected after an hour.

The mouthwatering Inari Sushi

The fun is not over yet. The bestdish at Genki Sushi restaurant is the Inari Sushi. Bursting with caramel-likeflavours, is a carbon copy of the original Inari sushi, which is served inseveral parts of Japan.

No bill shock! You can check your bill anytime

The grilled and deep-fried items are alsoreasonably priced and served in healthy portions. A few other must-triesinclude the whole scallops in shell, grilled with butter, melting cheese andgarlic; the sweet and juicy Saikyo-miso cod; and the Agedashi tofu.

Refillable green tea

Still, you may want to take note of thisif you are a dessert-lover. The range of desserts offered there are limited tored bean and green tea ice cream, and mochi that comes in a few flavours.

Butif you love green tea, you will still find it worth it as one cup costs only$1.50 and you are given free refills of green tea powder.

In all, Genki Sushi restaurant is worth avisit, with its Japanese innovation and creditable food. Diners will definitely experience fun!

CNY SPECIAL: Sentosa Flowers

2012-01-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

Sentosa Flowers 2012

Start your Lunar New Year full of blossoms and charms at Sentosa's annual award-winning event, Sentosa Flowers. Seeded in 2005, Sentosa Flowers showcases beautiful flowers that are unique to the season.

Dragon made of unique and beautiful flowers

A great family day out

From the 22 to 29 Jan, the event is at various locations in Sentosa - namely the Merlion Plaza, Imbiah Lookout, Mount Faber and Resorts World Sentosa. Entrance is free for the 10am to 10pm event and visitors can choose to sign up for the Enchanted Spring Tour to discover the stories behind the floral wonderland.

For more information, visit http://flowers.sentosa.com.sg

WATCH:

PBL Reflection 2

2011-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

In the first PBL entryI said that I would come to love PBL – or at least try to. I guess I amalready getting the hang of the entire process of coming up with the FILA chartbut I have yet to fully apprehend the advantages of the PBL when it comes tohandling situations; which also means that I do not favour PBL yet.

However, I actuallyfind that PBL does lead to the creation of some solutions that might not havebeen thought about as comprehensively if the problem-solving is based on ourown conventional methods. The only drawback about that advantage apart from thetime needed is the lack of real-life experience for us to gain and learn from.Experience is crucial in the media industry as it serves as a platform for anindividual to grow from. But with PBL, we base our learning on coming up withsolutions for “real-life problems” handed to us on paper through the ideas andknowledge we already have instilled in our heads instead of utilising hands-onexperience.

This whole newapproach may not be as beneficial for media students as compared to students inanother industry. Despite that slight drawback, I do try to convince myself tobelieve that PBL is going to be beneficial for Internet Journalism. As theentire process of setting up a credible blog requires us to have previous experiencesand/or a well-researched plan – which most of us students do not have – PBLdoes allow us to break the problem up into much more “digestible” pieces tofacilitate the problem-solving process.

Of course, research has to be done nomatter what and there may be a lack of practical knowledge in the finalproduct. However, the fact those different areas of problems are being thoughtabout and solved individually through the help of a FILA chart is already agreat stepping stone.

So here’s to the fewmore months of PBL!

Are parents doing the Smart thing with Smartphones?

2011-12-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

5 year old interacting with the iPhone

She used to demand for dollhouses and stuffed toys as a toddler. But in just a few years, her expectations grew beyond her age.

From the moment six-year-old Sharon Khoo held an iPhone at the Apple store, she knew she wanted it. Two years later, Sharon, now eight, has owned every iPhone model since the 3GS.

Sharon's letter to Santa.

Sharon’s mother, Cindy Khoo, 47, housewife, said: “It all started on Christmas when she wrote a letter addressed to Santa Claus and placed it on my desk for my husband and I to read.

“She mentioned in the letter that she has been a good girl all year (laughs) and wishes for an iPhone!”

Her parents gave in to her demand - but they are not alone. In a survey conducted by Heartland Heartbeat, out of 100 parents with children aged between six to nine, more than half said their child owns a smartphone.

“She was ecstatic when we gave her the iPhone,” Sharon’s father, Calvin Khoo, 50, sales manager, explained. “She spends nearly six hours a day using the smartphone’s applications for both educational and entertainment purposes. I’m slightly worried about giving her a smartphone at such a tender age but it’s our job to ensure that we made the right decision.”

Unlike Calvin, some parents are against the idea of buying a smartphone for their child. “I think the idea of a six, eight, or even twelve-year-old owning a smartphone is ridiculous,” said Mandy Lew, 36, housewife. “I don’t see why my six-year-old son needs a smartphone. I’m with him most of the time and he doesn’t need a smartphone. A simple mobile phone will do.”

A six-year-old Sharon tapping away on her first iPhone.

So how young is too young for one to own a smartphone? It varies – according to childcare counsellor Nisha Srinivasen, 38.

“All parents have to look at the situation carefully and decide whether their child needs the smartphone,” she said. “If they are buying it for them for the sake of changing times or they are simply giving in to the demands of their child, then it shows that they have lost some control over the situation.

“But if they know that their child is responsible enough to use the smartphone wisely, I don’t think age is a factor.”

Cindy, who owns a Blackberry smartphone, defends her decision to buy the iPhone for Sharon.
She said: “Some parents may think that we are spoiling our child by showering her with expensive gifts like an iPhone but we make sure that she appreciates it and never flaunts it.

“It also has great educational value. My daughter was very poor in Mandarin, but some of the interactive applications on the iPhone helped her improve.

"Since these devices are here to stay and technology will continue to advance, we might as well make good use of it."

WATCH: Amazing two-year old baby works the iPad

PBL Reflection 1

2011-11-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

The Problem-Based Learning (PBL) process challenges us to think and learn as we take on active roles in solving “life real problems”. After being exposed to this new system, I believe that communication is key in PBL because we are required to work in groups to come up with solutions as a teacher/facilitator guides our learning process.

In my opinion, PBL stimulates self-learning naturally and that will eventually encourage the gaining of “experience” and “intuition”.
However, PBL requires planning and takes a longer time for us to solve a particular problem. Growing up, I never had to adhere to a series of “steps” to solve a problem so PBL is a relatively different approach for me.

The introduction of PBL as an aspect in the third-year cirriculum definitely feels a tad bit tiresome. Personally, I think that PBL should be introduced in the first-year cirriculum (if necessary) as the sudden departure from the traditional teaching system in the third-year might inhibit the amount of advantages a student receives as compared to when a student is exposed to the PBL system right from the start.

Despite the uncertainty I have towards PBL now, I shall remain hopeful that by the end of this semester I will benefit from PBL and become a better self-directed learner. I also hope to be able to develop life-long learning skills that I will be able to utilise in whatever path I choose to take in the future. Afterall I only have a few months left in Temasek Polytechnic hence I shall come to love PBL.