One in 25 chance of getting stroke

The newpaper, pg4, Wed 24 may 2006

According to studies, stroke is the fourth most common cause of death in Singapore. Many people may think that it is uncommon for one to get a stroke and do not think much of it, but the truth is strokes can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone, but for most cases they tend to hit those aged 50 and above. There are many reasons people get strokes and there is no known cure for it and thus the person might have to live the rest of his life with the after stroke result such as paralysis. Personally i find stroke to be one of the scariest illness in the world as it can just happened to anyone anytime and there is no known cure for it so it cannot be fully treated. However i am happy to know that there is an increase in the number of neuroscience research as that means there are more doctors researching on cerebrovascula disease, which includes strokes, and with more advance research on strokes it leads to improved standards of care and treatment and ultimately maybe even a cure.

Flu a surprise major killer in Singapore

The Straits Times pg1, wed 10th may 2006


A new government study has identified influenza to be the major killer in Singapore with almost 600 people dying from the disease each year. I am sad and shocked to hear of this as i have always considered the flu to be a minor illness and do not think much of it. The flu can be treated and there are vaccines to prevent us from catching the flu, therefore i feel that influenza itself is not deadly but it makes us more susceptible to other more serious infections and illnesses which might be fatal. Many people do not go for occasional health check ups and thus do not get vaccinated, therefore many easily catch the flu which results in the high number of deaths caused by influenza. I believe that these deaths could have been prevented if the people went for their regular check ups and made it a point to get vaccinated to make themselves more immune to such viruses. If people had more initiative and bothered in caring for their health there would not be so many people catching the flu in the first place. All one needs to do to remain healthy and illness free is simply to go and get vaccinated each year and maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet. That should not be too hard a thing to do in exchange for a long, healthy and happy life, but still many people take their health for granted. Many young people nowadays eat all kinds of junk food and do vigorous exercises even when they are sick, by doing so they are actually doing much more harm to their bodies, they should be staying at home to recuperate instead. There have been cases where people have died from over exerting themselves while having the flu. Therefore the next time we are down with the flu, we should not take it lightly and stay home and rest so that we can get better sooner.

Hello, library? I've got a question

The Straits Times-Home pg H5, Tue 9th may 2006

The National Library's new inquiring service-Ask! is really convenient and useful. It is a phone-in hotline which fields questions from people who call the library from the comfort of their own homes. This new service from the National Library is really well received with about 150 people having called the hotline already. I feel that the is a reaaly great service provided by the National Library as it saves people alot of precious time that they usually spend travelling to the library. Also children need not worry anymore that their parents are not free to drive them to the library as the answers to their questions are now just a simple phone call away, even a young child will know how to use the hotline so it is very user friendly. This new service is really a splendid idea and i believe that with this new phone-in hotline, research work for projects will be made even more easier and convenient for students, as now students can meet up at many other places besides the library when they need to do research for their projects.

Most teens say no to pre-marital sex

The Straits Times-Home, pg H4, tue 9th may 2006

95% of under 16 teens surveyed opt for abstinence. I am happy to know that such a large number of teens say no to pre-marital sex and are saving themselves for that special someone. I feel that it is morally wrong to have casual sex with many partners as we are not treasuring and are violating our own body. To treat sex as something casual is something that appalls me as i feel that our body and virginity is something so sacred and we should not take it for granted. I believe that God gave us our bodies to take care of it so we are just tenants of our body and thus we do not have the right to violate it and stain it by having sex anyhow, anytime and with anyone. All in all, i think that pre-marital sex is morally wrong as it does not require commitment and can lead to unwanted pregnancies and even abortion, which is such a cruel and selfish act. Also according to laws regarding underage sex, when a man sleeps with an underage girl it is considered rape while when a woman sleeps with a boy under 16 it is termed as molestation. Though both acts are in reality the same except that in the first case the underaged victim is a girl while in the second case the underaged victim is a boy, the one involving a male with an underage girl carries a heavier charge. I feel that this is unfair as the woman who commited the same act as the man would be charged under different terms and probably get a lighter sentence. I believe that in both cases both accused should be charged equally as i believe that the underaged boy would be just as traumatised by the 'molestation' as the girl was by the rape, even though it is the girl who appears to have lost out more in terms of virginity and chastity compared to the boy.

TEACHING CHILDREN GOOD MONEY HABITS WILL HELP IN THE LONG RUN

The Straits Times pg 33 , 8th May 2006

It is good to teach children good money habits, as this way they will learn about the real importance and value of money at a young age. Often, parents are the ones who have the greatest influence on how their children view and handle money as they are the closest role models for them. If the parents handle their money loosely and flaunt them out in the open and spend it like water in front of their children, in the future the child will grow up not having much regard for money and spend it unwisely too. Therefore it is very important for parents to set good examples of practising good money habits in front of their children as they can easily pick up the behaviour of their parents. By enforcing good money habits in children, they will be able to handle their money well and save up enough for them to have a safe and comfortable life in the future. Thus it is important to teach good money habits to children while they are still young and willing to learn.

End to child labour is now no dream

The Straits Times, Tue May 2nd 2006

A new global report has shown a reduction of 11% in child labour, which is quite a significant number. I am glad to hear of this as it shows a ray of hope for many poor, exploited child labourers around the world. Child labour is a disasterous act as the victims are CHILDREN. Many unfortunate children around the world are deprived of their rights to education and a proper life, they are instead exploited and made use of to do many tough and also sometimes hazardous work for a measley wage, some are even abused. I believe that every child has his own rights and should not be brutalised by exploitation, or denied excess to education or even made to work for his own survival as they are still so young, they are only juveniles. Child labour is a serious problem in the world as there are so many countless children being exploited to do labour each day, therefore i am glad that the issue of child labour is being addressed and its number is decreasing. Hopefully in time to come the issue of child labour will be fully addressed and all the children in the world will be able to live an ordinary life and be free from exploitation. Many of the products we buy from shops are the handicraft of these poor child labourers, examples are the sports shoes and carpets we buy, and most of the time these child labourers who slog their guts out only earn a few cents for each product they make. Therefore the next time we buy something, we should bear in mind that it could have been made by these child labourers and we should be thankful for the blessed lives we are leading compared to those children.

Grooming session goes wrong and Maltese puppy ends up castrated

The Straits Times, 1 may 2006

I was sad to hear of the poor plight this maltese puppy was in, i feel sorry for it and feel that such a mishap could have been prevented. If the owner of the grooming shop had checked on the dog more throughly when she heard the dog's yelps of distress and not just walk away when she could not sense anything wrong just by looking at it, i believe the dog would not have been so badly burnt. I also feel that she should not have left the dog alone with the drying machine especially since the machine was new. The mishap that happened to the puppy could have easily happened to a baby and therefore people should learn from this grooming shop owner's mistake. From this incident, new parents should know that they should never leave their baby unattended at anytime and should always check on their baby by feeling and carrying it when it cries and not just look at it, as sometimes we cannot sense anything amiss just by looking. I hope this incident has increased awarness people have in handling their pets and also on their babies and young children.