Singaporeans eating more fruits and veg, but more fat too

The Straits Times, pg2, Sat 29th Jul 2006

It is pleasant to hear that more Singaporeans are eating their greens and fruits. This shows that they are eating healthier and are receiving the proper nutritions in their diets. However, sadly they are also found to be eating much more which means that they consume more fat too and this is not good. Eating your veg and fruits properly is a good thing but that does not mean one can thus eat more of fried and oily food stuff too. Eating a proper diet of veg and fruits does not necessarily mean that one is healthy, as if you continue gorging on junk food as well, then the benefits of eating your greens becomes pointless. Therefore i hope that Singaporeans will realise the importance of eating right as eating too much might lead to obesity and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Eating moderately is the right thing to do, so i encourage others to increase their intake of veg and fruits but they must also reduce the amount of fatty, oily food consumed, otherwise there is no point in taking in more veg. I hope that some people do not think that eating more veg means a healthier diet, and therefore use that as an excuse to eat more fried food.

Hit-and-run driver leaves number plate behind on PIE

The Straits Times-Home, Fri Jul 28 2006

'HAHA', that is what i have to say to the hit-and-run driver who thought he was smart enough to save his own skin by speeding off, but dumb enough to leave his number plate behind. I feel that heaven has eyes and justice does exist in this world as the hit-and-run driver did not manage to get away scott-free. The hit-and-run driver got his just dessert and i am glad that he did. The driver who got hit was injured as his car had flipped onto its side, i am seriously shocked that the hit-and-run driver did not stop to offer any help and just sped off. What if the other driver had been seriously injured and needed help immediately, the hit-and-run driver could have helped by at least calling for medical services. I am ashamed of the hit-and-run driver as he was so irresponsible and unfeeling. To save his ownself he did not care about the other driver's life and left the scene in a hurry. Even if he did manage to get away, i believe that he would always be haunted by his own conscience, especially if the other driver had died. I feel that it is important to teach young children these days the proper moral values in school, so that when they grow up they will not become such an irresponsible person like this hit-and-run driver. Hopefully this hit-and-run driver has learnt his lesson, that it is better to own up for your mistakes instead of trying to run away. As this article clearly proves, justice will always catch up with you.

Spike in number of supplementary credit cards for under 21s

The Straits Times-Home, 24th July 2006, Mon

Presently there are more and more teens below 21 years of age getting supplementary credit cards. I feel that it is not a wise decision for parents to give their children, especially young teenagers, supplementary credit cards as i feel that this will lead to them spending more money. With a supplementary credit card, the child can spend as much as he wants and will most likely end up overspending in the processs. Especially if the child is not disciplined and has little self control,he will tend to buy unnecessary stuff that he does not really need as spending with a card is very different from spending real money. At least with money, the user can see how fast he is using up his money and estimate when he is spending too much and stop to save some for a rainy day. However with a card, one does not know how much one is spending and one tends to keep on spending and before he knows it, he has overspent. I believe that supplementary credit cards are best tgiven to those going overseas to study as it is a convenient and easy way to get money. Also i feel that those going abroad to study really do have a real need for these cards as they would need to buy alot of stuff and necessities, and it would be difficult to bring along alot of cash. Hence i feel that the supplementary card is both good and bad in its own way, and it depends on how we use it that determines whether it is beneficial or not.

Buyers flock to CDL's Sentosa Cove condo

The Straits Times, Sat July 15 2006

Sentosa Cove seems to be a hit with the public with both locals and foreigners 'zapping' up almost all the units up for sale in no time. The prices of the Sentosa Cove units are high and are thought to go up even further in the future. Therefore i believe that most of the Singaporeans buy the units for the sole purpose of investment, while majority of the foreigners buy it to stay in it. There are also many other new housing projects that are in the making and are priced really high. This shows that the value of property and housing in Singapore is on the rise. With the prices of new housing developements on the high, i hope that the money investments brought in by the foreigners buying the units will help boosts Singapore's economy. In addition, i hope that these new housing projects will help beautify singapore and make the landscape and skyline of singapore much nicer.

Pay more if you want to ride in comfort

The Newpaper, July 4th

The prices for comfort cabs have gone up again, now the fare is $2.50 instead of the usual $2.40. I myself do not take cabs as i am lucky enough to have my parents drive me around, so the rise in fare price does not really affect me. However, i am against the increase in price of cabs as i feel that though it is just a 10cents increase, the difference is enough for people who use the taxi as a regular means of transport to feel the pinch. There are a number of low-income people who are handicapped and use taxis to travel to and fro between their home and the hospitals for their daily check-up, and the usual fare already burns a hole in their pocket. And now with the further increase in price of taxi fares, this is sure to cause more troubles and worries for them as they will be heavily affected. I feel that comfort should stop increasing the price of their taxi fares as i feel that many people will feel the pinch in the new price and be deterred from taking cabs. Afterall there are other forms of public transports, if forced to, commuters will definitely choose to use the public transport that is most friendly to their wallets, and then the number of taxi users will go down.

STOLEN

The Newpaper, Thurs 13th july 2006

Thieves target exotic animals in zoos to supply collectors willing to pay big money for rare species. I am apalled by what some people would do for money, and how selfish the collectors are for paying these people just so that they can add that special animal to their prized collection. Nowdays, the number of species of animals declared endangered is increasing, and the increase in thefts of these endangered animals in zoos is making the situation worst. Personally i fear for the lives of these rare and exotic animals that the thieves target as the more exotic they are the higher the price and the higher the chance it is targeted. These animals are endangered and are o the verge of disappearing from the face of the earth, and the zoos are the place best equipped to handle and care for these animals. By stealing these exotic, endangered animals, it is akin to sealing their fate and killing them as i believe these animals do not adapt well to environment changes. Thus the demand for these animals are putting a pressure on the population of it in the wild, as in the wild the number of the species is insignificant and too small to replace the older generation that die out and hence lead to extinction. I am sad to here that there have already been many cases of theft of these exotic animals in the zoo. I advised the zoos to step up the zoo's security, and also to employ zookeepers that rotate between both night and day shifts so that they can keep watch over the animals around the clock. Also, they should tag the animals with microchips or smal tracking devices that are not easily removed from the body. This way if the animal is stolen, then there will be a much higher chance of finding it and rescuing it back.

What Doodles say about you

Reader's Digest, July 2006

Doodling can actually help to relieve stress and it can also reflect what one is thinking. I am surprised to find out that doodling is not just mere, nonsense drawing that one does when he or she is bored. I am glad to hear that it relieves stress as i do doodle on my books too. Whenever i feel bored or sleepy in class, i usually doodle as i find it fun and relaxing. And often after doodling for a few minutes, i feel much more refreshed and able to concentrate better in class. I guess that few minutes of doodling helps to relax your mind from the strenous lessons that we sit through for long hours each day. I believe that a little doodling is good for one's self but too much is harmful as it distracts you from whatever you were doing previously. Therefore as always, we must learn to do things in moderation.