Monday, January 31, 2011

Lending a Helping Hand

Last Fri evening, while I was doing my usual exercise, I saw this heavily preggy lady trying really hard to push a stroller as her 3 year old daughter was on it.

Without any hesitation, I went up to her to offer to help her push the stroller as we're heading towards the same direction.
She told me that she's of Thai nationality while her husband is British and they used to live in HK before moving to SG.

Then her husband called to inform that he'd be arriving soon and would be able to pick her & kiddo up.
As we were nearing the shop house of eateries, her angmoh hubby appeared to take over from me.

The husband was really thankful towards me for rendering a helping hand when the preggy wife was in need.

I felt really happy with what I did.
Its a wonderful feeling to be able to help ..........

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Antioxidants Vs Fertility

Seems like female should not take antioxidants supplement as it may affect ovulation but male should take more .......

Female related:
Antioxidants lead to fertility problems

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Antioxidants-lead-to-fertility-problems/articleshow/7319930.cms


Male related:
Antioxidants May Boost Baby Making

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/antioxidants-increase-male-fertility/story?id=12641649&page=1

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

I'm sorry, my love ........

I'm remorseful and regretted the harsh words I've told RY during one of our recent fight.
How could I say those words to hurt him?
Well he did use some mean words on me but I shouldn't have retaliated ........

I guess when you're in a fit of anger, you'll say mean words to hurt each other.

I'm feeling really terrible and wish that I didnt say it at all.

I shall remember this painful experience and not to repeat the same mistake again!

When you love somebody, you should not hurt him/ her.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Singapore fertility rate falls to record low

Ummn, why am I not surprised to know about the falling birth rate in SG?
It seems like the govt is not doing enought to make SG a conducive place to have baby ............

Extracts of the newspaper reporting:
SINGAPORE: Preliminary estimates show that Singapore's total fertility rate has dropped to a record low of 1.16 last year. This is even lower than the 1.22 in 2009, and well below the replacement rate of 2.1.


Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the number of new Permanent Residents in 2010, was halved from a year ago.

Mr Wong, who heads the newly formed National Population and Talent Division, revealed the numbers as he laid out the country's long-term strategy for managing population growth.

After an influx of foreigners during the boom years, the government took steps to mitigate their inflow in 2010. Criteria for PR status were tightened, while more was done to integrate new citizens.

The move comes amid growing discomfort among Singaporeans over the increased presence of foreigners in the country.

29,265 foreigners became permanent residents last year, a sharp drop from the 59,460 in 2009, and 79,200 in 2008.

The country's aging population and low fertility rate means that the government will need to tap on immigration to augment the population.

Singapore is still facing the problem of having not enough babies. Mr Wong said the government will continue to support couples' decision to get married and have children. He added authorities will aim for a pro-family environment but he also acknowledged that boosting fertility will take time.

In a speech on "Inclusive Growth", Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng reiterated that citizens' interests will always come first.

Growing the population, Mr Wong explained, provides the critical mass to attract investors and grow domestic markets.

The key is in attracting the right kind of people.

"Singapore's population story is still evolving. Looking ahead, continual refinements will need to be made at appropriate junctures to ensure that Singapore will remain our best home. Like other countries around the world, we must continue to welcome suitably qualified people to work and live in Singapore and contribute to our society," said Mr Wong.

Mr Wong described these "suitably qualified people" as an "improvement in the quality of new PRs".

According to the latest population census, PRs in Singapore tend to be better educated. Almost half of the PR population last year were degree holders, compared with 18 per cent of citizens.

The number of new citizens remained relatively steady at 18, 758 in 2010, compared to 19,928 for 2009.

According to Mr Wong, the new Population and Talent Division will formulate, coordinate and review whole of Government policies. In doing so, Mr Wong said the focus is on achieving a "sustainable population profile".

Three principles will guide this effort - to preserve and uphold what is distinctive and unique about Singapore, to ensure growth and change benefit Singaporeans, and to remain nimble and prepared as well as make adjustments along the way.

Mr Wong said what is unique about Singapore is that its people "value hard work, thrift and honesty".

Singapore has also made multi-ethnic diversity work for it.

So in managing the population, Mr Wong said the government will "always be guided by the need to preserve a strong citizen core" and to "maintain stability" in the ethnic mix.

Observers say the latest figures on new immigrants will go some way in addressing Singaporeans' concerns.

Dr Leong Chan Hoong, a Research Fellow with the Institute of Policy Studies, said: "There is a very reassuring effect for Singaporeans and certainly I think this will help assure Singaporeans that the policy makers have their interests as a priority."

Inclusive growth has been a buzzword of late, and more recently, it was debated in Parliament. The idea is that no Singaporean is left out even as the country progresses. Observers said this is likely to be a hot button issue at the next general elections due by February

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Laughter is the Best Medicine!

This statement is proven by the fertility study that beeing entertained by a clown right after in vitro fertilization could be baby-making gold, according to a study in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility.


The three-year-long study, by doctors at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Zrifin, Israel, involved 219 women. Half of them were treated to a “medical clowning encounter” after having just undergone IVF.

Results showed that 36 percent of women who were treated to a 20-minute routine of jokes, magic tricks and other comedic acts after invitro became pregnant. In contrast, only 20 percent of the women in the group that wasn’t exposed to the routine got pregnant, according to the study.

The findings expand on research done by the study’s principal author, Dr. Shevach Friedler, a graduate of the Jacques Lecoq school of mime and theatre in Paris, France. "My background is in clowning and movement," he told Nature.com in a 2006 interview. "I'm also a physician who works in IVF. I thought we could combine the two," he was quoted as saying.

The study holds promise for women seeking to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization and also identifies comedy as a key de-stressor during what could be, to patients, a harrowing medical procedure, Friedler told Reuters.

"Patients suffering from infertility undergoing IVF are exceptionally stressed. So I thought that this intervention could be beneficial for them at the crucial moments after embryo transfer," he is quoted as saying.

While medical clowns have usually been associated with pediatric care, their use with adult patients is on the rise, according to the website, Aheart4clowning.

The Israeli study concludes that clowning in conjunction with IVF may buoy pregnancy rates and needs further analysis.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Animal Lover

I love Animal and have kept rabbits, tortise, hamster, mice, dog and cats as pets ..........

When I was young, I've dreamt about making lots of money to buy an island and hire workers to keep all the stray dogs/ cats ...........
Of course this dream never come true as I didnt make that much of money nor married a rich husband ........
When making charity donations, I'd make my donation to SPCA or any animal related homes as I think animals are more helpless and need more fincial assistance to maintain their well being.

Naturally, with the free StarHub cable Tv, my favourite channels are National Geographic and Animal Planet!
I'm afraid I may get addicted to the cable TV and may be tempted to subscribe to it long term.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

There is Hope!

We just renewed our Starhub broadband subscription for another 2 years.
To make the sign on deal sweeter, Starhub offered 3 months FOC cable TV for our viewing.

Yesterday I watched a documentary - Big Cat Odyssey on National Geographic channel.
http://natgeotv.com/uk/big-cat-odyssey/about
This documentary is about award-winning filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert on their 30-year-long quest to document the behaviour of big cats in Botswana, this film brings together three decades worth of material, including extraordinary footage of hunting lions, scavenging hyenas and stealthy leopards.


I was touched by a night scene where an elephant was attacked by a group of 7 lionesses.
At one point, the elephant was almost giviing up and we thought it'd die under the ruthless attack of the lionessess. 
Then miracle happened, the poor elephant forced itself up and run for its life.
I was so happy that this elephant managed to survive against all odds!

It has taught us a valuable lesson - Never Give Up as There is HOPE! 

To all ladies out there trying to have your miracle baby, pls dont give up!
Yes, there is Hope as long as we dont give up!

Friday, January 7, 2011

New York Tour Research

I've been busy researching on a good & economical USA East Coast Tour and I'm really lucky to find this website call  GotoBus.
This is the link to the US East Coast Tours that I'm eyeing .......

It's also interesting to note that this website also sell bus ticket and cover tours in majour USA cities, like Florida Tours , Boston Bus & Tours and Los Angeles Bus & Tours  and popular sight seeing spots; like Niagara Falls Tours , Grand Canyon Tours , Yellowstone Tours etc 

If I've known about this website earlier, I'd signed up with them for a US West Coast Tours during my last trip to San Franc last year since they also cover Yosemite Tours !

Next trip to USA, I'll deinitely sign up the Las Vegas Bus & Tours !

Sunday, January 2, 2011

2010 Christmas Gifts from Office Colleagues

Every year I'd give something to my colleagues to show appreciation to them.
Previous year, 2009, I gave the ladies musical bear and "christmasy" candies for the men and last year, 2010, I gave everyone a glass coaster individually wrapped by myself.
I've started the sourcing and wrapping in Nov and it's no joke to wrap ~ 100 gifts ......... it took 3 Sundays to complete the wrapping.

This is a pic of what I've gotten from my colleagues for 2010 xmas - the pic is taken in my office.
Yep, this is my room and it is big enough to accomodate a discussion corner where I hold meetings/ discussion with my colleagues/ visitors.
So I layed all the presents on the coffee table for display.

Count Down 2011!

It was my 1st live count down in SG's Marina watching fireworks!
I've done it in MY but not my home country.

RY suggested going down to Marina for the count down as he wished to do something different from the usual past few years, i.e. stay at home watch TV and sleep through the year ...........
I was not keen at all since I knew it'd be crowded and traffic would be caotic too!

As he was so keen in going, I've finally relented and we drove down to Marina at 10pm on 31 Dec.
We parked "Volvy" at Conrad Hotel and walked down towards Helix Bridge.
We were pretty disappointed that Helix Bridge was closed at about 11pm and we gotta hang around the pavement between the Helix Bridge and the road.

We just waited patiently and helped some tourists took pictures of themselves with MBS as the background.
When the clock was approaching 12 mid-night and at the last moment towards 12 am, everybody started counting down "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" and then viola - the sky start to light up with beautiful fireworks!
The fireworks lasted 8 mins and once the show was over, we quickly rush to towards Conrad Hotel for Volvy to head back home.

I went to bed at 2am and only wake up at 10am, so I miss receiving the 1st sunrise of the year!
It was a rainy day on 1st Jan 2011 and I didnt manage to do my usual exercise.

Basically, we spent the new year day lazing at home doing nothing and ta pau chicken rice for lunch.
Dinner was a quiet one at Casa Roma - our favourite Italian place along Bt Timah.

So how did you celebrate the New Year Day?

This is a pic taken from my mobile!