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PLANN ING FOR YOU Financ RETIREME R out a cleaial experts NT lay r plan for you
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2014
• Family
& Life
1
MCI (P) 114/08/2013
We dedicate our Christmas issue to our homegrown heroes and the people who need our help the most
Contents 4
Ending with a Bang
4
SNIPPETS
Products, Services & More!
Boy oh boy, do we have a bumper spread of stuff for you!
be January, up on us and before we know it, it’ll hristmas and New Year are creeping u to 2014, we new resolutions. Before we bid adie the month of fresh beginnings and e Yong, the aspiring es of Singapore, people such as Grac want to salute the homegrown hero , the man who Keng Wee Character Montessori (page 8), pre-school mogul and founder of er form beauty queen of the red (page 10), and Jaime Teo, dragged local brand TollyJoy out bed life by the throat and e 12). These are people who grab turned, well, cupcake queen (pag
C
FOCUS 8
Life Begins at 40
For pre-school mogul Grace Yong, she started really, really late
made things happen.
10 The Reluctant King
Wee Keng is the hero TollyJoy deserves, and the one it needed
12 The Queen Bakes Cupcakes
instead of the usual. t and back covers feature paintings You might also notice that our fron admirable efforts of the giving, we wanted to highlight the We decided that, in this month of ial Arts Singapore. ul artwork - the folks from Very Spec less fortunate who create wonderf , check out time e sam e giving back to society at the If you’re looking for great gifts whil social zing an ama 22. We also highlight the efforts of our massive gift spread on page transform the lives of ts to use the power of reading to entrepreneur, Erin Ganju, who wan (page 14). stricken areas of Southeast Asia women and children in the poverty
10
Former beauty queen Jaime Teo is a creative tyrant, in a good way
NURTURE
14 Heal the World, Make it a
Better Place
Room to Read wants to make a difference and invites you to join
18
15 Starting Them Young
e giving away loads of annual giveaway? This year, we’r And what’s Christmas without our hamper from Galderma, ler from Baby Jogger, a skincare prizes, including a City Mini strol easy). to see how to win (psst, it’s really and more! Flip on over to page 7 e 20) and studying the ding a look at infantile amnesia (pag We have loads more articles, inclu issue. so we hope you enjoy this special science of children’s toys (page 16),
They might be new but this pre- school is all set to rock your world
free to drop us an email , opinions and more, please feel If you have any questions, thoughts we will love to publish your views. at editorial@cogentmedia.sg as
16 The Science behind
Children’s Toys
We hope you enjoy this issue. Merr
Managing Editor Gerald Woon
18 Which Singaporean Parent
are you?
Are you ginger? Or are you pandan? Find out in this fun quiz!
19 12
familyandlife.sg
19 Squint and You Might Miss It
MANAGING EDITOR EDITORIAL
CREATIVE
HEALTH
Stopping your child’s myopia is just an eye drop away
20 Where Do Our Earliest
26
Memories Go?
We take a look at the science behind infantile amnesia
RELAX
22 ‘Tis the Season to be
Spending! The ultimate Christmas gift guide
for the family is here!
26 What’s Happening?
Upcoming events for you and your whole family
BITES
27 Crespella Al Funghi Porcini
Chef Denis Luchi shows how you can whip up a slice of Italy
28 Family Festive Feasting!
Make your Xmas and NYE meal plans with a bit of help from us
LASTWORD
30 The Battle against Cervical Cancer A mother and daughter recounts
2
!
y Christmas and Happy New Year
There are a lot more to toys than just play, according to Fisher-Price
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
how cancer brought them together
SALES & MARKETING
Gerald Woon gerald@cogentmedia.sg Writer | Farhan Shah farhan@cogentmedia.sg Designer | Zach zach@cogentmedia.sg Senior Marketing Executive| Emily Choo emily@cogentmedia.sg Sales Administrator| Michelle Lee sales@cogentmedia.sg
CONTRIBUTORS
Denis Luchi Jade Tan Tiong Wen Ning
PHOTOGRAPHY
Glenn Lim Koh Sze Kiat
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE CONTACT US
Manager | Jessica Ong jessica@cogentmedia.sg Editorial Enquiries editorial@familyandlife.sg Advertising Enquiries +65 6704 9271 sales@cogentmedia.sg
MCI (P) 114/08/2013 Colour Separation & Printed by Times Printers Private Limited 16 Tuas Avenue 5, Singapore 639340 Tel: +65 6311 2888 Fax: +65 6311 2801 Licence No. L021/09/2012 Distributed by Region Periodicals Distributor Pte Ltd 20 Bedok South Road Singapore 469277 Tel: +65 6846 0797 Fax: +65 6846 0798 All materials printed within Family & Life are Copyright 2014 © and protected under the Copyright Act. All rights reserved 2014.
Family & Life is published monthly by Cogent Media Pte. Ltd. 100 Beach Road #32-01 Shaw Tower, Singapore 189702 Tel: +65 6704 9266 Fax: +65 6396 3045 Registration No: 201231255H No material of this publication can be reproduced in any form or means – graphic, electronic, mechanic, photocopying, recording, videotaping, etc. – whether in part or in whole, without the written consent of the Publisher. Family & Life will not be held responsible for any infringements of Copyright material in articles submitted by contributors. While every reasonable care has been taken in the compilation of information contained in this publication, the Publisher, editors or their employees and agents shall not be liable for any errors, inaccuracies, and/or omissions howsoever caused. All views expressed in all articles are solely those of the authors, and are not necessarily those of the Publisher and editor. Family & Life reserves the right to refuse any advertisement or advertorial for any reason and are not liable for claims made by advertisers. The information provided in this publication is solely for reference only. Readers are advised to seek the professional advice from the appropriate advisors, professional or institution for advice and instruction with regard to their personal health issues.
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Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
3
SNIPPETS
SWEET CELEBRATION What’s a family celebration without some sinful cakes? Whenever we have an in-house event inside our office, we turn to Mei Yu Cakes. Their bakers are incredibly creative, whipping out humorous and jaw-dropping designs on the cakes. Many a time, we’ve scratched our heads at how they are able to keep wowing us time and time again. Of course, beautiful aesthetics doesn’t amount to much if the cakes don’t perform well taste-wise and we’re glad to tell you that Mei Yu does not disappoint, tantalising our taste buds with just the right amount of sweetness and fluffiness in those lovely cakes. Cream, vanilla, chocolate – whatever your itch, Mei Yu is able to scratch. And if you’re wondering how we keep getting their cakes even though our office is pretty far away from their two outlets, well, Mei Yu Cakes provides delivery and shipping anywhere around Singapore. Mei Yu Cakes is located at Blk 279 Bishan Street 24 #01-56 and Blk 44 Bendemeer Road #01-1448. If you’re not around the area, you can also place your orders at www.mycakes.com.sg.
THERE’S A PARTY AT THEIR HOUSE! All work and no play make Jack and Jill dull children. Stave off the boredom with the specialists of fun from Go-Go Bambini Indoor Entertainment Centre, a four-storey indoor playscape that features a six-metre indoor slide, ball pits, tunnels, climbing walls, and obstacle challenges. We love how the centre not only offers a fun time for kids but also an outlet – the GGB Bistro Bar & Café – for the parents to relax with a cup of coffee and a range of delicious breakfast items and gourmet burgers, most of which are handmade right in their own kitchen. The wonderful thing about play is that it’s an awesome physical and mental developmental tool for growing children, and it’s something that the folks at Go-Go Bambini recognises, which is why they’ve tailored a variety of workshops – baking, dancing, arts and crafts, etc. – that are both fun and beneficial. And if you haven’t gotten enough of the fun and entertainment, GoGo Bambini is also able to host fun parties for whatever occasion you’re looking at. We’re not kidding when we said that they are fun specialists; the Go-Go Bambini party hosts know how to have a good time and can organise magic shows, face painting activities, and more for your children.
4
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Contact Head Teacher:
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Course Duration: Two x 5 hour days plus five x 2 hour refreshers Course times and dates by arrangement - for your convenience
MLT Workshop Centres at Tampines, Jurong West, Lavender & Balmoral Plaza Lavender 52, Horne Road #03-01 S209071
A HEALTHY BREAKFAST FOR THE FAMILY One of the most common breakfast options on the table, white bread is generally regarded by many nutritionists as rather unhealthy for you and your children. We can’t deny that white bread is oh-so-delicious though, which is why we’re glad that bread specialists Sunshine Bakeries has released Classic Wholemeal Bread, baked with natural wheatberries and made from 100 percent whole grains. It’s almost as delicious as white bread and a lot healthier, so we’ve made regular trips to the supermarket to refill our stock whenever the Classic Wholemeal Bread runs low. Sunshine Classic Wholemeal Bread 550g is available at leading supermarkets, convenience stores, and petrol marts at a suggested retail price of S$3.50.
MAKE LIKE A TREE AND PARTY! Tucked away in a lush corner of Dempsey Hill is one of the best kept secrets of families with young children – the casual all-day dining Tree Lizard Restaurant & Bar. We love its wholesome, unpretentious and reasonably-priced Western fare as well as the dedicated children’s menu for the young ones. We also look forward to Sundays, when they serve a full roast buffet for lunch, consisting of a selection of appetisers, salads, soups, desserts, and the crème de la crème – three freshly roasted meats.
Oh, did we also mention that the centre has free Wi-Fi?
What makes Tree Lizard Restaurant & Bar stand out from the rest though is the playground and sand pit located in the large field, a fantastic place to put the kids at. They’ll enjoy themselves with other children while still in full view of the parents who can relax, chat, and sip their drinks. To further keep the children entertained, there is a large array of family board games available for their pleasure.
We could go on and on about why we are really big fans of Go-Go Bambini Indoor Entertainment Centre but we think you should check it out for yourself with your children.
Service makes or breaks a restaurant and we’re happy to say that the staff is extremely friendly and family-oriented and will ensure that you have a pleasant and relaxing time!
Go-Go Bambini Indoor Entertainment Centre is at Block 8 Dempsey Road #01-15 Dempsey Hill Singapore 247626. For more information, check out www.gogobambini.com.
Tree Lizard Restaurant & Bar is at the basement of 25 Dempsey Road Singapore 249670. To make reservations, give them a call at 6834 3969. The restaurant also offers a range of packages for private events – children and birthday parties, corporate dinners, wedding receptions, etc.
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
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Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
5
SNIPPETS
THE VOICE OF DRAGONS Unfortunately, while we didn’t suddenly acquire a pet dragon in the office, we did have the chance to test the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 software by Nuance Communications Australia. A speech recognition software that turns your voice into text and actionable commands for your computer, Dragon 13 claims to be more accurate than its predecessors in understanding different types of accents (which was one of our considerations when we were putting the software through its paces) and increases your productivity since talking is faster than typing. Installing the Dragon 13 was a breeze and idiot-proof. Pop the CD into your drive, navigate the easy-to-understand prompts, choose your preferred microphone, and you’re good to go. When you launch an application that the Dragon13 is compatible for, such as the Microsoft Office suite or your email software, Dragon13 will ask you whether you prefer to talk rather than type. Whenever you’re sick of talking to yourself and prefer the click-clacking of your keyboard, the Stop button is just a click away. The real test was in the software’s understanding and accuracy. We’re glad to say that as long as you speak clearly into the microphone, your accent doesn’t matter. Even when we came across tricky words (three and tree comes into mind), Dragon13 was able to discern between both, with mistakes few and far between. When the occasional error popped up, it was easy to rectify with a few voice commands. Sadly, Dragon13 doesn’t understand our local lingo – kopi siew dai, teh peng, etc. – and spat out its own valiant but hilarious attempts at translating our Singaporean gibberish. We highly recommend the Dragon13 for mothers working from home who are nursing infants or busy folks who have a lot of things on their plate but still need to craft that important email while working on meeting notes. We also used the Dragon13 during our meetings, which made it incredibly easy to write the minutes afterwards. Now, if only there was a way to command a dragon with this… The Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 software is priced at S$239 for the Premium version and S$119 for the Home version. It’s available for download and purchase at www.getdragon.com.sg and at selected software retailers. We’re giving away two copies of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Premium in our Christmas giveaway on the next page! Head on over and find out how you can win these and more!
6
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
e t a r b e l e C
New Year d n a s a tm is r h the C r family at u o y h it w n o s a Se
Traditional Christmas turkey with chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce, Honey baked ham with apple sauce and Roast Beef Rib Eye are just some of the delicious food awaiting you. Attractive prices for children and the large playground makes this venue ideal for families
• 4-course pre-Christmas Dinners • 4-course Christmas Eve Dinner • Christmas Lunch Buffet • 4-course Christmas Dinner • 4-course New Year’s Eve Dinner
$48++ Adults / $22++ Children (8 to 15 years old) $68++ Adults / $32++ Children $48++ Adults / $22++ Children $58++ Adults / $27++ Children $116++ per two adults / $25++ Children
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Block 25 Dempsey Rd B1-01, Singapore 249670
Visit Tree Lizard on Facebook
6834 3969
call early to avoid disappointment
2014 Christmas Giveaway!
It’s the festive season and in the spirit of giving, we’re giving you dear reader the chance to stuff your stockings with many great items! Here’s what you can expect to win:
2 CITY MINI STROLLERS BY BABY JOGGER WORTH S$650 EACH 1 LÄSSIG NAPPY BAG WORTH S$150 2 DRAGON NATURALLYSPEAKING 13 PREMIUM PACKS WORTH S$239 EACH 1 MENTAL LITERACY TRAINING CLASS VOUCHER WORTH S$500 1 GALDERMA PRODUCT HAMPER WORTH S$150 It’s easy to win! All you have to do is to: 1. Open up your email composer 2. Put the following “Family & Life 2014 Christmas Giveaway” in the title 3. Email us at editorial@cogentmedia.sg with your preferred Christmas stocking stuffer (“I want the ___________ for Christmas!”), your full name, and your mailing address 4. Send it to us and wait for good news!
Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
7
FOCUS
e f i L
40
Begins at
For Grace Yong, it was only after four decades and four children that she discovered what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Discover how this business-trained lady is now one of the fastest rising names in pre-school education.
It’s not every day that your parents, lovely as they may be, would call you mad, perhaps even downright bonkers. That was the exact adjective Grace’s mother used when she found out that Grace was about to embark on an academic journey to complete her Master’s degree in education, just after the birth of her fourth child, with James Cook University. Grace professes that her mother had every reason to label her crazy – the senior Yong had offered to fund her daughter’s Master’s degree education in business back when she just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree but Grace declined. “I was sick of studying already,” explains Grace, laughing. Instead, Grace decided that it was time to find work. There was only one problem though – she had no idea what she wanted to do. More than a decade’s worth of education had taught her everything she needed to know about the world but nothing about herself. She might have been the combined product of two of the country’s most esteemed academic institutions at that time – Raffles Girls’ Secondary School and National University of Singapore – but all that pedigree only amounted to two paper certificates and a seemingly dull and murky future, made even worse by the economic downturn happening at that time.
THE TWISTS AND TURNS
Grace Yong is the founder and current principal of Character Montessori, and is the first certified Singaporean Character Education Practitioner, accredited by The Abraham Lincoln Centre for Character Development (USA). Grace also holds a Master in Education from James Cook University.
Grace ended up working as a communications executive in the humanitarian aid organisation World Vision. The year was 1985, a time before the advent of the Internet and powerful computers and when almost everything had to be done by hand. Grace thrived in the environment, absorbing everything that was happening around her. “It was only when I started working that I started discovering who I really was and where my passions lay,” says Grace. She enjoyed learning about the human condition; her work required her to meet people from different backgrounds and walks of life. And while life would give her other career opportunities, her enthusiasm for learning about the motivations of people continued to grow, even after marriage and children. It was only when her children started going to pre-school that her passion would begin to crystallise into something resembling destiny. “My children would go to pre-school and
8
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
come back still unable to read or do math,” shares Grace. So, she had to take it upon herself to educate her children and prepare them for the rigours of primary school, not only giving them an academic foundation but carving their characters and moral fibre.
Some might say that a toddler is far too young to be able to learn about the world around them but Grace begs to differ. “Many adolescent problems can be traced back to the period when that teenager was three,” says Grace. She further contends that the most appropriate time to shape a person’s worldview and teach him or her the correct values is between birth and five. Her passion for children and education was what led her to pursue that Master’s degree in education, the one that caused her mother much consternation.
DESTINY AWAITS At the age of 40, Grace had finally decided what she wanted to do in life, 20 years after university and after riding a roller-coaster of jobs across different industries. She was going to set up a pre-school, a place that would give young children the character education they need to become morally upright forces in the world. It was an ambitious business undertaking, made even harder by the fact that Grace had a family – four children at impressionable ages
Words Farhan Shah Photos Glenn Lim
(12, 10, eight and two) – to raise. Fortunately, her tireless dedication to build a solid foundation in her children paid off in spades during this period. “We created a culture of independence at home backed by a set of rules and in-house teachers’ training programmes. For instance, I told them that I’m not supposed to get complaints from teachers about homework not being done. They are supposed to complete it themselves. If a teacher does complain, then there will be consequences and they need to fix it,” says Grace. Her husband, too, was an able and supportive partner, managing the family every time Grace was preoccupied with Character Montessori and ensuring that everything at home chugged along smoothly. It meant Grace was able to focus on propelling her start-up to the forefront of the nascent pre-school industry in Singapore, which was still rather unstructured and chaotic at that time, making it hard for Grace to hire teachers of a certain calibre. That didn’t matter though. Grace had a vision and she would do everything in her power to achieve it. “I wanted to make sure the skills I taught to the first batch of teachers were transferable, so I spent a lot of time and work in creating a set of guidelines and standard operating procedures that would allow future employees to learn
More Than a Decade in Character Building
as quickly as possible,” says Grace. It was an incredibly business-like approach but it worked. Word soon began to spread of the effectiveness of Character Montessori’s education and principles. The children coming out of the pre-school were not only highly prepared for primary school but displayed leadership and character.
GROOMING THE FUTURE “We should give our children the courage to make their own decisions and understand their own strengths. There are a few key points that we need to teach them – respecting people and showing them that the world doesn’t follow the beat of their own drum,” says Grace. “A lot of parents think that children at three are still young and will change when they grow up. The problem is that when they grow up, it is very difficult to undo the damage that has been done.” According to her, teenage rebelliousness can be traced all the way back to the events that occur and the teaching he or she receives at the age of three. It’s a discomforting thought, knowing that your worldview is shaped by behaviour and events that would eventually be lost to the scourge of infantile amnesia, but Grace’s assertion is backed up by many scientists and researchers. The aspiring pre-school mogul also reckons that far too many Singaporean parents mollycoddle their young children instead of letting them explore their independence. You hear stories of today’s self-entitled strawberry generation and you start to think that Grace might just be right after all. “Parents do too much for their children – pack their bags, check their timetables, inspect their homework, etc. I’ve never done that; if I do that for my four children, I won’t have the time to do anything else in my life!” says Grace. Instead, Grace only interfered during the first two weeks of her children’s primary school life, training them to check their timetables and bags on the night before each school day, before leaving them to do it themselves. Here’s the kicker: she knows they will eventually make a mistake. In fact, she’s waiting for them to “trip up”. It’s a certainty in her book. “It’s not about my child going to school and being able to do everything. It’s about my child going to school and taking responsibility for his or her decisions,” asserts Grace.
This is why, in the next five years, Grace wants to reach out to parents and tell them that the attitude at home is more important than what happens in pre-school, if they would like their child to be successful in life. She’s written and published books targeted at parents, all of which are focused on specifics aspects of a child’s growing up years, and started giving advice at various talks and seminars. “Teaching young children is quite easy compared to teaching parents,” Grace says wryly. She’s still going to try though, such is her hardworking and ambitious nature. Talking about ambition, Grace has been accepted into the National Institute of Education’s Doctor in Education programme, which is starting in 2015. She’ll be 51. Age truly is just a number.
OF RISKS AND DANGER As the interview winds down, we talk about business and entrepreneurship in Singapore. After all, not too long ago, Grace bravely forged a path during a period in her life when most people wouldn’t even be remotely thinking about starting a venture. Surprisingly, Grace isn’t a big fan of the business culture in the country, citing a lack of support from the financial powerhouses e.g. banks as one of the main reasons. “Rental is high and unstable. Manpower costs are through the roof and you have the extraneous items such as CPF. The environment in Singapore isn’t very nurturing and friendly to entrepreneurs,” says Grace. And despite what she has achieved with Character Montessori so far, Grace remarkably but understandably wants to be remembered for something else – the legacy she leaves for her children. “If my business fails, then it’s fine. I just need to shutter the doors. But, if my children fail, I can’t just close shop. The impact is for life,” says Grace. “If I imbue in them the right values, then these values will be passed on to their children, and that will be the biggest impact that I will have on my community.” Her mother might have affectionately called her bonkers but Grace’s heart and head is in the right place. Life has a funny way of unfolding itself but it usually turns out great in the end. All you need is passion and hard work, and maybe a bit of craziness.
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Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
9
FOCUS
THE
Reluctant
King
It was a responsibility he didn’t want, a title he would rather not have. But, the circumstances of his life dictated otherwise. Meet the accidental leader who dragged a dying business back up to its feet.
Words Farhan Shah Photos Glenn Lim
In 1992, a misty-eyed Wee Keng looked at his frail father lying on the hospital bed. Once, he was a strong, proud man with an indomitable personality and an iron will, helming a business dealing in baby products. Two packets of cancercausing cigarettes a day though wrought havoc on his insides and soon, Wee Keng noticed a marked difference in his father’s physical faculties. The TollyJoy founder’s hands would shiver uncontrollably. This happened in 1987, just before Wee Keng entered
the army for his mandatory national service. “I asked him to get it check out, so he did,” shares Wee Keng. He pauses and I start to regret prodding him for details about his father’s passing. Wee Keng takes a swig of water, composes himself, and continues: “They found a tumour the size of a tennis ball in his brain. His left lung too was completely blackened.”
It was a trying time for the family, rocked by the news that the rock of the family and the company could potentially pass away. The situation was so grave that Wee Keng’s father turned to Wee Keng and pleaded for him to take over the reins of TollyJoy in the future. “My brothers never had any interest in taking over the business. Even though they were working in TollyJoy at that moment, one of them wanted to quit while the other was seriously considering the option. We discussed it among ourselves and decided that it was best if I came in. I guess, in a way, since I was the youngest in the family, I was taken advantage of,” Wee Keng says with a wry smile. “I could have turned down my father but can you really say no to a terminally-ill person?”
LOSING YOUR BEARINGS Fortunately, the doctors successfully removed the tumour, a dangerous undertaking that required two
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Family & Life • Christmas 2014
operations, and Wee Keng’s father went through an aggressive chemotherapy cycle that kicked the cancer to the remission curb. Five years later, he suffered a relapse. The suicidal cells had returned with a vengeance, attacking his lymph nodes. This time, there would be no miraculous Hollywood comeback. That was the situation Wee Keng found himself in at the beginning of this story, sitting by the bedside and watching his father slowly fade away into the pages of history. “It felt like we had lost our compass. My brothers, the employees and I were looking at my mother for direction and guidance. She was a strong woman and even though I believe that my father’s death had affected her badly, she always kept her composure and never cried openly when she was at work,” says Wee Keng. For the second-year university student, it also marked the time for him to relinquish his own dreams of venturing into the scientific field and instead, pick up the mantle of continuing his father’s legacy. Wee Keng bravely admits that in the beginning, he detested the position that he had been forcefully placed in. Years and years of studying had all come to nought due to the overarching influence of a dead man. But, in a culture that valued quiet obedience and filial piety over bold proclamations and brash individualism, Wee Keng knew he had to keep his head down and accede to his late father’s wishes.
However, as Wee Keng put in the hours and got to know the people that made up the company, he began to realise the enormity of his responsibility. The livelihoods of many folks depended on the business decisions that he and his eldest brother, who had taken over TollyJoy after his father’s death, made. As Wee Keng explains, negativity breeds more negative attitudes, which was a characteristic that he hoped would not infect TollyJoy. Wee Keng eventually got into the groove, finally accepting the hand that fate dealt him. Now, he loves what he does, he tells me with pride.
THE CLIMB TO THE TOP Wee Keng is not one for impressivesounding positions. When I asked him about the historical details of his eventual ascent to the throne, Wee Keng taps the table and looks to the right, his brain attempting to access the hazy past. A few minutes later, he looks at me with a resigned smile. “I remember joining the company immediately after graduating from university but for the life of me, I can’t recall the exact title I was given. All I know was that I took over after my brother left,” says the father of three. “I never cared about my lofty spot. I never liked the idea of being the person-in-charge without any prior experience. If you want to lead a group of people, you need to have the prerequisite skills. So, even though I was given a fancy title, it never meant anything to me.” What Wee Keng does remember in detail was his attempts at picking up the pieces of a fractured organisation that had fallen on tough times as a result of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. When Wee Keng took over in 2001, TollyJoy’s product sales were in a free fall and revenue numbers in Singapore and Malaysia had plummeted to dangerous levels – the company was in the red and was on its way to becoming a forgotten footnote. It would have been an almost impossible task for any experienced CEO, let alone one just barely out of the cradle of school. Outsiders unaware of Wee Keng’s history with TollyJoy would have probably scoffed at his appointment as a sign of a company desperately grasping at straws. The truth, however, is more complex. Wee Keng has a long intimate relationship with the company since he was a young boy, having regularly worked within the walls of the warehouse during his school holidays. He knew TollyJoy inside and out.
BOLD GAMBLES The journey of a hero usually comes in three parts. First, there is a tragedy, a turning point in the hero’s life that
sets him on a path to greatness. Then, the hero has to overcome a series of challenges and tests that would either mould him or break his back. For Wee Keng, the death of his father was the impetus that set him on that path. Dragging the company back to its feet would be the insurmountable obstacle, the heroic feat that would define his tenure as the CEO of TollyJoy. To accomplish the turnaround, he turned to the people whom he affectionately calls the old guard. These were staff who had been with TollyJoy for close to three decades. They were the ones who had witnessed the rise of the company and who had stayed loyal to it in spite of the founder’s death. They knew the ins and outs of the industry and had a bountiful well of experience, one that Wee Keng knew he had to tap on if he wanted any vestigial chance of succeeding. “I formulated a risky plan to transform the business. It centred on correcting what I thought were the wrong decisions made in the past and to do that, I needed the support of the old guard,” says Wee Keng. So, he called a meeting where he presented his possibly contentious ideas. “I told them: ‘If you have any doubts as to what I’m about to do, please say so now. I won’t bear any grudges. If you do have the confidence though, stay with me, help me out and share the burden because when the good times come, I will not forget.’”
THE RETURN OF THE KING Wee Keng and his fellow colleagues slugged it out for the next few years,
working hard to turn the business around. The red bottom-lines that stung his eyes at the end of every financial year slowly turned a beautiful shade of profitable green. Wee Keng tells me triumphantly that in 2014, TollyJoy is on course to record profits in excess of S$15 million. The brand has established itself across numerous Asian markets, including countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and even the Maldives. It has also made inroads into the subcontinent of India, thanks to a tie-up with the online retailer Amazon. Wee Keng has finally completed the third act in a hero’s quest – reward and redemption. During the trying journey, Wee Keng also found the time to get married to a “capable and strong” woman and have three beautiful children, all of whom played incredibly important roles in his ascension to the top. After all, can you really be a king without a queen by your side? “I will never forget this promise that she told me when we first got married. It will always remain in my heart. She told me: ‘You don’t have to lift a finger to manage your children. I will take care of them. All you have to do is to take care of me.’” Having said that though, Wee Keng is by no means an absent father. He and his wife work together to make decisions for the family, especially when it comes to the children’s future. Housework is a trickier proposition for the busy man although Wee Keng jokes that he’s making progress, occasionally cleaning the dishes. “I do the cooking
too!” protests Wee Keng goodnaturedly. Lately, the question of succession has been weighing heavily on Wee Keng’s mind too, and it’s not because he’s thinking of retirement. Rather, his teenage boy has reached that stage in life where he has the physical and mental capabilities to start helping out on the warehouse floor, just like Wee Keng once did many decades ago. He doesn’t want to be like his parents though; he tries not to pressure his son to devote his school holidays to TollyJoy. On the off chance that his son happens to be at home, Wee Keng does verbally poke and prod him to come to the offices. “It’s quite ironic because I’m doing the same things to my children that I used to hate when I was their age! I did tell myself that I would never be like my parents but life has a way of making you eat your words,” says Wee Keng, chortling loudly. However, at this present moment, Wee Keng has made up his mind that he would let his children forge their own path in life, unfettered by his influence. If they choose to be a part of TollyJoy, Wee Keng would welcome them with open arms and teach them everything he knows. If they want to pursue other interests, Wee Keng would give his fullest support. “I asked myself: is it more important for the brand to outlive the family? Or the family to outlive the brand?” Wee Keng says. For the reluctant king, the answer is clear. Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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FOCUS
She’s won an internationallyknown beauty pageant, made male hearts race during her short stint at MediaCorp, and is now lighting the fuse to take her cupcake business global. Meet the sassy Jaime Teo.
The
Queen Words Farhan Shah
Photos Glenn Lim
Bakes Cupcakes Let me preface this article by mentioning that when I was young and hormonal, I used to harbour a mild crush on Jamie Teo, back when she first burst into the public consciousness with her win at the 2001 edition of the Miss Singapore Universe beauty pageant. Thirteen years later, while the ravages of time decided to leave her porcelain complexion unharmed, I bore a face that sunk a thousand ships. Along the way, the former beauty queen launched a career in the entertainment industry, got hitched to radio deejay Daniel Ong, and started a family. Oh, and she also picked up baking. There was no catalyst for this, although Daniel claims she picked it up “to impress him”, an assertion vehemently shot down by Jaime. Rather, according to her, it was due to equal parts boredom and fascination – she was amazed that such simple ingredients could be blended together to form beautiful pastries.
I find that we define achievements and capabilities by gender BAKING AN EMPIRE Her accidental hobby would go on to when it really become Twelve Cupcakes, one of the should be about giants in the local mini-cake field. Today, the brand has a presence in personalities.
six cities – Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei,
Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Manila with plans to open more flagship outlets in Dubai, Japan, and the most populous country in the world, China. It’s an impressive feat, made even more remarkable by the fact that Twelve Cupcakes has only been around for three years. Jaime recalls the first few backbreaking weeks of the business, when it was just her and Daniel preparing and baking the cupcakes from 7 in the morning until the shutters came down, meticulously putting the finishing touches on each piece, and tending to the hundreds and hundreds of customers that never seemed to stop coming. They ran out of ingredients every other day and had to close the store just to buy more raw materials and bake even more cupcakes. Daniel was thrilled; Jaime was less so. “I really, really missed Renee, who was a year old at that time. I would be driving to work in the morning, hear her toy squeaking at the backseat, and suddenly just break down into tears,” says Jaime. “When I’m putting the icing on the cupcakes and thoughts of her cross my mind, I would start tearing up and have to move away from the batch so that my tears wouldn’t get into the cupcakes!” She credits her husband for being her rock during those difficult times. He hired people to lessen the load on their shoulders, cleaned up the store at the end of the day so that she could head home and be with Renee (“one thing that many people underestimate about working in a commercial kitchen is the amount of washing there needs to be done!”), and set into motion the expansionary plan that would see Twelve Cupcakes become a household name. Occasionally, their strong personalities do get in the way, butting heads over the issues that get thrown on their baking trays the further ahead
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Family & Life • Christmas 2014
Twelve Cupcakes forges forward. However, they also understand that they need each other and have learned to agree to disagree. Indeed, the combination of Daniel’s business acumen and Jaime’s palate has managed to crack Singapore’s incredibly competitive food and beverage industry. Their roaring success spawned a slew of imitators, all of whom hoped to cash in on the cupcake craze. In the spirit of good journalism, I asked Jaime what she thought about her competitors. She smiles, the same grin that snagged her the Miss Universe tiara, before doing diplomacy proud. “There is enough cake to be shared. After all, everyone has different palettes.” Fair enough.
THE CREATIVELY BENEVOLENT DICTATORSHIP Jaime might look demure, but behind that pixie face and impish beam lies an artistic tyrant. The recipes; the marketing initiatives; the layout of each store; all of these sprung from Jaime’s mind. She admits that she doesn’t bother with faddish flavours of the month, literally and metaphorically, nor pander to current fleeting trends. Rather, the cupcakes the company produces is quite simply something that Jaime enjoys eating. “I know it sounds egotistical but it’s tailored to my taste buds,” says Jaime, laughing. In the past, she was so adamant about retaining creative control that no one would be allowed to experiment in the kitchen. Every flavour that Twelve Cupcakes could be attributed to Jaime. She’s mellowed though, understanding that she’s only one woman and that she has so many talented people under her, who were
as capable as her in ideation and conceptualisation. They’re still quite strict about launching new flavours – “if I haven’t tried it, they cannot launch it”. Before she and Daniel open the doors of their flagship store in a new country, they will fly over and bake a couple of cupcakes using the ingredients they’ve sourced from within the city, in an attempt to recreate the ones they already have in Singapore. The reason? “Everything tastes different when you use flour from overseas countries. So, we have to alter the tastes of the cupcakes until they resemble something that I like to eat!” Profits don’t drive Jaime. Neither does the rarefied status that she’s managed to attain in the cupcake world, thanks to the successful 15 outlets around the island, of any importance to her. Instead, she thrives on something simpler – the cupcake-stained smiles from her satisfied customers munching happily on her products. It’s always been like that from the very beginning, at the first outlet at United Square. Jaime would occasionally venture out to the front whenever her hands were battered to submission by the taxing act of baking cupcakes and her spirits sapped from missing Renee too much. Out there, in front of the crowd, she gained happiness and the strength to carry on. “Daniel knew from the first week that this was a viable business. In essence, I was just a worker and we were helping him to push the cart that he was driving,” says Jaime. “We wouldn’t have a business without Daniel but at the same time, he wouldn’t have a business without me. We complement each other well and we can unreservedly say that this business is ours.”
JAIME LEANS IN It’s peculiar to hear Jaime passionately talk about Twelve Cupcakes and the progress it has made in the past three years and yet, in the same breath, discount her efforts and capabilities. Throughout the interview, she continually peppers her answers with humbling adjectives that downplay her own ability. She also occasionally switches between different genders, depending on the context of the conversation, when talking about herself. So, I called her out on it. She laughs. “I am a female when it benefits me,” she says with a chortle. She turns serious, putting her fingers on her chin, the classic thinking man’s (or woman’s) pose. “I find that we define achievements and capabilities by
gender when it really should be about personalities. There is nothing wrong with a man being, well, not driven.” Women in business is another matter altogether. Jaime believes that business is a choice – some have the nuance for it, others do not. Although there aren’t many Singaporean women at the forefront of start-ups, that doesn’t mean that they are any less capable than their male counterparts. Rather, according to Jaime, they’ve made the conscious decision to prioritise other aspects of their lives. In Jaime’s case, she values her family. “It’s unspoken between Daniel and me but I feel that I have to be there for Renee. Daddy can choose whether or not he wants to be around but Mummy always has to be there,” says Jaime.
OF FLESH, BLOOD AND ARGUMENTS Jaime’s mother, Serene, was never around during her childhood, through no fault of her own. Raised in a single-parent family after her parents divorced when she was just a year old, Jaime was left to her own devices while her mother was out for most of the day juggling two jobs – an administrative officer in the day and a cashier at a recreation club at night – to bring the bacon home. An unsheltered Jaime learned how to survive in a harsh, cruel world and developed an independent, some would say rebellious, streak. Jaime even refused to talk to her mother for two years, when she ran away from home at the age of 17. She was upset at her mother’s strict, military-like upbringing.
just be a kid. I, on the other hand, want to try to send her for as many classes as she can afford to and as long as she has fun,” says Jaime.
Do you think Singapore’s education system is too competitive? “I think the only question that you should ask is whether the system is right for your child. If your kid cannot take the pressure or is not suitable for it, then go ahead and think of alternative schooling methods,” answers Jaime. “However, would you want to send the message to your child that he or she should give up the moment it becomes a little bit hard?” It’s a loaded and relevant question, and there are no right answers, only suitable solutions that are
adapted to the capabilities of the child. Both Jaime and Daniel grew up in single-parent families. Renee, fortunately, has two loving parents who are looking out for her best interests. She’s also growing up in a fast-changing and immeasurably uncertain world. You can be sure though that Jaime and Daniel will be right beside her, lighting the path.
Now that Jaime has become a mother herself, she’s beginning to understand the reasons for her mum’s behaviour. Life has a peculiar way of making you eat your words and Jaime suspects that she might be looking through the menu of regret soon enough. “In the past, I told myself that I wouldn’t be the kind of mother my mum was but now I’m starting to think otherwise. I’m beginning to wonder whether I will be like my dreaded mum!” exclaims Jaime in a joking manner. It’s par for the parenting course. You always tell yourself that you will never be like your parents until you realise that the only parenting lessons you’ve received come from your parents. Subsequently, your parenting personality too is shaped by these teachings. Interestingly, Jaime and Daniel have vastly different parenting philosophies. “Daniel wants her to play all the time, to basically Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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NURTURE
Heal the World, Make it a Better Place Words Farhan Shah
Photos Room To Read
Over 100 million young girls around the world will wake up each day without the most important thing in the world – hope for a better future..
Every morning, Sum Sin’s mother, an illiterate fish seller, wakes up and heads to the village market. In that enclosed space, she hawks her produce for more than 12 hours. On a good day, she earns about US$2, barely enough to support the family. On bad days, Sum Sin and her mother go hungry, praying to the Gods for a better day tomorrow. There are more bad days than good. Sum Sin used to have a father and four siblings. Four of them – Dad and three siblings – passed away before she turned nine. Her final sister married at a young age and was tortured to death by her husband when Sin was 15. It’s a tragic tale but in Cambodia, where Sin and her mother live, and many other rural countries around the world, stories like these are commonplace. Erin Ganju knew that she could no longer sit in her cushy office chair and watch silently as the world continually put these girls through the grinder and spat them out. “When I realised that I was more passionate about my voluntary activities than I was about my full-time job dealing with investment banking, I knew that I had to switch careers,” says Ganju. Today, she is the CEO of Room to Read, a non-profit organisation that supports literacy and gender equality in education, and works alongside fellow co-founders John Wood and Dinesh Shrestha as well as a dedicated team of staff and volunteers to become the social change that the world is desperately crying out for.
welcomed shot in the arm for a first-world citizen like me, so used to electricity at the flick of a switch and with most of my daily problems consisting of what to eat for lunch. This first-world privilege that we possess is both a boon and a curse. We live in relative comfort while folks like Sin suffer in abject poverty, simply because the genetic roulette favoured us.
In fact, first-world privilege is an important issue that the folks at Room to Read have bravely tackled. Erin regularly brings her own young daughter on her mission trips to Asia, exposing her to a side of the world she rarely sees. She similarly advocates Singaporeans parents to do the same, for sowing the seeds of empathy in a young child moulds them to grow up and become a responsible global citizen. “One of the most incredible gifts you can provide your child is to teach them about the world and give them an insight into how it’s like to grow up in another country through books and videos,” says Erin. “Children love to read stories and pictures from other children and there are so many age-appropriate ways to teach them how to be a global citizen and to contribute their time, their money, their talents, etc.”
Thanks to Erin’s capable leadership, Room to Read has grown from a small start-up to a global Listening to Erin passionately explain organisation that is changing lives in 10 countries. And her tireless the programmes that Room to work hasn’t gone unrecognised. Fast Read runs – establishing libraries, Company recognised her as one of its constructing classrooms, training Extraordinary Women for 2012 and educators, etc. – is a muchin 2014, the World Economic Forum chose her to be one of its Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs. Nothing gives Erin more joy, though, than seeing first-hand the social impact of the work she puts in every day, the reason why she bolts out of bed the moment the alarm clock rings instead of hitting the snooze button. Sum Sin is one of the 27,000 reasons that makes Erin
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Family & Life • Christmas
2014
smile. “We started a programme to ensure that more young girls could stay in school for as many years as possible, until they at least have a secondary-level education. We focus on empowering the girls and ensuring that they have the skills required to continue staying in school,” says Erin. How much of a financial and economic impact is Erin and her team making to the lives of Sin and the rest of the other girls? According to data from UNESCO, for every year that a girl in a thirdworld country stays in high school, her earning potential increases between 10 and 20 percent. “So, if you get her to 12th grade, her family’s chances of economic prosperity will be drastically different,” says Erin. “Considering that most girls give 90 percent of their wages back to the family, investing in the education of young girls ultimately pays off not only for her parents but for her community as well.” Sum Sin, a beneficiary of the Room to Read scholarship, recently completed a reading and writing instruction programme for teachers and is now equipped to teach Grade Three students. It was a long, hard slog, marked with taunts from neighbours who thought she would amount to nothing more than a fish seller and disdain from those who thought she was wasting her time and money on a silly thing called education. Sin never wavered though. She shares: “No matter what other people said, I believe in myself and believe that I will achieve my dream of becoming a teacher. I see that many people have better lives because they are educated. This is the miracle of education. Whenever I think about it, my heart swells.” And so do our hearts.
Room to Read has a Singapore chapter. If you’re looking to volunteer your time and/or talents, do drop them an email at Singapore@RoomtoRead.org.
NURTURE
Starting Them Young
do this, our teachers act as facilitators, guiding the children through Words Farhan Shah Photos The White House International classroom activities and constantly engaging They might be new but the folks at The White House them in exploration, International are making a huge impact with their enquiry and critical thinking processes. As rigorous yet fun curriculum. We walk you through their much as children need to learn pedagogy together with the pre-school’s principal, the their ABCs and numbers, laying a incomparable Judy Ng. foundation of critical thinking skills in children is important. Scraped knees and sun-kissed laughs development. On top of English, we are par for the course at The White have interactive lessons for our second Through our curriculum, children House International, a new pre-school language, Mandarin. We are proud to are given opportunities to voice their located within the heart of Bukit Timah boast a low staff-child ratio that far opinions, question, analyse and that strongly believes in the power of exceeds the requirements set by the make findings so that they will be outdoor play. The pre-school is led by Early Childhood Development Agency. confident and vocal. To ensure each Miss Judy Ng, an experienced early Most childcare centres in Singapore childhood educator and the former focus too much on academia and neglect child develops a reading lifestyle, principal of Kinderland Kindergarten at the importance of physical development. we regularly read to them in class and expose them to a wide variety of Choa Chu Kang, who has put together In our centre, we emphasise outdoor genres. In addition, we also have a a learning journey for each child based play – essential to instil a sense of home reading programme, partnering on the widely-acclaimed International wellbeing in young children. An hour with parents to instil reading habits and Preschool Curriculum (IPC), ensuring of daily outdoor play and exploration encourage bonding between parents that each and every one is ready for develops them physically and heightens and children. To inculcate responsibility primary school. She shares with us her their environmental awareness. and social ethics, at mealtimes, children thoughts behind the school’s curriculum. are required to queue up and collect How does the curriculum prepare a their food, and clean their bowls and What is the curriculum at The White child not only for Primary One but spoons. We also teach them to tidy their House International like and how is it life itself? toys, push in their chairs, and keep their different from other pre-schools? In order to prepare our children to cot beds. We have a thematic curriculum. A face challenges in the 21st century, theme consists of activities centred on we aim to develop each child to have We set learning goals to make sure seven concepts – language, science, confidence and creativity, be a team that the children reach age-appropriate geography, social studies, creative player with critical thinking skills, development within their milestones expression, music, and motor skills and be responsible and decisive. To
at the end of each term. We believe at the end of the year, each child will become more responsible, matured, and ready for the new challenges ahead. What’s a typical school day like in The White House International? The children arrive between 7 am to 8 am in the morning to have their breakfast. After the end of the meal, children will sit together with the teachers to talk about the day, the weather and how they feel. Then, they will have their English interactive lesson and thereafter proceed for outdoor play. After washing up, they will have the Chinese learning activity. At 1130 am, the children will have their shower before going for lunch. Naptime is from 1 pm to 3 pm. From 3 pm to 5 pm, our programme will consist of English speech and drama, Letterland Phonics, music and movement, dramatic play, outdoor activities, and art and craft. Finally, at about 5 pm, children of different ages will interact with each other until their parents pick them up.
WELCOME TO THE WHITE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL We understand a child’s formative years are critical to their development and early success. Therefore, we are dedicated to providing each child with the tools and skills necessary to prepare them to become future leaders of tomorrow.
An exceptional curriculum that will empower your child to become a self-assured, successful, lifelong learner. Passionate staff dedicated to the highest standards in child care services, development and education. A safe, nurturing environment where your child’s happiness is guaranteed.
644 Dunearn Rd Singapore 289627 • +65 6464 6088 • info@thewhitehouse.com.sg • FB.com/thewhitehouseinternational Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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NURTURE
The Science behind Words Farhan Shah
Children’s Toys
We’re sure you know how incredibly important playtime is to your child’s development. But, according to the folks at Fisher-Price, there are children’s toys. And there are children’s toys. We explore the science behind children’s toys and discover whether all toys are made equal.
Researchers have emphasised time and again the importance of playtime in developing your infant’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional development. When babies are playing, they learn about the world around them and develop a wide range of important skills. The more babies play, the more they learn. Equally as important as play though is the type of toys that babies play with, which can significantly influence the speed and direction of their growth. In an attempt to shed light on this murky topic, the FisherPrice researchers have come up with a concept titled Play IQ, “developed to help parents, especially first-time mothers and fathers, to navigate the complex world of early child development”.
Deborah Weber, Head of Infant Research at Fisher-Price, explains that Play IQ is not actually a number-based quantification system that parents have to fret about. Rather, she says that it acts as “a roadmap with signposts and arrows that clearly mark developmental stages”.
1 MONTH
2 MONTH
She continues: “It helps parents know what to expect and how they can best support their child’s learning with the right toys.”
A HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY The science of children’s toys is not a new topic. A few years ago, a huge controversy erupted regarding the
children’s toy preferences when a few unrelated studies that coincidentally came out at about the same time claimed that, if given a choice, male toddlers would choose male-typical toys such as trucks and balls while their female counterparts tended to veer towards dolls. Researchers came out to lambast the results, citing shoddy methods and irrelevant variables, while a few refuted the conclusion with their own studies. Until today, the debate is still unresolved although new evidence has emerged that babies before 12 months have no specific preference for gender-type toys but begin leaning towards one type or another after that
3 MONTH
He supports himself on his elbows and raises his chest while on his tummy
Your baby can see objects eight to 10 inches away
PLAY IQ MILESTONES You can start developing your child’s Play IQ from the earliest age! The childhood experts at Fisher-Price have developed important milestones to help you continually develop your child’s Play IQ at every stage of life. For more Play IQ milestones, check out play-iq.fisher-price.com.
He follows objects slowly with his eyes over very short distances
His fists are closed
Shows excitement by waving his arms and legs
He will turn towards a sound from his side but can only locate sounds in front of him
He learns that one event follows another
He can start figuring out how to make things happen
He turns his head towards a sound and watches you speak
He grasps and waves toys that are placed in his hands
Does playing with gender-specific toys influence a child’s future career choice though? Professor Becky Francis believes so. “Different types of toys give different messages about what’s appropriate for boys and girls to do, and have different educational content – both elements are important and might have a bearing on schooling and career choices later,” says the academic from Roehampton University. LEGEND: PHYSICAL COGNITIVE SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL
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Family & Life • Christmas 2014
He mimics simple facial expressions and looks intently when someone speaks to him
He smiles at people and coos
He recognises familiar objects
He recognises you and is familiar with regular faces
TOY-BUYING GUIDELINES Not sure what to look out for when you’re at the aisles of the toy store? Weber gives a couple of guidelines for parents who are looking to develop their children’s Play IQ.
age. Scientists reckon this is due to social conditioning. While subtly pushing your babies to play with toys that socially suit their gender might not seem damaging, England’s education minister Elizabeth Truss warns otherwise. She sternly warned toy manufacturers that they risked turning young girls off careers in science and mathematics by producing genderspecific toys. “The idea that a chemistry set should be for boys is the antithesis of what we want to promote,” says Truss. “We need to make clear that science and maths aren’t just about engineering cars. They’re also about developing LinkedIn, developing cosmetics, marketing.”
3 MONTHS+ In the first weeks, babies’ movements are mostly reflex reactions, such as closing fingers when the palm of their tiny hands are touched. By three months, babies start to make more purposeful movements and gain a sense of their surroundings. They discover that kicking, reaching and batting can make wonderful things happen. “When I kick this, I hear fun music!” Providing toys that have sound elements for babies to interact with can
5 MONTH
6 MONTHS+ Play is the way your little one learns. As the months go on, you’ll notice new changes in your child’s thought process – like understanding that teddy is still there, even when covered by a blanket. Or pointing out objects of a certain colour when you ask. By playing together and enjoying letters, numbers, colours and shapes, you can start to familiarise your little one with these concepts for later learning. 12 MONTHS+ By twelve months, your baby has changed from a helpless newborn to a mobile baby with a unique personality. At this stage, most babies are increasingly active and gaining control of their bodies. They may be standing with support, trying to walk while holding onto furniture, or even making first tentative steps independently. Play active games to exercise gross motor skills, and encourage walking with push or pull toys. As your child grows in independence, opportunities to explore and find new things in their world become even more exciting. Feed your toddler’s sense of wonder with new experiences. Let them make choices and gain confidence with every discovery.
6 MONTH
Reaches out and grasps for toys
7 MONTH
He creeps forward using his tummy and rocks on his hands and knees
Now that he has full colour vision, he enjoys looking at complex objects and might even move for a better view
He can roll from belly to back
He begins putting objects into his mouth to explore his world
He can sit up with a little support
He explores his surroundings with his eyes and uses his eyes as a gauge when reaching out for objects
He starts cupping his hands around toys and can push them into his hands with his thumbs
He recognises familiar faces and takes an interest in not-sofamiliar faces
He is able to multitask e.g. reaching for something while babbling at the same time
He adjusts the position of his hand to accept a toy that is offered to him
When he drops for something, he looks for it
He understands in and out
He responds to his name, and recognises voices and different tunes
He laughs, squirms and squeals with delight
He smiles at other babies and even his own reflection!
He loves peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
He reaches for things with your help
He can grasp toys that he touches
He can bang a toy and shout at the same time
He participates in activities that are centred around him
He recognises names of people and things Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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Photos @ SHUTTERSTOCK & FISHER-PRICE
4 MONTH
NEWBORN+ A newborn’s senses are not fully developed and still need some fine-tuning! It might not be obvious, but your baby is hard at work all the time, absorbing the world through sight, sound and touch. Though newborns can see, their focus is limited to around 20 centimetres and are best equipped to make out contrasting colours and movement. It’s a great time for a mobile, as they’ll love to watch it move! To help stimulate senses in the early weeks, introduce your baby to bold colours and a variety of sounds, building a foundation for later thinking skills.
foster this discovery. Meanwhile, muscle strength is increasing, paving the way for bigger physical milestones ahead.
NURTURE
Which Singaporean Parent are you?
Words Jade Tan Photos Shutterstock
Are you more asian ginger or mild pandan? Whichever you are, remember to take your results with a pinch of salt!
1. HOW DO YOU GET YOUR CHILD TO HELP YOU OUT WITH DINNER? A Pluck the bean sprouts or starve. Choose one. B Ask for help with the bean sprouts but when he doesn’t turn up in the kitchen, you do it yourself. C Ask him what he wants for dinner and promise to cook it in exchange for help in the kitchen. D Dinner is ready! Finish everything on this table, OK darling? 2. YOUR CHILD WANTS A TRENDY NEW BACKPACK EVEN THOUGH THE ONE HE OR SHE HAS IS IN GOOD CONDITION. A Okay, but she has to score full marks for all her upcoming papers. B You tell her no and try to tune out her pleas but eventually give in. C Why not, if she saves up for it herself? D Bring her out to buy it that weekend and shop around some more. 3. IT’S THE YEAR-END HOLIDAYS! HOW IS YOUR CHILD SPENDING IT? A Getting acquainted with next year’s topics and a new home tutor. B Watching television. C Helping out at your brother’s drink stall for pocket money D Being a fan girl at a K-Pop concert! Gee, those tunes are catchy! 4. YOUR CHILD’S FRIENDS CAME OVER TO PLAY AND ARE LEAVING WITHOUT CLEARING UP THE MESS THEY MADE. A Bolt the door and refuse to let them out till everything is where they ought to be! B You sigh to yourself and clean up after they’re gone. Why can’t people be more thoughtful? C Say, “So are you boys going to help tidy up or will John have to do it all on his own?” D Ask them if they want to stay for dinner - you can order pizza! 5. WHAT IS YOUR CHILD’S CCA? A Chinese Orchestra. B Choir? Or is it the IT club? Something along those lines. C Rugby. D Testing out the rides at Universal Studios Singapore with giant Turkey leg in hand. 18
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
6. YOU RECEIVE A PHONE CALL FROM THE DISCIPLINE MASTER ASKING YOU TO MAKE A TRIP TO SCHOOL BECAUSE YOUR CHILD WAS IN A FIGHT. HOW DO YOU REACT UPON SEEING YOUR SON? A Reprimand him harshly, regardless of who is present. Fighting is for hooligans! B Apologise to everyone else present at the meeting. C Shoot him a stern and disapproving look before asking him how the fight got about. D Inspect him for bruises, sayang him and shoot the other boy a dirty look. 7. YOUR CHILD IS STILL ON THE COMPUTER EVEN THOUGH IT’S BEDTIME! A Lights out at 2159! B Remind her that she has school tomorrow, then turn in for the night. C Warn her of next day’s lethargy, and the cab fare she might have to spend. D Ferry her to school the next morning when she misses her school bus. 8. ON A TYPICAL DAY, YOUR CHILD’S DIET COMPRISES: A A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and omega-3 acids. B Carbs, meat and no veggie. He refuses to eat his greens, and there’s no way you can make him! C Fried, greasy foods. It’s his weakness, but he’s been burning those extra calories off at his school’s weekly fitness programme. D Lots of junk food. You give him enough pocket money to spend on things he likes. 9. YOUR 7 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER REVEALS THAT SHE WANTS TO BE AN AIR STEWARDESS. YOU: A Console yourself and re-explain to her that she is destined to be a doctor. Doesn’t she want to save lives? B Ask her which airline she wants to serve at. C Share with her the good and bad stories you’ve heard about the job. D Aww, you can already picture her in her uniform!
10. IT’S YOUR SON’S BIRTHDAY! A Let him choose where he wants to celebrate: at the zoo or the Art Science Museum. B He’ll be out with his friends and you’re not sure what time he’ll be home. C You give him $50 to spend however he wishes. D Plan a themed birthday bash as a surprise and invite all his friends!
good ol’ parental love translates into minimal control over their choices and behaviour. Your low-pressure parenting style extends a general sense of support without much guidance or direction. In your household, any of these is likely to happen: culinary art is chosen over biomedical science; computer games triumph over dirty dishes, which are eventually forgotten; a poor result slip is dismissed with gentle encouragement to do better next time.
MOSTLY CS: YOU’RE A WHITE PEPPER PARENT! Versatile enough to go with the flow, supportive enough to offer encouragement, yet wise enough to dish cautionary advice, white pepper parents don’t worry much about what their child does. As someone who values choice and independence, you like to empower your children and trust them to make their own decisions.
MOSTLY AS: YOU’RE A GINGER PARENT! You are strict and have lofty expectations. But you don’t care; you are a parent on a mission! It is your duty to get your child to the top, and you know that cracking the proverbial whip is the most effective way to beat the competition!
But let’s be clear on this: there are no safety nets here! Less fiery than ginger parents but not without a bite, your duty is done when you’ve laid out the consequences. It is then up to your children to take responsibility for their actions. You won’t make concessions for your children or clean up their mess for them, so they better act wisely.
Like the spicy herbaceous root, your powerful anti-inflammatory properties work swiftly to remedy any manifestations of underperformance, and any attempts to gnaw at your patience will end with a bitter taste in the poor child’s mouth! You support your children by arming them with the best school, teachers, and equipment. There’s no way your child won’t succeed!
MOSTLY DS: YOU’RE A COCONUT MILK PARENT!
MOSTLY BS: YOU’RE A PANDAN LEAF PARENT! You are willowy, accommodating, pleasant, and understated, like the pandan leaf. You respect your children’s inclinations, believing that they are more capable of making their own decisions than you are, and
What happens when your precious one suffers the grave injustice of a scraped knee? Ease the pain with unlimited servings of ice cream and an Elsa plushie, of course! Nothing makes your heart sing like the smile on your precious one’s dairydrenched lips. The rich, creamy substance common in decadent desserts symbolises the coconut milk parent’s indulgent nature. You are often generous with your warmth and affection, and have trouble saying “no” to your little one. As a result, you find yourself constantly rationalising your decisions with “I just want my baby to be happy!”
HEALTH
Squint and You By the age of 10, one out of every two Singaporean children will suffer from myopia, an incurable condition that will only get worse as the child gets older. What can you do about it?
Might Miss It
Singapore is one of the undisputed myopia capitals of the world, with 80 percent of 18-year-olds here suffering from short-sightedness. The only other country that beats us is South Korea – nine out of 10 young adults there are thought to be myopic.
Incidentally, East Asian nations are particularly susceptible to developing myopia and many researchers agree that it’s due to our cultural emphasis on academic achievement, studying indoors for long hours rather than heading out into the sun. For a long time, the scientific community were hotly debating the extent of the roles that environmental factors and a person’s genes played in the development of myopia. A rather extensive study completed in 2012 by researchers from the Ian Morgan of Australian National University concluded that the environment plays a far bigger role than genetics when it comes to the development of myopia. Tellingly, Chinese teenagers who were raised in Australia, where exposure to bright sunlight is more likely, “show lower rates of myopia than Chinese young adults living in cities in Southeast MYOPIA MYTHS Asia”. According to the • Looking at green objects (like plants and same report, in Singapore, trees) can slow down myopia the number of children It is not so much the colour green that may suffering from myopia help but the fact that the child is outdoors across the three different which is more useful. More time spend ethnic groups – Chinese, outdoors has been shown to reduce the onset Malay and Indian – have and progression of myopia. been increasing since 1996, demonstrating that • Wearing glasses all the time will increase a common environmental your degree factor is driving the rise. This is not true. Most children with myopia will see distant objects more clearly with glasses. However, children with low myopia may not need to wear glasses all the time. • Wearing underpowered spectacles will stop myopia from increasing over time The confusion here is because some studies suggest this happens but others don’t. Overall, wearing a slightly lower or even higher degree probably makes very little difference to the rate of myopia progression. It is more important that the child has good eye habits (i.e. have more outdoor activity and less unnecessary near work). • Reading while lying down causes myopia Not directly. Children should maintain a good distance from the book (e.g. 20-30cm) while reading and this may be more difficult when lying down.
Although there is no cure for myopia, there are a couple of ways that you can slow down its progression. At the end of last year, the Singapore National Eye Centre officially opened the Myopia Clinic, a public
Words Farhan Shah Photos SNEC + Transitions
centre that offers the ultra-low-dose atropine treatment for children, after a five-year trial conducted by its researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of this method. In the trial, Professor Donald Tan, the medical director of SNEC, and his team discovered that an ultra-lowdose (0.01 percent concentration) of atropine slowed myopia progression by between 50 and 60 percent over a twoyear period with very little side effects. If atropine eye drops aren’t your cup of tea, you can also opt for photochromic glasses. There is a common misconception that photochromic spectacles i.e. lenses that darken when exposed to ultraviolet light, are not suitable for children. According to the general manager of Transitions Optical Asia Pacific Stuart Cannon, the reality is the exact opposite. “Children are more at risk of eye-damaging effects due to ultraviolet exposure than adults. The eye of a child under the age of 10 absorbs more than six times the amount of UV light that penetrates an adult’s eye,” says Cannon.
Everything You Need to Know About Atropine Treatment Adjunct associate professor Audrey Chia shares with us more about the ultra-low-dose atropine treatment – its side effects, the improvements, etc.
How long does the treatment last for? Atropine slows myopia progression, so it is only useful when there is still an active progression of myopia (e.g. between the ages of six and 12). Initially, we start treatment for a period of two years before reviewing the progress. Some children may need to continue the treatment until their early teenage years.
How often in a week does the child have to administer the drops? The child administers the low-dose eye drop once a day.
What are the side effects? Unlike high-dose atropine, ultra-lowdose (0.01 percent) atropine causes minimal increase in pupil size and near blur so that children will not require tinted or progressive reading glasses like those on higher doses. Some sensitive children may develop an allergy (less than four percent) or suffer from mild glare.
What progress or improvements can the child and the parent expect? Studies suggest that the ultra-lowdose atropine can slow myopia progression between 50 and 60 percent. The effect of atropine builds over time, being better in the second than in the first year. However, there may be a small group of children (about seven percent) who may not respond to well to atropine.
How much does the treatment cost? The drops currently cost $15 per bottle per month. However, there are also costs involved when you consult doctors and have tests done at clinics.
What will happen if the child stops the course of eye drops he or she is on? It is alright for children to skip the eye drops for a week or so (e.g. if they are sick, run out of medication, have exams, going overseas, etc.) without any repercussions. Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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HEALTH
Where Do Our Earliest Go? Words Farhan Shah
Photos Shutterstock
emories M
When we are five, our brain systemically prunes the neural connections it has created. Why are we unconsciously and intentionally killing our memories?
It’s rather ironic that the organ responsible for memory creation and storage forgets where it stored the memory. 20
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
Every time I bring a date home to meet the parents, my mother will enthusiastically crack open the large white cupboard at the living room to retrieve the family photo albums, the ones featuring me with a bucket on my infantile head or playing with my rubber ducky in a small basin. Then, she will share the ignominious story, during my diaper-wearing days, of me retreating behind the closest door whenever I needed to relieve myself. Whenever I suddenly disappeared for an extended period of time, my mother would check behind all the doors in the house and inevitably find me behind one, my diaper soiled.
Yet, while my childhood adventures made for great post-dinner entertainment, sadly, I couldn’t remember any of them. I recall falling down on a hard, gravel path when I was about four, which left a deep scar that still remains on my knee, 24 years later. I also remember the times when I slept comfortably on my father’s lap during long bus rides. However, the bucket, the rubber ducky and the soiled diapers felt foreign to me, as though my mother was describing incidents that happened to someone else. This phenomenon of childhood selective amnesia is not an unusual occurrence. Researchers, scientists and psychologists have thoroughly
studied this subject for decades but only have they been able to pinpoint accurately the reasons for this forgetfulness.
REMEMBER, REMEMBER, JUST NOT FOREVER Up until the 1980s, the scientific community generally assumed that we retained no memories of early childhood simply because the consensus was that our brains during that period were incapable of creating memories. However, a landmark study published in 1987 by the Emory University psychologist Robyn Fivush and her colleagues conclusively demonstrated that children as young as two were able to remember and describe events that happened as far back as six months ago.
Permanently remembering a memory is a bit like making agar-agar. You mix all the ingredients before putting them into a mould. Then, you put the concoction and the mould into the refrigerator to let it set. You just have one problem though – your mould has a hole at the bottom and you are in a race to freeze the agaragar before all the ingredients leak out. Young children have a bigger hole in their moulds compared to teenagers and adults.
The long-term memory creation process is beautiful in its complexity and requires a series of biological and psychological impulses to fire together WHY YOU at the same time. The raw material – FORGET A sights, sounds, smells, etc. – registers MEMORY So, what happens to in our cerebral cortex, which is these bountiful childhood responsible for cognition. Then, these memories? We lose them material travels to the hippocampus, located just beneath the cerebral cortex, to undergo what scientists call bundling. The hippocampus of a young child, unfortunately, is not fully developed, making it hard for his or her brain to form long-term memories.
sometime between the ages of threeand five-years-old.
those synapses can be recruited for something different”.
In the early years of our lives, our brains are rapidly and actively developing, forming new synapses – the connection between neurons – and crucially, pruning them later on. There is a steady rise of synaptic connections up until the age of three, then starts declining after you blow out the five candles on your birthday cake. In layman’s terms, your brain finally decides the connections that it needs and chooses to retain, and removing the connections that are not as important. Unfortunately, childhood memories belong to the latter group.
Other studies also point to the hippocampus being a bit of a forgetful chap in its younger years due to the immense growth of nerve cells in that small area of the brain when the child is growing up. As more and more new memories are created, the immature hippocampus loses track of the older memories. It’s rather ironic that the organ responsible for memory creation and storage forgets where it stored the memory.
Computational neurologist Paul King explains: “Young children can learn very quickly, and since learning is basically a rearrangement of the representational structures of memory, this learning likely has a side effect of degrading memories while the brain seeks its optimal representational strategy. Unlike a computer, the brain does not have empty memory locations waiting to be filled.” Instead, the brain engages in a process called shredding, constantly removing and forming new synapses and neurons, including the ones involved in remembering. We can lose our memories if the synapses that connect to these neurons are not used. According to psychologist Patricia Bauer, “if you never use the memory,
Language, and the learning of it, is also widely agreed to play a big role in infantile amnesia. The brain thrives on structure and since the foundation of language – grammar, etc. – has a conceptual structure, it provides the brain with a support framework for knowledge which consequently helps to stabilise memory. Simply put, a young child is unable to describe an event because he or she doesn’t have the requisite language skills to describe it. It probably explains why I couldn’t remember my soiled diaper shenanigans; when my vocabulary expanded, I had upgraded to the portable potty.
THE ROLE OF CULTURE AND EMOTION However, this still didn’t explain my fragmented memories of sleeping on my father’s lap during the long journeys on public transport. Psychologist Carole Peterson has an explanation – if a childhood memory was more emotional and dense
(the child understands the who, what, when, where and why), the memory would be five times more likely to be retained as opposed to inconsequential fragments. Peterson and her colleagues from the Memorial University of Newfoundland have also managed to pinpoint the age that childhood memories begin to vanish through a series of studies. First, they assembled a group of children between the ages of four and 13 to describe their three earliest memories. The children’s parents stood by and verified that these memories did indeed occur and was not just a figment of the children’s imaginations. Then, two years later, the children were interviewed again to see if they still remembered the memories that they had shared. More than a third of those aged 10 and older still remembered the memories they had shared during the first interview. However, the younger children, especially those who were first interviewed when they were four, had largely forgotten the memories they had shared, even when they were prompted. “They said: ‘No, that never happened to me.’ We were watching childhood amnesia in action,” says Peterson. Interestingly, another study conducted in 2009 by Peterson alongside two compatriots, Qi Wang from Cornell and Yubo Hou from Peking University, suggests that the ability to retain childhood memories is also dependent on culture. The study discovered that children from China tended to
have fewer childhood memories than children in Canada: compared to the collectivist culture prevalent in Asia, people in North America usually prize individuality and tend to draw attention to the moments and achievements in an individual’s life, especially if that individual is their own flesh and blood. Therefore, the synapses that connect the neurons responsible for childhood memories are constantly being used. Another study completed in 2012 found that young adults from Italian extended families had earlier and denser childhood memories than those from Italian nuclear families, presumably as a result of more family members participating in their growing up years.
A PERSONALITY SHAPED BY AMNESIA Sigmund Freud, well-known founding father of psychoanalysis and little-known cocaine abuser, once likened infantile amnesia to a veil, shielding “our earliest youth from us and making us strangers to it”. A pertinent question that we should ask then is: if we can’t remember what happened to us, does it matter what actually happened? Do the events that occurred in our childhood help shape who we are or is it just a drop in the ocean that is our current personality? Bauer is firmly in the “yes” camp, explaining that while the events in the past are practically hazy in our minds, they do leave an imprint on the way we understand and feel about ourselves. It explains why we feel an affinity towards certain items, films and even people, a bit like how playing classical music for pregnant ladies positively affects the unborn foetus. It definitely explained my voracious appetite for reading. My mother told me that she always read when she was pregnant with me and continued the habit when I was rolling around in bed, discovering the world of thread counts, while she read and kept an eye on me lest I rolled to the floor. Of course, I can’t remember any of this thanks to the massive hole in my agar-agar mould but I can imagine this happening in my mind. And as I slowly grew up, transitioning from rolling into an ungainly form of crawling and with more knowledge of mattress materials, I can see myself crawling into my mother’s lap and looking at the words, trying to make sense of what was it about this plainlooking page that had her entranced and focused. It would have made for some excellent family pictures. Too bad she wasn’t holding the camera then. I should have put a bucket on my head while I was on her lap and she was reading. Then, there might have been a chance. Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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RELAX
With Christmas just BRANDS GIFT OF around the corner, we’ve HEALTH PACKS the ties that matter with curated a wide selection Nourish everyone’s favourite supplement back of beautiful and one-of- when we were still in school. This a-kind products that you Christmas, BRANDS has released its can stuff into stockings Gift of Health packs that not only come or wrap with a bow tie with the ubiquitous bottle but lovingly penned well wishes and a beautiful and place underneath the embosser for you to express your evergreen conifer tree. feelings. Happy shopping! Available at supermarkets, hypermarkets, leading personal care stores, selected pharmacies and general retailers from S$24.90.
NESPRESSO INISSIA WITH THE LIMITED EDITION VARIATIONS We love the Nespresso machine in our office so much that we want to spread the good word about this indispensable caffeine dispenser. With the new Limited Edition Variations that features three delicious flavours – Hazelnut Dessert, Apple Crumble and Chocolate Mint – there are now that many more reasons to buy a machine for yourself or your loved ones!
Enjoy S$120 off the Nespresso Inissia and Aeroccino3 machine bundle (featured) this festive season at Nespresso stores. The Limited Edition Variations is priced at S$12 for a sleeve of 10 capsules.
BALSAMIC TRADIZIONALE DI REGGIO EMILIA We’re usually not big fans of vinegar but we have to make an exception for this surprisingly savoury traditional aged balsamic vinegar brought in from Italy by the folks at Buona Terra, a fine dining restaurant at Scotts Road. This is a perfect gift for the aspiring chef or meticulous foodie looking to add a dash of decadence and richness into their foods.
The traditional balsamic vinegar is available in four ages (5 years, 9 years, 15 years and 25 years) and is priced between S$58 and S$280. Purchase it at Buona Terra, 29 Scotts Road.
LOGITECH G910 ORION SPARK RGB MECHANICAL KEYBOARD For the father or husband who enjoys duking it out online with virtual guns or characters, this gaming keyboard from Logitech will definitely put a smile on his face. The new Orion Spark is durable up to 70 million keystrokes and features Romer-G mechanical switches, which is 25 percent faster than other gaming switches. Now, if only there was a way for the click clacking sounds to be reduced.
The Orion Spark’s suggested retail price is S$249. Check out gaming.logitech.com for the stores it’s available at. 22
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
AMERICAN TOURISTER HS MV+ COLLECTION Bid adieu to traditional colours with these deliciously quirky bubble gum hues – Baby Pink, Sky Blue and Flash Green – from the new American Tourister HS MV+ collection! We love how these luggage can store up to 30 percent more than other conventional luggage too. The fashionconscious traveller in your family will love this gift for sure.
The American Tourister HS MV+ Collection is available in three sizes (50 cm, 69 cm and 79 cm) and starts from S$180.
TWININGS CHRISTMAS TEA TINS Warm your loved ones up with a hot cuppa from Twinings! This festive season, the tea specialists are releasing two Christmas tins, the Traditional Christmas Tea blended with cinnamon and clove and the Spiced Apple Infusion, a mixture of camomile with apples and spicy cinnamon. Whether as gifts for your neighbours or your relatives, the Twinings Christmas tea tins will be perfect choices.
Each tin comes with 25 individually wrapped tea bags and is available at major supermarkets and departmental stores for S$28.80.
YAMAHA CLAVINOVA DIGITAL PIANO CLP-545 One of the world’s foremost makers of fine musical instruments, Yamaha continually innovates and pushes itself year after year. The Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano CLP-545 is no different. Featuring solid wood construction with an escapement system similar to the one used in a grand piano, the Clavinova CLP-545 is perfect for the piano players and music lovers in the family looking for that sensation of playing on a grand piano without having to consume a lot of space and money. This particular model features Intelligent Acoustic Control, two-way speakers with dedicated drivers for clearer and more powerful sounds, and a whole host of other attributes that make the piano-playing experience such a joy. What about the technology underneath the synthetic ivory keytops? The Clavinova CLP-545 faithfully reproduces the sounds of an acoustic piano by utilising String Resonance, which emulates the mellow, tonal colour that occurs when strings reach to one another, and Damper Resonance, which reproduces the broad, deep sound field of an acoustic piano. The Yamaha Smooth Release technology found within the confines of this piano also gives pianists the crisp tone they crave when they’re playing staccato and the lingering sound they love when they release the keys. The Key-Off samples also mean that the Clavinova faithfully reproduces the most subtle changes in the piano’s sound, allowing for a more realistic performance. The Clavinova also features samplings from the CFX, Yamaha’s finest concert grand, and the inimitable Imperial from Bösendorfer, letting the pianist enjoy the exquisite beauty that both offer. Give the piano player in your family the gift of music, a spacious sound experience, and the sensation of playing a piano recital in a large concert hall within the four walls of your home.
The Yamaha Clavinova CLP-545 also comes in other colours – black walnut, polished ebony, etc. – besides white and retails from S$3,400. For more information about the digital piano or to give it a try, visit your favourite Yamaha store. Find your nearest dealer at sg.yamaha.com.
ANG KU KUEH GIRL HANDMADE SOAP How can you not fall in love with this delightful-looking soap from local design collective, Ang Ku Kueh Girl and Friends? Shaped to resemble an ang ku kueh, this bathroom essential is perfect for everyday use and makes an ideal gift for art-centric folks. Just don’t be tempted to eat it while you’re showering!
The Ang Ku Kueh Girl Handmade Soap is available at www.naiise.com and www.angkukuehgirl.com.sg for S$4.90. For retail stockists, check out their official website! Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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SK JEWELLERY STAR CARAT COLLECTION Every woman deserves to shine and with the new Star Carat Collection from SK Jewellery, we reckon the ladies in your family will be rivalling the sun. Each Star Carat diamond utilises a state-of-the-art patented setting technology that makes each glistening rock appear three times larger than its current size. Are you ready to turn heads?
The SK Jewellery Star Carat Collection is available as a ring, a pendant or earrings. For retailers, head on over to www.skjewellery.com.
FISHER-PRICE SOOTHE & GLOW SEAHORSE Newborn babies in the family? They’re going to love this cuddly seahorse friend that glows and plays soft music, lullabies and soothing sounds from the ocean. Just cuddle it and its belly will gently glow before it plays five minutes of music and ocean sounds. Even older infants will be loving this smiling marine companion.
The Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse is available for S$39.90 at major departmental stores, Toys ‘R’ Us and Kiddy Palace.
THE KASE PHONE CUSTOMISATION According to researchers, we spend more than two hours on our smartphones daily. Make sure you’re at least looking at something awesome with these brilliant customisations from The Kase, an international label that has brought their brand of art to our shores. Whether you’re holding an iPhone or an Android smartphone, they can customise any skin you want, so get kase-ing!
The Kase is located at Basement Two, Unit 27 of ION Orchard.
BOSE SOUNDSPORT IN-EAR HEADPHONES For the fitness junkie in your family, we recommend the Bose SoundSport in-ear headphones, engineered specifically for exercise. The acoustic ports are covered with a hydrophobic cloth to keep your sweat and moisture out while still letting sound pass through, and feature a robust cable that stays strong even with all that twisting and turning it will experience. The patented StayHear tips will remain glued to your ear no matter how vigorous your fitness routine gets.
The Bose SoundSport in-ear headphones are available at the Atlas showroom or at www.atlasestore.com.sg for S$219. 24
Family & Life • Christmas 2014
SMARTCARA FOOD WASTE DISPOSER Your food disposal troubles just got eliminated with the SmartCARA Food Waste Disposer, a South Korean innovation. Designed for use at home or even a small restaurant, the disposer welcomes all sorts of food waste – chicken, fish bones and even shells – and turns it into an almost dry, odourless powder that can be used as compost, animal feed or even recycled as solid fuel. Of course, you can also easily dispose of the powder, which has been reduced to a tenth of the original waste weight. Believe it or not, you’re also saving the environment while using the SmartCARA Food Waste Disposer, since your food trash has diminished by a significant amount. On average, your household reduces its carbon output by 425 kilograms each year, equivalent to the effect of planting three trees. And if you’re worried about the smell, you’ll be happy to know that the SmartCARA Food Waste Disposer comes with multi-complex activity carbon filters that eliminate odours of all kinds. Cleaning it is a breeze too – just take out the barrel and wash it with your dishwashing liquid or even just water. Alternatively, toss it in the dishwasher. That’s not all. One of the best features we love about the SmartCARA Food Waste Disposer is its smart storage function. Instead of having to dispose the food waste every day, you can slowly fill the drying barrel little by little until it’s full before operating the machine. The air circulation function means that the rotting odour of your food waste won’t permeate the home and helps you to store the waste for as long as you need. We could continue listing down the reasons and functions why we believe the SmartCARA Food Waste Disposer would make the perfect companion for your kitchen but they say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating! Just remember to throw the remains of the pudding into the disposer once you’re done.
The SmartCARA Food Waste Disposer is available for S$650 at www.asiaksc.com.
YES SUPERMARKET CHRISTMAS ROAST In our office, Christmas isn’t complete without a bit of turkey, some honey ham and a touch of roast beef. We also secretly use Christmas as a reason to pig out on all the good food available. So, imagine how happy we are with the array of festive treats on sale right now at our favourite grocery store, YES Supermarket. They have a smorgasbord of items including a traditional roast turkey set (S$49.90), 800 gram honey chicken ham (S$21.50), Christmas combo set (S$70.00), and more, all designed to make your tummy a happy camper. The best bit: all of their festive food items have had their prices slashed, so there’s no better time and place to do all of your Christmas food shopping than at YES Supermarket.
YES Supermarket is at Blk 201B Tampines Street 2 | Blk 138 Tampines Street 11 | Blk 829 Tampines Street 81
GET ENERGISED THIS CHRISTMAS WITH H20! Cut out this coupon and present it at any YES Supermarket to enjoy 2 pet bottles of H20 at the promotional price of S$2.50! This coupon is limited to 1 redemption per person and is valid from 25 November to 25 December 2014. While stocks last.
VERY SPECIAL ARTS SINGAPORE In the spirit of Christmas, why not make your friends and family members happy while giving back to society at the same time? Very Special Arts Singapore is a charity dedicated to provide individuals with special needs access to the arts. You can support their artistic efforts by checking out and purchasing the art pieces at their public art gallery at 5 Changi Business Park Central 1, #03-01 Changi City Point, Singapore 486038.
HUROM SLOW JUICER HG SERIES With all the feasting that you and your family are going to be indulging in during the festive season, perhaps a gift of health might be in order. We’ll let you in on our little secret - the HUROM Slow Juicer, a small and stylish kitchen appliance that keeps our insides healthy while letting us satisfy our taste buds at the same time. A brand hailing from Korea, HUROM has been churning out juicing innovation after juicing innovation since 2010, and we dare say that the premium iteration of its bestselling slow juicer, housed in beautiful stainless steel, is the best one in the market. Cold-pressed juices are all the rage now due to the health benefits they provide, but the one we’re really fanatical over is how a cold-pressed juice retains most, if not all, of the nutrients from the fruit while tasting way better. The HUROM Slow Juicer achieves this through its globallylauded Slow Squeezing System, an engineering marvel manufactured from a highly durable material called Ultem, which is also used in high-pressure medical and chemical instrumentation. The reason why the slow juicer retains the nutrients is because it generates incredibly little heat, potent enemies to everything that is good for your body. It also helps that our little appliance that could barely makes any sound while in operation, even though it operates at a speedy 40 revolutions per minute. The latest model, releasing in December 2014, features an upgraded Ultem screw and strainer as well as a better lever system and motor. Besides crafting a glass of cold-pressed juice, the slow juicer is also highly capable of juicing nuts and leafy green vegetables, unlike typical juicer-blender combinations. If you need more reasons to purchase a HUROM Slow Juicer as a gift for yourself or for other people, perhaps the fact that it won a Red Dot Design Award in 2013 can push you into the “Yes, I want to improve my life!” camp. There has never been a better time to upgrade your blender-juicer combination (and your life too!) than now.
The latest premium HUROM Slow Juicer will be for sale from December 2014 and will be priced at S$998. The juicer is available at major departmental stores. Alternatively, drop them a call at +65 6289 6515 for any enquiries. Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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RELAX
WH? T’S
HAPPENING KIDSFEST 2015 One of our favourite theatre festivals is returning to Singapore with a bang! Eight world-class productions from Australia and London’s West End, including The Gruffalo, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and Horrible Histories, will be staged on our shores. We’re really looking forward to experiencing a theatrical extravaganza that’s suitable for the entire family!
When: 21 January to 1 March 2015 Where: School of the Arts Singapore Price: From S$42 for individual tickets Additional information: Tickets can be purchased at SISTIC outlets and www.sistic.com.sg, enjoy a 10 percent discount when you book two shows and a 15 percent discount when you book three shows or more.
SLO’S ALL THINGS BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL You know it is Christmas when the Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir stages their annual choral concert and this year, they’re inviting a few friends – the Nanyang Children’s Choir and the SLO Opera Chorus. Enjoy an evening of All Things Bright & Beautiful with your friends and family, and kick off the festive season with warmth and cheer.
When:13 December 2014 Where: Esplanade Concert Hall Price: From S$25 for individual tickets Additional information: Tickets are available at www.singaporeopera. com.sg, no entry for infants in arms or children below the age of five.
STILL MOVING: A TRIPLE BILL ON THE IMAGE Still and moving images take over the Singapore Art Museum at 8Q from now until February! If you’re a fan of photography and film, bring the family out for a day of art and fun at this photographic exhibition created in partnership with the Singapore International Photography Festival, Deutsche Bank and Yokohama Museum of Art.
When: Now to 8 February 2015 Where: SAM at 8Q Price: Free! Additional information: There are a list of photography workshops held in conjunction with Still Moving, check out www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/programmes or more.
4TH RENDEZVOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA Make a rendezvous once again with the best of contemporary French cinema – 16 new films, to be exact, one of which is the biggest French comedy of the year, Serial (Bad) Weddings. The festival is paying tribute to Juliette Binoche and will be premiering her latest movie, Clouds of Sils Maria. Find out why the French language is so beautiful and romantic and fall in love with these European films.
When: 13 December 2014 Where: Esplanade Concert Hall Price: From S$25 for individual tickets Additional information: Tickets are available at www. singaporeopera.com.sg, no entry for infants in arms or children below the age of five.
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Family & Life • Christmas 2014
A NAIISE CHRISTMAS POP UP STORE Local design champions and online retailer Naiise are temporarily setting up a shopfront for the festive season! If you’re looking for awesome and thoughtfully designed products for yourselves or to give away as gifts, pop yourself up in the store and enjoy a bit of Christmas cheer with workshops, sample festive menus and more.
When: 15 November to 24 December 2014 Where: 72 and 74 Dunlop Street Price: Free! Additional information: DIY giftmaking workshops and sample festive menus are also available at the pop-up store.
BITES
Crespella Al Funghi Porcini At Family & Life, we believe that cooking can be a fun family-friendly activity. This month, we collaborate with Buona Terra’s chef de cuisine Denis Lucchi to bring to you a restaurant-worthy dish, simplified but still as tasty, for the home.
Bring a slice of Italian back home this month as we tap on the talents of Chef Denis Lucchi of Buona Terra, one of the dining jewels along Scotts Road. We love the homely taste of this dish and we think your family will enjoy it too. So, this festive season, get the whole troop together and cook up a storm while bonding with each other at the same time.
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INGREDIENTS Crepe Flour ......................... 500g Whole egg ............................... 3 Butter ........................... 50g Milk ......................... 500g Salt & parsley .................. To Taste
Béchamel Sauce Flour ........................... 50g Butter ........................... 50g Milk ......................... 500g Nutmeg & white pepper ........... To Taste
ABOUT THE CHEF
Chef Denis Lucchi plies his trade at fine dining restaurant Buona Terra. Having trained with celebrated chefs at a Michelinstarred starred restaurant in Lake Garda, Italy, Chef Denis came to Singapore to showcase a slice of Northern Italy through his interpretation of the classic dishes.
Filling Porcini Mushrooms ....................... 500g Garlic.......................1 piece White wine ................... 1/2 glass Salt, pepper & rosemary ......... To Taste Grated parmesan cheese ................ 300g Olive oil
PREPARATIONS CREPE 1. Mix egg and flour together. 2. Add milk and whisk till smooth to avoid lump. 3. Add melted butter and parsley, set aside.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE 1. Melt butter in pan. 2. Add flour and cook for a few minutes till it thickens. 3. Warm milk in a separate pot. 4. Add heated milk into flour and butter mixture, whisk to avoid clumps. 5. Cook for a few minutes till smooth. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg, set aside.
FILLING 1. Clean and slice the porcini mushroom. 2. Chop the garlic, and place in a hot pan together with olive oil. 3. Add the porcini and stir till golden brown. 4. Add salt, rosemary, pepper and white wine. 5. Stir till the white wine has evaporated and remove the rosemary 6. Set aside.
DISH 1. Stir the Porcini mix in with the béchamel Sauce. Add seasoning to taste. 2. Take a small non-stick sauté pan and warm up to medium heat. 3. Spread a thin layer of crepe mixture evenly on the pan. 4. Cook until top appears dry, loosen sides of crepe with spatula. Turn and cook until brown spots appear on the other side. 5. Once cooked, remove and repeat steps till all mixture is finished. 6. Take one crepe, spread the porcini and besciamel sauce mix in the middle. Cover with some parmesan cheese, close half and half again into quarters. 7. Continue till all crepes are completed. 8. Place all the crepes on a baking tray, cover with the rest of the parmesan cheese and some butter. Bake in oven at 180°C for 8 minutes. 9. Serve warm.
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BITES
Family Festive
Feasting!
It’s that time of the year again They say that the mark of a chef who knows his way around the stove is who can cook a perfect medium-rare steak. If that’s the case, when your waistlines start someone we take our hats off to whoever is helming the kitchen at Jack’s Place. expanding and your wallet The steak specialists recently launched the Hearty US Premium Selection takes a beating. But, you menu at two outlets – Great World City and The Grandstand – and our taste buds had the pleasure of sampling the Kurobuta pork and USA leave oh-so-satisfied. We Brandt steak cuts. If you haven’t heard of these two take our taste buds meat varieties before, here’s a quick primer. through the massive KUROBUTA PORK smorgasbord The first thing I noticed about the new menu selections were the huge portions, filled available.
USA BRANDT
to the brim with the protein, the chosen starch, and a massive helping of greens. I was told that the steaks were about 180 grams but I was pretty darn sure that they were approaching 250 grams, based on my own steak-eating experiences in other steakhouses. The two cuts – striploin and ribeye – were marinated with just the perfect amount of sauce; many places tend to drench the meat in an attempt to hide the low quality of the cut but Jack’s Place does it just right, a testament to the high confidence that it has in the steaks.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish my portion so I highly recommend that you come with a really empty stomach devoid of not just foods but liquids as well or share one plate with a family member. However, don’t let that turn you off from heading to Jack’s Place for an affordable and delicious feast this festive season.
The hearty meats can be yours from S$30 and can be experienced at Jack’s Place Great World City and Jack’s Place The Grandstand.
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FESTIVE INDULGENCE AT BUONA TERRA If you and your family only have time for one delectable meal during the festive period, then make haste to Italian restaurant Buona Terra. Chef Denis Lucchi has truly outdone himself this time, conceptualising a Christmas and New Year’s Eve menu full of tantalising vowels that Italians seem to love and decadent Broadway-esque ingredients. Denis has pulled out all the stops (and probably used all the letters in the alphabet too) for this five- and eightcourse tour de force. Depending on the day of your reservation, you get one degustation menu or the other. Santa’s two busiest days will see Denis gingerly create cured ocean trout carpaccio, or Carpaccio di Trota, before serving the turbot immersed in a light porcini mushroom broth. It’s an ambitious effort and can make lesser chefs, unused to the tenacity of the flatfish, stumble but Denis predictably rose to the occasion, treating the turbot like a prized fighter training for his showpiece event. The clumsily-named Guancetta di Wagyu e Crema di Patate Ratte is also quite the treat. Wagyu beef cheeks rarely disappoint and this particular treatment acknowledges the tenderness while charming the rest of
FESTIVE FEASTING AT BREEZE
your taste buds with nutty and buttery potato cream. While the Christmas five-course degustation cast is all about the main ingredient, the sauces take centre stage for the New Year’s Eve menu. There is the rustic giardiniera and green sauce, taking pride of place alongside the wagyu ribeye. There is the exquisite beluga caviar atop the black diamond of the sea – blue fin tuna. There is the creamy avocado guacamole and red capsicum sauce tossed with the succulent meat of the king crab. You’ve outdone yourself Denis.
The Christmas and New Year’s Eve Menu (S$128++ per person and S$228++ per person respectively) comes with complimentary door gifts and champagne, but I don’t think you need any additional impetus to walk through the doors of Buona Terra, located at 29 Scotts Road.
Rooftops and celebrations are made for each other, like star-crossed bandits Bonnie and Clyde or masters of the impossible Siegfried and Roy. The amalgam of the beautiful night sky and general merriment is an intoxicating blend. Pair this with food that will knock you and your significant other’s palates out of the rooftop and onto the road – Erskine Road, for the curious – bordering The Scarlet Hotel and you have everything you need for a magical evening away from the children. It’s a chance to reconnect, knock back a few stiff drinks, and toast to a better 2015. At Breeze, The Scarlet Singapore’s exclusive rooftop bar, the culinary wizards have put together a menu unfettered by the heavy hand of
tradition. Instead, there is a glimpse of much-welcomed kookiness and creativity amidst the convention. A chestnut-stuffed roasted turkey waves enticingly to you with its wild berry and pineapple compote dressing. The Christmas eggnog finds a willing dessert partner in the ever popular crème brûlée. Beef ribs douse themselves in bourbon before being chargrilled to a beautiful rich and sweet flavour. New Year is a different proposition, throwing meat after meat at you to satisfy the most carnivorous of appetites. There is the aptly-named Seafood Soiree, a party of different marine food items that want you in, and a meat platter that continues the carnival in your mouth. The beef wellington is the standout that rises above the rest of the meats jostling for your attention. A flaky puff pastry and always delicious Parma ham hides a beautiful tenderloin cut sourced from the land of freedom, complemented with spinach to ensure that you hit all your food groups. For those who cannot tear themselves away from their children, Breeze also offers a thoughtful takeaway menu that you can bring home if you’re so inclined. There is no rooftop
though, and no night sky, and really, that’s the magic of dining at Breeze.
The Christmas Eve menu is priced at S$85++ per person and the New Year’s Eve menu clocks in at S$95++ per person. Memories can be discovered at 33 Erskine Road. Christmas 2014 • Family & Life
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LAST WORD
The Battle against Words Tiong Wen Ning Photos May Tiong & Tiong Wen Ning
Cervical Cancer
Nothing can ever prepare you for the news that you have cancer. A daughter shares with us her family’s battle against cervical cancer and how it brought her closer to her mother.
My mum was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2008. It started out with an abnormal Pap smear result and a referral from the polyclinic to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Standing in front of the Gynaecological Cancer Centre, she debated on whether or not to enter and register for her appointment, as she was certain that they had sent her to the wrong clinic. After all, she led a healthy lifestyle and, with the exception of the previous year, had gone for yearly Pap smears. Additionally, there had been no signs or symptoms indicating that there was anything wrong with her. Thankfully, she ended up registering for the appointment or she might not be here today to share her story. I can still remember the day the doctor broke the news. She was completely calm when my brother and I left for school in the morning, even as I reminded her to text me after the appointment. When I still hadn’t heard from her by the afternoon, dread and worry began to set in. As I dialled her number, I can still remember telling myself that perhaps she had simply forgotten or she had been too caught up in other matters to inform
me. Yet the minute she answered my call and the way her voice shook as she said, “We’ll talk when you get back from school,” told me that something was really wrong. She later recounted to me that when the doctor broke the news to her that she had cancer, her first thought had been, “Why me?” followed by “What is going to happen to my children?” In the weeks that followed, we looked up all the information available on cervical cancer and spoke frequently to her doctor to decide upon the best course of action for my mum’s treatment. As her cancer had been in the early stages, her doctor recommended that she undergo a hysterectomy to remove the cancer and significantly reduce the chances of it ever recurring. Now, 6 years later, she remains cancer free and healthy. Prior to my mum’s brush with cervical cancer, we were completely unaware that it even existed. While we knew what the cervix was, the idea that there could be cancer of the cervix never occurred to us. Neither did we know that cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Needless to say, the need to protect ourselves against it never even crossed our minds. Now however, my mum makes it a point to encourage those around her to not only go for regular Pap smears but also take the HPV vaccination or get the vaccination for their daughters. After all, as she points out, all it took was for her to miss one Pap smear and the next thing she knew, she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. We first learnt about HPV and HPV vaccination through a talk with my mum’s primary oncologist. She was worried that cervical cancer would be hereditary, given our past knowledge of how cancer worked, and had enquired with her doctor if I would be at risk. For my mum, her priorities was to do everything in her power to ensure that I never had to go through what she did. As she says, “Going through this whole ordeal has been so scary, worrying and upsetting, and I wouldn’t want the same for my daughter.” The decision to get vaccinated was one that we had discussed and agreed upon after learning that there was a vaccination available. Having enjoyed a close motherdaughter relationship all along, my mum’s brush with cervical cancer pulled us even closer. Previously, she was quite reserved about discussing sexual health with me. Now, she makes it a point to ensure that I am fully aware of these matters. In an age when most of our information comes from the Internet, it makes a difference to daughters when their mothers make it a point to educate and discuss with them issues on sexual health. Having my mum talk about and discuss with me such issues definitely put me in a safe environment where I felt comfortable asking questions and clarifying doubts about some of the things I had come across. As for my mum, her advice for other mothers out there is to schedule and go for regular Pap smears, as well as to send your daughters for the HPV vaccination, because if you can protect yourself and your daughter against cervical cancer, why wouldn’t you?
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Family & Life • Christmas 2014
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