Friday, August 6, 2010
Dinner at Marina Bay Sands
Was at Marina Bay Sands for dinner, I tried out lots of food and I especially loved my fruits. Sweet juicy watermelons are my favourite, just like Daddy.
I can handle the fork pretty well don't you think?
By the way, I was here last weekend too! I was pretty knocked out towards the end but it was still lots of fun.
Monday, August 2, 2010
8 Brain Boosters
You might think that labelling some of the things you eat as 'brain food' might be stretching it a bit.
However, many scientists and nutritionists believe that foods you eat can directly affect the way your brain performs, that you can boost your intelligence quotient (IQ), focus your concentration, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.
They may also have an effect on how children develop and grow.
So are we what we eat?
Dr Ang Poon Liat, senior consultant paediatrician at the Paediatric Centre in Thomson Medical Centre, said that a person is 20 per cent genes and 80 per cent food.
To him, nurture supersedes nature and one should eat for several reasons.
'Purpose-driven eating is very important; you must eat for brain growth and development, to prevent cancer and to stabilise hormones,' he said.
Aside from breastfeeding, which has proved to increase the IQ of babies and children, the food you feed your kids can also determine their academic potential.
Dr Ang identifies eight brain foods which should be part of your child's diet. However, these are foods that will benefit you through life.
So eat up!
1: Fish
Why: Fish like salmon, sardines and cod are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain growth and function.
Dr Ang says: Not just salmon, all types of fish are good. You can even take cod fish body oil, which is rich in vitamin A, to supplement your diet. Your brain is 60 per cent fat, so fish is a good source of that.
2: Eggs
Why: Other than being a great protein source, egg yolks also have a high amount of choline - a nutrient in the B vitamin family - which helps in memory development.
Dr Ang says: The best way to eat your egg is soft boiled. Frying or having it hard boiled destroys its protein, causing it to be allergenic.
3: Nuts
Why: They provide vitamin E and are also a source of antioxidants that protect the membranes of brain cells against free radicals.
Dr Ang says: Macadamia and almonds are recommended. Ground peanuts are less ideal because they often result in allergic reactions.
4: Colourful vegetables
Why: They provide high levels of antioxidants that keep brain cells strong and healthy.
Dr Ang says: Choose fresh products in a wide variety of colours to give you a range of antioxidants. Also, go for brighter and hence more intense antioxidants, which help prevent cancer.
5: Wholegrains
Why: Provides gradual release of glucose that the brain needs to function due to the fibre regulating its release. It also contains B vitamins.
Dr Ang says: The slower release process of glucose prevents glucose swings - the process in which a child is energised and then quickly becomes fatigued. These mood changes are unhealthy for a child.
6: Berries
Why: High levels of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which can help prevent cancer. Some studies have also shown improved memory.
Dr Ang says: The best fruits are berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and even cherries. They are less sweet and present less sugar problems; also, they have antioxidant values that are rated the highest.
7: Beans
Why: These provide energy from protein to complex carbohydrates which are good brain foods. Proteins are needed to synthesise the nucleic acid of brain cells.
Dr Ang says: Green beans and red beans are good. As far as soya beans go, it is best to consume fermented soya products.
8: Yogurt
Why: Good source of protein and B and D vitamins, which are vital for the growth of brain tissue and neuro-transmitters.
Dr Ang says: Yogurt is preferred over milk because a semi-solid food is a better choice for a growing child. Also, because it is fermented, it is also pre-digested and is easier for a child to process.
This story was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.
However, many scientists and nutritionists believe that foods you eat can directly affect the way your brain performs, that you can boost your intelligence quotient (IQ), focus your concentration, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.
They may also have an effect on how children develop and grow.
So are we what we eat?
Dr Ang Poon Liat, senior consultant paediatrician at the Paediatric Centre in Thomson Medical Centre, said that a person is 20 per cent genes and 80 per cent food.
To him, nurture supersedes nature and one should eat for several reasons.
'Purpose-driven eating is very important; you must eat for brain growth and development, to prevent cancer and to stabilise hormones,' he said.
Aside from breastfeeding, which has proved to increase the IQ of babies and children, the food you feed your kids can also determine their academic potential.
Dr Ang identifies eight brain foods which should be part of your child's diet. However, these are foods that will benefit you through life.
So eat up!
1: Fish
Why: Fish like salmon, sardines and cod are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain growth and function.
Dr Ang says: Not just salmon, all types of fish are good. You can even take cod fish body oil, which is rich in vitamin A, to supplement your diet. Your brain is 60 per cent fat, so fish is a good source of that.
2: Eggs
Why: Other than being a great protein source, egg yolks also have a high amount of choline - a nutrient in the B vitamin family - which helps in memory development.
Dr Ang says: The best way to eat your egg is soft boiled. Frying or having it hard boiled destroys its protein, causing it to be allergenic.
3: Nuts
Why: They provide vitamin E and are also a source of antioxidants that protect the membranes of brain cells against free radicals.
Dr Ang says: Macadamia and almonds are recommended. Ground peanuts are less ideal because they often result in allergic reactions.
4: Colourful vegetables
Why: They provide high levels of antioxidants that keep brain cells strong and healthy.
Dr Ang says: Choose fresh products in a wide variety of colours to give you a range of antioxidants. Also, go for brighter and hence more intense antioxidants, which help prevent cancer.
5: Wholegrains
Why: Provides gradual release of glucose that the brain needs to function due to the fibre regulating its release. It also contains B vitamins.
Dr Ang says: The slower release process of glucose prevents glucose swings - the process in which a child is energised and then quickly becomes fatigued. These mood changes are unhealthy for a child.
6: Berries
Why: High levels of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which can help prevent cancer. Some studies have also shown improved memory.
Dr Ang says: The best fruits are berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and even cherries. They are less sweet and present less sugar problems; also, they have antioxidant values that are rated the highest.
7: Beans
Why: These provide energy from protein to complex carbohydrates which are good brain foods. Proteins are needed to synthesise the nucleic acid of brain cells.
Dr Ang says: Green beans and red beans are good. As far as soya beans go, it is best to consume fermented soya products.
8: Yogurt
Why: Good source of protein and B and D vitamins, which are vital for the growth of brain tissue and neuro-transmitters.
Dr Ang says: Yogurt is preferred over milk because a semi-solid food is a better choice for a growing child. Also, because it is fermented, it is also pre-digested and is easier for a child to process.
This story was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Reading with DiDi
Okay, I was the one reading to DiDi, but I was sure he understood me and loved listening to me reading the story about 'Bedtime For Bear' He is so cute I always feel like pinching his cheeks when I see him.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Marina Bay Sands - Wow!
Marina Bay Sands is the new Integrated Resort in Singapore and I was there with Daddy, Mummy, Por Por and had lots of fun at the infinity pool, which is on the TOP floor of the hotel. I think its really high up but I am still too young to have a fear of heights like Daddy so the view was spectacular, if a little crowded with other parents and kids having a great time like me.
It was also the final weekend before the National Day and there was a full dress rehearsal going on, the planes were flying so close to us I felt like I could touch it if I jumped high enough (plus I felt really deaf as they roared past). There was time for dinner and fireworks following dinner. We went to the hotel lift lobby where the height was just nice and it felt like the fireworks was going off right in front of me!
(Yup, that is MBS and that is how close the fireworks were) This was the point when I was overwhelmed and wasn't fun anymore. I was probably tired too after all that splashing around in the infinity pool. Next time.. I will bring Didi along and protect him so he wont feel scared.. :)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Rewards don't work
Are we actually achieving what we think we want by having an education system structured the way it is now, with its reward and punishment, or carrot-and-stick approach?
Research and science say no, but governments, social scientists and educationists have, for the last century, made the opposite choice. The current education system is stifling and eroding the one talent and skill that young people of the 21st century need most of all – the power of creative thinking.
Different types of exposure and experiences change the actual structure of brain development. You could say – with a very high degree of certainty – that children who grew up in the digital age have brains that are literally different from the rest of the human race.
This will also cause different ways of thinking, and will have different demands for mental stimulation and sustenance. Most importantly, these brains will learn differently.
Our children and students represent the first real generation who grew up nurtured by technology — surrounded by mobile phones, e-mail, Facebook, intelligent systems and digitised information — and their brains and minds have been programmed accordingly.
To expect them to be comfortable with an education system that represents the remnants of the Industrial Age is not only crazy, but downright foolish!
The Candle Problem
There is a puzzle created in 1945 by a psychologist named Karl Duncker called the Candle Problem. Here’s how it works. Suppose I bring you into a room. I give you a candle, some thumbtacks in a box and some matches, and I tell you, “Your job is to attach the candle to the wall above that table, light the candle and ensure the wax does not drip onto the table. You cannot move the table.”
How would you proceed?
Now, many people begin trying to thumbtack the candle to the wall, which does not work, of course.
Some people have the perfectly logical idea of lighting the match, melting the side of the candle and trying to stick it to the wall. This also does not work.
Eventually, most people figure out the solution: to place the candle on top of the box, using it as a platform and tray, ensuring the wax does not drip onto the table.
The key is to overcome what’s called Functional Fixedness — to see the box as something other than just a container for the thumbtacks. A scientist named Sam Glucksberg, who is now at Princeton University in the United States (US), conducted a similar experiment. This one shows the power of incentives. He gathered his participants and said, “I’m going to time you. How quickly can you solve this candle problem?” To one group, he said: “I’m going to time you to establish norms, averages for how long it typically takes someone to solve this sort of problem.” To the second group, he offered rewards: “If you’re in the top 25% of the fastest times, you get a hundred dollars. If you’re the fastest of everyone we’re testing here today, you get two hundred dollars.”
Question: How much faster did this group solve the problem? Answer: They didn’t. The second group took, on average, three and a half minutes longer! Now this appears to make no sense, right? If you want people to perform better, you reward them with bonuses, commissions – sweet carrots. But that’s not happening here. You would think that incentives are designed to sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, but it does just the opposite. It dulls thinking and blocks creativity.
This experiment has been replicated over and over again, for nearly 40 years. The rule that is supposed to be “if you do this, then you get that” only works in some circumstances. This is one of the most robust findings in social science. It is also one of the most ignored. Many scientists have looked at the science of human motivation, particularly the dynamics of extrinsic motivators and intrinsic motivators. Our education operating system is built entirely around these extrinsic motivators — around carrots and sticks, exam results, promotions and scholarships. That’s actually fine for many 20th century tasks. But for 21st century tasks, that industrial age approach does not work — and often does more harm than good — as it psychologically increases dependence on outside motivators and negates free will, creativity and thinking skills.
Glucksberg did another experiment similar to the first, where he presented the problem in a slightly different way. This time the thumbtacks were lying on the table, outside the box. The same rules apply: attach the candle to the wall so that the wax doesn’t drip onto the table. Again, to the first group, he said that he was timing for normal population performance. To the second group, he offered “carrots”. This time, the carrot group performed far better than the first. Rewards work really well for those sorts of tasks, where there is a simple set of rules and a clear destination to go to.
Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus, concentrate the mind. For tasks like this, with a narrow focus – where you just see the goal and zoom straight ahead to it – they work really well. But for the real Candle Problem, the solution is not obvious. The solution lies in the fringes of your mind. You need to be looking outside the box. Everybody deals with their own version of the Candle Problem. For Candle Problems of any kind, in any field, those “if-then” rewards — the things around which we’ve built our education system — do not work. To make matters even more complicated, in the real world, we need to listen and collaborate with other people, which increases levels of complexity.
A new approach
There is a mismatch between what science knows, and what governments and education systems do. If we really want high performance on the definitional tasks of the 21st century, the solution is not to entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a sharper stick. We need a whole new approach. Scientists who’ve been studying motivation have given us this new approach, built much more around intrinsic motivation or around the desire to do things because they matter, because they’re interesting and because they are part of something important. That proposed new operating system for our education system orbits three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
· Autonomy – the urge to direct our own lives.
· Mastery – the desire to get better and better at something that matters, derived from our own autonomous urges.
· Purpose – directing our mastery into a drive to achieve in the service of something larger than ourselves because we believe in a cause that is greater than our own.
Education systems are not trees. They are computers. Somebody invented them. It doesn’t mean they are going to work forever. Traditional education systems are great if you want compliance and people who do not know how to think. If you want engagement, and autonomy, mastery and purpose, self-direction works better.
This has been seen to work at Google, which implements something called 20 Percent Time, where engineers can spend 20% of their time working on anything they want.
The employees have autonomy over their time, task, team, and technique. At Google, about half of the new products in a typical year are birthed during that 20 Percent Time.
Another system is the Results Only Work Environment — the ROWE. It was created by two American consultants and is in place at about a dozen companies around North America. In a ROWE people don’t have schedules; they show up when they want.
They don’t have to be in the office at a certain time, or any time — they just have to get their work done. How they do it, when, or where, is totally up to them.
Almost across the board, these companies have seen increased productivity, worker engagement and worker satisfaction, and decreased staff turnover.
Utopian view?
Now some of you might look at this and say, “Hmm, that sounds nice. But it’s Utopian.” There is proof. In the mid-1990s, Microsoft started an encyclopedia called Encarta. They had deployed all the right incentives. Professionals were paid to write and edit thousands of articles. Well-compensated managers oversaw the whole thing to make sure it came in on budget and on time. A few years later, another encyclopedia got started, with a different, “do it for fun” model. No one was paid a single cent. They did it because they enjoyed doing it. Now, if you had, just 10 years ago, asked anyone who would win out between these two different models for creating an encyclopedia, you would not find anyone who would have predicted the Wikipedia model.
This is the titanic battle between these two approaches. There is intrinsic (bottom-up) versus extrinsic (top-down) motivators. There is autonomy, mastery and purpose versus carrots-and-sticks. Who wins? Intrinsic motivation, autonomy, mastery and purpose – every single time.
The secret to high performance isn’t rewards and punishments, but that unseen intrinsic drive — the drive to do things for their own sake and the drive to do things because they matter. If we can get past this dangerous ideology of carrots-and-sticks, we can radically transform and strengthen our education systems.
* Parts of this article are adapted from Daniel Pink’s “Surprising Science of Motivation”.
Dr Theva is a senior lecturer at the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Through this fortnightly column and the ENGAGE (Education for Sustainable Global Futures) programme at USM, he and his colleagues hope to help transform the landscapes of Malaysian schooling and higher education systems. He can be contacted at theva@usm.my.
-The Star/Asia News Network
Research and science say no, but governments, social scientists and educationists have, for the last century, made the opposite choice. The current education system is stifling and eroding the one talent and skill that young people of the 21st century need most of all – the power of creative thinking.
The Candle Problem
There is a puzzle created in 1945 by a psychologist named Karl Duncker called the Candle Problem. Here’s how it works. Suppose I bring you into a room. I give you a candle, some thumbtacks in a box and some matches, and I tell you, “Your job is to attach the candle to the wall above that table, light the candle and ensure the wax does not drip onto the table. You cannot move the table.”
The key is to overcome what’s called Functional Fixedness — to see the box as something other than just a container for the thumbtacks. A scientist named Sam Glucksberg, who is now at Princeton University in the United States (US), conducted a similar experiment. This one shows the power of incentives. He gathered his participants and said, “I’m going to time you. How quickly can you solve this candle problem?” To one group, he said: “I’m going to time you to establish norms, averages for how long it typically takes someone to solve this sort of problem.” To the second group, he offered rewards: “If you’re in the top 25% of the fastest times, you get a hundred dollars. If you’re the fastest of everyone we’re testing here today, you get two hundred dollars.”
Question: How much faster did this group solve the problem? Answer: They didn’t. The second group took, on average, three and a half minutes longer! Now this appears to make no sense, right? If you want people to perform better, you reward them with bonuses, commissions – sweet carrots. But that’s not happening here. You would think that incentives are designed to sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, but it does just the opposite. It dulls thinking and blocks creativity.
This experiment has been replicated over and over again, for nearly 40 years. The rule that is supposed to be “if you do this, then you get that” only works in some circumstances. This is one of the most robust findings in social science. It is also one of the most ignored. Many scientists have looked at the science of human motivation, particularly the dynamics of extrinsic motivators and intrinsic motivators. Our education operating system is built entirely around these extrinsic motivators — around carrots and sticks, exam results, promotions and scholarships. That’s actually fine for many 20th century tasks. But for 21st century tasks, that industrial age approach does not work — and often does more harm than good — as it psychologically increases dependence on outside motivators and negates free will, creativity and thinking skills.
Glucksberg did another experiment similar to the first, where he presented the problem in a slightly different way. This time the thumbtacks were lying on the table, outside the box. The same rules apply: attach the candle to the wall so that the wax doesn’t drip onto the table. Again, to the first group, he said that he was timing for normal population performance. To the second group, he offered “carrots”. This time, the carrot group performed far better than the first. Rewards work really well for those sorts of tasks, where there is a simple set of rules and a clear destination to go to.
Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus, concentrate the mind. For tasks like this, with a narrow focus – where you just see the goal and zoom straight ahead to it – they work really well. But for the real Candle Problem, the solution is not obvious. The solution lies in the fringes of your mind. You need to be looking outside the box. Everybody deals with their own version of the Candle Problem. For Candle Problems of any kind, in any field, those “if-then” rewards — the things around which we’ve built our education system — do not work. To make matters even more complicated, in the real world, we need to listen and collaborate with other people, which increases levels of complexity.
A new approach
There is a mismatch between what science knows, and what governments and education systems do. If we really want high performance on the definitional tasks of the 21st century, the solution is not to entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a sharper stick. We need a whole new approach. Scientists who’ve been studying motivation have given us this new approach, built much more around intrinsic motivation or around the desire to do things because they matter, because they’re interesting and because they are part of something important. That proposed new operating system for our education system orbits three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
· Autonomy – the urge to direct our own lives.
· Mastery – the desire to get better and better at something that matters, derived from our own autonomous urges.
· Purpose – directing our mastery into a drive to achieve in the service of something larger than ourselves because we believe in a cause that is greater than our own.
Education systems are not trees. They are computers. Somebody invented them. It doesn’t mean they are going to work forever. Traditional education systems are great if you want compliance and people who do not know how to think. If you want engagement, and autonomy, mastery and purpose, self-direction works better.
Utopian view?
Now some of you might look at this and say, “Hmm, that sounds nice. But it’s Utopian.” There is proof. In the mid-1990s, Microsoft started an encyclopedia called Encarta. They had deployed all the right incentives. Professionals were paid to write and edit thousands of articles. Well-compensated managers oversaw the whole thing to make sure it came in on budget and on time. A few years later, another encyclopedia got started, with a different, “do it for fun” model. No one was paid a single cent. They did it because they enjoyed doing it. Now, if you had, just 10 years ago, asked anyone who would win out between these two different models for creating an encyclopedia, you would not find anyone who would have predicted the Wikipedia model.
This is the titanic battle between these two approaches. There is intrinsic (bottom-up) versus extrinsic (top-down) motivators. There is autonomy, mastery and purpose versus carrots-and-sticks. Who wins? Intrinsic motivation, autonomy, mastery and purpose – every single time.
The secret to high performance isn’t rewards and punishments, but that unseen intrinsic drive — the drive to do things for their own sake and the drive to do things because they matter. If we can get past this dangerous ideology of carrots-and-sticks, we can radically transform and strengthen our education systems.
* Parts of this article are adapted from Daniel Pink’s “Surprising Science of Motivation”.
Dr Theva is a senior lecturer at the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Through this fortnightly column and the ENGAGE (Education for Sustainable Global Futures) programme at USM, he and his colleagues hope to help transform the landscapes of Malaysian schooling and higher education systems. He can be contacted at theva@usm.my.
-The Star/Asia News Network
Friday, July 9, 2010
Xinyi Jiejie Birthday
Went over to Xinyi Jiejie's place to celebrate her birthday. It was so fun, with the party hats and lots of food and toys. I was also involved in choosing her birthday present and guess what, books! Haha, but we both love to read before bedtime so it's great.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Me and my cute brother
Gabby MeiMei joining in the fun (probably cannot remember much since she was sleeping ha)
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