The Parent Playbook: Better Safe Than Sorry

BETTER safe than sorry. Parents with such a mentality tend to be risk-averse, anti-adventure, possibly even paranoid. These are the sorts of parents who tend to encourage their children to spend less CCA or co-curricular hours in a week. Why don’t they support those grueling, six-hour or more CCAs, like sports or uniformed groups? No, too taxing, too time-consuming. No wonder the students who go for CCAs such as Media Resources and Astrology Club are considered wimps—losers, if you will. 

The Joys of Sailing

PASSION sows the seeds for inspiration in any kind of endeavor. For me, my passion is sailing. That feeling of the wind propelling me and my boat through the water—nothing can beat that. Sailing is more than just a sport to me.

In a recent competition, the Fish & Co. Regatta, I didn’t clinch the champion spot, but a 16th placing out of 70 competitors. It wasn’t a bad performance considering I had climbed up eight spots from my previous all-time-best at the 24th spot two months ago.

Food Culture, Singapore Style

ONE of the most enduring and endearing traits of Singapore is its street food culture. As a melting pot of diverse cultures, our nation is a food paradise filled with the warm lemak flavors of Malay cuisine, and the bolder, brighter notes of Indian spices. Then, there is the myriad of noodle dishes, served soupy or stir-fried. How about carrot cakes that have no carrots at all, and aren’t baked but fried? And if you’re after a touch of sweet, there are offerings that go from Peranakan to Malay to Chinese, served hot, cold, steamed, gooey, cakey, fluffy, or filled with stuffing. 

The Spirit and Personality of What We Wear

HOW we dress speaks of who we are, our personality, and even our profession.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for instance, would never sport an Issey Miyake black turtleneck, the kind that gave Steve Jobs that quintessential look of a relaxed yet stylish tech geek and entrepreneur rolled into one. As a leader of a country, whose national colors are red and white, it is natural for him to wear shirts that echo those very colors you find on the state flag.

Marching On With Technology

ELECTRONIC devices and school are inextricable. Many schools require that their students own a laptop, some even a tablet. The beauty of electronic devices is that they connect you to the vast world of information out there. I can just sit by my desk, get on my MacBook, and look up a myriad of facts on “velocity,” for instance.