Mi Choza De Nipa

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Friday, 13-February-2009   By Dr Bill Maier   Some things are easier to get into than to get out of. Just ask little Timmy.   Timmy is a seven-year-old boy who went shopping with his father and saw one of those glass boxes filled with stuffed animals — you know the ones you pick up with the little cranes that drop the animals into a chute?   Well, Timmy couldn’t resist, so when Dad wasn’t watching he climbed through the opening in front of the machine.   He got in, but he couldn’t get back out, and it took the local firemen two hours to dismantle the machine and set him free. They never did figure out how he got through the 20-centimetre opening.   What about you – ever get into something you couldn’t get out of? Like a string of little lies that eventually turned into a web of deceit?   Or maybe you experimented with drugs o...

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Thursday, 12-February-2009   By Dr Bill Maier   Sometimes the best approach to solving a problem is to think outside the box. And what better skill to teach our kids?   There’s a difference between being artistic and being creative.   Creativity is about solving problems by looking at things from a different perspective.   It’s a matter of learning to consider multiple solutions, and thinking through a number of outcomes. Instead of simply saying something won’t work, a creative person will usually try to figure out a way to make it work.   And creativity isn’t something you have to be born with – it’s a skill, just like math or reading.   And it’s something every child can learn.   When your kids are ready to give up on a project, teach them to look at it from a different angle.   Say to them: “...

As expected, there are those who immediately reacted, and replied to the notion of aiding only the stayers. The whats and whys? Read on... From TODAY, Voices Thursday, 12-February-2009

Stories like this are hard to come by these days, especially that they actually happened, and not simply stories fabricated in the mind. I would love to tell, but I reserve the honor to you to find out. Read on... From TODAY, Voices Thursday, 12-February-2009

"Help those who are deserving..." This is now the cry. And while one advocates fair employment, not simply retaining workers who are locals, and dispatching foreigners without a cause - these are extremes, another is saying that the Jobs Credit scheme should be directed to those who choose, or have made up their mind to stay in SG, come hell or high water. These are the people who should be assisted, he says. To some degree, I would seem to be siding with this idea. On the contrary, while still here, you are already driving away those who have no intention of staying, and giving them more reason to go. What's your take? Read on... From TODAY, Voices Wednesday, 11-February-2009

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY   From TODAY, Voices Wednesday, 11-February-2009   By Dr Bill Maier   My wife and I never knew we needed so much parenting advice until we had a baby. The minute our first child was born, the advice-givers started coming out of the woodwork!   If you’ve got a baby, I’m guessing you know what I mean. From nursing to napping, it seems like friends, relatives and even strangers never run short of parenting advice.   I try to remember that most of these people are well-meaning. Many have raised their own kids, and genuinely care about us and our new baby. Sometimes, we run across people who are simply know-it-alls and love to point out mistakes – but we just take it in stride. Our response to those folk is “Thanks for the advice ... we’ll certainly take it into consideration.”   If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed by all the “helpful advice” from fr...

It comes differently, and is felt differently, by women, that is. It is not an emotion, but it would be so emotional. And the symptoms are quite different from what is known to be the norm. Women, beware! From TODAY, Health Tuesday, 10-February-2009