Month: June 2013

Lately, you notice your kid distant, not eating well and losing weight. There must be something wrong that he/she is not telling you.  You need to find out what it is before it takes all the good things. If you discovered that your child is having difficulties managing his/her feelings, it is time to step up. You should help the child cope up with his/her emotions because it is good for his/her psychological and social wellbeing.

You play a vital role in your child’s ability to identify, comprehend and express his/her feelings. Here are some ways you can help your child when it comes to managing his/her feelings:

1. Spend time with them

Children with issues feel lonely because no one is there for them. You should not let your kid suffer loneliness. It is important that you spend time with your children so they will know you are always there for them.

2. Getting them to open up

When you spend time with your children, you should talk about your feelings. This is to encourage them to open up. For example, you can tell your children that you are scared about something and you will say that it is okay to be afraid sometimes.

3. Labelling their emotions

It is crucial that you help your children when it comes to labelling feelings. You can help label their feelings by talking to them. For example, you will say “looks like you are excited for your field trip” or “looks like you are sad because you are not invited to the party”.

4. Do not reprimand

Never scold or reprimand your child for his/her feelings. Just let your child be for a few moments. If you shout at them every time they cry, they will believe that feelings of sadness or hurt should be hidden. For example, if the child is angry and throwing toys, you can say “I can feel that you are angry but you should pick your toys now and return it to the proper place”. Do not say “stop whining and return your toys right now or else…”

As you help your children go through their feelings, things will be better. Next time, they will know how to handle, respond and manage everything and it will continue until they grow up. Certainly, they will become stronger.

Stress is not only an adult thing. Teenagers are not exempted from stress too! Teenagers should be taught about managing their stress so they can carry on with their daily activities. Stress for teenagers may come in different forms. For example, school demands, negative thoughts, body changes, divorce or separation of parents, family problems, moving to another place, transferring to other school and many more.

If the teen is unable to cope up with stress, it will lead to aggression, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, withdrawal, anxiety and illness. As a parent, you can help your teens deal with stress by:

Monitoring

You need to be vigilant when your kid is in a stressful situation. You should monitor if stress is affecting their health. You also need to check on their behaviour or feelings and make sure it does not affect their health.

Listening

You can check on their behaviour or feelings by talking to them. You should encourage your teens to talk to you and tell them that you can help. Sometimes teens find it hard to open up because they are afraid of judging or nagging. Just let them know you are there.

Supporting

Your support will mean a lot to your teens. You have to support, encourage and motivate your teens especially if they are involved in sports and other social activities. Do not let them sulk inside the house because it will only worsen the situation.

On the part of the teens, they should do their best to cope up and do not let stress ruin their life. They can do many things so they cannot think about stress – even if it is only a few hours. They can sleep, exercise, do outdoor activities, go out with friends, listen to music, reading a book and many more.

Tourism industry contributes about four percent of Singapore’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Every year, there is an increase of visitors and tourists noted. With this, it is important for the country to improve the hospitality services. Improving hospitality services also entail raising the standards of the workforce. This is where SHATEC (Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre) comes in.

Minister of Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang revealed on the celebration of SHATEC’s thirtieth anniversary that the institute would initiate programmes to entice many people to consider tourism jobs. The institute is proud to say that it has been working with different government agencies to improve labour potential and job preservation in the industry.

The institution was founded in 1983 to equip the Hospitality Industry with skilled workforce. The institute trained more than 30,000 students since its commencement to give strong foundation for the tourism and hospitality industries. The institute offer WSQ Advanced Certificate in Food and Beverage, Culinary Arts and Hotel and Accommodation Services. Diploma and other certificates are also provided.

Notably, Singapore has to increase its tourism efforts given the recent haze which affected the whole country and caused massive inconvenience for tourists and locals alike. Apart from forcing the closing of the Seletar Airport and Singapore Flyer, one of the country’s top draws, the haze has also affected public transport and has even seeped into homes. Thankfully, the country’s tourism is getting back on track.

Tourism is important in Singapore. It should be maintained and further improved for the sake of the country and its visitors.

 Do you want to start a business that requires only a little amount of capital, but promises you a chunky bank account in the long run? If yes, bbq catering could be the perfect business venture for you. Putting up your own bbq wholesale business isn’t a tremendous undertaking. All you need to do to start is to hire a professional cook and other staff to assist. From there, you can slowly develop your small business into a highly regarded catering business.

Cooking skills is very important

Indeed, chefs will be the backbone of your bbq catering business. They will be the primary support of your business, that if without them, your business will just be another sort of company providing catering services. Therefore, hiring people with competent cooking skills is crucial as the success of your business will depend primarily on how efficient your team is. Furthermore, it will also be an added advantage for your business if you, as the business owner, have the interest and ability to prepare and cook your own bbq food.

Research can help you in your game plan

In every business venture, much amount of research work is done in order to iron out the plans in putting up a business. Regardless of the size of the business, a business venture is always a risk. As an owner, you will risk time, effort, and money. Make sure that as you plan your bbq wholesale business by conducting research and identifying other caterers in the market. Competition can be healthy, but if the market is teeming with bbq catering companies like Chun Man Yuan bbq catering in Singapore it might be a challenge for you to penetrate the market and expand. Always do research and check out opportunities around the corner.

Put your business out in the market

Food industry in Singapore is very dynamic, and this is evident in the hawker centers or open-air food complexes that house many stalls selling wide variety of bbq food, incuding chicken wings, beef, satay, among others. Because market competition is tough, you need to exert greater effort into bringing your catering business out in the market. In order to turn people into clients, you have to let them know what your business can give them. Depending on the skills of your manpower, you can be a caterer for all sorts of occasions.

Stick to the strengths of your business

Focus on what your staff does best. When you are still starting, it will always be better to start by marketing what your chefs are capable of preparing and cooking, rather than experiment on new dishes. Remember, there is no room for errors when you are still beginning. Experimenting bbq food is absolutely good for your catering business. However, leave this part only when your business has already been established. Bit by bit, experiment new dishes once you have expanded.

Don’t be afraid to start small

Every big and established company in Singapore once started as a small business venture. When you start your bbq wholesale business, you don’t actually have to do “one time big time” marketing and advertising. You can start small by just printing some brochures, leaflets and posters, and handing them out to prospective clients. Nowadays, social networking sites are also an effective advertising tool. Word of mouth advertising can also work wonders, as every happy and satisfied customer has the power to steer dozens of new customers your way.

You cannot deny that there are many people out there with ill intentions when it comes to your valuables. With this, it is important that you protect your valuables because you worked hard for it. You can consider many things if you want your valuables to be protected. You can begin with the following things:

Spy cameras and CCTV

If you want to install spy cameras inside the house, you are free to do so. You can also monitor your surroundings by installing CCTVs (Close Circuit Televisions). This is effective when identifying an intruder. If you have this, you can positively identify the intruder or attacker in front of the police.

Security system

There are thieves around. When they see that your house is poor when it comes to security, they will take that chance and break in. To avoid this from happening, you can install a reliable security system. Security system will alert you if there are unauthorized entries. This is expensive but rest assured that your house is protected from robbers or thieves. Security system is in the form of doors with special locks, burglar alarms, etc.

Pepper spray

When you are outside, you bring your valuables. It is not legal to bring guns or tasers here in Singapore. The best thing that you can bring is pepper spray. Pepper sprays can temporarily irritate the eyes of aggressors or attackers thereby giving you time to flee. After fleeing, you should report the incident to the police so they will increase their patrols in the said area.

You can get these gadgets easily. No questions or documents asked. Just make sure you use it for the greater glory. If you use items mentioned above for dark motives, you will be penalized.

A picture paints a thousand words, and much more so if the pictures are about weddings. That is true, especially if you captured the right emotion. To do this, you need to understand the emotions your subject is feeling and you be good at manipulating your environment, particularly the light. If you practice photography as a profession, you are knowledgeable of the different settings and aspects of your cameras.

You should be certain of your specialty so you will focus on that. If in this case you are for wedding photography, you should treat each wedding differently and do justice to the memorable event. Wedding photography is challenging, but continued practice will give you great shots. Even if you only intend to take photography as a recreation, you should still be familiar with its basics, and from there, work your way up.

One advantage of photography hobbyists is that there’s no pressure as they’re only “doing it for fun”. If the shots are not that good, do not fret because you will eventually get a grasp on it. Just hang in there, take more photos and give yourself more time. To help you, here are some guidelines:

Know the best camera

Looking for the best camera is not a problem here in Singapore because high-end electronic stores are easy to find. You can even get discounts if you know how to haggle. If you have little idea of what’s the best camera for wedding photography, you can ask your friends who are more experienced in photography. You can also read for reviews and feedbacks online such as from perfect photography singapore to get more information. Be a wise buyer so you will not waste money for this. Like in any other investment, you should properly assess and evaluate a camera before deciding to buy it.

Read the manual

When you have bought your camera, make sure to read the manual so that you don’t get confused when using it. If you prefer to directly explore the device without reading the manual, you might end up damaging your brand new camera. Reading the manual for functions, buttons, menus and other things is highly advisable. If you don’t do it, you might just end your career on wedding photography even before you got a proper start.

If in doubt, ask experts

If after reading the manual and you are still confused, it is time to ask experts. They will surely give light to your troubles and confusions. If they are great friends of yours, they can even give tips about photography. It is important that you ask experts before you fully engage yourself in photography.

Join workshops or photo shoots

If you want to continue further, you should join photography workshops or photo shoots. Do not waste your talent. Who knows if you are good at it, you can become a famous wedding photographer?

Taking pictures and reliving the memory is the best thing. You do not need to be that good if you want to take pictures. As long as the memory is imprinted in there, it doesn’t matter. But if you want to be a wedding photography professional, you should make use of your talent and show the world what a great picture looks like. Do not worry because there are many schools and photography studios that you can enrol here in Singapore.

Singapore is blessed with a good landscape and lush greeneries. Despite the modernization and infrastructure, you will notice that plants are ever present here. This is good news for nature lovers. If you love nature, there are many parks and nature reserves that you can trek through.

20

You can begin by visiting:

MacRitchie Nature Trail

If you want to visit MacRitchie Nature Trail, you should head to MacRitchie Reservoir Park. The trail is open from 7am to 7pm every day. Admission is free. You can contact them through (+65) 6468-5736.

Here, you can experience trekking through the rainforest. Aside from the nature trail, there’s HSBC TreeTop Walk. Drinking fountains, pontoon and kiosks are provided to ensure you have a good time here.

Mount Faber

Mount Faber is open every day from 8:45am to 10pm. Admission is free in Mount Faber however you have to pay for rides (cable car). Adults should pay S$26 while children need to pay S$15. You can contact them through (+65) 6270-8855 or 6377-9688.

If you are planning a romantic getaway or a simple leisure excursion with friends, The Jewel Box @ Mount Faber is the perfect place. The place provides bars, restaurants and retail shops. If you want a stroll, you should head to Faber Point.

Hort Park

Hort Park lies in Hyderabad Road. They are open from 6am to 10pm daily. Admission is free. You can contact them through (+65) 6471-5601.

Hort Park links Telok Blangah Park and Kent Ridge Park. The park boasts of the Bamboo Labyrinth, Butterfly Garden, Floral Walk and Recycling Garden. They offer recreation, gardening and research.

Chinese Gardens

Chinese Gardens are open every day from 6am to 11pm. The admission is free. You can contact them through (+65) 6261-3632.

If you are wondering what was ancient China like, you should head to the Chinese Gardens. The gardens, architecture and landscaping was modelled after the Chinese imperial palace. You will surely enjoy the tranquil environment with the presence of pagodas, plants and stream.

Sometimes we feel very stifled around the city because of the hustle, hassle and pollution. When we reach this point, it is important to “stop for a while and smell the flowers”. You should consider different nature reserves, farms and parks because it can make a difference at the end of the day. The sweet scent of flowers, the sight of tall trees and the smooth breeze can renew your spirit.

You can begin by going to:

Nyee Phoe Flower Garden

Nyee Phoe Flower Garden is situated in Neo Tiew Crescent. You will enjoy the flower garden from 9am to 6pm every day. The admission is free. Feel free to contact them at (+65) 6793-6500.

Nyee Phoe presents a nursery of different kinds of flowers and plants. If you are interested, you can buy plants and flowers together with gardening materials. It is a good place to stroll especially if you have landscaping plans. They provide landscaping services.

Hay Dairies

Hay Dairies is situated in Agrotech Park. They are open from 9am to 4pm daily. There are no admission charges. Feel free to contact them at (+65) 6792-0931.

The farm is proud of its milking process. If you want to witness milking sessions, it is best to visit the farm in the morning (9am to 11am). You can purchase fresh milk if you like.

Dream Fish-Merlion Arowanas Farm

Dream Fish-Merlion Arowanas Farm is situated in Lim Chu Kang Agrotechnology Park. They are open from Monday-Saturday (9am to 6pm). There are no admission charges. Feel free to call them at (+65) 6862-9391.

The farm is equipped with 116 ponds that specialize in breeding the famous Merlion Arowana fish.

Aero-green Technology

Aero-green Technology is situated in Neo Tiew Crescent. They are open from 9am to 5pm every day. They require S$4 admission fee. Feel free to call them at (+65) 6792-4298.

In here, you will witness the aeroponic technology- the cultivating of plants and vegetables without using soil. It is the first aeroponics farm here in Singapore and the whole of Asia.

If you haven’t visited the National Museum of Singapore, it is high time to visit it and rekindle your past. The national museum is the oldest museum in the country. There was a time that the museum was closed because of major improvements. The government spent millions of dollars to restore the glory of the museum. Here’s what you need to know about the National Museum:

Artefacts

The National Museum houses eleven prized artefacts. You will see the Singapore Stone, Gold Ornaments of the Sacred Hill, Peranakan coffin cover, Xin Sai Le, portrait of Shenton Thomas and Frank Athelstane Swettenham and many others.

Facilities

The improvements paved way to a brighter and better museum. The museum has resource centers, classrooms or lecture rooms, souvenir shops, fine dining restaurants, cafes, auditorium, elevators and escalators.

Getting there

There are many ways to get there. You can bring your car or motorcycle but be reminded that there is a limited area. It will surely take all your time looking for the spot. It is convenient to take a taxi, bus or MRT.  Taxis will bring you to the museum right away. But if in this case you decide to take the bus, you can wait at the YMCA or SMU bus stop. If you want to take the MRT, make sure to reach the Bras Basah, Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall MRT stations.

Admission charges

Know that the admission to the museum building is free but fees are collected for special galleries and exhibitions. For locals (kids below 6, students and seniors), you will pay nothing. For adult tourists, S$10.00 is required. For students and senior tourists,  S$5.00 is asked.

Operating hours

For Singapore History Gallery, they are open from 10 am to 6pm every day. For Singapore Living Galleries, they are open from 10am to 8pm every day.