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Positive Effects of Social Media

Posted on by Posted in Asian Culture, Lifestyle, Social Media .

Nowadays, all we hear about social media is that it’s generally bad for us in many aspects. But actually, we should think about social media as something that’s between positive and negative. Of course, social media has a lot of positive effects just as well. Instead of only focusing on the negative, here are good things about social media to take into account.

It allows for better communication

If you have a friend who’s leaving Singapore, for example, probably the best way for you to stay in touch is through social media platforms. Today, you’ll see more and more people communicate through social media instead of using text messages and telephones. That’s simply because it’s very fast and convenient.

It becomes easier to make friends

In connection to the point about communication, another positive effect of social media is that it becomes way easier to get to know more people. Before, we wouldn’t even know people who lived in the neighborhood beside us. But with social media, it’s become very possible to do that. You can even connect with people in other countries, right? Sometimes you even become good friends with people online even without seeing them in person.

You get to find people with the same interests as you

Again, because you can communicate with so many people on social media, it’s highly likely that you will also meet some who share the same interests with you. For example, if you’re interested in traveling to another country and you actually find a friend on Facebook living there, then you already have someone who can show you around. Or maybe you play sports and meet some people through social media so that you can have a few games for fun.

It encourages empathy

One of the best advantages of social media is that it fosters sympathy. Today you’ll see videos around Facebook and Twitter showing different stories of life, from people who succeed to those who are already suffering. Some people raise awareness through social media as well. You might see informative posts about animals on the brink of extinction or the environment slowly being destroyed. All of these things can awaken empathy in people and cause solidarity or even a call for change.

It gives one the opportunity to showcase creativity

Probably one of the best examples of this is vlogging. A lot of people make videos and it really showcases their creativity through the content they make. This is why trends usually happen in popular culture. More and more people show their originality and creativity by constantly producing different content. Even artists, painters, and music producers have an easier time promoting their talents because of social media.

6 Ways to Promote Healthy Aging

Posted on by Posted in Health, Health and Wellness, Lifestyle .

To put it simply, healthy aging is the process of maintaining your functional abilities even as you grow older. Promoting healthy aging enables one to do the things he/she values even in older age. If one wants to live long and healthy, he should start considering these different things as early as possible.

Be physically active

One of the best ways we can take care of physical and even our mental health is to exercise regularly. For one, regular exercise can help you maintain or achieve your ideal weight. This can have many positive effects on your skeletal and muscular health in the long-term. Being physically active also helps us keep our hearts and minds healthy.

Eat healthily

One problem in our time today is that we eat too much food that’s high in sodium. The recommended daily intake of sodium is only 2300 milligrams but because of junk food or processed food, we even hit as high as 3400 milligrams. If this is done every day, this can be very harmful to our health since it leads to high blood pressure and eventually cardiovascular diseases. So try to limit sugary food, processed food, and other items that are unhealthy.

Get enough sleep

For many Singaporeans, the lack of sleep is a real issue. If you don’t know, humans can actually go longer without eating than without sleeping. Not having enough sleep can affect the body in different aspects. You’re not giving your brain time to rest. You’re also not giving your body time to recover and store energy. These things, of course, can build up and will not be a positive thing as you grow old.

Look for ways to relieve stress

Stress can be a major cause of cognitive decline that comes with age. It can cause hormonal changes, memory loss, lower immunity, and etc. That’s why it is also important for you to find ways to relieve stress. Exercising is already a given. You can also find a hobby or certain activities that you simply enjoy and find relaxing.

Constantly challenge your brain

Another common problem that comes with aging is Alzheimer’s or dementia. Fortunately, there are ways for us to avoid or at least delay memory loss over time. That’s by constantly challenging your brain. Do crossword puzzles, sudokus, learn a new language, and many more. Just like your body, your brain also needs regular exercise to stay sharp and healthy!

Interact with others

Lastly, you should remember to always maintain your relationships with others. Isolation is the most probable cause of depression in older people. Interacting with others can help one feel fulfilled even as he/she grows old. Social interactions are something we innately need as humans.

Spice Up Your Space

Posted on by Posted in Home Decor, Lifestyle .

5 Budget-Friendly Ways to Freshen Up Your Home

 

Just like your closet, your home also needs to be refreshed every once in a while. However, home décor and furniture tend to be way more expensive than clothes – it often takes a lot of cash to run out and fully redecorate one’s space. Fortunately, there are some excellent ways to spruce up your home even when you’re on a shoestring budget. Here are a few suggestions for when you’re redecorating itch strikes.

1. Paint a Wall

A fresh coat of paint is a good way of freshening up your place, and depending on the scope of your redecorating project, could be completed immediately in the afternoon or during the weekend. You can spray paint a particular design to increase the glam factor of your niche, or if you’re feeling a bit ambitious, paint a whole accent room or wall.

2. Swap Some Household Hardware

Sick of your boring switch plates and cabinet knobs? If so, switch them up with some quirky, decorative handles and hardware available in the nearest home depot in your place. These pieces often vary in price, so be sure to choose something that’s inexpensive but unique at the same time.

3. Spice Up Your Gallery Wall

Going the DIY route and displaying images from your favourite magazine is one of the best ways to freshen up your gallery wall, and eventually your entire space. You can simply hang them on the wall using a washi tape or display them using a clipboard. Have a hat or necklace you no longer use? Pin them in your gallery wall too. The possibilities are just endless when it comes to freshening up your gallery wall.

4. Add Flowers or Any Kind of Plant

Make it a habit to include purchasing fresh flowers every time you go out to buy groceries. A bouquet of flowers will likely cost you less than five dollars, and that’s already enough to brighten up your space. Air plants and succulents are a good option too, since not only are they trendy, they’re quite easy to care for as well.

5. Redesign Your Shelves

Another great way to spice up your space is to restyle your shelves by changing the items that will be displayed. Candles, pretty books and other decorative objects can all be rearranged to create a completely new look. You can simply relocate your favourite candle on your nightstand or arrange your books based on their colour.

Freshening up your space doesn’t have to cost that much. Simply putting these tips to work is already enough to update the way your home looks even if you’re redecorating on a shoestring budget.

3 Surprising Ways Shea Butter Can Be Good For You

Posted on by Posted in Lifestyle .

As long as people have been around, there have been many natural and synthetic products used to keep the skin in peak condition, and shea butter is among many of these products that has now stuck around.

Also known as the cream-colored fat derived from the nut of the African Shea tree, shea butter is used primarily as an ingredient in both food and cosmetics. Its structure as a fatty oil allows it to be melted down, which can be easily absorbed by the skin.

While shea butter for men and women is the same thing, it has a whole host of different health benefits that make it a necessary staple for both men and women alike aside from just skin and hair care. Some of these benefits include the following:

1. Shea butter can be used as an analgesic.
Traditionally, shea butter has been used to treat rheumatism, and many studies have even shown that it has certain medical properties that allow it to alleviate the symptoms of certain conditions such as arthritis, lower cholesterol, or even diarrhea.

Pure, unscented, and organically-made shea butter can even be applied on baby skin as it is both gentle and non-toxic enough that it can be used instead of olive oil. This is because of its higher stearic acid content, which puts it at a closer composition to the fat you can find in human skin.

2. Shea butter is great as a natural remedy for various skin maladies.
When mixed with essential oils such as lavender or roman chamomile, shea butter works as an anti-inflammatory balm (muscle soreness from exercise, aching joints, insect bites, etc.) and is often used to treat various conditions that affect the skin, such as the following:

• dryness/rashes/peeling/itchy skin
• sunburn
• minor cuts and wounds
• eczema
• dermatitis
• stretch marks

Shea butter also has a high moisturizing value, which is what makes it a crucial ingredient in many commercial shaving products (i.e. shaving butter, aftershave) that men use every day.

However, even though shea butter is naturally hypoallergenic, you should still test it on a small surface on your skin before proceeding to use it. If you have any allergies, consider seeing a dermatologist or a doctor to know if shea butter is really the cosmetic product for you.

3. Shea butter possesses certain anti-aging properties.
Unprocessed shea butter helps the skin to regenerate on a cellular level and allows the skin to retain its elasticity and softness, which in turn reduces the onset of wrinkles that can be brought about by various factors. With the pairing of a healthy lifestyle and diet, it can even help your body boost collagen production.

5 Efficient Ways for you to Quit Smoking

Posted on by Posted in Lifestyle .

Resisting the urge to smoke can be difficult to overcome, especially when you are not in control of these cravings. A lot of countries across the world has put up tobacco-control regulations to limit the cigarette count of their citizens. While most couldn’t help to give in to nicotine temptation by themselves, they have no choice but to follow since the law requires them to do so.

Singapore, for instance, has been battling tobacco use for almost 40 years now. This led to one of the lowest smoking rates of adults in the world at 13.3 %, yet efforts on prevention and cessation still remain urgent. Increased vigilance is needed, regardless of relatively low smoking rates, for cigarettes have a wide-range of negative impact on the society.

This article will present 5 efficient ways for you to stop smoking. Keep in mind that making changes to your lifestyle will help you in resisting the temptation to light up a cigarette, regardless of how small or big these changes are.

Set a quit date
A quit date is something you might as well think as the deadline. Say goodbye to your unhealthy smoking habits by setting up a definite date you’d finally free yourself of the nicotine content. When you’ve finally decided to stop smoking when Monday comes — then stick to this plan! Your lungs will thank you for this in the long run, if you follow your self-imposed restriction, that is.

Remind yourself of the reasons of your quit
May it be because of personal health issues or that your smoking habits harm the people around you, keep in mind the reasons behind why you’re quitting. Use them as your fuel for motivation. You are more likely to be determined in your nicotine-free endeavors when you remind yourself of the reasons why you’re doing it in the first place.

Find alternatives
Sure, there might be nothing quite like cigarette smoking that could provide you the same bliss and comfort that tobacco brings to the self, but you can get by with distractions. Friendly suggestions include: taking your pet to a walk, cleaning out your room, or giving your car the long overdue wash it needs. Even chewing a piece of gum will keep yourself distracted. Don’t give in to the temptation!

Save your cigarette money
Cigarette sold in boxes cost quite a fortune. When you decide to finally stop smoking, not only is it beneficial to your health but it is also economical considering you’d be saving dollars for doing so. You can use the money to buy something worthwhile instead, like books.

Snack on healthy food
Why not switch your cigarette habit for a trail mix habit? Eat four pieces of the delicious treat for every cigarette stick you are craving to smoke. Other healthy options include: sunflower seeds, sugar-free gum, carrot and celery sticks. Munching on these snacks provides the same physical and oral sensation smoking brings.

Easy Ways to Get a Digital Detox

Posted on by Posted in Lifestyle, Technology .

 

Do you check your phone as soon as you wake up? Glued to your iPad during your commute? Hunched over your laptop after work? If you’re answer to all of this is yes, then you’re a perfect candidate for some digital detox. Give your eyes and neck their much needed break by following these five simple rules to achieve a digital Zen state anytime and anywhere you want.

digital-detox

  1. Practise the 20-20-20 Rule. One good way to reduce your computer eye strain is by doing the 20-20-20 rule. Look away from your computer screen every 20 minutes, and then stare at objects that are 20 feet away from you for about 20 seconds. Easy right? But if you’re too busy to remember this rule, try creating a 20-minute playlist and look away every time the music stops.
  1. Try iOS 8’s ‘Do Not Disturb’ Setting. Couldn’t resist using your phone every night after work? Then help yourself by activating the ‘Do Not Disturb’ setting of your iOS 8. With this setting activated, all your texts, calls and notifications will be silenced and your screen won’t turn on even when an alert is received. Also, try scheduling the activation of this setting every night to keep you from spending hours on your phone before you sleep.

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  1. Go on a Digital Diet. Another good way to break away from your devices is through your friends. You can throw an analogue party where your guests will be required to surrender their devices at the door, or you can also go on a tech-free retreat by staying at a gadget-free hotel.
  1. Avoid Using Phone Before Snoozing Off. The light from our phone messes up our sleep cycles, so avoid looking at any of your devices before you hit the sack. In fact, experts suggest keeping bedrooms as dark as possible to help you sleep better.
  1. Use an E-Ink Device Instead. Are you an avid reader who enjoys the flexibility offered by e-books? Then we suggest that you invest in a good e-ink device. Compared with your regular iPad, e-ink devices are a lot better for pre-bedtime reads since its screen isn’t backlit. Kindle Paperwhite is one of the best choices since it gives the readers access to the Amazon library, and has an option to turn the backlighting on in dark rooms.

Going through a gadget detox every once in a while is actually good. Not only will your eyes and neck get the rest they need, it will also allow you to appreciate various other things around you. So ensure that you perform a digital detox every now and then by doing any of the aforementioned tricks.

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What You Need to Know about Hoarding

Posted on by Posted in Health, Lifestyle .

There are people who will display hoarding behaviour in their lifetime here in Singapore. According to a study entitled “Hoarding in an Asian Population: Prevalence, Correlates, Disability and Quality of Life” by Institute of Mental Health (IMH), one in every fifty Singaporean will display the behaviour in their lifetime.

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The study involved six thousand six hundred sixteen respondents. About 0.8 percent of these respondents displayed hoarding in the 12 months of the study. The research was led by Mythily Subramaniam, Assistant Professor of IMH. The article is published at the ANNALS – Singapore Academy of Medicine’s medical journal. If you are interested of the study, catch the November 2014 edition.

Going back to hoarding, it is imperative that you learn everything you can about the disorder. For your information, hoarding is a behaviour that is categorized by an extreme procurement of and the lack of willingness to remove large numbers of objects that cover the living areas of your home. Acts of hoarding can eventually lead to distress or impairment of daily functions.

It does not end there. Hoarding is also associated with other health and emotional risks that can put you and the people around you in danger. Here are other things that you need to know about hoarding:

Hoarding (1)

  • Symptoms: Hoarding can cause sanitary conditions like cockroach and rat infestations. It can also cause fires and other safety hazards. With these risks, it is crucial that you identify symptoms of hoarding so you will know how to proceed. Symptoms include cluttered homes and holding unto a large number of things. Hoarders do not allow their friends and families to clean the clutter and they are very reluctant to clean it.
  • Diagnosis: According to DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fifth Edition), there are certain criteria for hoarding disorder. Some of these are persistent difficulty when it comes to discarding possessions whatever the value and strong urges to collect and save things.
  • Collecting vs hoarding: You have to know that there is a distinction between collecting and hoarding. Collecting encompasses acquiring specific things that are interesting for the collector. Hoarding on the other hand involves keeping things which are not especially meaningful to the person.
  • Treatment: There is no cure but researchers are doing their best to find one. The research is on-going. There are therapeutic interventions and medications but it needs to be modified for an effective treatment.

That should do it. Hoarding is not easy and it is not meant to face alone. If you know someone or if you personally encounter hoarding, the best thing to do is seek for help.

Hoarding

Time Management Tips for Dads

Posted on by Posted in Lifestyle, Parenting .

Working dads are doing their best to juggle work, family and other demands. This is a challenge but dads never back down. Dads know that they do not have all the time in the world. In this line, you should know how to manage their time so no one or not a thing is left out.

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So, how can you manage your time so you can still meet your career aspirations at the same time spend time with your family? Here are some suggestions:

  • Establish routines: Routines are simple but no one should underestimate it. Establishing sensible routines can give you an upper hand. You should start from the moment you wake up. Make it a point to join breakfast for instance. You can also carve out few minutes to prepare your children’s meals. It will all depend on you. Making a calendar of tasks can help you get through everything.
  • Set clear priorities: You should be commended if you are a workaholic but you should not let it affect your family relationship. Do not bring your work with you when you get home. Setting clear priorities here in Singapore is hard but if you do not want your family relationship to go astray, you will find time.

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  • Make family time: You should be a part of your kid’s life. They should remember memories of you when they grow up. How do you do that? You should make family time. No matter the pressures and demands of work, it is still important to spend time with them even if it is only Saturday or Sunday.

Dads are so powerful that they can do anything. Father’s Day will be celebrated on June 15, 2014 in Singapore. With that being said, Happy Father’s Day, super dad!

Portrait of family eating pizza in living-room

Guidelines for Providing Public Toilets

Posted on by Posted in Lifestyle .

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The United Nations (UN) adopted the resolution passed by Singapore to declare the date for the World Toilet Day. Let it be known that November 19 is World Toilet Day. On this day, the National Environment Agency (NEA) announced that there would be new guidelines for public toilets here in Singapore. Apart from new guidelines, NEA is determined to improve the design of public washrooms or toilets. The toilets will be increased with features like grab bars, wash basins and diaper changing amenities.

NEA is promoting well maintained and well cleaned public toilets. This is a vital effort of NEA to uphold public health. NEA is encouraging all public toilet owners to follow the guidelines and requirements included in the Code of Practice on Environmental Health (COPEH). NEA collaborated with Restaurant Association of Singapore to publish a book that includes topics and information like the layout, design, maintenance and the ventilation of public toilets.

htp

To entice the toilet owners to do their best always, the NEA and the RAS launched the Happy Toilet Programme. The programme seeks to motivate toilet owners by giving them recognition for maintaining their public toilets according to the standards set. Public toilets can apply all year round for the Happy Toilet ratings. NEA and RAS are eyeing shopping malls, commercial buildings, industrial places, parks, food courts, hawker centres, restaurants, coffee shops, MRT stations, bus stations and many more.

Toilet owners need to know that every year, they should improve because they NEA and RAS will make sure that you keep up with the standards. NEA also provides the public with educational posters about public toilet hygiene that can be downloaded on their website. If you want to be safe and sure, you should look for public toilet with 3-5 star ratings.