SINGAPORE: Swedish furniture retailer IKEA will stop selling chicken wings at its in-house restaurant in Singapore from next Tuesday (May 23), following complaints from customers over the quality of the wings.
“We are aware that our chicken wings have not been meeting our customers’ satisfaction recently, so we have decided to stop selling them temporarily,” it said in a Facebook post on Friday (May 19).
IKEA said it will work with its supplier to improve the wings, which are priced at S$8 for six pieces. But in another post on Saturday, the retailer said it is sourcing for a new supplier for the wings.
Most Facebook users commenting on the post agreed that the quality of the wings had deteriorated, and some also complained that the problem extended to other items on the restaurant’s menu.
Several said the quality of IKEA’s food – not just the chicken wings – had been declining for some time.
However, some Facebook users came to IKEA’s defence.
IKEA, which has an outlet in Alexandra and another in Tampines, said in its post that it will introduce chicken tenders to replace the wings temporarily. The chicken tenders will cost S$1 a piece, with a dish of four-piece chicken tenders and garlic fries priced at S$5.
Stretch your dollar and save! Two days only! 20 – 21 May 2017. Limited to 4 sets per product per customer. KINDER BUENO T2 10’s, OKEANOSS Frozen Salmon Portion 300g, 100PLUS Isotonic Canned Drinks Regular
SINGAPORE: Pre-school operator PAP Community Foundation (PCF) opened a mega childcare centre with places for about 370 children – its largest to date – in Marsiling on Saturday (May 20).
Spanning 3,000 sq m, the PCF Sparkletots Large Childcare Centre at 9, Woodlands Street 12 will take in children ranging from infants to kindergarteners.
It is one of the mega childcare centres that the Government is building to increase childcare places in estates with more young families, such as Punggol, Sengkang, Yishun, Jurong West and Woodlands.
Located within walking distance to Woodlands Park and Woodlands Sports Stadium, the centre is designed to give children greater access to a variety of outdoor experiences. It also plans to engage parents and seniors as volunteers to better allow children to interact with the community through projects like maintaining a vegetable garden.
The centre is designed to give children greater access to a variety of outdoor experiences, through projects like maintaining a vegetable garden. (Photo: Elizabeth Neo)
The opening ceremony was attended by Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Halimah Yacob, who said the centre was built on the concept that children require “Vitamin G” – green environments and outdoor spaces to play and learn.
PCF executive committee chairperson Josephine Teo and PCF chief executive Victor Bay were also present.
During a tour of the centre, Madam Halimah viewed an exhibition titled Collaboration with Parents and Community Partners, showcasing how the pre-school integrated the outdoors into its curriculum.
SINGAPORE: The Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre reopened on Saturday (May 20) after a three-month renovation, although many hawker stalls remain shuttered for clean-up work.
The popular food centre was closed on Feb 20 to undergo repairs, redecoration and renovation works, the National Environment Agency said.
The Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre. (Photo: Kevin Lim)
New fixtures such as energy-efficient LED lights, large fans and retractable sunshades were added to the hawker centre, which was also given a fresh coat of paint. Moveable seats were also added to the tables to accommodate wheelchair users.
Large fans and retractable sunshades have also been added. (Photo: Kevin Lim)
The market at 30 Seng Poh Road was originally called Seng Poh Road Market and officially opened in January 1951. In 2004, it was shut for two years for a complete rebuild at a cost of S$16.8 million. It then reopened in 2006 as a two-storey building and was renamed the Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre.
SINGAPORE — A mega-childcare centre, providing 370 places in an environment with lots of green spaces and areas for outdoor activities, was officially declared opened in Marsiling on Saturday (May 20)
The PCF Sparkletots Large Childcare Centre at 9 Woodlands Street 12 is one of the large childcare centres that the Government is building to significantly expand childcare capacity in estates with a higher proportion of young families. These include in townships such as Punggol, Sengkang, Yishun, Jurong West and Woodlands.
Spread over 2,500 sqm, the childcare centre also has an extension bay at Block 101. It will offer “quality and affordable infant and child care and education services to 370 children”, said the PAP Community Foundation (PCF).
Based on the belief that children require “Vitamin G”, regular doses of green environments to play and learn, the centre’s environmentally-friendly design consists of natural ventilation and light throughout the centre, it added. Apart from the use of green walls and lighting equipment to harness solar power, the centre also has ample shade at the outdoor areas.
Its 350 sqm rooftop play area has cycling and running tracks, and equipment for water and sand play.
The opening ceremony was attended by guest of honour Madam Halimah Yacob, Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. Together with PCF executive committee chairperson Josephine Teo and PCF chief executive officer Victor Bay, Mdm Halimah planted a tree in the childcare entre’s courtyard to mark the occasion.
During a tour of the centre, Mdm Halimah viewed an exhibition, Collaboration with Parents and Community Partners, which showed how the centre integrated the outdoors into its curriculum, and that lessons need not be confined only in the classrooms.
SINGAPORE: A studio shot of a baby comes up. The picture mimics the style of many Anne Geddes pictures, portraying an angelic babe in a soft dreamy background. Happy new parents, airbrushed to perfection, surround their beautiful newborn in a loving family embrace.
These are typical images that abound on social media sites visited by many including new mothers. We greet them with likes and express joyful congratulations, while new mums ostensibly celebrate their completing confinement restrictions and look forward to getting out and about freely.
Perhaps confinement creates an artificial screen, for a new mum is often told to rest, recuperate and let the nanny or the grandmother take care of the baby. With good intentions, her family thinks this will allow her to transition better.
But just when this period ends, the baby becomes more wakeful – usually when he or she turns four weeks old. This gradual alertness to the myriad stimulation from the environment often makes the baby unsettled, requiring soothing. To a vulnerable mother who is relatively inexperienced and anxious that she cannot settle her baby, a painful cycle that increasingly distresses her may begin.
A newborn baby can become more wakeful when he or she turns four months. (Photo: AFP)
The family may speculate it is the baby that is difficult to manage and perhaps they reassure the new mum that it will all be fine when she returns to work. She hopes it will be – part of her wants to return to work, believing it will make her feel herself again.
When she returns to work, it doesn’t become easier, as she now has to juggle work demands and face challenges in coping with her new life. This adds to her stress as she struggles to function efficiently at work.
At that point, even a friend or family member who is subtly critical of her baby for not being chubby enough, which makes her feel conscious about the quality of her breast milk, may result in her becoming depressed. Worse, all these come at a time when she should, in her logic, be reaping the joys of being a new mother with a picture-perfect babe.
THE SHIFT TO DEPRESSION
Contrary to common belief, a mother with postnatal depression rarely kills herself. Almost all mothers with postnatal depression will share that the thought of caring for their babies keeps them going. And if negative thoughts can be shared and spoken of, the mother finds solace and comfort from her loved ones.
It’s when her inner conflict and dark thoughts cannot be acknowledged or expressed that the mother’s inner state shifts and destabilises. We see this happening in some mothers when their inner psychological distress is so great that their sense of reality breaks and disturbances in perception occur.
An affected mother may project an unconscious wish for her baby to be taken away from her because she is struggling so much.
Another mother recently diagnosed with cancer may believe her disease is incurable and since no one would love her crying baby after she goes, perhaps she should take her baby with her.
Social media acts as a trigger for postnatal depression, as mothers compare themselves to their peers and feel inadequate, experts say. (Photo: AP images)
Other severely depressed mothers may have dissociative episodes, where their inner distress is so severe that their senses are numbed and they enter a state of altered consciousness as if trying to fend off the emotional storm raging beneath.
In extreme cases, there are a few mothers who see no hope for their lives and feel that all is dark and morbid, while those in a dissociative state lose consciousness of reality. These are the few who are at risk of suicide.
Sometimes this shift happens quickly, within the first few weeks after birth, if there is extraordinary stress or inner conflict. There are some who are especially vulnerable – we have seen one mother who had past mental health issues. Others had a family history of mental illness.
WHAT LOVED ONES CAN DO
Some signs to look out for include low mood, easy tearfulness and irritability. Symptoms also include loss of interest, social withdrawal, poor sleep or appetite, excessive self-blame or feelings of hopelessness.
Getting the mum to medical attention is important, for these conditions are treatable.
Perhaps just speaking with her obstetrician or family doctor (whether her GP or polyclinic doctor) would be a non-threatening first step. Even for mothers who are determined to breastfeed, there is medication that can be safely used for nursing, just as there is medication that can be used during pregnancy.
Although counselling alone will not be sufficient for mothers with severe postnatal depression, families can seek help from family service centre counsellors who may be able to persuade a reluctant mum to seek medical attention.
In the aftermath of a tragic suicide of a 40-year-old mother with her eight-month-old baby in October 2012, there were misconceptions in online forums, with comments posted about how cruel the mother was to kill her innocent child. But her state of mind must have been in such torment that she could not appraise her situation in any other way than to end it with suicide.
As a community, we need to face the issues of maternal mental wellness with courage, to talk openly about these issues and not judge affected mothers who are unable to cope.
Instead, being empathic and supportive can be very comforting for mothers who are distressed and struggling, which may in turn encourage them to ask for help.
And so, we must honour the honest presentation of motherhood. Let’s talk about postnatal depression openly and care for mothers.
For indeed, motherhood is an empowering and uplifting life experience for most women and all women deserve a good chance at transitioning successfully to their roles, as they care for and nurture their children to be strong and resilient.
Dr Helen Chen is head and senior consultant at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s Department of Psychological Medicine.
SINGAPORE — Lawyer Justin Phua has become the first Singaporean to win the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game World Championship, held early May.
Although his wife, Ivy Chua, is a self-professed non-gamer — one who has “zero interest in games, not even Pokemon GO” — she was nonetheless elated.
Chua, 44, woke up in the wee hours of the morning to welcome the X-Wing champion back from Minnesota in the United States, where the three-day championship was held.
Their daughters, Sammi, 16, and Maisy, 13, who were “so excited about the news they couldn’t sleep the night before”, were also in attendance. They were decked out in Star Wars memorabilia and were bearing welcome banners and posters in honour of their father’s victory.
“The Star Wars T-shirts and props were borrowed from my very supportive colleagues who were equally excited of my hubby’s incredible feat. I would like to think that he was pleasantly amused,” said Chua, a senior executive at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua
Phua, 50, beat 346 other players from over 20 different countries — including two other Singaporeans — to place first in the annual X-Wing World Championship. Phua’s victory marks the first time that a Singaporean has won the competition, which has been going strong for six years.
Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua
THE MAKING OF A CHAMP
X-Wing is a turn-by-turn tabletop miniature wargame played by two players in person. In the game, players battle it out, using miniature spaceship figurines representing opposing factions. Each session lasts about 75 minutes, according to Phua.
X-Wing miniatures. Photo: Shane Mok via Justin Phua
Phua is no stranger to competitive miniature wargaming. He describes himself as a gamer “since time immemorial” and spends up to four hours a week on his hobby.
From 2012 to 2015, together with a Singapore contingent of eight players, he participated in the annual European Team Championship for Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a tabletop wargame that involves battling it out with miniatures modelled after fantasy races — think orcs, dwarves and elves.
Warhammer Fantasy Battle miniatures. Photo: Justin Phua
Last year, he took a break from the competition to celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife, where the couple went on a 14-day road trip across Europe. It is also the same year he switched his focus to X-Wing.
To prepare for the Championship, Phua attended regular training sessions with his gaming buddies, which included tracking the outcome of other tournaments overseas and engaging in back-to-back sessions to build his stamina.
The efforts paid off. Despite fatigue, he managed to play through 13 rounds to emerge top and defeat last year’s winner during the Championship.
The victory has fulfilled a lifelong dream of his — winning a game tournament and putting Singapore in the spotlight on the global stage. He has plans to be there next year to defend the title “subject of course to spousal consent”.
He hopes it will spur other gamers in Singapore to pursue their dreams, especially in a category that’s dominated by the West.
“It’s a dream that came true to me, and it can also come true for others. And I hope other gamers in Singapore and neighbouring countries will be inspired to fulfil their dreams in the same way that I have done,” said Phua.
FAMILY TIES
At home at least, Phua’s love for gaming seems to have greatly influenced his daughters. While they have no interest in tabletop miniature games, both are avid computer and handheld-console gamers.
His wife is the odd duckling out of the family, and often gets teased about it.
“I was totally clueless about the life and world of a gamer until we met (25 years ago). I tried to understand and fit in (followed him to games) at first, but lost interest after just two attempts,” said Chua.
Despite her lack of interest in gaming or Star Wars, Chua is very supportive of her husband and even has a “rough idea” of his gaming strategies and rules.
Her advice to those with gamers as spouses? “(Gamers need a) way of de-stressing from this stressful, materialistic world of ours. As the saying goes, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them!’ Or, at the least, give them your trust and mental support,” she added.
SINGAPORE: Horse-riding provider Gallop Stable was fined S$9,000 on Friday (May 19), following a conviction for animal cruelty last month.
A retired racehorse named Sharpy was found in poor condition at the stable’s premises in Pasir Ris in May 2013 by Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) vet Dr Wendy Toh when she visited the ranch unannounced.
Dr Toh spotted the 17-year-old mare lying on the ground, breathing heavily and baring its teeth – signs the horse was in pain.
Gallop Stable was subsequently charged for animal cruelty, for “failing to provide (the horse) adequate veterinary attention”.
The stable’s director said he knew Sharpy was ill and had given the horse painkillers. He had also called a vet before being asked to do so by the AVA after its surprise visit, he testified last year.
But the vet, Dr Phyllis Yew, said stable hands had not followed her instructions on cleaning Sharpy’s festering wounds, leading to them becoming infested with maggots. Sharpy had become so sickly that both Dr Yew and Dr Toh recommended the horse be euthanised.
The stable refused.
STABLE SPENT $16,000 ON SHARPY’S CARE
“(The Stable) could have taken the easy, cost-effective route of having Sharpy put down, in accordance with the vets’ advice”, defence lawyer Simon Tan said. “No one would or could have faulted them.”
But the stable “genuinely believed” Sharpy could be saved, Mr Tan said. They spent almost S$16,000 on Sharpy’s medical bills, going so far as to rent special equipment needed for its care.
Sharpy is alive and well today, Mr Tan said, referring the court to videos of the mare “well and recovered (and) galloping in the stable”.
Gallop Stable manages close to 200 horses and ponies across three stables, many of which are retired racehorses like Sharpy, which would have been put down if they had not been adopted by the stable. “My client has given these retired horses a new lease of life”, Mr Tan said.
Far from being cruel, the stable works with several non-profit organisations to provide horse-therapy programs for cancer patients, the disabled and disadvantaged for rehabilitative, educational and therapeutic purposes, Mr Tan said.
He added the stable has since taken measures to prevent “any future incidents of this nature”, including more regular medical checkups. Stable hands have also been told to report and record any injuries or illness, “no matter how small”, and to uphold “requisite standards of care” for the horses.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Choong, however, argued a S$10,000 fine should be imposed. Sharpy had suffered for five months before its condition improved, and the horse’s leg is permanently swollen and has left the horse “mildly lame”, the prosecutor said.
Mr Tan, who had asked for a fine of S$5,000, said Gallop Stable will lodge an appeal against the conviction and fine.
‘UNNECESSARY PAIN AND SUFFERING’
AVA said in a media statement on Friday night that the mare had experienced unnecessary pain and suffering which could have been mitigated with timely veterinary treatment.
Sharpy had a severely infected lower right hind leg and infected eyes, as well as a swollen left knee which was later diagnosed to be a case of severe hematoma – bleeding with a retained blood clot.
The mare’s severely infected lower right hind leg. (Photo: AVA)
The authority’s investigations found that the owner had been self-treating the mare and did not provide it with proper veterinary attention.
AVA instructed Gallop to seek veterinary attention for the horse immediately, and the two independent vets who examined Sharpy later also assessed that it had been subjected to unnecessary suffering.
“AVA condemns animal cruelty and will investigate all feedback on animal cruelty. We will take enforcement action against anyone who has committed an act of cruelty,” it said in the statement.
Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua
Photo: Courtesy of Ivy Chua
X-Wing miniatures. Photo: Shane Mok via Justin Phua
Warhammer Fantasy Battle miniatures. Photo: Justin Phua
