THE GENDER AGENDA - TIME FOR A MINDSET CHANGE

Despite the progress made by women in all spheres of life and industry, it is still pretty much a man's world. In almost every country, women outnumber men and outlive men, and if given half a chance, they would outperform men.

In Malaysia, women make up slightly more than half of the total population of 28.25m. However, this is not reflected in the number of women in the work force. The public sector remains the largest employer of women. The civil service, in particular, the teaching and nursing professions, is overwhelmingly staffed by women. This imbalance is not ideal either.

Debate on "There's Nothing Stopping Women!" moderated by TV and theatre personality Asha Gill. For the motion (from right): Sakie Fukushima, Rita Sim and Dr Zaha Rina Zahari. Against the motion (from left): Datin Mina Cheah-Foong, Shivani Gupta and Datuk Dr Rafiah Salim. Guess which team won the support of the floor? Click here to read more about the debate.

All ears as the debaters present their arguments.

In the corporate sector, especially at top managerial level, the number of women in decision-making positions continues to be pathetic. Only 6% are corporate directors and 7% are CEOs. These figures came from the Deputy PM himself in his keynote address at the just concluded 2-day Women's Summit on 8-9 December. The theme for this year is "Changing Mindsets, Transforming Lives".

International speaker and author Avivah Wittenberg-Cox provides convincing data to show that companies with more women in top managerial positions are more profitable and efficient.

It's time for women to change their mindset and get rid of their "I'm not good enough" mentality. They should stop viewing themselves as good only for child-bearing, house-keeping and bed-warming. Given the right opportunities and support, women can excel in anything they choose.

(Slide from Jen Dalitz's presentation "The Networking Advantage").

Unfortunately, it's an uphill task for women to shine in the corporate sector. Opportunities are limited, and gender discrimination is still practised. There is always this nagging concern that it's money down the drain to train women and groom them into captains of industry. Once they are in the family way, they either go on extended maternity leave or opt out of the work force altogether to raise their children.

It's not easy to juggle the demands of work and home, and still have room for your own needs. But it can be done, and that's why women are so much more efficient and better at multi-tasking than men.

No wonder the birth-rate has fallen from 2.6 percent in 2000 to 2.2 percent in 2008. The downward trend is expected to continue. Career-focused women have little choice but to either delay having children or not have any at all.

Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Dato' Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, is pressing for the Employment Act to be amended to make it mandatory for the private sector to adopt a 90-maternity leave policy. The policy is already enforced in the public sector. She also wants more women representation in the boardroom, especially in government-linked companies (GLCs)

The response from the private sector has so far been lukewarm. Not surprising, considering the decision-makers are predominantly male. The old boys fraternity is very much alive in the corporate world.

A simple village woman once said: "By pushing women down in society, and not helping them grow and offer their talents, we have made them bonsai trees. Neither can birds nestle in their branches, nor is the wood of any use."

Women have so much to contribute to the economy - if only men would allow them to do so.

HELPING A CHOKING ADULT

(Source: Straits Times 9 Dec)

Know what to do when someone chokes on food. Learn how to perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre for CHOKING ADULTS.

A choking victim can't speak or breathe and needs your help immediately. Follow these steps to help a choking victim:

1.From behind, wrap your arms around the victim's waist.

2.Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim's upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel.

3.Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands.

4.Repeat until object is expelled.

If you prefer to view the procedure, this YouTube clip shows you how.



For more on how to perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre on choking infants, and on yourself if you are alone, visit the Heimlich Institute website.

Do's and Don'ts:

1. Chew your food properly before swallowing.
2. Avoid laughing or talking loudly while eating.
3. Avoid taking overly large mouthfuls.

SINGAPORE'S CUP RUNNETH OVER

The Straits Times headline says it all. Whether one agrees with it or not is another matter. In a research study funded by National Geographic for the happiest city in each of four continents, best-selling author of "Blue Zones" Dan Buettner has identified Singapore as the happiest city in Asia. The criteria for his selections are based on data from Gallup, the World Values Survey and the World Database on Happiness.

Singapore scores high on these prerequisites for happiness: adequate food, shelter, health care, mobility, tolerance, status equality, security, trust, recreation, financial security and stability, low unemployment, high home ownership, green spaces, and clean environment. (Pic: A bird's eye view of Singapore during the F1 night race.)

As someone who spends a fair amount of time in the island nation - 7-10 days a month, I can vouch for Singapore's high scores on all these points. Sure, the country doesn't get high marks for its paternalistic and restrictive political environment. But citizens know they can trust their Government and police. These are trade-offs that most Singaporeans can live with.

For more on the happiest places on earth, click here or read Buettner's latest book "Thrive".

 

Singapore is right at the top for ease of doing business. (Source: World Bank)

Of the top 50 safest banks in the world, DBS is ranked 23, OCBC 31 and UOB 32. (Source: Global Finance)

National University of Singapore (NUS) occupies 31st spot in QS World University Rankings 2010, and 3rd among Asian universities.

How does MM Lee Kuan Yew rate his happiness on a scale of 1 to 10? Click on the image to read Buettner's 2008 interview with the man he calls Singapore's "happiness architect".

WHEN EXTENDING LIFE MEANS PROLONGING THE PAIN OF DYING

Death remains very much a taboo subject. Everyone faces death sooner or later, yet no one wants to broach the subject, even when death is knocking on the front door.

Blessed are those who live to a ripe old age, who quietly make their exit in their sleep with a smile on their face. As my 85-year old mother loves to put it, "they have gone on a world cruise with no return date".

But for many others dying is a long painful process where the quality of life is almost non-existent, and death offers a welcome release. I have seen family members in their final days hooked up to all kinds of machines, consumed by pain and barely conscious. It is a heart-breaking sight. And it begs the question - how far would you go to sustain the life of someone you love?

There are no easy answers.

Check on this link: FRONTLINE: FACING DEATH. It asks the question "How far would you go to sustain the life of someone you love, or your own? Here's a video from the documentary FACING DEATH

OPTING FOR HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES

Whenever I am in Singapore I love eating at the food courts in the malls. The selection is almost limitless, even for a vegetarian-to-be like myself. Among my favourites are laksa, yong taufoo, rojak (both Chinese and Indian varieties), carrot cake, fried oyster omelette, thosai and economy rice. For snacks and desserts, I confess to a weakness for yu-tiao (deep fried breadsticks), tau suan (green bean in starchy syrup), and ice kacang. (above: a bowl of tau suan with yu-tiao pieces) 

 

Unfortunately for me and my fellow hawker food lovers, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) of Singapore has warned that consuming hawker fare is potentially hazardous to our health because of the high salt, fat and/or sugar content.

A yong tau foo outlet in Taipei. Too much salt?

In Taipei, it's called China Pizza. In Singapore and Malaysia it's better known as roti canai or prata. Too much oil and saturated fat?

I had lunch at this economy rice outlet in Taipei. HPB's advice: select more vegetable dishes.

It takes a certain amount of will power to resist the lure of these 'danger' foods. The good news is an increasing number of food outlets and even public hospitals are now offering healthier food items on the menu. Brown rice, low-fat milk, purple wheat noodles and whole grain bread are fast becoming the preferred choice for better nutritional value.

At food outlets, it is now common to hear customers asking for less sugar in their drinks, or less salt in their food. They are opting for more vegetables and smaller amounts of rice or noodles.

The HPB introduced the Healthier Dining programme in 2003. Under the programme, more than 2000 hawker stalls have committed to offering healthier dishes. In addition, more than 150 restaurants, with over 200 outlets are participating in the HPB’s Healthier Restaurant Programme. These food establishments have earned the right to display the Healthier Choice Symbol (see logo). For more information on making healthy choices when eating out, check out the HPB website here.

Time to make wise choices in our food intake.

ZAI JIAN, TAIPEI!

Trying to pack as much as you can see and do into a short family vacation involves making choices - and sacrifices. Today, for instance, I wanted to visit the National Palace Musuem. It had come highly recommended as it houses the world's largest collection (more than 670,000 pieces) of Chinese artifacts and works of art. But I knew it would be boring for my granddaughters. Fortunately, we found out there was a children's gallery within the museum complex. So we split up and everyone was happy doing their own thing.

I managed to take a shot of this prized 500 B.C. bronze wine vessel in the shape of a mythical bird-headed animal. Amazing design - the head could be removed to fill the vessel with wine, and the beak lifted to pour out the wine. But imagine the weight! Visitors were not allowed to photograph any of the artifacts, as I later found out.

Meanwhile, the girls were kept busy with interactive educational activities like assembling broken pieces of ceramics to form a vase (above), and trying their hands at printing and book-binding the traditional way (below).

After the museum, it was the famous Beitou hot springs for the family while I opted for the International Floral Expo, another must-see in Taipei.

The queue was so long that it was dark by the time the family finally had their dip in the Beitou hot spring pool! Night falls early at 5.00pm in the winter months.

Meanwhile, I made my way alone to the International Flora Expo on the outskirts of the city.

Orchids of every species and colour, including some I've never seen before - and I come from the Land of Orchids!

The expo wasn't only about flowers. There was a section on fruit and vegetable carving (above) and mini-inscriptions (below).

At the Folk Arts Pavilion, traditional arts and crafts were recreated and exhibited. (Above): The Chinese character for 'egg' was inscribed inside this empty egg shell. It was so miniscule that one could only discern it through the magnifying eye-piece in the glass casing.

I had time to cover only one of the four parks at the Flora Expo before night fell. The long queues at most of the pavilions were a huge deterrent. But it was worth the 20-minute wait to view the EcoArk. It's the world's first LEED-certified building (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design). The entire facade as well as the interior ceiling and lighting system was constructed from 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles. The structural framework was built with bamboo and beams made from recycled steel. The EcoArk was engineered to withstand large earthquakes and typhoons. Incredible!

Time to bid "Zai Jian", that's "See you again" to Taipei. It's been a hectic four days in the city sampling the food and getting to know more of the people and the culture.