Sunday Shortlist
Dec 2, 2007

To round up my new weekend schedule (following the announcements of the Friday Flip-Through and Saturday Sharing sections) is the new Sunday Shortlist – yes, I have a thing for alliterative names. In the past, people have said that I find good links, and I personally enjoy sharing the interesting things that I read. But I also don’t want to clutter this blog too much with links that I can’t add that much to. So that’s what this section is going to be about. A shortlist of the best links I’ve found over the week. Enjoy.

Soften Your Eyes and Study Ordinary Things Intently – HELLO, my name is Blog!

There’s so much we can learn from the world around, even from the ‘ordinary’ things that we normally don’t notice. Scott Ginsberg gives us 2 articles with good reasons why we should, and some tips on how to notice these ordinary things.

Children of Overbearing, High Stress Parents Hit Singles and Doubles – Ben Casnocha: The Blog

Not a statistical study by any means of imagination, but still a good article. Being an Asian, I completely agree with what he says. And that’s precisely why I don’t really fit in with the Asian culture. I don’t want to settle for just being better than average. I want to make history.

I Am Imperfect!

Interesting (some may say weird) blog, but it serves its purpose well, and has a great message. We’re all imperfect in one way or another, and Obreahny O’Brien shares and celebrates those imperfections. A great encouragement for all of us to love ourselves just how we are. Link via Boinkology.

9-year old suspended for ‘hate crime’ – The Arizona Republic

Really ridiculous situation. And really goes to show how oversensitive we’ve become. Link via Hoovaloo.

Passion lessons from an amoeba – The M.A.P Maker

Curt Rosengren encourages us to find the path that fits us, inspired by a comment about amoebas.

If you’ve come across an interesting page/site that you want to share, feel free to email me or add a comment, and I’ll be glad to include it.

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Students Lacking Sleep
Nov 29, 2007

New York Magazine published an article last month about how kids today are getting a lack of sleep. And apparently, their cognitive performance suffers because of it.

Here’s the numbers from the article:

Half of all adolescents get less than seven hours of sleep on weeknights. By the time they are seniors in high school, according to studies by the University of Kentucky, they average only slightly more than 6.5 hours of sleep a night. Only 5 percent of high-school seniors average eight hours.

I really do think that it’s a good study, and a point well worth making – that students today are overstressed and overworked. But reading it, I’m kind of cynical as well. Mainly because, well, here in Singapore 6.5 hours of sleep a night tends to be a rarity in itself. At least from the schools I’ve been in, and the friends I have. I used to sleep about 6 hours, and that was average (or slightly above average). I’ve got lots of friends who sleep less than that, staying up to do work. I would say (from my personal experience) that a 15 year old student here averages the same amount of sleep as the “seniors in high school”. Just for the sake of comparison, there were days in my last school where my school day lasted from 7.30am to 6pm. Which is ridiculous, if you ask me. Given this sort of schedule – and the addition of homework – is it any wonder students lack sleep?

I know this post sounds cynical and angry, but part of this is just a rant against the education system. Especially the system here in Singapore. Because I really think that something needs to change.

Link via Nerd News Radio: NNR #33

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"Ha ha ha. Merry Christmas"
Nov 19, 2007

That’s what Santas in Australia are being asked to say.

Apparently, Westaff, the supplier of Santas, believe that the “Ho ho ho”s could be frightening to children, and also is possibly insulting to women. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. The rate at which phrases are being censored is amazingly stupid. At this rate, we’ll probably end up not being able to say anything at all in due time.

But what makes it even more ridiculous is the target of the censorship. Santa Claus. The powers that be can’t even leave Santa alone, it seems.

I’m glad, though that people are speaking out against it, and that some Santas are not going along with the policy (a couple quit because of it). After all, if even Santa can’t be himself, what about the rest of us?

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