Archive for October, 2005

Fats are good for your babies & kids

Wednesday, October 26th, 2005

As a new dad with a growing belly, the words “fats” and “babies” in the article definitely caught my attention. In summary:

  • EFA (essential fatty acids) can boost baby’s brain development.
  • Only two types of fatty acids are EFA: linolenic acid (LA) and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA).
  • Our body cannot make these two types of fatty acids. They can only be obtained from our diet.
  • Arachidonic acid (AA) is derived from LA. AA functions as a “brain messenger” or neurotransmitter.
  • Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) is derived from ALA. DHA makes up 25 per cent of the brain’s grey matter.
  • EFA can improve development of the central nervous system which in turn, will also improve IQ, visual performance and better sleep patterns.
  • Kids with intake of DHA/AA performed better in IQ tests and aptitude test.
  • Expentant mothers should increase EFA intake prior to conception until after birth. At a minimum, moms should do so for last 3 months of pregnancy and during period of breastfeeding.
  • Food sources for EFA include fish oil, and vegetable oils such as soybean oil, canola oil, nuts and seeds. EFA is also found in breast milk and some infant formulae. Also high in DHA includes shellfish and fish such as salmon, sardine, white tuna and Spanish mackerel.
  • Adults can eat up to 360g of a variety of fish and shellfish a week, or take supplements with EFA (AA, LA, DHA).

    • Enough of the EFA/AA/LA/ALA/DHA alphabet soup.

    The bottom line is this: If you want smarter children …

  • Adults to increase intake of EFA, especially for moms and moms-to-be, because the benefits will be passed on the babies.
  • Kids to increase intake of EFA via the various food sources.
  • Babies to increase intake of EFA, via breastmilk or infant formulae added with DHA and AA.

    • So, if your children do grow up to be smarter because you read this post, please name your 1st grandkid after me ;)

    Read the original article here.

    Posted in Parenting | 138 Comments »

    Our son named ‘Yahoo!’

    Thursday, October 20th, 2005

    Wouldn’t everyone who calls him be a happy bunch?

    “Yahoo! Go do your homework!”
    “Yahoo! Go pack your room!”
    “Yahoo! I love you!”

    I was inspired by this Swedish couple who named their son ‘Google‘.

    Somehow, I think my dear won’t be too pleased with my inspiration.

    Thus, the search for a Christian name for my son continues … :)

    Posted in Rambles | 47 Comments »

    What is Sony to you?

    Tuesday, October 18th, 2005

    I was reading my AWSJ “old”spaper (can’t call it “new”spaper when its dated 26sep05 when I’m reading it in oct05, can you?) and it carried an article which reported Sony’s FY2004 profit/loss.

    Know what I saw? …

    FY2004 operating profit/loss:

    8.8 billion yen : Music
    43.3 billion yen : Game
    55.5 billion yen : Financial services
    63.9 billion yen : Pictures
    -34.3 billion yen : Electronics

    I grew up with “Sony = Walkman”. Didn’t know that Sony has been diversifying over the years.

    CEO Howard Stringer wants to cut 10,000 jobs (7% of Sony’s workforce) and drop unprofitable product lines. Looks like the days of “Sony = Electronics” days might be numbered.

    What is Sony to you?

    Posted in Sightings | 196 Comments »

    Five “don’ts” when you sleep

    Monday, October 17th, 2005

    Wise words. Especially the last “Don’t”:

    Five “don’ts” when you sleep:

    DON’T SLEEP WITH WATCH
    Watches can emit a certain level of radioactivity. Though small, but if you wear your watch to bed for a long time, it might have adverse effects on your health.

    DON’T SLEEP WITH BRA
    Scientists in America have discovered those that wear bras for more than 12 hours have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. So go to bed without it.

    DON’T SLEEP WITH PHONE
    Putting the phone beside your bed or anywhere near you is not encouraged. Though some of us will use phones as alarm clocks, but please put the phone as far as possible. Scientists have proved that electrical items including mobile phone and television sets emit magnetic waves when used. These waves can cause disruptions to our nervous system. Therefore if you need to put your mobile phone near you, switch it off first.

    DON’T SLEEP WITH MAKE UP
    People who sleep with make up might have skin problems in the long run. Sleeping with make up will cause the skin to have difficulty in breathing and problem in perspiring. You will also need a much longer time to go into deep sleep.

    DON’T SLEEP WITH OTHERS’ WIFE
    You may never wake up again!!

    Posted in Chuckles | 223 Comments »

    How to sleep less yet remain productive

    Sunday, October 16th, 2005

    As new parents, my dear and I know how important sleep can be to us, and it is never enough. So when I saw this, I have to blog it:

    I’ve been talking to people for a long time about the fact that you can get by on 6 or even 4.5 hours of sleep per day without question. The secret is NOT the amount of sleep, but rather the number itself; a multiple of 90 minutes will change your life.

    Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Buckminster Fuller used this *exact* technique. Other great minds likewise used naps to their advantage including Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Napoleon, and Winston Churchhill.

    This dude, Glen Rhodes, might just have the answer for many parents.

    Who’s this dude? According to his blog, he is a musician and music producer, a Flash game developer with dozens of games for top clients to his name, an author, with over ten books and several magazine articles to his name.

    Please let me know if his technique works for you ;)

    Posted in Sightings | 100 Comments »