August 14, 2007
In the news - Eating Disorders "Too thin teens" - Sunday Times
Anorexia cases here are up and the attitude of some teens that it's hip to have the illness has doctors worried
ALL she wanted was for her sisters to stop calling her 'fat' and 'bimbo' and to win more friends at school.
And the best way to get there, she felt, was to lose the baby fat on her face. But that led her straight to hospital and 'humiliating' treatment for anorexia nervosa.
The 14-year-old's plight is sadly typical of most sufferers of the eating disorder.
Like many victims, Michelle - not her real name - is from a middle-income family, goes to an elite girls' school and does well in her studies.
Her problems started last year in Secondary 1.
Taunted by her classmates and sisters, she started rejecting food, eating only vegetables and small spoonfuls of rice for dinner, sometimes her only meal for the day.
'All the girls around me were very thin and they all seemed to have many friends. I felt very left out,' said the pale, rail-thin teenager in between sobs.
When a school trip came up earlier this year, a teacher noticed her bony frame and sallow face and decided she was not well enough to go. The school counsellor then alerted her parents.
By the time Michelle's mother, Mrs Lim, checked her into the eating disorder programme at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) last month, the 1.5m-tall teen had lost 10kg in six months and weighed just 29.5kg. She should be at least 42kg to qualify as healthy.
Mrs Lim has since taken Michelle out of SGH after objecting to its order of complete bed rest. Michelle could not shower for days and had to use a bed pan, which her mum called 'humiliating'. She also wrote to The Sunday Times and Singapore Children's Society to complain about the treatment.
But her illness did not come as a complete surprise to Mrs Lim as she had been through it herself.
'I was hoping it wasn't anorexia, but I was in denial,' said the private tutor. 'I didn't want her to end up like me.'
Michelle, who still suffers from hair loss, severe constipation and insomnia, returned to school last Wednesday, but dealing with her illness will be a 'long, hard process', said Mrs Lim.
It is a traumatic story that is becoming increasingly common here. There are no statistics on eating disorders, but a 2005 study cited 126 cases of anorexia seen by the Institute of Mental Health from 1994 to 2002.
Before 2002, SGH, the only hospital here with an eating disorders programme, saw about 20 to 30 patients a year. Last year, it saw 200.
What is concerning professionals is the attitude of some of the teens who see anorexia as hip.
'There is a copycat effect. It's like an 'in' thing among girls, especially those in girls' schools and universities,' said Dr Liow Pei Hsiang, consultant at Alexandra Hospital's psychiatry unit, where the number of patients seeking treatment for eating disorders has doubled in four years.
And so it is. Michelle and her classmates fight to be the skinniest in class. 'We would try to outdo each other by seeing who ate less that day, or who exercised more,' she said.
The most common eating disorders are anorexia, in which a sufferer severely restricts food intake, and bulimia nervosa, which involves bingeing and purging.
They hit females 10 times more than males. Females in adolescence and their 20s are particularly vulnerable, said Dr Lee Ee Lian, senior consultant psychiatrist and director of the SGH eating disorders programme.
At least one top girls' school, Methodist Girls' School, has seen a slight rise in the number of students with eating disorders but counsellor Ann Robers declined to give figures.
Teachers have been given checklists designed by Mrs Robers to help identify girls who may suffer from any psychological problems, including eating disorders.
The students are also regularly weighed in physical education class - if their weight drops sharply, the counsellor and parents are notified.
The Health Promotion Board is monitoring the issue and organises seminars for teachers and school counsellors on dealing with various health issues, including eating disorders.
SGH's Dr Lee has seen her fair share of truly challenging cases over the years, like several teen patients with body mass indexes (BMI) of nine and who were so weak they could not speak or swallow. The healthy BMI range is from 18.5 to 22.9.
One anorexic woman was hospitalised 50 times in four years while another had severe psychotic depression. 'She heard voices telling her to kill herself, which she eventually did,' said Dr Lee.
The eating disorders programme loses one patient every year to suicide, pneumonia and starvation. Not all suffer from eating disorders exclusively; some may have other psychological problems.
Studies put the mortality rate of eating disorders at between 5 and 20 per cent. But even if you do not die from it, there could be long-term effects like brain atrophy, osteoporosis and infertility.
Dr Ken Ung, of Adam Road Hospital, says 10 to 20 per cent of those afflicted never recover.
'Every time I see a case, I pray and try every trick in the book. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't,' said Dr Ung, who treats up to 50 new cases a year. 'You can say, 'You're not getting out of here until you put on 5kg'. But when she leaves, she stops eating again.'
One 13-year-old sufferer who is determined never to starve herself again is June (not her real name).
Last year, the 1.53m-tall teen ate only bread and hit her condo's gym every day. 'I would look in the mirror and still think that I was fat, although I was actually very skinny. I wanted to eat, yet I told myself I hated food because I was afraid that I would get fat.'
She was always tired, getting styes and coughs that would last for months.
After her weight plummeted from 40kg to 32kg in the first four months of last year, she started to will herself to eat and is now 43kg.
The youngest of three children of a university lecturer and housewife can proudly say she wolves down four slices of pizza at one sitting. 'And I feel like a whole new person,' she said.
SELF-DELUSIONAL
'I would look in the mirror and still think that I was fat, although I was actually very skinny. I wanted to eat, yet I told myself I hated food because I was afraid that I would get fat.' JUNE, 13
Eating Disorders
ENTERING Ward 46A at the Singapore General Hospital takes a bit of doing.
Visitors to Singapore's only eating disorder treatment ward must navigate a maze on the sixth floor of Block 4, before reaching the ward tucked away in a corner.
Bags and pockets are checked to ensure no one is sneaking in food, as patients are on strict dietary and weight-monitoring regimes.
Once inside, the silent presence of painfully thin, pale girls greets you. Each sub-ward houses about five to six patients.
The days are not regimented except for two things - dreaded by patients - meal and supplement times.
'They are the most stressful parts of the day,' said 14-year-old Michelle (not her real name), whose mother had her discharged after a three-week-long stay.
Patients said they get an hour to finish their food. Nurses peer at plates and bowls and if they leave so much as a piece of chicken fat or rice grain, the meal is marked as 'incomplete'.
That spells trouble for patients as it means they will have to swallow one more supplement on top of the three they take a day.
Desperate means
NURSES readily admit they have become stricter and craftier over the years as they try to keep up with the girls' creative ways of making food disappear.
Some patients throw up right after a meal, shovel food into their hospital gown pockets or even hide it between their sheets.
'We used to allow them to toast food, but they would just burn it deliberately,' said one nurse.
But hunger fuels their creative juices. The girls say they compete to see who succeeds in not gaining weight as the days go by.
Lynette (not her real name), 13, even did star jumps in the shower to try to burn off calories. She was caught and doctors apparently ordered Complete Rest In Bed (Crib) for the four girls in the sub-ward.
That meant they could not shower or use the bathroom for days on end. All bowel movements are done using a bed pan.
Even standing on the bed is banned.
For their own good
SUCH methods prompted Michelle's mum, a 43-year-old home tutor, to write to the Singapore Children's Society and The Sunday Times describing them as 'sadistic, inhumane and humiliating'.
The senior consultant psychiatrist and director of SGH's programme, Dr Lee Ee Lian, said Crib is meant to be 'life-saving and curative, not punitive'.
Defiant but dangerously sick patients who refuse to eat sometimes have to be strapped down or force-fed through a tube, say doctors.
A specialist at Adam Road Hospital, Dr Ken Ung, said: 'Such treatment methods are primitive. But they have worked.'
August 13, 2007
The girls behind this BIG project
This project is an intiative of four girls from the TKGS Interact Club ...
The TKGS Interact Club is the youth wing of the Rotary Club of Singapore. It is an organization for schools all around the world to help students get involved in leadership and service. Interact, which comes from inter (national) act (ivity), enables us to interact more with the society and take part in other community involvement programmes. These in turn open up our eyes to the world of the less privileged and broaden our horizons.
The newly founded Interact Club in TKGS, is a club launched for pupils who are keen in making a difference in other people's lives. Interactors will be given a chance to learn the skills of interacting with different groups of people through various activities and components of community service. One such example would be the BP Mentoring which started in the year 2004, where Interactors mentor students from Tanjong Katong Primary School and Haig Girls' Primary. Interactors will also have the opportunity to travel overseas to meet with other interactors from various countries to learn and share experiences, as well as to exchange cultures. This will allow our members to be exposed to what we do not encounter in our everyday life. Our theme for the Installation is " Sol Eterna : Eternal Sunshine". This represents our Club's intention ? to keep on shining and bring warmth to every nation in the world.
Thanks for the guidance and support by Ms Gladys Hoy :)
August 12, 2007
August 10, 2007
"Barbie"
Some months back, I did a project on Barbie culture, exploring the consumptions of norms and ideals of beauty.
Do you live a life like Barbie's?
Growing up, do you idolise or wish you can be Barbie and why?
Barbie Doll – Marge PiercyThis girlchild was born as usualAnd presented dolls that did pee-peeand miniature GE stoves and ironsand wee lipsticks the colour of cherry candy.Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:You have a great big nose and fat legs.She was healthy, tested intelligent,Possessed strong arms and back,Abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.She went to and fro apologizing,Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.She was advised to play coy,Exhorted to come on hearty,Exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.Her good nature wore outLike a fan belt,So she cut off her nose and legsAnd offered them up.In the casket displayed on satin she layWith the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose,Dressed in a pink and white nightie.Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said.Consummation at last.To every woman a happy ending.
August 9, 2007
Girlgems Auditions
girlgems auditions were held on 21 and 28 July at TKGS hall.
6 teams are going into the finals on 25 Aug, STAY TUNED!
The Wonders
and Siti (not in photo)
SUPPORT US!
Photographer: 'Mentor' Peishan, ex-tkgian and AWARE volunteer
8pm at Bugis, Delifrance
BUSY WITH PROJECT!
take ONE...
August 8, 2007
TKGS celebrates National Day Celebrations with Carnival Day
| National Day Celebrations cum Carnival Day on |
| On Wednesday 8 August, the TKGian community will be celebrating National Day through community service. Every year, the school creates opportunities for the students to plan activities for the community on Carnival Day. This year, the school has merged our National Day and Carnival Day celebrations. On 8 August, TKGians will be involved in a host of activities. They will host our guests from various community groups who will be joining us for the celebrations. At TKGS, the students believe that small acts of kindness will go a long way, especially if it comes from the heart. Community spiritedness is imbedded in the school's culture. In previous years, the school started off by showing the students how to be involved in community programmes. The perseverance of the school has paid off in that now the students are coming forward and initiating their own projects to serve the community. Besides being involved in planning the activities, TKGians are also encouraged to support 'Be Yourself Day', a community service initiative in support of causes like AWARE ( A ssociation for W omen for A ction and RE search). TKGians will show their support for the cause by making a donation and coming to school dressed in their ethnic costumes or red and white outfits. See latest news>>Photos coming up! |
August 5, 2007
Famous TKGian
FAMOUS TKGGians and more....
Dr Kanwaljit Soin (AWARE founder and ex-President, Ex-TKGian)
Ruby (Act3)
Felicia Chin - MediaCorp actress (softball, ex tkgs, vjc; Graduated 2000)
Jade Seah - Miss Singapore Universe 2006 runner-up and MediaCorp host (Graduated 1999)
Halimah Yacob - Member of Parliament
Suzanne Ho - ChannelNewsAsia Newscaster
Support TKGS and AWARE... BOOK A SPOT NOW!
>> To purchase ticket, email: girlgems@gmail.comor go to TKGS at 20, Dunman Lane, Singapore 439272
For directions, see >>
Support 'The Wonders' - TKGS! Youth-for-causes
Tanjong Katong Girls' School Presents
GIRLGEMS 2007
Date: 25 August 2007, Saturday
Venue: Tanjong Katong Girls' School, TKGS Hall
Time: 6
(Doors open at 6pm)
Ticket price:
$12 - Seating
$8 - Standing
Light refreshments will be sold.
Parking fee: $2
*Limited carpark space
in aid of AWARE.
Proceeds of this fund-raising event go towards AWARE youth programmes.
For details see eTicket (click on images below)
July 25, 2007
July 20, 2007
Public Images of Women
........here's some reflections ...
the fantastic AWARE drama workshop that I attended last Saturday from 1.30 to 5.30pm. In that room at aware centre, there are about 15 participants - from old women aged 60s to ladies in 20s - im one of the youngest. From different race, personality and background. Seriously, there's so such diversity and strong vibes in the room! The session was very thought-out and well-planned. At the outset, we were told to do a simple movement to introduce ourselve to the group. Can see some very curve and some very sharp moves, some natural and creative ones! Then we share stories we heard before (fables, stories) that had girls inside - Little Match Stick girl, Cinderalla, Nezha, Little Red Riding hood and discussed the meanings and stereotypes behind each. From there, we dramatise our story in 3 movements within 15min. My group (5 people) did the little red riding hood story and finally we had pose in a final position to capture with a static shot of story - what would it be? Not easy. That last FREEZE pose had to convey the whole meaning and convey the ESSENCE of the story(expression, emotions, facial expression) of the story. Little Red Riding hood, was it shock? or how smart the girl was to outwit the wolf? What are the critical dimensions to explore? The whole group then analyze that last frozen pose, the interplay of central characters and team together with our movements - Morphing. Very creative dramatisation among all the women, very expressive performance... we are all beginners in this! The next activity is my favourite! Browsing through women's magazines, cut, tear and pasting on paper - the themes,analyzing representations of women in those magazine, and re-creating them in our work of art - what are the messages, how women was protrayed and depicted in ads. Words describing and associated with the ads were written near the edge the ads. Media representation and what it tells us -HOW WOMEN were protrayed by the media. After which, each of us explore the 3D to 2D effect- lie down in a position that we want, a posture that best captured how we felt towards the whole session so far. Then we outline the person's body with crayons. These overlapping layers, gives new meanings and inspiration to more words and new creations. VOila! A piece of art that encapsulated our reflections, our ideas, our perceptions of HOW WE VIEW OURSELVES AS WOMEN (from our perpectives) in the inner circle...and how that differs from external representation by media and others.
Some questions to ponder:
Are we affect by these images? Are we challenging these? We then stood around our art and took turns to draw/illustrate with words what we "saw" from the visuals, or ideas or words that sprung to mind when we are looking at each other... the looks on our faces, our reaction to each word, emotions that beyond the layer, within us, the vibes conveyed from our interaction to words to dramatisation to action! The feeling of liberation...
The meanings of being, are fluid and changing. This is continously shaped and negotiated by our actions, thoughts, behaviour, emotions, values and representations of others and on ourselves. (as part of society) The notion of morphing, with our interpretations and ideals of self and others. Then we retold our first story that we dramatise with our movements and made changes....the difference was starck. The two representation had taken new meanings, incorporated new representation. We were inspired by one another. MORPHING rethinking what a women means to us. After the illustration, we paired up to write a story on what story we can tell or share with our children next time. The group beside me had a tale of black men and make up of the gal (metaphor); the new girl i met is a vocalist - we wrote a short story 5 lines...about a blind girl who aspires to be the first president of Singapore, ostrasized by society, when she regain her sight, she went to pursue her dream. was kinnda juiced out on ideas by 5pm on sat afternoon. Interestingly, one way of seeing is another way of not seeing....Noorlinah interpreted it as, when she was blinded - shecouldn't, when she lost it, (when she regain her sight), she became.
Many interesting stories were told, with their own fusion of ideas, lovely sharing! There's one told by Noorlinah... In her mind, she travels. A girl lives in a house full of sharp objects, of glass, of knives.. In the morning, she faces and is surrrounded by sharpness. Come 9pm, she jumps into bed, below her blanket, she travels on vessels, on ships....story repeats..then ending was she grow up to be essentric and electic. Then Noors laughs as she ends her story...The story sounded nice, with rhyming words and the tone narrated by Noor sets the mood for a lovely story to be told. Much to think about the message behind it. Another story was a the black men and how they painted the girl and one day, the mask was removed.. JooH. told of the growth of a girl to adulthood, to old age..."when you were born, you were crying; when you leave the world, you laugh and others cry. Another tells of the boy who held on to the chocolate and didnt eat it along the way, while others did and had many ways to do it along the journey, while he kept it to share with his sister at the end, as promised. It was the hope that kept him alive. We had to choose a story from the whole group and dramatise in 3 moves. Coincidently, and unplanned, 2 groups - my group and another did the black men one. both group was very different in the dramatisation. VERY!
At the end of the session, each of us wrote a letter to ourself , " Dear Peishan, .." and wrote what we learn and what one say ourself. After today's workshop, I felt liberated in some sense. The representation of ideas, and interaction with this group of special women gave me strength and new perspective of things. We also ended the session with a body movement that we started - presenting a movement that best represent one self, the essence of you as a person. The session was facilitated by president of SDEA - Noorlinah (a very vibrant chinese lady) - part time teacher at Laselle, conducts classes for the prisons. Next up in may is a drama workshop that helps bonding between parents and children. Felicia volunteers at North light sch. Both with so much passion in drama. Thanks Joo Hymn for organising this wondering session. The new exco is headed by ex-AWARE president Constance Singam. see SDEA singapore.drama.educators.association >> http://www.sdea.org.sg
We then stood around our art and took turns to draw/illustrate with words what we "saw" from the visuals, or ideas or words that sprung to mind when we are looking at each other...how we had inspired each other... the looks on our faces, our reaction to each word, our imaginations, our (hidden) emotions, the layering, the diversity of women present in the room reminds me of the stages of growth (from youth - women), the vibes conveyed from our interaction to words to dramatisation to action! The feeling of liberation...
July 11, 2007
Girlgems is about YOU and everything you CAN be.
:: Girlgems ::
The extent to which young women will go to achieve the unattainable goal of a body beautiful, is alarming: According to recent media reports, the number of young women suffering from eating disorders in
The narrow definition of beauty offered by media images and society's mindset has left most young women walking a tightrope. As young women, let's work towards rejecting the beauty myth and reclaiming our body in an empowered way.
To this end, we are organizing a hip, fun and attractive event to promote confidence within one's self regardless of shape, size and colour which has an impact on younger women.
Concept
We have decided to name our event "Girlgems" as we believe that every girl is as unique, dazzling, sparkling and special in their own way, just like a gem.
Girlgems allows every woman to appreciate herself for what she is and what she hopes to become. It is a validation of self. It's about being comfortable with who you are and recognizing your potential to be all that you can be. It is about being true to yourself.
Girlgems is about YOU and everything you CAN be.
It is an all-female event held exclusively for youths ageing ranging from 13 to 21.This would be held on the 25th of August. Only females are allowed to participate in the competition. However, males are allowed to attend the event as a part of the audience. In this event, performing arts groups from several Secondary schools and Junior Colleges will be taking part in a competition, by performing basically anything that would promote self-esteem and confidence. They would have to form teams or participate in the solo category and perform a dance or a song.
Objectives
Through this event, we aim to positively impact on younger women in
Our target is to raise $10,000 for AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research). AWARE is a registered Charity formed in 1985 that serves to provide women with optimal opportunities to realise their full potential.
The proceeds raised through the event will go to the youth public education programmes at AWARE. The funds raised will go a long way towards developing youth programs and workshops on self-esteem/body image, and other such programmes targeted at risky youth behaviour. The youth programmes under AWARE Training Institute serve to educate and empower youths to cope with the pressures of being young women and provide them with the skills, knowledge and information to make informed and responsible decisions. The funds will also benefit the research and campaign on Body Image.
We hope that sponsors will come forward and support us in our efforts to raise awareness to the issues of positive self–esteem in younger women, whilst raising funds for a worthy cause. If there are any sponsors who are willing to help, or any associations, companies or organisations who are willing to help with publicity, we would really appreciate it.