I am MAD - Part I

A better title than the above can be "Anger Management". But I prefer "I am MAD".


It's usually not a nice sight when someone is angry (which realistically prompted me to find the most ugly picture around)

Personally I tend to just sulk and frown & coop it inside & hope that it will go away soon. Then I go all quiet. My good friend always tell me that much as I try to act normal she can easily tell when I'm mad. hahha...

What's your first reaction when you get upset?

1) Fly into a temper?
2) Let out a word or two to ease the frustration?
3) Coop it all inside yourself & hope it goes away?

From my personal experience. Option 3 is not that great a choice. I can keep keep keep & try to stack it deep deep down inside. But one day... just be prepared.... one fine day the volcano will still explode cause it's full!!! :(

The brain BECOMES what the brain DOES

A professor shared that this quote that really impacted me. The brain BECOMES what the brain DOES.
E.g. if you keep reading books, your brain becomes an expert in reading books;
if you keep watching television, your brain becomes an expert television watcher.....OOOHHH

We are in the News!!!

Jan 17, 2007 - The Straits Times
By Tan Hui Yee & Chua Hian Hou
IS THERE A GAMING ADDICT IN YOUR HOME?

IT MAY start out looking like a harmless hobby, but for more and more Singaporean youths, video and computer games are becoming a serious obsession.

Five or six years ago, about one patient under the age of 19 admitted to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in a year would have problems associated with gaming or Internet addiction. Now, about 12 of the roughly 200 new young in-patients the institute sees every year need treatment for such problems, said Dr Daniel Fung, a senior consultant psychiatrist at the IMH's child guidance clinic.

The warning signs are varied, but not difficult to spot: withdrawal from social activity, worsening grades, restlessness when away from the computer and even outbursts of anger if prevented from playing games. The problem is significant enough that a new centre was opened in August last year to help young people truggling with game addictions. So far it has handled more than 40 cases. Touch Community Services, which runs this 'cyberwellness' centre in Bukit Merah, provides mentoring and counselling for young people and also works with their parents on the problem.

The rising number of cases comes as online video games like World Of Warcraft and MapleStory become more popular. A 2004 report by research firm IDC put the number of gamers here at more than one million.

In one case the centre saw last year, a secondary school boy had lost touch with many of his friends after moving to a new estate and resorted to online gaming to get to know people. According to Touch's cyberwellness and sports manager, Mr Poh Yeang Cherng, the boy eventually became hooked, spending more than 12 hours a day playing the game MapleStory. Once an extrovert, the boy turned moody, his grades slipped and he began playing truant. After the boy went for counselling, he made friends with the staff and mentors at the centre. Meanwhile, his mother attended workshops to understand the difficulty her son
was going through and joined a support group for parents having similar problems with their children.
Today, the boy spends only about two to three hours gaming every day and has found a new group of friends.

Mr Poh said it is important to understand the child's motivation. In some cases, he may want to feel the sense of achievement, or like the competition or immersing himself in another world. By identifying the motivation, it is easier to address the problem.

Experts said that parents can prevent their children from becoming video game addicts by keeping a look-out
for the warning signs and engaging their kids in meaningful activities. They also said that some parents who notice signs of addiction do not react until their children begin failing exams or throwing temper tantrums.

Delaying action can allow the obsession to get out of hand, making it harder in the long run to help the child get back on track.

What would you do? (part 3)

Interestingly, saw this article on the papers.

Jan 9, 2007
TEENS VENT ON ONLINE DIARIES FOR THE WORLD TO READ
(as reported on The Straits Time Interactive (Digital Life) on 9th Jan 2007):
Miss Emily Butler used to keep a pen-and-paper diary. But after her mother found it, the Arlington, Virginia, teenager started pouring out her feelings online.

'When there were days when I just needed to rant, it felt good,' said Emily, 16, a second-year student at Yorktown High School who started a blog on the site Xanga a couple of years ago.

'Once I discovered, like, posting online, it definitely became, 'Why would I write it in a book?' '

Online diaries have become a well-known phenomenon in recent years, with teenagers and young adults attracted to the genre in huge numbers.

Parents, teachers and police constantly urge young people not to reveal too much about themselves online. They warn that disclosures might be read by university admissions officers and potential employers, not to mention stalkers and paedophiles. But a review of major blogging and social-networking websites shows that online diaries remain popular for teenagers, and interviews with experts and young diarists such as Emily help explain the psychology behind going public with what used to be private thoughts.

Of course, it is hard to know how many of these diary entries represent truth, fantasy or something in between.

Ms Rochelle Gurstein, author of The Repeal Of Reticence, a book about the erosion of privacy in the United States, said the blogs seem to reflect an 'unprecedented change' in teenagers' sense of modesty.

'The teenage girl that used to be the most vulnerable, protected member of society is now unsupervised, left to her own devices, with access to the Internet, and what does she do?

'Broadcasts to the whole world to see her in her most vulnerable moments.'

Many young bloggers say they do not think people other than friends are reading their journals.

Professor Gerald Goodman, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles, said young bloggers are following a deep human impulse. 'This is practically genetic, this need to be known by another human,' he said.

Emily acknowledged that relating online provides a social buffer. But that is part of the appeal. 'Saying, like, 'Hey, do you like me?' ' she said. 'In person it would be the most awkward thing in the world.' Breaking up online is also OK, she said. Then she reconsidered: 'Breaking up online is so sixth grade. Like, by eighth grade you should at least call them.'

Teenagers and young adults are using online diaries to talk about their innermost thoughts. -- POSED PHOTO
-- The Washington Post

What would you do? (part 2)

To clarify why I didn't post what the gal actually posted in her blog but described what I read instead. This is because whatever you post on the Net is freely accessible, anyone could have easily search out who she is.

I checked up with a counsellor friend of mine. According to him, from the counselling point of view -> It's difficult to help someone who's unwilling to be help.
Been following up on her blog. She seems better now; has stopped talking about slashing herself though most of her post still revolved about her relationship woes. I guess she's just pouring her "sorrows". Not a major problem.... just that the whole world gets to read it. And if you see your name/school name up there in the blog...well well well, I won't want to think what kind of confrontation would follow.

What would you do?

I came across this very depressing blog. It's real, it's not made up or stuff. The writer of the blog was very depressed, upset, emotional. She's apparently giving up her boyfriend to her best friend. She's semi suicidal and she's resorting to slashing herself (at least that's what she claims in her entry) to release her "pain".
What would you do if you were me? A mere stranger who chanced upon such a blog? Can I help her? Or watch her waste away?

Please type your reply in the comments not the tagboard. Thanks.