What does it mean to be an inclusive society? What is life like for someone with special needs? What shall we do if close to us has special needs? These are just some of the questions Seet Ynn tackles in her Brown Bag Session, which took place on 17 February 2022. Being a caretaker to her brother, who has moderate autism, she has personal experience living with a family member who has special needs. Together with her friend, Elgin, who is diagnosed with autism at the age of four, they aim to raise the awareness of the special needs community and hope people look upon their caregivers with kindness, compassion and tolerance.
Starting off with the history of special needs education in Singapore, Seet Ynn explained that before 2004, the education of people with special needs was segregated from mainstream schools. However, 2004 was a watershed moment, stronger government initiatives were enacted to integrate those with special needs into mainstream schools. Practical changes included the implementation of the Allied Educators tutors and a series of Enabling Masterplans. There was also a greater push to understand and develop the Special Education (SPED) Curriculum. On top of academics, physical education and sports, and the arts, SPED also focuses on Daily Living, Social-emotional and Vocational domains. The SPED serves to provide early support to children with special needs, and gradually encourages independence by the end of their education.
In the second part of the session, Seet Ynn had incorporated excerpts of her interview with Elgin, where he shared about his life, from being diagnosed with autism at the age of four, to his experience in the SPED Curriculum. Elgin has hobbies in collecting and understanding mechanical clocks and table tennis, the former of which drove him to pursue Mechanical Engineering in NTU.
In the last segment, Seet Ynn shares her experience as a caretaker to her brother, Sean. Although he is non-verbal and does not understand speech, Sean is very affectionate towards his loved ones, often expressed through physical gestures. He enjoys going out and helping with chores, likes sewing and arts and crafts. He currently works at the Enabling Village and The Art Faculty, making cloth masks. Through her lens as a caregiver, Seet Ynn shares the do’s and don’ts when interacting with persons with special needs and their caregivers. Always remember to be caring, patient, gentle and understanding towards them. Always include them in activities, never side-eye and treat them as a monolithic group.
Want to better understand persons with special needs? Elgin encourages you to find avenues to interact and even take care of persons with special needs. The process could help you to broaden your horizons and become more inclusive.
We hope that you find the summary of the sharing meaningful. The world would definitely be a better place, should we all be more sensitive to others, and extend our empathy and care to all. We would like to thank Seet Ynn and Elgin once again for sharing about the topic of Special Needs in Singapore. Do keep a lookout for our next brown bag session!
Shortly after the first session of MasterChef Yang, we welcomed Chef Priscill (@taitaichef on Instagram) back to conduct our third session, MasterChef Yang Episode 3 (wonder why we’re missing Episode 2? Stay tuned to find out!). This time, our session featured 2 other local dishes, Nasi Lemak and Ondeh Ondeh.
Although Nasi Lemak seemed like a rather easy dish to make, Chef Priscill emphasised that the ingredients and spices that constitute the dish were extremely essential to bring out the rich flavour. She went on to talk about the history of the different spices that she was going to use as well as other alternative spices. Particularly, instead of using real cinnamon for Nasi Lemak, she chose to use cassia, also known as “fake cinnamon” as it is more price-friendly and does not differ much in taste. This was definitely an eye-opener for participants which will allow them to make this dish even when the main ingredients cannot be found, especially when recreating this dish overseas on their exchange or OFYP.
To start off the cooking, Chef Priscill first did a demonstration on how to prepare the fragrant rice of Nasi Lemak. As highlighted by Chef Priscill, it is crucial to make sure that the spices were sizzling on the frying pan, so that the flavour of the spice can be totally released and infused into the oil and the rice later on. Finally, the signature ingredient of Nasi Lemak, coconut cream, was added to the rice before allowing the rice to boil for a period of time.
While waiting for the rice to cook, Chef Priscill started preparing the dessert of the day – Ondeh Ondeh. Originating from Indonesia, Ondeh Ondeh is an extremely popular traditional dessert in Singapore, with its characteristic green glutinous rice ball infused with gula melaka (also known as palm sugar). Many people in Singapore would be familiar with Ondeh Ondeh, but did you know that the preparation of this dessert includes the boiling of glutinous rice balls?
Even though a single Ondeh Ondeh ball could be as small as a 50 cent coin, the effort behind each ball cannot be neglected. Other than ensuring that the mixture of glutinous rice flour and water is the optimal ratio, one must use their discretion to determine how much gula melaka to include in each Ondeh Ondeh. This is to ensure that the Ondeh Ondeh will not “explode” before boiling it into the water. After many times of trial and error, all the participants seemed to get the hang of the “magic ratio” under Chef Priscill’s guidance. Finally, participants were given freshly steamed coconut shavings to coat the Ondeh Ondeh, giving its classic look.
After all the participants were done with their dishes, Chef Priscill gave each participant ikan bilis, peanuts, a boiled egg and sambal chilli (which she was busy preparing before the session and smelled wonderful) to complement their Nasi Lemak. Besides, participants also managed to cut up their own cucumbers and tomatoes to help plate their dishes attractively.
To mark the end of the session, Chef Priscill distributed certificates of completion to all participants to congratulate them on successfully creating these dishes. Participants were extremely excited to savour their fruits of labour, especially since they were surrounded by the fragrant smell of Nasi Lemak and sweet-smelling Ondeh Ondeh throughout the 2-hour session.
All in all, this was once again an extremely engaging cooking session held by Chef Priscill. We hope that the participants will be able to recreate these dishes and share the joy of food with their family and friends. Besides, stay tuned for our next and last session of MasterChef Yang, which will feature two other very interesting local dishes.
After a long hiatus… MasterChef Yang is back with a new season!
Cooking lessons have been popular among CNYSP scholars for years. When we, the Holistic Development Portfolio, surveyed scholars last year, more than three quarters looked forward to having us organise cooking lessons again. In fact, it was the most popular choice out of the other possible events we listed.
Perhaps after their experiences in a sterile, pristine lab environment, which at times feel foreign, the scholars may be craving for a similar hands-on experience, but with a warmer and more familiar environment.
This year, the focus of MasterChef Yang is local cuisine. As part of the CNYSP curriculum, scholars will get opportunities to travel overseas for exchange and Final Year Projects. Living abroad for months, they are bound to crave for local delights. What better way to enjoy them than whipping up these meals by themselves? They will also make friends overseas, and with these recipes in their belt, they can prepare them for their hosts, spreading Singapore’s food culture.
This time around, the Holistic Development Portfolio is organising 3 different cooking sessions within the campus, at our very own culinaiRE!@Tanjong. We have invited Chef Priscill Koh (@taitaichef) from TaiTai Chef Academy as our Culinary Trainer. Having worked with our campus’ Residential Education to organise culinary workshops for 4 years, she is no stranger to NTU. Jovial, entertaining and meticulous, she sure knew how to infect us with her passion for food.
Our first session, MasterChef Yang Episode 1, was held on 7 February 2022. It featured learning how to make Roti John and Burbur Cha Cha. In this 2-hour session, Chef Priscill explains how to efficiently and skillfully prepare both dishes at the same time. Aside from just teaching us the different culinary methods, she explains the origin of the food, spreading the appreciation for local cuisine.
Did you know that Roti John was said to be created for British sailors who were craving for hamburgers back in the 1960s? However, as local Malay hawkers had little impression of hamburgers, they created “hamburgers” with a local twist: minced meat and sliced onions placed between French loaves, topped with eggs and followed by sizzles of ketchup and chilli sauce. The name Roti John embodies our colonial history with even its name being a mix of the East and the West.
I’m sure most readers are no strangers to Burbur Cha Cha, a starchy dessert thickened with coconut milk and topped with sago pearls. It may seem like a simple dish but it actually takes hours of preparation. In fact, Chef Priscill had been boiling the sago for 2 hours before the class itself. In her iteration of the desert, Chef Priscill is scrupulous to use less sugar. In order to ensure the dessert remains rich in flavour, she uses ample amounts of yam and sweet potatoes. The end result is a fragrant, delectable treat.
During the session, participants were entertained by Chef Priscill’s demonstrations – particularly impressed by how she skillfully sliced the Japanese Cucumber into diagonal strips. As a bonus, she introduced the participants to her homegrown micro-greens, such as Jade Bok Choy, for use as garnish, and even explained how to grow them.
At the end of the session, the participants were proud of their creations (and voracious to try them). Leaving the kitchen with rumbling stomachs, they cannot wait to try their self-prepared feast.
Do keep a look out for our next two sessions coming your way. We will be preparing different dishes and we hope you are curious about what they are. Until then, see you!
The CN Yang Scholars’ Club (CNYSC) is set up and run by the scholars of the CN Yang Scholars Programme. The management committee is elected by the scholars on an annual basis.
