Sisters make us nicer

A new study has shown that sisters make us nicer people.

Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah have found that growing up with at least one girl in the family wards off feelings of loneliness, guilt and fear as well as boosting confidence.

Any sibling, especially a sister, encourages a spirit of generosity and reduces one’s risk of depression. Why? Girls are more understanding, kind and loving than boys.

Note this: endless fighting between siblings is actually a good thing. According to the study, arguments and hostility teach children how to make up and regain control of their emotions. However, it is important that siblings have good relations with each other.

I have older sisters: three to be exact and we squabble, but we get over it in the end! If the study is anything to go by, that means I have three times the positive influence!

In the past I have always envied people with brothers. Maybe I should be more grateful that I have sisters instead. Well that’s what they would probably want me to think. :p

Writing this article made me think of that super cheesy song ‘Sister’ by S2S, an Australian band that nobody remembers. How relevant! For nostalgia’s sake, here is the video. Enjoy!

Not everyone will be a MasterChef

It’s been almost a fortnight since Masterchef ended. The show was a massive phenomenon. It was what everyone talked about at work, at uni, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Even the Sydney Morning Herald was obsessed with the show going by the heavy content that was published while it was on air.

Masterchef was definitely one of those rare gems in that it was a reality TV program that actually had substance unlike trash such as Big Brother or Farmer Wants A Wife.

In cheesy terms, people enjoyed the show because it showed average Australians pursuing their dreams of being a chef. I’m sure that because of the show, more people now want to become chefs and own their own big restaurant. There’s even a kids version of Masterchef that will be hitting screens soon.

I do think it’s good to be inspired by the examples of others, and to pursue cooking if it’s a passion. However, not everyone is going to be the next Jamie Oliver or [insert name of a famous chef], write best-selling cook books, or manage a successful restaurant that attracts global attention.

In last week’s MX, readers expressed such views to the paper.

“It’s not as glamorous as they make out.”

“I am a chef too…I am thinking of driving buses. They get more money and a life.”

“I’m the partner of a chef. He has no life outside his job. We see each other every now and then yet we live together. I don’t think people appreciate what hard work chefs do for all of us.”

I know that being a chef is not always the best job in the world. My dad is a former owner of a small Chinese restaurant and it was exhausting and time-consuming. I barely saw him since he was at work. There were no set holidays, weekends were work and it was just stressful.

Now, of course there are people who work their way up to the top and become managers of a major restaurant or even several. There are usually people who are working for you and in some cases, you don’t even have to be there physically at the restaurant. In that case a culinary career is fantastic. But not everyone will make it that far. To do so would be a “dream”, the buzz word used by Masterchef contestants.