Seize the Day

The Mr. Brown Show ; Minister of Ponding

2012-01-26T21:58:00.005+08:00

This is the local comedy satirist blogger, Mr. Brown, whose impersonation of a local minister (fictitious of course) strikes a hilarious chord for the hot topics of the day in Singapore. If you are interested in Singapore and Malaysian politics, this videos for you.

Happy Chinese New Year all

2012-01-24T23:45:00.000+08:00

Here's wishing all family and friends a happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year of the Dragon !

At my brother in law's place for lunch today

Every Chinese New Year for the last 25 years as I recall (1987 or thereabouts), my mother would make preparations for her entire clan of sisters and only brother to invite them to my house for Chinese New Year. This tradition was stopped last year when my dear mother passed away at the good age of 80 (81 in Chinese terms). So there was no celebration, as with the Chinese custom, there was observance for at least 49 days.

This year, our family was invited to my brother in law's house for CNY lunch and later in the evening, my son Noel invited his group of class friends from Sec 4, all young men, to our place for a barbecue and of course, some gambling. So, it was back to meeting of family and friend again.

Lets remember that the bonds of family and friendship are all important in our daily lives, so Chinese NewYear or not, lets set aside time to build the bonds which will be life long lasting.

Enter the (year of) the Dragon ; Sunday 22nd Jan 2012 10.34 pm

2012-01-22T22:29:00.001+08:00

In a few hours time, the Rabbit will go back into his hole and the dragon will make its fiery entrance. What will the year bring, in terms of health, family, business, fortune, luck, weather and relationships ? This movie was the apex of the brilliant career of the martial arts 'king fu' icon Bruce Lee and it was his last movie, when he died of a brain enema after that. Starring Bruce Lee, Linda Miao, Jim Kelly and John Roper, this movie is a must have for all Bruce Lee fans.

Try to get it downloaded and watch it, for its authentic (no stuntmen) portrayal of the fights.

SNSD aka Girls Genration - Genie

2012-01-14T13:26:00.002+08:00

Finally some accountability from a very public service provider

2012-01-08T22:51:00.000+08:00

The former CEO of SMRT,Ms. Saw Phaik Hwa

Friday 6th January, last Friday, the embattled CEO of SMRT, Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit finally submitted her resignation after 2 unprecedented major breakdowns of trains on the 14th and 16th of December 2011. There were massive train disruptions islandwide on the 14th leading to almost 200,000 communters stranded, some in cold dark tunnels and having to walk in total pitch blackness and to make matters worse, there was a message flashed on the SMRT Taxi satellite booking screens for an 'income opportunity', as there were tens of thousands of stranded passengers wanting to go from point A to point B and with trains down, the taxis could have a 'boom time'. How insensitive and opportunistic an act could have been done was put down to an error in using the 'wrong template' ! Imagine people who are stranded and left in a lurch, some panic stricken waiting in a darkened and stuffy cabins with no lighting. There were several who had breathing difficulties and anxiety attacks who were warded.

First and foremost, the SMRT is a service provider, people have practically little or no choice to commute to work, home, meeting points and customer locations for the same expense,so the reliability of the trains working is No. 1 priority, the timing arrivals between each train during peak periods is No.2 and the pleasantness of the rides be it how packed, and the staff service attitude is a close No. 3. Many people who take the trains were complaining bitterly about No. 2 and No. 3, firstly the signalling system was quite old technology, leading to trains arriving almost 4 minutes apart during peak times. Many commuters also had to take the reverse direction of where they wanted to go, just to get to the depot, where they could sit out a 45 minute train ride, as well as the packed trains were frankly a big bugbear everyday compared to other MTR (Hongkong) and JAS (Japan) systems which frankly are worldclass, with arrival times of trains less than 2 minutes most times. In addition, there is the dry climate and more civic centric peoples who are used to the daily squeeze, so the rides are much more pleasant and in fact, impressive compared to ours.

The CEO, Ms Saw Phaik Hwa after immense public scrutiny and unhappiness from many sectors decided to take responsibility and resigned with immediate effect. She will be around to assist in the public inquiry and there is will be major questions in Parliament about Singapore's 'First World Infrastructure' such as the SMRT breakdowns, 'clawlines', recent floodings, and 'ponding'. Its a new awakening for our society, people want and demand explainations and solutions with 100 % transparency. This is meritocracy, you pay for the best, you expect nothing less in performance.

Its high time our trains provider did a major evaluation and overhaul of its systems and processes, including people renewal. That is the way forward in this 21st century. No more 'mandarins' who are indispensible.

If you want to be 'First World', invest in the infrastructure first and then go and attract the good people. Not the other way around.

K Pop groups are BIG - KARA

2012-01-02T22:59:00.001+08:00

During my recent family holiday in Japan, during the evenings, after dinner, there is little else to do but watch some TV like the variety channels and sports channels - all in Japanese. So I chanced upon the variety show which featured JPop bands, KPop bands and also Lady Gaga. It dawned upon me that the KPop Bands are really taking the world by storm, with their catchy tunes, too beautiful singers both male and female (I'm not complaining, they're eye candy) and fantastic dance moves. No wonder, during the recent MAMA (Asian MTV awards) all the top Asian MTV prizes went to Korean K Pop groups such as Girls Generation (SNSD) and Super Junior. Don't call me a fuddy duddy just yet, there's still time for me to enjoy the happening from our Northern Neighbours.

Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Britney Spears and Gaga's gang all seem like grandmothers compared to these starlets.

Watch STEP the video and see for yourselves.

My skiing experience

2012-01-02T11:37:00.000+08:00

This is my 4th ski experience and while I have had ski lessons and ski camps before, I would like to highlight that the skiing experience is alot like what life throws at you. Firstly, one must invest in the equipment like boots, skis, clothes and of course training. Next, there will be teachers who will guide you along the way. You make mistakes, and after a number of classes, you are on your own. Its alot like life, when you are young, your parents feed you, house you, take care of your educational emotional and spiritual needs training you and providing you for the day you are ready to face the world.

Once you have acquired the basic skills, you set out, and take on the pistes. There are beginner, intermediate and expert pistes (ski runs), you try according to your confidence, ability level and guts. Its the same with life. You ski down the slopes. make S turns, know when you slow or speed up and fall down sometimes. The better skiiers are the ones who are more resilient and will pick themselves up after a fall. You will only learn more about yourself after a setback, so try out more and more challenging courses. Do remember to help the less fortunate along the way. That is what life should be.

Seize the day.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-02T01:06:00.000+08:00

Each year, I make some resolutions or goals which I want to achieve and have a look at them every few months to see whether I have achieved them or not. I have been doing this for about 10 years already and its an effective way to see whether I have actually improved my situation, personally, financially, as a leader, father, friend and husband and colleague. One of the things life experience gives you is that you are ultimately the recipient of the decisions you make - most of the time. On the occasions when life throws you a 'curve ball' you have to adapt and try to hit it as best as you can and not strike out. That's life. Some people have it easy, when they have a wealthy family, and have intelligence, looks and seem to live a charmed life. Many have to sweat through the daily grind just to take home a basic pay. There is no such thing as fairness, unfortunately, so the more adaptive you are to the situation, the better your chances of making the best of it.

I had 3 setbacks or 'curve balls' thrown at me in 2011, 2 personal and 1 businesswise. My dear mother passed away on 8th January 2011, my son had to struggle with promotion in college and my company was axed from certain territory in a key product. It would be easy to blame people or God for all of these, but God helps those who help themselves. Rather than get angry with the situation, get even and take each happening as a life experience. Many a times, we cannot predict the unfortunate event or even the 'good luck' that befalls us, so its best to be 'adversity adaptable' and be ready for the challenges and curve balls life throws you. Anyone can react to having 'good luck' or winning the lottery, once in a blue moon. Everyone can spend money, few can actually create value and earn money. Even fewer can earn and save money for retirement as the costs of retirement go up exponentially every 3 to 5 years.

Perhaps it was OK to say, lets save $1 million and I can afford to retire at 55 and live till 75, thats 20 years spending of $50,000 per year for 20 years, providing the fact that there might be unexpected health issues which require major surgery which will wipe out $250 K from my insurance. Because, I am talking about improving standards of living and quality of life, that the costs of living decently escalate. Say a person retires at 55 and lives till 85 (quite possible now). Given that he has adequate insurance to cover for health and hospitalisation costs, that is a whopping 30 years. For $50,000 per year, that is a sum total savings of $1.5 million IN CASH. Many people will say, OK, I will sell my house, say 10 years time, and cash out and move into a smaller place, perhaps public housing, and attain the cash of say $1.5 million, plonk out $500 K for a HDB flat and problem is solved. Maybe NO, there will be a surplus of people who will be selling the private property at that time, and prices may actually DROP.

Scary scenario of hundreds of thousands of aging baby boomers selling their property in 10 to 15 years time and finding out that the golden years, actually, they have little or no money left. But then again, thats 10 to 15 years time. We are living in the present right ? RIGHT or WRONG, its a financial life choice you and I have to make to ensure that our golden years are indeed, golden, with the help of money, not too much, but enough.

" Be prepared" - the Scouts motto is the best attitude to adopt in uncertain times. Stay focussed and stay the course, and we'll be on track again. Seize the day my friends. Have a Life Plan, Do it, Check it and Action on it . Fine tune it along the way. Have a healthy, happy and successful 2012.

Mount Tomamu

2011-12-27T23:01:00.000+08:00

   This is the 'easy' slopes of Mount Tomamu, where my family and I are staying at the Towers (Twin Towers) at the base of the mountain. There are a total of 17 slopes, ranging from 'beginner' ( in reality one needs to be able to control one's skis - and an intermediate skier) to intermediate and 'advanced'. They even have pistes (ski trails) which the expert skier has to register his ability at the front desk before you are allowed on these untried (for many months before the ski season opens) paths and one literally has to depend on one's skill in going down sometimes a 60 degree slope.

   In late January or February, depending on the amount of snowfall, the resort will offer "Heli Ski", this is for the expert skiier, who is prepared to take extreme risks and be dropped off from a helicopter at a height on the mountain, perhaps 3000 ft and he will then have to find his way down, else he risks certain serious injury or death, if he goes down an ice-covered cavern, like you see in movies. Of course the resort authorities know the mountain well, but its really a lot of mountain to cover with so few trained support staff on skimobiles.

   Going forward, I hope my company can do well enough in future to incentivise the staff by going on an all expenses trip such as this. Wishful thinking ??

Video of the powder snow in Hokkaido

2011-12-27T22:43:00.000+08:00

This video shows how soft the powder snow in Hokkaido, where my wife was filming my son and I outside the restaurant and I dove my hand in to the snow only to get an icy shock. See my reaction after I put my ungloved hand into the snow.

White Christmas from Hokkaido

2011-12-26T22:58:00.000+08:00

Night Scene of our Tower Hotel from the Forest Mall

Dear friends, I was busy the last 10 days or so, and did not have time to update my blog. I heard some crustacean had 'highjacked' it for a few hours while I was intoxicated with sake and sashimi, but rest assured that nothing like that will happen again. When the SMRT says that the trains will be running fine the next day, see what happened ? For one to maintain a high level of transport efficiency, one has to do thorough reliability checks and aging tests, like using stress screening equipment, to ensure the long term reliability of their hardware, ie. trains and their tracks is up to standard.

This picture was taken when we first arrived in Tomamu ski resort, Hokkaido on 18th December, the Towers in the background are where my family and I stayed for 5 days, and the weather was snowing for maybe 4 days, the atmosphere was quite unreal and the photos which I took were quite undescribable, but really pretty pictures.

Here's wishing a belated Merry Chistmas to all my friends and followers of my Blog. Whats that picture of the Crab in a previous post ??

A belated Merry Crhistmas from Hokkaido Japan - from a friend

2011-12-26T22:44:00.000+08:00

   Thats me, with some parsely and lemon.

   Hello everyone, my name is Kani, Japanese for Crab. I have hairy legs like Mark and I have taken over writing this blog, as he is too busy eating my fellow crustaceans or crabs. He's full of crab right now, and also has too much Sake to write anything sensible in this column, so I took pity on him, and decided to write this post. He was too busy on holiday in December to post anything for over 3 weeks, shame on him !

   Anyway he threatened me that he would eat me soon enough, if I did not do something useful, so I decided to write this post. Our species are called Snow Crabs, or Long Hairy Leg Crabs and we live off the cold waters of Hokkaido island. The Japanese have long been catching our kind for centuries and we are best eaten, grilled, deep fried or steamed with some vinegar. I don't think humans taste anything like us crabs, and we have many hundreds of offspring, much more efficient producers than humans, though I heard humans are causing havoc with the world we live in, with their cars, aeroplanes and airconditioners, leading to many natural disasters caused by their neglect. Its time for everyone to DO THEIR PART to save our world.

   Uh, Oh, that fellow, Mark is eyeing me right now, I better sign off and hide behind this parsely.
If I don't see you again ; "Merisu Chrismasu " and " eat Vegetables !! " Forget Crabs ! They take too long to eat ! "

Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon 2011 Route

2011-11-30T23:32:00.000+08:00

I have been wanting to upload the route for the Standard Chartered Full Marathon 2011 which starts on Sunday morning at 5.00 am at Orchard Road outside Mandarin Gallery,unfortunately the uploader only accepts .jpg and .jif files, so anyway to help me mentally visualise the route, I will list down the main roads,

a) Orchard Road outside Mandarin Gallery
b) Dhoby Gaut
c) Stamford Road
d) Chinatown Station (MRT)
e) Robinson Road
f) Esplanade Drive
g) Temasek Avenue
h) Park beside F1 Pit Building
i) Nicoll Highway
j) Mountbatten Road
k) East Coast Park Fort Road
l) East Coast Park Bedok Jetty (21 km turnaround)
m) East Coast Park return
n) Sheares Bridge
o) Singapore Flyer Road
p) Marina Barrage
q) Padang (End Point)

Wish me luck ! I have trained for at least 4 months on and off, so I hope I can complete it in a time below 5 hours, say 4 hr 45 minutes. Depending on the weather, and my preparation, I hope its not wishful thinking !!

Happy Birthday to my Mum, Anna Abisheganaden

2011-11-30T23:13:00.000+08:00

Picture taken in 2006 during my Mum's 76th birthday,which is 30th November

She would have been 81 today.

Almost 1 year has gone by since you left us,

The pain of separation is still raw and

The love still lingers in my heart for you,

My dear Mother,

Rest in peace in Heaven, with Papa

Happy Birthday, with much love

Your Son, Mark

Tiong Bahru - a step back in time

2011-11-27T00:32:00.001+08:00

The blocks retain the facade of the 1970s,

with circular staircase landings erected on the outside of the block

Nestled between the bustling Chinatown People's Park Complex and Bukit Merah lies the lowrise Tiong Bahru estate. It has been slated by the Government for conservation, amidst the rapid development of our country. I drop my wife and maid there every Sunday at the wet market to buy the fish, meats and fruits and vegetables. While the market is termed a 'branded' market serving only the best choice fish, cuts of meat and vegetables, it has a strong following amongst many elderly folk and a fair number of people come there in the Benzes, Audis, Lexuses and Porshes from all over the island to buy the weekly groceries.

The wide walkways and space for the groundfloor units to have their little 'garden'.
Something which is only unique to older estates such as these

The estate next to the Tiong Bahru market has retained its laid back charm, with the low rise HDB blocks a major attraction for many yuppies or young urban professionals. Its facade is of that from an earlier less complicated time and around the neighbourhood there sprouts many small bookstores, boutique shops and knickknack shops which give this neighbourhood a quaint 'Notting Hill' feel.

I will find some time to explore the place and have a good cuppa while reading a book - one day.

Happy 92nd Birthday Papa

2011-11-27T00:17:00.000+08:00

   This picture was taken sometime in 2005,most likely around Christmas 2005, judging from Hannah my niece's age (1 year). My Dad had suffered a fall in 2003 so he was walking with the aid of someone, though by that time, he was already 86, an advanced age. This was one of our regular Christmas and Chinese New Year's gatherings organised by my Mum every year since the early 1980s
So for 20 + years, we have celebrated Christmas and Chinese New Years, with my Mum's immdiate family and close friends of ours at our family abode.
   Papa's birthday was 23rd November.

   Here's wishing you a belated birthday in Heaven Papa. Happy Birthday.

Finally, a Business Class Seat

2011-11-27T00:02:00.000+08:00

The cubicle ensures privacy, seats can recline fully,

and I have the full entertainment centre console

Finally, after 9 years in business on my own, I can say that I can afford to take a Business Class seat, without feeling that I am overspending. I have taken Business Class and even First Class on short haul flights to Penang, KL and even Bangkok but this is the first time (if I recall rightly) I have paid for and fully enjoyed the Business Class service on India's Jet Airways.

The occasion was for the confirming of a new partnership with our partners based in Rookee, about 4 hours drive from New Delhi, so I decided to take the Business Class together with my lawyer, as the conveniences afforded to the Business class travellers such as the lounge and easy check - in are really what makes it premium priced. The ease of checking in, the no hassles in luggage handling and of course, the little cubicle which offers me privacy without fighting with the elbows of the neighbour or having someone's head on your shoulder and vice versa - for 5 and a half hours no less.

Of course, as a businessman, I have to be mindful of the impact of travel costs, but for one - off visits such as these, its money very well spent.

Gone but never forgotten ; Geoffrey and Anna Abisheganaden

2011-11-26T23:48:00.000+08:00

The niches at Spiritual Grace Columbarium of my parents

Geoffrey and Anna Abisheganaden

At the columbarium off Upper Thomson Road, in a small church called Spiritual Grace Presbytarian Church lie the ashes of my parents, Geoffrey and Anna Abisheganaden. I made the visit there to the niche today with my younger son, Andrew, 14. My Dad's birthday falls on 23rd November, while my mother Anna's birthday falls on 30th November. My father would have been 92 this year and my mother 81 this year. My birthday falls on 27th November, tomorrow to be exact, and I am humbled to be celebrating the birthday today while remembering my beloved parents who toiled and hepled lay the foundation of my life through acquiring a good education, having a global exposure while still young through travel and now, after 17 years in business, a new direction in the form of business development.

Dad and Mum, you have given John (my brother) and I a very good foundation through family care and a headstart in our lives through your selfless love, care and hard work in the past years so that we are now, growing steadily with our families and careers, business, friends can finally see the vision and wisdom of your past sacrifices.

I salute you, Dad and Mum. Rest in peace. From your loving son, Mark.

Life can be unpredictable

2011-11-14T16:19:00.000+08:00

     For the last 1 and a half years, I was thinking of expanding my small business to include Thailand, with a substantial cash outlay to provide for a new setup with new partners. Sometime in July this year, I made the decision not to go there, perhaps by divine direction, and decided to expand further in Singapore.

     I am thankful that I did not take the 'plunge' (literally) as can be seen by this video from Youtube, my major customers, suppliers and competitors are literally underwater. Major customers such as Western Digital, and many car companies, are reeling from the major flooding which has not occured so badly in over 60 years.

     I pray for the future of Thailand, and with a plan and a prayer, go forth unafraid in Singapore.

Dire Straits Local Hero

2011-11-07T10:25:00.000+08:00

   One of the best rock guitar solos I've heard in a long time. About 2 months ago, I bought a Yamaha keyboards and have been tinkling away at the keys everyday for about and hour to two. The funny thing about my life, when I was a boy (many many years ago), I hated playing the piano. My parents signed me up with a good classical piano tuition teacher, Mrs. Magdelene Leong and her lessons were held every week at her home n Butterfly Avenue. I was made to practice scales, arpegios and a whole range of songs from Beethoven, Mozart, Scarletti and Franz Lizt. I initially enjoyed the piano lessons and advanced up to a pass in Grade 7. I prepared for Grade 8, but lack of interest (I thought, foolishly at that time that piano was for sissies) and other activities made me give up - right at the last hurdle !!

   So, as one can see, I have in the last decade plus, have made amends, first taking up my first sport I truly enjoy and love, running. Secondly I redid my karate training from scratch and now an active member of a karate dojo in Tanglin Singapore. Thirdly, I am now rediscovering my musical interest and really love playing the keyboards a number of songs from Christmas Carols, School Songs, Popular Songs and maybe some current love songs. I don't see the need to take my Grade 8 (complete music level) exam, unless I intend to pursue a songwriting or musical career, but I am completely satisfied with the path I have chosen thus far. I thank my parents for giving me the opportunity for the first 7 years of piano playing under a strict and excellent teacher, and my buddy Roland Teo, who has a band and I have my motivation to practice all kinds of Rock songs from Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Taiwanese songs created by Roland.

   Life is not about accumulation of money and power. I humbly suggest everyone reading this post to assess what life is to you and take the first step to achieving that goal. You will find immense satisfaction once you have started along your path.

   Seize the Day

Communication Skills - the very essence of a happy work and life.

2011-10-26T21:37:00.000+08:00

This is an old cartoon emphasising how important it is to have excellent communication skills. Many a times, I see people who are study smart, or intellectually brilliant but unable to enunciate their needs or wants to their colleagues, friends, subordinates and bosses.

You can be a driven, motivated person, but if your boss doesn't see you as such, then the impression works against you. So, communciate well. Your eye to eye contact, your pitch of voice, your sitting position, your dressing for the occasion, your demeanor, your charm,composure and manners. All these are the unconscious signals you send (whether you are aware or not) to the persons around you. How you carry yourself, in short. I never mentioned a single thing about substance or message which you are trying to send. Even a greeting is practised to perfection if you want to impress somebody.

The last great Republican President, Ronald Reagan, was an excellent communicator. He wasn't a brilliant intellectual like Barack Obama. He was a Grade 'B' actor acting in many films which in short didn't win him any awards. But his presentation and acting skills were put to good use, when he acted for the Screen Actors Guild against the Hollywood bosses. From there, his star began to shine and he went from strength to strength. Many people rate him as the Big Gipper or the 'Great Communicator',he was idolised by many in the American population for his strength under duress. But he wasn't a brilliant person, only mouthing many ideas and thoughts of his backroom teams.

Most of us have only our brains as our backroom teams. So, use it all the time. Do not make impulsive decisions or use words carelessles without thinking beforehand, espescially in work situations

when meeting especially with customers and vendors.

Look at the cartoon again. Put your brain into gear before opening your mouth. Offer non-verbal communication when and wherever you can. It is an art. Practice makes perfect.

Bangkok is facing the crisis of epic proportions

2011-10-21T22:56:00.001+08:00

Raw Video: Floods Swamp Bangkok Neighborhoods by associatedpress

Bangkok facing massive flood crisis - worst in over 50 years.

2011-10-21T18:33:00.001+08:00

   I called several friends today by phone, and was shocked and saddened to learn that a business associate has lost his house totally submerged to the floods in Thailand, the worst ever in over 50 years. Several other friends' companies are also partially submerged, ruining millions of Baht of equipment. Over 1000 factories are affected, many shut for the forseeable future, and our old customers such as AAT Auto Alliance Thailand (Ford Mazda) has its production lines stopped due to parts stoppage from parts suppliers who are shut or worse. Toyota has shut its factory and so has Honda too as of today. Many thousands of car owners are parking their cars on the high flyovers in Bangkok to prevent them from being washed away or flooded making them totally out of use.

   I thank God, for divine providence, I was all ready to invest into a new venture into Thailand by June of this year but somehow did not do so, instead decided to expand further into my home country Singapore.

   I pray for all the friends whose jobs, livelihoods, businesses and homes are being threatened or wiped out every hour of each passing day. Lets hope this disaster ends soon. After this, ALL OF US should take ownership of our actions which is causing Global Warming and causing freaky weather patterns, polar caps melting, and rising tides.

Club Med Bintan 22nd - 24th June 2003

2011-10-19T13:20:00.003+08:00

My father Geoffrey (83), son Noel (7 years) and mother Anna (73)

Andrew, triumphant with his potato crisp

Can I have some please ?

My father and mother dining at Club Med Bintan

With regards to my post earlier about my son Andrew, here are the pictures of that famous Bintan trip in 2003, the first picture up at the top shows them in the ferry with Noel in between his grandparents taking the 1 hour ferry ride. As I recall, we went for 2 trips to Bintan first in 2002 and then in 2003, after which my father suffered a fall in November 2003 which weakened his legs.

Andrew (2nd picture) was extremely successful in extracting maximum benefit from all the holidaying families on board the ferry. I am reminded of the saying "when there is a will, there is a way" so it is always good to stay positive and not be disheartened when things do not go exactly as you planned it.

Our family had alot of fun at Club Med, with the grandparents enjoying the beach and sea-breezes, us parents playing tennis and swimming, and the boys doing everything from playing the water-slides, tennis, and archery. Club Med also has a Kid's Club where you can park your young ones and let the minders take care of their entire activity. We let the boys go and have fun for 1 day while we had time to ourselves.

The 4th picture shows my Dad and Mum dining at Club Med Bintan. The great thing about Club Med is that its an 'all-inclusive package' for 1 price per person, so food, drinks (wine and beer) are all free flow. However, we had young children along, it wasn't good to quaffle too much and get drunk lest you give them the wrong impression !

A memorable trip, for me, May, my parents and definitely for the boys.

Worried about you - Rolling Stones 1981

2011-10-16T22:21:00.000+08:00

   The MTV version of the song performed by the Stones in 1981, just after the album Tattoo You was released, I believe it was the Rock Album of the Year. As you can see from the video, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards (Lead Guitar), Charlie Watts (drummer), Ronnie Wood (Bass) and Chris Perkins were thoroughly enjoying the session even though it was in front of the cameras.

   I suspect Mick, Keith and definitely Charlie were into some drugs then, as can be seen by their rather stoned out expressions, but as rock and roll stars, its "par for the course" or common practice in the Western world.

   My best slow rock song at the moment !

Coolest 65+ elderly gentlemen in the world - The Rolling Stones

2011-10-15T23:06:00.000+08:00

Rock On Guys ; Rock On !!

Happy Birthday Andrew - in advance !

2011-10-15T21:01:00.002+08:00

Family portrait in Egypt 2009

Andrew is on the extreme right, Noel is to my right.

In 10 days time, my younger son will be 14, a fully fledged teenager. How time flies. I still recall the days when he was a baby, and he had a thick shock of hair, a mango-shaped head and smiled many times to everybody. When he was a toddler, he charmed many people, with his winsome smile and easy demeanour. He was never short of people wanting to carry him.

One trip, some 9 years ago, my parents and our family went for a 3 day 2 night stay at Club Med Bintan, Indonesia. Andrew was around 4 years old, and was a real bundle of energy- as I recall. My wife, May had packed for the 1 hour ferry trip plus half hour bus trip to the resort, alot of nice healthy fruits and cooling drinks, fearing that the boys would be out running around in the hot sun, and sea, and eating all kinds of junk food. So anyway, as we were in the ferry for the 1 hour ride, every other family, had bags and bags of potato crisps, and soft drinks. So, being the street smart fellow all of 4 years old, Andrew ignored the fruits and barley drink which May had offered to him. Instead, he went all around the ferry and started chatting with the fellow holidaymakers, total strangers. With his winsome smile, charm and some pathetic looks, he managed to get (this is no joke), enough packets of potato crisps to feed him and his brother, Noel. We we stunned speechless to say the least. This boy can fend for himself in future life, I think.

Happy Birthday in advance Andrew !!

Sports Karate Anyone ?

2011-10-15T12:05:00.000+08:00

The Karate Club which I have been an active member of for the last 10 years is on a recruitment drive. Helmed by Sensei Chia Kwek Fah, who holds the title of "Hanshi" and has a 7th dan Black Belt in Shitoryu style karate. We conduct our classes every Sunday from 6.00 to 7.30 pm. Interested participants can come a little earlier and speak with the class instructors, Sensei Mickey Tay or Sensei Jason Chua who can assess their fitness and flexibility level.

Whilst running is an excellent cardiovascular and aerobic exercise, one must cross train, so either swimming, martial arts or the softer exercises like yoga and Pilates would be recommended for one's personal fitness regimen used together with running. From the sports experts, one needs to have training in the following 4 key areas to fully achieve the benefits of fitness, they are :

a) Endurance (running, cycling, triathlon,walking,swimming)

b) Flexibility (Yoga, martial arts, Pilates)

c) Strength (Weights training)

d) Balance (Martial arts, Yoga)

Exercising of Core muscles (belly) area is a must for middle aged men like myself. So there are alot of leg raises, crunches, turning kicks, poses such as the cat stance, which require core or stomach strength.It is essential that core muscles are first strengthened before attempting to do these exercises. Hanshi Chia also holds a Bach of Sports Science (Edith Cowan, Australia) and is well qualified to train not oly karatekas but also can offer body conditioning classes.

There are currently about 50 regular trainees, ranging from 5 years to 60 years old, so I am not the oldest !!

So stop sleeping the whole afternoon on Sunday, get up and work that body !!

Elderly Man in Tiong Bahru Market Food Court

2011-10-14T10:59:00.001+08:00

This elderly man was trying to talk to anybody around him

This morning while having my fish porridge breakfast at Tiong Bahru market, I noticed an elderly man, in his 60s having a cup of coffee. Midway through his coffee he put it down and started to mutter first to himself and later to the 2 elderly women next to him, who ignored him. He also tried to talk with another woman seated across him, but she ignored him too.

In relation to my earlier post, when one has developed a purposeful life, sometimes it is sad to see people like the elderly man, with no friends or no one to talk to. My parents are great examples of people who have lived full, purposeful lives and helped many people in times of need, paying for the University education, in their jobs, and creating opportunities for many young and not so young people. They were always popular with many friends right up to the day they passed away. It is with great admiration that I can learn from my parents' examples and I hope I can develop that kind of success which they had demonstrated all those wonderful years and touched the lives of many.

What is the point of dying rich, in a big house, with many millions in the bank and no one bothers to come for your funeral ??

How does one define and achieve Success ?

2011-10-14T10:52:00.002+08:00

Picture taken from 'Entertainment Daily'

This endearing picture above shows a little boy standing on the beach, with his hands clenched on a fistful of sand and staring determinedly at the photo-taker. He has a look of determination on his face, which says "come what may, I will overcome".

Well, it is only partly true, in my book. Having been running a business as well as raising a family, for almost 20 years, we should all look at ourselves and define, what is success actually ? I recall playing the game called "Careers" or "The Game of Life" whereby the playing board represents Life and one goes out to achieve a total of 60 units of either a) Fame (celebrity) b) Money (tycoon) or

c) Love ( Hard to define this person, but I guess someone who is in Love). If only life were that simple.

   Money, for almost everyone on this planet, with the exception for a few lucky souls like Royal families, and scions of billionaires, is very important of course. But there are many people who have worked and slogged and made a pile and find that at the end of life, a certain emptiness. A lack of creating a footprint for others to follow. So while Money is important, but the endless pursuit of wealth will leave one devoid of empathy, or concern for one's fellow man. I find these never ending pursuits of the so called 5 Cs quite disturbing in our rich and plentiful Singapore. For those who are not familiar, the 5 "C"s young people strive to achieve are a) Condo b) Car c) Country Club d) Career and e) Cash

   All these have to do with material things. Young and not so young people strive to drive the latest sports car or status car offerings, while the women carry the latest designer handbags and sport the 3 karat diamond rings. They may offer satisfaction, but only for a short while, before the yearning for something bigger or better or flashier. So making a lot of money is not Success.

   How about Fame, well some people want to be seen with the stars and crave attention. See all the famous Hollywood, Bollywood, JPop, KPop and HK stars. They make alot of money, have all the attention BUT have no private life. They have major crises, take drugs, gamble, have affairs and are afflicted with all or even worse problems than us 'nobodies'. So, Fame is also not Success.

   Love, ah, Love is always the one true emotion. Yes, one can have alot of Love, but can we get by with giving Love to our loved ones and live on fresh air, love and music ? Dream on ! Love is an emotion, so we all have the capacity to give and receive Love. So Love by itself is not Success.

   So what does one do to achieve Success ?? First lets try to define Success.

   In my humble opinion, first look critically at your own life. Identify what you want to change for yourself. It may be trying to improve your standard of living, your car or apartment, or even taking more holidays. Once you have identified and managed to achieve them, STOP. Look around you, there are many many more millions of people worse off than you. Why go on and on the merry-go-round of endless upgrading form HDB flat, to Condominium to House, to MASSIVE DEBT ?

   GAINING OF MATERIAL THINGS IN LIFE IS NOT SUCCESS, ITS MEANINGLESS !!

   So in short, SUCCESS in LIFE is TAKING THE PURPOSEFUL JOURNEY.
   IT HAS NO END POINT.

Living a purposeful life helping one's family, community, friends or religion without a thought for one's situation is a Success story in itself. But before one can start doing that, he must be financially secure and have relevant income streams so that Money and Family stability are not compromised. Here is where, everyone deviates or does not agree upon. What is Financial Stability ?? $10,000 ? $100,000 ?
$ 1 Million ? $ 10 Million ? That magic number depends on one's personal sense of comfort. A hypothetical example, take Mr. A : " I am 45, I have a flat, my kids have finished school and I take public transport to work. Wife is a good cook and we dine out at restaurants once a month. I have saved $ 100,000 for my next 5 years and can start to do some community work or help out in my Church outreach. Its time I gave back after having taken from others all these years. "

   Very noble. I salute these people. These are the true Success stories in this dog-eat-dog world.

   So, in the end, the church,temple and mosque helpers will say, "Doesn't matter. God will provide" However, in many circumstances, but there are many hard luck stories who have fallen by the wayside in the pursuit of the wrong goals and have relentlessly used or adopted these mannerisms in their daily life. I list them down, these are the 7 Deadly Sins.

1. Lust
2. Greed
3. Sloth (Laziness)
4. Anger
5. Gluttony
6. Hatred
7. Envy

So in short, I would define Success in one's own sphere of life, as being able to do what he/she wants, growing in character, and ultimately in helping others without much thought of one's well being. To get to that point, one needs to take stock of one's own life and be SATISFIED with whatever he already has, and not be green with envy that the neighbour has gotten a new and bigger car than him, or is going for holidays every 3 months while he has to slog just to pay the bills.

To achieve success, one has to have these traits or acquire these attitudes :

a) Dogged Determination to reach the goal 40%
b) Resilience in bad times 30%
c) Vision to dream where he wants to be 30%

Seize the Day my friends. Life is there for Living. Don't Moan or worse Bad Mouth others. Be a Winner and Doer not a Whiner and Drop Outer.

Farewell Steve Jobs - You certainly changed our world for the better

2011-10-06T21:16:00.000+08:00

Kylie Minogue

2011-10-04T22:49:00.000+08:00

Kylie is definately the pop princess of this 2 decades. While Lady Gaga is more the alternative rock with some questionable dressing style and shock persona, Kylie is all gamour, class with a very techno-pop infused latest album (2010) called Aphrodite.
This is the last song of the album. Should have been released as a single.

Beatles Obla-di Obla-da

2011-09-20T21:28:00.001+08:00

Jacky Cheung - God of Song ; a classic

2011-09-12T22:16:00.001+08:00

My old school friend Ho Keen Fi

2011-09-11T22:47:00.000+08:00

   I went to my old school reunion - its been 33 years since we left Secondary school,man it feels like perhaps just last year after meeting up with the 'boys'. One of the weirdest stories I heard was this friend our ours who is called Ho Keen Fi. I recollect he was quite slim and handsome and had some personal issues in school, we all had some personal issues when we were say 10 - 15 years of age. He had some problems with school authority, and wasn't liked by some, but to me, he was a person with no bad intentions in his heart.

   Anyway, my chum Yap Tzin Haen, told me a bizarre story thah Ho Keen Fi was running from the authorities in the USA because he was an overstayer, where he stayed illegally for over 6 years. I believe his friends are trying to make a documentary about his trials and tribulations after he was caught by the authorities and put into immigration detention.

   It is as bizarre a story as it is real. He was caught by the authorities while he was travelling to LA in a Greyhound bus, and his friends put up a documentary and a video trailer to ask for legal help pro bono for him.

   To Keen Fi, all the best to you ! Its been so long and you look so different, but if you are out there send me an email or facebook message. Take good care of yourself. From an old Saint to another Saint.

New President Dr. Tony Tan

2011-09-02T09:54:00.001+08:00

A song for a our President :)

The recent Presidential Election hustings from early August to 27th August saw a total of 4 contenders vieing for the top ceremonial post. The President's main responsibility is to act as the custodian of the country's reserves and only he holds the 'second key' or the final 'OK' should the Government of the day decide to use the country's hard earned reserves (estimated at many hundreds of billions of S$) for causes such as stimulating the economy or creating more jobs.

   Dr. Tan is an esteemed person having worked recently as the Chairman of Government Investment Corporaiton of Singapore. (GIC). In a career spanning 25 years with the Government, he has served in the past as Education and Defence Minister and also Deputy Prime Minister. So he is no stranger to holding higher office positions.

  Why did many Singaporeans NOT vote for him then ? he garnered only 37.2 % of the popular, just making it by the 'skin of his teeth' over closest rival Dr. Tan Cheng Bock, a medical practitioner, who got 36.8%. So Tony won by a mere 7,250 votes, in a total vote count of more than 2.25 million.

  It stems from the fact that Tony is seen to be alinged to the ruling People's Action Party for so long, that critics say that he is unable to 'wear the hats separately' or think and decide independently should the day come when the PAP dominated Government needs to make the critical decision. That is the main reason.

   Dr. Tan Cheng Bock is seen as a more 'independent' candidate,and Mr. Tan Jee Say - the opposition's choice.

   Looking at the past records, Mr. Ong Teng Cheong performed the role of President most admirably and he even had a public clash with the then Prime Minister of the day Mr. Goh Chong Tong when the First Asian Financial Crisis hit in 1998-1999. Then, Mr. Ong wanted to use the reserves, but the Government was adament not too. Singapore not only survived that crisis but went on to much greater heights becoming the highest GDP growth economy in 2010 with 15.5%.

   So it boils down to the numbers,right ? With good GDP growth everything can be managed right ?
I for one do not think so.For Singapore's case, its always the head ruling the heart, but in the end, we must never forget, yes if the head is gone, one can still carry on, but when the heart goes, everything goes.

   Our President must be able to emphatise with the 'little man' because it is because of the many millions of 'little men' whose humble, hardworking lives and their critical decisions put the President and the Government there in the first place. They should never lose sight of that critical decision.

   Seize the Day.

Coolest Car Commercial - check this out !

2011-09-01T20:23:00.000+08:00

This has got to be THE commercial of the moment. Kia has enrolled a bunch of LMFAO shufflin hamsters to do the dancin to the tune of the Shuffle Anthem. Watch it and be enthralled my friends. !!

China vs Singapore in World Cup 3rd round leg - 2nd September

2011-08-30T11:47:00.002+08:00

   The first match to be played for the World Cup 3rd round qualifiers is between China and Singapore this Friday 2nd September. The match will be played in high altitude Kunming, some 1,800 ft abve sea-level. The Singapore team arrived last Thursday and have given themselves 8 full days to acclimatise to the cold high altitude (ie. lower levels of oxygen) pitch.

   Juan Antonio Camarro's first match pitches the Chinese at 69th spot in Fifa rankings versus Singapore at 129th and on paper, the Chinese look too strong. However, don't forget Raddy Aramovich is an 'old fox' at 61 having managed the Singapore team for 7 years now. He knows the 'heartbeart' of the team, the mood of the players and most importantly, the 'sengmangat' or spirit. Many of our players are Muslim, and being away from their families and friends this Hari Raya celebrations is a major sacrifice. So, all the more they want to win with their heads and most importantly, their hearts. Additionally, they have 2 ex-Chinese nationals who are out to prove something against their motherland, Shi Jia Yi and Qiu Li are 2 members who have the opportunity to show their ex-countrymen what they lost when they were offered Singapore citizenship.

   My belief, is that if Singapore can at least hold or even win the game, the unity amongst the local fans will be even more strong, as we accept these players as 'our own'. So, much is at stake here.

   Can they do it ? My prediction is that Singapore is going to upset the formbook and win 1 - 0.

Wolves great start to season 2011-12 ; Unbelievable but then again, kudos to them

2011-08-30T11:18:00.001+08:00

Wolves 2 - Fulham 0 by kokoretsi

I am a 'born again' Wolves fan, after so many years of struggling in the lower reaches of the English League (even down to the 3rd division for 2 seasons and in my opinion 'lost in the wilderness'), they are now sitting pretty at 5th in the league, even topping the table for about 2 hours last weekend. Go you Wolves ! Finally Mick Macarthy has assembled a decent team with a worthy captain in Roger Johnson, a bargain buy at 5 million pounds from relegated Birmingham.

Lest I be swayed into delusions of grandeur, but to Wolves "enjoy your moment". You are a team with great self-belief, having stayed up in the Premier League last season by the skin of your teeth, this epitomises the fighting spirit all of us, including me, as I decide on pressing on with new directions for my business as we move on in these very uncertain times. Never lose heart in our collective capabilities, and be motivated to bring ourselves to new heights. We must and will do it !! I sound all cryptic and barmy to those who don't know me personally but I am facing challenges businesswise and will rise up to them.

What is certain for me, is that come what may, I will fight on and seize the day. Bring it on !!! Go do your best Wolves !!!

The Greatest Achievement by Singapore these 46 years

2011-08-14T22:09:00.001+08:00

       My late father Geoffrey Abisheganaden was interviewed in the book, Men in White, in it, he stated that the greatest achievement that Singapore had achieved was racial harmony. People of diffrent races, intermingling, and living side by side one another without fear and with friendship and camaderie built up through the shared struggles of a young nation. Singapore's first prime minister as an independent nation, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and his able team of ministers have done a truly remarkable job transforming a once dirty backwater seaport into a shining metropolis with a high per capita GDP and many billions of foreign reserves.

   It was not too long ago that the UK and the USA were the 2 leading powerhouses of industry and all things popular from popular culture to fashion. In the last 3 years, there have been 2 major financial crises (1 is occuring at this present moment),US is technically bankrupt with 14 trillion of foriegn debt and UK not far off, with many endemic social problem, not least is the recent riots which highlight the longstanding hopelessness of the underclass - which are mainly from certain races who have been marginalised - and tearing apart of the social fabric of a country whose standard of living was the envy maybe just 40 years ago. Now US and UK's living standards for the masses or general population is frankly 3rd world and the worst is expected to follow with massive government budget cuts, and dim job prospects for the youth livin there.

   It is with pride that as Singapore celebrates her 46th year of independence, I am especially proud of our Singapore and our country has a bright forseeable future thanks to the early founding fathers and the tough decisions made during those difficult emerging years.

Thank you Mr. Lee and members of his cabinet.

Majulah Singapura !!

Kung Fu Hustle 2004 ; Final Fight Scene in HD

2011-08-06T23:07:00.001+08:00

Classic ending to the movie. Its in Cantonese, way better than the English dubbed version. Enjoy.

Maroon 5 Moves like Jagger

2011-08-06T22:59:00.000+08:00

Dedicated to Mick Jagger no less, who is a rock and roll icon of the last 40 years. Go Mick ! No old fart "El Divo" types for me.

'Green Lantern' of Bukit Jalil - How Unsportsmanlike !

2011-07-31T13:40:00.001+08:00

Boo !

Laser light on Iswan's face

   The recent World Cup qualifying 2nd round match between Malaysia and Singapore brought out the best in both sets of players, and unfortunately the worst and shameful behavior from some so called Malaysian 'fans'.

   The picture above clearly shows one 'supporter' shining a green laser light aimed at the Singapore goalkeeper while Malaysia was about to take a crucial free kick. The faces of those beside him are those of nonchalance, or not being too bothered. This is utterly unsportsmanlike and totally unacceptable ! I heard that this shameful 'tactic' was employed during the recent AFC championships between Indonesia and Malaysia.

   If you want to be amongst the region's sporting best, please refrain from this childish and immature behaviors, it does not speak well of yourself. I am sure these idiots are a very small minority, but can tar a country's fine image of a multicultural and peaceful progressive society.

Singapore vs Malaysia World Cup Qualifiers 2014 ; July 2011 all Goals

2011-07-30T22:18:00.003+08:00

This is the summary of all the goals from the First Leg between Singapore and Malaysia for the 2nd Round World Cup Qualifiers. To be honest, I did not watch either game live, because it was too tense, and I had other ongoing appointments, so only watched the highlights of both games from the news.Singapore had been having a horrible 2010, and had the entire National team disbanded in early 2011, so that new blood could be injected, while retaining the talented, team players. I have utmost respect for Alex Duric, a Bosnian Serb by birth and who has played in Singapore for more than 10 years, applied for Singapore citizenship twice before, got rejected twice, and only got his citizenship approved in 2008.He is 41 this year, and fighting fit. He scored 2 precious goals in the first leg and headed the ball down for the 2nd leg scorer Shi Jia Yi to equalise the game at Bukit Jalil and kill off any hopes for Malaysia to advance to the 3rd round. Kudos goes to Alex !

Another 2 players who deserve special mention are the goalkeeper (3rd choice) Iswan Mahbud (21 years), and Safuwan Baharuddin (19 years).They were thrown into the cauldron of Bukit Jalil with 90,000 screaming partisan fans,who were jeering at everything related to Singapore as well as water bottles and lasers. They performed like heroes and took everything which the Malaysian strike force could hit at them (literally). Never once lost their cool or cracked under pressure.

Well done Young Men !

It was sad to see some unsportsmanlike behaviour from the fans on the 2nd leg in Malaysia, such as shining of lasers on the goalkeeper's face as well as roughhouse tactics,like heavy tackling, on the young Singapore goalkeeper. However, the police at the Bukit Jalil stadium ensured there was absolutely no violence, so kudos go to them. Its a football match, not a prelude to war.

Finally, my utmost respect to 2 other people(s), the coach, 61 year old Raddy Abramovich from Serbia who since he came in 2004, has won 2 Asian Football Championships (2005 and 2007), 3rd place in SEA games and (now) twice into the 3rd round of the World Cup, once in 2007 and now in 2011.You are No. 1 in my game as coach. May we try our very very best to make it to the World Cup Finals ?!!

The last group of people are the Die Hard Singapore Fans. People of all races, ages and professions who love the Lions so much that they travel even into the cauldron which is Bukit Jalil and came out with their heads held high and never played mind games like the name calling, laser pointing and other unsportsmanlike behavior from the Malaysian 'fans'.

Truly, great ambassadors of the country we can be proud of. I salute every one of our players,coach, Die Hard Supporters. You make me so proud to be a Singaporean.

Onward Lions ! Majulah Singapura !

Malaysia vs Singapore 2nd Leg World Cup Qualifier Match 28 July 2011

2011-07-29T00:25:00.002+08:00

   The goal from Singapore midfielder Shi Jia Yi came out from almost nowhere to equalise and effectively kill off Malaysia's chances of advancing past this stage of the World Cup Qualifiers. Another goal scored by the 'foreign talent' Shi Jia Yi. Detractors will say, "oh this is not Singapore people, just imports", but ultimately, almost 90% of Singaporeans were from overseas, from India, China, Malaysia and Europe.

   They do improve the level of our team play and raise Singapore's profile in the world standing, but that has always been the Government's game plan, attract the best and the brightest, and punch above your weight. Its a tough sell, I admit, but it produces results, and as football shows, it gives the people a feel good factor.

   Its not as if, the entire team is foreign born,so my suggestion is for at most half the team, would be a balance to satisfy the wants for local born and bred stars and some sprinkling of the best the world can offer.

   Well done to Malaysian Tigers team, they have plenty to be proud of in terms of passion and talent. However, there can only be one team to advance to the next round.

Foreign Talents in Singapore Pros vs Cons ; Verdict ?

2011-07-25T18:34:00.002+08:00

Star Striker Alex Duric shielding the ball away from the Malaysian defender

      The recent 5 - 3 win by Singapore over Malaysia in the World Cup qualifying match played last Saturday has again ignited the issue about foreign born Singaporeans, especially from our Malaysian friends across the Causeway. In the Singapore team, we have 3 - 4 Caucasian players from places like England and Serbia as well as a couple of mainland Chinese players. Previously we also had a couple of players originally from Nigeria and donning Singapore colours. Football is a passionate game and match results can unite a country or even cause unrest - see scenes from South American Copa America and other. Many people who witnessed the match and saw the result, from the sidelines did not mind that these Singaporeans are foreign born. They are proud to serve Singapore and improve the standard of Singapore football.

The question I want to ask is : Do they actually help in the OVERALL standard of Singapore football ??
Or are they denying the Singapore born players a shot at the international scene where their experience will be invaluable ? Lets take a look at a country which gave the world the modern day football game.

     The world's most exciting league is the English Barclays Premier League, top teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are global brands and have won the European Cups, UEFA Cups, Super Cups and the like. The teams have great players like Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Samri Nasir, Park Jee Young and many others, just to name a few. But the England side, what have they won ? 1 World Cup in 1966 (on home soil) and...  thats about it !

    English football is in the doldrums for as long as I can remember, and they have never made it to any World Cup final, only reached a semifinal in 1992 in Mexico. In 2002, they made it to the semis of the European Cup and that's about it. Pathethic showing for a country in which the original sport of football was founded !

   The bottom line is this, its all about money, while Singapore can afford to pay and attract these foreign born players, and now having lived in Singapore for at least 5 years, applied for a fast track Permanent Residency, get paid a good salary for an S League club, they have the opportunity to be selected for Singapore citizenship, and because of their size, natural talent, are able to lift the quality and skills of the Singapore football team for some time. Singapore were the AFC champions in 2005 and 2007 thanks to the input of Daniel Benett (England) and Mustafaric (Bosnia). We are thankful for these players and more for bringing the name of Singapore soccer to a higher level. There is no turning back here.

   The only worry I have is that the Singapore born boys and girls who have the talent of football will not be exploited to the fullest level, so that is in a way, unfair to these boys and girls. They should be given every opportunity to shine and ultimately make a decent living from sports like football. Will there ever be another Fandi Ahmad or Sundramoorthy if the football authorities keep bringing in the foreigners ? So, its a painful decision, people of the soil versus foreign born, opportunities and chances of fame and fortune. There should be a positive descrimination for our Singaporeans over the foreign born players. Ultimately, I feel we should limit the number of foreign born, be it whether they have lived here for 10 years or longer (FIFA calls for only 5), to no more than half the team, or 5 people.

    Then, there is some opportunity for Singapore born stars to develop and shine at national level, while the foreign born players raise the standards for our national team.

Kung Fu Hustle - funny scene

2011-07-22T12:00:00.002+08:00

One of my all time favorite funny movies combining great kung fu action with humour.Granted it is slapstick but the fight scenes are really good.

The Moon Represents My Heart - Teresa Teng

2011-07-20T21:37:00.000+08:00

One of the classics from the nineteen seventies, Teresa Teng's Moon Represents my Heart. She passed away almost 20 years ago in 1993, but thousands of new fans are being converted each year. She was Taiwan's answer to then China's Deng Xiao Ping. While Charman Deng captured the news of China's transformation from communist to free market economy in the late 80s to early 90s,she captured the hearts of many overseas Chinese with songs like these.

Asia - Our Time is NOW

2011-07-19T22:20:00.003+08:00

Ecstasy for Japan ; having just won the 2011 Women's World Cup

   Captain Homare Sawa and teamates celebrating

   2011 has been THE Coming Out Year for Asia. Since the Western Financial Crisis, from 2008 - 2010, Asia has been relatively unscathed. You do not hear of any Asian countries needing IMF or World Bank money, neither do you hear of Asian countries defaulting on their payments from foreign lenders. Asia has indeed been going from strength to strength since the last Asian Financial Crisis,with many countries putting into place tough austerity measures on borrowings, settling debts, bankrupting unprofitable state owned Government linked companies and, increased their saving as well as boosting their banking infrastructure, financial safety nets and spending to keep their economies growing steadily, to ensure that the current generation of middle class Asians are able to hand over some substantial wealth to their next generation. Most importantly, Asia has been the centre for low corporate taxes, personal income taxes and Asian values, such as reliance on family and NOT on Government welfare.

   On the sporting scene, Asia has been growing from strength, with Asian women leading the way these past few years. Names are hard to remember, but give them enough time and repeat victories, and the names of the winners below in their sports once reserved for typically Western atheletes will be etched in our memories forever :

Golf
So Young Kyu (Korea) USGA 2011 champion
2nd and 3rd placing were also from Korea

Football
Japan women's team World Champions 2011
Homare Sawa captain

Aye Sameshima ]

Kanna Maruyama } Both Fukushima nuclear plant employees in 2011

Tennis
Li Na (China) French Open Champion 2011

Boxing
Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) Middleweight champion for almost 10 years unbeaten.

Badminton
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) - all England Champion

Squash
Nicol David (Malaysia) - World Champion

Table Tennis
Singapore Women's Team 2010 World Champion

   I wish to encourage my fellow Asians to think deeply. Our womenfolk have shown us the way, that through sheer willpower, positive self belief, excellent team strategy and teamwork and a HIGHER SENSE OF PURPOSE, smaller built Asians CAN and WILL continue to beat their more established Western counterparts in economic development, sports and even leading edge creative entertainment at least for the forseeable future. Granted, we work together with our brethren from the Western countries for the last 20 years, and worked for their organisations 30 - 40 years before that. Now there is a PARADIGM SHIFT. The epicentre of business and commerce will quickly shift to China and India in the next 3 - 5 years and there is nothing the Western companies can do but 'jump on the bandwagon'
going EAST.

   My Dad's generation, people used to look up to the 'Orang Puteh' like they were some superior beings. Some poorly educated and ignorant people in certain parts of Asia still do. QUITE DUMB I must say. Old perceptions die hard, but newer generations of Asians will have an enlightened confidence knowing that they are living in a 'happening place'.

Its high time people Asian people realise that they are the leading economic,sporting and even cultural power now and for the next 50 years or longer.

   Its time to LOOK EAST. ASIA has arrived.

The Lazy Song

2011-07-18T23:11:00.000+08:00

Really cute song by Bruno Mars and his companions. This is talent. Some may call it smut, but everybody needs a nice laugh now and again.

I admit it ; I like Lady Gaga. Great songs, horrible music videos and bizarre dressing. A true diva

2011-07-15T21:10:00.000+08:00

With a song about Hair, and how a girl defines herself by her hair. I think, we have hit rock bottom in terms of lyrics. Listen to the chorus "I am my hair,I am my hair".

You could use this for a toilet training video or even a Fun Pack Song for NDP ! Just make sure you pay the royalties to use the tune !

New challenge - to set up a business in Thailand 2011

2011-07-14T19:52:00.000+08:00

                                                Outside Government House, Bangkok in 2008

    The year 2011 is challenging to me personally, as firstly my beloved mother passed away on 8th January. Things were going quite well, but as it is with life, you are never fully in control of every aspect, and her passing, although smooth, was a big shock to me.

      However, as the year got on, business seemed relatively stable, and now, in mid year it is the time for me to seize or create the opportunity to set up something new, not in Singapore, but to bite the bullet and set up something in Thailand. What will this bring ? Will there be setbacks ? Will the company be able to move forward and grow from strength to strength ?

      Thailand is a land of contrasts. A very welcoming people, divisive politicking, and a minefield for business investors. The appearence of any so-called 'easy money' is just a mirage. Don't be fooled by any get rich quick scheme here or anywhere else in the world.

       If it sounds or seems too good to be true, IT PROBABLY IS.

An insult to our Intelligence - Treat spectators like kiddies !

2011-07-12T21:54:00.000+08:00

This is an embarrasingly horrible remake of the Lady Gaga song, where you have the songspirators all dressed in red and white and promoting the Fun Pack for the upcoming 2011 National Day parade to be held at the Floating Platform. Talk about bad taste, first you copy the Lady Gaga song who's got no class in the first place and second you didn't get proper authorisation to air the song in public. (ie. did not pay royalties to use the tune). Thirdly, the lyrics would be better used in a kindergarten toilet training video.

It goes to show how unoriginal some of our so called 'creative talents' are.

Army Half Marathon anyone ?

2011-07-05T18:38:00.000+08:00

Cool looking pewter Finisher Medal to be won after you finish

In my run-up to the 2 major marathons at the end of this year, I have been 'invited' by my running 'khaki', to try the North Face 100 whereby each party runs 50K for a total of 100 K, and all in the Macritchie forest trails. While this may sound worse than a typical marathon, I think that the forest canopy and trails are actually better cushioning than the hard road tar or concrete surface of a road race.

So, to add to the list of 'to dos' the rest of this year, I plan to run the Army Half Marathon 21K and the North Face 100 and probably take the Treadmill Race off the list. I am at the tipping point time, whereby if I don't aim to do the things I so want to do, age and creaky bones will determine that I can't do them anymore, so :

"Seize the Day for the days of glory and youth will come to pass". Lets enjoy the time we have.

Here's to marathons # 6 and 7

2011-06-27T22:44:00.000+08:00

There comes a stage in life, when I want to take a stab at improving myself, be it, in the physical fitness department or in the mental ability department. So, for the next half year, I have decided to set myself 4 targets, 3 physically and 1 mentally challenging goals.

1. and 2. To run in the SC Singapore (4th Dec 2011) and Penang (20th Nov.2011) marathons
3. To participate in the annual treadmill race at my Club with intention to be in top 3
4. To complete 360 sudoku games correctly for 1 year.

This is done during my free time, so lets see how it will actualise or not.

Jammin' with the Boys at Boat Quay

2011-06-18T23:01:00.000+08:00

My 2nd jamming session with good friends Roland Teo, Looi Teck Kheong and James Lee at his penthouse jam studio along Boat Quay on 16th June afternoon. The view is picture perfect and the company perfect too. My amateuristic attempt at the keyboards spurs me to practice more and try to get my musical abilities act together in the near future. Here's to more jam sessions guys ! I enjoyed it tremendously.

When the Saints Go Marching In - US Navy 7th Fleet Brass Band

2011-06-15T23:59:00.002+08:00

Awesome 'dixieland' rendition of the song made famous by the great Louis Armstrong. Listen and be moved. Classic !

Worried about you - Rolling Stones

2011-06-09T21:28:00.000+08:00

One of the best slow rock songs by the Stones, from their commercially successful album Tattoo You. Worried about You.

Wurzburg

2011-06-05T12:05:00.000+08:00

   2 karatekas at the ready ; notice the different 'ready for combat' styles

   Meet my new found friend Danail from Bulgaria, he is the boss of the company representing in Bulgaria for my principal Weiss. Coincidentally, we both share the same passion for karate, and Danail has trained for 6 years with the Kyokushin school of fighters and only since last year with the Shotokan school of karate in Bulgaria.

   The Kyosushin school is heavy into free sparring or kumite and Danail has had his rib broken from a fight, amongst other injuries. It is a full contact sport, so injuries are common. Shotokan is another contact form of karate, although international competitions penalise full contact, there are 'players' who go all out in their enthusiasm to score a point.

   Shitoryu branch which I am practising is quite free flowing, although the free sparring is more of light contact than full contact. This photo was taken when we were going up to the castle in Wurzburg.
Good promotional shot for a movie I must admit.

A meal fit for a prince ; Presentation, Setting and Taste

2011-06-04T17:55:00.001+08:00

                                        Dum chicken Bryani, with ginger tea, yoghurt and condiments

           When I went for the Sales training recently in Germany, I had a free day on the first day of my arrival to settle in and catch up on sleep. I took a 'red eye' flight or one which took off near midnight and arrived early in the morning the next day. Owing to Germany time being 6 hours behind Singapore time, I arrived at roughly 6.15 am on the Sunday morning.

           Upon early check-in and freshening up, I decided to head out for lunch at this lovely little north Indian restaurant along Ludwigstrasse called (what else) India Restaurant. The fare was typcially north Indian food catered by an Indian family who have resided in Giessen for 2 generations already, and spoke perfect German (to me anyway). I decided to opt for the Chicken Bryani and was surprised at the presentation - see picture above.

          The hot plate was delivered first, then the condiments, and then came the side dish like yoghurt for digestion and finally the chicken rice (bismati rice covering the chicken which is cooked inside the rice) which was a delight to see, smell and of course, to eat.Presentation was excellent,aroma was there, and the taste was up to expectations, and even for a small town like Giessen, it has excellent Indian fare. This is the globalised world I am expecting and experiencing.

          It was a wonderful departure from the mass market Indian food which I have come to expect in Singapore, of course I can get excellent Indian food and well presented too, but for the price I paid,in EUROS (around 18), it was a lovely meal, in my opinion, fit for a prince.

          Enjoy the weekend.

One Global 'Family'

2011-06-01T11:45:00.001+08:00

Left to Right : me, Anders (Denmark), Keven (Australia)

The annual International Sales Meeting has finished 2 weeks ago, presentations were made, discussions were conducted, dinners were eaten and much beer, wine and spirits were drunk by the representatives of the principal of my company, Weiss Technik, in Lindenstruth, Giessen and Wurzburg. A sincere note of thanks and appreciation to the hardworking backroom staff for arranging such a meeting every single year since 2003.

One of the best things I take away from such meetings is the sense of comradeship from all the various reps in the world, from South America (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil), Europe (too many to name), to Asi(again in excess of 10). The reps whom we have known for at least 4 - 5 years now, are like our distant family or 'cousins' and we look forward to meeting them and checking on how things are in their distant and not so distant lands as well as their families.

We swap 'war stories' and tales of funny and not so funny incidents together (its 5 days to 1 week for many of the reps) and genuine friendships are made and I hope, treasured during our older years. Drinking, and its excesses are only reserved for this occasion for me, so its a 'once in a year' thing for me, but in the spirit of the family reunion, I say, why not ?

Anders, Keven, Danail, Miriana, Ian, Tibor, Milo, Renan, Fumio, Tamas, Alex, Meike, Flo, Andy, Vincent, and the one and only Frenchman, Herve - its been a great week, lets go get the orders and till we meet again.

Tribute to Freddy Mercury - Barcelona

2011-05-29T13:25:00.002+08:00

Done sometime in 1989, here's the late great Freddy Mercury and Monserrat Caballe with the theme song for the 1992 Olympics held in where else, Barcelona.

Barcelona 2011 Champions League Champions - Again

2011-05-29T13:04:00.003+08:00

Barcelona - Manchester United UCL FInal 28.05... by iNfRaS0NiC

A classic win by Barcelona, no doubt about it, the best team in Europe for 2011. Skills, talents, teamwork, passing they are the best. The goal by Messi and Villa are almost unbelievable, full of skill, power and positioning.

A Teenage Suicide in Singapore

2011-05-26T22:12:00.002+08:00

On 15th May 2011, Krystal Mizoguchi was found dead beside an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio. The cause of death was suicide. She was only 18 years old. Born to Japanese and Singapore parents, she came from a single parent household when her parents divorced when she was very young. Obviously teen suicides in Singapore are again on the rise, and she had kept a blog where she had described herself as a typical teenager, full of angst. When I reading her blog, in hindsight, I felt, that apart from a psychiatrist, I could not distinguish whether she was just venting her daily frustrations or really reaching over a 'tipping point'.

I managed to read the last few entries of her blog, and it spelled out how she felt she was a loser, and called her results a 'failure'. She did poorly for her PLSE (Primary School Leaving Examinations), messed up her 'O' levels and 'xxxked up' (her words) for her 'A' levels. As such, she missed the cutoff for her desired course in the Polytechnic and making it into the National University of Singapore. She cited her poor results from school as her major failure in life.

The news report also stated she had some 'relationship problems' probably with her boyfriend or family but did not elaborate.

As a father of two teenage boys, I can attest that the education system in Singapore does indeed stress every child academically. The boys have to juggle with school work, CCA and social time, plus family outings on the weekends plus many distractions from their time nowadays such as the social media, Facebook, Twitter, MSN, Skype and what not. Its a far more complex a life they lead than what I or my peers lived through when we were teens in the 70s. We only had colour TV, a Macdonalds (1 only in Singapore), movies and simple plain fun in 1976-1980. Life was uncomplicated and unfettered then.

However, seeing this sad story above must remind me and all the readers here, that althought academic results are important, the aim of getting a degree is also important, having a sense of self-worth, a stable and supportive family, friends one can confide in, religion, and an optimistic outlook are MOST IMPORTANT. There are several non-profit organisations one can turn to if one is deeply troubled like Samaritans of Singapore with 24 helplines but the issue of face in our Asian society is always our major stumbling block. Who wants to admit they screwed up, or messed things to gigantic proportions ? But bear in mind, we all are humans, and humans make mistakes.

"It takes a village to raise a child" - African proverb ; still so relevant today.

In Krystal's case, her failure to enter the local University caused her to spiral to depression,plus (possibly) parental neglect and relationship problems may have resulted in her taking this drastic action. It will be go down as another sad statistic in our increasingly complex and stressful world we now live in. What a waste.

In Germany for a week of presentations, meetings and socialising

2011-05-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

At the townpark in Giessen in 2009

I am back in Germany for 6 and 1/2 days for meetings, presentations, discussions and rounds of social dinners provided by our gracious principals, Weiss of Germany. This is a once every year affair, where all the agents from all parts of the world are invited to share their experiences in the sales, after sales and service of the world renowned brand which is practically the top brand name of its niche industry.

My companies (previous and present) have been honoured to be their sole distributor for the Weiss brand for close to 20 years (18 actually) and we have seen the many people, whom we treat as our distant and not so distant family every year as we share the ups and downs of selling the product in our respective territories.

Stay tuned for more posts on Germany this week.

An impressive new politician is born - Nicole Seah

2011-04-30T17:54:00.000+08:00

Presenting Ms. Nicole Seah, the youngest female candidate contesting in the 2011 elections at Marine Parade GRC under the NSP banner. Pretty, fresh faced, articulate and passionate about her views, she is what I would classify as a true Singaporean who cares enough to put her life under the intense media spotlight and stand up for her causes. She is very exceptional because at this stage in life, many young people, men and women (I daresay myself too) are more interested in partying and having a good time, shopping and travelling, so someone like Nicole is indeed making waves and identifying with the younger Singaporeans who are generally viewed as politically apathetic. On the ruling party's side, there is a Ms. Tin Pei Ling, who is 27 years old and has been involved in grassroots work for some 7 years.

Every person, whether they are from the ruling party or the opposition, has to sacrifice their personal space and put their entire lives under public scrutiny for the greater good of the civil society. For their conviction, taking action and standing up, they have my utmost admiration.

James Dean ; A Talent Gone too Soon.

2011-04-27T21:57:00.000+08:00

Watch the acting of young James Dean, he had a raw edge, a very haunted and painful face, and was great talent. He died in a car crash in 1955 aged 24. A loss for many people who enjoyed his acting.

Stay Focussed and Persist - Life's Story to Achieving Something

2011-04-23T09:54:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow's leaders : Noel, Alex and another Cousin

During the course of this week, as I challenge my mind and body to run and get conditioned, I am basically following the steps to achieving things :

1. Set a goal, the more ridiculous or difficult, the greater the allure or attraction
2. Tell everyone about it ; So that when the time comes, you either back down and lose face or your do it
3. Set about doing the goal, break it down to smaller goals so that you can slowly move it forward
4. Maintain a attitude ; STAY FOCUSSED, PERSIST. This is the key to achieving anything
5. Take the knocks or setbacks with a sense of the whole objective in mind. Say, this pain is only temporary, the achievement or satisfaction which comes ultimately is yours from then on
6. DO IT WITH NO FEAR OF FAILURE, OR GOING BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.

Do it now ! Time is running fast away.

Long Live Rock and Roll

2011-04-21T21:35:00.000+08:00

Chuck Berry doing his classic Johnny B. Goode. Rolling Stone Magazine, the most influential rock and roll magazine of the last 50 years, ranked this song as No. 1.

The new kids nowadays, they know nothin'. Justin Beiber and company, you are not even in the same league as these legends. Long may they live.

Johnny B. Goode - Back to the Future

2011-04-21T21:24:00.000+08:00

This clip is taken from Back to the Future which features a classic Rock and Roll song, Johnny B. Goode.
First popularised by Chuck Berry in the '50s and early 60's this song features a young Michael J. Fox and his acting is superb. Unfortunately he was struck by Parkinson's disease at a relatively young age and his acting career slowed down after the 3 films were done. Fortunately, he has made a comeback in the last 10 years with his Michael J. Fox Foundation and has been the spokesperson to tackle head on this disease. I must say he is a real life hero with a never say die attitude.

Enjoy this clip.

Its DO or DON'T DO time

2011-04-18T21:14:00.007+08:00

Its about 5 weeks till the Copenhagen maratthon. I haven't got any nay sayers dissuading me to run it neither have I got any positive comments, so I will train like there is no tomorrow, and let my body tell me whether I can take the punishment of 1 month concentrated training till the 23rd May..

Schedule : 19 - 23 April ; 5 days consecutive running.
Schedule : Tue : 10 km 19th April status : 10.2 km done in gym. Slight ache on thigh. Day 1 DONE
   Wed : 10 km 20th April status ; didn't run. I am screwed.Wait there is a holiday this Friday
   Thur : 10 km 21st April status ; 10.2 km done in gym. Day 3 DONE ! C'MON !
   Friday: 10 km 22nd April status: 10 km at Dalvey Road. Day 4 DONE ! STAY FOCUSED
   Sat : 15 km 23rd April status ; 10 km run Dalvey Road. Day 5 DONE. OVERCOME
   THE PAIN. MIND OVER MATTER ! 1 MORE DAY.
   Sun : 10 km 24th April status ; No run but 1 1/2 hour tough karate training.
   Monday 10km 25th April status ; No run but the training on Sunday is about body
   conditioning.So its 10 km

DO IT ! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE !

Seize the moment !!!!

Just a Dream Cover ; Sam Tsui and Christina Grimmie.

2011-04-17T23:08:00.001+08:00

Remembering Palm Sunday

2011-04-17T22:20:00.001+08:00

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday

     Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem

   Today is the Sunday before Good Friday, in the bible, this is known as Palm Sunday. For those not acquainted with the story, this is the Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and was greeted by all the townspeople waving palms. Many people lay down their cloaks and palms for his donkey to ride across. He was given a King's welcome, although many in the high positions (under the Roman empire) were unhappy that the unofficial 'King of the Jews' was here and highly visible. Egypt and Palestine at that time was conquered by the Romans, and the consul was a general called Pontius Pilate.

   The donkey in Eastern culture is symbolic of peace and attests to the fact that Jesus was a peaceful King.

   In churches all over the world, the palm is given out as a symbol of this day. In 5 days' time, on Good Friday, Jesus was hung on the cross some 2011 years ago. He resurrected or came back to life after 3 days and that is called Easter - that is why many Christians celebrate the Easter holiday with attending church and Mass.

Why are we here and not there ?

2011-04-13T09:53:00.000+08:00

My father Geoffrey (extreme right) with my grandparents, Aruputhan Abisheganaden (grandfather) and the missionary Pastor who converted the family to Christianity

   My father's niche

Some 14 years ago, my then business partner and myself went on a business trip to Penang. That was in 1997 when the Asian economies were booming and we had never experienced a financial crisis on a regional scale for something like 15 years. Venturing to find some breakfast, we walked past some very run down shophouses where the owners were involved in some trading business selling car accessories. Nothing unusual except that the family occupying the shophouse was Chinese. Now, I am not insinuating any racial prejudices but since my partner was Chinese and I am half- Chinese, I had an
epiphany (awakening of the senses). I questioned aloud :

" Now why did our forefathers choose to come to Singapore, and not to Penang, or Batam or Jakarta ?"
(most of the Singaporeans and Malaysians Indian and Chinese were from the mainland, and arrived in S.E.Asia some 100+ years ago or shorter and many were working as traders, coolees (labourers), seamstresses, dockhands, clerks, peons (office boys) and other menial workers). Their descendents just over 100 years later, are enjoying the fruits of their decision to come to Singapore, many are bankers, doctors, businessmen, teachers, civil servants,lawyers, accountants, all professionals - all from very humble forefathers. Strange to think that just 100 years down the road, the fortunes of the people
who were downtrodden on their luck in their home country, are doing well enough to invest sizeable fortunes and visit the mother country, where the descendents of the children of the emperors and other nobles reside. Sure China and India are emerging as economic superpowers but the opportunities for the overseas diaspora (people of similar ethnic origin) came much earlier, some 20 years in Singapore's case.

Was it pure luck, or a good decision or God's will that their decendents will be

a) flourishing and doing well (and investing in other countries like many Singapore and Malaysian coys)
b) struggling, due to ethnic strife or misfortune due to natural or man made disasters in that country

I thought again and said : " If my grandfather had not come and settled down in Singapore, but perhaps in Penang, I might be a rubbertapper, or running a murtabak stall, or a lawyer, or worse." I might have been working in the dingy shophouse in Penang and looking up at the suit and ties walking past them.

Think about your own forefathers for a minute, are you here in your country because of them ? Or did some higher being like God set a plan for you ?

Cover of Journey's Don't Stop Believing - Sam Tsui

2011-04-10T22:41:00.001+08:00

Great cover of Journey's 70s classic Don't Stop Believing. They have great talents in the US of A, and this guy is one of them. Keep rocking Sam Tsui !

No One is here by Chance

2011-04-09T21:03:00.002+08:00

Recently I visited my old Junior College, St Andrew's Junior College which is situated at Potong Pasir Ave 1 and I was impressed by the strides it has taken to improve itself over the last 30 years to be one of the top 10 colleges in Singapore. Yes, its been 31 years since I left the college and I do feel somewhat 'past it' physically but emotionally, the bonds with my alma mater are still strong. The previous campus at Malan Road (off Alexandra Road) had its share of criticisms ; it was too colourful to reflect a place of higher learning, too open (all classrooms in 1 block had only 3 walls so during the rains, we had rainwater beating in),and it had a design of a kindergarten or playschool. I enjoyed my time as a teenage student then and I hope my son Noel, now that he is enrolled in SAJC, does too.

Our principal, Bishop John Tan has long since retired,but he was an excellent leader and an upright Christian then and now. He was a no nonsense person in college and my wife and I were honored to have him officiate our wedding in St. Andrew's Cathedral on 22nd May 1993 - some 18 years ago. The vice-principal, Mr. Raymond Ong was strict too though I remember he had a very playful sense of humour with the students. Sadly, he passed on about 9 years ago at a relatively early age of 52.

At the entrance of the foyer of the college

I was in the second batch of SAJC students, way back then 1979- 80 and we had the entire brand new campus to ourselves. The teachers were very dedicated, and wanting to make a name for the college, the student cohort worked and played hard to establish it right from the very beginning. The motto then was "Up and On' but now, the college has its own called " No One is Here by Chance", reflecting the hard efforts every student has to put in to be accepted into the college. There are many past 'Saints' who have contributed tremendously to the school and college, putting in their valuable time, expertise and money to further build up the school and college's legacy.

The School and College's Track and Field

My late father, Geoffrey Abisheganaden, was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of St. Andrew's Junior College for 13 years and his love and dedication was repaid when the college sent a Guard of Honour made up of prefects to my father's funeral at the St. Andrew's Cathedral on 22nd Sept 2010.

May the college move from strength to strength in the years to come.

Siam Square - a bit of Roppongi in Bangkok

2011-04-08T09:25:00.001+08:00

Interesting Graffiti Art outside Siam Square

Choose from hundreds of small shops selling young people's fashion and eateries

I made some time to visit Siam Square for an hour or so, and was pleasantly suprised to find that it reminded me of Ropopongi in Japan, where there are many small shops and eateries catering to the young set crowd. Many high school students, young working adults and tourists alike mingled along the walkways giving it a very cosmopolitan feel. Not like your sleazy typical Bangkok alley where the lecherous (Western normally) farang (foreigner) gathers to have his beer and ogle at the pole dancers or worse. This is a false stereotype perpetuated in all those Western books typifying Bangkok as a place for sleaze with massage parlours and brothels at every street corner. Not true.

The cool temperature of about 20 deg C also led me to momentarily think that I was in Japan, at the time I was there, Bangkok was hit with a cold snap (something which was a very pleasant surprise to me) and moving around the city was literally a breeze. I did not feel that I was in a tropical third world country but rather something more akin to the North Eastern Asian country like Taiwan, Korea or even Japan.

Do visit Siam Square, its representative of the youth culture of the modern Thais, just as I suppose, Bugis Square and Junction represents the youth culture of Singaporeans.

Use Agoda for best hotel deals - President Solitaire Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 11

2011-04-07T19:59:00.001+08:00

The sofa overlooking the pool

The hallway of the Solitaire Suite

The 4 poster bed

Fresh from a recent trip to Bangkok, I managed to book a very good 4 star hotel from the internet using the portal Agoda. This was my second foray into Internet hotel bookings using Agoda this year and both times the hotels selected were within my expectations - and budget. The beauty of the portal is that it gives alot of past guests comments on everything from cleanliness of hotel room, services, facilities, accessibility to the MTRs or underground trains,breakfast spread etc. etc. so its like I am prepared mentally for what to expect.

This hotel called President Solitaire is located in Sukhumvit Soi 11, and it is very close to Na Na BTS station (Sky train). Outside the main road of Sukhumvit are the multitude of street vendors,bars, restaurants catering to every kind of entertainment, if you know what I mean. In the small road off Sukhumvit (called Soi) there are many spas, foot massage joints, restaurants and smallish hotels so the locale is very international.

This hotel deal which I booked was for roughly S$ 100 per (RM 243) night for a suite. Upon arrival, I was promoted to the 'President Suite' with a huge ensuite jacuzzi. This was definately a plus point for me. Service check-in was a breeze, the breakfast spread was very decent and there was plenty of solitude because there are not many rooms per floor as in other major hotel chains, so its very quiet, and in the heart of Bangkok too. The adjoining Amana Spa provides excellent service, and the Hot Stones 2 hour package (at S$ 150) is highly recommended.

Will I stay here in the future ? Most definately.

LMFAO - Shuffle Dance

2011-04-02T22:58:00.002+08:00

Teenagers and youngsters are shufflin' to this latest dance, called the Shuffle Dance. Can you shuffle ??

Space - the final frontier

2011-04-02T11:36:00.001+08:00

Everyone needs his 'space'

As I was doing my katas (karate patterns) in the area leading to the small garden in my house, I was struck by how premium 'space' has become in land scarce Singapore. At the moment there are 5 million inhabitants in our 'garden city' and if the Government has their way, they want to increase the population to 6.5 million in our small island of barely 850 square km. Currently, the density is 5,882 per square km.That is almost 6 THOUSAND people in an area about 2 and a half football fields by 2 and a half foot ball fields. Of course, you can build upwards, but people are land based, so thats a lot of people you will meet if you walked (in theory) for every one km either one of the 4 ways. In a simple mathematical terms, 850 square km translates to 850 million square metres, and divide that by 6 million, then each one has in theory 141 square meters to do his or her own 'thing'.

Looking at it, that is barely 10 meters by 14 meters each person or 30 feet by 42 feet each person.

Its still not too bad, but it sure feels that there are alot more people in Singapore, and adding to increased competition and stress.

Hallelujah Chorus by Handel

2011-03-31T23:10:00.002+08:00

The text is taken from the verses in the last book of the Bible, Revelations. Appreciate the music which is timeless.

6 weeks left to a marathon, and I'm in bad shape, will I give up ? Hell no !

2011-03-31T22:41:00.000+08:00

Struggling towards the finish line last December

Fresh after the last year's year end marathon (December), I decided that one of my goals is to complete a European marathon, so when the opportunity came, I signed up for the Copenhagen Marathon which will commence on 22nd May 2011 (Sunday) which is barely 7 weeks away. I am at present, still struggling to do decent 10 Km run. However, I am determined to try my best to train up and be ready for it, in seven shorts weeks. Can I do it ? Its mind over matter now.... any encouragements from readers or discouragements also I am prepared to read.

Dream big and achieve them

2011-03-24T23:56:00.000+08:00

Seeing my no-hopers Wolverhapton Wanderers beat yet another big name team, this time, Aston Villa gives me hope that even when they were bottom of the Premier League, they still had the self-belief to pull themselves together and beat, the following top teams recently, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, draw with Tottenham and now Aston Villa.

Suffice to say, that the gap between the top and bottom teams in terms of skill,strategies and motivation is very small indeed.

Go Wolves Go ! Get out of the Relegation Zone !!

10,000 views ; "Wow". That was even more votes than I got the LAST election !

2011-03-24T15:55:00.000+08:00

    Dear viewers of my blog, I am so thankful for your support. Its been a pleasure writing down my thoughts however random or far removed from real life as they may be. I enlisted even this clown (picture) to give it some comparison, or benchmark, that when I started this blog in May 2008, he was still in office. I guess I have more views than his homepage.

    Sigh, I am scraping the bottom of the barrel. To be considered more popular than the dumbest President of the United States.

    Anyway, thanks again for viewing and commenting. Hope to see 20,000 views soon !

My Life Views Now

2011-03-22T23:37:00.000+08:00

At this stage in my life, I would like to take a step back and look at my life, and question what this life means to me and to my loved ones. I have lost my beloved parents just 3 and 6 months ago, and this is the time to really analyse and 'play' the game of Life (if it can be called that).

How do I want to be remembered ? Will I make a mark in society or just be another of the many nameless, faceless digits in the cogwheels of society.

What do I want to leave for my family and those who matter to me?

I believe that to leave a mark,or an impression, one has to have a life vision, a passion for what he is doing, and not be afraid of failures,setbacks or whatever society or people may think of him.

How do I want to be viewed by others is not for me to decide. However, my own views of how I would like myself to be (in an idealised way) is listed below. It sounds egotistical, I am afraid, but people on a mission have to be clear minded in everything they engage in, and the most important 'game' is Life.

My proudest achievement is yet to be bestowed, is to be as good a father as possible. To inculcate the best values such as honesty, integrity, hard work,thrift, planned goals and grabbing opportunities to my children. That is normally a lifelong task so I will not be able to savour the success in this lifetime.

Another goal is to be a dedicated husband to my wife.

A visionary and fearless leader for my business, again that is a work in progress.

Someone who gave a good part of his time and money to helping those in need.

A sportsman, and a gentleman.

Just a Feeling - Maroon 5

2011-03-22T23:00:00.001+08:00

Practically the best song in my opinion from Maroon 5's fabulous album, "Hands all Over".

Wayne Rooney's wonder 'Bicycle Kick' goal

2011-03-21T22:41:00.000+08:00

Japan, Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Threat

2011-03-21T10:36:00.001+08:00

80 year old Japanese grandmother and grandson found alive under rubble, 8 days after earthquake struck Japan

Over 1 week ago, while I was still in Ho Chi Minh, I got reports on Facebook that Japan suffered the most terrible disaster of over 60 years since the Second World War. The country was first hit by an undersea earthquake under the seas of North Eastern Japan, followed by huge Tsunamis (killer waves of height and unparalled velocity) impacting on coastal towns and within the next day. the Fukushima prefecture housing Nuclear Reactors started overheating and threatening to melt-down.

As the world watched with horror, and bated breath. I am awed and very impressed by the Japanese people's stoic and calm behavior to the calamities befalling them. They were patiently queueing for food, queueing for their blankets in the evacuation centers, weeping quietly for their missing loved ones and friends and though they may be shocked, apparently still have compassion to reach out and help each other.What tremendous cohesiveness for a nation. Truly, inspiring and awesome calmness in the face of a major disaster in modern times !

No scenes of screaming, shoving, fighting or anger at the authorities. No belly aching or complaining about having to wait longer than necessary to go to the toilet. In fact, they were apologising for inconviencing the rescue operations personnel who were out looking for the more severely wounded or trapped.

It makes me feel very embarrased, that our so called 'developed' country is still far for the standards of civic responsiveness and mindsets of the people of Japan. We may have nice cars and big houses, but the size of our hearts - at the end of the day - is truly what matters. We can learn alot from Japan in terms of response to disasters. Look at what our little flooding in Orchard Road led to, plenty of complaining and bitching on the internet and Forum Pages. Are we too soft ? Are we too intolerant ?

I am truly saddened by what has happened to Japan in the last 10 days, but I am sure, like any great civilisation, they will rise above this and any other crisis.

Scouts Job Week 12 - 19 March 2011

2011-03-21T10:25:00.000+08:00

Nathan doing his bit

Andrew and Ryan

A thorough job means cleaning every part of the car

The last week saw a whole 'tribe' of Scouts descend onto our housing estate, it was the start of Job Week (12 - 19 March 2011). Every scout from my son Andrew's troop had a personal objective of S$ 200 to 'earn' in work related jobs. So as early as 7.30 am there were eager beaver scouts ringing our doorbell !

I am fully supportive of the Job Week as I fully ascribe to the saying "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for life". This is of course overly simplistic and the meaning really is to reach the youth of today how hard it is to earn a decent living. The value of earning money can never be underestimated. So it was with much enthusiasm that the section came to my place to source for any jobs.

I ,of course, relented and made them clean my car on the first day and on the second day, made them clean the water feature. I felt I did overpay them a little (each earned $10 for about 45 minutes work) but part time work most times is left at the behest of the employer.

I remember in the 'old days' as a Scout, my father also invited me to his office to clean the tables, clear the rubbish and do other menial stuff. It set ne thinking about the working world, and earning some money in later life. Hopefully, this will rub off on my son in the not too distant future.

Vietnamese Food, Development and Globalisation

2011-03-16T23:35:00.002+08:00

The globalised world leaves no country untouched by fast food, unfortunately

On the way from the airport to the hotel, I glanced at how Ho Chi Minh has developed these past 2 years and the verdict judging by the number of fast food joints and pastry chains is "very fast"' However 'development' is now a dubious word in my vocabulary because, as the world modernises, I am struck by the increase of stress, the pace of life, the pollution of the air and the decreasing of wholesome nutrients in our mass produced food which will ultimately lead to incurable diseases and premature death. Of course, this is only my preception of things from a person havinglived in a 'developed' country for the last 10 or so years when Singapore's quality of life index climbed higher than a number of European countries.

So is development a good thing? Well yes, for the advances in modern medicine have been tremendous for one. The access to good medical care in a developed country is definately a plus point. So is the 'scaling up' of society moving from the poor to the middle class and rich by meritocratic means, that means through a good education system, fair opportunities for all and opportunities to enjoy the 'good life' for some. There are the success stories of many entrepreneurs,businessmen and thousands of hardworking people who by sheer willpower and hard work,pulled their families out extreme poverty and their children are now reaping the good life after gaining a very good education and possibly a very well paying job. They are highly visible in our society and driving the latest SUVs or convertibles will maids and children in tow and taking annual holidays to countries in the region and beyond.

But the downsides are plentiful,many poorer people trying to get rich would have to work 2 or 3 jobs and east fast food, sleep less, endure greater stress and sacrifice family time to try to 'upgrade'. The spectre of hyperinflation and or stagflation will impact many in the population. People will be less friendly, more uptight as money gets lesser in value, as in the case of Vietnam year by year and it seems to be an endless treadmill with an increasing speed just to stay at the same place.So there are many who fall through the cracks of the system, some through divorce, some through making bad business decisions, some by gambling, and many other vices.

Rice Cakes

However in Vietnam, the development is ongoing, and we were fortunate to appreciate the slower pace of life and enjoy some of the traditional Vietnamese cuisine, as shown by the photos shown above and below.

In my opinion, the slower pace of life, with less stress, less emphasis of Key Performance Indicators (KPI),smog free towns and villages, and overall friendliness of the people is something priceless. So why

are countries hurtling at light speed towards 'development' ??

Perhaps when one has 'been there and done that' will one appreciate that sometimes, the good old days are really the GOOD OLD DAYS. One TV per household, No PCs, No handphones, No I Pods, No Ipads, No Blackberries and or Youtube.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls - a classic dish

The food served in Ho Chi Minh, where we found an excellent restaurant called the 'Rat Hue' in Distric 1 is really inexpensive and good.For 2 persons, 4 full dishes come to U$ 9.00 or S$ 12.00.Food is mainly soups, steamed or grilled. Yes, they take a longer time to prepare, but when you have the time, the effort put in will reveal the true cuisine of the country and Vietnam cuisine is really healthy and tasty.This shows that at the moment, the country is still prepared to keep their traditions of slow cooking, steaming, and boiling their food although it may take longer but at the end of the day, it is the preparation,presentation and taste that matters. Definately NOT the convenient fast food which is spreading all around the globe !!

Clam soup with lemongrass - so fresh it tastes of the sea

Vietnamese Beef brikset and noodle soup or Pho

Ho Chi Minh - have a cup of coffee and chill

2011-03-15T18:22:00.000+08:00

Many small,cheap and good hotels from US$ 30 per night available in HCM city

This is the second last post for my visit to Ho Chi Minh. In a nutshell, it is near to Singapore and Malaysia, flights are plentiful and inexpensive, hotels are plentiful and inexpensive, food is mainly soups, or grilled and if you look beyond the touristy spots, excellent tasting and inexpensive. The city is devoid of beggars, and relatively safe to walk at night. People are friendly and helpful, so if you are tired of the Chatuchak market in Thailand (like many Singaporeans and Malaysians have visited the place many times in the last 5 years), you can consider the Ben Thanh market for their range of excellent coffees, basic clothing wear, local Vietnamese food stalls serving pho (beef noodles), handicrafts and lacquer paintings. Remember to bargain and negotiate as this is essentially a tourist market and to get a good bargain is the name of the game.

Tourists wearing the 'ao dai' (pronounced 'ao yai') or traditional Vietnamese dress

Booking of the hotels are very easy, one way is to go to the website www.agoda.com and check out the deals and read the past visitor ratings, our hotel, called Lavender Hotel is located just 2 minutes walk from Ben Thanh market (District 1) and is rated at 3 and a half stars. It is priced at about US$ 50 per night per room with free wifi and king size bed. The rooms are a bit small but bathroom and toilet is spotless and dining on the 8th floor offers one a view of the 'downtown'. There are literally hundreds of small hotels springing up all over town in district 1 and 3, so in fact, if you are daring, just drop in on the hotel and see if they have rooms. Its that plentiful of hotels and rooms.

On the last day, my manager Kannan and myself had a chillout session at the roadside and enjoyed a coffee along the sideroad. Vietnamese coffee is very potent and they have many grades ranging from normal,medium and strong. The aroma from the coffee is enough to drive afficiandos crazy and some of their well known brands are the Weasel,Mika,Mokassa and Culi brands. If you love coffee, do the Vietnamese thing and have a cuppa by the roadside.

Relaxing and having a nice cuppa by the sidewalk- Vietnamese style

Cheers !!

Ho Chi Minh - Rex Hotel

2011-03-11T18:27:00.001+08:00

In front of the Rex Hotel

Situated prominently at the junctions of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue is the Rex Hotel. Once famous for housing the 5 star generals during the Vietnam civil war, it is now the 6 star hotel of the city renowned for its old world charm and fine dining. I had the good fortune to dine on the 5th floor open deck of the hotel on Wednesday 9th, and the weather was fine. My colleague Kannan accompanied me for this trip and we had a very fine Jacob's Creek Shiraz, roasted duck and glazed chicken, Vietnamese fried spring rolls - all for an unbelieveably inexpensive U$ 72 or S$ 95 meal for 2. I would strongly recommend a revisit or for anyone going there for the first time, to take in the sights of the city at the 5th floor of this iconic hotel. It is well worth the visit.

Statue of Ho Chi Minh handing the keys of the city to a little girl

The traffic around the monument is the same as in all parts of HCM, horribly congested, and crossing the road takes some guts. Do not run. The bikers and drivers will somehow give way to you. So the trick is to walk slowly and inch forward. Look out for the bikes and their projected paths and avoid them. In fact, they will avoid you ! It takes a certain skill to drive in HCM and I have seen foreigners even riding motorbikes with the same skill as the Vietnamese. The cars will liberally use their horns so its best to use all your senses when crossing the streets. Do not take the crossings for granted. The bikes will not stop at times, and even while the rest of the traffic has stopped, the turning lane is still allowing traffic to flow, so be forewarned.

Signing of the surrender documents between North and South took place at the People's Committee Hall

The Vietnamese by and large are friendly but beware of conmen and women. A friend told me the story of some people being driven to some place for a 'tiger' show (risque dancing and acting) and end up getting ripped off when they have paid for the entrance fees, they will shout 'police' and everyone runs away leaving the tourists running outside and finding everyone has left. The presence of police are everywhere and it is generally very safe for tourists, but as a rule don't walk outside late in the night.

'King' Kannan

The lacquer products are generally all handmade. I bought several jewelry and tissue paper boxes made using either clam shells or duck egg shells pounded to a fine size. The craftsman then painstakingly pastes the shells in the shape of the object so each box or container is different. No mass produced handicraft here.

Finally, the Vietnamese people are very polite and frank on the whole. They have endured so much hardships in the past and now while the lassaize-fair economy has the cities buzzing will countless hotels,spas, food joints and trinket shops, inflation is also a major issue for the locals here.

Ho Chi Minh 2011- a revisit

2011-03-10T14:50:00.001+08:00

Kannan outside the Notre Dame Basillica, District 1

Statues from a victorious regime

Inside the General Post Office

I am at the tail end of a 3 day business trip to Ho Chi Minh city,the first since my earlier trip in 2009. The memories and impressions then and now are quite distinct. I find in 2011, the city is still full of motocycles what with the upward mobility and wealth of the Vietnamese people in general, but in addition, where we are staying, in District 1, there are lot of high end luxury sedans and SUV cars. This is far more apparent now than in 2009.

The communist party is still firmly in power, and the people here are thriving and entrepreneurial. However, there is none of the sleaze you will find in many of the other developing countries. It makes the visit to HCM as a family destination more appealing. On the other hand, the traffic and air conditions are not good even for a decent stay of say 4 to 5 days. I bought a mask when I took a walk out in the city as many Vietnamese are also aware of the impact the polluted air can cause to their bodies. There are literally thousands of masked people in the streets, from motorbike riders, to street vendors to ordinary citizens out and about. The pollution levels here make KL and even Bangkok levels seem quite liveable.

There are literally hundreds of clean and decent looking small hotels to choose from in District 1 alone, so my guess is that, for a walk-in visitor, the rate may drop to perhaps S$50 during the low season. It is preferrable to book online, like I did and paid $ 72 per room per night for a clean, large room and free wi-fi.

There are several interesting places one must visit, and these are (in no order of preference) :

Rex Hotel

Notre Dame Basillica

Reunification Palace

War Remnants Museum

The roof top 5th floor of the Rex Hotel is a must visit. You can view the of whole of Saigon (old HCM name) and take in the sights and sounds of the city without the smog. A must visit. We had a starter, 2 main courses and a bottle of Australian shiraz for a total of U$ 72 or about S$ 95. Unbelieveably inexpensive for dining for 2 at the equivalent to the Raffles (or E & O in Penang) Hotel.

The best times to visit I guess would be in March, April, or October to December as it it considered Spring or Autumn time respectively. June and July would be the swelteringly hot months.

The Vietnamese coffee is also very good, you can choose from the normal, medium to strong. The weasel is one well known brand, and I have just taken a liking to the Moka blend, selling at VND 44,000 per 100 g or U$ 2 per 100 g. Certainly not cheap but very robust, good aroma and flavourful.

It is a great short visit combination of business and some relaxation, in my opinion.

2 excellent Nasi Lemak stalls side by side

2011-03-08T11:42:00.000+08:00

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak stall

Adam's Nasi Lemak

Adam Road hawker center has always been famous for its Malay food, since the 70's and last weekend, I decided to try their famous Nasi Lemak. I went there last Sunday at around 11.30 am and already there was 2 queues of more than 10 people each. Wow ! imagine that, for an 'early lunch' one must queue for one's food - must be really good - I thought to myself.

Anyway, I decided to take the one with the shorter queue, Adam's, but ended up waiting almost 35 minutes before I reached the stallholders. They are a very friendly couple and their helper, and in a flash, the orders were carried out. I ordered 4 packets, 2 Sutra specials which was the fried chicken, with ikan billis, nuts,kuning (cucumber),fried egg, otak (mackerel cake) and the coconut rice. In addition, I ordered for my wife and myself, the fish set which was the fish (small ikan kuning) instead of the chicken.

Adam's stall has won awards from the Makansutra (KF Seetoh's TV series about good foods) as well as several Mediacorp TV food series for their tasty nasi lemak. Anyway, the true test was in the tasting.

The verdict, the fish was nice and crispy, the otah was flavourful and with nice aroma. The best part was the rice was 'sedap' ! Very nice separated grains and retaining the aroma of the pandan leaf it is wrapped in as well as the not so heavy going feeling. The sambal chilli ? Sweet, and not too heavy or thick, rather, it is less viscous and like a sauce. My preference is for a thicker sambal sauce.

The other stall Selera, was also doing a roaring business and when I left with my packets at 12.10 pm, the queues were growing ever longer. What a wonderful way to earn a decent income, the foodstall business is best as it is a) cash basis b) high turnover if food is good, c) low overheads for the stall and d) no retirement in sight if one is healthy and able.

And I am not even referring to the tax computations !

Scouts Investiture Feb 26th 2011 - video

2011-02-27T23:12:00.002+08:00

Feb 26th 2011 Scouts Investiture

2011-02-27T17:16:00.002+08:00

Andrew with the Scouts Salute

Saturday 26th February was a very proud day for me as a father, my 2nd boy Andrew was officially inducted into the Scout family at the ACS Barker Road Lee Kong Chian Hall. The principles of the scouting movement were initiated by the Lord Francis Baden Powell, and last year was the 100th anniversary of scouting in Singapore.There was a massive Jamboree or meeting of scouts,past and present from 12 countries in Singapore, and our chief scout is the President, S.R. Nathan.

Andrew standing before the troop, he is in Huron Tribe

The principles of scouting are simple, service to God, family and the scout troop. Values cherished are the brotherhood of scouts (also the Girl Guides or Female Venture Scouts as they are called now), honesty,integrity, uprightness, discipline and being prepared for any kinds of contingencies possible in life and also in daily activities.

Putting on the scarf and woggle

Its now 2 generations (maybe 3 as my father ,Geoffrey, I recall was also a Scout if I recall properly) in our family, that all the males have all become scouts and proudly so too. Admittedly, I was not a very enthusiastic scout during my time, but did attend the activities for at least 2 years (Sec 1 and Sec 2) in secondary school. There were weekly footdrills, the scouts camp in Sarimbun 2 times a year, the preparation for the tests such as cooking, knot tying, map reading etc. etc. which all earned us some badges if we passe them. Then, there is the annual Job Week where the scouts have to go to strangers or housing estates and offer to do jobs for whatever they paid us. I remember vivdly doing jobs for my father such as washing the family car and cleaning the office and being rewarded for S$ 5, a princely sum then.

Wearing the Green Beret with Pride

We all aim to leave our mark in this world during our lives, and as a father, I am proud to say that I am doing my bit to ensure that the next generation grow up well adjusted. We have our failings and disappointments along the way but pick ourselves up, wipe the dust and tears away and press on towards the goal without fear of further failure. Being in part of a uniformed group gave me, and I'm sure for my sons too, a sense of mission and responsibility to the troop and ultimately, the overall well being of one's self.

Proud father with his Scout son

What I hope for my son to be in the years to come is that he will be an upright person, God fearing, and always give of his best. There will be many activities which will be deemed as 'character building' such as scout camps, jamborees, Job week and badges of merit such as knots, cooking and jungle survival. These so called survival skills will hopefully equip him well for the trials and successes well for his future life.

Andrew at Attention in front of his troop

Reciting of the Scouts Promise in front on the Colours

Boy Scouts in the Family - 1975, 2008 and 2011

2011-02-26T22:01:00.001+08:00

My investiture or formal acceptance ceremony as a scout in 1975, 35 years ago !

This is a much treasured picture of me and 2 mates of mine, Freddy Choy (extreme left) and Chew Ping Nan (right) during our investiture ceremony in the opne field of St Andrew's School at Woodsville.The date was sometime in February 1975 when I was 12 goingon 13. Now the area is called Potong Pasir, the field no longer exists but the school and its premises have expanded to include the St Andrew's Junior College and so provides for 12 years of seamless education.

I recall vividly the ceremony whereby we start out as recruits and after 2 months or so, get promoted to be fully fledged scouts. After the investiture, we were made to crawl through a human tunnel with the senior scouts forming a triangle with their spread legs and we had to crawl in the mud through their legs. When we started crawling through, the seniors then took their berets and whacked the hell out of us !
Some even were made to be the 'horse' and were pushed face first intot the ground. It took about 10 minutes for us to finish the tunnel and after that I was so tired and muddy, I still remember the occasion to this day !

Although this photo is in black and white, I must add that the uniform of the day was brown or khaki,
with black belt and silver buckle. The beret is a dark green and scarf is white with red stripes representing Singapore flag colours. Our scout troop was numbered 2501, or the first troop in the Potong Pasir constituency.

We had many campfires and night games were remembered with relish. Jamborees were the events where we could meet with scouts from brother and sister schools (they were called Girl Guides then).

I put this post up as I was invited to attend my son Andrew's Investiture yesterday at the ACS Barker Road school and was full of curiosity as to what to expect. The event is put up in the next couple of posts.

Coincidentally or not, my 2 sons, Noel (16 going on 17) and Andrew (13 going on 14) are also Boy Scouts, here is a picture of Noel taken in 2008 (above). He was made Patrol Leader in 2010 in Sec. 4 last year. The uniform is now a faint green with dark green pants, the beret is green and the scarf is red.

Christmas 2009 video - my first Youtube upload

2011-02-24T23:19:00.000+08:00

This video is my first attempt at uploading videos via Youtube. The event is the annual Christmas lunch hosted by my Mum and Dad for as long as I can remember,maybe 25 years or so. This lunch is normally at their house and now in recent years it has been hosted at my house. The people here are mainly my Mother's sisters,their families and my parents' close friends. This video brings back warm memories of my parents - just taken over a year ago.

New Hobby Sport - Triathalon

2011-02-23T21:48:00.000+08:00

Felt Tri Road Bike ; weight approx. 2.5 kg

I have finally managed to afford the basic triathalon bicycle, the brand is called the 'Felt' and it is made in Taiwan. The interest was stoked about 2 years ago when I had a pulled hamstring and I was contemplating taking the 3 discipline sport, which athletes have to swim, cycle and run. The distances vary from the mini-triathalon which has a 200 m swim in the sea,20km cycle and a 2 km run. For the sprint triathalon, it is 500 m swim, 40km cycle and a 10 km run.

I am motivated that one of my long time friends who has recently retired, (ie. made a lot of money while still young) is the champion in the Osim category of the mini-triathalon. Coupled with the fact that my elder son, Noel, wants to give this multi-discipline sport 'a try' has gotten me off the backburner so to speak. It has got everything to do with tie discipline, 'transitioning' (changing) from one medium to another, and using different sets of body parts. In short, it has more complete use of all the limbs than the marathon.

As my blog has always proposed 'seizing the day' I decided that now was as good a time as any and I plunged headlong into buying the starter bike for my son, so that we can share, and started planning a run-bike-swim schedule with a July race in mind.

I took the first ride today on the tri-bike and my impression was "Wow ! Great ! Why didn't I try this earlier ?' Well, the answer is of course, firstly one needs to be able to afford the time and also invest in some serious money as the starter bike can set one back at least $2,000.

Anyway, the feeling for me is that, this is one race I will try at least for a couple or more times. Time is running fast away so I had better make the most of it.

Simple Healthy Breakfast

2011-02-13T14:00:00.000+08:00

   This Bruschetta can be made in 10 minutes tops

   This is my humble but healthy breakfast, which can give you the necessary carbohydrates, some calcium and fibre. Called the brushcetta, the ingredients are as follows :

a) 2 slices of wholemeal or almond wholemeal bread
b) Cut 2 a tomato into 7 - 8 slices
c) Cheese, ideally edam or camemberre
d) Olive oil
e) Garnish with Italian herbs and Black pepper

   Toast the bread in the oven, pour on the olive oil on top of the bread, after a few minutes put in the cheese and garnsishes. Once the toast is slightly brown, take out and serve.

   Put the tomatoes on top as the final ingredient.

   This is indeed a yummy snack or brekfast which is literally fast to 'cook and good to eat' to borrow the catchphrase from the famous Maggi Noodles advertisement.