QRA Stability Chambers for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Industries

 

QRA International has a full suite of Stability Chambers for sale, rent and test services to 

a) Pharmaceutical

b) Biomedical 

Intustries in Singapore and in the region. 

Large Reach In Stability Chamber at a Global Beverage Company (World Renowned) 

Temp : 0 to 100 C

RH : 20 to 95% 

Size :  1680 or 1.7 m3 volume 

For more information email to :

mark@qra.com.sg

qrasales@qra.com.sg

Website : www.qra.com.sg 

We look forward to your enquiry. 

Best Hokkien Mee in Singapore - Yara Coffeehouse

 

Claypot Hokkien Mee - House Speciality 

The last 4 days were a revelation to me. My car had a major breakdown, the ECU (electronic control unit which is the modern day equivalent of the distributor) was engulfed by some oil when the engine thermostat malfunctioned and my trusty Mercedes finally gave in. 

Truth be told, this is the first serious service job I had to engage with my car in over 10 years of owning it. I bought it second hand in 2016 and it is the second E250 which I have owned. I love the model and the classy look and feel of this ECU saloon car.  My father also owned the E 250 for a number of years, so I guess I inherited his love for the marque.

Over the years, I have owned 3 Mercedes Benzes, the first was in 1996. It was the E 190 and it served me pretty well when the boys were just toddlers. I believe I drove it for 6 years till 2002.  

Walkway along Evans Road 

Back to today's post. Since I was carless for almost 4 days (Sat - Tue), I took public transport to and from work. So on Tuesday, I decided to take the bus to National University campus where at the side of the campus along Evans Road, there is this airconditioned food court called Sprouts, which serves awesome Bak Chor Mee (Pork Noodles). 

When I was walking the length of Evans Road, I chanced upon this small cafe called Yara which seemed to be busy with patrons. The foodie in me was piqued, and I walked across the road and stepped inside the cafe. It was a homey place and the specialities were 

a) Nasi Lemak

b) Crab Meat Bee Hoon

c) Singapore Hokkien Mee in Claypot.

I decided to opt for the Hokkien Mee which is one of the signatures of this cafe. I was not disappointed at all. The dish was chock a block of yummy ingredients. 

I took my first bite and it was a revelation. The "wok hei"  (breath of the wok) which  was the slightly smoky charred flavor and aroma when the dish is stir fried very fast over a strong flame was so apparent, I was in foodie heaven. The broth or gravy , I learnt, is slow cooked for 5 hours, hence the awesome robust flavor.  

They served 2 tiger prawns, which were really fresh and succulent. There were so many ingredients, each mouthful was bursting with flavor. Let me try to list them down :

a) belly pork - plenty 

b) pork lard - at least 4 to 5 large pieces (I put them aside)

c) dau gay or bean sprouts 

d) squid rings

e) spring onions

f) 2 tiger prawns

g) chives

h) eggs

i) yellow noodles

j) bee hoon.

Man, I had never eaten such an awesome calorie laden dish in a long while. Be warned, the dish is piping hot when served, so be patient with each bite ! 

I threw out my less carb diet for the week, and tucked in.

I washed it down with a kopi C siew dai (Coffee with evaporated milk less sugar). 

Lunch coma was avoided when I finished the feast, and then proceeded to walk almost 1 km in the hot afternoon sun to the bus stop along Bukit Timah Road.

The gem of the cafe :

Yara Coffeehouse

26 Evans Road

Singapore 259 367 

My dear readers, do give the Coffeehouse a visit, and experience for yourself if the Hokkien Mee is really as good as I said it is ! 

  

Etna Italian Restaurant Duxton Hill - my review.

 As promised earlier, here is my review of Etna the Italian Restaurant at Duxton Hill. We had booked a table for 4 at this fine dining restaurant at Duxton HIll to celebrate my younger son's birthday celebration yesterday 25th October. 

The young man is currently working at a local bank in the IT department, and he agreed to this once in a while treat for us. I am very mindful of eating less sugar and salt, and at the same time, I need to cut my intake of carbohydrates as much as possible, as I attempt to reduce my overall weight to around 72 - 73 kg. 

I am still a good 3 kg off this target. But with sheer willpower and a body ready for all activities I will do it. This once in a while 'celebration' always bumps up my weight, so I really need to get the machine going for the days ahead.

I have put the dishes in backward serving order, as they all look so good. Anyway, here below is my review. 

                                             Baked to Perfection ; 9.5 out of 10 for the flavor 

                                                       Salt Baked Turbot 

This is the Piece de la Resistance or the Magnus Opus of the meal. The dish to end all dishes.

The salt on the turbot was baked with a small fire for the show. Once the salt had come off, the fish was then deskinned and deboned to perfection. Inside the meat was oh so tender, and juicy with the hint of the salt in the background. It hit all the right notes for me and the rest of us. 

                                              Salt Baked Turbot with Garden Vegetables 

The visual spectacle was worth it and the neighbouring tables were all a little envious we had this. But then again, its a special day so it befits a special dish doesn't it ? The grilled garden vegetables were a little underdone, especially the capsicum but the visual appeal of the side dishes puta nice counter to the all while deep sea fish.

Rating : 10 / 10

                                         Florentine Tomahawk Steak (Medium Doneness) 

Florentine Tomahawk steak ($14 per 100 kg, so it costs about $150 to $160 and can feed up to 4). The steak was a little chewy but the doneness (we prefer medium compared to the traditional medium rare) was what we ordered. I normally eat my well made steaks without any condiments or sauces. This is to ensure I get the best taste, and boy did this one taste good !

Rating : 9.5 / 10 (a tad chewy but no matter to my sons who loved this).

                                Etna Pizza (Parma Ham, Mozarella Cheese, Cream Cheese, Pistachio) 

This is a very nice surprise, the Etna Pizza. Made in a stone fired oven, the flavor is fantastic, with the right balance of salt and cheesiness all in one dish. The crust was not too thin, neither was it too thick, so all of us really enjoyed the Signature Pizza. 0 complaints

Rating : 10 / 10 

                                        Burrata Cheese with Parma Ham and Rocket Vegetable

The Burata was also superb, with the right cheesy texture and counterbalance with the Parma Ham and wild rocket vegetables.  It went down very well with everybody. 

Rating : 10 / 10. 

                                                 Squid with Chickpeas (Calamari e Ceci) 

The starter which started it all. Man this was a real tender calamari. We knew we were in for a treat yesterday. Again, kudos to the chef for making our appetites whet for more. 

Rating : 10 / 10

Overall

1. Food : 10 / 10

2. Ambience : 9 / 10

3. Service    : 9 / 10 (attentive but sometimes a bit slow in the food pacing between the starter and the mains).

4. Price      : 9.5 / 10.

Overall      : 9.4 / 10  - Near Perfect.

Will we visit again : You Bet ! 

Etna at Duxton

49/50 Duxton Road

Singapore 089513

Goodbye my swim friend Kelvin Wee. You were a really good person.

 

2 days ago I received sad news that an old friend of mine from the swimming days passed away. Kelvin Wee and I swam competitively some 45 to  50 odd years for the Singapore Swimming Club, of which I am still a member. 

We lost contact around 1979 or 1980 when we all went separate ways, I enlisted into National Service at the end of 1980, and our family lost contact with many of the swim buddies. To date, to the best of my knowledge a few of our swim buddies from swimming club days have passed on - this is a stark reminder to myself to let the small things not cause me anxiety as these are part and parcel of life and anxiety does not improve our life's situation one single bit.

The list of the dearly departed swimmers from our time (I happened to be the Boys Swimming Captain from 1974 - 1978 for the Club) are shown below :

a) Chng Ho Kiat

b) Leslie Cheong

c) Khoo Teng Chuan

d) Kelvin Wee

We were swim mates and he was a good head taller than me. He is younger by 1 year to me. He excelled at butterfly stroke and freestyle, if my recollection serves me right.  He was a sweet soul, and he has a younger brother Konrad Wee who is based in Canada. Brother Konrad is perhaps 3 years younger than me. 

He was the founder of the Vimaan Suan Foundation rescue shelter. I had lost contact with him so long, and we did not keep in touch for almost 50 years. I do recall he had a very caring and compassionate heart, so doing this as his life's work is true to his nature. He helped so many rescue animals from what I can read through the organization's Facebook page not just locally but also in the South East Asian region (Laos other neighbouring countries come to mind). 

Dear Kelvin, you are at peace now. Your good deeds have indeed made this harsh world a much better place.

You will be missed. Though the years have slipped by, you are still and always will be my friend. 

Rest well my friend.

Macular Hole , Surgery Treatment and Recovery - Miracle No. 1

The Problem - the vitreous gel tugs on the centre of the retina and tears a small gap or hole blurring and distorting central vision. 

Last year end June and early July time, I had my 2 eyes cataracts operations done. The surgery was performed skillfully by Dr. Wesley Chong of Eagle Eye Centre and I had been a regular patient of his since then. I had another follow-up with him in November 2025, as I had experienced some eye flashes in the night, and I was concerned it may have been something serious. That was roughly 11 months ago. After thorough checks, I was given the 'all clear' from him and that my eyes were 100% OK. 

I was then supposed to see his team next in March 2026 but I kept postponing the visit due to my mentality "oh there is nothing wrong with my eyesight, why bother, leave it till later !". That is a big mistake - to be nonchalant about a sense as precious as my eyesight.

Sometime in June / July this year I noticed my central vision on my right eye was detierorating, I thought to myself, ah eye strain.  I just need reading glasses.

The surgeon makes 3 tiny insertions into the eye to remove the vitreous gel which caused the hole in the retina 

I decided to put off seeing my good doctor, for a couple of month, in fact, I put it off almost 6 months !

In July, while I was watching the Netflix series Pursuit of Jade, I could see that the character's faces were scrunched up if I used only one eye (my right) to see. The faces looked like something out of a cartoon. Again I put off seeing my good doctor. My bad.

By late September, I was triggered by a comment by a very good friend, Albert Ee who had a similar affliction, when we met for drinks, at the end of September. His comments really got me going, as I was just so nonchalent and blase about my supposed eye 'condition'.

1st October, I decided there and then to visit my eye surgeon and after extensive tests, it was confirmed without a doubt  that indeed I had a hole in the macular - the central portion of the retina. I shudder to think that if I had delayed longer what my condition would be.  

I was given eye tests, an Amsler Grid, and a whole lot of photographs to observe what was inside my eye. It wasn't a pretty sight. A whole at the centre of the macular.

I was given a second appointment on the same day to visit Dr. Paul Tsao, and he confirmed Dr. Chong's assessment. 

Prognosis was pretty good but the operation was to take place SOON. 

After everything was confirmed, I went into action, I called my insurance agent, paid some medical bills, alerted my key staff of my critical condition and called my wife to inform her of what I had and what will be the next steps.

   A dye stains the thin internal limiting membrane, which is peeled off by the surgeon around the hole so its edges can move together 

For the operation and post operation outcome to be very good, I sought out Albert's help. He very kindly lent me 2 critical pieces of furniture for post operation head positioning. I will elaborate it in the next post. For post operation good to very good outcomes, the patient MUST place his head practically 90 degrees from the vertical - something like bowing for up to 23 hours of the day. 

Albert kindly lent me these 2 pieces of furniture which he himself had used to ensure the best outcomes :

a) a full lying down massage table.

b) a massage chair. 

Day of the Operation

After a night of fasting, my Op was scheduled for 7.30 am. Friday 2nd October 2026.My lovely cousin, Cliff Lau, kindly went out of his way to send me to the operating theatre and send me home. 

The surgery went well. Thank God for the perfect operation.

        Eye is filled with a gaseous bubble to aid in the closure of the macular hole naturally. In my case, the gas used is SF 6 which takes 4 to 6 weeks to dissolve fully. 

Day 1 Post Op till Day 7 Post Op 

Essentially I lay prone on the massage bed as long as I could only to get up to go to toilet, and eat. I had a number of good friends who sympathised at my plight, and Tom Gan in particular came by 3 times with bags of food to cheer me up and talk a bit about nothing in general. He is a gem of a friend.

The 2nd day post op visit was a joy, the eye patch came off and the effect of the head positioning was already taking place. The bubble was huge, I experienced a feeling that my eye was 'under water'. I could make out some light and some shapes. I was given eye drops to put on my eye 4 times a day. 

Everyday was a treat for me. All I had to do was lie down and sleep or watch something with my 'good' eye and eat. 

This is something which I have not encnountered in my 6 odd decades of life, or as long as I can recall. Doing nothing with practically no responsibilities.

My family all stepped in to take over my chores, my wonderful wife who made special meals, and left me to my own devices. My sons who stepped up to carry out my duties for white good and grocery shopping. 

My company staff all did extra work in my absence. My family and friends who rallied around me, in particular Tom Gan, Albert Ee, and Faisal Alsagoff. 

I went and made a special visit  to church and gave thanks to Him for his miracle and many blessings to me.  

Day 8 to Day 15 Post Op

Much of the same as Day 1 to Day 7. The bubble has shrunk and on Day 15 Dr. Wesley gave me great news that the hole is completely healed and closed up. !

I had 2 weeks of stress free life just doing nothing, enjoying my nothing time and I have an inkling how my life would be once I am retired, although doing noting for too long makes me lose my sense of purpose. I cannot just be a pleasure seeking junkie or just  wallowing in day to day boredom. The first 2 weeks of doing nothing was an absolute joy for me, as I have never had a total 'break' since I started work some 30 odd years ago.  

I guess, once I am retired (after I exit from my current business one way or the other) I will pursue my 3rd age, and fulfill my 'calling'. 

My calling would be to help out my fellow humans with whatever gifts I have (project management, entrepreneurship, motivating people and high tech industry selling skills would be my top 4 skill sets).   

Healing - 5 to 6 weeks for bubble to dissolve and up to 6 months for normal vision to return

Day 15 to Day 24 Post Op.

The bubble is fast diminishing and my eye is getting back to normal. I am regaining very good reading vision (very small print) through the bubble, and my long vision while not perfect is slowly getting better and better with each passing day. I am incentivised and motivated to go for long walks after dinner and stare at the street signs from distances 2m, 3m and even 10 meters away. I walk for up to 1 hour daily each night after dinner, to stretch my legs, and also to keep the insulin levels low after the largest meal of the day, dinner. 

The eye improvement is coming along just fine. 

                                  Just after the surgery with my cousin Cliff Lau (2 Oct 2026)

An attitude of gratefulness

I am very thankful first to God who has granted me once again the gift of sight which I must constantly remind myself never to take for granted. My eye regimen to maintain near perfect eyesight after having lived with sub normal eyesight (myopia) for 60 years is this below :

a) Everyday when  I wake up, do some eye exercises and see as much greenery as possible.

b) Get some cortisol into my eyes (especially the retina) and this is ususally by just walking around in the morning daylight before it gets very bright. I have resolved to do this for the rest of my life. 

c) Drink a cup or two of  boiled Goji berries and chrysenthenum water for eye health every day.

d) Take 3 tablets of Lutein 25 mg minimum, and 1 tablet of zeazanthin for my macular health.   

e) Use eye drops to keep the eye pressure down (very crucial)

f) 20 / 20 / 20 ; every 20 minutes of screen time, look at a distant object at 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

g) Use the palming method whenever possible

h) Always always keep to my eye doctor's appointments (every 6 months). 

Secondly, I am most grateful to the team of doctors who treated me so wonderfully, and professionally that I am super grateful to them for this miracle. The advancement of medical technology is something many people are reacting with amazement, as with the highest technological advancements and healthcare, we the people can hope to get the best outcomes and a much better healtspan of life. I am eternally grateful to :

a) Dr. Wesley Chong (Eagle Eye HMI Centre Farrer Park Hospital)

b) Dr. Paul Tsao (Eagle Eye Mt. Alvernia Hospital)

c) Dr. Ng (anaesthesist Mt. Alvernia Hospital).

Their professionalism, the bedside manners and the warmth of these doctors have all made my operation bearable and a success.

Eyesight is one of the 5 senses which everybody has, so I need to ensure that this very precious sense is maintained for as long as I can - perhaps well into my 80s or 90s. It is a precious gift so we must never take it for granted.

I had written about this gift last year after my cataracts - apparently I had been lax in point number h). 

Its time for me to walk the talk or the written prose. 

Celebrating my son's birthday 25 Oct 2026. Etna Italian Restaurant. 3 Miracles to Thank God for.

                                                                    Andrew and his Mum. 

Today we celebrated my younger son's birthday with a lovely lunch at the local top Italian restaurant, Etna.  He is currently employed in a local bank provided testing services for software and is based in the city. Our time together is very precious, as I realise (I will put in my next post) that Time indeed passing fast away and time is now today today as sung in our shcool song, Up and On. 

Delighted  Smiles all around. 25th Oct 2026 

Etna, the restaurant, I believe is named after the famed dormant volcano, Mount Etna in Italy. It is located in Duxton Road. We had a total of 5 dishes, 2 starters, a pizza and 2 house specialities. Our lunch was timed at 12.30 and today we were blessed with perfect weather, no haze, and no excessive humidity. a very pleasant day to be out and about. 

I have had 2 miracles from God recently, the first was that I have recovered very well from my Macular Eye Surgery which took place on 2nd October some 3 odd weeks ago. I had promised to write about my experience, and I will in the coming posts today. So I am thankful to Him for granting a miracle, that the eye which had the hole in the macular has recovered so much so that the hole has sealed up, thanks to modern technology and the wonderful pair of top doctors from Eagle Eye Centre, Dr. Wesley Chong (cataract surgeon) and Dr. Paul Tsao (retinal surgeon). My right eye which had  I issues seeing  - 

When my eye had issues, I had difficulty seeing directly front of and people's faces on the screen appeared squeezy and looking like a cartoon. If I had not sought treatment, the condition will have gotten worse, and the eye could possibly go blind. 

After surgery, I can see much more clearly now, with only a small shortsightedness, which is expected to improve over the coming months, BUT I need to exercise eye hygiene and ensure I do not strain my eyes and get enough rest. 

Eye pressure is the top concern for my good doctor, so I am on a dose of prescription eye drops called GUT TAPCON. I have to instill one drop in my operated eye for the next one month

I am well enough to drive, move around unaided and do all my physical exercises just like before, and I am thankful and grateful to God for blessing me with this chance to NOT lower my quality of life just yet. This is Miracle No. 1. Hence my eye vision has improved tremendously, (around 90%) and I am taking health supplements, doing all the exercises, eating right and minimizing stress.  I guess my right eye is 6 / 20 vision. 

With my other eye it is 20 / 20. Hence I can use one eye for far work and the other (operated) eye for near field work. 

Getting Medical Insurance Early and do not Terminate It. (Miracle 2) 

The second miracle, or Miracle No. 2,  I am experiencing, is that my insurance paid all of the surgery, so I am not out of pocket in any way. I have signed up for this this critical health insurance from Aviva Singlife Myshield Plan 1 (top tier) which I have been faithfully paying for the last (I believe) 20 years.

With this insurance continuing, with my Medisave buffer as well as the Government Medishield, I had the miracle of getting the operation done without the stress of the financial burden hanging over me. I am thankful to Him for guiding me to spend that amount of money and keep on spending that money so that when the time comes, I am not being a burden to my family. 

Miracle No. 3 is the most important one. 

My family of 4 is doing fine. This is the biggest Mircale of all. We are happy, healthy and pull together for each other when things get us down. This is the interdependence and the interrelationships between the family, the siblings and between parents and children. The strong bonds of relationship are so important to me now and in my coming years ahead. I thank God again for my parents who raised me up, in the way that I in turn can raise up my 2 young men, in the upright and honest way. 

Both my sons are working, my wife is doing well in a Government linked company and my business is in the midst of an uplift from bigger players in the industry.

I am truly blessed and I am so grateful for my lot in life. 

I don't need much at this stage, my life experiences and what I have achieved have given me a level of satisfaction that I have walked this path which is truly mine.

Carpe Diem !! 

Seize the day  !!  

 

Getting Basic French Right

 

In Tik Tok and in many social media posts, Instagram etc, there are people especially this guy called Yuji who is a Japanese Irish polyglot who can speak easily dozens of languages. He goes to many places around the world and just chats up people in public places. 

Yuji has given me the inspiration to try yet again (5th time) to speak and write basic French for my personal development. I pledge to set aside 1 hour each day for 1 month to get to the intermediate level so that the next French visit, I can do basic conversation. 

I have visitors coming in middle of November and will probably head to Toulouse early next year for a business visit.

The incentive is there for learning French again.

So far, I can converse pretty effectively in 3 (read and write) and speak in 5 languages.

Allons Y ! 

Salut Mon Ami !