Mao Shan Wang - the Brand above all brands in the King of Fruits.

     Mao Shan Wang durians the top ranked brand of the King of Fruits. 

My regular lunch with my Saturday lunch khaki Fang KS normally brings us all over the island. I would normally start the weekend morning running either 6K or 8K at the East Coast Park starting at the bike station beside carpark B1 and then heading due east along East Coast Park connector.

Yesterday, as it was overcast, and drizzling, I changed the routine somewhat and spent the first 15 minutes at my swim club sauna room, sweating buckets at a temperature of 70C to 75 C. I then took off for a run along the Singapore river near the National Stadium. I ended up covering a total of 4K of approximately 8 minutes 30 seconds per km. 

On meeting with my lunch buddy, we had a nice seafood lunch at Scaled Restaurant, which is a vertical integrated business whereby the owner operates a kelong, as well as a restaurant.

After the lunch, we then adjourned nearby to try some durians. Lo and Behold, we chanced upon this gem of a durian shop. It was called Chong Hwa Durians. The shop which is newly acquired sits at 141 Tyrwhitt Road. We were pleasantly served by 2 young men who offered us this package of Buy 2 get one Free. 

The price per box of one Mao Shan Wang was $20 each. So for $40 we got 3 boxes which turns out to be $13.30 per box.

The first box which we ate (about 10 - 12 seeds) was outstandingly good. The flesh was soft, and the taste was a little bitter but once you got into it, a full slightly sweet flavour filled the palate. Borh of us ate outside their shop and were given the royal treatment with plastic hand gloves, a bottle of water and the sheer delight of eating the best fruit dessert on the planet bar none.  

It was absolutely amazing.

As a durian lover, I would go back and get some more. 

The King of Fruits is back in season.

Remember the name. Chong Hwa Durians and Fruits.

141 Tyrwhitt Road.

Singapore 207558 

    

Keeping good relations with friends so important at this stage in life.

                                           With a friend from Malaysia, Kannan Narinasamy 

Recently I was again rudely reminded of my mortality of another passing of a University mate last year. Whenever we 'old guys' catch up, after the pleasantries, we will settle into the same old routine of :

a) catching up on where we are in what station of life. 

b) Are we working, or are we retired ?

   If we are retired, are we engaged in meaningful activities or assisting in charities or engaged in church / temple work. Or are we in the endless plan of visiting far flung places and hard to reach locations like Nepal and base camp Everest ? I have friends who want to see / experience the following :

> Northern Lights

> Xinjiang North and South

> Llhasa

> Camino Portugues.

I would say just go for it mates. There is no time like the present ! 

c) What health conditions do we have and what good treatments and doctors or Chinese medicine practitioners are we consulting ?

d) How are children doing and what issues are confronting them at this stage in life.

While I do like to meet my old University classmates, I think that the 60s till the early 70s are THE best times to maximize our lives for the better. This means improving our mental, emotional and spiritual well being, as well as of course taking care of our physical health.

I will make it a point to meet old friends and like wine, the best relationships never get old. In fact they taste better after some time away.

At the beginning of this month, I welcomed an old staff and long time friend Kannan Narinasamy for 2 days to Singapore.

We talked about old times and where we hope to be in 1, 3 , 5 or even 10 years time.

It was such an uplifting time for me to reconnect with old friends. 

Stay connected.

Stay relevant

Stay humble

Be the engaging person that people want to reach out to you. 

Father's Day Dinner at Humo - Keong Saik Street - Fabulous Japanese Spanish Fusion food.

 

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day (20th June). The selection of venue was made by me, and frankly, I will read the reviews on Google as well as other blogs to get a feel of what the first timers would hope to experience. The Google reviews were generally positive (4.6), though they weren't a lot (less than 400). Normally above 4.6 is good enough for me to give the restaurant a try.

Nestled amongst the many shophouse cum dining establishments along the gentrified Keong Saik Road (No. 21), finding parking was a big challenge especially after 7 pm. There are car park lots alongside Keong Saik Road on both sides, as well as Teck Lim road and JIak Chuan which forms a neat triangle and they run roughly parallet to Neil Road. However, since our time slot was 8.15pm most diners hadn't finished eating hence there was no curbside parking last night. 

We decided that - in future, we can take the brown line (Thomson East Coast Line) and walk into Keong Saik Road. I will try that train - walk strategy the next time. Its fast, no hassle if the weather is fine and no need to circle endlessly for a car park lot.

I had to drop my family off, before heading into the adjoining Bukit Pasoh Road and I finally found parking at Dorset Hotel - which frankly offers one of the worst parking programs in Singapore. Cars park on some kind of conveyor roller contraption and each slot is encased on top by another level of conveyor roller but to each side runs chains - these chains reach perilously close to the vehicle and the chances of getting the car scratched from these chains is high. The roof of the conveyor also has a height limit, so SUV cars also have risks of getting scratched. Not a good park place. The less times I visit the hotel the better.

We settled in eventually for dinner, and the first dish was a great starter, the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare. The bread crackers were just nice, slightly warm and the raw tuna flavor was greatly enhanced by the dachi gazpacho - whatever that was, it tasted great !  

The second and third dishes were really outstanding too. 

The Japanese eggplant (at right) which was baked to a fine crispiness, and topped with Miso glace, pomegranate seeds, and laid over a goat cheese yoghurt. It was really flavorful especially with the goat cheese yogurt topping.  

Japanese Eggplant with Miso Glaze and Goat Cheese Yoghurt 

Chargrilled Iberico Pork Ribs (500 g) with Japanese Cabbage - Yum 

The chargrilled Iberico Pork Ribs 500g was definitely a crowd pleaser. I had 3 ribs and while the meat did not fall off the bone, it was very tender and the flavor was one of (something like) ranch BBQ flavor. Nice.

The Japanese cabbage was also 10 / 10. It did not look like cabbage and when I had the first bite, I had to take a second and third one too. It was that good. 

The interior of the Izakaya was quite unique. One cant tell if the place was a Western or Japanese one, the 120 lanterns and the Sake Bar certainly gave it a Japanese feel but once inside you couldn't be sure.

My son Andrew and I were quite taken by the decor and the music playing inside  was a mix of late 80s to early 90s disco as well as rock and roll. Bands such as the Pointer Sisters, KC and the Sunshine Band, Earth Wind and Fire as well as the Bee Gees certainly made this father (me) young again !

The Piece de la Resistance 

Seafood Paella Japanese Style 

with Grilled Unagi, Baby Scallops and Firefly Squid 

The Piece de la Resistance or the Magnus Opus - which we waited nearly an hour for f- inally came. The Seafood Paella Japanese Style (S$ 48) did not disappoint. The rice was nicely cooked with some burnt edges and the baby scallop was lovely and flavorful. The unagi or grilled eel was done just right, and I had a couple of the firefly squids - I would rate this dish 8.5 out of 10.  

Seafood Paella 

My wife felt that the Paella at Kulto (Amoy Street) was better and I have tasted great Paella at the InterContinental Hotel along Claymore Road. 

The total bill for 4 dishes came to S$ 163 which was pretty decent for 3 adults. We had no alcohol and the prices all in all for most dishes were in the mid 20s to low 30s. Only the Paella was $48 but the pan was rather small in my opinion.

Would I return again to dine here ?  Certainly !

Music, the vibes were all 10 / 10

Food was 8.5 to 9 / 10

Location / Parking was 5 / 10

Price was 9 / 10.

So the key information :

Humo 

21 Keong Saik Road

Singapore 089 128

On Track for 1,000,000 views before August 2026.

 

                          At Capo de Roca (Portugal), the Westernmost point in Europe in 2019 

Well today's post is again about how the algorithm that captures the imagination of the 'spiders' than trawl the internet, and lo and behold, my little blog suddenly can garner around the region of 150K views per month when at the start of this year, it was hovering at about 30K  views per month.

A 5 fold jump in viewership. In a span of say 3 months. Whether this translates into anything tangible and beneficial or detrimental is beyond me, but the power of social media is out there for all to see. I profess not to have paid anything in the form of SEO or SEM for the search engines, but the numbers are  beyond my simple comprehension.

                            The famous lighthouse at Capo de Roca Portugal 2019. 

When I started this blog way back in 2008, some 17 years ago, I wanted to just keep an online diary of my life and how my physicality and mental maturity had developed over the years. My physical self has seen a decline since after I turned 55, but it has not seen a drastic decline - as yet. 

Once I had enormous energy, I could run 10 to 14 km per day, go and attend to work for about 10 - 12 hours and go home to the family. I would be able to do that, easily 3 - 4 days consecutively and rest for a day, before resuming the runs. So at my peak of running, I was clocking 60 - 70 km per week.

Now, in my early 60s, I am doing at best 10 km running per week, with a lot more walking (say 2 nights of 5 to 6 km each). My joints are shot and achy after a 'long run' of say 8km. My time has dropped from a peak of 4.5 to 5 mins / km to easily 8 mins / km and sometimes even slower.

I take Creatine Monohydrate supplement for recovery and I feel my age, honestly.

I hope to have another 10 - 12 years of running, albeit slowly.

That is if, I do not succumb to osteoarthritis or cap replacement  beforehand. That is a big IF but I have seen enough friends who are struggling with their weight and they are carrying easily 10 - 15 kg more than me and are as tall as me. This means that their body mass index is calculated and categorized as :

Weight (in kg) /  Height (in m) x Height (m)

To be in the healthy range is between 20 to 25 ; above 25 is overweight. above 30 is obese, above 35 is severely obese.

Below 20 is underweight and below 18 is severely underweight

I fall in the overweight category and have a score of 26.3. 
                                   

Not good. 

                                                   Devil's Inferno Cascais 2019 

Metabolic syndrome is hitting many of my friends. I do not want to be part of that number because, the longer you have it, it deteriorates your overall health. 

First, you will be diagnosed with high blood pressure, then diabetes, coronary heart disease and cancer. Of course, its not a given that you will hit all of the 4 one after the other, but it is a precursor when you are diagnosed with one. The likelyhood of getting the other 3 subsequently is then hgher.  

So I must persevere everyday, eat less processed food, eat more vegetables and lean meat, 

I need 7 to 8 hours uninterrupted sleep, go to the toilet at least once a day and laugh at least once a day. 

Wish me luck on my journey onwards to a nice retirement.

In the meantime, wish me luck on reaching that magic 1,000,000 views by August 2026. 

1979 and 1980 Junior College Years

 

With friends from Raffles Institution Jan - March 1979 ; The first 3 months of attachment to St Andrew's Junior College

During some  outdoor activity in 1979. The 2 friends I recall their names are 

a) R Subra (first row extreme left)

b) Chen Fun Yap (first row second from right) 

I would like to say that the Pre University days of my youth were rather misspent. I had no clear picture of what I wanted to do in life after Secondary 4. My grades were at best mediocre and I followed my then best friend to SAJC and enrolled in the 3 sciences 1 Math course which was the pre-emptive course in preparation for Medicine at the local University.

It was a disaster of sorts, I rather liked maths, and was good at it. I loved Physics, and could spend hours upon hours just tackling the problems in the textbook Nelkon and Parker.

I tolerated Chemistry and I abhorred Biology. 

So my 'A' level grades reflected the interest of the student, me. 

I had skipped many classes (playing truant) (called 'pontang' because I had not completed the homework or just had no interest in the subject.).

There were instances when the teacher caught us napping at another empty classroom when we were supposed to be attending her class !

I was still finding my identity at the tender age of 16 - 18 years.

It was a rather bleak period for me. Neither here nor there. 

On looking back, if I had then the clear focus and dedication about my direction in life, I would have gone straight into the 2 Math, 1 Physics and Economics course - I think that would have given me less grief in Pre University and possibly a better head start into my University pathway several years later.

We cant undo the past, but hindsight is 20 / 20. 

I managed to gain entry to Engineering undergraduate course, and graduated in Bach Mechanical from the NUS is 1983.

63 - the year health and age issues start to be taking centre stage.

 

Enjoying a fabulous Banh Mi at Banh Mi 25 in the Old Quarter 

(Hanoi trip 10 - 12th June 2026) 

It is past the age of 60 that I really start to feel that certain aspects of my body is starting to deteriorate at a noticeble rate. In the teenage till 20s, I felt invincible, meaning, I could literally run a decent 10K, pull in an all nighter (studying or hanging out with friends) and attend lectures the next day, with nary 3 hours of sleep.

Energy in those decades was inexhaustible. I could summon incredible energy to push myself to great lengths. My legs, many people considered 'bionic' (like in the hit series "6 million dollar man" Steve Austin, who in the hit TV series, had his body replaced by super human orthopaedic replacements of his limbs (arm and leg), as well as hearing and sight). 

Sipping Iced Coffee a la French style by the small road in Hanoi. 

Legs and Hips 

When I served National Service, at 18 years of age, I graduated into the Armoured Artillery Corp, of the battery supporting the 46th Singapore Armoured Regiment. As a vehicle commander, I recall that I had and could easily jump from a height of 6 feet (1.8 metres) to the ground with hardly any impact on my sprightly joints. The Armoured Personnel Carrier or M113 which was the mainstay of the soldier transport back in the 1980s, was my military 'Grab'. I had a driver, Loh Swee Chuah, who was a competent and nice guy and my relationship with him was superb. I normally sat or  operated my duties at the vehicle coppola, at the centre and topside of this vehicle.

Everytime, we laguered (or stopped to deploy), we had a "Commander O group" which each Section Commander had to go to the Forward Officer's Unimorg for a briefing. I recall, I had to jump from the top of the vehicle to the ground and then sprint with my weapon to the Officer's Unimorg. The height of the vehicle was 6 feet or roughly 1.8 metres.    

Today, at 63 years of age, I can barely jump from 1 foot (0.3 metres) without feeling some "Ooh" on my joints. That is how far my orthopaedic strength and flexibility has gone down, due to age and wear and tear.

Lateral Crucia Ligaments (LCL)

I need regular massages with moxibustion as I feel these ligaments to my balance, flexibilty and weight bearing ability. Many of my peers my age are showing terrible signs of this degradation, by virtue of them struggling to get in and out of cars. The fact that I take 3 to 5 collagen health supplements and they really do help is testament of how much my joints have aged over the decades.  

Back

Very fortunately, to date, I have no or very little lower back pack. Thanks to my investment of buying and using only top quality running shoes, visiting a podiatrist (Dr. Leong Lee Seng) and taking 4 pills of :

- Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Monosodium Sulphate (MSM) 

3 (+ 3) pills of :

- Collagen (High Strength) 

I also keep on practising karate till this day (over 23 years).  

This martial art emphasizes flexibility of back and hips as well as maintaining core strength so I am still very mobile and active.  

Temple of Literature - First National University of Hanoi. 

Eyes 

I have had poor night vision for a number of years (since I turned 60), and decided to opt for cataract surgery last year at the age of 62. My eyes are better now with top quality intraocular lenses in place, but I am super mindful that eyesight is a blessing from our Creator and I need to always take care of this most crucial of the 5 senses, and I take a lot of lutein, chrysenthemum and small goji berries daily to maintain healthy opthalmic health.

Regular eye checkups are key too. I am due for mine soon. 

Sitting inside one of the exam booths of the Temple of Literature (1000 Year Old University)

Teeth

I have had gum disease, and am been treated by my long time dentist Dr Paul Choo of Bedok Town Dental Surgery for the better part of 5 years. Recently I had a tooth implant done, and I can safely vouch that from now on, I must floss my teeth daily and keep my mouth healthy.Price of teeth implants in Singapore is not cheap ranging from $2,000 to 3,000 per tooth but oh boy, I need to have the feeling of biting hard to give myself tremendous satiation when eating. 

There are a lot of diseases which start from the mouth, so its the very first line of defence.

Hearing

Fortunately I am not addicted to my Ipods, in fact I have an ear plug for music which I very infrequently use, as I rather listen to my environment when I am running and walking from point A to point B.

I have numerous friends and relatives who have suffered hearing loss from their early 50s, so I am very mindful that the loss of this crucial sense is another key to the beginnings of dementia disease amongst the elderly. 

Heart Health

I have been on a course of statins (AZ Rosuvastatin 10mg )  for over 3 years already. While my LDL and triglyceride levels are on the optimal levels, there is always no room for complacency. I have been battling high LDL levels for close to 20 years in the past. While my HDL levels are OK, it is the triglycerides and the high LDL levels which have given my doctors cause for concern.

This area of my health, I need to take control and mitigate any sense of complacency.So I exercise as regularly as I can, (3 to 4 times a week walk and run, as well as practice with dumbells and use the outdoor gym as much as possible). 

Regular checkups are a must and I am overdue for a full blood and stool test any time soon.

Colon Health

I am due for a colonoscopy soon, I will not delay this any further, and will go for one by July.Its been close to 3.5 years since my last colonoscopy (Dec 2022). At home, we eat a lot of fibre on a daily basis, and I have been taking regularly, (30 Billion) Probiotics capsule for over 3 years now. 

Prostate Health

I also need to go and take a prostate test for prostate cancer.All these are 'must dos' and not 'nice to do" thing which will supposedly prolong my quality of life for as long as possible.

Metabolic Disease 

I am very mindful that after 50 years of age, the body slows its metabolism drastically. I have been watching videos on Youtube from ER doctors and experts and have been religiously following their advice to exercise, moderately, after meals and do not succumb to sleeping on a full stomach

The spike in insulin after eating a carbohydrate heavy meal, it tantamount to  a slow buildup and ultimately an insulation resistance which if nothing is done, will lead to insulin resistance, and metabolic disease, which includes the following killer diseases :

a) diabetes mellitus

b) cancer

c) high blood pressure. 

Brain Cognizance 

Retiring and staying at home doing nothing, is one sure way for my brain to go downhill fast. 

I am still very active in my business, learining new things like languages (I plan on learning at least one or two in the coming year), and expanding my circle of friends and acquaintences will definately halt or at least diminish the rate of brain deterioration or brain fog which affects many seniors above the age of 60.

Maintaining and improving relationships with my closest loved ones, family and then friends is my top priority.

Keeping this blog going. Posting on social media, learning new skills and experiencing new places (like visiting Hanoi recently) will I hope, put me in good stead to face my silver years with enthusiasm and hope.

Carpe Diem. 

 

High Change Rate Temperature Cycling Tests for Printed Circuit Boards.

 

                            CTE mismatch (above) leads to elongation and contraction ;

     Over time, this mismatch will lead to crack and intermittent or catastrophic failure. 

This is the basis for High Change Rate Temperature Cycling Tests, which are typically conducted in a chamber called, Environmental Stress Screening Chamber. Stress Screening Chambers come either in Single Zone or Two Zone type. 

QRA is proud to market these ESS chambers under our brand name, and also under our principal from S Korea, ETSP. 

Lets go straight to the facts. Below is a diagram of a typical PCB board, which can be used in a myriad of applications from latest smart phones, notebooks, IPads and EV cars. The top part is the silicon chip (think Nvidia, Lenovo and Intel) which does all the microprocessing, and the bottom part connects the chip to the Printed Circuit Board. The connections are provided by solder bumps or balls and the point of contact is called the solder joints.

To improve transmission speed, the area in yellow is called the underfill and the solder bump sits on a contact pad.

The issue with reliability of PCB Boards, is that owing to cost pressures, the silicon chip is typically of a certain Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) and is normally on the low side, ranging from 2.5 - 4 ppm / C. The organic base substrate for cost reasons has a high CTE something like 20 - 30 ppm / C. 

When the device is powered up (smartphone, car or laptop), the underfill expands very fast and longer, while the silicon chip expands slower and at a smaller overall length.

When the device is powered down or switched off, the rate of contraction between the Organic Base Substrate and the Silicon Chip again is very wide, leading to the solder bumps positioning from the top picture to the bottom fixture. With repeated switch on and switch off, the solder bumps will crack over thousands of cycles. 

Therein lies the CTE Mismatch. Over time, this mismatch of elongation and contraction will lead to crack on the solder bump and the chip will be non - functioning. 

Its like a loose tooth, if you move it regularly, over time the gum base will give way and the tooth will fall out.  

The ESS chamber is simulating the power on and off for anything ranging from 100 cycles to up to 1000 cycles. There are standards which typify the environment which the boards are typically subjected to, to replicate the actual functioning. 

Set points can range from below 0 (-20 C) to about 100 C and the change rates vary from 1 C / min up to 20 C / min. 

                                       2  Zone ESS Chamber or Thermal Shock Chamber 

Why Do the Temperature Cycle Tests ? 

1. To ensure that the solder bump CTE is not too far off from the silicon chip, as well as the organic base substrate chosen (its all a matter of costs), is also not too high compared to the silicon chip.

2. If after 1000 cycles, the PCB Board is subjected to 

a) functional tests to ensure board functionality with a 'Pass / Fail' checking

b) High magnification Visual Inspection to determine microscopic cracks.

The reliability of PCB Boards, is critical to the high end brand's overall good name.

If after all the ESS tests are done, and the checks give a 95% yield (5% failure rate), then the batch of PCB Boards can be considered good for production and the assembly can proceed.

If the yields are far higher, (say 20 % upwards), the manufacturing manager1  may conduct an internal audit to review the selection choices of 

 

> Organic Base Substrate

> Solder Ball Materials.

Reliability is essentially Quality and Performance of a Product over the entire Life Time of the Product ( 2, 3 up to 10 years for EV cars).

Top manufacturers cannot compromise on poor out field reliability. 

It is better to recall and rework the new product in the factory before even a single batch is sent out. 

Manufacturers who have to conduct a product recall face a huge loss of brand confidence leading to huge revenue dips and profit  losses from a (perceived) poor reliability product. 

ESS Temperature Cycle Tests save millions if done properly. 

For more information ;

E :    mark@qra.com.sg

        qrasales@qra.com.sg

W :  https:\\www.qra.com.sg