When Life hands you Lemons, make Lemonade

This is a phrase I learnt from my son, Andrew. This is from one of his cartoon shows, Ed Edd and Eddy, I think. The idea is that 'don't dwell on the negative for too long' and 'make the best of the situation'.Last week, I had my MRI done on my leg and while there is some early osteoarthritis setting in,it is not something which will set me back and sit in my armchair and moan and groan. I have decided to make the best of the situation and while it hurts to run even 5km due to a tear in my knee ligaments,I have decided to take up cycling and swimming,and hopefully my knee ligaments will heal. This will then ultimately lead me to a triathlon some time down the road. All those that think I'm nuts you're entitled to your opinions but as my Karate instructor, Mr. Chia wrote in his blog, he is happy with the path he took with his life and so am I.

I'm thankful for all that I have experienced in my running (4 full marathons and 10 half marathons) and pursuing one's passion is extremely satisfying, for me at least.

Life is also too short to be too cautious. There are many people out there with the "what if I fail/crash/fall/embarass ??". What then ? On the other side,"What if I don't and I get to enjoy :

a) the endorphine rushes after each long run or swim
b) leaner, toner and healthier body
c) the better self esteem
d) the less visits to the GP for minor coughs,colds,headaches and irritable bowels

So now, for the new challenge in 2009. I want to swim, cycle and run and hopefully, go for a Triathalon.

Anybody Game ?

Carpe Diem

Christmas Story 2008

Today, 23rd December, I went to visit my Orthopaedic doctor, a Dr. Khong at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre for a nagging knee injury which had been bothering me on and off for several months now. Turns out it may be a tear on the cartilage or ligaments on the side of my knee. Upon his recommendation, I went for an MRI or Magnetic Resonance Interferometry on the knee at the Paragon Shopping Center and Medical Suites along Orchard Road.

So here I was, at 3.30pm in the afternoon, just waiting my turn for the X-ray and then the MRI at the MedLab (for those X-rays and MRI images). I was feeling pretty pleased with myself and having taken a leisurely half-day to check on my
leg and hopefully get a quick recovery.On top of that,I was in Paragon Shopping Centre and could go and do some last minute Christmas shopping for myself and was lost in thoughts about what I would reward myself for this 'hard' year.

Sitting in the waiting room, I couldn't help it but overhear one man who was obviously a doctor, talk to a couple who had a baby no more than 2 months old. She was being bottle-fed by the young father and by the looks of it, the doctor was telling them that there was a tumor and there could be the possibility of it being cancerous. He was detailing the various options the couple would have to take.

One minute, I was feeling quite good and cheery and next minute, I felt absolutely helpless and disappointed with myself.Helpless, because I could not do anything nor interrupt the couple who were facing an extremely serious situation.
Disappointed with myself because I was falling into the trap of the "Christmassy Spirit".

I mentally wished the couple the very best for their baby but can you imagine, that their only HOPE AND JOY is FIGHTING FOR HER DEAR LIFE and during Christmas? What is the meaning of living when all your hopes and dreams are shattered by something you cannot understand, especially to YOUR OWN CHILD WHEN SHE IS SO YOUNG?

I was called away at that point to go for my MRI scan.



There are MANY people who don't know the true meaning of Christmas. Even if they did, they are actually too busy performing retail therapy or shopping on themselves and their partners and colleagues to bother finding out. Its been going on around ever since the creation of the Television, Advertisements magnified by and those damn Sellavision people (I didn't say USA).

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was born roughly around this date 2008 years ago and that his birth was long anticipated and predicted. 3 kings followed the star to where the baby Jesus was born in Bethleham and presented the family of Joseph,Mary and Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.Magnificent gifts to pay homage and respect to the Son of God.

Marketeers and Advertising Teams have then perveted the concept of this gift giving and made it a totally pagan and fairy-tale affair with the :

a) Mega Christmas Sales at ALL the top Boutique outlets and Deparyment Stores
b) Santa Claus (fat White Man with white beard),
c) Snowing scenes,santarinas, reindeer,Santa movies
d) Office Christmas parties,and presents to give to everyone,
from your CEO,CFO right down to your cleaning aunty and petrol pump attendant.
e) Loads and Loads of Parties, Presents, Log Cakes, Christmas Ham and Alcohol
f) Visits to the doctor for overeating or drinking (Ho Ho Ho).

What has all of the above got to do with the birth of Jesus ? NOTHING.

What has the above got to do with the pursuit of profits,money and self-indulgence ? EVERYTHING.

In this day and age, everyone just wants an excuse to practise Retail Therapy, because spending makes one Feel Good and Handsome,Beautiful and get into the 'Christmas spirit'.

THIS IS CRAP ! YOU WANT TO SHOP AND FEEL THE 'CHRISTMASSY' SPIRIT, DO IT ANY DAY,MONDAY IS BEST.CAUSE YOU FEEL GOOD THE REST OF THE WEEK.BETTER DO IT EVERYDAY THEN THE ECONOMY WILL GET A BOOST AND MAYBE THIS RECESSION WONT LAST LIKE FOREVER.

My humble 3 wishes to everyone if they could come true for this Christmas and ideally the whole year round :

1. HEALING - Too many angsty people with short fuses everywhere
Many have been burned inthe stock market, property, business failues and
overwhelmed by the magnitude and severity of the economic crisis.

2. COMPASSION (or EMPATHY) - to the less fortunate

3. UNDERSTANDING AN ACCEPTANCE - This is the tougest and hardest wish to achieve
but everyone will fall down someday.We all ask "WHY ME ?" Its how we get up
and deal with it that counts. Else accept it gracefully.

Have a Happy and Thoughtful Christmas.

Mark, Ian and Tibor went up to the Castle with Dracula

                                         The Brothers - Me, Ian and Tibor (Hungary Agent)

Last March, during my annual visits to Germany to visit our principal supplier, Weiss Technik, the Australian agent, Ian Firth,myself and the Slovenian agent, Alex (formerly part of Yugoslavia) got along pretty well. We had meetings and seminars during the day and merrymaking with loads of alcohol in the evenings.One Wednesday evening, it was snowing lightly and we had been drinking alot at the factory cafetaeria and after dinner, we headed back to our hotel which is in Wettenberg, a small village,situated northeast about 120 km of Frankfurt. We were getting pretty rowdy in the bus leading us to the hotel with the usual swearing and mild drunkedness typical of many German parties.

Anyway, things were getting a bit out of hand and upon reaching the hotel, some of our agent friends opted to go to bed, while the rest checked emails and other recreational activities at the bar in the hotel. Ian, myself and Alex then decided to walk-run up to the nearby castle, we guys tend to do STUPID things when we have WAY too much alcohol and time on our hands, which was like 3km uphill all the way. So, we set of at a brisk walk in our trenchcoats and jackets.


Lynne (Taiwan Agent), Me and Alex (Slovenia Agent)

THIS IS THE LATE WINTER NIGHT WITH SNOW AND WIND BLOWING INCESSANTLY AND AN 8 AM START TOMORROW OF NEW ROUND OF SEMINARS AND MEETINGS.

It was cold,damp and windy. Alex told us he knew the route well and decided to cut through some cabbage patch through some farm area. We made our way up hugging our jackets and trencoats and slipping a little through the soft ground. Alex had a sinister look on his face and he was very quiet, intent on reaching the objective. Ian and I followed him. I knew I had my GREAT chance to spook Ian.

I casually poked Ian in the ribs,and said, "Ian, our friend Alex.Do you know his surname ??"
Ian : " No"
Me : "Alex, whats your surname huh ??"
Alex : " Dracula(ris), !! My name is Alex Dracula !"

THE WIND WAS HOWLING AND THE CAPE FROM ALEX'S TRENCHCOAT FLEW. I half expected bats to fly out from his trenchcoat and the vines from the ground come up and grab our ankles !

Ian's face turned white and he actually grabbed me. We both practically RAN up to the top of the hill where the castle was. Later, Alex and me went all the way to the top of the belfry (top of the tower) and had a magnificent view of the entire town.


                                           At the Top of the Castle overlooking Wettenberg

We later went in to the Mexican bar at the castle to have a couple of schnapps to chill out. Oh yes and swopped our backgrounds and life stories.Turns out we are all about the same age then - 44. But more of that in a later blog.

Treu Stories to entertain our Grandchildren.

Hong Kong Hols in Pictures

Cold Crab Teochew Style


In Lam Kwai Fong


In Tomorrowland Disneyland


May, Betty (long time friend) and Andrew

A short holiday is better than none, so we all set out for a 4 nights
4 days short trip to Hong Kong. I hadn't visited the place in like 9 years or so
and was taken aback when my long time friend based there,Betty told me that it was
populated by 8.5 million residents and citizens. The first impressions are normally the lasting ones so here they are in order of sequence of impression and rating :

1. Crowded and Cramped (-)
2. Small Time Disneyland (the roller coasters are for 4 - 5 year olds) (-)
3. GREAT food and Shopping for anything branded (+++)
4. Sloping streets full of people, no FASHIONABLE people (depends)
5. Fast Pace of Living (depends)
6. Excellent MTR EXCEPT why they can't link Tsim Sha Tsui to East Tsim Sha Tsui is
a mystery to me. (+++)
7. First Class airport and probably Seaport too (+++)
8. Service standard ; slightly lower than Singapore's - which is AWFUL ! (---)

I Like Hong Kong.Its so in your face,so brazenly materialistic,fashionable and with an attitude to living life.

United Sinking of America

Cartoon Courtesy of Non- Sequitor Cartoon Strip

Question for the Day
1.How do you get a small fortune (Say S$ 1 Million) in this Uncertain Economic
Market ?

2. First you start with a Big Fortune. (S$ 10 Million).

Loo Kwong - 1st Marathon in 5 hr 20 minutes

My long time friend and running khaki, Loo Kwong completed the Standard Chartered Marathon on December 7th, his 1st, in 5 hours and 20 minutes.

Congratulations !

Detroits' Big 3 in Big Trouble Again - a Case of Too Little Too Late ?

The CEOs of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors during the grilling by Congressmen


Production Operator


One of the Hundreds of Suppliers to the Big 3 - Seaway Bolt Company


One of GM's Basic Cars


Chevy Volt - GM's first Electric Car


Chevy Camarro, Hoping to be a Bestseller Again ?

Everybody and his mother has an opinion on whether the Federal Government's bailout loan of US$ 25B
to the Big Three car companies will really make a difference to them surviving this Global Financial Crisis. One camp is the compassionate one which says " Save them, look at the downside, if they go, they will cause a total of 1 million jobs lost and maybe hundreds if not thousands of co-related companies from direct vendors to indirect suppliers like the towns and cities where the Big 3 have their factories, the shops,restaurants,newspaper vendors, ice-cream parlors etc. etc. will all take a hit, as far as business is concerned"

The opposing view held by several economists and which I favour (right or wrong) is this ; let the capitalist forces decide. If businesses all follow the rules of revenue generation and profit creation then those companies which suffer years after years of losses and always requiring money to shore up capital are firstly not taking care of their shareholders and key investors.To make matters worse, the big 3 car companies were known mainly for making petrol guzzling SUVs, huge MPVs and were very slow to focus on the future trends of Green manufacturing such as the EURO standards of carbon monoxide emissions (EURO IV and now V),something which the European makes were onto since signing the Kyoto Protocol in 1992 to cut Greenhouse Gas emissions (3 gases are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and CFC gases like R13 and R23). The US has always rejected the implementing of the protocol citing China's increase in Carbon emissions as the reason. The point here is that the US is the biggest emitter of Greenhouse Gases on a per country basis since the 2nd world War,2 x times more than any developing country !. Another key point is that China has signed and ratified the Kyoto Treaty while the US of A has NOT! One need look no further than the current US President to realise that the whole issue is about oil and a country overly dependent on oil for energy and the President whose family is in the oil business is a symbiotic relationship.

"You buy the big gas guzzlers, I ensure the gas stays cheap, everyone is happy, XXXrew.. the rest of the world "

Then came 2008 and the oil prices spiked tremendously to a high of almost US$ 150 per barrel.So what happened, everybody and their mother started switching to smaller, greener (hybrids like the Toyota Prius) and even taking public transport. The Big 3 saw their sales plumment, along with the collapse of their SUV and MPV markets.So they go cap in hand, to plead the US Congress for a bailout of US$ 35 B. The same old story and excuses abound.

The reason that, the failure of these companies will result in x numbers of jobs and lives in jeopardy due to the financial fallout. OK, now Congress has approved US$ 25 Billion to give them an extension,again for how long ? One certainly hopes they have the products for the new generation and expectations of car owners which is so obvious :

a) Fuel Economy - We owners don't want to be highjacked by the oil barons again and again
b) Greener Cars - Lower CO emissions which pass the latest EURO V standards
c) Reliable Cars - People still prefer Japanese cars due to their perceived reliability

My only viewpoint is that THE BIG 3 HAD IT COMING. If they had difficulties making consistent profits during the so called boom years after September 11 2001, they will have even more difficulties NOW. Good Luck to Them !! If they go under, so be it. BITE THE BULLET.

Goodbye ACS (J) Building

Time to Say Goodbye, pic shows Andrew.

The ACS (Junior) Building at Peck Hay Road (off Clemeceau Avenue North) will be torn down as part of the Ministry of Environment's and the School's efforts to revitalise all school's facilities and amenities. Although it is an improvement for the better, I am saddened that the building where many of my 2 Boys happiest memories from 2000 to 2008 will be gone forever, and that the Old Boys 'collective experiences' will forever be remembered in old photos and in digital blogs and cyberspace.


Banner at the Entrance

The relentless pursuit of 'Development' and in the name of 'Progress'has yet again claimed another victim. I am not an Old Boy of Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) but I always feel a tinge of nostalgia and pride whenever I pass by Upper Serangoon Road and Woodsville Road, where my Alma Mater, St. Andrew's School still is standing with all its dimpled pink walls (yes) and clock tower still standing.



The grand Old Lady

I will one day bring my Boys to St Andrew's School and will beam with pride and possibly some mischieviousness say, "I had my schooling experience here, this is MY school ! I had alot of fun and caning here !!"


View from the Playground



The foyer where the principals used to give his/her briefings


Some last postings in the canteen

Topless in Europe - Life in the Fast Lane

This photo was taken in June 1997, the year the first signs of the Asian Financial Crisis was starting to hit. The COE (Certificate of Entitlement) in Singapore that year was hovering around S$ 50,000 after having hit a record high of in excess of S$ 100,000 (!). I was in Germany for the agents' Worldwide Sales Conference for a week and my then business partner booked the Mercedes Benz SLK 420 convertible to rent for 3 days for a (then) reasonable sum of S$ 1,200 (about S$ 400 per day after converting from Deutchmarks). Petrol costs on the other hand, were another matter altogether ! Price per litre of petrol was hovering around DM 2 (S$ 2.00) per litre in France and DM 1.70 (S$ 1.70) for Germany.

To drive a luxury car in Europe is frankly one of us guys' pleasures and to drive a convertible at 240 km/hr on the Autobahn - there are no speed limits except for a few stretches near the big cities like Frankfurt, Cologne or Munich, is really something to be experienced. The Germans really DO appreciate and understand the mechanics and decades of technology advancement of the car (this is the country which produced the first petrol fired vehicle - Daimler) and the weather during spring / summer is perfect for this land tourer with the top down. Showy, YES but then LIFE is to be savoured within ones means isn't it ?

There is nothing quite like it over in this part of the world, firstly because of the humidity in S.E.Asia,and secondly there is NO WAY one can get by driving in Singapore or Malaysian highways at 240 km/hr without worrying when the 'Uncle Sam' (traffic police) is going to pounce on you.

Escape from Bangkok 26 - 27 November

This is the 'Escape from Bangkok' my own version which happened just 2 days ago. I was on a business trip from 24th to 26th November visiting our customer Ford Mazda in Chonburi (South East of Bangkok). On the 25th Wednesday, while we were returning to Bangkok, I noticed scores of cars, buses.MPVs and Carry Pickups with hundreds if not thousands of yellow clad PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) supporters heading to Suvhanabhum on the opposite direction of the highway to 'welcome' the Prime Minister Somchai back from the APEC meeting held in Peru.They had had their hazard lights on and had received word to assemble and ultimately take over the main International airport at Suvhanabhum. Their objective was to raise worldwide awareness about the 'puppet' Government of Mr. Somchai which was a front for the ousted Thaksin Shinawatra.



Tawatchai,my Sales Manager for Thailand had confirmed that this action was the final act for the PAD people who want to bring down the Thai Government by demonstrations and using force if necessary to achieve their aims. By now, the world's news agencies and press corp had taken notice and street fights and gun battles plus home made bombs were being thrown in the vicinity of the Main International Airport at Suvhanabhum. According to reports there were gun battles with DAAD or the pro-Government groups who were wearing red T-shirts and by 8.20pm the PAD had occupied the airport departure terminal and terrified tourists and working airport staff were all caught in the crossfire literally.

We returned to downtown Bangkok where it seeemed to be a different world, everything was peaceful and my Malaysian Project Manager Kannan and I met with Ricky, my friend with AEI and we went out for dinner in downtown Rachadaphisek Road. Soon we heard news that the airport was overrun wth PAD protestors and all incoming flights after 9pm were
diverted to other airports such as Chiangmai and Phuket. Not long after,Tawatchai informed me that International airport
was closed. Our initial reaction was 'so what' and we were quite nonplussed and it did not sink in that there would be many thousands of people,business people,tourists, students who would be stuck in Bangkok. We continued having drinks near our hotel and went to bed thinking of the day ahead.

On Wednesday morning 26th, we saw on the news the worst had happened and that the entire airport had been shut and that there were rumours that the 2nd airport, Don Muang would also be shut due to protestors 'disrupting the operations'. During breakfast, we sat down and considered our options

a) wait and see
b) drive down to Had Yai and cross the border and head for Penang. Drive time : 15 - 20 hours at least.
c) drive to Chiang Mai which was 780 km away where there was a SilkAir flight out of Chiang Mai every day.

After some checking, I decided for option c) and smsed my travel agent Joanne, to check seat status. Amazingly there were still seats availabe ! So I got her to reserve a total of 4 seats in a metter of 15 minutes out from Chiang Mai on Thursday 27th morning - my birthday.

We left at 11.00am on Wednesday morning in 2 cars, Tawatchai's car and Ricky rented a driver (for Baht 9,000 or S$ 380) and stopped for lunch at a shopping center mid-way and drove non-stop all the way to Chiang Mai. Along the way, I had concerned friends (THANKS ! Looi,Betty and James) smsing me about the situation and even updates about some fighting and someone had been killed near Chiang Mai. The total distance travelled was almost 800 km in 1 day and time of travel was 9 hours approximately.


On the way to Chiang Mai

Finally at 8pm, we arrived at Chiang Mai and we headed for the airport. Security was tight, there was an army post at the entrance and several soldiers around. We spoke to the airport manager who assured us that things were "OK" and flights were going in and out BUT all flights to and from Bangkok and Don Muang were cancelled. I wanted to check-in our luggage and get a boarding pass but the check-in counters were all closed. Tawatchai, who was familiar with Chiang Mai booked us all in at the new Dome Serviced Apartments for 700 Baht (S$ 30 only!). This is a very good quality service apartment, brand new, with a clean bed, TV and aircon.


Dinner at Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

We headed out for dinner at the ChiangMai night bazaar and did a bit of last minute shopping.Amazingly Chiang Mai seems like a different country and everything there seemed so peaceful and plenty of tourists and locals appeared unaffected by all that had happened in the capital. I was reminded that the North part of Thailand was 'Thaksin country' so the protestors would be very foolish to attempt to close the last airport open. There was news that one protestor was shot dead near Chiang Mai and I sensed that there was heightened tension as I saw police even coming to our Apartments. By 11p, we all were exhausted and headed back to the Apartment.

27th November morning, I had a short 30 minute run along the main canal of Chiang Mai to take in the sights. I normally bring my running shoes so I put them to good use this time. We headed for the airport and thankfully, our last minute premium tickets were accepted and boarding passes issued. There was the first signs of other travellers (maybe 20) who had also made the trip up north but I think quite a number were turned away because they could not confirm new flight bookings out of Thailand because the airport in Chiang Mai could not be contacted. I guess I did the right thing by confirming the flight via my travel agent and that she was a trusted friend of mine. THANKS Joanne of Comet Travel.


At the Departure Lounge in Chiang Mai

The final 2 hours passed quickly, and I was greeted by birthday smses and calls from my family and friends.The SilkAir flight left at 11.30 am and I had a quick look at our passengers beside us, almost all, were holiday makers except for us 4 and perhaps 10 more passengers who looked like they had come to Chiang Mai from Bangkok.


Freedom Flight MI 701 Silk Air at 11.25 am

We arrived back in Singapore at 3.30pm and celebrated our 'Escape'. My thoughts are with the many thousands of stranded tourists and businesspeople still stuck in Thailand.

SKI - Sure Kena Injured

The title is just to grab attention. One of the most exhilarating sport one can participate in while he or she is still fit and active is to be able to ski. My family and I have gone for ski holidays for 2 straight years and I am frankly hooked. There are many affordable ski packages to places like Korea and China and they have excellent resort facilities as well as top end ski instructors and equipment for rental. I can't afford the Swiss Alps experience yet but would LOVE to try the Jungfrau mountains (Swiss - German) at least ONCE IN MY LIFE.

One of the downsides, is that one has to be a) fit and have some stamina and have b) strong bones. It is not recommended for people above 55 years old unless they happen to be sportsmen who have been very active all their lives. The strong bones and coordination part is ESSENTIAL because there will be times when you will fall (how do you learn then ?) or when you have the misfortune of bumping or someone bumping into you and then it is a mad rush to a) stay on your feet and stay balanced and b) avoid hitting ski-lift poles or even out of bound barriers. Every year, hundreds of skiers do get injured or even killed, due to many reasons, so its not a sport for the desk-bound person.

Personally, it is a great sport with its fair share of thrills and spills as part of it. I can't wait to hit the slopes soon !

A Night on the Town - Heritage

Wednesday night, I had visitors from Germany and Malaysia, so after dinner, we headed for Duxton Road to sample some of Singapore's nightlife. Tucked away somewhere at the centre of Duxton Road, is this little nightspot, JJ Atlante which features, Heritage, Singapore's PREMIER rock and blues band. I was taken aback that this band has been around for 37 years and the original band members are still around and doing great gigs.The average age is in the mid 50s for at least 3 of the members.

Heritage Band is fronted by leader Atwell Jansen (with the skull cap) and is typically a 4 piece band. Showtime starts at 10.45pm (quite late for early risers like me) and there are 'guests officers' with foreign accents for those so inclined. They played hits from the 60s and 70s from Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Led Zepplin and Bad Company. (Roland Take Note !!)

For my money, 3 draft mugs at S$ 26 dollars and to watch one of the BEST bands in Singapore is a GREAT Singapore DEAL.

Karate for All

I am a member of KSK Karate Club located in Tanglin Community Centre since 2002. Headed by Sensei Chia Kwek Fah, it currently has about 100 members of which 30 are currently active. We meet every Sunday at 5pm (for seniors) and 6 to 7.30pm for the rest of the members. Any body with some basic fitness can join the club. Fees are $60 for a term of 12 weeks.

Mr. Chia holds a 7th Dan Black Belt - Shitoryu Style and has approximately 45 years (!) experience as a karateka and easily 30 years as a coach. He was the coach for Karate in Team Singapore in the 2005 SEA and in the past held many titles,including Asia champion - kumite category.He has several Chinese poetry books to his name, and is currently managing his business offering consultancy in photography,martial arts, sports science and Chinese calligraphy.

My opinion after having taken up the art for 7 years now is that it is a tough sport,which requires endurance and a high degree of flexibility and agression. Many junior members, ranging from 5 years to 16 years old have 'graduated' to senior belt status (brown and black) and the art teaches discipline, respect for seniority,agressiveness and humility. Basic techniques are the leraning of many blocks (uke or barai), punches (tsuke),kicks (geri) and stances (dach). Also threre is the aspect of kata or form,which is the application of the above into a structured pattern or 'war' dance.

For the seniors such as myself, we can pick up additional skills like disarming agressive attackers, free sparring (kumite),
and learning of Sai (three pronged pincer), nanchaku and even the dong fa (baton used by police).

Most of all, it showed me that the human body is capable of withstanding attacks by effective blocking techniques and then applying trained strikes at the opponents vulnerable parts rendering them harmless.

Picture shows, Esther, Ricky Ng, Me and Looi Teck Kheong.

School Hols are Here, Time to Party !

Cycling



Watering the Garden



X Box 360 Time for Noel and Andrew


This is the time the Boys so richly deserve,at the year end when all the exams are over, its time for some FUN, so this is IT.

42km,150m Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2005 - Real Drama

The date was 5 December 2005 morning, I can still remember the incident as clear as yesterday. This was the 3rd full marathon I was attempting and it was HOT and humid.I had my arranged supporter, Kannan, from Malaysia who had come all the way from Malacca to help supply me the Gatorade drinks and Powergels. We had arranged that he meet me at specially designated locations to hand me the "life savers" as I estimated there would be a thousand runners in front of me, and probably many thousands behind me. This was the MOST dramatic ending to my marathon runs which I am not going to forget soon.

The race started at 6.00 am, it was smooth sailing for me for the first 10km or so, I was near the faster runners - not the elites, nor the chasing bunch, but somewhere in the first 25% or so. I had been pacing myself and had trained religiously for this run which I thought would be a managable distance,as I had run it 2 times previously, once in Penang (2003) and once in Singapore 2004.
I WAS SO WRONG.

The first 10 to 14km was the stretch from the Esplanade Bridge right down Shenton Way to all around Marina Bay area and back before looping back to Robinson Road and head towards the Padang and the Esplanade Drive and down to Raffles Avenue.

The race was carried out on a hot morning, and by the 23km mark, I had a cramp on my right calf. This occured somewhere around the 6 km mark at East Coast Park. "Oh Oh", I thought, "Not Good and so early into the run." By this time, at 8.20am or so, the first Kenyan runner finshed the race. I was only half-way through !!

I managed to squeeze some Counter Pain Gel on my leg and carried on. At around the 30km mark, I had a another muscle strain, this time on my left calf. Again I stopped and applied some stretching and some muscle cream. The time was about 9.30 am and I had met Kannan once but had missed seeing him on the 20 km segment, as there were just too many runners passing by for him to spot me and I was probably bunched up with my eye on my leg rather than people or supporters.

By the 32km, I was pouring water down my head to douse myself and try to ignore the ache. BAD MOVE. The water trickled down to my legs and seeped into my running shoes. As I was hot, I intitally felt relieved with the water energising me.So I started drinking a bit more and pouring plain water down my head. My shoes by this time were squishing in water and I was literally running in SQUISHY SHOES.

Finally, the end point could be seen, 40km, just 2km more to go. I was preparing myself for the photo opportunity and with the thousands of spectators cheering us on, it was a massive boost to my very tired limbs. With 100m left to go, I thought to myself "Go for it buddy, break the 5 hour mark !". So I started to accelerate with about 80m left to go.

The exhilaration was with me, I was taking the cheering and shouting and started to move faster.60m, 50m,40m, ..... then WHAM !

My left hamstring tightened so very tightly that I pulled up and stopped totally. I was in extreme pain and lost my balance, and fell flat in front of thousands of cheering spectators !! The announcer who was announcing the numbers started shouting my Bib number and by sheer willpower, I tried to get up. I was blocking the other runners who were making their way to the 'chute'.

Another runner stopped by to help me back to my feet,but he let go of me after 10 seconds and I was practically 'legless', my legs were all rubbery and I could not even stand let alone run.

I fell back again on the road, and the announcer and the people were going crazy. I was doing a crazy stand up and fall down routine and runners were passing me and I almost knocked one down. Finally, a quick thinking medic ran to me and together we ran across the finish line which was probably 20m away.

I had slaps on my back and strangers coming up to shake my hand, all I wanted to do was sit down and I sat down with my aching body for 45 minutes and drank about 2 bottles of 100+. I had never felt so awful and relieved after a run in my whole life !

Finally when my body recovered, I was able to pull myself up,get my medal and find a taxi home. REAL DRAMA. RESPECT THE DISTANCE.

Thailand Tiger Zoo

Located in the province of Chonburi Thailand, there is this lovely little zoo called Tiger Zoo and I had the good opportnunity to visit it last year, this photo is my momento of me and some distant 'cousins' and I am in my long sleeve and silk tie. I wonder why people call this dressing the 'monkey suit' when the monkeys are all dressed up in T-shirts ??

There are several 'social experiments' which amaze people, fully grown female
tigers suckling pigs in the same cage. Fully grown sows (female pigs) suckling tiger cubs and I also got the chance to feed a tiger cub milk. At three months it is already weighing almost 20 kgs !

My staff will get the oportunity to view the REAL Tiger Show from Thailand soon as we have a major project in the Eastern Seaboard in the South East Thailand in January 2009.

Visit the website www.tigerzoo.com for the attractions.

Thoughts on Cooking from a Novice Chef

I am a novice cook and these few months I have been given the opportunity to cook breakfast for my family,so I bought this book "Healthy Appetite" by Gordon Ramsay (who else). For those who are not familiar, Gordon Ramsay is the foul mouthed chef who has several Michelin star restaurants in London and other parts of the world. He has his own cooking show,on AFC or Asian Food Channel and my wife, May is a fan.

Cooking is very much an art with scientific techniques applied, and you have to be on your toes, all the time in the kitchen.
The chef is like the "Commander in Chief" and he has control over everything when he creates his dishes. The mind must be thinking of what to do next, for how long, apply what, pace the stir fry or steaming, when to turn over the food, fire level,
seasoning, tasting and a whole host of other parameters. I am a beginner or a Novice so these are my initial thoughts on cooking.

Tasting the food at the beginning and before it is finally served is a must, as is the Presentation of the food.

The result ? When your guets or your family tuck in and the expression on their faces is the reward. It can be
priceless. Try cooking, get in touch with your creative side.

1 month to SC marathon - I am in trouble

The picture says it all, a long road ahead, it is sunset, the last rays of the day Sunday 9th November are at an ebb. I have just finished only 8km of the Nassim Road route (2 laps) and my body or specifically my knee, is telling me to stop.
I have to adjust my left leg so that it pronates inwards to compensate for the strain on m knee.Not a good sign.

I have finished 2 loops of 4km each today and as I had experienced some nagging pain,which is due to a strain on my Illiotibial Band - the ligament running from the outside of each knee, I decided against finishing my targetted 12km distance.

This week I have completed the following :
- Monday Rest ;
- Tuesday 8 km Goldhill
- Wednesday Rest
- Thursday 6 km in KL gym
- Friday 8 km Goldhill Avenue
- Saturday Rest
- Sunday 8 km Nassim

Total : 30 km , a far cry from the 50 - 60km needed to log before a marathon

My thoughts are about my injury and whether I should stop and give my tired body,especially my knee, a rest.
The surest way to recover is to employ the RICE method :

R est ; Take a few months complete no running rest
I ce - Ice the affected area
C ompression - Provide some Bandaging to the affected area
E lavation - Lift up the leg when sleeping

This week I will formally decide whether to proceed with my marathon on 7th December or skip and rest
till my injury heals.

Cool Bungalow in KL

Located in Banting, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and near PutraJaya, the Admisitrative Capital of Malaysia, this Bungalow is designed in the Modern Minimalist Look pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright of the United States. It sits near the top of a hill
overlooking the faux grandiose (trying too hard to look expensive) looking Marriot Hotel.

The bangalow comes attached with a 30m infinity pool, a cabana, a huge car courtyard for tethering your racing breed Ferraris and Lamboghinis as well as 15 (I counted) air conditioned split units. The house is shaped like a "H" with the West Wing and the East Wing. Pool parties as well as all kinds of movie scenes ala CSI Miami come to mind.

Land Area : 40,000 ft2

Built Up Area : 16,000 ft2 fully furninshed - its a show house on the Hill. The development is called Diamond Hill if you
are interested

Asking Price : RM 15 Million or S$ 6.4 Million

My Goal : Forget About It !!

I want to live my life and not slave to get a dream house.

New Office in 2012

This is the view of the water feature outside the Xilinx Building, in Changi South Avenue 2. It resembles something like
Silicon Valley in California. As I remarked to Johnson,my colleague, it is good to set a goal in the near future
for all in the company to achieve so :

Objective : To have an Office located in Changi South Avenue 2

Date of Achievement : by 2012 - in 4 years (before I turn 50).

Watch this Blog for further updates !!

Happy 89th Papa

My father, Geoffrey Abisheganaden, will turn 89 years old on 23rd November. He is to me and my brother John,a kind,humble man who epitomised all the values of a Christian servant of God. A lawyer by training,he studied at the Gray's Inn College in London and was the the same cohort as the Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew and former Deputy Prime Minister the late S. Rajaratnam.

When he graduated, he was the legal assistant to Mr. David Marshall, the Chief Minister of Singapore in the late 50s.They had many successes in court and he was always coming home to our house at 6 Adis Road in the 60's and early 70's with tales of his courtroom successes,whenever David Marshall managed to get his client acquitted or on reduced charges. He helped quite a number of neighbours and people who couldn't afford legal fees, (pro bono) and never looked down on the uneducated or poorer citizens.

He was the past President of the NUS Guild House, as well as past Chairman of the St Andrew's School Board of Governors, he has sat in many other Boards ranging from the Bible House,the Synod, Singapore Swimming Club as well as the St Andrew's Junior College.

He helped my Undergraduate NTI debating team tremendously as an advisor in the mid 80's by providing mature and logical viewpoints as well as oratorical tips in public speaking. My Army buddies from '82-83 remember vividly when he would drive 4 to 5 of us back to camp in Sungei Gedong in Lim Chu Kang every Sunday night to 'book in' to our army camp of 46th Singapore Armoured Regiment. He never complained of the long 45 minute drive from Goldhill Avenue to Lim Chu Kang road, taking the dark and then winding road and dropping us off and driving back home.

His Law practice, Abisheganaden and Company, was disbanded and handed over to younger partners and although he is a Notary Public, he is still active. His health of late is stable but he is weak in the legs,but his mind is still sharp, reading as many as 3 - 4 books each week.

A good father, loving husband and an Uncommon Man of Character,my Papa.

Happy 89th Birthday on 23rd November.

Visit from an Australian Musician

My friend Suresh,dropped into Singapore last week and here is a photo of us.
Suresh is the guy with the beard and Richard is his ex-colleague in a company specialising in vision and number plate recognition with business is Asia Pacific.
Suresh is living out his dream by working for Nokia in Gold Coast Australia
and playing the tabla with an Australian singer in certain Indian food estalishments,acting in plays (Othello),writing sonnets as well as rock climbing, running, cycling and many other things.
Quite a different lifestyle from your 9 to 5 working person with family or living in Singapore.

Crisis ? What Crisis ?

My son Andrew, turned 11 on October 25th this past week, so HE arranged his own party by inviting 4 friends over to our house for a) Xbox 360, b) Play Station Portable and c) Maple Story gaming for 4 hours.
It was very timely as the last time he celebrated was in 2006 and that was
a testosterone filled party (about 10 boys / teenagers) whereby his brother Noel invited all the neighbourhood friends and it was a riot !
This time around, he sent out Personal Invitation Cards, asked his friends what they were giving him (at this age it is OK to be impolite !) which were mainly Maple Story cards and stuff and it was Game On from 2pm to 6pm.
When you are 0- 12 years old you are in La La Land and everything is in serach of fun.
Come to think of it, us men are in La La Land even when we are 40+ !!.

HAPPY BITRHDAY ANDREW !