GM to Kaput ? Then there will be 2.

GM chief Rick Wagoner (no pun intended) and Chrysler and Ford Chiefs during the grilling by Congress in December 2008.

In early December 08, in an earlier blog, I mentioned that the US Government should 'bite the bullet' and let the inefficient car companies fail - ie. go bankrupt. Sure there will be major food chain implications but just early this week, President Obama said that the changes in GM were not fast and widespread enough to warrant another bailout funds so was prepared to let them go bankrupt but support the warranties and parts of those cars from the Feredal budget. Its about time I say.

In a free capitalistic market,companies which do not make money over the long run will run in into cashflow problems and ultimately wind up or have to fail or go bankrupt.To bail out these inefficient companies will be tantamount or equal to keeping already brain dead people on life support - a very costly exercise. Of course,human life and companies are totally different entities.

The fallout will no doubt affect the cities where GM,Chrysler and Ford
all locate their factories all over the world where tens of thousands will be affected directly and perhaps millions indirectly will be affected.

Early this week, Richard Wagoner the CEO was forced to resign and given a nice severance package of US$ 20 million.Will the ordinary folk on production line at GM get something after 10,15 20 or even 25 years at GM ? I wouldn't bet on it.

Back to Camp - 25 Years Later

Yesterday I took a step back in time, when I went to view some equipment which was located in the Singapore Armour Center at Sungei Gedong Camp. Coincidentally it was the SAME camp which I was posted to from late 1980 to mid 1983 way back when I was young (sigh). Unfortunately cameras were not allowed into the camp so this is the only photo.

I had a walk-around and a feeling of 'deja vu' came to me. The Old B**** or the Standard Obstacle Course was where it used to be where we young NCOs trained our Armoured Artillery Men - alot of them where "Hokkien Ping" or "Chinese Helicopter".
These men were called "helicopter" because they could not say the word "educated" properly and so it came out as "helicopter". Though alot of them had little education and some looked like thugs and gangsters (they probably were 'outside' (the camp), I know most of them (where are they now I wonder?) to be kind and gentle souls.

We were the famous Armoured Artillary Battery of Charlie Company in the early 80s. Famous because Charlie Company had alot of jokers and major cockups (including one very unfortunate death of my friend tank Commander Shu Tai Yong).


"Yes Corporer !"

The Parade Square, Company Barracks and the Cookhouse looked EXACTLY like they were 25 years ago, no makeover or building amendments except for some new paint by the looks of it. The ever present 'chinup bar' - the bane of my Army time doing National Service as I had weak arms, the best I could do is 12 chinups was all over the place. Memories come back like it was just yesterday.

The were many of the decommissioned AMX tanks as reminders of the past but now with the latest Leopard tanks in service,Singapore is well protected any time of the year.

I guess I will make it one of my Missions this Year to Locate my Platoon and Section Men ; 25 years after ROD (Run Out Date). Where are We Now ???

Pattaya = Old Folks Home for Western Men

I am visiting the seaside town of Pattaya for business with my staff. Our customer is located about 30 minutes drive in the Eastern Seaboard town of Chonburi,Rayong Estate,or "Detroit of the South East Asia" (China,India and Japan surpass the scale and size of the car manufacturing industry many times). After the workday, we headed down to Pattaya for drinks and dinner. To some people, the image conjures up the Biblical towns of Soddom and Gomorrah where sleaze, prostitution,and all manner of vices are available. On only my 5th ever visit, I am still trying to find a word that typifies it but the only word is 'unique'. No, I wouldn't come here on a family holiday or even a holiday because its NOT my idea of entertainment and interest,EVER.
Perhaps for something totally different from the face of this earth is what I would call it !



However, I am struck that there are literally tens of thousands of Western (read White mainly) men of middle age to very old men and some aged Caucasion women who call this place home. They hail from many parts of Europe but looking at the restaurants menus and by the signboards there are many Germans, Russians,British and American. Every second couple is a Caucasian Man with a Thai wife/girlfriend and they have frankly boosted the Thai economy for decades by setting up the bars,restaurants and enntertainment outlets with their EUROs,Sterling Pounds and American Dollars. In a way, its like the perfect Old Folks Homes for these guys as they are a) not a burden for their 'home countries' when they fall sick and die b) things are very cheap by the Western standard or even Singapore standards, a chilled Singha beer goes for B 15 or S$ 0.60 or 60 cents at one of the countless bars. Unbelievably cheap. The Thai women coming here also flock to these Westerners like bees to honey as a union would prove 'win-win' to both the lonely man and the economically disadvantaged woman.



The relationship or marriage situation though convenient for the poor Thai woman who relies on the Westerner for the improvement of her standard of living does not sit well with many Thais who accept this as a sad fact of their society,but are not comfortable with it. The reason could be that the men are normally past the 'economic due' date and are not the 'foreign talents' which countries like Singapore,United States and Europe seek but are the old,widowers,divorcees, pensioners, socially inept failures and of course the sex tourists. White Trash is a phrase which comes to mind.

On top of that, there are additional busloads of gawking tourists who come from all parts of the world from China,Vietnam
and South America enjoying the beach, the muay thai shows (see pictures),walking street and lots of shopping.



So,at the end,Pattaya still remains relevant and even more dominant than when it was just a outpost for American GIs and sailors during the 60s and 70s.



Do the Thais want it ? Depends on who you ask. Does the World want it ? Again depends on who you ask.

Its not How Fast You Run But How You Finish Your Race

The picture above says it all, the face of a marathoner who has stayed the course and finished the race.For him the grimace is probably temporary but the sense of accomplishment is for his to cherish for as long as he lives.

I am trying,without much success, to do the following after my injury :

a) run on a regular basis
b) stay uninjured
c) stay motivated to continue running and finish as many more marathons as I can

The tricky part is finding the time,committment and perserverence to continue after the ITB (Illiotibial Band) injury and keeping my legs strong and supple. As a middle aged runner, each year presents a different challenge than when I was younger - say when I was in my teens,twenties and even thirties. The physiological makeup of a human being changes as he ages and it is telling.

Recovery rates are fasr slower,flexibility and balance are not as good.I can go on but its better to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

To date, my 5 kms are on track, but I probably need to up my mileage to about 10 km per run and 50 km per week, about 5 runs of 10km per week by April if I am to meet my year end target of running 1 more full marathon.

Wish me Luck !

Just Wanted to Say "Hey ! Thanks for the Eyeballs! "

To all my friends,colleagues and whomever who's reading my Blog.

"Hey ! Thanks for the Eyeballs and Comments ! "

Technology Simplifies Life or Life is Enslaved to Technology ; first written in 2008 ; Now a Repost on 1st May 2017

Roland Teo, a friend of mine recently put up in his blog the trend for people in the lower hierarchy of an organisation being so dependent on the mobile thingy in their hands that they are online practically from the moment they are awake till the minute they go to sleep. They even answer the phone while doing their 'business' in the toilet. Then there are the Bluetooth types who have handsfree connectivity and appear to be mad people talking and laughing into the air while walking and driving. I admit I use the Bluetooth during driving but draw the line while walking.

A long time colleague turned friend,Frank Rigley,who has travelled the world over and is based in Germany,Hong Kong and Penang depending on time of year told me that he met a more worldly wise man on a flight to Brazil. The senior gentleman who was a business owner told the then young Frank (in his early 40s then) that all he ever needed was in the brown paper bag which he carried.In the bag was an apple and his paper organiser which had all the numbers to his lawyers,bankers,vendnors and key customers. Did he need to call any of them at all times of the day ? The answer is "NO". The brain is still by far the most complex machine mankind has ever made and we are still learning to use maybe 10% of it till this day ! Will his business go down the tubes or the banks start foreclosing the loans to him if he does not receive their call for 1 evening ? Definately NOT.

Do handphones,Blackberries,GPS, Ipods,Laptops actually make you "work less and play more ? ". The answer is "NO". Unless you play On-Line games and ignore work whereby you run the risk of 'goofing off' during work and getting fired,most of us are seemingly bogged down by the need to access our online workselves. By perpetually getting more 'connected' we are enslaving ourselves to our work and the tools which enslave us are the very ones which were supposed to make our lives easier. The Blackberry is a pushmail device whereby ever so often email gets sent to the owner and he is supposed to read and
respond to the mail while "on the go".

So ask yourself " Have you Got Lost (go to where noone can contact you) today ? " . It is a privilege that only a few - in the upper realms of management or the Financially Independent can truly afford to "Get Lost".

It seems that at the end of the day, we are Slaves to the Technology which was supposed to simplify our lives.Does it appear that we are in fact workng HARDER now than we did say 15 years ago (in the early 90s) given the amount of time we have to apply our brains and bodies to the work that we are involved in to get the SAME or LESSER returns ?(eg. salary or commissions).

This excludes the bankers of course, the less said about them the better !

Bruce Lee using Nan Chakus to play Ping Pong

Internet Gaming Addiction - Root of All Evils ?

The recent attack on an NTU (Nanyang Technological University) lecturer by a final year EEE student who then jumped to his death shocked many in our fast paced society.An 19 year old online gamer who was caught having sex with a (unbelieveable) 10 year old girl was jailed for a long time. Almost at the same time, there was the death of a bright doctor from the Armed Forces who went AWOL in Singapore only to end up dead in Melbourne Australia,possibly committing suicide. The 'link' was that all 3 were young men who were very active on-line gamers, playing up to 6 - 8 hours PER DAY.

The papers all insinuate that on-line gaming,especially when playing many hours of certain games like World of Warcraft with devilish figures and massive scenes of torture and death are the cause of these tragic events. I do not like my children playing the online games especially as the lines between reality and virtuality are blurred and leaving the socially inept or introverted to 'find themselves'. Therfore computer 'geeks' are always seen as introverts and lacking in social graces and not developing their social interactive skills. Most young male and female teenagers go through a period of searching for their indentity and turn out all right. The few (perhaps 5 - 10%) end up in a world of the virtual and close themselves to anyone and everything outside of their little 'worlds'. That is where the danger sets in. When the person withdraws from all around him and cocoons himself and lives out a make-believe world, that is when he is most vulnerable and COULD perhaps a danger to himself and society.

What good would banning the on-line games serve ? Young people and teenagers need the Internet like we needed Rock and Roll 40 years ago and all the bad connotations (sex,drugs,long hair,foul language) that go along with it !

The case where the bright maths student('genuis' to some friends) snapped when his scholarship was withdrawn from him and he apparently chose to take out his 'failure' on the lecturer and subsequently he jumped to his death.He apparently spent up to 6 hours daily on the computer PC playing this game.

Was the cause of this triggered by some sublimal messaging in the Warcraft
game ? Maybe he was so used to the killing and maiming in his game that he re-enacted in real life some parts of his game to get some relief ?

I DON'T THINK SO.

When a person 'loses it' or feels he is threatened with his life (real or perceived), he will resort to one of the three scenarios :

a) Fright - scream, yell,curse and totally freak out;When YOUR EPL team loses theFA Cup Final for example

b) Flight - Run for your dear Life

c) Fight - No explaination necessary

For the NTU student, it COULD BE a simple case of over stressing himself whereby he had a distorted view of the world and 'lost it' and blamed it totally on his lecturer. But 'IT TAKES 2 TO TANGO'. So it is NOT PURELY THE STUDENT'S FAULT I am led to think.The lecturer should have looked out for some emotional 'triggers' from the student and advised him to seek counselling or even assign certain counsellors to the student to help him.

All this is said with 20/20 hindsight.

In all,the pressure cooker environment set up in Singapore and the 'Win at All Costs, One Strike You Are Out' mentality which is very prevalent here,is probably one of the greatest causes of people running amok and as you may have noticed ;

2 out of the 3 highlighted are highly educated, overachievers and smart people.

I think you will not see many if any cases happening in places such as the Caribbean or in the Maldives. In short, the fast paced and highly pressurised society and the expectations set by us or around us (peer pressure) is the one greatest contributing factor to mental illness and violence.The society and community development which we are living in determine who we are, so it is very very critical to strike a healthy balance and accept failure in certain aspects of our lives from time but not take that failure as the end of the world.

WE ARE OUR OWN GREATEST ENEMY.

"A MAN (OR WOMAN) MUST KNOW HIS OWN LIMITATIONS" - DIRTY HARRY

Oil Story

Yesterday I was invited to attend the National University Society Club new members' night to welcome the new members to the club and to share the camaderie and friendship with all the new members who had signed up recently. Held at the swanky new Guild House at Kent Ridge, I had the pleasant opportunity to meet with a gentleman from the Oil business based in Singapore. With the recent fluctuations of oil prices,and endless speculation of when the oil was going to 'run dry', he gave me a very insightful picture of the industry which Singapore has Here are some facts :






1. Exxon Mobil'S largest refinery WORLDWIDE is located in Jurong Island off the West
coast of Singapore. Refinery cost to start up is US$ 6 - 10 BILLION per refinery.

2. All the Oil companies have industrial and retail aspects of the business and
their retail buiness is a very small part of their business,however the goodwill
and perception is MAINLY based on how the retail business positions
themselves.That means how the general public perceives the company is mainly from
retail and advertising.

3. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is high on the agenda for all oil
companies.

4. Gross Margins are about 20% of oil price per barrel.

5. Oil companies now DO NOT own the operations where the oil is extracted from, they
are basically operators, and the country which the oil is extracted from owns the
oil.

6. They are paid in barrels based on number of barrels produced daily by the host
country



7. Price 'elasticity' (how much the consumer consumes) actually tempers the amount
of profit the companies generate. In short, although the price hit almost U$ 150
per barrel last year, the total numbers of barrels sold declined accordingly as
consumers worldwide a) put on hold vacations to distant places unless necessary
like on business, b) buying bigger cars c) used their cars less often. In short,
oil companies though they made profits last year, it was not on the massive scale
as envisaged or perceived becuase the consumers bought and used far less.

8. Oil producing countries in general are so short term in outlook that they have
neglected to look or invest at alternate sources of energy.

9. Solar as a replacement source ? Far from it ; 2 aspects inhibit the Solar
industry :

a) Efficiency - conversion rates of the solar energy into grid electricity is at
best 15%

b) Low ROI - With the raw materials invested into the Solar panels etc., the actual
return on investment given the current market prices and tariffs is still around
20 years. Which country would have that long-term and unchanging view to invest
in such a 'long-shot' business. Governments typically last 10 years maximum in
the West.

10.Carbon Footprint - Oil's carbon footprint has been given alot of bad publicity
what with the CO and CO2 emissions from major emerging countries with factories
billowing smoke and emissions from milliions of cars. The generation of the Solar
and Wind Generators themselves create carbon emissions,though,admittedly the
Solar Farms will generate much lower carbon emissions.



At the end of the day, with the world focussing on Carbon Credit Assignments and the Trading of Carbon Credits,Governments will still be trading Carbon credits with the objective to continue either sourcing, producing or refining the same or more oil.

In short,the days of Oil will still be with us for decades to come.

One Morning in the Botanic Gardens

Pass It On Sculpture by Victor Tan

One morning last week, I took an early morning stroll in the Singapore Botanical Gardens and chanced upon 2 very interesting sculptures. The one above shows the picture of an adult passing on water to a child in jars. It is symbolic of the passing on of knowledge,values and skills which we of the current generation need to be mindful that we all grow old and die one day. It is important to pass on to the next generation what we have learnt through many hard years of existence and experience. The 4 key facets when we pass on things and we need to ask ourselves are :

1. Is it the truth
2. Is it fair to all concerned
3. Will it build goodwill and better relationships
4. Will it benefit the persons who receive it


Frederik Chopin - Polish Composer

Another interesting sculpture is that of this bronze statue of Poland's famous 'rock star' of the 1900s, Frederik Chopin. Donated by the Polish Embassy, it depicts Chopin at his workplace,the piano and a female companion who was obviously a 'fan'. He died at a relatively young age of 39 but the thought struck me once more that


'Its not how long you live but HOW you live and whether you have passed on your creations or knowledge which will have a positive impact on the people that matter'.

Why I don't follow the EPL

These days, many men of all ages and their mothers follow the English Premier League religiously staying up at unearthly hours to watch the exciting game, called the 'beautiful game' by Pele and together with perhaps a billion faithful followers around the world week in week out who will follow everything to how the games were played, how each player performed, what the manager said before and after the game,the psyching taunts of the managers, the girlfriends,mistresses,wives,the taunts,the crimes like binge drinking and the racial abuse and beatings now and again.In short, the entire lives of all the actors on stage and off stage are studied under a microscope.

Do these fans have a) nothing else better to do ?? b) realise by paying the 40 - 50 British pounds to stand in the terraces,buy all the newspaper dailies with the goings on and all the fan stuff AND not to forget the pay per view of ESPN and now Mio TV that they are directly funding and indirectly approving of these young boys turned men who have the :

a) fat cat salaries, bonusses,transfer fees
b) lifestyles, fast cars and splashy suits with 3,000 pounds per night escorts
c) poor attitudes like faking injuries,football dives,theaterics
c) sometimes horrendous behaviour at nightspots everywhere

THESE FANS ARE BASICALLY FUNDING THESE SO CALLED 'STARS' LIVE OUT THEIR DREAMS AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR OWN. HOW PATHETHIC.

Football fans are people who - in my opinion- wasting their hard earned sleep watching something which has NO CONSEQUENCE DIRECTLY to their daily lives except, perhaps, to make the small talk the next day with the like minded sleep deprived fans during their tea-break or lunch. If their team wins, its hooray good feeling for a couple of days, now lets get back to the serious business of work or taking care of family. If their team loses, then sometimes they feel lousy for a long time perhaps a week and everything appears bleak and without any meaning - PATHETIC !

In short, they are BORED WITH LIFE OR HAVE NO MEANING IN LIFE. -- GET A LIFE ! --


I am one who prefers to choose not to waste my time on this perennial circus and pursue and practice my own hobbies which - in my opinion have :

a) More predictable results (ie. less heartbreak when your team loses)
b) More Asian players where we have equal advantage
c) Less hullabaloo and circus feel about the whole industry ; in short,
d) Improve my feeling of self-worth and physical and mental health.

Hobbies and sports which are TRUE TO THEIR ORIGINAL INTENTIONS,to create a healthier and well rounded individual while at the same time,teach us values which have been inculcated in all societies :

a) respect for your opponent
b) play by the rules
c) honour the results and display good sportsmanship when losing

I am not saying don't watch EPL, the occasional game or even the weekly game on TV is good entertainment for many, but to watch every match or most matches on ESPN just because they paid for the channel is in my opinion ridiculous. There is much more to life than staying home and watching ESPN and especially that irritating female host whose name I won't mention. Some examples of hobbies or meaningful activities :

Sports
a) Badminton, Futsal, Karate, TKD, Muay Thai, Swimming,Running, Cycling,Triathalon,
Adventure Racing etc. - for the very fit

b) Gym, Tai Chi,Qi Gong, Ball Games, Golf, Walking - for the Less Fit and Middle
Aged

Self Improvement
a) Cooking, Bonsai, Gardening, Dancing,Toast Masters (making impromtu speeches),


Helping in Community
a) Charitable Organisations, Hospices,Old Folks Homes,Children's Foster Homes.


We need't do everything listed above, only one or two based on time constraint, and see the difference it makes in your life !

I am expecting the many angry responses from the EPL supporters out there.

Hi Ho Hi Ho,its Off to Work We Go Go Go.

At Pattaya Walking Street


Man Kissing Snake - Everyday Activity in Pattaya

This month is going to be a very crucial month for us as far as our business is concerned, we have 1 major equipment installation at a major car company located in Chonburi - 2 hours South East of Bangkok,Thailand. 2 'teams' of 2 technical engineers from my company are scheduled to fly in at 2 week intervals and coordinate as well as assemble the largest Walk-In environmental chamber (I am quite certain) in the Kingdom of Thailand. With the assistance of 2 German engineers from our principal plus 3 local Thai technical staff,we intend to work at some speed and objectiveness to finish the project, hopefully by the 1st week of April.

The first photo above shows Kannan (Regional Manager) and Taawatchai (Thai Sales and service Executive) at the world famous 'walking street' of Pattaya as well as one of the acts in the many pubs, snake show plus Thai kick-boxing. Oh yes, there are plenty of side attractions like the girlie shows and other creatures of the night.It annaully draws people from all parts of the world ranging from the newly wed couples from Eastern Europe,Chinese tourists, and many over the hill aged Western men.The juxtaposition of happy families shopping in the Department Stores side by side with the Western men with their part-time dolled up escorts is quite strange.

We need to achieve the objective,with safety and coordination as this equipmnet will be the showpiece for our small company in S.E. Asia. the first of its kind in this much demoralised car industry.

Hi Ho Hi Ho, its Off to Work we Go Go Go ; A Go Go is a No No No - not till Evrything is Zuo Ho Zuo Ho ! (Done Right).

Then A Go Go Go till we To To To ! (knock out )