1,000,000 Views. Thank you and this post is dedicated to my family

 

John, Mum and Papa (1987) 

This blog will hit 1,000,000 views in the next day or two. I wish to dedicate this milestone to my beloved parents, Geoffrey, Anna as well as to my younger brother John. 

Though my parents are not here in this world anymore, I believe somewhere they would be happy  sharing with me on the quiet satisfaction on reaching this milestone.  When I started this blog way back in 2008, I just wanted to keep a journal of my life journey and wrote whatever came to my mind then. 

                    May many blessings be upon you wherever you go. 

            Surely goodness and mercy be upon you and yours for the rest of your days. 

                                                      12th July 2026. 

 

QRA's Lab is at Full House. Thank you clients and friends !

Out Test Lab at 21 Toh Guan Road East, # 04 - 02 is full. Thank you to all our wonderful clients and associates who have supported us all these years. We could never have made it without your continued support and we are QRA International are forever grateful for this.  

Going forward, we will be expanding our test capabilities, to add new equipment, add new partners and also aim to attain the ISO 17025 within the next year. The new tests which we aspire to do are :

a) Temperature Cycle Tests according to MIL STD 883 D 10110.7 

b) Stress Screening Tests (5 C / min)

c) Pressure Cooker Tests   121 C 100% RH

d) Drop Test

e) Peel Test

f) Leak Test

g) Seal Test

Do visit our website :  www.qra.com.sg for the latest from us ! 

Dialect films. Let more of them be screened in Singapore.

I refer to the brouhaha about the latest film, Dear You, in Chaosan dialect, where literally  thousands of Singaporeans have gone to Johor Bahru to watch.

I profess I am not a dialect speaker, although my heritage is Cantonese, hence the pull of the grandmotherland and motherland is watered down and the ethnic attraction of going back to China or India respectively is practically 0 in my consciousness.

I am proud to be half Chinese. I acknowledge my mother and grandmother were Chinese citizens, but I am a patriotic Singaporean and will remain so. I am very happy to witness China's progress in the last 30 years or so, developing from a poor country till today, a highly industrializing and ultramodern powerhouse, at least from what I observe during my visits to tier 1 and tier 2 cities.  

The issue is about the wanting to connect with the 'lao jia' or hometown for the people who were born there. Many years ago, from the early 20th century to late 20th century, many Chinese people fled China to come to S.E. Asia to look for a more prosperous life, hence, the men left their womenfolk back in the villages and sent back qiaopi or monthly remittances to feed the family who were probably living a hand to mouth existence.  When China started the road towards market capitalism in the mid 1990s, it steadily uplifted hundreds possibly 1 billion people in the last 25 to 30 years from dire poverty to middle class wealth and standards of living.  

Life is short, and it is a shame that the authorities and censorship board still retains archaic regulations which are not applicable in modern day Singapore. I do not think that there will be people - after watching the movie - will want to pack up and migrate to Suzhou province. 

When the speak Mandarin program was kickstarted. This was targetted at Chinese Singaporeans more than 60 years ago, to foster Mandarin as the mother tongue, this program and policy was the right one. Chinese of all dialects speak 'Pu Tong Hua' in China and this unifies the peoples North and South.

Let there be many more screenings of Dear You in Singapore. Many families, want to just spend quality time with grandma and grandpa and organize a family outing, so why make it so trying that there are so few screenings here ? 

There are foreign films aplenty in Singapore, so why limit the number of screenings if the demand is greater than supply ? 

Do something meaningful for the people, our  Government leaders. 

Everything can be amended if it poses no threat 

Approaching a major milestone in viewership 1,000,000 - A Humbling Experience

 

Marshal Zhang Xue Liang - Generalissimo of Lioning Province. 

Within the next week, I estimate that this blog will reach the 1,000,000 viewership mark. I intend to continue writing to the best of my ability and give my opinions on as many things as I can during the course of this lifetime. I would be happy for people to challenge my views and to have a debate, as no one person, religion nor political party has the complete understanding of world and domestic events so there must and always need be, to have dissenting voices, not for the sake of dissenting, but to ensure that whatever views which are prevailing ones can be challenged and fairly.

Marshal Zhang's Mansion.

I have always had a soft spot for the smaller or inferior player, be it in football, in a street fight, football match or even in political debates. The reason is that the smaller and so called inferior player or team is ready to tackle the big boy head on. That shows grit, courage and persaverence. Something which you find in the winners of the business world nowadays. 

Every company starts small and had numerous setbacks, Apple was born out of Steve Jobs garage, Alibaba Jack Ma was a failure in the interview and got rejected after applying for more than 100 and going for 30 interviews.

These people persevered. They showed true grit, courage, and believed in themselves. It is not the smartest in the room or lecture hall who makes it big in the corporate world. It is the person who can get whacked up time and again, brush himself from the ground and start afresh. Its a humbling and humiliating experience. 

Ku Gong - The Imperial Palace of the Manchu Emperor (Qin Dynasty). 

When this blog finally hits 1,000,000 views, I will just open a bottle of white wine, go down to my little corner somewhere and look up at the starry night. That feeling and experience will never come again so I will savour it like its the best thing to do.

Seize the Day 

Carpe Diem 

QRA International since 2003 - Ready to serve the world in Stability and Accelerated Aging Tests

 

QRA International

 

Established in Singapore in 2003, QRA International provides top quality test services and reliability equipment to the following industries in 5 continents listed below :

Asia

USA

Australia

Middle East

Europe

The industries we serve for close to 25 years are from :

> Biomedical equipment

> Medical devices

> Pharmaceutical

> Semiconductor

> Electronic components

> EV automotive

> Defence

> Sports Research

> Wellness and Aging

 

As an ISO 9001 : 2015 certified company (ISO 17025 in progress), we provide the following range of tests as listed below :          

  Testing Services

 

   Tests                                          Standards Complied      Industry

> accelerated aging                      ASTM F 1980 – 16                Biomedical

                                                     ISO 11607-1                              Medical Devices

  

> Shelf Life Testing                       ISO 11607 Biomedical

                                                                        Medical Devices

> Package Integrity                       ASTM F 1886 Biomedical

                                                      ASTM F 88 Medical Devices

                                                      ASTM F 1929

                                                      ASTM F 2096

> Accelerated aging                       ICH Q1A (R2) Pharmaceutical

                                                       ICH Q1B – F

  

  Consultancy Advice Laboratory Setting Up

  With over 30 years of industry experience, QRA’s marketing and sales personnel are

 well versed in consulting and advising you the QA executive, manager or director when

 you are setting up your

 

 Quality Assurance

 Reliability

 Production

 Research and Development

 

 QRA International has been Providing the highest standard of test equipment for close t

decades. These equipment are quality tested and comply with the most stringent international

 standards with no compromises.

 2 Laboratories - 16 test equipment available at short notice

 Serving 30 over clients in the region, QRA International provides the following tests

 within 3 working days upon client’s purchase orders

    Current Tests Provided

 > Accelerated aging Temp and Humidity (F 1980  -16 and ISO 11607)

    Temp : 45 – 60 C

    RH     : 50 – 60%

 

 

> Shelf Life Testing Temp and Humidity  (ISO 11607)

   Temp : 5 C

   Temp : 25 C – 35 C

   RH     : 50 – 60 % 

> Temperature Cycling Tests   (JEDEC A 104)

   Low Temp : - 40 C

   High Temp : 125 – 150 C

   Change Rate : 1 – 10 C / min

   Dwell Time : As per setting

 

 

 

> Thermal Shock (Air to Air)  MIL STD 883 D 10107.7 

   Low Temp : -65 C - -40 C

   High Temp : 125 – 150 C

   Changeover : 10 secs or less

   Dwell            : 10 – 30 minutes.

 

 

> Pressure Cooker Test

   Temp : 121 C – 122 C

   RH     : 100 %

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   New Tests Coming  (Biomedical)

 

> Seal Strength (F88)

> Bubble Leak tests (F 2096)

> Dye Penetration (F1929 / F3039)

> Visual Inspection

> Burst Test (F 2054) 

> Salt Spray  / Fog 

> Solar LED Testing 

 

For more information ; please email to arrange a visit :                                               

> qrasales@qra.com.sg Singapore

> mark@qra.com.sg Asia

>reypereria@qra.com.sg Europe

>tim@qra.com.sg USA

>clifford@qra.com.sg Australia

 

 

QRA International

21 Toh Guan Road East

Toh Guan Centre

# 04 – 02

Singapore 608609 Tel : (65) 6795 1486

 

QRA Internaational Stability Chambers Best Quality and Reliability - Singapore design.

 

Stability Chambers are essentially chambers which control temperature, and humidity with various ranges for various applications. Below are some ranges and size of the chambers which QRA can provide for very competitive prices and 1 to 2 year warranty ranges.

 

 

  

Temperature and Humidity tests are designed specifically to accelerate the aging of the products subjected to the tests. Higher temperatures (50 C and above) and higher humidity settings (60 – 98%) can be programmed and achieved as standard performance settings of QRA Stability Chambers.

 

 

 

Typical Settings of Stability Chambers

 

50 C  50 % RH

55 C  50 % RH

40 C  75 % RH

25 C  75%  RH

Temperature and Humidity tests are essential in simulating environments and also stimulating by high temperatures, humidities, fast change rates to screen out infant mortalities on poorly made components, assemblies and completed products.

Designed by QRA International, our very own Temperature and Humidity Chambers are suitable for all kinds of testing under various temperature and humidity extremes. Our installed base of hundreds of chambers regionally establishes QRA as one of the region’s best in class brands.

 

 

 

      Typical Temperature and Humidity Graph of QRA Temperature and Humidity

Chamber

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical in particular use temperature and humidity chambers to perform accelerated aging and shelf life testing of the new products and stress test the effectiveness of their barrier systems rigorously.

Many advanced manufacturing industries utilize these equipment :

 

> Biomedical

> Pharmaceutical

> Electronics

> Semiconductor

> EV Automotive

> Aerospace

> Defence

 

 

Walk In Temperature and Humidity Chamber

 

Summary of Temperature and Humidity Chamber Sizes and Performances

 

Temperature Range

- 70 C to 180 C

Humidity Range

20 to 98 % RH

Change Rate

0.5 to 3 C / min heating

0.5 to 1 C / min cooling

Chamber Sizes

80 Litres   -   Smallest   (Table top)

1800 Litres   -  Largest - Reach In

Up to 80 m3  -  Walk In

For more information, contact :

E : mark@qra.com.sg  (Asia)

     reypereira@qra.com.sg (Eur)

    clifford@qra.com.sg (Aus)

 

Website : www.qra.com.sg 

 

 

Mosella Corpoate Lunch

I had a corporate lunch early this week, at this famed 5 star Pan Pacific Hotel at Claymore Road. Mosella is their 5 star international restaurant situated on the ground floor of this grand hotel. 

Zucchini Flowers 

A great starter dish. It looked like a fish dish and the texture was something like one of the vegetarian dishes from the "Shu" stall at most hawker centres. However, the flavor is hard to beat, there was some sweet and sour truffle taste due to the truffle honey and the pastry is made from the Spanish Manchego Cheese though I have no idea what it tastes in real life. It felt more soya beany than cheesy in texture. 

Very good. 

Jamon Iberico Ham on Crusts 

The Jamon ham was plentiful, overflowing and over 2 thick layers. The aroma is very overpowering for those who are not into their aged and cured hams. The charcoal fired flat breads were crispy and the tomato flavor barely came out on top as the ham was so pungent.

The fans for and against Jamon ham are from both ends of the  you love it or hate it. I must say, I didn't hate it and I am not really into this  degree of pungency 

Hokkaido Scallops Carpacio

This was a lovely surprise. The scallops were small, but the grapefruit and citrus dressing gave it a tangy taste. There were bits of sourdough crotons which I mistook for fish roe :). 

Really excellent. 

Its a must try dish and I will order it again when I am next at Mosella. 

Porcini Mushroom Risotto 

Another winner here, the risotto, while a little bit on the mushy side I think it was due to the type of rice used. In this case it was the aged aquerello rice. There was a strong hint if black truffle, just the essence. The parmesan cheese gave this dish the nice cheesy flavor.

Top rated. 

 

My first 16 years - 6 Adis Road.

 

Our Family House (1959-1976) 

This was the first home which I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. My fondest memories of my infant, toddler, kid and teenage life were centered first around my family house, school, sunday school and later I spent a lot of time at the Singapore Swimming Club and then the outside world.

We (my brother and I) caught spiders at the plants by the side of the house, we climbed the rambutan tree on the right of the picture, the huge garden was a mess, there was no front gate, fence nor was there any clear demarcation lines from the front to the back of the house.

Our house was  a bungalow built in the early 20th century. It sat on something like 40,000 ft of land and nowadays, a developer could build up a small condominium plot with the land area.

On the ground floor, there were 2 rooms, one was uninhabited (West facing), the east facing was converted to a bedroom for my Gong Gong P.C. Wen who came and stayed with us for about some 5 - 6 years in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The central 'ballroom' was a huge room without columns and my father kept all his law files there. I recall there was a line telephone which gave an electric shock everytime we picked up the phone and placed it to our ears. A painful memory from 55 years back !

Climbing up the staircase, we entered the main living room at the centre of the house. There was a huge verandah (with chicks or blinds as we call them), and during thunderstorms, we could shut the wooden shutter doors and retreat into the main living room. It was huge, and behind the living room was the dining room and the kitchen was at the back.

Our bedrooms were on the left side of the house, my brother and I shared one room which had a small loft made out of wood. Some years later, my father installed an air conditioner to this room. I recall using this room for over 10 years.

The master bedroom was divided into 2, my father slept on the large bed and my mother on the smaller bed at the back of the room. There was an adjoining toilet which all 4 of us shared.

To the right side of the house on the second floor, my Por Por (maternal grandmother) lived with us for close to 12 years. She went and lived with my Mum's youngest brother David in her remaining years. She passed on at around 85 years of age.

I fondly recall my Por Por could speak a smattering of Malay, and she and the maids (we called them Kak Kak or big sister) would get on each other's nerves from time to time. She was a fierce lady but melted with us 'Sum Mun Zai' Kia or gangster kids.

I learnt my Cantonese mostly from my Por Por.

The collective memories I have, are still pretty vibrant. I have gone to the exact address of my growing up years, and can barely make out how that plot of land used to create the happiest and most carefree memories of my life.

 

  

 

  

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