Singapore In the 1970s, Couples had 2, 3 4 kids.What Changed between then and now ?

In Thailand in 1974 I believe, Konrad Wee centre and Ms. Mabel Wee (Konrad Mum)

In the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, Singapore was a brand new third world country. People were literally living 'hand to mouth' and average monthly salaries in the 1960s (as a brand new independent country in 1965 having separated from the Federation of Malayan States),  was in the region of USD 100 to 400. 

In the 1960s, salaries were a pittance, compared to the then Great Britain (One GBP was 7 SGD and 1 USD was 4 SGD). People were eking very hard lives. There were people doing manual labour, from carrying rice sacks from the bumboats to the godowns in Boat Quay for example. Many people were trishaw riders, taxi drivers and construction workers. Gangster troups were aplenty, and there were numerous murders, crime, and rampant petty thievery in general society. Singapore had emerged from the British colonial past bruised and with an uneducated workforce hungry for work. The EDB was newly formed and the top administrators were in the process of conducting roadshows in the West enticing many companies to set up shop in Singapore. That I believe started to take shape in the mid to late 1970s. 

Yet, when I look back at my paternal and maternal families, I am happy to note that all of my uncles and aunts,had at least 2 children (many had 4) in their lifetime. Why ? 

On my mother's side, there were 4 sisters, and they each had

Anna (Dai Yi) : 2

Dona (Yi Ma) : 2

Mina (San Yi) : 4

Mona (Sai Yi) : 2

Kau Fu (youngest brother) : 3

On my father's side there were 

Paul (Eldest) : 2

Geoffrey        : 2

Alex              : 2

Felix             : 3 

Esther          : 2

Diana           : 3

Nowadays, many young men and women are putting off marriage altogether, let alone having children, and the alarming news is that the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for Singapore in 2025 is a pathetic 0.85. That means, we are not replacing our Singaporean base.

While it is easy to open the doors to people of similar cultural backgrounds (like Malaysia and possibly Indonesia), this phenomenon of offering 'free passage' to citizenship riles many ordinary Singaporeans who have to serve mandatory National Service and the feeling of intense competition fighting for places for jobs (and reservist) leaves people with a 'fight for your own lunch' mentality.

So why were there many more children per couple way back in 60s, 70s 80s and possibly the 90s ?

Healthcare in 1960s and 1970s was quite poor.

Well for starters in the 1960s and 70s, Singapore was a poor 3rd world country. Our medical care and hospitals were overworked, understaffed and with poor health outcomes. As a result, our infant mortality (children dying from disease below the age of 5 years old) was high. 

Couples wanted to ensure some heirs to either take on the family name, and possibly one or 2 girls to 'balance' the equation in the family. Added to the mix was that if any one child died, there would be ample replacement(s). As a result, many parents had 2, 3, 4 and beyond. Also in the third world, 'many hands make light work' (Confucius), so the reasoning was that it was better to have more offspring to help out in the a) farm b) foodstall or c) provision shop.

This population spurt alarmed the then Government so much that the Ministry of Health had a 'Stop at 2' promotion to 'encourage' parents to reduce their productivity so to speak. (It was a bad decision in hindsight, looking at our current need to import foreign born people to shore up our service, manufacturing and financial sectors year after year).

Assets and Government flats were very affordable then

Assets like landed houses back in the day (1960s and 1970s) were very affordable then. I recall my mother going 'house hunting' with another good lady friend Nina Cohen and she told me some people were selling preowned terrace houses for as low as $4,000 in the late 60s to early 70s. While it is true that the average salary was around $300 per month, the affordability of the landed property assuming 20% of average take home pay goes to service the mortgage so $720 per year would go to paying off the mortgage, it would take all of less than 8 years to pay off for a terrace house in the 1960s to early 1970s based on the average salary of $300.

So the aspiration to find a nice partner, settle down and purchase either a Government flat (it cost only something like $6,000 or so for a 3 room flat) or even a private land house was realistic and achievable. 

From Left : Audrey, Tan  Gillian Khoo, Tan Xian and my brother John 

One parent stayed at home 

Thirdly, for most families, only the father or male parent worked. It was a good time, mothers (a good 80 to 90%) stayed and home and minded the kids. Hence, with a parent minding the child, why not one or two more ?  

Raising Children in those days was cheap. 

There was hardly any tuition centres or personalised tuition to catch up. Things like ballet, piano, swimming, badminton, coding courses and all manner of holidays were practically unheard of. 

Society was pretty much on a level playing field. We were all similarly poor yet so much happier then. 

Fast Forward 50 Years Later. 

What has happened to young couples after COVID 19 ?

My opinion is that young couples choose to want to 'have it all' ; a nice starter flat, an enviable lifestyle with holidays, possibly an EV car. That does not leave very much to having a kid or two ?  

Our Government has for so long gone down the path of accepting foreign workers as domestic help that I believe this fact is one of the reasons why couples choose to chase sought after private property (condominiums and to a certain extent landed property) where the cheapest property would cost $1.5 million and above.

Imagine a big chunk of the duo's earned income of (for example) $12,000. Say using my 20% rule again $2400. If they could fork out (for example) $500, 000 (using CPF and savings), and take a loan at today's rate of 2%. Even forgoing the interest component, they would end up paying the full amount in 35 years !

So, they put up 40% which is $4,800 per month. A hefty sum no less. They end up paying slightly over 20 years to repay only the principal. So it is likely to be 25 years.

The young couple are betting on a few things :

a) they will continue to upgrade their careers and earn more for the next 20 to 30 years 

b) the property prices will hopefully rise up and they can offload it in 5 years time with some capital appreciation.

c) the economy will be 'hunky dory' and not contract, and there will be no retrenchments.

d) there will be no health or family issues impacting the couple financially.

Of course, I exaggerate. The couple can always start with the Government Build To Order HDB flat, the selling price ranging going from $300,000 to over $600,000 new after subsidies.

The bottom line is this, they still need to fork out and repay for the flat for easily the next 15 to 20 years depending on their average take home salaries.  

Posing in Thailand swim Pool in 1974. 

So, with the price of the basics sky high, thats where the inertia and the apprehension lies.

Whats lurking in the horizon ?

> Perceived job loss from AI for many front line and repetitive work ; this means job security is very insecure.

>  Asset prices do not seem to come down ; since COVID, Singapore has seen the asset classes jump and stay there.

>  The Middle East Conflict is causing high oil prices and inflation is rearing its ugly head. The big worry is if the economy stagnates, and if there is no growth either through foreign direct investment through setting up of new companies, industries then we are facing stagflation. 

In summary - reasons why Singaporeans are having fewer or no children are :

1. Sky high asset prices 

2. Uncertain job climate 

3. Major economic restructuring with new jobs requiring AI skillsets

4. Young people's aspirations to own good class assets and fantastic life experiences over  raising family. (my opinion)

There it is. My humble opinion on what is leading to the low TFR in Singapore. 

 

We should Lead by Example.

Kids Aplenty in the 1970s. 

The recent brouhaha about the "Marriage and Parenthood Reset" by our Government and spearheaded by an interagency workgroup chaired by a Minister is laudable. However, the assignment of leadership of this workgroup needs to be reconsidered. The choice of the chairman is also rather puzzling,and I question the powers that be in selecting a chairman with no prior experience in both these aspects (Marriage and Parenthood)

People can and sometimes do a better job  than people who have experience. Look at football managers in the top flight. Many of the top managers (Pep Guardiola, Nuno Esperito Santo, and Juergen Klopp) have limited top class playing experience, but that did not stop them from helming top clubs, like Manchester City, Nottingham Forest (OK, they are second tier) and Liverpool respectively. 

Marriage is a union between 2 people, a holy matrimony in whatever religion people choose and it also a legally binding contract between 2 people in the eyes of the law, a husband and a wife. Singapore still chooses to be conservative and their is no same sex union recognized in Singapore at this point in time. 

Parenthood is another tough task, a lifetime of sacrifice, struggle, comittment and love for one's offspring. Today's world is very different from the Baby Boomer's time, (1946 - 1965) when raising children in the 70s, 80s, 90s had vastly different challenges, and opportunities than today.

I question whether the Committee can truly succeed, and how can they firstly emphatise what is front and centre of the Millenials, and Gen Zs minds, which is - high housing costs, long wait times, high cost of living, disruptive work with no guarantee of long term employment in this convoluted world ?

Better to sit down and talk to all the young folk out there, aggregate their fears and desires and come up with a workable blueprint and put it out and run with it. Better still, the working committee should be composed of people who are themselves married, and parents themselves.

Choose a few young influencer couples, divorcees, and singles (not the flashy in your face) to be the poster boys and girls.

Then GO WITH IT.

Tweak when there is resistance or bumps in the road.

Our Government is not omniscient, certainly they are no experts. 

They should accept whatever the new generation feedsback to them in this area. 

    

Road Deaths hit 10 year high in 2025 - ST news today. It takes 2 hands to clap.

Singapore Roads 

Today's headlines highlighted the fact that in 2025, the number of road deaths hit a record high for the last 10 years. Any person reading this would assume that the motorists are the sole problem. I disagree. There is another actor involved. 

LTA. You are also part of the problem. Let me cite just 3 stretches of road, which I commute regularly and, frankly, the road repositioning or roads, without proper early notification to motorists is deadly and an accident waiting to happen.  I reckon there are easily 20 stretches of road all over the country, which are undergoing massive road works due to MRT underground works, road widening and many so called 'road improvements' which cause massive irritation to drivers like myself, not to mention the chances of accident happening when there is road diversions (the traffic crossing is at another place some 30 m and to the left of the original road is an example).

When I say early notification of road diversion, there MUST BE some sign on the road clearly displayed as far as 500 m ahead for stretches of road, indicating that one lane will be closed off. In Singapore's case, it is at best 200 m ahead. This is poorly thought out and executed.

Many drivers like myself, keep to speed limits and we drive defensively. BUT if the road is totally new and there are new detours, many a times, we drivers are lost and following road and signal signs which sometimes are confusing, so sometimes, we get into some minor confusion while looking at the signs and not looking at the car to the left or right of your car.

New road signs pop up (Friendly Roads is one), and all kinds of road diversions (keep left and right as there is some road works at the centre lane of the Expressway), all add to the confusion of the driver.

New road diversion, new signs, not enough early warning in terms of road cones only put up less than 100 m to where the traffic truck is stopped, all these in my opinion fall far short to (for example) West European road safety protocols, which I was used to when I drove many times in Europe and Germany (from 1997 till 2010).    

Over last  4 years, post COVID, I have noticed that there are NUMEROUS road works in practically every town centre, or suburb. Thomson road area is a massive worksite for the last 3 years, pity the residents living along the stretch of Thomson Road leading to Scotts Road.

Thomson Road from Balestier Road Junction - United Square 

The area outside Velocity and Square2 is especially bad in terms of road diversions. This are has been in this state for 3 years at least, so much so that the entire area has for the last 3 years become something of a worksite with roads traversing through it.

Ang Mo Kio Central

In Ang Mo Kio, there are many roads which have also moved, due to some MRT underground tunneling and hence there are road diversions.

Ophir Road stretch from Jalan Besar to base of Sheares Bridge

There's so much road diversion, and with the diversion, sometimes, the road winds, and the lane markers get narrower between lanes.

Surely this will give some problems to drivers, cars or vehicles eating into each other's lane unecessarily. 

The Government should look into some of the points raised. 

     My suggestions are 

a) Do road enhancements (as much as possible) during the hours from midnight to say 6 am.

b) Keep top heavy vehicles such as cement mixers, low transporters and low loaders off the vehicular roads, especially expressways (like in Germany) and limit there usage to between midnight and 6 am.

    

c) Be mindful of are major high density roads leading to major office blocks (like MBC and downtown), and plan road works AFTER the rush hour (like 10 am to 4 pm) 

d) Drivers pay so much in terms of COE and still, we live the problem of many road diversions, the occasional congestion, and now, sky high number accidents resulting in road deaths. 

d) Private Hire cars (I will get a lot of flak here), need to slow down, and pace their routes carefully, if that is practically possible.

(I am just a driver reaching elderly driver status, this is just my opinion). 

   Conclusion

> There must be a nice balance between road upgrading timelines, scheduling of resurfacing and repainting of road to night times, (not during peak hours of getting to work and end of the day commute) 

> Give us motorists a break !!! 

  

 

Cameron HIghlands 1973 with Prof Chao, Mrs. Lee and Other Friends

 

L to R : Mrs. Chao, Arnold Lee, Prof Chao, Mrs. Lee,June Lim, John and Mum. 

Here are more pictures of the trip to Cameron Highlands in 1973 with her best friend, Prof Chao Hsi Ching and his wife, Mrs. Chao.

There was also another close family friend, Mrs. Lee and her son, Arnold Lee who is now a doctor based in the US.

L to R : Mrs. Chao, Mum, Mrs. Lee, John 

My Mum, bless her soul, seldom flew intercontinental trips. Her job was the personal assistant to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health and she was very dedicated to her work.However, she seldom flew with my father on his trips to England, where his studied at the Grays Inn of London back in the post war late 1940s and early 1950s.

My Dad Geoffrey had many friends and he almost always did a 'pilgrimage' to his adopted 'Motherland' every 1 to 2 years. I remember when growing up, we kids played with many of the children of Geoffrey's friends from England, and I recall even visiting a family with my father in 1974 (before I turned 12) and having some curry cooked by the wife of our host.

Mum with Unnamed Colleague

Mum however, did all the regional trips with us, during our swimming days at the Singapore Swimming Club in the early to late 1970s. To the best of my recollection, we travelled to Bangkok (1973), Penang (1974), Manila (1975) and Jakarta (1976). I will dig up those unforgettable photos - mainly for my recollection but they were really the 'salad' days of my youth.  

                                                         Mum with Colleagues 1975. 

I've always maintained that I am a much better runner than I am a swimmer. At best, I am an above average swimmer but not I'm not at national level. However, I was good enough to be the Swim Captain for my House in Sec 2 till Sec 4. I swam also for the Mechanical Department during my Undergraduate days and we won 3 Gold Medals. 

I was also selected as the Boys Swim Captain for my Swimming Team from 1975 till 1977, taking over from Adrian Tan in 1974. 

I will try to recall the lovely memories from 1974 till 1974 which had some really nice 'war stories'.

Wait for the Next Post, readers. 

Teen Years Cameron HIghlands 1973 ; John, Mum and Por Por

 

                        L to R : Por Por, Anna (Mum), John (Brother) and 2 Female Colleagues 

I'm posting some of these priceless pictures of my Mum, Anna, my maternal Grandmother (Por Por) and my Brother John of some visit they went in 1973. In those days, Singapore was pretty backward, and if my memory serves me right, I did not go for this trip in 1973. My mother, my Por Por and my brother went to Cameron Highlands with some of her office colleagues from the Ministry of Health. I believe the year was 1973. 

Mum with John outside Hotel in Cameron Highlands. 

All Smiles for a Group Wifie. Pity about the lady Covering Her Face. 

I believe I did not go for this trip as I was already slated to travel in 1974 with my Dad Geoffrey in June 1974 to Greece and England.

I will dig up those set of pictures and post them on the next few posts. 

Early Teenage Years 1974 till 1976

 

Travelled to London in June 1974

This is one segment of my life which I believe was one of the happiest. The early teen years, between 12 and 16 years of age. I will try to delve into my picture archives to see if I can find the years when we (my brother John and I) were actively swimming at the Swimming Club.

I recall, I was made the Boys Swim Captain as early as 1975, and we competed in the regional meets called the Sanya Samaki Swim meets with other clubs from South East Asia.

We travelled and swam in Penang, Bangkok Thailand, Jakarta Indonesia and Manila Philippines at the end of each calendar year, under the Team Captain of  Mr. Henry Chan

In June 1974, my father Geoffrey bought 2 tickets, one for me as a child (below 12 years of age) and one for himself, and we set out to Greece and England. Greece was the choice he chose because he wanted me to understand that Western civilization and the birth of Government was formed in the Greek empire, some 5000 years ago.

         Sitting Atop one of the Columns of the Parthenon in Acropolis, Athens, June 1974

We visited the Parthenon in Acropolis, Athens in June 1974. After one week, we went to London England and that is where he took this picture of me at the famous Tower Bridge. 

At the Swimming Club with John and my maternal cousins, Angela and Wendy  

(Dec 1974)

My parents joined the Singapore Swimming Club around 1972, when I was about 10 years old. My brother John (above) was 7 years old then. Those were really fun times, when we first learned to swim under the legendary coach Mr. Neo Chwee Kok (called the 'Flying Fish', as he represented Singapore under the Federation of Malaya during the 1956 Olympic Games). I was a late entry into the boys swim team, but I recall the other boys and girls game me the nickname 'Tarzan' (I'm not sure why maybe I was rather a devil prankster with a lot of mischief in me). John was given the nickname 'Teddy Bear' and these 2 nicknames stuck with us till we 'retired' from swimming sometime in  late 1979.

Bus Pass Photo 1975 (14 years of age)

We had training at least 4 to 5 times a week, most times in the evening, and when school was in the afternoon session, then we went for training in the mornings. On Sundays, we would skip Sunday School (tsk tsk) and go for waterpolo games after our training. The waterpolo games were really rough and a lot of underwater punching and scratching was going on. While this was a boy's tough game, I took it all in my stride, and came out unscathed. 

We participated in the inaugural Inter Team meet, where I was one of the 4 captains who led a co-ed team of  swimmers one week per month for 12 months. I recall my team was called the Barracuda Bravados and we won the inaugural (first of many) Team Championships. The other captains as I recall were as listed below. I was the weakest swimming captain of the 4, so I was given the first cut of choosing the swimmers for my Barracuda team. 

a) Sng Tong Hoe

b) Audrey Tan

c) Khoo Teng Cheong. 

1977 Inter Team Swim Meet.

Champions : Barracuda Bravados

Captain : Yours Truly.

I was incredibly proud of that first achievement !

I believe I have the team trophy somewhere in the recesses of my house. 

Leaf Blower - totally useless machinery when an ordinary broom sweep would do.

 

Let me tell you a secret. Some years ago, in our neighborhood, there were these 2 morning sweeper men who came and swept the roads, tied up the garbage bags and cleared any litter stuck in the drains outside our house.

They did their jobs well and I was grateful for their service. I still am. 

One day, they started using this leaf blower - the function is to dislodge any leaves and blow them into a heap before they would sweep into their garbage bags. 

The only thing was, they did their jobs daily at the crack of dawn, right outside our house at roughly 6.30 to 6.45 am. The leaf blower created a right 'racket' of a noise, and I would wake up to this mechanical maniacal sound, rather than the sweet chirping sounds of birds which would be the normal daily wake up call for me.

Now, if this sounds rather 'elitist' or 'entitled', do drop me a comment in the comment section below.

However, we (my wife and I) are rather late risers (around 7.15 to 7.30 am) and the leaf blower emnates a sound which I would call 'noise pollution' - something which would register around 75 to 80dB early in the morning.

I wrote in to NEA, and complained about this, saying we are hard working people and deserve to sleep a bit more rather than be awakened by this awful racket amounting to noise pollution and causing me distress and possibly insomnia from the time I am awakened.

Well, the authorities, listened and within a week, they asked the cleaning men to use broomsweeps for their work.

I had my small victory to this day and get to wake up at 7.15 am or another half hour every day.

There is a semblance that the authorities DO listen to public feedback, if the feedback is indeed justified for the greater good of the community. 

Kudos to the NEA.

Involution - Running Harder just to stay in the Same Place

 A close friend of mine is watching a mini series on Netflix. It shows the trials and tribulations of the younger Millenials, Gen X and Gen Z in China working so hard to get wealthy or at least stay in the same socioeconomic level as the rest of their cohort.This sense of 'involution' or compete and succeed at all costs can be very troubling for society, in my honest opinion.

Involution - an inward turning or rolling back of 

Its application in the following :

a) Mathematics :   - (-x) = x  (I can hear the audible 'ah ha's from the logical and STEM readers).

b) Biology :The shrinking or the return of the  organ back to its original size, like the shrinking of the uterus back to its original size after childbirth.

c) General : A process of becoming more complex, inward or entangled.

d) Social / economic use : Excessive internal competition where people work harder but do not proportionally get the expected or better results. This normally applies to China society today with regards to its education, the rat race, and workplace culture.

> An example sentece is this. "The company suffered from involution, with teams competing internally with each other instead of creating real growth".

This can be applied our Government of the day. In Singapore too. Are our civil service sectors operating in silos and adopting an 'hands-off' approach and going all out to boost only their performance at the expense of other social  and community responsibilities ?

500,000 Views - Humbled and Grateful

 

My readers. I am grateful and humbled that this blog of mine, called Seize the Day, where this small business owner, husband and parent of 2 grown men living in Singapore, never thought that I would see the day where the total views of this blog reached 500, 000.

Its the magic (similar to compound interest), where the longer you are in the game, the more people trust your 'brand' and flock to read whatever (rubbish erh) that comes to my mind.

I steer clear of partisan politics, religion to a large extent and just post stuff relating to my company QRA International Pte Ltd and the day to day goings on in my life.

Its like I am a scribe. I pen my thoughts at different stages in my life. How the events around me, affect my thinking and my opinion and how it affects the world around me. It is a personal diary of sorts, so my readers can delve into my world so to speak.

A curator. 

Long may this blog live and prosper in providing the readers some respite from this corner of South East Asia.

I will NEVER use ChatGPT or AI to pen my thoughts. That is sacrilege. 

It will always as long as I live, I intend it to be my gift to my future generations. They can chose to delete it when I am no longer around.  

 

How to incorporate AI into the business ?

 

This is the challenge facing all companies large and small from 2026 onwards. We need to reduce costs and the one sure way to reduce it is to jump on the bandwagon called AI and incorporate solutions into the business. 

I am all for keeping good employees as the human touch and interaction puts people more at ease than dealing with automation, at least for now.  

There will come a point, where I believe companies sink or swim if AI is not embedded into the corporate DNA.

I hope I am wrong, but that reality is becoming more apparent with each passing year.

I guess the way forward is to peer review businesses in like minded industries and see which ones incorporate AI successfully and which have not and see how well they perform.

China is ahead of the AI game, yet, it is still struggling to come to terms with robots and artificial software being part of daily life.

I guess, if dinosaurs like me, can adapt to Claude, ChatGPT and even earlier, the use of Microsoft Pilot and Microsoft Office, why not AI ?

Section Leader Course (NCO) in one of the mentally and physically toughest in the whole Armed Forces training.

 

                                                                             Circa 1994

This picture I believe was taken in 1993 I believe, this is my army Reservist training in Taiwan, I deduce that in this picture, it was rather cold hence I have a scarf around my neck.

I was conscripted into National Service December 1980, just after I turned 18 in November of that year. The days leading up to the NS call up I recall I was playing 3 nights consecutively of "Risk", a board game at my parent's house. We were accepting the inevitable, and I just wanted to enjoy the last few days of my 'freedom'.

The NS training was tough, to be honest, and I was categorized as Pes 1 or the fittest of the healthy male enlistees. 

Basic training was conducted in the old ITD or Infantry Training Depot in Mandai area. I don't recall much of it, except during the day after 30 days our parents came to visit us in camp.

Basic Training was when we 18 year olds started out as Recruits - at the very bottom rung of the soldiering industry and we had to learn the very basic military drills like physical fitness, unarmed combat, fighting with bayonets, marching (lots of it), jungle training and the Standard Obstacle Course. The encapsulation of our 12 week course can be seen in movies like From Boys to Men movie series which was very popular.

After the 12 weeks course, I was selected to go for Section Leader Course, with the outcome being an NCO or Non Commissioned Officer which in those days required further specialist training of about 6 months of rigorous training, we would earn our 2 stripes and hence be addressed as Corporal.

To break it down further, it was 3 months of Section Leader Course (no fixed vocation) and another 3 months of specialist training in the industry selected for us. In my case, after the 12 weeks SISL course, I was selected to join the Artillery military Family.

The first 12 weeks we were selected to go for the Section Leader (SISL) course, conducted in Pasir Labar Camp in West Jurong. It was really tough psychologically for me, coming from a rather cushy life as a teenager and then being thrust into the jungle life and being commandeered by tough as nuts Airborne Ranger instructors. I graduated second in class if I recall. 

The 12  week Artillery NCO training was really tough, if I recall the first 6 weeks or Basic Artillery training, we were at Kangaw Camp or the School of Artillery. That was mildly put a living hell of a training camp. Early morning rises, a lot of physical activity such as Obstacle Course, Log PT and numerous chin ups to the point of throwing up our lunch - such was the intensity and toughness of the training. We went to bed exhausted practically every night of the weekday, with only 1 night off (Saturday) IF we did all our chores and activities right.Those who did not, would be chosen for extra duty - something all of us dreaded, and then our weekend would be effectively 'burned' by doing guard duty (Saturday whole day till Sunday noon).

The second 12 weeks was even tougher at the 21 Singapore Artillery camp. This, is only reserved for the toughest enlistees, and only the artillery or commandos are at the top of the heap as far as training goes. I am sure there are other units who would vehemently disagree but its almost 40 years since those days, it doesn't matter to me or anybody who reads this does it ?

No one died during the tough training. However, I am sad to report that after we were transferred out into our units, 46 SAR, there was a tragic accident which took the life of a friend of mine, Mr. Foo Shau Yong in 1981.

Even till today, its very hard to come to terms with this event but I would say that we, the sons of Singapore, gave our blood, sweat, tears and even our lives for the security of our nation decades ago and we are proud to be associated with this milestone even decades after the years of sacrifice.

Carpe Diem. 

Independent Thinking - how to not be brainwashed.

This phrase is so important in today's world. We are bombarded daily with messaging from social media, newspapers and people around us that we can easily slip into a deranged syndrome without actually realizing that we are in a bubble or cocooned surrounded by like minded friends.

For example, racism is taught, subconsciously sometimes by our elders and the people in our community. We must always guard against subconscious messaging promoting hatred, evil, and moral superiority between races, religions and even between people between North and South. Subconscious casual racism surfaces everywhere including many social settings in Singapore. I will not go into detail because sometimes an aware person can actually distinguish what someone says to a person and what someone acts to that same person does not co-relate. 

It is a very subtle difference, and only those highly attuned to societal behavior can detect the anomaly. 

In today's world that line of doing what is right or wrong is being blurred by the continual messaging through so many social media platforms it is almost impossible to monitor all in real time.

I am by no means perfect, and I know I am fallible, and call be swung by smooth operators.

So I know my own intelligence has a limit and need outside stimuli to check and balance my world view.

Mental clarity is the way we use what we are taught, our life experiences and our exposures which will shape how we think and act.

Knowing the difference in what is a stated fact and what is assumed is crucial. However, not many people are blessed with this mind skill. 

 

 

The Foolish Run Today - November 20th 2012 - A Repost from this Blog.

 I will always remember this run today for a long long time. Today, as I was preparing for the 42km marathon in roughly 2 weeks' time, I decided to take a challenge and run with a new pair of Asics Kayanos (version 18). I decided to run the Sime Trail at the McRitchie Reservoir which is roughly 11km from start to end, 1 complete circle. 

       I am not a novice at running the trails at McRitchie, but as I finished the run, something so significant dawned upon me, that I decided to write this down for posterity. I finished work before 6pm and made a beeline for McRitchie reservoir hoping to catch the last rays of light. By the time I arrived and changed up, and started out, it was 6.30pm. I did the run which was in the jungle, and not uncommonly, I would see moneys, sometimes monitor lizards and the occasional snake. The first half went by quite smoothly. I covered 7km in about 42 minutes or so, at a decent pace of 6min per km. My new shoes were absorbing the shocks of the uneven ground made worse by the rains the past days. There are many exposed roots and its slippery,so one wrong move and you could end up with a twisted ankle or worse, a major leg or body injury. The trail is meant mainly for walkers and people with trail sticks frequent it.
Some weeks ago some trail runners were lost in the Reservoir for up to 9 hours, so its not without its risks.

         I made it to the 2/3 rd mark at about 7.05pm. The ranger station was closed and a sign said that the treetop walk was closed and not open to public after 5.30pm  I was left with 3 options a) use the Sime road, which was well lit and run the remainder 5 km back b) Head back the way I came, which was quite treacherous with the fading light or c) continue with the Sime Trail into the forest and reach the end by sheer foolishness and willpower. That meant running up 9 small hills in the trail which was pot holed, and had mud as well as broken stones placed over the places where it was too muddy. Tough choice. 

        I chose option c). Purely by 'gut feel' and not logic, when I could have chosen the easy way back and ran along the road to the start point.With the light fading, the trail I was quite familiar became a black or near black track, with the occasional light from the opening of the forest which let the moonlight in from the half moon. I was afraid, but chose to press on into the darkness. The trail had its ups and downs, and pot holes, which I had to FEEL MY WAY through. I was scared to be scared, not wanting to think of the consequences of a wrong footing or  going off the track. There were lights but I realised that they were fireflies in the forest. After about 15 minutes  of solitary running in the darkness, there was a torchlight and one runner came towards me, he greeted me, and passed into the night. I felt much more sure. There was another solitary runner about 5 minutes later who greeted me with a hearty "Hi" and I was so energised, I ran with all my might. It was going to be OK, although I had another good 15 minutes still in the black forest.

        At the end of the trail, the lights of the reservoir beckoned. My thoughts during the run were this :

1. I am a risk taker, that is why I decided to go into business. You are always thrust into the great abyss (black hole) of uncertain future but you must have the extreme confidence that you will overcome whatever comes my way.

2. Do not think too much about the what ifs, because, life is real short, and if you spend too much time thinking about things you will never ever achieve anything.

    My run finished rather unspectacularly by the reservoir's edge. I remember the words immortalised by the late Steve Jobs to the new Harvard Graduands.

   " Stay Foolish, Stay Hungry, Never Settle".

   Well, the first 2 I have achieved with 100% accuracy. That is why I am still making a living running my own business. I have never regretted a single day of it. Never settle means that I must aspire for better than what I have achieved today. That will only be known over time.

   Seize the Day my friends.   

Accelerated Aging and Shelf Life Testing by QRA International - Get your Products Tested Today

The video above shows the Lab (No. 1) in Singapore running 10 test chambers 24 hours 7 days a week for key biomedical customers from Singapore, USA and Thailand. Accelerated aging is a process in which finished biomedical products are aged in test cabinets called chambers for months for simulate the actual shelf life of the product in their client's storage facility. QRA has been operating its Labs for  over 15 years now, successfully serving many top MNC corporations from Japan, Singapore, Australia, Thailand and USA.

If after the aging tests (for every one year of aging test represents 8 years of shelf life in the storage area of hospitals or clinics) defects show up, it is infinitely better to rectify the products in factory rather than endanger the client's patients in the field. The cost of refining or reworking the products' reliability and long term efficacy has proven to save companies millions of dollars in brand reputation and perception.

This is many times the difference between success and failure.

Think of the damage to the brand's reputation if this batch of new (for example) contact lenses causes a major eye defect once the product is sold and distributed globally.

Screening = Accelerated Aging 

The calculation is simple. According to ASTM F 1980 - 16

For example, if you have a finished product (say daily contact lenses) stored in a box, which has a shelf life of 3 years or 36 months. The ASTM F 1980 - 16 states that for every 10 C increase in storage temperature is equivalent to halving the shelf life. So in essence, if your storage temperature for your box is 25 C,  you can send these box samples to a Laboratory like QRA, we will advise you to do accelerated aging for up to 30 C above the storage temperature (that is IF the products inside the boxes can withstand such high temperatures without melting or having immediate material characteristic change) for shorter durations.

The end result of these accelerated agings would be 

Shelf Life Temp           End of Life            Accelerated Aging Temp    Equivalent End of Life

25 C                             36 months                 35 C                                       18 months

                                                                       45 C                                        9 months

                                                                       55 C                                      4.5 months

It is NOT RECOMMENDED to stress test or accelerate age test above 60 C for polymer products due to rapid degradation due to melting. 

QRA performs BOTH Accelerated Aging and Shelf Life Testing 

Lab No. 1 and Lab No. 2

Shelf Life Testing

Storage                 RH                          Duration                      What is Simulates

25 C                      60%                         5 Years                         Real Time Storage 

5 C                        No.                           5  Years    Real Time Storage (Temperate Climate Countries)

Talk to the Professionals : We have over 15 Years Experience Globally in Accelerated Aging Tests (since 2009) 

Email 

Asia :   mark@qra.com.sg

             evalyn@qra.com.sg

USA   : tim@qra.com.sg

Europe : reypereira@qra.com.sg

Australia: clifford@qra.com.sg

Website : www.qra.com.sg

This is not 'ON' - A habit which needs changing.

 

Let me give my viewpoint on the issue of 'chopeing' of empty tables at food courts and hawker centres in Singapore. 

Look at this picture above, I am sure you are familiar with this scene. People in Singapore who work in downtown central CBD, or in town like Orchard have the habit of booking or reserving (called 'chopeing' in Singlish) the table for themselves first, and then they go and make an order of their chicken rice, hor fun (dry noodles), wanton mee or nasi bryani. 

I think this behavior while it is a solution, is not ideal. I have travelled to many countries in the West and East and I do not see this kind of behavior. Perhaps, in Singapore, we always 'MUST WIN' and having the table at our disposal when and wherever we want before we dine is a necessity.

On the one hand, I think the use of paper tissues wrapped in plastic packets is very unfriendly to the environment, and we have massive amounts of waste to dispose daily, that I will put up in a separate post another day.

On the other hand, maybe if we reduce our 'kiasuness' and stop fighting to 'win all the time' we can actually be a more gracious society in the overall scheme of things.

Let empty tables lie. At the very least, get one person to sit at the table and book the table for the others in that party of (say) 4 or 5. 

Secondly, bring back the handkerchief ! 

(I am hearing howls of protest from the Gen Z and even Millenials).

Carpe Diem !