Egypt Dec 8th - Luxor I

Karnak Temple Layout, showing the 10 pylons (High Walls)

This is my first blog post of this month, as I was travelling for almost 10 days to Egypt, a country which is an economic backwater now or poor country but was the seat of a glorious civilisation about 4000 to 5000 years ago. This world has few countries with recorded histories as magnificent and well documented as Egypt's. Together with Greece, they can be regarded as the cradles of human civilsation. Our first stop after flying almost 10 hours with a transit of 2 1/2 hours in Doha,Qatar, was to Luxor,in the central part of Egypt. Luxor, with a population of about 2 million was once the capital of Egypt (Tawy in ancient Egyptian or 2 lands) and it was originally called Thebes.

Upon arrival, we met with our local guide Eshyam, who was to be our tour guide to our group of 26 (25 plus 1 tour leader) for the next 8 days.Our group was a mixed bunch of 3 families of diffrent aged youths, several teachers male and female, and some active senior citizens. There was even an able bodied visually handicapped lady who was a frequent traveller with her sister on this tour. It was the 3rd tour they were taking to a foreign country this year !



View from afar to the first Entrance showing the first Pylon (High Wall)

Our first stop was Karnak Temple, which is located on the eastern bank of the river Nile. The Nile is longest river in Africa, and Egypt is a Transnational country which occupies one half of its land in Africa (neighbours to west are Libya and south are Sudan) and the other half in Middle East or part of Asia (neighbours are Israel, Palestine and Jordan). Egypt has a population of 80 million of which 20 + million live in a dusty and chaotic capital called Cairo. The rest of the population live along the banks of the Nile, forming towns and cities from the north (Alexandria) to the middle (Luxor, Edfu, Esna and Kon Ombo) to the south (Aswan).The makeup of the people are mainly Egyptian,Turkish and Nubian (black African) with Asian and European minorities. Religion is also dominant, with Islam being the main religion, and Coptic (Egyptian) Christians being a sizeable (13%) minority. The religions were a result of Egypt being ruled by Greek,Romans,Persians (Iraq today),Byzantine and Ottoman (Turkish) since 300 years BC. It is only in the 20th century in 1952 that Egypt became a republic and Gamal Abdel Nasser was the first President. The last king Farouk was exiled in France as a result of the revolution.

Golden Period
From 3100 BC when Mene (or Mena) first fought and controlled the 2 lands North and South till about 300 BC, the Egyptians were their own rulers with Pharoahs (kings) overseeing this land. Its is said that the Pharoahs were obsessed with death,as for many decades, even from the day he ascended to the throne onwards, many many Egyptian slaves and contract laboureres were building burial tombs like the pyramids of Giza and Saqqara with all kinds of carvings and precious artefacts stored inside. Hundreds of thousands maybe millions of Egyptians were put to hard labour to build these massive structures which to this day still amaze people from all over the world. Each pyramid was exactly 52 deg in slope and the tallest, or Great Pyramid was built by the king Cheops or Khufu during the 3rd Kingdom or 2300 BC time frame.


Avenue of Sphinxes at the entrance to Karnak Temple in Luxor

The most famous ruler was Ramses II and he lived an extraordinary 86 years ; during those days the ordinary Egyptian lived about 40 to maximum 50 years and he lived 2x that (!). In addition, he ruled for 67 years so had the greatest opportunity to build massive temples and structures of himself and of the gods they worshipped, namely Amun Ra or the Sun god. In Luxor, we had the good opportunity to see how massive these statues were. Karnak temple was our first stop and it was dominated by 10 pylons or high walls with plenty of reliefs (carvings) of the great pharoah fighting against Egypt's enemies. The carvings are easliy 20 feet above the ground and are normally about 20 feet high. So 4500 years ago, without any scaffolding or wooden ladders (not invented yet), how did they get so high up ? By pushing and building blocks of bricks together and creating a high structure near the wall to a) build the pylon and b) carve the reliefs. Quite an amazing feat considering that most of Europe (America was just a grassland then) were occupied by cavemen or nomadic hunter gatherers.

Karnak temple has 10 pylons and the first pylon faces due east, so that the morning sun is reborn and shines its light energy at the temple at exactly 90 deg perpendicular to the pylon. The temple was a result of many pharoahs building pylons and hypostyles (columns) reaching for the skies. There were obelisks (stone structures with pointed ends) to represent the sun's rays and hieroglyphics.


One of the many sphinxes lining the Avenue of Sphinxes, Ram's head with Lion's Body

On the leadup to the temple, there are easily 60 sphixes, mythical beings of ram's heads with lion's body lining the entrance to give a feeling of grandeur. One can imagine what majestic ambience it must have been during the pharoahs time as the king would lead the procession from the Nile (maybe for his bath !) back to the temple.

In those days, the pharoah elevated his status to that of a god, as people were superstitious and the pharoad needed to keep everything 'under control' or in order. So the Amun god (a lesser god) was elevated to Amun Ra and the Pharoah was then seen taking the mantle of the crown from Amun Ra. Additionally, as there was no TV, radio, Internet, wireless communication or cellphones, it made sense to make images of the pharoah (occupier of the great house - literal translation) in stone to impress the ordinary people.


Majestic Entrance showing the First Pylon (Entrance) and 2 huge Ramses statues

The pharoah Ramses II also was shown in carvings on the walls as figting wars against Egypt's enemies. One such was was agains the Hittites (Syrians today) and Ramses claimed a great victory against the Hittites, winning the battle and single handedly killing many enemies. How do we know this ? They had no paper but they had the wall carvings and paintings of recorded events showing Ramses II shooting the bow and arrow on a chariot at an enemy as well as another showing him standing over one enemy's neck and raising his spear against another enemy. They had spin doctors even in those days !!


The Inner Courtyard with Egyptians and Statues of Ramses II

Egypt had 31 dynasties divided into 3 Kingdoms Old, Middle and New and Ramses lived in the New Kingdom period or 19th dynasty. Many of his statues show him with a smiling face, standing ramrod straight, right arm carrying something which looks like a scroll, indicating he was a learned man.Also, many of the statues showed him walking with the left leg forward as if marching. He was indeed an extraordinary man of those times.

Parents Joint Birthday Celebrations 28th Nov 2009

My parents with my wife May and Joanna (domestic help)

Today was the joint birthday celebration of my Dad and Mum's birthday as it was the weekend. My Dad turned 90 on Monday 23rd November, and my Mum turns 79 on 30th November. I celebrated my birthday on the 27th (yesterday) with a separate dinner.

My brother John and I arranged to meet at the Li Bai Cantonese restaurant at Sheraton Towers together with our families and our parents. My father who is a retired lawyer was keen to eat the Peking Duck from Li Bai. Our Boys, Noel and Andrew have come to regard the family gatherings as one of great communion between our families and also to update one another about their school activities and grades.

Anna Abisheganaden (79) with her Grandchildren, Hannah (5), Noel (15) and Andrew (12)

My Mum is still as energetic as when she was 50, and I am hoping I can inherit her industriousness and never-say-die attitude towards life and its challenges. My Dad, though he is wheelchair bound, still reads the Bible every day and prays for his Grandchildren every night without fail. They are indeed an inspiration to me and our Boys. Many years ago, Dad was one of the top criminal lawyers in Singapore assisting the first Chief Minister, David Marshall in many cases and being the Godfather to Mr. Marshall's only son Jonathon.

Geoffrey Abisheganaden at 90

My mother was the Personal Assistant to 4 Permanent Secretaries, a record till today, and her last boss was Dr. Kwa Soon Bee. Ever energetic with swimming, badminton, running and even martial arts in her earlier days, she is still active now going to the wet market and cooling dinners for us on occasion. Truly I am blessed to have them as parents.

Photovoltaic Seminar 17th November 2009

Kannan, Fred Schweitzer and I

17th November was the 2nd National Photovoltaic Conference held at Putrajaya Malaysia. Attended by over 1200 professionals and businesspeople, it was very heartening to see many people from all the different sectors of industry showing great interest in this promising young field. As one of the renewable and green sources of energy, Solar Energy has been around in simpler forms such as the energy used for heating water and even some basic form of street lighting.


A segment of the 1,200 attendees

The downside is the conversion or efficiency ratio from the Solar energy to first Direct Current. Currently it is still no more than 18% of total energy received by the solar panels (lots of energy go to waste) and then storing it in a battery before passing through an alternator to convert it to AC current. So it is still a rather tedious process even with the advancement of the technology. However, countries in the EU like Germany and Spain have offered a lot of Government grants for farmers to convert from their conventional diary farming to this energy farming. So they get grants from the Government, followed by ease of selling off the excess electricity back to the Electrical Grid which makes PV or Photovoltaic Energy so attractive.


Intense interest in Photovoltaics and their applications

The situation is the same in S.E.Asia as both the Malaysian and Singapore Governments have been active pushing the Green Agenda and it is hoped that I can make some business foray into this area in the near future.

Andrew's 12th birthday

Andrew, May, my Mum and Noel

My second son Andrew celebrated his 12th birthday his way. He invited just 2 friends to the house for computer games and watched a movie all by themselves. They had the time of their lives. The transition from boy to teenager is at hand and at the precocious age of 12, they are experimenting with meeting with the girls in their tuition class, going for a burger at Orchard Road and playing computer games. What fun it is to be 12 again !


I'm going to light my candles

On the 25th October (Sunday), we had a small cake for him and brought it to my Dad and Mum's place for the cake cutting. My Dad will be 90 this year and my Mum 79. It has been a tough year for Andrew,as this was the PSLE year. H had been putting in many hours of work for his tuition teacher, Mrs. Lim. For me as the father, I have to 'motivate' him by giving him the carrot of computer time and movies and sometimes the going got very tough. I am just glad that the efforts he put in has made him better prepared for the secondary school where he will have 8 or 9 subjects to juggle with and study for exams.


Andrew, my Father and Noel

In about 1 1/2 weeks it will be 3 birthdays, my Dad, myself and my Mum. It will be a hectic week of birthday celebrations .I can't wait.

New Karate Class on Thursday Evenings

Our School or Dojo Every Sunday Evening

I have been training Shitoryu Karate for the last 7 years with the Ken Shi Club headed by 7th Dan Sensei (teacher) Chia Kwek Fah. It is held at the Tanglin Community Centre from 5pm to 6pm (for senior students) and 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm (for Junior students) every Sunday with the exception of Public Holidays. My progression has been steady in the last 5 years and I have learnt as many as 20 katas or predetermined movement of strikes, blocks,kicks and jumps. Karate has improved my overall fitness (Sensei Chia is a certified Coach in Sports Science, sanctioned by the Singapore Sports Council in 2009) as well as body conditioning and self confidence.


Ina Shyi Gi or Movement with Form

Recently, Seipai (senior trainee) Roland Teo and myself have taken the initiative to start the Thursday class at the CC from 7.30pm. The emphasis is to improve our form in kicking, punching, basic sparring and kata. We hope to attract as many as 10 eager learners for this class as not eveyrone can make the Sunday evening class due to family or other social committments from time to time. Do support us and the lessons are totally free of charge as the basic course fee covers this extra class.

So calling all KSK club members, drop in and be surprised !

Thailand - Work, New Person and Business Potential

Kannan presenting our installation base to Sean of TUV

For 3 days last week, I made a trip with my Regional Manager, N. Kannan to Thailand to visit customers as well as arrange for new personnel to join QRA. It was all the more memorable as 1 year ago,Thailand was in the midst of a political crisis whereby the opponents of Thaksin backed Government, took over and controlled the Suvhanabhum airport for a period of 1 week. It was utter chaos and I had blogged about it roughly 1 year ago. How time flies ! This trip was much more sedate as we made our way through the bustling airport and met with our new Sales representative, Krid Sripanich. Krid and I have known each other for about 9 years and we hope to work out a win-win partnership in the very near future.



A friendly meeting with future potential ; L-R ; Me, Sean Boey (GM of TUV), Kannan and Krid Sripanich

We had several excellent meetings with key customers and there is the future followup potential in the coming months. I am personally excited about several these potentials as we already have an installed base of around 10 chambers. The customer above, TUV is a Singapore headquartered testing house with their test facility in New Science Park on the outskirts of Bangkok. More visits are to follow in the coming months.


Tawatchai has decided to leave our team - Best wishes to him !

During this trip, I also bade farewell to a colleague Tawatchai Umnuaysiri who is leaving to join a friend in a new industry. During his time with QRA, he has been very able in handling the sales and service components of the Thailand market so it is with some regret that he is leaving. Due to his industriousness and persistence, we have secured the largest single order in our short history, (which has now been surpassed) but will put a big mark on our presence as THE major chamber player in S.E. Asia. Thanks to Tawatchai and I wish him all the best for his future endeavors !

Memorable Meal in Ayutthaya 5th November 09

2 types ot Tom Yam soup ; the milky Tom Yam and the Red Spicy Tom Yam ; both equally dangerously hot !

During a 3 day trip to Thailand last week, I was invited by some customers to have a lunch by the Chao Phya river near Ayutthaya. This is one of the highlights of my business trip whereby deals have to be negotiated and discussions take place every day. So, without much hesitation, I accepted and was treated to a lovely 'feast' for the senses ; taste, smell,sound, and of course sight. We ordered several dishes which were the fish maw, fried fish, prawn with vegetables and 2 types of Tom Yam soups.

The 2 Tom Yam soups we ordered were served in the steamboat and one was the milky tom yam while the other was the spicy chilli tom yam. Both were equally dangerously hot and able to cause 'fire breath' if one is not careful.


Fried Mish Maw with Nuts and Fried Goby Fish

My favourites were the fish maw and the fried goby which were crispy and tasty. Our customers from Western Digital were usual patrons of the place and we could have the 'WD' discount. To find the place requires some local knowledge as there are no visible signs in Thai or in English but it was a favourite with the local people as well as some expatriate community who are obviously working in the area.


Half submerged Entrance to the Boat Restaurant

To reach the restaurant, one has to negotiate 2 landmarks, a dishevelled looking Shar Pei dog who looks abit like Winston Churchill (!) as well as a half-submerged walkway to reach the boat restaurant. It is actually an old barge converted to a dining place and the food is cooked over in the kitchen on dry land while the diners eat over the water's edge.


Entrance to the Boat Restaurant

Its quite fun watching the barges and the speedboats (ala James Bond) ply the Chao Phya river to Bangkok and taking in the sights of the ferry every 10 minutes. On top of that, the river is teeming with fishes which give me the sneaky feeling that some of these fishes are fed for the purposes of being on the dining table later !



10 Baht (S$ 0.40) to get across the Chao Phya river