Preparing for Chinese New Year

The small garden has been trimmed

The tradition for each Chinese New Year is the same, spring cleaning is out in force and many old stuff like old CDs, DVDs, videotapes and old books,magazines and shoes are all sent to either the Salvation Army (if they are in good condition) or basically the junk yard. This year is no different, so we have had the gardener come and trim the small garden, cleaned out the basement, and had the car waxed and polished. There is also a time honoured tradition that all debts must be cleared in time for Chinese New Year.


Car needs to be polished again

Old clothes are donated away, new clothes with bright colours like red, blue and orange are bought and lots of oranges are given away. My company has made the effort to change for the better in this coming Tiger Year, and we are focussing on new challenging directions for 2010 and beyond. The economy is on track to post positive growth for 2010 and everyone is looking for a return to profitability for their businesses - like SIA for one - and people are generally upbeat on the whole.


Trimming the trees

2009 has been a difficult year for Singapore, what with its open economy and there are more than double the number of people filing for financial assistance in 2009 than say 2007 or 2 years ago. Also as a sign of the times, there are more than double the number of children applying for the Pocket Money fund, something like 11,500 so it is symtomatic that all is not back to 'normal' on the middle class front.

My wish for the Tiger Year ? Good Health, Happiness in the Family and with Friends and lots of Luck and Business Cash Flow !

My Run at Macritchie Park

Lovely morning sun

Today, 2nd Feb, I decided to make a more consistent effort at running 5K regularly and plan to run continuously 10K before the month ends. That is my intermediate goal. It was my turn at cheuffering my elder son and his friends to school and immediately after that, I made my way to McRitchie Reservoir. McRitchie Reservoir was named so because in honour of the Civil Engineer McRitchie who helped design and build it in the late 1800s. The fact that it is still very much in use and a major stop for people who want to exercise,families , lovebirds, tourists and photographers that it is one of the major attractions of Singapore.


The band stand over the Reservoir

I started my run at roughly 7.50am and it was a cool morning. There were a sprinkling of cars and people of all ages and nationalities. At the start point,just after the band stand, I set off on a brisk pace with no trace of tiredness or soreness from my earlier run 4 days ago. Upon entering the path strewn with wornout stones and damp earth, I paced myself briskly and into the forest. A run in the forest is called 'fartlek' (Swedish) and it differs from road running because of the undulating and more challenging terrain. Most times, runner use trail shoes although I was using my stability shoes for maximum cushioning.The air in the forest was very cool, something like 22 deg C and it was lovely to run.


Canoeists in the distance

I made may way down the first hill and scampered up the second, it was a breeze, so I increased my stride length and started overtaking some people who were running slowly or walking. The beauty about running in trails is that due to the canopy above (forest leaves and branches), very little sunlight gets through to the forest floor and whatever diffused lighting which gets in does not heat up the trail very much. I was in my full throttle mode by mid-run and enjoying the fresh morning air and near empty forest. Many people prefer the Botanic Gardens nearby but I personally find that there are no trails and too many people going about their morning walks and jogs so much so its like I am swerving to avoid all manner of people, dogs, push prams and walking sticks !


Nice sunny morning at Macrithie Reservoir

At the half-way mark near the golf course I hit the signboard with my trademark "clunk" and returned back to the trail with renewed vigour. I was really into my run and made a mental note to try 2 rounds (10K) the next time I went to McRitchie.The plod plod of my feet on the soft earth also did wonders for my knees. It was much softer and gentler on joints so I think that I should try out more trail runs to improve my stamina rather than the harsh road runs.On top of that, the Pose Running method taught by Dr.Nicholas Romanov is an excellent method of running and increasing pace without straining the body. I finished my run in 28 minutes 45 seconds. I then went to the bench for the strech and warm downs and admired the lovely view of the canoeists in the distance and the chatter of birds over the reservoir.

It was indeed a good start to the day

Chinese New Year Decorations at the Market 2010

Red is the auspicious colour

Sunday 31st January. I accompanied my wife to the Tiong Bahru market for our usual wet market shopping. Normally I will wait for her in the car while she shops for the household fruits and then I make a beeline for home to prepare breakfast for the family. Today, I decided to go in to savour and experience the atmosphere of one of Singapore's most established wet markets the Tiong Bahru market. Situated at the junction of Kim Tian Road in Tiong Bahru neighbourhood, it had undergone a major revamping of its outlook and now it is housed in a spanking clean 2 storey building. The ground floor houses many poultry, chilled pork and fresh fish stalls, plus many fruit and vegetable stalls. It is so well known that many hawkers have made lots of money for themselves and their children over the years. My wife's regular vegetable stall owner put 2 sons through overseas university and one is a policeman and the other a civil servant. You will find Japanese, Caucasian permanent residents or citizens shopping here because it serves only the freshesh and the best.



Flowers sell aplenty especially before and during CNY

As it is barely 2 weeks to Chinese New Year, the hallway is festooned with red banners and lanterns signalling prosperity and good wishes for the New Year. There are rows upon rows of flower pots for people who want to change their greenery and plants in their houses so brisk business is made. Newness of things signifies change of fortunes from bad to good as is all things red. There are red flowers, red banners, red clothers, shoes and of course red packets or 'ang pow'. The year of the Tiger is expected to be fraught with some difficulties as with every Tiger year but I believe with every challenge, there is opportunity, as in the Chinese word 'wei qi'.


Beautiful Flowers

Business challenges as with life challenges must be handled head on and as a Tiger, I have to show no fear and press on with all my might. This is what I would call the 'Showtime'.


Its very busy at the fruit stalls

My Morning Run

It was a warm and humid morning. The 7.40 am start time at Anglo Chinese School (where my sons study) had come and gone.My 2 sons were already in school and here I was lacing up my running shoes for my first 5K run in 10 days. I was feeling overweight,having spent the last 2 weeks travelling to first Thailand for 3 days and then this week to Kuala Lumpur for 2 days.

This week had started on a stressful note as I had to make my way to KL for a series of meetings. There were some concerns on my business dealings which I had to attend to personally and the meetings would determine how I was going to proceed on certain things. I put aside the past days activities and focussed on running.

It was 7.45 am and off I started on my run. I was feeling fresh from a 7 hour sleep and hoped to make a good time. I had set myself a goal of running 5 km in 30 minutes and normally would run around that time, depending on my energy level and enthusiasm.

"Why run ?" is a commonly asked question of me over the years. Well why not ? The benefits far outweigh the negatives
and I have been running for the greater part of my life. I never really thought about it but if I had put my mind to it in my younger days,safe to say, I would have been a very good runner and possibly be able to represent my school or university.
Alas, I was distracted by other options before me, such as taking part in the University debates, playing waterpolo, swimming and squash. I am not one to boast but I represented all these sports and activities at University, school and club level at some point in my youth.

Running for me is for 3 main reasons :

1. STRESS RELIEF : In today's highly stressed and competitive working world, stress levels are high, especially if you have to manage a business, a growing family and also volunteering time for a charity.I have had my fair share of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome (gastric pain), sleepless nights and tension headaches so running is one quick way to alleviate these stress related diseases. However, the body has to exercise ENERGETICALLY at least 30 minutes before endorphins (feel good chemicals) are released. The endorphins are similar to morphine and are your body's natural defense mechanisms to protect itself and immunise itself. It also calms the nerves and does a whole lot of good to me. its a fact that since I started running, I have not had a single visit to the ENT doctor for almost 10 years - touch wood.

2. LOOKING GOOD : Who doesn't want to look good ? By running, my body automatically and speedily releases all trapped gases and liquids through sweat, flatulence and all manner of toxic substances are discharged. It is a proven fact that weight loss during rigorous exericse is normally water loss but coupled with lesser appetite due to the peristaltic or digestion process slowing down, I am less hungry than if I am not exercising. So I look leaner and trimmer, I think.

3. TO ACHIEVE A GOAL. Each year I set some personal goals, so for my health,it is to run at least 1 marathon, or ideally 2,time permits. The marathon is the pinnacle of distance running and to be able to run it in a decent time, say 4 hours and 30 minutes is one of my life's goals. So far, my best time has been 4 hours and 48 minutes, timed on 2007.

The key thing is this, in setting this difficult goal, I have to break it down into many small minute goals, on a daily, weekly,fortnightly and monthly goals before I can have the stamina base to run the full 42 km. To set the bar too low, to say run a 10K would be meaningless for me as I can routinely run 10K in a single run so THE GOAL MUST BE SIGNFICANT.

If I have no goal to aim for, I will not achieve anything significant

So here I was at the end of January, starting out running 5km in the morning and hoping to increase my run distance to 10km in February and longer in the coming months. It was a sweaty and tiring task which at my age of 47, I realise that I don't have time on my side-but I have, I must think positive and move forward.

The first 100m up was up a slope of Goldhill Avenue. I was running at mid pace,doing a gallop and me knees, calves,hamstrings and upper body all work in tandem. It was relatively easy at first.At the top of the slope,I reached the playground and headed towards the 'forest'- a lovely wooded area at the back of Swiss Cottage Estate. I aimed to run 10 rounds around a rectangular concrete field. As I headed into the forest, I spotted an elderly group of people doing their morning "Qi Gong". So I cut short my 10 rounds so as not to disturb them and ran only 1 round.

After the fun in the forest, I ran 6 rounds around the Goldhill Park, which was about the equivalent distance of the 9 rounds and head towards Mount Rosie Road,where my son's friend, Yue Meng,lives. My pacing had been quite regular and I was feeling energised from the fresh air in my head and lungs. I saw several residents in the park and along the way I made an effort to greet them,although not all returned the greeting, some of them casting away their looks as I approach and some returned my nod with a hearty "good morning".

I have some worries and stresses,but assure myself that over time, I can overcome all of them and running is a good way to have time to myself to think through my problems independently and work out possible solutions.

At Mount Rosie's end,I turned towards Malcolm Road, and there the struggle began. I was not fit and started feeling sluggish.Damn, I thought, the last few days I had been feasting on sinful foods in Malaysia like Nasi Bryani,chicken wings and pizza and their calorie addition was taking an adverse effect on my overweight body. I was struggling - and with just half way of my run, I wanted to stop and walk.

"Don't walk, assess yourself!" I mentally chided myself. I checked my 'system'.Everything was OK, except for my left patella (knee) which was aching a little.Everything else from my lungs,my breathing,my legs and my upper body were doing just fine.I just felt sluggish. I did not want to roll over and fall asleep, No, I was just running at too fast a pace !

So I slowed down my run and laboriously ran up the Malcolm Hill. At the top, my stride opened up and I increased my cadence (stride distance) and at the same time increased my footstrike frequency. (Number of times your foot hits the ground per minute).

At the bottom of the hill at Tanglin Constituency Club,I hit the checkpoint (literally). This was a traffic sign board which marks the 3/4 mark with about 1.5 km left. I extended my hand and hit the checkpoint on purpose, "Clang" !. Now I had to push on beside the traffic congested Whitley and Dunearn Roads to reach home. I was filled with renewed enthusiasm and the thought.

"Don't stop, you can do it !" My heart was pounding and my pace was regular, although a little slow. I thought about how far I had come and how much more I had to suffer before reaching the end point.
It was tiring and overwhelming just thinking about finishing it.

"Carry On !" Ignoring the ache in my lungs and my left knee, I pressed on with all my might and race with the pace my tiring limbs could muster." I must reach the end and finish the goal." I told myself.

Turning round the bedn towards Goldhill Avenue, I finished with a flourish and raised my hand in salute to the day. I had finished the race. My race, my challenge. The pain had subsided and all that remained was the satisfaction of finishing it and in good time too. 30 minutes and 12 seconds.

"Tomorrow will be another run"

A new year, another run

Passion Run

2010 is the year of the Tiger, and as a a Tiger, I intend to make known my personal running goals to eveyone :

These are :

a) Run 2 marathons ; and also to break the 4 hour 30 minute mark in 1 marathon
b) Run in as many warmup races to the year end Marathon.

Singapore, in the last 3 years has been organising plenty of races, we now have :

a) Adidas Sundown night race (42km and 84km) - May
b) Zoo Run - 10 km in memory of Ah Meng, the famous zoo mascot who died in 2008 -Feb
c) Northeast Run - 21 km in March
d) Mizuno Mount Faber Run in June
e) Safra Army and Half Marathon in August
f) Standard Chartered Full Marathon in December


On the picture above is the Passion Run and I have signed up as part of a team with a teammate to run a total of 50km.I can't wait to start training !

If anyone from QRA is interested to sign up and join let me know, I would be most happy to fund the registration and 1 night's stay for this event as I have always encouraged taking up this sport as a healty way of life.

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is the most valuable communication artefact in modern history. Found by the French in 1790 in Al-rashid (Rosetta,Egypt), it contained a decree from the Ptolemic period about some taxes of the people. Why is it so important and what is the fascination about a stone ? It is the first item ever to have 3 separate languages written (or chiselled) into it, thus enabling people to decipher and finally interpret the ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic language. The stone was owned by the British due to the treaty of Alexandria where they had control over Egypt during the 18th century.

The stone is not large, about 115cm in height, 75 cm in width and just 24 cm thick but the decree was written in Hieroglyphic - which was used by the ancient high priests during those times, as well as Demotic - short form slang Egyptian and Greek thus allowed latter day historians to decipher and translaate and finally understand the hieroglyphic language.

It is housed in the British Museum, for the viewing of people the world over although Egypt has formally asked the British to hand over their national treasure. I would really like to view this historic piece firsthand.

Ancient Civilisations Exhibit at National Musuem

Neckace worn for burial

Fresh from my holiday trip to Egypt, I chanced upon a rare exhibition in Singapore called Ancient Civilisations at the Singapore National Musuem. It is being held till early April 2010 and it is well worth the 1 to 1 hr hours spent, especially for those who want to have a glimpse of the ancient Egyptian obsession of burial and afterlife as well as learn some the their mathematics processes. They were really far ahead of their time then and their graphical language - hieroglyphics was also the first recorded languange in ancient history as they had the means (by papyrus) to document their works for history.


Serapheum Sphinxes

I invite any of our QRA personnel from Malaysia and Thailand, when in Singapore, to spend a short time to widen your horizons and understand an ancient civilisation. It is perhaps the ancient Egyptians obsession for thousands of years with the afterlife that all their burial chambers and tombs nowadays are tourist attractions. It however gives one a glimpse of how magnificent the ancient peoples lived and the artefacts which they created are still being made today.

An example is the royal necklace used to adorn the mummy, it is made from Egyptian marble,alabaster, turqiose,onyx,opals and other stones. Each stone carefully selected, chiselled and shaped accordingly. A lot of work must have gone to fashioning the right shape, colour and texture of the stones and hence the finished product, the necklace is a piece of art.


Pharoah Horemheb with Horus

Another obsession of the ancient Egyptians was the creation of their gods, which were plentiful. One of the most popular is Horus, who was the son of Osisris and Isis. He was the hero in mythical legends as he sought to avenge his father's death, Osiris and ultimatly killed Seth,his father's killer. Practically every New Century Egyptian pharoah has a statue or sculptre built in his honour. Here we see Horemheb sitting with Horus.



4 Canopc jars containing the body organs

These jars are used to store the body organs of the dead Pharoah. Each jar carries specific organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidney. Ancient Egyptians believed that the dead would be reborn so they would need their organs in the afterlife.