Dad's Golden Days

Geoffrey Abisheganaden with President S.R. Nathan

My father held many important positions in community in the past, and this pictorial spread is to highlight some of the past famous and powerful people he has associated in his 40 - 50 years of community and social work. During the 1960s he was a prominent lawyer assisting the then 1st Chief Minister David Marshall as his assistant, and later on starting out his own law firm Abisheganaden and Company at the old Boat Quay. I remember the days in the 60s when his office was on the 2nd floor of an shophouse converted from a godown and the staircases were dusty and creaky. In those days,we lived in a big bungalow at 6 Adis Road and the entire ground floor of the house was used to store the old case files.

I remember the old days where practically every Sunday we would head over to the Marshall family house in Changi and enjoy a glorious lunch spread made my Mrs. Marshall and we spend many hours of fun playing hide and seek, having iced lemon tea and observing Mr. Marshall's lovely 'zoo' consisting of pelondok (or mousedeer), a peacock, some dogs, cats and a cockatoo. The 4 Marshall children were childhood friends of ours but now are based mainly in Europe. Their house had a winding sloping road down to the sea where Mr. Marshall would take dips at night. My family thoroughly enjoyed those weekends.


Campus Crusade for Christ Token

His church work took him to the Bible House, as well as the Campus Crusade for Christ. Addtionally, he was involved in the Christian Businessmen's chapter. He was also the Chairman for the board of Governors of St Andrew's Junior College as well as on the board for St Andrew's School. A down to earth and unassuming person, he has met with all of the last 4 Presidents of Singapore in his various capacities.

I recall once such event which was the St. Andrew's School dinner, where my father sat on the Main Table next to Presiddent Sheares. Later, he called for someone to bring us to meet the President and I remember him saying, "Now Mark, this is probably more rare than meeting Santa Claus, you are meeting President Sheares".


St. Andrew's Junior College Sports Day Momento as Guest of Honour

He also donated funds for the start of a basketball tournament at the SAJC (my college I might add) and there is a Geoffrey Abisheganaden Cup somewhere in the silverware of SAJC.His made donations to charities and worthy causes and I am sure that the giving spirit would have passed on to the next generation.

Geoffrey Abisheganaden - Christmas 2009

Anna and Geoffrey, May (my wife) and Joanna (domestic help)

Last Christmas, we went for our annual Christmas dinner, made special every year because my son Noel is born on Christmas day itself, a blessing which provided joy especially to my father and our family. Dinner was short and sharp, as Papa normally does not want to 'hang around' making small talk ; he is hard of hearing. The mind is still sharp until this week, where he is given to calling for Joanna, our domestic help.

At Li Bai, we normally have our usual Peking Duck (Beijng Ya), which is the skin of the duck, prawns with wasabi and fish roe, duck fried with special sauce, cod fish with special sweet and sour sauce and longevity noodles. A feast which is enjoyed by the family during special occasions like birthdays and our wedding anniversaries.


Dinner at Imperial Treasures 2006, when he was walking with some aid, picture with May

My father had a fall in 2003 and although he made a very good recovery since then, his walking and mainly his legs were weakening by the year. His coordination slowed but he had regular massages and physiotherapy. His mind was sharp as ever, and he read books, 1 book every 2 to 3 days and kept himself engaged by watching the BBC news channel every day without fail to keep up with current affairs. His many appointments in the civil society and also from St Andrew's school and St Andrew's cathedral highlight how much has has contributed to the greater good of our society.


Geoffrey at 90, still full of grace and vigour - taken at Li Bai Restaurant - his favourite at Christmas time 2009

Papa, I may never be able to emulate you but your honest values and wonderful generosity will live in your children and grandchildren for a long time on.

Dedicated to my father, Geoffrey Abisheganaden

My father Geoffrey Abisheganaden's 88th birthday in 2007

Life, as I know it, is unpredictable, fragile, at times producing moments of sadness,anxiety,anger,grief,joy,happiness,gloriousness and satisfaction. As I manage as best as I can with my father's frail health, I am reminded of the good works he has done over the last 40 years. He was sitting on the Board of Governors of Saint Andrew's School, Saint Andrews Junior College, President of the National University Society (Alumnus Club) for 3 years, Management Committe Board of Singapore Swimming Club as well as a dedicated member of the St Andrew's Cathedral Church Choir where he sang and worshipped faithfully for all his adult life.

He was talented too, blessed with a rich baritone voice and he made many singing appearences in public at the Singapore Conference Hall, the Victoria Theatre and sang at practically all the family gatherings where he would perform a solo. During my wedding, he sang forcefully and beautifully at both the church service and the wedding dinner. His forte would be singing the Italian operas and he would spend endless hours practising his craft and gift to the awe and delight of his family members and us of course. A dedicated Christian, he game much money and his time to the Church and the Bible House, among others and was ready to help fight cases of the poor people 'pro bono' (without fees).

Running his own successful law firm called Abisheganaden and Company we saw him mainly in the evenings and he would always spend time with my brother and I bringing us to the park and I remember the unforgettable incident when I fell down a series of steps in 1968 (6 years old), I had a gash on my forehead and my father (or Papa as we call him) rushed down upon hearing my screams, called out to his house tenant, Ken Omuri and sped all the way to the Singapore General Hospital. His best friend was the famous surgeon, Professor Yahya Cohen. Upon arriving at the SGH Accident and Emergency Department, he shouted to the nurse that he wanted to see Yahya Cohen.The nurse told him sarcastically that even the Prime Minister of Singapore needed an appointment to see Yahya Cohen. My father, created a big scene by shouting and insisting for Yahya Cohen and told her to mention his name. Prof Cohen came running straight away, gave me an assessment ( I was sobbing but lucid I recall) and then proceeding to get the nurses to wheel me into the operating thearter. After cleaning the wound, they applied local anaesthesia and I witnessed first hand how the famous surgeon stitched me up. I was actually concious and able to observe the entire head stitching operation ! What an experience, to witness an operation and from the top surgeon in all of Sinagpore !

Prof. Cohen did not charge his fees, and after settling the hospital charges, I was driven home to attend a 'welcome back' party by all my neighbours. There were around 20 - 30 people, mainly neighbours and my stitch was covered by a brown patch of putty like substance resembling mud. My father stood back quietly allowing me to bask in the 'limelight'.


Chinese New Year eve Reunion Dinner at my house in 2005, my Dad was 85 and still very engaged in things around him

I owe my father many things, such as a privileged childhood,thanks to his success as a lawyer. Thanks of course to my mother too for managing the household finances well for us to enjoy travelling and visiting foreign countries at an early age of 10. The incident above stands out as one of the pivotal or most memorable moments which my Papa 'saved my skin'.

Thank you Papa. May God Bless you richly.

The Beautiful Japanese Palm in my Rooftop Garden

This beautiful Japanese Palm is located at the timber deck of my house rooftop. The architect decided to place it there after much deliberation to add some 'form' to the otherwise boring timber deck of the rooftop. I took this picture to test my handphone camera's focussing capability in bright sunlight.

On further thought, I have come to the conclusion that trees, are like people, in certain aspects. Looking at the Palm, its only use or function is to look good in someone's garden or rooftop. Does it serve any purpose such as providing food for say other animals like birds, squirrels etc.. provide shade, or reflecting heat and UV rays back to the atmosphere or do birds nest in their leafy foliage ? No. Its only 'use' is a decorative one. To adorn a person's garden.

Similarly there are people whose only purpose in life are to party, have a good time, and look good. No contribution except to add numbers to the already swelling crowd of so called 'beautiful people' list. So while personal grooming is important, the most important thing in life is to CONTRIBUTE meaningfully back to society. Do not be a beautiful Japanese Palm all your life. 'Nuff said.

Transformation of Singapore River

A clean river and the vehicular Elgin bridge in the distance

About 50 years ago, the Singapore River was polluted with the tonkangs (small bumboats) plying the river to bring the unloaded sacks of rice, foodstuffs, textiles building material and even equipment to be stored in the godowns near the river which is now called the Boat Quay. There were many poor labourers and coolies ekeing out a meagre existence, carrying the bags from the tonkangs to the godowns and sometimes back to the ships. They literally lived beside the river and made their drinking, doing business and dumping waste into the river. In short the river stank of dead animals, faeces, garbage and waste.

Since our Government came into power, they have made many efforts to clean up the river with successive cleanups, moving out of the labourers and coolies as well as developing a world class container port called Port Singapore Authority (PSA) which has the second highest tonnage moved per year in the world. The cleanup of the river started around the 1970s and by the lates 1970s the godowns were all history, being replaced by law offices, architects firms, clan associations and many eating and drinking establishments.

In 1984, a MP for Mountbatten, Major Fong Sip Chee, declared the river 'clean' and swam the width of the river to show that it was indeed clean. His act is still remembered to this day. Its 26 years down the road and I happened to snap some interesting shots of the river outside the UOB tower, the morning was bright and there were fishes in the river and birds searching for 'breakfast'.


A bird and his 'breakfast'

The only boats which ply the river are the tourist bumboats, and the river is clean, and it is on par with some of the rivers in Switzerland in my opinion.Some people even fish by the side, and its complete transformation is indeed a wonder to behold.

What is Home to You ?

Eating a Good Laksa in the comfort of my house

I would like to pose this question to the people who read this blog regularly. What defines 'home' to you ? For the ordinary English people who have experienced the cold, rainy and dreary weather of London, it is perhaps having some tea and scones, and watching Wimbledon on the telly or standing in the terraces of the Dell supporting Southampton (or any other team for that matter) and after that going to the local Pub for a pint or two to celebrate their team's win or drown their sorrows that defines 'home'.

For our neighbours up north in Malaysia, it is perhaps playing badminton,tennis or futsal with your friends and after that spending some quality time having dinner with the family, and later having a 'teh tarik' with your friends at the local coffeeshop and discussing the latest political news and scandals (there are many in recent years).

For me, home is in Singapore, where it feels like its getting more crowded year by year (our polulation stands
at 4.99 million in 2009 up from 3.9 about 10 years ago), the buses and trains are more packed during weekdays and the expressways are jammed (PIE, AYE and CTE for sure) during the peak morning hours and evening hours from 5.30 to 7.00pm
Even what that feeling, the Government has done a decent job (in my opinion) integrating the new migrants into the various stratas or levels of Singapore.

So, to do a 10 to 15km in East Coast Park on a Saturday morning with the wind whipping behind you, running past the scores of young and senior people, jogging, walking, partying, flying kites, roller blading, cycling and at the end of the run, I'm all sweaty and grimy. I head to the nearby club to shower down, in cold water. I then grab a chicken pie, and head home for a 'best in the world' laksa (or meesiam) made by my wife and drinking ice cool water which tastes like champagne. Nothing beats this feeling.

Home is where the family, friends, social networks, work, play and the heartware are.It is a combination of the familiar sights, sounds of the spoken language peculiar to the people, Singlish for example, fabulous foods which are too numerous to mention, the humid weather which I have grown accustomed to, and the efficiency of the society and government organisations which I am so used to. Many friends of my age have gone abroad when they were in there early 20s and a decent number have returned, mainly for family reasons. Perhaps they have a greater exposure to an international culture which I have missed out, but then again, the last 20 years I have been abroad to more than 20 countires on work and leisure and can be considered a global citizen.

I can go to anyplace in the world, but I choose to live here. This is home.

Casino Story - Another One bites the Dust

View from Marina Boulevard

Last week there was a newspaper article relating how a businessman went to the casino as a high roller and lost a total of S$ 26 million in a matter of 3 days. There is a joke about the casino, "how does one leave the casino with a small fortune (big some of money) ?, enter it with a BIG fortune (huge some of money)."

The issue with legalised gambling at our doorsteps is that it reduces the inconvenience one needs to take in order to gamble, previously Singaporeans had to travel to Genting highlands, a trip which normally takes about 3 hours, our take a cruise ship from our Harbour Front to 'nowhere' or international waters between Singapore and Sumatra and one can then gamble to one's heart or wallet's consent.

This is another story of a scion (son of a wealthy business founder) who gambled away his inheritance in 3 days. He will be making a legal case against the casinos whereby the casinos were supposed to check on his background on his credit limit before extending further credit to him. Apparently according to newspaper reports, he lost up to $ 11 million in one sittint alone. The legal case, in my humble opinion is weak because it is like taking a case against your favourite Mutton Soup hawker who served you Mutton Soup you ordered for say 10 years and you knowingly had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Is the service / food provider to be blamed for your stroke ?

There should be more safeguards for people, like higher entrance fees ($500 perhaps) to deter all and sundry from entering to 'have a go'. It may and already spells financial disaster or even a slow financial meltdown for many thousands of people who go and play each week losing say hundreds per trip.

Bottom line is this, the casino has many tricks and rules of the gambling game to ensure that it has an 'unfair' advantage, take blackjack for example, if you score 17 and the house scores 17, the house wins. There is no 'draw' game.

Slot machines can be tuned to give better payouts in the starting months to lure bored housewives and once they are 'hooked' the slot machines are one of the biggest money generators for the casino, or many a social, swimming or glof club. I should know, I have seen the annual audited reports of 4 clubs and even was on the Management Committee for one for several years.

 
Perhaps the MBS is a nice venue to have an exhibition but its just not my cup of tea.