Dream big and achieve them

 Seeing my no-hopers Wolverhapton Wanderers beat yet another big name team, this time, Aston Villa gives me hope that even when they were bottom of the Premier League, they still had the self-belief to pull themselves together and beat, the following top teams recently, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, draw with Tottenham and now Aston Villa.

  Suffice to say, that the gap between the top and bottom teams in terms of skill,strategies and motivation is very small indeed.

Go Wolves Go !   Get out of the Relegation Zone !!

My Life Views Now

At this stage in my life, I would like to take a step back and look at my life, and question what this life means to me and to my loved ones. I have lost my beloved parents just 3 and 6 months ago, and this is the time to really analyse and 'play' the game of Life (if it can be called that).

How do I want to be remembered ? Will I make a mark in society or just be another of the many nameless, faceless digits in the cogwheels of society.

What do I want to leave for my family and those who matter to me?

I believe that to leave a mark,or an impression, one has to have a life vision, a passion for what he is doing, and not be afraid of failures,setbacks or whatever society or people may think of him.

How do I want to be viewed by others is not for me to decide. However, my own views of how I would like myself to be (in an idealised way) is listed below. It sounds egotistical, I am afraid, but people on a mission have to be clear minded in everything they engage in, and the most important 'game' is Life.

My proudest achievement is yet to be bestowed, is to be as good a father as possible. To inculcate the best values such as honesty, integrity, hard work,thrift, planned goals and grabbing opportunities to my children. That is normally a lifelong task so I will not be able to savour the success in this lifetime.

Another goal is to be a dedicated husband to my wife.

A visionary and fearless leader for my business, again that is a work in progress.

Someone who gave a good part of his time and money to helping those in need.

A sportsman, and a gentleman.





 

Just a Feeling - Maroon 5

Practically the best song in my opinion from Maroon 5's fabulous album, "Hands all Over".

Wayne Rooney's wonder 'Bicycle Kick' goal

Japan, Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Threat

80 year old Japanese grandmother and grandson found alive under rubble, 8 days after earthquake struck Japan

Over 1 week ago, while I was still in Ho Chi Minh, I got reports on Facebook that Japan suffered the most terrible disaster of over 60 years since the Second World War. The country was first hit by an undersea earthquake under the seas of North Eastern Japan, followed by huge Tsunamis (killer waves of height and unparalled velocity) impacting on coastal towns and within the next day. the Fukushima prefecture housing Nuclear Reactors started overheating and threatening to melt-down.

As the world watched with horror, and bated breath. I am awed and very impressed by the Japanese people's stoic and calm behavior to the calamities befalling them. They were patiently queueing for food, queueing for their blankets in the evacuation centers, weeping quietly for their missing loved ones and friends and though they may be shocked, apparently still have compassion to reach out and help each other.What  tremendous cohesiveness for a nation. Truly, inspiring and awesome calmness in the face of a major disaster in modern times !

No scenes of screaming, shoving, fighting or anger at the authorities. No belly aching or complaining about having to wait longer than necessary to go to the toilet. In fact, they were apologising for inconviencing the rescue operations personnel who were out looking for the more severely wounded or trapped.

It makes me feel very embarrased, that our so called 'developed' country is still far for the standards of civic responsiveness and mindsets of the people of Japan. We may have nice cars and big houses, but the size of our hearts - at the end of the day - is truly what matters. We can learn alot from Japan in terms of response to disasters. Look at what our little flooding in Orchard Road led to, plenty of complaining and bitching on the internet and Forum Pages. Are we too soft ? Are we too intolerant  ?

I am truly saddened by what has happened to Japan in the last 10 days, but I am sure, like any great civilisation, they will rise above this and any other crisis.

Scouts Job Week 12 - 19 March 2011

Nathan doing his bit

Andrew and Ryan 

A thorough job means cleaning every part of the car

The last week saw a whole 'tribe' of Scouts descend onto our housing estate, it was the start of Job Week (12 - 19 March 2011). Every scout from my son Andrew's troop had a personal objective of S$ 200 to 'earn' in work related jobs. So as early as 7.30 am there were eager beaver scouts ringing our doorbell !

I am fully supportive of the Job Week as I fully ascribe to the saying "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for life". This is of course overly simplistic and the meaning really is to reach the youth of today how hard it is to earn a decent living. The value of earning money can never be underestimated. So it was with much enthusiasm that the section came to my place to source for any jobs. 

I ,of course, relented and made them clean my car on the first day and on the second day, made them clean the water feature. I felt I did overpay them a little (each earned $10 for about 45 minutes work) but part time work most times is left at the behest of the employer.  

I remember in the 'old days' as a Scout,  my father also invited me to his office to clean the tables, clear the rubbish and  do other menial stuff. It set ne thinking about the working world, and earning some money in later life. Hopefully, this will rub off on my son in the not too distant future.

Vietnamese Food, Development and Globalisation

The globalised world leaves no country untouched by fast food, unfortunately 

On the way from the airport to the hotel, I glanced at how Ho Chi Minh has developed these past 2 years and the verdict judging by the number of fast food joints and pastry chains is "very fast"' However 'development' is now a dubious word in my vocabulary because, as the world modernises, I am struck by the increase of stress, the pace of life, the pollution of the air and the decreasing of wholesome nutrients in our mass produced food which will ultimately lead to incurable diseases and premature death. Of course, this is only my preception of things from a person havinglived in a 'developed' country for the last 10 or so years when Singapore's quality of life index climbed higher than a number of European countries.  

So is development a good thing? Well yes, for the advances in modern medicine have been tremendous for one. The access to good medical care in a developed country is definately a plus point. So is the 'scaling up' of society moving from the poor to the middle class and rich by meritocratic means, that means through a good education system, fair opportunities for all and opportunities to enjoy the 'good life' for some. There are the success stories of  many entrepreneurs,businessmen and thousands of hardworking people who by sheer willpower and hard work,pulled their families out extreme poverty and their children are now reaping the good life after gaining a very good education and possibly a very well paying job. They are highly visible in our society and driving the latest SUVs or convertibles will maids and children in tow and taking annual holidays to countries in the region and beyond. 

But the downsides are plentiful,many poorer people trying to get rich would have to work 2 or 3 jobs and east fast food, sleep less, endure greater stress and sacrifice family time to try to 'upgrade'. The spectre of hyperinflation and or stagflation will impact many in the population. People will be less friendly, more uptight as money gets lesser in value, as in the case of Vietnam year by year and it seems to be an endless treadmill with an increasing speed just to stay at the same place.So there are many who fall through the cracks of the system, some through divorce, some through making bad business decisions, some by gambling, and many other vices.      

                                                                             Rice Cakes

However in Vietnam, the development is ongoing, and we were fortunate to appreciate the slower pace of life and enjoy some of the traditional Vietnamese cuisine, as shown by the photos shown above and below.

In my opinion, the slower pace of life, with less stress, less emphasis of Key Performance Indicators (KPI),smog free towns and villages, and overall friendliness of the people is something priceless. So why

are countries hurtling at light speed towards 'development' ?? 

Perhaps when one has 'been there and done that' will one appreciate that sometimes, the good old days are really the GOOD OLD DAYS. One TV per household, No PCs, No handphones, No I Pods, No Ipads, No Blackberries and or Youtube.   

Vietnamese Spring Rolls - a classic dish

The food served in Ho Chi Minh, where we found an excellent  restaurant called the 'Rat Hue' in Distric 1 is really inexpensive and good.For 2 persons, 4 full dishes come to U$ 9.00 or S$ 12.00.Food is mainly soups, steamed or grilled. Yes, they take a longer time to prepare, but when you have the time, the effort put in will reveal the true cuisine of the country and Vietnam cuisine is really healthy and tasty.This shows that at the moment, the country is still prepared to keep their traditions of slow cooking, steaming, and boiling their food although it may take longer but at the end of the day, it is the preparation,presentation and taste that matters. Definately NOT the convenient fast food which is spreading all around the globe !!    

Clam soup with lemongrass - so fresh it tastes of the sea

                                    Vietnamese Beef brikset and noodle soup or Pho