Seize the Day ; 10K today at deserted East Coast Park with clear blue skies

                                                           Last Year's Marathon 2014


          Today was a beautiful haze free day. I decided to go for a 10K run, after 2 over weeks of being cooped up indoors due to the murky unbreathable haze emnating from our neighbour Indonesia's slash and burn concessions which have made the skies above Singapore, Malaysia and much of Sumatra and Kalimantan look like the London 'fog' but not in any way romantic or caused by water condensation.

          Indeed the haze is disrupting many Singaporeans' lives outdoors not to mention the extreme discomfort to the old, elderly and people with respiratory problems like asthma and lung infections.
Enough with the grumbling, so today I made a beeline to East Coast Park seafood centre and reached there by 11am. The skies were sunny and clear, the park was devoid of many people, who decided to take more rest at home rather than risk a sudden haze attack whereby the PSI Pollutant Standards Index rises intermittently from the healthy to very unhealthy range in just 3 hours.

         Starting off at the (closed) Ski 360 centre, I headed past the East Coast Hawker Centre, Skate Park, Bedok Jetty, Sunset bar and towards the Outward Bound Centre and Go Kart Center in the distance. A cool breeze from the South East was uplifting and I maintained a steady 6 mins 20 secs pace per km. All the way past the Sailing Center, and to the Tanah Merah SAFRA Bungalows where I stopped for about 45 seconds catching the scenery and the fellow brave walkers,runners, cyclists and campers.

     For the Record Saturday Sept 26th 2015 ; East Coast Park Seafood Restaurants - 
                                             Tanah Merah NSRCC Bungalow Chalets Return

               Start Time : 11:03 am ; Finish 12. 07 pm. 45 secs rest ; Total Run Time : 63 
                       minutes 27 secs. Pace : 6 mins 20 secs per km. Distance : 10 KM. 

        Heading back was more of the same, nice breeze uplifted me, and I had this cool song by Little River Band which was playing in my head, the chorus was especially meaningful : "I know that this sounds selfish, but let me breathe the air !!! "

       When even the air that we breathe is not often of good quality, I am thankful to never take life for granted, even the simple things like clean water, fresh air and a safe and sound environment. All these can lost in a short span of time. It is timely that in the near future, with the world economy teetering and China's growth crawling, we have to take stock, hold on the the little that we have, reduce debt and press on with our plans in a conservative way regardless of whatever comes.

      Good times will come again, I am sure of it. In the meantime, I have just seized the day and enjoyed a good 10 K run under clear blue skies. What a privilege !!  

Haze ; A real nightmare

       The recent 1 and a half months has been a tragedy of sorts for many people living in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The region has been blanketed in smoke caused by irresponsible burning of forests (slash and burn) from concsession owners in Sumatra and Java.

      The Transboundary Action Plan on Haze had been setup in ASEAN since 2003, also the Transboundary Haze Protection Act has been set up in 2014. Today, 2015, there is little intergovernmental cooperation between ASEAN member states, although Indonesia has been active in trying to bring the perpetrators who persist in the illegal burning to justice, through massive fines, or complete boycott of the products from these concessions, which normally produce paper products.

   The problem is compounded by the El Nino phenomenon, which the world has been experiencing hotter summers and dryer weather hence causing massive forest fires ranging from California to Indonesia. Many of these concession owners also state that the fires are not started by them but by small farmers and then the spread of the wildfire gets out of control. The small farmers in turn point their fingers at the large concessions. While it is true the fires, once started, even by a dry spell, can cause havoc in a matter of minutes, this event, man made or natural has been occuring time and again over and over for the last 18 years !!!

       This problem is almost 2 decades  old. Since 1997, the Haze has been making a comeback every few years that people are resigned to living in this murky mess year after year. Health problems due to smoke inhalation will cause short and long term problems such as running noses, teary eyes,  lung infection, and possibly cancer caused by carcinogens in the air.

       Surely, the Indonesian Government can take proactive measures, such as early cloud seeding, or look into other ways to control this man made catastrophe ?  It is coming to 20 years and we are no better than when the first haze started in 1997 ?

       Appropriate preemptive Action from the authorities must be done and be seen to be done. ASEAN will be reduced to a toothless tiger if it can't even solve this year after year.

Still Active in Karate - Sept 20th 2015

                                                                      Sept 20th 2015

         At the ripe young age of 52, I am still maintaining a fitness regimen which is getting tougher with each passing year. To be honest, I do not feel young, the young people whom I meet at the Tanglin CCs, though they try their hardest to get through the class with me, I believe their recovery rate is much faster than mine.

       By the end of this year, I hope to achieve the 2nd Dan of Shitoryu karate, under Sensei Chia Kwek Fah. Sensei Chia holds the accomplished 'Hanshi' title from the ISKU and was conferred recently the 8th Dan for his contribution to the martial art in Singapore and internationally.  

       I have been practising the martial art for 13 years in adult life (since 2002) and perhaps 7 years in my boyhood days (1960s till '76), so its a grand total of almost 20 years. In the 60s and 70s, it was held at the YMCA in Palmer Road and training was really tough on the body. 

      Seize the Day. Grasp every minute of it with vigour, for we will one day be no more.   

Skiing Tomamu 2011

   This was the 3rd time skiing having attended 2 ski camps in Korea and 1 introductory course at Vivaldi Park ; the ski resort is Tomamu, in Hokkaido, a resort in the northern part. I really enjoyed the 4 full days of skiing with my family, and this is me at the slopes which are just outside the tower we reside in, ideal for lazy people who just want to ski in and ski out of their accomodation !

    We went to Rusutsu, Hokkaido in 2012, and again another fabulous time was had by our family. Skiing is truly the winter sport of choice for me, having done numerous activities like running, biking, swimming, hiking, karate. Each sport has its enjoyable aspects but skiing is an activity which I have come to enjoy only in my 40s and 50s.  

Sam Willows Take Heart

I do not own the copyright of this song, all rights belong to the band and its agents. However, it is a really cool song to listen to where there is no Singlish intonation and my hope is that one day, Singapore bands can make it to the world stage like Maroon 5 or Train. 

Go for it Sam Willows !!  

Chinese New Year 2015

 At our Sis in Law's Place on 18th Feb 2015 

Each year we 'celebrate' 2 New Years ; the Western New Year which falls on 1st Jan 2015 and the Chinese New Year which follows the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Last year was the year of the Horse and this Year is the Year of the Sheep or Goat (the Chinese name 'Yang' doesn't distinguish between which animal.

     This year's CNY fell on the 18th and 19th of Feb (Thurs and Friday) and since 20th and 21st are Saturday and  Sunday respectively, most people have a good 4 and a half to 5 days (if companies give out the 1/2 day or even a full day off before the CNY). 

    As I was extremely busy workwise in the leadup to this year's CNY, I am very thankful to my wife May for the hard work she put up in preparing the reunion dinner, which is a standard 'must do' each CNY. Special ingredients and dishes would be whipped up by our maid and the actual cooking for the Reunion Dinner, which is the day just before the 1st day of the New Year is one
of cooking and cleaning up of the house. 

  My role is very minor, cleaning up the house, buying the pussy willow (see bottom picture) symbolising wealth and good fortune, for the flower pot, and transporting the food for the reunion dinner from the Li Bai restaurant to our house on the evening of the Reunion Dinner. 

The night of the Reunion Dinner 

In years' past, my parents would figure in every Reunion Dinner and we would either eat at the famed Li Bai restaurant at Sheraton Towers and indulge in my father's favourite dish, the Peking Duck. The picture below is taken in 2008, during Chinese New Years period, and you can see the change in the boys then till now.

My parents have passed on 4 to 5 years now, but the strong feelings I have for them still resonate with me. They had been great parents and we enjoyed many New Years parties at the house where my mother was a great host in the past. 

Picture taken at Li Bai with my brother John, and the 2 boys. 

The concept of Families meeting once or twice is year us especially good, as we are so involved in other aspects of life, business, raising families, travel and leisure so the Reunion Dinner is a must do in our family. Catching up with our extended family is then carried out onthe 1st (normally we visit my parents, followed by my wife's mother, and then her elder brother).

Our boys friends also drop in for a short tete a tete, so its a good respite from all the work we are so used to day in day out. 

   

The House decked out in it red and gold

                           May this year of the Goat bring us good Health, Fortune, and Luck ! 

Muddy Waters and Rolling Stones 1981 jam session in Chicago - Way Cool ! Watch It and Decide for yourself Blues Fans