No. 11 Paris in April 2017. Can I do it ? Dare I do it ?

Once in a lifetime goal 

     I have a Big Hairy Ambitious Goal (BHAG) like what the Creative boss (Mr. Sim Wong Hoo) once said, target it, spell it out in public and then go ahead and do it. The Schneider Paris marathon is a dream goal for me, having run 10 marathons since today, I want to shoot for No. 11. My training so far has been shambolic, and can effectively do 10 km. I have 2 months and 2 weeks. Its time to get going !!  

    Its time to lace on those shoes, train 4 to 5 times a week, regardless of the aches and pains and shoot for the best time of my life. There is no tomorrow, and no what ifs. 

    I do not seek anybody's approval, except my body and my willpower to make it happen.

  

Perfect start to the year of the Rooster ; Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 FA Cup 4th Round

       This is the perfect start for the new Chinese New Year of the Rooster for me. My boyhood team, no hopers in the Premier League for the last 30 years, now have a team which is on the ascendancy. See them beat Liverpool convincingly 2 : 1 at away ground, Anfield. 2 fantastic goals from Stearman and Wiemann give the Wolves an unassailable 2 - 0 lead before the 'Pool pulled 1 goal back. To beat the current 4th places BPL team in the standings at their home grond, Anfield, is really something to crow about in this Year of the Rooster !  

Oh my friends and family who are die hard Liverpool supporters are smarting over their Bak Kwa (Barbecued Pork) in front of their HDTV screens ! Bring it on Year of the Rooster !   

Anna and Geoffrey Abisheganaden Pictures throughout the years

 My Dad on left with the late Prof Chau Shih Ching senior pathologist at SGH

          Here are some old photos of my Mum and Dad over the years. This batch of photos shows them at the Medico-Legal dinner held by SGH every year. Our family was good friends with Prof. Chau Shih Ching and family. Every year they would come to our parent's place for lunch and there would be lots of laughter and merriment. Prof. Chau was a real joker and his jokes knew no boundaries. Being the Chief Pathologist at the S'pore General Hospital was a very taxing job and of course, once he was off work he would crack all kinds of jokes to his closest friends and family. The days of togetherness are gone, but I sincerely hope to have this same kind of crackling laughter and joy each and every Chinese New Year in the days and years to come.

Anna with Dr Tan Ser Kiat formerly CEO at SGH

      My mother was a fabulous host, she was warm hearted,and so was my father. They were a gregarious couple who hosted great and joyous parties at our family home for more than 2 decades. The dishes she used to 'make' (actually the maid at that time) were the potato cutlet and fish curry. Then she would buy things like roast duck, 'fa chai'  and mushroom. The rest of the food would be brought over by family friends. Mrs. Chau would make a very good Carrot Cake which she would painstakingly deliver to our houses every year without fail. Thank you Mrs. Chau !  

Mum with her Jazz Ballet Classmates

Mum and Dad circa 1986

       In the later years (when my Dad was weak in the legs), we would more often than not, go out to dine for the Chinese New Year get together, our favourite restaurant of choice would be the Li Bai Chinese Restaurant at Sheraton Towers. Till today, I still go and purchase their Radish Cake from the very affable Head Maitre'D Ms. Michelle who remembers me each year with a cheery "Happy New Year Mr. Mark !".  The other restaurant where my Dad loved to dine was the Imperial Treasures at Takashimaya. 

Mum and Dad dirca 2005 

      We must never forget our families and where we came from ; as the family is the bedrock of all societies. As an Asian society, we have a duty to keep family ties and bonds strong, so that going forward, our children may take reference to continue to uphold the family name and keep alive the tradition of filial piety and family bonding.    

Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones 1971 Performance at Top of the Pops.

          This song has been playing non-stop in my car's CD ; the Stones are a class act. Anti-establishment from the word go without offending or insulting the ordinary listener. They have always been inspired by the Rhythm and Blues and infusing their 'in-your-face' attitudes and lyrics, have been at the top of the Rock and Roll charts for 4 decades. The secret of their staying power ?   "Its only Rock and Roll but I like it."  Easy going bad boys who are perfectionist in their music craft, hard working individuals, slave driving task masters and all round rambunctuous party animals who epitomised the 60s and early 70s Woodstock anti-establishment mood.

         Individually they are great musicians, Mick Jagger, the ugly frontman oozes charm and sex appeal is a great singer. Keith Richards, the lead guitarist is the epitome of coolness with a cigarette in his mouth even while sleeping. Ronnie Wood the bass guitar is Muppet like in looks but very talented string man, Charlie Watts is the drum maestro, Bill Wyman the shy looking bass guitar and Brian Jones.  

         Now, they're are best remembered for their tuneful R and B sounds and great lyrics. My all time best Band in the World.  Long live the Rolling Stones  !! 

      

            

Chinese New Year Celebrations - Singapore

USA will be sidelined - emergence of China as Global Superpower

                                                                     Ruins in Luxor

     It is clear President Trump wants to 'clean house' and  make good on his promises. He has antagonised and angered so many segments of society with his banal rhetoric to MAGA that given the short term boost in Dow Jones stock markets and the protectionist trade stance he is planning to take, it is a matter of time the US will be the most inward looking, racially prejudiced, militarist country in the world. In the US, the millions of old and new immigrants, citizens and melting pot of new cultures have never felt so marginalized by this soft skinned, insulting and name calling despot.  He will bring the US only one way - down. 

    I feel sad for the divided nation it has become. He goes against any form literal or symbolic of the word 'inclusiveness'. The US had chosen a schmuck ; this shows how desperate they have become. 

Coronation of Ramses II

       To refute numbers of people attending his inaugaration and asking his spokesperson to refute the obviously smaller numbers of attendees as compared to Barack Obama reminds me of  a little kid who would not want to face facts even when it is staring at him in the face. What a crassless bully.

Horas feeding Ramses II

       The ruins of Egypt remind everyone that powers rise and fall, some gently, some sharply and no power ever manages to remain the greatest forever. Even the Greatest of them all Mohammad Ali succumed to Parkinson's disease and passed away at 70. 

      To reinvigorate the US economy, firstly the US needs to be engaged with the world at large in trade, foreign relations and tourism. This is Politics 101 or common sense. Its going one way, down. 

Chinese New Year Traditions and Activities 2 - Oranges, Ang Pow, Feasting and Gambling.

Andrew beside the dinner 

        The symbolic meanings of the Chinese New Year, firstly the giving of oranges which look or symbolise gold. So it is the sharing of the fortune from family to family, or between friends.

        The red packet or 'hong bao' means literally to give out wealth. Normally married people give the 'hong bao' to the unmarried people as a means of spreading the wealth. The young in return have to say good wishes to the elder people such as 'nian nian you yu' which means 'each year will have more', 'shen ti jian kang' which means good health, 'wan shi ru yi' meaning the business will be 1000 times better and 'bu bu gao shen' which means step by step improvement in the studies and whatever endeavours.

The tempting spread of the food 

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Reunion dinner is a very important one in every Chinese family and all the family members make special effort to come back, at least once every year for this most important and auspicious event. Everyone will then update each other on the events of their own lives, and there will be obligatory questions such as 'when are you going to get married ?' to the singletons and 'when is the baby due ?' to the already married. During the early years when I was single, my Aunties Mina and Mona (especially) would pinch our cheeks mercilessly and ask us "where is your girlfriend ?" and other probing emmbarrasing questions which my brother and I would stutter and stammer before they would produce the much sought after 'hong bao'. 

The obligatory photo before the 'makan' (eating)

      Nowadays as the 'giver' of 'hong baos', we are more forgiving with the 'strawberry generation' of youngsters and let them off after they recite the good tidings to us elders. The keeping of traditions and the Chinese culture is very strong in our family, and I would like this values, respect for elderly, giving of the wealth and good wishes to everyone to be replicated as we move on in life. Times in the globalised world are more uncertain and there is the rise of populist leaders such as Trump and Duerte (Philippines) who are seeking to be 'dirsuptive' in their spheres of influence. It is unnerving to say the least, but as long as there are the constants of family, friends and our beliefs, we will be alright. 

Uncle Jimmy,Andrew,Aunty Shirley and Noel 

        Gambling is another common activity especially amongst the Chinese community. Fortunately for us, it is not very popular amongst our friends, as this activity can lead to compulsion. Gambling is and can be very addictive. Of course, occasional and social gambling amongst friends and family just adds spice and 're nao' to the occasion, so it is a once a year duration for many of us. 'Ban Lak' or blackjack is normally the game of choice amongst the revellers. 

Our family with Por Por 

At Clifford Pier Hotel 

As the new year draws to an end, may I wish all visitors to this blogspot, a Happy New Year of the Rooster ! May this be a tremendous year for you  personally and professionally. 

Bring on 2017 !!!