2nd Half of 2017 ; tepid local economy at best ; some global events will dominate

       
         
           We are now into the 2nd half of 2017 ; my small company has finally 'reinvented' itself and now we are well poised to chase sales and grow the business in the area of sports science. Some years ago I categorised the 5 core areas of my small business and the 'bread and butter' revenue is quite stable, thanks to a tepid (lukewarm) economy more people are hanging on to their old equipment rather than buying newer ones. Singapore is facing major challenges on many fronts 

           That being the case, there is much more activity in the 1. Repair and 2. Service segment of environmental equipment, so we are seeing a spike in orders from that segment. In addition, there has been a pickup in 3. Rentals and 4. Test Services, so lets hope the momentum can still be maintained for the second half of 2017. This segment is the 'bonus' segment, and while I am still adament on selling the stock equipment on hand, the revenue from rentals and test services is not insignificant. 

New Market in Sports and Fitness Segment 

           Finally, I have ventured into making our own brand Singapore equipment, and with the sports sector opening up many more new opportunities, I am hopeful we will see 2 to 5 new orders in the near future to Sports Institutes, Universities and pharmaceutical industries in Australasia segment very soon.

        The global economy continues to be sluggish, with weak oil prices and political uncertainties in US and Europe adding to the tepid outlook. Our open economy and business friendly Government is facing challenges from the region with neighbouring countries catching up on ports and ship repairs (Malacca, Tanjung Perlapas and Vietnam), our national airline is facing stiff competition from regional low cost carriers (SIA recorded its first every quarterly loss in its history) and casinos are springing up in Philippines and Vietnam to catch the booming Chinese tourist dollar.  

       The macro outlook is still pretty uncertain, in my opinion.   

       However, a silver lining has finally opened up after 2 plus years of hard slog and reinvention for my company regardless of the global situation. 

       I must thank my wife and family for seeing me through this mentally straining time.

        
  

Penang Bridge International Marathon 2003 ; my run on 6th June 2003

The very first 

        6th June 2003 was the date of my very first marathon, in Penang Island. I had trained a total of 1 and a half years of waking up early, forcing myself in many cases, to get up, get my toiletries done, donned my running gear and out the door by the unearthly time of 5.15 am or so. I would drive about 2 km to a quiet place near my house where the roads were wide, brightly lit and plenty of trees. And the houses, they were massive, each one a mansion set back easily some 50 to 100 m from the main road. Yes, the road I am referring to is Nassim Road. 

       After 1 and a half years of training, conditioning my body to bear with the pounding of first 5km, then 8 km, then 10 km, then 14 km continuously. Over the months of rigorous training and following religiously a training 'schedule' from the Runners World magazine, I felt that I could progress even longer distances. So, next in line was 20 km runs on weekends, and about 3 months from the actual race, I did a couple of 30 kms over 2 weekends. Man, I was so fit then, as compared to now, more fat than fit !

      Finally the date had come and I signed up for my first ever marathon, the Penang Bridge International marathon 2003. It was sponsored then by the New Straits Times paper, and I had to fly a couple of days before the actual race and collect my race pack and read and understand the indemnification process (in the event of any injury or death, the organizers were never at fault ; this is standard procedure. Every extreme sportsman will have to go through this procedure, they will have to undertake that they are fit enough, they have trained enough and so on and so on.

     I remember Saturday was basically a nothing day for me, collected my race pack and chilled and fed myself pasta for most of the day. Pasta gives the runners some additional energy during the exertion. I had not learnt about power gels and hand packs etc, so was basically a newbie from start to end. The reporting time to the start point at the University Tenaga Malaysia (UTM) was an unearthly hour of 2 am on Sunday 6th June.

       The course was basically 2 laps of the bridge each about 13.5 km long, or 27 km. The rest of the route was from the University, through the stretch of Gelugor facing the sea and all the way to a turning point and back to the University. We started at 4 am, and I was I recall at the back of the pack with the regular Penang Runners Club. They were seasoned veterans who ran like me many many kms every week and month. When we crossed the start line i recall it was very dark, very noisy with loudspeakers blaring hot disco music. After the first 1 or 2 km, our noisy bunch who had started with my fanfare quieted down and we took to focussing on our hard 40 km run remaining. 

      Somewhere along the start of the bridge I picked up speed and looked at the runners I was passing or who was passing me. They were mainly Asian with the odd Caucasion who normally was a really hard core long distance runner. The sound of the lapping water as we ran silently across the bridge still resonates with me. It was a surreal feeling. 

     Then around the 15 km mark, shouts from people ahead and behind me and I looked across the divider, the first runners were making their way back ! The first 3 were African and they were cruising like gazelles. People were cheering the leading pack and I felt the hair on my arms and legs rise. It was another unbelievable sight. Human beings who seemed ethereal, or superhuman.

     There were few waterpoints, and I only drank every 5km only after the 20 km mark. This is the trait of a beginner runner, overconfident that I could hack the entire 42 km with not stopping for water. That was sheer stupidity. By around the 30 km mark, I was in trouble, I had aimed for a sub 5 hours marathon, but I knew my body was starting to ache, especially the hamstrings. 

    I recall I was struggling and there was this kind lady runner who helped me pass the time. We were around the same pace and at 32 km, started talking just to take away the aches and pain. I remember, she was kind enough to even stop her run and wait for me while I paused to stretch my fast cramping muschles. So the last 10 km were a hodgepodge of run walk talk, walk run all the way till the end point.

    There were some oddballs, there was this guy who was dressed in T shirt and jeans and he was running. I thought, that is a 'killer'. How to keep comfortable in tight jeans ?  There was another obviously Japanese runner who was huffing and puffing and muttering to himself Nihon - "Go" !  all the way. 

      Anyway, I finally made the finish line with my newly minted acquaintence, at 5 hours 32 minutes. I recall after that, I took my medal and slunk with a couple of bottles of water and sat under the shade of a large tree and basically 'stoned'. It was blazing hot 9 plus Sunday morning and I had completed my first marathon - overseas - with these wonderful memories.

    I never got to introduce myself to the acquaintence and I went back to my hotel to shower and {gasp) hobble to the shopping centre next door for lunch and some air conditoned comfort !

    Truly memorable first marsthon for me.       

 

My very first marathon in 2003 - what started it ??

The Lat (Malaysian Cartoonist) Motif on the Front of the First Marathon Medal 

          I am one of those weird guys who can readily say that "I gave up golf to run to marathons". Its like the activities are being done in life in reverse order. Hence, the quaint quote above. 

         When I graduated from the University (NUS) in the late '80s, like most of my cohort and friends, I first started working for a multi-national company (for almost 7 years) and then started my own family (in 1994) and subsequently my own business. The trend then in the heady '90s, everyone or most everyone I knew had some interest in the sport of golf, which though it was viewed as an 'old man's sport' it suddenly became transformed and hip when the phenomenon Tiger Woods,who was in his early 20s. burst into the scene in the mid '90s. Overnight golf was 'cool' and there were literally thousands of new converts converging to the many newly build driving ranges and whacking their balls with unmatched beginner zeal.  

        So there I was with my full Scorpion set, Lynx driver and membership to the SAFRA Resort and Golf Club and I was spending time with my then partners at the driving range, and golf greens all over the region. 

        I vividly remember my very first game more than 20 years ago when I had been adept at using my 7 iron (ha ha!) and played my first game of 18 holes at the Thailand Panya Park just on the outskirts of Bangkok.I had to swing my first ever club in front of almost 20 people, our flight of 4 plus 5 caddies and another flight of almost 10 people waiting for us to finish. I  almost died of stagefright !!!  The thought of missing the ball completely and experiencing a "whish !" airstroke would have made me die of embarrassment ! Very fortunately I managed to hit 150 yards or so, so I had 'beginners luck' that day ! 

        Fast forward to around the year 2000, and I had played close to 100 games on the greens in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, USA and Australia. I was fed up with the following 3 aspects of the game :

a) Up and down unpredictability of my game even though I had the services of a pro for

    several months. Some days I played brilliantly and others I was a total zero.

b) The full 18 holes normally took 4 hours or so, and the preparation and coordination with  flight mates especially after work - which was impossible for working types meant that I would have to sacrifice at least half a day or more (Saturday) on weekends meant precious time away from my young boys then, so it was not practical.      

c) The myriad of equipment I had to keep in my car boot which was never ending, ranging  from clubs, shoes, attire, sunscreen, caps, tees, balls and the sunglasses. 

        After 10 odd years of the game and obtaining my PC and handicap of 24, I decided to look for alternative sports which was more in line with my limited time, and outdoor interests. So, I thought long and hard and said, "what about training for a marathon ?". 

       So in late 2000, I put down my clubs and started running. I was a pretty good runner in my school days, one could say a 'late bloomer'. I searched around for a good motivator and chanced upon the fabulous magazine called Runners World. It was a treasure trove of information providing fantastic tips such as choosing the type of pronator I was (I am a supinator), the type of shoes I would ultimately choose (for me I am totally satisfied with the BEST EVER SHOE for me, the ASICS Kayano ; I have 20 odd pairs over the years). 

       So there I was, starting from late 2000 and I was religiously training, waking up early mornings at 4.30 am (No joke it was a hobby which turned into a passion) and I first started with 5 km, then 10km and then longer runs of 14 km. Over the course of almost 2 years I had improved my body conditioning and in the process lost about 8 - 9 kg ; so by the time I was ready for my first marathon in June 2003, I must have weighed about a skinny (by my overweight standards) 67 kg. 

    The time management factor was excellent for me. I would wake up at 4.30 or 4.45am around 4 times on weekdays, put on my running shoes, and head out the door by 5.00 am. I would drive to the nearby Nassim Road and Dalvey Estate Road and would register runs of distances of 4 km (Nassim loop) or 5 km (Dalvey Estate Loop). I would be back by 7.00 am just in time for breakfast, and my wife and kids would be just awakening. 

     The endorphin rush (natural body's chemicals which give a person who has done long duration exercises) to my body is the best natural effect I could possibly get. The colours of the sky and things all around me seemed so vibrant, I was in a 'purple patch' kind of mood where everything including the meaning of life seemed quite understandable. This endorphin rush would last me the whole day and until the next, if I ran for at least 10 kms.

     

      The only downside, was that I was 'running on empty' or running on an empty stomach so early and pushing my body that I ran the risk of gastricitis. Fortunately the relaxing effect and the endorphin rush ensured that I had practically zero sleep, or stress related illnesses ever since I took up competitive running.  

     Running for me was and still is to me - life -. 

     In early 2003, after running about 3 half marathons and 2 10 kms, I decided to try for my first full marathon. It was the Penang Bridge Marathon and organised by the then sponsor New Straits Times.

     Would I be able to complete it ? Was my training sufficient, would I fall injured ?

     

  

  

St Andrew's Class of '78 ('O' Levels) gathering at Cricket Club 6 June 2017

L to R 

Andrew Lee, Syed Faisal Alsagoff, Apparoo Surendran,Gurdeep Singh,Pang Seng Meng,Tan Keh Eng Kent, Yours Truly.

     I am very pleased and satisfied to announce that my primary schoolmates have reconnected over the last 5 and now, we are about 160 strong, all linked by social media. It is timely that we reconnect after almost 40 years since leaving secondary 4 when we were just 16 and after the General Cambridge Examination 'O' (ordinary) levels from our alma mater, Saint Andrews School.

     Thanks to the efforts of 2 'brothers in petty crime' , Chew Ping Nan and A. Surendran, we as a cohort have come out and made efforts to come together to share a drink, meal and most satisfyingly relive our memories of a fun-filled childhood and teenagehood, marked by 

a) detention class - for late comers like Gurdeep Singh

b) football at noon - before the start of class

c) chalk throwing fights

d) Caning - for all manner of petty crime from failing tests repeatedly, not handing up 

    homework  

e) our pathetic attempts at CCAs (co-curricular activities) - Scouts, NCC (National Cadet       Corps and NPCC  (National Police Cadet Corps) 

f) visiting each other's homes - my place was a meeting place after school in Primary 5. 

     Studying was the last  things to come to our minds, yes, our 'boys' were a bright and somewhat ouf-of-control bunch. There were alot of 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' moments but that was what made our childhood and teenage years all the more memorable. The 60s and early to mid 70s were marked by political stability in Singapore, most people were from poor backgrounds, there was a scarcity of jobs, the Confrontation etc. All these did not figure at all on our young minds. 

    We thought the world revolved around ourselves and our friends. Now 40 years on, we are in our midlives (some say nearing the end) and while we will have some success, setbacks and jobs lost, businesses closed, families raised, marriages come and gone, parents gone, and health a bit dodgy - when we meet, well we are back to 16 years of age - even for a fleeting few hours.

    We have lost four friends last year, their loss really saddened us, and I can't for the life of me consider that making more money or closing any deal more important or more meaningful than meeting and helping out my 'brus' (South African slang for bro). Most of us who meet are business owners, and we try to help each other out whenever we can. 

     We will meet again late September when we get together at our old schoold grounds, then we would all have hit 55 years of age - a milestone in the 'old days' where people retired and started gardening or doing dogbody work (I learnt that word recently). 

     The flame keeps on burning brightly ever, Saints ! Up and On !!! 

Paclov Stelar - some serious Swing Moves

How Does One Define Success ??

Picture taken from 'Entertainment Daily'

     This endearing picture above shows a little boy standing on the beach, with his hands clenched on a fistful of sand and staring determinedly at the photo-taker. He has a look of determination on his face, which says "come what may, I will overcome".

     Well, it is only partly true, in my book. Having been running a business as well as raising a family, for almost 20 years, we should all look at ourselves and define, what is success actually ?  I recall playing the game called  "Careers" or  "The Game of Life" whereby the playing board represents Life and one goes out to achieve a total of 60 units of either  a) Fame (celebrity)   b) Money (tycoon) or c) Love (Hard to define this person, but I guess someone who is in Love).  If only life were that simple.

      Money, for almost everyone on this planet, with the exception for a few lucky souls like Royal families, and scions of billionaires, is very important of course. But there are many people who have worked and slogged and made a pile and find that at the end of life, a certain emptiness. A lack of creating a footprint for others to follow. So while Money is important, but the endless pursuit of wealth will leave one devoid of empathy, or concern for one's fellow man.  I find these never ending pursuits of the so called 5 Cs quite disturbing in our rich and plentiful Singapore. For those who are not familiar, the 5 "C"s young people strive to achieve are a) Condo b) Car  c) Country Club d) Career and e) Cash

       All these have to do with material things.  Young and not so young people strive to drive the latest sports car or status car offerings, while the women carry the latest designer handbags and sport the 3 karat diamond rings. They may offer satisfaction, but only for a short while, before the yearning for something bigger or better or flashier. So making a lot of money is not Success.

       How about Fame, well some people want to be seen with the stars and crave attention. See all the famous Hollywood, Bollywood, JPop, KPop and HK stars. They make alot of money, have all the attention BUT have no private life. They have major crises, take drugs, gamble, have affairs and are afflicted with all or even worse problems than us 'nobodies'. So, Fame is also not Success.

      Love, ah, Love is always the one true emotion. Yes, one can have alot of Love, but can we get by with giving Love to our loved ones and live on fresh air, love and music ?  Dream on !  Love is an emotion, so we all have the capacity to give and receive Love. So Love by itself is not Success.

       So what does one do to achieve Success ?? First lets try to define Success.

      In my humble opinion, first look critically at your own life. Identify what you want to change for yourself. It may be trying to improve your standard of living, your car or apartment, or even taking more holidays. Once you have identified and managed to achieve them, STOP. Look around you, there are many many more millions of people worse off than you. Why go on and on the merry-go-round of endless upgrading form HDB flat, to Condominium to House, to MASSIVE DEBT ?

 GAINING OF MATERIAL THINGS IN LIFE IS NOT SUCCESS, ITS MEANINGLESS !!

      SUCCESS in LIFE is TAKING THE PURPOSEFUL JOURNEY. 

      IT HAS NO END POINT.

           Living a purposeful life helping one's family, community, friends or religion without a thought for one's situation is a Success story in itself. But before one can start doing that, he must be financially secure and have relevant income streams so that Money and Family stability are not compromised. Here is where, everyone deviates or does not agree upon. What is Financial Stability ?? $10,000 ? $100,000 ? $ 1 Million ? $ 10 Million ? That magic number depends on one's personal sense of comfort. A hypothetical example, take Mr. A : " I am 45, I have a flat, my kids have finished school and I take public transport to work. Wife is a good cook and we dine out at restaurants once a month. I have saved $ 100,000 for my next 5 years and can start to do some community work or help out in my Church outreach. Its time I gave back after having taken from others all these years. "

     Very noble. I salute these people. These are the true Success stories in this dog-eat-dog world.

      So, in the end, the church,temple and mosque helpers will say, "Doesn't matter. God will provide"  However, in many  circumstances, but there are many hard luck stories who have fallen by the wayside in the pursuit of the wrong goals and have relentlessly used or adopted these mannerisms in their daily life. I list them down, these are the 7 Deadly Sins.

1. Lust
2. Greed
3. Sloth   (Laziness)
4. Anger
5. Gluttony
6. Hatred
7. Envy

So in short, I would define Success in one's own sphere of life, as being able to do what he/she wants, growing in character, and ultimately in helping others without much thought of one's well being. To get to that point, one needs to take stock of one's own life and be SATISFIED with whatever he already has, and not be green with envy that the neighbour has gotten a new and bigger car than him, or is going for holidays every 3 months while he has to slog just to pay the bills.

To achieve success, one has to have these traits or acquire these attitudes :

a)  Dogged Determination to reach the goal   40%
b)  Resilience in bad times   30%
c)  Vision to dream where he wants to be 30%

Seize the Day my friends. Life is there for Living. Don't Moan or worse Bad Mouth others. Be a Winner and Doer not a Whiner and Drop Outer.

Seize the Day 

(first printed on this Blog in 2011 - worth a reprint) 

Sugar Intake must be halved - BBC Report (2014) ; I reprint BBC reprint on WHO Guidelines.

People will be advised to halve the amount of sugar in their diet, under new World Health Organization guidance.

The recommended sugar intake will stay at below 10% of total calorie intake a day, with 5% the target, says the WHO.

The suggested limits apply to all sugars added to food, as well as sugar naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates.

UK campaigners say it is a "tragedy" that the WHO has taken 10 years to think about changing its advice.

The recommendation that sugar should account for no more than 10% of the calories in the diet, was passed in 2002.

It works out at about 50g a day for an adult of normal weight, said the WHO.

It is a tragedy that it has taken 10 years for the WHO to think about changing their recommendation on sugar

Katharine Jenner, Action for Sugar

However, a number of experts now think 10% is too high, amid rising obesity levels around the world.

Announcing the new draft measures, the WHO said in a statement: "WHO's current recommendation, from 2002, is that sugars should make up less than 10% of total energy intake per day.

"The new draft guideline also proposes that sugars should be less than 10% of total energy intake per day.

"It further suggests that a reduction to below 5% of total energy intake per day would have additional benefits."

Dr Francesco Branca, WHO's nutrition director, told a news conference that the 10% target was a "strong recommendation" while the 5% target was "conditional", based on current evidence.

"We should aim for 5% if we can," he added.

Facts about sugar

• Evidence shows most adults and children in the UK eat more sugar than is recommended as part of a healthy balanced diet
• Food and drinks that have a lot of added sugar contain calories, but often have few other nutrients
• Sugary foods and drinks can also cause tooth decay, especially eaten between meals
• Sugar found naturally in whole fruit is less likely to cause tooth decay than juices or blends because the sugar is contained within the body of the fruit
• Source: NHS Choices

Q&A: How much sugar should we eat?

Five foods surprisingly high in sugar

The plans will now go for public consultation, with firm recommendations expected this summer.

Public Health England said its scientific advisory committee on nutrition was reviewing evidence on sugar in the UK diet.

Director of Nutrition and Diet, Alison Tedstone, said: "Our surveys show that the UK population should reduce their sugar intake as average intake for adults is 11.6% and for children is 15.2%, which is above the current UK recommendation of 10%. "

Campaign group, Action for Sugar, said it was pressing for 5% to become the firm recommendation.

Nutritionist, Katharine Jenner, said: "It is a tragedy that it has taken 10 years for the WHO to think about changing their recommendation on sugar, which will have had astronomic implications on the millions affected by obesity and type 2 diabetes the world over. "

The WHO guidelines are based on a review of scientific evidence on the health impact of sugar, including damage to teeth and the effect on obesity.

The obesity study, published last year in the BMJ, found while sugar did not directly cause obesity, those who consumed a lot of it, particularly in sweetened drinks, tended to put on weight as sugary food did not make them feel full.

A review of the link between sugar intake and tooth decay, carried out by UK researchers, found cases of tooth decay were lower when sugar made up less than 10% of daily calories.