8 km run in Dongguan China 12 Oct 2017

My run last week as recorded on the Polar M340 watch. Its a really functional device with heart rate monitor, GPS, activity tracker, steps tracker, split km timing and sleep tracker, in addition to telling the time. I would recommend it to those 'weekend warriors' who need a "Personal Kick yourself off the sofa trainer" like myself. 

Outside Dongguan Park 12th Oct 2017 

The coolest feature is of course the software where the owner of the watch can connect with other like minded individuals from all over the world who put up their runs to be scrutinised and dissected although most people would be very encouraging about each newbie's progress. 

This feature to 'relive' the run gives me the opportunity to analyse my fastest speed in km, the max. Heart Rate (177 which is pretty damn high) as well as elevation, cadence, average heart rate and it encourages the scribe in me to record my Run Diary in my own account, so that I a relive how I felt (from Awesome to Horrible) and then take it from there.

As I have put up 2 BHAGs, I had better put my money where my mouth is, so I am really fired up to  do a decent time for the Paris 2018. As I am in Australia in January 2018, I may very well take in 1 marathon (the Tasmania Cadbury Marathon which is held on  Sunday 14th January - I will keep this 3rd BHAG goal in mind).

So I have 3 months to get up to marathon shape ! 

Wolves move to the top of the English Championship (formerly Division 2)

         
         I have never seen such an attack minded Wolves side in all my years of following the team. It has exhibited class, tremendous attacking skill, great coordination and team spirit from the Coach Nuno Epserito Santos all the way to the substitutes. I will make the effort to watch the team play 3 games at home and away, soon.


      Diogo Jota's strike against Aston Villa makes it 1 - 0 at Molineux. An absolute stunner of a goal from the Portuguese striker on loan from Athletico Madrid. Sign him please ! 

        Leo Bonatini's goal to make it 2 - 0 was pure class from start to finish ; I am totally in awe with the skill level of the Wolves strike force leaving the Villa defender's all floundering in their wake. 

        So my visit to Molineux will be my second BHAG for 2017  - 18 and as the year is running fast away, I can only say that this opportunity of watching my boyhood team is probably once in 30 years, so I had better get my act together !



       

      When your team plays well, it is a Godsend, so I had better get my tickets ready to watch them play in the Premier league next season. Wolverhampton Wanderers, it is high time you had played up to your Founder Member status ! 

      There is the Carabao Cup in November against the No. 2 or No. 3 team in the Premier League. if Wolves can pull off an away win at Manchester City, then the skies the limit for this tremendously talented and hardworking team.

       Come on You Wolves !  

Crystal Jade Golden Palace

50 years ago today - Che Guevara's death

Ernestito Guevara - the Argentinian revolutionary fighter

50 years ago to this day, Che Ernestito Guevara the revolutionary fighter was shot and killed by Bolivian forces and CIA undercover operatives. While his face adorns millions of T shirts, no one except for the people who really knew what he stood for. 

For the current generation of young people, he probably is just an emoji representing everything that is anti-establishment (the current system and the bureacracy). Beyond that, he is just another global marketing brand label for the consumer industry.

What an irony. The person who was most against capitalism has his image emblazoned on everything from caps to T shirts, mugs, key chains and wallets.

We need a change in management

There has been much said about our Mass Rapid Transit System or the SMRT ; while the goal and tagline had been to make our system "world class" the sad reality is that it is far from that. Breakdowns and trains slowing or delayed for all manner of reasons has made our SMRT a much joked about service. Enough is enough. 

The frustration by the consumers are very fair, why pay decent money to get new and top quality trains only to have frequent breakdowns barely several years after the lines are fully operational ranging from signalling systems,trackside misalignment to water seepage (most recently).  The company is paying top dollar (over US$ 1.2 M) for top executives to manage a relatively new system but the screw-ups come fast and furious. The management while able to pinpoint the faults and enable alternative transportation quite efficiently still is unable to mitigate the regular incidences of failures and train delays.   

The root cause is the hiring of inexperienced people - at top dollar - to run the system. Much has been said by the people and their unhappiness is very clear whenever their are breakdowns and delays for a myriad of reasons. To expect or say this is 'normal' due to our aging system is nothing short of ridiculous. 

With this kind of pay, our SMRT can easily find top executives from anywhere in the world to clean house, ensure a smooth and reliable train system.

What kind of system do we have ?  Nothing to match the efficiency of Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and even Shanghai.

Its time to take stock and make some decisions.     

30 April update - the SMRT CEO has decided to step down ; 

A new chapter in Ken Shin Kai Karate Club ; Introductory lesson at SUSS

Jason conducting the class at SUSS (formerly SIM) campus 

The Ken Shin Kai club is now expanding into new territory with the introduction of karate-do (Shitoryu) class at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) - formerly called Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) along Clementi Road. The fist session was 6.30 to 8.00 pm on 6th October and I was one of the instructors helping out to give the newbies a taste of the martial art.

6 enthusiastic young men and women turned up and Kevin Tan who is a lecturer there, started the ball rolling by introducing karate shitoryu philosophy as well as a way of life. After the short introduction, we had approximately half an hour of basic punches, blocks and kicks to get the newbies into 'gear'. 

The undergraduates were mainly from te 3rd year and we (4 black belters) gave them an insight into how to properly execute a punch (with the waist movement first), a kick, some basic blocks and followed by a couple of stances.  

Jason Chua then conducted some bunkai (application of the kicks and punches) and we broke up the group into pairs to try out the application of the chops, kicks and some punches. The men and women throroughly enjoyed the session from what I could see from their happy faces, and the time flew by.

After about 1 hour of training, we then had a kata (form) demonstration by Kevin Tan with Sienchin performance, and the application of the sienchin blocks as well as grabs and punches. 

Ken Shin Kai is now active at the Tanglin Community Club every Sunday from 6.00 to 7.30 pm (Badminton Hall), for kids, it is held every Saturday at the NUSS Guild House Kent Ridge Campus from 10.00 to 11.30. So we are awaiting the further interest from SUSS to study when we can have the weekly or bi-weekly sessions at the new campus.

Thanks to all the instructors involved, Leck Chye Chuan, Kevin Tan, Jason Chua and our sensei Chia Kwek Fah for giving us this opportunity to take on new recruits to the school. 

We are growing step by step.   

6th Oct 2017 ; Son's enlistment into National Service

     

A last wefie before Andrew steps into military life

      6th October 2017 marked another milestone for our family, my younger son, Andrew was enlisted into National Service today. Just shy of his 20th birthday, he dutifully did his part by shaving his head and preparing mentally for the day - which was yesterday.

    All enlistees will serve their National Service for 20 - 21 months approximately (1 year 9 or 1 year 10 months) and the first station is normally the Basic Military Training Centre at Pulau Tekong camp for recruits.

Barracks at BMTC

Cupboard for each soldier 

    The day began early by all of us (wife, myself and Andrew) waking at 6.00 am, having an early breakfast and leaving the house by 7.00 am. Taking the Pan Island Expressway, the pickup point for all new enlistees is the Pasir Ris Bus Station. When we reached the destination at approxinately 8.00 am, we were ushered into buses and brought to the ferry terminus at Changi Point. The Singapore Armed Forces nowadays is very organized and provides staggered enlistment dates and times to cater for the logistics and seamless point to point movement of enlistees, their family members and friends. 

A balanced lunch of protein, vegetables and carbohydrates

    On the ferry, we watched videos of the early days of National Service, with flashbacks to our then Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew, and Defence Minister Goh Keng Swee making impassioned speeches on the necessity of having defence for the nation. 

    From then on, we went to visit his camp, had a peek into a typical bunk where he would be putting up for the next 6 weeks, had a lecture about what type of training he would undergo (he has several medical conditions, so he is within a lower PES category), the vision for the Armed Forces, safety aspects, typical day (reville is at 5.30 am, and all recruits will need to rest for 7 hours no exceptions). The Commanding Officer of the camp also make a talk highlighting the camp's expectations of the recruits, the adherence to discipline, and made available all means of communication with the camp through email, twitter, facebook and of course fixed line. 

    Finally, we witnessed our boys taking the oath to the nation ; this event made me especially proud because like they say, every Singaporean son goes through this rite of passage where they transform from boys to men. I am proud to have served my part years ago and very proud to see both my boys off into their next phase in life. 

    We had a meal together, a rather poignant moment to appreciate our bond and yes, undiminished love. He is a good son, and will one day become a father (we hope) like me. Now he has to do his duty and we see him back home in 2 weeks with his first stories of what recruit  life is like.

Eating the Cookhouse food ; Not bad, and a balanced diet 

   At about 1pm, the new recruits were asked to fall in in rows of 5 and with a sombre wave, and a right turn , they marched into their new phase of life.


   We went home feeling very proud and thoughtful that National Service is such an integral part of all our young men, regardless of race, religion or gender affiliations (that nonsense about transgender rights from the dysfunctional West). Every male from 16 + years onwards of age will serve National Service for 20 or 21 months.

    While doing their duty, we hope that the service will instill values such as discipline, honesty, integrity, leadership, competitiveness and hard work which will be so important in the later years of their lives.  

The batch of recruits falling in before they go into their barracks