Applying Logic, Intuition and Life Experiences to everyday life situations

                                          Enjoying my seafood pasta in Florence 9 Dec 2017 

Life is full of setbacks, accept it, study the failure and bounce back

Life is full of Ups and Downs. Today you are down and out, you have been retrenched, and currently are  struggling to find a job and you may have a drink, smoking or porn addiction. Your friends, and your children have better things to do than to meet up with you. You need some solace from this harsh, uncaring and uncompromising world. Your skill sets are last century,people who are younger, more energetic and willing to work for less are replacing you and your peers left right centre.   

Its tough. Very tough. 

I have been through similar tough times with my business ; its never easy for a 50 something man. Business had been through a rough 2 - 3 year cycle, there have been disruptions, there have been mean customers and debts to pay, there are many risks going forward.

So, I take a leaf from my boyhood team, Wolves, the manager Nuno Esperito Santos (NES) has had a pretty tough January, losing 2 games (1 FA Cup and another to Nottingham Forest in the league) and drawing another 2 ; he is under pressure, from the management and most tellingly  from the fans who are so used to their winning ways ; so what does he do ?  

1. Focus on the training ;
2. Change the unperforming or underperfoming players
3. Change the formation of the team (last time is 4 -3  - 3 now its 5 - 3  - 2)
4. Work doubly hard to recover and get back to the winning ways

Last weekend, his team bounced back with an 1 - 0 away win at Ipswich Town. This is the hallmark of a champion winning team. 

Likewise in business, failures are crippling and stressful. As a business owner, I have cut the expenses, reduced the debt and doubled on the efforts to focus back on the core business of trading. Keeping the team motivated and lean is also critical. Moving the business overseas is another big step I have taken.

Finally building the brand name overseas and internationally ; that is the ultimate goal.

Pick Myself Up and Carry On. Make less mistakes like in the past..

Carpe Diem    

Wolves are 12 points clear at the top of the Championship ; 3 - 0 win over Brentford ; 8 more wins to secure the title !

Wolves are having an exceptional 2017/18 season ; barring a major disaster, they will most certainly win the championship ; many people figured that the Portuguese contingent would shrink in the cold harsh winter and not play well but no, the Portuguese players showed the doubters in the best way, by scoring and producing some of the finest football seen in decades from this Wolves team.

Reuben Neves scored a scorcher of a direct free kick, as did Barry Douglas who is on a hot streak, scoring 3 goals in as many appearences (Millwall, Bristol City and now Brentford).

Diogo Jota netted the third, which is purely academic, but it shows a chasm between Wolves and the rest of the league.

Fantanstic efforts were superbly saved by Brentford keeper from Jota, Bonatini (who practically dribbled the entire Brentford defence and Cavaleiro). Brentford themselves had 2 excellent efforts saved by John Ruddy - the Wolves custodian.  


I cannot sing higher praise to the gaffer, Nuno Espirito Santo for gelling a top team easily on par with any team outside the Big 6 in the Premier League in such a short time of 3 months. He is  the next Jose Mourinho in my book !

My prediction for the end of season points, (now they have 61 from 26 games with another 20 to go, so I would say they would easily win 12 ; draw 5 and lose 3 , so another 41 points would be reasonable ; they would end up with 102 points ; that is my prediction.    

Musings after a good run on the first day of 2018

Goodbye my lovely E230 ; reliable and powerful (200 BHP)

Beautiful to look at too

I am writing this post after a good 5km run in pristine cool weather (we have been having rainy weather these past 2 - 3 days) of about 25 deg C. Starting from my house, I normally finish the circuit in about 31 - 34 minutes. So today's 31:42 (5km) was satisfying for me.

I have just recovered from a bad bought of cold, chest cold,'flu and then stomach 'flu ever since we came back from our holidays mid December. What I can reflect upon is that I am so glad to be living in the tropics for the simplest outdoor hobbies such as running, cycling, swimming and even karate training can be conducted practically every day of the year. We have only hot and dry and mildly hot and very wet 'seasons'. So this means we do not experience the very cold winters which last all the way from earl december to mid March of even early April most years. 

However, we have very high humidity for at least 50% of the time, so certain days the humidity can get to the 70s and even 90s , for example prior to and after a big thunderstorm, leading to sweat sticking to the skin and making life quite unbearable !

Many European friends whom I know love having the hot weather year round, so I was curious to find out what made then shun the winter cold. Well, first when it is winter, it can get pretty cold and dry to about 0 deg C or below (some places experience -10 deg C). With the sun out in Italy 2 weeks ago, I felt I could venture outdoors with perhaps 3 layers of clothing (2 inner thin clothes, a  vests and a polo T shirt followed by a leather jacket). I was sadly mistaken, and fortunately for me, my wife bought me a woollen trenchcoat ; add that to the additional 2 to 3 layers underneath - for me to be genuinely warm. On top of that, I had to put on a scarf to keep my neck warm, and a beanie or cap to top off the look. 

For the bottom, I had thermal underwear, and jeans or chino long casual pants to complete the look. I brought my running shoes and a pair of moccasins to alternate. Ski socks were a must as every part of the body needed to be bundled up.  A good pair of leather gloves, a beanie or smart cap was also used to complete the look. 

Watching my breath condense in the air in Burano

So all in all, my experience in Italy this trip was feeling clumsy, feeling cold and having to use the moisturiser every single day. The nose was runny and I was dehydrated mainly from all the walking, and sightseeing. 

So winter, in Europe is dreary - it gets light quite late in the day and dark quite early around 4pm, cold  (2 - 5 deg C for a number of days, and rainy) and one's mood can be affected by the festivities like Christmas and New Year if one is feeling sick, or having a tough time without a job, or struggling to make ends meet.

I am glad to live in the tropical Singapore. Mild weather all year round. I can just put on a running vest, shorts, socks and shoes and I am out the door practically any time of day or night, not worrying I would get frostbite, mugged in bad neighbourhoods or slip over some icy pavement.

Time to plan for a new overseas marathon (or 2) in 2018 ! 

   

My Wishes for 2018

Eating Healthy and Exercise 5 x weekly ;

Sushi is good ; but skimp on the soya sauce - salt is one of the 4 'white' killers.

I have departed from the usual personal goal settings for the last 10 years ; which did improve my life from 2007 till 2017; I did a fair amount of marathons, got some competency in martial arts, learnt to ski, learnt new languages (very basic but its a start) but certain things still remain elusive. 

So here are my wishes for 2018 ; starting from external and then personal.While I can't do much on the external front, I can wish for something good to happen in 2018 can't I ?  

Worldwide / Local

a)There will be a peace throughout the world, less antagonistic and jingoistic "USA first" kind of rhetoric is alarming and divisive to say the least ; all members of UN should also take steps to not only reduce the armageddon talk (N Korea and US for example) and try to forge some kind of win-win relationship. We seem every few months on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.  

WORLD PEACE

b)There will be an inclusive attitudes amongst all peoples of the world and the threat of extremism is under control. Extremist terror groups are always there, so it is wise to be prepared for anything  catastropic in Singapore or overseas. It is going to be the year of living dangerously not knowing what and when the next wave of disruption and turmoil will happen.  

PROSPER THY NEIGHBOUR  

c)The rich poor divide is more apparent these last 10 years what with the rise of new billionaires from the emerging new superpowers China and India and the US printing much more currency to flood the market (quantitative easing they called it), and the slipping down the slippery slope from middle class to poverty of many people all within 1 generation is a scary scenario. This is something I wish we could as a society manage better. 

MANAGE OUR EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL DEBTS 

c) Singapore, may we have a better year on the economic front ; the transition from traditional business to the smart nation using Internet of Things is painful, especially for seniors (yes I am getting there in 5 years) like me and my peers. We know that PMETS are continually under threat by new technologies (block-chain, big data and Bitcoins), automation (driverless cars, cleaners and service personnel are coming) so we need to stay relevant ; that means training, and retraining ourselves lest we drop out from the treadmill in no time. The fall from grace is fast and painful ; so we must adapt or go down 

STAY RELEVANT 

Personal

a) Health in Body, Mind and Finances ; I will cut back on needless phone checks on websites like Facebook, Youtube and the like ; reading from the net requires alot of discretion and an independent mind is very crucial.  Having friends from many social strata is also important to understand that society is made up of all kinds and not just rich, elites, and scholars.  

STAYING FOCUSSED, STRONG MIND, STRONG BODY, GROUNDED 

b)  Balanced lifestyle for a better and happier me ;  I know what makes me happy and I will continue to pursue  my personal goals (private) so that 2018 will be an exemplary year for me and I can uplift and motivate those around me to be of their best potential.

BALANCED AND RESILIENT 

Seize every Day  ;  2018 Bring it On !! 

   

                                                        The Abisheganandens 

Birstol City 1 Wolves 2 ; Classic Game ; never say die attitude ; Wolves are in a mercurial mood !

This game has made me so happy in a vicarious way. My childhood team, Wolves has now gone 10 points clear from the next team at the English Championship table, Derby County.
There is a newfound spirit, optimism in the team with a great talent led by a brilliant tactician coach  Nuno Esperito Santos. I dare say he can be the next Jose Mourinho (now Man Utd.)

Last night's game showed the tremendous character and spirit of the coach / manager, players and the fans.  Wolves were down to 10 men around the 14th minute when the captain Danny Baath was sent off for a what looked like a genuine challenge on the Bristol City striker.  Despite that major setback, the team kept their form and shape and played even better football than when they played with 10 men.

In the 64th minute they went down to a Reid goal which was well crafted. Wolves looked to be losing their grip, but they never gave up. 2 minutes later, Doherty was brought down by the City keeper Fielding and Fielding was immediately sent off. So it was then 10 against 10 men. City were then forced to use their reserve 'keeper on field. 

66th minute, Barry Douglas sent a wicked curling shot from a direct free kick which took a deflection from the defender and 1 - 1 !  You could literally feel the stadium rocking from the video above.

There were many other good end to end chances and in the 94th minute - right at the death of the game, Pack gave away a needless freekick and Douglas (again) swung in a wicked in-swinger of a cross and Ryan Bennett popped up at the far post to smash in the unstoppable header.

Bristol C  :   1   Wolves  :  2

What a game, what a team, what a coach / manager. 

At last count, I believe there are more than 10 players who have scored goals ; almost everyone except the keeper John Ruddy. This is unbelievable. 

 1. Diogo Jota
 2. Leo Bonatini
 3. Ivan Cavaleiro
 4. Helder Costa
 5. Reuben Neves
 6. Matt Doherty
 7. Barry Douglas
 8. Romain Saiss
 9. Ryan Bennett
10. Wily Boly
11. Reuben Vinagre
12. N'Dyae


I am going to bet next season that they will win the Premier League in 2018 / 19.

Watch out !!!   

Venice Italy, 6th Dec 2017 ; truly a must visit city

At the Rialto bridge 

Venice is a city of superlatives. No metal roads for cars, waterways and canals and many districts. Coupled with architecture from the middle ages, gondolas, ferries, and water taxis for transport and you have a one of a kind city.  I had visited Venice twice before, once in my childhood and once upon graduation from University (thanks to a generous 'holiday gift' from my parents who wanted me to have a cosmopolitan view of life) and most recently.

I can say that, with each visit, my perception of the host country, Italy, changes. For the better actually. On the 5th December chilly morning, we took the TrenItalia cross country high speed train from Milan Centrale to Venice Santa Lucia station (which is on the 'island' itself). When we landed at the station, we (I in particular) was befuddled at the numerous signs and means to get to our hotel, which was located in the southern portion of the 4 major islands. 

Some bag porters came up to us and to my surprise, they turned out to be Malaysian Indians who had come to Italy for a better future and wound up living in Venice the last 10 years ! So, we negotiated a EUR 25 bag charge and they hauled the 2 big and 2 mid sized bags all the way to our hotel up and down the numerous bridges and winding walkways. I would say that this experience is a one of a kind in Italy, let alone the world.

Soon enough, we made it to the hotel and after a quick checkin, we started to explore the city. I did my homework booking 2 tours, one for the Duomo Saint Marco (St Mark's cathedral) and another for the Doge's palace (the President or the top official). A third tour which we booked when we came was the Murano (glass making factory), Burano (scenic village with lovely waterway views) and Toricello (a church stands there).

Duomo Saint Marco is declared as a world Heritage Site, so its a must visit for any first time visitor. St Mark, the apostle (not the disciple) of Christ who was responsible for bringing Christianity from the Palestine region to Europe (first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity was the Emperor Constantine) and most importantly Africa (Egypt in particular) where he and his followers was credited for founding the Coptic Christian church.

Duomo Saint Marco in the Piazza Saint Marco. 

The architecture of the church is influenced by the then global superpowers, Greece, Roman and possibly Egypt. Built from the 1st to the 10th century, it is magnificent both inside and outside. The square is massive and we were fortunate to visit during the down season of winter where the hordes of tourists dwindles down to a trickle. Venice was one of the 4 city states or autonomous cities in the Roman empire electing their own Doge and the other 4 being Florence, Pisa and Milan (if my history serves me correctly).

Marco Polo was a Venetian and my home country of Singapore takes a leaf out of the many good aspects of a well run city state which Venice left behind, entrepot trade, seaport, conscription for a strong military, strong financial institutions and rule of law.  

   

              One of the many high end boutique shops dotting the small vias (streets)

We had an excellent dining at the Bistro de Venise, which is one of the Michelin up and coming restaurants for 2017. More of that food blog later.