One More Hurrah - Paris 2019

This was the marathon done in 2014 ; I had the foresight to have the videotape footage for reflection.

I have signed up for next year's Paris marathon and it will take a special determination from me to complete it within 5 hours. 

It is now beginning November and I have barely 5 months to get into shape. I have been on an intermittent fasting diet these past few months with limited success. The food to avoid is carbohydrates, and alcohol. While these are identifiable, they are sure as hell difficult to cut back from an already seasoned carbohydrate junkie.

I must and will do it !!! 

Impressions of my trip to Doha Qatar 2017 and 2018

Its hot in the desert, mainly sand storms and dry arid air. 

I visited Doha in July 2018, this was my 3rd trip there having had some business in the last 2 years and I was there for a followup visit. The last 2 times, I came it was first in winter, and then in early spring. The weather was cool in winter, and in spring it was about the weather we would experience in Singapore, about 30 deg C. 

This year, in July when I went, it was a scorching 50 deg ! The air was dry, arid and even at night, the temperature felt like 40 + degrees, like living in an oven ! The population of Doha is  made up roughly 25 % of locals and 75% foriegners. There is alot of construction going on, in the light of the upcoming 2022 World Cup being held there in 4 short years !

Dining Al Fresco at the Corniche, Smoking Shisha, Downtown Financial Centre. 

During the winter months, like Nov - January, it is pleasant and cool, sometimes going down to mid teens in the evening. When I first  visited Doha, my host was gracious enough to invite me to try the Arabian food, and we also went down to the Corniche (resembling an English fort by its architecture) which was by the waterfront. The waterfront itself was lined with numerous dhows - something from the old days when the only industry of Qatar was from pearl fishing. My driver and I managed to get a tourist visit on a dhow which brought us from the harbour section and we sailed onto the new downtown section, with all the modern buildings aglow in the night.

The Corniche (English fort) houses many shops, eateries, and art galleries for tourists and visitors from the region. It is a nice first stop for the new visitors to the country. Currency is the Qatar Riyal which is converted roughly by USD 1 = QR 2.5.

Janoos and I dining Arabian style ; from the floor 

The country's largest export is Natural Gas, having the world's largest reserves of natural gas under its desert. Thus, the GDP per capita for Qatar is practically the highest in the world. The total population is only 2.5 million, with less than 1 million being Qataris. The rest are expatriates or foriegn workers involved mainly in construction and infrastructure projects. There are many nationalities working in Qatar, and during my 12 days doing some project work there, I met people, mainly specialists from more than 10 different countries. 

Our finished product proudly functioning and providing valuable data for the research scientists. 

For Asians, the 2 most populous citizens are Filipino and the Indians. Filipinos are mainly engaged in the retail and services sector and I saw plenty working in the malls, the hospitals and food establishments. Indians are mainly from the state of Kerala, apparently it is only a 2.5 hour flight from Kerala airport to Doha, and they are mainly engaged in construction projects, such as the upcoming Mass Rapid Transit train lines, the new stadia (for the upcoming 2022 World Cup) and maintenance of their many municipal facilities (water desalination, parks, waterfront and general maintenance).

I view the country as opening up rapidly for foreign investment and the time is ripe for investors to cast their nets for the myriad of opportunities in this rapidly developing region. 

My old house

Circa 1975 the house on the left 

This is the picture of my old house, taken somewhere during the '70s in the central part of Singapore.

We had a manual gate, white in colour, with grilles on the living room area, and a split level between the living and dining room which was in total about 400 ft2. The kitchen and the backyard area was probably another 800 ft2. Outside we had a big garden of perhaps 1000 ft2. Looking back it was  a huge sized house for modern day Singapore. One the second floor, we had my parent's bedroom, with the big balcony, my room which is on the extreme left, with a small balcony, one other mid level room (where my Uncle Leong used during his recuperation from a stroke in the early '80s.) and the back bedroom, where my brother John stayed.

The roof was made of terracotta tiles and kept us cool and was leak free - most of the time. I did not recall we ever had any leak issues on the second floor. 

In the early 2000, my parents and our family redeveloped the house into 2 which was a lasting legacy for the next generation, John and myself. I will never forget and appreciate the work done by David Mitchell who introduced the idea to my parents and we were the first in the entire estate to redevelop the house into 2 semi-detached houses and in the next 20 years many houses followed suit.

My Dad Geoffrey, brother John, Andrew and I at Imperial Treasure in 2007

My Mum and Pa, I salute you for your foresight and knowledge for indeed you gave us, the children a better life and a decent abode for our families. For this we are forever grateful and thankful.

Thinking of you ever so often.

2012 Saint Andrew's Class of 1978 Reunion at Joan Bowen Restaurant St Andrew's School.

In 2012, some 40 odd old boys gathered at St Andrew's School Joan Bowen Cafe to meet, reminisce and share all the good old times we had in our youth, some 40 years  plus ago. We were young, dumb, broke, full of idealism, energy, rebelliousness, and just foolhardy youth. Some 34 years later, we are middle aged fathers, one or two grandfathers, and remember the ones who had gone before us to the Lord.

I was honored to be asked to play the school song and also did some Bee Gees tunes with Paul Ezekiel. We never really get old in our minds. Just the body which is going through the natural aging process. We, the children of the past, the middle aged of today and one day the elderly of tomorrow, need to make our indelidible mark on this world, always in a positive way. 

As in the school song, time is running fast away, life is now today today, Up and On !!! 

1974 League Cup Final ; Man City 1 Wolves 2

The entire match is here. Unbelievable they still have access to this memorable final. I guess it was around this period I decided to make an emotional decision to support Wolves for better or for worse. The time was when I was in Primary 6 (1974), and possibly just being fascinated about football and the Division 1 games which were showed on Channel 5's "Star Soccer" channel. 

Some of the names come back to me from my submerged memories (ROM) of the last 40 years and some images from "Shoot!" magazine from 1975 - 1978 spring to mind. The players who played in this key League Cup Final, must be in their late '60s or early '70s if they are still alive. Bill McGarry was the manager then and the 2 goalscorers, Kenny Hibbit, John Richards ,captain Mike Bailey and the goalie Gary Pierce all played an integral part in this memorable game. Other players to note Frank Munro, McCall, Derek Parkin, Alan Sunderland, Derek Dougan, Wagstaffe (?), Palmer (?), Powell all took the game by the scruff of the neck and while it was gritty at times, it reflected how a game must be played and won, true grit, passion, fighting spirit, quality and stamina. 

Man City were the clear favourites had Dennis Law, Colin Bell, Stan Lee, Rodney Marsh, Towers and Colin McRae in their team. All household names.

The games of those days were played completely using UK players, Welsh, Scotsmen, Irish and the English, almost predominatly white, while todays games shows totally different hues from all corners of the World. The level of the game has improved tremendously today, but England's football quality and level of competence is far from being considered 'world class' having won nothing since 1966 ; a long 52 barren years. 

I probably started to subconciously 'follow'  Wolves around the '74, '75 era when it was fashionable to 'follow' a football team. My brother John 'followed' Leeds United and I, Wolves. 

I was about 12 years of age, and then, in 1974, we just had colour TV introduced to households in Singapore. Back then we were considered 3rd world, so not many houses had TVs let alone colour TVs. The first match most of us watched must have been the World Cup Final between Germany and Holland in 1974.

For the most part of the 40 odd years, Wolves fortunes just went from bad to worse. Their fortunes went downhill after the 1980 League Cup final, they almost went bankrupt, rescued by Sir Derek Dougan and then Sir Jack Hayward, the club had plumbed the depths of dispair. I was embarrased to be their fan, and those were indeed bleak times.

Now, 44 years later, they are right at the top,with Chinese money, a shrewd management team and a brilliant coach in Nuno, I believe their time has finally come to show the world what they can achieve in the BPL as well as in Europe in the coming years.

The future has never looked brighter for the Wolverhampton Wanderers in my humble opinion.

His team did all the 'talking' on the pitch at Old Trafford. The genius behind the team. Nuno.

My E 230 - still the most striking looking car in a long while ; SKL 8281 R

I drove the E 230 from beginning 2012 till end 2017, a full 5 years. I must say that I am really enamoured by the look and the power of such a car. If there is an opportunity for me to own this model again, I would jump at the chance ! 

The specs said it was a 7GTronic 2008 version, and with 207 bHp it felt good behind the wheel with superb road handling, suspension and had the 'presence' of a regal looking car.

The Avant Garde version which I owned had walnut coloured skirting along the doors and grey leather seats to match the outlook. 

           A look back at the car I drove for 5 years. It was indeed a pleasure to drive this   
                                                                 beauty.