Ba Sai Dai in Hotel Room

This is me in my hotel in Doha on Tuesday 26th February. The room given to me by the Holiday Villas was so huge (I estimate it to be easily 500 to 600 sq feet) it was equivalent to a suite.

I managed to move the table and perform this Shitoryu kata and keep my 'form'.

Closest the planet Mercury will be to Earth

Taken poolside Feb 26th 2019 ; Weather is a perfect 22 deg C. 

I am in Doha right now and in the newspapers are reports that today 26th February 2019 is the only day in a long while where the planet Mercury will be closest to Earth.

Called the Red Planet, I wonder whether we can view it from the naked eye. As it is near the desert area, I am quite optimistic that there will nary be many tall buildings or lights which will  be an impediment to viewing such a phenomenon.


I try to make time to experience life even while on the road. With the new experiences, I gain a greater insight into how life is on the 'other side' so it gives me paradigm shifts and new insights to viewing life as I walk this path. 

Carpe Diem. 

Staying Positive

Thankful for health and wits 

This blog post is to just remind myself that there is plenty of things for me to be thankful. We tend to take so many things for granted in life that we forget actually how far and how much we have progressed.

As a country, Singapore has made it up to the first world, in a short span of less than 30 years, since 1965. So while there are still many people struggling, the plight of the poor is never a constant because there are opportunities for the youth and the adaptable to rise up the jobs ladder.

We must always be nimble enough to go out and make good our lives. As I write, I am in Middle East sourcing for new business to take my company forward, hence  the need to have boundless energy and drive to see through the vision.

The struggles of the past have only given me greater resilience to take things in their stride and move ever upward and onward.

This way, I can stay positive and with this mindset pursue the aims I have set out for myself. 

Million Year Old Artefact as Present ; Watch Video

My German friend, Heinz Strobel gave this priceless present to my wife and I as a wedding gift, and it occupies pride of place in my office table, one of the most amazing and intriguing anthropological artifact brought out from the Black Forest Area. 

Supposed to be millions of years old, it is the embodiment of a molusc which has rings around its body, and it was entombed in the earth and somehow when it was dug up in one piece, it was preserved and the 'Ying" and the "Yang' parts can be taken out and the fine lines appreciated every once in a while.  

Enjoy this video, my readers. 

Dragostea Din Tei - Here's to the Uncool People !

Keep Moving Everyday !!!

Here is the secret to living well and living long - at least for me anyway.

My last full marathon was 3 odd years ago !

1. Exercise at least 4 times a week of duration 50 minutes ; a brisk walk, a run, a cycle, 
swim or just climbing stairs just to get that old pump the heart beating relentlessly is a must.

2. Do mind stimulating exercises. I play Sudoku most days, and spend at least 30 minutes  on an challenging level game (Normally Daily Telegraphs competition level games) 

3. Try to focus and be Happy ; Engage in a rewarding experience. My work in my business keeps me pretty happy. Stress is a downer, so I try not to load myself with too much work  - that can be a real killer too. 

4. Give back to society ; I have said it numerous times and will continue to say it. Give my time and some money back, because as the wonderful Mr. Tony Tay of Willing Hearts says, when you give to the less fortunate, you really wake up to the fact that indeed you ARE fortunate. 

5. Wake up, meditate and smell the fresh air. 

6. Seize the Day ; the salad days are gone, but wisdom and experience have replaced the raw energy and blind enthusiasm.  Just enjoy the ride .

Salad Days June 1990 - Visit to Yoshida Seiki 

My Goldfish in my Water Feature live in a Separate Universe to Me.

Here are 4 happy goldfish taken today. I have got them for over 3 weeks and I have learnt a lot about rearing goldfish in the past. There are many factors which will lead to their early demise, so I have alot of pain and heartache in the past, especially when the water in the water feature turns acidic or some disease wipes them out. 

So 3 weeks ago I bought my first pair of goldfish, and so far so good. The thing is that the weather has been very hot and we have no t had much rain. Rain is likely to be acidic in nature, and hence will disrupt the alkalinity in the pool. Before putting the fish in the outdoor pool, I had conditioned the water with lots of salt as well as with an anti-chlorine solution which normally affects ornamental fish.





Once that was done, I also have ensured that there is enough air (ie. bubbles) circulating the pool and that whenever we clean the pool, we do not use any soap or cleaning solution. The fish have led a happy existence, so far, only eating 6 pellets a day (we control their diet very strictly) as well as changing the water only once every 2 weeks or so, ensuring that 2 - 3 pails or about 1/3 of the water is reused.

Chlorine, alkalinity and acidity all lead to problems and may eventually kill the fish.

But as goldfish, they lead a very happy existence, playing with one another, exploring the length and depth of the pool and keeping all those who observe their existence quite happy.

Its as if they live in their small universe and we humans in ours. 

There is hardly any interaction between them and us. If they are happy and lively, so am I.