Wolves are in the Europa League for 2019 - 20 season

What a time to be a Wolves Fan 

My 'goldfish' have made it to Europe's 2nd tier competition. Wolverhampton Wanderers by virtue of finishing highest in the Premier League at 7th outside the top 6 teams and with Manchester City winning the FA Cup, this ensures their qualification.

There has been no better time than to be a Wolves fan, since I followed them in 1976, over 42 years ago !

We can only benefit and see more of the Wanderers in the coming year. 

Let their success reflect the once again renewed optimism at the town and their followers all over the world.

Time for some Silverware !!! 

Reach In Chambers from QRA International

Presenting QRS Model 4096 Reach In Chamber for samples of 1000 x 1200 x 1200 mm size

Presenting the Reach In Chamber from my company QRA International. We have for the last 15 years been involved in the distribution and service support of test equipment from Germany, Hong Kong, Korea and now China. Last year we rolled out our own brand of chamber. 

Called the QRS chamber, we have many sizes with many different features such as heater windows, stainless steel interior, Hanyoung touch screen controllers and using boiler humidifcation technology.

We build upon requirement, and our delivery times range from 2 weeks to 12 weeks depending on the complexity of the reuqirement. At the moment, we are capable of controlling 2 major test parameters.

Temperature : - 40 C to + 150 C

Humidity       : 25 - 95% rH

We offer our own Calibration Test Certificate (ISO 9001 : 2015) 

We are uncompromising in ensuring the quality and conformity to the specifications of our equipment and provide a full comprehensive parts and labour 12 month warranty worldwide from wherever they are purchased.

Currently, while we roll out the product, we offer Singapore quality, very competitive prices and a Calibration Certification from our engineers in Singapore who visit the factory (Dongguan China) to provide a FULL test audit on the system specifications and compliance to International Standards.

We are most happy to provide a prompt and detailed quotation ; please email my business email at 

mark@qra.com.sg

Quality.Resilience.Support.   

Heuristics - Subconscious Learning

Reading from this wonderful book called "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Ralf Dobelli there are many lessons which I can vicariously learn from reading and one of these is Heuristic Learning, which is learning by life experience.

To really sequence logical decision making, he states that if we are given 2 choices to make, then logically each and every one of us will need to go through the "fork" or Pro and Con options in the mind using mathematical models, the net gain or loss from the Pros minus the Cons (of course if the Con is subrtacted from the Pros), and the final NET GAIN from either pathway is logically the Action to Take or No Action is required.

Shall I have a snack now (its 11.00 am)  ?  I had a nice Oden dinner at 7.45 pm just now.

YES
Pros 
------ 
    Outcome  (short and long term)                               Percentage        Weightage    

1. Filled tummy and satisfying feeling                            0. 3          X            5        + 1.5

Cons
-------
2. Filled tummy but tomorrow weight gain  (-)                0.3          X             7         + 2.1     
                               
    NET GAIN / (LOSS)        : - 0.6

NO 
----

1. Hungry and some discomfort, no weight gain            0.4          X           10         + 4.0

   NET GAIN / LOSS             :  + 4.0         

So Mathematically speaking and Left Brain saying : Dont Snack !     

99.999% of the people out there will never use this model, in real life, we use a lot os experiential learning to apply to our choices, hence when we make mistakes or poor choices,hopefully we learn and make better choices in the future. Hence Heuristic learning comes into play and the more we interact with people who have 'been there done that' the better our chances of taking the right decisions in every phase in our lives.

That is why there are so many Life Coaches and Gurus offering everything and anything from losing weight, improving your life, your career, your financial situation, your looks and what not.

In addition, for people who have little life experiences, then there are the myriad of Self Help books out there to follow and adapt ; but be warned, each and every person's life experiences CANNOT BE USED 100% as a guide for the person reading it.



   

There's so much Zing in this Video ; One of my all time favourite Duos, Hall and Oates !

Lam Charoen Seafood - Siam Paragon Bangkok 15 May 2019 Review

Deep Fried Seabass with Special Fish Sauce - Laem Charoen Seafood 

During this last trip to Bangkok, my associate and I made a visit to the Lam Charoen Seafood restaurant located on the 4th floor of Siam Paragon, Bangkok. Fresh from an upcountry visit, I was famished and we ordered their signature deep fried seabass (THB 900 for 2), the Steamed Cockles, Morning Glory, Tom Yum Prawn soup (spicy) and 2 bottles of Singha beer.

Fortunately, the dishes arrived very quickly, and the signature seabass was really crispy and tasty, perhaps too much for 2 persons, but for 2 starving men it was just right. The meat was crispy outside, and the skin as well as most of the bones are edible and cruchy which makes the dish all the more appealing.

The balance of the ice cold Singha beer reduced the heatiness of the fried fish. I would recommend drinking something cooling with beer with these dishes in all honesty.

Steamed cockles 

I am not a cockle fan, but my business associate was a bit wary of eating too much, and he felt it was rather stale as compared to the very fresh ones. I on the other hand, took a couple with the sweet Thai chili sauce and it was acceptable. 

Tom Yum Soup, with lots of chilli and spice. 

Another winner for me was the Tom Yum Soup and we both had at least 2 - 3 bowls each. The prawns were fresh and very 'al dente' to the bite. There are actually 2 types of Tom Yum Soup, the clear type which can be very deadly as the 'kick' of the chilli padi inside the tom yum can cause a lot of distress to stomachs untrained to the spicy Thai dishes.

This Tom Yum was a lot like a spicy curry sauce but without the coconut flavour. The tanginess or 'asam' flavour is apparent and it was great to pour it over rice and eat it. Yum ! 

The Morning Glory 

This vegetable is native only to Thailand for some reason, but it tastes like our Kang Kong (a variation of spinach) but more crunch at first bite. It tasted very fresh and stir frying this with their ubiquitous fish sauce with some garlic thrown in and you have this dish.

My ratings (No compromises) :

Food  Quality and Taste :  4 / 5     
Very Good, with the Cockles being the only let down if that 
                                              

Service                           : 4.5 / 5   
Very Prompt and Attentive ; Fast on the serving side.

Ambience                       : 3    / 5   
Situated in a Busy Walkway on the 4th Floor, not the best for small talk.
                                                      

Price                             :  3.5 / 5
THB 1,650 or S$ 71  (US$ 53) for 2 persons is very reasonable for this food quality 

Overall        :   3. 85    
Above Average Food

Address      :  991 Rama 1 Rd, (next to Siam BTS Station)
                      4th Floor Siam Paragon Shopping Centre

Football is the Opiate for the Masses.

Watching my Goldfish merrily swim around has the same effect as watching my football team from England. 

What a strange linkage, but that is my assertion. Watching the team calms my nerves when they do very well and for some unexplained reason, the wins create some sense of fulfillment which only religion can match.  

After following one season of my football team, Wolves, I can declare that football is the new opiate for the masses, where the players are held in almost religious esteem,they can do no wrong,something akin to the Saints of old and the managers are like the Pope. 

The folks in many parts of England are so football mad that they will christen their kids after their favourite footballer and even want the hymns in their funerals to incorporate the football chants of their boyhood till old age hood idols to the afterlife. 

I find the adulation and idol worship rather unbelievable and very amusing and as a new supporter coming back to the game, I am fully mindful that at the end of the day, it is only a game, which requires the support of the fans, and most importantly the financial revenue from the ticketing and merchandise from these said fans so that can the club show profit.

Winning promotion to the Premier League guarantees them quite a bit of money in terms of TV viewership fees from the TV stations and to be in the top 6, the teams easily earn over 120 million pounds in TV revenue from the main stations, EPL and Sky which in turn sell the rights over to Singapore whose main service provider is Singtel and I have it cross-carriaged to my StarHub channels. 

The dues are almost $70 just for the Premier League, there is separate fees for Champions League and Europa League, so its a money spinner for the teams just to make it to the English Premier League.

Back to the football teams and their fans. It is good that every week (at least for 10 months of the year at least), the people can 'pray' and wish for a good result from their idols, something akin to having their simple wishes fulfilled and they will be happy as the reflected glory from winning top Cups and Titles from their favourite teams makes them clamour for more of their next season's merchandise, and sometimes many a dream of a fan is to go to the Old Trafford, Anfield and Emirates Stadium to make a 'pilgrimage' just to walk the hallowed grounds of the almost holy. 

To me, my boyhood team was the stuff of my boyhood dreams. My current Wolves team gives me joy similar to my goldfish when they swim (play well) in the water feature outside my house.

Watching them is similar to watching my goldfish, strange though it may sound. The players will be admired from afar and they lead far different lives from us, as they are living in a different ecosystem altogether.

Remembering my Mum on this Mother's Day - Love Her so much

Our family with the 2 'sam mun zhai' 1969   

On this Mother's Day, I would like to spend some time reflecting on my wonderful mother, Anna, who during her lifetime helped so many people in their times of need. She was a wonderful mother, always wielding the rod when necessary (I was the painful recipient of it all the time but it worked in keeping the 2 mischievious boys under control) and buying us our favourite dry Beef Hor Fun from the same stall every Sunday after her swim and badminton game at the Singapore Swimming Club.   

Her financial acumen was superb, making great returns in property, shares and overseas property. Ever the matriach, as she was the eldest sister of 4 sisters and 2  brothers, she literally brought up the family with Por Por when they came to Singapore dirt poor in the 1950s. She was there when we were sick, giving us love, emotional support and arranging for the best medical care and service to attend to our (thankfully) minor ailments.

She gave us the best there was to give sacrificing her year end bonus for John and I to go for overseas holidays in our University days, these holidays while they were so enjoyable, opened our eyes and gave me a perspective of our country, its short history and its progress since it gained Independence in 1965. 

She was the doting grandmother to Noel, Andrew and Hannah and in her later years, she was such a great provider to many people in their times of need, providing financial, emotional, advice as an aunt, and so many more things. 

Mum, you are greatly missed 

I made time with her at the occasional lunches at Cricket Club, had several visits overseas to Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Bangkok, she doing her shopping and spa and generally having a great time.

She really took care of Papa, Johnny and me. Mum, I want to say the biggest THANK YOU for you gave me so many life lessons, like picking myself up when I fall, staying the course and always be pleasant to everyone around me, whether they are CEOs or the poorest vagrants. People have their human dignity to uphold.

Love you always, your Son.