We were here just over 3 months ago ; it feels like a lifetime now.

Surreal ; now just 3 months on. 

In December 2019, my wife and I together with our younger son, had roughly 15 days traversing Spain and Portugal first by plane to Madrid, then we took the train to Seville, then plane (TAP) to Lisbon, and then by Uber to Cascais before flying back by plane to Madrid and finally back to Singapore. That year end trip now seems like a lifetime ago, as since those wonderful year end holidays the happy and joyous moods have been replaced by the sombre reality of a global pandemic which as of today 19th March 2020, there are a reported 225,000 over cases and over 4,500 deaths. 

Since January 23, 2020, when the first imported cases of Coronavirus or COVID 19 came into Singapore from Wuhan, there is today a total of almost 350 cases in Singapore.The most encouraging aspect of this numbers is that there are about 145 who have been discharged and are well again, with 190 still under observation and in hospital and 14 in Intensive Care or ICU. To date, there have been no fatalities. 

Everything and any news reports which come out today is always about the number of cases, and which sporting events have been cancelled globally. So far the Japan 2020 Olympic Games are still being planned to go ahead in July.

Beautiful Rugged Scenery

Hell's Mouth in Caiscais, Portugal 

Many countries have gone into total lockdown, Italy in particular and numerous countries have also ceased all international flights in and our of their airports. Each day brings new developments it boggles and overwhelms the mind. I worry for the mental stability and assuredness of their livelihoods of many millions of people all over the world. 

Testament to Singapore's excellent response to this outbreak which has since gone global and WHO (World Health Organization) has called this a global pandemic, Singapore has remained stoic in its front line defence through strict screening, proactive announcements by ministers in charge (notably Lawrence Wong, Chan Chun Sing and Gan Kim Yong), and the fine strategy of early detection, rigorous contact tracing, rigid quarantine, and the support of world class medical care and action from the NCID as well as the 7 hospitals and hundreds of PHPC clinics around the island. From the entry points such as airports, seaports, causeway and second link there are thermal screenings and now there are swab tests for all arrivals. Testing for COVID 19 is mandatory I believe for all incoming air travellers. 

The rest of the world is reeling from the outbreak and  there are so many sad stories it is heartbreaking. The numerous case reports and news items from Europe, especially Italy, Iran, Germany and Spain casts a pall over the first 3 months of this year. 

Singapore has seen its social, medical and economic pillars of its total defence tested, its citizenry rattled and people under duress.

However, at the end of the day, I am happy to live and be a Singaporean. We will rise up to this massive challenge and work collectively to overcome this greatest of medical emergencies, I believe which will be the toughest in our lifetime.

Cabo de Roca Dec 2019 

I am Not Afraid of Death - this post is during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Cheers !

"The Only thing to Fear is Fear Itself" - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He made this prescient quotation at the height of the Great Depression in 1929. The fact that people were so fearful than the stock market would mean the end of their money, many millions of Americans went to the banks and simultaneously withdrew millions upon millions of dollars leading to bank runs and indeed thats when the system actually collapsed and made the whole situation worse.

Well, now we are into the 2nd month of the COVID 19 global pandemic and there are many countries fighting all out to a) contain b) mitigate and c) await the vaccine. So I won't add on to stoke further discussions or controversies when there is already a panicky population worldwide trolling for all bits of information real or fake regarding this disease.

Lets get the facts right first and foremost (I will sidestep all claims about where it started as this is left to the scientists and epidiemiologists for the months and years to come).

a) It is a virus ; and it causes upper respiratory tract infection cough, fever and (may) attack the respiratory system which is the lungs.

b) the corona name means nothing more than a crown, which is nothing new for viruses as coronaviruses have been around our earth for many decades since medicine caught up with technology and the medical fraternity was able to distinguish the coronavirus from other types of viruses 

c) As of today, 14th March 2020 it has mutation (as we know it) into 2 distinct strains, the "L" and the "S". The "L" strain is much more lethal than the 'S" strain.

d) It was first detected in the China's Wuhan Huanan Seafood Center which not only sold seafood but lots  of other live 'exotic' animals such as bats, pangolins, snakes, salamanders and reptiles. The virus is zoonotic meaning it is present in some animals and scientists believe it jumped from firstly the bat to an unamed animal and then to humans. The human to human transmissions is when the virus mutated itself to be able to live and adapt in the host's body. 

    
This seafood market has been shutdown since December 2019 and the whole of the Hubei province (with Hunan as epicentre) has been shutdown since late January 2020.

e) While it was detected in China, the origin of the virus is still not clear. Just as the Spanish 'flu which killed 50 million people worldwide in 1918 did not originate in Spain, it was clear that Spain was the FIRST country to truthfully report that young men whe were fighting the war were coming down by the thousands daily and dying.There were  thousands others who fell sick in Germany, France, Belgium and US but they were not reported as the allies and the axis powers did not want to divulge 'weaknesses' in their strengths hence downplayed the numbers actually sick or dying. 

    Hence the Spanish  'Flu actually did NOT originate from Spain 

f) There are some excellent information from Youtube doctors like Dr John Sullivan who has been advising all who watch his channel to take daily at least 1000 IU or 25 micrograms of Vitamin D. That and 1000 mg of Vitamin C can boost our front line defence against this hidden and most unholy of terrors. 

    .   

So let me state this : 

I am Not Afraid of Dying

I have stated my position. I am not afraid of death. 

It doesn't mean I necessarily want to catch the virus and die from it. But the risk of catching the disease is something we all have to live our lives meaningfully and carry on as normally every single day.

Think for a moment, the heroes in our midst ; the doctors, nurses, healthcare providers, the car jockeys at the hospitals, the front desk concierge, the cleaners and the night watchmen. Every single one faces this added risk every day since we have come to know of Covid 19. Do they panic and go 'gaga" and fight over toilet rolls and say the end is near ?  No.

They remain as stoic as they can, keep calm and carry on their duties as their professionalism and their years of training time and again.

China, having controlled and stopped the disease (since early March 2020) in its tracks yesterday sent their experts to Italy and provided Italy with hundreds of thousands of masks, ventilators, intubation equipment and a team of doctors. This is about the human race coming togtehr to help one another in times of existential need.  Why would foreign doctors want to put their lives in danger if not for the common and greater good  of humanity ? Bravo to them !

Israel's Migal Galilee Research Institue is about to being production of a coronavirus vaccine. 

This is great news from Israel as they had 4 years of research of similar type Coronavirus and the matching was more than 80%, so it is really an act of God that Israel can actually have something which would save the world. The approval processes and human testings are ongoing but they are confident of fast tracking everything given the urgency and seriousness of the pandameic. 

The risks involved in living (if one really thinks hard enough) can be quite high and there is a fair to good chance before we kick the bucket, we will succumb to one of the below. Insurance companies will have the whole gamut of potentially life threatening diseases which easily runs into the dozens.:

a) Lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes 2, cancer, Parkinsons
b) Stroke

c) driving accident during the daily commute

e) Slipping in the bathroom

f) Choking on food or fishbone stuck in the throat
g) Influenza (yes the yearly 'flu) and the more lethal
h) Pneumonia. 

     

So, step back, pause, reflect and think what we can do to mitigate the risk and possibly avoid the risk before the vaccine is made readily available to everyone.  

Try not to go to crowded places too often. If possible, work from home and buy stuff if you must by online means.

This will mean the new normal for 2020.

Stay Healthy and till the next blog post, take your Vitamins D and C daily !

Cote Azur Dec 2018 Fine Lovely Memories.

Matoma Mr Big - Old Thing Black

Well worth 20 minutes of your time. Dr John Campbell.

An 'heirloom' close to my heart

Signed by the 2 goalsccorers, 

John Richards
Kenny Hibbit
Mike Bailey (Captain)

This team shirt of the 1974 League Cup Final was signed by the 2 legends of Wolves, John Richards and Kenny Hibbit. In addition, the captain Mike Bailey also signed this classic momento.

The faux aluminium cover which gives it a real glossy look 

I remember paying a small fortune for this piece which comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from the Sports Musuem as well as a photograph of the 3 gentlemen signing it together with an serial number. 

Wolves had been a force in the 50s till the early 60s then it was downhill all the way with only 2 bright (but short) periods, one in 1974 (the year I decided to support them). The decision was an emotional decision based on teenage yen for identity at a small inflection point in my life. 

Those days in the early to mid 70s, I recall when I was studying in Secondary school, was clearly one of the happiest days of my life. I made lifelong friends, whom we meet regularly till today. Every week, on the way back from school (taking the bus 111, 171 and the like) I would stop at Bencoolen street  (named after the second viceroy to Singapore Bencoolen after Farquahar ha ha what a name!) and then walk along Middle road towards Sophia Road, where my house was. 

Along Middle Road, there would be a row of shophouses, and I would browse and eventually buy the 'latest' Shoot Magazine printed and imported all the way from UK. Never mind that the bi - weekly (every 2 weeks as I recall) was printed and shipped to Singapore 2 weeks after the event but way back in 1975 till 1978, it was a pure form of 'escapism' that this slightly  overweight teenage boy with the dark and thick glasses and unkempt hair would pore through the magazine called 'SHOOT'. 

In addition, every Sunday (after Church or sunday school), there would be also a delayed telecast of this hit football show called Star Soccer (guys of my vintage I can expect are nodding in recognition.)

So, after reading the Shoot Magazine, and watching my weekly dose of Star Soccer, I chanced upon this team donning the colours of the "Old Gold and Black" with a typical young and handsome striker called John Richards and said, "Hey ! I want to be like them".

Sadly, since the 70s, the team had been in the doldrums and went all the way down to Division 4, and spent much of the next 40 years in Division 2 (now called Championship League) and Division 3 (now called League 1). There was much angst amongst the hard core fans. I consider myself a new 'convert' as I was embarassed to be associated with a 'Joke Club'.

In the mid 1980s when I happened to tour Europe with the University tour group, I even cajoled my mates to make a visit to Wolverhampton to visit the Molineux ground. It was in a pretty rough neighbourhood then, and we had some fun playing on the actual pitch until we were chased out by the gorundsmen !

Well, that is the history of my fascination with a club from the Midlands. Now, in 2019-20 season, they are riding high with Fosun (Chinese) support, a fantastic visionary manager and 5th in the Premier League and all to play for in the Europa Last 16.

Great players they have (see my earlier posts) and great things are expected from them in the future.

I am so happy to make a small investment in the 1974 shirt which takes pride of place in my bedroom. I am a churlish teenager again !

   

Say Something - Justin Timberlake and Jack Stapleton ; a really really cool song

This song reminds me of a song which Phil Collins would do ; or so it sounds so much like Phil Collins and Genesis that I mistakenly thought it was Phil's song.

GIve it a listen.

The epitome of cool.