Shanghai May 2006 ; Weiss Technik Sales Training

with Frank Rigley (VP of Sales) 

The global COVID - 19 health pandemic leads me to look back at some old and happy memories, just to remember the 'good old days'. This was when we were sales agents for the then largest environmental chamber manufacturer in the world Weiss Technik. My company QRA International were agents from 2003 to 2012 or 10 years more or less. The first few years representing them were relatively easy and Asia, particularly China was the booming market for Weiss International sales.

These pictures were taken during their second Sales Training in China and it was held in May 2006. Our team of 5 were made to do presentations and at that point in time, we had offices in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. N. Kannan (Malaysia), myself and Sebastian Lin made up the team to China that time. 

With Dieter Haus and Tibor Csombordi (Hungary agent) 

The schedule was normally 4 1/2  days of lectures, tutorials and factory visits followed by 1/2 day of tour and the last day, normally was reserved for certificate presentations, pleasentries and goodbyes. 

Shanghai was and is the most futuristic city in China and each day's training was a learning experience for every one attending as we shared each other country's experiences, difficulties and success stories. 

Sebastian presenting on behalf of QRA team to Mr. Hehl, and Fred Schweitzer (Sales Manager)

It is safe to say, that these meetings will never be replicated as far as I am concerned, since 2012, my company has parted ways with the Weiss Technik group and I would like to say that we have made our own mark in the Athletic Chamber business as well as in the Test Business since that fateful day in 2012.

I recall the then management team at Weiss with fondness, Mr. Karl Heinz Hehl (MD), Mr Rudy Kreuzer (Technical Manager), Mr. Dieter Haus (Sales Director), Mr. Willie Dern (Service Director), Mr. Charlie Kaus (Service Manager) and my closest associate and friend, Mr. Frank Rigley (Regional Sales Manager). 

Japanese agent, Frank Rigley, N. Kannan, Tibor Csombordi, Pakistan agent, Ian Firth (Australian agent)

We will never walk this path again. 

So gather ye rosebuds while we may, 

Old Time is still a Flying

And that flower that smiles today,

Tomorrow will be dying.

Robert Herrick 

Charles Dickens : A Tale of Two Cities

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.^[6]"

That was written some 200 odd years ago by the famous Charles Dickens. He had certain genius flair for writing and I am so taken by his prose and nuanced composition. At the moment, I am listening to audio books and this is the first I have started on. 

This might just be his 'Magnus Opus'  (his best work) or then again there are so many other classics by him and many of the Renaissance authors that I will need to read and listen to all of them before deciding which is my favourite of the Classics !  

COVID -19 Aerosol and Droplet Transmission

Dr John Campbell is currently the most watched Youtube doctor who has been very clear and forthright with his analysis of the SARS-COV 2 Virus which is sweeping the entire world right now.

The key takeaways is this :

a) the virus is and can be transmitted by both aerosol (in the air) and droplets (by sneezing, coughing and then left on the surface).

b) the environmental conditions range from very cold and dry to warm and humid conditions (below 30 deg C) for the virus to remain alive 

c) the half -life (time for the virus to reduce its quantity) can range from 24 hours to 72 hours.

d) the virus can remain within the size of aerosol is 0.6 microns (one thousandth of a millimeter) all the way up to a standard droplet size droplet size of 1mm to 5 mm. 

d) in crowded places, there is the chance of aerosol transmission as when it is in aerosol form, it can remain in the air for up to 3 hours. 

e) the virus can remain alive up to 72 hours for various surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel. Cardboard and copper the duration is lesser. 

Social Distancing, Regular Handwashing, Proper Hygiene and less close contact with people, people. The social get-togethers, the occasional buddy or gal catchups, the smokers corner ; many of these nice to have things. 

Please limit or cancel them for the time being !

Carpe Diem !

Brain Training during these Social Distancing Times - Chess

With the advancement of the Smart Phone, we have a plethora of options available for us to make use of during our free time. So much so that I have picked up the game of chess just to make use of my mind, as well as learn to 1. Strategise   2. Predict and Pre-empt and 3. Counter-act my opponents move.

To be honest, I wasn't any good at chess in my primary and secondary school days. I had too many other distractions such as swimming (everyday except Wednesday and Saturday), studies, Karate and Piano lessons.

So now, I will give it a go, I hope this hobby can instill in me the tactical methods used by the most brilliant of brains, Gary Kasparov, Aanatoly Karpov and many others. 

Its better to start late than never !!! 

   

Very Crucial Announcement by French Health Minister

Reproduced with thanks from Youtube Dr. John Campbell.

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 !