My Kindergarten (happiest ) years were in this church.

   

Prinsep Street Prebytarian Church and Kindergarten 

During 1966 and 67, my parents sent me to this Presbytarian Church and Kinderdarten. I have strong recollections of this and I am amazed that with so much urban development of the city, the Church and Kindergarten are still around!

I remember having a lot of joy and fun playing with the kids and I was like the 'prince' of the playground (see below behind the shutter gates). There was a sandpit to the right of the picture below, and I recall wrestling some 3 other kids in the pit and my Dad was watching and gently admonishing me.Sadly, my behaviour was tantamount to some small time bully - which I will put to my young, thoughtless and carefree nature, having been brought up in the streets  (Sophia Road, Adis Road and Mackenzie Road were the neighbourhood which I grew up in) with the neighbourhood boys and had a thoroughly rough and tumble early life full of scrapes, near misses ( I almost got blind in one eye and almost fell off the 2nd floor another time), catching spiders, getting bitten by our dogs, fights, generally being the scrappy slightly plump boy with the thick glasses. 

It was so fun and carefree. Today's children have it totally different but I would NEVER trade my childhood with anybody else in the world !   

 

Courtyard of Prinsep Street Presbytarian Church and Kindergarten - still the same look 50 odd years on ! 

The kindergarten was where I had my push racing car, and I recall fondly having wrestling matches with the other boys, having the racing car being pushed by the young Caucasian kids sitting in there for the longest time and feeling like this would go on forever. A little prince or thug who 'controlled' the playground ! 

But then again, what did I know ? I was only 4 or 5 years old and life was just one big party. No stress,In the morning only play, fights, catching spiders, flying kites, eating lunch and  going out and doing the same in the afternoon till our parents came home.

The mid to late 60s were really such carefree and happy days.  I truly enjoyed them. 

3rd July 13th Day into the PTSD Challenge

The going is getting tough and I am looking at ways and means to make the videos creative and attractive. The challenge was thrown up to me by Peter Tan, a friend from way back when we were in our teens from the Saint Andrew's Secondary school. Peter is now a successful resteraunteer based in Perth. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a neurological disorder affecting anybody at all ages, and a very stressful situation is normally the trigger for it. War veterans would have a higher chance of getting affected, but people who have had a traumatic experience in their lives, that would apply to practically anybody in society, can potentially succumb to it. 

All of us would have faced a traumatic experience in our lives, most of us would be able to shake it off and put it down to a life experience but there are some who cannot easily put the past behind. Examples of trauma (this is definitely NOT exhaustive) are :

a) Loss of a parent or parents

b) Loss of a child or loved one

c) Loss of a partner or pet

d) Job retrenchment or retirement

e) Extreme humiliation or imprisonment.

f)  War

g) Accident causing impairment of limbs or senses 

The list goes on and on... 

Back to the challenge. I accepted it over 1 week ago, and I need to do 25 pushups over 25 days and post them on social media. And so I did and I am still doing so. My perseverance and commitment to a noble cause is plain to see. I do not back out so easily.   

This one is me doing at the timber decking outside my house.

The cause is a real and noble one. My 25 pushups are nothing compared to the anguish of the afflicted which is essentially a mental disorder.

It can be cured and there are 2 Government institutions which have trained professionals dedicated to help the afflicted. They are :

1. Samaritans of Singapore  (SOS) ; Tel : 1800 221 4444

2. Institute of Mental Health ;              Tel : 6389 2000 

Aston Villa 0 Wolves 1

Saturday's match felt more like a training session for Wolves as they calmly strolled to an away 

1 - 0 win against their Midlands rivals Aston Villa. 

The goal itself was a gem with Jonny Otto winning the ball and smartly turned from defence, and passed it to Adama Traore. Traore then passed it to Raul Jiminez, who held it for a while, and then relayed it back to Jonny, who by this time was deep in the Villa penalty box.  He lost his balance, and while on the floor, slipped the ball over to the lurking Leander Dendonker who controlled it calmly, before picking the bottom right hand corner of the Villa keeper's net.

1 - 0 !

3 wins out of 3 since the restart, and with 3 clean sheets. OK, they were not wins against the top 6, but in the Premier League, every team can and do cause upsets.

Next Sunday's match against Arsenal, I will put my money on Wolves again, just by their tremendous workrate, their flowing skill and solidarity amongst all team members.  

Wolves 1 Bournemouth 0

Another match, another win after the Lockdown. The rest has done Wolves a World of Good. 

 

West Ham 0 Wolves 2 ; Wolves off to a bang after Restart of the EPL after over 3 months break.

This was the first game in almost 100 days for the Wolves and they are well rested, showing great pace, skill, delivery and mental resilience. With the London stadium eerily empty, the game was played in a surreal atmosphere much like a training session at Compton Park.

Adama Traore showed the world once again how skillful, strong and speedy he is by taking the ball on the right flank and dribbling past 2 defenders before unleashing an inch perfect cross to Raul Jiminez. Raul, for his part, leapt like a salmon high into the sky and headed strongly into the left hand corner of the net leaving Hammers goalkeeper Louis Fabiansky flailing in its wake.

The second goal was also crafted by the genius of Traore, who I reckon now is in a league of his own. No one can touch his pace, or skill, strength or stamina. It is notable that he came on as a substitute and made an impact almost within minutes upon coming on. 

Traore started the move, dribbling past a couple of midfielders, passed on the ball to Matt Doherty (my favorite player in Wolves) and he crossed over a sea of players in the box. Pedro Neto (another substitute who came in for Leander Dendoncker) timed his volley without even controlling the ball, and slammed it into the roof of the net - a screamer which even the commentators labelled it as a candidate for the goal of the season.

Truly, this team has the makings of champions very soon. Wolves are the last 8 of the Europa league and are in the running for the top 4, which is the Champions League.

Truly Nuno had a dream, and he is the master general leading this fine top class football team.

I am so appreciative for the opportunity to watch sublime football from one of the oldest underachieving clubs in English football (founded in 1877 - one of the original 12 teams in English league). Its is really an exciting time to be a fan and follow their exploits at home and in Europe.

 

Doing My Part to Raise Awareness about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short.

I was nominated and took up the challenge from a friend, Peter Tan, based in Perth Australia to do 25 push ups for a total of 25 days with the goal of raising awareness about this disease which afflicts about 40% of the adult population at some time of their lives. Trauma and extreme stress is present in people's lives and how we cope as well as recover from it is crucial for our day to day functioning as individuals, and well as responsibilities we have thrust upon us as adults.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short is a neurological disorder (brain disorder) which is triggered by an event or a series of events which are traumatic on the person inflicted. These events can range from the following :

    Causes

a) Death of a loved one, child, sibling or parent

b) Marriage dissolution

c) Job loss

d) War

e) Accident resulting in major injury

f)  Business failure etc.

Classical symptoms observed in the individual  are :

    Symptoms

a) Insomnia or bad sleep

b) Depressed mood

c) Loss of appetite

d) Anxiety attacks

  

It is therefore good for us to be aware of the warning signs and take action by seeking medical and professional help. GPs are well positioned to recommend you to  psychiatric clinics in hospitals for further assessment,medication and counselling.

Early intervention is very important to the ultimate treatment, management and cure for this disease.

If you spot these symptoms, please see a doctor and seek professional help.In Singapore, you can contact the following :

1. SOS Singapore

Tel : 1800 - 221 4444

2. Institute of Mental Health

Tel : 6389 2000 

They have experienced professionals to help you.  

CARPE DIEM. 

  

July 10 2020. Singapore Decides

On July 10th, Singapore goes to the polls for its elections held once every 4 to 5 years as mandated in the Constitution. 

We are just coming out of this terrible world pandemic called COVID -19 which as at the time of writing 23rd June 2020 has infected over 4 million worldwide and impacted 400,000 deaths. Singapore has over 40,000 cases with the great majority from the Foreign Workers in the dormitories getting it and passing it to their colleagues. 

Our survival rate is one of the highest in the world, with 26 deaths directly attributed to COVID and another 9 attributed it to be a 'contributing factor' but not the main cause of death.

We have just opened up the economy, Phase 2, so we can now go for a swim, use the gym. and have meals in many dining establishments. However, each party should not be more than 5 per table.we are no where close to what life was before this pandemic, which I think will change life and social norms irreversibly.

So, in 17 days time, Singapore votes. We have more and credible opposition like never before. 2 to 3 parties really stand out. 

My personal desire is to have more checks and balances of the Government, but this should never degenerate into a mockery like what you see in US ; to be fair, the ruling party has done moderately well. The Government has dipped into the reserves and come up with close to S$100 billion to help the economy and assist many people to tide through. These in my opinion are stop gap solutions, not long term solutions.  

There are several burning issues ordinary people will find very difficult to continue to accept in the light of what has happened recently : 

High salaries of ministers - from the true test of COVID 19, what has our response and recovery to this massive challenge ?  We failed badly on the issue of overcrowding of foreign worker dormitories leading to daily infection rates of high hundreds to over 1000 one day alarming the world community for sure. Our million dollar ministers come out with mediocre solutions. Exceptional ? The answer is obvious.  "No". 

Are they really exceptional and deserving of that salaries ? 

Too much dependency on foreign 'talent'  at both the top and bottom strata which was making many locals very unhappy before this crisis. Many people were already retrenched in the 2nd half of 2019 and resorted to being Grab car drivers or taxidrivers while the foreign workers merrily continued in their jobs. Its the perception that many foreign white collar workers get an easier ride (perhaps they are more competitive in salaries)while the poor locals suffer with retrenchment, high costs of housing, NS obligations and the costs of starting families while the foreign contingent work hard (no issue there), save, pay their rent, and bring all their money back home when their contract expires. Many go home with a 'king's ransom' when they convert their S$ salaries to their home countries in Malaysia, Philippines, India, Myanmar, Vietnam and even China.

2 countries closer to home Australia and New Zealand have more balanced lifestyles and the blue collar workers are paid very well compared to the white collar workers.However, the jobs go to the born and bred citizens who have no qualms about dirty hands, feet, and laboring in the hot sun. They will be paid $6,000 in salary (yes a big chunk goes to taxes) but then it is the citizen who earns the honest day's work. 

Entitlement ? No, we men have gone through army and can put up with all the hard long hours in the sun, sweating and the unconfortableness. Its an excuse that Singaporeans prefer cushy jobs when it comes to survival. Just make it worth our while (like S$ 4,000 starting salary) and see the lines queueing for these jobs.

Just give us a fair deal in the construction sector. Costs will expectedly rise, but we will need to work these into the existing system. 

NZ and Australia did far better (by the way) at managing COVID - 19 than our Singapore. 

Sad and embarrasing. 

Some of my humble layman suggestions we need to look into and implement :

a)  Universal basic wage implementation ; 

b)  Poverty Line 

c) Singaporeans working in all sectors of industry with clear markers for results and 

    most of all

d) Accountability at all levels 

If the current administration carries on, it is better to have strong opposition in parliament to ask these questions and have proper debate before deciding, rather than just passing every legislation having gone through a 'think tank' team and decide it is for the greater good. 

Question, ask, debate, and rethink before finally doing.  

These are hallmarks of an established democracy. 

CARPE DIEM.