What do I think of when I run ? Below is an Example

 This is an very interesting question which I do ask myself from time to time. Do I go into a 'robot mode' and just switch off everything or do I let some thoughts invade into the idyllic zonal spaceout state of mind which sometimes freaks me out at the sheer clarity of thought ? The 'Aha moment' which only comes when I am is truly at peace with myself and shut out everything ?

                                               My 8 K run last year on my birthday 

The answer is a bit of both. To be frank, when I set out, I actually zone out and focus on 2 aspects of my self. 

a) My breathing.

I usually start out the run by concentrating on my breathing ensuring that each breath is measured and I am amazed by the fresh air I can actually intake. I breathe deeply to the extent that my lungs ache. Which is a good thing, in my opinion. We, so often, take for granted our ability to do the simple task of breathing that when you focus on it, you actually appreciate the one of 3 organs which fundamentally keeps us alive (the other 2 being the heart and brain). 

b) My legs.

I have always had strong and stiff legs. They have been both my boon and my bane. They were and still are very strong. I always thought I had iron legs. In my teenage years, my swim club mates called be "Stiff Austin" (a joke about the 6 Million Dollar Man Steve Austin who had bionic lags haha) because well my legs were really stiff and hard. I recall playing football in the courtyard of the Club way back in the mid 70s and I didn't wear shoes.

So one time, I recall, I kicked hard at the rubber ball at the goal, and MISSED. Instead, my leg kicked the huge exposed root of the 160 year old tree. The bark of the tree actually came off and my leg though sore, was still intact.

Thats how strong my legs were !

After the first 2 things are settled, I will just go into a Zen Like Zone and run without paying much attention to my surroundings. However, as the kms go by my mind will start to wander and normally things so random will just pop into the mindfulness zone.

Here is one such thought. I dreamt up a decision tree process while I was running. Only today 10th July have I had the courage to write it down.

Please take a look at my innermost thoughts when I run.

In a nutshell, running on a Saturday leaves me happy, and ecstatic. So I will run based on my decision tree logic as shown above.  

 

What Drives Me to wake up and Go Out and Do What I am tasked to Do ?

 Almost 2 years ago, I went through this course 

"Skills Business and Digital Transformation Programme" by the SMU Academy.

With the completion of this course, I had many revelations about myself. I realised that I was indeed the master of my own destiny and my company, my relationships and my own being were truly being impacted by my mindset. So if I wanted to 'cruise' along in life, then I would surely have achieved nothing significant when my life ends.

What Drives Me ? What makes me get up every morning and want to do the things I want to do ? I thought long and hard about my life up to that very point in August 2020. 

This Picture Below :

   L to R  : Yours Truly ; Richard Pereira, Philip Lim Feng, Sukhdeep     Singh,  Jaspal Singh (taken on the night we beat NUS Team 2 in the Semifinals)

This one above is the University debate team from the NTI (Nanyang Tehcnological Institute) where we reached the finals in late Oct 1986 and defeated NUS Team 2, S'pore Polytechnic and Institute of Education (trainee teachers college back then). The event was the SBC 12 channel of televised debates which were telecast 1 week after the studio debates and it pitted all the Institutes of HIgher Learning from NUS, NTI, the Polytechnics, the Teachers Training Institutes.

NTI'e debating team comprised 4 main speakers who were :

1. Yours Truly (1st Speaker)

2. Richard Pereira (2nd Speaker)

3. Jaspal Singh (3rd Speaker)

4. Philip Lim Feng (4th Speaker)

Reserve : Sukhdeep Singh.

Well the history states that the NTI being only a 3 year combined  Engineering faculties actually managed to reach the finals, along the way, we beat

a) Teachers Training Institute

b) NUS Team 2 (all lawyers)

The finals was an edgy affair, and we were up against the best debating team in the country made up of all lawyer undergraduates, NUS Team 1. The result :

a) Best Speaker of Night - Philip Lim

b) Best Speaker of Series - Jaspal Singh

c) Best Team - NUS Team 1

The sense of injustice was palpabe, but we took the loss with diginity and carried our selves right till the end. 

The then President of NTI was so pleased he actually hosted a dinner for the 4 of us, and made us VIPs.

We had put NTI on the map.

Fast forward 36 years, and 2022, I have kept tabs of my old debating mates.

a) Jaspal Singh - Founder and CEO of SIS International (largest international School in Indonesia and winner of Financial Times Educator of Year).

b) Philip Lim - ex BG of Army, CEO of Exploit Technologies. Also former CEO of Singapore Food Industries, and CTO of another Govt Laboratory during COVID 19.

c) Richard Pereira - ex BG of Air Force and now a successful consultant for the air industry.

My 3 mates have done VERY WELL for themselves.

I am the Underachiever of this high performing bunch and I owe it to myself to make a name of myself in whatever I do, in the past and going forward. If I can at least garner some of their achievements (50%) I would be well satisfied.

Thats why I am pushing day in and day out for QRA to expand internationally for the next 5 to 10 years.

That is What Drives Me Every Day..........  

 

Dune Bashing 8th June 2022 - Naqqar Zuwayyid Region South Qatar

 

Taming the Falcon June 2022

 

                  This is one of the highlights of my  recent trip to Doha Qatar . The falcon represents the bird of prey and to domesticate something like this bird is virtually impossible, but at the stop near the Southern part of Qatar called Naqqar Zuwayyid where there are numerous sand dunes, an inland sea and close to the neighbour Saudi Arabia, i managed to get my hands on taking a video with this majestic bird.

               Its character is very jumpy, so they can sense your anxiety. For the handler who has reared the bird on meat since birth, they are less frightened, but for a stranger like me, I had to calm my anxiety and slowly lift and lower my hand so that the wings are extended.

               Here is the video of the momentous occasion.

   

Wolves to pull off the Upset of the season by beating Liverpool ! Pipe Dream ? My prediction 10 minutes before 4pm

My face is big enough for 10 eggs to be thrown at it after the game if I am wrong and perhaps 1 small celebratory drink if I am right. Whats life without some challenge eh ? 

The Penultimate game of the season for Liverpool who are chasing a Quadruple (Champions League, EPL Champions, FA Cup and League Cup).It is Sunday 22nd May 10.50 pm (or 3.50 pm UK time).

I think Wolves are on the cusp of a tremendous upset. Here are 5 reasons why.

1. They have 5 players with something to prove and may not play another season at Wolves

a) Reuben Neves is the world class midfielder who is rumoured to be leaving end of this season after 5 glorious seasons at Wolves. He has something to prove.

b) Pedro Neto has not scored a goal all season, again he has something to prove.

c) Raul Jiminez is out to celebrate the birth of his baby son. He has something to prove

d) Bruno Lage has to reverse the awful trend of almost 10 defeats in 13 games. What better way than with Liverpool ?

e) Wily Boly and Jony are top class players and they will give it their all, so they will be game changers.

Yes, I am a hopeless romantic, but C'mon Wolves.

I say they can win it 1- 0 and stop Pool from becoming champions.

Carpe Diem ! 

Post Script : Liverpool 3 Wolves 1 ; Totally not surprising. I have enough egg on my face to make 3 omelettes for 3 people ! 

QRA International provides Accelerated Aging Services for Medical Devices

 Test using the Best, QRA Environmental Test Chambers are Best in Class for their Value.

This post is a pitch for the company which I founded and am proud of. QRA International has been in existence for 19 years to the day, and we currently have 5 business units which are distinct and generating income. At the moment, we are seeking investors and interested parties for joint venture and capital fund raising for future expansion.

The 5 business units are :

1. Environmental Test Chambers  

                                       Walk - In Chamber for Automotive

This market is global, and the brand we provide is very established. QRA International provides high quality and decently priced test chambers for a myriad of industries for example :

a) Manufacturing

b) Medical

                                    Temperature and Humidity Chamber QRS 600 - 40 

                                        used for Medical Accelerated Aging Tests 

c) Pharmaceutical

d) Semiconductor

                                 QRA Chamber for Clean Room Environment

e) Automotive

f) General Electronics 

g) Aerospace and Defence 

to name just 7 key industries.

2.Athletic Chambers. 

We are one of only  4 manufacturers in the world and can supply chamber to test humans or elite athletes in controlled environments from 

- 20 C to +50 C

RH : 10 - 98 %

CO2 control : able to control down to below 800 ppm in a room with up to 10 athletes exercising vigorously for 2 hours at a stretch. We do this by using scrubbers or filters which take out the CO2 and very effectively too.

                        Athletic Chamber Room in University of Canberra Sports Research 2018

O2 : can control Oxygen levels up to 5000 m or 11.5% O2. Traditionally sea level oxygen is 20.9%, so we can simulate up to 3 / 4th of Mount Everest O2 which is deemed as very 'thin' air. This way, the athlete can condition himself / herself by training in these challenging atmospheres, and when competition comes, his / her performance will be enhanced by up to 30% !

 

             The Athlete chamber in Aspire Hospital in Doha Qatar (commisisoned in 2017)

 

Cost of Car Repair in Singapore ; Cost of Ownership of Cars in Singapore.

Recently I sent my Mercedes E250 (June 2014 model) for an 'overhaul' and had the following items changed :

a) shock absorbers (front)         $ 360              (USD 262)

b) Absorber mountting (2 pc)     $ 290             (USD 211)

c) Caster arm   (2 pc)                 $ 370             (USD 270)

    (gives a knocking sound

     when driving)            

d)  Linkage (2 pc)                        $ 140            (USD 102)

e)  Oil Change                             $ 140            (USD 102)

f)   Labour                                    $  300           (USD 218)

     Total                                        $ 1,600         (USD 1,167)

I would like to find out if the cost of repair in Singapore is more expensive than other parts of the world like Western Europe (car make for car make) and the US ?? 

Singapore is the world's most expensive place to own a car. Period. The cost of the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) recently hit S$ 100,000 or USD 65,000. 

This is price  the owner of a new car even gets to 'entitle' himself by a piece of paper certifying him / her that he can purchase a new car from any car dealership.

The Government calculates the number of COEs by the noting the number of cars which reach 10 years of age and get deregistered off the road for the upcoming month, they will add for a 3 - 5% increase for the upcoming month's tender for NEW COEs. The bidders will know the number of COEs coming out and  all the bidders need to bid n secret before the closing of the tender exercise. 

The purpose of the COE (we have had this for almost 30 years) is to moderate and manage the number of cars on the road, hence the lack of traffic jams islandwide.It is also another form of road tax by the Government to keep the roads smooth flowing, traffic pollution and traffic jams to a minimum.

There are plenty of taxes and 'pseudotaxes' in Singapore. Let me elaborate :

1. Open Market Value (OMV) 

This is the price one will get for a new car from the country of origin (say Germany for the Mercedes). Lets take the E 200 basic Avant Garde as a comparison. The list price there before additional costs is EUR 46,500. So convert it to Singapore dollars (x 1.52) you get S$ 70,000. 

OMV    $70,000    (1) 

2. Additional Registration Fee (ARF)

This is a complex of additional taxes which start from a base of $20,000 and I list the ARF for each corresponding band.

First $20,000   ;  100% of OMV                   $ 20,000

Next $ 30,000  :  140% of 30,000 (up to)    $ 42,000

Next $ 30,000  :  180% of 30,000 (up to)    $ 42,000

hence for $70,000 OMV, the person pays

a) $20,000

b) $42,000

c) $36, 000    (180% of 20,000)

ARF   $ 98,000    (2) 

3. Excise Duties and GST

Calculated at 20% of OMV and 7% is added on the (Excise duty and OMV)

a) $14,000

b) $ 5,880   (7% of sum of 70,000 and $14,000)

Excise and GST    $ 19,880  (3)  

 4. COE  (Certificate of Entitlement).                                   

As of the most recent tender.

   $ 92,000   (4)

5. Rebate / Surcharge for efficient Carbon Emissions car 

    (for example Electric cars will benefit and CO2 emitters will be penalised)

In the spec sheet, the E 200 (basic) emits 142 - 132 gm / km of CO2 which effectively neither adding a surcharge nor getting a rebate for Carbon friendly use.

   $ 0   (5)  

5. Dealer's margin (11% on average) 

Adding 1 through to 5 ; the net total is $ 279,880

(1)     $  70, 000  

(2)     $   98, 000

(3)     $   19, 880

(4)     $    92, 000

(5)     $              0

             ------------

         $  279,880        Nett Total 

             ------------

(6) 11%  $  30, 787   (11% of $279, 880)

Grand Total (on the Road New Merc E200) (drum roll) ... $ 310, 667  or 

USD 226,764

EU   204, 386

I hear a big collective gasp from those who read this or are not aware of this major fact. This big ticket item in a person's life is easily 4.42 times the price of a new car in ALL developed countries.

A ridiculous sum to pay unless one is rich, needs it for business purposes, starting a family (although this is highly debatable with the surfeit of taxis, Grab and Gojek cars available). 

Road Tax 

Road tax is only a miniscule S$ 2,068 (USD 1,400) based on engine cc (2050 cc)

Insurance 

comprehensive insurance is roughly S$ 1,000 including windshield cover. 

Parking 

Car Parks in the Central Business District (CBD) are on average S$ 3.00 per hour

(USD 2.25 per hour).  

Roads

They are considered A1 category, so there is minimal chance of driving over potholes, cracks and result in less wear and tear per 10,000 km.  

I have had 2 Mercedes E 250 in the last 10 years. The current car is the best ride I have ever had in terms of horse power (207 bhp) and ride comfort (very little noise from outside).

Questions to my Readers 

> What is the cost of repair of consumable spare parts in your country ?

   Malaysia, US , UK or Germany  for example

> What is the cost of ownership of a luxury branded car in your country ?

   

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