A Man's House is his Castle and Fortress - Edward Coke.

 A Small but Well Maintained Garden is our Pride and Joy 

We live in a small house in one of the suburbs of Singapore. Its not big by Western standards but we believe that a man's house is his castle and his fortress - the judge and jurist Edward Coke (Cook)  said in the early 17th  (1604) century when presiding over a famous case called "Seymane's Case" as to whether Sheriffs had any right to enter a man's house without a standing court order as well as the reason's for entry by the Sheriff. Hence a man's house is his 'castle and his fortress' and for all intents and purposes used for his and his family's quiet enjoyment. 

No less and No more.

On the other hand, the home owner cannot be harbouring a fugitive, be engaged in illegal activity like managing a drug den or operating a brothel. In essence the reason for the judgement that a man's house is his castle and fortress - and he is legally bound to not allow people in - if he has done no wrong in the eyes of the law.

Its aging but its our home sweet home. 

That is why, it is so painful to see what is happening in the Hamas - Israel war which is happening in the Gaza strrip. It is truly heartbreaking to watch in real life the plight of innocent Palestinians who have been forced to move from their houses and apartments  as their lives are threatened.

There are many similar cases of people who have lost their homes to natural disasters like the tornados in Kansas state USA, earthquakes in Turkey and most recently Afghanistan and the tsunami in Japan in 2011. The feeling of despair and helplessness must be overwhelming.

It is a tragedy of epic proportions which we on the outside feel helpless and just lousy. This is a no win situation which will play out for decades to come. There are many countries who are currently facing very uncertain futures in the African, European and American continents that I feel blessed to be living in Singapore. 

I am so grateful that our small island nation Singapore while still young (58 years) had a visionary leader in Mr. Lee Kwan Yew and a superb leadership team (People's Action Party) who forged through the first tumultuous 25 years with iron will, discipline, tough no nonsense (some call it harsh) rules to  round up all the drug lords, enacting the harsh death penalty for drug trafficking and murder. 

In short, Singapore cleaned up its act in the first 10 years of its existence and then its government went to woo foreign direct investment to build factories for (then) low cost goods from the 1970s. The rest, like they say, is history. 

A little piece of 'heaven' by the water feature.

From the 1980s, we have grown from strength to strength then. With a then GDP per capita of US$ 500 in the late 60s, Singapore now has a GDP of US$ 78,000 per capita as of 2022.

We are a first world nation, with world best airport and airline, first world infrastructure, school and mass transit system. Our public housing is excellent and we have been recently been nominated as the 6th Blue Zone in the world where life expectancy is very high 85 for women and 83.5 for men, all thanks to a balanced life and excellent medical care.

 Japanese Palm in the Open Concept Attic. My go to place to get alive every morning. 

We do have many problems, that is for sure. We have a sky high ridiculously expensive Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system which makes a mockery of owning a car, any car. One would have to fork out easily US$ 150,000 for a basic Toyota Altis. It is a joke by any standards.

Our children have high levels of myopia, and stress in schools is no joke. There are regular influxes of new foreign migrants who are talented, more hungry and hardworking than our children. They compete and take a lot of the top paying jobs here, by their sheer talent and energy. Our children will then be second to these top new citizens. This is meritocracy 101.

In short, we cannot rest on our laurels, not for any duration in time. Singapore is like a treadmill running at a certain speed, if you are able and have the energy, then good, once you reach a certain age, either get off (migrate) or have enough reserves (cash and assets) to hire someone to run on your behalf. 

Inflation is easily 5% per annum, and we are worried that we cannot retire comfortably in Singapore. This is a big concern amongst Singaporeans above 55 years old. We have options of either moving to a lower cost country or selling off our abode (condominium, flat or house) to free up cash to live our our 'golden years'. 

That would be painful for some, but if you do not have emotional attachment to your house, it can (must)  be managed one way or the other.  

Some fine country indeed.

Can we hit 200,000 views by end 2023 ?

 

In Sevilla in Dec 2019 just before Covid engulfed the world   

In less than 3 months, the year is coming to an end ; it is a scary proposition that 1 year has just whizzed by with nary a thought about how we (global citizens) are collectively going to solve the 

a) climate change issue

b) earth's sustainability

c) AI's threat to human jobs 

d) Running costs of inflation and long term 

In Cordoba Dec 2019 ; nice orange trees in background 

Though there is very little which you or I as individuals can do to make a lasting impact, we must try at the very least to a) not use so much plastic material  b) minimise use of carbon based mechanisms like the airconditioning and the car (tough) and c) teach our next generation to value the ecosystem by not littering and reducing our carbon footprint.

Will it come to nought ?

Time will surely tell.

In the mean time keep reading my blog folks. I'm hoping to get 200, 000 views by years' end.

Athletic Chamber ; the Science behind our athlete's success. Guess who built these equipment ?

Installation in Doha Aspire hospital May 2017. 

QRA International has a flagship product which we will be making a global presentation in 2024. The athletic chamber is the 'secret weapon' for many Western sports associations for the longest time.

Many athletes have been using chamber technology to condition their bodies to get maximal performance for up to 2 weeks after use. This is testament to Singapore's fine performance of its track, sailing, and high jump athletes in the current Asian Games held in Hangzhou China.  

Now,with 2 chambers sold in Singapore (2015 and 2016) plus another 2 sold in Qatar and Australia respectively QRA is ready to 'let fly' the athletic chamber to the sporting world.

 

Levelling of the Floor at Aspire Doha 

Essentially the chamber is just a controlled environmental room. The limits of the controlled environment of the chamber is determined by the limits in which our world's environment. However, since there are no ultra marathons in -40 C in Kamchatka or Siberia, there is no need to control the temperature to -40 C. Most chambers which we design reach lows of 0C or -20 C. 

The highest temperature reached is +50 C which can be reached in desert climates like the Sahara and Gobi deserts. 

Temperature Range (Athletic Chamber) : 0  C to +50 C

Humidity levels are typically from 20% to 95% (Singapore's humidity is easily 70 - 80% most times of the year). The humidity in the chamber is controlled using steam generation (100%) and a cooling coil to reduce the RH by condensation. Rather overuse of power, but it generates the necessary humidity nonetheless. 

Therefore Relative Humidity : 20 - 95%

For elite athletes and conditioned athletes to train inside the chamber, QRA employs the use of Amine scrubbers which typically 'catch' the CO2 molecules from the air passing through and 'cleaning' the air to be pumped back into the room by this method. Human beings emit a lot of CO2 out into the atmosphere and a surprising fact if that many people die in enclosed spaces due to Carbon Dioxide poisoning rather than Oxygen deprivation or too low levels of oxygen when they are trapped in an enclosed space (say a closed mine, or skiiers in a crevice).

CO2 : less than 2000 parts per million per m3 of air.   

In summary, QRA INTERNATIONAL can provide the following : 

Walk- In Athletic Chamber for up to 10 people 

Size : 6 m x 6 m x 3 m 

Temperature Range : 0 to 50 C

Temperature Control : +/- 3 C 

Humidity Range          : 20 - 95%

Humidity Control         : +/- 5%

CO2 Control               : less than 2000 ppm per m3 of air inside chamber after 1 hour of intensive use.

Contact us Now for a detailed Discussion and No obligations Quote 

Email : qrasales@qra.com.sg

Website : www.qra.com.sg

Burma Social 30 Sept 2023

Earth House Restaurant Thong Lor 9

Situated in a Bungalow off Sukhimvit 53, Thonglor Soi 9 is a gem of a restaurant serving purely vegetarian fare, Mediterranean style. I had a full day of rest after 2 busy days in Bangkok from 12 - 14th September, so this place was a lovely treat for me. Its about a 15 minute walk from my serviced apartments in Soi 14 in Ekkamai. 

The address is as shown in the picture below and one thing I noticed when I stepped in was that the place was in total harmony with greenery and the trees around it. Look at the restaurant inside, there are plenty of green living plants along all the walls. When I stepped outside into the courtyard and headed to the bathroom, the open courtyard stood under the Banyan tree and was something out of a movie. 

Address of the Earth House. It is situated off Sukhumvit 53 and Along Thonglor 9, so the 112 / 2 I guess is that there are 2 houses in the Unit 112  

So without much further ado, I decided to try the avocado toast. There were 3 slices of sourdough bread and the avocado paste was done very nicely. See the picture below. It was really tasty and there were really fresh sides of lettuce and cherry tomatoes which made my meal delightful. I also had an Americano coffee to complement my breakfast. 

Beautiful Courtyard for any event 

There are a few faithful clients who patronise this and they appear to be the international tourists and some your urban Gen Z types whose 'office' is their laptops and mobile phones. All the power to them for this new way of working across any time zone, culture, and language.

Will I venture again to this oasis of calm ? The answer is obvious. 

Video showing the Chill Place in all its morning glory 

 Mushroom Risotto 

Cheap, Clean and Tranquil Service Apartments in Ekkamai Bangkok

Reading a Book on Speeches by Famous People in the Balcony overlooking greenery. A luxury afforded only to a few places in the heart of Bangkok 

In the suburbs of Bangkok there lies this gem of a service apartment. Called Nice Residences,it is located in Ekkamai Soi 14, off Ekkamai Road. I pay a minimal price of THB 1000 or  S$ 40 (US$ 30) per night to get the following below :

a) Large (180 ft2) clean room with balcony facing to 2 huge private bungalows.

b) Unfettered morning charm awakened by the sounds of birds chirping outside

c) Airconditioning

Happiness in the morning ; Nothing beats a nice coffee and a book in the quiet environs of a nearby country. 

d) Beautiful balcony to do soul replenishment and quiet reading.

I bought this gem of a book called "Speeches that Changed the World" from a 2nd hand bookstore at the nearby Don Don Donki building)

e) Ensuite bathroom with WC and bathtub.

 

An amazing deal in a central location which I am happy to say is my go to place when I need to refocus and recharge.

I am here with 2 colleagues to attend the Biomedical show at BITEC and seek

a) distributorship 

b) new agents or potential partners for business.

Do give it a try ; its only S$40 and what can go wrong at that price ?

 

Tips my Mentor Taught Me.

We all need Mentors who have seen it all and (ideally) 10 to 15 years our senior to guide us through life's unchartered waters. Its better to take advice from an old sea dog captain who may have retired from helming his cargo ship days than from depending on your experience, gut instinct, or what your star sign may say (Sagittarius is mine).

Here are tips from the very successful friend of whose picture is here, and whose name I shall not reveal. He retired early at age 54 and has never looked back on wanting to stay on in a highly stressed, though very high paying career as a banker. He was the CEO of a major multinational bank in a nearby Asian country. He spends his time, doing hobbies he enjoys, and meeting friends and his extended family (his daughters are both married and living outside of Singapore). 

     REAL LIFE TIPS

1.Always read the fine print in any thing 

  A product , a contract,  an NDA, a guarantor in any loan or financial 

  transaction

  If you have doubts, don't sign. 

2.Watch what the person does - not what he says 

3. What is NOT said is more important that what is said 99% of time. 

4. If its too good to be true, it probably is.

5.Always be on time for appointments.

   If you think you are stretched for time to meet that person on a particular day, reschedule. Do not waste his and your precious time fuming about a possible no show. 

6. Never brag about expensive possessions. 

   They belong only to those who earned money the hard way for them and look good only for a while. A top level S Class Mercedes at the end of the day is just a big car, but requires lots of money to purchase and to maintain. Be Humble.

7. One unlucky break and you are wiped out

Financially, reputationally and even health can go overnight from seemingly healthy to (say) you have just 6 months to live.

8. Black Swans Do Exist - and when they bite, all heall breaks loose.

Finally, the big downer, you can do well in anything for decades, (running a 

business, have a lucky streak in gambling, flipping properties, assets 

enhancement etc) - there will be a time when the PERFECT STORM hits, 

and if you are in the game. You WILL be wiped out.

9. Be Humble. 

10. Greed is real Bad.

 Gordon Gecko, in the film Wall Street ended up in jail.....

    

Don't be greedy, earn a little (or more than a little) and...

 10. Exit Early  

Enjoy what you have struggled for while you are still striving for that one last hurrah.  Its a contradiction, but you deserve the small fruits that come your way to incentivise yourself to climb higher for the best fruits.

Finally a Bonus.

 11. Life's too short to die with millions in the bank and while you worked a                 lifetime to earn it, you have hardly had any time to enjoy it. Spend Some 

12. Live a Little 

Go for the year end holidays (I have had over 20 with my family to date). We thoroughly enjoyed those getaways first when the kids were babies (first in 1996, and young children 1997 -  2009, next when they were early to mid teens (2008 - 2012). From 2014, it was duo holidays just my wife and I (in total 6 - all in Europe and all at least 2 weeks long).  

13. Pay it Forward

Give to charity and the needy.  Money, your experience and Time.

There is No Time like the Present 

Nemo Mortalium Omnibus Horis Sapit.

No Human has all the Wisdom of the World.