Here's to marathons # 6 and 7

There comes a stage in life, when I want to take a stab at improving myself, be it, in the physical fitness  department or in the mental  ability department. So, for the next half year, I have decided to set myself 4 targets, 3 physically and 1 mentally challenging goals.

1. and 2. To run in the SC Singapore (4th Dec 2011) and Penang (20th Nov.2011) marathons
3. To participate in the annual treadmill race at my Club with intention to be in top 3
4. To complete 360 sudoku games correctly for 1 year.

This is done during my free time, so lets see how it will actualise or not.

Jammin' with the Boys at Boat Quay

My 2nd jamming session with good friends Roland Teo, Looi Teck Kheong and James Lee at his penthouse jam studio along Boat Quay on 16th June afternoon. The view is picture perfect and the company perfect too. My amateuristic attempt at the keyboards spurs me to practice more and try to get my musical abilities act together in the near future. Here's to more jam sessions guys ! I enjoyed it tremendously.

When the Saints Go Marching In - US Navy 7th Fleet Brass Band

Awesome 'dixieland' rendition of the song made famous by the great Louis Armstrong. Listen and be moved. Classic !

Worried about you - Rolling Stones

One of the best slow rock songs by the Stones, from their commercially successful album Tattoo You. Worried about You.

Wurzburg

                                      2  karatekas at the ready ; notice the different 'ready for combat' styles

      Meet my new found friend Danail from Bulgaria, he is the boss of the company representing in Bulgaria for my principal Weiss. Coincidentally, we both share the same passion for karate, and Danail has trained for 6 years with the Kyokushin school of fighters and only since last year with the Shotokan school of karate in Bulgaria.

      The Kyosushin school is heavy into free sparring or kumite and Danail has had his rib broken from a fight, amongst other injuries. It is a full contact sport, so injuries are common. Shotokan is another contact form of karate, although international competitions penalise full contact, there are 'players' who go all out in their enthusiasm to score a point.

       Shitoryu branch which I am practising is quite free flowing, although the free sparring is more of light contact than full contact.  This photo was taken when we were going up to the castle in Wurzburg.
Good promotional shot for a movie I must admit.  

A meal fit for a prince ; Presentation, Setting and Taste

                                        Dum chicken Bryani, with ginger tea, yoghurt and condiments

           When I went for the Sales training recently in Germany, I had a free day on the first day of my arrival to settle in and catch up on sleep. I took a 'red eye' flight or one which took off near midnight and arrived early in the morning the next day. Owing to Germany time being 6 hours behind Singapore time, I arrived at roughly 6.15 am on the Sunday morning.

           Upon early check-in and freshening up, I decided to head out for lunch at this lovely little north Indian restaurant along Ludwigstrasse called (what else) India Restaurant. The fare was typcially north Indian food catered by an Indian family who have resided in Giessen for 2 generations already, and spoke perfect German (to me anyway). I decided to opt for the Chicken Bryani and was surprised at the presentation - see picture above.

          The hot plate was delivered first, then the condiments, and then came the side dish like yoghurt for digestion and finally the chicken rice (bismati rice covering the chicken which is cooked inside the rice) which was a delight to see, smell and of course, to eat.Presentation was excellent,aroma was there, and the taste was up to expectations, and even for a small town like Giessen, it has excellent Indian fare. This is the globalised world I am expecting and experiencing.

          It was a wonderful departure from the mass market Indian food which I have come to expect in Singapore, of course I can get excellent Indian food and well presented too, but for the price I paid,in EUROS (around 18), it was a lovely meal, in my opinion, fit for a prince.

          Enjoy the weekend.
 

One Global 'Family'

Left to Right : me, Anders (Denmark), Keven (Australia)

       The annual International Sales Meeting has finished 2 weeks ago, presentations were made, discussions were conducted, dinners were eaten and much beer, wine and spirits were drunk by the representatives of the principal of my company, Weiss Technik, in Lindenstruth, Giessen and Wurzburg. A sincere note of thanks and appreciation to the hardworking backroom staff for arranging such a meeting every single year since 2003. 

       One of the best things I take away from such meetings is the sense of comradeship from all the various reps in the world, from South America (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil), Europe (too many to name), to Asi(again in excess of 10). The reps whom we have known for at least 4 - 5 years now, are like our distant family or 'cousins' and we look forward to meeting them and checking on how things are in their distant and not so distant lands as well as their families.

        We swap 'war stories' and tales of funny and not so funny incidents together (its 5 days to 1 week for many of the reps) and genuine friendships are made and I hope, treasured during our older years. Drinking, and its excesses are only reserved for this occasion for me, so its a 'once in a year' thing for me, but in the spirit of the family reunion, I say, why not ? 

 

        Anders, Keven, Danail, Miriana, Ian, Tibor, Milo, Renan, Fumio, Tamas, Alex, Meike, Flo, Andy, Vincent, and the one and only Frenchman, Herve - its been a great week, lets go get the orders and till we meet again.