1984 - BBC Made for TV Movie

        I watched the movie 1984 last night ; Created based on the novel by George Orwell, it was torturous to watch, not least with the constant booming noises from the Oval watch screen and the continuous references to "Thought Police" and control of every facet of human life.

        There were some people who framed Singapore as being a version of "1984" ; honestly they can't be further from the truth. There is variety of thought here, you can protest and state your contrarian views without fear of being followed or investigated. Every body has access to a free and a fair trial if he has committed a crime.  People are generally happy,practically everyone save for a few poor souls can live in their own purchased Government flats or rent one. We have a lot of economical food at very decent prices at the hawker centres for about US$ 3 per meal, let alone the the mid range to fine dining restaurants. Transport is seamless and quite inexpensive, with the MRT (OK its got its share of problems of late), bus and LRT providing access to all housing estates.

       There are covered walkways in the newer housing estates from the bus stop to the point block in the Housing Development Board estate where I frequent. Another 50 m away is the food centre selling all kinds or food catering to most ethnicities for no more than US$ 4 per plate of food. Most times it is US$ 3.00 maximum with a kopi or tea for US$ 0.70.No way you can buy a nutritious meal of 1 meat, 1 veg and 1 tofu in US, Western Europe or Australia for less than US$ 4.00 ! 

     This is coming from a country which has NO natural resources or hinterland except for some egg and chicken farms. No staples like rice paddies, sugar cane, wheat, oil or natural gas.  A highly improbable success story of a country.  

       A haircut at the local barber down the block costs no more than US$ 5. A visit to the local polyclinic (though you may need to wait at least 2 - 3 hours) will set you back maybe US$ 10- 15 for medicines for cough / cold. In addition, there are alot of traditional Chinese medicines shops who will sell you their tried and tested medicines for heatiness, insomnia, piles, herpes, incontinence, diahrrea and constipation for at most US$ 20.     

       Medicines are subsidised for the old, medical and hospital care is excellent and there are heart defribrillators in every community centre ,Government and MRT stations.  

       Crime is very low, so is the drugs scene, thanks to a very harsh and firm no drugs stance. Our roads are 'A' class compared to many in the West, and our corporate and personal income taxes are amongst the lowest in the world. People have freedom to discuss issues freely, write things like blogs and VLOGs provided they abstain from religious and racial themes.  There is no one, or Big Brother watching your every move and making life stifling. True, there are surveillence cameras in common areas, and along the roads, but so many cities in Europe and US have had far more and much earlier that its not any issue or warrants any surprise from anybody. We do live in post 9 -11 times, if anyone who has been living in Mars all this time.  

         Weather is constantly "summer' all year round, with the only exception around the end of the year, when the rainy season starts. That can be a drag, but it is nothing like the dreary weather of many Northern European countries or even Canada. it is true that we had the tumultous years from the 50s to the mid 80s, where our founding fathers fought against the Communists in society some 50 to 60 odd years ago, however, many countries in the past had or have far worse persecutions, detentions or wars for their 'greater good ' of society.

       The so - called human rights movement in the West was founded on the backs of many who were murdered or killed due to the colour of their skin or the values of the party they supported in the past. The Slave trade from Africa to North and South America, the racial segregation and apartheid were done from the Western powers now upholding the very 'human rights' around the world.   

       It is easy to make fun of Singapore but no country is perfect, let alone the once former great powers now floundering with massive iniquity and festering problems of racial intolerance. There are many who will be willing to trade in their citizenships from Western and Eastern parts of the world to live here.

      Singaporeans may be a complaining bunch, but deep down, we are proud of our Little Red Dot. 

      We should be mature enough to give as well as take criticism if we are to be truly one fine example of a First World country. 

Athletic Environmental Chamber - QRA

Presenting the first Athletic Environmental Chamber 

Presenting the world's dedicated Athletic Environmental Chamber - QRA ; my company has been amongst the first in the world to offer this to clients. The specifications of this chamber are generally in the range below :

Temp : 0 to 50 C

rH      : 20 - 95% rH

Wind :  0 - 10 m /s

Hypoxic : sea level to 8000 m

CO2  control : yes

Solar spectrum : Yes

This chamber is versatile in the sense that it can condition practically any environment available on this earth ; of course there are harsher climates (say -40 C) but human beings or elite athletes in particular are never out in the harsh Artic or Antarctic temperatures doing 10000 m or marathons so there is not a need to simulate the extreme in temperatures.

There have been several customers who are first movers of this unique product worldwide, they are from the Sports, Medical and Defence Industry WORLDWIDE.  

Athletic chamber with rowing machines, cycle machines and wind simulators.

Test Conditions vary from place to place ; from the tropics which are hot and humid, to the temperate which is cold and dry, possibly hot and dry, to the desert which is extremely hot and dry the Athletic Chamber can simulate it all. 

If any of you out there has such a requirement, you can PM me at mark@qra.com.sg and

I would be most happy to accommodate your requests within several days.

Sat 28th April Run at ECP - reflections

Start Point at CarPark B1 at East Coast Park

10.20 am

Front 4 km 
(start at B1 Carpark and return to B1 Carpark)
Body pushed to the limit
Sun's incessant rays on my skin
White shades cover my eyes and brows
I start rather quickly knowing I have to finish early
Headwind pushing against my body
Press On ! I say to my 55 year old frame
On the return I will get tailwind 
Each km the pace is incessant; 
7 : 07 ; 6:54, 6:35 ; 6 :45 ; the numbers flow through ceaseless through my head
Average pace : 6 : 36 min / km, Fastest pace : 5 : 25 min / km 
HR goes up from 72 to 161 to 171 (or 102% of my maximum)
I feel I am 25 again and as I rush past the strollers, the casual runners, the prams, 
Kids in tricycles,elderly on a weekend jaunt, lovers out for a stroll
Time stands still... God has opened my third eye.
Everything is crystal clear, the day, the time, the air, the sounds of the birds, the trees rustling
I reach the 4 km mark. Pumped out of air from my lungs
I stop and gaze at the azure sea out in the distance. I never focus, it is too damn hot

Front 4 km 

I walk to the toilet for a pee break and see some guys milling around
They are from the Corrective Work Order team
The guys who have to do social service for littering. Hmm its still in force albeit with little fanfare
Donning balck polo shirts with silver aluminium logos, one guy gives me a wan smile
He doesn't want to be there but has to 
Social work order in sunny orderly Singapore

      Back 4 km data

Return 4 
I push again like there is no tomorrow (sad but true)
Again my heart is beating like crazy
Average HR 172 and maximum of 180 or 109% of my 180 maximu,
I am feeling superhuman !
Calories burnt 410 kcal.
I am running on literally empty
No breakfast just water and coffee for the morn
Average page 6 : 58 min /km 
I am tiring fast
Press On ! says my ever relentless mind
ECP is pretty flat but my hope of a tailwind as I turned on the back 4 evaporated
Arid air greets my nostrils 
I am now speeding from tree cover to tree cover and watching my pace - Garmin M430
To avoid the blistering heat I run ever faster, an oxymoron of an idea whose time had come
Soon the numbers were out there, 6 :57.8 and best time of 6 :41.8.
Flashing in front of me 
I take off my running vest and run half naked
Hookah hay ! I scream in my mind like Johnny West in Beano 
I go to overdrive
Every labored breath, every ache in my body,every bead of sweat
They send me one clear and present message 

"Today I am so alive !!!!" 

Each breath that I take will be a joy , every sip of water will be champagne ,each morsel of food will taste like manna or food from God !

This is the Runners High. 
When you are near death, you will experience it like never before

It is an out of this world experience !!! 

The Reward : Guilt Free Dining with Sauvignon Blanc (2) 

Thursday evening Run at ECP ; its all about Risk Management

               Yesterday's run at East Coast Park was another exhilirating run for me ; it was 8 km and I had an average heart rate of 162 which is 98% of my maximum allowable (very close to the limit of 180),  the amount of calories burned was 751 kcal and 7% of fat burned as percentage of calories.

              My average pace was 6 : 52 min / km and maximum pace of a staggering 5 : 25  min / km.I was in the "Good" category running index with an average cadence of 83 (I guess this is the steps per minute) with a best time of 6 : 37 minutes per km. 

               I started at 7.00 pm and covered 8.02 km in total over 55 mins.

             What about Risk Management ? Well yesterday evening it was looking to rain heavily, so rather than sit at home and mope (I had reached home quite early), I calculated the risk, the opportunity cost was for me to stay at home and chill which was not much of an option, so I decided, "Oh Hell, just drive to ECP B1 and sit out the rain if and when it comes".

            So at 6 : 10 I left the house and drove to ECP, along the way at Rochor, the rain came down in sheets, so I knew I had either to a) sit out the rain and run after the downpour, b) run during the downpour and possibly catch a cold or c) make a U turn and go home.

            I decided totally against option (c), so it was either (a) or (b) ; By the time I reached B1 carpark 6.35 pm, it was well and truly coming down 'cats and dogs'. So I decided to read about how better to use my car by studying the User Manual. Call me strange but at this stage in life, the User Manual of my (relatively) new car is something I do look forward to as and when I have the time to look into it to enhance my driving experience.

          At 6.55 pm, the rain more or less cleared 90% (just a drizzle) so I ventured into the nearest hut beside the run track . There I was with the other runners who had yet to start their runs or those whose runs were interrupted.  

         At 7.00 pm I took off in full flight in a light drizzle and the rest is as recorded above by my trusty Polar M430 ; the entire data of the run is recorded and uploaded for posterity and I am greatly encouraged that my fxx ass is off the sofa and onto the running track once again.

         So I took the Risk of venturing out (unlike 95% of the general population) and was rewarded (after sitting it out in the carpark for 20 minutes) with a memorable run and recorded for posterity in this blog.





    

Sun 22 Apr 2018 Run 7 km at ECP

This is another attempt by me, no not to fish for compliments, but a way of keeping a record of my slow progress to fitness. A 7 km run at ECP with an average time of 6 : 54 per km. I aim to run 60 km per week by June and lower my weight to a much more manageable weight of 72 kg. 

For the sake of my health, I will dilligently record each and every run for posterity. The Blog is the perfect way to see the progress or degress,

Rich Poor Inequality in Singapore ; Mind the Gap !

This issue has taken front page in Singapore. The issue was always and will always be a hot-button one. After the second world war, Singapore emerged from the ruins of Japanese occupation a backwater. Gone was the image (only) of the British Pearl of the Orient. 

The British was so pathetic in defending Singapore that many locals had lost their faith in the Western Powers and the ferment of self governance was taking place. When the first Chief Minister David Marshall, then followed by PM Lim Yew Hock, change was underway for the British to move out their defence forces and their influence waned.

Singapore is now 53 years, since the ruling PAP has come in, Singapore has developed and progressed tremendously, however at some costs. The modern Singapore offers a quality of life on par, if not better, with the best cities in the world. 

The 2nd and even 3rd generations of Singaporeans are facing a life where things are so smooth and well taken care of. The HDB public housing where 80% of the population now lives is in many respects equivalent to condominiums in  many other countries in Asia.

Personal Safety is the envy of the Western world. Many Western expats love to come to Singapore for its moderate climate, wide variety of excellent foods and - safety. We have none (thank God for that) of the nonsense and chaos which fills the screens every week in many cities across the US and even Western Europe.

Our schools are amongst the best in the world (the NUS is ranked the top Asian University), our dual language system is also admired and copied all over the world. Racial and religious harmony is also excellent, thanks to the wisdom and foresight of the founding fathers of Singapore, so that the sight of multi- cultural dating or marriages hardly makes news anymore.

                                                                  Barcelona

One major problem (amongst many others) emerging is the gap between the rich and poor has never been so apparent. Children and grandchildren of fabulously wealthy and moderately wealthy parents have never had to slog a day in their lives.

The sense of entitlement and the gap between the haves and the have nots is ever increasing. There have never been more rich and entitled children and the gap is every widening. 

The difference between the incomes earned by the rich and poor nowadays is estimated to be in the 000s ; say a super wealthy real estate developer or lawyer easily earns in excess of $5 million. Compared with the bottom 10% whose earning is say $24,000 that represents over 200 x. I am not even comparing the newly rich (nouveau riche) who migrate here with their billions and live in Sentosa. 

                                                         Vermouth and Tapas 

In the 60s and 70s, the top earner (say school principal or top lawyer) would earn about $36,000 per annum. The lowest wage earner earned about S$ 1500 (S$125 per month). So the quantum is in the tens (in this case 24 x).

My point ? Social problems and class envy will arise. Last time in the 60s and 70s, we were all more or less equally poor. Hardly anybody travlled out of Singapore let alone on business class to Europe or Iceland (as an example). Nowadays, there are alot more people (visible thanks to Facebook) who travel to all the far flung corners of the world and a lot more who have no money to afford 3 meals a day. It is indeed a very wide gap.

How the effects will be manifested will be displayed in the news. How the government is going to tackle that is also another cause for concern. 



       

The perils of massive fame, money and adulation at a young age. RIP Aviici aka Tim Bergling

I heard the shocking news that the DJ Tim Bergling, better known by his stage name of  Avicii, passed away yesterday at the age of 28 in Oman. He had battled pancreatitis and other drink related illnesses before his passing.

So tragic that a young and talented  individual had passed on so early on his life. The song by Mike Posner (I took a pill in Ibiza) which was dedicated to Aviici in the lyrics "I took a pill in Ibiza, to show Avicii I was cool..." 

well Mr. Cool just became immortalized in the annals of the Great DJs at the tender age of 28 ; he joins the plethora of very young talents who died way too young. 

Among them are James Dean, Steve McQueen,Aliya, Prince,Michael Jackson,Patrick Swayzee,Christina Perri, Duncan Edwards (Man U footballer) and the whole host of rock stars who messed up their lives in the 60s and 70s such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Doors lead singer Jim Morrisey, and Bob Marley (cancer). Latter day music heroes who died young are Nirvana's Kurt Cobain (drug overdose) and the Script's lead singer.