Street Food in Sakura Garden

Sakura!

Snowing At Narita

The weather forecast before I travel was low of 8 celcius. When I landed at 5 pm, it was started to snow. Nice clumpy yet very light snow. The temperature reads 0.5 celcius. So much for the weather forecast. I did not pack warmer clothing because I trusted the forecast. Next time I must not trust the forecast as much as the weather pattern has changed and forecasting based on past parameters may not be as accurate as before.

Pictures of the Owl

I did not take the photos of the Owl after I dry and warm it up. I did not think of it. So I do not a chance to show how beautiful it looks when it is all puffed up.

Sakura, Here I come

Will be going to Japan tomorrow. I have travelled to Japan for a number of times in the last 9 years. This is the first time my trip coincides with what I hope is Sakura season as there is a live Sakura tree in Takashimaya imported from Japan.

I hope I get the chance to see some Sakura...

Earth Hour - Orchard Road

Lights out in many building. Non-essential lights of Wisma Atria and ION were out as well. Many live bands. Orchard Road is lively indeed! Metro has a 20% discount sale and the queues are loooong.

Singapore is very vibrant at night. The malls are full of people shopping. It seems like Sleepless in Singapore is becoming popular. I need my beauty sleep. So this kind of outing will be once in a blue moon for us.

Earth Hour

Tomorrow night, Earth Hour from 8pm to 9:30pm. Please switch off your lights and join the efforts conserving energy. Mother Earth needs us!

Farmer

Farmer is a person who cultivate the fields or look after the animals and make sure the plants or animals are well taken care of and growing well. Not only the farmer feed the plants with fertilizers and water, he also feed the animals with proper nutrition and ensure they stay healthy.

A farmer-type salesman basically does the same thing. He looks after a group of customers and make they get regular care and feeding. He also have to make sure the customers are growing and growing well. If any customer is "sick" it is his job to get them well again. "Sick" may be poor business performance due to their own business environment or buying from competition. The salesperson's(a more neutral word than salesman) job is to troubleshoot and help the customer to get well and buy more from the company.

If all is well, then the salesperson job is to maintain the well being of all customers and spend time to figure out how to increase the relationship further so that the customer will buy more.

It is so simple.

Farmers and Hunters

In the good ole days, humans hunt and gather for their food. Then they learn to farm to grow their own food. Hunting and gathering is highly dependent on luck beside skills. Farming reduces the luck element albeit luck is still required as farming is at the mercy of mother nature.

Today, a salesman living in the city can also be classified in Hunters and Farmers. Hunters are those like used car salesmen, they sell to the customer once and have to move to new "prey" once their sales is completed. In contrast, a farmer salesman is once who increase Customer's purchase of the company's products or services. In marketing term - increased penetration.

Hunters have different behaviours and instincts from Farmers. Hunters love and salivate at the smell of blood and like tigers and lions go hungry for weeks before get a prey and eat enough to last for one or two weeks. Whereas a Farmer with the stability of food source will have enough to eat every day. There is no need for feast or famine a hunter has to endure.

Just One Meal

I was making progress with my weight control. I chose the word control rather than loss because it is hard for me to lose weight. My weight was 89kg at night after dinner about 4 weeks ago. Weight will change during the day with all the activities. Meal increase it and passing urine and motion decrease it. To be consistent, even though I weigh myself many times a day, I will use the weight before going to bed as the consistent measure. I also measure it in my birthday suit.

I have been progressing to 87.5kg. Last night, the scale reads 88.2. All it takes is one dinner. I had Hagen Dazzs ice-cream before dinner to use up the 1 for 1 coupon (sigh!) and had a Nonya bak chang(rice dumpling) and two Soon Kuehs plus the usual complement of braised vegetable and tonkatsu(deep fried pork chop). I bought all the food since I have to pass Alexander Road where the Famous Soon Kueh store is.

I have a real weakness for the yummy local delights. I even advise my sons to enjoy the food while they can because if we ever relocate back to Canada, there will be only Cantonese-style bak chang and no more Teochew or Nonya style we have in Singapore.

Medical Checkup

B1 has his pre-enlistment checkup today. The medical was easy. It was the IQ and psychological testing. All the boys says it is harder than exams. This test is suppose to determine their vocation when they go to the army. It was extremely stressful as they been told repeatedly that this test will determine their vocation.

My son is growing up. As the saying goes, Go into the Army as a boy and come out as a Man.

Late Bloomers

I enjoys reading Malcolm Gladwell's articles. The book What the Dog Saw is a collection of magazine articles he had published in New Yorker where he was a staff writer.

I read the article on Late Bloomers. Many of the writers who achieve fame for their works spent years and years on their craft. The example on the author of The Brief Encounters is he had a patron, his wife who is very patient and support him all the way. He went to Haiti out of the no rhyme or reason and his lawyer wife paid for the expense. When the Brief Encounters was published, it was highly acclaimed. The author spent 18 years writing this book. It is incredible support from an American woman. It is also incredible he manage to achieve fame.

I wonder how many failed after years and years of toiling on their writings. This thought shudders me.

Record All Your Expense - Every cent!

I am "reading" 50 Prosperity Classics while doing my current favorite exercise cycling. This book is a summary of the top 50 books or classics on Prosperity. Prosperity is rich mind and not just about money although money helps in the definition of prosperity. In the book, Your Money or Your Life, the recommendation is to make sure you record all the money you spent every cent of it and also all the money coming in. It is the life force of riches.

I thought this tip is useful which is why I blog about it.

What is the Name of the Owl?

We were in Kinokuniya this morning and check out the name of the owl in the books on local birds. There were only two owls listed. The owl we saved was the Brown Hawk Owl. It is usually heard rather than seen. We are very fortunate indeed.
God bless this brown hawk owl. It is very adorable when it is all puffed up rather than wet and bedraggled. The eyes are yellow with huge dilated pupils.

Adventures in Malacca

I was in Malacca since Thursday and staying in Holiday Inn. Holiday Inn has a beach front and there are plenty of mudskippers at low tide. The flat ground is very deceiving. B3 and I went to explore the sandy beach and want to see if we can catch some mudskippers like back home. I was wearing my regular leather loafers and so stick to the sandy part when suddenly I sink knee deep into the ground. It was a surprise and shock. Once my feet sink in, it is hard to move. Then getting my feet out was tricky. Good thing is I have read them in books and watched movies like Indiana Jones. I lean forward to spread my weight. My shoe was stuck deep in the mud and it is easier to leave it in and get my foot out Then I have to sink my hand in about one feet into the mud to retrieve it. The feeling of putting my hand into dark gooey pure soft clay is revolting and scary.

I was happy that I managed to retrieve the shoe but it is filled with horrid smelling greying clay. B3 was gloating over misfortune saying he has no problem as he is light and continue to walk about when he is next to sink in. His shoe was stuck in there too. And I was too afraid to rescue him without getting myself into trouble. So I gather some pieces of flat stones to spread his weight but it did not work. Luckily, there as a tyre and I threw it to him and he could step on the tyre and get to feel for his shoe and retrieve it as well.

We spent the next three hours in our hotel room cleaning ourselves up and watching up our clothing. I use the hair dryer and spent 3 hour drying our shoes.

The next morning, we took a walking along the beach and we were excited to see a gigantic mudskipper. Then my wife says there is something flapping and asked if it is a mudskipper. It was a bird! I went to retrieve it. The poor thing was trying to get out but it was all wet and and impossible to move. We brought it back to the room and dry it out using the hair dryer. I am now an expert in drying out anything with a hair dryer. It look like a baby owl. B3 build a box using the Star newspaper and we put the owl into our home-made nest and line it with crumpled newspapers to make it more comfortable. The owl fell asleep and we left it in the room and go out to do some grocery shopping at Carrefour. When we returned, it was up and about but could not fly. It right leg was broken. It look at us with big yellow eyes and it is so gorgeous. We tried feeding it but it refused to eat.

Finally, we decide to bring it back to the place where we recover it and hope the parents will come and help out. It actually flew off! It was not a baby owl but an adult bird. We are very happy that it takes off and hope it can survive by itself.

Stars are Shining

The night sky is clear and many stars can be seen. It is rare we have clear sky. The cool breeze make it nice to go out to the open to enjoy star glazing. I can see a white turning red then turning white again star. The effect is like blinking. I wonder if it is Mars.

The universe is so huge and we are so insignificant yet something we feel we have big stress and insurmountable problems. Today is a happy day for me. B3 and I just spend the day together. He keeps me company when I have my haircut and he decided to eat Popeye's Chicken for lunch and I am happy to oblige. After lunch, I also acceded to his request for soya milk with pearls. B3 was very happy to get this treat. Later in the afternoon, I brought him to Haroobee for his art lesson. He is very frisky jumping about on the bed and giggling.

Yes, the stars are shining...

Zen Approach To Life

Reading the movie review of Confucius and the movie star Chow Yun Fatt is a revelation for me. Chow, 55 is not so hungry for Hollywood fame: "I don't crave for any movie role or want to work with any particular director or actor. Now, I leave everything to fate." He has all the money he needs. His fortune is estimated to be $180 million. He does not have any kid with his Singaporean wife but is happy to go travelling with her when he is not at work.

First, I do not have much money or wealth. I am happy to spend time with my wife and boys. I no longer crave or drive for more pay or recognition. My philosophy in life is "Whatever will be will be. The future is not for us to see." There is no point in life to push hard and make myself unhappy over staid, archaic and stiff bureaucracy.

Since I become "enlighten", life just flows. It is not smooth sailing but I am bouyant. Obstacles are to be avoided or step over. Frustrations are still there but no longer eats me up. Work still need to get done and people still need to perform or be let go.

For example, I am now at Borneo Motors Service Center waiting for my Prius to be fixed. It is a huge waste of my time but now I am writing my blog. I read the papers earlier.

Terrible Toyota Terrible Service

I sent my Prius replace the warranty replacements after they scratched my armrest panel on my previous service as well as a bad glass display on the console. After losing the use of my car for one day, the car is returned with new problem. A problem that my car did not have in the first place. Now the car bluetooth for cellphone is not working.

With this second incident happening on my second service, it clearly signal to me that Borneo Motors has TERRIBLE service. They do not treat my car with respect and cause problems to it when I send in for service.

There are so many books on wonders of Toyota leadership, management and production process, it is really quite different where the rubber meets the road. Toyota must believe in all its own glory so much that it no longer believed in keeping basic Customer Service. The recall issue is a wake up call. My experience in Toyota service is probably the norm.

For all my readers considering Toyota, please reconsider. You may regret your decision...

Vacation Time

It is great to go on leave and have some quality time with my family. Taking care of the boys is quite a challenge and rewarding at the same time. We have to figure out what to do. Both B1 and B2 still have to go to school as they have extra classes or CCAs. So we have time together only late in the evening and drove together to E-Hub in Pasir Ris for chicken rice - Chatterbox Style. It is good taste and good value compared to Chatterbox.

In Singapore, it looks like school holiday is no different than regular school days. All the kids are back in school. In Canada, there will not be a single soul in school during school holiday. What a contrast! We are a pressure cooker here. Our kids are learning well and scored well in International assessments. Canada and US will fall behinds as the students have it easy. Enjoy now and pay later just like credit cards for life as a student.

Somewhere in the middle between Canada and Singapore will be ideal.

Dinner Together

We have dinner as a family together. This rule has been set by my wife and after many years, it is now paying off. This is the time where we get feedback and updates from our boys. We have plenty of conversation about school and when they will be out for their Co-cirricular Activities or CCAs. They will also report their outings with their friends. I am very glad to spend quantity time with them. We go shopping mall and will stick together as a family.

I am very happy to have the boys growing up in a close family environment.

Happy

I am very happy that it is raining now. Yes, pure and simple joy. While I may be worrying over something that may not happen in my lifetime, I want to savour the joy of rain and water. My garden needs less tap water and the roof garden can turn green again.

Pitter, patter, pitter, patter as the rain drops pelt my heliconia. Wonderful music, soothing and reassuring. Water, the gift of life.

Building a Windmill

B3, the baby of the family is Primary 3 or Grade 4 in Canada. He was pestering me to build the Windmill from a Tamiya kit I bought some time back. I love alternate energy and green lifestyle. The kit are just demonstration toy and is just proof of concept. I have been reluctant to build the windmill or some other kits I have in stock as I hope my boys will build them when the time is right or ripe. Ripe time is when they have science project in school.

To delay B3 request, I ask his mummy and explain to her about my view. However, mummy is supportive of B3 interest. So, I have to allow him to open the kit and help fix the windmill. Amazing, B3 did most of the assemly by himself. Look like he can follow the instructions and do fairly intricate assembly. I have to help in areas where strength or precision is required.

Right now he is in an euphoric mood and singing as he test out the model. I am very pleased to see him so happy.

Break Time

I was suffering from cabin fever. So I decide to take a break and go to Ah Kun in Compass Point to sit and read my books. For me it is a relaxing way to pass time. It is also economical at S$1.30 per cup of tea with milk.

In Canada, the low cost and excellent quality is Tim Horton's coffee. I like the taste Tim Horton's. My colleague and friend, Tony N told me the reason Tim Horton's coffee tastes so good is because they use distill water instead of tap water. Tap water in Canada is hard, really hard. Kettle get scales after boiling water a few times. It is hard to lather soap.

An hour of reading in an aircond place and watching life go by is a good way to rejuvenate.

Falling Sick

Two colleagues in KL office falls sick. One is on MC today and the other will be on MC tomorrow and the day after. I have tummyache on my lower left abdomen which I suspect may be typhoid or related to something I ate in KL. I loved the hawker food but seems to always get into trouble in KL. I suspect the hygiene standards are much lower and not as stringent. Hence my stomach weakened by the very clean and well-prepared food at home has trouble dealing with contaminated food. Malaysian food tends to have fermented seafood or prawn paste for flavoring increasing the risks further.

I may need to start eating in proper resturant in KL. And miss out my favorite foods...sigh!

What I like about my job

Looking for ideas for my blog, I borrowed the book 52 Projects again from the Bishan Library. I like the idea about talking about my job.

So, here it is. There are many things I like about my job. First and foremost, I get a chance to make a difference in business. I also have a small team to manage. I enjoys developing and training the people working with me. I loves to make customers happy with our company, products and service. I also have fun competing for business with strong competitors. Then there is also interactions with colleagues, going to different countries in Asia. Working on tough business and people issues. Getting results through my decisions and actions. Watching my team members develop and grow. I also earn a reasonable income for my sustenance to feed my body and spirit.

In short, I am happy with my job!

Bad Air

The air smell of acrid smoke. The stench of burnt wood and leaves is very strong. The sky looks like there is high level of airborne particles. The El Nino is making it impact felt. I was hopeful that dark heavy clouds formingat about 4pm will turn to rain but it did not.

Rain rain, please come again.

Up in the middle of the Night

I must have ate something bad. My abdomen is very uncomfortable and sore. It feels painful to slight pressure. Up at 3:50am, I am now blogging with Rachael Ray (in the googlebox unfortunately) for company.

The air smells of burned wood. So there must be a bush fire somewhere nearby. There is also another observation that makes me wonder about our weather. Yesterday, while cycling, I first saw a dead mynah bird on the grass strip between the path and the road. Further down, there is a dead sparrow. It is unusual as it is the first time I saw a dead mynah that is not a roadkill. It is also my first time to see a dead sparrow. We have so many sparrows and mynahs. I always wonder where they go when they dies as I do not see any of the dead bird littering our fields, park or street.

Another observation is a lot of small birds are flying high up in the sky. I am not sure what type they are. They may be swallows. Why the change in flying habit?

Italian Resturant in The Old School

It is in an off-beat place up in Sophia Road at the hilltop. I have gone past the place many times when I bring my boys for music lessons. There is just a cluster of old buildings. Really! not much activities, maybe it is on Saturdays that we pass by. I would never thought there is a resturant. Last Saturday, my son's piano teacher told me he bought a pizza for lunch from a French resturant up the road. This resturant has nice food. So we tried it out yesterday when my boy go for lesson. The price was a little high but there is no plus plus or ++ (i.e. +10% service charge +7% GST).

We ordered pizza and beef stew. The pizza reminds me of Alice Fazooli's, an Italian resturant in Toronto. The crust is thin and crispy. The cheese was very very good and salami absolutely delicious. B2 and B3 loved the pizza so much that we order a repeat. Finally, we can have a taste of Toronto in Singapore.

I am very happy to have something to remind me of a place which I have fond memories.

Heatwave

It is so hot today. The sky looks like there is an unhealthy level of smog. As I drive along CTE, everything seems normal. The road is busy with plenty of cars, buses and motorcycles. Birds are flying about. Yet, I wonder. I wonder if my senses are not sensitive enough. I wonder if the El Nino effects have on all living things. The reports on the news where water is running out in many places. The ships are trapped in the ice. Is it because of the increase in our ability to communicate such events due to technology or is it because there is a real increase in extreme weather patterns. Are the news reports slanted because of the editors and journalists increased awareness of the global warming issues? Or the long term trend is the Earth is getting exhausted?

There are many questions. I wonder and wonder. When will human race be wiped our due to our greed and callousness.

Mid-Valley, cont'd

Mid-Valley is my favorite place to stay now as there are two bookshops, both large and have a wide range of books relative to other store. MPH was having a 10% discount and 15% for members.

Mid-Valley has good anchor tenants like Jusco and Carrefour. There are plenty of high quality resturants. It is a pity that I do not get much time to spend on mall crawling as work commitments are heavy.

Since my family came over and stay in Mid-Valley for holiday, it is now a regular destination for my business trips as well.

Mid-Valley

Sorry for not writing on Wednesday and Thursday. I was in KL and did not want to pay for the internet in the hotel. It is too expensive for a couple of hours of usage. I have to go to AMK Central for dinner now. I will continue to write later...

Change

The landscape in Singapore is always changing. The malls are also changing. It is very confusing for me to go the Northpoint and the configuration today is so different from the time I lived there 12 years ago.

I grew up in Blk 46, Strathmore Ave. Today, all the buildings are new and much taller. There are some remanents of the past like a short wall between the road and the field. Other than that, it is hard for me to recall the place I grew up in. The sense of belonging is severely weaken by the lack of signposts and physical structure I can identify. Even the Broadway building in Ang Mo Kio Central has been extensive renovated and changed. So the exterior looked the same but it is very confusing and disorientating to not the find the old footpaths.

In contrast, Canada is quite static. The 401 and 403 highways stayed the same. The physical structure of the malls stayed the same for years and years even though there may be some changes in the tenants. I can refresh my memories every time I go back to Toronto.

Work Like Da Vinci

I have been listening to the audio book by Michael Gelb. Leonardo Da Vinci is the greatest talent alive. Many will dispute this claim. Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Chandra Bose, Peter Drucker, Alfred Nobel, and the list goes on.

Gelb did well by coming up with an original idea and leveraging a brand name. He also use Thomas Edison as well. The title is How to Innovate like Thomas Edison. Working like Da Vinci involves 7 principles. Curosity, Develop senses, Keep an open mind, continuous learning are some of the principles. This is no different from other self help books.

Gelb also highly recommend Tony Buzzan's Mind Mapping methods to develop ideas and projects.

Maid is having a Headache

My maid is having headache after her off day yesterday. So we will give her time off for light duties and eat out tonight. I wonder what she did to get the headache. We did not ask. Yet the question remains. Off day is for R&R rest and recreation that is. It can also bounce back and become an issue when R&R cause a person to be sick.

We hope she recovers and get well soon so that we have home-cooked dinner again.