Bishan Library Called

Mdm Chua from Bishan Library called. She was giving me the reason her counter staff is very busy and therefore need to get patrons to self-serve as much as possible. I told her main library is even busier and they do not do what Bishan Library does. They just do the checkout cheerfully and do not tell their customers off. Anyway, she says she will inform her colleagues to be more careful. Sigh! Hard to get basic message of Customer feedback through. It is so simple for them to observe Main Library.

Cool Weather

The rain has brought temperature down. It is very comfortable without aircond today. Rain also makes it difficult to cycle for exercise. I should swim but the water is cold. It is actually quite nice to cycle in light drizzle. The path is empty except for a few crazy fellow cyclists who whisk by us on their expensive road bikes. Those are hard core cyclists and I am just at recreational level.
I had good chicken rice in Purvis Street for lunch. I am so full as I order too much food. I should reduce the quantity I ordered as I usually finished up whatever on the table. It is an ingrained habit that is hard to change. Mum always tell me how other poor kids are starving and I should not ever waste food. Today, it is an automatic response build right into my subconcious.
To celebrate the last day of "A" level, we eat out for dinner. The Ichiban Tei in Liang Court. This is one of the better Japanese resturant. Liang Court is like a dead town on a Monday evening. The mall is virtually deserted. It is quite a contrast from the malls along the main Orchard Road belt.

Will there be War?

Seems like South Korea is serious and determined to show they are ready for war. It may not be a good thing but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. In terms of economy, South Korea has more to lose. However, it is about face and superior firepower. If the war really start up, I am afraid it will be bad for the rest of the world. However, I am sure South Korea will prevail since the country has many friends in the world.

The Christmas Train

I loved Christmas movies. One of my favorite is Jingle All The Way starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Christmas Train is my first Christmas story by David Baldacci. Audio book is an easy way to read. I like the fairy tale of estranged couple who got back together by a rich film director. It is full of twists and turns which makes it interesting. Christmas Train makes me want to go back to live in Toronto.

Christmas is Coming

The malls are all decked to their finest. The Christmas carols over the PA system. The cool weather. The pointsettia. I loved it when Christmas is coming. Reminds me of living in Canada. Christmas is fun and joyous. Christmas is giving and forgiving. Christmas is Ham and Turkey. Christmas is friends and family.
This Christmas we will have a family lunch on Christmas Day and B1 and B2 will invite some of their classmates over on Boxing Day. We want to spread Christmas cheer and joy. We are happy to have guests over to our home.

Poor Service at Bishan Library

I borrow 3 audio books and 1 dvd from Bishan Library this morning. The counter staff told me that since the DVD is a single disk, I could have used the self service counter before proceeding to checking out the items. After I reach home, I found I could not open the DVD. It was locked and impossible to open. If I have done the self-checkout, I definitely would have to the counter to get it unlocked.
Bishan Library has most terrible service I have encountered. The counter staff main library in Bras Basah are always friendly and helpful. They do not remind or tell patrons of the library off when we wait at the counter for their service. The counter staff need to unlock the single disk anyway. I called the call center to get help. The call center asked if I like to get a reply from the person in charge of Bishan Library on their service. I left my name and number. Guess what? Surprise! Surprise! Bishan Library did not call.

Calm before a Storm?

Suddenly, everything seems calm or is it news blackout? What is really happening behind the scene? Will there be unpleasant surprises? Will war really happen? Is peace really unusual in the history of man?
Many questions are up in my mind. We are so far away and yet with today's wired and e-world, we have become a village where smallest details can be told to the world in seconds. I saw the video of the bombs exploding on the news and it was scary to see the panic of the people running and the camera shuddering at the shocks of the explosions.
Right now, it is business as usual. So work will just have to keep going and all these questions may become academic and be forgotten once peace prevail again.

Safe to Travel to Korea?

To go or not to go? That is the question! I have to go to Korea for work. Tension is escalating and work still have go on. I will need to monitor the situation closely and decide if it is a go or no go. The stock market drops and now is stablised. Maybe the situation is not as dire as it seems.
Welcome to the world of travelling for work. Must be vigilant at all times!

Escalation of Tension

North Korea shell artillery on island of South Korea. This is a provocative act. If war does happen, the economic recovery will be in jeopardy. This will be terrible as many will be thrown out of work.
I am scheduled to go there next week. So I will be watching the development closely....

Frustrations@#$%@###!!!

The office system is not working well. The deadline for a corporate requirement is due end of this week and I simply can't get in. It may be everyone else is doing the same thing. It is impossible when there is a peak period and the system cannot cope with the volume. What am I to do? It is so frustrating to try and try and still no joy. I have to ask my IT expert for help tomorrow. Computer make work quick and effective. When it does not work, then it is really a pain in the rear end!

Early Bird Catches the Fish

My wife could not take my reminder that she will wake up early to "catch" fish yesterday. We arrived at fishmonger quarter past eight and the nice fishes are sold out. So she woke up at 5:15am this morning. I was shocked as she is a sleep queen. Actually, her entire family's key recreation is sleeping. I kid you not. My father-in-law or brother-in-law would come to my house for gathering and they will find a comfortable place and in a few mins will be snoring away. Anyway, since she woke up early, I got up and we went to the fishmonger. On the way to the wet market, my wife was a little skeptical that the fishmonger is open and will be ready for business. We arrived and hey presto! he is selling. In fact, there is a crowd in front of his stall. We bought a red snapper and ikan kurau which he deboned. We also bought frozen scallops and squids. Having seafood is a recent change for my family.

Italian Lunch

Thunderstorm in the late morning. We were on the way for lunch and then tuition. The lightnings were magnificent! Huge long flashes every few seconds. With the rain pouring, we went to the resturant nearest to the tuition center, Chalk. The food was a little too salty this time. They still taste good. But we may be going there less often since the standard seems to have dropped. Maybe it is the salami. We had salami pizza, salami aglio olio and chicken caesar salad.
The food in Chalk is still better than the MOF resturant in Bugis Junction.

Fish

My latest fad is buying fish from the Hougang market. We were a little late this morning. All the big fishes were gone. So we booked a large fish for tomorrow. It is a red garoupa. I am helping to empty the South China Sea. I can abstain from eating fish but my boys will not be able to taste them once they are gone forever. It is attitude like mine is the reason why fish are getting extinct. Of course, the fishing industry is the biggest culprit as they do non-sustainable fishing by dredging through coral reefs and catching small fishes.

Mum comes a-visiting

Mum landed in Changi Airport today. She is here to escape the harsh winter of Toronto. She gave me President's Choice Almonds and two bottles of Tyernol. My boys and I prefer Tyernol rather than Panadol for headaches. She looked well and her knee is doing well. But recovery is still quite some way to go.
Modern air travel is quite incredile considering her limited mobility. I am looking forward to living in Canada again.

Working on a Public Holiday

The disadvantage about working with a boss who is 12 or 13 hours time difference is how to tell him it is a public holiday yesterday. I did not. So I just work as usual. I have the morning and afternoon off. I was too occupied with my word to write last night.
My wife decided to cook up the curry mee paste I bought from Penang. We went to NTUC Fairprice to get some fresh grocery. It is so simple to cook. The curry tasted like the curry mee in the food court of Marina Square. It is a tad salty for my taste. Other than that, it was excellent. I have another pack and will try it out with my relatives. Cooking food is a good pastime. I like to have gatherings to bring our extended family together.

Excellent Yong Tau Foo in Penang

I was in Penang yesterday to meet my customer and give an award to his top performer for our products. His daughter and his partner's son has joined the business. He has great growth in his business as China is booming. We had an excellent Chinese dinner unfortunately for me no pork!
Today, we met another customer in Kulim Industrial Park. The customer is enormous! There are 4 completed factory and factory 5 will be commissioned on Dec 15 and factory 6 on March 15 next year. The factory ground is more than 2 km long!
Being a foodie, the best part of the trip was lunch after we finished work. I survey all the available choices as usual. There were plenty of rice with all the vegetable and meat dishes. One Nasi Lemak(coconut rice) and Yong Tau Foo, Penang-style. I made my choice on yong tau food and in the minute that I was gone to survey other stalls, the queue moved from 3 persons to more than 10 persons long. It is a popular store! Luckily, while I was still deciding whether to queue as I hate queuing up for anything she stand in line. In another 10 secs, the queue become 20 long!!! So it is a famous and popular store. I am alright to queue when there are more than 10 persons behind.
We ordered our choices from the menu of 20 or more items. The noodle was crunchy and has light taste. The fried crispy crunchy beancurd skin was bursting with flavour when I bite into it. Fishball is not as good as our Singapore version. I do like all the other items like brinjal, green chilli, fried wanton, and fried prawn roll. The meal is low cost too RM17 for two. Tea in a coffee shop cost RM1 per cup. I want to retire in Penang. My dollar will stretch further.

First Wedding for My Siblings' Kids

Obviously, we are ageing. My boys are growing up and my nieces have boyfriends and one just got married today. So there will be others and then they have kids. I will be a granduncle soon:) Life is going in a circle. As the kids grow up and start their family I will slowly decline in health and then fade away. MM Lee is our great example. He is still working strong even though he is old and frail. I will like to continue to work as it is give meaning to live. Moving on to the next stage in life is unavoidable whether you like it or not.
I wish my niece and her husband great happiness and future together.

Looking Forward

I do not want to look too far. Further plans are hard to do and execute. Also will the World ends in 2012? I am comforted to know think of this when I am troubled. All my frustrations will end when the World ends! This kind of fantasy thinking is excellent stress relief.
What I am looking forward is Christmas. Christmas is a time for family. A time for celebration and warming up beside the fire. The cool weather and rain brings out the festive atmosphere. I have suggested to my two older boys to invite their friends over for dinner during one of the Christmas holiday. They have some friends who spend Christmas alone. Some are scholars from oversea, some because their parents are busy working. I thought we can spread Christmas cheer around. I hope they come for Christmas.

Getting Married

My 2nd sister's 2nd daughter is getting married tomorrow. She will be the first grandchild of my mother to be married. My eldest and baby sister decided to go to give "Ang Pow" or red packet tonight. I joined them just to make sure she is not confused tomorrow when she has to give out many Ang Pows to all the "Ah Yees" and the groom's entourage. I guess this makes sense. I am poor in social etiquette as I usually do not bother about such protocol. It is so much easier to follow my sisters.
I did not feel good since morning. I decided to pass time watch Sabrina. I am surprised I was emotional and touched by the movie. I watched this movie many times before. It was just an enjoyable movie. I wonder if my emotional low caused me to more sensitive. My eyes well up with tears a couple of time.

Fish Yield Drops in SEA

Overfishing has reduced the catch of fishermen. It is a matter of time we will run out of fish if the unscrupulous continue to do bottom fishing destroying the corals reefs and other habitats of fishes. It is a worrying report. I do not like to eat fish, so will not miss it. But my boys loved fish. Only the B3 share my "love" for fish. Fresh fish is quite nice and not fishy in taste. I dislike fish taste. I used to vomit when my mum fed me with codliver oil. So since young, no fish for me.
If the governments in South East Asia or SEA do not do something to regulate fishing, the fish industry will be destroy. We need to adopt similar measure like Canada when the cod fish yield collapse. So fishing become illegal to let the fish population recover. Today, the cod fish is thriving again. If catching fish is regulated where destructive methods are illegal and limits to catch pulled from the sea, then the fish will have a chance to recover. Fishing needs to be done at a sustainable level.

One More Day

Time passes quickly when you are on vacation. Tomorrow will be my last day of vacation week. I still have plenty of days leftover to be forfeited. I will need to take more vacation. Being on call 24/7, it is not easy to take a real vacation. But it is fun to let my colleagues know so that I can get away with a longer timeline for replies.
I shall make full use of my day tomorrow to do what I like - hunting for good food!

Working Vacation

Work cannot be avoided during vacation. I spent more than an hour just talking to a colleague. She is a disbeliever anyway and is trying to paint me into a corner. It is very hard to deal with colleague who is very opinionated. Anyway, I have strong opinion too and I am going to protect the business I am in.
It really does not matter what I said. She heard differently. I am going to spend more and more time with her. I need all the luck working with her.

Far East Plaza

I know it is pathetic. I took my holiday revisiting memory lane in a shopping mall. Far East Plaza is a jumbled up mix of individual shops. I used to frequent Far East Plaza when I was working in Shaw Centre from 1988 to 1990 for a medical device company. The layout of the mall is still the same but the tenants have changed. It was fairly rundown in the good old days. I remember enjoying meals in one of the first Hong Kong Noodle Resturant in the corner. Lunch along Orchard Road is always more expensive than any other area. Even Shenton Way is cheaper with the Lau Pa Sat. I was a Product Manager at that time and single. So I could afford to pay more for my daily lunch. Far East Plaza has also a few of the small shops that is similar to hawkers but at slightly higher price. They are still there today! Some things still stay the same. However, the difference is today it is a hangout for young adults with many shops selling clothing and accessories targeted to this market.
I am enjoying my holiday.

First Day of My Week Long Vacation

I loved it! It is nice to have a vacation. Although I am still working I am enjoying this vacation. The feeling of being on vacation. Working when it is not necessary remind me of a saying "You are a slave as long as you do what is required. The moment you do more, you become a master."
I like the feeling of being a master. Although workaholic, the negative term also applies as well.

My Dream

Thinking of Toronto and a wave of warm feeling past through my body. I enjoyed reminiscing the times in Canada. Maybe, it is the featured article on Toronto that trigger my memories. My dream is to retire in Canada like my mum. Maybe I will spend half my time here and half my time in Canada. I loved going to Chapters in winter and sit beside the fireplace with latte and read.
It will be wonderful to live in Canada again. My opportunity to visit will be in a couple of years when B1 go to University as Canada is one of his target destinations. It will be wonderful to go to Canadian Tire, Loblaws and eat mmmMuffins, drink Tim Horton's coffee and have sweet treats like Saint Cinnamon, Pecan tarts and Apple pie la a mode. Cut grasses in summer and shovel snow in winter. Do gardening in spring and enjoys the fall colours. Take walks in the numerous parks and live a relaxed lifestyle, have plenty of space and enjoys resturants like Alice Fazooli, Pickle Barrel, Swiss Chalet and Vietnamese resturants.
Yes, I must work hard to be able to afford living in Canada in retirement. It is a nice dream.

More about Lobsang Rampa

The sky is lit up with orange hue. Rain drizzle on and off. It is a nice and quiet morning. Racheal Ray just left and Martha is keeping me company. I am on my computer writing...
Last night after dinner, I have a sudden urge to locate where Lobsang Rampa wrote about the signs of the impending earth shift. I remembered that he said more earthquakes and volcano eruptions, storms becoming increasingly violent. At the end of his books, he has offered Touchstone and 12" Record for sales through a company in England. I bought a touchstone and the record many years ago. I remember throwing the record away in one of my spring cleaning as vinyl record players went the way of dinosaurs. I do not remember touchstone. It is just a small piece of plastic. I may have thrown it away.
The touchstone is supposed to calm you down. I remember it did not really work for me. Maybe I do not follow the instruction. I search through the net and found this website where the books are available for free. My books cost $2.80 each or 35pence. Those days pound is worth more than $5. Today it is worth $2.
You can find out everything about Lobsang Rampa by clicking below:

http://www.lobsangrampa.org/index.html

Dark and Early

Waking up in the dark is not fun. I am up since 20 to five. I need to go to the washroom to empty my full bladder. I lies on the bed to go back to dreamland. My mind keep floating to work. I realised I need to work on my presentation on basic selling skills for my customer the week after. I cannot fall back to sleep thinking about this. So I get up and fire up my laptop and started writing. I finished writing up a skeleton presentation.
Now, I am fully awake, I decided to blog. Blogging help relive memories in future. I also like the fact I am practising writing as well. It is a good way to as Stephen Covey in 7 Habits of Highly Effective Person puts it - Sharpen my Saw.
The phrase for starting early is usually bright and early but in Singapore it is dark. It would be bright at 20 to 5 in Toronto in summer, thereby creating the bright and early term.

Nobel Peace Concert

The concert is dedicated to President Obama who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize. Obama has a vision for the world to be nuclear weapon-free. "It is time for us to solve global problems on a global basis." Maybe I did not recall correctly what Will Smith the compere said. The concert is an extravaganza. The well-choreograph dancers and back up singers make the concert very engaging.
Truly inspiring gifted man -Mrs Will Smith on Barack Obama

Early and Headache

I am up early and have a headache with Deepavali holiday. What a bother! This is really troublesome. Receiving bad news on a holiday's eve is a lousy start. Although the impact may not be that big, it is not a good feeling to be taken advantage of and messed around by a big company.

Switch

This book is about change. How to change and how to make change happen. There are two component to human psyche - the elephant (emotion) and the rider (logic). Most of us use rider to convince people of change e.g. smoking is bad for you - see the statistics, look at the pictures of lung cancer or Surgeon General report. Or using the elephant - smokers smell terrible, you are killing your loved ones with 2nd hand smoke.
There is once more component to change which is every effective. The environment or situation. Changing the environment facilitates change. This book gave a few anecdotes on effecting change. The key to change it making it clear with specific instructions.

Harry Brown - the movie

The plot is simple. A pensioner was killed. He is the best friend of Harry Brown. Harry Brown is no ordinary old man. He is a well decorated ex-Marine. The police is impotent. Harry decides to take matters in his own hand. He basically decimated the gangs single-handly. The grand finale has some tense moments as it looked like he and the police has lost their battle. Then all well's ends well.
I like the good guy wins in the end conclusion.

Mozart Brain and the Pilot

This book is about our brain and mind. I like the recommendations like keeping a notebook(which is really hard to do), working on puzzles and reading broadly to keep our minds active. How to stem Alzheimer's disease - exercise like swimming and jogging helps. I am also trying to read more fiction and use what the author recommends i.e. use Cliffnotes to help understand and recall plots and characters. This is like flossing our minds.
Plenty of studies and brain research help us understand better how our minds work and how to maintain it at peak conditions. Writing out what I have just read is a good way to help retention and recall. I need to do more book reviews so that I can better remember all the books I have read.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

We have a large mirror on the wall right beside our dining table. My seating position is such that the mirror is parallel to my line of sight. This evening I have sit at my wife's seat on the dining table to help B3 with his science homework. I am facing directly into the mirror. I am so dark! My face is literally burnt. My upper chest is quite dark and colour lighten downward. Yes, I am bare bodied at home. I look at the image staring back at me. It is terrible! Dark, overweight and not so good looking. I am no longer the handsome young man...sigh...