B1 and B2

I was at the poolside when B2 returned home and he sat beside me and I told him how worried we are about his "O" level and how much we are investing in him. I also tell him that he has improved but need to work harder as his performance is still weak. He must be tired of us nagging him and we are all stressed - daddy, mummy and boy boy (the Singaporean way of calling a son). I can see that he is working very hard at his desk after the talk.
B1 has to do overtime as it is month-end. Although I planned to send my bikes for repair, I decided to postpone the repairs and go to pick him up instead. I armed myself with a book and bought a teh halia at the food court while waiting for him. The Hard Truths is interesting reading and the format makes it easy and highly readable. On the way home, B1 talks about his boss being worried that "everyone" is leaving and asked if he is interested in hiring his cousin. We also talk about how daddy and mummy has helped him to get a better job and start at a different level from his classmates and peers. I know there are other fathers who are at a much higher level than me and can see farther. Still I want him to appreciate his temp job and our support.

Tiger Mum

I wish my wife is a real tiger mum. After all the publicity, I realised my mistake! I always want my boys to have a happy childhood and enjoy themselves growing up. Now, as the key exams are imminent, it is my regret that I did not support my wife fullest in her bid to be a tiger mum. For the last 20 years, whenever my wife puts pressure on the boys to study and if I think they are stressed, I always take the position they will be all stressed up when they are adults and therefore need not start young. So my boys academic performance is above average but so-so in the realm of high achievers. B1 only put in efforts seriously in JC and his performance improved. Now, we are just waiting for A level results which should be out coming Friday.
B2 is being put through his paces now and is struggling to keep up. He is working hard but still take plenty of breaks as he has not build his stamina for study yet. B3 is just starting. He is still young and there is time to develop him further. Let's see if Tiger Mum works!

Xian - Fresh!

This is a new resturant in Punggol right beside the Serangoon river and now a reservoir. Xian means fresh in Chinese. It is a Chinese seafood resturant. The menu is just choke full seafood and not so many of my usual fare - meat, vegetables and tofu. We had cereal prawns, sweet sour fish, king pork ribs, asparagus, sizzling plate tofu and chopped chicken in black sauce. We had wonderful conversation with our three nieces and B1's girlfriend is there as well. The place was so crowded and a long queue of people outside the resturant. Cars are overflowing and parked along the road all the way out to the main road. The street lights at the carpark is what I loved - "green" solar powered LED floodlights. It is quite bright.
The concensus on the taste of the food is it is average. However the ambience and great conversations with our nieces make up for the "could-be-better" taste and weak service. We had a great evening.

Dinner with Big Boss

Big Boss is in town, so even though I just returned from a tiring trip, I have to show up. Dinner was in My Humble House at the Explanade. The food is fabulous and ambience cool. Presentation is fancy. Salt-baked abalone is very interesting and food is serve like a live demo. It is bring Chinese cuisine to a totally new level. Price is good too!!! I did not pay for the meal so do not know the exact price. Nothing but the best for the big boss!
We spent the evening talking about cars and horsepower. He just love powerful cars and speed. We spent the night listening to his passion. He also had a three hours lunch with LKY in 2007. He is impressed by LKY who brought his old photos along and talk alot about his wife. LKY also had great foresight and is quite frail. In short, LKY is simply amazing and impressive.

Random Thoughts

The shiny cool and bright malls I enjoyed in downtown Bangkok is consuming vast amount of energy and resources. Plenty of designer stuff, fancy sport cars, all kinds of sports equipment, audiophiles toys and giant bookshops are hastening the depletion of Earth resources. I wonder if my enjoyment is hastening the demise of our Mother Earth.

The traffic jams were horrendous last night on my way back to the hotel. I was thinking of all the energy burnt as millions of cars were just simply sitting there idling and aircond at full blast. Everyone should be driving Prius. The engine does not idle when the car is not moving. We will be saving huge amount of energy and releasing less carbon and pollution.

Food shortages due to extreme weather. Last year was Russia - wheat. This year, it is China. As I read all these news, I wonders if all the dire predictions are coming true!

No More Lonely Nights

Hurray, I am going home tomorrow! I was up before 4am and just finished my day. It is a long day. Customer is very nice but firm and clear. We need to meet their requirement or take a hike! I have written a note to get help. It is such a headache. Stressed in Thailand, pressures from Philippines and threatened in China. I feel that I am under siege by the customers and competition. Well, like what CEO of Hyflux, Olivia Lum says... tomorrow is another day.
Goodnite, zzzzZZZ

Early Start

Will have to get up at 3:45am tomorrow morning to catch a flight. It is going to be a tiring day. Anyway, it is important to meet with this customer and so my business partner has to get up early to travel.
I was all excite to discover Scala Sharkfin and find that the standard of the food has dropped even though the price remains premium. It was more than 20 years since I ate at Scala. It was the place to go for sharkfin. I don't think I will go there again.

Business as Usual in Bangkok

Life is normal in Bangkok. I am staying in a hotel right next the building that was burned. The area is under contruction and there are no sign of the protest or violent that ensued a year ago. The makeshift stalls on the roadside, hawkers selling street food and tourists milling around are clear indication that economy is chugging away. Resilent is the word that come to my mind as I drink in the sight, sound and smell. Thais are very resilent and cope well with change and aversity. This may be a result of their Buddhist philosophy and way of living.
I love the food here and ate too much during lunch. So I try to skip dinner. Guess what? I ate junk food at half past ten or 11:30pm, cashew nuts, potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. The book I am currently reading, Counter Clockwise by Ellen Langer says that it may be due to genes. So I really can't help myself. Then continues to point out other studies that also indicates 30 other possible causes of overweight. I love to eat too much and this is shortening my life! Okinawa diet means staying hungry all the time. It is well known fact now that Okinawa diet extend lifespan. Maybe my happiness with my life with counteract my joy of food.

Possible Death of Borders

It will be a sad day when Borders closed down in Singapore. Fiona Chan wrote in Sunday Times on Borders as her place of romance and after breaking up with her boyfriend for a year and a half, it is the site where they made up. Now they are married. I loved books. But I met my wife in Baskin Robbins. The Ice-Cream Palace with a choice 32 flavours on display at any one time. Being a booklover and one who frequent libraries and bookstores, alas I do not have the romantic fantasy in a bookstore. Borders did bring a new shopping experience with a great breadth of selection of titles. It is a totally new paradigm from MPH, the premier and flagship of bookstore since my school days.
While Borders was innovative in its time, Kinokuniya now overshadows it with even more extensive titles and bringing in loads of new titles all the time. I will be sad if Borders close shop. It is the closing of a chapter.

$5 Nasi Lemak!

After sending my boy for his piano lesson, I go to Bedok Food Center nearby to have breakfast and past time reading the newspaper. I decided to try out the nasi lemak stall that is not so popular. The food on display look okay to me although not as appealing as the more popular stall. I ordered mutton rendang, sayur lodeh and cuttlefish with nasi lemak rice. I was a little surprised by the price of $5 in hawker center. This is a place for the common man with low income. This is equivalent to RM11.50. The place is hot and basic. The cleanliness is ok, could be better but acceptable. My saving grace is my wife shared meal with me, thus I can divide the cost by 2. We are getting expensive just for basic living.

Yuan Xiao

Today is yuan xiao or Chap Goh Mei, i.e. 15th day of the new year. It is also the last day of Chinese New Year.

The sky is unusually clear tonight. Our moon is big round, bright and beautiful. The stars lit up the night sky even with our city lights make it difficult to see faint twinkle of starlight. Seeing the moon makes me wish good wishes:) I shall keep all my wishes a secret. I hope the moon fairy or angel will bless my family and I.

A Whole New Mind

I have read this book from cover to cover. I am listening to the audio version and it is still an excellent read! We are in the "plenty" age. There is abundance of material comforts and stuff. Left brain activities like reading x-rays, writing programs can be done cheaply in India or manufacturing products in the global workshop in China. What we need is strong right brain as well as left leading to a Whole New Mind! Creativity, Synthesis rather than analysis, Big picture views are the keys to success for our modern post-industrial age.
The author also recommended 6 different attributes to develop and how to develop them. I would recommend this book to my friends and family who are readers.

Interesting Issue with Sanyo Hybrid Bike

My Sanyo Hybrid Bike's front wheel vibrates every time I free-wheel. I called the Agent and the technician came over to replace the front wheel. The new front wheel vibrate less but still vibrates. All my other bikes do not have this problem. Maybe the motor/dynamo is the root cause. Anyway, I will test ride tomorrow to see if the fix works. The wheel is okay when peddling or charging back during braking. The moment it free-wheel, the vibration starts and it get not only noisy, it also uncomfortable as the vibrations transmit to the saddle and my butt gets all the woozy. I hope it is do not vibrate as much with the new front wheel.

B3 Fell Down in School

We were picking B3 from school to send him to tuition class. We had a shock when he appeared. There were two huge bandage on both his knees and they were bloody. He gave us a sheepish smile. Then he showed us his left hand and there were two cuts. In the car, he pull down his pants and he has long scratches from his hip to the left thigh.
He was playing and running with his classmate, Shane and tripped on a concrete slab in the field. It must be painful and he is such brave boy. We went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital's pharmacy to buy saline and sterile dressing to cleanse his wounds. Then we apply Tegaderm dressing on his wounds. After that, he has Quizo sub for lunch. It cost $8.90 for a sandwich, a cup of chicken noodle soup and a small Pepsi. I would have ate a bowl of fishball noodle at $3.30 plus a tea $1. I would not eat such explensive meal unless I want to treat myself. For my boys, this is normal and regular and I am ok to buy. Am I spoiling my boys or am I stingy on myself?

Creative Toys

B3 is keen to participate in creative toy competition. We have been doing some research. We will need to get ideas from books and internet. It is going to be a challenging project. We need to put in time and effort to figure out and build the project. I am the troubleshooter and analyser type. Creative and Synthesis are not my strengths. So I will need plenty of luck to help B3 to realise his dream.

Not True!

The saying goes "What go up must come down!" This definitely does not apply to weight gain. I gained One kg during my US trip a couple weeks ago. This kilo is really really sticky. It refuses to budge or back down. Maybe the Chinese New Year feasting did not help. All the cycling hardly make a dent. The latest study is cardio exercise do not help reduce weight. Only interval training i.e. low intensity couple with short high intensity burst is the right way to reduce weight. The PCN is quite flat. The slope are very gentle. So I have to change my route to more hilly terrain. I will switch to the Sengkang Gardens and see if I can achieve some reduction.

B3 Cycles Again - Hybrid Bicycle Rules!

B3, the baby of our family was reluctant to ride bicycle to the PCN. I think he is unfit and finds it too strenous. He has tried the hybrid bicycle and like it. So he accepted my invitation this afternoon to cycle. It is his first time to the PCN. Although the bicycle is heavy at 23kgs, he handles it well. The power assist really enable him to cycle fast. The only problem is he is not strong enough to push the bike when we go through obstacles or muddy areas. He is also adventurous and we rode all the way to the Punggol seaside. I am happy with this new bike as it now enable B3 to cycle again. I hope my wife will cycle too. Then we can ride as a family.

Sunny and Bright

Looks like La Nina effects are over. The sun is out in full force and blazing. Weather is hot, uncomfortably hot. With the fine weather, it is time for the great outdoor. The PCN is a great place for recreation. Hougang will be getting upgrading and soon I can cycle all the way from Punggol. There is a new F&B place right beside the river (nowa reservior) in Punggol. It has a nursery and a fast food, Popeye. The carpark is lighted by solar energy. Our government is experimenting with green ideas.

Routine Again

Chinese New Year is kind of over even though we are supposed to last for 15 days. There are still lot of visitings i.e. the road to our home which is usually clear are full of parked cars from visitors to a condo nearby.
For me and my family, we are back to our usual routines. It is tuition, piano class, tuition, homework and study. We eat out to have a break from home-cook food.
Prices in our ubiquitous hawker centres has gone up. This morning in Bedok, all the Malay food stalls have increased their prices by $0.50 i.e. $2.50 is now $3 for the usual mee siam, mee rebus, tauhu goreng. A 20% increase! What used to be priced at 3/4/5 has 3 blank out! This is $3 is no longer available. My usual teh halia is at $1 per cup. Nasi Lemak this morning is $4.50 per plate. It is a little dear to even eat at hawker centres. No wonder it may be a hot election issue in the coming months.

Amazing Fix

I reported my neck was stiff a couple days ago. Today, I visited my chiropractor in Forum. She pressed hard on all my muscles that were knotted and release them. I would say the pain level is at about 8 from 1 to 10 where 1 equals huh? and 10 equals scream till I drop. After she work and release all the tensions, I can turn my head. It is simply amazing.
I hope the fix stay good.

Maiden Ride

I sent my car for servicing today. Instead of taking bus, I took my newly acquired hybrid bicycle and rode home with my wife on the back seat. We go from Sin Ming Ave to Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 PCN and rode all the way home! The PCN is a fantastic system making it safe for cyclists. NParks managed to convince the government to finally build dedicated paths for bicycles. The ride give me the confidence that I can travel by bicycle to more places in Singapore. The problem is fumes and sun. It is quite hot and dusty. Car does have its advantages. Aircond comfort....mmmmm!

Inflation Again

Yes, I am suffering from pain in the neck after I woke up. It is awful. I have slept in such an awkward position my neck muscles are strained trying to hold it in position. Plus working on the computer... man! reading a magazine is difficult as well. Now, it is time to bed. I hope I sleep in a position that will allow my neck to recover.
This morning I bought my regular fried beehoon with fried chicken wing and otah. The meal cost $3.10! I have been reading the news and reports of unrest in Egypt and Tunisia are due to inflation of food prices. Just a couple of months ago, this meal would cost no more than $2.50. It is more than 20% increase! The price of tea in the coffeeshop now cost $1. It was 90 cents. Now Starbucks, Coffee Beans and Tully are luxury drinks at $6 per cuppa. Even Ah Kun increased price by 20cents to $1.50 per cup. My pay has not kept pace with inflation. I am quite sure many others are in the same boat.
It is important for our government to tackle inflation. Otherwise, we are all in trouble.

Back to Work

It is nice to get a long weekend for CNY. In the news, the clinics are busy. Many are down with cough and flu. Some clinics issue 30% more MCs. Many are sick over the holidays due to close contact in crowded conditions. My sisters and mum is down with flu too. My family is luckily spared. We are all back to school and to work. B1 working on his temp job, B2 and B3 in school and I start with an early meeting. There are plenty to do. Performance reviews are due too. I have to go to visit customers this weekend. It is good to get the break to renew and refresh our family and friends relationships. It is back to the grind.

Surprised Visitors

My wife's good friend and her family drop by for dinner. It was a short notice like an hour. They have planned to meet anyway but it was supposed to be yesterday. I was cycling halfway and was recalled to buy food. Anyway, we ate and ate. The girls like our food especially the younger girl who loves the kailan stem. I am very happy to see the girls who behaves well and is very polite and responsive. They also engages in our conversation. I really enjoys their company. They make me wish I have daughters. My boys are great. I loved them very much and they are well behaved. I feels girls are more empathetic and will spend the time to care for others. I have seen the girls from the time they are babies to now teenagers. They have grown up and doing extremely well academically. Both are in RI or Raffles Institution. My classmates' kids and my wife's classmates kids are all in RI. I should have allowed my wife to be a tiger mum instead of shielding my boys for hardwork! I am not a good parent to keep telling my wife to let my boys have a good time as they are only a kids for short time. Now that all my classmates' kids are in Raffles, I realise I am the one making a mistake. No time for regrets...now I am encouraging my boys to work hard and study. Hopefully, it is not too late.

My Brother

My brother invited all of us to go to his house today. It is the first time for my boys to visit the house I grew up in. It is a tiny 3 room flat that house 5 kids and two adults. The estate has undergone upgrading and the environment as changed. There are two lifts and one lift go to every level. This is one of the first HDB estate. My parent bought the flat in 1963 and we move in 1965. In two years, flat will be 50 years old which is half the life of 99 years lease. There is a lot of history in the flat. I got married and live there before relocating to Canada. My brother moved in after I left. All my matrimonial furniture - the cupboard, the dressing table, the bed frame are still used by my brother. It is incredible that furniture lasted till today. They are more than 23 years old and still going strong!
This is the first time my brother invited us over and all the siblings came over to visit. He was the black sheep of the family but this time he is hospitable and gracious. I can see that he is extremely happy to host us and introduced us to his three daughters repeatedly. When we are leaving, he booked us to visit again on day 3 next year.

Lucky Me!

Snowstorms in US. 10,000 flights cancelled! I am so glad that the snowstorms hit after I returned home. It must be a huge nightmare. However, it is not their holiday season. So it is not as bad as if it hit during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Angels, THANK YOU!

Cousins

It has been years since I last saw my cousins. Today, they came to visit. They are all grandmas with a few grandchildren. I could not catch up with them. It is incredible change. Their kids has grown, got married and have family. I am getting old:(
My boys were surprised that I have such senior cousins. Why are they so old? I told B3 he is an uncle to the Secondary 1 girl and he is only in P4.
It is really fantastic that we finally get a chance to meet. Thanks to my mother who is here. I have invited my cousins to visit before but they did not come. This time my mum asked and they all come. Seniority still counts!

Beautiful Day

Okay, our meteorologist is right! No rain today. The clouds look threatening but did not open. We visited our boys maternal grandpa and grandma to pay respects and convey our best wishes. After that it is back to host all my sisters, nieces and nephews. Matriarch is here and we took many pictures of her with her brood aka family pictures:)
We have a relaxing day as we did not provide meals but just the traditional goodies. We used to host a meal and requires so much work that we do not have time to have conversations with our visitors. Now we have plenty of contact time. The weather is cooperating too.
After our visitors left, B2 and I went cycling. Mostly foreigner workers and some non-Chinese are at the Park Connector Network. We only met two maybe three Chinese like us who is available to exercise after the New Year visiting.

Sui or water

Sui is Cantonese slang for money. It is raining cats and dogs now. Plenty of "sui". Looks like money will be pouring into Singapore this year. And meteorologist is wrong to forecast fair weather for Chinese New Year! Guess forecasting weather is still hazardous. As right as rain!
Reunion dinner is a simple affair this evening. My mum is ate here. She is tired and sleeps a lot! I am too. I am still trying to adjust to the jet lag.
I will stay up as long as I can in accordance to the tradition.