Punggol Water Park

The Punggol Water Park has a water playground that is very similar to the one in Oakville, Canada. The difference is in Singapore this water play ground will be all year round whereas in Oakville the water is flowing only in summer.

The bike path from Punggol Point toward Lorong Halus is now open. It is fantastic to ride all the way without dismounting. The ride from SengKang Community Center through the Punggol Water Park and then along the former seaside, now Punggol Reservoir looking into Serangoon Island take about an hour. It is a circle route to Punggol Point, then Punggol Marina and back toward SengKang.

The sights are scenic and air, fresh! On weekdays, the park is not well patronized. So it is more relaxing to bike. On the weekend, the crowd is huge and plenty of small kids riding their training bike. It is not so fun. Thank to NParks, we have such beautiful natural landscape for exercise.

Popeye's

We have to look for a place where our boys can study and eat. So no Chinese resturants. Swensen's is too dark otherwise it is good as we can sit for a couple of hours. So we settle on Popeye's Louisana Fried Chicken at the Singapore Flyer. The place has plenty of seats and is not crowded even on the weekend. Most importantly, there is no signs discouraging students from studying.

Popeye's fried chicken is quick delicious. The taste is far superior to KFC. The sides are not much different. There is a flea market on today as well. I do not know if it is going to be successful as the place is not busy.

Massive Roots Growing in Drainage Pipe

The drain hole outside my house does not drain well. We found a contractor to improve the drain. When the drain pipe was cut, the hole was almost occluded by tree roots. The root size was huge. Three quarter of the diameter of the drain pipe is occupied by the main roots and there are plenty of rootlets. It is amazing to see the monster root that grow and grow and we did not know until we have drainage problem. The tree has been there for 7 or 8 years now. The power of tree. Simply amazing.

Katong Laksa

It is nostalgic time to eat the Katong Laksa that bring back the memories of my childhood weekend family jaunt in Changi Beach. I was younger than B3 when I ate the Katong Laksa. The favour is not as good as before according to my wife, I still think it is the best in town. Lot of changes happening in Katong. High rise condominiums are popping up left and right. New malls in the final stages of completion. Good thing is Chin Mei Chin coffeeshop is still around and the kaya is the best in town. I like it better than Ah Kun!

Artificial Aquarium

I was browsing through the Gramaphone store in basement 2 of Takashimaya as I love movies especially documentaries. I also see if there is any new age music that I may like. There is this set of Blu-ray DVD that is supposed to be relaxing. It has aquarium, beach, fireplace and ocean. I now know where Best Denki, Harvey Norman and other big electronics store get their nice scenery for display. I bought a set of 4 for $44. The colour is brilliant and turn my display into a saltwater aquarium. It is supposed to be relaxing. I am not sure I do not really look at the display. However it is interesting to see the colourful corals and saltwater fishes.

Now I can have an artificial aquarium anytime!

Jurong West Hawker Center

Apparently, the hawker center at Blk 507 Jurong West has quite good food. Being a foodie, I drove all the way there to try out. Yes, the fried bee hoon and wanton mee is quite good. The fried carrot is also quite good. Unfortunately, my stomach is limited. So I can try only three different dishes.

I understand the chicken porridge and fried hokkien mee are high standard as well. Even yong tau foo has "Top 10" certificate and I saw what some customers eating the yong tau foo and it looked very appetitizing. Maybe, I will bring my boys there to try. Still it is just standard hawker fare but it is the taste of Singapore, our home.

Singapore Flyer

Deepavali, the festival of lights and a public holiday. So we take a "flight" on the flyer. Although we had 5 tickets, B2 is unable to join the ride as he has to prepare for his "O" level exams. The flyer is interesting. We have to board while it is still moving. The views is stunning and exciting especially when we reach the apex. The capsule is airconditioned and is comfortable. After we started the journey down, the rain clouds reach us and everything become blurry. The ride was stopped due to the rain and all onboard alighted.

B3 is afraid of heights. So he sat on the bench for the whole ride. I was a little surprised by his fear and his thighs turned purple as the blood vessels near the skin turned cold. I hope he will be able to overcome his fear in future.

At the apex, it is a little scary and the good thing is the movement of the capsule is continous. So we know we are on our way down. I do not know how those were caught in a 4 hours jam when the motors failed feel. It must be panic as there were no information and finally have to rappel down with the rescuers. It will be a ride they never forget.

The Closed Western Minds

I cracked open the spine of New Asian Hemisphere and started reading. Prof Kishore Mahbubani has an interesting style. His views are back by annecdotes from news and published papers around the world. The examples he brought up are very solid and perspectives from the East is clear. The Western viewed their economic superiority as they owned the world and everything they do and believed in must be right. God is with them as articulated by their leaders publicly. The West has given the world seven pillars that bring economic prosperity. However, as the rest of the world prospers, the West is getting discomfort of the rising of powers of others. They are denying and still insist on their position of superiority.

Let's see how the future unfolds.

Family Time

We have our complete family for dinner tonight. It is nice the boys are talking each during dinner time. We had roti prata with leftover mutton curry from this morning. Then cook some Japanese noodles with the soba sauce. The meal is simple and fulfilling.

B1 does not have a chance to be at home every weekend. So the time he is back for meals with us is very precious. B2 is studying hard for his "O" level. B3 had fun with sea monkeys and waiting for the triops to hatch. It is a day where we relax and do not worry about work or business.

It is rejuvenating day for us.

Triops

B3, our baby boy is always interested science experiments. He found out there is a new toy called triops which claims to be prehistoric creatures. He also found the way to buy it and it is through Amazon for US$5 and shipping is US$10 which is more expensive than the product itself. Unfortunately, Amazon.com cannot ship out of USA for this product.

So we check it out in the internet to see where we can get it in Singapore. Hey presto! Rainbow Aquarium. Unfortunately, there is no address. We check out the aquarium this morning after our breakfast in Kovan Hawker Center. They actually have it but at S$20. I negotiated for a better deal and whisper to B3 that the price on the internet is better. The girl serving us overheard and refused to give a discount telling me that it is the same price as internet. So we walk away.

We check out the big aquarium in Jalan Kayu. We are in luck. They do carry the same product. Better still, it is priced at $18 with 15% discount. So we save $4. Fantastic. I also bought brine shrimp aka sea monkeys and tubex worms for my goldfishes. They needed a treat as I don't they have not been fed for the week I was gone.

Hopefully, the triops hatched and grow to maturity.

Amazing Recovery

No jetlag while returning home. It is simply amazing! I am glad to drink my teh halia and eat my fried kway teow. German food is a tad too salty for me. I had good breakfast in the hotel but it is a little boring. Bacon, sausages and eggs. Fruit and vegetable salad. 6 different types of buns. I like the loose tea leaves where I can make tea in a pot.

Maybe I will feel "off" tomorrow.

Counting down to 23rd October, this Sunday when Punggol Park will be officially open. It looks like a carnival. There are also temporary platform built for the VIPs to walk down to the main Promenade. The opening cost so much money. We must have the fanfare to celebrate as it will be open by Prime Minister.

Chinese Resturants are Everywhere

I am staying at airport hotel. It is a small suburb with neat houses and quiet neighbourhood. Right across the street is a Chinese Resturant. I did not try the food as I am not hungry during meal times. The electric trams still runs and it is very retro for me. The electric trams in Dusseldorf is modernised and run fast and quiet unlike those in Toronto. I have not been to Hong Kong for a long time and do not know if the electric tram is still running there.

Huge Exhibition - A&A

I visited the A&A exhibition in Dusseldorf. The exhibition is enormous. It occupys 10 halls and all filled with exhibitors from all over the world. I am a little overwhelmed by the products. Fire protection, Fall Protection, Gloves in a thousand iteration, Apparels - disposable, reusuable, chemical resistant, wet resistant and so many other purposes. The market is gigantic. There are so many companies from all over the world. Some brought the knitting machines and the moulds for shoes. It is quite an impressive sight.

Cooped

I have been cooped in a room all day long. No exercise and plenty of talking and listening. What a healtny lifestyle! I am glad to get some fresh air before dinner. It is German food. I am looking forward to it. I have been good today as I did not eat much lunch.

Dusseldorf

It is quite cold landing into Frankfurt. I have to wait for 2 and half hours to take my connecting flight to Dusseldorf. Flying over Germany, the landscape show the low density of the country. Plenty of forest and farmlands. There are clusters of houses spread out across the country. Unlike Singapore where tall buildings dominate the landscape. The houses are individual two storeys and a bunch of them would cluster together like a village. Some clusters are bigger, many a hundred or two. Probably many of the clusters are just farmers and they either own or work the land surrounding the houses.

It is Sunday and there are not much activity outside the hotel. I may take a walk just to familiarise myself with the surrounding and for exercise.

Internet make it so much easier to pass time nowadays when travelling into a foreigh country. I remember I was bored to death on a weekend in Holland. No shops, freezing weather, and nothing to do. At least I can blog and surf the net nowadays.

Peter Drucker

The revised book - Management, Tasks and Responsibilities has a section on Individual and Self-reflection. It is interesting reading. Peter Drucker will spend 3 to 4 years focusing on a new subject to learn. It can be statistics, Japanese art, philosophy, or marine life. Peter will go in-depth study and then move on. He found that this help him to look at things differently and have insights that others will not have. He is a prolific writer and is a genius. He invented management.

I do recommend this book as a reference for all practising managers.

Slowdown In Global Economy

The new on the global economy outlook is expected to slowdown. This is why while Singapore avoided a technical recession in this quarter, MITI or Ministry of Trade and Industry has adjusted the full year forecast down to 5%. We are going downhill again and need to fasten our seatbelt.

Feeling Out of Sorts

I have been feeling out of sorts lately. It may be the pressure at work or stock market losses or ... I don't really know. It is just a series of bad news. Stay positive, think positive and I should look at the glass half full instead. So it is a series of opportunities that I received.

It is hard to put a finger into on why this feeling come. Maybe it is a major trip is coming up. I always like to put in a factual or positive post. Public airings of negative moods is not something I like to do. Tonight, I just feel like penning down my thoughts. I am just a mortal with feelings and I am not feeling good:(

Our Amazing PCN

I try out the opposite side of the PCN and ride all the way to Lorong Halus. Then I notice a section that seems short and will lead to the dam. So I decided to check it out. This section of PCN is not paved but fill with red pebbles. As I ride, I was amazed that it keeps going and going. It is almost scary as there were no other riders. The good thing is at certain section, there are workers fixing up the bridge or building a canal. It continues until I saw the street lights powered by windmills and solar panels. Then I realised I have reach Punggol Point! The wall separating the Punggol Point and this section has a sheet removed. So I decided to go through and return via Punggol Marina. It is going to be a wonderful ride in future. Two different routes and both are very scenic and away from vehicular traffic.

I am getting happier with my home.

Progressing Fast

The PCN on the Punggol stretch is making good progress. The workers are putting all the finishing touches like the tiles and the fountains. The granite stretch of water filters along the river is being rework to clear the mud and replenish with fresh granite chips. Some rest stops are still work-in-progress. Overall, I am very happy to cycle where the air is good and there is no need to stop for traffic lights and watch out for cars and lorries.

Singapore Government and NParks are doing a wonderful job.

Canton-i

This morning, I wanted to go on diet for the week to reduce my weight. My weight has been creeping up even on I am perpetually on a "diet". My waistline has increased steadily over the years. But by lunch time, my resolution in the morning has weakened and I decided to try out Canton-i in ION. I like the Canton-i in KL. It is a resturant highly recommended by colleagues and we do eat there regularly.

Since I am on "diet", I ordered light. Char siew and roast pork combination at $20.80 and fried carrot cake ($9.60) and two steam bun with custard. The meal for two cost about $50. It is quite dear considering I ordered on three items and one hot water which cost $1. The food tastes quite good. However, the service is poor. We have to pay at the counter. I am quite surprised that for such a premium price positioning, the service level is so low.

I loved the food but I don't think I will bring my boys to try as patrons are made to feel it is a limited service resturant at an exorbitant price.

Wonder

The outpouring of grief over the death of Steve Jobs is a worldwide phenomenon. I wonder how the rest of sentient beings the average Joes, or Lims in Singapore, feels. Every news channel broadcast how great he is or rather was, a genius, business extraordinaire, superb innovator, great leadership, fantastic instinct and many other superlatives.

After a while, the average Lim will probably sigh and feel like a loser, an ant in the planet that if someone steps on and squashed the life out instantly, no one would know or care. Okay, this is a little extreme. Maybe the immediate family and friends care and grieve. Even if you are relatively strong in your network, a couple of hundred people may show up for your funeral. This is still nothing compared to the millions, hundreds of millions who life have been "touch" by Steve Jobs.

Tao advocate humility and invisible to the world. The REAL leader leads when the people says they did it themselves. This is a consolation to the average Lim like me...

PCN Part 2, Memories of LIfe in Canada

I am looking forward to the Punggol water park official opening. This will extend the range of PCN to 6 or 7 kms. Maybe more. I can get healthier on longer ride. Exercise is more fun too with nice scenery and fresh air. Life in Singapore is getting to be more like life in Canada.

In Mississagua, my office was in Square One and right beside is a walking trail which many of us would walk during lunch time for exercise. It is nice to walk in summer when it is warm. It is also hard to break a sweat as the humidity is low compared to Singapore. I lived in Oakville and there are plenty of parks and trails. It is very accessible and easy to get to a trail. Usually,the walking trail is right beside a stream. I loved to walk the trails. It can be bitterly cold in winter. But spring and summer are great seasons for walks. The best season is fall when all the hardword trees turned colour from green to yellow to gold. The air temperature is cool and water freezing cold. Canada has lots of nature. It is beautiful to live there.

Magnificent Lightnings

I was driving yesterday and today while it was raining. The lightning flashes are quite blinding. It is like flash of camera. It is quite scary as I am blinded by the intense and spark burst of light for a couple of seconds each time. I think the lightnings not only frequent but larger and more intense. Both frequency and magnitude have dramatically increase. I am afraid our storms are going to get more and more violent. This is not good as Singapore was blessed with the geography where it is naturally sheltered from natural disasters like earthquake, typoons or tsunami. We will begin to experience more floods and falling trees in future.

The Difference Between American and Asian Companies

I received daily email blast from Motley Fools which I usually do not read except for something interesting. The demise of Steve Jobs dominated the headlines both in print and net. Motley Fools has an analysis of Apple's future. What I find interesting is the table which I reproduce below. It also highlight the profit margins of the different global companies.

Japanese is the lowest at 1.7%, next is Chinese/Taiwanese at 2.1%, Samsung is Korean and surprising is much better than HP. The highest are both American which is IBM and Apple. Quite simply American companies demands much higher profit margins than Asian companies.


What threats remain
Still, threats remain. The largest threat to Apple right now is reduced nimbleness because of size. There are only five technology companies in the world with higher sales than Apple.

Company Trailing Sales (millions) Profit Margin

Samsung $148,472 8.7%
Hewlett-Packard $127,969 7.3%
Hon Hai (Foxconn) $114,891 2.1%
Hitachi (NYSE: HIT ) $103,842 1.7%
IBM (NYSE: IBM ) $102,341 14.7%
Apple $100,322 23.5%

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.

Virus Attack

My computer had a virus attack! Everything slows down. It becomes so frustrating to work. I am glad my IT support re-install some of the programmes and now it is running smoothly again.

It is difficult nowadays if the work tool like the computer is not working. It is also easy to lose information and ability to communication. Productivity drops once the system is down. We are vulnerable.

Money or Love

MIO TV recycles old movies. I like watching the movies on demand as I can forward the movies quickly and watch the interesting or exciting parts. Money or Love starring Micheal J Fox. Fox is quite short and has a boyish look. He is the bellboy of hotel and was interested in a perfume girl. Unfortunately, this girl is the mistress of a hotel guest. He helps this hotel guest to come up with excuses to shield the girl from his wife. This guest lied to the girl every time he met her promising to divorce his wife which he has no intention to. He promises to help Fox achieve his dream of buying a dilapidated building and converting it to a hotel. The hotel guest has every intention to cheat Fox of his hotel.

Finally, the girl found out the truth and tell Fox that he is going to be cheated and Fox tell the girl the guest has no intention to divorce his wife. The two fell in love and get married. Another hotel guest was sent the plans for the hotel by mistake. He like the plan very much even though it is too small a project for him and decided to invest in Fox Hotel. All well's end well. I like fairy tale ending where Fox get the girl and the money.

Random Thoughts

It is a wet morning. Lightning and thunder woke me even though it is still dark outside. I am full of thoughts.

Last night, B2 asked me about his test question on effective communication. I looked for a bunch of books to help him with his essay. I did not have a lengthy discussion with him. I just showed him how to research for his topic. I wonder if I should have more effective communication with him i.e. talk more, discussed more and give less books.

I am in a pensive mood this morning. The stock market in US is down last night. Singapore market will continue to drop. My portfolio is weakening day by day. Should I get out or should I stay put? My boys education funds are going down and down. Will I be able afford schooling for them? They are scary thoughts. I promised no matter what happened, I will help them complete their education. Maybe they have to do well enough to get scholarships.

Future Traffic Jams

Punggol New Town is developing rapidly. 3 condomiums under contruction in Punggol Central. Many new HDB flats just completed and more on the way. It is going to be a huge town. I foresee bad traffic in future in both CTE and TPE. That is bad as I use both highways a lot especially CTE to get to town.

The lane increase in CTE from 3 each way to 4 may not be enough capacity to cope with the increased in volume. Many foreigners or not born locally are occupying the flats. As I cycled, I can see mainland Chinese families and others who looked foreign. Singaporeans will be a minority in their own country. Our way of life will change forever.

Long Way

It is a cloudy morning. After chicken rice brunch, I ride my bike for exercise. Since the news on the official opening of the Punggol Park, I cycled over there and see how far I can go. I cycled all the way to Lorong Halus, the landfill turned nature park. I did not explore Lorong Halus, I pressed forward and the PCN is ready up to Buangkok and Sengkang East junction. I think it is the entrance to the KPE. It took me almost two hours in total. I started at about half past ten and returned home at 12:30pm. It was an incredible ride.

Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon are now joined together and become a huge reservoir.

My forearm is red which means I am totally sunburnt!

Punggol Water Park

The Punggol water park will be officially open on Oct 23rd as reported in Straits Times today. So I thought I will be the first to explore. I cycle through the PCN and then go under the flyover. As I go nearer to Punggol, there are many people already exploring the place. Many senior couples and young families were there. I am not a pioneer this time. Many workers are there rushing to complete the jobs. I am glad there is a firm official opening. So it will be fantastic to ride all the way.

Yes, Punggol Water Park is wonderful recreational park and best of all, it is free and natural. I will have to take some pictures and put it in this blog.