Discussions with B1

B1 wants to join me for cycling today.  I told him about an article TRE and how a 50 plus man committed suicide because he cannot access $200K plus in his CPF account.  This man is desperate as he has 2 school going kids and lost money on his business.  He think if he is dead, his kids will have access to the CPF monies. 

I told him something is wrong if the policy supposed to help citzens end up killing them.  He says this man would have earn at least $6K/month.  He is not managing his finances properly, there are missing information, etc.  He feels that there are ways to solve the problems.  However, my position is in Canada, no old folks need to clean table, collected rubbish or recyleables for pittance.  The social welfare system make sure people are taken care of when they are old, infirm or poor health.  In Singapore, you will be paying and paying then you die after you run out of money to pay for healthcare.

In a way, B1 think like PAP.  I gave him the example of his mum's cousin who went to see his MP for help on credit card debts.  The MP asked the cousin to go to the bank to negotiate.  However, the bank only operates on working hours and the cousin is in a low level job that he will be fired if he takes time off.  The MP will never understand and think the cousin is either stupid or not cooperative.  

We are not a compassionate society.  So many people who desperately needed help have to take extreme measure of killing themselves to solve their problems.  In Canada, no one is desperate as the social security system will take care of all its citzens and landed immigrants.  It is not a perfect system but Singapore should be more compassionate.

Teochew Porridge

B1 is studying for his exams and needs to eat fish. Mummy find the standard and taste of Teochew Porridge stall in AMK Ave 5 and Ave 10 hawker center acceptable.  The teochew porridge stall is very popular.  The queue is long.  There are at least 3 types of steamed fishes - promfret, ikan merah or red fish filet and a small complete ikan merah or at least it look like ikan merah to me.  There is also deep fried batang fish fillet and steam anchovy-like fish.  The fishes are fresh and does not have the fishy smell or taste.  Other dishes are also quite good.  So our boys enjoys the food and best of all, it is quite economical as the meals usually cost below $30 for 5.

Stay at Home Day

Mummy is works hard for the family.  So when she says let's go to Imperial Treasure for dim sum brunch, off we go.  Imperial is a very popular resturant.  We go early so that we can get seats.  The food is good but this time B1 and I had to go washroom immediately after our meal.  I suspect it is the chilli as both of us dip our food with chilli whereas the rest of the family did not.  After lunch, we take a short break to visit Kinokuniya on the World Book Day sales.  I bought a guide book on Shakespeare for B3.

Then it is home sweet home.  B1 has to study for his exams and B2 and B3 enjoys watching videos on their computer or tablet.  I read The Sunday Times at the poolside.  So it is very relaxing to spend the day at home.  We bought frozen pizza and CP Mexican chicken wings for dinner.  It is simple but still requires time and effort to set up and clean up afterward.

All 3 boys help in the cleaning up.  I am happy they are contributing to the maintenance of our household.

A Good Day

I am happy all my boys are in the living room after dinner.  We had bbq chicken wings and potato chips.  After dinner, I peeled Barnfield oranges and cut an apple.  Then a nice plump HongKong papaya.  I have no idea why it is called Hong Kong papaya.  Maybe the origin of the papaya is from HongKong.  The papaya is not as flavorful as Hawaii or Solo papaya.  But the papaya is big and can be sweet although usually it is not sweet.  It is also quite bland.

This morning, B1 had a Contract Law exam.  So we left early to send him to school and then off to SOT for B3's tuition.  I had massage in Wan Lin to relieve my tense muscles.  After massage, B3 had to go back to school for his remedial class and he finished at 4:15pm.  B2 spend his time studying.  It is routine day with everyone safe and sound.  I am grateful for the good day.

Life and Death

I read Tao when I was in Secondary school.  Reading on Taoism bring understanding and joy about life.  I am naturally brooding type.  Reading Chinese Philosopy of Tao relief of thinking how difficult life can be.  Lao Tze says the moment you are born your death is confirmed.  Life and death is interwined.  The yin and yang or duality of life.  If there is life, there must be death.  Without death, there will not be life.

We always avoid death and assume life goes on forever.  Live like there is no tomorrow - this come from the West.  I always wonder how?  I like to live life to the fullest but we still have to earn our living.  Maybe I do not understand the statement.  Live life to the fullest does not mean you stop working to earn money.  I always think live life to the fullest means doing whatever I like and this does not including working for a living.

In Chuang Tzu stories, there is a sage who uses the skull as his drinking vessel.  He does not attached the skull to a scary thing of a dead person's head.  I on the other hand, still prefers my mug.  This mean I am not ready to practise Tao.

Bucket List

Thinking about death, a bucket list seems to be mandatory in articles I read.  I never thought of a bucket list.  Even now, I could not think of a bucket list.  What is gnawing me that I will be unable to shut my eyes if I meet death.  I have no idea.  If I dies, I die.  I am satisfied with my life and what I have done and achieve.  Can it be better?  Of course!  It could be worse too, so no complain from your truly.

I do not have mountains to climb, aeroplanes to pilot, places to visit, or special things to do.  What would I do say if I have 10 million dollars.  Travel around the world?  I travel for work and it is enough.  Live in a beach or play golf?  Not for me.  I used to think I have plenty of books to read.  Now while I still read for pleasure, there is no pressure to catch up on my reading.  Reconnect with all my friends and relatives?  They are all busy.  I am happy to meet my nieces a few times a year.  I am also happy to have my sisters over as well.  Now I even meet my brother once in a while taking his taxi.

I have no desire for big pets.  I actually like to build a water features.  But never really get to it as I find reading the water landscapes books more interesting than actually doing.  I lost interest in flying model planes.  I bought lot of science kits but let B3 build them.  I write my rambling blog with no specific theme or interest.  It is just my online diary.

So for me, it is life as usual.  Work, eat, love.

Thinking about Death in a Stormy Afternoon

Thunder rumbling.  Rain shower come and go.  Here I am still at my computer wondering and thinking.  Reading Final Exams bring forth thoughts about death.  I do not know how to deal with death. 

I have an aging mother living 12,000 miles away.  I also wonder the possibility of sudden passing due to accident or even disappearing while in a flight to work.  Once we had heated discussions in the car(it is good to have serious discussions as it is a captive audience) about our boys taking care of me in future when I am old and senile.  "Just make sure I die of a comfortable death." is all I am asking them to do.  My boys have their own ideas how they want to run their lives.  I have no issue once they leave home.  However, they will need to abide by my rules when they are living at home.

Many a time I also wonder what am I going to do if and when my mother move on.  I am designated to take care of her matters as I lived in Canada before.  I dread and hope this moment will never come.  I enjoys calling her and make my boys call her regularly.  I have no idea what exact she want and how I can do being so far away.  It is a scary position to be in.  I hope the day will never come.

The Final Exams

I am listening to the audio version of this book.  It is riveting!  Pauline is a talented writer.  The stories flows well.  I keep listening as the different stories unfold while I exercise.  Pauline is a liver transplant and cancer specialist.  She makes Taiwanese proud!

In-grown Beard

I have this persistent pimple on my chin.  Squeezing it this morning, I was surprise it is still solid bump tonight.  So I decided to see if it is an in-grown hair.  I have this sharp point on the other end of my pimple squeezer(if there is such a term).  I dig a little bit and a small loop of hair stick out.  When I use the pincer to pull it out, the hair is an amazingly long.  Probably more than one inch.  I am glad this irritant is out!

King and Maxwell

I had to wait for hours for my Samsung phone to be checked.  So I bought King and Maxwell by David Baldacci to read while waiting on Saturday afternoon.  It is a page turner!  I managed to finished the book by Sunday evening.  The plot is a little weak.  It is about a man who wait for 25 years to take revenge on the President of United States.  This man's parents committed suicide as his father was made the scapegoat of the Iran Contra incident.  Alan Grant grew up, join the army and marry the daughter of US Marshall in Procuremnt office.  He stole one billion euros and bought satellite time to control " the beast".  The beast is the name of President's car.  This car is controlled by computer and Alan Grant used the satellite to break into the security of the computer and cause the beast to jump into the river.  President happened to be so busy that he only has time to talk to Michelle Maxwell in the car.  Of course Michelle manage to save herself and the President.  All well ends well.  It is quite exciting and like a movie or drama I have to suspend my skeptism and beliefs in some of the events as it is a little illogical.

Good Sunday

We went out for lunch.  First to try a wanton mee stall that is famous on Jalan Besar.  Unfortunately, the coffeeshop is closed on Sunday.  So we continue to Chinatown for braised chicken noodle but no carpark and ended up in Maxwell market.  We had Ah Tai Chicken Rice.  Ah Tai has lesser queue than Tian Tian.  I prefer Ah Tai as the service is better.  The chicken rice are quite similar and there is no point in queuing up for something that taste the same.

Dinner was at home with ginseng chicken soup.  My boys esepecially B3 loves the soup.  It is a good homestyle soup in a pouch.  After dinner, all three boys go to Fairprice to replenish their supplies of snacks.  Thank you, Buddha for a blessed Sunday.

Recovered from Apple iPhone

My boys managed to help me recover my contacts from Apple iTune.  We used an old iPhone and then restore my old phone.  From the contact, they export out and merge it into a new Google account.  The whole effort of working through to transfer contacts took more than 3 hours.  Even then I lost all my recent contacts that were put in during the time the Note 3 was in use after my iPhone was decomissioned.  This is where Apple is superior to Android.  In Apple when I restores, all my old Apps were there.  In Samsung backup apps KIES, they were all lost!!!  Biggest pain in the butt!

What A Mess!

I send my phone for checking and Samsung Service Center reset my software.  So now everything is in a mess.  Although I backup using Kies as advised.  The restore function did not work well.  Now I recover some data but many are lost.  What makes it worse is I have no idea what I have lost.  So it is time to start all over again.  What a big pain in the butt!!!

Long Weekend

It is nice to get a long weekend especially after a busy week.  I think we will be eating out just like everyone else and will have long waiting time for our food.  I have been pondering about the question of life and work.  The Straits Times editorial on Wednesday, April 16 headline "Just what to do after work?" 

I quote "When the golfing  and buddy-lunch routine become stale and reading unread books turns out to be more chore than pleasure, reality will strike home with a vengeance."  I have many books unread and have intention to read them on retirement.  However, I also realise a lot of my books are no longer relevant if I am not working.  They are books on Leadership, Management and Selling.  Coming long weekend is nice as I do things with the boys.  After that it is back to work.  However, if the long weekend become a permanent fixture, I may have a challenging keeping myself occupied.

Note 3 Battery

My Note 3 battery run down very quickly in the last few days.  I called Samsung Service and waranty is 6 months which mean my waranty is over since my Note 3 was bought on Oct 11 2013.  The customer service asked me to switch off the phone to charge.  Now the battery seems to work better.  I do not know how long this will last.

Seems like the batteries for Samsung phones do not last.  My barber told me he has 3 Samsung and all them gave me battery problems after one year.  I am monitoring my battery performance and see if the quick discharge occurs again.

Mundane Stuff - Hair Stylist

Why am I blogging about hair stylist?  My hair is long and gets unruly and out of control.  My hairdresser (since he is the salon owner and not a barber shop) is a vegetarian.  He cooks for the family.  So he is a very good father.  He looked after his kids well and cooked for them.  He says his kids are not following them as much.  They asked for permission not to follow them sometime when they go out as a family.  He asked me if I am experiencing the same thing.  Yes, I told him we both are going through the lifecycle as kids grow up and become more independent.

A Busy Workday

It is a regular workday.  I am thankful that everyone is safe.  It feel good that Buddha bless us with an uneventful day.  Plenty of work to do and boys have their own school work except B2 is on school holiday as he is in Poly and terms timing is different.  I am grateful for the food on the table and my boys are healthy and well.

It is good to get rain which will help my grass to grow again.  My roof garden has turned brown and is slowly recovering. 

I forgot!  My starfruit tree has bears fruits and the starfruits are growing bigger everyday.  I wonder how they will taste like.

No More Red Lanterns

Come to think of it, Keong Siak Street was a famous red light district.  Today, there are no red lantern hanging out shops.  A few years ago, I do not remember exactly how many, I still see a pair of large red lanterns on one of the shop house.  That time I was visiting Whatever.Com, an Australia pschic place.  It offers good Australian coffee and books on Occult.  I usually go for flat white and I can browse and read the books before buying.  Unfortunately, the place closed down.  The owner was ex-wife of Christoper Tan(?, I am not sure the surname) but Christoper was a well known gyneacologist hired from oversea.

Now, Keong Siak street offers good wanton mee and there seems a couple of very popular food place there.  I saw the zhichar was very popular.  I also tried the bak kwa which was featured in Straits Times.  It is okay.  Taste is different.  I still prefer Lim Chee Guan.  There is also a boutique hotel.  I hope the place stays the same with all the old shops.

Super Expensive Lunch in Keong Siak Street

I decided to eat the wanton noodle in Keong Siak Street.  The queue was incredibly long.  So I walk around to look at the alternatives.  Further down the street, there is a Nonya food stall.  It is not as busy and the food on display looks appealling.  I had rice with curry chicken, beef rendang and sayur lodeh.  The cost of the plate?  $9.50!  I was shocked by the high price for chap chye png albeit nonya style cooking.  So I asked for the details.  The China told me beef is $4, curry chicken is $3.50 instead of usual $4 since I have two meats and sayur lodeh and rice is $1 each.  Eating this self service hawker stall at resturant price is incredible.

This afternoon lunch at Waterloo hawker center, three nasi lemak, one ayam penyet with sayur lodeh and two pieces of beef rendang cost $19.  Less than half the price of equivalent food in Keong Siak Street.  I wonder those who patronise the Nonya stall must be very willing to pay high price for lunch.  Now wonder the queue is so long that the wanton mee stall.  It tastes so good and price is at $3.50 per plate. 

Weekend, Hurray!

I do look forward to weekend.  This mean I am not enjoying work as much?  Weekend is a different routine.  Tuition and eating out are the key highlights.  Sometimes, I have therapeutic massage.  Cycling take a toll on the muscles and massage release the constant tension of the muscles that work hard especially calf muscles. 

I do not know what I will do if I retire?  Can't imagine having a 7 days weekend!@#@#$!!  I will be nuts!  I still love to work and enjoys dealing with work issues. 

Today is a good day.  I cooked Hae Mee for dinner.  The Wife is busying with filing our tax returns.  I consider myself a good cook.  My hae mee would have been popular if not for the insecticide smell of our noodles.  We have fogging today.  I wonder if the residues are on our cooking utensils.

Not Keeping Up with my Blog

I promised to myself to write everyday so that I can improve.  But recently, I am slacking.  I am not sure if it is writing fatigue.  Many blogs are interesting.  I only write about myself.  I do not comment on social issues or have juicy stories.  Books are my main interest other than work.   

I should blog about my boys.  B1 is struggling with arguing and presenting on his feet.  Today is his moot court and he is improving according to his friends.  He says he is the worst presenter of the 4 in his group.  I worry about him.  He does not like to stand up or stand out.  Always keeping a low profile.  Now he is in a course that he has no choice but to speak and have a stand.  I am glad he is getting training and practice.

B2 is very sick today.  He is feeling nauseous since afternoon.  Luckily, he vomited out most of the content in his stomach in the evening.  I hope he recovers by tomorrow.  I am not sure if it is food poisoning or stomach flu.

B3 will be having his mid-year exams soon.  He made mashed potato for dinner tonight. 

I went to Foodie Market.  Now all the meat are no longer on special.  Prices have gone up.  I bbq ribeye steak, 1.5 inch thick.  I overcooked it and the boys still like it. 

Busy Busy

Had a wonderful Sunday resting.  I was tired and did not write my blog. 

Today is a busy workday.  Have plenty of follow-ups to do after meetings my business partners.  Luckily, I also managed to do my exercise.  Feels good to use the muscles and pump my heart. 

We are busy earning money in order to live.  We need money for food, water and shelter.  So I wonder if it is better to be a monk.  But monks also have to work with prayers, doing preaching, funerals and other monk duties like maintaining the temple.  I guess once we are born as human, we have to work for a living while animals forage or hunt for food.

I have to read my book In Praise of Idleness to see how I can be idle instead of working:)

Beautiful Yokohama

I am so impressed by the space and beauty of Yokohama.  The city is more spacious and not as crowded as Tokyo.  There are plenty of resturants and all the fastfood are represented.  The gigantic ferris wheel and harbour are gorgeous.  Water is not filled with boat.  I loved the scenery.  I had Indian dinner there.  The food is ok. 

This trip I had most of my favorite food - okomotoyaki, yakitori, tonkatsu and Tully coffee.  It is time to go home.  I am glad to go back home via Haneda.  It is so much more convenient than Narita.

Distracting CNN

Whenever I am in the hotel room, I have the TV on.  However, this time it is only CNN.  The report on Fort Hood whom one soldier killed 3 others and wounding 16.  It is very distracting and the story repeats and repeats.  I have to turn it off.  The American mass media can be mind numbing.

With the TV on, I do my work, surf the net and write my blog.  I just turn off the tv and the silence is welcoming.  The American news are in your face type.  BBC world news is far more soothing and analysis more refined and gentlemanly.  The shrill American values about family and the tragedy upon the individual family who members are killed are magnified.  In contrast, the Japanese grief quietly.

Japanese Style Hotel

Japanese style hotel has small rooms and everything is cramped together.  There isn't any space.  Small chair and table.  Then a tiny sofa chair with a box for coffee table.  The TV cabinet is tiny and still contains tiny fridge and a shelf with kettle and cups for coffee and tea.  The bed is parked at one side of the room with silver of space for walking.  Window is a tiny square glass. 

The rooms all come with breakfast.  Self-serve, there are rice and soup with pickles.  Since this hotel caters for foreign tourists, there are scrambled eggs and tiny burgers, crossants for carbo.  Wifi is available only at the reception area which also double as breakfast lounge.  It is incredibly compact and same space has multiple use. 

Luckily, the hotel I am staying has one English CNN.  I stayed in Japanese hotel before.  The tv usually does not cater for any foreigners at all. 

Yakitori

I have yakitori dinner with my new colleague.  It is his first to this yakitori resturant and he keep saying it is good yakitori.  It is the Japanese way.  When the food is good, he has to keep mentioning it.  I like this resturant as well and will keep going back there.  I love the fresh bbq with very little seasoning.

We have 3 meetings today.  But we have wait for long time to between meetings as we are not allowed to go to the meeting early.  Anyway, this is the Japanese way.  I had too much coffee and too much food.  My meetings went well.  My new colleague is impressed by our positive relationship with our business partners.  I am proud of this feedback.

Chinese Chinese Everywhere

Here I am in Ropponggi.  In my hotel, again, the Chinese tourists.  Lots of them.  It is incredible everywhere I go the tourists are in your face.  It is like a tsunami of people unleashed.  The weather is pretty good.  So I had a walk to Ropponggi and have dinner at the Outback.  I could not eat much and have only half a slab of my favorite bbq - baby backribs. 

This trip, I am likely to gain weight.  Two bbq dinners so far.  Tomorrow, will try Friday's if I have no dinner with my host. 

Tokyo has more kids about.  Starbucks which was usually empty is full this evening.  So I think the economy has improved.  It is more vibrant and people are out and about on a Wednesday night.

Huge Group of Chinese Tourists

I am staying in downtown Seoul and the Chinese tourists are simply descending here.   There are more than 10 buses of tourists.  The Chinese are like Japanese tourist in 1980's.  That was when the Jap Yen were very strong.  Today, hardly any Japanese tourist, mostly Chinese.  Feng shui lun liu chuang.  Fortune changes with time...

I have early flight tomorrow morning and will have to get up early to go to Gimpo airport.  Luckily, it is Gimpo.  Otherwise I have to get up even earlier.