Dead Tired!

I have been cycling for exercise and my body is protesting. I am aching all over especially my butts! Sorry for not writing the past few days. Work, family and other committments are keeping me away from blogging.
The good news is I am exercising and working like a dog. The bad news is my weight is still at 88kgs. I have no idea why burning up calories with bone-tired body is not bringing my weight down.

Loud Bang that Echoes

There are two loud gunshots. One at about 8:35pm in Fernvale. It is very loud that it echo. Someone must have loud gun or using a gun for construction. I heard the same bang in downtown Shenton Way as well. It is quite unusual as it is a sound blast and then nothing. I wonder if any of my readers living in SengKang or Fernvale heard this extraordinary gunshot bang.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Our newspaper has change the name to Aidilfitri instead of Puasa. I just check up to see if I was wrong and found out that I am just outdated. More information can be found in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Raya. It is an important Muslim festival to celebrate "Day of Fasting". The mosque at the junction Yio Chu Kang Road and Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 is full of Muslims from all walks of life including foreign workers. They are all there! It is incredibly crowded with everyone in their finery.

Wishing my Readers Hari Raya Puasa

I wish all my readers a happy Hari Raya Puasa.

What a Feeling

I have been riding bike for exercise. The feeling was fantastic even those my butts are sore and aching. Sweating profusely and feeling sticky all over is quite uncomfortable yet the sense of well being and euphoria is strongly present. It must be the endorphin kicking in. It is addictive. I will continue to ride to exercise.

Amazing F1 Race

The Champion came up from 15th position to become number 1. I am totally amazed in a race that is so close. Ferrari is out-of-luck with both cars damaged in the race. The first F1 night race is a huge success. Congratulations to all the drivers and congratulations to Singapore!

B3 and I was at Anchorage today

Anchorage is a mall cum condominium. The mall consist of two levels, B1 and Level One. It is really tiny. However, there are plenty of resturants and IKEA is just directly opposite. Times is having 20% today in this mall. B3 wanted a book "You can DRAW". There are 8 books in one. It is one big colorful file folder. The instructions for drawings different animals, pets, sea creatures, people at work, insects and people at work as well as cartoon characters. This is quite interesting and B3 love to draw. At 20% I think it is a good deal and I bought this book for him. He is very happy and grateful to his daddy, me!

Home-made Sex Movies

This is like a nightmare for naive women that repeats itself over and over again. In the New Paper, this girl's pictures are splashed in many pages. "Sun Tan" had many nude pictures and home-made sex video with her boy friend. They even have a blog and she thought the blog is just for the two of them. Now, she and her boyfriend breaks up. Guess what. It is all over the internet. She files a police report. The damage is done. When will a girl learn? Maybe she wants to be famous? Er, I mean infamous!

Ensaimada

Ensaimada is a Philippines "national" bread. It is a soft roll with sugared cream on top sprinkled with cheese. I like this bun. There are many versions by different resturants and cafe chains. I like the Red Ribbon's and Goldilock's. The advantage of travelling is getting exposed to the different cultures. Food is an important part of culture. I enjoys Manila and what the city offers. Only incovenience is there are checks everywhere in the malls. The good thing about going to Manila is the airport is only 30mins to the hotel. Really short and sweet.

Seven Notes For Employees

I saw an interesting notice in a conference room of a Customer. It is titled Seven Notes for Employees.
1. Ask yourself always "Is there any room for improvement?"
2. Consider other people's situation as well as your own.
3. Be responsible for what you speak.
4. Act and show to others what you mean to say.
5. Share your pleasure as well as pain to attain mutual goal.
6. Volunteer to report good and bad information to your superior.
7. Always be conscious of Cost and Profit.

This reminds me of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This company is extremely successful.

Sabrina

I am watching the show again. The modern version by Harrison Ford. It is very enjoyable and touching. My tears drops like rain...(well almost, a little exaggeration is fun) It was a happy ending. I love the intrigue at the ending. Linus, the protangist makes the chauffeur's daughter fall in love with him and break her heart at the same time. He fall in love in the process and felt guilty for what he has done. In trying to atone, he try to send his brother whom Sabrina always loved. David, his brother turned the table on Linus and he sends Linus off in a Concorde to meet Sabrina after she lands.
Hmm! Money is not everything. It does helps! Concorde ride ain't cheap.

Cycling - the latest fad

There are a lot more bicycles on the road today and everyday. Cycling is a recent phenomenon. Most common cyclists are foreign workers and weekend cyclists are other foreign workers or expatriates with their fancy speed bikes and skin-tight sport wears complimented with helmet. The weekend cyclists are serious enthusiats cycling in large groups.
Nowaday, there are many cyclists on the road and it is good that more and more people are getting into the environmentally-friendly bandwagon.
I am cycling for fun and exercise. It is a wonderful way to keep fit and reduce weight...er I mean prevent weight from creeping up.

Modesto's

Great Italian food, deliciously yummy and filling. I added two kg just during this dinner alone. Of course, two glasses of water and two fruit juices is worth a kg alone. I had dinner with a colleague from India. He is vegetarian and ordered a pizza. I had seafood linguine, the signature dish. The seafood was fresh and the sauce was tangy. I eat up every morsel and finished with tiramisu. I will need to exercise a lot more tomorrow. For now I am happily satiated.

Ipoh Girls

Last night, in the resturant at Pavilion on the sixth floor, the table next to me was girls talk loudly that I heard everything they says. It is interesting to hear them talk. "How many years ago did we last meet?" "I think it is 1976 when we were in form 5". Whoa! I calculated... it is 32 years!! Then I guess how old they are. By now you know they are "old" girls. What is amazing is they are keeping in touch. I felt left out. Right in front of me is a live example of people staying keeping in touch after so many years. I hear who is now living in US, another living in Auckland after marrying a Kiwi and divorcing, a couple who are now teachers teaching in Singapore... Then they continue with their fond memories of their favorite teachers. I kind of wonder about Ipoh. Seems like all the kids grew up and leave town. So will be left. It is a small and right beside me a whole class has grown up and seem to have left Ipoh. There should be no one left. I really wonder???
I need to understand how come there are still people living in Ipoh from an Ipoh girl in our office.

Eating like No Tomorrow

I know why now. I have been skipping lunch yesterday and today. Now that my training is over, I swim for 10 mins and eats a full dinner, then adjorned to teh-C in Toastbox accompanied with you tiao and sesame ball with peanut fillings. When I am done with two meals in one, I walked over to the supermart and bought nuts and cookies to bring back to the room.
With a weak will, it is a big waistline and heavier body.
I must start to work on discipline in making sure my calorie intake is more consistent. Sigh! So far My Spirit is willing but My Flesh is weak!

Morning Walk around The Westin

Was up early. Thought of swimming but pool only opens at 7am. Gym is opened 24 hours. So I went down to check it out. There were plenty of treadmills and stationary bicycles, some gym mats and weight lifting equipment. Nay! I go for a walk instead. Downtown KL is quite deserted. There were one or two staff in resturants setting up and cleaning getting ready to open shop. Many luxury brands in the upmarket malls. It is nice to explore the place in the morning where everything is still closed. I can take the time to drink in the experience. Yes, the contract of the old and new as well. The back alleys of Bintang Walk are shophouses that probably date back to pre-war. However many more new buildings are coming up. I guess over time everything will change. It is hard to resist the almight ringitt when the land on which the shophouse sits is so valuable.

Bukit Bintang in KL

It is interesting to stay in downtown KL. Sungei Wang is a huge shopping mall and I get lost there. It is quite old however and have plenty of toy and pewter stores. It seems like every twenty steps is a Starbucks. It must be a hip place because all the big coffee chains are represented including Coffee Beans and Tea Leaves, Gloria Jean, etc. A mix of old and new. The glitzy street for the tourists and the backlanes where traditional shops and resturants who has been there for generations. Some more than 60years. A real taste of nostalgic KL.
My colleagues and I ate at Sakura, a local Malaysia joint that offers malaysian cuisine and western food. I had nasi lemak and it is excellent. There is curry chicken, ikan bilis in sambal, half a hard boiled egg and a floss of some sort. Yummy is my verdict.

Wedding Dinner

This is the 2nd wedding dinner I attended this year. It is in Jurong East Central near the Science Center. The place is full of people. It reminds me of my childhood days growing up. I have not seen makeshift in this kind of setup and the merchandise. I guess we are so used to shopping mall that the neighbourhood stores is something we do not frequent anymore....

Step Up

Interesting show. The storyline is typical American - rebellious, out-of-control boy meets girl with passion for dancing. Boy turns new leaf, girl breakup with boyfriend, the two get together and their dance sizzles. The subplot about the younger brother killed for stealing a truck is quite touching. The pace is quite slow throughout movie but the storyline develops well and will keep you on the seat the whole time. The grand finale is the awesome well-choreograph dance. Boy gets admitted to the fine school of Arts and it is happily ever after. Maybe not. Because Step Up II is now available to own.

Sunway Lagoon

Sunway Lagoon is a nice hotel. It is bright and smells clean. The people are friendly. Sunway Pyramid is a big mall and the extension has makes it even nicer. There are more food outlets and variety has increased. I enjoyed mall crawling and there is a hawker center just 3 mins walk away. Short trip is tiring. Up early and finished late. Home to my own bed. Ah, warm and sweet.

Latest Exercise Fad

Now I am onto cycling. I bought myself and youngest boy a bicycle each. We learn to cycle together. A 7 year old learn to cycle like putting a fish in the water. He take only a few minutes and off he go. Ok! Maybe 30 minutes. Now he can cycle with one hand and do tight turns. Me, I am still a clumsy cyclist and prone to accidents and falls. Still this is better than roller blading. Injury is not as severe. Actually, I do get cuts and abrasions. My wrists hurts when I flipped over. However, the roller blades falls are extremely painful and take a long time to recover. My left wrist still hurts. So onwards and forward. My new exercise regime is cycling.

Usual Morning

The morning after plenty of lightning is normal. We start the day in a rush with our daily activities. So quickly I forget my fear and wonder about the weather pattern changing. Kids to school. Work pressure, day-to-day grind. Hmmm! No wonder global warming is an abstract subject. We need to earn to live...

Lightning Galore!

It is like huge group of photographers who keep using their flash. Lightning flashing continously lighting up the sky. Some time there are thunders. Most time it is just lightning with no thunder. I have been looking out of my French door for the last four years. I do not remember seeing so many lightning when I first moved in.
Ok! as I type, the rain starts to pour. The sky is purplish pink. Looks like we will have good sleep tonight...zzzzZZZZzzzzZZZZ

Traditional Mooncake

There are many types of mooncakes. New and exotic flavours like chocolate, durian, custard... It is flavour extension just like brand extension... the new and improved! My personal preference is still the traditional style mooncake. Actually the Teochew style which has multilayered flaky pasty with lotus paste. I bought one from a bread shop in HDB. Mmm, it is so good I ate up the whole piece by myself. Eating it bring nostalgia of growing up in a HDB provision shop. We sold it in the shop and we always get to taste the different maker's. Sweet memories indeed.

Poolside Party

We have a potluck party to celebrate the Mooncake festival. The kids all have a wonderful time with lanterns, sparkles and neon lights. The adults just eat and eat. Hence, the weight issues for most of us. The new comer to our estate is a French family and they are very friendly as compared to the other French family we have. We will get tips from them on where to visit in Paris if we go there.

Offering My Prayers

This afternoon I visited Kuan Yin Temple in Queen Street to offer my prayers and regular donation. I also try my hands on the "Chiam See" or drawing of the lots. This time I get a mix with not so good lots on my next year's target. I have to pray more and harder....

Rat Race on a Endless Treadmill

Was having a late lunch when a call came in target for next year has been increased. This happens every year. It is becoming a regular event. It is a neverending race trying to match up to higher and higher expectations made worse by other departments dipping into my kitty. Well such is life working in a big corporation.

Ridiculous ERP!

It now cost $3 to enter into the city in the evening. We went to Sim Lim Square to buy computer accessories. We have our dinner after. Then on the way back, it cost $1.50 on CTE. In the National Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong put up a chart that show government is actually collecting less with the road tax decrease. This is really incredile. $4.50 just for my car to be on the road in the evening. There are many cars. So LTA is getting rich, very rich. It is good to be in a monopoly business. Come up with a good reason like we are controlling the flow of traffic. Sit back, relax and watch your wealth grow!
Fantastic wealth formula.

Sunway Lagoon and Pyramid

Sunway Lagoon hotel has upgraded and the rooms now are new. Pyramid, the shopping mall has a new wing. The mall is lively and huge. However the MPH in Pyramid is quite small and book selection is quite pathetic. I did not have a chance to visit Popular as I am there for one night only. I loved walking around shopping malls. It is my favorite pastime. I just like window shopping and looking at snacks and tasting the delights of junk food. I am a glutton. No wonder I have weight issue.
I am glad to catch up with my friends in the office. It is a productive and effective day for me. I am satisfied.

Massive Traffic Jams Around Suntec

At 3:15pm, we exit Suntec carpark to Nicoll Highway. The traffic hardly move. It is an impossible situation. I wonder if this has something to do with setting up for F1 race. Every green light move a few cars only. Maybe COMEX is so popular. Many are buying all kinds of electronic gadgets. I can observe them at Ya Kun and the food court while waiting for my boys. Maybe the economy is not so bad. Or it is the "new and innovative" economy that is thriving and growing.

COMEX

The computer and electronics exhibition is so packed that the escalator broke down from overload! Loads of new gadgets and deals. B1 and B2, my two older boys are very excited and went there by themselves while I spend time in MPH to take advantage of 20% discount and free membership. Electronics is still growing strong. Price are getting better with improved performance. Many great deals. So my boys are discussing on the merits of the different laptops.

Closure?

It is a quick end to the table tennis saga with a press conference. The poor table tennis manager's job is extended for 3 months. The new head madam still stay and will "take time to learn".

Nice Ride

It is good to be service by the good men and women of SQ. They are polite and keeps offering me drinks. I had a conversation with a steward. The team just came back from Vancouver. He like Vancouver. We chat for a few minutes on Vancouver and Toronto. He wish SQ fly to Toronto. After he joined a few months, the service was stopped because Air Canada cannot compete. I know because I came back to visit Singapore on that flight that go via Frankfurt. I do like SQ to go Toronto. Unfortunately, the Canadian Airlines(now only Air Canada as Canadian Air has been absorbed by AC) are totally uncompetitive with poor service and very outdated aircraft and archaic entertainment system, lobbied the Government to protect the routes. Canada will not progress with this kind of protection. British Airways was very bad before and improved so much that it is competitive internationally.
Government has to realise when they protect their industries, they are causing them to be weak.

Early Start

Will have to rise early at 4:45am Singapore time. This is the not so fun part about travelling. Long day. Early start and late finish. Super long hours working to cramp all the meetings and customers' visits. It pays well. So I am sticking to the tough regime. So "sian" (hokkien for tired) sometimes.

Rewarding Myself

I have been on one major meal per day for the last two days. Tonight I rewarded myself with a chick-a-rib in Outback. Mmm! Soooo Good! No wonder I have weight issue. My weight increased more at home as I snacks and drink too many teh halia and teh-C. Ya Kun kaya and butter toast is very fattening too.
I enjoyed bagel yesterday for breakfast. Toasted bagel and cream cheese reminds me of living in Canada. I miss Canada. When the earth axis shifts, we may be back living in Canada. Of course if we survive the shift.
I am a big believer in a lot of the predictions. My wife feels I am living in a make-believe world of books.

Seoul Warm

It is still summer and weather is warm in Seoul. The walk from the city air terminal to the hotel is pleasant. It is good to check into the same hotel as it is like coming home. There are other nicer hotel near Itewon. I like COEX Intercont as it is walking distance to city air terminal where the bus schedule is every ten mins. Also the underground shops allow me to walk around the mall for exercise and to kill time when I am free.

Terrible Headache

I wake up not feeling too good. In the aircraft, I drank choya umeshu. What a mistake! I am down most of the time with a massive headache and sweating profusely. 7 hours plane ride became a long nightmare. After that another hour and a half of sleeping in the limosine bus. I have to abstain from alcohol to prevent migraine recurrence.

FIRED!!

Well, the Olympic is over. The most interesting news for Singaporeans is the Manager and Coach of our medal winning team were fired. The team is not even back to Singapore to celebrate. The new President of Singapore Table Tennis Association is the new broom that sweeps clean. She started her job a month ago. This may sound sexist... I guess it takes a woman to inflict this kind of pain to the two men. Maybe they may have said something she did not like. I bet the two men are totally clueless. They have no idea what "innocent" remarks can be interpreted by a woman who is "serious".
My deepest sympathy to them. Just as they thought they did a wonderful job of helping Singapore to win a medal in half a century, they lost their jobs. I believe a famous guy once said "Hell is nothing compared to a woman's wrath".

The Culture Code

I like this book by a French anthropologist who now lives in US. Why so many Americans are obese? Food is Fuel. When an American is eating consuming more than what he needs, he is putting it away. The history of America is the wild west. You do not know when your next meal will be. American invented fast food and French slow food. Eat as you go. Movement is health - American Code. When a French finishes dinner, it is delicious. When an American finishes dinner, I am full.
The Culture Code is good story telling. It is actually very interesting and is available in the library.

Websites on Books

What kind of booklover am I without any links to websites on books???
My favourites are now on the Fun Places to Go...

What do I really want?

Eat, Love, Pray author Elizabeth Gilbert insist that there must be really 3 times so that we dug deep into our heart and psyche. I am not sure if it is necessary. That said, I must say this is quite a profound question. Something I rarely asked myself. I think I am in the same boat as most.
Deep in my heart...what do I REALLY want? The list may be long as I written previously. Or do I really want to live a hermit live and purify myself into a living Buddha and cease my karma and rebirth? Be one with unconscious or superconscious. Can I a mortal with limited intellect and consciousness be able to transcend the travails of daily living and live the life of a holy man? Why do I pursue work, career and money? Why do I have family? Why do I enjoy food and have weight problem? Why do I love? Why do I enjoy material life like computer, internet and bigger TV? Reading and pursuing knowledge instead of wisdom. I am always going after external pursuits instead of scaling inner mountains and developing wisdom.
Knowledge and capability I believe is no match for Wisdom. How can I cultivate and grow my Wisdom? What can I do? Or is it I can only attain wisdom by experiencing life itself.
Many questions to ponder over....

Money Management

I am very intrigued by the question of money management by Calvin, my Chinese colleague. I have been toying the idea of doing a session on money management for some time now. Actually, since two of my Malaysian colleagues who attended the Rich Dad Poor Dad seminar two years ago. I wonder how my team members are in managing their finances. One has now bought a terrace house and the other living in Bangkok. The rest I do not know. One thing I know for sure. All who have left my team are making much higher income. An indicator of success for me.
However, earning more money is only part of the equation. I like to educate my team members in Wealth building or at least lead to a part of financial independence. Hmm! I should do a Personal Finance workshop in my next meeting.

Great Deals

We ran out of vegetables and out of stock to cook up lunch for our boys. It is past 12 pm when I reached Fernvale Point. 20cents for a cucumber! I decided to buy one. The green grocer or vegetable seller in local terms gave me great prices for other vegetables as he is packing up for the day. He insist I should buy the tan kuey or gourd for cooking broth. One slice is $1.50 each. He sells to me two thick slices for $1.50. As he pack it into a plastic bag, he gave me two pack of baby kailan for free! Ok the kailan is turning yellow and wilted. He probably have to throw them away tomorrow. I am totally sold by him. I feel great as I walk home. Maybe I can fight inflation by going to buy when stall owners are closing up to pick up great deals.

Hurray! Progress

My weight after Manila trip is below the magic 88kg. Will continue to watch calorie intake especially at home. Next week will be easy as I will out in Seoul. Long hours and infrequent meals and best of all only snacking late at night. So I can expect further reduction. Hmmm! I must stay the course.

Swimming in the deep end

Mandarin Oriental has a deep end in the pool and I thought I will touch the bottom. In order to swim downwards, I have to release air in my lungs to reduce my bouyancy. Touching the bottom, I started to swim upwards. On the way up, my need for air was so high that instinctive I breathe before I reach the surface assuming I have surfaced when I had not. Water gets into my lungs and I choked and hurriedly swim to the ladder to cough out the water. I tried the floor again but this time touching only with my feet. Even so the water so deep that it is quite an effort to get all the way up to the surface. I realised how easy it is to drown. There is no way to make any noise and any one on the pool even lifeguards do not suspect anything.
So if you are swimming out in the open sea, it is even riskier with water currents and waves. Please remind all your kids. I am safe, I thought it is important to record this experience.

Manila!

Land of Buxom ladies! Miss Thailand had been crowned Miss Universe. The next country would be Philippines - the land of Gorgeous Women. Fabulous food at a reasonable price and wide variety of choices. Philippines has lots of potential. Literacy is one of the highest in Asia with highest percentage of population well versed in English, this country has lots of potential all gone to waste due to politics and corruption.

Urrrgghhh!

I now have zoom past 89kg. This is record high! I am very sure this is one record I do not want to break. D24 durians, all day eating and sitting...it is guaranteed to fatten anyone up. Eat when happy, eat when stressed, eat when sad, eat, eat, eat. Nett result weight gain. Discipline when it come to eating is an uphill task. Maybe I have to look for a different strategy. Exercise and calorie counting is the key. I enjoys food too much and also feels hungry most time. And not hungry has the compulsion to try out food.
Battle of the bulge continues....

Gooooodddd Morning!

6:45am. Dawn is interesting as the light from the sun showing up slowly in the east turning the sky from dark blue to lighter and lighter shade of blue. Orangey colours when the sun is about to peep above horizon. The cocks will be crowing and birds chirping and chattering as if calling each other to wake up.
Looking out from the roof just like being in a resort in Malaysia. A clear view of the sky. The quiet sounds of nature. It is something we now rarely enjoys in the hustle and bustle of city life. High rise buildings and reduced greenery put us out of touch with the "kampung" close to nature living. City living is so convenient and full of man-made entertainment - resturants, shopping, cinemas, library, tv, computer/internet...
I love connecting with nature!

Food Allergy - 2nd Episode

Fatty Crab was on my banned list for a long time. The reason is I was sick after eating there and thereafter we did not go to this place anymore, at least not when I am around. This time another team member is hit. It is awful. The symptons are similar - severe headache, nausea, cold sweat, diarrhea and miserable. The body is total out of action and in pain and royal discomfort! There must be something in the seasonings or the crabs may not be fresh as the taste will be cover up by the strong flavorings.
I am so glad I was not affected. As I write, the bring memories of the durian, D24, which I think deserves it title "Sultan" as it tasted heavenly and its flesh is just like custard.

Team

I have stopped focusing on work for sometime. I cannot resist putting an entry as work is my passion. We get together as a team every quarter. This quarter's meeting was very productive and the team is very open and share a part of their lives not related to work. We had a session on Happiness. The common themes for happiness for our group of 11 are Friends, Family, Kids, Grandparents/Parents, Independence, First paycheck/bonus, Recognition, Being Alone, Giving Gifts to family members and others. It is quite easy to be happy. Focus on the Family as Dr. James Dobson's daily column in Today - the free newspaper.
I am very happy to have a wonderful team.

Sweetbitter

It was great three days in KL. Fabulous and sumptious buffet in OneWorld Hotel. Designer Coffee during coffee breaks sweetened with cookies and biscotti. Dinner at Penang Village and Fatty Crabs washed down with Chendol, Lychee Tofu and bittersweet, custardy D24 durians. We really enjoys food and more good food. Trouble with wonderful meals is weeeeight!! I gained a kg in 3 days. Now my weighing scales read 88.5kg at night. This is because I skipped dinner tonight. If I did not, I am very sure the scales will go past 89. Now the bitter part. It is time for diet and starve myself.

The Night is Young

Two days of meetings and teambuilding. We have fabulous food. Eat enough to gain some serious weight. Sigh! We have life backward. When we are young, we should have the money to enjoy good and plentiful food. When we get older, we should do exercise program for team building instead of eating. We ended dinner early as colleagues from China went th an ex-colleague and her boyfriend to Ampang.
Dinner was at Fatty's crabs with crabs cooked in two different style, satays and chicken wings. Simple fare, excellent taste! Desserts was D24 durians, mangoesteens and rambutan. We have great bonding...
I took a walk around the resturants in the Curve and it is very happening. The young, good looking(especially female species) and restless are enjoying alfresco dining. I think it must be the hot weather that makes people enjoys staying up late and hanging out with their friends. Alfresco dining is the way to go. In Mid Valley Mall, most resturants are closed by 10pm. Only those on the outside of the "box" with tables and chairs outside are open late.
KLites are night birds. At 11pm, the night is young and teeming with young adults. Cheers to them.

Lucky Me!

I arrived in KL today. So I thought I will check out Borders and see if there is a copy of 4 Hours Workweek. The computer indicates there is a copy in the store. However it is not in the shelf that it is supposed to be located. So the store assistant call another location. After almost an hour (of course I was spending the time productively by browsing all the other books) it confirmed that there is a copy in the Gardens i.e. MidValley Mall and will reserve for me. I have no idea if I will have time to get over as the next two days is meeting from morning till late at night. Anyway, reserving it I may have the chance to go over.
I go over the MPH and check it out. Amazingly, the store assistant who was typing the computer halfway stops and says there is only a copy in the store and walk over to the right shelf to get it. She must know this book well that she no longer need the computer to tell her if it is in the store or the location. I hope this book do not disappoint. The reviews of this book in Amazon.com is not flattering.

The Future of Work

There are more and more interest in the future. I am also trying to figure how to forecast our future so that I can be more prepared. Reading books is my way of learning. Thomas Malone, the author first explain an insight. It is communication that enable human to organise in a bigger and bigger scale. Also through communication that democracy system of government develops and succeeds.
With business, the centralized bureaucracy has developed in the past 100 years or so. Now with internet and emails, new model of work is required. Machines are taking over production of things. Humans are involved in the creation of knowledge. How do we live and earn our living?
I have to read further....

Family

My sisters are over for dinner. It is great to spend some time with my nephew and nieces. I must do this regularly. It is good to bond with my extended family and it is a very happy evening for me. I must do this more often. Family will always prevail over work or money.

Olympic Extravaganza

Watching the TV last night on the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, it is so much bigger and grander than our National Day Parade. The lights and the fireworks is just amazing. The choregrapher is Yimoz. I find it hard to believe this guy will be able to design so many dances and performance. He is just getting credits for all the creative work done by a big team.
Maybe it is fatigue, I also feel that after a series of two extravaganza in a short time period. It looks like the same old same old.
There are plenty of creativity. The effects are spectacular and the fireworks, AWESOME.
China has ARRIVED!

All Gone!

I can't believe it! There were 5 or 6 copies of the four hour work week and they are all gone. I browse through but did not buy on my previous trip to Kino. Only soft cover was available. The Kino staff informed me that hard cover is not available in Kino and to try Borders. He also say the price of hardcover and paperback is the same. I was at Kino during lunch and where the 4 hours workweek were was just an empty hole.
All gone! It may be a required reading for book club or a team meeting.

Tui Na

Just discover a tui na or the art of Chinese Bone Manipulation master in Old Airport Road. My left wrist has not recovered after two months. This master was recommended by a fellow diner in the hawker centre. He obviously know that I have had problems with my left shoulder which I wrote about earlier. He "released" the flow and stick some black sticky stuff to my wrist and gave me some pills. There are orange, white and pink. I am supposed to take one each twice a day after food for 5 days. I am supposed to be cured by then.
I must say so far my improvement has been rapid. However I am a bit sceptical that he can fixed in 5days after two months of pain.

Keeping up with the Jones

We are keeping up with the Sngs and Tans. My new and shiny 42" Plasma is installed today. Sng and Tan are my neighbours. Most of my neighbours have bigger TVs than us. Even our latest is not the biggest TV in the neighbourhood. Why plasma? I have be sold by Hitachi who cited a study that more people prefer Plasma. Although in the showroom LCD TVs are far clearer and brighter, I still stick to Plasma as the picture are more realistic and there is no delay for action movies. Delays or response time will cause fast moving actions to be blurry. The Plasma is also cheaper LCD for the same size. Technology advance quickly and price keep dropping. I was convinced by LCD 4 years ago and bought a 32" for $4000. Today the same TV with better features cost below $1,000.
High tech is tough business as the life of a product is no more than 6 months. Price is expected to keep dropping and features keep increasing. A majority of my customers are in high tech and we are constantly under the gun to deliver better value.

Aha!

The Four Hours Work Week is talking about entrepreurship. Getting ideas and making products in China and selling them in internet. This guy is quite successful and intelligent. He is a guest lecturer in Stanford University. He fails in several ventures before achieving his current success. Author also claims there are others who copied his designs but still fails in the business. It is a typical rags-to-riches story in US. The Horatio Alger stories. Have you heard of Horatio? More to come....

The 4 hours work week

At the poolside, an Angmoh (Caucasian) who look like a Big Wig of a Big Company is reading this book. It was featured a couple Sundays ago in book review and it was on a young girl current reading list. I must get this book and see if I can work for 4 hours a week. This sounds like One Minute Manager. I recall a colleague saying it takes more than a minute to read the book. Therefore One Minute Management cannot be realistic. He is quite logical and it makes sense.
However, I do like to find out more about the 4 hours work week as it sounds really intriguing.

The Ritz Carlton Millenia

It is full dress rehearsal for National Day Parade this evening. Prelim exams for "O" level was over yesterday. And B3 has been requesting to go to the parade. B2 has been asking when we are going for holiday. So Mummy checked around yesterday with the various hotels that were offering NDP rooms. She settles on Ritz Carlton as it offers the best view where the parade just right in front of the hotel. She also cut a deal to include all three boys for the meals that comes with the room. Ritz Carlton lives up to its reputation for service. The staff are friendly and makes eye contact all the time. I think they may be a little biased toward teenagers as it seems like the two older boys do not get the service or attention when they need something.
It is the first time for us to stay in a hotel in Singapore. It is just like holiday oversea. All three boys are very excited and enjoys the new and strange environment. It is also the rare time they stay in a hotel.
Ritz Carlton Millenia is luxurious. We stayed in a room with living and dining room. The toiletries are by Bvlgari. The towels are very thick and soft and feel luxuriant.
According to the research on Happiness, it is memories and events that makes people happy and not things. So the money is well spent as our family will be nursing the sweet memories of watching the fireworks that explode their glories directly in front of our eyes.
This is happiness indeed! If you want to know more about happiness, click on Science of Happiness under title my interesting links on the right.

Airconditioner Breakdown

Our aircond breakdown last night. It is hard to sleep well without aircond. The outside temp was not bad and with the fan at full blast it is still bearable. However, aircond is beautiful even though it is not environmentally friendly. Life is hot and stuffy without aircond. Luckily, we managed to fix the aircond. The PCB or printed circuit board broke and it cost $900 to replace. The whole outdoor unit cost only $2,000. So there is something wrong with the way services are charge. With $2,000 I can get one year warranty with brand new condenser and other parts whereas with the circuit board, the warranty is only 6 months. This really defies logic!

Sore!

Learning new tricks is a harrowing experience with body falls and slams against hard and unyielding concrete. Not only my back hurts, my muscles are sore all over from the stress and strains of trying to balance myself in different awkward positions. Muscles that were inactive in the last few decades (ya! I am getting there!) is called to action. Many times I have to waves my arms wildly in a bid to regain balance. It must be funny to an observer. Whereas for me, it was a struggle for survival.

My Aching Back!

My back hurts after I fall a few times today while roller blading. I read the inline skating book and try out the braking options and skating backward. Boy! This is a huge challenge. Falling down several times and several near falls. Maybe I should just stick to blading forward and turning gently.
With a weak back, I am not sure how much abuse my spine can take....

Bright Star

There is a huge bright star in the sky tonight. The sky is quite clear and many stars are blinking through our dark sky. Most of us are watching tv. Star grazing is no longer a pastime. The city lights make it difficult to see stars well. I remember in a Malaysia resort it is starlight, starbright, and I wish I may and I wish I might, I wish my wish will come true tonight.

California Pizza Kitchen

I want to try pizza other than Pizza Hut. I know Modestos in Orchard Hotel was quite good. California Pizza is a lot more patronized. As usual, the crowd mean the food must be good or it is good value. So when I reached Modestos and it is empty, I decide California is good for lunch. This resturant is in Wisma Atria and is very popular with foreign families. Kids must have just dismissed from their enrichment class.
We, my wife and I ordered a salami pizza, salad, chocolate cake and one ice lemon tea. The total cost is $55. Cost of meal for two is going up! Inflation making eating out expensive and out of reach for the average wage earner. However, I must say the pizza and salad was excellent. Overall it is good value for an "Italian" meal.

What do I REALLY want?

Come to think of this question, it is a laundry list of wants!
Freedom - freedom to do what I enjoy, freedom from worry, financially free, freedom of choice basically.
Love - mother, brother, sisters, wife, sons and in-laws
Teach - to teach and to learn
Health - good health
Money - no worry living
Earth - enjoy a standard of living with minimal impact to our Mother Earth
Spiritual - make spiritual progress, acquire good karma and make the world better for being here

What do I really, really, really want?

I have my empty create screen open and wondering what to write... Then I switch on the TV and Oprah was on and interviewing a woman about her journey in life. How she travelled all the way to Bali and found Life! This woman was smiling radiantly. Yes, she looks like she found it. However, she says you need not travel the same journey as her to achieve what she did. She went all the way to Bali and learned from a master. This master never move out of his front porch. He told her he does not understand why the Indian master makes meditation so complicated. "I will teach you the way to meditate. All you have to do is to sit here and Smile." Yes, just smile. Make sure your liver is smiling too. The author was smiling from her heart and actually her whole body is oozing with smiles. Yes, it is obvious she has learn, practice and mast the art of smiling. The book she wrote is the journey of love, a love story that has a happy ending. On page 287, here is my favorite part, Oprah read "This is enough. Come, come to my bed now. Come, come to my bed now". The book is
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gibert.
To embark on the same journey as Elizabeth, all you have to do is to ask the question What do I really, really, really want? every morning when you wake up and answer the question in a journal. The really, really must be repeated 3 times.

Wonderful Party

I had a wonderful party with my distributor in Singapore. A party of 10 eating my bbq heartily. It is great to have great company. I had a fantastic time and enjoys all the small talk and loving the fact that my guests tucking in my cooking with gusto. We had sauages, pork tenderloin, ribeye and sirloin, boneless chicken thighs and satay. My guests like my home very much and loves the views. I noticed I am getting less blue sky now as more high HDB are surrounding my estate. I hope we do not keep building and crowd our the sky view.
Grocery is more expensive much more expensive than before. Our purchasing power has been reduced by the high inflation. I have no idea how the 7.7% inflation come about. I think the cost of raw food has gone up by more than 50%!!

Mid Valley Mall

Jusco has sales for members only today and starts early in the morning. The crowd was tremendous. Judging by the response, the economy is doing well. Everyone is buying loads and carrying large bags when they leave Jusco. I look at the people buying all the stuff which basically is manufactured goods where raw material are dug from the ground. This mean Jusco and the consumers are directly contributing to global warming and the destruction of our planet.
I wonder what we could do to live with less and in total put less demand on Spaceship Earth.

Plasma or LCD?

I am always partial to LCD TV as the power consumption is low and there are plenty of good writeup on the virtues of LCDs. Recently, Hitachi put up a vertical banner that caught my attention! More than 80% of people preferred plasma TV. I was surprised by the high percentage. Hitachi cited interviews done with side by side testing on colors, brillant, picture quality, etc, etc. Now I am sold on plasma tv especially since it is a lot more economical (ok lah! cheaper) than LCD. I understand Panasonic is the market leader in Plasma TV and have the most experience. Right now, I am shopping for the best price. I hope the price will continue to drop...

Rain in Bangkok

When it rain in Bangkok, big puddles form everywhere. Water is two to three inches deep. So water proof shoes does not work! Boots are recommended. It was pouring while we were having dinner in Vietnamese resturant and we saw a couple sharing a tiny umbrella and picking their way to the shops. I have no idea why drainage is not built when roads and car parks are tarred. It will take heavy continuous rain to flood in Singapore. However, in Bangkok water rise rapidly as the roads are not build to drain water away.
Back to the couple with the umbrella. This remind me of the Hokkien song - One Small Umbrella...
Two of us
Together we carry a small umbrella
Rain is heavy
Soaking Wet All Over
The Feeling is uplifting.
(This is my literal translation of the song)

Borders Vs MPH in Mid Valley Mall

I have some time to crawl the mall and as usual my haunt is the bookstore. I first go to Borders in Gardens. The store is bright and the books are well organized. I had a great time in there! I was reluctant to go but I want to check out MPH as well. I find MPH is a let down. Most books are on plastic wraps. Although MPH carry a lot of the latest books, somehow I find the store jaded and merchandising boring. Next time, I will spend all my time in Borders instead.
What surprises me is MPH is better patronised. So location is important. MPH is at the ground floor of the Mid Valley Mall which has much higher traffic. Borders is on the fourth floor of the Gardens. Gardens is quite posh and expensive. So the traffic is low.
I had a great time in the company of books. Hence, me the BookLOVER.

Bum Fall

I had a bum fall yesterday. My butt still hurts and it is sore!! My spine is not strong in the first place is getting more trauma from my new interest. I will have to keep at it to conquer my worst fears and practice until I reach competent level.

Wendy Drops In for BBQ Dinner

Wendy came over to visit my family and we had my usual favorite entertaining option, BBQ. Wendy was my colleague when we both were in Canada. Today, she is still working for the same company but based in Hong Kong. She is here for business but takes time to visit another friend who married to a Singaporean and us. She now has twin baby girls. They are fraternal twins. One is bigger size than the other. Both are extremely cute and adorable. We catch up news on ex-colleagues. It is excellent to be working here in Asia. The economies are growing and in far better shape than US. Canada is doing not too badly too.

Blading Again

I have not lost my touch! Errr... I mean my balance. I have not forgotten how to roller blades! I was a little worried. Even though I know once you learn how to bike, you will never forget. Roller blade is different! Falling is highly painful and exceptional easy. Even with all the protective wear, the butt is unprotected.
I have attained the next level. Now I no longer need the mantra fall forward, bend your knees. Still there are many near misses and I do not like them. The good thing is I can skate forward. Onward I will roll...

Wondering

Sometimes, I still wonder. I wonder what would happen when I die. I go to the hall of memories and review my life. It is like a report card. What would I do? How would I do? Have I progress? Do I have any regrets? Is there anything I could have done better?
How would it be like to know that I will be reborn again?
Life's questions! Any answers from anyone?

Severe Diarrhoea!!

I woke up in the middle of the night with severe diarrhoea and intense abdominal pain. It must be something I ate in Bangkok. Luckily I have lactiford and painkillers. Maybe the fruits are not clean. Or it may be the Vietnamese food. My last suspect is the ice blended coffee. So the ice may not be clean. I have a weak stomach and it hurts!
I am glad the episode happened once and it stopped. I prayed to angels and Goddess of Mercy and my prayers were answered.

B2S

B2S is a books and stationery store in Central World, Bangkok. It has an interesting range of Art books. There are a lot of books different from Kinokuniya. Kino is in Siam Paragon. I must say the shopping malls in Bangkok are a lot bigger than those in Singapore. The traffic is quite good today as it is Buddha's Birthday or something. On the way to the airport, the taxi driver explains to me that all the big bars are closed and the "girls" are not working. The contrast in Thailand is interesting as it is very religious and yet has a lot of sins (if prostitution is consider a sin). I find the women in Thailand are very attractive. I think they are most attractive in Asia!
Anyway, back home I weighs myself and to my horror it read 88.2kg when I am totally naked!!
Sigh! The dinner last night was excellent and I ate too much. It was Vietnamese food. I had pho, prawn in sugar cane, fried popiah, fresh popiah and two drinks. The company was good and the conversation's interesting and engaging. I enjoyed myself too much and now it is payback time. Diet for the next few days until my next trip.

My Ex-colleague Tracy

Tracy used to work for us in KL and is now working in Bangkok. I am glad to get a chance to meet up with her to catch up. She suffered culture shock and homesickness. It was tough adjustment for the past few months. Now she is getting used to the life here and adapting well. She is making tremendous progress. She is doing good work and she has an office bigger than mine!! I am very happy to see that she has grown in her capabilities and is settling in her new career.

Day 2 in Bangkok

Wake up on my own this morning and spend some time on the email. Then I change to my work clothes and then realise I was looking at the time in my computer. Bangkok is one hour behind. So I was too early rather than late. I change to swimwear and swim in the hotel pool. The pool is about the same size at the one I have at home....small! I swam for a total of 10 mins. It is great to do some exercise even though it is not too much.
I had a good meeting presenting my busyness!

Bangkok

It is hot in Bangkok. And I am cooped up in a hotel all day long. The good food and sitting all day. I am losing in my fight against weight gain. The positive is I will have another day of meeting and then off to do my real work. Meeting Customers!
I hope I have some time to explore the Kinokuniya in Siam Square.

Kosong Prata at S$1

Last year, this time a roti prata or Indian bread without egg is 80cts per piece. I had one for morning breakfast and it cost a dollar. The Indian coffeeshop is at the end of Jalan Kayu. This shop is more reasonably priced than the "Famous Jalan Kayu Roti Prata". It is never-ending stream of crowd coming in for their morning breakfast on a Sunday morning. I sat there to enjoy my teh halia (ginger tea) and just observed the comings and goings. It is interesting just to absorb the atmosphere. It is very rustic where free parking is available and greenery is abundant. Kind of messy and different from the orderly, sterile environment elsewhere in Singapore. It has the "kampong" or small village feel.
I saw a traffic police making a report through his mobile radio. I hope the government do not do any development to "improve" the traffic flow. Otherwise Jalan Kayu will lose its character.

881

This is a locally directed movie on Getai singers - The Papaya Sister. Yeo Yann Yann, from Johore who acted in the Singapore Dreaming. The show is in Hokkien dialect with all the Hokkien songs. It is nostalgic. I have not been to getai for years now. I think getai has gone the way of dinosaur. Today, it is karaoke contest.
I tried to teach my B1 and B2 one hokkien song when we were living in Canada. Now, all my three boys has no clue on their "mother tongue". Roots are weakening. My boys grew up in English or Singlish. This is their mother tongue now.

Another Tip

It is important to read after skating. I found another tip that is very useful for inline skating. Nose inline with your toes, always keep your hands in front of you. This is so basic and makes sense that I have no idea why I did not even think of it. Falling forward is like learning baby steps. Keeping your nose in line with your toes and hands in front mean CG or centre of gravity is in the middle of 4 wheels. This offer the most stable position.
YES! I am skating now at a reasonable speed. The key is still stopping. It is a challenge. I can swizel and turn. Will be out on the road for the whole week. Will I remember how to skate when I return?

Incredible Week of Work

I have not written about work for long time as I had feedback that it is booorrinnnggg. Busy would be an understatement for this week. We cap off the week with an incredible order. Order equal to one month worth of sales. Indeed we are starting to break record after records.
I am dancing like nobody is watching...hehehe.

Progress!

More progress at roller blading. Basketball court is a good place to practice. It is flat and the wide area allows beginner's turns(wide and wild), learning swizel and shuffling. No slope to make roller blading treacherous. The instructions from the book are good. I followed and it works. Until now, I am stilling repeating this mantra "fall forward, bend your knees". It is really good advice!

My Lucky Day

Today I blade without falling. It is a good feeling. I did about 600 metres worth. I thought I quit while I am still ahead. Felt like a lottery winner. The trick is to keep leaning forward and knees bend. I am still extremely slow and my foot muscles were cramping up. Overall, it is great feeling.

Slope is a dangerous

Slope is dangerous for beginner. The speed picks up and not knowing how to brake or slow down, it is downright risky and dangerous. I keep slipping and nearly falling over. The problem is my lack of skills to control my speed or making turns. So I just accelerate very quickly toward a concrete wall. This is like seeking suicide. As I pick up speed, I begin to panick and worse since I do not know how to stop, I became an 88kgs missile. I could not think of a better way to abuse myself. Yet, I know I must conquer my fears. I think I will have to go for lessons before I seriously damaged myself.

Slow Road to Roller Blading

I practise roller blading again. I am a slow learner. Sigh! Is age? Or am I just a slow learner? It is lots of sweat for 40 mins and still very slow and unsteady. Looking at other roller bladers makes me feel ashamed of myself. I have to grit my teeth and carry on. It will take time to get over the hump and be competent on wheels. I know the feeling of being competent. I enjoyed being watched and envied by others when I swim. One day, I will be roller blading well. This is my resolution!

Thinking...

I am thinking about Nikola Tesla. The day after he died his huge laboratory was burnt down and then bulldozer went into to destroy whatever equipment the fire cannot burn. With universal free power, the masters of war and business couldn't control, they couldn't have that. It is sad that people with power want to retain power by all means even if it meant preventing the growth of humanity.

The Tesla Papers

Nikola Tesla is a genius. He is not as well known as Thomas Edison or Marconi. Edison is known to be the father of electric light. Tesla invented the electrical system that we use in our homes and factories today - the AC or alternating current electricity. Tesla also invented the radio. He designed and build extremely high voltage machine that shoots out lightnings and generate man-made ball lightning. Ball lightning is extremely rare. It is a ball of plasma floating around and will destroy whatever it touches.
In the Tesla Papers, there is an anecdote that Nikola tap energy from atmosphere. In a small box with several vaccuum tube, he can power an electric car up to 90 miles an hour without any need to recharge. Whoever can recreate this will be the richest guy or gal on earth with oil at US$140 per barrel!

An observation on human behaviour

It is difficult to talk to people and expect them to understand and follow. This is why we have laws which will spell out what and who is right and the punishment for violators. Case in point: we live in a small community of 20. Several of my neighbours has more cars than what can be park in their own carpark lots. So their cars are parked on the common area causing inconvenience to others. For the longest time we discussed and try to work things out to no avail. For the owners who are parking and impeding the flow of traffic, the situation is ok. "Nobody complains" was the typical response. When another neighbour asked the owner to move their vehicle, they will take their time and the remark is "Don't know how to drive, ah!"

We setup a carpark committee and pass a by-laws for car park in the common area. The committee also work out a solution of T-parking in front of your own lot. Some owners are not happy with this arrangement as it is inconvenient for them. If they decided to use the car that is inside, they will have to move the car outside first. It is INCONVENIENT!

Recently, one owner has an extra sports car and use the common carpark overnight without informing and getting permission. Another decided inside of T-parking, he parked on the opposite side of the road. He has been informed verbally several times and his response was T-parking is causing a smaller radius and his solution is better. He also assures the messengers(more than one) that he will move his car right away. However, he refused to comply and instead continue to flout the rule. It is interesting that people would make empty promises and pretend or even lie through their teeth. Finally a written warning was posted on the car. The owner go back to T-parking after the written warning.
It is clear that without the by-laws with spelling out the penalty and empowering to act, people will do things to their own advantage even if it causes problem to other people. Appealing to civic conciousness is futile. As a senior manager of our managing agent well puts it - until there is a by-law, you have no teeth.

This incident illustrate that human will not listen to requests and appeals and respond only to punishment.

AMK Hub At 10pm

The two older boys want to go out late as it is Friday night. We go to AMK Central and have food before wandering about. There retail shops closed at 10pm. Outside AMK Hub is the 24 hours McCafe and McDonald. Together with the coffee shop next door it is extremely busy and well patronised. Weird characters are about late at night. There is a huge man wearing only his pants sitting on the sidewalk. His stomach is overflowing down covering his hip. I have no idea why he is displaying his thick layers of fat. He does not seem to be begging as I do not see a collection cup for money.
This is sleepless in Ang Mo Kio...

Inline!

There is only one book in Kinokuniya that is on rollerblades skating. The title is Inline! A manual for Beginning to Intermediate Inline Skating by William Nealy. With 20% discount, the book is S$20 nett. It is like a handwritten homemade book with comic-style drawings. I like the blurp on the back cover..."So whether you're an armchair skater or a guerrilla blader, this is the book you've been waiting for. Learning how to inline skate has just been revolutionized." This is an extremely readable book. I do not know if I will become an armchair skater as I am a reader and booklover. Many a time, reading a book replaces my need to actually experience.

Recovering

I am on the mend. Although I tires easily, I have more energy and slowly regaining my strengths. Come to think of it, I was very comfortable to go into the surgery alone. My classmates were working on me. I was anesthesized by my primary school classmate and the surgeon was my secondary 1 classmate. They are husband and wife team. I am quite lucky in a sense because I know both of them and I have seen Lay Tin at work before. She used to do cardiac anesthesia when I was selling to cardiothoracic equipment and disposables.

Aching Bones

My bones are aching all over. Shoulder blades hurts! Abdomen is sore where the stone was. I saw the video. Man! The stone was like a crystal with sharp edges. As the surgeon tries to pull it out, it refuses to come out and cut my uretheter. Hence my surgeon break it up and then pull the smaller pieces out to the bladder. No wonder my abdomen is sore. Internally I have cuts and it will take time to heal as urine keep coming down to irritate the open wounds. I am not so technically sound and cannot upload the video as blogger does not recognise the video format. I have to do some conversion and if I can get someone's else to convert the video, I will post it on this blog for you.

Nursing Care

This two nurses look after my post operative care. The fringe benefit is the nurse is quite pretty. You will not believe she is a mother of 4. She will give SQ cabin crews a run for their money.

Kidney Stone Strike Again

It started with a discomfort on the right lower abdomen at 7am. Felt like stomachache. Go to the toilet a couple of times to try to expel the pain. The pain become more and more intense. I look into the mirror. I began to sweat and then sweat profusely. My body is reacting to the pain. Finally at about 10am, I decided to go to the hospital. By then, the pain was excruciating and almost killing me i.e. dying would be a relief.
Good thing is hospital is only 15mins away and also good to have doctor as my classmate. He attended to me almost immediately. He prescribe an injection of a super painkiller which contains morphine. Time expanded. Man! Every second is like a minute. There were some procedure. I have to go to A&E and he has to come over to sign some papers as this is classified under poison act. After what seems like eternity, Elisabeth the A&E nurse gave me two jabs. One for the pain and the other to take care of the side effect which is prevent nausea and vomitting. After that I have to go for a CT scan. The offending stone is still there. It is now 6 mm.
I decided to take it out. At 2:30pm, I was wheeled into the Operating Theatre. The anesthesiologist is my primary school classmate. Breathe in deeply, she instructed me. After four breaths, I slipped into unconciousness. By the time I wake up, I am in recovery. It is one hour and five minutes and the "blackout" is quite disorienting. Seems like it is only one min that I was "sleeping".
Then back to the ward. The after effects of the anesthesia continues. I was feeling great that I am concious. Then I get dizzy spells. The urge and need to lie down is strong. It is hard to stay up. The car ride on the way home makes me car sick. I threw out immediately after reaching home. Good thing I did not eat much. I fell asleep right away.
I wake up at half past two in the morning and get some work done and record this chapter of my journey in life.