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.

Longest Queue for Beancurd

Yes, it is right! It is the longest queue I have ever seen for the humble tow huay or soya bean curd jelly. The lunch time crowd has only an hour for lunch and they are willing to queue for half an hour for a bowl of bean curd. It is in Maxwell Hawker Centre right beside URA. I was pretty amazed by the sight. A bowl of bean curd cost $1.50. In the market, it usually cost $0.70. Mr. Bean or Jolly Bean sells them for $1.50 but their location are in the shopping malls which cost more in rent.

I am intrigued and will go back to try out this amazing beancurd.

Mistake!

I made a mistake! The haze is not from forest burning. It is from Shell refinery. The amount of particulate is so high that the rainwater we collect in the morning is grey. I wonder about our reservoir. We are collecting and drinking water polluted by the fire. The report says air quality is not affected on the mainland which is Singapore Island. Visually, the rain water is obviously contaminated. Are the particulate harmful? At least, we know they are not radioactive but can it be carcinogenic? What will be the long term effects?

I guess we will only know in future.

Haze

The acrid smell of the burning was strong when I step out of the bedroom. I quickly look out the sky is hazy. It us unusual to have haze at the start of our rainy season. I have a "heavy" head last night. Although I am sleeping, I feel pain in my head. I work up with a headache. I know I did not have restful sleep with a headache throughout the night.

With more violent storms and extreme weather conditions, the effect on our physical condition will become more pronounced and ailments like asthma and headaches will rise.

Supply and Demand

Economics is about demand and supply. Price is a function of supply and demand. As I listened to the stories in Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. It is so much commonsense. If the demand go up, price will go up until supply meet demand and then it will stablise. If supply exceeds demand price will go down. Companies are subject to the demand and supply. If changes in the environment are not met, companies will lose business and profits.

I feel I am listening to a business book. The illustrations and examples however is like driving with a rear view mirror. It still take an entreprenuer to come up with a new system, product or service to grow a new business and dominate. Will I ever be an entreprenuer? Only time can tell...

Character Building in School

I really hope the new Minster of Education can shift the obsession on grades and homework to more nebulous and hard to measure character building and values. Even Lee Wei Ling, daughter of our esteemed Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew also wrote about it last Sunday.

There is even a new upcoming book that show results of research on excessive homework actually reduces academic performance. This research is done in the Western countries. Singapore with high homework load has consistently rank at the top globally for Maths and Science score. It defies the research results!

Instead of one track or one size fits all, we will have diversity and success defined differently from straight As. Success in life is about family, helping others and living a good life. Material comforts are good and enjoyable but we should also have kind spirit and peaceful disposition.

The Client

It is quite an interesting story. Lawyers in America, mercenary and alturistic. Some are all for money and others all for justice and helping out poor kids. It is the battle between good and evil. The American legal system strengths and flaws.

The boy who try to help a lawyer to prevent him from committing suicide by pulling out the hose from the car exhaust. He was caught by the lawyer and then the lawyer tries to make sure they both dies together. The lawyer reveals the reason why he is committing suicide. The boy managed to escape and the lawyer blow his brains out.

Now the mob, FBI all wants this boy to find out what he knows. An elderly female lawyer helps him out. They go through a series of adventures. In the end, the boy get his family into a witness protection program and FBI got the evidence they need to convict a well known mob head.

It is a good ending. And I like it!

Do Not Believe in Australian Psychic

The Australian psychio who has the gall to post his lecture on Sep 25, 2011 the earth will experience an earthquake of 12 to 15 on the Richter scale. It looks like a calm and peaceful Sunday. A real beautiful day indeed.

Australian psychics have a real credibility issues. The guy make a pronouncement that make a mockery out of the whole profession if you could classify psychic as a profession.

Beautiful Sunday Morning

Sunday, the day of rest for God. It is also family day for us. B1 is home, so we have family meal. Tuition still dominates the day but we can relax and do whatever we want which mean shopping, window shopping...ahhhh...this reminds me...

My French neighbour says Singaporeans are obsessed with shopping. When we go for trips to other countries, we are always checking out the shopping strips, outlet malls and deals. He says shopping is not so important to French when we were discussing him about the country we are planning to go. They enjoyed the place,the history, the culture... Yes! it is a nice place and but no shopping for him when my wife asked "Is it a nice place and how's the shopping over there?".

Anyway, I am enjoying the birds singing as I write. There are so many different types of birds in my estate now. NParks is doing a fantastic job of attracting birds and developing an ecosystem that works and changing Singapore from the garden in the city to the city in a garden.

No Outing

We stop our regular mall crawling pastime as we supporting our B2 for his "O" revision. We are in an exam-mad society and as parents, we are doing everything we can to make sure he can perform to the best of his ability.

We only go out for dinner and grocery shopped while he was having his tuition. I hope he does well. He has been working hard recently and improve his performance in school. It is just a neighbourhood school. The key is he is improving and we are happy he is progressing.

Rewards of Rising Up Early

1. It is very quiet and peaceful
2. The sounds of water fountains is very soothing
3. The sky is dark and the stars can be seen easily
4. There is nice stillness with everyone asleep
5. Best time for contemplation and meditation
6. The air is cool and smells sweet

I am thinking...

The new Minister of Education is going to focus more on character building and development. Homework will be reduce so that the student will not be burdened by too much workload and stress. I hope the Minister of Education can implement and executed the vision he proposed. I believe sole emphasis on academic achievements may not be enough to sustain our progress as a nation. We need to build capable leaders of tomorrow and a society that is kind, caring and tolerant.

Medical Checkup

I have my medical checkup at Tan Tock Seng today. Blood test, urine sample, eye check and x-ray. I also do a exercise stress test. I lasted on 10 and a half mins on the treadmill. I go past my maximum heart rate for maybe 10 secs. It is the longest 10 secs. The speed was fast and at a gradient. It takes me about two mins for my recovery and fully recovers in about 5 min.

Overall, I should be okay unless the lab tests results are not good. I have been exercising and keeping myself fit.

Stressed!

I have shut my computer down and getting ready to go to bed. Playing with my tablet, I realised I have not updated this blog today. I realised a couple of times I did not update this blog when I am stressed. So when I am stressed, I will brood and brood. I will not sleep well. The stress of modern living bring forth heart diseases and cancers. Managing stress is something we all need to learn.

I shall stop here. Sigh....

The Client

John Grimshaw is a young lawyer who gave up a career in law to write. He has written a number of bestsellers including The Firm which was turned into a movie starring Tom Cruise. I am listening to this story and John Grimshaw's style is different from say Robert Ludlum. Nevertheless, the lawyer stories are interesting. I am still at the first disk. It is about a young boy who witness a suicide of a lawyer who has mob connecton. FBI is now looking for him and trying to interview him....

The Clock Runs Out Sep 25, 2011

I was playing with the Samsung tablet and wondering what to do. I thought I will check out Youtube to watch short vignettes. So I type in 2012 and a number of videos pop out. One is titled as above by Australia psychic researcher. He claims he found the connection between the recent earthquakes and astronomical alignment. According to this guy, the earth will have a massive earthquake on Sep 25, 2011 with a magnitude of 12 to 15.

We are getting plenty of doomsday predictions nowadays. One day, it may become true. Until then, I expect to continue to update my blog come Sunday, 25th Sep.

Change is Disruptive

We switch our internet service provider or ISP from M1 to Singnet and not all the computers work with the new internet system. Then the internet seems unstable. It may be the MIO TV. Every time we change internet, it is very disruptive. It takes a while for us to get all our different computer systems tune up to work.

Plug and Play is still a pipe dream...

Dramatic Improvement

My brother is now is a regular ward. The change is quite dramatic from being unconscious in CTSICU on Thursday evening to now able to complain about pain. He made remarkable recovery. His condition is still unstable. His potassium is low and is put on drip when I was there. The Central Venous Cava catheter is still in place. So setting up the drip is easy and fast. His drainage is quite full but does not need suction anymore. So his internal bleeding has slow considerably.

He can also ambulate or walk although there is still risk of falling. He is not so steady but I can see huge improvement in his condition. I hope he will take care of himself on his diet. He does not like the bland food in the hospital not realising all the flavourings are poisoning his cardiovascular system.

I hope he will live well for a long time.

Japanese Resturants

I woke up early this morning. My right eyeball is irritated and the pressure is quite high. I have no idea why. It may be an allergic reaction. I am nursing a nagging headache for the whole day.

I was just search for toy train store and I chance into Orchard Toy Store which used to be in Centrepoint. I thought it was closed permanently. Actually, it is now in Hotel Grand Central two buildings away. The whole back alley of Orchard Road looks a little dingy. The store is now a lot smaller, the proprietor is still there. Unfortunately, he no longer stock steam engines.

B1 and B3 was with me. As we walk back to Centerpoint, B1 was distracted by Kushiyaki resturant in Cuppage Plaza. We have lunch there. The food is authenticd Japanese. Price is very reasonable too. We need to explore other Japanese resturants in abundance there. My wife felt the place there is a little dodgy. Beside the resturants were massage parlor and night clubs.

Kampung Style

This is the place for great nasi lemak - kampung style. Price is higher than regular hawker center but tastes quite good.
The nsmen in Bedok camp are back for their reservist training. The big complaint I have about this place is hygiene factor. Houseflies buzzing away landing on your legs and arms as well as your food and drinks.
The cleaning team and garbage disposal are below par.

Out of ICU!

It is fast nowadays. My brother has only two syringe pumps on instead of six when his out of OT(operating theatre). One is morphine which is a painkiller. The other is labelled GTN which I do not know what it for. The ventilator is out as well. He is conscious but drowsy. He is transferred to high dependency ward for today and will go to regular ward tomorrow. The wonder of technology and technique. Recovery from open heart used to be two weeks in ICU thirty years ago. Then down to one week and today it is only one or two days stay in ICU. The significant reduction is due to the extensive the use of single use disposable product, better drainage and closure of wounds, sutures, new drugs, etc, etc. The cost has also gone up. It used to cost about $10K. Today, the cost is about $20K unsubsidized rate.

I am very glad my brother is recovering well. He still has enhanced oxygen intake through breathing tube. His oxygen saturation has dropped to 98% which is still good. I hope it does not drop further when he is breathing on his own without additional oxygen.

Breeks!

Takashimaya does not have a reasonable priced resturant. Even the food court is pricey. I decided to lunch at Breeks to have quiet time as the resturant is not busy relative to others. It also has wifi. A good place to surf and drink and eat. I took some pictures as well. This blog will be splice up with more pictures wherever my tablet is with me.

Open Heart Operation Over

My brother has a quadruple bypass and valve repair. His operation is over and in CTSICU in Singapore General Hospital. He is sedated as he is still on ventilator. His heart rate is stablising at 99 bpm. His blood pressure is at 120/64 which is excellent. Oxygen saturation is now at 100% which is a huge improvement compared to pre-open-heart surgery of about 90%. Central Venous Pressure is between negative 14 to negative 20mmHg. I would say his surgery is successful. However, he is a high risk patient. He has history of stroke and therefore the next 24 hours is quite crucial for him, the doctor advise us. We will know when he regain conciousness.

I have been praying for him the surgery to go smoothly. He is on the table longer than usual as he two major ops in one session. He is lucky the head of dept, Kenny Sin operated on him.

For now, we can only wait and see and pray for the best outcome.

Samsung Tablet

Recently, we acquired this new gadget. I woke up early this morning and the newspaper has not arrived yet. So I took the tablet along for reading. It is so easy to take a picture and post direct to the blog like below. A typical Indian coffeeshop where I drink my teh halia and read newspapers as well as tablet. Technology is changing my reading habits and also allows me to capture where I am and post it to my diary.

Morning Teh Halia

Dec 21, 2012

This date is well known that even my 10 year boy, aka B3 use it when he does not want to study. "What is the point of studying when the world is coming to an end in 2012?" he would chime as a reason not to study.

I caught myself thinking this way when I have intractable issue. The question that come immediately after is "What happen if the world did not come to an end in 2012?". This escapist thought process like yin and yang has a balancing counter thought. It will be nice if we can really foretell the future. Then we need not work so hard if we know the end is near and enjoy ourselves to the fullest.

Man is exploiting and damaging Mother Earth. The standard of living going up mean we are using up more resources. The economy growth is also dependent on using up more resources. We should shift to a different paradigm where money and creating wealth is the primary objective of living.

Lost Swamp

I missed the swamp and the tides. I am referring to Punggol reservoir. Now that it is a freshwater reservoir, the mangroves trees are dying. The crabs are gone and so are the clams and other brackish water fishes or sea fishes. I like to see the water level sometimes high and sometimes low. When it is low, the muddy banks are fully of life scuttling all over(baby crabs). If it is raining, mud skippers will be all over the muddy bank. Plenty of fish fry all the shallow water. It was easy to catch them to feed my goldfishes. Now there are not so many frys at the bank anymore.

I love the sea life that used to come in. Once there were a lot of jellyfish and another time a sea cucumber was trapped in a small rock pool. Now it is just fresh water and after the rain, it is brown with mud and lots of debris, twigs and dead leaves.

My boys no longer have the chance to get nature at its natural best. It is only man-made floating platform and a large mangosteen rest stop.

The Crystal Skull

I am half way through this novel. The story has a mix of history, myths and ancient legend. The blue crystal skull bring energy, special capabilities and death to the owner. There are supposed to be 13 crystal skulls and all will come together near the end of the world. I wonder if Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull has some of the storyline from this book.

Mio TV

Our new internet comes with Mio TV. We are having a hard time as the settings of our computers has to be changed and also the internet does not seem to be stable and needs to be reset a few times since it is installed at lunch time.

The VOD or video on demand looks interesting. Hopefully, there are documentaries and business video, my favorite subjects.

Not Feeling Well

B1 is not feeling well in camp. He has cold sweat and feeling feverish. We rushed to the camp to send him some medication. Mummy pack up everything and wrote down the instructions. She is a wonderful nurse. He gets the cough syrup, tyernols, flumosil for phlegm and this will allow him to rest and sleep better tonight. He is very appreciative of daddy and mummy rushing over to give him the medications. The ride is 45 mins one way to a place on army boys will go.

We are at least glad he have the medicine to make him feel better. He is very glad his daddy and mummy took the time to go and see him and bring something to help him. Yes, this is love.

Long, Dark and Winding Road

Sending B1 to his camp is a scary experience tonight. I followed the GoogleMap's route recommendation. The road was incredibly long and dark. I can hardly see it. It is two way one lane each and when there is a car coming from the opposite direction, I am not sure if it is coming towards our car on the same lane. It's been a long time since I drove in this kind of road. It is quite common in Canada as all the highways outside the build-up areas are not lit up. After driving well-lit streets and highways, it bring back memories of long trip in Canada in winter. However, the highways in Canada are wide and there is always a separator barrier for the traffic in opposite direction.

So after dropping B1 off, we decided to go by Lim Chu Kang Road leading to Jalan Bahar and then to PIE. This is way better with the road brightly lit. I have forgotten my own army experience. It was not scary after getting used to it. But a sudden change, it is the fear of darkness, accident and the unknown.

Batman

I have been watching all the Batman movies in the last two days. Batman Begins, Batman, Batman and Robin and Batman Forever. It is interesting just to watch the whole series in one go. Micheal Keaton acted in a couple of the shows and Val Kilmer and Christoper Bale in the other two.

Apparently, Batman's father keeps a journal in which he writes everyday. A blog is like a journal except it is public. Many English teachers recommend keeping a journal or diary to improve writing and articulating thoughts in written form. I keeping my blog updated daily as far as I can. I do slip once in a while or unable to do so when I am in China. Otherwise, it is a habit I keep up with. It can be boring but when I review my old entries, it does bring back lots of memories.

Old-Style Kopitiam

Sometimes we run out of ideas of where to go for meals. Luckily, every week Sunday Times will come up with a list of recommendation. I would tear out those that looked interesting to explore. One was on the old-style kopitiam. For lunch we try out the Warong at 738 North Bridge Road. I thought it will be ok since we are going to be there early. This is a place I know! I came here several times in the past. Long long past. I guess the good old kopitiam is a classic. The place was busy. There are still seats and we ordered mutton rendang, curry chicken, fried eggs, fried hard boiled eggs, deep fried fish fillet, fried potato cutlet and pickles.

The food was good and excellent value at $28.40 with 4 drinks. My wife loved the curry chicken which is their signature dish. B3 like the rendang and B1, B2, and I just finished up everything. Mmmm, yummy, yummy yum yum!

After lunch, we took a walk around Kampung Glam. We have missed a huge selection of resturants which we should try by coming here more often. Before we go, we bought swiss rolls from the cake shop. This rolls cost $6 to $7, rather expensive and taste not bad. It just bad for weight and heart.

B1 is Happy

B1 has finished his first stage of NCO training. He is in Part 2 of the training and he is happy when he heard those who stayed behind in the Infantry is doing lots of exercise and will be going for road marches, long long road marches of 32 km. Road march takes incredible toll on the boys. They have to carry haversack weighed down by all the equipment and supplies plus their rifle and helmet. Marching all night to next morning. They will return home full of abrasions and blisters, muscles crying out for rest and sore from overuse.

B1 is in a mobile unit and his training is different. Not so physical. Hence he is happy. I am glad my boy is happy too. There are risks in his unit as well. He has already heard stories of several deaths during training. I pray that he will be safe for his NS duty.

Collectable Erasers and others

B3, the baby of the family is onto the latest fad - erasers! The erasers are little replicas of everyday objects like shoes, violin, cosmetic box, hair brush, model cars and others. He is quite intrigued and was keen on collecting all the "rare" models. The toy makers are really good at creating collection and making some rare so that the kids are hooked and keeps buying the packages. They also price it at $3 to $4 each which is very affordable to young kids who get daily allowance for school.

There is also another collectable series which is figurines formed out of "bones" It is cheap plastic and have different series with "rare" metal models. Kids seem to love them.

Technosaur

I am using the tablet and find that it is not so interesting. It is easy to read maps and browse the news. There are plenty of interesting software. Free books but I still have no idea how to download them. Actually, I am not comfortable to let them access my account. Plenty of freewares to choose. It is quite interesting to explore so many programs outside Apple's control.

While it is fun to explore, I really am not so excited as the number of programs available is overwhelming. The tablet can do video conferencing. It is like going into th future. It is also neat to travel with a tablet that even the hawkers can recognised. It is a conversation piece indeed. Only issue is I am really a technosaur and need my boys to figure out how to use the tablet effectively.

Samsung Galaxy

Finally, finally, we decided to get a tablet. My boys are excited and playing with it. We have a "free" mobile internet plan, so it is our latest toy. So now it is no longer free as we have to spend capital cost to acquire a gadget that could work with the mobile internet.

I am not a gadgeteer. However, I am looking forward to use the tablet whenever I am out for tea or teh halia to entertain myself. This tablet is the latest Galaxy 10.1 It is supposed to be superior to iPad 2.

I am an Apple fan actually but decided to try Android to open up a different window(pun intended) to the latest technology. Also there are more freeware in Android whereas Apple charges for most App although there are many free but they have limited functionality.

Fighting Weight Gain

My weight is creeping up relentlessly. Every year I gain a kg. My objective to reduce weight is like New Year's Resolution - make to be broken. I have only one diet plan - enjoy food and hi-cal drinks. I started a oat breakfast two weeks ago and stick to the plan religiously. So far, the outcome is my weight still stayed high and worse of all still rising.

I may need new strategy. An easy way out is liposuction since all the exercising I have done did not do the trick. At the end of the day, I must just simply eat less. Easy to say but impossible to do. I have a bad lifestyle! High stress job and eat to relieve stress. I am a prime candidate for high blood pressure and heart attack.

Quality Family Time

B1 is home for the weekend. We are a full family again. We went to Marina Square for lunch and decided on Lerk Thai. The food was good and desserts were fabulous. We ordered a sampling of all the desserts i.e. all 6 on menu. The only complaint we have is there are too much MSG and we felt very thirsty after the meal.

We adjorned to Comex to renew our broadband service. The place was just crazy. There are hot sales going on and everyone is buying. It is as though the gadgets are free!!!

After Comex, we broke up. B2 is sent home to study and B1 go to his girlfriend's house and B3 stayed with us for grocery shopping in NTUC.

Dinner was simple homecooked dishes of stir-fried greens, deep fried chicken wings and steamed fish. We had a leisurely dinner with sliced mango and orange for dessert. After fruits, B3 opened a bag of potato chips and we munch and enjoy the unhealthy snack. Then B1 wanted to try the Goodwood Park Hotel's mooncake and we cut one out and continue eating. And we actually cut another up as well. We have plenty of chat and conversation. It is a wonderful time together. We are very happy to have a warm finish to our Sunday.

YOU, The Owner's Manual

Dr. Oz, the TV Doctor series is the co-author. It is very easy to read and full of information on the human body, how it works and how to take care. In the book, nitrous oxide was mentioned, CoQ10 is also discussed and aspirin to help prevent heart attacks...many valuable information. I like it because there are plenty of illustrations and also discussions on the nutritional supplements. It make it easy to know if the ever popular supplements in the health store are effective or not.

I am keeping this as a reference manual. It is available in Prologue in ION at $24 for hardcover. Regular price for this book is $40.

Upheaval

Stock market is going up and down. Sometimes up and sometimes down. It call for fast action. Quite a challenge for retail investor. Our moods is going up and down. Today it is down:(

Comex, the IT fair opens today at noon in Suntec City. The pull-out section introduces the top bargains in page 2 and I was intrigue by the possible $130 for HP tablet. I arrived HP booth at 12:05pm and the tablets were sold out. Rather it was a "free" gift with purchase of other HP products. Darn it!

Design for Future

Look like designing is the way to have a future. Apple is the most visible and best example of design at work. With great design come great profit. Design is the blue ocean of tomorrow. We have to start thinking about better design to win the heart of consumers.

Red Star Resturant

This resturant is at the top of multi-storey carpark in Blk 54 Chin Swee Road. Hong Kong traditional style of dim sum where trolleys are pushed around all the tables to serve fresh and piping hot. The food is not comparable to Hua Ting but it is a lot more affordable and very authentic. The atmosphere is just like a resturant in Hong Kong. This also bring back memories of Cantonese Resturants in Toronto. Yum Cha is an excellent way to spend the weekends and public holidays especially in winter.

The variety of dim sums is huge, many not available in other resturants. Food is a little salty to my liking. However, overall it is a fantastic experience with the crowd and noise of a typical resturant in Hong Kong. Yes, I do miss Hong Kong. I do not go there anymore except to transit once in a while.

New Rules

I am reading Glimmer, which is about design. Bruce Mau is a top designer and 1998 crisis, he had calls from business leaders seeking his help as the old rules of business are no longer working. It is very interesting.

The rules in today's business world has changed. Rise of the two giants - China and India is disrupting the world economy. Cost is dropping dramatically for products made-in-China and IT and medical services outsource to India. Large companies are in danger of becoming outdated and obsolete as the systems and process and more importantly the culture stiffened like arteriosclerosis. Working harder and harder using the same tactics hoping for different results.

It is interesting my boss keep harping over and over again that doing the same things and expecting different results is insanity and yet he keep insisting we do things that has been tried and did not work. This reminds me of Kishore Mahbuni who says that US is declining in power and the Americans are vehmently denying and cursing Kishore and continue to claim and feel they are the only Superpower and Master of the Universe. How sad for the rest of the world.

Monday Morning

It is a quiet Monday. No school as all the school teachers were up all night on Saturday to count votes. Tomorrow is Hari Raya Puasa. No Muslim food stalls will be open.

The pressure to build flats and HDB accelerated plans to build more flats has taken away a lot of the flat lands that citizens used to enjoys pastimes like flying kites and model airplanes. It is very sad. We are all work and no play in the near future as all our playgrounds have become blocks of flats.

My French neighbour just returned from his summer holidays in France. He says Frenchs are not big into shopping like Singaporeans. They like history and historical buildings. They enjoys the atmosphere of different country. They do not travel to do shopping.

A Regular Sunday

Excitement over and we have a new President-elect. I slept through the "twist and turn" and "cliff-hanging moments" through the night when vote counting and re-count was done.

The PCN was filled with exercise fanatic as usual and malls were just as busy. We have our usual routine of tuitions, meals and malls. Really, Singapore is a yawn. This is why it is so attractive to investors and immigrants from all over the world.

Light Rain

Rain lightly sprinkle all day today. This has a magical effect of cooling the atmosphere making it feel like fall in Canada. Yes, I missed the seasons. It is nice to enjoy the cool weather. The day is filled with tuitions, shopping malls and exercise. The malls is very busy. Everyone is buying even including my favorite haunt Kinokuniya. I am a little surprised by the long queue as there isn't a 20% discount sales on.

I am feeling tired and sleepy as I was up 5am in the morning. I could not sleep and I forsee this is going to be a few nights before I can recover.

My Favorite Activities

I missed my reading. I am distracted at work to read. Luckily, the audiobooks are helping me to continue to read although I may not be paying too much attention at times. My motto is Reading maketh a Man. I also need to write to achieve a dream of being published one day. Today is a blog with a tiny readership. However, I know I have to write every day. My writings are quite dull at time and mostly a diary of my activities and books I read. Sometimes I missed a day or two due to work worries. The other reason is blogging is blocked in China. China has a tight control over the internet.

I am also wondering if I have less thinking time as I listen to audiobooks. Thinking is an important activity that gets push aside when reading audiobooks. So now my thinking space is while driving alone which is quite infrequent. I also think while swimming.

My favorite activities in order of priority: Reading, Thinking and Writing. TRW instead of 3R:)

D-Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow, we will find out who the next President of Singapore will be. I hope our new President will have a heart for Singapore. Anyway, the President is just a figure head and we may have lots of hulala for nothing. The campaigning is over. The 4 candidates must be holding their breath. I wish them luck.

Who To Vote?

The columnists and journalists are writing on the ideal President they like to see elected. No one state or articulate their preference. It is against the law to publicly state your preference as voting is secret. 4 candidates and 4 boxes and crossed only one. It is quite tough to figure out who. There are so many pros and cons on each candidates. I think they are all good men. Unfortunately, only one Tan can be elected. So I hope our President Tan will be a great one. If not, we will elect a new President when his term expires.

The new President has a few years to show his performance and bring Singaporeans together.

Open Letter from a GM of Borders in US

Our social commentator, Mr. Brown has an excellent blog at Mrbrown.com. I remember a letter he publishes from a General Manager of Borders Store who worked in Borders Singapore before. I reproduces the letter below which I hope in not in violation of copyright laws. It was posted on April 21, 2011.

Today is my last day with the company. After 23 years I thought I would be sad but am in fact relieved. The Borders most of us loved closed down years ago and it was a slow death by a thousand cuts each time another great GM, DM or RD was forced out.
I am the last GM from Dion country in Florida. We were a tight group and were consistently the highest performing district in the company, developing many processes and procedures that were rolled out to the entire company. Sure we did question the status quo with questions like (7 years ago) "whats our plan to deal with digital music?" and were seriously told not to worry about it, it would never effect us. Some of us were let go for not being better lemmings… some of us stuck around in the hope that it would get better, some of us left with their actual dignity.

As each of our stores closed down this month we kept our staffs motivated with our own limited money. We bought pizza, had parties, bought fresh sharpies to follow your ridiculous procedure. Even though we would all soon be unemployed with no severance and living in a state with the highest unemployment rate and worst benefits. Our staff trusted us and did their best and deserved better than what the company was giving so yeah, we took up the slack that's what proper leaders do.

Every new regional VP insisted the economy was no excuse. We in the store were obviously failures in the company's eyes. In our eyes our leaders were failures. A cacophony of yes men that woudn't take a stand and fight for the things that could have saved us and were too proud to listen to anyone in the field.

You had great success with your plans this year: outsource customer care, pull bargain from the vestibules during the holiday season, not purchase school reading titles, cut hours and increase workload, roll out more functionality in atlas that barely functioned to begin with, discount excessively to buy loyalty, create an environment that managed to an audit at the expense of all else, and under-develop a web presence that demotivated the staff and frustrated the customers.

Yes, you and your team should be proud of all you have accomplished. Only a few more stores to go and you will reach your goal of total annihilation. For that and all you have done to degrade, torment, abuse and demoralize us please by all means keep my 23 years of severance and add it to your bonus. You deserve it. Be sure to keep two gold pieces for your ferry ride to hell.

Renee
Tampa, Florida

The End of a Great Bookstore

All good things must come to an end. Borders main store is closed after 13 years in operation. Borders is the first superstore in books and usher in a new era in book scene. The neighbourhood bookstores all went belly up. MPH and Times have to revamp and until today is still struggling. In the end, poor management and leadership in Borders parent company in US causes the inevitable decline and now demise of a great bookstore. While leadership keeps blaming Amazon.com, e-books and everything else and never looking at themselves. Kinokuniya is thriving in the same environment. We know the real reason for Borders closing shop.

Now, we are left with only Kinokuniya. MPH and Times are a distant second.

Kishore Mahbubani

After reading his article in International Herald Tribune - A Rudderless World(http://mahbubani.net/), I did some search in the internet and find Kishore is a prolific writer and also have his interview with HardTalk BBC in Youtube.

I read his views and find I had formed opinions similar to his. West is on the decline was his mantra. The interview in BBC HardTalk is very telling. The BBC host has no desire to listen to Kishore's views and response. It is so obvious that the West is so full of themselves. They are the eyes that see but see not itself.

US and Europe will continue to decline if they refuse to see the current realities. This may be good for the East. Although East and West are interdependent, West had be strong in the past 200 years. The arrogance of money and power of economic superiority is hard for the West to give up. It is a matter of time that East will be equal and then surpass the West.

Jim Rogers, the billionaire has the foresight that the East is the future. He engaged a fulltime Mandarin tutor from Beijing for his daughters. Knowing Chinese Language he says is the best gift for he has for his kids.

Peaceful Sunday

Routine tasks for today. For Christians, today is a day of rest for God and I feel like God today. No God's power but enjoy's God's rest day:)

Chomp Chomp's roti prata for breakfast. Porridge for lunch and freshly baked bread for dinner. In between, B3 and I cycled to CompassPoint so that he can buy his latest fad, Crazy Bones. I swam and B3 had a great time in the pool playing with the gym ball.

After dinner, we will be sending B1 back to camp. He was home this morning. Well, this is life serving the country.

Terrible Upheaval

The stock market is down and with it many people financial wellbeing including mine:(. Warren Buffett is reputed to be buying as he see this as buying opportunities. He know the right shares to buy. I do not have his prescient capability on stock pick.

With this downturn, the global economy looks shaky in the immediate future. This time the crisis is different. QE or quantitative easing i.e. printing of money and pumping them into the economy gave the global economy impetus to recover. However, this time America is more or less bankrupt. A small group of tea party members force the stalemate in the debt negotiation with Obama. They insisted and won on no tax increase. So the rich pays much lower tax than middle class Americans.

The Dean of LKY School of Public Policy, Kishore Mahbubani lament the lack of political leadership in the West and China and India is too busy with internal affairs to deal with global issues. I pray for the world to get healthy again.

No Blogging Allowed!

China still prevent blogging. I have no access. So even communication on internet can be controlled. It is a society where many aspects of social order are managed very strictly. I am not sure if freedom of speech or rather lack of freedom of speech is bad. However, it is not a good feeling that I cannot blog about my travel or daily experience.

It has been a tiring 4 days trip in Shanghai with some last min changes. I do not like surprises but we get surprises very often nowadays. Surprises are quite disruptive. However, I must be say we did accomplished a lot in this trip and this is a good reminder that face-to-face meetings is mandatory for business. Video conference or other electronic communication I doubt will ever replace business travel.

Vignettes of Presidential Candidates

On the news are vignettes of Presidential Candidates doing their campaigning. It is the first time we see Mrs. Tony Tan on the TV so frequently. Everyone is working hard to win votes. Tony Tan seems a little old and reminds me of Former MM Lee in his movements. I am a little worried as I am also aging. True I still have many good years to go before reaching their age. However, it may be better to go earlier before one become unfirm and saddled with chronic problems that plagues the oldies.

I have not seen Tan Cheng Bock on TV and how he walks. Maybe he is fitter.

National Day's Rally Speech

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong national rally speech this evening introduced a lot of policy changes. Very positive changes indeed. A lot of the issues raised during the General Election in May was addressed. HDB's income ceiling raised by $2,000 to $10,000. Healthcare benefits expanded to start at 40 years old instead of 55 for subsidised chronic care but he also caution that US is in trouble because of the healthcare benefits. The social safety net for Autistic kids, the school for autistic kids - Pathlight will be expanded in capacity to accomodate more kids with learning disability.

So as he move to a more populist policy as our government can afford, he also cited the country currently in difficulties due to unaffordable policy.

It is so easy for him to get historical clips for presentation from all the stories. I like the Malaysia's cup where Fandi Ahmad scored the 4th and final goal and Singapore won the 1994 Malaysia's Cup. I think this is the great highlight of PM Lee's speech.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

I borrow a couple more audiobooks. Chicken Soup for the Soul is a lot more interesting that Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. Some of the American sayings is hard to understand. It is a double twist like "Can become Could only if you try". I have no idea what this mean except it meant a lot to the author.

Exam fever and B2 has to study for his "O" level but he is still spending time watching soap operas in the evening.

Meanwhile on the news, the World Bank's Chief says the fundamentals in global economy is not good and it will be a rocky road ahead.

Ernest Hemingway Short Stories

I started to listen to the short stories by Ernest Hemingway. The dialogue was natural and description interesting. However, I do not understand the stories. It ended just hanging there. I am not so ready for literature yet. I need more training on culture.

Embarking on New Grounds

I went to National Library to borrow audiobooks. I chose fiction this time. Since reading fiction helps the mind and improves thinking ;) I also think it is time to enjoy fiction. It can be engaging and hard to put down like Stephen King's stories. I chose short stories so that it is not so tedious. I listened to Ken Follet's story and it is very interesting but too long. Takes more than two weeks to listen.

I have been reading only non-fiction for many years. Reviewing my reading habits, I have been reading non-fiction for many years. I think I stopped reading fiction when I have to do literature for "O" level. I did not enjoy analysing stories, what did the authors have in mind when they write certain passages, what messages readers are supposed to receive, blah, blah, blah. It takes the pleasure of reading! I focus on non-fiction to improve my performance at work and climb the corporate ladder. Nowadays, I read just to keep up with the management and leadership research published by management thinkers and professors

After such a long break from fiction, I feel I am embarking on new grounds again. The Short Stories - Ernest Hemingway and The Cassandra Compact - Robert Ludlum...here I come!

Nephews

My sister-in-law and her husband is in US. So we host the two boys over yesterday and today. We are so used to our own life that it is so disruptive to our usual flow. They enjoyed the company of their cousin. However, the younger one keeps breaking B3's toys. Their nanny is rather stout compare to my current domestic help.

Originally, they were scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. However, the older boy keeping crying and wanting to go home. Finally, his aunt relented and we sent them back home. The last two days seems like a long time.

Future Mind

This book is light reading. Plenty of examples and stats about brainstorming. Best thinking is usually done when alone - up in the air, 30,000 ft above the ground in an airplane, jogging or swimming, driving or in the shower.

In-depth and slow reading is the way to increase thinking capabilities. Digital browsing cause shadow thinking. So the old way is required for innovation.

Meaningful Day for Singaporeans

It is 46th birthday for our country. Spectacular fireworks and live performance that take a year to prepare and rehearse. It is a grand finale. I am quite emotionally detached although I loved Singapore I am not the kind celebrate this kind of event even Chinese New Year. It is food that I celebrate. Have a good meal is my preferred way. Treat others well. Be kind and the world will be a better place.

On TV, it seems many Singaporeans waited for many hours just to get a good place to view the fireworks. I wonder what they do to while time and how to answer the call of nature;) It is so much easier to watch from the comfort of my living room.

Happy Returns, Singapore! My hometown.

Unwell

I am down with sore throat and cough. Nose is congested, so breathing is laboured. Congestion also cause sinus headache. I should have seen a doctor to get medicine to relief my symptons. I thought I will get better but instead I am feeling weak and exhausted.

The book Future Minds by Richard Watson says reading fiction has direct correlation with IQ scores. Today, with all the electronics media like TV, internet, emails caused attention span to shorten and hyperactivity. Reading a book slows down our minds and allow us more time to think. Thinking helps us solve deep problems.

National Day's Eve

School is only half day. So all the school kids are out have a party. They love to it. I was cycling past B2's school during lunch time and one of his classmate recognised me. "Uncle have you heard..." and started to giggle. Other classmates were giggling too. So I stopped my bike and asked. However, he changed his mind and says it is nothing. He did not have anything to say. The rest of the students were in the joke as well but since I only know this guy, I can only asked him. I decided to let him go and continue my ride.

The good thing about living near the school is I am easily recognised as B2 does cycling with me. It is fun just to talk to the kids.

Future and Forecast

Since Kinokuniya has 20% discount, I acquired a couple of titles on future. I noticed British authors are getting more exposure in the book scene. It used to be mainly American, now more British and Australian authors are featured. I like American authors more as I prefers their straightforward style. British titles are harder to complete from cover to cover at least for me. Even Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth is not crack open yet although I enjoyed the TV serial so much. I must get the audio version as it is easier to read when I am riding.

I wonder many times I read and learn so much but not translating into wealth. Knowledge alone cannot make me rich. I am reading and learning about so many business topics and issues and have opinion. However, I am not successful. Now the stock market is down. My net worth strunk as a result. I should be looking at opportunity to buy.... yet the possibility of the market dropping further. I wish I have foresight instead of hindsight! All my learning did not help me to do well in the stock market.

Busy as Usual

B1 returned home late last night. I picked him up from Yio Chu Kang Station. By the time we reached home it is midnight. We start early in the morning with tuition and piano lesson. After tuition, B2 has to go back to school. We pick him up and send him off. Then we have our nasi lemak brunch again. It is so nice to eat at home. Bedok Hawker is full of houseflies and exudes poor hygiene.

We adjourned to Takashimaya to take refuge from the afternoon heat. Kinokuniya has 20% for its 12th anniversary. The crowd was enthusiastic and queues were long. Queues for the cashiers, queue for member cards, queue for gift wraps. Kino conducts roaring business. It is very successful indeed.

At night, we had D24 durians. 3 for $10. Small size but good taste.

It is good we are together as a family with all three boys at home for weekends.

The Geography of Time

A social psychologist looking at concept of time. The first part is quite dry and I was unable to continue to read. Today, I decided to skip and head straight to the second part which is on the three unwritten rules of time which we are all familiar with. Time is limited, time means money and waiting time equals status. Treating time like a resource or money is stressing us. Especially when you are waiting for someone. The longer you wait, the less important you are.

The unwritten rules make a lot of sense to me. This is all I could recall for now:)

TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine

My wife and I attended a dinner talk this evening on traditional Chinese Medicine. It is all about balance or yin and yang. There are different herbs that is cooling or heaty in nature. Different herbs has medicinal effects on human. Some contains active drugs like phyto-estrogen (tang kwei) or ginsenosides (ginseng). The drugs do acts like western medicine.

It is good to learn more about Chinese herbs. My big concern is all the chemicals that may come with the herbs as they are likely to be treated with pesticides or growth hormones.

Eating can be Dangerous

We try a new resturant in KL. Traditional zhi char with salted chicken, roast chicken, roast duck and other Cantonese fare. I ordered a bunch of dishes and all of them taste rather good. Most of the food were eaten up. Only the roast duck was not popular.

There is only one or two of us in the table of 9 that did not feel anything. A colleague and I had diahorrea. Two had stomach upset as they have high tolerance for local food. I did not have a chance to check with a couple of other colleagues. This resturant is now on my banned list.


On the positive note, we tried a resturant that serves pork. It was fantastic. The barbeque pork ribs and pork belly were awesome. We also tried their apple crisp and bread pudding ala mode. I polished of the leftovers of both desserts. No wonder my weight keeps going up. Weak resistance to hi-cal sweets!

I need to control my food passion. We had durians on Monday evening and I felt sick after dinner. It took two hours of walking to clear my discomfort. Luckily, my body managed to fight and recover. Eating in KL can be dangerous....

No Mall

Today is a rare Sunday that we did not visit the malls. In the morning, we bought food from Malay food Bedok and had brunch. Nasi lemak, beef rendang, lontong and ayam penyet. The food is really good. Nasi lemak at $3 each, beef rendang is $5, ayam penyet is $4.50 plus two packs of crackers. Total cost of the meal for 6 is $23.50. Not bad. Does not include drinks or dishwashing or other overheads.

For lunch, I steamed up Bao (meat buns) and heat up frozen French Fries. Dinner was pizza for B2, pancakes for B1 and msg noodles for B3 and mummy. I had a slice of pizza, biscuits and a hot drink.

We had a good day at home. I cycled at noon and in the evening. B3 played with is scientific toys and B2 did his school work in preparation for GCE. B1 was killing time with his girlfriend. Yes, it is just a lazy Sunday. Rest and re-creation!!

Good Sunday Morning

The birds are chirping and raucous calls in a distant sound like the flock of green noisy parrots that usually come to our neighbourhood for fruits. I am just waiting for my boys to get up and get ready for their tuition and piano lesson.

There is a series on Superparent in Channel News Asia. I did not follow the program conscientously although I do get snatches of the dialogue here and there. There is such a thing as too much for activities for kids. Some parents interviewed put their kids through tuition, piano, swimming, dancing and other classes. The experts in the panel will give their views on what the parents should do to optimise the kids performance.

I am thinking in the city, the close up nature of living together cause all of us to compare with each other and try to outdo each other to be the best we can be. As parents, we want to be better than other parents and want our kids to perform better than other kids or least realise the best performance from his or her capability.

Experiments on laboratory rats showed living in confined spaces and crowded conditions does cause stress and induced a lot of stress related behaviours. As the cities grow into megacities, pace and stress will increase. I hope we find ways of coping and dealing with city living.

I Wonder

Many a times I wonder. I wonder what have I done for the less fortunate. I wonder why I am just an average guy who do average things. I wonder why there are so many opportunities to do good in this world and all I do is work for basic survival and feeding my family. I wonder what will happen if I stop working. Will I work on socially responsible project and help the less fortunate? Will I look for another job and continue life like the past or will I be able to do good to help someone?

I wonder when can I stop working for the sake of working and start to work for fun. I wonder what will happen to work in future. What will the future is like for my boys who will be in the workforce in a few years. I wonder how to bring my boys up so that they can deal with the changes effectively. I wonder if my capability and capacity is limited. I wonder and I wonder.

End of Another Week

It is the end the week and month. I reflected on the activities and business, I think Singapore Government is right. The global economy is slowing down on second of the year. We are experiencing a slowdown and the impact is quite significant. Worrying is a full time job! Thinking, working out a solution is my top priority! I know I write too much about work. However, work is a very important part of my life and I enjoys blogging about it.

The weekend is here and it is family time for the next two days. Hurrah!! I have an early start tomorrow morning. B3 has to go to school at 7am for some extracurricular activity. So B2 has to go to his Maths tuition by himself. B1 is still in camp and only book out tomorrow.

Blazing Heat

The sun is merciless. It is the work and damage mankind did to the earth that cause the mercury to rise. The glare from the strong sunlight cause me to have a headache. I wonder if this trend continues how long will it be before the weaker of our kind get knock off and fall by the wayside. It is a scenario that many science fiction shows have - the sun is so strong that any exposure will cause instant blindess.

Let's hope the dooms day will never arrive.

Mosquitoes

My place is full of mosquitoes. We have a weekly fogging and checks by Pest Control contractor but it is not killing the mosquitoes. I wonder if the heat is causing more mosquitoes to breed. I also wonder if there are breeding grounds in our estates. I cannot sit outside to read as the mosquitoes attacked all the time causing unpleasant itch and angry blotches. The mosquitoes are quite smart too. They seems to know I am ready to whack them and stop biting once they noticed I am watching and waiting for them to enjoy their feast before I slapped them into oblivion. It is the satisfaction of making sure they do not repeat their acts of spreading itch and potential disease such as west nile or dengue. However, I will suffer itch for a few days as it is important to make sure they are drinking blood which will slow down their reaction. Otherwise, they usually escape.