Mount Alvernia Hospital

Mount Alvernia Hospital is undergoing extensive renovation and rebuilding.  Looking at the changes, I believe there will be an increased in capacity.  The hospital is a missionary hospital with a chapel.  Amazingly, the hospital is business as usual with the intensive re-construction.  Maybe it is due to the construction activities, the queue in the A&E is quite short.  There are patients wheeled in on stretcher and wheel-chair.  Overall, it took about an hour from the time we arrived to payment and collecting the medication.  Not bad unlike A&E in KK hospital which normally takes about 3 hours.

After consulting the doctor, we go to Adams Road hawker since it is the only way to exit the hospital.  We had breakfast earlier, prawn noodles in Upper Thomson Road where the famous Ampang Yong Tau Foo is.  So we do the take-away for No. 1 Nasi Lemak.  This is one of our favorite Nasi Lemak.  The queue is short but the wait is fairly long for mid-morning.  B1 and B3 enjoyed wonderful nasi lemak lunch at home.  The meal for 4 of us cost $12.50.  Not bad.  We have to supplement with fruits - mangoes and Barnfield oranges.

Thinking Through Writing

This book is cited by Janadas Devan as a good book on writing.  Janadas is one of the best writer in Straits Times.  I always enjoyed his columns.  He always write about language and is very lucid.  It is fun reading his articles.   I feel enlightened.  So I will get this book from Amazon.com.

Corruptions and Scandals

I noticed recently we have plenty of sex scandals and corruption cases.  I am sure human behaviour has not change since time immemorial.  So why suddenly it is news galore.  Did our CPIB branch get a wake-up call?  Is it a new head has been appointed?  As you know new broom sweeps clean.  Or is this a distraction create by our political masters?  During Roman times, when times are bad and population restless, gladiator fights are used as a distraction(at least this is what the movies say).

The popularity has dropped to a all time low in the last General Election.  Then a few months later, Sex with underage prostitute and more than 40 men charged, then high level corruption again Sex as the payment to gain favors, corrupted chefs charged, corruption in SPH, now hotest case City Harvest $23 millions to fund Sun Ho's music career. 

This is wild speculation...Our country is famous for being dull, boring and nothing unexpected ever happen.  Suddenly, a slew of corruption cases?  What is happening?  What is the change that cause all this?  I am sure people behaviours do not change so quickly.

So all this undercurrent and beneath the surface suddenly all showed up and all the closets opened and skeletons fall out.  Bet many people are shaking in their pants...  The key question is WHY is it happening now?

Wondering

I wonder I wonder
My life is a success
Or can it be more successful
I wonder I wonder
Why did I not start my own
Why not be foolish or brave
Do something that may become great
Or become an utter failure
I wonder I wonder
What will I be if I try
What can I be if I tried
I wonder I wonder
Does Money buys Happiness
Or Freedom from Worries
I wonder
Is my family the best they can be
Or happy as can be
I wonder I wonder
Why do I wonder
Why do I ponder
Why can't I be happy-go-lucky
I wonder
Why life is Up and Down
Why Yin must have Yang
I wonder and wonder.

Young Couple

I met a young couple this morning.  They are starting up their own business.  The wife is on maternity leave with the birth of their 2nd girl.  The older girl is about 18 months.  This young couple is enterprising and working through to set up their business.  Both of them work for pharma companies, Schering Plough and GSK. 

I am envious of them.  They are young and they took the plunge.  It is difficult but they are taking one step at a time.  I know all the requirements and how to set up the business but I have procrastinated and procrastinated.  I am supporting this young couple whom many have ignored as I spent time listening to them and working through.  Maybe they will be successful in future.

Poems

Tonight, during dinner, B3 mentioned about eating Soon Hock in a resturant.  He start to describe where this resturant was as Mummy could not believe we will ever eat fish in a resturant.  He says there is a Cold Storage, it was on Father's Day that we ate that meal.  He has amazing memory.  Next when he saw the swiss rolls B1 and I bought from Kandahar Road, he start to describe the color of the door and that there is a glass on the window. He is correct.  The old style window is the only that has glass on the row of shops.  He is very observant and has excellent memory.  After I confirmed that he was correct, mum starts to believe what he said about eating the Soon Hock. 

I, of course, could not remember anything about the dinner in the resturant.  So I turned to my trusty blog.  And indeed I did write about our meal on last year.  Reading my past entries bring up a lot of memories.  I also write several poems which I did not even remember!!  I read the poems and wonder if I copied the poems from somewhere.  The words rhymes like nursery rhymes anyway.  It is fun to read.  I feel like a kid playing with words...

Full Moon

Big and round,
Shiny and bright
Moon may and moon might
Make my wish come true tonight

I wish I may and I wish I might
The wish I wish be true at night

What do I wish
What do I like
Everyone is happy
Everyone is bright
Work is busy
And work is light
Reward is fair
Recognition is right.

Fishing at PCN

B1 is keen on fishing after a couple of sessions of prawn fishing.  He has to pay $33 each time to fish for 3 hours.  Prawn fishing is sure catch as the prawns are always hungry and biting.  Also when the crowd is big, more prawns are release to increase the excitement of everyone pulling up live prawns.  Paying $33 each time is a little expensive and when B1 saw plenty of people fishing at the PCN, he became interested as it will be free except for the equipment.  In prawn fishing, the rod and baits are supplied.

We had an old fishing rod.  Actually, we have a few in Canada.  I am not sure what happened to those rods.  We may have given them away as it will be too hot to fish in Singapore.  B1 fished in a few spots before achieving success near Seletar Spring.  There are plenty of voracious "Japanese fishes".  They just swallow the bait and hook!  The hook is quite deep inside the mouth and hard to remove.

Yesterday, in an attempt to catch bigger fish, B1 and B3 caught a big terrappin.  I was summoned to help but too late the line breaks.  It was my intent to unhook the terrappin and releasing it back.  Now the terrappin has a hook permanently on its mouth.  I hope it does not cause too much problem for the terrappin.

Monday Blues!

This morning, I noticed the B2's bicycle' mudguard is loose and the bolts and nuts holding it in place is rusty.  B2 suggested to use electrical tape to increase the girth of the tube holding the saddle.  I told him he always think of using tapes to solve problems and this is not going to work.  It is cause problems to the saddle and prevent the height adjustments once masking tape or electrical tape is used.  He was upset because he thought I did not understand that he says electrical tape which is stronger than masking tape.  Anyway, he got upset and make sacastic remarks about our conversation.  When we reached his school, he just go off and refused to say goodbye and wave goodbye.  What a lousy start for Monday morning and to the week!

Great Sunday

My mum goes home to Canada this morning.  She is going to make a stop in Hong Kong to visit her younger sister for a couple of days.  It is a short stay this time and I think she is happy to go back home.  Now, she has 3 granddaughters married.  Next thing to look forward to is great grandchild.  My nieces are not that young.  I believe they are in the thirties but non seems to be in a hurry to start a family.

At the airport, my eldest sister and youngest sister were there.  My brother drop by as well.  Only my 2nd sister is missing.  Non of her kids showed up as well.  My wife and three boys are in the airport.  After sending their grandma, we went to Bedok hawker center for breakfast.  B2 and B1 went to a pool place to play pool at noon to using groupon.  However, the groupon says it starts on July 1.  So they have to spent time together with us in Plaza Singapura.  I had tea and read Sunday Times in Toastbox.  B2 had his favorite mee siam and B3 have mee rebus.  All three boys had some of the designer bread from BreadTalk.  The cost of snacking is about $20.  Even then it is not filling.

In the afternoon, everyone took a nap except B3.  B3 is very active even though he slept at 1am last night and woke up at 7am this morning to go to the airport.  In the late afternoon, I show B1 how to fish with a fishing pole.  I have to show him how to tie the weight and the hook.  We tried several spots but not luck.  So he finally go by himself to spot where we saw several anglers.  He caught 3 "Japanese" fish.  He is so excited.  He is keep saying it is so easy that it is no longer fun.

I have sore throat and stuffy nose and nursing a congestive headache.  So it is not so good.  I cooked up the beef we bought from Foodie Market Place and bbq a soba fish.  We had good dinner and good conversation with our boys.  Dinner time is a good way to pass our values to them.  Yes, it is indeed a good day!

Foodie Market Place in Tiong Bahru

B1 finished his work in the camp early.  We pick him up and wonder where to go (we were having cabin fever).  B1 suggested to go to Foodie Market Place as he like to get the food because the price is lower.  It is late in the afternoon, after 4pm.  There were plenty of car parks.  Maybe because of the timing because when we were done with our shopping, the carpark is full.

While the food seems cheap, we spend $100.  The quantity is less than our usual supermarket.  The beef is expensive - 4 slices half an inch thick cost a total of $40.  I also bought Buffalo Wings Sauce which cost $6.80.  It is the only place I know that sells Buffalo Wings Sauce.  We bought a bunch of frozen stuff like minced pork, bacon, french fries and chocolate eclairs.  It is nice to shop in a place with different offerings.

Dinner is leftovers from lunch(prawn noodles), brown rice with oxtail soup and curry chicken from yesterday's dinner.  The oxtail soup is very good.  Yes, frozen oxtail soup from Foodie MP. The price seems reasonable at $8.90, I think.

After dinner, we cycle at the PCN as a family.  All three boys riding on their own and mummy is my pillion rider on the electric-assisted bike.  It was a good evening...

Will I leave the World a Better Place?

It is a question I have rarely pondered on.  I loved Mother Earth.  I loved my family.  I loved my work.  I loved my home.  And I loved my Environmentally Friendly runabout.

One of the key indicators of positive impact of the life is whether one left the place better than when one arrived.  If you go camping and the place is a mess you arrived, you set up camp, cleared the rubbish and clean up after your stay and leave, then clearly you have left the place better then when you first arrived.  This is easy and simple.  The evidence is clear - you can take a picture of before and after. 

However, in life, it is not so simple.  We have our parents, our spouse, our kids and grandchildren (I am a little presumptuous in assuming a regular family unit).  How do I measure if I have left the world a better place?  Did my mum has a better life because she gave birth to me?  Did my siblings gained any thing from my existence and having me as a brother?  Did my wife get a better life by marrying me?  Did my kids grew up and make positive impact in society?  Did I make them better?  Did I help the society at large i.e. poor, downtrodden or simply people who needed help along the way?

There are many questions.  In the news, there are always everyday heros.  Stories of someone going to Mongolia or any third world country and living and helping the society there.  An ex-Microsoft executive who left a well-paying job to give the world a light.  A chef who go to Sri Lanka to teach and help a group of youngsters to learn a skill to earn a living.  Many examples... yet as I reflect my life, I just work, read, bring my kids to tuition and share our family values...I am not sure if I will leave the world a better place.  Of course, if my three boys did something significant like becoming a famous doctor or surgeon, world renowned economist or scientist or even Prime Minister, I may be able to claim I have left the world a better place through my boys.  Without me, there will be no them and hence...!!  Warped logic! 

Personally, I am happy to reduce my carbon footprint through using Prius, harvesting solar energy(40 watts is nothing to sneeze about), teaching my boys to reduce their carbon footprints.   Is the world better because I existed?  This is a question I could never have an answer.

Food Obsession

I have no idea why.  I seems to be obsessed by food.  I keep thinking about food all the time.  When I am hungry, I think of food.  When I am full, I think of my next meal.  It is hard to decide what type of food.  If it is Chinese, which ethnic group or Japanese - tonkatsu or tempura, Indian rojak or nasi bryani, local - yong tau foo, fishball noodle, braised duck, and more.  Life seems to be about food all the time.

B1 is in a deal stage.  He is always look for deals from groupons or 1 for 1 in resturants.  B2 and B3 does not care what they eat except they must be good food.  It is hard to keep slim and trim...

Get Together with My Brother's Family

Mum is leaving next week.  So I organized dinner so that she has a chance to meet and get together with my brother's daughters and his wife.  My sisters' daughters could not make it.  Two older girls came with their father.

My brother was amazing!  He remembered the date of our dinner which I told him during one of the niece's wedding a few weeks ago.  I did not remind him although I did remind my nieces through what's apps.  He bought chicken and sam hor - fried hor fun with sliced fish and beansprouts.  It is his first time thinking and buying food like potluck. 

I was busy in the morning buying ingredients to make laksa.  Laksa is easy with make with the kit from Prima Deli. 

I just have to buy the following:

- Beehoon (1.5kg pk)
- Beansprouts
- Tau pok (aka fried beancurd)
-  Prawns
-  Fish Cake (from Tiong Bahru)

The boys went prawn fishing in Punggol in the afternoon.  They were quite excited and happy to get good catch as the crowd was huge and the vendor put in a lot of live prawns into the pond when there are a lot of fishing rods.  It is good fun.  B2 and his girlfriend did not have the patience and went to eat at Popeye's.  B1 and B3 fished together and had a good time.

I also bought a mango cake from Prima Deli.  It has been maybe 10 years since I ate the mango cake.  I loved the cake and had it for birthday once (yes, probably more than 10 years ago).  I usually changed my mind about buying the cake after I heard the price.  Just my stingy instinct kicking in.  This time, I bought the cake since I have guests.  It is a funny thing.  I do not mind to spend on kids, nieces or even friends.  I gave $5,000 once to a friend who was going through difficult times.  It is a straight gift.  I told him not to worry about paying back.  Today, he is doing okay as a real estate agent.

Foodie Marketplace

B1, my eldest boy "discovers" this Foodie Marketplace when he walked from Outram MRT to Tiong Bahru Bakery.  B1 like to try out new food places recommended in the Sunday Times.  Tiong Bahru Bakery was reported to have the best croissant in Singapore.  He is quite impressed and always will patronize this shop whenever we are in Tiong Bahru.  The bread is rather pricey.  Once we paid more than $30 for a few pieces of the bread. 

The Foodie Marketplace is a small store but it has more unique offerrings.  The beef is more competitive in price than Cold Storage or NTUC Fairprice.  The potato chips are less expensive than the supermarkets and tasted good.  There are cheese and Buffalo Wings Sauce.  Buffalo Wings Sauce will be my next purchase.

Today, we bought potato chips, ribeye steaks, sundried tomatoes, anchovies, frozen sausages, frozen french fries and frozen potatoes wedges.  We cooked the ribeye steaks and sausages for dinner.  My boys like them.  The fries are good too.  We will be going back to Foodie Market again.  The prices are more competitive and food is good.

Indonesian Maids

Indonesia allows its citizens to work in Malaysia as maids again.  However, they are allowed to do only one of the four following duties: household chores, looking after children, looking after elderly or cooking.  They are to be paid RM700 or more.  It is interesting.  In Indonesia, the maids actually do only one duty.  However, they are paid a lot less.  So to work in Malaysia, they are to be paid 5 or 6 times more for the same amount of work.

Today, the papers say it is a misunderstanding on the use of language. There is no requirements for Malaysia to make sure their Indonesian maids work on one duty only.  I know in Indonesia, the rich and middle class have an army of servants to service their household.  Some kids have their own chauffeurs too.  Due to the currency and value of earnings, all maids despite the low pay in the countries they work in, actually has high spending power back at home country.  This is like arbitrage pulling in people from low wage countries to high wage countries.

Searing Heat

The weather is hot today.  My plants are all thirsty and I gave them extra watering in the afternoon.  Normally, they are watered in the morning and evening.  My solar system works well.  I left the 12V fan ON all day and in the afternoon, there are enough power direct from the solar panels. 

The fan draws 1.5 amperes and when the sun is out in full force, the solar panels pump out 1.6 amperes.  So there is leftover to charge the storage battery.

So when the sun is out, it is also powering my cooling fan.  This work out well.

12V Fan

I have been hunting around looking for car accessories shops.  I went to Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, Sin Ming and finally found the fan in First Centre five minutes from my home.  It is like the proverbial searching high and low, searching far and it is right under my nose.

The 12V fan is S$28.  I have to negotiate hard.  The vendor wanted $35 and then dropped to $30.  I asked for $25 and he refused.  Finally, I gave $28 and we had a deal.  I am glad to be able to finally use the power of the sun at home.

Thinking Fast and Slow

I started reading this book.  It is quite interesting on the bias of our thinking.  The author is a Nobel prize winner for his research into how we make decisions.  Having the benefits of hindsight, we tends to think our reasonings are sound and stick to them even though they may be wrong.  The simple example is this.  A man who is an introvert, enjoying reading.  What is the likely vocation he will be - librarian or farmer?  Most if not all will pick librarian.  However, statistic is for every 1 librarian there will be 10 farmer.  So our man is more likely to be a farmer than a library.  Everyone needs to be working on a job, right?  Hence the flaw in our thinking as we do not take into account statistics.

Cold Dishes - Cucumber and Tofu

Everytime in China, for every meal, I will request for the cold dish - lightly pickled cucumber.  I really enjoy the crunchy juicy treat.  Now, I can make my own at home.  Even my wife likes it.  It is so easy to make once I know how.  It is a number of tries to perfect this dish.  B1's girlfriend was liked some of the cold dishes I made.  She asked her mum to get the ingredients and try to make them at home too.  The cold tofu is really to do as you can have prepack tofu in the fridge.

Peony Jade

My eldest niece held her wedding dinner in Peony Jade in Keppel Club.  The food is quite good.  We had yusheng for starter.  It was different from most traditional wedding dinners.  The suckling pig was quite tough.  I like the wasabi prawns. 

I also get to meet long lost relatives from my eldest sister's side.  More than 30 years we have not met.  Wedding dinners is the avenue to meet the extended relatives.  I am glad two of my brother's girls attended the dinner as well.

Combing Hair

My eldest niece will be geting married tomorrow.   As a tradition, my wife and I were invited to comb her hair.  We have to give 3 long brush strokes and every stroke, my wife recites a saying - wishing her good long marriage, plenty of kids and a life full of bliss.  This is I believe a Cantonese tradition.  By tomorrow, I will have 3 nieces married.  I have another four to go - 3 nieces from my brother and 1 from my eldest sister.

My mum will become great grandmother if any of my married nieces have a baby.  She will be returning to Canada after end of June. 

Double Promotion

National Library has a promotion for June holidays.  You can borrow double the usual quantities.  Now, I can borrow 8 audiobooks instead of 4.  So I borrowed and transfer them into my computer to listens at leisure.  I am look forward to read How Evil Works, Underground City by Jules Vernes and a few others.  It is fun to learn and enjoys stories.

The weather is getting extremely hot.  I decided to cycle at night.  Even then, it was still warm and I gave up. 

My boys are all at home tonight.  B3 is now sitting beside me reading and correcting me as I blog.  He has stopped blogging and he need to brush up on his Chinese.  He just enjoys milling around me and just enjoys my company.  B2 is studying for his last paper before the term ends tomorrow.  B1 has to report to Jurong Point tomorrow for the Army Open House.  He is playing maple story right now.  Mummy is sewing a tiny comforter.  Everyone is at home doing their own activities.  It is a good and regular evening for our family.

Solar Panels Keep Charging

My solar panels keeps charging the battery.  At least the charging LED is always on whenever the sun is up.  So I could not stand anymore because the battery is supposed to stop charging when it is full.  So I went back to Kamtex and buy a monitor to see how much current is going to the battery.  The monitor costs $65.  It is an easy fix.  The battery is actually being trickle charge as it is full.  Now, I have to look for load to use the electrical energy I have stored.  I may get a DC fan or direct current fan.  The other option is to get dc lights either florescent or LED.

I have to make a trip to Sim Lim Tower to look for gadgets that I can use with my battery power or maybe a car accessories shop.

Kinokuniya Summer Sales

Kinokuniya's summer sales starts tomorrow.  Books will be at 20% discount.  I realised that even at 20% off, the price is still higher than Amazon.com.  The big difference is that it is a lot nicer to browse and flipped through the pages and smell the new books.

So far, Kino is still going strong.  I hope it will keep going...

My Solar Energy System

 The 20 watts solar panels and lead-acid storage battery.  The green led that lit up shows that the battery is charging.

Lazy

It is a lazy Sunday.  The weather is hot and there is no wind not even slight breeze.  B3 has improved enough to go for make up tuition that he misses on Saturday morning.  He has another make up tuition in Learning Lab tomorrow. 

Lunch was chicken rice at Wee Nam Kee opposite Novena Church.  We did some grocery replenishment and basically spend the day lazing around.  The pool was very inviting to just read and nap.  My neighbour came by to talk to me.  So my nap was too short:((

Anyway, it is the beauty of my estate.  Many a time, at the poolside, we do have impromtu chats.  It is good for neighbourliness.  It is kampong spirit at work....

KK Hospital A&E

Last night we took B3 to Kedang Kebau Hospital A&E as he is having fever, vomiting and diahorrea.  It was a  mighty long wait.  More than 3 hours just to see the doctor.   B1 tag along and brought the Samsung tab to keep himself.  He is learning to support the family. 

The doctor diagnosed that B3 is having gastroenteritis.  It is the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract or food poisoning.   He prescribed rehydration fluids and something to stop the diahorrea and vomitting.  It seems A&E is perpetually busy and wait is always long.  We reached home at 1am and all of us are dogged tired.

Fighting Fish

B3, the youngest boy was hoping to get fighting fish to breed.  We bought a male and some females.  We have been keeping them for a week or two.  This morning, he discovered that they have died.  The poor fishes must have suffocated to death because the water was all green with algae.  We should have not used rain water.  It seem like rain water causes algae to proliferate.  Sigh!  I remember we had fighting fishes that lay eggs and hatch their young.  I have lost my touch in keeping fishes healthy and want to breed.

I feels sorry for the fishes that did not survive.

Free Energy

Now I am harvesting free energy from the sun!  I set-up my two 20 watts solar panels and hook them up in parallel.  Then I connect them to the solar controller.  I connect the sealed lead acid battery to solar controller.  The green LED lights up indicating that the battery is charging!  Now I am collecting free energy from the sun.  The two solar panels cost me $50 instead of $130 each normal.  My system costs $122 plus $50 so far and I have no load i.e. no way of using the energy I am collecting.  I will have to spend more money to buy LED lightings or 12VDC fan. 

Since this is a project to test feasibility, I will buy a monitor for my system.  One that will indicate voltage and current that my solar panels are generating.  I bought my supplies from Kamtex.  It may be time to visit Kamtex again soon.

Barnfield Oranges

Barnfield Oranges are back in season.  I bought some today.  After dinner, I peeled a couple and my boys loved them.  It is juicy and sweet.  Barnfield is still my favorite oranges.  I think Sunkist may have bought the brand as now the stickers on the oranges states Sunkist instead of Barnfield.  I wish it has stayed independent.  Now it is just a brand in a gigantic bureaucracy.

Talking about fruits...now R2E2 mangoes are from Vietnam instead of Australia.  They do not taste the same.  So I was told by my Mrs to take a break from mangoes.  In other words, I am not supposed to buy the mangoes!  Her words is law in my household and I simply obeyed.

Better, Much Better

Amazing recovery.  I am feeling much better and eating some solid food in the late afternoon.  Although, still feeling the after-effects of the food poisoning episode, I am glad that I improved and life is back to normal. 

It is interesting about change.  In normal state, I always take it for granted.  Everything is in balance and I don't think about it.  However, every time I recovered from pain or short spell of sickness, the feeling of normal is euphoric.  It is the change from bad to normal that makes me feel good and happy.

Bad Bout of...

Diahorrea and vomitting yesterday!!  I must have ate something that is bad or had stomach flu.  I had my bones aching all over.  So I am not sure which ailment I suffers.  Anyway, I am feeling much better now.  Felt like dying yesterday.  This morning I feel good.  I have not completely recovered but it is great to feel better. 

Everyone is still still sleeping.  I just heard our domestic help is up.  So the day is starting.  I will have a cup of hot sweet tea to calm my git(gastro-intestinal tract)...

Army Open House @ the City

The Army has open house first time in the city.  There are plenty of static displays.  B1 was on duty and we went to his static display.  Mummy is very proud and happy to take his pictures and have pictures with him.  We went early in the morning.  So it was cool and not too crowded.  The army has changed and improved.  Still it is a sacrifice that all Singaporean boys have to do.  Right, it is still tough place to be in.  I did not enjoy my time in the National Service.  However, looking back it is an experience we can always talk about.

After the Army Open House, we had lunch in Marine Square Hotpot.  I like Teochew Porridge.  It is nice liquid food.  Quite unhealthy with with all the salt and preserved food.  It is something I grown up with - mum's cooking!

Remington Steele

Remington Steele is an old TV series.  Pierce Brosnan is the actor before he become the famous James Bond.  The video is not as sharp and color faded.  The story line is fairly interesting.  Laura is an ace detective who come out on her own to start Private Investigation Agency.  However she did not get hired for any case.  So she invented Remington Steel and now she has more cases than she can handle.  Then Remington Steele appeared in flesh.  Pierce was very young and of course good looking.  The actress, Stephanie Zimbalist is terrific too.

I bought this series as I have 25% discount in Prologue.  Prologue is getting competitive with regular sales at 20% and 25% for Popular members.  I also bought two books, Thinking, Fast and Slow and Economyths.

Solar Energy Experiment

I bought more stuff from a solar energy supplier.  I bought the 18AH sealed lead acid battery, PV controller and wires to connect up the system.  My problem is what am I going to do with the energy I collected.    Lights are lowest in energy consumption.  Water pump is good for the water feature.  Otherwise, it is powering laptops or fans.  I wish I can get airconditioning from the solar energy.  However, 20watts is simply too small....

Solar Panels

I bought two solar panels recently.  The shop sells textile actually house a solar company on the side.  It is an totally unrelated mix.  Anyway, I am happy with my purchase and now I am looking for the controller, rechargable batteries and something to do with the energy I am going to collect from the sun.  The project will cost a few hundred dollars and it is just a feasibility study.

I am happy to expand my green interest and do something tangible.  I brought B1 along to check on all the different parts we need to get this project going.

Mum is Here

Mother is over here for a month or two.  She has two granddaughters getting married.  One just did last Friday.  She is spending time with her daughters and staying overnight with my baby sister.  Her energy level is quite good.  She has recover well from her total knee replacement.  I can see that she is a lot stronger than before.  She is very happy as my sister always keep her company.  I do not have the ability to sit and talk with her all day.

This is why I always think it is good to have a daughter.  Daughters will spend quantity time with their parents and a lot more caring.  Sons are too engrossed with their own lives.

Silver Arowana

Silver Arowana is the cheapest of all arowanas.  We bought one for $25 and change.  The first one I bought which I thought was a deal for $35.  It died in less than a week as it jumped out of the pond.  Then I bought a couple more of the smaller silver arowanas and they all suffered the same fate.  My boys thought they commit suicides.  I told them it is natural for arowana to jump out of the pond.  This time I have a wire mesh weighed down by heavy bricks to prevent the fish from forcing its way out of the pond.

So far, the arowana is doing well.  I have also separate it in a smaller section as all the small goldfishes and red fishes disappear at an alarming rate.  Now, I hope it eat dried food.  I also hope I can keep it until it grow to adulthood.

Sizzling Hot

Temperature sizzles today.  Luckily it cools down in the late afternoon and makes it less gruelling to cycle.  I send in my note of appreciation to the crew of SQ for making me feel like I have reached home when I board the aircraft last Friday.

As the temperature rises, we use the airconditioning and in the process increase global warming.  It is not a good cycle to be in.  I do wonder if the 2012 theory will happen.

Lucky Chicken Rice

Lucky Chicken Rice is in what do you know... Lucky Plaza.  A chicken costs $40.  It is more expensive than any chicken rice stall or resturants in Singapore.   Typical steamed or roast chicken is $26 per bird.  We had half a bird for $20 and it is a fairly big portion.  We add beansprouts, gizzards and liver and braised hard boiled eggs. We had a decent meal in the expensive Orchard Road for a family of 5.

However, everything is too salty.  The guy who chopped up the chicken and made the beansprout is too generous with the light soya sauce.  The chicken tastes good but the saltiness spoils everything as all I could remember is I keep saying it is too salty as I eats.

Lucky Plaza is Philippino town today.  It is just jammed packed with all the Philippinas and Philippinos.  They are there to send money, buy food, meet friends or relatives or just relaxation.

Everyone on is in the malls, the queues in the resturants were just incredibly long.  It was impossible.  Guess eating out is still a true blue Singaporean's passion.

Hearts

My father-in-law has congestive heart failure and his heart function is at 25% level.  My younger niece from my eldest sis has a heart issue too.  She has seen a number of cardiologist and had different tests done.  The diagnosis varies from different doctors.  She has hypertension and may have reduced cardiac output due to leaky valves either mitral or tricuspid or both.  She is on medication and it seems to be well controlled.  It is worrying to have heart affairs from close relatives.

My business partner in Korea says it is important to exercise and stay healthy for our family not just for ourself.  I could not agree more.

Niece Married.

After a week of kimchi, it is teh halia time.  I enjoyed the kimchi, it is nice to come to the warm comfort of home and family.

Yesterday, my 2nd sister's eldest daughter got married.  She is so sweet to thank everyone during the wedding dinner.  My mother flew down from Toronto to attend her wedding and welcome the new grandson-in-law.  She is more mobile now.  Her walking gait has improve and she is a lot stronger.  She is quite radiant.  I am pleased that she is here to visit.

I was happy to drink the tea they offered and be addressed "Gu Gu" by niece's newly minted husband. 

Today is just routine.  Bringing B3 to his Chinese tuition, reading newspapers in the market with teh halia, eating Penang hae mee or prawn noodle, grocery shopping and cycling.  It is really warm today.

We had a wonderful dinner with all three boys and good conversation.  Best way to pass our values.

Morning Walk

I woke up early and the sky is bright.  Yes, in spring getting up early makes the saying "bright and early" so literally true!  From my room I noticed a green patch in the middle of the concrete jungle and took a walk there.  It is a garden and smells so good.  I love the smell of the woods.  It reminds me of Canada.  The garden is all fenced up.  I tried looking for the entrance.  But gave up.  I think the city want to limit access to prevent human activities from damaging the plants.  I saw a family walking inside.  The garden has a number of closed circuit cameras.  So security is fairly tight.

After visiting the garden, I went to the Goddess of Mercy Temple opposite the hotel to offer my prayers.  Buddha's birthday is coming soon, end of this week, I believe.  So the temple is decorated and preparations are underway to welcome the flood of devotees this weekend.

COEX

I have moved to COEX as it is more convenient for the customer.  Also I can take the bus early in the morning at 5:45am as it is next to the CAT or city air terminal where airport limosine bus terminal is. 

Today, I had nice Korean noodle with a branch office.  It is a small city.  The meal has very little meat and mostly vegetable.  It is really healthy but I feel hungry so quickly.  The soup is spice up with chilli.  So I am glad to eat a small steak for dinner.  Although it is only 150grams, the other stuff fills me up. 
The weather is warm and it is very relaxing and everyone dress easy which is what I like.  The Korean won has weakened further and now the prices in Seoul is very competitive.  It is a shopping haven for women who loved branded goods.

Australian Colleague

My ex-colleague in Australia wrote to me today through Linkedin.  This is half year since I left.  I am happy he finally reach out.  I am happy to tell him I am happy!!  Searching for happiness is a full-time job.  Gratitude, buying happiness, helping others, doing charity, contributing to saving Mother Earth, exercise to keep fit, all make me happy.  Right now I am happily working on making my work run smoothly and grow my customers' business.

It is good that ex-colleagues still have fond memories.  They miss my "wisdom".

Seongbuk, Seoul

This is the first time I stayed in Seongbuk.  My customer's office is near here and he suggested this place.  It is a residential area with lots of schools.  Plenty of young toddlers going to pre-school early in the morning.  Then in the afternoon, secondary school kids are out in force.  The place is quite hilly.  Walking about is quite interesting.  It is old Korea.  The houses are low and right beside are tall apartment flats.  Interesting contrast of old and new.  There are plenty of resturants and sundry shops.  This place reminds me of Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood where I drink my morning tea.

SQ Website is Bad!

I was trying to do a web check-in using the Singapore Airlines website but was not allowed.  During the check-in process, the weather forecast for Seoul was 5 degree Celcius.  So I packed all the warm clothing.  I usually use Yahoo Weather.  I did not verify the weather forecast in SQ website with Yahoo.  I thought Wow, this is great, getting the weather conditions while checking in.  Guess what!  When I land, the temperature was 15 degrees.  I should have known as it is May and instead a thinking the weather pattern is weird and trusting SQ website, I should trust my instinct. 

Anyway, it is better to have warm clothing that I did not use than to freeze for a week.  Still I am pretty upset that I have a big jacket in my luggage that I don't need.

Happy Mother's Day

B3 did up two pieces of message for Mum.  He spent a lot of time preparing and making sure mummy gets a surprise!  However, mummy was busy with her own hobby, a sewing project this morning and did not read the newspaper as usual.  So I have to tell her that she is supposed to read the newspaper before I can read it.  She is great.  She made a lot of "ooos" and "ahhhss".  B3 gets big hugs and kisses.  He is rewarded for his thoughtfulness.  The two older boys just asked if we are doing anything special for mum meaning are "Where are we eating out?" 

Spotlight is having Sale and my wife is latest hobby is sewing.  So we have to go to Plaza Singapura so that she can get fabric to learn sewing skills.  McDonald's is giving out free Filet-O-Fish for Standard Chartered credit card holders.  So our boys managed to get a couple of free burgers.  We bought a set meal and extra french fries to for lunch.  Then we adjourned to Secret Recipe for cakes.  Unfortunately, our favorite moist chocolate cake is not available.  So we had creme brulee cheese cake, chocolate mud cake, chocolate indulgence and banana chocolate cake.  So it was delicious and rich.  Well, it is mother's day and we decided to enjoy sinful desserts.

It is a happy day for us.

Does Cycling hurts my left shoulder?

B1, my eldest boy thinks it is cycling that cause my left shoulder to be strained.  I thought it was over-exertion due to upper body exercise.  I was suspecting it may be cycling as I have to stay in a crouching position for an hour daily and two hours on the weekends.  I will see if my shoulder heals next when I am in Seoul for a week.

Happiness Research

Looked like Positive Psychology is a hot subject to do research on.  Many literatures are on happiness.  There is even a shelf just for books on Happiness.  I like the videos by TED.  The message is succinct and clear.  I am practising some of the exercises.  One of which is daily gratitude which I did as long as I could, which is maybe 3 weeks.  I am happier to thank for the good things I received or experienced.  Buying Happiness is so easy.  Buying Starbucks for others can give you a happiness kick.

When team members given money buy gifts for each other, the team performance improved and outperformed those who given money to buy gifts for themselves.  The team in my previous workplace was small.  However, we did charity drive, visited home for abandoned kids and also celebrate our success by buying meals for team member's family.  No wonder the team performance is much better then the other teams.  I am proud that intuitively we did the right things to improve performance of our team.

Buying Happiness

In TED, the talk on buying happiness is good.  It is true as I experience it myself i.e. buying happiness.  We all can buy happiness.  We just buy things for others.  We donate the money.  The experiments showed that almost everywhere on Earth, where people use money on someone else instead of themselves, they become happpier.  If they buy things for themselves, their happiness level did not change.

I know why I am happy now.  I do errands for my wife and boys all the time.  B1 always frustrates me by not respecting my time and will always make me wait for him when I am ready to go out.  B2 is very appreciative of me sending him or picking him up from school.  B3 likes to cause trouble to me.  I enjoys buying foods they like. 

It is good to be happy.  For happiness, buy and do things for others.  We sponsored 5 kids on the World Vision and have done this for years.  It is nice to receive cards from the kids once a year.  Yes, happiness can be purchased!!!

Formaldehyde in China Cabbage

Here it go again. Cabbages from China are spray with formaldehyde to keep them fresh longer.  Formaldehyde is a chemical used to preserve dead organisms and animals including human corpses.  It is carcinogenic i.e. causes cancer.  Cabbages are low cost vegetables and is widely used in hawker centres.  All "Economical Rice" stalls will have at least one cabbage dish and usually two - non-spicy cabbage or a major ingredient in curry vegetables.

Eating out can be a dangerous event.  Hawkers will go for lowest cost raw materials and vegetables from China is most competitive in price.  Unfortunately, it is also the high risk factor as Chinese sources tend to have higher incidence of pesticides and other lethal chemical. 

We are living in dangerous time....

Prawn Fishing

Exams are over for B1's girlfriend.  It is a public holiday today and so they decided to go for prawn fishing in Punggol.  There are two ponds.  One in Punggol Marina and the other is @Punggol.  Punggol Marina is unsheltered and cost $25 for two hours.  It also do not have any chairs for you to sit.  @Punggol is sheltered, there are chairs surrounding the ponds and have fixtures for you to put your pole.  Also there is piped-in  music.  For the privilege for fishing for three hours cost $33.  B1 and his girlfriend caught a grand total of 7 freshwater giant pincers prawns.

They brought the prawns home and mum boiled them with alcohol and ginger.    This dish is also known as drunken prawns in seafood resturants.  Prawn fishing seems quite popular.  It seems easy when other people keeps pulling out large prawns.  We stay to observe for a while and then we went off as B3 has to study for his exams.

I also go to the aquarium in Jalan Kayu and bought a silver arowana.  This time I believe it will stay in the pond as there is no way it can get out.  The nursery, halfway house for convicts(helping hands) and all the aquarium near to Jalan Kayu are gone.  The ground is being prepared.  So I suspect more houses will be built soon...

Disappearing Goldfishes

Most of my goldfishes disappeared from my outdoor pond.  I have covered it with plastic fencing.  There are a few gaps but not big enough for kingfishers to go after.  So for some times my fishes were ok.  They are growing big.  I usually buy "food" goldfishes as they are cheap and when they are big, they do look just as good.  However, after my Japan trip, I noticed all the food are floating for a long time.  I took a closer look and they have all disappeared!   I have no idea what else other than kingfishers can eat my goldfishes.  B3 suspected that it may be a black cat who was lurking around our front yard.  One of our neighbours told him the black cat has been eating up her fishes in her pond.

I bought 1 in square metal fencing and cover the pond totally.  This morning, I bought more fishes and put them in the pond.  Let's see if they disappears again.

I am also thinking about keeping a silver arowana.  It is cheaper to buy.  However, I had put in three or four before and they all jumped out of the pond and died.  Now with the metal fence cover, maybe I could try again.  However, it is an expensive hobby as I will have to buy food fishes or frogs regularly. 
Maybe I will rear some fighting fish instead.  I am still mulling over all the different fishes I can keep in my pond.

Seafood Spaghetti

I was up early this morning and at the wet market, I bought 1kg of crayfish for $13.  There are 7 pieces.  It is also known as slipper lobsters.  We just eat the tails.  It is not a lot of meat.  It is a good change.  Mum took out frozen prawns and scallops and we have seafood spaghetti for dinner.  Italian food is a nice change from our regular one meat, one veg and tofu. 

Sore Left Shoulder

My left shoulder has been sore for a few days now.  I think I overstretched myself while exercising.  I thought it was improving and then I exercise yesterday and this morning, I feel the strains.  I may have to rest my upper body longer to recover.

My butt and thighs are tired as I cycled for more than 2 hours in the PCN yesterday.  It was a good ride.  Punggol PCN has been recognised on a Global Award for Green Environment Development.  The ride is boring after a while but it is good to know I have the use of a global winner park at home!

B2 Complimented!

B2 is quite pleased to be complimented for his new haircut.  His classmates say he looked younger. 4 years younger!  He is so much neater and look a lot more proper than with his messy mop of hair before the haircut.  He is happy and we are too!

Cycling with B1 and B3

This evening, B1 and B3 cycled to the PCN with me.  B1 is by his own accord and B3 was by command.  B3 cycled well.  We cycled for a total of an hour with a break at the fitness corner for monkey bar and sit-ups.

It is good to ride with the boys and even better if all the boys plus mummy can cycle together.  B2 is in Poly and return home late.  His hair was long and messy and we go the Compasspoint  for him to get his haircut.

It is a regular day.  Dinner was bbq squid and the squid smells so strong in the house.  So I may skip squids in future. 

When China Rules The World

I am starting on this book by Martin Jacques.  Reading the Acknowledgement, this author who is a Professor met his wife in Malaysia.  Got married and has two kids.  One died as a toddler.  Then his wife also passed away.  He is left with one boy.  It is a sad personal story.

I just started on the book and economically China will be number One by the year 2025.  So the world is changing from Western domination to East.

Beef Steaks!

We rarely cooked beef.  When Carrefour has special or sale, we would buy minced beef for spaghetti or flank steak for stir-fry.  In my most recent trip to US, I stayed in a friend's house.  He cooked beef steaks for me using his smoker bbq stove.  I watched how he season the meat, setup the stove, monitor the temperature and then cooked the beef steaks.  The meat is delicious.  He even gave me the meat thermometer. 

We were at ION on Sunday, I was browsing around Three-Sixty...I saw theTV ads about all the fine foods it carry.  The butcher saw me and asked me to stay.  He cooked some samples of Angus Beef for me to try.  It was very tender.  I told him I will wait for my boys to come and try.  They liked it too.  So we bought a piece of Ribeye steak home to cook.  It is the first time for me to buy an expensive steak home to cook.  Usually, we eat beef at a steakhouse.  The experience of eating delicious home-cooked beef and watching my friend cooking the steaks give me the courage and impetus to cook beef steaks myself.

I must say the Ribeye steak I cooked was very good.  The meat was tender.  I recalled DS who said it is easy to cook when the meat is good.  I agree. DS was the leader of the CRM project which I was a in when I was working in Canada.

Will be cooking more ribeye, sirloin and flank steak in future...

Kitchen Failure

My first attempt at salt-baked chicken ended in failure.  We have to microwave the chicken after we take it out of the hot salt.  I was trying to cook minimally to ensure tenderness.  What I got instead is undercooked chicken.  The other issue is the chicken was frozen and will requires longer time to cook.  I should have take into account this.  The salt baked sweet potatoes and yams are quite good.

I am disappointed with my poor showing.  My wife insisted to microwave the chicken.  It was a big chicken and straight out of the freezer.  I felt awful and sorry for myself:(

Tomorrow is a holiday.  I may try to cook the salt-baked chicken again.  Or maybe the laksa from Prima Taste is easier.  It comes in a kit form and just follow the instructions.   The result is always consistent and good.

Potential Death Trap in Tangs!!!!

Tangs is under renovation.  The stairwells and escalators in the basement are all sealed off.     The only way to get out from inside Tangs is through the elevators.  Huge crowds were queuing to get through.  It is impossible.  I wonder why the Fire Department did not go to Tangs and stopped them from doing business.  The renovation works sealed off all access at the same time.  It is very dangerous!

Hordes of Philipinos were queuing up to get through the escalators probably to go to Lucky Plaza.  The staircase that says lead to other levels did not work either.  The crowd was huge and situation was getting out of control.   So we get out of the mall as quickly as we can. 

As well run and efficient Singapore is, the potential dangerous situation like this can develop.  I have no idea what the management in Tangs is thinking.  Are they trying to save costs while doing the renovations?  Why are the store still open while access in is easy through the underpass and getting out of the building is impossible?  Do Tangs need a repeat of the Robinson fire 40 years ago to in order to learn the lesson again?

I am very disappointed with Tangs for compromising the safety of her customers and public by its action.  I do hope the authorities will find out and do something to correct the situation.

Good Sunday Morning

Early in the morning, when I was in the wet market for tea, my ex-colleague in Taiwan send message to me.  It was a surprise.  She did not contact me when I was feeling blue.  I support her when she was lonely in Australia.  Anyway, she is still a nice girl.  I chatted with her on IM.  She is up early on Sunday to do her schoolwork.  She has two case studies.  She is taking MBA part-time.  She is working hard to learn and improve her capabilities.  She is very intelligent.  She has a Masters in Mathematics or something similar from one of the big name university in US.

It is nice to hear from friends.  I consider her a friend although it is not close as I felt left out as she was not there when I needed some support.  However, it is good she took the initiative to start a conversation with me. 

Alternative Views

With the internet, it is good to get alternative views.  The http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/ has alot of information that is not published by the mainstream media.  I like reading all the juicy bits on the sex scandal in Singapore.  Even the New Paper with its sensational headline grapping my wife to pay 70cents has practically no information of value.  She felt cheated and when I read the news article I am in total agreement. 

I found the temasektimes way more informative and has plenty of pictures.  Albeit, the girl's eyes are blacked out to protect her identity.  Apparently, this girl make the men feel like they have a young sweet girlfriend.  A few men are repeat customers due to her good service!

Singapore, the straitlaced society, love sex scandals!  I wonder what is happening to the two Senior Home Affairs officers.  News blackout again.  I guess maybe there is no wrong doing and our government may be embarrassed by what take place between two consenting adults?  Or is the whole incident going to be covered by the government?  Over time people will forget.  I wonder.

I believe life for average Singaporeans will get better when more opposition are in the Parliament.  Instead of policies explained over and over again, we may get better policies and policies responding to feedback from the ground.  When Ministers earned millions, they can sympathise well.  I doubt they can empathise since they do not live the life of getting crushed in the MRT trains.

Early to Rise

I am up at 5am or 6am Tokyo time. Am I suffering from jetlag? It is only one hour difference between Singapore and Japan. I just watched the video on blogger and realised my editor is different from what is in the video.

Maybe I need to set-up in the setting. I have to spend some time to figure it out. Right now, there is no way I can do a line spacing or set paragraphs. I need to get to the right editor.

Sweet Taste of Home

My flight for delayed by more than half an hour due to headwind. The flight was quite bumpy like going when I was going to Tokyo. My weight has past 89kgs now. It has increased further. A lot of the increase may be due to fluid intake. I drank a lot onboard until my urine turns clear. A good sign. Only problem is the calories that come with plenty of fluids especially coke and fruit juices.

Lunch is prawn noodles and then it is to Fairprice for grocery shopping. Mangoes are a great deal. It is also good to exercise where I cycle and swim. Running is not an option since my knees will act up. We have a fabulous home-cooked dinner with char siew and fried chicken from Fairprice.

Japan is nice to visit. The cabin crews loved Japanese. I love tonkatsu, yakitori and tempura. My weight increase indicate I am enjoying Japanese food. Wherever I have been, it is always good to come home.

Rained All Day Long

What a dreary day in Tokyo. It rained not stop. The rain however is quite light unlike the heavy shower we get in Singapore. Luckily, I am in meetings and do not feel a big waste however, I still wished it stopped for my last evening here. I have to get up at 4am tomorrow morning. Yuckkkk! Will not be watching any suspense or horror movie. Otherwise I will have only a couple hours of sleep.

I was wandering about trying to decide what to eat for dinner and I remember the Cabin Crew Chief told me the crews are crazy over Japanese food and will not eat in the aircraft during their break in order to enjoy more Japanese food. I was alone and it is hard to decipher what the resturants offer even with pictures. Finally, I decided to try sushi since I am in the land of sushi. I need to know really how good it is compared to home since it is geninue and authentic. The rice is nice and warm. Tamago is sweet. However, I do not find it much better. Maybe because the California roll come with raw salmon. It is quite tasteless which mean it is fresh. However, I still do not like the texture. So I did not enjoy my California roll. Tomorrow, I will get teh halia, chicken rice and fishball noodles....

A Wet Morning

Watching horror movie in a small hotel room is not what I would recommend. Horror movies are usually screened late at night. Unfortunately, in Japan most channels are Japanese. I stayed in an American chain, so at least there are two English/bilingual channels. BBC World and movie channel that screen old movies. Usually, I have the tv on all the time while I work. Last night, after I switch off the tv to go to bed, I want to watch the ending. So I turned it back on and it is past 1 am before I can fall asleep. Then I wake up early. I thought I will go to the fish market to see the action. Unfortunately, it is raining and I pass this opportunity. Now I am back in my room to blog. Starbucks do not have free wifi in Tokyo. Lousy weather is not fun.

Lucky when Polite...

I am so lucky! My host decided to bring me to eat tempura as I requested cooked food. The fish market is nearby and sashimi will be fresh and at good price. However, my raw diet is cucumber, lettuce and maybe carrots. So sashimi is out of the question.

Anyway, the reason why I feel lucky is because after dinner, my host lost his way. I had wanted to ask him where he is going when he went the wrong way. I know the way back to the hotel. But being polite, I just followed. Because we crossed the road and walk along Ginza street, I saw Book 1st bookstore. I have walk past the building a couple of times but did not realise there is a bookstore on the 6th floor.

I am so happy to see the bookstore. I search the store and found the science magazines I like. It took a couple of round. This ia adult science magazine with kits. The kits are sophisticated machines. I like to buy them to keep. B3 always take them out to fix. He is good at fixing up the scientific toys nowadays. Yes, it is lucky I did not lead my host straight to the hotel. I found my favorite haunt.

Tokyo Yokohama Tokyo

The day start with going to the exhibition in Tokyo Big Sight. Then it is off to Yokohama. After meeting, dinner with an old friend and back to Tokyo again. What a long day. My waistline is growing even though my weight is not going too much. I think my bone mass is dropping while the soft tissue i.e. fat is gaining mass. Yakitori has been our last few meals. Tomorrow night, I will have another dinner host by our customer. So it is more wine and dine. Since I do not wine, I compensate with the dine and eat more than usual. I noticed drinkers eat very little. They drink and then nibble and drink more. Maybe they feel full. So while the two drinkers drink, I ate their share:) Then regret when my waistline looked bigger:(

Tokyo

I forgot to write yesterday! I must be busy and in a hurry to pack up for my trip to Tokyo. I am now in Tokyo. My ex-colleague picks me up from Narita airport. My friend from Korea is in Japan at the same time and he arrived about half an hour earlier. He is staying in a hotel close by to my hotel. We travel together in a BMW stationwagon. My ex-colleague make sure he stopped smoking in the car for a few days to clear the smoke smell. It was actually not too bad as he spray anti-odour chemical as well.

Tokyo is a city full of lights. Quite like Hong Kong except the neon lights are more organised and less cluttered. It is very safe to walk about at night. Plenty of empty cabs. There are less pachincko shops in Ginza than TCAT. TCAT is Tokyo City Air Terminal which I used to stay. Ginza is more gitzy. Tokyo is just a concrete jungle. There are not trees or greenery. Small patches here and there, so unlike Singapore. Now I know why others say Singapore is not just a Garden City but a city in a garden. Although trees do fall during heavy thunderstorms and strong winds, it is a small price to pay for living in a garden.

I also noticed the female folks looked much better than before. Japanese women may be going for more cosmetic surgery to look better. As I do my usual stroll to explore the area surrounding my hotel, I realised it is not as busy as before. This is an indicator that the Japanese economy is not humming like before.

This is Home-Cooked Meal!

We have dinner at home as usual. This time we tried salt-baked chicken, a new recipe we learn from a woman who was selling cooking pan from Korea. It is very easy. Just season the chicken and wrapped it in paper and baked it in coarse salt. The result was amazing. It tasted the same as the store bought salt-baked chicken! B1 had requested for fish since he has two wisdom teeth extracted. He cannot eat hard food. I bought fish from the wet market this morning. A red garoupa and two SABA fishes. We steamed the red garoupa, it is fresh and therefore does not taste fishy at all. We fry half a Saba fish and then I barbeque it to make Ikan Bakar, the Indonesian-style barbequed fish. Mmmm! it is so good! For vegetable, we had the leftover sayur lodeh from yesterday.

B3 pronounced this is what I call Home-cooked meal! His standard of home-cooked meal is resturant-style eating. We are quite tickled by his comment and the whole family was very happy to enjoy a sumptious meal together. After dinner, we had dessert. Azuki beans soup with ice-cream and ice-cream with azuki bean. The boys also baked Korean pastry with honey. It was really fun meal and enjoyable with our boys loving the food. This is good bonding time. We had a good time.

Google Chrome

I am trying out Google Chrome to see if the editor work better than internet explorer. Change always cause complications even though it is supposed to be better. I am typing every sentence with a line in-between to check if works.

New and Improved?

Since the "new and improved" blogger.com, I have been unable to paragraph my entries as you can see below as well as this entry. Before, I could "enter" a couple of times to do break into paragraphs. Now I get only one paragraph no matter how many "enter" I did. It looked correct on the editor but when it is published, all the enter or return are removed. So it is one big paragraph making it less readable. I have sent a feedback to google. I hope this get fix. Otherwise I have to break up all entries on each different topic or change in pace or subject.

Fully Booked!!

I have a guest from out-of-town tomorrow. I told him I will bring him to an award winning chef. I just tried to book a table and was unable to as it is fully booked for two weeks! What a shock! So I have shift to plan B. I have to search for the best Chinese resturants and look for alternative. Of course, the one I wanted to go was there. There are 9 other choices but some are too far or too expensive. I settled on Li Bai in Sheraton Towers as it is open early and right near Orchard where my guest is staying. Phew!

This morning, we had breakfast in Bishan. Josephine Teo, the MP for Bishan has a Kopi Talk at 9:30am. She came at 10am. It is interesting show of power. She sat down on the table and then asked the next table of old "aunties" who do regular exercise to join her. After some time, the old aunties excused themselves and then the assistants asked other people to go to the table. It is interesting format. She has many "volunteers" to help her. These volunteers will get people to go to her. It does not like serving people. People are serving the MP from my observations. Josephine Teo is there to explain the new healthcare program. However, I wonder how many will benefits as most who need it most are not educated or read the papers conscientiously. Neither will they be able to fill up the forms required to qualify. It is sad. At least the PAP government is trying to address the voters unhappiness. Our government is always very logical and explain rationale very well why the policies are the way they formulate. It does not matter how ordinary people are suffering or not getting the benefits of the policies. Losing one GRC has huge positive change. Now, there is recognition of aging workers' plight, healthcare issues and foreign talent. Before, it is we know best and it is really good for you as a community and good for Singapore.

Now, if losing one GRC can bring about this positive change, I am sure losing a couple more GRCs will improve the performance of the government even more. Let's hope the electorate wise up and vote more GRCs to opposition. We will get good and effective government who have no choice but to care for the people who elect them.

Hot Hot Hot

The thermometer is rising. It is so hot. My father-in-law is warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and he requested to be upgraded to B1 from B2. B1 is airconditioned. I am feeling tired due to the heat. It is only April and hot months are coming. Another interesting phenomenon is lightnings are flashing frequently tonight but no thunder. Recently, I noticed more lightning storms without rain or thunder. The climate seems to have changed as this is a new observation.

Firefly

Flying Sin-KL sector with Firefly is so much better than Silkair/SQ. Budget Terminal is has less people and less flights to process. So immigration and security checks is so quick and easy. Even computers need not be taken out of the bag! Landing into Subang Airport is the best. My office is like 10 minutes away and my colleague can come and pick me up. Better still he does not even need to pay carpark as he can park kind of illegally along the road. Budget Terminal has small shopping area but it has every different type of shops. I had lunch in Subang Airport today and the choice are very good. The price of the meal in Changi Budget Terminal is also very competitive and is actually cheaper than Ah Kun or Toastbox. The aircraft is small and turnaround is very quick. So from boarding to taking off make me feel like I am taking a bus or ferry. Every thing is like clockwork. The disadvantage is the flight is more bumpy and noisy. There are two flight crews and the girls are dressed smartly and well groomed. Their make-ups make them looked very attractive - can fight with Singapore Girl!! I have fallen in love! I will be sorry that Changi Budget Terminal close in September. It is a good way to travel. I must say Subang is so nicer than KLIA. I enjoy local foodfare and in KLIA you have to go to the staff canteen to eat local. Everything else is expensive.

Mid-Valley Mall

It is nice to be back to one of my favorite mall in Asia - the Mid-Valley Mall. I wish I had bottomless appetite. There are so many types of food I want to eat. There are so many temptations. I need my sncaks too. Sigh! This is bad for waistline, cholesterol and blood pressure. I have a really weakness for food. What a glutton I am!

I thought MPH closed shop as Uniqlo is taking over the premise. Then as I explore the basement...actually I was checking out Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, I found that MPH has relocated to basement. I love the extremely rich Krispy Kreme Doughnut. Actually, the first time I tasted Krispy Kreme as in September 2001. I was in San Diego for a week training and the HR lady bought the doughnuts for the trainees. I ate quite a few each day. I was younger and slimmer then and can afford the calories then.

Borders does not seems to be well patronised. I wonder how long it will last. I love Borders and hope it will continue to be a ongoing business in Malaysia.

I have a chance to meet all my ex-colleagues this afternoon. They are happy to see me and I am glad they are working hard as usual. Actually, they are working harder as one is on maternity leave. It is a pity I missed her. Anyway, I shall be back and we may be able to have meal together.

Happy as a Bee

It is a busy day! Work and work. Work and work! I think this may be a lyrics from a song. I am always happy to work and exercise. Tomorrow is travel day. Will have to go to airport early for a short hop.

Maybe it is the exercise or may it is the dinner. I feel happy as I write my blog. I had watermelon that was cut a couple days ago and just cut our papaya. I enjoys cutting up fruits for the family. I was very happy in US to cut mango for the younger boy after dinner. It is very therapeutic to see the boy taking the cut-mango as I slice. He obviously enjoys the ease of eating as I sliced off the skin and cut the mango into bite-size pieces.

Eating as a family is a great way to cement relationship. My friend always have dinner as a family. We have dinner as a family. It was quite different when I was growing up as we do not eat as a family as my mother is always busy running a retail store. It is good to connect with our boys everyday although I wished B1 can come home more often than on the weekends. Even weekends, he may be on duty and does not come home. After army, he may go oversea for study. He just called from camp as I am writing! Tomorrow, he is going to the dentist to have his wisdom tooth extract. It is going to be a complicated operation as the tooth is impacted. Actually, both his wisdom teeth are impacted and horizontal. This according to my dentist who was a Professor is the most difficult to extract.

He is young and I hope he recovers well.

Monday

Many stalls in the wet market are not open as the slaughterhouse for pig has Sunday as rest day. So I have morning breakfast in AMK Hub Toastbox and then buy some grocery at NTUC Fairprice. Only Toastbox is open at 7am in the morning. I like wet market as my favorite coffee stall open at 4:30am. Also there are a few coffee stalls and if my favorite is not open, the back up is.

B2 starts his lessons today at Nanyang Polytechnic. He bought lecture notes and have more to pay. My nieces who were in University and one still in Nanyang Poly must have cost a lot of money for their mum to support. It is tough to live in Singapore where everything cost money and more money. My father-in-law is sick and my wife brought him to see the family doctor whom we have not seen for a few years. Her consultation fee alone is $90. Medicine is separate cost. When we first see her 10 years ago, her consultation fee is $20 to $30. Now it is so high. It is good to be doctor. The fees increase you can charge is way faster than inflation rate.

Monday is start of the work week. It is busy time for everyone as business activities are high. So it is back to the grind for Singaporeans.

Hot Spot - Punggol PCN

NParks did a good job of promoting the PCN. The Punggol PCN is busy in the morning and evening with many out for exercise. In the evening there is even roller-blade class. The PCN is swarming with people running, cycling, walking and roller-blading. Everyone has to watch out as some cyclists overtake at a high speed and is dangerous.

All 3 boys jogged together this afternoon. B3 has to improve his fitness as he will be having physical fitness test soon. B1 is now training B3. B1 and B2 were trained by me before their physical fitness tests before. Now both B1 and B2 trains B3. I am glad to be able to delegate this training to the older boys.

B3 is quite unfit and his face is totally red after the run. He also took a long for his elevated heart rate to recover. Hopefully, his fitness level improve enough for him to pass his NAFA test.

Busy Orchard Road

After dinner, we need to go to Plaza Singapura to meet my brother-in-law to exchange SIM card from our Singtel to his M1 to test the New iPad. Our new iPad has been giving problems with 3G. It keeps latching up and datalink is lost and requires Singtel to reset the network.
It was impossible situation finding carpark lot in Plaza Sin. We had to wait to for mum to go and do the exchange and then go off. The privilege for waiting in the multi-storey car is $2.14 even though we did not get to park our car. Instead of going home as we are already in Orchard Road, we try our luck in other mall. 313 has empty lots. I like 313 as there are designated lots for hybrid cars. Yes, there is a lot just right beside the lift.

We pass time doing window shopping. Orchard Road is jammed packed with merrymakers. All the young adults are out! There are some families like us but they are few and far between. Since all our three boys are together, we try out the Cold Stone Creamery. Two mid size ice-creams cost $17! It is a treat as the last time we had Cold Stone with all three boys was in Korea probably 4 years ago.

At 9:30pm, the crowd is everywhere. Seems like many like to stay out late in Orchard Road. It is a happening place on Saturday Night.

Busy Day

It is a busy day. Up at 4am and now close to midnight. I just finished the estate meeting. What a day! I am pooped. Luckily, it is Saturday tomorrow and I have only tuition for B3.

On the Road to Recovery

My baby niece is on the road to recovery. I just saw her facebook entries. She is no longer in pain and eating. I am very happy to see her improving and healing from the surgery. She is well taken care of by her mum's sister. Family is important in times like this. Her sisters are also taking good care of her.

Up Early

This time it is not jetlag. I am up at 4am this morning. The reason is because I have to send B1 to his camp at 5:45am. I worry I will oversleep and there I could not sleep well. Mum is up now cooking for B3's breakfast and recess.

I have the tv for company. The morning is quite. I went to the roof garden to observe the stars. The stars constellations are different in the morning than at night. No joy when it comes to UFOs. I still harbour the hope to see an UFO one day.

I have to leave in 15mins. B1 is up and ready to go.

Wikinomics

Wikinomics is about new way of doing business. The business models are changing rapidly. Most of the examples are influence by internet and the web. The established model of hierarchy, control and information security is made obsolete by collaboration, information sharing and gaming.

Wiki is tapping the netizens and global talents. Many times for free. The new most valuable companies are Google, Facebook, eBay, Craiglist are all internet based company. Luckily, the old school of not going away yet. Many are still employed in traditional business. However, traditional business are losing market share.

Singtel is on the news yesterday. CEO Chua Sock Something is considering service like viber and whatsapps. The two has been chipping away the sms and voice business of Singtel and billing per customer is dropping as many are using the data plan to do free sms or voice call. Poor Singtel is stuck with expensive infrastructure and overhead. It is going to be a rocky road ahead for Singtel.

A Big Mess

Our aircon has maintenance contract and undergo routine servicing today. The technician recommended chemical wash as the condenser was clogged up with "jelly-like" substance. It is going to cost $200. So I thought I will just go to the hardware centre and buy the chemical and clean myself. The chemical cost only $13.50 and I was congratulating myself for saving money DIY in long form - do-it-yourself. Little did I know how mistaken I am.

I sprayed the chemical onto the condenser and a little splash onto my body and it stings! After that the chemical touches my fingers and they hurts!! The chemical is caustic and I did not use any protection. For an untrained person handling unknown cleaning chemical which is quite strong, I am not really equipped to do the job properly. After I sprayed the chemical, it start to foams out and drips to the floor with all the dirt. The floor even though protected by newspapers. The newspapers were no match. The chemical soaked through and damage the parquet floor. Rinsing the chemical means I have to spray water and lot of water. The drain pipe cannot handle and overflow causing more dirty water to drop onto the floor.

The mistress of the house and master of the universe was furious. NO! That was an understatement! She was so upset that I made just a big mess and dirty the room that my profuse apologies did not reduce her reprimands or criticisms of my sloppiness. Luckily, I have someone to help clear up the mess I made.

I had to eat water melon and pistachios nuts to calm my nerves. Everytime I felt bad, I had to snack. No wonder my weight is now at 89.5 kg. Exercising hard is not making an impact in my weight control.

On the positive side, I am busy at work organising and trips to meet customers and prospects. Today, I just found out one is based in Singapore. So I can meet up with them for lunch. It is nice to have customers in the same country.

Happy Thoughts

It is important to delve on happy thoughts and gratitude. So I decided to stop the entry below and change the subject with a new heading.

We are happy all our 3 boys came back home and have dinner together. B2 and B3 were out for tuition and B1 was out shopping. We also reload our fridge with grocery. I always enjoys going to the supermarket and buy snacks and fruits. I leave the REAL food to my wife. I can live on eating just snacks and fruits.

This morning, instead of my usual tea, I had yinyang or tea mixed with coffee. It is actually quite nice and refreshing.

First Casualty

Haaaiii...a man's body found yesterday morning floating at the Punggol PCN yesterday's morning. Luckily, I did not cycle early in the morning. Many a time when I was distracted during cycling, I find the risk of going down into the water is quite high. It is actually quite safe if we pay attention. The water is very shallow anyway.

I hope this is the first and the last case. I shudder when I think of Bedok Reservoir series of drownings. I am very glad it has stopped.

Paper Chicken

I have a Japanese customer in town and host lunch for him, his wife, his daughter and two grandchildren. The little girl is 7 years and boy 5. The girl is very adorable and quite interactive.

We had lunch at a resturant that is quite popular with Japanese. Hillman Resturant has been around since 1965. My father used to bring us there when we were kids. The original resturant was at the corner of a row of shops below a block of HDB flat and has since been torn down. Today, The Pinnacle stood in its place.

Now the resturant is in Kitchener Road. The sister resturant, Manhill is in Pasir Panjang. The daughter has been to this resturant before. I am glad they like the food. Paper chicken and shark fin omelette are compulsory for Japanese. The steamed fish is so fresh and not fishy at all. It is the first time I enjoyed eating fish. King Pork Rib and claypot noodle for the kids. The tofu is minced meat tofu.

The meal went very well. I am glad that the family enjoyed the meal. They keep saying "Oshi" which means delicious.

JCUBE

JCube was on the news yesterday. So we decided to explore this new mall in Jurong East. It is Singaporeans' favorite pastime! New Malls. The place was crowded with other explorers like us. Many shop are still not ready yet. The ice skating rind is quite busy with many rather good skaters. I am surprised that without many skating rind, we have so many competent skaters. This is the first skating rind many years after the Jurong Skating Rind was closed due to poor business.

The mall is quite small and easy to cover. The problem is it is too crowded due to the publicity. There are a few shops specialising Korean products and a 3-D joyride machine made in Korea as well. Korea is very successful in exporting their culture, products and services. As a country, it has surpassed Japan exporting music, pop culture and even serial dramas.

We are lucky all three boys are available and with us. We had lunch in American resturant chain, Chilli's. This is one of my favorite resturant. It is good my boys are with us. So we order bbq baby backribs, chicken and beef fahitjas and ranch chicken quesdillos, and of course, chilli which is minced beef in tomato sauce. Lunch was yummy. So after enjoying the heavy duty American meal, I feel a little guilty about my weight gain.

UCLA Talk

UCLA held a seminar in Shangri-La hotel this afternoon. There were 77,000 applicants for this year's intake. Undergraduate population is 26,000 students. The school is in Westwood and is surround by "rich" real estate. So it is relatively safe according to the admission director.

The school's symbol is Bruin or Bear. One of the parent raise the point that funding has been cut and the programs and facilities are deteriorating. The response was it is about $200million out of $4 billion. so the impact is not significant in the big picture. The school has raised school fees as well. Overall, it is not is good shape I think.

The attraction factor is weather and diversity. Food is great as there are plenty of ethnic resturants. We have to attend to more talks to make more informed decisions...

My Niece Had an Operation

My youngest niece from my brother had a operation to remove her cyst. It is quite big 17cm X 11 cm X 8 cm or thereabout. She is warded in KK Hospital. The poor girl is in pain although she is recovering now. I am very sorry to see her in pain. She is only 18 years and will miss school for the next 4 weeks.

I hope she recovers well. She is a very brave girl and I am proud of her. Her elder sister keeps her company all day long and I am very proud of her too.

We had duck porridge for dinner and B3 felt hungry about 9pm and ate 3 packs of Korean seaweeds. I am not sure if consuming too much seaweeds can cause potential health issue. The sodium and iodine levels are high.

Busy Punggol Water Park

The PCN is busy in the morning. Many people are out exercising. The track is wet in many place where the water from the field continue to flow out. NParks need to do drainage in some of the places. The water flows out continously for a few days and the track become slippery with moss and fungi.

The PCN is a great concept. It gave Singaporeans healthy pastime to exercise, keep fit and enjoys nature in the city. The Punggol Water Park is busy and the fountains are turned on. It is very relaxing. The fountains also aerate the water and let the fishes thrive.

I enjoys cycling and listening to audiobook. Right now, it is Wikinomics. Wikinomics is about the new world of cooperation and collaboration using internet. Several companies have leverage using giving or opening up their R&D (Merck) or let users hacked into their products (Lego). It is very interesting examples. However, most companies are still operating in the traditional mode. As the world evolves, some companies will thrive and some will become extinct.

Fruits Galore

I am stocking up our fridge with fruits. Two watermelons, mangoes and Barnfield oranges. It is healthy to eat more fruits. My wife says since I returned home, she is eating more, lots more as I keep on buying snacks, fruits and other foodstuff. I enjoys eating well and many times not so healthy. I add potato chips and chocolate wafers. High cal and probably has transfat as well.

I just received a call from my brother his youngest girl is in hospital. I will visit her tomorrow. She just had a operation and still in pain.

Plenty of rain today. My grass patch in the roof is slowly turning green again. My maid cut it too short while I was in US and my nice and green patch had turned completely brown and black. It is recovering and I have given strict instruction for her not to cut it anymore. I spend a lot of time and effort to keep it green. I was very proud of my roof garden until I returned home two weeks ago.

Monitors Up

I am glad I managed to setup the new monitors for my computer system. Now I realised I need a keyboard and a mouse. Sigh! I should have bought the keyboard and the mouse when I bought the monitors. Setting up the system on my own is a little tedious as I do not know all the parts I will need to set up the complete system. Also I need to figure out which brand is better. It takes time to do research and salespersons may not be the best source of information.

My weight today climb up further to 89.5kg. Not good for a man trying to diet. I guess my willpower is low when it come to food.

I have not been doing my 3 gratitudes consistently. I think my happiness level has increased since writing down my gratitudes. But it is just a perception and maybe it has not changed and I am just suffering from the Hawthorne Effect. Maybe self-delusion as I am both the subject and object of the experiment.

Weight Increased

I gained weight due to the good food I had in US expecially steaks. Now I am home, I am having teh halia, teh C and coke - all high calories drinks. Then I have to revisited all the food I like. So my weight has gone up by another kg. Now I am breaking new record at 89kg. I am going to take more oats, more brown rice, more fruits and less deep fried butterfly, deep fried springrolls, deep fried dough sticks, deep fried banana,frenchflies, potato chips,... sigh...I love deep fried food. The most unhealthy food on the planet and they are all filled with cheap but bad palm oil.

New Week

Today is the start of a new week. B2 will be going to school next week. He has been busy as an instructor for Robotics. He enjoys the work and helping out the students. The pay is low but the gratitudes he received from the students after they achieved top 3 positions in the competition gave him a big boost in his ego and sense of accomplishment. He is also happy he overachieve his saving target. I am glad he will be starting school soon. Waking late everyday is not a good thing. At least he was up early for work when the Robotics competition is on.

Meanwhile, B3's maths homework is stumping mummy and I was rope-in to help. The question goes like this - Abe, Thomas and Zach has some stamps. Abe has 1/7 of the stamps, Thomas has 1/7 of Zach. Zach gave away 70 stamps for Abe and Thomas to share. How many stamps did Abe has in the first place? I have not got this figure out yet. I shall do this question tomorrow.

The maths problem nowadays is tricky. I have no idea in real life this kind of calculations are needed.

Lights were out except One

I checked with B3. Yes, we participated in the Earth Hour. I am proud of my boys. However, mum was not cooperative. She insisted on that she needs her light to blow her hair. Sigh...women! Refusing to be environmentally-friendly especially my wife!!

We need to reduce our carbon footprint. Our Mother Earth has taken care of us humans for million of years. We need to take of care her! We must always Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

The 3R should be our way of life. Our future generations will inherit a healthy vibrant Mother Earth.

Nice and Quiet

It is very quiet this morning. No lightning or thunder. No croaking of toads...except once in a long while. The whole neighbourhood is asleep on a lazy Sunday morning. I was asleep last night during the Earth hour. So I did not have a chance to see if my neighbours participated by turning off all the lights.

B3 was very excited about the Earth hour. I do not know if he will make sure we switched off all our lights. I have to check with him when he wakes up. B3 was also asking abot 2012. In a few months, the world we know is supposed to come to an end. I told him nothing is going to change, our conciousness will increase and we will be more spiritual.

There is a fire in Lee Gardens Hotel in Hatyai. It is directly opposite the Central hotel we usually stayed in when we were there for meetings. Thankfully, no Singaporeans was injured even though there were about 50 injured. I do not like Central Hotel in Hatyai. There are no visible emergency exits and the only way to get in and out of the hotel is through three lifts on the reception that is on the 5th floor. The first four floors is the Central shopping mall. I always feel uneasy staying there as I feel trapped. It is fine when everything is normal and running. If there is a terrorist threat or fire, the hotel is a death trap. Anyway, I will not have to go the Hatyai anymore. I will be sorry if any of my ex-colleagues get into any incident there in future.