Eye Bleeding

My left eye is bleeding.  I have no idea as there is no symptoms - no itch, no pain, nothing.  Vision still the same.  The reason why my wife notices is because we visit my neighbour in the hospital after her cataract operation.  This makes her notices my eye problem.  I have a eye lash stuck under my eyelid.  Other than that it is just normal due to my sensitivity to allergens.  I have vitamin C and eye drops.  It is so expensive to see a specialist.

Life in a Circle

My ex-colleague in Canada has relocated to her birthplace in Hong Kong.  On her facebook, she writes she is registering her twin girls to her alma mater Primary school and found some of the teachers who taught her are still there!!  The teachers must be very young when they taught her she wrote.  I commented that she is a young mother:) 

This incident reminds me of the circle of life.  After we are born, we grow up and go to school and then to work.  Get married and have kids.  Our kids go to school and the cycle continues. 

Fishing!

B3 and I went fishing.  But longkang fishing.  We have a net and catch small fishes from the pond in the PCN.  It is travelling back in time.  My boy had a great time.  I started it off by bringing the fishes yesterday.  He is intrigued and very interested as there is variety of fishes.  Today, he caught all the fishes.  We even have a baby soon hock in our pond.  It is interesting to have an ecosystem at home.

Taxi Stories

Think life as a taxi driver is ho-hum?  Think again. Taxi drivers are blogging their on the fares and rides.  Many have interesting stories.  They are looking at the bright side of things considering most lost their jobs and turn to driving taxi to earn a living.  Many interesting encounters and not so interesting.  Just like my life.  I am just an average Joe or in Singlish Ah Huat or Ah Beng.  I just blog about the books I read and my daily routines.  I do not meet lots of people nor do I have an adventurous life.  I do significant amount travel for work.  It is just meetings and wine and dine. 

Many bloggers have special themes.  Food is universal favorite especially to Singaporeans.  Just google taxi blogs and a whole bunch will show up.

Hell's Corner

The tale is gripping at the end.  The master storyteller keep it at is intense pace at the end.  It was hard to put down.  I am glad I read fiction again although it can be time consuming as I keep bringing the book everywhere on the weekend.  The twist is interesting as well.  It is always the so-called "old man" in his sixties that is so attractive to exceeding capable women who are spies and double agent.  Also very gorgeous looking.  I like to be the protagonist.  Always the writer is a man and writing about his fantasies.  I, of course enjoys reading the dream of being a hero with plenty of gorgeous wonder women who is interested in me and I am not interested in them.  Holala!  What a wonderful dream because the women incapacitate strong burly bodyguards and yet so nice and tender to Oliver Stone. 

Eels

The heavy rain last night cause the eels to come out onto the track in the PCN.  I caught 3 live ones and put them on to my pond.  They immediately swim about and venture into the space where the arowana is and were eaten up.  Actually one keep coming out of the pond and into the soil.  The ants were attacking it, so I put it back into the pond.  Unfortunately, eels are not a pond dweller and keep venturing into the danger zone.  Of course it is a matter of time, the eel was eaten up.  It is very interesting.  Other small fishes know to avoid that part of the pond but not the eels.  They will keep going in circles around the edge of the pond and venturing into the danger zone for them

Kevin Rudd Lost!

On Wednesday, I put on my blog that I will place my bet on Kevin Rudd and I lost!  Tony Abbott won the election and is now going to be the Prime Minister of Australia.  What a bummer!  Anyway, this is really nothing to do with me except I will going to Australia in a week from now.  I will get to hear the views from the Aussies.

I hope Abbott is a good Prime Minister. 

Aching and Aching

My right jaw is aching like hell.  I took two super strength painkillers and it is still hurting.  The bone must be mending or maybe the food is causing issue.  It is really uncomfortable.  Luckily, it is not throbbing pain.  I do not know how much longer it take for my gum to heal. 

Teeth is so important and so expensive to fix nowadays.  When in pain, I think of the worse case scenario.

There an event going on in Bugis+.  It seem like the black guy is quite popular and the mall is crowded and the crowd all yell in unison.  It is something!  The energy is electric.  Unfortunately, B3 tuition is due and we have to leave the mall.

In-laws Dropped In

My parent-in-laws came to visit this evening.  They want to find out more about the prices of the industrial units they are looking at.  My mother-in-law will bring fruits and other small gifts.  It is her usual practice.  She will always bring something.  We do not bring anything when we go.  They are vegetarian and it can be sensitive to bring wrong kind of food.

We treat them with mooncakes and Chinese tea.  They also like the durian mooncake.  Both B1 and B2 are out.  B1 has a birthday party and B2 has school dinner at Swensen's.  So only the youngest grandson is home.

Reading a Book is different from Listening

I borrowed the book version Not a penny more, Not a penny less by Jeffrey Archer even though I have listened to the whole book.  I found that reading the print version is different.  There are certain part I noticed and realised I did not hear it on the audio version.  I am sure it is verbatim.  My attention span is distracted differently using sight vs using hearing.  Alot of time I am listening while exercising.  So my attention span do wanders.  I find I am more detailed with the print version.  Also it is easy to re-read whereas trying to go back to specific sections in audio tracks is quite challenging.  Flipping pages to find interesting snippets is much easier with print as I can scan very quickly and location the section and read slowly.

Now I find reading thrillers an enjoyable pastime.

Slowdown

Yes, business is slowing down.  It is worrying.  Currency crisis and unstable stock markets.  I am not so optimistic as in the beginning of the year.  Talking to other suppliers, they are saying the same thing.  The 2nd half is weak.  The slowdown happen in June July.  Now more and more sectors are hit.  Will the economy slowdown?  How many more workers will be retrench?
It is going to be a long uncertain road ahead.  I wonder what will our government do?  It is tough to deal with such uncertainty.

Australia is going for election.  Who will win?  I will place my bet on Kevin Rudd.  He is well known and has better public profile than his rival Tony Abbott.

Molar taken out

My gum has been bleeding excessively.  I went to look for my dentist and found the condition of my molar has deteriorated.  The bridge I had lasted for more than 30 years.  My dentist told me they usually last for 15 to 20 years.  I had the bridge replaced before.  So they think I had my money worth.  I still think dental treatment is very expensive.  Now a dental implant cost $5K per tooth.  Bridge is $1200.  So price of treatment has gone up but so have the ability to do more with our teeth.  I do not know.  Teeth is the most important asset.  Actually all our body parts are important assets.  Any one of the them is down can cost a lot of money for treatment or even maintain basic life.  So kidney failure means huge expense every month.  Or losing an arm or leg or whatever.  It is terrible.  Let's not delve on horrible stuff and focus on positive aspect of life.

Life is good when we help others and joyful when we have kids.  So live and let's live.

Magnificent Thunderstorm

After dinner, the sky opens.  Lots of incredibly brillant light flashes followed by thunderous claps.  The rain was so heavy that my backyard is flooded.  I was looking out to see the storm and my three boys joined me.  The sky is just grey and pink(due to electrical activity?)  I loved the lightnings.  They are wonders of nature.  The sky lit up with an awesome flash and then it is back to the grey sky again.  Now it is all quiet and peaceful.  The rain is good for my plants.  I just wished I have a way to capture the water for recycling. 

Eating More at Home

Seems like my appetite is back!!  I am eating a lot more than when I am in Bangkok.  Maybe the pamelo caused tummy upset.  I am eating a lot more and my weight will be creeping up again.  I also ate more fruits and have more fluids due to heat.  Food is wonderful in Thailand but my stomach is used to home cooked food.  Soup is very important and we had chicken soup that is white in colour and it tasted fabulous. 

All boys are home and we had lots of fruits after dinner - nectarines and loc sweet oranges.  The honey melon from Myanmar is very good too.  My boys eat more healthily when I am at home as mummy does not prepare fruits for them.  They get only carbo, protein and vegs. 

B3 and I tried to make toffee.  We boiled condensed milk for an hour.  It turned lightly brown and still smells like condensed milk rather than toffee.  We will need to redo our experiment.

Library

I have not gone to the library for some time now.  I am tired of listening my music over and over again.  So I am glad to borrow a couple of audio books - The Innocent by David Baldacci and False Impression by Jeffrey Archer for fiction and Built to Last and Innovator's Dilemma for business books.  I am glad to have new books to listen to while I exercise. 

The weather is very hot today but Bangkok is hotter than here.  My next door neighbour is at the pool and we had a good chat.  His business is slowing down and I told him mine too.

Quiet

I am reading this book as it was recommended by a fellow reader whom I lend my discount card in Kino.  She is a late teen and quite vivacious.  Atypical Singaporean, but that is because she lived in US and Eastern Europe, Ukaine if I am not wrong.

Quiet is a book for me.  Help me feel more at home with my introvertness.  It explains about why extrovert is valued and how Dale Carnegie and advertisement portrays introvert to be unsuccessful and show how good speakers sell well and make a lot more money.  The examples by Jim Collins Good to Great were led by humble and introvert CEOs.  Although it is like vindication, it does not help me make more money.  Only let me know being introvert can be successful.

Incredible Street Food

Haaiiii!  It is so tempting!  I keep wishing I am hungry.  The street food in the morning is really incredible.  All freshly cooked in front of you.  I took a walk along the street to Patunam.  Tiny fried fritters, coconut custard tartlets, deep fried bananas, barbarqued pork, chicken, innards, pork balls on a stick, freshly fried fishballs and pig skins.  You can get a full meal with freshly fried omelette with rice or minced meat with rice.  The spiciness level is incredible.  Almost everything is cooked with chilli padi.  I enjoyed my morning walk.  It is really nice to see all the different variety of food to satisfy the glutton in me.

Productive Day

Yes, I am not supposed to blog about work as it is boring.  Anyway, I had a long day until my low back aches excruciatingly.  Yes, muscles tightens and no position is comfortable.  Although painful and tiring, I enjoys meeting potential customers and talking to other suppliers.  I am a people person.  So I feel it is a good day.

I do not have time except late at night to take a walk along the street to get a feel of the night market.  Bangkok is really alive and full of tourists.  I like the hustle and bustle!  It is a good way to end my day.  I am tired and worn out.  It feels good!

Standing Till the Back Hurts

I am standing all day long today.  My back start aching at about 4pm.  It really hurts as I do not usually stand for so long.  Good thing is we have been invited by our host to his house for dinner.  The house was huge. 2400 sq meters.  A separate entertainment hall.  Car park for maybe 20 cars.  My host is doing very well in material achievement.  He is a very good businessman and very successful indeed.

It is good to come to exhibition.  It is a good place to meet customers and potential customers.  

Hot and Humid Bangkok

It is really hot in Bangkok.  Much hotter than home.  Maybe it is the buildup and no greenery.  I bought a couple of books from Kinokuniya.  Even without discount, I think the price is lower here than in Singapore.  The air is also quite bad with all the vehicles idling on the road as there are traffic jams all over.

I worry I will gain weight as the food here is very tempting and I have a couple of meetings with meals.  My weakness is my "see food" diet.  I eat what I see!

No Longer in the Nest

We went to the PCN by car this afternoon after the ST Run.  The little birdie is no longer in the nest.  It must have gone off with its parents learning to survive on its own.  Interestingly, the other baby bird is not in the nest anymore.  We saw the adult bird flying around.  Maybe the owner of the nest and may be not.  I am a little sorry the rest of the family did not get the chance to see the bird.

It is such a hot afternoon.  PCN becomes very crowded after 5:30pm.  So many people jogging and enjoying other activities with their kids.  Many parents stroll their babies in a pram or stroller.  The PCN is a wonderful asset build by our government.

Visiting my Little Baby Bird

Yesterday, I stopped by the nest and take a look.  The little bird flew out and I have to put it back.  It cannot fly well yet.  I think it will be flying off in one or two day.  I did not have a chance to visit it today and tomorrow is the ST Run until noon.  So it may fly the coop by tomorrow.  I will have not chance to see it again.  I love little baby birds.  I am glad to be able to pet it twice.  My concern was that the parents will not feed it after it had "human" smell.  But I thought of all the documentaries I watched and many times the scientists will take out the animals, fuss over them like measuring and weighing, after that put them back.  So I decided to try and it works!

Hopefully, my little birdie will recognise me when I cycle in the PCN....

How Fast Baby Bird Grows

This video is the baby a week ago

And today....

Redhill Estate

I went to Redhill Estate for lunch.  It is a place that I rarely go.  I do remember going to the place to wait for my aunt while she perm her hair.  I was probably 5 years old.  I remember it was a long wait.  Redhill has a good Teochew stall.  Unfortunately, it is not open today as it is 15th day of 7th month in the lunar calendar.  So the stall is just catering to pre-ordered items.  The food is good and economical.  Since it is not open, we have wanton noodles instead.  After lunch, my wife says she need garlic and the price of garlic was very good.  So she start to buy onions, then dried chilli, dried vegetable (mui choy) and Szechuan vegetable.  She love to get good deals.  The price is much lower than Fairprice or wet market in AMK.

Looking for Specific Book

I have too many books.  Everytime I look for a specific book, I have to search high and low - yes I do have a tall bookshelf that reach to the ceiling.  As I have more books that shelf space and my shelves are deep, I am putting my books double layers.   This makes it even more difficult to look for a specific as it can be hidden inside one of the shelves.  As I search, I saw many good books that I have not read yet.  It is really difficult to find time to read all the books I like.  I have almost all the books Peter Drucker wrote.  Also Henry Mintzberg.  Daniel Pink and Malcolm Gladwell are fairly young, so I have all the books they wrote and published.

I wonder how to read and learn from all the wise men in my library!

Romantic Old Fool?

I am watching Korean drama this weekend.  1% of Anything.  The story line is a little weak but it is romantic and also there are a lot of truths in life that are protrayed.  So the Korean scriptwriters and drama directors are quite good in this aspect.  The story line is always a fairy tale.  A rich man falls in love with a poor teacher.  Despite the difference in character and background, they overcome the obstacles and got married.  Live happily everafter.

Disappointed

It is lots of Motherhood and Apple Pie.  I do know if there are any real safety nets.  It is all individual responsibility.  As a friend told me during lunch, if you have a baby with birth defects, you will become bankrupt in two years even though government has assistance schemes and give you a sum of money so that you are responsible for deciding on the medicare for your child.

All the schemes are when you are working.  What will happen if you get retrenched?  What about schemes to help Singaporeans stayed employed?  He touches on global trends of technology and income gaps.  But no schemes to help Singaporeans stay gainfully employed.  It is always helping the poor which I totally agree.  How about the burden of middle class?  Nothing is said or mentioned.  I guess if you are in the middle class, you do not need or deserves any "help".

Overall, I am quite disappointed with the NDR aka National Day Rally.

Mermaids

My boys are telling me Mermaids are real.  It is on YouTube news!  I am skeptical.  I told them that is not news.  News is BBC, CNN or CNA.  Anyone can come up with all kinds of videos.  Apparently, Obama has seen the mermaids.  So what if the President seen the mermaids.  This does not mean they are real and also the newscaster is trying to gain credibility using Obama.  Obama has not come up on prime time news to say he has personally seen the mermaids.  It is interesting and I may check it out.

Interesting Videos in YouTube

YouTube is a wonderful invention.  Now there are so many interesting things we can see.  May not be real at time but it is intriguing.  I went to look for water messages and then start surfing other interesting videos that pops up.  One show a submarine popping out of ice.  I also like the Tesla machines.  Florescent tubes lights up when put near the Tesla coil.  Also move a vehicle using human hand as conductor of the electromagnetic energy. 

There is one on Chi master in Indonesia.  He can light up newspapers with chi!  The parkour videos are also interesting.  Luckily, most videos are short.  It is difficult to watch videos on the computer.s

Lunch with an Old Acquaintance

I had lunch at ABC Brickworks, char siew.  He paid for the meal.  I feel bad but I do not like to fight to pay. I am not old style.  Anyway, we had a long lunch and talk about old times.  He has a daughter in U of New South Wales in medicine.  Son in fashion merchanising.  His daughter is in the same school as another ex-colleague of mine.  I am lucky that my boy is in law.  So in a way, I did not lose face.  It is terrible to compare kid's achievements but such is life in a rat race society. 

I have invited him so that I can return his treat next time in a couple of months.  It is nice to just catch up with old times and learn about all the old colleagues.  Coffee shop talk with MD of a big company.

Keeping A Diary

I am glad to write every day.  It is a good habit.  Sometimes, I missed due to lack of computer access or simply forgets.  I do feel guilty when I forgot.  So the writing is now a habit.  B1 has start school and is buying a lot of new books.  The textbooks for law is quite expensive.  However, text books are important tools and we do encourage him to buy new so that he can highlight or make his own notes. 

I was reviewing some old documents and found that a paper I thought was well written.  Then I realise the author was yours truly.  I remembered that a Korean colleague requested for my opinion and I spent time and send it to him.  I also remembers that he did not acknowledge or bother to reply.  When I first read the paper I was quite impressed.  I thought the author got it right.  Then it dawn to me that I am the author.  Since my opinion has not changed, I am just a biased reader.

Having a diary is good.  As the Chinese saying goes "Strongest memory cannot match with the faintest ink!"  Reading what I have written brought back lots of sweet memories.

Humming Bird?

I understand from my niece there are no hummingbirds in Singapore.  This beetle like bird looks to me like a hummingbird.  What do you think?

Quiet

It is a quiet Sunday evening.  Mum and the boys go out to do grocery shopping.  B3 who was supposed to stay at home change his mind at the last min leaving me all alone at home.  I am blogging with Teresa Teng for company.  I do enjoy the peace and quiet and writing all alone.  The weather today is quite cool.  Because it rained in the morning, most of the weekend joggers are out at 4pm in the cloudy but bright afternoon.  I had a leisurely ride to Punggol Point.  Punggol town will be huge.  So many flats and condos are being built at breakneck speed.  The PCN will suffer from overcrowding in future.

Music helps me relax and reflect.  Sunday Times is not good today.  Not much to read and the articles are not interesting.  I missed my favorite columnists like Janadas Devan, Sumiko Tan, Lee Wei Ling and Chua Mui Hoong.  TR Emeritus has taken over my interesting read diet.  Kinokuniya has 20% but the price is still high with the discount.  So I may have to wait till I go to India or Bangkok to buy my books.

I threw away my Canon Printer as I tried to save money by using cheaper Secom ink cartridge.  I should have print until the excess ink has been cleared.  I thought it will be okay once it dries up.  Instead the error B200 come up and I go to the internet to check and there is no way to fix it.  Canon make it such that once B200 shows up, you have to replace the printer.  Anyway, the ink for the printer is too expensive and it is already giving problems before.

The favorite question for National Day is "What is it to be a Singaporean?"  I am not so sure now.  Before the flood of foreigners, I have clear idea of my Singaporean identity - non-stop working ethics, Singlish, focus on or pursuit of material well being(5Cs), fear of getting fines for any minor misdemeanours, total and complete control by our ubiquitous government and its agencies, apolitical capitalist (okay to make money but no politics).  Today, Singapore Girls marry China men, Ang Moh men, even South African man and Singapore men marry overseas brides from Vietnam.  Our rojak culture is no longer rojak but more toward India Indian, China Chinese.  I wonder if the new immigrants will be able to absorb the Singaporean kiasu identity as they are newly arrived and they now represent 40% of the population.

I am beginning to identify more and more of the insecurity of my fellow citzens. This wet morning at the AMK Ave 10 and Ave 5 hawker center, I saw this old bent woman rolling a dirty trolley filled with empty carton boxes.  She is a scavenger trying to survive.  Singapore, a first world country with third world mentality.  The poor have to survive by collecting and recycling waste.  The picture is like Indonesia or Philippines or India.  So let's see what PM has in store for our underclass as we achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation. 

Back to Routine

Hari Raya and National Day is over and we are back to routine stuff of tuition, grocery shopping and housekeeping.  My neighbour who is now working in Penang is back for Hari Raya to visit relatives.  He sold off his house and bought a nice 3 storey house in Penang for RM1.2 million.  Now the price is more than RM2 million because of new state laws that foreigners are eligible to purchase landed homes that is RM 2million or higher.  So he is very happy.  He also made money selling his house here.  He is going to send his daughter to England to study law.  She is only in Secondary 2.  I am very happy for him and his family.  They are doing well indeed!

Meanwhile, my new helper is cooking up a storm.  She loves cooking but not so great in housework.  I think we will gain weight as her cooking is quite good and my boys have additional bowl of rice in the last few dinners.

Bright Sky in the Middle of the Night

I had too much tea last night.  I was also very tired and slept early before 10 pm.  The combination makes a recipe for waking up in the middle of night at 4am.  I was surprised by the bright sky.  It was something that we missed usually since we are in dreamland at this time normally.  Then it drizzles and the sky turned dark again.  This phenomenon brought back memories of living in Canada.  I had the same observation before except the sky is a lot brighter there.  I thought the earth rotation has changed with I first noticed bright sky in the middle of night.  Now I know it is just electrical discharge.

Plenty of Finely Dressed Muslims Visiting

It is Hari Raya and the Muslims celebrating their new year with fine clothing and visiting friends and relatives.  Big groups are travelling around my neighbourhood.  They do travel in style.  Make me feel like it is Chinese New Year where many go a visiting.  Many wear gold embroidered clothing.  Looked really new and hard to wash kind of clothing. 

Our multi racial society bring out all the different colours and celebrations.  This is so different from monoculture society like Japan or Korea.  We also get the chance to eat a variety of ethnic food.  So it is Uniquely Singapore!

Finding Your Elements

Ken Robinson is a very good speaker and he has several sessions in TED.  I bought the book Finding Your Elements as it is on sale and a lot cheaper in Bangkok than at home.  I also want to read what he write.  TED video is very good and entertaining.  However, it is a short synopsis and does not cover in details.  Reading the book is far better as there are exercises and plenty of examples.  The subject is cover in depth.  It is quite a nice read although I am only half way through.

Super Long Weekend!!

I did not realised it is a super long weekend until this morning my B3 come home early.  It is usually half day for National Day's Eve for schools as many student participate in the National Day Parade.  Tomorrow is Hari Raya Puasa.  Friday is National Day.  4 days in total and I heard from my wife during dinner that many Singaporeans have gone overseas for holidays.  As for me, being at home is the best thing for holiday.  PCN will be full of people exercising.  Singaporeans is a healthy lot.  We worked hard and exercise hard.  I am not sure about playing hard.

Last year, we have mango cake from Prima Delia and this evening we bought another on.  Mango cake from Prima is the best.  Real mango and fresh cream.  Tastes heavenly to me.  Last year,we had it because my nieces were coming for dinner.  This time, my wife just have craving for cake.  Actually chocolate cake but she is willing to make do with mango cake

Changing World of Work

We all know the world is changing and changing rapidly.  Many old jobs are obsolete and new one created.  Some are stable like doctors, lawyers and accountants.  Hence all mummy wants their kids to grow up to be one.  However, there is a controlled supply.  So only the cream la cream are admitted.  The rest of us have to contend with new jobs.  The internet spawn a whole new category of jobs like help desk, web designer, hacker and many others.  Even retail has display artists and becoming an actor if your academic results are not good.

The government is now saying a degree is not necessary.  However, the alternative without a degree is swarmed by foreign worker.  According to the survey, the middle age workers ages between 35 and 45 years old are most worried about their kids future work.  The population continues to grow and automation is reducing the number of workers needed.  So maybe in future it will be like one futurist forecasted that work will be for the privilege few.

Terrapin Escaped!

B3's terrapin was put out at the pond outside.  After a few days, it escapes and is nowhere to be found.  B3 was upset and so I promised him to get another.  He has been looking after the terrapin well and it grew quite big.  So I know he will be able to look after the new terrapin.  We bought one from Nanyang Sea View.  I also bought him a floating platform for the terrapin to come out of the water to bask.  He is more careful and place a netting to cover the tank in case the terrapin decides to escape.

I wonder where the terrapin go to as it is a concrete jungle outside our house.  Maybe it has the right instinct to find its way to the reservoir.  Our neighbour lost a terrapin before too.  It was quite large.  It was never found.  We wonder where it can go since it is so big.  I thought it may die somewhere in our estate but no dead terrapin ever showed up.

The good news is there are lots of baby fishes in our pond.  It is now a proper ecosytem.  I am happy that the fishes are breeding.

Interesting Coincident

Today is Saturday.  In the hot afternoon, it is time to cycle to the PCN.  I did not cycle too far and decide to take a drink at the comic depicting the love poem.  A group of 3 women asked for directions to get to the Punggol MRT.  They were hoping for the shortest way.  Unfortunately, the way up the field has been closed as it become a contruction site.   They have a choice to go to Sengkang CC which is a long way forward or back track the way they come to go to the MRT station.  They are not really sporty type as all three women keep wiping their sweat with tissue paper.  I decide to turn around and do some simple exercise at the exercise station right outside the sport complex. 

A boy topple my bicycle.  I heard his mum called out asking him to put it back upright.  The boy has the same name as B2!!  The boy is also middle child.  So I thought it is quite a coincidence.  The mummy is Grace or Mrs. Yap.  She is so young and expects me to call her Mrs. Yap?  Her husband has a bicycle shop selling lifestyle bikes.  Must be expensive and funky bicycles.

Borders Returns

I am glad to get the news that Borders is returning to Singapore franchise by Popular.  I loved Borders and Barnes and Noble.  I hope price is competitive.  Kinokuniya price in Singapore is so high compared to Bangkok.  Borders is a great bookshop.  However I am not sure if Popular can run it after Harris and Prologue closed shop.  It is the atmosphere and the comprehensive selection.  Borders before closing started to sell not book related merchandise.  It was terrible.  I stopped going as it is no longer a bookshop.

Kino is fun to browse and spend time in.  The price is high but it is the shopping experinece and I still support on 20% discount sale.  Books is the medium to hold our knowledge and wisdom.  It is the greatest invention!

Great to be Home!

Bangkok is a fabulous place with incredibly good food.  Somehow I keep having diahorrea after meals.  Obvious my stomach is not handling the spices used well.  I had good time and bad time with the food.  It is very vibrant with everything under the sun available and contrast between the rich and the poor.  Still the middle class is quite big.  So the prosperity has percolated down.

I am glad to come back home.  It is nice to sleep on my hard bed.  Soft hotel beds cause backache.  Someone recognised me when I first arrived.  I am very impressed as I could not recognised him until he told me his name.  Anyway, he is a big cheese running his own company.  I tried to have a meal with him but he is not available.  So let's see if serendipity hits again.

Sleepless in Bangkok

It is the Thai Iced Tea - milky, sweet, orange in colour and nice flavor.  I drank it during dinner and now I am wide awake.  I loved the Thai Iced Tea for it rich flavor.  Today I had two - once during lunch and another during dinner.  Now I am paying for my sin!

I had a good time walking the street.  It is so full of life and clogged with tourists from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.  A Taiwanese group of 3 sat beside my table and watch what I ordered and then ordered the same papaya salad with salted eggs.  When my fried minced prawn in popiah skin came, I offered for them to try.  I am glad to share as I have the same habit of watching what other tables have and orders what I think looks good.

Bangkok is a nice city to visit.  Great food and polite people.  Only complain is visit is always short.  In Siam Paragon, many shops sell expensive toys like BMW, B&W sound systems and other high end audio equipment.  Obviously, many Thai have expensive tastes.  The economy must be doing well.

Acer W3

The battery charging for this tablet is extremely slow.  I did not measure the time, even when I used it plugged in, it cannot be charge up.  I think it will take more than 8 hours to get it fully charged.  I hope later model will have shorter battery charge up time.  So far, I am still happy with the performance of the tablet.  I am waiting for the compatible keyboard and a stand.  It is a neat gadget.

8" is the Right Size

The tablet size is just correct.  I use the tablet today to watch tv drama from Hong Kong.  It is a good size to hold.  The convenience and weight is just right.  7" is a little too small and 10" is too big and unwieldy to hold.

I am happy with the Acer Iconia W3.  The battery last for a few hours.  The only complain I have is one area of the tablet is warm due to the heat from the chips.  Other than that, it is perfect.  The windows Operating Systems make it easy to read Excel and Powerpoint.  The memory at 32G may seems small but it is expandable to 64G.  The speaker system is ok, but I used headset and the sound is awesome.

8" Acer Iconia W3

The Acer Iconia W3 is a nifty 8" tablet.  I like 8" as it is like a paper back book.  The operating software is Windows 8, so office software can be used.  This will make tablet suitable for use with Microsoft documents like word, Excel or powerpoint. The screen is not as bright as iPad or Samsung.  With ambient light outside, it is quite difficult to read.  It is fine inside and at night.  So I think it is important to get the "retina" or "superamole" screen.  Anyway, it is a nice gadget and I will see how useless it is as I get to know it better.

King Soup!

King Soup is from Taiwan and is sold frozen to high end resturants.  We had tried the soup during Chinese New Year.  My mother, my brother-in-laws and other relatives were impressed by the soup.  It was flavourful and everyone talks about it.

We had the soup tonight with chicken thighs and abalone.  My boys enjoys the soup especially B3.  He loves eating rice with soup.  It is simple and easy to eat.  I loved the soup too.  My wife is Cantonese, so when it comes to soups, she is very particular.  She has attained the art form when it come to making soup.  So King Soup with a can of small abalones and boiled chicken makes a complete meal for us.

Dessert was sliced cakes as we were trying different flavors from Pine Garden, our neighbourhood cake shop.  We have a good family togetherness.

Commodities

It has been a long time since I look at my commodities investment.  I had a shock!!!  I suffered a loss of 37%.  It is so difficult to earn and save money to invest and I lost money on commodity funds.  I am a fan of investment guru Jim Rogers.  Unfortunately, commodities need to be watched carefully and I do not monitor my portfolio and actively get out when commodities prices crash.  I should stick to Warren Buffett and be a value investor.  I bought a few of the cheap Class B shares and the value has gone up.  The Class A share is super duper expensive, more than $100K US dollars! 

It is better I keep my money to eat and spend for my retirement rather than trying to invest.  Anyway, I also remember I did make some money to buy my car.  So overall, it is not too bad.   I will just sit tight.  Not doing anything is some time good.

What is Life about?

Today, I feel like I am a lost soul.  I watched the TV drama Ghetto Justice and feels my life is quite empty.  I do not go to the poor section to help out.  I am not a lawyer who can do pro bono work.  I just feel lousy not doing good work for the society.  TV show can have such effect on me!  It is terrible to feel that I have not contributed to the well being of the poor trodden souls of our society. 

Watching HK soap opera is for entertainment.  I am not a big fan of serials as they take up much time.  Once in a while a serial will pique my interest.  I like the Korean Iron Daughters-in-law.  Ghetto Justice is about this wonder lawyer who is so formidable and yet he is humble and only help the poor.  It is good to have strong ideals and deep inside I am idealistic.  I wish I do more good deeds.  The story inspires me but working for day-to-day living still dominates.  I doubt I will ever lead a monk's lifestyle.

Selling and Sales Work

My middle niece quit her backend bank job to join an insurance broker to sell insurance.  I am a little worried for her as selling insurance in my opinion is a very tough job.  The attrition rate is very high.  A few are very successful but most do not earn enough to make a decent living.  Her boyfriend is going to work for a bank selling insurance as well.  So both have jump in but my niece is in the deep end.  The boyfriend is in a big 3 local bank, so is quite secured.

Selling is extreme challenge especially doing cold calls.  The rejection rate is extremely high.  The movie The Pursuit of Happyness protray the selling profession well.  It is a numbers game.  The more calls you made, the higher the chance of getting a yes.  Finally, protagonist won the job and then start his own brokerage firm, become a millionaire several times over and met Nelson Mandela.  It is sheer grit and stamina couple with the strong desire to get rich. 

As an uncle, I can only watch from a distance.  After dinner with the 3 nieces, my wife had a comment "their mother brought them up well".  I am in total agreement.  My nieces are responsible and mature.  They value education and thrift.  They are well adjusted and we enjoyed their company.  I am happy to meet them regularly for meals.  It is good bonding time for all of us.

Pow Sing Chicken Rice

B3, the youngest boy like chicken rice.  Apparently, his best friend eats chicken rice everyday.  So he also like to eat chicken rice everyday.  For dinner, we brought our own plate for the chicken and a pot for the chicken rice.  The food is good but too much msg.  I am so thirsty that I drink more than 4 cups of 100 Plus adding more sodium and fluids into my body.  The biggest issue with eating out is unhealthy level of sodium and other bad stuff like transfat.  Food is tasty but makes me thirsty with all the seasoning.  I will be glad to start cooking again.  We are holding our breath for our domestic help.  We hope to get one that can make us more productive.

Meanwhile, we have to limit our chicken rice intake....

Two Chefs

My brother celebrates his belated birthday today.  He invited my family to come along and we did.  He is quite happy with his girls taking lots of pictures.  Luckily, he booked the table earlier.  The place was packed at 6pm and there is a long queue.  He even has soya sauce chicken from Chinatown and Suckling Pig from Paya Lebar.  The suckling pig is quite tough as it is no longer fresh.  The chicken is still very good. 

The food from Two Chefs is quite good.  I find them a little salty.  I did not eat their signature milk powder pork ribs even though pork ribs is my favorite as I do not like the milk powder.  The beansprout with salted fish and sambal kangkong are quite good.  The deep fried yam sticks with honey and spice is also very good.  B3 like the sauce in the claypot sea cucumber.  The fish is quite fresh.  The zichar stall is very warm and humid.  So after dinner, we went for hot desserts.  Our favorite stall in Commonwealth Cresent.  The auntie has been making and selling hot desserts for more than 40 years.

We have good conversation with the girls and this time no. 2's boyfriend came.  So it was good to talk shop with him.

Chili's

This morning on  the way to Chinatown, we saw Chili's on the ground floor of Central, Clarke Quay.  So after his tuition, B3 requested for Chili's for lunch.  He remembers the meal we had in Tanglin Mall.   The meal is good.  We had corn chips with salsa, wings over buffalo, fahijtas with beef and chicken and a Southern Burger.  There are plenty of groups university students in green T-shirts doing the Amazing Race.

All three boys are with us and it is great bonding time.  We made chicken wrap for dinner.  It is nice to have all the boys during meal time.  B1 went out to meet his ex-girlfriend.  It is really complicated.  They are supposed to cool off and not committed to each other anymore.  Yet, they are meeting regularly.  The ex met a new guy and find faults with my precious boy.  Hmm!  This is really causing angst to his brother and mummy.  I am having trouble trying to understand the situation.

Blue Ocean

I had listened to the audio version some time ago.  Today, I decide to read the print version.  It is very interesting and insightful perspective.  Hindsight is 20/20.  It is easy to for the Professor to explain why some companies are successful and how they become successful.  However, it is impossible to create a blue ocean.  Conceptually, it made a ton of sense.  Execution is another matter.  It is easier to set ambitious goal like GE and make all the employees sweat bullets.  Creating a new market?  that will be a different ball game.  What do you think?

Try to fix before buying replacement

The toilet seat cover was loose in the maid's toilet.  I always assumed the screw was broken and went shopping for a new cover.  While shopping, I found replacement screws were available.  So I bought the screws and was trying to replace the "broken" screw when I found it was just loose and needs to be tighten.  I wished I try to fix before I went to buy the replacement.  I was too hasty and made an assumption without checking.  Luckily, the screws cost only $2.  So it is a small mistake.  New covers cost $18 to $35.  NTUC has the cheapest at $6.90 but the cover is very thin and flimsy.

This is just a small example.  In life, it is very common to make assumption that could lead to costly mistakes. 

Teresa Teng

On the flight recently, the Kris World has a new category, Stage Performance.  Teresa Teng 15th anniversary concert in Taiwan and broadcast to mainland China live.  I like to the evergreen love songs and watch the performance several times.  Her singing is so good and a joy to listen.  I like classics.  I do not appreciate the Xin Yao or modern songs.  So my other favorite singers are Yu Tian and Fei Yu Qing. 

Considering I am a kentang (potato), I like Chinese orchestra, Erhu, Flute and the Chinese pop songs.  Many of my friends think I am a confused person.  Saddling on two cultures, poor in written Chinese but listening to traditional Chinese orchestra.  My neighbour was surprised one afternoon at the poolside to learn that I enjoyed listening to Hokkien songs by Yu Tian.  She is in the management committee which I chaired and feel my English is so good that I would be inferior in other languages.  What a surprise for her!

Back to Teresa, I bought a 8 CD sets in Popular and found the songs are not as good as the songs in the concert.  So I must look for the dvd.  Teresa Teng died at the age of 42 after asthma attack while on holiday in Chiangmai with her French boyfriend.  Her songs are with us forever.

Boneless Beef Short Ribs

We barbeque bonelss beef ribs, a new product from Foodie market.  Actually, the ribs with bones are no longer available.  The short ribs were over cooked and burnt.  Luckily, it is still juicy inside.  We ate only meat for dinner as I was the one to cook.  I also heat up frozen chicken wings.  After dinner, I cut out the hami melon for dessert.  It's been a long time since we ate at home.  We had good conversations. 

National Carrier

I flew back from Haneda, Tokyo on Saturday.  I have a pleasant trip back thanks to warm welcome of the cabin crew. It is nice to be pampered as a frequent flyer.  The flight time was at ungodly 6:30am.  The reason is limosine bus is not operating at 4am.  Luckily, the monorail starts at 4:58am and therefore reduce the cost of going to airport to 25% of taxi fare.

I wrote to SQ feedback to compliment the Flight Stewardess, a Japanese girl(pun intended).  I believe it is important for staff to get positive feedback when they did a good job.  I hope she gets her promotion after 10 years on the job.

Platypus with our Nieces

All three nieces came and we have a wonderful Italian dinner and plenty of appetizers.  I love the potatoes.  They are very tasty.  Crispy and crunchy outside and soft and juicy inside.  Best french fries so far.  My nieces are all doing well.  All three have boyfriends and two are working.  One is going into insurance next month.  The baby is in final year Nanyang Poly in Audio Engineering.  I am very happy to see them well adjusted.

We end dinner early about 8pm as B3 has homework to finish and school tomorrow morning.  It is a very good evening for us. 

Lousy Flight Time For SQ in Haneda

I have wake up at 4am to catch my flight home.  The timing is ridiculous.  No limosine bus is running at that time.  Taxi fare is about 8,000 yen to Haneda airport.  Luckily I found a cheaper alternative of monorail.  The cab fare is 1,200 yen plus 470 yen for monorail ride total savings is 6,000 yen.  I understand the poor timing is given by Haneda airport and Japanese Government as they are afraid of competition for JAL.

This information change my perspective and I am now sympathetic instead of sour mood.  I understand in the beginning of flights to Haneda, SQ is usually at 50% load.  Then the monorail schedules were adjusted and today the flight is full for both business and economy class.  I was lucky that the flight stewardess is warm and nice.  She spend time to explain to me and also make sure I am comfortable.

I could not sleep on the plane and the lack of sleep cause my stomach to be queasy.  Home is nice and cool compared to Tokyo.  I understand from my neighbour that the news reported some Japanese died due to the heat.  I also thought I had good control as I did not eat breakfast.  But my weight did not go down.  I have to work hard to reduce.  I am looking forward to have dinner with my nieces, so dieting will have to wait...

Resonance - French Cuisine

Rare time I eat genuine French food.   It is nice experience.  The portions are really tiny.  Food is esquisite.  Taste-wise quite good.  Flavors are complex and subtle.  Many courses as well.  Everything is served in huge plate with very little inside.  The sauces have designs, so it is like eating art.  Price is at 8,000 yen or 80/head excluding drinks.  So I think the meal is easily 40,000 yen for 4.  Tokyo is such an expensive place but has the most variety of authentic ethnic cuisines.

Younger Crowd in Tokyo

I noticed at the exhibition, there are lot of young men and women.  So the economy is humming.  Usually, I see mostly senior looking men and women on the trains.  I am probably travelling from point to point to meet my customers.  This time, I see the younger generation out to visit the trade show.  The economy in Japan is also getting better, the young becomes more visible? 

I used to think salesmen in Japan are only gray-haired men.  They are always carrying a briefcase and on the trains looking serious.   So all the news about aging Japan was quite real to me everytime I visit.  This time my impression is change slightly. 

A Productive Day

I asked my host who had stand all day long if he has backache like me.  He says he is tired but no backache.  I am having backache due to soft bed and standing all day long except for lunch.  I had met customers and go for my rounds in the exhibition.  Plenty of equipment for Pharmaceutical companies.  The robotics are quite amazing in Japan.  Robots to do dangerous experiments.  Never mind the price.  The robot cost $8 million American dollars!

Dinner was yakitori beside my hotel.  I like the barbarque food on the sticks.  My host after a couple of beers told me it is difficult that he is always known as the founder's son.  He has big shadow to grow into.  At least it is not as bad as another distributor who is the founder's son-in-law, I told him.  It is at casual setting that this kind of talk happen.  Hence the need for business travel is not going to go away.  I also relate our father to son business story.  Everyone has their own stress when working for others or for themselve or for their family.

At the end of day, we are all learning to live with others and each other.  After a long and tiring day, I feel it is productive and will help the business.

Wonderful Dinner

Good company and Good food make a fabulous combination for wonderful dinner.  We had otomoyaki and teppanyaki.  The vegetable salad is fresh and dressing is tangy and gently flavored.  Starter is fresh abalone.  Beef is tender.  So I must say it is a wonderful meal.  The meal cost 35,000 yen for 4.  It was excellent.  I bought madeleine and peanut candy and have them for desserts when I am in the room.

I have no desire to walk as it is tiring just to stand all day.  My back is sore especially since the bed is soft.  Soft bed makes bad back.

Warm and Very Green

I do not come to Tokyo in summer usually.  So it is very nice to see thick greenery on the side of the road and the fields are all green.  The crops have all grown.  It is nice to have 4 seasons.  The change in weather is nice, very nice.  This is what I missed living in Singapore.  It is a long trip up and I am feeling a little tired. 

I had tonkatsu dinner.  It is simple and filling. 

Despicable Me 2

We had two free movie pass from Kit Kat promotion.  Finally, we manage to use it as they can be used only on Mondays to Wednesday.  Today is Youth day and B3 has no school.  B1's school has not started.  So he organised to buy the tickets and we watch the movie as a family.  This is our first movie as a family.  I am not a big fan of movies as it is torturous for me to sit for so long and unable to stretch my legs.  I just realised as I write, I actually will be cooped up for 7 hours.  The aircraft seats are different as they can be reposition to be more comfortable.  I was freezing in the movie as we bought popcorns and coke.  The coke is cold and sipping cold drink under aircon makes a freezing combination.

The kids in the audience loved the movie.  They laugh at the jokes and antics.  The adults like me are not so tickled.  It is a good family outing for us.  B2 ate in school meeting us.  B1 and I ate at the food court on the fourth floor of Junction 8.  The price is steep for food court, $6.50 for a chunk of beef, sayur lodeh and yellow rice.

Tomorrow is a regular day and early start. 

Good Catch in Lower Pierce Reservoir

B3 wanted to catch "lobster" at Pierce Reservoir.  So I go bring him there.  We were not so successful.  B1 called and said he was there but is now at home.  He is interested to join us.  So we asked him to bring coke along as it was hot and we are thirsty.  B1 caught 4 lobsters and B3 caught 1.  So we did have a good catch.  When we reach home, B3 put all the lobsters in the pail which he kept for the dragonfly nymph.  Hopefully, they survive.  We met a group of Hong Kong families there.  Their kids speak English well.  They must be studying in the International school.

Dinner was at Pow Sing.  I was horrified to see my weight crossed 91 at 91.5.  It is hard to keep weight down as we eat out more often.  The MSG cause me to eat and drink more.  The sodium content is also high.  It is unhealthy living.  I have to discipline and encourage myself to live more healthily.

Next Sunday I have Italian dinner with my nieces.  I will need to control myself as the french fries are delicious.  I loved good food.  I wish I have healthy hobbies like camping or running.  Here I am doing computer work after dinner.  Not much physical activities at all.

I am travelling next week.  Hopefully my weight will go down.  It may be difficult as I have a few meals appointments.

Platypus Resturant

We pick up B3 from his Chinese tuition as usual and wondering where to go for lunch.  Then he suggested to go Platypus an Italian Resturant as it was not open when we want to try it one morning during the school holiday.  We were too early at that time.

There were meal deals meaning if you order the main course, you can get soup or salad and a drink. 
The main courses are pasta.  There is no pizza.  The appetizers are quite excellent  We had french fries and baked mashed potatoes with truffles.  The fries were crispy outside and soft inside.  The flavor was complex and appealing.  After our meals, we try out their dessert and were disappointed.  The desserts were not so good. Even with the deals, the cost per head is $35. 

No Jetlag?

B1 is just amazing.  He does not seem to have jetlag.  Today is day 3 that he returned home from Toronto which is 12 hours difference in time.  He is out all day with his friends and not back yet.  He is probably tired.  The army training is working it is just like a night of guard duty and continuing daily activities after that.  I am glad he is going out with his friends and socializing.  It is important he develop a bigger social circle than just sticking with his girlfriend.

Interesting Nightmare

I am up in the middle of the night with the nightmare of trying to get access to the ledge of the balcony of apartment which two kids managed to squeeze out and were sitting on the ledge looking out.  It was dangerous and I have to get them to safety.  So there I am trying hard using 4 different keys to unlock the window grills and then I wake up and go to the washroom.  What a nightmae.  I could not go back to sleep in case the nightmare come back...

B1 Back Home

After two months living with grandma in Toronto, B1 is home.  Soon he will start Law school.  He seems to take jetlag really well.  He went out all day and is home for dinner.  We are busy with work and maintaining the house.  He is all sunburned as he went to Alqonquine park for camping.  B3 is very happy with all the candy his eldest brother brought back.  He gave some to his friends.  B2 has a new backpack and jacket and wear it to school right away.

We are now a complete family again.

Dinner with my Nieces

It has been quite some time we have a family gathering.  It is hard to get the whole family together.  So I have appointment with my nieces.  I am looking forward to have dinner with them in two weeks.  I am glad to just meet them and have a meal with them.  They are young adults now and getting on with their life and career.  My nieces took after their mum so are good looking.  Good looks however is not enough for success in work or career.  They are doing very well inspite of their circumstances.  The two older girls studied all the way to University.  The baby is in Ngee Ann Poly just like B2.  The eldest is in govt service and no. 2 work for a bank.  I am happy they are strong contributor to society and hope they get a good life partner.

Worry King

I am a incessant worrier.  I worry over everything.  Maybe it is genetic.  B1 is back home and start telling us his experience living with grandma.  Grandma, he felt worries over everything and nothing.  She worries about him returning home late.  She worries over he did not eat rice during meals.  She worries over trivials.  When B1 tells me this, I realise I may have her genes and cannot help but worry.

When I worry, I have sleepless nights or sleep poorly.  I worry over work, business and the future.   I worry about human race killing our Mother Earth.  While I am doing my bit to reduce my footprint, there is nothing I can do about doomsday if doomsday really exists.  So far many so-called doomsdays have come and gone. 

I do not worry so much about my boys but I worry about their future.  The world of work has changed and is still changing.  There are many things for me to worry about.  The bright side of things is I do not worry about being worried:)

Difference Between Reading Fiction and Non-Fiction

First, it was audio booksand then the physical books.  I have not read fiction for many years.  Recently, I caught the thriller bug.  David Baldacci writes thrillers.  It is hard to put down the books when the story becomes addictive.  It is nice to have a fiction on hand to read when queuing for purchases like hawker centers or at the supermarket.  Usually, I have trouble finishing non fiction books especially heavy duty subjects like Leadership, Psychology or English. 

Fiction is very exciting and it is important to know the ending.  Whereas non-fiction usually do not have a thrilling finish.  Just a summary of what the book is about.  I like "digest" version or summary of business books.  The idea is expounded in a few pages rather than a few hundred pages.

Reading fiction is pleasurable.  There is no thinking required, just let the story flow with every turn of the page.  I have to absorb the ideas and reflect on what I learn reading non-fiction.  It is enjoyable because I also loved to teach.  So knowledge acquisition for its own sake is actually fun to me.

Now that I compared the two types of reading, I like both for different reasons.

Worms disappeared now that Weather is normal

No more earthworms show up on the PCN once the haze cleared.  It is quite interesting phenomenon.  No dead or live earthworms on the track.  So I have no idea why they come up to "commit suicide" as many died on the tracks unless they were collected by me before drying out or run over by cyclists.  I checked on the internet.  Earthworms do come up during rain.  Nothing on why earthworms come up during haze.  This must be a phenomenon not observed before.

Like Eating in China

More and more Mainland Chinese are setting up food stalls here.  They are in People's Park and Geyland.  Tonight, we decided to eat in Bishan as we need to pick up B3 from tuition there.  There is a new hole in the wall Szechuan style eatery.  I ordered the sliced fish in spicy soup.  The spices are similar and still very spicy even though we request for less spice.  The problem is the fish are not freshly sliced and have been coated with a layer of flour.  The grilled pot chicken is not bad and we have eggplant that is braised sweet sour in flavor.  The cold cucumber salad is good and like how it is in China.  Overall the food is not bad but we are not likely to go back as the rest of my family are not a big fan.  They prefer Cantonese style.

I have not gone to China for some time now.  I must plan a trip to start up the business there.  China is the potentially the biggest market.

All over the TV!

Many a time I questioned myself and wonder if I am bringing up my boys right.  Right now, B3 just simply refused to give up the TV program he is watching to mummy.  He is very stubborn even though he watched lots of TV program all day long.  His reasoning?  The Disney channel preview will be ending in two days.  Channel 8 has xinmsn to catch up.  Mio TV is causing my family more trouble with "free preview".  I am not big on TV programs except for news and financial reports.


What goes up must come down.  The gold price has dropped to US$1,200 per ounce.  The price was $1700 not too long ago and peak price was $1900.  Serious drop and I remember reading some analyst predicting price going to more than $2,100 when the price was at $1,700 saying that price based on value of dollar has not reach historical high.  I do not like gold as it is not a income generator like stocks.  I am hoping to buy more stocks when the stock price drop.  Right now, it is going up and down.  So it is not a good time to buy.

Nature Outing with B3

Late afternoon, B3 decided to go to PCN to catch fishes.  We went to our usual spot and he caught some frog tadpoles and water nymph which he suspect is a dragonfly's nymph.  We also caught some small fishes with our net.  The fishes are extremely fast and jumpy.  Seems they are very tough as one jump out of the water and is still alive when B3 found it and put it back to the water.  We continue to several spots along the reservoir but unable to catch any more water-borne creatures.

We also caught what B3 called a "mayfly".  He says it is like a miniature dragonfly.  He release it after taking some pictures.  We put the fishes into our pond.  Somehow our arowana does not seem to like the fishes from PCN.  Maybe they are too fast or do not taste good.

B1 Returning Soon

B1 will be returning home next week.  He is in his last week with Grandma. He travelled extensively around Toronto and even go to Algonquine for a 3 days camp.  He probably went to more places in 2 months he is there than the 7 years he grew up there.   I am glad he spent sufficient time with his grandma and help pack and clean up the house.  The oldies friends of grandma is quite happy with him as he greet them and eat dim sum with them.

I am glad he will be home soon although I also like him to study oversea to gain independence.

Hail

Incredible that hail happens in sunny Singapore.  With all the cameras, now there are pictures to proof.  Yahoo! has some interesting pictures.  Click here:  http://sg.news.yahoo.com/photos/hail-in-western-singapore-slideshow/hail-in-western-singapore-photo-2052875377.html.

I have seen hail in Germany.  I think I have post the video in this blog.  The last time hail was reported in 2009 at the CTE.  It must be very thrilling for those who experience hail live!

Wise Men

A library is like having a group of wise men.  I can consult any one of them any time.  Many CEOs have extensive library in their home.  I love to invite wise men to my home especially when there is a discount!  Many of wise men living with me are Professors in business schools.  I am a fan of Peter Drucker and Henry Mintzberg. 

Wise does not make money.  So working hard is still a basic requirement.  Selling is now the job of most people according to Daniel Pink in To Sell is Human.  So I am learning new tips on how to improve my selling skills.

How to Reduce Worry

I am a constant worrier.  I worry about everything.  From global issues like the world coming to an end, global warming and man damaging our Mother Earth to mundane things like getting infected by infectious diseases from toilets (full of E coli) to what is the future for my boys and especially work.  What can I do to reduce worry?

1.  Read books on Happiness and Positive Psychology.  Learn different ways to be happy like 3 gratitudes daily.

2.  Write a to do list.  Once the list is written, it put mind to rest that you will not forget.

3.  Plan for Uncertain Future.  We know the certain part of future i.e. tomorrow we still need to eat and live.  So have a cushion sum of money for a few months of expenses.  This way, we know that we at least will not have to worry about money to tackle any unexpected and unpleasant things that happens.

4.  Prepare Early.  There are many demanding tasks and deadlines.  So take the time to prepare important and the key word is important tasks early.  When sufficient time is spent mulling over the tasks, usually they will be done to a satisfactory conclusion.

5.  Laugh.  Watch comedies like Just for Laugh Gags, read funny comics and jokes, have fun with family.  Laughter will generate endorphins and give a sense of well-being.  Worry will stop temporarily for constant worriers.

6.  Gratitude.  Be grateful all the time.  Grateful for being alive, grateful for the food we are eating, grateful for friends and family.  Count our blessings shift our mindset to positive aspects of our life.

These are pointers I used to reduce my worries.  I hope they work for you as well.

A Good Evening

The haze clear up this evening.  Although not as crowded when the sky is clear, there are still a number of people jogging and cycling.    Three hour  PSI is 75, healthy level.  It is nice to clear sky.  But this is just a brief respite according NEA, Singapore's National Environment Agency.  Anyway, it was good while it last. 

I am happy to report I have put all my books back to the shelves.  A book lover, I spend lot of time in bookshops, libraries and organising and reading my books.  It is getting more difficult to read books as the internet gives information in digested form.  

On the news, the government is distributing facemasks to the poor.  I saw 3M and Kimberly Clark facemask being unloaded from the army trucks.  So 3M and Kimberly Clark will be getting a huge boost in sales since the government is distributing $1 million worth of masks.  Not bad since the government will need to replenish the stocks.  It is a nice upside for the sales person.

The wife is cleaning up the home and does a fabulous job.  She is always so neat and clean.  I have higher tolerance for mess and dirt. 

Bookshelf Fixed!

My bookshelf has been fixed for a couple of days.  The heat and haze is making lazy to organize and shelf up my collection.  I need to organize them by author and/or by subject. I am a consummate reader.  So my collection is fairly big.  I am continuing to buy books whenever Kino has 20% discount.  However, there are still many books that I possessed that I have not read yet.  So I need to giddy up on my reading.  Many are also books I keep for reference.  So I should not be too hard on myself for not reading all my books.

My neighbour was sitting beside me and noticed my strong reactions while I was reading.  She was a little surprised and then starts telling me she has never read a single book in so far.   She is simply someone who does not like reading.

I will spend the weekend just me and my books and get them back to their rightful place.

The Haze is Really Bad

Visibility is low.  The HDB blocks of flats nearby are enveloped by the haze.  Smells of burning.  Indonesia seems to shrug off their responsibility.  It is tough to have neighbours like this. They first blame on companies and investors from Singapore.  Then when Singapore asked for the names to take action, they say it is domestic affairs.  Seems like there is nothing Singapore can do but accept that they have no choice and cannot do anything other than complain and offer to help.

Hazy Day

It is so hot and hazy.  If not for the water I drank, I would have shrivelled like a grape turning into a raisin.  It is also hard to breathe.  B2 keep coughing as it is aggravating his sore throat.  I also find it interesting that the earthworms are crawling out in the heat.  They are very active and wriggle about when I touch them.  I wonder why.  The earthworms that come out after rain are in the different part of PCN from those who come out in the heat.  It is kind of interesting.  Earthworms did not come out on the PCN during the hot day before.  So there is a change in behaviour and I wonder if it is caused by the haze.

The water in my fish pond has turned milky white as the ash settles onto the water.  I wonder how our lungs will look like inside.

Pleasure Reading

I am glad I am reducing my carbon footprint when I borrow from the library to read.  I enjoys the spy stories so much.  I realised one thing.  It is always a love story behind all the cloak and dagger stuff.  Also like fairy, the evil doer has supreme advantage and at the end, good prevails.  I love good ending.  This is why it is fun.  Bad ending mean I will abandon the author.

I also have my bookshelf fixed.  The carpenter came in and dismantle the perforated metal strips and put them back aligned although it is not perfect.  This time, he put in the screws to add strength and will not slip again.  He also put in a number of screws to spread the load.  I am confident my shelf should not slide again.  However I wonder if the bookcase can take the weight.  I have lots and lots of books.

Relaxed in a Hot Afternoon

Temperature is soaring.  So it is poolside reading David Baldacci.  Yes, reading using my eyes instead of ear and holding a well thumbed book from the library.  It has been a long time and I am rediscovering the joy of fiction.  No need to buy to keep and refer to from time to time.  Read and move on to the next story. 

My bookshelves are so weigh down by my books that the metal strips with holes for adjusting the height of the shelf slide down.  So I have to get my bookshelf repaired.  The reason the strip slide is because I ran out of space for my books that I have to put them in double layers i.e. two rows of books on one shelf.  I need to get more bookshelves to house my books or donate some away.  It is hard to give away my precious books.

Reading Voraciously

The Wife went to Metro Sales.  So I was at the poolside the whole afternoon reading Deliver Us from EVIL.  Almost finish the book.  I skim through some parts as the descriptions are quite guesome and graphic.  It is still an interesting read.  This time the protagonist, Shaw has two beautiful women who many men lust but hope Shaw is interested in them.  It is nice to be a hero in any fiction.  Somehow beautiful and goregous beautiful women are attracted to you.

My peace and enjoyment was disturbed by my neighbour's grandchildren who came out to swim.  So I took a break from reading.  I was so engrossed that they keep calling me and I looked so distracted. 

We had a wonderful dinner in Fish and Company in AMK hub.  The seafood pasta is good there.

Split Second

I am officially a David Baldacci Fan!  I borrowed this book from library on Saturday and finished reading it by today.  During my younger days, I probably finish by Sunday.  I thought it is pretty good time considering I have other responsibilities.

It is interesting reading full of suspense.  There are twists and turns.  Overall, I thought the plot is weak as it is about lost love.  Why would one kill so many people over lost love.  The plot is incredulous.  Suspending my rational self, I enjoys the read.  Maybe it is because the protagonist is a middle age male with two hot, atheletic females who have love interest in him and one even propose.  I am sucker for male hero.  Guess I need the ego trip.

No Mood for News on Channel 5

Recently, I am not so interested in the news.  I was religious before.  9:30pm sharp!  I will watch the news.  Nowadays, I do not feel like watching the news.  The Straits Times has the same effects on me.  I feel "sian" to be fed with only what I should know.  I get my currently affairs news from the net.  At least it is not controlled and what I can know.  I like to get my information freely and not let the big brother control my information diet. 

BBC has a program a couple days ago about newspapers and the dying print media.  The Guardian newspaper in Britain is changing to engage the world instead of just Britain.  In India, the newspaper will continue to grow.  Elsewhere, print media has to change or die of a horrible death.  Mass media control was and still is our government forte.  Now, the internet is coming into the radar.  While there are unsubstantiated reports, I prefer not to have someone controlling what I know and move my opinion and perception to what they think is right.

Brand Goodwill Lost

A journalist wrote DBS is now the most valuable brand.  SIA has lost it brand goodwill.  He put out his bad personal experience with SQ.  In the forum another letter writer in on his bad experience as well.  Straits Times trys to be balance and publish another that defended SQ.  Competition in the airline industry is tough with the low cost flyers.  SIA has also lost it way.  The website is hard to use.  Customer service is not like it was before.  The cabin crews no longer as cheerful or happy.  The gut wrenching cuts all the time to trim costs and reduce service "not valued".  Unfortunately, the schedules of the competition are better.  The booking is easier and simpler.  All these improvements come with a better price. 

SIA is still good with inflight service.  The Raffles lounges are back.  I like Raffles lounge than the current Singapore Airline Lounge.  Sound so generic and plain.  No differentiation with other airlines.  I also think it is important to get a leader who is attuned to the customer.  Current CEO is an excellent operations guy.  He cuts costs well.  Too well!

Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas

This is a low cost book just under $14.  It is easy reading and very thin and small.  However it is very informative and explains the popular expressions.  Expressions like Clear the deck, A skeleton in the Closet, Spill the Beans, Stiff Upper Lips, etc.  Many a time I kind of grasp the meaning through the context of dialogue.  However, it is very interesting and good to know for sure the meanings of these expressions.  They are like proverbs and 4 words phrases in Chinese. 

The author is Judy Parkinson.  I recommend this book. It is cheap and easy to read.

Vegetarian Dinner - Not Bad!

I am a meat lover.  So vegetarian is not really my thing.  I have vegetarian meal occasionally with my in-laws.  Once we ate at Kebun Bahru for my father-in-law's birthday.  I like the food from this stall.  It is actually at the hawker centre and cook zhi char style dishes.  Tonight we had our dinner there and I like it!  It is also quite popular.  I love the sweet sour deep fried mushroom and the stewed beancurd skins with beancurd.  The omelette is so-so and sweet sour "pork" is average as I do not like the vegetarian ham.  I enjoyed the dinner.  So I shall be going back there again.  This is my favorite vegetarian stall.

How to Raise Earthworms

Nowadays, it is so easy.  Just google and a ton of information comes out.  I have been collecting worms after rain at the PCN.  However, I do not know how to raise them.  So I decide to google and now know I should have shredded papers and banana peel.  I have been giving cucumber peels and need to try out cornmeal.  Corn meal makes the worms big and fat.  It is biology experiment and it is fun.

Jared Diamond

It seems like Jared Diamond has written a number of books.  They are under Natural History in Kino.  He even has one on Sex.  However, it is quite a different take and academic angle.  I am thinking I should look for the audiobook to borrow.  Several of his books are bestsellers including The Collapse of Society and Guns, Germs and Steel. 

There are so many interesting authors and books to read.  I realised I have many books on my shelves that I have not read yet.  There are so many interesting things to learn and so little time.

Wee Shu Min Affair

It is more than 5 years since the Wee Shu Min Affair happened.  I was idly doing a google search.  Shu Min was a JC2 student in Raffles.  She was also in the gifted education.  Academically, she is a shining star and is a pedigree offspring.  Her daddy was a scholar and MP.  Her infamous concluding statement is "Get out of my elite uncaring face". 

Shu Min wrote a response to Derek Wee's article on his fears for the over 40's in Singapore.  You can read his original articles at http://derekwee.blogspot.sg/ .  At the height of the furore, her father said "some people just cannot face the brutal truth"  A couple days later, he appeared on the newspaper to apologise for offending some people with his statement.

This whole episode came back to me after watching Jared Diamond's TED presentation here:

Diamond is a professor of anthropology and studied why societies collapse.  The causes are complex but Diamond brought out several key points.  One of the key points is the elites in the society ignore the issues as they are not affected or they have short term gains.

Singapore Gini's Coefficient is one of the highest in the world.  Gini's Coefficient measures the equality of incomes.  The higher the coefficient, the greater the inequality.  So the average income for Singaporean is one of the highest in the world.  The reality is there are a few super income bring the average of the low income up.    Many tourists from the developed world are always amazed by the number of elderly in Singapore working as cleaners in the food courts and hawker centers.  B1 is in Canada now.  He is observing live the seniors are in the malls drinking coffee and socialising among themselves.  We have the largest SWF in the world and many of our elderly are living in abject conditions scavenging or working low skill jobs to make ends meet.

What will become of Singapore as a society?

Parent-Teacher Meeting

Today, we have the PTM for B3.  We met with the Chinese teacher first and he suggest that B3 should get a school teacher to coach him in his oral.  So, mummy jumps right to action and send messages to other mums.  One recommended an agency and we engage him right away.  His rate is $50 an hour minimum one and half hours each time i.e. $75 per session.  We have to pay the agency fee of $180.  It will cost us a pretty penny by the time the oral exams is due which is 4 months.  What to do with such competitive school system. 

His maths teacher is happy with his performance and is willing to write a testimonial for his application to NUS High if B3 is interested.  But B3 is more interested in the School of Science and Technology which has 3D printers as part of the curriculum.  His English teacher says he is diligent and articulate in class and command of English is good as he can understand the lesson well.  He is active in class participation.  So he is in good stead.

Swordsmen Tales

I was at Junction 8 for lunch and go over to Bishan library to borrow audio books.  This time I borrowed The White Eyebrow Swordman.  I listened to FM 95.8 and the Wu Xia story that is broadcast is quite interesting.  The problem is it is quite erratic as I only listen to the radio when I driving.  So if I have the story on my iPhone, I can listen to the story and pause as and when needed.  This way I can get the complete story.  I also borrow the Red Mansion Dreams.  I am not sure if I will like it but it is good to have a change since there are no more new David Baldacci books left for me to borrow.

B1 is also going to the library in Scarborough.  He won a ticket to the musemum last week.  Now he plans to go there every Sat to try his luck.  There are music scores he can borrow and the place he is staying has a piano for him to try out the notes.