I have decided to use a blogspot.com domain instead of embedding this blog in this webspace. Click here for my entries from this poiont forward.

Taken at Cousin Amos' wedding dinner at Shangri-La. The place has old-school opulence, which is cool. But I must say that the food was a bit of a disappointment.

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

I'm visualising a nice birthday gift for our nation, which is to appear at the National Day Parade :
Helicopter flies across the parade ground, and suspended from it is a cage with Mas Selamat bound and gagged inside.

Music video for the 2008 NDP theme song is available for viewing and download HERE . Currently running on TV too.

First of all, the limping girl is really cute.
Luckily, Hady Mirza cannot sing in Chinese, so kudos for picking Joi Chua to sing (it's about time!). She is really cute too. I have had enough of Kit Chan.

And I spot several themes: active ageing, inter-racial friendship (sure to have), ability to see the big picture, inclusive society for the disabled??... any that i miss?

Excerpt from CNA regarding illegal sale of kidney to CK Tang chairman Tang Wee Sung:

Tang is out on a S$15,000 bail. If convicted of all three charges, he could be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed up to three years.

All right then. I am waiting with bated breath to see whether Tang will get to experience jail or simply escape with a $10K slap on his wrist which is a pin-prick to his bank account.

Judging from past incidents, the rich in $ingapore usually very hard to go jail one, as their money cushions them from the bars. E.g. wife of that tycoon slapped SIA stewardess on plane and escaped jail.

Here's the photo for the post that is 2 posts down below. The insect looks real hor?

ATTENTION! THIS IS A MESSAGE TO COMFORT DELGRO :

I am back! Back in the blogosphere, that is. It is the hols!
Went to T3 Open House yesterday. Took skytrain from T2 to T3.
Went to toilet at T3. And lo and behold, as I was taking aim at the urinal, an itsy-bitsy spider was right down there, a prime target for my spray of waste materials. There is always this sadistic streak in men to do that to hapless insects who happen to cross their urinary paths.

I did what I had to do... and the spider didn't budge; it was only a realistic picture on the ceramic. Then it finally dawned on me that they placed the spider at a strategic spot to get men to aim straight and true. What a brilliant and simple idea!

Q: Who are more powerful, men or women?

A: Women. Because they have the ultimate ability to create and nurture. The world itself is perceived to be feminine because of its ability to sustain us.

What humble and enlightened words! And coming from a man no less. This man is none other than CEO of Officine Panerai, Angelo Bonati (he's Italian). This was taken from an interview he did with the latest Revolutions magazine. I guess all mothers must be revered in Italy!

Here's a photo I snapped of him when he came to our shores to meet with Panerai fans at Raffles Marina (in 2004) :


On another note, I have been catching a few episodes of the 9pm serial on Channel 8. It's based on the SAF. Last night, I finally knew that the Ix Shen character is bad one!!
And here are 2 just-taken photos of Christian after he has just woken up, in my favourite sleepwear.

Studying his numbers chart

Smile, you're on Daddy camera!

Watched Transformers last night at Century Square. Was sitting at the second row from front, but all the better for it, cos one needs to see this movie on a big big screen. What an awesome movie. Much much better than what I would have thought. I left before the closing credits though, so didn't get to see Starscream flying off. Never mind, I will be getting the DVD for sure. Optimus Prime-- what a voice!

Saw on someone's Shin Min Daily that Christopher Lee has been released after spending 6 weeks in prison. The headline says that he looks thinner.

TT Durai is sentenced to 3 months jail, and he is appealing. Hope his sentence gets doubled instead. Where is CJ Yong Pung How when you need him?

Finally tried the new Food Republic at Suntec City last Saturday. It offers the same quality hawkers, and amazingly, there are no old aunties clearing and wiping the tables. Instead, there are young nubile PRC women who do the job. What more can you ask for in a foodcourt?

Was woken up by a dream this morning. When I looked at the clock, it was only 5am.

It would be about 2 hours before Christian wakes up and demands my attention, so what better way to pass the time than to go out for morning bike ride!

I love the morning air, and the promise that a new day (sans work and school) brings.
Cycled to the Bedok Central hawker centre beside the post office. Had vegetarian beehoon. Had a cup of coffee from the coffee-stall who always has a permanent long queue of customers, and finishes selling by 10.30am. I always get a kick out of going there early and getting my cuppa without having to wait. Had a youtiao and a butterfly.

Reached home at 7+am. Suzanne Jung is on CNA this morning. Christian wakes up in his usual abrupt fashion and walks briskly into my arms to greet me. I love smelling his head. Maybe I'll bring him to Vivocity in the afternoon to see whether the rooftop works (and water features) have been completed. Today will be a good day.

Here are two not-so-recent photos of Christian:

I am back from Gunung Ledang (more commonly known as Mt Ophir). Here's what I can remember from the 4 days we were there.

Day 1:

Met at school to depart for Taman Hutan Lagenda, the forest resort at the foot of Gunung Ledang. Budiman was very late, but still managed to arrive in time before the buses left.

Rest-stop was at Yong Peng. I had been warned by my father of the sub-standard food at the food-court, so I did not eat anything there. However, I bought a big bag of tapioca chips, and 2 boxes of sweets (one was 'Pikin' sour plum candy, which proved a hit with the pupils when I passed them around).

The bus had to make its way through a huge oil palm plantation before reaching the resort. The plantation looked exactly like the one on Pulau Tekong. Budiman later remarked how Singapore modelled the terrain on Pulau Tekong to be like Malaysia's, so that soldiers could train under realistic conditions.

At the resort, I overheard Kimberly of 3Com saying that she would rather do a 2.4km run than stay at this place. Many of the pupils did not seem too enthusiastic too. It's not surprising, considering the heat, humidity, and the flourishing insect populations there. Toilets seemed to be a good place to view interesting insects of large size. My boys pointed out a stick insect to me in the male toilet.

The authorities did not allow the summit of Gunung Ledang to be climbed, due to the unfortunate deaths of 2 Singaporeans on the mountain. No campfires too, as the superstitious Malaysians believe that will also anger the legendary Princess on the mountain.

Teachers' accommodation consisted of wooden chalets with 2 bedrooms (one of which was air-conditioned), living room, kitchen and bathroom. Not bad at all. However, the inside of the pupils' huts resembled those at Sarimbun Camp-- it consisted of a raised platform on which were several thin mattresses, to be shared by 6 kids. It looked like a prison cell to me. Luckily they had their sleeping bags.

Day 2:

My class left the resort in a bus which took them to a village to do CIP work in the morning. Then it was water activity for them at a river in the afternoon, which consisted of bamboo rafting, kayaking
and river-crossing.

Day 3:

My class had jungle-survival class in the morning during which they learnt how to fashion utensils from bamboo, and cook rice, fish and banana in bamboo containers over a fire. As a bonus, they got to barbeque a whole chicken too. The chicken was yummy. Then it was a short trek in the afternoon to a huge tree with roots that are higher than your head. Evening was the camp finale as the groups presented their performance items, sans campfire.

Day 4:

Departed after lunch for Singapore. After 4 days of 'roughing' it out, my class expressed their joy at returning to Singapore by singing patriotic songs on the bus after they had cleared the Second Link.








(Photos were kindly taken by Miss Chuang)


Random nuggets:

- It was a relaxing time for me, despite having to deal with various evil biting midges and mosquitoes. One time, I discovered that tiny ants had decided to populate the double bed that Song Chin and I used.

- The pace of life felt so slow. Taking dips at the waterfalls were the best part of the camp. I finished 'Taming The Tiger' by Tony Anthony (a riveting book) within 2 days, which left me with no other reading material. I should have brought along a Readers' Digest as well.

- CCPE Jimmy spotted my Seamaster Pro on my wrist, and told me he has a vintage Seamaster 300 which he bought for a good price in Vietnam. What a lucky find. I was envious.

- At the vicinity of the kids' bunks, I came upon park workers who were using a chainsaw to cut down some tall trees with thin trunks. Amazingly, they were without safety helmets. One huge branch fell from the top, but the worker managed to evade in time. I would definitely not like to see a third death on the mountain from a falling tree.

- Bought a toy handphone for Christian from Machap on the way back to Singapore, since he loves toying with my Nokia. It cost only 2.90 ringgit, with batteries included too. When the electronic noises get to our nerves, I could always remove those batteries.

- There was some chafing near my groin area as a result of the heat and walking. Luckily it did not last.

- On the way back to Singapore, our bus-driver turned on the DVD player to screen a kitschy karaoke DVD of a middle-aged Malaysian male singer in outdated clothes singing sappy Mandarin songs, with backup dancers behind him (I knew he was Malaysian as I spotted the Petronas Towers in one of the videos). And horrors of horrors, he started singing into the mike at some bits too. I envied his ability to turn a deaf ear to the protests and snide comments of my students. Thank goodness I had my Ipod Nano with me to ride out the aural torture.

Typing this now at a school workshop for learning how to use the school's e-learning system and software. Workshop will last till 4pm.

I leave for Mt Ophir tomorrow morning with the Sec 3 classes. Hope no big trees fall on anyone there.

Think I shall blog about how I spent last Tuesday:

At school in the morning, I was asked if I could bring the Sec 3 pupils to Tanjong Pagar Plaza for their hairstyling elective (exams were over) from 8.30am to 3.00pm. Since I had no other duty in school, I agreed. It will be a refreshing change of environment for that day. So off we went in 2 buses, with me on one bus and and a female teacher in the other.

When we arrived, I realised Tanjong Pagar Plaza is the low building opposite Amara Hotel and its shopping centre. I am quite familar with Amara shopping centre, as I have gone to Union Square (a small club) on the fourth level back during the days when Union Square was famous for its drum 'n bass nights. Now the place only seems to have Salsa nights, and is popular with the salsa crowd.

Tanjong Pagar Plaza has an old facade and consists of 2 levels of tired-looking shops arranged in long rows, with some residential units above. The hairstyling school the pupils have to go to is on the second level. When we entered, I saw that the place was cramped, and that my colleague and I couldn't possibly stay inside there till 3pm. After overseeing the class for some time, and ensuring that the effeminate trainers were capable of controlling the pupils, my colleague and I decided that we could step out for a while.

What else but breakfast! I headed straight for the hawker centre connected by a linkway to the building. And there, I discovered not one, not two, but three nasi lemak stalls. Who needs Changi Village when there is this place! All looked promising. I decided on one which had good reviews pasted at the stall, and it was good. For the record, I had pandan-flavoured rice, ikan bilis, egg, luncheon meat and a big fried drumstick. The sambal chilli did not disappoint.

Time seemed to pass slowly. After breakfast, I took a walk around the area, observing the morning office-worker crowd going to work. It felt strange being in the CBD instead of in school on a weekday. Everyone was walking briskly to their workplace, while I had quite a few hours to while away. It was no surprise that I was soon approached by a fresh-faced girl to do a 5-minute survey about the 'Visit Malaysia' campaign for her. I obliged when I saw that she was not trying to sell me something. After the survey, it appeared that it was a slow morning for her too, so we began chatting.

Her name is Grace, it was a part-time job, and she is in her second year at SMU. We talked about her campus, her major, salsa classes, food in Geylang, her plan to be an air-stewardess, marriage, my job, and clubbing. She related one time when she came home from clubbing at 4am, to realise that her mum was not inside the house. Couldn't contact her, got worried and went to the police to make a report. Subsequently, the mum came home at 5am, and it turned out that she had been clubbing too. The funny thing was that Grace's mum had to show herself at the police post for closure to the missing-person report, and instead of making a fuss about it, she went back happy, since the policeman remarked that she didn't look like a 50+ year-old auntie.

Went back to check on pupils, and time passed slowly again. Then it was lunch-break, and I explored Amara shopping centre. JW Horological Gallery, a pre-owned watch shop, has moved away, to my dismay. Saw Kojima salon, one of those places that charges $10 for a quick cut, so I got my hair cut there.

Then proceeded to Burger King on the ground floor, where I ran into Choon Wei, a cycling buddy whom I have not seen for a long time. Turned out that he is working at The Bike Boutique nearby at Tras Street, and of course, after cadging some fries from him and his two colleagues, I took the opportunity to return to the shop with them to check it out. Planet-X saddles now cost $75; when I bought mine from the old Bike Boutique shop a while ago, it was $50! Anyway, the shop was nice and neat, with a few nifty-looking On-One and Planet-X bikes. They even have Planet-X roadbikes there; my first time seeing them.

Bringing students for elective course was not as boring as I had expected.

Shops always come and go in $ingapore. Found out about a month ago that Emotus has closed its branch at Parkway. And before that, Emotus also closed its branch at Isetan Scott, to be replaced by luxury bag store, Coach. At the basement in Paragon, Fish and Co have a new restaurant coming up, though I can't remember whose shop-space they are taking over. But what made me sigh was when I saw that Gramophone has vacated, to be replaced by 'THAT CD Shop'!
It's unfortunate that a CD shop with very competitive prices and good range has to be taken over by another with unattractive pricing (especially their import CDs). Well, at least the staff at THAT CD Shop would be very easy on the eye. I think when it comes to employing sales staff, this chain applies the same standards as our airline when selecting female stewardesses (all the staff at THAT CD Shop are female). On second thought, THAT CD has higher standards.

Drink-driving is on the rise. Christopher Lee has been sentenced to 4 months jail and a 4K+ fine for a hit-and-run. Prison officers would be anticipating seeing Fann Wong in person when she visits her beau. I wonder if his cool hair will go. And Benedict Goh has also been charged with drink-driving, although he did not hurt anyone in the process.

Life seems better now, as KidsCentral is showing Spongebob at 6pm from Mon - Fri, yyyyes! Too bad I can't catch the new episodes on Sundays 10am.

Last Wednesday, I had to accompany my form class 3 Diligence to Changi Village for a field trip on coastal features, as planned by Jacqueline. The usual complaints followed, e.g. 'Weather so hot...' , 'Must walk so far...'. Anyway, here is our group shot:

Believe it or not, my contact lenses are not ready for collection yet; I am fed-up with slow service. On the other hand, my eyes are 'breathing' much better than before, and I won't be able to commit the ocular sin of falling asleep with the lenses still in my eyes.

Got a pair of Birkenstocks from the Wheelock Place boutique over the weekend. They are in golden-brown. I found the foodbed rather hard (after getting so used to the Crocs flip-flops)), but it is a perfect fit.

We brought Christian to Hard Rock Cafe on his birthday for dinner, cos I like the food. Naturally, HRC gave us a complimentary sundae, plus polaroid shot, plus birthday song sung lustily by the staff. Never mind that Christian wouldn't understand what was going on and that he didn't get to eat any of the food there. That is how most one-year-old birthdays go.

Finally made a passport for Christian through the Internet. It costs $70 (going to the ICA building to do it will cost $80 instead). It will be ready for collection in 3 days. Here's the photo I submitted (taken 2 days ago). Somehow, Grace and I think it is hilarious.

Happy Birthday, Christian

Typing this at home, and watching Primetime Morning on Channel NewsAsia. Too bad my favourite newscaster, sweetie-pie Suzanne Jung, is not hosting today (it's Chloe Choe). It was pouring buckets outside a while ago; very good weather for staying at home.

Whenever I watch Primetime Morning on a school day, it means either I am on MC, or on child-care leave. Well, Christian turns 1 year old today, and I have taken one day of child-care leave!
For the record, MOE allows teachers to take a grand total of TWO days a year for such 'frivolous' purposes. Tight-a**ed policy-makers. No wonder the number of births continue to drop.

As I watched Christian on his mattress early this morning, I mouthed a silent prayer to God for preserving and watching over him for his first year of life.

Photo of Christian this morning just after he crawled out of bed (hence the out-of-bed look). The first thing he took out from his box of toys happened to be a picture-book of fruit & veggies:


My weekend wasn't great, due to three things that irked me:
1) My new contact lenses are not ready for collection despite one week of ordering. Still have to wear my glasses.
2) Saturday was burnt as I had to bring my form class to Orchard from 1-6pm for flag-selling as part of their CIP. Well, it is for a good cause.
3) My Glycine KMU-48 is still with The Hour Glass service centre despite one week (sent it in cos the hour hand was not aligned properly).

Had an emotional moment on Saturday night while reading 'Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction' (this is remarkable, cos it is actually a laugh-out-loud funny book about the diary of Adrian Mole, an uptight and neurotic character).
This was the excerpt that struck me:

'I felt a powerful longing to hold him in my arms, and sniff his skin, and hold his sticky little hands' (Adrian was talking on the phone with his little boy whom he misses, who is with his mother in Nigeria)

I could so identify with the above, the holding and sniffing part I mean.

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Also received shocking news today that cycling buddy Ah Lai is of no more since last Saturday. He will be dearly missed by the cycling community.

Good things come in small packages

Grace's birthday is approaching, so I thought I'd get her something in the famous red box that has always been a hit with the female species.
They packaged it nicely, so I thought I'd better capture it.

The famous red bag:

The understated wrapping:

The outer red box:

And the inner red box:

Finally found the biography of Ed Viesturs at Borders, for $42.95. Since it is not cheap, I signed up for Borders e-mailing list, printed out their '20% off' voucher, and used it. Of course I will be claiming back the money from LDS (Learning and Development Scheme), under the category 'Reading Material'.

What a riveting read it has been. I also borrowed 'ICE - Stories Of Survival From Polar Exploration', and 'Adrian Mole and The Weapons of Mass Destruction' (the latest in the Adrian Mole series; finally found one not on loan!) from the library. Life feels much better when there are good books at hand.

When one should not treat the taxi-driver like a taxi-driver

The workshop after school was at Teachers' Network, which was located at Grange Rd near Orchard. My colleague and I had half an hour to get there after we had finished our lessons. I assumed we were gonna share a cab there, but when I suggested we leave, she said coyly, "Someone is picking me up."

Hurrah, savings on cab fare, I thought, after she said it's ok that I tag along. I assumed it was her doting boyfriend who would be giving her a lift.

Yet, it was a blue Comfort cab who came into the school carpark to pick us up. No boyfriend in sight, just 2 other ladies inside the cab. Immediately, I switched my assumption-- she must have liased with her teacher-friends from another school to share a cab to the same workshop, not a bad idea!

"They going for the same course as us?" I asked her inside the cab. She shook her head. Nevertheless, I proceeded to give instructions for the shortest route to Teachers' Network to the taxi uncle, in the brisk, curt manner that you and I are used to giving to people in the service industry. You never knew when taxi-drivers would choose a longer route.

Then the lady passenger in the front seat spoke to my colleague casually in Mandarin, in the familial manner that one reserves for family members. I saw that she was a middle-aged auntie.

That was when it dawned on me. Sheepishly, I sneaked a peek at the taxi meter; it was off. I berated myself inwardly for not realising that it was my colleague's family in the cab. At the same time, I was relieved that I did not give my colleague's father more curt instructions like "Turn up the air-con, very hot" or "Switch the radio channel to FM 99.5" (not that I usually do anyway).

Finally, we reached our destination. Trying my best to sound as appreciative and grateful as I could, I said "Thank you, Uncle". And he nodded and smiled.

Test image:

It is near the end of January in this new year already. My blog is severely under-updated. Time for a rambling post about nothing in particular (this proves that I am living the typical Singaporean life-- mundane, sterile).

I am not cycling as often as I like.

Grace and I caught the sneak preview of Babel, and it was worth it, despite the tinge of Hollywood that Brad Pitt brings. Not surprised that Babel garnered those Oscar nominations.

Putting baby Christian to sleep at night is a trying affair at times. But it is easier if we simply accept (and not fight) these facts of life:
1) He will cry loudly at times.
2) He does NOT like being put down into his cot. So bedding is a mattress on the floor now.
3) Some nights, he will only become sleepy at 10.30pm, so it's useless trying to enforce a regular 9.30pm bedtime.
4) He will not finish his pre-bedtime milk on some nights.

Despite his occasional shenanigans, it is a joy to monkey around with Christian.


I have to profess my admiration for Rolex, despite the many negative connotations attached to their more-bling watches. Their ads are so dignified, and timeless. The company is 'still privately owned, and the principal shareholder is a private family trust all of whose profits are given to charity' (as Timezone Rolex Forum puts it). They have the Rolex Awards, which is a generous grant given to selected individuals who have initiated projects for the betterment of humankind or the environment.

Here are a couple of my favourite Rolex ads:

What can be cooler than featuring Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay? I love it that the ad mentions how Edmund Hilary has benefited the Nepalese after his conquest of Everest. I recall seeing a statue of Sir Hilary outside a children's school in one of the village stop-overs on our trek to Everest Base Camp in 2003. He loved the Nepalese, and the Nepalese loved him too.


Another great hero featured - Ed Viesturs. I first read about him in the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. You have to admire that man who selflessly helped the members of the disastrous Everest expedition, AND who has conquered Everest without bottled oxygen!

My Friday night

Looks like this is my first post in 2007. Had CCA in school till 6pm. After a long day, I was looking forward to dinner, but dinner cooked by mum was quite mundane (not to say that I'm an ingrate).
Christian bawled most indignantly when he realised that this is the first night we were going to train him to go to sleep on his own. Mercifully, he fell asleep at 10.30pm.
Since it was Friday night, I decided to cycle as usual to East Coast, not only to catch the usual group of riders at Bedok Jetty, but also to catch a bite at the lagoon hawker centre. The wanton mee really tasted good, and the mutton satay was tender and flavourful.
There was a larger than usual group at the jetty. When I reached there, it was 13 riders in all, including a mute Malay rider whom I met for the first time. As usual, we took a leisure ride to Kembangan for some cheese prata and teh, and it was back home after that. Reached home at 2am.

I lifted this excellent and very funny post from Velociphile's blog. Only WIS (Watch Idiot Savants) would probably appreciate the joke:

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Watch Lovers Nine Signs

Jaegermars – A fickle fusspot magpie determined to stand apart. You know and understand much about watches. A man of the world with a sophisticated taste. Competitive and great in bed.

Patestantin - You’re an old man, or a watch dealer. You’re beyond fashion knowing exactly what you want. You take a long time to decide and then stick with it. Safe, reliable, rich and once upon a time a good lover.

Swatchio – Unsure about everything in life, you're desperate for a woman.

Roltier – Insecure and conservative, you seek validation through material posessions by making an impression on people you don’t know. Clingy, you’re rubbish in bed.

Breitmega – Nervous, obsessive, wannabe divernaut with too many watches who can’t commit in a relationship. You’re poor, but one day you’ll be able to afford a proper piece.

Seikizen – You’re poor, but you’ll never be able to afford a proper watch. An accuracy freak you’re annoying. Can’t hold conversations with girls, who remain a mystery.

Vintique – Living your life in rose tinted hindsight with a house full of watches. A lot like Patestantin, but still good in the sack for the moment.

Panimo – Gullible, you like clocks and have a small one.

Sinfortima – Nobody pulls the wool over your eyes. A bit dull, you manage to live life pretty hard. Decisive, you have a big one.
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My analysis: Obviously, the names of the 'zodiac signs' are a combination of watch brands. The descriptions that follow are based on the author's perception of the brand, which is quite credible, I should say.

Jaegermars = Jaeger LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet; no doubt the author has a liking for these 2 brands due to their innovation and technical wizardry.

Patestantin = Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin; two of the oldest brands in watch-making, and priciest too.

Swatchio = Swatch and Casio! They are budget timepieces, hence portrayed as unsure and desperate, haha.

Roltier = what else but Rolex and Cartier, enough said.

Breitmega = Breitling and Omega; they produce many models of sports watches. I still like Omega.

Seikizen = Seiko and Citizen; two of the most affordable brands.

Vintique = Vintage and antique watches; obviously a reminder of the good 'ol days.

Panimo = Panerai and Anonimo; famous for their large watches. Gullible cos people pay inflated prices for them.

Sinfortima = Sinn, Fortis, and Tutima; they are so German, with their functional but boring designs.

Crocs Convert



At this point, I feel I should write a testimony for Crocs:

I laughed at people when they wear Crocs (the ubiquitous 'Beach' model). I agree (and still agree) with Xiaxue when she wrote that Crocs are what a retarded clown would wear. Anyway, I am a flip-flop fan and I believe Havaianas are the greatest flip-flops for their comfort, fit, and old-school look.
But then, I noticed the stores carrying the Crocs Athens, which is Crocs' version of the flip-flop, and I thought they could pass in the looks department as they somewhat remind me of the futuristic Puma Starck slippers.
Then I tried on Jacqueline's Athens at Brenda's house, and I realised that it IS like walking on marshmallows. And they are oh so light. I must mention that the Athens has a thicker heel cushion than the retarded-looking Beach Crocs.

I finally got a pair of Athens today, and after wearing them, I now believe I can push Christian in the stroller for kilometres and kilometres without my feet complaining. These slippers simply rock.

On 2 weeks of ICT (In Camp Training) now at Pasir Laba Camp >:-(
I cut my hair short and removed my facial hair for this stint, only to find that the RSM from hell wasn't even around on the first day to inspect us.
The cookhouse food sucks, as usual. May the value of your shares drop, Singapore Food Industries.

Horology Education Workshop

Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited to the JLC Master Tourbillon workshop organised by JLC together with The Hour Glass. That was followed by the launch of the new JLC Master Tourbillon watch. As the event would last from 9.00am to 1.00pm, a sumptuous breakfast and lunch were kindly provided as well.
Venue was The Arts House, and the session was held at the parliament chamber, which I believe, is a very good room for talking cock ;)

Breakfast was at an adjacent function room. The turnout was good, despite it being held on an early Saturday morning.


The parliament chamber, where Zach Toh, Dr Bruce Lee, Tjeng Jaw, Damien and Duncan shared with the audience their perspectives on watch collecting, in other words, they 'talked cock' about watches!






And finally, it was time for lunch.


For the record, inside the goodie bag was an excellent hard-cover book on the JLC Gyrotourbillon I.

Thanks FDA. Now I have an eloquent excuse to drink beer!
It's no wonder that as a child, I kept seeing the TV slogan by Guinness: 'GUINNESS STOUT IS GOOD FOR YOU'. Those guys have always been right!

I have always preferred beer over wine and spirits anyway. For the record, my favourite is German wheat beer, the dark-coloured kind.

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The FDA has just announced that "whole grain barley and barley-containing products are allowed to claim that they reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD)."

Beer is made from wholesome ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water. All these materials have natural components which contribute to a healthy, balanced diet

Beer is 93% water and is an enjoyable means of taking this essential substance. Beer is a thirst quenching long drink which is relatively low in alcohol.

Beer can be part of a balanced diet, providing essential vitamins ano minerals . In particular it has a beneficial balance of minerals. It is high in potassium and low in sodium - the right balance for healthy (low) blood pressure

It is low in calcium and rich in magnesiuni which may help to protect against gallstones and kidney stone formation. Additionally hops contain active compounds which prevent the removal of calcium from bones. This may be one reason why daily consumption of beer (a 330m1 bottle of 4.5% abv (12g alcohol)) has been shown to reduce the risk of kidney stones by 40%.

Beer drinkers are protected from the organism (Helicobacter pyori) which is known to cause stomach ulcers and may be a risk factor for stomach cancer.

Beer is also a source of soluble fibre which is derived from the cell walls of malted barley . A litre of beer contains an average of 20% of the recommended daily intake of fibre and some beers can provide up to 60%. As well as aiding a healthy bowel function, this has a further benefit by slowing down the digestion and absorption of food and reducing cholesterol levels which may help to reduce the risk of heart disease

Beer is an excellent source of vitamins which are essential for life. In particular beer is rich in the B vitamins for example niacin, riboflavin, pyridoxine (B6) and folate.

Recent research suggests that vitamin B6 in beer gives beer drinkers additional protection against cardiovascular disease compared to drinkers of wine or spirits Folate has been shown to be protective against cardiovascular disease and some cancers

Beer is also a source of antioxidants which play a role in the fight against cancer.

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Whenever I come across some words of wisdom that I agree with, I'd better put them down here so that I will remember. These are taken from Scott Adams' blog :

Sometimes you think you are unhappy, but you are really tired.

And here is a comment that appeared in the Comments section of the blog:

Being a Doctor myself, I always prescribe "diet and exercise" to my depressed patients. They invariably tell me that they don't come to their doctors to get an advice they could get from their mother. So I prescribe them some pills.

It is true that exercise increases your energy. You develop muscles, increase pulmonar capacity, increase oxygen absorbsion in your blood. All good for you.

Your brain, by the way, will happily use more oxygen.

Also, physical exercise "consumes" stress hormones (notably adrenalin) which is a factor in anxiety and depression (adrenalin is that factor). Excercise also promote dopamine production in your brain (the reward "I'm happy") mechanism.

So yes, your theory is pretty accurate. Tired => Inactive => more tired => unhappy. It's all linked.

Now get out of your chair and give me 10.

Now I have an eloquent excuse to go out and cycle more!