Archive for September, 2008
September 24th, 2008 -- Posted in people |
“Greed is such an effective killer” was my first thought when I first read the news. I could not believe anyone could actually add a toxic chemical into milk, the first and primary food source of infants and young children, for profits. Albeit accusations on the corporations involved in this scandal, I would put the blame only on greed, of either the farmer or the trader who sold the milk to Sanlu… whoever was responsible of adding the melamine in the first place.
There’s no excuse for doing such a thing. The only appropriate punishment for these unethical creeps is a taste of their own poison.
September 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in travel |
I made a heritage trip back to my ancestral hometown in Chaozhou (潮州) with Dad last week. After the quarterly meeting with our Hong Kong customer, I met up with Dad in Shenzhen before driving up together to Shantou (汕头), which is close to Chaozhou, to meet a former business associate. Since we were close to Grandpa’s hometown at Liyang (礼阳) and I’d never actually been there, we decided to drive up for a visit.
Liyang is split into two parts, one Zheng village (郑村) and the other Li village (李村). Of the Zheng village, our remaining relatives is an 87-year-old lady (wife of Dad’s late cousin), with her three generations of Zheng descendents. We call her “Lao Kim”
Lao Kim
The highlight of the trip is not meeting our long distant relatives, but to see the house that Grandpa and Grandma lived and preserved exactly the way they left it when they moved to Singapore in the 1930s.
As were most villagers in their time, Grandpa and Grandma were poor and lived in a house shared with several other households. Their own living quarter was no bigger than a HDB bedroom we see in Singapore today.
Believe it or not, most of Grandpa and Grandma’s furniture are still around, even the bed they slept on. Though covered with dust, they are considerably well preserved for over 7 decades.
Around the old house, the villagers today still live a very rural lifestyle. Though most of the other houses have been torn down and rebuilt, much of the layout of the narrow village street have changed very little.
Grandma, Grandpa and my great-grandparents
Some of Grandpa’s calligraphy works
September 5th, 2008 -- Posted in rants |
When my work-life balance went haywire last year, so did my physical well-being. Prolonged spending of long hours at work made it hard for me to spare time for gym or any form of exercising. My IPPT results took a downslide, which was why I had to return for RT.
(For those who aren’t familiar with the abbreviations, IPPT stands for “Individual Physical Proficiency Test” and is an annual standard physical fitness test to gauge the basic physical fitness of an individual. It is compulsory for all able Singapore males. RT is the “Remedial Training” for those who did not manage to pass the IPPT for the year.)
So I started changing my lifestyle a little in March. I joined the gym, planned some cardio and weight training and watched my diet. I aimed to lower my BMI and build some strength. I targeted to pass the next IPPT.
After 6 months, it’s finally pays off!
I just took IPPT on Tuesday for RT Phase 1 and I passed. Not only did I clear everything, including the 2.4km run, I actually made it for a silver award!!! That’s $200 monetary award! YAY!!!
The real reward for me was not the silver award or the money, but the achievement for the efforts I have put in. It’s a good feeling when you see your hard work and perseverance pay off.
Coming up next (perhaps)... 1/2 marathons!
September 3rd, 2008 -- Posted in nita |
