My first overseas vacation since 28 Feb

It must be pre-vacation jitters...had a real scare when I couldn't pull out my approved ESTA application just now.  I guess it's the worrywart in me that is causing all stiff shoulders and tension headaches...

I should learn to relax and rest, put my trust in the One Up There and just go with the flow.  Come what may, it's really about learning to think and act on our feet and having a clear, calm and peaceful mind to handle whatever spanners or disruptions that may come our way. 

A journey is meant to be experienced.  While we would want things to run clocklike and efficiently (as do most Singaporeans), disruptions or unexpected happenings will all add to the overall experiences of overseas travelling. 

A holiday is meant to be savoured and enjoyed.  I should be looking forward to the Disney magic and exploration of the US.  Granted that it's not my favorite country - due to its complex security measures and the long arduous journey to reach that destination - I should bear in mind that this being the first US trip for my sister and colleague, I should do my best to make it a fun and fantastic one for all of us.

Of all the things that I have trying to include in my travel checklist, I must remember to bring the following along:

• A healthy dose of Humor
• Plenty of Patience and Tolerance
• Complete Trust in the One Up There
• A Calm and Clever Mind to deal with the unexpected
• A sense of Wonder, Imagination and Delight in order to enjoy and appreciate the Disney magic

Orlando, Florida: here we come!

Off Pedder: My Favorite Episodes

Off Pedder is one of my favorite HK sitcoms because it starred two of my favorite HK actors: Teresa Mo and Wayne Lai Yiu Cheung.  Below is a listing of the episodes that I liked best in this 337-episode series:

38: First appearance of Yue Ka-Sing (Wayne Lai)
41: Appointment of YKS as Magazine Boss
67: Picture CD of Yan Sheung (Teresa Mo) - Part I (as viewed by YKS only)
100: Yan Sheung's cancer scare
135: Doris's appearance and beginning of YS's interest in YKS
166: Diamond pendant - YKS's first gift to YS
171: See-through Dress - Part II of Picture CD saga
185: Diamond pendant - Part II (YKS's response when he thought YS has given it away to his aunt)
211: The morning after - YS got drunk and forgot who and how she got home; first confrontation with YKS re his feelings for her
220-222: Crazy Clown & the rescue by YKS and Yim Yu Tai (ex-hubi)
235: YKS's second gift of Sony Erisson hp with pre-recorded romantic movie poster clip (to express his feelings) plus his rendition of Jacky Cheung's love song, "Secret Love"
237: Hong Kong feet and first date between YKS and YS
242: YS as YKS's new neighbour
244: Mid-Autumn celebration and first correspondence via YKS's blog (Scarecrow)
255: HK$200m - value or opportunity cost that YS attached to YKS; made YKS's day
263: How YS mediates between YKS and his sister, Joyce
265: May I? - How YKS invited YS to an official ball function and a romantic dance
276: YKS's undercover cop identity revealed
326: First holding hands for YKS and YS
327: Declaration of YKS's love for YS and his marriage proposal

Halftime. From Success to Significance in Second Half

This afternoon, there were Halftime (Confirmed, for 6 months at least), Halftime (Most Likely) & his Fulltime Homemaker-Wife, 2nd Half (6-year old), 2nd Half (1-year plus), First Half (Quite Permanently So) whose mother's funeral wake was the chief reason for us to gather once again.   All of us were in our late forties and were either at this time of transition (as Bob Buford said in his first book, Halftime) or had already successfully transited to the 2nd half of the game of our lives.

I quickly googled about this book, highly recommended by a Life Coach that Halftime (Most Likely) met recently. 

In his book, Bob asserted that, "Halftime is an important time of transition - the time when a man moves beyond the first half of the game of life.  It's halftime, a time of revitalisation and for catching a new vision for living the second half, the half where life can be lived at its most rewarding...it's a time of personal renaissance; not necessarily one of crisis but it can be a catalyst [that] propel you...from mere success to true significance".

Bob further asserted that the old model of arduous career followed by relaxing retirement should be jettisoned, replaced by the idea that the second half can—and should—be more creative, more impactful, more meaningful, more adventurous, filled with more learning and contribution than the first half.  A successful first fifty years should be viewed as nothing more than a good start."

Jim Collins, in his Foreword for the book, wrote about two approaches to self-renewal (as proposed by John Gardner, former Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare and author of the classic, Self-Renewal):

1. Repotting ourselves into entirely new activities, changing our activities from career to contribution
2. Repotting ourselves in our primary activity - the same one pursued for our first half, i e choosing to renew within a chosen genre or field

Gardner had advised that we should start thinking about “repotting” ourselves every 10 to 15 years, throwing ourselves into challenges that extract hidden strengths.

I am so glad to have taken this 6-month leave of absence, to repot and hopefully, to rev up a new compelling game plan for the 2nd half of my game of life, at least for the next 10 years as a start.

  

Make Interesting Happen

Saw a full-page advertisement by BMW in Straits Times today. 

Thought I should attempt my own version of it:

"Make friends via a new HOBBY.  Or an Interest Group.  Make a TRIP to a place I have never heard of.  Make it as I go along. Make a DAY last longer.  Make TODAY happening.  Make time to DREAM.  Make an old fear disappear.  Make a trip BACK IN TIME. Make it as I go along.  Make a WORD.  Say it aloud.  Make this the BEST 5 minutes of the day.  Make a SONG.  Sing it.  Make a new DISH.  Photograph it.  Blog it.  Make this the START of a new adventure.  Make Square Pegs for Round Holes.  Make a RAINBOW.  Make a FUNNY STORY.  Animate it.  Share it.  Make a lip-smacking DESSERT.  Or a mouth-watering CHEESECAKE. Or a heart-warming fluffy BREAD.  Make a commitment to a WORTHY CAUSE.  Make a new TRAIL. Make someone LAUGH.  Make his/her DAY. Make new DISCOVERIES.

Make Ordinary EXTRAORDINARY!

Make Ordinary Extraordinary!

The Japan Quake, Tsunami & Nuclear Crisis 2011

I went through extensive lengths and efforts to draw up an itinerary to US which I thought was perfect in terms of price, timing and transit stops and guess what?  These efforts and plans came to a nought as a result of a freak devastating earthquake and nuclear crisis in Japan last Friday.

As a result, my travel plans to Orlando have to be hastily changed.  The dates of travel now need to be changed.  Hotels to be re-booked.  Longer waiting time at the first transit with hardly enough time to pick up luggage for the connecting flight from Newark to Orlando.

However, instead of griping and groaning, I should learn from the stoic and calm attitude of the Japanese.  Take all these disruptions in my stride and learn to appreciate that these pale by comparison to the crises and tragedies that have unfolded throughout Japan.  Also, perhaps it's time to learn how to respond to unplanned situations and still maintain a positive and optimistic attitude.  After all, this is supposed to be a vacation, to be enjoyed and savoured.  I should learn to take the travelling time as part of the vacation and enjoy the journey.

I can only pray for God's grace and mercy to shine upon this land and stop the nuclear crisis from worsening.  My sincere prayers that there will not be another major quake to throw the country into further disarray.

The Tuition Industry in Singapore

Yesterday I had lunch with an old friend and wife.  The objective was to brainstorm on the idea of a tuition start-up that:

• Is scalable and preferably can be extended beyond Singapore
• Has a clear differentiating factor
• Will clearly add value to the academic experience for the students and to the tuition industry
• Meets parents' goal of academic excellence for their children. 

I went home to tackle the subject matter in my usual style: gather facts for a feasibility or viability study.  I was totally honest with my friend - at this point, I may not have enough funding nor motivation to want to start a business venture.  I need to be convinced of what is required of me if I should plunge ahead with the idea.  He agreed that it's only worth going into it if we can achieve the abovementioned objectives.

I googled the tuition industry and quickly discovered the following:

1. The tuition industry seems highly saturated - with a few hundreds of tuition centres, mostly established in the last 20 years or so, and an annual turnover of hundreds of million versus a potential market of less than 200 secondary schools and 20 JCs.
2. This is an unregulated industry with no minimum standards to govern the setting up of the agencies and qualifications of the tutors. MOE nor the Private Education Council are involved in regulating these centres; neither is SEAB involved in any form of accreditation.  There is also a lack of a tuition association or sort (unlike Australia) which provides benchmarks and minimum standards for all registered tuition agencies and tutors in Singapore.
3. There are rising concerns over issues such as child protection, consumer protection, truth in advertising, etc yet with no apparent solutions.
4. There are few Singapore Tuition portals or directories to provide the much needed information for approriate decision-making by time-starved parents and students.  The existing ones somehow lack a clear focus and purpose, that is whether they exist to provide unbiased reviews and resources for parents to select appropriate agencies or tutors.
5. There seem to be a preference for either home tutoring or small group tutoring because of the close/personalised attention and customised teaching approaches that can be given to the students which are missing from the large classroom setting in the schools.
6. There seem to be an obvious difference in consumers' requirements: from the parents, they want affordability and accessibility while the students value rapport with the tutors as a key pre-requiste.

The top qualities or factors that parents look out for in a good tuition agency or tutor are:

• experience, track record and qualifications
• familiarity with the syllabus
• access to resources such as past-year exam questions
• costs
• location

The research threw up some questions:

1. Should the industry ie in terms of the centers or the tutors be subject to some form of accreditation?
2. The costs of seeking such accreditation and how they will be passed on to the consumers ie the parents and students?
3. There may be a need for an independent association or body that provides unbiased but essential information for all parents especially those in the lower income family bracket
4. How to help those who are most vulnerable and in need of such assistance?
5. Where is the "blue ocean" in this highly saturated industry that seems to have founded itself already on some well-known success formulae? 

In Singapore where social mobility is an increasing concern given the widening income gap, education remains as the key to helping the lower income or socio-economically disadvantaged, then perhaps there is an important need to provide greater transparency and assistance to this community first.  How will tuition, a fee-based service, be made more accessible, affordable and available to the people who need it most?

Can, and should, I approach it from a social enterprise angle instead?

Wetlands of Singapore

Source: ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation

There are about 7 of such wetlands in Singapore, according to this source:

1. Pulau Tekong Mangroves
2. Serangoon Estuary
3. Nee (Yishun) Swamp Forest
4. Mandai Mangroves
5. Kranji Reservoir & Estuary
6. Sungei Buloh Ponds & Mangrove
7. Sungei Poyan Reservoir

 World Wetlands Day
 
According to the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) 2010 blog, 2 Feb is World Wetlands Day 2011.   2011 is also UN International Year of Forests. 

Why are Wetlands important?

"Mangroves, peatswamp forests, freshwater swamp forests are biologically diverse and help in managing our freshwater, and providing us with many other ‘services’ across the globe including vital roles in carbon storage.  They are our allies in the face of climate change. Despite their utility, they are often under threat from development, from drainage and conversion."

Sengkang Floating Wetland was opened in November 2010.  According to a GovMonitor article,  "Sengkang Floating Wetland serves more than just aesthetics. While beautifying the landscape and creating new spaces for leisure activities, the wetland’s main function is to cleanse the water in the reservoir. Wetlands are also one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems, and support a thriving community of plant and animal life."

“The wetland is home to about 18 plant species that have been carefully chosen for both their cleansing and aesthetic properties. These plants absorb nutrients and pollutants through their roots. This helps to ensure that the water in this reservoir, an important source of our water supply, stays clean the natural way.”

The Sengkang Floating Wetland is a project under PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme. Into its fourth year, the ABC Waters Programme has been transforming Singapore’s comprehensive network of drains, canals and rivers into beautiful streams, rivers and lakes and integrates our water bodies with our parks and green spaces, creating new community spaces that are clean, pleasant and bustling with life and activity. 

The latest to open is the Lorong Halus Wetland opposite the newly launched Punggol Promenade Riverside Walk (refer to my earlier posts).

While searching for more information about wetlands, I stumbled on the following interesting and useful websites:

1. Wild Singapore Happenings 
2. Naked Hermit Crabs

Upcoming events found on these websites include:

• Chek Jawa boardwalk withe the Naked Hermit Crabs nature volunteers on Sat 12 Mar, 9.30am (need to email them at nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com)
• Mangrove walk on Sun 13 Mar at 9.30 am or Wireless Trail at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Now to find willing companions to join me on these expeditions!

Cooking from the Heart

Since last week, I have cooked three dinners already, with the fourth coming up tonight.  It's really theapeutic to be able to spend the afternoons pottering around in the kitchen - preparing ingredients, cutting up vegetables, etc.  Of course, nothing beats going to the supermarket to satisfy my retail therapy urges:)

Dishes whipped up so far (couldn't remember all):

1. Stewed chicken with mushrooms and carrots
2. Chinese spinach soup with minced meat
3. Pasta cooked in 3 different styles: (1) tossed with pesto sauce, red + yellow peppers, brown mushrooms; (2) Prego portobello mushroom sauce with more portobello mushrooms thrown in; (3) Prego tomato mushroom garlic sauce
4. Lotus root with chicken feet & prime ribs soup
5. Stewed eggplant with minced meat, fried with belacan and dried shrimps

There is this inexplicable joy and pleasure in deciding on the dishes to cook- which involves taking special care to cater to the different preferences of each family member as well as careful selection to create a balanced meal.  Of course, I have yet to master the art of healthy cooking - with less processed stuff and preservatives and learn to rely on natural herbs and spices.

I think what gives joy and meanng is to do everything from the heart.  Approach and handle each task with the spirit of thinking of others or enjoying oneself.  Be courageous to experiment - stretch one's imagination and creativity but also exercise due diligence to do the necessary homework to study the nature of ingredients used in order to bring out the most from them.    Of course, the hard work put in to actually whip up the dishes - these can't be achieved overnight. 

These are lessons that I have also learnt from this Korean drama (Baker King, Kim Tak Gu or Bread, Love and Dreams). 

Cooking, for the family, is about:

• Hard work
• Thinking of Others
• Enjoying Oneself
• Doing it from the Heart

And those who sit down to taste the food can somehow sense the love, care and efforts that have gone into the preparation.  Food cooked this way, even though it's not of Michelin standards, is deeply appreciated and enjoyable.  Nothing more restoring to the weary like returning to a heartwarming meal after a hard long day in the office or school.

Lorong Halus Wetland

We can learn how PUB transforms the River into a Reservoir

Interesting angles and perspectives...

Reed Beds

This is part of the Water Treatment strategy

Wished I have better photographic skills and camera of course!

Lovely Dragonfly!

Moat, Restroom & Electronic Lalang

Moat 1 - except that it's not built in the waters

Wonder how they will look like in the night amidst a gentle evening breeze?

I really like this structure of a toilet building - classy!

Punggol Promenade Riverside Walk

Went to this latest jaunt together with SS yesterday.  It was a hot hot afternoon but very quiet and blissful.

Reasons to Go Punggol Promenade Riverside Walk

For Families!

I like the al fresco setting.  The chilli crab is so so tempting!



Great place for Happy Hours!

Forgot to take a picture of this other all-important eatery beside Xian and the pub...
popeyes! 

This will be the KEY REASON for enticing the nephew and nieces to take a 30-station ride from Boon Lay to Riveria LRT!

The Art of Giving Feedback

Today was hectic.

Performance appraisals when done positively, can edify and motivate. However if it's done without that face-to-face or close working relationship, can lead to disgruntlement.

I had a curt SMS from a staff who asked me why I rated her lower than her direct supervisor.

Another appraisal was done in person. Had a fairly long chat with my indirect report. Not easy to manage her expectations. How does one convey shortcomings without demoralizing or frustrating staff? Or is my assessment truly based on objective facts? Will my assessment matter anyway?

Decided to start the session by focusing on her core areas (eg her role in working with her direct reports)and functional areas. Had to remind her about the balance in all areas of work that have been assigned, more so if she has decided to take a back seat to allow the juniors to shine.

It wasn't easy - how to tell the staff that she has taken work done by others as her own becos she thought that she has guided and given them inputs to execute. But she did not realize that perception is otherwise. Likewise, when she proudly said that she has allowed one of the team members complete control of a project; little did she realize that others saw that as a lack of active leadership.

It's really tough to tell someone so senior that she is not as good with her interpersonal or leadership skills as she thought. How to let her know that her report card contains info on collective achievements but her individual value add is not apparent. Hints were thrown and evidence were sought to prove her contributions.

In retrospect, this may be better than telling someone the brutal truth, no matter how sincere we may be. Then again, it may not have been a good session cos it was not outright praise.

Half a Gap

Vacation = Leave of Absence

It can mean a sabbatical or a career break or, for the fresh grads, a gap year. My 6-month NPL can be considered as "half a gap" year. So what does one do during such a phase?

Today I attended yet another farewell lunch - this time for the Big Boss.  She came by our table mid-way through the lunch to yak with us.  The first question she posed to me threw me off guard.

She asked, "What did you do differently this week now that you are on leave?"  It took me quite a while before I muttered, "Long walks. I took several long walks over the last few days". 

Well, this is quite true, if I factored in my two mornings' worth of brisk/dog walks; the walk to the MRT station/Jurong Point; climbing the overhead bridge each morning to get my breakfast and walking to Hong Lim Complex (from the very near Chinatown MRT station) to book air tickets...

But then again, the question was rather revealing about people's expectations.  We are always expected to be doing something, even when we are on leave. 

I should have said, "What was different was I wasn't doing anything planned or on my to-do list.  I was going by the weather of the day, my mood as well as any possible adventure of serendipity: like chancing upon a Tea Shop and sitting down to an impromptu tea-tasting session."

It's strange that I almost had this guilt feeling and hence refrained from saying, "I did nothing.  Just rest, relax and enjoy personal, free, quiet time with myself as well as my dogs."

Today is Day 4 of the Long Vacation.  I am really savouring each moment of it.  

All we need is to set aside time to Play or Chat

 

Airfare-booking & The Art of Chinese Tea Drinking

First time on board SQ A380

Today was spent on:

1. Clearing report cards (6 of them) in the morning
2. Met PL to discuss alternative airfare booking plans
3. Headed to Hong Lim Complex - MISA Travel to enquire about cheaper airfare

I was delighted by the patient and informative service provided by the travel consultant, May.  She went through all my homework and took pains to answer questions like "do I have to check out & re-check in my luggage at each transit point", "is there adequate transit time for me to catch the next connecting flight" and of course, "which is the most affordable airfare for the best possible itinerary".  I must say, she seems knowledgeable and understanding.  Excellent customer service.  If everything works out fine with this trip, MISA travel will have me as a repeat customer for sure!

Finally got a deal that is cheaper than the one quoted by the Office.  Definitely much better timing - will not miss the connecting flight unlike the one given by Pricebreaker via the Office.

I can't wait to confirm the booking and make my payment quickly.  The next important tasks are:

• Settle ESTA visa for sis and myself
• Confirm booking of extra nights of accomodation at JW Marriot
• Enquire about the multi-day, mult-park passes in Orlando

Can't wait to confirm the holiday plans.  So exciting!

After settling the airfare booking, as I was heading towards Chinatown MRT station, I chanced upon this Chinese tea shop, Wang San Yang at Blk 531 Upper Cross Street #01-61 (Hong Lim Complex). 

I am second time lucky today.  Not only did I meet a helpful and knowledgeable travel consultant, I also met this young lady at the tea shop who did not hard sell any stuff to me but also, patiently & knowledgeably, explained and recommended stuff to me.

I was treated to sampling of two types of Oolong teas (Tie Guan Ying & Da Hong Pao) and was given an instantaneous quick 101 to the art of Chinese tea brewing and drinking.  I ended up buying:

1. Two boxes (50g each) of both teas.  The Da Hong Pao costs almost 4 times that of the Tie Guan Ying.  It was $95!  Honestly, at this point, I couldn't tell why it costs so much more but will attempt to find out and appreciate why.
2. 1 nice white porcelain tea strainer mug that costs about $14.40 (after 20% discount).  I was debating whether I should just get a plain white porcelain mug ($13) but thought that the rabbit zodiac sign on the mug was pretty so decided to buy the originally priced $18 mug instead.
3. 1 set of lid cup (for brewing tea), strainer, tea pitcher or fair cup (for even mixing of the tea), and tea cup (for sipping)

The total purchase set me back by almost $150 but I was happy.  I think it was really value for money.  I just can't wait to try out the tea leaves and to enjoy some quiet moments of tea drinking.

The brief tea sampling experience once again reminded me of the need to slow down the pace and learn to appreciate the wonders of stilling of one's mind and appreciation of the fragrance & beauty of Chinese tea brewing and drinking.

Day 2: Jurong Lake

Today was a cloudy day.  Almost canceled my plans to walk the dogs and to head out to Lakeside.

Then I saw this - sun peeking through the heavy clouds.  It seemed like a promising start.

I took Twink and Hap out for a much shorter jaunt - to the big playground.  It was a more manageable pace for both dogs and this hopelessly unfit person.

I took the train to Lakeside MRT and began my walk towards the right side of the lake, along Yuan Ching Road, the road that I have been commuting almost daily to work.

It was surprisingly breezy although a little humid.  It was a decision to take a walk after all.    Discovered a couple of new things:

Lakeside Boardwalk

(A) A new boardwalk for fishing - yay, at long last, a decent boardwalk in the Western part of Singapore!

It was an interesting mix of plants and flowers - looked a little weird till I read of their purpose and use.


I thought the flowers were stunning on the floating wetlands!



Floating Wetlands






Floating Wetlands with the purpose of absorbing pollutants and improving the quality of water in the lake as well as serve as a breeding ground for dragonflies

 

Next, I chanced upon the PA Water Venture - a place for canoeing and other water sports.  It was unfortunately closed for some community sports event.  Must check this out for possible family bonding activities. 

Along the way, I saw retirees sitting along the benches - one was quietly playing Sudoku.  A big group of senior adults (distinguishable by the colorful scarves they tied to their necks) were having an outing by the lake.  It is what I called - Active Ageing!  I think Singapore is beautiful - all we need is time and space to enjoy what we call as our Enduring Home.

Again I saw the sun shining through the rather gloomy clouds, thought it was a beautiful sight.  Took more pictures along the way...

Spider Lilies!

I thought the tree trunks look interesting - like mangroves on the ground.

Had to snap this picture of the tree.  It has such a strong burst of colors -lovely!