Ip Man (film)

I managed to catch this film, "Ip Man", yesterday. I didn't think very much about this film at first, thinking of just catching yet another action film about a martial art expert of the past, something like "Fearless". Making films like these must be the boom now. And to say the truth, I didn't know who Yip Man was in the first place... because Wing Chun was never something that I was interested in, even though I know that it does have something similar to taiji's pushing hands.

At the end of the day, I must say that the fighting scenes in the movie was very well choreographed, though some parts of the fighting was more for show rather than a true manifestation of how martials arts is applied. After all, real martial artists don't punch people repeatedly like they are training on a punching ball... rather, it is one shot, one kill. Each move is supposed to maime or kill an opponent outright, much like the scene in which Ip Man was fighting against the karate-ka of the Imperial Japanese Army's 5th Division.

The important message is like "Fearless", that there is no greatest form of martial arts, but rather how good the martial artist is (which means how hard he trains, and how well he understands). The other key message, even more important, is that a killing skill (which martial arts are) must be practised together with benevolence. With the power to kill or injure, comes the need to be responsible in using that skill. It does not mean not using the skill, but rather, being able to control oneself such that we do not use martial arts unnecessarily, and when we do use it, we only use enough to protect ourselves and those around us. If it means breaking someone's arm to stop him from slashing at someone, we should. But if pushing a person away is enough to deter him from trying to rob us, then there is no need to break his ribs or poke his eyes.

So do catch this if you are a fan of Wing Chun, likes to see fighting scenes, or enjoy listening about the morals of martial arts.

Official website

Pearl Harbor 67th Anniversary

Today marks the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Blog post on 66th anniversary

Recycling - Envelopes

Back in my school days, a friend of mine was very environmentally conscious, and it got me to think about recycling as well. So I started to reuse paper, print on both sides, etc. But my wife is even more environmentally conscious. As much as possible, we try not to waste anything. Recently, she has this bright idea to reuse envelopes, given that we receive so much junk mail from banks and property agents. What she did was to take those envelopes, invert them and stick them back together so that the clean, unwritten inside is now on the outside. And not just envelopes. She took our old calendar and folded envelopes out of them (the brown envelopes you see above).

Now, why do I need so many envelopes? That's because I need to send my calligraphy pieces to Japan for my calligraphy teacher to mark.

Tokyo Love Story 東京ラブストーリー

I wonder how many of you know about this great Japanese drama, Tokyo Love Story (Japanese title is "東京ラブストーリー")? It used to run on Fuji TV in 1991. I don't recall it ever having been broadcast in Singapore, though. I only heard about it from a Japanese friend when I was in Japan, that it is the greatest Japanese love drama ever and that I must watch it. So I came back to Singapore, found the VCD version being sold in a local VCD shop, and got myself a copy.

And ended up loving it.

The lovely character of Akana Rika (played by Suzuki Honami, she was so cute) really left me with a deep impression. Here is someone who is daring, fun-loving, out-going, yet deep inside, she faces her inner turmoils about how she really wants to go about handling her relationship with Nagao Kanji (played by Oda Yuji).

Arimoto Narimi, playing the character of Sekiguchi Satomi, showed just how good an actress she was. She played a character that was always hesitant, that emphasises herself as the weak and lost female. She played the character so well that she was hated by many of the female viewers in Japan when the drama aired, so much so that there were letters of complaints being sent to Fuji TV.

I am a sucker for love stories, like The Return of the Condor Heroes. I am intrigued by people who can love without reservations, who dare to express their feelings without having to worry about how the other people around them may disapprove. Guess that is why these love stories just seem to make their way into my inventory...

We were all once like that

We must always remember that, looking at those who are starting to walk the same path as us, we were once like them. We made the same mistakes, we learnt the same lessons. Thus, instead of laughing at them, or being sarcastic, we should instead help them along, so that they can learn quickly, so that they can draw from our experiences to further their journey down the same path.

Don't think that just because we are not making the mistakes now, we are better than them. We took the same pain to learn from our mistakes as well. Once, some of our seniors down the path laughed at us, or were overly sarcastic. If we didn't like that back then, we should not be doing the same to those who follow us.

The spirit of volunteering

I recently posted a post on volunteering at MINDS. Just the other day, someone was relating his experiences volunteering as a community grassroot leader. Both he and his wife are active volunteers in their communities, in various activities. But to me, it seemed that they were after the wrong goals... he was bragging about the perks that he gets as a volunteer, about the benefits that the community gives to recognise the efforts of volunteers. I felt very disgusted with his "spirit of volunteering" that I ignored him for the rest of the morning. I just didn't want to hear him bragging about the gifts and perks he got from his "volunteer" activities. To me, that is against the spirit of volunteering. A volunteer should be giving his time and effort because he believes in the cause, and not because he is looking forward to getting something in return.

MINDS - Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore

I had a chance to do some volunteering today, for MINDS (aka Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore). One of my seniors (old boy) from my university used to work as senior management at MINDS, but I never had the chance to work with them until today. It was indeed an eye-opener to see how the staff at MINDS work, and how we volunteers can do our parts, no matter how small it may be. Just spending time with the people at MINDS can help elevate the burden placed on the small number of staff there, as well as make the day more interesting. It made me think about how fortunate I am that I and those around me are without handicaps. And while it may be hard to fathom what they are thinking, and sometimes we are just lost as to how to handle them, it is a lesson in life that we must always be ready to give what we can to help those in need.

White tigers

I have always liked the big cats, especially tigers, which I find to be majestic animals.

Recently, someone jumped into the white tiger section at the Singapore zoo, and was killed by the two female tigers there. It was an apparent case of suicide, though why would anyone want to get himself killed by tigers is beyond me. After all, it is a messy way to die...

I remember visiting the white tigers at the zoo. Back then, the zoo didn't have resident white tigers, they were on loan from somewhere else, and thus were sort of a "for a limited time only" exhibit. But now, the zoo has its own resident white tigers (2 females and 1 male), all 9 years of age.
The big cats, especially tigers, fascinate me because they move with power, confidence and yet do not act aggressively without reason. They stalk their prey, prowl, and only move in for the kill when they are ready. There is something about tigers that set them apart from the other big cats. And white tigers are so much more beautiful, the white colour like a sort of symbol for purity, the purest of tigers.

Having fun during festivals

I was watching The Amazing Race today, and was reminded of the Hindu festival Holi, which I had the fortune (misfortune?) to be part of earlier this year. I was reminded of how carefree the Indians were when they were celebrating the festival, how they let their hair down and painted the whole place red (and green and yellow and blue and purple and orange and...)

Thailand has the water festival, Songkran, during which they pour/splash water at each other. All these festivals are fun (if you think of it...) and let people forget being their usual uptight selves and do something that they will normally not do (like throw coloured powder or water at each other). Comparing with Singapore, we don't have festivals like these... or rather, we don't celebrate such festivals, even though they are an integral part of festivities in most part of Asia. I guess our uptight selves with the British history just cannot allow ourselves to detract from the prim and proper behaviour that we are supposed to uphold.

Maybe we should let down our hair once in a while, it can be good in aiding to relieve stress at a national level...

Discipline

There was a time when teachers and parents believed in disciplining the kids, and enforced discipline in school and at home. The kids respected and even feared the teachers, for they know that if they cross the line, they will be dealt with.

Yet, in recent times, we have seen an erosion of discipline, allowing students to run amok in school and outside, and teachers being either unable or unwilling to enforce discipline. Teachers now no longer have the same respect from their students (generally) which is a very sad thing, since to me, I feel that teaching is a very noble profession. After all, what can be as important as educating the next generation?

But why did we lose focus on discipline?

There are some who think that enforcing discipline is stifling creativity, that discipline forces everyone into the same mold and implies conformity. I think these people should look beyond the letter of discipline, to look at the spirit of discipline. Discipline is about inculcating values. It is about making sure that people learn the right values, values that will see them through life by helping them make the difficult decisions in life. By taking away discipline, our kids now have lost the guiding beacon that steers them onto the right track when they step out of line. Our kids have lost the guiding beacon that brings them towards learning the right values for life.

Have we done a disservice to our kids, by depriving them of the tools that they need to succeed in life? Maybe parents and teachers should rethink how they see discipline, for the real benefit of their kids.

Behind times...

I think I am getting old... or maybe, the younger generation is catching up. I mean, when I was half my age, I just started learning about electronic BBSs and started posting on them. Now? People younger than that are blogging! My cousins have their own blogs, and they have been teaching me how to get better looking skins from blogskins.com, instead of using the generic ones provided by blogspot.com. Guess I am really falling behind the curve...

Audrey's blog
Angie's blog

Denying the past

See this article (Air force chief fired over essay denying Japan's aggression during World War II) on JapanToday.com, of a high-ranking Japanese military officer who tries to deny the past.

I wonder why people would want to deny the past, except in shame. Sigh. Isn't it time to face the past, accept what has happened, and move on to prevent similar mistakes?

Moving on...

It is indeed a sad day for me this Halloween... an uncle of mine has moved on to the next world, after a long drawn struggle with cancer. Leaving behind him 3 young cousins still schooling...

Life is fragile, and good men die young.

Halloween

Today is Halloween, and though in the past, it was never a real event in Singapore, recently, it has sort of caught up, such that people at least mention it over the radio. I guess it must be a result of globalisation, with Western traditions slowly seeping into our Oriental cities.

A theory on electricity prices

Recently, our electricity suppliers announced that they are going to increase the price of electricity. The reason? Rising oil prices being forecasted. It has raised quite some public feedback, citing that price determination in the electricity market is not transparent.

Why would they say that oil prices are rising, when they have actually fallen over the past few weeks?

I think it is due to the privatisation of our electricity market.

A successful campaign by the government to save electricity has actually resulted in people in Singapore using less electricity. What does this mean? Revenue for the electricity supplier has actually fallen.

But a private firm is governed by profit maximisation, as classic economics theory will tell you. And in an inelastic demand market such as electricity (you can only cut down your use by so much before it doesn't make sense anymore), a rise in price will see a less than proportionate drop in quantity demanded. What this means is that by raising prices, the company actually realises more revenue. And at less cost. Which means higher profits. Which for a private firm is actually not a bad thing at all.

Yet not a good thing at all for the general public. Which is why we need to avoid monopolies. Which is why we need government watchdogs to police our electricity supplier to ensure that it does not work against public interest for its own interest. Let's hope the watchdog actually does its job, rather than sing the same tune. After all, oil prices really are dropping. Just drive out to the petrol kiosk and take a look.

Treat foreigners with respect

This is a letter to Straits Times Forum page, published today, by Mr Thomas Hwang.

I guess Singaporeans need to realise that we were once all foreigners, just that our forefathers happened to come to Singapore earlier than others, and thus we are Singaporeans while others are not. Yet an immigrant nation needs to remember that we are made up of immigrants, and thus we must be willing to remain open to immigrants as they come and go, just as we come and go. At the end of the day, we are all human beings working hard towards fulfilling our own goals and dreams.

Risks of investing

The recent economic downturn has left many people in deep trouble. Such as retirees who invested in products that have since gone bust.

But to me, the real problem could well be the banks and their relations managers. Every bank wants to sell its investment products, but relations managers must not prey on the old. People are greedy by nature, but preying on greed and ignorance is downright wrong. Yes, there are risks to investments, and I am sure that the relations managers did highlight the existence of risks. But are the relations managers trying to help their customers, or trying to help themselves?

A responsible relations manager looks long term, and introduces investment products suitable for the person's taste of risk and current financial status. After all, I am sure banks would rather have returning customers, instead of having people call them asking for their money back. If all relations managers are responsible, we won't have retirees asking for their money back, since they will have understood the risks involved, and are probably able to take that risk.

So maybe this is a chance for people to relook into how they should be investing. It is a lesson with a high price, but maybe it will teach banks that they need to train their relations managers to be responsible, to introduce the right products to the right person, and not just look at churning out the dollars.

Singapore Grand Prix 2008

Today is the actual race of the Singapore Grand Prix, the first Formula One night race.

I won't say I am a F1 fan, or rather, I used to love watching F1 races on TV back when I was a kid. Back then, F1 races were shown on Saturday afternoons, and it was MacClaren Honda, not Mercedes. Nowadays, I don't even know how Raikonnen or Hamilton looks like. But since it is the big event happening in Singapore, I decided to watch it on TV like every other obedient Singaporean.

So Alonso won the race. And it goes to show just how unpredictable life can be. A fellow teammate's crash became an opportunity to be exploited. By a chain of human errors, the leading man came in at the bottom.

And even though this is not boxing, but just like boxing, things happen fast, decisions need to be made in split-seconds, and a small lapse in concentration can cause you to lose control, get hurt and lose the competition.

The official Singapore Grand Prix site

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Today seems to be "back to the good old days" day. Or rather, "let's remember the cartoon from my childhood" day.

So yet another cartoon series, one of those which I really loved, was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
The hero is He-Man, and he transforms from Prince Adam into his hero form by calling out "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power". And his cowardly cat Cringer becomes the fearsome Battlecat.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on Wikipedia

Silverhawks

Again, some of us may be old enough to remember this cartoon series that ran back in the late 1980s. It is about a group of heroes who are partly human and partly metal with the ability to fly and travel through space.

I guess the good part about living in present times is that with the Internet, one can relive the good old days.
Silverhawks on Wikipedia
Silverhawks episodes free at AOL Video

Visionaries - Knight of the Magical Light

Some of us may be old enough (and yet not too old) to remember this cartoon series that ran on TV in the late 1980s. It was a short series, unlike Transformers, but I did find it very interesting. Especially the rhymes that were recited for the heroes to activate their magical powers. I guess the line got discontinued because of production costs, since each action figure had a hologram on it, and it probably wasn't cheap making holograms in those days.

Visionaries - Knights of the Magical Light on Wikipedia
Visionaries Online
The Visionaries.net

Yet another year older

Yet another year has passed, and yet another year older I am.

Other people born on the same day

KPE - Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway

The KPE is supposed to ease traffic along the CTE... I don't know about the CTE, since I rarely use it, but because of the KPE, what used to be a 25-30min trip back home from work for me, now takes about 50min. So while the KPE may help to lift traffic congestion on one road, it is doing so at the expense of another road... So it is really not a solution to traffic congestion at all, it just transferred the problem from one part of Singapore to another. Overall, the traffic congestion problem is still there during peak hours.

Guess it is back to the drawing board...

Award scholarships later to working adults

This is a letter to Straits Times forum from someone else, who shares the same thought as myself. I wonder why Straits Times published his letter, when they did not publish mine when I sent it to them 3 years ago. Of course, TODAY published my letter.

"CLEARLY, awarding government scholarships goes beyond enabling needy students to obtain a university education. Given that some of the more prestigious awards are for studies at the world's top universities, the aim is more than to attract our ablest students, be they rich or poor, to enter public service. It is about identifying and grooming future leaders and ministers.

But how successful is this scheme today?

We have been awarding scholarships for the past 40-odd years. We should have a pool of a few thousand, including a few hundred 'prestigious' scholars. Yet, leaders perennially lament that not enough good people are coming forward to serve.

Apart from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and a few other scholars in the Cabinet, where are the rest? The Public Service Commission (PSC) has been silent on the bond-breaking rate. Do many break their bonds? Did the others leave after fulfilling their bond, or were they not up to mark? Indeed, a few have ended on the wrong side of the law.

Perhaps we should examine the selection timeline. Scholarships are given to young teenagers based on school records and A-level results, and on the promise and perception that they will take up, and are suitable for, public service upon graduation.

Clearly, a promise made today is not good enough. So, why not give out undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships at a later stage to working Singaporeans, who by then would be more exposed, experienced and wiser.

Selection criteria can also include actual efforts and contributions made in real - rather than solely on school - life. How many Sim Wong Hoos have we lost all these years with our current system of awarding scholarships?

Together with bond breaking, what is the loss to the country? The word 'merit' would have a more rounded, more comprehensive definition. More importantly, at this stage, one can better rate a scholar's character and integrity, and the important 'heart and desire to serve' factor. Should not the more prestigious ones, like the President and Overseas Merit Scholarships, at least be given out on this basis? After all, we are talking about selecting the best for Singapore's future.

Tan Soon Hock"

Singaporeans are better... not!

Somehow, living in this little red dot, we have been taught to think that we are better than others, that even though we don't have natural resources, we can make up for it using better technology and with better-trained people.

We think that with technology and better training, we will be able to counter problems that others are unable to solve. We think that we are better than them, that we can come up with solutions to problems that others are unable to tackle.

Others learnt their lessons through painful experience. They put 3 persons on the job, not because they are inefficient, not because they are not proficient, not because they are incompetent, and definitely not because they are stupid. They put 3 persons there because that is what works, and that is the number that is required, and with 3 persons, they know that should something unexpected happen, that is the number of people required to deal with the problem.

We Singaporeans think that with technology, better training, and because "we are better than them", we just need to put 1 person on the same job. Yes, a machine may be able to assist to cut down the manpower actually required to perform the job. But when something unexpected happens, the machine is not going to be there to help you come up with a contingency plan. If you need to do something outside the norm to solve the problem, the machine cannot help you if it was not designed to do those functions.

So we have "teach less, learn more". We want to expand our job scopes, yet at the same time downsize the organisation. We think we can do more with less, because our people are better. And we are always successful, because we define the criteria for success. It is hard for me to fail a test, in which the exam questions are set by me, and the test paper is marked by me. Sometimes I wonder if we are just lying to ourselves.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional festival celebrated by the Chinese. My JC celebrates this event yearly, and it is during the celebrations when we get to see the lion dance and wushu performances. We used to train hard for the performance. So this day brings back fond memories of the good old school days.

Remembering September 11

I still remember this day 7 years ago. I was in Japan and had a late night meeting. Just prior to the meeting, a colleague came in and said that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. We thought nothing more of that as the meeting carried on.

After the meeting, I turned on the television, and saw reports on the crash. And then, images of a smoking Pentagon came in. And next was a scene showing another aircraft crashing into the second tower at the World Trade Center. That's when I thought, "Oh my god!"

I quickly called my American friend (he was staying in Japan at the time) and told him to "turn on the news, it is on every channel".

I guess this day, 7 years ago, taught us that we must be ready for disasters, man-made or natural.

WALL-E

The latest Disney Pixar movie "WALL-E" is now showing in Singapore, and I was able to catch the show today. While it is an animated film, and will definitely catch the attention of kids with the cute robot voices, the background theme to this show sets on thinking about how we want to treat our Earth.

The story is set in the future, and starts by showing a scene of an Earth city, vaguely at first, until upon closer inspection, you see that the whole city is covered with trash. Besides empty skyscrapers, there are also skyscrapers made of junk. It is a scene of what "can be", if we allow it to happen.

Humans have long since left the trash-covered Earth, and now stay onboard spaceliners manned by robots and served their every needs by robots. With such a pampered lifestyle, they have grown fat and reliant on the robots. This is how we can become, if we choose to grow reliant on technology, if we allow technology to run our lives, rather than for technology to be an aid.


The super corporation B&L that runs this whole setup shows the danger of a central government that controls all and paints a picture for all to see, while hiding from the people certain aspects of life. This is a reminder of the wizard of Oz. While the government may provide for the needs of the people, the freedom to choose and act is what sets us apart from animals governed by instincts and needs. The scene in which a lady is jolted from her floating chair/screen shows us that there is a bigger world out there waiting for us to appreciate, if we are willing to look beyond what we are told or used to seeing.

Yes, so this is an animated film, but the themes behind it are definitely suitable for an adult audience, and is therefore a film that will benefit both young and old.

Beijing Olympics 2008 Closing Ceremony

After an impressive opening ceremony, I must say the closing ceremony was a disappointment.

It was simple, nothing elaborate, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to take your breath away. Just people entering the grounds, walking around, simple mass displays (although still with thousands of performers), and the usual singing.

I guess with such an impactful opening ceremony, everything else will pale in comparison, and it will be hard to keep up for future Olympics.

Remembering defeat

Today is the 63rd anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War Two. Time flies, generations have passed since the war, and the present generation knows little about the war besides what they learn from books. And to mark this memorable day, guess what the Japanese ministers did?

Japan ministers, but not premier, visit war shrine

Talk about learning from mistakes...

Yasukuni Shrine has so much controversy surrounding it not just because of the shrine proper (which enshrined war criminals, though its main purpose is to enshrine all those who died for the Japanese emperor), but because within the same compounds, there is a musuem that glorifies the deeds of those enshrined. This of course means the things that they did during World War Two. It is hard to convince your neighbours that you have learnt from your mistakes, if you continue to think that those mistakes are glorious deeds to be honoured.

National Day Parade 2008

After watching the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, all I can say is that our national day parade pales in comparison. While we obviously don't have 1.3 billion people to choose and work with, just comparing the fireworks is enough. Each year, we boast that we have superb fireworks during our national day parade. This year, we compare with what was seen during the Olympics opening ceremony, and that 5-minute fireworks that we had on National Day. It is something that just cannot be compared. They are in totally different leagues.

But still, parades serve their purpose, which is to show the world what a nation can do. The ability for a military to organise an event is similar to its ability to organise a military campaign.

Beijing Olympics 2008 Opening Ceremony

Just to share some thoughts on the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

In summary, it was impressive. After all, it is not everyday that you see a whole stadium of thousands of performers. More than 2000 drummers, covering the stadium floor, carrying out a traditional drum performance. Or that same number of people, doing a mass taiji/wushu display, so well coordinated. A few hundred people forming a moving typing press. The giant fireworks footsteps really seemed like a giant walking to the stadium. And many more. These mass displays made possible not by machines, but by the hard work and time spent on practice by human beings.
It goes to show just what is possible when China wants something bad enough, to throw in the resources, time and effort into making the Olympics a success. A nation that can do such a feat, even if challenged technologically and politically now, will no doubt be a player to watch out for in the future.

In the mass displays, China has shown the world the inventions that the Chinese have delivered that have influenced history. Now, it remains for us to see what the Chinese of the future have to deliver to put themselves back into being makers of history. And the first step is this historical event known as the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Service at the airport

I like to comment about the level of service in Singapore (see this post and this post).

Well, we were at the airport's new terminal today, and were really impressed by the floor manager at one of the restaurants. She is probably Indonesian, by looks and her name tag. She was always looking around the restaurant, keeping an eye out on which table needs to be cleared, which customers need their glasses filled, which customers have yet to place their orders, which customers seem to be waiting longer than they should for their orders.

The most important thing is, she follows up on all requests. If someone's food is not served yet, she checks with the kitchen, and then she goes back to the customer to let him or her know that the order is being prepared and will be served shortly. It is basic courtesy to get back to someone, and it is great service.

It reminded me of an incident in the past. We were staying at a local hotel, but the service wasn't that great. So when they sent us an online feedback form, we gave our honest feedback. The service staff that got back to us invited us to stay with them again, giving us a complimentary stay. We took up the offer. But on the day when we showed up, that service staff was not there to receive us. Talk about service, talk about sincerity.

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is power... Raistlin knows it better than anyone else.For his story, you can check out the books below.

Self-knowledge

Self-knowledge is power.

Only when you know yourself, when you know your own abilities, your own limits, your own strengths and weaknesses, will you be able to exploit your strengths, while avoid falling into your weaknesses.

The key to power is knowledge, and the first step is to know yourself.

Get Smart (the movie)

So I went out to catch a movie. Not any movie, but "Get Smart", which is a movie remake of the TV series "Get Smart". I used to watch the TV series back when I was much younger, so I was looking forward to catching it on the big screen.
The film isn't really that great. The plot is easy to follow, and what is good is probably the use of phrases that used to appear in the TV series. The cone of silence is of course upgraded from what it used to be during the TV series, but still malfunctions and doesn't allow anyone to hear anyone else outside their own cones. In conclusion, if you haven't watched the TV series before, you probably won't enjoy it as much, since you won't be able to catch the various references to the TV series. If you have watched the TV series, this movie is probably a 3.5-star. If not, it is probably a 3-star.

But of course, Anne Hathaway is one hot Agent 99.

Beachwear nation

An article in The Sunday Times today talks about Singaporeans wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops... basically, beachwear as everyday wear. Well, what is wrong with that? Singapore is a small little island, surrounded by the sea, and the beaches are never that far way.

Sail but can't swim?

Recently, an undergraduate passed away from a sailing incident in the waters off Singapore coast. What struck me was that the undergrad did not know how to swim. All sports have their inherent dangers, some being more dangerous than others. However, there are always ways to mitigate those risks. Learning to swim before getting into a sailboat is one of them. And if you know you can't swim, then you better wear a life jacket, even if it gets in the way of sailing. Because that is what is going to save you.

Water sports are dangerous. Yet, by not observing simple rules and following common sense (such as wearing a life jacket, especially when you don't know how to swim), you just end up putting yourself at greater risk. No one should be watching out for your safety more than yourself.

Even after swimming 15km in the sea before, I myself am careful, and wear my life jacket when on small boats. Even though I can swim in the sea (very much different from swimming in the pool), I rarely swim out more than 100m from the coast, since no one really knows when you can get swept away by the current.

Let's exercise some common sense, take care of our own safety, and not expect to blame others for our own mistakes.

Growing Artificial Societies: Social Science From the Bottom Up

This was the book from which I learnt about Sugarscape, and from there did my thesis (building my Bilateral Trade Simulator). It is a classic work on learning about emergence and mobile agents, about how global behaviour is more than the sum of individual behaviour, all using the world of Sugarscape.

For those interested in mobile agent technology and how it can be used in simulations, this is the book for you. For those who want to know how individual behaviour can affect social behaviour on a larger scale, this is the book for you. It may not be the most up-to-date text now, but it certainly serves as a very good introductory text to bring you into the world of emergent behaviour and multi-agent simulation.

D&D PDF downloads

I found some D&D books in PDF format at this blog here.

The files are actually stored here.

Watermelon sales

The sales of watermelons is about to increase by leaps and bounds...

Watermelon yields Viagra-like effects

Just remember, eating too many watermelons can cause you to have frequent visits to the washroom... and bring about higher blood sugar levels.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" was showing on TV last night, so I sat down and watched it, even though I have seen it before. Because it is a great show that showcases naval traditions originating from the age of sail.

Did you know, the show is actually based on a character created by Patrick O'Brian for his series of novels, with the first book being "Master and Commander"?
For me, the plot is not really that interesting. What catches my attention is the research done into the naval customs and traditions that were portrayed in the film. The traditional toast of the day for Saturday, "To wives and sweethearts, may they never meet" is one of them. The use of the boatswain's call to get people to do certain tasks is another longstanding naval tradition that still is in place today. And for those who don't know the origins of the phrase "to show your true colours", it actually came from this period as well, when ships hoisted up the flags of their nations (their true colours) before they engaged in battle. Other traditions, such as striking the bell to signal the change of watch (and using an hourglass to keep time) were also portrayed in the movie.

For a good book on naval customs and traditions, nothing beats Naval Ceremonies, Customs, and Traditions, Sixth Edition from the US Naval Institute.

Toyota Raum

As you know, I own a Honda Airwave. But my in-laws have a Toyota Raum (pictured above) and that is the car that I drive when I am in Japan.

Toyota makes fuel efficient cars.

Similar to the Toyota Vios (my previous car), the Raum is very fuel efficient. I was amazed that it was actually doing 100km/h just going at 2300rpm. Wow! That is so much more efficient compared to the Airwave. A pity that they don't have this car in Singapore.

My niece (part 2)

Born on 22 Apr 08, my niece is now more than a month old. Here is a picture of her sleeping, taken when we recently visited Japan.
All babies look cute!

Real service

I was at the supermarket (in Japan) with my mother-in-law. She had wanted to buy some rice, but the one that she was looking for was out of stock, or at least, there wasn't any more stock on the shelf. So she went to ask one of the store assistants if they still have any stock left.

In Singapore, a typical response would be "if you don't see it on the shelf, then it is out of stock". A more kind service staff would probably take the trouble to go behind into the storeroom to see if there is any more stock and let you know.

The staff in the Japanese supermarket went behind to check, and came back telling us that there is no more stock. However, a new batch will arrive the next day at 11:00, and he asked if we would like to leave him our name, so that he can arrange for a packet to be left at the service counter for us to collect on the next day.

That is what service is about.

A previous post about service in Singapore

Wagyu 和牛 Japanese beef

Japanese beef, aka wagyu 和牛 is famous. It is soft and tender and make delicious steaks. Because it has a lot more fatty tissue compared to beef you get from other countries.
We had a wonderful steak dinner, with seven of us sharing these six huge pieces of steak. Thanks go to my aunt-in-law, who always sends over high quality beef every time we visit my in-laws.

Focus on education, not examinations

After reading about the classes during school holidays, I wrote a letter Straits Times forum but it was not published.

"I read with interest the recent articles and letters on June vacation classes. I must say that I agree with Mr Calvin Ng, who suggested that schools may want to consider making these classes optional. What struck me most about these articles is that the focus of school seems to be making sure students do well in their examinations, rather than to provide an education.

Doing well in examinations only means that a child has acquired some technical skills that may be necessary to survive when he gets older. Yet to survive in life, one cannot just be able to do calculus or understand molecular structures or recite the modern history of Europe. A child will need to learn social skills to deal with the people that we must live with, and the moral values that form the basis of relationships within a society.

Rather than being cooped up in a classroom, a child needs to interact with people outside his fellow classmates to learn a wider set of social skills. He needs to go out and experience nature to see its beauty and realise for himself the need to conserve and preserve. He needs to open his eyes to the wonders and horrors of mankind's doing to see for himself the road set before him.

If a child's calling is not to do well in maths or history, why should we force it upon him? Isn't it more important to find out what he excels in, and develop it to help him move a step closer towards surviving in life? If schools are really interested in providing an education, they should look at providing programmes that develop their students' potential, rather than just help them score well for examinations."

Goodbye Kitty Hawk!

After 10 years being homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, USS Kitty Hawk is finally making her way home to the United States, and will soon retire from active service.

Fair winds and following seas!

School holiday? What holiday?

The full story at The Straits Times.

Basically, it seems that schools are getting more and more kiasu about making sure students do well for their exams. Besides PSLE seminars, now we have schools holding classes... when it is supposed to be the school vacations!

Is there really so much to learn in school? Whatever happened to following a fixed syllabus? Whatever happened to lesson plans? If there is so much to teach that teachers cannot finish teaching the syllabus within allocated school terms, then shouldn't we be reviewing the syllabus to cut it down? After all, we don't use integration and differentiation in our everyday life. You don't need to know how to calculate inverse tangents in order to get on the bus. And we obviously don't need to know the exact molecular composition of each and every protein that we eat.

School vacations/holidays are not just great breaks from the fixed classroom environment, it allows the child a chance to learn about things outside his usual circle, which is now mostly confined to the school since they spend so much time in it. A overseas trip can teach a child so much more about history, other cultures and even basic manners, that he won't be able to pick up in school. A simple fishing trip can teach patience. Even cycling along East Coast Park can open his/her eyes to the importance of maritime trade to Singapore as he/she sees the amount of merchant shipping passing through the Singapore Strait.

We don't need to teach our kids to be exam smart. They don't need to score As. They need to learn skills that will be useful to them in life, to help them succeed in what they want to do, not what we want them to do.

Other blogs talking about this:
keanandgreen
Chengxin rules the city
Command and Conquer - Take Control

Forum discussion on SGClub

Indiana Jones

This weekend was spent on Indiana Jones.

With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull out in the theatres, being someone who grew up watching the archaeologist's adventures, we decided that we needed to catch the latest instalment of the series, as well as refresh ourselves on the past episodes.

So we went to the movies, caught the latest one on the big screen, and also got ourselves a copy of the trilogy at the local DVD store. And went through the first three episodes over the weekend.

Did you know, that while the order the films was made was "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Temple of Doom" followed by "The Last Crusade", in terms of story time, "The Temple of Doom" comes first, taking place in 1935, followed by "Raiders of the Lost Ark" set in 1936, then "The Last Crusade" set in 1938. The Last Crusade has a few references to the earlier movies and tried to explain some of the background of our hero, such as why Indy hates snakes and how he got his fedora hat.

What is so catching about Indiana Jones? Well, the story may be simple, there may not be as many clues and puzzles compared to The Da Vinci Code or the National Treasures series. But it is full of action, action that is thrilling and when viewed on the big screen, makes you feel nervous for our hero as well. The "roller coaster" rides, the car chases, escaping certain death, falling from great heights, etc. all make the Indy movies so much more exciting compared to those "solve the puzzle" movies.

Of the 4 movies, the most interesting to me was "The Temple of Doom", with its dark themes of human sacrifice, slavery and cult worship. Being set in India, within a castle, also made it more interesting than cave crawling.

Well, don't just sit there, go watch the movie!

兄弟戏于墙、外御其侮

What does this verse from 诗经 (Book of Songs) mean? It means that while brothers may fight when within their own walls, they will stand together when confronted with external threat.

The ICJ ruling on Pedra Branca reminded me that there are many other disputed islands in the world. Japan happens to be involved in some of them. And two of them are classic cases of how "brothers" may "fight when within their own walls, they will stand together when confronted with external threat".

The Senkaku Islands are disputed by Japan, Taiwan and China. In this case, the "brothers" are China and Taiwan. Takeshima is disputed by Japan and the two Koreas. Obviously, in this case, the "brothers" are the two Koreas.

Pedra Branca

Pedra Branca is a small little island located at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait. It was claimed by both Singapore and Malaysia, and today, the International Court of Justice has ruled that the small island belongs to Singapore, while the rocks nearby, known as Middle Rocks, belongs to Malaysia. While the ICJ may think that this is fair (since Singapore's claim to this group of rocks stems from the operating of Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca, while Malaysia claims it through historical presence), this ruling is going to cause some real problems, since Middle Rocks and Pedra Branca are so close together, that trying to split them between two countries will probably cause more problems than solve them. Let's see how the two countries solve the problem of territorial waters now...

Farms in Singapore

We decided to spend our weekend going to the farms in Singapore, just to see something that is not a common sight in Singapore. After all, with all the commercial buildings and housing estates in Singapore, open areas such as farms are rare... some people may not even be aware that Singapore has farms!

Just a note... we happily forgot our camera, so all these pictures were taken from the sites of other people who have been to these same places.

First stop, Bollywood Veggies. This is a small farm at Neo Tiew Road (near Kranji area) that has plots of banana trees, some vegetables, and some other fruit trees.

For $2, you get to enter the farm for a self-guided tour. With our small little pamphlet in hand, we walked around the farm, looking at the various trees and vegetables (thankfully, they have signs so we know what they are). I didn't realise that there are so many variations of bananas.

There is also a bistro here called the Poison Ivy, where we had a drink and some snacks. The vegetables grown here are also being sold (we got some long beans) so if you like organic food, what better place to get some than from the farm itself.

A word of advice, the place is quite open, so if you come on a hot day, dress in shorts and short sleeves, and remember to bring a hat. Sunglasses would be great too. And the sprinklers are automatic... so don't be surprised if you get a shower while walking!

Next stop, Jurong Frog Farm! We wanted to see how frogs are bred for food (yes, we eat them... the Chinese consider the legs a delicacy). I don't know why it is called Jurong Frog Farm, since it is not in Jurong but at the Lim Chu Kang area.

And this is how a typical frog pen looks like... lots of frogs, sitting around doing nothing, growing fat and waiting to end up on a dinner table.

My wife's friend was at Qian Hu Fish Farm, so we decided to join them. It is at Tengah area, near the Home Team Academy.

Qian Hu Fish Farm offers a unique experience... they have something known as spa fishes that nibble away at dead skin. So we went to try it out. There are three ponds, two of them with small fishes (about 3cm to 5cm), while there is one pond with bigger fishes (about 15cm). You put your feet into these ponds, and the fishes gather around them to nibble at the dead skin on your feet. For someone who is very scared of being tickled, this was a "ticklish" experience. I could barely stand the small fishes nibbling at my feet. When the big ones came, I almost jumped! So if you are like me, stick to the pond with the small fishes.

Next time would be the dairy and goat farms...

Bollywood Veggies
Jurong Frog Farm
Qian Hu Fish Farm