Wednesday, August 31, 2005
And he thought I forgot
小猫 thought I had completely forgotten. Fat chance. And I am going to let the whole world know today is his big day.小猫 will be surprised that I got him a couple birthday presents as well. A music box with a cat theme and a white porcelain cat. Both items were from Switzerland, and to be precise, from Bern. Yes, I planned and executed early. Must confess though the items sounded expensive, but they are really el cheapo! And both are so small they can go into my trousers pocket.
Now how do I deliver the gifts to him? I hardly see him anymore.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Long Time No See
Pean is an old friend from MIT days. Since my graduation in 1983, we only met up 5 times. Once in San Francisco, thrice in Singapore and once in Kuala Lumpur. Without fail, each time we meet, he would ask about my spiritual walk.Still remember his wedding banquet in Kuala Lumpur. The cold dish came with a bowl of 8 tiny goldfish swimming in it. Not sure whether they were meant to be served as sashimi or they were for some goldfish swallowing initiation ritual.
It was good to see him with his wife Shirley and 2 daughters this evening. I should have brought my camera. Not sure when would I see him again. But at the rate he ages, if I see him again in 5 years time, he would still look very much the same as in the picture here taken some 22 years ago!
Monday, August 29, 2005
Rainy Days and Mondays
Talkin' to myself and feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
What I've got they used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.
What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out
We know what it's all about
Hangin' aroundNothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
What I've got they used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.
What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out
We know what it's all about
Hangin' aroundNothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
Farewell Lunch and Welcome Dinner
I asked Choon Kok some 3 months back for lunch. Just wanted to thank him for all the support he rendered me during the past 2.5 years in my department. Just as I had given up trying, my secretary ran into my office to and exclaimed, "He agreed. He can make lunch today." I could see the excitement and relief in her face. She must have known the desire of my heart and tried very hard to get Choon Kok to accept the invitation. At last she succeeded.
Lunch was great - Lobster noodles at Royal China. Yummy yummy ... And the company? That would be for me to know and for you to find out. : )
And I forgot that the same evening there was a welcome dinner for John Palmer at Liang Kee. ANother big meal. Great food, wonderful company.
Lunch was great - Lobster noodles at Royal China. Yummy yummy ... And the company? That would be for me to know and for you to find out. : )
And I forgot that the same evening there was a welcome dinner for John Palmer at Liang Kee. ANother big meal. Great food, wonderful company.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Sunday Routine
Got up early to do my laundry. My place was a mess. I had fallen asleep early last night after a glass of red wine. The three quarter filled bottle was there to prove that indeed I had only one glass and no more.
Sent mom to church and I went looking for a pair of shoes. Too bad, couldn't find any. Never knew my feet were so small. At the rate things are going, I might as well look for women sizes.
Decided to go for a workout in the gym. My trainer Vynx came with his girlfriend Rowena. That didn't motivate me at all. In fact got me more self conscious and a little tensed up. Help! I am getting out of shape again. I wish I am 8kg lighter.
I couldn't sleep again and I have a long day tomorrow. I think I know what is bothering me.
Sent mom to church and I went looking for a pair of shoes. Too bad, couldn't find any. Never knew my feet were so small. At the rate things are going, I might as well look for women sizes.
Decided to go for a workout in the gym. My trainer Vynx came with his girlfriend Rowena. That didn't motivate me at all. In fact got me more self conscious and a little tensed up. Help! I am getting out of shape again. I wish I am 8kg lighter.
I couldn't sleep again and I have a long day tomorrow. I think I know what is bothering me.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Lost 3 things in one night
This is going to be hard to beat. I lost 3 items in one night.
Recalled I put my deck shoes into the Nike shoe bag. I also had my Nokia 3100 office phone with me. Took a taxi from Cactus Drive to Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 and the next thing I knew was that the bag with my shoes were gone. Not so sure about the handphone though. Very likely I dropped it. I couldn't have been more careless.
Contacted the cab company but they didn't find anything. Cancelled my phone line immediately to prevent unauthorised use. nd believe it or not, looking for suitable replacements are even more difficult. I couldn't find a pair of deck shores that fit my small feet (7.5). THe smallest they have is 8.5! Also, should I seriously consider O2 mini?
Recalled I put my deck shoes into the Nike shoe bag. I also had my Nokia 3100 office phone with me. Took a taxi from Cactus Drive to Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 and the next thing I knew was that the bag with my shoes were gone. Not so sure about the handphone though. Very likely I dropped it. I couldn't have been more careless.
Contacted the cab company but they didn't find anything. Cancelled my phone line immediately to prevent unauthorised use. nd believe it or not, looking for suitable replacements are even more difficult. I couldn't find a pair of deck shores that fit my small feet (7.5). THe smallest they have is 8.5! Also, should I seriously consider O2 mini?
Friday, August 26, 2005
Heintze is in town
Met up with Michael Heintze for lunch today. Michael was on his yearly round to the Far East. First met him some 11 years back. Last saw him in May when I was in Switzerland. A PhD in nuclear physics who decided that finance is more fun. :)
I am really getting old. I can only remember we had Indian food on the third floor of Raffles City. But what is the name of the restaurant? Oh boy.
I am really getting old. I can only remember we had Indian food on the third floor of Raffles City. But what is the name of the restaurant? Oh boy.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
H5N1: FAQ
I compiled a FAQ on the subject for my own reference. You may find it useful.
1. Why the urgency now?
When doctors announced the deaths of 6 people in Hong Kong from a new form of flu (H5N1) in 1997, it made few headlines. The jump across the species barrier was a surprise, but the outbreak seemed like a storm in a distant teacup.
Since the Hong Kong outbreak, the H5N1 virus has spread across Asia and infected another 100 or so people, killing around half. So far, all the victims appear to have contracted the virus after direct exposure to birds.
But now the same virus has turned up in many places. Last week Russian scientists revealed that thousands of domestic birds around the Chelyabinsk region of the Ural mountains had perished after contracting H5N1, which had apparently been transported there by migrating birds.
2. What is the good news?
The virus has so far failed to repeat the feat it first achieved in Hong Kong (infecting 18 killing 6 in a short time before it disappeared in HongKong), There is only one probable human-to-human transmission. The bad news is that many experts think that it is only a matter of time before it succeeds.
3. How likely is human-to-human transmission?
Each time the virus succeeds in infecting humans, it increases the chances of triggering the nightmare scenario: human-to-human transmission. The consequences could hardly be more worrying. Some scientists are already drawing parallels with the so-called Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, in which another bird flu virus - code-named H1N1 - hit the right genetic combination needed to trigger human-to-human transmission. The resulting pandemic led to at least 20 million deaths, double the number of people killed in the First World War.
4. What is the advice from experts?
Prof Neil Ferguson, an expert on virus epidemics at Imperial College, London advised that "The 1918 scenario is within what people should be planning for." Such an epidemic is most likely to start once the H5N1 virus infects someone already harbouring standard human flu. "Then the two viruses can recombine to produce a type capable of human-to-human transmission," he says. "We're worried because this bird virus is so lethal. It kills 50 per cent of those infected at the moment, though that could change once it gets into humans." [The virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic killed only a few per cent of those it infected.]
Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) made clear its concern about the spread of H5N1 beyond south-east Asia. It called for close surveillance of the situation in Russia, and checks on respiratory patients who may have been exposed to sick birds. It has begun negotiations to stockpile anti-viral drugs, which both reduce the symptoms of those already infected and provide some protection against the virus.
British Health Officials pointed out that any vaccine based on the current strain of H5N1 could prove useless against a human-to-human version.
Despite the efforts to avert a pandemic, many experts remain sanguine about our ability to cope with the threat. They point out that the virus is still confined almost entirely to the bird population, making control of an outbreak relatively simple. As soon as tests confirm the presence of the virus in a flock, the plan of action is dramatic and draconian: rapid and massive culling. The strategy stopped the original Hong Kong outbreak in 1997. It also halted an outbreak of the H7N7 bird flu, which also infected humans, in Holland in 2003.
5. What is my take on the situation?
Some comfort can come from considering the following facts:
1. Why the urgency now?
When doctors announced the deaths of 6 people in Hong Kong from a new form of flu (H5N1) in 1997, it made few headlines. The jump across the species barrier was a surprise, but the outbreak seemed like a storm in a distant teacup.
Since the Hong Kong outbreak, the H5N1 virus has spread across Asia and infected another 100 or so people, killing around half. So far, all the victims appear to have contracted the virus after direct exposure to birds.
But now the same virus has turned up in many places. Last week Russian scientists revealed that thousands of domestic birds around the Chelyabinsk region of the Ural mountains had perished after contracting H5N1, which had apparently been transported there by migrating birds.
2. What is the good news?
The virus has so far failed to repeat the feat it first achieved in Hong Kong (infecting 18 killing 6 in a short time before it disappeared in HongKong), There is only one probable human-to-human transmission. The bad news is that many experts think that it is only a matter of time before it succeeds.
3. How likely is human-to-human transmission?
Each time the virus succeeds in infecting humans, it increases the chances of triggering the nightmare scenario: human-to-human transmission. The consequences could hardly be more worrying. Some scientists are already drawing parallels with the so-called Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, in which another bird flu virus - code-named H1N1 - hit the right genetic combination needed to trigger human-to-human transmission. The resulting pandemic led to at least 20 million deaths, double the number of people killed in the First World War.
4. What is the advice from experts?
Prof Neil Ferguson, an expert on virus epidemics at Imperial College, London advised that "The 1918 scenario is within what people should be planning for." Such an epidemic is most likely to start once the H5N1 virus infects someone already harbouring standard human flu. "Then the two viruses can recombine to produce a type capable of human-to-human transmission," he says. "We're worried because this bird virus is so lethal. It kills 50 per cent of those infected at the moment, though that could change once it gets into humans." [The virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic killed only a few per cent of those it infected.]
Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) made clear its concern about the spread of H5N1 beyond south-east Asia. It called for close surveillance of the situation in Russia, and checks on respiratory patients who may have been exposed to sick birds. It has begun negotiations to stockpile anti-viral drugs, which both reduce the symptoms of those already infected and provide some protection against the virus.
MOH has also drawn up strategies to combat H5N1 and made contingency plans for dealing with an outbreak [reference MOH website.]
British Health Officials pointed out that any vaccine based on the current strain of H5N1 could prove useless against a human-to-human version.
Despite the efforts to avert a pandemic, many experts remain sanguine about our ability to cope with the threat. They point out that the virus is still confined almost entirely to the bird population, making control of an outbreak relatively simple. As soon as tests confirm the presence of the virus in a flock, the plan of action is dramatic and draconian: rapid and massive culling. The strategy stopped the original Hong Kong outbreak in 1997. It also halted an outbreak of the H7N7 bird flu, which also infected humans, in Holland in 2003.
5. What is my take on the situation?
Some comfort can come from considering the following facts:
- There have been 60 to 70 human deaths out of several billion in Asia. There are many more deaths on Bangkok's roads over Songklan Holidays (2 or 3 days).
- This virus has had lots of opportunities across Asia to mutate but hasn't, so the probability must really be very low.
On the other hand, any contingency plan we may want to put in place would take time to complete. I would strongly recommend that we pay some attention to the possibility of a bird flu pandemic now. For example taking stock of what we already have in place and identify what else might be needed should such bird flu strikes. Moreover, bird flu is just a good focus/frame for planning. Even if it doesn't turn into a pandemic, the plan we have in place would make us more resilient.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
From Sibiu, Romania
Received a postcard from Jack Ferrucci from Sibiu, Romania. I had no clue about the city except what I saw on the picture. I envy Jack. He is retired and has all the time to enjoy life. As for me, I still have to earn a living in the foreseeable future.So what have I learnt about Sibiu? Long ago (1700), Sibiu was the last outpost of western Europe, as it was the farthest place where mail from across Europe was delivered to. The defensive walls dating from the 14th century still carry memories of the fierce battles that were fought here; Sibiu was the strongest fortress in Transylvania, never conquered. Sibiu was founded nearly a millennium ago (about 1190 AD).
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Spreading Fear
Shared with some industry players the 3 threats we should continue to pay attention to. Indeed we have done much to reduce our vulnerabilities, but the question what else can be done to reduce our vulnerabilities (both known and unknown) further?
Terrorism is high on the list. Beyond the steel bollards, tempered glass, the hardening of critical infrastructures, what about the soft targets? Protection is one aspect, we still have to deal with the event itself and the recovery issues.
Recalled Morgan Stanley was a tenant in World Trade Center in New York with some 3700 employees at the time of Sep 11. All escaped except 6. There is something we can learn from their evacuation plan.
Noted also that Mizuho (another tenant of World Trade Center) issued emergency kits to their staff. Each kit contained smoke mask, burn cream, glow stick among other things. These kits were strapped to the employees' seats. Wow ...
The other 2 threats are cyber attacks and bird flu (H5N1) which I will share more when I have the time.
Terrorism is high on the list. Beyond the steel bollards, tempered glass, the hardening of critical infrastructures, what about the soft targets? Protection is one aspect, we still have to deal with the event itself and the recovery issues.
Recalled Morgan Stanley was a tenant in World Trade Center in New York with some 3700 employees at the time of Sep 11. All escaped except 6. There is something we can learn from their evacuation plan.
Noted also that Mizuho (another tenant of World Trade Center) issued emergency kits to their staff. Each kit contained smoke mask, burn cream, glow stick among other things. These kits were strapped to the employees' seats. Wow ...
The other 2 threats are cyber attacks and bird flu (H5N1) which I will share more when I have the time.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Monday Monday
Ping jing de ri zi yi tian tian guo qu
Yu yi tian tian zou yuan
Qiu tian yue lai yue shen de shi hou cai zhi dao qiang wai de
Xian hua dou yi jing diao xie
Sui yue jiu zhe yang wu qing de ba wo zui mei hao de qing
Chun ye dai zou le
Ke shi wo reng ran zhao bu dao wo de xing fu
平靜的日子已天天過去
又一天天走遠
秋天越來越深的時候才知道牆外的鮮花都已經凋謝
歲月就這樣無情的把我最美好的青春也帶走了
可是我仍然找不到我的幸福
Yu yi tian tian zou yuan
Qiu tian yue lai yue shen de shi hou cai zhi dao qiang wai de
Xian hua dou yi jing diao xie
Sui yue jiu zhe yang wu qing de ba wo zui mei hao de qing
Chun ye dai zou le
Ke shi wo reng ran zhao bu dao wo de xing fu
平靜的日子已天天過去
又一天天走遠
秋天越來越深的時候才知道牆外的鮮花都已經凋謝
歲月就這樣無情的把我最美好的青春也帶走了
可是我仍然找不到我的幸福
Sunday, August 21, 2005
A New Day
Woke up at 4 on a Sunday morning. Know I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again till this evening. Decided to sleep on the floor in the living room. Reflecting on the 2 movies I watched yesterday - Mystery of the Nile and Mystical India. Kinda admire Swami Narayan's courage to leave home at the age of 7. I don't quite agree with his teaching but the ability to stand the cold of Himalaya and to live without fear are things I know I would ponder upon for many days to come.
It's visit mom's day again. Better get her her Ensure. Need to buy a mike as well. I need to practise the 2 songs for my class on Thursday.
Tonight is payback time. Yes, I need to buy Stanley and his wife, Jaz and her husband dinner. Will bring William and mom along to Raffles Town Club Chinese Restaurant.
It's visit mom's day again. Better get her her Ensure. Need to buy a mike as well. I need to practise the 2 songs for my class on Thursday.
Tonight is payback time. Yes, I need to buy Stanley and his wife, Jaz and her husband dinner. Will bring William and mom along to Raffles Town Club Chinese Restaurant.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Alphabets for the Aging Population
Age before Beauty is what we once said,
But let's be a bit more realistic instead.
Now A's for arthritis;
B's the bad back,
C is the chest pains, perhaps car-di -ac?
D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight, can't read that top line!
F is for fissures and fluid retention,
G is for gas which I'd rather not mention.
H is high blood pressure--I'd rather it low;
I for incisions with scars you can show.
J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend,
K is for knees that crack when they bend.
L for libido, what happened to sex?
M is for memory, I forget what comes next
N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low;
O is for osteo, the bones that don't grow!
P for prescriptions, I have quite a few,
just give me a pill and I'll be good as new!
Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?
R for reflux, one meal turns to two.
S for sleepless nights, counting my fears,
T for Tinnitus; there's bells in my ears!
U is for urinary; big troubles with flow;
V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy," you know.
W is for worry, NOW what's going 'round?
X is for X ray, and what might be found.
Y is another year I'm left here behind,
Z is for zest that I still have-- in my mind.
I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed,
and I've kept twenty-six 'doctors' fully employed.
But let's be a bit more realistic instead.
Now A's for arthritis;
B's the bad back,
C is the chest pains, perhaps car-di -ac?
D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight, can't read that top line!
F is for fissures and fluid retention,
G is for gas which I'd rather not mention.
H is high blood pressure--I'd rather it low;
I for incisions with scars you can show.
J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend,
K is for knees that crack when they bend.
L for libido, what happened to sex?
M is for memory, I forget what comes next
N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low;
O is for osteo, the bones that don't grow!
P for prescriptions, I have quite a few,
just give me a pill and I'll be good as new!
Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?
R for reflux, one meal turns to two.
S for sleepless nights, counting my fears,
T for Tinnitus; there's bells in my ears!
U is for urinary; big troubles with flow;
V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy," you know.
W is for worry, NOW what's going 'round?
X is for X ray, and what might be found.
Y is another year I'm left here behind,
Z is for zest that I still have-- in my mind.
I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed,
and I've kept twenty-six 'doctors' fully employed.
