This is the last day of 2008. In fact, the last 2 hours...
On Jan 15, 2008 I started this blog after my sinus surgery. I heard about blogs, read a few blogs but could not tell it apart from normal websites. Inspired by Paul Levy, the CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre after I met him at the Harvard Advanced Management Programme in May 2007 and learnt about his popular blog www.runningahospital.blogspot.com, I decided to give it a shot. My main motivation was to write about my experience before, during and after my sinus surgery. Being rather uninventive and thoroughly excited about my recovery (i.e I can smell and breathe again), I named my blog www.icansmell.blogspot.com. Yes, I can smell!
It is liberating to write and express my thoughts, my encounters, my learnings and yet I had to be careful about what I write least I am taken out of context. My blog is a conversation with myself but now I have come to know that many of my friends and colleagues are following it - perhaps just for the heck of it. My wife and kids read my blog. They liked what they read and as a result know even more about me and my days. In a strange way, we communicate via my blog as well.
I close 2008 with this 148th blog entry, satisfied that I have not just started something and left it uncompleted but am confident of following through with it.
2009 will be an exciting year for me. I plan to document my journey as I lived it along with many ramblings and rants. Hopefully, in my own little ways, I will make healthcare in Singapore an even better one, where the needs of the patients come first.
Happy new year!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Reflecting 2008
It is the eve of the eve of the new year. I can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for 2008.
As it is customary for me, I cleared all work from my desk for the new year. There was a pile on the left side of my table that i consider my "procrastination pile" - things that i convinced myself that i will soon find the time to do but... by the time i got to them today, guess what - they have all (but one) been overtaken by events and don't need further action. That one, I will start to do tomorrow because i have been saving it as a personal milestone :-)
Lots happened, some bad, lots more good.
At work:
I missed working with a great boss who left, but gained working with another great boss.
I lost a few good staff but gained a bunch who stayed and who became even better.
I was worried about how rising oil and commodity prices was going to affect the savings that we could achieve for our patients, but now we recapture planned savings and more.
At home:
I have a great wife who has become "better-est" (in the words of Minister Lim Swee Say's Better, Better-er, Better-est), she is not only an excellent helper but a source of encouragement as well.
My eldest daughter learnt to cycle yesterday.
Melody my No. 2 kid, moved on to the next grade in ballet and can now read well using phonics.
My son is chatty and is very cute!
Personally:
My nose is now as clear as KPE after a surgery (it used to be as congested as CTE).
I have been consistent with my exercise and covering greater distances with better ease. Fitness has improved.
My relationship with my family and with God has improved significantly.
I had my first real holiday in a few years with my family to Japan in November. I have so much to be thankful for in 2008.
What do I want for 2009? Let's start with divine protection and favour upon my family and friends...
As it is customary for me, I cleared all work from my desk for the new year. There was a pile on the left side of my table that i consider my "procrastination pile" - things that i convinced myself that i will soon find the time to do but... by the time i got to them today, guess what - they have all (but one) been overtaken by events and don't need further action. That one, I will start to do tomorrow because i have been saving it as a personal milestone :-)
Lots happened, some bad, lots more good.
At work:
I missed working with a great boss who left, but gained working with another great boss.
I lost a few good staff but gained a bunch who stayed and who became even better.
I was worried about how rising oil and commodity prices was going to affect the savings that we could achieve for our patients, but now we recapture planned savings and more.
At home:
I have a great wife who has become "better-est" (in the words of Minister Lim Swee Say's Better, Better-er, Better-est), she is not only an excellent helper but a source of encouragement as well.
My eldest daughter learnt to cycle yesterday.
Melody my No. 2 kid, moved on to the next grade in ballet and can now read well using phonics.
My son is chatty and is very cute!
Personally:
My nose is now as clear as KPE after a surgery (it used to be as congested as CTE).
I have been consistent with my exercise and covering greater distances with better ease. Fitness has improved.
My relationship with my family and with God has improved significantly.
I had my first real holiday in a few years with my family to Japan in November. I have so much to be thankful for in 2008.
What do I want for 2009? Let's start with divine protection and favour upon my family and friends...
Monday, December 29, 2008
My Daughter Brittney Can Cycle!!!
Brittney, my eldest daughter finally managed to cycle at the Pasir Ris Park today!
It is with the help of the lady at the bicycle rental shop at Carpark C of the Pasir Ris park. She really loves to teach children to cycle, and I am happy that Brittney had the good fortune of her teaching.
My wife and I are so so so proud of Brittney and the sight of our daughter finally being able to cycle is unforgetable! Watch the video to see why.
Hurray!!!!!!!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Year 2009 will be The ACCEPTABLE year of the Lord
Amidst gloom and doom predictions about 2009, I heard good news at my church service today that I believe will set the tone for next year.
The message today is that year 2009 will be the Acceptable Year of the Lord!
Jesus, in Luke 4:18 -20 was asked to read the scripture. It "happened" to be a passage from the book of prophet Isaiah. He read:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me,
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the Acceptable year of the Lord."
Then he closed the book and said to all in the synagogue "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
In hebrew, "Acceptable" is the word "Ratson" which means Delight, Favour and Acceptable.
In Greek, it is the word "Dektos" which denotes the most blessed time where salvation and the free favours of God profusely abound.
For 2009 to be The Acceptable Year of the Lord means that it will be year filled with Delight, favour and acceptance where salvation and free favours of God profusely abound. My family and I said "Amen" to this!
The question is, why is 2009 the acceptable year of the Lord, when it has been written 2000 years ago. My pastor explained that the passage that Jesus read out in Luke was taken from the book of Isaiah Chapter 61, which took its context from the previous passage Chapter 60. Going back to Isaiah 60, the context described was one where "darkness cover all the earth, and deep darkness over the people..." - the same context today (2008) of doom and gloom that surround the world with the financial meltdown and economies of the world brought into deep recession (often compared to the great depression in the 1930s) and lifes of many are affected as jobs are lost. Hence, the acceptable year described in Isaiah 61 is for 2009!
Year 2009 may not be so bad afterall if we believe in our hearts what God wills for us...Delight, Favour, Acceptable and the year will be one where the free favours of God PROFUSELY abound!
I will this to all believers and to me and my household. Afterall, the scripture is fulfilled in our hearing - have you heard?
The message today is that year 2009 will be the Acceptable Year of the Lord!
Jesus, in Luke 4:18 -20 was asked to read the scripture. It "happened" to be a passage from the book of prophet Isaiah. He read:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me,
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the Acceptable year of the Lord."
Then he closed the book and said to all in the synagogue "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
In hebrew, "Acceptable" is the word "Ratson" which means Delight, Favour and Acceptable.
In Greek, it is the word "Dektos" which denotes the most blessed time where salvation and the free favours of God profusely abound.
For 2009 to be The Acceptable Year of the Lord means that it will be year filled with Delight, favour and acceptance where salvation and free favours of God profusely abound. My family and I said "Amen" to this!
The question is, why is 2009 the acceptable year of the Lord, when it has been written 2000 years ago. My pastor explained that the passage that Jesus read out in Luke was taken from the book of Isaiah Chapter 61, which took its context from the previous passage Chapter 60. Going back to Isaiah 60, the context described was one where "darkness cover all the earth, and deep darkness over the people..." - the same context today (2008) of doom and gloom that surround the world with the financial meltdown and economies of the world brought into deep recession (often compared to the great depression in the 1930s) and lifes of many are affected as jobs are lost. Hence, the acceptable year described in Isaiah 61 is for 2009!
Year 2009 may not be so bad afterall if we believe in our hearts what God wills for us...Delight, Favour, Acceptable and the year will be one where the free favours of God PROFUSELY abound!
I will this to all believers and to me and my household. Afterall, the scripture is fulfilled in our hearing - have you heard?
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Lessons from Riding the Bicycle
I tried to teach my daughter how to ride the bicycle today.There are 3 lessons that I receive from the lesson that I attempted to give.
Firstly, balance is personal. As much as I would like to help my daughter find the balance while riding the bicycle, she has to personally discover that balance. How true it is in life too isn't it?
Second, the more you concentrate to avoid an object while learning to ride the bicycle, the greater the chance that you will hit it. That was exactly what happened to my daughter today. My friend who went to Yosimite to ski recently crashed into something that he consciously told himself to avoid. His ski trainer subsequently told him that the way to avoid something while skiing is to look ahead and not think about the object. Again, how true it is in life?
Thirdly, learn to let go. I could not bear to let my daughter fall and hence at every opportunity I held on to her bike. She was largely unsuccessful as a result. Then came the bicycle rental lady. She told my daughter that she should only remember 2 things, look ahead and cycle continuously. With that she gave my daughter a push and instructed her to cycle. That was the first time I saw my daughter balance and cycle for some distance. Instead of holding on tightly to the bicycle for my daughter, I gave her the push and off she went. She made major improvements and i think she is close to finding her balance when we return the next 2 days. Any resemblance to life's lesson about letting go?
Balance, look ahead and let go... this is how we cycle through life's journey!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Robinson Christmas Sale - No sign of Recession
Robinson has outdone itself sale after sale. Her Christmas sale held on the 25th and 26th December 2008 where there is storewide 20% discount, with card holder getting another 10% attracted huge crowds. No wonder, Robinson calls it the Traffic Stopping Sale!
I was there on both days with my wife and particularly enjoyed watching people doing their shopping. Based on the amount that I see people buying, I can't tell that we are in recession. Maybe Singaporeans are heeding SM Goh Chok Tong's call to "shop our way out of recession"? Or, perhaps, people are capitalising on the better prices to buy their 'stock' for 2009 and aim to spend less for the rest of next year.
I must say that I got some very good deals - paid less than half for similar items that I was looking out at Robinson during non-sale seasons. Being someone who do not particularly enjoy shopping, I am very happy with the savings I've got.
I was there on both days with my wife and particularly enjoyed watching people doing their shopping. Based on the amount that I see people buying, I can't tell that we are in recession. Maybe Singaporeans are heeding SM Goh Chok Tong's call to "shop our way out of recession"? Or, perhaps, people are capitalising on the better prices to buy their 'stock' for 2009 and aim to spend less for the rest of next year.
I must say that I got some very good deals - paid less than half for similar items that I was looking out at Robinson during non-sale seasons. Being someone who do not particularly enjoy shopping, I am very happy with the savings I've got.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Singapore Flyer Outage... let's take it in the spirit of christmas
The various media today were flooded with news about the Singapore Flyer power failure with over 170 people stuck for more than 6 hours. It must have been quite a ride for the people stuck up there, and one where many will remember for many years to come. The bright spark in this "storm" is many will continue to talk about Singapore back in their own country, and hopefully the better part of their visit as well.As I watch snippets of the media conference, I saw a tired General Manager of Singapore Flyer with ruffled hair trying to explain various aspects leading to the flyer failure. True, there are many questions that need to be answered, improvements that can be made, service recovery to be done. However, I am concerned that in the Singapore culture that we have come to know of, he may have to take responsibility and resign. I hope that I will be proven wrong, provided no wilful neglect is uncovered in the investigation. Can we be a society that is big-hearted enough to accept that something can go wrong and learn to be better?
It is Christmas time, let the spirit of the season show.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Untimed break from Blogging...
For more than a week now, I have been taking a break from blogging.
It is the time of the year that things are "forced" to slow down because colleagues are clearing leave, patients are putting their non-urgent sickness "on hold" and we all enter a time of reflections for the coming year.
I have been catching up with readings, clearing things that were repeated overtaken by urgent and more important matters, putting things in their correct places (will try though), and taking deliberate time to think and organise key milestones for 2009.
One thing that has come up as top priority is my own health. For 3 months now, I managed to stick to my fitness regime of running at least 3km 3 times a week followed by weights training. I am definitely physically fitter now and i have started to enjoy my runs. Last week, during one of my runs, I decided to try something new that I read - smile when i run, and found that the smile helped with conditioning my psyche and I ran my fastest 3km ever...still raring to go on at the end of the run!
I enjoy receiving Christmas and Season greeting cards very much, especially those who takes the time to pen a few words. There is a special feeling about being remembered, being able to keep in touch. This is the reason why I have continued with card sending as a year end routine even though I am told that this practice enlarges my carbon footprint. E-cards just don't mean the same. There is a nagging feeling that those cards could have been keyed in by somebody's secretary! So i will keep sending the cards and find other ways to compensate my carbon footprint...
Today, I attended a funeral. My brother-in-law's mom who is 82 years passed away, having suffered parkinson disease for the last 22 years. Her entire family came back to Singapore, including my brother-in-law who lives in Holland. Although it was a sad occasion, I am told that this is the first time that the whole family unite after so many years. Hence, it was a time of bonding, of healing and of restoration of ties that have gone sour. Now, I visualise her looking down from heaven and pleased that her family is together. I missed my church christmas celebration so that i could attend the funeral with my mom and dad and feel that this is time well spent!
It will be Christmas next week! My favourite time of the year! In fact, I think I enjoy the journey leading up to Christmas than the day itself. Of course, Christmas is of significance to me and my family. It is the day that Jesus, our saviour was born to die for all my sin (past, present and future), so that I may live a life more abundantly. That I may have Hope to know that I am Greatly blessed, High Favoured and Deeply Loved.
I have many things to be thankful for, and among them are many of you who read this blog. I pray that you will have a joyous christmas with family and friends, and may your 2009 will be filled with love, peace and joy that surpasses all understanding!
http://www.icansmell.blogspot.com/
It is the time of the year that things are "forced" to slow down because colleagues are clearing leave, patients are putting their non-urgent sickness "on hold" and we all enter a time of reflections for the coming year.
I have been catching up with readings, clearing things that were repeated overtaken by urgent and more important matters, putting things in their correct places (will try though), and taking deliberate time to think and organise key milestones for 2009.
One thing that has come up as top priority is my own health. For 3 months now, I managed to stick to my fitness regime of running at least 3km 3 times a week followed by weights training. I am definitely physically fitter now and i have started to enjoy my runs. Last week, during one of my runs, I decided to try something new that I read - smile when i run, and found that the smile helped with conditioning my psyche and I ran my fastest 3km ever...still raring to go on at the end of the run!
I enjoy receiving Christmas and Season greeting cards very much, especially those who takes the time to pen a few words. There is a special feeling about being remembered, being able to keep in touch. This is the reason why I have continued with card sending as a year end routine even though I am told that this practice enlarges my carbon footprint. E-cards just don't mean the same. There is a nagging feeling that those cards could have been keyed in by somebody's secretary! So i will keep sending the cards and find other ways to compensate my carbon footprint...
Today, I attended a funeral. My brother-in-law's mom who is 82 years passed away, having suffered parkinson disease for the last 22 years. Her entire family came back to Singapore, including my brother-in-law who lives in Holland. Although it was a sad occasion, I am told that this is the first time that the whole family unite after so many years. Hence, it was a time of bonding, of healing and of restoration of ties that have gone sour. Now, I visualise her looking down from heaven and pleased that her family is together. I missed my church christmas celebration so that i could attend the funeral with my mom and dad and feel that this is time well spent!
It will be Christmas next week! My favourite time of the year! In fact, I think I enjoy the journey leading up to Christmas than the day itself. Of course, Christmas is of significance to me and my family. It is the day that Jesus, our saviour was born to die for all my sin (past, present and future), so that I may live a life more abundantly. That I may have Hope to know that I am Greatly blessed, High Favoured and Deeply Loved.
I have many things to be thankful for, and among them are many of you who read this blog. I pray that you will have a joyous christmas with family and friends, and may your 2009 will be filled with love, peace and joy that surpasses all understanding!
http://www.icansmell.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
US$25 a barrel of Oil?
Price of Oil has dropped from a peak of US$150 to about US$40 and then to US$25?A week ago, OPEC president Chakib Khelil said there is no "floor" for the price of a barrel of oil. "Prices can drop to a very, very low level."
Monday, December 8, 2008
Education during the Financial crisis
The impact of the current financial crisis is very real.
Huge companies crashed, the stock markets tanked, major car makers in US looking for govt help (even Toyota sliced jobs!), COE dived, Commodities - the darling of the season slide, oil prices at all time low, spending reduced, loans are harder to get.
By the Grace of God, I am generally out of the market and can afford to watch how the crisis unfold. I am taking time to educate myself about the financial crisis so that I can side-step any obvious landmine.
There are many points of view about what to do in this crisis. Many compared it to the Great Depression in the 1930's where the impact will be depression and deflation. Our PM said in a latest interview that he does not think that deflation is on the cards, the economy will recover in about 3 quarters and then followed by a long period of slow growth. When compared to the other predictions out there, this is a good scanario and I wish that this is the outcome for Singapore.
Follow this link to an article discussing the prospect of depression and deflation. An interesting read but anybody's guess.
Huge companies crashed, the stock markets tanked, major car makers in US looking for govt help (even Toyota sliced jobs!), COE dived, Commodities - the darling of the season slide, oil prices at all time low, spending reduced, loans are harder to get.
By the Grace of God, I am generally out of the market and can afford to watch how the crisis unfold. I am taking time to educate myself about the financial crisis so that I can side-step any obvious landmine.
There are many points of view about what to do in this crisis. Many compared it to the Great Depression in the 1930's where the impact will be depression and deflation. Our PM said in a latest interview that he does not think that deflation is on the cards, the economy will recover in about 3 quarters and then followed by a long period of slow growth. When compared to the other predictions out there, this is a good scanario and I wish that this is the outcome for Singapore.
Follow this link to an article discussing the prospect of depression and deflation. An interesting read but anybody's guess.
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