First class plane ride from Budget terminal

As the age of retirement dawns, I’m preparing for it by exploring less expensive ways of living my life without giving up the pleasures I’ve grown accustomed to.  I sometimes travel by bus on my Senior’s concession card and just got myself a PAssion Card to enjoy discounted access to community centre gymnasiums and recreational activities. Last  week, I flew budget my very first time,  on Tiger Airways.

A little anxious about how it would all turn out; I pre-booked a seat for S$8 and signed up under ”BoardMeFirst” service for another S$8. The budget flight turned out to be a first-class flight. “BoardMeFirst” turned out to be the equivalent of First and Business Class service as I was whisked through a separate boarding channel. My third row aisle seat would have been a first-class seat on the regular airline as there is only one section on budget flights.  The seats were wide and comfortable with adequate leg room.

I encountered warm, friendly and helpful stewardesses that have become a vanishing breed on SIA flights unless you’re flying business or first-class. I did not make any unusual requests except for ice to go with my hot coffee and got generous helpings of it with no questions asked. The key beneficiary on that flight was a young mother seated beside me who boarded late panting, with a screaming one-year old, a five-year old and a two-foot tall haversack. They rushed to help her deposit her bag in the overhead locker and throughout the flight, they accommodated her endless requests – got bottles from her haversack and filled them with warm water for both kids, took down her haversack so she could get a new diaper out and put it back again – all done with kindly smiles and not the slightest sign of annoyance or impatience.

I decided to treat myself to the full SIA service – eat a meal and buy a gift. For S$10, I got a very tasty black pepper chicken & rice and a coffee. There was a magazine to read and gifts to buy. The only thing I missed was movies but I learnt from observing two passengers that an iPAD would solve the problem.  They shared that they enjoyed seven hours of viewing time (three to four movies) on a fully-charged battery.

At trip’s end, I realized that the only thing “budget” about my budget flight was the budget terminal. It looked and felt like an airport in a minor town – screed floors, few shops, no trolleys which was a challenge for passengers carrying an “up to 7 kg” hand luggage, crude airline staff shouting out in ungrammatical English to foreign passengers across the boarding gate halls which was very embarrassing for a Singaporean to watch.  Worst of all was the super-slow food / drinks service. The dim-sum counter, the chicken rice counter and the café were all manned by only one staff who prepared food and drinks and also did cashier duties. I joined a queue of four to get a cup of coffee and a justifiably irate Caucasian woman standing in front of me complained that $2 was too much to pay for a bottle of water at that speed of service! About 20 minutes passed before I was served and I felt this was a way to mentally prepare one for a slower pace of life at neighbouring destinations except that I was heading for fast-paced Hong Kong.

It came as good news a few days after my trip, that the budget terminal would be upgraded but aside from the physical infrastructure, I hope they also improve service standards and enhance the experience.  Perhaps, Hong Kong understands that budget passengers have savings to shop with so Tiger Airways flies out of Terminal Two where there are lots of shops. 

“Budget” doesn’t really have to be “budget” and Tiger Airways has proved it.  It is truly the  great way to fly!

Taxi drivers “dawdling” for a day off

I got my driving license on my second try in the mid-1970s. My first car was a second hand white Austin and as expected, I got involved into a few accidents. As someone put it, when she “stopped banging others, others started banging her.”

I drive “defensively” as if it is New Year’s Eve night everyday.  I presume everyone else is either drunk or sleepy.  I stay well within the 80 kph limited and sometimes drive so slowly that people wonder why I bought two “racy” red cars. I think red is the safest colour on the road. Cars in gray (the colour of bitumen), blue (the colour of sky) and green (the colour of shrubs) blend too much into the landscape. One cannot see a car in metallic colour during a heavy downpour. Yellow is too bright while the radiator water in black / navy blue cars dry up too quickly so today, I’m back to driving a white car.

I’ve been accident-free since the ’70s that is, until last year, when I had three scrapes, all involving taxis. Two incidents occurred at the same location, the exit from Fort Canning Drive into Clemenceau Avenue.

Incident 1 – The taxi in front of me “took off”. I turned my head to check for traffic on my right and finding none, shot into Clemenceau Avenue only to knock the taxi. He had stopped short in his path! I checked his bumper and found so many scratches that I could not even discern the damage I had caused. The driver made a big show of it “kow pair, kow bor”. As I was rushing for a meeting and had no time to haggle, I offered him $50 for damages. He grumbled that it was not enough and we settled on $100.

Incident 2 – At the same location, the taxi in front of me “took off”. Again, I turned my head to check for traffic and finding none, shot ahead. I hit the taxi! The driver dislodged his three passengers on the road and turned to me. A passenger remarked that she didn’t understand why the driver had stopped after he had “already taken off “. This time, I thought I’d do things properly and told the driver that I would settle the matter with his cab company the next day. It came as a shock when by the time I emailed the taxi company with photographs of the “damage”; the taxi had already been repaired and discharged. I was told that a bill for $600 would be sent to me including survey fees, repair costs and earnings lost by the driver. I was even more irate when the representative remarked that my photos did not show serious damage but since the repairs had been done, it was a fait accompli.

Incident 3 – In a traffic jam on Rochor Road, a taxi rolled back into my car. I knew I was not at fault but to get quickly out of the traffic-stopping “kow pair kow bor” situation, I paid him $100. The “proper way” costs too much!

After the accumulation of three incidents, it finally dawned on me that I had been scammed. A friend working in China confirmed that such scams are rampant in China. A worse scam is when a pedestrian throws himself against your car and then tries to claim damage for harm done.

My suspicions were confirmed recently by two sources. On a recent taxi journey, an educated taxi driver spilt the beans. He said that many taxi drivers pulled these stunts as it was easy money and they got paid days off. He added that there were insurance agents and workshops all geared up for such quick repair jobs and claims. I also shared my experiences with a senior Police officer and he reprimanded me for encouraging such scams by succumbing to drivers’ demands. His advice to me was that I should take down the driver’s details and say my lawyer will contact him.

These days, I can easily spot a dawdling taxi in search of a quick buck and a day off. They dawdle aimlessly and drift “carelessly” into your blind spot. They stop prematurely at traffic lights. They change lanes back and forth so you’re not sure what they are doing to do next.  Whenever I spot one, I move miles away from them and I smile to myself that “you won’t get me this time”.

Francis Joseph Khoo Kah Siang Memorial Service (11 Feb 2012, Cathedral of the Good Shepherd)

Francis Khoo Memorial Service Programme

On Sat, 11 Feb 2012, I attended the memorial service of Francis Khoo who passed away suddenly on 20 Nov 2011 in London.  The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd which we learnt, was opposite the house (now the NTUC Income building) and the school (St Joseph’s Institution) Francis grew up in, was filled to the brim by family, friends and sympathisers.

As the Khoo family also attended the St Peter’s & Paul Church in the 1950s and ’60s, we were aware of their family’s existence and many a times, watched the  shows performed by their magician father.  Later, Francis and his wife Dr Ang Swee Chai who were a couple of years older than me became part of my larger circle of Catholic Students’ Society friends during my University of Singapore days.

I had not seen Francis or Swee Chai all these years as they were in self-exile in the UK since 1975 but I remember Francis to be a very gentle soul, a comic artist with a cheeky sense of humor and a soothing singing voice.  I even had the honour of singing with him and his brother Lawrence Khoo (two thirds of the famous “Singing Khoos”) at a mutual friend’s wedding in the early 1970s before his life took that dramatic turn. 

"The Wedding" with Lawrence & Francis Khoo

Having heard the eulogies, I am in great awe of Francis’ accomplishments in the field of humanitarianism on the international front.  Both he and Swee Chai could have lived comfortable lives as professionals in Singapore or anywhere else in the world, but chose instead, a far difficult path helping the disadvantaged and the persecuted in communities in UK, Africa and the Middle East, regardless of race, language and religion. 

When we sang the prayer of St Francis - ”Make me a channel of your peace, where there is hatred, let me bring your love…where there’s despair in life let me bring hope”,  I felt Francis had truly lived out the prayer of the Saint after whom he was named; and when Francis’ own composition ”Bunga Raya” was aired after the service, I realise that Singapore really missed out on a great musical talent.  Had the hibiscus not bowed out to the Vanda Miss Joaquin as our national flower in the early 1980s, “Bunga Raya” might have earned its place alongside the most popular of our national songs.  RIP, Francis.

First Endoscopy & Colonoscopy

I had, for some years, been thinking of undergoing an endoscopy cum colonoscopy. Doctors routinely advise that “anyone above 50 should do it” so they can enjoy peace of mind for five years after the test but as with cataract operations, a chronic fear of injections generally deters me from subjecting myself to invasive medical procedures.

The time came for me to bite the bullet and take the tests when in late 2011, several friends gasped at my visible loss of weight. I had lost five kilos in 2011 – two and a half before August and the rest after August – and although I attributed this to abstinence from gluten (cakes!) and dairy (chocolates!), I wanted to be sure especially as my stomach often felt bloated. I consulted a specialist in SGH and tests were scheduled within a month.

With my tests scheduled at 8.30am the next morning, I had my last meal of the day – a bowl of soup – at 6pm.  At 8pm sharp that night, I consumed the first-third of my first bottle of Fleet laxative. Within an-hour-and-a-half, by 9.30pm, I had consumed two bottles of Fleet in six equal parts. A slightly salty and slimy drink, Fleet thankfully tasted pleasant when mixed with 100-Plus. Other drinks like Sprite and 7-Up were also recommended but not coloured drinks like Coke, Pepsi which are known to distort test results.

Bowel Prepping with Fleet

The consumption of Fleet was followed swiftly by non-stop visits to the toilet.  I was afraid that stomach spasms would keep me awake but by 1 am, I managed to fall asleep. I had purged so much in that time that all that was coming out of me by then was a clear liquid. I realized then that I could “come cleaner” with Fleet than with colonic irrigation which I had undergone once and it was a less comfortable and less dignified experience. 

I checked into SGH at 8am the next morning and after some documentary checks, waited my turn outside the Endoscopy room.  I was the third patient to be admitted and felt cool and relaxed until an awful tasting liquid was squeezed into my mouth “to numb my throat”. A Chinese nurse then pricked my right hand to insert the sedative tube.  She failed the first time and the second despite practically digging into my skin.

That was when I panicked and all hell broke loose. I demanded to know why they were inflicting these pains and discomforts on me when I was still awake. Told that I would not be fully sedated, as they needed my cooperation to complete the procedures, I said I would not wish to proceed. Thankfully, the doctor on duty was calm and soothed me. We agreed that if I showed any signs of distress after the procedure started, they would abort the procedure.  With a gentler third prick on my other hand, he successfully inserted the sedative tube and off I was to dreamland, to wake up less than an hour later, mission accomplished!  Before discharging me, I was allowed to glimpse the test results that thankfully, were “normal” except that I have gastritis for which pills were prescribed. After half a day of rest, I felt well enough to go to work although I had been given a day’s medical leave. 

On hindsight, the experience was not as bad as I expected although I might have coped better if someone had walked me through the procedure in greater detail. A colleague said it was “a breeze, a non-event” and he would typically go shopping after it was done.  My brother-in-law likes to stay awake and watch!

New Dragon Year in KL / Malacca

Old China Cafe card

Under the Jonkers Street Dragon

Dragon winds above Jonkers Street, Malacca

Dragon Shop Facade, Malacca

Dragon Fish in Malacca balcony

Festive Malacca

Generous helpings of chendol in Malacca

Surprisingly quiet Fraser’s Hill

Skyline Bling in KL

Dinner at historic Old China Cafe, KL

Entering the Dragon Year in Singapore

Chingay 2012 Rehearsal with Mum (14 Jan, F1 Pit)

Chingay 2012 Rehearsal (14 Jan, F1 Pit)

1st Dragon Year Lo-hei with Ilsa & Eng (15 Jan)

Lion channeling Dragon Luck

Auspicious Greeting from Lion offering 4D suggestions for deciphering

Rubbing shoulders with the “God of Fortune”

Meditative Weekend (7 – 8 Jan 2012)

Ten Candles to end the Inter-Religious Seminar

When I resisted the urge to shop for farm-based skin-care products and decided instead to trail a fellow-traveler into Mass at the Monte Oliveto Abbey of St Benedict in Tuscany in October last year, little did I realize that I would attend a meditation seminar by Benedictine monk Laurence Freemen of the same order barely three months after the trip.  I went with three friends of different faiths – a qigong-practising Muslim gentleman, a Hindu woman friend already practising Meditation in her own tradition and self-professed “New Ager” Betty Khoo.

The two-day seminar “Common Ground” held on 7 – 8 Jan 2012 at Catholic Junior College, aimed to highlight that meditation was “common ground” for all religions.  Friar Freemen who is Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation shared that his teacher Friar John Main (lawyer / diplomat prior to monkhood) had, as a 20+ year old, learnt meditation from Swami Satyananda of the Pure Life Society based in Kuala Lumpur. When Freemen succeeded Main as head of the Christian meditation movement, he tracked down the Swami’s successor – Mother Mangalam, dubbed Malaysia’s Mother Teresa for her work with orphans) – in the 1980s and since, practitioners of both meditation traditions have held regular exchanges.  

Fr Laurence shared that the purpose of the Christian tradition of meditation (a state one attains by repeating the mantra “Maranatha (“Come Lord” in Aramaic) is to experience God. Buddhist Library’s Ven. Chuan Guan shared that since Buddhism is non-theist, the aim of meditation is to attain mindfulness and self-awareness which would in turn liberate practitioners from their undesirable habits. Muslim imam Habib Syed Hassan Al-Alatas shared that the Muslims meditated through prayer five times a day and pointed out that prayer beads were another common ground in all religions. Taoist priests Masters Huang Xin Cheng and Chung Kwang Tong shared that meditation was achieved through martial arts practices while Mother Mangalam said the Hindus meditated through yogic practices.  

The prayerful lighting of ten candles representing the IRO’s ten member faiths (Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrian) marked the end to the two-day meditation seminar with three key hopes that: (1) one or more common meditation centres be set up in Singapore (Betty and I rooted for natural rent-free spaces like Fort Canning Park); (2) a multi-religious meditation group be established; and (3) meditation be taught in schools.  

Someone could not resist a “Uniquely Singapore” aspiration that Singapore would come to be known among tourists as a meditation hub.  I went away with a simpler aspiration, to learn Christian meditation in a group that meets weekly close to home.