My Blog

Saw the news on a guy dying while running a biathlon today. The 6th in the year. He was the usual fit guy who you think is the last likely guy to die of a heart attack. It is amazing how come fit guys are dropping off too nowadays. Doesn’t heart attack happen to the obese ppl only?

Well, apparently not. It’s alarming that ppl are dropping even though they exercise. I also exercise a fair bit too. Would I drop off one day too? Well, I think I would if I did continue my practice of wacking a steaming hot bowl of laska after IPPT every year.

I also liked to pig out after long exercise routines like 10-15km runs. However, I guess, wacking like that isn’t all that healthy after all. Cholestoral levels are something we can’t really gauge or feel till it’s too late. So it’s a silent killer.

Even though I still don’t understand why this collasping of the senior ranking guy was published on the first page of ST times today, but I think it did raise more awareness on eating healthy. I will continue to leave my favorite laksa alone and try to settle for more food that are light for the stomach. Maybe then I can run at ease without fear of collasping at the future long runs and the possible taking on of the year end marathon once again. So eat healthy, live healthy and stay happy is the lesson of the day for me.

I happen to chance upon an experiment a consultant was conducting in front of a camp. He had FReddy, the frog, in a coffee maker pot that had an opening which was just nice for it to jump out of. Next he put the pot over a fire. He asked the audience whether they wanted to see if the frog would jump out when the water got too hot. Well, being compassionate people, the crowd said no. The consultant thanked the crowd for sparing Freddy’s life and went on to share on some insights.
Freddy would not jump out of the pot as he would rather stick in his comfort zone than try to jump out. I thought little of it until 2 days back. Another senior mgmt was asking me not to be so dogmatic and look at things from a broader perspective.
Even though I don’t like him, but his remarks did set me thinking. All my working life, I have only been in 2 places. One is the alien world where I met the "sha da jie" ( who is by no means, silly)and the other is my current workplace. Sad to say,my experiences are little. So is my choice-making style.
Even my personal life, the furtherest I went was KL with "sha da jie" which is very like Singapore. Some of my friends are like jetting around every other day.
I think I am like Mr Freddy, getting too comfortable in his cosy pot. Now, I do sense the water getting quite warm and maybe I should jump out of the pot. Of course, I did make a decision to stay in my workplace now as I want to stabilise the situation for my men before going. But will I get burned to death before things stabilise???? I really don’t know,man.
I’m considering to convert to join PAFF in 3 years time, handle the public and enter a new world. However, it will still seems I’m staying in my comfort zone. I really like to enter the commercial world one day and fight a different battle all together.
I also would like to open a kopitiam then write a biography of myself called " Forest Ming of Geylang". While the vision is currently blurred, I will look ahead to make the vision clearer and for the time being,aim to do something I have never done before in my life. Taking a Commercial jet, and a long trip to USA.
Maybe that will broaden my perspectives a bit and continue to pick up knowledge from "Sha da jie " and the rest of the people that I might meet there.
Freddy’s Mate, Forrest Ming of Geylang.

Well, if there any one reading this, I just like to tell you this week ended on a low with a succession of rough days. Met with a financial challenge when my friend couldn’t meet up with payments on a loan I took for him. Came back, my dad was screaming once again. But I understand my friend’s predicament and well, I had to handle the negative emotions of my dad and stress of finding $$ somehow to pay up for him. Coming home from work at midnight didn’t really help to lift my spirit. Well, then it was off to work on fri. I thought I was prepared to facliitate a session. Thrown off off-guard when the metaphor I worked out didn’t really work out. Thot I had drawn a clearer picture than the last time I tried metaphors. Apparently, not being a business person, the questions they posed to me were the ones that I can’t really answer. But then again, facilitators aren’t supposed to be content experts. So if I was doing a actual case, I think the clarity would be there. I appeared to be too soft during this session to my observers . I agreed with them that I was too soft and didn’t command the situation well enough. Besides, I have never saw such a big group before.. A whole crowd of 70+ ppl with half of them senior mgmt. I remembered the last time I was actually tremembling was talking to a crowd of 1000 over cadets on OCS. thot I had been through it and should be more steady. But I guess, sometimes, we just have to store up more experience. Felt so drained after fri and thot I was in a dark tunnel. Pangs of loneliness crept in as usual today.Wondered why things aren’t going for me, how I wanted to seek companionship but didn’t want to seem desperate , why the tunnel still a bit dark, why I haven’t do so many things right, why I still can’t figure out the maths question this afternoon, why I can’t be a master of all….So many questions, so little answers. on the flip-slide, I also done a lot of things I never expect I would do like leading,facilitating and giving long distance courtship a try. I guess during the exploration phase, I, the tea bag ,is put into hot water and the comfort zone is breached everything. THat’s why I’m feeling so drained, I guess. I see Rocky waters ahead on my small sampan  and will expect more waves to come and engulf me. If I managed to reach shore soon or weather the storm, I will be a stronger man. If not, friends, I’m really sorry to disappoint once again…may I see the light soon..

Had many firsts over the weekend.First time having 2 weddings dinner in a row over the weekend.  First time eaten the wedding dinner at Yunnan rest at IMM. First time enter a rest which had little aircon. First time ate at a table with so many people that I don’t know. First time I have the waitress wrap up one piece of peking duck meat in the egg skin and say , " Here’s the sample, the rest do yourself". First time I eaten a chop chop dinner that don’t feels rushed at all.First time I had a lady who boldly offer me her namecard to keep in touch after that. First time that I didn’t know how to handle ladies who are like her. First time since I spoke of committment to someone and being tempted like that. So many firsts this weekend. Hope wed would be  the first time I strike first prize in 4D this year..haha…anyway,I found out later she was selective over the friends she makes, and "Phew" I went. At least I don’t have to face the situation of a gal expressing her love for me. She just wanted to make friends with me.I didn’t like that feeling of being rejected over the past decade of rejections, so that was the last thing I want to do. I have my love target in sight and it won’t be fair if we don’t get things right from the start. Finally Understood june’s pt of view now of why she was telling me she’s attached from the start. I guess a lot of factors need to be in place for a couple to be together. If I known june a bit earlier, we may got on fine as lovers. If I said the right things to Junie, we might have been married by now.  I’m blessed now that everything looks in place for me and Irene now. I learned to give and take nowadays and love without expectations. Life’s too short to stress each other to change. We know we admire each other and so happen that we support each other when one is having a bad time. It’s a long journey in love and I have only just saw the start point in sight. Wonder if I ever will reach the fairytale ending of "happily ever after" in life. Life’s full of twists and turns. So,being the accidental man, I shall wait for the series of fortunate options to present themselves and grab them . Wishing the happily newly couples bliss and happiness in their new life together. Remember to attend my wedding dinner with all your sons,daughters, grandsons and granddaughter next time..Cheers,

HM

Being an "accidental" man, I was accidentally being introduced the world of facilitation by attending a facilitation workshop by chance. Initally when I first signed up for the course, I was expecting to be taught on how to conduct a workshop when I go back to base. Well, it was surprising how different facilitation is from training.

It was always a wonder why we pay so much to get facilitators to come in to facilitate discussions. After going through 2-3 rounds of volunteer facilitation sessions, I learned being one is not easy.

We have to good listeners( sometimes they may be wrong but we have to keep our opinions to ourselves,mind you), able to lead people to open up, energise the crowd at times, resolve conflicts that may arise and manage people who may be there to pour out all their grievences. .I didn’t realise that it can be so tiring until I did a few. We are mentally tired out,man.

Nevertheless, I’m quite happy that at the end of the day, people are able to express their views and help to shape what polices or plans the mgmt that engage us are going to do.

People are the most important resource in the company, and if we fail to tap on their experiences and ideas, it will be such a waste.

I certainly hope to bring the outside experience into my work and bring the inside experience from my work to aid the facilitations outside.

Who knows I may "accidentally" set up a consultant firm in the future  or be part of a strong facilitation team that goes around the globe to aid discussion.

Will look forward to faciliate more sessions in the future and aid my organisation and other companies to grow through the people they have.

In Singapore, due to limited human resource, we,men have to be conscripted into the army for 2 and the half years (oops, now is 2 yrs). From there, we take up the roles of defending the country and our loved ones. Remembered my BMT was 6 years ago, I went in as a softie, became the "kan chong" spider of my platoon and of course, the welfare man who always bring a lot of food to share with my bunk mates. I think that 3 months really beefed me up a lot. When I signed my first contract with the airforce, I was thinking in my heart that when I’m about to ORD, my bro will be serving his NS. Well, he just completed his BMT.( what a gentle remainder that I’m turning 30 in another couple of years,sigh). Was worried for him intially as he’s kinda of the "lazy bones" type. It’s amazing how "espirit-de-corp" leads the boys to peserve through the training and become more "man" than before. Can’t call him boy anymore. Heehee.Yes,My bro has finally grown up. Hope he will gain more from the remaining 1 yr and 9 months training in SAF and be more mature. He has certainly become fitter and nowadays I can have another buddy to jog to east coast. Time really flies…:PPPPPP

Got in touch with Yoga during last year when my base hosted a healthy lifestyle activity. I remembered it was quite fun and a bit tiring. Stretch here,stretch there. Really simple yet it takes quite a bit of effort to repeat again and again. Today, I and my fellow friend was trying to train those Chin-up failures through doing extensive yoga. He, being the Subject matter expert, conducted it. I decided to do it together with the guys.We ended up in various poses like "praying to the deities", lying on the floor like monkeys, doing horse stance, arching like a " niang niang qiang". It gets harder as we try to do the simple stretching exercises. I remembered the last time I found it tiring was when I was fencing for the first time last nov.(Will go back for round 2 sometime next next week). However, these are simple stretching exercises, not like the intensive "poking" I did for fencing. Man, I went home staring in awe of how stretching can be so fruitful to build up the muscles. Wonder which brillant chap many donkey years ago discovered these simple yet good exercise rountine. Really amazing people even though they were living in so backward conditions at their time. Like the guy who had an apple dropped on his head and resulted the future generations learning about his three laws. LOL..Maybe I can discover something in the future and call it "Meng’s Law" or something..heehee.."The cleverest man is sometimes the silly man you call a clown"