The Running Robot

A talk that is really difficult for me to hear. But I forced myself to finish listening to this talk by BJ Miller about the end of life. As much as I would like to hope and wish that my Dad would continue to live as he is, I know that time may be limited. While I am no stranger to palliative care and I greatly respect those who served in it. I always approached it with great fear and denial, especially when it is prescribed to a patient. I am glad Mr Miller has made this poignant talk which touched my heart. I guess the most important to do in life is to treasure and live every moment with gusto even in sickness or disability. Make everyday count. Being part of this world is all it matter. Whether you have all senses or even only left with one sense. So do take some time and listen.

Introduction This kicks off a series of writings on driving in different countries. While not exhaustive, it is based on my experience driving in the mentioned country. Hopefully the information will be useful to you if intend to drive in the mentioned countries. Schloss Marburg Driving in Germany Germany is perhaps one of the best countries that I have driven in. It is basically petrol head heaven. It is a combination of well-built roads and beautiful scenery especially in the Bavaria region.  I thoroughly enjoyed driving there and felt very comfortable doing so. I will definitely go back there when I can. Driving on the Left or Right In Germany, you drive on the Right Side of the road. The driver sit on the left side of the cockpit.  You will need to Cross traffic at a junction when Turning Left. Road Conditions The road conditions in Germany is superb. The roads are well built and smooth. Roads are generally not very crowded...

Tempting times Recently, an advertisement for a good valued, used Volvo V40 D2 came onto my radar. I had many good memories with the V40 D3 in Switzerland and it is a tempting proposition to make my next ride a Volvo. The time I had with the V40 D3 in Switzerland was truly magical. One of those great road trips moments that I had in my motoring life. I call them my "Top Gear" moments.  Hence, I shall pen down those memories in this post. Alps Crossing – 20 April 2014 Swarovski's Kristallwelten in Innsbruck My wife and I had left Swarovski’s Kristallwatten at about 2pm. We were at Innsbruck, Austria. It was an exceptionally sunny day in Austria, in fact, I remembered lowering all the windows using a button on the key fob to let the hot air in the Volvo escape before we got in the car. That was probably the only time I used the windows function in Europe. Route from Innsbruck, Austria to Lierna, Italy The 290 km journey calls a...

Cessna 172 in the air over Bavaria Having experienced some truly troubling news regarding my father’s condition in the past week. I decided to come up with this little post to summarised what I have learned and felt in the past week 5am in the morning You are born into the world. Your eyes are bleary and you are not aware of who, where, what you are. You meet your parents for the first time. 6am in the morning You begin your first tentative steps. The world is a wondrous place. Your parents are your shelter and your support. 7am in the morning You stepped into your Primary School and left the comfort of your home behind. You begin your academic career. Your parents send you to the school gate and as you step in, you are on your own in school. 8am in the morning You begin the tumultuous days of teenage life. You have your friends to hang out with. Places to explore, new games to play. The voice on the phone is from your parents,...

Source: http://theurbantwist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/uber.jpg Here is a post from an old friend, Justin on the topic of Uber. While I drive about once a week to allow me to spend some time on the road and to structure my life. Justin is a more serious driver and he definitely put the money where his mouth is. I truly salute him for his endurance on the road. I have spoken about the shortcomings on Uber before on my earlier post , and I am glad he remains very positive about driving for Uber despite of its shortcomings. Below is his Referral Link if you are interested to drive for Uber, just click on it and register with Uber accordingly. You will make SGD$100, and he will make some referral fee and that will help to give him a respite from his endurance driving. https://partners.uber.com/i/justint3984ue Post from Guest Blogger, Justin Teo Why Uber in Singapore is Great! [Pre-qualifications – For people who have a good driving licen...

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria Today I am not going to write an educational post. This is a more personal post. It is about my journey with touching an innate vein within myself and one that I am still trying to find answers with. It is about my brush with my inner German. Zurich, April 2014 It was a trip that I was looking forward to. I planned the Switzerland self-drive trip meticulously and tirelessly. My wife and me were travelling back to Europe for the first time since our honeymoon in 2011. Being a Top Gear fan and petrol head, I was looking forward to driving on the Stelvio Pass in Italy as well as on the speed derestricted German autobahns. The journey for this free spirited trip would require me to drive through Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Northern Italy. I had not driven in the continent before, hence there were much preparation like reading up on the dos and don’ts of European driving, driving through weather and even the testing of cars whi...

View from the Eiffel. The boundless Earth.  The Baby Instinct When you were a baby or a toddler, the world is a wondrous place. You seek to peek through holes, dig at nooks and crannies, climb high and low to seek different perspectives of the world. The moment we wake up, we began exploring, searching and unconsciously learning about this world. Sometimes, this little explorations leads to great stuff like discovering a can of candies, or it could lead to disaster which culminated into a hard landing onto the unyielding ground. But despite that, we continued exploring and discovering. Our enthusiasm never wanes. I can attest to that as my little 10 month old baby Gerald has unlimited energy and is relentless on his attacks on things that are within his grasp. This poem “ the Elephant’s Child” by Rudyard Kipling illustrate the curiosity of the child but also illustrate the preoccupied adult mind I KEEP six honest serving-men (They taught me all I ...

The buffeting winds of change The Risk of Business Some may say that it is because I am currently self-employed and hence that is why I am now lobbying for the greatness of running a business and being self-employed. Let me be fair. Much have been said about the risks of running a business. You may fail, you may get cheated. The income is not stable. You are affected by the weather of the economy etc. In fact, just earlier today, I just message a friend to advise him to stay at his current job instead of setting up his own business. Well, he is valued at work and his prospects are good. And his pay is substantial. So why not. In essence, employment is never going to be as risky as being self-employed. I agree and I accept that. As an analogy, running a business is like flying. The risks are numerous and in the event of an accident, and you have fewer chances of walking away alive. However, being employed is like driving. Largely, it is safe and in the eve...