Equatorial Musings

For as long as I can remember, I have always liked the idea of writing.   When I was a young boy, I really thought I could write a book.   In fact, I was so taken by the idea that I pestered my mother to buy me a typewriter.   Truth be told, I did not need a typing machine, not even for school.   This was back when everything was hand written and our main source of knowledge came from books.   But I believed that having the right equipment would allow my creative thoughts to flow better.   And I tried putting fingers to keys, hoping to translate ideas into stories.   But it turned out to be harder than I imagined, especially with the pressures that a high school boy had to endure.   There were so many things fighting for my attention: school, homework, games, sports, television etc.   And the list went on.   It was just not possible to quieten down and write a story, although I tried.   I recall writing one about a dog fight involving fighter planes, but it never took off.   In

I've been driving since 2005 and have owned 2 cars since, the latest being an Audi A4 which is a delight to drive.  Truth be told, I do love to drive and sometimes I resent the fact that Singapore is so small.  It really doesn't take very long to drive anywhere for anything in this island state.  Still, I managed to chalk up 30 over thousand km since my wife and I bought the car in October 2012.  I guess the fact that we drive everywhere to find good food has something to do with it.  When I got my first car, a Ford Focus, I was a newly minted driver eager to taste the thrills of driving.  And I did drive somewhat recklessly with little regard for my passengers.  I remember an ex-colleague from MINDEF telling me that I drive much better now.  She was being nice as it was a tactful comment on my less than nice rides in the past.  Over the years, I've learnt to be more considerate and to consider the comfort of others when they're in the car.  But I still succumbed to t

Happy new year to one and all!  This is my first post of 2014 and I've got something hilarious to share.  For the first time in my life, I joined a group of like-minded individuals determined to work out during lunch.  Yes, this was in a studio where most of the participants were women and what I went through was 2 Xtend Barr at Upside Motion.  It's touted as a workout at the "ballet barre for a heart-pumping, calorie-sizzling dance workout that will change your body as you know it".  Thankfully, I wasn't the only guy there.  Another of my male colleagues was also there.  For reasons that defy explanation, we allowed ourselves to be convinced by 6-7 female colleagues that we should join them for the 1-week trial at Upside Motion.  At the first class, which went on for 1 hour, the guys and some of the girls were rather apprehensive.  Not knowing what to expect, we went buoyed by unrational enthusiasm and supported by peer pressure.  We started off with some w