Senior stories Lim Yao Ching

 Caldecott Hill Broadcasting Center 

 Facility Management-Little-known Anecdotes        

by Lim Yao Ching

Introduction

 I joined Mediacorp in 1997. The following are some little-known anecdotes that I personally experienced on the Hill and some tidbits of the entire project relocation, to share with you.

 The Caldecott Hill Broadcasting Center(CBC) covers an area of about 7 hectares. The following buildings were constructed in different periods:

  a. Old Broadcasting House: Built in the 1950s (1st to 2nd floors)

  b. TV Building (TV Building): Built in 1964 (four floors) in 1972 and expanded in 1986.

  c. Radio Building: Built in 1983 (sixth floor)

  d, East Wing (East Wing): Built in 1982 (single floor with three underground floors)

  e. West Wing: Built in 1983 (5 stories underground)

  f. Annex Building: Built in 1995 (5 stories underground)

  g. Media Academy: Built in 1984 (three floors)

  h. Multi-storey car park building (MSCP Building): Built in 1990 (5 floors, 4 underground floors)

 The original CBC started from the old broadcast building and consisted of separate buildings, as follows:

 Blk A (Building A)

 2-story wooden structure used as outdoor production office (drama/variety show)

 Blk D (Building D)

 This single-storey building on the edge of the TV building is dedicated to storing wardrobe supplies. It contains clothing, headwear and footwear from different eras and races.

 Blk E (Building E)

 Although the appearance of this single-story wooden structure is old, it is neat and tidy. It is one of the unforgettable places for artists who often come here for makeup and haircuts.

 Blk F (Building F)

 The single-story wardrobe collection and distribution center is also frequently visited by entertainers and extras. Provide various clothing-related services, including clothing modification, laundry, matching and retrieval of clothing used for shooting.

 Blk G (Building G)

 This single-story building is an audio station responsible for dubbing services, audio/music mixing, etc.

 25.12.02 The old radio room fire incident

  On December 25, 2002, a prop storage room behind Building F caught fire due to an electrical short circuit.

  When I arrived at the Radio Gate (one of the gates of Broadcasting Center), I was shocked to see thick smoke rising from the building behind the makeup building of Building F in the old broadcast building. At that time, I was so shocked that my hands and feet were cold, and I couldn't make a smooth call even when I tried to call my boss.

 At that time, the security guard on duty had tried to control the access to the fire scene. When I entered the fire scene, I saw many people rushing into the audio room of Building F to rescue the equipment and tapes in the recording room. Suddenly I was worried about their safety. I tried to prevent them from entering, they ignored my appeal.

  Although firefighters were spraying water on the roof at the time, dense fog appeared on the roofs of several single-story wooden buildings due to the high temperature. The scene was frightening. Fortunately, the closet storage room was only a single floor, and the firefighters quickly controlled the fire.

 Due to the timely control of the fire, the fire did not spread to neighboring buildings. After the fire was brought under control, James Tan, then director of the Civil Defence Agency of Singapore, personally visited the fire scene.

 3. Build a new item warehouse

  After the fire in the old broadcasting building destroyed the storage building, as part of the insurance claim conditions, we built a new warehouse for prop storage. The figure below shows the building during the construction phase.

 

 Studio production facilities

 The Caldecott Hill Broadcasting Center contains 6 studios, Studio A (located in the Broadcasting Building), the overall design is an auditorium, movie studio (located in the old Broadcasting Building for TV/film production) and a TV theater (located in the multi-storey parking lot) Inside the building)

 Studio 1 is used for English drama/sitcom production

 Studio 2 for Chinese news/current affairs

 Studio 3 was produced by Caldecott Mountain of Gary Valley (made for external clients)

 Studios 4 and 6 are produced by Chinese theater

 Photo studio 5 is used for temporary production and production company reservations.

 In the center of all studios there is a temporary set hall for storing props for the studio.

 Street scene

 At the beginning of drama production, part of the old broadcasting building was used to construct street scenes for drama production.

 However, when the amount of drama production increased, the new street scene called "TV World" was built as a production place for local dramas of the old period. It is located next to the checkpoint of the second passage in Malaysia and Tuas.

  "TV World" occupies a land area equivalent to four football fields and was completed in 1992. It has two wings, the local street scene in the 1950s and 1960s and the old Chinese street scene. The buildings built are old cinemas, railway stations, fire stations, churches, buildings and traditional shops.

  There is also an artificial river for shooting in the television world.

  New Media uses nostalgic props and backgrounds from the TV world to produce many memorable Chinese TV series for Channel 8. Some of the TV series that have been filmed here are: "Adventure 3" (released in 1995), Tofu Street, Tofu Street (1996), "The Price of Peace" (1997), "The Pot of Life" Fuman Renjian (1999) and Hainan Kopi Tales Qiongyuan Coffee Fragrance (2000).

  In 2001, due to high maintenance costs and low utilization, New Media decided to abandon the Tuas TV World. If required by the plot, the crew will shoot in Malaysia, China or Calgary Valley Broadcasting Center.

 TV building catches fire

 Another minor fire (smoke) incident in the TV building (unknown year and month-probably around 2003/2004?) caused the users of the TV building to evacuate. The fire was contained in the AHU room, and was contained before any damage could be caused.

 After subsequent investigations, it was found that the cigarette butts were inhaled into the air inlet and contacted with the AHU pre-filter material, causing the flame to slowly burn and emit a large amount of smoke.

    

 Buildings in disrepair (water seepage in the TV building)-Digital Media Center (DMC)_April 24, 2004, due to water seepage, interrupted the transmission of Channel 5

   A staff member noticed that water seeped in from the ceiling of the Digital Media Center (DMC) near the power switch cabinet around 2.45 pm that day. The manager of the live broadcast room took emergency rescue measures and protected the equipment with plastic sheets around the area where water seepage was found.

 When the staff cleaned up the chaos at the scene, the channel 5 signal was interrupted. Later, it was discovered that other parts of the ceiling of the Digital Media Center (DMC) and Satellite Operations Center (SOC) (the satellite operations center next to the Digital Media Center) also had water seepage problems, affecting the racks that house the fifth channel equipment. Due to the failure of the audio equipment, the fifth channel has intermittent audio interruption when playing.

 Channel 5 was interrupted for about 19 minutes and resumed before 3.10 pm. No other channels are affected.

  

 Wall reinforcement of TV building

 The TV building is constructed using a traditional beam-slab system. The TV Building was built in 1964 and expanded in 1972 and 1986.

 Some parts of the TV building are covered with a steel roof, while the substation is covered with a reinforced concrete structure RC flat roof. The steel roof is supported by steel bars, which in turn are supported by steel trusses. These anchored on reinforced concrete structural columns were visually inspected by professional engineers for 5 years.

 The structural inspection was carried out by a professional contractor from September 20, 2010 to November 30, 2010.

 The report recommends more comprehensive core testing and regular maintenance work, because low concrete strength is generally found in TV buildings, so repair and reinforcement should be carried out according to the recommendations of the first report.

 Three carbonization test samples were carried out. All samples were from the first floor and were tested immediately after core extraction. The test results show that the possibility of steel corrosion is very high.

  -Monitoring of 100 pillars per week 5 times a week, these pillars cannot be reinforced with fiber wrapping.

  -Fiber wrapped to strengthen 20 columns accessible. 20 pillars that can be sprayed with anti-carbon coating

 According to the first structural research report, the decrease in the strength of concrete tested in the first batch of core tests indicates that the strength of concrete in key structural members is consistently low.

 It can be clearly seen from the test results that this 47-year-old TV building has been adversely affected by the environment and suffered carbonization damage for at least 15 years. As a result, the strength of the concrete was reduced by nearly 50%, and signs of concrete deterioration, such as cracks, flaking, and rust, appeared.

 The weak and porous condition of concrete will accelerate the penetration of concrete by atmospheric carbon dioxide and water-based chloride ions from the environment, and make the concrete deteriorate at a faster rate. In the next 5 to 10 years, the concrete strength may decrease from the current level to the range of 8 N/mm2 to 10 N/mm2. It is expected that there will be more concrete signs of deterioration during this period.

 Therefore, it is essential to repair those severely deteriorated concrete components as soon as possible to prevent further deterioration. Considering the availability of repair work, repair as many unsatisfactory columns as possible. The column after maintenance work will be safe under the existing loading conditions.

 Taking into account that the building will not be occupied for more than 5 years, we will also limit the maintenance work to the 20 pillars mainly located in the square, carry out reinforcement works on the pillars, and continue to monitor the rest of the columns every other month.

 In the end, we used unidirectional glass fiber epoxy resin to repair the undesirable column to enhance the structure of the column

 9. Develop a master plan for the Gary Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center

 a. Redevelopment of the old broadcasting room and renovation of other buildings

 After several fire incidents and major water seepage incidents, the complex obviously needs a major comprehensive renovation or renovation project that will be carried out long ago.

 According to the records I found, in the early days of the Singapore media company MCS, the company has conducted extensive research on the possibility of developing a new campus to replace the existing Cale Valley Broadcasting Center. In fact, a site at No. 6 Bukit Batok West Street was purchased in 1994 as an alternative site for the Calgary Hill Broadcasting Center. I don't know the reason why the redevelopment plan of Bukit Batok has not been carried out, but it may be related to cost feasibility.

 According to our 2005 research, in fact, it is more cost-effective to redevelop part of the Gary Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center and remodel existing buildings.

 I was the main facilitator in the development of a master plan that aims to upgrade the building of the Gary Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center and redevelop the old broadcast room with new buildings. I personally drafted the tender documents to appoint consultants to develop the master plan for the Gary Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center.

 A consortium consisting of the following companies was appointed as the conceptual master plan for the Gary Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center in September 2005.

 DP Architects Pte Ltd was appointed as architect

 Beca Carter Hollings&Ferner (S.E.Asia) Sdn Bhd was appointed as civil, structural and electromechanical engineer

 KPK Quantity Surveyor Pte Ltd was appointed as Quantity Surveyor

 The master plan proposal was completed and subsequently submitted to the MediaCorp management in March 2006, but the final decision was to build a new complex on Bukit Batok land. There are obvious advantages to building a house on green space. It is very difficult and inconvenient to upgrade an existing building because it will affect operations, and the studio is very sensitive to noise to cope with the construction process. The supporting theater and entertainment production facilities of the old broadcasting room must also be relocated. It is also much easier to construct a completely new broadcast infrastructure framework in a new building.

 After MediaCorp management made a decision, an internal project management team then appointed a project management consultant to oversee the construction of the new complex at Bukit Batok site. In order to understand the requirements of all stakeholders, a comprehensive seminar and discussion were carried out, and a comprehensive technical requirements, specifications and space rationalization plan were developed for the new complex.

 However, the project was aborted due to the Great Recession in 2007 before the invitation of the multidisciplinary consulting team.

 In 2011, MediaCorp finally decided to purchase a piece of land in One North and build a new site to replace the Gali Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center. The new site is located in Mediapolis, a business park created for the rapidly growing information and communications, media, physical sciences and engineering sectors. One One's 19-hectare hub is supported by a strong IT infrastructure.

 The new building has many advanced facilities, including two large studios, post-production facilities, news gathering and broadcasting facilities, a 1,500-seat performing arts theater and office space. There is a comprehensive news editing room that can accommodate 700 reporters from its digital, television, radio and printing units.

 I want to share the initial master plan of the Gary Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center developed by the consultant team, which also includes some preliminary design ideas shown below, because some people may be curious to understand it. These points of view are only preliminary descriptions of the design, no further development.

    

 b. The area of the proposed building on the Bukit Batok site is shown below. These are just working drafts at the preliminary stage.

               

 10. I will end this narrative with photos of the cornerstones of two TV stations that I took.

 11. The future of the Gali Valley mountain block

 On October 14, 2020, Channel News Asia reported that the Galle Valley Mountain Broadcasting Center website had been sold by the owner, Mediacorp. The 75,2015 square foot site is marketed by real estate consultants-CB Richard Ellis Real Estate Consulting and Showsuite Consultancy. The property was sold through an open tender, and the deadline for the tender is December 9, 2020.

 The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has approved Mediacorp to redevelop the site into a two-story villa with a land area of at least 800 square meters (8,611 square feet) per house.

 In contrast, this is a relatively small land scale. Usually, the minimum land requirement for first-class villas is 1,400 square meters. However, compared with ordinary villas, the area requirements for first-class villas of this specification are double theirs.

 The subdivision plan designed by MediaCorp Architects that can accommodate 67 villa plots must be approved by the relevant authorities.

 The land is currently zoned for use by citizens and community institutions and will have to be re-planned as residential land; this will require payment of a premium to the state.

 The amount of the premium depends on the developers proposal, the time of application, and the evaluation by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Office of the Chief Appraiser.

 In addition, this 99-year leasehold land on the island has a remaining lease term of 73 years. This means that the developer also needs to pay the Singapore Land Authority (Singapore Land Authority) a lease difference to renew it for 99 years.

 By: Lim Yao Ching Lin Yaoqing

 Yao Qing joined Singapore Television in 1997 and is responsible for its property services department, which includes the maintenance of necessary electrical and mechanical infrastructure. Subsequently, he participated in project management and formulated the overall redevelopment plan. He left MediaCorp in 2012 and is currently working as a project management consultant in a consulting firm for infrastructure development.

 Disclaimer:

 My narration is based on my documentary record, knowledge and information obtained at the working level and on a personal basis. It does not represent the official version of events.

Senior stories Allan Ng

 Wonders

By Dr. Allan Ng, Y.H. 

The plane dived down from clear, blue skies, like a Falcon plummeting down onto its prey in a vertical drop at speeds of 150 mph. I felt the load as the G forces built up and my surroundings appeared dim. I sensed I was blacking out. Objects appeared upside down, in topsy, turvey, curvy way, and I wasn’t sure of my bearings anymore. I saw ball bearings everywhere.Then things brightened as the plane levelled out and swooped down, landing on the tarmac, like a falcon landing on it’s prey. The passengers cheered as metal staircases rolled towards the plane. The passengers disembarked rapidly down a steep, steel staircase. 

The first thing to hit me was the heat, as a wave of hot air wafted towards me. The first sniff of a Singapore. I had left ten years ago, for destinations, strange, and exhilarating in my ambitious climb upwards, But then I was heading for unknown skies. Doctor if I succeeded, and porter, if I failed, Now, a piece of paper, a certificate, and a small suitcase accompanied me. Nothing else, except that pack of ambitions of course. And that whiff of decaying vegetation, so reminiscent of decomposition and death, for which I was ill prepared.  

I followed the group along a narrow track snaking its way along several huts and a ware house which we entered. Several customs and immigration officials, in grey and blue uniforms inspected us and moved us into a large hall. I could see my fellow passengers, greeted by relatives and friends. They were smiling and laughing  but there was no one to greet me. A feeling of isolation and desolation swarmed over me. I could not shake it off. I trudged on with my meagre belongings and outside the hall, a sea of beaming faces greeted me. My spirits soared, only to be dashed by the realisation that they were over friendly taxi drivers hoping to make a killing. Reluctantly I let one of them grab my bag and hustle me into his taxi, an ancient rainbow coloured Austin, with numerous scratches and dabs of faded paint, covering dented metal. We bumped along a long seafront of attap huts and coconut trees. Beyond lay a tempestuous sea, given to storms of rage. But it was tranquil now, in tune with my weary spirits. We honked into maze of narrow streets, lined by crowded, terraced shops selling hardware, pots and pans, and hawkers’ food from small stalls squeezed into nooks and corners. 

I paid the fare and tipped taxi driver who dropped me at the gates of a muddy green building, some six stories high, shaped like a banana, held aloft by two thick stems, fronted by a U shaped tarmac driveway, with a scatter of pebbles, near the main entrance.

Wearily, I climbed up the four steps into the vestibule, where several patients were groaning on stretches, and a handful of nurses were attending to them, cooing and encouraging them to stay calm, while giving injections and setting up drips. They took no notice of me. 

“What are you doing here?” The voice was raspy, like when you rub sandpaper on wood and came from an elderly lady in a white starched uniform. She had just dropped from the adjacent corridor and was glaring at me. 

“I am the new Medical Officer. Where do I put my suitcase?” 

“Over there, in the corner. Come and follow me.”

“But I don’t start until next week!”

“This week, next week, what’s the difference? Come.” I followed meekly, up another staircase, skirting an antiquated lift with collapsible chain doors, into a room, where a surgeon, garbed in green, was peering down the perineum of a Malay woman with a bloated abdomen. She was rolling in agony and shouting “Sakit, sakit! (Malay for pain.)” 

The blonde doctor shouted in disgust, “Suck it yourself!” He peeled his gloves off, and walked away. But the nurse, a buxom, young lady managed to pacify him, by telling him of the misinterpretation, and that there many other things people could suck, since we re all born suckers anyway. He put his gloves on  again, while staring at her in surprise and then at her breasts, held taught within that tight, green tunic. While this fracas was  going on, I delivered the baby by way of a breech extraction. The blonde doctor took the baby from me and smacked its bottom. The baby cried and he kissed the baby’s cheek, before handing it to a grinning mother. 

“Name’s Michael Higgins,” he growled at me. “Thanks buddy.” He swept the blonde curls away from his blue eyes. “By golly, what a sucker i am.”

A dapper little man, who had watched the proceedings from just outside the door, dashed in and pumped my hand. “Thank you, Doc. You saved my son. Would you like to join me for a celebratory dinner at Fatty’s Pot Belly, down by Rochor River?”

“But that’s a notorious gambling den!” My grip on my wallet tightened. I was down to my last ten dollars and dad had warned me that they would skin me alive, if I ever walked in there. “Stay away. I’ll be down from Penang Island in a few days, after we complete filling the last order for steel bars. Meanwhile, bunk up at your sister’s apartment in River Valley Road.” He rung off as fast as he had chimed in.

The dapper man put his arm round my shoulder. “I’m Malik. You never worry when you are in Malik’s company. There will be a bit of that girly stuff, but it’s quite harmless. And some gambling, such as Mah Jong, and Chap Ji Ki, in those exotic opium dens. Of course, how could i not mention this! Some cock fighting shows too, where you could bet your grandmother’s bottom against a king’s ransom. Make sure you don’t lose.“ He winked. “Or there will be a real cock slaughter show.”

‘It’s too far to walk and there won’t be any taxis in the dead of night.” It was my last, desperate attempt to avoid trouble. But he soothed them away. “Use my limousine. Ahmad is a good driver of my blue Rolls. He will guard you well.”

I sighed and nodded. I was hungry and Fatty’s had good food. Little did I know that it would turn out to be the Night of the 21 knives.

Faty’s was Faty’s. There was no other way to describe that exhilaration concoction of Asian juices. You could take it lying down or sitting up. In one puff, one snort or two. You always came back for more. The yearning kills you. But you press on, hoping for release from the yoke which binds you to Hell. Drums boomed in rhythm with hoarse, battle-cries. Members of the two most powerful gangs, the 21 knives and the 8 rings, had gathered outside Fatty’s, on the wide asphalts of Rochor. 

It was a beautiful night. Stars twinkled and the moon shone. Music flowed from the rag bag orchestra of mouth organs, accordions, and the old, indomitable piano, squatting just within the wide, teak doors. The music was a mixture of rhythmic Rong Geng dance tunes and romantic, cowboy songs, belted out by old Faty himself, seated on a wide, wooden stool. On his right stood Chow Mia, the boss of notorious 8 rings, a conglomerate of vicious killers with powers of the the occult. He was tall man with a stoop, a disarming smile, and a vicious knife, He sang lustily, of love and life, fulfilled and lost, as he grabbed the bevy of women around him. He dance in little mincing steps, his face contorting like that of a clown, in a cadence of sudden, changing moods.

On Faty’s left, Malik, portly and dapper, laughed and tried to mimic Chow Mia, as he announced 

“Tonight is a memorable night, a night to remember long after we are gone. Tonight, I announce that the great truce between our 21 knives and the 8 Rings and the birth of a handsome son, with the features of Chow Mia of course.” Laughter erupted from some men in the audience, but Malik continued. “He has consented to be the god father of my son. It is indeed a great honour for me.” Malik bowed and the throng clapped. “There is food a plenty, wild boar, black pig, roasted piglets, 

Peking duck, wild geese, and century eggs, of course. And plenty of beautiful women. “Eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy. To ensure the peace continues tonight, we have agreed to surrender all weapons for safe keeping at the welcoming stations, where we have stationed guards from both gangs.”  

Meanwhile a stream of dignitaries arrived in black limousines. Both gangsters greeted them graciously. Amidst the great din, a flash of streaked lightning ignited the sky, followed by a clap of thunder. An eerie silence descended on the crowd.  A woman screamed. Her voice pierced the night air. I could feel the fear in it as it warbled. The crowd stampeded towards the doors. But Faty’s piano had been pushed and was now blocking the exit. More screams erupted. Shots erupted, followed by fusillades of rifle fire.I looked around but Malik and his cronies were nowhere to be seen. A body lay on the the piano. I rolled it over. Chow Mia stared at me through glassy eyes. 

I grasped his limp wrist and tried to feel for a pulse. None! I shuffled out with the crowd, which was dwindling fast. A blue Rolls crept up beside me and I peered through the darkened window panes. Dark shadows greeted me and I couldn’t see who was within. The passenger window rolled down and Malik appeared. “Jump in, unless you want to take a bullet.” I climbed in and the window pane rolled up. Malik looked at my pale face, dripping in sweat. “Bullet proof glass,” he reassured me. ‘And in case you think badly of me, I did not engineer this. But Chow Mia’s gang will think I did, and they will start a vicious, no-holds-barred war against me. Many will die unnecessarily and the police will increase their presence and use trumped-up charges against us because of public pressure. The massacre this night will be plastered all over the newspapers.” He paused for awhile to let this sink in. But I was too shell-shocked to care. He lifted my chin gently. “Listen carefully. Your life may depend on this. 

Tonight’s massacre was started by Long Long, Chow Mia’s top lieutenant. With me and Chow Mia eliminated, he will be the top gun. You must contact Bo Tak, another henchman of Chow Mia. He.  has the numbers and ability to carry this through. Tell him that if he gets rid of Long Long, he and I could a very successful, long-term symbiotic relationship, I have watched him and he has always wanted peace, like me.”

I protested “But I don’t know him! He won’t listen to me. He might even kill me!”

“Today, You have a made good friend, Michael Higgins. He is the brother-in-law of Bo Tak. Send the message through him. But, remember, do not get the names mixed or we will all be fucked!”

I nodded. How could I forget Michael Higgins? I crept into my bed and promptly fell asleep. I had fitful dreams that night of dragons and monsters taking nips of my flesh. It was incredibly painful, 

But nothing compared with the hollowness inside. It was as if the monsters had eaten me inside out. 

I met Michael the next morning at coffee break, after we had delivered several patients. 

“Hi, had a good night?” 

He nodded. “Wonderful, if you have done several C-Sections.” 

I laughed and he continued. “The work never ends.”

“Yup. We are hyper-productive.”

“I need a favour from you.”

“Sure, buddy, shoot.”

“Can I swap duties with you tomorrow night?”

My heart rose and sank. I could be killed by Bo Tak or Malik or both. “You’ve got it. But I need a favour in return. For this, I need to talk to you privately.” 

We walked into the small, empty green. 

“I know it’s sounds ridiculous, but even now, i am not sure if it’s real. Can you pass this message to Bo Tak urgently? It’s from Malik. It’s verbal and I’ll speak as if I am Malik.

“Long Long planned to kill me last night and started the gang fight. He harbours extreme paranoid suspicions. You, his next in command, will be next. The police will be conducting incessant raids. This will kill us all. But we can have a happy, symbiotic life. Join forces with me and and eliminate Long Long, but we must act fast.”

Michael blinked several times. “Ok, I’ll do it. But, if you are not serious, you could wind up dead.”  

I trembled but thanked him profusely nevertheless.  

“Think nothing of it,” he said and threw himself into his work. So did I. But I could not shake the nightmares of impending doom. Michael  was very restless too. Then I received a beautiful box of chocolates and a message from Malik. He had adopted Bo Tak as his son and heir. The red Harley was a present from his gang. Bo Tak had gone for a ride up the Titiwangsa mountain, close to Kuala Lumpur, and had driven off a cliff. Malik said he was very depressed, despite being the supreme Commander of the gangs. Peace reigned for a while.  

But I could not break free of my bonds. I was like an acrobat stuck to his trapeze. Wherever I went, I had the awful feeling that a bullet would find me. It was not the dying which bothered me. It was the anticipation. It kills. After a few weeks, I could not take it anymore and I threw in my resignation.

Michael did not question me. He looked haggard, with dark rings around his eyes, and he, too, threw in the towel. We met for a farewell lunch and he was glowing. He was going home to friends  and relatives, and a ‘God, save the Queen, while I was home, a stranger in my own country. Things had changed drastically in the past ten years. Roads had widened and buildings had shot up where garbage fields had once held sway. Babies were born and people had died. There was nothing familiar which I could grasp and link up a chain of events to connect it to me. Of course, there was Dad, Ma, and Connie, my sister,  We had met, celebrated and reminisced over old times but they had changed considerably over the the past ten years. Connie had lost her incandescent laughter. Dad and Ma had become morose and spoke much less as they battled Senile Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. They were dying. I was dying. We were all dying. But there were new lives, new hopes, new beginnings at the maternity hospitals. Despite that, I could not stay.

Like the ancient marina, I was doomed to sail the seven seas. I took the next plane out. To Rio De Janeiro. It rose rapidly into the sky and soon was seen no more.  

I heard later that the gang war had erupted again and that one of the gang chieftains had been decapitated and his head hung on top of a pole, at the traffic lights in Rochor.

Father or son?

                                      

Wonders.

A novel 

fiction, 2733 words 

By Dr. Allan Ng, Y.H.

 

Like the Ancient mariner,

Doomed to sail the 7 seas, 

he stood in the gloom, 

watching the flowers bloom,

 before his trip to regions gone.

As the petals fall, 

the whiff of dying stems and fading flowers 

Sends him into the frenzied trance of a fatal dance.

Jump, jump, hop, hop, 

Kiss, kiss, hiss, hiss, 

Aladdin, Genie, Peter beckon,

Beyond the mist, 

Bang, bang,

Chittie gone,

Dream song,

I travel on.

In search of a yearning, I know not what, 

Embedded in my soul,

I must search this planet of lost souls,  

Before I reach my goal, 

God, please bless my soul. 

My yearning, my goal 

Drives me on, 

To regions of madness and beyond, 

God, please save my soul. 

Must I die, 

Before I know why, 

God, please help my soul. 

Is there a reason, Is there a cause? 

Perhaps not, 

God, Please…   

May God bless you all.

                           

 

Senior stories Lee-Gan Ai Lien

 My Memories of 

"AdAsia Lahore 1989"

                   By

  Mrs Lee-Gan Ai Lien

         Wonderful times of our lives stay alive in our memories. When I bite into a juicy Pakistani orange, I always remember Lahore. What is so wonderful about Lahore? I was mesmerised by its unique culture, ancient beauty and the friendliness of its people when I was there 33 years ago. 

          When I worked in the commercial arm of Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC),  I had a few opportunities to attend AdAsia Congress over the years. One that evoked the most memories for me was "AdAsia Lahore 1989" which took place 33 years ago. People may wonder why I write about it after so many years? The answer is: I have learned  valuable lessons from attending the AdAsia Lahore 1989, which I have applied in my life, time and time again. 

         AdAsia  Congress is organised under the auspices of Asia Federation of Advertising Associations (AAFA).  Since 1958, it has been held bi-annually in various Asian cities like Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Bali… etc and has since grown into the most influential and grandest event in the Asian advertising industry. It offers an excellent forum for the practitioners of advertising, marketing, media and public relations sectors to share and learn of breakthroughs, innovations, effective marketing and communications. It also highlights the global advertising trends with emphasis on Asia. The bid to host AdAsia Congress has always been fiercely contested, with brilliant ideas and creative presentations to win the hearts and applause  of AAFA members. It was a great joy and pride for Pakistan to be honourably selected as the host country for the 16th AdAsia Congress in 1989. And they put their heart and soul into organising it.                             

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       AdAsia Lahore 1989 attracted a large number of delegates, including several of us from Singapore.  The four- day Congress was packed with many prominent speakers from around the world to speak on diverse topics. One of them was the world-renowned thinker and author, Dr. Edward de Bono, who invented lateral thinking. As advertising is all about creativity, his topic on how to improve one's thinking ability and creativity skills attracted great interest and attention from the attendees. The appeal of the Congress is that it caters not only to the attendees' interests in serious learning and discussion but also social gathering, entertainment and sightseeing. While we had many inspiring and enriching sessions in the day, there were also various well-planned exciting events to entertain us in the evening. Truly, AdAsia Lahore had showcased an excellent example of how "creativity at its best"  had helped them make it a resounding success and a landmark chapter in the advertising industry. And for us, it was a remarkable Congress to attend.

        Lahore is the capital of Punjab province and is Pakistan's artistic, literary and cultural heart. In the eighties, It did not have large and luxurious hotels to accommodate big-scale international events. So the organising committee, with its chairman, Senator Javed Jabbar, put on their thinking hats to plan for an "out-of-the box" solution. They had creatively overridden this drawback by using their unique culture, beautiful heritage sites and historic places as their highlights, venues and backdrops of the events. This in itself, demonstrated a very powerful way of creative advertising and putting the beauty of Lahore on the world map. Throughout the days of the Congress, the delegates had a marvellous time in all the different settings, gaining an insight into Pakistani culture and heritage as well as enjoying a true taste of Pakistan's best cuisines. If not for this out-of-the box arrangement, the events would just be held in the usual function rooms in the hotels. For example, the Congress held its grand opening reception at Lahore's world famous Shalimar Gardens, a most befitting venue to showcase the importance of the Congress on the national level. We were so impressed with the beauty of the Shalimar Gardens…. its wondrous landscapes, and exquisite architecture. The trees in the garden were well planted in perfect symmetry with hundreds of fountains and they all cast beautiful reflections on the flowing waters. A sense of harmony and joy came over me in the midst of this paradise garden.

         On another day, we were treated to a fabulous fashion show called "Costumes Through the Ages" in the hotel. The elegance, unique identity and evolution of Pakistani attires were spectacularly presented right in front of our eyes. This is another fine example of how the organiser brought in their creativity in enriching the events of the Congress. The show, reflecting the high standard of Pakistani fashion, was very well choreographed.  Coupled with melodic music and rhythmic pulsations of tablas, it was simply breathtaking. Shalwar and Kameez are Pakistani national attires. The Shalwar is a pair of loose trousers with wide tops and narrow to a cuffed bottom. The Kameez is a long shirt with open side seams below the waist-line. The Pakistani women always wear them with a flowing scarf that makes them look very graceful. 

                                   

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        The grand finale of the Congress was held at the splendid, historic Lahore Fort where all delegates participated in the gigantic firework display, a show which I felt, very well symbolised the theme of the Congress, "Together Towards Tomorrow". It was a strong call to share expertise and collaborate hand-in-hand to light up a bright future. Both Shalimar Gardens and Lahore Fort are UNESCO world heritage sites and they added so much charm to the events. 

         There were a few other things that I found particularly interesting at the Congress. At one of the talks after a sumptuous lunch, the audience was sleepy.  The speaker for that session decided to do something about it. Slowly, he took off his tie... his coat. Then all of a sudden, with all of his might, he threw them off the stage. The audience had a great shock. The next moment, we were wide awake. The result was achieved. Creative people dare do what they think will work.

       The next enjoyable thing was about our outing for food. One night, our Singapore delegates, having had enough curry meals for a few days, yearned for Chinese food, so we decided to dine out. Incidentally, we were all from different media corporations in Singapore. Though back home we might have been rivals, in Lahore, we were like old friends. There were eight of us. I, a lady, took the front seat, and all the seven men were packed like sardines in the back of the car. They were pushing, yelling and joking at each other. The car was so packed that only their heads could move. We finally found a Pakistani restaurant serving Chinese food. 

                                   

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Surprisingly, there were already some foreign AdAsia delegates ahead of us and eating out there. We greeted each other with understanding smiles. The Pakistani waiters who attended to us spoke very fluent Mandarin and recommended what to order. That night, we had tasted the  most authentic Szechuan cuisine in Lahore, the Kung Pao chicken and the "hot-and-sour" soup. The chicken was crispy tender with the perfect combination of salty, sweet and strong, numbing spicy flavours. The soup was loaded with mushrooms, silky eggs, bean curd…. utterly hot and delicious. We were very surprised that we could savour such a superb and mouth-watering Northern Chinese food in Lahore. All of us were happy and deeply satisfied. We, being competitors, probably would not have had such a jovious time together like this in Singapore.

       On another afternoon, we went round some of the places of interest to have a glimpse of Lahore City. The splendid mosques of beautiful architecture, the historic Walled City, the Food Street where the food fare was so inviting. Oh, I loved the chicken tikka  and naan bread. In the Narrow Paths, many artisans were making instruments, flutes, dhol and tablas. A random fruit seller offered me a Pakistani orange as I passed by a marketplace. What an unforgettable bite of Pakistani juicy sweetness! Wherever I was, I felt the warm welcome of the people greeting me with  "As-salamu alaykum", which means "Peace be upon you".  Children ran forward to touch my skirt, wanting to have a photo with me. Their lovely eyes and happy smiles appeared in the lens of my camera. What a joy to capture this essence of friendly humanity and the little touches of life. 

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       The last day of our stay, many delegates flew to tour Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.  A Korean lady and a group of Japanese delegates went to Taxila, a celebrated historical place which is located in the Rawalpindi district of Punjab province. They all wanted to see the archaeological sites of Greek civilization and the ruins of Buddhist monasteries and stupas. Out of interest, I joined them. Taxila is an ancient city that has gone through many changes of rulers, culture and religion.  It was well-known for its rich archaeological sites and Gandharan Art -  a religious art form showing a strong fusion of influence from Greece, Rome and India.  Taxila was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1980.

       We had only half a day for sightseeing and could only visit three places. 

On arrival, the guide took us first to Bhir Mound (600 - 200 BC) where we could see the ruins of what was built  during the rule of Alexander the Great. The second site we visited was Jaulian Monastery, a famous ruins site of early Buddhist civilization and centre of higher learning. It was built atop a mountain  and we had to climb up many steps. It was a spectacular and panoramic view of the sky and mountains when we reached the top. The guide explained to us that there were two main parts of these ruins. One was the central stupa surrounded by many small ones. The stupas were all engraved with beautiful carvings of Buddha. The other part was the Monastery and the University of Jaulian which was believed to be one of the world's first universities and where thousands of students came from afar to study. There were classrooms, assembly hall, living quarters, kitchen, stone mills, and a large pool for washing and for reflecting the sun and the moon. The guide also showed us some footprints of Buddha. I removed my shoes and respectfully put my foot on the footprint to take a photo. And I felt so miserably small in the footprint of the Enlightened One. Looking at these historical treasures, I could not help but marvel at the advancement of these people in the second century BC.

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        Our last visit was to the acclaimed Taxila Museum which displayed various sections of rich archaeological finds of Taxila.  The Pakistan Government had well preserved these treasures evacuated from the ruins. The Museum also gave us an insight into Gandharan Art. There are many stupas, Buddha's statues in various positions , sculptures depicting Buddha's life story as well as many well-carved stucco heads, big and small . As Taxila is renowned for its stoneworks, most of the carvings are impressive and unique. I wanted to take a  beautiful picture of a well-carved meditating Buddha statue, but each time I pressed the shutter button, it became deadlocked. The Korean lady whom I went with advised me to say a "seek permission" prayer. There was no harm trying, with courtesy, I did. And to my surprise, I finally got the picture I wanted.

      In hindsight, my visit to Taxila was brief and what I saw was very little. Nevertheless, it is still a valuable experience to have  glimpsed  this brilliant chapter of human civilization and glory of the past. 

       On our return flight from Lahore to Singapore, we encountered something peculiar.  There was a weird-looking man amidst the passengers, and his behaviour caught our attention. He wore a long grey gown with unkempt hair and beard and held a bottle in his hand. He stood in the aisle at the back, most of the time and spoke endlessly  about some religious stories. I could hear him clearly even though I was seated in front. Our flight needed to stop in Kuala Lumpur first, before flying back to Singapore. 

                                  

                                 

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After the stop-over in Kuala Lumpur, all passengers returned back to the flight. But, one passenger was missing. The weird-looking man had disappeared and one extra luggage was unclaimed. For safety reasons, the airline conducted a thorough check on the plane. And in the process of checking, it was discovered that one of the aircraft's doors was faulty and the plane could not take off. A replacement flight flew us back to Singapore the next day. In the plane that day, we heard  that there was an aircraft disaster that involved another plane with a faulty door. Gosh! The news sent chills down my spine. We could possibly have met the same fate yesterday if not because of the disappearance of the "weird- looking" man. Who was " he"? None of us knew. But we knew he had a hand in ensuring our lives were safe and our journey ended on a happy note. 

        I am grateful that I had this trip to Lahore and the visit to Taxila was an unexpected bonus. I took home a set of beautiful Pakistani national dress, Shalwar Kameez, with a scarf, two lovely flutes, my love for the tabla, but the most valuable thing I took back from this visit

 is the lesson that I have learned about creativity. When we have a disadvantage,  we can always look at it from

a different angle and turn it into an advantage by explorin

g our creativity, using our creativity to go beyond our limits.

Senior stories Lesley Ong

 

Living without TV

by Lesley Ong

> On 1 Nov 2022 around 7.30pm, I turned on my TV. Two words jumped out from the screen. “NO SIGNAL”.
> I panicked. The Hong Kong series “Dynasty”, which I was following, would be starting soon at 9. It was very exciting and I don’t want to miss it. I straightaway called the telco company.
> After asking me to check the connection, click here, click there, re-booth etc, the signal came back. What a relief!
> This got me thinking, “How did I survive the days when there was no television?”
> You see, TV was only introduced in Singapore on 15 February 1963.
>
> At that time, I was staying at 134-B Dorset Road, a SIT estate located next to Farrer. A small drain separate the estate and the park. The 8 blocks of three storey flats was build by the Lim Yew Hock’s government. Each block had 18 units with 2 units facing each other.
>
> My first childhood friend was my neighbour, a Indian girl called Jamma. I was around 4 years and she was year my senior. As both of us were not of school going age then, we played everyday from morning to night with dolls and masak masak (crockery, forks & spoon made of plastic). Our doors were never closed. We walked in and out of each other house, ate in eat other’s house and that is why up to this day I love curry!
>
> My father was a movie bluff. Almost every weekend, he would pack the whole family in 2 taxis and off to the theatre we go. Cathay, Capitol, Odean, Alhambra, Sun, Sky, Globe, Galaxy, King to name a few. After the movie, If we watched the movie at Cathy, Capitol, Odeon and Alhambra, father would bring us all to the satay club at Beach Road for dinner. We sat on low benches around the stall, earring satay, washed down with freshly grind sugar cane juice admist the smoke and dust as the Tay Koh Yat buses roared by. Tay Koh Yat bus depot was just across the road!!
>
> During that time there was no film classification. So father brought us to see whatever film he loved to see. I still remembered watching all the Dracula (played by Christopher Lee) films. Christopher Lee with his bloodshot eyes and fangs. After that, I was always afraid when night fall!
> Then there were the cowboys and Red Indians films. Being young and innocent, I cheered the cowboys on (usually played by actors such as John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum) as they killed the Red Indians (Sioux, Cheyenne and Apaches) and burned down the whole settlement!
> However the movies I enjoyed most were musicals, movies with Christmas themes and Cineramas. Cineramas were 3D films and were only shown at the Sky Theatre.
>
> If my father was a movie bluff, my mother was a wayang bluff!
> There was a temple at Truro Rd, near my place. Several times a year, they would celebrate the birthday of the deities with 2 days of wayang. Then there was the 7th moon festival and there would be wayang almost the whole month.
> Mother would make us eat an early dinner as the show starts at 7pm. Then each of us would carry a stool and rush to the wayang site so that we could be nearer the stage. Teochew/Hokkien wayang, it did not matter. Because of the popularity of the cinema show “Tan Sar Gnor New” (the story about a poor scholar who fall in love with a rich maiden), every wayang troupe would put up this performance!
> Frankly I love wayangs not because of the shows but because of the many stalls selling a variety of food and drink and the tikam - tikam stalls.
> The most popular drink stall was the one selling the bird nest drink. The hawker would position his tricycle right in the midst of the crowd watching the show! The so called bird nest was actually strips of agar agar! But it did not matter as the drink was cold and sweet with the fragrant of pandan leaves.
> The Tikam Tikam stalls were game stalls. They had board games similar to roulette. I loved to play the game where I was required to pull a pair of metal rods from a bamboo container. The tip of the rods were paintedd either black or red. If you pulled a pair of the same colour, you won a prize. If you pulled a pair of different colour, you “died”! However the stalls which drew the most crowd were the one selling cockles and siput (a kind of snails where the hawker clipped off the tip of the shell and you dipped the snail in the chilli sauce and suck it out!). These hawkers hawked their food on 2 baskets tied to the end of a pole. Their favourite spot was under the wayang stage. There they put down the 2 baskets and patrons sat around the stalls on small stools enjoying the delicacy, with the footsteps of the performers thumping above them!
>
> Opposite my house was a Teochew family. They were quite poor as the father was a cloth merchant with more than ten mouths to feed. Every morning he would piled bales of cloth on his tricycle and cycle to the market to sell. In the evening he would come home and carried the cloth upstairs. Why do I mentioned this particular neighbour? Because going to wayang was a big occasion for them, like attending a grand dinner! They would not only be heavily make up but dressed up to the Ts with matching costumes jewellery., shoes and handbags!
>
> In the evening, the air in the estate would be filled with children’s laughter, screaming and shouting as we come down to play. We played games like “bola humtan” (a game similar to baseball), chapteh (a rubber disc topped with brightly coloured feathers which one kicks with the heel of one leg), spin tops, hit each other’s marbles out of a circle drawn on the pavement (the person who hit the most marbles out of the circle wins and get to keep the marbles!), paper balloons, five stones, hopscotch, kutik kutik. We learned to ride bicycle on adult bicycles. We flew kites, the poorer boys making their own kites out of newspaper and sapu lidi. These kites had difficulty taking off as they were heavier than the normal kite. After sometime, some of the children would go the drain between our estate and Farrer Park to catch guppies or to the bushes to catch spiders. We carried the spiders around in match boxes, ready to fight anytime! The spiders fed on hibiscus leaves.
>
> Every Sunday, we would follow father to Farrer Park to watch football. There are many football pitches and all the pitches would be occupied. My eldest brother and his friends love football. Father bought them a ball. Soon they were playing against other teams at the pitch! It was then that they decided to form a proper team with their own jersey. They called themselves D’ Starlight. Father was their main sponsor. After the game, father would bring us to the nearby Race Course Road to eat Indian Rojak. There were many hawker stalls selling mainly Muslim food such as mee goreng, nasi goreng, soto ayam, roti prata and soup kambing. Not to be forgotten are the kachang puteh stalls. It was a must to munch on kachang puteh while watching football!
>
> Father was trying to produce shampoo. His shampoo was so thick that when you dip a wire with a loop at its end into the shampoo, you could blow out bubbles. So his shampoo ended up with us, the children in the estate. We would go to Farrer Park each with a bottle of the shampoo and a looped wire before the football games start to blow bubbles! The whole park would be full of rainbow coloured bubbles, floating into the sky. It was a beautiful sight!
>
> Next to Dorset estate was Cumberland Estate. The houses there were cute little cottages, separated by hibiscus hedges. They were occupied mostly by Europeans and some high ranking civil servants. Most of them were Christian and during Christmas, all the houses were beautifully decorated with colourful twinkling lights, wreaths, poinsettias, Santa Claus, reindeers and snowman!
> As children, we loved to go there during this season. We walked along the cobblestone lane, see the family preparing dinner in the cottages and the beautifully decorated Christmas tree inside the house. Most house would have a Christmas tree!
>
> The happiest times for us was Chinese New Year and the Mooncake Festival.
> During Chinese New Year, we drank Red Lion fizzy drinks and played with fire crackers and fireworks, day and night, for fifteen days! The whole estate was very noisy and smoky and the ground covered with red paper!
> Then during the Mooncake Festival, all of us would carry lantern. The lanterns came in many shape and sizes, fish shape, aeroplane, butterfly, starfruit, rabbit, flower basket. The most common ones were the paper lanterns, which opened up like an accordion . The children from poorer families made their own lantern out of newspaper and sapu lidi.But this did not deter their fun! They children would form two lines and one of the older boy would beat a drum as we chanted “Ya!Ya! Tom Tom Chen” over and over again. We would marched to Farrer Park as it was very dark and our lanterns shone very bright,y and beautifully.
> Mother would lay the table with chicken, meat, fruits and flowers to pray to the Moon Goddess or “Gay New Mah”. This practice was stopped only when America landed on the moon!
>
> Looking back, it was an enjoyable childhood “Without TV”!
>
>

Senior stories Lim Chin Siang

 The joy and pain of immortality

by Lim Chin Siang

Eversince the genome was mapped and scientists started splicing and experimenting with genes, the biology of aging has been improving. The latest findings by David Sinclair, Lifespan, revealed that aging can be stopped and even be reversed. Even YouTube has many episodes by many scientists talking about the same process. 

So the dream of living forever is now more concrete. Li Ching Yuen was the longest living person in China. He was born in Beijing in 1677 during the Qing Dynasty. He died at age 256 on 4 May 1933. He claimed that herbs prolonged his life. Li Ching Yuen looked really old in the picture put up by Wikipedia. 

Another person, in this case, an immortal Saint, is Shirdi Sai Baba. He was born around 1838? and his death was October 15, 1918. So we think he is dead. But Sri M in his book, The Quest Continues, relays the story where his guru takes him to see the grave of Shirdi Sai Baba. Both of them run into the grave to meet Shirdi Sai Baba sleeping on his string in mid air. Sai Baba even gives Sri M some money to do a task for him. Many saints are immortal and if they do not wish to reveal themselves, we will never know that they are immortals. 

Actually we are all immortals, just that we are not aware of it. Alan's Factory Outlet published a list of the lives of animals. The immortal jellyfish lives forever. The black coral lives 4, 265 years. The Giant sponges, 2300 years. The Greenland Shark can survive between 272 and 512 years. The giant Aldabra Tortoise lives 255 years. In one spiritual book, it is stated that man is supposed to look after all these animals. How can we look after these animals if we die like flies while these animals continue their existence happily? 

Our awareness of external things has increased. Unidentified flying objects, (UFOs) have been visiting us for centuries. We hardly hear about them until recently. Some come from our own planet and solar system, while many others are from outside our solar system. Our first atomic bomb attracted them like flies Ever since then the number of UFOs flying into our space has been increasing. 

Many atomic wars, committed by other civilizations in the past, have destroyed lives and planets. Billions of lives are affected on many different levels. During the Cold War between the US and Russia, the UFOs have helped to neutralise and deactivate the accidental firing of intercontinental missiles. The UFOs are trying their best to prevent the same mistake of earthlings destroying ourselves through the use of atomic weapons - we are supposed to use atomic energy to conquer space, not to kill ourselves.

The newspapers call those riding in the UFOs aliens. In a way we can call them the immortals. They have a lifespan of anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 years. They have technologies which allow us to look back into history 100,000 years ago. 

Let us leave the debate on the possibility of immortality to future generations, otherwise they might have nothing to talk about. Let us keep an open mind on such matters. If we behave like one of my bosses, who exclaim that the census is wrong when this subject is broached, then we end up like the proverbial ostrich stuck in sand. Here we talk about the joy and pain of immortality.  

Living to be 500

500 years is a convenient age. Our present human body can easily survive 500 years. Many Tibetan monks and old Taoist masters live up to such ages quietly without us knowing it. 

Appearance 

Looking at the picture of Li Ching Yuen published in Wikipedia, most women may not want to live that long. What if we can stagnate our outward appearance to maintain the same look at age 30 for the rest of the next 470 years? Luckily we can. David Sinclair can help us by altering our epigenetics, or we can take some proper herbs or do some special exercises or eat the right food.  

The Taoist masters are the most advanced when immortality is concerned. The emperors of China use their services otherwise no emperor could last more than two years making love every day. Emperors have specific exercises to perform to prolong their lives. Unfortunately, most of then get lazy; they end dying pretty soon. Seeking a true Taoist master is very difficult. An easy way is to use yoga to prolong life.  

Kayakalpa yoga may be more accessible. Kayakalpa yoga is an ancient technique of the Siddhas (saints) of South India for the enhancement of life energy. In Sanskrit, the term "kaya" means body and "kalpa" means immortal. The science of kayakalpa shows how the human body can be immortalised. Anyone who wishes to practice kayakalpa has to understand the 5 aspects of the human system - the physical body, the mind, the biomagnetism, the life force and the sexual vital fluid. Those who are keen please do your research, and practise. 

Friends

All human beings evolve at different rates. Like the normal distribution curve, some live longer lives than others. An immortal living among normal people would have to renew his group of friends every 80 to 100 years. Every person who dies on Earth is sent to the astral world. It can be sad to send every of your friends to the astral world, leaving you alone. This need not be the case if you bother to learn to do conscious astral traveling. 

A person who learns to do conscious astral travelling is able to leave his physical body to travel to the astral world. In the astral world he can call on his friends and relatives on the other side. Most the aborigines are able to do conscious astral travelling. The astral travelling is the same, but the concept and names may be different. Carlos Castaneda wrote about this in many of his books. If you happen to know any male Papa New Guinean as a very close friend then you may ask him how to get off the physical body consciously. Your friend may teach you. Many near death experiences shared on YouTube have shown that the barrier to conscious astral traveling has been greatly reduced. In time to come it is very likely everybody will be able to do that. 

All of us do astral travelling every night. Just that, not being trained, all of us are not able to remember. If we do manage to recall some aspects of it, our mind will transform them into dreams. Not to worry, as we live long enough and slowly become old souls, our attachment to our physical bodies is lessened, then conscious astral travelling becomes easier. 

Eating and drinking 

The physical body that we have is one of the lowest grade available in this universe. This body needs to eat, to be entertained, to pass urine and motion, cleaning and rest. Really troublesome. Living 500 years means repeating all these actions. After a while, it can be tiring and boring. 

The Breatharians believe that human beings can survive on the universe's energy instead of physical food. This book, Living on Light by Ellen jasmuheen Greve, describes the process. His idea is correct but he may not possess the total procedure. It is possible to live on light and air by practising a certain closely- guarded technique. This technique is closely guarded to prevent the total collapse of the world economy. One person known to have master this technique is Teresa Nuemann of Germany. 

Charles Mortimer Carty, in his book: Who is Teresa Neumann, wrote about this German mystic who did not sleep and lived without food or liquid except for daily Eucharist from 1926 to 1962. It is said that she practised a mantra and a set of complicated breathing exercises. 

There is nothing mysterious about surviving on sunlight alone. In the far future, our scientists will discover how we can survive on sunlight. Presently, we eat animals, grains and plants. The animals survive by eating the grains and plants. The plants use chlorophyll in their leaves to generate and grow. The secret lies in the chlorophyll. Once we decipher how chlorophyll traps sunlight and produces food, we can do the same directly without the intermediaries. 

Boredom 

One of the modern causes of death is boredom. Not knowing that the internal worlds inside us are many times larger and more fulfilling than our outer world, our youths are seeking more outwardly thrills and excitement to help them banish boredom.  

In the new Age, there will be more wonderful things to see, learn and experience that many will wish that a day is 48 hours.  

Regeneration

Leading such a long life, say 200 years or more, our skin and muscles may wither and look highly wrinkled and ugly to look at. Not so if we could regenerate new and vibrant parts to replace old parts of our body.  

One of the early pioneers was the late Dr Robert O. Becker. He died on May 14, 2008. He was a US Orthopaedic surgeon and researcher in electrophysiology/electromedicine. In his book, Body Electric(1985), he describes the electric nature of the human body and how salamander is able to regenerate its limbs. The electric potential along the limb of an unconscious salamander is charted to show that consciousness returns when the electric potential appears. Once humans are able to chart the normal electric potential and magnetic fields of the whole human body, enhancement and transcending the normal powers of the human body will be within reach. 

A slightly more recent book by Adam Piore, The Body builders(2017), writes about the bionic body and the immense untapped powers of the human body. A hybrid body, a physical body enhanced by bionic parts, is highly likely. Such an enhanced body would be super powerful. Run like a jaguar, punch like a sledgehammer, all these become possible. With unlimited communications and artificial intelligence added, a few of these enhanced bodies can commit crimes undetectable or uncatchable. Law enforcement should wake up. 

Careers and examinations 

Suppose Sam has a lifespan of 300 years. The first 60 years he is a lawyer. The next 60 years, he trains to be a doctor. The next 60 as a bioengineer, etc. Provided he stays young and able, he could build up 6 to 9 careers within that 300 years. How does society deal with such a person? How does the bank deal with him . Everything needs to be overhauled.

The injured alien

As the surgeon, who operated to save the leg of the alien, says goodbye to the recovering alien, he receives a strong telepathic message. The alien mentally pulls the surgeon to look into his eyes and transmits a burst of knowledge into the brain of the surgeon. Essentially, the message transmitted paraphrased here, is : 

The alien feels very sorry for for us, ignorant human beings. 

All humans have the same potential and abilities as the alien. Humans have the same abilities to repair their own injured or diseased bodies but human beings do not know how to do it. 

Human beings do not know they are spiritual beings living in a temporary shell, and 

Human beings are totally disconnected from their spiritual self. 

The alien who shares this message is captured when his flying saucer crashes in Varginha, Brazil in January 1996. Readers may want to read about it in the book : Ufo crash in Brazil by Dr Roger Leir. The relevant chapter is chapter 6, The Medical Testimony, pg 65. 

Nonexistence of security in this world

Here I do not meant IT security, which is a mundane issue, but the more heinous lack of security of human rights. Let me explain. Whether a person works for himself or for an organisation, this lack of security is the same. An invention of a researcher working for an organisation is said to belong to the organisation. I agree with that if the invention is used for good purposes. But not if the invention is used for evil purposes. 

Let’s say a researcher invents the thought machine (TM). After thinking about using it for good purposes versus bad purposes, he decides to destroy all trace of his invention. His employer does not agree, kidnaps his family and forces him to design the first prototype. He has to do the prototype, he has all the know-how and knowledge in his head. The employer then uses the prototpye to read the passwords and access codes of thousands of people without them knowing it. Next he siphons all the bank accounts. Finally, after forcing the poor researcher to build another three prototypes, he assassinates this researcher and his family in a freak accident. The researcher does not have the security to keep his invention from being exploited. That iack of security is what I am talking about. 

With life span stretching up to 500 years, human kind has plenty of time to look into many things. A smart person would make millions first and then retire early to pursue his many interests. Many discoveries will be made and many inventions will be exploited for evil or financial purposes. The TM may at first be used to read human thoughts, later, more advanced experimentations would reveal the way to control human behaviour and actions. Unless we have some sort of World Police Team, powerful and advanced, evil will triumph. Immortality may then mean more suffering for planet Earth. 

Joy of Immortality

Good things do happen as we move towards the Golden Age, about 8000 years from now. Let’s take a peek.. 

Presently, we use gas and liquid anesthetic to shutdown our nerves. In the advanced age, only a small electrical signal with the right modulation clip to our toes or fingers will do the job. The electrical signal lifts off the nerve waves from the nerve fibre to prevent the nerve signal from propagating. 

This concept is similar to the Taser, a device used by today’s police officer to paralyse a victim. 

We waste lots of water bathing every day. Now we dry-clean our clothes, in the future, we dry-clean our bodies too. Walk into a bath chamber, take off our clothes. Electrical waves brush off our bodies, removing all the dead cells and moisture. We feel super clean. Just outside the chamber, the same clothes we took off are also ready for us to reuse. 

Today, doctors treat our symptoms and hope for the best. Tomorrow, machines read our acupuncture points, electrical potentials, organs’ resonance frequencies and show us what we must do to treat ourselves. The same machine may also generate the appropriate electrical waves to make us feel well again. In time to come, only nurses, surgeons and bioengineers are needed in the medical field. No doctors. 

As we master gravity and gravity fields, levitation becomes an everyday affair. Every home has its own flying mobile. Humongous cities are built which float on space or underwater. 

The day will come when we master suspended animation and soul migration. For long intergalactic missions, we put on a body which does not need maintenance. No eating, bathing or sleeping are necessary. After we complete our mission, we return to base and put on our original bodies. 

So much more is possible once the new physics is learned. 

Life is really worth living. 

Goodbye. 

Senior Stories Henry Chia

 GENESIS

by Henry Chis

Everything starts from something! A Christian hymn “Pass It On” has this introductory line: “It only takes a spark to get a fire going”.

Recently my longstanding friend, Emeritus Professor, Dr Edwin Thumboo told me, the Economic Journal published by the Economics Department of the National University of Singapore is enjoying great success, and people are enquiring on how it got started.

In my second year, 1955/56, as the honorary secretary of the student Economic Society I published the first Economic Journal. Immediately after its the successful publication, Professor T H Silcock, Head of the University of Malaya Economic Department called me over to his office. He told me that the department was interested in taking over the publication and wondered whether I had any objection to the transfer. Unhesitatingly, I gladly agreed because I knew I could not give any more of my time as I had to prepare for my impending examinations.

The idea of the publication struck me during lecture: students listened and jotted down notes; but the thought came to me that lectures basically ed up our minds, widen our knowledge. I approached all the teachers in the department and put forward to them my belief that they could help students widen their perspective, and enjoy the study of economics if they would expand their lectures with additional information through a publication that I proposed to produce. They accepted my idea and agreed to contribute articles to support the production of such a journal. Their unreserved responses showed their collective objective of educating high quality students. 

The publication of the journal required an editor who would handle the articles submitted by the teachers, to have them arranged in a systematic order. I assigned an honours year economic student to carry out this responsibility. He agreed to commit himself to the work without reservation, even though the work would greatly impinge on his study time. Unfortunately, I cannot recall his name. It’s difficult to recall anything that took place so far back in time. It was about 56 years ago when I started this project. I am now 89 years of age; past events have got somewhat foggy. I don’t have a copy of the journal where you can find his name: I think there’s a ‘K’ in it. But I can recall our very good relationship. He worked according to my intended plan and schedule of production, and willingly accompanied me on several occasions to the printer’s office, by public transport, to discuss with the printer the format of the journal. He carried out all the necessary editorial functions and he finalised the presentation with the printer. A quiet and trustworthy man.

After arranging the publication part of the journal, I then gave my attention to other aspects of book production: importantly, payment for the printing. I dismissed the idea of getting a financial sponsor as there was no precedent. Who would agree to support it financially? I decided to take this problem as a personal challenge: be self-reliant. I was confident as I could fall back on my past experience of getting financial backing for the production of my school magazines (Victoria School) before and after I became the business manager of the first issue of the Combined School Magazine.        

I renewed contact with the company which printed the school magazines. As I had no financial resources, no money to back up the production, I made a deal with the printer. I explained the objective of the publication and promised him that I would do my very best to get enough advertisements to cover the printing cost. He trusted my word that I would honestly work to meet the production cost and agreed to print a specified number of copies (I cannot remember how many). A true gentleman, he did not talk about profits.

Having got the printer’s agreement to do the job, I then went about to tackle the next part of the production: find enough money from advertisements to pay the printer. The companies I had in mind were spread out throughout the city. I could get to them by the only means of transport available to me: using my bicycle. Fortunately, the bosses of these companies were good listeners with a good heart. They listened to the objective of the publication, they were sympathetic and they applauded the idea that students would benefit from their study of economics, and that the teachers had given their wholehearted support. 

The publication of this student Economic Journal was successfully completed in about three months. I requested a committee member of the student Economic Society, A Mahadeva, a schoolmate to complete the publication’s financial transactions, and take care of its distribution. He said to me, “You published the Journal, your name is not it!” My reply was that it didn’t matter. At his insistence I wrote a notice in my capacity as Secretary of the student Economic Society encouraging students to join the Society, and had the notice stuck at the inside of the back cover of the book. 

It was just prior to a lecture when Professor Silcock called me to speak with me about the Economic Department’s desire to take over the Journal. After the meeting I returned to the lecture room and I informed the class about my agreement to the transfer.

I had no extraordinary feeling of exhilaration about the publication and completion of the journal. What mattered most to me was that the objective of the publication received the warm response of everyone who supported it: the teachers in the Economic Department, printer, bosses of companies, and fellow students. And for me, I learned a critical life lesson: the importance of getting the trust of people I need for my endeavours.

Henry Chia Soo Boon PPA (G); BA Hons (1958) University of

 Singapore

Senior Stories Liu Sung Tao

 How to make our country continue prosper and develop

Liu Sung Tao

How to make our country continue to prosper and develop.

 Service industry is the foundation of governance

A person and a country also have their strengths and weaknesses. Smart people know how to use their strengths to make up for their weaknesses, highlight their strengths, and increase visibility.

 National leaders can also avoid the slightest and create outstanding selling points to make people popular.

This is the basic way of life and governance.

Singapore has only been established for 55 years. All modern buildings have emerged from nothing. In just a few decades, the dilapidated Singapore has been built into a world-class metropolis. It enjoys many world-famous selling points, such as the "beautiful garden city", "the famous Singapore airline," "excellent airport " "clean government" the richest country per capita, in Asia etc., all achievementsmake Singaporeans feel Proud of .

 Change with the times

However, The Times are changing. Any country, no matter how great its achievements, must change its governing policy in line with the changing environment, and Singapore is no exception.

The outbreak of coVID-19 has hit Singapore especially hard. The government spent more than $50 billion in reserves to keep people safe. As hundreds of thousands of workers faced the impact of the severe outbreak, the government had to isolate most of the communities that were not affected, with severe economic losses.

Had it not been for the guest worker covid-19, Singapore might have been one of the least affected countries in the world. Now it's the other way around! Lose your money and reputation! What should be done to remedy it? Perhaps the authorities should consider it.

Make full use of manpower

 

The total population of Singapore is more than 5.6 million, of which only about 3.5 million are citizens, and the rest are foreign workers and laborers. 4 out of every 10 people are not Singapore citizens. This is a normal country with a very abnormal population structure that needs to be improved.

 The solution is: Singapore must reduce the number of industries that need to hire a large number of foreign workers and labor.

 Maids, accompany mothers, and foreign students are allowed to work part-time in the service industry.

 Significantly increase the income of local laborers.

 At the same time, the conditions for economic immigration are relaxed and the residence period for becoming a citizen is shortened. And the development of smoke-free industry, pay attention to tourism, education, health industry and other service industries.

Increase citizen growth rate

Singapore's priorities should be: how to increase the growth rate of its citizens and help them out of poverty, focusing on their livelihood knowledge and ability, rather than giving them money and food in the form of relief.

Within a few years, there will be no more poor people in need of relief in Singapore, and everyone will want to get married and have children without any worries in life. That's one way to increase the rate of population growth in Singapore.

This should be the highest priority of the Singapore government.

A sufficient number of nationals is needed to reduce the number of foreigners employed.

Singapore's priorities should be: how to increase the growth rate of its citizens and help them out of poverty, focusing on their livelihood knowledge and ability, rather than giving them money and food in the form of relief.

Within a few years, there will be no more poor people in need of relief in Singapore, and everyone will want to get married and have children without any worries in life. That's one way to increase the rate of population growth in Singapore.

This should be the highest priority of the Singapore government.

A sufficient number of nationals is needed to reduce the number of foreigners employed.

Open financial policy.

Singapore would do well to adopt a Swiss financial system that would allow large and small banks, including financial firms, to do so.

So that the general public can generally benefit, not only can we put an end to the usury market. It can also solve the hardships of people who don't have enough money.

Therefore, unlimited approval is granted for the establishment of banking and financial companies. Singapore will be same as Switzerland also be able to provide the world with confidential account services.

In terms of security, the U.S. banking system can also be adopted: interest on bank deposits with security guarantees is low. Small bank deposits without security guarantees have relatively high interest rates, making them more opportunities for the public to choose.

Using Swiss banking methods, you can absorb a lot of foreign deposits, in order to make a big investment in the financial sector, with money to make money, you can make Singapore live a life without the need for a large number of guest workers

 Development of "Medical Center"

 To develop Singapore into the most developed medical country in the ASEAN region, to set up more medical schools, and more advanced specialized hospitals and medical clinics. In addition to providing affordable medical services for the Chinese people, it also allows those who aspire to become doctors and nurses Prioritize admission opportunities. Similarly, people from ASEAN countries can come to enjoy world-class medical services and school enrollment opportunities.

 Many rich people in Southeast Asia, including Singaporeans, often send their seriously ill relatives to the United States for medical treatment. If Singapore can provide the same level of medical services, they will choose to go to Singapore for treatment. In fact, this situation already exists, but it can still greatly expand the market and make it more universal.

 Can develop Singapore into the best medical center in ASEAN. Will make our country fame and fortune.

Set up an education center

 At present, the tuition fees of higher education institutions in European and American countries are very expensive, but they can still attract a large number of students from Asia. 

 We should win over this lucrative business, 

To Introduce more internationally renowned universities, especially the subjects of business administration, come to set up branch schools. There will be a big market and profitable because our costs are certainly

  cheaper than Europe and America.

 The establishment of more famous universities for business administration can not only cultivate a large number of business talents for our country, but also allow ASEAN students to study in Singapore nearby. They save money, we make money, why not do it!

 In the future, if most of the business executives and big bosses in ASEAN countries are Singapore business graduates, they may drink water to think about their source and let Singapore share their achievements. It may be both human and financial!

 Therefore, it is a feasible project to establish a university city and develop Singapore into a higher education center in ASEAN to replace factories lacking labor.

Modern red light district

We can develop Singapore's Geylang district into a modern red-light district like King's Cross in Sydney or Soho in London. In order to attract another kind of tourists.

The UK, Australia can do why not Singapore? To become a world-famous tourist center, we need more than garden cities.

Transform all the rowhouses in The Geylang area into Singapore's colorful tourism hub.

It provides the same content as KingCross Soho.

So that all visitors to Singapore will not miss this onew attraction.

Change the use of Geylang District

This will enable the area not only to make more money from tourists, but also to bring more economic benefits to the owners.

Singapore Everbright City-Sentosa

 Develop Sentosa into a city that never sleeps, open 24 hours a day, and provide visitors with programs that are not allowed in Singapore, such as nude beaches, topless performances, etc. The nightlife can be compared with Thailand. Open multiple tax-free rooms

 The store sells diversified products at low prices, similar to the Yiwu (World Suppermarket) Commercial Center in China. Become a shopping paradise for tourists.

 The advantage of Everbright City is that it can buy time for short-term transit travelers to visit Singapore at night, and it can also make tourists choose to visit the cool Sentosa at night to avoid the hot day.

 Develop Sentosa into a world-famous city that never sleeps and a shopping paradise. Attract tourists to Singapore for their love of Sentosa.

Singapore also has pedestrian streets.

Almost every major city in the world has pedestrian streets to attract tourists, how can Singapore not!

It may also be considered to open Up The Orchard Road as a pedestrian street: a more prominent tourist attraction.

All stores that require or sponsor must be decorated with bright event neon lights, which are as beautiful as Tokyo Ginza in Japan. Make it a better place for visitors to have a more lively nightlife on cool nights.

All stores can therefore extend business hours, easily can increase economic returns, why not.

Service industry is the foundation of Singapore

 To achieve the above goals, develop Singapore into a more open "financial center" and a "tourism center" that can attract more tourists and become the most famous "education center" and the best "medical center" in ASEAN. Perhaps the government should Implement some relatively open policies: for example: allow investors in service industries to enjoy tax exemption as well as pioneer industries. Allow foreign professionals to obtain the more convenient employment pass. Allow all international students to do part-time work. At the same time, foreign personnel who can promote tourism can participate in the development of tourism services.

 When Singapore developed into an internationally renowned "financial center" "Education center", "Medical center" and "Tourism center", Singaporeans in the future will have the opportunity to become professional talents in these Field and they can work withq these industries at home and abroad. Become a special profession for most Singaporeans. Everyone has a skill, and maybe Singapore no longer has people waiting for relief!

 Young people don’t have to pay expensive cost to study abroad. After graduating, most of the students will get married in Singapore and take root, so we don’t have to face the problem of people going to live abroad.

 Reduce industries requiring guest workers and vigorously develop service industries. This is

 a suggestion worthy of consideration by relevant departments.