December 27, 2012

getting fat ...

Many months ago, when I bent down I could touch my toes. Now I can't. My fingers are about 15cm from my toes. That means I have been eating more and have not had enough exercise and so fat has accumulated around my waist making it thicker.

Many people also can't touch their toes. It is not something unusual or abnormal. But I don't like to have a thick waist or a bulging stomach.



So I have decided to do something about it. I have set a modest target – to reduce the 15cm to 6cm in 5 months. I hope I will have good news to tell you in May 2013.

I have found several sites telling us that fat around the waist is not good for us. There are also suggestions on how to reduce weight.

Actually I am not fat but according to the mass-to-height formula I am a little overweight. 

December 21, 2012

Miscellaneous

Did you notice there are a lot of irrelevant comments in my blog recently. I deleted quite a number of them already. By the way, if you post comments at a post that is more than 2 weeks old, the comments will not be published until approval is given by the owner.


I cannot access my email at Lycos these few days. It has happened before. If you have any mail for me, please try frannxis@singapore.com .


Some people say that we only appreciate something when we don't have it anymore, be it a person, a relationship or a material possession. I was thinking of growth and foreign workers. I guess we don't really know until we have no growth and foreigners do not want to come here to work. My view is that if that happens, it does not bode well for Singapore.

December 10, 2012

essential service

At first I thought transport is not that essential. If there were no buses, the most you can't go to work or you just stay at home and don't go anywhere.

But, on further thought, it could be much worse. Take the worst scenario. All transport drivers (bus, rail and taxi) go on strike. Life will come to a stand-still. This will affect other essential services. Workers like nurses and fire-fighters cannot report for work. Tourists who want to return home cannot go to the airport.


I am one of those who support bus fare increase. I think it it reasonable. Of course most people will say no. Nobody will say yes to any increase unless it benefits them. I guess most MPs will speak against it in parliament even if they think it is necessary. I suppose they cannot be seen as unsympathetic or do not want to be accused of profit-minded. 

December 02, 2012

Your friends all died already

These were the words from a Cantonese a song that just sticks to my mind. I couldn't remember its title.

When I was young, Rediffusion was a major source of entertainment. Cantonese songs were one of my mother's favourites and she would increase the volume so that she could hear it at any part of the house.

This is what the song is about ...

A man and his daughter went to a cemetery to pay respect to someone. The man was a lazy bum. He mistook a few graves to be the one they were looking for. Then he found out that these graves were that of his old friends. He didn't know that they had died.

So his daughter remarked rhetorically : " Your friends all died already? " It sounded a bit funny.

I think the message in the song is to lead a healthy lifestyle as the man's dead friends had unhealthy habits and vices.