Drunk Co-pilots

This is an article of interest, because I have had first hand experience dealing with a person who is a co-pilot with our National Carrier who still flies.

Dependency on alcohol is not less serious than any other substances people abuse.  The co-pilot who was arrested, must probably feel that it's unfair for him.  Rightly so, because in that industry, most consume alcohol and don't get arrested, because they haven't placed hundreds of lives in danger YET or they have not abused the habit.

As with all substance abusers, they will never admit that they have a drinking problem.

In a closed profession like the airline industry crew, it should be easier to actually follow protocol but this particular co-pilot has been flying under the radar (every pun intended) for so many years, that his employers, the airline has just taken that like playing golf.

Just because he hasn't caused the crash of a flight, doesn't mean it won't happen.  Just because he drinks coffee before flight doesn't mean, he hasn't totally emptied a bottle of whisky less than 5 hours before flight.

Perhaps some airlines turn a blind eye, until a tragedy occurs, which actually means, it's being run by indifferent Chiefs.

So far, this pilot has had disciplinary issues on file, of which only 2 was linked to his drunken behaviour when off duty.

The panel interviewing him about the incidents are not trained personnel in substance abuse, to know any better.  That already is incorrect.
Substance abusers should be assessed by Psychologists, who can determine if the behaviour was caused by their habit definitively and recommend mandatory remedial.

People are not born with a need to abuse any kind of substance.  If there is an urge to overdo some activity, something is clearly not in place.  It's called COMPENSATING.  Question is, compensating for what?

Airlines around the world should take a hard look at their flight crew.  With the threat of terrorism worldwide and our inability to guess what is going to hit us next, isn't it pertinent to clean up the backyard we have control over, instead of just waiting for move lives to be lost before we react?

After mothers/fathers/daughters/sons/sisters/brothers/aunts/uncles have lost their lives, everything becomes IN RETROSPECT.

Why wait for a lesson to be learnt, when the book is right there? Passengers fly because we are not birds - we can't do an annual migration without the airlines.  Don't blame the terrorists for making the world an unsafe place when our own airlines play lucky draw with our lives, whenever an alcoholic dons his flight blazer and walks into the cockpit.


http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/03/27/co-pilot-suspected-drunk-american-airlines-pkg.wdiv

'indiscriminate fishing'

How does one explain 'indiscriminate fishing' ?

Someone said RANDOM.

I disagreed and still disagree.

I was shown a google definition of 'indiscriminate' - as usual, people prefer to be contextual in their explanation.

Perhaps that is why, instead of maintaining ENGLISH standards, we compromise.

RANDOM
the one usage that comes to my mind is when obtaining samples for investigation, like in research.

Contextually, INDISCRIMINATE fishing means, fishing without bothering if a fry is caught or a plate-sized fish.  One wouldn't care if the fishing area is a no fishing zone or that the fish caught is poisonous i.e inedible.

Fishing as a sport is already RANDOM.  It's not often that we can say, hey I'm going to catch us some blue groupers today. People who can say they will catch a definite species of fish from a lake, are people who are professionals (like in a documentary on NatGeo) - these people have a set way of using and hooking the bait they use and they fish at a certain spot.  There is nothing RANDOM about their quest, because it has a set of rules, to up their chances of hooking that specific fish type.

So how do we explain 'indiscriminate fishing' to a high school class?
I would say, 'senseless fishing' - because contextually, it means, a person goes out there and fishes, without concern about what he is going to catch.  Usually, this type of fishing causes some harm/damage somewhere but never to the fisher.
We can also say 'inconsiderate fishing' because the fisher doesn't care about anything except to fish.

I support teaching correctly because it's HELL to find out much later on, that someone told us something inaccurately.

Accuracy is everything.
Accuracy is also important in online gaming.  If the gear obtained in game doesn't have accuracy, one can try to kill a mob and find that all the attacks miss and although the mob will eventually die, it will probably take twice/three times longer.

Teachers have to do more - textbook learning - classroom training is pointless, if there is already a culture ingrained for a + or - explanation.
In Math, the acceptable answer could be anything within a decimal margin of error.  In English, we do not have such luxuries.

Either you hit it on the nail, or you are way off base.

HDB Neighbour Spat

It's interesting how one can move into a public housing flat and meet the Neighbour from Hell.

Apparently the mediation didn't resolve the spat.
The report stated that the complaint was about bad smell affecting health.  LOL.

People have to first start getting real with themselves.  If your health is bad, it's either a poor gene pool OR inappropriate food intake OR BOTH.  They claim that it's like a burning smell and the family they are complaining against, admitted that her husband smokes.
Seriously.

Did they not think that perhaps they should go to the UN and lay blame on the Haze makers?  That perhaps they were unfortunate enough to have inhaled an excessive amount of haze to have caused them their health ailment?  How about them walking around with an O2 tank, since the Carbon Monoxide from our vehicles emit a whole lot of bad air than a stick of ciggie - Unless of course, they can't tell the difference between the size of a vehicle exhaust and a ciggie.

Perhaps, these people need to take up a real hobby - keep busy.  Perhaps, they need to be plagued with some economic hardship, so that they will be too busy working and making ends meet to worry about second-hand smoke from their neighbours' flat.

It's disgusting that we still have such people around.  People who think they are better than another family.  I guess living in a HDB Exec, made them think they are rich and as such, in a position to DEMAND nothing but putting themselves first, the neighbourhood last.

People, get off your high horse.
The higher you think you are, the harder will be your fall.  It won't matter if how high you really are is a far cry from where you really are - the crushing fall will nevertheless be equivalent to the pain you have caused someone else.

Karma is a bitch.
I have said it many times.

Today, you may think you have it all.
Tomorrow is another story.

Thing is, the neighbour they are harassing, will probably be more magnanimous than they can ever dream to be.

JAPAN WHALING & HUNTING GERIATRIC ANIMALS

I read with DISGUST, about the most progressive country in technology, exhibiting worse than primitive behaviour, in civil society of 2016.

Japan, a country where most practice Buddhism, Zen or otherwise, but still with the majority of mainstream who honour the dead war soldiers, has apparently not matured in the treatment of mammals like the whale.

The practice, is WRONG at any conscious level.  90% of the female whales killed, were pregnant.  Perhaps, their minds are so filled with arrogance, since they lead the world in technology, that they believe they are beyond suffering repercussions.

Civil people understand, that the world requires research to save human lives.  Civil society also makes a strenuous effort not to harm animals in the process.  Civil society has moved way past animal testing.  That is the wonder technology has gifted us - the ability to find another way.

Instead of using advancement in technology to find solutions for whatever it was, that possessed them to hunt whales, the Japanese have gone in reverse gear, and behaved no better than the ISIS terrorists who are randomly killing people in the name of their GOD.  I say 'THEIR GOD' because my Muslim friends do not share, even in the most remote sense of their (ISIS) reasoning behind every bombing.

When I was in school, I remember a teacher telling us, how 'useless' the UN is.  What's the use of a platform watchdog if it doesn't have the muscle power to compel mindless people to adhere to the laws of the land?

I am not a fan of sea creatures, but I detest having to read about a nations' nonchalance on the matter.

Are we all going to sit pretty and wait for Karma to be a bitch and teach them a lesson?  After all, Japan still protects their fishermen who go dolphin hunting during their festival - if my memory holds me correct.

Perhaps its time the Japanese reflect on why they are plagued with this many natural disasters.  Perhaps, they should stop thinking it's because they are geographically disadvantaged.

Just because Japan is great now, doesn't make them right. At least I don't read about North Korea whaling or killing dolphins for sport.  So North Korea fires missiles into the sea - a test run - but every sovereign nation has some form of target practice.  Some go to war, to test out their new weapons - that is part of history isn't it?  Them carrying out that military exercise is not a mortal sin in my book.  It may have been unnecessary but not a mortal sin.  Killing of whales and dolphins or just killing geriatric animals for sport as suggest by Prince William recently is more than a mortal sin.

I would like to see Prince William being hunted in a hunted game when he's past his reproductive years.  If he's comfortable announcing that he supports that sport, then I don't see why I cannot say, he should put his money where his mouth is, and offer himself up to the world's most wanted list of serial killers, to hunt him down, as game.

It has been a very troubled start of 2016.  Mindless people doing and saying things plus justifying themselves.
The world doesn't need Earth Hour - we need to self-destruct, because we have become selfish, thinking we have a right to be on this earth more than the next living being.

Hilary Clinton

And so, CNN ran an article on her and the dislike, people seem to have of her.

Rather unfair, given that HC has walked the talk for years.
Personally, I feel that she deserves to be nominated - and it's not because I am a woman.

I do not keep many female close friends, because most are too emotional for my taste and tend to omit the use of HEAD decisions.

BUT for HC, I would say, she is a strong woman, and because she is strong - women find her 'intimidating' ; men find her 'over-extending their idea of what a woman should be'.

Americans should be proud, that they have someone at their helm, who can feel, when it is required of her to feel and to cut the BS and get the job done.

When I was having a meal discussion topic about HC, it brought to mind Margaret Thatcher.  The world labelled her as the woman who ruled with the iron fist.

These are 2 very different women, yet they are the few of this gender, who are able to lead a party of men in governance.

Some people say, she lies - IF she does, it's not something new for politicians - Politicians may not come out right to lie, but they don't always tell the whole truth.  They say what is politically correct to say, at that point in time.  Male or Female, ALL POLITICIANS are subject to the same expectation from the government.  If the ruling party isn't ready to release some information, they are not ready.  When the public compels them to cough something out, then it's when we hear/read partial truths/partial lies.

That doesn't make Hilary unworthy to be nominated.

Voters should grow up.  Before judging anyone, put oneself in that person's shoes, THINK HARD (if you can) and vote for someone who is not going to take a box of tissue paper so they can cry into it.

The world is becoming a nasty place.  Getting all EMO isn't going to provide us all WORLD PEACE.

Trump Hoo Hah

I read this morning that some blogger posted an open letter on his FB - negative connotation naturally.

What I fail to understand is why people don't get that POLITICS has always held the reputation of being 'dirty' because there will be low-balling and back-stabbing.  Lies are just the flour to this political cake making process.

Some people have accused Trump of inciting violence.  Well, anyone can attend a rally and start a riot.  One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that but again, I guess perhaps there is a need to revamp their education system, since the ones crying the loudest don't get it.

For many years, I wondered whether I was ever shortchanged by the stork, who dropped me here in Asia.  Now, I know the stork made the best decision possible.  Come Elections here, I never have to concern myself about things that won't matter once the government is in place.  Sure, we do get the rare defamation suits but only because posters on social media have not grasp the English Language enough to type accurately but want to jump on the bandwagon of social media most liked site.  Frankly, who cares how many LIKES you get for a childish post.  Sensational posts are sure to attract like a honey pot.  That is Behaviour 101.

For the many way over there, who slam Trump so much, I guess (they) have equal accomplishments in business to compete.  Here is a self-made millionaire, not running for Presidency for any lobbyists, but for his ideas of how to clear their nation of debt.

My American friends are not happy with how their nation has gone on a downward spiral and they are voting Trump.  Right now, he is NOT a politician.  Once he is, I know he will slip into those shoes easily.  After all, he turned his businesses around didn't he?

People should grow up and stop being emotional.  This is the weakness of the entire world.  People do not know where to draw the line between what needs to be done and being all emo about what you didn't get.

From way over here, it's time POLITICIANS there wake up and start wanting to work for the voters and the general good of the nation, instead of being politically correct and not getting ANYTHING DONE.

Singapore may be a young nation but for all our coffee shop bitchings, we know who can do the job for our children and grand children.  Does that mean we are weak and submissive?  Only the weak-minded will think that.  Singaporeans are tough and can weather storms.  That's what a tough ruling hand has given us.  The will to be better at what we do always wins over whining and underhand tactics.

Quality of Life - another Mojo

My gf decided that we take our annual pilgrimage to Jonker Street, Melaka in April.

Also, people do ask why I refer to her as my gf/best friend - well, we are the best of friends, shared a 30+ years friendship.  She is indeed different from just a friend/colleague/peer/acquaintance/buddy.  We each lead very different lives but do our lunch meets every other month and outstation breaks together.
I like to be 'politically' correct in that we share a long friendship.  Saying 'childhood' friend is gravely lacking in substance.

I have other good friends - people I work with, people I have known in the course of work yet keep in touch with them by and by, guy friends who are good coffee pals and errand runners!
So I feel a need to categorise everyone for hierarchy's sake.

As usual, her task is always making reservations for lunch and dinner and mine is booking of our accommodation and passageway.  It's best I leave all the nitty gritty to her, because I don't live to eat, in this case, I don't vacation to eat, but she does.

So my job ends the minute we check into the hotel and the baton will be passed on to her.

She has already decided our first night dinner venue...now she's working on the 2nd night dinner venue.  Breaky is at the hotel - according to her, she loved the spread last time around.  I'm relieved, because it's the first I've heard about it! I remember having to convince her why I always stayed at Holiday Inn whichever city I am in. (if they are not located where I want to be, then it's Hyatt).  She used to just book an entire package, when me, on the other hand, prefer ala carte.

It's not always cheaper by package.  This upcoming vacation is proof enough.  Never mind we don't get the hotel of our choice (drop off/pick up point), every extension night is a lot to top up.  So I did ala carte again for Malacca.

Once we get the coach tickets confirmed, I will secure the hotel booking and save more! Right now, we are on Best Flexible rate.

This is our MOJO.  The annual trip to Melaka - Jonker street walks for hours - we are not shopping center people....but more street fair type.  The smell of cooked food, hustle and bustle of people and music....makes us feel alive.  Then after all that, go back to the hotel and enjoy the view of the open sea.

This time, I hope to have time for a dip in the pool - although I doubt that will happen.  We are mostly out.

Yes, it's great to have a mid-life crisis of wanting to savor quality of life our way.  Life doesn't have a standard for Quality of Life.  We set the mark.  And if we can dabble in it whenever, there is no cause for complaints.  It's not the huge ideas that decides if we have Quality of Life - it's whether we are content, happy and satisfied about where we are.

This is not a compromise.  It's doing what you want to do, when you want to do it.

To finally enjoy the fruits of labour

Interesting thing about passing mid-life is the ability to really get into hobbies.

I was talking to a good friend today and mid-life doesn't deter him from getting engrossed in mountain biking.  One such bike costs him 7-8k SGD and another 11k.  Every time we catch up he shows me a 'fresh' bruise.  It's unbelievable.  It may take him a bit longer to get over the aches from a bike fall but he's still at it.

Another good friend, runs the marathon.  He goes to Hong Kong, Japan and most years, qualifies to run in France.  He's not a decorated marathon runner, so doesn't have sponsors, yet all his annual leave goes to these overseas expeditions.  Rain or shine, he runs every evening.

My best friend, dabbles in yoga and gardening.  I do admire that, since I'm terrible at contorting my body and gardening for me is re-potting and the daily watering and occasional pruning.  She attends yoga lessons weekly and only misses when she's on vacation.

A colleague, as I've mentioned before, goes open sea fishing once a year.  He comes back re-charged and even sounds convincing that he's ready to face the year and all it's tribulations.

We are all in our mid-life.
Perhaps having done the raising of children and career mumbo-jumbo, we all just look forward to working for sustenance and using the balance time for pleasure.

I guess we all got it correct.  We do not all have spouses, although some of us have grown children.  Perhaps this is how life should be.  Be in our professional prime, raise the children, then go laid-back and enjoy the spoils.

When I mentioned to each of them how I don't really have such a passion for leisure activity, I was quickly corrected.
Of course you do - you game!

Guilty.

Mojo Fishing

A colleague and good friend, sent this to me this morning - one of his catches from his fishing trip.
It's amazing, how some people feel so re-charged after 3 days of fishing - not here of course, but in Indonesian waters - open waters.

They were fishing from a 'sampan' too.

I get sea-sick - especially if the seas are rough.  I felt a little sick just crossing the channel on a ferry, to Bintan some 2 years ago - some fresh sea air did stop the nausea but it doesn't mean I could put myself on a sampan and fish like he does.

This is just awesome.  To have a hobby like that which just renews the zest for life.

Everyone should have some kind of mojo moment.  I'm glad he has his - although work gets us all busy, he managed to squeeze some time out to top up his mojo which has been waning since last year.
From his text message I can feel that he's ready to face the difficulties he has been presented with.  I'm glad.  Very glad.

US Election again

It's no wonder Rubio didn't want to drop out of the Election - he has a following where he just won.  I guess it's no surprise that people tend to be able to comfortably identify with, a person from a similar background.

What people are missing about elections is, who CAN do the job.

We may like a person, but does he/she have what it takes to work that position for the big picture.  Unfortunately, most people run high on the Emotion factor, which, when translated, means, heart ruling over head.

I guess since this is the norm, it's no wonder nations are not doing as well as they can.

So, although it looks like a Trump-Clinton finale, perhaps not, because people are spreading the fear factor everywhere to swing voters.

Some said that Clinton has a lot of legal battles - some email drama....Others claim that Trump is too blunt.

Truth hurts.  People forget that.
The nicest things that people say out loud, are the easiest things to believe in.

Things will not change, if we don't first accept that hurt of the truths.

Hokkaido Milk

I wanted to make a note about the best fresh milk I discovered on one of my supermarket trips.
It costs much more than the regular carton of milk but it's definitely worth it.  I have tried it with cereal and even Nescafe coffee, something I rarely do (drink coffee with milk) and it's simply divine.

Thing is, I'm not the only one who finds this label great - I know because the cartons on the shelf at Cold Storage runs totally OUT of it all the time.

I buy like 3 cartons at a time and I can never re-stock without having to go without for a few days.

I understand that people are into LOW FAT stuff, but I like my milk to be all creamy and rich.

This label is good enough to just drink it on it's own.  I find other labels 'thin' or dilute and it's not my idea of how milk should be.

US Election 2016

I guess they are down to Trump and Clinton.

From what my friends tell me, Democrats are going person to person, in anticipation the eventual face off.

Personally, I do not have any issues with Clinton, except that she's a woman.  I am a woman.  Yet, if I had to vote, she wouldn't have mine.

As a woman, I feel that we are already 'short-changed'.  It then coaxes us to try to un-woman our behavior.  Most try too hard and end up loosing the very essence of our person.
That is my experience and Clinton may not even be like that, but it doesn't make me feel comfortable knowing that a majority of women are like that to some degree and to err on the side of caution (for my comfort) I steer clear from ever getting into such a situation.

Then we have Trump.
Is it wrong for him to want to build a wall?  He's not.
Every country, for the sake of her sovereignty, requires permission for entry - airspace or land space.  This is also why Singapore moved the Immigration checkpoint for rail visitors to be at the point of entry to the island republic from the business district.
When countries share land borders, keeping people in and out is serious business.  Land borders stretches for miles and over different terrain. Isn't a border some fence, like people have to demarcate where your land ends?

People say, he's a supremacist - white that is.  Well, whatever he subscribes to is secondary, IF he is serious about positive change for everyone.  If change is what he has promised for all people, it no longer is about him being a supremacist.  He has a track record of getting things done.  Isn't that important?  Why vote for someone who is just going to bask in the limelight, fan his ego while the population suffers with no basic medical care?  That is the issue in America.  Their healthcare.  Americans I know, have lost their healthcare and even as Singaporeans bitch about our CPF, at least we HAVE our Medisave.  The average American adult, age 30, cannot even afford to be hospitalised these days.

Trump, for years, have raised funds for the US Veterans.  That's commendable.  These military personnel have carried out their orders, came home permanently injured and many are forgotten.  All those years, Trump did that, was when he was not running for Office.  That has to count for something.

He was right to say, he backed this person, that person and they all lost, which is why he decided to run himself.

That is the voice of success.
When people fail you, DO IT YOURSELF.

I understand where he's coming from.  AND hard as he may seem to be, THAT differentiates a doer from a talker.
Anyone can talk.  Remember that arsehole who told my friends he will buy them dinner after they get him out of his shit?  He never did.  Trump has done whatever he said he would do - we know that because he's a self-made man.

Then comes his competition who just days ago, made a comment about the size of his hands.
Well, if Trumps hands are 'undersized', yet he has accomplished so much, imagine if they were larger - he would rule the world!
The candidate who made that comment clearly is immature.  I would have expected such a comment to come from teenage boys but not grown politicians.

At the end of the day, is it the length or girth which matters?
Actually its neither.  What matters, is whether, the American people are going to have money in their bank accounts.  You can have all the FREEDOM legislated, but if you're stone broke with no healthcare, that FREEDOM is worth nothing.

Quarter Year Gone!

The best thing that happened to me was moving out of the 'cursed' temp place.  I remember trying my damnest to make the 'feng shui' work, but my pets died from bad air which complicated their respiratory systems - which should have been telling enough for me actually.

As always, when that little voice talks to us, we try to discount it, especially when it involves some 'superstition' or just 'negative energy'.

Having had pets all my life, it was odd for me, to loose one after another to some weird illness, which had a sudden onset with bad prognosis.
Someone told me before, that if pets are dying, it means the energy is sapping up the good chi.

I have more than settled into my own place now.  I have acquired more rescued pets and they are all doing great - like how happy, healthy pets should be.
Even my new plants are doing very well - I get flowers daily, from different pots and butterflies and birds visit for nectar in the mornings.  One would think, in a high rise?  Yeap.  There are mature trees near and they probably live there so visiting the potted flowering plant across their 'home' isn't a huge commute!

The visiting birds drive my cats crazy but when I watch them, I get this feeling of contentment that this is how things should be - nature and all her goodness.

A good start to another good year.  We are 1/4 way through 2016 and time doesn't seem to be slowing down.
It's almost like I don't have time to stop and smell the roses!

I know I should because I always wanted to be able to admire my own blooms and now I can - Even orchids, which I never had much luck with before, are flowering all the time.

I have been blessed.  Where I am, is where I should be.