LEE KUAN YEW

   先日、Lee Kuan Yoｗ　が亡くなったので、シンガポール帰任時に部下から貰ったこの本を読みました。彼の見解は明快なのでわかりやすいです。

　そう言えば、4年前に彼の本を読みました。「HARD TRUTHS to keep Singapore going」これは、450ページもの大作で、生きているうちに残しておきたかった事を書いたのでしょう。　

34 books in 2015

Lee Kuan Yew

 　LKYが今朝亡くなりました。享年91歳です。

　シンガポールの建国の父です。初めてシンガポールに行ったのは、1985年頃、28歳の時、クエートへのトランジットだったと思います。オーチャード通り沿いのメリディアンホテルにとまって、ニュートンサーカスに行ってホーカセンターの屋台の食事をとったの覚えています。それから1991年から4年間、2009年から4年間駐在しました。

　この30年のシンガポールの発展をみると、本当に発展しないと死んでしまうと言っているかのように、いつも発展しています。これも彼のイニシアティブなんでしょうね。本当に多大な貢献をしたと思います。

Cuppage－Kai＠Tokyo

　日本に帰国してから1年半ですが、久々にシンガポールの時にやっていた駐在員の懇親会であるカッページ会を帰任者で集まってやりました。その数なんと２０名。

　ちょっとシンガポール時代に戻った楽しいひと時でした。

Gathering in Singapore

　I came back to Singapore　after 11 months.

  Nice to see the folks.

 

Singapore Night

  I  really enjoyed Singapore night dinner with my Singapore colleagues who are in Tokyo.

送別会

　今晩は、香港に転勤の同僚の送別会です。シンガポール仲間が集まりました。シンガポールの時も楽しかったですね。いい仲間に巡り合いました。

 

Good Bye Singapore!

Good bye Singapore.
Thank you for everything.
I have enjoyed a lot.
And all the best to you.

See you again!

Farewell Party

  This is the last farewell party, I will still be able to say "good-bye" to our friends in our annual Dinner&Dance party which will be held in Sentosa Resort World on this Friday though.

  Marina Bay has become an iconic site in Singapore. However I didn't have a chance to take a photo in front of the Merlion before. It was a good chance to take with him or her.

Farewell Gift -Message Cards

  Another farewell gift is the message card. In Japan we call this "Yosegaki". I have received more than 60 message sheets. I bought the one clear file folder to contain all these sheets into one. The photoes and names in the message sheets will help me to recall all these colleagues in the future.

Farewell Party

  今週はずっとFarewell Partyが続いています。いろんな贈り物をいただきます。今日は、ASEANの販社の方との会でした。フィリピンからは、このCaricature（風刺画、似顔絵）をもらいました。これは、楽しいやつですね。Salamat!

　

   これもいいです。いつかこうなりたいものです。これは、うちの広報部が作ってくれました。

Ex-AMC Gathering

  20年前の部下と同窓会を行いました。結局私の話になり、相当評判が悪かったですね。私は、多少ビシビシやっていた記憶はありますが、軍隊式の恐怖政治をやっていた記憶はありませんでしたが、皆は、「怖かった」と言っていました。

　典型的なジャパニーズ・ビジネスマンだったんですね。

 

Wedding

  My colleagues' daughter got married. We attended their malay style wedding party.

SIngapore Airshow 2012

  Singapore Airshow is the every two years event. I went to that show with my wife and her sister.I have a chance to have a close look at the normal passenger plane but not military ones. It was a quite rare opportunity to see them.

  

  This is the nose of the F-15SG Eagle. The nose is fixed by an ordinary ＋shape screw! I may be able to take it out by my screw driver !?

Lo-hei

  We had annual Div chinese new year party and celebrated taking Lo-hei.

  According to wikipedia, Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng (Chinese: 鱼生; pinyin: yúshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hî-seⁿ or hû-siⁿ), or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei (Cantonese for 撈起 or 捞起) is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.

While versions of it are thought to have existed in China, the contemporary version is created and popularised in the 1960s amongst the ethnic Chinese community and its consumption has been associated with Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore as well as in neighbouring Malaysia. In Singapore, government, community and business leaders often take the lead in serving the dish as part of official functions during the festive period or in private celebrity dinners.

http://nasser.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2009-02-08

 After the dinner, KARAOKE started...

Chinese New Year

  恭喜发财！(Gōngxǐ fācái!) I wish You Great Prosperity!
Happy New Year of the Dragon!
This morning, we were all happily entertained by the brightly colored lions which bowed and danced in our office to the crashing of the cymbals and the beating of the drums. In fact, it was my first up close and personal experience with the Chinese lion dance and I certainly found it very interesting.

Shanghai Grand Dinner & Dance

  We had the annual dinner & dance tonight, which theme is Shanghai night. One of Shanghai night club faces tough competition with competitiors. So this night club try to strengthen their show finding out the good talent in their organization. They shortlisted some of them. Tonight is the final selection event night. This is the story of our party. Yes we really found out a lot of talented staff. It was so fun. Dinner ended after midnight... have to get up tomorrow 5：00am for golf,though.

The secretary night

  The ad-hoc task is the one of the toughest work. A secretary is the expert to manage these tasks. That's why I have been doing the Secretary Night in the year end for several years to show my appreciation to her. I invite her a dinner in a cosy restraunt together with other boss and his secretary.

UPHORIA

  We had a big youth event today. Sveral cnsumer campaign were done during this year having a lot of contest and final contests are held in today’s event. Many young people gathered and enjoy the contest and latetst products. We also did the music concert inviting Train and Mike Posner. See big crowds...

Singapore History

 I borrow secondary school text book of Singapore history from our staff's daughter, since I would like go through the history. I found the school text book was good to get the overview quickly, I didn't have that experience in my school days though. 

ISBN : 9789814211833Title : Singapore: From Settlement To Nation S/E / N(A) Textbook S2Subtitle : n.a.Imprint : EPB Pan Pacific (an imprint of Panpac Education Pte Ltd)Author : CoPublished with MOESpecifications : 200mm x 260mm, 244pp, Threadsewn Synopsis : The package of instructional materials, Singapore: From settlement to nation, pre-1819 to 1971, consists of a textbook, activity books and a teacher’s resource file. The textbook traces the history of Singapore from the pre-1819 period to 1971. It adopts an enquiry-based approach in which students are encouraged to participate actively in the learning of History. The activity books provide students with opportunities to review, practise and discover more about what they are studying. The teacher’s resource file provides teachers with sample teaching materials and suggested activities.

 

61books in 2011

Heart works 2 - EDB & Partners: New Frontiers for the Singapore Economy

Fifty years is a solid milestone for any organisation. For the Singapore Economic Development Board, it is a time to recharge for the challenges ahead, but also to reflect on core values and the course of its evolution. The agency's drive and determination are derived from a resilience embedded in its organisational culture - in particular, the exercise of leadership at all levels, from the formulation of strategy to adroitness on the ground in anticipating and meeting the needs of investors and rallying the necessary partners from all quarters. Looking to the next half-century, as new frontiers are crossed, the focus shifts to fostering an even deeper connectedness to Singapore. The city-state is being enhanced, in every way feasible, as a "home" in Asia, in all its senses, for business, innovation and talent. The Republic's well-honed and well-known key attributes of trust, knowledge, connectedness and high standard of living make it very well-placed to be a "living lab" to develop new sustainable solutions for tomorrow's global opportunities in emerging areas such as the urban environment, health and wellness, lifestyle and entertainment. Singapore is aiming to equip itself to be always ready to be a home for the high-growth industries of the future. And, so long as the EDB and its partners keep in touching distance of the most promising new frontiers, Singapore should remain "future-ready". 54books in 2011

Wedding

ex-AMC gathering

  We had the 3rd ex-AMC gathering tonight. This is the reunion of our team who worked together in Singapore in 1990's.

  Interestingly, Tokyo team had the gathering at the same time. So we connected them by Skype. It is new style gathering, isn't it?

Wedding

   Yesterday 29 Apr 2011 ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain  had "The Royal Wedding". Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton got married.

  

  Tonight, the princess in our company also had the wedding. So I went with my wife and her sister who just come to Singapore today.

  She was so beautiful and looked happiest. She is just three years elder than my daughter. I do understand her fathers' mixed feeling.

  "One's life for sharing"

HARD TRUTHS to keep Singapore going

　Mr Lee Kuan Yew speaks very clearly Singapore's vulnerability as hard truth and keep telling Singaporean to be better. I feel it is too clear as politician. It's very interesting book.

【Strate Times】A NEW book to be launched on Jan 21 will offer a rare glimpse into the mind of the most influential man in Singapore's history.

Titled 'Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going', it is based on 16 interviews the Minister Mentor gave to seven journalists from The Straits Times from December 2008 to October 2009.

The 458-page, 11-chapter tome is a comprehensive examination of Mr Lee's beliefs. It covers weighty topics such as Singapore's political system, climate change and international relations, but also lighter ones, like his views on tattoos, fengshui and movies.

One distinctive feature is its extensive use of the question-and-answer format, which the authors hoped would engage younger readers and capture unvarnished, the robust exchanges between Mr Lee and his interviewers.

'There hasn't been a book like this where his views are subjected to such intense questioning and scrutiny in 32 hours of interviews,' said The Straits Times editor Han Fook Kwang, 57, who led the team of seven writers.

Xmas Dinner

　　今日は、年末の「Secretary Night Dinner」ということで、日本でもやっていたのですが、もう1組と一緒にXmas Dinnerをとりました。

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

 　最近できたMarina Bay Sands Hotelの57階の屋上で、イベントに招待されたので行ってきました。カジノもある超バブリーなホテルです（一泊最低5万円）。Singaporeは景気いいですね。こういうバブリーなイベントを見ると、日本の沈滞ムードとアジアの活力に差を感じます。

シンガポールフライヤー Singapore Flyer

　

　

   会社の同僚とシンガポールフライヤーに行ってきました。東洋一の観覧車です。１周３０分でS$30なので、１分１ドルと言われていて、シンガポールにしては高いですかね。２０人くらい乗れるゴンドラですが、持ち込みの飲み物とか不可ですが、食事がついているPackageとかあるそうです（＄２５０）。

　　できたばかりの頃、途中で止まり、日本でもNewsになっていましたが、今は、大丈夫のようです。

　　夜の方が綺麗ではないでしょうか。いい眺めの夜景がみれます。

West Coast

  じゃあ、園芸屋にも行ったし、もう家に帰ろうかとカミさんに言うと、「じゃあ、もっとドライブを続けよう」という事になり（涙）、あてもなく北上します。北上しているつもりが、西横になり、ふらふら進んでいると、なんとWest Coastに着きました。

　まあ、East Coastも行ったので、今日は、WeｓｔCoastにしようと、わけのわからない理屈で、ちょっと寄ってみました。まあ、いろんな人がそれなりの休日を過ごしているといるという感じですか。

　マックでハンバーガーでも買って家で食べようということになり、私が買いに行きました。並んでいる間に周りを観察していると、いろんな人がいます。いろんな人種はSingaporeなので、あたりまえですが、Singapore人でも刺青しているやつも結構いるし、総じて、ガラが悪いですね。千葉の田舎の倍くらいの田舎の感じです。うちの会社には、この手の人種はいません。なんかSingaporeの実情をみたような気がします。

　まあ、急速に国が発展したので、全員が同じ速度で近代化したわけではないですよね。

 

Singapore園芸屋

  今日は休みなのでどこに行こうか知らん、と言う事で、「まあ適当にSingaporeをドライブしよう」ということになりました。とりあえず北上しようと、、。

　適当に行っていると、園芸屋は見えます。「それでは、ここにでもいってみる」ということで行きました。Thomson Roadには、園芸屋さんが並んでいるようです。JM Flowerというところへ行ってみると結構でかい店でした。しかし日本とくらべると安いですね。

　ちょっと、細ごま買ってしましました。日本の時は家のすぐそばに花屋さんがあったりしたので、結構利用していましたが、Singaporeでも当然あるので、ちょっと今後利用したいですね。私の机に飾る観葉植物を買いました。

　ちょっと気分よし。

Hungry Ghost

 Local Staffに言われるがままに会社の裏へ連れて行かれました。今日はHungry Ghostの最終日だそうで、でっかい線香に火をつけて、会社や家族の安全を祈りなさいと言われ、言われるがままに祈りました。日本の「お盆」なんですね。

【説明】中元節をはさむ前後の２週間　陰暦　７月１日～７月３０日、新暦８月３日～９月１日
「お腹をすかせたお化けのお祭り」という珍しい名前のお祭りです。このお祭りの期間は、年に1度、あおの世の門が開かれ、亡くなった人達の霊がこの世に戻って、親類や子孫達との絆を新たにするというものです。日本では「お盆」と呼ばれているものです。
一方、あの世から戻ったものの、帰る家もなく、慰めてくれる縁者もいない気の毒な霊達は、恐ろしい”飢鬼”（ハングリーゴースト）となって、この世をさまよい、人々に不幸をもたらすと言われています。それで、祖先の霊のみではなく、このようなさまよえる霊に安らぎを与え、その飢えを満たすために、この期間、人々は色々なもてなしを用意します。家々では、玄関にお供え物を置き、線香と模造の札束を燃やし、祖先の霊を招き入れます。街中でも同様にお寺や道路わきなどで焚き火が見られます