Commencement

Yesterday, HK's daughter had her commencement ceremony at the NUS where she obtain her first class honour degree ( I think it was in material science). She is on a scholarship with the DSA. Two weeks ago, it was KW's eldest daughter who graduated from the SMU with very good results, having make it to the dean's list.

These kids are really smart and on a roll. HK, KW and our contemporaries, most of us grown up from very modest working class, peasant background. Quite a number of our parents are first generation Singaporean, refugees from poor and war torn China and India. So, success within three generations - and the future can only be better.

We are lucky, we worked hard and we succeed in raising our kids. We deserve a big pat on our collective back.

Congratulations, KW and HK - I share your happiness of these events.

BGC

Bonifacio Gobal City (BGC) - I was in Manila Tuesday overnight and decided to visit this new city enroute airport, I had read on the internet that BGC was being built over the last few years to be the new business district for Metro Manila.

Impressive, what has already been built up can match with hip places like Singapore Robertson quay, maybe even better but definitely much, much bigger scale. Quality of the condos and shopping malls are very good - there are many condos and office buildings, already built or being constructed around the BGC. Most of them should be up and going by 2010.

It is good Singapore is not lagging behind, we have our IRs, so many condos being built in the CBD. I think we will still be the premier city of the Monsoon region but it is definitely good to see that cities like BGC and KL are chasing, closing up fast. So we must continue to run and pace ahead of our sister cities of the Monsoon.

Those of us who are frequently in Manila know the city for its slums, pollutions, fetid, putrid rivers and open sewage, street kids, sleazy bars and traffic jams. We despair if the government will ever get things going beside just debating, endlessly talking and helping themselves to the nation wealth at the people's expenses.

The Philippines has not always been on the radar of Singaporean businesses or investors at least to my knowledge. However, the years of sending workers, seamen, nurses, IT and other professional workers overseas, the amount of money remitted home must be a big factor to the economy. The returning workers will bring back much skills to develop the economy further.

I hope this amazing development will bring a new era of prosperity to our fellow Asean citizens who has been long suffering as lowly maids, seamen, construction workers, entertainers, doing all the work that are poorly paid and disdain by the locals in middle east, and prosperous cities like Hong Kong and Singapore.

Monsoon has an office in Manila since 1994 headed by Mr Diosdado G Ramos. We now have a staff of 12 and an office space of over 300 square meters in a nice bayside building named Marbella, facing Roxas Blvd and the famous manila bay. The baywalk along Roxas Blvd is now nicely done up and has become a safe, hip and happening place for the people to stroll along and have a nice time out in the nighttime.

Free Publicity for SMEF

The SMEF (Singapore Maritime Employers' Federation) is a union of shipping companies for crew related activities. Monsoon has been member for many years now. Last count I think its got about 18 members or so. This year, SMEF has voted in a new chairman, Capt Francis Joseph of Herning Singapore.

It is a cosy club of mostly senior crew managers from the shipowners and ship management companies based in Singapore. SMEF is the main employer's representative with whom our local unions SMOU and SOS do business with. Capt Lee is Monsoon representative on the SMEF executive committee.

In my opinion, SMEF lags much behind the unions in its development. It has not been very proactive in taking care of crew issues such as training, cadet program, manpower development etc. There are much work to be done by the new chairman and all SMEF members. What we need is probably an extreme makeover for this old lady.

Free Publicity for MPA 2nd Maritime Week 2007

2nd Maritime Week 2007

Organised By: MPA
21 September 2007 - 28 September 2007
Synopsis
Singapore (21-28 September 2007)Experience Singapore’s second Maritime Week. Featuring 14 international conferences, seminars and social events, this is truly an eight day celebration of all things maritime. A new high point of the Week is the Singapore Maritime Lecture, with Singapore’s Minister Mentor delivering the inaugural lecture. This precedes an evening of prestige and ceremony at the 4th Singapore International Maritime Awards Gala Dinner where individuals and companies are recognized with an award for their contributions to Singapore’s growth as an international maritime centre. Maritime Week is packed with intellectual, business and social activities. There is something for all maritime stakeholders.
pls click here for more details

Free publicity for MMS2007

MMS 2007 is jointly organised by the Seafarers Training & Education Advisory Committee (STEAC) and Wavelink. The prestigious conference is attended by senior management from shipping companies, maritime training institutions, international maritime organisations, port authorities as well as practitioners from both the local and international maritime industry.
The theme for this year’s conference, “Crewing Crisis – A Call For Action”, puts into perspective the widespread shortage of seafaring officers in the maritime industry with an added emphasis on the necessity to focus on the course of action to address this phenomenon.
The power-packed team of 12 speakers invited to speak at the MMS 2007 conference include senior management representatives from the shipping companies in the region, senior academics from maritime training institutions, senior figures from the maritime authorities and even female seafarers.
The topics areas relating to maritime manpower that will be explored and tabled at the MMS 2007 conference include the following;
Global supply and demand of seafaring officers
Supply and demand situation in China
Supply and demand situation in India
Supply and demand situation in Philippines
Supply and demand in the LNG sector
Action by Government & authorities (MPA) to address the shortage
Owners running their training centres
What the Japanese are doing to deal with the shortage
What Singapore companies are doing to deal with the shortage
Insights by female seafarers in the maritime industry
Alternative education streams for selection of potential seafaring officers
Register online NOW at www.mms2007.com.sg/registration.html!

Those were the days

As we develop our future, knowing where we come from and how we grow may be instructive but mainly because it gives meaning to our lives if we share a little of our memories with our friends and love ones.


I hope you will enjoy the frequent postings of stories or photos from the years gone, it is a perspective from my own personal experience, nothing more.

Yesterday I found some old B&W photos from many years ago, two of which I am putting up here - the group photos were from my old Singapore Polytechnic (Marine Radio Officer '70-72) days. I did not remember what event it was until I emailed the photo to HK, he came back immediately he remember we were taking a group photo before going off to Kota Tinggi waterfall for an outing ( he even remember the tall Indian guy (John Thomas) broke his tooth when diving into the water). You can also see the ang mo guy, I think he is Capt Milnes and his wife. Capt Milnes is the guy in charge for the nautical school. So, it was a simple life and simple things make us happy.

After graduating, Once, when on leave, my classmate TC Chua, who was on the MV Kunak (Straits Steamship) asked me to do a reliever trip. I love the Straits to East Malaysia run, the atmosphere onboard would not be much different from the fifties, very colonial. I was there only two weeks or so. Unfortunately it was during these two weeks that got me started smoking, it took another 20 years before I could stop. Nevertheless it was a great experience for me.

I especially like the photo above which was taken by me on a small camera - The MV Kunak at Labuan, circa 1973. Enjoy. This photo is evocative of my earlier posting, Moments in Time.

Maritime Authority Voted Most Pro-business Govt Agency

I was just talking to my friend from the MPA, IMC division yesterday night. Coincidentally, this morning, I was happy to read in the Straits Times, MPA has been recognised as the most pro-business govt. agency. I do not have much dealing with the MPA, but those of us long in the shipping trade would have noticed how it transformed from a somewhat sleepy colonial outfit in the '70s into a modern progressive organisation, playing a key (Champion) role in developing Singapore as an international maritime centre.

This tranformation has benefitted the shipping industry, providing jobs and other opportunities to our local citizens and businesses. We have attracted many ship owners and companies into Singapore with very generous incentives, tax free regimes, AIS scheme, maritime cluster fund etc.

Our timing could not have been better. We have pulled way ahead of our competitors and realised the opportunities that arises from the tremendous growth in China, middle east and increasingly, India. It could be said we are experiencing a golden age of shipping in Singapore (and the world). I could not remember a more bouyant situation.

Maybe some part luck, but much credit should be given to our government and the highly professional managers who drive the MPA, the top gun CEO, directors and their younger well educated juniors.

Just like the stock and property market, this current extended shipping boom has make some of us a little uncomfortable, wondering how long before this bull run is going to bear. More and more new ships are coming on stream until at least 2010. In our so-called free economy, must there always be cycles of mismatched supply and demand, of boom and bust? As a layman, as a worker, today feast, tomorrow famine?

What shall we do? Lets make the best and build up what we can during this good time. We should start thinking, make ourselves strong in case, when the bad time return.

I am confident we will always grow in the long term. Our younger generations of managers are more educated and can benefit from the experience of their more experienced and senior colleagues in the industry, well supported by a very professional and pro-business MPA.

Back lane, ears digging barber, KL Chinatown

KL Chinatown - Petaling street still retain some old world charm, nearly extinct trade such as old women selling home made muay chee and tou huay on roadside carts, backlane barber offering cheap no nonsense haircut, and ear digging.

Ever have your ears dug?

Last time I had my ears dug by a barber was years ago, I do not think I like to try it again unless they use disposable digging tools but I remember the tingling feeling, really shiok.


What a constract to modern and hip Bukit Bintang and KLCC.

Musang - Durian Durian

Is there a better way to teambuilding and bonding than having a Monsoon durian feast retreat? This is our uniquely Monsoon way of getting our hardworking staff to relax, for our newly joined staffs to get to know each others, away from the office environment.



A leisurely 4 hours drive up the scenic northsouth highway on a friday afternoon, we arrived evening into KL Marriot, checked in, two to a room before proceeding to a nice dinner and retiring early the night to our five stars comfortable bed.


Next morning after an old coffeeshop timsum breakfast at Petaling street, an hour or so drive to Bentong, soon enough, we found a nice roadside durian stand - Our durian feast begins.... For a total of less than S$100, we eat and eat. Exotic durian, Musang, D24 until cannot tahan anymore. Sated, Surrender. We got back to our hotel before dinner. Some of us enjoyed shopping KLCC and the buzzing, exciting Bukit Bintang while some prefer a quiet early night rest.


Is there a better way to end the KL trip than a sunday bak kut teh breakfast, way back detour Melaka nonya lunch before returning back to our families in time for sunday dinner.

Home sweet home.

This should be an annual event - another nice Monsoon event.

Hiatus - Back to Blogging

It is more than a month since I did my last posting. I shall report to you my busy busy schedule, a good excuse for this hiatus. Blogging has become a pleasant but serious responsibility towards my readers to whom I must thank for being ever so patient and polite in their gentle reminders and encouragement during their long wait for some new postings.

I was away Norway 20th to 28th June. We had our staff retreat cum durian trip to KL the weekend of 29th June and I had our Indian partners visit us 8th to 14th July. This week, one of our principal confirm his purchase of yet another handymax bulker for us to man, delivery End september/ Primo October.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a nice golf tournament cum diiner hosted by the as usual, gracious SOS / Seacare president, Mr Leow Chin Chuan at the Singapore Island country club, new course. This is a real treat even for struggling, pretend golfers like myself. It is the most beautiful golf course I have seen, anywhere. Membership at this exclusive, creme de la creme, high society golf club starts at $230,000. There is a report today's Business Times, Sentosa Golf club is the most expensive at $250,000 - madness... I am member of Safra NSRCC club, only $2000 for 5 years membership - otherwise, Johore, we golf.

Next week, I will be away Manila to take a look at our new office. Our GM, Mr Ramos has decided to shift from our current office ground floor to a nicer office on the second floor of the same Marbella Building with a good seaview of Manila bay. This new office will have even better fengshui. Floor area is slightly smaller but a lucky 318 square metres.

Week 31 - a prospective big ship owner is visiting us, Captain Lee and myself will accompany him to Yangon. He is very interested in Myanmar crew. We are quite excited about this prospect.

Oh ya, next thursday - I will start attending a basic digital photography course with HK at the Photographic Society. Hopefully in future, photos on my blog will see some improvement.

Away from the Blog

Regular visitors to my blog may be wondering why no new posting for the last two weeks.

I have been away to Norway with my wife to visit and stay with our old and special friend Ola and his wife Anne. It's a much look forward to annual visit, this year it coincide with midsummer (23rd June). A reminder that half the year is gone by now.

I will get back to blogging with more postings soon.