Category: SHC main bulletin

Here are some changes to new membership acceptance wef 1 July 2012.

1.  New memberships:

Other than current information required in the application form, new applicants are required to also register an username and for a password to enter SilverHairsClub.com before membership acceptance.

Processing of new memberships will now be done during the first 7 days of each month. 

2.  Current memberships:

All current members are required to have an username and password to enter SilverHairsClub.com to keep their membership.  To ensure the membership stays active, the email address should be the same as given to the Club.

There are no other changes to membership acceptance.

Terence Seah

Calling all Line dancers (and non-line  dancers too)

Time again to put on your dancing shoes and bring a few friends to join us for 5 hours of non-stop line dancing on a Sunday afternoon.

For those who do not dance, you can bring your bottle of ‘lethal’ or ‘non-lethal’ liquids, some snacks, kick off your shoes, sit back and relax to some good old music (mostly country western) and watch people dance (if you want to)

Details are as follows :

• Date : 15 Jul 2012, Sunday
• Time : 2pm to 7pm
• Place : Paya Lebar/Kovan CC (air-conditioned hall)
• Cost : $4.00 (with a bottle of mineral water)

I will put up the dance list after I have collated all the requests, so if you have any favourite dances you want to do then please send me a request via e-mail or through this thread and I will try my best to put them on the list. For non-dancers I can take requests if you have any favourite songs of yours you want me to play too ….that is provided I can find a dance to the songs and there are at least 10 people who can do the dance.

As this is not a strictly SHC event, you can bring your friends along  and have some fun too… yeeehaaaa

As usual for those who have forgotten the steps or want to learn a few more dances for the jam, you are welcome to come to my classes for some practice sessions starting this week for a nominal fee of $5.00 which will cover all the practice sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Participants list (Target 150 pax)

1. Sockie (EC)
2. Andrew Yeung – tentative, hope can shuffle back in time
3. Karen Thio – only know ‘electric slide’ but will support and scout for ‘shampoo’ model
4. Lily Ho – bringing a few with her
5. Caroline Gee – zero knowledge on line dancing but may be talent scouted for shampoo modelling
6. Lai Fong – will support and join ‘electric slide’ club and bring (wonder what is ) XYZ 
7. Patricia Sin – will join ‘electric slide’ club – will be late 
8. Bobby Bok – Welcome and bringing your kaki bo huh?
9. Rosalind Lee – time to bring them dancing shoes again 
10. Dolly Lim – MIA for a while, welcome back
11. Evelyn Ong – most of your requests will be in the playlist 
12. Melissa –  – Another new face, welcome
13. Pauline Ho – maybe another shampoo model 
14. Malcolm – Cannot run from me 
15. Eileen Thean – Wants to do Wild Wild West
16. Annie Tang – Shuffling in with Eileen 
17. Janie Leong – will be late and hopefully bringing in a whole gang with her
18. Thomas Loh – hope he does not disappear half way like he always does 
19. Peri – ticket already taken liao
20. Agnes Seow – no worry just look out for ‘markers’ and follow them 
21. Susan Tan – Yeah she is Kambing daun 
22. ………anymore coming?

• By chance i saw this *article about the English language in the S.T. Monday (28th) paper and i thought seeing it was better than seeing a $5 note on the ground. (lol!). Because of it’s educational value, i thought i should alert members who had missed it to check it out.

• The frequently misused words in the article include revert, whereby, everyday/every day, less/lesser, mature/matured and welcome/welcomed. The writer explains how the words should be used and gives good examples.

• Language Tips  series appears on every Monday and it’s a pity to miss these free ‘lessons’.

*S.T.Monday 28/5/2012, CATS section pg C6

I believe that most of us have read about the rising incidence of dementia.

Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment,
and behavior. Most types of dementia are nonreversible (degenerative). Dementia
symptoms include difficulty with many areas of mental function, including:

• Language
• Memory
• Perception
• Emotional
  behavior or personality
• Cognitive skills
  (such as calculation, abstract thinking, or judgment)

Dementia usually first appears as
forgetfulness.

There is growing evidence that some kinds of mental exercises can help slow down dementia. To this end, I
am contemplating developing a series of mental exercises which may be used
hopefully to help slow the effect of dementia.

I have a series of mental
exercises which help children improve their learning abilities , you may want
to visit www.mindmax.com.sg to know a little more. I intend to modify certain portions of the training protocol to
suit senior citizens who may worry about the onset of dementia. 

What I have in mind is not something commercial, but a social outreach—with trainers (SHC members) going
down to centres or elderly groups to train the centre helpers to run these programs.
So, it remains for me to size up how many SHCian are interested to do such
social outreach programs.

James

Dear Cyclists    

This month’s cycling, Ivan will be leading us again.

The details are :     

• Date : 19 May2012 (Saturday)
• Place to meet first : Blk 401 Hougang Ave 8, KPT 24hours Kopitiam
• Carparks : For those driving, please park your car at the free carpark at Ponggol Park itself (limited lots) or at Blk 401 HDB Carparks (normal charges applies).  This carpark is no longer free but barrier parking system as verified by the recce group on 5 May (Vesak Day).

  Timing as follow :

• 08:15am to 08:45am – Meet at KPT 24hrs Kopitiam, Blk 401 Hougang Ave 8 for those who wants breakfast.
• 08:45am – Proceed with own bike or walk to the Ponggol Park Bicycle Rental Kiosk
• 08:50am – Select rental bicycles for those who need one.
• 09:00am – Start of cycling event.
• 11:15am – End of cycling event.
• 11:15am to 01:00pm – Return rental bike,
• Lunch and Catch-up time….at KPT 24hrs Kopitiam, Blk 401 Hougang Ave 8.    

  And the route shall be :

• Starting point – Ponggol Park Bicycle Rental Kiosk
  – to Sungei Serangoon PC
  – to Ponggol Promenade Riverside Walk
  – to Ponggol Waterway – to Ponggol PC
  – to Ponggol Point Walk/Park/Jetty
  – and then back track to starting point.
  Total Distance : about 19km to 20km     

  See route map here: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/images/park_images/ParkConnectors/NERL_map.pdf

  Those coming, please bring your smiles, hat, sun-glasses, water-bottle, camera (and may be a disposable poncho too) etc. ….. apart from your own bike.   :))

p/s: I have no co-EO yet and also recce ride for route is this Saturday 05 May 2012.

EO – Ivan

Registration :

1. Charles Chua
2. Douglas Chan – own bike
3. Eileen Ang
4. Lily Ho
5. Charles Wee – own bike
6. Lawrence Lee
7. Steven Chan
8. Alan Ang
9. Wendy Goh – own bike

10. Eileen Thean

11. CLICK here to view photos     

A number of members have provided Q&As to our survey on "How to make SHC more vibrant?".  The survey design is now completed; and you are welcome to participate.  Your response will help us to understand our members expectations on How to make SHC more vibrant.

Click here to take survey. 

We will also send out this survey to our membership via email.  One participating per computer. The system wont allow more than one computer to participate.

Closing date 30 April 2012. 

LATEST:  To see the feedback from the first 47 members, please click here.  Please feedback on this Post as to how you read and analyse the members’ feedback.  I look forward to reading them, especially coming from the general membership.

Terence Seah 

A topic was raised to me at the recently monthly gathering.  It’s about "Gathering fellow members to join in bulk purchases".  We had also members raising this sometime in the forum; but members have not taken this idea up.  Actually, it was Jonathan Ong, who raised this up with me; and I remembered Kenneth Tan had also raised this before, with ovaltines.

Some members had raised ideas of co-operatives too.  Put it this way, I support this idea, although I don’t think we need to set up a co-operative.  The doors are open; and if you yourself want to purchase a product, and you know a company is willing to give you a good discount if you can gather 5 persons to buy the same product with a 10% discount, by all means, go ahead and let other members know, through the Club’s forum.  Make sure it is a good deal and offer.  It can be a cruise, 3 months supply of ovaltine, 3 sets of notebooks, 20 kopitiam vouchers, a car pool, two-to-go trip to anywhere, anything…

As long as we keep out of MLM products, I hope you can share your good buys with other members.  State the original price and the offer price or discount.  State the closing date.  Please do not use this as an advertising, even if you have no interest.

If you do not get the number of people to participate in the bulk purchase, please let members know by the closing date.  This would be courtesy.

I have created a new category called "Group buying".

Terence Seah 

Hi May Woo,

I need your help to create a survey.   First, I shall get feedback on what are the possible questions from members.

Hi everybody,

All of us have either participated in the Club’s forum, in different events organised by fellow members and have organised activities for other members.  Among us, some of us are just reading the Club’s chat, not participating or waiting for a later date to participate or to organise an activity.  Some of us are not keen to participate.

Some of us feel the club can be more vibrant.  Of course, each of us have different perception of "What is vibrant?"

Well, I am going to ask May to create a survey with 10 questions which will be sent to all members.  I think a survey would be interesting.  You are invited to write here a question, which would be part of the 10 questions we will ask.  "How to make SHC more vibrant?".  Include 3 or 5 multiple choice answers. The top 10 most relevant questions will be chosen to form the survey.

Closing date:  15 April 2012.

I hope you will participate.

Terence Seah 

Hi everybody, 

We are not able to turn back the clock.  In less than 10 years time, there will be more than 600,000 Singaporeans over the age of 65.  By 2030, there will be ONE million Singaporeans over 65 years of age.  We may be fit now, but we are a part of this group.

In recent weeks, there is a lot of talk in the papers and in forums about the budget, and what it means to the elderly and the poor.  There is also stress of improving productivity.  And, changes made to CPF Life.  And, now one day a week off for domestic helpers.  What does this mean to us?  

Join the discussion in SilverHairsClub.com; share your thoughts.  Strictly no politics.  Let’s welcome as many positive ideas and suggestions.  Hopefully, some government body or corporation may pick up some of our feedback.

Terence Seah 

They say TEENAGE is the time when we are curious about our body and there are many first experences. We were curious, inquisitive and experimental. The romantics  say we must treasure our first experience. Practical people like me just try to get more experience and be good at it.  At that age, we often talk about it, speculate about it and mostly the boys boast about it.

Of course not everyone is dirty like me. I am aware that there are  ‘respectable ladies ‘ here in this forum who do not even want to read about IT. I think they are still waiting to savour it.

I believe this saying is wrong. When we are past 45 years old you would find that there are more  first time experiences that will happen to your bodies then you had when you were  a teenager. And we should talk and learn more about them, less we are lead astray.  For example, the first time your hairs starts to turn silver, the first time your hair disappears, the first time we waited till the bus stops completely before we ambark, the first time you walk up the overhead bridge instead of running across the road, the first time you notice you cannot run . Than comes your first heart attack, your first stroke, your first catarac, the first time you make sure to stand very close to the urinal or your feet will get wet.

I am therefore intrigued that there are so few people here willing to share their first experences here.  Are they just waiting for them to happen again than get better at it the next time. Or maybe they want to savour it because it will be their first time. 

I hope, like Jacqualine, Kenneth and others you will be more willing to come forward to share your experiences. There is nothing to be shy about your first time experiences. We are not a teenager anymore and we should learn as much as possible and early. Then perhaps we will not turn frigid  when the next  ‘First Experience’ comes. 

 Hi Silverhairs,

 On security-guard duty since Sept 1st last year at the Singapore Post Building which is next to the Paya Lebar MRT Station, I have come to know two operations-staff whom, together with one of their cousins and plus one of their good friend who has an Indonesian wife(all are Malay-Muslims), in late 2010 bought two properties (each cost less than Three hundred and fifty million rupiahs, 1million rph = $14,300plus) at the Costarina Complex which faces the inlet where daily will pass by the ferry from Harbourfront.  From mid-last year, a ferris-wheel(probably less than half smaller than our Marina Flyer) and a small jetty with a few parked recreational boats were readied for residents.

 These two operations-staff sold their 3-rm flat to HDB for a 30yr-lease stay whilst the cousin downgraded from 4rm to 3rm and the close friend sold outright his 3rm flat.  The close friend is a permanent stayer while the other three make regular bi-monthly two/three day visits and since last year June holidays, six of their Muslim family friends have rented rooms up to one-week stay(was not told and did not enquire the rental rates).

 Perhaps a "Core-group of Absolutely-interested" Silverhairs can copy the above, a Silverhairs’ Resort Home located in JBahru(the Bukit Chagar site next to the Customs Complex is ideal as its higher elevation provide views of the Johor Straits, less than one hundred metres away, and it is also ten mins away to the newly renovated Evon Centre, but alas the buildings are quite dilapidated), the Danga Bay area, or the new Kulaijaya township which is 90mins away north from JBaru.  Kukup, Batu Pahat and Mersing can also be considered, but the latter two towns entail about three hours driving time.

 This concept has to be brainstormed by the Core-group of Absolutely-Interested Silverhairs and my take at least ten members are required to anchor this project and assuming one member foots out one hundred thousand ringgit, the capital base is One mil ringgit sufficiently enough to purchase two properties.

 Regards

  Abel Tan

Hi Everyone! Happy CNY !!

Retirement is a hot topics here, guess most of us wanna enjoy our lives after years of working hard for our $$$ :)
Several places hv been brought up here as we noticed.

I’m glad tt there’s a couple of guys who’re willing to share their knowledge & experience of Chiang Mai with us.

If u hv a thot of Chiang Mai & wanna know more of the place, … or
U hv experience there & wanna share some tips & advice …

… let’s come together for an informal sharing session to explore Chiang Mai as a retirement destination.
Am arranging a simple meetup as below:-

Date: next Sat,  11th Feb
Time: 10:30am, morning
Venue: YaKun at Orchard Central, 5th floor

Hope to touch on topics like:-
* Good & bad of Chiang Mai
* Stay options available
* Immigration laws, property options & laws, etc
* Biz opportunities & regulations (for those who still wanna biz / freelance job but less streeful one :)
* The community, weather, health facilities, security concerns, banking facilities, etc
* The various areas, zones for leisure, games, nature, … & to avoid !!!
* Charity / voluntary organizations tt’re worth supporting / helping
* Preparation needed to settle there
* Contacts there for assistance, etc

Do add if u’d like to know more or can provide info on.

Thanks all & hope to hear from u! Hv a great weekend ahead :)