Category: Self Reflections, Chit chats

Some time ago, I broached the subject of why more ladies than men at gatherings, Ronald Koh asked if I have too much time on my hands.  Yes, RonK was right, I do have free time.  And, in reality, it seemed so.  many ladies are active in social activities.  And some in charity activities.

Nowadays, I find more men coming into this forum.  We have KT, Tim L, AndrewK, Ronald W and Steven C as regular contributors on everything under the sun.  Yew Kwong, Ron-Oz, RonK, Robert Q, Ron Lai, Jonathan, DouglasC, Roland, Dan H, CharlesW are also regulars, and now we have the more business oriented men joining us.

We had some other men joining us before on this forum, but dont hear so much from them for a while.

Is the forum too strict?  Should we relax a bit?  I think we should aim to have more men.  Our membership show at least 40% men.  Maybe, business chitchat is the way.  Guys, business talks are ok.  They are not taboos.  This thread hopes to encourage more men to create new ideas for SilverHairsClub.

Terence Seah

 

Hi All SHC members

Just to share some thoughts of travel.

For those who love to travel and don’t have a companion, are they interested in joining some travel club for singles or small group travel that can take care of things like accomodation, flight fares. I’m asking this as for travel discounts, there must be twin sharing accomodation and 2 to go airfares etc. Sometimes one may want to travel at a short notice or is doing a F & E travel.

If I’m making a trip by myself I don’t mind cutting costs if a travel club can assist with matching travel plans of other members who are planning trips alone. Can SHC help in this aspect?

Regards

Joan

Hi! Catherine,

I rather like some of the jokes you put up, especially about the politicians. I would like to meet up with you one day and share some of my jokes which I’m not sure the other SHCians would enjoy.

Roland 

Someone sent me an extract from our MM LKY on the abovementioned subject. How true it is  that when we feels that at 55 and more we can relax and do nothing, that is the greatest mistake we will have made in our life! The human being is a social animal. We need to work, to socialise, to be involve in some form of activities. We need stimuli, we need to meet people, to catch up with the world, if we isolate ourselves we are done for! When we are younger, doing a cross-country run is no issue, swimming ten to twenty laps is no ptoblem! As we grow older, it quite a different story. We move slower, we lack stamina, we suffer muscle cramps!

Hi All,

Have you come across something interesting that has motivated or inspired you? Or do you have any interesting advice to share?

Please post in this thread for the benefit of all, you may just make a difference in somebody’s life!

Tks

Jonathan

All SHC activities are organised by SilverHairsClub members, not external groups.  Todate, we have seen walking, cycling, IT classes, badminton, tennis, line and social dancing, fishing, flea mart, overseas travel, overnight somewhere, dinner & dance, talent-time, games day, bowling, business discussions, investment talks, cooking,  health groups, jobs and retirement village ideas.

Come, don’t be shy.  Big or small ideas.  Dreams or realities.  Talk with a fellow SHCian.  Still, not sure? Share under category "Reflections".

Every SHCian has the opportunity to lead an event or hobby.  You can be sure that there are many others with similar interests as yours.  I may be dreaming; but yours can be a reality.

Terence Seah

 Hi Terence, Kwan , KT, Tim and all,

What do you all think ? Do we have enough expertise and experience to be able to undertake such a project.  I know , if we do get this job that we should be able get enough volunteers to help SHC venture into this area ?   

In ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2008), infra red light is found  turn back the brain’s biological clock and reverse the effects of dementia and memory loss.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124104917.htm

Here’s the medical evidence for us to stay and think forever young.

“Pioneering research at the University of Sunderland has shown that regular exposure to safe low level infra-red light can improve learning performance and kick-start the cognitive function of the brain.”

To be young forever is now just a hat trick.

These days, I know it is not only men who send roses to their wives or girl-friends.  Children can also send flowers to their mums.  Bosses can also send bouquets to their colleaques or juniors.  Friends can also send flowers to friends on this day.

It is not always easy to bribe the florist not to reveal who the sender is, because she always wants the sender’s details.  I tried once, and said to myself that I would not want to do it again.  The credit card always gives you away.   Not true, I try it another time, this time paying with cash.  The receiver called the florist which happened to be just downstairs my office.  She was able to describe the sender. 

Valentine Day is fun, and an appropriate time to send our love wishes to the people around us.  So, go ahead and make your Valentine wishes for him or her.

Terence Seah

Yee yee.

There is a difference between "Hee hee" and "Yee yee"

"Hee hee" is when you make a joke about an investment that could go boo-boo. You joke about money not enough, having to work till you die  and how you could be living in the five foot path.

"Yee yee" is after you have sunk $14 billion yesterday and found today that the investment posted "the biggest loss ever by a bank after raising fourth-quarter writedowns on securities infected by U.S. subprime mortgages to $14 billion." This is when you joke no more, brush up your resume, wash your tent and start check whether you qualify for social welfare.

The much celebrated "Lust, Caution" from director Ang Lee comes across as somewhat a disappointment. Caution is Lost in the Lust. It will be best remember for the most audacious full frontal nudity of any mainstream movie.

The plot is simple enough. The heroine (Tang Wei) tries to kill running dog (Tony "Long") with an overdose of sex. (hee hee that’s not exactly it but close enough). The much awaited 10 mins turn out to be a heavy breathing rendition as old man Leung struggles to do push ups in bed. Ang should stick to portraying gay love or guys breaking backs on a lonely mountain. Don’t worry. If you watch it here, you’ll probably be saved by censorship.

I don’t like the stereotyping of Tony’s  bitchy, elegant wife (Joan Chen) who spends her days shopping and playing mah-jongg with her friends.  Isn’t this what all retirees do? At least it is better than humping in a seedy short-time motel with someone who is prepared to cut out parts from your body.

Lee Ang’s cinematic impact seems to be confined to making heros out of demons.  Ang should stick to portraying gay love or guys breaking backs on a lonely mountain.  This is my last straw. Remind me to give his next movie a miss.   

A team of University of Florida scientists has for the first time developed an artificially created DNA-like molecule. This is not just chemistry. It can mimic the natural evolutionary process living organisms undergo. In other words, it can self-replicate.

At this rate of techhnological advance, artifical life or at least genetically matched replacement organs is in the realm of possibility. If we can live for another 20 to 30 years without major breakdowns, we’ll have a shot at immortality.

Imagine now.

"Work till we die" becomes a curse for eternity. SHC will have a billion members and resets the minimum age at 150. If you are not successfully invested, money runs out before you are a quarter way to run-out date.

Now, let me see…. What specs should I order for my artificial lifeform custom clone ?

What are you going to do with your Forever?

At the last SHC monthly gathering at Hans Cafe @ Great Eastern Bldg on Thurs, 17 Jan, I noticed there were 60% men and 40% women.  There was no agenda, and everybody was free to chat and meet new friends.  Joining the different tables, I hear serious chatter on work, business, online trading and outdoor activities.

However, for most other social gatherings, ladies usually form the larger pie.  Their voices tend to be louder.  The conversation tends on focus on dancing, afternoon tea meetups, sports, beauty ideas and quiet meet-ups.

Our membership has an approx 50:50 ratio.  Anybody got any suggestion and feedback on how to create an environment for equal participation.  To encourage old and new members’ feedback, please respect other members’ comments and opinion.

Terence Seah

In this 1960 American Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, white woman accuses black man of rape.

Fast forward to primaries in 2008. white woman accuses black man  of  voters’ rape in Iowa. She has her revenge in  Nevada. The story now moves further south to Carolina and Florida.  

Oh, Bam-bam.

You will be blown away unless you prove otherwise. Be careful. Behind the  white squaw is the Big White Chief.  He is responsible for history’s most famous blow job and cursed the world with a withering Bush.

Dear SHC Friends  

A group of us went on a 6D/4N Korea Winter Escapade last December.  We spent our Christmas there but were back right after Christmas in time to join in the count-down at Safra Mt. Faber.

The group comprises of : 

1. Grace Kok (our SHC cover girl)
2. Margaret Tian (sometime you see her at cycling)
3. Andrew Yeung (sotong from HK)
4. Dan Huang (danzing Dan)
5. Rene Leong (the teeny bopper)
6. Lily Ho (EO for this trip)
7. Sophie Willocq (Lily’s daughter)
8. Chester and Yu Zhong (Rene’s 2 sons)

Here’s our pictures taken with Dan Huang’s camera which Terence so kindly set up for us in this link : http://www.silverhairsclub.com/SHC/Korea%20trip%200712/

Hope to have more travel trips with SHCians in the near future.

A-neon   

Farting is good for you. I set to correct the  misinformation written on this greatly misunderstood and unappreciated body function.

Those who fart in public usually try to deny it. Some go quickly on the offensive and ask loudly "who farted ?" Others try to cover it up by clearing their throats, scraping their chair or shoes against the ground to make it seem like that had been the sound all along. What do you do?

The gas is mainly CO2 and comes from overeating in general. Carbon dioxide is a component of bacterial action in digestion and bacteria cause gas.  Loud farts require more excessive gas. So there is a scientific basis that fat people fart more and louder. Eat less and you should fart less and lose weight. The farts also tend to be quieter for lack of volume and therefore less noticeable.

The odor of farts comes mainly from sulfur. So the more sulfur-rich your diet is, the more your fart will stink. And the more people will notice. Sulphur-rich foods include eggs, seafood, beef, veal, tongue, liver, chicken, dried apricots and peaches, cabbage, Brazil nuts, peanuts and cheddar cheese. Onions, garlic and leeks are also rich in Sulphur. So eating onions does not necessarily cause more farts. But because they are less stinky, it goes undetected more often.

Sulphur is used to make new substances in the body such as the hormone insulin, which is vital for the control of blood glucose levels. So cutting sulphur from our diet, is not an option either.

Yet not all is hopeless. Here’s something you can do. The way you eat and drink can cause gas as well. Not carefully chewing and chugging a drink can cause you to swallow an excess of air therefore causing farts to emerge. Also, chewing can help the digestive system break down the foods so bacteria can be prevented.

Eating slowly and chewing food for longer allows the enzymes in saliva to break the food. The more that food is chewed, the more it is broken down for the digestive system,” MedicalNewsToday said.

Now you know. We should just accept that, on most occasions, farting is good news for our bodies. Next time, sympathize those who can’t fart to save their life.  So, go ahead, let it rip.

Hello,everyone. I just registered as a member of SHC and have been reading some of the interesting postings by various members, particularly on the topic of travel.

I myself have travelled extensively to many parts of Europe (e.g France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Greece, Austria) as well as Australia, NZ, Canada and USA, mostly on self drive vacations, although I have also travelled by rail and gone on organized tours as well. For  some of these countries  my self drive holiday has enabled me to made multiple trips to different regions each time. I really admire Terence and his team for having done their Europe trip on rail as being on one’s feet from morning till evening for 14 days must surely be an achievement for a Silverhair.

My message here is that I would be happy to share my travel experiences or give tips for those who may be comtemplating taking a trip in the future. If going to Europe the best times are April/May and Sept/Oct, the so called shoulder season as crowds are less and prices are lower. If you are targetting a trip in spring 2008 now is not too early to start planning an itinerary.

Would love to hear from anyone whose passion is travel and who knows we may have an opportunity to arrange a trip together in the future.

A few  of SHC will retire this year . Many will continue to work beyond 62. I spoke to a quite a number of people about  retirement and the anwer is always,  do what.  We equate retirement to work. They must fill the gap between 8-6 pm . They are correct to say ,do what.

Retirement is  a REWARD FOR LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT.  The ah soh will say lee kong see me. OOU sala boh. Others will say a bit gila. still  staying in 3 rm flat. No marcedses, no rolleck. Every day work lah . joe beh hoo.beh tahan. Let me list your ACHIEVEMENTS. This  achievements is for all regardless whether you stay in hdb, condo or bangalow.

achievments

1 work hard to build a nation

2 work hard to support father,m0ther,brothers ,sisters

3 work hard to support self

4 work hard to start a family

5 work hard to buy a roof

6 work hard to pay bills and more bills

7 work hard to give our children material support

8 work hard to sent children to  uni  verse citi

9 we save, cut corners,cut costs and  sacrifice for the family

10 if no one looking, hatam the overtime. HATAM AND HATAM LAH

Without you and your sacrifices there will be no  today. No matter where you came from, all travel the same journey. I have to respect the disavantage who have to travel the long and tortuous road. others travel on  highway. I know many who earn very modest income and yet manage to sent their children to university. This is not the time to tell sad story.

It is time we give honour to our SHC who will be retiring this year. A virtual  ACHIEVEMENT award IS THE BEST. Achievements are not reserved for the few sucessful people.. As they say, behind every sucessful man is a lady. WEll THE ONE THAT ROCK THE CRADLE RULE THE WORLD.. As parents we give all to help our children,and family members.

I SALUTE YOU. WE HONOUR YOU.  SHC SALUTE AND HONOUR YOU.

 

WHAT SAY YOU BROTHERS? 

Immediately after 1997, when Asia was faced with the financial crisis, many people over 45 years were concerned with jobs.

But, nowadays, it seems that there is lesser concern for jobs for SilverHairs over 45.  Maybe we don’t have many job offers in recent months, but from response to the Blue Helmet project, and job topics, the response is cool.  In my discussions with some SHC members, we are now wondering if we should make jobs as one of our focus.

On the other hand, there appears to be more interests in small business and online trading.

Can you share your thoughts, and what you think, so that we can all get a good feel of what is happening?  Every comment is a personal viewpoint.  There is no bad view point.  So, let’s respect each others opinion.

I look forward to hear from as many members as possible. 

Terence Seah

I guess many of you have big kids, and some have probably got married and living separate from the parents.  But my son is small, 8. So, I want to be prepared.

Last few days, I spend some time with friends, and they were complaining about a problem which will  concern me too, if  not now but later.  And that is their kids are spending too much time with computer games.  This seem to be a runnaway problem with the new generation.

Our older days may not have the luxury of computer games and television.  I have heard of tricks like "giving a time quota", "incentives to go outdoors", "punishment like no TV or computer for one week", etc.  All these adds to the frustration of being the parent.

Can you share with me and us how you manage this problem?  And, if you have other headaches, please write in, and others may be able to share their solutions with you.  The "Reflections" category is about right.

Terence Seah

This morning, I was reading Business Times, 25 Oct 2007; and here’s some interesting information.  In Singapore, 20% of our population will be 65 years or older by 2030.  In Asia, this number is 1.2 billion by 2050.

The Silver Industry has identified four growth segments; and they are healthcare and wellness, travel and leisure, financial products and services, and assistive technology.  New keywords are smart homes, easy laundry machines, auto power-off stoves, and elderly friendly devices.

Hmm, we are really a part of this picture.  Do you know what is assistive technology?

Terence Seah

Hi everbody, I have confirmed my year-end holidays to be in Bkk.  Hope to enjoy the cooler weather and the festive mood during this time.  Feel free to contact me if you plan to come during the same period.

Terence Seah

Both my wife and myself are in the process of taking a "drastic" change in our lifes by choosing to semi-retire or retire in the coming year.

Our friends and people we know are getting sick (newly diagnosed disease) or are dropping of like flies.

We want to retire or semi-retire in a country that the cost is not so high that can stretched our saving and yet allow us to build our relationships.  We are in our mid-40s which allows us to participate in the Silver HairS Club.

Any bright suggestions? thank you.

Yesterday (Saturday), I had a meeting with friends. In the meeting, one friend from Hong Kong (came to visit us) played a game with us. The game is that he told us a story, but with no ending. Then every one creates our own endings for the story. The ending must change the story into a ghost story. Quite interesting and would like to share with friends in SHC

The Story part is:

The time was approaching 4:30 am. An exhausted taxi driver was driving his taxi toward a cemetery. It seemed he was rushing home.

Suddenly, he saw a person dressed in long white waving on him. The face of the taxi driver started to turn a little bit green. He drove near the person and found that it was a girl with long hair. The hair was so long that her face couldn’t be seen clearly.

When the taxi driver stopped the car, before he had time to respond, the girl opened the door and jump into the back of the taxi. The girl sat there, lower down her head and kept quiet. Time stood still for a couple of minutes, the taxi driver seemed to have make up his mind and asked: “lady, where are you going, I’m going to send my cab to the next shift, some place I cannot take you”.

The girl raised her head slowly. She is a very beautiful girl but with a very pale face and bloodshot eyes. She told the driver: “Don’t worry, just drive around this cemetery until I tell you to stop”. Upon hearing this, the face of the driver turned greener.

The driver drove round and round the cemetery. The girl sat there silently. After a few rounds, the driver seemed have lost his patience and ask: “Lady, why you take a cab to go round the cemetery at this moment?”

The girl stopped for a while and started telling the driver her story – exactly a year ago, she and her boyfriend had been to clubbing. After that, they wanted more excitement and rent a taxi to go round the cemetery. When they doing so, an unexpected heart attack took her boyfriend’s life. She came here tonight to relive that moment, so as to commemorate his boyfriend’s death. ——- The story part ended here

The ending part is started as: “At this time, a cock crowing from the cemetery pierce through the silence in the air”  —- to be continued.

The story must be a real ghost story, the word count should be within 100 words, the shorter the better (Does this look like a composition homework?)

If you like to try, welcome. I should be fun. I’ll tell you the ending from me on the coming Wednesday.

A new category "Reflections" has just been created.  It’s about anything you feel like saying, and you want other SilverHairs to hear of.  Maybe you just woke up from bed, or during a lazy Sat/Sun doing nothing, and something strikes you and you feel you just have to share it with others, before you forgot what it was all about.

Maybe, you feel like eating a horse.  Maybe you decide that this is it, and you want to climb Mount Everest.   Maybe you just crazy over someone, and you just want to tell him "How about dinner?".  Perhaps you have a great home entertainment set, and you want 5 persons to join you, why not?  Go ahead.  You could be thinking of so many things, and nothing has happened so far, you want to share it with other SilverHairsClub members, just do it.  For jokes and stories, please use the Page "Non-SHC stories, jokes, info, etc.".

So, say it, and you can say it anytime now or later.  The administrator will not censor it, as long as club taboos are followed.  For this Post, the administrator is nasty, so no comments.  Just start your own Post. Have fun.

Terence Seah

Yes, laughter is the best medicine.  I am amaze at the thought of how the human being is form.  It says that the Great Manufacturer have a great sense of humour.  Why is it that our nose is right on top on our face and not form near our buttock.

 Anyway, we are always attracted to a person who have a sense of humour.  A word of encouragement could lift up a sad countenance and give hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

So, if you have a good joke or an encouragement or enlightenment share with us. Never know you may lift up  a depressed soul!

Happiness is…

Researchers have found some underlying factors for happiness :-

>Married people are more content than singles, but having children does not raise happiness level.

>Education and IQ seem to have little impact on happiness.

>Attractive people are only slightly happier than the unattractive.

>The elderly (over 65) are more satisfied with their lives than the young.

>Friendships are crucial if you want to be happy.

>As much as 50% of the happiness factor is genetic.

From The Straits Times, 25 Aug 07.

 This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York        
 Hospital.                                                                 
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                 SLOW DANCE                                
                                                                           
                                                                      
                         Have you ever watched kids                        
                                                                           
                            On a merry-go-round?                           
                                                                           
                          Or listened to the rain                          
                                                                           
                          Slapping on the ground?                          
                                                                           
                Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
                
                 Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?                
                                                                           
                           You better slow down.                           
                                                                           
                            Don’t dance so fast.                           
                                                                           
                               Time is short.                              
                                                                           
                           The music won’t last.                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                        Do you run through each day                        
                                                                           
                                On the fly?                                
                                                                           
                         When you ask How are you?                         
                                                                           
                           Do you hear the reply?                          
                                                                           
                            When the day is done                           
                                     !                                     
                                                                           
                           Do you lie in your bed                          
                                                                           
                        With the next hundred chores                       
                                                                           
                         Running through your head?                        
                                                                           
                           You’d better slow down                          
                                                                           
                            Don’t dance so fast.                           
                                                                           
                               Time is short.                              
                                                                           
                           The music won’t last.                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                           Ever told your child,                           
                                                                           
                           We’ll do it tomorrow?                           
                                                                           
                             And in your haste,                            
                                                                           
                            Not see his sorrow?                            
                                                                           
                              Ever lost touch,                             
                                                                           
                         Let a good friendship die                         
                                                                           
                          Cause you never had time                         
                                                                           
                            To call and say,"Hi"                           
                                                                           
                          You’d better slow down.                          
                                                                           
                            Don’t dance so fast.                           
                                                                           
                               Time is short.                              
                                                                           
                           The music won’t last.                           
                                                                           
                   When you run so fast to get somewhere                   
                                                                           
                  You miss half the fun of getting there.                  
                                                                           
                 When you worry and hurry through your day,                
                                                                           
                      It is like an unopened gift….                      
                                                                           
                                Thrown away.                               
                                                                           
                            Life is not a race.                            
                                                                           
                             Do take it slower                             
                                                                           
                               Hear the music                              
                                                                           
                          Before the song is over.