Chinese New Year was spent in Malaysia with my partner. It seems to be a bit of a trend these days. The vibe was great—fireworks everywhere. Some from business owners, others from families. They went on throughout the night, and throughout the nights. Now I know why she is not a fan of fireworks.
I can be quite extreme — at least that’s what people around me sometimes observe. I can’t quite remember why I resisted running any form of marathon when I was younger. I do remember that I love hiking. Before my knee injury from climbing Mount Kinabalu in 2007, I used to run short distances around my old condo before sunrise. The timing was decent. Then, about 18 years ago, I stopped jogging altogether.
This year, I decided it was time to run a half-marathon.
My first attempt at any marathon category, at the age of 53, with only 8 days to prepare.
The second book I discovered while holidaying in Hong Kong is by Japanese author Yoko Ogawa. I’ve long been a fan of her work—Mina’s Matchbox, Hotel Iris, and The Housekeeper and the Professor. Her latest novel, The Memory Police, transports readers to an unnamed island where objects mysteriously vanish and memories gradually fade. Most of the island’s inhabitants accept this as an inevitable part of life, while a few who still remember live in constant fear of arrest by the Memory Police. It is a truly unique story; I never knew what to expect from beginning to end. Like The Housekeeper and the Professor, memory is a central theme, but The Memory Police takes it further: what if the majority of people progressively lose memory, and this becomes the new normal?
Hong Kong is a great place to discover new books. The island has so many bookstores, unlike Singapore. One of the two books I picked up during my holiday was We’ll Prescribe You A Cat. It turned out to be a lighthearted, page-turning read. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. And honestly, I agree — a cat a day keeps the doctor away!
I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)®.
As part of giving back, I’m writing a series of articles to share real-world lessons from over three decades of project delivery. My hope is to inspire and equip the next generation of leaders.
Today, I want to talk about the human side of project management — something close to my heart, and a discipline every PM must master beyond timelines and Gantt charts.
I work at Raffles Place. Once a week, when the workload is manageable, I take a pleasant 700-meter walk along the river for lunch at one of my newfound chicken rice spots.
It’s quite easy to miss this eating place, which offers both indoor and outdoor seating. One time, I was on my way to Funan Center when a signboard for an Indian restaurant caught my eye. I followed it down a flight of stairs and, in the basement, stumbled upon Mok Swee Kee Chicken Rice.
OK. This one is for science.
Previously, I took both devices for a hiking activity. But what about jogging — both outdoor and indoor? I must say, there were some unexpected results.
Recently, I bought an Oura Ring 4. I’ll share more about my experience with the ring in another post. But today, I decided to run a little hiking experiment—putting my new ring up against my trusty old Garmin Venu. One activity, two devices!
According to the author’s note at the end of the book, Yoko Ogawa has won every major Japanese literary award. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker. Her works include The Memory Police; The Diving Pool, a collection of three novellas; The Housekeeeper and the Professor; Hotel Iris; and Revenge. She lives in Ashiya, Japan.
When I picked up this book from the library, the author’s name felt familiar. Then I realized—I had read two of her books 14 years ago! Yet, I have no recollection of them. So, this blog entry is written as though I am approaching her work for the first time.
“Children of Morta†was a game I first played back in 2019, and now, six years later, I’ve returned to finish the story and collect all 100% of the Steam achievements. This is a pixel art roguelike RPG that really stands out for its storytelling and art design. But the question is: after all these years, is it still worth playing?
Stick around as we dive into my 2025 review of Children of Morta!