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I have started to hear and read more about this in recent times.

Some time back, a friend of mine gave me a whole list of supplements that he was taking and recommended that I try them. All of them were for anti ageing. It was a long list and these supplements were not cheap when I checked the price. I spent time reading about each one of them and on paper they sound good. But does the theory translate into them working properly in the human body? Or are they snake oil treatments?

Another friend did a stem cell treatment. Again it is apparently to keep the body young and functioning well. It’s $35k a pop and you do it every 9 months. He has been doing it for 3 years now.

Another doctor friend was talking about gene therapy and how it can be used to get the body to produce more of the right things needed in the body.

How much of this is true and works I wonder? Also I read about these things either in the foreign newspapers and magazines but nothing in the local news media. Should there be a discussion on this so that one can hear from the experts, regulatory authorities and people who have tried these treatments with either positive results or no benefit whatsoever. If some basic supplements are beneficial, should they be provided to the masses because its obviously better for society if they remain healthy and don’t burden the health care system?

I have been told people have been doing stem cell therapy for a while. While it is recommended treatment for some limited types of cancer, does it work for anti ageing purposes? Shouldn’t there be some evidence of this by now?

Again people have been taking supplements such as NAD and metformin for some time. Aren’t there any studies reporting on the effects?

Is it because the treatments are expensive that it is best kept quiet so that only the ones who can afford it get these quietly and benefit? Better not to stir the masses with something they cannot afford?

If these treatments work, is there a benefit overall to society to subside this for the masses?f people live longer is it actually better for society?Would it be better because in an ageing society having healthier people work longer is better? Perhaps it is because if they were healthier there would be less reliance on caregivers? Or as Sir Humphrey Appleby put it in Yes Prime Minister, is it better to let the people die at the current rate because they would then be less of a burden on the health care system?

If people live longer is it better for society? Would it be better because in an ageing society having healthier people work longer is better? Perhaps it is because if they were healthier there would be less reliance on caregivers? Or as Sir Humphrey Appleby put it in Yes Prime Minister, is it better to let the people die at the current rate because they would then be less of a burden on the health care system?

These are the ones I read about in the Western media about western medical treatments and supplements. Surely the Chinese and Indians have their range of herbal products and treatments that might have a similar purpose?

Can we not talk about all this? I want to know.

I was driving to an event just now and I noticed this again. I was on the expressway and motorcyclists were zooming past me on the fastest lane. I was already traveling at the speed limit of 90 km/h but these people must be at least doing at least 110 km/h. And they are passing me on my right and the left!

I have been driving since 1984. I never used to see motorcycles on the fastest lane when I first started. Also they never used to zoom past cars at these speeds.

Is it any surprise that there are so many accidents nowadays involving motorcycles?

Surely there has to be more enforcement on the roads. There was a time when there were highway patrols and TP on bikes. All gone now. Perhaps budget cuts?  I think its time to bring them back.

I attended this session at Eurokars showroom this morning. They had a lovely breakfast spread and the event started at 10.

I wanted to know more about the current state of technology of electric vehicles and how I could optimise my driving.

I like electric cars. I’ve had one for 18 months now. They are very quiet, easy  to maintain and cheaper than ICE cars because the charging cost is so low. Also I don’t care for the sound of noisy engines.

I learnt today that I need to start charging from slightly below 20%. Currently I start charging when the battery is at about 35%. And also that there isn’t much drain on the battery when one is stuck in a traffic jam. That’s good news for those stuck on the causeway traffic jams! And there is such a thing as one foot driving. Apparently it’s more efficient. I must try that.

I can understand why some people are hesitant about electric cars at the present time if they can’t have their own charging station at home. I guess I am lucky to be able to have my own station at home.

Anyway I wanted to drive to KL and I was afraid of not finding charging stations along the way but at the panel session, there was an owner who with a car with a range of 460 km has been to KL without charging along the way. That’s good news. I have a slightly longer range and he says if I don’t speed I should be good!

So something to look forward to.

Just read that Trump had issued another executive order against a large law firm in Washington DC restricting their security clearance and access to federal buildings and directing federal agencies to terminate existing work with them and not take on any new work.

This is to punish them for having been involved in lawsuits and  investigations against him during the period of the last administration. And also for the political views of their partners and for taking on legal cases challenging his current actions.

This is the 5th law firm targeted.

It is shocking that this can happen in the US. Things are now happening there on the whims and fancies of one man. Totally discriminatory actions and no one to speak up against this or stop it? How can you take this kind of action against someone simply because they were involved in a lawsuit or investigatation against you or because they do not agree with your views. Where do you derive your power for this?  This is a personal vendetta and a witch hunt. The US used to pride itself on being a bastion of law and order and justice. I actually feel sorry for the people there. The rest of the world, including China and its people, are now laughing at this country.

Shame

A very interesting word that I came across today. This designates a state where a person is of employment age, ie between the ages of 18 and 65, but is unemployed because of a disability. The disability could be as a result of physical illness, physical disability or mental illness or disability.

It seems the UK now has the highest number of people in this category in the world. In the UK, generous disability benefits are provided to people in this category and the number of people in this category has increased after Covid.

Could it be that people are more unwell after Covid because of the long term effects of catching Covid, or mental health issues as a result of either catching Covid or the effects of a lockdown. Was it because it is simpler to be diagnosed as being under a disability because the rules were relaxed after Covid or because testing was no longer by way of a physical examination but done over a zoom call? I was surprised that in there were YouTube videos instructing viewers on how to answer questions in the UK during the examination so as to be able to qualify for disability benefits. Has something gone wrong with the system?

I remember in 2019 when I visited Brighton, I was at a cafe in a shopping center and a middle aged couple sat across me sipping their coffee. They were friendly and we chatted. They told me that they were both unemployed and collecting disability payments and living in a council flat. They seemed perfectly fine to me, spoke well and walked off without any difficulties after finishing their coffee.

At what stage does a well intentioned disability benefit turn into a disincentive to work?

If someone stops working and starts to collect disability benefits, it will be difficult for that person to go back to work and forego the benefit. Inertia sets in. What incentive do they have to start working again to earn a livelihood? Should there be incentives provided to get someone back to work or disincentives if they remain out of employment too long? Should testing criteria be tightened?

I can imagine the drain on a country if people who can work and contribute to the economy stop working and instead take benefits from the system. Of course there will always be genuine cases that must be looked after. But at some point in time the economic impact will take its toll. Apart from the economic strain, what is the psychological impact on the country when working adults, who are contributing to the economy and paying taxes, see their tax payments used in this manner? Will it discourage hard work and encourage more to take an easier option?

Yesterday it was reported that Dinesh Vasu, the current CEO of AIC, is stepping down and might be standing in the upcoming elections.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dinesh at a TRC event last year. We were both leaving the event at the same time and we bumped into each other at the car park.

I had only heard of Dinesh until then. I was told he had done a lot of good work at MOH during the Covid years and was in the forefront of the drive to efficiently ensure the vaccination of our people. He was formerly a BG as well. People spoke very highly of him.

So it was a pleasure to meet him in the flesh. He was humble and such a pleasant person to talk to. He had no airs about him and he struck me as a very friendly and approachable person.

I later invited him to sit at my table for the SM Indian Community Appreciation Dinner and he graciously accepted the invite.

I am glad he has been picked by the PM to stand. If he does stand and gets elected, I am sure both at the community level, for his residents, and at a policy and execution level, for the country,  he will do very well and do his best.

Last night was the appreciation dinner for the committee hosted by Mayor Alex Yam. This event is traditionally held after the dinner for all the Club 100 members to thank the committee.

It was at the East Treasure Chinese restaurant at Clark Quay. I didn’t know this place. The food was decent and their speciality is crocodile meat soup!

We talked about how we can do so much more if we had a dedicated staff to help the committee. We need someone to maintain our database, respond to queries, plan and send out newsletters, organize regular outreach sessions and talks and plan events. This way we hope to maintain the number of our current members and bring in more new members.

Apparently PA rules do not allow us to have a dedicated staff to do this. Even if this staff was fully funded by the committee. I suggested a full time volunteer who was prepared to do this for free and again this isn’t possible.

Strange how we tie ourselves up in knots with rules and regulations and forget that the real reason for our existence is to help others and not be bogged down with red tape.

I can now understand why in the US there is this huge push to cut rules and regulations and terminate unnecessary departments and staff who are just there administer these unwieldy regulations.

Perhaps this is another reason why our smart nation ambitions is going nowhere. We must set a clear end result and a time period to get it done and cut off unnecessary road blocks in the way to reach that objective.

Anyway I have tried my best….

Apparently this is a must eat place in Chengdu. It’s at Tai Ko Li and it is a 1 starred Michelin Sichuan restaurant.

I only found out about this restaurant on my last day here. I went there at about 1 pm, took a ticket and waited for about 30 minutes before I was escorted to my table. The queue moves fairly fast.

The restaurant was spread over 2 floors and when I was inside, I then realized why the queue moves fast. There are so many tables spread out over the 2 floors but they are well spaced out.

The food came fairly quickly and all the dishes I had were good! I ordered 7 dishes and it cost me about $80. This was the price for food at a 1 star Michelin restaurant in Chengdu. Now I can understand why the place is always packed.

I have to honestly say I had the best desserts in Chengdu. My reason for coming to this conclusion is the variety, quality, presentation and price of all the desserts here.

Every dessert shop is so beautifully decorated and its just so nice to sit and enjoy your coffee or tea and desserts .

Be it Chinese desserts or Western desserts, these are the best I have seen and had by a mile for a long time.

Yummy!

This morning i visited this old street. The place was delightfully done. They have preserved the old street feel without making it touristy.

There are a number of tea houses, dessert shops, restaurants and various other interesting shops, including a Popmart, which appeared to be very popular.

A very nice Honor telco shop which had many artworks on the walls and accessories.

There was a very nice dessert place here with tofu, grass jelly and aiyu jelly.

Well worth a half day here even if you are not dining here.

Apparently the place is even prettier in the night.