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I was an independent director of this listed company for 16 years. I stepped down last year when it became mandatory for all independent directors to step down after 9 years.

This company is majority controlled by David Loh and Han Seng Juan. I have known the 2 of them since about 1998 or thereabouts.

When they acquired SM Summit to do a reverse listing, I became an independent director together with Gn Hiang Meng, who used to be a UOB banker.

The first proposed reverse takeover was unsuccessful. That was a recycling company. We then pivoted to worker’s accomodations. This then expanded to students accomodations. And that turned out to hugely successful.

I had a wonderful 16 years with them. And also the opportunity to travel to Melbourne and Manchester to inspect the student accomodations there. We also went to HK to do a secondary listing.

So it was great catching up with all these people I have known and worked with at their dinner last night.

I have known Min Han since 2017. I first saw him in HK during the Razer IPO. He is the brother of Min Liang, the CEO of Razer.

He is a doctor by training but he has been perfecting a cancer marker test for some time. He started Lucence and it now has 2 very high quality tests. One for 50 cancers and its rate of prediction of cancer is so high that the company has obtained FDA approval for this test. This is the Lucence Insight test.

The other new one is for stroke, heart attack and leukemia. Collectively the 2 tests are called the Lucence Longevity tests.

A rather attractive name but it’s still a bit pricey. Although it is a good screening test to do, the price has to come down somewhat to make it more affordable and attractive.

Anyway this morning I tried out this test. Now awaiting results which take about 2 weeks.

She belongs to the first batch of local law students in Singapore who graduated in 1961, a year before I was even born. So that puts her in her mid eightees at least.

She was already a full professor when I entered the law faculty as a student. But she wasn’t teaching there the entire time I was there as a student. Although I remember we used her criminal law text book which had a yellow colour.

She only returned when I joined as a staff and our paths crossed for about three years but we hardly interacted then.

She is now my neighbor and I see her on and off. Although she is getting on in age, good to see her out and about and talking with me about people we both know.

Strange that today I bumped into Dr Tan Khai Tong twice within 15 minutes at Scotts Square. I hardly ever see him. He was buying things at the NTUC in Scotts Square and I had just parked my car there to make a lunch and dinner reservations.

I know Khai Tong from my school days. Although he is 4 years my senior in ACS, we were in the same ACS Military Band. He used to be in the percussion section and I think he was the drum major. He was in the band during the successful years from 1974 to 1976 during the time of the late Mr Lim Peng Ann.

We didn’t have much interaction then as he was very much my senior. But I connected with him in recent years because he is a good friend, colleague and classmate of my doctor and friend Dr Ang Peng Tiam.

On day when my mother was unwell, through Dr Ang’s recommendation, we saw Dr Tan who spent more than an hour with my mother and took very good care of her. As he correctly suspected, it was just gastric and one round of a Guardian purchased antacid did the trick!

So happy to have met him this afternoon.

I have known Greta for some 5 years now. I was introduced to her and her husband by my good friend Virginia.

Greta has been a wonderful friend. Originally from China, she’s educated in the US and now living in Singapore with her very talented 2 young children.

And like me, she loves Chinese tea. So this morning she invited me to have some tea and an early lunch.

As her birthday was just over, I presented her with a chocolate birthday cake and in return I was given a Pop Mart Labubu toy!

It was finally the day of the investiture for this year’s National Day Awards.

I was told that I would be getting the award on 30 July, the award was announced on 9 August and last night, it was given out.

This award was for my work at the North West Community Development Council. It has been about 22 years since I first stepped through the doors at the North West Community Development Council. Then I didn’t know what it was, what work it did or anyone there.

Many a times, I wanted to stop attended their meeting. They were held on weekday nights at Woodlands and it would take me an hour at least to get there after work. Plus I felt lost and lonely since I didn’t anyone there. And I didn’t understand all these grassroot terms they used.. CCC or CCMC.. it was all so alien to me.

But I am so glad I stayed on. My work there has been one of the most enriching things I have done in my life. When I look back on my life, the time I spent there working with people, many of whom have now become friends, and doing community work would rank as some of the more memorable moments in my life.

Last night’s event was at ITE. I always enjoy such events because I meet so many people I know. And as I was there with my mother, they facilitated my arrival well to accommodate my mother! So very kind of them.

The last time I had durians, it was also with Michael Lau. But then it was in KL and we were in a group.

This time I suggested to Michael to try this place at Bukit Merah, suggested to me by Harish.

We went there at 130pm yesterday. Their durians arrive in the morning, which is different from all the other durian shops I know I Singapore. The rest tell me that their durians arrive in the late afternoon. Strange.

We had 2 durians. Both were decent, not fantastic, but reasonably priced. 2 fruits for $80 both big and we couldn’t finish them. They just have one table if you want to be seated and eat and we managed to grab that one table.

Michael is my fellow councillor from the CDC and we do share similar views on a number of issues. Good catching up.

I have seen this 1961 movie many years before, on the recommendation of a friend when I was a student in the University.

I was too young, uninformed and immature to appreciate what it was all about.

I saw this again yesterday, in one sitting. Strange that it popped up suddenly on my list. Was it because I am waiting to watch the new movie, Nuremberg, I wonder?

I suspect this new movie will raise similar issues as the earlier movie. How did a corporal from a political party once considered a looney party, end up becoming Chancellor of such a powerful European country? The German people knew what he stood for and yet why did they go along with him? Why did all the intellectuals and judges in Germany administer such draconian laws and often render severe punishments when there was no evidence? Didn’t the German people see how the Jews and other minorities were persecuted? Why did they laugh and applaud at such happenings? Did they know of the existence of the concentration camps and the mass murders taking place there? And where should ultimate responsibility for such acts lie?

Even after reading the excellent book, Einstein in Berlin, I am still at a loss. The author of that book suggests various reasons why it happened. The movie doesn’t provide reasons. It only shows Germans saying either they didn’t know or even if they did, they couldn’t do anything. The underlying sentiment they express is that the German people are not killers.

I hope I will be more enlightened after watching the new movie but it is frightening to know that things like this have happened in the past. Within just 6 years of taking control, he led Germany into a war which killed millions of people. Even though so many people knew he was a fanatic, they let it happen.

After I had wished Min a happy birthday last week, he messaged and suggested lunch together with another good friend U Zyn.

I have known Min since 2008 or thereabouts when I first invested in Razer. But I only got to know him better much later on when he started making presentations to the investors. I was so happy when the IPO for Razer finally happened in HK in 2017 after a few false starts. I supported them by buying their laptops and their handphones. Sadly they stopped making handphones after just 2 models. Really love their products. Their laptops last forever! One of his biggest fans although I am not a gamer.

I picked the lunch location, Candlenut, which turned out to be a great location cos they gave us a nice quiet location. The conversation was great and free flowing although the 3 of us have never met as a group before.

It was a nice catch up, sharing about old times and the people we know, the latest trends in technology, AI, eSports, avatars, scammers and unexplained wealth coming to Singapore, crypto and Lucence.

The food was good and the company even better. U Zyn brought a birthday ondeh cake, which Min really liked and took back to finish.

Just as we were finishing, we saw Li Meng and his family who were also lunching nearby. Although LM is with Razer, we spent all our time talking again about Lucence.

Good food, great company and an engaging, entertaining conversation.. how any good catch up with friends should be like.

I met up with Michael Lo yesterday for lunch. For a variety of reasons. One to pay for and pick up my jade ring which I bought in July at the jewellery fair. And to find out how he and his family are doing and how HK is now faring.

We met at La D’Oro which is next to his shop at Mandarin Gallery. It is a Michelin starred restaurant and it had such a reasonably priced set lunch at $38, which included coffee or tea. Food is decent and I think they are an Italian restaurant and so specialise in pastas, which I am avoiding so as to lose weight!

He says HK is doing better but that is primarily because the Chinese government is encouraging people to spend more by providing incentives and rebates. Good restaurants in HK have shut down and he himself takes a taxi to Shenzhen to eat sometimes because the food there is a lot cheaper and with more options.

I think this is a bit like Singapore and Malaysia currently. Except the problem will get a lot worse when the MRT linking both countries is completed next year.

HK is also attracting tourism by promoting concert tourism. These tickets come bundled with hotels and so they are clearly aimed at Mainland China visitors. Still their stock market is picking up with lots of new IPOs and financial activities starting to grow.

Let’s see if HK regains its buzz again.