011207 outing

Yesterday is the first day of the month. This reminds me of my KPI (Key Performance Indicator) that I have to do next week. A new month marks a new beginning, a beginning of the countdown of my ORD (OPerational Ready Date). A new month represents a month less to my ORD date.

Yesterday was rather an eventful day for me. My mother, my younger brother and sister and me went to National Museum of Singapore. I had only gone to Asian Civilisation Museum with Diana two years back and I can confirm the fact that numbers appeal me more than words. History is actually very interesting but perhaps it is not my cup of tea. That's my perception in my past.

At first, when we first stepped into the museum, there was noone in sight except this group of us making a din and breaking the silence. We bought a ticket priced at $5 each. I thought that I would be just viewing some exhibits or pictures that has been preserved since the ancient times with some words of explanation besides the picture itself. Never did I think that the museum can be so high tech. As technology progress, museums will have to become more high-tech. Upon scanning my ticket on the gantry, the officer in charge gives everybody a "Companion" machine each. This machine acts like a virtual companion or I should say a virtual tour guide of the museum.

"Enjoy Treasure Hunting" was the last words mentioned by that officer just before we were embarking a journey to the past as early as 14th century. I found more and more "treasures" and "artefacts" displayed along the way. Two hours is just insufficient to view everything in the museum. It started as early as in 14th century, how the tribes were residing in Singapore, their cultures and so on. Life was simple. They led a self sustainable life at Singapore in the past. Barter Trading was practised. The virtual companion gave more details of the artefacts that we had come across. Besides, it guided us the story flow of the history of Sinagpore.

A scene that in my opinion is the most unforgettable will be an Amercian woman visiting the opium dens which were rampant in the past. She was terribly shocked, shunned. People ranging from middle aged to the elderly were smoking opium intensely to forget and alleviate their suffering. Opium became their food for some who were already starving. The Amercian woman looked at a man lying down on a long hard bench, ashamed. Her companion, a guy told her not to look at the man. "He was once a scholar but now he has lost everything. So he turns to opium to forget the past," said the companion. There are certainly many many more stories to uncover but sadly I could not view them all during that day itself. After two hours of walking around, my brain was unable to digest the information.

After patronising the museum, I went for a dinner with Pearline and her sister Mic. Please pardon me if I have mistyped your names. Everyone of us chats for a long time even after our dishes have arrived with the guys discussing about DOTA and gaming while the ladies discussing about shopping and family related issues. We went to Crystal Jade Restaurant at Plaza Singapura then TCC for dessert. Till nw, I still don't get what does TCC represent.
Yesterday was a great discovery to my curosity at the back of my mind. Qn: Consuming too much sugar/glucose causes diabetes? True/False.
The answer is false. Though my doctor has mentioned it before, he didn't mention the reason behind it. And besides, my mother has experienced people who has consumed too much sugar having diabetes. Anyway, Michelle's notes have explained the reason. The amount of sugar consumed is independent of the level of risk of getting diabetes. However, I was stil puzzled. Since obesity increases the risk of getting diabetes, does it mean that thin people with BMI <18.5 will not get diabetes? Does eating too much sugar cause obesity? These questions soon surfaced in my mind.

Lastly, to end, I will like to thank my Aunt and Pearline for the D&D (Dinner and Dessert) treat respectively. Thanks ladies.