This is a combination of a movie and slideshow of Singapore when I visited in 1968 and now!!



For the time being "Dessert First on the go!" is "Dessert First resting!"

I must say though that this is true for the boat but not its owner!

As I mentioned in my last entry I was planning a retreat with Vipassana and did follow through. I took a bus to Kuantan (on the East Coast of Malaysia) and found a nice retreat place. It is in a quiet, isolated spot in nice tropical surroundings. There are cottages with comfortable individual rooms with showers. For the exercises there are large retreat rooms and for the meals large separate dining halls for men and women. During the introduction we were reminded there would be no talking among participants during the 9 days of the retreat. Meditation was to start at 4am and end about 9pm with breaks for rest and eating. No music, no books or reading, just deep concentration. Well it all sounded interesting but then came the reality.... I must admit to my defeat. After three days I decided I could not really take it and in spite of much encouragement to stay, I left in disgrace. I rarely give up, but I guess I felt it was better to admit defeat than continue to stare at unsmiling faces and kind of being a museum piece, sitting on a chair in front of the group instead of the floor like everybody else. I still, secretly, hope that some day I might find the courage to reconsider it, now that I know more intimately what it is all about.

After my return to Sebana, I prepared for my short sail to Singapore which I finally accomplished on August 28 with my sailing friends Eleta and Steven. We returned to the One15 Marina on Sentosa Island where I had stayed before. Though it is quite an urban setting after isolated Sebana, it is a nice place with a beautiful pool where I do my daily laps.

As I mentioned in my last account, I had been invited to visit Singapore by a local lady, Jennifer Lee, who knew about On Lok and my work in the USA and wanted to introduce me to her friends who are planning a replication.

Well what can I tell you now: my life has suddenly changed from that of a carefree yachtie to a very busy city visitor. I don't think that I have ever experienced such a warm and generous reception by so many strange people. As it turns out, Jennifer, a trained physician and former hospital administrator, is heavily involved with the Singapore government's health care department. I swear she must know everybody in the government and Singapore and seems quite influential. In addition she is close friends with people who are starting to work with elderly, among others the Tsao Foundation and their president, Dr. Mary Ann Tsao. This family foundation upon Dr.Tsao's grandmother's wish started several years ago to develop clinics and home health programs with the ultimate goal of creating an "On Lok" replication. She had visited On Lok during a visit to San Francisco in the 90ies and found this to be her ideal. Just as I arrived they opened a beautiful "living room" (what we called a day health center). When I thought about our dire beginnings in San Francisco in the early seventies, I was green with envie. (Pictures in the photo album)

Beside having the support of a foundation, they are also trying to get involved with the government. As everywhere else, people are becoming aware of the growing elderly population and so the local government is toying with a "capitated reimbursement " experiment for non insititutional care for the elderly a la PACE. Now does all that not sound familiar?
So is it surprising that they felt that I had dropped into their lap just at the right time. I let you figure out the rest. I am just not sure whether at 81 and after 16 years of sailing I am still up to fulfilling any of their expectations. In any case up to now I have enjoyed some of that volunteer work.

Of course beside all that I have met lots of people, given some talks and mostly enjoyed a city social life. I was even invited to a concert by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at the Esplanade Concert and Opera Center.

What can I say? The first time I visited Singapore was in 1968...... The little slide show on top is the result of some movie pictures I took at that time and pictures of what it looks like now!! Quite amazing.

Depending on my success or lack thereof with the Tsao Foundations "Hua Mei" project, I will plan the length of stay in Singapore. For about May next year I am still planning on some sailing, perhaps to the Malaysian part of Borneo or Phuket in Thailand. Who knows? My plans are wide open. In the meantime I have rented my condo in Hawaii and am still looking forward to ultimately settle there. I just have a hard time separating from the boat.

In case you want to reach me, please use this email address: mlansak@gmail.com. All the others are not operational at this point.

Have a nice Thanksgiving!