Lee Kuan Yew on Health

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Mr Lee lived to a ripe age of 91 years old. He was practical in running the country. He was very practical too when it came to his health. Let's tap on his wisdom.

Food

• Eat less saturated fat.
• Eat more fish and soya bean curd, plenty of vegetables and fruits, wholemeal bread and cereals.
• Eat chicken without the skin.
• Typical breakfast: sugar-less soya bean milk and a small bowl of soya bean curd. When there is no soya bean, he takes cereal and milk.
• Typical lunch: fish or a small portion of meat, steamed green vegetables and lots of fruits such as pineapple and pomelo. 
• Dinner is his biggest meal.

Exercise Regime

• Walk on the treadmill three times a day - 12 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes after lunch and 15 minutes after dinner. 
• Before dinner, I used to swim for 20 to 25 minutes.

I am most impressed by this:

Even on overseas trips, he squeezes in his exercise routine, either before he starts the day, or in the evening before dinner.
His foldable stationary bicycle accompanies him if there are no gymnasium facilities in the places he is visiting. 

Now, what excuse do we have?

Smoking and Drinking

• It is difficult for heavy smokers to quit. Do not start in the first place.
• Smoking makes food taste not as good.
• Smoking makes one lose his voice.
• Drinking gives one the belly which doesn't look nice in photos.

Death

Life is better short, healthy and full than long, unhealthy and dismal.

References:

http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/why-lee-kuan-yew-switched-from-golf-to-running
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/lee-kuan-yew-on-life-after-cabinet-and-death
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/staying-fit-anywhere-in-any-way

as of 17 Nov 2015

Video Notes: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew

Re-watched this documentary on Lee Kuan Yew. A great man. Singapore is very lucky to have had him. Given his credentials, he could have chosen to do other things and not return to do politics. He had many options. But he chose Singapore. And fortunately, he was him - witty, eloquent, tough, pragmatic, farsighted etc. If he were someone else, the outcome could have been very different. That's the way it is. A small adjustment in golf swing will land the ball in vastly different place. 

I admire him for:

Being practical

He wanted everyone to own their homes in Singapore so that:

• There is a reason for them to defend this land. 
• Our home becomes our most valuable asset that helps to buffer inflation. He is helping us to invest! 
• This policy also helped in getting people from different races to live together to achieve harmony. 

Learning attitude

Early Singaporeans spoke mainly Hokkien. And so he painstakingly picked up the language to give speeches and connect with them. At 70, he started learning how to use his computer to write his memoirs.  He still took Chinese lessons at age of 91!

Dare to be different

When we broke off with Malaya, we had nothing - illiterate people, no natural resources etc. But he said "In 10 years' time, we will become a metropolis...". I bet many people must have thought he was crazy. 

When travelling he would pick up plant samples to see if they can be grown in Singapore. They had to be the low maintenance type by the way. He was nicknamed "Chief Gardener". Why would someone of his statute be concerned with this? It turned out that his obsession turned Singapore into a country known for its clean and green environment, an important part of attracting business investments into Singapore.

Attitude towards health

He used to drink and smoke but given it all up. He swam and cycled daily. He also jogged. There was this story about how he made use of time to jog along the railway tracks while waiting for his train to arrive.

One Singapore

This is unprecedented. Never before experienced in Singapore in coming 40 years of my life. First time I actually feel Singaporean and proud to be one.

At the Parliament House, People queued up to 10 hours to pay last respect. Individuals gave food to those in the queue. Businesses chipped in as well. During the State Funeral Procession, Singaporeans lined along the procession route in a downpour. Some waited for hours. I was touched by how the Japanese helped each other out during the Tsunami crisis. Singaporean had risen to the occasion and showed the human side of us. 

This was his final gift to us. Thank you, Sir.

Hero of Singapore

I had mixed feelings but felt a huge sense of loss.

I first read about him in Secondary school history books. I was confused then. I anticipated a straightforward and sensational heroic story like how he led Singapore to her independence. I was a tat disappointed that he didn't really lead Singapore to her independence. He wanted Singapore to join Malaysia. Malaysia wanted Singapore out and that was how we got our independence. Well, nothing fanciful. I didn't understand then why he shed tears on National TV.

Growing up, I heard mostly complaints about the Government and didn't really pay much attention to what went on. I was busy with my own life. When he spoke during National Rallies or during General Elections, the natural thing to do was to switch to other TV channels and grumble about how they had affected the normal TV schedules. When serving National Service, I hated the fact that I had to waste two and a half years of my life in the army and start University later. My only impression of him and the Government led by him was they were heavy handed. They asked us to speak English and also Chinese, stop chewing chewing gums, stop littering and stop at two kids. We had to abide or else be punished. Simple as that.

I slowly start to appreciate what he and his Government have done for us, more so after I have children of my own. He curated the environment for a high literacy Singapore. Though both my parents are not highly educated, I could get my degree. He pushed for an economy that grew at an blazing speed so that I could find a job, set up my own family, have children and could provide for my family comfortably. Thanks to his housing policy, I realised that my parents, though not well-to-do, could afford their own house. I could own my own house right after I got married and sold for a profit later. He curated a safe Singapore which we could come back home late at night safely and my children could come back from school on their own. Above all, he ensured that Singapore survived after our separation from the British and Malaysia. If not, there wouldn't have been Singapore today and likely there wouldn't be me.

As I watched condolences for him splashed all over TV and social media, I wished we had told him in person. Perhaps he would have felt more satisfied and accomplished that he had made a difference to many. Or perhaps it doesn't matter because from what I read about him. He didn't not really care what others thought about him. He only did what he felt was correct. I always think it is strange that we honor people only after their passing. For some reason, this is just how human works. Nonetheless, sights of people weeping and tributes from world leaders as well as people from all walks of life have made me feel that the country has united like I have never felt before.

Look no further, we have our very own hero right here in our own backyard. He spent his entire life tenaciously realising his vision for the nation. All done in one lifetime, his lifetime. His legacy is left for us to enjoy, protect and continue to build upon.

These few days as I send my kids to school, I am more aware and more appreciative of the surrounding . The well-lit pavements and roads donned with greeneries, the well-equipped school, the safe environment for the kids to grow up in, the nicely-done-up exercising corners that senior citizens are working out at, the air-conditioned buses and MRTs...There couldn't have been a better place to grow up in and it couldn't have existed without Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 

相信成功

"I don't care about right or wrong, I care about success" - Steve Jobs

我们的李光耀先生似乎也是这么想的。这份文章说到：

He did not believe in governing according to opinion polls. Government’s job is to govern and deliver what it promised, even if some policies were unpopular. Voters can then decide whether he had delivered at election time every five years.

乔布斯说过，苹果公司在设计新产品时，也不会做市场调查。因为当今没有的功能，用户不知道也不会提议。惟有这样才能推陈出新。他也常提到汽车大亨Henry Ford说过的一句话：

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

李光耀先生象乔布斯一样，在政治领域以他独到的眼光及不畏惧的坚定意志，带领新加坡走到了今天。他禁止口香糖，实行双语政策，1970年代的“两胎停”，求经济增长等。他也增在他的新书《Hard Truths》访问中提到，他也是不在乎舆论，他坚持他在以往当时的时机作的决定。