UEFA 027 – Benz & Katowski

UEFA 027 – Benz & Katowski


My next outing was a group dinner with Mr Benz, Mike, Yakhzan, Seo and Moon to an Expo. I could only recalled that there were fashion shows and loud music. There were many youngsters. As usual, in such functions there were free beers and soft drinks, as Europe is the land of wine and distillers.



Despite his name, Mr Benz did not drive, but he took public transport. As such, we had to leave the premises by 9pm to catch the last bus. Mr Benz was one of the many authors of the Leica Service Manuals.


Mike Clissold from Atlanta US, was doing training with me. Mr Yakhzan from Israel was doing Electronic Distance Meter (EDM). Mr Seo and Mr Moon were from Korea, doing training of levels. There were a few more guys but I had forgotten their names.


The third outing I had was dinner with Mr Olaf Katowski at his house. He lived nearby in Balgach with his friendly wife Helga.

Olaf was about 50. He was one of Leica’s technical consultants who were the Leica project partners I mentioned earlier. He was a specialist in Leica’s Wild TM3000 motorized theodolites, which was also used in the manufacturing industries for setting up of electronic and robotic machines.

I admired his garden so much that I requested him to take this photo of me with the background of the vast open space infront of his garden. Olaf must have cleverly cjosen the best location where there is no other house infront of his house.

I must tell you that I am dreamin to live in his kind of house. In fact, it became one of my ambition to migrate to Switzerland, though I know it was a crazy impulsive thoughts and dreams. Anyway people says dream are free, so why not.

Here in his living room, Olaf and Helga spent his late afternoon chit chat with me, after the steak dinner. The deco were very simple and natural. I like his book case. If I am not wrong, Olaf has no children. I wonder what he is doing now, after 14 years since I met him in 1994.

This is the furnace area, also as simple as the living room. In fact, it is in one corner of the living room.

Olaf came very often to Singapore and was with me, for many midnights in the MRT tunnels doing inspections, adjustments and modifications to the setting up of the TM3000.

This is the bulky TM3000 which I guess was about 5 kg.

My function in the tunnel monitoring project was the technical support, e.g. alignment of the TM3000 to hundreds of prism targets mounted on the tunnel wall, ceiling and floor.

It sound simple, but, I tell you it was challenging, as everything is digitally controlled by joy stick.

Precision instruments are best handle with fingers for accurate pointing. It became unbearable because the 5kg TM3000 was mounted at a height of about 7 metre on the wall of the tunnel.

I was squinting and squirming with my neck bend following the contour of the top curve of the tunnel, in order to get a view of the prism through the telescope.


The main players were my Sales Manager, William and his technical executive, Mr Akram. Both of them launched the TM3000 with tailored software for the monitoring. Olaf was to make sure that both the TM3000 and the software run perfectly well for commissioning.

This is a group photo of the Leica team from Sinagpore, Malaysia and Indonesia at the Leica Expo in Singapore. I think it was in 1994. From left is Anwarisanto, Joe, William, Zimmermann, xxx, Helen, Francis, Ricky, Adam, Busroni and Max.

And this is Akram, who was the Tunnel Engineer, working very closely with Olaf ensuring the TM3000 was functioning properly before the monitoring project was commisioned.

Akram was so close to me that we did went out together for dinner and lunch. Even after office hours we do meet. We were so close that I visited him at home and get to meet his mother, brothers and sisters.

He also came over to my house for dinner and after that we took a double decker bus No 23 to Masjid Angullia, where Akram and I used to attend religious activities. After prayer, we walk across to Mustapha Centre and had our Naan dinner there.

We did not stop there. I went with him to several art gallery in support of his brother's painting activities. His brother was a famous painter who passed away recently in 2007.

We were so close that we used to confide our sorrows and had religious discussions at a wide scope of thoughts.

When his sister took up agency for a health products from US, my family and I patronised them.

Unfortunately, after Leica, Akram took up a job in Turkey in late 1994. He returned to Singapore sometime in 1996 and off to Australia to pursue his degree in Land Surveying. He returned to Singapore again in 1998 and worked at the Changi Airport MRT project as a resident Surveyor.

He left that job in 1999 to join Leica once again as a Consultant. He was sent to Leica factory in Switzerland for a year, but when he returned once again to Singapore in 2000, Leica had reshuffled their set up in Singapore and there was no need for a local Consultant anymore, and Akram was retrenched without any benefit, as he never start work. That was the same year I left Leica.

I was always present to bid him goodbye and in welcoming him home. I met Akram several time in 2000 until he took up full time job helping his sister with promoting the health products.

Drafted on 07.04.2007

First Edition on 03.05.2007 at 0038 hrs

Second Edition on 21 August 2008 at 0059 hrs

At Woodlands Avenue 5

At the Pier

This Saturday morning, I was at the tip of the matured reclaimed land in the southern shore of Singapore. It was bright and sunny that I needed the ultraviolet sunglass to protect me eyes from the scorching sun. I was tired, but I dare not sit on this chair as it does not look stable enough.

I was leaning against the steel railing observing the ships and boats at the sea. There is this jetty here for a medium size junks and ferries.

On my right is the other jetty for smaller ferries and boats. Further still to my right is a very long jetty catered for the even smaller ferries and boats. Apparently, the destinations are mainly Batam. I noticed also that the waves are very mild here within the jetty area as there is a long concrete wall build underneath the jetty, that stop the waves from coming. So you see that the ferries and boats do not rock too much.

If you are wondering, my wife and I was on the third level of the jetty pier. That is why I could see a lot of activities going at the jetty. This level is called the "Roof Garden". It looks like a stadium isn't it.

At the first level or ground floor, is the entrance to the jetty. Passengers has to buy tickets from the counters and go through Singapore Immigration before we can go to the jetty.

But before all that, you may need to change money or buy some petty requirements or even to have some light snacks and drinks or perhaps also some souvenirs from Singapore.

Most of the paswsengers are Indonesians. This morning there were many Singapore students who were perhaps going on a study and/or voliunteerism tour to Batam.

Opposite the pier are trees and bushes.

Wherease, the shore alongside the pier are well kept and nicely decorated.

Drivers need not worry, as the parking coupon area are available alongside the main road leading to the pier. Compare to the nearby Central Business District (CBD) area, the parking charges here is cheaper, only 50 cents for half and hour. In the CBD is one dollar for half an hour.

Surprisingly during the day, the carparks are full. This picture was taken much earlier, on the 29 April 2008. At that time, I had an afternoon job assignment to examine the ground features at the pier.

If you are still wondering, I am talking about the new Marina South Pier, which is newly built at the southern tip of the reclamation area.

Apparently, Marina South Pier has replaced the Clifford Pier, which is not used anymore for ferrying passengers to Batam and other southern Islands of Singapore.

THE CONSTELLATIONS

The Quran Chapter 85
THE CONSTELLATIONS

In the name of ALLAH,
the Beneficient, the Merciful


By the heaven with its constellations
By the promised day
By the witness and that which is witnessed
Slain be the men of the Pit


The fire abounding in fuel
When they sat around it
Watching what they did to the believers


They took vengeance on them for no reason
except that because they believed in ALLAH
The Almighty, the Praised One
The Sovereign of the heavens and the earth
Who witnesses everything


Those who persecute the believers
men and women and do not repent
Shall suffer the chatisement of hell,
the chatisement of burning



But those who believe and do righteous deeds
Shall have gardens with flowing rivers
That is the great success


Stern indeed is your Lord’s vengeance
HE is surely the ONE who originates
HIS creation and re-creates them


HE is All-forgiving, Compassionate,
Lord of the Throne, the Glorious,
Performer of what HE wills

Have you heard the story of the warriors
Of Pharoah and Thamud


Yet the disbelievers persists in their denials
But ALLAH surround them all


This is indeed a glorious Quran
Insribed on a well-guarded tablet.

006-1e The Cave 18:25 - They slept in the cave for 300 years ! ! !

Translation, Commentary & Explanation of Chapter 18 Al-Kahfi.

Literal Translation of verse 25.

And they stayed in their cave three hundred years andadd nine.

Commentary by Jalalain.
And they stayed in their cave 300 years.The calculation of 300 years was based on the countingsystem during the period of the Men of the Cave, which was based on the solar calendar. And when interpreted to the lunar calendar used by the Arabs, an addition of 9 yearsis necessary.

Commentary by Muhammad Asad.
And some people assert that they remained in their cavefor three hundred years, and some have added nine to that numbers.

Muhmmad Asad wrote in his footnote that Abdullah Ibnu Mas'ud, Qatadah, Tabari, Zamakhshari and Ibnu Kathir had their views noted in their marginal explanatory remarks oftheir commentary of the Quran, that this verse has connection with verse 22.

Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

So they stayed in their cave 300 hundred years, and some add 9 more.

[My understanding is that, 300 years in solar calendar would amount to 309 in lunar calendar. As this history was carried forward from the Christian sources, the narrationwas calculated based on Gregorian solar calendar, which when interpretated with Islamic lunar calendar is 309 years.]

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