Wednesday, May 16, 2007
The recent spate of incidents that happened shows that life is indeed fragile. From the 2 national servicemen that died in Taiwan, people who were killed by drunk drivers or injured by cars banging into bus stops, women killed or injured by falling trees to a nie student- teacher(it was saha's pe teacher in MI) who was killed by a falling tree in Mt Ophir. He was there on a 7 day compulsory camp which was part of an outdoor module. I figured that I'll be going there also when school starts. It sounds like another outfield doesn't it? Imagine powder bathing and getting all dirty again but well, it's not as if we haven't been through it. One thing is for sure, must remember to bring tiger balm in case any leeches fall on you. Stuff like alcohol and tiger balm are useful when it comes to removal of leeches. I used to think that burning it is the best solution.
Many of you would have received your GST offset package letters by now. Typical Singaporeans will be complaining that the amount the government is giving is so little but they might want to give it a further thought. There are not many countries in the world where the government gives a hoot about their citizens. I'm not pro government or anything but it's indeed the small gesture that counts, I'm probably gonna save mine up and use it for my daily expenditure. Perhaps more can be done to help the lower income families when the 7% GST starts to be in service by July. Can you imagine the burden when it comes to buying food and taking public transport? I even feel the pain everything I top up my ezlink card. A single trip on the mrt alone can led to a deduction of at least $1. A trip to and fro, at least $3. I only hope the increase in GST is really gonna turn out well.
The woman who died after a tree fell on her was probably exercising at the nature park which is pretty near my house. Life is unpredictable, you never know when you might go. You don't have to be chionging in a jungle or engaging in physical activities to lose your life. The 2 storemen were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now you know why Singapore doesn't save and scrimp when it comes to their defence budget. People will be thinking, why do we spend so much money on defence when we're just a small country. We need to depend more on technology cause we don't have that many people. The lives of our people are at stake, there are some money you just can't save on. So what if our previous skyhawks are still usable? They're past their shelf life already, it's time to purchase the better warplanes like the F-16s and the soon to arrive in 2009, F15s. We need to train with the best and safest equipments.
2 years of national service. We all just wanna get it done and over with. Most people will no doubt suffer some injuries during the course of training, be it cuts of bruises but there is simply no need to risk your life when it comes to training. Be "garang" or enthusiastic while in camp but don't overdo it, even more so if you're not a regular. We train to learn military skills in the event that if our country goes to war, we're able to stand up to our aggressor. I'm sure there are times you think of your family especially when you're outfield. It's like a good place to meditate and think about life sometimes. No distractions, nothing. No need to check in to any rehab centres for those who want to quit smoking, drinking or drugs. Think of your family, friends and girlfriends who are waiting for you when you book out. These thoughts will keep me going.
Prayers go out to the 2 victims of this unfortunate accident who really gave their lives in the call of duty.
