yeah....Things will only get better

Not too sure how many of us actually participated in observing that minute of silence at 1800 hr yesterday. Well, I did. Just that I was driving along the ECP towards Changi. However, that minute wasn't at 6 pm. Somehow the congregation at the Singapore EXPO observed that minute at 1756, according to my time. I do not expect cars to pull over at the side of the road, ships to embark at the piers, aeroplanes to force a sudden landing, Prowlers stop prowling the camps and doctors helping to deliver babies to stop for a minute. Or for that matter, request that the infant delay a minute in rememberance of those that left us?

Pling felt guilty for not observing that minute of silence. She told me that she was on a bus. Perhaps the main issue here is to remember those that left us so abruptly; that's what the minute of silence was actually for. If it's not possible to be really silent, well remember these people in your heart. You don't really have to know all of them; this tradegy didn't only happen to them, it happened to us. All of us.

I don't have to draw a map of South East Asia to point out that Singapore is safely nestled in the middle of the Malay Archipelago. I suppose most of us can picture this. ( Ok, unless I have readers from America or Europe, which to the best of my knowledge, there isn't, otherwise you should know the location.) And of course, the main reason for not producing a map here is that I don't wish to infringe on any copyright laws. ( Streetdirectory.com is so particular about it.)

Here in Singapore, we are sheltered by the island of Sumatra. The pictures of the mass destruction brought about by the tsunami on Aceh were scary, but such scenes could have happened in Singapore too, just that we were well protected.

Government Buildings flew their flags at half mast yesterday as a mark of respect, in rememberance to all that perished.

Winston wasn't too please with that. With due respect to the victims, when a young Singaprean drafted into the military to defend our nation died the process of training, did we lower our flags to half mast?

Interesting point to note. That's his point of view. I understand where he's coming from. Somewhere, it does appear that we do not value our people as much as we would have expected to.

But to say that it's an insult to fly our flags at half mast in remembrance of holidaymakers and terrorists, that's way off.