I'm surprised that motorcycles are allowed to whiz around cars on highways in a normally well disciplined Singapore.
If its Jakarta, or Bangkok or Taiwan, I can expect the millions of motorbikes on the road each day to do what they like. But not Singapore.
In Singapore, they are less numerous yet they post a much greater hazard on highways. They ride on road shoulders or islands, they weave in between lanes often within inches from the sides of cars going at 90 or more kph. No wonder there's been so many fatal accidents involving motor bikes in Singapore. But what is the government doing about it?
Not a lot from what I can see.
Other than those weaving in and out of traffic and lanes, there are also those who ride too slowly especially before exits, trying to conserve their brake pads and slowing down to a crawl - relative to other traffic speeds - about 50 or more meters from the exit. This causes cars who are going a lot faster to keep overtaking them all the way to the narrow divide where they must exit. Dangerous is a modest description. Don't the motor cyclists even think?
I believe we should give motor cyclists the same road space as cars. But from what I've seen these last few months, it is them who do not want to be given those privileges; it is them who prefer to use those extra surface of roads between lanes just so they can get to their destinations a bit sooner than cars. I can remember once when I was trying to filter left, my left wing mirror was clear but when I took a 2nd look just before moving into the left lane, I saw something emerge from the corner of my eyes. To my horror, a motorbike had been on my blind spot for those few seconds I glanced at the wing mirror!
Hopefully it won't take too many more fatalities for Singapore's bike riders to learn to behave in a more responsible manner on its roads.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Things we do in life
This isn't so much about common things which everyone else understands and appreciates - its more about those which may and do often appear beyond comprehension.
There are things we do under duress (most of the time). Peer pressure, parental pressure, "ego-induced/feel good" pressure etc. But then there are also things which we really want to do for ourselves - this is not the go talking, be rest assured.
Many a times, I've left things undone or unsaid as doing or saying something about them would mean some form of inconvenience or "fighting" which translates into having to explain and justify the deeds to someone I consider totally out of my world. But there are time when I just cannot NOT do those things even if it means having to practice my skills at getting others to see them in the same light I do.
The rest of you would have encountered this at one stage or another. Some of you may be called rebellious. Others probably eccentric or words more unkind than that. End of the day, who cares! Its our OWN lives which we own. And we owe it to OURSELVES to do what we want - short of killing the neighbourhood bully or inconsiderate brat.
The sense of achievement from doing what one wants to do for oneself, rather than what others would like to see you doing for yourself is something immeasurable and indescribable. Have you tried it? You should!
"Life's filled with indiscretions", I was told. But who's to judge what falls beyond the line of indiscretion? I'm not talking about faithful (supposedly) spouses or lovers cheating on their counterparts. Neither am I talking about those who drink one drink above the legal limit and hoping that they won't stray into the path of the police spot check.
At any or some stage in our lives, we must feel like doing something which is against the norm, or rather the norm at that moment we carry out those deeds. Like holding a girl's hand fondly when we're walking out of the schoolyard, something like that. What constitutes the "norm" anyway? Did we conjure and convince ourselves that "that" IS the norm? Or is it something we "think" others will accept as the norm?
I'm ot trying to preach rebellion. I'm just asking all of you who're are reading this to think a bit harder about the implications on trying to "conform" with norms. Does that mean giving up on our obligation to live life to its fullest?
There are things we do under duress (most of the time). Peer pressure, parental pressure, "ego-induced/feel good" pressure etc. But then there are also things which we really want to do for ourselves - this is not the go talking, be rest assured.
Many a times, I've left things undone or unsaid as doing or saying something about them would mean some form of inconvenience or "fighting" which translates into having to explain and justify the deeds to someone I consider totally out of my world. But there are time when I just cannot NOT do those things even if it means having to practice my skills at getting others to see them in the same light I do.
The rest of you would have encountered this at one stage or another. Some of you may be called rebellious. Others probably eccentric or words more unkind than that. End of the day, who cares! Its our OWN lives which we own. And we owe it to OURSELVES to do what we want - short of killing the neighbourhood bully or inconsiderate brat.
The sense of achievement from doing what one wants to do for oneself, rather than what others would like to see you doing for yourself is something immeasurable and indescribable. Have you tried it? You should!
"Life's filled with indiscretions", I was told. But who's to judge what falls beyond the line of indiscretion? I'm not talking about faithful (supposedly) spouses or lovers cheating on their counterparts. Neither am I talking about those who drink one drink above the legal limit and hoping that they won't stray into the path of the police spot check.
At any or some stage in our lives, we must feel like doing something which is against the norm, or rather the norm at that moment we carry out those deeds. Like holding a girl's hand fondly when we're walking out of the schoolyard, something like that. What constitutes the "norm" anyway? Did we conjure and convince ourselves that "that" IS the norm? Or is it something we "think" others will accept as the norm?
I'm ot trying to preach rebellion. I'm just asking all of you who're are reading this to think a bit harder about the implications on trying to "conform" with norms. Does that mean giving up on our obligation to live life to its fullest?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Some things in life will never be forgotten
My late mother passed away just over 10 years ago, yet I still dream about her.
She looked like what she was before she left us but the event of that dream was something which had just happened a couple of days ago. The people in that event were people my late mom hadn't even met when she was alive. This is truly beyond comprehension.
Was she somewhere where she could see each and every of our daily activities? Was she trying to send me a message? Or is my mind playing games with me?
The dream occured totally out of the blue. I hadn't been talking about my late mom with anybody in this recent couple of weeks. That event which happened a couple of days ago hadn't even bothered me since then or wasn't even on my mind today - so I thought. Yet after analysing the dream, I felt that sub consciously, that event did refresh itself - briefly - today. The human mind is truly a mystique.
I can't help but concur that my late mom was trying to send me a message that I should start taking steps to prevent that same event from recurring.
She looked like what she was before she left us but the event of that dream was something which had just happened a couple of days ago. The people in that event were people my late mom hadn't even met when she was alive. This is truly beyond comprehension.
Was she somewhere where she could see each and every of our daily activities? Was she trying to send me a message? Or is my mind playing games with me?
The dream occured totally out of the blue. I hadn't been talking about my late mom with anybody in this recent couple of weeks. That event which happened a couple of days ago hadn't even bothered me since then or wasn't even on my mind today - so I thought. Yet after analysing the dream, I felt that sub consciously, that event did refresh itself - briefly - today. The human mind is truly a mystique.
I can't help but concur that my late mom was trying to send me a message that I should start taking steps to prevent that same event from recurring.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
What I hate and love most in 2008 ?
I'm sure some of you would share some of the events worth entering the "Hall of Hatred" in 2008.
Soaring fuel, food and commodity prices for a start. News of natural disasters like the earthquake in Beijing. Plight of the North Koreans, Burmese and Tibetans and others perhaps from Africa suffering in their own countries. The mixing of politics and sports which marred the Olympic torch relay. The demise of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Fannie, Freddie, AIG, Merrill and more. Piracy off the Somalia coast. Terror in Mumbai where innocent civilian lives are lost for nothing. And similarly terror in American schools and homes where unwarranted, unprovoked killings are meted out to the innocent. The continuing civil strifes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which also resulted in the loss of innocent lives. The politicking in Thailand and Malaysia. I'm sure we can name more.
But to pick one which can be deemed the most hated event is something I can't do. Everything which happened had a cause and a reason. To be on one side of the wall without realising what happened on the other presents no grounds for us to term one event more hateful than the other. To be knowingly misled by sensational media coverage is not something any prudent, intelligent (even if somewhat) and objective human should fall for. For if we do, then news of Sarah Palin's wardrobe and extravagance, or Britney Spears' indiscretions would have qualified for inclusion in our list of hated news stories or events. Or perhaps even the Ferrari team's bungles in the course of the F1 circuit in 2008 would have featured somewhere too. I would rather leave the hating to the activists and the naive and move on.
On the brighter side. What were the events worth remembering and loving?
There're soaring stock markets which some of us may or could have capitalised on. There are plenty of bargain counters up for grabs. China successfully hosted one of the best-ever (or rather, one of the most impressive) Olympic games so far. Formula One had it's first night race in Singapore which opened eyes both in Asia and Europe, and perhaps the rest of the world too. A rookie from a minority race winning his first World Championship in F-1. The Fed's rescue and stimulus package for the American banks and economy in general. China's and Taiwan's making up. North Korea's return to the negotiating table. The birth and implementation of Asean's charter. And, the top news (and most covered) will probably be the first African-American President-elect in the biggest economy in the world!
But this time, I can pick a "most".
The most loved event to me in 2008 is the realisation by all major governments around the world that this financial and economic crisis isn't localised; and all countries, and especially, all major economies, must do their little bit to pull the world out of this crisis, depression or recession whichever way you wish to call it.
The USA was forced to act because the meltdown was happening in her backyard. The Europeans had to act because the fallout from across the Atlantic could and will cause a backlash in their own backyard. China had to act as their foreign revenues are set to shrink. Japan has to act too for their own good.
This is different from the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98. We don't have the IMF chief standing with arms folded while a leader of one of the most populous countries in the world sign away control over her economy. We don't have IMF and World Bank hotshots zapping around in First Class seats telling impoverished Asian economies what they should be doing about their economies jsut because they can afford to dole out support funds contributed by rich nations. We don't have Western bankers strangling their counterparts in Asia so that their bonuses will be equally fat, if not fatter, at the end of their financial years. NOW, we have a whole world working together to solve the problems which originated from short term greed and indiscretions. That is certainly something we should all be happy about and proud of. Hence the reason for my naming that the "most loved" event in 2008.
Carry on the good world, nations. For we, on this planet need you all to buck up and lead us out of this mess.
Soaring fuel, food and commodity prices for a start. News of natural disasters like the earthquake in Beijing. Plight of the North Koreans, Burmese and Tibetans and others perhaps from Africa suffering in their own countries. The mixing of politics and sports which marred the Olympic torch relay. The demise of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Fannie, Freddie, AIG, Merrill and more. Piracy off the Somalia coast. Terror in Mumbai where innocent civilian lives are lost for nothing. And similarly terror in American schools and homes where unwarranted, unprovoked killings are meted out to the innocent. The continuing civil strifes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which also resulted in the loss of innocent lives. The politicking in Thailand and Malaysia. I'm sure we can name more.
But to pick one which can be deemed the most hated event is something I can't do. Everything which happened had a cause and a reason. To be on one side of the wall without realising what happened on the other presents no grounds for us to term one event more hateful than the other. To be knowingly misled by sensational media coverage is not something any prudent, intelligent (even if somewhat) and objective human should fall for. For if we do, then news of Sarah Palin's wardrobe and extravagance, or Britney Spears' indiscretions would have qualified for inclusion in our list of hated news stories or events. Or perhaps even the Ferrari team's bungles in the course of the F1 circuit in 2008 would have featured somewhere too. I would rather leave the hating to the activists and the naive and move on.
On the brighter side. What were the events worth remembering and loving?
There're soaring stock markets which some of us may or could have capitalised on. There are plenty of bargain counters up for grabs. China successfully hosted one of the best-ever (or rather, one of the most impressive) Olympic games so far. Formula One had it's first night race in Singapore which opened eyes both in Asia and Europe, and perhaps the rest of the world too. A rookie from a minority race winning his first World Championship in F-1. The Fed's rescue and stimulus package for the American banks and economy in general. China's and Taiwan's making up. North Korea's return to the negotiating table. The birth and implementation of Asean's charter. And, the top news (and most covered) will probably be the first African-American President-elect in the biggest economy in the world!
But this time, I can pick a "most".
The most loved event to me in 2008 is the realisation by all major governments around the world that this financial and economic crisis isn't localised; and all countries, and especially, all major economies, must do their little bit to pull the world out of this crisis, depression or recession whichever way you wish to call it.
The USA was forced to act because the meltdown was happening in her backyard. The Europeans had to act because the fallout from across the Atlantic could and will cause a backlash in their own backyard. China had to act as their foreign revenues are set to shrink. Japan has to act too for their own good.
This is different from the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98. We don't have the IMF chief standing with arms folded while a leader of one of the most populous countries in the world sign away control over her economy. We don't have IMF and World Bank hotshots zapping around in First Class seats telling impoverished Asian economies what they should be doing about their economies jsut because they can afford to dole out support funds contributed by rich nations. We don't have Western bankers strangling their counterparts in Asia so that their bonuses will be equally fat, if not fatter, at the end of their financial years. NOW, we have a whole world working together to solve the problems which originated from short term greed and indiscretions. That is certainly something we should all be happy about and proud of. Hence the reason for my naming that the "most loved" event in 2008.
Carry on the good world, nations. For we, on this planet need you all to buck up and lead us out of this mess.
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