Sunday, March 27, 2005

Death on track

I can't help but think that some Singaporeans are really very stupid.

Look at people who commented on Xiaxue's recent post. Some are insightful; some are - to put it mildly - dumb.

I think most people who read it are not aware of her true intention. I think she's more to being angry than trying to poke fun at the unfortunate man.

To digress a bit, I do enjoy reading her posts. It's rather insightful at times and she blogs in good English. There're 2 types of blogs I don't really like: those with bad English and music. To a certain extent, I think she gets slammed by those with bad English. They can't grasp her command of English and jump to conclusion and proceed to slam her for being insensitive.

I'm not really a die-hard fan of her but I do think her topics are good conversation starters at times.

Why do Singaporeans just sit around and do nothing at times? Why was his wife the only person trying to pull him up from the track? Why wasn't anyone trying to hit the "Stop-the-train-button" when someone was on the track?

What would I do if I see someone on a track? At this point, I don't think I have a definite answer yet. What would you do?

In view of this inability to climb up from a train, Minister of Defense Major-General Jin-Zhong Bao Guo said in an interview this morning that all Singaporeans, male and female would now have to attend the Standard Obstacle Course (SOC) at the Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training School (SAF BMTC). Trainees would not be allowed to graduate until they have master the art of clearing the first obstacle, the low wall.

Okay, that was in jest.

In a similar fashion, why doesn't anyone speak up about things they think feel strongly about? I feel that a concert is badly played and I get slammed for what I really think. Is it wrong to say what you really feel? Is it right to just shut up and follow the flow because it's the "right" thing to do?

I've seen so many things recently. Naruto, an anime, for example, has a lot of hidden messages in it. It tells you to never give up. Do your best to protect those who are precious to you. Robots, a movie, tells you to follow your dreams and never give too.

You can shine no matter what you're made of.

A friend wrote that Robots leaded him to re-examine his goals and path in life. Go watch it; I think it's a pretty nice show.

It's really unfortunate to read that he's leaving 4 children behind. He was 37. His children are still probably in their teens, or worse, toddler hood.

True, I really doubt his thinking abilities when I read that he climbed down to retrieve a shoe. It's not something I would do.

1. I value my life a lot.
2. I'm a scardy cat who's afraid to die.
3. There are signs in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil warning of high voltages and a fine of $5 000 if I venture onto the tracks.
4. I do not have the $5 000 to pay the authorities when they haul me to courts.
5. I have no intention of leaving behind 4 children.

Therefore, I was quite appalled to read that he went down to retrieve his shoes without thinking twice.

This morning, however, I read again that his wife said she was misquoted and that he "slipped and fell" instead of "climbing down" onto the tracks. Which is correct? She knows herself.

Well, it's already bad enough that someone's died. The only thing we can hope for is that this incident would not be repeated in future.

A death is already one too many.
fjozn at 11:11 AM