It is the best of times. What’s the best thing that happened to Singapore today?
I couldn’t help, but ask myself, is identifying that no Singaporeans have died in last Friday’s Jakarta Bombings at the Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels the best thing that happened to Singapore today? Maybe for today, it is. Make no mistake though that it is still sad that lives, innocent or guilty, have indeed been taken by the terrorists. From one perspective, it could be said that no Malaysians or Filipinos died in the bomb attacks as being the best thing that happened to Malaysia or Philippines. However, it must be noted that Singapore’s businessmen travel frequently to its neighboring countries and of course, Singaporeans have a higher standard of living, so there is probably a higher chance of finding a Singaporean staying at an expensive hotel in Jakarta. There have been around six attacked people who are being treated in Singaporean hospitals though, which include a Singaporean, a Dutchman and an American, but it is fortunate that their conditions are stable and hopefully, they will be able to move on with their normal lives. What is the lesson learned from all this? Is the lesson to get rid of terrorists? That is probably something that is not in our hands, but it is up to the government, the relevant authorities and the local communities to work together to eradicate that, but as traveling individuals, the lesson learned could be this. As long as we’re traveling to places which are on alert for terrorist activities, don’t stay in branded hotels. Every other bombing or attack in the world from Mumbai to London to Jakarta seem to be take place at well- known hotels. Sure, this is bad for their business, but then again, I’m sure you can afford to let go of the luxury for a short while.
It is the worst of times. What’s the worst thing that happened to Singapore today?
When the headlines of the ONLY national newspaper – the Strait Times - (yes, yes there are some other tabloids, but they’re just tabloids) happen to be about a guy who loves Liverpool more than his wife, you know that there’s something wrong about what’s happening in Singapore today – the answer is probably nothing. Nothing happens in Singapore. Or at least, that’s what they make you think – after all, it’s just one mainstream newspaper that provides news to the nation and whatever they report should be interpreted as all that is happening to the country. So, if we happen to interpret what the Strait Times has reported in their Sunday edition of the newspaper, the worst thing that happened to the country is the first person dying an H1N1-related (swine flu) death. The 49 year old man was admitted to the Changi General Hospital last Thursday, where he breathed the last few minutes of his life. There have been a total of 1217 cases so far, which probably goes to show that the flu can be controlled, if caught. The article is careful to reassure the public that the man was suffering from other complications, attempting to show that swine flu was not the only factor leading to the poor man’s death. In any case, the public is advised to be aware of any symptoms of flu and to contact the appropriate authorities, i.e. nearby clinics in case of any suspicions. As another blog mentions, if symptoms are severe, such as breathlessness and chest pains, members of the public are advised to call 995 immediately for an emergency ambulance.
