SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

I am in the midst of reorganizing my life around the aspects of life I consider important. Life is too short to be wasted. Time flies very fast.   Every second counts. I always find it a challenge to enrich myself in the different aspects of life on weekday nights.

Earth hour 2011 this year falls on 26 Mar 2011, which is this coming Saturday. The exact earth hour will be from 2030 hrs to 2130 hrs. I have read that many have called for the earth hour to be extended beyond that 60 minutes and that is the reason one will see some posters on this event as having the symbol “60+” instead of the usual “60”.

I had a big mac meal for lunch today at none other than McDonald’s.   A Big Mac meal at $5 is not a meal that I can afford on a daily basis hence it is a treat today. A big mac, a packet of fries and a cup of coke can fill my empty stomach for the rest of the afternoon till dinner.   For the normal work day, I subsist on those coffeeshop meals which are less than $3 a meal.   I set $3 as the budget for an outside meal. Anyway my modus operandi   to consume a Big Mac meal would be to snack on the crispy hot fries completely first as the fries would become hardly pleasant upon cooling. Then I will work on the burger and then savour the drink.

I believe to succeed is to overcome one's fear. To overcome one's fear is to confront them. Take for example, if one is scared of supernatural things, to overcome this fear, one should really confront this fear by switching off all lights and spend an hour or two in the dark to see if there is anything supernatural.

I have been to Japan once with my wife, to Hokkaido to be exact. I was charmed by Japan: its healthy and fresh seafood, its onsens or hot springs, its immaculately hardworking, gracious and civic-conscious people as well as its show-stopping natural scenary. I love Japan very very much as I am a person who embraces a natural lifestyle, a neat person too who partake in healthy food, enjoy the different four seasons and I so much want to be a farmer in Hokkaido, leading a simple life, away from the extremely stressful and hectic life in Singapore!

The current hot issue widely debated among Singaporeans is whether the radioactive leakage from the exploded nuclear plants in Japan will affect Singapore. Though the authorities here have assured the local populace that their worries are unfounded, many have still taken precautions to arm themselves with protective devices against radiation. Many are also not convinced.

Today, I started a regimen of doing basic exercises as soon as I woke up. After the workout, I felt refreshed. I think what the teachers and instructors have taught at schools and in the army is really useful, though these basic exercises and morning workouts are soon lost on the working populace once they start working.

Amidst the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake, the Japanese authorities are busy controlling the radioactive leakage from the nuclear plants impacted by the earthquakes. To me, this latest episode of one of the nature's greatest destructions is like a scene straight from a horror science fiction plot: earthquakes sparking tsunamis, nuclear plants explosion, infernos, floods, devastations of human and properties everywhere, volcanoes and more!

One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, Mount Karangetang erupted after the massive Japanese earthquake! Indeed the doomsday scenes depicted in the movie "2012" is not that remote.

A massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter Scale hit Japan this afternoon! When I saw the images on TV, I was shocked! The TV images that greeted me were exactly similar to the scenes from the movie "2012" which I watched before!

Last Friday, I jogged like I have never jogged before, for months. I jogged for an hour via park connectors which brought me to places I have never been before! I must hail the National Park Board for its excellent web of park connectors which allows me to enjoy nature, explore Singapore while keeping fit at the same time!

This afternoon, a colleague made an offensive joke on me. It was meant to be a joke. But it was offensive and I am sorry to say that man can remember some offensive stuff for many years or even forever.