Oh wow!! Been a month since I checked in here. Nah.....I've not lost any of the zest I started out with. It's just that time is a premium which I can't seem to have enough rite now. Yes, I know that this little page I have here has fallen into the depths of negligence. Lemme see now, what has changed....
Nothing much actually, I'm still alive and kicking and ranting, for that matter.
Went through my reservist without a hitch, though, the 8 hours shift of doing nothing was mind-numbing to say the least. Imagine doing nothing but staying vigilant for 8 hours at a stretch. What could we do, vigilance is the name of the game nowadays, thanks Osama for making our lives so much easier! My guess is that my unit was not scheduled for a callup so early, but it was done due to the IMF and World Bank conference which was held in Singapore. I think we are the reserve security force covering the reserve unit which was already in place.
Dumb? Absolutely. Waste of resources? Definitely. Enough? Probably never.
In spite of that, the show of force, although my unit was nowhere near the action, was a strong enough deterrence factor for any would-be mischief-makers or terrorist. Imagine having to walk through a gauntlet of security personnel, armed to the teeth with automatic weapons and the latest gadgetry in security. Imagine having multitudes of cameras trained in on you if you behave suspiciously. I guess it's a Singaporean trait, it's never enough, better be safe than sorry. Seriously, only a country like Singapore would go to such lengths as to ensure that what's been ensured is ensured. Then again, in such an age where a climate of fear is ever present and with lingering doubts on safety and security, it seems being prepared and vigilant is never enough.
On a personal level, I've always maintained the belief that your life has been written for you, just not revealed yet. Yeah, it's the belief of all Muslims. I still recall the conversations I had with my mum more than a decade ago with regards to my decision to get a motorcycle license. The words 'dangerous', 'accidents' and 'injuries' kept coming up, seriously, which mother would want to see her child get injured? My usual riposte, if it's your time, you can't delay it by even a second. If you are meant to die of a freak accident, you can't stop that, you could die from falling in the bathroom, does that mean you stop going to the bathroom?
I chose to believe that while there is nothing wrong with being prepared, vigilant and in taking precautions, there is certainly something wrong when the need for security takes over our rationality resulting in paranoia. Similarly, while it's good to have the occasional reminders for us to be vigilant, too much will probably serve to create an unnecessary climate of fear. This might, in turn, cause us to be so used to such reminders that we, from time to time, let our guard down, thinking it's just another ad or reminder to the millions of reminders we get daily.
I, for one, would live my life as I have always. Having dignitatires from all over the world come here for a conference lasting for a few days, while having immeasurable economic benefits, does have its downsides, in that we, while having been acknowledged as being friendly and eager to please, are also being seen as a paranoid nation with a lot of loosening up to do.
