Change

Its been a while since the June Holidays ended, hasn't it? Time passes by so fast these days. Just two years ago, I was sitting through the agonizing PSLE period. Now, my little sister is the one taking the test. Singapore has gone through many developments over this past two years too. I notice the old Entertainment Centre located in the heart of the Jurong central torn down last year has been making quite a bit of progress since it began its operation works. I find bit a bit sad actually, to find that I no longer recognize some parts of Singapore that I spent in my early childhood. I recall this photo of my dad and I standing in front of a foodcourt that no longer exists. I was really fat then. "Everything decays over time" was a line said by an antagonist in a comic book I recently read. I am amused but somehow, I can't help but find myself agreeing with him.

In the June Holidays this year, my family and I had a long bus ride to Kuala Lampur to visit my dad who was posted there to work for his company. As I recall, that was my second trip to KL and I already prepared myself for a 5-hour bus ride on the understandably but extremely slow moving coach. I have to admit, my previous trip to KL wasn't especially pleasant, thanks to the unruly crowd on the subway which resulted in the discreet pickpocketing of my hand phone. Well, all of us make mistakes, right?

The bus trip was a long one. My mom sat a seat behind me, leaving me extremely vulnerable to her constant reiteration that I had to study Quadratic graphs during the trip. I listened, of course, but unknowingly, my mind was drawn away from the pile of papers on my lap, slowly falling on the scenery outside.

In my opinion, the view was simply breathtaking. A little coach, surrounded by miles and miles of greenery, virtually untouched by human hands. There were hardly any signs of a city around, creating an uniquely serene atmosphere in the region. Occasionally, I would catch glimpses of small towns down the highway we were travelling on, with tiny little figures moving around slowly. The houses looked ancient, like those you would see in those dramatic Chinese action films. My brother drew my attention to a cow he had spotted grazing on the hill. I was amazed. We certainly didn't see that often in Singapore. Roosters as well as dogs were common sights along the highway. Between you and me, I actually saw a tent erected near the border of a forested area and I still suspect that it was occupied by some illegal immigrant. Of course, my brother dismissed my claim, using his logic to determine that someone merely wanted to come out to camp for a night of two.

So unlike Singapore, I thought. In this region, time seemed to come to a standstill, leaving the natural beauties of gaia just as it was a long time ago. Singapore modernizes so fast. Forests are deforested to make way for industries. Old buildings are torn down to pave the way for newer commercial centres. Sometimes, I just feel that in Singapore, time passes too fast for us to readily appreciate what is already around us.

In a changing world, it is important for us to appreciate the beauty of the past. The past might be blissful, grievous or bloody, but as long as we take away something from our experiences, I guess we will be ready to greet change with open arms.

Harmony, overcoming even time

As Racial Harmony Day draws near, I thought it would be appropriate to recall a memorable experience of a particular incident on the bus in the June holidays. Honestly speaking, I would not have thought about posting this online(even though I was aware of it) if not for the fact that I was in charge of a Racial Harmony Day stall at school.

The weather was nice, not too hot but not too cold either. I was on bus 333, returning from the new tuition centre I had decided to try out in an attempt to improve my math results. Thinking about that crippling "C" still makes me wince. As I leaned on the window pane, staring at the clouds, I was rudely disturbed by the ear-piercing scream from the front of the bus. I reacted quickly to the abrupt sound, turning to with a raised eyebrow. A Chinese woman sat with her arms akimbo, her eyes narrowed into a sharp glare at a young, pale little boy who sat beside her. Her son? Most probably. In Mandarin, she blabbered away, scolding, "You shouldn't be reading on the bus! Close that comic book!" From afar, I could not really make out his facial expression but I could see that he obediently put away the book, without a word of dissent. Not long after, as we passed by the Jurong East Library bus stop, a family of three boarded the bus. They seemed to be Indian and consisted of a lady, her husband and their daughter, who coincidentally must have been about the same age as the young Chinese boy mentioned earlier. The family settled into the seats directly opposite the young boy and his mother. Whether it was a twist of fate or a chance encounter, I think no one would have expected the events that unfolded thereafter.

All of a sudden, the little Indian girl burst out in tears. Okay, maybe it was because I had dozed off and wasn't really aware of what was happening. The parents of the Indian girl tried to pacify their daughter, hugging her and muttering tiny words of comfort. She continued bawling. Frankly speaking, it was very, very annoying. Can't anyone have some rest on the bus? Just like in all action movies, there would be a righteous male hero who would save the damsel in distress. However, I did not ever think that this hero would turn out to be the Chinese boy. In an astonishing gesture of childlike innocence, he held out the comic book he was reading earlier on, as if offering it to her. She sniffed for quite some time before she took the book with her own little hands, flipping through the book with an awed expression on her face, still flushed from her crying before. As she composed herself slowly,the lady beside her quickly returned the book to the boy, a distinct smile on her face. Amazingly, this small act of kindness just helped solve an otherwise uncontrollable problem. Two children. Two races. One family.

It is very heartening yet mildly surprising to see that racial harmony still exists up till today. I mean, I never lived in the turbulent times when the PAP was first established but from all that I have read up on Singapore's History last year, I can gather that it was not so peaceful then as it is now. There were numerous racial riots erupting between the Malays, Eurasians as well as the Chinese. The lack of understanding between each race's customs and traditions as well as the manipulation of the media indirectly sparked riots such as the Maria Hertogh case, where the Malays and the Europeans fought over the custody of a Dutch girl raised in a Malay family. It is instances like this that truly test Singapore's claim as a multi-racial community where everyone is expected to abide to the principles of Equality. This principles have even been incorporated into our Singapore Pledge, thus holding us responsible for maintaining peace and harmony between the various races. I am sure that over the years, there must have been several instances whereby the different races inhabiting this island has clashed but over time, they have settled their differences. Singapore no longer experiences the traumatic times it used to go through everyday in the past but Singapore is still equally vulnerable to racial clashes. Hence, it is of substantial importance that we, the new generation sired to lead the next, learn to cooperate with one another, overcoming social and racial obstacles, and maintain the harmony that has been passed down from our forefathers.