As I write this year-end post, I can't help but reflect on the events of yesteryears especially the infamous attack on Pearl Habour which resulted in the loss of 3000 lives of American servicemen. The aftermath of this attack was the Japanese invasion of a whole swathe of Asia and Southeast Asia where they inflicted unnecessary pain and destruction on the people. But  more than 70 years have passed but mankind don't seem to learn the lesson of war. There's violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and lesser street skirmishes across capitals in Europe and China. As 2011 comes slowly to a close, it is one year where we are better off leaving it behind than to have to cope with it. There was the mass destruction from natural disasters and from the damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant arising from a tsunami that was triggered by a massive earthquake, floods in Thailand. 2011 is a year of disaster, if I may say so. Even the media met with disaster with the phone-hacking scandal in Britain that saw the closure of the News of the World.

Some consolation is the baby steps taken by Myanmar military juanta to introduce limited freedom to its people, and the delicate thawing of relations among the people in Thailand who were divided due to political bickering. In Moscow, Putin's party was given a drubbing and won narrowly and a demonstration erupted in the streets of Moscow by anti-Putin protestors alleging vote rigging.

The event that dominated the headlines of major newspapers was the Euro zone economic turmoil, and not forgetting US debt crisis that almost saw the closure of the government in Washington. What more can we expect in these last two weeks to the New Year but to pray that all will turn out well and enough is enough of all the fighting and the disaster.

Some things just don't go away

It's funny how some things just linger on your mind though weeks, months and years may have passed. And, I am talking about the departure of my pet dogs - Fred, Goofy, Snowy and Rabbit. Somehow time and time again images of them appear before you mind, and fondly everyone at home would talk about what they would do, or how they would have reacted and so on and so forth. Perhaps it's because they left a legacy...a very lovable and adorable son Richie who now carries on providing our home with the fond memories.

Indeed, I mention pets but also the passing of our loved ones, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and even friends too leave fond memories. I then asked myself how will I be remembered after my life. Maybe some may remember me for my humour, some for my community work and others for the weeks they spent attending my classes. But looking back as I posed myself this question, I realised that perhaps I may not have done enough in my lifetime to be remembered?

Though who knew me when I was young may recall my days of playing the guitar and house parties. In adulthood others may recall my years as a journalist, covering events in and around Singapore and the region. Others who met me in my latter life may know me as their lecturer if they attended my classes. And, yet others with whom I spent hours at the community work may know the the other side of me. My family will of course remember me in another context, someone fussy, demanding, always making sure that things are all in order. But I think many may say: "Oh, he's a good story teller and we always like to hear him".

See, it is interesting to sit back and reflect on what you've done and how will you be remembered. Well, until that day comes...there'll still be some more stories to tell.

Alas the year is slowly creeping away...

It's been a few months since my last post and I realized that the months are gradually creeping away and before we know it another new year will descend on us. I must say the year so far has been filled with turbulence, not just for me but I'm sure for many people too. Personally, yes it has been a year of changes and a year of reckoning in some respects, but nothing that is insurmountable. Indeed I've been giving much thought what I would like to do with my time if I have some to spare.  I have harboured thoughts of pursuing another degree or to look for something more satisfying that I can leave as a legacy to my time on this good earth. No, don't get me wrong. I am but a little being and am in no position to change this world but I feel perhaps I can do in my own little way a contribution or two to make it a better place for everyone.

I love listening to the birds chirping, looking at the horizon while standing or looking across an open undulating land from a hilltop. I love watching the waves rushing up the shores, or even when they are lashing at the breakwater. Perhaps there's a bias towards nature in mind though this didn't take centrestage in my life all these years. Why then do I feel this way in the latter part of my life? I even attended a talk by Dr Jane Goodall, the primatologist, and hear her sharing on preservation of wild life and the need to keep the earth from being gobbled up by buildings, roads and other structures that require the uprooting of trees and shrubs.

Meantime I was distracted by a call asking me to book tickets to Elton John's concert. Indeed that is my other interest - music. Not an accomplished musician but I do love much for they are the tracks that help transport my mind to the days of yesteryears where things were much simpler and less complicated. It's time, so I am reminded, for me to log into my Youtube and enjoy some old music.

Reminiscing London

My first visit to London was in sometime in Spring of 1977.  London, a city that I had read so much about when I was in school, was to be my "home" for a good five weeks, with a week in Birmingham. The first impression was that London was a very old city, people were friendly and there was an air of formality in the way they spoke. I caught the train down to the city and checked into a hotel at Queensway. It was another old building and very Victorian in design. The hotel was run by Indians, who of course spoke with an English accent. After checking in, I wandered about the neighbourhood, discovered that Sunday was meant to be a leisurely day at the park, at the open air market or at Speaker's Corner. It was my first encounter with the Underground tube, but it wasn't difficult to get accustomed to him and especially with the help of my colleagues based in the London office then located at Fleet Street. Before long, I was bus hopping to Trafalgar Square, Carnaby Street and Piccadilly Circus. I was on a training attachment with the British tabloid newspapers, spent time in their newsroom to learn how they operated. It was meant to be an exposure for me before I took on the responsibilities as a New Editor in the newspaper back home.

I love London, for its theatre, its museums and all things British. Language was of course not a barrier though I had to time and again remind myself that I had to watch my spending lest I bust my budget. Food and transport was much more expensive than back home. I did what tourists would do in London, though I wasn't quite a tourist by day. Certainly by night, I took in the sights and even went to the casino where lo and behold I meant another fellow colleague who was also there on holiday.

I traveled to Birmingham by train; and was attached to another tabloid paper. The pace was slower here and indeed there was a noticeably larger population of people from India and Pakistan. I remembered the News Editor spoke to be about the "black edition" which I didn't quite understand the reference at first. He explained that it was the newspaper edition that was meant for the foreigners who were working in the city - he meant the Indians and the Pakistanis. One thing that I didn't regret visiting Birmingham was my visit to Debenhams Department Store where I bought an executive briefcase and a pair of semi-boots that were to last me for years.

Before long, it was time to leave London. I looked back at Big Ben and wondered when would I be able to come back again for another visit. Little was I to know that since then I had re-visited London another three times.

Remembering Goofy and Snowy

March 12 and March 17 - two poignant dates in my calender. In 2009 I lost the first pet Goofy and then a year later 2010 it was Snowy. All's left is their son Richie, who behaved oddly on 17 March around the time of Snowy's departure at 8.10pm. He suddenly got up and sniffed incessantly around the dining table and the room as if in search of someone, or something familiar. It went for a good 20-30 seconds before he sat down calmly while everyone look in amazement. How the time flies but we still couldn't forget the two lovely pets we had, with their snow white fur, their camaraderie and their warmth. Indeed ever so often we speak about them as though they were still around us to share our happiness as members of an extended family. Now we can only look out into the open space, call out their names and wish that they enjoy their freedom together.

Destruction, devastation....whither the world is going

In recent months we have seen so much devastation and destruction of human lives that it raises a few eyebrows and beg the question: where is the world heading? There was the outbreak of civil disturbances in the Middle East which swept across many countries. Guns were turned by those in power against their very own citizens all in the interest of the protection of their own wealth. The down under Australia was hit by floods never before seen, when only a while ago it was fighting uncontrollable forest fires. Intermittent earthquakes rocked cities in north Asia from Taiwan to China, until last night's monstrous quake rupture Sendei city in northern Japan. It brought with it a tsunami that punctured the lives of many innocent victims, disrupted civil life and captured the news headline of all media across the globe.

While many may not link the two, I have always felt that much of the movement in tectonic plates would have been triggered at least in part by the many underground nuclear tests. Governments in Asia, from Pakistan, India to China and North Korea have been conducting underground nuclear tests. The human triggered shaking of the ground beneath the earth would invariable cause a disturbance to the already sizzling core of the earth crust.

What can we expect next? Another war in the Middle East, another superpower intervention would appear inevitable if the people who seek liberation from dictators are not to be left abandoned. Bombs will be dropped and there will be more burning...while everyone is talking about saving the environment. FAO has warned of the spiralling cost of food production; given the rise in oil prices caused by the outbreak of conflagration between oil-producing governments, we can only see high inflation with no solution in sight. The clock is ticking...but who is doing all the thinking?