No time to say goodbye...

I believe most of you were saddened by the news on Sat. I was still holding to that a ray of hope when I heard about one Singaporean had been taken hostage. Somehow I had the faith in our government would be able to do something about it. But we are talking about terrorism, they they don't give a damn to anything, there's no second chance.

Bali, New York, London, Mumbai...these places are the places where you and I might have been to. The threat is very real, it can jolly well happen at our doorstep . As I read today's news,
I felt the pain, sadness, despair and grief even thou they were or are not related to me. The fear faced by the victims is unimaginable. The courage of the hotel staff and the commandos shown are admirable. I sympathise with the victims' families who had to face such tragedies. Their loved ones didn't have a chance to say goodbye......

I was angry with the mass killing of innocent people, and was saddened to see how mankind has scarily evolved. It's frightening to think that people have used religion as a means to justify "righteousness".

This reminded me of the seminar I attended yesterday where one of the topics was on work life and family. We know family is important and most of the time we may think we treasure our family. However, our actions somehow show otherwise. I'm definitely one of the guilty ones. When my grandparents commented that they hadn't seen me for quite some time, I told them that I was busy with work. They are nice folks, they didn't nag, just concerned. But I do felt guilty for not visiting them as often as I wished to. But I know they are always in my thoughts...still that doesn't give me the excuse of visiting them often huh :p

I had a taste of how it feels when I tried to arrange an outing with my cousins during their school holidays. It was tougher to book their time than to book my boss'. They have all grown up and their schedules are packed. Sometimes, I think they are even busier than the working adults.

A simple test to see how we value our family - try observing your friends/colleagues when they talk to their spouse or family members (maybe excluding the very young kids as baby language are used by most parents), the tone is somewhat less polite. Why so? It's because they are our family. They don't judge us, they forgive us for the silly mistakes we make, they tolerate our most ridiculous behaviours...we know they'll be there for us no matter what happens.

Maybe your parents will always be there for you. But for spouse, I wouldn't say the same. Relationship needs constant effort to maintain. It's easier said than done, but better to try than none. It's a journey of discovering for me still with lots of trial and error and of course, quarrels and petty bickering.

We are fortunate that we still have our loved ones with us. We wake up every morning having our loved one beside us, we still have someone to nag at and bicker with. We still have a roof over our heads, a job to bring in the bread and butter...

My sincerest condolences to all the victims' families. I grieve for the sudden loss of your loved ones. As the lyrics of the song goes "It breaks my heart in two, to say 'Goodbye' to you..."

For the rest of us, this also serves as a reminder for us appreciate and cherish the people we love and be grateful for what we have or not have. We'll never know whether we have the chance to say goodbye...

To Say Goodbye to You
Wish I could whistle down the Northern Lights
And send them dancing all across the night
Maybe then when all the sky was blazing
Maybe then Id feel you somewhere
gazing at a star,
And you could feel me too
as I say goodbye to you
It breaks my heart in two, to say goodbye to you
Wish time could turn us back to yesterday
The gods above would look the other way
Maybe then we still could laugh together
Maybe then it could be spring forever and a day
But I must face the truth and say goodbye to you
It breaks my heart in two, to say goodbye to you
Wish I could whistle down the Northern Lights
And send them dancing all across the night
Maybe then in my memories for saving
One last time youre on the hill waving from afar
One last glance or two and Ill say goodbye to you
It breaks my heart in two, to say goodbye to you