i had my first philosophy tutorial class today at 9AM, and i was 20min early for class
i drove along the stretch of clementi road to school at 830AM, vigorously weaving in between cars thinking i was running late, fervently praying that traffic would not negate my wish to make a good first impression in class
but it was only at one of the stoplights nearest to NUS that i realized i had reached school in less than 10min, a feat that would have been nearly impossible just last year
for anyone unfortunate enough to require the perusal of clementi road in the peak hour mornings to work/school, they would know that traffic there is BRUTAL - it simply does not move; always had for the past 10,000 years.

WHAT happened to all those cars with incessant honking and drivers cursing below their breaths?!

dont get me wrong, i am delightfully relieved that the traffic has somehow evaporated.
but at the same time, the severity of this economic downturn finally struck me hard.
i read it in the newspapers (be it in Singapore or the USA) a lot - about retrenchment, the slowing of GDP growths, the worrisome fall of major financial banks, etc, but i havent really felt the impact of such, being sheltered within my safety bubble of ongoing tertiary education and a family that shields me from the rippling effects of recession
there have been talks of job credit schemes being able to alleviate the crisis, but perhaps Singapore has not been spared from the global job loss trend as our leaders claim.

i cant do anything about the situation; i dont think any single individual can.
but it definitely makes me feel more appreciative and thankful of what i have
i probably cant understand fully the worries and problems of a retrenched, but i will definitely pray - for faith, love and motivation.