Oops! I Did It Again

It's confirmed-- the amount of brain cells I have is inversely proportionate to my level of stress. Remember last semester when I blogged about my mid-semester slump, and how I was so stressed out that I forgot about my meeting... after being reminded of it the day before?

Well, cue Britney Spear's "Oops! I Did It Again" (nostalgia! Even though I don't care for Britney). This time, however, I did remember my meeting, only...

I was walking from the bus stop to institute (Bible study class) when I saw one of my institute classmates headed in my direction from the church building. Puzzled, I asked him if class had been cancelled. He gave me this funny look, and said, "No, we just had class." I just stared at him, unable to comprehend what he meant.

Until he said, "Class was from 11:30 to 12:30. It's 12:30 now."

And that's when it dawned on me-- I had COMPLETELY gotten my time mixed-up!!! How did I do that?! I have NEVER done that before! In my mind, I knew class was at 11:30, but somehow, when I looked at the bus schedule, I decided to take the 12:04 bus. *facepalm* Miss Keesh epic fail.

I'm telling you, examination preparation is *literally* killing my brain cells.
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Anyway, on a more somber note, a few days ago I paid tribute to Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. His death has shaken the country, and I have been pleasantly surprised at the unity shown forth by the nation in mourning for him. Throngs of people lined the street on Wednesday when his body was moved from the Istana to the Parliament House. Now that the public can pay their respect to him until Sunday, here is a video put forth by  The Straits Times (the national newspaper of Singapore) showing how long the line was on the first day:

(Click HERE in case the link doesn't work.) 

The journey took 20-25 minutes to walk from the end of the line to the Parliament House. People stood in line for HOURS (so far the longest has been 8!). I think even the government was taken by surprise because they hurriedly extended viewing hours to accommodate everyone, and the train system (MRT) announced that it will run 24 hours on Wednesday so that people can ride public transportation home. Thankfully the second day saw lesser crowds.

SGAG, a Facebook page dedicated to satirizing Singapore, decided to stop posting jokes this week. Retail giant Metro and Singapore Betting Pools also announced that they will close on Sunday for the state funeral, while other shops have canceled events, including the official store opening of Kate Spade. Wait, there is a Kate Spade opening in Singapore?! It's official: mass consumerism has not only taken root, it has grown 10 stories deep underground.  

Anyway, aside from the fact that the whole nation has united in mourning, more impressive is the kindness shown by Singaporeans for their fellow Singaporeans. Singaporeans are NOT known for being a gracious society, despite it being hammered into us by (who else?) the government. If you want gracious, go to Taiwan. Serious.

Yet, the death of LKY has brought out the kindness in each other. According to The Straits Times and other social media sites, an undergraduate bought about 20 burgers and randomly handed them out to people during dinner time. Businesses also gave out water, paper fans, and free flowers to those in line as well. To be honest, I was astonished at their generosity. I think even the government took their cue from them and arranged for volunteers to give out snacks and water, and finally thought about giving priority viewing to the elderly, handicapped and children. Yup, I have such little faith in my fellow Singaporeans, and I am glad I've been proven wrong.

Makes me proud to claim Singapore as home.