Have Garbage Bags, Can Travel !

 

I was rushing to meet my colleague Sally at the Redhill MRT. At the Little India MRT, I saw a group of tourists and was attracted by their creative attire.

They were dressed in raincoats, made from huge garbage bags! How innovative! I smiled and told the five tourists that I liked their creative idea. The young ladies, Juliana, Marianna, Rochi, Vera and Camelia are friends studying in a univeristy in Brisbane. They hail from different parts of South America. What an interesting and lively group.

I shared with the young ladies that I have travelled to many parts of the world, but have yet to visit Africa, India, the North and South Poles and South America. They coaxed me to visit their beautiful countries in South America.

I found out that the students were heading for Sentosa Island. As it was their last day in Singapore, they did not want the heavy rain to deter them from sightseeing. I warned them of lightning strikes and advised them to be careful.

In sharp contrast, some of us Singaporeans let the rain deter us from getting the most out of life! How often have you witnessed empty tables at wedding dinners or parties because some guests just conveniently did not turn up because of the heavy rain, oblivious to the fact that their hosts had paid lots of money to cater for the food? How many more empty pews in churches could you see on a Sunday because of the rain? The poor pastor had spent hours preparing his wonderful sermon!

I remember whenever it rained during my childhood days, I would be happy and excited because it implied that my sister and I could fold paper boats and sail them on the flooded compound of our attap house. We would number the boats with colour pencils and see whose boats could sail faster.

Have you seen children enjoying themselves playing with water fountains and in children's pool? Let us all continue to be like little children whose spirit is never deterred by rain and who can continue to have curiosity and fun in life.

Gan Chau