<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>March 1, 2009
THE EX-PAT FILES
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Staying alive on paranoia
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Cecil Fung
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->When I first arrived in Singapore to work six months ago, one of the first things that greeted me was a giant mosquito.
It had black and white stripes on its body and its bite could be lethal.
This mosquito - named Aedes - was plastered on the outside of a double-decker bus.
It was actually a huge sticker of a mosquito, publicising an anti-dengue campaign.
This mosquito left quite a lasting impression on me.
Or at least the message that it carried did: 'They breed, you bleed.'
It was a short message, but those four simple words were enough to say: 'Look, if you don't play your part in making sure these little critters stop reproducing, you will suffer. Seriously, you will.'
The message was understandable. Dengue is a prevalent urban disease in the tropics and Singapore is clearly vulnerable.
While waiting at the MRT station for a train to go downtown one day, I had the pleasure of catching some of the info-mercials on the station's big-screen television.
At LRT stations in Kuala Lumpur, the only form of 'entertainment' came from the announcements of service interruptions, so what I get to see in Singapore is a welcome change.
I must say the MRT's counter-terrorism video was quite entertaining even as it was educational.
It is a good effort by the authorities to educate the public on what to do in times of a threat and how to keep an eye open to spot possible ones.
Look out for heavy and bulky bags left unattended in the train or on the platforms. They could be bombs left there by terrorists.
'Be vigilant,' the slogan went, and again I thought this was understandable because densely populated Singapore was clearly a possible target for extremists.
Finally, as I hailed a cab, I could not help but notice another slogan on the side of the vehicle.
'Low crime doesn't mean no crime.'
If only they had this in KL. No, not the slogan. I meant the 'low crime' part.
Living and working in Malaysia's capital city for five years had taught me one very important thing: Never let your guard down.
With news reports of serious, violent crimes - such as snatch thefts that can leave the victims dead - hogging the headlines every now and then, I learnt to take a step back and go into defensive mode whenever someone approached me on a motorcycle.
I made sure I walked either against oncoming traffic on the sidewalk or on the side furthest from the road, with my bag away from it.
I also made it a habit to keep my doors locked at all times as I was paranoid about strangers waltzing into my living room and robbing me in broad daylight.
However, once I got here, I realised I seem to have left some of these habits behind.
This is probably because it feels so safe here in general.
Now, you can always catch me walking home in the middle of the night while listening to my iPod with my sound-isolating earphones.
Still, as I turn around a corner, I may come face to face with a banner bearing the same 'Low crime doesn't mean no crime' message, and that would jolt me back to reality.
So instead of wandering about completely oblivious to my surroundings, I now make it a point to take a look around after every chorus or so.
Some would probably consider all these 'Uniquely Singapore' slogans a sign of paranoia rather than vigilance.
A thin line separates vigilance from paranoia, but personally, I think it's better to be paranoid than dead.
I think I'll fit right in here. The writer, a Malaysian from Sabah, is a sub-editor with The Straits Times.
THE EX-PAT FILES
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Staying alive on paranoia
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Cecil Fung
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->When I first arrived in Singapore to work six months ago, one of the first things that greeted me was a giant mosquito.
It had black and white stripes on its body and its bite could be lethal.
This mosquito - named Aedes - was plastered on the outside of a double-decker bus.
It was actually a huge sticker of a mosquito, publicising an anti-dengue campaign.
This mosquito left quite a lasting impression on me.
Or at least the message that it carried did: 'They breed, you bleed.'
It was a short message, but those four simple words were enough to say: 'Look, if you don't play your part in making sure these little critters stop reproducing, you will suffer. Seriously, you will.'
The message was understandable. Dengue is a prevalent urban disease in the tropics and Singapore is clearly vulnerable.
While waiting at the MRT station for a train to go downtown one day, I had the pleasure of catching some of the info-mercials on the station's big-screen television.
At LRT stations in Kuala Lumpur, the only form of 'entertainment' came from the announcements of service interruptions, so what I get to see in Singapore is a welcome change.
I must say the MRT's counter-terrorism video was quite entertaining even as it was educational.
It is a good effort by the authorities to educate the public on what to do in times of a threat and how to keep an eye open to spot possible ones.
Look out for heavy and bulky bags left unattended in the train or on the platforms. They could be bombs left there by terrorists.
'Be vigilant,' the slogan went, and again I thought this was understandable because densely populated Singapore was clearly a possible target for extremists.
Finally, as I hailed a cab, I could not help but notice another slogan on the side of the vehicle.
'Low crime doesn't mean no crime.'
If only they had this in KL. No, not the slogan. I meant the 'low crime' part.
Living and working in Malaysia's capital city for five years had taught me one very important thing: Never let your guard down.
With news reports of serious, violent crimes - such as snatch thefts that can leave the victims dead - hogging the headlines every now and then, I learnt to take a step back and go into defensive mode whenever someone approached me on a motorcycle.
I made sure I walked either against oncoming traffic on the sidewalk or on the side furthest from the road, with my bag away from it.
I also made it a habit to keep my doors locked at all times as I was paranoid about strangers waltzing into my living room and robbing me in broad daylight.
However, once I got here, I realised I seem to have left some of these habits behind.
This is probably because it feels so safe here in general.
Now, you can always catch me walking home in the middle of the night while listening to my iPod with my sound-isolating earphones.
Still, as I turn around a corner, I may come face to face with a banner bearing the same 'Low crime doesn't mean no crime' message, and that would jolt me back to reality.
So instead of wandering about completely oblivious to my surroundings, I now make it a point to take a look around after every chorus or so.
Some would probably consider all these 'Uniquely Singapore' slogans a sign of paranoia rather than vigilance.
A thin line separates vigilance from paranoia, but personally, I think it's better to be paranoid than dead.
I think I'll fit right in here. The writer, a Malaysian from Sabah, is a sub-editor with The Straits Times.
