what?!

just awhile back, a visiting American professor, when exchanging with NTU's Provost Bertil Andersson, softly asked him near the end of the discussion.

"what's the suicide rate in NTU?"

what a funny question, everyone must have thought. even the provost, though Swedish, knew about the culture here. we're Asian. we don't have kids bringing guns to school, shooting up their faculties or hostels.

2 Mar - an Indonesian student, recently dropped from his scholarship, stabbed his final-year project supervising professor, slit his own wrist, and jumped four storeys at his school building.
(i was walking into lecture 100m away, in WKWSCI, the building beside EEE. and did i say this guy stays less than 100m away from me in hall.)

6 Mar - a project officer - Chinese national - was found hanged in his Nanyang Heights apartment, the residences of staff and graduate students on campus.
(i was studying in my hostel room 2km away, staying in on a friday night.)

now, there is a suicide rate.

The Village

they were good people. hardworking, well-liked neighbours of ours in this slow and rustic town. but never did we expect e dreaded virus would spread to our faraway, innocent neighbourhood. e list previously read boon lay, ang mo kio, bedok, yishun. now poh huat is e latest unwilling addition to tt list. we cared for e well-being of e nation and our fellow citizens, but we never thought e killer would land here. now we need to act, to protect our home and our loved ones here. we must not yield to this uninvited guest. this is our territory and we shall not give it up. we must fight back now. i believe many of u are doing ur part in this war. i salute e steadfast spirit and e blood we've all seen. they come, and ur ready to defend urself and those around u. but these bloodied hands can only serve us tt much. it is time we utilise our superior wits against e stealthy enemy. only then can we defeat their inherent abilities wrongly given by Mother Nature. let e humble yours truly lead u away from darkness and into e light. gather around me as we herald a new age in this torturous but necessary battle. now is e time. with mankind's brilliance i present to u a fight between technology and nature. with e former on our side, let us all pray tonight we'll be victorious at e end of it all, however far away tt may be. i must admit i have no idea, but i predict a coming victory. nothing is certain though. keep poh huat, and all her peace-loving children of god safe in ur prayers. nothing is won yet. but if they want a fight, we give it to em. if they want us or our home, they'll have to work for it because we'll not be weak. we do our part to prevent tt day from ever coming. and it shall begin now. i present to u, in e honourable name of poh huat, e machine tt shall prove to be e saviour of us all.




























e UV mosquito killer. attracts em and zaps em dead.