Saturday, March 07, 2009

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.

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