If Tommorrow Never Comes

It was a saturday morning.

I flipped through TODAY papers and had the greatest shock of my life. Totally stunned. The headlines stated that the Singaporean hostage has been killed.

I was in total disbelief and took me awhile to sink in the fact that hope was gone and reality is here. And yes, i have never really felt the nearness of danger and the closeness, reality and threat of terrorism until now.

I guess being a Singaporean, i have been too complacent about safety. Afterall, most things & situations always turn out well and fine. Perhaps that also explains why i always look at the positive side of things. It was something which my faith has taught and moulded me too. But this time, it has hit me hard and showed me that life is really unpredictable.

Even when i was in Vientiane in 2004/2005 working on ASEAN projects which involves the ASEAN leaders, there were rumours of bombs. Indeed, there were several bombs that went off, but away from where all the actions took place. At that time, i wasn't afraid because somehow, i knew i would be safe. I was with my colleagues and local counterparts and we were mainly at the Don Chan Palace hotel or the Lao Exhibition Centre. But now, even hotels seems to be so unsafe. But really, nobody would have thought that terrorism would have striked in this manner.

After this incident, my views have changed. It has really reminded me to always keep our guard, to be vigilant, especially when we are overseas, be it for holiday or work.

But hey, the circumstances in which Hwei Yen lost her life is too unbelivable, too unimaginable, too inhumane. There are many very unfortuante ones who shared similar fate as hers. What wrong have they done? What wrong have she done? Sadly, it was the case of being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. What more can i say but it's really not our timing, God's timing.

Even though i do not know Hwei Yen personally, she felt like a friend to me, someone whom i could relate to. She had led a vibrant life, marked by many similar things which many of us could relate to.

Her love for musicals, good food, wine, shopping, travelling. These are the things that i like & enjoy too. She has many people that loves her, friends, colleagues, family, neighbours and a bright young life to enjoy. There were so many things to look forward to.

And just like her and many others, i travel overseas to work too. A brief stay is not supposed to turn into a fatal one. We always know that we are coming home and there's family and friends waiting for us, and maybe even deadlines at work to meet, emails to clear, errands to run or functions to attend. There were things to look forward to.

But this incident has waken me up. I could be in her shoes. Anyone of us could have because we all travel. Now, i really treasure my family and friends more. Never live a life of regrets. Enjoy everyday of your life coz. you never know if tommorrow comes. Like what my senior director always tell us .. If there's good food, enjoy it. If you can go for holidays, just go and relax. And yes, always spend meaningful time with your loved ones too. Life is just too unpredictable.