Shrouded in darkness
A two-hour blackout strikes Singapore, and Channel Newsasia does a half-hour coverage on it. You can read all about the blackout here. It is a subtle compliment to Singapore's near-perfection that such innocuous incidents command such high levels of attention from her citizens.
We, the long-suffering Malaysians have come to terms with such disruptions in our lives. Back in Ipoh, blackouts are regular, monthly events, sometimes even lasting the whole night. The people at Tenaga Berhad (the electricity provider in Malaysia) ought to be sacked for being so inept! During such occasions, we are forced to go to sleep without the fan, much less the air con. It is quite an uncomfortable experience, with mosquitoes buzzing around your ears and beads of pespiration forming all over your body. You would toss and turn in bed, hoping against all hope that the power would return later in the night. Over time, you would learn how to scratch your arms in your sleep. At the highest levels, you would be able to kill mosquitoes in your sleep. If you are lucky, power returns by about 3am or 4am in the morning, and provide some relief to the scorching heat (and the mosquitoes). The worst blackouts are those that last for almost 24-hours. After years of enduring such conditions, I now believe I can sleep anywhere.
Thus, I wasn't overly concerned about a blackout. I only grimaced at the thought that I would have to put up with a night without electrical cooling devices (and it was a warm night yesterday). Crossing the road became a somewhat more dangerous affair, as cars pretended that pedestrians did not exist now that the traffic lights have stopped functioning. I am quite aware that Singaporeans are unaccustomed to blackouts, thus I suppose I cannot blame them for the high level of interest. However, calling 999 over such an event, as reported in this article, seems to border a little on hysteria, methinks.
Still, I suppose it is better to talk about the blackout than to be totally silent about it (like in Malaysia). At least, Singapore Power is kept on its toes. Tenaga ought to do the same (hopefully in my lifetime).
We, the long-suffering Malaysians have come to terms with such disruptions in our lives. Back in Ipoh, blackouts are regular, monthly events, sometimes even lasting the whole night. The people at Tenaga Berhad (the electricity provider in Malaysia) ought to be sacked for being so inept! During such occasions, we are forced to go to sleep without the fan, much less the air con. It is quite an uncomfortable experience, with mosquitoes buzzing around your ears and beads of pespiration forming all over your body. You would toss and turn in bed, hoping against all hope that the power would return later in the night. Over time, you would learn how to scratch your arms in your sleep. At the highest levels, you would be able to kill mosquitoes in your sleep. If you are lucky, power returns by about 3am or 4am in the morning, and provide some relief to the scorching heat (and the mosquitoes). The worst blackouts are those that last for almost 24-hours. After years of enduring such conditions, I now believe I can sleep anywhere.
Thus, I wasn't overly concerned about a blackout. I only grimaced at the thought that I would have to put up with a night without electrical cooling devices (and it was a warm night yesterday). Crossing the road became a somewhat more dangerous affair, as cars pretended that pedestrians did not exist now that the traffic lights have stopped functioning. I am quite aware that Singaporeans are unaccustomed to blackouts, thus I suppose I cannot blame them for the high level of interest. However, calling 999 over such an event, as reported in this article, seems to border a little on hysteria, methinks.
Still, I suppose it is better to talk about the blackout than to be totally silent about it (like in Malaysia). At least, Singapore Power is kept on its toes. Tenaga ought to do the same (hopefully in my lifetime).
