and i, don't know how to slow it down.

just to fill the spaces when the day seems as wasted as my heart.

on noise pollution.

the last three weeks, my void deck has seen an endless stream of activity. public karaoke contests, buddhist funerals, taoist funerals, malay percussion jamming sessions, and pretty much anything that involves noise that would raise the dead.

let me be absolutely clear - i have no intention of offending any members of any which community pocket. the vendetta i have is against public nuisances, not a race or religion. to paraphrase the great mj, it don't matter if you're black, white, yellow, brown or orange (if you're into the jersey shore skin cancer sporting look), keep it the fuck down.

i realize at this point that i'm sounding quite mean and insensitive, but be reasonable. the way things have been going, you'd think my block was the only one in singapore that had a bloody lobby. how would you feel if your estate was subjected to a near month of non-stop mardi gras? nothing against people being happy (or sad) too loud, but isn't that what community centers are built for? funerals and weddings, fine. but karaoke singing from 8 am to 10 pm at night?

COME THE FUCK ON.

perhaps i'm overreacting, but i've just about had it with these public disturbances. why people can't be a little more considerate is beyond me. is it really necessary for everything to be at full volume? for someone who works from home a lot, you can see how this would affect others like myself when we can't fucking hear ourselves think, let alone be productive.

in a society that is so diverse in race and religion, i think more sensitivity is required here than just the bare minimum. i know this issue has been done to death, but i still feel the need to say that regardless of how important these events are, the noise you create isn't just affecting you. it's not an enclosed area so please, try to be considerate.

with all the amy cheong hullabaloo came a wave of singaporeans stepping up and criticizing her insensitivity, and it was great to see. however, when it comes to the point where these finger pointers become noise makers themselves, it's disappointing that no one has actually said anything about prevention being better than cure. i think you see where i'm going with this.

so after all that's been said and done, here it is: after my short hiatus, i think this important enough to mention here, in hope that whoever reads this finds it in their heart to see that the world would be a much better place if we were all a little more gracious, considerate and accountable. my words may be hard for some to swallow, but it's really all in the name of love. acceptance, unlike tolerance, comes when people of different cultures present themselves in a manner that is cohesive with their surrounding environment. similarly, there is a time and place for everything. again, i say this with all the love in the world: take your shouting matches, singing competitions, skateboarding practices and excited screaming badminton-playing children somewhere else.

NOT. WELCOME. HERE.

remember, all the love in the world.