After a few foreign university talk, I must say this whole idea about pursuing an education out of Singapore is indeed alluring. All the new experiences, exposures, cultures, environment etc. Besides cost, security and what not bugging issues, there really isn't much to stop one from fantasising about studying abroad.

But it is today that it really hit me, that all these talks have excluded natural disaster as a deterrent to studying out of Singapore. Well you could argue that the probability of getting caught in one is minute and insignificant, but that definitely does not mean it's a negligible factor.
Just take a look at these stats.

Perth (23 March 2010): severe storm, bringing hailstones the size of freaking golf balls, torrential rains, flooding, land slides and wind gusts of more than 120km/hr. Widespread power

Sydney (23 September 2009): chocking widespread desert dust storms crippling transportation systems and endangering health and respiratory systems of all.

US (August 2005): Hurricane Katrina whipped up 1836 fatalities and $89.6 billion worth of property damage. It even caused beach erosions and devastated coastal areas and in turn affected the habitats of many wildlife animals.

Europe (2003): 2003 European heat wave led to health crises in several countries and drought in S. Europe and killed more than 37,541 Europeans with extreme heat varying between 40 to 48deg C.

Trust me my descriptions are crazy understatements of the actual situation. Click on the country/region affected in bold to find out more.

It's these things that always make decisions harder to make, but where one of econ's most convincing concepts come into play, Opportunity Cost.
You pick one path, and forgo whatever benefits (and ofcos the banes) of the other alternatives. You can't have everything, try everything, do everything, so on and so forth. In life, you make a choice, and shouldn't bother so much about how things would turn out if you had gone the other way. If we wanted to and had to try everything, we'ld have to live life infinity times cos there are always at least two options whenever you have to make a choice, and applying the concept of P&C, you're gna see tonnes of factorials.

No. of times we'ld have to live life all over again=
a!b!c!d!e!f!g!h!i!j!k!l!m!n!o!p!q!r!s!t!u!v!w!x!y!z!....
= INFINITY!

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Life's really unpredictable.
And also painfully fragile.

&some people really ought to be more sensitive, if not possibly always, at the very least at hard times like these. I don't actually think it's necessary for similar tragedies to befall upon you before you can exercise some sympathy, empathy, if not at the very least, just shut up. The world doesn't revolve around you.
So please quit acting like a princess.

squeaked.
5:46 PM
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