Blowing Smoke
The irony of the world we live in is the fact that we believe so much of the crap that is fed to us, yet we doubt the very obvious that stare us right in our faces. I read in the papers yesterday that the annual smog/fog 'festival' (a.k.a 'The Haze') would not be arriving to Singapore this year. However, I got up this morning with the unmistakable odour of 'BBQ' smoke (for the sensitive, it does have a smell).
Coincidentally, today is the first day of the Hungry Ghost Month and yesterday night itself our chinese friends were out in full force burning whatever they could get their hands on. So, I am supposed to ignore the obvious amount of smoke that is being created by these local clowns and put the blame squarely on the Indonesians in Sumatra who are burning their forests thousands of kilometres away. Righhhhtttt.....
I have been observing this phenomenon for years now and it has never disappointed me. A 100% link with the hungry ghost month and the haze. The haze lingers through that month and disappears soon after the month (and the rampant burning) concludes. Yet, by some freak occurrence of nature, the Sumatrans are able to burn their forests all year round but the smoke only comes over to our fair shores at a particular time of the year.
The scientific evidence? KL also has a haze problem. Yes. But they also have cars that spew pitch black smoke, a horrendous traffic system and poor regulatory control over almost everything. The city is polluted and hence the haze. Also, if the smoke from Sumatra is coming over to the region, it's a ridiculous idea to suggest it only hits one particular place in Malaysia. Have you heard of a haze problem in other parts of Malaysia? I haven't. Even JB doesn't suffer as much as Singapore with regards to the haze problem although it is right next to us.
So what's the obvious? Indiscriminate burning leads to a significantly large amount of smoke being produced. The fallout? The smoke lingers over our country and ends up as the haze. It's a simple equation, really. Burning = Smoke = Haze. And surprise, surprise, this equation can actually account for the duration, location and intensity of the haze.
These days, I no longer fear the hungry ghosts that supposedly roam the republic every 8th lunar month. The bigger ghosts (who are hungrier and greedier by the way) that burn everything except themselves are far more scarier to me. I shiver in my pants when I see these 'ghosts' gleefully running around armed with joss sticks and candles as if they were dynamite sticks and 'hell money' as if they were blank cheques.
Since we, as a nation, pride ourselves of being able to eradicate corruption, how about extending it to the bribery of the supernatural? After all, isn't that what they are doing? Paying off the undead during the month so that their business/home/life is not disturbed.
Coincidentally, today is the first day of the Hungry Ghost Month and yesterday night itself our chinese friends were out in full force burning whatever they could get their hands on. So, I am supposed to ignore the obvious amount of smoke that is being created by these local clowns and put the blame squarely on the Indonesians in Sumatra who are burning their forests thousands of kilometres away. Righhhhtttt.....
I have been observing this phenomenon for years now and it has never disappointed me. A 100% link with the hungry ghost month and the haze. The haze lingers through that month and disappears soon after the month (and the rampant burning) concludes. Yet, by some freak occurrence of nature, the Sumatrans are able to burn their forests all year round but the smoke only comes over to our fair shores at a particular time of the year.
The scientific evidence? KL also has a haze problem. Yes. But they also have cars that spew pitch black smoke, a horrendous traffic system and poor regulatory control over almost everything. The city is polluted and hence the haze. Also, if the smoke from Sumatra is coming over to the region, it's a ridiculous idea to suggest it only hits one particular place in Malaysia. Have you heard of a haze problem in other parts of Malaysia? I haven't. Even JB doesn't suffer as much as Singapore with regards to the haze problem although it is right next to us.
So what's the obvious? Indiscriminate burning leads to a significantly large amount of smoke being produced. The fallout? The smoke lingers over our country and ends up as the haze. It's a simple equation, really. Burning = Smoke = Haze. And surprise, surprise, this equation can actually account for the duration, location and intensity of the haze.
These days, I no longer fear the hungry ghosts that supposedly roam the republic every 8th lunar month. The bigger ghosts (who are hungrier and greedier by the way) that burn everything except themselves are far more scarier to me. I shiver in my pants when I see these 'ghosts' gleefully running around armed with joss sticks and candles as if they were dynamite sticks and 'hell money' as if they were blank cheques.
Since we, as a nation, pride ourselves of being able to eradicate corruption, how about extending it to the bribery of the supernatural? After all, isn't that what they are doing? Paying off the undead during the month so that their business/home/life is not disturbed.
posted by StraightToThePoint at 9:15 AM
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