It's been a year since the destructive Tsunami wrecked havoc throughout Asia. Many newspapers have reported that rebuilding of the coastal struck areas are well under way and tourism is slowly getting back on track. However, there are some things in life which can never be reconstructed. Families have been wrecked, friends have been lost and bodies of victims were never recovered. Too often in life, we take many things for granted. Disasters are only sad stories read off the news if they do not happen to you. However, when they fall upon us at the most unfortunate moment, it becomes a horrific tragedy.
Can you imagine your life today if you were affected by the Tsunami? This time last year, I was down in Thailand for a holiday trip. Initially, I planned to go to Phuket (one of the worst struck disaster areas). Fortunately, some persuasion made me change my mind. Furthermore, the plane tickets were fully booked by then. Hence I ended up in Bangkok and manged to return to Singapore in one piece. Lady luck must have been on my side! If I had gone to Phuket, I would have been dead and my name could have been inscribed as one of the death toll list during the tsunami memorial. I saw the memorial service on television, it was indeed a sad and sombre event where people paid their respects to the victims. Here are some pictures of the memorial service taken off the internet.
Sometimes, when things don't go your way, look on the bright side. It may be a blessing in disguise. There is always a silver lining in every cloud. The massive tsunami was indeed a wrath of nature and many people were killed. But it serves as a wake up call that disaster warnings can be signalled early to reduce the casualties. Humans will always be at the mercy of nature. We cannot predict the future and we cannot change the past. The only thing you can change is today. I was watching the movie "Vertical Limit" on channel 5 over the weekend when I came upon this phrase.
All men eventually die,
But it is what he does before death
that really matters.
Have you lived your life to the fullest?
*All pictures are copyright of their respective owners*
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