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https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/adulting-101-untimely-deaths-friends-existential-crisis-2131826 Adulthood is an invigorating stage of life as young people join the workforce, take on more responsibilities and set their sights on the future. But its many facets — from managing finances and buying a home to achieving work-life balance — can be overwhelming. In this series, TODAY’s journalists help young Singaporeans navigate this stage of their lives and learn something themselves in the process. SINGAPORE — In the last two years, five people I knew died from sudden cardiac arrest. They were young and seemingly healthy people whose untimely demise came as a shock to their family and friends. They ranged in age from about 25 to 35. The grief hit me pretty hard, as I felt a lot of guilt and regret about my relationship with some of them. It got me to thinking — are more young people dying from sudden cardiac arrest? And should I be worried? Cardiologists from the National University Heart Centre Singapore told me that the risk of sudden deaths in young people remains exceedingly low. Based on the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data report published by the Singapore Heart Foundation four years ago, those above the age of 65 constitute the highest risk group of patients, accounting for 36.2 per cent of the 3,000 cases of cardiac arrest in 2019. There are about 3,000 cases of OHCA yearly here. One cardiologist told me that the prevalence of OHCA in Indians and Malays is twice the rate of Chinese. The prevalence of OHCA in men is also twice that of women. While uncommon, there are underlying conditions among young adults that can lead to sudden deaths, such as hypertrophic cardiomypathy (abnormal thickening of heart muscles) or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm of genetic causes), another cardiologist said. This is why health screenings are important, as people often believe themselves to be healthy if they do not have any symptoms of underlying disease when they may have conditions that are asymptomatic. Though sudden cardiac arrest among young people with no underlying conditions is rare, I could not shake this feeling that my life could be taken from me at any time. This led me to move beyond concerns over cardiac arrest affecting the young to wonder more broadly at the meaning of my brief, mortal existence. I was left feeling unmotivated and uneasy. Don’t get me wrong, my life is going okay — I have a good job, I have a roof over my head, I have two beautiful kids and a supportive husband — but I was being consumed by this thought that if life is so short, why bother doing anything? It occurred to me that I was perhaps having an existential crisis. Mr Praveen Nair, a psychologist at Raven Counselling and Consultancy, said that this occurs when there is an inner conflict within an individual causing them to break from traditional thinking patterns and recalibrate to become more contemplative with regard to questions about meaning, purpose and identity in life. Mr Nair also reassured me that I am not the only one feeling this way, as he has seen more adult clients with similar issues. One contributor to this is social media, said Mr Nair, as some netizens cherry pick what they share online to present a rosy picture of their lives, which can cause other users viewing the content to experience "fomo" (fear of missing out). This, in turn, can lead them to wondering about their direction in life. Mr Nair said it is normal to experience an existential crisis even when things in your life seem to be going okay as many things, both overt and subliminal, can influence our thoughts even when our lives are relatively routine. In fact, some argue that the mundane and routine can be a stimulus to initiating thoughts about the larger meaning or purpose of life. This makes sense, as I have been feeling a certain kind of tedium for some time now, juggling work and caring for two young children daily. Ms Abigail Yang, a grief therapist at counselling platform Talk Your Heart Out, said that it is normal to think deeply about life or question how you feel about it. The more fundamental issue is when no answer satisfies you, she added. “It becomes a constant loop of complex questions with no fulfilling solution. This, in turn, leads to a conflict within yourself about your reason for existence,” said Ms Yang. In some cases, extreme thoughts and unanswerable questions can leave one feeling frustrated, anxious, depressed and even suicidal, said experts. They also shared that one way to overcome an existential crisis is to disengage from pursuits or people that bring me no joy and redirect my energy to those that do. Mr Nair said this can help initiate renewed drive and motivation in life. “It may sound counterintuitive but many great innovations occurred when inventors experienced an existential crisis. They channelled their energies into a new venture that was motivating,” he told me. One way to overcome the crisis is to also take time to connect more with people whose company I enjoy, as an existential crisis can occur when we feel disconnected from others, said Mr Nair. Ms Yang reminded me that it is okay to allow myself to feel such negative emotions, and that I should not suppress them. Some people block out pain and suffering, thinking this will make them happy, but it can often lead to a false sense of happiness, she said. Embodying emotions and acknowledging feelings of pain, discontentment and dissatisfaction can open the door to personal growth, and improve one’s outlook on life, Ms Yang added. One tip I got from a friend that has helped me deal with my existential crisis is this: "KonMari" your schedule, rid yourself of self-imposed duties and obligations and identify areas where you could be doing less, doing something easier, or doing nothing at all. This is a reference to Japanese author Marie Kondo and her ideas about ridding our lives of needless clutter. This might mean, for instance, your one-hour exercise routine becomes a 20-minute one, or perhaps you ditch it all together for an extra hour of sleep. The only person that should be happy with the choice you make is you. ABOUT THE WRITER: Nabilah Awang, 29, is a former Senior Journalist at TODAY.

Another typhoon that badly hit Japan. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/typhoon-hagibis-tokyo-central-japan-left-devastated-11995730

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-storm-jebi/typhoon-kills-at-least-nine-in-japan-boats-move-tourists-from-flooded-airport-idUSKCN1LL05K Typhoon kills 10 in Japan, boats move stranded passengers from airport So many cars wasted due to havoc wreaked by Typhoon Jebi in Japan. Airport became jetty liao too

http://wanbao.omy.sg/local/story20140604-30210#local mother n dotter argue, then mother found stabbed to death n dotter apparently jumped downstairs!!! BTW wat happened 2 that kovan double murder case? investigate so long still no conclusion???

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/three-seriously-injured-slash-wounds-yuan-ching-road-scd https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153642393258484&id=637748483

from yahoo : At least 23 Canadian deaths 'linked to contraceptive' AFP News

From asiaone: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/...114-383461.html Safety breaches led to deaths of NSFs Pictures of Private Dominique Sarron Lee Rui Feng with his headstone at the cemetery. Pte Lee, a 21-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF), experienced breathing difficulties during an urban obstacle training exercise in Lim Chu Kang on April 17, 2012. AsiaOne Wednesday, Nov 14, 2012 SINGAPORE - Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen revealed in a ministerial statement to Parliament on Wednesday the details of the Commitees of Inquiry (COI) into the deaths of Private (Pte) Lee Rui Feng Dominique Sarron, 21, on April 17, and Third Sergeant (3SG) Tan Mou Sheng, 20, on May 11. He revealed that Pte Lee died of an allergic reaction in a training exercise after a platoon commander threw six smoke grenades, even though regulations specified no more than two grenades were to have been used. He revealed that the cause of death was certified by the forensic pathologist of the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to be due to an "acute allergic reaction to zinc chloride due to inhalation of zinc chloride fumes". The COI believed that "if the Training Safety Regulations had been complied with, PTE Lee and his platoon mates would not have been subjected to smoke that was as dense as that during the incident". In the case of 3SG Tan who died after a jeep he was in overturned, it was found that individual negligence and breaches of safety had contributed to 3SG Tan's death. Firstly, the master sergeant had assigned an unlicensed driver to the vehicle, and the rear passengers including 3SG Tan did not wear a helmet or put on their seat belts. Other incidents of unlicensed driving were also found at the Combat Intelligence School, where the accident happened. A Commanding Officer and six other commanders have been redeployed to other assignments which do not require them to supervise soldiers for training or operations. The Chief Military Prosecutor will determine if these personnel should be subjected to a General Court Martial (GCM). Police investigations are also ongoing to determine if the personnel involved, including the unlicensed driver of the jeep, should be prosecuted in a Civil Court. Dr Ng said the SAF and Mindef were "deeply sorry for the untimely and tragic loss of Pte Lee and 3SG Tan and the anguish and distress it has brought to their families". He concluded: "These two deaths could have been avoided if safety instructions had been followed." "The SAF will learn from the incidents, correct any inadequacies and punish those who disregarded safety regulations," he also said.

This thread is started as a result of news such as: 1) SBS driver jailed 1 week for fatal accident 2) Walau bus driver blind or what!!!! and many more most of us may have read. It is exasperating to read news whereby drivers often get away without deterrent sentence to drive the message LOUD & CLEAR that causing deaths as a result of negligence deserves severe punishment appropriate for such accidents. Therefore, unless the system is tweaked to make jail term significantly deterrent to potential careless drivers, I don't see how drivers will change their attitude to driving more carefully than ever. Perhaps, if the required minimum jail term is made mandatory, it would help to start an aggressive campaign to educate all drivers especially those driving public buses and large vehicles; that so long as they are proven guilty of negligence, they cannot escape simply with a slap on the wrist. Such message becomes even more crucial in view of more foreign drivers being employed to operate the large vehicles and public buses on our roads. I hope the relevant authorities will do something to increase better safety on our roads for all road users before the situation gets worse. Have a nice day and do your part to make our roads safe, folks!

Probably not the best time to travel to HK with old folks or young children. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...1112046/1/.html

This is a bit over the top, isn't it? Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/...ry_555894.html LAST year, there were 188 road fatalities, or a road death every other day, and driving along Lim Chu Kang Road on Monday morning, it was not difficult for me to see why. The speed limit of the road was 70kmh, and as I drove along, big trucks and lorries flashed past me, dangerously above the speed limit. Drivers who speed do not realise that they are part of a killing machine. Speeding is a fatal menace and should be much more policed than it is now. During my 45-minute journey from Kranji to Suntec City, I did not spot a single police patrol car or Traffic Police motorcycle. Speed traps are too few and far between, allowing irresponsible drivers to bolt and swerve on expressways unpunished. Alongside public campaigns on road safety, there should be more traffic policing vehicles to arrest the immediate problem of dangerous speedsters. It is also appalling to see the types of vehicles allowed on our expressways, and the manner in which they are driven: small motorcycles with unprotected riders in slippers zipping in and out of traffic, and lorries loaded with men and material zooming past speed limits. Singapore has stringent standards in licensing drivers, but such standards are futile if we let law-breaking speedsters threaten the lives of other road users and do not police such dangerous drivers. Fines and imprisonment may not be enough of a disincentive. The punishment which will effectively deter speeding is caning. And if a driver's speeding is responsible for a road user's death, then hanging is a fair punishment for killing someone. Ivy Singh-Lim (Mrs)

NSman who died had not submitted medical certificate By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 October 2008 1702 hrs SINGAPORE: Investigations into the death of full-time National Serviceman Joe Foo Wei Rong found that he had been given medical leave two days before he died but he did not inform officials about it. The Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that a medical certificate dated September 28 was found in Private Foo's personal bunk cupboard after his death. The medical centre had no documentation of his medical certificate. Soldiers are required to submit certifications of their medical conditions at the centre. Private Foo had seen a doctor at the Singapore General Hospital on Sunday. He was supposed to rest from September 28 to 29 for "sprains and strains of the knee and leg", and to be given light duties for the subsequent four days. It is not known why Private Foo did not report his medical condition, but investigations are currently underway and a full report is expected in eight weeks. The former Singapore Polytechnic student died on Tuesday while doing chin-ups at Lim Chu Kang camp. Friends and relatives remember Private Foo as an athletic young man who enjoyed basketball, and his death came as a shock to many who turned up at his wake on Thursday. Private Foo is the third full-time National Serviceman to have died in camp this year. Recruit Andrew Cheah and Officer Cadet Clifton Lam suffered the same fate in June. All three were former students at polytechnics where physical activities are not compulsory, unlike junior colleges where exercise is part of the curriculum. Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs Indranee Rajah, who is also the MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC, said: "Obviously it needs to be studied more deeply and carefully, but to me, it does seem to me that before anybody goes in for NS, the preconditioning is important. "And as far as possible, from secondary school, all the way to the time they enter National Service for BMT (Basic Military Training), it's important that the levels of fitness should be maintained." The polytechnics that were contacted said they have many sporting activities in place for students. Singapore Polytechnic says an estimated 15 per cent of total student population take part in sports. Half of its 2007 graduating cohort sat for the National Physical Fitness Award tests, an increase from 35 per cent in the previous year. the blaming games has started since the parents of the deceased NSF blamed SAF for letting his son attending physical training even though there was a valid MC. SAF conducted investigation and found out that the deceased did not submit the MC to MO. So now everyone is going to find a black sheep. SAF and an MP seems to put the blame on polys for not being able to precondition male enlistees during poly terms...KNN ...might as well blame the deceased and parents for allowing the son to attend poly in the 1st place...or might as well blame the whole govt for setting up polys in the early days..... it is individual responsibility to condition own body and keep fit to maintain healthy...

MAN was charged in a district court on Friday with causing the death of his front seat passenger and a woman pedestrian in a three-vehicle collision. Owen Calvin Tan Cheng Lock, 44, is said to have caused the death of Madam Lai Foong Mei, 41, through his negligence along Buangkok Drive last Oct 14. He was driving a van when he allegedly failed to give way to traffic when making a right turn from Buangkok Drive into Punggol Road, resulting in a collision with another van coming from the opposite direction with the right of way. On impact, his vehicle allegedly veered towards the right side of Punggol Road and hit Miss Yeo Moi Liang, 53, who was using the pedestrian crossing. The second causing death charge also states that his van hit a stationary Mercedes-Benz which had stopped at the red light signal. Miss Yeo, who was sandwiched between Tan's van and the car, died. Tan is out on $10,000 bail. His passport was impounded. A pre-trial hearing is set for July 24. At least Jail for 2 Years