Have you been to the beach before?

A real beach, not the man-made beaches of Singapore?

I have.

The shells that can be found there are all really pretty. I discovered two pearly white shells which were very small today. They looked as if they had been polished, but they hadn't. Nature polished them, the sand and the sea polished them.

No one notices the little things.

There was another large shell that had tinges of purple and different shades of white and black all over its shell. There was also one shaped like a little snail's shell. It was covered in black and orange stripes, like a tiger's coat.

I also managed to dig out a beautiful stone which had thin purple lines running vertically across it, as if someone had drawn them in, over a background of light pink.

No one notices the little things.

I spent two hours looking at them all. Examining them, admiring them. Gingerly picking them up to feel the different contours, the curves and lines, the brittle spikes or thin, finely sculptured sheets of transparent, layered paper, and putting them down again.

I wonder if anyone else bothers doing that these days?

Somehow, I don't think so.

Another thing that bothers me.

Today I watched a European family eating dinner. They were using chopsticks, and were using them properly.

DON'T ask some stupid question like 'What do you mean, properly?' I bet most of those reading this now don't even know what 'properly' is. I once asked a friend of mine why she didn't bother learning to use them properly. She told me there wasn't any point, as no one else was bothering anyway.

This isn't funny.

This is the decaying of a culture.

Think about it. Most of you use either use chopsticks everyday, or not use them at all.

I bet you're all seething with anger now.

But this is true. Most of your families don't even teach you proper table etiquette anymore, let alone the use of chopticks!

I've had a number of supposedly well-educated business men and women coming over to my table and sitting down without even trying to be vaguely polite and asking whether the seat was occupied.

Guess what? This has happened in Singapore, and only Singapore.

Now, I'm not saying the other countries are perfect, but Singapore's citizens are nowhere near even perfecting the basics of courtesy!

I'm sorry, I know this sounds like a debate speech, but I'm only stating what's true.

We're supposed to be an international hub of business, if so, why don't we polish up our inter-human relationships?

Why don't we try learning the basics of etiquette?

What do you think CME is for?

It isn't very effective, I know, but why don't we make an effort to be friendlier?

Is it really that hard to open one's mouth to say a thank you?

Or ask if a seat is occupied?

Or even greet someone a good morning or afternoon?

Is it?

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