I was at the National Library earlier today. I have actually been here on a couple of occasions over the past couple of months. There is this study lounge on the fifth floor that's quite a comfy place for you to do your work. Not to mention that you could also get free wireless internet access by means of the library itself or through Singnet's free wireless service via the Wireless@SG system. I would've strongly recommended this place to you folks in Singapore who wants to revise for your exams, need to get some work done without the distractions that are abundant in your home if it wasn't for what happened today. I just hope that it was a one off thing. Come to think of it I'm pretty sure it was.
There I was, at around 4 pm, contentedly working on a few non-work related stuff that I just felt needed to get done as well as fiddling with the internet connection there.
A quick note about the library's free wireless service - Chances are if you are using it during the peak periods (12pm - 5 pm) you just might encounter some slow download speeds or worse still, you just might get booted off it completely without even knowing it. And once you're booted out of it, its kind of hard to get back in even if your wireless assistant tells you that you are connected. Though this is a rare occurrence, it can get quite annoying. Solution - Go Wireless@SG.
So while I was doing all that, the fire alarm went off. Now me, being a Singaporean, I reacted in the Singaporean way, that is to wait for further announcement. I think that's the standard practice in all office buildings nowadays. Fire alarm sounds, we wait for an announcement on the building's comm system before we make a move, nevermind if the room was already all up in smoke.
Took them like ten minutes before the computerised announcement of "Please remain calm, we are checking the situation." was blaring on the comm system, twice. Needless to say if there was a real fire, I think I'd make a good meal for a family of five. But that wasn't what got me.
It took them a further twenty minutes or so (I guess it was pretty difficult searching for something that wasn't there) before this rather geeky sounding voice blared over the comm system telling everyone that they have looked into the matter and that everything was fine. This wasn't what got me either.
It was around two minutes or so after all that when a klaxon (or at least it seemed like it) of electronic shrieks and wizzles pierced throughout the once silent library. It wouldn't have been as bad had this horrendously conducted orchestra of sharp e-screeches and buzzing not repeated itself a total of six times with irregular intervals in between. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that the library had been taken over by alien beings capable of channeling their ability of auditory torture through the building's comm system.
I guess it must've been some new Security Officer operating the comm system and he must've confused the 'Off' button with the 'Lets-press-this-and-disintegrate-everyone's-eardrums' button. Heh, whatever it was, I hope it doesn't happen again. Come on, let's face it, the libraries are our last bastion of silence we have in this urban jungle of ours here in Singapore. If that disappears then do we need to move into what remains of the forests here to do our work.........
Oh wait, there's no free wireless internet access there ..............
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