Well, the haze is still floating around, though its severity has dramatically decreased. It seems that, in a way, Singaporeans have started to come to terms with this problem. There are far fewer publicly-made complaints and there is a slight feeling of "grin and bear it", which is, admittedly, hard to see under a N95 mask.

Of course, we should continue to fight the issue, despite the scathing comments of a certain person in a prominent leadership position in the government of a Southern neighbour.

With a little time to think about it, though, it may be this person's words that brought everyone together. The thought of having someone with so little sensitivity and decision-making ability, such a large ego, and little to no sense of responsibility in a position of leadership makes us scratch our heads. It also causes us to feel compassion for the citizens under that brand of leadership.

Certainly, we hope that both our nations can work together to bring the problem to a stop. This does seem difficult due to political differences and a certain degree of mistrust.

It seems that good intentions are simply insufficient. More work needs to be done to repair relationships, and soon.