May+5,+1937+-+Diary+1

August 26, 1937



Dear Diary, It’s been seventeen years. Seventeen years of living with gruesome Chinese. Seventeen years of living in the place where I could only find mangrove swamps, rubber plantations, and secondary forests. Seventeen years of hearing the noise from construction of the first naval base in this bloody awful place. Briefly, I’m living the most boring, sickening, and meaningless life. I mean there isn’t anything to do in this small island where only million needless Chinese live. Furthermore, I don’t get the reason why they sent us here. The commander cites it’s because of the threat of rapidly growing Imperial Japan, which colonized almost the entire Asia pacific region. But, come on, does this make sense? It’s not possible because Japs don’t have the power to take the property of Great England. It was just luck and other’s help that they took a control over islands and lands in East Asia. For example, without Great Britain’s support in Russo-Japanese War in 1900, they weren’t able to occupy Korea. And according to what my friend (Klein), who flew all the way to Singapore from U.S.,said Japs received German’s formal colonies Pacific - Caroline, Marshall, and Mariana Islands- rather than earning them. I asked him in what way did they received the chain of islands. He answered that our high-positioned officers, such a generous benefactors, granted the colonies as the compensations for participating in the World War with us.Even If they do attack our base in Singapore, they would be smashed by our “Fortress Singapore”. We just got a Force Z, a powerful warship, and the most modern version of battleship, HMS Prince of Wales. With these robust armaments, we could beat them without difficulty. Hence, I think “Fortress Singapore” doesn’t need me. I hope my commander will permit me to return back to my home. If I am able to leave Singapore, I would go to Indochina first and meet my dearest girlfriend, Annette Lisle. She is a lovely lady I’ve known for twenty years. She’s originally from France, but spent 10 years of her life in England- mostly for education. Now, she’s in Indochina, one of the French colonies for rubber plantations. I already proposed to her on the letter, which she may by now I have received. As soon as I meet her, I'll taker her and her money to my birthplace, so that I could spend rest of my life without financial crisis. Because a low positioned military officer, like me, gets low payment, I’ve always lived in poverty. Therefore, marrying her is the only solution for me to get out of poverty. I heard she is wealthy because she got an inheritance from both of her dead father and husband. Also, I love her personality ; she works even if she has enough money to live on. Ah....Now, all I can do is pray for breakdown of Japs force and convince my head officer to send me back to England, so that I could go back and get out of this country land. Seriously, diary, I hate those barbarians, short, weak, arrogant, Japs, who constantly block my way to happy life.

Bibliography: www.gatopardos.com