Daylight Saving Time

One of the few things that I've to get used to living in Canada is to remember about the time switching in the spring and fall. "Spring forward, fall backward" implies the change of time in the spring (an hour ahead), and in the fall (an hour behind). In other words, you lose an hour in the spring but gain an hour in the fall. What does that mean? It means I've just got an extra hour of sleep! The change of time takes place on the first Sunday in November and second Sunday in March, both at 2:00 a.m. It used to be on the last Sunday in October and first Sunday in April at one point. It amuses me how the clock system works on electronic gadgets, e.g. computers and cell phones. According to the time zone it's set for, the clock will automatically turn back time, it strikes 1:00 a.m. from 1:59 a.m. when it really supposed to be 2:00 a.m. I'm really impressed...

What's the point of Daylight Saving Time? This idea was first introduced in the early 20th century and has been adopted by most of the western countries. It's meant to provide more daylight hours in the afternoon for various activities. Furthermore, it contributes towards energy savings, i.e. more daylight hours during working hours leads to energy efficiency. It's even shown a drop in accident rate, i.e. driving to work at 7 a.m. in the dark is more prone to accident than in the light.

I thought it was bazaar when I first realized that I've to switch my clock back and forward! If you're not paying attention, you may show up an hour early for an appointment in the fall and an hour late for your test in the spring! Therefore, it's important to take note of your calender, or simply still, make sure you've the right time zone selected on your computer and it does the miracle :)

Something to keep in mind though, majority of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia, as well as some places in the USA (Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico etc.) obey the standard time all year long.

The importance of time standardization reminds me of the synchronization of time zone between the East and West Malaysia in 1981. Under the premiership of Dr. Mahathir, West Malaysians moved their clocks ahead by 30 minutes to match the time zone used in East Malaysia (8 hours ahead of GMT). Singapore followed suit the following year, to ease the trades across the causeway. This explains why the dawn is observed sooner (6 a.m.) in East Malaysia than the West (6:30 a.m.)! It simply because the West Malaysians have moved their clocks forward.

Time, time, time... how fascinating it is!