Not by a Long Shot
Just about this time last night, my car got towed away.
I was involved in my first traffic accident.
I collided with a car as I was turning out from a slip road.
Two seconds before impact, I had an ominous glimpse a pair of headlights staring right at me.
One second before impact, I had flashbacks. I always thought it was a cliche but apparently, it’s not. Not this time at least.
Half a second before impact, I hit the brakes as hard as I could.
Bang.
Everything slowed.
I heard my engine’s exasperated whirring, the sound of water spraying and John Mayer playing through the speakers.
“Something’s missing, and I don’t know what it is”, I remembered him singing.
The flashbacks were still playing in my head. In glorious full Hi-definition but on a 8x fast forward, punctuated by jarring screens of white noise. I saw images of my mother laughing over dinner last friday. I saw an ex-lover lying next to me in her dim-lit room. I saw myself staring at my own wrinkled hands.
At that point, I knew I wasn’t ready to go yet.
I was still breathing, no scratch or injury. Flashbacks ended and I stepped out a little shellshocked, but totally unscathed.
Fast forward to this afternoon. I was at the mechanic’s, doing the usual accident admin. We were looking at the extent of the damage and he turned to me and said, “You’re fucking lucky you’re unhurt.”
According to him, if the point of impact was a little to the front of my car, it would have spun me right into the center divider. If it was a little back, the other car would have smashed right into my driver’s seat door. If there was to be a collision from that angle, there would be no better spot to hit then that.
I’m lucky to be alive.
I’m fucking lucky to be alive.
Now, about 24+ hours later, I writing and reliving this one last time. Tomorrow I get back on my feet and start to make the most of my time on this earth.
Dear World, I’m not done with you yet. Not by a long shot.
Has It Been 6 Weeks?
Yes, six weeks since the last post. At this rate, I might as well shut this blog down.
A lot of things have happened in the past 6 weeks which I won’t even begin to summarize in one post.
However, I was posed a question today which I’m still struggling to answer.
“Would you like you if you met you?”
The next few months will be extremely challenging as I make some major life decisions. I’ll be back when my head clears then I’ll rejig and improve this blog. I might be back earlier once I have an answer for the above.
Pointless Nostalgia
Yesterday, I went out with my trusty camera, in search of a shot for a new project I’m undertaking. More on that later. But I knew one of the places I could find that shot I need was somewhere I used to spend a lot of my growing years in.
In the heart of Tanjong Pagar, the first public swimming pool in Singapore opened it’s doors 57 years ago. According to the National Library archives, visitors to Yan Kit Swimming Complex used to pay 15 cents per entry. And it was so damn popular that two-hour limits were imposed on swimmers. On Tuesdays, it was only open to women, who were too shy to appear in their bathing suits in front of men.
Today, eights years after it’s 2001 closure, what little remains there is a mere ghost of her former self. I remember spending hot saturday afternoons playing in the pool. I remember getting my toes cut on the cracked tiles that line the walls of the pool. I remember diving into the deep end, only to get my ass hauled out by the lifeguard because we weren’t allowed to do “cannonballs”. Of course, we’d do it again once he’s not looking.
I took a few pictures as a loving tribute to that pool, and posted them here. If this place was ever part of your memories, you might want to go pay a visit before it’s totally demolished. If you have no idea where I’m talking about, then I still hope you enjoy the pictures.
Snow Leopard: What You Should Know
The Snow Leopard, affectionately known to wildlife experts as Panthera uncia, is on the most endangered species of big cats still left in the wild.
This beautiful big cat is found around the highlands of Central Asia, and it’s estimated that there’s between 3500 to 7000 left in the wild. Snow Leopards are considered medium-sized cats, and will grow up to about 50 inches in length, with a tail almost as long their body. They’re perfectly adapted to live in such extreme conditions. Their coats are long and thick to keep them warm, their paws are big and wide to help distribute their weight when walking on snow. Their tails are long to help keep balance when they’re navigating the rocky edges of a mountain, and it also acts like a blanket to keep their face warm when they rest.
This crepuscular hunter lives a solitary life (except when a mother is tending to her cubs), much like most other big cats. But unlike it’s cousins in other parts of the world, the Snow Leopard doesn’t roar, possibly due to an absence of a larynx.
In the IUCN Red List, the Snow Leopard is considered endangered, despite 600-700 living in captivity. Like it or not, being endangered means this species could possibly face extinction. Loss of habitat is one of the greatest threat, along with poaching, loss of prey and lack of effective protection could mean their numbers in the wild will continue to dwindle.
Today, Apple launched the much anticipated Mac OS 10.6, also called Snow Leopard. There’s been a lot of coverage of this OS and all the 106 reasons it can make your mac computing life better. However this big cat who inspired the Apple team to name their new OS after, is in serious need of good publicity.
We can help save these amazing animals simply by raising awareness of their plight and I hope as you read this on your spanking new OS, you’ll take some time to stop by the Snow Leopard Trust. They’ve been doing amazing work for the past 25 years, helping this amazing big cat through various conservation programs; most important of which is partnering with locals who live in the same regions as the big cat.
Below is a brilliant clip from BBC’s Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth which I find absolutely breathtaking. Enjoy.
Pointless Polaroids
Lately, I’ve been quite disappointed with the photos I’ve been taking. From a kid’s birthday party to my Borneo pics, there’s something about every shoot that I find glaringly imperfect. Yes, I am a perfectionist and it bugs me to no end staring at the mistakes. Yes, I know it’s a learning process and all that, but still I hate to publish pics that I’m not 100% satisfied that they’re good enough.
To make it worse, I’m stuck in a creative rut right now. When I hold my guitar, nothing new or interesting comes out. When I look into my camera’s viewfinder, I don’t see anything riveting that makes me want to press the shutter button.
So, enough of making excuses, I thought its time to do other things that might hopefully inspire me again. I’ve been catching up on films and series I’ve always wanted to watch, going out with friends and meeting new people. To be honest, not every encounter has proven to be fruitful but there’s one activity which is starting to feel rather promising as a creativity fix.
On my iPhone, I have an app called Polarize, which essentially transforms a normal picture taken into what looks like a digital polaroid pic. Yes, of course the purists will say nothing can replace analog polaroids but hey, I live in a digital age. Here’s three from my new Pointless Polaroids collection, I hope you like it.
