Self Reflections
After passing my driving test last week. I was invovled in a near accident the day after when driving back from my base after day shift duty. It was a very near miss and I almost hit a road divider that was in front of a big drain. Thank God I didn't, because both my parents were in the car and after that were alarmed at my staddard of driving. Yes I still can't park my car without poles and thus my parents have insisted that they ride with me for another 6 months or so before they grant me full control of a car to drive around with. I have to add that what I learnt in driving school is not really that practical to be applied to driving out in the real world.
For starters, I learn that I had to see the car in my rear view mirror first before initiating my lane change. In reality, that almost never happens since a good number of Singaporean drivers like to tailgate me. Its not easy either to change lanes when nobody wants to give way. Indeed, my philosophy to driving is all about safety, it can be summed up in the view pointers.
1) Never speed. Never Ever.
2) Never beat the red light.
3) Beware Beware Beware Be very wary of Taxi Drivers
4) Beware of Motorcyclists, Especially those with P plates.
5) Check Check Check the mirrors
6) Drive in the center of the lane (I tend to veer either left or right)
7) Give way to other vehicles
8) If in doubt, slow down, if necessary, stop.
9) Don't give rides to friends, yet (they're terribly distracting!)
10) Turn off the radio and listen out for cars approaching by the sides.
I find that Singaporean drivers in general almost never give way, love to tailgate, enjoy abrupt lane changes without signalling their intentions early, LOVE to speed and so on. Just one week and I already have all my fair share of bad driving experiences. Truly, asia's roads are killers. And due to the fact that I have been intensly focused on improving my driving, as much as I do feel a little afraid everytime I start up the car for another journey - fearing that it may be my last or end awfully. I have no choice. And just because of the near accident caused by me last week, I totally lost a great deal of interest in taking photographs this week. Felt shaken throughout and yet grateful in heart.
This year to date, I've been involved in more than my fair share of near misses as well as near death encounters. I almost lost eyesight in one eye back in January, my boat narrowly missed hitting an unlighted buoy at high speed at night once, I received a nasty electrical shock that should have landed in in the hospital, not to mention the heavy thunderstorm out at sea with violent waves, no visiblity and the failure of instrumentation onboard about a month back. It sounds all so coincidential, then again, I know it isn't. I have a good God who really protects me. Indeed, even when I am unfaithful, He is still faithful. Amazing.
Just before leaving the MRT station nearest to the driving center - Bukit Batok MRT. I took series of photographs to explore the creation of panoramas. Its really not as easy as it seems and my first attempt seems to be rather blockish, yet I guess its a good try. The photograph taken is of the carpark next to the MRT station. Since I do love to shoot landscapes, architecture and currently lean towards the more scenic part of photography, mastering panoramas is an absolute must to capture the beauty of landscapes whenever I ever have the opportunities to photograph them. My attempts are a form of "trial and error" before I head on to the much more difficult realm of night panorama photography.
Other than my near miss on Saturday, this week has been pretty much uneventful except for really doing my best to learn how to drive better. I realise it is a challenge to keep the car at the center of the lane, watch out for traffic and to get from point A to point B safely and quickly. I've missed exits on the expressways before, made the wrong turns and even lost my way a few times. Quite stressful I admit, yet its good experience to be more responsible in my manner of transport. I'll get better with time.
I did at last have a fine opportunity to meet up with a very good friend as well as close brother from school as well as from church - Matthew. Matt is one of the view people in my life that has played quite a big part in my life. I met him in school, later realised both of us went to the same church and we spent much time together back in CF along with the others helping out in whatever ways we could. Truly, my brother here is one fine gentleman. He has really good character, a heart for God that just puts me to shame as well as a lifestyle that is a living testimony for God to the people around him. Even though he was not from either of the AC feeder schools, indeed, as a former student council's member - I can say that he's really one of the most "on" and most loyal ACSians around. Yet I don't really know how to describe him in the sense that one has to meet him to really know and understand what kind of person he is. He is definitely one other person around me whom I benchmark my character against.
I learnt that I have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes I really wonder why I feel the urge to complain, rant and rave so much about nonsensicalities. It all seems so insignificant when I look through the articles made by world-famous photojournalists in the National Geographic about the suffering in 3rd world countries. All the things I "make noise" about suddenly really seem so small. What's even funnier is that I learnt in Church that people with an attitude of gratitude are generally much happier and live longer than other average people. Does it say something about not being burdened and weighted down by the issues that often seem so magnified to us, yet are so miniscule when compared to the woes of other peoples for which they do not even complain about and can give thanks for in "every circumstance"?
The photograph at the top was a last-minute, drastic attempt of self-portrayal that somehow seems to make meaning to me only when I edit it. For starters I'm blessed to keep my eyesight after my accident in January this year. I laterally inverted the photograph, so its my left eye in the picture - the one that received 20 stitches. I have my driving license sandwiched between my fingers whilst supporting my Nikon. Lastly, I shot the photograph at a mirror reflection of myself. While I enjoy taking pictures of other people and things, I am seldom in the photograph. For two reasons - 1) I don't enjoy taking pictures of myself. 2) When I pass my camera to other people, they'll be lost on how to take a photograph with it (it has happened a few times before). Yet this is like one hard look at myself - my "self reflections" indeed. This is so cheesy I know, a photograh should explain its message to the uninitiated and should not even need the photographer to explain what it is all about. I'm still learning and I really want to improve. If this is really a talent or a gift that God has given to me, then I should do what I can to develop it. After all, I did lament a few posts ago that I still don't know what talents God gave to me.
I almost trashed this photograph until I read Steph's blog about her spotting a 30 something year old man wearing an old faded AC shirt. I open up my cupboard and realise that slightly less than half my shirts are from ACS/ACS Barker/ACJC. Even though I don't feel so close to school anymore after having left it 2 years ago, such an influence on my life is still present in the way that I dress myself up. Indeed (Mr Baey), my primary school memories are in my cupboard too - alas my brother's one. He still wears this ACS shirt that I gave to him more than 7 years ago. The shirt itself is already 11 over years old. People from ACS Primary might remember it as the "We Care" T-Shirt. The letter "A" in the word "care" was in the shape of a Heart. This was the very shirt all of us wore when we made that walk from Coleman Street all the way to the "New" Barker Road campus back in November 1993. And I still have a good number of my primary school PE shirts! This is so despite the fact that I never enjoyed sporting activites. I was wearing my ACJC shirt when I was taking these photographs. I still wear the shirts all the time at home.
Memories of Primary school are few and far in between. Yet again, I'm sure everything will come back when we have that much awaited reunion several years down the road. Only time will tell. Till then, let's all just be grateful for all the times we had in ACS. And be thankful even more to the good God who has blessed you and I with so many things that we ourselves would have lost count of. Till tend, I'll do what I can to live a life with a bigget attitude of gratitude until all of us meet for that much vaunted reception 2010 or 2011.
After passing my driving test last week. I was invovled in a near accident the day after when driving back from my base after day shift duty. It was a very near miss and I almost hit a road divider that was in front of a big drain. Thank God I didn't, because both my parents were in the car and after that were alarmed at my staddard of driving. Yes I still can't park my car without poles and thus my parents have insisted that they ride with me for another 6 months or so before they grant me full control of a car to drive around with. I have to add that what I learnt in driving school is not really that practical to be applied to driving out in the real world.
For starters, I learn that I had to see the car in my rear view mirror first before initiating my lane change. In reality, that almost never happens since a good number of Singaporean drivers like to tailgate me. Its not easy either to change lanes when nobody wants to give way. Indeed, my philosophy to driving is all about safety, it can be summed up in the view pointers.
1) Never speed. Never Ever.
2) Never beat the red light.
3) Beware Beware Beware Be very wary of Taxi Drivers
4) Beware of Motorcyclists, Especially those with P plates.
5) Check Check Check the mirrors
6) Drive in the center of the lane (I tend to veer either left or right)
7) Give way to other vehicles
8) If in doubt, slow down, if necessary, stop.
9) Don't give rides to friends, yet (they're terribly distracting!)
10) Turn off the radio and listen out for cars approaching by the sides.
I find that Singaporean drivers in general almost never give way, love to tailgate, enjoy abrupt lane changes without signalling their intentions early, LOVE to speed and so on. Just one week and I already have all my fair share of bad driving experiences. Truly, asia's roads are killers. And due to the fact that I have been intensly focused on improving my driving, as much as I do feel a little afraid everytime I start up the car for another journey - fearing that it may be my last or end awfully. I have no choice. And just because of the near accident caused by me last week, I totally lost a great deal of interest in taking photographs this week. Felt shaken throughout and yet grateful in heart.
This year to date, I've been involved in more than my fair share of near misses as well as near death encounters. I almost lost eyesight in one eye back in January, my boat narrowly missed hitting an unlighted buoy at high speed at night once, I received a nasty electrical shock that should have landed in in the hospital, not to mention the heavy thunderstorm out at sea with violent waves, no visiblity and the failure of instrumentation onboard about a month back. It sounds all so coincidential, then again, I know it isn't. I have a good God who really protects me. Indeed, even when I am unfaithful, He is still faithful. Amazing.
Just before leaving the MRT station nearest to the driving center - Bukit Batok MRT. I took series of photographs to explore the creation of panoramas. Its really not as easy as it seems and my first attempt seems to be rather blockish, yet I guess its a good try. The photograph taken is of the carpark next to the MRT station. Since I do love to shoot landscapes, architecture and currently lean towards the more scenic part of photography, mastering panoramas is an absolute must to capture the beauty of landscapes whenever I ever have the opportunities to photograph them. My attempts are a form of "trial and error" before I head on to the much more difficult realm of night panorama photography.
Other than my near miss on Saturday, this week has been pretty much uneventful except for really doing my best to learn how to drive better. I realise it is a challenge to keep the car at the center of the lane, watch out for traffic and to get from point A to point B safely and quickly. I've missed exits on the expressways before, made the wrong turns and even lost my way a few times. Quite stressful I admit, yet its good experience to be more responsible in my manner of transport. I'll get better with time.
I did at last have a fine opportunity to meet up with a very good friend as well as close brother from school as well as from church - Matthew. Matt is one of the view people in my life that has played quite a big part in my life. I met him in school, later realised both of us went to the same church and we spent much time together back in CF along with the others helping out in whatever ways we could. Truly, my brother here is one fine gentleman. He has really good character, a heart for God that just puts me to shame as well as a lifestyle that is a living testimony for God to the people around him. Even though he was not from either of the AC feeder schools, indeed, as a former student council's member - I can say that he's really one of the most "on" and most loyal ACSians around. Yet I don't really know how to describe him in the sense that one has to meet him to really know and understand what kind of person he is. He is definitely one other person around me whom I benchmark my character against.
I learnt that I have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes I really wonder why I feel the urge to complain, rant and rave so much about nonsensicalities. It all seems so insignificant when I look through the articles made by world-famous photojournalists in the National Geographic about the suffering in 3rd world countries. All the things I "make noise" about suddenly really seem so small. What's even funnier is that I learnt in Church that people with an attitude of gratitude are generally much happier and live longer than other average people. Does it say something about not being burdened and weighted down by the issues that often seem so magnified to us, yet are so miniscule when compared to the woes of other peoples for which they do not even complain about and can give thanks for in "every circumstance"?
The photograph at the top was a last-minute, drastic attempt of self-portrayal that somehow seems to make meaning to me only when I edit it. For starters I'm blessed to keep my eyesight after my accident in January this year. I laterally inverted the photograph, so its my left eye in the picture - the one that received 20 stitches. I have my driving license sandwiched between my fingers whilst supporting my Nikon. Lastly, I shot the photograph at a mirror reflection of myself. While I enjoy taking pictures of other people and things, I am seldom in the photograph. For two reasons - 1) I don't enjoy taking pictures of myself. 2) When I pass my camera to other people, they'll be lost on how to take a photograph with it (it has happened a few times before). Yet this is like one hard look at myself - my "self reflections" indeed. This is so cheesy I know, a photograh should explain its message to the uninitiated and should not even need the photographer to explain what it is all about. I'm still learning and I really want to improve. If this is really a talent or a gift that God has given to me, then I should do what I can to develop it. After all, I did lament a few posts ago that I still don't know what talents God gave to me.
I almost trashed this photograph until I read Steph's blog about her spotting a 30 something year old man wearing an old faded AC shirt. I open up my cupboard and realise that slightly less than half my shirts are from ACS/ACS Barker/ACJC. Even though I don't feel so close to school anymore after having left it 2 years ago, such an influence on my life is still present in the way that I dress myself up. Indeed (Mr Baey), my primary school memories are in my cupboard too - alas my brother's one. He still wears this ACS shirt that I gave to him more than 7 years ago. The shirt itself is already 11 over years old. People from ACS Primary might remember it as the "We Care" T-Shirt. The letter "A" in the word "care" was in the shape of a Heart. This was the very shirt all of us wore when we made that walk from Coleman Street all the way to the "New" Barker Road campus back in November 1993. And I still have a good number of my primary school PE shirts! This is so despite the fact that I never enjoyed sporting activites. I was wearing my ACJC shirt when I was taking these photographs. I still wear the shirts all the time at home.
Memories of Primary school are few and far in between. Yet again, I'm sure everything will come back when we have that much awaited reunion several years down the road. Only time will tell. Till then, let's all just be grateful for all the times we had in ACS. And be thankful even more to the good God who has blessed you and I with so many things that we ourselves would have lost count of. Till tend, I'll do what I can to live a life with a bigget attitude of gratitude until all of us meet for that much vaunted reception 2010 or 2011.
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