Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Real Life Hero

Real Life Hero

from:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20090929-170581.html

MANILA, PHILLIPINES: Teenager Muelmar Magallanes braved rampaging floods to save more than 30 people, but ended up sacrificing his life in a last trip to rescue a baby girl who was being swept away on a styrofoam box.
Yesterday, family members and the people saved by the 18-year-old construction worker hailed him as a hero, as his body lay in a coffin at a makeshift evacuation centre near their destroyed Manila riverside village.

'I am going to be forever grateful to Muelmar. He gave his life for my baby. I will never forget his sacrifice,' said Ms Menchie Penalosa, the mother of the six-month-old girl he carried to safety before being swept away himself.
Magallanes was at home last Saturday with his family when tropical storm Ketsana unleashed the heaviest rain in more than 40 years on the Philippine capital and surrounding areas.
At first the family, long used to heavy rain, paid little attention to the storm.
But Magallanes and his father decided to evacuate the family once they realised the river 800m away had burst its banks.

With the help of an older brother, Magallanes tied a string around his waist and attached it one-by-one to his three younger siblings, whom he took to higher ground. Then he came back for his parents.

But Magallanes, a strong swimmer, decided to go back for his neighbours, who where trapped on rooftops.
He ended up making many trips, and eventually saved more than 30 people from drowning, witnesses and survivors said.

Tired and shivering, Magallanes was back on higher ground with his family when he heard Ms Penalosa screaming as she and her baby were being swept away on the polystyrene box they were using in an attempt to cross the swift currents.
He dived back in after the mother and daughter, who were already a few metres away and bobbing precariously among the debris floating on the brown water.
'I didn't know that the current was so strong. In an instant, I was under water. We were going to die,' said Ms Penalosa, her eyes welling with tears and voice choking with emotion.

'Then this man came from nowhere and grabbed us. He took us to where the other neighbours were, and then he was gone,' said Ms Penalosa.
She and other witnesses said an exhausted Magallanes was simply washed away amid the torrent of water.

Neighbours found his body on Sunday, along with those of 28 others who perished in Manila's worst flooding in decades.
Standing next to his coffin, Magallanes' parents paid tribute to their son.
'He always had a good heart,' said his father, Samuel.
'We had already been saved. But he decided to go back one last time for the girl.'
His mother, Maria Luz, wept as she described her son as incredibly brave.
'He saved so many people, but ended up not being able to save himself.'


.

Monday, September 28, 2009

F1!

There are reasons of why you should and shouldn’t watch F1 live.

Let me start with the bad reasons::

1. The one that top my list is the stinginess of the committee.

Last year first day of the race, there was one tiny open spot for outsiders. The next day, it was covered. Last year, outsiders can ‘peep’ the cars through the black almost solid mesh, but we could see the colors (so sad), this year, everything was opaque. Friday night, we got great spot on the corner, although we had to stand on earth or soft soil. Saturday, it was fenced!

It seems like they were trying to screw up every opportunity for the spectators to get good grip of the race. Sure, They have their own professional photographers, yadda, yadda, yadda…but consider these comparison, I would say there should be not many things to brag from them. They have private accesses, they have undisturbed location with great corners and mesh-free spot, they have their proximity and they have their gigantic lenses. Many of them were even elevated and stationed on the crane. While for the spectator, I can’t help but feel that they do everything to make the experience miserable, if you go for photography. They sealed up good spots. What used to be open overhead bridge last year, first day of the weekend, were sealed completely. Good undesignated spots that you find on Friday, they sealed or fenced it on Saturday. The fences were located are far as meters away and we were barricaded by the meshes or bunch of plastic barriers that stood higher that the podium. Yah, It’s safety, but certain things are forcedly fitted into that excuses, especially the ones they reinforced the next days. Great corners are very limited, either you have to stick there the whole day long or you can forget about occupying good spots. Fair enough. But the available places and facades were way exceed the number of people waiting to get a ‘good glimpse’, I couldn’t help but feel like outsiders who tried to steal a look without buying tickets like last year, and that is crappy!

Things to keep in mind: If you walk, spots are gone. If you late, fat hope of securing even second tier of good places. If you do, be suspicious, it’s either straight track where you can hardly get a glimpse of the cars because they are too fast, let alone capture it in camera. So I would say, screw the committee on this, not to mention restriction of the lens that we can bring in. Nothing bigger than 300mm, so to compare, the lens that the ‘legal photographers have, can swallow maybe three or four of the allowed lens comfortably. On the last day, we saw some people managed to smuggle in big lenses. They were very smart to do it on the last day, if they did on Friday or Saturday, I’m sure at the next days other than ordinary check, they would probably strip search whoever looked suspicious with camera. Anyway, actually, we also don’t have those thigh-sized-price-of-kidney lenses…

That’s the biggest complain that almost ruined my second day of the race. We went day later the day and it was hellish to secure a good sport or even a shot. Luckily our kakis managed to get us spots when there was a break in the track. We still had chances to buy food for each other. On the last day though, no one bulged from the seats. Everyone endured roaring sun and the wait to secure the spot for finals. Hell no, this was the reason we were there and good spot was everything. Who cares about the concerts and shows; the committee threw in a lot of high profile concerts during breaks, but remember, you-shall-not-leave-your-space.

So, the stinginess of the committee! Unbelievable!


2. The crowd.

It’s expectable. You can’t hope for breeze and spacious spaces for big events. But for those who were unwilling to be drown in the crowd.. Don’t come. First day I was asking myself about why on earth do I involved in another situation where I pay to suffer. But it is what it is, I won’t complain. I can’t actually imagine quiet F1, it might not have the ‘feeling’.
But ungraceful crowd is another thing.. It’s understandable that everyone tried to secure good spots, so a little bit squeezing here and there were alright, especially that we understand the frustration. But some were just pushed it too far. First day, I had to tell a guy to stand behind a fence. Yah, he had been not in my favor since beginning. He squeezed next to me without looking left and right, there were quiet a lot of room, but he couldn’t measure that 10 cm brush of backpack could actually disturb people. Then when the practice started, first time I saw the F1 cars, he stepped on the fence, leaned faaaar forward and covered just everything for me and hubby who was standing beside. One lap, two lap, third lap I told him to stopped doing that as all I could see was him. Lucky he complied and was not psychotic murderous type but yeah I was pissed also! Anyway, after a while, he gave up totally since he didn’t arm himself with earplugs and couldn’t bear the sound.

Even if we secured place and didn’t leave, it didn’t guarantee that it stayed the same. People just squeezed when the race started, in front, behind, beside, whatever. Some did it okay some just didn’t care and knocked on the lenses, while we were focusing and holding helplessly with shaky hands. Some squeezed behind, appeared out of nowhere, one was so bloody close that I couldn’t put my leg on my spot where I need to get my shot. Even when I tried to squeeze back, he didn’t bulged. There were a lot of stepping places behind him anyway. So I had to kick ‘accidentally’. He didn’t bulge. Kick twice, thrice. Nothing, or shift a bit but still couldn’t fit. Somehow I settled with very uncomfortable support on my legs for a while until I really pissed off as the guy were getting closer. I had to turned around and kicked the leg repeatedly while looking at his face straight. This is not accidental kick , I want you to move after I tolerate you taking up my space but you pushed it too far! Move! Move! Move! Moveeeeeee! Until he shifted. All I need was a bit of space for my leg where it was! Huh!

The third pissed off was a kid kept knocking on my lens and me while he squeezed in front of me during the final laps. I gave it this time as he was only a kid and he looked so enthusiast, although it’s annoying dangerous as my hand holding lens was weaker and weaker clinging desperately, not to mention that we had to balance ourselves between podium and unstable fence.

I think all my kakis also had fair shares dealing with unpleasant crowd.


3. The facilities

Probably this one is up to the readiness. Bring water, food or whatever necessary to keep you well. Drinks are overpriced, understandable, but they put it in plastic cup. It’s difficult to find place for your butt, yet you have to nurse an open cup that wouldn’t sustain the thirst. It’s plastic cup, we need galooonsss…


Anyway, that is the long 3 reasons why live might not be preferable, not to mention that you can’t watch everything, always miss important incidents but that’s expected on every live shows.


Here is the reason why you should watch it live.

I can’t really put it fair into words, so I just summarize it. It’s live, you should try it at least once in your life while you can. It’s an experience, where you can gather with buddy or friends to enjoy the events, feel the ambience and the excitement.

There are some things we could only get by watching it live. The noise, the smell of the roaring engine, the spirit of the spectators beyond the scratching sun, the waving of the proudly displayed flags of the fans, the actually speed of the cars, the escapade of deadly corners, the flying colors, and to be actually there, witness it directly face to face.. ..... oh ya........... not so., blocked by bloody mesh. : )

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Bloodsuckers

In the news today:

A China woman was drowned when trying to enter Singapore illegally. A speedboat from Malaysia carried two Chinese Nationals, a man and a woman, approached Pulau Ubin at night, the two then were told to alight in the water. They refused because it’s still too far from the land, but they were kicked out. The man managed to swim to the shore, arrested by the Coast Guard, the boat turned around and sped back to Johor, while the woman drown shortly after.

It happens in the world, during war, unease, Depression. Most Chinese that I know including me can say that at one point of their generation, parents, great parents or great great parents found their home now by entering other countries with all means. I personally know a friend who was a boat people himself, from Vietnam he landed in Australia. He had become a part of high class society now, which is probably, the motivation and the dreams of immigrants.

These cases don’t belong to the past. Not anymore, not always. There are still, many, people trying to enter countries they perceive can provide a better life for them. Some pay money, some pay even with their life, just like the case above. How ironic and tragic.
And worse, behind all those, there are bloodsuckers who don’t hesitate to live off from other people’s blood, sweat and tears.

They act as employment or immigrant agency and require those who are willing to pay big sum of money to get them into Singapore. Legal or illegal, some pay as much as S$3000 like the China woman, some pay S$10000 to secure a job with two years contract that might earn them less that what they fork out at the end of two years. The difference between both, one is motorized by bloodsuckers; the other is by legal bloodsuckers.

A person whom I know, works 13 hours a day 7 days a week with one day off per month, and to retrieve that day off is sort of miracle, because she often called back to work. Her contract expires soon and she says there is almost no hope she could get renewal unless she pays again. She paid S$9000 for the two years contract and earns much less that ten percent of it monthly. She needs to eat, pay rent, bills and sends money to family she left behind. I tried to help her find another job, but it seems like impossible task because everything requires either citizenship, work permit or education.

Why employee never renew her contract? I will stand corrected if someone cares to prove me wrong, because it’s easier for them to look for new people who are willing to take over the job, and they also might get big fat commission from another agent that supply the workers, using the money paid by the people they mistreats everyday, which for all we know, earned from years of hardworks and savings or family heir to pursue a dreams.

Not so long ago, in this same year, in other part of the world there are cases of people trafficking through meat chiller. Men, women, children are cramped together in inhuman temperature inside. And others. And others.

This case is just another tragic case. Soon it’ll be filed into the report, and collects dust and adds yet another statistic.
But the bloodsuckers are lurking around still, with their charismatic smiles.