Affection

I'm not a mother. Neither do I have a child. On top of that, I think I'm the least feminine women I have ever seen in my life. However, the words that I am going to say true affection that any woman will feel.

Yesterday, a tragic accident happened in Tampines. At around 9pm, my brother asked me if I knew about the accident. After I gave him a puzzled look, he merely told me to be careful because the pictures were really gruesome. Well, I didn't know whether I could take the pictures, but I decided to check it out anyway. After a couple of minutes, I found the pictures. Yes it was really gruesome because the boy really died in a pathetic state, and some netizens call it 'brain leaked'. I was still able to keep my cool, although these pictures sent a numbing feel from my brain downwards. I immediately alerted my friends not to go and look at the pictures, because it is definitely not for the light-hearted. Well, some didn't read my message and saw the pictures first, and of course, some stubborn ones still purposely did.

The news went wild all over Singapore. We have the MPs who were looking to help support the family members, we have ministers being alerted to keep a lookout about the safety around school vicinity and our PM even sent his condolences and pledging to help the family in this difficult times. On another level, we have citizens who are raging over the fact about reckless driving, and I'm sure parents will seriously consider about their children riding bicycles, especially on the roads.

When I knew about the accident, the first thing that came to my mind is not about whether the driver is at fault, or whether the boys are at fault. The first thought that came to my mind is, the parents are going to be so devastated. From the childbearing 9 months, to the excruciating labour pains, to the sleepless nights of milk feeding, to the first sounds of your child calling mum and dad, to sending them to school, teaching them the right values, showering them with all the love you have, giving them the best you can, which part of this process is easy? None! Furthermore, the kids are so young, and in no time, their lives are taken? Every now and then, the snippets of this accident pops up on my twitter and Facebook. The most heart wrenching picture is the picture of the parents collapsing on the floor hugging together, in tears. You don't have to be a mother or have a child to feel anything. Just think about it, what if the victims were someone you know, someone close to you?

Well, this accident actually highlighted many things. Firstly, it showed that how many Singaporeans are actually very concerned and affected by this accident, and their regards goes out to the family members of the victims as well. Now, who says Singaporeans are heartless and immoral? Secondly, it alerted us about road safety, be it cycling along the road or even simply walking across the road. I urge everybody reading this to please remember, when you cross the road, please take a good look about oncoming vehicles first before crossing and most importantly, do that look at your phone while crossing the roads. Thirdly, please be responsible drivers. I have not taken my driving test yet but I will definitely take it, so this incident actually reminds me of how dire the consequences are if I weren't responsible enough. Lastly, cherish and love the people around you, be it family members or friends. Knowing each other is a gift that the god has given you, but he is not in charge of helping you maintain. So everyone, please cherish. The things you have, the ones you love.

In this last paragraph, I would like to extend my condolences to the family members of the 2 boys and I hope they will get through this difficult phase of their lives soon. I am heartened to know through the media that they have received different forms of help, and I hope this will help them walk out of this dark time of their lives.