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Composer's Block.
Bitched on: Monday, December 03, 2007
Time: 12/03/2007 11:42:00 PM
Time: 12/03/2007 11:42:00 PM
"Closer and closer.On Reuben Kee's last blog entry (dated 21st November, just a couple of days before it happened).
I heard it today, and yesterday. Its getting worse.
What I feared so much, feels so good.
To not give a damn, to give in to it.
Maybe it preparation for going into unfamiliar territory. If anything would happen there, he would be able to ensure any threat would be nullified.
Its so hard to fight against instinct sometimes. Yet sometimes instinct is the only thing that will keep you alive. But it can also strip you of what makes you human.
This trip will be a fight in more ways than one.
The short talk I had with coach before disembarking worries me."
Instinct.
It wouldn't have failed him.
Labels: dragonboat tragedy
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So farewell...
Bitched on: Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Time: 11/28/2007 10:43:00 PM
Linkin Park- Shadow of the DayTime: 11/28/2007 10:43:00 PM
...and the sun will set for youI just feel that this song is so befitting to dedicate to you guys.
the sun will set for you
and the shadow of the day
will embrace the world in grey
and the sun will set for you
in cards and flowers on your window
your friends all plead for you to stay
sometimes beginnings aren't so simple
sometimes goodbye's the only way...
Here's to the guys who have been truly inspirational to all of us.
As long as there is air in my lungs, vision in my eyes and a beat in my heart, I will always make each day count.
Thank you for inspiring me to seize every moment in life now...
Thank you.
Labels: dragonboat tragedy
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What now...
Time: 11/28/2007 09:20:00 PM
Dragon boat tragedy: Survivors back in S'pore
Dragon boat deaths: Shock, sorrow for family and friends
Dragon boat tragedy: Survivor speaks
Joint funeral service for rowers
More Pictures
Alternatively, see videos here.
-Links and picture courtesy of the Straits Times, Video News. 28th November 2007
The bodies of the 5 dragonboaters (sons, brothers, friends and inspiration) will be cremated at Mandai Crematorium Hall 4 tomorrow afternoon.
Labels: dragonboat tragedy
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What happened...
Bitched on: Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Time: 11/27/2007 04:53:00 PM
Time: 11/27/2007 04:53:00 PM
"... why the boat capsized. About 50 m away from where they were supposed to dock, their boat was passing by a pontoon when it swerved towards it and collided with a tugboat near the pontoon.
It also hit the pontoon, which is the size of a basketball court.
According to witnesses, a sudden swirling wave hit the boat and pushed it towards the pontoon. The boat tilted to the right.
The collision caused the 500kg boat to spin towards the pontoon. As it was about to hit the pontoon, the rowers tried to use their hands to push against it...
... But in doing so, they pushed the dragon boat downwards causing water to enter. That eventually made the boat sink...
... Some rowers (were) caught in strong undercurrent, (and) dragged under the pontoon...
... While family members have questioned why the rowers were not wearing life jackets, it appears that they might not have made a difference if the victims were dragged under the pontoon...
... It is understood the five victims were seated in front of the boat...
... A Cambodian official said that boats taking part in the Tonle Sap races had been warned about strong currents and swirling waters on one side of the river...
... said that the Singapore team had been warned not to approach a pontoon on that side of the river...
... the pontoon forces the water to flow sideways, making the area near the corners dangerous.
That was where the Singaporean team's dragon boat made the fatal spin."
-The New Paper, 27th Nov 2007
I am really disturbed and deeply saddened by this.
Not sure why, not that I knew any of them (well, two of the deceased dragon boaters were my friend's close friends...).
Just that, since my Dad's heart attack, I'm just suddenly feeling the realness and certainty of dying and death... Never thought of Death much but like all of the sudden, I just think its so real... you know?
Sounds ridiculous, I know...
The thought of losing a loved one, the thought of leaving your loved ones when you pass on... Its so tragic... and real... I mean, it will happen eventually, no? Just that you don't know when...
I was feeling all kinds of emotions when my Daddy was going through the surgery.
Fear. Misery. Hopelessness. Worry. And yes, regret...
The families and friends of the deceased must be feeling exactly the same emotional turmoil before rescuers found them...
And after they found the bodies, one by one pulled out from the waters, add to their whirlpool of emotions (pun honestly not intended), grief...
It must have been extremely hard to identify their bodies in the morgue, maybe not physically, but emotionally, it must have been really tormenting...
Doesn't matter how much you run or gym, or watch your diet, if a car knocks you down tomorrow or your plane crashes tonight (*touch wood*), you will be gone just like that...
Sigh...
I just feel so sorry for the families, the surviving dragon boaters and friends...
Other Links:
A blog in memory of Jeremy Goh
Reuben Kee's Friendster profile
Home to Reuben Kee's music
Reuben Kee’s blog
(so touching, I was close to tears...
though I don't know you guys personally, you are surely missed by your friends, bros...)
Labels: dragonboat tragedy
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A great tragedy...
Bitched on: Sunday, November 25, 2007
Time: 11/25/2007 07:51:00 PM
Time: 11/25/2007 07:51:00 PM
"Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of five Singaporean men who were killed in a dragon boat accident during Cambodia's annual water festival, police said Sunday.The boat carrying 22 men capsized late Friday as it tried to dock on Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap river after competing in a race during the festival.More than 200 Cambodian navy sailors and fishermen, joined by seven divers and a medic from Singapore, scoured the river over the weekend searching for the five."All the missing Singaporeans were found, and now the mission has ended," police chief Touch Naruth told reporters on Sunday.Seventeen Singaporeans were also injured in the accident, which happened on the first day of races. Millions of spectators, holiday-makers and participants flock to the capital Phnom Penh to watch the event.Nhim Vanda, from Cambodia's National Committee for Disaster Management, said the tragedy occurred because of currents in the river."There was a very strong whirlpool around the port area they were returning to, and it hit the boat," he said, adding that the men were not wearing life jackets.Singapore's foreign ministry said in a statement that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had written to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to convey his "shock and sadness."Relatives of the dead visited the site of the accident late Saturday, with most unable to hold the tears back as they silently surveyed the river where their loved ones had been swept away.More than 440 boats, including a number of foreign crews, entered this year's races, which end Sunday evening. Ten nations in Southeast Asia have boats competing in the colourful event.Accidents are common during the boat races, which involve long, thin "dragon boats" crewed by as many as 70 rowers, which compete against each other in the sometimes choppy waters in front of Phnom Penh's royal palace. — AFP"Mr Mr Joey Paraiso, an eyewitness to the tragedy recounted what he saw:
A snippet from The Sunday Times:"What I witnessed was the Singaporean team had already finished the race and was starting back to the point......for them to disembark.
"Unfortunately, during the time team players (were) getting off from the boat, the boat suddenly shook off and overturned. It happened so quickly."
He added: "The remaining players, the Singapore rowers, one by one floated and saved themselves and there were some railings that they were able to hold on.....
"All the players, I guess, were a little over—fatigued so they were not able to swim normally, so they just looked for something to hang on and the current was so strong."— CNA/ir
"Instead of waiting for a boat to tow them back, the team had decided to row towards shore themselves.God giveth (life), God taketh (it) away...
When they were close to shore, a wave hit them, causing the boat to collide with a pontoon and overturn. Team members were sucked under the pontoon. Seventeen racers surfaced and five did not...
... It is believed that a combination of strong currents and fatigue after the race could play a part in the likely drowning of the five men. They could also have been knocked unconscious when the 500kg boat capsized in the 9m-deep water.
The racers were not wearing life jackets.
One survivor who declined to be named said the team panicked under water and the current was pushing them down, so they all kicked their way upwards. He was treated for bruises on his face." -TST
My deepest condolences to the families and friends of:
- Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31 (NJC PE teacher, 23rd SEA Games representative)
- Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiang, 24 (2nd-year student SIM, youngest of three children)
- Mr Poh Boon San, 27 (Engineer, youngest of three children)
- Mr Reuben Kee, 23 (Music composer, Mr Singapore 2007, only child)
- Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20 (older of 2 sons)
More reports here:
Eyewitness account of Singapore dragon boat accident in Cambodia (Channel NewsAsia via Yahoo! Singapore News) SINGAPORE: A Channel NewsAsia viewer who was at the scene of the dragon boat accident in Cambodia on Friday evening gave an eyewitness account.
Dragon boat racers presumed drowned in Cambodia: police (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Five Singaporeans who took part in a dragon boat race in Cambodia are presumed drowned when their boat capsized, police said on Saturday.
Search on for missing dragon boat racers (Gulf Times)
SINGAPORE: The military is deploying a team to help in the search for five Singaporeans missing and feared drowned after their dragon boat capsized during Cambodia's water festival river races, officials said yesterday.
Singapore to help search for five missing dragon-boat racers (EARTHtimes.org)
Singapore - The military is deploying a team to help in the search for five Singaporeans missing and feared drowned after their dragon boat capsized during Cambodia's water festival river races, officials said on Saturday. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long...
Singaporeans found dead after Cambodia boat accident: police (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of five Singaporean men who were killed in a dragon boat accident during Cambodia's annual water festival, police said Sunday.
Bodies found after boat race accident in Cambodia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of five Singaporean men who were killed in a dragon boat accident during Cambodia's annual water festival.
Bodies of two Singaporean rowers found after accident in Cambodia (Channel NewsAsia via Yahoo! Singapore News)
SINGAPORE: The bodies of two Singaporean rowers who went missing after their dragon boat capsized in an accident in Cambodia have been found.
Bodies of two S'porean rowers found after accident in Cambodia (Channel NewsAsia)
SINGAPORE: The bodies of two Singaporean rowers who went missing after their dragon boat capsized in an accident in Cambodia have been found. Three more Singaporean rowers remain missing.
Singaporeans found dead after Cambodia boat accident: police (TODAYonline)
A traditional dragon boat. Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of five Singaporean men who were killed in a dragon boat accident during Cambodia's annual water festival, police said Sunday.
Five bodies found in Cambodia after boating accident (Channel NewsAsia via Yahoo! Singapore News)
SINGAPORE: Five bodies were recovered from the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh on Sunday morning, following an accident involving a Singapore dragon boat team.
Labels: dragonboat tragedy
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