One would think that having been the Chairperson of the Safety and Wellness committee and the Department rep for KLOSHC during my Exxon days, I’d have safety drilled into my head. I guess after 5 years of not being in that safety mindset, and no serious injuries, I became complacent and careless. My priority at that moment was to take a shot of Justina’s beautiful eyes. The bride is tall and so, I decided to climb on a stool to take the shot. All was well until the stool slipped and I fell. My first reaction was to keep my right hand, which was holding the camera, up, together with my left hip, where my shoot sac was slung over. And so my natural instinct was to hold my entire weight, plus my camera and flash and other lenses, using my left palm. My palm did support the fall but that also meant my elbow taking the bulk of the hit. I felt a sharp pain in my elbows and felt faint, probably from the pain and shock. After some icing and bandaids, I thought I’d be a trooper and was ready to get back into action! When I realized I couldn’t even lift my phone, I realized it was a lot worst than expected. The doc on duty at the A&E ward that night took an X-ray and said results show no fractures nor broken bones, thankfully! The Dr at the Emergency ward said it was my soft tissue that was inflamed and I required 1 week of no straining my left hand. The next day, the pain got worst, the swelling got bigger and the movement of my arm became more rigid.

I just got back from seeing Dr Chin, an Orthopedic and he noticed a small fracture on my elbow joint. I’m sitting at my desk, typing with one hand. The other, is in a cast, one that I must leave on for 3 weeks! Which means, no driving, no shooting, no jogging, no fun. And when I asked the doc how do I shower with it on, he jokingly said that doesn’t come in the manual! Guess I’ll have to figure that one out myself!

Despite the pain, immobility and 3 weeks of inconvenience, I’m just glad and very thankful that it’s nothing more serious and am super thankful it’s my left arm, not my right! (I’m right-handed!) And I take this as a good lesson learned – to practice safety, first and foremost, no matter how badly you want to get that perfect shot, losing capability of any of your limbs is certainly not worth it. Having struggled to do almost everything with one hand for the past 2 days, I feel blessed and can completely emphathize with those who are less fortunate.

I believe in cause & effect and although I’m in much discomfort, I think this lesson has effected greater learning and awareness. Looks like Safety didn’t leave the building when I left Exxon. And here’s to all my fellow photographers… Pls be careful at shoots! Put your safety first before any shot. I’ve learned that an injured wedding photographer is a useless one!

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and wishes! BIG THANKS to BIG MING for taking good care of me and for the (ahem!) next 3 weeks of extra TLC!

Remember guys, SAFETY FIRST, wherever you are!

The Standard Chartered Marathon was held in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday. Ming & I and quite a number of my friends took part in the 10km race. This was my 2nd time taking part in a 10km run and this time, I ran “For a Cause” and managed to raise RM2293 for the Malaysian Association for the Blind. I finished in 1hour and 16 mins on my clock but I’m anxious to find out my time clocked on their watch! Unfortunately, their results link is “temporarily suspended due to high traffic”. Boohoo!

A big THANK YOU to Daren, Calvin, Susan, Bruce, Daniel, Cat, Wee Fan, Sow Ling, Juliet, Jocelyn & Jinh, Kim, Ming, Chai Seng,  Robin, Karen, Emily, Nancy, David, Alex, Zaidah, Christopher, Duke, Mark and Koh for their generous donations and support for my run!!! Appreciate it y’all!!!!

My deepest condolences goes out to the family and friends of Lim Wei Yee who passed away during the 10km race. I hope this would be a lesson to all future organizers to take more responsibility in making sure all aspects of the race, especially medical help which is one of the most crucial in any sports events. Let this also be a learning lesson to all runners – that it’s also important to know yourself, and be prepared for the run, not to over-exert oneself and to know when to stop if your body tells you to. David posted a good and very relevant article here. I am most disappointed with the 3 city hall officers nearby who had no sense of urgency to help during the incident. This is so typical of our local authorities – the “Tidak apa” attitude. (The other day, we noticed 2 blind people trying to cross the street at Petaling St and two officers who were on duty, standing about 5 feet away, just looked on and didn’t bother to help. It totally pisses me off!!! Our local police force is useless and lazy.)

Click here to read a firsthand account of someone who helped Lim during the incident. The Star also reported it here.

Here are some photos of the race, thanks to David!

Bling Bling Ming

And here are some photos with my trusty iPhone!

Before

After

I’ve just signed up for the Standard Chartered 10km “Run For a Cause” Marathon! I need to raise a minimum of RM500 before June 1 but of course, with your help, I’m hoping to raise more! I will be running for the Malaysia Association for the Blind. Donations can be made via credit card or e-banking. Pls click here to help me raise some money for charity! Please donate before June 1.

Thank you for your help & support! Pls share this link with your friends too!

I turned 29 last Sunday and it feels a little weird, this being my last year of my twenties. Age is just a number but I’m gonna make everyday of this year count. I’m gonna make it great! I am truly touched by everyone who came to celebrate my birthday countdown with me, especially my friends Cat, Juliet, Adrian, Nancy and Lawrence who came from S’pore just for the weekend, and my guest of honor, James Pai who flew all the way in from the US just to celebrate the night with me! (He flew off the next day to S’pore for work). Not forgetting my dear friends Bruce & Hsuan who sorted out the party guest list, Sean & Yang who drove from Penang, and of course, needless to say, Ming who organized and coordinated my birthday dinner, cake, party favors and the lovely surprise flowers!!!

To everyone who came: THANK YOU for making the night so special! LOVE y’all!!!!

In conjunction with celebrating my new age, the new face of fifoto.com was launched last weekend! After almost a year of working on our new site, we finally went live! I’m excited to present some screens shots of our new website but do check it out for yourself, explore our virtual galleries and tell us what you think of our new look!