Sweet, sour and gloomy

My spotless driving record came to a shuddering halt on Saturday. Distracted by a long column of Harley Davidson motorbikes, thundering down the expressway, traffic slowed as drivers marvelled at the spectacle. Next thing I knew, the BMW in front of me braked and stopped. I stepped on my brakes, but my car still edged forward. The sickening sound of metal on metal jolted our senses for a second, as my car crunched against the BMW.

Both me and the other driver were very civil. I apologised, of course. We exchanged our contact details, snapped some photos of my broken bumper and his car's crushed rear bumper. Considering the fact that BMWs are robustly built, the damage caused by my SUV was rather severe.

Filled with self-recrimination of carelessness, I dread at the thought of receiving the bill for the car repairs.

It could have been worse. I was driving at a low speed. My wife and baby are fine. I could still drive back home.

Nonetheless, this accident soured my mood for the entire weekend.


A ray of joy did break through yesterday afternoon. Familiar faces, in the form of my Peer Leaders, helped to dispel the gloom somewhat. They made the long journey to my place, and I was glad to see them all. It was interesting to hear their stories, their lives, their grumbles about school, gossips about students and teachers. Really enjoyed the time with them. I would love to meet you all again.


Finally, the weekend was also a massive one, as far as sport was concerned, with the Australian Open men's final being competed yesterday evening. My wife and I were eagerly anticipating a Federer win over his nemesis Nadal.

The match took over 4 hours. But it was well worth watching, for both men (the top 2 players in the world) produced such sublime tennis that at times took our breath away.

Sadly, Nadal triumphed, again. Federer, the maestro and my favourite, will have to find another opportunity to defeat Nadal in the future.



I will have to lift up my spirits. Today, my wife will have the unenviable task of driving my broken Rav4 to the service centre. I hope all goes fine.


Next time, I will be even more careful when I drive.