for the greater good.

As we quickly approach the New Year, I find myself looking back on 2008 and reflecting on all events - both good and bad that have transpired. I feel there’s really no better way to remember the passing of time than through pictures.

This year seemed to bring about a stormy upheaval, with more bad news than good. Natural disasters in a variety of forms - the devastating earthquake in China, hurricanes and wildfires buffeting the US and a continuous series of man-made disasters that rocked the world economic communities - flourished without relent.

It seemingly started with the sub-prime mortgage crisis, followed by a tsunami like ripple effect, causing havoc throughout the global financial industry. And if that wasn’t enough bad news, the web of global terrorism continued to widen its reach in new ways, on new frontiers.

While perhaps not all of this year’s events are framed by what I would consider truly iconic images, there are generally always pictures to serve as a visual reference and document the passing of time historically.

One picture that left a lasting impact on me was one from the earthquake in China. It’s actually a picture from the Sichuan earthquake that took place in August. Of all the pictures I looked at from the earthquake coverage, this one seemed to stand out while I was reading the news from straits times online which I'd like to share to all.
The picture shows a woman shielding a child, their bodies being unearthed in a fallen house by Chinese soldiers. The woman and child lie almost angelically in a red clay soil and the soldiers, dressed in red-clad camouflage carefully digging around them with their hands. The woman and child were apparently buried in falling debris inside a house during the quake.

I found the picture quite surreal really; it was almost like the soldiers were carefully unearthing a relic at archaeological site. I was touched by several elements of the pictures, the colour, the symmetry of the subjects and the message it conveyed. A woman shielding a child in harm’s way, only to end in vain was quite touching.

Let’s hope 2009 brings us on a happier note.