A very near miss…

Life is fragile and unpredictable –  we are all aware of it, but when one is directly involved in a very near miss, I’m sure some people will feel they have been given a second chance and they generally become better people, certainly not as petty as they were before. I’m referring to the very near miss over Ukraine air space for SQ 351 which was just minutes behind MH17 when the latter was shot out of the sky!

Wonder who those in SQ 351 were and wonder if the knowledge that they had a very, very,  narrow escape affected them deeply in some ways.  Often it takes a close brush with the grim reaper to effect a real change for the better in a person.

Just reflecting, after reading the revelation that SQ was just 90 km behind MH and with *“The Road Not Taken” in mind.

*The Road Not Taken by R Frost

Author: Jassmine Teo

I came to know about the SHC from eNN (Seng Kang). My interests are varied. I write on the forum regularly to improve my writing. In my autumn years, my priority is voluntary service. Hope to meet like-minded people and help initiate a programme/project for the disabled like the hearing impaired.

11 thoughts on “A very near miss…”

  1. “Was the Very Near Miss” incident predestined?
    Or was it avoidable? Many other airlines like
    Qantas, Cathay Pacific had stopped using this route long before the shooting
    down of MH 17.
    It was a big gamble not to take precautionary measures when so much was at
    stake.

  2. Indeed. Life is fragile. Read a book called “Death Defier” many years ago which is about defying death. It is about the challenges to live to a ripe old age by avoiding dangerous incidents and accidents. There are situation beyond our control when our lives is in the hand of others especially on a flight. There also many that are within our control where we do have a choice. Recounting the rash acts which would have paralyse me if not costing my life eg, jumping into the sea 45 meter from an anchored ship, diving into a 4 deg C lake in Canada in my youth and more silly danger acts.

    Those close calls and the book was a wake up call to value life. Also must appreciate Health, Safety and Environmental culture are taken more seriously in Singapore than many other countries. Lives losses are reported daily in the Gaza war, Yunnan earthqauke, Ukraine. We should not be numbed to the news and numbers but reflect and count our blessings.

    Say thank ( to the Creator or to yourself if you dont believe in the creator) every morning when you get to see the sun rises.

    Leon

  3. Hi Leon
    The book “Death Defier” which you read – googled it but didn’t seem to match your description. Do you happen to have the author’s name?
    Thanks & Regards
    Caroline

  4. Hi Robert
    The Minister for transport gave two valid reasons for SQ flying over Ukraine. In the absence of Scientific evidence to prove otherwise, I believe Man’s destiny is fated/predestined.
    *Two airlines flew the same route, and i
    I chose the later flight over the Ukraine sky,
    And that has made all the difference.
    *adapted from The Road Not Taken by R Frost.

    Hi Leon
    The ‘rash acts’ are only rash in retrospect. The young take risks – it’s difficult to stop them. But when they are older they’ll admit they were rather reckless. lol!

  5. Caroline,
    I dont remember the author. I picked the book at MPH store near the old Capitol cinema at least more than 20 years ago. May be out of publication by now. The situations detailed in it during the era are different from now but the principles remain relevant like avoiding substance abuse, acoholism, dangerous sports like scuba diving or sky diving etc. How to spot dangers.

    Jasmine,
    You are so right. I think all of us are a bit like in the HK movie ” Young and Restless”
    in our youth. We only have ourselves to live for then even though we have parents. When stakes are higher like having your own family, we realize we cannot live like that when we have dependents. Just grateful that we survived those rash acts.

    Those acts by itself is a great lesson in life later on especially in risk taking decison of different kinds.
    “The greatest risk in investment is not taking risk at all. For risk cannot be eliminated but can be managed or minimized”
    I think that statement can be applied in many area like sport or even marriage . lol!.

    Leon

  6. “The greatest risk in investment is not taking any risk!”

    Read any good book on investment and you may come across the above quote; but is it universally true?

    At this moment when interest rates are at all-time lows and property prices are at all-time highs (at least in Singapore) and inflation has soared (don’t care what the statistics say: just look at the price of a cup of coffee)…what is a retiree to do?

    There is a case for being in cash or holding a larger portion in liquid funds especially in the current situation where the market may be taking a breather after its recent climb. The bets are still on both sides with a slight bias on the bear’s side.

    Everyone is an investment guru when the market is trending up strongly; every investment is a sure thing…but what happens when…? No one likes to talk about losses but everyone trumpets his wins!

    I am not providing any answers but I’m just highlighting the problems and differences between individuals in their investment approach. And yes, risks can be managed or minimized: but that will be another story.

  7. Hi Jasmine
    “The greatest risk in ———. For risks cannot be eliminated but can be managed or minimised”.
    The Transport Minister said there were no flight restrictions above 32,000 feet—–at the time. He also said: “No national authorities, no regional bodies nor ICAO has provided any advisories to avoid that part of the Ukrainian airspace.”
    What were the reliability of the advisories. The government forces were fighting a war with the Russian-backed rebels.
    The authorities have no control over the rebels and they do not know what the
    rebels would do.
    At the time of downing the MH 17 with SAM, SIA plane was 90km (<10 mins flying time) away from the shooting. This was too close for taking such a chance.
    Risks cannot be eliminated but can be managed or minimised.
    Then why SIA had not minimised the risks by following other airlines like Cathay Pacific and British Airways which had avoided using this route long before.
    Any of the two planes that were near to MH17 had the same chance of being targeted, which was 1 out of 3. Compared with TOTO draw the chance is 1 out of 8,145,060. In spite of the extremely slim chance, yet there are many hopefuls who gamble in the game.

  8. Hi Leon
    Agree. Count our blessings and be grateful. :)

    Hi Kenneth
    “What can a retiree do” when the investment climate is so unfavourable and there’s “a case for being in cash” – so go into hibernation and wait for the unfavourable climate to blow over before sticking the neck out again! And while hibernating, drink Aik Cheong kopi-o. It’s so much cheaper and just as strong as the one sold outside. lol! :)

  9. Hi Robert
    According to the Minister, the airlines that avoided Ukraine pre -MH 17, except for BA, do not need to use Ukraine airspace. While BA avoids Ukraine, it continues to fly over Iraq – another area of conflict that many airlines are avoiding.
    I think the Minister had a difficult time weighing the risk and took a calculated risk to continue using Ukraine airspace.

  10. Hi Jasmine,
    Yes, the few airlines which chose the route over war-ravaged Ukraine took a calculated risk but the consequent action taken might not be the most prudent.
    According to a leading news agency (ANI): “The shortcut that the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 took before it was shot down over Ukraine reportedly saved the Airlines 28,000 dollars——–.”
    It was not established that MAS mainly based on this consideration in its
    calculation of risks.

  11. Kenneth

    You are truly passionate about investing; I applaud that as I am too.
    Indeed, if one is retired and living off one’s savings, if you want to have a comfortable retirement, your savings must be sufficiently large.
    Otherwise, I think there is indeed risk in not investing. This is because your spending has to be constrained (after a lifetime of slogging, I think life will be miserable if one has to continuously count the pennies in retirement) so that your savings can last for the rest of your life (remember, there is no more income, zilch). If like me, you forget to buy health insurance when you are working and healthy, the situation may become more dire. I woke up to this after I retired at 55 (forced retirement) and health problems began to crop up (ha!ha!).
    Nowadays, it seems to me that gurus are making “investing” more difficult
    than what it ought to be. Is it because they want us to take their courses?
    I never believe in paying large sums of money for courses.
    The knowledge is out there, free for the taking if you are just interested.

    Just a short response triggered by your comment that “the greatest risk in investment is not taking any risk.” I subscribe to this.

    Thanks again for your talk on Options – many things I can learn from you.

    sb

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