Red dots in a dark sky,

as viewed from a little red dot of an island.

Phases of the Lunar Eclipse this morning, The Straits Times

–

Another thing in our night sky this morning was Mars.

It was in opposition, a term used when two planets/celestial bodies are on opposite sides of another planet/celestial body. Usually, that means Earth, because it’s the main place where humans observe from.

So it would go something like Sun/Earth/Mars.

There were clear skies last night, lovely for sky watching. It’s a little hard to star gaze in Singapore’s urban areas, the surrounding light just makes it pretty hard.

Some nights though, we can see stars even in urban areas, but all things factored in, few.

Mars being in opposition happens every 15-17 years, but even then, it can’t always be observed in Singapore.

Which is why this morning was pretty lucky, getting both Mars and a lunar eclipse on the same morning – lovely.

But if we were to compare these two events, Mars in opposition is rarer, though total lunar eclipses are rare as well.

For most of the 11 – 2 am period I was trying to take pictures of Mars, at the peak of Mars, still, it was a far from satisfactory picture though I guess I should have gotten out a telephoto lens and used that tripod but I couldn’t find the accompanying base plate.

Also didn’t have batteries in the house and couldn’t use my remote trigger, so clicking a shot shook the camera body and caused blurring. Learning point: Prepare better next time.

–

That was the little adventure I had this morning.

–

A curious observation I made last night also has to do with a couple of taxis.

From my photo-taking place, I was also overlooking a small road joining up to a larger one. This small road has a sensor built into the ground, so the traffic lights don’t change automatically by timing like most of the roads we’re used to.

There are three taxis I’d like to talk about, and how the situations for each of them were different.

The first taxi arrived when the light was red for it, but it was an anxious taxi driver and overshot the solid white line meant for cars, it’s front wheels already in the pedestrian crossing.

That sensor is one car’s length behind the solid white line.

As you can imagine, the taxi was stuck there for a couple of minutes. If there was a passenger inside rushing the taxi driver… the passenger was probably later than expected to arrive at their destination.

What happened next? The taxi reversed, the light changed a second after, and the taxi rushed off.

I was thinking as I watched, “Would the taxi go against the red light and just drive off?”

In the end, the taxi didn’t. That’s taxi number one.

The second one arrived a couple seconds after the light for the small road changed back to red – too late to have seen it was green before, but there to see it.

There weren’t any cars on the main road, this taxi was in the perfect spot to trigger the sensor. But there is a timer for that sensor, it can’t be triggered immediately one time after another.

It didn’t trigger for that taxi, so the taxi backed up a little more, and waited. The light flipped maybe 30 seconds later, and the taxi went off.

So taxi number 2 knew what he was doing, knew the mechanism, but, didn’t get it quite so perfectly because of the taxi that came before him

Lastly, taxi 3.

That one arrived minutes after the second one, the sensor had reset.

It stopped in the perfect place to trigger the sensor, the sensor triggered in seconds and, that taxi went off.

There’s a learning point from these taxis I drew. Sometimes you might prepare and know your things. But the situation isn’t made perfectly for you. In cases like that, things don’t go right all the time.

Then you question if you prepared well enough or if something is wrong or if…

Nevermind.

–

I’m going for a first aid course soon, but this is physical first aid.

Someday I would like to teach people about emotional first aid and how to care for people and why people think differently at different times.

I guess that means I’m just in the wrong stream, huh.

…

I was thinking about regret and rumination,

speaking with friends, contemplation.

But no words were passed,

only the lines were crossed and

I forgot again.

–

They were reflecting on pain and longing,

reflection with their words and expressions,

But no actions were taken,

only their love was stolen and

They were sad again.

–

These aren’t my friends. Not now, not yet, not… ever I hope.

But I was thinking.

In seeing the pursuers and the pursued, I thought my friends who didn’t pursue but might want to were cute.

But when the pursued do not want to be pursued the pursuit stops being cute.

I am not sure if I could discourage my friends from doing their pursuit if that is what they believe will make them happy.

I would probably try, but how would I know that the person they pursue is uncomfortable?

I often advocate for honesty and openness but being on the receiving end, I think I need that openness and honesty more.

It gets harder to hint stronger and stronger without breaking off a relationship as it is and I feel terrible after that.

Let’s stay friends, please understand and think more into what people are trying to say and I accept that I need to work on this too.

If this is how people feel when I press unheedingly, then I will stop, because, I don’t like this at all.

Not when the asker is doing it for their own sake. That’s a moral judgement.

But if someone pushes back so violently, stop.

Obviously, it doesn’t work.

I don’t mind if you paggro me after.

I don’t mind if we can’t be friends after, but that option is not mine.

I can’t want to keep you as a friend more than I want to avoid you when I don’t appreciate those actions.

–

( I don’t like it.

I don’t like how when people are defensive and they are forced to prioritise themselves they end up hurting people.

I hate doing it.

But I can’t help it either.

I won’t be hurt for people who aren’t important enough to be,

that is my judgement. )

 

Before they hurt you,

measure up that person on a stick,

Who have they been to you,

How have they treated you,

How do they see you

and…

why did they hurt you?

 

After they hurt you,

that’s about it,

a test of how much you trust or value that person and the

verdict

is:

not enough.

 

 

 

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