In Memory of Nancy Pribonic

A tragedy occurred in the Flickr community yesterday. Flickr member, Nancy Pribonic had passed away, knocked down by a drunken driver. I learned of the sad news when my Thai sister, Namtip, a Flickr member, informed me after she was told by her Flickr friend, Ed_X. Namtip was shocked upon learning of the tragic accident because she was putting comments in Nancy's pics when it happened. I wrote to Ed & he confirmed Nancy's sad fate, writing back to me half an hour before his flight to attend Nancy's funeral. Nancy was a special friend to Ed in Flickr. He was on the phone with her 15 ~ 20 minutes before the accident happened. The police called Ed to check for Nancy's info as his was her last received call.

A few years ago, I joined Flickr & it's a wonderful community. I'd made a number of good friends & even acquired a sister. We had lots of fun exchanging comments in each other pics & even running photo groups. In Flickr, we always try to help & support each other. Isn't that what friends are for? I am not exactly a photographer, only using a little point & shoot. Nevertheless, my Flickr friends always have nice comments and/or encouragements for my works. Bless their soul! I really appreciated their kind words. Here are some of my closest friends & sister in Flickr:

Namtip(My Thai sister)
PBCB
Teban
Sɧαŋŋα
Tata aka Ting Hay
Bob
Ken

My apologies if I didn't list some of you guys coz it's simply not possible to as currently, I've nearly 900 contacts in Flickr.

Even though Nancy is not in my contact list, I can relate to her as she's a fellow member of the Flickr community. By looking at her works & comments in pics by others, including Namtip's, she is a nice, decent & talented person. She is so young, so lovely with so much potentials in life. Before her untimely death, Nancy had a bright future, attending law school & modeled to pay for her education. It's such a pity I didn't get to know her earlier. Wish I did. =(

This needless lost reflected the fact that accidents do not happen, stupidity does! I had hesitation in putting this up, but I'm so angry at that idiotic irresponsible driver & so sadden by the lost of an innocent. Why is it that it's almost always that the innocents suffer & those stupid showoff jerks behind a vehicle, a deadly weapon, get away harmless? How can people be so irresponsible & how many times must they be reminded not to drink & drive! If you harm yourself when you're irresponsible, I don't give a damn, but please please do not harm others!
Please pardon my rant, but life is so unfair sometimes! But there's only so much one can do... to stop the tide of darkness & stupidity. This also reminded us how life is so previous. The light seems to be dimmer without Nancy's bright presence. It's a sad day for me in Flickr. She will be dearly missed. =(

This pic is specially dedicated to Nancy Pribonic in remembrance.


My deepest sympathies & sincerest condolences go to her family & all those who know her.
May her soul rest in peace. 27th April 2009