Recalling September 11

9/11 as Terence recalls…
Without fail, for the last 7 years - at the same hour... I hear many people asking each other "Hey, do you recall where you were during the Sept 11 incident?"

As for me. Yes, I do, very much. Which is one of the reasons why I’m compelled to write this.

I recall very vividly, the Tuesday of September 11, 2001. It was almost 10pm (Malaysian time) . Somehow I managed to get a glimpse incident unfolding on TV. My first thoughts were “What a really cool movie!”, later I found out that others too shared the same view. But that thought didn’t last for long as my eyes fix on the three red letters ‘C-N-N’ on the TV screen.

The newscaster, Richard Quest (his name entrenched in my memory) said - "Today, will surely be recorded as one of the blackest day for the United States". My mind instantly traveled in rapid speed. Only God could decipher what was going through my mind.

"What's happening? Oh my... Deb! Deb! Oh... “ It triggered what would be a series of worry and turmoil. At that time and very second, Deb was in New York for an internship with Metro Ministries, the largest Sunday School in NYC started by Bill Wilson. Fear gripped me as my mind pranced to comprehend if she was alive or otherwise. My mind just couldn’t register that my best friend (now wife) was in the thick of all this. I tried calling over 10 times but to no avail.

I did not sleep that night. I remember my eyes being swollen from all the tears and constant prayer. The next morning I dragged myself to college, unable to concentrate, I remember staring blankly at the Math lecturer counting down the hours for the lecture to be over. The lecture finally ended and I pulled away from the crowd to attempt another try at reaching Deb in NYC. It failed. Phone lines were cut. I tried again. And again. No avail.
I felt helpless. All I wanted was to hear her voice to know that she's fine and well and of course...alive. But there was no way of getting through.

Finally, at 6pm (Malaysian time) on September 12, I finally got to her. A relief I can only describe in sobs and tears. It’s almost like waiting at the operation theatre or praying for the dead to come alive. The minute I heard her voice, I just broke down.

Till today when we speak about it, not to remember the tragedy but to treasure life even more. Deb tells me that all she could hear when she picked up the phone that morning were sobs and crying. Apparently I had woken her up from bed (6am, NYC time) and she till today it’s her most memorable wake-up call.

It’s been 7 years since. She returned from NYC the Christmas of 2001. It was an unspeakable joy!

Since then we graduated, started our careers and got married.

This is definitely one story we’d tell our children, grand children and hopefully great grandchildren.

I learnt many things out of 9/11. From politics to economics to social standing.
But one of the greatest lessons I learned from this is that unexpected situations elevate you to another level of relationship that transcends time and space. Today I’m married to the same girl I once cried for.

I have no regrets. Period.

9/11 as Deb recalls…
September 11 will always remain significant for me. Not only did Terence’s ‘wake-up call’ jolt me out of sleep, watching the Twin Towers crumble left an indelible mark in my life. CNN has stopped replaying the scenes of the plane hitting the second tower, but images of that unfolding flash across my mind occasionally when I think about September 11.

It was the second day of my internship and we were sitting around a huge meeting table with hot coffee and donuts in for breakfast. Midway through the briefing, we were abruptly interrupted by an urgent request to switch on the TV. We huddled around the box and watched in disbelief. Some gasped, most were silent. “What is happening? Isn’t that our twin towers?” That was the signal when all of us rushed up to the rooftop to see daytime nightmare unfold.

While Brooklyn and the greater NYC is known for its perpetual echoes of sirens and honks, in that moment the city froze to an absolute silence. I often describe it as a silent movie unreeling – not a very pleasant one. I watched the second plane bulldoze into then second tower. The first tower was puffing with smoke and in a matter of seconds the plane was no longer seen leaving the two towers looking like smoking chimneys.

My eyes were fixed on the towers, my mind almost completely blank. While it was silence where I stood, I soon learned that in downtown Manhattan was a complete chaos. In what seem like hours of staring, soon turned into and immediate halt. My heart lodged within me as the unimaginable took place. The tower crumbled down like a sandcastle leaving a cloud of white shiny dust. In that moment I desperately hope that time would turn back because only until then did I realized what had just happened.

The days following 9/11 were a solemn affair. The once pulsating city was in the state of fear. People from all walks of life gathered to console each other; night watches were set up all across the harbour overlooking the fallen towers. People met up in small groups and prayed for hours. Amidst the despair, I felt connected to the people, to New York. Maybe that’s why till this day, NYC has an exclusive place in my heart.

The pictures following are images I've captured, some created and kept to remind me of that season and time in my life.


The World Trade Center prominent from where I was - Battery Park, downtown Manhattan.


Deciding whether or not to go up the World Trade Center for a skyline view of NYC


I'm glad I bought the ticket. This was taken up on the World Trade Center. The view was spectacular. This was approximately a week and a half before 9/11.


Memorials lined the harbour overlooking the fallen towers


God bless America


A page from my scrapbook, dedicated to 9/11. If you look closely the images on the page mirrors those you see on CNN.


Finally, the true heroes of 9/11. Their lives is a testament of courage, hope and strength.