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SOMETIME earlier this year after reading that Singapore would host APEC and President Obama, I was determined to get myself involved in one way or another. As the months went by it was always at the back of my head – How can I photograph it since I’m a freelance photographer and the wires would definitely have no space for newbies to be in the thick of action.

Sometime in late August, I received a phonecall from S. S was one of those people I knew online from my teenage blogging years. Although we hardly ever had a face-to-face conversation, she always lurked in the background with utmost support for what I do. It was also thanks to S that I got to represent Singapore at the ASEAN Youth camp in 2008. This time round, she had connections to an official photography job for the APEC Business Advisory Council dialogue meetings – on condition that I had to pull together four other photographers and work around the allocated budget.

I was absolutely thrilled. Managed to round up four other guys and grew progresively excited as the whole country went into full preparation mode to welcome the APEC delegates and leaders. I was especially excited to see Obama, Arroyo and Hu Jintao up close and personal, without having to jostle with the other media. Alas on the morning of the assignment, the papers reported that Obama’s flight was delayed and he would miss the dialogue session. Damn! Huge disappoinment there.

Still, it was a very privileged experience to have official access to photograph these world leaders. I was trying to reconcile the preconceived ideas I had about them — These people were on the papers 24/7. I grew up watching some of them on CNN. Their words moved markets, their policies moved people. They were loved, hated, respected, shamed.

And at some point while trying to avoid getting shoved by Hu Jintao’s bodyguards and chasing Abhisit before he vanished into the crowd, it struck me that these prime ministers and presidents were mere human (with an unimaginable great weight on their shoulders). Suddenly my camera bag didn’t seem that heavy anymore.