Big Quake

Didn't know Taiwan had a few earthquake as bad as 6.7 on the richter scale. It broke 5 cables under the sea and disrupted the internet access at work today. Not knowing, I even called IT dept up to ask why they had blocked access to all the public email sites.

On the taiwan cable news, one poor old lady lost 8 members of her family in the crumble. Quite terrible. The cctv recordings show very violent shakings. It is scary Taiwan lies along the cracks of the plates. Isn't it strange that catastrophes have been happening on boxing day?

I can still recall the last quake I experienced at home. How long ago was that? I amnot sure now. It feels quite recent. I was in the middle of a shower then. In those terrifying moments, I was caught in the dilemma whether to run out in suds half-naked or continue to rinse off and dress properly. In the end, modesty and hygiene won. Was it fear of embarassment won over fear of death, or simply the practical mind concluded either choice made no difference since I live on a high floor. Fortunately in that case, all was more alarm than danger and I suffered nothing more than a comic experience. Still, those flitting feelings of terror reminded me of how fragile we are under the wrath of nature.

One sister gave some tips to keep in mind in the event of a quake:
- doors go out of shape and can block escape. Open all your doors even if you decide to stay put indoors.
- draw your curtains to block glass that shoots out during shattering.
- bring a pillow along to shield yourself from falling debris

They are new to me. There's probably more. The only one I know is to hide under the desk.