Yesterday morning Southeast Asia (specifically Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Burma), Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Somalia experienced one of the most powerful earthquakes in history with a magnitude of 9.0 in the Richter Scale. As of this posting, more than 12,000 people have been reported dead, many are still missing. This is the first time I have learned of an earthquake being experienced across countries – a real natural disaster regional in scope.
In view of the fact that this earthquake is the strongest in 40 years, this is the most powerful earthquake I have felt since my existence. Living in the 16th floor of an 18-storey building here in Malaysia, the tremor felt in the country was truly nerve-wracking. You could feel the building swaying. I was still sleeping when the earthquake happened. The tremor woke me up. Initially, I thought I was just dizzy. Knowing that Malaysia is not within the ring of fire, I even doubted the engineering of our building as I was reminded of the building that collapsed in Divisoria, Manila due to poor and corrupt construction about five months ago. But this thinking could be absurd as Malaysia is reputable in being stringent in building infrastructures (I am however not undermining the issue of corruption also prevalent in the country). Now I realize that this dubious thought was a by-product of my Philippine upbringing.
I used to think of the Philippines as a stressful nation. But now, I have realized it is also a traumatic society – with its street crimes, its inefficient infrastructures built on corruption, and its natural disasters aggravated by man-made disastrous egoism.
Meanwhile, my deepest sympathy goes to the bereaved families and nations of those who have untimely died. I am in solidarity with them in calling for a much more cooperative, humane and caring world especially at this moment of natural crisis.
In view of the fact that this earthquake is the strongest in 40 years, this is the most powerful earthquake I have felt since my existence. Living in the 16th floor of an 18-storey building here in Malaysia, the tremor felt in the country was truly nerve-wracking. You could feel the building swaying. I was still sleeping when the earthquake happened. The tremor woke me up. Initially, I thought I was just dizzy. Knowing that Malaysia is not within the ring of fire, I even doubted the engineering of our building as I was reminded of the building that collapsed in Divisoria, Manila due to poor and corrupt construction about five months ago. But this thinking could be absurd as Malaysia is reputable in being stringent in building infrastructures (I am however not undermining the issue of corruption also prevalent in the country). Now I realize that this dubious thought was a by-product of my Philippine upbringing.
I used to think of the Philippines as a stressful nation. But now, I have realized it is also a traumatic society – with its street crimes, its inefficient infrastructures built on corruption, and its natural disasters aggravated by man-made disastrous egoism.
Meanwhile, my deepest sympathy goes to the bereaved families and nations of those who have untimely died. I am in solidarity with them in calling for a much more cooperative, humane and caring world especially at this moment of natural crisis.
4 comments:
When you said:
I used to think of the Philippines as a stressful nation. But now, I have realized it is also a traumatic society – with its street crimes, its inefficient infrastructures built on corruption, and its natural disasters aggravated by man-made disastrous egoism.
doesn't it betray your kind of of character? Tell me which country (start thinking from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe) or 'society' is spared of street crimes, inefficent structures, etc.
By the way, and what is a traumatic society? I bet you didn't see your dictionary first before coining a new type of society. Trauma may refer, basically, to an experience or an emotional state.
--armando liwanagin
When you said:
I used to think of the Philippines as a stressful nation. But now, I have realized it is also a traumatic society – with its street crimes, its inefficient infrastructures built on corruption, and its natural disasters aggravated by man-made disastrous egoism.
doesn't it betray your kind of of character? Tell me which country (start thinking from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe) or 'society' is spared of street crimes, inefficent structures, etc.
By the way, and what is a traumatic society? I bet you didn't see your dictionary first before coining a new type of society. Trauma may refer, basically, to an experience or an emotional state.
--armando liwanagin
> Glad to hear that you're fine.. Just actually heard
> of the news already late in the afternoon in CNN.
> The earthquake was really devastating considering
> its after effects causing tidal waves in the
> countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.
>
> Oh well, there's been lots of disasters we've
> experienced lately. There's the three typhoons
> stricking the Aurora and Quezon provinces. Floods
> should have not happened if not because of illegal
> logging. Things worsened because of man's cruelty to
> nature.
>
> Not like the earthquake in Indonesia and the
> tsunamis experienced in the nearby countries, these
> are natural catastrophies. But nevertheless, it's
> still sad cause it took lives of thousand of people.
>
>
> Jonjon is actually predicting that probably next
> year, another volcano is going to erupt. Remember
> what happened in the early 90's? After the July 1990
> earthquake came the Pinatubo eruption in 1991.
>
> Well, it's not really wishing for another bad thing
> to happen but we just always have to prepare
> ourselves and trust our Creator.
>
> By the way, you're in the 16th floor of an 18 storey
> building, right? Did you take the stairs going down
> the building or going up? You should have gone up
> because it's safer there. You just don't know if the
> building is going to collapse. :)
>
> Just take care always, ok.
>
> Happy New Year!
- Melynn
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