My colleague may have her target way off - but yes, tis snowing in Dubai - Dubai, yes, there's snow in the United Arab Emirates. And oh, there's also quakes in Japan...
OK, OK, I may be freaking out a bit here, but I'm having lotsof flashes from scenes in "The Day After Tomorrow"... And also that M.C. Hammer song that goes "We've got to pray just to make it today, I say we pray... Prayyyy!" (Hey, I was a 90's teen, whaddaya expect?)
All the best for 2005.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
"..expect snow in Malaysia next month"
... said one of my colleagues in between our conversation about the recent tsunami that took away more than 40 lives in the northern part of the country. Isn't it scary - the so-called prosperous, harmonious, malapetaka-less Malaysia can be hit by a tsunami!
Actually, after Greg (remember the tropical storm that hit Sabah a few years ago?) I was already aware that the world climate is no longer the same. As I type this sentence a whirlpool of images imported from my memories, courtesy of Deep Impact and The Day After Tomorrow, is swirling in my head.
Right now there are still no report concerning the second/follow-up tremors and its ripple effects that experts say would come our way - yet orders to keep clear from the beaches and reminders on safety practices are still being broadcasted.
Unfortunately, Malaysia, all these while thinking we're quite safe from such bencana alams, is lacking of a good warning system - perhaps our weather guys are already giving us their best, given that our country has not got the experience in handling such disasters. I suppose we now have to look at other countries like Japan and US who have experienced tsunamis and see how they prepare against it.
I'd like to do my part (yes, more, besides separating the glass from the paper and plastic as well as do a bit of funding) and paste a bit of a survival guide which I borrowed from http://www.wsspc.org/tsunami/CA/CA_survive.html:
WHAT IS A TSUNAMI (SOONAHMEE)?
A tsunami is a series of sea waves most commonly caused by an earthquake beneath the sea floor. In the open ocean, tsunami waves travel at speeds of up to 600 miles per hour. As the waves enter shallow water, they may rise rapidly. The waves can kill and injure people and cause great property damage where they come ashore. The first wave is often not the largest; successive waves may be spaced many minutes apart and continue arriving for a number of hours.
IF YOU FEEL A STRONG EARTHQUAKE WHEN YOU ARE ON THE COAST:
1. Drop and cover. If possible, get under a sturdy object and hold on. Watch for falling objects.
2. As soon as the shaking is over, move to higher ground or inland. A tsunami may be coming. Go on foot immediately. Do not wait for an additional warning.
3. Stay away from the coast. Waves may continue to arrive for hours.
4. Listen to your radio for an official "all clear" before returning to the coastal area.
WHAT IS A LOW-LYING AREA AND HOW HIGH IS HIGH GROUND?
Typical peak wave heights from large tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean over the last 80 years have been between 21 and 45 feet at the shoreline. A few waves, however, have been higher locally- as much as 100 feet in a few isolated locations.
The best general advice available today is to:
- Go to an area 100 feet above sea level, if possible, or go up to 2 miles inland. If you can not get this high or far, go as high and far as you can. Every foot inland or upwards may make a difference.
- Go on foot if at all possible because of traffic, damage to roads, downed power lines, and other earthquake debris.
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO EVACUATE?
A major tsunami-producing earthquake will likely shake the ground strongly for at least 20 seconds. Get into the habit of counting how long the earthquake shaking lasts. If you count 20 seconds of strong ground shaking, evacuate as soon as it is safe to do so.
If evacuation is impossible, the third floor or higher of a reinforced concrete building may offer protection, but such a building should be used only as a last resort.
WHAT CAN I DO AHEAD OF TIME?
1. Make disaster plans now. Talk to the people you live with about what may happen during a strong earthquake. If you live or work in a low-lying coastal area, know where to go to survive a tsunami. Hold earthquake/tsunami drills at home or at work.
2. Assemble a portable disaster supply kit. Have a kit available in your car, at home and at work. Your kit should include a portable radio with fresh batteries, water, first aid supplies, flashlight, and extra clothes or a blanket. Put your kit in a backpack and leave it in a convenient place.
3. Contact local emergency officials. Find out what areas are most vulnerable to tsunami hazards, which areas are safe, and which routes are best for evacuation.
4. Take a first aid class. Learn survival skills, talk with your family, friends and neighbors. Knowledge is your greatest defense against any potential disaster.
5. Join a neighborhood emergency response team. Contact your local Office of Emergency Services to learn whether there is such a program in your city or county. Or start one in your own neighborhood.
Actually, after Greg (remember the tropical storm that hit Sabah a few years ago?) I was already aware that the world climate is no longer the same. As I type this sentence a whirlpool of images imported from my memories, courtesy of Deep Impact and The Day After Tomorrow, is swirling in my head.
Right now there are still no report concerning the second/follow-up tremors and its ripple effects that experts say would come our way - yet orders to keep clear from the beaches and reminders on safety practices are still being broadcasted.
Unfortunately, Malaysia, all these while thinking we're quite safe from such bencana alams, is lacking of a good warning system - perhaps our weather guys are already giving us their best, given that our country has not got the experience in handling such disasters. I suppose we now have to look at other countries like Japan and US who have experienced tsunamis and see how they prepare against it.
I'd like to do my part (yes, more, besides separating the glass from the paper and plastic as well as do a bit of funding) and paste a bit of a survival guide which I borrowed from http://www.wsspc.org/tsunami/CA/CA_survive.html:
WHAT IS A TSUNAMI (SOONAHMEE)?
A tsunami is a series of sea waves most commonly caused by an earthquake beneath the sea floor. In the open ocean, tsunami waves travel at speeds of up to 600 miles per hour. As the waves enter shallow water, they may rise rapidly. The waves can kill and injure people and cause great property damage where they come ashore. The first wave is often not the largest; successive waves may be spaced many minutes apart and continue arriving for a number of hours.
IF YOU FEEL A STRONG EARTHQUAKE WHEN YOU ARE ON THE COAST:
1. Drop and cover. If possible, get under a sturdy object and hold on. Watch for falling objects.
2. As soon as the shaking is over, move to higher ground or inland. A tsunami may be coming. Go on foot immediately. Do not wait for an additional warning.
3. Stay away from the coast. Waves may continue to arrive for hours.
4. Listen to your radio for an official "all clear" before returning to the coastal area.
WHAT IS A LOW-LYING AREA AND HOW HIGH IS HIGH GROUND?
Typical peak wave heights from large tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean over the last 80 years have been between 21 and 45 feet at the shoreline. A few waves, however, have been higher locally- as much as 100 feet in a few isolated locations.
The best general advice available today is to:
- Go to an area 100 feet above sea level, if possible, or go up to 2 miles inland. If you can not get this high or far, go as high and far as you can. Every foot inland or upwards may make a difference.
- Go on foot if at all possible because of traffic, damage to roads, downed power lines, and other earthquake debris.
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO EVACUATE?
A major tsunami-producing earthquake will likely shake the ground strongly for at least 20 seconds. Get into the habit of counting how long the earthquake shaking lasts. If you count 20 seconds of strong ground shaking, evacuate as soon as it is safe to do so.
If evacuation is impossible, the third floor or higher of a reinforced concrete building may offer protection, but such a building should be used only as a last resort.
WHAT CAN I DO AHEAD OF TIME?
1. Make disaster plans now. Talk to the people you live with about what may happen during a strong earthquake. If you live or work in a low-lying coastal area, know where to go to survive a tsunami. Hold earthquake/tsunami drills at home or at work.
2. Assemble a portable disaster supply kit. Have a kit available in your car, at home and at work. Your kit should include a portable radio with fresh batteries, water, first aid supplies, flashlight, and extra clothes or a blanket. Put your kit in a backpack and leave it in a convenient place.
3. Contact local emergency officials. Find out what areas are most vulnerable to tsunami hazards, which areas are safe, and which routes are best for evacuation.
4. Take a first aid class. Learn survival skills, talk with your family, friends and neighbors. Knowledge is your greatest defense against any potential disaster.
5. Join a neighborhood emergency response team. Contact your local Office of Emergency Services to learn whether there is such a program in your city or county. Or start one in your own neighborhood.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Reloaded
Is the next new thing always better than the last? Well Nokia, Motorola and SonyEricsson seems to think so. Me, I can't keep up with them anymore, not the way I used to do it - you know, with interest?
Perhaps I'm suffering from techstress. No, not technostress, techstress. It's like when you're no longer impress nor interested with the latest technological development, and every new handphone seems to be just as dull as the last one.
Perhaps I need something totally, totally new to rekindle my interest. Maybe a handphone that can help me fly. Yeah, something small enough, preferably in orange colour so that I can find it even without my lens stuck to my eyes, taggable to the wrist, strong enough to engulf me in a force-field, emitting anti-gravity radiowave and propels according to commands from my brainwave.
Then all I have to do is think - "I wanna hover forward. Faster. OK stop." - and voila! I'm in front of T.S. Mega Taman Tenaga, ready to do my grocery shopping!
Now how about that?
Perhaps I'm suffering from techstress. No, not technostress, techstress. It's like when you're no longer impress nor interested with the latest technological development, and every new handphone seems to be just as dull as the last one.
Perhaps I need something totally, totally new to rekindle my interest. Maybe a handphone that can help me fly. Yeah, something small enough, preferably in orange colour so that I can find it even without my lens stuck to my eyes, taggable to the wrist, strong enough to engulf me in a force-field, emitting anti-gravity radiowave and propels according to commands from my brainwave.
Then all I have to do is think - "I wanna hover forward. Faster. OK stop." - and voila! I'm in front of T.S. Mega Taman Tenaga, ready to do my grocery shopping!
Now how about that?
Monday, December 13, 2004
And true love will find you
Ever heard people say "When thy seek, thy shalt not find, yet when thy least expect, it comes"? No? Well that's probably cause no one talks like that anymore. But you get the gist, right?
It's about true love. About how true love is hard to find, but somehow it will find you. And that's what happened to me - my true love came to me. Yup, you can even sing this line like that X'mas song ("On the x day of X'mas my true love gave to me..").
He - my first (sulung you know) true love - came to me when I least expected him to.
See I've been in love with this particular person, this wonderful creation, this talented human, for a long, long time. He's cool, he's tall, he's handsome, he's cute, he's good-looking, he's tough, he's skinny, he's fair...
[tarik nafas.. huuuh]
He's my love, my darling, my intan (intan is actually the kulit layer of permata jewellers say, hence, diamond skin?), my payung (umbrella - a nice one), my delima (ruby), my permata (diamond), my zamrud (emerald)... mine.
Mine!
OK, OK he's not really mine, but as I am his Numero Uno admirer who will always be just that, he - the one who will always be known as the Numero Uno Guy - is, essentially, mine.
Alright, alright. The truth is, as far as I know, he has four Numero Uno fans - who loved, adored and supported him throughout his entire career, since the days of Tak Kisahlah Beb!, the days of Roy, the days of him as a leather-jacketed Sons of Adam.
In fact it was his charisma, his magnetic presence and his lively youthful characters that gelled the four members of his Numero Uno fan club. The four of us bonded and (kinda) signed an agreement - acknowledging that come what/who may, he will still be the Numero Uno - and to this day, our agreement is as strong as how it was when we first carved it on stone (literally - but you'll have to visit SM Raja Perempuan, Ipoh to see it).
While our history is hardly as impressive nor as old as Da Vinci's Priory of Sion, the fact is, we have been in the club for as long as 13 years. And that's how long I've waited to meet him.
I've tried looking for him - and many others told me they've found him, but not me. Tried as I might, I always end up not being where he appears.
Then suddenly, there he was.
There he was with some 50-odd members of cast and crew smack at the Cheras LRT stop. My good ol' stop. And I was there. There at that precise moment in this universe.
It was fated. We were destined to meet. And fate made him came to me!
And all I could do was took out the Motorola E680 I was reviewing, and started snapping. At first it was zoom, zoom, snap. Then he came nearer, and snap, snap, snap.
As he approached, some crewmembers were already laughing at me. I must have had my oh-my-God-it's-the-love-of-my-life look on my face - y'know, the one when your eyes just simply pop-out stare and your mouth is all but shut, in other words, shocked by the sight in front of you? Coupled with hands on cameraphone clicking away on automode, I must have been quite a rare sight to see.
Starstruck. That's how I was. But can you really blame me? I've waited for 13 years to meet him! Thir-teen ye-ars!
I told my friends that if I ever bump into him I shall simply freeze. And that I almost did.
It's a good thing that I've rehearsed a bit - see I've played this moment many times in my head, going "What should I do if I meet... "
So I managed to call out, "Encik Faizal!"
Of course that too made the camera crew suspectedly for Gerak Khas the Series burst into laughter. But I don't care. (After all I do respect him, so the Encik title was an apt inclusion. So laugh you fools, I don't care.)
And miraculously, neither did he!
Faizal Hussein - the Great, Elusive, Perfect Specimen, Faizal Hussein that I've adored for years - turned to look at me with a sincere smile, and I shoved out my sweaty palms for a handshake, which he took, with much generosity and penuh kemesraan, and said, "Ya?"
And with one word I declared myself to him and the world - "Peminat!"
..deriving more laughter from the camera crew, only this time it seems as if they were all very very far away from us. The laughter sounded 2-D, distant, unimportant.
There were just me, my sis (another pioneer member of the Faizal Hussein is Numero Uno fan club) and of course, the Enigmatic Fantastic Faizal Hussein.
My sis too shook hands with him and told him that she was a fan since ten years ago - to which he responded, "Terima kasih..". Now why couldn't I thought of something effective like that to say to him? Oh yeah, I was helplessly, bodohly starstruck.
Then I asked him if he'd mind me taking a snapshot of him. Without hesitation he said, "Boleh..." and stood immobile with a smile. For me - he posed for me!
That smile, that magical smile - I almost could not find the shutter button on the damn Linux-based phone. Yet somehow I did it - a clicking sound was heard.
And with that he said, "OK.." - to which I said thanks, and blurted out (warning: the coming is the stupidest line I've said in my entire life) "Selamat Berlakon!"
Selamat Berlakon? What the... Where did that come from? Why didn't I tell him that I've scribbled his name more times throughout my schooling years than I did my own name?
Yet he seems to appreciate it! He nodded to me as he walked towards the group of cameramen, and waved goodbye. A perfect wave - the one that seemed to say, "Nice to meet you gals."
*photo taken using the above-said cameraphone, the VGA unit came with 14-step zoom you know..
Faizal Hussein's the best, he is, he is!
p/s: Glad to be blogging again - told myself I can fight my addiction to blogging if I can survive the Raya without posting a single entry, and that I did. I'm not addicted to blogging. I just like it. A lot.
It's about true love. About how true love is hard to find, but somehow it will find you. And that's what happened to me - my true love came to me. Yup, you can even sing this line like that X'mas song ("On the x day of X'mas my true love gave to me..").
He - my first (sulung you know) true love - came to me when I least expected him to.
See I've been in love with this particular person, this wonderful creation, this talented human, for a long, long time. He's cool, he's tall, he's handsome, he's cute, he's good-looking, he's tough, he's skinny, he's fair...
[tarik nafas.. huuuh]
He's my love, my darling, my intan (intan is actually the kulit layer of permata jewellers say, hence, diamond skin?), my payung (umbrella - a nice one), my delima (ruby), my permata (diamond), my zamrud (emerald)... mine.
Mine!
OK, OK he's not really mine, but as I am his Numero Uno admirer who will always be just that, he - the one who will always be known as the Numero Uno Guy - is, essentially, mine.
Alright, alright. The truth is, as far as I know, he has four Numero Uno fans - who loved, adored and supported him throughout his entire career, since the days of Tak Kisahlah Beb!, the days of Roy, the days of him as a leather-jacketed Sons of Adam.
In fact it was his charisma, his magnetic presence and his lively youthful characters that gelled the four members of his Numero Uno fan club. The four of us bonded and (kinda) signed an agreement - acknowledging that come what/who may, he will still be the Numero Uno - and to this day, our agreement is as strong as how it was when we first carved it on stone (literally - but you'll have to visit SM Raja Perempuan, Ipoh to see it).
While our history is hardly as impressive nor as old as Da Vinci's Priory of Sion, the fact is, we have been in the club for as long as 13 years. And that's how long I've waited to meet him.
I've tried looking for him - and many others told me they've found him, but not me. Tried as I might, I always end up not being where he appears.
Then suddenly, there he was.
There he was with some 50-odd members of cast and crew smack at the Cheras LRT stop. My good ol' stop. And I was there. There at that precise moment in this universe.
It was fated. We were destined to meet. And fate made him came to me!
And all I could do was took out the Motorola E680 I was reviewing, and started snapping. At first it was zoom, zoom, snap. Then he came nearer, and snap, snap, snap.
As he approached, some crewmembers were already laughing at me. I must have had my oh-my-God-it's-the-love-of-my-life look on my face - y'know, the one when your eyes just simply pop-out stare and your mouth is all but shut, in other words, shocked by the sight in front of you? Coupled with hands on cameraphone clicking away on automode, I must have been quite a rare sight to see.
Starstruck. That's how I was. But can you really blame me? I've waited for 13 years to meet him! Thir-teen ye-ars!
I told my friends that if I ever bump into him I shall simply freeze. And that I almost did.
It's a good thing that I've rehearsed a bit - see I've played this moment many times in my head, going "What should I do if I meet... "
So I managed to call out, "Encik Faizal!"
Of course that too made the camera crew suspectedly for Gerak Khas the Series burst into laughter. But I don't care. (After all I do respect him, so the Encik title was an apt inclusion. So laugh you fools, I don't care.)
And miraculously, neither did he!
Faizal Hussein - the Great, Elusive, Perfect Specimen, Faizal Hussein that I've adored for years - turned to look at me with a sincere smile, and I shoved out my sweaty palms for a handshake, which he took, with much generosity and penuh kemesraan, and said, "Ya?"
And with one word I declared myself to him and the world - "Peminat!"
..deriving more laughter from the camera crew, only this time it seems as if they were all very very far away from us. The laughter sounded 2-D, distant, unimportant.
There were just me, my sis (another pioneer member of the Faizal Hussein is Numero Uno fan club) and of course, the Enigmatic Fantastic Faizal Hussein.
My sis too shook hands with him and told him that she was a fan since ten years ago - to which he responded, "Terima kasih..". Now why couldn't I thought of something effective like that to say to him? Oh yeah, I was helplessly, bodohly starstruck.
Then I asked him if he'd mind me taking a snapshot of him. Without hesitation he said, "Boleh..." and stood immobile with a smile. For me - he posed for me!
That smile, that magical smile - I almost could not find the shutter button on the damn Linux-based phone. Yet somehow I did it - a clicking sound was heard.
And with that he said, "OK.." - to which I said thanks, and blurted out (warning: the coming is the stupidest line I've said in my entire life) "Selamat Berlakon!"
Selamat Berlakon? What the... Where did that come from? Why didn't I tell him that I've scribbled his name more times throughout my schooling years than I did my own name?
Yet he seems to appreciate it! He nodded to me as he walked towards the group of cameramen, and waved goodbye. A perfect wave - the one that seemed to say, "Nice to meet you gals."
*photo taken using the above-said cameraphone, the VGA unit came with 14-step zoom you know..
Faizal Hussein's the best, he is, he is!
p/s: Glad to be blogging again - told myself I can fight my addiction to blogging if I can survive the Raya without posting a single entry, and that I did. I'm not addicted to blogging. I just like it. A lot.
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