The 1st of February greeted me with a bang shake!
It happened again. Earthquake!
It woke me up. My bed was shaking for ten minutes (i think). My eyes opened against will and I mentally argued if hiding beneath the table and resume my sleeping there is really necessary. Immediately erased those thoughts and instead, I pulled my sheets and hid beneath as the early morning light was penetrating through the window curtain.
I thought for a second, before succumbing back to sleep, that I wouldn't mind dying right then, just with shirt and underwear (though not my ideal death scene). This self-deliberation was done while the earth was shaking..still.
Fact: I'm not suicidal. I am in love with life.
It's just that earthquakes or tremors happen too often here that I treat it as a normal circumstance. In our office, if it's bearable, people resume work - with style (helmets on and survival bag ready). They don't evacuate unless the magnitude (perhaps) reach a certain level of intolerance. It's most likely I got my certain insensitivity towards tremors from them.
Well of course, I was not like THAT before.
In 2004, I experienced my first ever earthquake in Tokyo. It was night time, and I was about to sleep. Then suddenly the whole room shook. Being a 5th floor tenant, the shaking was insane so my immediate reflex was a scream (I yelled "Little!"; my officemate-slash-nextdoor-neighbour). I reached for the door and went out, but a bit surprised not to see people populating the hall as I would have expected. It's like NOTHING happened. Not even sounds from neighbouring doors were heard. The hall was just the way as I would normally see, eerie. I closed the door, went inside and glad the tremor stopped.
The next day, me and my officemates were talking about what had happened last night. I shared my experience and the next thing I knew, my little scream fest became an inside joke --- An officemate would then swear, who lives in 9th floor, that my scream echoed its way there.
From then on, and having gone through numerous mild earthquakes in Japan, I no longer react in panic. I just heave a big sigh (read: here we go again).
Not that I've completely gone fearless. Tremors as powerful as to cause structures to collapse is a different story. Without a doubt, THAT is scary. *shivers at the thought of it*
It happened again. Earthquake!
It woke me up. My bed was shaking for ten minutes (i think). My eyes opened against will and I mentally argued if hiding beneath the table and resume my sleeping there is really necessary. Immediately erased those thoughts and instead, I pulled my sheets and hid beneath as the early morning light was penetrating through the window curtain.
I thought for a second, before succumbing back to sleep, that I wouldn't mind dying right then, just with shirt and underwear (though not my ideal death scene). This self-deliberation was done while the earth was shaking..still.
Fact: I'm not suicidal. I am in love with life.
It's just that earthquakes or tremors happen too often here that I treat it as a normal circumstance. In our office, if it's bearable, people resume work - with style (helmets on and survival bag ready). They don't evacuate unless the magnitude (perhaps) reach a certain level of intolerance. It's most likely I got my certain insensitivity towards tremors from them.
Well of course, I was not like THAT before.
In 2004, I experienced my first ever earthquake in Tokyo. It was night time, and I was about to sleep. Then suddenly the whole room shook. Being a 5th floor tenant, the shaking was insane so my immediate reflex was a scream (I yelled "Little!"; my officemate-slash-nextdoor-neighbour). I reached for the door and went out, but a bit surprised not to see people populating the hall as I would have expected. It's like NOTHING happened. Not even sounds from neighbouring doors were heard. The hall was just the way as I would normally see, eerie. I closed the door, went inside and glad the tremor stopped.
The next day, me and my officemates were talking about what had happened last night. I shared my experience and the next thing I knew, my little scream fest became an inside joke --- An officemate would then swear, who lives in 9th floor, that my scream echoed its way there.
From then on, and having gone through numerous mild earthquakes in Japan, I no longer react in panic. I just heave a big sigh (read: here we go again).
Not that I've completely gone fearless. Tremors as powerful as to cause structures to collapse is a different story. Without a doubt, THAT is scary. *shivers at the thought of it*
4 comments:
That's terrifying..
Glad you're okay!
Omg, I would have probably freaked and jumped out the window. I remember I was at school in elementary school and the ground shook just a little and everyone evacuated the building. I guess its because we barely get earthquakes here.
I can't imagine how you can survive Tokyo with all its tremors! I would have moved to another city already. I think it's scary that people brush off earthquakes as a usual, everyday occurrence. I would not survive in Tokyo.
Once, when I was at a hotel in Florida, the fire alarm went off. I panicked, screamed and had to make a split-second decision on what to wear. I was in my undies. Fearing for my life, I grabbed a towel and headed to the nearest exit..only to find out it was false alarm. Drats!
@cheryl, thanks for the concern =)
@anne, I'm from the Phils., and earthquakes rarely happen there. So it's not surprising that the slightest tremor could send people out of buildings...well, unlike here.
@The demigoddess, LOL! to the what-to-wear thoughts.
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