Dailies, Hong Kong, On The News
On The News: A quake shakes buildings and widely felt across Hong Kong
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Originally uploaded by: yuekl
I knew it. No one would believed me when I said I felt an earthquake at around 7:30pm the other night. I didn’t blog about it because I thought it wasn’t real until I read it in the news today.
On the news, it says that a tremor was felt across the city of Hong Kong measuring around 3.5 on Richter scale. If you think that’s weak, the Observatory was flooded with phonecalls about it. I was at work in the basement of the building that night where I felt the millisecond shake. I could sensitively identified it as earthquake, I guess the effect on the taller buildings were very low, so no one noticed it in some point. I didn’t panic or whatever so I ignored it. Besides, I had not seen any sign of people running outside the building whether they felt it out of panic or excitement but I really heard a bang and felt one quick shock.
I didn’t know it would happen here. Earthquakes are one of the disasters that I fear in my entire life. Back in my childhood, I often witnessed big earthquakes in The Philippines. I remembered we would hide under the table as we watch our house shakes, glasses falling, chairs were moving while holding on our dear life for about two minutes. It was one of those times that I thought we were all going to die. Think of the movie The Day After Tomorrow? This is like the Super Bowl of all atmospheric states. It shook my wild imagination in disbelief which I hope nothing like these could ever happen. “Is this how the world is going to end?”
Good news is, there were no reports of casualties or injuries after the tremor. But there was a brief loss of power at some business district in Central. However the quake was the first since 2004. I never seriously watch the news, so I didn’t realised that earthquakes really happens here. The Hong Kong Observatory said that small scale of tremors could usually be felt in Hong Kong once or twice a year. Thanks God, we are all safe.
Well things around here still looking really bright and charming. I starting to feel the cool Autumn weather. And if we say Autumn, we think about lights, lanterns, nice clothes, the time when people will eat moon cakes-pastries with family members under moonlight. From the 30th September to 15th October, Hong Kong will be celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Autumn is my personal favourite time of the year when the air is fresh and drier.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn festival, the moon is fullest and most brilliant and bright because a full moon was a symbol of reunion. It is also known as a harvest festival because all fruits, vegetable and grain had been harvested by that time. Taro is a food that cannot be omitted from the Mid-Autumn Festival because it was first discovered under the moonlight. Traditionally thirteen moon cakes were piled in a pyramid. This was done because it symbolized the thirteen moons of a full, complete year.
Update on Earthquake: I was trying to look for the news online since this morning and the South China Morning Post has not posted it on the internet but I have found it here. Or visit Earthquake Watch monitoring the daily earthquake activity with a list of all earthquakes around the globe with a magnitude greater than 2.5.
Feelin’ It featuring Mecca
by: Jay-Z
Did you know that I’ve been suffering a certain phobia bec. of earthquake? haay anyways K, take good care of yourself!
I have that too. It’s when our anxiety pops off ‘What will happen’ and then suddenly we create thoughts, which has a negative influence. So bad huh?
We’ll just have to keep cool.
California is prone to earthquakes. If you look in one of our local papers, you’ll see a diagram of the Bay Area filled with “points” indicating where every tremor (big and small) was recorded for the week.
I’m sensitive to small tremors. I’ve been through a couple of good-sized ones in the Philippines. They’re no fun.
Have a good weekend!
What surprises me is that, HK shouldn’t be experiencing this since it is considered to be “safe”. I asked few people around and they were all anxious. “Earthquake in HK, No Kidding”!
Who wouldn’t want to panic in this city?
Scotland doesn’t really suffer from earthquakes, but we’ve had one or two. Never felt them though. I think Britiain gets about 16 minor tremors per year, but they never make the news as your passing local bus shakes the ground more than they do.
Sounds quite scary, being in the basement. I suppose though it’s the safest place, am I wrong in that?
Take care, K!
I supposed “not sure”. I’m such a loser of these earthquakes so I really take this so seriously. Fear phobia, I may say.
oooo…I hope you’re okay!
This sounds like that little tremble (my first) that I felt a few weeks ago…scary ain’t it?
happy weekend otherwise K!
I can imagine in Hawaii, Consuela. Like in the Philippines, if it’s not a typhoon, it’s an earthquake and all that disaster. I’ve heard many people can narrate their experiences of the Earthquake, like I for one, or the WTC disaster, their hands would go clammy, their knees would shake, eyes would blur, feel fearful and have nightmares making them feverish. Have you experienced that?
We had a pretty heavy one a few days ago and apparently there was one today, which I did not feel, at 5·0. Funny thing is, there are no news reports of the earlier one in Google News and it went on for way longer. It is here at Geonet, which tracks our earthquakes.
I’ve read it Jack. There was a big one the day after in Taiwan and Indonesia too. Everywhere now experienced this, small or big nature affects every dimension of our lives.
But I’m looking forward for the Moon Festival, the weather seems nice this time. A lot of times, I don’t anymore use my AC. I should be wearing the “I heart Hong Kong” shirt for this. Hahaha.
At least no earthquakes here in Norway being the country is built in solid rock. I am happy to hear that it wasnt that serious. ANyway, take care always!
That’s what I thought here too. HK is small but it’s all solid rock. But hey we never know. The right way to say is to keep busy, keep happy and accept the situation with a positive vision that ‘Nothing will happen now’.
Thanks Charles, am Ohhhh-K.
Japan is so earthquake prone,i don’t panic anymore whenever it hits us.
listening now to your MYMP.
OOnga anoh? Japan & Pinas masyadong prone. Anak ni Zuma, sanayan lang pala yan. Eh sa taas ng mga bldg dito eh di ka kaya mag panic? Hehehe.
Glad you enjoy the music. Click ka lang ng click, Ate.
now that i’m leaving in a hotel that’s one of the things that worries me … earthquake! huhuhuhuhhuhu …
Just locate the nearest fire exits at dapat laging naka ON ang cellphone, beep Thomas in case of emergency and have Bianca in your arms. DO NOT USE THE LIFT.
I think HOTELS these days does Fire Drill every once in a while. It’s an offense around here if fire exits are blocked. Safe naman siguro diyan. Just my little advisory, hahahaha Ms Gracie.
that’s quite a scare.
within the nearby countries around the philippines there had been earthquakes happening. i wonder if it’s a matter of time before we get jolted by a strong one.
oh dear…
Seriously, I think we were in Gotesco Theatre ata that time during the Baguio Disaster. After that incident, di na kami mapalagay kapag nanonood ng sine.
Wag naman sanan dito.
I hear of natural disasters and terrorisms all around the world… I was just wondering why doesn’t it happen here…. Hmmm… Oops, I better zip my mouth. :rolls eyes:
WHAT? What do you mean it never happen there? Hahaha you’re so silly.
I did not feel the tremors from where I worked. But earthquakes scare me, too. I have witnessed the big one in 1990. I learned then that a 7 on a richter scales is really bad. The Hyatt hotel in Baguio was totally destroyed because of it. We had to sleep outside of the house because of possible after tremors. Gee, it’s weird to remember all that.
I think some people here din’t feel it because everyone was busy. I was a little panicky that time because I knew it was an earthquake. It still scares me esp when you have really faced the edge of it!
I just thought that nature is taking its revenge against mankind. Hope you’re ok there K! Just the mere shaking of the ground makes me panic. Aiiiieeee!
I can easily understand “nature”, it’s not rare I suppose. But a manmade disaster like WTC makes it more scary to even think about, we never know when it’s going to hit us.
i’m glad you’re ok
At kung hindi *knock on da wood* di na ako makakablog.
i have been living in hongkong for 20 years. all i can feel and see is the big pollution problems.
others than that, many people and too crowded everywhere. it is getting hotter and hotter like in sauna.
never face any big typhoons. we will see in future
where is mine