Tsunami != Type of Sushi

Quick entry before leaving.. It was tragic, yes. It was shocking, yes. I'm sure thousands of others have sent out e-mails or blogged about the incident, and my comments will only reiterate their pleas for donations or prayers. I would like to write about the incident, but from a different perspective..

Warning: My comments will probably stir up some controversy but that's the whole point - I want *you* to think about it and come up with your own conclusion. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anybody, especially to friends and families of victims in this tragedy. I hope that they can pick themselves up from the rubble that remains, and look forward to rebuilding their homes. I'm merely using this opportunity to point out other inefficiencies in our society today..

Here's a thought, the death toll in the region is now at 130,000, with many more still missing. I am certain that it will most likely climb close to 200,000. The world has poured in money and resources into the region, and now they are talking about planning an early warning system for earthquakes and tsunami in the region because, quite frankly, they have NONE at the moment.

Two points I'd like to make:
1. Why are we, as humans, so reactive instead of proactive to handle situations? Often times we have to wait for something tragic to happen before realising, "Hey, perhaps we should do something about this EARLIER." A perfect example is the 9/11 incident. Before then, the attitude is "Yeah, yeah, we know about terrorists. They won't dare to do anything near the US, so we'll just ignore them because they don't exist in our world." The intelligence system was flawed, and the president dismissed any previous warnings about terrorist activities. Smuggling weapons onto airplanes was like stealing candy from a corner store. After the incident, everybody calls for tighter control on airport security. The world demanded a better intelligence system, and everybody is crying foul to the terrorist attack.

The Asia Tsunami is another good example of this. Before this, there were no formal warning system of unusual earthquake movements or activities in the region. Heck there wasn't even an old man living in a lighthouse with a paper-telephone watching the waves! Now they are saying that we need a better warning system? After 130,000 people died!? Don't you think that's a little too much sacrafice of human life for somebody to realise this?

2. Should we now declare a war on tsunami and all natural disasters because they have killed so many citizens of the earth? Perhaps we should also get rid of sushis and terriyaki because all those words end in "i". That's enough evidence to me that they are linked in some way!

I'm not pointing fingers at anybody or any organisation.. just want to illustrate some subtle points for you to ponder about..

Now off to Amsterdam!

You Get What You Paid For

Please remind me next time not to be cheap and take the 6am flight from an airport situated an hour away from central London. Now I have to wake up at 3am, take two buses, and an airport shuttle, not to mention the actual flight. Maybe a more decent hour next time would make the journey a bit more pleasurable.

Visitor from Home

Or closer to home, at least. Adrian flew in from Calgary on Saturday, and there's nothing better to cure homesickness than to have a friend visit from home. He brought me some wonderful icewine (which I cannot buy here because nobody knows what it is.. they are missing out!), and another bottle of red wine. After a grueling three hour walk to the train terminal, he had just arrived from taking the coach from the airport. Without diving into too much details, we ended up taking a taxi for half our way back to my place, and walked the other half. Well that's my exercise for the year. Haha..

I showed him central London on Sunday, after having dim sum in Chinatown. Unfortunately I have the work for the rest of the week, so he's been exploring London on his own. Luckily, I managed to get a long weekend so we're heading off to Amsterdam and Paris for a bit of weekend travelling.. Oh the trouble that Adrian and I will cause.. haha..

Bank Holiday?

What am I doing in the office when the entire country is on holiday? Oh right, Europe is not, and I happen to do business with European countries..

Merry Christmas!

I'm off to meet Adrian at the station.. be back in a few hours or so.

What kind of city is this? No public transport AT ALL? Estimated time of one-way walk to station: 2.5 hours.

Lonely Christmas..

I cannot believe I don't have to go into work today! It was a last minute decision from the management that there was no point to bring in the team today. A friend called me for lunch in the same restaurant I had dinner on Wednesday night, which I did not mind at all. I wouldn't pass an opportunity for good food (and of course good company)! Tagged along with them for shopping in the afternoon..

I headed home on an almost empty bus after a late dinner with friends.. feeling a bit lonely now. It is especially sad at these times of the year, when I see families and couples alike on the streets.. and here I am, in a foreign country that I still don't feel any belongingness.. it is nights like this that I question my decision to constantly move, from one city to another, from one country to another, from one continent to another..

Not a single phone call either.. *sigh*

Dinner in Chinatown

It was Simon's birthday on Monday, so I suggested that we meet up for dinner tonight to celebrate. Of course, I had forgotten that his girlfriend arrived yesterday.. I asked if it was a good idea to meet up still, but he didn't seem to mind. I didn't really want to be the third wheel! In the end, we met up in Chinatown for dinner. We went to a new restaurant that was recommended by a friend - it was expensive, but it was worth it! It reminded me of food from home.. oh how I miss the availability of good food. It takes me an hour to trek down for decent food, and I took such convenience for granted at home.

I guess it's true when they say that you only really learn the important of something when you lose it..

Christmas Party

There was a Christmas Party that I organised today, and I think most people had a lot of fun. It was difficult to plan activities for many different age groups, but I think I managed quite well! The general feeling was that most people had a good time, either by participating or watching others participate. After dinner, a bunch of us went carol singing in Chinatown. It turned out much better than I had thought! A lot of people even took video of us using their digital cameras or camera mobile phones. It was chilly outside, but my heart was warm..

Self-Monitoring

When I get too comfortable in a situation, I always forget about the risks and danger I put myself into. I'm usually very cautious, knowing that anybody at anytime can stab me in the back. Heck, I used to walk around with my back to the wall, until I realised that the wall could be rigged and somebody could still stab me from behind.

So I guess I forgot about that once again.. and then when the stabbing came, I didn't even see it coming.

Unfortunately, these people don't know who they're dealing with..

One more to go!!

Ugh.. one more exam to go.. I really hope I pass this one. Out of all the exams I have written, this is the one where I felt the least prepared.. which is probably true, considering that I didn't take a single day off from work to study. Actually, I haven't even finished reading all the chapters yet and the exam is in 5 hours..