Shock and Awe!

Prologue: Finally, first post in April.

Today I experienced my very first earthquake in my life. OK on second thought, it's just a small teeny weeny mini-quake. You know what? Scrap that, it's just a short five minutes sustained vibration/pulsation of a tremor. The event happens around 4++pm in the evening while I was onlining in my room when my chair then my room started wobbling/pulsate/vibrate a little for no apparent reason. My very first thought was: "did someone move something heavy upstairs?" When the vibration/pulsation/wobbling lasted a tad bit too long for comfort however, I wondered aloud over my Facebook status about this weird occurrence and almost within a second or two, the Facebook news feed was flooded with status updates about the earthquake. It's only then that the fact has dawned to me - It's really happening. Earthquake is indeed happening!

My reaction upon realizing that it's an actual earthquake just now: "WOOHOO my first earthquake! So this is how earthquake feels like!" Mild tremors in events of actual earthquake in Indonesia happened quite a few times for the past few years but for some reason I never actually felt it in person so this is the first time I actually felt such geographical event (the simulation over Petrosains doesn't count) and I genuinely felt excited for this discovery! I stand up immediately just to make sure that it's for real but then the tremor is already over. The thought of actually going out for safety didn't occur until the very end and even then I digressed after considering the fact that it's just a small tremor and I am only at the 3rd floor of an building so it shouldn't fall that easily. In fact as I peered out from my window, only one people bothered to come out from my block as the tremor happens! With that, everything proceeds as normal to me in my room aside for slight dizziness, probably due to imbalance in the semicircular canal in my ear. Made me wondered though if a small tremor like this is good enough to make me feel dizzy, I wonder what will happen to me if I ever end up experience worse earthquake.

So far so tranquil but otherwise interesting, otherworldly experience for me, right? It's a whole different picture altogether though over Facebook aka the viral panic machine. Scenes of TOTAL PANIC & CHAOS across Penang...with shoppers rushing out from all major shopping malls from Gurney Plaza to 1st Avenue Komtar to Queensbay. One annoying observation amidst the hullaballoo of shoppers rushing out of malls is that they actually bothered to whip out their iPhone/Samsung Galaxy, take picture of people panicking and uploading it online. Heck, in one of the PANIC shoppers picture uploaded, I actually saw someone trying to take the picture of the crowd huddling outside using a fucking IPAD, holding it up high like a camera of some sort. If I were at the scene, I am so tempted to aim something at that fucking IPAD and makes it drop to the ground. The extra public holiday (more on that later), ruined by a mild tremor.

As the news unfolds, people started wonder where's the source of the quake. Turns out that an 8.9 Richter scale earthquake has occurred off the west coast of Sumatra thus immediately triggered the collective memory of THAT EVENT BACK IN 2004 or ANOTHER EVENT LAST YEAR. What follows immediately after the panic shoppers picture is about tsunami warning across Indian ocean region including northern region of Peninsula Malaysia with *POSSIBLE* tsunami making a landfall in Penang around 9:11pm at night. Take note of the word *POSSIBLE*. But of course the hapless Facebook users who thinks they are helpful but has actually done nothing but fueling further panic create and shares hastily photoshopped pictures with dramatic images about tsunami warning and typing in cap about STAYING AWAY FROM ALL SEA FRONT or praying for safety of everyone and what not. Judging from Facebook reaction, it almost feels like the end is near (which isn't actually because if the end is actual near, we're probably dead anyway and have no time to update Facebook status.) The sentiment is fueled even further when an aftershock occurs around 6++pm which lasted only around 30 seconds at most and yet people are still panicking. Worse of all, people starting to spread false rumour about low tide over Gurney Drive (evening is low tide so it's only natural for that to happen.) or how Overtime over Gurney Drive collapsed (turns out it was a hoax as it was the picture of Overtime being torn down by MPPP because it's an illegal structure. Serve them right.). At this point of time, I am bemused at the idiocy and at the same time feeling a lilbit guilty for NOT panicking but instead mildly EXCITED in times of natural, geographical events. Instead of writing ominous warning in CAPS, clicking share button endlessly or generally panicking, I spent most of my evening feeling cynical about the whole thing and everyone that panicked. In fact, I am very tempted to say this to everyone:

Keep Calm and Carry On and Don't Panic, two famous British pop culture reference together at last. Got it from Google Image.

As the clock tick closer to the estimated time of *possible* tsunami making a landfall in Penang around 9:11pm, a sudden turn in the event around 8++pm. The tsunami alert has been CANCELLED for all countries. What do you know? NOTHING HAPPENED. Which is great because on one hand there's little cost of life or damage (so far no news about casualty in Sumatra yet but should be fine as well) and on the other hand, people could actually STOP PANICKING. This event and the subsequent drama goes to show the propensity of Facebook users to blow things out of ridiculous proportion by the simple act of clicking Share button. I guess this is how viral promotion works.

Oh well. If there's anything good come out from this is that I received a few smses (ZZChuah, Yaya and Esther), mostly forwarded message about tsunami warning from the few that concerned enough to include me in their spam mail list, one phone call from ChibiLim, one of the SISTAH down south which surprises me  and a couple of Facebook chat in which one is from my younger bro (come to think of it, I didn't even call my parent. This shows how apathetic I am in times of supposed panic.) and another one from my long time mate in highschool, Clement who is now way down under in Kiwiland. It has been a while indeed, Clement. Almost immediately, my daily social interaction value goes off the chart. Perhaps it's good that the mild tremor happened.

Oh talking about public holiday, today's the Installation of the new Paramount Ruler of Malaysia/Yang Dipertuan Agong Malaysia (apparently the only elected monarchy system in the world) with Sultan of Kedah, His Majesty Sultan Abdul Halim on the helm for the next five years. What makes this term more momentous than ever is that Sultan Abdul Halim has been the Paramount Ruler for a term 42 years ago (1970-1975) so this is the second time His Majesty is installed as the Paramount Ruler making him the first Malay Rulers to be installed as Paramount Ruler twice, a fact that is repeatedly emphasised by media running up to His Majesty's Installation. As a diligent bore I am, I actually watched the live broadcast over TV1 of the Installation Ceremony, taking place over the new Istana Negara.

Apparently it was raining and the event was delayed for about half an hour or so. The TV1 correspondents are trying very hard to stretch the awkward moment of waiting by punctuating it with random facts about His Majesty, his new term as the Paramount Ruler, the Nobat team that was brought it specifically from Kedah just for the ceremony and more videos from Ministry of Culture and Information about His Majesty. And oh, I still don't like how kitsch the new Istana Negara looked with golden domes.

In fact due to inclement weather, His Majesty have to inspect the guard at the huge front porch.

Then His Majesty proceed to the Anteroom/Reception Room to meet up with fellow royals, exchanging greetings. Made me wondered though how are they supposed to chat while waiting in the HUGE anteroom? Not too long later, all of them moved to the throne room one state over the other.

I think the Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam has to be the coolest among fellow Malay States Royal. Just look at his get up: a saffron coloured decorated officers hat and a ceremonial sword!

And this is Sarawak's TYT/State Governor. He has been TYT back in the 80's too before being chosen again in the 90's thus also making him the only civilian to be chosen as a State Governor twice as well.

I closed my browser as soon as Prime Minister made his speech so I did'nt follow the whole thing through. Despite such auspicious event in Malaysia's history and an extra public holiday for everyone, it was immediately shadowed by the earthquake and tsunami warning. Hmm I wonder does it mean anything. *cue lame, mildly antitheist, antipolitician joke about earthquake as ominous sign for things to come in the future especially THE END of lots of thing.*

Epilogue: What about...me? Well, fate has it that I fell sick again immediately at the turn of a new month with symptoms occurring coincidentally on 1 April (Sunday) as if God/Fate/Nature is playing a cruel, life threatening prank against me. One whole week of headache which essentially limited my movement to my room, nausea which results in severe lack of appetite and inability to eat solid food without the urge to vomit, diarrhea to the point I have nothing left to diarrhea about and lots of medicine. I found it rather horrifying at the fact that whenever I fell sick, it's always weekend when the clinic in USM is closed which means I have to go out all by myself if I want to seek immediate medical attention. Luckily for this bout, I survive that Sunday with Panadol and good enough to go clinic on the coming Monday. I really hope my body wouldn't fail me again or at the very least, fell at better timing.

The root of my downfall actually was laid on 31 March (Saturday) in which I fall for temptation and went to Pasar Malam to buy Nasi Tomato and Imitation sharkfin soup. Major suspect: that spicy nasi tomato combined with unpredictable weather. I will never buy from that stall or any stall from pasar malam for that matter ever again.

My first attempt of solid food as this rice vermicelli (mee sua) that my cousin tapao-ed for me (after my mom who fell ill after coming back from Jakarta as well pestered him) and it took me four hours to finish the whole thing, resisting the urge to puke while rising repeatedly from my bed to grab a few bites of this. I slowly picked my appetite up in subsequent days by tackling Mi Sup and then economical rice. Finally on Thursday, I finally have full meals.

My first celebratory feel good meal: wantan mee over Plus2 as breakfast. Oh it has been a while indeed!