The earthquake

I felt dizzy all of a sudden and was thinking probably I needed some candies. Earthquake was the last word that would occur to me. The pendant lamp was shaking – it was so surreal yet real.

The news that the epicenter was in Sichuan sounded implausible, but true. In the blink of an eye, the obscure town became the focus of the country. By the way, where is the torch? Few seem to care.

Being thousands of miles away, I didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation until the government announced 3 days of mourning for the victims. All newspapers and websites became black-and-white; entertainment TV channels turned dumb, cinemas and bars were closed…

Many people donated money. But one thing I can’t figure out is why taking a record? Even if I had one million to donate, I wouldn’t want my name to be exposed on the little red board.

Today things are getting back to normal, slowly though. May the victims rest in peace and the survivors be strong.

The unbearable heaviness of shopping

It’s a short Labor Day holiday, but people’s shopping frenzy is totally unaffected. The day before May 1st, they were queuing at the ATMs, warming up for the battles at various shopping malls. What a sign of the booming economy! But the hordes of customers kill all my desire for things and I usually end up home empty-handedly.

Now I’m in favor of online shopping. Clothes, cosmetics, books, household appliances… anything you can think of are delivered right at your door. At first I thought I got addicted, but later I realize it’s become a habit. It saves time on traveling in this enormous city and saves me from breathing in too many noxious gases.

The only place I frequent is the Carrefour 10 minutes away from where I live. But never dare I go at weekends. I hate the endless queue there, or I hate myself for not having the patience to queue. Ugh!