It was around 6 p.m. when I noticed that the floor was shaking while taking a breather in the building lobby on the 30th of September 2009. I shrugged it off thinking that it was a result of lightheadedness due to empty stomach. However, I heard a commotion along the hallway and I saw that the people from other offices were evacuating including my colleagues.
It was crazy! As calmly as I could, I returned to my area, shutdown my workstation, and then took the staircase from 19th floor down to the main floor. It was quite a scene on the main floor because for the first time in my stay in Singapore, I witnessed panic!
I find it surprising because the earthquake that we felt was just like the tail end of an earthquake (aftershock) in the Philippines. Yet, the Singaporeans reaction looked like it’s already the end of the world; it’s pretty obvious that they are not used to facing calamities. No pun intended! 🙂
Being brought up in the calamity stricken country like the Philippines give Filipinos like me an edge because we learn how to deal with the worst scenarios at a very young age. So, the “little” shake or “little” flood feels like it’s just a light pinch on the cheeks.
After an amusing and earth shaking day, on my way home, surprisingly the bus driver happily greets everyone that boarded the bus and he also bids his bubbly goodbye with a wave and smile on his face for passengers who alights.
That’s one positive way to end the day. Aja!
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