Monday, May 19, 2008
3 minutes of silence
As the death toll crept to a deadly (pun unintended) number, China is officially mourning for the Sichuan earthquake victims for three days.
And at 1428, exactly a week after the powerful quake hit Sichuan, all in China observed three minutes of silence.
Staying in Shanghai for the past months has made me more Singaporean than ever, but at the same time, I grew to like the bustling city and developing country, flaws, problems and all.
And so we mourned. We observed silence.
In the minutes before 1428, my office had someone counting down. Chattering can be heard throughout, the atmosphere somewhat awkwardly light. But the moment the siren went off, the office was dead silent.
Spare for the air siren in the distance.
We stood by the window at 7th storey, some looking down while others looking far and beyond. The cars on the highway slowed, snailed and stopped. The policeman standing at the chevron markings took off his cap and lowered his head. Everything came to a standstill. Knowing that somewhere, trading has stopped, the Olympic torch relay suspended and someone just closed his eyes for the last time under the rubbles...
I felt like crying.
The 3 minutes flew past. But for those trapped under the rubbles at Sichuan, even 1 mintue make a difference between life and death. Our 3 minutes of silence extended beyond, just like how we hope the many lives and survivors at Sichuan can hang on and be strong.
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On a sidenote, China has called off entertainment programmes on TV, as well as ceased operations of entertainment businesses in Shanghai.
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Update: More bad news, by CNN. Mud flow buried about 200 relief workers. *sigh*
And at 1428, exactly a week after the powerful quake hit Sichuan, all in China observed three minutes of silence.
Staying in Shanghai for the past months has made me more Singaporean than ever, but at the same time, I grew to like the bustling city and developing country, flaws, problems and all.
And so we mourned. We observed silence.
In the minutes before 1428, my office had someone counting down. Chattering can be heard throughout, the atmosphere somewhat awkwardly light. But the moment the siren went off, the office was dead silent.
Spare for the air siren in the distance.
We stood by the window at 7th storey, some looking down while others looking far and beyond. The cars on the highway slowed, snailed and stopped. The policeman standing at the chevron markings took off his cap and lowered his head. Everything came to a standstill. Knowing that somewhere, trading has stopped, the Olympic torch relay suspended and someone just closed his eyes for the last time under the rubbles...
I felt like crying.The 3 minutes flew past. But for those trapped under the rubbles at Sichuan, even 1 mintue make a difference between life and death. Our 3 minutes of silence extended beyond, just like how we hope the many lives and survivors at Sichuan can hang on and be strong.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a sidenote, China has called off entertainment programmes on TV, as well as ceased operations of entertainment businesses in Shanghai.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update: More bad news, by CNN. Mud flow buried about 200 relief workers. *sigh*
Labels: China, life, news, Olympic, Shanghai, travel
posted by QueenPig @ 2:56 PM
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